《Strongest Grimoire Of The Gods》


 Chapter 1: It Cant Get Worse

    *DING*


    A phone notification.


    A pair of lifeless eyes peered down at a bright screen in the middle of the night.


    [Oi, Tear! You were not able to get the promotion this time. Your shift starts at 1:00 AM again today. Make sure you show up like always, we are running low on staff!]


    Those void pupils compressed in size as this middle-aged man''s eyebrows furrowed inwards.


    "Fuck this... there''s no way." Tear Shosha said under his breath as he quickly stuffed his phone back into his old cargo pants. S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    His struts through the empty and pitch-black metropolitan streets became faster and faster as he gritted his teeth.


    "He didn''t pay me for working extra hours last week and now... he cancels the promotion that I''ve been waiting on for 2 years!?" Tear almost couldn''t believe the words coming out of his own mouth.


    ''I''ve worked far too hard to let him just snatch this away from me. I''ve cleaned those disgusting toilets too many times for him to just fuck me over like this!''


    Tear''s mind filled with so many negative thoughts that he arrived at his workplace before he even knew it.


    It was an old gas station on the edge of a large city. Half the sign was missing, and the other half had graffiti all over it.


    [Dude working here has a 3-incher... he''s also 34 years old!] The graffiti read.


    Tear glanced at these letters and quickly shrugged it off, heading straight to the entrance.


    He had read the graffiti way too many times by now to give a dam.


    With a loud slam, Tear pushed the gas station door open.


    Inside; a stubby and chubby 55-year-old-man with a black mustache, and a young kid with shit posture and painted black nails both stared at Tear with bewildered expressions.


    "Two years. I''ve been waiting for that promotion for two--" Tear''s tone was getting increasingly irritated as he spoke, but he was abruptly interrupted before he could finish.


    "So what?" The older man replied, his eyes squinting as he walked around the cash register and toward the middle of the store. "And since when did you start to raise your voice against me? Huh? Last time you did that, I cut your pay for a week. Did you already forget?" The old man smirked with a smug expression cast all over his face.


    Tear''s eyes danced with frustration, but it seemed in the end, he made a decision.


    "Shut... the fuck up!" He suddenly blurted.


    Even the round man was taken aback, his smug expression suddenly erased from his face. The teen in the back frowned, but he seemed to be too stoned to care.


    "Fuck this..." Tear said under his breath, and then raised his voice: "Fuck you!" He shouted to the short elder.


    His eyes, seething with hatred, quickly darted to the youngster in the back, "And fuck you too!"


    The teen''s chin tucked into his neck, a puzzled look on his face.


    Tear continued: "So you''re the reason why my promotion got delayed huh?" He looked back at the old man, "All the shit I''ve done for your business over the years and this is what I get? A damn junkie to take my earned pay!?"


    The large man had been silent this entire time. But now, he decided to finally speak up. He stepped forward, a look of pure disdain on his face.


    "Earned? Earned by doing what?" He said in a low tone. "All you''ve done here is make a mockery of my store, ever since the beginning! Your very presence makes people trash this place and speak badly about it. I mean seriously, what is a 34-year-old man doing working in a gas station!? Are you mad that I gave your pay to someone else?


    I gave it to them because you are a dog who will work under me under any circumstances. You are a curse to my business, but just good enough to keep with a few treats tossed to you every once in a while. Any more invested in you... is not worth it."


    On hearing this, a blistering build-up of rage erupted within Tear. He gritted his teeth as hard as he could and lunged forward without any thoughts in his head.


    "I''ll kill you! I have nothing left to live for! Even if I go to jail for the rest of my life, I swear you will die by my hands, you motherfucker!"


    ...


    After a minute or so, Tear was thrown out of the gas station right onto his bum. The old man dusted his hands and looked down at Tear before saying: "You''re fired." And slamming the door shut.


    Tear stood up. He had a black eye and his nose was busted up. He turned around, as tears swelled up in his eyes.


    "My life can''t possibly get any worse than this..." He said, as he abruptly heard thunder in the distance.


    A few trickling droplets turned into light streams, and streams into a full-on downpour. Mere seconds passed by as Tear was entirely drenched in the rain.


    I guess his life could get worse after all...


    His first instinct was to run, but he had no energy for that. Neither did he have anywhere to run to. So, he began to walk slowly through the rain.


    This walk was dreadful. He was cold and had no umbrella or anything to shield himself. Cars passed by at high speeds, sometimes even splashing water on him.


    Many memories passed through his head during this walk. Memories of his recent past. His years of solitude and emptiness.


    No matter what he thought about, the dull color in his eyes still remained vigorously. He was undoubtedly depressed. In the eyes of most, Tear Shosha was nothing more than a pathetic bum.


    Finally, in the distance, he saw a car resembling a taxi begin to get closer. He stood to the edge of the road holding his thumb out.


    As it neared him, however, it showered him in a bunch of mud water and sped on by. The mud water even entered his mouth, making him take multiple steps back as he choked on the disgusting shit in his mouth.


    The back of his head hit a stone wall, sending a stinging buzz through his brain as he turned around.


    "Fuck! Couldn''t he slow down a bit, even if he wasn''t going to pick me up?" He clutched the back of his head as he stared at the wall behind him.


    He planned to use his pent-up anger and punch this wall as hard as possible, not caring about the repercussions at this point.


    However, right before he did this, a colorful poster on the wall stopped him. Out of the dozens of old posters, this one was in pristine condition. It was clearly new.


    Tear furrowed his brows, leaning closer to read it as he took out his phone and shined a flashlight on it.


    [There isn''t much time left to apply! A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to impress the entire world with your... magic tricks! Do you have what it takes to get all 3 yesses, and maybe even the golden yes!? Then apply for it right now! Let''s see what kind of magicians are in your city!]


    At that moment, Tear''s lifeless eyes suddenly sparked with a hint of light. His fist lowered as a memory sharply reentered his mind.


    "Magic... wasn''t that my passion?" He looked down at the deadline for applications.


    [June 1st]. Only one day left.


    A memory resurfaced: "Grandpa''s magic book... I used it after he died a few times, but... it never worked. Magic isn''t real. But..."


    He trailed off, the thought lingering. It seemed foolish, chasing a childhood dream. But with nothing left to lose, a spark of hope ignited within him.


    "Maybe this time... maybe in a place where magic is supposed to be performed. Maybe here, it will work."

 Chapter 2: Disappear

    Tear walked all the way home through the night. During the trek, he reminisced about his distant past.


    ''My life''s been shit for as long as I can remember, but... I barely even remember what happened before my grandpa died. Still, I know those were my best days.'' Tear thought to himself on his walk.


    His eyes stared at the sky, which was devoid of all stars due to the thick light pollution in the city.


    He thought of his late grandfather: ''Had to leave me to fend on my own when I turned 18 huh?'' He said to himself, slightly scoffing.


    As soon as he arrived at his crappy apartment building, he took off most of his clothes, stuck a toothbrush in his mouth, and began rummaging through his old storage.


    It didn''t take him very long to find a dusty old wooden box with blue writing all over it.


    ''Here it is.'' He mused, remembering how he threw this box away after his grandpa died and never looked back at it again. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He blew on it to get rid of all the dust. Carved on it was a word that read: "Remember."


    ''How could I forget.'' Tear immediately said to himself: ''The last words you said to me before you died...'' He paused that thought, opening up the box.


    Inside, there was a textbook-sized paperback book. He opened it up straight in the middle.


    Even though it had hundreds of pages, "They are all blank." Tear said, looking at the plain sheets in front of him.


    "Well... all of them except the first few." He quickly flipped to the start of the book.


    On the first three pages, there were some directions on how to do random and simple magic ''spells'' as the book called it--and also visual depictions.


    One of them was a spell called Transfer (Written in all-black ink): [Allow any small object in one hand to move to the other when concealed.]


    This was a trick that most magicians knew how to do. It was sleight of hand and was fairly easy to learn.


    There was one more simple trick on the next page, but Tear ignored that one and flipped the page to come to the final spell.


    "Disappear." He said out loud as he looked at the third and last spell in the book. This spell, unlike the other two, was written in pencil.


    "This is the only one that has a chance to make me win big. If it works... I will surely win and maybe even make it big one day."


    At that moment, thoughts of Tear riding on helicopters, driving supercars, swimming in gold, and having hot babes all around him screaming his name quickly filled his thoughts.


    He nearly drooled at the thought of it all, but quickly shook his head and collected himself.


    "But... It has to actually work first." As he said this, his fingers grazed against the description portion of the page.


    It was... completely ripped off, unlike every other page in the entire book.


    Tear didn''t know why, but he knew that: "There''s no description for this spell... and it''s not even written in ink. But, I am sure I can figure out what this spell does just from knowing its name. Disappear. Like all other disappearing spells, It makes someone disappear right in front of your very eyes." He surmised from its name.


    A hint of excitement swelled up within him just thinking about the possibility of the spell working.


    After brushing his teeth and getting ready to go to sleep, Tear decided to practice the Disappear spell first.


    He sat down on the ground with the magic book in front of him. To the side, he placed an empty cardboard box: his test dummy.


    He exhaled deeply: "Come on... please work." He said under his breath--staring at the pencil-drawn letters on the book page.


    Tear raised his hand to perform the spell, causing a spur of memories to suddenly enter his mind.


    He remembered he used to do magic tricks--or rather, how his grandpa used to do them.


    Before he even knew about the modern world, Tear lived with his grandpa in the mountains.


    His grandpa was surprisingly strong for his old age, so they didn''t have a difficult time out there.


    The old man taught Tear to read and write, and also some lessons about morals and... whatever else. Tear forgot about that stuff quickly.


    What Tear remembered most from those days were the magic tricks that his grandpa always used to show him.


    Disappearing, making things float, and etc.


    Although Tear grew to believe they were only tricks and not real magic, his grandpa never gave up his argument that he was performing actual spells.


    He didn''t give this fact up, not even on his final day...


    On Tear''s 18th birthday, his grandpa passed away. There was a lot that Tear still wanted to know, and wanted to say.


    Yet, the immovable and ever-overpowering time forced Tear to give up those qualms and come to grips with reality.


    He was thrust into the real world--not a single year in school, and not even a single contact with another person other than his grandpa...


    What Tear wanted to know most that day was... what were his parents like?


    For some unexplainable reason, Tear couldn''t remember what happened before he was 6 years old for the life of him. It was like a mental blockade of sorts that simply never left him.


    Due to this, he didn''t remember his parents at all either. Heck, he didn''t even know if he had ever seen them before.


    The only thing his grandpa had to say about his parents was that... "They are a funny folk, Tear. I guarantee that you will meet them in your lifespan."


    ...


    Remembering all of this, a slight smile pulled on Tear''s lips. To him, his memories were mostly bitter, yet still had a hint of sweetness to them.


    Finally, he said "Disappear" as he moved his hand around the cardboard box next to the book.


    Nothing happened.


    He waited a few seconds, his eyes filled with hope.


    Yet, again... nothing.


    He tried for 2 more hours. It was the pinnacle of boredom, but such measly things rarely affected Tear anymore.


    In the end, he fell asleep while continuing to practice.


    ***


    The next day, Tear stood in front of a behemoth of a building. His mouth was slightly agape, while his eyes gleamed in awe.


    A large building that resembled a palace, with many pillars and marble structures supporting it.


    It had tall windows that were glowing even in the daytime, with a wide red carpet rolled several hundred meters down to the street.


    The loud commotion of thousands of people around him pushed him back into reality as he looked down at his clothing.


    This was the fanciest he had ever dressed--a white tuxedo with black dress pants, a small black bowtie, and a blue magic book in his hands.


    ''I owe that suit-store guy more money than what''s in my bank account... I can''t afford to mess up.'' With this sentence said in his head, Tear sucked in two lungs worth of air and took a large step forward...

 Chapter 3: Dont Try

    Tear turned in his 50$ deposit and application to join the magic show at a booth located near the side of the building entrance.


    After that, he was stuck in what he liked to call "The torturous chamber of boredom."


    Or in other words, a damn long line. In the end, though, it still felt like mere seconds cause of the anxiety of the situation.


    He was in the the line from dawn to noon, and then noon to dusk. After 8 entire hours, Tear was finally only one person away from entering the stage.


    He had been rehearsing what he was going to say and do during his entire wait, yet he still couldn''t shake off the nerves even up until a couple minutes before his performance.


    What forced him back into the moment was an abrupt and loud "BOO" from the crowd.


    His vision became clear and his eyes locked onto the person on the stage in front of him.


    It was a young woman in her early thirties. She was clearly dressed up for the occasion. She seemed as though he was about to burst into tears.


    And yet, the criticism and rude shouting from the crowd wasn''t stopping whatsoever.


    Tear happened to live near Yollymood, where magic was more popular than any other sort of entertainment.


    Several hundred were lined up to participate, and on such a big stage, Tear quickly realized that only perfection wasn''t torn to shreds.


    Everything else was roasted and burnt to a crisp before even getting a chance to surface.


    Out of nowhere, the lady on the stage broke out into a flurry of tears before digging her face into her elbow and running backstage--brushing past Tear.


    Understanding that his turn was next, Tear felt his breath wanting to stop at his throat and his voice closing in as though he was suffocating. His heart was beating non-stop, feeling as though it was going to burst out of his chest.


    Cold sweats, horrible chills crawling up and down his back, and even a feeling of lightheadedness. Despite this, his name was still called on the loudspeaker after a few seconds:


    "Next contestant, #1102 Tear Shosha, please make your way to the center of the stage!"


    Just like that morning, Tear took in a deep breath and walked forward. He felt the eyes of the crowd pierce into him like daggers--almost feeling the sting on his skin.


    The feeling was judgemental and vicious, like a pack of starved wolves ready to gnaw at any chunk of skin they could get their teeth in.


    Yet... ''This is my only chance, damn it. Toughen up.'' Tear gritted his teeth, walking to the X on the floor before turning to face the crowd.


    In front of him were three judges behind a glowing table. One was a bald man, the other a beautiful lady, and the final one was an ugly middle-aged man with sunken eyes.


    In front of them all was a green button that read "Yes." S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Tear''s eyes darted around, hurrying to find the most important person--the Golden Yes holder.


    To the left, sitting on an elevated seat was a man wearing all golden-colored clothing.


    He looked pompous as could be and was slightly chubby, having what many would call a grand mustache and plump red cheeks.


    In front of him was what Tear had been waiting to see. The elusive Golden Yes button.


    "Good morn--" That was all that left Tear''s mouth before he was abruptly interrupted.


    "Morning? It''s dark outside right now. What kind of mornings do you have?" The Golden Yes holder blurted out.


    A few seconds of silence passed, as the crowd erupted into hearty laughter.


    "Pahhaha! We got a retard on stage!"


    "Get this clown out of here!"


    "Did he say morning!?"


    ...


    For a moment, Tear felt panic climb up from his feet to his head, wanting to burst out the top.


    However, he composed himself again.


    "Haha..." He chuckled lightly, warranting everyone''s attention. At this moment, he unexpectedly felt a flush of confidence wash over him.


    It might have been his nerves carrying him through it, but having never done this before, his body moved on its own.


    "Of course, it seems I''ve been inside for so long I forgot what time it was!" He said, inciting a few laughs from the crowd himself.


    The pompous Golden Yes man snarled slightly at Tear''s remark.


    "Nevertheless, I am not here to tell you all whether it is nighttime or day, but rather, to impress everyone with the most fantastic magic you have ever seen in your lives!"


    This speech warranted a few odd cheers from the crowd. Mostly, it was still a load of badmouthing.


    Tear performed his Transfer spell as a warm-up. Or at least, he tried to.


    He put a golden ball in his hand, showcased it to the crowd, and attempted to move it to the other hand.


    ''Work.'' He mused in his head, closing both hands into fists before opening them up again.


    Yet, the ball had not transferred. Once the audience noticed this, they had quite a laugh.


    On top of that, the insults were much worse than before.


    Even the judges were disappointed.


    "One of the easiest sleight of hand tricks a magician can do, and yet you fail at even that? Do you take this competition as a joke?" The pompous Golden Yes holder said again.


    Tear felt agitated at this.


    ''I''m trying my best here, fat bastard! I bet your stubby fingers wouldn''t even close into a fist if you tried this!'' Tear said inwardly, but had to remain stoic to continue his act.


    At this point, no one was on his side. The stage was so loud with boos and ugly remarks that most people would have just given up by now.


    Yet, Tear was going to continue. He had already had his fair share of humiliation in the past.


    Compared to the accumulation of his entire life, this wasn''t shit. Tear realized this and gained even more confidence.


    He had nothing to lose, so why not go all out!


    "For my next trick!" He announced loudly into the crowd, quieting them down.


    Some of the judges looked behind themselves, "Well... at least he has good crowd control." One said under his breath.


    Tear continued: "I will be requesting a volunteer." He placed the crowd in a slightly uneasy mood.


    For a moment, Tear felt like he held the power. As his eyes scanned across the crowd, he almost felt like a hawk searching for its prey.


    Finally, his gaze stopped at the Golden Yes holder.


    He pointed at the pompous man: "Sir, would you be so kind as to join me for my final magic spell?"


    A few seconds of silence passed. The pompous man tucked his chin back, almost in disbelief.


    "What? Me?" He confusedly exclaimed.


    Suddenly, the crowd began to cheer for the man to step up to the plate.


    Even the judges encouraged it.


    "Come on! Go for it!"


    "You are the most experienced amongst all of us, you got this!"


    Tear''s smug expression became more and more cunning as the cheers became louder.


    ''Come on, fatty. I''ll use you as my test subject.'' He mused as he smirked.


    "F-fine!" The pompous man''s seat lowered to floor level as he pushed himself off of it and walked onto the stage. "Don''t do anything silly, or else you will never be able to pay it back up." He said with a low gaze.


    "Naturally!" Tear retorted, "Please step here right next to me."


    As the pompous man did this, the crowd calmed down.


    Some whispers began to sprout about.


    "Where is the equipment?" A few murmured amongst themselves.


    "Is he not going to use the usual curtain?"


    "A new piece of technology?"


    No one understood what Tear was trying to do, while Tear was simply re-reading his magic book.


    After a few seconds of awkward silence, Tear faced the crowd.


    "Today, I will be making this man disappear without any equipment or tricks. This will be raw, real magic!"


    Of course, no one believed him. He became an even bigger laughingstock than before.


    The bald judge was dying of laughter, convinced Tear''s act was a comedic one rather than magic.


    Tear raised his hand above the unsuspecting pompous man, who looked back at him with furrowed brows of puzzlement.


    At that moment, Tear felt every external sound muffle out and time seemed to almost slow down.


    ''Your final words...'' He mused to himself, remembering that life-changing day 16 years ago.


    ***


    Before his grandfather died, his last words to Tear were: "Be good, Tear. When you need help, use my book. Don''t just try your best. It''s not good enough. Don''t try at all. Just do..."


    Back then, Tear had always imagined that his grandpa was trying to tell him to use the magic book if he ever needed help performing a magic spell.


    However, Tear now began to understand that perhaps his grandpa''s advice to "remember" the book was a way of telling him to use it whenever he needed guidance or assistance in any aspect of life.


    ***


    Remembering his grandpa''s words and widening his eyes, he seriously focused on the magic book before saying out loud:


    "Disappear."

 Chapter 4: Another Planet

    The pompous man instantly vanished into thin air. There were no special effects, no dramatic scenery.


    One second he was right there, the other, he was gone.


    The crowd was stunned in shock for the first few seconds, like a pack of deer in front of headlights.


    However, they quickly mixed their shock with excitement and cheered for Tear.


    Even the judges were amazed.


    "This is... the most flawless magic trick I have ever seen."


    "How in the world did he do it?"


    "Never have I been this puzzled!"


    They were all awestruck.


    Even Tear himself couldn''t believe it. He exhaled out loudly in shock, almost wheezing as he began to slightly laugh to himself.


    "I-it... worked." He then passed his hand over where the man should have been.


    However, that''s when his heart sunk down into his stomach.


    ''What?'' He said to himself, feeling nothing but the air in front of him.


    "He''s not here." He said out loud accidentally, surprised by this news himself.


    He began to turn pale with confusion and bewilderment, "He''s gone." He verified to himself.


    However, the crowd obviously heard this as well.


    Their amusement quickly turned to concern and panic as Tear continued to wail his hands in the air like an idiot.


    "It''s just a disappearing spell, right? I mean... what could go wrong!?" At that moment, Tear remembered that this spell was the only one written in pencil.


    "The page was torn... I imagined Grandpa rewrote it or something. Could it have been a completely different spell?" This horrible thought crept into his mind, along with several others.


    Did he just kill the judge? Make him disappear forever? Could he undo it? No... there was no such thing as that in the book.


    His mind began to race in panic as the crowd and judges became increasingly worried.


    It even got to the point where medics and safety personnel had to enter the stage.


    Mics fell, sending loud siren-like screeches through the building.


    Whispers turned into screams and shouts of worry and confusion.


    The judges also joined the stage, as they and several other people such as the medics began screaming at Tear for an answer.


    "What did you do!?"


    "Where is he!?"


    However, Tear couldn''t hear any of this right now.


    Tears eyes darted everywhere, looking for an answer... and then, he found one.


    "I-I''ll go." He said out of nowhere.


    Everyone who was screaming at him took a step back, squinting their eyes.


    "You''ll go? Go where?"


    Tear gripped his magic book, "I''ll go and get him back. I''ll make this right!"


    ''That''s what you would have wanted, right Grandpa? To do what''s right...'' Tear closed his eyes shut.


    Voices and hands began to pull on him: "Don''t do it! What if you can''t come back either!"


    "Are you stupid! Just wait and see how things turn out!"


    People pulled and pushed him around, but he had already made up his mind.


    "Disappear." He said again with total conviction.


    In the second moment when he opened his eyes, a much darker scene graced him.


    He seemed to be under a pitch-black night sky. Suddenly, an extremely cool wave passed by him, and for some reason, he could feel the wave in every crevice of his body.


    Even his private parts...


    He looked down in confusion and found that he was totally naked.


    "W-what the hell!?" He exclaimed in confusion, covering his private parts. Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He was extremely scared, but what scared him even more was a cold thing touching his shoulder.


    A sound came from behind him: "Hey, quiet down--" But Tear was far too busy being terrified out of his mind to understand:


    "AHHHHH!!!!" He screamed at the top of his lungs, nearly breaking the canopy off of the forest he was in.


    He heard a thud behind him and quickly turned around.


    On the floor was the pompous man, completely butt-naked with a shocked expression on his face.


    It seemed the scream made the man fall onto his rear.


    "What the hell!?" The pompous man yelled while still whispering. "I told you to be quiet, why did you scream!"


    "What the fuck do you mean why did I scream? I''m naked in this random place and something cold randomly touched my back. What would you do in that situation!?" Tear retorted, also whispering while shouting.


    The pompous man paused for a few seconds before replying: "Well... look. The point is, this is fucked up. I''ve been hearing random sounds ever since you teleported me here. I don''t know what you did but know this. Even if it takes me my entire life, I will never stop until you regret ever being born--"


    Tear interrupted the fatty''s dialogue: "You might as well stop now because I already regret that. Anyways... why do you look so old?"


    The fatty raised an eyebrow, "W-what!? Now you''re insulting me? How dare you!"


    "No! I''m being serious. You looked 60 before, but now you look 80 years old."


    It was true. The pompous man had much more wrinkly skin now, and his overall look made him seem shorter and more frail than before.


    The fatty paused for a moment, noticing that Tear also looked around 20 years older: "Now that I think about it, you look like you are in your forties." He said.


    At that moment, Tear looked up at the thin forest canopy above their heads.


    "Two moons..." He said, noticing two discolored moons in the sky fairly far away from each other.


    "We didn''t just get teleported to some random forest. It looks like we are on another planet entirely." Tear''s eyebrows furrowed as he looked at the ground and tried to figure out what was going on.


    Hearing Tear''s words, the fatty was perplexed: "What the hell did you just say!? Please don''t tell me you''ve gone mad!"


    "No!" Tear retorted: "I''m sane, but that''s the only thing that makes sense. If we traveled this far away, that also explains our rapid aging. I imagine it''s our body''s way of adapting to the cycle of years on another planet. Then again... that still doesn''t explain how we teleported here. One key thing is missing.


    A reason why our age miraculously expanded without any side effects and how the hell the spell work in the first place."


    The pompous old man had something to say: "Perhaps it''s... magic."


    Tear immediately stared at the fatty with an unimpressed look. He was just stating the blatantly obvious fact.


    But then, Tear realized that the fatty was possibly on to something.


    "Wait a minute..." Tear said, "A factor that could affect our bodies like this and teleport us. A form of power that wasn''t on Earth, but on this planet. It must be that sort of magical power that allowed all this to take place. A power that goes beyond the laws of physics."


    Tear looked at the fatty: "Thats what you were talking about right?"


    The fatty looked back at him with low eyelids: "No... I was just saying stupid crap to make you mad." He said while picking his nose.


    Tear threw a stone at the fatty''s head out of anger, knocking him out cold as he began to think.


    "Hmm... looking at our bodies, it seems that no physical object could transfer with us. That means the magic book also--" The thought stopped, as Tear felt an odd feeling in his chest as soon as he thought of the magic book.


    It was weird, as though an intuitive feeling calling for him.


    Like knowing how to smell, see, and hear naturally, this feeling gave the same vibe.


    Tear focused in on his chest, suddenly revealing a glowing transparent magic book in the air in front of him.


    It illuminated the area with its mystical blue glow and it flipped dozens of pages at once nonstop.


    Tear''s eyes lit up with intrigue as information began to fill his mind out of nowhere.


    "I see... so because this book couldn''t travel with me physically, it turned spiritual and imbued into my soul." Tear said out loud, having learned this information randomly.


    ***


    The pompous fatty felt a few light slaps to the face. He woke up halfway:


    "No Mommy! Let me sleep more!"


    He got a much harder slap across the face this time, sobering him up from his sleepiness real quick.


    "Wake up fatass!" Tear blurted.


    "W-what? What do you want!" The fatty sat up.


    "First of all, can you see what''s in front of me in the air?" Tear asked, confusing the fatty as he couldn''t see anything.


    Just from his puzzled expression, Tear understood that the book seemed to appear only to him.


    ''That makes sense since it''s only imbued to my soul...'' Tear mused.


    "Anyways. Let''s go back... home." Tear said this, but in reality, Earth didn''t feel like home whatsoever. More like a damn torture chamber of endless suffering.


    He knew that if he were to go back, he would have to continue living his old pathetic life and most likely be imprisoned on top of that.


    A small part of him wanted to stay in this more magical world with two moons... but he also wanted to make up for his mistakes.


    "Let''s go then! What are you waiting for!" The pompous fatty exclaimed.


    Raising his hand in the air, Tear said: "Disappear." As both him and the judge erased into thin air.


    Before opening his eyes again, Tear thought to himself: ''Please be Earth. Please be the stage we were just on--''


    However, a completely different setting met his gaze on opening his eyes.

 Chapter 5: Who Is The King?

    Tear''s expression was utterly shocked. As he looked all around him, all he could see was that he was in the midst of a giant battleground.


    His ears rang loudly with what seemed to be bullets of various elements blitzing through the air.


    Some were blue, others purple, and some even neon in color.


    Surrounding him lay a dusty ground with fallen metallic objects resembling mecha''s and other futuristic instruments.


    Tear turned, breathing a sigh of relief as he saw the judge still with him.


    Right now, both he and the judge were in the midst of a pile of these fallen and dismembered mecha bodies.


    Tear noticed something about the fat judge at that moment.


    "Wait a second. You look young again. Actually, you''re even younger than before!" He said, surprised.


    The pompous man retorted: "You look like a young man too. Did we reverse in age this time?"


    Before any of them could say another word, a human-like futuristic cyborg appeared from behind the pile of mecha''s, noticing Tear and the judge before stopping in place.


    Tear also noticed the cyborg. As they came into contact with each other, the cyborg''s helmet lowered into his armor and a green alien-like head suddenly revealed itself.


    The thing had four square-shaped eyes and a disgusting-looking hole of a mouth with no nose.


    Tear immediately got freaked out, chills crawling up his body as he backed up slightly.


    "What the fuck is that!?" He said as the alien raised the element-powered rifle it was holding toward both him and the judge.


    It began to power up a blue laser beam out of nowhere and unleashed a bolt of energy toward the two naked people.


    "Disappear!" Tear said just in time, vanishing himself and the judge once again.


    Just like this, both he and the judge traveled through multiple planets.


    Some were icy tundras, others were dry deserts that felt like hellfire.


    Some were under the water, nearly drowning the two humans, and others were in the sky with no ground to be seen! Through all of these planets, the two witnessed landscapes and creatures that were nearly unimaginable.


    Finally, Tear and the pompous judge summoned into a land that seemed more familiar.


    Everything around them was luscious greenery, and the ground below them looked like real dirt.


    Tear furrowed his brows, looking up at the bright blue sky, and then at the greenery around him.


    "At first I thought these were just odd-shaped bushes. But... aren''t they just grass blades?" As he said this, both he and the judge heard some rustling in the leaves a few feet away.


    They both neared each other, readying themselves for what was to come.


    Out of nowhere, a leafling jumped out of the grass forest.


    It had the head of a leaf and the body of a larger leaf. Its legs were stems and its arms were another few small leaves.


    It had beady black eyes and a cute, innocent look on its face.


    "H-huh?" Tear exclaimed in confusion.


    In the next couple of seconds, over 20 of these leaflings gathered in front of both Tear and the judge.


    Finally, one of the leaflings spoke: "Ha hu ga ge?"


    The judge became perplexed at this odd language. However, somehow, Tear was able to understand what the leafling said perfectly.


    "It said... ''Who is the king?''." Tear exclaimed. At that moment, more information entered his mind.


    "I see. It seems this magic book imbued in my soul allows me to understand every possible language ever created, including the language of... the Gods?"


    The judge seemed to be more concerned with what the leaflings said:


    "Is one of us the king? That''s what they asked!? I don''t know how you understand them but... if that''s the case, we can fully take advantage of this situation." The pompous fatty exclaimed, grinning widely as he attempted to step forward.


    "No! Don''t do anything rash" Tear quickly retorted, making the fatty halt. "They may want one of us as king, but what will they do to the other one? These creatures may look innocent, but it''s stupid to be fooled by looks. They could be vicious savages for all we know." Tear was completely serious as he gazed at the leaflings with a stern face.


    The leaflings'' expressions changed, some of them looking as though they got their feelings hurt by Tear''s angry look.


    Noticing this, the judge exclaimed: "Oh, shut up! Don''t act like you are Sherlock. They are clearly a bunch of weak and stupidly gullible creatures."


    Tear didn''t say anything to this. Of course, he didn''t know whether he was right or wrong either. He just wanted to be safe.


    At that moment, a much taller leafling came out from the back of the group. It looked the same as the others, except it had more scars on its body.


    It placed down two sticks and adorned a crown made of thorned leaves on one of them.


    It then said: "Hu ev ju ga ne bim, to dlo!" or "Whoever is the king, they become our feast! Whoever''s stick we break means that we welcome that person!"


    Right after this, it broke the stick without the crown in half and threw it to the ground.


    ''They... are way too aggressive and violent. Plus, if they have even more of these big leaflings, we won''t stand a chance. We need to get out of here.'' Tear thought to himself without hesitation.


    The judge, however, not understanding thier language, got a completely different message from the large leafling breaking the uncrowned stick.


    ''So... whoever isn''t the king gets killed huh?'' The judge thought to himself, clenching his jaw.


    "Yeah... we need to get out of here and go back home--" Tear said as he took a few steps backward, but was abruptly interrupted.


    "Go back where!? Huh!" The judge suddenly retorted in anger, looking back at Tear. S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Tear was taken aback by this sudden reaction.


    "Let''s be honest here... we''ve been trying for several hours. There are millions--no--trillions of planets out there in the universe. What do you think are the chances of us ever returning back to Earth? You''ve ruined everything for me. However...


    you will not ruin this." The judge said with a disdainful and low tone, stepping forward.


    "Wait! Just what do you think the big leafling said!?" Tear exclaimed at that moment.


    "It''s obvious! Whoever is the king gets to live! The other one is broken in half. Right now, it''s you or me. One gets to live the life of a king... the other gets to die.


    I''d choose me every single time over a pathetic low-life like you." The judge turned, facing the leaflings as he shouted:


    "I am the king!" He took the thorn-leaved crown and placed it on his head, "Take me for your leader! Kill that son of bitch back there!"


    Tear stayed silent, his expression shadowed. As the judge made it to where the leaflings were, he was abruptly grabbed by the large leafling.


    His neck was twisted and his body was split in two pieces, as though butchering a chicken with one''s bare hands.


    The man didn''t even get to scream before he was mangled.


    "D--disappear..." Tear managed to say under his breath--astonished at what just happened in front of him.


    ***


    When he opened his eyes again, he finally felt as though he was home. Was this place Earth though? Probably not...

 Chapter 6: Spells

    Tear found himself in the middle of a spacious jungle. The trees were much larger than normal, the grass was still short, and bushes were taller than him.


    Plants of various colors and sorts, luscious and vibrant thrived all around him. It gave an appealing, refreshing vibe.


    The sky was mostly visible as well, and so, the first thing Tear did was look straight up into the sky.


    "Only one sun." He said, "But it looks different than the one I''m used to... maybe it''s a bit bigger?" He couldn''t pinpoint it.


    He looked down at his hands. They were clean, unblemished and tan.


    No wrinkles as he had seen plenty of times before. He also noted that he was a fairly normal height for a human.


    He plopped down onto the ground before lying on the grass with all of his limbs extended out.


    "So... I just killed a man." He said to himself, thinking of the pompous judge.


    He knew that the judge was going to die if he let him go near the leaflings.


    But then again, the judge chose to sacrifice him and save his own fat ass instead.


    "At that moment, my emotions overtook me. I was mad, so I let him get a taste of his own medicine. But... didn''t I go too far?"


    Everything that had happened to him in the past several hours was more than overwhelming.


    The new information was like a bomb dropped on his brain.


    And now, he had to deal with the fact that he pretty much was the cause of a man''s death.


    He was frustrated. Did he do the right thing? Some people might have called his actions justice.


    He couldn''t make a decision about whether what he did was the right move or not.


    "My goal was to get him back to Earth. But... the words he said before he died. He wasn''t wrong. The chances of me returning there are slim to none."


    He paused, thinking for a moment.


    "Who cares though. I don''t want to go back to that shithole anyways. I''ll start a new life here. Out of all the planets I''ve been to, it''s the most similar to Earth. Maybe here, I''ll get to live a better life than the one I had on Earth."


    His eyes were closed, a grin on his face as he daydreamed about having four-eyed alien babies with a leafling wife.


    Wait... how does that even make sense? There must have been an alien mailman in the equation or something.


    Well, anyway! A cool breeze passed through Tear''s balls.


    "Oh shoot!" He abruptly said as his eyelids flew open. He ran over to a bush and used a large leaf over his waist.


    "I forgot I was naked." With this sentence, Tear looked forward with big eyes--ready to accept this planet as his own.


    He took out the transparent magic book. He now understood that its name was the God Grimoire. Or GG as he already nick-named it.


    "I''ll never use the Disappear spell again unless I have to due to dire situations."


    As he flipped the page once to get to the Disappear spell, he noticed that it had completely changed.


    No longer was it called Disappear, but rather, [Planetary Teleportation].


    [Description: Ability to teleport to the nearest habitable planet.]


    [Hidden ability: ??????]


    Tear looked read this description a couple times over before flipping the page back to his previous two.


    "GG has already automatically told me that these two spells have also already changed." He said, staring at the first two spells.


    [Transfer]-[Description: Ability to transfer small objects from one hand to the other.]


    And the second spell was:


    [Hypnosis]-[Description: Ability to hypnotize certain subjects within met criteria by moving a round object in front of their eyes from left to right.]


    [Spell Criteria: The subject has to be weaker than the user. This limit falls short on beasts, who can be stronger than the user to a certain degree.]


    "Interesting... from what GG has told me automatically, I know that this grimoire adapts to any world that it''s in. Since it was on Earth, it learned Transfer and Hypnosis, which are very simple tricks that many magicians know how to perform. The Planetary Teleportation spell, however, is a mystery as to how it got there.


    Nevertheless, what''s interesting is that now that I am on this new planet, all the spells have already changed slightly."


    He looked at each spell and read over thier descriptions again and said:


    "Transfer went from the user having to have their object concealed, to it just having to be small. Hypnosis went from having to have a spiral to hypnotize subjects, to only having to have something round."


    He suddenly got excited as he thought about what spell he was going to get next.


    "GG has already told me about how it can work. It''s through a power system called... Aura. The building block of all living and dead things--superior to even the Atom. Aura is the life essence of everything and can be channeled for an infinite amount of incredible uses. GG only learned these weak spells by being on a planet with no Aura such as Earth.


    However, this planet may have much more Aura, making GG learn an actual Aura spell like the ability to shoot fireballs or something!"


    Clearly, his human view of what fantastical magic should look like had biased his expectations.


    Still, the mere thought of him gaining an actual Aura spell made him get ticklish in the stomach from excitement.


    He was about to check out one last, very important, thing that GG had informed him about when he was caught off guard by a pebble thrown suddenly landing on his forehead.


    He got rid of GG, furrowing his brows as he zoned his vision onto what was in front of him.


    A green creature lunged out of what seemed to only be a bunch of bushes. Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Tear stepped back, nearly tripping over his own foot and falling down.


    "A leafling!?" He said fearfully. Clearly, he still had some PTSD from his last violent encounter.


    "No... this thing is a--"

 Chapter 7: You Leveled Up!

    "No! This thing is a wolf!" Tear faced the beast in front of him with sharp eyes as his heart began to beat faster.


    It wasn''t just a normal wolf. It was around half the size and was made of natural materials. Tree bark, leaves, and even some stones.


    On its head it had some sort of catapult contraption the size of a hand made of vines and what looked to be a wooden spoon.


    A small pebble formed inside of the wooden spoon out of thin air. The catapult spoon was cocked back by the vine before launching the stone forward.


    It went straight for Tear''s forehead again, but this time Tear moved to the side to dodge it.


    "What... a weird ass creature." Tear was confused by it at this point more than scared.


    "But the fact that it can generate stones from nothing is interesting. At the very least, that means this world has more Aura than Earth."


    The wolf had enough of waiting, lunging at Tear before swiping at him with its stone claws.


    A bit of fear made Tear''s reaction time slower, causing him to get a slight scratch on the arm before rolling to the side.


    He stopped near a tree, quickly grabbing a small stick that he found.


    Now that he was on the floor though, he was much slower. The wolf turned to face him, bearing its sharp rocky fangs.


    It hopped in the air again, landing right above the young man. One of its feet pinned Tear''s right hand down--the hand holding the stick.


    ''Fuck!'' Tear freaked out, feeling the hot breath of the wolf mere inches away from his face.


    The wolf attempted to bite his face off, but in that split second Tear managed to dodge his head to the side.


    His adrenaline rose through the roof as his primal fight-or-fight instinct kicked in. Gritting his teeth he exclaimed: "Like hell I''d die so soon after finally arriving to a decent world!"


    ''Transfer.'' He said in his mind.


    The stick from his right hand instantly disappeared and materialized in his left, allowing him to stab it right into the face of the creature.


    It pierced in surprisingly easily, but that made sense since most of the wolf''s face was made of leaves.


    Tear pushed the beast off of him and onto the floor, quickly getting to his feet before dislodging the stick from its face.


    Without hesitating, Tear drove the stick down from above his head with full force--plunging it into the wolf''s head over and over again until it finally stopped squirming.


    He was panting heavily by the end--green bodily liquid all over him.


    "That..." He panted, "Was exhilarating." He wiped the green blood off of his mouth area.


    *Ding*


    Tear suddenly heard in his head. It was similar to how the information from GG entered his mind.


    [You have slain an Earth Wolf.]


    [You leveled up!]


    [You leveled up!]


    [Current level: 3]


    [Level needed for next spell: 10]


    These messages popped up like small transparent notifications in front of his retinas.


    ''Huh? I leveled up? Like in a video game?'' He noticed the bottom message and his eyes began to glow with excitement.


    "Level 10 huh... I''m not too far off already."


    Now that he had dealt with this sudden encounter, Tear decided to do what he was about to do before he got interrupted.


    "GG, open my status." This was another thing that he was automatically informed about.


    ©³©¥©¥©¥Status©¥©¥©¥©·


    Name: Tyr Evolion Thalonis


    Bloodline: Almighty Thalonis + Unknown


    Age: 15 Years


    Level: 3


    Vitality: 6/6


    Strength: 7


    Stamina: 6/6


    Speed: 5


    Aura: --


    [Stats remaining: 4]


    Rank: --


    ©»©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¿


    Tea---Tyr was highly intrigued by all of this information.


    ''It really is just like a game.'' He thought to himself, looking over all the stats one by one. ''My name is spelled with a y huh? Come to think of it, Gramps never really taught me how to spell my own name.''


    He looked down at his body: ''And I''m 15.'' He couldn''t help but smile slightly: ''Feels good to be young again. This time, I won''t let it go to waste. Now, I have four stat points remaining. I guess that means for every level, I get two of these points.''


    He looked over his stats for a few more seconds before deciding what to do.


    ''I don''t get what''s up with my Aura stat, but it seems I can''t level it. Maybe I need to unlock it in the future somehow. For now, since I like the idea of close combat fighting more than anything else, I''ll put my stats into Strength and Speed.''


    [Strength: 7-->10]


    [Speed: 5-->6]


    Despite only putting a few points into his stats, he instantly felt the difference in his body.


    His limbs felt lighter, his muscles becoming slightly more dense and powerful as his tendon''s and ligaments were relieved of some stress.


    It was starting to get late so Tyr decided to try and find a place where he could camp out for the night.


    Before he moved on, however, he checked the Earth Wolf for anything he could salvage.


    After poking at it with his stick for a minute or so, he found a small, shiny orb the size of a marble within its chest area.


    It was gray in color but still had a dim light illuminating it. It was warm, as though it was filled with hot water.


    Just by looking at it, it seemed valuable, so Tyr kept it.


    For the next three hours, Tyr worked tirelessly to set up a campsite. He ensured there was a reliable water source nearby, locating a stream not too far away. S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    His actual camping ground was on a hillside. The hill being a big ass mountain, that is.


    He chose this spot because he found a small hole in the wall that he could live in.


    It was a round cavern room about 10 feet in height and 15 feet in width. Fairly cozy without feeling like too much.


    Most of his day was spent trying to get a fire going.


    He tried until the sun fell over the horizon and the moon lit up the forest canopy. Using hand bow drills, spinning sticks, and whatever else he thought would have a chance.


    In the end, he couldn''t even get a single ember. After all, this was real life, not some fantasy novel or anything like that.


    Miracles wouldn''t happen just because you really wanted them to.


    Exhausted, he patched together a leaf door for his cave and fell asleep in no time.


    Today had been his first few hours in this world, but the coming sunrise would mark the beginning of his first day.


    Although slightly overpowered by everything that had happened in the past 24 hours, Tyr was more than ready to kick start his new life off in a firey manner!

 Chapter 8: Ambush

    The next morning, Tyr woke up nice and early to start planning. Thankfully, he didn''t freeze to death last night. But he was damn close.


    While his teeth still clattered he exclaimed: "I need to get a fire going today... that''s the number two priority." He shook his body, forgetting about the cold for now.


    "The main goal though is to get to level 10. One of those Earth Wolfs gave me 2 levels, but I know I will need more EXP if I want to continue leveling up. For now, I think about 6 Earth Wolf''s should do the job."


    Saying this was the easy part, but actually managing to pull it off was an entirely different story.


    Tyr began to walk through the forest but made sure to mark the trees he went past to know where he was at all times.


    "I got a lucky encounter last time, but I doubt those beasts are too common. I''ll have a better chance if I set a trap."


    Although Tyr hadn''t been exactly what you would call productive on Earth, he was smarter than most people.


    He didn''t have much to go off of, but he quickly began getting to work on a trap idea he had.


    First, he made a slingshot using random materials nearby. It didn''t work great since he only had some vine as a propelling instrument, but for wolves made of leaves, he knew it would be enough.


    Especially if he used sharp rocks as his ammo.


    After this, he decided to use yesterday''s Earth Wolf corpse as bait.


    "I don''t know if these things are cannibals, but I really have no better option than this."


    With this trap set in the middle of a flat patch of grass, he began his wait inside of a big bush.


    He waited for what felt like 5 minutes, which slowly turned into 20... and then 60.


    He had barely blinked the entire time, focusing hard on the bait. Right now, he was pissed off.


    He had waited patiently for so long, yet nothing was happening.


    "You know what... fuck this." He walked out of the bush and stood next to the corpse.


    "COME OUT! IM RIGHT HERE! I AM THE BAIT!" He screamed at the top of his lungs.


    Although this seemed foolish, there was some reasoning behind it. S~ea??h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Tyr had only come across a beast in this forest once, and the reason behind that one encounter was because he was a prey that seemed good enough to attract the Earth Wolf.


    Going off of this information, he knew that this plan had a much higher chance of working.


    The reason why he didn''t use this option earlier was because he knew it would put him in a lot of danger that could have potentially been avoided.


    "COME ON! JUICY RED HUMAN MEAT RIGHT HERE, RIPE FOR THE TAKING!" He screamed again, walking over to a tree branch and breaking off a piece.


    "I''m no longer hidden, so a slingshot won''t be of very much use since I''ll have to be fighting close combat."


    It didn''t even take 10 minutes before Tyr began to hear rustling in the bushes.


    But then, he heard rustling inside of another bush and well. Before he knew it, sounds were coming from multiple different directions.


    "Oh shit..." He said under his breath, his eyes darting from one bush to the other as a bead of sweat trickled down his brow.


    Finally, a boar-like beast jumped out of one of the bushes. Although boars were omnivores, this thing had sharp, serrated teeth and tusks resembling a woolly mammoth''s!


    It was big too, way bigger than the Earth Wolf. In fact, it was probably even a little bit bigger than a real wolf.


    "Fuck... this thing is no joke."


    The boar set off a dominos effect, causing the other animals to begin coming out as well. Another beast revealed itself from the opposite direction.


    "What are you now!?" Tyr abruptly turned to face it.


    It was a jelly. A little blue slime creature the size of a basketball.


    "Pfft! A bitch ass weak one, nice." He turned again as a pebble hit his back.


    It was his old friend, the Earth Wolf. Finally, the last creature lunged out of the bushes and showed itself.


    A bit bigger than the Earth Wolf, it was a leopard with a long monkey tail on its back.


    Tyr stood still for a few seconds as if it was an old gun down... before abruptly sprinting in the opposite direction.


    "No way! I can''t beat all of those things!" He exclaimed dramatically as he ran full speed into the forest.


    The beasts didn''t hesitate to follow him, rapidly approaching.


    As Tyr ran, he still marked all the trees he ran past with a sharp stone.


    With a smirk on his face, he said: "I can''t beat them all at once, but I can still use my greater intelligence to outsmart them."


    He furrowed his brows, "The boar will still be a problem though... even if I can get it trapped, will I be able to kill it?"


    He didn''t have time to think about that for now. He wasn''t used to the forest floor covered with sharp sticks, fallen logs, and rigid stones all across the ground--while the beasts had already conquered such a landscape.


    Noticing a low-hanging tree branch a few meters ahead of him, he quickly jumped up and grabbed it.


    ''I won''t be in front of them for long. I have to use this distance advantage while I still have it!'' He said in his head, hanging onto the branch with his legs as he shot multiple sharp stones at the quickly encroaching beasts using his sling shot.


    His target, however, was purely the Earth Wolf.


    Since its skin was so flimsy, a stone eventually made contact--piercing straight through its skull and out the other side.


    The wolf flew forward and bounced across the ground before sliding to a stop.


    [You have slain an Earth Wolf.]


    [You leveled up!]


    "Nice. Now for the other three." He got on top of the branch, beginning to climb up as the other beasts arrived at the trunk of the tree.


    The boar slammed its head into the tree trunk like a maniac, shaking it slightly.


    The slime simply stayed there helplessly, while the Leopard managed to use its claws and monkey tail to quickly ascend up the branches.


    Before Tyr knew it, the leopard was at his rear--ready to lunge for his bum.


    "Shit! I don''t know if this will work, but I have no other choice!" Tyr exclaimed, ''Transfer!''


    As the leopard leaped up with its fangs bared, Tyr''s sharp stick moved from his hand to between two of his toes.


    He kicked his foot down as hard as he could, impaling the stick into the leopard''s open maw.


    The stick dealt nasty damage to the leopard''s insides, digging all the way down to its organs.


    Since it was a near-instant spell, the leopard''s reaction time didn''t stand a chance.


    ''Transfer.'' Tyr said again, summoning the stick to his hand.


    [You have slain a Monkey-Tailed Leopard.]


    [You leveled up!]


    [You leveled up!]


    ''Perfect.'' Tyr mused as the leopard''s corpse fell down the tree, flopping against some branches before hitting the boar on the head.


    This made Tyr a bit hopeful, ''Did that do some damage?'' He thought, looking down at the big pig as he held onto the tree with his left hand.


    However, this seemed to only make the boar more mad. It agressively shook its head and threw the leopard corpse a dozen feet away.


    Grunting loudly, it slammed its head against the tree again.


    ''As I expected... this thing will be a challenge to deal with.'' Tyr was worried about how exactly he would damage the beast but decided to take a small break for now since he was safe.


    However, something caught him off guard.


    He noticed that the slime was no longer on the ground. Furrowing his eyebrows, he scanned the entire floor around him and still didn''t see it.


    Just then, however, he felt a slimy feeling cover his left hand--the only hand that was holding onto the tree.


    His eyes expanded with realization and shock as his grip loosened and gave up.


    He began to fall down the tree just like how the leopard did, looking up to see the slime from before sticking onto the tree.


    ''The slime! I thought it was useless so I counted it out, but that was a foolish mistake! I''m still new to this world, I shouldn''t be taking even small risks like that. While I was busy with the leopard, it must have slowly climbed up the trunk to get to me!''


    However, none of that mattered right now. As he faced the ground, he saw two large tusks pointed into the air, ready to impale straight through him!

 Chapter 9: Hypnosis

    The ivory tusks weren''t just large; they were menacingly sharp, each point glistening like polished daggers under the sunlight.


    Tyr''s eyes widened in sheer terror as if he had seen a ghost, his mouth falling open to reveal teeth tightly clenched in fear.


    As he fell, he desperately attempted to grab onto the branches around him, but the impact from each collision was too much, causing him to be thrown off course like a deadweight, flailing helplessly.


    With no other options, he had to face what was coming to him. He inhaled sharply and shut his eyes tightly as he thought to himself:


    ''Fuck! I was beginning to like this world but I have no other choice... Disappea--'' He stopped himself at the last moment. ''Wait! I still have one more spell. Hypnosis...


    I need a round object. Where can I get that right now? Think! Think god damn it!''


    He was now just a mere foot away from being skewered by the tusks, his heart pounding like a war drum.


    ''The orb from the Earth Wolf! But wait, it''s too late to reach for that.''


    His face came merely 5 inches from the tusks. The boar was ready to go, steam coming from its snout.


    4 inches away. 3... 2...


    And then, Tyr got a sudden realization.


    ''Something round... of course! I''ve had it all along. Hypnosis!'' He said, staring into the eyes of the boar with a focused gaze as he began to move his pupils from left to right.


    It took a mere millisecond to perform this maneuver, and as soon as he did, he shouted in his mind: ''Move your tusks!''


    The boar''s pupils turned a hazy blue as it forcefully moved its head to the side and dug its tusks into the earth.


    Tyr fell onto the ground, thudding like a barbell. A painful cough racked his body, but with sheer determination, he pushed himself back to his feet.


    "HAHAHA! NOT TODAY, MOTHERFUCKERS!" he bellowed, thrusting both middle fingers into the sky.


    The criteria to use Hypnosis was to move a round object in front of the eyes of the subject from left to right, and one''s pupils were perfect for such a thing.


    Of course, it would be easy for people to forget about their eyes since they were a part of their own body.


    "Phew!" Tyr exclaimed, "But that... was way too damn close. If I hadn''t realized that I could use my eyes I would have been dead. I gave up on the Disappear spell too... maybe I shouldn''t have put all of my eggs in one basket by relying on my own wits to save me. Then again, I am still alive.


    Hahaha!" He put his hands on his hips and proudly laughed to himself.


    But then, he spotted the slime on the tree and felt his blood boil: "You useless sack of shit! Turns out you were the biggest threat out of them all. But... at least you made me learn a valuable lesson. Never again will I underestimate anything in this world... I have too much of a reason to stay here to be making foolish decisions like that."


    He turned, facing the boar. Even though he was using Hypnosis on it, Tyr was still a bit skeptical.


    After all, it was a big-ass demonic-looking boar that was trying to kill him only seconds ago.


    He tip-toed near it, only to have it suddenly pull its tusks out of the ground and swing them toward the boy''s face.


    Tyr was thankfully just out of its range, or else he would have copped quite the scar.


    "Did the hypnosis already run out!?" He shouted in confusion, taking multiple steps back.


    "I see... so it doesn''t last for long. I hope that will improve as I get better at Aura or using spells and shit."


    Although Tyr was still on edge, he wasn''t nearly as scared as before.


    "I already conquered you. I can do it again." He said with a confident expression, staring the beast down. As soon as he captured its eye contact, he moved his eyes from left to right again slowly.


    A hazy blue color coated the pig''s pupils again.


    "Lay down on your stomach."


    The boar didn''t waste a single second and did exactly what Tyr commanded.


    With that, Tyr ran forward with his sharp stick and drove it down into the softest part of the boar''s underbelly.


    Crimson blood splattered across his face and body, but he continued his frenzied assault, driven by adrenaline. After a barrage of stick stabs, he was covered in blood and even some guts, but it was finally over.


    ''Red blood... It''s a lot harder to get used to than the green shit.'' Tyr mused, breathing heavily as he looked at the gory scene below him.


    [You have slain a Carniboar.]


    [You leveled up!]


    [You leveled up!]


    [You leveled up!]


    ''Three levels!? And It''s fairly easy to kill them using Hypnosis too. But there''s also the risk of being ambushed or caught off guard. If I make a single mistake or am fighting against multiple of these, I''ll easily get butchered. I still need to be careful.''


    He turned to face the slime on the tree, but it had disappeared again.


    Looking to the side, he saw the little grub trying to run away on the other side of the tree. It was moving slowly, its slimy body inching along the ground.


    "Where do you think you''re going?" Tyr called out, raising his stick. He aimed carefully, his eyes narrowing as he focused on the target.


    With a swift, powerful motion, Tyr hurled the stick at the slime. The weapon flew through the air, slicing through the light and shadow of the forest.


    It went right through the middle of the beast, digging into the dirt with a satisfying thud. The slime quivered for a moment before going still.


    "Bullseye," Tyr said with a smirk, feeling a surge of satisfaction as he watched the creature lie motionless.


    [You have slain a Slime.]


    [You leveled up!]


    [Current level: 10]


    [Congratulations! You have met the requirements to receive your next spell.]


    "Finally... now what is it going to be? Please be something powerful..." S§×arch* The Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    [New spell: ...]

 Chapter 10: Blink Step

    [Current level: 10]


    [Congratulations! You have met the requirements to receive your next spell.]


    ''Come on... something big!''


    [New spell: Blink Step]


    [Description: Ability to move at incredible speeds for short bursts, effectively traversing short distances in the blink of an eye.]


    Tyr read the description over again several times. He wasn''t blown away by it, but he wasn''t at all disappointed either.


    ''It doesn''t seem half bad.'' While thinking about a potential scenario where he could use this ability, he thought back to where he was nearly impaled by the Carniboar.


    ''If I had this back then, I could have avoided being stabbed much easier. It would have actually been perfect for that situation... maybe that''s why GG gave me this spell specifically over any other one.''


    Needless to say, he was excited to try it out. But before that, he knew he had some stat points to distribute.


    A slight smile appeared on his face as he opened his status tab. For some reason, this process was just exciting.


    Feeling himself grow in power gave Tyr an electrifying buzz of exhilaration unlike any other he had experienced before as if he was designed for it or something.


    ©³©¥©¥©¥Status©¥©¥©¥©·


    Name: Tyr Evolion Thalonis


    Bloodline: Almighty Thalonis + Unknown


    Age: 15 Years


    Level: 10


    Vitality: 6/6


    Strength: 10


    Stamina: 6/6


    Speed: 6


    Aura: --


    [Stats remaining: 14]


    Rank: --


    ©»©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¿


    ''It looks like I don''t need Aura to use this new spell either. That''s good since I still can''t put any points into it.'' Tyr thought about where he should distribute his points more carefully this time.


    After several minutes, he found what he thought was the perfect split.


    ''All of those creatures who were chasing me were faster than me, all except for that bitch ass slime, that is. Still, I should want to be able to at least keep up with them for now. My strength seems decent from that last encounter, but I need to be constantly upping it as my main stat. I don''t think there is anything else as important.


    My stamina is okay as well, but it could need some points just in case...''


    [Vitality: 6/6--> 9/9]


    [Strength: 10--> 14]


    [Stamina: 6/6--> 9/9]


    [Speed: 6--> 10]


    This seemed pretty balanced for now. As soon as Tyr put these stats in, a tingling feeling arose slightly in his chest.


    The feeling expanded out rapidly, covering his entire body with a warm burst for a short second.


    At the end of it, Tyr felt rejuvenated. Gripping his hands, he could feel the extra strength in the tips of his fingers.


    Walking forward, he felt lighter as well. He decided to hop in the air and felt like he was floating for a second. That''s just how much of a difference even a few stat points made.


    "Hell yeah! I gotta do some more hunting. I can become nearly unstoppable if I pair this new ability with Hypnosis!"


    [Congratulations, you have completed the achievement: (First Original Spell).]


    [Reward: First Sealed Memory Key.]


    ''A key? To a sealed memory of all things. What the hell is this?'' Tyr was obviously confused by this sudden message that randomly popped up in front of him.


    A golden key that was shining extremely bright materialized a few inches in front of his nose, dropping down onto his open palm.


    It stopped glowing, becoming a normal golden key.


    He held it between his thumb and index fingers, at which point a small keyhole appeared in the air in front of him.


    The air around the keyhole was warped, as though cracking before molding itself back to normal again and again.


    Although a little puzzled, Tyr didn''t hesitate and put the key into the keyhole before giving it a slight twist.


    He heard a light click resonate through the air for a split second, and before he knew it he was gone... mentally, that is.


    *** Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    A loud bang echoed across what felt like the entire world, booming through Tyr''s eardrums.


    What he felt at this moment was surreal, as though he was in a dream yet in reality at the same time.


    All he could see in front of him were explosions and blasts. At random moments he would see a flash of blood spattering across a wall, and at another instance, he would see the vision of people arguing and screaming at each other.


    Their words were muffled by the overwhelming amount of sounds and flashes of various visions Tyr was witnessing all at once, but what he could undoubtedly make out was the fact that it was violent.


    He saw people being butchered and exploded into a thousand pieces of blood and guts.


    He saw buildings topple over, maniacs laugh with frenzied looks on their faces, and mothers cry for their fallen children.


    And then... all of this suddenly stopped. Tyr now lay within a small and dark, enclosed space.


    There was only a small hole to peek through that had dim brown light shining through it.


    In the distance, he could still hear explosions and screams, but right now, what he heard were the distinct voices of a few people in the same room as him outside of this enclosed box he was inside.


    "Take him and go, Father! A weak planet, one with no Aura so that he can properly grow until the time is right. Take the Grimoire with you as well."


    Tyr heard these rough, manly words as clear as day.


    And then, time itself shifted and warped out of nowhere. Tyr was still in the same place, but multiple seconds seemed to have gone by.


    "Please, Lord Atlas! Only you can do this. You have the strongest control over it... make sure he comes back here. Make sure he--" This time it was the feminine voice of what seemed to be a distraught lady screaming at the top of her lungs.


    "I understand... leave the rest to me." A third voice sounded, this one even more deep than the first male. There was a short pause, and then: "Stars!" The voice sternly exclaimed: "If you die before this boy sees your eyes, I will never forgive you!"


    Time warped once again, but right before it did, the faint voice of the first male saying "Yes, father--" Sounded before being cut off.


    Next, all that Tyr could fathom was short flashes of visions of him being carried by a mysterious figure hiding under a dark hood.


    Another flash showed him dashing across an obliterated battlefield.


    Another flash showed him traveling across what seemed to be a galaxy scattered with countless stars and brilliant lights.


    The last words he heard in these bizarre and indescribable memories were by the figure holding him.


    The figure looked down at him--several planets and stars flying rapidly past his head in the background.


    The figure looked slightly old with a 6-inch white beard that blended into black, an ash-covered face, and azure eyes as bright as the stars behind him.


    "Only you can do it, Tyr Evolion Thalonis. Do not fail."


    ***


    Tyr was back in the forest, where he had unlocked his First Sealed Memory.


    "Grandpa?"

 Chapter 11: Fire

    ***BONUS CHAP***


    Bonus for 100 Powerstones so early on!


    ***


    Streams of tears trickled down Tyr''s face, like waterfalls from his eyes.


    The tip of his nose was red, and his eyes were also slightly swollen.


    ''That was my grandfather... he looked much younger than what remember though.''


    His nose burned with pain, something that happened often after crying. But despite this, he didn''t feel much of an emotional connection to what he had just seen.


    ''I''m crying?'' He questioned, noticing the moisture on his face.


    Even though he didn''t feel an emotional bond to those memories at this moment, it seemed his body did. His body yearned to cry for those memories for a reason he didn''t know himself.


    Everything from the memory was still so hazy in Tyr''s brain. But from what he could surmise:


    ''Those people wanted Gramps to take me and the grimoire to a weak place with no Aura. Could that have been Earth?'' Right now, Tyr was still unsure about these memories.


    Sure, they seemed very real to him now that he had experienced it for himself, but at the same time, he was living a normal life just days ago.


    Believing in something like this was going to take some getting used to. Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    If he were to believe in it though, it would mean that what Tyr just witnessed was something that he needed to never forget.


    Especially those last words coming from his grandfather.


    ''I am the only one who can do it huh?'' Tyr paused, staring at the sky through the thin canopy: ''What have you put on my shoulders now, you old man?''


    Tyr wiped his tears and donned a determined look: "Well, whatever it is. I guess I have no choice but to bear it. GG did say this was only my first memory. Maybe I''ll understand more about my early years as I continue to get stronger and unlock more of them."


    He didn''t waste any more time and began to salvage the creatures that he had killed.


    Now, Tyr had more reasons to become stronger. At first, his reasoning was only to make his life easier. To be able to hunt better and increase his chances of survival.


    But now, Tyr wanted to get stronger to unlock more of these memories. To understand who he really was, and what the meaning behind all of these mysteries was.


    Also, he wanted to get stronger so he could uphold whatever responsibility that was given to him by his grandfather.


    He didn''t know whether that required strength, but if it was like any other expectation ever put onto Tyr... it definitely did.


    After a few minutes, Tyr got the small orb from all of the 4 beasts that he killed.


    They all looked identical--gray with a slight shine. He now had five of them including the one from the first Earth Wolf.


    After, he put his hands on his hips and observed the corpses. They were far enough away to where he didn''t have to worry about them attracting anything else near his base.


    Other than that, what he needed most right now was...


    His stomach abruptly grumbled loudly.


    He needed food more than anything. His adrenaline and excitement were so high that he had completely forgotten about it.


    Yesterday, all he killed was a bag of leaves and dirt, so he didn''t really have a choice but to stay hungry.


    Now, however, he had two actual options in front of him.


    "There''s the leopard..." Tyr said with a slightly disgusted expression. He turned to face the other option: "And then there''s the boar. Out of the two, I''d rather not eat the predator cat... it just doesn''t seem right. After all, humans never really eat meat eaters. We eat herbivores."


    ***


    It took him over an hour to drag the Carniboar corpse near the stream he found yesterday.


    And then it took him two more hours to skin, gut, and filet the thing so he could cook it.


    After that came the hardest part... the part that he had been dreading almost all day.


    When he tried to create a fire yesterday, it had utterly failed--leaving him to almost freeze to death through the night. At least that''s what it felt like.


    This time, however, he was much more confident. Although he had been dreading making a fire, that was only up until he killed the beasts. More specifically, the slime.


    He brought the slime corpse with him. After making a campfire outside of his cave and placing kindling at the bottom, he lifted the slime over it.


    Using the angle of sunray piercing through the treetops, Tyr was able to get a sharp and condensed beam of light to form through the slime''s reflective body.


    He shined this beam directly at the kindling. In mere seconds, an ember erupted onto the kindling--quickly becoming bigger as Tyr threw the slime to the side and added more sticks.


    He made sure the fire wasn''t going to die out before jumping up into the air with a large grin across his face.


    "FIRE!!! WE HAVE FIRE BABY!"


    ***


    He slowly grilled the boar atop a flat stone, finally getting to eat his first meal on this new planet near the end of the day.


    He grabbed a thin strip of meat which he cut off using a sharp stone and placed it right over his tongue.


    He hadn''t eaten in so long that an explosion of aroma burst throughout his mouth.


    He took his first bite--the boar meat almost melting on his tongue as its rich and flavourful juices began to flow down his throat.


    His eyes were closed, his nose puffing out the steam as he wholeheartedly enjoyed this surreal moment.


    Each bite gave way to more juice, each movement of his tongue transporting him to an entirely new dimension of flavor.


    As he swallowed, he felt his entire body welcome that meat, revitalizing from the inside as if he just put points into his stats!


    By the time it had gotten dark, he had inhaled over 5 pounds of boar meat. Safe to say, he was fucking stuffed.


    His stomach was so big that he looked like a pregnant woman lying on the floor belly up.


    While looking at the stars, Tyr placed his hand on his gut and burped loudly.


    ''Starting tomorrow, I''m gonna get strong as hell. Physical training is a must. Even if I evolve my stats, I don''t want my physique to lag behind. Who wants to be strong while looking like a twig? And of course, I''ll need to focus on leveling up my stats more than anything else. With Blink Step, I know it''s going to be several times easier than what it was today.''


    Tyr paused his thought, a smirk playing at his lips:


    ''Let the hunt begin.''

 Chapter 12: Routine

    A week passed.


    Tyr was relentless during this time. This new life had given him a stupid amount of motivation.


    So, he used it to the best of his ability, maximizing each second of his days.


    He had a basic routine that he would follow every day:


    Firstly, he would wake up early in the morning. This was so that he had more of the day to hunt.


    He would eat whatever food he cooked from the days prior for breakfast first before doing anything else.


    Not much though, since he didn''t want to be bogged down.


    He would begin hunting early on, and this time he actually had different methods and traps that he had developed over the days.


    Traps for smaller creatures were those like nets that automatically contracted as soon as something stepped on them. These weren''t manual traps, so they were perfect to leave overnight.


    During the day, however, Tyr would travel farther and farther in various directions to hunt. This caused him to sometimes see new, beautiful landscapes as well.


    Of course, he wasn''t traveling to sightsee. Most of what he saw was the plain old forest anyway. He was a mere human on foot, so it wasn''t like he was going to travel too far.


    After getting far enough away, he would use himself as bait again and wait in the bushes.


    He wore a ghillie suit of leaves--making himself blend perfectly into the shrubbery.


    Baiting multiple creatures like his first day of hunting was rarer than he had imagined. Usually, one or two would show up to his shouts.


    As soon as they did, he would use his Blink Step to catch them off guard before Hypnotising them and going ham.


    Blink Step wasn''t an easy ability to use, however, unlike his other spells.


    It had a fairly long cooldown of 5 seconds, which didn''t seem like much but in the heat of battle, 5 seconds could feel like a lifetime and be the deciding factor.


    On top of this, Blink Step used up 5 Stamina on each use, so he would be fairly exhausted right afterward.


    Another thing was that the spell itself was pretty hard to use correctly. The first few times Tyr tried it, he accidentally blitzed forward to an area that was way too far from the creature to do anything.


    This just gave away his position, nearly killing him.


    He got better and better at using it through the seven days though, and now he felt he had a good grasp on how it worked. Still, there was a bit more go to before he fully mastered it.


    The best way to use it seemed to be to visualize where in his eyesight he wanted to move to before using it. His imagination needed to be perfect since he didn''t have much room for error and his body moved on its own after activating the spell.


    Hunting was what most of his day consisted of. It wasn''t easy by any means. It was grueling work, and most of the time it actually just consisted of waiting around or traveling to find a place that was far enough away where animals were still around.


    After hunting, Tyr worked out using equipment he created himself for about an hour and a half before going to sleep.


    He did push-ups, sometimes putting stones on top of his back to make it harder, pull-ups, and squats first as his compound exercises. After that, he trained his accessory muscles, such as the abs with sit-ups; biceps with bicep curls using dumbells he made himself with rocks tied to sticks; and triceps using the same dumbells.


    After a solid week of all of this, Tyr was understandably stronger.


    In general, he hunted about 6 beasts a day. It didn''t sound like much, and that''s because it wasn''t.


    Despite his constant traveling, Tyr still hadn''t seen an entire group of animals or anything like that.


    Just random solo beasts here and there. This gave Tyr the impression that the forest he was in was humongous. After all, it was either that the beasts were scarce, or the land they were in was big enough to make them appear so.


    Still, this was enough to level him up a solid amount.


    Right now, he was eating breakfast beside his campfire. It was some dried meat jerky from the prior days.


    He donned animal hide on his torso that went around his left shoulder down to his right abdomen and also a short hide skirt around his waist.


    Despite only training for a week, he had put on a fairly noticeable amount of muscle.


    Before, he was relatively skinny without nearly any muscle definition, but now he looked lean with slight development poking through.


    It wasn''t crazily noticeable, but for a week, it was pretty incredible.


    Tyr was also impressed at this small transformation. As he noticed his muscles while eating he thought:


    ''Maybe putting points into my stats helps me grow muscle easier or something... speaking of which. I haven''t checked my stats since yesterday night. I still have a few points to put in. GG, open my Status.''


    ©³©¥©¥©¥Status©¥©¥©¥©·


    Name: Tyr Evolion Thalonis


    Bloodline: Almighty Thalonis + Unknown


    Age: 15 Years


    Level: 19


    Vitality: 14/14


    Strength: 17


    Stamina: 12/12


    Speed: 14


    Aura: --


    [Stats remaining: 3


    Rank: --


    ©»©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¿


    ''My progress has slowed down a ton. At the start, I could hunt a single normal beast for a level or two. After level 15, I''ve needed 5 to even 7 beasts to level up only once.''


    [Stamina: 12/12-->14/14]


    [Strength: 17-->18]


    ''With Blink Step taking so much stamina, it''s become much more important. Still, at this rate, I need to kill around 5 more beasts to reach level twenty.''


    And there was a big reason why he wanted to get to 20...


    [Level needed for next spell: 20]


    Just the thought of it excited him.


    ''Blink helped me a ton... I wonder if the next spell will be just as good.''


    After thinking about it for more than five seconds, he was ready to get up and head out for his hunt today.


    Just like usual, he picked up his 3 light but durable stone-headed spears and headed out.


    He lightly jogged in a direction away from the mountain for a while. He had never gone past the mountain near his base, since it was too dam big to even think of climbing.


    But, since he had what seemed to be an endless jungle on the other side, there wasn''t any point in attempting to climb the mountain anyway.


    After an hour or so of trekking in a direction he hadn''t been in before--marking his path along the way--he got to an empty patch of grass.


    It was a large plot of land, stretching close to 50 by 50 meters where there wasn''t a single tree or bush.


    Seeing empty patches of land was common, but this was definitely the biggest one Tyr had come across so far.


    Before walking out into the middle, Tyr suddenly heard noises and felt movements coming from all around him.


    After living in the forest for a little bit, he had gotten used to the signs of his surroundings.


    The birds flying off of the trees--as though startled by something--was the first sign that something was wrong.


    There was also light trembling of the earth beneath his feet, a vibration he could feel through his whole body light.


    His eyes scanned the perimeter for a second. A random Carniboar abruptly tore through the bushes on the opposite side of the grass patch out of nowhere.


    Tyr''s eyes opened widely as he saw the big beast.


    ''What the fuck!? It''s huge!'' Tyr confusedly exclaimed. The thing was no joke, weighing probably 100 pounds more than the one Tyr had first ever seen.


    It headed right in his direction too, making him paranoid that it had seen him.


    Nothing in the forest had seen past his camo yet, especially not a big dumb boar.


    ''But then again... it is heading straight for me. Should I move? But that might give away my position and make me a target in case it hasn''t spotted me after all...'' He was a bit conflicted.


    The boar came very close to him, merely 20 feet away. It was storming forward with all its strength as if this was the last time it could ever run or something.


    ''No... I won''t move. I''ll use Blink Step if need be.'' He firmed this thought in his mind and stood still as the Carniboar inched closer and closer to him.


    Finally, it stormed right in front of him and locked eyes with him. This sent chills down Tyr''s spine since no creature had ever made eye contact with him while he was in his ghillie suit.


    This meant that the Carniboar had 100% seen him, and yet, it ran right past, completely ignoring him...


    Tyr felt his heart still pounding slightly faster.


    ''That was close... but why would it ignore me--'' He thought halted as he noticed 3 more beasts run out of the same bushes that the Carniboar came from.


    ''Huh!?''


    An immense roar echoed through the forest--loud enough to make his very heart shudder.


    *ROOOOARRR*


    Then, as if it had been launched from the heavens, a giant wolf, as large as a grizzly bear, plummeted from the sky and crashed onto the ground behind the fleeing beasts--the earth trembling slightly beneath the impact.


    Its aura was devastatingly strong, like nothing Tyr had ever felt before. Its fur was pitch black, and a glowing red symbol hovered above its back.


    Tyr felt his body freeze up, his hairs standing on end as the beast let out another deafening, guttural roar.


    ''W-what the hell... what in the fuck is that thing?''


    S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 13: Pixie

    The wolf lunged forward, grabbing a large half-giraffe half-deer hybrid animal with its claws before pummeling it to the ground.


    The deer-giraffe hybrid was a bit bigger than the wolf, but the predator still had no problem taking it down as if it weighed less than a feather.


    Its body was mangled and torn to pieces in seconds, its strength not able to fight back at all whatsoever.


    ''Those are... Giradeers! They are rare. I don''t think they are meant to be here in the jungle since both deers and giraffes live in packs on Earth, but I''ve only seen one of them at a time here.''


    Tyr also considered the fact that the ecosystem could force similar creatures to have completely different pack mannerisms and patterns as well.


    ''Still, those things are no weaker than Carniboar''s if they wish to defend themselves. And yet, that wolf is tearing it to pieces like it''s made of paper. It''s way too damn strong. I need to get out of here before it spots me--''


    Tyr''s mind went blank as a random thing touched his left shoulder.


    He slowly turned his head to the left, a hysterical expression on his face that looked like he was about to shit his pants and also burst out screaming at the same time.


    Yet, he contained himself as he saw a puny human-like creature on his shoulder.


    It was a girl who had small fairy wings that glistened in the sunlight and radiated a golden glow.


    She wore leaf clothing while staring directly back at Tyr with an innocent expression on her face. S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "W-what... the hell are you?" Tyr confusedly exclaimed in a whisper, calming down slightly as this fairy thing didn''t look like much of a threat. Still, he kept his guard up.


    After his slime incident, there wasn''t any way he was going to underestimate anything.


    "Huh? I guess it can see me." The miniature lady said in a soft and squeaky voice, as though speaking to herself.


    "It? I can see you and hear you just fine. Now... can you answer my question?" Tyr replied without hesitation, slightly offended.


    The small girl paused, blinking a few times.


    Tyr also didn''t say anything, confused.


    "You can understand me?" The girl finally exclaimed, seemingly baffled.


    "Uh... yeah? Now answer the goddamn question before I slice you up. I need EXP right now..."


    ''Whatever this thing is, It''s not human. If it''s weak, it''s just free EXP...'' He mused for a moment.


    The girl seemed to understand his intent and quickly replied:


    "I see... a human who can understand the language of the forest caretakers is quite rare. Usually, that means that they are a--"


    Tyr stared at her with a serious gaze. This made her stop her previous train of thought and answer his question:


    "I am a Pixie. Far and few, but undoubtedly important. I see that my part of the forest is taken care of so that the ecosystem can thrive and the balance of life and death is equalized. Speaking of which... you in fact have begun to make some small strides of difference in this balance. But that conversation should be held at a later date."


    "Hmm... so I can''t kill you after all," Tyr said to himself under his breath, slightly disappointed.


    "You know I can still hear you right? I''m right next to your mouth." The Pixie stared at him with an unimpressed look, hands on her hips.


    "Well, anyways... what the hell is that thing? I imagine that''s why you''re here right?" Tyr said as both of them looked at the big ass wolf still tearing apart the creatures in the field.


    The Pixie took in a deep breath before saying: "I won''t ask how you are so clueless about these things..." She paused, "In this forest, and most likely all other natural biomes across Subworld, there are territories which the strongest of beasts hold dominion over. This is their domain, their place of hunting and rulership, and it expands from 10 miles to sometimes even over 100 in size."


    Tyr spoke up: "I see... so that thing is a territory king huh?"


    "They are called Domain Alphas. And no, that wolf isn''t one of them."


    "What!?" Tyr exclaimed, furrowing his brows in surprise. "If that stupidly strong thing isn''t then what is?"


    "Well, it just happens to be that we are on the edge of a new domain. The domain of White Crimson, one of the strongest Domain Alphas in the entire forest of Gitran. Nicknamed after its pure white fur that is often stained in crimson red blood from its massive killing sprees."


    Tyr gulped loudly, feeling the presence of the creature just by hearing its descriptions. He then looked over to the wolf: "And how does that thing tie into all of this?"


    The Pixie replied: "That one is what we like to call a rebel. A strong and young beast that no longer wants to follow the norms and rules of its Domain Alpha. Right now, it is stirring as much trouble as it can to challenge the Domain Alpha. In clearer words, it''s breaking all of the rules of the government in this area, directly insulting it and calling out the ruler at the same time."


    "A rebel huh..." Tyr continued to stare at the wolf as blood flew across the air in front of it. ''I bet I would get a ton of levels from killing that thing.''


    The Pixie noticed this look in his eyes and instantly flew up and smacked him across the cheek.


    "No! Don''t even think about it!" She exclaimed, thinking to herself:


    ''This boy must be thinking of wanting to slay it to preserve balance. However, he fails to understand that he is far too weak... even we Pixies do not stir conflict with rebels as strong as this one. Not most of us, at least.''


    "This is natural law and order. Don''t try to be a hero by messing with the cycle of nature!" The Pixie said in a scolding voice.


    Tyr was slightly taken aback with confusion. "Is that what you thought I was thinking? That I wanted to get rid of the rebel so that law and order stays in balance?"


    The Pixie was slightly taken aback as well: "Is that not it?"


    Tyr smirked, nearly scoffing at the Pixie''s words: "No... not even close. I want to kill that thing for my own gain." His eyes were wide and dancing with excitement and motivation.


    The Pixie was left speechless.


    Tyr looked forward: ''No matter how strong it is, as long as I don''t fuck up my spells, I won''t lose.''


    A large grin stretched across his face.

 Chapter 14: Apex Rank Beast

    "You really shouldn''t do this!" The Pixie urged, flying all around Tyr''s head.


    But he was locked in. He had already made up his mind. Everything else now was just noise.


    ''Tsk! Even though It won''t disturb the balance of the forest much if he dies, I still don''t want to witness the innocent death of a creature who isn''t even supposed to be a part of this cycle. Wherever he came from, he doesn''t belong here. That is without a doubt.'' The Pixie thought to herself as Tyr began to make his way around to the wolf through the bushes.


    The rebel beast was over 40 meters away from him right now. But if he were to get to the other side the maximum distance would be lessened to around 25 meters.


    There were 6 living creatures in the field excluding the wolf, and by the time Tyr had made his way around to the wolf, there was only one left.


    It just so happened to be a slime. These creatures weren''t good nutrition, nor did they taste good. Yet, the wolf clearly wanted to prove a point right now and lunged at the small thing.


    As soon as it did, Tyr also sprinted out of the bushes from the side.


    He had his eyes locked onto his target, his heart beginning to pump faster and faster as adrenaline poured into his muscles.


    ''I''ve hunted dozens of times. I know I can do this.'' Tyr reaffirmed in his mind, throwing his first spear at the tail of the wolf.


    ''The spear lodging into its tail will distract it. At that moment I can Blink Step in front of its eyes and quickly use Hypnosis.'' Tyr restated his plan of attack as the spear spun in the air toward the wolf''s tail.


    It hit its target perfectly but bounced off of the black fur as if it were made of stone.


    Tyr felt his heart skip a beat, his eyes expanding as his entire body went limp for a second.


    The wolf turned around in a vicious manner that was so fast that Tyr''s eyes were barely able to keep track of its movements.


    Its bloodlust was sharp and fierce, instantly enveloping the human.


    Out of nowhere the circular red symbol with a big dot on the beast''s back began to glow--and out from it came a blast of fire that obliterated the spear that was still in mid-air.


    A pile of ashes fell towards the ground before being swept away into the air by a gust of wind.


    Now, the wolf stared at Tyr with a horrifying glare that was covered in blood. Its razor-sharp teeth were bared at the young human and a primal, guttural growl came from the depths of its stomach.


    Its face was ferocious, more scary than anything Tyr had ever seen in his life up until this moment. He felt his body begin to lock up and almost freeze in place.


    The Pixie inhaled sharply. "What was that boy thinking!? That wolf is far too strong for a simple stone spear to pierce its fur! On top of that... it knew where he was the entire time. The boy doesn''t even know how to hide his aura yet.


    In the presence of an Apex Ranked beast, you can not stay hidden by merely making yourself invisible to the naked eye."


    Of course, being new to this planet, Tyr had no clue about any of this.


    How was he supposed to know that this thing''s fur was way more durable even though it looked like any other piece of fur!


    Tyr stopped in place. ''Did I underestimate this thing too?'' He thought to himself. ''No... I knew that it was going to be powerful, yet I still challenged it.''


    He gritted his teeth, thinking about the reason why he wanted to stay on this damn planet. He wanted a new life, a good one.


    "Why... am I scared of you? Even if all fails, I can just use Disappear." Tyr''s confidence began to rise more and more--his voice filling with aggression as his face contorted into anger.


    The wolf''s horrific look didn''t seem so scary anymore as Tyr''s began to mimic it.


    "You can not kill me!" He shouted, his body burning with energy as he lunged forward into a full-on sprint.


    The wolf moved forward with effortless speed. It appeared in front of Tyr and slashed its claws at him--blocking its own eyes in the process.


    ''Tsk! Blink Step!''


    Tyr blitz out of the way, appearing behind the beast.


    ''This is the opposite of what I usually use Blink Step for, but I had no other choice there. Still, I won''t lose to this fucker!''


    Tyr dug his spear into the wolf''s rear. This had much more force behind it compared to the throw, but it still only pierced about two inches into the wolf''s flesh.


    The wolf furiously growled as it felt the spear puncture its body.


    However, Tyr wasn''t finished there. He let go of the first spear and held onto the second one like a baseball back before giving it a full swing.


    *BANG*


    The first spear lodged a foot deep into the wolf, at which point the wolf turned again with an open maw toward Tyr''s body.


    It attempted to bite down on the boy, but Tyr firmed his stance on the ground and raised his spear toward the bloody muzzle of the beast.


    "NO YOU DON''T!" He screamed as his spear lodged into the top of the beast''s widened mouth.


    Another painstaking growl sounded from the wolf as it quickly limped backward and freed itself from the spear in its mouth.


    ''Here''s my chance!''


    Tyr jumped forward, grabbing onto the snout of the beast.


    The Pixie gasped in astonishment: "Are you suicidal!?" She let out a yell.


    Tyr had less than a second before the wolf would throw him up in the air and swallow him whole, but this was more than enough time for what he was going to do.


    Staring deep into the eyes of the beast he inwardly said: ''Hypnosis.'' And moved his eyes from left to right.


    A blue haze overcame the wolf''s pupils.


    "Lay on your stomach!" Tyr exclaimed at once without wasting a fraction of a second.


    As soon as the wolf did this, he stabbed his spear into the neck of the beast a dozen times over--blood gushing all over him.


    "Hahaha! This is what you get, you sharp-fanged cunt!" He held onto his spear with both hands and raised it in the air.


    [You have slain a Charwolf]


    [Congradulations! You have slain a beast that is much higher in Rank than you.]


    [You leveled up!]


    [Congratulations! You have met the requirements to receive your next spell.]


    [You leveled up!] Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    [You leveled up!]

 Chapter 15: Soul Marking

    [Current level: 22]


    [Level needed for next spell: 50]


    ''Damn... that''s high.'' Tyr thought to himself. Now that his adrenaline calmed down, he felt a wave of fatigue wash over him.


    He stumbled back, stepping off of the wolf''s corpse and digging his spear into the ground to hold himself up.


    His eyelids were attempting to close. He hadn''t realized it, but the top layer of his skin was slightly burned all over his body.


    Even the breath of the Charwolf was powerful enough to have this effect.


    His limbs wanted to buckle and yield, but Tyr wanted to know one thing first before he would allow himself to fall.


    [New spell: Soul Marking]


    ''There it is...'' Tyr smiled, his left eyelid loose and nearly closed.


    [Description: Ability to form a bond with a beast by marking both the user and the creature with a shared soul mark. This mark allows the user and the beast to share a fraction of each other''s power and communicate telepathically. The process involves physically touching the creature and attuning to its heartbeat, transferring a part of the user''s life force into the beast.]


    [Spell Criteria: The beast must be in a calm, subdued, or heavily weakened state for the mark to be successfully applied. The strength of the bond depends on the user''s willpower and the creature''s resistance. If the bond is broken, both the user and the beast will suffer significant consequences.]


    [Sub-spell: Soul Marking comes with the sub-spell: [Infinite Domain.]


    [Description: Ability to store multiple living beings within a mental dimension created by the user within their brain.]


    [Spell Criteria: The living being can not be human or any sort of intelligent High-Species life. The living being must also be tamed by the user.]


    [Infinite Domain has a creature limit of 2 living beings.]


    ''Wow... awesome.'' These were Tyr''s last thoughts before he passed out--just kidding!


    Right before his brain shut off he felt a warm, comfortable feeling culminate all around him. He felt like he was next to a cozy fireplace, his body relaxing rapidly.


    The excruciating burn marks on his face and body be erased and healed--his exhaustion vanished out of nowhere.


    [Stamina: 1/14-->8/14-->14/14]


    When he opened his eyes, he saw the Pixie from before hovering above him.


    She had her hand out, releasing some sort of glowing green energy.


    "Aura..." Tyr said out loud, mesmerized by the light. After all, this was the closest thing to magic he had ever experienced.


    ''No. Aura is even greater than magic, which was created by humans. If anything, Aura inspired magic.''


    He paused before saying: "I want to use it too."


    The Pixie retracted her hand, having finished healing the boy.


    "What? Aura? Don''t worry about that right now. What you should worry about is..." She paused, looking to the side.


    Tyr confusedly squinted his eyes.


    The Pixie abruptly turned back toward Tyr and screamed in his face: "Not trying to kill yourself!" She yelled, balling her fists up and squeezing her eyes shut.


    "Do you know how close you were to dying right there? Do you think I want to see the death of an innocent creature that isn''t supposed to be in the cycle of the forest to begin with!? It''s foolish! Simply foolish!"


    Tyr chuckled: "But... I killed it though, didn''t I?" sea??h th§× N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The Pixie calmed down, letting out an exasperated sigh.


    "Although I want to scold you more, I have to admit that what you did is unheard of. Never in my lifetime of a thousand years did I think I would see a boy as weak and Aura-less as you come and slay an Apex Ranked Beast. A Charwolf, no less. There was indeed some luck... but that still doesn''t take away the fact that you defeated it in the end."


    ''A thousand years!?'' Tyr exclaimed, astonished at that number.


    The Pixie rose up into the air after a few seconds.


    "Stay out of trouble, young boy. Fate seems to want you alive for its whims in the distant or near future. No normal being without the shoulders of that deity would have survived an encounter like that. Do not take it for granted." With these words, the Pixie turned and flew off into the forest--shrinking into nothing but air in the distance.


    "Hey! Thanks for healing me!" Tyr shouted in her direction, the Pixie having already disappeared.


    However, a small ball of green Aura flew toward him, slamming into his forehead and pushing him to the ground.


    "D-damn... so that''s her goodbye gift? A punch to the face huh."


    Tyr looked leftward at the Charwolf corpse. Without delay, he dug his hands into its body, beginning to look for a core orb.


    Sure enough, he found a bright red orb near the beast''s heart. It was as large as a cherry, about double the size of the normal gray cores.


    It was iridescent as well, shining its various shades of dark and light red hues at different angles.


    Tyr stored it and salvaged the orbs of the rest of the fallen beasts.


    In total, he now had 54 gray orbs and 1 red orb.


    ''GG, open my status.''


    ©³©¥©¥©¥Status©¥©¥©¥©·


    Name: Tyr Evolion Thalonis


    Bloodline: Almighty Thalonis + Unknown


    Age: 15 Years


    Level: 22


    Vitality: 14/14


    Strength: 18


    Stamina: 14/14


    Speed: 14


    Aura: --


    [Stats remaining: 6


    Rank: --


    ©»©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¿


    [Vitality: 14/14-->15/15]


    [Strength: 18-->20]


    [Stamina: 14/14-->16/16]


    [Speed: 14-->15]


    ''It seems I''ll need to focus on stamina more and more. Especially if I want to use Blink Step multiple times during a fight in the future. And my Strength is still pretty bad. I''m stronger than a lot of gray orb beasts. After all, I started with only 7 Strength points. But I still barely got that spear into that wolf.


    I think If I had closer to 30 strength, my spear throw would have pierced into its skin for sure.''


    Tyr returned to the stream near his base to clean himself up.


    It was quite shallow, covering about half of his body. There was also a 20-foot-tall waterfall next to it that had a calm and steady flow.


    As he bathed here, he thought about his future goals.


    ''Level 50 is when I get my next spell. That''s way higher than my previous level benchmarks. Maybe that means I''ll finally get an Aura spell. A strong one at that.''


    Right now he was looking at the description of his most recent spell again.


    ''But... I think this will keep me busy for a while.'' A smirk appeared on his face.


    [Soul Marking]


    ***


    2 Months Later...

 Chapter 16: White Crimson Hunt (1) Hunt Beings

    The days went quickly. On this new planet, which Tyr learned from the Pixie was called "Subworld," he had so many new things to do that time felt like it simply whizzed by.


    Tyr spent his time hunting during the two months and focused on almost nothing else. After putting his mind onto something, he was locked on for good.


    Warmer winds traveled through the Gitran forest trees today as spring had ended and the buds of summer had begun to show their roots.


    Flowers turned to fruits, and the life of leaves and bushes became even more rich in thier greenery.


    These winds traveled under the thin treetops and into a small cavern--where a scorching campfire was lit up.


    As it crackled and popped, light footsteps approached from the distance--getting louder and louder.


    A blurry figure carrying a large Giradeer corpse began to clear up upon getting closer.


    Tyr''s black hair had grown to his shoulders now, making him look like Tarzan.


    Another feature that helped in that comparison was the fact that he had gotten jacked as hell.


    Even though only a couple months had passed, Tyr seemed to have gained over 2-3 years of strict hypertrophy training worth of muscle gain in this time.


    He was also taller, surprisingly enough. Due to his stats, his body needed to adjust accordingly to not fall behind and become overwhelmed.


    If he was 5''8 ft. in the past, he had now grown to around 6''0 ft in stature.


    ''Man.. GG works wonders.'' Tyr chuckled at his own fortune. I mean, it wasn''t like he was going to complain.


    Anyways... Tyr dropped the Giradeer onto the ground. It had already been gutted and dried of blood.


    Now, it only needed to be filleted and cooked. Tyr was also going to skin it since he deemed he wanted a bit of yellow coloring on his Charwolf hide armor. It was the only flavor missing.


    After setting it down, he sat on a log and began grating his teeth-tipped spear on a sharpening stone.


    His 3 spears were now enforced with the teeth of a Glassback Alligator. The sharpest material in all of Gitran--as he liked to call it. It was also extremely durable.


    ''The Glassback probably isn''t Apex Rank like what the Pixie said the Charwolf was, but definitely a higher Rank than normal gray orb beasts. Its core orb wasn''t Red, but Green. It''s most likely the Rank in between gray and red.''


    After sharpening all three spear tips, Tyr stood up and sheathed them on his back quiver.


    "Now... it''s time to hunt White Crimson." He said with a smirk on his face. This is what he had been preparing for during the past two months.


    ''Now that I finally have 30 stat points into Strength, I think I have a good shot at defeating it.''


    He opened his stats.


    ©³©¥©¥©¥Status©¥©¥©¥©·


    Name: Tyr Evolion Thalonis


    Bloodline: Almighty Thalonis + Unknown


    Age: 15 Years


    Level: 39


    Vitality: 21/21


    Strength: 30


    Stamina: 25/25


    Speed: 24


    Aura: --


    [Stats remaining: 0


    Rank: --


    ©»©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¿


    ''I''m going to play it safe, not like the Charwolf encounter. I only caught it off guard because it was distracted with trying to be a rebel and attacking other creatures without real intent. It wasn''t attacking them for food or even anger. Its malice had nothing to do with them but was instead targeted towards White Crimson.


    This made its thought process faulty when hunting, causing its actions to be flawed as well. Without those distractions, I wouldn''t have lasted even a second. On top of that, White Crimson is supposed to be levels stronger than even that beast. I can''t take any chances.''


    With his current stats, he was pretty confident. And plus, he had waited for long enough.


    Right now, he was giddy at the fact that he could finally tame his first creature using the Soul Marking spell.


    ''I still haven''t used it, despite my Infinite Domain spell having a limit of 2 beasts. I want the best of the best, and no less. Even the Charwolf won''t do... I want the king.'' Tyr was seriously determined.


    He set off in the direction where he had observed some of the beast''s markings before.


    Up until now, he had been tracking White Crimson. He hadn''t ever seen it in real life, but he had seen the aftermath of its well-known ''massacres.'' There, he used the claw markings and paw print patterns to slowly track it down.


    ''I could have seen it dozens of times by now. But... I''ve stayed just out of its vision. Not only to protect myself but also to not spoil this exhilarating moment.'' Tyr grinned as he thought this to himself.


    He traveled for 15 miles on foot, something that now wasn''t too difficult for him.


    After that point, he would come to a massive cliff drop. The forest that Tyr thought was so big ended at this cliff drop, revealing a massive biome that was an even thicker jungle 2500 feet below him that stretched on until the end of the horizon.


    From where Tyr stood, he could nearly touch the clouds from time to time.


    He had an easy way to get down as well. But, it wasn''t so easy the first time he ever did it...


    Sure, there was a 5-mile path he could take to go down the sheer straight cliff without falling, but why waste so much time when there wasn''t any need for it?


    Arriving at the edge, Tyr leaped off into the air.


    He fell face first, his mouth and skin pulling back as he fell as if he was on a roller coaster.


    As he neared the floor, he quickly used Blink Step to blitz down to the ground, landing completely safely.


    "Hah~~ that never gets old," Tyr said, feeling the rush of the activity still in his body. "But... running 5 miles back up ain''t very fun."


    He began running into the thick jungle. This place was far more dangerous. The canopy was nowhere near as thin--the sun almost being blocked out.


    The trees were mangled and dense, their roots traveling all across the ground.


    The beasts here were no weaker than the strongest of Carniboar''s. Half of the beasts Tyr encountered here had green core orbs instead of gray.


    After half an hour or so of running, Tyr arrived back where he had last seen White Crimson''s footprints.


    He stopped, taking a breath as he calmly tracked its movements.


    It wasn''t always accurate and he had to do a lot of reworking to pinpoint it, but this time the beast''s path was fairly easy to see.


    Just from the prints, Tyr could see that its paws were as larger than his head.


    The prints were embedded quite deep into the ground too, hinting at the beast''s heavy ass physique.


    As he traveled a bit farther, Tyr noticed that the beast''s prints stopped, as if it simply vanished on the spot.


    ''Huh? This is odd.'' He scanned the entire premises, ''Even though its prints are sometimes difficult to find... they don''t just completely disappear like this.''


    *Seeeeeu*


    A sharp noise sounded, and before Tyr knew it, an arrow had lodged into his left shoulder.


    He felt the powerful impact nearly thurst him forward into the ground. His body went into a state of extreme focus as he turned on his heel.


    The arrow had thankfully not gone in very deep, so he pulled it out.


    "This is... manmade." Tyr confusedly exclaimed.


    *Seeeeeu*


    *Seeeeu*


    *Seeeeeeeu* S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    *Seeeu*

 Chapter 17: White Crimson Hunt (2) Hanzo

    Four more arrows came from the same direction. Tyr furrowed his brows, grabbing two arrows in mid-air before Blink Stepping away from the other two.


    He cracked the two he had with his fingers before throwing them on the ground and trampling them to pieces.


    "Show yourself!" He shouted furiously into the forest. "Motherfucker!" He exclaimed loudly.


    He already knew that GG not only allowed him to understand every possible language but that it also translated his speech multiplied with his core intentions to make sense to all other ears as an understandable language to them.


    So, if Tyr were to speak Chinese and you were only able to understand English, then you would still understand Tyr''s Chinese as English despite the difference in how it sounded.


    A few seconds of silence passed as the pain in Tyr''s shoulder began to radiate through his entire body.


    ''I would dislodge it... but I don''t want to be heavily bleeding in case a fight breaks out.''


    He waited until he heard some footsteps slowly approach him through the dense vines and large leaves in front of him.


    A young man dressed in black dress clothing stepped out of the bushes. His pants were tight, and his coat, white in contrast to the rest of his attire, was lengthened all the way down to his knees. He wore white gloves, had brown hair with tinges of white, had a small device in his ear, and was fairly short, around 5''6 ft. in stature. In terms of age, he looked no older than 22.


    He wore a monocle and held a wooden bow that seemed way too low quality to be from his real arsenal. Tyr made sure to keep note of this odd detail.


    "As expected, you aren''t him." The young man said, shining one of his gold-plated teeth as he spoke. He had a stoic expression on his face.


    Tyr was processing a lot of things through his brain right now.


    ''So... humans exist here as well.'' He was more astonished than anything else.


    He understood that this was probably going to need some thinking to get used to. After all, he had fully expected to go on with his life never seeing a human face again.


    Now, seeing this idiot''s face in front of him was sort of a bittersweet moment.


    There was a hint of relief to see a fellow human, or whatever this species was that resembled a human so closely--but that was heavily overshadowed by the furious anger that Tyr held towards the guy.


    "You mean to tell me you shot at something that you weren''t sure was your target?" Tyr said, attempting to reason with the guy and hold in his anger.


    "No." The monocled young man said, "I was 95.0012% sure that you weren''t my prey."


    "Don''t give me that shit, you nerd freak!" Tyr blurted out, "If you weren''t sure, you shouldn''t have shot!"


    The young man paused, fixing his monocle. After a few seconds, he raised his bow horizontally with one hand.


    "Nerd freak? The name''s Hanzo... and what I gave you was a warning shot. It did its job perfectly since this isn''t my real weapon. All I wanted was to see if you were my target or not. I didn''t want to actually kill you."


    He dropped the bow, at which point it quickly condensed into a wooden ring and floated onto his ring finger.


    On his middle finger was an iron ring, which he took off and threw in the air.


    It shifted and contorted, rapidly expanding in size to reveal a metallic bow that looked futuristic. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The string was a thin red laser and the edges of the bow were made from transparent blue glass.


    Tyr exhaled from his nose, dislodging the arrow from his shoulder.


    "You better tell me that you have a healing potion or something," Tyr said, not knowing if his terminology was correct.


    He just knew that in fantasy novels and games, that was what they were usually called.


    "A healing what?" The young man said with a confused squint on his face. And then, his brain seemed to click, "You mean a health capsule?" He pulled out a red pill from his coat pocket and tossed it over.


    Tyr grabbed it, still looking at Hanzo with a mean glare.


    "You can eat it... caveman." Hanzo exclaimed with a slight scoff.


    "W-what did you call me!?" Tyr exclaimed in surprise, offended.


    Hanzo chuckled slightly, "You know, you''re not that boring, kid."


    Tyr paused, the pain getting to him. He popped the capsule, instantly feeling the same sensation from when the Pixie healed him after the Charwolf fight spread all over his body.


    In a few seconds, his small injury had been patched up--leaving a slight scar.


    "It''s not just called a health capsule by the way. Some might call them Healing Tonics as well. Or maybe Vitality Pills off to the east..." Hanzo looked to the side as he seemed to think of even more possible options.


    "Whatever man... I don''t care. What are you hunting anyways?" Tyr exclaimed, hesitant but curious.


    Even though he was still upset at the young man who had just shot him... this was the first human interaction he had had in a damn while.


    The ability to laugh and connect, and to just understand another being wasn''t something that you would expect to be able to move you so easily, but evidently, it was a spectacular feeling in its own right.


    Hanzo put his large bow on his shoulder, raised a brow, and put on a condescending look on his face as he said: "Che! What would a small fry like you gain from knowing what kind of bait the big fishes go after? Just continue living in the forest, weirdo."


    The best description Tyr could come up with about Hanzo''s face was that of a ''dickhead douche.''


    Tyr''s left eyebrow twitched for a second in anger.


    "You wanna see who''s the small fry, and who''s the bass?" Tyr exclaimed, converting his anger to a challenge.


    Hanzo paused. He snickered slightly, but his squinted eyes hinted at him actually considering the idea.


    "Look... Drance has already been up my ass about finding this stupid beast."


    ''Drance? Is that a person or place?'' Tyr mused instantly.


    Hanzo continued: "I really don''t want to waste time fighting a random like you. Plus... I probably shouldn''t be wasting any materials if I''m fighting the strongest thing in an 85-mile radius of Gitran."


    There were a lot of questions that sprouted up from these words, but the one that Tyr focused on was: "Wait... are you hunting White Crimson?"


    Tyr surmised this by the fact that Hanzo said he was fighting the strongest thing. This instantly reminded Tyr of the beast he was going after as well.


    Hanzo''s left brow raised in intrigue, genuinely this time.


    ''Only Drance''s highest guild members know that name... how could this crazy bum have any clue about it?''

 Chapter 18: White Crimson Hunt (3) Conflict

    "How the hell do you know what that is?" Hanzo said, slightly on edge.


    ''Is he some sort of spy from the Black Merchant Guild? Those bastards would do anything to fuck up our plans if they caught on to it.'' Hanzo thought to himself, gripping the hilt of his bow just in case.


    Tyr intuitively understood that a bit of malefic intent was being thrown his way. He didn''t know how, but he just knew.


    ''Looks like me saying that nickname threw him off...'' Tyr mused, ''I''ll just be honest with him I guess. I doubt any problems will come from that.''


    "Oh... a Pixie told me," Tyr said with a straight face.


    Hanzo''s expression instantly went from serious to baffled, his mouth gaping widely, eyeballs poking out, and nostrils flared.


    "Did you just say that... a Pixie told you?" Out of nowhere, he broke out into a hearty laugh: "Pahaha!"


    Tyr squinted his eyes, confused by this reaction: ''Do Pixies not usually speak to people? She spoke to me as if it was a normal occurrence.'' After this thought, he remembered how he and the Pixie first met.


    ''Her first words were ''it can see me'' which probably means that humans usually can''t see Pixies.'' Tyr came to this realization while Hanzo was still laughing his ass off.


    ''He said a Pixie! Ancient and elusive beings who haven''t shown themselves to humans for hundreds of years! The last time they appeared was when the Great Pheonix Yustora threatened to burn all of Gitran to the ground! What kind of fool is this guy!?'' Hanzo thought to himself.


    "Ahaha! A lunatic, I''ve really been wasting my time with a lunatic here!" He was hysterical.


    Tyr furrowed his brows: "Okay, then tell me, how do I know about White Crimson if I was just some mentally ill idiot?"


    Out of nowhere, Hanzo''s comedic expression instantly turned back to a stern look. He fixed his monocle again as he said: "That''s right... so it seems this lunatic was telling the truth."


    "Wha--!? If I''m telling the truth then it means I''m not a lunatic, you dumbass!"


    "Ah... this crazy guy is actually right about that as well..."


    Tyr shook his head. "Look here, pipsqeak. I don''t care if you believe me or not, but if White Crimson is your prey then that most likely means that you are in my way." Tyr''s tone was very serious. S§×ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Hanzo didn''t say anything, allowing Tyr to continue.


    "I''ve worked toward this hunt for a while... I won''t let anything impede it. Sorry, but you will have to find another beast to hunt." Tyr maturely stood his ground.


    Hanzo seemed to respect this and spoke seriously as well: "I see... well, what is driving you may be your own selfish intents, but what is driving me has to do with several people. I am working on behalf of the Skyfall Guild''s hunter group: Ultimatum.


    If I fail this task, I''m not only going to lose trust, but money, fame, prestige, and also a sense of self-worth." He paused, holding his bow out in front of his thigh: "Do you still wish to stop me from impeding your hunt?"


    A killing intent seeped into Tyr''s bones, making his hair follicles stand erect and a feeling of doom creep over him. It was as though he was standing in front of the Charwolf all over again.


    Tyr exhaled, his eyebrows still scrunched as he clenched his jaw. Without hesitation, he pulled out one of his spears and forcefully extended it toward the young man in front of him.


    The movement was so fast that a fierce whiplash noise clapped from it.


    Tyr replied: "Yes, now go home." He was firm in the fact that he wasn''t going to let anyone or anything get in his way of obtaining this beast as his first tame.


    With that, Hanzo let out an exasperated sigh. He put his bow away--turning it into a metal ring again and walked forward.


    "Fine, you can join me then. Don''t slow me down." He said, walking right past Tyr.


    After a short pause, Tyr put his spear away. ''This guy... he''s weird.'' He thought to himself.


    Just then, Hanzo tripped over some roots and fell flat on his face.


    Tyr raised an eyebrow in disappointment and contempt as he said: "How about you follow me... you probably aren''t used to this place as much in comparison." He then took the lead.


    Hanzo was embarrassed, not saying a word as he quickly got up, patted himself off, and began to follow behind Tyr.


    Despite Tyr having only come to this world for a couple months, he had already gotten more accustomed to the forest life compared to someone who had visited it infrequently for short periods, such as Hanzo.


    Tyr looked up, finally noticing White Crimson''s patterns again way high up in the trees.


    ''That''s some crazy leg strength to be able to jump so high.'' He mused as he began to climb up, Hanzo shortly following behind.


    As they continued through the forest, Tyr asked a ton of questions to Hanzo without really even realizing it.


    It was as if he was a toddler again who finally got the ability to speak and comprehend things--unable to stop asking questions about everything.


    He wanted to know more about humanity than he had first thought since the amount of questions he asked Hanzo was ludicrous.


    "How far is Drance? Is it in a kingdom? Oh, a dynasty? Which dynasty then? I see... the Seris Dynasty huh?


    How many people are there? Are they all weird like you? What kind of society do you all live in? Are there homeless people? Do you all wear weird futuristic yet old clothing? What currency do you all use?"


    Tyr continued over the span of 20 minutes, nearly draining Hanzo of all of his life essence.


    He looked like a skeleton by the end, "Come one... stop it, kid. Even with my Aura, I can''t compete with your spell of life-sucking questions."


    "I mean... there''s a lot I need to know now that I know there are humans here. Speaking of which, you are a human, right?"


    "Huh? What kind of question is that? Of course, I''m a human."


    "I see... so despite there being such a difference in distance, we still go by the same name. Or wait, no, it could just be that GG is translating the definition of human as we both know it to ourselves as the same word." Tyr went into his own obsessive little rant for a second.


    Hanzo simply looked at him like he was a freakshow.


    Both of them arrived at a clearing, a large pond was located in front of them with about 50 feet of fairly plain grass covering the outskirts of it. There were some bushes that thinned out as you got closer to the water, and a small layer of sand-like loose dirt underneath various shapes and sizes of pebbles and stones encircling the lakes edge.


    There were also large boulders standing over 20-30 feet tall poking out from the ground all over the place, giving the place an alien look.


    The lake was over 1000 square feet in size and was bright and blue. Small waves and ripples moved around on top of it, giving it an iridescent glow in the sunlight.


    Tyr was walking with his head turned to face Hanzo who was behind him, so he didn''t notice the lake for a few seconds.


    He instead continued to ask questions:


    "Anyways... do you have parents?" On hearing this question, Hanzo''s face turned a bit grim.


    His brows furrowed, as though he became angry all of a sudden.


    But then, Hanzo noticed a large bubble begin to push up on the surface of the lake behind Tyr.


    ''A beast!'' Hanzo quickly mused, his alertness boosting.


    Out of nowhere, Tyr heard a loud splash come from behind him.


    As he turned his head back around, the giant maw of an obsidian-coated bass fish greeted him--swallowing him whole.

 Chapter 19: White Crimson Hunt (4) Emperor

    "You idiot! Look where you''re going!" Hanzo blurted out, taking off his metal ring as it transformed into a futuristic bow again.


    He pulled the red laser string back with his pointer finger, and as soon as he pulled it to his eye, 3 red arrows made of Aura energy summoned on it.


    By now, the bass was attempting to flop back into the water.


    What it had just done was a common hunting tactic performed by large aquatic beasts. Since they could survive out of the water for a minute or so, doing the unexpected and hunting land prey had proved to become fruitful to them.


    Hanzo didn''t give a shit about this though, letting go of his bowstring. The arrows propelled forward and spun rapidly in the air.


    The force of the spin was powerful, contorting the air around each arrow into an air drill of sorts and piercing straight through the bass'' head. Despite the arrows being a quarter of an inch in width, the force that they came with burst 10-inch holes through the thick skull of the beast.


    It stopped flopping, killed instantly, and allowed Tyr to begin climbing out of its slimy insides.


    Hanzo walked to the mouth of the beast, giving a hand to Tyr. The boy inside the fish had a frown on his face. He was silent, grabbing Hanzo''s hand and getting out of the mouth of the beast.


    As both of his feet made contact with the ground, Hanzo walked forward and began pushing the fish back into the lake.


    "Oi! Hurry up and give me a hand!" He exclaimed, seemingly in a rush. When he flipped the fish over once, there was a large pool of blood left over on the patch where it just was.


    ''Fuck...'' Hanzo clenched his jaw as he noticed the sheer amount of blood. ''This is way too much. When I attacked Tyr, I thought even that much blood was too much and gave him the Health Capsule... but this is like putting out a full-on invitation. I wanted to notice it before it noticed me... but I think it''s too late for that now.''


    *ROAR*


    As if on cue, a ferocious roar echoed through the forest. It was deep, straight from the stomach of whatever beast it came from.


    A devastating killing intent fell onto both Hanzo and Tyr as if it were a giant boulder.


    Tyr''s knees buckled, wanting to drop as his breathing became more tiresome. His eyes expanded widely, scanning the area. It was a primal feeling of fear, one that forced shivers to crawl up his back.


    However, this was different. This was an entirely separate, greater level of fear compared to that of the Charwolf.


    "Oi, stay back. It''s spotted us thanks to this pool of blood. Since it saw us first, our chances of defeating it are slim, even with me here."


    Hanzo turned to face Tyr with a sharp stare.


    "If you can, run back to where you came from. When White Crimson sees the face of its prey once, it will never stop chasing until it drinks the prey''s blood."


    Tyr felt his body want to subconsciously gasp on hearing these words.


    ''I... am still so fucking retarded.'' Tyr tightened his fists and gritted his teeth. He did so with so much effort that his nails began to dig into the skin of his palms--causing a few drops of blood to trickle down.


    "Oi!" Hanzo confusedly exclaimed in a loud tone, "What are you doing!?"


    ''Want to live a good life on this planet you say? Then why do you keep fucking up?'' He said to himself inwardly, continuing to squeeze his fists.


    ''This is all your fault. Had you not been so obsessed with trying to learn about humanity, as though you were an immature child, you wouldn''t have been swallowed by that stupid fish. Hanzo could have left you, not wanting to risk being seen first by White Crimson, yet he saved you only to put himself in a worse situation.''


    ''No excuses... no extra chances. You don''t get to have them.'' Tyr squeezed his eyes shut as tight as he could.


    ''I won''t accept any more failure. Nothing short of perfection, damn it!''


    Tyr finally opened his eyes, his grip loosening as he unsheathed his spear and stared at Hanzo with a determined look in his eyes: "I''ll make this right!" He exclaimed with conviction and certainty.


    Hanzo was a bit taken aback by this reaction.


    ''That look in his eyes... he seems to punish himself harshly for his own mistakes. He probably feels bad that he put us into this situation as well. He has heart, but he''s still too foolish to understand that you can''t reach perfection in this world. If that were the case, I would be living in a mansion with my mother still alive.''


    Hanzo pulled his bowstring back: "Do what you want." He said as his earpiece began to glow a low red hue: "Target is north-west bound of my departure. I may need backup since it spotted me first but..." He paused, glancing over at Tyr.


    "Only send help if I specifically ask for it. I may be okay on my own."


    He coated his bowstring with the blood on the ground and shot an arrow straight up into the air.


    The bright light flew out of the jungle canopy and into the air--sprinkling some blood around the area as well.


    ''That should do to tell them my location.'' Hanzo turned, ''And it should also be enough to attract White--''


    *BOOM* S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    As though it fell down from the heavens, a large snowy-white furred tiger with crisp and rich black stripes landed in front of Tyr and Hanzo--still emitting its horrifying waves of bloodlust.


    It had large, sharp fangs and a primal, savage look on its face of an apex predator.


    It was larger than even a Polar bear--standing at over 6 feet tall on all four legs with a length of 15 feet. Its limbs were covered in muscles that were simply bulging out of its skin.


    Its eyes were a deep gray, staring into your soul like a demon.


    Now that Tyr was in its presence, he could tell why White Crimson''s aura was different than the Charwolf''s.


    ''This thing... it has the air of a king. The poise of a ruler. The Charwolf was only a baby trying to rebel against its master, but as I stand now, I am facing the very emperor of this domain.''


    It was a feeling that made the body of any normal animal want to flee more than anything else or bow down. The idea facing this creature in one''s fight or flight response had left the canvas entirely in the mien of this monstrous being.

 Chapter 20: White Crimson Hunt (5) Clash

    A smile stretched across Tyr''s face, slowly turning into a chuckle before erupting into a full-blown laugh. "Huh...haha... perfect. You''re perfect to be my first pet," he declared with a confident tone.


    Hanzo raised an eyebrow in disbelief. ''He isn''t scared at all?'' he wondered, puzzled.


    Despite the beast''s fierce presence and intimidating demeanor, which would incite devastating fear in most people, Tyr was exhilarated. The more powerful the creature, the better.


    "I won''t fail," Tyr proclaimed, charging forward with determination. "I''ll tame this thing and correct my mistakes."


    The tiger didn''t hesitate to move as it noticed Tyr''s intentions. The boy wasn''t scared, so it took this as a clear challenge.


    ''Fighting it head-on won''t suffice. I already know this.'' Tyr mused as the tiger lunged at him with lightning speed, ignoring Hanzo who was in front. Its claws slashed through the air with a thunderous roar.


    With a practiced motion, Tyr rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding. He felt the gust of the beast''s nails brush against his skin.


    The jungle grass beneath Tyr''s feet was smeared into a paste as he sprang away, his heart pounding with adrenaline-fueled urgency.


    ''Instead, I''ll need to focus on its weakest points and slowly batter it down.'' Tyr exclaimed, abruptly feeling a stinging pain on the side of his torso.


    He quickly brushed his hand against the pain, the palm coming back up with dark blood.


    Without him even noticing it, the tiger had managed to barely graze his side-abdomen.


    The beast was on his tail, pouncing into the air with both hands extending out toward Tyr.


    Tyr saw this--his head turned behind his shoulder to observe the tiger''s movements as he ran.


    ''Perfect!'' He exclaimed, abruptly pushing the heels of his feet into the ground.


    Tyr had practiced this move many times before on other predatory creatures.


    Whenever they attacked with both hands and were in the air, it prevented them from moving anywhere but forward and also made it difficult to attack anything that wasn''t in their intended range.


    This was obviously because they had extended both hands out to aim for something, leaving no backup attacks.


    After halting in place, Tyr pushed his feet into the ground and jumped backward instead.


    Hanzo furrowed his brows in confusion as he saw this. He was worried at first, but the confident look in Tyr''s eyes assured him that the boy knew what he was doing.


    Tyr flew below the large beast who was in the air, balanced himself to the ground by hand-standing, retracted his feet in like coils, and finally propelled himself out with maximum speed and power--digging them into the belly of the beast.


    ''Legs aren''t to be underestimated. The strongest of humans can hold and even lift over 4000 pounds with their legs alone!'' Tyr thought to himself, pushing the tiger up and over him.


    It began to nearly flip forward due to the misbalance in momentum, but landed normally and turned around with malicious intent.


    In other words, all that did was piss it off.


    But Tyr wasn''t too disappointed at that. He smiled slightly: ''It now understands that it can''t just kill me whenever it likes.'' He knew that to a certain extent, this was also a mental battle.


    Not just for the tiger to respect him, but also for him to prove to himself that he was worthy of this fight.


    Hanzo chuckled, ''Good on ya, kid. I doubt I''ll have to intervene at this point.''


    Tyr pushed himself up, running away from the beast and toward the large stones. The tiger leaped forward without delay, right on the boy''s tail again.


    ''My Blink Step cooldown is still 5 seconds. I can''t afford to waste one if I use it. I can''t Blink Step near it, since it''s faster than me without that spell. I need to be able to use the speed of Blink Step not to be faster than it... but to be invisible.''


    Tyr jumped behind a large boulder with dozens of the same kind all around it--the tiger mere feet away. Just as Tyr had anticipated, the beast attempted to swipe its claws at Tyr without running around the stone.


    However, as its paw got to the other side of the boulder, it found that there was nothing there except for air.


    Out of nowhere, Tyr jumped out from behind a boulder that was next to the one that he had first jumped behind--thrusting his spear right into the middle of the tiger''s paw and thrusting it a foot deep into the stone.


    He had gone behind the first stone and then used Blink Step to blitz over to another one to the right. Although there was still the risk of the tiger being able to see him move, in the heat of battle when the beast was so close behind him, Tyr was confident in his chances.


    Tyr''s 30 points in strength along with the Glassback Alligator''s teeth made stabbing the tiger''s palm feasible.


    Now that it was also dug into the stone, Tyr let go of the weapon and jumped backward, instantly turning and beginning to run away.


    ''That will have cut some nerve endings... its right claw will be close to useless now, especially if it--'' As though on cue, the tiger did exactly what Tyr wanted.


    Furious, it pulled its hand away from the boulder at a quick speed, allowing the sharp spear to shred right through it.


    Even though the tiger''s paw was removed, the spear was still lodged into the boulder, covered in blood, skin, and flesh.


    The tiger exclaimed loudly in pain, but didn''t stop its relentless pursuit. However, it was now limping slightly after each lunge. Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Tyr continued to move forward, sprinting around all of the boulders.


    ''One hand down... this might be enough to slow it down enough to where I can Hypnotize it without worry, but I''d like to be more cauti--'' At that moment, the tiger landed 15 feet in front of him.


    Tyr stopped on the spot, using his spear to push himself backward slightly.


    ''Damn it! I shouldn''t ignore the intelligence of this beast. It''s going to be unpredictable.''


    At that moment the tiger lunged to the left--bouncing off of a boulder and straight toward Tyr with its left paw ready to slash.


    Tyr sharply inhaled, blocking himself with the spear as he turned his head to the side.


    He imagined himself blitzing 10 feet away behind another boulder: ''Blink Step!'' He urgently exclaimed.


    [Blink Step is still on cooldown...]


    ''Fuck...''

 Chapter 21: White Crimson Hunt (6) First Pet

    The tiger''s claw landed heavily, gashing across Tyr''s torso and stomach.


    [Vitality: 17/21-->3]


    The instant pain from this was excruciating. It was levels beyond what Tyr had ever experienced before, obliterating through even his pain-removing adrenaline.


    Blood splattered across the ground below him as the tiger pushed him down onto his back--holding both of his limbs down.


    Blood bubbled out from his mouth. The slash from before revealed some of his ribcage--scraping off a several large chunks of meat.


    Along with that, the lowest claw narrowly avoided puncturing Tyr''s organs--leaving only one layer of flesh between the outside world and his inner guts.


    Hanzo sprinted over, moving around the boulders and finally laying his eyes on Tyr.


    ''Shit! I should have assisted more!'' He exclaimed, pulling his bowstring back fiercely as a wave of killing intent burst out of him.


    "STOP!" Tyr screamed, his eyes bloodshot and his face covered. His breathing was racked, mucus and blood getting in the way.


    Hanzo lowered his bow, clenching his jaw in frustration.


    "Damn it... I''m trusting you, Tyr. Don''t die!" He said, his pupils dancing with genuine concern. Even though he hadn''t known the boy long, he still liked him--despite their arguments.


    He almost began to become a little brother of sorts, reminding Hanzo of someone he once knew...


    The tiger opened its maw, preparing to bite Tyr''s head off like a grape.


    ''Hypnosis!'' Tyr finally found his opportunity. Despite the mental and physical trauma, excruciating pain, and devastating exhaustion radiating through his body right now--he knew that this was his only chance. He wasn''t going to fuck it up...


    The beast''s retina enveloped in a hazy blue color.


    "Lay on your stomach and calm down..." Tyr uttered in a low tone, feeling his consciousness slowly slip through his fingers.


    Tyr knew that one of the ways he could tame a beast was by having it be in a calm state. For now, this was his only option.


    The other two options were to have the beast subdued or in a heavily injured state, both of which obviously weren''t feasible right now.


    The tiger stopped what it was doing at once, laying on its stomach atop Tyr.


    ''It''s way stronger than me, so I have less time with Hypnosis. Approximately 3 seconds. I can''t afford to mess up.'' S~ea??h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Hanzo squinted his eyes, trying to understand what was happening in front of his eyes.


    ''Am... I seeing this correctly?'' He mused with bewilderment.


    Tyr slowly raised his shaking hand, placing his palm on the white chest of the beast as he felt its loud heartbeat. It was thunderous, like a drum; and powerful enough to make Tyr''s body tremble slightly each time it pounded.


    Tyr closed his eyes, concentrating deeply on the task at hand.


    ''Match its heartbeat with mine.'' He took a couple of seconds to do this. Despite time running short, he didn''t allow himself to panic. Right now, he needed to be calm more than anything else.


    This was his only chance. If he were to mess up, he couldn''t save himself with Blink Step either as his Stamina was below 5. Taking on such a big blow demolished his endurance capabilities.


    He calmed his breathing, his heart finally matching in rhythm to the tiger.


    "Soul Marking. Become my pet..." Tyr declared, angry, frustrated, writhing in pain, but also enthralled.


    He felt a sapping of energy from deep within his core. This was the spell taking his life energy. His entire body nearly went limp for a fraction of a second, but he gritted his teeth and stayed in his current position.


    For a moment, there was a delay; the tiger attempting to fight back against Tyr''s taming.


    However, for some reason, it didn''t fight for long. This may have been because of Tyr''s immense determination to get it as a pet, or perhaps something else... Tyr was too busy to think about that right now.


    A fragment of both his and the tiger''s souls connected as soon as the beast gave way--releasing a bright white light between their chests.


    Hanzo was almost mesmerized as he saw this. ''I''ve never seen a beast calm down so fast and so willingly... just who is this crazy caveman?''


    After this, a mark was sealed and inscribed onto both of their souls that resembled a pentagram of sorts.


    With that, the blue haze over the tiger''s eyes disappeared.


    [Stamina: 2/25]


    Tyr''s arm dropped to the floor like a ragdoll''s limb, his breathing coarse and weak.


    [Congratulations! You have successfully tamed a Polaris Tiger through Soul Marking.]


    [Description: A powerful beast at the peak of Apex Rank. Its ivory-white fur stands as a declaration of war to its biome; violating its natural law of camouflage in exchange for raw strength, speed, and power. Its abilities make it a feared opponent in any obstacle, often allowing it to become a fierce ruler in most environments it happens to spawn in.]


    [Congratulations! You have learned two new Sub-Spells under Soul Marking: Soul Communication, Soul Mend]


    [Soul Communication Description: Ability to speak to your pet through mental dialogue.]


    [Soul Mend Description: Ability to access the ability of any one of your pets for a temporary amount of time.]


    [Current Soul Mend time limit: 30 seconds.]


    [Cool down: 10 Minutes.]


    [Current viable specimens: Polaris Tiger (Immense strength, durability, and speed.]


    [Congratulations! You have learned a new ability: Pet Status]


    [Pet Status Description: Ability to check the status menu of your pets, including all of their stats.]


    [Sub-spell: Pet Status comes with the sub-spell: [Scan.]


    [Description: Ability to check the status menus of most other living beings.]


    [Spell Criteria: Any subject to Scan must be within the estimated level cap depending on your own level. If they are too powerful, Scan can not process their status. Additionally, Scan can not survey one''s stats.]


    [Please name your new pet to complete the taming process and multiply its power under the God Grimoire.]


    Tyr smiled through his bloody teeth, "Ha...ha... I did it." He gazed deeply into the eyes of his new monstrous pet: "Your name..."


    "Will be..."


    "Rudra."


    ***


    (Author note:


    "Rudra" translation: "The Roarer." - Google.


    Origin: Hinduism.


    Rudra Meaning: Mightiest of the mighty, who eradicates problems from their roots.)

 Chapter 22: Here I Come, Humanity!

    As soon as Tyr uttered that name, Rudra, the seal on both his and the tiger''s soul finally cooled down. It was still red hot seconds ago, like heated iron. But now, it sizzled down to become a solid black symbol.


    With that, he completed the taming process and passed out. He had used the rest of the strength in his body to name Rudra.


    Hanzo rared his bow, his brows furrowed as he slowly inched closer to Rudra and Tyr.


    Rudra was currently staring at Tyr, his eyebrows curled inwards as though worried.


    As Hanzo got 10 feet away, the beast abruptly stood and jumped in front of Tyr, acting as a guard as he released a ferocious growl targeted towards the approaching human.


    Hanzo stopped in his tracks.


    "Looks like he did tame you after all..." Hanzo said out loud, Rudra staring at him with his ferocious gray eyes.


    Hanzo lowered his bow, "I am Hanzo Elec. For now, I see your master as a friend. He''s hurt... I know you''re worried, so let me treat him."


    Rudra hesitated for a moment but eventually moved to the side slowly. Despite being tamed, he was still a powerful, majestic creature of immense size and strength. His actions were scary, whether peaceful or violent.


    Hanzo put his bow away, turning it into a ring, before kneeling down next to Tyr.


    Taking off the Charwolf hide, he saw the deep marks on the boy''s chest and stomach.


    ''It''s far worse than I thought...'' He looked at his thumb finger, which had one of his 5 rings. It was a ring with a green crystal engraved into it.


    ''Hmm... fine. The kid just barely got his first foot in the world. I won''t let him go so fast.''


    He took the ring off, and as he did, it transformed into a cloud of green Aura. The gas summoned various separate healing and medical artifacts such as bandages, stitches, tonics, scalpels, forceps, surgical scissors, and more that all began to revolve in the air in a circular motion in front of Hanzo''s face.


    Hanzo fixed his monocle, stretching his gloves before getting to work...


    ***


    When Tyr awoke, he felt a cool breeze brush past his entire body--giving him a feeling of bliss for a moment.


    It also passed through his balls.


    ''Damn...'' He mused, ''I''m naked again.'' This could only mean one thing, right?


    Tyr bit the bottom of his lip, trying to hold in his emotions to not break down into tears.


    ''I must have used Disappear... just when I tamed my first beast too--''


    He stopped his train of thought as whatever he was riding on experienced a light bump in the road--pushing his stomach up and giving him a short burst of stabbing pain.


    "Ghh!" He exclaimed, raising his head and looking down. As he did this, he noticed that he was still in the same body.


    He also noticed what he was riding on--white fur with black stripes.


    His face lit up, his eyes staring up into the forest canopy above him: "I''m still here! Hahah---ack!" He exclaimed with excitement, but nearly broke some stitches at the end so he had to calm down.


    Tyr was lying on Rudra, who was calmly jogging through the forest to not cause Tyr any pain--an order by Hanzo. Although he was lightly running, he was still traveling at a quick pace. Over 40 miles per hour.


    Hanzo was in front, riding on a small vehicle that resembled a jetski, except it was riding in the air and not on water. It looked similar to his bow, made of white metal and light-blue stained glass.


    On hearing Tyr''s sudden words, he turned his head. "You''re awake? Don''t move right now. I didn''t patch you up so you could go rip yourself open again so quick."


    After a short pause, he said, "And... sorry for the naked situation. I don''t carry extra clothing with me, nor did I have time to fasten a leaf skirt."


    After saying this, Hanzo suddenly heard the word:


    "Why."


    He was slightly taken aback for a second, not expecting to be questioned on that.


    "Well, let''s just say that doing surgery on you took longer than expected. Your body''s weird..." He paused.


    Tyr squinted his eyes, ''Weird huh... I mean, it definitely isn''t normal.'' He looked at his ripped arms.


    "Anyways, I was supposed to come back by nightfall but I totally forgot. At this rate..." Hanzo''s face turned a bit grim, as though he was thinking of some devastating news.


    "At this rate what? Why did you need to come back before nightfall?"


    "Well... I made a bet that I could hunt the Polaris Tiger, or White Crimson in one day. Tracking it down and killing it: all a part of the deal. But with you randomly joining in, I forgot all about it." He looked up, checking the position of the sun.


    "I lost..." Tears began streaming down his face.


    "A bet to take down this beast by yourself huh? I barely managed to tame it... how strong are you that you were confident you could solo hunt it?" Tyr questioned.


    ''There''s a part of him that seems powerful... but at the same time, his image looks weak.'' Tyr thought to himself, genuinely curious. ''It''s probably a strong world out there if a random person like him is so strong...


    a place where people hunt beasts like Rudra as if it''s nothing.'' Many thoughts and imaginations began to sprout up in his head, his eyes glowing slightly, ''I would want to go there someday.''


    Hanzo stopped crying as he heard this question, a small smirk forming on his face.


    "Kid, they don''t call me Drance''s strongest Squad Captain for no reason." He said with a prideful tone.


    "What? That sounds like a load of bull. You''re like 5 feet tall... how could you be the strongest?" Tyr exclaimed, picking a booger.


    Hanzo''s face immediately contorted into anger: "What did you just say!? Take that back, you naked caveman freak!"


    "Huh!?" Tyr retorted, "I''m not the one wearing dress clothing and a monocle in the middle of a forest beast hunt!"


    ***


    Eventually, they arrived at Tyr''s base on his directions.


    "The health capsule I gave you this time is a B grade. It''s far superior to the D grade one I gave you last time. It should have kicked in by now." Hanzo exclaimed as Tyr hopped off of Rudra''s back.


    Although there was a slight amount of pain, he was in much better shape than even just a couple hours ago.


    Tyr put on a set of spare hide attire, at which moment Hanzo revved his jetski-like vehicle.


    "Come on, don''t slow me down," Hanzo said with a serious expression.


    "Huh?" Tyr looked up at him, "What do you mean?"


    Hanzo shook his head, "You want to come, right? Don''t tell me you asked me all those questions just for fun... You want to explore the human world, do you not?"


    Tyr paused, feeling a bud of excitement swell up within him as a slight smile formed on his face.


    "Y-yeah! Let''s go!" He got atop of Rudra again. S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Hanzo grinned, spinning his vehicle around before zooming away into the forest.


    Tyr looked down, patting the side of the tiger''s neck: "Let''s go, Rudra!" He said, already feeling as though he had a tight emotional bond with the beast.


    ''Yes, master!'' A deep yet eager voice replied to Tyr from within his head, slightly scaring him. Rudra leaped forward, rapidly bouncing through the forest and quickly catching up to Hanzo.


    "That''s right, I forgot you could reply." Tyr chuckled, turning his head past his shoulder as he looked at his base again. He couldn''t help but feel a touch of sadness whilst looking at his home for the past two months, but the overwhelming excitement of entering a human city again after so long far outdid that.


    He had many hopes, aspirations, and desires for this place, and several times as many questions.


    "Let''s speed it up!" Hanzo revved his engine again, "We might still be able to make it if we rush!" He zoomed forward.


    Tyr grinned, patting Rudra''s neck as the beast accelerated forward as well--lunging through vines and around trees, overtaking Hanzo in an instant.


    ''Here I come, humanity!''

 Chapter 23: Excuse

    A couple hours passed. Tyr and Hanzo had made their way around the large and steep mountain that Tyr used to live beside.


    After getting around and on top of it, the path was smooth sailing.


    The hill on the other side slowly inclined down. It was an even thinner forest than the one on the other side--the one Tyr was used to.


    The trees and shrubbery became more and more scarce as they finally opened up into what looked like flat plains.


    The grass was medium length, the trees rare, and the ground smooth.


    Every now and again, you would see packs of Giradeer grazing on the grass.


    ''So this is their natural habitat...'' Tyr mused as he saw all of this, mesmerized. His question of where Giradeer thrived was finally answered.


    He also saw large, powerful-looking horses roam about as well, along with slimes, antlered sheep, bunny-eared cows, and a few more creatures that weren''t very threatening.


    Sometimes, he would see a couple Earth Wolves attack some Giradeer and whatnot. However, Rudra moved too fast to be able to really observe anything too closely.


    Tyr was currently looking at Rudra''s status menu.


    ©³©¥©¥©¥Status©¥©¥©¥©·


    Name: Rudra


    Bloodline: None


    Age: 45 Years


    Power Level: 130


    Vitality: 55/55


    Strength: 67 S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Stamina: 52/52


    Speed: 62


    Aura: 50


    [Stats remaining: 0


    Rank: Apex


    ©»©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¿


    ''Power Level as opposed to just Level huh? I guess it makes sense. I mean, it''s not like Rudra can level up like me. Instead, it''s an estimated level of strength.'' He took a good glance at all of the stats.


    ''Yeah... he''s on another level compared to me. His stats are more than double mine. On top of that, I haven''t even leveled up Aura... If I had, my stats would pale in comparison to Rudra''s more than they already are.''


    Tyr put away this status menu, noticing Hanzo who was riding in front of him.


    ''Hmm... with my new Scan Sub-spell, I can scan any other being as well right? Let''s see just how powerful he is.''


    [Error!]


    [This subject''s power level exceeds 5x of your current strength.]


    [Scan is unable to check their status.]


    ''Huh?'' Tyr eyes expanded, dancing slightly with surprise followed by awe.


    ''The strongest squad captain for a reason I guess. However, that means...'' Tyr looked down at the tiger below him.


    ''He could have slain Rudra without having to put in much effort... why did he let me tame it?'' Now that he thought about it, he hadn''t really asked Hanzo about that ever since he fell unconscious.


    "Hey," Tyr exclaimed, causing Hanzo to reply instantly: "What!"


    "How come you let me tame this thing. Wasn''t your mission to hunt it before sundown? Even if we got to Drance before then, wouldn''t you lose out on your bet?"


    Hanzo paused for a moment before replying, chuckling slightly as he spoke, "Nah... killed, tamed, what''s the difference? It won''t slaughter any more Hunters and kill a shit ton of good hunting practices around the weak part of Gitran, right? That was the goal from the start. And plus, if I don''t have to put in any work, why would I? I''m not particularly fond of being in combat.


    Unfortunately for me, I''m genetically blessed in the subject." Hanzo spoke in a joking manner.


    "I see..." Tyr replied. ''Even though he''s naturally gifted at it, he doesn''t like to fight?'' Tyr couldn''t find himself relating to this, ''I don''t know what exactly it is... but fighting always excites something deep within me. I find it exhilarating.''


    They both didn''t say a word for 20 seconds or so and then Hanzo suddenly spoke:


    "You know, from what I''ve seen, you are pretty talented as well. I can see from the way you move and your spear technique that you haven''t learned any actual fighting styles before. I''m curious, what were you doing out there in the forest anyway? Did ya'' parents drop you off there when you were a baby or something?"


    Tyr paused, not knowing how to answer this for a second. He was pretty happy to hear that he had some talent though.


    ''Damn it... I really haven''t thought of an excuse. I didn''t think I''d need to, since I didn''t think humans existed on this planet in the first place! What should I tell him? Should I go with his story? No, that will be way too obvious.''


    He began to stress slightly, his face showing this emotion for a millisecond.


    ''I can''t just say I wanted to go out there, right?'' He was still confused.


    Hanzo saw his expression and retorted: "Did you not like the comment I made about your parents? Don''t worry, they aren''t around in my life either. Not anymore, at least." He smiled.


    "Oh! No! That wasn''t what I meant." Tyr exclaimed, not even thinking about his parents. He wasn''t used to thinking about them. After all, it was hard to miss something you never had...


    "If you don''t want to tell me," Hanzo turned and faced forward, "You don''t have to until you want to. I''m sure you have a good enough reason why. Plus... I don''t really care enough to poke at matters that I''m not involved in."


    Tyr felt a wave of relief wash over him. He was grateful. ''I''ve never met a person so chill...'' He mused inwardly.


    "What about you? What happened between you and your family..." Tyr questioned, feeling as though it was an appropriate thing to ask right now.


    "Ahh... nothing too special. I''m not the main character of a novel or anything. Hahaha!" Hanzo burst out into hearty laughter before continuing, "Dad was abusive and left early, and my mom was a prostitute who died because I couldn''t get her a cheap ol'' medicine. I also had a little brother, but he got kidnapped a long time ago.


    So far back that I can''t even remember what he looked like anymore!" Hanzo was smiling as he said this, as though he didn''t take it to heart at all.


    Tyr, however, was taken aback: ''Nothing special he says? That''s a crazy story If I''ve ever heard one...'' He couldn''t help but feel empathetic. ''Even though he tries to hide it, there''s no way it doesn''t affect him deep inside even a little bit. But, I shouldn''t pry much either..''


    With that, they began to talk about other things that Tyr was interested in, like how Item Grades and Power Ranking worked, and various other topics like that.


    Before he knew it, they arrived at a city gate...


    ***


    Author Note: Yo! I''ve just started my character creation. So far, Tyr, Hanzo, and Rudra have been added. Make sure to vote for whoever you like the most, or all three (:

 Chapter 24: Power Rankings

    20 minutes before...


    "You talked about the Grade of the Health Capsule you gave me right? I want to know more about that. What are the different Grades?" Tyr asked, curious about this as it was a foreign concept to him.


    Still, he wanted to get more powerful, and knowledge was power. Especially when it came to seemingly important things like this.


    ''I wanna get strong to unlock more of those memories and live a decent life... but also just for the hell of it. I''m in a world with a fantastical, magical Aura element. After all those years living a boring, shit hole of life, why the hell shouldn''t I try to get as powerful as possible?''


    It might have been a man''s natural instinct to conquer and prevail, or maybe something else. Tyr didn''t have a clue, but he didn''t care either. Getting stronger was just satisfying!


    "Grades huh? Well, just know that everything has a letter grade. Every item, at least. Weapons, armor, health items, etc. It goes from F, being the most basic and run-of-the-mill thing, to D, C, B, A, A+, and S--around these parts. Of course, there''s also the SS and even the SSS+ Grades, but you only see those in the inner city and in the greater empires.


    Our Seris Dynasty isn''t so prosperous compared to those like the Zasea Kingdom and Rock Saelfine Empire."


    "I see... is A the only one with an A+ Grade in front of it?"


    "Yep. That''s just how it goes. At least on this continent. Subworld is big... way too big to say anything for sure. Still, you shouldn''t underestimate the difference between A and A+.


    It''s the same as the other grades."


    "Hmm... I''ve also heard about Beast Rankings before. Do they work in the same way?"


    "They sure do. Except, they got fancier names is all. And, they correlate to the beast''s threat level too. Beast Rankings and Human Rankings are different for this reason. Anyways, from the weakest to the strongest, the beast one goes like this: Basic, Pure, Wild, Apex. These four are the beginner options, let''s just say.


    After them come the big boys. These are not only on a whole separate level of power, but they increase in terms of growth after each Rank as well. Sentinel, Warden, Berserk, Vanguard, and finally... Titan. But, then again, you probably won''t have to worry about most of those, since whatever city you''re in when you come across them will most likely get demolished and so will you along with it.


    Who cares what Rank they are when you aren''t even alive, pahaha!"


    Hanzo was so nonchalant about it, but Tyr was a bit scared hearing all this horrifying shit.


    ''Strong enough to demolish a city!? Damn... those beings are probably in the thousands of Power Levels if I were to Scan their status''... I haven''t even turned into a sapling from a bud in comparison to them, who are already large oaks!''


    "You said that only the Beast Rankings stand for a beast''s threat level right? What about Human Rankings? If they exist, what are they, and what do they signify? Strength?" Tyr asked, more and more questions appearing in his head as they continued.


    "Not exactly... Human Rankings aren''t based purely on strength though, but rather on growth. Human rankings are a bit different from the beast ones. They also correlate perfectly to the Hunter Ranks--which are the C, B, and A shit I told you about a second ago."


    ''I see... so Hunter Ranks are just like Item Ranks. I should remember to differentiate Hunter Ranks from normal Human Ranks.''


    "From weakest to strongest, they go like this: Initiate, Novice, Apprentice, Adept, Expert, Virtuoso, Grandmaster, Sage, Paragon. Each one signifies growth from one stage in adapting and strengthening your Ancestral Ability to another..." Hanzo seemed tired at this point, almost wanting to yawn.


    "Ancestral Ability?" Tyr quipped, intrigued by this new word.


    "Oh God..." Hanzo exclaimed, ''I shouldn''t have even mentioned that to him.''


    "What''s that?"


    "You will learn on your own." Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "No! I want to know right now! Give me a heads up."


    "Nah..."


    "Come on! It sounds important."


    "That''s cuz'' it is."


    "Then tell me!"


    "Tsk! Fine! But I won''t go into much detail. It''s complicated, to say the least. Pretty much... 40% of those in the Subworld receive a random ability conceived from a chosen time through all of their ancestries when they unlock their Aura Core.


    It''s different for everyone, not just the Ancestral Ability, but also their Aura Core. You can grow stronger in this ability by strengthening said Aura Core... but that takes a lot of resources and time. You will figure it out on your own in the future."


    Tyr was pleasantly surprised by all of this, "I see... what''s your Ancestral Ability?"


    "Elite Bowmanship paired with Mother Gaia''s Touch. Or in other words, I can shoot good and my chances of healing another person are increased by over 500%..."


    Tyr was blown away by this, "That''s powerful! And you can have two of these at the same time? That''s a bit too strong, isn''t it? I wonder what my Ancestral Ability would be."


    "I''m surprised you don''t already have it. Usually, the lucky 40% unlock their Aura Core at 5 years of age, at which point they also receive their Ancestral Ability. You can''t harness Aura and use it to actually wield your Ancestral Ability without an Aura Core since the Aura has nowhere to pass through in your body. So, an Aura Core is needed.


    I mean, you can still control it temporarily to do some household chores or whatever... but that isn''t nearly as effective or strong as actually absorbing it."


    Hanzo turned, noticing Tyr''s excited dome. He sighed, "Look... there''s a lot you will need to figure out. For now, just try to not get killed inside the city."


    Hanzo looked forward. Tyr did the same, noticing large stone pillars in the distance.


    He was so distracted in the conversation that he hadn''t even seen the city walls approach.


    They weren''t exactly walls though. Stone pillars reaching over 100 feet in height were placed about 50 feet away from each other. In between them was an invisible glass-like barrier that you could see through.


    Looking up above the city, right below the clouds, there was a giant transparent green diamond-looking thing rotating in the air.


    "The sign of civilization. We''ve arrived." Hanzo smiled

 Chapter 25: Drance City

    A few dozen feet in front of them was the entrance gate. It was fairly large, about 20 feet tall and 10 feet wide.


    Outside of it, there looked to be some guards holding the post. They were checking everyone''s identification who was entering the city.


    The line was long, with close to 20 or so people in it. Some were riding horses, and others had their carriages pulled by the horses instead.


    A few were riding unique beasts, and about half were on foot.


    Tyr also noticed that mostly, everyone seemed to wear medieval-like clothing.


    ''Hmm... from the way Hanzo described Subworld, it''s so vast that the cultures and lands on each new continent are like different planets. It seems like this one is more old-style.'' He didn''t feel any sort of way about this.


    Hanzo got out of his vehicle, turning it back into a ring. He turned, "Oi... get off that thing." He said to Tyr.


    "Rudra?" Tyr said as he hopped off. "Why?"


    "Before we actually get into the line, we shouldn''t get arrested first..."


    Tyr was a bit confused by this, but he decided to listen anyway.


    ''Rudra... enter Infinite Domain.'' Tyr said this as though it was natrual, but it was his first time using the Sub-spell.


    Without hesitation or delay, the tiger answered: ''Yes, master!''


    A purple void opened up underneath the beast, sucking it in instantly before closing up.


    ''Hmm, that''s pretty cool.'' Tyr thought to himself.


    Rudra was transported to a forest-like biome similar to Gitran. With a smile on his face, he sprinted into the jungle and began to hunt.


    Tyr followed Hanzo to the end of the line.


    "Is it illegal to have a pet that''s a predator or something?" Tyr questioned, slightly confused.


    "No, but you are a newcomer here. If those guards have their undies too far up their crack today and feel threatened by anything you do, they can place you under temporary arrest. I''d rather avoid that."


    Tyr snickered slightly on hearing this.


    "How stupid... I should have freedom of expression!"


    Hanzo turned, sizing Tyr up and down with an eyebrow raised, "Freedom of what? Some people don''t even have any freedom at all here."


    "What?"


    "Don''t worry... you''ll see soon enough."


    The line slowly became shorter and shorter. Hanzo kept looking at the sun as it had nearly waned over the horizon by now.


    A line formed behind them as well by this point.


    A robed figure accidentally stepped on the back of Tyr''s foot, causing him to turn around.


    "Oh! My apologies brother. My eyesight isn''t great these days." A rough voice said from underneath the thick, brown robe.


    A few scoffs and mocking laughs came from a couple more robed individuals in the back.


    Tyr squinted his eyes, ''These guys... are they making fun of me or something? I dealt with that too much in my past to let it slide again. If you let one drop through the crack, the ocean will come asking to get in the next day.''


    Tyr nearly turned fully around, but Hanzo placed his hand on his shoulder.


    "Oi! Stop wasting time. Come on, it''s our turn." He said, walking in front.


    Tyr sucked his top teeth in slight annoyance but decided to ignore the few figures for now. However, Tyr did note the black coloration of the long hair sticking out of the robe of the man behind him, along with a black tattoo of a snake on the outside of his palm.


    ''In case I ever meet him again. I probably won''t, but who knows...''


    Tyr turned and followed Hanzo to where the guards were.


    They were both middle-aged men with slight beer bellies. One had a liquor stain running down his chest and iron armor.


    Both of them held long iron spears, one--the bearded guy--walking forward as he said: "A price of 25 coppers to get in!" He spoke in a drunken voice.


    There was a slight pause where Hanzo didn''t say anything.


    Tyr thought something was wrong. He felt the awkwardness in the air as the guard stopped moping around and actually scanned the face of who he was talking to.


    Tyr saw the guard''s eyes widen and his mind quickly sober up. His expression grew near horrified in a fraction of a second.


    *SLAP*


    The guard''s head slammed onto the floor, bouncing off of it like a bowling ball.


    A few in the line behind them gasped in astonishment.


    Tyr furrowed his brows, ''What the fuck!?'' He said inwardly.


    He then saw Hanzo clenching his jaw: "I keep telling you to stop drinking on the job. Beasts will inevitably attack sooner or later. I don''t even know why they put you slobs on such an important job."


    Hanzo walked forward, stepping over the now unconscious bearded guard.


    Tyr paused for a second before tip-toeing across the man as well.


    The second guard quickly ran to Hanzo: "I apologize deeply for this inconvenience! I-I--"


    "Shut up," Hanzo exclaimed, leaving the guard panting in distress as he walked past him.


    After the two of them entered the city gates, Tyr walked up to Hanzo and hurriedly asked: "What the hell was that? Why did you get so mad all of a sudden?"


    "I just wanted to teach them a lesson. They are stubborn learners..."


    "You weren''t mad? I would argue against that."


    "I slapped him so that they would ignore you, you fool. You think they would just let some random hobo into this city through the front gates without any background information checks?"


    "Ahhh... now that makes sense."


    It didn''t take them long to enter the main streets of Drance. The place was packed, to say the least.


    It was teeming with life, bustling with people and activity at every corner.


    The streets buzzed with energy, shop vendors shouting their sales pitches, and the rich aroma of food mingled with the smoky scent of coal wafting through the air.


    Children darted past Tyr''s legs, their laughter ringing out as they narrowly avoided tripping him.


    Dozens of people moved alongside and against him, a sea of bodies flowing through the streets. Carts and carriages, each pulled by various unique beasts, added to the vibrant chaos.


    The landscape was far different from anything Tyr was used to or had imagined. The houses bore a resemblance to medieval structures but with an otherworldly twist.


    Many were crafted from intricately carved stone, while others featured unusual, rounded shapes that seemed to defy traditional architectural norms.


    Triangular roofs with ornate carvings were common, yet some buildings stood out with their unique, cylindrical designs and sloping, curved roofs.


    The juxtaposition of familiar medieval elements and fantastical, alien architecture created a visually stunning and surreal environment.


    As they delved deeper into the heart of Drance, the scene grew even more intense.


    The real bustling streets were a cove of tightly packed buildings on the sides of a spacious street, with taverns, brothels, street shops, and food stations crammed together in a chaotic yet captivating jumble.


    The cacophony of voices, clattering dishes, and the occasional burst of laughter created a symphony of urban life that was both overwhelming and exhilarating.


    Out of nowhere, Hanzo stopped. Tyr had been looking around in surprise and didn''t notice, so he bumped into him.


    "Oh, my bad." He backed up, "Why''d you stop?"


    Hanzo turned, "I need to go. Ask some questions and head to the Hunter''s Guild. I''m sure you can make it there without getting fucked over. You don''t look too gullible. And worst case scenario, at least you will get some character development."


    "Huh?"


    "It''s called Skyfall Hunter''s Guild. It''s a bar, tavern, and hotel all in one. I''ll get in contact with you again when... the times are right I guess."


    "What the fuck? What does that mean?" Before Tyr could get a grasp on what Hanzo was trying to say, he dashed up onto a random roof and disappeared into the distance.


    And so, Tyr was left alone in the middle of this crazy city.


    S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 26: Seems Legit...

    "What... the hell is wrong with that guy? Skyfall Hunter Guild, that''s what he said right?" Tyr noticed an old man walking in his direction amongst the crowd.


    He walked toward him: "Hey, do you know where--" He suddenly got slammed in the face with the old man''s cane. "Ack!"


    "Watch where yer'' goin, brat!" The elder exclaimed rudely and moved on.


    Tyr turned toward the old man with an enraged expression: ''Bastard geezer! I''d kill you if you weren''t so old!''


    He turned, panting slightly as he made sure his nose wasn''t cracked.


    Instead of asking random people who clearly seemed like they had things to do, he decided to go around and ask all the street vendors and shop owners who weren''t going anywhere.


    At first, all he got was people trying to kick him away from thier store.


    "Get the hell outta'' here you homeless street rat!"


    "Shoo! My broom will be your greatest nightmare tonight if you don''t scram! Go!"


    "Take a shower!"


    "Stop scaring away the customers!"


    Soon enough, Tyr realized that he needed to look more professional. Sure, he could have just used Hypnosis to get the answer, but there wasn''t really a point to it now that he understood that his appearance was so bad. He had worn animal hide and let his hair grow without taking care of it for so long that he forgot he had to do all that.


    Instead of just using Hypnosis and making his way to the Hunting Guild, probably just to be kicked out again, he decided to kill two birds with one stone and fix his look up. This way, he would get directions and look presentable.


    He found a decent-looking clothing store--one that was a walk-in place and not a random street vendor.


    Upon entering, a fat woman immediately addressed him.


    "AHHH! A CRIMINAL SLUG! SOMEONE HELP!!" She screamed at the top of her lungs.


    Tyr was baffled, "W-what the fuck is wrong with this planet!?"


    "HE''S SUICIDAL TOO!" The woman screamed after hearing those words.


    "Wha--no! Wait, I want to buy clothing!"


    "HELP--Oh?" The woman suddenly exclaimed, pausing.


    Tyr breathed a sigh of relief.


    "I won''t sell anything to a homeless street dweller. Get out of my store." The lady said with a straight face.


    "Just hear me out! Look... I have these~~!" Tyr exclaimed, pulling out a large hide bag and grabbing a handful of gray Beast Cores. He spoke enthusiastically and persuasively, like showing a new toy to a dog or a child.


    He had hundreds of them after hunting for so long. To get specific, he had 556 gray Beast Cores, 25 green ones, and 1 red one from the Charwolf.


    The lady looked at them for a second, and then donned an unimpressed look, "Why would I care for a bunch of Beast Cores! At least go sell them and get enough money to buy some decent clothing, you hoodlum! Get out!"


    Before Tyr knew it, he was outside of the store.


    "Sell them huh? Hmm... well, I was kicked away when I tried to ask them a question. But if I come to them wanting to sell them some stuff, they might have a different reaction." He hoped, walking across the street to a weapons and armor dealer.


    It was a sketchy-looking street cart-shop to the left of a prosperous-looking bar and right next to a dark alleyway, but the guy behind the counter did have some cool-looking stuff hung on the back wall.


    He also sold beast materials and things, which Tyr imagined were for Alchemy and whatnot.


    As Tyr approached, the man inhaled 2 lungs full of breath to scream at him to go away.


    However, Tyr quickly pulled out his Beast Cores before the man could explode.


    "Wait! I want to sell stuff! Rare Beast orbs!"


    "Ya'' mean Beast Cores!?" The rowdy-looking middle-aged man behind the counter with a grizzly beard and dirty apron shouted back at him.


    "Yeah! Yeah... Beast Cores."


    "Hand em'' over, brat. Let me see what you got."


    As Tyr neared the counter, he noticed that he got some looks from some people every now and again. After glancing at them, they laughed for some reason every time while conversing amongst themselves.


    It confused Tyr a bit, but none of that mattered right now. He was on a mission.


    "Alright... here''s my selling checkbook. You can check all the buying and selling prices here to prove that I don''t scam people." The shop owner exclaimed, taking a piece of paper that was plastered on the back of the store and placing it on the counter for Tyr to see.


    Tyr really had no clue about pricing. But, it seemed pretty legit.


    ''One D-Grade Beast Core for 10 copper.''


    ''One C-Grade Beast Core for 100 copper.''


    ''One B-Grade Beast Core for 10 silver.''


    ''I wouldn''t sell my highest one since I only have one of those. But even with what I have now, that would be 5560 copper with just the D-Grade Beast Cores alone.''


    Tyr did some math, and in the end, he sold 500 D-Grade Beast Cores which were the gray ones, and 10 C-Grade Beast Cores--the green ones.


    He got 6000 copper in total in a ring silver ring. The ring came free, and apparently, it could store 5 by 5 feet of storage.


    Tyr made his way back to the other establishment, where he spent a few minutes trying to convince the fat lady to let him buy the clothing.


    "Please! Come on! I have money now!"


    "GET OUT!!!"


    *** Sear?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    After 10 minutes of begging, the lady finally listened. Tyr wasn''t letting this go. Not only did he feel his pride on the line, but this was the only store that actually had a decent conversation with him like this.


    "Fine! How much did you get anyway?" The fat lady sighed with exasperation.


    "6000 copper!" Tyr proudly exclaimed, ''Yeah, deny that now you whale!'' He inwardly grinned as he saw the lady''s shocked expression.


    "6000 copper? You mean 60 silver?"


    "W-what?"


    "What do you mean ''what''? And is that what you were blabbering about all this time when you said you had a lot of money? Pfft! You can barely afford a mediocre set of clothing here with that pocket change."


    Tyr felt his heart drop. He then felt a boiling rage swell up within him.


    ''Did I... get scammed?'' He paused, calming down, ''No, maybe this is the right price after all. Even if I was scammed, I was hurrying too much. But I don''t care... who cares if I hurry, that doesn''t mean I should get scammed!''


    He had an entire mental war with himself in the span of a few seconds.


    But then he decided to ask the fat lady: "Hey... what''s the selling price of say, 1 D-Rank Beast Core?"


    The fat lady replied quickly, not paying much attention though as he was tending to other things in the back: "Eh, anywhere from 10 to 20 silver''s."


    Tyr stopped moving entirely. He was about to explode with anger and fury, but he held himself in to ask one more question, "What... what about a C-Rank?" He sounded like a crack addict or something.


    "A C-Rank? That''s around 50 silver to one gold coin."


    A short moment of silence passed... and then hell broke loose: "DAMNNNN YOUU! YOU MOTHERFUCKING SCAMMER!" Tyr screamed at the top of his lungs.

 Chapter 27: Live On My Feet

    Although incredibly pissed, Tyr picked out some clothing for himself. He couldn''t get much, as the fat lady had already warned him about several times.


    But he didn''t need much either. He got a pair of baggy black trousers made of wool. They were tight at his waist, enlarging in size up until his knees before tightening back down to the middle of his shins.


    That was where the top of his brown leather boots were. They were old and long, but thin and flexible.


    Finally, he could afford a thin brown tunic for his top.


    After trying everything on, he walked up to the counter and placed his storage ring on there.


    The lady looked up and down once more with a disdainful expression before saying: "Leave the ring and go."


    Tyr was slightly taken aback: "L-leave the ring? I know it came free, but 5 by 5 feet spacing is pretty valuable. Plus, this is all the money I have! How am I supposed to get my hair cut? A shower?"


    The lady abruptly chuckled as though she just heard a mediocre joke.


    ''What is this cunt laughing about now?'' Tyr thought in his head, still mad about getting scammed.


    "Boy, who told you that ring had 5 by 5 feet spacing? That''s a one-time-use ring. It''s useless after spending whatever is in it." She stated as if it was an obvious fact.


    Clenched his fists, "Ah fuck it... whatever." He turned and walked out of the store. He slammed the door shut behind him.


    Without hesitation, he stormed over back across the road. Even if he bumped into people, he simply ignored them and continued.


    "Hey! Watch where you''re going!" A few said, annoyed after getting randomly brushed past.


    "Are you serious!?"


    "Youth these days..."


    Tyr didn''t care right now though. As soon as he got to the shop stand, he noticed that it had been closed down.


    There was a long, thin wooden board covering the entire station with a "Closed" lettering written over it.


    Tyr balled his fist up and punched a hole right through it--not caring about the consequences...


    After putting all those stat points into strength, the wood broke open easily.


    "You can''t hide, you greedy fuck! I know you''re still in here! Give me back my cores!" He shouted, tearing the wooden board apart.


    A group of young girls walked past, laughing at him as though they had seen something similar to this many times in the past.


    Tyr turned, "What the fuck are you laughing at!?" He blurted in anger.


    One was pretty, with bright silver hair and deep blue eyes. Her smile also took Tyr aback slightly since it was so bright and genuine.


    The other was as skinny as a skeleton, and another with a face full of hormonal pimples.


    "Ugh! How emotional! Control your anger, weirdo!" The girl with bad skin exclaimed with a disgusted expression as though she just had a good waft of shit go up her nose.


    "Huh? Mind your own business, wart face!" Tyr retorted, ignoring the girls and turning back around.


    The girl''s face went pale for a second, her eyes looking toward her friends who seemed as though they just witnessed a violation.


    "Ouch... are you alright?" The skinny one exclaimed.


    A few heads in the crowd even turned when Tyr yelled this, making the girl shield her face by looking down.


    She obviously felt humiliated. No one had really spoken to her in that manner before.


    The pretty girl turned, taking a glance at Tyr once last time with furrowed brows before quickly turning her head around again.


    Tyr had torn a large enough hole in the man''s closed sign that he could fit through. Without hesitation, that''s exactly what he did.


    "He really isn''t here? What the fuck man..." Tyr felt disappointed but then realized that he could just jack the bastard back for scamming him.


    "He scammed me... I can just say I took my shit back." He rummaged around for anything even semi-valuable looking that he could find.


    Compared to what was there from before, it seemed everything real had been shipped up and loaded away.


    Everything else was just fake imitations. The hide hung on the back of the shop felt as though it was made of plastic despite looking so realistic.


    The weapons were way too light and malleable to be usable, the armor felt like cardboard.


    Tyr almost went super saiyan in that store from all the built-up anger within him.


    ''HOW SCUMMY CAN A MAN BE!?'' He screamed inwardly before calming down and leaving the store.


    However, before he left, he noticed a piece of paper on the counter that had the symbol of a black snake on it.


    "Huh?" He looked closer, noticing it was the same symbol on the hand of the robed guy he had met before.


    "Boss wants a talk. You''ve been fucking off with all that money you''re being given instead of actually running your businesses, right? If you don''t want your head chopped off, come to the meeting place by 10 AM. Make sure to be robed."


    ''Businesses? You mean scamming people?'' Tyr scanned this note several times in his head. sea??h th§× N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''He has a boss huh? I wonder if this scammer and that guy from the line are all working for the same cunt.''


    Tyr felt a hint of excitement generate within him as he thought of getting his revenge on the scammer. He didn''t exactly know how he was going to do it, but the simple fact of it possibly being a reality was enough to make him eager.


    ''Thats right... whats the point of going to a new planet if I let people walk all over my face? My life will just become what it was on Earth... worthless. It won''t matter what planet I travel to, since there''s nowhere in the universe where people aren''t pieces of shits. So, I have to start right now.''


    Although he knew this to be true, he still understood the threatening part of it all. He wasn''t going to carelessly risk his life if he didn''t think it was worth it.


    He exited, taking the note with him: ''I once heard the saying, I would rather die on my feet than live on my knees, but I don''t like either of those ideas. No... I''m gonna live on my feet from now on.''


    For now, he decided to head to the Skyfall Hunter''s Guild. He had spent most of his day wandering around and it was almost 10PM, so he didn''t want to delay much longer.


    This time, his luck in asking people for directions was much better. They couldn''t even see that he was still dirty since it was nighttime, and even dust looked like shadows sometimes.


    After an hour of navigating the winding streets and following various directions, Tyr finally arrived at his destination.


    The large building stood majestically at the heart of the town, perched on a circular plot of land enclosed by a bustling roundabout. Its imposing structure immediately drew the eye.


    The building boasted three distinct rooftops, each one rising higher than the last and tapering to a sharp, spear-like point at the very top.


    These rooftops, with their steep inclines and intricate designs, added an air of grandeur to the structure. Despite its slightly weathered appearance, the building was meticulously maintained, exuding an aura of timeless elegance.


    Above the sturdy front door, a striking symbol captured Tyr''s attention: a gleaming sword piercing through a pair of angel wings.


    Tyr was hungry after not eating for so long, tired since he had been on the move for most of the day, and still in slight pain from his injuries.


    With a big deep breath, he took a step forward...

 Chapter 28: Skyfall Hunters Guild

    As soon as Tyr stepped inside, he was greeted with a very lively environment.


    To both his left and right, he could see various seats filled with different people.


    They were aged young to about middle-aged, talking and laughing as they enjoyed their drinks and food. Speaking of which, the rich aroma of food items wafted across the entire room, delightfully hooking Tyr.


    The inside was fairly large, close to over 120 feet in size from one side of the floor to the other.


    The tables were spread around about 10 feet apart from each other--some being more inclosed and stuck onto a wall, and others being more open and in the center of the establishment.


    The environment was lively and fun, and the inside had a warm brown hue coloring over it.


    As Tyr stepped inside, he got a few odd glances here and there from some men. They had their large weapons unholstered and placed on the side of their tables.


    Tyr began to walk forward. At the very left of the floor was a large bar area where everyone got their food and drinks.


    Opposite the entrance, however, was a long countertop with 8 workers standing behind it--each one separated by a thin pane of glass.


    There were 8 lines in front of the counters with varying amounts of people, each one separated by a cloth railing.


    ''Looks like a help desk...'' Tyr mused as he walked over there. He surveyed the room as he walked, however.


    To the right was a giant board of posters ranging in size and the tone of their colors. In front of it were dozens of people who looked to be Hunters.


    ''A mission board?'' Tyr thought once more before arriving at a line.


    He waited nonchalantly for a while, thinking of how Hanzo just left him to figure all of this out on his own. On top of that, Tyr still wanted to get to level 50 as soon as possible.


    ''Tsk... It took me weeks and dozens of beasts just to level up once to get to 39. At this rate, It''ll take me months to get to 50! I need a better way...'' He also remembered what Hanzo said about Ancestral Abilities.


    ''That''s right... the main power in this world.'' He looked around once more at the unique faces of people in the building, ''To think that most if not all of these hunters are a part of the 40% who have Ancestral powers is pretty insane.''


    Tyr could only imagine what power he would get, if any.


    ''The spell I''ll get at level 50 is probably going to be my first Aura spell. I think I will unlock my Aura Core then, and if what Hanzo said is right, I should get my Ancestral Ability at the same time...''


    He took a breath. There were a lot of things to think about, but this wasn''t the correct place to plan it all out right now.


    He arrived at the front of the line, where a line of 5 more people had already formed behind him.


    A sparky young lady addressed him, wearing clean white work clothing. She had locks of blonde hair and bright blue eyes.


    "Hi! How could I help you today sir?" She said with a bouncy tone.


    Hearing this, Tyr remembered how he had to act happy and put on a smile while greeting customers back on Earth. However, he just stopped doing that after a while. He didn''t have too many shits to give after getting humiliated so many times...


    He had been a victim of constant bullying and embarrassment by random teens and even adults. He never lashed out, however, scared of losing his only job. Well, I guess he did lash out once, didn''t he...


    Tyr replied with a straight face: "I want to be a Hunter."


    Of course, he had already decided this on his way to Drance with Hanzo. Hunters weren''t only strong, but they had exciting lives.


    Although at first Tyr just wanted to live a decent life after coming to this planet, he realized that maximizing his existence was a far better goal.


    And so, doing what excited him most was the path he had changed to now.


    Hunting would allow him much easier access to stronger beasts, allowing him to level up much faster. Especially if he were to last hit some crazy strong beast that a whole squad ganged up on.


    "I see!" The chirpy young lady exclaimed, placing one of her palms on the desk.


    As she did this, a piece of paper materialized out of thin air on the table in front of her and letters began to appear. Tyr was pleasantly surprised, always happy to see the mystical wonders of this new world.


    The letters weren''t just normal but formed from the best of fonts, without any flaw or imbalance.


    ''She isn''t just manipulating the Aura. If she was, generating ink and paper from nothing would be impossible. According to Hanzo, Aura can be used externally to push, pull, grab, and other functions that a physical object can do. However, unless it is harnessed and absorbed through one''s Aura Core, it can not be used to create something from another or use any real elemental powers.''


    He spoke up, wanting to confirm his theory: "That''s your Ancestral Ability, right?"


    "Oh?" The lady said, "Yes!" She smiled. "Hand Of A Writer is my Ancestral Ability. It''s very useful for tasks such as these." She seemed delighted to say.


    ''I see...'' Tyr mused, ''I guess even though she has an Ancestral Ability and is a part of the 40% who can unlock thier Aura Core, she isn''t a Hunter. I mean, what could she do with such a useless Ancestral Ability anyway? It really is like a genetic lottery.''


    Out of nowhere, the young lady laughed as she continued working on the paper with her ability.


    Tyr was slightly taken aback, ''Huh? I didn''t say that out loud did I?'' He questioned for a second.


    "Don''t worry, I know what you''re probably thinking. I too know that my Ancestral Ability isn''t great, but the way you ask that question tells me you don''t know much about the topic. You know, not many out of the 40% able to be blessed with an Aura Core have great Ancestral Abilities."


    She paused, the lettering on the page coming to a halt.


    "So, why do you want to become a hunter?" She started with this question. S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Tyr answered, and as he did, the writing on the page continued to grow. This happened for 10 minutes straight.


    By the end, Tyr was forced to sign a separate piece of paper. Why? Because he didn''t have an Aura Core.


    ''I may not ever get it, but I''m hoping that I do at level 50. She doesn''t know that though. She probably thinks that I just didn''t get my Aura Core whatsoever.'' Tyr thought to himself as he signed the page.


    The young lady said some motivational words to Tyr, "It''s really no problem that you don''t have an Aura Core. Of course, an Ancestral Ability would help greatly, but even without it and with just the help of techniques and whatnot, you can become a great Hunter with practice."


    She was genuine, but Tyr wasn''t really convinced. If he didn''t have his spells from GG, he would be quite useless even with his leveled stats. That was another aspect he had to work on in the future.


    After he signed the paper, the young lady instructed him that his Hunter Test was scheduled for 1 day from now. That meant that he had tomorrow off fully without anything to do.


    He thanked her and after asking a few questions, was given a key to a 1 person bedroom.


    On asking about the payment, the young lady reassured him: "Don''t worry! First night''s on the house!" She said with a big smile.


    Tyr made his way to the right of the bar area, where a flight of stairs led to the upstairs bedrooms.


    He found his room at the end of the hall at the very top of the stairs.


    It was small, as expected. There was a single window looking outward opposite of the door, and a small bed right beside it.


    A table was next to the door, and opposite the end of the bed was another door leading to a fair-sized toilet and bathroom.


    Although Tyr was hungry, he had forgotten about that feeling--more so concerned about how tired he was. Healing from an injury as large as his was extremely taxing on the central nervous system.


    So, without hesitation, he threw his spears toward the table and jumped onto the bed, falling fast asleep. His body melted into the pillow and mattress like it was jello. This was, after all, the first bed experience he had had since coming to Subworld.


    It was bliss... utter bliss...


    Tomorrow, however, he had some grand plans.

 Chapter 29: Snooping

    Tyr woke up the next morning fairly early. The first thing he did was a 30-minute bodyweight workout the start his day.


    It wasn''t anything crazily exhausting, but just something to get him warmed up for the day.


    The medicine from the day prior seemed to have fully healed his body by now. Tyr imagined GG also had something to do with his quick healing.


    After working out, he took a shower and headed back downstairs. Finally, he looked freshened up and clean.


    Despite living in the forest for so long, his looks weren''t bad thanks to his genetics. He had a chiseled jawline and low-set eyes--like that of a predator. His nose was straight and proportional, while his cheekbones were rigid and bulging out--giving him a very handsome face overall.


    He was pretty good-looking on Earth too--since he had the same genetics as he did right now--but he was more chubby then and also had close to no muscle.


    Tyr had some priorities today that he wanted to accomplish. First of all, he wanted to learn how to actually wield a weapon.


    ''When I was fighting with Rudra back then, Hanzo pinpointed the fact that even though I am strong physically, my technique with the spear is horrible. I wonder just how much more powerful I can get if I learn even a bit about how to use one of those things apart from the simple stabbing and whatnot here and there.''


    This was just something he was going to have to figure out how to learn as he went, however.


    He also had another goal. While walking to the bar area, he pulled out the note that he got from the scammer''s shop.


    ''10 AM it says.'' He looked up at the clock, noticing that it was about 8 AM right now. ''That means I have a couple hours till then.''


    Dropping that thought for a second, he sat on one of the bar seats.


    A single man was working behind the counter. Tyr quickly noticed that the man had his back turned for almost the entire time.


    He was a bit older than middle-aged. From the tightly wrapped stained apron he had on, Tyr could tell that the mad had quite the belly as some of it spilled over.


    Every once in a while he turned, giving a glimpse of his face which looked between a red mix of Italian and Greek back on Earth. He had a large black mustache and a large nose and looked like a trustable figure.


    As he cooked over a dozen dishes at the back all by himself--tending to each one at a time with seemingly great efficiency and experience, a pair of 2 floating arms would work the front desk.


    It would mix several cocktails at the same speed that the man was making the food in the back, serving them to people at the bar table with ease.


    Tyr, of course, found this hella amusing. ''What an absurd power.'' He laughed inwardly, ''Duplicate hands huh? That could actually be quite useful for Hunting. But... it would probably be far more useful in this type of environment.''


    After a minute or so, the hands and the bartender switched places. With the hands working on the food, the bartender addressed those at the table.


    He walked right over to Tyr, "What do ya'' want, brat?" He immediately started off with this. He had a thick Southern American accent with a deep voice.


    "Food," Tyr exclaimed with a straight face.


    There was a short silence.


    ''What a fucking weirdo.'' Both the bartender and Tyr thought to themselves about the other person.


    "Type?" The bartender said, Tyr quickly replying:


    "Medium tits and big ass," Tyr replied again with a straight face.


    "What!? I meant what type of food you moron!" The bartender screamed in irritation, a few people beside Tyr on the bar table chuckling at his joke.


    "Well, give me a menu, you moron! I''m new here, how am I supposed to know what you got in stock!?" Tyr replied, matching the man''s energy.


    The chef sighed, turning around and picking up a random dish before sliding it across the table.


    It dragged to a halt right in front of Tyr. Tyr looked down. Although it smelled decent, the food looked like a heap of brown slop.


    "By the way, I don''t have any money for this," Tyr said on receiving his meal.


    The bartender switched places with his extra pair of hands again as he shouted behind his back: "It''s fine, fresh meat. What you got there ain''t worth a copper in my eyes."


    Tyr smiled slightly on hearing this, chowing down on the meal in front of him. It wasn''t too great, but compared to just plain meat without even a hint of salt that Tyr had been eating for so long, it was like a small taste of modern-day heaven.


    He couldn''t wait to actually taste some real food, but until then, Tyr was happy knowing he could get this for free whenever he wanted.


    After finishing up, he left the guild and headed back to the scammer''s shop.


    It didn''t take him very long to get there, and when he did, he took a right instead and entered the fat lady''s store again.


    When she saw him this time, she wasn''t at all upset.


    "Oh? You''re back?"


    "You aren''t screaming your tits off? That''s something new."


    "Well, you don''t look like a barbarian anymore... in fact, you don''t look too shabby. If I were younger, you would be right up my alley." The fat woman gave a weird smile.


    Tyr''s face turned sour, "Are you trying to flirt with me?" He exclaimed, almost disgusted. S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The fat lady put on a cute expression on her face. Well, she tried at least...


    "Listen, little boy... back then, I had boys lining up by the hundreds to get a taste of heave--"


    "Please! Stop! I''d rather Disappear to another planet than hear the rest of that!" Tyr cried in agony.


    "Oh, fine!" The fat lady said, accepting her defeat, "That''s a weird way of saying you would rather die though." She commented.


    "Anyways, yesterday I saw you had some spare brown cloth lying around. Can I--" Before Tyr could even finish asking his question, the fat lady replied:


    "Yes, take it and go. It''s trash anyways."


    Sure, he could have used Hypnosis to steal the cloth. But it wasn''t like Hypnosis also made the victim forget what they were doing while Hypnotized. If Tyr used Hypnosis, right afterwards the fat lady would have just had him arrested...


    Plus, Tyr also understood from... experiments, let''s just say, that he couldn''t Hypnotize anyone with an Aura Core--since he didn''t have one himself.


    "Perfect," Tyr replied with a smile, picking up a brown cloth and wrapping himself with it before exiting.


    It took him an hour longer of lingering around before he noticed the scammer behind to close his shop down.


    Tyr looked up at a clock at a random store, noticing the time was nearly 10 AM.


    ''Good... he should be heading out for that meeting now.'' Tyr mused, smiling inwardly.


    The scammer left the establishment with a bright ring on his finger that he didn''t have before. He was also wearing a brown robe, similar to that of the individuals Tyr met in the line before entering Drance.


    ''That ring probably has all of his merchandise...''


    Keeping a safe distance, Tyr began to follow behind the man.


    Even though Tyr didn''t know his own full intentions, he felt he needed to see what was going on here. He was going to be safe, but if he could, he was going to get his items back.


    And maybe do some more things if allowed...

 Chapter 30: Caught

    Tyr followed the man for a mere 10 minutes in the big street before the scammer ducked into an alleyway.


    During these 10 minutes, however, there had been a few times where Tyr was scared that he had been noticed.


    The man was looking back behind himself and checking around more times than you would usually expect.


    But then again, when dealing with illegal activities like his, Tyr assumed it could also be normal to be so scared.


    And just to be safe, Tyr had used Blink Step a couple times to blend back into the crowd and enter a random alleyway to not be detected by the scammer.


    As soon as the man entered the alleyway, Tyr used Blink Step to get on top of the rooftop to the left of the alley. He lay down, peering at the scammer from the top. S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The scammer took out a black-looking stone, throwing it on the floor before being engulfed in pitch-black smoke. As the smoke cleared into thin air, the man was nowhere to be seen.


    Tyr''s brows furrowed in confusion as he saw this. He waited for about a minute, and nothing happened.


    Then, he decided to jump down on the spot where the scammer had disappeared.


    Nothing.


    He didn''t feel anything, and neither did anything happen to him.


    ''He just disappeared?'' Tyr was disappointed, ''How long could a meeting take? I can wait...''


    And so, that''s what he did.


    Another 5 minutes passed, which soon turned to 10. 10 turned to 15, and 15 to 20.


    At the 25-minute mark, Tyr noticed a slight spec of black smoke appear in the alleyway from his rooftop hideout.


    His senses quickly sharpened as he focused in on the spot.


    Another cloud of smoke suddenly formed from a small burst, and as it dispersed into the wind, two robed figures appeared.


    ''Two?'' Tyr mused, quickly Scanning both of them.


    The scammer turned out to be a basic guy with normal stats that resembled Tyr''s stats before putting any levels in. His name was Craig Baldwin.


    The other guy, however, made Tyr''s eyes expand in shock.


    ©³©¥©¥©¥Status©¥©¥©¥©·


    Name: Bilweif Snaas


    Age: 48 Years


    Power Level: 75


    Rank: Apprentice


    ©»©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¿


    ''75... that times two is 150, and 150 divided into 5 stats, including Aura, is around 35 into each stat if it''s divided equally. Realistically speaking, he''s much stronger than me. If one or two stats were higher than mine then that would be another story, but an accumulation of so many far surpassing mine is pretty brutal.''


    Observing closer, Tyr noticed that this Bilweif character had a black snake tattoo on his hand.


    ''It looks like the one from the line...'' Tyr mused, ''Hmm... It''s quite the risk to fight him. I do want my items back though. Since that scammer Craig doesn''t seem to have any Aura, I can use Hypnosis on him. But the other guy would still get in the way.''


    Tyr didn''t have much time to think about this, however, as the two were already beginning to exit the alleyway.


    If he was going to fight them, he didn''t want it to be out in the open where he could get in trouble.


    If he was going to make a decision, it was going to have to be quick.


    ''That Bilweif guy seems to have a backing too. I don''t know if the scammer is a part of it but I wouldn''t want a big criminal organization coming after me.''


    Before Tyr could think another word, the two suddenly paused right before leaving the alleyway.


    Out of nowhere, their heads turned in unison and locked onto Tyr.


    Bilweif''s lips stretched across his face in a large grin, and the scammer also smirked.


    ''What!? How did they know I was here?''


    "We meet again it seems, young man!" Bilweif exclaimed, confirming Tyr''s theory that this was the guy from the line. "Next time when spying on people, learn to hide your presence along with covering your physical body up, okay?"


    ''Again, I fall short of hiding my presence. Last time it was with the Charwolf. I''m sure they won''t just let me leave.'' Tyr stood up, not knowing exactly what to do.


    "Oh! Where are you going, little doll?" Bilweif turned, "Come down and play."


    Tyr paused for a short moment. "You know what... fuck it." He jumped down into the alleyway, cracking his neck and fingers as Bilweif''s smile grew even more.


    He had an ugly face with messed up teeth and black gums. Just by his arms, however, Tyr could tell that he had a vascular and developed body.


    ''I haven''t tried Soul Mend yet either. If I''m not too badly mistaken, my power might even be greater than this fools with it activated...''


    Bilweif walked forward, taking off his robe with one movement and throwing it onto the ground.


    His body was indeed ripped. He had thick veins going everywhere and was wearing a white tank top and leather pants.


    Craig chuckled from behind, "Ahaha! You made a mistake, brat! Did ya'' really think you could get your shit back? How about don''t get scammed like a little retard!" His voice sounded more annoying than ever.


    Tyr got more angry as he remembered how he got scammed.


    "You have a lot of hope in life... but you messed with the wrong person today," Bilweif exclaimed as he walked forward calmly.


    "Is that right?" Tyr exclaimed with a strong expression on his face.


    "Kah! Kekehe!" Bilweif let out an almost maniacal laugh, "You clearly don''t know me, so let me inform you!"


    "Wait, Boss!" Craig suddenly shouted, causing Bilweif to turn his head past his shoulder and look at the scammer with a slightly irritated expression.


    "Should you be giving your identity to this brat? What if he--" The scammer was suddenly cut off.


    "There won''t be a ''he'' around after today, don''t you understand, you dimwit!" Bilweif exclaimed, causing Craig to be slightly taken aback. But then, a smile appeared on the scammer''s face.


    Bilweif continued, "I am Bilwef Snaas, the branch leader of the Black Merchant Guild that runs this side of Drance!" He proclaimed arrogantly.


    "Huh? So that means you''re just a weak son of a bitch who got a slight promotion by your daddy right?" Tyr replied, showing how much he cared for the bragging.


    Inwardly, however, he had different thoughts: ''Damn... it seems I''ve messed with something a bit bigger than I could chew. I had a backup plan to run, but my damn presence gave me away. I need to find out how to hide that.''


    Bilweif seemed to get a bit angry, but calmed himself down and forced on a smile while tightly rubbing his fist against his palm: "You... you''re a confident little bud. Too bad I have to end your promising life today."


    "Let''s see about that!" Tyr said, lunging into a sprint. ''Blink Step.'' He said in his head as he got close enough, disappearing from where he was and appearing behind the ugly criminal.


    The jacked bastard''s face went a bit confused for a second on seeing how fast Tyr was.


    Clenching his fist tightly, Tyr hurled it into the Bilweif''s back. There was a thud, like hitting a bamboo trunk, which caused Bilweif to stumble forward slightly.


    However, he turned with an even larger smile stretching across his face.


    Tyr was taken aback, his eyes expanding, ''No damage? Even though he has higher stats, I should be able to do a solid amount of damage with 30 points in strength. Unless... he''s focused on having more health throughout his life!'' He hadn''t taken this quite into consideration, but it was a bit too late for that.


    Bilweif turned his entire body around with his hip, using that momentum to throw a blistering blow right into Tyr''s stomach.


    The punch landed, digging deep as it forced all the air out of Tyr''s lungs and sent him flying several feet across the alleyway before landing on the floor.


    "Hahaha!" Craig laughed, Tyr mere feet in front of him on the ground.


    "Do you understand now, little doll? You--" Bilweif attempted to say, but Tyr wasn''t having any of it.


    "Shut the fuck up!" Tyr shouted, still in pain, ''I should have just used it from the beginning.'' He rose to his feet, staring forward with a serious look on his face as he said in his head, ''Soul Mend.''

 Chapter 31: Soul Mend: Polaris Tiger

    [Stamina: 25/25-->15/25]


    Tyr immediately felt a surge of power travel up from his legs through his entire body, ramping up every cell it passed like a fast-acting steroid.


    His mind became a bit hazy out of nowhere, but his senses such as smell, sight, and hearing boosted immensely.


    He took on a rabid stance, bending slightly at the knees as his mouth opened a bit--revealing his canines which grew to double the length of normal.


    Three white stripes appeared on top of his nose, his pupils shifting into a deep and ferocious gray color.


    The nails on his hands and feet grew in both size and durability.


    Some white fur appeared on his elbows, shins, and shoulders. All of his muscles expanded in size slightly and had an elevated level of vascularity. Since they were bigger, they pushed against his skin--giving them a more lean and shredded look.


    This was Soul Mend: Polaris Tiger.


    [All of your stats except for Aura are 1.5X for the next 30 seconds.]


    [Vitality: 21/21-->31.5]


    [Strength: 30-->45]


    [Stamina: 25/25-->37.5]


    [Speed: 24-->36]


    Bilweif took a step back instinctively as his body noticed the change in Tyr''s presence. He was no longer the boy from before. The energy that exuded from him resembled that of a savage predator.


    Bilweif''s brows curled inwards, slightly confused and wary.


    ''What just happened? Is this his Ancestral Ability? But... I saw that he has no Aura... how? How can it be?'' A frown began to grow on his face.


    Craig saw his boss''s expression from afar, his mind also growing worried as he put his guard up just in case.


    Tyr''s confidence was at an all-time high like a predator scoping out its prey.


    He lunged at Bilweif in an animalistic stance, his hands and feet moving at flashing speeds.


    Suddenly, he changed course, jumping to the right and landing on the wall before pushing himself off again and landing on the left side of the alleyway. He did this until he was over 20 feet in the air in quick succession and finally pounced down at Bilweif.


    Before the criminal knew it, Tyr was upon him. Bilweif raised his guard, but it was too late. Tyr''s sharp claws raked across his face, slicing off strips of skin.


    "AARRGH!!" Bilweif screamed, pain and shock evident in his voice. Deep X-shaped wounds marred his face, blood splattering onto the ground.


    Tyr was relentless, unleashing a powerful kick into Bilweif''s chest whilst in mid-air and sending him sprawling deeper into the alley.


    Bilweif slid to a halt, rising to his feet with a furious expression on his face. Adrenaline pumped through his veins, temporarily hiding the trauma and pain of Tyr''s last attack.


    He tightened his fists, suddenly making his arms grow in muscle and get denser in size.


    He stormed forward, getting mere feet from Tyr before launching several punches at the boy.


    As the hailstorm of punches came at him, Tyr''s arms and feet moved in a much more smooth, quick fashion than usual.


    Tyr ducked below one punch, the force from the afterblow causing Craig''s hair to sway slightly.


    As the attacks continued, Tyr jumped, dodged, and swayed to the side several times in quick succession, successfully avoiding all of the attacks thrown at him.


    It was as though his body was already used to fighting.


    Tyr understood from all of this that he had not only mended himself with Rudra''s physical abilities but also some of the fighting skills the tiger had built up through decades of experience.


    Bilweif was at a loss as all of his attacks failed to land.


    "Damn it!" He shouted in frustration, jumping backward and creating some space. His face and body were covered in blood. He clenched his teeth, tightening his entire face as blood gushed out even more.


    His head suddenly expanded about 2 times in size. His legs also became larger as he abruptly stormed forward with his head faced toward Tyr like a bull.


    "Try and dodge this!" He screamed moving at a much quicker pace than before.


    Moments before he tackled the boy, Tyr guarded himself with his hands.


    As Bilweif''s attack landed, Tyr felt an immense amount of force suddenly drive through him--propelling him into the air.


    It nearly drove all the air out of his lungs again as he felt a throbbing pain radiate through his back.


    ''What!?'' He was surprised at the sudden increase in power of the criminal, his wrists badly bruised. ''Fuck... if I get hit by something like that again my wrists will break.''


    The attack threw him all the way out of the alley and above the busy street.


    A few people spotted the boy randomly appear in the air, calling out in shock.


    "Oi! There''s a person falling!"


    "Get out of the way!"


    A few people yelled, others screaming as Tyr landed on top of a small group of people.


    It didn''t injure them much, allowing them to quickly run to safety. Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Those around Tyr also made space. A circle formed, people making a loud commotion about what was going on.


    "What the hell just happened?"


    "Where did he come from?"


    "Hey, kid! Are you alright!?"


    The landing was harsh, causing Tyr to be a little light-headed as he rose to his feet.


    At that moment Bilweif stormed in from the alleyway. People made way for him as they saw him approach.


    [Time limit: 10 seconds.]


    ''Damn... I don''t have time to waste. I have to get this done quick.''


    Bilweif came to Tyr with a nasty expression. As he got closer to the middle of the crowd, dozens of people began to call out his name all of a sudden.


    "Look! It''s Bilweif!"


    "What!? Is that really him!?"


    "Look at his face! The kid must have done that!"


    The crowd quickly grew in shock as everyone began to recognize the brute. Tyr was shocked, not expecting this whatsoever.


    ''I didn''t know he was so well known...'' He thought to himself.


    Suddenly, a man called out to him: "Oi, kid! Beat his ass!"


    Tyr looked toward this man''s direction for a split second.


    Without a moment''s delay, another voice added on top: "Yeah! Get him!"


    "Fuck him up!"


    "I want to see him dead!"


    The crowd began to hype up in excitement for some reason.


    ''What have I gotten myself into!?'' Tyr exclaimed inwardly. As he saw Bilweif get closer, he hardened his resolve and dashed forward: ''I''ll end this right now.''


    Before Bilweif could make a move, Tyr appeared beside him and slashed his stomach--tearing off several more strips of meat.


    Bilweif screamed in agony, but before that scream finished Tyr appeared on the opposite side and raked his claws across the man''s abdomen again.


    As Bilweif reacted in shock and turned, Tyr tore his chest open with a double hand swipe. All of this occurred within 3 seconds.


    The man thumped onto the floor like a ragdoll, Tyr standing over him while panting.


    [You have slain Bilweif (Apprentice Rank Human).]


    ...


    [You leveled up!]


    ''I-I can level up... from killing a human?''


    A roar of cheers erupted from the crowd out of nowhere.


    "Yeah!!!"


    "Whohooo!"


    "Fuck that bastard!"


    Tyr turned to face the people around him: ''Why are they celebrating so much?'' He was confused, ''Aren''t they angry? Did I not just murder someone?''


    [The time limit for Soul Mend has ended.]

 Chapter 32: Jonas

    Author Note: From this chapter onwards, this novel will be publishing 2ch/w with mass releases on the weekends depending on the goals we hit!


    ***


    He faced Bilweif again. A pool of blood had already formed around him.


    Tyr took in a deep breath as he witnessed this. The crowd was also pretty silent. They didn''t seem to know exactly how to react either. Not until the killer himself did...


    "I really killed him..." Tyr said, shocked at his own words. He couldn''t really comprehend it at that moment.


    ''I mean... It''s not that crazy, right? I''ve killed before... beasts...'' He paused, suddenly getting a flash back to the judge being obliterated by that big leafling.


    ''I''ve killed humans too... but not like this.'' His entire body felt a bit weaker and squeamish as he continued to stare at the corpse on the ground.


    "Hey... it happens." A man suddenly said from behind his back.


    Tyr turned, noticing a very tall man with brown hair and eyes walk forward from the crowd.


    "W-what happens? Killing people?" Tyr replied in a slightly sarcastic tone to lighten his emotions and cope. Of course, he wasn''t going to get used to this so fast... After all, he was a normal human just months ago.


    "My name is Jonas." The tall man, who was about 6''7 ft. in stature, said to Tyr as he pushed his hand out. He had a giant scythe sheathed on his back that was 2 feet taller than even him--made of black and bright silver metal with a green handle.


    Tyr, still in a bit of a daze, shook the man''s hand. As soon as he did, Jonas pulled him in closer and suddenly embraced him.


    Tyr''s eyes widened in shock, not knowing what to do as he was caught off guard.


    "I once killed for the first time as well with my own two hands." Streams of tears suddenly began to trickle down Jonas'' face, the silent crowd looking with awe and puzzlement as Tyr stood frozen.


    "But know that you will get used to it as you become more of a Hunter. This isn''t a pleasant world, Tyr." Jonas suddenly said, Tyr''s eyes expanding in size once more in surprise.


    Jonas began to whisper: "Despite this city being so harmless, this world... it isn''t kind to the weak. Only the strong survive, and the rest perish without any peace wished upon them. Once you leave Drance, you will understand it all."


    He pulled Tyr away from him after saying this, holding the teen by the shoulders as he peered deeply into his eyes.


    "Lift him up, Tyr." Jonas exclaimed, no longer crying. Instead, he had a bright expression on his face--a driven look in his eyes.


    Tyr was taken aback by all of this, especially what Jonas just said.


    "Lift him? What do you mean?" He asked in confusion.


    Jonas'' head scanned the area, "Look at everyone around you. They hated that man whom you have slain. You haven''t committed a crime... you have bestowed justice on the lives of all of these people. Bilweif took away their loved ones and their livelihoods, and you have given them the heavenly peach of sweet revenge. So..."


    Jonas''s voice became deep and serious: "Lift him up, and show their prize to them, hero."


    These words hit Tyr like a brick. Although he hadn''t fully understood, he was still moved by what the man said.


    Jonas let go of him, looking at him with a slight smile before nodding his head.


    Tyr turned, grabbing a handful of Bilweif''s hair on the back of his head and lifting his body up in a display of dominance.


    A few seconds of silence passed by, but then, a wave of smiles appeared on everyones faces.


    "Yeah!!"


    The crowd burst out into a roar of cheers again.


    "Hahaha! You did it!"


    "Good for you!"


    "You killed that bastard!"


    "Thank you!"


    ...


    Guards broke through the crowd circle at that moment, dressed in the same chainmail as those from Drance''s entrance gates.


    Their eyes quickly scanned the perimeter as their minds came up with quick conclusions.


    Thankfully for Tyr, Jonas had a small talk with the guards. It took him about 5 minutes, and afterward, the guards came and thanked Tyr personally before telling him that he was free to go.


    "Come with me," Jonas said, walking away from the scene.


    Tyr followed, still bewildered. After leaving the crowd circle, he looked back with a baffled and almost scared look in his eyes: ''Those people... they really celebrated his death like that? Even if he was a criminal... would it have been the same back on Earth?''


    He couldn''t help but want to differentiate that reaction from the reaction of normal humans. At least, what he deemed to be normal that is.


    Jonas spoke up at that moment, still looking forward: "Young Tyr!" He exclaimed, causing Tyr to look forward.


    "I don''t know what society you come from, but understand that all canvases are made of the same paper and the same wood."


    Tyr squinted his eyes, "What do you mean? And... how do you know my name in the first place?"


    "What do I mean? Well, all I''m trying to say is that one''s environment affects one''s outlook and also his development. Despite every canvas being made of the same materials, each one''s individual experience makes a completely different art piece, don''t you think?"


    Tyr took that in and thought about it for a second.


    ''Is he trying to say that despite all people being built the same, they have different outlooks on life due to their experiences? I guess that explains the reaction of those people back there compared to what I would expect from normal people... he did say this was a much more ruthless one than the one I''m used to.'' S~ea??h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Wait... but how do you know? How do you know I come from a different place?"


    Jonas laughed at Tyr''s seriously asked question.


    "I don''t know, but it''s just an educated guess."


    "And my name? How do you know that?"


    "Oh, that?" Jonas said nonchalantly.


    "Yes, that!" Tyr replied in a shout.


    "Hmm..."


    ''...'' Tyr stayed silent, his patience quickly declining.


    "Hanzo told me, hahaha!"

 Chapter 33: Get Used To It

    "H-Hanzo did!? When? Why!? Who are you? Did he tell you to meet me? Did he know I was going to get into that fight!?" Tyr spitfired a bunch of questions, confused out of his mind.


    "No no, you are overthinking it. I am Jonas Hejlak, a member of Skyfall Hunter Guild''s Hunter Squad: Ultimatum. Hanzo described you as an interesting character, so I decided to come and check you out for myself. I came at what I could consider the perfect time, but it was by pure coincidence that I happened to come right as you were in a battle. I did learn two things from seeing you today though..."


    "Two? And what are those?"


    "First of all, you are definitely interesting. And secondly, you are strong!"


    "Uh... yeah. Thanks, I guess." Tyr was still a bit weirded out by the guy.


    "From today onwards, you should expect a lot of people to know your name."


    "W-what?"


    "Not bystanders per se, but squad members. 5 of the strongest squads follow his every move, and once they know that his newest ''friend'' has slain Bilweif, they will want to study this ''friend'' for themselves."


    "By ''his'' you mean... Hanzo right?"


    "Indeed."


    "Is he that much of a big shot? How do they know I''m associated with him anyway? Do they track his every move or something as soon as he enters Drance?" Tyr said in a slightly joking tone.


    "Yes." Jonas instantly answered, not joking whatsoever.


    "Well damn..." Tyr said, looking towards the ground, ''I wonder if I''ll get spied on too from now on. It doesn''t sound too bad if I think about it right now. Like being a celebrity or something... but I know I shouldn''t look forward to it. There are some things I prefer to do... in private.'' S§×arch* The N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Hey!" Jonas abruptly shouted, turning around on the spot.


    Tyr''s head jerked up.


    "It was nice meeting you. I just wanted to see what you were like... good luck on your Hunter Test tomorrow!"


    "What?" Tyr was surprised at what the man said at the end, "How did you know I had a Hunter Tes--"


    "I just guessed! I imagined you had made one of those. Looks like I guessed right. Ciao!" With that, Jonas turned again and sprinted into the busy street in front of him--disappearing into the distance.


    Tyr was left confused and alone: ''I feel like I''m experiencing deja vu... what a weird planet, seriously.'' He sighed, making his way back to the Hunter''s Guild.


    He took a nice long shower as soon as he got back. He couldn''t help but feel he was still dirty no matter how much the water trickled down his body.


    He suddenly thought back to Jonas'' words...


    ''But know that you will get used to it as you become more of a Hunter. This isn''t a pleasant world, Tyr.''


    ''I''ll get used to it huh? I guess I should. I come from a world of weakness compared to this one. I suppose it''s only natural that I am shocked by its craziness.''


    He opened up his status menu.


    [Vitality: 21/21-->23]


    ''I get EXP from killing humans as well.'' He clenched his jaw, staring forward at the shower wall with a serious and determined expression, ''If I can get used to killing people... bad people... I can level up way easier. If it grants me power, then I''m used to killing criminals.'' He ironed his resolve...


    Out of nowhere, the water turned cold as shit.


    "ACK! What the fuck!?" He screamed, his body stiffening up and nearly going into anaphylactic shock.


    "Sorry!" A muffled voice came from the wall next to him: "That happens when I flush to toilet!"


    ***


    After taking a shower, he headed out again. This time, he decided to exchange some of his Beast Cores at the most trustworthy place he could find.


    It was a full-fledged smithy, a haven of fire and metal. As Tyr walked in, blistering waves of heat assaulted his face, the intense warmth radiating from the heart of the forge.


    He approached the main desk, his eyes sweeping over the giant furnaces and smithing tables in the back. Anvils and other tools stood ready, their purpose evident in the craftsmanship surrounding him.


    Armor and weaponry lined the walls. Unlike the fake items that the scammer had, these items were the real deal, crafted with care and precision right here in this very workshop.


    Several blacksmiths labored away, their forms silhouetted against the roaring flames. But Tyr''s focus was elsewhere, drawn to the impressive scale of the place. It was vast, about half the size of the Hunter''s Guild, buzzing with activity.


    Behind the counter stood a young man, no older than twenty-five. His glasses perched on his nose lent him an air of innocence, and he wore a welcoming smile, eager to assist any customer who walked through the door.


    "Can I sell these to you?" Tyr questioned at first, placing 5 C-Rank Beast Cores on the table.


    "Sure! Let''s take a look shall we?" He took out a magnifying glass and closely observed one of the cores.


    "Ah yes, it seems perfectly stable and real."


    "Do I have to negotiate?" Tyr questioned.


    "Well, this is a smithery, not a random shop. We run on the set market price, no cheaper nor more expensive. We don''t make a profit on these things unlike other stores, we make a profit on our equipment."


    "Perfect. That''s just what I wanted to hear."


    ...


    Tyr sold 5 C-Rank Beast Cores for 375 silver coins and 26 D-Rank Beast Cores for 390 silver coins, leaving him with 25 D-Rank cores, 10 C-Rank cores, and 765 silver coins--or 7 gold coins and 65 silver coins.


    After that, he took a gaze at some of the weapons in stock behind the young man at the front desk.


    ''Soul Mend is great, but its still a bit unstable. If I can practice and get it fully under my control, I will be able to use weapons while in that form. That will be an easy power boost.''


    His eyes scanned over several spears, axes, swords and other items.


    ''I want to learn how to train one of these anyways, so I might as well buy one now as early as possible. Nothing crazy expensive though.''

 Chapter 34: Weapon

    Tyr asked to see some cheaper weapon options.


    He was led to an area where dozens of unique weapons lined the wall.


    Tyr spent a few minutes looking over them, thinking about what fit him best.


    ''Axes are way too heavy and clunky to use. I''m not really a long range fighter right now, and it would take a while before I get good aim to start using them realistically.''


    Just like this, he knocked off each weapon one by one. Finally, he narrowed them down to just two.


    ''The sword and the spear.'' He said to himself, ''The sword seems like a perfect fit. It''s probably the most useful in most situations.'' His gaze turned to the spear, ''But... I''ve been using the spear for months. I feel like if I learn how to wield it, it can outdo a sword in combat.''


    Seeing Tyr a bit conflicted on the matter, the young blacksmith spoke up:


    "You''re struggling between the spear and the sword, right?"


    Tyr looked at him, "Yeah, I don''t know which one suits me more."


    The blacksmith smiled, picking up the sword and tossing the spear over to Tyr.


    Tyr grabbed it, slightly surprised at the young man''s actions.


    The weapon was long, clean, and slick. It had a large and powerful tip with wind-like patterns mounting the blade.


    Its handle was a silver metal with a hint of green.


    "Come with me, let''s see which fits you better." The young man said as he began to walk to the counter.


    Although slightly confused, Tyr followed him.


    They made their way outside of the smithery and into the backyard.


    There was a decent-sized training field out there, about 500 square ft., with multiple people training away at their various weapons. S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Some were sparring, others were watching from the stands, and others were individually practicing their techniques.


    Tyr was taken aback as he saw this, his pupils dancing with slight awe.


    "I''m Yurin Tatan." The young blacksmith said from behind his back without turning.


    "Tyr..." Tyr replied, noticing Yurin stop about 15 feet in front of him in the middle of the training field.


    They were over 50 feet away from the next closest person.


    Yurin turned, raising his sword toward Tyr.


    Seeing this, around 20 people watching from the sidelines changed their attention to the two.


    "Look! Yurin''s fighting again!"


    "Jeez... I hope he goes easy on whatever unfortunate soul he''s trapped this time."


    "He always lures them in with that innocent look of his..."


    They all joked to themselves.


    "Come, test your spear ability. I will be able to tell whether it''s the right fit for you, or whether the basic sword is the correct option."


    "Shouldn''t I have to test both?" Tyr asked.


    "No. A sword is nothing more than an extension of one''s limbs. A spear, on the other hand, is technology." A weird smile pulled at Yurin''s face as he said this.


    "What? Technology?"


    "The origin of the sword and spear are different. A sword relays the basic instinct of a human, but the spear marks the dawn of human technology. It is the very development that allowed our species to go from cavemen to rulers of kingdoms." Yurin sounded overly excited as he spoke.


    "Uh... right." Tyr was a bit weirded out.


    Those standing on the sidelines spoke amongst themselves: "Look at his creepy smile. He''s probably talking about technology and developing weapons and armor again."


    "He''s an odd ball. Despite being a full-time Hunter, he spends time working at a smithery all day."


    "Who cares? He''s strong... that''s all that matters."


    Tyr got in a fighting position, "Tell me when to begin."


    Yurin matched his stance: "Now!"


    They both sprinted forward at once, clashing in the middle as the loud twang of metal reverberated through the air.


    Tyr felt his wrists vibrate in a searing hum, making them go slightly limp from the pressure of Yurin''s sword.


    ''He''s strong.'' Tyr realized immediately as he felt this.


    "You''re strong!" Yurin said with a smile on his face, backing up slightly.


    Tyr continued forward, unleashing several stabs at the young man.


    Yurin moved with seemingly careless grace, side-stepping each attack with ease.


    He spun in a circle, sprinting around from the side before swiping his sword at Tyr''s abdomen.


    Tyr panicked slightly since Yurin was now inside of his range.


    ''Shit!'' He exclaimed, pulling his spear in close to his chest using both hands.


    "Wrong!" Yurin yelled, stopping his sword at once. "What the hell was that!?" He seemed genuinely mad.


    "Sorry, I''m not good at technique yet," Tyr said, not thinking of it as a big deal right now.


    "No! Its pathetic."


    "Huh?"


    "How can you think of moving both of your hands inwards just because I came close? Don''t you know how a spear works?"


    "Yeah, if someone comes in your range, it''s hard to defend."


    "Wrong again! It''s the spear user that destroys his own range. When you pulled your spear in, it became horizontal. You crushed your own leverage. How can you attack again if your spear is horizontal right next to your body?"


    Tyr was at a loss for an answer.


    "I''ll give you one more chance. Understand this, if someone gets close to you, it may seem like your biggest nightmare as a spear user. However, that doesn''t mean they are in your range yet. Instead of pulling your spear in horizontally, shift it vertically to block my attack with 100% accuracy--which also allows you to counterattack instantly."


    Yurin''s explanations made perfect sense to Tyr.


    The blacksmith continued:


    "Tell me this, if you are blocking your body horizontally while I am swiping my sword, can''t I just move my sword by a mere 2 inches and avoid your weapon altogether? Would it not be more wise to hold it vertically and keep your range while blocking my slash completely?"


    This was like a revelation to Tyr: ''Despite being harsh, he''s right. I panicked and chose to get my weapon near me, but instead, I should have preemptively blocked his attack and continued my attacks.''


    "Now... don''t mess up this time. It''s the last chance I will give you."


    "I won''t," Tyr said with conviction.


    Yurin backed up again, and the duel began for the second time.


    They both sprinted forward again and clashed, but this time Tyr tried his best to make sure Yurin didn''t get into his range.


    Out of nowhere, the young blacksmith jumped into the air as though he weighed as light as a feather, landing on Tyr''s spear.


    He pushed it down with one leg, digging the blade of the spear into the ground as he jumped behind Tyr.


    ''Shit!'' Tyr said as his spear tip seemed to be slightly lodged. He quickly looked behind his shoulder, ''He''s in my range!''


    Yurin swiped at Tyr''s back, at which moment Tyr forcefully pulled his spear out of the ground and swung it around his head--holding it vertically behind his back.


    *CLANG*


    He successfully blocked the blow.


    Yurin smiled: "Good!"


    But then, Tyr disappeared from his sight.


    ''Blink Step...''


    Yurin''s brows instantly furrowed, ''What?'' He exclaimed inwardly in confusion.


    Then, he felt a poke at the back of his neck.


    "I won," Tyr said, the hilt of his spear pushed up against Yurin''s neck.

 Chapter 35: Hunter Exam (1)

    The guys that were watching from the side lost their shit.


    "WHAT!?"


    "What the fuck was that!?"


    "Did I just see that correctly?"


    "Hahaha... nice one, Yurin."


    ...


    Yurin froze: "Well... you outdid what I expected." He chuckled, "You won."


    Tyr lowered his spear, a smile forming on his face as Yurin turned.


    Tyr bowed slightly, "Thank you, Yurin."


    ''Scan.''


    ©³©¥©¥©¥Status©¥©¥©¥©·


    Name: Yurin Tatan


    Age: 23 Years


    Power Level: 195


    Rank: Expert


    ©»©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¿


    ''As I thought... he let me win...''


    "No need to thank me. I do this for fun. Plus, I wanted to punish you more, but you''re weirder than I thought." Yurin politely replied.


    "What?" Tyr got slightly offended, "What are you trynna say?"


    "Well, in fighting terms at least. You don''t have an Aura Core, yet that quick moving ability you just did sure made it seem like you had an Ancestral Ability."


    "I see..." Tyr didn''t know what to say. It wasn''t like he could reveal he had GG, could he?


    "Anyways, I''m impressed. I didn''t expect that from you. Maybe I should have though..." Yurin looked to the side, "Considering you were chosen by captain himself..."


    "C-captain? What do you mean?" Tyr questioned, slightly wary: ''Ain''t no way this guy is also a part of Ultimatum...''


    "Oh right!" Yurin''s eyes darted back to face Tyr, "I didn''t ever fully introduce myself. I''m Yurin Tatan, a member of Skyfall Hunter Guild''s Hunter Squad: Ultimatum."


    "How the hell is everyone I meet a part of that group!?" Tyr shouted in confusion.


    "Hahaha! Fate perhaps?" Yurin quipped, walking back inside.


    Tyr followed him, but before he entered the building, he got a few nice words from the guys on the sides.


    "Yo! Good job newbie!"


    "I look forward to having you as a fellow Hunter!"


    Tyr nodded politely before entering. ''Just how the hell do even those guys know me?''


    He arrived at the counter, where Yurin charged him 3 gold and 50 silver coins for the spear.


    "That''s way too expensive!" Tyr exclaimed, shocked at the price of the weapon. "I told you to show me the cheap ones, you greedy bastard!"


    "No no! This is cheap! It''s a discount, actually. I would have charged you 4 gold coins had it not been for you being captain''s friend."


    "Sure..." Tyr said, not convinced whatsoever. ''Now I''m starting to think this guy just made me spar him with this spear as a ploy to sell me it... tsk.''


    In the end, he paid the money and left.


    He felt a bit robbed but was happy to have a decent weapon. It didn''t have any special abilities or anything like that, but it was sturdy. For now, Tyr wasn''t going to be able to afford anything too much more powerful.


    As he stood outside of the smithery, Tyr heard his stomach grumble loud enough to make some passers-by turn their heads in astonishment.


    ''Damn... I''m hungry.''


    After this, Tyr stopped by an outdoor food cart. He spent the rest of his 15 silver coins on some food--an entire grilled chicken along with vegetable soup and freshly baked bread.


    He spent the rest of the day exploring Drance since there wasn''t anything much more he could do. He was checking out stores, establishments, and the various other aspects of the city.


    Even on Earth, the only reason why Tyr was a loner was because he didn''t want to make friends.


    What was the point of friends? Why would he want to invite people into a shitshow that even he didn''t want to be in? It made no sense.


    However, he was never really an introvert. He didn''t believe in such labels anyway.


    When he wanted, he could be the most outgoing person--but he simply never did. This trait was something he carried from his grandfather, who was a very light-hearted person whose personality revolved around comedy.


    After a day of exploring, Tyr arrived back at the Hunter''s Guild again.


    This time, he had to pay a fee of 10 silver coins for the night.


    ''I need a way to get more money, quick.'' He looked around the lobby/bar area of the guild as he walked toward the stairs leading to his room.


    ''These guys are strong beast hunters, but at the same time, they give off the aura of 9-5 workers. Sure, they are probably making more money than the average person... but not by a lot. Unless I become a mega star Hunter, I probably won''t make a fortune.''


    He arrived at his room.


    ''I want to make a fortune though.'' One of Tyr''s dreams was to live in luxury. Having all of his wants met was extremely appealing to him. After all, he had lived a life of poverty up until now.


    ''I don''t want to get spoiled either... that''s why I''ll work for whatever wealth I build.''


    Tyr wasn''t really into the ''don''t be materialistic'' mantra. He wasn''t some sort of monk who was going to give up all worldly desires. This was because he wasn''t raised religiously either.


    When it came to the various Gods, Tyr couldn''t help but not be drawn towards them as he stood now. He wanted luxury, fame, glory, and power.


    As he prepared himself for bed, a lot of thoughts crossed his mind.


    The moonlight piercing through his bedside window made him peer into the starry sky.


    Unlike the large metropolitan cities of Earth, this place had no light pollution. The stars vibrated brightly all throughout the sky--presenting a beautiful vision of dancing colors and mesmerizing patterns.


    ''I won''t allow this life to turn into what it was. I can''t.'' These were the last thoughts Tyr had before falling into a deep slumber. S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ***


    The next day arrived.


    Right now, Tyr was sitting in the Hunter Exam waiting room, fully prepared, with his left ankle crossed above his right knee.


    He had already done his morning workout and eaten breakfast. His morning shower was completed, clothes were checked off, and his spear sheathed and ready.


    The waiting room he was in was behind a door next to the help desk at the back of the main guild room.


    As he stepped inside there was a fairly long corridor with filled seats lined across the walls.


    At the very back of the room was a small window booth--behind which sat a young woman with black hair and coffee eyes.


    "The previous 20 have finished their exams! The next 20 should now enter the exam room! Ionel Grendel, Maximus Cortez, Urval Jens, Lyrai Opal, Ja..." The young woman''s voice sounded from the speaker''s place in the corners of the room.


    Tyr had already been waiting for quite a while now. Just as he had imagined, his name was called this time around.


    "--And finally, Tyr!"


    ''That''s right, I didn''t give them my full name did I... eh, it''s not like it matters.'' He stood up, taking a deep breath to prepare before taking a step forward...

 Chapter 36: Hunter Exam (2)

    A few minutes prior...


    Tyr had just arrived at the waiting room. He couldn''t help but survey the other examinees as he waited--his eyes scanning across all those in front of him.


    There were about 100 total people in the room, and dozens more joined in seemingly every half an hour or so.


    20 Examinees were tested at a time from what Tyr could see since the young lady at the front called 20 names at a time. So, the room didn''t fill up. It looked to be perfectly in balance at all times.


    As Tyr looked around, most of what he saw were nervous expressions and body language.


    Many faced the ground, their eyebrows curled inwards and frowns on their faces from the stress of the matter.


    ''I wonder if you can only take the test once or something...'' Tyr thought to himself, not fully grasping the tension of the matter.


    Many had their shoulders drooped forward, their faces shadowed as though this was one of the most dreadful days of their life.


    "Hahaha!" A man suddenly burst out into a laugh sitting to the very left of Tyr. He was tall, bald, and seemed to be in his early thirties. S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He had a scar on his cheek and wore leather great with a short sword sheathed by his waist. He conversed with a small group of friends while continuing to laugh.


    "Yeah! Of course, I''ll pass! It''s going to be easy as pie!" The man yelled, capturing the attention of several people in the room.


    "Yes!" A shorter, smaller guy wearing similar clothing exclaimed: "If anyone can pass, it''s you, Don!" He exclaimed.


    Tyr raised a brow, ''Cheerleader much?''


    Another small guy next to the baldy exclaimed, "Yeah! You''re the man Don!"


    The guy was getting a lot of love. Only from these two though...


    "How¡­ how could they be so arrogant?" Another voice sounded, this time from the other side of Tyr. It was a fat guy with glasses on and a basic set of attire. He was whispering under his breath as he faced the ground and twiddled his thumbs.


    "Don''t they know that they are all inferior? We are all inferior? We are only taking this test because we are the pathetic humans abandoned by the Gods. We are the ones without Ancestral Abilities¡­" The fat guy continued whispering to himself.


    Tyr was creeped out. ''Why do I have to get seated next to these weirdos''?'' He questioned, slightly irritated.


    Despite the guy acting funny, what he was saying was serious. And it made Tyr think. It was a point of view that he hadn''t fully considered.


    But the more that he thought about it, it only made more sense.


    If there was one thing humans were good at, it was prejudice in Tyr''s eyes. So, how could those with Ancestral Abilities, especially the stronger ones, not discriminate against those without it?


    More things began to make sense to Tyr after he realized this, ''It makes sense why these guys are pretty nervous for this exam I guess. Before they even take it, they know the whole reason why they are taking it in the first place is that they are worse than another demographic of people. It''s pretty demotivating if you think about it.''


    His eyes wandered to his left, where the cocky bald guy was, ''It seems this guy is just trying to hide his insecurity of the fact that he is a part of the many who don''t have Ancestral Abilities by hyping himself up using those lackeys. Pretty damn sad.''


    Soon enough, the next 20 examinees were called up. The fat guy to Tyr''s right and the bald guy to Tyr''s left were both a part of this group.


    As they stood up and joined the party of 20 entering the exam room, the bald guy gave the fatty a good slap on the back: "Don''t be such a downer, lardy! You can always become a farmer or something." He mocked, causing his friends to laugh even more as they all entered the exam room.


    About half an hour later, they all came out again. One figure sprinted out of the room with utter confidence and power. His man tits and fat belly jiggled in the limelight as a bright smile stretched across his face and a bright glimmer shone in his eyes.


    This figure¡­ was the fatty from before.


    "I passed! I passed god damn it!" He exclaimed in shock and excitement.


    The baldy walked behind him, his back slouched and a frown appearing over his pale face.


    Out of nowhere, the fatty slapped the baldy on the back hard enough to make him stumble forward and nearly fall. "Better luck next time, dork!" The fatty yelled, joyfully skipping out of the exam room.


    Tyr couldn''t help but burst out laughing as he saw this.


    ***


    After a while of waiting, Tyr''s name was called up¡­


    Tyr entered the exam room with his group of twenty. As soon as he did, he was met with a completely unexpected scene.


    Firstly, they all walked onto a wide balcony made of steel. This balcony wrapped all around the large, round room everyone was in.


    Slowly, everyone spread out and stood behind the iron railings¨Clooking down at the arena below them.


    It was a battleground, its floor composed of pristine white-stone slabs, polished to a gleaming finish.


    The walls, fortified with thick iron layers, exuded an aura of indestructibility as if they could endure relentless assaults without a scratch.


    Overhead, a colossal glass dome bathed the entire arena in brilliant light, casting an almost ethereal glow.


    The room was vast, its sheer size awe-inspiring. As Tyr took in the impressive sight, the murmur of the other examinees filled the air, their excited whispers and speculative conversations creating a lively hum.


    Everyone seemed eager, theorizing about what the upcoming exam might entail.


    "They keep the exams under tight regulation and change them up every month or so."


    "I wonder what this one is going to be like."


    "I hope its easy¡­"


    From where Tyr stood to the other side of the room, about 100 feet away, he could see a group of figures standing there opposite of him.


    Looking to his left and right, he could see four more small groups of about 4-5 people separated about 10-20 feet apart each.


    ''Who are they? Examinators?'' He questioned.


    Out of nowhere, a voice sounded from the speakers placed in every side of the dome: "First contestant, Ionel Grendel, please make your way into the Exam Arena."


    And so it began¡­

 Chapter 37: Hunter Exam (3)

    Tyr paid close attention to how the exam was going to go.


    ''Since only one person got called, I guess that means that this isn''t going to be a team exam. I wonder why they call 20 people at a time then? Time management?'' He could only imagine.


    The first contestant entered the arena by jumping off of the railing and falling 20 feet before landing on the ground.


    It was a seemingly old man wearing a white kimono. He also had a wooden sword sheathed on his waist.


    "Begin!" The voice from the speaker shouted.


    As soon as it did, something began to materialize from the stone floor in front of the examinee.


    The crowd of examinees made slight reactions of surprise as a punching box formed out of seemingly malleable stone in front of their very eyes.


    It was a box with a small punching bag hanging down under it.


    Tyr furrowed his brows, ''Strength is first...'' He kept note of how each part of the exam went.


    The old man unsheathed his sword, swiping at the punching bag and tearing it into pieces.


    Slight noises murmured from the examinees as they saw this.


    ''I see...'' Tyr mused, ''So it doesn''t have to come from a punch or anything like that. You can use weapons...''


    Time quickly passed as Tyr continued observing the exams that came and went.


    Everyone was first tested in what seemed to be their striking ability. Each strike was given a rating.


    "45!"


    "32!"


    "66!"


    Afterward, they were forced to dodge a single Aura bullet shot at them at high speed. Similarly, each person was also rated on their speed.


    "52!"


    "69!"


    "22!"


    ''It seems we are graded on a grade from 1-100.'' Tyr surmised from these results.


    After these two tests, the exam took on a more unique turn. The stone materialized into different beasts that the examinee had to fight off.


    Up until his turn came around, Tyr imagined that the beast had to have been based on the speed and strength of the examinee since each creature was very distinct.


    "Next, Tyr!" The voice called through the speaker after about 25 or so minutes of waiting.


    Tyr hopped down into the arena. As he did, his eyes scanned the 5 groups of people standing above him near the railings.


    They had been almost nonexistent during the entire examination process, not moving an inch.


    Sure, they were communicating with each other, but other than that their slight murmurs from the distance didn''t mean anything.


    "Oi!" A familiar voice abruptly sounded from one of the groups.


    Tyr squinted his eyes and narrowed down the place where the voice came from.


    He looked at a group that had 5 people in it. The two in front were girls. Tyr couldn''t see how they were dressed or how they looked properly from this distance.


    Behind the two girls was a super tall guy who Tyr instantly recognized, and also a guy of average height who wore glasses--who Tyr also recognized.


    ''Jonas and Yurin...''


    Finally, out from all four of them walked a midget--around 5''6 ft. in stature.


    Tyr''s eyes expanded, "H-Hanzo!?" He yelled in shock, "What the hell are you all doing here?"


    Hanzo had his arms crossed. He was smirking as he stood over the railings and stared at the young teen.


    "What do you mean, why am I here? I wanted to see how you would perform. I brought you here... I don''t want to just leave you to fail."


    "Really? Because you left me instantly all by myself as soon as I got here."


    "Oh, shut up and stop whining. Isn''t your test beginning? Focus on that!"


    Tyr looked around, "Who are these people? More Hunter Squads?"


    "Bingo!" Jonas yelled from behind Hanzo.


    Now that he was closer, Tyr could get a better look at all of the teams.


    A few people in front of their groups were stoic, their expressions stern and their body language hostile.


    Others, however, smiled at Tyr as though they had known him for a while.


    "Let''s see what you can do, Hanzo''s dog!" A tall man in front of one of the groups yelled, a grin on his face as his team laughed. He wore black leather clothing--similar to some sort of rockstar--and had long black hair that seemed to be held up by gel or something.


    On hearing this remark, Hanzo''s face remained fully stoic--a gentle smile on his face and his eyebrows loose. His squad didn''t make a single move either, totally unaffected. They didn''t even turn their head toward the guy who made the comment.


    "What did you say?" Tyr turned, facing the rockstar-looking guy with furrowed brows.


    The guy simply smiled in reaction to him, not saying a word as his squad continued to laugh.


    At this moment, Tyr felt the eyes of all the other squads zone in on him.


    ''Oh...'' Tyr realized at that moment, ''They are trying to see how I react. They probably want a calm and collected guy that doesn''t take offense to words.''


    Tyr turned away from the guy who yelled at him...


    ''But to me, ignorance is cowardice. I''ll deal with this test first. It''s a bigger priority than that idiot.'' Tyr wasn''t just going to let any insult like that slide though.


    "Begin!" The announcer yelled through the speakers.


    Tyr prepared himself as the punching box and bag formed in front of him.


    He unsheathed his spear, ''I''m not taking any chances. Soul Mend: Polaris Tiger.''


    His body transformed, growing in size and changing in visual. The squads seemed intrigued by this ability.


    Slight murmurs of conversation sprouted from Tyr''s transformation.


    Yurin was especially taken aback, "He first had that super speed, which I thought was an Ancestral Ability... but now even more?" He said under his breath to his squad.


    Even the other examinees were impressed, conversing amongst themselves.


    "Huh? How is he transforming without an Aura Core?"


    "Does he have an Ancestral Ability?"


    "Then he shouldn''t be taking the physical exam..."


    For those who had an Aura Core, their Hunter Test was less of a test and more of a confirmation.


    They would place their hands over an Aura Orb, which would confirm and describe what Ancestral Ability they exactly had.


    Knowing this, almost everyone was naturally at a loss.


    Tyr tightened his grip on the spear, ''It''s a bit weird to hold a weapon in this form. I''ll need a lot more practice. But for one attack, I''ll be fine.''


    He held the spear with both hands, preparing himself to attack as he spread his feet apart.


    All the squads looked at Tyr''s vigorous stance with varying feelings of excitement, curiosity, disdain, and even jealousy perhaps...


    ''Come on, Tyr.'' Hanzo thought to himself, smiling slightly.


    At that moment, Tyr lunged forward--forcefully thrusting his spear directly into the punching bag. Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    *BOOM*

 Chapter 38: Hunter Exam (4)

    The punching bag ruptured into several pieces and blasted all over the examination chamber.


    Tyr returned to a normal position, retracting his spear.


    A few slight gasps waved around the railings, examinees and Hunter''s exclaiming alike.


    Jonas had a bright smile on his face, as did Hanzo.


    ''He really is an anamoly.'' Hanzo thought to himself, ''I still don''t know his background or his true motives...''


    The girls in Hanzo''s group also seemed to be impressed by his power.


    "Strength Grade:"


    The voice sounded through the speakers.


    "150."


    Several louder gasps of astonishment sounded all around the examination room, paired with wide eyes and pouted lips.


    The different Hunter Squad members couldn''t help but converse in surprise:


    "Who the hell is this guy?"


    "Without an Aura Core?"


    "What is that ability..."


    "150 is similar to having years of hunting experience already under his belt. He''s stronger than a B Rank Hunter already, at least in terms of strength."


    Tyr smirked as he heard this score, "I thought it only went to 100... but I''m happy with that." He said under his breath.


    The rockstar-looking dude seemed to be at a loss.


    ''How the fuck...'' He gritted his teeth, veins poking out slightly from his forehead.


    A short young man wearing a rainbow-colored wool sweater bumped him on the shoulder with a playful smirk, "He got higher than even you, Miski."


    "Shut the fuck up, twerp." The rockstar-looking dude, addressed as ''Miski,'' replied with a disdainful and irritated tone.


    ''How did he do it? Unstable pills? It has to be... there''s no other way. Damn junkie coming here and showing off as if he''s some big shot.'' Miski thought to himself, angered by his expectations being crumpled up and thrown into the bin.


    Tyr couldn''t help but notice the guy''s expression and put on a spiteful smirk.


    On seeing this, Miski gave an abrupt angry reaction, as if he wasn''t expecting Tyr to mock him.


    ''That fucker...'' He mused.


    Tyr laughed inwardly: ''I don''t know why, but seeing his stupid ass get annoyed gives me a lot of goddamn satisfaction!''


    This wasn''t over yet, however. There was still more to the exam.


    Next was the speed test, where Tyr had to avoid a single long-ranged attack.


    A large cannon materialized from the stone this time about 50 feet away from Tyr. It didn''t take long before it began to charge up a red-hot Aura attack.


    Tyr bent his knees slightly, preparing to dodge. With Blink Step, he had no worries about this portion of the exam.


    A basket-ball-sized orb of blazing energy darted at Tyr out of nowhere, ''Blink Step.'' Tyr seemingly disappeared in front of everyone''s eyes, appearing a few feet to the side of the Aura attack.


    The reaction of the squad members and examinees was even more dramatic this time.


    It was like watching a pro take a beginner''s test. Many were at a complete loss as to how the rookie was doing this.


    "Speed Grade: MAX."


    "How..."


    "Hahaha! Thats absurd!"


    "Just where did Hanzo find a monster like this?"


    "He''s... a prodigy."


    Tyr raised a brow, placing his hands on his hips, "Max huh? I didn''t think there was such a thing. I wonder what number that is, 200? 250 perhaps?"


    "300 points in a Hunter Exam is pretty impressive for a newbie. Good job, Tyr." Hanzo exclaimed from the railing.


    "300? Damn... if my strength was only half of the max, I guess that means I got a 50%, or an F on that. Not that impressive when you think about it." Tyr said, gripping his fist.


    "Not at all." A girl from Hanzo''s team exclaimed. Stepping forward, she was short, around 5''2 ft. in stature, and wore a small loose dress that shone in bright velvety purple shades and small inscribed gems.


    Her hair was short and black, flowing down to about her shoulders.


    "That isn''t how the grading works here. A score above 100 is very impressive, as most get around 40-80 for a decent score. 300 Isn''t really a score acheiveable by most humans. It''s more of a traditional aspect that the old heads of Seris don''t want to remove from the tests... I haven''t seen anyone get 300 during my entire life being a Hunter." sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Is that so..." Tyr exclaimed, "Still, I would want to match my speed score and strength score." Tyr wasn''t fully satisfied with the 300-speed score either.


    Without Blink Step, he wouldn''t have gotten it at all. There was still a long way for him to go before thinking he was truly strong.


    The final portion of the exam began shortly afterward.


    By now, Tyr''s Soul Mend was still on cool down. He had about 2 minutes before that cool-down wore off.


    However, Tyr understood that the last portion of the exam didn''t give you a score, but rather only graded you on whether you passed in defeating the beast you were given or not. There was also a timer of 10 minutes for you to try and kill your allotted beast. Trying to simply stall and survive wasn''t an option.


    So, thats why he decided to use it on the strength portion rather than this one.


    He was confident in his ability to defeat the beast without having to use Soul Mend.


    ''But the only thing I didn''t take into consideration was that I was going to get a max score on the speed section. I just pray I don''t get a stupidly overpowered beast due to that...''


    It had been a gamble from the start, but Tyr could only hope for things to go his way.


    The stone in front of Tyr began to transform again. He had seen a multitude of beasts become opponents of the examinees before.


    From bulls to horses, to wolves, to even tigers.


    However, what began to materialize in front of Tyr wasn''t something he was expecting whatsoever.


    A pair of large wings brushed out from the stone''s center, expanding over 5 feet on either side.


    In the middle, a long yellow beak formed on the head of the aerial beast, its eyes molding into ferocious pupils and its body a muscular balance between strength and speed.


    "This looks like a... giant Bald Eagle." Tyr said to himself in slight astonishment as the creature finished being created.


    It let out a piercing screech before thrusting its wings against the ground and soaring up into the air.


    It began to circle Tyr from over 30 feet above the exam arena.


    Tyr looked up, his eyes expanding in slight worry as he realized: ''This thing... it counters every move I''ve used during this exam...''

 Chapter 39: Hunter Exam (5)

    ''It makes sense. Why else would they add another test after examining your strength and speed? They don''t care about those stats much at all, or else the exam would end there. No, instead, those tests are to create a beast that counters the examinee''s abilities. Whoever created this exam was thinking in the long term.''


    Tyr noticed the beast continue to circle above him, the force of its flaps brushing against his face every few seconds.


    ''I can''t use Blink Step since its too far from my range. My strength is my only option, but with this thing being aerial its going to be fast. I''ll have to be able to attack it without getting hit myself.''


    As Tyr began to plan his mode of attack, the eagle abruptly pointed its beak to the floor and powerfully thrust its wings.


    It zoomed downward, accelerating instantly as it nose-dived toward Tyr at lightning speeds out of nowhere.


    Tyr''s eyes widened slightly. He gripped his spear, staying still and waiting for the eagle to come down to him.


    As it came mere feet from the ground it thrust its wings again--changing its direction to torpedo toward Tyr while being parallel to the ground.


    It swooped in before Tyr could react--inching under a foot away from him in under a second.


    ''Blink Step!'' Tyr said, appearing behind the beast as it barely missed and flew up into the sky.


    ''Shit! Its too fast! I couldn''t even try to attack. If I hadn''t used Blink Step there, I would have been obliterated.''


    He quickly turned, looking at the eagle in the sky again as his mind began to race, ''What do I do? Its attacks are too strong, but it isn''t because of its strength that the attacks are strong, but rather its speed. Without the speed, its beak wouldn''t do much to me, but as it stands now my Vitality won''t do shit.''


    He began to think of more options, rushing to make sure he had some sort of plan before the bird swooped down again. He was on Blink-Step cool down for a few more seconds. Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''I can''t use Hypnosis because its far faster than any other creature I''ve faced. Even if I manage to Hypnotise it, I can''t stop it from attacking fast enough.''


    Speed usually worked against a strong creature as its weakness, but this creature was strong due to its speed of all things in the first place, so Tyr being able to use Blink Step to get a quick hit wasn''t possible.


    Hanzo squinted his eyes slightly, ''For him, there''s only one way to win. It''s unfortunate that he got such a strong creature, but that''s what happens when you max out a test with such a powerful ability when you aren''t supposed to have any Ancestral Ability to begin with.''


    He paused, staring deep into Tyr''s somewhat desperate and focused eyes:


    ''Still, If I know you correctly through the short time I''ve spent with you, Tyr, I know you can do it. Compared to Rudra, this thing is still inferior.''


    The eagle swooped down again, pin-missiling toward Tyr before narrowly missing again.


    This continued for a little while longer. Tyr got shoved and bruised from time to time, even getting a little lacerated on his abdomen.


    Yet, the look in his eyes remained the same. He was focused; determined to find a way to win.


    Tyr attempted to use Blink Step to catch the bird but failed since it didn''t stop moving--unlike Tyr, who would go back to normal speed instantly after using his spell.


    He tried parrying it with his spear, but its sheer force was too powerful, knocking the boy off course.


    30 seconds had passed, yet there still seemed to be no way to win.


    Most of the people viewing this part of the exam were silent, closely observing Tyr as he struggled.


    Some examinees gulped loudly, ''I got off easy... there''s no way in a million years I could beat such a beast.''


    ''The fact he''s still in the battle is impressive on its own, whether he manages to win or not.''


    The squads didn''t talk much either, absorbed in the actions of the teen.


    They couldn''t help but be captivated by his conviction. It didn''t seem like he could do anything to win--he was completely overpowered in every metric at first glance.


    The eagle swooped down, narrowly missing this time as it went back up.


    Tyr began to run around the arena, a new plan sprouting in his mind.


    As he panted slightly he mused: ''I''ll have to do something out of order to beat this thing. At the end of the day, it isn''t a real creature. I''m just going to have to bet that it won''t be able to adapt quickly to a sudden and odd movement that isn''t normally seen. Otherwise, I won''t lose to this thing, but I won''t be able to beat it in the 10-minute deadline either.''


    As Tyr continued to run around the arena, he kept a good eye on the eagle as he had been doing for the entire fight, ''From what I''ve noticed, it flies exactly about 20 feet away from me in a perfect circle at all times before swooping down. This is probably to get the perfect attack every time. This means that I am a means of its coordination. I control its movements.''


    At that moment, The bird flew closer to Tyr--attempting to circle him.


    However, since Tyr was hugging the wall at all times, the bird was unable to circle since it was going to have to exit the parameters of the dome over the examination room.


    Tyr smiled as he saw this, ''Perfect! This is exactly what I wanted.''


    The eagle''s perfect circling motion broke off as it began to move in an obtuse half-oval motion.


    Still, this didn''t stop it from swooping down.


    ''You can come for me, but your path isn''t as perfect as before. It won''t be a perfect shot.''


    The eagle thrust its wings against the ground and began swooping around the side of the arena toward Tyr.


    However, with its perfect circle off balance, its right-side wing scraped against the wall. This caused it to sway side to side for a moment. It looked to the right momentarily, balancing itself again but unable to lose contact with the wall.


    Tyr noticed that it was more preoccupied than before, ''It''s still coming for me though, as expected. Its balance is off, unlike the other times, and its thinking is slightly distracted. This is the perfect opportunity to catch it off guard.''


    As the beast''s sharp beak closed in on Tyr, he abruptly jumped forward and landed on the wall in front of him without curving--bouncing off of it again as he pointed his spear toward the bird.


    ''Blink Step!''


    With the momentum of his jump still propelling him through the air, he appeared directly in front of the bird: above its beak and in front of its eyes with his spear pointed right at its skull.


    This was done in a swift and almost flawless manner, taking everyone in the examination room in shock.


    ''I win.'' A grin stretched across Tyr''s face.

 Chapter 40: Hunter Exam (6)

    A wave of expanding eyes washed through the onlookers across the railings.


    Their mouths opened slightly as their eyes danced with slight disbelief and awe.


    Tyr thrust his spear forward, piercing it straight through the forehead of the eagle and lodging it deep within.


    He let go, falling into a roll before getting back up to his feet.


    A piercing screech sounded across the arena as the eagle slammed into the examination chamber wall and tumbled onto the ground.


    It rolled and dragged to a slow stop against the wall as its wings finally stopped extending.


    The announcer''s voice sounded through the speakers: "Tyr has passed the Hunter Exam."


    The eagle turned back to stone and morphed into the ground, leaving Tyr''s spear on the floor.


    Tyr quietly walked back over to his weapon, picking it up before thrusting it into the air: "I won!" He said with a satisfied grin, clutching the side of his abdomen that was bleeding heavily by this point from the eagle''s lacerating attack.


    The examinees all broke out into a flutter of claps.


    "Hey! You did awesome!"


    "I could have never done that! You''re super strong!"


    "Congrats man!"


    They had just gone through a similar struggle themselves, so they naturally felt obliged but also happy to cheer on Tyr.


    The different squad members stayed silent despite their varying feelings toward what just happened.


    Hanzo jumped down into the examination chamber, tossing Tyr a small health capsule as he landed.


    Tyr caught it, quickly popping it into his mouth.


    Everyone around the chamber railings stared closely at Hanzo as he walked toward the boy.


    "Good job, newbie," Hanzo said, patting Tyr on the shoulder.


    "Thanks, Hanzo," Tyr replied genuinely, his bruises and cuts quickly beginning to heal.


    Miski hopped over the railing and landed on the examination floor as well.


    Most of the group that he was a part of followed him after a hesitant second. Only one stayed behind.


    The rockstar-looking dude walked toward Hanzo and Tyr with his face shadowed. His struts were quick and rushed.


    As he got close, Hanzo stepped beside Tyr. Finally, Miski abruptly grabbed Tyr by the collar and lifted him a foot off the ground.


    "Tell me where you got them, you criminal scum! Don''t take us for fools!" Miski''s expression finally showed as he furiously spoke to Tyr. His eyes were slightly red, veins poking out his forehead and neck.


    "If you think we will just believe that you have these crazy abilities without the use of unstable pills, you''re out of your mind!"


    Miski turned to Hanzo as the other squads jumped down and began to make their way to the commotion.


    "And you! Your power trip has gone too far! Who do you think you are, Bringing degenerate drug abusers to our facility!? Don''t you know the threat they pose?"


    Miski turned to face Tyr again, punching him in the stomach before letting him go.


    The punch felt like a brick being thrown into Tyr''s organs, causing him to grunt slightly in pain.


    "Admit the truth, you fucker. You got them from the Black Merchant Guild didn''t you? We all heard that you took down Bilweif of that guild... but that must have just been a cover-up for your involvement with them."


    The other squad members stayed silent. Although these accusations seemed baseless and absurd to some, Miski had the right to be confused after seeing Tyr''s miraculous abilities.


    Before Tyr could react, a voice suddenly screamed in his head.


    ''Master! Let me out!'' Rudra''s tone was urgent and ferocious.


    [Request to be let out of Infinite Domain has been issued by Rudra.]


    [Will you let him out?]


    [Yes/No]


    ''Huh?'' Tyr mused, several messages suddenly popping up in front of him that he wasn''t familiar with.


    [Answer not chosen.]


    [Letting out Rudra...] Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    At that moment, Tyr understood the implications of the situation. ''Shit! If he gets out he will kill this guy. W-wait! Stop! Don''t let him--''


    However, it was too late for that.


    Tyr''s shadow turned into the vortex that Rudra had first entered to go to the Infinite Domain.


    Out from it sprung a giant beast who immediately pounced at Miski.


    With a savage growl, Rudra pushed over the young man and pinned him to the ground.


    "ARUGH! W-what the fuck!?" Miski exclaimed in both shock and horror.


    "Miski!" The short, rainbow sweater-wearing kid who was standing next to Miski before shouted in surprise. He jumped at the tiger to help his friend but was swatted several feet away by Rudra''s paw.


    Miski was taken aback at first but quickly understood the situation he was in with Rudra''s mouth agape and a world of sharp teeth facing him, ready to tear him to pieces.


    ''Where did this thing come from!? It''s too strong! I can''t move my arms!'' Miski thought to himself in sheer panic.


    The other squads rushed closer.


    "What the hell!?"


    "Whose pet is that!?"


    "How did it get here all of a sudden?"


    They had several questions, all of which went unanswered as a crowd began to form around Miski.


    Rudra growled menacingly at whoever attempted to get close.


    ''Rudra, enter Infinite Domain.'' Tyr said inwardly, raising his hand at the beast.


    ''What!? But Master! This vile creature has insulted you! Let me punish him by eating his heart!'' Rudra roared in rage.


    ''No. I can''t kill someone just because they made me angry. But don''t worry, I won''t let anyone insult me and get away with it. Enter.''


    Rudra gave Miski a final growl of humid breath and saliva before, although unwillingly, slowly retreating and entering Infinite Domain through Tyr''s hand.


    Miski quickly sat up and pushed himself away from Tyr, panting slightly in shock and bewilderment.


    "W-what the fuck was that!?" He exclaimed in shock. He looked at Tyr, "You! Your crazy beast almost killed me! I''ll have you punished!"


    Tyr raised a brow in annoyance, "Huh? You retarded mother fucker... you punched me first--"


    A sharp guitar blare boomed through the examination arena out of nowhere, interrupting Tyr.


    Everyone''s heads turned to face the man who had been behind Miski''s squad before on the railings.


    He looked similar to Miski, but wore fully white clothing instead of Miski''s black attire and had a large neon mohawk on his head. He had a white guitar on his head, which he put behind his back again before jumping down into the arena.


    He walked over to Miski and grabbed him by the hair--lifting him to his feet. He had a nonchalant expression on his face as he did this.


    Miski noticed who was in front of him and quickly straightened his posture, also lowering his gaze.


    He whispered, "S-sorry, elder brother..."


    "Quiet." The white-wearing young man said, turning away from Miski.


    ''What the hell? He usually doesn''t react unless I do something really bad. Why is he stepping forward today?'' Miski thought to himself confused.


    The other squad members tracked the mohawked young man as he walked over to Tyr and Hanzo.


    A girl from Ultimatum pulled Tyr back and to the side.


    "Let go of me! I still haven''t paid that bastard back yet for what he did."


    "Shh... something big''s about to happen." The girl said as the mohawked young man stared down at Hanzo with a disdainful expression.


    Tyr noticed at that moment that the atmosphere in the building had completely changed from before.


    Everyone was serious, as though on edge. Tyr looked up, noticing the examinees already having left.


    The girl holding him wore tight leggings that continued as a one-piece suit up her body. It was black, showing quite a bit of cleavage as well.


    She had two circular straps attached to her shoulders, but that was it in terms of armor. This compressed clothing accentuated her voluptuous curves.


    The girl leaned into Tyr''s ear.


    "You can deal with that later. Right now, the challenge for the throne is about to be proposed..." She whispered.


    "What?"

 Chapter 41: Battle Royale (1)

    "Isn''t that a bit bombastic? What do you mean, challenge for the throne?" Tyr questioned in a fairly silent tone as well since the girl he was speaking to was whispering.


    The girl paused, looking into his eyes for a second before speaking.


    "I''m Cyllia, nice to meet you." The girl abruptly said, changing the topic as he reached her hand forward.


    "Right... Tyr." Tyr said, lightly shaking her hand. "But you still haven''t answered my question."


    Cyllia looked forward: "The 5 strongest Hunter Squads in Drance are here. This hasn''t happened in a while, and the only reason it did happen was not only because Hanzo has chosen you to be his next squad member, but also because you defeated Bilweif in the short time that you''ve been here."


    Tyr was slightly taken aback as he heard this. "Chosen me to be the next squad member?" He was still stuck on this part. ''That''s... a perfect thing. I can hunt better creatures and level up faster that way too.''


    Cyllia continued: "Of course, word of that slimy scoundrel being caught quickly spread through town. Especially since he has a bounty of 500 Gold if caught alive."


    "HUH!?" Tyr''s eyebrows flew up as his jaw dropped to the floor, ''FUCK! If I had known about that I would have been rich!'' He rued.


    "Too bad you killed him... but still, we had been trying to stop him for years," Cyllia said, causing Tyr to think oddly.


    He remembered a detail that didn''t seem to make sense.


    Furrowing his brows, he thought back to when he was first entering Drance.


    ''Hanzo saw that I was distracted with that Bilweif guy all the way back then, and pulled me away from arguing with him even after making eye contact with the robed individual. Of course, I had no clue who he was at the time, but surely Hanzo had a clue...'' This confused him slightly. But there was still a chance that Hanzo also had no clue that that figure was actually Bilweif.


    "Anyways. The 5 strongest squads don''t meet often, like I said. When it does happen, a war breaks out." Cyllia exclaimed with her gaze focused in front of her.


    Several squad members began to make their way toward the sidelines as well.


    Leaders and stronger members of their squads seemed to stay behind, facing each other with serious looks.


    "Hanzo, let''s see if you are still the strongest. It''s been two years since the last time." The white-leather-clothed young man who resembled Miski said.


    "Jae, it''s not just between you and him. I''ll show you just how much I''ve grown." A tall brute who was slightly fat but heavily muscular stepped forward, cracking his knuckles.


    "Thats right Crank, let''s rank each other one more time." Another person who seemed to be a squad leader stepped up and faced the other three. She was a girl who wore a bright and long green mage dress.


    "The great Pencil, AKA me, says that we have some fun! Isn''t that right, Misterel?" Another guy walked up, his hair short and buzzed. He had an average stature, a fairly developed body, and a smirk on his face.


    The five gathered in the middle, with at least one other person from their team beside him.


    Beside Hanzo was Yurin, the short girl and Jonas returning to Tyr and Cyllia''s side.


    A short moment of silence ensued between the different squads, their egos clashing with each other.


    But in reality, all of them were waiting on one thing.


    What was the strongest going to say?


    After a few seconds, Hanzo let out an exasperated sigh.


    "Oi, Camie!" He yelled into the sky with his hands on his hips.


    A voice hurriedly sounded from the speakers in a nervous tone: "Y-yes, Hanzo!" Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Shut the exams for 10 minutes."


    "Yes sir!"


    "I''m surprised you agreed." Jae, the mohawked young man, retorted with a smug attitude.


    "I have my reasons." Hanzo replied, "Begin." He said as all of the squad leaders and their companions jumped backward in unison and created over 20 feet of space.


    All but Hanzo and Yurin, that was, who stayed in the center.


    Tyr furrowed his brows, ''They are that scared of Ultimatum? Just how strong are these guys?''


    Noticing Tyr''s expression, the short girl from behind tapped him on the shoulder.


    "Hey, you are probably confused about what''s going on right? Sorry, we Hunters tend to be too competitive at times." She said in a high-pitched, gentle voice.


    Tyr turned, giving a pity laugh at the girl''s words. "Haha... right."


    "I''m Urvil Crystal, nice to meet you. I hope we become good teammates later on down the line." She said with a genuine smile.


    "Same here..." Tyr replied, still slightly surprised that he was invited into this squad to begin with.


    Right now, there was a standstill between all the squad members participating in this battle royale. That was up until Jae lunged forward to attack Hanzo.


    As soon as he did this, all the other squad members attacked other squad members--instantly transforming the examination arena into a battleground.


    Hanzo gracefully sidestepped and avoided all of Jae''s punches, moving around the arena on their own.


    Miski happened to fight a random person from Crank''s squad. The person from Crank''s squad had the power to make swords float around him.


    Miski on the other hand used his hands which unleashed waves of musical notes that were powerful enough to cause damage to even Expert Rank Aura fighters.


    Crank, the big brute, fought Misterel, the mage girl. The brute had the power to transform into an elephant! Right now, he was only using his power to transform his nose into a trunk to swing at his opponent.


    Misterel on the other hand was using all sorts of spells, waving her wand around as several vines poked out of the ground and attacked Crank.


    Finally, Pencil took on Yurin. The latter fought using a gauntlet on his hand that was able to unleash several Aura attacks consisting of various elements such as Water, Fire, Wind, Earth.


    Pencil had the power to wield a giant pencil that formed out of thin air. It could be used as a large rod weapon, but also to create projectile weapons. This could be done by writing in the air and sending the scratches flying toward one''s opponent.


    Before Tyr knew it, fights were happening all around him. And he couldn''t help but stare with awe and exhilaration. These fights, first of all, were hella fun to watch!


    Seeing all these crazy and new abilities made the little kid in Tyr jump up and down with joy. But on top of that, it gave him a lot of understanding when it came to how one fought in the first place.


    These were skilled fighters, ones who knew how to attack, dodge, parry, and move themselves in the world of combat.


    It was like liquid gold when it came to information, all in front of his very eyes!

 Chapter 42: Battle Royale (2)

    The battle royale continued for a few minutes. No one seemed to be holding back much at all.


    Loud noises, odd explosions, abrupt clanging, and random projectiles were flying all over the place.


    Tyr only watched in mesmerization.


    "Psst." Cyllia suddenly neared Tyr, pushing her large melons into his right shoulder.


    Tyr paused, looking to the right slightly before letting out a steaming breath from his nose.


    ''Damn.'' He mused, impressed, his nose slightly red.


    "Crank and Misterel have had their arguments for as long as Hanzo has been a squad captain," Cyllia said, forcing Tyr''s attention to be changed to the two fighting out there.


    "Despite their differing looks, they were once partners... now, they fight each other at every chance they get."


    Out of nohwere, Crank''s body began to morph. It extended heavily in size, eventually turning into an entire elephant in the span of 5 seconds.


    He had large ivory tusks, dark gray skin that was as thick as a bulletproof vest, and a trunk that could unroot trees with a single swing.


    Tyr forgot all about the boobies that were mere feet from his face, distracted by the fight that was ensuing.


    Misterel harrumped loudly as a large vine summoned beneath her feet and lifted her 10 feet above the ground.


    More vines formed, surrounding her in a protective barrier of the stuff as she waved her wand some more. Dozens of giant vines grew out from the ground, all attempting to slash, whip, and peirce the large elephant.


    The elephant wasn''t just going to give up easily, however. It charged forward in a ruthless rampage.


    "Look over there," Cyllia paused as she turned, pushing her melons even more into Tyr.


    ''Damn.'' Tyr said inwardly, even more impressed than before.


    "Miski is pretty strong, but weak in comparison to the squad captains. He''s annoying... not my type at all. He''s fighting a pretty boring guy, but his fighting style is unique. I''ve never seen anything like it in my life. Some say they were once friends, rivals even."


    Miski was unleashing a flurry of punches at the sword guy right now, each blow sending musical vibrations flying into the air. They were sorted in various colors such as dark blue, purple, neon, and more.


    The sword guy had several daggers and blades floating all around him, able to block each of Miski''s punches as they danced around the entire arena.


    He wasn''t just blocking, however, using his mastery of swords to swing them around and attempt to slash at his opponent as well. He had to attack while defending, as did Miski.


    "And over there! It''s an even more exciting fight." Cyllia said, pushing her cahonas even further into Tyr.


    ''Wow.'' Tyr thought to himself, even more satisfied than before.


    "Pencil and Yurin. Both have extremely unique fighting styles. You might think that Yurin''s power is to cast multiple elemental spells, but you would be wrong. It''s the ability to create powerful weapons that can wield these powers in the first place. His weapon is named the Infinity Gauntlet, since it can wield all four main elements in the world."


    "I see..." Tyr observed the fight closer.


    Pencil was moving fiercely, each step and attack sending afterblow after afterblow.


    His rod attacks were strong enough to destroy Tyr, and he knew this just from looking at it.


    At times Pencil would write in the air before slamming his rod into the writing as if he was playing baseball toward Yurin. He would write all over the place whenever he got the opportunity, knowing he could hit them toward Yurin whenever he wanted.


    Although Pencil was strong, Tyr was more focused on Yurin, who seemed to be dominating the battle with a stupid amount of ease.


    Yurin moved at a noticeably faster pace. His attacks were more potent, whether it be physical or Aura attacks from his spells.


    ''From the way he moved back then during our spar, he''s a completely different animal. I thought he had held back just a little, but now I understand that even with Blink I would barely be faster than him.'' Tyr thought to himself, amazed by this fighting.


    Cyllia pressed herself against Tyr even more, "Yurin is something special. He is no weaker than a squad captain, but chose to join Hanzo''s squad. Many say he is the third strongest Hunter in Drance behind Jae... I personally think he is the second strongest."


    Out of nowhere, Tyr was picked up by Jonas and carried away.


    "Sorry for her antics... she does this to every guy she finds interesting," Jonas said to Tyr, apologizing sincerely.


    "Hey! What are you doing!? Things were just getting good!" Cyllia yelled from behind, stomping her foot on the ground like a toddler throwing a tantrum.


    "Shut up! He''s just a kid! Leave him alone you succubus!" Jonas yelled back at her, taking Tyr to the other side of this small watch party.


    Cyllia pouted her lips and crossed her hands, returning her attention to the battles.


    ''I really didn''t mind it much.'' Tyr thought to himself.


    "Screw all those other fights. The really interesting one is this. Watching Hanzo fight is rare, but that''s what makes it so amazing."


    Jonas placed Tyr down in front of him as they both witnessed two quick figures zipping across the entire examination chamber at random intervals.


    Hanzo seemed to be using his bow as a physical close-range weapon, which confused Tyr.


    Jae on the other hand was using his guitar to send out powerful waves of Musical Aura.


    "Why won''t he just fight using his arrows? He could end the battle much sooner, no?" Tyr questioned on seeing this.


    "Kid, you oughta learn a thing or two about self-respect. Using your most valuable gem on fools who don''t deserve it is disrespectful to yourself." Jonas exclaimed, not giving Tyr the answer, but letting him find it himself.


    "I see... so Hanzo doesn''t declare Jae worthy enough." S§×ar?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Oh no, he does. He just wants the idiot to feel bad enough to go full power. Only then will Hanzo take out his bow." Jonas chuckled slightly.


    Tyr kept an eye on Hanzo, ''So Hanzo''s just playing with him huh?'' A memory wandered into his mind:


    ''That time I challenged him to fight me back when I was on the hunt for Rudra, he declined. But, he did almost use his bow when he saw that I was nearly about to get killed by Rudra...''


    At that moment, Hanzo noticed Tyr in his peripheral vision. They made eye contact for a split second. A millisecond after this, Hanzo swung his bow forcefully.


    *BANG*


    Jae was thrown across the examination chamber like a swatted fly, slamming into the wall before falling to the floor.


    Tyr''s eyes expanded, his mouth slightly agape at the sudden show of power.


    ''He could have done that all along?'' He mused in surprise.


    Hanzo fell from the air and landed on the ground, "I guess it''s time to end this." He said, walking toward Jae with his finger on his bowstring. A wave of dangerous intent burst out of the young man, falling over everyone in the entire arena like a 10-foot-tall ocean wave.


    Everyone stopped what they were doing, their eyes covered temporarily with a haze of fear and shock as their heads turned 180 degrees toward where Hanzo was.


    The strongest was about to get serious...

 Chapter 43: Battle Royale (3 )The Strongest

    ***EXTRA LONG CHAP***


    ----


    Yurin noticed his captain pull his bowstring back.


    ''Its time to end it huh? And here I thought I could test my weapon out some more...'' He mused, facing Pencil with a stern glare.


    Pencil took a step back instinctively, "Ending it already huh?" He awkwardly chuckled.


    "Yep." Yurin pushed his palm forward, a fury of fire exploding out of his gauntlet.


    "I yield," Pencil said, putting down his weapon.


    The flames stopped, immediately absorbing back into Yurin''s palm.


    "Good fight..." Pencil said, his tone slightly somber.


    Yurin ignored him, dashing over to where Tyr and Jonas were. ''I want to get a good look at this...'' He thought to himself.


    While the others who were fighting resumed their battles, Tyr focused on the two figures in front of him.


    Jae seemed lightheaded and still slightly off balance from that last attack.


    Shaking his head, he rose to his feet. He gripped his guitar, facing Hanzo who stopped walking.


    "Get serious. I want to end this." Hanzo said as Jae spit out a loogie of blood.


    "Those words... they are a contradiction. Why would you want me to get serious if you want to end this?" Jae responded, playing a note on his electric guitar.


    Hanzo raised his chin slightly, "Contradiction or not, I want to tell how much stronger I''ve gotten."


    "Yeah yeah..." Jae exclaimed, suddenly contracting his forearm muscles. Viens bulged out, his entire wrist and arm revolving with dozens of dense muscles.


    "Final attack: Death Song!" Jae exclaimed, beginning to play his guitar strings at an extremely quick pace.


    Giant waves of Musical Aura which resembled dark neon colors began to pulsate out of the guitar. The music, although blaring, sounded amazing--like a powerful guitar solo at a rock concert.


    Jonas stepped in front of Tyr and the others, getting down on one knee before placing his giant sycthe in front of him.


    From it radiated a powerful energy that quickly formed into an invisible forcefield all around him and the other onlookers.


    ''Wow... a powerful-looking attack weapon with defense capabilities too? I wonder what Jonas'' Ancestral Ability is.'' Tyr thought to himself as he saw this.


    Hanzo pulled his bowstring back as a blue arrow manifested in his fingertips.


    He let go, the blue arrow clashing against Jae''s Musical Aura waves before exploding into a large, transparent blue forcefield.


    "That''s Hanzo''s defensive attack: Defense. An arrow that turns into a barrier of protection on impact." Yurin exclaimed, crossing his arms.


    Tyr was getting more and more impressed by the second. Hanzo was the real deal.


    Some waves of the Musical Aura crashed into Jonas'' invisible forcefield before being spread apart and thrown into different directions.


    "Tsk... that how easy it is huh?" Jae exclaimed under his breath, continuing to play his riff to unleash more waves.


    Hanzo continued walking forward despite the waves rampaging toward him--unleashing several blue arrows as he walked.


    "Just how powerful is your forcefield? Is it as strong as Hanzo''s to be able to deflet these Aura waves?" Tyr questioned, impressed at the fortidude of the thing.


    The waves crashing against Jonas'' forcefield still made it shake slightly, but it was intact in the end.


    Jonas scoffed on hearing this, "Far off... Jae''s attacks aren''t intended toward me, but fully toward Hanzo. Only about 20% of his power is being slammed into my force field. It wouldn''t stand a chance if I was getting hit with 80% like Hanzo is right now--especally at such a close range."


    Tyr was slightly taken aback, "I see... Im beginning to understand more and more why he''s called the strongest now."


    "You got decent, Jae!" Hanzo exclaimed as he got 20 feet away from the mohawked young man. He pulled his bowstring back again, this time creating a red arrow in his fingertips before letting go.


    "Attack." Jonas said as he heard the arrow go off.


    "What?" Tyr questioned at that moment.


    "Its the name of his red arrow. It spins so fast that most Aura gets shredded on the molecular level from its force curve."


    The arrow pierced through all of the incoming Musical Aura waves like a spinning drill ripping through leaves.


    It neared Jae''s face at extreme speed, barely grazing the side of his cheek before puncturing the iron wall beside him with a loud boom.


    Jae stopped playing his guitar, placing it behind his back as he raised both of his hands: "Alright alright, you won! You are still the strongest! Tsk..."


    Hanzo smirked, "Thats what I like to hear!" He said loudly with a smile. But then his smile disappeared and his face returned to normal as he turned around, "Just kidding, I couldn''t care less." He said, walking over to Tyr and the others.


    Jonas undid his forcefield, standing up and turning to face Hanzo.


    Everyone gazed at the young man with awe dancing behind their pupils.


    Some fighters were great because they had long mastered techniques that were mesmerizing to behold--the subtle perfection and experience through every movement.


    Other fighters were great to watch because their fighting was beautiful, like a dance in the middle of a battle.


    But fighters like Hanzo were the best the to watch, and this was because they simply overpowered every obstacle in their way like a truck ramming through Novel MCs.


    *BOOM*


    A noise sounded from behind, everyone turning their attention to Misterel and Crank.


    They both were knocked out cold from what seemed to be a large final clash.


    "You''re dead!" Miski exclaimed, charging at his opponent for their final clash as well.


    "You are still years behind me!" The sword guy exclaimed as the two lunged at each other in the center.


    They both slid to a stop on opposite sides with their backs facing each other. After a second, Miski dropped flat on his face. S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The sword guy, whilst panting, raised all of his blades in the air: "I''m still stronger!"


    And just like that, all of the battles that day were concluded.


    Tyr and the other Ultimatum Hunter Squad members were staring at all of these figures silently.


    ''He got knocked out huh? I guess I can pay him a visit some other time.'' He thought to himself.


    Suddenly, he felt a smack on the back of his head.


    "What the--!?" He turned, Hanzo standing there with his hands on his hips and a large smile on his face.


    "So, how about it?" The squad captain said.


    "H-how about it?" Tyr exclaimed in slight puzzlement, scratching the back of his head. ''He''s probably talking about me joining his squad. Yeah, that''s got to be it!''


    "I accept!" He blurted happily. The other Ultimatum members had sour expressions on their faces as they saw this. They all turned to the side, as though embarrassed or fearful.


    "Really?" Hanzo said with excitement in his eyes, "I thought it was going to take longer than that to convince you! Its a long trip after all..."


    "Huh? A trip? What are you talking about?" Tyr thought he understood, but now he was lost.


    Hanzo''s joyful look slowly turned to an unhappy frown as his eyes panned over his squad members.


    As he made eye contact, they all looked away as though in shame.


    "You all had one job... a simple, single proposal. And yet, you all failed at even such a minimal thing?" He said, a vein bulging out of his forehead in anger.


    The others couldn''t reply to him, all too ashamed.


    "What proposal exactly?" Tyr asked, still not filled in.


    Hanzo sighed, "Well... what they were supposed to have asked you was a question." He paused, staring at Tyr for a few seconds.


    "Tyr, would you like to go on an A+ Class Hunter Mission with us to another kingdom? It''s going to be Ultimatum''s, and for that matter, Drance''s largest quest yet." Hanzo''s face was sincere yet confident, like a fresh breeze.


    Tyr was surprised by this sudden proposal. It was big news. According to what he knew, Subworld was far larger than Earth. A single kingdom was similar to the size of a continent, so traveling it wouldn''t be easy nor short.


    But, there wasn''t a single second in Tyr''s mind where he was opposed to the idea. Without much hesitation at all, he said:


    "Yes! Yes I would!"


    Hanzo smirked: "Perfect!"


    The other members of Ultimatum burst out into a laugh.


    "Wow! That really was easy huh?" Yurin exclaimed, chuckling slightly as he mocked Hanzo.


    "Huh? Shut up nerd, I''ll beat you up." Hanzo replied, the group laughing even more.


    Tyr couldn''t help but also chuckle slightly, and then break out into a full-on laugh as the commotion between the group members continued.


    He hadn''t been on Subworld for long, but he felt comfortable in this moment. More comfortable with these people, in this place, than he had been on Earth for over a decade.


    ''Im happy I made this decision... I think I would have regretted doing anything else in this world other than this. Im prepared to grow stronger with these people.''


    .


    .


    .


    *3 Month''s Later*


    ***


    Author Note: Please read the Author''s Thought. Thanks!

 Chapter 44: Unbound

    *BONUS CHAPTER*


    *Purrr* S§×arch* The N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Rudra licked his lips as he lay on his stomach beside his master, a deep and guttural growl coming from his mouth.


    Tyr sat before him, chipping away at a random stick with a dagger and flinging the wood chips into the campfire in front of him.


    The night was large and dark, the brilliant but dim silver moonlight barely peeking through the mushroom canopy above the Ultimatum Squad.


    They all sat around this single campfire. Silent conversation occurred here and there, but the air was mostly filled with exhaustion.


    Around him was a forest of large mushrooms ranging from 2 to 200 feet tall, each one a different shade of blue, purple, and red--with white spots coating its ceiling.


    Large light bugs the size of cats buzzed through the air, their heads lighting up like glowfish at the bottom of the sea.


    "Mycelia is only 7 hours away. We should get there by dawn at this pace." Urvil said, tending to her rabbit-on-a-stick over the fire.


    "That''s if we don''t get ambushed by another pack of Shroom Dogs..." Hanzo replied, lying beside the fire with a book over his face.


    ''I wouldn''t mind that actually. They gave me pretty decent EXP.'' Tyr thought to himself, opening up his status menu.


    ©³©¥©¥©¥Status©¥©¥©¥©·


    Name: Tyr Evolion Thalonis


    Bloodline: Almighty Thalonis + Unknown


    Age: 15 Years


    Level: 48


    Vitality: 28/28


    Strength: 33


    Stamina: 30/30


    Speed: 28


    Aura: --


    [Stats remaining: 0


    Rank: --


    ©»©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¿


    ''Im damn close... only two more levels and a lot of things will go my way. Im hoping I get a good spell and Ancestral Ability. There''s also more memories to come I have to think about.''


    The idea of receiving these memories was nothing shy of concerning. Still, Tyr wanted to figure out everything about his past.


    Especially now that he had traveled so far in Subworld.


    During the past several weeks, Tyr had seen many things on his travels. Various aspects of land resembled Earth, like forests and mountains.


    But, there were also regions like the mushroom forest he was in right now that he had never expected to see.


    The more he traveled and saw these incredible scenes, the more he wanted to continue adventuring.


    His boring life of old was now just a distant memory. He was in a fantasy world now! Like any human, he wanted to explore! He wanted to see all parts of this world.


    Just thinking about seeing all of these new things excited him.


    Not just the new natural environments, but the new foods, people, creatures, Aura spells, and more. It all exhilarated him beyond belief!


    "Isn''t it great?" Tyr said, a smile on his face, "This world is so vast."


    The others randomly stared at him as if he was a weirdo. After a few seconds though, their expressions mellowed.


    "You could say that." Hanzo replied, chuckling slightly at the boy''s remark. He continued: "They say there are so many biomes out there that no one has conquered them all. So many planets out there that no one has seen them all."


    "Isn''t it exciting?" Tyr questioned, causing Hanzo and Jonas to smile most of all.


    Everyone stopped talking for a while, letting the noise of the fire popping and clicking soothe the atmosphere.


    "I didn''t have a concrete goal in this life... but I think I''ve found one now." Tyr''s eyes sparkled in the fire as he spoke, his pupils dancing with real hope and aspiration.


    "I want to travel the world. See everything that there is to see, and do everything fun that there is to do."


    Everyone was a bit taken aback by his statement.


    Cyllia found herself lost in thought. Urvil smiled warmly. Yurin gazed up at the stars, his fists clenched. Jonas shook his head, wondering about the possibilities.


    Hanzo stared at Tyr, ''Those eyes...'' He couldn''t help but be reminded of his younger brother.


    A memory kicked into his head. Several years ago, his brother had said something similar when he was just 5 years of age.


    "I want to run across the world! I want to see everyone''s faces!" These were the words that Hanzo''s younger brother had told him.


    ''I remember back then, there was nothing more that I wanted than to give my family the world. To make their dreams come true. To give my mother the medicine she needed to heal from her chronic illness and to carry my brother on my shoulders across the entire world so that his smile would never fade.''


    And now, he saw a similar smile on Tyr''s face.


    "That childish, crazy dream of being free to do whatever you want. It isn''t really possible in a world like this, Tyr." Hanzo said, sitting up.


    "Huh? Why not?"


    "I''m sure you can understand... Drance, and even Seris for that matter is a very civilized nation. It''s small and weak, yet civilized. Outside, however, there are lands where getting to see sunlight itself is what people kill each other for. There are cruel people out there, whose whole purpose in life is to destroy other people''s dreams."


    The others looked at Hanzo with squinted eyes of ponderance as he spoke.


    "I know what you mean, Hanzo."


    Tyr paused.


    ''Im not a child... I''ve lived even longer than Hanzo when adding up my life on Earth. I know the greed and malice in people, but on that planet, there is no special thing that can solve everyone''s problems. There''s no escape for the average worker, the single parent, or the abandoned child. There is no hope, no Aura. But this is no Earth...


    Subworld is a magical place. Here, I can do things that I never even imagined were possible back on Earth. If I can''t live my life to the fullest on this planet, then what''s the god damn point?''


    "Here, I have a choice..." Tyr said out loud but meant it to himself.


    The others looked at him, Hanzo retorting with slight confusion: "You have a choice?"


    "If they won''t let me, then I''ll just do it anyways," Tyr said, his eyes calm yet raging with conviction deep inside.


    His words were so simple, yet they impacted everyone sitting around the campfire that night in unique ways.


    His words were the same ones that caused all great civilizations to prevail.


    Each child born into a new generation broke away from their parent''s ideals, wanting to forge a new life for themselves and therefore continuing an endless path of discovery and change throughout human history.


    Each new idea created a spur of more thoughts and theories that were the genesis of all technology.


    Each time a barrier was broken, a new one was placed by the next era.


    This was Tyr''s breakthrough.


    Tyr chuckled, "If they try to stop me, I''ll just get strong enough to the point where they have no other choice!" He truly believed those words. He had to since he was going to bet his entire life on it!


    ''That will be my new purpose. I will be unbound.''

 Chapter 45: Journey

    Throughout the past several weeks, Tyr and the other members of Ultimatum traveled out of Seris and into a very small and remote kingdom called Mycopolis: the home of mushrooms.


    Before arriving at Mycopolis, however, Ultimatum took on its fair share of troubles on its journey.


    Many of these troubles were placed upon themselves. As they stopped by small villages and cities in Seris, they took on small quests here and there.


    Defeating beasts, tending to crops, helping high-status people travel through states. Tending to crops was done by Tyr only, by the way, since he had to up his Hunter Rank.


    "Tsk... I can''t believe Im the only one that has to do this." Tyr thought to himself, picking up shit-covered haybales as he placed them into horse-feeding troughs.


    His sleeves were rolled up, mud all over his face as he imagined his other group members hanging out at some brothel or whatever.


    He shook his head, placing the haybale into the feeding trough before suddenly getting his hair chomped on by a horse.


    "Argh! What the fuck!? That isn''t hay, let go you stupid long-faced bastard!"


    ...


    Tyr continued to work, ''Even though I did well on the exam, they only made me a C Rank Hunter. This mission Hanzo invited me on is an A+ Rank, which apparently means I have to be at least an A Rank Hunter if I want to participate in it. This usually isn''t the case in quests, but anything A+ Rank and above is an entirely new ballgame.


    You need multiple S Class Hunter''s to be able to take an A+ Rank dungeon or quest down.''


    He wasn''t very excited about what he had to do, but it wasn''t like there was much of a choice.


    As the days of traveling continued, Tyr advanced in his Hunter Rank gradually.


    It took them multiple days sometimes to arrive at their next city, but each time they landed they made sure to make Tyr do a few harder quests around the place to earn the right to rank up as a Hunter.


    Unfortunately for him, ranking up wasn''t easy whatsoever.


    It wasn''t just some random power grade that determined his score, but rather a clergy member or high magistrate figure of a town that would assert his next rank depending on his previous missions and what not.


    After two months, Tyr got to B Rank. They also left Seris, venturing out into a light mushroom forest biome.


    The biome quickly became thick and expansive however as they dove deeper in.


    Finding villages was even more rare in Mycopolis since the Moosh people of the kingdom were more closed into their culture themselves and not particularly nice to outsiders.


    Only in more populated and prosperous villages were there any sign of Humans, and even there it was hard to get a decent quest.


    Still, whenever they could find a place to stop and get a new quest thats exactly what they did for Tyr.


    Tyr worked tirelessly, not wanting to let his team down. He had grown very close to them through this time.


    He had gone through trails and tribulations, near death scenarios that were so crazy that they all laughed about it in the end.


    To everyone in his party, Tyr felt more like they were his family than anyone back on Earth except for his grandfather of course.


    He also leveled up along the way, his body strengthening while his brain became blistered and brittle.


    Above all, Tyr respected the experience he got out of it... although he knew he would never want to do all of it again if he had a choice.


    At this current moment, Tyr and the others sat around the campfire after traveling for 6 days without a single Moosh town or village in sight.


    This was the longest distance between any town in both Seris and Mycopolis, but it was going to be worth it.


    Why? Well, where Tyr and the others were headed was no joke. Mycelia, the city of quests. It was known as the Hunter''s den due to the fact that it was surrounded by such a dangerous array of beasts.


    Many hunters took post there, ranking up their class by taking on the multitude of quests that would come in each day due to the high number of beast attacks around the place.


    But of course, this came with its own downsides.


    "I can''t believe im still not A Rank..." Tyr exclaimed, sighing as he laid back on Rudra who was behind him. It felt like falling into a sea of warm marshmellows.


    "I think you are." Jonas replied, "We just haven''t tested it for a while. Let''s see what they tell you in Mycelia." sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Yeah... hopefully. If not, I won''t be able to do the quest." Tyr replied, crossing his fingers metaphorically.


    "Im just happy they chose to specifically ask for Ultimatum. Thanks to Hanzo, its name has been spread all over Seris and it has even spilled over into other kingdoms." Cyllia chuckled as she played with the campfire charcoal with a stick.


    "Nah... we all made that happen. Don''t just give all the credit to me." Hanzo replied, his tone a bit nonchalant.


    Cyllia was a bit taken aback to hear this, as if she hadn''t thought of it that way before.


    "I-I guess you''re right. We all played a part." She said, pausing for a moment before saying, "This is really the oppurtuinity of a lifetime. The prize is 35,000 gold after all."


    "Yeah, split that into 6 and we have ourselves enough money to live lavishly for a while." Jonas said with a grin on his face.


    "I still can''t believe that''s a real possibility... its crazy to imagine how much a single person is willing to pay for their safety," Tyr exclaimed, gazing at everyone''s expressions.


    ''It''s clear that everyone is excited for this quest. It truly is life-changing. I imagine a few of them may quit being a Hunter all together after this quest...'' Tyr thought to himself.


    ''Apparently, all we have to do is help a Royal go through a large dungeon that has been discovered near Mycelia. This Royal bought the rights to the dungeon quickly, and now wants the best of the best Hunter''s in the region to help him. Since he already bought the rights to the dungeon, we can''t participate in its rewards. But still, the 35,000 gold prize is quite enough for us.''


    "5833 gold huh? That aint enough for me whatsoever!" Yurin suddenly blurted, "I gotta keep going until I have at least 10,000 in my hands. That''s the life goal! After that, I can spend the rest of my time leisurely, doing whatever I want." He declared in a joking manner.


    "Yeah well, try and make sure to actually complete the quest and not die in the process first," Hanzo replied as the entire squad broke out into a heap of laughter.


    "I think its time we sleep." Tyr exclaimed, closing his eyes.


    "Sounds like a plan..." Cyllia replied.


    Hanzo was the last to speak: "We will wake up early tommorow and arrive at Mycelia. Be ready for any crazy antics... it''s the meeting place of the strongest Hunters in the South of our continent after all..."

 Chapter 46: Blockage

    "If yerr''s want ta'' cross over this here side of the forest, yerr''s gonna have ta'' pay up!" Screamed a grizzly-looking bandit. He wore clothing that resembled a pirate. His left eye was patched up and his right leg was a piece of wood.


    He had a large belly that peeked out from underneath his stained tunic and a black coat overtop that was ripped to shreds.


    He was in the middle of a small pathway between a thick mushroom forest, the fungi forcing all entry and exit through only this one path.


    There were dozens of smaller bandits wearing roguish clothing standing behind him and also to the side, blocking anyone from going around the side past them.


    200 feet in front of the big bandit was a fairly long line of various carts carrying goods, carriages holding people, travel mounts, and other types of transportation vehicles.


    Tyr and his squad were directly at the center of this line of vehicles, which numbered into the dozens.


    He rode atop Rudra, Hanzo riding on his floating Jetski-looking vehicle while the others rode inside of a metallic, futuristic-looking car with three giant exhaust pipes at the back of it and wheels that radiated in mellow colors.


    A few people inside of a carriage a few carts behind Tyr''s group stuck their head out of the carriage window, "What''s with the commotion!? Why did we all suddenly stop!" A young man screamed, slamming his fist against the carriage he was in.


    More and more angry shouts began to sound as people''s patience grew thin.


    Tyr was also confused, taking Rudra out of the line slightly and to the side to catch a glimpse of what was happening in front.


    Hanzo and the others kept an eye on him as he squinted his eyes and looked at the front of the line.


    There, he saw the big bandit and his goons. A hundred or so feet further than even that guy, however, Tyr saw a giant metropolis of mushroom buildings behind a small wall of wooden spikes.


    There were giant mushroom skyscrapers with several floors, all of low technology when it came to electrical work, but still mesmerizing to gaze upon. They were like tree houses, all interconnected through a complex array of wood-rope bridges.


    Tyr''s eyes lit up as he saw all of this. He wanted to get a fine look at the smaller structures that mostly populated the town, but also understood that he had to get closer in order to do so.


    He then focused his eyes back on the bandit. ''This guy''s the thing stopping me from doing what I want.'' He said to himself.


    ''I already made myself a promise.'' He thought back to what he declared to himself last night.


    ''I will be unbound.'' These were his own words forged into his own mind.


    With his internal command, Rudra began to walk forward and cut the others in the path.


    "Tyr!" Hanzo shouted, but Tyr didn''t turn his back. Instead, the boy simply gave a thumbs up to him.


    Hanzo scoffed, chuckling in disbelief. ''This guy...'' He didn''t know what to say.


    ''If I don''t stick to my word, then what kind of man am I?'' Tyr thought to himself as Rudra''s pace increased until eventually turning into a full-blown sprint.


    Other people in carts and carriages noticed him, blurting out words in the various feelings of shock, confusion, and anger invoked in them from his actions:


    "Hey! What the hell was that!?"


    "Was that a beast?"


    "Oi! Don''t skip in line! We''ve been waiting for a while!"


    Tyr ignored all of these words, leaping all the way to the front of the line. Rudra''s feet landed heavily on the dirt path, dust flying a few feet into the air.


    Finally, Rudra slowed to a jog as he got closer to the bandit.


    The fat bandit raised a brow, putting his hand on his gun holster as he scanned the creature approaching him.


    "What''s that?" He said under his breath.


    "Sir Tearch, I believe that''s a Polaris Tiger. They are a strong speci--" Another bandit attempted to answer him, but the fat bandit wasn''t in the mood to hear all that crap right now.


    "Shut up, weakling! Go find out for yerr'' self!" The fat bandit addressed as ''Tearch'' exclaimed, pushing the smaller rogue stumbling forward.


    He slowed to a walk, continuing to move forward. He turned only to see the malicious eyes of his leader behind him. He had no choice but to continue, so he ironed his resolve as much as he could and slowly inched forward.


    The giant beast got about 50 feet away from the bandit line, and 10 feet away from the sole scout bandit sent out as a sacrifice, and stopped. S~ea??h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Stay here," Tyr said, hopping off of the tiger as he walked forward. His struts were fast and confident.


    As he got closer to the sole bandit, the criminal slammed his eyes shut in fear and froze in place--like a porcupine closing in on itself.


    Tyr, however, fully ignored him and continued moving forward. He saw no point in fighting a man who had already given up.


    Instead, his eyes were locked on to the fat bandit.


    "Oi oi oi!" Tearch screamed, black spit flying out from his mouth from all the tobacco he was chewing. He unholstered his gun, shooting the large pistol into the air three times.


    The sound of the bullets was loud, making even some of Tearch''s goons flinch slightly.


    "Looks like we ave'' ere'' a sacrificial lamb! Perfect!" He laughed in a hoarse voice, "What are yerr'' gonner'' der''? Try and get past meh''!?" He paused:


    "Huak tuah!" He spit out a ball of saliva and tobacco, wiping his mouth as his expression suddenly turned serious. His chin lowered, his eyes tight and thin.


    Hanzo appeared in front of the cart that was at the front of the line. He was carrying Cyllia on his ride with him.


    "I''m sure he had it under control," Hanzo exclaimed, as though unbothered.


    "No! What if he gets hurt? We have to at least be here as backup!" Cyllia replied, sounding genuinely worried.


    "Yeah yeah..."


    The other people in line also left their carts and carriages to witness this fight. It was a natural instinct to group up and look at a brawl go down!


    Tearch''s bandits formed a tighter line beside their leader so that Tyr could not get through.


    They interlocked their daggers, creating an even stronger guard.


    Tearch saw this and smirked slightly, "How are ye'' gonna get through? There''s no hope for yerr''..."


    Tyr got about 15 feet away from the fat bandit, his expression stoic and his jaw clenched.


    "Who said I was trying to get through?" Tyr exclaimed, ''Blink Step.''


    Tearch''s left brow raised in confusion as soon as he heard what Tyr said, but then his brows furrowed in shock as the boy suddenly appeared mere inches from his face.


    ''Hypnosis.'' Tyr said in his head, moving his pupils left to right as the fat bandit immediately fell into a thick daze.


    The other bandits nearby Tearch put their guards up even more, the speed of the boy intimidating them slightly.


    "Get on your hands and knees."


    As the bandits heard this, they paused for a millisecond--their eyes bouncing off of each other before breaking out into a laugh.


    "Did you hear what he said?"


    "Pahaha! He said get on your kne--"


    However, thier laughter instantly stopped. Instead, it was replaced with pale faces and large frowns. After a millisecond of delay, Tearch got down to his knees. He then placed his hands on the floor like a dog.


    Tyr raised his right leg, stomping the fat bandit''s head into the ground. ''I guess there''s a slight delay with Hypnosis since it''s a human...'' He thought to himself.

 Chapter 47: Mycelia

    Tyr rubbed his foot, digging Tearch''s face into the ground some more.


    A few surprised laughs and dramatic noises of astonishment sounded from the crowd of people behind Tyr standing outside of their vehicles.


    "Haha... hahaha! Look at that! He just stomped on his head!"


    "What!? Where? Let me see!"


    "What the hell am I looking at?"


    "Did that bastard willingly oblige to that!?"


    Hanzo furrowed his brows, ''That was the same look on the Polaris Tiger''s eyes before Tyr tamed it somehow... just what is that ability?'' He questioned, impressed.


    The other bandits were at a loss, their eyes as wide as planets and their jaws gaped to the floor.


    "H-hey... this guy. He kind of resembles the brat who took down Bilweif."


    "W-what?"


    "Wait a minute..."


    A few bandits exclaimed, their eyes dancing in realization as they slowly began to back up.


    "Ack! Argh!" Tearch got back to his senses, spitting out the dirt in his mouth as he slid his head out below Tyr''s feet.


    "Boss! This guy! He''s the guy in the wanted poster!" A bandit yelled at that moment.


    "What?" Tearch questioned, turning slightly in confusion.


    "The one we saw in Seris! In the black market!" Another one yelled.


    "Errgg..." Tearch slowly turned to face Tyr, wiping the dirt off of his lips, "I don''t care. I don''t care about any of that... I will torture this son of a bitch to death if its the last thing I do." His eyes were lowered and seething with hatred as he slowly got onto his knees and began to stand.


    "Oh? Where did your accent go? Were you faking it this whole time?" Tyr questioned with a smug look on his face.


    "Shut up!" Tearch screamed, "I''ll teach you today why they call me king of the south!" He nearly rose to his feet.


    The bandits behind him were in slight awe at those words, their hopes having risen. That was the reason why they joined his brigade in the first place. According to Tearch, he had a fearsome background.


    "Oh?" Tyr exclaimed, ''Hypnosis.'' He said again as the fat bandit froze before getting fully up to his feet.


    ''I wonder what else is fake on this guy.'' Tyr mused, grabbing the bandit''s hair and roughly pulling on it.


    Out of nowhere, it all came off as a wig, revealing the fat bandit bald head that glimmered in the sunlight.


    "Just like I thought. I knew it looked fake..." Tyr was used to seeing fake wigs all the time where he used to work back on Earth.


    The bandits around the fatty gasped in shock and almost horror at what they were seeing.


    "W-what the hell?"


    "He''s bald?"


    "Who is this guy?"


    They began to doubt. The onlookers from afar were simply dying of laughter. Even Hanzo couldn''t controll himself, bursting out into a whole-hearted laugh as he clutched his stomach.


    "PAHAHAH!"


    "You mother fucker!" Tearch screamed out of nowhere, staring at Tyr as he lunged at the boy.


    ''Hypnosis. When will this guy learn?'' He thought to himself, unimpressed at the stupidity.


    Tearch froze again. Tyr exhaled some breath, clenching his jaw. He reached for his spear.


    ''Now for the harder part...''


    As the bandits looked in awe and confusion, and the crowd was dying of amusement, Tyr swung his spear across the fat bandit''s face.


    It cut through like butter, cleaving half of the man''s face swiftly. The upper half slowly slid off before dropping to the floor--revealing his bloody face cavities and half of his still-moving brain.


    ''Kill bad guys... get EXP.'' Tyr said to himself as Tearch''s body slumped down onto the floor. He cleaned his blade on the clothing of the man before sheathing it behind his back.


    [You have slain Tippy Ballsack (Apprentice Rank Human).]


    [You leveled up!]


    ''Jeez... he faked his name too? Fair enough though... I would have done the same if my parents named me that.'' Tyr turned, walking away from the rest of the bandits.


    [Strength: 33-->34]


    [Speed: 28-->29]


    He patted the sole bandit out on the path on the shoulder--causing the scrawny guy to stumble forward--his eyes locking onto the fat bandit in shock.


    Tyr got back on top of Rudra, "Hanzo! Let''s go on first."


    The onlookers stared at the young man addressed as ''Hanzo.''


    Hanzo looked back at the crowd: "Are you all going to try to stop us?" He asked, not wanting to bother himself with it.


    "Stop you? Hell, cut the line all you want!"


    "Dude! That was a hell of a show!" S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Multiple people came up closer to Tyr.


    "Who are you?"


    "Thanks for stopping that motherfucker... he was getting out of hand."


    "What''s your name? I gotta remember it."


    ...


    Tyr couldn''t help but feel a weird tickle deep inside his stomach. It made him smile as if he was actually getting tickled.


    The feeling was short but addictive.


    "My name huh? Its Tyr." The boy riding the large tiger exclaimed.


    "Tyr? That''s it?"


    "Whats your full name!"


    ''Full name huh? Tyr Evolion Thalonis... giving them the whole spiel will probably be too melodramatic.''


    "Tyr... Evolion. My name is Tyr Evolion."


    "Tyr Evolion..."


    "I see, thank you again!"


    "Tyr..."


    "Tyr."


    "Tyr..."


    Several murmurs spread through the crowd.


    "Evolion huh?" Hanzo exclaimed, "Even I didn''t know that. I''ve just called you Tyr for so long I don''t even know your full name."


    "Haha... right," Tyr exclaimed, turning Rudra around.


    ''Master, why didn''t you give them your full name?'' Rudra inquired at that moment, curious.


    ''Oh... I don''t know. I just didn''t feel like it I guess. But, who cares. It''s not like it matters. Whatever name I have, I''ll make it so that whenever someone hears it, they are impressed!''


    After a minute or so, Ultimatum''s futuristic car arrived to the front of the line. After Cyllia got inside of it, Rudra and Hanzo led the vehicle through the bandits--who were mostly disbanded by now--and toward Mycelia.


    After getting past the guards at the small wooden-spike wall entrance, they were met with an incredible scene.


    This place really was like no other. Situated deep within a dense forest, it thrived beneath the canopy of ancient mushrooms, hidden from the prying eyes of the outside world. The entire city was an intricate network of fungi, from the smallest toadstools to towering mushrooms that resembled trees themselves.


    The ground was carpeted in a thick layer of moss and fungi, creating a soft, springy surface to walk on.


    Glowing bioluminescent mushrooms dotted the landscape, casting an ethereal light that illuminated the city in a perpetual twilight.


    The air was thick with the earthy scent of mushrooms and the faint, sweet aroma of decomposing wood.


    Mushroom houses of various shapes and sizes formed the residential areas, their walls made from sturdy fungal stems and their roofs covered in colorful caps. Some homes were built into the sides of giant mushrooms, while others sprouted directly from the ground.


    As Tyr looked around, he noticed the inhabitants of the city: Moosh''s. He had seen them before as well, of course, but never in such a dense capacity. This was the capital of Mycopolis, after all.


    At first glance, they were a diverse group of mushroom folk, ranging from tiny, sprightly toadstool sprites to tall, wise myconids. They resembled humans for the most part, except their hair was made of mushrooms and their skin was light blue, green, or purple--with various darker colored spots on them sometimes.


    Their skin was sometimes also undiscernible from human skin, except they were of course made of fungi.


    They also had small mushrooms growing on their elbows and shoulders.


    After moving through the city on foot for a few minutes, Tyr and the others encountered a bustling town center revolving around a single enormous mushroom.


    The place was packed with humans, moosh''s, and also other unique species that Tyr had never seen before.


    At the heart of it all, however, was a single establishment buzzing with the most people that had a sign over its entrance:


    "Centerguard Hunter''s Guild."


    On arriving a few feet away from the building''s entrance, Tyr sucked in a deep breath and took a large step forward...

 Chapter 48: Trouble

    The inside was batshit crazy.


    Ultimatum made their way into the establishment and through the dense group of people standing in between the aisles.


    There didn''t seem to be a single area that was free from mooshs and humans alike, along with a few shorter stumpier beings that resembled dwarf''s walking around as well.


    Everyone was drunk, holding their own jugs of rum and booze as they waltzed around the place.


    Drinks were being thrown everywhere, laughter and conversation filling up the atmosphere.


    Waiters were rushing through the people in the aisles, attempting to not spill their drinks amidst the chaos.


    The six finally made it to the front of the house where a large bar table was being tended by 6 moosh bartenders.


    Hanzo was leading the group. He slammed his fist on the bar table as he finally got there.


    "Fuck! This is why I hate coming here every time... its such a mess." He said under his breath, heavily irritated.


    Cyllia and Urvil chuckled at his despair.


    "Moal!" Hanzo abruptly yelled, causing one of the bartenders to stop making drinks and walk to where the short human was.


    "Hanzo! Long time to see buddy!" The moosh said to Hanzo, a bright smile on his light green face. He was a tall moosh wearing a waistcoat.


    "Skip the formalities, I''m too tired for that shit right now. We''re here for the Truid Dungeon Quest. The one sent by Rock Saelfine''s Royal." Hanzo replied with an unimpressed look on his face.


    "No problem, it''s probably been a long travel. Lord Michel Gallallof will arrive in two days. You all should rest until then. Your flat is 102 Shroomtop." Moal said, handing over 5 small golden tablets.


    Hanzo took them, but raised a brow: "5? Don''t you see there''s 6 of us here?"


    "6?" Moal replied, moving his head left and right to see who was a part of Hanzo''s group, "No... there''s only 5 that I see."


    Hanzo turned, ''Tsk...'' He thought to himself as he reached for Tyr.


    However, his hand was met with air as he realized that Tyr wasn''t where he was just a second ago.


    "Huh? Where the hell did he go?" Hanzo turned, talking under his breath: "Nothing is going my way..." He clenched his jaw in anger.


    Out of nowhere, he grabbed Moal by the collar and pulled him close.


    The moosh shrieked in fear, his chin tucking into his neck as he got pulled inches away from Hanzo''s face.


    "Give me another one." Hanzo said to the moosh before letting him go and turning to face his group. He handed them 4 tablets.


    "You all can go do whatever you want. I''ll get Tyr." He said as the others rejoiced and began their leave.


    "Hey," Jonas was the only one to stay behind. Hanzo turned to face him. "Make sure he doesn''t get in trouble. He already stirred some news up with the Black Merchant Guild. The only reason they don''t have him cornered in some basement right now is because we quickly left Drance and have been on the move for months now." Jonas said with a serious look.


    "I know." Hanzo replied simply. Jonas left shortly after this, and Hanzo received another golden tablet before starting his search for the boy.


    ***


    "Of course I can think like a human! What kind of question is that? Are you some racist!? Douden left that ideology behind ages ago! Get with the times you bastard!" A very short-looking man yelled at Tyr, spilling his drink slightly in anger. S§×arch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    They were on a completely different side of the establishment right now.


    The short man wore a beanie and a blacksmith''s clothing. Tyr assumed he was a dwarf at first sight. He had a long brown beard and thick eyelashes with a big round nose and brass skin.


    "Douden? What''s that?" Tyr questioned, curious.


    "The Kingdom of Dwarfs!" The dwarf replied angrily.


    A drunk moosh walking by heard the conversation, "We aren''t in Douden right now you fool!" He yelled out of nowhere before moving on.


    "W-what did you say? Screw you, mushroom boy! You got brains in that soft head of yours or is it more fungi!?" The dwarf suddenly yelled.


    Tyr was taken aback, "Huh? I thought you said you gave up racism where you''re from." He quipped with a bit of humor.


    The dwarf abruptly turned to face Tyr, "Screw you too, hairless monkey!" He harrumped, turning before waddling away with his short legs.


    "What? You''re the same as us humans except you''re just shorter!" Tyr yelled at the dwarf as he left. The dwarf gave Tyr the middle finger behind the back before disappearing into the crowd.


    Tyr got up from his crouched position, "Jeez..." He said under his breath, "I guess the finger is a universal ''fuck you'' throughout all the planets."


    He heard a voice come from behind his shoulder at that moment, "Move." It was deep and commanding.


    Tyr turned past his shoulder to see a very tall moosh towering above him. He was wearing long white robes with golden patterns flowing down it. He was about 7ft. tall in stature.


    Before he could react, the moosh shoved past him and continued forward.


    Behind him was an entourage of 3 guards that weren''t any shorter, carrying sheathed swords and wearing iron armor.


    The tall moosh continued walking as many people nearby began to notice him. Their faces quickly contorted from happy smiles to pale frowns and fearful gazes.


    They quickly made way for the tall being, who was clearly someone of authority.


    Tyr''s body wanted to react to being disrespected, but he clenched his fist and stopped himself...


    ''I... can''t get in trouble with an official. Not when we just arrived here.'' He thought to himself, ''The others have talked about this quest like its the biggest day of their lives. I won''t ruin it for them...''


    As the crowd began to clear up for the tall moosh who was heading toward the exit, a random dwarf didn''t seem to get the memo and stood in the middle of the free path facing away from the incoming robed moosh.


    Tyr''s eyes squinted, ''That''s the guy I was just talking to...''


    On arriving close to the dwarf, the tall moosh stepped down his back.


    "Ack!" The dwarf exclaimed in pain, his drink falling out of his hands as he felt a force drive into his back and lay him flat on the floor.


    "Tsk... vile creatures." The tall moosh said outloud with a disgusted expression, walking past as his guards also stepped over the dwarf several times.


    Everyone around the area was silent. Their faces were worried, their eyes darting around cluelessly.


    Tyr''s eyebrows were furrowed in a furious rage that suddenly erupted within him. His teeth ground against each other. He couldn''t hold it in anymore.


    "Oi! Stop where you are, you tall motherfucker." He shouted across the room, garnering several head turns and shocked expressions.


    Whispers of confusion and intrigue quickly spread through the closeby crowd as the tall moosh halted.


    With an eyebrow raised, he slowly turned his head past his shoulder, "Huh?" He said in a low tone, a side of his lip raised in disdain.

 Chapter 49: Prick

    "Did he seriously just say that?"


    "Oh my god..."


    "Who is that guy?"


    "It''s happened again... poor fool."


    "He doesn''t know where he is."


    "Who does he think he is, talking to Lord Mano like that!?"


    More and more murmurs flooded the area. As this happened, the eyes on the drama began to grow as well--word quickly spreading.


    "What did you just say to me?" The tall moosh addressed as ''Mano,'' said, turning around fully.


    "You heard me. Stop right there." Tyr said, his gaze as sharp as a viper.


    One of the tall moosh guards looked at another beside him. The other one nodded downwards, and the original one nodded in Tyr''s direction before they both started to move toward the boy in unison.


    However, they stopped as Mano raised his hand in front of him.


    "No... I''ll handle this. Moosh''s of this city understand how to behave, they are quite well trained like the dogs they are. But... these new skins still have some lessons to learnt." The moosh said, raising his chin toward Tyr:


    "Stop and do what, exactly?" He questioned.


    "Stop... and apologize." As Tyr said this, the crowd gasped a bit more in astonishment. Their whispers became louder and more pronounced.


    "Apologize?" Mano suddenly smirked, "How amusing... and what should I, Prince of this very city in which you so carelessly waltz, apologize for exactly?"


    "Apologize for bumping into me, you prick." Tyr retorted, not giving a shit about the consequences anymore. He was human, after all. There was an extent to how much he could tolerate.


    "Fuck you and your bloodline. I don''t give a shit if you''re the prince or a homeless bum, you don''t get to push past me."


    "HUH!?"


    "Did he really just--??"


    "Ahahah!"


    "Did I just hear that correctly!?"


    There was a mix of reactions in the crowd, but above all, pure shock was a good way to describe it.


    Mano paused, his guards looking at him with slightly concerned expressions.


    He didn''t seem to be bothered by the reactions around him, but he didn''t say anything either, creating a tense atmosphere as the crowd calmed down from Tyr''s rebuttal.


    After 10 seconds of silence, he took a step forward and swept the dwarf up from the ground.


    "Wha--? No! Im sorry! Please! Let me go, im sorry Lord!" The dwarf screamed, his hands and feet flailing in the air as he was lifted into the air.


    Tyr''s eyes narrowed: "What are you--" He attempted to say, but the words that were about to come out of his mouth halted due to shock.


    Out from Mano''s hand grew a sharp and round spike of hardened fungi. It pierced through the dwarf''s chest, causing his small swinging arms and legs to abruptly collapse.


    Blood from the strike splatted all over the ground in front of Mano, a few drops reaching inches from Tyr''s feet.


    "Insects!" Mano abruptly shouted, garnering the attention of most of the entire building by now. Heads darted over, expressions filled with confusion and worry.


    His hateful gaze swept through the crowd as he lifted the dwarf''s body into the air:


    "Remember where you stand! You are all insects here in my domain! Do not step out of line, or in my way!"


    "That''s it... I''ve had enough of your bull shit." Tyr said under his breath, liquid rage surging through his veins.


    ''Soul Mend: Polaris Tiger.''


    His body began to transform as Mano''s head made its way around to face him again.


    ''Blink Step.''


    Tyr appeared in front of the large moosh out of nowhere, his spear already in hand. He had a ferocious look on his face with no thoughts other than to kill.


    Through the months of traveling, Tyr had gained much more control over his mind and physical abilities while using Soul Mend.


    On top of that, after training with Yurin and the others, his physical skills had skyrocketed. His stats had grown as well, of course, but his technique and fighting prowess had grown in even more impressive amounts.


    Mano inhaled sharply, attempting to back away as he noticed the boy summon in front of him:


    ''Fast!'' He managed to think to himself as Tyr thrust his spear forward.


    Despite attempting to move, the moosh found himself thrown off by Tyr''s sudden burst of speed.


    Mano''s eyes panned down to his stomach, where Tyr''s spear had already made contact with his skin: ''Im... too slow.''


    Tyr''s spear nearly punctured through the moosh''s side abdomen--but barely missed as a guard pushed the tall fungi to the side.


    Tyr retracted his spear, managing to at least punch the moosh in the the stomach. The blow was hard enough to send him falling onto his rear.


    "Get away!" One of the guards abruptly screamed, slashing at Tyr with his sword and driving the young man back.


    The guard''s eyes were expanded, he was in a state of shock at what he had just seen.


    The two other guards quickly ran to Mano''s aid, kneeling beside him as they shouted: "Young Lord! Are you alright!?"


    "Stay strong! We have capsules!"


    The guard facing Tyr stormed forward, "How could you think to do such a foolish thing!? You barbarian!"


    "The only barbarian is you and your master!" Tyr screamed, his rage amplified even further due to his animalistic form.


    Despite having gained more control over Polaris Tiger Soul Mend, Tyr''s ability to speak was still slightly hindered because his brain had less of a filtering system.


    This meant that he blurted whatever he felt at the moment without much of a way to stop it. Of course, he wasn''t forced to speak whenever in this form, but since he was so angry he couldn''t help himself. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Confront me! I''ll butcher every one of you!" Tyr roared, sprinting forward with his spear before clashing with the guard.


    They exchanged several blows, but Tyr was quickly forced on his back leg.


    ''He''s strong... they wouldn''t just have some weakling guarding the Prince.'' Tyr thought to himself, battling while moving backward.


    "You will be punished!" The guard screamed as he slashed Tyr''s spear out of his hand. It flew across the room, spinning in the air like a fan before digging into a wall.


    With a quick and fluid motion, the guard raised his blade and thrust it down toward Tyr''s head.


    Tyr''s Blink Step cooldown was not finished yet, and this sword was coming down at an immense speed that he couldn''t avoid.


    ''Tsk!'' Tyr''s blind went blank for a second. As the blade came a foot away from his face, a red arrow suddenly appeared from the distance.


    *CLANG*


    The guard''s blade was flung out of his hand and sent flying upwards before its tip dug into the ceiling, halting its momentum.

 Chapter 50: Consequences

    All heads turned to face the direction where the arrow had come from, including the guard attacking Tyr and also Tyr himself.


    Hanzo calmly stepped forward, lowering his bow as he spoke in a joyful tone: "Now now, gents, no need to turn into savages." His eyes were closed and a slight smile was on his lips.


    Despite his friendly look, the sharp burst of killing intent that had shown itself in the millisecond of when his arrow was shot made everyone jump on edge.


    The guard that was fighting Tyr a second ago had his brows raised in surprise, ''Thats... Hanzo Elec of Skyfall Hunter Guild. What is he doing here? If this kid is a part of his group... that will spell some trouble.'' He thought to himself, gulping.


    Tyr turned back into his normal human form, "Savages? What was savage was that bastard murdering that Dwarf for no reason." He said in a loud tone.


    "Yes, I admit, it was... distasteful. But we are all here for the betterment of everyone''s situations, right?" Hanzo said to the crowd but zoned his gaze in onto Tyr, whom he really meant the question towards. S§×ar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''I know you''re angry... but messing with nobility like this isn''t an easy deal. Just let it go for now, Tyr. We have more important things to focus on.'' Hanzo said inside of his head, hoping his eyes would convey his thoughts.


    Despite Tyr still being angry, he understood Hanzo''s intentions.


    "Jail!" Mano''s voice suddenly shrieked from the ground, his tone high-pitched and girly.


    He pointed his finger at Tyr as he yelled: "For life! Jail for life, torture him until he rots!" He was panting, his eyes crazed and his expression ugly.


    His guards were hesitant as Hanzo''s gaze was over them all.


    "Well... lets consider things..." One of them said under his breath.


    "Yeah, it would be rash to move so far." Another added.


    Mano''s brows furrowed in bewilderment as he heard this from his own men.


    "What? What are you all saying!? Have you gone mad? I am your God! Follow my rul--" He began to scream, but was abruptly cut off by Hanzo.


    "Hey! They could be atheists for all you know! Hahaha!" He said in a light-hearted, but loud way, to cut off the young moosh.


    "What?" Mano questioned, genuinely confused.


    "Listen, that young man who punched you is with me," Hanzo began to speak, walking to where Mano was before crouching down so that they were face to face and only a few feet away from each other.


    "What you did today was take the life of his close friend..."


    Hanzo''s tone, look, and demeanor were all kind and jovial, but the way he he carried himself and his sheer presence was enough to incite terror in the heart of the moosh on the floor.


    Mano''s lips began to subconsciously quiver in fear as Hanzo continued to speak.


    "That''s quite the offense... and for that, he lashed out and punched you. I''d say the score is pretty heavily weighed on your side, so how about we go with a normal sentencing for a punch ey? What''s that? An hour or so in jail?"


    Even the guards and the people around Hanzo felt his power oozing out from him simply in the way he spoke and the confidence in his eyes.


    Mano had recognized the figure a few seconds ago, but his anger drove him to not care about who Hanzo was at first. Now, however, he lowered his tone.


    "A week..." He whispered under his breath, looking up at Hanzo as if he was a child getting punished.


    "What was that?" Hanzo smiled, leaning in even closer to the moosh, pretending as though he couldn''t hear.


    He was now mere inch''s from Mano''s face.


    "A-a day... he has to spend at least a day in jail for his crimes." Mano''s voice was frail, but he barely managed to utter his words.


    "Ah! I see! I think that seems just about fair!" Hanzo stood up, turned, and walked toward Tyr as the crowd''s eyes followed him.


    Whispers of awe, reverence, fear, confusion, and more quickly began to spread around.


    Hanzo arrived at where Tyr was and handed him a golden tablet.


    "Here. It''s the room key to our flat. Come to us when your time is done." He said in a genuinely kind tone this time.


    From what Tyr knew about Hanzo, he wasn''t expecting this sort of reaction. He was slightly surprised: "Aren''t you angry?"


    Hanzo sighed, "It wouldn''t be right of me to be angry at a frog who visits the alligator''s world. You''re human, just like me. We aren''t flawless, Tyr... it''s okay to care for people every once in a while."


    Tyr was taken aback, impacted by those words as though they were the exact ones he needed to hear right now.


    "But... next time try to be more mindful. You shouldn''t have gotten lost in the first place you moron!" Hanzo karate chopped the top of Tyr''s dome hard, causing a bump that quickly swelled up.


    He turned, "You might as well get your Hunter Class checked before you return to the flat as well..." These were his last words before leaving the guild.


    Tyr''s face continued to face the ground, ''He really understands people''s emotions. A frog in a world of alligators huh? It''s true when he says I''m not used to such ruthless behavior.'' He looked up at that moment, facing Mano who had now gotten back up to his feet.


    ''Killing thoughtlessly is so easy for people like him. But... surely he''s inferior to me because of that. What kind of strong person kills an innocent for no reason? That''s the action of a coward, one who gains strength, whether it be through power or prestige, and uses it to try and prove their strength to others. But, a truly powerful person does not need to prove anything.''


    These were his current thoughts on the situation...


    In a few moments, he got his hands chained up by the guards. After that, he was carried away in a carriage led by a large creature that resembled a buffalo with a large red mushroom top on its head.


    He rode in the same carriage as Mano, staring the Prince down during the entire ride.


    After that, he was thrown into a dirty and dark underground jail cell beside hundreds of other hidden criminals.

 Chapter 51: Malon

    The halls of this dungeon-like underground prison consisted of other prison cells. They were dimly lit by torches every 50 or so feet. The bars were made of rusty and black iron with crazed criminals lurking inside.


    The stone floor''s crevices and cracks were filled with moss and small fungi that were beginning to grow.


    Inside the cells, it was even worse. Tyr noticed brown stains all over the floor, ''That''s either dried blood or diarrhea... hopefully the former.'' Thankfully it seemed old enough to not give a smell.


    Looking around, he noticed a wooden bucket in the corner.


    On seeing this and nothing else, he sighed: ''This is gonna be long.'' He said to himself, sitting against the wall with his feet stretched out in front of him.


    His cell thankfully was connected to a wall at the very back of the dungeon room so that he could lean against it and not have rough bars digging into his back.


    ''I''m only in here for a day... I could sleep.'' He thought to himself, jerking up to his feet.


    ''Or I could train a bit.''


    After getting put in the cage, they took the chains off his hands so he was free to at least do some basic exercises.


    He quickly got down and began to do push-ups. In this quiet, dark abyss--the inconsistent and unusual sound of slight grunting and huffing began to echo.


    "Hey! Psst!" A whisper suddenly sounded out of nowhere.


    Tyr got slightly freaked out for a second but quickly composed himself.


    ''Where the hell did that come from?'' He questioned, getting back up to his feet and turning to look at his left cell. However, he quickly turned his head back as he saw a rotting skeleton tied to a post inside of there.


    "No! Over here!" The voice whispered again, Tyr turning toward the right this time.


    He squinted his eyes as he noticed a guy who looked awfully similar to Mano sticking his nose in between the bars of his and Tyr''s cell.


    Unlike that prick, however, this guy had a genuinely kind-looking smile. Along with that, he looked to be covered from head to toe with tribal looking bright blue tattoos.


    "Mano?" Tyr exclaimed, confused at what he was seeing.


    As soon as he said this, however, an abrupt wave of whispers and murmurs washed through the entire prison cell.


    "Mano?"


    "Where!"


    "Hide!"


    "He came back!?"


    "Shh! Don''t say his name!"


    Tyr was a bit shocked by this, flinching slightly since he didn''t expect everyone to start talking.


    "Damn... that guy must be a demon in this town." Tyr said to himself.


    "You''re right, he is. Try not to say his name around here." The moosh that looked like Mano said, causing Tyr to look at him again.


    "He was the reason why most of these men are in here, including me. That selfish, arrogant, evil prick..." The moosh continued, sounding increasingly irritated the more he thought of Mano.


    "I get that, but why do you resemble him so closely?" Tyr said, walking a bit closer.


    "Oh me?" The moosh exclaimed, pointing to himself.


    "Who else would I be talking to?"


    The moosh paused:


    "Well... I''m his older brother, Malon. Nice ta'' meetcha''." He smiled.


    Tyr froze, a confused and slightly annoyed expression on his face: "W-what? How come you just bad-mouthed him so much? And why are you in jail anyway? Aren''t you a prince?"


    On hearing Tyr''s last word, the dungeon had another small spree of scared and worrisome murmurs.


    Malon looked around, turning his attention back to Tyr as the noise calmed down: "Don''t mention anything that might make people think about him... but to answer your question, no I am not of any status like the p-word. It seems you''re new here to Mycopolis, so I''ll inform you of the rules of hierarchy in the moosh world.


    When more than one son is born, the father chooses a single heir and he alone is to be honored as the p-word. The other is simply a member of the family but holds no real prestige except for the basic recognition and family ties."


    "Huh... that''s foreign," Tyr exclaimed as he thought about the system.


    "Yeah..."


    "So why him and not you? You''re the elder brother, no?"


    "Only by a week. Plus, if you were to see him you would know why. At least, that''s what people say. He''s strong, you know. If nothing else, I won''t deny him of that."


    "Strength? That''s why your father chose him? Shouldn''t he know that strength isn''t what determines whether a person is a good leader or not? I imagine you need intellect and also care for your people. That idiot doesn''t seem to have either of those qualities." Tyr said, a bit spiteful.


    "Wait a second... I just realized you have met him before." Malon said, slightly taken aback.


    "Yeah, how else would I recognize his face in yours?"


    "Haha... true." Malon scratched the back of his head as he awkwardly laughed.


    "From what I saw, not only was he not strong, but he was a damn coward. A pathetic cunt like that doesn''t even deserve to rule my toilet, let alone a city of people."


    Malon paused, sighing as he looked to the floor.


    "It wasn''t my father who picked him. My father would have hated how he turned out. And... you''re right." Malon seemed to be emotional as he spoke: "My brother doesn''t love the people of this land, far from it. He despises them, and foreigners even more so. He makes them work like dogs and tramples over them as though they are nothing but insects. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The very people who hold him up, he pushes them down. It''s not right... it''s horrible."


    Tyr took a liking to Malon''s character at that moment, ''He seems to genuinely care about his people. In his position, thats the right thing to do...''


    "Did your father die?" Tyr questioned.


    "No. He caught a chronic illness called Jooe. It impairs his ability to speak and move, and for most of the day, even his ability to think gets disturbed. We are hoping to find a cure, but until then, my uncle makes the decision. Too bad... that bastard is almost as bad as my brother."


    "What''s your Ancestral Ability, Malon?"


    The moosh looked up at Tyr, standing up from his crouched position. He was no shorter than Mano, over 7ft. in stature.


    "A far more garbage version of my brothers. Of course, family members tend to share similar Ancestral Abilities. We both can shift our bodies to create things. But his ability turned out to be a powerful offensive weapon, creating spikes from anywhere on his body, and mine..." Malon paused, raising his hand as it suddenly shifted into a hardened fungi shield.

 Chapter 52: Rage

    The shield on Malon''s arm shifted, turning into a different variant. It continued, going from a blocky square to a diamond shape, and then to a full circle. It even became several smaller shields before splitting into two and creating one large shield on each wrist.


    Malon looked at his own hands shift and transform as he spoke: "I gained control of this ability quite early on. I was a talent before my brother gained his Ancestral Ability. Even though his control over it is still not as good as mine, who would choose an idiot who can make shields over one who can make spikes..."


    "Well, I don''t care either way. As long as you''re powerful and aren''t a total piece of dog shit, you''re good in my book." Tyr retorted with his hands on his hips.


    "Yeah... we all choose you over him. You know that, Malon." A voice echoed from the cell to the left of Malon''s.


    "True..."


    "Life would be great if you were chosen." Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Lord Ma-ne would have chosen you regardless."


    "My family wouldn''t have to work in the mines."


    "Mine would still be alive..."


    More and more voices added to Malon''s comment.


    Tyr looked around, his brows furrowed as he thought to himself: ''I thought everyone here was some deranged criminal. But now that I take a closer look, most just seem to be basic citizens who pissed off that prick.'' It wasn''t amusing to see all of this around him. It kind of pissed Tyr off.


    "So... why did you call me in the first place?" He questioned, shrugging off that annoyed feeling. It wasn''t like he could do anything about it right now.


    "Eh... I''ve been in here for a month and I''ll be in here for 3 months longer. I need someone to talk to!" Malon exclaimed excitedly as though he had been deprived of conversation for ages.


    "I see..." Tyr went back to the center of his cell and continued doing push-ups.


    "I guess talking won''t hurt." He exclaimed, causing Malon''s smile to enlarge as a genuine relief washed over his pupils.


    "Perfect!"


    ...


    *The next morning*


    "And that''s how my people came to know me as the dragon slayer," Malon said, his tone fierce and arrogant.


    "Because you killed a Wild Rank Lizard?" Tyr replied, unimpressed.


    "Dude! I was only 16! Cut me some slack."


    "I''m 15 right now and I can do better."


    Malon paused, his nostrils flaring in shock: "Really!? Damn... I was lying too. I killed that thing when I turned 20. Anyways, you looked way too strong for a 15-year-old. What are you eating?


    Unstable pills by the boatload?" He said in a slightly joking manner.


    "I look strong huh? Yeah, my body just packs on muscle like crazy. Genetics man, you gotta get lucky." Tyr proclaimed with a smug expression.


    ''Master... you lied.'' Rudra relayed telepathically.


    ''Sometimes, Rudra, you gotta lie and let the soul breathe.''


    "Anyways, why does everyone keep talking about Unstable pills? What even are they?"


    "You don''t know what Unstable pills are?" Malon raised a brow in confusion, "Jeez man... they''re illegal, thats the most important thing to know. Pills that alchemists fail to condense and stabilize, hence their name. But nowadays criminals are making them on purpose to sell."


    "Why? Are they more effective or something?"


    "Oh yeah... their power isn''t stabilized or condensed, so instead of having to manually absorb it through techniques to strengthen your Aura Core, it hits you all at once and gives you immense power for a short burst. Abusing it can potentially have permanent effects on your body too, both positively and negatively. The only thing is...


    it comes with a lot of goddamn side effects--the biggest of which is fucking death. They say it''s over 70% chance that you die from taking even one... 90% on average if you don''t have an Aura Core."


    "They sound interesting," Tyr said, thinking to himself about how potentially lucrative they could be if somehow made safe. His eyes moved the side.


    Malon furrowed his brows in suspicion on seeing this: "You sure you aren''t on them?" He said, actually a bit worried.


    "What? No man..."


    "Hey!" A loud and rough voice echoed through the halls. "Breakfast, ya'' old cunts. Get up!" A guard pushing a trolley exclaimed. He was tall, just like Mano and Malon.


    A bunch of manly groans, yawns, and silent complaints filled the dungeon.


    The guard made his way down the hall of cells, stopping momentarily to toss food at the inmates.


    Tyr quickly noticed, however, that the moosh stopped longer for some prisoners--throwing their bowls of food at them.


    A few attempted to shout back in anger:


    "Hey!"


    "What the fuck was that for!?"


    But they were quickly shut down, "Shut up! Lest you want no food for the next week... pahaha! Imbeciles." The moosh exclaimed with a laugh, continuing down the hall.


    Tyr clenched his teeth, ''He throws them only at those who aren''t mooshs.'' He noted.


    After a few minutes, he arrived at Tyr''s cell. He stared the boy up and down with a mean glare.


    "You''re getting let out in about 5 minutes... how about out with a bang?" He grinned.


    "Don''t throw--" Tyr couldn''t even get his words out before the guard tossed a bowl of green liquid all over his face.


    Tyr stood silently as the bowl rattled against the ground, the liquid slowly trickling down his face.


    The guard sized him up, "Damn red-skin scum. You all are only good for--" Out of nowhere, he felt a tiredness take over his body, as though he was about to faint.


    ''Hypnosis. Come closer...''


    The guard''s eyes turned a hazy blue color as he took a step toward the cell bars.


    *WOOSH*


    Tyr grabbed his neck with force, squeezing it with all his strength as he stared at the guard with enraged eyes.


    His forearm muscles bulged as his veins pushed at his skin from the intense squeezing.


    The guard''s face quickly turned red like a cherry tomato--looking like it was about to pop as veins popped up everywhere on it as well.


    Finally, the blue haze left the guard''s eyes as he realized what was going on and began to struggle.


    "Argh! Khh! Cak!" He exclaimed in pain and suffocation, his bloodshot eyes nearly popping out of his socket as he scratched and pulled at Tyr''s fingers.


    This occurred for two seconds, which felt like a lifetime. Finally, the moosh stopped struggling, his eyes slowly panning to look straight into Tyr''s horrible gaze.


    He could feel his life slowly being sapped out of him.


    As soon as he made direct eye contact with the boy, he saw a slight, almost unnoticeable smile play on Tyr''s lips--sending waves of chills up his back before his neck was crushed and torn.


    Tyr let go, the guard''s body slumping onto the floor.


    [You have slain La Kinel (Novice Rank Moosh).]


    ...

 Chapter 53: Nonbeliever...

    "Damn..." Malon was the first to speak. He was impressed, but surprised at the same time.


    "Good on ya''... red-skin." A few more voices sounded.


    "Err... good."


    "Hah, bastard deserved it."


    Tyr exhaled as he pulled his hand to his side. Out of nowhere, he scoffed and then chuckled. Before he knew it, his snickering had turned into a silent laugh.


    "He deserved it alright," Tyr said, crouching and retrieving the keychain from the guard''s pocket.


    Right now, Tyr felt for the first time almost no repercussions of killing someone. Maybe it was because it was a moosh instead of a human, but Tyr didn''t believe that to be the case.


    Instead, he felt this douche warranted his death more than any other person Tyr had killed...


    He tossed the keys over to Malon, who caught it with a puzzled look. "W-why?"


    "So you can get out. You''re gonna be in here for 3 more months, right?"


    Malon smiled, "Thank you, Tyr," He stated genuinely, staring into Tyr''s eyes before looking to the side, "Good thing I had a plan for an exact situation like this."


    "Oh?" Tyr raised his brows, "What''s that?"


    Before Malon could reply, another voice echoed through the halls.


    "Alright! It''s time for an inmate to be released. It''s your lucky day, Tyr Evolion!" The voice was rough, just like the first guard that came in.


    This new guard scanned the cells, "Hahah!" He broke out into a chuckle: "Seems La did a good job feed ye'' huh?" He barked, noticing all the green-stained individuals in the cells.


    "Speaking of which, where is that bastard?" The guard said as he made it to Tyr''s cell.


    He looked around, "He should be here somewhere..." He furrowed his brows as he put a key in the cell lock outside of Tyr''s cell.


    "Right here!" A loud voice came from the distance. A tall moosh was making his way down the hall back to where Tyr and the guard were.


    The moosh in the distance was dressed just like a normal guard--no difference from this far away at first glance.


    Tyr was let out of his cell, "Follow me." The guard said before turning and making his way out in the same direction he came from the dungeon.


    The food cart guard followed them from behind.


    As soon as they made it outside, the food-cart guard karate-chopped the shit out of the guard in front using a fungi shield, knocking him out cold.


    "He''ll be out for a few days at least." The food cart guard exclaimed, taking off his armor and throwing it into some mushroom bushes.


    "Ahh~!" Malon sucked in his first fresh breath of air in weeks. "I told you I had a plan. Hahaha!" He laughed as the two made their way into the city streets.


    The dungeon was nothing more than a downwards-leaning dirty staircase leading into the ground. It had surprisingly little defense on the outside.


    It let right into the city, placed in front of a mansion or large estate that resembled a big mushroom with several windows and rooms inside of it.


    Tyr took out his room tablet, "Hmm..." He said under his breath.


    Malon looked over, "An expensive one... just for you?"


    "Oh... I''ve come here with my Hunter Squad. We are all staying at this flat."


    "Ah, I see."


    "Speaking of which, I have to get my Hunter Class tested before going back there. You know where that is?" Tyr asked, putting the tablet back into his pocket.


    Sometimes one could get their Hunter Class reassigned at a basic guild, but other times you would have to go to a cleric or priest of the city.


    "Sure! Follow me. I have nothing to do anyways apart from this." Malon kindly gestured, leading the way.


    From Malon''s reaction, it seemed to be one of the latter options which was the case in this city.


    On their walk, many citizens waved kindly and greeted Malon. It was increasingly surprising just how many mooshs seemed to have smiles on thier faces when seeing the guy.


    Malon never ignored them either, always replying with a small nod and a smile or a few kind words to acknowledge them.


    ''He''s like a stark contrast to this brother...'' Tyr thought to himself as he arrived at a large Mycelia church.


    "Here it is!" Malon exclaimed, looking up at the large structure.


    It was made of fungal wood with a mushroom top, large with pointy roofs leading up to the shroom on top. The building itself was slender and tall. The entrance had a long flight of stairs which people were constantly ascending and descending.


    "Wow... so what is your people''s God?" Tyr questioned as he and Malon climbed the stairs, their heads tilted upwards taking in the magnificent view.


    "Who? Well, Mother Gaia of course. She is the universal God of all, and especially of those societies who worship plants and natural life."


    "And you guys are made from the shit, so I guess that makes sense," Tyr replied in a joking tone. S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Malon cast a curious gaze at Tyr, "You aren''t a believer?"


    Tyr smirked, "Not quite yet..." He joked.


    "Not even of any God?"


    "Nope."


    Malon was slightly taken aback, "Wow... I''ve never met one of you."


    "Really?" Tyr was also confused on hearing that, "How so? Isn''t half the population atheist or something?"


    "What? How could that be when the proof is everywhere." These words from Malon were innocent but took Tyr aback.


    ''Wait... thats right. This is a new world. There could be proof of a God that I didn''t see while on Earth. Then again, it wasn''t like I did my research there either.''


    "Not believing is silly. It''s for the suicidal and nihilistic." Malon chuckled as Tyr paused, allowing him to continue, "There are many, many Gods of varying order, creed, and hierarchy. We worship those whom we know most about, but they are undoubtedly real. How do I know?


    Well, how else do you explain the Ancestral Abilities of the strongest beings to ever grace Subworld being from the Gods themselves."


    "W-what? They are actually given by the Gods?" Tyr questioned, confused.


    "No no, it''s just the case that their ancestry of blood goes all the way back to contact one of these Gods. Everyone''s ancestry does... but only those most blessed, or those most lucky, or even those most cursed, have their Ancestral Abilities go back into Godhood--their original ancestry."


    "I see..." Tyr had a lot of thinking to do about this subject, but that was going to have to be postponed as the two had entered the church by now.

 Chapter 54: Accusation

    As they stepped inside, a grand hallway unfolded before them, stretching deep into the heart of the building.


    Flanking either side were orderly rows of seats, leading towards a majestic sight at the far end: a slightly elevated platform dominated by an imposing Shrine.


    Behind the Shrine, towering windows soared to a height of over 100 feet, through which streamed ethereal rays of pure sunlight, casting an otherworldly glow throughout the hall.


    The Shrine itself was a marvel of craftsmanship, fashioned from gleaming green metal. Its pointed spikes of steel radiated outward before gracefully curving back towards the center. Numerous spikes adorned each end of the Shrine, all converging towards a central point where a luminous glass orb floated mysteriously.


    A small line of people awaited their turn near the Shrine, overseen by a short moosh figure clad in a flowing green vestment.


    Embroidered on the back was the arc of a verdant planet, surrounded by intricate patterns and designs that spoke of ancient craftsmanship and reverence.


    "People rechecking their classes," Tyr said as he and Malon got in line.


    Other than the line, there were also other doors leading out to the divine courtyard--where many religious Hunters trained thier abilities.


    Other places in this religious area connected to the church were various shrines, rooms, statues, and beautiful scenes that were worthy of tourism and worship.


    That was where people went the most, but Tyr wasn''t interested in any of that right now, of course.


    As he and Malon talked, the short line quickly ended and they were at the front in no time.


    "Come forward." The short moosh said in an almost impatient way, pulling his fingers in toward himself.


    Tyr did just that, standing to the left of the priest and in front of the shrine.


    He had done this a few times before, but never in front of such a large shrine.


    Without instructions, he placed his hand on the orb.


    "Think about your greatest strength." The priest said, placing his hand on Tyr''s upper back.


    ''My greatest strength...'' A few things crossed his mind, but there was one which he believed the most: ''Ambition.''


    After a few seconds, the orb began to quickly spin and show the various scenes of Tyr''s Hunting travels and missions.


    The priest took a good look at all of them, his eyes accustomed to quickly scanning everything he saw on the orb.


    "That''s good." He said, causing Tyr to take his hand off. "You''re B-Rank, right?"


    "Right now... yes," Tyr said, a bit scared. ''That''s what he got from my experiences? That I was B-Class? That ain''t a good sign...''


    The priest suddenly smiled, "Well not anymore, brat! Take out your Hunter ID Plate!"


    Tyr''s expression brightened, a slight smile on his face as he pulled the ID out.


    The priest waved his hand over it, changing it with an Aura pen from a Golden plate to a shiny Platinum ID.


    Each Hunter Class/Rank had different minerals depicting their power, which were as follows from lowest to highest: Bronze F-D, Silver C, Gold B, Platinum A, Diamond A+, Emerald S, Mythril SS, and Aurantium SSS+.


    "Finally!" Tyr blurted out, throwing his hands into the air. He truly felt blessed.


    With a confident and joyful mood, he and Malon made their way out of the church.


    "Good for you man, haha!" Malon laughed, "I''m still a B-Rank myself. It''ll probably take me a good minute before I cross over that line."


    "Really? You seem pretty strong to me. I''m sure you will get there soon enough." Tyr replied, ''Scan.'' He said in his head as Malon continued.


    "Well yeah, thats if they let me outside of the cells for once..."


    ©³©¥©¥©¥Status©¥©¥©¥©·


    Name: Malon Hevest


    Age: 21 Years


    Power Level: 80


    Rank: Apprentice


    ©»©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¿


    ''Not bad... he''s about as strong as Bilweif was. Right now, I''m a good bit ahead of that due to Soul Mend. In terms of actual level though, I''m still over 30 behind.'' Tyr said to himself as he and Malon were nearing the end of the stairs.


    A thunderous horn abruptly reverberated through the air at that moment, causing a slight public panic. S~ea??h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Tyr furrowed his brows, pausing as he looked around and surveyed everyone''s expressions.


    Moosh''s were scared, quickly turning their backs and facing the street with horrified expressions.


    Others, who wore more expensive clothing and ornaments were less concerned--but seemed a bit excited even at the sound of the horn.


    Malon looked to have a serious expression, his fists clenched as the street below him and Tyr quickly cleared up.


    Moosh''s moved to the side. Whispers of surprise, confusion, and even excitement quickly spread around as a group of figures were revealed standing in the center of the street.


    ''3 guards and another tall moosh.'' Tyr noted in his mind.


    One of the guards who was holding the horn stepped back in line with the other two.


    Finally, the moosh that wasn''t a guard brushed his hand through his mushroom hair. Unlike Malon''s hair, which was a single large mushroom, this guy had several smaller shrooms on his head.


    He seemed a bit older and more distinguished--his clothing noble and unblemished.


    His expression was smuggish, like an overconfident 13-year-old. Yet, he looked to be well in his 30s.


    "Nephew! Why do you do this to yourself?" The moosh spoke, Tyr''s head darting toward Malon.


    His eyes screamed: ''This is your uncle!? He already found us!'' But he didn''t say it out loud right now.


    Malon stayed stoic as his uncle continued. The moosh walked back and forth in the street--murmurs growing even more as time went on.


    "First you rape a moosh citizen! A lady of great merit whose life is now ruined due to your actions!" As the moosh said this, astonished murmurs washed through the crowd like a wave before calming down again.


    Even Tyr''s brows furrowed as his gaze remained locked on Malon.


    The other stares seemed to mean nothing to the moosh, but as he saw Tyr''s confused look cast on him, Malon''s resilient shell cracked. He looked at Tyr, his eyes filled with concern.


    ''Now him too huh...'' Malon thought to himself on seeing Tyr''s expression, ''He probably wants me dead.''


    "We were kind, we gave you but a week in prison. But you decided to escape, and so the next time your sentence was increased to multiple months. But now, since you insist on continuing to be a criminal, you will be punished for far, far longer!" The uncle''s tone became angry at the end, his voice increasing in volume.


    Malon paused as he stared at Tyr. Tyr didn''t say anything. Finally, he moosh opened his mouth to speak: "I didn''t--" He was cut off--Tyr slapping the back of his head slightly.


    "You fool. Why are you trying to prove yourself innocent to me right now? This isn''t a court, and I happen to believe in innocent until proven guilty. Go deal with him first."

 Chapter 55: Duel (1) Weak

    Malon gasped slightly, his mouth opening as his eyes became tender and moistened only a little.


    "Thank you." He said, wiping his eyes as he roughly turned to face his uncle, "That was all I needed. A friend to believe in me, god damn it!" He roared, causing Tyr to chuckle slightly in disbelief.


    ''What a crazy guy... a friend huh? Yeah, after everything, I''d say we are friends.'' Tyr thought to himself with a small laugh.


    "If you want to take me, come and get me! I challenge you to a duel right here and now under the Gods and overseen by Mother Gaia herself!" Malon thrust his hand out, creating a robust shield.


    The crowd gasped in shock at this proclamation, confusing Tyr who didn''t understand what all the hype was about.


    "What!?"


    "Is he serious? He''s practically giving himself over..."


    "Damn... what a fool."


    The guards behind Malon''s uncle cast slight glances at themselves, staying right behind the man.


    Out of nowhere, Malon''s uncle busted out into a peal of laughter, grabbing his face: "What? Hahaha! Have you grown brave now, little worm? You wish to challenge me, your own uncle Isavior to a formal duel?"


    Silence washed through the crowd as anticipation brewed. Malon stayed silent, his anger-filled eyes glaring down at his uncle.


    "Fine. So be it." Isavior said, his expression becoming more stern as he unsheathed a long and shiny blade from his waist belt.


    The three guards behind him stepped back in unison, blending into the crowd.


    Malon stepped down, "Tyr, I noticed you were confused about what a formal duel is."


    "Yeah..." Tyr said, still taken aback.


    "We hold ourselves true to Mother Gaia who may decide our fate, as do many other species and kingdoms around Subworld. The winner of this battle will have been pardoned of their crimes by the will of Mother Gaia... and the loser: subject to the will of the winner for eternity."


    Malon''s gaze was fierce as he said this, his jaws clenching as his fists tightened.


    From his body language, Tyr could tell that the moosh was extremely afraid right now. He was trying his best to keep himself from shaking uncontrollably.


    ''His uncle must be strong. Scan.''


    ©³©¥©¥©¥Status©¥©¥©¥©·


    Name: Isavior Hevest


    Age: 33 Years


    Power Level: 110


    Rank: Adept


    ©»©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¿


    Tyr''s eyelids expanded in slight disbelief, his pupils darting back to Malon: ''H-he''s fighting a losing battle... there''s no way he could win, right?''


    He looked down at his own hands, ''If I have to step in, I will.'' He declared to himself.


    "Not so fast." A guard exclaimed, putting a spear in front of Tyr''s throat.


    Another one appeared to his left, placing his hand on the boy''s shoulder.


    Tyr paused, looking down at the blade at his throat for a second before suddenly ducking beneath it and pushing the spear-holding guard forward into a stumble.


    "Don''t put your blade near my neck. I''ll stay here, but I won''t accept your arrogance." Tyr said with a low tone, the guard grunting slightly in anger before standing in front of the boy.


    Tyr looked at Malon with squinted eyes, "Win! Malon!" He shouted, crossing his arms.


    A few dozen heads darted toward him for a short second, glancing with confusion and curiosity.


    Malon smiled as he heard Tyr''s words from behind him, "If she wills..." He said under his breath, "You may start it." He said aloud.


    Isavior swung his sword around, sharp swiping noises echoing through the air as his blade suddenly expanded in size.


    It became as long as a mushroom--standing over 20 feet in height with a flexible structure, similar to a silk rope. Its movements were carried by momentum, exactly mimicking a whip.


    "If I win," Malon shouted, "I shall be pardoned from all crimes placed upon me!"


    "If I win," Isavior yelled, "You shall be punished with life in prison or death... my decision. Begin!"


    Isavior didn''t waste time, sprinting forward as he swung his sword all through the air.


    He whipped it at Malon, the sword striking like a viper.


    *CLANG*


    It bounced off of Malon''s shield as he began to run around his uncle.


    Isavior stood there, turning his body to face Malon as his sword continued to dance in the air.


    *SWIPE*


    It lashed out again.


    *CLANG*


    Malon managed to block but was thrown onto the ground from the powerful impact behind the attack.


    He was facing someone far stronger than him, so even blocking the attacks was going to cause some damage.


    A few murmurs began to spread through the crowd again as Isavior slowly made his way closer to Malon, who was scraping to get off the floor.


    "Poor guy..."


    "What can he do?"


    "He only has a shield. How can he do anything with that?"


    "Truly a rotten apple of the Hevest family." Said a noble-looking moosh, who got several glares by the common folk as he said this.


    Hearing those words caused Malon to have a slightly pale expression. He got to his feet, quickly beginning to run again.


    ''Those words have haunted me for so long.'' He thought to himself as he continued to run.


    "Seriously, what kind of God would punish a person with such a power."


    On hearing this from the crowd, Malon exhaled slightly--his eyes drifting to his shield for a second.


    *SWIPE*


    *CLANG* S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He was thrown to the ground again, ''Damn it! Stop getting distracted! You''ve heard this for so long...'' Malon mused, backing up from Isavior who slowly walked closer.


    ''You''ve gotten used to it. You''ve gotten used--''


    *SWIPE*


    This time, Isavior''s slash landed, lashing across Malon''s abdomen and tearing him open.


    "ARGH!" Malon exclaimed in pain, getting back up to his feet as he clutched his abdomen and began to run.


    *SWIPE*


    It landed again, slashing across both of his back hamstrings and causing him to stumble forward and roll across the ground.


    Panting, he lay on his back.


    *SWIPE SWIPE SWIPE*


    The sword slashes flew towards him at immense speeds.


    *CLANG CLANG*


    He managed to block a few, but he still got slashed here and there.


    ''Damn it! Damn it!'' He attempted to get back up, but he fell right back down again.


    ''Fuck!'' He screamed inwardly.


    *SWIPE*


    He turned on hearing this, positioning his shield toward the blade.


    *CLA--CRACK*


    His shield tore in half, digging into his body.


    "AGGHK!" He exclaimed, making his wrist normal again and regenerating the shield. He turned, attempting to get up as he rolled over onto his stomach.


    ''Stupid fucking shield! Can''t you even block anything!? I already can''t attack to save my life, just do something for a change!'' He screamed inwardly.


    *SWIPE*


    Another attack slashed across his back.


    *SWIPE SWIPE*


    His tricep was cut open, and then his calves took on a blow. He turned again, heavily panting as Isavior stood above him with a disgusted look on his face.


    "I should just end you right here. Failure." The man said under his breath so that only Malon could hear it.


    At that moment, a flurry of emotions surged through Malon''s brain.


    *SWIPE*

 Chapter 56: Duel (2) Conviction

    The blade traveled in slow motion as memories of the past swam into Malon''s head--like flashes of his childhood.


    He was first born in his family and praised at a young age for unlocking and mastering his Ancestral Ability to a great extent in just a matter of a few days.


    However, his brother Mano gained his own Ancestral Ability a week later, outshining him in an instant.


    Malon was supposed to be the star child, something he didn''t even care for.


    When that was all taken away from him, he didn''t mind it either. But despite this fact, Malon was treated like trash by the nobles of Mycelia.


    His mother died early due to an illness. And so, his father always had to protect him. Many days Malon would come home with dozens of scars. These were scars from protecting the average city-folk from the disastrous rule of his brother and his nobles.


    Those at the top always looked down on those at the bottom, but Malon had been treated horribly since the very beginning by those in power--so he felt connected to the average mooshs of his city.


    They also felt the same about him.


    Through the years, Malon continued gaining more punishment and isolation when closer to his own ''people'' and more love when he spent time with the poorest of the poor.


    Although all of this was true, Malon couldn''t help but feel in his heart of hearts that he still didn''t exactly belong anywhere.


    He felt he was in the middle. The nobles shunned him despite sharing his blood, and the common folk took care of him but never spoke to him on the deepest of levels.


    They never admitted that they believed he was innocent of crimes, nor did they speak out against the high-borns for his sake. This was understandable, as they wanted to protect their own livelihoods.


    But nonetheless, it still left Malon with an empty feeling deep in his being.


    Tyr was really the first person in Malon''s life to treat him in a way that filled this empty space, even if it was just for a second. To outwardly express his emotions without giving a damn about the consequences.


    Malon knew he couldn''t lose this duel... there was far too much at stake. Not just his own life, but of those who took care of him through the years as best they could while protecting themselves as well. Along with that... Tyr wanted him to win as well, right?


    ...


    Even up until only a couple years ago, the question of who would gain the right to be Mayor of Mycelia was a mystery.


    The people were obviously split, the rarer nobility wanting Mano as their candidate, and the majority of city folk wanting Malon.


    Mano was powerful and praised even more from a young age--growing into an arrogant brat. Yet, the high-borns of Mycelia understood that this made the boy the most prone to manipulation.


    Using him as a scapegoat for their own financial interests was going to be easy.


    On the other hand, the townsfolk--although not admitting it publically--never believed in the false lies told about Malon to get him less popular. They wanted him as the next Mayor for obvious reasons.


    He was not only a leader, but a friend. A family member to all those who treated him with kindness. The people of his city.


    This all changed, however, when the Mayor of Mycelia, Mano and Malon''s father, became ill from Jooe.


    The decision soon was transferred to Isavior as the Mayor''s death continued to decline.


    Now, all that was left was for Malon''s father to die.


    Seeing all of these memories flood his mind; the memories of hate, isolation, and torture, Malon became overwhelmed with fury.


    Rage like he had never seen before swam from deep within his veins, fueled by his undescribable conviction, reaching his Aura Core and making his abdomen burn from the sheer animosity.


    ''If I let them take my city... they will turn it into a money plant and practically enslave these people who they already treat like bugs. These people... I can''t let them be tortured any further. I WILL WIN!'' Malon screamed inwardly as a burst of strength erupted out of his Aura Core--allowing him to roll to the side and avoid Isavior''s blow to the chest.


    Right now, all of Malon''s pain was gone for some reason. All he could feel was his Aura Core burning as though it was really on fire.


    But he ignored that, his eyes glowing in a green light as he rose to his feet. He was surprisingly light, as though he had lost 100 pounds in mere seconds.


    "Huh?" Isavior exclaimed in confusion, digging his sword out of the ground as he stared at his nephew with genuine puzzlement.


    "How? How is that possible?"


    The crowd also began to give mixed opinions. Some brave souls cheered Malon on, while others simply exclaimed their confusion.


    "How?" S§×ar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "What!?"


    "He stood up!"


    Tyr couldn''t believe what he was seeing either, "That... shouldn''t be possible." He whispered under his breath.


    At that moment, no other thoughts were in Malon''s mind except for vengeance and rage.


    "Come on, you stupid shield!" He shouted and thrust his wrist out.


    Out of nowhere, he felt that burning fire from his Aura Core surge out through his body and flow into his wrist.


    A giant shield the size of a horse exploded out of his hand out of nowhere--slamming down onto the ground.


    It was a magnificent aegis of gargantuan proportions, its peak a rough point: a long and smooth curve downward before reaching another point at its bottom.


    Malon''s eyes expanded in shock: "W-what?" He questioned, the shield radiating with green energy and ready to go.


    Isavior took a step back, "His Ancestral Ability... it became stronger?"


    Malon wasn''t in the right state of mind to care about how this happened. Right now, he just wanted to win this fight!


    He stormed forward with the shield in front of him like a battle ram: "AHHHRRGH!"


    Isavior''s eyes widened, "Take this!" He forcefully swung his sword several times.


    *SWIPE SWIPE SWIPE SWIPE*


    However, the shield was too protective and enormous--easily blocking and ricochetting each attack that was thrown at it.


    *CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG*


    Before Isavior knew it, his sword hand had been flung to the side and the shield was upon him.


    Malon dug his feet as far as he could into the ground and pushed up with all of his might.


    The shield rammed into Isavior like a cannonball--instantly crushing his nose and frontal skull. Most of his front teeth were knocked back into his throat.


    His lungs took on a booming brunt blow, squeezing all the air inside out as his eyes rolled back into his head and his consciousness was obliterated into the void. He was propelled into the air like a puny bug.


    The heads of the crowd moved like a row of flowers pushed by the wind, staring at Isavior''s body fly above them and land on top of a mushroom roof in the distance before sliding off and thudding onto the floor.


    Malon''s shield shrunk down back into his wrist as he clenched both fists, bent his knees slightly, and screamed into the sky as loud as he could:


    "GRAHHHHHH!!!" His voice was damaged and torn but his tone was rough and deep--like the bellowing roar of a lion.


    With that, he stood up straight... and fell right over onto the ground.

 Chapter 57: Ancient Help

    A warm gust of air brushed across Malon''s graceful sleeping face, slightly swaying his mushroom hair to the side.


    As the bright rays of sunlight broke through the mushroom canopies to hit his face, his eyes slowly opened.


    He felt pain radiating through his entire body at once, so he knew he couldn''t move. Still, he forced himself to lift his head and look down at his body.


    He was covered from his hip down with a blanket, but above that, his entire body was bandaged. It seemed the bandaging was head-to-toe like a mummy.


    He was on a bed in a fair-sized room. There was a window right beside him which he looked out of.


    Down in the field below, he saw a training ground with 4 figures seemingly dueling together. Spread out around the large field were also more groups of other Hunter''s training.


    Multiple light footsteps approached from the hallway.


    "Finally woke up huh?" Tyr said, entering the room and walking to the side of the bed.


    "Tyr... w-where am I? What happened?" Malon''s voice was still a bit coarse from all the screaming the day prior. But, he sounded a bit relieved to see Tyr.


    "Well, you passed out after fighting your uncle."


    "D-did I win!?" Malon''s eyes expanded. He tried to sit up, but nearly threw up from the pain and had to immediately lay back down again.


    "Chill man, you won. Take it easy, you won''t be able to do much for a while. You''ve been out for a day."


    Malon let out a large sigh of relief as he heard this, letting his body sink into the bed.


    "Wierd... your shield suddenly multiplying in size by such a degree," Tyr exclaimed, making Malon''s eyebrows furrow.


    "That''s right... That''s why I won." Malon paused, thinking back to that moment and remembering why that happened.


    "It wasn''t just larger in size, but Aura coated its every surface. It was much, much stronger than a normal shield that size. Still, the size was incredible. I doubt I can do it again even if I tried my hardest."


    "Maybe it was a last-ditch effort by your body to survive," Tyr replied as another voice suddenly sounded from the doorway.


    "Life isn''t a movie where that random fantasy crap happens, Tyr." Hanzo said, walking into the room.


    "W-wait a minute... you''re Hanzo! Hanzo Elec, Mother Gaia''s Gift!" Malon''s expression changed to excitement and shock as he saw Hanzo.


    "Uh... right. Nice to meet ya'', Malon was it? Tyr told me all about you as I was patching you up..."


    "Yes! Thank you very much! Im a big fan! You are the human who received Mother Gaia''s boon... how exhilarating to see you in person!" Malon exclaimed in eagerness.


    "No problem."


    "What were you talking about a second ago?" Tyr continued, curious, "Do you know why his shield increased in size?"


    Hanzo paused, "Not exactly, but I have an idea. Ancestral Abilities are unique and are still a mystery mostly to humanity and in fact every other species on Subworld. But, from what I understand, our Ancestral Abilities might not just be randomly chosen."


    "Really? That''s different from what you told me outside of Drance." Tyr replied.


    "Well, I was trying to simplify it then. And for all we know, it could be random as well. But from the evidence so far, that doesn''t seem to be the case." Hanzo replied as the two in front of him silently gawked at him with intrigue filling their pupils.


    "Most likely, your own ancestors choose your Ancestral Ability. And since the Gods are also our old ancestors, sometimes the ability is chosen by them. That is why I believe some of us get their Boons."


    He looked at Malon.


    "That is also why I believe your Ancestral Ability awakening had to do with your ancestors. You probably haven''t noticed it yet yourself, but you''ve broken into the next Rank, Malon."


    "What?" Malon was taken aback, "But I wasn''t even close... I needed a lot more Aura and time to cultivate it before my Aura Core was strong enough to break through."


    "Yes, and that''s why what happened was so confusing. But, the only explanation is that your ancestors gave you their own Aura. It obviously doesn''t happen often, but it seems it isn''t an impossible occurrence. You got so much Aura from them that it was enough to make you break through into another Rank, which, of course, evolves your Ancestral Ability.


    Hence why you could summon a giant shield, and probably still can when recovered."


    Tyr was amazed to hear all of this. ''To think that''s possible... how insane. Scan.''


    ©³©¥©¥©¥Status©¥©¥©¥©·


    Name: Malon Hevest S§×ar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Age: 21 Years


    Power Level: 105


    Rank: Adept


    ©»©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¿


    ''So its fully true...'' Tyr said to himself in astonishment, ''He got so much Aura that he leveled up in metaphorical power levels by 25 goddamn levels.''


    However, Tyr noticed something that caught his attention, ''Still... he''s weaker in power level than his uncle, who was level 110.''


    "Even if you ranked up, Malon, you are only at the very beginning of Adept Rank. While on the other hand, your uncle was a bit farther down the line. He was stronger than you in most aspects." Tyr said to Malon, who was slightly confused by this statement.


    "Yeah..." Malon replied.


    "You know what that means right? The thing that beat him was the fact that your Ancestral Ability was simply superior to even his." Tyr grinned big.


    Malon couldn''t help but smile as well, "Yeah... that''s right." He suddenly broke out into laughter, "Hahaha!"


    Tyr couldn''t contain himself either, "Ahaha!"


    The laughter ensued for a couple seconds longer.


    "How about you join Ultimatum!?" Tyr suddenly blurted out.


    "Huh!?" Hanzo said, one of his eyebrows raised in confusion.


    "W-what!?" Malon exclaimed, utterly perplexed.


    ***


    Author Note: Yo! I want to thank you all for reading up until this point! After this chapter, Tyr and his group will officially begin their first large hunter mission which has been long awaited. If you are excited, let me know by showing your support by voting! I have a lot planned, and I can''t wait to share it with you all. Thanks again for all the support up until now!

 Chapter 58: Promise

    "Hell no!" Hanzo suddenly shouted.


    "W-what!? Why not!" Tyr rebutted.


    Malon closed his eyes, his soul entirely crushed and defeated.


    ''Mother... take me now.'' He said to himself, ready to leave Subworld.


    "You fool!" Hanzo slapped Tyr on the back of the head, "Does he not have responsibilities here? Who will take care of his people!? On top of that, this new power he''s gotten might just make him useless in battle from now on."


    Tyr understood the first part and accepted it, but was confused by the latter: "What? How so? He used it fine yesterday."


    "Tsk... it''s not about yesterday. It won''t be every day that he is lifted up by his ancestors. After recovering, he may not ever get used to this new fighting style. Don''t underestimate the effect of sudden change on a person. It not only depends on their luck but also their will to change and how much they are willing to put in. Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Their conviction, so to speak."


    Tyr smiled slightly as he heard this, "If that''s the case, Malon''s got it in the bag. Even if he has to stay here to protect his people, I know he will master his new Ancestral Ability."


    Hanzo sighed, "Sure man..."


    They both looked at Malon. Hanzo left first, saying: "Come on... Rock Saelfine''s royal is gonna arrive soon. Our quest starts right after."


    "I''ll be there," Tyr said as Hanzo left the room. "Malon, by the time we come back, I need you to be fully healed. I also need you to have your new Ancestral Ability mastered to the same extent as your weaker version."


    Malon awoke from his shell of depression, "What? Why so sudden?"


    "There''s also one more thing," Tyr said, ignoring those questions, "What was the name of your father''s illness?"


    Malon''s eyes expanded, taken aback slightly from what Tyr was trying to imply. He smiled, closing his eyes.


    "You are a really good guy, Tyr. Try not to change too much in the future. It''s called Jooe."


    Tyr turned, "Wait here and heal up by the time I get back." He said as he left the room. "Farewell, Malon."


    ''I... have never met anyone like him. It''s like his soul is made of pure gold. He wants my father to be healed so that he can run this city and I can join his Squad. Such an idea really is a dream... no matter whether it happens or not, I will never forget your name, Tyr.''


    ***


    Tyr arrived at the base of the giant mushroom hotel he and his squad were staying at.


    The four other members of Ultimatum who were training just a moment ago met Tyr and Hanzo at the main entrance.


    There was a roundabout driveway circling a water fountain in the center right in front of the hotel''s face.


    Ultimatum stood on the sidewalk of the stone driveway directly in front of the entrance.


    "Why are we standing here again?" Tyr said, leaning toward Jonas slightly.


    "A Royal is coming. We have to greet him properly."


    "What''s the difference between a Royal and a Noble in this world?"


    "Hmm... a Royal is a part of the Imperial Family of a kingdom. Meaning the family that rules that entire domain. A noble is a respected figure uplifted by that very Royal family, a relative of that Royal Family, or a family that has held prestige for a long time."


    "I see..."


    At that moment, large and powerful horns blared from the distance as a cavalry of white-horse-driven carriages made their way into the driveway.


    The horses marched with knees high in the air. The carriages they pulled were a pristine white color.


    This was the case for all of the 5 except for one in the very center which was adorned with patterns of pink chains all around the white background.


    The center carriage arrived right in front of Ultimatum. The door opened as a small red ramp fell out and landed on the ground. A long red carpet was rolled off of it.


    It continued to roll out until it reached Tyr''s foot. Dozens of guards wearing pristine white iron armor marched out of the various carriages on either side of the middle one--making a hall of people facing each other on both sides of the red carpet.


    They lifted their swords in the air to create a canopy of blades above the carpet.


    "Please welcome the one and only, great--" A knight began to yell into his horn, but a voice from inside the carriage suddenly blurted out and interrupted him.


    "No! Stop being so loud you fool! This is supposed to be a secret mission! I don''t want any termites wanting to take pictures of me or an autograph. Yuck..."


    Tyr raised a brow, leaning in toward Urvil before saying quietly: "I can see it. Him wanting to lay low that is... just take a look at his entrance."


    Urvil chuckled, placing her hand in front of her face to hide her smile.


    "Uh... right sir." The guard said with a slightly scared tone, "The great--" He began to whisper, but was interrupted again.


    "Don''t whisper, you fool! Who do you think I am!?"


    "The great Lord Michel Gallallof!" The guard finally yelled without using the horn.


    Finally, a figure appeared in the carriage doorway and stepped out. He was average height and donned a pink robe with several shiny jewels encrusted onto it.


    He had a pale, boyish face. It seemed it wasn''t any older than about 22 at first glance.


    He had short silver hair and a pair of deep blue eyes.


    Although his demeanor was arrogant, blunt and sounded pretty retarded, no one could deny his great facial features. He was a beautiful boy.


    With a great smile on his face, he made his way toward Ultimatum.


    Out of nowhere, everyone beside Tyr bowed except for Hanzo, who looked at him.


    "Bow," Hanzo said, bowing at that moment with his eyes still on Tyr.


    Tyr furrowed his brows, "B-bow?"


    ''Tsk... I knew he was gonna be like this.'' Hanzo thought to himself, pushing Tyr''s head down himself.


    "W-what?" Tyr exclaimed in confusion.


    "Raise your heads!" Michel said in a proud tone, "That''s right!" He paused, nearly arriving at the sidewalk. "I am here--" Out of nowhere, he tripped.


    Time seemed to slow down as his eyes expanded in shock. He began to stumble, his momentum fast.


    The guards quickly rushed to sheath their blades and help their lord... but it was too late.


    *BOOM*


    He fell face-first onto the concrete...

 Chapter 59: Imperial Prince

    "O-OW!!!" Michel screamed at the top of his lungs.


    *A few moments later...*


    "Ahem," Michel said, standing in front of Ultimatum. His nose was still a bit red from the fall just a second ago, but thankfully he had a few dozen health capsules to keep him in good shape.


    A couple of guards stood behind him, their bodies tensed up in case Michel fell again.


    "I have arrived--" Michel tried to say, but gave up the act, "Ugh... it''s me. You get the gist... its no fun to act all high and mighty with my nose still stinging. Just get in the carriage behind mine. You all know who I am." Michel suddenly said with an unimpressed look on his face, turning and entering the vehicle he was just in.


    It was as though he was a child who didn''t want to play anymore after getting hurt.


    "Uh, right. Yes sir." Hanzo said, first to walk forward. Ultimatum followed him, all getting onboard the carriage behind Michel''s.


    "Guards! You know what to do!" Michel''s voice rang from the carriage in front.


    "Y-yes sir!" One of the guards said. The other guards got on their respective carriages and left the area at once. This one guard, however, neared Ultimatum''s carriage with a small scroll in hand.


    Tyr popped his head out of the window to look at what the guard was doing.


    The guard opened the scroll, beginning to chant something under his breath. Afterward, he placed his hand on the carriage. A red aura traveled from the scroll into the carriage through his hand.


    After a second of delay, Ultimatum''s carriage pulled forward on its own and morphed into Michel''s carriage. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    It became longer. Tyr looked with heightened brows of surprise as he saw this happen.


    He could see Michel now, but for some reason, the royal''s carriage was blocked by what looked to be wooden bars. Moreover, Michel''s part of the carriage was elevated compared to Ultimatums.


    ''What a weird setup. It''s like we are in jail or something.'' Tyr thought to himself, ''And not only is this guy in an elevated position, but he''s taking all that carriage space for himself. Tsk.''


    Tyr looked back out at the guard outside, who walked to his own carriage and rode away.


    "That guy''s Ancestral Ability isn''t to morph carts is it?" He questioned at that moment.


    "Nah..." Yurin answered, "The scroll he was holding allowed him to do that. It''s an inscription scroll, meaning it has an Aura Array placed inside of it by someone else. All he has to do is activate it using his own Aura and whatever was inscribed will take place."


    "I see..." Tyr replied, slightly impressed at the idea of these Aura Arrays.


    "They are mass-produced in Rock Saelfine. Most of those in Ainsveld come from Rock Saelfine." Jonas said at that moment, taking Tyr aback slightly.


    "In all of the continent? Wow... it''s quite a niche item though. Why would it need to be mass-produced?"


    Hanzo replied this time: "This is meant to transfer slaves. And it just so happens to be that Rock Saelfine is the largest slave capital in all of Ainsveld. It practically runs on the slave trade."


    Tyr furrowed his brows: ''Slaves huh... so I''m finally getting closer to that part of the world.'' His eyes peered over at Michel.


    ''Unlike a lot of things after coming to Subworld, having slaves is something I still can''t justify. Hell, I''ve even justified murder at this point. But slavery... I don''t care who you are, what you want, or any other reason under the sun... it just seems so pathetic.''


    ''Master...'' Rudra''s voice chimed in at that moment.


    ''Hmm?'' Tyr replied, a bit surprised by his pet''s sudden call.


    ''What if... one deserves to be a slave?''


    ''W-what?''


    ''You probably think that slaves are simply good people turned into working hogs and tortured, and that is true most of the time, but maybe criminals sometimes should be slaves.''


    Tyr squinted his eyes. He hadn''t really thought of it like that.


    ''Hmm...'' He was torn on whether that would justify it or not.


    ''Think of it this way...'' Rudra said, ''What about those horrible slave owners themselves? The ones that torture and rape their slaves. Don''t you think they--''


    ''Yes.'' Tyr interrupted Rudra, his expression stern, ''On second thought, that would be a perfect justification for slavery. Thanks, Rudra, you''ve opened my mind up some more.''


    "Listen up, you Hunters!" Michel suddenly yelled, catching everyone''s attention.


    "I sent my guards away, so you all better protect me with your lives! If you do, you know what''s waiting for you after you complete this dungeon mission. We are heading to the Truid Dungeon!"


    "Hmm... yes." Hanzo replied, "The rumored most dangerous dungeon to show up throughout the south of Ainsveld."


    Michel paused before speaking, "Yes... and I bought the rights to it as soon as it came out. I''m eager to retrieve its treasures for myself. Consider yourselves lucky, pipsqeaks. You are all from the tiny Dynasty of Seris, which is like the piss droplets of Rock Saelfine.


    I could have hired any Hunters from Rock Saelfine, but I wanted to keep this mission secret, so I hired the best in the region closeby to the dungeon. I don''t have time to wait for those any further. This quest is a gift from me to you..."


    "Yes." Yurin quickly replied, "And we thank you for this opportunity."


    Everyone looked at him as he said this, including Michel--who had a slightly disdainful look.


    After a pause, he harrumphed and turned the other way, "Sure... It will take us 1 day to get there, so prepare yourselves. And don''t forget, if you try to steal any artifact inside there for yourself, you will be punished by me. Or in other words, by the Imperial Prince of Rock Saelfine. Or, in other other words, the entire Rock Saelfine Imperial Cavalry."


    He tried to sound threatening, his voice sounding like an annoying 40-year-old Dutch woman.


    Nonetheless, what he said was still scary. The voice didn''t matter when flexing the shit Michel flexed.


    Tyr laid back whilst looking up, ''One more level... I guess I''ll get it during the quest.'' He looked at everyone else. Yurin, Urvil, and Cyllia were playing a game of rock paper scissors. Hanzo was snoozing, and Jonas was looking out the window.


    ''Let the quest begin.''

 Chapter 60: Truid Dungeon Quest (1) Arrival

    The mushroom forest became even more dense as Tyr''s squad traveled further and further into the thick of the wilderness.


    Night came and passed, but even the morning sun''s golden rays of light could barely pierce through the thick canopy of the shroomtops.


    Their long cart continued to travel, having already been roughed up by a fair share of powerful Apex Rank beasts up until now.


    Of course, Ultimatum took care of them with fair ease. Thankfully nothing stronger than Apex had appeared, but nothing weaker either...


    This was the most dangerous part of Mycopolis--the land of mushrooms.


    "So what exactly is this dungeon? The Truid Dungeon... it sounds like it has a history behind it." Tyr questioned, a bit bored. Despite his attempts, he hadn''t gotten the final blow on more than one beast by now.


    It was a bit depressing since he felt like he was on the very cusp of leveling up.


    "It was rumored to sprout up for a few years by some shamans. No one knows how those old bastards can predict it, but they are usually right." Yurin replied with a slight chuckle.


    Jonas continued looking out the window as he said: "Truid Dungeon... known for its 3 paths leading to the same destination. Its whereabouts were a mystery for a while, but it was suddenly discovered by some wandering Hunters. They were all butchered and never seen again, and so were the dozens of other Hunters who attempted it afterward.


    After a little while though, the mysterious Hunter disappearances warranted a search, and the Truid Dungeon finally became a name on the map that was an official dungeon available to be bought."


    "Hmm... sounds dangerous," Tyr said, a bit wary.


    Cyllia continued: "Yep. No one knows exactly what it looks like or what it is for the most part. All who went in were slain. Dead men don''t tell tales, as you know."


    Urvil added, seeming oddly more scared than expected, "The treasures they say are plenty though. There are 3 that are rumored to be inside. A powerful weapon, Aura pill, and also the egg of a strong beast."


    The conversation about the dungeon continued, Michel''s eyes wandering over the Hunters below him as they neared their destination. Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    It didn''t take much longer. As morning left and noon began to show itself through the slim sunrays, their carriage abruptly stopped.


    "This is supposed to be the area." A guard driving the carriage said, turning his head toward Michel.


    Everyone exited the vehicle. Tyr looked around, surveying the area.


    ''I can just smell the danger right from here.'' He thought to himself.


    At that moment, the guard driving the carriage used another Aura Array scroll to transform the vehicle into a little house.


    "Now that ain''t mass manufactured." Hanzo joked to Tyr as they both saw this.


    The guard set up a small seat and umbrella where Michel sat and began to drink a hot cup of tea.


    "Shoo! Go and get the treasures and complete the dungeon. Your time limit is one day. I''ll be waiting right here with my guard."


    "Right. Thank you, sir." Hanzo said, bowing slightly before walking off in a random direction. His strut was completely carefree.


    The others followed him, "Do you know where it is?" Tyr questioned, confused at Hanzo''s sudden march.


    "Nope. But there''s only one way to find it right? Keep moving."


    A piercing scream echoed through the mushroom forest out of nowhere, "AHHHH!" The voice was girly and high-pitched.


    "Michel!" Tyr said under his breath, the first face popping into his head. He quickly turned to see a giant mushroom dog beast with a mane of snakes around its neck all wearing mushroom top heads.


    The other members of Ultimatum also turned, thier guards suddenly increasing.


    "HELPPP!" Michel screamed as his guard stepped forward, calmly unsheathing his sword.


    ''That''s easily an Apex Rank beast...'' Tyr said to himself, slightly skeptical of the guard''s abilities.


    The guard stepped forward before jumping into the air.


    *SWISH*


    In one smooth motion, he slashed his sword through the air and appeared behind the giant beast.


    He sheathed his blade. As his hilt hit the mouth of the sheath, the dog''s body split cleanly in two and slumped onto the floor.


    The guard returned, picking up both sides of the giant dog on his shoulders and throwing them a few dozen feet far into the forest.


    He patted his hands before returning to Michel''s side--who continued to drink his tea.


    Ultimatum was a bit stunned for a second.


    "That''s an Imperial Guard for ya''" Hanzo said, turning and continuing his walk.


    ''Scan.''


    ©³©¥©¥©¥Status©¥©¥©¥©·


    Name: Hepa Titis


    Age: 42 Years


    Power Level: 200


    Rank: Expert


    ©»©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¿


    ''What a monster.'' Tyr thought to himself. ''I''ve never seen anyone that high of a level.'' He turned to face Hanzo as he began to follow after him.


    ''Hmm... I wonder if now I can Scan him... Scan.''


    Tyr''s eyes expanded in slight shock as a status panel appeared in front of him.


    ''Finally...''


    ©³©¥©¥©¥Status©¥©¥©¥©·


    Name: Hanzo Elec


    Age: 22 Years


    Power Level: 230


    Rank: Expert


    ©»©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¿


    ''230!? He''s on another stratasphere compared to me...''


    "If I''m correct, there will be three locations that we have to touch that will open this dungeon up." Hanzo suddenly said, stopping and looking around.


    "I thought you said you don''t know where the dungeon is!" Cyllia yelled.


    "I don''t... but I have some clues."


    At that moment, the ground Tyr stepped on suddenly gleamed in a light orange color.


    *Shiiing*


    He stopped, "Uh... guys, I think I found an area."


    *Shiiing*


    "Lookie here... so did I." Hanzo said, his hand placed on a tree. The area around his palm also gleamed in a slight orange color.


    *Shiiing*


    "Um..." Urvil exclaimed with slight nervousness, the ground beneath her feet also suddenly lighting up.


    Tyr was smiling, but that smile quickly disappeared as a hole opened up beneath his feet.


    "Oh shit..."


    The same happened to the rest of the group members. Jonas and Hanzo shared the same hole. Yurin, Urvil, and Cyllia shared another, while Tyr was left all alone with a hole to himself.


    Without a second delay, they all fell into a seemingly endless underground void.


    "AHHH!!"


    "AHHH!""


    "HELLPPPP"


    "MOMMMY!!"

 Chapter 61: Truid Dungeon Quest (2) Only Death

    Tyr couldn''t see anything. He was falling for so long in this abyss that it didn''t even feel like falling anymore--just floating in an infinite void.


    However, he saw a light quickly approaching from beneath him. His body tightened up--preparing itself for the fall.


    Tyr fell right out of the hole and into what seemed to be a dungeon room. He had barely a millisecond to see this, however, as he immediately fell into a large pool of light-blue water.


    A large splash ensued as Tyr''s eyes opened up underneath. The water was abnormally bright. It was absolutely beautiful and oddly warm as well.


    The water was about 10 feet deep. He floated up to the top, his head pushing against the surface of the water before bursting out.


    After gasping for breath, his head darted around to see where he was.


    From what he could see, he was in a stone chamber with 10-foot tall ceilings.


    The room wasn''t very large, about 50 feet on all sides. The pool of water he fell into looked to be at the very center.


    He swam to the edge, the extra bouncy water making it easy for him.


    After getting out of the pool, all of the warm light-blue water sucked out of his clothing and hair and returned to the pool--leaving him completely dry.


    "Huh, convenient." He said to himself, continuing to survey the room.


    There were pillars and vines around the edges, ancient writing on some of the random white stone blocks that the room was made of, and also what seemed to be various pedestals with nothing on them.


    "Looks like this dungeon is quite old... all of its old artifacts are gone. According to Urvil, only 3 are left now." Tyr looked at all the empty pedestals.


    "Damn, they were probably strong." He had no choice but to overlook them and make his way toward the only door in the room.


    Right next to the door was a stone table with a flat top. Above it was what looked to be a map of the entire dungeon made of stone.


    ''Hmm...'' He gazed deeply at it.


    "I''m right here," He placed his finger on the map, dragging it along as he spoke.


    In the middle of the map, there was a final room with the symbol of a treasure chest on it.


    There were dozens of various rooms all around this giant labyrinth that you could get lost in, however.


    Before Tyr were three rooms with the skull symbol on them. He had no other option but to enter one of these.


    It was unlike any other room, which had at least one option to go toward a safer route.


    ''I got the unlucky one huh.'' He said to himself. Before leaving, he noticed a stamp on the very edge of the map.


    The stamp looked to be a single round ember of fire with a ring circle around it.


    It was a bit hard to discern since it was obviously made of stone.


    He made his way through the door, which opened up for him as he got close to it. He was a bit worried for a second that it wasn''t going to open, but thankfully he wasn''t that unlucky.


    The next room was nearly 10 times smaller than the first one. It had nothing inside of it except for three doors.


    "The three death rooms..." Tyr said under his breath, "Guess I have no choice. This one is the one closest to the center room." He took a deep breath and walked directly forward into the center room.


    After walking inside, the door behind Tyr immediately shut. After that, it sealed itself with stone--blending back into the wall.


    Tyr didn''t notice this, however, as he was too busy looking at what was in front of him right now.


    Sleeping in the center of this massive death chamber was an enormous serpent that was most likely over 100 feet long. Its body was thick and its scales were clearly durable.


    Most of all, even while seemingly sleeping it gave off a menacing aura.


    All around the room were the skeletal remains of past Hunters who attempted to complete this room.


    It was an intimidating sight, there was no question about that.


    ''There''s no doubt in my mind that this thing is at the very peak of Apex Rank.''


    Tyr looked down at his shadow, ''I haven''t tested your strength in a while, Rudra. Care for a challenge?''


    ''I will prove to you, master, that I am capable of being your servant!'' Rudra''s rough voice sounded through Soul Communication.


    "Then come out. Kill that long worm right there." Tyr pointed his finger as a monstrous tiger summoned from his shadow and leaped forward. sea??h th§× n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Rudra let out a bloodcurdling roar that boomed through the entire massive death chamber.


    The noise bounced off the walls, echoing in the air and reveberating the walls as the coiled snake slowly rose his head up.


    Its eyes were just as Tyr expected them to be, dangerously bright and lethal looking.


    Its maw was long. A long slithering tongue jumped out of its mouth and rattled quickly with aggression as it slowly made its way toward Rudra.


    Finally, it opened its jaws--revealing rows of sharp and serrated teeth before hissing loudly at the tiger.


    Rudra grunted slightly, not giving a shit about the imminent threat in front of him.


    ''Soldiers of his blood do not fear. No cowardice, no retreat, no defeat.'' Rudra said with pride.


    Tyr was slightly taken aback, ''What does he mean by my blood? Is he just that loyal to me?'' He didn''t understand just how loyal Rudra was. Not only that, but it seemed that the tiger held him in an extremely high regard even more than what loyalty could give.


    Still, he chalked it up to their Soul Marking each other.


    "You ready?" Tyr questioned out loud as the serpent suddenly began to slither forward.


    Rudra roared loudly: ''Give me a go, master!''


    Tyr smiled, "Bring me it''s heart."

 Chapter 62: Truid Dungeon Quest (3) Medicine Trial

    Rudra lunged forward into a full-blown sprint. He dashed side to side quickly, appearing extremely nimble despite his massive size.


    ''Rudra is no normal creature. He has been a Domain Alpha, granting him years of expert fighting and ruling experience. His combat is superior to that of a normal Polaris Tiger.''


    Rudra didn''t hesitate to show this, appearing right before the serpent''s mouth.


    The snake instantly lunged forward to bite him, but he jumped to the side--avoiding the attack.


    *CHOMP*


    He bit into the side of the snake, violently pulling a large chunk off of its body.


    The snake screeched in pain, quickly turning its head around before approaching Rudra again.


    Rudra continued to run away from the snake''s head. As he was distracted by the front of the beast, an unexpected tail swipe whipped across his abdomen--throwing him onto the ground.


    Tyr furrowed his brows slightly as he saw this, ''It''s not going to be easy. This is no weak beast you''re fighting.''


    Rudra grunted, getting back up to his feet.


    ''I must end this now!'' He roared.


    ''Why now all of a sudden?'' Tyr questioned in slight confusion.


    ''Because I am angry!'' Rudra lunged into the air, landing on the center of the serpent''s body.


    He aggressively began to bite into the snake--blood and guts quickly flying everywhere as the snake squirmed and moved with shock and pain.


    Despite this, however, Rudra''s powerful paw held it in place as he dug into its back.


    The snake was too far away on either side to do anything about it, and in a matter of seconds, it was split into 2.


    Rudra''s white fur had been stained in crimson blood, but the snake was still moving somehow.


    After becoming half the length of its original size, it slithered forward before turning around and coming back for Rudra.


    Its eyes were savage and maniacal now, wanting to butcher Rudra more than anything else.


    Tyr was a bit scared for him, ''Pure primal aggression is something that can make you win a fight sometimes...'' He thought to himself.


    However, he was surprised to see Rudra charge forward at the snake.


    He roared from his gut, storming forward with a primal urge to murder himself.


    ''Oh... that''s right. Rudra is the king of this primal shit.''


    Just like that, the tiger ducked below and crunched into the snake''s jugular--lifting the beast into the air before shaking his head violently to tear the jugular out of the serpent''s body.


    The snake''s half-body stopped squirming and thudded onto the floor, and Rudra let go of the torn neck that was in his mouth. Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Without hesitation, he tore into the snake''s body--retrieving a bloody heart before walking it back to where Tyr was and dropping it before the young man.


    ''Master, I have completed your request.'' Rudra said, his eyes expanded as though he was eager. He was panting slightly, similar to an excited dog.


    Tyr smiled, "Good job, Rudra. I expected no less of you." He patted the tiger''s head. Rudra closed his eyes as he received his pats, a feeling of bliss summoning within him.


    ''Hahaha! I am indeed great!''


    "Don''t get too ahead of yourself." Tyr laughed, "There''s still a lot of training we have to do to get strong enough to where nothing can stop us. Infinite Domain."


    Rudra entered the Infinite Domain through Tyr''s shadow.


    Tyr took a good look at the heart on the ground and also the body of the creature.


    And after a few seconds, it all turned to dark ash and fell over itself like a falling sand castle.


    "Just like I thought... it''s not a real creature. That means it wouldn''t have given me any EXP either." He looked around, "There''s no way a creature like that could survive in here for so long without a proper food source, water source, and an environment in general. It must be an Aura Array that has kept it alive for so long."


    The noise of rocks sliding against each other sounded in the distance. Tyr squinted, looking forward as he saw a large door open up in the wall directly ahead of him.


    "A hidden exit after defeating the beast huh? I mean, it''s not like this place is a death trap. It''s a dungeon that wants only the best to receive its treasures." This was his best idea of what a dungeon was in general right now.


    To be honest, he still wasn''t familiar at all with dungeons. This was his first one, after all.


    In fantasy stories, they kind of just popped up out of nowhere just to seemingly help Hunters.


    But of course, these were different. These were in real life, with real history behind them. All of it was something that Tyr was mildly interested in, but more than that, Tyr wanted to progress toward the treasure room.


    He made his way through the exit door and arrived at another room.


    This room was small, about 8 by 8 feet in size. Tyr looked up and his brows furrowed as he realized that this room either didn''t have any ceiling--or the ceiling was simply over 1000 feet high. The very top looked to be a light-blue, bright color.


    The super-high walls were lit up with various crystals and gems.


    ''Seems that the only way out.'' He noted, curving his attention to the other parts of the room.


    To the left was a mortar and pestle with a box beside it that seemed to be full of various ingredients.


    On top of all of this, this new room didn''t seem to be of the same type of structure as the rooms before it.


    Instead of being made out of smooth white-stone bricks, it was like a cavern room. The walls were made of rough uneven stones.


    This was also the case for the walls going all the way up.


    To his right, Tyr noticed a small crop plot with multiple different kinds of herbs growing inside of it that he had never seen before.


    He was confused at all of this. He walked over to the mortar and pestle and opened the small box beside it.


    It was indeed filled with various ingredients and odd objects, like bones, teeth, hair, silk, small flutes and whistles, dream catchers amongst other things that Tyr couldn''t exactly identify.


    Finally, he took out a note that read: "Save your friend by creating a medicine. Life and Death are in your hands... will you be a good God?"


    Tyr raised a brow, "Save... a friend?"


    ***


    In an entirely separate area, Urvil was nicked by a poisonous arrow attached to a tripwire hook. Her piercing scream echoed all through the dungeon chamber she was in as her face quickly turned pale and her knees gave out from underneath her.


    Cyllia and Yurin quickly ran to her aid. Yurin placed Urvil on his knees: "Hey... hey! What''s wrong? Stay awake! Don''t let your eyelids close!


    What are you doing!?" He began to almost freak out as he saw Urvil''s eyes begin to slowly close.

 Chapter 63: Truid Dungeon Quest (4) A Good God

    Tyr''s pupils increased in size out of nowhere, a slightly heavy feeling growing in his heart for some odd reason.


    "I feel concerned for some reason." He couldn''t describe how, but it was like an uneasy feeling in his bones, "I don''t think this is a coincidence that this note is telling me to make an antidote." He said, thinking about what sort of medicine he should make exactly.


    "I have nothing to go off of." His pointer finger landed on his bottom lip as his eyes panned toward the ground--thinking about what he should focus on. S§×arch* The N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Even if I had an idea of the illness, how am I supposed to use this random shit to create an antidote? Is everything I need even here? What if I''m too late? How will I even get to them, there''s no exit out of this place..."


    Many questions began to race through Tyr''s mind.


    He turned to look at the crop plot. He took a few seconds to gaze at the various odd plants.


    Of course, he had never seen these weird plants in his life.


    Some were oddly colored flowers that looked like balls of flame or falling droplets of water.


    Other plants were glowing golden rings that seemed to simply float in the air.


    Other plants were weird-shaped vegetables, and others resembled cooked meat somehow.


    ***


    "Hanzo! Get out of the way!" Jonas shouted, slamming his scythe in front of him and creating a forcefield.


    *BOOM*


    The claws of a giant roll rat slashed against his forcefield.


    Hanzo turned, "Thanks for covering." He said, shooting several Red arrows at another roll rat in front of him.


    They all periced straight through, leaving the roll rat to fall over onto the ground.


    "Don''t turn your back for no reason!" Jonas said, "You never know what could happen." He lunged forward, spinning his scythe in the air before slashing it at the roll rat in front of him several times and chopping it into peices.


    Jonas slashed his scythe through the air one last time, cleaning it of all the blood before sheating it on his back.


    "You don''t gotta tell me that," Hanzo said, sheathing his bow. "Disgusting creatures." He had a sour look on his face as he stared at the roll rats.


    They were large creatures the size of hippos that would dig underground to survive.


    Their claws were extremely long and their snout was wet and pink.


    "They aren''t even native to this dungeon. Tsk." Hanzo said, brushing his coat off before walking forward.


    "What a weird dungeon. I don''t see any coordination whatsoever. It''s like a free for all where I can just explore all the rooms and fight shit." Hanzo said, seemingly a bit annoyed.


    "I mean, isn''t that most dungeons?"


    "No... they usually have more structure to them. There is just something off about this dungeon... about today." Hanzo squinted his eyes.


    "You sure it ain''t just you?" Jonas laughed, continuing with Hanzo through the dungeon.


    ***


    Yurin carried Urvil on his back, Cyllia following close behind him.


    "How is she doing? Is she still warm?" She asked, her eyes filled with genuine worry.


    "She seems completely fine. Her temperature is the same. She just can''t function her body well, as though she''s paralyzed or something." Yurin was dead serious as he spoke. He was obviously very worried too, but knew that showing that side of him wouldn''t be productive right now.


    "Tsk... I can''t believe this has happened on this one day when we need her the most." Yurin still complained though, "This is horrible."


    Cyllia continued: "If her condition worsens, we may have to abandon our plan and get out of here so we can get her some actual help at Mycelia."


    Yurin stayed silent as Cyllia continued after a short pause: "It seems that arrow had some sort of poison at first, but now I see that it was coated with an illness. How heartless..." She shook her head.


    ***


    They all continued to make their way through the dungeons slowly but surely.


    While on the other hand, Tyr had figured something out in his little chemistry chamber.


    After an hour of finding absolute jack shit, walking in circles, getting ideas, and canceling them out again, Tyr saw a ray of hope that he thought he could grab onto.


    "I might just be imagining it at this point since I''m so desperate, but hopefully this isn''t just me being stupid and reaching too far." He said, kneeling and grabbing the flower that looked like the shape of a fire.


    Its bottom was round and smooth, while its top was rougher like narrow mountain peaks going all the way up to the highest peak in the center--just like a falling fireball.


    "This and..." He got the ring vegetable, "This... these two." He said, placing the flower inside of the gold-looking ring vegetable.


    "This replicates that symbol that was on the map." As soon as he put the two together, he felt a click. A small burst of yellow Aura summoned from the tip of the flower, surrounding the ring and itself.


    As it dispersed again, Tyr noticed that both the ring and the flower were now both fully white in color.


    The yellow Aura continued to mingle in the air as Tyr placed the two objects into the mortar and grinded them up with the pestle.


    As soon as he did this, the Aura from before magnetized toward the paste and combined into it again--making the entire concoction glow slightly.


    A smile appeared on Tyr''s face--a bead of sweat trickling down his forehead.


    His eyes shone with hope, "Perfect. Im heading in the right direction. Now... what else? Are there any clues?"


    He read the note over and over again, finding this part more interesting than the rest: Life and Death are in your hands... will you be a good God?


    "Life and death? A good God?" He rummaged through the artifacts and found a bone.


    "Out of anything, this should represent Death." He continued rummaging around, picking up a very small glass bottle of water. "And this... Life right? What else would represent life if not water?"


    He added both things into the mortar and began to crush them. Alas, they both combined into the paste and caused the concoction to glow an even richer golden color this time.


    "Still missing something?" He questioned. After thinking about it for several minutes, going over his steps, searching the room multiple more times, and retracing his words and thoughts, he finally found something he thought would work.


    "It''s the statement about God, right? Will I be a good God or not?" He had already figured this out, but now he had an idea of what ingredient would correlate to this:


    "No ingredient at all. It''s a question, so why not just answer it?" At this point he had gone to the very basics of what kind of ideas his mind could come up with.


    He wasn''t going to try and read into it, as he had already done that for hours and didn''t get anything out of it. Now, he was going off of the literal meaning of the words. In the end, all it was was a question.


    He leaned in close to the mixture and spoke: "A great God!" As he said this, the mixture glew some more and began to suddenly mix on its own. After he stopped speaking, however, it toned back down.


    "Oh? So that''s how it is? Fine then... If you want a lengthy answer I''ll give you one!" Tyr exclaimed, taking in a deep breath before mouthing away:


    "I''ll be the greatest God you will ever meet! There will be no being that won''t worship my effulgence! All creation and destruction will stem from me and me alone!"


    As he continued, the mixture began to spin and morph at an ever-accelerating rate, condensing in on itself and turning into a different thing entirely.


    "I will be a brave God, a strong God, a gracious God, a beloved God... I will be a good God!"


    With that, the mixture finally condensed so much that it turned into a molten bead of magma before hardening back into a small pill.


    "A... a pill? Don''t tell me this is what Urvil was talking about when she said one of the three treasures in this dungeon was a pill."

 Chapter 64: Truid Dungeon Quest (5) Reunion

    ***XXTRA LONG CHAP***


    ***


    Tyr sighed, "Well, I guess I can''t complain much even if this is one of the three treasures. It''s not like I would have been able to make it on my own outside of this dungeon." sea??h th§× NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He turned, walking toward the various vegetables and plants in the crop plot.


    "And if this pill is one of the treasures, that just means these plants are scarce and valuable... I won''t let them go to waste in this rut." He decided to make the most out of the situation.


    In just a few minutes, every plant and ingredient in the room was wiped out clean. Even the mortar and pestle weren''t spared, all stored inside of his 5x5 ft. storage ring that he had gotten while on his travels to Mycelia.


    He placed his hands on his hips and exhaled, "Hah~~ let''s see... what the hell am I supposed to do now?"


    He left the small room, "Maybe I retrace my steps and go to other death chambers?"


    But when he got to the room where the snake was, he noticed that the exit that he had entered through was fully sealed.


    "Huh... that''s odd." He looked around the entire serpent chamber but didn''t find a single area that even allowed a smidge of airflow through.


    In the end, he was back in the room with no ceiling.


    "Think Tyr... what''s the answer out of this one?" As soon as he said these words while staring up at the tall walls, a realization entered his mind, "The only other possible thing that is out of order is the fact that these walls... they are far rougher than the smooth walls of the other rooms."


    He walked forward and grabbed a small natural ledge. He then grabbed another one that was slightly above the first one--placing his feet on one bump that was near the ground.


    Just like this, he began to ascend the wall. After climbing 20 feet, he grabbed onto a rock bump that abruptly dislodged and became loose--causing him to lose his grip on the wall and fall back down.


    He tried to grab onto some rocks as he fell to keep some of his progress but all that did was scrape the shit out of his fingers.


    A nail was even torn straight off. Tyr squinted hard, "Tsk." He exclaimed in slight pain, shaking his hand.


    "This won''t be easy. But it''s doable. I just have to test each rock before grabbing it. I can''t fail too much either... I don''t know the time I have."


    He furrowed his brows, "Anyone in my squad... I hold them to be as close as family. We have gone through thick and thin with each other... I won''t let them down. And even if they are fine and don''t need this medicine, I only have less than 18 hours now to climb up. Otherwise, we fail the quest."


    He furrowed his brows, continuing to climb up the walls.


    Several minutes passed as he continued to climb. Many times he fell before reaching even the 100 feet mark.


    His body was damaged each time since there was no way to fall without getting slightly injured. If he let himself go all the way down, he would take heavy damage on the ground.


    And if he tried to stop his fall to get a more graceful landing, he would just scratch and tear open his hands.


    Two hours passed.


    Tyr''s journey up the wall was still treacherous. However, he quickly understood that he could use Blink Step in case he accidentally made a mistake.


    It was a save for the most part--unless he Blink Stepped to another bad ledge.


    Despite this, he continued to climb. As he got higher and higher, he began to make less mistakes.


    At the same time, his body was getting more tired by the second.


    Keeping your grip for so long was excruciating, and feeling the pain radiate through your body was a constant reminder that this was far too difficult.


    Each wave of the tingling feeling of knives digging into Tyr''s hands and feet made him want to quit.


    Yet, ''It''s not like I have a choice. Damn...''


    He had thought of using Rudra to climb up, but this space was simply too small for the beast.


    It was unfortunate, but all he could do was hope for the best and keep on going.


    Multiple more hours passed...


    Tyr fell and got back up, no longer falling all the way down to the bottom after reaching 500 feet. He had multiple safe ledges and spots that he had marked by now and memorized through pure mental blisters.


    At some point, Tyr forgot all about his pain. His body went numb, and his mind was in a state of tunnel vision where he didn''t see anything but the top inch closer and closer.


    ***


    "Finally... I think this is the last piece." Hanzo said, placing a large stone tablet into a slot in the ground.


    He took a step back, sweat trickling off of his forehead as he looked at the grand puzzle before him.


    It was over 20 feet in both length and width, filled with stone slabs that were 2 by 1 ft long.


    "Over 200 of them... what an insane dungeon," Jonas said while sitting on his rear, exhausted from all that just happened.


    "See, I told you it wasn''t a normal dungeon." Hanzo joked as the door in front of them slowly began to open up.


    They had been stuck in a room for several hours, fighting random beasts that came from holes in the ceiling while trying to solve this giant stone puzzle.


    Each stone had a line on it, and you had to place the stones in the perfect position to where the lines all matched up and you went from the very top--the start--and slithered all the way down to the bottom--the finish line.


    Due to the waves of beasts, it was tiresome work. Yet, they finally managed to pull it off.


    "This next room..." Jonas said, standing up as he slowly walked closer to where Hanzo was.


    Hanzo was standing right in front of the opening door, "Yeah... it''s the final room before the boss room, which is the final one before the treasure room. This was one of the only rooms that all other rooms connected to eventually unless they were dead ends."


    They entered inside and noticed a fairly large space with an elevated pool in the middle filled with bright and transparent light-blue water.


    There were pillars all on the sides of the chamber, with several ancient encryptions on the wall.


    "Huh?" Hanzo raised a brow as he saw three figures on the ledge beside the small pool of water.


    Yurin and Cyllia looked up, their faces brightening slightly.


    "You finally arrived!" Cyllia said, running up to Hanzo with open arms.


    Time seemed to slow down as two round, bouncing planets quickly assaulted the short young man.


    As she neared him, however, he pushed her behind him and walked toward Yurin.


    Cyllia landed on Jonas'' leg, crying, "I missed you guys so much!"


    Jonas sighed, limping over to Yurin and Urvil who was lying beside him--Cyllia stuck to his left leg.


    "What''s wrong with her?" Hanzo said while looking at Urvil, sitting down beside the pool.


    Yurin had a grim expression. He explained what had happened up until this point. All the trouble they had gone through and also what happened to Urvil.


    Hanzo had a stern expression by the end after hearing it all, "If Tyr doesn''t show up soon, we might have to abandon this quest--"


    "No." Yurin interrupted, "It''s fine... she will be fine. We are already so close... we have to finish this quest at the very least."


    Hanzo squinted his eyes slightly at Yurin. ''Yurin...'' He said inwardly.


    The others stared at Yurin as well, quickly sobering up from their previous feelings of exhaustion.


    Cyllia was the first to speak after a short silence, "Well... I suppose that''s what Urvil would have wanted. I''m sure she will kill us if we tell her we quit the mission because of her. It will make her feel horrible." Cyllia sounded genuinely concerned.


    Hanzo continued to stay silent.


    "You know how harsh she takes these things..." Yurin said, seeming as though he was also conflicted.


    "We will wait for Tyr," Hanzo said, lying beside the pool and closing his eyes.


    The others sighed, sitting down and making themselves comfortable.


    ***


    "One more stone..." Tyr''s voice echoed through this tall tunnel as he grabbed onto another ledge.


    His arms were throbbing with pain and numbness.


    "One more stone..."


    His face was pale, the blood from his body only entering his hands and feet.


    Tyr continued to climb in solitude, his voice echoing through the tall chamber. Each more sentence was another reminder to him to keep going...


    "One more stone... one more stone... one more stone..."

 Chapter 65: Truid Dungeon Quest (6) Worth It

    Hours passed...


    By now, Tyr had been climbing alone for 7 hours straight.


    Hanzo and the others were still waiting, their patience growing more and more thin as Urvil''s condition only seemed to worsen.


    Hanzo had an even more stern look on his face now, "Five more minutes." He said out loud, staring at Urvil''s face. She was sweating profusely.


    Jonas had a serious gaze as his eyes were also locked onto the young girl.


    Cyllia sat beside her best friend, fanning her with her hand.


    Yurin stared at the ground, an unpleasant look on his face as well.


    "Hey... is that just me or do you guys hear it as well?" Jonas suddenly said, lifting his head as his eyes went to the side.


    Everyone paused, listening to what Jonas might have been talking about.


    Sure enough, a light echo seemed to sound from somewhere.


    "A voice?" Hanzo said, looking around, "Its been quiet for so long that even this faint noise seems loud."


    He stood up, closing his eyes to hone into this sound some more. He wanted to confirm what it was.


    "..."


    "On.. m... st..."


    "One mo... sto"


    His eyes suddenly opened as the words finally entered his ears fluently. A slight smile appeared on his face: "He''s here." He said out loud.


    "One more stone."


    The voice was louder this time, and the others were able to hear it as well.


    Everyone located where the sound was coming from. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "The pool?" They questioned, leaning over it with confused looks.


    "How can that be?" Yurin questioned.


    "Is it some sort of trap door?" Cyllia mused outwardly.


    After a few more seconds, a hand arose from what seemed to be out of the floor at the bottom of the pool.


    Everyone''s eyes expanded in shock as they saw this.


    Tyr on the other hand felt a warm, wet sensation cover his hand.


    From his point of view, there was no stone in between him and the water above him.


    From the top, however, there was a stone floor.


    ''An illusion Aura Array?'' Tyr questioned as he pushed himself up through the water and grabbed onto the ledge of the pool.


    His hands were rid of all nails--bruised and scraped. His body was no less injured as he climbed out of the pool.


    The others looked with gaped jaws and furrowed brows with their faces looking like they had just seen a monster appear out of nowhere.


    As Tyr fell over the ledge of the pool and onto the floor, he noticed everyone and smiled before his vision began to become blurrier.


    "Everyone... I finally made it..." He barely managed to say using what seemed to be the last of his energy as Ultimatum all quickly made their way toward him.


    "What happened!?" Jonas was the first to question, kneeling beside Tyr and lifting him onto his knees. "Are you alright brother?" He sounded extremely concerned.


    Tyr attempted to speak, but words didn''t come out of his mouth. He had already gone far past his point of exhaustion. In the end, he was using sheer grit to finish the climb--pushing past his bodily limits.


    [Stamina: 0/30]


    He simply grunted, despite wanting to speak so desperately from the inside.


    Hanzo came over, "How in the hell did you get in this shape?" He too was worried.


    "Tyr! What happened to you!?" Cyllia questioned, rushing to his aid.


    Yurin also hurried over to the young man.


    Tyr continued attempting to force his sentence out as everyone paid close attention to his next words.


    "Is... is..."


    ''Come on! Get the words out! I climbed this entire fucking wall just for this!''


    "Is... everyone..."


    Their anticipation grew even more as he saw this.


    Finally, he managed to utter the last word: "Okay?"


    Everyone was suddenly taken aback by this statement.


    Tears attempted to come out of Jonas'' eyes, "Wow... you truly are a great man." He said as he sniffled out of nowhere, "You''re this injured but you still have the mental capacity to put us first."


    Yurin furrowed his brows, "Is that not a bit too concerned? You should be worried more about yourself right now!" He shouted.


    However, Hanzo''s face was more serious. He saw a different message behind Tyr''s words.


    "Tyr... don''t tell me, you already know what happened to Urvil," Hanzo said as the others quickly understood the situation.


    Of course, there would be no other logical reason for Tyr to be concerned about everyone right now when he was about to enter the next life himself.


    "No... but... now I do..." Tyr smiled slightly, "So... the note... wasn''t... lying..." He slowly croaked.


    "Wait. Heal a little first." Hanzo said, stuffing a handful of health capsules into Tyr''s mouth.


    Despite Tyr being heavily injured, all of his damage was a combination of small scratches and bumps. Thankfully, these were healed easily by health capsules--unlike torn limbs or internal injuries.


    Tyr quickly began to return to a healthy shape as he sat up, "A note told me that a friend would fall ill. I had to create a medicine for them."


    Jonas, Cyllia, and Yurin subconsciously gasped slightly in astonishment as they heard this.


    They were both amazed and bewildered at the insane nature of this dungeon.


    Tyr laughed, "Haha... thank god I could make it. All of that hard work was worth it after all. If I hadn''t done that, Urvil might have been in trouble." He said as he stood up and slowly inched toward the short girl.


    Jonas began to cry again, "Wow... truly a divine being. He went through so much pain, and in the end, he deems it all worth it just because he got to help a friend. I aspire to be like you one day, Tyr." Rivers of tears trickled down his face.


    Everyone looked as Tyr took out a pill from his storage ring and put it into Urvil''s mouth.


    Their eyes danced with nervousness, hope, anticipation, and fear as Urvil''s face remained frail.


    Tyr exhaled, "It will work. I won''t accept it not working after all that shit I just did." He declared.


    At that moment, a golden light summoned in Urvil''s glabella, or her metaphorical third eye.


    Her face instantly began to turn more tan and get color, her body becoming more lifelike.


    Within a matter of seconds, Urvil no longer looked weak--but rather she was glowing with energy!


    She opened her eyes and instantly began to cry.


    "Everyone... I''m so sorry for having you worry!" She said, wiping her streams of tears with the back of her wrists as Cyllia hastily embraced and comforted her.


    "So she could tell what was going on the entire time huh..." Hanzo said, "What a horrible illness."


    Tyr felt a wave of relief flush over him, "Man... that was way too close."


    At that moment, the final door slowly scraped open.


    Tyr looked around, "Hmm... this room looks pretty familiar." He began to question with sudden suspicion, "A little too familiar."


    Before he could think too hard about it, however, Hanzo walked toward the slowly opening door.


    "Everyone, take a short break. After that, we take out this final boss room and get that treasure."


    Everyone looked at the squad captain with determined eyes as he finished with these words:


    "Let''s complete this mission!"


    "Yeah!" The other squad members retorted in unison.

 Chapter 66: Truid Dungeon Quest (7) Backstories

    As the boss room door continued to open ever so slowly, everyone sat around for about ten more minutes. They chatted to themselves about everything they had to go through up until this point.


    The unique hardships and horrifying experiences of a friend were always hilarious to listen to because, in the end, everyone understood that those times were now over and they were still intact.


    Laughing over them gave both parties a feeling of well-being, which was some of the only stuff working to keep many Hunters sane.


    Their conversations were filled with personal issues as well, but this was expected since such high stakes were proposed today.


    Tyr already knew the background of all of his squad members, but hearing them again was always interesting and mostly unpleasant.


    This was because they all for the most part weren''t lucky in life.


    Yurin was orphaned from a young age, eventually taken in by an unknown bandit who wanted a son to do his dirty and measly work for him.


    After growing up well into his teens, his father died. Yurin wasn''t upset about it much, since his father was an abusive piece of shit.


    But still, that man was the only one he had left. And now, he was left with nothing except for an undying passion for creating weapons to get even stronger.


    He somehow ended up in Ultimatum, which changed his life up until this point.


    Tyr didn''t deem Cyllia''s story to be any better. Even worse, in fact.


    She grew up in a brothel, pretty much orphaned since her mother was never in the picture and was too busy having fun¡­


    She was destined to be a prostitute when she reached the ripe age of 12.


    After two years of sexual abuse and trauma, she managed to escape and followed a life of thievery and petty crime in the streets before finally becoming a Hunter and joining Ultimatum.


    Jonas had a calmer life. He was lucky to have both his mother and father in his life. His upbringing was humble, his mother was a stay-at-home mom and his father was a part of the Seris Imperial Army.


    From early on he learned good lessons like helping others in need, and joined Ultimatum as a route to achieve his goals of being the best person he possibly could.


    Finally, Urvil''s story wasn''t nearly as pleasant. She grew up on a farm on the outskirts of Seris.


    Throughout her life, she had multiple step-parents and was eventually raised by 3 different siblings--one always leaving after reaching a certain age to do something with their own life.


    Her sister who was 5 years older than her was the last one to leave her all alone only at the age of 14, where she lived in poverty for a few more years until finally becoming a Hunter and joining Ultimatum.


    Everyone always liked to joke about their backgrounds.


    "Hell, if it wasn''t for Ultimatum we would all probably be dead in some ditch right now! Hahah!" Yurin said as he laughed his ass off.


    "Yeah! It must have been fate that tied all of us together!" Cyllia added in the funny moment.


    There was a new joke that Ultimatum had now about their backstories. This joke was exactly about 3 months long...


    "All of us have our stories, and then there''s Tyr who apparently just appeared in this world out of nowhere!" Jonas shouted as everyone laughed and chuckled to themselves.


    Tyr thought to himself as he laughed: ''If only you knew that''s actually what happened...''


    The only ones who weren''t laughing were Hanzo and Urvil.


    Hanzo looked to be taking a light nap, but really he was deep in thought. ''Today was too close of a call.'' He hated it when his squad members were injured.


    Urvil was still a bit shaken up it seemed, so that explained why she wasn''t laughing.


    After becoming mentally prepared, the mood not so dark as it was just a few minutes ago, everyone readied their weapons and entered the final boss room.


    "This room is supposed to be the last one guarding the treasure room. Be wary... do not lose your guard no matter what." Hanzo said as he walked inside.


    ...


    The others were right behind him, Urvil having also recuperated after what happened. Although her body language still seemed very nervous, she promised herself that she was prepared.


    Holding tightly onto her staff, she walked forward into the boss room with everyone else.


    As soon Tyr got inside, he noted what type of room this was. S§×arch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    It was a giant chamber made of stone again that wasn''t smooth and modern looking.


    It was a round, seemingly naturally formed cavern that was over 500 feet in width and 70 feet in height.


    The inside looked like a type of natural ginormous terrarium filled with plants that grew up to the very top of the cavern room.


    Giant thick stems as hard as tree trunks but quadruple in size were everywhere, along with various smaller types of plants--making this place a labyrinth of invisible spots.


    It was hard to move around in. Ultimatum all had their weapons out and guards up as they slowly traversed the area.


    Several piles of what seemed to be human bones were sometimes seen in random places.


    Various hardened scales were left behind all over the place, along with what seemed to be dried debris.


    Small birds and other critters were roaming around as well, making it seem like you were outside for a moment.


    The room was covered in bright orange crystals, giving the effect of a real sun over the room.


    Hanzo rose to a vantage point on one of the stems. The rest of Ultimatum quickly split up, climbing other vines and searching the area as well.


    They all saw a unique area at the very back of the room.


    It was a giant nest placed at the bottom of the mangrove of tightly knitted vines and leaves.


    Inside of it was a large egg the size of a watermelon. It was covered in blue and purple scales--the cracks seeping with bright energy.

 Chapter 67: Truid Dungeon Quest (8) Final Boss

    "It looks like a dragon egg..." Tyr said quietly, mesmerized by the sight of the object. "Holy shit..."


    Jonas also seemed to be surprised, following up:


    "Holy shit indeed. Imagine we have to fight a dragon! That would be horrible."


    ''No... that''s not why I''m saying holy shit...'' Tyr said to himself, ''Imagine if... I could have a pet dragon...''


    Dragons were the most mythical creatures in all human history. No matter what type of life you lived or what culture you were a part of, you had to have heard of them on Earth.


    Since Tyr was fascinated by magic from a young age, he loved the idea of dragons.


    Of course, he knew that this most likely wasn''t a dragon of all things. But still, just the idea of an egg was an exhilarating thought.


    ''I want it.'' He said inwardly. ''If it''s the egg of the boss, it''s probably damn strong.'' He knew it would help him tremendously in his life goal of doing whatever he wanted with no shackles!


    Before he went too far with that idea, however, Hanzo shot a blue arrow into the sky.


    Without a second''s delay, another red arrow pierced through it--causing a large explosion of Aura in the middle of the chamber.


    "W-what the hell!?" Tyr exclaimed, climbing down the vines.


    "It''s only one creature in here. At least, one strong one. 6 against one... there''s no reason for us to be hiding. We are the seekers in this situation. Our job is to find it." Hanzo replied, emphasizing the ''it'' in his sentence as he jumped down.


    "I see..." Tyr gripped his spear tightly.


    The hairs on his arm suddenly stood fully erect. He looked down with confusion and abruptly felt immense chills crawl up his spine.


    As the chills arrived at his head, Tyr felt a horrifying feeling and a dangerous presence behind his back. It was as though a monster the size of a ginormous boulder was right behind him.


    Its presence was unshakeable. Its demeanor was vicious, like that of the Polaris Tiger except even more lethal.


    Tyr couldn''t help but freeze in sheer fear for a split second. As he slowly turned to look past his shoulder, he was met with an image that was far more terrifying than he had imagined.


    It was a giant scaly beast that resembled a dragon but it had no wings.


    It was over 12 feet in length and stood 8 feet tall on all four legs.


    Its scales were a rich purple and blue, its eyes also azure in tone, but the most shocking part was the sheer sharpness and size of its fangs and claws.


    It hissed and roared aggressively before swatting at Tyr from the side.


    Before Tyr could even utter the words ''Blink Step'' in his head, a metallic object appeared between him and the beast''s claws.


    *CLANG*


    Tyr opened his eyes, noticing Hanzo standing behind him.


    "Move," Hanzo said, Tyr quickly sprinting forward before turning around. He breathed heavier: ''Shit... I... would have died there. No time to use Blink Step, or even Hypnosis for that matter. I have never witnessed something so fast.''


    Hanzo seemed to also struggle to push the beast back. Its sheer strength was undoubtable. Sear?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    With a push, it forced Hanzo to jump back and create space.


    Without giving the man a rest, however, the Drake rushed forward in a wavy and loose manner--like a crocodile mixed with a snake--and unleashed a series of incredibly powerful and swift slashes.


    Each attack sent gusts of wind brushing against the faces of the other members of Ultimatum.


    Hanzo managed to dodge and parry all of them without much trouble but acknowledged the beast''s strength in the process.


    "Oh ho ho!" He laughed, "You are one strong bastard." He said, pulling his bowstring back in a millisecond and unleashing the arrow.


    The red arrow scratched the side of Drake''s shoulder before being deflected off.


    "As I expected... scales are great for deflecting rather than blocking--making it so that they don''t have to take the force of the attack. It''s a smart natural adaptation." Hanzo said under his breath.


    Tyr was astonished by what he saw, ''For the first time, Hanzo''s Red actually didn''t obliterate a beast?''


    "It''s strong huh?" Tyr shouted out to Hanzo.


    "Yeah!"


    "Stronger than you!?"


    Hanzo smirked, "Of course not." He unleashed several more arrows that pushed the Drake back slightly but still deflected right off of its chest scales.


    Finally, he unleashed a blue arrow and paired it with a red one close behind, causing another explosion that propelled the Drake back a few dozen feet.


    "Still, I''m going to need backup. I don''t want to lose a finger." Hanzo continued as the dust around the Drake settled--revealing a nearly unblemished body.


    The members of Ultimatum finally stepped forward, slowly spread out all around the Drake.


    "Let''s get this party started," Jonas said, spinning his sheath all around him in the air.


    Rocks, splashes of water, bursts of ember, and gusts of wind began to float all around Yurin as he clenched his gauntleted fist.


    Cyllia swung her whip several times in the air, unleashing powerful and loud snaps in the air.


    Tyr made his way around as well, equally spread out. His eyes darted toward the others, ''Watching these guy''s work is something else. They are the strongest Hunter Group in a very large area... master''s at their craft.''


    He remembered when he first saw all of their teamwork. It was mesmerizing and never got old even up until now.


    Tyr was eager to witness it again: ''I just hope I can fit in well enough and dont slow them down.''


    Urvil stood behind them all, raising her wooden staff as she closed her eyes.


    "Oh mother of all, please bless these friends with your divine boon for as long as you wish as they have entered your land willingly. Oh Father Zese, please give us the strength to fight for you another day. By your right, may we prosper once again."


    Urvil''s voice was ethereal. Her entire body lit up in a vibrant white light as though she was an angel and her voice echoed through the final boss chamber. It was as though she was singing. It was beautiful to hear, like liquid gold pouring into the ears.


    It cleansed the members of Ultimatum of all temporary thoughts of cowardice for the most part, strengthing their bodies and honing their minds.


    Tyr immediately felt this take effect, ''What a useful Ancestral Ability...'' He thought to himself.


    "Everyone!" Hanzo paused as all eyes locked onto him with anticipation.


    "GO!"


    He darted toward the Drake in the middle. Everyone else quickly followed suit in complete unison.


    "Let''s finish this dungeon!" Tyr shouted, sprinting in with his spear aimed.

 Chapter 68: Truid Dungeon Quest (9) Evolved

    Hanzo reached the Drake first, wielding his bow as a close-range weapon.


    One wouldn''t expect an archer to be able to do this, but Hanzo utilized his bow in more ways than simply long-range.


    The Drake attempted to slash at the young man, but its claws were slammed away by Hanzo''s bow.


    With its arms flung to the side, Hanzo unleashed a flurry of 5 red arrows into the beast''s chest.


    They carved into its scales a little bit before ricocheting off once again. S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Out of nowhere, the end of a whip swung down from the sky and lashed across the Drake''s back, leaving a glowing pink line that didn''t erase.


    The Drake roared at the sky in frustration as several boulders and fire waves smashed into both of its sides.


    It exclaimed again, becoming overwhelmed by all of the attacks.


    Tyr was running from the side, mesmerized by what was happening. He loved seeing Ultimatum in perfect sync. Not letting the enemy take a single breath was how their plan usually worked.


    Jonas flew in from above, spinning his scythe before exchanging several blows with the Drake.


    The clang of his blade slamming against Drake''s claws resounded through the chamber as he suddenly kicked the Drake in the chest, pushing it back a few feet.


    The Drake instantly recuperated, lunging at the man. Jonas got down to one knee and pushed the hilt of his scythe deep into the ground.


    The Drake''s claw attacks were halted by Jonas'' forcefield for a moment.


    ''Now, young Tyr!'' Jonas thought to himself, everyone''s eyes on the teen as a foot landed on Jonas'' back.


    Tyr jumped into the air, throwing his hands above him before thrusting the spear down into the back of the Drake as hard as he could.


    It was a perfect shot--arriving right in between the scales and beginning to pierce through slightly.


    However, this wasn''t the ending move of course.


    The Drake backed up as Tyr did the same. Everyone resumed their positions.


    The Drake paused, looking around rapidly. It seemed to know to be more cautious now, but that was understandable.


    The Drake lowered its head as its shoulders squirmed slightly. Its body was lunged, still ready to attack at any moment.


    However, Hanzo squinted his eyes in slight suspicion at this moment, "Something is off..." He said, "This beast..." His eyes wandered over to the Drake''s shoulders.


    "Everyone back up!" Hanzo abruptly shouted, everyone quickly following his orders.


    The Drake abruptly let out a vicious and eardrum-shaking roar.


    "This beast resembled a Drake at first... but those nearly invincible scales aren''t the adaptation of an ordinary Drake. I thought it was an odd occurrence, but now I understand that this thing has already adapted past the Drake stage..."


    He paused, the others looking at him with confused eyes as he himself seemed to be deep in thought.


    "Hundreds of years. It makes sense. This Drake has already adapted--no, it has evolved to its stronger species." Hanzo finally said, taking some of the others aback.


    "So you''re telling me this thing is a Dragonewt?" Cyllia said, her voice filled with astonishment.


    "How do you know?" Yurin said, confused and surprised.


    "It''s shoulders. There are slight nubs on its shoulders. Normal Drakes don''t have those... they are the sign of wings attempting to appear." Hanzo''s head turned to face the egg.


    "The next beast will be a full..." Before Hanzo could finish, the Dragonewt charged at him with a far superior speed compared to before.


    Hanzo''s eyes widened slightly in surprise as he shot 3 blue arrows to form a shield.


    However, the Dragonewt was not delayed--smashing through the shields with its claws and storming forward.


    "It was holding back..." Hanzo said under his breath, the realization hitting him at that moment.


    Hanzo clenched his teeth, dashing forward to meet the beast in the middle.


    They exchanged a series of powerful and extremely quick blows, the after-effect of the attacks blowing everyone''s hair back slightly.


    Jonas rushed in from behind, slashing his Scythe toward the beast''s hind legs.


    However, he caught a giant boot to the face instead, sending him flying across the chamber and into a vine that was quite high up.


    As he landed on the ground, he wiped his nose which had a slight trickle of blood coming down it.


    He smiled, "Hahaha... now things are really starting to get serious." He said. "So it was just trying out its power lightly for the first time in a while huh? And now we''ve gotten it angry enough to go all out it seems."


    "Far-range attacks only!" Hanzo declared, still clashing with the powerful beast nonstop.


    Each attack of the Dragonewt was ferocious--merely inches from ripping off Hanzo''s head.


    It clawed and crunched like a savage beast that was unleashed into the wild after being kept in captivity for its whole life.


    It''s rage was unbelievable.


    Cyllia continued to whip it from afar, Yurin''s elemental attacks also doing a bit of damage. Urvil''s blessings remained online, as Jonas and Tyr were the only ones forced to stand back.


    "Be prepared to attack at any moment. We may not be of help right now, but battles are always unexpected. You never know what may happen." Jonas said to Tyr, not wanting anyone''s guard to lower.


    After a minute of clashing, Hanzo had damaged the beast to a fair degree. However, he had also copped his fair share of scratches. His arms were bleeding heavily, but in the heat of battle, he knew he wouldn''t be able to heal himself.


    ''One wrong step and I''m done for.'' Hanzo said inwardly. The beast was getting slower as it grew more tired, but its onslaught was still as relentless as possible.


    "Cyllia! Have you prepared it yet?" Hanzo shouted out.


    "No!" Cyllia said, slashing her whip one more time as it left another pink glowing line on the Dragonewt''s back.


    "How many more do you need!?"


    "This should be the last one!" Cyllia screamed, sprinting to the side and swinging her whip one more time.


    It clapped against the sky and swatted across the beast''s back.


    By now, dozens of pink lines were crossed all over its back, almost like a series of chains wrapping around it.


    Cyllia stopped placing her hands together in a heart shape. "Love prison!"


    At that moment, all of the pink bands materialized into physical pink bands of Aura.


    They constricted tightly all over the Dragonewt''s body, rendering it nearly immobile in a couple of seconds.

 Chapter 69: Truid Dungeon Quest (10) Demons...

    Tyr had never seen this before. His eyes glanced at Cyllia: ''I never knew she had such a power! I saw her use the physical love strips sometimes but using them at such a high count is a genius idea. As long as she has someone else to distract the beast, she can immobilize it most of the time.''


    The Dragonewt roared viciously again, still attempting to move. Hanzo grabbed its wrists, having to control it.


    He gritted his teeth, "Strong mother fucker..." He said under his breath, "Even though you''re in Love Prison you can still move enough to kill us all for a single mistake. Whoever placed you in this dungeon must have been a monster."


    Hanzo sucked a bunch of air into his lungs: "Cyllia!" He shouted, "I''ll flip this thing on its back! Wrap his stomach and limbs with Love strips and put another Love Prison on it!"


    Cyllia sprinted closer, "Yes, captain!" She said, preparing to do just that.


    She stopped a few dozen feet short, beginning to walk. Everyone else also made their way closer, all staring at Hanzo fight the immense strength of the Dragonewt.


    He grunted as he continued to struggle. With a large push, he turned the beast onto its side. But the job was not finished. His hands, neck, and forehead bulged with veins and his face turned redder than a tomato as he pushed.


    "Grrh! Garh!" He exclaimed, using the extent of his strength to push.


    Cyllia continued to walk closer, even though the others had stopped. Urvil was still behind everyone.


    Jonas and Tyr''s eyes landed on Cyllia walking far too close, "Wait! Cyllia!" Jonas shouted, "Don''t get too close!"


    Cyllia approached Hanzo with determined eyes. They gleamed with slight uncertainty, yet fous.


    She raised her hand''s whip as it quickly began to glow in a pink light.


    Hanzo gazed at her with confusion.


    "Cyllia!" Jonas shouted, "What are you--", but it was too late. The Love strips shot out from Cyllia''s whip-like serpents, soaring toward the beast but stopping shy of hitting their mark... and instead wrapping around Hanzo''s wrists and ankles with surprising speed and strength.


    Hanzo gritted his teeth in pain as the Love strips tightened around him, restricting his movements.


    He couldn''t let go of the Dragonewt, as it was in a position where it could heavily injure him. His eyes widened with disbelief, not understanding anything, and several questions flew through his head.


    Tyr was completely taken aback and stunned, "Cyllia..." He said under his breath, "What are you doing." He whispered, unable to believe what he was seeing.


    Meanwhile, Yurin moved swiftly toward Hanzo. He darted before him and grabbed his leader in a tight clutch--hugging him with both arms and legs and fully restraining him.


    In that split second, Hanzo spoke: "Yurin? Why--" But he was cut off.


    "Shut up... just shut up..." Yurin said under his breath.


    Yurin and Cyllia screamed at the top of their lungs: "DO IT NOW!" Both of them were facing Urvil with eyes filled with urgency.


    Hanzo, Jonas, and Tyr were frozen by the sudden tension. Their eyes slowly moved to stare at Urvil.


    ''They are betraying us.'' Jonas thought inwardly, staring at Urvil.


    ''Hmm.'' Hanzo thought, his eyes also locked onto the short girl.


    ''Why would they do this?'' Tyr said to himself, his eyes also on Urvil.


    They were all awaiting her answer to the screams of the apparent betrayers.


    The short girl''s face was shadowed. Her body language looked extremely nervous and shaky. She gripped her staff tightly.


    "URVIL! Don''t you remember what we said!? Don''t screw it all up!" Yurin screamed at the top of his lungs.


    At that moment, Urvil''s head lifted, revealing a face that was drowning in tears and snot with bloodshot eyes from crying for so long.


    "Hanzo!" Urvil screamed, "I''m sorry! I''m so sorry! Everyone! I''m so sorry!" She fell to her knees.


    Seeing this sent chills crawling up the backs of Tyr and Jonas.


    ''No...'' Tyr thought inwardly, utterly bewildered and stained with disbelief.


    He felt the blessings from before abruptly leave his body.


    He looked down at his hands, ''This can''t be happening.''


    "From the Lord''s light comes his darkness." Urvil began to say in a shaky voice: "May it cover one''s life. May it cover his life." Urvil said, raising her staff as a blast of pitch-black Aura exploded out of it and rushed toward Hanzo like a tsunami.


    It slammed into him, absorbing in rapidly and rupturing his stomach.


    Tyr heard rapid and breathless pants above him. He turned to face Jonas whose expression was a mix of disbelief and sorrow, his eyes expanded with rage.


    "No! NO!" Jonas walked forward with his scythe gripped. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?!" He abruptly roared at the top of his lungs in a rough and enraged voice.


    He stormed forward at that moment, leaping into the air, "WHY!? AFTER EVERYTHING WE''VE GONE THROUGH!!" He landed in front of Hanzo and Yurin, his eyes maniacally wide and his body roaring with fury.


    He paused, his pupils dancing with shock as he saw Hanzo''s lifeless face.


    His lip began to quiver with emotion. His eyes slowly panned to Yurin.


    Seething hatred oozed out of Jonas'' being. There was so much of it within his body that he couldn''t control himself.


    The frustration built up to the roof and burst out as Jonas screamed: "I''ll kill you! I''LL KILL YOU DAMN IT!" He slashed his scythe at Yurin.


    "Cyllia!" Yurin yelled at that moment as a sharp pink pike abruptly pierced through Jonas'' torso.


    Tyr gasped subconsciously, his heart dropping as his body went limp. ''First Hanzo... Jonas... my friends.'' He was overwhelmed. His mind felt like it was going to explode from what was going on before him.


    The people who he had grown so close to were killing each other in front of his very eyes.


    Cyllia retracted her whip as Jonas wheezed... and then she pierced through his chest again... and again... and again.


    He fell onto his back as a large puddle of blood began to pool around him. S§×arch* The N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Tyr scoffed, tears building up in his eyes and his mouth agape. His entire body shook uncontrollably.


    Time itself seemed to slow as his eyes slowly looked back at Urvil.


    She was crying nonstop, with no more strength seemingly left in her body.


    ''No...'' Tyr thought, his head slowly turning to face Yurin and Cyllia.


    And then... he saw their smiles.


    As soon as those lips tugged to form smirks, an incomprehensible feeling of anger swelled up within him:


    ''Demons.''


    He gripped his spear as hard as possible.

 Chapter 70: Truid Dungeon Quest (11) What Goes Up...

    Tyr slowly walked toward Yurin and Cyllia. As they continued to smile at each other, Tyr''s vision morphed.


    Instead of seeing them as they were, he saw them as shadowy dark figures with red eyes and horns sticking out of their heads. Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    But then, a thought entered his mind, ''Why...'' As soon as he thought this, he felt the grip on his spear loosen.


    ''Maybe... there is a reason.'' He wanted to believe this more than anything else right now.


    These people whom he hated at this moment despite never wanting to were the closest thing he had to family other than his grandfather. It had been decades since he had met anyone who he could love so closely.


    And yet, they were showing the colors of monsters.


    Tyr wanted to know if these were their true colors.


    "Why?" Tyr said in a low tone, walking toward both of the Hunters.


    They both stared at him in unison. Oddly enough, even though Tyr had known these two for so long, their stares felt unfamiliar.


    It was as if they had never seen him before in their lives. As if he was some stranger to them. It was deeply painful to see this, but Tyr was holding in everything for this one answer and this one answer only.


    "Why?" Yurin said, "Look... I didn''t want to do this. I''ve known Hanzo for the better part of a decade. But he isn''t my God."


    Hearing this irked Tyr, who gritted his teeth to restrain himself further.


    "Give me a reason." He said in a deep voice, cutting to the chase.


    After a short pause, Cyllia spoke up: "You want to real reason? Its because... the prize money is split up between us all. If 3 unfortunately die, the prize money will be split into 3 instead of 6. That will be enough to retire. To live out the rest of our lives--"


    "No..." Tyr said, his eyes widening as he spoke. He stared at Yurin with a vicious glare: "Not even close. That is not even close to a good enough reason... to why you would do this."


    "What?" Cyllia exclaimed, "But that is my reason. Like it or not, that''s how it is."


    Seeing these people who were great in Tyr''s eyes speak in such a horrible way was painful... for a moment.


    But all of a sudden, all of that admiration fell to the ground like a weak tower of cards.


    "Greed? That is why you heartlessly butchered Jonas? How pathetic." Tyr looked at Yurin, rage fuming through his body: "Hanzo isn''t your God? Who said he needs to be your God for you to be loyal!? He''s your friend, damn it! That should be enough!"


    "Friend? Shut up, Tyr. You know nothing about the real world. This is not a world of such stupid ideas. Everyone is a monster here, who will do what they want to get what they want. Other wise, you won''t survive.


    The weak fall to the strong."


    "So all that time, not even for a single moment did you truly believe us to be your friend?"


    Yurin paused, "I don''t care."


    "Good." Tyr finally said, "Then I won''t have any guilt in taking your head. I don''t care what I have to do... but I will not let you leave this place with your life."


    Yurin clenched his jaw, a snarling expression on his face, "Oh yeah? Try and defeat me, you fucking weakling."


    He stood up and allowed Hanzo''s body to fall to the floor.


    At that moment Cyllia ensnared the Dragonewt in another Love Prison, fully immobilizing it.


    As Yurin walked toward Tyr, Cyllia shouted from behind: "Why don''t you understand!? There is no such thing as amazing justice and chivalry in the real world. We want whats best for us... Isn''t that enough? Try to understand, Tyr--"


    She was abruptly cut off: "Don''t address me by my name as though we are friends. You are nothing to me, and I''ll rip your head off the same." Tyr''s tone was ice-cold and serious.


    It cut through Cyllia''s mood, taking her aback in astonishment. Never did she imagine Tyr would talk like this.


    "Surely you don''t think you can beat me right?" Yurin said, "Im sure you understand that I am the second strongest member of this squad."


    ''Come out, Rudra.''


    ''Glady, master!'' The beast jumped out of Tyr''s shadow, landing in front of him with a loud thud.


    "Go!" Tyr said as he sprinted to Yurin''s right. Rudra ran left, the two surrounding the young man.


    ''Soul Mend: Polaris Tiger.'' Tyr''s body transformed.


    Communicating mentally, Rudra and Tyr had an automatic advantage.


    Rudra lunged at Yurin, slashing at the young man several times with powerful paws.


    Yurin dodged them with grace, exchanging a few blows with his gauntlet.


    Tyr thrust his spear at Yurin''s back, but the young man leaped into the air to evade that attack as well.


    ''Finally.'' Tyr thought to himself at that moment. ''No matter how fast you are... you can''t dodge while in mid-air.''


    Rudra ran toward Yurin as Tyr jumped onto his back, leaping off at the last moment.


    Yurin raised a brow, "What are you doing? Did you not learn anything from the lessons I taught you?" He said in confusion.


    This was because Tyr appeared too far away to land his attack.


    "Shut the fuck up." Tyr retorted, throwing Yurin off guard for a second, ''Blink Step.''


    He appeared behind Yurin, thrusting his spear toward the young man''s stomach.


    ''He disappeared! That ability again...'' Yurin mused in shock, ''Then that means... he''s behind me!''


    Using a gust of wind from his gauntlet, he turned his body sideways.


    Despite doing this, Tyr''s spear still tore through the side of his abdomen.


    "Arrgh!" Yurin exclaimed in pain as Tyr jumped back to create space.


    "Damn! That won''t happen again!" Yurin screamed as he clutched his wound: "DIE!"


    He swung his gauntleted hand across the air, sending powerful bursts of flame and large boulders flying at Tyr and Rudra.


    Rudra managed to avoid the blow, but Tyr wasn''t nearly so fast.


    A giant boulder coated in flame soared toward him at extreme speed.


    ''Blink Step.''


    [Error]


    [The cool-down for that spell is not over yet]


    Tyr''s eyes widened in shock as the boulder came inches from his face. ''Fuck...''


    *BOOM*


    A sudden blue explosion sent Tyr flying into the air, but he didn''t seem to be damaged at all.


    "Huh?" He looked at his limbs, "What... happened?"


    ''Master! Are you alright!?'' Rudra rushed to where Tyr was going to fall, leaping up and narrowly catching him in mid air.


    He landed right in front of where the Dragonewt was.


    Tyr rose, his eyes quickly darting to where Hanzo was.


    "He''s... not there," Tyr said in disbelief.


    "Not bad!" Hanzo''s voice echoed from somewhere else. He was walking toward Yurin all of a sudden with a smile on his face.


    The horrible wound on his stomach was beginning to heal already somehow.


    The short young man continued: "But you must have forgotten who I was."


    All of the hairs on Yurin''s body erected straight all of a sudden, "Why are you up?" His eyes danced with fear and shock, "Why..."


    "Did you think that measly spell would destroy me? Urvil!" Hanzo shouted: "Your God, Zese, is not strong enough! Choose another one to pray to in your next life!"

 Chapter 71: Truid Dungeon Quest (12) Boon Of The Sun Devourer

    ''Fuck...'' Yurin panted heavily, ''He''s back, but he''s weakened a lot. He''s talking as though he''s fully healed, but he is obviously still damaged. I have to use this opportunity to kill him or this will all be for nothing!''


    Although he had this much conviction and reason, just facing the monster that stood before him caused his nerves to flare.


    It was hard for a moment to even make his limbs do what they wanted in the immense presence of Hanzo who Yurin knew healed more each second that he hesitated to make a move.


    ''Stop being scared. He''s human, even despite his God Boons. I''ll kill him here!'' With this firmed in his mind, Yurin swung his arm in the air and unleashed several elemental attacks.


    Large stones covered in flames, towering waves of water, and twirls of inferno the size of trees all charged forth.


    Hanzo didn''t look to have a single hint of fear in his eyes. He pulled his bowstring back: "Attack." He said out loud before releasing 3 arrows at once.


    They pierced through the air with an immense spin, obliterating through all of Yurin''s attacks.


    Hanzo shot three more defensive blue arrows as the red arrows all barely grazed off Yurin''s skin.


    "ACK!" Yurin exclaimed as his forearm, shoulder, and thigh were scraped.


    Yurin took a step back instinctually. His attacks fell apart and he saw Hanzo continue walking through the rubble; completely unfazed.


    ''No...'' He began to pant in fear again, ''Too strong...'' His head darted toward Cyllia:


    "HELP! HELP ME ALREADY! I''LL DIE AT THIS RATE!" He screamed at the top of his lungs with a desperate look in his eyes.


    Hanzo continued to walk forward as Cyllia looked at Yurin for a long duration without saying a word, her face expressionless.


    "CYLLIA! DID YOU NOT HEAR ME YOU BITCH!? HELP ME!" Yurin screamed even more, his voice cracking at times and making him seem like a girlish wimp.


    "HELP!" He said as he continued to back away, lodging as many elemental attacks as he could toward Hanzo without looking.


    Hanzo walked through the attacks as though they were nothing.


    "HEL--" Yurin stopped as he heard the faint laughter of Hanzo behind a boulder he had just thrown.


    "Hahaha!" Hanzo couldn''t help but laugh even more.


    "Why..." Yurin said, his eyes filled with confusion, "Why are you laughing?"


    "You fool... do you really think she will help you?" Hanzo said with a cunning look on his face.


    "W-what? Is she still on your side?" Yurin questioned with disbelief.


    "No, you retarded cunt. She is a disgusting bitch who would betray everyone as long as it meant she could get more out of the situation."


    At that moment, Yurin felt like a brick of realization had hit his brain.


    ''It''s over...'' He said to himself, looking at Cyllia who continued to stare at him brainlessly, ''Only now I realize... the mistake I have made.''


    He faced Hanzo again, ''I''m dead.'' He said to himself, coming to accept his fate.


    "But!" Hanzo suddenly said, "Cyllia, aren''t you missing something?" He stopped, turning to look at the woman.


    Cyllia furrowed her brows as Hanzo continued: "Do you think I''ll let you leave here unaffected after you tried to kill me? Your best chance is to help Yurin, or else you both will die quite gruesome deaths..."


    Cyllia gasped at that moment, her eyes widening as he suddenly burst into a sprint toward Yurin.


    "What?" Yurin said under his breath, "Fuck... what is happening? Why... how did it go this wrong!?"


    "I''ll help you for now." Cyllia said, "I changed my mind."


    Yurin was out of it right now, his mind completely discombobulated from the despair he felt just a moment ago.


    "Tyr!" Hanzo shouted, "What are you doing?"


    Right now, Tyr was standing over the Dragonewt''s immobilized body.


    "I... needed to do this," Tyr said, turning his face slightly behind his shoulder. He stood holding a bloody spear in his hand...


    [You have slain a Dragonewt.]


    In front of Tyr lay the corpse of the Dragonewt, which he stabbed the shit out of while it was trapped.


    [You leveled up!]


    [You leveled up!]


    [Current level: 51]


    [Congratulations! You have met the requirements to receive your next spell.]


    [Congratulations, you have completed the achievement: (First Aura Spell).]


    [New Spell: LOCKED (Requires minimum Rank: Adept).]


    [Requires cultivation]


    [Level needed for next spell: 250]


    [Reward: Second Sealed Memory Key.]


    [Your Aura Core awakens...]


    Tyr felt an immense surge of pain and tension tear through his stomach at that moment. It burst through what felt like every vein, spreading the pain and tightness in a fraction of a second.


    [(Aura) Stat recieved]


    [New (Aura) Stat has been automatically leveled up to fit the average of your other stats.]


    [Ancestral Ability recieved...]


    [Ancestral Ability: Boon Of The Sun Devourer.]


    After receiving Ancestral Abilities, average humans became stronger in general.


    But of course, this had to do with how powerful your ancestry was as well.


    If it was a good ancestry, you could receive an unbelievable amount of strength for simply unlocking your Ancestral Ability--without that strength having to do anything with the actual ability at all.


    It seemed Tyr''s ancestry... was quite powerful...


    [Vitality: 30/30-->60]


    [Strength: 34-->64]


    [Stamina: 30/30-->60]


    [Speed: 31-->61]


    [Aura: 0/0-->60/60]


    [ERROR]


    [Your Ancestral Ability is too strong.]


    [Your Ancestral Ability has destroyed GG''s level balance.]


    [To match your stats, GG will automatically level you according to your newfound power.]


    [You have received 90 levels!]


    [Level: 51-->141]


    ''Boon of the... Sun Devourer?'' Despite every other insane thing happening to him, Tyr was interested in this the most. It was his Ancestral Ability after all... what everyone''s main power was in this world.


    ''I hope it''s one from a God. Looking at this power increase... it has a good chance to be.''


    At that moment, as though a trigger went off in his brain, knowledge began to pour into his thoughts like a waterfall. sea??h th§× NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The knowledge was not about what the backstory of his Ancestral Ability was, but rather, how to use it and what powers it granted.


    In a fraction of a second, Tyr understood every new skill he had obtained.


    He turned, gripping his hands as he felt the tight feeling of his own fingers push into his palm. It was a powerful sensation.


    "This is a perfect time to try it out," Tyr said, grabbing his spear and sprinting toward battle.


    He still had many questions about his new spell and also his Ancestral Ability, but one thing was for sure... he was already a lot damn stronger!


    After getting 30 feet away, he leaped into the air and was able to travel the entire distance with one jump.


    As soon as he saw the faces of Cyllia and Yurin, Tyr was reminded of what he had to do.


    "Die!" He shouted as he rained down on the battlefield from above.

 Chapter 72: Truid Dungeon Quest (13) Vow

    *A minute prior*


    For a minute or so, Cyllia and Yurin were struggling with Hanzo.


    Despite sharing malice toward each other at this point, they understood that working together was their best chance at defeating this monster.


    They knew that he was in a weakened state still, which was a boost of hope for them.


    Still, they were on the backfoot while facing him. This just went to show Hanzo''s prowess.


    All three of them were primarily long-range fighters, so for this minute, none of them had gotten any closer.


    Instead, Cyllia and Yurin had been running all around Hanzo, attempting to get in any shots they could.


    The two finally came together for a moment.


    "Listen here bitch... I''ll kill you if we manage to beat him," Yurin said, staring at Hanzo but talking to Cyllia who was on his left.


    Cyllia held the same stance, "Same here... but let''s focus on what''s in front of us."


    "Tsk."


    They both ran forward at the same time.


    Hanzo raised a brow, ''Oh? A duel close-range attack? Let''s see...'' He prepared to parry their blows and come back with a strike of his own.


    But then, he saw a figure appear from the sky at the very top of his vision.


    He paused, slightly astonished to see Tyr falling.


    ''What is he...?'' Hanzo questioned, exhaling slightly as he touched his stomach.


    ''Tsk... the healing is getting worse since I''m moving. I won''t be able to fight for long.'' He thought to himself but was suddenly taken aback in shock by what he abruptly saw...


    Tyr landed in front of Cyllia and Yurin with a loud thud. They both backed up immediately, noticing the sudden threat ahead.


    ''Blink Step.''


    "W-what the--?" Yurin attempted to say under his breath but was shocked to find Tyr in front of his face.


    Tyr''s gaze was wide and seething with hatred. It was the most horrifying pair of eyes to look at in such a close distance.


    Tyr clenched his fist as hard as he could and thrust it into the center of Yurin''s stomach.


    Without having time to react, Yurin felt a monstrous blow to his gut, forcing out all the air in his lungs.


    He wheezed, falling onto his knees as his eyes threatened to roll into the back of his head.


    ''How... did he get so... strong? That strength is like Hanzo''s...''


    Cyllia lunged at Tyr, "STOP!" She screamed as she whipped at the young man.


    Tyr abruptly turned, grabbing the tip of the whip in mid-air and yanking it toward him.


    Cyllia''s light body flew at him out of nowhere. Tyr reached forward with his fingers extended, using Cyllia''s momentum to tear right through her stomach.


    A splash of blood, guts, and ligaments burst through the other side, along with Tyr''s hand.


    Cyllia immediately let go of her whip, both of her hands falling onto Tyr''s arm as her body slowed to a stop and a drop of blood slowly trickled down her lip.


    Her eyes gazed deeply into Tyr''s. "P-please..." She suddenly uttered, coughing out even more blood during the process.


    "Please... have mercy. You remember our friendship..." A genuine smile appeared on her face, "You remember it... right?"


    Tyr paused, his stoic gaze not leaving Cyllia''s pupils for even a fraction of a second.


    "No." He simply stated, forcefully pulling his hand out. Cyllia landed on her knees.


    Before she fell onto her face, Tyr slashed his spear across her neck, grabbing her decapitated head by the hair and throwing it toward Hanzo.


    It bounced across the grass a few times before rolling right to Hanzo''s feet.


    Hanzo looked down with squinted eyes. He looked worried.


    ''Tyr...'' He said inwardly.


    Tyr didn''t turn around. "That''s for Jonas." He said to Cyllia''s corpse before moving to Yurin, who was now slowly getting to his feet.


    Tyr picked him up by his hair.


    "St-stop!" Yurin abruptly screamed, blood also trickling down his mouth.


    "Why would I stop here?"


    "R-revenge... it does no one well. It will be nothing but a waste... a curse you put on yourself." Yurin replied, using as much energy as he could.


    Tyr stared intensely into his eyes: "Slicing Cyllia''s head off was nothing but the opposite of a curse."


    As he said this, Yurin gasped in shock. ''How could he say this... did he not hate killing people!? Where has the innocent Tyr gone... who is this crazed monster!?''


    "Killing her felt like the greatest of all blessings. I enjoyed every moment of it."


    "Please..." Yurin silently pleaded.


    Tyr spoke after a short pause: "But fine... maybe that was a one-off situation."


    "Yes... yes! It won''t always feel like a blessing! It will--" Yurin was abruptly cut off.


    "Let''s test it out with you next." A smirk appeared on Tyr''s face as his eyes opened up almost maniacally.


    Yurin froze in shock, "W-what?"


    Without another second of delay, Tyr thrust his spear through the heart of the young man.


    Yurin''s life slowly seeped away from him as he hit the ground.


    He moaned in pain, clutching his stomach.


    Tyr stood over him, "It felt like a blessing again." He said as Yurin finally closed his eyes.


    He slashed off the man''s head, throwing it behind his back to Hanzo again.


    With that, Tyr stood there motionless. His limbs felt numb, and a wave of weakness rippled through his body.


    His eyes suddenly became moist with tears.


    He bit the top of his mouth hard, his eyes and lips quivering to stop himself from crying.


    However, no matter how hard he tried, the tears didn''t stop... and wouldn''t stop.


    Hanzo stood from afar and watched as Tyr stared at the ground and silently wept.


    "What Yurin said... about revenge being a curse," Hanzo said after a minute or so of this quietness.


    Tyr abruptly wiped both of his eyes, gathering himself again before turning around.


    "Hanzo... I already know the answer to that one. That isn''t a lesson I have to learn, unlike many others which you have taught me." Tyr said with a confident look in his eyes.


    Hanzo was slightly taken aback, "Oh? Well... what is it then? What''s the answer? Is it good to take revenge?"


    "For the innocent fallen, for the courageous fallen... for the good fallen, I will always take revenge for those that I love from this day forth. That is the vow I have made for myself from now until my last breath."


    He clenched both of his fists as tight as possible, not wanting to burst out into tears again: "I won''t let another person that I love die again, damn it!" He declared as rivers of tears suddenly streamed down his face again... S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 73: Truid Dungeon Quest (14) Wrong Choice...

    ***15 CHAPTER MASS RELEASE***


    ---


    A minute or so more passed as Hanzo collected the heads below him and walked toward Tyr. He stored them in his storage ring.


    ''I don''t know what the fuck I''ll do with them...'' He said to himself, slightly puzzled: ''But... Tyr gave them to me as a sign of his guilt and empathy. I won''t lose them.''


    He arrived at where Tyr was. The teen was staring at the ground as tears swam down his face.


    Hanzo placed his arm on Tyr''s left shoulder while standing on the right of him.


    "Tyr... let''s go." Hanzo said in a more quiet tone, "Now, you truly understand what type of world we live in. Here, we Hunter''s can not afford to be emotional whilst still in our missions. The time for mourning will come... but it is not now." From his tone, Hanzo clearly cared for the teen. Yet, he understood the importance of composure.


    "If one is not stoic here, they will forever be traumatized."


    Tyr sucked in two lung fulls of breath after hearing this before releasing them. He then wiped his tears, donning a serious face as he turned and walked toward Jonas'' corpse.


    "You''re right. Let''s go. I''ll clean up this... you clean up what you have to." Tyr replied as he left.


    Hanzo understood what he meant by this, and immediately began to walk toward Urvil. But before that, he said: "Tyr!"


    Tyr turned, a slightly curious look in his eyes.


    "Take this. It''s a spare. 20 by 20 feet." Hanzo threw a ring.


    Tyr caught it, ''A storage ring? 20 by ''20s are expensive.''


    "Thanks." He turned, as did Hanzo.


    Tyr made it to where Jonas lay flat on his stomach.


    ''You didn''t deserve such a gruesome death.'' Tyr thought to himself as he stood before the man.


    ''Time for mourning isn''t now, Jonas. I know you understand.'' He said, absorbing his body into the storage ring.


    As he did this, Hanzo made his way right up to Urvil.


    He stood before the kneeling girl, who had not stopped crying even until now.


    "Out of everyone here..." Urvil suddenly began to speak as she noticed Hanzo''s feet in front of her. "I am the one suffering the most."


    Hanzo paused, "Hardly... Tyr must be suffering far more than you."


    "He stopped crying."


    "He would have cried for ten times longer than you if he wasn''t reminded of reality."


    There was a silence between the two.


    "You want to know why right?" Urvil said finally in a low tone. Her voice frail and damaged.


    "No. I already know why." As Hanzo said this, Urvil faced him with confusion in her eyes.


    "I had a suspicion your background would lead to this..." Hanzo continued, leaving Urvil filled with questions.


    Urvil stayed silent, allowing Hanzo to speak:


    "You came from a past of having no parental figure. So, you clutched to various versions of those until arriving at different types of leader figures, such as your siblings. However, after even they abandoned you, you felt a feeling of emptiness. So, despite thinking you came to Drance wanting a better life for yourself, that wasn''t the reason why you entered that city.


    Subconsciously, the real reason was because you wanted another person in your life who wouldn''t abandon you. And so... you found Yurin and Cyllia, your closest friends. And now, your fear of abandonment from childhood trauma forced you to not refuse their evil thoughts of betrayal and murder."


    Hanzo''s tone was ice-cold and serious as he said this.


    Urvil gasped slightly: "S-so you know all of this... you know what I am going through."


    "Yes, Urvil. You aren''t as horrible as the other two."


    Hearing this, Urvil nearly broke into tears. Finally, someone understood her.


    "But..." Hanzo added after a few seconds, "You still had a choice whether you wanted to perform evil or not. More importantly, whether you wanted to go against me and my friends or not."


    "W-what are you saying? I--I had no choice."


    "You had a choice when they first asked you the question. You had a choice when we journeyed through this dungeon. You had a choice when Tyr climbed for hours, blistering and breaking his body to give you an antidote for your life." Hanzo''s tone became more and more angry as he spoke.


    You had a choice for each and every second you took a breath from the moment they proposed the question of betrayal to you, up until the moment you did it. You had infinite choices, Urvil... and you chose the wrong one."


    Hanzo''s tone was completely heartless.


    Urvil stammered, her mouth quivering as she didn''t know how to respond.


    Hanzo grabbed his sheathed bow, "If only you chose differently, you would have never been abandoned by us."


    Urvil''s eyes widened at that moment as tears naturally poured down her face. Despite everything else Hanzo said, these words hit much harder. They broke any stability that was left in Urvil, causing her to break down into a flurry of tears.


    "To think... Tyr nearly killed himself for you." Hanzo finally said.


    As she had the realization of the mistake she made, an arrow went straight through her head--obliterating it in an instant.


    Hanzo stood over her with a stoic expression. He turned to look at Tyr who was making his way over right now.


    "You killed her huh?" Tyr said, looking at Urvil''s corpse.


    "Did you not want me to?"


    Tyr paused, "No... I did." He had a stern look.


    "Then there''s nothing more to talk about. Let''s get this dungeon over with." Hanzo turned, Tyr following behind him.


    They both walked over to the Dragonewt egg first.


    "Hanzo... what would happen if I were to take this egg?" Tyr questioned as they arrived before the egg.


    Hanzo was slightly confused by the question, "What do you mean? You can''t, it''s in the rules of the quest to bring all the treasures. I mean, it''s not like I cared about breaking the rules of quests, I would break all the rules if they didn''t have blockages put in place."


    "Blockages? Like what?"


    "Well... I''m sure those pompous bastards already knew there was a Drake inside of this dungeon. If you were to take the egg, they would test to see if you were telling the truth about whether you took it or not. Of course, it''s impossible to beat the truth."


    Tyr thought about it for a moment, "Hmm... you say they already knew a Drake was in here? Are you sure? I thought no one knew..."


    "Of course, they are lying. Since that prince bought the rights to this dungeon, he would naturally scan it for every treasure he could find without having to kill anything. He did this using Aura technology. Or else, people would never buy the rights to dungeons. This boss room is the last room that you can enter without having to kill a single thing.


    The final treasure room, however, is the only room that requires the slaying of a beast. That being the boss Drake in this dungeon." S§×arch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "If that''s the case, I can take the egg." Tyr smiled, grabbing the egg.


    "What?" Hanzo was confused.


    Tyr stared right into his eyes and said: "The question will be if I took the Drake egg or not."


    "Yeah..."


    "And the truth will be... no."


    "Huh?"


    "I took the Dragonewt egg, not the Drake egg."

 Chapter 74: Truid Dungeon Quest (Finale) To Future Adventures...

    ***15 CHAPTER MASS RELEASE***


    ---


    "... Ha... wow. You slimy little bugger. That''s fucking smart." Hanzo chuckled slightly.


    Tyr stored the egg, "I have my moments. I am the smartest on this squad after all."


    Hanzo stopped smiling as he heard this. "This squad huh..." He had a face of realization.


    "Ultimatum. That name was created by the three who betrayed us, ironically." Hanzo said with a slightly pitiful tone.


    The two began to walk toward the treasure room, that had opened up after they defeated the Dragonewt.


    "Then it has to be changed without a question," Tyr said with a straight face as he walked in front.


    "You still want to be a Hunter after that?" Hanzo had a satirical tone.


    "From what I can see, Hunter''s are the freest of all the professions. Free to do whatever they want. If there''s anything to be on Subworld, it''s a Hunter. At least, for now."


    "Well... I guess that''s true. Then, start thinking of a name." Hanzo smiled.


    "I already have one in mind... but I''ll bring it up only when the time is right." Tyr smirked back, a cunning look on his face.


    "W-what? Pulled the reverse on me huh... fine. Do what you like."


    The two laughed slightly as they entered the treasure room.


    The room was large and clean, filled with numerous pillars that stretched towards the ceiling.


    Its walls were made of stone bricks, their prismarine white color giving the chamber a bright and polished appearance.


    Scattered throughout were pedestals of various sizes, each holding a collection of intriguing items.


    There were aura trinkets, weapons, armor, staffs, wands, capsules, potions, elixirs, rings, mechanical creations, and even some delicate eggs.


    Seeing all of this lit up Tyr''s eyes in a golden light.


    But unfortuneately for him, he couldn''t steal these like he could with the Dragonewt egg.


    He sighed, "At the end of the day, the Dragonewt egg might be more valuable than all of this shit. So it is what it is I guess."


    Tyr grabbed all of the items using the spare ring Hanzo had received from Prince Michel for this mission.


    After that, they walked to the back of the room, which had a glowing circular light blue Aura on the floor. Above it floated a transparent, wispy spike of Aura.


    As they walked above it, they were instantly transported to the very top of the surface.


    Coincidentally, it was right in front of Michel''s little house.


    He was still outside under his umbrella, sipping on a coconut drink when he saw the two suddenly appear in front of him.


    He had sunglasses on, which he quickly took off--revealing his widened eyes.


    "What took you guys so long!? And where are the others?"


    "They died," Hanzo said directly, walking right to Michel.


    Tyr furrowed his brows slightly, ''Whats he doing? Why the sudden aggressive tone?'' He questioned but trusted Hanzo enough to not intervene.


    "Here''s your shit." Hanzo abruptly unleashed all of the treasures on the floor from the ring.


    Michel''s guard went and collected it all.


    "W-what''s with the tone! Back up you worm! Or do you want your head gone!?" Michel shouted with a slightly nervous tone.


    However, his guards stepped forward, "Please... Lord Michel. Let him be. He has lost friends today. It is obvious from his tone... such unfortunate things have happened to me during my missions as well."


    Hanzo felt a wave of relief wash over him as he heard this. ''Great... now we don''t have to explain what happened inside.''


    Michel backed off, "F-fine... I suppose you are spared. Humph!" He pompously exclaimed, turning his head to the side.


    The guard then took out a scroll, walked to Hanzo, and asked a bunch of questions about the dungeon.


    Hanzo answered truthfully, passing all of the lie detection.


    The same was the case for Tyr.


    The final question was: "Did you take the Drake egg within the dungeon?"


    Tension rose slightly between Hanzo and Tyr as they heard this.


    "No," Tyr replied.


    But then, the guard said: "Care to elaborate? The scroll isn''t sure if you are lying or telling the truth."


    At that moment, Both Hanzo and Tyr panicked slightly.


    "I swear by all the Gods and Mother Gaia, I have not taken an egg I know to be the Drake egg or any other egg within the treasure room."


    Hanzo smiled as he heard Tyr say this, ''He avoided saying any other egg in the entire dungeon. Smart bugger.''


    The scroll lit up in a yellow hue, proving Tyr was telling the truth.


    He took a sigh of relief after this.


    "Let''s get going." The guard said, entering the carriage.


    Both Tyr and Hanzo looked at each other breifly before making their way into the carriage as well.


    This mission had been quite the journey.


    *


    As their carriage left, Tyr and Hanzo spoke about what to do next in life. What their goals were...


    All that Hanzo wanted was a good, simple like before this. But understanding Tyr''s immense ambitions, he decided to change his route.


    "I don''t know that overly ambitious goal of mine yet... but I''ll follow you around, Tyr. You seem like a person who is interesting to have in my life."


    These words were very meaningful to Tyr.


    "Despite what I say, even I haven''t found that one amazing dream yet. The one that far surpasses the others. The one that is solid, one that will satisfy me. Up until then, I would love to have you by my side." The young teen replied as the two made a promise to themselves that day.


    Hearing these inspiring words, the guard driving the carriage couldn''t help but look back behind his shoulder: ''I was once like them too... but something tells me that they will acend, unlike most others. Light is usually swallowed by the darkness, but the ember of the Gods can burn even the most horrible void of pitch black darkness of the most powerful demons.''


    *One day later...*


    On top of the highest mountain soaring above Mycopolis, Tyr, Hanzo, and Malon stood before a giant roaring fire.


    The mountain overlooked the entire kingdom and biome of mushrooms. It was a beautiful sight to see as the orange sun rose over the horizon far away--casting its thick rays upon the earth.


    Tyr wiped his tears, having mourned for Jonas for the last time.


    "You were strong... and taught me a lot of things." He began to say as he stared into the fire, "I will repay you one day through my own actions... and never forget you until the day I die. That way, you will live on in our memories." S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Malon and Hanzo stared at Tyr as he said this.


    Malon couldn''t help but feel horrible about what had happened.


    "Guys, I know it isn''t my turn to speak on the matter... but I know that he didn''t die for nothing. I will pray he enters the greatest of afterlifes..."


    A long moment of silence ensued, as all three standing on that mountain suddenly felt a powerful gust of air almost throw them off the cliff.


    Hanzo chuckled slightly after this, staring into the sky.


    "Jonas... even after your death, you don''t want people crying for you huh?" Hanzo said, Tyr and Malon staring at him with confusion.


    "Fine then... it''s over now, Tyr, Malon. Instead of being sad, lets celebrate Jonas entering the kingdom of Heaven! Hahaha!" Hanzo said, bursting into a laugh with his eyes closed.


    Tyr paused, staring at the sky, ''You would want us to be happy...''


    "Hahaha! To future adventures!" Tyr raised his fist. Hanzo did the same.


    Finally, Tyr looked at Malon, "Raise your fist, you fool. I have an antidote for your father..."


    Malon felt a surge of excitement and eagerness swell up within him as a smile played on his lips. He threw his fist into the air.


    "R-really!? Then... to future adventures!"


    And just like that, the three spent the night on that mountain, drinking to their heart''s content and falling fast asleep.


    *


    Author Note: 15 Chap Mass release! Please support by purchasing to the best of your ability (:


    Even one coin purchase helps a ton in the rankings, thanks!

 Chapter 75: Fight

    ***15 CHAPTER MASS RELEASE***


    ---


    The sun soared high in the sky, reaching past even noon. The trio had slept quite late, so they woke up in the middle of the day.


    Right now, all three of them stood outside the house of the Mayor of Mycelia; Malon''s dad. They were in the front courtyard with serious expressions on their faces.


    The estate itself was grand. It was a mushroom mansion that extended to all sides of the courtyard except for the south side, where the exit and entrance to the property were.


    Standing outside of the estate gates were what looked to be hundreds if not thousands of people.


    The commotion was loud, filled with confused gasps, curious murmurs, and interested whispers.


    "What are they doing?"


    "Malon wants to get his city back... for us."


    "Isn''t the election in a few months? Why is he trying to do an illegal coup?"


    "Don''t be foolish. You know exactly why if you have eyes."


    "Mano and his uncle... they want to ruin this city. Hell, let him commit crimes. As long as it''s for the betterment of this town."


    Hanzo looked over at Malon at this moment, "Look at all those people supporting you."


    Malon nodded. At that moment, a cavalry of moosh knights made their way outside of the noble estate.


    They formed two lines, and from the middle walked forward Malon''s uncle: Isavior.


    "Woah!" Hanzo exclaimed, "What''s with the guards? We didn''t break any laws did we?"


    Isavior walked forward with his hands behind his back. A stern expression was written on his face.


    However, Hanzo didn''t say this for no reason. His words incited more emotion from the crowd behind.


    "Hey! They haven''t done anything wrong! Why are you showing up with guards!?"


    "Is this the righteous city that you preach!?"


    "Stop with the guards! Why the aggression!"


    Many began to say, the noise beginning to slowly climb.


    "I know your plans. I won''t let it happen." Isavior simply said, "You will not step forward from this point onwards." He slammed his foot down.


    "No, you don''t know our plans," Malon said, also stepping forward. He raised a small pill in his hand.


    Tyr had spent a little while creating it right before they came here. Of course, it was the antidote for an illness very similar to Jooe.


    "It is the possible cure for father''s illness. We have no intention of starting any fights. All we want is for father to be well, and that''s it." Malon''s tone was very collected.


    A wave of astonished breaths washed through the crowd as they heard this. No one was expecting this of all things. But more so than surprised, everyone felt a ray of hope light up within them.


    The election was split between nobles and the commonfolk, but when it came to the Mayor of Mycelia, everyone adored him for the most part.


    He was the most kind, the one who understood his people the most and did what they wanted.


    He wasn''t very old either. He was still in his 40''s.


    Isavior''s eyes widened as he heard Malon say this. The small shrooms on his elbows and shoulders erected chillingly as terror seemed to jump up and down in his pupils.


    ''A...a cure? No... he must be lying. But... why would he lie about that? It would just place him at a disadvantage.


    Then it most likely is true... but if that bastard lives longer, our entire plan will be ruined!'' Isavior worried inwardly, suddenly unsheathing his blade.


    "YOU WILL NOT ENTER!" He screamed at the top of his lungs.


    There was silence from both sides after he said this. But then, the first thing to sound was a roar from the crowd behind the trio.


    "Injustice!"


    "How dare you not allow lord Hevest to be cured!"


    "This is treason!"


    They all yelled with conviction.


    "Silence! You fools! This boy is a criminal! Yet you still believe him!?" Isavior urged.


    "A criminal? Was I not relieved of that status when I defeated you in that duel decided by Mother Gaia? Are you saying she is wrong?" Malon retorted, gaining the favor of the crowd even further.


    "A duel does not constitute your actions!" Isavior barked back in retortion.


    "Your words do not destroy this nation''s ancestry!" Malon finally raised his voice. He paused, then walked forward slowly.


    "The men who stand by you today are knights!" He suddenly said, sending a few shocked reactions through those armored guards.


    They were staring at the ground watching it all unfold, ready to be told what to do.


    "They are the ones who have signed to lay down their lives for the greater good of this country. But... if they are to die fighting against this country under those who wish to destroy it, will their entire purpose in life not be destroyed!?"


    No one spoke a word as Malon continued. Isavior was taken aback, confused as to where the young man was going with this.


    "Men!" He spoke directly to the knights now. "Despite your bravery, you are treated as though you are not human, and you are used to it... do you not have your own ambitions? Do you not wish for your family to say that you were once a courageous warrior who died fighting for his country? If you follow this path that you are currently on, they will say you died fighting for a maniac!"


    The guards began to raise their heads. Some had widened eyes of realization and shock.


    "You pledged to serve righteousness." Malon said in a low tone, "When you leave your homes every day, your families, your children... you promise them that what you are doing is holy, and good! What will you say to them when you go against what you have sworn? What face will you have left to show them?"


    The guards all looked at him with inspiration dancing in thier eyes and a warm feeling of trust swimming in thier hearts. Conviction began to bloom like a sunflower atop a valley.


    "Fight for what''s right, not because it is easy... but because it is hard, and because it will create prosperity for the land you call home! If evil wins, their recollection of what happened may sound glorious to the ears of men, and even legendary in the heart of fools... but you have not sacrificed your life only to exchange it again for the admiration of those who you lived trying to defeat!


    Turn around, men! Turn and fight!"


    ...


    Isavior looked around at the backs of the heads of the guards around him. Nervousness flooded his body as no guard attempted to move a single inch.


    ''They are... still on my side?'' He questioned inwardly.


    But then, every single knight surrounding Isavior abruptly turned and pointed their weapons at him.


    "Stand down for the order of this nation!" They shouted with rage and determination, cornering the man in an instant.


    The crowd roared with excitement as they saw this, and also Isavior''s defeated face.


    Tyr slapped Malon on his back, smiling as he said: "That was one hell of a speech."


    Malon laughed, "I only spoke from my heart is all."


    "That''s what makes it great, Malon." Hanzo retorted, walking forward beside the other two: "Now let''s retrieve this city from ruin..."


    "Yeah."


    "No better time than now!"


    * S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Author Note: Yo! I Hope you all enjoy this 15 chapter mass release. Of course, I have many more in the chamber. I''ve been grinding! If you want me to set more mass release goals, please support! I already have mass release goals in the synopsis.


    Thanks! The latest next mass release will be next month, but im sure there will be many more to come this month as well...

 Chapter 76: Child

    Even though Isavior surrendered quickly, this seemed to not be enough to quell the rage of the knights.


    Only now did they realize that they had the freedom to fight back and still be acting righteously.


    Although they felt immense gratitude to Malon for showing them the truth through simple words, their anger toward Isavior and the fools who wished to ruin their home far overpowered their emotions.


    In other words, they beat Isavior to a pulp; stomping on the man as if he were a spider on the ground. They would have killed him if not for Malon stepping forward.


    Tyr and Hanzo stared at Malon as he pushed the guards aside.


    "Move! Don''t kill him! We still need him." He said as the guards moved hesitantly.


    They grunted and gritted their teeth, but respected Malon enough to follow his command.


    Isavior saw Malon''s blurry face and then saw the young moosh lowering him a hand.


    His lip was bruised and inflated. A large bump had swollen up over his right eye and the rest of his face was all beaten up as well.


    With a lisp, he said: "You forgif me?" With hopeful eyes.


    ''How foolish... its only naivety to forgive me now after all I''ve done.'' Isavior thought to himself as he grabbed Malon''s hand.


    "Of course I don''t," Malon said, pulling Isavior close and using his own arm to put him in a chokehold.


    "Argh! Wh-waf are fou doingf!?" Isavior screamed, shocked by this sudden and aggressive action.


    The guards were also a bit taken aback since they were expecting him to be more kind. Slight smirks of satisfaction even rippled through some of them.


    Malon kept a loose hold on his uncle to not choke him.


    "Don''t move or else you will suffer." He said, beginning to walk forward into the main estate with a determined look in his eyes.


    Tyr and Hanzo followed very shortly behind him. The guards also decided to come for this moment. After more commotion from the crowd, even they were let inside the gates to enter the Mayor''s house...


    The building was indeed grand inside, with large hallways ornamented with various large candles and chandeliers. The roofs were tall, giving way to tall stairs and large balconies.


    This gave the place a grandiose atmosphere.


    After a minute of walking, Malon turned to Tyr.


    "Mano is in the Mayor''s quarters up the stairs. Please go and get him... the same way I got Isavior."


    Tyr nodded, "No problem." He departed from the main group without hesitation.


    ''The same way he got Isavior huh?'' He smirked.


    When he arrived in the Mayor''s quarters, he saw a circular room filled with books and a large table at the back. Behind the table was a giant window wall that overlooked the entire city.


    And sitting behind that table was Mano with his feet on the table and dozens of pills before him.


    Tyr raised a brow, "What the hell are you doing?" He said.


    Mano''s eyes slowly moved to face Tyr, a disdainful and unbothered look on his face.


    "You... the weakling bug." Mano said, "Those guards haven''t caught you yet? How pathetic." He stood up and walked around the table.


    "I should have them all executed... tsk."


    Tyr furrowed his brows, "I don''t have time to have a dialogue with you." He walked toward the young moosh.


    Mano raised his right eyebrow, "W-what are you doing? Don''t you know my fighting prowess? Did you come here all by yourself? Or did you come with that dog Malon too..."


    Tyr got mere feet from the moosh and thrust his hand toward his neck.


    "Tsk... do you really think--" Mano''s speech was interrupted as Tyr clutched his neck out of nowhere.


    Suddenly, the Mano''s eyes opened with shock and confusion at the unexpected speed of Tyr''s hand.


    "W-what? How!?" The moosh squeezed out, swiping his hand across the table and grabbing all of the pills before throwing them into his mouth.


    Tyr''s eyes squinted in slight confusion after seeing this, but he quickly shrugged it off.


    "Like I said... I have no time." He punched Mano square in the nose--crushing his nose and knocking him instantly.


    ''What a monster...'' These were Mano''s last thoughts as he passed out.


    ***


    Malon stepped into a large room with one bed at the very back of it. It was lifted up by several rows of stairs on all sides.


    Malon neared the bed with Hanzo, and the guards turned and formed a strict wall of arms to not allow anyone inside.


    Malon turned as he heard this abrupt clanking, "Men," He said as the guards quickly turned to face him, "Let them in."


    The guards were once again taken aback by this odd order.


    "And you all should join as well for this moment... in case my father is healed of his illness," Malon said with a genuine and kind tone.


    The guards understood that it was okay to let their minds cool every once in a while, and stopped the blockade while joining around the Mayor''s bed with all the citizens.


    With everyone now watching, Malon stared at this father who lay on the bed.


    He looked extremely pale and even a bit malnourished, but other than that he was still healthy at first glance.


    ''If only he could move... this disease is truly hell.'' Malon thought to himself, taking out the pill and leaning over the bed.


    Everyone''s eyes widened and their mouths gaped slightly with anticipation. sea??h th§× n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Malon opened his father''s mouth and placed the pill inside.


    Within seconds it melted and slowly trickled down the Mayor''s throat. A golden light suddenly glowed from the man''s glabella... and his eyes miraculously opened.


    "Father..." Malon said with wide eyes as the crowd around him gasped.


    His father looked at him for a moment... before pulling the young moosh''s forehead into his chest.


    "It''s good to be back... my beloved son." Malon''s father''s voice was dry and deep, roughed up from the years of neglect.


    Malon was surprised by his father''s sudden gesture. He had no mother, and he expected to never be able to get his father back either.


    For a moment, he couldn''t accept what was happening. He gritted his teeth, not wanting to leave from his father''s embrace.


    "It''s okay, son." His father whispered, "I''m alright now... I will always be alright from today onwards."


    At that moment, all the emotions that Malon had been holding in were released like a bursting dam. He began to silently cry into his father''s chest. The fear and frustration through the years had all been relieved at once in an overwhelming moment of joy and also vulnerability.


    For the first time in so long, Malon felt like a child in his fathers embrace again...

 Chapter 77: Unstable Monster

    "He''s... back!" A moosh suddenly yelled, unable to contain his excitement.


    The others looked at him with skepticism, not knowing if it was their place to celebrate.


    Hanzo turned, "Celebrate, people!" He said with a bright smile, "Your Mayor has returned!"


    People''s eyes lit up with awe... and after a second of silence, the entire crowd suddenly erupted into a reverberating roar of excitement.


    Malon rose from his father''s embrace.


    "Wow... you got old. Have you found a wife yet?" His father suddenly said, chuckling slightly as he pushed himself to sit up. Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "W-what? No... I haven''t." Malon replied, slightly thrown off by the question, but happy that his father hadn''t seemed to have changed one bit.


    His father''s eyes quickly filled up with astonishment as he saw the entire room filled with knights, common folk, nobles, and all.


    He scanned through the crowd and felt a warm bud of joy light up within him.


    "My people..." He began to say as the crowd calmed down, "It''s good to be back. I''m sorry for taking a short break like that... It won''t happen again!" He said before laughing wholeheartedly.


    Many people in the crowd felt emotional, tears beginning to pour out of their eyes.


    Hanzo looked around, ''What a leader... after all his years of suffering, he decides to make sure his people aren''t worrying about him. Instead of wanting any attention, he gives it all to them. Like how a great father is a pillar of strength for his children.'' He thought to himself with awe.


    At that moment, a group near the entrance began to make confused and shocked murmurs.


    Tyr entered the room with Mano slumped over his shoulder. As the crowd cleared the way, he made it to where Malon was.


    Sir Hevest furrowed his brows and donned a serious expression as he saw Mano.


    "Father..." Malon said, grabbing Isavior from the crowd behind him as well.


    Tyr and Malon made the two stand before Sir Hevest, both clearly beaten.


    Sir Hevest remained silent.


    "Uncle!" Malon exclaimed, forcing Isavior to awaken from his painful slumber.


    "Admit your crimes... and you won''t be punished with death."


    It didn''t take Isavior long to admit his plans to destroy the country for his own gains...


    Sir Hevest did not react, keeping his same very serious expression as his eyes panned over to Mano.


    "Brother! You must now admit your evil..." Malon exclaimed as Mano''s eyes swept through the crowd nervously.


    He faced his father with bitter eyes of fear and hatred.


    "I..."


    He paused, raising the anticipation of everyone present,


    "I... HAVE NOT DONE ANYTHING WRONG!" A spike expanded out of his back--thrusting toward Tyr''s chest.


    However, Tyr grabbed it before it touched his skin and stopped it.


    Mano aggressively thrust Tyr''s hand down and escaped from his grasp.


    He dashed to the side with everyone''s eyes on him.


    "Come on... work already..." The moosh seemed to say under his breath.


    "Work? What do you mean work?" Tyr questioned, "I have heard of unstable pills for a while now..." He said, garnering a slight smirk from Mano.


    Many who saw this smirk understood what Mano had done now, including his father, Hanzo, and Malon.


    His body began to vibrate uncontrollably out of nowhere, as cracks formed across his skin with a deep purple glow beaming out of them.


    "GRRAHH!!" Mano screamed in pain as his body was ripped apart. He morphed, his arms and legs turning into disgusting, large and grotesque-looking bulges of meat.


    His face was completely contorted, his eyes were mismatched and several ears formed all over his face.


    "He won''t live for much longer now..." Sir Hevest said, his tone not revealing any emotions.


    "RRAUH!" The corrupted Mano yelled, swiping his arm around as a giant spike unleashed, stabbing three people and slashing them across the room.


    Tyr''s eyes widened at that moment, ''Shit! I shouldn''t have lost control of him!'' He mused, dashing forward and unleashing a punch.


    Mano also threw a punch using his giant discombobulated arm. As their fists clashed, Tyr felt an immense force travel through his entire body.


    He was thrown backward, overpowered utterly. ''Those unstable pills... they are dangerous but also incredibly strong!'' He thought to himself.


    "Tyr! This is the perfect time..." Hanzo suddenly shouted.


    Tyr looked back, "You''re right..." He faced the monster in front of him again.


    "It''s time to try my new Ancestral Abilities..." Tyr closed his eyes, a golden light beginning to shine from his glabella.


    After a second longer, the golden light burst into a golden flame! It was small, no larger than three inches. As Tyr opened his eyes, his pupils shone in a deep golden hue.


    However, before he could take even a single step, Mano contorted further and suddenly burst into a million pieces of blood, guts, ligaments, bones, tendons, and more...


    Tyr''s stopped his ability.


    "W-what the hell!?" Sir Hevest suddenly exclaimed, "My rooom!!!" He cried.


    ***


    Soon, this small event ended. Tyr, Hanzo, Malon, and Sir Hevest moved to another quarter alone.


    Malon first spoke with his father about Mano and Isavior. Despite remaining stoic during what happened, Sir Hevest was not happy seeing it all unfold.


    "Isavior was never a good soul... but I did not expect Mano to turn out like he did." He paused, shaking his head.


    But then, his eyes rose up and faced Malon, "But, son... what you did was the right thing. I did not lose a son today... I had already lost him a while ago. It''s not like I didn''t hear everything around me while I was in my coma... I knew how bad things had gotten, but I just didn''t want to admit them until seeing it all for myself."


    Malon was taken aback by this, "Y-you heard everything!? Even up until recently?"


    "Yes, son. I have been contemplating Mano''s verdict for a very long time. But... as a leader, love can not be my primary focus. Atleast, not to a idea like the evil that Mano was apart of. And now, what I have left is a great son like you."


    They continued to speak...


    Malon spoke with his father about his plans moving forward, and Sir Hevest seemed to have no problems.


    "You are a great soul, Malon... but you aren''t meant to stay here. You are a free spirit, unlike many of us. Go explore, son."


    With these kind words, they left Sir Hevest to attend to his city with the help of his guards and more.


    Of course, Malon''s father was not going to let another piece of evil enter his circle, and this was to ensure both the prosperity of his people and also the peace in the mind of his son.


    Before anyone else could say their goodbyes, the trio left Mycelia like a shadow in the night, except it was the middle of the day.


    *One day later*


    "So... where the hell are we going again?" Tyr questioned, riding atop Rudra with Malon sitting behind him.


    Hanzo, who was laying his flying jetski beside Rudra as it moved answered nonchalantly: "Before we start our journey around the world or whatever, we have one more thing to do... submit our quest to the main Hunter Guild within a certain empire to get the 35,000 gold."


    "Oh?" Malon questioned, "What kingdom is that?"


    Hanzo paused before saying: "The Empire that represents Humanity within Ainsveld... and the slave trade capital of the continent; Rock Saelfine."

 Chapter 78: Second Sealed Memory

    ***EXXTRA LONG CHAP***


    Dawn turned to dusk. Tyr and the others were still within Mycopolis, however, as it hadn''t been long since their journey began.


    Hanzo was taking a nap as he usually did, and Malon was standing atop Rudra while configuring how his shield power worked.


    He turned it small, and then large again just by thinking of applying more of his Aura.


    ''During the time they were gone... I trained my ass off to be worthy of potentially joining them.'' Malon thought to himself as he continued to inspect his power, ''I won''t let them down.''


    ...


    Tyr on the other hand was doing his own thing. He was taking into account everything he had right now on his body.


    ''1241 D Rank Beast cores, 285 C Rank Beast cores, 51, B Ranks, and finally, 3 A Ranks.'' He said inwardly. Of course, this wasn''t just all his alone, but rather the pills of the old Ultimatum up until now.


    ''Along with that, I have 11 gold coins and 91 silver ones.''


    Of course, he couldn''t forget about the 35,000 Extra gold they were going to receive as soon as they arrived at Rock Saelfine. That was the agreement made by Prince Michel.


    He thought about the 3 A Rank cores he had. ''A Rank cores belong to Sentinel Rank beasts... Despite their cores only being A Rank, it takes several A+ Class Hunters to take them down, or even a single S Class Hunter.''


    He took a look at his new Dragonewt egg as well. ''And this guy still needs to be hatched somehow. Maybe I need some sort of incubator for it or something... in the meantime though.'' He placed his hand on the egg.


    ''I might as well Soul Mark the creature now. The connection will only be stronger.''


    "Soul Marking," Tyr said out loud with determined eyes.


    A slight amount of energy sapped from the pit of his stomach. He felt his arms lose some strength for a millisecond, but it wasn''t anything unbearable.


    There was not even a second of delay, as the still developing Dragonewt seemed to not have even a hint of disapproval to Tyr''s gesture of bonding.


    Tyr closed his eyes, envisioning a piece of his soul mending into a piece of the unborn Dragonewts.


    As the soul fragments combined, a white light shined from the egg and also Tyr''s chest. A piping red pentagram formed on both of their souls.


    [Congratulations! You have successfully tamed a ###### through Soul Marking.]


    ''Huh? Thats odd... maybe he isn''t fully finished developing into an identifiable beast yet...'' Tyr thought as he saw this odd detail. S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    [Description: ERROR.]


    ''...''


    [Congratulations! You have learned a new Soul Mend ability!]


    [Current viable specimens: Polaris Tiger (Immense strength, durability, and speed.) ###### (ERROR).]


    [Please name your new pet to complete the taming process and multiply its power under the God Grimoire.]


    Tyr smirked slightly, feeling excitement within.


    ''It feels the same as when I tamed Rudra...'' He thought to himself, pausing.


    "A name huh? How about..."


    "Ares."


    ***


    (Author note:


    "Ares" translation: "bane, ruin, curse, imprecation." - Google.


    Origin: Greek Mythology.


    Ares Meaning: The legendary spirit of battle, the God of War, God of Fire.)


    ***


    After Soul Marking the Dragonewt egg, Tyr placed the creature inside Infinite Domain.


    ''He''ll stay there for a bit while I figure out what to do with him. And Rudra,'' Tyr looked down.


    ''Yes, master!''


    ''Make sure to take care of Ares when you go to Infinite Domain.''


    ''I shall take care of my comrade with the best of my ability! We both share the greatest honor of serving under you, and that alone makes him worthy of my utmost respect!''


    Tyr exhaled, ''Now... time for the big thing.'' He reached his hand out and summoned a brightly glowing golden key in his palm.


    The key to his first memories was overwhelming, sending tears streaming down his face.


    This time, he hoped that things were going to be no different. Of course, he didn''t want to cry, but just as much as that, he wanted to learn about his past.


    There were still many questions floating around in his head about what exactly he saw in his first memory. He hoped that this key would answer them...


    He raised the key, placing it in the keyhole that opened up in the air.


    As soon as the click sounded, Hanzo opened his eyes and glanced at Tyr with furrowed eyebrows.


    And Tyr... well he was gone. Drowned in the world of knowledge, visions, and flashes of memories.


    He saw blood again, war, cries, screams. But this time, he also saw good things. Laughter, playing in green valleys of lively nature and bright blue skies.


    Finally, it all stopped in a zap of a moment as Tyr found himself coddled in the warm and comfortable embrace of someone who he instantly knew to be his mother.


    She had purple eyes and beautiful blonde locks of hair. She looked to be in her twenties. Her presence was ethereal, like some sort of angel.


    Tyr noticed his stubby hands, which were no larger than an infant''s.


    His mother leaned down, kissing him on the cheek. At that moment, Tyr felt an immense wave of nostalgic emotions crash into him.


    ''Mother...'' He said, remembering his experiences with this person.


    He remembered how he was loved by his mother. The various stories she used to tell him while they were alone. How she would put him to sleep under beautiful hums.


    How she could carry him with pride, and how she would kiss him at every moment she could. Every fond memory of his mother, from infancy to the age of six, Tyr remembered all at once.


    Suddenly, he heard the wailing of a child and then realized that was him.


    "Wahh! Wahhh~"


    As he cried, Tyr stared into the bright blue sky above him. The clouds sped up, quickly dipping past the horizon as glimmering stars appeared in the night sky instead.


    The stars also passed, as cycles of day and night sped across the sky dozens, hundreds, and even thousands of times in but a few seconds.


    Time slowed down again, Tyr finding himself in a completely different area.


    It was late at night, and he stood in the courtyard of his estate with a campfire nearby.


    His short little hands held a wooden sword for some reason.


    He looked to the side, noticing his mother kindly smiling at him.


    ''Mother...'' He thought, looking forward.


    Out of nowhere, another wooden sword sped toward him.


    ''What the!?'' It bumped him on the head, causing him to fall over onto his rear.


    "Stars!" A sharp yell came from Tyr''s mother''s normally graceful voice, "I told you to be more careful with him!"


    Tyr felt a slight buzz of pain radiate through his forehead, noticing a young man in his twenties standing a few feet in front of him.


    He wore pristine royal garments and a pair of light brown pants. His eyes were a bright blue and his hair a slightly long brunette.


    Tyr''s mother knelt beside him, squeezing him in her warm embrace again as she whispered with care: "Are you alright my beloved?" Her voice was soft and genuine.


    But he wasn''t focusing on her words right now. Instead, he peeked at the nervous laughs of the man in front of him who he knew was his father.


    The man scratched the back of his head, closing his eyes as he apologized: "Im sorry, honey. He lost focus all of a sudden! He''ll be alright though! He is my son, after all!"


    Tyr''s father walked closer and stole him out of his mothers embrace--grabbing him by the arm and then throwing him up in the air before picking him back up from underneath.


    Stars stared deep into Tyr''s eyes as he said: "Tyr! Say, I am the strong Thalonis bloodline! I shall never bow, never bend! I own what many call... victory!" He genuinely laughed.


    Tyr felt a devastating blow of nostalgia again as the memories of his father assaulted his brain.


    ''Father... father...'' He said inwardly, as the stars behind the man who he was looking at began to speed up once again.


    ''Don''t leave...'' He grasped forward but touched nothing but air as his father dispersed into the air as if he was never there to begin with.


    How he played with his father, trained and visited others, joked and laughed countless times. All of these memories poured like a waterfall into a small basin.


    Finally, Tyr heard a familiar voice as more continuous flashes of random memories went through his vision: "His sixth birthday! That means he will unlock his Ancestral Ability. Can we have a round of applause for our little Tyr? Hahaha!"


    The voice said from the distance, nowhere to be seen through Tyr''s thousands of immense flashes that he was seeing right now.


    A roar of cheers and applause sounded across a large banquet as well, echoing through the space in Tyr''s mind.


    ''Grandpa...?'' Tyr finally thought to himself through all of the noise on hearing that voice.


    And just like that, he was back to reality; tears once again trickling down his face.

 Chapter 79: Ancestral Ability

    Tyr''s vision returned to normal. He was staring into the Mycopolis forest that sped toward him as Rudra kept moving forward.


    The rushing wind that brushed against his face gave a cool feeling to his tears, reminding him that he was crying.


    He closed his eyes, gritting his teeth, ''Mother... father... How could I have forgotten them?'' More tears attempted to come, but he squeezed his fists as right as possible.


    Then, he opened his eyes again with a fierce look on his face. He wiped his tears, breathing in through his nose.


    ''I need to know what happened to them... I still don''t know anything apart from who they were. These memories... my past home... it was all on another planet right?''


    It was frustrating to only get small pieces of information at a time, ''I need to level up more and get stronger. More knowledge about the past... that way, I can maybe even reach my parents again.''


    Despite knowing this, he also knew worrying was futile. More questions had appeared in his head compared to ever before, but he shook them all off.


    ''My goal is to become strong. That''s all I need to focus on. Whether it be for seeking more memories, being unchained from the shackles of weakness, or even finding my parents... it can all be solved by simply getting more powerful.''


    It seemed the aspect of power gained more and more importance in Tyr''s mind as time passed while on this new planet of Sub-world.


    Hanzo had been staring at Tyr the entire time. After Tyr seemed to collect himself, however, he closed his eyes and went back to napping.


    ''Hmm. He''s enigmatic... I can''t tell what''s going on in that brain of his. But whatever it is... I hope he rises from it even stronger.''


    ***


    That night, they stopped in the middle of the jungle.


    With their campsite set up, the three decided to play a little game.


    "This game is called... hit the rock!" Malon exclaimed loudly.


    They all stood a few dozen feet away from the campsite. In front of each of them were three large boulders.


    "This is a perfect time to test out all of our Ancestral Abilities... including yours, Tyr. I know you haven''t had time to do that yet." Malon smiled.


    Tyr nodded, "Let''s get this party started!"


    Hanzo was the first to go.


    "Alright..." He said as he prepared himself. "I have two Ancestral Abilities... and both of them are from the Gods."


    Both Malon and Tyr was taken aback as they heard this.


    "W-wait what?" Malon said in confusion.


    Tyr was even more puzzled, "Didn''t you say only one of them was..." He cut himself off, not knowing what Hanzo was talking about.


    "Well, back then I didn''t want to fight any longer. It bored me... and I only did it because I had to as a Hunter. That''s why I didn''t acknowledge my offensive Ancestral Ability." Hanzo said, pulling his bowstring back.


    Tyr was taken aback, "That''s right... you called it simple elite bowmanship or something back then."


    "Yep." Hanzo replied, "But now, a new goal has given me quite a bit more inspiration. If I will travel the world with a person with as big of aspirations as you... I have to be willing to get as strong as possible."


    Both Malon and Tyr stayed silent as Aura began to swirl around Hanzo''s bow, condensing into an arrow.


    "Mother Gaia''s Touch... and the Boon Of Apollo!" Hanzo exclaimed, shooting his arrow at that moment.


    The red arrow spun through the air with disastrous force, penetrating straight through the boulder as if it were butter.


    A few cracks turned into a web of splits before the entire boulder burst into a thousand pieces.


    Hanzo lowered his bow, both Malon and Tyr gawking at the man with jaws on the floor.


    "Hahaha!" Malon wholeheartedly laughed, "What a disgustingly powerful ability!" He said, turning to stare at the boulder.


    "I don''t have the boon of a God, unfortunately. The name of my Ancestral Ability is... Aegis Of The Shield Bearer."


    He raised his wrist in front of him. A giant shield summoned from it, slamming into the ground.


    Malon formed his footing, "Hrah!" He exclaimed, storming forward.


    He infused Aura into his shield as it clashed with the boulder. A loud booming noise sounded as the boulder exploded into hundreds of pieces upon impact.


    Malon stepped back, his serious expression being replaced with an excited smile.


    "Haha! I did it!" He sounded proud, "I''ve been working on that move for a while. It''s called Aegis Battalion."


    "Good work, Malon!" Tyr said, Hanzo also nodding in approval with a smile on his face. S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Now it''s only me left..." Tyr said, facing the boulder in front of him.


    "Don''t panic. Ancestral Abilities usually take getting used to." Hanzo advised.


    "For some reason, I feel like I already have the hang of it though," Tyr replied, a slight smirk forming on his face.


    "Already? Without using it even once?" Hanzo questioned, a bit thrown off.


    Tyr closed his eyes for a second, as a golden flame suddenly burst from his glabella.


    It was a sharp flame, holding the shape of a falling water droplet. It was small as well, no larger than 2.5 inches.


    As he opened his eyes, his pupils shined in the darkness of night in a brilliant golden color that was mesmerizing to gaze at.


    "My Ancestral Ability..." Tyr''s tone was deeper than usual.


    Hanzo furrowed his eyebrows, ''His presence... its completely different. It''s like he''s an entirely different person. Maybe he somehow does have the hang of it already.''


    "Boon Of The Sun Devourer." Tyr declared.


    Malon squinted: "Sun Devourer? That''s odd... a title rather than a name? Wouldn''t that mean the Ancestral Ability is of a powerful Ancestor rather than a God?"


    Hanzo also seemed a bit confused, "Hmm... I have no clue. These Ancestral Abilities are confusing to decode."


    Tyr remained silent, his eyes slightly widened with surprise at the several GG panels that had abruptly appeared in front of his eyes.


    [You have gained immunity to all water damage.]


    [You have gained immunity to all fire damage.]


    [You have gained immunity to all wind damage.]


    [You have gained immunity to all diseases.]


    [You have gained immunity to all mental attacks.]


    [Your defenses have increased by 2x]


    [Vitality: 60/60-->120]


    [New Ability gained: ...]


    Tyr read this ability out loud: "Full Golden Body..."

 Chapter 80: Journey Begins

    ''That''s... strong.'' Tyr was still taken aback. He was in complete and utter awe.


    ''It doesn''t increase my offensive ability in any way, but with these buffs, it doesn''t have to do that... these alone are unimaginably powerful.''


    He ran forward, tightening his fist before punching the boulder.


    A loud impact sounded, instantly shattering the boulder into several pieces from one point. It crumbled after a second.


    "The Ancestral Ability... did nothing?" Malon confusedly said in a slightly joking manner as well.


    "Well, it is only his first Ancestral Ability after all... when cultivating Aura Cores, your ability either gets stronger, or you get other abilities. If his first one isn''t offensive, then it must be defensive. Am I right, Tyr?"


    Tyr pulled his fist in, "That''s exactly correct." He smiled from corner to corner, "I am practically invincible!" He thrust his hands into the air.


    "Sometimes offense is the best defense. But then again, the defense can be the strongest offense as well." Hanzo replied.


    ***


    The next day, their journey to the Empire of Rock Saelfine truly began.


    Tyr''s main question currently was how he could cultivate his Aura Core.


    This was because of the information he had gained through his months in Sub-world. And of course, he knew that to get his first Aura Spell, he had to reach the Adept Rank as GG had pointed out.


    Aura cores worked like basins of water. The more water stored, the stronger the person. Of course, this meant you needed taller walls over the basin to store even more water.


    At this moment, Tyr had a lot of water stored up from the automatic Aura Stat increase done by GG.


    But, he didn''t even have a 1-inch wall over his water basin to store anything inside of it.


    If he were to cultivate even a little and create the first layer over his Aura Core, or the first wall over his basin, then the Aura he had stored up would take over from there and create taller walls.


    He needed a foundation first before he could store his Aura and let that benefit him.


    "So... can I use Beast Cores?" He asked Hanzo.


    "Nope. Unless you learn Alchemy and create cultivation pills... you won''t be able to use those Beast Cores by themselves for cultivation. But you don''t have to go down the Beast Core route either."


    As Hanzo said this, Tyr listened with intent to learn.


    "There are also Aura Shards. Naturally found materials that can be turned into Aura Stones. Aura Stones are currency in the more developed countries, as they are worth more than simple gold and silver."


    "Oh? How so?"


    "Well, if 100 copper coins make 1 silver, and 100 silver makes 1 gold, then..."


    "100 gold makes 1 Aura Stone!? That''s 10,000 silver coins!" Tyr interrupted, shocked. S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Mmhm. That is why Aura Stones are so sought after, and also why its hard for smaller countries to make them their legal tender."


    "10,000 silver coins for a single Aura Stone..." Tyr said out loud and then thought inwardly: ''Comparing things to how they were on Earth, it seems copper is like a cent on this planet. Silver is like 1 dollar, and a single gold is worth what 100 dollars would be on Earth. That means a single Aura Stone is worth what is 10,000 US dollars... it''s absurd.


    But when you think about it, we are going to receive what''s worth 3.5 million dollars soon. That makes Aura Stone not seem to be out of reach.''


    "Don''t think about it too much." Hanzo closed his eyes, entering nap-mode. "We still have a long way to go..."


    "Right..." Tyr replied.


    "Plus, you have the Black Merchant Guild on your tail as well so we won''t be stopping by local towns. They haven''t placed many bases in the isolated kingdom of Mycopolis, but outside they will be waiting for us..."


    "I see."


    *


    *


    *


    2 Month''s later...


    ***


    Tyr stepped on top of a pressure plate in the middle of a dungeon accidentally.


    He looked down, "Oh... oops."


    Malon and Hanzo were a few feet behind him. They were in the center of an old brown-stone chamber.


    Pillars with vines growing all around them surrounded the three.


    A few seconds after Tyr stepped on the pressure plate, a blue light flowed through all the seams in the stone floor below.


    They conjoined at a single point and suddenly unleashed a blast of energy toward Tyr.


    "Fuck..." Tyr exclaimed as the light dispersed. His arms and legs had been completely tied up by some sort of blue seal.


    "I can''t move..." Tyr said as both Hanzo and Malon shook their heads in disappointment.


    "We entered this dungeon just to explore a bit and you go and put yourself in the worst situation imaginable," Hanzo said, disappointed.


    Even by the next day, Tyr was still completely trapped.


    "We had to leave that dungeon early because of you," Malon said, his palm over his face.


    "I know... my bad. Hahaha!" Tyr laughed.


    Of course, Malon didn''t take it too seriously.


    Nonetheless, it was a drag to have to be stuck in this situation.


    "An ancient seal we can''t break no matter what... well, good thing there''s a person in Rock Saelfine that I know who is a specialist in seals. Especially human seals." Hanzo exclaimed, capturing Tyr''s attention.


    "Hm?" He exclaimed in heightened intrigue. "That''s an interesting power..."


    ***


    Another few days passed, Tyr still immobile during each and every second of it.


    ''This is truly torture.'' He exclaimed, not able to even eat properly, let alone do other... things...


    It had been over a month since they had left Mycopolis and headed northeastwards.


    The forests had become lighter and were again formed with trees instead of mushrooms.


    In the past few days, they thinned out even more and revealed an open savanna.


    And finally, now, the trio noticed their first form of large civilization.


    In the far distance, they noticed an enormous glass-like aura dome.


    Before they arrived there, however, Hanzo led the group to a small village on the outskirts.


    As they arrived, they began to walk on foot. Hanzo took the lead, while Tyr and Malon walked behind with curious eyes.


    One by one, kind villagers exited their homes and came to greet them.


    "Hanzo!" An old gentleman said, "Long time no see, son!"


    "Are these your friends?" A middle-aged woman asked with grace.


    "How have you been?"


    "Is everything alright?"


    More and more caring questions came their way, and soon enough, the Hunter trio was surrounded by the entire village.


    They laughed awkwardly as they received all of the warm welcomes.


    Suddenly, an abrupt wave of killing intent tore through the crowd, alerting the trio as their heads instantly darted forward.


    From the distance came a powerful wave of energy that abruptly grabbed Hanzo and placed him in a bind made of several purple chains of Aura.


    Both Tyr and Malon were also pushed back slightly from the force of the blow.


    "HANZO!" A feminine voice shouted, seemingly fueled with rage, "You dare enter my village with a slave!?"

 Chapter 81: Noa

    A young lady sprinted at Hanzo from the distance, holding a giant bazooka-sized double-barrel shotgun taller than her entire body.


    Other than the crazy weapon, she looked like a normal person, except for the fact that she was stunningly beautiful.


    She had normal lengthed, bright orange hair that flowed to her shoulders. She wore a white and brown village dress, normal for a village girl.


    Her eyes were blue, her complexion pale and without any blemishes.


    "Wait!" Hanzo said, unable to move, "He isn''t a slave, Noa!"


    The crowd moved aside as the girl addressed as Noa stepped in front of the trio. She seemed to be no older than 19.


    "Trust me, he''s a friend. An idiot, who got stuck in a seal. We came here so that you could help him..." Hanzo said, struggling with the tight chains around him.


    Noa''s eyes wandered over to Tyr, who akwardly smiled at her.


    "Haha... yeah. He''s not lying." He knew he sounded like an idiot.


    But, unexpectedly, Noa''s entire personality changed with her tone: "Oh my god! You should have told me from the beginning! I''ll free you right away, come this way."


    Hanzo rolled his eyes, "I would have told you if you didn''t put me in a seal first." He whispered under his breath.


    Noa spoke immediately afterward, killing intent still fuming from her being: "What was that? I can hear you... you know."


    "Yeah yeah..."


    "It seems you want to be in those chains for a couple more days," Noa exclaimed, her eyes turning red like a demon''s from Hanzo''s viewpoint.


    "Wait! Never mind what I said! Please don''t do that, I have important inquireies!"


    ***


    Tyr found it weird how the entire village stared outside of Noa''s small hut as she performed her Aura spells on him.


    Nonetheless, he was happy to get this stupid bind off him after so long.


    He looked at Noa, who had her eyes closed. It had been 5 minutes by now of Noa placing her hand on Tyr''s chest and unlocking his bind ever so slowly.


    She was sweating, and Tyr could see from the concerned look on her face that she was clearly struggling.


    Yet, she wasn''t complaining whatsoever about freeing him.


    ''Another person with a good heart, I think.'' Tyr said to himself, ''I feel like those are rare here... especially after what happened with my past friends... now that I think about it, there was never a time where they did anything for me without receiving a benefit themselves.''


    Ten more minutes passed.


    ''It must be grueling for her... but I''m used to staying in one position for a long time by now.'' Tyr thought to himself, worried as he saw Noa''s bothered face.


    Out of nowhere, her eyelids sprang open. A smile appeared on her lips as the blue chains around Tyr obliterated into particles and disappeared into the air.


    A small cheer came from the crowd outside.


    "Hahaha! That''s our Noa for you!"


    "She can always free anyone!"


    "She''s truly a prodigy."


    Tyr smiled on hearing this, ''They clearly love her. Good for her.'' He thought to himself.


    "Thanks a bunch!" He grabbed Noa''s hands and dug his forehead into them as a sign of graditude.


    He then stood up, jumping around since he was free for the first time in so long!


    "Hopefully I don''t end up trapped like that anytime soon!" Tyr laughed, and Noa joined in on the chuckling.


    "Haha... its my pleasure. I would never turn away from freeing someone. I feel there''s no better purpose in life!" Noa shared a genuine smile.


    Tyr was slightly taken aback, ''She''s a really nice person.'' He thought to himself.


    "Hey..." Hanzo''s voice squeaked from the corner, "What about me?"


    Noa turned toward him with an unimpressed look on her face.


    Hanzo squinted his eyes, ''Why do I feel... fear...''


    "You didn''t do anything wrong." Noa said, shifting her attitude, "Im sorry for locking you up, haha!" She laughed, freeing him instantly from her own bind.


    "W-what? Don''t give me a scary stare then pretend as if its all okay!" Hanzo exclaimed, throwing his hands out to the side as an exclamation of his freedom.


    For a moment, everyone inside of the small shack laughed.


    Even the villagers outside couldn''t help but innocently snicker.


    "So... how''s the situation with the village?" Hanzo asked at that moment.


    Noa''s expression changed. Her eyebrows curled inwards as she looked to the side. Her face was somber as she spoke:


    "It''s... gotten worse. The villagers can''t pay their month''s rent. Our crops aren''t growing and our Hunters are practically nonexistent. Our debt has kept increasing for the last year. Soon, it will reach over 1,000 Aura Stones, which is the limit."


    On hearing these words, the villagers quieted down as well.


    Tyr''s eyebrows furrowed. ''Hmm... a person as good as she seemingly is shouldn''t be going through that.''


    Malon also didn''t seem amused by the information. He and Tyr looked at each other as he thought to himself: ''Poor lady. She seems to care a lot as well. It must be heartbreaking.''


    Hanzo exhaled before saying: "So... what''s the punishment?"


    Noa looked up at him, moisture building up in her genuine eyes.


    "Y-" Her voice cracked, "You know... what the punishment is."


    Hanzo exhaled again, gritting his teeth. Malon seemed to understand what Noa meant by this as well quite immediately.


    For Tyr, however, it took a few more seconds of thinking. This was because the answer wasn''t something he was used to whatsoever, unlike Hanzo and Malon.


    ''Does she mean... everyone here will be sold into slavery?'' He questioned, piecing together the puzzle parts. He couldn''t help but feel a horrible feeling in his gut just thinking about it.


    "Don''t you have any way to fix the situation? I know you''ve been working to save your village for your entire life... isn''t there anything you''ve come up with?" Hanzo questioned.


    "Hmm... there''s been one thing I have worked on. It was a dream, but now it has become quite likely." Noa said as the others stayed silent, intrigue in their eyes.


    "Its a technique to remove all types of Seals at once." Noa said, making everyone''s eyes expand slightly. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    At that moment, a small dog dashed into the shack through the window and landed on top of Hanzo''s head.


    His eyes moved up as Noa couldn''t help but chuckle slightly: "Maybe Spen here will be the hope to our village. He is quite the powerful beast after all."


    "Spen, how''ve you been buddy?" Hanzo reached up to pet the dog that was fully black in color.


    *CRUNCH*


    Hanzo paused for a second as his finger was devoured by the dog... and then he let out a horrible scream of pain.


    "YYYYYEEEEOUCH!!!"


    He attempted to grab the small sucker, but Spen suddenly disappeared and appeared back in Noa''s lap.


    "You stupid dog! I forgot how much of a pain you were!"

 Chapter 82: Bad Predicament

    Everyone continued speaking for a few more minutes about how things were going. Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    From what Hanzo explained, Tyr understood that Noa had been a friend of Hanzo''s for a few years now.


    He met her first around 5 years ago when he first visited Rock Saelfine.


    He had to free himself of a seal, and she was coincidentally the perfect person to meet during that time.


    He learned about her backstory through his time spent at Imbu village, and in the end, he and Noa came to know more about each other.


    He hadn''t met her much but was still thankful to her up until now.


    In their current conversation, Noa explained that there truly was no hope for her people other than her potential seal-breaking technique.


    Even if they were to get good crops and have a better Hunter team, the lord of their area would simply raise the property taxes so that what everyone made would still not be enough.


    This was apparently to wipe out Imbu from the map, as different plans were being set forth by the nobles about what to do with the Imbu village land.


    And of course, those plans couldn''t proceed without Imbu being fully wiped out.


    It was indeed a corrupt system, but no one cared about random people in the boonies to do anything about it.


    The only way to counteract this was to make an absurd amount of money so that no lord would want to disturb Imbu village for any reason.


    After the entire conversation, Tyr was noticeably annoyed.


    "Tsk! Isn''t there a single good person in power in an empire ruled by humans who sees what''s going on and wants to end the corruption? I mean seriously... it''s hysterical at this point." He exclaimed, shaking his head.


    Noa chuckled slightly on seeing Tyr''s reaction, "I''m sorry Tyr, I shouldn''t make others worry about my own situations. It isn''t right."


    Tyr exhaled, "No... you''re the last person that should be saying sorry. You''re the one suffering, after all." He looked into her eyes, "It''s okay to ask for help sometimes, you know. Not everyone out there wants to take advantage of you."


    Noa was taken aback by this statement, her eyes widening with awe.


    She sighed, looking down: "Thank you... just those words mean a lot to me, Tyr. However, this is something I must deal with on my own. Even if you want to help, it isn''t your place to do so."


    Tyr furrowed his eyebrows, thrown off by this, "Hmm... alright. That''s your choice to make." He said in a serious tone.


    ''But... why refuse? It doesn''t make much sense.'' He thought to himself.


    Noa also mused inwardly: ''I know he wants to help, but he''s being foolish. I mean... what can they do here? The only thing that would help our cause would be to interfere against nobles and the army of Rock Saelfine. It would spell certain death for them. No...


    instead, I''ll just have to master Raya''s Seal Breaking Technique. If I can do that, I can save this village from ruin surely.''


    After this little encounter, Tyr and the others stayed for dinner. They hadn''t eaten good food or taken well-needed rest in a long time, and before they headed into the real cities, they decided staying here was a better idea.


    It was also because everyone in the village persuaded them to stay by guilt-tripping:


    "You want to leave!? You cant! You just got here!"


    "At least eat and get some sleep before you leave! You are our guest!"


    It felt like everyone in the village was family, which was amusing to see for Tyr.


    Everyone enjoyed warm meals by a campfire at the very heart of the village as the sun dipped below the horizon.


    Afterward, the trio spent the night sleeping on Noa''s floor.


    Despite being hard stone flooring, it was still somehow more comfortable than the jungle bush. Maybe because it was indoors...


    Tyr slept soundly until the next morning. That''s when he felt a sudden and immense pain spawn at his nose and spread all across his body.


    His eyes flew open, ''Do I have to use disappear!?'' He thought to himself in shock as he noticed a small black dog''s maw chomped onto his nose.


    "AHHH!" He screamed, causing a few birds on a nearby roof to fly away.


    Malon and Hanzo also jerked up from their sleep, their guard instantly raised.


    They arose with fighting positions, only to see Tyr with a swollen red nose.


    The two stared at Tyr for a few seconds before laughing their asses off. Spen seemed to have already disappeared.


    Tyr shook his head, "That dog... is truly a demon." He said under his breath, his nose still throbbing.


    The three washed their faces using a bucket of water. As they left, they noted that Noa was already gone.


    "She probably woke up a while ago and went to tend to her village. She cares about her people a lot..." Hanzo said, scratching the back of his head.


    Malon and Hanzo proceeded to leave the small shack. Tyr was the last one to finish getting ready.


    Before he left, however, he noticed a picture on Noa''s bedside table that caught him off guard.


    It was ripped in half, but from what he could see, Noa as a child no older than nine sat with two people who looked to be her parents.


    They wore very pristine and luxurious garments. Noa herself also looked to be adorned in a large dress with a golden lining. The background was of a grand balcony view overlooking a city of millions.


    ''Thinking now... doesn''t she have parents? I assumed that they died or something here in this village, but now that I look at this picture... she seems to come from a completely different place.''


    He noticed a small note beside the picture: "Find them-" Tyr read the note out loud. The rest of the letter was also torn, but he made out the words: "In Ti--"


    He thought about this for a split second.


    ''A place beginning with the letters Ti huh... so she still wants to find her parents it seems. How did she end up in this random village?''


    He knew it wasn''t his place to interfere with her belongings, so he left the shack soon after.


    The trio said goodbye to everyone, including Noa who kindly waved to them with a grin on her face.


    Before they knew it, the grand, transparent gates of the largest Human domain within the continent were upon them.

 Chapter 83: Rock Saelfine Empire

    Before even reaching the transparent dome around the empire, Tyr and the other two came across more modern architecture.


    The stone beneath them turned to large, smooth white stone bricks from over 1000 feet away and stayed this way up until the entrance to the country.


    A small gate surrounded this white stone floor, and right from there Tyr and the others could see that a long ass line was before them.


    Looking up, they could see various travel and shipment vehicles via flying aircraft coming in and out of the dome.


    To the left and right, other pathways several thousand feet in the distance loaded and unloaded cargo non-stop.


    However, this one line seemed to be the only one for people to enter and exist.


    As they got in line, they noticed dozens of people leaving the transparent dome at the same time as well.


    ''So big...'' Tyr thought to himself. There was so much going on that he couldn''t help but get the impression that this place was ginormous.


    It was on another level compared to Seris.


    The line took a long time to shorten.


    Tyr and the other two were met by a single tall guard at the end. He wore half chainmail and cloth armor with an open helmet on his head.


    After checking their Hunter ID''s, he allowed them inside.


    As they crossed the transparent threshold into Rock Saelfine, Tyr was immediately assaulted by the city''s vastness.


    The sheer size of the place seemed almost unfathomable, stretching out in every direction as far as the eye could see.


    The streets were a living tapestry of activity¡ªpeople of all kinds jostled along the crowded sidewalks, some hurrying purposefully while others lingered at vibrant market stalls.


    The city was a dazzling amalgamation of eras. Towering skyscrapers of sleek glass and polished metal loomed high above, their reflective surfaces catching the sunlight and casting shifting patterns on the smooth, white stone pavements below.


    These modern giants stood in striking contrast to the older buildings that dotted the landscape¡ªelegantly carved stone structures that hinted at a rich medieval history.


    Flying vehicles zipped through the sky, their streamlined forms gliding effortlessly against the backdrop of the transparent dome that covered the city.


    The air was filled with a cacophony of sounds: the constant hum of advanced machinery mingled with the rhythmic clatter of traditional tools. Vendors called out, their voices rising above the din as they peddled their wares.


    The scent of street food and fresh produce mended with the more metallic tang of machinery, creating an aroma that was uniquely Rock Saelfine.


    Tyr''s head only faced up and around, unable to stop his amazement at the grandeur of this place.


    As he walked forward, he suddenly bumped into someone.


    He had been looking up for so long that he forgot to make sure he wasn''t getting in anyone''s way.


    He looked down, "Oh, my bad--" He cut himself off, noticing the attire person that he had bumped into.


    ''N-naked?'' He thought to himself, his eyes surveying the person in front of him.


    It was a man in his early thirties. He had bronze skin and brown eyes. His head was bald, and he was no taller than 5''6 ft.


    He was fully naked, his skin blistered and slashed with all types of scars and bruises.


    He was bald, and one of his eyes was missing. His hands and feet were tied together with chains.


    ''A slave...'' Tyr said inwardly.


    At that moment, this man''s gaze slowly moved up from the ground and looked into Tyr''s eyes.


    Tyr gasped subconsciously as he saw the look in the man''s eyes.


    Despair.


    The eyes were like that of a ghost. They were void, filled with nothing but horrible sorrow.


    There was something about them that caused this vision to be etched deep into Tyr''s mind. It was as though all of the suffering that man had gone through was showing through his eyes all at once in that single moment.


    Tyr could see the man''s yearning for hope, but along with that, also his belief that there was no such thing in store for him.


    "You... dare look at someone else in the eye?" A disdianful voice came from behind the slave from a person who was holding a chain that connected to the slave''s chains.


    As the naked man heard this, he immediately looked back down at the floor.


    "Looking humans in the eyes... that is worthy of capital punishment!" The man behind the slave suddenly kicked him down onto the floor.


    Tyr furrowed his eyebrows as he saw this.


    A few people also glanced over at this scene, but quickly shrugged it off and continued moving.


    "Are you trying to say you are equal to us? Do you not know your place? I would have never bought you if I had to simply kill before the auction! Act accordingly, you trash!" The man pompously screamed, continuously kicking the slave who was curled up on the ground.


    ''He... isn''t stopping.'' Tyr thought to himself, his eyes twitching slightly with shock and displeasure.


    "Get up!" The man said as the slave slowly stood. He kicked him again, prompting to slave to stumble forward and start walking.


    The man then turned to Tyr, giving him an annoyed look as well, "What are you doing? Trying to have a conversation with him or something? Jeez..." He said before moving on.


    A few bystanders chuckled at the thought of that.


    Tyr, however, didn''t understand how that was so crazy.


    After the slave left, he scratched the back of his head.


    "What the fuck..." He said out loud.


    Hanzo patted him on the shoulder, "It''s good you didn''t interfere. We would have had to deal with every mother fucker in here with a slave otherwise." He said, moving forward.


    Malon stared at the ground, clenching his fists.


    "I can''t believe this place." He said under his breath, very upset. "Tsk." He also moved forward.


    Tyr took a second to think before doing the same, ''Despite what he''s going through, he still refuses to ask for help... is that mental willpower, or unfathomable fear?''


    The trio continued, eventually making thier way to a large establishment which Tyr instantly recognized as a Hunter''s Guild.


    "Mastermind Hunter Guild."


    After a deep breath, Tyr took a step forward toward the building.


    S§×arch* The ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 84: Help?

    As they entered, Tyr kept contemplating how he felt at this moment.


    ''I don''t want to see any innocent person suffering the fate of a slave. But... I''m too damn weak to do anything about it. Then again, it doesn''t feel right to help people who don''t ask for it... maybe it''s not my place to intrude?''


    It was that same feeling again. The feeling of helplessness that he hated more than anything else in his entire life.


    There was nothing more binding than that feeling. It was the complete opposite of his goal of freedom.


    This establishment was similar to the one in Seris. It was very large, with several help desk booths at the back.


    However, it was packed with people, making it slightly resemble Mycelia''s Hunter''s Guild.


    "Let''s make this quick," Hanzo said, "I don''t want to stay in this kingdom any longer than I have to." He walked to the counter line.


    As Tyr and Malon waited, Malon received some odd glances from time to time.


    "It''s understandable..." Malon exclaimed, "After all, humans are the most selfish species. They would probably have me be a slave if they see fit." He spoke without really thinking.


    "Oh shit," He looked at Tyr, "I forgot you were--"


    "No problem. You know more about humans than me... I guarantee it." Tyr replied, thinking about the fact that the humans he knew from Earth were vastly different from those in Subworld.


    "You also think humans are selfish?" Malon questioned.


    "I don''t know..."


    "Is it because you come from a place where the humans are different?"


    On hearing this question, Tyr furrowed his eyebrows and stared at Malon with a confused look on his face, ''How the hell does he know that? Does he know I''m from Earth...?''


    Malon continued: "What was its name again?" He said, looking to the side, his face in thought.


    ''He isn''t going to say Earth is he?'' Tyr thought to himself, slightly concerned. It wasn''t anything inherently scary, but it was going to be a long process of explanation that he didn''t want to go through right now.


    "Seris Dynasty, right?" Malon said.


    "W-what?" Tyr was taken aback.


    "What do you mean, ''what,''? Isn''t that where you came from? It''s a completely different place from here."


    "Oh... right." Tyr said, ''Jeez... how could I forget that.''


    "Listen," Malon exclaimed, "You may think that a single species is very different depending on where they come from, but in the end, they are the same."


    Tyr squinted slightly as he heard this, ''He is speaking about Seris and Rock Saelfine... but what he is saying can also apply to Earth. However, is what he is saying true?'' He questioned in his mind.


    Malon continued: "Despite having various upbringings, it''s about a being''s nature, not their environment that determines their actions when crucial moments arise. All that changes is the shell. That is what I believe. If the people from where you came were put in the same situation as those in Rock Saelfine, I''m sure they would adapt accordingly."


    Tyr took a few seconds to think about this.


    Malon spoke as Tyr remained in thought: "But then again, I don''t discriminate. I say all of these things, but I don''t actually know the nature of humans or any other creature for that matter."


    "I don''t know... some humans are selfish," Tyr paused, thinking about his old manager at his job, that one golden yes holding judge, Yurin, Urvil and Cyllia, and every other person in his life who had taken advantage of him.


    "But at the same time, some humans are totally selfless." The memories of his grandfather, his mother, and his father entered his mind as he said this. He also thought about how Hanzo helped him from scratch without receiving anything in return.


    "Huh..." Malon was stumped in thought after that one. "I mean... what you''re saying is simple, yet it poses so many questions."


    "Well..." Tyr paused, as if he was going to say something really important. "I..."


    Malon looked at him with anticipation dancing in his eyes.


    "Have to go piss."


    Malon''s eyebrows immediately dropped back down, unimpressed.


    Tyr chuckled as he made his way toward the bathrooms.


    "Don''t get lost..." Malon shouted as Tyr disappeared from his vision.


    Tyr noticed a bathroom sign hanging above a door in the corner of the establishment and then looked down to see a line of people that extended... and extended... and kept extending from one side of the room to the other.


    His eyelids lowered, "Tsk... all this technology and no working bathroom system. I guess it''s something that all societies will forever struggle with."


    He turned, walking out the entrance.


    ''Good thing I don''t need a pristine hole to piss in. Any old alley will do.''


    Tyr had gotten used to pissing in alleys, as his old gas station bathroom would regularly be out of service from all the trashy people that would ruin it.


    He made his way around the guild building and into an alleyway that was dark even in the daytime.


    It was long and gave off some pretty creepy vibes, but nothing that Tyr wasn''t already used to by now.


    *ZIIP*


    *SHHHHHHH*


    "Ahh~~"


    *ZIP*


    He made his way back out of the alley. As soon as he stepped out of it, a figure bumped into him with force.


    ''Shit, I should have looked before leaving the alley.'' Tyr thought to himself, his eyes moving down to see who had hit him.


    It looked like a young girl had clutched onto his leg, and was unwilling to let go.


    Tyr immediately noticed the shackles on her hands and feet, and her clothing which was a dirty brown hood and robe.


    "What are you--" He attempted to say but was cut off by the young girl''s silent and soft voice.


    "Help..." She said in a low whisper.


    Tyr''s eyes expanded as he heard this, ''H-help? She asked... she asked for help.'' He was completely caught off guard. sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    As he was stunned, a voice came from a dozen feet in front of him:


    "My apologies!" A man dressed in a long brown hood exclaimed. "It seems a slave of mine has escaped. The weekly auction is tonight, so naturally, merchandise is plentiful. It can slip right out of your fingers here and there, you see." The man spoke in a somewhat polite and joking manner. His face was covered fully by the hood.


    Tyr looked back down at the girl who seemed to be crying at this point.


    ''She asked... I can''t just ignore her, right?''

 Chapter 85: Destruction

    Tyr placed his hand on the young girl''s head, "Don''t cry... you''re alright." He said, hoping to calm her down as the poor child broke down in front of him.


    The man from afar walked closer, now standing before Tyr who was on one knee.


    ''So many bruises...'' Tyr thought to himself as he looked up at the man again. He was pissed, his brows furrowing in anger.


    "I get she''s your slave, but do you really need to hurt her this much?" Tyr said in a low tone.


    The robed man paused. His smile disappeared, instead replaced with a disdainful look.


    "You''re new here aren''t you..." The robed man said and then squinted his eyes as he sized Tyr up and down.


    "Wait a minute... I think I recognize you from somewhere." The robed man exclaimed, reaching into his chest pocket while exposing his wrist.


    Tyr''s eyes expanded as he saw a symbol on the man''s arm.


    ''A snake tattoo... Black Merchant Guild.'' He immediately realized, preparing to fight at any moment.


    ''I guess it''s been a long time coming. I knew I''d encounter them someday... it might as well be now.''


    The robed man pulled out a poster and flipped it around to show Tyr.


    Tyr''s pupils widened in shock as he read the poster. It had his drawn face stamped on the front with a bounty of 100 Gold once found alive.


    ''A bounty poster of all things?'' Tyr thought, ''That''s actually pretty cool. I''m worth 100 Gold to the criminals huh?''


    *Click*


    The robed man suddenly took a photo of Tyr.


    "W-what the hell was that for?" Tyr said with confusion.


    "Don''t worry about it... Anyway, I''m sure you''ve figured out who I am."


    "So you will want to fight me, right?" Tyr said, getting more serious.


    "Nope." The robed man looked to the side: "HELP!" He screamed at the top of his lungs.


    Tyr furrowed his brows with confusion, "H-help? I''m the one protecting the child..."


    ***


    Before Tyr knew it, several guards had arrested him.


    The guards spoke to the robed figure: "Sorry good sir, this criminal thief almost stole your merchandise."


    ''I''m the criminal huh...'' Tyr thought to himself as he was dragged away with his hands chained up.


    His eyes were focused on the little girl, and the bastard Black Merchant Guild member who now had the child back in his hands.


    The thug smiled at Tyr and waved goodbye as he left. Tyr gave a mean glare to the man as he was dragged away.


    "You will be placed in jail for a week at the very least to atone for your sins, criminal--"


    "Shut the fuck up..." Tyr couldn''t care less to hear what the bastard guard had to say.


    ''I could fuck all of these guards up, but I don''t want to get in even more trouble.'' He closed his eyes, ''Fuck this place... I want to burn it to the ground.''


    As he was taken away, Hanzo and Malon finally exited the Mastermind Hunter''s Guild.


    They both had unimpressed looks on thier faces as they saw Tyr''s ass being hauled away.


    "Tsk..." Hanzo exclaimed as he saw Tyr in the distance.


    Noticing his friends, Tyr raised seven fingers in the air.


    "A week huh... we have no choice but to wait it out." Hanzo said, "This place isn''t like Mycelia where I have any influence."


    "I guess we head back to Noa''s and rest there until its all over, right?" Malon replied.


    "Yep..."


    ***


    And just like that, Tyr was thrown into a dirty cell. This one wasn''t nearly as bad as the one in Mycelia, however.


    Instead of being underground, it was caged within an enormous marquee that stretched over 1000 feet in width and length.


    Inside this chamber were hundreds of iron cells placed randomly. They consisted of various sizes, and some were placed on top of each other while others were to the side.


    They were long, thin cells without much room.


    ''That Black Merchant guy... it must have been the best option for him to call the guards. After all, he already knows where I will be after I''m arrested. Fighting me head-on would have been foolish. Im sure he''s preparing with his bitch gang to visit me anytime now...''


    Tyr sat down. He closed his eyes and raised his head, ''Experience... levels... isn''t there a place where I can get a ton of that?'' He thought to himself as he waited.


    ***


    Meanwhile, Hanzo and Malon had closed in on Imbu village.


    However, something seemed to be off about the place the second they neared it.


    Even from over a hundred feet away, random debris scarcely littered the ground.


    Hanzo furrowed his brows, zoning in on the village ahead.


    Malon on the other hand couldn''t help but notice all the new pieces of debris that seemed to appear every few feet.


    Horrible ideas popped up in thier head as soon as they saw this, but they restrained themselves from overthinking.


    The two approached the village, their hearts sinking as they took in the devastation before them.


    The once-vibrant Imbu village, with its bustling market stalls and lively homes, was now a scene of utter destruction.


    Buildings were reduced to rubble, and the streets, usually filled with the sounds of everyday life, were eerily silent.


    Hanzo scanned the area with a furrowed brow, his usual calm demeanor replaced by a mix of concern and anger. "This wasn''t just a raid," he muttered. "It''s too thorough, too destructive. Whoever did this was intent on leaving nothing behind. They wanted to wipe this place off the map." S§×arch* The N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Malon''s face was pale, his hands trembling slightly as he took in the wreckage.


    He moved through the debris, calling out in desperation, "Is anyone here? Can anyone hear me?"


    His voice echoed through the empty streets, met only by the quiet wind rustling through the remains of the village.


    His hopeful eyes scanned the area with hope as he stumbled on a familar spot--Noa''s shack. Half of the building was smashed in half, as though a large stone had fallen onto it.


    Both Hanzo and Malon approached the shack, their pace increasing with each strut.


    "Stay calm, Malon..." Hanzo said, clenching his jaw with anger.


    Malon nodded, taking in a deep breath. "You''re right. There might be survivors here..."


    The two searched Noa''s house, unable to find a single thing even after thoroughly going through everything.


    With time, panic began to slowly set in.


    After a couple of minutes, the sound of light rustling came from behind them.


    The two quickly turned, thier guards up.


    "S-Spen?" Hanzo said, noticing the small dog that was limping due to a deep laceration across its left foot.


    The pup whimpered in a low tone, his eyes filled with sorrow and fear.


    Despite this, he clamped his teeth down with determination and gestured toward a certain direction in a pointing pose.


    "He''s... trying to tell us where they went," Malon explained, immediately understanding the canines intentions.

 Chapter 86: Spen

    Hanzo healed the pup up with a few Health Capsules. In only a minute or so, Spen was up and kicking like nothing ever happened to him.


    Hanzo looked at Malon afterward: "Let''s go." He said as Malon immediately nodded. S§×arch* The N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Go, Spen!" Hanzo shouted as the dog sprinted toward Rock Saelfine, disappearing from time to time and leaping grand distances in mere seconds.


    Hanzo and Malon got on the flying jetski, zooming after the dog with determined expressions.


    ''I won''t let them be sold into slavery... I can''t.'' Hanzo said, gritting his teeth.


    It was a complicated subject...


    Of course, there was also a logical side to it that Hanzo usually listened to.


    Thinking logically, trying to save Noa and the others was an impossible mission that would only lead to Hanzo and his group''s downfall.


    But... at the heat of the most important moments, logic wasn''t what made legends.


    It wasn''t what created kings, but rather, fighting for what one believed--and not caring about the consequences. That was what determined who prevailed.


    Hanzo wasn''t moving off of that basis, however. Both he and Malon rushed to save Noa and the others simply for the fact that they were kind and hospitable to them.


    They were friends, and that was enough to act.


    The two made it into the transparent walls of Rock Saelfine as fast as they could.


    Following Spen, they were led to a board beside a random stall.


    Spen halted, barking toward the poster as loud as he could.


    Hanzo and Malon dropped off the jetski, nearing the board and reading the poster that was on there.


    "Weekly Auction!"


    "Join the auction house now if you have your own merchandise to sell."


    "Or, join to get the finest products collected through this entire week!"


    There were many more advertisements placed, but this was enough for Hanzo and Malon to understand what Spen was going on about.


    "Spen," Hanzo said, the looking looking up to face him, "Go and get Tyr... we know where to go from here."


    Spen barked several times as Hanzo and Malon hopped on their jetski and zoomed across town.


    Spen on the other hand tore the auction poster off, carrying it in his mouth as he began to run in the opposite direction.


    As the two parties separated, a group of robed men leaned toward each other:


    "Whaddya'' think they''re planning?"


    "Who knows..."


    "Forget about that. We know what our goal is. Focus on that guy..."


    "You''re right. Let''s keep going."


    ***


    Spen hurried to the prison.


    The dog had traveled all across this first city of Rock Saelfine with Noa in the past. He knew all of the closest landmarks, including the prison that was nearest to where he was.


    It took him mere minutes to get there using his ability.


    The pup neared the large prison marquee and dashed atop the roofs beside it to avoid getting spotted by any guards.


    He disappeared, appearing atop the marquee roof. He disappeared again, this time appearing inside of the tent.


    As he landed on the ground, a few odd groans and rustling noises sounded.


    Some prisoners noticed the dog that had entered.


    They stared at Spen with confused looks as he sniffed the air.


    After a few seconds of sniffing, Spen rushed toward a certain cell.


    He neared closer and closer to a figure doing push-ups in the distance.


    *Roof! Roof roof!*


    "Huh?" Tyr raised an eyebrow, looking to the side and noticing a pitch-black-furred little dog.


    "Spen? What are you doing in here?" He was slightly perplexed.


    Spen dropped the poster on the ground next to Tyr''s cell.


    With scrunched eyebrows, Tyr grabbed the poster and read it.


    His eyes slowly widened as horrible thoughts entered his mind.


    "Noa and the others..." He said out loud, Spen barking multiple times with urgency.


    Tyr went to the very edge of the cell and stared into the dog''s eyes intensely, "One bark for yes, two barks for no." He said, Spen barking once to confirm.


    "Are Hanzo and Malon alright?"


    *Roof*


    "Do they know?"


    *Roof*


    "Noa... Noa and the others in the village. Are they alright?"


    *Roof roof*


    "Slavery... right? They were abducted?"


    *Roof*


    Realization slowly struck Tyr as he continued asking questions.


    "They are being held in this place right now, right?" Tyr said, pointing to the poster that spoke about the weekly auction.


    *ROOF!*


    "Okay... that''s all I need to know." Tyr''s eyes narrowed, his demeanor completely serious.


    *ROOF ROOF ROOF!*


    "Don''t worry, Spen... I will save each and every one of them." Tyr said in a serious tone, clenching his fist.


    Light footsteps echoed through the marquee at that moment.


    Tyr noticed a group of 10 robed figures enter the tent and slowly approach him.


    ''They are already here? I guess they didn''t want me to slip out from out of their grasp.''


    Spen moved to the side as the robed figures shot a glance at him before returning their attention to Tyr.


    "Tyr... Evolion, you go as now, right?"


    Tyr remained silent as one of the robed figures spoke.


    "You are quite powerful... even managing to kill one of our small branch leaders."


    Tyr eyes expanded slightly as he heard this, ''They... don''t know that I''ve become far stronger. That means their forces far underestimate me.'' A slight grin played on his lips from out of nowhere.


    ''Scan.''


    ©³©¥©¥©¥Status©¥©¥©¥©·


    Power Level: 90


    ©»©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¿


    ©³©¥©¥©¥Status©¥©¥©¥©·


    Power Level: 83


    ©»©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¿


    ©³©¥©¥©¥Status©¥©¥©¥©·


    Power Level: 71


    ©»©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¿


    ©³©¥©¥©¥Status©¥©¥©¥©·


    Power Level: 77


    ©»©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¿


    ©³©¥©¥©¥Status©¥©¥©¥©·


    Power Level: 101


    ©»©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¿


    ''These weaklings... they think they are enough?'' Tyr''s grin stretched even more as he saw all of these panels.


    "Stop." He suddenly said, "I am wanted alive, right?" He raised both of his hands in the air, "Take me... I give up. There''s no way I can defeat all 10 of you. You all are pretty strong from what I can tell."


    The Black Merchant Guild members paused with slight confusion, raising their brows.


    They looked at each other, murmuring silently with puzzlement.


    Finally, the one in front spoke: "Well... of course we are strong. That weakling was a branch leader within a random city, within a random country at that. We are members of the Rock Saelfine Black Merchant Guild... far superior in comparison."


    Tyr nodded.


    "If you give yourself up so willingly, we have no choice but to accept. And by the way... if you think you''re doing something smart here, know that each one of us is stronger than Bilweif by ourselves. I hope that clears any foolish hope you may have had to somehow escape." The robed figure said in a smug tone, smirking as he opened the cell door with a key.


    ''He has the damn key? Is he working for Rock Saelfine or what?'' Tyr thought to himself as he saw this.


    *Click*


    The door to his cell slowly opened.


    "Sorry gents..." Tyr said while facing the floor. Out of nowhere, a brilliant golden flame erupted from his glabella.


    The robed figures took a few steps back in shock, unsheathing thier weapons.


    "I''ve changed my mind. I''m not giving up for shit... instead, I''ll just butcher each one of you." Tyr''s head raised, revealing his wide eyes as he smiled through his teeth.

 Chapter 87: Despise

    A pair of soft eyes slowly opened in the darkness, revealing bright, azure pupils.


    Noa looked left and right with fear and alertness.


    She was confined within a small, iron cell with dozens of other women.


    Unlike her, all of these women were half naked, only their private parts being covered up with dirty rags.


    They had blisters and injuries all over their dirt-covered bodies, their hair frizzled to a mess and their eyes void of all emotions.


    Noa gasped subconsciously, horrified at what she saw: ''All of these women... they are slaves.''


    She was taken aback with sorrow and also anger at this entire concept.


    Her knees weakened, buckling beneath her as she fell onto her feet.


    Noa never remembered coming to Rock Saelfine, the village of Imbu.


    She had always remembered her life in another place far away from here, with her parents and family.


    However, a lapse in her memory caused her to one day appear in Imbu.


    Ever since then, although she was left alone, Noa was taken in by the people of Imbu and raised as one of their own. S§×arch* The N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    She grew, played, learned, and eventually became a member of the Imbu people.


    Her goals quickly formed around the village.


    The people within Imbu were not like those from Rock Saelfine.


    Instead, they were the very opposite. Despite those within the main kingdom viewing unfortunate people as slaves, the people within Imbu viewed the unfortunate as someone they could relate to. A friend, perhaps.


    The people outside of Rock Saelfine''s invisible walls hated the concept of slavery, as their ancestors were the ones to go through that fate.


    And as such, Noa came to hold the same view. However, her passion for the hate of slavery extended beyond that.


    To her, the very thought of confining someone else for one''s bidding was the worst act possible.


    From a young age she vowed to free anyone that she could from this fate, and her Ancestral Ability fit her personality perfectly, as she was able to use it to free many from their physical shackles.


    However, it wasn''t like she could actually free slaves...


    She was only a young girl, and she had other things to worry about, like caring for her people of Imbu.


    Although her dream for as long as she could remember was to free everyone she could... she also badly wanted to find her parents...


    And now, her worst nightmares had come true. Seeing these slaves in front of her sapped her of all energy.


    It was the worst thing she could imagine, and it was happening right in front of her. The grief and angst she felt was deplorable.


    She even began to tear up, muffling her mouth as she silently sobbed. The memories of the people of Imbu... Spen... her parents... her dreams and aspirations.


    ''Were they all for nothing?'' She thought to herself. ''Why... why must people be so cruel?''


    ***


    Hanzo and Malon arrived at the auction venue within a few minutes of their departure from Spen.


    They were speeding like never before. At a certain speed, even the guards wouldn''t bother trying to catch you...


    The auction house was a large, half-circle building. It''s walls were red, with white stripes lining its edges.


    The entrance was grand and large, the main doors open to all from what they could see.


    Dozens stood outside, others entering while others exited the building.


    Everyone looked to be dressed either in brown robes or very fancy attire.


    The two hopped off of the jetski and neared the building.


    "The poster said all are welcome..." Hanzo said to Malon, slightly concerned if they would be let in.


    "What the plan..." Malon questioned, slightly skeptical.


    "I haven''t ever been to a slave auction, but I''ve been to other ones. They all work the same in terms of the highest bidder getting the purchase."


    Malon furrowed his eyebrows, "Y-you want to buy all of the villagers!?"


    "No..." Hanzo said in a low tone, "I do not know what they did with everyone, but we will try to buy everyone that we can... especially Noa."


    Malon was a bit caught off guard by this, "Why do you hold her above the others? Is that not cruel?"


    Hanzo sighed, "Look, Malon... she has one of the most rare abilities in the world. Above that, she is a real friend of mine. At least I think she is. Although I wish I was perfect, I''m not. I want to save my friend at the very least, damn it."


    Malon turned his face forward, "No... I can''t blame you. I would do the same if I was in your situation. No one is perfect... but if we can, we must try to buy all of the villagers that we see."


    "No doubt about that. Let''s see how far 35,000 Gold takes us..."


    ***


    Tyr''s intent to kill was so surreal that it had translated into real, physical blood thirst energy in the air.


    So much so that the Black Merchant Guild members could feel an overwhelming feeling of doom suddenly overcome them.


    They stared at the smiling human in front of them with bewilderment, who, with this blasphemous killing intent, now seemed like some sort of towering monster.


    ''Blink Step.''


    Tyr blitzed forward out of nowhere, appearing before one of the robed figures and grabbing him by the neck.


    The thug was lifted up from the ground and immediately began choking. He wailed his legs, kicking nonstop as he clawed at Tyr''s tightly gripped hand to remove the iron maiden on his neck.


    Tyr''s expression remained furious as he continued to squeeze even harder, eventually crushing the man''s vertebrates and neck bones and tearing his neck muscles as if they were mush.


    The robed man immediately stopped moving, his hands and feet falling like a ragdoll''s limbs as blood trickled down his mouth.


    [You have slain Mena Oeal (Apprentice Rank Human).]


    [You leveled up!]


    [Current level: 142]


    [Level needed for next spell: 250]


    Tyr smiled again, "How satisfying..."

 Chapter 88: Justice!

    Seeing thier comrade be crushed to death like a bug in front of their very eyes, the other members of the Black Merchant Guild felt a horrifying, dull pressure in their chests.


    It was almost hard to breathe right now, let alone attempt to fight Tyr.


    ''What is it...'' Tyr thought to himself at that moment, ''Why am I so happy?'' He turned toward one of the robed men.


    "Killing humans... is it not an inherently bad thing?" Hesaid out loud, tightening his fist before suddenly unleashing it with full force into the robed man''s stomach.


    A powerful bang sounded as a woosh of air flew out from the robed man''s back from the impact of the blow.


    He was lifted into the air and folded like an omelet over Tyr''s wrist, having lost all of his consciousness instantly.


    His inner organs also exploded from the blow.


    [You have slain Haji Nae (Apprentice Rank Human).]


    "Everyone back up!" A Black Guild member suddenly shouted, jumping back several feet.


    The others broke out of their slight haze on hearing this, dashing backward themselves. They came back to their senses, furrowing their brows.


    "Tyr Evolion! Were you hiding this power!? It''s impossible to grow so much in such a short time unless you go through an Ancestral Ability Awakening!"


    Tyr turned to face the man who said this, a smile still residing on his face.


    "Last time we checked, you were not an Ancestral Ability user. So either you were hiding the power... or you have taken unstable pills." The man said in a low tone.


    "Unstable pills? Pfft." Tyr disappeared from sight, appearing before the man who said this.


    "Don''t overestimate yourself," Tyr said under his breath, unleashing a devastating blow onto the man''s face.


    With a bang, the robed man was thrown across the marquee, like a bug swatted across the air.


    [You have slain Messe Davi (Apprentice Rank Human).]


    Tyr faced his gripped fist, ''So damn powerful.'' He said, almost in awe at this newfound strength.


    "If it was inherently wrong, I wouldn''t feel such joy from it. No..." He turned, facing the other Black Merchant Guild members who were even more on edge.


    "I thought that killing the criminals who go against me is justified because they are bad, and stand in my way. But now... I understand that killing those who stand on my path is justice in itself!"


    "W-what?" A robed man said with confusion, ''Has he gone mad? What''s that crazed look on his face?''


    This man was obliterated in a mere second after he spoke.


    [You have slain Mans Kenna (Apprentice Rank Human).]


    "That''s right!" Tyr exclaimed, "Justice!"


    A punch to the chest, bursting the heart and lungs.


    [You have slain Chi Ken (Apprentice Rank Human).]


    A kick to the abdomen, tearing apart the kidneys and ribcage.


    [You have slain Benjamin Doverton (Apprentice Rank Human).]


    [You leveled up!]


    "RUN! HE''S TOO STRONG!"


    [You have slain Troy Nae (Apprentice Rank Human).]


    "We must report this to--"


    [You have slain Hane Djobh (Apprentice Rank Human).]


    "Please! Spare me!"


    [You have slain Hichel Mith (Apprentice Rank Human).]


    "Have mercy!"


    [You have slain Peua Nise (Apprentice Rank Human).]


    Finally, Tyr approached a single Black Merchant Guild member who had fallen onto his bum.


    The robed man pushed himself away from Tyr, tears surprisingly trickling down his cheeks. He raised his hand as he backed up: "I have a family..."


    "Oh?" Tyr said, almost in a sarcastic tone. Out of nowhere, he snickered and chuckled, "You think I care about you? Hahaha!"


    The robed man''s eyes widened with shock as he heard Tyr''s laughter echo through the marquee.


    His hand lowered, his face turning pale.


    ''Why am I begging for my life... he isn''t killing us for any purpose other than his own satisfaction. He decided to kill every single one of us from the very beginning...''


    Tyr kicked the man in the stomach, rupturing his inner organs and sending him flying into a prison cell.


    [You have slain Havef Emerce (Apprentice Rank Human).]


    [You leveled up!]


    [Current level: 143]


    [Vitality: 60/60-->61]


    [Strength: 64-->66]


    [Stamina: 60/60-->61]


    Tyr deactivated his Full Golden Body, looking over at Spen.


    The dog-faced Tyr with a pair of slightly hesitant eyes.


    "Fear?" Tyr said out loud, "Don''t worry, I only kill bad people." Tyr smiled genuinely, causing Spen to come out from the shadows. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Let''s go, buddy. We have a lot of people to save..." He said with determined eyes.


    After a couple of driven barks from Spen as well, the pup dashed out of the marquee.


    Tyr ran behind him, leaping onto the roofs: "Come out, Rudra!"


    He fell onto Rudra''s back as the two followed Spen across the city ceilings.


    ***


    "Sold!" A man''s voice echoed through the auction hall, sending a roar of cheers across the seating arena.


    Hanzo and Malon sat at the very center of the theater in the middle row of seats.


    All around them was an enormous sitting area that revolved around half of the building.


    The entrance was at that top row, where you could walk down the middle row of stairs to enter any row of seats.


    The seating rows lowered until reaching the ground, a few feet in front of which was the grand stage.


    Atop the stage was a fat and pompous-looking man clad in jewel-adorned suit attire, holding a microphone as he shouted out to the crowd.


    Behind him were several half-naked, chained figures of various kinds.


    To the right of the building was a jazz band playing harmoniously.


    To the left was a bar where drinks were being served on carts continuously through the rows.


    Overall, it was a greatly pleasant and joyful atmosphere for those in the stands.


    Joyful for all those that weren''t Malon and Hanzo, of course.


    "Still not a single village member..." Malon said under his breath, leaning toward Hanzo.


    "It''s fine..." Hanzo said, looking over at a table beside the stage that was filled with stacks of several hundred paper sheets.


    "Look at all of the slave documentation. There is still a lot of slaves to go."


    "I hope you''re right..."


    "This row has been sold to those lucky few! And now, the next batch of slaves will be introduced!" The fat man said, arising some small reactions from the crowd.


    "It''s a lucky pull this time, folks!" The pompous man said, taking a look at his notes for a second:


    "A female slave among this group has an Ancestral Ability!"


    The crowd cheered quite a bit on hearing this, Hanzo and Malon both furrowing their brows.


    "Above that, it is quite a strong ability! One that can free people from Aura Binds of all sorts!"

 Chapter 89: Bids Increase

    The crowd suddenly erupted into a roar of cheers and applause.


    Both Hanzo and Malon immediately lowered their gaze, honing in on the next batch of slaves being brought onto the stage.


    As they were being brought in, Hanzo couldn''t help but peer down at a man sitting in the front row.


    He resided in a large booth that was filled with half-naked beauties, wearing colorful and revealing clothing while fanning the man and feeding him grapes.


    Hanzo cringed on seeing this, but that wasn''t why he was staring at the bald-headed guy.


    ''One of the three Lords of Rock Saelfine... Southern Lord of Female Slaves, Goghfrey. He buys all good-looking and useful female slaves in any auction he comes to.''


    Hanzo took a glance around him. Many other nobles and random people were also staring at Goghfrey with upset faces, swallowing their spit in anticipation and worry.


    ''It''s only once in a blue moon he pops up to small auctions like these... naturally, every other person wanting to buy a female slave now has their hopes in the gutters because of that swine.'' Hanzo gripped his paddle that had the name "Halon." Written on it.


    ''But... surely he wouldn''t spend much gold on her right? She''s just a random slave at a small auction...'' He hoped as the slaves were placed on stage.


    It was a batch of only women. The eyes of both Hanzo and Malon flew wide open as they saw Noa in the midst of all of them.


    She was the only one wearing her dress, so she heavily stood out. She was also at the very front of the group, so she was going to be ''sold'' first.


    The auctioneer began to speak: "Ladies and gentlemen! Your first slave is a one-of-a-kind. She''s the one I spoke about when introducing this swell group! One who can unlock all Aura binds, and ain''t she a fine piece of work? Take a good look at her face... her body."


    The crowd cheered, lustful eyes clearly landing on the girl. S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Hanzo clenched his jaw, restraining himself from acting out in anger.


    Malon placed his hand on Hanzo''s shoulder.


    ''Huh?'' Hanzo thought, ''Is he trying to comfort me?'' Out of nowhere, the grip on his shoulder tightened. He looked over at Malon, only to see an enraged expression on his face.


    "The starting price is!" The auctioneer blurted, capturing Hanzo''s attention again as he prepared himself.


    "250 Gold!"


    A wave of relief washed over Hanzo as he heard this: ''250? That''s quite low... there''s a lot of room I have to increa--'' He stopped, stunned at what he heard come from below.


    A paddle raised into the air as fast as a bullet and a loud voice echoed through the hall:


    "10,000 Gold!" Lord Goghfrey exclaimed with a large smile on his face, "Gaaahaha!" He burst into a peal of laughter, revealing his several gold-capped teeth.


    A low hum of disappointment washed through the crowd as Hanzo''s face turned pale, his heart suddenly feeling as though it was in his mouth.


    ''W-what? Already? Why? Is the mother fucker just showing off!?'' Hanzo thought inwardly with sheer hatred.


    Noa''s eyes widened with fear and shock as she heard this.


    Goghfrey continued to laugh as the auctioneer slowly raised his microphone to his mouth:


    "W-wow... we have Lord Goghfrey''s 10,000 Gold gambit! Are there any other takers!?" He shouted into the crowd.


    A wave of silence rippled across the entire stadium. It was expected. Why would anyone want to go against a Lord? Not only because they had a stupid amount of money that they could splurge with, but it also came off as quite disrespectful.


    However, Hanzo had no choice right now...


    The auctioneer slowly smiled while facing Goghfrey, "I don''t know why I even asked that question... SOLD to--" The auctioneer paused, his brows quickly furrowing as a paddle flew into the air from someone random in the crowd.


    As the auctioneer faced this man, the rest of the crowd also uniformly turned their necks to gaze at him.


    Whispers quickly began to swim about:


    "What? Why did he raise his paddle?"


    "Is he stupid? He isn''t winning against Lord Goghfrey..."


    "Tsk... what a fool."


    Even Goghfrey turned to look back past his shoulder with a judgemental expression on his face.


    "20,000 Gold," Hanzo said in a low tone, knowing he didn''t have to shout at this moment, as everyone was giving him their attention.


    As soon as he said this, a block of astonishment fell onto the crowd like a mountain.


    "WWHAT!?" The auctioneer exclaimed in shock. Everyone in the stands was perplexed at the bid.


    "What did he say!?"


    "Why would he--??"


    "20... thousand?"


    Hearing this, Noa squinted her eyes, ''Who would...'' She mused, zoning in on the man holding the paddle.


    As soon as she caught a good glimpse of who he was, she subconsciously gasped. Tears quickly formed in her eyes as her lips began to quiver.


    ''Why... is he here?'' She said inwardly. She was immensely moved by Hanzo and Malon coming here to save her, hence why tears were trickling down her face right now.


    But... she also faced the reality of the matter, ''They will be punished... they don''t deserve that just because of me.'' She knew this but had no choice but to bear witness.


    Even Goghfrey raised a brow as he heard Hanzo say his bet.


    The auctioneer stumbled on his words a bit but finally got out: "20,000 gold bid from Halon! Do we have any takers!?"


    Goghfrey turned back around.


    Hanzo clenched his jaw, staring down at the back of Goghfrey''s head with disdain: ''Come on you bald bitch... don''t tell me you care so much about losing a bid.''


    Goghfrey looked down at his paddle, ''More than 20,000 gold would be quite a waste... but this peasant dares try to make a mockery of me in my own home? He will regret that...''


    He raised his paddle: "25--"


    Hanzo kept his paddle raised, cutting Goghfrey off as he exclaimed loudly: "30,000 gold!"

 Chapter 90: Silver Haired Girl

    "W-what?" Goghfrey said under his breath, surprised at this himself.


    The auctioneer was both delighted and confused to hear this, "We have a challenger here it seems! To cut off a Lord, what a ballsy gentleman!" The auctioneer said with excitement but then noticed Goghfrey staring at him like he wanted to kill him.


    The auctioneer quickly fixed the smile on his face with a professional expression as he exclaimed: "Ahem... are there any more bids?"


    The crowd''s reaction to Hanzo''s bid was immense. Everyone was perplexed, but also entertained as hell.


    "Hahaha! He actually cut off a lord!"


    "Who the hell is that guy? Halon?"


    "This is crazy... I hope that guy lives to tell the tale."


    Hanzo looked at Noa, the two making eye contact. And then, Hanzo smiled, causing Noa to break out into a laughing cry.


    ''Hanzo...'' She thought, ''What are you doing.'' She continued breaking down. ''I can''t accept this... you will only get punished! Please...'' Noa was going through immense mental torture right now, understanding that her friends were digging themselves deeper into their own graves only for her.


    Hanzo stared at Goghfrey.


    The Lord stayed silent for a moment, the entire crowd amazed at his hesitation.


    To make him of all lords hesitate was insane to even imagine.


    His paddle raised again, "100,000 Gold."


    Jaws dropped to the floor...


    Shock was the only way to describe this theater right now.


    Hanzo''s eyes widened as his paddle slowly lowered.


    Goghfrey turned to witness this, a large grin stretching across his face.


    "Geeehehehee!" His chuckle slowly turned into a full-blown laugh. "Did you think I would ever lose a bid? Were you under the impression that you had me thinking about it? I am Lord Goghfrey of Rock Saelfine, not a runt like you who has any competition!"


    His voice echoed through the hall.


    Noa''s face lowered, facing the ground as tears dripped from her eyes and plopped on the floor.


    Hanzo closed his eyes, taking in a big breath as the entire crowd stared at him.


    He exhaled, opening his eyes and looking at Malon.


    He quietly spoke so that no one but Malon could hear him:


    "All Lords in this empire are assigned a Supreme Guard who rank no lower than Imperial Military Commanders in terms of strength. However, that Supreme Guard isn''t here right now... he probably isn''t anywhere in our 20 mile radius."


    Malon furrowed his eyebrows, instantly understanding what Hanzo was trying to tell him.


    As the crowd stared at them with anticipation and confusion, both Hanzo and Malon rose from their seats.


    Both of them stood there with shadowed expressions for a few seconds... before lunging toward opposite directions and sprinting down the rows.


    Everyone was thrown off. Goghfrey clenched his fist, "Guards! Arrest them immediately!"


    A group of full knights stormed into the theater from the stop entrance, but Hanzo and Malon leaped onto the stage far before they could do anything.


    Noa''s face was still pointed toward the ground. Malon and Hanzo rushed toward her from both sides, their hand extended.


    "NOT ON MY WATCH!" Goghfrey exclaimed, placing his hands on his face as an immense beam of Aura exploded out from it and blasted onto the stage.


    Hanzo was hit first, but before it could do much damage he was forced to jump off of the stage to avoid it.


    Next was Malon, who took a heavy blow to the left arm but was thankfully unharmed due to his shield.


    Goghfrey''s Aura beam disappeared as he stepped forward, "I am not a Lord for no reason! Do not underestimate my blood, heathens!"


    At that moment, the guards had caught up and surrounded both Hanzo and Malon who were quickly pushed together in the center of the floor before the stage.


    Over 20 guards were on all sides with spears and swords pointed at them. Goghfrey sat back in his chair, "Kill them..." He said with wide eyes.


    Hanzo sucked his top teeth, "Tsk... we still have a chance." He said to Malon. The two were back to back.


    "Yeah... these guards aren''t too powerful." Malon replied, "We can deal with them."


    "But don''t make any mistakes. The Supreme Guard has already begun his journey here."


    "W-what!?" Malon was perplexed to hear this.


    "He won''t take long... we can''t afford to mess up. Compared to a Supreme Guard, even I am like a bug."


    Malon gulped, preparing himself, "Well... we have no choice do we?"


    "Nope..."


    The guards lunged in to attack at that moment.


    Hanzo pulled his bowstring back, unleashing his blue arrow first before exploding it with a red arrow.


    The impact sent several guards slamming into the walls, multiple limbs exploded right off.


    Just as a few guards were immobilized, however, dozens more began pouring into the theater from above.


    "We just need a single frame of time where we are free to go and save Noa." Hanzo exclaimed, Malon nodding as the two continued fighting off the guards.


    As this happened, many bystanders began to exit the premises.


    ***


    Tyr arrived at the auction house.


    He got off of the Rudra, sending him into the Infinite Domain as he rushed toward the entrance.


    Spen remained on the roof upon Tyr''s orders, looking with determination at the young man.


    As Tyr arrived at the entrance, hundreds of people were suddenly storming out.


    "W-what the hell is this!?" He confusedly exclaimed, "Move! All of you move!" He attempted to push his way through but there were far too many people to make it quick.


    "Get lost kid! There''s a fight breaking out in there!"


    "Goghfreys inside, you won''t be able to buy shit anyways!"


    Random people shouted as they brushed past him.


    Finally, a random hand grabbed Tyr''s clothing above his chest.


    "Huh?" He exclaimed, looking down at a feminine hand with a pure white complexion grabbing his shirt.


    Out of nowhere, Tyr felt an immense force push him into the air and several dozen feet away.


    He was powerless to do anything as he was almost flown across the sky--a young lady holding onto him--and slammed on top of a random roof.


    He was taken aback with shock, and then finally took into account the randomly young lady who was sitting on his stomach right now.


    His eyes widened, unable to help but be mesmerized by her beauty for a split second.


    She looked familiar as well. Her eyes were a pristine azure color, and her hair was smooth, a long white-silver color to it.


    "You... from the scammer at Drance..." Tyr said under his breath.


    "Get off of me, woman! I need to get inside!" Tyr pushed the girl to the side, quickly standing up.


    "W-wait!" The girl said before he left.


    "What do you want!? I don''t have time for your shit!"


    "No... you will fail without this." She said, raising her palm.


    Tyr turned, noticing a small pill in her hand. He raised an eyebrow.


    "What? What are you saying?"


    "You want to save Noa, right?"


    "How the hell do you know all of that?"


    She ignored his question: "I came here... to free all of those slaves, not just Noa."


    "H-huh!? You still haven''t answered my question!"


    "Oh... right... let''s just say that I can... see things that will happen before they actually do."


    Tyr paused for a second, "Bulllshit! Your story doesn''t check out whatsoever! If you wanted to free all of those slaves, why were you rushing out of the hall when I arrived!?" S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The gorgeous silver-haired girl didn''t hesitate to reply: "Because I saw something different... I saw you."


    Tyr remained silent, a confused look on his face.


    "With you here, I need not do my job. But that''s only possible if you take this. Please... trust me."

 Chapter 91: Reverse

    IMPORTANT AUTHOR NOTICE: The 4th Spell of the God Grimoire has been altered due to future story plot points. Thanks for understanding! More on the change in the next chapter.


    ***


    Tyr was split apart right now. He wanted to go inside and save his friends, but what if he couldn''t do it without this girl''s pill?


    The argument she was making didn''t seem absurd at this moment, especially considering the fact that she even knew who Noa was somehow.


    It could have been some sort of trap, but why would this random girl know to trap him anyway?


    So many things didn''t make sense on thier own, and only made sense if the girl was telling the truth about her ability to see into the future.


    Tyr couldn''t help but feel his intuition tell him to trust the girl.


    "Tsk... fine! But know that no diseases work on me. If you somehow fuck me over, don''t think I''ll forgive you just because you''re a girl."


    "That''s fine..." The girl said in a soft manner, sitting on her knees.


    Tyr swiped the pill off of her palm and quickly swallowed it.


    Almost instantly, he felt an excruciating pain blast his core.


    His face tensed, veins poking out of his forehead.


    His eyes slowly moved to look at the girl, who had a small and innocent smile on her face.


    "You... lied..." Tyr barely managed to utter, "What... is this?"


    "I didn''t lie." The girl stood up, putting a black hood over her head, "That pill is a rare one. It doesn''t hold much cultivatable Aura, but it''s a type that automatically is absorbed into your core without the need to cultivate. That way... you can unlock your... Spell, is it called?" She smirked cheekily after saying this.


    Tyr''s eyes expanded with shock, "How the hell do you know that? I haven''t even told Hanzo or Malon about my Spells..."


    The girl turned, "I told you, didn''t I? I can see things..." She jumped off of the roof, disappearing into the night.


    "What... the hell..." Tyr exclaimed, his vision turning blurrier and blurrier.


    Finally, everything turned pitch black all of a sudden...


    A vision of his core appeared in this darkness.


    The Aura from the pill entered his Aura Core, immediately strengthening it.


    As soon as the first layer formed, the Aura that GG had given him to balance his stats immediately flowed into his core, strengthing it more and more in the span of a few seconds.


    All he needed was that little foundation wall, and now his Aura did the rest of the work for him.


    [Congradulations! You have broken through into the Novice Rank!]


    [Congradulations! You have broken through into the Apprentice Rank!]


    [Congradulations! You have broken through into the Adept Rank!]


    Finally, Tyr opened his eyes. All of the pain and blurriness from before had disappeared.


    He was still the same strength as before, as GG had leveled him up to fit the amount of Aura he was holding. Now, his title finally matched his strength: Adept Rank.


    There was also one other change...


    [You have met the requirements to unlock your sixth Spell!]


    [You have unlocked the Spell: Reverse]


    [Description: Ability to copy and attack back with any Aura ability.]


    [Spell Criteria: You must absorb the damage of any Aura ability completely before being able to copy it. You must also meet the Aura stat needed to use the spell: your Aura stat must at least be half of the original ability user''s.]


    [The ability you Reverse can be used a total of three times in the duration of 10 minutes.]


    Tyr furrowed his eyebrows as he read this description, ''Thats strong...'' His mind immediately thought of how to use its spell criteria to his advantage.


    ''Fully absorb the damage huh... I think I have the perfect idea for that.''


    A powerful energy captured his attention at that moment.


    He looked into the sky, opposite the auction house.


    ''Killing intent?'' He thought with widened eyes of shock. The energy was disastrous, clearly fueled with malice.


    As time passed, it became stronger and hit you like a brick.


    ''Someone strong is coming. I can''t waste time her--'' Tyr turned toward the auction house, but as he did, something blitzed past him in the sky.


    The afterblow of this object propelled him forward, nearly causing him to stumble off of the roof.


    His eyes rapidly looked above the auction house, where a floating figure stood motionlessly.


    Without a second more delay, the figure coiled his fist back and zoomed into the building. From the sound of it, he obliterated the roof and penetrated into the main hall.


    Tyr had already left the roof by now, arriving back at the entrance of the auction house where hundreds of people were still lining up to escape.


    *A minute prior*


    *Seeeu*


    *Seeeeeuu*


    *Seeeu*


    Several arrows flew across the theater, obliterating multiple guards at once in a scene of bloody gore.


    "Tsk..." Hanzo exclaimed, pulling his bowstring back as he looked around.


    "They keep coming like ants..." S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    *Seeeeeu*


    *Seeeeu*


    Malon also seemed irritated, "They aren''t that strong, but in numbers, even ants can topple elephants. This is insane."


    He blocked attacks coming in from multiple knights at once using his giant shield, blasting them away with force.


    Hanzo''s eyes darted to the entrance of the theater, "But... even ants have a limit." He noticed that there didn''t look to be any more reinforcements.


    "This is the last wave of em... after that, I''ll get Noa. You block that idiot''s mouth beam or whatever." He said to Malon as the two continued to fight.


    Goghfrey on the other hand stood at the edge of the soliders, clenching bost fists as he screamed at the two inside the circle.


    "You do not realize the mistake you have made, attempting to fight against a Lord!" He said, blabbering continuously.


    Hanzo''s viper-like eyes landed on him for a split second, throwing the angered fool off guard slightly as he felt a small chill climb up his back.


    "Don''t overcompensate... this has nothing to do with your Lordship. We are simply criminals who want to free a slave... it doesn''t have anything to do with you." Hanzo exclaimed in a serious tone.


    He focused back on the fight, ''If we were to admit to going against his Lordship... it would most likely mean the very end of our lives at that very moment. Going against his Lordship is like going against the laws of the empire... and therefore going against the empire itself.''


    *Seeeeeeu*


    *Seeeeeu*


    ''Thats also why we can''t afford the Supreme Guard to show up. His only job is to protect his Lord. All offenses against him count as an offense against hierarchal Lordship within this empire.''


    *Seeeeu*


    *Seeeeeu*


    A duo of blue and red arrows flew out this time.


    *BOOM*


    Hanzo lowered his bow. All of the enemies on his side had been cleared out. He had also focused on beating some of the soldiers that Malon was fighting.


    He turned to see Malon finish off the final couple.


    Malon also turned as he did this, the two looking at each other and nodding.


    Malon''s head darted toward Goghfrey--his shield slamming down from above before the Lord.


    Hanzos eyes on the other hand locked onto Noa.


    A large explosion sounded from above out of nowhere.


    Right before Hanzo moved even an inch, a disastrous tsunami crashed into the building--crushing everyone and forcing them to stay frozen in place under the immense weight.


    Except... this was no tsunami, but rather the horrifying killing intent of a Supreme Guard...

 Chapter 92: Supreme

    IMPORTANT AUTHOR NOTICE: The 4th Spell of the God Grimoire has been altered due to future story plot points. The copy spell [Xerox] has been changed to the counter spell [Reverse]. You can reread the previous chapter for its new description. It will also be provided below. Thanks for understanding!


    [You have unlocked the Spell: Reverse]


    [Description: Ability to copy and attack back with any Aura ability.]


    [Spell Criteria: You must absorb the damage of any Aura ability completely before being able to copy it. You must also meet the Aura stat needed to use the spell: your Aura stat must at least be half of the original ability user''s.]


    [The ability you Reverse can be used a total of three times in 10 minutes.]


    So, the only difference is that Tyr won''t be able to save these abilities for the long term.


    ***


    Everyone except for Goghfrey inside of the auction hall froze in place like statues, including those who were rushing to exit the place.


    Like a fallen angel, a figure exuding ruthless amounts of malicious Aura slowly descended from the broken ceiling.


    The pupils of Hanzo, Malon, and everyone else in the theater widened with shock and terror as they slowly dragged over to face the figure lowering from the skies.


    Clad in a fully black and dark red robe-like armor, the figure''s presence seemed to feel no different from that of a natural disaster.


    He was tall, more than 6''5 ft. in stature. His skin was pale, and his eyes were an icy blue. His hair was long, flowing down below his waistline and floating ethereally.


    "All those within thy Imperial presence..." The man spoke in a slow tone, his voice deep and commanding: "Kneel." He raised his voice slightly.


    In less than a second, a resounding sound of clothing rustling echoed through the hall as every civilian fell onto their knees.


    Hanzo''s eyelids widened as he felt a powerful force push down on his back out of nowhere like the gravity around him had increased by tenfold.


    He glanced over at Malon, who looked to be struggling much more than him.


    The look on Goghfrey''s face was of pure delight. With a broad smile, he exclaimed: "It''s them! The two right there! Get them!"


    As he said this with excitement, the Supreme Guard slowly turned to face him.


    "Lord Goghfrey of the Southern Rock Saelfine State." The guard''s voice echoed.


    Hanzo looked over at Goghfrey with squinted eyes, noticing the man''s smile fade as he gulped, as though in fear.


    ''He... doesn''t hold full command over the guard?''


    "Insufficient is your purpose to decree my summon... state thy reason." The Supreme Guard ordered at that moment with a calm demeanor and emotionless eyes.


    "W-well," Goghfrey stuttered, as though talking to a parent after a scolding, "Sir Thaddeus..." He addressed him politely, "I know I shouldn''t be pacing myself in any dangerous situations while you are appointed as my Guard... but these criminals have offended my very Lordship!"


    The Supreme Guard, namely Thaddeus as said by Goghfrey, turned to face Hanzo and Malon.


    "Do you wish to disgrace his Lordship?" Thaddeus exclaimed, floating down to the ground.


    His feet touched the floor, releasing most of the Aura pressure on everyone''s shoulders.


    Malon stood straight, finally feeling as though he could breathe properly.


    Hanzo straightened his shoulder as he stared at the Supreme Guard.


    "No... we never offended any type of Lordship. That is not what we are here for." He said, seeming collected.


    ''Unless we want to directly harm Goghfrey, this guy shouldn''t be able to do anything to us in terms of fighting or something like that... but it''s weird. From what I understand, Supreme Guards are strong but in terms of ranking, they are still less important than Lords in this empire. Yet, Goghfrey addresses him as though he is a king...''


    Thaddeus'' head tilted to the side slightly, an unimpressed expression on his face.


    He raised both hands in front of him, facing his palms downwards and placing them on top of each other.


    At that moment, an enormous hammer materialized under his arms. His palms clasped the bottom of the weapon''s hilt as the giant glowing hammer head sat on the floor.


    It had streaks of red aura flowing through it, and several chain designs encrusted into its handle.


    "For your crimes of thievery and disturbance, you will face the punishment of a severed limb," Thaddeus exclaimed in a heartless manner.


    Goghfrey furrowed his brows, "What!? Ergh..." He groaned, withholding his anger.


    Malon turned, staring at Hanzo. The short young man exhaled, gripping the hilt of his bow.


    Thaddeus then added: "However... you''re family bloodline will not be doomed, and your reputation will not be tarnished with the decree of death. Through thy eyes, I see that you tell no lie, and have not raised your weapons against Principal Goghfrey''s Lordship."


    Goghfrey''s hint of sanity disappeared as he heard this. A frown quickly formed on his face:


    "Nonsense! How can you be so forgiving!? These men have gone far enough! They deserve death rightfully due to the highest offense! Treason against the modes of the empire, such as Lordshi--"


    "Quit your whining..." Thaddeus interrupted, speaking in a low tone while even casting a glance toward the Lord. sea??h th§× N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "The kingdom already deals with enough cases of disrespect. Although we all hold it in the highest regard, what is true must not be tainted."


    His gaze turned toward Malon and Hanzo.


    Hanzo spoke after a short pause, "Can we not have a trail by combat first?" He said, slightly desperate to somehow get out of this situation.


    "There is no need. I have declared your conviction."


    "How? What authority do you hold? Are you not only a Supreme Guard?"


    On hearing this, Thaddeus seemed to squint his eyes. He paused, sucking in a breath of air before speaking:


    "I am the Supreme Commander of National Defense and personal Imperial Guard of his highest Majesty; the Sovereign Warden of the Rock Saelfine Throne."


    Hanzo''s eyes widened slightly on hearing this, ''T-the Supreme Commander!? What the hell is he doing here of all places!?''

 Chapter 93: Golden Fury

    "We..." Hanzo paused, "will resist." He said with a lowered face, looking up at the tall man before him.


    "Your strength is too miniscule to make a difference..." Thaddeus slowly walked forward, his footsteps sending waves of Aura pulsing through the theater.


    ''Is he doing this on purpose?'' Malon thought to himself, feeling the subtle ripples all around the hall.


    He formed a giant shield, "Guess we have no choice..."


    Hanzo pulled his bowstring back, ''A lost limb huh...'' He thought to himself for a split second.


    "WAIT!" A piercing scream echoed from the stage.


    All four men standing before the arena looked up at who made the noise.


    The auctioneer quickly rushed over to the slave line.


    All of the slave women were facing the ground, but one had her head raised.


    With a face reddened by tears, she screamed for her friends to be spared:


    "Please!" She cried, "They haven''t done anything wrong... just take me... kill me if you have to. It''s all my fault that they have to go through this!"


    Hanzo and Malon were taken aback to hear this.


    ''W-what? Does she think she caused all of this?'' Hanzo was surprised as he thought this.


    "Shut the fuck up you bitch!" The auctioneer suddenly yelled as the loud whipping noise of a slap echoed through the hall.


    Both Hanzo and Malon widened their eyes.


    "Oi! Stop that right now!" Malon said with an enraged expression, turning around.


    "How rowdy..." Thaddeus exclaimed, twirling two of his fingers, "Two-finger Seal." He said as a sudden chain bind constricted both Hanzo and Malon--tightly wrapping their limbs together.


    Hanzo''s bow fell to the floor as he struggled against the binds, as did Malon.


    Noa slowly faced up again after getting slapped, "Please, Supreme Commander... let them go. They aren''t at fault here." She pleaded. She knew that realistically, it was stupid to say such things.


    But right now, logical thinking was the least of her concerns. She badly wanted her friends to be left alone, especially after everything they had done for her.


    "You whore! Didn''t I tell you to be quiet!? These aren''t affairs you should be meddling in! You are a slave! Do not raise your voice to us with rights!" The auctioneer screamed again.


    "Another word from you, and I will personally end your breath right here as we speak..." He pulled out a dagger from his storage ring. "I don''t like destroying merchandise, so keep your mouth shut."


    Hanzo frowned, "Fuck..." He said under his breath, "This entire situation... it''s fucked up."


    Goghfrey raised his voice, "This entire situation is your fault!"


    Hanzo fiercely turned his head, "Our fault? You are the one who enslaves hard-working people for no reason! Your country of slavetrade!"


    Thaddeus spectated with subtlety as Goghfrey shook his head and leaned back in disbelief:


    "You dare speak treason against this country!? That is punishable by death!"


    Hanzo lowered his face, gritting his teeth back and forth, ''Damn it... god fucking damn it! If I offend the country I die, but this damn country is the whole reason this is happening. Enslaving innocent people... damn cheating bastards!'' He was fuming inside but was also conflicted on what to do.


    Thaddeus turned, facing the theater entrance...


    ''What is this presence? That amount of malice... is that even possible?'' These thoughts drifted across his mind at that moment.


    Goghfrey screamed: "Cut their damn limbs off already!" S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Thaddeus faced the two criminals again.


    "Please..." Noa exclaimed, "Please let them go!"


    "You just don''t listen do you!?" The auctioneer blurted, swinging at the girl''s neck with his dagger.


    Hanzo and Malon held their breath, their eyes expanding with shock and their lungs subconsciously gasping.


    "D-DON''T!"


    "STOPPP!!"


    The dagger swiped toward Noa''s neck. She flinched, closing her eyes in fear. As the blade made contact with her neck, it sliced the first layer of skin and drew blood.


    Out of nowhere, a sharp noise echoed across the entire hall. In less than a second, a spinning spear obliterated its way straight through the auctioneer''s stomach--even drilling through the stage floor below.


    His barely pieced-together body fell sideways onto the floor as his dagger fell out of his loose fingers.


    Noa opened her eyes, her breath shaky. She looked up at the hall entrance, her eyes widening in astonishment.


    Everyone''s heads immediately turned toward the theater entrance, silence spreading through the hall. It was quiet enough to hear a pin drop at that moment.


    "What..." Tyr said in a low tone before pausing, his heavy footsteps echoing through the silence as he walked down the steps, "THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE!?"


    A bright golden flame erupted from his glabella, his eyes glowing with a golden fury.


    His fists were clenched with anger, veins protruding out of his forearms.


    The look in his eyes was horrifyingly intense, like staring into the heart of a raging volcano.


    Thaddeus furrowed his brows, ''That Ancestral Ability...'' his eyes expanded as thoughts flew through his head.


    No one spoke a single word as Tyr continued walking down the stairs with heavy footsteps.


    His gaze had not moved around even an inch ever since he entered the theater. They remained locked onto Noa from the very beginning.


    She had also held eye contact up until now.


    "NOA!" Tyr exclaimed, "YOU... WANT HELP, RIGHT!?" He yelled out of nowhere, confusing the lot.


    Hanzo and Malon furrowed their brows, puzzled.


    Goghfrey squinted his eyes and Thaddeus'' expression remained quite stoic.


    Tyr didn''t care for any of that right now though. He continued to stare at Noa with firey eyes. Before anything else, he wanted to know that she wanted his help.


    Noa broke out into tears on hearing Tyr''s words. Not able to speak, she slowly nodded.


    Tyr gritted his teeth on seeing this, "WE ARE ALL GETTING OUT OF THIS WRETCHED SHITHOLE OF AN EMPIRE TOGETHER!" He roared into the ceiling.


    "You dare insult the empire!?" Goghfrey barked, "You have crossed the line! Anger is one thing, but do you really wish to offend the entire--"


    "I couldn''t care less about your empire! As I stand now, I see your empire as nothing more than my absolute enemy!" Tyr shouted without hesitation.


    Goghfrey was completely thrown off by this, "W-what?" He said under his breath in disbelief.


    Hanzo furrowed his brows, "Tyr! What are you--"


    He was cut off by the young man:


    "I won''t live in a world where a country like this thrives! Whether it be now or in the future, I will burn this empire to the ground and step on its ashes!"

 Chapter 94: Immunity

    ***AUTHOR NOTE***


    Sorry for the late chap everyone. My internet is being stupid and randomly turning off. I hope it gets fixed soon, but until then please have patience if something like this happens again.


    ***


    Jaws gaped and fell to the floor. Even the slaves beside Noa faced up for the first time since they entered the stage.


    "W-what are you saying?" Hanzo exclaimed in disbelief, "You just declared war on the entire empire." He faced Tyr''s eyes but was suddenly taken aback.


    There were no second thoughts in the young man''s eyes, and Hanzo instantly recognized this.


    ''Oh...'' Hanzo thought to himself, closing his eyes at that moment for a short duration.


    When they opened again, a smile had formed on his face, "So be it then. Fuck this empire!"


    Malon''s head jerked toward Hanzo, his face riddled with astonishment.


    Hanzo looked at him and nodded.


    Malon took a moment to take it all in but didn''t hesitate much to make a decision.


    "Yeah... fuck this place! I hope it crumbles under its reign!" He yelled.


    Goghfrey remained silent, his shocked expression replaced with a shadowed face.


    After a short moment, he placed his palm on his face and shook his head side to side, "Heh..." He chuckled, "All my life as a Lord in this empire and I haven''t ever witnessed such foolishness."


    He turned to face Tyr fully, his expression disdainful and threatening: "You all are nothing but a bunch of peasant brats who know nothing about the real world, yet you think you can speak as if you are on some sort of high horse? Pathetic! All you''ve done is throw your lives into the gutters!"


    His head jerked toward the Supreme Guard: "Sir Thaddeus! Do you now see their intentions!?"


    Thaddeus raised his hammer, swinging it around in the air as gusts of wind began to twirl into it like a hurricane.


    It took mere seconds for a strong pull to cover the entire hall as if the man was a black hole sucking everything in.


    "Thy word... is thy bond. By insulting this grand empire, you have caused doom upon your entire bloodlines and your very lives..." He paused, raising his chin as he slowly floated into the air.


    The wind pull became even stronger as the man continued to fly up.


    Tyr stormed down the stairs, his gaze not leaving Thaddeus'' body for even a split second.


    "Tyr!" Hanzo shouted, "The bastard''s getting serious now... you said all you wanted to say, but do you have a way to actually back it up? The Tyr I know wouldn''t just say things as dangerously stupid as this without having some sort of plan in mind..."


    He paused, looking at Tyr, "Right?"


    Malon also stared at Tyr with anticipation.


    "Of course, I have a plan, damn it! We are all leaving this dump togethor... I''ll promise you that." Tyr declared, stopping in his tracks as he stared at the man above.


    "Dishonerable heathens!" Thaddues shouted, his voice somehow carried by the wind and now echoing through the hall.


    The wind was so strong that the clothing and hair on everyone''s body were standing straight up as though frozen.


    Goghfrey left the scene, rushing up the stairs before an attack came down.


    Thaddeus finished his declaration at that moment: "DIE!" He said in a furious tone, widening his eyes as he slammed his hammer toward the ground.


    A spiral of wind the size of a flying dragon swooped down from his hammer and raged toward the three on the ground.


    ''Fast...'' Was all that Hanzo could think, pulling his bowstring back. However, he knew he would be far too late to use his Defense as it currently stood.


    Malon had already formed a giant shield, but the look of worry in his eyes displayed the fact that he didn''t have much hope to survive this.


    However, in the midst of their vision, a glowing golden figure leaped into the air right in the center wind attack''s route.


    ''W-what the... fuck!?'' Hanzo thought, his eyes expanding with horror.


    Malon was at a loss, as was Noa.


    However, Tyr did not falter. His expression had not weakened whatsoever, his piercing eyes locked onto Thaddeus'' like a vipers.


    ''I am immune...'' Tyr said as the front of the wind attack formed into a transparent dragon head and devoured him--crashing into him with full force. Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    His eyes did not flinch even a bit as the wind thrust at his body... and was repelled to the side like a faucet of water hitting a flat spoon.


    The immense pressure and wind force of the dispersed air pushed everything below it several feet away, crashing various instruments, food items, chairs, and decorations into each other as Malon and Hanzo were propelled back several feet.


    ''Reverse.'' As Tyr said this, the reflecting wind suddenly disappeared.


    Hanzo stopped blocking his face due to the crazy wind force disappearing, finally able to see that the wind was seemingly absorbing into Tyr like a drain.


    ''Holy... fuck.'' Was all he could think.


    ''Tyr... how can you do this? Just what are you?'' Malon was entirely at a loss for words.


    Even Thaddeus raised his left brow in confusion, "Impossible... what type of Ancestral Ability grants such a ludicrous power?"


    Out of nowhere, Tyr''s fierce expression morphed into a smirk, "Is that a hint of defeat entering your mind that I see?" He said as the last of the wind sucked into his body.


    He instinctively raised his hand, causing a giant hammer made of rich purple aura to summon in his grip.


    He swirled it around just as Thaddeus had done, having absorbed both the ability and how it was performed.


    A giant vortex of wind was formed within two seconds, rivaling that of Thaddeus'' without any signs of incompetence.


    Thaddeus furrowed his brows as Tyr suddenly thrust the purple hammer toward him, even letting go of the weapon as it traveled with the wind spiral.


    "How insane... has a True God blessed this planet once again?" He said under his breath, perplexed with disbelief as the wind dragon head crashed into him.


    It threw him out of the theater roof, dragging him several hundred feet into the air.

 Chapter 95: Great Escape

    Tyr breathed heavily as he saw the wind dragon continue to propel the man away. He fell to the ground, landing swiftly before turning and sprinting toward Hanzo and Malon.


    The two were at a loss for words.


    "How..."


    "Thats... insane..."


    Tyr wasn''t stuck on that right now. He had done all this for a reason, and he wasn''t going to forget about that after coming so far.


    "He isn''t anywhere near dead... and probably isn''t hurt much either. He''ll be back within seconds, so we need to get the hell out of here as soon as possible." Tyr shouted as he picked up but Hanzo and Malon on his shoulder.


    They were sealed right now, so Tyr had no choice but to do this.


    Goghfrey''s maw was wide open with shock as he saw this.


    He paused, taking in the ludicrousy of what he just witnessed as he screamed:


    "You won''t get away! This empir--"


    "Screw your empire!" Tyr interrupted, "Even if its the last thing I do, I''ll crush this dump beneath my feet. Just you watch, you bald prick!"


    Goghfrey furrowed his brows, his chin backing up into his neck in disbelief: "Just who... gah! Damn peasant rats!"


    "Tyr! Noa!" Hanzo exclaimed, staring at the girl on the stage.


    "Yep..." Tyr said under his breath, sprinting onto the stage.


    He was holding Malon on one shoulder, so he decided to prop Noa up on top of Hanzo to make the weight more balanced before swiftly turning on his heel.


    "Quick!" Malon yelled with haste.


    "Out the exit!" Hanzo shouted urgently. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    However, instead of heading toward the exit, Tyr first ran toward a table beside the stage that had thousands of pages on it.


    He ducked his head down, touching the papers with the golden flame on his forehead.


    As he did this, the pages were set ablaze instantly.


    With that, he turned on his heel and dashed toward the exit, using Blinkstep as often as he could to be faster.


    The three on his shoulders were taken aback as they saw this.


    Noa burst into tears again, but this time out of happiness.


    "Thank you... Tyr." He exclaimed as drops trickled down her cheeks.


    Tyr smiled, "Of course..."


    "YOU FOOL!" Goghfrey screamed at the top of his lungs, "You destroyed all of their documentation! Those slaves are now not even humans!"


    "You didn''t consider them humans to begin with!" Tyr shouted back in a rough tone.


    "Well--shut up! You just ruined the entire slave auct--"


    "That was the plan, dumbass." These were Tyr''s last words as he Blink Stepped past the Lord.


    As he arrived outside, he summoned Rudra and dashed atop a roof. Spen hopped on board, and from there the group disappeared into the city at full speed.


    They rammed through guards and carts, destroyed rooftops, and knocked over civilians, but in the end, they made it out of the city in one piece...


    ***


    Goghfrey ran after the escapees up to the exit door of the auction house.


    As he arrived a few feet away from the exit, he slowed and panted slightly, walking towards it while wheezing.


    "Damn criminals... they don''t know what they''ve done." He walked out of the doorway, facing the city before him as he shook his head.


    "No mistake about that." A voice suddenly sounded from behind the Lord, making him jump in fear.


    "Wha-!?" He stumbled forward slightly before turning around.


    Standing beside the doorway and also facing the city was Thaddeus--who remained leaning on the wall with a nonchalant expression on his face and closed eyes.


    "T-Thadeus!?" Goghfrey exclaimed with shock.


    The man opened his eyes as he heard his name, "It''s ''Sir'' to you..."


    "O-oh right... Sir Thaddeus,"


    ...


    "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE!??" He screamed in disbelief. "Shouldn''t you be chasing those criminals!?"


    Thaddeus pushed himself off the wall, "Hmm... I have a few reasons."


    "What could possibly stop you from completing such a duty!?"


    Thaddeus walked past the Lord, slowly climbing down the steps: "Apart from some other things... I don''t really feel like going on a wild goose chase right now. I have other things to attend to with my time."


    Goghfrey''s shoulders drooped as a frown showed on his face in defeat: "What..."


    "Well, they are enemies of the empire now. It''s not like they will actually thrive for long."


    "Still, how could you not go after them? Apart from the reason you just stated, what else is there that is making you deny such a duty?"


    "That young man, Tyr was his name right? He reminds me of a young version of someone that I know."


    "That you know? What do you mean? Personally?"


    "Pfft! Not at all..." With that, Thaddeus jumped into the air and flew off.


    Goghfrey was left there gawking like a fool.


    "What a horrible day to be a Lord."


    ***


    After a short while, Tyr and the others arrived at Imbu Village. Or rather, what was left of the town...


    Tyr dropped everyone inside of Noa''s half shack. After that, Noa spent a few minutes taking Hanzo and Malon''s seals off.


    She wiped drops of sweat off of her forehead after doing so, "Phew... thankfully they were quite weak binds. I guess seals aren''t his specialty."


    "Still," Malon said, rotating his arm, "To have that strong of a bind without it being your specialty is really something."


    "No doubt about that..." Hanzo added, "Its still amazing to me how powerful of an attack that was, Tyr." He faced Tyr. "That man was strong... he should have caught us if we are speaking in chances."


    "I guess we got lucky... plus, I only reversed his technique. It''s not like I used my own at him." Tyr replied, and then a short silence ensued.


    Everyone sighed quietly...


    "So..." Tyr broke the silence after a few seconds, "What now..."


    Spen squealed slightly with sadness after hearing this.


    Noa faced the ground, everyone else looking at her.


    "Since you burned the documentation, everyone is now free. Without their identities, not even Rock Saelfine can confine them."


    "That also leaves them stranded in this world though, no?" Tyr replied, genuinely curious.


    "Im afraid so... but they are strong people. I know they will manage." Noa said, tightening her fist, "Without the threat of slavery, at least for now... they can create new identities for themselves."


    "We can''t go back for them, even if we wanted to." Hanzo said, "We won''t be able to stay in this place for longer than a couple days either before search warrants are put out and our heads will be worth a lump sum to the government..."


    Tyr sat down, "Noa..." He said, staring at the young lady''s eyes.


    Noa was slightly taken aback by this confrontational tone, but she didn''t hesitate to look back at him: "Yeah..."


    "Do you think we can save them?" He said with a straight face.


    Noa sighed, thinking about it for a moment, "No..."


    "Then tell me, what do you want to do from this point onwards..."


    Everyone listened closely as Tyr said this.


    "What do I want..." Noa paused to think.

 Chapter 96: Now What?

    Noa stood up, walking over to her bedside table. Thankfully, that side of her shack was still intact.


    She picked up the picture of her parents and stared at it.


    "I want to find my parents again..." She paused, "All I know is that they are really far away. Across the world I think... its kind of a crazy goal." She chuckled slightly with embarrassment.


    "No, not really." Tyr replied, his tone nonchalant, "Our goal is to travel this entire planet, you know. Compared to ours, it doesn''t seem all that insane if you ask me."


    Noa turned, facing the three as they all stared at her and nodded.


    "M-my dream... is to free everyone that is in chains."


    Tyr furrowed his brows, "Your dream?"


    "It''s like a fantastical goal. Something I''d get if no one could stop me or get in my way, you know?" The young lady replied in a slightly hesitant and joking tone.


    "I see..." Tyr thought about that for a second, ''If no one could stop me? But that is already a goal of mine, to make sure no one can stop me from doing what I want... but what exactly is it that I want? What is my dream?'' He asked himself.


    "It''s impossible to return to Rock Saelfine..." Noa said, "I want to help my village folk more, but I can''t stay here and help them my entire life. I have aspirations too... I want to see my parents as well..." Noa looked down, seemingly emotional.


    "No one can blame you for that, Noa. What kind of child wouldn''t want to see their parents after being separated for so long?" Tyr said, a long moment of silence ensuing before Tyr again broke it:


    "So... I guess you''re coming with us." He said with a smirk.


    Noa''s head immediately lifted with a shocked expression, "W-what? But I have nothing to offer you guys. I''d just slow you down. Are you sure that would be okay?"


    Hanzo and Malon chuckled slightly.


    Hanzo exclaimed, "Just asking out of the blue huh Tyr? I mean, I have no problems with it."


    "Yeah." Malon added, "You are our friend now, Noa... plus, we already worked our butts off to save you. We can''t just leave you stranded now, can we?"


    She looked back up at Tyr.


    Tyr replied: "Enough thinking, just come with us. Thinking too much never leads to greatness." He smirked, "There''s a lot to do out there, and if I get sealed again I can''t just come back here all the time."


    Noa laughed as she heard this, but she still seemed extremely emotional.


    "Thanks... thank you all... I promise to be a good teammate."


    The three grinned wide as they heard this.


    Spen also barked happily.


    "Oh? I almost forgot. That means you''re going with us too aren''t ya'' buddy?" Tyr said, picking the small pup up.


    *Chomp*


    "ARRRGHHH!!!"


    *A couple minutes later*


    After taking a Health Capsule and bandaging his nose, Tyr faced Spen again who was now on the ground.


    "Damn mutt... you really shouldn''t come with us after that. Nearly tore my nose straight off." Tyr grumbled, still in pain.


    *Roof roof!*


    "What do you want now?"


    Spen remained silent but still stared at Tyr with a wagging tail.


    Tyr paused, squinting his eyes slightly, "Yes and no questions like we did before?"


    *Roof!*


    "Okay... so what do you want to tell me? You are coming with us, right?"


    *Roof roof!*


    "Huh!?" Tyr was shocked.


    Hanzo''s brows were furrowed in shock right now, "What the hell? Are you saying you understand him?"


    Malon was equally perplexed: "Since when did you become a dog whisperer!?"


    Noa chuckled, "I can understand Spen quite well, but having full conversations isn''t something even I have fully mastered." S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Tyr continued his conversation: "You don''t want to come? Why?"


    Spen turned around, facing the direction of the empire as he howled into the sky.


    "Rock Saelfine... what about it?" Tyr questioned.


    Noa spoke at that moment: "Sir Hastel and the others, right Spen?"


    *Roof!*


    Tyr put the puzzle pieces together, "He wants to go to the villagers?"


    *Roof!*


    "I mean, it''s not like Spen is a criminal in the empire like us... he won''t get in trouble," Hanzo noted.


    "I know what he wants," Noa said, looking into Spen''s eyes as everyone else remained silent.


    "You want to protect them, don''t you boy?"


    *ROOF!*


    It was one bark, but the loudest that Spen could muster.


    Noa chuckled slightly on seeing this.


    "If you want to stay back, we can''t do anything to stop you... just be safe, okay?" She said, petting Spen on the head.


    *Roof!*


    Tyr walked toward the dog, "Spen! If you want to protect the people of Imbu village, I will give you an order. Can you promise to me that you will be able to follow it?"


    *Roof!*


    Tyr smirked, "We won''t be leaving this kingdom forever. I will come back one day to wipe it off the map."


    The others were slightly surprised to hear this.


    Tyr continued, "When I come back, you have to guarantee that I see the village people safe and secure under your guidance, got it?"


    *ROOF!*


    "Good! Now go off, you bastard nose biter!"


    *Roof roof roof!*


    Spen jumped up at Tyr''s face at that moment, freaking the young man out.


    The dog''s mouth opened as though in slow motion, ''Blink Ste--''


    However, instead of a bite, Tyr caught a slobbering lick on his face.


    Spen dropped down, darting toward the empire as Tyr stood there with a slightly irritated expression.


    He wiped the saliva off his face, and smiled after a second, "Ahh whatever... he was a good dog. I hope he doesn''t stay that small forever. I want to see him again when I come back."


    ***


    The group of four shortly fell fast asleep, understanding that they had to be urgent the next morning.


    And urgent they were. As the sun barely crept past the horizon, Tyr and his group had already traveled hundreds of miles north of the Rock Saelfine empire.


    "So where are we off to next!?" Tyr shouted into the sky.


    "It''s an adventure isn''t it? Let''s just pick a place on the map and hope for the best!"

 Chapter 97: Dream Formed...

    "If it helps, here''s a map of Ainsveld," Noa exclaimed, taking a scroll out of her bag.


    She was on Rudra with Tyr, Malon having moved to Hanzo''s jetski.


    "A map? Why haven''t we thought of buying one of these before? Tsk..." Tyr complained, taking a good look at the piece of paper.


    He noticed 5 larger empires in the region, with a few smaller isolated lands here and there as well.


    To the south was Rock Saelfine. Its tip, however, extended close to the center of the continent.


    Right above it was a smaller kingdom in the center, the second larger country on the map that went by the name Ovalantis Province.


    To the left of Ovalantis Province was a large kingdom named Zasea.


    To the right of the central nation of Ovalantis was the Douden Federation, the land of the dwarfs and other humanoid beasts.


    Finally, above the central region was a kingdom named


    To the bottom left of Rock Saelfine Empire was Mycopolis, the third larger kingdom.


    Finally, at the very top of the map was Edenharl Garden.


    Apart from these five large nations, there were dozens of smaller kingdoms, dynasties, and countries littered plentifully.


    This included the Seris Dynasty, which was below Rock Saelfine and connected to the southern sea named: Major Rastafore Ocean.


    Slight above Seris, and slightly below and to the left of Rock Saelfine was the secluded nation of Mycopolis.


    "I want to go somewhere where I can grow much stronger," Tyr said, staring closely at the map.


    "Stronger huh? That means you will have to cultivate..." Hanzo noted, lying calmly on his flying jetski-like vehicle.


    Malon added his two cents: "We could have done something in Rock Saelfine, but unfortunately we declared war on the fucking place before we even got to a single store..."


    Tyr and Noa chuckled slightly on hearing this.


    "It''s your fault you bastard, don''t laugh." Malon said with an irritated expression while shaking his head.


    "I know I know..." S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Well anyways... thankfully, other than the big slave trade, Rock Saelfine isn''t known for its cultivation prowess." Malon moved on quickly.


    "Hmm... I wouldn''t exactly say that." Hanzo said, causing Noa and Tyr to turn their heads toward him instead.


    Compared to Malon and Hanzo, the two were much more clueless. Their backgrounds weren''t nearly as opportunistic to learn all this stuff.


    "Rock Saelfine is a very strong nation. Their military rivals that of any other kingdom apart from one... however, I do agree that it isn''t the best when it comes to cultivation." Hanzo paused as everyone waited for him to finish.


    In the meantime, Tyr questioned: "Apart from one? Which kingdom is that? The strongest of all..."


    "Im not surprised you don''t know, since you''re Tyr after all, but everyone understands this behemoth to own Ainsveld. They control everything when it comes to the distribution of cultivation supplies such as elixirs, pills, techniques, and what not,"


    Tyr furrowed his brows, his excitement rising and turning into eagerness as he heard this, ''Damn... quite the hype up.'' He mused.


    "It''s known as the Empire of Ancestral Abilities... the illustrious Ovalantis Province."


    "Ovalantis huh? The central region... and the smallest of the big empires." Tyr paused, "It''s in the middle no? I feel like it should have the worst possibility of being the strongest empire. Its location isn''t anywhere near ideal if war were to break out."


    "You aren''t wrong about that. Ovalantis is surrounded by mountains, but it still is in a disadvantaged location. Nonetheless, the other nations wouldn''t dare attack it even with their combined powers." Hanzo replied nonchalantly.


    Tyr was slightly surprised to hear this, "Seriously? Even the other four combined they couldn''t take that kingdom down?"


    Hanzo paused before speaking, "Ovalantis'' Regal Magistrate... those 5 figures are probably some of the strongest Ancestral Ability users in the entire world, let alone the continent. With them on the battlefield, the war would probably end in a dead tie."


    "Damn..." Tyr couldn''t help but find himself smiling as he thought about this, "Wouldn''t that be amazing? To be so great that people thousands of miles away speak your name with such awe."


    As he said this, the others laughed slightly.


    Hanzo replied, "Well, when you state it like that, yeah... it''s pretty crazy to think about."


    "I''ll get there, you know... I''ll be the strongest," Tyr said, as though daydreaming but still completely serious.


    Hanzo paused for a second, "W-what? Pahaha!"


    Noa chuckled, "Wow... that''s quite the dream!"


    "Strongest? You would have to be king of the world to be the strongest! What an absurd dream! Hahaha!" Malon laughed his ass off.


    "King of the world you say? That doesn''t sound like a bad title." Tyr exclaimed as the others continued to laugh.


    ''I was given this second chance for a reason... these immense powers for a reason. Do I not deserve that throne? Hell, even if I don''t, I want it. I want to rule this world, and have power like no other...''


    He reflected on just what he was saying, and if this was something he really wanted.


    ''I have a feeling that others would want a basic and boring life... but I''ve always wanted something more than the boring and normal existence. I have no interest in being weak and unknown. I have interest in becoming the strongest under the sun... the most glorious in the eyes of men, and the most respected in the heart of mortals. With this power I hold, would it hurt to try?


    If not that, then what would I aim for? I have no limitations... so why not aim straight up and hope for the best?''


    "Thats it," Tyr said out of nowhere, a determined look on his face, "I''ve decided for sure... Im going to be the king of the world!"


    .


    .


    .


    "Ahaha!"


    "Pahaha!"


    "Hehehe!"


    "Tsk! Laugh all you want, but im being dead serious!"


    ***


    And just like that, their journey to the central nation of Ovalantis began.


    *Months later...*

 Chapter 98: Birth Of A Dragon

    Tyr and the others had officially began their journey to Ovalantis Province.


    Not only did they want to become more powerful, but they also wanted to avoid being caught by the Rock Saelfine army.


    The only way to do this was by entering the jurisdiction of another empire entirely.


    As weeks passed, Tyr finally turned 16. His birthday was short and sweet, his friends wished him a happy birthday and cut a small fruit cake.


    There weren''t any gifts shared, as the four had been practically living together for over a month. Everything they all had was already shared anyway. S§×ar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    A couple more months passed. Darkness loomed over the forest canopy as low rustles and scarce fireflies littered the twilight.


    The group were sleeping in thier tents around a small campfire. Tyr was in a deep slumber when he suddenly heard a loud and rough voice wake him up in the middle of a good dream.


    ''Master! Master! I require your attention immediately!''


    Tyr was awoken in the middle of the night to Rudra''s consistent yells.


    ''What happened? Why are you yelling in such a rush?'' Tyr telepathically communicated, rubbing his eyes with exhaustion.


    ''It''s Ares! He''s moving like a real beast and cracking apart!''


    ''Huh!? Did he not need an incubator?'' Tyr said this to himself rhetorically, but Rudra answered him anyway.


    ''I decided to create a nest for him during my free time... I guess it worked in the end.''


    Tyr immediately got up and left his tent. The rustling thankfully didn''t wake up anyone else around the campsite who were sleeping in their tents.


    They were in the middle of the forest right now, and to avoid making noise Tyr sprinted into the forest half-naked to release Rudra and Ares.


    After he was about 500 feet away, he allowed both of his beasts to come out.


    Rudra stood beside his master, both of them gazing intensely at the egg before them.


    It was cracking and shaking incessantly.


    Tyr slowly approached it, nearing his hand toward the shell.


    As soon as his hand landed on the egg, it abruptly settled down.


    A warm feeling buzzed through Tyr''s palm as he continued resting it there.


    "It''s alright, boy. You can come out now... be birthed into this world." Tyr commanded, hoping that would do something.


    *Crack*


    One rupture led to another...


    *Crack*


    *Crack*


    *Crack*


    And before he knew it, the eggshell shattered apart.


    Tyr furrowed his eyebrows, getting a good look at what was inside of the egg.


    A small head popped out. It was the size of a baseball; a pointy snout with a pair of the cutest large eyes.


    The beast''s entire body was covered in blue and purple scales. He was no larger than 2 feet in length.


    He moved his head erratically a few times before yawning and furling the gills that were beneath his small jaw.


    Finally, he raised his entire body and displayed a pair of scaly wings on its back--like a peacock bluffing its feathers.


    Tyr''s eyes expanded at that moment as he saw what this creature was, ''A... dragon? Did that dungeon truly have a dragon egg inside of it?'' He was slightly at a loss for words.


    [Congradulations! Ares has turned out to be an advanced species: Dragon!]


    ''So its true... then does that mean it may have not grown to be a real dragon?''


    [Description: An extremely powerful beast that rules over continents. Ancient, and able to wreak havoc on planets. It holds greed and power above all else, and is the most blessed species of all the Gods.]


    [Your new Soul Mend ability has been created.]


    [Current viable specimens: Polaris Tiger (Immense strength, durability, and speed.) Dragon (Winged flight, flame breath, durable scales.).]


    ''Holy fuck... those are strong. Soul Mend; Dragon.'' Tyr wasn''t going to wait to try these out. No way in hell.


    At once, scales grew over his arms and legs, shoulder, upper back, chest, and also a bit on his cheekbones and forehead.


    *Woooosh*


    In one movement, two giant dragon wings thrust out from his back and extended to the side.


    Tyr smiled, unable to help but even chuckle in excitement.


    "Ho-hoolly shit! Ahaha!" He exclaimed, feeling as though he had grown two extra limbs.


    He attempted to flap them to fly, but instead threw himself sideways into the tree and then crashed onto the ground.


    ''Master!'' Rudra yelled with concern, ''Are you alright!?'' He sprinted over to Tyr immediately.


    ...


    After a few seconds, Tyr decided that he was gonna wait to try out his new powers after all.


    He returned to Ares, who looked up at him with innocent eyes.


    Tyr pet the small creature, "I consider you nothing less than my son now, Ares." He said as the dragon continued to look at him.


    "Grow big and strong... and help me take over this world."


    Rudra growled loudly on hearing this, ''Hoorah! The world shall be in your palm if I have any say in it!'' He roared.


    ''Consider...'' Ares said out of nowhere before pausing.


    ''He can speak even though he just got born?'' Tyr confusedly thought, but then realized, ''Oh right... GG will translate his thoughts without him needing to even know a language. I wonder what a newborn like him will say...''


    ''It... done.'' Ares finished his sentence.


    "What? Consider it done?" He paused for a second before breaking out into a light laugh.


    "Ahaha! Good! Thats exactly what I wanted to hea--" He was suddenly cut off.


    ''You have the right to be my servant when I take over this world...'' Ares suddenly proclaimed.


    "Wait... that wasn''t what I--" Tyr was again cut off.


    ''Silence! You are nothing more than a measly human.'' His eyes darted over to Rudra: ''And you...'' Ares paused as a sudden and menacing Aura exploded out from his being.


    Tyr felt as though a towering dragon the size of a mountain was before him at that moment, the killing intent and primal presence of the beast causing the sheer gravity around him to feel dozens of times heavier than normal.


    His eyes expanded with shock as his smile instantly disappeared: ''Strong...'' He thought to himself.


    ''You will also be a servant... but expect no more mercy from me.''


    Rudra''s eyes widened... but even the king lowered his head and groaned with fear.


    Tyr was completely shocked by this, ''The blood an Advanced Species of beast. So this is the presence of a true dragon. Not even that Supreme Guard seemed this horrifying...''

 Chapter 99: A Dragons Declaration Of War

    ''A bloodline of absolute monarchs passed down through countless generations...'' Tyr thought to himself in awe as he stared at the beast before him, ''The lord of the skies, a damn dragon.''


    At that moment, Ares thrust his wings against the ground and flew up into the sky.


    "W-wait! Where are you--??" Tyr said, running after the beast before stopping and staring at the sky.


    Upon reaching above the tree tops, Ares lifted his chin and let out a low growl into the air.


    ''Feeble beings...''


    Although the small dragon was merely growling, GG translated this for Tyr based on Ares'' intentions.


    Ares continued to growl, his exclamations becoming louder:


    ''The utmost superior lifeform has graced your planet... fret, fear, and cower under your firmament of false security. Be afraid! Your rule is no longer sanctioned by my ultimate decree!''


    The dragon finally roared into the air--although, it did sound like a chirp at the same time.


    Nonetheless, right after he said this, a wave of purple Aura blasted out of him, repelling in all directions like a ripple traveling across the water.


    *SWWOOOOOSH*


    The noise was loud, booming across the sky as the Aura traveled with immense speed and power--blowing gusts of wind on everything in its path.


    With that, Ares swooped back down to the ground. His devastating Aura from before seemed to be purposefully lessened.


    "What the... hell was that?" Tyr questioned, completely puzzled.


    ''What do you think it was?'' Ares chirped, ''I declared my arrival to this world, and told all of the seemingly powerful creatures in this world of my exact location.''


    Tyr paused for a moment as he heard Ares nonchalantly spout this as if it was something completely normal.


    .


    .


    .


    "HUHHHH!?!"


    Safe to say, everyone at camp woke up after Tyr''s scream, if not having already woken up from Ares'' booming Aura wave.


    Tyr rode atop Rudra as they walked back to camp, Ares flying beside him with furrowed brows. Even with his strong demeanor, however, he was extremely cute.


    "You told everyone exactly where we are? Thats... stupid!"


    Ares stared forward as he spoke: ''I carry myself without fear. I am the most superior being, and I must uphold my bloodline. No dragon fears a world of pathetic creatures.''


    "Still... I can Scan you."


    Tyr glanced at the beast''s stats.


    ©³©¥©¥©¥Status©¥©¥©¥©·


    Name: Ares (Dragon)


    Age: Minutes


    Power Level: 100


    Rank: Apex


    ©»©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¿


    ''Apex Rank from birth... fucking insane. Still, I can take him.'' He thought to himself.


    "I know you aren''t anywhere near strong enough to defeat everyone that you just challenged right now."


    ''What did you say!? Don''t dare insult me again!''


    "What? I birthed you into this world, you bastard lizard!"


    ''What did you call me!?'' The crease in Ares'' lips lit up with a bright orange flame.


    A golden flame erupted from Tyr''s glabella a second after, "If you''re the most superior, what does that make me, who allowed your life to happen in the first place!?"


    ''Silence! You will pay for your words!'' Ares'' mouth glowed even brighter with fire.


    ''Watch out master!'' Rudra yelled, ''Dragons are unique creatures who can wield Aura to a crazy level from birth. Their physical strength may be lacking at the start, but Ares'' Aura can decimate you and over 30 trees behind you with one flame breath!''


    "What? How do you even know that? Anyways... go back into Infinite Domain. I''ll be fine, trust me."


    Tyr dropped to the floor as Rudra disappeared into a purple portal.


    ''Do not overestimate yourself, human!'' Ares finally yelled before unleashing a blast of fire toward Tyr.


    It was a ginormous attack, reaching over 20 feet in height and 15 feet in width. The fire was bright red, orange, and yellow, and thrust through the forest for over 100 feet.


    [You are immune to all fire attacks]


    All the trees in the path of Ares'' breath were burned to crisps and obliterated, but Tyr stood emboldened by the flame rather than destroyed.


    ''What have I summoned...'' Tyr thought to himself as he stared at Ares. ''This power... it''s unimaginably too strong. I can''t even think about what it will do in the future...''


    Ares'' face was filled with shock as he saw Tyr stand there completely unharmed.


    ''What!? How! My flame is no ordinary flame! It is the flame of the most powerful Fire God! His blessings created the ember in my very stomach! How can you not be damaged at all!?''


    Tyr smirked, "I am superior, it seems." He said, sprinting forward to catch the dragon.


    At that moment, Hanzo and the others showed up at the scene.


    They were tired, half asleep, and wearing pajamas. With shock in their eyes, they witnessed the mass destruction of hundreds of trees near Tyr--which looked like a battlefield.


    "W-what in the hell!? What is going on!" Hanzo yelled in confusion.


    "Tyr! Are you alright!?" Malon exclaimed.


    "A dragon!?" Noa was the first to notice.


    Tyr was chasing the small creature down at that very moment.


    ''Go away! Get away from me!'' Ares yelled, flying all around Tyr.


    "Get back here you twerp!"


    ''Leave me alone!''


    On seeing this, Hanzo and the others stood back.


    "He doesn''t look to be in much trouble..." Malon exclaimed.


    Hanzo felt his knees attempt to buckle from beneath him, "A... a... a... a..."


    "Dragon," Noa said.


    "Dragon... that''s right. A dragon." Hanzo finally got it out.


    A beast from legends... how could it be possible? Hanzo and the others found it hard to believe... It was fucking unfathomable!


    At that moment, Ares flew into the sky.


    "Not so quick!" Tyr exclaimed, ''Soul Mend; Dragon!'' He grew wings, also thrusting himself into the sky.


    ''I can''t fly for shit, but I don''t need to. I just need to get close enough to do this.''


    After a split second, he said inwardly: ''Blink Step.''


    He appeared in front of the dragon, quickly grabbing him before falling back down to the ground.


    "You..." Tyr said with furious eyes.


    ''LET ME GO!! SCREW YOU, HUMAN!''


    "No! You''re in time-out! Unless you behave better, you aren''t going to be coming out of Infinite Domain anytime soon!" Tyr said, letting the dragon go at that moment.


    ''Infinite Domain?'' Ares said, flying back up into the air, ''Whatever that is! I don''t care! So long, loser!'' He darted away.


    Tyr stood there with an unimpressed expression, ''Infinite Domain.'' He said as a purple portal suddenly opened up in front of Ares.


    ''What the-!?'' The dragon squeaked with sudden surprise.


    He was instantly imported into Tyr''s spell.


    ''I could have done that the entire time, but I had to make him understand first that I am stronger than him...'' Tyr said to himself at that moment.


    ''I am insanely fortunate to have the Full Golden Body ability... if not for the ability to be immune to fire damage, I would have been killed 10 times over right there. Still, this is only temporary. Of course, I can always place Ares into Infinite Domain, but I need to also be able to control him outside of that place... when he grows a bit stronger, he won''t need flame to damage me. S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    His sheer physical strength will be enough.''


    *Meanwhile... inside of Infinite Domain*


    ''Get back here you stupid tiger! You''re getting it today!'' Ares flew around the skies, blasting giant flames down at Rudra as he ran.


    ''Masterr!!! Helpp mee!! I can''t deal with this crazy maniac for much longer!!!''


    ...

 Chapter 100: Ervals Legend

    Rock Saelfine Empire, Southern State.


    While in bed, Thaddeus felt a threatening force drive through him.


    His eyes flew open, sweat quickly forming on his forehead. The feeling he had just experienced was that of a slap to the face.


    No, rather, it felt like a foot stomping on his head, making him kneel with a deeply embedded sense of inferiority.


    "A dragon? Surely not..."


    Many miles away, certain figures in the same kingdom had similar reactions.


    ***


    Zasea Kingdom, Rocavell Capital City.


    A group of figures with shadowed faces all stood in unison as they felt a powerful force drive through their bodies.


    "What in tarnation..."


    "No..."


    ***


    Douden Federation, Sylvell Capital City.


    A large, muscular man clad in royal attire furrowed his brows, "Things have changed now..."


    "You got that right..."


    ***


    Edenharl Garden, Pinnacle Plant Garden.


    Three advisors stood before their king, bowing as they exclaimed in unison:


    "Yes, sir... a dragon indeed." S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Who has released such a powerful creature upon this world? Have we been forsaken by the Gods once again?"


    ***


    Ovalantis Province, King Capital City.


    A group of 7 powerful figures sat around a giant and luxurious table.


    They all had very serious expressions.


    "The world has to make a decision."


    "Not yet... we yet to know its strength."


    "All we have to go off of is the ancient history..."


    "What can we do?"


    "Will it spill war?"


    "The dragon was within Ovalantis... does that not mean our country will be targeted?"


    "Forget about the country... Ainsveld itself is at stake."


    "I must think... who has held such a power, and why are they releasing it now?"


    *


    *


    *


    *Loud snoring*


    Tyr was abruptly woken up by Noa, "Wake up! You''ve slept for long enough now..." She gave him a slap on the face.


    "Wha-!?" Tyr jerked up, looking around with shock and confusion, "What happened last night? I totally forgot..."


    The three other members of the Hunter group were staring at Tyr with furrowed brows and serious expressions.


    "Oh shit..." He said under his breath.


    "After you birthed a dragon into this world, you simply said you wanted to get some sleep and you will talk about it after..." Noa exclaimed, causing Tyr''s eyes to widen in shock.


    "I summoned a--!? Oh wait... I did..." Tyr finally seemed to remember. "A dragon huh... thats--" Before could finish, Noa interjected and continued:


    "Now that you''re awake, we have to talk about what all happened... and what we have to do moving forward."


    Tyr paused, thinking about that for a moment.


    "Look, it''s not too big of a deal right? Sure, its a strong beast, but I have control over it."


    "How!?" All of the other three exclaimed in unison.


    "Ch-chill! I have an ability to store my pets. Hanzo and Malon already know about it..."


    "That''s fine, but when you unleash it again, who''s to say it won''t destroy a damn forest again?" Hanzo said, "And who''s to say your spell can even hold a dragon for long... im sure a dragon can break out of any spell its held in within a short duration of time."


    He looked to the side, as though to think.


    During this second, Tyr mused: ''Hmm... my Full Golden Body easily negated even the strongest dragon flames according to Ares himself. My Ancestral Ability seems to be very strong, but what about GG? I don''t know if it can withstand that power for long. Then again... it is called Infinite Domain for a reason...''


    "Have you heard of the legends, Tyr?" Malon said at that moment.


    "Legends?" Tyr questioned, "Of dragons?"


    "No..." Malon replied, continuing: "Dragons have never set foot on Subworld. However, they, even now, are plentiful in the most dangerous regions of Titan as I understand."


    "Titan?" Tyr raised a brow in confusion.


    Noa and Malon seemed a bit confused, but Hanzo was used to Tyr not knowing things, so he decided to add in: "Its another planet within our Solar Tree. A Solar Tree is what connects all planets into a system, allowing beings to travel in between them using its roots and branches."


    "I see... so Titan must be much more dangerous than Subworld huh?" Tyr replied, garnering a bunch of nods.


    "But that''s beside the point... I''m talking about the legend of a man named Erval." Malon said, everyone quieting down.


    Tyr squinted his eyes, "No... I''ve never heard of such a thing."


    "It''s an ancient story that really shouldn''t even be in our part of the world. It happened on the completely other side of Subworld many years ago, from what we in this part of Subworld understand. However, Erval was such a great man that his life deeds allowed his name to be carried across hundreds of thousands of miles, and even across planets."


    Tyr continued to listen intently, his intrigue increased.


    "We in this part of Subworld don''t know much of his story, but what we do know is that he once was a great leader who once saved this entire continent from destruction."


    Tyr''s eyes expanded, wowed by what he just heard.


    "Many say that the Gods had forsaken Subworld, and that was why this destruction event happened in the first place."


    "What was the event? Not a dragon?"


    "No... but something nearly just as powerful. A phoenix, whose name began with a Y. It threatened to destroy this entire continent and further. At least, thats what many say... there are various different renditions of this ancient story, you see."


    "Hmm."


    "But in the end, Erval used a great seal to conquer the beast, allowing peace to reign once again on Subworld."


    "What''s the point of that story? Why did you want to tell me it?"


    "It''s a lost legend, not much of it is known... yet, these shattered bits are spread across all of the various planets and retold a bit differently each time across every village littered across Subworld. Despite there not being much known about that, this sheer fact makes it a reality, rather than a legend."


    "I see."


    "And it is all to say that a phoenixphoenix is one thing... but a dragon... that''s a whole nother story. All those who have heard of Erval''s name will have known God''s Forsakening... and will be scared it will happen again. Most likely, all leaders of the free world will want to be the second Erval of our time."


    "I see... Erval set a precedent that now feels as though it must be followed." Tyr surmised, donning a serious expression, "Its quite the predicament I''ve put myself in..."


    ''However,'' He thought inwardly, unable to help but grin with excitement in his mind, ''This power is under my control, and if I can continue that until Ares reaches his full power, then that alone will make me a continent-level threat. A boost to the throne of continent ruler, as long as I play my cards right...''


    ***


    Author Note: YO! Thank you all for reading 100 god damn chaps of this novel. Thats awesome! Its been fun writing this and I have much more planned for this novel. If you have enjoyed it up until now, please support me so I can pump out even more chapters! Join the discord and feel free to tell me your wants and ideas for the novel as well!


    All support helps, thanks a bunch and I hope your reading experience only gets better from here on out.


    A storm is brewing...

 Chapter 101: Birds Of Tales

    Birds of various shapes and sizes soared across the wide, azure horizon. Their wings flapped against the wind, but their eyes remained determined as they all had one goal in mind.


    From the southern lands came small and quick pigeons, carrying scroll letters strapped to their legs.


    From the western lands came large hawks, with letters held within their beaks.


    From the eastern land came owls, letters wrung around their necks.


    From the north came swift doves with notes attached to their feet.


    And from the center lands came crows with scroll letters held in their mouths.


    Communication across Ainsveld seems to have begun swiftly.


    Within the Ovalantis Capital, King City; a group of seven individuals sat around a round table.


    A knight to the side stepped forward and read a message outloud that came from a dove.


    "Greetings, king and kingsmen of Ovalantis. We spread this message urgently to all empires within Ainsveld. There must be another Continental Meeting held..."


    The knight placed the note to the side, straightening his posture with a loud stomp.


    A man at the very back middle of the round table sat with his elbows on the table and his mouth covered by his interlocked fingers.


    He furrowed his eyebrows as he stared at the giant table before him.


    Across it was sprawled a realistic and geological map of the entire continent, with its mountains, valleys, kingdoms, and all--all carved from wood.


    All 6 other members stared at him from the left and right sides of the table as he finally spoke:


    "That''s the last of the letters. Each empire wishes to hold a meeting over this dragon." The man had a rough and powerful voice.


    As soon as he said the word ''dragon,'' a small dragon carved from wood was summoned from the air and fell onto the board.


    It was to the bottom right of Ovalantis.


    "The dragon was brave enough to declare that it was still a child. That gives us time to prepare for it... from what we know, it will grow to its natural state of ''full power'' in around 3 years. From there, it will gradually grow in power until the end of its life..."


    Another voice added at that moment:


    "We must be prepared by then." He was a man wearing all-white robes. He was large, with muscles bulging out from his clothing and his long white hair flowing to his shoulders.


    Another man with a less impressive, rather scrawny physique exclaimed at that moment: "We should just butcher it while it''s young. Who knows how powerful it will become." He wore a green and black robe.


    "Hmm..." The man at the back middle of the table exclaimed, "That shall be decided at the Continental Meeting. Send the crows again to each of the empires."


    The knight saluted, stomping as he exclaimed: "When is the date, Your Superiority?"


    ...


    After a short pause, and anticipation growing in the room, the man said: "One month."


    ***


    "My goal in this empire is to get to Expert Rank," Tyr said as he rode atop Rudra.


    Right now, the group was inside an immense mountain range. Rudra was jumping from one steep ledge to another--hoping not to fall to his sure demise.


    They were thousands of feet up in the air, with clouds sometimes waving by them.


    It was misty and cold up there, with no one being able to see more than 20 feet ahead of them.


    As cruel winds continued to howl, Tyr thought of how he could get to Expert Rank the quickest.


    Hanzo wasn''t so sure of Tyr''s goal, however: "Expert Rank? Increasing in Rank depends on genetics, mental ability to stabilize your body and senses, and much more. You need a lot of skill to be able to cultivate proficiently as well... it takes years if not decades for most people to achieve that Rank starting from Adept."


    "You''re Expert Rank, right?" Tyr said at that second.


    Hanzo immediately replied: "Yes, but just because i''m Expert Rank doesn''t mean everyone else will be able to--" He was cut off.


    "Then you should aim for Virtuoso Rank..." Tyr said with a straight face.


    "W-what!?" Hanzo exclaimed in confusion.


    "We should all aim for one Rank higher than we already are." Tyr smirked.


    Noa looked to the side, "Rank huh... well before that, I need to get a weapon back for myself. My gun was confiscated when they captured me and the villagers."


    While the group spoke about what to do with Noa''s gun situation, Malon thought to himself:


    ''Increase by one in Rank...'' He didn''t seem to be happy as he thought this, ''I know Noa said that she would drag us down, but if anything, that person would be me. Her seal-removing powers are something else, but I on the other hand am still nowhere near strong enough to support Hanzo and Tyr if real combat were to break out.''


    He stared at his own wrist, ''I need to get stronger... even though I am also Adept Rank, I am still much weaker. Expert Rank will be my goal as well.''


    Just then, Tyr shouted aloud: "Then it''s settled!"


    Malon was jerked back to reality at that moment, his head facing the young man on Rudra. S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Malon and I will become Expert Rank, Hanzo will get as close as possible to Virtuoso, and Noa will build her weapon back, along with cultivate until she''s at least Adept Rank!" Tyr smiled with excitement as he said this.


    Hanzo shook his head with closed eyes before yelling: "Hell yeah! Let''s do this!"


    Malon smiled as well on seeing this, "Lets get stronger, team!"


    Noa chuckled, slightly flush with embarrassment. However, as he stared at the people yelling with joy in front of her, she couldn''t help but join in:


    "Yeah!" She raised her fist.


    ''These are my people now... my friends.'' She thought to herself.


    *Crack*


    The small ledge beneath Rudra''s feet suddenly broke apart into two lodged pieces.


    The tiger looked down with nervousness.


    ''Master...''


    ''Yeah...''


    ''Brace yourself.''


    ''Okay...''


    The ledge cracked several more times before suddenly crumbling to pieces right beneath Rudra''s feet.


    Rudra immediately began to fall straight downwards.


    "Oi!" Hanzo yelled in shock, turning his flying jetski-like vehicle around as he and Malon swiftly zoomed downwards: "What the hell!?"

 Chapter 102: Strongest Ice

    ***AUTHOR NOTE***


    Yo, im out of town right now so the posting schedule will be fkked for a few days. Don''t worry though, I''ll still somehow post 2 chaps a day... but the timing won''t be anywhere near consistent.


    ***


    Tyr, Noa, and Rudra quickly fell toward the bottomless ground.


    As they screamed, Hanzo and Malon rushed to save them.


    Hanzo had furrowed brows as he thrust his jetski to move even faster to reach the falling fools.


    However, he noticed something out of place.


    Below Tyr and the others, through the mist, wasn''t just a normal valley--but rather--something that resembled a transparent blueish Aura.


    His eyes expanded, ''Wait a minute... what we are attempting to cross now, these mountains. They aren''t just natural formations alone. They are also Ovalantis'' barrier of protection...''


    He realized something: ''No wonder we fell... it seemed we were all meant to fall here. These mountains are just an illusion. A trap for all intruders...''


    Tyr and the others fell through the transparent energy, completely disappearing.


    Hanzo and Malon were next, unable to stop their momentum.


    ***


    It was like Tyr had blinked, but in that period, he was transported to a completely different area.


    He fell onto the floor, in the same falling motion as before.


    Rudra and Noa fell next to him shortly after.


    He quickly rose to his feet, "Where the hell--!?" He surveyed where he was instantly.


    He felt a cold chill seep up into his spine at that moment. Looking around, he noticed that they were all inside of some large ice chamber.


    All around him were cages made of hardened ice.


    He walked forward in his cage, grabbing the ice bars as he moved his head and looked around.


    "What the hell... an ice prison?" He said, his voice echoing through the chamber.


    He felt a sudden stinging pain pierce through his palms, causing him to swiftly remove his hands from the bars: "Yeouch!" He exclaimed in pain while shaking his hand, "That''s super cold. A few more seconds and my palms might have stuck onto them."


    "You are not mistaken." A dreary voice echoed from out of nowhere.


    "Huh?" Tyr raised a brow, Rudra and Noa nearing the bars as well.


    As they looked around, all they could see were skeletons within the blue-ice bars around them.


    In a few seconds, Hanzo and Malon also appeared in one of the ice cages to the left of Tyr and the others''.


    While they exclaimed in confusion, Tyr zoned his focus in on the single hall that looked to be the exit out of this prison room.


    The entire place was made of ice from floor to ceiling, bright, blue, and radiating with a bright light.


    A few soft but echoing footsteps sounded from the hall. After a second, a small old man stepped out.


    He was wearing black and brown robes, and was no taller than 5''1'''' ft. He had his hands clutched behind his back as he walked--his eyes barely able to open.


    "So... we finally have intruders again after so long ey?" The old man''s frail voice echoed.


    "Sir!" Hanzo spoke, "We had no intentions of harm. We only wanted to enter the Province."


    The old man slowly turned toward Hanzo: "You can''t just enter illegally! How about pass through the main gates, you fools!"


    "There''s main gates?" Hanzo said, raising a brow.


    The old man shook his head, "Well... for your crimes you will be staying here for... a while."


    "Huh!?" Tyr exclaimed, "What does a while mean? We have things to do, old man!"


    "Quiet! I have been living and working here alone for over 50 years. Its rare that I have any company. And don''t try to escape either... this ice is created by the Ice Pillar of Ovalantis. There is no flame on this planet that can melt it..."


    Tyr was slightly taken aback by this.


    Noa spoke at that moment: "Aren''t you allowed to go back home to your family? Its cruel to have you stay here..."


    "Whether it be cruel or not, lady, it matters not. My job is of utmost importance. Spies, enemies of unknown origin... I have the duty to prevent them all from entering the land of Ovalantis. I have to stay within these confines until the day I die."


    Tyr sighed, "Well... I understand it then."


    "What?" The old man was taken aback, not expecting Tyr to say that. sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "We will stay here until you are satisfied, but we can not stay for too long. I hope you understand. If you are an innocent man given a duty to protect your country by staying here, I won''t go against your wants."


    The others were slightly surprised to hear this.


    After a short pause, the old man turned his back and began to walk out. However, he added this before he left:


    "Who said im an innocent man? I didn''t choose to do this... I am a criminal. This is my punishment."


    Everyone was shocked to hear this. After the man left, Tyr took a step back from the bars.


    "We don''t have much of a choice do we?" He said, sighing some more.


    "Hey..." Malon spoke with a slightly confused tone, reaching toward and seemingly rummaging through a dead corpse''s clothing.


    Everyone looked at him with puzzlement as he pulled out a small poster.


    It was more of an article, but at the very center was a face that looked similar to the old man''s, except younger.


    Malon''s eyes expanded as he read the paper.


    "A serial murderer?" He said under his breath, but everyone else still heard it.


    Tyr looked behind him, noticing a similar paper in the pocket of a corpse within his cage as well.


    After a few seconds, the group rummaged through all the corpses they could... and found the same letters scattered about.


    "This old man... did he put these here on purpose?" Tyr exclaimed, bewildered.


    "Hahaha!" A loud laugh suddenly resounded through the entire chamber.


    A block of ice up on the wall suddenly disappeared, revealing a room encased in glass.


    Inside sat the old man with a microphone in front of his face and a large control panel before him with dozens of buttons--as though he was inside of a pilot''s booth.


    "Correct! I did put them there on purpose, you fools!" The old man''s expression and tone had completely gone 180 degrees.


    No longer was he the sad old guy, but rather, he seemed overjoyed and filled with exhilaration.


    "Finally! Finally I can taste the blood of humans again! I have long awaited the day where I can torture my fellow kin day in and day out! Kreeehahaha!"


    He broke out into a maniacal laugh, his face like that of a crazy lunatic.


    As he pressed buttons, the room suddenly became much colder.


    Out of nowhere, ice spikes formed and flew out of the walls, nearly piercing through Malon and Rudra.


    Tyr lowered his brows, his expression unimpressed.


    "So this was your plan? Knowing you can''t leave, you decided to just spend your days capturing and torturing people?" Tyr questioned nonchalantly.


    "Yes! And above that, I am fully supported by Ovalantis, although they don''t have a clue about it. I have done this for many years... and not once have they discovered my deeds. I am given the power of the strongest ice and the most powerful weapons! What can you do--"


    ''Soul Mend: Dragon.''


    "Lets see what your ''strongest ice'' does to withstand that strongest flame." A smile tugged on Tyr''s lips as scales grew all over his body...

 Chapter 103: Strongest Flame

    "Huh?" The old man exclaimed, slightly perplexed at Tyr''s words.


    "Strongest flame you say? Pahaha!" He laughed his ass off. "Im a criminal of past who hasn''t seen the real world in decades... but even I know that there is no such thing as the strongest flame... atleast not here in the mortal realms. Ice, on the other hand, has been stolen from the Gods by our own Ice Pillar, one of the five pillars of Ovalantis.


    Atleast, thats what people say due to its immense ability."


    Tyr sucked in a bunch of air as his mouth began to glow a bright orange.


    "He''s about to do that move," Hanzo exclaimed at that moment, "Everyone back up!"


    Heeding his words, the other''s quickly retreated from the bars.


    The old man''s eyes darted around with shock, ''Even if they are bluffing, I won''t take any chances.''


    He looked down at a giant red button on his control panel.


    ''I''ve never had to use this... and I don''t want to because its only a one time use thing...'' He was still contemplating it, ''Ugh...'' He was stuck between a rock and a hard place.


    ''If I use it, I will kill all of them and be free to torture others until the end of my days... but if I don''t, I may be killed.'' He simply couldn''t risk such a thing.


    Without much more delay, he pressed the button. ''Ice Pillar''s true power is held within it... one real attack from him has been placed inside of this button, which triggers an Aura Array to blast a gust of ice so powerful that no flame can withstand it...''


    Tyr''s scaly chest expanded, glowing in a bright orange color as well.


    His eyes widened, ''Flame Breath!'' He said inwardly before unleashing all the air in his lungs.


    *BOOM*


    A giant blast of fury raged from his mouth, obliterating right through the ice bars as if they were butter.


    Hanzo and the other''s shielded their eyes for a split second, but upon seeing just how destructive the attack was to this supposed ''strongest ice,'' they couldn''t help but smirk slightly.


    "Damn... that bastard has really attained the power of a dragon''s fire." Hanzo said under his breath, chuckling.


    "DAMN YOU!" The old man screamed through the speakers as a block of ice on the other side of Tyr''s cell opened up.


    Inside was a cannon made of thick blue ice. Before Tyr''s flame breath could reach it, it charged up with a sharp noise before unleashing a blast of its own.


    A deep, rich blue Ice energy exploded out and stormed toward Tyr''s flame like a rampaging behemoth.


    Everyone''s smiling expressions disappeared as they noticed this immense attack. sea??h th§× N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    They could sense an immense Aura simply oozing out of it, as if it was cast by a War General.


    Tyr furrowed his brows, unrelenting in his attack. With a determined set of eyes, he exhaled even harder and allowed his flame to surge forth.


    The two powers clashed in the middle with a giant explosion, sending a shockwave that thrust every back and into the walls of the chamber.


    Only Tyr stood straight, his expression and posture not having changed one bit.


    After only half a second of clashing with the ice, his flame breath penetrated straight through it as if it was an iron bar piercing through water, dispelling it to the sides with ease.


    The old man was blown away with shock as he saw this, ''How in the...'' He looked down at the button, ''You scammed me... this is no attack of a pillar.''


    With those final thoughts, he looked back up to see an explosion of flame knocking on his window.


    *BOOM*


    The window was blasted right open, destroying everything inside.


    Tyr stopped his breath, panting slightly as that took every bit of his Aura.


    ''Damn... I should have conserved it a bit more. I''m still new to using Aura it seems. It''s not like I get many opportunities to use Reverse.''


    He jumped out of his cell, right over the melted ice bars.


    "Let''s find a way to get out of here." He said to everyone else as they made their way out of the cells as well.


    "Not so fast!" A voice came through the speakers: "You think you can escape? Just try it... see what happens. You will never escape here... and I will die to uphold that promise. Hehehahah!"


    Tyr looked up at the ceiling with an annoyed expression, "He''s like a cockroach... unkillable."


    Hanzo walked forward, "Let''s forget about him for a moment. I imagine that body of his from a second ago must have been an animatronic or a clone. But this place... it seems much more important than what he was saying it was for."


    After a short pause, Noa added: "All the advanced machinery... and one of the pillars themselves cooperating to create this place. Surely it isn''t just for some criminal to run all by himself."


    "Come to think of it," Malon exclaimed, "I remembered hearing about Ovalantis'' Transportation Terminal being encased inside of a castle of Ice..."


    Hanzo nodded, "Yeah, thats what I heard too. And it would explain the crazy defenses of the place."


    Tyr seemed a bit thrown off by this, "Wait... what is that again?"


    "A Transportation Terminal?" Malon quipped, and after Tyr nodded, he answered: "Each developed kingdom has atleast one of them. You can consider them train stations, except, the trains are space crafts and the various stations are placed on different planets."


    "Huh!?" Tyr wasn''t expecting that whatsoever, "Wait... but I thought that the Solar Tree was the thing that allowed you to transport between planets, no?"


    Malon stammered slightly, "Well... here, let me explain it for you in simple terms. Transportation Terminals teleport you to a universal Transportation Lobby that all terminals across the planet are connected to. There, you can access the Solar Tree and go to other planets."


    "I see..."


    The group had left the cell room they were in by now, and had been walking along the wide halls of the area.


    Suddenly, they came across a giant room to their right.


    "Oh? What''s this." Tyr said, being the first to step in.


    "Hold up!" Hanzo exclaimed as he followed the crew inside, "Lets not just mindlessly waltz into area''s. There are unknown dangers in here."


    As soon as Tyr stepped inside, the large chamber of ice was gone. It seemed to only be a visual illusion.


    Now, what he saw was a room made of metal. Large and small iron pipes went everywhere, and various machinery seemed to be pumping chemicals throughout.


    "What is this?" Noa exclaimed with surprise as she looked around.


    "Woah..." Tyr said under his breath, noticing the multiple portal-like objects at the very back of the chamber--surrounded with unimaginable machinery that seemed to stabilize them.


    "No way..." Hanzo said as he approached Tyr, his face in awe while looking at the portals.


    "World Portals... they open up on their own and allow you to travel between realms. It seems Ovalantis has found a way to create them from scratch."

 Chapter 104: Portals

    "Woah..." Tyr exclaimed again in shock as everyone made their way closer to the portals.


    There were six of the portals lined beside eachother, and were of various sizes and colors. They looked like oval, vertical vortexes with cloudy energy swirling around within them.


    As everyone stared with awe, Tyr said, "But... is that a big deal? I have no clue."


    ''I can teleport to other planets no problem... heh.'' He mused inwardly.


    Hanzo''s brows lowered, "Tsk... of course it is! Its not just a big deal, its a giant deal. No country, atleast in Ainsveld, has been able to create portals to other planets in our Solar Tree. That alone tells you how rare this is."


    "What exactly does it help with though?" Tyr questioned, still not sold.


    "Look... from what I see now, they must not have perfected it yet. It must still be in the prototype mode. However, if this can be monopolized then Ovalantis may be able to become a world power in no time. Above that, spreading Ovalantis'' influence over other planets is another possibility. There are endless choices that open up when world travel is involved."


    "Hmm." Tyr said, making his way toward one of the portals.


    He stopped after a few feet, however, as he felt a cold chill seep into his spine.


    ''A person...'' He thought to himself, feeling his intuition blaring.


    "You sure you wanna step so close to an unstable portal?" A voice came from the doorway to the room.


    Everyone turned, their guards quickly raised and their brows furrowed.


    A skinny young man made his way into the room, half naked and wearing only dirty black rags over his private parts.


    "Who the hell are you?" Hanzo exclaimed, reaching for his bow. S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Me? Oh... im nobody that you need to have a big reaction to right now. Anyways, playtimes over... for both me and you. It''s time you all get your punishment." The young man exclaimed with a smirk on his face.


    Malon raised a brow, "For both us... and you? What does that mean."


    Hanzo exhaled, "Its you isnt it..." He said under his breath.


    On hearing this, the young man''s face went a bit surprised, "Did you already figure me out?"


    "I was right... you''re the old man from before." Hanzo said in a low tone.


    On hearing this, the young man seemed to have a wave of relief wash over him.


    "Phew... I thought, well, nevermind." He quickly changed the subject, "Yes! You caught me indeed!" The young man somehow morphed into the old man again, and then into a middle aged man.


    "So what is our punishment going to be? Are you going to cage us again?" Noa questioned, her expression hostile.


    There was a short moment of silence between both parties, and then...


    "What? No, hahaha! I was just doing that to scare you guys. What you have done is a minor offense. A few weeks doing voluntary work within the kingdom should be enough."


    The young man, who was the old man, and now a middle aged man, turned at that moment, "Follow me... ya'' don''t have much of a choice. Trust me... I am far stronger than you guys." He smirked.


    ''Scan.''


    [Error!]


    [This subject''s power level exceeds 5x of your current strength.]


    [Scan is unable to check their status.]


    Tyr''s eyes flew open with shock, ''F-five times... more powerful than me? Thats well in the 700''s...'' He was at a loss.


    Hanzo furrowed his brows, "Come on, lets go... he isn''t bluffing it seems." He said, walking forward.


    The other two followed along as Tyr stayed back for a moment.


    "Oh and you..." The middle aged man suddenly stopped, turning and speaking to Tyr who was dozens of feet away, "Try to survive... you seem to have some potential."


    Tyr''s brows abruptly furrowed. The others were also on edge by hearing this.


    "What do you mean?" Hanzo stared at the man, who gestured toward here.


    On turning to face Tyr, Hanzo noticed a large hand double the size of a human, rotten and red, slowly reach out of the red portal behind Tyr--the fingers fully extended.


    Tyr stood there clueless, and before Hanzo or the others could say anything, the fingers collasped on Tyr--wrapping him in a tight grip before violently pulling him inside the portal that it came from.


    "TYR!" Malon yelled, attempting to dash forward.


    "Not so quick." The middle aged man''s voice was serious, "Don''t take another step. Your month punishment will turn into much more... just quietly proceed this way."


    A block of ice rose in front of Malon at that moment--halting him in his tracks.


    "He will die..." Noa said in a low tone, as though in disbelief.


    "Is that the trust you have in your friend?" The middle aged man exclaimed.


    Hanzo gritted his teeth, turning around and facing the doorway: "Oi... lets go. He will survive it and come out. If not, we will return here one way or another after our sentences. After all, getting inside this ice dungeon is just another few weeks of punishment right?"


    The middle aged man remained silent.


    "Then its settled..." Hanzo began to walk forward, the other two staring at his back with shock as he said: "I know Tyr won''t die in damn stupid place like this."


    After a minute or so, the three had left the room. Only the middle aged man stood there still looking at the red portal for a few seconds with squinted eyes.


    ''Apart from parts of Titan, there is no planet as unforgiving as Tarnish. Its creature''s aren''t of the strongest variety, and its materials aren''t of the highest values... yet even the strongest of Hunter''s can''t remain there long. Out of all these portals, he decided to stand in front of the most dastardly one. He has absolutely no choice to survive.''


    He shook his head: ''Tsk tsk tsk... poor soul.''


    ***


    [Warning!]


    [You have entered a very harsh environment.]


    [Warning!]


    [Your health is rapidly decreasing!]


    [Health: 50-->41]


    [41-->35-->24]


    "Shit!"


    Tyr quickly activated Full Golden Body.


    [Immune to all fire damage.]


    [Immune to all wind damage.]


    Tyr began to heal again after popping a health capsule.


    All around him was what seemed to be a completley unfamilar landscape.


    It was a giant red desert made of hard red stone floor as far as the eye could see.


    Even the sky was a tone of orange, blocking out any sign of the sun or moon.


    The land was incredibly dystopian, with random rock formations scattered aroound scarcely. On top of that, lava flowed through the floor cracks, and fire seemed to be littered all over as well.


    *Kera ka machi knea*


    A noise came from behind, GG quickly translating it: "Fresh meat..."


    The young man slowly turned his head, only to notice a ginormous humaniod figure with melting skin sitting behind him.

 Chapter 105: Tarnish

    ''Scan...''


    ©³©¥©¥©¥Status©¥©¥©¥©·


    Name: Tarnished Gorc


    Age: 1240


    Power Level: 175


    Rank: Sentinel


    ©»©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¿


    "Hehegehugeu." The monster let out an ugly laugh that sent chills up Tyr''s spine.


    "Strong... disgusting mother fucker." Tyr said, taking a step back and surveying the beast before him.


    Standing, it was probably close to 20 feet tall. It was fully bald, with rotting pale skin and several giant open wounds and scabs all over its putrid body.


    It was lanky and thin and sat down with its back bent over and one knee up. Its face was no less ugly, with a protruding nose, no ears, and a set of bloodshot eyes.


    ''Soul Mend: Dragon.''


    Scales grew all over Tyr''s body.


    The Tarnished Gorc quickly stood up on seeing this, hauling a seemingly slow kick toward Tyr.


    A few meters before hitting, however, the kick abruptly sped up out of nowhere.


    Tyr''s eyelids flew wide open as he thrust his wings to the side--narrowly avoiding the attack.


    The Gorc''s kick flew past him like a cannonball, the afterblow pulling his hair back slightly.


    "Tsk... bastard. Flame Breath!" Tyr exclaimed. An enormous blast surged forth from his mouth.


    After the flame settled, however, Tyr noticed that the monster was utterly unharmed.


    "W-what..." He said under his breath, "No... I get it. Even if this is the mightiest flame, it means nothing to monsters immune to heat and flame in general..."


    He understood that on a planet like the one he was on right now, where most creatures from Subworld couldn''t survive, other beasts from here must have adapted to almost all types of heat.


    The monster''s lips pulled upward into a horrid smile. Before Tyr knew it, the lanky beast had lunged into a full blown sprint.


    "Fucckkkk!" Tyr screamed, "YOU UGLY BASTARD! JUST HOW CREEPY CAN YOU BE!?" He turned, running the opposite direction.


    The Tarnished Gorc quickly caught up to him, however. The smile on his face still not leaving.


    "Soul Mend! Polaris Tiger!" Tyr''s scales disappeared, replaced with fur instead.


    ''I can''t use any other Soul Mend for another 10 minutes. I''ll have to beat him with this.''


    He suddenly sped up, making quick distance on the monster behind him.


    "Ha... yeah bitch. What are you gonna do now?" He turned on his heel, dashing up into the air and unsheathing his spear from his back.


    ''Blink Step.''


    He appeared right in front of the monster''s face, thrusting his spear deep into its eyeball.


    The beast was propelled backward, screaming in pain as if it were a toddler.


    A smile appeared on Tyr''s face, his eyes widening with exhilaration. The monster tumbled all the way onto its back with a loud slam.


    "Hahaha!" Tyr''s laugh roared. He repeatedly stabbed the monster in the eyes and head over and over again.


    "Die! Die you fuck! Fuck you, you ugly, disgusting fuck!"


    After over 20 stabs, the beast finally stopped screaming and squirming in pain and died.


    [You have slain a Tarnished Gorc.]


    [You leveled up!]


    Tyr deactivated his Soul Mend as well, but not before tearing into the beast''s chest and retrieving an A-Grade Beast Core.


    He then walked off the chest of the beast before falling on his ass, panting with exhaustion and adrenaline still coursing through his veins.


    [Your brain has acclimated to the aging process of Tarnish.]


    ''Is that the name of this shit hole planet?'' Tyr asked rhetorically.


    [Your aging has been increased by a factor of 24x]


    ''Huh...''


    [1 hour will count as a day.]


    ''What...''


    [1 day will count as 24 days.] Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    [1 month will count as 24 months]


    ''What the fuck...''


    [This effect does not apply to those within Infinite Domain.]


    ''Master!'' Rudra suddenly exclaimed at that moment, ''Im afraid neither I nor Ares will be able to survive that environment.''


    ''I can survive any environment!'' Ares exclaimed out of nowhere.


    "Okay... want to test it out? I''ll unleash you for only a mome--" Tyr was interrupted.


    ''Why would I want to go out in that shithole? Screw that...''


    "Sure man..." Tyr said, shaking his head.


    He looked around, "I need to find a way back. On top of that... I need to get stronger and find my way around this place before I get slaughtered by a gang of those ugly freaks." He stood up, beginning to trek toward a certain direction.


    ***


    Hanzo, Malon, and Noa were escorted outside of the ice chamber by the middle aged man.


    The place looked to be inside of one of the mountains surrounding Ovalantis.


    From there, they were taken by Imperial Knights into the main gates of the kingdom.


    After that, they were assigned their separate services to their lords and given a certain timespan to complete their jobs.


    Hanzo''s job was to be nothing more than a farm stable within a outskirts city named Pennion.


    He had to clean, wash, feed, and take care of various animals such as cows, horses, pigs and more.


    His time would end in exactly 3 weeks, so he didn''t waste any time and began working day in and day out.


    Malon on the other hand had it a bit easier. He was a chore boy for the Thors Hunter''s Guild in an outer city named Kastel.


    Cleaning up messes, serving customers, and basic house keeping were his duties. He had to serve for about 3 weeks and a half.


    Finally, Noa was to help a clothing store in the same city of Malon. She was to do housekeeping there as well, but her time was only 2 weeks.


    Imagining she had some spare time, Noa first decided to try and see if she could get a gun for herself again.


    A gun almost gave her her personality, and it had felt weird this entire time not having it.


    She wanted to get one as soon as possible.


    So, she decided to enter a blacksmith''s shop nearby and try to get one tailored.


    Upon stepping inside, the place looked like any old smithery. Noa walked to the back, where a man in his mid-sixties stood behind a counter rubbing a large greatsword with a white cloth.


    The sounds of metal clanging in the background reverberated through the air as Noa spoke to the man behind the counter:


    "Hi... do you guys do weapon orders? Tailor-made."


    The old man looked Noa up and down before looking back at the weapon he was cleaning, "Depends on what it is..."


    "A gun." Noa said with a straight face.


    The man stopped, as did a few other blacksmiths as they heard Noa speak.


    "A what? Gun? Pahaha! Why are you coming to a blacksmith for a gun?" The man exclaimed, causing a few other men to also chuckle.


    "Because no other business can make the gun that I want."


    "Oh yeah? And what type of gun is that?"


    Noa paused for a second. A few other blacksmiths in the place also glanced over at the young lady.


    After the pause, she abruptly grabbed the greatsword out of the old man''s hand.


    She held it by the handle with ease with just one hand. The sword was almost one and a half times the size of her entire body, yet she pointed it at the blacksmith''s neck without any signs of struggle.


    "A gun thats a bit bigger than this right here," Noa said with a smirk on her face.


    The old man''s smile turned to a frown, "Okay... I understand. Now put down the weapon you crazy lady!" He said with hands raised.


    *Weeks later...*

 Chapter 106: Reunion

    Noa leaned over a small counter, her face resting atop the palm of her hand, and a bored expression was on her face.


    She stared at the hung clothing in front of her as if it were a void.


    People came in and out at random intervals, the bell beside the door ringing each time.


    Chatter, slight laughter, and scarce yet urgent demands resounded through the shop.


    However, Noa was too much involved in her own mind to hear all of that.


    ''It''s been three and a half weeks since I''ve been working here...'' She looked at the clock, ''It''s almost time to clock out...'' She began to make her way toward the clock out booth.


    ''I could have stopped working, but it took one week to get the details of my gun just right...'' She mused as he put in her number to clock out for the day.


    ''And now...'' A smile appeared on her face as she turned toward the door, ''Betsy should be all finished up.''


    Noa''s time in this town was over in her eyes, as all she had to do was retrieve her finished gun. After that, she could find out how to reach Hanzo and Malon again.


    ***


    Hanzo walked onto a hardwood floor completely butt naked with a proud smile on his face.


    "Each time I take a shower after that dirty dump, it feels like heaven. Even though its been 4 days since I was last there..." He exclaimed with joy, quickly putting his clothes back on.


    Hanzo had finished his time exactly 4 days ago at the farmhouse, and had already traveled across the empire to get to a city named Kastel.


    Thankfully, he and the other''s were given details of where they were all transferred.


    ''Its a bit annoying that only I was thrown thousands of miles away, but its no big deal...'' He grumbled inwardly before making his way out the motel that he was staying in for the night.


    After searching around for a short while, he found the Thors Hunter''s Guild.


    ''Good thing he works at such a well known establishment... it would have been impossible to find him otherwise in this crowded metropolis.'' Hanzo mused to himself as he made his way into the guild.


    As he was making his way toward the back of the building near the booths, he bumped into a rather tall fellow.


    Looking up, he instantly recognized that mooshroomy face.


    "Hanzo!?" Malon exclaimed with delight quickly spreading across his expression.


    Hanzo smirked, "You tall shroom! We finally meet again, hahaha!"


    Malon picked Hanzo up out of nowhere and spun him around like a child.


    He didn''t see any fault in it since he was happy, but Hanzo''s face immediately went pale.


    "W-what the fuck are you doing!?" He slammed the moosh''s shroomtop with the bottom of his fist.


    *Moments later...*


    "Anyways," Hanzo fixed his coat, "Lets get out of here and find Noa. Hopefully she stayed close to this city."


    "Sounds like a plan."


    With that, the two began their search for the clothing store that Noa worked at.


    They didn''t have a name for it, so it took a damn long while.


    While they searched for stores, the two talked about what happened during their stay at the stables.


    "Actually, I''ve gotten quite a bit stronger." Malon said, a hint of pride in his tone. "Still, Im probably weaker than Tyr is. But atleast I made some progress, right?"


    Hanzo was slightly taken aback by this, "How did you get stronger?" He emphasized the ''you,'' "Weren''t you working in Thors Guild the entire time?"


    Malon slightly chuckled on hearing this, "Haha... well, about that... I decided to ask the Vice Guildmaster to help train me."


    "What!?"


    "At the start he was of course hesitant, but I decided to keep pestering him until I either was kicked out or he agreed to my demands. In the end, knowing that I was working to serve time, he decided to train me. While consuming various pills that I bought using some money, I began to cultivate and also train with him every day for two hours.


    My cultivation technique is still quite trash, but in terms of combat training I have upgraded by leaps and bounds. Atleast, thats what he tells me."


    Hanzo paused for a moment before replying: "Well, lets hope he didn''t just say that to get you off his back. But, you do seem a lot stronger, I will say that."


    He looked at his own hands, "I on the other hand barely gained strength. I tried to cultivate, but at my strength, basic techniques don''t really work."


    ''Tsk...'' Hanzo exclaimed inwardly, ''But its not just that. Maybe if I had the work ethic of Tyr, or even Malon I could have gotten a lot stronger. When it comes to most things, I do... but when it comes to gaining power, even though I want to become stronger for Tyr''s goal... I can''t seem to be able to bring myself to agree with it fully.''


    He thought about it for a moment. Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''I know what I need... a goal of my own. A dream of my own, as Noa spoke about. Doing something for someone else is one thing, but Malon and Tyr are determined to get stronger for their own wants and purposes. That is why they are succeeding so greatly... yet, I am here trying to do it for someone else.


    Its wrong, I need to want it for myself. Only then can I truly boost my power... I need a dream.''


    *


    After a while, The two were led to a black smithery by a clothing store, since, apparently, Noa had gone there after her shift.


    Upon reaching the smithery, a giant pink cannonball fired out of the entrance out of nowhere.


    Hanzo and Malon were speaking, so they were totally caught off guard by the projectile.


    "Heeeeelllll yeahh!" A female voice sounded from inside, as the pink cannon ball expanded into a web and wrapped Malon and Hanzo tightly into a seal.


    "Whooohoo!" The voice seemed familar.


    "Noa?" Both Hanzo and Malon exclaimed at once.


    At that moment, Noa stepped out of the blacksmithery with a smile on her face and a giant gun in her hand: "Im back! And so is Ol'' Betsy!"

 Chapter 107: Power Up

    Noa''s personality seemed completely different from before.


    Malon was thrown the hell off by it.


    "What the hell is happening? Why is Noa such a monster!?" He exclaimed with confusion.


    "Yeah..." Hanzo said in defeat, "She gets excited when a gun is in her hands."


    After a short while, Noa placed the gun on her back and freed Hanzo and Malon.


    "Isn''t it amazing!?" She shouted, overjoyed at her new weapon.


    "What? Your Ancestral Ability?" Hanzo questioned, straightening his arm as it almost got dislocated right there.


    "No silly! Ol'' Betsy, my gun!"


    "You named her huh?" Malon said, "Crazy..." He whispered under his breath.


    "What did you just say? You know I heard you right?" Noa suddenly exclaimed in a low tone.


    Hanzo frowned, ''Shit... Im not gonna be apart of this.''


    *


    After a couple seconds, the three made their way across the city on Hanzo''s jetski.


    Malon had a large bump on his head...


    "Let''s go save Tyr now." Hanzo said, his expression determined.


    "He must be so scared... I can''t believe its been a month he''s been alone on some random planet." Noa said in a worried tone, her eyebrows curling inwards.


    Malon exhaled, "No way... I can''t imagine Tyr being scared of something like that. I know he is doing just fine."


    Hanzo spoke: "Lets just hope we can make it there as fast as possible."


    *Days passed*


    Tarnish. Random Hellish Desert.


    Sprawled out across the scorching sand was a body lying flat on its back.


    The person had a large golden flame burning up from their glabella. He had long hair that extended 2 feet outwards from their head. His eyes were closed, and his mouth hung wide open with his tongue flopped out and to the side as if he was a corpse.


    *Bzzzz*


    A fly buzzed through the air above the man.


    *Bzzzzzz*


    It came closer, expanding in size as it neared the man.


    It seemed no larger than a housefly at first, but as it got a few feet away from the man on the ground, the fly was as large as a twin sized bed.


    Now, the fly''s buzzing sounded like a high powered mechanical engine.


    *BZZZZZZZZZZ*


    On hearing the loud sound, the man seemed to awake from his slumber, "Get outta'' here," A deep voice came from the man as he swatted his hand across the air.


    It slammed into the fly, which was instantly obliterated impact--its remained propelled hundreds of feet away.


    [You have slain a Robust Fly.]


    Some of the fly juice spilled onto the man, who quickly sat up and spit out whatever was thrown into his mouth.


    "Puh! Puh! Pahhhh!" He stuck his tongue out in disgust, "Ew... fucking cunt fly." He shook his head and stood up.


    "I swear its been a month already... that means I''ve aged two years right?" Tyr looked at his hands and feet.


    He was taller than before, about 6''4 ft. in height now. His frame was filled out as well, jacked and ripped from head to toe with muscle protruding from every inch of his physique.


    Veins sprawled all across his limbs and body like water hoses forming spider webs. Striations played like piano strings each time he moved, and his clothes had been long ripped apart from the increase in muscle. He wasn''t a block of muscle, still appearing athletic and relatively lean.


    "Its weird... but I''ve been gaining an immense amount of natural strength without doing jack shit. I think It has something to do with my Ancestral Ability and also maybe those odd fruits. I am way stronger than before."


    Tyr hadn''t cultivated for even a second during this entire time, but through killing beasts and sometimes eating very rare fruits that he would find throughout the planet, he had gained a mountain of power.


    "I never thought I would find fruits in a hell like this, but whenever I do, they taste like bliss. They also give me a crazy amount of Aura... so maybe thats being used somehow. I have no clue..."


    *Boom boom boom*


    Tyr looked down, noticing the fine particles atop the ground below him dancing up and down as though on a beating drum.


    He furrowed his brows, "Something''s approaching." He turned, noticing a group of 4 Tarnished Gorc''s rampaging toward him.


    "Oh... its just those weaklings." He said, unimpressed, as he had fought creatures who were far superior by now.


    He lunged forward into a sprint, nearly turning into a blur due to his immense speed.


    ''Blink Step.'' He appeared before the one of the Gorc''s face, reaching his arm back before unleashing a powerful punch.


    *BANG*


    The Gorc''s head was exploded into a thousand pieces.


    [You have slain a Tarnished Gorc.]


    Tyr hopped off of it''s shoulder, slamming it to the ground as he was thrown in front of another Gorc''s face.


    *BANG*


    [You have slain a Tarnished Gorc.]


    Just like this, he hopped from one Gorc to the other, annihilating each one without much trouble.


    [You have slain a Tarnished Gorc.]


    [You have slain a Tarnished Gorc.]


    [You leveled up!]


    ''Just one level from all that huh... speaking of levels, GG must have increased my level to match the strength I''ve gained through these month long days... lets see how im looking now. GG, open my Status.''


    ©³©¥©¥©¥Status©¥©¥©¥©·


    Name: Tyr Evolion Thalonis


    Bloodline: Almighty Thalonis + Unknown


    Age: 18 Years


    Level: 301


    Vitality: 125/125


    Strength: 135


    Stamina: 120/120


    Speed: 125


    Aura: 120


    Stats remaining: 0 S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Rank: Virtuoso


    ©»©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¿


    A smile stretched across Tyr''s face: "Nice... very nice. I guess it wasn''t a mistake to come here after all. Maybe I''ll stay for longer."


    Tyr''s rate of strength gain had slowed significantly, but at this rate he was still expanding in strength much faster than on Subworld.


    ***


    Ovalantis Capital City: King.


    11 powerful figures exuding their own immense Aura''s sat around a giant round table.


    Behind five of them was one person who was no weaker than any of those sitting down it seemed.


    After a long pause, the man sitting at the back middle of the table finally raised his voice: "I would like to thank you all for joining this Continental Meeting... without delay, let''s begin to talk about the main reason this meeting was called in the first place. The new threat upon this world... a Fire Dragon."

 Chapter 108: Continetal Leaders

    ***EXTRA LONG CHAPTER***


    A few minutes prior...


    A knight standing beside one of the pillars in this large meeting room held a horn up to his lips and exclaimed:


    "Please welcome, High Lord of the western mongrals and Emperor of the Zasea Kingdom; his almighty, Karax Haou!"


    As he said this, a tall man who was 6''3 ft. in height walked up the steps leading to the main platform where the meeting roundtable was held.


    He wore a giant red-skinned thick wool cover over his shoulder, and a short skirt made of thick leather--showcasing his ripped and shredded legs.


    He wore hide sandals, and had dozens of feathers poking out of his frizzled, long black hair.


    His skin was not clean, but rather appeared dirty and unkept. His face was like that of a powerful tribe chief with a chiseled diamond jawline.


    His entire demeanor, expression, and presence was rough.


    The person behind him was 2 inches taller, and looked almost no different in terms of clothing. Except, the feathers on his head were only a couple, and his face was more blocky.


    After Karax Haou sat down, the announcer knight roared again:


    "Please welcome, Holy Protector of the northern elves and Crown King of Edenharl Garden; his divinity, Syelthus Edenguard!"


    This man was even taller than the previous one, but appeared almost completely like the opposite.


    Standing at 7''0 ft. flat in height, the man was elegant, poised and slim. His pale white skin seemed to somehow glow a white gleam as if it were made of crystals.


    He was unblemished from head to toe, wearing a long white and warm-green robe with a crown made of thin vines seemingly growing out of his head.


    He had long, pointy ears resembling and elf, and low eyes with an expressionless face.


    Behind him was a far shorter elf with glasses and a slightly nervous smirk on his face.


    As Syelthus Edenguard sat down, Karax pointed his chin toward him with a disgusted look.


    He grunted slightly before returning to his position and keeping his rough expression on.


    The announcer began to shout again in no time:


    "Please welcome, High Lord of the eastern dwarfs and Chancellor of the Douden Federation; his powerful, Dristadhumna Mahapra!"


    Slight tremors danced throughout the room at that moment as loud yet slow footsteps climbed up the steps.


    Finally, a towering behemoth of a man entered the meeting room. He was no less than 20 ft. in height, wearing tight yellowish-brown armor. He had a long red cape behind him.


    The tight armor showcased his brutish and jacked body, covered in muscles in every part.


    His face was calm, rigid and exuded immense power. Behind him was a 3''5 ft. dwarf wearing knight''s armor and wielding an axe.


    Dhum, as most called the Chancellor of Douden, sat down on his ginormous seat to the right of the table.


    "Please welcome," The announcer started again, "High Lord of the southern humans and Emperor of the Rock Saelfine Empire; his glorious, Augustus Cloud Maximillion XII!"


    A 6''3 ft. tall man made his way up the stairs. He withheld the most balanced presence of all those who climbed those steps prior to him.


    He was elegant, yet boasted a power no lesser than the others at the same time.


    He wore red robes and a golden crown atop his head, his face clean-shaven, his hair a brilliant silver, and his eyes a soul-piercing azure color.


    With a slight smile on his face, he made his way to the seat beside Dhum''s and sat down.


    The person standing beside him... clad in black and dark red robe-like armor, a tall man no shorter than 6''5 ft. in stature with pale skin, icy blue eyes, and long black hair flowing down to his waistline. It was no other than Thaddeus.


    "And finally, last, but certainly not least: Please welcome the Supreme Emperor of the center lands, High Ruler of the collected species, and Absolute Commander of the Ovalantis Province; his sovereignty, Julius Vell Storm!"


    As soon as this name was called, all those sitting down rose up in unison.


    The quick rustling and fluttering of clothing items gave way to silent steps rising above the stairs.


    Julius Vell Storm walked to the middle-back chair and took a seat.


    He was no shorter than that of Zarax or Augustus. He wore pristine white armor, with lines of white Aura flowing through it in a pattern resembling that of giant pentagrams all throughout.


    Across his forehead rested a large diadem, his eyes a piercing red, and his hair a bright blonde.


    The man who walked beside him who was shorter in stature took a seat. He was clad in light blue robes and held a fan over his face.


    Afterward, five more men made their way into the meeting room, taking their own respective seats.


    Each person wore various colors, and they were known as the five pillars of Ovalantis.


    Back to present time...


    Julius began the meeting.


    ***


    "Come to think of it, this rate of growth has been so quick I haven''t even gotten a chance to test out what I''ve retrieved from it." Tyr said as he walked in a certain direction.


    "I know I leveled past the threshold for my Third Sealed Memory and also my new spell, but I have yet to check with all the things I have to deal with on this shitty planet."


    He made his way next to a boiling lake, knelt down and drank a couple of mouthfuls of water.


    "Ugh... water is still as hot as ever. Thankfully it doesn''t hurt me though." He exhaled, "Its good that Full Golden Body can stay on infinitely. Although, having a fire attached to my forehead isn''t great in terms of practicality in the normal world. Here though, everything has fire attached to it so... whatever." S§×arch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    After drinking the water, he sat down, "Alright... lets see what this is now." He summoned a golden key in his hand.


    "Third sealed memory... show me what you got." He placed it in the keyhole which appeared in the air, before giving it a slight turn.


    *Click*


    A few seconds prior...


    ''I remember in the last sealed memory that I witnessed my childhood with my parents up until my 6th birthday. From there the memory cut off. There isn''t anything special about it being my 6th birthday, except for the fact that it was the day I was meant to unlock my Ancestral Ability.''


    With this thought in mind, he unlocked the sealed memory.


    ***


    *ZOOOSH*


    He was taken into oblivion at once. He witnessed more war cries, sobs and wails, screams of rage.


    He heard the blasts of Aura spells, clanging of weapons and the destruction of buildings and body parts while witnessing flashes of them all at once.


    After moments of this overwhelming sensation of memories aligning themselves, Tyr found himself opening his eyes to a random hallway.


    ''Im short... 6 years old type of short.'' He immediately noted before looking around.


    This time, he wanted to survey each part of his memory so he could begin piecing things together.


    He looked forward first, noticing a door a few hundred meters away. To the left was a wall with various paintings and emblems, and to the right were pillars placed about 10 feet part from each other.


    In between the pillars, there were no walls. Tyr could look out into the courtyard and garden where dozens of people seemed to playfully laugh.


    "Tyr, keep going, boy. Your birthday party and Ancestral Ability awakening is tomorrow, don''t you want to get ready?" A familiar voice sounded from behind.


    Tyr felt a tap on the shoulder, turning to see his father, Stars, standing behind him with a smile on his face.


    "Oh... right." Tyr said, continuing to walk.


    Stars chuckled, "You''re quite the odd one."


    At that moment, Tyr furrowed his brows, ''Why is my father in my memories reacting to me as if I actually did this back then?'' He realized, questioning it for the first time.


    ''Is it that these are my memories... or am I going back in time?'' He thought for a split second, but quickly shrugged that off.


    It was going only to confuse him further if he thought about it in that way.


    At that moment, Stars picked Tyr up and held him with one arm while pointing out into the yard.


    "Look! That''s your uncle, Uriel Thalorin. He doesn''t come often, but he came for your birthday. Say hi!" Stars excitedly exclaimed.


    As Tyr glanced over at the man his father was gesturing toward, Stars'' smile disappeared for a moment.


    Tyr waved, as Uriel paused for a few seconds--staring at the boy before giving a wave and a bright smile.


    ''Uriel huh? I remember that name somehow.'' Tyr mused as a he noticed everything around him turning black.


    *ZIIIIP*


    He blinked, opening his eyes again to an entirely different scene.


    He sat behind a long table atop a platform. Beside him sat his parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts and more.


    Below, there was a large red carpeted hall with tables, choirs, food courts and more--not to mention the hundreds of people gathered together for Tyr''s ceremony.

 Chapter 109: Third Sealed Memory

    Tyr''s eyes glanced through the crowd like a wave. Out of nowhere, he felt an overwhelming feeling of joy.


    ''Oh... this is what I must have felt back then.'' He thought to himself, unable to help but smile.


    His mother caressed his head with a beautiful smile.


    Tyr glanced at her and then looked at his father, who stared at him with the same joyful smile before abruptly standing up.


    "Everyone!" His loud voice echoed, "I would like to propose a toast to the future ruler of the Thalonis House!" He raised his glass high in the air.


    Those sitting behind the long table on both sides of him quickly stood up on hearing this, also raising their glasses.


    Many who were below were already standing, but those who weren''t also stood for this great event.


    "I would like to thank all of you for joining us on this grand occasion!" He said, receiving a roaring cheer from the crowd.


    "Commonfolk, royals, nobles and all! Even those of you who have supported us from other planets, such as the Xylothians of planet Xylax, I would like to hand out my memento of gratitude!"


    Tyr furrowed his brows as he heard this, looking to the right, where his father had glanced, and noticing a group of figures behind the table and to the right of his uncle''s family who did not look like humans whatsoever.


    Before he could begin to note their features, his father continued.


    "I--" *Cough* "--Excuse me. As I was saying, I would like to also--" *Cough cough*


    "--ahem! It seems a piece of rice has gotten stuck to my throat! My apologies, everyone!" He joked, causing a resounding laugh to ripple through the room.


    "Ah yes, so as I was sayin--" *Cough cough* "--What in the world is--" *Cough cough cough*


    Stars'' coughs began to get even worse. Suddenly, he stumbled to the side, his face turning pale as his hand slid across the table while trying to keep himself on his feet.


    The crowd quieted down quickly, light sounds of shock beginning to hum as Tyr''s mother yelled: "Stars!" And ran to his side.


    Everyone gasped in a state of astonishment with concerned looks on their faces as they saw this.


    As he stared at his father''s face turn more pale, and his eyes turn more red, Tyr''s brows slowly furrowed with concern, ''Why didn''t I think of the possibility... that those scenes of destruction from the flashes of memories could happen right here...'' Tyr suddenly thought to himself, looking around at the building he was in.


    ''I was so preoccupied with what was going on that I totally forgot about them...'' He looked at the various pillars of this grand hall. ''Why else would my memories be showing me this day specifically.''


    His eyes widened more and more in shock as each time he looked at a pillar, a flash of memories showing that pillar being destroyed in fire appeared for just a split second.


    Wherever he looked, this seemed to be the case. The completely normal ground exploding, the unblemished windows bursting, and more.


    Tyr began to pant with worry. He was out of it, and instead of looking at his father, who had dozens of people surrounding him by this point, he looked around at others.


    Finally, his eyes landed on his uncle, who, despite what was going on, had a slight smirk on his face.


    Tyr''s eyelids flew open with shock, ''Oh...''


    Stars'' face was quickly riddled with purple veins, his eyes completely bloodshot with blood trickling out of his lips.


    Touching the blood on his son''s lips, Atlas, Tyr''s grandfather, stared at the crowd and roared with rage: "Who has dared to do this!? Show yourselves now!" He slammed his foot on the ground--sending a powerful tremor through the entire building.


    At that very moment, a slow and quiet laugh came from the right side of the hall.


    "Hahaha... ahaha!" The laugh became louder, as Uriel Thalorin became the center of attention of the crowd and everyone else inside the hall.


    "Finally! Finally, the heir to another cursed Thalonis head has been slain!" He screamed, as dozens of aliens sitting beside him suddenly began to jump up and surround the room.


    "Uriel! What is the meaning of this!?" Atlas roared.


    "Shut up, you old geezer!" Uriel screamed, "Quick! Kill the old bastard so he can''t spawn any more Thalonis demons, and kill the little Ancestral Ability-less twerp before he gains power!"


    The aliens darted forward, but dozens of knights appeared before both of those called-out figures.


    *BOOM*


    A blast of Aura sounded as bystanders began to panic and rushed out of the building.


    Many, however, stayed. Their brows were furrowed with anger, and their weapons were sheathed.


    A battle quickly broke out between them and the knights versus the aliens as a man burst through the ceiling, grabbing Tyr, his mother, and his grandfather all at once.


    Tyr couldn''t believe what he was seeing, ''Father!?'' He exclaimed inwardly with shock.


    "Stars!?" Uriel yelled as the aliens and knights of Thalonis continued their fight, destroying the building they were in.


    Amidst the incredible destruction, Stars smiled, "I knew your plan from this morning... and before that as well. Do you think the Thalonis Family would ever truly trust the Thalorin... even after all the evil you have caused? The Golden Age is no more, cousin."


    Uriel ground his teeth with rage, ''The Thalonis House is to end today... I will not allow any other option. Not after everything I''ve sacrificed!'' He inwardly screamed.


    "How... how did you find out this morning." He said in a low and angered tone. sea??h th§× Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "You didn''t wave back fast enough to my boy." Stars said boldly, angering Uriel even further as he continued: "I would never let my family be harmed. I am the head of the Thalonis Family, damn it!"


    Stars finally jumped, escaping the area at once.


    Uriel slammed his fists on the table and roared at the sky: "I don''t care, Stars! I will have your entire family butchered! The centuries-long war will soon end, and our family will finally earn what was taken away by your blood from the very beginning! By Erval and the others! We will all gain it back through fire and blood!" Vein''s protruded out of his neck, his eyes seething with hatred.


    He turned toward the rest of the building, noticing hundreds of knights pouring into the place. He then glanced over at Stars'' fake body, which now turned to Aura energy and dispersed into the air.


    Suddenly, a smile appeared on his face: "Not this time... we won''t lose this time around. We can''t... even the God''s are on our side, Erval..."


    He paused, staring up at the sky: "Do you hear me... Crypt? You should have chosen a side. You caused this... now who will stop it!?"


    *BOOM*


    *BOOM BOOM*


    The ceilings shattered as thousands of aliens with wings littered the sky, even blocking out the sun like a cloud of locusts in the distance.


    *


    Tyr was taken into one of the buildings nearby and placed inside a small wooden box, outside of which his parents and grandfather began to speak of what to do.


    ''The first sealed memory...'' Tyr recognized the scene at that moment. He tightened his fists, his eyes widening with rage: ''Uriel... Thalorin.'' The intensity in his eyes was like that of no other.


    It was a rage that stemmed from deep inside his soul that he couldn''t control, ''I will slaughter him with my very hands.'' He thought to himself, never feeling this amount of anger ever before in his entire life.


    It was like something deep within him had awakened, something that came from centuries ago. Something that he had to act upon as soon as possible.


    But then, he felt a wave of fatigue wash over him as if he had taken a sleeping pill.


    For a split second, he felt all of his past memories be erased.


    *ZIIIP*


    He was back to reality and had regained all those memories again.


    ''Why... did I just lose my memories there?''

 Chapter 110: Ancestral Presence

    Tyr took a deep breath, "I''ve gone through 3 memories now..." He said under his breath, tightening his fists.


    "I have to piece things together." He couldn''t help it, as he still felt that burning rage within his bones, "I want to act out on this anger that I feel right now... but it''s not like I can find Uriel Thalorin right now. And even if I could, would I be able to defeat him?"


    This question was like a bud, stemming dozens of branches and roots of questions:


    "Why was he speaking about Erval? What did the aliens have to do with it? How long ago was that event? 10 years ago? 30? 40?


    How long did I live without knowing all of this happened... is Uriel even still alive?"


    As he asked that last question, he had a sudden realization, "My parents... are they still alive? I have to find them!"


    He paused, plagued by confusion. After a while, he took a deep breath, "Why... does GG know about these memories." He finally asked, "And why do my actions in these so-called ''memories'' affect how my parents and others react to me? Why can I change my memories, damn it!"


    He was rightfully confused and angered by all of this, "Who made me lose my memories in the first place? It''s not right... none of it is right!"


    He finally stood up, fueled with rage and sick of not being able to do anything about it.


    "Fuck!" He yelled into the sky, "GG, when are my next memories going to be shown?"


    [Level needed for Fourth Sealed Memory Key: 850]


    [Level needed for next spell: 850]


    "What the fuck?" Tyr exclaimed raising a brow, "Fuck you GG!" He screamed into the sky.


    After exhaling, he gathered himself, "Just kidding... without GG I would not have made it this far for sure. Now that I have my Ancestral Ability... Boon Of The Sun Devourer, I am good to be on my own, but before then I was useless without GG."


    "Let''s see... I don''t know what happened to my parents, but if they are still alive I will not fail in finding them. When it comes to Uriel... I''ll have to get strong enough to beat his ass myself."


    He stared forward with a determined expression on his face.


    "My dream is to be the most powerful in the wor--no, its to be the most powerful in the entire Solar Tree. And my goal is to gain power so that I can kill Uriel and find my parents."


    He paused for a moment, "Then that means... my goal is to wage a war against whatever force Uriel has and come out on top."


    Out of nowhere, Tyr felt a pain in his spine. It drove up his back and all the way into his head and to his glabella.


    GG also opened up in front of him in its floating transparent form. S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He closed one eye in pain, "Ach!" He exclaimed, keeping one eye open to look at the floating Grimoire in front of him.


    "What the hell..." He muttered under his breath, confused.


    The pages in GG flipped hundreds of times, revealing many empty pages, before finally returning to the starting pages.


    It showed Tyr all of his abilities, such as Transfer, Hypnosis, Disappear, Blink Step, Soul Marking, and Reverse, and finally, it flipped to the last page that was filled out.


    On that last page, Tyr glanced over the new Spell that he gained when he went over level 250 sometime back.


    But he barely even got to read what it was when it was suddenly erased.


    "What the hell!?" He exclaimed, still in searing pain as he felt like his head was going to blow off at any moment.


    Finally, the transparent blue book wrote new symbols on the page that just had the level 250 Spell disappear from it.


    Before, it was a spell called God Thunder. But now, it was replaced with a spell called...


    [New Spell: Ancestral Presence.]


    [Description: Passive ability to mimic and exude the Aura and spiritual pressure of previous generations of your family. This Spell can be trained to become stronger, giving you the ability to exude the Aura of those far superior to you.]


    [Spell Criteria: This spell is unique, as it is a rare spell that more than one person can learn. To meet the requirements of learning this Spell along with one''s Ancestral Ability, one needs to be born with their *ERROR*.]


    [*ERROR* has been substituted for the word: Truth.]


    "Huh... that''s weird. So since I wasn''t born with this, I am receiving it now through GG instead of with my Ancestral Ability?" Tyr exclaimed, the pain finally leaving his body.


    "God Thunder sounded pretty cool too though... but, whatever. I guess this can be useful as well. I can''t use any Aura of my Ancestors or anything like that, but I can mimic their presence. Thats pretty sick... I wonder whose presence I can activate right now."


    He tried to activate the Spell like normal, but found that he couldn''t do it for some reason.


    "Thats weird... usually they just work when I think of using them. But I guess this ones a bit different... it was introduced as a fully passive ability, unlike all my other Spells."


    With that thought, he decided to close his eyes and try to envision something that would trigger his emotions enough to unleash this Ancestral presence.


    The first thing that was fresh on his mind was the anger that he held for Uriel.


    *Woooooshh*


    A gust of wind traveled out of him in all directions, causing a slight storm of dust to build up.


    The water beside him over the lake was also propelled away in a series of large ripples.


    *Crack*


    The floor beneath his feet abruptly broke apart slightly.


    Although Tyr himself didn''t feel anything, he could tell that there was quite an immense force around him right now.


    ''This... is similar to what Thaddeus used.'' Tyr mused, deactivating the spell.


    *WHIRLLL*


    The sound of wind swirling around began to sound around him.


    "Huh? I know I didn''t do that. My ability is already gone..." He turned, noticing a small blue portal beginning to form from thin air.


    After a few seconds, a face popped out.


    Tyr''s brows immediately furrowed, "H-Hanzo!?"

 Chapter 111: Doomed

    "Ack!" Hanzo suddenly exclaimed with a sour look on his face, "Shit!" He disappeared back into the portal.


    Tyr stood there in confusion for a few seconds.


    ''What the...'' He thought to himself inwardly.


    And then, a hand popped out of the portal. Without delay, the hand gestured for Tyr to come closer.


    "Why are you doing that?" Tyr asked, following the hand''s command. As soon as the hand touched Tyr''s chest, it grabbed him out of nowhere and pulled him with force.


    Tyr was pulled through the portal and let go, causing him to stumble forward.


    When he looked around, he noticed he was back in the mechanical portal room in the ice chamber. Only he and Hanzo were in here.


    "You idiot!" Hanzo exclaimed at that moment, "Why didn''t you come sooner? The skin on my hand was seconds from burning off!" He shook his hand in pain.


    "Huh?" Tyr furrowed his brows for a second with confusion, "Oh wait... thats right, I totally forgot about the climate of Tarnish. I was using Full Golden Body for so long that I got used to Tarnish having a normal atmosphere."


    Hanzo paused, and then smiled, "Well... welcome back buddy." He said with a genuine tone.


    Tyr also smiled on hearing this, "Thank you, Hanzo... I was getting strong there, but Im also glad I can come back here."


    Hanzo raised a brow on hearing this, "You were... getting strong there?"


    Tyr quickly replied: "Yeah. Time went by 24 times faster than normal, and I was growing in power by the day naturally due to my Ancestral Ability, I think. I was also eating fruits sometimes that were packed with Aura."


    Hanzo furrowed his brows, as though he was concerned, "Wait a minute..." He slowly made his way toward Tyr. He circled the young man several times while scratching his chin as he finally exclaimed: "You look different!"


    Tyr''s eyelid''s lowered, unimpressed, "You noticed only now!?"


    "Yeah!" Hanzo replied, "Way different. You''re taller, and your muscles are way bigger. Your hair is also longer. It looks like you did age faster... and since its been a month... that means you have aged exactly 2 years.


    You are 18 years old!"


    "Mmhmm."


    "When one gets his Ancestral Ability Awakening, they do get stronger in general. They also grow stronger simply because they have their Aura Core finally created, which goes in tandem with the Ancestral Ability."


    Hanzo was still seeming to think about something as he surveyed Tyr, "So being inside of Tarnish is like a time chamber to gain power. But... how did you survive for so long?" S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "My Full Golden Body. It allows me to negate all fire and wind damage, which are the two things causing the heated climate on Tarnish."


    "I get that, but surely you didn''t use it at all times. No, that would be foolish. Hmm..." Hanzo continued to think.


    Tyr was a bit taken aback by this, "W-what do you mean? That''s exactly what I did."


    Hanzo didn''t seem to hear this for a second. But then, he realized what Tyr just said.


    He immediately looked at the young man with widened eyes, "You... did what?"


    "I used my Ancestral Ability the entire time."


    "Oh... well if thats the case, rest in peace." Hanzo exclaimed turning to the side with tears trickling down his face.


    "Huh!? What are you talking about? Speaking of Full Golden Body, I should deactivate it now--"


    "NO! Stop!" Hanzo exclaimed, jumping up and slamming his fist across Tyr''s head.


    "Ow!"


    "Shut up! You fool! You can''t just use an Ancestral Ability thats passive like that for so long!"


    "What? But I had no side effects..." Tyr replied, clutching the bump on his head.


    Hanzo shook his head, "Fuck... this is bad. Its not that you get side effects while the spell is continuing, you fool. It''s like using a super powered energy pill or something... you feel great when you use it, but after it runs out everything you did hits you all at once and crashes your system."


    Tyr''s eye''s expanded on hearing this.


    Hanzo continued: "I''ve never heard of someone using their Ancestral Ability for a month straight... and I''ve seen people get ill for days after just using their ability for a couple days straight. And I''ve even seen some people get permanently paralyzed and have their Aura Core be destroyed from using their ability for more than a week."


    "Oh shit... thats bad. Especially because I technically used it for 2 years straight..."


    Hanzo''s maw gaped slightly with realization and shock as he faced the ground, "What the hell are we gonna do now? Tsk... good thing we got you out as soon as possible. If not for that, maybe even a day more would have been fatal. It might even be fatal right now... but one more day would have been 24 more days technically."


    "Hmm... speaking of ''we,'' where are the others?" Tyr asked, seemingly ignoring all of these scares.


    Hanzo sighed, "We decided to split up. If we all went the way we originally got here, all three of us might have gotten trapped until our last days in those ice prisons. Those two decided to go that way, and I decided to see if I could find a new way somehow... and I did. Good thing I didn''t choose the ice prison as well, or else you would have been in quite some trouble."


    Tyr placed his hands on his hip, "You know what... something tells me I''ll be alright."


    Hanzo''s shoulders drooped with defeat, "You were actually an interesting, fun person. How sad to see you go." He stared at Tyr as he said this.


    "W-wha--don''t speak as if im already dead! Like I said, I will survive this. I have more goals now..." Tyr furrowed his brows, "Just tell me this, do you know what exactly hurts me after I deactivate this ability?"


    Hanzo let out an exasperated sigh, "If it helps you find peace at your end times, I''ll tell you what I know I guess... from my experience, I know that all the fatigue you build up from using your Ancestral Ability continuously comes back in the form of small Aura attacks on your Aura Core. Your Aura Core connects all parts of your body, and is the main function of your power."


    Tyr nodded along as Hanzo continued to explain.


    "Since you have been using it for 2 years, the attacks will be large and they will be plenty, and have a 99.9999999% chance to destroy your Aura Core, and also your body and brain at the same time through attacking your nervous system. Thats my estimate atleast..."


    "Thats harsh..."


    "Yeah."


    Tyr smiled at that moment, "But if its like that, I think I have a chance to survive."


    Hanzo sighed, looking up at Tyr''s eyes. Out of nowhere, he was taken aback, ''That look... its the one that he has before doing something big... why does he have it now? Does he actually have a plan?''


    "But before that, let''s go free the other two." Tyr began to march out of the portal room.

 Chapter 112: Survive

    Noa and Malon were freed by Tyr''s Flame Breath. After that, they had a grand reunion, with tears and hugs and all those types of shenanigans. The tears were only from Hanzo by the way...


    After all of that, the three sat around Tyr in the middle of the ice chamber. Now, Noa and Malon were crying, as they heard the news of Tyr.


    Tyr shook his head, "Is this some sort of demonic ritual?" He questioned, seeing as everyone was sitting around him and bawling.


    "You''re gonna die~~!" Noa exclaimed, tears flailing out of her eyes.


    "Jeez... nihilistic much?" Tyr chuckled.


    "You were a great guy!" Malon exclaimed at that moment.


    Hanzo remained quiet, simply shaking his head.


    "Listen to me!" Tyr exclaimed at that moment, "Just do me a favor... all of you, and just trust me. I won''t die." Tyr finally became more serious.


    The others stopped their incessant wailing and focused more closely on his words.


    "But," Noa began to say, "How can you be so sure?"


    "Im not sure..." Tyr stared forward with determination, "If I were to use percentages like Hanzo, it has maybe a 3% chance of working. But that all depends on me." S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Malon and Noa paused for a moment... and then began to wail with tears again.


    Hanzo shook his head on seeing this, "Aiyaiyai... these two are useless..." He exclaimed.


    "You were crying like them a minute ago too," Tyr said in a joking way.


    Hanzo paused, ignoring him, "Anyways... what''s this big solution you have to boost your survival chances by a couple of rabbit turds worth of percentages?"


    "It has something to do with an ability of mine."


    "Hmm? Your Ancestral Abilitity?"


    "No... one of my spells..." He stared into Hanzo''s eyes, "You all... rest at Ovalantis until im done. Im sure it won''t take more than a couple days."


    Hanzo squinted his eyes, "Tyr... don''t you dare die from something like this. I''ve sacrificed a lot due to you... and I won''t ever forgive you if you throw it all away." He was completely serious in his tone this time, disengaging from all the jokes.


    Tyr didn''t say anything, simply giving him a firm nod.


    "Come on, you morons!" Hanzo exclaimed, picking both Malon and Noa up on his flying jetski.


    He gave Tyr one last glance before zipping his way out of the prison room and further.


    Tyr saw them go and continued looking at the hall. He understood that that might have been the last time he would see them.


    "I won''t die." He clutched his fists. After that, he crossed his leg, sitting in a meditative position before closing his eyes.


    He placed the bottom of his palms on his lap and touched the tip of his longest fingers and also his thumb together.


    After taking in a deep breath, he undid his Full Golden Body. In a matter of milliseconds, the small golden flame on his glabella dispersed into nothing.


    ...


    *BOOM*


    It was like a bomb had exploded inside of his organs out of nowhere. The force was horrifyingly intense. The pain was excruciating, and the feeling was unfathomably overwhelming.


    It was as though 10 mountains the size of Hua had summoned inside of his core all at once, threatening to break all the bones in his body.


    However, before it continued any longer, Tyr gritted his teeth and fought through the pain: ''Reverse!''


    *BOOOM*


    All of the force and pressure on his Aura Core was suddenly thrust outwards in all directions.


    The Aura unleashed from Tyr''s body slammed into the walls of the ice chamber and sent quaking tremors through the entire structure.


    However, due to the durable nature of the ice, there wasn''t even a scratch of damage.


    ''I can use it once per minute now since I''ve gotten stronger... I just have to hold out until then.''


    After a couple seconds, the pain and immense pressure began to crash Tyr like a tsunami.


    ''Reverse.''


    *BOOM*


    Minutes passed, as Tyr continued to use his ability to ward off as much damage as possible.


    ''Reverse.''


    *BOOM*


    ''Reverse.''


    *BOOM*


    Minutes turned to hours, as Tyr continued using his ability through the night.


    ''Reverse.''


    ''Reverse.''


    ''Reverse.''


    *BOOM*


    *BOOM*


    *BOOM*


    ***


    Eventually, Tyr''s first estimation of a couple of days was extended. After an entire week of sitting there in excruciating pain, boredom, pressure, and everything else you could think of, Tyr finally mused his last ''Reverse.''


    *BOOM*


    The pressure no longer assaulted his Aura Core. Before he could even open his eyes, he fell backward onto the ice floor.


    He panted heavily, his skin torn up and cracked. He was bleeding from head to toe, and nearly deceased by this point.


    [Vitality: 6/125]


    Several bones in his body had been cracked and broken into pieces. Tendons, muscles, and ligaments ripped apart.


    His Aura Core was also in extremely rough shape, nearly about to shatter.


    However, Tyr didn''t care about this excruciating pain right now. He had gone through a week of pain like this and worse... he had gotten used to it by now.


    Instead, he smiled through his bloody gums.


    "Haha..." His low voice barely whipped a laugh, "I..." He sounded like a dying old man, barely understanding with crushed vocal cords, "I will not die."


    With that, he slowly opened his eyes.


    Standing over him was a man with his hands crossed and a nonchalant expression.


    "You really had to use my chamber for your shit, didn''t you? Well... at least you survived. I truly didn''t think you would have come out of Tarnish. Well done, young blood. You may be more of a prodigy than I first estimated."


    Tyr stared at the man for a few seconds after he heard this. He squinted his eyes, wanting the blurriness to fade.


    After a couple of seconds of pausing, Tyr finally saw what the man looked like and said: "Who..."


    The man furrowed his brows at that moment, attempting to understand what Tyr was going to say.


    "... the fuck are you?"

 Chapter 113: Dragon Bounty

    The next thing Tyr knew, he was seemingly getting carried by someone. He couldn''t open his eyes due to the exhaustion, but during this time, all he could hear was:


    "You''ve committed an offense that could land you life and more in prison. Destroying one of the very mountains surrounding Ovalantis... tsk."


    The rough voice paused.


    "But, I won''t crush a bud while its still attempting to sprout. I want to see that fun battle to decide who the strongest in this continent is, sometime in the future."


    ***


    "Conquer the world he says? How the hell does he expect to do that now that this is out." A sarcastic voice echoed in close proximity, as Tyr suddenly gained consciousness.


    His eyes slowly opened to a wooden ceiling above. To his left, there was a window showing a busy street down below.


    He then looked down slightly, noticing that his entire body seemed to be bandaged.


    Looking to the right, Tyr saw all three of his group members sitting around a small circular table, sounding to have a discussion.


    Hanzo was holding a small poster, and staring at it with a frown on his face.


    The others didn''t seem too elated either.


    "Well, what do we do now?" Noa asked, her tone low.


    Malon sighed, "Maybe its time for us to go out of the continent. The world out there is far stronger than here... we will adapt."


    After this, a short break of time where no one spoke ensued


    "Guys..." Tyr''s voice creaked like an old door amidst the silence.


    Everyone''s heads darted toward him, Noa and Malon quickly making their way over.


    "Tyr! You''re awake!" Noa jumped onto him, attempting to embrace the young man.


    "GAH!" Tyr exclaimed in pain, his eyes flying open.


    Malon also threw himself over the young man with excitement: "Thank Mother Gaia you didn''t enter a coma!"


    "AGHHH!" Tyr groaned, almost dead at this point.


    Suddenly, Noa noticed drops of blood trickling down Tyr''s mouth.


    She immediately got off, "Hanzo! He''s bleeding again!" She exclaimed as Hanzo slowly walked over.


    Malon also jumped off as he heard this.


    Tyr tried to speak but was too busy dealing with the pain.


    Hanzo had his head toward the floor, "Tsk tsk tsk... you stupid fools..." He said under his breath.


    Finally, he jumped up and smacked them both across the head: "Of course, he''s going to bleed again! I only healed him a bit! Not enough for you guys to crush him and reopen all of his wounds!" He screamed in anger.


    As Noa and Malon stood back with bumps on their head and sorry looks on their faces, Hanzo stood over Tyr.


    "What you did was foolish. You should have died... frankly, I don''t know how you survived."


    Tyr smiled immediately on hearing this, "I told you didn''t I? I was not going to die."


    Hanzo exhaled, and then smiled slightly, "Thank you, Tyr..." He said in a genuine tone, which threw Tyr off slightly.


    After a short pause, Tyr replied: "Y-yeah... of course, man. I wouldn''t die... before doing the things I wanted. I have too much to lose." He smiled again.


    Hanzo turned, "Still, we aren''t out of harm''s way. You can''t fight for the next several months or maybe even years due to your injuries... and we have an even bigger thing to worry about on top of that."


    He grabbed the poster he was looking at just a moment ago and showed it to Tyr.


    Tyr''s eyes widened in shock as he saw the poster.


    "DRAGON WANTED!"


    "Anyone who can find and slay the Fire Dragon will earn a grand prize and be crowned Lord of a region."


    "The grand prize is 1 Million Aura Stones!"


    A smile then appeared on Tyr''s face, "Hahaha!" He laughed, "Ack!" He was forced to stop due to the pain.


    After a few breaths, he resumed: "Thats awesome."


    All three other people in the room looked at Tyr with unimpressed expressions.


    "What do you mean, awesome!?" They all screamed in unison.


    "Woah! Calm down!" Tyr said in a quiet voice, "Listen... it''s not like they can ever enter my Infinite Domain. And I can just walk around knowing I can sell that twerp for ten billion fucking dollars at all times."


    "Ten billion what?" Noa asked at that moment, confused, with her head tilted to the side.


    The others seemed just as puzzled.


    "I mean, 1 million Aura Stones." Tyr retorted.


    ''Who did you call a little twerp!? I''ll have you know, I am far superior to you now in terms of strength! In just the past month I''ve nearly doubled my power!''


    ''Huh?'' Tyr confusedly exclaimed, ''GG, show me Ares'' status.''


    ©³©¥©¥©¥Status©¥©¥©¥©·


    Name: Ares


    Bloodline: Immortal Fire Dragon


    Age: Month(s)


    Power Level: 185


    Vitality: 78/78


    Strength: 80


    Stamina: 80/80


    Speed: 80


    Aura: 92


    Rank: Sentinel


    ©»©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¿


    ''Holy fuck.'' Tyr mused, ''How in the... oh...'' He realized why this was. ''That''s right... Soul Marking makes it so that all of my pets gain half the experience I do... so half the levels, in other words. That means Rudra is quite strong as well now.''


    ©³©¥©¥©¥Status©¥©¥©¥©·


    Name: Rudra


    Bloodline: None


    Age: 46 Years


    Power Level: 257


    Vitality: 109/109


    Strength: 131


    Stamina: 104/104


    Speed: 109


    Aura: 87


    Rank: Warden


    ©»©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¿


    ''Jeez... Warden Rank? That''s not something I see very often.''


    ''Thank you! Master!'' Rudra exclaimed, teeming with excitement. sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Ares on the other hand was pissed: ''Gained power through you? Impossible! It''s probably more so the case that you gained power through me!''


    Tyr''s brows lowered, ''Shut up, you twerp lizard.''


    ''W-what did you--''


    Tyr ignored the dragon, returning to his conversation with Hanzo and the others.


    "Anyways... the point is, Im still safe as long as no one associates Ares to be my pet."


    The other three paused. What Tyr was saying was true, but they still couldn''t help but be slightly worried.


    "Now... what were you guys talking about before I awoke? Something about conquering the world?" Tyr''s eyes seemed to light up as he said this.

 Chapter 114: Stranded

    "It''s the land of savages," Hanzo exclaimed, pointing at a map that was placed on Tyr''s lap.


    The other two were standing beside Hanzo, also staring at the map of Ainsveld.


    "So that''s where you want to go next?" Tyr questioned, "Why?"


    Hanzo didn''t hesitate to answer: "Ovalantis is fine to stay in, but not for much longer. We should stay on the move, as to not get caught by Rock Saelfine eventually. Above that, only through the Zasea Kingdom can we truly leave Ainsveld."


    He looked up at Tyr, "If your goal is to explore to world, you want to leave this continent right?"


    "Yes..." Tyr replied.


    "So then, we have no other choice but to go there."


    Noa turned, "Hmm..." She noised, "The land of savages huh?" She paused, changing her train of thought, "So Tyr, how exactly will we start to make you the ruler of the world? Will we create an army, and perhaps start conquering regions?"


    Tyr didn''t delay an answer: "Yes."


    Malon furrowed his brows, "Is that our next step? I mean... are you sure?"


    Tyr sighed, "Well, thats the eventual goal. Right now though, I just want to gain power. I don''t think we have to take direct steps like that. Thats the final dream, but right now I want to explore and do other things. I want to gain experience and..."


    He paused, knowing that he of course also wanted to save his family potentially and also get revenge on Uriel Thalorin.


    He couldn''t say that right now, however, as it would only confuse the others.


    "Lets just keep exploring and see how it goes. I think we will end up where we want that way." With these final words from Tyr, everyone remained silent.


    Tyr looked at the map, "I like the idea of Zasea. A more secluded land filled with completely different cultures... lets go there next." He also paused for a moment, "After that... only time will tell what we do."


    ...


    "Sounds good to me." Hanzo smiled.


    "Mmhmm!" Noa exclaimed.


    Malon chuckled, "Lets go."


    With that, Tyr closed his eyes, "Hanzo... give me more health capsules. All this talking has me nearly dead." He groaned.


    *Month''s passed*


    During this time, the news of the Fire Dragon within Ainsveld spread like wildfire.


    After the Continental Meeting, where many topics including the Fire Dragon were discussed, news began to print stories like crazy.


    Every city of every kingdom, including even the outskirts villages, seemed to get their fair shares of newspapers dropped on their streets.


    If not for that, all TV stations and radios only sounded the large news of what occurred during the Continental Meeting.


    So many decisions were made during this rare get togethor that it was enough to hold up queue in the news station''s schedule for over a month.


    Every intellignet person came to know about the Dragon, and many started their journey to go out and hunt the beast.


    Tyr and his group on the other hand hadn''t been involved in much of this. Well, they were technically in the center of it all, being as the dragon that everyone was after, was inside of Tyr after all.


    But nonetheless, they were more focused on other things.


    They traveled northwest, through forest, desert, and tundra alike.


    Through their journey of cities, villages, and even small kingdoms, everyone spent time getting stronger.


    Tyr stayed back during the entire time, allowing his body to heal. Despite his physical body healing much faster, his Aura Core still needed much more time to regenerate in comparison.


    Their hunter group stopped by these societies for sometimes even days at a time.


    Hanzo sometimes learned new tricks, bought better gadgets for himself, and also spent his time cultivating.


    Malon continued to practice the combat training that he learned from the Thors Guild Vice Guildmaster. Along with that, he cultivated to gain strength as well.


    Noa practiced with her gun as well, not only with her aim but also to empower the weapon with even more Aura.


    She worked on creating various types of binds for all different types of occasions.


    As they completed missions, fought beasts naturally, and continued traveling across the continent, they all became a bit stronger little by little.


    The only one who lacked behind was Tyr.


    ''Tsk...'' Tyr mused, ''Its annoying that I don''t get to train or do much of anything... but I guess I have to pay a price for all that power I gained in Tarnish.''


    After their most recent city visit, they prepared for a long journey across a large lake. S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    After staying the night at a harbor village, they set off early the next morning on a fairly large wooden ship.


    They packed supplies that would last them about 2 weeks since their trip was estimated to be no less than 1 week in length.


    "Overpreparing is better than starving to death." Noa laughed, sitting on the ship as she read the local newspaper.


    Tyr and the others chilled out as well, as all they could do was wait.


    It was decent at first, like a time of rest after all the shit they had been going through.


    But eventually, the peace turned into boredom.


    A week passed, and still, no sign of land had shown itself.


    "Its because of your shit steering skills!" Tyr yelled at Hanzo, who retorted back without hesitation:


    "We would be on Tarnish if you were to be steering the ship!"


    As they argued, the days continued to pass...


    The food, that was already getting rationed, was starting to dwindle down.


    *Three weeks later*


    By this point, the entire crew had eaten nothing for a week straight.


    They all resembled pale skeletons who had just risen from the dead.


    "So..." Tyr said amongst the silence and dread of the group. "Why didn''t we just swim back to shore?"


    Hanzo stared at Tyr as if he was a dumbass.


    "We aren''t anywhere near land. I''ve scanned the area on my Hoverski over a hundred times through this trip... theres never any land."


    "Hoverski? So thats what its called..." Tyr said, looking to the side.


    "GUYS!" Malon suddenly screamed, "Its... its..." He stammered, standing at the very front of the ship, near the steering wheel.


    The others quickly rushed up there as they heard his wails.


    "ITS LAND! LANNDDD HOOO!!"

 Chapter 115: Dunes

    The four of them locked their arms around themselves, laughing as they jumped up and down and exclaimed: "Land ho! Land ho! Land ho!"


    After so long, none of them had the energy to have anything but excitement pumping through them.


    After a few minutes, they arrived at shore.


    Tyr immediately knelt down and kissed the floor several times.


    "I love you, grass! Where have you been all this time!?"


    "Oi!" Hanzo shouted, "Come on... we have no clue where we are. For all we know, we may still die of hunger." S§×arch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The shore they had landed in wasn''t like anything they had witnessed before.


    It looked like a normal sandy beach at first, but as they continued walking up the shore, they noticed that the sand didn''t stop.


    It continued on like dunes for as long as the eye could see.


    It wasn''t even a rocky desert, which they were used to by now. The ones filled with cacti and boulders as far as the eye could see.


    No, this one barely had any cacti, and not a single boulder in sight.


    The sand was fairly flat, with light bumps and valleys that extended into an infinite distance.


    On arriving atop a hill and seeing all of this, tears nearly came out of Tyr''s eyes.


    "Did the God of luck decide to take shit on our heads this past month?" He said, his eyes opened wide with despair.


    Noa felt her knees almost buckle, "First Tyr nearly dying... and then the dragon bounty, and then being stranded on the ship... and now, this?"


    Malon simply stood there uttering the same words under his breath: "No food... no animal... no food... no rabbit... no deer..." He continued.


    Tyr took a deep breath, "Alright!" He roared, "Snap out of it! I won''t die just because of some stupid thing called starvation! I just survived hell!"


    He began to stomp forward, the others staring at him from afar.


    ''Starvation wants to kill me? I wonder... Reverse!'' Nothing happened...


    ''Reverse! Reverse!''


    His stomach suddenly grumbled.


    ''Ah... whatever! I don''t need Reverse. I''ll survive this without a problem.''


    After he continued for several dozen feet, the others were also convinced to follow him.


    They all gathered themselves eventually and began their trek across the dunes.


    *Hours passed...*


    The group continued to dwindle down to their last legs as they walked across the scorching land.


    With tongues swinging and postures slouched, they finally made it atop a large dune hill and noticed a twinkle of blue at the very bottom of it--thousands of feet away.


    "An... oasis!" Tyr exclaimed, a smile appearing on his face.


    Malon also seemed excited at the thought of an oasis, but Noa and Hanzo weren''t so convinced.


    They looked at each other silently, shaking their heads.


    "We have no other choice..." Hanzo said under his breath, following Tyr down the hill toward the oasis.


    Tyr hadn''t wasted any time whatsoever, not even waiting for his group before hopping on Rudra and sprinting down towards the water.


    It was over a thousand feet down, but Rudra made his way there fairly quickly.


    ''I wish I could bring you my bounty from Infinite Domain, master...'' Rudra exclaimed in a low, somber tone.


    He felt the hunger and pain of his master and didn''t like it whatsoever.


    "It''s fine... this is no big deal." Tyr exclaimed under his breath, as the oasis neared.


    As they got closer, they noticed that the small twinkle of blue was actually enormous up close.


    "This place..." Tyr said lightly, his chin pointed toward the sky while looking at the large structure before him.


    "Its a city."


    There were giant walls made of sandstone and metal, along with giant stone spikes that appeared every few dozen feet.


    The walls were tall, clearly measuring to be over 500 feet, which shocked Tyr.


    "I swear it wasn''t thing big a second ago... and where did the blue water go?"


    At that moment, Hanzo and the others arrived on his Hoverski.


    The group made it to the main entrance, where not a single guard was present.


    Although they were a bit confused, they neared the large entrance.


    They couldn''t see what was inside, as the entry doorway looked to be blocked by a thick white mist of sorts.


    As they traversed across the fog, an entirely new scene blessed their eyes.


    Malon''s brows furrowed with confusion, "Green... everywhere." His eyes darted all over the place.


    The others were no less bewildered.


    Tyr couldn''t believe his eyes. In front of them was an enormous, thick jungle.


    The trees were large and small, but the canopy was dense--blocking out the sky. The rays of sun that shined in from the treetop crevices gave the entire area a slightly yellowish, green hue.


    The air was humid and moist, the ground slippery and wet, and the forest stretched for as far as the eye could see.


    "There''s no way this was actually inside those walls." Hanzo said, in slight disbelief.


    Tyr turned, "Most of the trees are about 30-40 feet tall." He noted. The trees were like from the jungle part of Gitran. They were mangled, twisting and turning in every which way.


    "However," Tyr continued, "There''s a few that are huge. Like that one." He pointed to an enormous tree in the distance that looked to tower over the wall they just came from by a few hundred feet.


    "We would have see that tree on the other side... that means this is a small, but separate dimension within the confines of this wall."


    The others gasped slightly in lodgement and surprise as they heard Tyr say this.


    "Thats some awesome technology." Hanzo chuckled, the others also agreeing.


    Before them was a wide dirt-trodden path, which they decided to follow.


    On their way, Hanzo and Tyr decided to scope out the area a bit more by flying over the main treeline and trying to get a viewpoint of the place.


    Hanzo went left, obviously using his Hoverski.


    Tyr on the other hand went right, using his dragon wings to fly. He had a solid amount of control over them now, as he had practiced a fair amount.


    "Insane..." Tyr exclaimed to himself as he saw the forest before him. It looked like there wasn''t any desert dunes to begin with. The forest extended as far as the eye could see.


    Finally, he saw something that looked manmade in the distance. He squinted his eye to get a better look at it.


    "A warehouse?" He confirmed, noticing a large and worndown metal building in the middle of the jungle. He began to slowly float over to it when he heard Hanzo''s shouting all of a sudden:


    "A city! Its a city!"


    As Tyr heard this, his head immediately turned away from the warehouse. With a smile, he flew back over to the others.


    "Finally!"

 Chapter 116: Hidden City

    Hanzo and Malon rode the Hoverski, and Noa and Tyr rode atop Rudra in front, continuing along the path.


    "It''s right on the trail, about half a mile in front of us." Hanzo said, everyone unable to contain their eagerness.


    They would finally be able to eat food after so long and rest... it was going to be like a small piece of heaven.


    After a while, they indeed came across another wall to civilization.


    These walls were different, only about 50 feet in height and made out of giant wooden spikes tied together with some sort of hide and vines.


    The place looked ferocious from the very entrance.


    A single guard looked to be holding post at the entrance. S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Tyr hopped off of Rudra, making his way toward the guard.


    The man holding post didn''t look like any average guard. Instead of armor, he wore animal hide over his crotch and had a leather strap running over his shoulder.


    His muscular body was covered in tribal paint and wielded a large wooden spear.


    He had a caveman-like face, which was chiseled and blocky. His stature was also tall, around 6''3 ft in total.


    As Tyr approached, the guard stomped one foot on the ground and straightened his posture.


    "Welcome lrax!" The man exclaimed with his chin held high.


    "Lrax? What''s that?" Tyr exclaimed.


    "Oh... this lrax has a young voice? Which city do you come from?" The guard asked again.


    "Again... I don''t know what that is." Tyr said, finally stopping about 6 feet away from the guard.


    The guard then furrowed his brows and squinted his eyes, "Wait a minute... you are no lrax."


    Tyr had an unimpressed expression on his face, "Yeah no shit... that''s what I''ve been saying. What is a lrax?"


    As Tyr continued his conversation with the guard, the other members of his hunter group looked at him from afar with confusion.


    They whispered amongst each other:


    "He knows how to speak Zasean?" Hanzo questioned.


    "What the hell..." Noa said.


    "Since when did?" Malon paused, confused.


    "Well actually," Noa continued, "It checks out. I mean, look at him. He''s no shorter than a Zasea native, and his body and hair look no different either. Maybe he was born here..."


    Hanzo and Malon paused...


    "That would actually make a lot of sense you know..." Hanzo said, thinking to himself.


    Tyr on the other hand hadn''t heard a lick of what his team was saying.


    "I see!" The guard exclaimed, "So you are no lrax... or lord, as you probably call that title. But you are of Zasean heritage, no? Look at your body! It''s no different from mine when I was your age!" He grabbed Tyr''s shoulder, laughing loudly.


    "Uh... right." Tyr replied, "Well, look... I am no Zasean."


    "Thats a language."


    "Whatever! The point is, im not from here, and im no lrax or whatever you call it. I, and my group, are travelers. We have been stranded and starving for weeks... give us some food!" Tyr was direct.


    The guard looked puzzled for a second, "You talk Zasean as if you are born with it though... anyways, follow me. We welcome visitors." He turned, walking into the city.


    ''Oh... thats right. My speech is autotranslated isn''t it...'' Tyr remembered, ''Thats a bit weird to explain.'' He turned to face his team.


    ''They are probably confused,'' He mused as he saw their faces. He gestured for them to follow, and that was what they did.


    The guard led them a few feet into the city before turning to say his goodbyes, leaving Tyr and the others to navigate the streets alone.


    With Rudra trotting ahead and the Hoverski following close behind, the group moved cautiously through the eerily quiet streets.


    People wandered about, but the usual hum of conversation was conspicuously absent.


    It struck Tyr as strange¡ªevery other city he''d visited buzzed with life.


    But here, the silence was unsettling. As he rode atop Rudra, he scanned the crowd and noticed dozens of people who reminded him of the addicts he''d seen back on Earth, particularly in places like Skid Row.


    Their faces were gaunt and pale, eyes bloodshot, and their bodies painfully thin.


    They shuffled through the streets like the living dead.


    Yet, not everyone looked this way. There were others who seemed more normal, though their attire was primitive, like something out of a prehistoric tribe.


    Fur and leather garments seemed to be the height of fashion in this place.


    Tyr had seen enough. Without warning, he leaped off Rudra and sprinted forward, his voice echoing through the narrow streets:


    "I need to find food before I die!" he shouted, vanishing into the crowd ahead.


    ''"M-Master!'' Rudra cried out, bolting after him. In his haste, he crashed through carts and sent people tumbling, while Noa clung on for dear life.


    "W-what the¡ª!? Tsk! You idiots!" Hanzo snarled, revving up his Hoverski to chase after them.


    The city itself was clearly underdeveloped, with few stone buildings in sight.


    Instead, the streets were lined with shacks and cabins made of rough-hewn wood. Tyr ran until he stumbled upon a large pub constructed entirely of logs.


    Without hesitation, he rushed inside, weaving through the crowd seated on the floor, each person perched on their own mat, being served steaming hot meals.


    Ignoring the strange setup, he made a beeline for the counter at the back, driven by a single-minded hunger.


    "Oi!" The chef behind the counter shouted as he saw the young man sprinting toward him: "What are you doing!?"


    Tyr raised his hand into the air, clenching it to form a fist. He then swung it down from above as he ran right toward the counter.


    "Hey! STOP!" The chef yelled as he saw this, clenching his buttcheeks in fear and anticipation.


    Tyr''s palm slammed flat onto the table.


    *BOOM*


    The noise resounded through the walls, capturing the attention of everyone.


    The chef had closed his eyes for a second, but when he opened them again, Tyr retracted his hand from the table--revealing a single gold coin inside.


    "Give me some food." Tyr said with a smirk.


    The man looked down at the coin, and then back at Tyr.


    "You need 10 more of those to get a single bite in this place."


    "W-what!? Why?"


    "Because... you broke my damn table, you mother fucker!"

 Chapter 117: Slug Den

    Tyr and the others sat around a floor mat toward the left of the pub.


    Everyone was still looking over at all of them since they were making the loudest chewing noises the others had ever heard in their lives.


    Despite that fact, Tyr''s group couldn''t care less. They continued chomping down like there was no tomorrow.


    Tyr grabbed a stick of meat, tearing through it like a beast before gulping down a lassi to the side.


    He tipped mouthfuls of rice and curry into his pie hole, achieving extreme savory bliss.


    From bread to soups, juices to drinks, meats to deserts and whatnot, the entire group ate until they couldn''t eat anymore.


    In the end, all four members of Tyr''s Hunter group looked pregnant.


    Tyr, Malon, and Hanzo laid back on the mat with their stomachs facing the air.


    *BUURPP*


    "Lets get out of here... im finished." Tyr exclaimed, patting his stomach.


    "Yeah...*burp*." Malon said, smiling wide as he imagined frolicking in a field of daisies right now. The moosh was happy to finally satiate himself.


    Noa shook her head, "I can''t believe you three right now. Are you just going to sleep here the rest of the day? Have some shame, we are in an establishment!"


    As Noa, Hanzo and Malon argued, Tyr found his attention swayed elsewhere.


    He looked to the left. A dozen or so people were staring at him, but they didn''t capture his gaze.


    The one that did was a single figure sitting on a chair behind the main pub counter.


    He was fully hooded in a long brown robe.


    ''I would recognize that attire anywhere...'' He donned a serious expression.


    "Hey... psst!" A Zasean native whispered from behind Tyr, "Don''t stare at that guy for too long." As he said this, he tilted his head to the side quickly, gesturing for Tyr to come to the side to talk to him.


    Tyr stood, a little confused, but intrigued at the first words the man said.


    After walking a couple feet away, he asked: "How do you know about that man?"


    The man that had called him over was still walking, however. He seemed to ignore what Tyr said.


    Finally, as they neared the spot beside the entrance where there weren''t many people, the man turned.


    *Wooosh*


    In a sudden and quick fashion, the man slammed a bottle of dark liquid into Tyr''s face.


    The glass broke as if it wasn''t there in the first place, but the liquid inside instantly transformed into a dark purple gas and entered Tyr''s nose.


    At that moment, Tyr immediately felt his brain convulse with pain.


    ''Ah... I see.'' He thought to himself in that split second.


    His eyes rolled into the back of his head as his body went limp, drooping over the man''s shoulder.


    The man grinned, picking Tyr up before walking out, "You shouldn''t have come here of all places... Tyr Evolion." He muttered under his breath.


    However, what the man hadn''t noticed was the golden flame burning out of Tyr''s glabella.


    As they got a few feet outside, a loud bang resounded through the streets.


    Seconds later, Tyr stood in the street, dusting off his clothes with a nonchalant expression on his face.


    To his left was the man who attempted to capture him. He stood still, his face expressionless. he also had a 2 feet long and wide hole in the center of his stomach--his organs splattered all across the wall.


    "H-how..." Were the man''s last words.


    ''I could tell him that mental attacks don''t work on me... but why would I tell the enemy anything.'' Tyr mused before saying:


    "Im too strong for the likes of you." He said with a smirk as the man fell over onto the ground.


    [You have slain Mero Geda (Apprentice Rank Human).]


    Tyr stood above the man and noticed that a snake tattoo was on his wrist; intelligiently camouflaged by the various other artworks.


    "This place..." He looked around, noticing several figures that now looked suspicious--unlike before.


    He continued looking around, realizing more and more eyes seemed to glance at his direction as time went on.


    "Its crawling with them... with Black Merchant Guild slugs."


    ***


    He made his way back inside as if nothing happened. He also told the others what happened, and that this place seemed to be a den of the ''black slugs'' as Tyr and Hanzo called them.


    Minutes later, Hanzo thought out loud: "Hmm... I have not heard of those black slugs being anywhere near Zasea, but that could just mean their secret location worked perfectly. If this really is their hideout, and maybe even their base of operations, we should bounce out of here as soon as possible."


    The others remained silent for a moment, but Tyr had other plans, "No. I don''t think thats the right call."


    "What? What do you suggest then?" Malon questioned, curious. S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Tyr looked over at him, and then at Hanzo, "Tell me... how strong exactly is this guild?"


    Hanzo squinted his eyes slightly in hesitation, but didn''t delay for long: "Well... they aren''t known for their strength. Thats one thing. That''s not their goal either. The main reason of that guild is a simple, boring reason, which is to make money. Thats why I dislike them even more...


    vile bastards who will do anything for the most worthless reasons."


    Tyr exhaled, ''Yeah... I hate those types too. Especially after what happened with our past hunter group...''


    Hanzo continued: "They want to make money through any means necessary. For a corporation like that, knowledge is key, and the black slugs are like the tree of knowledge when it comes to Ainsveld. They have spies practically everywhere, gathering intel on almost all subjects at all times. With that, they hold a high hand even though their power prowess isn''t great.


    They are still not to be messed with simply due to the information they hold, and thats why the empires haven''t wiped them out yet. Who knows what some empires don''t want other ones knowing..."


    "Hmm..." Tyr said, deep in thought.


    Hanzo finished with this: "But at the end of the day, they make their money mostly from the black markets that they own in almost every city. Forbidden spells, scams, fakes, and most of all by far, Unstable pills is what runs wild in their markets.


    I''ve heard recently that they have been experimenting with human subjects in order to perfect the unstable pills, but of course, there probably isn''t a genius alive in all the realms that can ever do that perfectly. Atleast... not in this one." Tyr noticed that Hanzo caught a few stray glance while saying these wordss.


    He furrowed his brows... "We... will destroy every black slug in this city." He said in an ice cold tone.

 Chapter 118: Overrun

    A smile slowly appeared on Malon''s face.


    Noa widened her eyes in slight excitement, "I want to kill them using Betsy..."


    Hanzo stared at her as if she was crazy, "Calm down! I can never get used to how crazy you get when you even think about that stupid gun."


    "What did you say about Betsy!?" Noa exclaimed in anger.


    "Oi, stop talking about the gun for a second. I am talking about something serious here." Tyr said at that moment, causing Noa to hmph loudly and turn to the side.


    Hanzo exhaled before replying, "Destroy the black slugs you say... I don''t think we sho--"


    "I have already made up my mind." Tyr interrupted, his eyes wide and raging with a fire of determination.


    Hanzo paused, staring at him for a moment, "If you are that certain, then I agree with you, Tyr." He said right then and there, not refuting any longer.


    "Haha." Malon chuckled slightly, "There really is no choice when Tyr makes up his stubborn mind huh?"


    Hanzo smirked, getting up, ''Not just that... but Tyr would never make up his mind on something he doesn''t know will come out as a victory. I''ve learned to trust him on these things. When it comes to decisions like those, he feels far older than even me.''


    Tyr also stood up, as did the others.


    "If the black slugs are weak, we can obliterate them and be done with it. I won''t want to deal with being chased by them across the continent for any longer. I won''t stand for being chased by anyone, let alone those weak cunts."


    "They weren''t exactly weak for you only a few months ago." Hanzo joked, "But now, you grew in strength like crazy."


    "Thats true. I would not have been able to say these things had it not have been for that power boost."


    Before the group left the pub, they heard a voice calling for them from the back.


    "Oi! You hunters!" A man''s voice sounded.


    They turned, noticing a man behind the counter calling for them.


    It wasn''t the chef, but rather, it seemed to be the owner of the establishment.


    "Please, come. I want to talk with you about something." The middle aged, short Zasean native exclaimed.


    Tyr and the others decided to make their way over.


    *


    "My name is Theroflliakokorankel. Please, feel free to call me Therof, as it is probably easier to your tongue."


    Thankfully, this man spoke the main language that everyone could understand.


    "Uh... right." Tyr said, "Im Tyr, thats Hanzo, Noa, and Malon." All of them gave slight gestures of introduction as their names were said.


    Suddenly, the pub owner''s tone lowered and his expression went serious: "So... you all know about what this place is, right? Or rather... what it has become."


    Tyr and Hanzo looked at each other for a second before Tyr answered.


    "You''re saying this place wasn''t... that, before?"


    "What? No! Gods no!" The pub owner exclaimed, "To be truthful with you, this place was once of the most thriving states within Zasea Kingdom. Now, however, it is overrun with... them."


    "We call em'' black slugs."


    "Black slugs it is then." The store owner continued, "But they arrived here a few years ago, and ever since then, our state has been a victim and labrat to their experiments. We still can not do a single thing about it, despite thousands getting addicted to the unstable pills, and dozens more getting kidnapped for testing."


    Tyr furrowed his brows, pausing for a moment, "Does your government not care? Why are they not moving forth in executing these criminals?"


    The pub owner frowned, his brows curling inwards in a sorrowful look: "That practically isn''t a government anymore. After everything that has happened, no one trusts our lrax. Many say he has allowed our state to fall to ruin, but trust me... he isn''t like that. Despite most people losing hope in the state and in him, he hasn''t lost that hope yet. Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    With those who still stick with him, he works day in and out to find their hideout in this very pocket dimension and eradicate them."


    "Hideout huh..." Tyr said, before the pub owner continued.


    "Its not as easy as it seems. They have various forbidden techniques and arts. They can make entire structures summon and disappear. They can teleport from one place to another as well... I''ve seen it with my own eyes."


    "Yeah, I''ve seen that too." Tyr replied, thinking back to the time in Drance when he saw that scammer guy disappear into thin air and come back with Bilweif.


    After a short pause, the pub owner seemed to come up with an idea of sorts, "There''s a journalist in town..." He suddenly said, capturing the attention of the group.


    "She came in town 3 months ago, and has been working on exposing these criminals base of operations for a while. From what I understand she is an independent contractor wanting to make it big, and also despises these... bad guild people. She is one of the only people who still believes in the future of this city. I recommend you go meet her if you are serious about understanding this place more..."


    "Understanding? We want to eradicate those sons a'' bitches. Screw understanding." Tyr quickly retorted.


    The pub owner chuckled, "Paha! Even better then!"


    *


    They were given more information on this mysterious journalist girl and left alone.


    "Hahh~~" Tyr exclaimed as he walked through the streets of the place with long steps and his hands behind his head. "Finally... Im blessed with luck by finding this place. Now I can finally get rid of that bug thats been biting my back without stopping."


    Noa frowned, "I don''t think you''d exactly count this as good luck."


    Malon chuckled, "Yeah... I double down on that."


    Tyr grinned, "Of course its luck."


    ''I can kill those vile bastards, bringing more justice to this world, while gaining levels at the same time...''

 Chapter 119: Journalist

    ***EXTRA LONG CHAP***


    ------


    The sun was just waning below the horizon, so Tyr and the others decided to meet this journalist girl before night fully fell.


    The builder was deeper in the city, where security looked to ramp up more and more.


    Guards patrolled the streets like worker ants, their expressions dull and numb.


    Tyr''s eyes brushed through the passerby as he rode atop Rudra.


    ''They must be tired of dealing with this shit for so long. I am too, but they have it much worse. It''s not like they can carry the entire city and run.''


    *


    After half an hour of walking, they arrived at a small cottage made of dried straws and logs of wood, supported by a circular row of 2-foot tall pillars.


    The area around it wasn''t crowded, as it was farther into the suburban areas of the city and not close to the main streets.


    After putting away their vehicles and pets, Tyr and the others made their way up the stairs and toward the entrance.


    After a slight knock, Tyr opened the thatched door. S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    As soon as he took a step inside, he was met with a slightly surprising scene.


    The inside of the cottage looked to be a fairly large office, about 20 feet in length and 25 feet in width. The walls were covered with hundreds of books, various folders, and other paperwork that were poorly managed.


    On the wall below was a board with several papers posted on it. Many were attached using red and white string.


    In the very center was a table where paperwork and books towered up over the head of the person sitting on the table behind it--seemingly scribbling away.


    ''She''s clearly passionate about it...'' This was Tyr''s first thought as he saw all of this.


    "Ahem!" He exclaimed, trying to capture the attention of the woman so he didn''t just barge in and freak her out.


    The scribbling behind the books on the table stopped. Then, a head popped out from the side.


    It was of a nerdy-looking girl that had black hair and large glasses. She had freckles and looked to be naturally quite pretty despite her messy look.


    She noticed Tyr and others and quickly made her way around the table.


    She wore a dress skirt and coat with her shirt untucked and her collar lopsided.


    Her hair was all over the place as well, but ignoring all of this, she greeted everyone.


    Bowing, she exclaimed: "Welcome!" She raised her head, "I am... Reana Golda. Is there... something I can do to help you?" She said in a soft tone, fixing her glasses.


    Noa stepped into the cottage, "Yes... we would like to know all the information you have on the Black Merchant Guild."


    Reana''s eyes twitched, raising slightly for a second, "I see..."


    Hanzo spoke from behind: "How about we talk over some tea?"


    Reana''s polite tone had switched to serious, "I see no problem with that..."


    *


    Hanzo poured cold tea for everyone, and they all sat on the floor and talked for about 20 or so minutes.


    By now, Reana had eased up from her more tense attitude from before.


    Tyr and his group had talked about their intentions, which made Reana more comfortable. They also talked about their background.


    Now, it was time to know Reana''s intentions and goals.


    "Well... my goal in this city is simple... to expose the hideout of the Black Merchant Guild to the rest of the world."


    Hanzo''s brows raised as he heard this. "But... I imagine many people would pay you a crazy lump some for that type of information. Why not just take the money and keep it a secret?"


    Reana smiled, "My passion is stories. Not like books or novels, but like breaking news. Things that go on in this world that everyone should know about at once."


    Her eyes seemed to glow as she spoke.


    "That look in someone''s eyes when they read a newspaper and see that front page title. The impact the entire society has... the murmurs of suspense and awe. I live for that." She grinned.


    Tyr chuckled on hearing this, "I believe you... but is that why you are doing this right now? Risking your life for a few reactions?"


    Reana quickly replied: "What this? No, definitely not! Exposing this gang, which is the largest underground criminal organization in the world, is going to be my way to catapult myself into the continental scene. This is going to be my first big thing. After I am known by many, then I can continue publishing without any risk, capturing the world''s attention each time.


    Right now though, I need to get onto the world stage first."


    "Ahh... that makes sense," Tyr replied.


    A short pause ensued, after which Reana looked over at her table.


    "So... you guys have come here to eradicate the Black Merchant Guild huh? I will say this, even the largest of snakes die after you cut off their heads... but their remnants will still exist."


    Tyr exhaled before replying: "I understand that, but eventually those remnants will rot and disappear."


    Reana paused, seemingly thinking of something in her mind.


    Finally, she turned to Tyr and said in a genuine tone: "There''s one problem here, however."


    As Tyr and the others heard this, they furrowed their brows in slight confusion.


    "Problem? What problem?" Tyr quickly retorted.


    "I know you all want me to give you the information of the Black Merchant Guild so you can eventually destroy the guild... but I can not do that. If I do, I will have no story to publish. What''s the point of revealing the location if they are already wiped out? No one cares about a long gone artifact."


    The others paused, taken aback as they hadn''t thought of it in that way. Reana continued:


    "If I help you, my entire plan to stardom will be ruined. I have worked a day in and out for years for this one opportunity. I''m sorry but... I can not help you."


    There was pure silence in the room. And then, Hanzo spoke up.


    "Reana..." He said in a stern manner, staring into the young woman''s eyes.


    "I''m sure you''re no fool, nor are you evil. I know you care about the smallest of details as well."


    "How exactly do you know that...?" Reana interrupted, questioning about that past part of Hanzo''s statement.


    "From the fact that, despite having the location of the Black Merchant Guild, you still haven''t published a single story. You are waiting patiently, gathering information until the perfect story is created. Like a gator on the lake surface, or a diamond-fingered merchant... you are waiting for that opportunity to pounce."


    Reana stayed silent, knowing Hanzo had read her like a book.


    After a pause, Hanzo finally said, "If you don''t help us now, your selfish desires will lead to the death of many."


    Reana''s eyes widened slightly as she heard this, gasping slightly on accident.


    "No... I--" She tried to refute the accusation but was quickly interrupted.


    "Right now, people are dying due to that guild''s influence across the continent. Maybe even in this very city." Hanzo was being honest.


    "But who''s to say they will stop? Their loyalty can not be thought of as being so measly."


    "Yes, it can," Hanzo replied, dismissing Reana''s statement entirely. "Most members of the Black Merchant Guild are thieves. Criminals and thugs of the past are now acting on their dark and evil, hidden desires. And they are doing it all under the veil and protection of the Black Merchant Guild mantle. Without that name, they are nothing but measly criminals again who hold no standing.


    Without that self-confidence, they will fall fickle like infant chicks without their mother."


    Reana was left speechless.


    Malon finally added: "We don''t dismiss your life''s work entirely. Do what you want to do, we will not stop you. But please, just give us the information you have... not for you, and not even for us, but for the sake of those suffering out there right now."


    *


    The group left Reana''s cottage empty-handed... however, they did have all the information about the black slugs in their brain--which Reana decided to give them in the end.


    Despite having their differences, Reana and Tyr''s group also decided that working together would be the best option.


    Though their end goal was different, the path to get there was the same--and that path was the investigate and eventually infiltrate the black slug hideout.


    Until then, they decided to remain allies with one shared goal in mind.


    There was also another figure that Reana had told Hanzo and the others to go and meet, but right now, there was nothing they wanted to do more than take a good night''s sleep...


    ***


    They spent the night at a small tavern, waking up in the middle of the day after catching up on missed sleep for several days.


    Afterward, they met up with Reana again to meet this figure that she had spoken about the day prior.


    "So... who exactly are we going to see? You still haven''t even told us his or her name." Tyr asked, confused on the matter.


    "Fine... I guess this is the right time to tell you. His name is Helas, and he is the lrax of this city." Reana replied, her brows furrowed.


    "Oh... that''s right, the pub owner was saying good things about him too. I heard he really cares about this city." Tyr said, thinking back to yesterday.


    "That he does." Reana said instantly, "That''s why he let me work with him as well."


    "Huh?" Tyr exclaimed in slight confusion.


    "He understands that if my story is published, it will bring a lot of awareness to this city, and potentially even help it recover. Of course, that''s not a guarantee."


    Tyr paused before saying: "Well... I think we will be happy to meet us." He smirked.

 Chapter 120: (CORRUPTED CHAPTER) Base

    ***IMPORTANT PLEASE READ: This chap has been corrupted. Along with tomorrow''s, chapters, I will repost this chapter as well in its uncorrupted state.***


    -------


    As they neared where Reana told them the city''s lrax was, the members of the group couldn''t help but notice the guard presence increase exponentially.


    Unlike what Tyr imagined, the base of operations of the lrax wasn''t embedded deep in the center of the city, away from all danger.


    They had to exit the spike walls toward the right side and were joined by a random guard all the way to the base which was over an hour away after already leaving the walls.


    There was a dirt path or torches that led the way. It was a pure forest. Most would get utterly lost just by venturing a few feet in.


    "I''ve heard of explorers getting lost for days and dying of dehydration or mental trauma while being minutes away from society. Jungles aren''t anything to underestimate." Malon said, slightly freaked out by the idea.


    "You''re right." Reana replied, "Mycopolis isn''t so dense. The mushroom trees are also much bigger compared to these, so it''s easier to tell where you came from and where you go. But... that''s why a Zasean native had to join us."


    Tyr squinted his eyes, looking at the guard that was running in front of them.


    Although Rudra wasn''t moving at full speed or anything, he still found it impressive that the guard could keep up with his pace.


    ''They are smarter than they look.'' He thought to himself.


    Finally, a few spikes in the distance revealed the fact that they had almost arrived at the base.


    As they neared it, they noticed that the place was quite small. There were guards walking around, patrolling the premises.


    As they made their way inside the spikes, Tyr questioned: "It''s funny how they let us in so easily, despite not knowing our intention."


    "No, that''s not it. This is a relief center as much as it is a base of operations. Although citizens aren''t allowed in any buildings, those wish to come and ask questions are free to do so."


    Tyr was taken aback by this, "Ask questions? Freely? The lord of the city of all people? What a super weird system..."


    "Its the only way to gain the trust of people slowly, while still continuing to work as hard as possible to stop this establishment."


    They were ordered to get off of their mounts and walk whilst inside. Led by Reana, Tyr and the others approached a small group of Zasean natives standing before a slightly elevated platform. S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    On the platform, behind a small podium, stood a tall Zasean native. He had a single feather poking out from his hair, his body bulging with muscles, and his stature no less than Tyr''s.


    They joined the small group listening to him as he continued to seemingly pour his heart out.


    "So hear me, my people! I will continue to stay here until my bones rot if that is what it takes, in order to help keep this city alive! I want this city to return to its roots! To its glory and strength!"


    Tyr instantly understood the passion the man had for his city as he heard this. Of course, the others couldn''t understand a lick of what they were saying except for Reana who had studied the language before.


    She was also less in touch compared to Tyr, however, who could fully hear the emotion behind the words.


    "Lrax! Why have you not launched an infiltration mission in so long!?" A young Zasean native said, standing right next to Tyr.


    He was a couple inches shorter, but looked healthy and optimistic.


    "Well... that is..." The lrax paused, "I''ll tell you what I can! We are preparing," The lrax smiled, "And when we hit, its going to work this time! This time for sure!"


    Tyr''s eyes waved through the crowd as everyone cheered. There were only about 15 people there in total.


    Something caught his attention. A single old woman who wasn''t cheering, or even appeared to be happy.


    After the cheers died down, she was the one to speak: "Lrax! My three sons died during your last mission... and with that too, you promised victory! What do you have to say? Why do you insist on lying, and throwing lives into the gutter." She suddenly screamed, breaking down into tears in the middle of her speech.


    The crowds excitement was instantly sapped away from them, as dread once again filled their eyes--similar to the Zasean natives walking around in the city.


    They all looked at her, whispering slightly with a somber tone. Tyr and his group also observed this situation, Tyr''s brows furrowed as he stared at what the lrax'' reply was going to be.


    After a long pause, the old woman walked forward, reaching into her robe and pulling out something wrapped in cloth.


    She placed it on the platform, next to the lrax'' feet, before opening it up to reveal a severed arm that was rotting.


    Its putrid smell quickly blasted out and filled the air, its aroma making everyone cringe with disgust.


    "That..." The old woman cried, "That was what you personally gave me after your last mission. The arm of my oldest son Hermiel." She paused, crying uncontrollably.


    "He was a good boy... my oldest, who listened to everything I said and never doubted the feeling of hope, and faith that he had in his heart. Not for God, not even in himself nor you, the lrax... but the hope that he had for a good future!"


    As she paused, everyone gasped slight, hit with the reality of the situation.


    "Now, I will never see him again. I will never have a conversation, never cry or laugh with him... never get to embrace my baby again."


    The lrax picked the arm up with a sincere look on his face, as the crowd began to tear up slightly despite wanting to hold it in.


    "I can only describe Hermial from what I know of him." The lrax started off by saying this, making the old woman snarl with anger.


    "He was an amazing solider. Never did he turn his back... and never did he doubt that we would win. And maybe that was why he died." He spoke in a very low tone, calm and almost silent.


    The crowd was even more quiet, so much so that one could hear a pin drop from several meters away.


    "But... what he did was not throw his life in vain. Far from it. What he did, and what the rest of the soliders that died that day did for us, was not comparable to being in vain... no, what they did was show us that we still have something left to fight for."


    His tone increased slightly, his eyes widening.


    "The deaths of those before us... told us, who continue to fight, what we are fighting for. Their lives are not meaningless, because we the living will fight until whatever they fight for is ahcieved!" His tone became even louder as people began to get goose bumps on their skin.


    "Each day we strive to fight, so that we may not forget what our previous men did for us! Each day we ride into the battle field, maybe not even for our goal anymore... but because we refuse to forget them to died for us! Who... THE HELL ARE WE, TO DISHONOR THEM BY FORGETTING THEIR SACRIFICE!?" He suddenly roared with passion.


    "We may die as well, entering that horrible battlefield... but those after us will not forget our sacrifice, and fight for us as well! We will not stop, until we achieve victory!"


    *


    Her eyes seemed to glow as she spoke.


    "That look in someone''s eyes when they read a newspaper and see that front page title. The impact the entire society has... the murmurs of suspense and awe. I live for that." She grinned.


    Tyr chuckled on hearing this, "I believe you... but is that why you are doing this right now? Risking your life for a few reactions?"


    Reana quickly replied: "What this? No, definitely not! Exposing this gang, which is the largest underground criminal organization in the world, is going to be my way to catapult myself into the continental scene. This is going to be my first big thing. After I am known by many, then I can continue publishing without any risk, capturing the world''s attention each time.


    Right now though, I need to get onto the world stage first."


    "Ahh... that makes sense," Tyr replied.


    A short pause ensued, after which Reana looked over at her table.


    "So... you guys have come here to eradicate the Black Merchant Guild huh? I will say this, even the largest of snakes die after you cut off their heads... but their remnants will still exist."


    Tyr exhaled before replying: "I understand that, but eventually those remnants will rot and disappear."


    Reana paused, seemingly thinking of something in her mind.


    Finally, she turned to Tyr and said in a genuine tone: "There''s one problem here, however."


    As Tyr and the others heard this, they furrowed their brows in slight confusion.


    "Problem? What problem?" Tyr quickly retorted.


    "I know you all want me to give you the information of the Black Merchant Guild so you can eventually destroy the guild... but I can not do that. If I do, I will have no story to publish. What''s the point of revealing the location if they are already wiped out? No one cares about a long gone artifact."


    The others paused, taken aback as they hadn''t thought of it in that way. Reana continued:


    "If I help you, my entire plan to stardom will be ruined. I have worked a day in and out for years for this one opportunity. I''m sorry but... I can not help you."


    There was pure silence in the room. And then, Hanzo spoke up.


    "Reana..." He said in a stern manner, staring into the young woman''s eyes.


    "I''m sure you''re no fool, nor are you evil. I know you care about the smallest of details as well."


    "How exactly do you know that...?" Reana interrupted, questioning about that past part of Hanzo''s statement.


    "From the fact that, despite having the location of the Black Merchant Guild, you still haven''t published a single story. You are waiting patiently, gathering information until the perfect story is created. Like a gator on the lake surface, or a diamond-fingered merchant... you are waiting for that opportunity to pounce."


    Reana stayed silent, knowing Hanzo had read her like a book.


    After a pause, Hanzo finally said, "If you don''t help us now, your selfish desires will lead to the death of many."


    Reana''s eyes widened slightly as she heard this, gasping slightly on accident.


    "No... I--" She tried to refute the accusation but was quickly interrupted.


    "Right now, people are dying due to that guild''s influence across the continent. Maybe even in this very city." Hanzo was being honest.


    "But who''s to say they will stop? Their loyalty can not be thought of as being so measly."


    "Yes, it can," Hanzo replied, dismissing Reana''s statement entirely. "Most members of the Black Merchant Guild are thieves. Criminals and thugs of the past are now acting on their dark and evil, hidden desires. And they are doing it all under the veil and protection of the Black Merchant Guild mantle. Without that name, they are nothing but measly criminals again who hold no standing.


    Without that self-confidence, they will fall fickle like infant chicks without their mother."


    Reana was left speechless.


    Malon finally added: "We don''t dismiss your life''s work entirely. Do what you want to do, we will not stop you. But please, just give us the information you have... not for you, and not even for us, but for the sake of those suffering out there right now."


    *


    The group left Reana''s cottage empty-handed... however, they did have all the information about the black slugs in their brain--which Reana decided to give them in the end.


    Despite having their differences, Reana and Tyr''s group also decided that working together would be the best option.


    Though their end goal was different, the path to get there was the same--and that path was the investigate and eventually infiltrate the black slug hideout.


    Until then, they decided to remain allies with one shared goal in mind.


    There was also another figure that Reana had told Hanzo and the others to go and meet, but right now, there was nothing they wanted to do more than take a good night''s sleep...


    ***


    They spent the night at a small tavern, waking up in the middle of the day after catching up on missed sleep for several days.


    Afterward, they met up with Reana again to meet this figure that she had spoken about the day prior.


    "So... who exactly are we going to see? You still haven''t even told us his or her name." Tyr asked, confused on the matter.


    "Fine... I guess this is the right time to tell you. His name is Helas, and he is the lrax of this city." Reana replied, her brows furrowed.


    "Oh... that''s right, the pub owner was saying good things about him too. I heard he really cares about this city." Tyr said, thinking back to yesterday.


    "That he does." Reana said instantly, "That''s why he let me work with him as well."


    "Huh?" Tyr exclaimed in slight confusion.


    "He understands that if my story is published, it will bring a lot of awareness to this city, and potentially even help it recover. Of course, that''s not a guarantee."


    Tyr paused before saying: "Well... I think we will be happy to meet us." He smirked.


    ***IMPORTANT PLEASE READ: This chap has been corrupted. Along with tomorrow''s, chapters, I will repost this chapter as well in its uncorrupted state.***

 Chapter 121: Base (REUPLOAD)

    *AUTHOR NOTE: This is the reupload of the previous chapter. It won''t substitute as a new chapter, so don''t worry about that.


    Also, if you feel like the writing and schedule has been lackluster or messed up as of lately, I apologize. A ceremony was held at my place for over a week so I''ve been extremely busy. In the next several days the chapters will be of much greater quality, and the publishing time will be fixed. Thanks for understanding!


    -----


    As they neared where Reana told them the city''s lrax was, the members of the group couldn''t help but notice the guard presence increase exponentially.


    Unlike what Tyr imagined, the base of operations of the lrax wasn''t embedded deep in the center of the city, away from all danger.


    They had to exit the spike walls toward the right side and were joined by a random guard all the way to the base which was over an hour away after already leaving the walls.


    There was a dirt path or torches that led the way. It was a pure forest. Most would get utterly lost just by venturing a few feet in.


    "I''ve heard of explorers getting lost for days and dying of dehydration or mental trauma while being minutes away from society. Jungles aren''t anything to underestimate." Malon said, slightly freaked out by the idea.


    "You''re right." Reana replied, "Mycopolis isn''t so dense. The mushroom trees are also much bigger compared to these, so it''s easier to tell where you came from and where you go. But... that''s why a Zasean native had to join us."


    Tyr squinted his eyes, looking at the guard that was running in front of them.


    Although Rudra wasn''t moving at full speed or anything, he still found it impressive that the guard could keep up with his pace.


    ''They are smarter than they look.'' He thought to himself. S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Finally, a few spikes in the distance revealed the fact that they had almost arrived at the base.


    As they neared it, they noticed that the place was quite small. There were guards walking around, patrolling the premises.


    As they made their way inside the spikes, Tyr questioned: "It''s funny how they let us in so easily, despite not knowing our intention."


    "No, that''s not it. This is a relief center as much as it is a base of operations. Although citizens aren''t allowed in any buildings, those who wish to come and ask questions are free to do so."


    Tyr was taken aback by this, "Ask questions? Freely? The lord of the city of all people? What a super weird system..."


    "Its the only way to gain the trust of people slowly, while still continuing to work as hard as possible to stop this establishment."


    They were ordered to get off of their mounts and walk whilst inside. Led by Reana, Tyr and the others approached a small group of Zasean natives standing before a slightly elevated platform.


    On the platform, behind a small podium, stood a tall Zasean native. He had a single feather poking out from his hair, his body bulging with muscles, and his stature no less than Tyr''s.


    They joined the small group listening to him as he continued to seemingly pour his heart out.


    "So hear me, my people! I will continue to stay here until my bones rot if that is what it takes, in order to help keep this city alive! I want this city to return to its roots! To its glory and strength!"


    Tyr instantly understood the passion the man had for his city as he heard this. Of course, the others couldn''t understand a lick of what they were saying except for Reana who had studied the language before.


    She was also less in touch compared to Tyr, however, who could fully hear the emotion behind the words.


    "Lrax! Why have you not launched an infiltration mission in so long!?" A young Zasean native said, standing right next to Tyr.


    He was a couple inches shorter, but looked healthy and optimistic.


    "Well... that is..." The lrax paused, "I''ll tell you what I can! We are preparing," The lrax smiled, "And when we hit, its going to work this time! This time for sure!"


    Tyr''s eyes waved through the crowd as everyone cheered. There were only about 15 people there in total.


    Something caught his attention. A single old woman who wasn''t cheering, or even appeared to be happy.


    After the cheers died down, she was the one to speak: "Lrax! My three sons died during your last mission... and with that too, you promised victory! What do you have to say? Why do you insist on lying, and throwing lives into the gutter." She suddenly screamed, breaking down into tears in the middle of her speech.


    The crowds excitement was instantly sapped away from them, as dread once again filled their eyes--similar to the Zasean natives walking around in the city.


    They all looked at her, whispering slightly with a somber tone. Tyr and his group also observed this situation, Tyr''s brows furrowed as he stared at what the lrax'' reply was going to be.


    After a long pause, the old woman walked forward, reaching into her robe and pulling out something wrapped in cloth.


    She placed it on the platform, next to the lrax'' feet, before opening it up to reveal a severed arm that was rotting.


    Its putrid smell quickly blasted out and filled the air, its aroma making everyone cringe with disgust.


    "That..." The old woman cried, "That was what you personally gave me after your last mission. The arm of my oldest son Hermiel." She paused, crying uncontrollably.


    "He was a good boy... my oldest, who listened to everything I said and never doubted the feeling of hope, and faith that he had in his heart. Not for God, not even in himself nor you, the lrax... but the hope that he had for a good future!"


    As she paused, everyone gasped slightly, hit with the reality of the situation.


    "Now, I will never see him again. I will never have a conversation, never cry or laugh with him... never get to embrace my baby again."


    The lrax picked the arm up with a sincere look on his face, as the crowd began to tear up slightly despite wanting to hold it in.


    "I can only describe Hermial from what I know of him." The lrax started off by saying this, making the old woman snarl with anger.


    "He was an amazing soldier. Never did he turn his back... and never did he doubt that we would win. And maybe that was why he died." He spoke in a very low tone, calm and almost silent.


    The crowd was even more quiet, so much so that one could hear a pin drop from several meters away.


    "But... what he did was not throw his life in vain. Far from it. What he did, and what the rest of the soldiers that died that day did for us, was not comparable to being in vain... no, what they did was show us that we still have something left to fight for."


    His tone increased slightly, his eyes widening.


    "The deaths of those before us... show us who continues to fight what exactly we are fighting for. Their lives are not meaningless, because we the living will fight until whatever they fought for is achieved!" His tone became even louder as people began to get goosebumps on their skin.


    "Each day we strive to fight, so that we may not forget what our previous soldiers did for us! We storm into the battlefield, maybe not even for our goal anymore... but because we refuse to forget them who died for us! Who... THE HELL ARE WE, TO DISHONOR THEM BY FORGETTING THEIR SACRIFICE!?" He suddenly roared with passion.


    "We may die as well, entering that horrible battlefield... but those after us will not forget our sacrifice, and fight for us as well! We will not stop until we achieve victory!"


    The lrax looked at the old woman, "Ma''am... place your hopes and wants in accordance with your son if you wish to find peace. Pray each day, not for your son to not die--that option is no longer available--but rather, that what he wanted is achieved. Only then may you find some semblance of hope."


    With that, the lrax turned and walked away from the podium.


    "I guess he''s taking a break. Must be hard to do this each day..." Tyr said in a low tone as the small crowd around him dispersed.


    The old lady grabbed her son''s arm, which the lrax left on the cloth that it was wrapped it, and walked away with tears still flowing from her eyes.


    Only one person from the previous crowd still stood there. It was the young man beside Tyr.


    Reana followed the lrax, "Break? If you think the lrax would take a break, you must still not have understood who he is." She quipped as Tyr and the others followed her into a large marquee.


    Inside, there were dozens of guards all standing around a single table.


    Sitting down at the table was only one man, the lrax.


    Tyr raised his chin, looking over the guards and noticing a large map stretched across the surface.


    "Tomorrow, we attack. We may all die, but we will serve as a reason for the future to continue fighting. Is that understood!?"


    "YES!" A resounding cry suddenly sounded at once without any delay.


    "Lrax Helas!" Reana suddenly spoke up, capturing the attention of a few, "I would like to introduce you to some people I think may be of help..."

 Chapter 122: Test

    "I see." Lrax Helas exclaimed, minutes after understanding who Tyr and his hunter group exactly were.


    Tyr decided to not pay attention to the various looks he and his team were getting from the other Zasean guards.


    Most of them were sizing him up as if he wasn''t worthy.


    Reana had described him and his group to be a powerful Hunter group who wanted to eradicate the Black Merchant Guild.


    So, naturally, all the men were skeptical. Despite this, Tyr kept his composure.


    In Zasean mother tongue, Tyr finally spoke his first word to the lrax: "Lrax Helas, I wish you trust me. We can work together with the men you have. I have no problem in helping you if you can help us."


    Helas flared his nostrils and snarled slightly, staring at Tyr with the side of his top lip raised.


    Tyr felt a slight hint of killing intent at that moment. He wanted to react but clenched his jaw and remained stoic.


    Meanwhile, Reana was translating for Hanzo and the others the conversation that was going on.


    Everyone else remained silent.


    "Where did you learn to speak Zasean, boy?" Helas'' rough voice exclaimed as he stood.


    "I learned it in this very continent," Tyr replied.


    Helas walked toward Tyr until he was uncomfortably close. He then leaned into the young man''s ear and said: "You got jokes ey? Follow me... I''ll test if you have strength as well."


    Tyr felt a horrible amount of killing intent spew from the lrax''s lips.


    ''There is no mistaking it... he wants me fucking dead.'' He thought to himself, ''This was unexpected.'' He didn''t think the man would act so rough.


    The lrax stomped out of the marquee through a back exit, and into a small ground that was circular and seemingly trodden for a long time.


    Tyr followed him there.


    The guards, Reana, Hanzo, and others also followed along.


    Soon, guards from all around the base gathered together around the circular arena outlined by a thick rope.


    Tyr''s eyes squinted, looking around as he saw guards gather around and form a crowd of hundreds.


    "Let''s see what the gentle flesh can do!"


    Many began to shout with excitement.


    "He''s a warm skin? He looks like a Zasean native to me..."


    "His looks don''t determine what''s inside. He''s a warm flesh through and throughout... he will get crushed."


    They continued, some laughing and joking, while others were dead serious.


    Hanzo and the others stood back, getting the important bits translated to them by Reana.


    "Boy, you lead your group, am I right?" Helas said in a loud tone so that everyone could hear.


    Tyr paused, looking around for a moment as he sensed the anticipation in the crowd.


    "Yes, I do." He replied.


    Reana translated this to Noa and the others, and their expressions did not change even a bit. They simply nodded on hearing it.


    "Then, you shall prove your group''s worth by defeating a Zasean warrior in combat. Have you any qualms? Inquiries?"


    Tyr replied without delay: "Yes."


    "State them then!"


    "The rules. How far am I allowed to go? To the death?"


    As he said this, a resounding *Oooo* sounded from the crowd. Many laughed, making dramatic noises, while others furrowed their brows, angry at the audacity of the boy.


    "He thinks he''s tough ey?"


    "He will learn what''s tough today..."


    "Send me in, I could fold him like a towel."


    Helas scoffed slightly, "The opponent must give up, but you may not kill, nor permanently injure."


    Tyr nodded slightly on hearing this. He was calm, ''All I have to do is prove to them I am worthy of standing beside their ranks. That should be easy enough...''


    He looked down at his right hand before squeezing it into a fist, ''This could be a good opportunity to test out Ancestral Presence on humans... I''ve only done it with animals so far.''


    "So, who will I be fighting?" Tyr loudly said, getting a few annoyed reactions from the crowd.


    Helas'' eyes scanned through the crowd like a hawk. Many warriors smiled brightly, itching to get their hands on the boy.


    However, his eyes landed on a much larger Zasean warrior who was looking to the side. He seemingly wasn''t interested, nor did he think he was going to get chosen anyway.


    "You, Ha." Helas said, pointing out the big guy.


    Ha looked at his lrax with furrowed eyebrows of confusion, "A-are you sure, my lrax? The boy is only a soft flesh..." His deep voice quickly responded.


    Helas'' decision seemed to spur some controversy, as the crowd of Zasean warriors was quite amused by his pick.


    "Seriously? Our strongest warrior against a damn Southerner?" sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Pahah! It looks like he has done something to piss lrax Helas off."


    "Rest in peace... jeez."


    On the other hand, Hanzo, Malon, and Noa smiled.


    "This is going to be satisfying from the looks of it," Hanzo said in a low tone.


    "Mmhm." Malon nodded.


    "You bet." Noa chuckled.


    Reana raised a brow, not convinced, ''Jeez... are they that delusional?'' She thought, turning to look at Tyr.


    She saw his expression, and her eyes widened slightly with surprise.


    He was staring at Ha with a large grin on his face, and his eyes glowing with excitement.


    "Come, Ha! Let us fight like men!" He said with with a loud, confident tone.


    ''Or...'' Reana mused, ''Is he actually as strong as they think?'' She couldn''t help but think this as she saw his expression.


    Ha sighed, "Fine... but don''t expect me to go easy on you. I am no warm skin. I know no mercy... those who wish to fight me, get to fight all of me, not just a teaser."


    The big Zasean native stepped forward as the crowd cheered him on.


    He towered over Tyr, clearly over 7''1. feet in size.


    He wasn''t ripped, but bulky. Weighing most likely over 500 pounds with ease. Despite this, he had an athletic physique with bulging muscles. His stomach was protruding out slightly, but he still had large abs--showing the thick nature of his muscles.


    He was naturally terrifying as an opponent, but Tyr only grinned on seeing him.


    ''Maybe I would have had a bit of fear before Tarnish... but after fighting those disgusting freaks for so long, not many things scare me anymore.'' Tyr thought to himself, cracking his neck using his right arm.


    "Begin." Helas calmly said.


    "Pray to whatever God you follow now before its too late. You will get hurt..." Ha said, cracking his knuckles.


    "I pray to no one, big boy. Bring it on."

 Chapter 123: Holy Fuck

    With that, Ha lunged forward--attempting to grab Tyr with both hands.


    However, Tyr ducked below and slipped out of the way, causing the big brute to stumble forward slightly before quickly turning on his heel.


    An amused and slight reaction resounded from the crowd as they saw this.


    Tyr made some space between him and Ha, allowing the big man to turn.


    "You are fast, I''ll give you that. It may take me a while to catch you, but when I do... it won''t be pleasant." Ha said, brushing off the small mistake.


    "Oh no... you have it all wrong." Tyr replied, confusing Ha and the crowd, "I won''t want to extend this for long. After all, this is not enough to be worthy of being called a fight for me." He spoke the truth.


    "Hrugh." Ha exclaimed under his breath, snarling at the boy, "You want a painful loss I see..."


    At that moment, Ha ripped a hair out from his arm and threw it into the air.


    He reached forward, grabbing the hair in mid air as it suddenly transformed into a long bone spear in his hand.


    "Unsheath your weapon!" He roared while storming forward, causing the crowd to erupt in a resounding cheer.


    While excitement was at an all-high, Tyr took in a deep breath.


    Hanzo and the others stood there with confident expressions on their faces.


    Helas had his arms crossed, his brows furrowed and his eyes squinted--taking note of each of the boy''s movements.


    ''Ancestral Presence.'' Tyr said to himself at that moment, triggering his own emotions and unleashing a burst of spiritual energy from his glabella. He understood that he had the ability to either target the energy at a single person, or multiple. Right now, he decided to let it loose, but mainly target Ha.


    ...


    Ha''s chin raised, his eyes widening as he noticed a tsunami coming from Tyr and nearly about to crash onto him.


    He halted in his tracks, taking several feet back as his maw gaped with awe and shock.


    The tsunami transformed into a horrifying beast and crashed into him, forcing him to his knees at once.


    The weight did not stop there, continuously crashing onto his shoulders as though gravity itself had increased by several times fold.


    His muscles all cramped up, his bones attempting to implode under the pressure.


    His brain felt as though it was being squeezed by a pair of hands as hard as possible, and his vision was extremely blurry.


    Despite all of this, the worst thing that Ha was experiencing at that moment was an impending, unfathomable, crippling feeling of utter doom that loomed over him.


    It was a fear that he had never experienced before in his entire life, one that he wanted to jump out of his own skin to escape from.


    He had no thoughts in his mind and body right now other than to escape.


    Flight or fight had already activated, and flight had been his long-chosen primal instinct.


    A beast. A monster. A creature... a demon so powerful that it could swallow him whole. Such a being was in front of him at this very moment, already beginning to melt his skin from its sheer piercing gaze.


    Ha''s eyes were expanded like two large planets, his pupils dancing in shock, the hairs on his arms raised, and his entire body suddenly drenched in sweat.


    All of this occurred in the span of... 3 seconds. S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Of course, what everyone else saw was the large man suddenly falling onto his knees and panting with fear as he profusely began to sweat.


    However, the crowd also felt an immensely terrifying, ruthless energy exude from the boy out of nowhere.


    Finally, Ha barely managed to raise his head and look at Tyr.


    The young man seemed to be hundreds of meters away from him, like a dark figure standing atop a hill.


    Behind him was a golden glow, as if he were outlined by the sun itself.


    "Y-you..." He began to utter, "Are no mortal." He said, traumatized by the overwhelming experience.


    Helas''s eyes flew wide open as he heard Ha say this.


    ''The fearsome aura I felt... must have been scratch in comparison to Ha''s experience.'' He looked at Tyr, ''What a terrifying boy... it''s good that he is on the side of good. Who knows the travesty he would cause otherwise...''


    Tyr stopped the Ancestral Presence at that moment, allowing everyone to breathe easier.


    Ha dropped flat onto his back, panting heavily as though he just ran 10 miles.


    The crowd was silent, a complete switch from before. Another complete switch was the look in their eyes.


    They were still staring at Tyr as they were before, but the only difference was that instead of disdain, or pity, their eyes were now filled with respect, confusion, intrigue, and most of all, fear.


    "If... its not obvious already, I fucking yield." Ha said at that moment, making the crowd burst out into a peal of laughter. Yet, their eyes still refused to move away from Tyr.


    Tyr smiled, "Im sorry I made you go through that." He said, giving a hand to the large man.


    Ha stared at the boys hand and then back at his face, before taking it.


    "I better accept... if I know what''s good for me." He joked, rising up to his feet.


    He then bowed his head, "Im sorry I doubted you... you''re a monster, man."


    Ha''s tone was completely different from before. Tyr was no longer like an outsider, and was spoken to with a friendly voice.


    Helas stepped forward as Ha made his way back into the crowd.


    Tyr turned to face the lrax.


    "Sir," Tyr said, "Do you trust me enough now?"


    Helas stopped and paused. The crowd quieted down, as everyone stared with anticipation.


    And then, a smile suddenly appeared on his face, "You won, didn''t you? Of course, I trust you!" He laughed, giving Tyr a hug and a pat on the back.


    Tyr scoffed slightly with relief, ''The bastard was testing me with his rough attitude. But... that makes me respect him even more. He clearly takes his job and the safety of his ranks quite seriously. Thats a very good trait in a leader.''


    Helas walked back toward the marquee: "Now... lets prepare you and your teams positions in the raid tommorow. If they are even a quarter of your strength, they will be of great assistance."


    As Helas walked past Reana, she didn''t translate that part to Hanzo and the others.


    "Uh... Reana? Are you going to translate?" Noa asked, slightly confused.


    Reana, however, was staring at Tyr with a stunned expression: "Holy... fuck." She finally said.

 Chapter 124: Rescue Mission Begins

    "Did I seriously just see what I saw?" Reana said, still at a loss.


    "What kind of question is that?" Hanzo quipped, getting a few chuckles from the others.


    "Jeez... although I couldn''t feel what Ha was feeling, I think we could all tell it was far worse than the fear we felt. Tyr is a monster." Reana exclaimed, almost shaking her head in disbelief.


    "Oh? Is that right?" Tyr suddenly said, walking up behind her and making her jump.


    "Eeek" Reana exclaimed, "Don''t jumpscare me, you bastard!" She quickly blabbered with fear.


    "Bastard? I thought I was a monster just a second ago..."


    *One hour later*


    Tyr''s group, Reana, Helas, and the rest all stood around the mapped table.


    "So, is that the final plan?" Tyr asked, everyone, looking at him as his eyes remained locked onto Helas.


    After a sigh of hesitation, the lrax spoke: "Hmm... lets see if all bases are covered. We will first enter what we think is their domain through an Aura Array breaker. It should dissolve the array seal they have over that dimensional air, breaking it and allowing us to enter the second dimension--where their base is located."


    Everyone nodded along as he continued.


    "Thanks to Trai over here, we know about this technology in the first place. So, again, thank you, Trai." Helas gave his flowers to a young man standing a few feet from Tyr in the crowd of guards.


    Tyr''s eyes glanced at the young man who was smiling proudly, ''The same guy who was standing beside me during Helas'' speech. Trai is his name huh?''


    "After that," Helas continued, recapturing everyone''s attention, "We will strictly continue until we reach the place where all of the test subjects are kept. Freeing them will be our main objective in this mission. After that, we can focus on a full war. But, without freeing the victims, war would only spill innocent blood." Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Helas'' words were taken goodly by everyone.


    "Thanks to Tyr here, we understand where we can enter their separate dimension." Helas suddenly said, throwing Tyr off slightly.


    "Hm?" Tyr exclaimed in slight confusion.


    "You told us when you questioned about your known details that you had seen a warehouse-looking shed right?"


    "Oh... yes, I did say that. But how does that correlate here?"


    "We, the Zasean natives, do not build such things especially not out of metal. It must have been the Black Merchant Guild. And wherever these buildings pop up, they eventually disappear. It''s not like they simply cease to exist, as everything inside would be dropped. Instead, its the case that the buildings are taken to that second dimension."


    "Ah..." Tyr said, the crowd also understanding.


    Helas continued: "This means that wherever that warehouse is, around there is a link to that second dimension. Our Aura array breaker will be of use there."


    With those words, Helas went on to explain more specific details of the mission, such as individual actions and positions.


    After everything was decided, everyone was ordered to rest well for the coming day.


    ***


    Loud footsteps thudding through the forest floor sounded, each step crushing the grass below into a green mush.


    Tyr''s bare feet rushed through the jungle, above fallen logs, below branches and vines, and through the dense bush.


    The Zasean natives followed close behind him, their large weapons and bared.


    Finally, Tyr''s feet slid across the grass as they came to a halting screech.


    In front of him was a large opening where there were no trees, and at the back of this patch of grass was a giant warehouse.


    It was made of gray steel, with a round roof and flat walls.


    It looked to be over 1000 feet in length, close to 500 feet in width, and easily over 120 feet in height.


    It was rusting, seemingly old.


    "Well, this is it." Tyr said as the army of soldiers following him arrived to the spot.


    Trai, the young man from before, tapped Tyr on the shoulder as he walked in front: "Good work, Tyr!" He smiled.


    Tyr squinted his eyes slightly, but before he could reply, Helas arrived to the scene.


    "Warehouse first." He simply said, glancing at Tyr.


    Tyr instantly understood what the lrax was trying to tell him. He nodded, beginning to walk forward as Hanzo and the others, including Reana and Trai, followed after him.


    They made it to the front doors of the warehouse, where Tyr sniffed a few extra times.


    "Huh? What is that foul odor?" He said, thrown off.


    He looked down, noticing the remains of a dried black liquid seemingly leaking out of the doors.


    The others also reacted to the smell, finding it foul.


    Tyr gritted his teeth, pulling a lever up then to the left to dislodge a metal rod placed in between the two large metal doors.


    This caused the doors to swing in fast, and unleashed a gust of wind out from the warehouse.


    Along with the wind traveled that same putrid stench, except it was much stronger this time. It flew all the way into the small army of about 50 Zasean natives, making them all cringe in disgust.


    Some even began to welch slightly, unable to control themselves.


    Inside, it was pitch black and dark. It seemed there were no windows, and even if there were, they must have been blocked out somehow.


    As they made their ways inside, they noticed a cold stone floor below them.


    Finally, Tyr walked to the side and found a light switch. With one of his hands squeezing his nostrils shut, he flicked on the light switch.


    In a slow wave, all of the rows of lights opened one by one: displaying everything inside of the warehouse.


    Eyes widened, pupils dancing with shock. Maws gaped, limbs quickly weakening for many people inside of the warehouse right now.


    Tyr quickly walked in front of the group, taking in what was before him with an expression that displayed pure disbelief.


    Before him were large towers of metal scaffolding and storage areas... all covered in nothing but dead corpses.


    Piled onto each other like bags of sand, they were sprawled around everywhere.


    On each piece of scaffolding, hanging off the edges. Littered all over the floor, in several piles at times.


    At the very center of the warehouse was the worst of all--a giant pile of bodies that were mutilated, cut open like a rose. Mangeld and broken, beaten and bruised from the looks of it.


    All of these people were Zasean natives.

 Chapter 125: Test Subjects

    "These people didn''t just die." Tyr said under his breath, his brows furrowed with a serious look: "They were tortured... mangled and thrown here like a garbage dump."


    Hanzo exhaled, "The Black Merchant Guild members are horrible people, but the guild itself is smarter than this. What reason is there for them to needlessly slaughter over a thousand people like this?"


    Tyr clenched his jaw and walked forward.


    "Hey!" Trai suddenly exclaimed, reaching his hand forward, "Where are you going!? We should escape... who knows how many diseases there are in this one place. Probably enough to ravage civilizations!"


    Tyr ignored him, continuing to walk forward.


    He finally arrived at the large pile of bodies stacking up over 15 feet. Kneeling down, he examined each body with a look of curiosity in his eyes.


    He picked up hands, staring at them closely before dropping them again.


    Like this, he made his way around the pile of bodies for over 10 minutes.


    ''Some have holes blasted through their bodies... others have exploded heads, and others have been cleaved and broken.''


    Tyr thought to himself as he continued examining the bodies.


    ''But... in the oldest of bodies, the ones that are the most dry and rotting... there is a pattern.''


    He picked up the foot of an older looking body that was rotting like hell, ''Its large, too large for the body. Its like mangled bags of meat. The veins in it are nearly quadruple the size as well.''


    He moved it how he pleased, look at each angle. Finally, he pulled the body out from the large pile.


    Taking a good look at the face, Tyr saw that this person had 6 ears all over their face.


    ''There''s no doubt about it. This person took an unstable pill... just as Malon''s brother did in Mycelia. The enlarged limbs and veins... and the multiple ears are a tell tale sign.''


    He paused, squinting as he thought about it some more.


    ''The oldest bodies are more fucked up than the newer ones in terms of looking crazy. That means... those slugs are finding a way to make unstable pills into usable objects. However, there are also bodies in here that have seemingly no flaws. That could mean that the ''perfect unstable pill'' in the mind of these slugs is one that grants great power to the user with no side effects...


    but then kills them no matter what after their job is done. Its a powerful weapon... one that can''t give information. Like a war machine...''


    He began to walk back to the exit, ''I doubt they''ve already perfected it... but even if they are close, thats quite an issue. The weak Mano was unrecognizable in strength after taking some pills... I can''t even imagine what type of monster a more powerful person would become.''


    As he made it a few feet away from where everyone was, he said: "They were test subjects for unstable pills..."


    Everyone stayed quiet, silently acknowledging Tyr''s words.


    Reana closed her eyes, looking to the side with sorrow.


    "Thats horrible..." She whispered.


    Trai had a somber look on his face. Malon gritted his teeth, furious at those words.


    Noa slowly shook her head, in slight denial while also feeling horrible about the situation.


    Hanzo furrowed his eyebrows, "Slugs..." He said.


    Tyr calmly spoke: "Their deaths won''t be painless..." He said as he walked out of the warehouse. The others followed him.


    When Tyr stepped out, his eyes once again flew open in shock.


    "He-Helas?" He said from under his breath, noticing the lrax kneeling with his head facing the floor. His entire body was covered in blood, and around him lay dozens of freshly butchered corpses.


    "W-what the fuck?" Tyr said under his breath again, unable to believe what he was seeing, "WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED!?" He rushed over to where the lrax was.


    As the others followed him, their expressions equally filled with horror and shock, Tyr placed his hand on the lrax''s back and kneeled.


    He stared at Helas'' face. The man was clearly in shock. He seemed to have small wounds all over his body, but that clearly meant nothing to him right now.


    His eyes were wide open, staring at the ground and dancing like crazy. He was panting heavily as well, as if he had just seen a ghost.


    "T-they... are here." He suddenly said, "Don''t lower your guard."


    At that moment, Tyr furrowed his brows, "Huh?" He managed to say before feeling an immense pressure plow into his side out of nowhere.


    A kick to his abdomen launched him several feet away, tumbling across the ground before sliding to his feet.


    He quickly raised his head, staring at the large figure in a brown hood standing before Helas.


    "Kehahaha!" The figure burst out into a peal of maniacal laughter, "Aren''t you guys just a bit too late?"


    The figure took his stainless robe off and threw it into the wind--revealing his immense physique.


    Hanzo and the others halted, spreading out around the man.


    His skin was black, his height easily over 7 feet tall. His muscles bulged as if they were powered by a full-on machine.


    He had nothing but a mouth for a face and a giant ear on his torso.


    "Foul beast..." Tyr said under his breath, rising to his feet.


    "What you all have to understand is..." The mouth-ear-man began to speak, his voice very loud despite not yelling: "You are unmatched here! Worms can not defeat slugs!"


    Tyr furrowed his brows, ''How the hell does he know about that nickname? Black slugs...''


    "Transform!" A voice suddenly sounded from behind Hanzo.


    It was Trai, who continued: "Cheetah!"


    As he said this, he leaped into the air--his body morphing into a large cheetah in seconds.


    He stormed across the field, grabbing Helas by the hair and throwing him to safety.


    "Huh?" The earman exclaimed, slamming the back of his fist into the cheetah.


    Trai was slammed in the face, and thrown several feet into the air before transforming back into his human form and falling to the ground with a loud thud.


    Helas on the other hand was taken in by Hanzo and the others.


    Hanzo tossed him a few healing capsules before turning to the earman again.


    "Die!" Hanzo shouted, unleashing three red arrows.


    "Huh?" The earman exclaimed, "Don''t you get it? All matter and Aura, atoms and everything else is just an accumulation of vibrations on their core level. Vibrations are nothing but sound!"


    The arrows absorbed into the earman''s giant torso ear.


    He then opened his mouth, unleashing a blast of red Aura at Hanzo and the others.


    "Dodge!"


    Most made it out of the way except for Malon and Noa.


    Malon quickly slammed his giant shield in front of Noa, "Come!" He exclaimed.


    The red Aura blasted onto his shield--pushing him back several feet but eventually repelling in all different directions. S§×arch* The N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "I see... so that your power. You hear something... and let us hear it back." Tyr said, making his way toward the earman, "What a copycat."

 Chapter 126: Copycat

    "Everyone back up!" Tyr shouted, "I want this kill!" He said with a slightly crazed, yet determined look in his eyes.


    "What!?" Reana exclaimed in confusion but was ignored by Tyr.


    "Come at me, you freak!" He yelled at the earman as he dashed around the side of the beast--a golden flame invigorating from his glabella as his eyes turned a golden hue.


    The earman turned with Tyr, not taking a single step forward.


    "Its like that then huh? Waiting for me to attack first... fine, have it your way. It will only be a more painful death." Tyr said, ''Soul Mend: Dragon.''


    Scales grew all over his body as wings protruded from his back.


    "Flame Breath!" He roared, unleashing a blast of inferno at the earman.


    The freak took a step back in instinctual fear, the sudden explosion of fire throwing him off.


    However, he seemed to grit his teeth and firm his resolve before stepping forward.


    "All Aura is vibration... and all vibration is sound!" He yelled, absorbing Tyr''s dragon fire into his large torso ear by converting it into vibrations.


    He gritted his teeth even more, seemingly struggling to do this.


    Finally, he sucked in all the flame through his giant ear.


    "Damn! I couldn''t convert all of it... what in the world is that flame!?" He yelled as Tyr and the others could see an orange glow coming from deep within his neck.


    "Whatever... die!" He roared, widening his mouth as a blast of energy no weaker than the dragon flame thrust out of it.


    Tyr smirked, ''Reverse.'' He said, raising his hand.


    All of the energy was instantly absorbed, and then thrown out again in the span of a couple seconds.


    "W-what!?" The earman exclaimed with confusion, unable to hear this attack fast enough.


    Although he tried, Tyr''s reversal had caught him off guard.


    The attack stormed into him with full throttle, like a truck slamming into a giant watermelon.


    While feeling the brunt of the blow, the earman screamed: "You called me a copy cat... and had an ability like this!?"


    Right after he said this, his entire body exploded like a microwaved egg, separating into a thousand pieces.


    "It''s called strategic wording, you dumbass freak." Tyr smirked, "Thats why you''re dead right now."


    [You have slain Ear Mouth (Expert Rank Zasea Human).]


    [You leveled up!]


    [Strength: 135--136]


    [Stamina: 120/120-->121]


    ''Expert Rank... the strongest I''ve killed apart from beasts. But... a human? That thing... was a human once?'' Tyr furrowed his eyebrows, ''I wonder if it was a black slug...


    or actually, a normal native that they converted.''


    His brows curled inwards with a slightly somber look, ''It''s horrible... this should never be happening. To not only be evil bastards, but to ruin people''s lives like this and use them while turning them into wretched creatures.''


    He couldn''t help but feel angry thinking of it all. However, he tightened his fist and constrained himself, ''I''ll get their revenge for them. There''s no doubt about that.''


    He made his way back to Helas and the others.


    "Are you alright?" He said, staring at the lrax who had now risen to his feet.


    "Im fine... thankfully I only caught minor injuries, which Hanzo''s health pills helped heal." Helas said in a low tone, turning toward Trai who had made it back to the group.


    He was stretching his hands, but over all, the young Zasean native didn''t seem too injured.


    "Trai, please make sure the bodies of the fallen are recovered. Our mission for today... is over." The lrax said, limping slightly while being helped by Hanzo and Malon.


    ''He sounds devastated... and defeated.'' Tyr thought to himself, ''He had to see all of those people... his soldiers, die in front of his very eyes. It must have been traumatizing. Tsk... how horrible.''


    *BOOM*


    A crashing noise sounded from nearby.


    A few hundred feet away, a cloud of dust had formed from a recent impact.


    Tyr squinted, attempting to get a good glimpse at what it was.


    As the dust cleared, Tyr saw a pair of robed figures standing in the center.


    One was tall and wide, the other small and seemingly thin.


    "Brother... do you think it''s time for us to rejoice yet?" The large one said, taking off the hood from his head.


    He resembled a human, but his skin was blue. He was bald, and his eyes were a bright red color like a demon.


    He was around 6''7 ft. tall in stature, jacked to the gills, and had a square face shape.


    "Quiet, Heim. Let your older brother do the talking." The short one exclaimed, walking forward. He wasn''t more than 5''2 ft. on a good day.


    "Oi! You people... one of you is too strong." He said in a simple voice.


    "Can you just die?" He said again, as if he was genuinely asking.


    "Huh?" Tyr raised a brow, "What kind of question is that? Of course not."


    Everyone looked at him as he replied. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    There was a moment of silence, and then the short hooded figure spoke:


    "Did you think we were talking about you?"


    Tyr was slightly taken aback by this.


    "Uh... you weren''t?" He asked, puzzled.


    "We were." The short guy replied again in a straight tone.


    There was another bit of silence.


    "Then why did you question it!?" Tyr replied, annoyed this time.


    "J-just shut up! Both of you!" The big guy shouted, "Lets just fight already, golden warrior. Don''t you want to fight? All strong people like to fight... thats why they are strong in the first place."


    Hanzo squinted his eyes as he heard this, looking down at his own hands for a second.


    Tyr stepped forward, "Fine... in fact, you two made a mistake coming here. Now that you have shown yourselves, I won''t let you escape. No way in hell. I''ll butcher every slug I see." He clenched his teeth.


    The small robed figure dashed forward, suddenly blitzing past Tyr before he could even notice.


    Tyr''s eyes widened with shock as he felt a tap on the back of his head, making him stumble forward and nearly fall onto his face.


    ''F-fast...'' He mused inwardly. ''My eyes couldn''t even track him.''


    "I won''t be fighting you today... I don''t want to die." The short, robed figure said, "Instead, I''ll just take some... test subjects."


    He sprinted behind Malon, grabbing him by the ankle.


    Before anyone could see, he also appeared in front of Hanzo and placed a bind over his hands in the span of a second--grabbing the interlocked hands before dashing back to his accomplice.


    He did this so fast that no one could even see his blur, let alone try to stop him.


    "Hey!" Tyr yelled, a mix of anger, confusion, and even worry in his mind: "STOP! COME BACK HERE!" He roared as the two waved and disappeared on the spot.


    Tyr activated Polaris Tiger Soul Mend to reach them, but they escaped from his grasp in a mere few millimeters.


    He stood there panting in shock as he realized they were actually gone.


    His eyes were wide, "No... damn it!"

 Chapter 127: Thin Patience

    "No! We will not play safe any longer!"


    "Saving the victims first will only put them in danger, don''t you see that!?"


    "We are not in the position to be giving ourselves handicaps. They don''t care about their test subjects, but we care about our people."


    "What!? If you care, then why try to fight with them in the fray? You will only slaughter them in the collusion!"


    "Stop! Everyone! Stop arguing, the decision is final! We will attack head on, and save the victims only after we have dealt with the Black Merchant Guild criminals!"


    "To hell it''s final! Nothing is final yet! We have to find a way to save the innocent first!"


    "Trying to save the innocent first has led us right into the hands of those bastards! In the attempts to save some, we have lost hundreds of soldiers!"


    "Yes! Don''t you get it? They want us to try to protect the weak so that they can use it against us."


    "Still! Two wrongs don''t make a right. We shouldn''t risk the lives of the victims!"


    *


    Inside of the main marquee, dozens of soldiers who seemed quite old and mature argued about what was the next plan of action.


    Tyr and a few others sat down outside atop a couple of boxes. Reana, Noa, Trai, Ha, and a couple of others were with him. They had been listening for hours, and even though they could hear the muffled screams from within right now, it was a lot better than being inside.


    "Tsk..." Tyr exclaimed, seemingly annoyed: "One side wants to rush in and kill, while the other side wants to rush in and rescue. Both sides will lead to death on our side..."


    The others didn''t say a word, understanding all of this.


    "Its been three days since Hanzo and Malon have been abducted. My patience won''t run for much longer." He gritted his teeth, staring forward with a seething hatred in his eyes.


    Reana put her hand on his back, "Please... Tyr. I know what type of person you are. I know what you are feeling, and from the little I''ve known them, I would also want to help them badly. But the experienced soldiers are making their own decisions right now. Listen to them...


    wait for their call. What''s the point in continuing casualties?" She said in a genuine tone. Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Tyr slowly turned toward her and stared directly into her eyes with the same expression as before.


    "You don''t know a thing about what type of person I am." He said, standing up and walking back inside.


    Reana was left slightly stunned. The others remained silent. After a second, Noa followed Tyr back inside.


    As she walked past Reana, the journalist tried to joke to lighten the mood: "He''s quite angry right now--" But she cut herself off, noticing that Noa''s eyes were also fuming with malice.


    After Noa entered the marquee, Reana''s shoulders drooped and laid back on the box below her.


    Trai looked over at her: "They have a close connection, it seems. That Hunter group... what was the name of it again?"


    "They never said." Ha said, staring forward.


    "Whatever it is... they aren''t being reasonable." Reana spoke, "I mean... who do they think they are? To want to destroy one of the largest guilds in the entire continent."


    Ha and Trai looked over at Reana, not saying a word.


    They then looked at themselves, understanding that they were thinking the same thing inside.


    ''Looks like she''s also mad now.''


    ''Yep...''


    ***


    ''Trust the experienced soldiers she says... yet these blabbering fools have shown themselves to be nothing more than idiotic, childish, emotional morons who have more pride in their decision being accepted, rather than their decision being the right one.'' He couldn''t hold his patience in any longer.


    When Tyr stepped inside the marquee, it seemed that someone had something quite rare, and so the entire chamber was quiet right now.


    Tyr found this the perfect opportunity to speak: "Listen up, everyone." He said in Zasean, making heads turn.


    Over 50 people, some sitting, and most standing, looked at him with varying emotions in their eyes.


    "The only reason you are arguing whether to attack first, or rescue first, is because all of you as a collective are weak." Tyr did not hold back in an attempt to be polite.


    He was going to speak what he thought, his patience running thin after three days of waiting. He did not sound how cold-hearted he sounded.


    Many eyebrows furrowed with anger and arrogance as they heard Tyr''s words.


    Older men grumbled under their breath, and the younger sprouts even tightened their grasp on their weapons or clenched their fists.


    However, Tyr didn''t shy away from taking the reactions head on. His eyes waved through the crowd like a hawk, looking at everyone in the eyes as a way to tell them that he was not scared.


    "If you were strong," He continued, "Then you could have it both ways. Rescue, while attacking at the same time."


    A few more grumbles sounded, this time some even agreed to Tyr''s words.


    "The way it is now, you all will never beat the Black Merchant Guild."


    As Tyr said this, another voice blurted out: "Alright, thats enough!" A large, older-looking native slammed his fist on the table.


    "Where do you go off saying all of this nonsense!? Do you have no respect for this team''s morale? You will be butchered by my hand--"


    At that moment, Tyr furrowed his brows in anger--and as he did, a burst of killing intent via his passive Ancestral Presence ability slipped out.


    It targeted strictly toward the Zasean native, piercing through him like a dagger through the heart.


    As this bloodlust was only targeted toward the native, no one else felt it. Yet, it was clearly enough to stop the man from speaking any further.


    The native froze, his speech unwilling to come out of his mouth for a moment.


    Tyr calmed himself down, ''I need to remember that this is a passive ability... it works when I am too riled up.'' He thought to himself.


    The Zasean native finally took in a breath, wheezing slightly as if he had just seen a ghost.


    "Let the boy continue," Helas said at that moment, a curious look in his eyes.


    The Zasean native stood and walked out of the marquee as Tyr''s pupils followed him.


    After he left, Tyr continued: "All of you will die gruesome deaths, including every person in this city, if you do not listen to my following words."

 Chapter 128: New In Charge

    ***EXXTRA LONG CHAP***


    -----


    The tone in the room had changed from what it was only seconds ago.


    Some had been getting prepared to give the young arrogant cunt a piece of their mind as well.


    But now that they saw how their comrade reacted, there was an underlying tone of respect and fear in their minds.


    They only stared at Tyr with serious expressions, as that was the extent of what they felt they could do.


    Tyr continued: "If you had the strength of ten times the men you have right now, you could go in and destroy that base while rescuing everyone simultaneously. The thing you lack is strength... and that is exactly what I am providing you. You may not believe it, but I don''t care."


    Some squinted their eyes as they heard that last part, even Helas.


    "That''s right, it doesn''t matter whether any of you listen to me. I am going to go on my own after this anyway."


    A few shocked responses of awe murmured about slightly as Tyr said this.


    "I am only offering a hand to you all as a sign of respect, a hand large enough to place you all in its palm." With that, Tyr reached his hand out above the table in between everyone.


    "So... will you take this hand?" He finally said, sending a wave of silence through the entire marquee.


    Tyr was staring at Helas, and everyone''s eyes naturally moved toward him as well as they saw this.


    Feeling the pressure of those around him to make the final decision, he stood up and raised his hand above the table.


    "We will take your hand..." Helas said sternly. This wasn''t a small deal, as Helas wasn''t just accepting Tyr''s recruitment, but rather, agreeing to go with his plans completely with all of his men.


    He had just decided to place all the lives of his men at risk in the hope that Tyr was going be their main front when it came to strength and strategy.


    There were quite a few mixed reactions. Some were shocked that Helas would suddenly agree to the qualms of the young man.


    Others were happy, liking the fact that someone much stronger was commanding them from now on.


    And some, who hadn''t seen Tyr''s fight with Ha, underestimated Tyr and weren''t satisfied with this.


    However, another hand raised up slowly. It was the hand of the oldest warrior in the room.


    "I am the wisest... and I know that as one climbs further up a mountain, the more he can see. In the same who, weakness is a blinding veil in front of the eyes of men, while strength is the cure. Those who are strong see more opportunities that the weak do not have... those who are strong worked to get there... those who are strong, are born to lead."


    With this speech, another hand raised up.


    After that, a couple from each side of the circle began to rise.


    Before long, a ripple effect took over--as every hand around the table had risen.


    Tyr''s eyes glanced around the crowd: ''Of course some are still going to oppose this... but they have no choice but to follow the flock.''


    He then looked out the door, ''I was going to go out on my own, but its good that at the very least, I have some men behind me as back up.''


    He began to walk toward the exit. Experience tales at m-vl-e-mpyr


    "T-Tyr!" Helas exclaimed at that moment, "What about your plans? You are the commander now... you have to inform us of everything before you just leave out of nowhere!"


    Tyr turned past his shoulder to glance at Helas for a moment, "Everyone! Sit tightly and wait. I''ll be back to your benefit."


    He left the marquee, leaving everyone confused and silent.


    "That might have been a bad decision," Helas said at that moment, almost in a joking, pitiful tone.


    The others simply sighed.


    "If he wasn''t so strong, as I hear him to be, he would be thrown to the hunting dogs." The old warrior exclaimed, shaking his head.


    ***


    Noa and Tyr made their way out of the Zasean base of operations and headed out into the forest.


    "Noa, what exactly are Aura arrays to you?" Tyr abruptly asked out of nowhere as they walked.


    Noa was slightly taken aback by this, "Odd question," But she still replied, "Hmm... lets see, to me, Aura array''s are like binds and seals. They aren''t placed on people to entrap them, but rather on things to enforce them."


    Tyr tilted his head slightly, intrigued, "Hmm... go on..."


    Noa paused for a moment before saying, "Well... its like the laws of the universe. Aura dictates these laws, and Aura arrays create new laws in our universe that are enforced by Aura. When one is sealed, a new law is created in the universe stating that he should not be released until the Aura seal is released.


    In the same way, when an Aura array is placed on an object, a law or rule is placed on it which the Aura has to oblige to."


    "Hmm... if thats the case..." Tyr paused for a long time, looking to think.


    Noa walked with him patiently, understanding that he was feeling stressed right now as well.


    "Do you think you can break an Aura array in the same way you can break Aura binds?"


    Noa''s eyes widened as she heard this. After an exhale, she said: "Well, I don''t see why not. Both are restrictions placed on something using Aura. All its about going into the deep coding of the aura and releasing whatever is binding the Aura together to create a rule in the first place."


    A smile appeared on Tyr''s face as he heard this.


    Noa continued: "However, it will still probably take me a while to learn."


    "A while?" Tyr''s expression suddenly turned serious.


    "Like... 10 hours."


    Tyr smiled again, "Thats no while. Thats perfect!" He stopped, turning and facing Noa.


    "I want you to learn to do that. I need that as a crucial part of my plan."


    Noa also stopped, looking at Tyr with slight puzzlement, "But... the array breakers. Don''t we already have those?"


    Tyr sighed, "Unless you want to travel a few hundred miles and buy another few of those, we don''t nearly have enough. Plus, I have a feeling the ones we have will hardly do the job. These are powerful arrays, and Trai''s array breakers are newly found. They are also scarce here."


    Noa nodded after hearing this, "I''ll get to it." She turned, "Ten hours... it will be done before 10!"


    She shouted as she left.


    Tyr chuckled, "Thanks!" He said, turning around as his smiling face erased and turned into a serious expression.


    His pupils turned a bright golden hue as a golden fire erupted from his glabella.


    He dug his front foot into the ground as he launched himself forward.


    He sprinted through the jungle almost like a blur, using Blink Step at times to travel farther distances at once.


    He looked like a feather being carried by a string, weaving and ducking, jumping and gliding through the forest with haste and ease and fluttering in the wind.


    He arrived back to the warehouse and noticed that it was gone. Instead, it was replaced by one large tree.


    On seeing this, Tyr clenched his jaw. He tightened his fist and let out rip right into the truck of the plant.


    A somewhat loud bang sounded as he removed his fist from the giant cavity that was now on the tree.


    ''Even when I go 20%, its quite strong.'' He smirked, ''Tsk... its annoying that they removed the warehouse already. But I guess its to be expected.''


    "Oh?" A voice suddenly came from out of nowhere.


    Tyr furrowed his brows, looking around erratically: "Who''s there?"


    "To think I''d find you of all people again... isn''t it immensely lucky?"


    Tyr turned, recognizing the annoying voice as the one from the puny slug from before.


    He saw the puny-robed figure about 200 feet away from him. His eyebrows lowered, unimpressed. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Is this what you do for a living? Wait till someone comes out here and randomly ambush them? Or are you only following me? Get a job..." Tyr said, an irritated look on his face.


    This time, the puny robed figure took his hood off.


    He had normal skin, but red eyes. He looked to be a young man who was around 21. Unfortunate genetics indeed. He had a lousy stubble and the nerdiest glasses you can imagine atop his nose ridge.


    "You should be thankful we found you here. We were actually on our way to your little hideout. Or... I suppose it isn''t really yours since you''re just an outsider. Hehehe!" The puny slug laughed.


    Tyr gritted his teeth in anger, but then he realized something, "Wait... why are you saying ''we''? Isn''t it just you?"


    "Oh... well, my brother decided to go forward while I stay here with you. Im sure you know one of the two reasons as to why, right?"


    Tyr''s eyes widened as he heard this, ''Shit... I need to get back there as soon as possible.''

 Chapter 129: Slave

    "One of the two reasons?" Tyr said, putting on a confident appearance, "All I know is that you need to stay here to try and stop me, or else I''ll stop your brother from reaching our base."


    The black guild member laughed, "Yes, that is correct. But the other reason is far more important. It was actually the main reason we wanted to go to your camp in the first place. And its all about you you you."


    Tyr furrowed his brows, "Cut to the chase." He said in a low tone, his chin lowering.


    "You''re right... let me be frank. I hate overextending things too."


    The shorty paused, taking in a deep breath:


    "Surrender yourselves to the Black Merchant Guild, Tyr Evolion." He raised a black worm, still squiggling in his hands, "We will free your two friends, and also all of the people captured by us from this village. The number is in the thousands."


    Tyr''s furrowed eyebrows slowly loosened as the Black Merchant Guild member continued:


    "Will you save thousands of lives? Or will you let them die for your own personal satisfaction? The choice is yours. This is our strongest mind-controlling worm. Once you take it, you will be the same, but never able to disobey us again."


    Tyr''s serious expression had left. On seeing this, a smile grew on the black slugs face.


    "Oh... you''re considering it. Hahaha! Of course you are. Thats the weakness of those who are strong... and merciful.


    Its easy to win by playing against the rules!"


    Tyr turned around, facing the ground with a shadowed expression. He was silent.


    The black guild member raised an eyebrow on seeing this. He was a bit confused, but let it slide. He rose onto his tiptoes to try and see what Tyr was doing, but gave up after a few seconds after realizing he was too short.


    "Fine! Take your time..." He harrumped, crossing his arms.


    Tyr looked to be in deep thought. These were the lives of thousands that he held in his hands. And yet... a giant grin was stretched from one side of his face to the other.


    His eyes were widened, burning with exhilaration and eagerness.


    ''Hahahahaha! Perfect... this is perfect! The god of luck might even have a crush on me at this point. To get such an amazing opportunity... I won''t let it go to waste.'' He thought to himself.


    He turned, an unexpressive look on his face, "Let me stop your brother first... after that, I am all yours."


    The short guy paused before replying.


    "No." He blatantly said, "Don''t even think about it. This is no negotiation. Eat this first," He raised the black worm, "Like I said, it won''t change you at all, except you can never disobey or harm any of us ever again. And... if you work diligently enough, it can also be extracted."


    Tyr exhaled, "Fine..."


    The black guild member''s eyes widened slightly on accident as he heard how easily Tyr accepted his proposal.


    ''This guy... did he actually believe it wasn''t a negotiation? Every negotiator says it isn''t a negotiation. Maybe he''s dumb,'' he paused, squinting his eyes:


    ''Or maybe, he''s super smart.''


    Tyr began to walk toward the short young man at this moment.


    ''Something is missing here. He is so diligent. Is he that good of a person? To give his life so willingly for others? It doesn''t make sense... but...


    it doesn''t matter.''


    He smiled slightly: ''No matter what plan he thinks he has, as long as he eats this worm, he will forever be a slave under me.''


    Tyr finally arrived mere feet away from the black slug.


    He took a worm. It was wiggling uncontrollably. It had quarter-inch pincers on its head, and a slightly furry tail. Its body was almost a bit hard like a rock, and its eyes were a deep red.


    With a grimacing, disgusting expression, Tyr placed the creature on his tongue and quickly got it down with a big gulp.


    The black guild member''s smile turned into a giant grin as he saw this.


    Tyr felt the worm melt as soon as it entered his stomach. Stay connected with m|vl|e|mp|y|r


    Just then, he felt a blast of pain radiate from his Aura Core and stem all through his body like a spider web.


    He gritted his teeth, despite the excruciating pain.


    On his body were red stripes, as though Tyr had just entered a bind of chains.


    After a few seconds, it was over. When Tyr opened his eyes again, his pupils were completely red.


    He looked around. He opened and closed his hand, wanting to know if he still had most control.


    ''Looks like I can think normally, and also move normally. Perfect.''


    He looked at the black slug in front of him who was smiling like a child.


    ''I''ll kill you.'' Tyr thought to himself. His eyes instantly flew open as a bolt of bain severed down his body--stemming from his head.


    It was far worse than the pain of originally swallowing the worm.


    It felt like it was doing actual damage to his inner organs.


    As soon as he stopped thinking of what he said, the pain stopped.


    "Oh? Did you have a rude thought toward me? Tsk tsk tsk... not so nice." The short guild member slapped Tyr across the face out of nowhere.


    Tyr''s head moved to the side, his eyes dancing slightly with shock as he stood there, stunned. S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Call me master Jiro from now on, you runt. And know that you can never disobey me, or else you will die... literally. Ahaha!" Jiro broke out into a laugh.


    "Yes, Jir--" Tyr felt the pain in his head again, making him clutch his temple.


    "Master! Don''t forget that part!" Jiro yelled.


    "Yes... master Jiro. Now, can we go and stop your brother?"


    Jiro turned, an annoyed look on his face. However, that quickly turned to excitement: ''It actually worked! My rank will explode from this!'' He thought to himself.


    "Lets go." He said, dashing forward.


    Tyr followed close after him.


    *


    "If he isn''t here, then I want one life as compensation." Jiro''s brother proclaimed to the Zasean natives.


    The natives were gathered before the tall blue man, gritting their teeth in anger.

 Chapter 130: I Am No Slave

    Helas stood at the forefront, arguing with the large bastard: "You will not receive any more than what you have already taken from us! Prepare to die!"


    "Die?" The blue slug laughed, "Haha! And who will be doing the killing exactly? You? You couldn''t kill me in a thousand years."


    Helas paused, furrowing his eyebrows, "I bet if all of us were to attack at once, we would be able to take you down with ease."


    The blue-skinned criminal clenched his jaw, looking around at the furious expressions of the various natives that were gathered around.


    ''They aren''t weak. I might even face a bit of trouble. But... I would still win.'' He declared to himself. He suddenly looked past his shoulder, "Brother?" He said under his breath.


    A smile slowly appeared on his face, "So... you succeeded." He grinned.


    He quickly turned to face the Zasean natives again, "So... will one of you step forward, or will I have to butcher several of you first!?"


    Heavy footsteps approached from the back, as people began to move and make way.


    Ha stepped in front of the group, his expression stern.


    "Ha... I command you to stand back." Helas said, his tone serious.


    Ha looked back at the man, "Lrax... let me do this before I die. It''s the least I can do."


    "That was an order," Helas replied, his tone even deeper than before.


    "Its okay." Ha retorted, turning to face the blue rogue, "Im giving my life... an order won''t punish me as much as this sacrifice."


    Helas was taken aback as he heard this. He was left speechless for a moment as Ha continued to step forward.


    "I''ll fight you!" He exclaimed, staring at the blue man.


    The blue rogue sized him up and down.


    Ha was four inches taller than the blue slug. He had the same-sized muscles, and a slightly larger belly as well.


    The two looked similarly matched, apart from the fact that Ha simply looked larger and stronger.


    The blue man raised a brow, "Huh... I''ll take it." He smirked, "I would usually take you for testing, but I want to fight you instead. So... unseathe your weapon!"


    As he said this, he ripped his robe off of his body--revealing his ripped physique.


    Ha wielded his spear, spinning it several times before slashing it down toward the blue slug.


    "Hehaha..." The blue slug began to laugh, his expression almost giddy.


    Everyone looked with awe as this battle looked to begin at almost any second.


    Many were nervous, and others were angry at this entire predicament. Others were slightly hopeful, but their wishes were feigned and they knew it themselves.


    Finally, Helas stood there with his head facing the ground, his face shadowed.


    "Come at me first!" The blue slug exclaimed, curling his fingers toward himself.


    Ha didn''t hesitate, lunging forward with his spear before thrusting it forward.


    It aimed to pierce straight through the blue slug''s stomach, but the mark disappeared before the spear could reach it.


    The blue slug had sidestepped the attack, causing its afterblow to rustle the tree leaves several feet behind.


    "Not bad..." The blue slug exclaimed, "Now... It''s my turn." He dashed forward, clenching his fist tightly.


    Ha couldn''t calibrate the immense speed at which the blue slug was moving. He instinctually took a step back and raised his spear--getting ready for the blow.


    The blue slug unleashed his fist. It flew forward like a missile, arriving a foot away from Ha''s face within a millisecond.


    *BANG*


    The impact was hard.


    Ha opened his eyes feeling no pain or pressure. At that moment, the overwhelming gasps of everyone around him rang in his ears.


    He looked forward. His maw gaped wide open as he saw Helas back in front of him.


    Helas fell to the ground, his arms badly bruised and possibly broken by blocking the attack.


    "L-LRAX!" Ha exclaimed in shock, quickly kneeling.


    Several others also raced to Helas'' aid, worried and angry.


    The blue slug had an unimpressed look on his face, "How boring..."


    "Shut the hell up!" Ha screamed, looking at the rogue, "I''ll kill you!"


    He rushed forward, attempting to pierce the blue slug several times.


    After dodging all of Ha''s attacks with ease, he gave the young man a harrowing punch to the gut.


    It sent him flying over 50 feet into the distance, before skipping across the ground like a stone over water and finally sliding to a stop--fully unconscious.


    The blue rogue smiled, "Good... thats good... hahaha!"


    Several more Zasean natives rose from their lrax''s side, their eyes fueled with anger as they unsheathed their swords and axes.


    "Oh? You dare to raise a weapon against me? That means death you know..." The blue slug grinned even harder.


    At that moment, the dozen or so Zasean natives stormed the blue rogue.


    The blue bastard didn''t back up, however, instead sprinting forward with his malicious intent spewing in the air.


    *BANG*


    He punched a native in the chest, exploding a hole through his torso.


    *BOOM*


    A slap across the body, tearing skin and bone.


    *CRUSH*


    A kick to the hips, ripping a native in two.


    Blood was spilled everywhere, and the blue slug was bathing in it with joyful tears nearly wanting to come out of his eyes.


    The screaming from other natives was horrifying.


    Read today on m,v,l,e,mpyr


    Some yelled for them to stop, some yelled for reinforcements.


    It was total and utter chaos.


    At that moment, a voice rang from behind them all. The blue slug even turned, recognizing it to be his brother''s tone.


    "Mrama! It''s over... let''s go home." Jiro said from about 50 feet away.


    Tyr''s eyes couldn''t stop looking at the mutilated bodies lying across the floor. S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Behind his red pupils, there were seemingly no emotions.


    Jiro looked back at him and laughed, "Hahaha! Looks like you were too late."


    At that moment, the others also noticed how Tyr looked.


    The natives began to point out his eyes.


    Finally, after all the murmuring, the oldest Zasean native spoke: "Red eyes... the bastard has sided with the Black Merchant Guild! He''s eaten the Black Worm!"


    A wave of gasps and shocked noises went around.


    "You fucker!"


    "You lead us to this!"


    "How dare you!"


    "Damn it! The mistake we made, choosing him to lead us."


    "Foolish! How damn foolish!"


    Reana, raised up from beside Helas, "TYR!" She screamed, capturing Tyr''s eyes.


    "Is it true..." She asked softly, her voice cracking slightly. She was clearly terrified at the idea of Tyr switching sides.


    Everyone quieted down in anticipation. The natives looked at Tyr with their pupils dancing in desperation.


    Mrama and Jiro stared at Tyr with grins across their faces.


    Finally, Tyr inhaled deeply. He slowly extended his hands out to both sides of him, and then he closed his eyes.


    Jiro and Mrama were slightly confused by this.


    Finally, when Tyr opened his eyes again, they were brightly glowing; a glorious golden color.


    A golden flame also erupted from his glabella.


    [You are immune to all mental attacks.]


    Tyr spoke: "I... am no slave."


    He suddenly grabbed Jiro by the back of the neck, capturing the little son of a bitch with a tight grip.


    A smile stretched across Tyr''s face as Jiro was raised into the air, his legs flailing as his hands claws to get out of the hold.


    "It''s time to talk, you pathetic slugs."

 Chapter 131: Negotiation

    (Author Note: Yo. A new college semester is starting. My writing schedule is a bit all over the place due to this, so please be patient. As soon as things begin to calm down, I''ll be back in the groove. It won''t take more then a week; I''ll keep you all updated. Thanks!)


    Oh, and btw, I''ll still upload chaps. Don''t worry about that.


    *** Stay ahead on m_vl_em_p_yr


    The Zasean natives were taken by shock. Some felt immense relief as they saw Tyr go against the Black Merchant Guild, such as Reana and Trai.


    Still, everyone was distraught at what had just happened.


    The blue-skinned man slowly turned toward Tyr, his eyes unblinking with a look of disbelief and raging anger deep within. Despite that, his expression was completely still.


    His mouth was gaped ever so slightly. It was as if he couldn''t believe what he was seeing right now.


    "Oie..." He said in a low, deep tone.


    Tyr looked up at him, a smile stretching across his face like a killer clown.


    "Let him go." Mrama''s voice was serious and rough, unleashing a blast of killing intent at Tyr.


    Tyr instantly felt the bloodlust seep into his mind.


    At that moment, Mrama appeared to have a reddish, black Aura come out of him. It wasn''t actually happening, but the bloodlust made it seem like that.


    However, Tyr felt absolutely zero fear at that moment. With the golden flame blaring from his forehead, all fear had vanished from his mind. S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "And what if I don''t?" Tyr inquired in a hostile tone.


    "I''ll fucking butcher you like a pig." Mrama''s expression didn''t change as he said this, except, his eyes simply widened.


    Tyr paused, seeming to ignore the big bastard. He pressed Jiro''s stomach against the ground, stepping on the slugs back so that he couldn''t escape anywhere.


    After that, he reached into his storage ring and took out a radio before murmuring something into it. He then put it back into his storage ring, as if nothing happened.


    Mrama lowered his chin, "What was--" He was cut off abruptly.


    "Shut the fuck up. Don''t talk to me as if we are equals. You are a mass murdering criminal... a waste of oxygen in this world. I don''t regard your words as spreading information. They are simply noises of irritation."


    Mrama furrowed his brows, preplexed at that statement.


    ''Does he think Im joking when I say I''ll kill him?'' Mrama thought, looking at his brother, ''But he has Jiro... I can''t be careless. Despite how I have made it seem, he has all the fucking power. Damn it!''


    Tyr looked down at Jiro. He knelt down, making Jiro exclaim and wail in pain as Tyr''s weight fell onto him some more.


    Tyr took Jiro''s finger, grabbed a nail, and pulled it out without any warning.


    Jiro''s face turned pale for a moment, accidentally gasping before genuinely screaming in pain.


    The Zasean natives only looked with intrigue and puzzlement, as Mrama gritted his teeth in anger.


    Tyr smirked slightly on hearing Jiro''s pain, "So you''re still somewhat human after all." He lifted the nail in front of his face, inspecting it closely.


    "The nail... connected to many nerve endings for pain. Some say underneath it is the most sensitive part of the body. And when its taken out, one gets some of the most uncomfortable, painful experiences a person can undertake."


    Jiro was foaming from the mouth slightly from the screams, his eyes bloodshot as he wheezed.


    Tyr gazed at Mrama, ''So I have the negotiating power after all... I needed to make sure he didn''t have something up his sleeve. But even after I''ve tortured his brother like this, the fact that he hasn''t done anything means... he''s scared. He has nothing left to do except to wait for a good opportunity.''


    Tyr felt a giddiness in his system on thinking this.


    "I have a proposal. It''s up to you to decide it, Mrama, or whatever your name was. You can either save your brother, or have him die."


    As Tyr said this, standing up from his knelt position, Jiro looked up with contempt, ''Making a deal? How much does he intend to mock me?''


    Mrama squinted his eyes slightly, lowering his gaze.


    "The request is simple. Free my friends. The ones you took last time. After that, I''ll let this little bitch slug go." Tyr proclaimed, twisting his foot on Jiro''s back.


    The little slug squealed even more, his lungs barely left with any oxygen.


    Mrama exhaled, "Fine... but it will be an equal exchange. If you can promise to meet at a time and place, there will be an exchange with no qualms."


    Tyr snickered, almost chuckling on hearing this, "Oh, so you can speak properly now huh? Good... I like your terms. Except, I''ll pick the location and the time."


    Mrama stayed silent for a moment before suddenly saying: "Location... I''ll pick that."


    Tyr squinted, "It has to be close."


    "It is... the warehouse."


    Tyr didn''t know what the guy was planning but didn''t see it as anything too impactful.


    "Fine."


    ''Jeez... just how important is his brother for him to be so willing? Or maybe he just loves him? Meh...'' Tyr mused, pleasantly surprised by Mrama''s reaction.


    "Tommorow at 9 PM exactly. No sooner, no later. Oh... and if you even dare think of touching them in any way, the deals off... and I''ll kill you too." Tyr said, his tone turning deadly serious at the end.


    Mrama nodded, silent, but saying many things at the same time.


    The others behind were awestruck at this scene. To make a deal like this was crazy with the Black Merchant Guild.


    They hadn''t even considered a possibility like this, being honest.


    How could they? Their men had been slain constantly like pigs. It made no sense to then go try to make a deal.


    It was like trying to reason with a plague or buy antivenom from a serpent. Death was the only thing that loomed there.


    Yet, Tyr had made a deal, and had even gotten the upper hand.


    "You can go, blueballs... when you bring your people, don''t bring too many okay? I know you probably won''t listen to that suggestion though..." Tyr said, knowing the facts in the matter.


    He wasn''t going to take any chances of bringing little people either. No one would in a situation like this.


    As soon as Tyr said this, Mrama dug his feet into the ground and leaped into the air. He hopped right over Tyr and Jiro before sprinting into the forest and quickly disappearing.


    ''That golden flame... I don''t know what it is, but It scares me for some reason. The feeling of confidence I had was somehow obliterated when I saw it...'' Mrama thought, thrown off.

 Chapter 132: Sacrifice

    After the blue slug left, Tyr picked Jiro up.


    "Hmm... now what to do with you..." He said, looking at the short guy up and down.


    "You..." Jiro uttered, "How did you escape the grasp of my black worm? That isn''t fucking possible... I had planned to use it on... tsk!"


    Tyr smirked, "It clearly is possible."


    "No, you don''t get it! You couldn''t get it... you''re a freak!"


    "Huh? Do you wanna run that by me again?" Tyr tightened his grip on the back of the slugs neck.


    "Ack! Okay I yield! Please stop Tyr!"


    *SLAP*


    Jiro was blasted across the face, a red mark on his cheek with his body frozen.


    "It''s master Tyr to you."


    *Slap slap slap*


    "Okay! Please master Tyr!" Jiro finally exclaimed, entirely defeated and exhausted.


    "But I tell you... what you have done is something that not even the great empires of Ainsveld have discovered how to solve. It''s crazy... far too crazy to even believe."


    Tyr thought about that for a moment: ''Hmm... maybe I''ll have to use this trick again now that I''ve learned it.''


    At that moment, he saw something from the corner of his vision, "Ah... looks like its time."


    *BANG*


    "Go, Ol'' Betsy!" A feminine voice shouted as a giant ball of pink energy traveled through the air.


    It beamed right toward Jiro. As it neared a mere few feet away, Tyr let go of the short slug.


    The Aura orb hit Jiro with a powerful impact, suddenly spreading into a dozen spider-web-like straps before binding onto Jiro''s arms, legs, torso, and more.


    "Ack! What is this!?" Jiro screamed, his limbs and body instantly entrapped in an immovable barrier.


    At that moment, all eyes turned like flowers waving in the wind toward the direction where the attack had come from.


    There, Noa stood tall with a giant gun on her hip and a bright smile on her face.


    "Hahaha!" She laughed, "Thats Betsy''s classic, ya'' like it?"


    Tyr smirked slightly, "Finally... I called you a while ago. Took you long enough."


    "Oh zip it! I was working on finishing that array breaker you wanted me to try."


    "Wait..." Tyr said, confused, "Don''t tell me you already finished it!? It''s barely been a couple of hours!"


    Noa put her gun on her back and chuckled as she walked over to where Tyr was.


    "It was actually a lot easier than expected." She said, noticing that everyone was looking at her. She got excited to see this, and closed her eyes as she continued walking and explaining eagerly: S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "You see, the Aura code for an array is like a set of rule algorithms enforced into the very atom of the substance. There are billions of codes that tell what the larger codes that they call create together to do, and those ones combine to tell what the code that they create has to do as well. Like this, a series of codes creates an entire Aura array. To destroy it, one simply has to--"


    Noa opened her eyes, her voice stopping as she realized everyone had long stopped paying attention to her yapping.


    They were all instead looking at Tyr, who seemed to be laughing while standing on Jiro.


    "This bastard really thought he had me, ahaha!" Tyr joked, making a few Zasean natives join in on the quipping.


    Tyr''s gaze suddenly landed on Noa, who had her fists clenched in anger.


    "Oh... yea we stopped listening to your explanation after the algorithm part. I''m not really an IT guy."


    Noa''s anger was trumped by her confusion, "A what guy?" She exclaimed in confusion.


    "Oh... don''t worry about it. Anyways, now that this bastard is trapped, all we have to do is wait for tomorrow."


    Tyr handed Jiro to Noa, dropping him beside her feet as if he were a ragdoll.


    He then made his way over to Helas. Kneeling down, he noticed that Helas'' arms were were bad shape.


    ''Jeez... he didn''t even incur this much damage from fighting off Jiro and Mrama back at the warehouse.'' Tyr mused, feeling horrible for the man.


    At that moment, his eyes squinted slightly as he stared at Helas...


    "Lrax..." Ha suddenly said, capturing Tyr''s attention.


    Tyr''s eyes widened slightly with surprise as he saw tears flowing from the young man''s eyes.


    Ha was in tears. His entire face had turned red like a tomato.


    "I''m sorry... you have been like a father to me." He said, suddenly slamming his forehead onto the ground and bowing.


    "I just wanted to help... I promise." He could barely speak, at the verge of breaking down.


    Tyr looked around, noticing everyone''s somber expressions. Clearly, Ha''s words had invoked similar emotions in them as well.


    "All these years you have helped me... the debts you have paid... the family members you have honored... the scars you have taken on the front of your body. I''m sorry for being so foolish!"


    At that moment, Helas placed his hand, although broken, on top of Ha''s head.


    A slight smile formed on his face, as many onlooking soldiers began to get emotional. Moisture built up in their eyes, redness taking over the tip of their noses as they began to sniffle.


    "Ha... it doesn''t matter. Why would I get mad at you for something like this? You only wanted to help. Heroes help... the ones that are on the right side of history help."


    As he felt Helas'' hand on his head, and heard those warm and kind words, Ha couldn''t help but break down into even more tears.


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    Tyr saw this heartwarming moment and couldn''t help but feel slightly moved.


    ''He''s a powerful person.'' He thought to himself, looking at Helas.


    "Here, these are fairly powerful healing capsules. You should be fine in a few weeks." Tyr fed a variety of capsules to the lrax.


    Tyr then stood up, turning, "Oi, you," He pointed at Trai, his expression now serious.


    "Bury those who fell. Give them an honest burial..."


    Trai was slightly taken aback by this at first, but quickly agreed to the order, raising his chin and straightening his posture: "Yes sir!"


    Tyr looked at the other soldiers, "Enough crying... get ready to give up your lives tomorrow." He said in an ice-cold tone.


    This threw off a few natives. Tyr caught a few angry glances and confused looks.


    Out of nowhere, a young native who had been crying stared at Tyr with an expression seething with hatred: "Why..." The boy said in a low tone, his voice slowly increasing in volume as he spoke:


    "So that you can save your little friends!? Is that why you want us all to die!? Are you really with us... or are you with the black guild!?"


    Tyr paused, staring at the young boy who was no younger than 15 with a serious glare.


    He then walked up to the boy, staring down at him with a stern look.


    The boy was clearly confused, and even scared by this reaction. He had spoken out of spite and frustration but hadn''t expected this confrontation.


    Tyr picked the boy up by the collar, "My friends... will save your mother and father, siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles, friends and more..." He said in a deep tone, "What will your life do?"


    The young boy was already scared, wincing as he was picked up off the ground.


    On hearing Tyrs'' words, however, he gasped accidentally. His eyes widened, suddenly realizing what Tyr said.


    He was both baffled, but also awestruck with understanding, "So... in the grand scheme of things... my life means nothing?"


    Tyr abruptly dropped the boy, turning around and walking away.


    "No... you''re life is even more important than ours. We are far too selfish to sacrifice ourselves... but you, you all are doing this for a purpose much greater than us. You are doing it for those very loved ones which I spoke about. Your lives will do more than ours could even imagine in this coming day...


    so prepare well."


    The young boy was taken aback again with shock as he heard this. But then... he clenched his fists. A small smile appeared on his face, "I will..." He said under his breath, before gathering the courage to shout: "Thank you... Commander!"

 Chapter 133: Brute King

    Those standing around the smiling young boy were also taken aback by Tyr''s words.


    They imagined the young man to be a brutish, arrogant person. But Tyr''s words gave an insight to how he really was.


    "He isn''t a bad person..." One of the natives said, smiling slightly.


    "He''s treating us harshly... but I think thats the only way to move forward."


    "We need to rally after him. If not, we may never end this war."


    The oldest member of the Zasean natives squinted his eyes as his pupils followed Tyr. He exhaled deeply before saying: "Strength shall be the light that will set us on the path of salvation. He must be the right choice... I can feel it."


    Everyone was moved by these words... except for Reana: "Yeah right, old man..." She rolled her eyes, turning to look at Tyr.


    "Strength isn''t everything in this world. That''s something you Zasean natives should understand. There are many aspects greater than it."


    The oldest native raised a brow, "Is that right... like what?"


    Reana smirked: "Justice."


    ***


    Hanzo opened his eyes after yawning slightly.


    "Dude... it''s already morning. Come on, we have to go get food." Malon said, standing above him.


    "It''s morning?" Hanzo questioned, "How can you tell? There''s no sun above us..." He said as he stood up, scratching his ass.


    The two made their way out of a fairly large, medieval stone house and into the street.


    They were indeed underground it seemed. However, the many multicolored crystals on the cavern ceilings made it no darker than daylight below.


    As they walked along the streets, they passed by several hundreds of robed figures who bowed slightly as they passed the two Hunters, as though in fear.


    After getting past the Hunters, they quickly hurried to get away from them.


    The two also walked by dozens of vendors and stores along the sides of the dirt path.


    "I still can''t believe they made this entire small civilization here..." Hanzo said, looking around with an impressed expression on his face.


    "I can... I mean, they do have more information than anyone in the continent. I can only imagine what type of Aura techniques they have." Malon replied as the two stepped into an average pub.


    As they made their way down the main aisle--straight to the back bar table--many necks turned to face them.


    Whispers quickly spread around, as heads ducked down in fear.


    "Shit! It''s him!"


    "The damn brute king."


    "Hide your face... you don''t want to be next on his chopping block."


    The robed figures sitting around all began to speak to each other in fearful noises.


    Hanzo and Malon sat on the long bar table with dozens of seats. As they did, the several robed figures also sitting on the bar table looked at Hanzo.


    Hanzo paused and then looked left and right.


    As his eyes made contact with the eyes of the robed figures, their gazes quickly darted away, and they exited the bar table with haste.


    "Oi!" Hanzo finally exclaimed, forcing a bartender to come to his aid.


    "Yes... what would you like sir?" A short, fat man said with closed eyes, curled eyebrows, and his hands rubbing together.


    "Give me your hardest liquor... make it sweet. I''m not staying here for long." Hanzo exclaimed, catching a surprised reaction from Malon.


    "W-what!? Again!? What has gotten into you after entering this place? Not only are you ruthless, you are addicted to alcohol!" Malon said, shaking his head.


    He turned toward the bartender, "Get him some hot stew. Same for me."


    The bartender wasn''t sure, however, so he looked back at Hanzo.


    After a short pause, Hanzo said: "Both. Soup and the spirit."


    "Y-yes sir!" The bartender exclaimed, quickly rushing to fetch what was asked of him.


    Hanzo laid back on the tall chair, placing his feet on the bar table.


    "The black slug elites would rather terrorize the small-time crook slugs in their little cities by placing me here... than deal with me and potentially lose a few important lives. Pffft! Cowards..." He said, seemingly still hungover from his tone.


    Malon sighed, "Well, it makes sense. They tried to restrain you on the first day, and you ruthlessly killed not only over 5 of their higher ranking majors but also went on a killing spree and murdered over 20 random civilians. They let you go after that one... to do whatever you pleased here."


    Hanzo stared at Malon, "Random civilians? These are slugs we are talking about... Black Merchant Guild Slugs. Did you forget what was in that warehouse?"


    Malon was slightly taken aback by this, staying quiet as he understood what Hanzo was trying to say.


    At that moment, Hanzo felt a heavy hand grab his shoulder.


    "Hey..." A very tall robed figure said in a deep voice, "You''re the ruthless brute everyone keeps talking about. I''ve heard about you for a couple of days... but im disappointed. You seem like a short little twerp... how about you try to prove me wrong."


    The robed figure said as 4 other robed individuals beside him chuckled. No one was hooded inside of the Black Merchant underground domain, so Hanzo saw all of their expressions.


    He looked at them all with an unimpressed look in his eyes.


    The other robed figures all over the pub simply looked away.


    "Fucking idiots."


    "They chose death in the worst way possible."


    "Ignorance is bliss..."


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    The next day came for Tyr and the others without much of a warning. After Mrama left the Zasean base of operations, everyone began to prepare themselves mentally and physically for the task ahead.


    Sharpening weapons and techniques were one thing, but forming a plan was an even bigger ordeal.


    Everyone in the base--over a thousand to be more specific--were gathered together outside around a single meeting table filled with the most experienced of Zasean Natives.


    At the center sides sat Helas and Tyr, their seating placements opposing each other.


    They spoke for hours on end about how to make sure their retrieval plan was succesful.


    First, they had to create a plan in the first place, however.


    Tyr was the man assigned to that task, as he was the commander now.


    "I already have something that only has to be set in motion." Tyr started off by saying this, capturing everyone''s attention.


    "And for this, I need everyone who isn''t a part of the 20 around this table to exit the premises," Tyr said, his eyes waving across the crowd around him.


    A few murmurs wandered about as Tyr said this, and the members of the table curiously looked around.


    "Don''t worry... you will be told your respective roles. But the entire plan... that is something that only a trusted group will discuss. If the black slugs find out about everything we talk about, we will not come out the winner. I can assure you that."


    With that, everyone slowly made their way to the other side of the base camp one by one. They were hesitant at first, but followed their peers and eventually made way. sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Now that its only us, I will speak of the main plan..."

 Chapter 134: The Plan

    "Absolute fucking retards. Have they learned nothing after joining the black guild?"


    "They are probably newbies that want to make a name for themselves."


    "Tsk tsk tsk..."


    Murmurs waved throughout the entire pub as Hanzo stared at the five robed guys before him with a slightly irritated look on his face.


    There was a short period of silence where no one made a single move. sea??h th§× Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    And then... the robed figure standing before Hanzo threw a punch.


    Hanzo instantly blocked it with his hand but struggled slightly to withhold it.


    ''Oh? He actually isn''t weak as piss...'' Hanzo thought to himself, clenching his fist before letting one hurl into the slugs chest.


    "Oouu!" The big robed slug exclaimed as the air in his lungs was stolen by Hanzo.


    He took a few steps back, wheezing as he attempted to breathe.


    The other goons around him saw this, and quickly reacted, lunging at Hanzo to get their revenge.


    However, a giant shield suddenly summoned in front of him--causing them to bust their noses and chins on it.


    "Ack!" A couple exclaimed, blood dripping from their crushed nostrils.


    Malon made his shield smaller, placing it to his side with a fierce look on his face.


    Hanzo darted forward, punching one of the robed figures in the face and cracking his jaw in two.


    He moved to the next one, unsheathing his bow and slamming it into the side of the head of the robed slug.


    The blow left an indent in the slug''s skull that revealed his still-moving brain...


    Just like that, Hanzo moved from one robed slug to the other, bashing their brains and bodies in.


    At the end, the big bastard from the start seemed to have recovered. He clenched his fist, summoning a bow made of Aura in his hands.


    He pulled the string of his bow back--aiming it right at Hanzo.


    "Oh... you did not want to do that," Malon said under his breath, worried for the guy.


    Hanzo saw the slug''s bow and pulled his own bowstring back.


    The two unleashed their arrows at the same time.


    However, Hanzo''s red arrow penetrated through the slug''s as if it wasn''t even there--ripping it to mere particles.


    The arrow then traveled straight through the robed slug''s heart--drilling a 12 inch hole through his chest.


    He fell onto his back with a loud thud. At that moment, Hanzo walked over to him and pulled his bowstring back again.


    *BOOM*


    He fired, causing his arrow to drill another hole through the slug''s torso and Peirce deep into the ground.


    He pulled his bowstring back again...


    *BOOM*


    And again...


    *BOOM*


    And agai--but before he could unleash the arrow this time, Malon grabbed his hand with a tight grip.


    "Hanzo... what is up with you?" He asked in a serious tone.


    Hanzo stared at the moosh in the eyes, pausing for a second before aggressively shrugging Malon''s hand off of him and walking out of the bar.


    Malon stood there with furrowed eyebrows as he stared at Hanzo leave.


    ''What the hell is going on...'' Malon thought to himself, confused and irritated.


    He then noticed the horrified, pale expressions of the slugs around him.


    "What are you all looking at!? Go back to your meals... damn thugs." As he said this, everyone followed his orders.


    "Um... sir..." A weak voice sounded from behind.


    Malon turned to see the fat little bartender.


    "Your meal... is here?" The bartender squeaked.


    Malon stared at the man with glaring eyes of irritation.


    He grabbed the bottle of liquor before leaving the establishment.


    ***


    "Tommorow, we meet at noon inside of the warehouse." Tyr said, the 19 others around the table nodding along as he went. Among these members were Reana and Noa.


    "Today, however, I and Noa will use a new and improved Aura array breaking method to see where that warehouse leads to when you warp in that area. That way, we can follow after those black slugs if they intend to escape early."


    Everyone was still nodding along, understanding and thinking of Tyr''s words thoroughly as he went.


    "We will already have many members stationed at the second teleportation spot, hiding for an ambush."


    Everyone nodded.


    "If all goes right, we will exchange Jiro for Hanzo and Malon. After that, we attack... big. We will slaughter every bastard Black Merchant Guild member that is there. We will take a few hours to reconvene and attack once again at night when they least expect it. Tomorrow night is when the Black Merchant Guild will fall..."


    Many heaved heavy sighs, "Jeez... such a big amount of tasks in one day."


    "Isn''t there too much riding on it?"


    "Why not spread the destruction out? It would come with less risk..."


    "Yeah... Hanzo and Malon would probably also be in disarray and unable to follow the plans nicely."


    Tyr replied without hesitation: "That is also what the black slugs will think, but instead, Hanzo and Malon will be ready to fight, completely catching the slugs off guard and ensuring our victory."


    "But how can you be sure of that?" Helas asked at that moment.


    Tyr stared into his eyes, "I know my friends. A mere few days locked up won''t change how they function. Plus, they will have a few hours of breaks until nightfall to get informed on the mission."


    Tyr turned his attention to one of the Zasean natives who had said something about risk:


    "You said there would be less risk to spread out the attack, and you aren''t wrong. However, with less risk comes less reward. The higher the risk, the higher the chance we actually win and eradicate those bastards. We need to do it now... that is a command."


    After those words, there were a few more talks of what to do, and the meeting swiftly ended.


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    For the rest of the day, Noa, Tyr, Ha, Trai, and over 200 more Zasean soldiers ventured to the warehouse.


    Everyone else at the base continued to prepare and spoke of what to do. They were all informed of their various roles by Helas and the others.


    Tyr and his group made it to the warehouse.


    After using Noa''s Aura array-breaking technique, they walked through a rift in dimensional reality which led them to a secluded, deep jungle.


    Tyr used his Dragon Soul Mend to fly up and scope out the area, making sure it was still within the walls.


    After verifying this, he flew back down and instructed everyone of their hiding areas.


    After that, Tyr and Noa returned, allowing Ha to take command of this group.


    *Present time*

 Chapter 135: In Action

    *SLAP*


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    A pair of eyes opened up, abruptly awoken by a stinging backhand across the cheek.


    The eyes saw a young man standing above him, the sun blaring brightly in the sky behind.


    "Get up, slug." Tyr exclaimed, having just slapped Jiro across the face.


    "You didn''t need to slap me." Jiro responded, annoyed and also exhausted at this point.


    "Yeah? Well I wanted to. Get up... I don''t spill sympathy for fucks like you." Tyr grabbed the short man by the hair and lifted him in the air.


    "Ack!" Jiro exclaimed in pain.


    ''I swear...'' He thought to himself, staring at Tyr with malice boiling inside, ''When I get free, I''ll butcher this mother fucker myself. I don''t care if I have to go against the guild... he will be mine. He will be mine to torture.''


    Tyr tossed the short slug onto the shoulders of a few Zasean natives.


    He and these three Zasean natives made their way through the crowd of hundreds of soliders.


    Many were speaking to themselves about how today''s event was going to go.


    Others were fastening their weapons, and making sure their sheathes were tied correctly.


    After traveling through the maze-like soldier layout, Tyr and the Jiro-carrying squad made it to the front of the Zasean army.


    Noa, Reana, Helas, and a couple other Zasean native warriors were waiting for the young man to arrive.


    Tyr hadn''t been well accustomed to these warriors who stood beside Helas, but understood that they were the strongest ones behind Helas.


    They had similar builds in comparison to Helas'', except one wore several layers of thick deerskin. This one had a giant axe over his shoulder.


    The other one had three thin strips of bear hide over his shoulders and wielded a long sword.


    "Folks," Tyr said, capturing the attention of those waiting for him.


    They all looked at him. They all had stern yet hopeful expressions.


    "Lets go." Tyr marched forward without stopping.


    Behind him were the three carrying Jiro--and around them were the 5 who were waiting for him.


    And of course, behind all of them were the hundreds of soldiers. S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Tyr turned, noticing that everyone was following behind him, ''This is kind of cool.'' He first thought, finding it slightly amusing.


    He never thought of something like this happening to him even in his wildest imaginations.


    But, he also understood that he had a job to do. Despite the fun factor, the seriousness of the matter far outweighed that.


    Tyr turned back around before breaking into a sprint.


    Without hesitation, the Zasean natives followed after the young man, navigating their way through the jungle with near-flawless motion.


    This place was their home... they understood how to flow through it like water moving through a dry canal.


    After several minutes, Tyr held a radio to his mouth: "Division 3, spread out into your positions."


    He said before chucking the radio into the bushes.


    Over 150 soldiers suddenly turned and darted into random parts of the jungle--quickly disappearing.


    Tyr grabbed another radio: "Division 2, deploy."


    Another several dozen soldiers did the same as the first ones.


    "Division 4. Your turn." Tyr said, chucking away his third radio.


    By that point, Tyr had arrived at the vacant grass field with only about 100 soldiers standing behind him.


    ''Everyone is in their positions.'' He said to himself, taking a deep breath as he stared at the warehouse a few hundred feet in front of him. He then took a large step forward...


    ***


    A group of three men stood in the center of a giant pile of mutilated bodies.


    One looked quite old, with long gray-patched hair and an eloquent yet arrogant expression on his face. He looked rather scrawny under his robe, but he was the tallest out of the three.


    Another was wearing no robe. Instead, he was wearing a latex superhero-like suit. The suit was gray and black in color, with a giant B on the chest portion of the outfit.


    Finally, the last one was in a wheelchair. He looked paralysed--half of his face drooping to the side. He was bald and had one long iron beam sticking out from the center of his head.


    To their side were two figures, one tall, the other short, with both of their heads covered in old bags.


    They sat beside each other, their hands and feet tied to their chairs.


    Finally, Mrama was to the right of all of them. He also wore no brown robe. Behind him were dozens of robed Black Merchant Guild members.


    "Tsk..." The old looking figure sucked his top teeth, clearly pissed. His eyes roamed over to Mrama:


    "If this doesn''t work out, you will be our next big breakthrough..." He said, rolling his eyes.


    Mrama sighed, his eyes looking down in fear.


    "I apologize... lord Camadral." He said, but thought completely differently in his head:


    ''Shut the fuck up... when my brother is freed, his black worm will take your mind before anyone else...''


    "Don''t get too upset about it, kid." The figure in the superhero costume said, "We all make mistakes. Especially when going up against strong opponents, as you described."


    Mrama nodded, ''Don''t think you are out of the pen... you will also be our slave.''


    "Hey, master Mrama. Isn''t it noon by now? They should already be here." One of the robed guys behind the big blue Black Merchant Guild member said.


    Another replied: "Yeah... maybe they forgot..."


    Mrama gritted his teeth, "Shut the fuck up!" He exclaimed with frustration.


    ''I can''t stand this much longer. Just when will that fucker come here...'' Mrama''s eyes scanned the entire warehouse.


    ''Maybe he''s already here, listening to every word I even think.'' On saying this to himself, Mrama was caught off guard all of a sudden, ''Wait... why am I so damn scared of this guy!?''


    "Hey, master Mrama. Didn''t you say that the guys you captured were dead?" A random robed figure questioned out of the blue.


    This made the three figures in the middle turn their heads slightly to face the blue guild member.


    Even the one in the wheel chair turned his machine slightly.


    Mrama turned, "What did you just say?" He uttered in a low tone, his eyes glaring with rage.


    *BANG*


    The warehouse doors suddenly flew open at that moment.


    Standing at the entrance was a single figure seemingly carrying a duffle bag. Everyone inside quickly turned their heads to face Tyr.


    With furrowed eyebrows, Tyr walked into the warehouse all by himself... and also Jiro, who was sealed up over his shoulder.

 Chapter 136: All Hell Breaks Loose

    *Three seconds earlier*


    "Tyr... did you hear what one of them just said over the hidden radio?" Noa''s voice came through an ear chip in Tyr''s left earlobe.


    "Yeah..." Tyr said, pushing the doors to the warehouse wide open.


    As Tyr stepped inside, necks twisted toward him as if he was Medusa.


    ''The guys you captured were dead. Thats what I heard...'' Tyr confirmed to himself, gritting his teeth with anger just at the thought of that possibility.


    "Mrama!" Tyr roared, "You slugs... where are Hanzo and Malon!? Show them to me, now!"


    Mrama had a smile stretching across his face right now. The three other figures also looked to be chuckling slightly to themselves for some reason.


    "Woah woah! Calm down..." Mrama stepped forward, "First of all, where is my broth--" He paused, noticing Jiro''s situation as his eyes expanded with shock.


    Jiro attempted to shout something but was muffled by a piece of cloth stuffed into his mouth.


    After a short pause, Mrama looked at the figures whose heads were covered by bags.


    "Here are your friends." Mrama took off the bags.


    Tyr squinted, getting a good look at both Hanzo and Malon.


    Sure enough, they were who Mrama said they were.


    However, something felt off.


    The two simply stared forward without saying a word. They were breathing, but their eyes looked lifeless--like looking into a void.


    "What did you do to them..." Tyr said in a low tone.


    Mrama smirked, "Im sure they can tell you that themselves... anyways, you should be happy they are still here. Alive and well. Now... lets exchange. My brother...


    for your friends."


    Mrama took a step forward but was abruptly stopped as a ginormous dragon of blood and fire rushed toward him out of nowhere--like something out of a crazy horror book.


    He stumbled backward, falling onto his bum as his jaw fell to the floor as his eyes stared at the horrifying, demonic beast before him.


    His entire body was shaking, as beads of sweat began to profusely form all over.


    The three figures at the back also heightened their guards severely.


    This was all a result of Tyr''s piercing glare at Mrama, which expelled a blast of Ancestral Presence toward the blue slug which was also masked with killing intent and anger.


    Tyr spoke: "What did you do to them... our deal was simple. If I figured out that you touched them in any way, I would cut off the deal and butcher you."


    Mrama was too distracted by what was in front of him, but suddenly felt a lot safer when he felt a touch on his shoulder.


    It was the superhero-dressed figure, who placed his hand on Mrama''s arm: "Be brave."


    Mrama laughed, scoffing at the same time with fear and disbelief.


    "Y-you''re right... im back to normal now. Forget what just happened." He awkwardly chuckled as he got back to his feet.


    "Are you going to answer my question or not?" Tyr said, his tone deadly serious.


    "Tyr..." The superhero-dressed figure exclaimed, "You have fallen right into our trap my friend."


    *Zibip... zeeep.* The paralyzed figure''s wheelchair made some odd robotic noises.


    Finally, out from the paralyzed figure''s eyes shot out a beam of darkness. S§×arch* The N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    It struck Tyr for only a second and ended.


    ''That was fast... too fast for me to dodge. What the hell was that? I feel nothing from it.'' Tyr thought to himself for a split second.


    "One second!" The tall, older figure said, "Tyr Evolion... what this kind man is trying to tell you is that you have fallen right into our trap." He said, standing in front of the superhero-dressed guy.


    "Thats exactly what he said... you are just repeating him." Tyr exclaimed, confused as hell.


    "Tell your friends from outside to come in... I know you were listening in on our little conversation." The old Camadral said, smirking slightly.


    Tyr squinted his eyes again, "A bluff... if you knew we were listening, you would have made precautions as to not have some random bastard say that you already ''killed the captured,'' or in other words, Hanzo and Malon."


    Camadral paused, and then smiled, "We are the Black Merchant Guild."


    "Exactly. You wouldn''t make a mistake like that... having some big-mouthed rookie in your mix." Tyr instantly replied.


    "No no... we are greater than even that. To be honest, we weren''t sure if you were behind that door."


    "Huh? So you aren''t all that great after all..."


    "But," Camadral continued, "We had this one say those agitating words. And lo and behind, a certain Tyr, angry as a beast, comes stepping in. Quite a crucial mistake, boy... maybe next time, be more careful."


    Tyr snarled, "So what... that doesn''t change anything."


    "Oh..." Camadral''s smile widened, "Yes it does. You see..." The old man began to walk to the side:


    "When one is flustered, he opens himself up to many games of the mind. When one of our soldiers said those angering words, you were already half of the way there. After seeing the state of your ''friends,'' your mind had opened wide. That was when we implanted a black seed that has already almost fully bloomed."


    Tyr smirked, "A mental attack? Again? How foolish..."


    "No no..." Camadral said, "This is no mental attack. It is a physical obliteration of the mental of a being." He grinned.


    At that moment, Tyr suddenly zipped out of reality.


    Before he knew it, he was in a random black space in the middle of nowhere.


    He furrowed his brows, reaching for his radio.


    Out of nowhere, a voice came from all directions: "You have lost, Tyr. Did you think you could win against us so easily?"


    Tyr gritted his teeth, "Don''t think I came here without any backups!" He shouted into the voice before placing the radio next to his mouth.


    "Hello? Noa! Can you hear me?"


    "Y-yes!" Noa''s voice barely came through the radio.


    "Retreat... wait for me to come back."


    "W-we can''t! They found every one of our hidden locations around the warehouse. We are currently under attack. I have to go---zip" Noa''s voice suddenly warped off.


    Tyr got another message, this time, it was from a male voice.


    "Commander... Tyr." A familiar voice sounded.


    "Ha?!" Tyr yelled into the radio, "Why are you contacting me right now!?"


    "Commander..." Ha''s voice sounded weak, as though it was barely still able to come out.


    "Talk!" Tyr roared.


    "All of us... are dead. They knew where we were..." Ha''s voice faded off.


    Tyr then heard a thump through the radio, causing Tyr''s eyes to widen in shock.


    "Ha! Ha! TALK DAMN IT!" Tyr exclaimed in frustration.


    ''How? HOW!? No one knew where that damn location was... only the 20 discussed it. A mole... there must be a mole in the mix.''


    At that moment, Tyr noticed a gravitational pull on his body.


    He looked down, noticing a flat stone floor quickly approaching.


    "Was I falling this entire time?"


    ***


    Noa rushed toward the warehouse. She used her Aura array-breaking technique, opening a giant rift in the dimensional space.


    A robed slug who was chasing after her suddenly knocked her aside, throwing them both into another barrier in space-time altogether.


    They were both thrown into what looked to be a giant underground chamber.


    As they rolled across the ground, Noa was abruptly picked up.


    When she opened her eyes, Noa saw Malon standing above her.


    "He''s gone... Hanzo is no longer with us." Malon suddenly said. Discover tales on m-vl-em,pyr


    "W-what are you saying!?"


    ***


    Just like this... all hell broke loose. Confusion and chaos swarmed the entire world, it felt like.

 Chapter 137: Flame Of Ambition

    The traumatizing noises of weapons clanging and Aura exploding boomed through the air.


    A war had broken out outside of the warehouse. Reana observed everything from the sidelines.


    She hid between tree branches, photographing the bloodbath before her.


    A teardrop trickled down her cheek, dropping down her face.


    It fell down as she clicked more pictures. The droplet splashed on a Zasean native''s head as he stormed into the battlefield with a cry.


    Along with him came hundreds more through the forest, joining the giant battle before them.


    Aura waves crashed through dozens of Zasean soliders.


    Others, who avoided these attacks, clashed their weapons with robed Black Merchant Guild members.


    "Close to a thousand soldiers for us..." Reana said under her breath. She was shaking, and so was her voice.


    Her eyes moved, looking at the warehouse. The warehouse was there physically, but from it came hundreds upon hundreds of robed individuals.


    It was like the walls of the warehouse were portals.


    "Over three thousand soldiers for them and counting..." She gasped accidentally, "We can''t win." She felt her limbs go numb.


    ***


    Tyr sat on the stone floor with his eyes closed. He was in a meditative position.


    "Its been a week... yet you have not moved for even an inch." A completely unfamiliar voice came from the shadows.


    Tyr''s eyelids finally opened.


    "So you finally decide to speak..." His voice was low.


    "You act as though you know who I am..."


    Tyr scoffed slightly, "It was your attack that transported me here... but that isn''t why I know its you who is speaking to me." Tyr stood up.


    "Oh? Then why..."


    With a nonchalant expression, Tyr said: "You are paralyzed in real life... but here, in your little playhouse, you can do whatever you want. You can speak... you can kill, you can fly, you can create. You can do anything you want."


    "Hmhmhm." A slight laugh echoed through the void as Tyr said those words.


    Tyr replied: "Why are you laughing? All of those things I mentioned... they don''t exist. Only here they are real. Only in the figment of your imagination."


    There was total and utter silence.


    ''Looks like I pissed him off.'' Tyr smirked inwardly.


    He continued: "That is your Ancestral Ability, right? To teleport people inside of your own brain..."


    More silence, prompting Tyr to continue:


    "Oh... I see... is it your great Ancestral Ability that made you paralyzed? Everything is worth something else..."


    Not a word came from the void, causing Tyr to speak even more:


    "Hahaha!" He burst into a laugh, "How pitiful! Truly... its sad. To get such a powerful ability... but to lose your real functions."


    After another moment of silence, Tyr''s expression turned serious as he said: "I bet you would give all of this away to be a normal human again even if it was just for one day. Too bad... you were born inferior, cursed by your own power. What horrible ancestors you have. What a treacherous life you live. If I were you, I would end it all--"


    "STOP IT NOW!" A voice roared through the infinite darkness from all directions.


    A grin stretched across Tyr''s face, "Oh... did you finally have enough?"


    "SILENCE!" The screamed, "You will not insult me in my own world. I AM GOD HERE!" Experience more magic at m v l e mpyr


    Tyr snarled, "A child in a man''s body. You are no God..."


    "Is that what you think? Do you understand my power!? I control time itself. It has been mere seconds, yet I have forced you to remain here for a week. I can continue... I can make you think that you are going to live here for eternity.


    In fact, I can make you go through eternity right now, infinite times over in mere seconds!"


    Tyr furrowed his eyebrows, ''Good... just like I thought, not much time has passed. I haven''t gotten hungry, so that was a tell tale sign.''


    "Enough of this useless talking... I''ll do my job and end you here. Seal you, and create a new power that no world has ever seen."


    Tyr didn''t say anything, thinking: ''He want''s me to be another one of those unstable pill weapons...''


    "Feeble thing in my world... useless thing in yours. Arrogant worm that has climbed its way to glory... cocky genius who has forgotten his mortality. Where are your roots now? Where are your ancestors?


    Your family... someone must destroy your name... let it be Maximillius The Infinite."


    ''Quite a speech.'' Tyr thought to himself on hearing this.


    At that moment, the floor beneath him disappeared. Before he knew it, he was falling again.


    He looked down, "I see..."


    A giant metal sculpture of a greek woman dressed in robes was over a thousand feet below him.


    A line split down the middle of the statue, and as Tyr got 500 feet away from it, the statue suddenly opened up.


    It was hollow on the inside, filled with millions of large metal spikes that were already drenched with blood.


    "Ultimate seal:" Maximillus said, "Bloody Iron Maiden; Mary."


    Tyr closed his eyes, ''Im calm...'' He said to himself, his hair fluttering in the wind as he fell.


    ...


    ''Transfer will do nothing.''


    Tyr fell closer, beginning to clench his jaw.


    ''Soul Mend, nothing. Blink Step might have worked, but this iron maiden is far too large.''


    He neared merely 100 feet away from the spikes below, his eyes squeezing together even tighter.


    ''Hypnosis is useless here. Disappear won''t help me. Soul Marking has no use. Infinite Domain will not do anything.''


    40 feet away....


    ''Reverse won''t work on a physical object. Ancestral Aura will not save me...''


    Finally, Tyr''s eyes opened: "Full Golden Body..."


    His eyes turned a bright golden color, as a golden flame erupted from his glabella.


    ''It looks like I''ve been fully defeated. I will die here, most likely.'' Tyr admitted, finding no escape. This was no magical story, where he could get a free lifeline.


    He was in a horrible situation, and he wasn''t going to get out of it from piss alone.


    As the spikes neared him, his eyes expanded.


    He clenched his teeth together as hard as possible, unleashing all of the true emotions he felt at that moment:


    "AS LONG AS I LIVE... I WILL NOT LOSE!" His voice roared like a lion.


    The spikes came mere feet from peircing through him, but before that, he grabbed onto them with a vice grip.


    "I WILL NOT BE CAGED!" He roared at the top of his lungs.


    "You will die!"


    "I WILL NOT!" Tyr''s voice was so loud that it was echoing through the void.


    Tyr''s grip had melded the iron spikes inwards, leaving deep indents in the metal.


    "Your freedom ends here!"


    "IT DOES NOT!" Tyr''s voice boomed once again as he tore one of the spikes out of the wall.


    He looked up, noticing the doors of the maiden slowly beginning to close.


    If it closed, the spikes would impale him completely. He understood this, but continued to grab the spikes in front of him.


    "What reason do you have to yell? You are already dead! You were dead from the moment you entered this place..."


    "Even if I die... I WILL NOT DIE!" Tyr roared, crushing another iron spike.


    "What!? What are you even sayi--" S§×arch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Whether I have to destroy the gates of Heaven or climb from the very depths of hell... I will come back. I can not die... I WILL NOT LOSE!"


    Tyr wasn''t thinking at this moment. He was simply stating what he felt at that moment.


    His abmition was immense, raging like a fire never before seen.


    Even in the face of a continent-devouring tsunami, which was the fact that his death was near, his flame of ambition only continued to increase in size.


    *CREAAAK*


    The doors above him swung over 90 degrees, suddenly falling as though pushed by springs.


    Tyr let go of the spikes he had pulled out of the walls, and placed his back there instead--facing the spikes on the doors of the iron maiden head on.


    *SLAM*


    The doors shut tight.

 Chapter 138: Forged

    ***EXTRA LONG CHAP***


    -----


    "He''s dead..." Malon said, shaking his head.


    "W-what are you saying!? Hanzo is dead!?" Noa shouted in disbelief.


    Malon squinted, "Hey! Calm down... I''m obviously speaking figuratively."


    Noa''s lips quivered before she suddenly unleashed: "You don''t know what has been going on!"


    Malon was taken aback, "O-okay! Im sorry!"


    ''What the hell has happened for her to react like that? What has made her think that I would actually be telling the truth!?'' Malon thought to himself with confusion.


    "Where is he? Where are we!?" Noa yelled.


    Before Malon could respond, the black slug that had traveled with her spoke after looking around:


    "This place... its where we wait before traveling to the overworld. Why are you here..."


    *BOOM*


    The robed individual was suddenly blasted into 200 pieces of flesh and blood.


    Malon''s jaw dropped to the floor: "What the fuck..." He said under his breath.


    "MALON!" Noa screamed, "Where is Hanzo!?"


    Malon quickly snapped out of it, "Y-yes! He''s right there..." He pointed. "But that guy was right... Mrama and the other three... they wanted us to come, but Hanzo refused."


    Noa''s eyes lit up slightly as she saw that Hanzo was still alive. He looked to be sitting on the floor, his face toward the ground.


    "Im glad you two are okay..." She said, getting slightly emotional. "So he fought against them?"


    Malon sighed, "Well... yes, but only until they let him go. After that, he stopped attacking." S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Noa furrowed her brows, "What? Why!? If he could have atleast stopped some of them... maybe the hundreds of lives that are being lost right now could have been saved..."


    Malon''s eyebrows furrowed, "What in the world are you saying?" He said, his voice shaking slightly with disbelief.


    The two made their way to where Hanzo was sitting.


    "Hanzo, we need you in the battlefield," Noa said, placing her hand on the young man''s shoulder.


    Hanzo didn''t respond.


    Malon shook his head, "The battlefield?" He said under his breath, hearing this at the same time as Hanzo.


    "Hanzo!" Noa shook the man, "Didn''t you hear what I said? Look... I get it, you may be upset for whatever reason, but there isn''t time for that! Hundreds of Zasean natives are being killed. The black slugs... they are butchering our men by the dozens every second. Read exciting tales at m_vl_em_p_yr


    We need someone on the battlefield."


    Hanzo didn''t even toss a glance at Noa''s direction.


    Malon sighed, "He''s been like this for days... ever since we came here, he has had no motivation. Like I said, the Hanzo we once knew is gone. All thats left is an empty shell, it seems."


    "How can you say something like that?" Noa exclaimed, "He''s still here... he''s clearly still right here in front of us."


    Malon paused, "I do not wish to dishonor him... he is my brother, and I would give my life for him in a heartbeat. But he isn''t here... he has not replied to me all day."


    Noa turned toward Hanzo: "Get up!" She shouted, attempting to pull Hanzo to his feet. She was unable to do so, only pulling him slightly.


    "People are dying! Don''t you get it!?"


    Still, Hanzo didn''t even acknowledge her. Simply staring at the ground with lifeless eyes.


    Noa panted, panicking slightly as she didn''t know what to do, "Everyone''s dead!" Tears built up in her eyes as she expressed her inner turmoil:


    "Ha... Trai... they have all been killed! And even Tyr has been taken! I don''t know where he is, but he isn''t responding to my radio at all!"


    On hearing that, Hanzo''s void-like eyes suddenly gained a glimmer of life.


    With widened pupils, he turned to look at Noa: "Tyr... is in trouble? Why didn''t you tell me that earlier?"


    Noa paused, panting with emotional breath''s: "Now that you know... get up. Get up and help us."


    Hanzo didn''t speak for a while. And then, he turned and looked at the floor again.


    "I am not like you guys. I can''t grow in power... I can''t fight." He said out of nowhere, confusing both Malon and Noa the hell out.


    "What are you saying!?" Noa exclaimed, puzzled.


    Hanzo continued: "I don''t have those dreams and aspirations... those things that drive me. On the inside, all I am is someone who wants a normal life. I don''t want to fight... I told Tyr this when we first joined teams. Only after time have I learned that I have no life purpose to motivate me.


    I have no ambition. I am not meant to fight..."


    Noa was taken aback with shock, ''What is he saying... so what if he doesn''t have ambition? He''s still powerful, and we need that power right now...''


    "I get people are dying... but don''t you understand? How can I get up when I don''t have bones? How can I squeeze my fists when my body won''t give me strength? How can I fight... when I have nothing to fight for..."


    On hearing this, a burst of anger swelled up within Noa, "Nothing to fight for?" She said in a low tone.


    Without hesitation, he slapped the shit out of Hanzo. It left a steaming red mark on his face.


    His eyes widened with disbelief, yet he didn''t move.


    "What did you say to Tyr when you joined this group? Was it not that you would fight for his sake!? For his dream!?"


    "Yes... but fighting for another''s dream is hardly like fighting for my own."


    Noa paused, tears pouring down her face. She fell to her knees, "Hanzo... why did you even join this group? If you don''t want to fight... why are you still here?"


    She broke down into tears.


    Malon simply stared at her with squinted eyes of sorrow.


    However, her words made Hanzo think back to when he first met Tyr.


    ''He was an interesting character. When I first met him, I thought he would bring some fun into my life, so I followed him. And as a result, he followed me. He saw me as a guide... a mentor...''


    Hanzo''s eyes suddenly widened half an inch more, ''He saw me as an older brother... and I remembered my younger brother in him...''


    At that moment, flashes of memories assaulted his mind.


    He was a child when his mother died. Some unknown disease that random doctors gave names to in order to learn money from his pockets...


    She was a prostitute, but that hardly mattered to Hanzo.


    He remembered the day when he went to buy her medicine, but was denied due to a greedy merchant.


    She died after that.... and his little brother was kidnapped as well on the same day. Had it not been for Hanzo''s quick-wittedness... or plain old luck to decide to leave his house, he may have been captured as well.


    ''Now that I think about it... both of those things happening to me aren''t easy coincidences. That merchant... he wore a brown robe.''


    Things began to piece themselves together.


    ''My younger brother had entered the city... and he never came back. If it was the Black Merchant Guild''s doing, denying my mother medicine would only make sense... maybe it was to reap my Ancestral Powers. Did they think my younger brother was me, by chance?''


    ...


    ''Well... what happened, has happened. The past doesn''t matter now... what matters is what I do next.''


    Hanzo looked down at his hands. They were quivering, ''Younger brother... I say I can''t protect you, because I don''t have a reason. Am I that bad of an older brother... that I can''t even come up with a reason to save you?''


    ...


    ''Then... I''ll do it right now. To save you, Kin... I''ll come up with a reason.''


    Hanzo began to speak out loud, making both Noa and Malon stop what they were doing and look at him:


    "To..." Hanzo began to say, "To..." His mind raced, thinking of a reason, "To protect my younger brother, I will be the strongest."


    Noa stared at Hanzo with blood-shot eyes.


    Malon''s brows curled inwards with bewilderment.


    "I vow... to never let anything happen to him. I will not lose him again." Hanzo slowly rose to his feet.


    He closed his eyes as the other two looked at him.


    After 10 seconds, his eyes opened with grace.


    A smile appeared on his face, "What are you two waiting for? Let''s go... we don''t have time to waste here!"

 Chapter 139: Supreme Ancestral Sanctuary

    ***EXTRA LONG CHAP***


    -----


    Noa and Malon both looked at each other with shock. After a couple of seconds, the sides of their mouths started to pull upwards slightly, as if to form a smile.


    Malon couldn''t believe what he was hearing. Even more so than the fact that Hanzo was back to normal, the way in which he did it filled Malon with awe:


    ''Did he just... create a false dream in his mind to go fight and save Tyr?'' He was riddled with disbelief simply on thinking about this:


    ''Not just a false promise... I know Hanzo wouldn''t be able to function on something petty like that. No... he actually reached into his heart and grabbed a goal to place on that throne... and it was only to save Tyr.''


    This wasn''t a feat many people can do, and that''s why Malon was even more surprised that Hanzo did it right in front of his face.


    Noa had already wiped her tears by now. No matter what happened, she didn''t have the peace of mind to focus on it.


    People were dying right now, and she was the only one who could get Hanzo to the warehouse to aid in the battle.


    ''When the responsibility is in my hands... I can''t stay here whimpering.'' She thought to herself, standing with a fierce look.


    "Lets go!" She yelled, opening a rift in dimensional space using her Aura Array breaking ability.


    *** S§×ar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''...''


    .


    .


    .


    ''Whats this? I can think?'' Tyr suddenly said to himself. As he verified this, he suddenly felt his limbs again one by one.


    With that, he opened his eyes.


    The first thing he saw was a blaring orange ray shining down upon him.


    He had never seen such an illustrious, glorious, beautiful sun in his entire life.


    He shielded his eyes with his hand, but when he lifted his arm--it felt as though it didn''t weigh a feather.


    He sat up from a laid position. Looking down, he noticed that his body was intact. It had no cuts or bruises, no blood, and no holes in it, which, quite frankly, he had expected.


    At that moment, he began to smell a faint, yet delicious and sweet aroma.


    ''Oh? My nose wasn''t working this entire time, and I only noticed just now...'' Tyr mused with slight surprise.


    The scent was like a million fruits dancing together in a bundle of joyous worship. Each strip of smell was its own form of sour or sweet, all mixing to form a cacophony of emotions and flavors.


    There was no doubt about it, Tyr had never smelled something so pleasant.


    He realized that he couldn''t hear anything right now either. But when he took note of that fact, his ears began to work all of a sudden.


    A low, deep, yet loud hum seemed to dominate the background of wherever he was.


    It was so loud, yet so blissful and divine to the ears, that Tyr couldn''t fully grasp what noise it was.


    All he could tell was that it sounded like ''R''.


    As he began to hear this sound, the sky above him changed.


    He looked up with awe as he saw thousands of letters--no smaller than clouds--begin to roam the sky.


    They littered the entire world, like a dome above Tyr--outside of the clouds, yet inside of where the sun was.


    The letters were golden and unable to be understood by even GG.


    They moved as opposed to each other after each row, the one on top moving left slowly, and the one on the bottom moving right.


    Just like this, the pattern followed and consumed the entire sky.


    The golden letters were amazing to behold.


    Tyr looked elsewhere, surveying the magnificent forest he was in.


    The trees above him were ones that he had never seen in his entire life. Their sheer size rivaled that of mountains.


    Cities and even some small kingdoms could be built on them from the looks of it.


    Tyr stood, his maw gaping slightly in awe at these giant mangled trees.


    The bark was a rich brown, the leaves an amazing green color that spewed with life.


    Finally, Tyr took notice of the sun. It was large, orange, and looked slightly different from the sun Tyr was used to.


    ''Must be a different planet then...''


    The sun was slightly oblong--not a perfect circle. The shape matched somewhat that of a mango.


    "Where the hell am I..." Tyr confusedly exclaimed, looking around this overwhelming and ethereal land with bewilderment.


    "Hahaha!" A loud and confident laugh sounded from within the forest.


    "How crazy is your ambition, son? To come straight here for help!" The voice of this person was comforting for some reason.


    It was courageous, yet had a hint of comedy behind it as well--truly like a father.


    "Who are you? And what do you mean I came here for help?" Tyr didn''t even attempt to find this person.


    For some reason, he understood that he wouldn''t be able to find him.


    And this wasn''t due to any other reason except for the fact that in the back of his mind, Tyr instinctively understood somehow that he was speaking to this person only because he was allowed to do so right now.


    "Who am I? My names stretch along the trillions."


    Tyr''s eyes widened slightly, "What..." He said under his breath.


    "Forget about me... who are you?"


    Although these were simple words, Tyr was slightly taken aback by them. Right now, everything that was happening felt like a dream... yet, an experience had never felt so real to Tyr before either.


    It was surreal... overwhelming to every pourus of his body and more.


    "Who am I?" Each word Tyr said felt like it had the most meaning in the world.


    Each thought chose a part of his brain to highlight and dissect.


    Wherever this place was, it was no joke.


    "I am Tyr Evolion Thalonis." Tyr proclaimed loudly.


    "Ah... and what is your claim? Are you powerful? Do you have a dream, son?"


    Tyr furrowed his eyebrows, thinking about this for a moment: "I... am powerful!" Tyr felt he was safe to say whatever he felt at this moment.


    No... in fact, he believed there was no other option.


    "Through the years I have learned to become stronger. Using the Grimoire of The Gods, I have leveled up and gained pets. Through my journey, I have gained friends and foes. I have gained The Boon Of The Sun Devourer. And my dream... is to become the most powerful under the sun!


    That way, all is mine, and none can limit me."


    "Oh?" The radiant voice seemed to be caught off by that last part, "Hahaha!" He broke out into a heartfelt laugh. "I see..."


    A long pause ensued, where Tyr felt it right to say:


    "Look... I need to go back to where I was. I have people to protect... others to kill."


    ...


    "How can I get back? Don''t tell me I''ve already died..."


    ... Read today on m,v,l,e,mpyr


    The voice finally spoke up, "Tyr Evolion Thalonis!" His voice echoed loudly.


    It had completely changed from what it sounded like before.


    It was now godly, transcendent, and omniscient--coming from all directions, inside and out.


    Each word that came from this figure made Tyr''s heart shudder with bass, with the ground quake with force.


    "When a gifted soul finds its life to be at an end, it comes to its Ancestral Sanctuary. There are many of these for each gifted being, and for some, it takes an infinite amount of chances to step foot on even the lowest one, let alone the most supreme..."


    Tyr felt these words in his mind, in his soul, in his bones, and inside of his own skin.


    It was like all bodily parts of his had been taken away, atoms and all, and instead replaced with the words coming out from this person.


    "Yet you, and your magnificent flame of ambition, have arrived at the greatest plateau! I wanted to see what you were like... now go... have my hand... and do what you must do."


    Those reforged atoms in Tyr''s body felt an extra boost of strength, radiating like tiny suns of their own.


    "You are still only a bud in your journey, and one day, you will grow even taller than these trees you see before you. Until then, do whatever you deem to be right... for you are the one who will carry the light on your shoulders."


    ''W-what?'' These were Tyr''s last thoughts as he abruptly lost consciousness.

 Chapter 140: Justice

    ***EXXTRA LONG CHAP***


    -----


    "How fearsome can a kid be? His damn screams echoing through my brain nearly gave me a headache." Maximillius exclaimed, staring down at the fully closed Bloody Iron Maiden.


    "Still alive... the bastard is fighting long. But he will soon succumb."


    ...


    At that moment, Tyr''s eyes opened wide inside the iron maiden. His entire body was glowing like the sun. His mere skin looked to radiate rays that could blind any mortal.


    The rays of his skin seeped out of the crack of the iron maiden, causing Maximillius to figuratively squint his eyes in confusion.


    *CRACK*


    The entire maiden was suddenly split in half.


    "What..."


    *BOOM*


    With another impact, the Bloody Iron Maiden was eviscerated into a million pieces which dispersed into thin air--revealing a magnificent and glorious sun in the infinite void.


    In an instant, the entire void of darkness was illuminated. Tyr''s rays of light did not stop, continuing on for an infinite reach and making all shadows within Maximillus'' brain disappear.


    "ACHK!" Maximillus exclaimed with discomfort--feeling as though his eyes had been blinded, except many times worse as it was within his own brain, "Stop it! Get rid of this light! My mind is not meant for this!" He was overwhelmed.


    Tyr''s expression was stoic and fierce, "Ancestral Aura." He exclaimed, unleashing a blast of lethal bloodlust, so powerful that anything he had done before it was mere specs of dust in comparison.


    ***


    Camadral, the superhero-dressed person, and Maximillus remained inside of the warehouse as Mrama and the others went to fight.


    Jiro had already been secured. Unable to release his seal, they kept him to the side.


    Right now, Maximillus'' eyes were closed as he was inside of his own mind dealing with Tyr.


    However, he began to twitch and make weird noises through his paralyzed mouth.


    Camadral furrowed his brows, looking to the side and noticing his disabled peer begin to foam slightly from the mouth.


    "Hey... what is going."


    *SPLAT*


    Maximillus'' head suddenly exploded into a million pieces of brains, blood, eyeballs, bones and more--splattering all over Camadral and the superhero.


    Camadral''s lip quivered--his open maw filled with blood and chucks of flesh and hair.


    He froze for a moment in shock before abruptly turning to the side and spitting and gagging, nearly throwing up.


    He panted with horrified breaths of shock and dismay, "What in tarnation!?" He screamed.


    The superhero''s reaction to this was not very different. He backed up, wiping the brains off of his body.


    "How the fuck did he--" The superhero was cut off.


    "Shut up, Enhanced!" Camadral exclaimed, "Tyr... he''s more of a monster than they said. To be able to overwhelm a brain as big as Maximillius'' to the extent of explosion... we can not defeat him through normal tactics."


    The superhero addressed as Enhanced spoke up: "His mind is already destroyed... we have to get out of here and form a plan. There isn''t much longer until he returns from that realm after Maximillus'' brain has ceased to move."


    With that, the two instantly disappeared from the warehouse.


    They flew above the battlefield outside, observing what was going on.


    From first glance, it seemed the Black Merchant Guild was getting the upper hand.


    Their forces were about the same.


    "A flaw of expanding across an entire continent is that we don''t have many members in one place. It''s a shame... but with generals like Jiro and Mrama, we should have the upper hand." Camadral stated.


    "But look... they have powerful warriors of their own as well." Enhanced stated, pointing to a duo of Zasean warriors who were cleaving and chopping through dozens of Black Merchant Guild members as if they were mere bugs.


    One wielded an axe, the other a sword. They were two of the three along with Helas who were the strongest of the Zasean natives.


    "We may have a minute maximum before he returns... we should wipe out as many as we can to ease our chances of defeating Tyr." Enhanced said, looking at Camadral.


    The old man met his gaze and nodded.


    Reana captured all of this. Despite her emotions on the subject, and knowing in the back of her mind that she would likely die today, she continued to take videos.


    This was her passion... her only job here today on this battlefield. S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Sure, she felt like she bit more than she could chew, but what good would it do to admit that now?


    She wanted a big story... and she was surely going to get it...


    *BOOM*


    Camadral unleashed giant explosions of black Aura all across the battlefield, obliterating dozens in seconds.


    Enhanced ran through the battlefield, lazering down many with his red eye beams, and punching dozens of Zasean soldiers into oblivion.


    Each one of his punches forced a group of 5 to be thrown into the sky--their organs already having imploded from the impact.


    Reana began to speak into her camera: "The... the tide of battle has changed." She stuttered, her voice soft, shaky, and meager:


    "Without powerhouses on our side, the Black Merchant Guild is annihilating us. We don''t have much longer to survive."


    As time went on, she spoke through her tears, "Hundreds are dying... this is no longer a battle of who will win, but one that questions if we will even be able to have a single survivor to tell the tale."


    Camadral rose higher into the air, raising his hands above his head as a giant black orb of malicious energy began to summon atop his palms.


    It swirled like a vortex, collecting in one place menacingly.


    "Winds from his spell are causing my hair to sway, and the leaves in the various trees around us to turn and flutter. This is our end..."


    Reana stopped talking, her maw agape as she stared at the giant vortex in the sky with despair and doom looming over her.


    "Damn scoundrels! All you had to do was stay in your labs, but you rats are too curious! Perish, and rue the day you ever fought against your masters!" Camadral roared into the sky.


    *SEEEEEWWW*


    An ear-piercing noise sharply reverberated into everyone''s ears.


    Ever so slowly, Reana''s pupils gazed upwards--even above Camadral''s vortex--and high into the sky.


    One by one, the clouds in the heavens burst apart--as if a meteor was flying through them.


    Finally, this speeding, golden object flew through the final cloud--ripping a giant hole in it as it flew straight into Camadral''s vortex.


    Many looked up, hearing the sharp noise in their eyes and seeing the clouds tear above them.


    Out of nowhere, Camadral felt a tight grip on the back of his neck.


    His eyes expanded a molten touch constricting his airflow.


    He turned, his eyes filled with horror as shivers ran down his back.


    A furious golden figure stood behind him. The look on Tyr''s face was ruthless and angry like a beast finally capturing its prey.


    Wings sprouted from Tyr''s back as he darted high up into the sky, dragging Camadral and his sphere of Aura with him.


    Enhanced stopped what he was doing and stared into the sky. Read more chapters on m-vl-e-mpyr


    "Damn it! I have to help him... I have no choice!"


    "Not so quick!" The sword-wielding Zasean native grabbed onto Enhanced, throwing his weapon to the side and clutching the superhero in a tight embrace.


    "W-what are you doing!? Get off me, you weakling!" Enhanced attempted to pull the brute off of him, his eyes facing the sky.


    As he continued to fight, Tyr stopped as he thought he was high up.


    With over a thousand eyes on him, he raised his hand at the black sphere of Aura: ''Reverse.''


    He sucked in all of the Aura, facing Camadral again before placing his hand right on the old man''s forehead.


    "N-no!" Camadral screamed for mercy, his body wailing for help as Tyr''s grip was still on the back of his neck.


    "Let me go! I promise I will leave! I will never come to Zasea again! We will all go! Please! Please spa--" Camadral stopped begging, his throat gasping slightly subconsciously as he saw Tyr''s heartless eyes...


    and a slight smile.


    "Y-you are smiling." Camadral was shocked beyond belief, his entire system reset. Now, he understood that there was no realm where he would receive mercy...


    "I..." Tyr said, "Am justice."


    He unleashed the Reverse. As the black orb of Aura grew, it obliterated Camadral''s head as well as half of the old man''s body.


    "Not yet..." Tyr held on to the man''s body and faced the ground.


    Along with Camadral''s corpse, Tyr propelled the black Aura sphere toward the ground.


    Enhanced pushed the Zasean soldier off of him, but before he could move out of the way of the black Aura sphere that was quickly closing in on him, a sharp pain drilled through his ankle.


    Looking down, a red arrow had chopped his foot off, causing him to fall to his knees.


    Turning around, he saw Hanzo and a couple of other figures behind him.


    "Y-you... how did you come bac--"


    "There''s no time for talking." Hanzo said with a smile on his face, "You''re dead."


    *BOOOOM*

 Chapter 141: Mysterious

    The explosion propelled hundreds nearby into the air. It caught the attention of almost every fighter on that field.


    Hundreds of Black Merchant Guild members stopped fighting as they understood that their leaders had just been severely attacked, and possibly killed.


    Seeing their comrades throughout the battlefield lower their weapons, other black slugs felt their morale leave them--despite not knowing why.


    They also lowered their weapons in confusion and concern.


    Slowly, Tyr floated back down from the sky.


    And at the same time, Hanzo walked over to the aftermath of the explosion.


    Most Zasean natives and Black Merchant Guild members also stopped fighting and neared, imagining the battle to have finally stopped.


    As they came to the explosion spot, they beheld a fearsome sight.


    Hanzo stood above the fairly large crater, looking down with disgust at the ashes of what their enemies once were. Above him, as though a perfect cinematic shot, Tyr floated down with the same look in his eyes.


    The scene was mesmerizing, envigorating the Zasean side with morale while sucking away all aspirations that the black guild ever had.


    At that moment, when the tides felt to have turned, Reana''s camera did not stop recording. It captured this moment flawlessly.


    Before tension settled down, however, heads began to turn once again.


    Hanzo and Tyr both furrowed their brows as they saw a black concentrate begin to swirl around the massive cavity before them.


    Murmurs began to spread like wildfire, reaching every one of the soldiers on that field.


    Finally, as Tyr landed on the ground beside Hanzo, a figure materialized in the center of the crater.


    He was fully robed in plain brown robes. He was tall, likely close to 6''1. ft in height.


    As he summoned, many looked on with awe and confusion. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    However, Tyr instantly noticed that something was off.


    ''He... is superior.'' Tyr thought to himself, feeling a strip of doom in the millions of strips creating the universe around him. In the state that Tyr was in right now, his senses were evolved many fold--able to sense the very fabrics of reality.


    At least, thats what it felt like.


    "Why do you insist on picking on the weak..." The robed figure''s deep voice came, sending waves of confused murmurs throughout.


    The figure slowly turned, "Fight..." He commanded.


    A slight silence ensued for a moment. Right afterward, every single black slug turned--nearly in sync--and attacked their Zasean counterparts.


    The bloody sounds of cleaved body parts littered their air at once.


    Tyr''s eyelids raised, ''A perfectly coordinated attack.'' His mind began to race slightly, ''Were we meant to kill those two, so that this figure could come and do this attack? Did he plan everything? No... it must be his power.''


    "You''re right." The figure spoke at that moment, taking his hood off.


    Tyr furrowed his brows on hearing those words. ''So he can read my mind...''


    "Yes, I can." The figure spoke again. His face was covered in stitches and scars. However, it had a normal and innocent look to it at the same time.


    He looked to be a man in his forties, with a clean-shaven face and slightly long white hair.


    Slowly, he placed one hand on his face before saying: "A lizard... a snake... no, a rat?" The man began to say under his breath.


    Right now, the fight from before was raging on, while Tyr, Hanzo, and the others, and this mysterious figure were concentrating on themselves.


    Tyr remained silent, the others doing the same.


    "A frog! Thats it... you see, Tyr, you are a frog in a well. You may think you know what the world looks like by staring at that beautiful blue sky above you, but you will truly never understand it. All you are doing is picking on the weak."


    Tyr squinted his eyes.


    The figure continued, "I left my strongest officers to deal with you... but Tyr, you are simply too strong for them. And of course, I predicted this. I predicted that Maximillus would lose to you and that it would most likely be due to your Ancestral Awakening... meaning, you would travel to your Ancestral Sanctuary."


    He turned, shaking his head in disapproval, "But... never did I expect for you to kill him. Kill Maximillius of all people? Even I can not perform that feat. Do you know why? Because even though in the real world he is useless, it is only in the real world where he is immortal."


    Tyr was slightly taken aback by this seemingly contradicting statement.


    The man continued: "And even though in his own mind he is the most powerful... he is only vulnerable there truly. The only way to kill him is to overwhelm the master of overwhelming minds and infinite power within his own mind... so that means, the Ancestral Sanctuary you visited must have been quite something."


    The man finally stopped, staring right at Tyr, "Tell me, who did you meet?"


    Tyr didn''t say a word. However, the white-haired man quickly replied before could speak:


    "No need... I know you saw no one." The man sighed, "I am the God of information in this world, after all. There is nothing I do not know... including how you die today."


    A blast of killing ruthless intent exploded out from the man at that moment.


    On feeling its effects, Malon felt his heart shudder with pain and shock. At once, a powerful force drove into his shoulders.


    However, he enlarged his shield and placed it in front of him. With a smirk, he exhaled.


    ''My shield can repel all types of killing intent...'' He thought to himself.


    Noa wasn''t quite as lucky. As she felt her limbs nearly give way, she was forced to quickly hide behind Malon''s aegis.


    Hanzo gritted his teeth through the pressure, while Tyr on the other hand felt absolutely nothing.


    The killing intent bounced right off of his golden aura as if it were repelled by a magnet.


    He simply raised his chin with a condescending look on his face.


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    On seeing this, the man below lowered his chin with a disdainful expression, ''He thinks he is better than me... yet I have already seen his death.''


    The man turned, waving his hand over the ashes on the ground.


    In mere seconds, the ashes turned from black to pink and red.


    They floated into the air, turning into streams of blood, blocks of bone, and sheets of flesh--before combining together to reform Camadral and Enhanced as if they hadn''t even been touched.


    Finally, the two opened their eyes...

 Chapter 142: No Mere Mortal

    Neither Tyr nor Hanzo had any big reaction to this.


    Tyr mused, ''Power over the dead? Or is it power over life itself...''


    Mere seconds after Camadral and Enhanced opened their eyes, they fell to one knee and bowed their heads with one fist on the ground. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Lord Black!" They both said in unison, fear and respect both mingling in their tones.


    The white-haired figure addressed as ''Black'' looked to the side, "Come here." He said in a quiet tone.


    *BANG*


    Something heavy plummeted from the sky, crashing into the ground with a burst of dust and dirt. As the debris settled, Mrama was revealed, kneeling like the others.


    "Lord Black!"


    With a wave of Black''s hand, an object busted through the doors of the warehouse and floated to where he was before falling before him.


    It was Jiro, who was still heavily bound by Noa''s seal.


    With another wave, the Aura binds on Jiro were broken apart easily.


    Another wave and a green Aura flushed through Jiro''s body--fully rejuvenating him and taking away all bruises and blemishes.


    "Lord Black!" The young man got on one knee and declared.


    ''All of them gathered together in one place huh...'' Tyr thought to himself at that moment, ''This is a perfect opportunity to see what I''m dealing with here... Scan.''


    ©³©¥©¥©¥Status©¥©¥©¥©·


    Name: Mrama Matal


    Age: 21 Years


    Power Level: 235


    Rank: Expert


    ©»©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¿


    ©³©¥©¥©¥Status©¥©¥©¥©·


    Name: Jiro Matal


    Age: 22 Years


    Power Level: 234


    Rank: Expert


    ©»©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¿


    ©³©¥©¥©¥Status©¥©¥©¥©·


    Name: Thelmis Cank (Enhanced) Check out m_vl_em_p_yr stories


    Age: 31 Years


    Power Level: 270


    Rank: Expert


    ©»©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¿


    ©³©¥©¥©¥Status©¥©¥©¥©·


    Name: Camadral Rurahan


    Age: 79 Years


    Power Level: 295


    Rank: Virtuoso


    ©»©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¿


    Tyr''s pupils lowered to the last screen in his vision, ''And finally...''


    ©³©¥©¥©¥Status©¥©¥©¥©·


    Name: Black Knowledge


    Age: 308 Years


    Power Level: 550


    Rank: Grandmaster


    ©»©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¿


    Tyr paused, a faint smirk forming. ''Weaker than I expected...''


    At that moment, Black turned to face Tyr and the others.


    "Tyr..." His voice was loud and powerful, as everyone beside him stood up and faced those standing above the crater.


    "A mere mortal like you wants to fight against me... a God of knowledge? Do you understand what type of trap you have walked into? The size of the bite you choose to take? Well... it''s too late for reconciliation now.


    Prepare to die."


    He paused, "Go... kill them all."


    At that moment, Mrama and Jiro both lunged toward Malon and Noa. Enhanced followed after them, but was abruptly thrust to the side by a certain figure.


    He was pushed onto the main battlefield, skidding across the ground before finally coming to a stop.


    When he stood, he saw Helas standing before him.


    "Do not forget that I am also here... you will be fighting me, heathen!" Helas roared, swinging his sword frivolously in the air. He was already bloody, seeming to have fought for a while.


    Enhanced smiled, "Oh? Then come at me, weakling!"


    As they clashed, Black turned his focus from them, back to the figures above the crater.


    Mrama and Malon were already locked in combat, their battle pushing several meters away. Jiro and Noa were also deeply engaged. Only Camadral remained at Black''s side.


    "Before I leave... Lord Black..." Camadral said at that moment, almost under his breath.


    "Speak..." Black said in a low tone.


    Camadral took a step forward before saying: "There is nothing ''mere'' about that mortal..." He lunged upwards and toward Hanzo.


    Hanzo backed up, shooting several arrows at the elder.


    However, Camadral dodged all the arrows in mid-air, unleashing a flurry of small Aura bombs toward the young man.


    Tyr looked at Hanzo with a nonchalant expression as his battle traveled farther away.


    ''Hanzo is 245 OP at max... I need to beat this Black cunt before I can rejoin and help the others. 245 and 295 is not a fair match in any regards.'' He mused, slightly concerned.


    Black had the side of his top lip raised, almost in disgust: "I will have to teach him a lesson about how to speak later..." He said, "Does he think you will be a challenge to me? How foolish... through various learned methods I have forgotten what fear and death even feel like..."


    Tyr clenched his jaw. "Are you ready to fight, or are you just going to keep talking?"


    Black''s eyes narrowed as he began to levitate from the crater. "Boy..."


    "So that''s a no," Tyr muttered under his breath.


    "I have witnessed the rise and fall of emperors you mortals fear, seen rulers grow old and die countless times, including the ones who now govern the major kingdoms of Ainsveld. You should lower your¡ª"


    "Fear? I fear no man. I fear nothing," Tyr interrupted, his voice rough and defiant. He felt no such thing as cowardice at this moment.


    "You¡ª"


    "As long as you draw breath, you can be killed," Tyr cut him off again, his tone cold and resolute. "No matter what you claim to be."


    Black''s expression darkened, his eyes narrowing as he floated higher above the crater, his aura intensifying like a storm gathering strength.


    The air around him seemed to warp with raw power, the ground beneath him cracking and splitting from the sheer force of his energy.


    His voice, now laced with fury, resonated like a thunderclap. "You insolent whelp... I am a God."


    Tyr stood his ground, his gaze unwavering. He could sense the malevolent, crashing waves of energy repelling from his shield of golden Aura. "A god?" he scoffed. "You''re just another obstacle in my path. And I''ve dealt with plenty of those."


    Black''s lips curled into a snarl. "So be it. You wish for death, I shall grant it."


    With a sudden, explosive burst of speed, Black lunged toward Tyr, his hand glowing with a dark, malevolent Aura.


    Tyr barely had time to react, raising his arm to block as Black''s fist connected with a deafening crack.


    The force of the blow sent a shockwave through the ground, and Tyr was pushed back, his feet digging trenches into the earth.


    ''Fast...'' Tyr thought, gritting his teeth as he slid to a stop. He understood immediately that he couldn''t afford to let Black''s attacks connect¡ªeach blow was like a hammer strike from a mountain-sized giant.


    But he also knew he couldn''t hold back.


    Gathering his strength, Tyr launched himself forward.


    ''Blink Step.'' He closed the gap in an instant.


    He threw a punch of his own, his fist wreathed in a blazing golden Aura. Black deflected it with ease, but Tyr was relentless. He followed up with a flurry of rapid strikes, each one faster and stronger than the last.


    Black dodged and parried with inhuman speed, his movements a blur. "Is this all you have?" he taunted, his voice calm despite the ferocity of the exchange. "Pathetic."

 Chapter 143: Direct Counter

    Tyr''s furrowed his brows, continuing his flurry of attacks. Black moved backward on the ground as though he was gliding, his left hand tapping away all attacks.


    Finally, Black''s right hand moved forward with precision and speed, grazing across Tyr''s forehead.


    Black grinned, "It ends here..." He said with widened eyes.


    Tyr didn''t know why Black had suddenly stopped moving, but he couldn''t care less either.


    He used this opportunity to clench his fist and hurl a big one right into the stomach of the man before him.


    "Ouah!" Black exclaimed as his hands flew forward, the punch landing. His mouth gaped slightly as he quickly blitzed backward with shock.


    He clutched his stomach, a slightly concerned look in his curled eyebrows.


    Tyr smiled on seeing this.


    However, Black also smiled, before breaking out into a slight chuckle.


    "I see... so that is what pain feels like. I had forgotten it, along with fear and death. Thank you for reminding me of it... as a prize, I''ll grant you a speedy death." His tone switched from polite to angry in a split second.


    ''So it''s true... he somehow truly can''t be affected by mental attacks. The one I just tried... there aren''t many stronger ones on the continent. Even with that power alone, this boy is dangerous. Far too dangerous to let roam about and grow on this continent.


    I need to cut his stem before it grows too large...''


    In this short moment of pause, Tyr''s attention swayed from the battle for a split second.


    This wasn''t due to his lack of attention, but rather, in his current form he felt like he could hear, smell, taste, and feel everything around him to a heavily heightened degree.


    At the moment when he wasn''t in a full-blown exchange, he heard the cries of dying warriors around him.


    He heard the explosions of Hanzo''s arrows... the thuds against Malon''s shield, and the blasts of Noa''s Betsy.


    ''I have to hurry and end this, or else their lives will be in danger.'' He mused, facing Black, "You said you have forgotten the fear of death?" He said out loud in a boisterous tone.


    Black looked to find this amusing, snickering, "How could I know it? I control death itself... boy."


    "I saw you revive your goons, but can you do the same for yourself." Tyr lowered his gaze.


    Black did the same, his eyes becoming more serious.


    A faint smirk appeared on Tyr''s lips, "Looks like I found the flaw..."


    "It''s time to end this battle," Black said, placing both hands together.


    Tyr inhaled, "I will make you fear death again." He said in a low tone.


    The two blitzed forward in the blink of an eye, connecting with several exchanged attacks.


    Their clashes sounded like thunder clouds reigning down from the sky and clattering eardrums like they were real instruments.


    ***


    Mere meters away, Malon and Mrama clashed head to head in a battle of strength versus defense.


    Mrama screamed to his heart''s content since the spawn of this battle, "Kraaa! Just die, you weakling!" He roared, thrusting several punches into Malon''s seemingly invincible shield.


    Malon was being slowly pushed back from the sheer force behind those blows. However, his expression remained calm.


    "Is this all you have!? Your Ancestral Ability consists of a pure defense!? Fight me like a man! Do you have no strength!" Mrama continued, raging like a beast as his clothes ripped from his shoulders and back, revealing his ripped physique.


    Each impact sent slight tremors through the ground, but Malon stood strong.


    Finally, Mrama backed up, panting slightly.


    Malon lowered his shield, a serious expression on his face.


    "You don''t deserve to be alive." He said, not a bead of sweat on his face.


    Mrama furrowed his brows, "Shut up... fucking mushroom." S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "At least I am how I was born. You... you''re a weird monstrosity. A human mangled and morphed into a damn beast, like a rat in a lab."


    Mrama growled aggressively like a lion, his eyes scrunching in hatred. He tore his robes off fully.


    Without hesitation, he raised his hand... and punched his own chest.


    As Malon''s eyes squinted with confusion, Mrama punched himself again and again.


    And as he did, his smile became larger and larger.


    "My Ancestral Ability is like no other..." He exclaimed, "It allows me to love what I love more than anything else in the world even more... fighting!"


    He continued to bang his chest like a drum with powerful attacks. He wasn''t holding back either.


    Each time, his punches seemed to do more damage, but his body healed quickly and took the blows even easier each time.


    "Boon Of Janus The Transitioner..." Mrama exclaimed, leaving Malon''s eyes to widen slightly with shock.


    ''Janus? The Roman God of Transitioning... he has the boon of a God.'' Malon felt slightly worried at that moment.


    Ever since he was young, he had boons from the Gods. To go against one was fearsome, even until now.


    He readied his guard, preparing for the battle.


    "I can transfer damage into even more power. It''s one of the most broken abilities out there... but of course, there is a major flaw." Mrama exclaimed, his smile growing as the pain he felt also grew.


    His arms were bulging with veins at this point, having become far stronger.


    "But... there''s no need for me to tell that flaw to a bum who is about to die."


    Malon paused, ''So that''s why he was angry I wasn''t attacking...''


    At that moment, Mrama dug his legs--bulging like giant hearts--into the ground and propelled himself forward.


    He flew tthroughthe air like a dart, appearing before Malon before hurling a mountainous blow at him.


    Malon barely managed to shield himself, and as he did, Mrama was thrown back several hundred feet into the air. His arm had busted into several chunks.


    Malon''s shield slowly lowered. A slight smile appeared on his surprised face, "Haha..." He chuckled under his breath, "Hahaha!" He laughed to his heart''s content.


    "Without speed, no matter your strength, you will not be able to defeat me!" Malon roared, regaining all of the confidence he had lost.


    Mrama clutched the shoulder of his arm that he lost. He was bleeding profusely, an angry expression on his face.


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    "You are right..." Malon said, "Your power is strong... far stronger than mine in this world. However, it is unfortunate that you have met me of all people, who counters your Ancestral Ability directly!"


    He paused, a smile stretching across his face as he said: "Come!"

 Chapter 144: Transitioning Boon

    Mrama walked forward. He no longer smiled and instead gritted his teeth.


    ''An Ancestral Ability that blocks all physical attacks...?'' He questioned to himself, ''It''s like attacking a giant rubberband... it will always attack me back with even more force.''


    He clenched his left fist, "Even a rubber band has a limit." He muttered under his breath, "If I give you enough force, you will crumble like dust!"


    Out of nowhere, he grinned again, "Thank you for that attack!" He said, "I am even stronger now!"


    He sprinted forward, Malon also racing toward the slug now that he was more confident.


    Mrama clenched his left fist as hard as possible, nearing tearing his own muscles as hardened his arm.


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    "DIE!" He roared as the two came mere feet from each other.


    Malon clenched his jaw as he put his shield over his shoulder and rammed upwards like a bull.


    Mrama lunged with his legs and drove his punch from his hips, using the momentum of his entire body to thrust his fist forward.


    *BANG*


    Malon was thrown onto his back, his shield suddenly shrinking.


    As he faced the sky, blood and guts fell on and around him... the exploded remains of Mrama.


    He smiled, "Hahaha! I did it!" He rejoiced. But then, a piece of meat fell onto his face.


    That was when he got up, placed his shield above his head, and ran as fast as he could.


    "Disgusting!" He exclaimed, getting far enough away.


    He turned, looking at the remains of the bastard slug.


    ''I wonder what the main flaw of his Ancestral Ability was... Boon Of Janus The Transitioner...'' sea??h th§× N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    At that moment, a glow of Aura captured his eyes.


    It came from the glabella of Mrama''s face. It was a red light flickering in the air.


    It paused, and then suddenly sped toward Malon.


    The moosh furrowed his brows, abruptly raising his shield.


    ''A last attack!?'' He confusedly thought.


    The red spark traveled through his shield as if it wasn''t even there, and assaulted his forehead.


    "ARGH!" He exclaimed, feeling a sudden explosion of pain throughout his entire body.


    He fell to his knees, grabbing his head in pain.


    ''What is this!? I feel like my head is going to explode!''


    The pain traveled from his brain down to his Aura core.


    He could feel this pain as if it were its own object moving around inside of his body--radiating waves of excruciating pain.


    He felt it attempt to remain at his Aura core, but failed to do this. It kept trying but was pushed out again and again.


    ''Why are you trying to enter my Aura core!? My Ancestral Ability is already there!'' Malon shouted inwardly, squeezing his stomach.


    ''Damn it!'' He yelled inside, his brain racing as he thought of ways to stop this.


    ''Somewhere to go... where can I let it go inside of my body that won''t hurt me!?'' He knew it clearly didn''t want to go anywhere else for some reason.


    From what he understood in this short moment, he needed something that was a part of his own body, but also something that didn''t cause him pain.


    Yet, normally, everything apart of one''s body would cause. Especially for a moosh, whose hair was mushrooms, still causing him pain if they were to be cut.


    He had no nails either which could act as unhurting pieces of his body into which this orb of pain could enter.


    As the pain worsened to its worst extent, Malon raised his hand and summoned a giant shield, ''Go! Get out of me!''


    The pain traveled instantly as the shield summoned, disappearing from his body.


    He opened his eyes, looking at his shield. It gleaned a bright red color as if it was burning with a red flame, before settling down again.


    At that moment, a flood of the information entered Malon''s brain in a mere second.


    His eyes opened with shock as he muttered, "A... new Ancestral Ability?" He stood up, confused.


    He understood how to use this ability instantly. It was no different from Mrama''s.


    "So I received his Ancestral Ability? But... it couldn''t stay in my body since I already had one. However, it could stay in my shield."


    He paused, taken aback with disbelief.


    "Janus, the God Of Transitioning. Not only does it transfer damage into power... but the power itself also transfers from user to user after they are killed. Thats a godly boon if I''ve ever seen one."


    He put his shield in front of him, a smile forming on his face, "So... whenever I receive attacks on this shield, not only will it become even more durable, but it will also deflect the damage with more and more power each time!?" He laughed.


    He was in disbelief but also pleasantly amused, "This is awesome!"


    He shrunk his shield, looking around. His eyes turned more serious as his smile remained, ''Lets go help...'' He sprinted forward into the battlefield.


    ***


    Noa and Jiro faced off across the battlefield, their eyes locked in a fierce stare.


    Around them, the sounds of battle raged, but all Noa could focus on was the figure in front of her¡ªthe enemy she knew she couldn''t afford to underestimate.


    Jiro was quick, too quick, his movements a blur even to her fairly experienced eyes. He was circling her, looking for an opening.


    With a calm breath, Noa hoisted her massive gun onto her shoulder. The weapon hummed to life, glowing with a pink energy that began to gather in its barrel.


    She steadied herself, keeping her eyes on Jiro, who smirked, recognizing her strategy. He knew about Ol'' Betsy''s power, but he wasn''t intimidated. Instead, he seemed amused.


    "You think that toy is going to catch me?" Jiro taunted, his voice confident, almost playful. "You''ll have to do better than that."


    Without warning, Jiro vanished, moving with incredible speed. Noa''s eyes widened as he reappeared to her left, only a few feet away, his fist already coming down toward her head.


    She rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding his strike, the force of his punch creating a small crater in the ground where she had just been standing.


    Noa swung Ol'' Betsy around, pulling the trigger. A pink ball of energy erupted from the barrel, hurtling toward Jiro.


    But he was already gone, a blur of motion as he darted to her other side, laughing.


    "Too slow, Noa!"


    She gritted her teeth, firing off another shot. This time, she anticipated his move, leading her aim to where she thought he''d go.


    The pink orb exploded just as Jiro moved into its path, and for a split second, it looked like she''d caught him.


    But Jiro twisted in mid-air, his body bending in an impossible way to avoid the binding energy. He landed lightly on his feet, a mocking grin on his face.

 Chapter 145: Save Her

    "You''ll have to be faster than that!" Jiro called out, his voice carrying over the sounds of their battle.


    Noa felt a surge of frustration but quickly pushed it down. ''Stay calm... focus.'' She knew she couldn''t match his speed, but she didn''t need to.


    She just needed one good shot. She activated the charge function on Ol'' Betsy, feeling the weapon vibrate as it began to build up energy for a more powerful blast.


    Jiro noticed the glow intensifying around her gun and narrowed his eyes. "Charging up for something big, huh? Alright, let''s see what you''ve got."


    He disappeared again, zigzagging toward her, his movements erratic and unpredictable.


    Noa tracked him as best as she could, her finger hovering over the trigger. ''Just a few more seconds...''


    Suddenly, Jiro was right in front of her, his speed astonishing. Noa had no time to react as he swung a kick aimed at her midsection.


    The blow connected, and she was sent sprawling backward, sliding across the ground. She winced in pain but managed to keep her grip on Ol'' Betsy.


    Jiro closed the distance in an instant, appearing over her with his hand outstretched, ready to strike again. "It''s over, bitch!"


    But Noa smirked. "Not yet, it isn''t."


    She squeezed the trigger, and Ol'' Betsy unleashed a massive blast of pink energy at point-blank range.


    Jiro''s eyes widened in shock as the ball of energy engulfed him. He tried to dodge, but it was too late.


    The binding energy wrapped around him, constricting his movements, pinning his arms to his sides.


    "What the¡ª?!" Jiro struggled, but the more he fought, the tighter the bindings seemed to become. He gritted his teeth, trying to use his speed to break free, but the pink energy was relentless, holding him in place.


    Noa got to her feet, breathing heavily, a determined look on her face.


    Jiro glared at her, fury in his eyes. "You think you''ve won? This won''t hold me forever!"


    "It''ll hold you long enough," Noa replied, charging another shot. This time, she aimed for his legs.


    She fired, and another pink ball of energy shot out, hitting Jiro squarely in the knees. The bindings wrapped around his legs, locking them in place.


    Jiro''s speed was useless now. He was completely immobilized, trapped in the glowing pink energy. He struggled against his restraints, his face contorted with rage.


    Noa kept her distance, knowing better than to get too close. "You''re finished, Jiro. Surrender now, and maybe I won''t blast you into pieces." Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Jiro sneered. "Never!" He let out a burst of energy, trying one last desperate attempt to break free, but the bindings tightened even more, and he cried out in pain.


    Noa steadied Ol'' Betsy, her finger on the trigger, ready to fire again if needed. "Last chance, Jiro. Stand down."


    Jiro glared at her, his pride wounded. But he could see he had no choice. For now, he would have to concede. "Fine," he spat. "But this isn''t over, Noa."


    Noa nodded, keeping her weapon trained on him. "You''re right about that," she said. "Not by a long shot."


    As she closed the distance, she put away her gun and raised her hands instead.


    After saying a short mantra under her breath, she unleashed several more thick binds around the short man.


    Jiro was tightly tied together this time like a packed-up riceball.


    ''I won''t kill him yet...'' She thought to herself, ''We may be able to use him.'' She had more of a level head.


    After her training through the months with Hanzo and the others, Noa had become quite a formidable force as well.


    She walked even closer to Jiro, no fear in her mind anymore.


    However, as she got mere inches from reaching down and picking him up, she felt the tips of her fingers sting slightly.


    She was taken aback in slight surprise as she straightened her posture.


    Time felt as though it slowed down as she noticed her hair beginning to slowly float for some reason while looking at the peripherals of her vision


    She then noticed a transparent black dome slowly begin to form around her, and the baby hairs on her arms suddenly burned off...


    "NOA!" Hanzo''s voice screamed from afar, pushing Noa out of her daydreaming state where time felt slow.


    *BOOM*


    A 20 by 20 feet dome of black Aura exploded around Noa and Jiro.


    Hanzo landed on the ground right afterward, his face contorting with a harrowing fear.


    With eyes dancing in worry, he ran over to Noa and knelt beside her.


    The young woman''s skin had been fully scorched. Her heartbeat was still fine, but she was in a horribly critical state.


    Hanzo''s heart, on the other hand, played like a drum nearly jumping out of his chest as she placed his hand on Noa''s head.


    He closed his eyes tightly, ''Oh Mother Gaia, please, don''t let her die.'' A burst of green energy was unleashed from his hand.


    ''Oh, mother of all those living... save her now. Do not let her die...''


    The green energy flowed heavily with several long green streaks spreading through her body.


    ''Oh mother of fertility and life... give me the strength I need to save her. Do not let her die...''


    He paused, gritting his teeth as he saw blood begin to pour out of the cracks in Noa''s skin.


    He couldn''t bear to look at her state right now, so he only focused on her forehead.


    ''Do not let her die...''


    He kept saying to himself over and over.


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    ''Do not let her die... do not let her die... do not let her die!'' He exclaimed with frustration.


    Above him, Camadral slowly lowered from the sky with a nonchalant look in his eyes.


    Hanzo''s eyes began to tear up as Noa coughed out lumps of blood.


    ''Damn it!'' He yelled to himself, ''Don''t die! Just stay alive!''


    He closed his eyes as tightly as possible, ''Gaia! Do not let her die... do not let her... don''t you dare let her die! This is up to you! I won''t forgive you, damn it!


    Save her! Save her now!''


    At that moment, the streaks of green coming from his hands and surrounding Noa''s body began to materialize.


    The Aura became green, lively, and thick vines as though from a real plant and embraced Noa''s burnt body.


    Hanzo felt his entire body go weak as this happened, however, he didn''t care about that right now.


    He opened his eyes, a faint smile beginning to form on his face as Noa began to heal in the embrace of Mother Nature.


    Her entire body was covered apart from her head, like a small cicada of green vines glowing with life and Aura.

 Chapter 146: Beyond Limits

    ***EXXXTRA LONG CHAP***


    ------


    Hanzo stopped, inhaling with nerves nearly bursting through his head. He felt a wave of relief wash over him like a tsunami.


    He felt like breaking down at that moment into tears of happiness, but bit his top lip as hard as he could and stood up, donning a serious expression and fierce eyes.


    Camadral raised his hand again, "Tsk... pathetic. Just die. You can not defeat me."


    In that split second, an arrow darted toward his face.


    ''A blue one?'' He mused, catching it with the hand he had already raised with an unimpressed look on his face.


    However, his eyes expanded as he noticed a red arrow''s Aura at the bottom of the blue arrow in his hand.


    ''Inside...'' He thought to himself for a split second before...


    *BOOM*


    He was thwarted backward. Hanzo sprinted forward, shooting several red arrows into the air.


    Camadral fell to the ground, avoiding all of the red arrow attacks.


    As soon as his feet touched the ground, Hanzo was already waiting for him.


    Hanzo swung his bow like a staff, swinging it at Camadral like a monk warrior.


    Camadral deflected all of the attacks, but Hanzo was relentless, pushing forward without any signs of stopping.


    Camadral squinted his eyes, wincing slightly in pain as he backed up.


    ''Close combat isn''t my forte...'' He mused, waving his hand in front of him. S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    A large half-circle of black Aura summoned around Hanzo.


    However, Hanzo pulled back his bowstring and summoned multiple a blue defense arrow--creating a forcefield around himself as the black Aura circle exploded.


    He didn''t unleash the arrows until he was outside of the explosion area--coming out fully unscathed.


    He was panting heavily at this point. Although he was trying to hide it, after fighting Camadral already for so long, and now having used most of his Aura on healing Noa, he was nearly out for the count.


    Despite this, he shot several attack arrows toward Camadral, who dodged them all again.


    Hanzo''s breath came in ragged gasps as he steadied himself, eyes locked on Camadral.


    His heart pounded in his chest, but he forced himself to stay calm, to focus. His fingers trembled slightly on the bowstring, but his gaze was fierce, his determination unwavering.


    He knew this was a battle he had to win. ''I can''t lose here... it isn''t an option. I have formed a goal. I need to help my little brother.''


    Camadral stood a few paces away, his hand still raised. A sneer spread across his face, his eyes gleaming with malice. "You think your little tricks will work on me, archer?" His voice was low and mocking. "I have lived through a hundred battles, and faced warriors far stronger than you. Do you know the difference between you and them?"


    ...


    "Nothing... they are all dead, and soon, you will join them."


    Hanzo didn''t respond with words. Instead, he nocked another arrow, a red one glowing with fierce energy.


    He drew the bowstring back, the tension of the string mirroring the tension in his muscles. He could see the black energy swirling around Camadral, the slug''s Aura growing stronger, more chaotic.


    He had to strike now before Camadral unleashed another one of those deadly blasts.


    He released the arrow, and it streaked through the air, a crimson streak cutting across the battlefield. Camadral''s eyes narrowed, and with a flick of his wrist, he sent a wave of black energy to deflect it. The arrow exploded mid-air, a burst of red energy that dissipated harmlessly against the black wave.


    "Is that all you have?" Camadral taunted, taking a step forward, his hand crackling with dark power. "I expected more from you."


    But Hanzo was already moving, sprinting to the side, his hands a blur as he nocked and released another arrow, this one blue. The arrow flew wide, curving around Camadral in an arc.


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    Camadral raised an eyebrow, turning to follow its path, but then another arrow, a red one, was fired directly at him.


    "What a pathetic trick." Camadral grinned, sidestepping the red arrow. It exploded behind him, sending up a plume of dust and debris.


    But then he felt it¡ªa duo of blue and red arrows that had been hiding in the explosion.


    It struck the ground at his feet and detonated in a brilliant flash of light. Camadral was forced to shield his eyes, staggering back as he did so.


    Hanzo seized the opportunity. He charged forward, closing the distance between them with surprising speed.


    With a swift motion, he swung his bow like a staff, aiming a powerful strike at Camadral''s side.


    Caught off guard, Camadral barely managed to raise his arm in time to block the blow. The impact sent a shockwave through his body, and he cringed slightly, gritting his teeth against the pain.


    "Despite being a marksman, you like fighting as though you are a swordsman huh?" Camadral hissed, his voice strained. "You''ll regret that."


    But Hanzo didn''t let up. He swung again, and again, his bow a blur of motion as he rained down blows on Camadral.


    Each strike was precise, and powerful, driving the old man back step by step. Camadral tried to counter with a blast of black energy, but Hanzo was too close, too fast. He dodged the attack with a swift roll, coming up on Camadral''s other side and landing a blow on the old man''s jaw.


    Camadral''s head whipped to the side, at which point he retreated, his expression twisting with frustration.


    ''Damn him... does he know close combat isn''t my strength?'' He needed to create some distance, to use his Aura effectively.


    "Impressive," Camadral growled, wiping a trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth. "But you''re still just a fly, buzzing in my ear."


    Hanzo didn''t waste time with a retort. He had already gone far past his limit. No longer was he using energy to continue this fight, but rather, pure spite and grit. He fired the blue arrows directly at Camadral, aiming to pin him down. Camadral dodged the first few, but Hanzo was relentless, firing shot after shot, his movements fluid and precise.


    Camadral summoned a wall of black energy to block the arrows, but as they struck, Hanzo quickly followed up with a red attack arrow.


    The red arrow pierced through the wall, striking the cluster of blue arrows that had embedded themselves near Camadral.


    *BOOM*


    The combined energy of the red and blue arrows exploded with a thunderous roar, sending a shockwave through the battlefield.


    Camadral was thrown back, his body slamming into the ground with a heavy thud.


    Dust and debris filled the air, obscuring him from view.


    Hanzo lowered his bow slightly, his breath coming in heavy pants. His eyes scanned the dust cloud, waiting for any sign of movement.


    ''Did I get him?'' He wondered, his muscles tense, ready to react.


    Then, a dark figure emerged from the smoke. Camadral rose slowly to his feet, his clothes scorched and tattered, blood trickling from a cut above his eye. But his expression was one of rage, not defeat.


    "You... you will pay for that," he snarled, his Aura flaring up with a renewed intensity.


    Hanzo gritted his teeth, nocking another arrow. He could feel the weight of the battle pressing down on him, but he couldn''t give up. Not now.


    He drew the bowstring back, the tension in his arms a mirror of the tension in the air.


    "I won''t let you win, Camadral," he said, his voice steady despite the exhaustion creeping into his limbs.


    Camadral raised both hands, his Aura coalescing into a massive sphere of black energy. "You don''t decide that!" he roared, hurling the sphere toward Hanzo with all his might.


    Hanzo reacted instantly, releasing a series of arrows in an abrupt flurry. They flew true, striking the black sphere in mid-air. There was a moment of silence, a heartbeat of stillness, and then¡ª


    *BOOOM*


    The explosion rocked the battlefield, a shockwave of red, blue, and black energy that sent both fighters sprawling. Hanzo tumbled across the ground, barely managing to keep his grip on his bow.


    Camadral was thrown back, his body slamming into the dirt with a heavy impact.


    Both fighters lay still for a moment, the world spinning around them. Then, slowly, painfully, Hanzo pushed himself to his feet, his body aching, his breath ragged.


    He looked across the battlefield at Camadral, who was also struggling to rise, his expression a mix of rage and disbelief.


    Hanzo raised his bow one more time, a single red arrow nocked and ready. "This ends now, you fucking slug," he said, his voice filled with resolve. "I will decide... whether you win... or whether you lose."


    Camadral glared at him, his Aura flickering, his strength waning. "You... you think you''ve won?" he hissed, but there was a tremor of fear in his voice.


    Hanzo''s eyes hardened. "That... is what I have decided."


    He released the arrow, and it flew straight and true, a streak of red light cutting through the air. Camadral tried to raise a hand to block, but he was too slow, too weakened. The arrow was weak, only able to strike Camadral in the chest. And for a moment, there was silence.


    Then, with a final, echoing roar, Camadral''s Aura exploded outward, a blast of black energy that dissipated into the air. His body crumpled to the ground, still and lifeless.


    Hanzo lowered his bow, his body trembling with exhaustion. He took a deep breath, his eyes still fixed on the fallen form of Camadral. The battle was over.


    However, his eyes moved toward the sky without hesitation, scanning the horizon to find Tyr.


    ''Now that the obstacle is done...'' He began to think to himself, barely even able to stand at this moment, ''I will join the real fight... and save... Tyr--''


    He fell forward onto his face, having already far surpassed his limit. His muscles were torn and cramping and his Aura core was about to permanently bust into pieces from abuse.

 Chapter 147: Soul

    Tyr clenched his fist harder than before, unleashing his most powerful punch yet toward Black.


    Unlike the other times, Tyr saw a pathway for his fist to connect.


    His eyes widened as he attacked, the rest of his face as still as stone.


    Black attempted to deflect it with a tap as he had done with the others, but his fingers weren''t able to cast this punch aside.


    His eyes suddenly widened as he noticed his fingers getting pushed back, and nearly dislocated instead in that short moment.


    Tyr''s fist flew forward with power, unleashing a powerful impact.


    In that split second, Black had already disappeared--having moved out of the way. S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The aftershock of Tyr''s attack sent a wave of wind powerful enough to crash into the trees in the distance.


    Tyr turned to face Black, who was behind him.


    Black looked at him with a blank face of surprise, "You... that was the first time you made me dodge."


    Tyr did not speak, his expression angry yet stoic at the same time. Intense, like a fire ready to combust at any moment.


    "Hahaha!" Black laughed, "Good job... but I won''t let this battle continue any longer." He raised one of his hands up.


    As he did, a large, black scythe summoned in his grasp. It was shadowy and nearly transparent. Wrapped in a cloth made of darkness, it was easily over 20 feet in height.


    "Boon Of The Shinigami... that is my Ancestral Ability... and that is what makes me God."


    Tyr squinted his eyes, ''Shinigami... Gods of Death in Japanese Mythology.''


    "With this spear, I can do whatever I choose with your soul. That includes taking it across the rivers to hell, heaven, or even use it in any personal way I deem fit." Black said, a smirk playing on his lips as he looked at Tyr''s reaction.


    The latter had no reaction to this on the outside. No matter what power Black said he had, it wouldn''t matter. Tyr was adamant that he would win today no matter what the circumstances.


    Seeing this, Black slashed his scythe across the air and toward Tyr''s side.


    Tyr reached for his spear, holding it with both hands to the side of his abdomen like nunchucks.


    *CLANG*


    Black''s scythe slammed against Tyr''s spear, the two of them struggling for a moment.


    "Argh!" Black exclaimed, pushing with even more force. Tyr was overpowered and thrown into the ground in a mere second.


    He landed with a loud thud, but despite this, get got up as if nothing had happened.


    Black raised an eyebrow as he saw this.


    Tyr was also slightly confused, ''I have taken no damage... and I feel no fear. Yet, I am still losing.'' He looked at his hands, ''I don''t have control over his power...''


    He thought back to the voice he had communicated with in the Ancestral Sanctuary.


    ''What do I need to do...'' He thought to himself as he floated back up. Brushing off his thoughts for a moment, Tyr blitzed toward Black.


    ''Soul Mend: Polaris Tiger.''


    With increased strength, he unleashed a barrage of punches toward the man.


    This time, Black dared not deflect any punches. He dodged them all inside, and still got away unscathed.


    He backed up, swinging his scythe again and pummeling Tyr into the ground. Find joy at m-vl_em|p,yr


    When Tyr arose this time, he felt a coldness in his heart which he had never felt before. It was like a frozen chamber had summoned around his still-beating heart.


    He heard Black''s light chuckles at that moment, looking up.


    Black was holding something in his land that resembled a ball of light. The orb was no bigger than a cantaloupe, its color a brilliant gold.


    On seeing this, Tyr looked down and caressed his chest, ''My soul...'' He immediately understood.


    "Let''s see what resides here..." Black smirked, closing his eyes.


    Instantly, he was transported to an immense domain of infinite thoughts floating around an endless void of space.


    He looked around at the millions of memories flying past him like flashes of light.


    ''An Auraless planet?'' He thought to himself, perplexed. He dove even deeper, finding what looked to be an enormous fire so large that it felt like it could destroy the very infinity he beheld.


    ''What is the cause...''


    He dove even deeper to beyond Tyr''s life...


    Then he saw it. Something that should remain untold.


    His maw gaped as his eyes widened, shock filling his eyes as a smiling face stared back at him.


    What he saw at that moment was indescribably shocking. He had never felt such bewilderment, confusion, and disbelief at one moment.


    He instantly zapped out of this state, returning to the normal world.


    He looked down, his pupils dancing rapidly as thoughts raced through his mind, "E-everything was..." He muttered under his breath.


    Then, he looked up at Tyr with an entirely different look in his eyes.


    Tyr, in this state, could sense every emotion coming from those eyes.


    ''Shock...'' Tyr said to himself, confused by the feelings he was suddenly witnessing from Black''s eyes:


    ''Astonishment... fear... hysteria... and fear?'' Tyr spun his spear around him and harshly thrust it to his side before raising it into the air.


    "Return my soul!" In a swift motion, he pointed the spear at Black.


    The golden orb returned from the man''s hand and entered Tyr''s chest, returning that warm feeling back to the young man.


    Tyr spun his spear around himself, "I understand it now." His voice was loud, confident, like a roaring blaze.


    "I can see why this power is useful." He began to float up even more, leveling himself to where Blackw was.


    "This is not infinite strength or defense. This power is not some sort of mega boost to everything I control."


    As he said this, Black remained silent. He was seemingly still at a loss from what he had seen in Tyr''s soul, specifically in his past life...


    "Thinking back to my talk with that being in the Ancestral Sanctuary... I understand that this power that he has given me is one of sight. Of seeing, understanding... I can see not only with my eyes, but with all other parts of my body. Nose, ear... hell, I can see with every atom."


    The Aura around him began to grow and burn even brighter. With each swing of his spear around his body, the Aura danced like rays of the sun.


    "All I have to do to control this power is... see."

 Chapter 148: Fear

    ***EXTRA LONG CHAP***


    -----


    Black''s face contorted with rage. He took in a deep breath through his bared teeth, shaking with anger as his eyebrows scrunched together.


    "Damn you!" He screamed, this time unable to control his emotions whatsoever.


    "Who is to say you can not lose!?" He screamed, "I don''t care... I will destroy that reality. I am a God, unbound by time itself! The past and present have no meaning! I will control it all!"


    He blasted forward like a missile after saying this, swinging his scythe in the air like a maniac.


    Tyr furrowed his eyebrows, his eyes squinting slightly in genuine confusion, "W-what the hell is he talking about?" He muttered but shrugged it off for now.


    Tyr flew forward as well, his Soul Mend having already ended. However, he did not need that right now.


    In a burst of speed, they slashed their weapons toward each other.


    A catastrophic burst of Aura boomed from the impact, pushing into the battlefield below and dropping every soldier in a wave, like dominoes.


    Tyr opened his eyes, and with a powerful intent, he could see everything in front of him as if it was happening in the past, present, and future.


    He could see what had already happened, what was currently happening, and even what was going to happen in the short future, all at once.


    He spun to the side, thrusting his spear into Black''s ribs.


    The spear stopped at the man''s bones like a sword attempting to enter a wall of iron.


    *Crack*


    The spearhead abruptly shattered, leaving Tyr with nothing but a long handle.


    He and black made eye contact. And then, a slight smirk appeared on Black''s face.


    The man unleashed a kick, which Tyr swiftly blocked with his spear handle.


    *Crack*


    Tyr looked down, his handle nearly about to break from the pressure.


    "Tsk." He exclaimed, throwing the handle away before grabbing Black''s leg.


    Black looked up at him with shock at that moment as Tyr swung the man over his head and used his entire body''s momentum to fling him toward the ground.


    Black was thrown at a velocity that he couldn''t control, slamming into the ground with an explosion of dust and debris.


    Before he could even get to his feet, Tyr was above him.


    Clenching his fist, Tyr unleashed a blow straight into Black''s abdomen.


    "Ough!" Black exclaimed, his hands flying forward as blood spurted from his mouth.


    Tyr did not stop there, unleashing several punches into the stomach of the man.


    However, none of them connected as Black kicked Tyr off of him and flew backward.


    He spun his scythe in front of him, creating a barrier as a means to rest for a couple of seconds.


    Tyr was not thrown off by this, flying straight into the flurry of slashes.


    As he got into range, Black swung his scythe down into Tyr with full force.


    Tyr looked up at the attack, able to see all of its motions in all time frames.


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    ''Impossible to dodge...'' He thought to himself.


    Black smiled on hearing this thought, ''Perfect... I got you now, you mere mor--''


    Tyr stopped Black''s scythe with a single hand on the weapon''s blade, the aftershock blowing past Black''s long white hair.


    "W-what?" Black exclaimed, his arm and weapon shaking as they struggled against Tyrs strength.


    Tyr had a faint smirk on his face, while Black was frowning in disbelief.


    "Why... did you even think of dodging when you knew you could have stopped it?" Black exclaimed, frustrated.


    Tyr looked at him with condescending eyes: "To give you false hope."


    As Black heard these words, he was taken aback. The gravity of his situation fell onto him like a mountain.


    "No... you wont win!" Black let go of this scythe, placing both hands in front of him: "Your soul deserves no retribution!"


    A rift appeared in front of his hands, expanding in size. It was a pitch-black hole in space, and like a black hole, it began to suck everything around it inside.


    It sucked in air, and even nearby fallen weaponry and dust.


    Tyr stood there with a half smirk on his face as he saw this. He purposefully didn''t think anything.


    "Void Of Death!" Black spun around before throwing the blackhole forward at Tyr.


    The blast of Aura came with a horrifying presence to many, but Tyr felt no such thing.


    He raised his hand forward: ''Reverse.'' He said, instantly absorbing the immense attack.


    Black maw gaped slightly, his lungs accidentally gasping for air as his eyes stared forward like a lunatic.


    "Do I have you that scared that you have forgotten what you know about me? Hahaha!" Tyr laughed, "Aura attacks won''t work, feeble old man..."


    With that, Tyr unleashed the Void Of Death back at Black with the same speed and intensity as before.


    Black attempted to dodge but was pulled into the attack with an unfathomably powerful physical force.


    "Damn you!!" His voice faded into nothing as he was absorbed into the attack.


    It took a few seconds for the attack to end. As it finally ended, it spit out everything it had consumed--including a burst of air, dust, and scraps.


    Along with that, it spit out Black''s torn-up body.


    He fell to the floor with a desperate look. His robes had been tattered and ripped to shreds. His body was badly bruised and cut.


    Tyr slowly floated down before the man.


    "Deplorable..." He said, standing above the leader.


    Black looked at Tyr with wide eyes of horror. At that moment, Tyr unleashed his Ancestral Aura through the entire battlefield, but especially at Black.


    Black felt his throat already cut a thousand times. He felt his heart, lungs, brain, and kidneys ripped apart.


    His skin peeled off of his body, his brain melted in a pot of lava.


    He was overwhelmed with infinite visions of his own death, overwhelming his brain to a degree indescribable to anyone.


    "Are you a God now?" Tyr said in a low tone.


    Black found the strength to speak, "P-please..." He begged.


    Tyr nearly scoffed on hearing this, "Please? That is what you say in the very end? What happened to forgetting the feeling of fear? What about the fear of death? Im sure you feel it now... right?"


    Tears began to swell up in Black''s eyes as memories of his life flashed before him.


    "I... don''t want to die." He said, his lips quivering with horror.


    Tyr lifted the man up by his hair, staring into his eyes.


    "I don''t care what you want." He said with a fierce look, "Whatever it is, I will make sure you never get it. You deserve nothing but the worst of deaths. And I will enjoy seeing your life slowly sapped from your body."


    Tyr smiled, his eyes widening as he continued:


    "The men and women you have butchered... the lives you have toyed with. You should consider death a gift compared to what you may have to face in the afterlife."


    After a long pause, Black finally spoke, "You... know what happens, right?"


    Tyr squinted, "What are you talking about?"


    Black somehow managed to smile slightly, "Then... my life was meaningless after all..." S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Tyr continued to stay silent as Black spoke:


    "Thousands of years in the making... and you will be carrying that light on your very shoulders. Well... not you. You are but a child. But you." Black stared deeply into Tyr''s eyes, as though he was talking to someone else.


    Tyr furrowed his eyebrows, "What you saw in my soul must have made you go mad."


    Black sighed, "For my final act... I shall give my life for a revival of the Black Merchant Guild."


    He waved his hand slightly above the floor, "Revive..." He said as his body suddenly began to turn frail like a dying old man.


    It lost its color, turning pale and soft.


    A large amount of Black Aura entered the ground, soaking into the dirt before spreading to all of the dead bodies around the entire battlefield.


    Tyr looked around as one by one, every single fallen Black Merchant Guild soldier began to stand, their bodies restored.


    This included all of the generals as well, such as Mrama and Camadral...

 Chapter 149: Blitzkrieg

    Black''s body no longer looked middle-aged. Rather, he resembled a man who barely held a breath.


    He was closer to a skeleton than a human, a skinny bag of skin and bones.


    However, he was still alive. This was shown by the proud smile on his face.


    Seeing this smile irritated Tyr.


    ''I wanted him to feel fear... regret... pain. I wanted the last thing in his memories before he died to be the worst of punishments... yet... he''s too smart for that.


    He made sure he got the last laugh in his mind. Even though he knows the Black Merchant Guild will most likely still be destroyed, he can believe that it won''t since he will be dead anyways.''


    Tyr gritted his teeth, annoyed at this prospect.


    He let go of Black, and at that moment, a pink orb of Aura blasted into the old man''s back.


    It expanded, tightly wrapping around him and binding his limbs together while keeping him upright and unable to fall over.


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    Noa swung her giant gun over her shoulder and hoisted it on her back as she made her way closer to Tyr.


    She looked to be completely unharmed. Except, she wore a Black Merchant Guild member''s robe, her clothes having completely burned off.


    "Tyr! What do we do now?" She said, holding Jiro in one hand, "We don''t have enough forces to kill them all again..."


    Tyr looked around silently. Then, he tightened his fists and looked at Black.


    He was angry... but then his angered expression softened to a smirk, "You think you will have your way before you die? Stay there and watch with your very eyes."


    Tyr began to float into the air with his gaze still locked into Black''s eyes.


    ''If he thinks he will die in such a glamourous way... he has no clue who I am.'' Tyr turned, yelling this before flying through the air:


    "Noa! Feed the cunt a health capsule and make sure he doesn''t fall over..."


    Noa was taken aback by this command, but still decided to do it without much hesitation.


    Black tried his best to spit the pill out of his mouth, but in the end he was forced to swallow it.


    As he felt the pill go down his stomach, his eyes widened and his heart sank with fear.


    "No..." He muttered, "Let me die... please... kill me!"


    Noa stood beside him, her brows furrowed.


    Jiro looked up at Black through the peripheral of his vision. He looked horrified like a son seeing his father cry for the first time.


    His entire morale had been shattered at that moment, ''He... is begging... for death? Black... the omnipotent? Impossible...'' His eyes turned to face Tyr who was already thousands of feet away.


    ''What kind of horrible creature has entered this world? Invincible against all mental attacks... lethal against all Aura spells... an Ancestral Ability so absurd that it defies the very laws of our world. He does not belong here.''


    "Noa!" Malon''s voice called for the girl.


    Noa turned, noticing Malon sprinting over to her, "Rifts! We need to open rifts so that everyone can escape from here. Tyr is about to go ballistic."


    Malon was carrying Hanzo over his shoulder. He noticed that Noa saw this and spoke: "Don''t worry about him. I will take care of it to the best of my ability. I will stay here and look after these three... you go and do what you must."


    Noa inhaled but didn''t say much, simply nodding and dropping Jiro before sprinting away.


    She tore rifts in dimensional space, breaking Aura arrays so that everyone could escape.


    From what happened last time when she used an Aura array breaker in this area, she knew it would transport everyone to that underground cavern again where she had met the distressed Hanzo.


    And so, she began to spread the word for everyone to escape and stop fighting--leaving black slugs confused.


    Seeing all this, Black body shook with discomfort and stress.


    It didn''t take long for most Zasean Natives to take the hint and escape as soon as possible.


    By this point, Tyr had flown 100 feet above the air right in the center of the battlefield.


    He inhaled deeply, ''Soul Mend: Dragon.'' He said as scales grew all over his body and large wings sprouted from his back.


    ''Flame Breath.'' He said inwardly, as his chest expanded--gleaning with a brilliant reddish-orange hue.


    Finally, he exhaled, unleashing the blast of flame from his mouth.


    The explosion was enormous, covering a 50 by 50 feet of area as it scorched the ground below. sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Tyr moved his head, showering down hell like a blitzkrieg and annihilating everything in his path.


    All revived and alive Black Merchant Guild members were decimated and turned into ashes as the dragon''s flame rained down on them like the gates of purgatory had been opened from above.


    Black''s maw slowly opened, his eyes remaining wide and unblinking as he saw this.


    It didn''t take long before every soul on the battlefield was wiped out. And at that moment, Tyr stopped the attack.


    The only ones that were still remaining now were the ones that could dodge Tyr''s attack.


    Tyr floated down, standing only a few hundred feet away from Black.


    At that moment, Camadral flew above him and swiftly cast an explosion of black Aura all around him.


    However, Tyr came out unscathed. This threw Camadral off, but before he could react, Tyr summoned in front of him.


    Tyr was not even touching the old man, but Camadral was frozen in place by Tyr''s horribly ferocious killing intent and piercing gaze.


    Tyr grabbed Camadral''s neck before crushing it in one move. Camadral''s body fell to the ground, bouncing off of the ground like a ragdoll.


    Tyr fell to the ground again, where he was rushed by Enhanced.


    However, Tyr grabbed the superhero by the leg and slammed him over his head onto the ground.


    Enhanced landed with a loud slam, choking out blood. He stared at Tyr before unleashing laser beams from his eyes.


    However, the attacks simply absorbed into Tyr''s body before coming out from his eyes and melting Enhanced into three parts.


    Malon and Noa had already met up again by this point.


    "Wasn''t lrax Helas supposed to be fighting Enhanced?" Noa questioned, slightly confused.


    "Did he already enter the rifts you created?" Malon said, raising a brow.


    "Not quite..." Helas'' voice came from behind.


    He walked with Mrama on his shoulder, seemingly unconscious.


    Naturally, Noa and Malon were thrown off by this.


    "Did you manage to defeat the revived Mrama?" Malon asked, confused at this moment.


    On seeing his brother''s revived body, Jiro''s eyes widened. His morale looked to come back to him.


    ''Brother? He''s... still alive!'' Jiro thought to himself.


    Helas finally answered, "Yes... I have temporarily immobilized him. Now, I need to see Jiro''s situation as well." He placed Mrama on the floor, slowly making his way closer to Noa and the others.


    Black''s pupils were at the sides of his eyes as if to look back at what was happening.


    Helas knelt beside Jiro as Noa and Malon looked at each other with slight confusion.


    With his usual kind face, Helas placed his hand on Jiro.


    After a mere second, the pink bind on the slug''s body disappeared.


    A grin stretched across Jiro''s face... as Helas'' nice smile turned into a serious, malicious frown.

 Chapter 150: Trophy

    Noa and Malon immediately furrowed their eyebrows in confusion.


    "Hey!" Noa spoke in a louder tone, "Why did you just--" She was abruptly punched across the face by Jiro. She was thrown into the air before landing on the ground a few feet away.


    Malon saw this and immediately put his guard up. ''I can''t forget how fast this bastard is...'' He thought to himself, rushing to Noa and putting up his shield.


    "That was for binding me, you silly bitch!" Jiro yelled, returning to his brother.


    Noa slowly sat up, her lip cut slightly. She had one eye closed as she saw what was happening in front of her.


    With Jiro''s help, Mrama slowly woke up and got to his feet.


    At that moment, Mrama, Jiro, and Helas stood beside each other.


    Noa and Malon couldn''t believe what they were seeing.


    "Lrax...?" Noa said, her voice stopping with disbelief.


    "Don''t call him that," Malon exclaimed, his face fuming with anger. "This bastard is a slug."


    At that moment, Helas burst out into a laugh, "You didn''t notice? My acting skills have been superb!"


    Many memories raced through Malon''s head at that moment as he gritted his teeth.


    ''The time we first came to this warehouse... we thought that Mrama and Jiro had slain those Zasean warriors... but now that I think about it, the only survivor was him. He was unbruised... he must have slaughtered them without any second thoughts.''


    "Why now? Why have you kept yourself hidden for so long?" Noa said, rising to her feet.


    "You could have let this city already be destroyed." She continued, still bewildered by this predicament.


    "All those people that said you weren''t a trustworthy leader when we first came to this city... they were actually the ones that were right..."


    On hearing all of this, Helas raised his chin, "Because our goal isn''t to destroy this city. If it was, we wouldn''t have stayed here for so many years. Our goal is to slowly use the rats of this city in our lab, and keep it running steadily. Everything was going fine before you bastards showed up..."


    Noa gritted her teeth in anger, "You consider your own people labrats?"


    Helas smirked, "The only people I have are the ones that saved me from dying." He looked to his sides, where Jiro and Mrama stood.


    After a pause, he continued: "The Zasean natives are no people of mine. Even when I acted nice, kind... and soft with them, they used those weaknesses of mine as a way to abuse me with words of their sorrow. Like that old bitch and her fucking wailing about her damn son."


    "Thats enough..." Malon said, "If you are going to fight, prepare to die, you bastard."


    With that, Jiro and Helas changed their attention to Mrama, who hadn''t said a word this entire time.


    He was awake, but he had been staring at the floor.


    "Oi! Mrama! Are you ready to fight!?" Jiro shouted with a smile on his face.


    However, Mrama didn''t answer, unlike usual.


    ''What the hell? Is this really my brother? The same brother who breathed and lived in fighting and nothing but fighting?''


    Finally, Mrama looked at his hands and spoke: "I... I..." He stammered, his voice quite soft and weak.


    "I don''t want to fight." He finally said, confusing Jiro and Helas. "I can''t fight. I don''t have my power... my power that was the meaning behind everything. The only reason I loved my life was for fighting... and now, I can''t fight without my power...


    I am a weakling..." Mrama seemed traumatized and broken. Stay updated with m-vl-em,py-r


    "Don''t call yourself that!" Jiro screamed, "You hate that word, remember!? Your least liked word is a weakling, brother, have you forgotten!? You call those that deserve to die weaklings... not yourself!"


    After a short pause, Mrama slowly looked over at Jiro and locked eyes with him.


    Jiro gasped slightly as he saw Mrama''s tear-filled eyes of sorrow.


    From those eyes alone, Jiro understood an unspoken message.


    "No..." Jiro said, "Don''t... you can''t. We can get your power bac--" He stopped speaking as Mrama placed his hands on the sides of his head... and twisted his neck as hard as possible.


    *CRACK*


    He slowly fell forward with a loud thud.


    Jiro''s breaths were ragged, his eyes as wide as planets as he saw his brother fall.


    "Brother..." Tears began to form in his eyes as he fell onto his knees. "KRREAAGHHH!!!" He screamed from the depths of his throat, scratching his chest with his fingers as as exclaimed his frustration and sorrow.


    "DAMN IT ALLL!!" He slammed his head onto the ground as hard as possible.


    Out of nowhere, a blast of killing intent exploded out from the young man. His Aura became electrified, sparking like small lightning bolts around his skin as he slowly stood up.


    "I will kill you... I WILL KILL YOU ALL!" He blitzed forward at unfathomable speeds.


    Malon nor Noa could even see his blur, he was so fast.


    However, as the short man reached inches from Malon''s unguarded face, he was eradicated mid-air from a duo of powerful lazers.


    His legs were chopped off at once, the slug falling to the floor and screaming in agony.


    Tyr slowly floated down from above, and stood right in front of Black.


    Noa and Malon heaved sighs of relief as they saw Tyr appear.


    Tyr placed his hand on Black''s head before grinning widely, "Your final act was for nothing... and your lifes work has gone to shit. Regret it more in your afterlife." S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    With that, Tyr spun the old man''s head around like a bottle cap--instantly severing his spine and ending his life.


    Tyr made his way in front of Helas, facing the man with glorious golden eyes.


    "You tried to salvage this?" Tyr''s face contorted to laughter, "Hahaha!" He wholeheartedly pealed.


    Helas'' chin was lowered, his eyes dancing with worry as he clenched his fists.


    "You, my friend, have an important role." Tyr placed his hand on Helas'' shoulder before pausing, "You are going to be the singing trophy that I get to show this city as proof of my victory... make sure your vocal cords are ready to scream as loud as they can."

 Chapter 151: Annihilation & Submission

    ***EXXXXXXTRA LONG CHAP***


    -------


    Helas was swiftly bound by Noa in several ways, even locking his fingers together in an inescapable hold.


    They weren''t going to take any chances.


    The couple hundred Zasean soldiers that remained were cared to right there on the battlefield.


    There were enough health capsules to go around a couple of times, but for those more severely injured, the capsules would only work as short solutions.


    Many had limbs cut off, and heavy wounds on their body. They needed real medical assistance as soon as possible.


    At that point, Reana had also joined Noa and the others.


    Tyr decided to stay back, saying he would deal with the corpses himself.


    The others couldn''t question him, so they decided to head back without him.


    Malon carried Hanzo and Helas on his shoulders as everyone began their trek back to the city.


    With everyone gone, Tyr took a deep breath and looked around the battlefield.


    "While I still hold this power..." He looked at his limbs, glowing with a burning golden Aura, "I will use it to its fullest extent."


    He floated up into the air slowly. And then, he began to blitz all over the place--carrying corpses and dropping them off somewhere else...


    He did this until the entire battleground was free of Zasean and Black Merchant corpses.


    After that, he used the rifts previously created to go to where Ha and Trai would have been.


    Once he got there, he looked around with dismay.


    "So many dead..." He saw a field full of blood and Zasean corpses, along with Black Merchant corpses as well... but not nearly as much.


    In moments, he swept them all up.


    ''Looks like all of the slugs went to the warehouse after being called there for backup...'' Tyr mused, returning to the warehouse.


    Finally, he entered one last rift. It was the large rift where every Zasean soldier escaped when Tyr unleashed his Flame Breath.


    He was immediately summoned into a large underground cavern.


    The people who hid in here had already exited and left with Noa and the others.


    So, it was empty.


    ''The head of the snake has been chopped off... but the body will continue to squirm. If it''s a cunning enough snake, it will even grow a new head.''


    Tyr thought to himself as he closed his eyes, using his ears to their maximum extent while in this powerful form.


    His hearing had of course increased by several fold.


    Within seconds, he heard the muffled commotion of what sounded like human voices against one side of this hole in the ground.


    There was no entrance nor exit to this cavern he was in. It was clearly only a hidden transportation space between places--only available to enter through transportation methods. Powered by m_vl_em_p_yr


    He walked to one side of the cavern, placed his left hand flat on the wall, and unleashed a powerful punch with the other fist.


    The force tore through the wall like a cannon, busting a large hole through while causing a large explosion to sound.


    The voices Tyr was hearing suddenly paused.


    He had exploded a hole right into the streets of the underground labyrinth.


    There were dozens of Black Merchant Guild members still walking around.


    Now, however, witnessing the large hole in the wall, they all stopped and paused--staring at the large dust cloud with wide eyes of shock.


    A figure emerged from the dust, and as he did, an enormous blast of killing intent erupted through the entire underground domain like a tsar bomb.


    Every being in this underground city felt gravity suddenly increase by a dozenfold.


    Their skin melted, their eyes popped out of their sockets, and their bones turned to mush and were crushed to paste---or at least, that''s what it felt like at once.


    The fear in the eyes of those kneeling before Tyr was grotesque.


    Their pupils faced the ground as beads of sweat trickled off of their faces and fell onto the ground.


    ''Lord Black''s Aura was nothing in comparison to this... what in the world is this monster!?''


    ''Have the empires finally decided to wipe us out? A planned move while our leaders were distracted with those no names?''


    ''It''s over... we will all die...''


    Tyr threw himself up into the air, floating above everyone as he said: "Come out, Ares."


    On hearing his name, Ares awoke from his slumber within Infinite Domain.


    His eyes opened with a fierce gaze, as a faint smile played on his lips.


    A black and purple colored portal appeared before Tyr, and blitzing out from it came a bolt of Aura.


    "FINALLY!" Ares roared, inhaling before letting out a ginormous blast of fire that was even larger than the one Tyr had used on the battlefield.


    He turned his head, scorching over 500 feet of land within seconds and burning several slugs.


    Buildings under his flame were eradicated, even the stone melting and turning into lava from his breath.


    Tyr chuckled slightly with disbelief, ''It was a good decision I didn''t let him out until now. I knew he would immediately do this shit.''


    He paused before thinking to himself: ''But... it''s good sometimes for occasions like this. Here in this underground domain, he can spew as much fire as he likes.''


    Tyr''s eyes followed the dragon as he continued to turn this entire realm into hellfire and magma.


    Ares was now over a foot longer than before. His wings had grown, along with his Aura and overall power. It had been multiple months since his birth, after all.


    The dragon was to grow to its young adult years within 2 years, so Ares wasn''t too far off already.


    Tyr didn''t stop just there, however. He wasn''t going to let Ares have all the fun. Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He also began to fly around and breathe fire into the city below: ''Soul Mend: Dragon.''


    *


    After less than a minute''s worth of time, the several-acre land below them had been annihilated.


    Tyr was still doubtful, knowing that many had escaped through their little slimy methods. However, he couldn''t care less about that.


    He had finished his job.


    Even after that though, Ares continued to rampage.


    "Oi!" Tyr yelled, "Stop it... everything is already destroyed."


    Ares heard this and changed his direction, heading right for Tyr like a torpedo.


    "You! You locked me in there for centuries! How dare you! I will have your head!"


    "Do you want to go back in there?" Tyr threatened in a low tone.


    Ares immediately halted as he heard this, staying stationary in mid-air.


    "Tsk... you are lucky you hold such power over me... monkey."


    Tyr floated closer to the Dragon at that moment, his eyes squinted.


    Ares was taken aback, confused as to why Tyr was getting so close to him without saying a word.


    Ares backed up slightly, but Tyr caught up to him and grabbed him by the back of the neck.


    "You seem like you need to learn a lesson," Tyr said in a low tone.


    "W-what?" Ares retorted in genuine confusion.


    Tyr spun his whole body around at that moment, flinging Ares into the ground with force.


    The power was too immense, causing Ares to slam into the ground.


    "You bastard!" Ares unleashed a giant flame breath, but it simply bounced off of Tyr''s body.


    [Immunity to fire.]


    Tyr blitzed forward, appearing before Ares before giving the dragon a slap across the face.


    Again, Tyr didn''t go easy, propelling the dragon several hundred feet to the side in mere seconds.


    Ares slammed into the wall with a large thud--cracking the stone wall before falling to the ground.


    The large stones from above fell onto him, but before they landed, he used flame breath to melt them to shreds and flew up into the air.


    "That''s it! No more joking aro--"


    *BANG*


    Slapped across the face again and thrown to the ground.


    Before the dragon even reached the floor, however, Tyr appeared below him and slapped him again--slamming the dragon into the ceiling.


    Tyr continued to slap the fucking shit out of the dragon for an indefinite amount of time.


    After 20 entire minutes of the stubborn beast not wanting to settle down, Tyr went even harder.


    Slaps turned to punches, and mercy turned to madness.


    An hour passed. Tyr had not expected this whatsoever... hell, even he was tired now.


    However, it was only right of a dragon to be so stubborn.


    At the two-hour mark, Tyr had turned into the devil.


    Making sure not to kill the dragon, he nearly went all out.


    And finally, through methods of pain that Ares had never seen before, the dragon succumbed...


    "I give up..." Ares said, his wings spread flat out on the floor as he panted while facing the sky.


    Tyr stood above him, his fist clenched.


    "You are greater than me..." Ares said in-between pants.


    "Because I am your master, correct?" Tyr asked of the dragon.


    "No," Ares said, causing Tyr to tighten his fist again. "It''s because of you... are stronger than me."


    Ares closed his eyes tightly while saying that as if it hurt him deeply.


    ''A dragon''s pride is like no other... so naturally, admitting this is probably more painful than all the pain he just went through. However, I need to use this power I have right now to subdue him before it gets too late.'' Tyr thought to himself.


    "Although I hate to admit it... I do not break honor. If I admit you are greater than me, I have a great amount of respect for you as well... a loser has no place claiming to be powerful..." As Ares said that last sentence, he looked to the side--nearly about to tear up.


    Tyr saw this and felt empathy for the poor guy, ''He''s still a child...''


    "Get up, Ares!" Tyr said with a smile, "You are lesser than me... but you are greater than every other being in the world! Do not forget where you stem from!"


    On hearing this, Ares began to rise.


    "Brush off those pathetic tears from your face. You are a dragon! Chosen by the Gods themselves... never forget that!"


    "You-you''re right!" Ares roared, "Apart from you, there is no being I can not decimate!" He blasted flame from his mouth once again, melting the roof above.

 Chapter 152: Atonement

    ***EXXTRA LONG CHAP***


    ------


    After a while, Tyr made it back to the Zasean soldier base camp. Moments after leaving the Black Merchant Guild city, he returned to his normal state.


    Thankfully, there were no side effects to having the Ancestral Sanctuary''s power.


    However, Tyr doubted whether he could get help from it again.


    After all, it''s not like something he could just depend on.


    When he arrived at the base camp, everyone looked to be gathered together.


    Most were getting healed by Hanzo, Noa, Malon, Reana, and other volunteers in the group.


    Hanzo was bandaged up, but he was still able to move just fine it seemed.


    Before talking to anyone else, Tyr went up to Hanzo.


    Hanzo noticed Tyr''s heavy footsteps and slowly turned.


    "Tyr..." Hanzo said in a low tone.


    The two made their way to the side where they spoke in private.


    Noa and Malon looked at them from afar, intrigued.


    "I messed up. I nearly gave up... I nearly allowed Noa to die, along with many others on the battlefield." Hanzo said, facing the ground. He felt horribly guilty on the inside at this moment.


    Tyr remained silent, his expression stoic.


    Hanzo continued: "I was only able to fight because of you. A dream was forged, where I would protect you with my life."


    After a long pause, Tyr said: "Hanzo," He placed his hand on Hanzo''s shoulder.


    This caused Hanzo to look up and face Tyr in the eyes.


    "I want something from you, is that okay?" Tyr said, his voice kind and welcoming.


    Hanzo simply nodded.


    "Moving forward from this moment onward, I want you to dedicate most of your effort to finding a dream. I know you had created a temporary dream to fuel your efforts at that moment, but I have another goal for you in mind. Not for me, but for you... form a dream, Hanzo." Tyr said with friendly eyes.


    On hearing this, Hanzo felt slightly emotional. He didn''t show it on the outside, but he squeezed his fists as he mused:


    ''Tyr... really is an angel in human skin. Even though I made such a horrible mistake, he ignores all of that instantly and only focuses on what will make me better.''


    "I..." Hanzo said, "Am honored to have a friend like you."


    Tyr smiled on hearing this, "I feel no different. You are the person I look up to, Hanzo." He said with a bright expression before walking away.


    This took Hanzo aback in shock, his eyes opening as he looked to the ground.


    He tightened his fists even harder, ''Form a goal... from this moment onwards, I will dedicate everything to forming a goal!''


    *


    Reana sprinted up to Tyr after this, holding her camera in her hand.


    She had a bright smile on her face, her personality was chirpy, and her body language was jumpy and excited: "TYR! Thank you so much!" She bounced up and embraced the young man.


    Tyr raised a brow, completely taken aback.


    Reana got down, taking out several pictures from her camera and placing them in the air to hover like holograms. She also placed several videos in the air--most showcasing Tyr''s battle with Black.


    Several also showed the fighting of the other members of Tyr''s team.


    Tyr squinted his eyes while looking at all of this, Reana screaming in the background.


    "I wanted to expose the Black Merchant Guild... but you seriously fucking took them out! And on top of that, you did it in a flashy and grandiose way that will capture the attention of the entire world. From elder to adult, to child, all eyes will draw onto you like a moth to a light! You have saved my career and my life!"


    Tyr chuckled on hearing the excited young lady scream even more: "I will never forget this! I will owe it back to you one day, I promise!"


    "Oh?" Tyr said at that moment.


    Reana continued: "When I become the world''s biggest news source... feel free to influence what I publish. I wouldn''t trust anyone else with this, as it is my life''s work. However, as you have saved that life that I hold so dearly, It is only right for you to have this trust of mine."


    Finally, Reana bowed her entire body 90 degrees with hands to her side: "THANK YOU!"


    "Hahaha!" Tyr laughed. Noa and Malon also chuckled, standing a few feet behind Tyr as he said: "Sure... but there is one more thing you''ve forgotten to add to that story."


    "Oh?" Reana exclaimed, her head tilting to the side.


    "You still have to film the aftermath."


    Reana exhaled before calmly stating: "Helas'' punishment for all that he''s done to this city?"


    Tyr didn''t hesitate to respond: "No... the revival of a city. From despair to glory and happiness. I don''t want to leave this city without making everyone understand that they no longer need to stress about getting kidnapped and tortured."


    Reana was moved by this, "I thought you didn''t want to do it for the city... but rather, for the goal of demolishing the Black Merchant Guild."


    "You''re right... but after doing all of this, what sense would it make to exit this city and leave everyone still wary of things to come in the distant future? We saved them... let''s go toast a drink to that." Tyr smiled, causing Reana to smile as well. Continue reading at m|v-l''e-NovelFire S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Good idea... that isn''t a bad scoop whatsoever."


    Tyr turned, "But before that, let''s show them who caused most of their suffering in the first place."


    As he walked through the base, he shouted to everyone: "Get ready to depart! Those injured will be carried by those who are fit to walk. Everyone must attend this ceremony!"


    Slowly but surely, some soldiers carried others on their backs and began to rise.


    Those who could still limp did just that, and those who could sprint did not hesitate to do so.


    Soon enough, everyone rose and began their journey to the city...


    ***


    A lone man walked through the streets of an empty village. His hands were tied along with his feet.


    His clothes were ripped and tattered, his body beaten and bruised.


    "Those who I have hurt!" His voice rang through the village, "Those who I have lied to!"


    As he continued to shout at the top of his breaking breath, heads began to peek out of windows.


    "Those who I have wronged! Those who I have betrayed!" Helas continued to shout.


    "I AM SORRY!"


    On hearing their lrax''s voice suddenly echoed through the streets, more and more people slowly began to exit their homes.


    Shock clad their expression and confusion puzzled their minds as they saw their lrax''s state.


    "I am a traitor! A member of the Black Merchant Guild! I have wronged you all... and for that, I am deeply sorry!"


    On hearing his cries, hundreds of Zasean natives began to exit their homes and line the streets.


    About a hundred feet away from Helas walked Tyr and the others, along with the Zasean army who were behind them.


    "To think..." Hanzo exclaimed under his breath, "He asked if he could do this himself..."


    Tyr nodded, "Does he intend to fix his wrongs before his final moments? Pfft..."


    "Its okay now! Saviors have come to this city... and they have decimated the Black Merchant Guild as you know it. They have tortured me... and I have come here today to admit my faults."


    As Helas walked forward, the thousands lining the streets in front of him began to slowly raise their voice.


    Within mere seconds, the ripples of noise turned into booming waves:


    "You fucker!"


    "You ruined this city!"


    "How dare you!"


    "How could you do this!?"


    Those old, those young, middle-aged, and more. Soldiers and civilians... all those present had separate reactions, but all of them were fueled with sorrow and rage.


    Soon enough, dirt and stones began to get hurled toward the man.


    The rocks hit his face and body, bruising and cutting him open.


    Stones busted his lips. They make his eyes black as plums. They made his face swollen like a gourd, as if a thousand wasps had stung him.


    His body was equally beaten, stones of tears thrusting into his body.


    Stones of anger, of distrust, of pain and sorrow. All of these stones thudded off of his body as he walked.


    As Tyr and the Zasean army made their way down the street, all those who had lined the streets prior joined the line and continued the trek through the city.


    Just like this, Helas traveled across the entire town, gathering every soul that heard the chimes of his punishment.


    ***


    Yo, Author here. This is the end of a mini-arc, and things are going to start moving on a larger scale from here on out in the story. I want to thank everyone for reading up until this point. Uni has my schedule all fked up but I''m still updating daily and I will continue to do so to the best of my ability. Thanks a ton!

 Chapter 153: Original

    Helas wandered the city for two hours, his body torn to shreds and covered in blood. Your journey continues with m v|l--NovelFire


    Yet, with the last ounce of strength still in his body, he made his way back to the city center.


    There, he sat down on the ledge of a giant statue no smaller than 40 feet in height.


    The statue was made of bronze, and it looked to be of a previous lrax. The lrax statue held a large cup into the air and was clad in tribal armor.


    As thousands gathered around the city center, Helas spoke while staring at the ground.


    "Black..." He uttered through the pain, "He was a horribly cunning man." As soon as he said those words, his pupils gleaned in a bright red for only a couple of seconds.


    During this time, he exclaimed in pain, his chest sticking out as he squeezed his eyes shut.


    Seeing this, Tyr furrowed his brows in confusion, ''Red eyes and pain after insulting Black...?'' He was a bit thrown off.


    "What I have done here today... I know it does not make up for anything that I have done to you all." Helas began to say, looking up and facing every spite-filled expression in the crowd.


    He was no longer looking at humans, but rather, fearsome forms and shapes created out of emotions such as rage, disdain, and spite.


    "What I am going to say may make some see glory in my actions... and may change nothing for others." Helas paused again, causing many to shake their heads, scrunch their eyebrows, and clench their fists.


    Tyr squinted his eyes, ''This isn''t making sense...'' He thought to himself, ''Something is amiss. I am not understanding everything... why... why am I not understanding everything? I have already defeated Black. Why is there still confusion...''


    "However, I do not want mercy. What I have done is horrible." Helas paused for the last time before saying: "Years ago, I was infected with something called the Black Gu. A powerful weapon created by the Black Merchant Guild, which every child and adult in this city has heard of in thier lifetime."


    ''As I thought...'' Tyr mused as he heard this.


    Helas continued: "Through threats on my family... friends... city and more, I have been forced to work with the Black Merchant Guild for a very long time. And for that, I use this final day as a means to apologize, not to you all, but to myself. I know that my apology means nothing to you, and you all deserve much more. But...


    to that person who I was long ago, I want to tell him that I did what I promised. I atoned as much as I could."


    On hearing all of this, many of the furious expressions among the crowd began to soften all of a sudden.


    Eyes began to expand, some even glistening in the sun due to slight moisture build up.


    Lips began to peel open, soft and ragged breaths going in and out of them.


    Hearts thudded like drums, limbs shaking and arm hairs raising slowly amongst many in the crowd.


    "And now..." Helas said, turning to face the statue behind him, "There is one last act I must do..."


    He rose to his feet and raised his arms into the air.


    "Father of Blood... take my ichor... and take my soul as a sacrifice. Do unto thy as you have promised." He closed his eyes. S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The blood all over his body began to shake all of a sudden. As though a magnet pulled on the vital fluid, it began to float up.


    All of the blood on the outside of Helas'' body was pulled out from him, all pouring into the cup held by the statue above.


    Then, Helas fell over the ledge as a white orb flew out of his body and entered the statue.


    After a couple seconds of silence, a low creak came from the statue.


    Out of nowhere, the statue''s eyes opened. Rust fell from its limbs as it stood up straight.


    As everyone looked with fear and awe, the statue lowered the cup full of blood to its mouth and drank it in two big gulps.


    It closed its eyes again. Its body changed, turning from bronze to flesh all of a sudden.


    In mere seconds, the statue had turned into a real giant human figure.


    Finally, it threw the cup to the ground as a large smile appeared on its face--stretching from one side of its mouth to the other in an almost eerily scary scene.


    "Hahaha..." It chuckled lightly, "Did you really think that you had slain me so easily." It said these words... and then suddenly twisted its neck toward Tyr with big bold eyes.


    Tyr''s eyes slowly opened as realization filled his thoughts.


    "Black..." He muttered under his breath.


    As he said this, the large statue smiled even more.


    "Hahaha!" Black broke out into a peal of laughter, "Fool... did you think I had not anticipated death? Like I said... even though I have seen it... I will defy it!"


    ''There he goes again talking about what he saw in my soul...'' Tyr thought to himself.


    Everyone slowly began to back up... everyone excluding Tyr, Hanzo, and Malon.


    Noa rushed to get everyone to safety, causing many to begin sprinting backward and away from the lifefilled statue.


    "So... a plan B huh? If you were to lose your main body, you would use Helas as a means to trick others into leading to this. Helas was a scapegoat from the very beginning... a smart trick." Tyr said, thinking of just how genius this plan really was.


    "Yes... except, you missed a few key points. My previous body was no main body of mine... I wouldn''t walk around in my main body... how foolish would that be? I can only revive because my main body remains intact."


    Tyr exhaled before saying: "Who are you?"


    Black smiled: "Long ago... I was Lrax of a city within the Zasean Kingdom. I also had a statue built for me. One that I placed an array on... which could always revive me. Thankfully, however, as lrax'' birthed into this world and fell, I never died.


    Not until now... but I am finally back to my original body--sealed in this statue."


    *Author Note*


    End of the mini-arc? Just kidding... not quite yet!

 Chapter 154: Krax Sakti

    Tyr was taken aback by this, as were Hanzo and Malon.


    ''This bastard has really thought of everything...'' Tyr mused, "Helas... you took over his soul in order to come here, right? Quite the acting skills you have."


    Black replied without hesitation, "You''re right... that is precisely what I did. It hurt, but that pain is nothing I am not used to."


    "What about his words... were they true? Did you force him to do those heinous acts?"


    Black chuckled, "You will never know, will you? After all... you will die here today. And those tiny ants that manage to escape alive after what will happen... they will simply have to figure it out through hearing stories of how Helas acted."


    Tyr gritted his teeth, ''So he won''t even tell us... if Helas was truly a good or bad character...''


    "What makes you think you will win this time? You were defeated with ease before..." Tyr said with a bold tone to the large man.


    "What makes me think I will win?" Black said, seemingly amused by the inquiry, "Well... for one, you are back to your normal state. No longer can you come close to rivaling me in power."


    Tyr exhaled, putting up a fierce look while understanding that he was only bluffing on the inside.


    "Above that... my original body has been cultivating power for centuries. Did you think I left it here to starve? All those failed experiments... their Aura have entered my true body, and my true body alone."


    After a short pause, Black exclaimed: "I am far superior in this form. This... is my true power, boy."


    A terrifying surge of black Aura erupted from Black like a tidal wave of malevolence, swallowing the city in its dark embrace.


    The sheer force of his power crashed down with suffocating weight, as if the very air had turned into a crushing vice. Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Every living being in its reach was overpowered instantly¡ªtheir heads snapped downward, forced to bow as though an unseen hand gripped their skulls.


    Knees buckled and hit the ground with violent thuds, no one spared from the oppressive pressure.


    Malon and Hanzo were forced onto their knees in a mere millisecond.


    It was as if the fabric of reality itself was being bent to Black''s will, commanding absolute submission.


    Tyr was also assaulted by the Aura, his knees instantly beginning to bend as his bones threatened to combust under the pressure.


    ''Full Golden Body.'' Tyr quickly mused, a burning flame erupting in his glabella as he became immune to the fear. Even he was nearly crushed under Black''s newfound Aura.


    ''Scan...'' Tyr said in his head.


    ©³©¥©¥©¥Status©¥©¥©¥©·


    Name: Lramz Hural


    Age: 358 Years


    Power Level: 785


    Rank: Sage


    ©»©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¿


    ''Sage Rank... he''s on a completely different level. Even with the Ancestral Sanctuary power I held... I could not have--'' Tyr''s thought was interrupted.


    "That''s right! You would not have defeated me! But... you never did. Do not forget that." After saying this, Black disappeared.


    He summoned in front of Tyr with a clenched fist slamming right into the young man''s stomach.


    Tyr''s eyes flew open as he was propelled through dozens of buildings behind him.


    He coughed out blood as he skidded across the ground like a rock over water. As he slid to a stop, he mused: ''Impossible...'' He choked out even more blood, ''My organs are nearly ruptured. Ribs are broken...''


    [Vitality: 20/125]


    ''Not even one more hit...''


    Hanzo and Malon forcefully turned their heads with horror clad on their faces as they looked at where Tyr had been flung.


    Despite wanting to move, their bodies were forced to surrender.


    ''Tyr...'' Hanzo panted, ''He''s going to die!''


    Malon clenched his teeth together, ''No! Damn it! Stop!'' He screamed inwardly as he saw Black lunge over the air to where Tyr was.


    As Tyr witnessed the giant fly over the air with a punch ready to be unleashed, time itself felt as though it slowed down.


    ''None of my spells will work here. I know for a fact that entering the sanctuary isn''t an option either. I could summon Rudra or Ares... but they would only pose as mere panes of glass for this bastard to shatter through before hitting me...''


    His mind raced, overwhelmed with possibilities.


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    ''Is it over?'' He scoffed inwardly, ''I guess... it was a good run while it lasted. Maybe I''ll try my luck on another planet.''


    He closed his eyes, ''Disappear? No... it changed to...''


    ''Planetary Teleportatio--''


    A tiny fraction of a second remained until Tyr was going to have finished saying the spell.


    However, at that moment, a thrust of energy slammed into the ground--disrupting his thought pattern and forcing him to open his eyes.


    When he looked forward, he noticed Black on his back with a figure glowing with ruthless and overwhelmingly powerful red energy standing on the giant''s chest.


    The figure was very tall, but compared to the giant Black, he looked puny.


    Despite this, he stood above Black with ease and confidence, as though he was far superior. The energy that radiated from his body was no joke, making that of Black''s seem like a damn joke.


    The energy even materialized into large sparks of electrical power, zapping and sparking the field like lightning bolts of red Aura.


    The man was over 6''5 ft. in height. He wore a giant red-skinned thick wool cover over his shoulder, and a skirt made of dense leather over his massive legs.


    Sandals covered his feet, and flowing down from his head was a long black waterfall of hair that stretched all the way down to his calves--frizzled and rough-looking.


    He looked unkept, his jaw was blocky and rough, and overall, he looked like a monster.


    "Tsk." The man sucked his teeth in irritation, "Foul beast... you dare to bare your fangs in his empire?" His voice was deep as he spoke.


    Black barely managed to utter: "K-k-krax... Krax Sakti... how did you find out where I was? How did you--"


    "A damn foolish question!" The ruthless figure who was addressed as Krax Sakti shouted, his voice booming like a ginormous speaker: "Every inch of this land is no different from my very skin.


    A Sage Ranked cultivator showing his face in any part of this empire without bowing to the High Lord of the western mongrals and Emperor of the Zasea Kingdom is nothing short of a treasonous villain that deserves death!"

 Chapter 155: Continent Altering Event

    Author note: I''m back! Took quite a break huh¡­ not because I wanted to though. College has been destroying me, but hopefully I''ll get back on track starting from now. Thank you all for staying on the track with me!


    ***


    ''W-what in the world is he saying?'' Tyr questioned, his brain barely able to stay conscious right now.


    Krax Sakti stood on Black''s chest like a heavy metal beam on a trampoline, touching the floor and immovable.


    Black''s previous had been wiped out, replaced with a more forgiving energy that was Sakti''s.


    Hanzo and the others slowly rose to their feet, gazing at Sakti with awe-filled faces.


    "I..." Black said, his eyes wide open and his pupils dancing as though they were being vibrated.


    ''All those years of planning... and yet, I overlooked something like this? No... this is not my fault. How could I expect this demon to arrive so quickly? Mere seconds of my existence and he was here.


    He is different from me... a true being of power.''


    Black couldn''t help but tighten his fists and clench him until his palms bled.


    His eyes flew open: "I apologize!" He screamed, "Please! I submit everything to his almighty!" S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Sakti raised his chin, a disdainful look on his face, "You have plagued this world for far too long... Black of the underground merchants..." He said in a low tone.


    ''He knows... who I am... even in this state?'' Black thought to himself in disbelief, his frustration growing like a bamboo shoot.


    Sakti turned to face Tyr. The man''s eyes were enough to make Tyr''s eyes widen in amazement.


    It wasn''t fear... but rather, astonishing respect for the man.


    However, there was no doubt about it: ''He tried to threaten my mental fortitude there... If I didn''t have Full Golden Body activated, I can already tell that I would have been crushed under that fearsome Aura from just a single glance.''


    After that, Sakti''s eyes gazed across the crowd in a more soft manner.


    "I see you brats want to make history..." Sakti exclaimed, clenching his fist.


    Everyone froze like deer in headlights. Even Reana, who had her finger on the trigger to capture a picture, could not move her hand even a millimeter under the pressure.


    "So be it." Sakti said before hurling a punch into Black''s chest. The punch sent a resounding boom through the floor and across the entire city as Black''s limbs flung forward and his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.


    With that, Sakti took a step back and got off of the giant. He looked around again before facing Tyr.


    "You... have promise, kid. Don''t die." With that, the man disappeared on the spot.


    Tyr was so focused on the present moment that he barely even thought about what the man had just said.


    Instead, he forced himself to rise to his feet--his organs ruptured and bleeding.


    ''My legs... are still fine.'' He thought to himself as he stumbled all the way over to Black, ''I can still hear his breath...'' Tyr mused.


    Everyone stared forward with anticipation. With Krax Sakti''s pressure gone, Reana continued to take pictures of the events unfolding before her.


    Each picture showed Tyr having moved multiple feet closer to the fallen Black.


    Finally, Tyr climbed onto the giant''s torso and stood on his chest, clenching his own fist and looking down at the man underneath him with pure malice in his eyes.


    Black spoke, barely able to get his words out, "I..." He said, "Knew this was going to happen. But I would never allow myself to be killed without a challenge... you fucker. You did not deserve it... YOU ARE NOTH--"


    As he began to scream, Tyr said only a single word: "Die..." And with that, he unleashed a punch into the same spot where Sakti had hit the giant.


    Tyr''s fist tore through the man''s torso and ribs, grabbing his still-beating heart.


    ''Its too big to grab...'' Tyr mused, digging all five of his fingers into the organ before pushing his legs into Black''s stomach and thrusting the heart out of his chest.


    Black gagged, coughing up blood as his eyes lost all spark and slowly turned lifeless.


    Tyr raised the heart above his head, the organ still beating as Reana took pictures of the event.


    All those witnessing this event gazed with awe and reverence, relief, joy, and... the satisfaction of retribution.


    As everyone reacted, most rejoicing with eager screams, and some mourning the losses of their lost ones, a robed figure staring at the scene from afar behind a building turned and began to sprint away.


    He quickly disappeared into the distance while panting in shock, ''Our leader is dead...'' He said to himself, ''And he... no, forget about him.''


    He paused, thinking of something before quickly shrugging it off. Discover hidden tales at m,v l''e-NovelFire


    ''Anyways, I have to report what''s important to the world. The head may have been sliced off, but the body will remain as long as the blood still flows. I will cause havoc to Tyr Evolion before I get snubbed out as well...''


    Finally, he looked forward with determined eyes glowing in a bright brown hue: ''I will tell the world that he has the dragon.''


    *


    The day after the event, Reana left to publish her scoop to the world. But before that, she bowed to Tyr with tears trickling down from her eyes like rivers and thanked him wholeheartedly.


    Tyr was a bit surprised by this, not expecting the sudden act. He was completely bandaged up from head to toe, but still stood up on Reana''s request to accept her words of gratitude.


    "Thank you, Tyr! I will never forget this moment until the day I die! I''m sorry for ever doubting you..."


    Tyr was speechless at first, his friends around him near his resting bed.


    However, he smiled after only a moment and replied: "Of course... now go tell the world how strong I am." He grinned.


    Reana couldn''t help but chuckle through her tears as she heard this.


    "I will!" She laughed, still bowing with tears and snot all over her face.


    With that, Reana left, and another day passed. On that following day, a tsunami crashed on the continent of Ainsveld.


    "Are you serious!?"


    "No way..."


    "Who is that kid?"


    That brilliant scene of Tyr holding Black''s heart up for all to see was soon mass-printed and plastered on the walls of almost every major town within Zasea.


    "Let me see! Give that paper to me!"


    "Tyr..."


    "Where did he come from!?"


    The shocking news quickly spread to the highest of media, catching their interests like a delicious grub on a hook and making them take the biggest bite of their lives.


    "Is it another prodigy!?"


    "He looks awesome!"


    "What a monster..."


    All news sources across the Zasea Kingdom began to print out the word of Tyr''s accomplishments, and the destruction of one of the most infamous villain groups in Ainsveld.


    "This is unbelievable..."


    "You''re right... it''s enough to shake up the state of the continent."


    The news spread like wildfire, reaching across the borders of the kingdom and quickly being shared all across the continent within hours.


    "I can''t fathom it... who is this guy!?"


    "That guy was the leader of the Black Merchant Guild!?"


    "I can''t believe they are actually gone... that Tyr kid is a saint!"


    Through Aura announcements, fast newspapers and word of mouth, the grand act of a young, unknown figure going by the name of Tyr Evolion quickly became the talk of every major town and minor city.

 Chapter 156: Behind The Scenes

    A large hawk soared across the air, darting through the wind toward a certain direction with a small scroll in its possession.


    The hawk entered a room atop a tall tower, releasing its letter to a single knight.


    After reading the letters to himself, the knight stepped forward.


    Before him was a large circular table with six figures sitting around the sides.


    The emperor of Ovalantis, Julius Vell Storm, sighed into the interlocked backs of fingers on which his chin was resting.


    He seemed to have a nonchalant expression, the other 5 pillars of the centerlands staring at him with serious eyes.


    "The news is of that boy that has made recent waves... Tyr Evolion." The knight said in a rough voice.


    Everyone paused, awaiting the words that were going to soon come out of the knight''s mouth. S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    A middle-aged looking man donned with frozen blue robes furrowed his brows as he heard that name.


    ''Tyr Evolion...'' He thought to himself, ''I remember saving that brat from my ice chamber. Has he already made waves on this continent? That''s faster than I expected of that kid...'' The ice pillar mused to himself, thinking back to when he met Tyr.


    "He..." The knight paused, taking in a deep breath as he stared at the scroll in front of his face with shock deep in his eyes.


    "Holds the dragon."


    ...


    A long pause ensued. And then... a grin stretched across Julius'' face, his eyes expanding.


    The ice pillar spoke up first on hearing this: "Your information... where is it from?"


    The knight turned to face the light-blue-robed man: "The remnants of the Black Merchant Guild. Along with that, the information has already been confirmed by our own sources..."


    The emperor couldn''t help but chuckle, "Perfect... that''s simply perfect." He said through his pearly whites: "We will put out a continental hunt for the brat." With that, Julius stood up without hesitation.


    The five pillars stood in unison, but the ice pillar spoke out: "Wait, my lord." He lowered his head slightly.


    Julius gazed over at him, "Speak."


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    "Let us not rush this. We should know the opinions of the other empires first. They may have other plans... that are more secretive."


    On hearing this, Julius squinted his eyes.


    The other pillars looked at the ice pillar with varying emotions of agreeance and also bewilderment.


    The ice pillar continued as all eyes in the room remained frozen on him: "This is a dragon we are dealing with... and above even that, this is a dragon tamer that we are dealing with. We know not how this boy has managed to tame a dragon... but that sheer fact makes me want to think about things more than normal."


    The tone in the room became more serious as he continued.


    "Caution. We need to proceed with caution. A plan under the sleeves of our empires... I believe that is the only way to succeed. Putting out a public continental hunt would only worsen our chances, I fear."


    Julius paused for a few seconds after hearing this before turning and walking away. As he left the meeting room, he said from behind his back:


    "Propose the hunt to the other kingdoms... we will see what they say."


    *


    Just like that, pitch-black crows soared through the air in all directions, carrying scrolls of their own.


    *


    Days passed along as Tyr and the others spent time recovering in the newly rescued city.


    A new Lrax was chosen and appointed, one with good morals and character, and especially a good background.


    Along with that, whichever person wasn''t too injured had the duty of scouring the city for the days that they were staying there to snuff out and eliminate any Black Slugs that were still roaming around.


    Just like that, an entire week of resting passed.


    While on the surface, the world became increasingly infatuated with the news of Tyr Evolion, underneath the covers, the various empires of Ainsveld had already begun to plot their next plan of action.


    By this point, Tyr had finally gotten back to his normal state. His fast-healing body was to thank for this speedy recovery.


    Noa was also fully recovered thanks to Hanzo''s continued healing after that day when she was burnt to a crisp.


    Tyr stepped out of his resting hut, looking around the village which seemed completely different from what it was when he and his group first arrived there.


    Instead of those empty streets, the roads were now filled with healthy and lively individuals.


    ''The Zasean people are strong-willed... a few days and they have already forgotten the horrors of their past. At least, thats what it looks like on the outside.'' Tyr thought to himself, his eyes gazing at the street before him.


    At that moment, he sensed a unique presence nearby.


    His eyes quickly darted toward a rooftop where he saw a shadowy figure suddenly disappear from the corner of his vision.


    His eyes furrowed immediately as a serious expression came on his face: ''Tsk... there they are again. They have been spying on me for days... and I know that they know that I know.'' He thought to himself.


    ''Spies from kingdoms... I imagine. I don''t sense malice, so I doubt its the Black Merchant Guild, or whatever is left of it anyway. They are probably curious about me since I have shaken the continent slightly by taking down the Black Merchant Guild.''


    Tyr looked down, facing his right palm. At that moment, he had a flash of vision of a bloody hand holding a giant heart.


    ''That day... Reana didn''t take or publish any pictures of Krax Sakti. No one knows that he helped me.''


    He clenched his fist, annoyed, ''Tsk... this exposure... it doesn''t feel like I earned it.''


    At that moment, he heard a series of light steps come from behind him.


    Noa stood beside him, looking at the street before them.


    Hanzo and Malon also arrived from the distance, the four meeting in the middle.


    "You guys finished your routine check for slugs?" Tyr asked the two as they came near.


    "Yep!" Hanzo said, his hands behind his head as he walked carelessly.


    Malon''s body language was also relaxed: "Thankfully, it''s for the last time."


    "Huh?" Tyr raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean? Are we leaving today?"


    Noa stepped forward, "Mmhmm... and about that... we are invited to a meeting. It''s with the Lrax, I hear. A leaving ceremony or something like that."


    Tyr wasn''t really paying attention to Noa''s words at that moment, instead thinking to himself: ''Leaving huh? Hmm... yeah... that''s a good idea. Yes, we are going to leave today as soon as possible. I want to get stronger...


    I think I can do that deeper within Zasea. Maybe we will go to another continent...''


    "Did you hear me?" Noa said out of nowhere, breaking Tyr out of his daydream.


    All three of his teammates stared at him as Tyr recollected his thoughts.


    "Oh... uh... yeah. Let''s go meet him... quickly."

 Chapter 157: Judgement

    Hundreds of people stood outside of a large marquee in what seemed like a townsquare.


    There were adobe-like stone structures surrounding the tent, much of the architecture still heavily damaged from the battle with Black.


    Despite this, the people of the Zasean city looked to be in a trance of preoccupation with the marquee before them.


    "Right now? You''re saying all of them are in there right now?"


    "I haven''t actually seen them in real life before..."


    "Tyr Evolion... thats the name of him... right? The one who saved us..."


    Murmurs sparked like calm embers surrounding the entrance of the marquee.


    Inside; Tyr, Noa, Malon, and Hanzo all stood before a small table, behind which sat a man who didn''t look a second over 35 years old.


    To the sides of the marquee stood many Zasean soldiers with spears in hand and heads facing the ceiling, rough expressions donning their faces. Find exclusive stories on m_v l|e-NovelFire.net


    "What you have done for us... we can not thank you more, Tyr." The man said with a tone of genuine gratitude.


    His eyes glanced over at the rest of the Hunter group, "Hanzo, Malon, Noa... I extend this thanks to all of you."


    For a moment, there was silence. The three simply stared at the man before them with bold smiles on their faces.


    And then, Tyr spoke: "He says he wants to thank all of you as well."


    A resounding "Ohh" sounded from the trio.


    Noa chuckled, "Of course, it was the least we could do."


    Tyr translated everything his group said to the new Lrax.


    Hanzo spoke: "We appreciate the kind words."


    Malon finished, wiping the bottom of his nose with a finger as his smile refused to leave his face, "No problem... no need to thank us... hehe."


    That was a bit weird to translate for Tyr, but he still did it, despite how awkward he sounded...


    In the end, all five in the center of the tent had a good laugh.


    "My apologies... I should speak in a language all of you can hopefully understand." The Lrax exclaimed in the mostly universal language of Subworld language that everyone could understand, slightly guilty.


    "Now..." Tyr spoke, "I believe its time for us to go. I also thank you for your hospitality... but we need to move on now."


    The Lrax exhaled deeply as he heard this, "Before that... there is one last thing I would like to say. This is not from me, but rather, it is an order by a higher court." Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Tyr and the other three exchanged short, slightly confused glances with each other.


    The Lrax continued: "This is a decree from not only the Ovalantis Supreme Magistrate... but the Ainsveld Supreme Tribunal, consisting of all empires within the continent..."


    The tone in the room shifted slightly as these words were spoken.


    Tyr''s expression became more serious as he remained silent and allowed the Lrax to continue.


    "Before that, however... I need to know one thing first. Your Hunter Squad name, what is it? It doesn''t seem to exist in the records." The Lrax paused for a short moment, looking over at Hanzo.


    "Unless... is it still Ultimatum? Your old squad name, right?"


    "No." Hanzo simply stated, his gaze unwavering and calm.


    ''Hmm...'' The Lrax mused to himself, ''He is lucky... it seems he has already moved on from them, and no longer has any ulterior feelings even when asked about them to make him lower his head slightly. Good for him, that he found people he could get comfortable with again...''


    After that, the Lrax eyes remained on Hanzo.


    However, Hanzo faced Tyr instead. So did Noa, and Malon.


    Although it was undecided, everyone already subconsciously knew for some reason that Tyr was the leader of this group, and also the one who should have the right to choose the name.


    Noa thought to herself, ''Tyr is the one that keeps this team together and stronger like glue. He is the leader...''


    Malon had similar thoughts, ''Tyr... what will you say?''


    Hanzo smiled slightly: "Go on, captain. This has been your decision from the very beginning."


    He paused, Tyr staring at him with a slightly confused look on his face.


    "You remember, right?" Hanzo smirked, "You said back then when Ultimatum was disbanded... that you had a name already in mind."


    Tyr paused before speaking: "Oh that? Hmm... that was a lie. I just wanted to get back to you." He chuckled.


    "Huh!?" Hanzo exclaimed, slightly irritated at hearing that.


    "But now that I think about it... there doesn''t need to be much thinking when it comes to a name for this squad. Hunter group or not, I think we should be called this from now on..." As Tyr said this, all eyes in the room faced him, and all ears perked up with anticipation.


    ''A name based on truth... and justice. Things that set one free... and things that give anyone solace and satisfaction.'' Tyr thought to himself for a final time before announcing the group name:


    "Judgement... that will be our name."


    The eyes of all those staring at Tyr widened slightly with surprise and awe as they heard those words.


    Slight smiles appeared on the faces of all of Tyr''s teammates, while the Lrax seemed to be taken aback with confusion at that daunting name.


    ''J-judgement? I have no clue what the meaning behind it is...'' He looked over at the other three, ''They seem to be clued in... tsk. I don''t want to seem like a fool here who is the only one to not understand it.''


    "Judgement? I see... a fearsome name indeed. Care to tell us why? Im sure not everyone from your team understands it fully--" The Lrax was cut short.


    "No... we do." Hanzo said, "We don''t need an explanation. That is the perfect name in my book."


    The Lrax looked over at Malon and Noa, who nodded in agreeance.


    ''Tsk!'' The Lrax exclaimed inwardly before putting on a fake smile.


    "I see... anyways, its a very fitting name. I congratulate you all on officially founding your Hunter Squad. Now... it is time for me to reveal why I needed that information."


    Everyone looked at the Lrax again before the man spoke:


    "Your squad, more specifically, the one that Tyr Evolion is a part of, is invited to the Royal Capital of Ovalantis. The reason for this calling is...


    an event hosted at your honor, Judgement." The Lrax faced all of the members of the newly formed Hunter squad as he spoke: "A grand gesture of gratitude that the continent would like to show you for your recent acts of eliminating a very prominent problem within this land."


    This news fell onto the shoulders of the members of Judgement like a mountain. They were taken aback in shock and confusion.


    The Lrax finished his statement: "You all are invited to a banquet thrown in your name... and it is tomorrow."

 Chapter 158: Not Normal

    "T-tommorow? How the hell do they expect us to get there!?" Tyr instantly reacted.


    The Lrax remained silent.


    "Get there!?" Hanzo replied, "You''ve already decided to go?"


    "No! Im just saying! Thats crazy!" Tyr replied, changing his attention back to the Lrax:


    "This information... when did you receive it?" Tyr asked.


    "Mere hours ago, Sir."


    Tyr took a step back, exhaling with slight frustration.


    Malon shook his head, "Well... what do you want to do?"


    Tyr looked at him, "This is not normal." He looked back at the Lrax, "Do we have a choice in this situation?"


    The Lrax quickly replied, "Sir..." He paused, looking at Tyr with a slightly desperate look in his eyes: "All of the Emperors of Ainsveld will be present, along with many Kings and thousands of other individuals. Im afraid, even though you do have a choice to not go, you would be doing yourself a huge disfavor."


    Tyr sighed, "So thats a no then huh... it''s not like we can make enemies of the entire fucking continent for something like this."


    "So then, you will be going?" The Lrax inquired.


    "We don''t have much of a choice it seems in that department," Hanzo exclaimed.


    *


    The Hunter squad Judgement left the Lrax''s marquee after informing him of their answer.


    Tyr gritted his teeth, "This is not normal." He said again, causing Malon to glance over at him.


    "You''ve said that twice now... what are you talking about? I mean, of course, something like this isn''t normal... but you defeating the damn Black Merchant Guild isn''t exactly normal either."


    Tyr sighed, "We... we defeated him. Anyways, that''s not what I''m talking about. Sure, I expect an event of gratitude I guess. But for all of the Emperors to be there? Above that...


    it feels rushed. Why would they not have more time to prepare? As if they want to do this as soon as possible or something... as though in fear."


    Malon chuckled, "I mean, its continental news. Im sure everyone who would have been there will still be there even if its on a one-day notice. Its not like they can just skip it because they were rushed."


    "Thats true, but still. Giving an earlier notice is what would be normal. That means that something is out of place here..." At that moment, Tyr''s eyes landed on a rooftop, where he spotted another shadowy figure disappear from his vision.


    His eyes squinted at that moment, his brain seeming to move quickly.


    "Wait a second..." He said, his eyes nearly closed, "Spies... and now, a rushed event from all of the kingdoms. Now that I think about it, spies don''t seem to match the good occasion of defeating a villainous group. A small squad of representatives from an empire is what would be more fitting. Spies... they are only signs of danger."


    He sighed.


    "I don''t know why I didn''t see it from this perspective before... but I have a bad feeling that there is malice behind this invitation."


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    Hanzo and the others donned serious expressions as they heard this.


    "What you''re saying makes sense... I suppose then that its best for us to prepare beforehand." Hanzo said in a low tone.


    Tyr looked over at Noa, "You''ve broken the Black Merchant Guild''s teleporting Aura Arrays... do you think there''s any way that you can re-create them?"


    Noa faced downwards toward her hand, "Hmm... probably... but it would take me a long time to learn it. Probably over a week."


    "A week that we don''t have." Malon commented.


    Tyr sucked his top teeth, "Tsk... we need a way to quickly leave that place in case it is a..." He leaned inwards, causing the rest of Judgement to do the same.


    "Trap." He whispered, his eyes scanning for any spies.


    Everyone nodded, quickly putting their brains to work.


    "By the way, lets say we manage to find a way to quickly teleport out... how are we going to get there in the first place? I get transportation terminals, but those are only in capital city''s for the most part. Even if we rush, we aren''t getting to a capital city in weeks..." Hanzo exclaimed, not sounding too optimistic.


    Everyone was silent for a moment, but then, Tyr sounded to have an answer: "Its simple... we need to find a way to get there and also a way to get back. Two in one..."


    "That only makes the odds even worse." Malon joked, slightly demotivated.


    "Good." Tyr smirked, "At least we will learn something... hopefully."


    *


    The team spent a while thinking of what to do.


    Noa explored options through the shops of the city, looking at different Aura Array tools to break and create different Aura Arrays.


    Despite this, nothing seemed to be of much help.


    Malon tried his best to think of something, but soon realized that he was as useless as piss when it came to this and gave up.


    Hanzo looked through the city as well, scouring the entire place for different forms of transportation that would be the fastest.


    Tyr did everything that everyone else did... but in the end, he was left stumped.


    Finally, desperate and wanting a solution, he decided to think abstractly.


    ''Tsk...'' He mused, sitting beside the street, seemingly defeated. ''My Planetary Teleportation ability is overpowered. It allows me to teleport across entire planets... but it cant even let me teleport a few thousand miles on a single globe. How silly...''


    At that moment, a realization struck his head, ''Hmm... but what if thats the point? Maybe the ability to teleport great distances isn''t the powerful aspect... but rather, the shorter the distance one can teleport, the more powerful in battle.''


    On thinking to himself, it made sense.


    ''GG... all of my spells can evolve and grow stronger, right?''


    [Correct]


    ''Then... if Planetary Teleportation''s base spell power is to teleport between planets, maybe as it evolves, I can teleport shorter and shorter distances...''


    At that moment, Tyr closed his eyes, ''I have nothing else... I guess its worth a shot to atleast take a peek and see if theres even a smidgen of a chance.''


    ''From planets... large distances across planets should be the next one, right? I just hope thats kingdoms apart, and not continents...'' He thought to himself, imagining himself using Planetary Teleportation to get to Ovalantis.


    His eyes scrunched as his brows furrowed, the visualization of where he would arrive suddenly appearing in his head.


    ''Oh shit... it might actually work.'' He smirked, ''I guess its time to evolve the first spell I ever used.''


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 Chapter 159: Teleporting

    A few minutes later, Tyr gathered all of Judgement in one place outside of the village walls. S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He had already explained to them his method of thinking, and what his plan was.


    "I don''t know... I mean... how did you even get this ability? How can you trust it?" Malon asked, not quite convinced.


    Tyr had told everyone that he had a spell that allowed him to transport great distances across planets, but he hadn''t gained much control over it.


    He lied, telling them that it was a power from his Ancestral Ability that he hadn''t used.


    ''I can''t tell them that it allows me to transport across planets... otherwise, they could probably piece together the fact that I came here using this spell,'' Tyr thought to himself, ''Telling them that right now... would just complicate things for no reason. There isn''t a point in doing that.''


    After another minute or so of the team wrapping their heads around Tyr''s idea, they all decided to try it out and see how it goes.


    "Man... it''s awfully coincidental that you have this specific ability right when we need it..." Hanzo said, staring at Tyr with a slightly satirical look in his eyes.


    Tyr simply chuckled awkwardly, "Yep..." he said, still not wanting to reveal his lies.


    He closed his eyes at that moment, the rest of Judgement standing silently around him as they waited.


    "The reason I didn''t want to use this... was because I was afraid I couldn''t come back. However... it''s worth a shot." Tyr said, knowing all of that was a load of bullshit.


    ''Now... it''s time.'' He exhaled deeply before opening his eyes and looking at Hanzo: ''Disappear.''


    He said the wrong spell in his head on purpose, finding it easier to say than ''Planetary Teleportation,'' but since his intentions were the same and pure to what he knew would happen, it worked the same.


    Hanzo abruptly disappeared into thin air without any warning.


    [Congratulations! Your spell [Planetary Teleportation] has evolved.]


    [New Spell learned: World Migration.]


    [Spell Description: Ability to travel far distances across worlds.]


    [All abilities of the unevolved spell are still available.]


    There was no magical effect. No buffering or static in the air.


    One second he was there, and the next, he was gone.


    The members of Judgement turned their heads in shock and confusion as they saw this.


    "Holy shit... it actually worked--" Malon started to say before he vanished into nothing as well.


    Noa slowly turned to face Tyr, feeling fear for some reason, "This is terrifying." She exclaimed, causing Tyr to scoff and smirk.


    "Bye." Tyr said as Noa also disappeared on the spot.


    Finally, Tyr looked back at the village, ''Hmm... I don''t think I ever learned the name of this place.'' He mused.


    He spotted another spy for a split second, shaking his head in disappointment: "I''m going to figure out why you idiots are doing this..." He said in a low tone before finally musing: ''Disappear.''


    ...


    When Tyr opened his eyes again, he was struck with a brightness that made him squint.


    When he slowly opened his eyes, he noticed a bright blue world around him.


    "Oh fuck..." He whispered under his breath, "Don''t tell me this is another planet..." He looked around with dismay. Enjoy exclusive adventures from m-v l''-NovelFire.net


    But then, he felt a thunk across the back of the head: "You bastard!" Hanzo screamed, "You trapped us back in the ice prison!"


    Tyr turned, a wave of relief washing over him.


    "Oh! Thank god!" Tyr exclaimed with a big smile.


    Hanzo raised a brow, the side of his mouth raising with irritation: "Huhh!?"


    ...


    After a small squabble between the two, the group decided to calm down a bit and reorganize themselves.


    "It''s fine..." Tyr finally said, "I can just order Ares to blast through this place. His flame can easily melt through all this ice."


    "Even if that''s the case... it''s more complicated than that." Noa said in a slightly defeated tone.


    "Look around us... it''s total destruction." She said, causing everyone to take a long gaze at the ruin that they were in.


    ''Now that she says it... this place is completely destroyed. It was where I used Reverse to save myself from the effects of using Full Golden Body for so long.'' Tyr mused, ''When I think back, I remember that guy who carried me out of here saying how I destroyed an entire mountain surrounding Ovalantis... I guess this was that mountain.''


    The crew made their way through the prison and as close to the exit as they could get.


    Hanzo and the others had ventured here without anything like teleportation to meet Tyr, so they sort of knew their way around.


    That being said, the place that they thought was the ''exit'' seemed to be nonexistent, completely blocked off by a wall of debris, stone, dirt, and snow.


    "So you''re telling me..." Malon said, staring at the giant wall of debris in front of him, "We have to tear through an entire mountain to get out of here?" He took a big gulp.


    Tyr chuckled, "That ain''t shit..." He said, stepping up to the plate while rotating his right arm with his left hand on his right shoulder.


    His eyes glowed in a bright golden color as a golden flame sparked and combusted from his forehead.


    Along with that, fur covered parts of his body as he shape-shifted into a half-tiger.


    His fangs grew, as did his claws and muscles.


    Finally, he clenched his fist and lunged his right foot forward, rotating his entire torso and unleashing a punch at full force toward the wall.


    A giant explosion of force ensued, throwing debris everywhere as a crater was torn into the wall of stones.


    However, there still wasn''t any daylight on the other side.


    Tears fell from Noa''s eyes on seeing this, "We will never get out of here!" She cried, "Why couldn''t you have teleported us a few hundred meters that way!"


    Tyr glanced at her before refocusing his attention on the wall of debris, "I guess it''s easier for my brain to teleport to places I''ve been to. Probably because I can imagine it more. Anyway... this should be doable."


    He clenched his fists, Malon and Hanzo also stepping beside him as he cocked back another punch.


    Malon readied his shield to hurl back any projectiles at their same velocity, and Hanzo pulled his bowstring back with three red arrows strung on it.


    "We will make it to that damn event." Tyr exclaimed under his breath as all three of them unleashed their attacks.

 Chapter 160: Continental Event

    Tyr didn''t just stop with one punch, blasting everything that was in his way with an unrelenting flurry.


    Hanzo''s arrows tore through the debris like butter as he unleashed even more, penetrating several holes through the wall that would quickly fill up again but clear more space each time.


    Finally, Malon stood back with his shield armed.


    With his shield''s new Ancestral Ability, each time a piece of debris from the other two struck his shield, the shield gained even more kinetic energy. sea??h th§× n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    As they were physical attacks, the shield built up a large amount of force before propelling it forward on Malon''s command, even stronger than the initial power with which it was hit.


    The blasts added to the onslaught by the trio, and within a matter of seconds, a large enough tunnel was dug through the wall of debris to where everyone could rush out safely.


    They ran out, quickly getting on Rudra and the Hoverski before exiting the area.


    There was no hesitation on their part to do this.


    "Let''s get to that event..." Tyr said with a determined look in his eyes as the four traveled down the hill they were on and toward the main city.


    No one else seemed to have any confusion toward this motive.


    And just like that, Judgement began their journey to the Continental Thank You Event...


    Across their journey, night fell.


    The next day, Judgement continued to travel to the capital city where the event was to be held that night.


    As they did, the sky began to become darker with time...


    As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting a warm glow over the bustling capital city within Ovalantis, a grand event was starting to kick into gear within the majestic confines of an enormous arena.


    The colossal structure, with its towering columns and intricate mosaics, buzzed with vibrant energy, filled to the brim with nobles and dignitaries from across the continent.


    The atmosphere was alive with excitement, laughter, and animated conversations, as guests in exquisite attire mingled, their voices rising and falling like the waves of a joyful tide.


    Inside, ornate banners hung proudly from the high ceilings, each one representing a different empire, their vivid colors and intricate designs a testament to the power and prestige of those gathered.


    At the center of the arena, a magnificent stage awaited the arrival of the emperors, adorned with lavish floral arrangements and golden accents, signaling the importance of the evening''s festivities.


    Rows of elaborately decorated seating flanked the stage, with plush cushions and intricate carvings, reserved exclusively for the royal figures.


    These thrones gleamed under the soft light of elegant chandeliers, their presence commanding respect and awe from all who dared to look.


    In stark contrast, the lesser nobles and dignitaries occupied the back rows, seated on simpler yet still luxurious benches, their fine garments adorned with elegance but lacking the grandeur reserved for the ruling elite.


    Servants glided gracefully through the throngs of guests, balancing trays of delicacies¡ªdelightfully arranged hors d''oeuvres, sparkling beverages, and sweet confections¡ªeach offering a glimpse of the lavish hospitality expected at such an illustrious gathering.


    The high-status guests were treated with an air of reverence, their every wish attended to with utmost diligence, while the less fortunate members of the assembly received polite nods, their voices often drowned out by the laughter and chatter of the elite.


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    Mysterious figures, cloaked in dark fabrics, lingered at the edges of the arena, their faces obscured yet exuding an aura of authority and intrigue.


    They exchanged hushed words, their conversations steeped in veiled intentions and knowing glances.


    The anticipation in the air was electric, a palpable tension that grew with each passing moment, as every eye in the arena glanced toward the grand entrance, eagerly awaiting the arrival of the emperors, and of course... of Tyr Evolion.


    "I wonder what he is like..."


    "A young man who eliminated The Black Merchant Guild, they say? He must be a genius."


    "I can''t believe they threw an event so grand, so fast for this boy... it must be of great importance."


    ...


    Suddenly, the atmosphere shifted.


    The knight who had been standing beside the entrance pillar raised his horn.


    All royals and nobles within the confines of the arena immediately understood what this meant, and they had been eyeing him for the longest by now.


    The emperors were to arrive now...


    "Please welcome the Supreme Emperor of the center lands, High Ruler of the collected species, and Absolute Commander of the Ovalantis Province; his sovereignty, Julius Vell Storm!"


    The air crackled with energy as Julius stepped forward.


    A hush fell over the crowd as he moved with purpose, each step resonating with authority.


    Beside him walked five men who commanded no less respect than Julius himself.


    "The five pillars..." a person exclaimed, in awe of what they were seeing.


    One was a middle-aged man wearing bright light-blue robes.


    Another wore dark blue robes; he was younger¡ªmost likely in his thirties.


    A scrawny man walked alongside them, short and wearing baggy dark green and purple robes.


    There was another, this one wearing bright green and brown robes with a young face no older than 26 and a large leaf hat on his head.


    Finally, behind them all walked a tall figure with a large white beard and long white hair.


    Muscles protruded through his white robes, his skin seemingly glowing as he walked.


    He was older, most likely over 70 years, yet his body looked no older than 35.


    The elegant way Julius carried himself, along with the gleaming diadem across his forehead, commanded immediate respect, and the crowd stood, all even bowing their heads in reverence as he approached his seat.


    "Next, we welcome the High Lord of the southern humans and Emperor of the Rock Saelfine Empire; his glorious, Augustus Cloud Maximillion XII!"


    As the proclamation echoed through the arena, Augustus entered, flanked by slaves who bore him on a grand litter, their faces a mixture of pride and weariness.


    Clad in his flowing red robes and golden crown, he emanated a charisma that drew both admiration and apprehension from the attendees.


    The slaves, while treated with a certain deference, were a stark reminder of the empire''s dark realities, their nature hidden beneath the grandeur of the emperor''s arrival.


    Augustus smirked as he saw the reaction of the crowd.


    They all bowed to him the same, despite how they might have felt depending on their backgrounds.


    He whipped the slaves with a spiked golden lasso one last time before arriving at his seat.


    "Please welcome the Holy Protector of the northern elves and Crown King of Edenharl Garden; his divinity, Syelthus Edenguard!"


    With this announcement, Syelthus glided into view, the fabric of his white and warm-green robe flowing behind him like a gentle breeze.


    His presence brought a sense of calm, and the audience held their breath, awed by the elegance he radiated.


    A slight nod from him brought forth a wave of murmurs, with many commenting on the elven king''s aura of tranquility amidst the chaotic energy of the arena.


    "Next up, we have the High Lord of the eastern dwarfs and Chancellor of the Douden Federation; his powerful, Dristadhumna Mahapra!"


    As the crowd watched, the ground seemed to tremble beneath Dristadhumna''s massive frame.


    He entered the arena, a towering figure in yellowish-brown armor, and as he stepped forward, even the nobles shifted slightly in their seats, feeling the power emanating from him.


    Behind him, a diminutive dwarf kept pace, an emblem of loyalty standing next to his colossal leader.


    Finally, the knight''s voice boomed once more: "Please welcome the High Lord of the western mongrals and Emperor of the Zasea Kingdom; his almighty, Karax Haou!"


    With a fierce presence, Karax ascended the steps, his appearance wild yet commanding.


    The contrast between his unkempt look and the lavish surroundings of the arena added an intriguing element, stirring whispers among the guests.


    The attendees watched in mixed awe and judgment, caught between the roughness of the tribesman and the elegance of their own attire.


    As the emperors took their places on the raised dais, the tension in the arena reached a fever pitch.


    Each one settled into their respective thrones, and the crowd shifted restlessly, eyes wide with anticipation.


    The emperors were here, but still, the most discussed name lingered in the air, the reason for this grand event looming like a shadow over the festivities.


    With the emperors seated, the whispers grew louder, filled with speculation about Tyr''s arrival.


    "Who is this Tyr Evolion, truly?"


    "The boy who conquered the Black Merchant Guild¡­ Will he live up to the expectations?"


    "A young hero or a mere fluke? We''ll find out soon enough¡­"


    The excitement built, the crowd buzzing with a mixture of curiosity and apprehension, their gazes still fixed on the entrance, waiting for the arrival of the hero who had united such a gathering.


    At that moment, Syelthus addressed the other emperors: "He still is yet to arrive." He spoke elegantly.


    There was a short moment of silence before Julius answered: "They have teleported somewhere within my empire... it won''t be much longer now. Until then... we will propose a toast."


    The emperor abruptly stood, turning necks and capturing gazes.


    "Welcome! All ye'' who have graced this grand arena today..." he called out, his voice resonating through the hall, rich and inviting.

 Chapter 161: Continental Event (2) Entertainment

    The people inside this grand arena weren''t just any old no-name individuals.


    They were the owners of the largest firms and banks across the continent.


    The CEOs of the biggest businesses and the owners of the largest markets.


    Great merchants, medicinal experts, cultivators, and more.


    Royals and nobles flooded the area, making themselves at home with whomever their status aligned to.


    Naturally, existing hierarchies from the past were falling perfectly into place.


    Everyone knew who to talk to, and they also understood not to mingle with anyone else.


    Some, however, broke these barriers.


    They began to create new groups, making more levels in this complicated hierarchy of social status.


    Despite all of these mind games, all eyes were restlessly focused on a single person in this room.


    Mighty or unknown, no person dared to look away from Julius Vell Storm when he stood to speak.


    "This is an event that marks a great accomplishment in the history of our beloved continent, Ainsveld.


    As I am sure you have all heard by now, the Black Merchant Guild has been eliminated," Julius boldly said, causing murmurs and whispers of awe and impression to calmly ripple through the crowd.


    As Julius'' voice sounded again, everyone quieted down in respect.


    "The person who contributed to this achievement the most was none other than a young man of this very continent, Tyr Evolion."


    A short burst of cheers sounded.


    "As of right now, Tyr and his Hunter Squad, Judgement, are steady in their travels to this event." He paused.


    The crowd whispered amongst each other with varied emotions.


    "He isn''t already here?"


    "That''s a bit disrespectful... no?"


    "Oh... he will be here soon, I hope."


    "Who does he think he is!? I gave up one of the most important meetings of my life to be here..."


    "I doubt he will get punished either... the event is thrown in his honor after all."


    Most of the backlash was quite negative.


    Those who had rushed to this sudden event were important figures, after all, who had sacrificed quite a lot to come here.


    "This event will only formally begin upon Tyr Evolion''s arrival.


    But, of course, for us, it has already begun."


    He smiled with charm.


    The arena broke out into a light hum of laughter.


    "Until Tyr arrives, however, I would like to honor his origins.


    He hails from the small yet prominent Dynasty of Series!"


    On announcing this, a cheer sounded through the arena as a row of individuals near the center stage stood up.


    In their mix was a bearded man no older than 45, his hair a rich brown color.


    He wore red and white robes, had a beautiful silver crown on his head, and also had a large red cloak attached to his back.


    With a smile, he turned and waved to the crowd around him.


    As he and his group sat down, he spoke to them under his breath, "Never did I think I would get flowers for something I am not involved with whatsoever..."


    The people in his row chuckled upon hearing this.


    "I''ve never even met the boy myself... I can''t imagine how he managed to complete the gargantuan task."


    As the king of Series said this, a young girl next to him tugged on his robe.


    "The task of taking down the Black Merchant Guild?" she asked in a soft and high-pitched voice.


    The king turned to face her with a kind expression, patting her head.


    "No, honey.


    The gargantuan task of finding their base..."


    People stopped their chatter as Julius spoke again:


    "Now... while we wait for Tyr, the entertainment will begin."


    With a smile, Julius stood for the arena as they erupted into applause and cheer.


    After a few seconds, he sat down, the cheers still roaring on.


    When he sat down, he stopped smiling and glanced over at Augustus Cloud Maximillion XII, Emperor of Rock Saelfine.


    Augustus smirked, snapping his fingers.


    As he did this, a small group of white-robed mages to the side of the stage lifted their hands.


    The thrones of the five emperors were slid across the stage all the way to the back, as if gliding over water.


    Now, over 50 by 50 feet of free space was left on the stage before them, available for all the crowd to see.


    "Let us see what all of the Empires have brought for us to see..." Augustus spoke, his voice a mix of posh elegance and pompous arrogance.


    The crowd cheered for a moment before Augustus continued:


    "First, we will see what the artistical talents of Edenharl Garden have to show us."


    A group of four tall, lanky elves with pale skin and pristine white and light-green robes made their way to the stage.


    As they did, a few figures who were new to such large events questioned their freshly made friends:


    "Entertainment? Is that what Emperor Augustus said?"


    "Yes," a man beside him answered.


    "It is tradition that all empires show their artistic talents on the continental stage.


    Artists from each continent work tirelessly to create impressive artwork and even have tournaments to see who will represent their empire on this very stage..."


    "Ahh... I see.


    I guess this is going to be quite the show then."


    He eagerly chuckled.


    As the crowd settled into a hushed anticipation, the four elves took their positions on the stage.


    With a wave of each of their hands, various instruments created from natural plants grew out and materialized from the ground.


    The elves began to play their natural instruments.


    The lead elf, with cascading silver hair, lifted a bamboo flute to her lips.


    As she blew into it, a soft, melodious sound floated through the air, reminiscent of a gentle breeze rustling through the leaves.


    The second elf, tall and graceful, struck a large drum crafted from a hollowed log, its surface adorned with intricate carvings of forest creatures.


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    With each beat, the drum echoed like the heartbeat of the forest, deep and resonant, sending vibrations rippling through the floor of the arena.


    As the third elf joined in, he played a stringed instrument made of plant fibers, plucking its strings with delicate precision.


    The notes danced like sunlight filtering through the canopy of trees, adding a layer of warmth to the melody.


    The final elf, adorned with vines woven into his hair, raised his hands to the sky.


    He closed his eyes, channeling the ambient sounds of nature. S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    With a gentle motion, he conjured the sounds of chirping birds and the gentle gurgle of a nearby stream.


    The arena filled with the illusion of a serene forest, where nature thrived in perfect harmony.


    As the performance unfolded, the elves began to weave their melodies into a narrative, depicting the beauty of their homeland.


    The music told the tale of the ancient trees that stood watch over the land, of crystal-clear rivers that flowed with life, and of the vibrant flora and fauna that danced in the wind.


    Suddenly, in a brilliant display of magic, the fourth elf summoned shimmering lights that danced above the stage, illuminating the arena in a dazzling array of colors.


    As the final note resonated through the arena, a moment of silence enveloped the crowd, hearts racing in exhilaration.


    Then, a wave of applause erupted, echoing through the grand hall like a gentle rain on leaves.


    Cheers and gasps of admiration filled the air, with many audience members on their feet, captivated by the experience they had just witnessed.


    The lead elf smiled, her eyes sparkling with joy.


    "Thank you, honored guests, for sharing in our song.


    May the music of nature forever resonate within your hearts."

 Chapter 162: Continental Event (3) Play

    As they took a bow, Augustus sat back in his chair.


    "Tsk..." He spoke in a low tone, "That peasant still isn''t here... bastard." Augustus suddenly gritted his teeth in anger.


    The other emperors faced him.


    For a few seconds, there was silence.


    And then, Karax Haou of Zasea said something:


    "Don''t spoil the surprise... soft skin." He said in a deep and calm voice, facing forward.


    Augustus raised a brow, looking toward Karax with an offended look on his face:


    "What did you just call me? You dare wish to speak like that again, you savage brute?" Augustus retorted in irritation.


    This prompted Karax to slowly turn his head toward the emperor of Rock Saelfine, a hint of malicious intent unable to help but leak out of him.


    Syelthus shook his head in disappointment on seeing this.


    "Fools..." Dhum said under his breath, equally disappointed.


    In the mix of this small altercation, Julius'' voice interjected: "Stop... both of you."


    On hearing this, both Augustus and Karax glanced toward Julius, who had a stern look on his face.


    Augustus rolled his eyes before sitting back even further into his throne.


    Karax, on the other hand, had a different reaction: "Don''t tell me what to do, kid." He exclaimed, abruptly standing up.


    "Where are you going?" Julius asked.


    "I''ll be back before the main event." Karax exclaimed before disappearing.


    Julius exhaled.


    ''Children... I have immature children as emperor comrades...'' He also shook his head.


    Soon after this, the other empires showcased their artwork.


    The Douden Federation showcased a marvelous moving statue made of iron.


    Ovalantis showed a small galaxy created before the eyes of the very people within the arena.


    And finally, Zasea showcased a monstrous beast that threatened to destroy the entire arena itself, scaring the shit out of some folk.


    However, none of these came even close to surpassing Edenharl Garden''s art.


    In the end, over half an hour passed before it was finally time for Rock Saelfine''s art team to have a go.


    Augustus seemed bored up until this point.


    But now, he rose slightly in his seat with a smile on his face as he saw dozens of slaves line the stage.


    "Finally... something that actually seems fun." He said.


    Dhum looked at him, thinking: ''Damn demon... he only fancies things that result in slaves getting hurt.


    If it wasn''t for his position, I would have buried him by now.'' He clenched his jaw.


    The crowd looked on with anticipation and slight anxiety as to what Rock Saelfine had in store this time.


    Every time their art was shown, it would usually result in a horrifying ending where something would go very wrong... on purpose.


    The people on stage were easily identifiable as slaves due to the metal shackles on their hands and feet, but other than that, they wore different clothing than that of a slave.


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    Some were dressed in brown robes, others in pristine clothing and robes.


    Others were clad in knight''s armor, and others were wearing simple attire.


    "This... is a play of how Tyr defeated the Black Merchant Guild!" One of the slaves exclaimed.


    The crowd paused for a moment, taking this slightly shocking revelation in before applauding in amusement.


    And so, the play went on.


    A young man dressed as Tyr was painted in a golden color.


    He also had lanterns on his shoulders which were burning in a golden flame¡ªgiving the illusion of what Tyr looked like in the newspapers and media videos.


    The fake Tyr stood before three other figures, the fake members of Judgement.


    They were all dressed similarly but were hideous compared to the real group.


    Despite this, they had a full-on brawl against multiple other members who were dressed in brown robes and knight''s armor.


    There was also one taller figure who resembled a fake Black, leader of the guild.


    In the play, the members of Judgement fought with the Black Merchant Guild members as Tyr took on Black.


    As the battle seemed to be lost, in a final display of power, Tyr took down the villain and grabbed his heart from out of his chest.


    Of course, the fake Tyr grabbed a fake heart.


    He raised it in the air as the crowd cheered, and crushed it, causing fake blood to explode all over the stage.


    As the applause settled, the fake Tyr walked toward the crowd and faced them while panting.


    "I... will be the king!" The valiant Tyr exclaimed, causing an amused and surprised reaction from the crowd, like a parent listening to the bold wishes of their child.


    Then, a golden crown appeared on Tyr''s head, matching his golden flames and skin.


    The play ended with that brilliant display, and the crowd erupted into a roar of cheer and applause once again. sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    However, in the process of the celebration, Augustus'' voice broke through the noise: "Blasphemy!" He screamed in anger all of a sudden.


    The crowd immediately quieted down on hearing this, fearful and confused.


    Augustus stood up, a vein popping out of his forehead in anger.


    The slave playing as Tyr turned and faced the emperor with a fearful expression.


    "W-what is the matter, your glory?" He said in a meager, shaky tone.


    "Slave..." Augustus began to speak, clearly seething with anger, "Not only do you speak back to me... as if you and I are equals... but you dare wear a golden crown in the presence of the Emperor!?"


    A wave of gasps fueled by shock and realization washed through the crowd.


    The slave paused for a millisecond before quickly taking the golden crown off his head.


    "I-I am terribly sorry!" The slave fell onto his knees, "The crown represents Tyr''s golden powers.


    It did not mean to offend your authority at all, your glory!"


    Augustus snarled, "Damn slave still wants to blabber in my ear... hawk tuah!"


    The Emperor spat in the direction of the slave in disgust before continuing:


    "No king in this continent dares to wear a golden crown.


    Even those from the largest kingdoms below the five empires... or even those ruling the five empires... besides me, and me alone!" Augustus'' voice echoed through the deadly silent arena.


    The slave was on the floor, panting into the ground with wide eyes of horror.


    With a disdainful expression from Augustus, the slave exploded out of nowhere from the inside.


    Their blood and organs were splattered across the stage, as a gasp rippled across the crowd.


    "Do not forget thy prestige!" Augustus roared, "I alone wear the golden crown!"

 Chapter 163: Continental Event (4) Entrance

    The other performing slaves shook in fear, but were frozen by it as well.


    They were unable to move from their bowing positions.


    The arena was quiet.


    The atmosphere... awkward.


    But, this was slightly expected of the Emperor of Rock Saelfine.


    In the midst of the silence, Karax Haou''s presence blessed the arena once again.


    Appearing in the sky a few meters above his throne at the center of the hall.


    As he floated down, all eyes were drawn to him.


    With a nonchalant expression, he said: "They are here."


    *BANG*


    The door to the entrance suddenly blasted open.


    Without delay, all eyes darted toward the noise.


    Behind the gates were four figures almost outlined by the darkness behind them.


    Tyr stood in the middle with his hands extended, seemingly having pushed the doors open.


    He had a slight smirk on his face as he muttered under his breath, "Whoops... I didn''t know the doors were so loose."


    He began to walk forward with a calm yet confident strut.


    His team followed behind him.


    Silence flooded the room as the eyes of everyone inside the arena fell onto them.


    You could taste the judgment in the air.


    Tyr led with a slight smile and wide eyes.


    Malon walked to his left, a 7-foot-tall giant capturing many gazes.


    Noa was to the left, Ol'' Betsy resting on her shoulders with one hand on the trigger.


    Finally, Hanzo walked at the back of the group with his hands behind his head and his eyes closed, giving a composed aura.


    As Judgement walked forward, whispers began to quickly build up.


    "So that''s them, huh..."


    "Quite the dramatic entrance..."


    "They look fearsome."


    "They are younger than I expected." S~ea??h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "They took down the Black Merchant Guild? Wow..."


    "That''s a bit hard to believe..."


    Various opinions were shared between the crowd members.


    On seeing Tyr and his team approach, Julius faced them with a growing grin and a sparkle in his eyes.


    Judgement arrived about 50 meters away from the center stage, at which point they stopped.


    Julius inhaled to speak on seeing this, but before he could get a word out, Tyr spoke:


    "Nice to meet you, Emperors!"


    Tyr said in a lone tone, followed by a few seconds of silence.


    People in the crowd looked at each other with confused faces for a second.


    "Did he seriously just say that?"


    "Does he have no respect?"


    "I get it''s his event... but he should be more humble..."


    People began to quickly gossip.


    However, Tyr''s team members didn''t seem to have anything to say against his words, fully sticking with it.


    Hanzo wasn''t impressed inwardly, ''That''s not... a great way to speak with the emperors. But, that''s a conversation to have in private. Right now, Tyr is our captain... dismissing anything he says is a sign of weakness for not just him, but the entire squad.''


    On seeing that this was Judgement''s introduction, Julius laughed, "Hahaha! Amusing! You are quite amusing, Tyr! That''s good, I like you!"


    As Julius said this, a more light-hearted tone was created.


    The crowd members finally became less tense, seeing that Emperor Julius had not taken offense to Tyr''s introduction.


    "Welcome to the banquet held in your honor, Tyr."


    Julius paused.


    For a few seconds, there was nothing but silence.


    Then... whispers began to spread again.


    "Why... have they still not bowed even once?"


    "What are they doing?"


    "Have they never met royalty before?"


    "This is disrespectful!"


    As these murmurs grew, Hanzo and Malon were gritting their teeth in nervousness.


    ''Damn it! Why hasn''t he bowed yet!?''


    ''We can only bow after our leader... or else that would just single him out as being disrespectful.''


    "Thanks..." Tyr said, pausing for a moment himself before saying, "But I have a question."


    Julius raised a brow, "Go ahead... it is your event after all."


    He smiled.


    "Why... did you send spies to keep track of me, instead of informing me of your plans earlier? A formal invitation of sorts could have sufficed..."


    Tyr spoke with a straight face.


    His squad members were shocked by this, but hid their inner thoughts behind their stoic faces.


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    "Isn''t that a bit out of line?"


    "Why is he being so direct? Does he know who he''s talking to?"


    "I think this fame went to his head..."


    Julius was also taken aback by that question, but smiled with closed eyes on hearing it, "Hmm... you actually addressed something that I was about to get to."


    Tyr clenched his jaw, "Right..." He said in a low tone.


    ''I still don''t have a great feeling about this...'' He thought to himself, his intuition blaring alarms in his head.


    "The reason why we sent spies is because..."


    Julius paused again as the anticipation in the crowd reached its peak.


    "You, Tyr Evolion, have been declared a treasonous criminal against all five Empires, and a threat to the continent of Ainsveld."


    Julius'' tone suddenly switched from light-hearted to stone cold.


    His eyelids lowered as his chin raised, a disdainful look on his face.


    A wave of gasps rippled through the crowd as Julius'' words echoed across the arena.


    Every person a part of Judgement furrowed their brows except for Tyr.


    In a mere second, three figures appeared behind Hanzo, Noa, and Malon.


    They were quickly captured and taken away, leaving Tyr completely alone.


    His eyes looked to the left and right, his face still seemingly calm at that moment.


    Hanzo had been captured by Thaddeus of all people and taken to the left of the floor in front of the stage.


    Noa had been captured by the Ice Pillar of Ovalantis and taken to the back of the floor.


    And finally, Malon had been captured by Krax Sakti and taken to the left.


    These were all figures that Tyr had slight previous encounters with.


    Even if that did have a meaning, Tyr wasn''t going to think about it right now.


    He was already heavily preoccupied with the five Emperors before him.


    He stared at them with an unwavering gaze, not backing down whatsoever.


    Augustus spoke from his throne, a slimy smirk on his face, "Tyr Evolion! You hold it... you hold the Fire Dragon!"


    The crowd was astonished to hear this, even more gasps and dramatic noises of bewilderment reverberating through the arena.


    "He has the dragon!?"


    "This was all a setup!"


    "I can''t believe it!"


    "I knew it! I knew this was too unrealistic to be true."


    At that moment, Tyr finally furrowed his brows and stared at Augustus with an irritated glare.


    On seeing this, Augustus immediately stopped grinning, a disdainful expression donning his face as he locked down on Tyr.


    "What? Are you going to do something about it? Huh, Dragon Tamer?"


    Augustus suddenly broke out into a snickering chuckle, "P-pahaha!"


    Tyr didn''t say anything, allowing Augustus to continue.


    "Your following options are simple, boy... the first one is... you release the dragon right now, and you and your entire squad are allowed to walk out of this arena."


    After a short pause, Augustus chuckled before saying, "In chains, and into the dungeons! Kahaha!"


    Tyr still didn''t say anything.


    Seeing this, Augustus'' tone changed to disdain again as he said, "Or... you can choose the second option."


    He paused, staring deep into Tyr''s eyes as he raised his chin in a condescending look, "You walk up here and lick my feet... if you do that, I will let you and your entire squad walk home scot-free... this is a Supreme Decree."

 Chapter 164: Continental Event (5) Dragon Holder

    On hearing that last part, even the other Emperors glanced at Augustus with slightly surprised looks.


    "Oi... we didn''t discuss that. You can''t just give out Supreme Decrees whenever you want," Karax exclaimed in a low tone.


    Julius added: "Karax is right... be wise, Augustus."


    The ruler of Rock Saelfine scoffed and ignored the words of the other emperors.


    The crowd was taken away with astonishment and at a loss for words right now.


    Silence had filled the entire arena after Lord Augustus'' proposal.


    Tyr faced the ground, his expression shadowed.


    All eyes were glued onto him right now without a single second of relief.


    Anticipation in the crowd rose to the roof as Tyr stood there silently.


    Finally, the young man began to slowly walk forward and up the steps to the stage.


    The crowd gasped as they speculated what was about to happen.


    "Wow... Emperor Augustus really is too cruel."


    "Oi! Don''t say that! He might hear you..."


    "I think that brat deserves it! It''s a reality check..."


    Tyr slowly made his way across the stage, even the other Emperors staring at his every movement intensely.


    Julius exhaled, as though a bit tense.


    ''This boy... why can''t I tell his intentions right now? It seems obvious what he is going to do... but he doesn''t know that he holds the power in this situation right now.''


    Dhum furrowed his brows as he mused: ''He holds the Dragon... to injure him would be for this continent to insult the entire world.''


    Karax clenched his jaw.


    ''Surely this fool won''t get too emotional and try to do something to this boy... it will not end good for Ainsveld.''


    Syelthus squinted.


    ''Stay calm... Augustus. I don''t know what you think you are doing... but it''s too risky,'' he said inwardly.


    Tyr arrived a few feet away from Augustus'' feet. sea??h th§× NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The emperor was grinning widely while facing the young man before him.


    "TYR!" Hanzo''s voice suddenly rang from the side. Read new adventures at m_v-l''e|-NovelFire.net


    "Don''t you dare do it!" he yelled, capturing the crowd''s attention for a second.


    At that moment, Tyr smiled under his breath, his face still facing the ground and shadowed.


    With a chop to the back of the neck, Hanzo was knocked out by Thaddeus at that moment.


    Everyone locked back onto Tyr, who arrived a mere foot away from Augustus.


    Finally, he raised his head.


    He stared at Augustus'' stupid smile with a serious look in his eyes, before suddenly smirking.


    "You... can''t do shit to me, can you?" Tyr said out of nowhere, leaning down and getting mere inches in front of Augustus'' face.


    "Don''t think I can''t read the room... I am the Dragon holder... you can''t fucking touch me, bug."


    Tyr grinned, his eyes widening as exhilaration surged through his veins.


    The crowd was blown away by this sudden reaction, utterly puzzled by what they were seeing.


    Noa and Malon smiled wholeheartedly as they saw this.


    The other Emperors had shocked expressions as well, stunned for a moment by Tyr''s words.


    Augustus'' smile instantly faded, his grip on his throne armrest tightening all of a sudden.


    "Now..." Tyr stomped his foot forward.


    "Lick my foot, or else I''m going to kill this damn Dragon you love so much."


    He grabbed Augustus by the hair.


    Jaws dropped to the floor all across the arena, eyes nearly popping out of their sockets from shock.


    All of the other Emperors seemed to raise their guards as they heard Tyr''s threat.


    ''No...'' Julius mused.


    ''Why did you provoke him? He can''t hold himself bac-'' Before he could even finish his thought, a monstrous blast of killing intent exploded out of Augustus--crashing onto the arena like a tsunami.


    A golden flame instantly combusted onto Tyr''s forehead.


    He entered Full Golden Body as all fear instantly vanished from his mind.


    He stared down at Augustus with a condescending look, as if he was a mere insect.


    The crowd on the other hand was assaulted with a ruthless force.


    Many passed out from the pressure, others forced onto their knees.


    Stronger figures were still standing, but horrified by the emperor''s overwhelming aura.


    "Peasant..." Augustus spoke in a deep and slow tone.


    "Get your damn filthy hand off of my head."


    He suddenly stood up faster than Tyr could even fathom.


    Tyr''s hand was propelled backward simply from the force of Augustus standing up.


    However, in that millisecond of time, all four of the other Emperors appeared around Augustus and instantly seized him.


    They all held onto his hands, shoulders, and back--completely immobilizing him.


    Julius stared into Augustus'' eyes with an intense gaze of his own.


    "Stop your foolishness at this instance."


    Augustus seemed to be far too furious to be rational right now.


    His eyes were locked onto Tyr.


    "That bastard dares to touch me... he will die."


    At that moment, Karax stepped forward and lifted Augustus by the collar.


    "No... if you continue, you will die." He said in a deathly serious tone, releasing his own bloodlust.


    Powerful members of each empire stood back, prepared to jump in at any moment.


    "What did you just say to me, you savage brute?" Augustus exclaimed, clearly highly offended.


    Karax replied in a low tone.


    "Do something... let''s see if you care about your life.


    If you think you can truly beat me in combat, even with all of your Supreme Guardians in this arena fighting along with you, then try your best."


    For a few seconds, there was a silent standstill where the auras of the two Emperors clashed.


    Thaddeus stared at Augustus and Karax with wide eyes.


    ''Lord Augustus is in danger... but I will only lessen his chances of survival if I try anything... damn it... why did he go and piss off Karax Haou...''


    In the end, Augustus closed his eyes--erasing his killing intent from the arena.


    Karax immediately let go of the man''s collar, erasing his bloodlust all the same.


    "Smart decision..." he exclaimed as Augustus sat back down.


    Tyr was shocked on seeing this.


    ''Is there such a difference between their power?


    Just how powerful is the king of Zasea if even that bastard and Thaddeus combined can''t beat him!?''

 Chapter 165: Continental Event (6) Significance

    The crowd was at a loss for words. Thousands of quiet murmurs and whispers flooded the arena, but no one dared to speak up.


    "What in the world is going on..."


    "What am I witnessing right now?"


    "I never thought such a crazy day would come..."


    "A peasant still stands after insulting Lord Augustus... who truly is that boy?"


    ...


    Augustus sat in his chair with a shadowed face.


    Karax Haou, Dhum, Syelthus, and Emperor Julius faced Tyr, with the latter standing at the center.


    Tyr stared back with golden eyes of brilliance and might. "What do you all want to do? I have the power to butcher this Dragon at my slightest whim... will you risk that chance?"


    Tyr''s pupils darted side to side, glancing at his captured squad members. Slight worry crossed his mind.


    "Do not bluff too much... boy." Dhum said with a fierce look on his face. "You have no proof to back up what you are saying. We will not blindly believe anything you say--"


    The giant Emperor was cut off abruptly: "Oh yeah? If that were true, then I wouldn''t be standing here right now. If you truly did not believe me whatsoever, you would have already seized me. Yet, you haven''t."


    The crowd gasped, understanding that Tyr seemingly had the complete advantage in this situation.


    Dhum looked around as he heard this reaction from the crowd, flushed with irritation and slight embarrassment.


    "Even if I have no proof," Tyr continued, "You all have no choice but to believe me. I have nothing to lose when I kill this dragon... yet you all... you all have everything to lose."


    Julius widened his eyes slightly. ''The words he is using... he said "when" instead of "if." It''s either the case that this boy is extremely good at bluffing... or he is fully convinced that he will kill this dragon. We need to stop him somehow.'' He began to worry as he realized this.


    Without delay, Julius spoke: "Let''s calm down... we got off on the wrong foot."


    "Oh, I''ll say... the worst foot possible, actually." Tyr replied with a pissed-off tone.


    There was a standstill between him and the emperors.


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    ''I thought we could manipulate him quite easily... but to think that he is one of the few rare individuals born in this continent to not have horrible fear of our authority... it''s like he wasn''t even born here.'' Julius thought to himself, quickly trying to think of a way to reach his goal of obtaining the dragon.


    After a couple of seconds, he raised his voice. "Unfortunately... it seems there is no going back anymore. There is only one way to end this drama."


    Tyr squinted his eyes as he heard this. The crowd was equally confused, listening closely to what the emperor had to say.


    "If we let you leave, the dragon will slip out of our fingers, and possibly lead to calamity. And if we attempt to capture you, you say you will kill this dragon. One way or the other, it will lead to the endangerment of our continent. We cannot have that..."


    As Julius continued, Tyr furrowed his eyebrows in slight nervousness. ''Tsk... he''s figuring out what his best option is as we speak... damn smart fucker. I guess there is a reason he is an Emperor. Right now, their best option would be to try and capture me anyway, as that is the only option in which they at least have even a slight chance of getting the dragon.


    Otherwise, their chances are zero.''


    "I''m sorry... Tyr, but you and your squad will have to die." Julius said in a low tone.


    As soon as he said this, Tyr felt several presences appear behind him.


    ''Behind...'' He thought to himself, his eyes darting to the side. ''They intend to kill me right here...''


    He closed his eyes. ''Blink Step.'' He suddenly disappeared, reappearing behind the four figures who had lunged toward him.


    He looked forward, noticing that they were the four other pillars of Ovalantis.


    They turned as they realized Tyr had managed to avoid their attacks.


    At that moment, Tyr smirked. "Fuck," he said out loud. ''If I didn''t have full golden body, their sheer bloodlust would have melted my damn skin by now.''


    He paused for a moment before thinking to himself with a slight and nervous smile. ''I might actually have to give you over, Ace.''


    ''What did you just say, human? Don''t fucking joke around with me...''


    ''I''m sorry...'' Tyr replied, his eyes closed.


    ''I respect you... Tyr Evolion Thalonis. However, I believe you fail to understand my worth.''


    ''Don''t you understand the circumstance that I am in? It''s either I give you over, or I die, and you are still taken.''


    ''...'' Silence was all that came from Ace.


    Tyr continued: ''Ace... I promise... even if I have to risk my life several times over, I will come and rescue you. Right now, however, I am guaranteed to die.''


    Acres seemed to stay quiet for a while longer before finally breaking out into a slight chuckle. ''Hahaha!''


    Tyr exhaled, furrowing his brows in slight confusion. ''Have you gone mad?''


    ''I am a dragon,'' Ares said intensely, ''Born of the blood of the gods. I hold the gifts of all those who hold power in high regard. Immortal, I reign over the world as a single deity of hope yet catastrophe.''


    Tyr didn''t say anything, understanding that Ares was probably furious right now.


    ''Civilizations have risen and fallen while the eyes of my ancestors have watched from the skies. Societies have worshipped us as Gods, and other cultures have created kingdoms simply to fight us off. Do you understand what I am saying, Tyr Evolion Thalonis?''


    ''No... I don''t.''


    ''Heh...'' Ares scoffed. ''Don''t worry, I figured that.''


    ''Tell me then... what is your purpose in saying all of this?''


    After a short pause, Ares exclaimed with a confident tone. ''A Dragon is this great... but not even a fraction as great... as a Dragon Tamer.''


    At that moment, Tyr''s eyes widened as realization flooded his mind. All of what Ares had said... was about him all along.


    By casting dragons in such a grand light, he was instead trying to make Tyr understand just how significant Dragon Tamers were, or in other words, how significant Tyr was.


    ''I see...'' Tyr finally seemed to understand. ''So that means that--'' He was cut off.


    ''Yep... as of right now, every major faction across Subworld is coming here right now as we speak... to protect and harness a Dragon Tamer.''


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 Chapter 166: Continental Event (7) Another Power Arrives...

    "Julius," Tyr abruptly exclaimed. The four pillars, and five emperors stared back at him with slight hostility.


    "Give me time to decide... whether I will surrender or not." Tyr wanted to delay as much as possible in hopes of the other factions around the world arriving.


    ''If they come here, I will have a better chance at escaping alive...'' This was his main train of thought.


    Julius frowned, "Unfortunately, that privilege of yours has already been lost. You have no choice... you will die here today, Tyr."


    Tyr clenched his jaw on hearing this.


    "Tsk..." One of the younger pillars stepped forward. His face was serious as he raised his hand, "Rain Stampede," he said under his breath.


    After a mere second, thousands of water droplets formed in the air before the man.


    They conjoined together to form a large bull while not making full contact. The bull snarled before dragging its feet across the ground and rampaging toward Tyr.


    It was fast, almost too fast for Tyr to react. He immediately understood the power behind this attack.


    These clearly weren''t just normal rain droplets, but droplets infused with high amounts of Aura that would most likely explode and release lethal shockwaves of force on contact.


    The crowd held their breath as the bull neared mere feet away from Tyr.


    Tyr reacted as fast as he could, but the bull seemed to only accelerate in speed as it traveled.


    It came a foot away from the young man when he muttered, "Flame Breath..." under his breath, having already activated the Dragon Soul Mend.


    A blast of blazing inferno exploded out from his mouth, rushing forward and clashing with the bull.


    The water droplets, as expected, exploded on contact and sent powerful shockwaves throughout the area.


    The wind made Tyr slide back slightly, but he was unharmed.


    The raging dragon fire tore through the bull, rushing toward the stage with the emperors and pillars.


    With raised eyes of surprise, everyone quickly evacuated the stage.


    The fire continued, reaching the other side of the arena before slamming into a wall and obliterating through it before finally calming down.


    The emperors who had moved to the side looked at the impact of the fire, and then back at Tyr with slightly bewildered expressions.


    "You... can use the flame of the dragon?" Karax said, seemingly puzzled with surprise.


    ''A disastrous ability... even with our power, stopping Dragon Fire is not something in our capability... thankfully its speed is still uncultivated. However, if this young man were to become stronger, and master this flame, he would grow far too powerful to control,'' he thought to himself, raising his guard.


    "We cannot afford to underestimate this boy," Karax said, suddenly stepping forward.


    "I will have to--" He was abruptly interrupted.


    "NO!" Augustus'' voice, seething with rage, echoed from behind.


    "If any emperor is going to butcher that brat, let it be me." He glided forward.


    Tyr stood back, preparing himself for the incoming attack of a damn emperor.


    ''Tsk... how long will these factions take!?'' Ares remained quiet.


    ''Master!'' Rudra instead spoke up, ''Let me out... I will sacrifice my life so that you can escape.''


    Tyr smirked slightly on hearing this.


    ''I''m glad you are willing to do that... but unfortunately, your life will only be lost for no reason if I do that.''


    Augustus unleashed his bloodlust onto Tyr.


    Of course, Tyr felt no fear. However, despite not feeling fear, he still felt how powerful those waves of spiritual energy were.


    ''He''s no joke...'' Tyr thought to himself.


    Augustus disappeared out of nowhere, causing Tyr to dart his head around.


    ''Above? Below?'' he questioned as he looked around.


    "Die..." A stone-cold voice sounded from seemingly out of nowhere.


    Tyr''s eyes expanded at that moment.


    ''Fuck... I will have to use Disappear to get away. But... I don''t know if I can think clearly of transporting to another place on Subworld if I don''t have enough time. I need to have peace of mind to carefully envision where I want to go, or else I get teleported to another plane--''


    Tyr felt Augustus'' presence suddenly appear behind him, his eyes opening with shock.


    Time seemed to slow down as he slowly turned his head past his shoulder, seeing a glimpse of Augustus'' face behind him.


    The emperor''s hand was raised, thrusting toward Tyr''s back at an unfathomably quick speed.


    ''Too... fast.'' These were Tyr''s last thoughts before Augustus'' hand made contact with his body.


    BOOOM


    Tyr was suddenly propelled across the arena like a fly swatted out of the air.


    His entire body went limp for a second from the immense pressure and pain traversing through his body.


    [Vitality: 100/125]


    ''But I''m... not that injured?'' he questioned as he slammed into a wall and landed on the floor, his nose bleeding slightly.


    He quickly looked back to see what had happened, and that was when his jaw gaped wide open in shock.


    Augustus'' hand had been stopped mid-attack, clutching by the grasp of an unknown figure.


    Augustus was frozen in place, his hand shaking in struggle yet unmoving.


    He looked at the tall man who was holding his hand with a confused and furious look.


    ''Who is this!? Trying to move my hand feels like attempting to get it out from under a mountain!''


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    The man who had appeared had a calm expression.


    They had long blue hair and dull blue eyes.


    Their attire was a mix of blue and white, and they looked to be no older than 35 in terms of age.


    "You see..." Their deep voice echoed through the arena as the other emperors and powerful figures looked with a sense of awe and confusion.


    The crowd was far more perplexed, not understanding what was going on whatsoever.


    "I wanted to see if Tyr truly had a dragon within his possession. I came here as soon as I heard of this event, and had been patiently waiting for him to showcase any hint of a dragon related to him."


    The man paused, arising even more confusion within the minds of all onlookers.


    "After seeing that brilliant flame, I cannot deny that it is anything short of a dragon."


    The man smiled largely as a powerful blast of spiritual energy exploded out from his being.


    It was not only a high amount, but it was thick and convulsing with power.


    It overwhelmed Augustus'' killing intent instantly, wiping it out as if it was nothing in comparison. S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Each and every member of the crowd who was not at least an Expert Rank immediately passed out.


    The others were crushed onto the floor from the strength, like ten mountains had piled onto their shoulders.


    The pillars and other representatives from the empires fell to their knees, as the emperors nearly folded under the pressure as well.


    Julius'' eyes were wide open in shock.


    ''What is this power? It is incomprehensible. Right now, as I stand, I feel like even the slightest twitch will lead to my certain death.''


    Karax Haou was no less bewildered.


    ''A monster... a monster has come.''


    "I am Lord Huevas Kane, Vice-Grandmaster of the Ten High Peak Faction within the northern continent of Eldraemar. Rulers of this land, heed my words carefully... resign immediately, or face the consequences of impending war."

 Chapter 167: Continental Event (8) Ten High Peak Factions Ultimatum

    As Huevas'' words echoed through the chamber, the emperors'' eyes darted to the corners of the arena, where several figures emerged, exuding an overwhelming and ruthless energy. The ground trembled beneath their presence.


    In the face of this calamity, Julius hesitated only a moment before speaking. "L-lord Kane... can we not come to an agreement? We weren''t actually going to kill him¡ª"


    Suddenly, the force on Julius'' shoulders intensified, forcing him to his knees. His eyes widened with disbelief.


    ''Damn it! Eldraemar must have become a behemoth in the past few centuries. What power... it''s incomprehensible,'' Julius thought as he struggled under the weight of the pressure.


    "Do not spout lies, Emperor Julius of Ovalantis. As I said, I have been here since the beginning of this event. I am no fool when it comes to the play of words," Huevas scolded, his tone severe, like a parent disciplining a disobedient child.


    "I will say this once more... if you care about your continent, stand down," Huevas warned coldly, his words met with stunned silence.


    The emperors were dumbfounded by the display of power before them.


    ''Huevas... I''ve heard that name before,'' Syelthus thought, trying to recall.


    Karax was equally baffled, ''What kind of monsters inhabit Eldraemar?''


    Augustus, however, was too shocked to think. He stood frozen, consumed by confusion and disbelief.


    Dhum''s body shook uncontrollably under the intense pressure, ''I''ve never felt something so terrifying...''


    Finally, Julius could no longer deny the situation. ''A vice-grandmaster from a mere faction wields this much power? How strong must the leader be? The emperors of Eldraemar? I don''t even want to think about it. We''ve encountered a different breed of power...''


    Though reluctant, he composed himself and spoke with an air of formality. "If that is your final decision... then, as a continent, we yield." His head lowered slightly, his voice tinged with shame.


    Tyr, observing from afar, stood in disbelief, his jaw practically touching the ground. Hanzo and Malon were just as shocked.


    ''We got lucky...'' Hanzo thought, still in awe. ''Is this divine intervention, Mother Gaia?''


    ...


    A large smile spread across Huevas'' face as his killing intent receded from the arena. The men who had flanked the chamber also withdrew their overwhelming spiritual energy.


    "Perfect... that was all I wanted," Huevas said, releasing Augustus'' arm and casually walking over to Tyr.


    The crowd, many of whom had passed out under the intense pressure, slowly began to regain consciousness. Their blurred vision gradually focused on the surprising scene before them.


    The emperors stood still, paralyzed with shock, while the powerful adversary from earlier walked freely.


    The crowd remained utterly silent¡ªso silent that the drop of a pin would have echoed throughout the arena.


    Tyr got to his feet as Huevas approached him. There was a brief moment of awkward silence as Huevas grinned broadly at Tyr, who could only return a dumbfounded stare.


    "Uh..." Tyr mumbled, unsure of what to say.


    "It is a great honor to meet you, Dragon Tamer," Huevas said in a deep, respectful tone.


    Tyr blinked in surprise, not expecting such gentle words from this fearsome man. "I... uh, it''s nice to meet you too..."


    "Thank you for feeling that way," Huevas replied, glancing around the arena. "But we don''t have much time. Apart from the continent of Mennanion, factions from Olympus and Terra are likely on their way to Ovalantis. And that''s not even considering the other factions farther away."


    Tyr furrowed his brow, unsure how to respond. "Oh... okay."


    Huevas seemed to realize he had said too much. "Perhaps I shouldn''t have mentioned that," he muttered, looking to the side as if deep in thought. "I''m trying to save time, after all..."


    Tyr''s confusion only deepened. ''Is this guy... an idiot?''


    "Anyway!" Huevas suddenly exclaimed, causing Tyr to raise his guard. "Before they arrive and war breaks out, I have a proposition for you. It''s simple, and I''ll be honest with you."


    "Okay..." Tyr replied cautiously.


    "You are a Dragon Holder. Rare, yes, but also highly sought after. Naturally, many factions will want you. Why? Well... it''s simple."


    Huevas paused, giving Tyr a moment to glance at the other figures who had entered the arena with the vice-grandmaster.


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    ''They''re all monsters... each one stronger than the emperors of Ainsveld,'' Tyr thought, astonished.


    "These factions wish to take you under their wing, to make you more powerful, to help you showcase your true potential. A Dragon and its Tamer don''t just appear out of nowhere. When they do, it changes the course of entire worlds. We need you, Tyr. We need you to make your dragon''s power shine like no other."


    Tyr still had his doubts. Before Huevas could continue, he spoke up, wanting to assert himself. "How exactly will you unlock the power of my dragon?"


    "Unlock? No, no... you misunderstand," Huevas replied, shaking his head. "We are not here to unlock your dragon''s power as if we are above it. Far from that. We want to help you become as powerful as possible, so that you can protect your dragon and allow it to thrive in Subworld for years to come."


    Tyr narrowed his eyes, suspicious. ''It doesn''t make sense... they''re all after the dragon, right? The Tamer is only special because of the dragon, isn''t he?''


    ''No,'' Ares interjected. ''A dragon is valuable because of its ability to destroy. But a Dragon Tamer is special because he can harness that power when no one else can.''


    ''I see...'' Tyr mused, pondering the implications. S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "So, Tyr," Huevas said, drawing Tyr''s attention once again. "Here''s our proposal: The Ten High Peak Faction is arguably the most powerful faction on the continent of Eldraemar. We''ve won the most continental tournaments and are widely regarded as the victors. Our faction trains the most elite talents and shapes them into future lords and even kings.


    We are no mere guild¡ªwe are a tier above any Hunter''s Guild. We offer power, prestige, equipment, materials, techniques... everything you could need to unlock your full potential."


    Huevas paused, then spoke the final words of his offer: "Will Judgment join The Ten High Peak Faction?"

 Chapter 168: Continental Event (Finale) Final Verdict...

    The entire area seemed to drip with silence for multiple seconds.


    The eyes of every crowd member were on Tyr.


    Noa, Hanzo, and Malon also looked at him with hopes that he would choose the answer that was correct in their own heads.


    The emperors could only look with greedy eyes, like beggars stolen of their cheap change.


    Tyr, however, only noticed the eyes of those from Eldraemar at this moment.


    The figures standing on the edges of this chamber along with Huevas had gazes that felt like needles prodding into Tyr''s skin, impatiently awaiting an answer.


    ''If I decline... I am not hopeless here. I can most likely negotiate a deal to protect myself even within his continent and give myself a position of power here. It seems clear that this continent is weak compared to others, so I imagine that would be extremely easy to obtain.''


    He continued to think to himself about possibilities.


    ''Staying here, I can slowly manage to build myself up in this continent and move onwards. However... I have wanted to leave this continent for even more fearsome places for a while now. That was why I visited Zasea¡ªalbeit, it was also because me and the others were running around Ainsveld like headless chickens, not knowing what path we were exactly on.


    Whether it was to escape from certain death or gain power, we have been moving nonstop. Through this time, however... I''ve made good progress in strength, but nowhere near as much in power as I want. There are other categories, but even with strength, I''m only basing my improvements on the environment around me. Who knows...


    if there is a continent so much stronger out there, maybe my increase in strength has been shit this entire time.''


    Many thoughts were buzzing through Tyr''s head, as he knew that this was an important question to answer. It didn''t have exact right answers either.


    ''Right now, I just have to think about the better future in mind, with the goals of everyone in Judgment held at a high standard. Our goals as a whole, decided and undecided, is to grow in power. I personally want to explore Subworld more... because why the hell not? I have only lived in just one planet before this one for a long time... I want to know more about this world. Find exclusive stories on m_v l|e-NovelFire.net


    Along with that, a stronger place means a boost in power. And on top of even that, we are being invited to a so-called legendary Faction...''


    At this moment, Tyr locked eyes with Huevas, who clenched his jaw as he breathed.


    He seemed to grow impatient with each moment.


    At times, he seemed to want to look around, sensing the presence of other factions closing in on Ovalantis.


    Yet, his eyes remained unperturbed and unmoving from Tyr''s pupils.


    Finally, Tyr closed his eyes and made his decision: "I..."


    All ears perked up to hear his verdict.


    "Accept."


    Many gasps resounded through the crowd.


    The emperors were stunned, facing forward with widened eyes and slightly gapped maws.


    Hanzo, Noa, and Malon all had slight smirks on their faces.


    As soon as Tyr said that, the figures around the arena disappeared, and a grin appeared on Huevas'' face as well.


    "Good... great, in fact! Let''s get the hell out of here, young one!" S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He reached out and grabbed Tyr before throwing the tall young man over his shoulders.


    Hanzo, Malon, and Noa had disappeared, having been picked up by the other figures of the Ten High Peak faction.


    And just like that, the individuals from another continent disappeared, taking Judgment along with them and leaving Ainsveld in a discombobulated state.


    Seconds after Huevas and the others left, Augustus squeezed his fist harder than he had ever done before.


    He gritted his teeth, foaming at the mouth from anger as he panted heavily and stared at the ground with a maniacal look of frenzy: "Bastards... DAMN BASTARDS!" His voice roared through the arena.


    "We cannot afford to stay silent! We are Emperors of a continent, damn it! Who do they think they are, to blatantly disrespect us like this!?"


    The other emperors stayed silent.


    "I don''t care about anything else... we lost the Dragon..." Julius sounded devastated and defeated.


    "The strength of the weak... is to know why they are weak." Karax suddenly said under his breath, causing the other emperors, and audience members, to gaze toward him.


    "We are the weak in this situation. And the mistakes we have made over the years have kept us weak. The mistake we made today, and the mistake that the stronger continent didn''t seem to make, was the fact that they tried to conserve the Dragon Tamer... while we... we tried to conserve the Fire Dragon itself."


    Augustus slowly turned to face Karax: "Are you saying that we are just foolish bumpkins? We are wrong, and they are right, so they deserve to humiliate us?"


    Karax faced Augustus with a serious expression: "I am saying that we need to change... to improve. We need to win."


    There was a long, extended moment of silence. It seemed that everyone in the arena took Karax''s last words in different ways.


    The emperors, however, had already figured out what the King of Zasea wanted to implicate.


    However, as Tyr and his group began to quickly journey away from the current continent, the story of Ainsveld was left to continue on without a narrator.


    Over time, who knew what it would develop into? That was a story yet to be told, it seemed.


    On the other hand, Tyr''s journey continued on into a new continent over the next few days.


    Through air, feet, and water travel, Judgment, along with the Vice-Grandmaster of the Ten High Peak Faction and his acquaintances, arrived at a city beside the bay of a wide sea encased between land.


    ***


    Yo! Author here! Thank you all for reading up until this point! Finally, Tyr and his teammates have left Ainsveld.


    They still have many unresolved matters that will be tackled at a later date, at least, according to Tyr''s plan.


    For now, however, he has decided to expand to new heights!


    Eldraemar is no Ainsveld.


    There will be no spoilers here, but expect a much more powerful, ruthless world.


    Along with that, I am excited to present to you the brand new start of a new, big story ARC: Herald of Reckoning (Calm Before The Storm).


    Yes, this is the first big story arc of this novel.


    I have planned it long in advance and hope you enjoy each and every part of it.


    Although the upload schedule may not be ideal, I have tried my best to keep posting nonetheless.


    I''m sure as I continue, it will only pick up more.


    For now, any shows of support are appreciated to help me continue this novel.


    Even continuing to read it gives me a lot of motivation to keep on writing.


    Thanks, and enjoy...

 Chapter 169: To A New Continent

    A few hours earlier...


    The ship of the Ten High Peak Faction glided carefully along the calm waves of the Blue Sea¡ªa large body of water encased between the meeting point of three continents:


    Ainsveld, Eldraemar, and Mennanion.


    The ship was very large. It had multiple rooms, various sitting areas, three large sails, and the sculpted head of a dragon leading it forward.


    Within one of the ten master bedrooms inside the ship, Noa sat alone in her room, seemingly mastering her Ancestral Ability.


    An array of multicolored Aura binds, seals, and arrays were littered around her room.


    With her eyes closed, she tinkered with each and every one in curious ways.


    She created some, destroyed others, and morphed more into different shapes and sizes.


    Finally, she opened her eyes for but a moment. ''I''ve never seen such a variety of Aura seals. Not only are they different in shape and size, but their internal mechanisms coded by Aura are vastly different as well. It''s like a whole new world of puzzles to figure out... amazing!''


    She grinned with eagerness, closing her eyes before continuing her training.


    On the surface of the ship, Malon trained on the completely left side¡ªopposite of the helm.


    With an orb of floating Aura in front of him, he panted while standing before it. He seemed cut and bruised, exhausted and drenched with sweat.


    A man stood behind him. He seemed older, about 40 years in age. His hairy, muscular arms were crossed in a sense of sternness.


    He wore basic clothing: long brown trousers along with a slightly more formal white tunic. His hair was buzzed, and his face was blocky.


    He was around 6''2" tall, and his body was highly developed from just a glance. Overall, his look gave a tough presence.


    "Again..." he said in a low tone.


    Although panting, Malon clenched his teeth, raised his large shield in front of him, and rammed into the crystal Aura orb.


    As soon as Malon made impact, an explosion sent him flying backward. He landed on his bum before rolling back and sliding to a stop a few feet away.


    "Stand!" the buzzed-hair man shouted, prompting Malon to quickly get back to his feet.


    He stepped forward and thrust his shield, unleashing a blast of energy that clashed against the crystal.


    However, the crystal absorbed the attack instantly¡ªtaking zero damage.


    "Tsk!" Malon exclaimed in frustration. "What is this damn thing? It has an ability similar to my shield... growing stronger with each attack and absorbing all the force. Except, it seems superior in every way."


    Out of nowhere, his shield shrunk.


    "Wha¡ªoi! Get big again! What are you doing?" Malon yelled, shaking his arm. When he brought his hand closer to his face, the shield suddenly increased in size again, slamming into his nose and making him fall onto his back.


    "Ack."


    The man overlooking Malon''s training shook his head side to side in disappointment. Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "It''s a Power Crystal... a popular training technology within the higher factions of Eldraemar. What you described was right. This crystal absorbs all attacks and slowly becomes stronger. That is why it is considered to be a perfect training tool for most. It can grow in power to even rival some Faction Branch Captains..."


    "W-what!?" Malon said in shock, standing up and wiping himself off while making his shield disappear into his arm.


    ''Stupid shield has a mind of its own now...'' he thought inwardly. ''Ever since I took that ability from Mrama...''


    ...


    "Are you sure? Faction Branch Captains... that means you, right, Captain Steel?" Malon asked the man.


    The man addressed as ''Captain Steel'' slowly turned to face Malon. "Me? Well... I suppose you are right. But, I am not like most weakling Faction Branch Captains." Steel paused.


    For a moment, Malon thought to himself, ''So this crystal could also beat up the emperors in Ainsveld with its full power, huh... how absurd. But... I guess it has to train with a partner that strong to get that strong over time. It doesn''t just start off like that.''


    "Apart from me, however," Steel continued, "This crystal is able to rival that of other Branch Captains... like¡ª"


    "Wait!" Malon said with excitement. "Prove it... show me that you can overpower this thing."


    Captain Steel looked unimpressed. "Tsk tsk tsk." He exclaimed, shaking his head as he walked over to the crystal.


    ''This object seems invincible... will he really be able to overpower it?'' Malon thought to himself, unsure.


    After taking a deep breath and exhaling, Steel clenched his fist, tightened his arm, and swung his elbow directly into the center of the Aura crystal.


    There was an initial afterblow of force that blasted through the air, nearly taking Malon off his feet.


    After that, however, there was a standstill where the crystal continuously absorbed the force put on it by Steel.


    However, after a few seconds, Steel''s eyes widened as he dug his feet into the floor and pushed with his entire body.


    "Hrah!" he yelled, forcing his elbow through the crystal and shattering it into a thousand pieces.


    A powerful explosion of Aura flew out, shaking the entire ship.


    Captain Steel stood back. "Don''t underestimate me... brat."


    Malon was shocked, his maw open slightly with astonishment.


    On the other side of the ship, Hanzo stood a few feet away from the helm¡ªleaning over the railing and looking out into the sea with a blissful look on his face.


    As the ship shook over the water, he remained stoic in his gaze.


    Tyr stepped beside him, also staring out into the sea with one hand on the railing. "What are you thinking about here all alone?"


    Hanzo looked behind his shoulder at Tyr and then faced the sea again.


    "Oh... well, I was just thinking about my dream."


    Tyr raised one side of his lip, unimpressed. "You still haven''t found it? You are hopeless!"


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    Hanzo slightly laughed as he exhaled. "Not yet... I haven''t found a dream, but that doesn''t mean I never will. As long as I have even a 0.0001 percent chance of finding a dream good enough, I am not hopeless."


    Tyr slowly stopped smiling, understanding this was more serious. "Yeah..." He leaned backward on the railing, facing the sky.


    "I can''t tell you what to dream of... it has to be something you want yourself. Just make sure... it''s worthy of being a part of Judgment."


    Hanzo looked back at Tyr again, but Tyr was already walking away by this point. As he stared at the young man leave, he thought to himself: ''Worthy of being a part of Judgment, huh...''

 Chapter 170: Surprising News

    As Hanzo continued to stare out into the sea, he placed his bow next to him and leaned it against the ship''s railing.


    Gazing at its handle for a second, he thought to himself: ''Boon of Apollo... I used to hide the fact that I ever even had such a power. When Tyr first asked me, I told him that it was an Ancestral Ability that simply gave me elite bowmanship.''


    He paused, chuckling slightly.


    Before he could continue in his train of thought, he heard a voice boom from the center of the ship.


    "LAND HO!" Huevas'' recognizable voice echoed, "Everyone, come to the deck! Before you southerners land in another continent, I will tell you the rules to follow so that you aren''t bombarded by different rules!"


    His words flowed through the wood of the ship as though coated in Aura, reaching the ears of everyone on board.


    In a matter of seconds, all of Judgment had gathered on the deck facing Huevas with curious yet stoic expressions.


    A couple of other figures also summoned and stood to the side.


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    There were three in total. One was Steel, who Malon had been training with.


    The others had unique looks to them. Despite that fact, their presence was noticeable without even looking.


    From a glance, one could tell they were behemoths when it came to power. Not a joke in the slightest.


    One looked to be in his thirties. He wore a black suit with a long overcoat on the outside, similar to Hanzo. He had slicked-back hair and wore a pair of dark glasses over the ridge of his nose.


    He carried himself with an elegant poise and a slight smile on his face, along with a magic wand seemingly attached to his waist belt.


    ''A magician?'' Tyr questioned in his mind, ''He looks like he''s from a random magic movie back on Earth...''


    Behind the average-height magician-like man was a fairly tall lady who was likely close to 6 ft in stature.


    From one look, a few males could potentially have their little guys sit up straighter.


    She almost wore nothing. A rainbow bikini clad her private parts, but barely covered her voluptuous body and bouncy curves.


    She nearly had the perfect proportions for most of the male species.


    Apart from that and her very picturesque face, she had very long rainbow hair that stretched down to her calves.


    With a bright smile on her face, she exuded the embodiment of carelessness, it seemed.


    Hanzo''s eyes were glued to her for a second, his eyelids raised.


    Out of nowhere, the woman gazed at him before smirking and giving him a wink.


    For a second, Hanzo turned to stone, frozen by shock and embarrassment. He quickly looked down, in disbelief of what just happened.


    ''What the fuck...'' He thought to himself. Sear?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Tyr saw this occur and chuckled to himself, ''Pfft... he fell victim so easily.''


    Hanzo couldn''t help but think to himself, ''For the love of everything... please let this be the last time I see her. I''ll die if I have to look at her again. That was way too humiliating.''


    "Alright, listen up!" Huevas exclaimed, "Soon, we will be landing on the shore of Bruther Stone, a harbor city of the Blue Sea. It''s a fairly large town since it''s the main docking place of all those who enter Eldraemar. It''s within Eurania, one of the three empires of Eldraemar... known as the human empire."


    Tyr squinted as he heard this, ''Human empire, huh... in Ainsveld, the human empire of Rock Saelfine was known for its slave trade. I wonder if it''s the same here...''


    Huevas continued, "The Ten High Peak Faction is also located within the region of Eurania but does not fall victim to its jurisdiction. It has its own land and its own rules. We are partners in an alliance, but not one... apart from us, there is also the Cloud Faction in this empire alone, who are our imperial rivals... but let''s not focus on them for now."


    Huevas paused, allowing Judgment to get their bearings.


    "Now... on to the important stuff. The Ten High Peak Faction is located within the Ten Thousand Peak Mountains... quite far away from here, to say the least."


    Everyone exhaled as they heard this, furrowing their brows.


    "It will take most of us mere minutes to get there using technology, but for some... or more specifically... one, it may take them a few weeks, to forever, to maybe even never." Huevas'' tone turned stern at the end, his eyes facing Tyr.


    Tyr raised a brow in surprise, ''What the fuck.'' He simply mused in his mind.


    "But before we get to that, I have something to announce to all of you. Something that is... a bit harsh but also necessary."


    Everyone prepared themselves as Huevas paused.


    "You all will need to split up into one of the Five different Peaks of the Ten High Peak Faction."


    As Huevas said this, everyone part of Judgment furrowed their eyebrows with slight hostility and puzzlement.


    "Before you guys react, let me say my piece. First of all, I''ll explain the layout of our faction. It exists within the Ten Thousand Peak Mountains, on the ten highest peaks of the entire range. There are five different ''Peaks'' or groups within our faction, each one divided by an empty peak in between.


    Within these five Peaks exist five different sects or branches of our guild that specialize in various forms of martial and Aura arts. Naturally, since no man or woman is created the same, he or she has to go to whichever Peak fits them best for their goals and shortcomings."


    The members of Judgment couldn''t rebut much to this, as it made sense. It wasn''t like all of them were the same person at the end of the day.


    Huevas continued, "And... there is also another reason why you all must split up. Not just because training without past friends is more rigorous, but because of the significant fact that Tyr is a Dragon Holder. With all due respect, he is a blade that will only get dull if put in with the rest of the meager blades in our faction.


    He will have to join the Inner Elite Group, which is a very small fragment of our faction that is alike to a sixth branch. Located at the very center of the ten peaks, only those with utmost potential and power are allowed to train and compete with them. However, that isn''t to say that you all won''t meet each other.


    When the tournament of prestige comes around to determine which of the six branches is most superior, you will be allowed to face off against each other... every three months or so."

 Chapter 171: Bruther Stone City

    ***XXXTRA LONG CHAP***


    ------


    "What!?" Tyr exclaimed, furrowing his eyebrows, "Every three months? You want me to simply forget my friends for three months straight!? Why didn''t you tell us this beforehand? It seems..." Tyr paused as Huevas and the other three members of the Ten High Peak Faction gazed at him with a striking intensity.


    "It seems... deceitful. Understand that although I have accepted your proposal, Huevas, I expect full clarity in what option I am given. As long as I have free will, I can still refuse your offer until the very end."


    Everyone paused as Tyr said this. His words imposed a tense, almost awkward atmosphere amongst everyone present.


    However, Huevas didn''t seem to be affected by it much.


    "I completely understand. If you want to decline, you are completely free to do so, as you have from the beginning," Huevas said, pausing for a moment.


    Right as Tyr was about to speak, Huevas continued, "However," his tone became a little deeper, "understand, Tyr, that our intention was to never deceive you or your group. No matter who joins our sect, they will be assessed through days by our elite members and be split up according to their strengths and weaknesses. This applies to your group the very same. Throughout our travels, we have observed each and every flaw, imperfection, strength, and characteristic of you all that we have seen. From that, we have decided to split you all into different groups. This is simply policy. However, I still apologize for the fact that I did not inform you of this earlier. If I had... you all could have potentially changed how you acted in order to get in within the same Peak. I hope you understand, and forgive me for taking this precaution..."


    Tyr exhaled, "Well... we''ve already come this far. And what you said makes sense..." He turned to his team members.


    "Guys... I guess it''s time for a bit of personal growth." He said with a smile on his face.


    "You betcha!" Malon grinned.


    Hanzo chuckled, "Just make sure you don''t change too much. All of you."


    Noa seemed to sniffle as she teared up slightly, "I''ll miss you guys..." Her nose turned red as she attempted to control her tears.


    She wiped her eyes, donning a braver look, "But I''m ready!"


    Everyone smiled as they saw this.


    "Thank you for understanding," Huevas said with a kind smile and closed eyes. He continued:


    "Now... Malon, let''s start with you." As Huevas said this, Steel stepped forward.


    "You, boy, will enter my branch. The Seven World Peak..." Steel grabbed Malon by the shoulder, "Say your goodbyes."


    Malon raised a brow, "W-what!? Right now?!" He paused for a second before turning to face his team members:


    "Get strong, everyone! I promise to get even stronger as well, strong enough to shield all of you--" He was pulled into the air as Steel leaped into the sky--disappearing into the distance.


    Reality began to kick in as Malon''s voice quickly faded into the distance.


    All of the other members of Judgement looked at the large mush turn into a speck of dust in the distance with slight somberness in their eyes.


    "Next!" Huevas exclaimed, "Noa!"


    "Greetings!" The magician-like man stepped forward, "I am Captain Clover of the Million Seal Peak. Welcome to my branch."


    Noa turned to Hanzo and Tyr, her eyes moistening up as her face flushed with a redness, "I''ll miss you all... please take care." She attempted to control her emotions.


    Clover began to swirl his magic wand in the air as a white aura slowly surrounded both him and Noa.


    "I love you all!!--" Noa''s voice abruptly stopped as she and Captain Clover disappeared into thin air.


    Hanzo looked at where Noa had been just a second ago and sighed, ''Damn... saying goodbye is harsh.''


    "Next!" Huevas''s voice boomed, "Hanzo."


    Hanzo faced forward again, ''Oh yeah... now it''s my turn,'' he thought to himself.


    But then, he saw a pair of plump melons juggle over to him.


    ''Wait a minute.'' His mind stopped as he realized what was going on, ''Don''t tell me...''


    "I am Captain Maxim of the Free Flowing Peak! What''s up, you pervy little brat!" The lady who addressed herself as ''Maxim'' embraced Hanzo in a single arm clutch before rubbing the top of his hair with her knuckle. She laughed wholeheartedly as Hanzo''s face plunged right into heaven.


    Hanzo turned as red as a tomato as he forced his head to turn toward Tyr.


    Tyr looked like a monkey right now--his cheeks filled up to the brim with air as he was trying to stop himself from laughing.


    However, he couldn''t hold it any more after seeing Hanzo''s distressed, amazed, embarrassed, and bewildered face.


    "Pff--pahaha!" He broke out into a full-blown peal, laughing his ass off.


    After panting, Hanzo attempted to speak--his heart nearly coming out of his mouth because it was beating so fast, "Tyr... I''ll see you in three months. Have fun..."


    Tyr quickly responded as he laughed, "Oh, I know you will have fun..."


    As he said this, Hanzo froze as his face turned even more red and steam came out of his ears.


    Captain Maxim laughed loudly before pushing Hanzo into her yonkers and spinning him around before throwing him into the air.


    She then dashed forward before leaping up and using her hair to attach herself to the clouds--swinging like a monkey on vines with Hanzo in her hands and quickly disappearing into the distance.


    Tyr looked at Hanzo leave with a scoff, shaking his head from side to side, "Ungrateful, lucky bastard," he said in slight disbelief.


    Huevas sighed, "It may look like that, but Lady Maxim is no gift. If anything, she may just be the hardest Branch (Peak) Captain there is." He paused, looking out into the clouds, "In my youth, she taught me that even I couldn''t last more than a couple rounds with her..."


    There was a long pause, and then Huevas turned to see Tyr looking at him with largely widened eyes of intrigue, shock, respect, and amazement.


    "You are a legend, sir," Tyr saluted the man.


    "W-wha--!? N-no! I didn''t mean it like tha--I meant in battle, you fool!" Huevas'' cheeks blushed with a slight redness as well as he knuckled Tyr across the dome.


    ...


    After calming down, and giving Tyr a bump on the head, he harrumphed deeply before continuing, "Ahem! In any case... let''s get on to you next. The High Echelon inner branch is called the Immortal Branch. Most Peak Captains, all Vice-Grandmasters, and all Faction Sovereigns are from within the Immortal Branch. All those from the Immortal Branch are tasked with making sure this faction does not die out, and its roots continue to thrive for many future generations. I am the captain of this branch, but in reality, no one is the captain of this branch. It does what it wants, has its highs and lows, and becomes what it becomes. Of course, this isn''t to say there isn''t discipline. There is a lot of discipline... but with a lot of work comes a lot of play. I''m sure you can piece the puzzle I am giving you here. However, before you understand much about the faction branch in itself, you will need to get there."


    Tyr squinted his eyes on hearing this.


    "You do not get the same treatment as others. As you are in the Highest Echelon of our Faction, you will need to go through even more hardship. As your first task, you will have to travel to the Ten High Peak faction from the city of Bruther Stone all by yourself."


    Tyr exhaled, "Tsk... I guess it is what it is."


    Huevas grinned, "You got the right attitude. Now... let''s see if you have the ability to walk the walk."


    Huevas disappeared.


    Tyr''s gaze sharpened as the ship creaked to a halt, striking what felt like solid land beneath it.


    He stepped forward, hopping down right to the edge of the dock, his eyes narrowing as he took in the harbor before him.


    The bustling city of Bruther Stone lay stretched out across the shoreline, the air thick with the scent of saltwater and wood soaked by years of constant trade.


    Before him, tall ships with massive sails rocked gently in the harbor, ropes swaying and creaking as sailors barked orders from the decks.


    The sound of crates thudding against the docks filled the air, while men with sun-scarred faces hauled barrels and sacks of goods off the ships. Colonial-era buildings lined the waterfront¡ªstone and timber structures weathered by time and the sea.


    Wooden planks beneath his feet were slick with seawater, worn from countless footsteps, while a scattering of seaweed and debris clung to the edges of the pier.


    He could hear the clamor of the bustling marketplace just beyond the harbor, merchants yelling about their wares¡ªspices, rum, weapons, and exotic fruits.


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    Taverns, their wooden signs creaking in the breeze, stood like landmarks, their doors wide open to offer sailors a brief escape from their journeys.


    The sound of laughter and the occasional outburst of a drunken brawl spilled out onto the street, blending with the distant echo of a blacksmith hammering metal into shape.


    People bustled about, dressed in colonial-era garb, though some were in flamboyant outfits resembling nobles from distant lands. Their laughter and chatter blended together, creating a lively atmosphere that felt foreign yet familiar.


    ''Seems... lively.''


    Tyr inhaled deeply before taking a large step forward...


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 Chapter 172: Asking For Directions

    The first place Tyr entered was a tavern deeper inside of the town. It was the largest one he had seen, so naturally, it caught his attention.


    The half-doors swung open as he stepped inside the dimly lit bar.


    The establishment was lively with chatter, as expected. Many men and women sat around tables spread across the floor, most boasting in a drunken state.


    The bar was large, with close to 50 large tables and several dozen duplet seating arrangements as well.


    Four large wooden pillars stuck out near the center of the room.


    At the very back was a long bar table with tall barstools and a marble counter.


    Behind the counter were shelves filled with high-grade spirits, fine wine, and barrels of booze.


    Noticing a bartender working the table alone, Tyr decided to head straight over and ask for directions to the Ten High Peak Faction.


    ''Should be pretty straightforward...'' Tyr said to himself as he began to move toward the back.


    As he made it halfway to the bar table, a few wooden floorboards below him creaked loudly, and a few rough-looking men cast wary glances his way.


    Tyr made eye contact with the men for less than a second before moving on. ''They''ve been making the most noise since I''ve entered this place...'' He thought for a moment, exhaling.


    ''I''ll just get my directions and be on my way.''


    He arrived at the bar table, barely able to focus on the bartender due to the chaotic noise all around him.


    The bartender was a middle-aged man with weary eyes and a nervous demeanor, constantly juggling orders from what Tyr could see.


    He cast a slight glance at Tyr before being ordered by a person at the bar table.


    "Oi!" A woman yelled from across the long counter, "Give me another pint of the ginger!"


    "O-oh, yes!" The bartender rushed to serve the woman, when a man from the opposite end called out again:


    "Hey! A refill on this end as well!" He shouted, prompting the bartender to urgently turn around with sweat trickling from his brow.


    The man looked to his friend before they both had a chuckle at the situation.


    Finally, the bartender rushed toward Tyr, "How can I help you, sir?" he said, wiping the sweat from his face with a rag.


    Leaning against the table, Tyr calmly spoke, "Hey, do you by chance know the fastest way I can get to the Ten High Peaks Faction?"


    The bartender glanced up, startled by what he had just heard. Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    After a short pause, he vaguely gestured toward a certain direction in one of the corners of the tavern.


    Without turning his head, Tyr''s eyes glanced in that direction, noticing that same group of rough-looking adventurers from before who were making a scene.


    Tyr''s eyes returned to the bartender''s, as the man behind the counter awkwardly gulped and coughed out:


    "Uh... I''ll see what I can do. But... you might want to wait until those guys in particular are out of here first. They... don''t take kindly to outsiders, you know?"


    Tyr raised a brow, "Outsiders? How did you know I was--"


    Tyr paused as the bartender poured a shot of clear spirit in a glass, filled it up with ice, and slid it across the table to the young man in front of him.


    "My lucky charm?" The bartender winked, only to be met with an unimpressed look from Tyr.


    He harrumphed, quickly adjusting his response: "No one from Eldraemar would ask such a question, as you have asked today."


    ''Huh... that makes sense.'' Tyr mused for a split second before saying, "Look... I''ll be able to handle myself. Put yourself at ease."


    The bartender frowned, but noticed that Tyr''s straight expression didn''t seem to be disappearing any time soon.


    ''He''s serious...'' the bartender thought, finding a bit of safety in Tyr''s confidence, if only just for a moment.


    ''Still... it''s natural for an outsider I suppose. I won''t be the reason this young man loses his life...'' the bartender said to himself in a determined tone.


    "I wish I could help you... but those men are not from any old gangster group. They are members of the Bruther Clan. Guards of the noble family that rules this city..."


    Before Tyr could respond to this, a voice barked from the corner: "Oi, Yusef! Come over ''ere and pour us a drink!"


    The bartender instantly responded to this order, as if he was a robot programmed by that command: "Y-yes!"


    He seemed to forget about Tyr''s existence, instantly moving toward the loud table in the corner.


    Tyr sighed, sitting down as he took a sip of the spirit he received.


    He made a slightly sour face, ''Bleh... tastes like pure hand sanitizer.'' He placed the glass down, glancing at the group of noisy men one last time.


    They were visibly tough and were causing quite a scene with their incessant jeers and taunts to others in the bar.


    They were dressed in a mix of worn-out and also brand new mismatched adventurer''s gear.


    It was pretty obvious that they had gotten these ''special'' new pieces from a few unsuspecting victims recently.


    Their weapons were slung over their chairs, and coins were scattered on their table.


    As they continued to drink, their voices got louder and even more obnoxious.


    What stood out to Tyr was the fact that they looked to have forced the bartender into a game of bets, taking turns tossing coins at him and mocking him every time he fumbled or missed. Continue reading at m|v-l''e -NovelFire.net


    Each time he caught the coin, he was allowed to keep it, but each time he missed, they would ridicule him in front of everyone and take their coins back.


    One of them flung a coin at the bartender''s forehead, striking him right in the glabella and leaving a deep red mark.


    "Hahaha!" The man burst out laughing, "Are you retarded or something? Can''t you catch a simple coin!?"


    As the table laughed, people from other tables also seemed to enjoy the show.


    Tyr took another sip, observing the situation unfold in behind him.


    The bartender''s shoulders tensed up with humiliation as the men around him continued to harass him for being too slow.


    A scar-faced man leaned forward, grabbing the bartender by the back of the neck and breathing stinking hot breath in his face as he said:


    "Come on, my little bitch... catch the coins already. I''m losing my streak here... I bet you would catch at least ten by now."


    The bartender remained frozen with fear, barely able to whimper a stuttering reply, "Y-yes sir..."


    The group suddenly burst into laughter again on hearing this.


    "Pahaha! Sir, he calls you!"


    "This man has more politeness in his heart than cells in his brain!"


    "What a boot licker..."


    "Are ya'' gonna drink my piss next!? Ahaha!"


    The bartender had no clue what to do in this moment.


    The many eyes piercing at him made him feel stunned with humiliation, and each insult that was flung his way hit him like a brick to the head.


    It was horrible in every way, and he had no choice but to stand there and take it.


    By this point, most of the bar had gathered around this table, laughing as they partook in watching the abuse of the bartender.


    There were only a couple of others who still remained seated, and one of them was Tyr, who was patiently waiting for the bartender.


    Noticing this, one of the men at the table, a burly guy with jagged teeth, stopped laughing and squinted at Tyr.


    "Hey, you! The loner!" he yelled across the room, loud enough to draw attention. "You think you''re better than us? Sitting there all high and mighty?"


    ...

 Chapter 173: Taunts

    Tyr heard what the man had said, but had no reaction.


    ''High and mighty? Well... I guess I do believe that,'' he pondered in his head as he continued to sip his drink in peace.


    He wasn''t affected by the man''s words much at all, and definitely not enough to react in any sort of way.


    The man with jagged teeth sneered at Tyr as the bar began to take note of what had just happened.


    The man with messed-up teeth glanced around at the crowd, who was looking at him for some sort of reply after this slightly humiliating moment where his taunts were outright ignored.


    The crowd also began to quiet down, anticipating a reply from the man.


    Without any more delay, the man with jagged teeth barked out loud, "Ohh~~ you must really think you''re some hot shit, attempting to ignore me. I can tell you''re new around here... you better start acting less smart, or you might become my next bitch." He grinned at his friends as the crowd voiced their dramatic amusement at his jeers.


    On hearing this, Tyr squinted slightly, ''Now that... that pisses me off a bit.'' He thought to himself, turning around after a few seconds of silence.


    He faced the man with jagged teeth straight on as most of the bar gazed toward him, eager to hear his response.


    "Do I think I''m better than you?" Tyr asked, seeming almost offended by that question, "Does a bear shit in the woods?" He spoke with an almost joking, insulting tone of condescension.


    On hearing this, a few couldn''t help but burst into chuckles.


    Quiet whispers also began to ripple around, but they were all drowned out as the man who had initially insulted Tyr abruptly stood up.


    His face was shadowed, his expression fuming with rage as he gritted his teeth and flared his nostrils.


    Seeing this, a hush fell over most people in the tavern. Those who hadn''t gotten the memo were quickly tugged on the shoulder and told to be quiet.


    A more serious atmosphere washed through the pub as even the other members of this ''Bruther Clan'' stopped what they were doing and paid attention to their burly accomplice.


    The man with jagged teeth revealed his tall height of 6''2'''', which towered over most other people in the bar.


    He had a bulky yet muscular physique, like a grizzly bear. He had hair all over his body except for his head, which was balding for the most part.


    However, he had a long brown beard that lowered to his torso and was braided at the very bottom.


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    He spoke with a deep, hatred-fueled tone: "What did you just say?" Anyone could tell the anger seeping out from his voice.


    Tyr spun around in his seat, entertaining the brute and playing along, "What? You can''t take a joke at your decrepit age?"


    Tyr had thrown a direct insult at the man now, which seemed to shock the crowd, causing a gust of gasps to ripple throughout the room.


    "Did he really just say that?"


    "Who is that guy?"


    "Uh..."


    "This looks like it''s about to get sketchy..."


    The other Bruther Clan members turned in their chairs, facing Tyr with hostile looks on their faces.


    The bartender from before gulped, sweat trickling down his forehead as a frown appeared on his face. ''What in the world is that young man thinking!? Does he think he''s some sort of hero? To do all of this just for me... it''s foolish! He doesn''t even know who I am!''


    A few silent eyes sitting in the corners of the bar also glanced over at Tyr at this moment.


    Tyr, on the other hand, had a slight, unimpressed smirk on his face.


    "You must want an early death..." the man with jagged teeth exclaimed, "I don''t get to fulfill the wishes of suicidal men often... but then again, I''ve only lived the fresh age of a 25-year-old..."


    Tyr scoffed on hearing this, "25? Yeah right!" He chuckled, pausing for a moment as the crowd furrowed their brows at his reaction, shocked and at a loss.


    "Wait... you''re serious?" Tyr said in a more normal tone after a few seconds, "Wow... you must have some shitty genetics. It looks like the gods decided to switch your chin and your scalp. I mean... seriously, is that your pet snake tied up for safekeeping down there?"


    Although many tried desperately to stop themselves, they couldn''t help but burst out into peals of laughter.


    "P-p-phaha!"


    "Ahaha!"


    "Switched places!? Haha!"


    The statement was too absurd and unexpected for even the fearing crowd to hold in their amusement.


    Hearing all of this laughter around him, the burly man felt a flush of embarrassment wash through his face. He stood there, frozen for a moment.


    "That''s it... I''ve had enough of your shit. I tried to give you a chance... but you just keep insisting on getting your ass beat." The man stormed forward with heavy steps.


    He arrived before Tyr within seconds, capturing the silence of the crowd again as they looked on to see what would happen next.


    The man raised his hand and tightly grabbed onto Tyr''s shoulder.


    Tyr had a nonchalant expression. His eyes slowly looked into the eyes of the man standing above him and then turned to face the hand on his shoulder.


    Seeing this, the other members of the Bruther Clan seemed to sit back in their chairs, feeling relieved.


    "Cheh! I actually thought the brat was a bit of a threat, seeing the way he was speaking," one said, turning to the other with a smirk.


    "He''s just a loudmouth, it seems..."


    "Well, it doesn''t matter now, does it?" one asked rhetorically, "Hamo''s strength is unparalleled. His Ancestral Ability makes his grip more powerful than a damn Warden Rank Beast..."


    Another nodded on hearing this, "Yep... once Hamo has got you within his grasp, you''re fucking done for..."


    Tyr exhaled, ''The fool really just had to go and step in my way...'' he thought to himself. ''Well... since he''s a bad guy, maybe I can get some exp from this encounter, and not leave empty-handed.''


    He paused, ''Eh... but then again, do I want to mess with the city''s main clan that much? Hmm... well, I guess that''s to decide in a few seconds. Firstly, I need to get this pig''s filthy hands off of me.''


    At that moment, Tyr pushed his feet into the ground and began to stand up.


    Experiencing the force of Tyr''s legs, the man addressed as ''Hamo'' by his comrades pressed down even harder. His eyes widened as an instant reaction to the force he felt on his hand right now.


    However, it wasn''t like he was going to actually let the brat stand up.


    ''My entire reputation is the ability to do this. This cunt really thinks he can overpower me?'' After thinking this, a red aura surrounded his hand, increasing the force applied to Tyr''s shoulder.


    Despite this, Tyr still had a confident smirk on his face.


    "Pfft!" Hamo exclaimed, "Don''t even try it, motherfucke--" He suddenly stopped speaking as an immense, machine-like power drove up through his arm.


    "W-what?" He exclaimed out loud in shock as Tyr slowly began to stand through the oppressive force.


    The crowd, who had already decided that the incident was over after seeing Hamo grab the young man, were now entranced by what they were seeing, their attention pulled back in.


    "W-what?"


    "No way... that guy... he''s overpowering Hamo''s death grip."


    "What the fuck..."


    Tyr fully stood up, towering over even this brute by 2 inches and staring down at his face with an unimpressed expression.


    "Go to a dentist," Tyr said, the side of his lip curling with disgust.


    "What?" Hamo responded.


    He was immediately met by a devastating punch to the stomach¡ªnearly popping his eyes out of his sockets as he was folded in half like an omelet.


    All the air in his lungs was evicted instantly as he fell over onto Tyr''s arm, completely unconscious.

 Chapter 174: Bar Beatdown

    The four other men at the betting table immediately stood up.


    The crowd was understandably shocked, their faces representing pure astonishment.


    They subconsciously backed up, making space in the center of the tavern between Tyr and the Bruther Clan.


    "Big mistake!" One of the thugs rushed forward, thrusting his dagger toward Tyr.


    Tyr sidestepped the attack with ease, grabbing the man''s arm and yanking it toward him.


    As the man stumbled forward, Tyr didn''t waste any movements and grabbed the back of the goon''s head before driving it into the counter behind him.


    A gruesome crunching noise sounded as the man slid to the floor and landed with a thud, his nose looking like a crushed tomato.


    Another man lunged forward, unleashing a kick to Tyr''s abdomen.


    Tyr grabbed the leg with his left hand, instantly halting the blow. With his right hand, he grabbed a chair nearby before swinging it around and smashing it into the thug''s face.


    The chair broke into several pieces as the man was knocked out stone cold.


    The last two men, part of the Bruther Clan, seemed visibly shaken.


    They stood frozen for a second, stunned by what they had just seen.


    Despite this, they both grabbed their weapons tightly.


    One rushed forward with his spear in hand, unleashing several consecutive strikes toward the tall young man.


    However, Tyr sidestepped each attack as if they were coming in slow motion.


    He danced between the blows, arriving mere inches from the thug before raising his hand to get a hold of the man''s collar.


    Just as Tyr''s hand grazed against the man''s shirt, he stopped his spear strikes and rushed to back away.


    Using some sort of Aura ability, his body turned into a blur before reappearing several feet away from Tyr.


    This movement was so abrupt that pieces of coins and accessories the man had on his body were left to fall to the floor, rolling around before coming to a stop.


    Tyr raised a brow, ''Huh... that''s like Blink Step.''


    After panting slightly, the man who had escaped gave a slight smirk, "It won''t be that easy, you little--"


    Out of nowhere, a coin came spiraling through the air at high speeds, hitting the Bruther Clan member square in the forehead.


    The blow rattled his brain, making him lose consciousness as his eyes rolled back into his head and he fell backward onto the ground.


    The crowd gasped as they realized that Tyr had done this by a simple flick of his finger.


    As the fight continued, the way everyone viewed Tyr changed dramatically with each passing second.


    There was less confusion and skepticism, instead replaced with respect and fear.


    Tyr finally turned his attention to the last standing member of the Bruther Clan.


    Without hesitation or fear, he walked forward.


    ''After beating his men like dummies, I know this fool wouldn''t dare risk trying anything stupid,'' Tyr mused as he arrived directly before the last thug.


    The man stumbled backward, his hands shaking from fear.


    As soon as Tyr noticed this, he swept his legs out from under him with a swift low kick.


    The man fell onto his bum with a thud and a wince, dropping his weapon and gazing at the young man above him as if begging for mercy through his regretful eyes.


    Tyr stared at the man for a few seconds before speaking, "Pathetic... and you should thank me for not using you and your weakling group as EXP."


    The man had no clue what Tyr just said, but knew that shutting his mouth would be the best option. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He simply nodded frivolously, waiting until Tyr turned his head.


    Tyr did just that, glancing at the bartender, who was standing there with his jaw on the floor.


    As soon as Tyr redirected his attention, the man on the floor pushed himself back far enough away before pushing himself up to his feet and sprinting out of the tavern.


    The bartender met Tyr''s gaze, which now felt completely different from before.


    ''I don''t know why... but I feel like I should not look away from his eyes...'' the bartender mused, feeling a looming sense of authority spewing from Tyr''s pupils.


    "I asked for directions to the faction..." Tyr spoke with a nonchalant tone, sparking the bartender back into reality.


    He gulped loudly before rushing to speak, "Ah--uh-y-yes! Of course..."


    The eyes of everyone in the crowd had not settled down just yet.


    After seeing Tyr dominate the men of the Bruther Clan, they couldn''t help but continue to stare at him in reverence and confusion.


    "Where in the world did he come from? He''s young, but seems to have quite a blasphemous amount of power."


    "I wonder if he''s powerful enough to be recruited to a faction..."


    "Maybe he''s already from a faction."


    "Hahaha! Don''t joke around. A boy from a faction would never act in this way."


    "Hey... but hypothetically speaking. If he was from one, the Bruther Clan would be shaking in their boots right now."


    "Yeah yeah... that ain''t possible, buddy."


    After a short pause, the bartender tidied his collar, walked back behind the counter, and finally spoke: "So... you wanted directions to the Ten High Peak Faction, correct?"


    As soon as those words left his mouth, a series of gasps rippled through the crowd again.


    "T-t-the Ten High Peak Faction!?" One guy said in a louder tone, at a loss.


    "Don''t joke around with that name."


    "How could this boy ever join such a prestigious faction? Impossible."


    "Is he out of his mind? Why would he want to even try to go there? They will just kick him out like a dog."


    "Hey! Watch your tone... what if he hears you?"


    ...


    The bartender spoke as Tyr walked back to the bar counter and gave him a nod, "In all honesty, one cannot reach such a prominent faction through normal means. To enter... you need to gather enough money for a direct transportation terminal."


    Tyr''s eyes widened slightly on hearing this, ''Money? Crap... I forgot I left all of that with Noa before we parted ways. I barely have a few gold coins on me right now.''


    "Aren''t those free in each major city?" Tyr asked, a bit confused, "If not free... they should at least be affordable to most, right?"


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    That''s how he understood it to be in Ainsveld, at least.


    "Well, traversing cities and kingdoms compared to entering very prominent factions is very different. To just enter the land of a highly successful faction like the Ten High Peaks, you would need 10 Aura Stones."


    "10 Aura Stones!?" Tyr exclaimed in surprise, "For what!? There''s no way just traveling there costs so much!"


    ''That''s like 100,000$ USD back on Earth... isn''t that a bit too absurd!?''


    The bartender nervously chuckled, "I have no other say on the matter. I hope you understand."

 Chapter 175: Exploring Bruther Stone

    Tyr scoffed in slight disbelief at what he was hearing.


    After a short pause, he sighed and turned around, "Fine... thanks for the help."


    As he left the bar, everyone still stood frozen in place.


    "Did that really just happen?"


    "I still can''t believe it..."


    ...


    Tyr calmly strolled through the streets with his eyes closed. ''Those thugs... well, I guess they aren''t really thugs. They are members of the town''s clan... albeit, most likely just some scrubs who joined for infamy and status. Still, their level was around 150 on average. Easily in the Adept Rank.''


    He paused, pondering on this for a short while.


    ''That''s quite the upgrade from Ainsveld. Usually, most goons like these wouldn''t even be above level 50. That means that as status goes higher, power will also far supersede that of Ainsveld. Or, in other words, I''m weak as crap here. My level is still only 302...''


    As he made his way through the lively streets, Tyr visited various weapons and armor shops.


    ''I''ve wanted to increase my power in a better way, but I''ve been stalled each time. The only reason I''m even this powerful now is because of that incident in Tarnish.''


    He visited beast material stores, alchemy shops, aesthetic businesses, and pretty much whatever else was on the streets.


    He wanted to see how things were in Eldraemar. How they were different, and how they were similar to what he knew.


    ''I still haven''t fully looked into gaining power in this world. All I''ve done is trust my GG power of leveling up through killing. But... there are those in Eldraemar who are far superior to me without even having this advantage. My goal is to have no shackles... and being so weak is the biggest shackle I have right now.''


    He also wanted to get to know more about getting to the Ten High Peak Faction in case the bartender from earlier hadn''t been telling him the whole truth.


    After an entire day of roaming Bruther Stone, Tyr arrived back at the same tavern that he had originally entered.


    ''Well... I guess that''s why I am here in Eldraemar. Once I get into that faction, I will study and fully indulge in the alchemy and cultivation side of things. All this time, I have focused more so on leveling with GG, but I have never focused on the thing that has made everyone else in this world so strong... Ancestral Abilities, Cultivation, Ranks, and Alchemy.''


    Tyr caught a few odd glances here and there from some people when he entered the establishment.


    It seemed some people from earlier that day had decided to stick around or maybe come back for a second time.


    Other than that, there were some curious expressions that floated around upon seeing Tyr as well.


    These curious figures were tapped on the shoulder by their friends, who whispered words along the lines of:


    "That''s him..."


    "He''s the one I was talking about." S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "That''s the guy I heard beat up those Bruther Clan members..."


    "He dares to come back here? His balls must be made out of top-grade steel."


    Tyr ignored all of these reactions, making his way to the back again and capturing the bartender''s attention with a hand gesture.


    Seeing Tyr, the bartender was at first struck with surprise.


    ''That guy... why the heck is he back here? I hope he doesn''t cause much trouble for my establishment again. Then again, I guess I shouldn''t be too harsh on him. He did save me from those bullies...''


    He quickly wisened up, rushing toward the young man who had called him over.


    "Yes, sir. What is it?" the bartender said with a polite tone.


    "You got rooms here, right? I want to stay for a day."


    "Oh..." The bartender paused, looking to think to himself as his face turned slightly glum.


    ''He wants to stay here out of all places!?''


    "Well... you know, Bruther Clan men love to stay here," the bartender said in a whisper, leaning in. "It''s kind of a hot spot for them. I don''t think you should be risking another fight."


    The bartender looked up at Tyr''s eyes, a fearful and uncertain look on his face.


    Tyr looked back down at him with an unimpressed gaze, "You call that a fight?" he said in a low tone.


    The bartender paused, making this staring session between the two men quite awkward as he donned the same uncertain expression on his face.


    After a couple of seconds, he lowered his head and handed a key to the young man.


    "I apologize... your room is upstairs to the right. Please have a nice stay," the bartender finally conceded.


    Tyr grabbed the key and began to reach for his storage ring.


    "Oh, no worries. As a sign of gratitude for helping me out before, the stay is on me," the bartender smiled.


    Tyr gave a subtle nod, turning and heading for his room.


    On the upper floor, there was a long, wide hallway that had multiple smaller hallways branching out of it.


    Each one of these smaller hallways had room doors on either side.


    Everything was modestly decorated, the interior made of mostly wood planks.


    Tyr made his way to his room according to the key number, exhaling as he placed the key into the doorknob.


    ''I can''t afford to waste time here... I need to get to the faction as soon as possible.''


    On thinking this, he opened the door and stepped inside.


    Right as his foot landed on the floor, his eyes expanded with surprise.


    The room itself was fairly normal, with a large window, a single bed, a table and chair, and what looked to be a door to the bathroom.


    However, what shocked him was a random, beautiful young woman elegantly dressed in fine silks lying on the windowsill beside the bed. Enjoy new chapters from m-v l''-NovelFire.net


    The woman stared right at him with inviting brown eyes and plump red lips, her dark hair cascading over her shoulders.

 Chapter 176: Seduction

    "Shit..." Tyr muttered under his breath.


    He then thought to himself, ''Was the bar guy trying to subtly warn me by talking about the Bruther Clan? It seems this place is a...''


    He paused, nearly unable to think of it in his disbelief. However, he managed to speak it out loud: "This place is a god damn brothel?"


    As soon as those words left his lips, the woman beside the window suddenly scrunched her brows with anger.


    "What did you say!?" she shouted, clearly offended.


    "What? It isn''t?"


    "Of course not! I am not a prostitute! Quite the opposite!"


    Tyr raised a brow, even more perplexed.


    "I am... I am the daughter of the Bruther Clan head family!" the woman shouted in an attempt to reclaim her reputation in the eyes of this man who had just called her a hooker.


    "Oh... what? Why the hell are you here?" Tyr said, emphasizing the ''you'' in his statement.


    The girl shook her head, exhaling while closing her eyes, "Look... I think we started off on the wrong foot."


    She stood up, slowly walking over to Tyr.


    "Yeah..." Tyr said, at a loss in this situation. ''I can''t gloss over the fact that she said she''s from the Bruther Clan. Any odd movement... and I''ll have to deal with her. This is dangerous territory.''


    The woman arrived beside him, leaning against his arm as if she had known him for years. "Impressive... what you managed to do this evening," she said, her voice sweet, "but I think my men had a little too much to drink today."


    Tyr remained silent for a moment, then hesitantly nodded, his face unreadable.


    ''Is she trying to purposefully downplay the stupidity of her men? For what purpose?'' Tyr thought to himself.


    "Let me make it up to you." She placed her hand on his back, leaning closer as her lips curved into a small smile.


    "You''re not from around here, are you?" Her voice was smooth and low, meant only for his ears. "I could tell the moment you walked in. You''re... different... you''re very strong. Someone like you could use a guide through this city, don''t you think?"


    Tyr''s eyes narrowed slightly as he observed her, his mind working through the situation.


    ''She thinks she can charm me.'' He smirked internally, letting her believe her subtle seduction was working. ''Cute.''


    "I could help you, you know," she whispered, her hand brushing against his back lightly, just enough to make it seem like an innocent touch.


    "My family runs this city. We could make sure you''re... safe. You want to get to the Ten High Peak Faction, don''t you? I can help you." S§×arch* The Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Tyr raised an eyebrow, turning fully to face her.


    ''And if I don''t follow your directions... then I''m not going to be safe... isn''t that what you''re really trying to say? That I will be an enemy if I don''t comply?''


    He didn''t pull away from her touch, knowing full well what she was trying to do.


    "You''re offering me protection?" His tone was calm, indifferent, almost as if he hadn''t already anticipated her next move.


    "Not just protection," she smiled wider, her eyes dancing with satisfaction as she became convinced that Tyr was already wrapped around her finger.


    "An opportunity. I can get you where you need to be¡ªno strings attached. All I want in return... is friendship."


    Tyr let the silence hang between them, his expression thoughtful, though inside he was far from swayed.


    ''Perfect.''


    He could see her manipulation clear as day, but he wasn''t about to pass up an opportunity to use her.


    If her family had power in the city, she could be the perfect key to getting into the faction.


    ''She thinks I''ll follow her like a lost puppy,'' he mused to himself, unable to help but smirk inwardly with amusement at this situation.


    After a pause, he nodded, as if finally considering her offer. "Alright," he said slowly, his voice carrying a hint of intrigue. "Let''s see what you can do for me."


    The girl''s smile grew wider, her confidence swelling as if she believed she had won him over.


    She leaned in closer, "I think you''ll find this city much easier to navigate with the right connections. My father, for example, could be interested in someone with your... talents."


    Tyr gave her a small nod, as if acknowledging her supposed victory.


    ''Pfft... what a silly situation. Does she really think she''s convinced me this easily? From her choice of words... more specifically, ''friendship,'' she thinks I am going to accept as a way to further that into something more. But her real intentions are probably something having to do with my death. It''s pretty damn obvious... I''ll play her little game for now. Once she leads me to her family''s doorstep, I''ll take what I need...''


    Find adventures on m_v l|-NovelFire.net


    "I like the sound of that," Tyr suddenly leaned in closer, pulling the woman in as he placed his hand on her lower back.


    This seemed to startle the woman, forcing her eyes to lock into Tyr''s gaze for the first time as a warm blush flushed over her face, causing it to turn as red as a tomato in a mere second.


    "Now..." Tyr said, his voice deep.


    The woman was too stunned to speak, frozen as she let Tyr continue.


    "Get out," Tyr exclaimed in a cold tone, pushing the girl out of his room before slamming the door shut on her.


    He turned, slumping down onto his bed. Then, he smiled with his eyes closed, ''Looks like tomorrow I will get an opportunity to get to the faction...''


    Outside of the room, the woman stood there staring at the door in front of her with a look of disbelief on her face.


    ''He... actually looked quite handsome there...'' She thought for a moment, ''How... dare he close the door on me!''


    She tightened her hands into fists, turning and beginning to walk away.


    ''Whatever! He''s probably just too nervous to make a move. Damn coward! Anyways...'' A light smirk played on her lips, ''Tomorrow is going to be another fun one.''

 Chapter 177: New Look

    Early the next morning, a young kid made his way up a series of wooden steps.


    He had a nervous, almost sick look on his face.


    He made it to a short hallway, grasping tightly to a letter in his hand as he lightly walked forward until turning to face a door.


    After gulping, he raised his hand and knocked.


    Tok tok tok


    Silence...


    He took a breath before knocking again, this time a little louder.


    Tok tok tok


    Still, there was no reply.


    After a second or so, he firmed his stance and knocked one more time, this time much louder.


    TOK TOK TOK


    His eyes darted down as the door-knob abruptly turned.


    He gulped again, nervous, as the door slowly creaked open.


    Immediately, a rush of bad intent flushed through the open creak and struck the young man, causing his eyes to widen slightly.


    The door opened as the young man''s eyes met with a very irritated expression of a young man. Continue your adventure with m|v-l''e -NovelFire.net


    His look was dreadful, his eyes slightly swollen and tired-looking.


    "What... the hell do you want?" Tyr said, clearly pissed off for being woken up forcibly.


    "Uh-" The kid stammered.


    He seemed to attempt to say something, but on realizing he couldn''t utter any words, he simply pushed out the letter in his hand and lowered his gaze.


    Tyr glanced at the note as the kid finally spoke, free from Tyr''s striking gaze: "A note... from the Bruther Clan."


    After pausing for a second, Tyr swiped the note out of the kid''s hand and slammed the door shut.


    The kid looked back up, gulping once more. ''So he''s Tyr Evolion...'' He looked around, ''The Dragon Tamer...''


    He began to walk away, ''He''s as scary as I imagined such a figure to be. To think... no one else but the Bruther Clan has figured this out in this city. He''s just walking around like a nobody, as if everyone in the continent doesn''t want to see him.''


    Tyr turned from the door, shaking his head. ''Looks like they are eager...''


    He opened the note:


    "Dear Tyr,"


    The note started with this, immediately causing Tyr to squint. ''Did I ever tell her my name?''


    "I trust you rested well after last night''s... excitement. My sincerest apologies once again for my men''s behavior. They can be overly eager at times, especially when they feel their pride is at stake. However, I believe we both understand that true strength lies not in brute force but in intellect and subtlety.


    In light of our conversation, I would like to formally extend an invitation for you to join me and my family at our estate for lunch today. My father, the city lord, is always interested in meeting individuals of your caliber, and I''m certain he would appreciate making your acquaintance.


    Of course, I can also assist you with the matter of the Ten High Peak Faction, as promised. It would be a pleasure to help you achieve your goals in this city. Let''s discuss how we can... work together to both our advantages.


    I''ll be expecting you at noon. My carriage will be waiting outside the inn to bring you to the estate. Don''t keep me waiting.


    Warm regards, Pemphis Bruther"


    Tyr raised an eyebrow, "Do they really think I was that retarded? Tsk..." He muttered under his breath, looking up at the door.


    ''That annoying brat was far too scared to see me. He was either told bad stories of what I did yesterday... or they have figured out that I hold the dragon.''


    ''Idiot!'' Ares suddenly exclaimed, ''It''s not that they figured you have a dragon, but rather, that you are a dragon tamer.''


    ''Yeah yeah... same thing.''


    ''Not at all!''


    ...


    Tyr got ready before heading out.


    He decided that before anything else, he wanted to get a new fit.


    So, he began to make his way to a clothing shop that he spotted the day prior.


    ''I''m in a new continent, so I should get accustomed to the new clothing attire...''


    He had been wearing the classic tunic and trousers for a while now, which had gotten boring.


    Tyr stepped into the shop, his eyes narrowing at the sight of bold colors and fine fabrics draped across the displays.


    The place had an exotic feel, with intricate patterns stitched into long coats and tunics hanging from the walls.


    His gaze swept over the options¡ªmost of them extravagant, layered with ornate belts and dark cloaks.


    One jacket, in particular, caught his eye.


    It was a loose-fitting dark robe that flowed down his body.


    Its deep hood almost cast a shadow over his face, and it had silver accents along the edges. Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The black pants were tight at the hips and extended to be baggy near the knees before tightening back up near the ankles.


    The sleeves were long, giving him a sense of freedom in his movement.


    Overall, the look gave him a calm yet slightly intimidating look.


    ''This should do,'' he thought, purchasing the item and stepping out.


    By that time, it had nearly reached noon.


    ''I slept for a while... guess that''s a consequence of being on a ship for so long,'' Tyr mused, looking up at the sky and realizing that the sun was high up, nearly at the center.


    Seeing this, he decided it was time to head to the Bruther Clan household.


    He sheathed his spear on his back and began his short journey, asking for directions along the way.


    It didn''t take long for him to arrive outside the iron gates of a fairly large estate.


    Inside was a futuristic-looking building of only one story.


    ''Huh...'' Tyr mused, noticing how the house looked drastically different from the older-style mansions around the area.


    ''A weird world this is...'' He said, chuckling to himself.


    The house was made of steel and glass, with glowing neon pink and green lights radiating through the lined seams of each wall and pillar.


    It was wide, with a circular courtyard and several beasts roaming around out front.


    ''Stone beasts?'' Tyr thought to himself, seeing as the beasts were tall humanoid creatures made of circular boulders.


    ''Scan.''


    ©³©¥©¥©¥Status©¥©¥©¥©·


    Name: Stone Golem


    Age: 5 Years


    Power Level: 180


    Rank: Sentinel


    ©»©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¿


    ''Jeez...'' Tyr''s eyes darted around, ''Around ten of them... I should be able to handle myself.''


    He walked to the entrance gate, where he was met by a colorful spark that accessed his body.


    As soon as it made contact with the note in Tyr''s pocket, it jumped forward and led the young man toward the estate.


    ''That''s some advanced tech.''


    When Tyr arrived at the front doors, which were wide open and showcasing a broad and luxurious interior, he was met by two guards.


    They wore iron helmets and basic clothing.


    Their left hands remained still at their sides as their right hands rested on the hilts of their sheathed blades.


    ''Scan.'' Tyr furrowed his eyebrows.


    ©³©¥©¥©¥Status©¥©¥©¥©·


    Name: Malcos Kroe


    Age: 37 Years


    Power Level: 210


    Rank: Expert


    ©»©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¿


    ©³©¥©¥©¥Status©¥©¥©¥©·


    Name: Damein Smeeth


    Age: 40 Years


    Power Level: 212


    Rank: Expert


    ©»©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¿


    ''Both over 200?'' Tyr''s eyes glanced up at the entire mansion, ''I''m walking into a lion''s den here...''


    Tyr heard a growl from Rudra.


    ''Good thing tigers are stronger than lions.''


    For a moment, Tyr paused, and then he said internally, ''That''s cringe.''


    ''Wha-! H-hey! I was on your side!'' Rudra exclaimed, broken out of his edgy shell.


    Tyr chuckled to himself before stepping forward.


    "Welcome to the estate, Tyr Evolion." One of the guards spoke with a loud tone as both of them turned to face each other.


    ''So they know who I am.'' Tyr immediately assumed, raising his guard a bit.


    "Please, come inside." The two guards spoke in unison, welcoming him with their hand gestures.

 Chapter 178: Tyrs Horrifying Judgement

    ***EXTRA LONG CHAP***


    ----


    Tyr walked inside, the guards following behind him.


    He was met by an expansive living area with a tall ceiling, red carpeting, and walls filled with intricate designs and paintings.


    On continuing forward, Tyr was met with two short steps that led to an elevated platform.


    On this new, slightly taller floor, was the dining area. It was an equally large room with a long table at its center and a massive, luxurious chandelier hanging in the center of the chamber.


    There looked to be a doorway to the side connecting to a kitchen where the luring aroma of fresh food made itself present.


    In each corner of the room, there was a guard holding post.


    On the table itself, there were already five people seated at the very edge. Two on each side, and one at the back.


    On the left side were two children no older than 13.


    Both of them were young boys. One stared at Tyr with awe as the other indulged in the countless array of food items already present on the table.


    Seeing this, Tyr swallowed his spit. A piece of chicken especially caught his eye.


    He moved his gaze to the back, where a short, slightly round man with balding corners and a golden tooth sat.


    Most of his hands were covered in lavish rings, and he smiled at Tyr with a smug expression.


    To the left near this man was a woman wearing a modest dress.


    And finally, beside her was the girl that Tyr had met before.


    She was staring at him with a bright, eager smile, and inviting eyes.


    Tyr scoffed inwardly on seeing this, ''She''s grinning ear to ear... she really thinks she''s got me--''


    Before Tyr could finish his thought, he felt two sudden grips on his arms from behind.


    He furrowed his brows, looking side to side as he saw the two guards from before clutch onto him.


    ''Tsk... that was obvious.'' He said, slightly ticked, ''But, it''s alright for now. They think the threat has been controlled... it''s better in my favor actually.''


    "Thank god!" The lady from before, ''Pemphis,'' shouted as she abruptly rose from her seat.


    She raised her finger and pointed it toward Tyr, her face turning red and her eyes watering, "He''s the one! The disgusting, lewd scoundrel who raped me!" She suddenly burst into tears.


    Tyr raised a brow in surprise, ''Wow... that''s farther than I expected.'' He smirked.


    "YOU DARE SMILE ON HEARING SUCH AN ACCUSATION!?" The older man slammed his fists on the table, standing as he furiously yelled at Tyr.


    ''What a fool! He''s only making his situation worse! Who does he think he is?'' The man mused, chuckling to himself. ''At first, I wanted to take his life as punishment for what he did to my men, but I''ve recently learned of his status... Even if he is the dragon tamer, he is just a southerner... if we can use his power, we can excel to high lordship! Or even an Emperor-level federation!''


    "Oh calm down, baldspot," Tyr said, about to continue when he was interrupted again.


    "How dare you make jokes, and you so viciously stole my innocence!" Pemphis covered herself, her face distraught with trauma.


    On hearing this, the guards tightened their grip on Tyr.


    Tyr could only scoff, "You? Innocent? That''s exactly what a whore would say."


    Pemphis was taken aback, at a loss for words, ''What''s he saying!? He''s completely different from before... has he lost his mind? He didn''t actually rape me... so why is he talking in this way instead of trying to defend himself. Does he have no survival instinct!?''


    The father, and the others at the table, were equally thrown off. This wasn''t what they were expecting at all.


    Tyr looked back at the guards that were holding him, "What? You believe this bitch? I mean... come on. I know that you guys don''t really think she''s a pure angel, do you?"


    "Don''t dare spout such nonsense!" One guard spoke in a loud tone.


    "I''ll kill you, damn it!" The other screamed, gripping Tyr''s arm extremely hard now.


    On hearing that statement, Tyr''s slight smile turned into a frown.


    "What did you say?" He said in a low, stone-cold tone.


    "I said I''ll kill---!"


    Tyr suddenly disappeared into thin air, ''Blink Step.''


    He reappeared behind the guard, grabbing the back of his neck and thrusting his face down into the edge of the table.


    His front teeth slammed against the ridge.


    All of them were torn out of his gums, scattering across the floor like marbles.


    His nose was crushed and flattened, squirting like a fountain.


    Tyr lifted the guard''s head up and slammed him again, this time dislocating his jaw and breaking his throat.


    He then lifted him up one more time, throwing his lifeless body to the side like a ragdoll.


    [You have slain Malcos Kroe (Expert Rank Human).]


    [You leveled up!]


    [Current level: 305]


    [Vitality: 125 --> 127]


    [Stamina: 121 --> 123] Experience more content on m v|l e''-NovelFire.net


    [Aura: 120 --> 122]


    The mayor of Bruther Stone stepped back, his hands raised slightly and his mouth agape.


    The kids stood frozen in shock, as did the wife of the mayor.


    Pemphis, on the other hand, had lowered her pointed finger--standing with a defeated posture and a look of regret and disbelief.


    "What..." She said under her breath, "What is going on..." She was confused and at a complete loss.


    The other soldier saw what happened to his partner and backed up.


    Tyr didn''t show mercy, grabbing his spear and slashing it swiftly across the man''s body.


    Blood splashed forward, scattering across Tyr''s new robes as the guard screamed in pain and fell onto his back.


    [You have slain Damein Smeeth (Expert Rank Human).]


    Tyr slashed his spear across the air, cleaning the blood off before sheathing it on his back again.


    He menacingly turned to face the table again, "Did you fools really think I was going to fall for your scheme? What do you take me for? I didn''t tame a dragon without any power."


    The members of the Bruther family finally realized the person that they had offended.


    For the first time, the mayor of Bruther Stone thought about what would happen if his plan went completely wrong:


    ''If-if he gets out of here... our entire city will be leveled by the other factions and kingdoms for attempting to harm the dragon tamer! I can''t let that happen... I will not surrender!''


    Tyr turned and faced Pemphis, "What a dirty whore..." He said, disgusted, "I wonder how many men you have fucked just to accuse them of raping you. It must be quite the ego boost."


    "ENOUGH!" The mayor screamed, "You have two choices!"


    Tyr raised a brow, almost amused at these words, ''The audacity,'' he laughed to himself, ''Does he still think he is in any position of authority?''


    "If you dare attempt to leave, we will label you as a rapist and ruin your reputation! It doesn''t matter if you''re a dragon tamer... the world will never take a liking to such a scoundrel."


    Tyr didn''t say anything, wanting to hear more of this amusing bull shit.


    "Or, you may submit to us. Yield, and help our house. Do that, and you will be free to go."


    There was a long silence after this.


    Tyr cracked his neck back and forth before saying: "You forgot the third option..."


    "The third?" The man said, his brows furrowed.


    "The option where I slaughter everyone here."


    On saying this, Tyr''s killing intent mixed with his Ancestral Aura and surged through the room, weighing heavily on everyone present.


    The children and wife were immediately knocked unconscious. S§×ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The guards'' eyes were widened with shock.


    Pemphis''s pupils dilated with horror as she saw herself killed in a thousand ways just in a mere second.


    And finally, the mayor felt his heart beat like a drum attempting to burst out of his chest, unable to gasp for breath.


    ''No... no no no! Damn it all!'' The mayor fell back onto his rear, ''What... have I done?'' A brick of regret struck him like a truck.


    SEEEW


    A sharp noise sounded as a figure suddenly appeared in front of Tyr, hurling a kick at his face.


    Tyr could barely react to the speed, his hands only just reaching his face to absorb the force.


    Despite this, the power of the attack was still enough to throw him back several feet and dispel his Ancestral Aura.


    ''Strong...'' Tyr mused, looking up to see a man with long, light-blue hair standing on the table in front of him.


    The expressions of everyone else present seemed to lighten up on seeing this man, who stared at Tyr with scrunched brows of hatred and disdain.


    ''Scan.''


    ©³©¥©¥©¥Status©¥©¥©¥©·


    Name: Daniel Bruther


    Age: 28 Years


    Power Level: 350


    Rank: Virtuoso


    ©»©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¿

 Chapter 179: Obliteration

    The mayor stepped forward with a look of disbelief, "Daniel!?" he said loudly, obviously shocked.


    The light-blue-haired man faced forward, unreacting. Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "You have already returned from training!? It''s only been three out of five years!" the mayor exclaimed.


    Tyr raised an eyebrow on hearing this, surprised, ''That''s some pretty good luck I have.''


    For a moment, he was being sarcastic. But then he thought about it and realized, ''Actually... it''s probably another level for me.'' He smirked.


    "I am a fast learner," Daniel replied to his father before switching his attention back to Tyr.


    "That is my sister you are speaking about... you should be ashamed!" Daniel said in a stern manner.


    "If that''s your sister, then you should be ashamed." Tyr quickly replied, unsheathing his spear.


    Daniel''s eyebrows raised slightly, not expecting such a reply.


    "Kill him!" Pemphis suddenly screamed at the top of her lungs, "Kill him now, elder brother! I want his head at my feet!" She burst into tears, this time for real.


    "Don''t worry... I''ve beat plenty of pipsqueaks in my time," Daniel said in an arrogant yet confident tone, squeezing his fists as they turned into a see-through, slightly blue-colored liquid.


    "But... I won''t kill him. Though he is a weakling, he is an important one. I''ll do you one better, young sister... I''ll make him our slave." Daniel snarled, hopping down to the floor.


    Tyr frowned, "Tsk... that irks me a little too much."


    "Oh yeah?" Daniel smugly exclaimed, stepping forward, "What are you gonna do about it?"


    He reached his elbow back, preparing to throw a cross punch.


    After a moment of pause, he unleashed the attack--allowing a blast of water to rush forward from his fist.


    The water was very coordinated, forming into a very hard and strict horizontal pole that thrust at Tyr''s chest.


    ''Reverse.'' Tyr exclaimed, absorbing the water into his body before unleashing it back toward Daniel.


    Daniel immediately backed up, dashing to the side several times to avoid the attack.


    The water column slammed through the back wall of the estate, bursting through iron as it tore a clean hole in the house.


    "Argh!" Daniel exclaimed in frustration, "I''ll make you bend down and eat my shit when I enslave you! Just you wait, you peasant!"


    Tyr paused, squinting his eyes as he sheathed his spear out of nowhere.


    "What the hell are you doing? Giving up?" Daniel said, clenching his fist once again.


    "I refuse to tolerate this annoying bull shit. I hold way more power than you... why the fuck would I fight you right now?" Tyr said, confusing Daniel and the others.


    "That''s right... what the fuck am I doing wasting my time? None of you mother fuckers deserve a chance at life..." He was clearly pissed off. Read new adventures at m_v-l''e|-NovelFire.net


    At the end of the day, he was human. Getting irritated was quite easy for Tyr, especially when it came to people implying they would impede him... or enslave him of all things.


    "Well!? Do something about it then!" Daniel roared.


    "Shut the fuck up..." Tyr muttered under his breath, abruptly growing reptilian wings and floating into the sky.


    Scales covered his body and joints as he continued to float up.


    Daniel furrowed his brows, confused.


    Tyr opened his mouth as wide as a watermelon, sucking in all the air around him as his chest expanded and began to glow in a rich orange hue.


    A frown eclipsed Daniel''s face as he saw this, his eyes widening with realization and horror.


    ''Flame Breath.'' Tyr mused, forcibly exhaling an enormous blast of flame which instantly obliterated everything in its path.


    Tyr''s eyes gleamed with a golden spark, a golden flame erupting at his glabella as the entire interior of the Bruther estate exploded with fire.


    There was not a single inch of room that wasn''t scorched and annihilated, booming and roaring like a lion.


    By the end, the entire mansion had been blasted, charred, and melted to almost nothing.


    Everything that was once there had been destroyed, over 5000 square feet of house completely turned to rubble and molten magma.


    As things settled down, all that was left was a single ball of water at the center of everything.


    Tyr floated back down, an irritated look still on his face.


    The ball of water transformed, morphing back into Daniel''s human body.


    The rest of his family had been protected within his water shield, but his entire body had been burned to a crisp.


    He heaved a heavy breath before falling to the ground and turning into a pile of ashes.


    [You have slain Daniel Bruther (Virtuoso Rank Human).]


    [You leveled up!]


    [Current level: 306]


    [Stamina: 123 --> 124]


    [Aura: 122 --> 123]


    A piercing scream echoed from Pemphis, distraught with rattled trauma and shock as she saw her brother''s charred corpse.


    The mayor rose up from his curled position, in disbelief of what he was seeing.


    The mother of Daniel simply shielded her children from seeing what had happened, preoccupying herself from the shock as well as she whispered protective hymns to her children.


    Pemphis looked up at Tyr''s heartless, stone-cold eyes. Her shoulders drooped with utter defeat.


    "Are you really going to kill all of us?" she said, her voice meager and raspy.


    Tyr walked forward.


    "No... no no no." Pemphis muttered, "I don''t want to die," she cried.


    Tyr reached forward and grabbed the mayor by the back of the neck.


    "There''s no point in wasting time killing you low EXP creatures," Tyr said, "Your lives were already ruined the moment you plotted against me."


    He moved on, "Now you... give me all the money you have."


    The mayor remained silent for a few seconds before uttering the words: "You... destroyed it all."


    Tyr sucked his upper teeth in irritation, "Just lead the way to the transportation terminal..."


    It didn''t take long for Tyr to walk through the streets hanging onto the back of the mayor''s head and using him as a GPS to get to the transportation terminal.


    However, it was safe to say that on seeing their mayor''s body being carried like a ragdoll through the town, everyone who bore witness to what they were seeing followed along with horror, confusion, and total bewilderment.


    Tyr finally made it to the transportation terminal, and with the mayor''s presence and forced permission, was allowed to enter the teleportation pad.


    "Oi!" Tyr yelled at both the mayor and the man working behind the teleportation booth, "Don''t you dare teleport me to the wrong place. Or else I''ll fly back here and do what I did to your mansion, except to your whole town."


    Tyr was obviously bluffing, but to the mayor, who understood Tyr to be nothing but a demonic monster beyond human comprehension and emotions at this point, he simply nodded.


    The mayor had long made his decision to follow Tyr''s directions. He had dealt with enough of trying to be anyone. Right now, he was nothing but a servant. A servant who didn''t want any more punishment.


    "Okay... teleport me," Tyr said, suddenly hearing a click as the metallic floor beneath him gleamed with a blue glow.


    He grinned, "Finally... Ten High Peak Faction, here I come. Get ready, world... I am going to become worthy of the title of dragon tamer."


    ''Hehe... let''s go.'' Ares chuckled.


    ''You are far beyond worthy, master!'' Rudra exclaimed.


    ZIIP


    And with that, Tyr disappeared. Within the blink of an eye, Tyr found himself at the misty foot of an immense mountain range.


    Before him lay a trodden dirt path moving from dark jungle to grey mountain valleys...


    He took in one deep breath... and then stepped forward.

 Chapter 180: Ancient Mauyin Temple

    Tyr journeyed through the mountains on Rudra''s back.


    The peaks were beautiful, rising up far above the clouds above. S§×ar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The wind was chilling and dry, causing cracked lips and swollen eyelids in some folk.


    Tyr, on the other hand, seemed to handle it fine. His GG constitution allowed him to survive under more harsh conditions with a lot more ease.


    The path he traveled along was fairly thin.


    A few trees accompanied alongside the path, and on either side were giant mountains as far as the eye could see.


    Tyr had seen his fair share of beasts travel along. Most of them weren''t too strong, around Apex Rank on average.


    Although, at that point, strength was only relative. Wilderness filled with Apex beasts would be frightening in Ainsveld, but it seemed nature evolved and adapted differently to Eldraemar''s superior strength.


    This was likely due to a cycle of difficulty. A harsher environment with even more Aura led to stronger adaptations by predators, which then led to even stronger adaptation by prey.


    Like a domino effect, this would play back on the predators and prey until civilization took over, monopolizing this power and creating an even more efficient evolution of strength on the continent.


    Tyr passed up on the chance to take down any Apex beasts.


    He would have to kill far too many to level up, and he wasn''t in need of food either, as he had a decent amount of rations in his storage rings.


    "Tsk... I wish I had kept the storage ring with money in it instead of the one with food..." Tyr grumbled under his breath.


    He paused, "Then again... it barely had any money in it compared to what I need in Eldraemar. If my plan is to buy all the materials I need to gain power, a few thousand gold coins isn''t going to get me very far. I''ll need to find a way to generate money as quickly as possible."


    For a moment, Tyr continued to think about this. Whilst still in thought, he arrived at an odd-looking location that caused him to squint his eyes.


    The path disappeared, and for the next few thousand feet, so did the mountains and trees.


    Instead, before him was what appeared to be an expansive bamboo forest.


    The hue in the air turned into a lime green as the yellow sun gleamed off of the green bamboo shoots.


    Green leaves slowly fell from up above, the bamboo shoots towering over 50 feet in the air.


    The shoots grew thickly, far too thick for Rudra to make it through without any trouble.


    Tyr sent Rudra back into Infinite Domain, beginning to walk on foot.


    It felt random, so Tyr didn''t know what to make of it.


    ''That''s weird...'' he mused, ''This doesn''t seem like a natural formation.''


    As soon as he stepped from the dirt path into the bamboo forest, Tyr felt an unfamiliar vibration run through his feet and spread across his body.


    He furrowed his brows, ''Through my meridians?'' he questioned, confused.


    Instantly, he also felt an ominous feeling lingering in the air.


    With his guard up, he ventured into the forest.


    It didn''t feel safe inside, as he felt blind only being able to see a couple dozen feet in front of him clearly.


    Everything else was patterned and deluded with bamboo shoots.


    Odd noises also rustled around the place, different presences making themselves known before disappearing again.


    Everything made Tyr become on edge.


    Finally, he arrived at an opening. There was a large shrine gate, as if to a Buddhist temple.


    The gate looked old and decrepit.


    As he walked inside, he arrived at an outside courtyard with a few trees and small grass fields.


    Everything had been overrun by nature.


    It was clear that this place had been abandoned for a while.


    At the back, opposite of the entrance shrine, were a series of steps leading up to a grand door.


    Tyr looked around as he made his way up the steps.


    The outside courtyard was protected by the walls of the ruin.


    The roofs were slanted and made of tiles, similar to Japanese-style temples.


    After arriving at the door, he leaned back and kicked it wide open.


    The doors swung back with force, immediately unleashing a gust of wind imbued with negative Aura, which felt like predatory bloodlust.


    Tyr quickly scanned what was behind the doors.


    It was an inner courtyard, the floor tiled with white stone.


    The yard was surrounded by temple buildings, all cracked and overrun with grass and moss.


    "Three hundred years... and no mortal has ever dared to enter the Mauyin temple without ill intent."


    A deep voice resonated through the floor, forcing Tyr to take note of the figure standing at the center of the courtyard.


    It was a man-beast. Taller than ten feet in stature; half wolf, half human.


    It wore black robes with dragon-like patterns lining its exterior and stood on both hind feet while wielding a long wooden staff.


    Tyr walked forward slowly, his eyes unwavering from the figure before him.


    "Those who abandoned my temple don''t deserve another chance... through the decades, they send their kin to kill me, and start this temple anew." The wolf-man spoke, slowly walking back and forth from left to right as his staff dragged across the ground.


    "Sin can never be wiped away, even if you think starting again is the solution. He will never forget, who has created our very souls." The wolf-man turned, facing Tyr.


    "And I, Langren Baohu Zhe, shall not forget either, nor shall I forgive."


    The wolf-man spun his staff across the air before swiping it at Tyr.


    A gust of wind traveled toward the young man before dispersing across his face.


    Tyr paused before speaking, "Do I also harbor ill will?" he asked. Enjoy exclusive adventures from m-v l''-NovelFire.net


    Langren Baohu Zhe squinted, "Hmph... do you think your ancestors and kin have not tried this tactic before?" he grunted loudly.


    Tyr furrowed his brows, walking to the side.


    The wolf-man matched him, circling opposite of his direction.


    "I don''t know what you''re talking about... none of my kin have come here. I can assure you of that." Tyr responded, his spear unsheathed.


    ''Scan.''


    ©³©¥©¥©¥Status©¥©¥©¥©·


    Name: Langren Baohu Zhe


    Age: 378 Years


    Power Level: 410


    Rank: Berserk


    ©»©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¿


    ''Tsk... not fighting would be the best option here,'' Tyr mused, ''Even if I can beat him for the EXP, I will barely come out with my life, it seems.''


    Langren Baohu Zhe raised his upper lip in disdain, "Do not take me for a fool. I have bested your clan''s silly tricks for over a quarter of a millennia. I will continue to do so until He is happy."


    ''Looks like there''s no convincing this guy...'' Tyr regretted, ''Come out, Ares!''


    Without a millisecond of delay, the dragon darted into the air and unleashed a catastrophic blast of fire toward the wolf.


    Half of the courtyard was engulfed in a monstrous flame.


    Tyr stood back, squinting his eyes as he stared at the center of the fire where Langren Baohu Zhe was.


    ''What will you do, wolf?'' he mused for a second.


    Out of nowhere, he sensed a horrifying feeling of death loom over his shoulder.


    Tyr''s eyes flew wide open as he turned his head.


    As he barely got to look over his shoulder, a staff thrust into Tyr''s back, sending him sprawling forward into the ground.


    "Pfft... your kin has gotten weak with your petty tricks."

 Chapter 181: Langren Baohu Zhe

    Tyr rolled across the ground and quickly got up before turning to face Langren Baohu Zhe.


    He tightened his grip on his spear as he felt the impact point of the wolf''s staff radiate with pain on his back. S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''Damn... he almost broke a fucking rib.'' Tyr glanced at his torso for a moment, ''And his killing intent is far beyond his Power Level... that must be due to not only his age, but the amount of ill will he harbors and the sheer number of people he has killed.''


    "Are you certain you won''t let me go!? If you stand in my way... I will have to kill you." Tyr shouted, staring at the wolfman with a determined look in his eyes.


    Langren furrowed his eyebrows, "Are you willing to die for it? Because it seems you and I both know that you cannot defeat me... boy."


    Tyr frowned, ''He can sense my unease? I guess it makes sense... he''s old as a mountain.''


    Tyr slashed his spear to his side, "I will defeat you and leave from here with my life... but if I have to die by fighting against someone standing in my way, then so be it."


    Langren Baohu Zhe had a curious look on his face, "Ah... a rare trait of your demented clan. Too bad a boy of your merit wasn''t born thirty decades ago."


    He dashed forward, disappearing into thin air.


    Tyr''s eyes darted all across his vision, ''Tsk!'' he mused, a golden flame erupting from his glabella.


    ''He isn''t using any Aura attacks. Even if my Full Golden Body doubles my vitality, if he''s this much stronger than me, all that means is a more slow and painful death.'' Tyr backed up, attempting to sense the presence of the wolfman as best he could.


    ''The only way I''ve been able to defeat those much stronger than me was by using Aura attacks with Reverse, or being immune to the Aura attacks totally. But... this guy is just using pure strength. He is simply superior to me...''


    BANG


    Langren Baohu Zhe''s staff slammed against the side of Tyr''s head, turning him over like a frisbee and knocking him to the ground. Enjoy more content from m-v l''-NovelFire.net


    For a moment, Tyr''s consciousness had fully disappeared.


    He quickly regained his composure as he landed on the floor, but he was still highly discombobulated.


    ''Fuck!'' Tyr thought to himself, his head spinning and his vision blurry.


    His hearing became muffled as his sense of smell suddenly disappeared.


    All he could focus on was the pain in his head.


    ''He''s better than me... even at my full power.''


    As he rose to his feet, he entered Soul Mend: Polaris Tiger.


    He was still dizzy but made sure to stand his ground and look around.


    Langren Baohu Zhe was still invisible, but his voice echoed across the temple:


    "Abandoning this temple... throwing it to the thieves of the world. You would have burned it to the ground had it not been for that young Junis.


    Ever since the Doom Era into this Golden Era, I have protected this temple. Even now, the evil of this world has not been quelled. False promises are made by that evil family... only I and a few other rare exceptions do not believe them."


    Tyr was at a complete loss upon hearing all of this.


    ''What the hell is this guy talking about? Has my brain been concussed? He speaks as though all of these things are happening right now. Doom Era? Golden Era? I haven''t even heard of such concepts.''


    Langren Baohu Zhe appeared beside Tyr again, but this time, Tyr was able to see him.


    Even though the wolfman looked like an afterimage, this was enough for Tyr to duck below the staff attack.


    He lunged forward with the built-up spring in his feet, thrusting his spear into the belly of the wolf.


    Langren dashed back, only a few hairs on his stomach cut off from Tyr''s spear.


    He dashed back in, appearing to the left and right before arriving above the young man and spinning his staff down into Tyr''s head.


    BANG


    Tyr''s eyes rolled into the back of his head as the blow landed clean on his temple.


    His teeth pushed against each other, nearly shattering under the pressure as he was propelled into the ground chin-first.


    Langren calmly stepped back, "Junis was helpful. Centuries later, Crublood''s evil was also defeated by the great Erval. Now... it seems tensions rise again. How many more centuries will I have to defend this temple..."


    He turned around, walking away.


    "Wait..." Tyr whispered, opening one of his eyes and staring at the wolfman.


    "Erval, you said? I''ve heard of him before... what does he have to do with anything?" Tyr was curious about this infamous name.


    But apart from that, this was also an excuse to allow himself to rise up.


    ''Even at 100 percent of my power... he is stronger than me.'' He mused, rising to his feet, ''Then... I will have to push beyond that.''


    He threw his spear to the ground.


    It sharply clanged as Langren Baohu Zhe turned to face Tyr again.


    "Why do you care, boy? Thalorin blood may not run through your veins... but Thalorin ideology runs through your mind and ancestry."


    Tyr''s eyes widened with shock as he heard those words, "Thalorin?" he said, in disbelief.


    "How do you know that name?" Tyr''s hand began to shake for some reason as memories flashed across his mind.


    It seemed his body was having a natural reaction of instability, which Langren couldn''t help but notice.


    He raised a brow, "How do I know that name? What being on Subworld not know the name, Thalorin?"


    Tyr couldn''t understand what Langren was talking about.


    It made no sense.


    All he knew was that just hearing that name was pissing him off.


    "Whatever..." Tyr said, "I don''t care..."


    He stepped forward, "I''m going to go all out."


    Langren Baohu Zhe spun his staff around his head, concentrating his eyes: "You will die trying to defeat me."


    "I made a promise to myself when I got to this damn planet... I won''t live on my knees, and neither will I die on my feet. I''m going to live on my feet, damn it!"

 Chapter 182: Illusion

    Langren Baohu Zhe couldn''t help but squint his eyes, "You have come too far in life with such foolishness in your thoughts. All you are is ignorant to the truth. You know you cannot defeat me, yet you cling to that falsehood only to lose your life."


    Tyr furrowed his eyebrows, "You stupid wolf... no matter how old, it seems your animal brain still doesn''t work nearly as well as it should. Even if I accept that I will die, you will try to kill me anyways. That doesn''t change the outcome... but knowing I will kill you... I will force it to come into fruition."


    "Humph!" Langren exclaimed, "I won''t stop at one attack this time..."


    Tyr remained silent, thinking to himself for a moment, ''This bastard... he is still a wolf at the end of the day. I forgot about that fact since he seems so human and speaks my language.''


    He paused, ''I haven''t used this spell in so long, I had almost forgotten of its existence... almost.'' Tyr Blink Stepped forward, appearing in front of Langren''s face all of a sudden.


    ''Hypnosis.'' Tyr said in his head as the wolfman''s eyes instantly turned a hazy blue color.


    In that split second, a grin began to show on Tyr''s face, ''You are still a beast!''


    "Lie on your back!" Tyr shouted.


    Langren Baohu Zhe didn''t hesitate, immediately following Tyr''s orders. sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Tyr grinned with his teeth as he saw this, his eyes wide and filled with exhilaration, almost maniacal.


    ''Soul Mend: Dragon.''


    Scales summoned across his body as wings sprouted from his back, "Flame Breath."


    A blast of inferno exploded from his mouth, obliterating the wolfman below him into ashes.


    The center of the very temple they stood in was destroyed, Tyr unscathed due to Full Golden Body.


    In the end, Tyr stepped back, panting as the adrenaline in his body calmed down.


    He felt the pain that had disappeared before due to the heat of the moment hit him all at once now.


    His head felt like it weighed a hundred pounds, radiating with sharp bursts of pain.


    His ribs sparked with dull waves of numbing pain, which made it feel like he had no ribs at all.


    Despite this, Tyr was simply focused on the fact that he survived right now.


    He continued to smile, placed his hand on his hips, gazed into the bamboo canopy above him, and finally said, "I''m so fucking weak..."


    He stood there silently in that motion for a few more seconds.


    Then, the canopy above him slowly began to disappear as if it wasn''t there in the first place.


    Instead, it was replaced by an open sky.


    Tyr raised an eyebrow with confusion as he saw this.


    When he looked back down in front of him, he realized that his entire surroundings had completely changed.


    There was no longer even a single bamboo shoot in the area.


    He could see the mountains surrounding him again.


    The large open area of the bamboo forest was now replaced with what looked like... an enormous monastery.


    Tyr was standing right at the entrance of a sprawling temple sect.


    Multiple buildings with dark, curved roofs spread across the area, connected by stone paths winding up and down the mountainside.


    Tall trees surrounded the structures, with pink and white cherry blossoms scattered among them.


    Sturdy stone steps led to each building, their foundations solid against the mountains and cliffs around them.


    The architecture was simple yet refined, each structure blending naturally with the landscape.


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    Clear skies and faint clouds hovered above, with cliffs rising sharply in the background.


    The entire layout was orderly, like a village built to follow the slope of the mountain.


    This massive monastery was guarded by a wooden wall with a shrine-gate at its center.


    Tyr was one step behind this shrine, which he stepped across after a second of hesitation.


    The first thing he saw was a large courtyard tiled with white stone.


    Soon enough, multiple figures began to slowly pour into this area.


    They were all dressed as monks and religious scholars.


    Their heads were shaven for the most part, and they wore yellow and orange garb.


    They stood across the courtyard from Tyr, whispering amongst themselves almost frantically.


    Finally, after over three dozen of these monks had gathered together, another monk materialized in front of Tyr.


    This monk had a long gray beard.


    He was old, his back curved and his limbs scrawny.


    His skin sagged slightly, his eyes held up by dark eye bags, and his body covered with red robes.


    He was very old, possibly nearing 80 in age from the looks of it.


    "Young man..." the elder spoke in a deep and soft voice, "What is your name?"


    Tyr was still in disbelief at what he was seeing.


    He snapped out of it for a moment to answer the monk''s question.


    "Tyr... Evolion."


    The monk smiled slightly and turned, "Come with me," he said, slowly walking back.


    Although slightly hesitant, Tyr stepped forward.


    As soon as he did, he disappeared into thin air.


    The elder monk was also nowhere to be seen, blown away by the wind like dust in the air.


    Before Tyr knew it, he was sitting under a plum blossom tree that was covered in beautiful pink leaves, scarcely falling down from time to time in a mesmerizing scene.


    He seemed to be in a flower yard behind one of the temple-like buildings.


    There were a few plum blossom trees around, along with various flower gardens and other varieties of plants splotched around the low grass yard.


    There was a koi pond at the center of the yard with a short stone bridge.


    Atop that bridge materialized the elder monk once again.


    "So you are the Dragon Tamer," the monk said, catching a falling plum blossom petal on his finger.


    The petal made contact with the man''s finger, and all of its momentum suddenly stopped, resting at complete ease and stillness.


    "Yes..." Tyr said, pausing for a moment before asking, "Where am I? Who was that guy I was fighting... who are you?"


    The monk chuckled on hearing this, "Very direct, are you? Mmhaha!" He sighed, "An illusion. Langren Baohu Zhe is nothing but an illusion. His temple, and his bamboo forest, are all objects created as a means to test all newcomers that wish to enter the Ten High Peak Faction."


    "An illusion?" Tyr furrowed his brows, slightly confused.


    "It didn''t feel like an illusion whatsoever to me... and is the test to enter the faction really that difficult?"


    He asked again, "So then... this place is the Ten High Peak Faction?"


    He knew he would feel a bit underwhelmed if that was the case, since this monastery¡ªalthough large¡ªdidn''t seem very grand or unique.


    Just a few temples and buildings for housing and whatnot.


    "Hoho," the monk chuckled, "The more I speak, the more questions you will have. So... I will give most of the answers you will seek in one go."


    Tyr remained silent.

 Chapter 183: Evaluation Exam

    "This is the Mauyin Temple," the elder exclaimed.


    ''Hmm? That''s the same thing that the wolf said...''


    "It is an ancient temple that has existed for centuries. We are not the Ten High Peak Faction, but we are certainly associates with them. Like a symbiotic system, we work together in order to promote harmony in this mountain range."


    The monk moved his finger that held the plum blossom petal, catching even more petals on top as he continued.


    "Langren Baohu Zhe did exist once in the past. His soul still wandered in this area¡ªattempting to protect his temple further. He died exactly 100 years ago, and that mimic you fought of him was him from one century in the past. We had created an illusion array using Aura and allowed his soul to endlessly continue defending his temple until he himself decided not to."


    ''Hmm...'' Tyr mused, ''I wonder if he succeeded to protect his temple until the end...'' He gazed at the monk, ''Is this guy from the clan that Langren was against? Or is he a third party?''


    "However... that all changed when you arrived. You were not meant to defeat Langren Baohu Zhe..." The monk frowned. "In fact... no faction cadet or recruit has ever defeated him. In reality, you were meant to lose to him in order to learn humility..."


    Tyr raised an eyebrow in confusion, "Lose to him? He wanted to kill me. He nearly tore my head in two... in fact, it still hur¡ª"


    Tyr reached for his head, clutching it to show that the pain was still there. However, he noticed at that moment that all the pain from before had disappeared.


    "Hohoho." The monk was amused by this, "None of it was real, young man. However, what you have done by killing Langren Baohu Zhe is no small matter. You have forcibly freed his soul from the mortal realm... not by fulfilling his wants and giving him salvation... but by crushing his wants entirely and throwing him into the afterlife with many regrets."


    "What?" Tyr was taken aback by this. "So... he can never be seen in this world again?"


    "Precisely... Langren''s salvation would have been to continue serving this temple until his natural end... but you have stripped that from him."


    Tyr paused, thinking, ''If he was still here after dying... that means he hadn''t attained that salvation when he was living either. He must have failed to protect his temple 100 years ago.''


    "Anyways... your power is no joke. The other monks are going nuts just thinking about how this could affect our temple moving forward..."


    Tyr gulped, feeling slightly guilty now.


    "But... that isn''t something for you to worry about. After all, without this knowledge, it was your natural instinct to defend yourself and slay Langren Baohu Zhe."


    The monk had a pile of petals on a single finger now. Seeing this, Tyr couldn''t help but be slightly mesmerized by the balance of the bald old man.


    "Since you asked who I am, I will introduce myself. I go by Lao Heshang by my disciples. I am the elder monk of this temple and also the vice-chairman of the Ten Thousand Peak Mountain Range... although, that doesn''t really mean much."


    There was a short moment of silence where Tyr took all of this in.


    ''If I remember correctly, that was the name of this mountain range, right? So... if this guy is the chairman, he must be stupidly powerful. Let''s see... Scan.''


    [Error!]


    [This subject''s power level exceeds 5x of your current strength.]


    [Scan is unable to check their status.]


    Tyr''s eyes slowly widened as he saw this message pop up in front of him.


    ''What...'' he mused, at a loss for words. ''306 times 5... that''s 1530. And yet... this old geezer is still above that?''


    He had to take a few seconds to truly understand the implications of what he was seeing.


    ''I get it... I get people are stronger in Eldraemar. But... how much fucking stronger!? Just how weak am I here? Tsk!'' Tyr became immediately frustrated, ''I need to get stronger, damn it!''


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    ...


    "So... what now?" Tyr asked, slightly impatient and in a worsened mood.


    The monk couldn''t help but chuckle slightly again.


    "Now... you will need to be tested. To enter the faction. Think of it more as an evaluation exam rather than an entrance exam." The monk flicked his hand in the air, scattering the plum blossom petals.


    "Your first task will be to catch all of these on the tip of your index finger." The monk quickly said before turning around.


    Tyr furrowed his brows, quickly pushing himself up to his feet as he stared at the dozens of petals falling from the sky. S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "W-what!? You can''t just give me a crazy task like that and leave! Wait a second!" Tyr exclaimed, his eyes still locked onto the petals.


    The monk stopped, still facing away from Tyr.


    The young man raised his hand, attempting to catch a falling petal.


    It looked as though it was going to land, but it moved slightly in the wind just before making contact with Tyr''s finger.


    His focus went to the next petal, and this time Tyr took the initiative to make sure he made contact with the leaf and moved his finger up to touch it.


    However, this slight motion disturbed the petal''s momentum, causing it to easily slip off of his finger and fall down.


    His eyes darted down, his mind wanting to lower his hand and try to catch that slippery petal again.


    However, as several more petals surrounded him, he was instantly overwhelmed.


    His eyes blitzed between the different petals, above and below.


    ''Should I go for the ones near the ground? That will save me... but then make every other petal above be near the ground as well. If I go for the petals higher up, the ones below will 100% land on the ground... fuck!''


    In a mere 10 seconds, not only was there not a single petal left in the air, but Tyr had failed to balance even a single leaf on his finger.


    Defeated, he gazed up at the monk, "This shit is impossible!" he exclaimed, "No... this can''t possibly be the test for the faction. What does it help me do anyways!? Even if I can do it, it will take me days to learn and complete!"


    Without turning his head to face Tyr, Lao Heshang spoke calmly, "Although you have seen me do it before your very eyes, you doubt it is possible." He paused.


    Tyr raised an eyebrow, slightly taken aback at those words.


    ''Well... that''s true, but¡ª'' Before he could continue thinking, the monk continued speaking:


    "You understand you are much weaker than myself, yet you arrogantly proclaim that what I attempt to teach you may not do anything to help you..."


    Tyr remained silent as the monk continued.


    "And you are impatient to learn from those stronger than you... all of these traits... they will need to be fixed before you leave this place." Finally, the monk turned his head to face Tyr one last time.


    "Recruits have taken years to get out of this temple, boy." Lao Heshang had a serious demeanor and expression.


    Tyr sensed a tone of ferocity behind the man''s gaze.


    "Try what you will... fly, dig, crawl... you will not leave here until you master my test or quit your goal of entering the Ten High Peak Faction."


    With those words, the monk veiled himself with his robe and disappeared into plum blossom petals.

 Chapter 184: Training

    Tyr took a step back. He stared at the petals below him.''1... 2... 3...'' He began to count.


    ''20... 20 petals.''


    Out of nowhere, he smiled.


    "Damn... I really am an idiot, huh. People have dedicated their lives to try and join this faction, and yet here I am, complaining about a simple test. All it is is an excuse. I am just complaining because I am weak..." he muttered under his breath.


    He picked up the twenty plum blossom petals one by one.


    ''I have no clue if this will help me become stronger... but what the hell do I know anyways? Clearly... I am a nobody here. I need to become truly stronger before I can form an opinion on anything.''


    He threw the petals in the air, attempting to balance them on his finger again.


    ''Remove my doubt.''


    Tyr repeated in his head as he continued to practice.


    ''Don''t be arrogant.''


    He failed miserably again.


    ''And learn from those stronger than me.''


    Again, he failed in balancing even a single petal.


    ''Remove my doubt, don''t be arrogant, and learn from those stronger than me.'' Tyr exhaled deeply. ''Tsk... as it stands now, I have no choice but to follow this old man''s words. If that''s what it takes to pass this exam, then I will happily do it with complete discipline.''


    The next day arrived. Tyr had trained through the entire night, not getting a single second of sleep.


    He was in the flow state of learning, completely enthralled in the process. His eyes were like a hawk''s¡ªzoning in on each petal with an unfaltering gaze.


    As the sun''s orange rays cloaked the landscape, a young monk entered the garden in which Tyr was training.


    He crossed over the koi pond, placing a wooden basket on the floor.


    He was bald, likely in his twenties.


    "Tyr, your food is here," he said from afar, but his words went through one of Tyr''s ears and right out of the other.


    Tyr was far too locked in right now to hear anything going on around him.


    "It isn''t anything normal. Since you are an Elite Recruit... your meal consists of 2 S-grade cultivation pills, and highly nutritious food balls."


    As soon as Tyr heard this, he turned and faced the young monk.


    He dropped the three petals on his index finger and walked over to the basket on the ground.


    His entire body was drenched in sweat. His hair was far more curly and thick, all drooped down and frizzled with sweat.


    "2 S-grade cultivation pills?" Tyr asked.


    However, the young monk seemed to be distracted by something else in his train of thought.


    He spoke, "Did you just have... three petals on your finger?"


    Tyr didn''t hesitate to reply, "Yeah... now answer my question."


    The monk''s eyes widened with shock. ''Al-already? T-three petals? In less than a day...'' He gulped. ''This guy... is he human? It usually takes a week or more to get a single petal for most recruits... how on Subworld did he get it in merely a few hours!?''


    "Oh-uh-yes. 2 S-grade pills..."


    Tyr raised an eyebrow at the monk. "If I''m not mistaken, the ranking system here for beasts is the same as in Ainsveld, correct?"


    "Yes. This is due to there being more powerful beasts here in Eldraemar. The system works all across Subworld universally."


    "So these are pills from Purple rank beast cores? Berserk rank beasts?"


    The monk swiftly replied, "Indeed."


    A smirk pulled on Tyr''s lips. "Wow... sick," he exclaimed. "Thanks... now get outta here. I gotta continue my training."


    The monk nodded, taking a step back. "For your information, cultivation can be performed within our main temple. Aura is more rich inside of there..."


    Tyr squinted his eyes, nodding as well.


    "Oh, and also, before I leave," the monk continued, "Your sleeping quarters will be¡ª" He was cut off.


    "No need... I won''t be staying long enough to need that. Trust me."


    The monk was taken aback. "Tyr... you shouldn''t be arrogant."


    Tyr faced the monk outright, "I am not saying that through arrogance... or even confidence. I am saying that through certainty. I know I can do this task within a matter of days. If I need to sleep, I''ll sleep right here on the floor."


    The monk was puzzled for a moment. He bowed slightly before leaving the garden. Experience more tales on m v|l e''-NovelFire.net


    Tyr sat down before the pills and the ''food balls.''


    The food balls were small, compact, light-brown spheres the size of golf balls. There were 5 of them in the basket.


    He popped a couple in his mouth... and immediately nearly gagged them out. S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    They tasted as bitter as scorpion shit and smelled even worse. Despite this, as their juices flowed down Tyr''s throat, he instantly felt more rejuvenated.


    It was as if the muscles in his body were immediately healed, and the tiredness he felt was erased as if it was never there in the first place.


    ''Perfect,'' Tyr smiled, but then he immediately stopped smiling. ''Well... I mean, maybe not perfect. It tastes like shit after all. But, still... this is great. Now, I 100% don''t need to waste time sleeping. This will make my stay here around twice as short.''


    He grinned, quickly slamming the food balls before laying his hands on the S-grade pills.


    They were like little condensed marbles of Aura, perfectly blended and fused in order to create a balanced outcome.


    "So these are from Berserk rank beasts, huh... from what I understand, those stem from 400-1000 in terms of power level. Two of them should give me the power of a level up quite easily."


    He looked up at the tallest building peak that he could spot. "I imagine that''s the main temple." He stood up. "Pills are good to cultivate, right? I''m not a big cultivator yet, but I definitely intend to be in the near future. I might as well start now then."


    He began making his way to the temple.

 Chapter 185: Importance Of Cultivation Techniques

    A white-stone floor path led up to the temple. There were short trees on both sides of the road, leading up to a series of stairs before the temple''s entrance.He walked up the stairs, noticing multiple monks traveling up and down. They conversed with each other, laughing and smirking as they walked.


    Some were silent, others alone and seemingly more focused.


    ''Huh... I thought they would be more stoic.'' Tyr thought to himself. The monks around him were oddly kiddish, like normal young people their age.


    After getting atop the stairs, Tyr noticed there was a 10-foot wide stone flooring guarded by railings that wrapped around the entire temple.


    After asking, Tyr was guided by an older monk around the right side of this path to a more open balcony-like area.


    This place was large, around 100 by 100 feet in size.


    There were several mats on the floor for what seemed to be meditation, and a single plum blossom tree in the center.


    A few monks were already deep in meditation, breathing easily as they sat in a lotus position.


    ''Hmm...'' Tyr mused, surveying the area in depth as he understood he would be spending a lot of time here.


    There were 50 sitting mats laid out on the floor equally spaced out, and about 15 monks who were actually sitting on them.


    Tyr chose the mat closest to him and sat down as well.


    ''Man... I should probably get a good cultivation technique. That would help a lot. Right now, I am just using my basic breathing to try and absorb this Aura. It probably doesn''t work great.''


    He had this thought, but that was something to think about at another time.


    For now, he placed the two Purple grade pills in front of him and closed his eyes.


    He was sitting with criss-crossed legs and his hands on his lap, one palm above the other.


    He inhaled, focusing on his breathing.


    After about 5 minutes or so, he finally began to feel the Aura around him, and especially the Aura in the pills.


    It slowly began to flow toward him as he concentrated on it.


    It entered into his body, but he couldn''t really tell how.


    It just felt like it was absorbing into him somehow.


    This entire process was hazy and dulled. It felt confusing and odd, but it worked¡ªdespite the inefficient feeling.


    However, Tyr did feel the Aura finally entering his Aura Core.


    ''When I have enough of this, it will form another layer around my Aura Core¡ªincreasing my Rank and allowing me to become stronger.''


    After an hour of cultivating, Tyr finally managed to absorb both of the Aura pills.


    His body had acclimated to the increase in power.


    ''Status.''


    ©³©¥©¥©¥Status©¥©¥©¥©·


    Name: Tyr Evolion Thalonis


    Bloodline: Almighty Thalonis + Unknown


    Age: 18 Years


    Level: 307


    Vitality: 127/127


    Strength: 136


    Stamina: 125/125


    Speed: 125


    Aura: 124


    Stats remaining: 0


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    ©»©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¿


    ''Tsk... I can''t believe I only gained a level from that. An entire goddamn hour of boring ass meditation. Maybe getting a cultivation technique is more important than I thought.''


    He stood up. ''And to think, that''s while being in this place with high Aura as well.'' He was disappointed.


    ''But then again... I guess one hour of meditation is better than attempting to slay a Berserk Rank beast. After all, that would be pretty much impossible for me if it was above something like level 500.''


    Just as he was about to leave the area, Tyr got a tap on his back.


    "Kid... you really are a frog in a well, aren''t you?" a familiar voice said.


    Tyr turned with a brow raised, noticing Lao Heshang from yesterday standing behind him.


    "It''s you... what do you mean?" Tyr said, confused.


    "To think... you have gotten this far from luck alone. It''s clear to see you have put no hard work into your talents." Lao Heshang shook his head.


    Tyr furrowed his eyebrows, pretty offended at that statement. "What the hell are you saying, old man!?"


    "Oh? Do we still have an ego? Lose it... brat." Lao walked forward, forcing the puzzled and irritated Tyr to follow behind him.


    "I will listen like a learner, but I won''t be subject to your abuse, geezer."


    "Yeah, yeah..." Lao Heshang exclaimed, "Listen well, young man." He paused, inhaling.


    "You are a frog in a well. A fly trapped in feces. A pig¡ª"


    "I get it! What''s your point? Do you even have one at this point!?"


    "My point is... you just wasted two purple grade pills due to your ill knowledge. Without even a proper cultivation technique, you absorbed only a meager amount of their Aura into your body."


    Tyr remained silent, willing to hear more about this as it was something he didn''t know about.


    "To cultivate, there is nothing more important than a cultivation technique. Yet I just observed as you wasted most of those pills into the atmosphere, giving others around you a treat as you yourself suffered."


    ''Nothing more important?'' Tyr mused rhetorically, shocked.


    "Depending on your cultivation technique, the same person can either be a lifelong Apprentice rank bum, or go on to be a Paragon rank or more."


    Tyr raised a brow, confused. "But... doesn''t it come down to the Aura around them? Their environment, and the pills they have?"


    "Those help, sure... but most cultivation doesn''t require nor have such things when at the highest level. With high-grade Cultivation Techniques, you get the Aura from the techniques themselves, let alone your environment!" Lao Heshang sounded passionate.


    This opened up Tyr''s eyes slightly, who hadn''t even considered that a possibility.


    ''Over a thousand levels in difference... just from a cultivation technique? It seems I''ve been looking at this the wrong way the entire time.''


    "But I will admit. You are gifted. To have come this far without even knowing how to cultivate... you know less than a child no older than 5, yet are as strong as many Elite Faction members."


    Tyr quickly responded, "So how do I get better techniques? Do you have one? What''s your best? Give it to me."


    "Woah, woah!" Lao exclaimed, "Slow down there, bucko. Cultivation techniques are rare, and not just that, they are expensive. Written by our ancestors and created by powers in nature, they give us humans the power of the gods. Don''t just think I''ll give you a good one just because I am generous."


    Tyr sighed, "How can I get a good one then?"


    "I don''t know... buy one? Steal one... find an exploit... win a tournament. There are many ways, some ethical, others not. That is not up for me to decide. However, what you have to understand from now on is that cultivation techniques are the so-called ''bread and butter'' of power in this continent, understand?"


    Tyr didn''t hesitate to nod. He then thought to himself, ''Steal, huh? Where would I steal one from? This old dump of a temple probably doesn''t have anything too special... but I''m sure a faction like this has a place filled with good techniques. After all, the faction members need to gain raw Aura somehow, right? Sounds like a plan...''

 Chapter 186: New Breakthrough

    Tyr returned to the plum blossom tree garden to continue his training.So far, Tyr had gotten to the point where he could balance three petals on his index finger, one on top of the other.


    The more he balanced on his finger, however, the more difficult it became.


    Tyr closed his eyes, exhaling as he concentrated his full attention on the task at hand.


    As soon as his eyelids flew open, he caught the first petal that was drifting down from above.


    With that, he swiftly moved his finger to catch the second petal.


    ''The first petal is soft and clean, the second one is fast, and the third one...''


    He moved slowly, allowing the third petal to rest on his finger.


    ''The third one is also calm and slow.''


    He glanced at the fourth petal gently floating downwards.


    ''The elusive fourth petal... being fast doesn''t help, and neither does being slow.''


    He tried to be fast, keeping up the pattern that he had been using.


    However, the petal closely slipped his finger, causing the rest to fall to the floor as well.


    He took a step back in annoyance, furrowing his eyebrows.


    "Tsk!" he exclaimed. "I''ve tried for several hours to go from the third petal to the fourth. Yet... it seems close to impossible. I can''t go too slow and calm, or else it will be hard to catch the petal in the first place. And if I go too fast, the other petals will be disturbed." S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He thought about it for a moment. ''Hmm... I shouldn''t be arrogant about it. This just means that I am the one who is the factor that is slowing me down. I have to come at it from a different perspective entirely.''


    He closed his eyes, trying to rewire his brain. ''If I am the problem, I have to force myself to completely forget the way I''ve been approaching this, and try a new way.''


    First, he recalled what he had been doing so far.


    ''I have been trying to slow down and speed up my own body to get the petals.''


    Then, he imagined what the opposite of that would look like.


    ''If I were to completely change my strategy, that would be something along the lines of... not trying to speed myself up or slow myself down. In fact, I wouldn''t have to chase the petal at all. The opposite of my current plan would be to let the petal come to me...''


    He squinted his eyes. He was puzzled. He had thought of the opposite solution to what he had been doing, but how could he actually execute this new plan?


    "Have the petal come to me... that would be impossible, unless I have some sort of petal magnet." He said, trying to think of other ways.


    "I guess there is one other way... but that would have to do with me being able to predict the future, so my finger can be where the petal will fall before even the petal knows of that location."


    He slightly chuckled to himself on hearing this. "Predicting the future is impossible though..."


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    Then, he noticed a bright-pink petal drop down from above right in front of his face.


    It was oddly rich in color, capturing his attention for a split second.


    A gentle breeze flushed past him, coming from behind and waving forward toward the petal in front of him.


    At that moment, instead of moving with the current of the wind, the petal suddenly flew toward Tyr.


    Tyr felt a sudden impulse to catch the petal since it was close to touching his face.


    However, just before his hand made contact with the leaf, it was abruptly pushed away by the wind from before.


    ''Huh...'' Tyr mused. ''What just happened... it was like me being unable to catch a punch coming toward me.'' He couldn''t help but relate the two things together.


    ''Even though I saw the petal coming toward me, I was not able to catch it. Not because I was too slow... but because I didn''t anticipate what its next movement was going to be. If I had my hand slightly back, I could have caught it as it floated away.''


    He paused.


    ''The only way I could have known that it was going to fly back was the slight wind that I felt right before. Due to the wind coming toward the petal, it was sucked in due to the negative energy that was leading the wind. That''s why the petal came toward me. Then, it finally met with the real wind and was carried away by it, successfully juking me.''


    Tyr thought about how a car moved through a highway. Moving fast, it created a vacuum of air right in front of it, pulling in wind and throwing it backward even though the car itself moved forward.


    But, if that same car were to stop, all that momentum would be pushed forward, causing all the wind to travel in front of the car instead of behind it.


    ''Wind... that''s what I need to focus on. That''s the only way these petals can move, or else it would be extremely easy to catch them all.''


    As he said this to himself, Tyr suddenly felt the air around him for the first time.


    Like a placebo effect of noticing more of what you want to notice, Tyr finally felt the air around him in a much more obvious state.


    ''I need to study how these petals move according to each movement of the wind, and have an easy time predicting where it will go next. In that way, I can also learn how to predict an enemy''s attacks, not from how their attack comes toward me, but how their body reacts to their own movements¡ªtelling me the truth of what they actually intend to do, despite their showing of movement outright.''


    Tyr grinned, feeling as though he had figured it out. ''I''m a fucking genius.''


    But it wasn''t over yet. He actually had to put this theory into practice, and begin studying how these petals were able to move.


    And so, that''s what he did. Standing silently, and feeling the wind around him, he began to see how all petal movements occurred.

 Chapter 187: Mastery Through Obsession

    After an hour of observing the wind, Tyr attempted another try at catching the petals.This time, he managed to get four successfully, but that looked to be the new limit.


    He took a step back. ''One hour is not enough. I need to go all in and master each movement these petals could ever have, and ensure a 100% success rate.''


    When he said this to himself, a thought appeared in his mind which made him chuckle slightly.


    ''This doesn''t really feel like the correct way to go about it... there is probably a much easier way. But... as long as I pass this test, it doesn''t matter. My way will be the right way all the same.''


    Deciding to not take any shortcuts, Tyr spent some time wandering around the monastery with hopes of finding a pen and paper that he could use.


    Being a place of scholarship, it didn''t take long for Tyr to obtain what he was looking for.


    He got multiple notebooks and headed back to the plum blossom garden, where he then proceeded to take almost all of his clothes off except for his undergarments.


    ''If I want to feel the wind, I shouldn''t block out most of my body. The reason for small hairs on an animal''s body, including the human one, is for sensory purposes. This way, I will be able to feel the wind around me at a much higher volume.''


    And so, he began his studying again.


    To not forget, he wrote down how each petal moved according to the wind.


    He did this for several hours, filling up dozens of pages with intricate notes.


    Monks made their way past the garden, able to see Tyr continue his training from afar as they passed the hallways that connected one temple to another building.


    Some laughed at the seemingly lunatic young man, who was naked for some reason and standing still with a fierce look of focus in his eyes.


    Others were simply bewildered as they saw the young man write obsessively in a book every few seconds.


    Tyr wasn''t bothered by any of this. In fact, he was so concentrated that he didn''t even notice anyone else.


    Soon enough, the day stretched late into the afternoon.


    To test whether his studying was working, Tyr gave another go at catching the petals.


    Not a real attempt, but a simple experiment.


    After conducting it, he realized another flaw in his method.


    He balanced 8 petals this time, but he noticed that he still couldn''t advance.


    The reason for this became obvious to him instantly. After all, up until now, he had made sure everything was taken into consideration.


    So, whatever was missing was going to stick out like a sore thumb.


    Some petals still didn''t follow the pattern of the wind.


    Tyr gathered all of these together on the floor and stared at them intensely, noticing that each one of them had slightly deformed curves.


    While others had naturally separate curves from their counterparts¡ªwhich would make perfect sense as to why they would react differently to the same wind flow.


    Tyr grinned upon realizing this.


    ''Perfect... this is why I did the test in the first place. To find errors like these.''


    He was happy, seeing another obstacle he could overcome through sheer practice and perfection.


    As night soon eclipsed the horizon, Tyr decided to lean more into studying the shape of the petals instead of focusing on the wind.


    This was mostly due to the fact that he couldn''t see the petals at night, but also because it was something he had put less studying into.


    ''I think I like this routine. As long as I can see, I will study the petals'' movement according to the wind. And when night falls, I will study the shape of each petal formation this damn tree can give me.'' S§×arch* The n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Tyr was honed in like a hawk, not willing to stop until he succeeded.


    ''There won''t be a single petal that will elude me.'' Stay connected with mvl


    And so, he gathered every petal he could find, carefully sketching their unique patterns in another notebook.


    He continued this through the night, eventually filling up the entire notebook with unique petals.


    The next morning, he tested out how many petals he could catch again.


    Remembering everything he had been working on for the past 24 hours, he didn''t waste any movements and successfully caught 13 petals on his finger.


    Tyr smiled as he caught that last petal. ''I don''t even have to try. I know that''s my limit for now. But as I expected, my progress has gone up significantly...''


    "What... in the world?" a voice came from behind Tyr.


    Tyr turned, allowing all the petals to fall to the floor. "Oh, you''re back. Good... I was getting a bit hungry," he said to the young monk who had come to give him food the day prior as well.


    "I-I... h-how many petals... what?" The monk was at an utter loss for words.


    Tyr smirked, walking toward the monk. "That ain''t nothin''... just a few thousand more petal formations and a couple hundred more wind reactions to master, and I will capture every petal on this damn tree..."


    "What?" The monk was puzzled as to what Tyr was saying. "What in the world are you talking about?"


    "Don''t worry about that... I think you will see in a few days what I''m talking about."


    ...


    The monk left the basket of food and exited the garden with his mouth still slightly agape, his gaze void of any real thought.


    To him, seeing Tyr catch that many petals was like witnessing a miracle. It was simply impossible, and something that each monk aimed to perfect over many years. Despite this, Tyr seemed to be somehow rampaging past this test as if it was nothing.


    However, Tyr wasn''t just passing the test with talent and ease. He was working as hard as possible, forcibly erasing all possibilities of failure through sheer perfectionism.


    Speaking of forcibly, Tyr managed to stuff the disgusting, bitter food balls down his throat.


    After that, he got dressed, took the two S Grade pills, and headed to the temple to cultivate.


    Before arriving at the temple, however, Tyr decided to make his way into the center of the monastery¡ªwhere the market was¡ªto see if he could find a good cultivation technique for the assets that he possessed right now...

 Chapter 188: Getting A Cultivation Technique (1)

    In many parts of the world, as Tyr understood it, the greedy art of marketing and selling was seen as dishonorable in monasteries.After all, they were supposed to be places where one let go of "worldly desires," with the largest of those being none other than cold hard cash.


    Despite that fact, the market seemed to be thriving in this particular temple.


    Most of the people selling things beside the center road weren''t monks but rather travelers and merchants running their shops.


    After asking around for a few minutes, Tyr made his way to what he deemed was the best cultivation technique store nearby.


    Many vendors recommended their own stores, but this was the only store that many vendors, pedestrians, and even monks suggested.


    Tyr observed the shop with a curious gaze.


    ''Looks like it just got set up recently,'' he thought to himself, noting the large tent that barely had any dust on it.


    Tyr entered the store, noticing the busy atmosphere inside.


    There were pedestals and stalls scattered throughout the marquee, with dozens of customers walking around, scanning the wares.


    On the pedestals were books and scrolls galore, consisting of nothing but cultivation techniques.


    Hanging on the walls were also some rare spells and skills to learn.


    Tyr was unfamiliar with cultivation techniques, but he was even more unfamiliar with spells learned via scrolls.


    ''I guess I''ll have to check it all out.'' With a smile, he joined the crowd.


    First, Tyr skimmed through all of the cultivation techniques he could find.


    Many resembled grimoires¡ªhard-copy books with glowing inscriptions and lettering.


    Others looked like scrolls of various types¡ªsome old and tanned, others new and pristine. Some were long, others short. Some neat and tidy, and others simply falling apart.


    Then, he spent some time looking at spells available to learn.


    Most of them seemed a bit useless, frankly speaking.


    ''Huh... a slight energy boost for half of my stored Aura?'' he thought, furrowing his brows in disappointment.


    ''I understand that my Aura regenerates to its normal amount depending on how evolved my Aura Core is, but still... it takes a while for that Aura to come back. Using half of it for stamina is just silly.''


    He continued inspecting.


    ''Considerable regeneration for 1 Aura Stone.''


    ''Tornado of Fire for 3 Aura Stones.''


    ''Temporary strength boost, drains all of your Aura over a 60-second timespan.''


    Tyr shook his head. ''All of these are trash...''


    He sighed. ''Well, I guess you can''t expect much from a monastery. Most of these aren''t even attack spells. That strength boost could be used for farming, for all I know. At the very least, it doesn''t seem to be made for combat. Losing all of your Aura is like a death wish in battle.''


    He returned to the cultivation techniques, his main focus for coming here.


    At the very back of the marquee, there was a small stage surrounded by a generous crowd.


    Tyr had noticed it when he first entered the establishment but wanted to browse the cultivation techniques first.


    This time, he decided to check out what was happening.


    Squeezing through the crowd, Tyr managed to reach the front.


    He saw a man standing on the stage.


    ''Looks like a merchant,'' Tyr mused.


    "That''s right! It''s all about strength in this challenge. And you get to choose any cultivation technique you want absolutely for free if you can defeat my prized competitor!"


    It was a middle-aged man with a shiny gold tooth revealed by his cheesy smile as he riled up the shop with his exciting proposal.


    Hell, even Tyr couldn''t help but smile slightly at those words.


    ''For free? Hmm... it seems this guy is the owner of this establishment.'' Tyr glanced at a wooden wall at the back of the stage adorned with dozens of shiny cultivation technique scrolls.


    "These are the best of the best within our store! But remember, if you lose, you have to trade in a cultivation technique of your own! It can be the weakest of the weak¡ªit doesn''t matter! Just remember, even by risking a measly F-Grade cultivation technique, you earn the chance of winning at least an A-Grade technique in return!"


    Tyr raised a brow. ''Damn... well, it couldn''t hurt to try, right? I need a cultivation technique though... eh... I''ll just pretend to have one.''


    "But do not think it will be easy!" the merchant continued. "Your opponent will be no man. Instead, it will be a machine¡ªa hand powered by nothing but Aura!" S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Awe-filled gasps and dramatic noises of surprise rippled through the tent.


    In the center of the stage was an arm wrestling table. On one side was a hand floating in mid-air.


    "Hmm..." Tyr muttered under his breath, observing.


    At that moment, a young man stepped up to the stage. "Great! I''ll give it a go!" he exclaimed.


    The young scholar was a bald-headed monk. He looked to be quite muscular beneath his robes, and his stature was tall.


    Many seemed to recognize him as the crowd erupted in cheers.


    "Oh? Are you sure you have the ability!? Remember, you must have a cultivation technique ready to give up!" the merchant said, shaking the young monk''s hand.


    "Of course I do... now let''s get started. I will win an amazing cultivation technique for myself!"


    The monk sat down at the table.


    Tyr scanned him without hesitation.


    ©³©¥©¥©¥Status©¥©¥©¥©·


    Name:


    Yo Ing Hang


    Age:


    24 Years


    Power Level:


    350


    Rank:


    Virtuoso


    ©»©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¿


    ''Damn... he''s even stronger than I am. With my Polaris Tiger Soul Mend, I should be able to exceed his strength... but still. If he loses, I don''t think I''ll have a good chance of winning either.''


    Tyr observed the situation carefully.


    ''Then again... this all looks like a carnival game. Those cheating sons of bitches never let anyone win.''


    He glanced around the shop. ''I didn''t even find a single A-Grade cultivation technique in this store... so I was wondering why it was so popular. Now I see.''


    He paused, piecing things together.


    ''The main attraction is those A and S-Grade techniques hung up on the wall... but if it were that easy¡ªor even possible¡ªat least one of those would be gone by now. But not a single one has been won. Seems sketchy.''


    Before long, the match began.


    "Ready... 3... 2... 1... begin!"


    SWWISH


    The machine hand moved swiftly, instantly overpowering the young monk.


    BOOM


    The monk''s hand slammed into the pad, his defeat echoing across the room.


    The monk''s excited expression vanished, his hopes shattered abruptly.

 Chapter 189: Getting A Cultivation Technique (2)

    The crowd was surprised as well, seeing how one of their stronger disciples was humiliated so easily.Even Tyr was discouraged. S~ea??h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''Yeah... it really doesn''t seem possible. On top of that, maybe this hand has some special ability to match another person''s power or something. Similar to that punching Aura Crystal that Malon was practicing with on the ship over to this continent.''


    Tyr looked at the floating arm. It was made of cloth and seemingly sand. However, it was also twitching.


    When it defeated the young monk, Tyr could even see striations in the forearm muscles of the arm.


    Out of pure curiosity, Tyr mused: ''Scan...''


    To his surprise, something actually popped up.


    ©³©¥©¥©¥Status©¥©¥©¥©·


    Name:


    Mechan Teer


    Age:


    32 Years


    Power Level:


    210


    Rank:


    Expert


    ©»©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¿


    ''Huh? Wait a second... why am I able to scan a thing that''s not alive?''


    It obviously didn''t take long for Tyr to get his answer to this question.


    His head moved from left to right. ''Scan...'' He used his Scan on every damn person he could find throughout the entire tent.


    ''Someone must be controlling this thing.''


    Sure enough, another guy came up with the same name and status as the arm.


    ©³©¥©¥©¥Status©¥©¥©¥©·


    Name:


    Mechan Teer


    Age:


    32 Years


    Power Level:


    210


    Rank:


    Expert


    ©»©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¿


    As though using a metal detector, Tyr quickly tracked down who it was.


    The name ''Mechan Teer'' belonged to a small guy that was sitting on a barrel in the very corner of the marquee.


    He seemed to be nodding off right now, fully asleep.


    Tyr looked back at the stage.


    As Tyr continued to think, his eyes suddenly locked with the merchant.


    "Oh? You seem to have determined eyes, young man!" the merchant exclaimed, looking at the eyes of Tyr, which looked serious.


    "Huh?" Tyr exclaimed, confused.


    The merchant grinned.


    ''Hah! Perfect... another meathead buffoon who looks strong but really just too cowardly to act. This will make my competition look even more significant.''


    "Come on up! Show us what all those muscles are for! I know you want to speak up! Don''t worry, I will do it for you. Come on now, take a shot at the arm!"


    At that moment, a series of thoughts aligned in Tyr''s brain. His eyes expanded slightly, as a smirk began to appear on his face.


    ''This guy... it''s all clear now. I don''t know what it is, but there''s some sort of scam going on here. I can feel it. Why would this guy be lying and saying that this arm is some sort of new tech when it''s just some dude''s ability? However, even if I don''t understand that, simply knowing what I do is enough.''


    "Sure! Count me in," Tyr exclaimed, warranting a surprised and amused reaction from the crowd.


    The merchant smirked.


    ''Come... come, you fool! As long as you are a living, breathing mortal who isn''t above the Grandmaster Rank, no one can overcome Mechan''s ability to infuse the strength of his entire body into a single arm.''


    "But first!" Tyr paused, capturing the attention of the crowd.


    As a hush fell over the people and the merchant¡ªTyr facing the ground with his face shadowed in a dramatic manner¡ªthe young man finally acted:


    He raised his hand and showed his pinky finger. "I will need to piss," Tyr said confidently as he stared at the ground with a smirk on his face and his eyes closed.


    After a second or so of silence, a few in the crowd burst into laughter. Most, however, were just silent at this random message.


    Even the merchant was a bit thrown off. "What? Okay... come back after you piss, then..."


    Tyr nodded, turning and walking away.


    A few more seconds of awkward silence later, the merchant continued his rants, and the crowd quickly regained their excitement.


    Tyr, on the other hand, walked toward the exit, a proud look on his face.


    ''Great... I played that off innocently... I think.''


    He blended into the crowd, slithering his way over to Mechan.


    He placed his hand on the man''s shoulder. As soon as he did this, Mechan gasped loudly and awoke from his slumber.


    ''Hypnosis,'' Tyr said, instantly overpowering the man before he could do anything.


    "Allow me to beat you in an arm wrestling match," Tyr muttered under his breath, the man nodding without hesitation before falling back asleep.


    Tyr speed-walked his way over to the stage, acting as nonchalant as possible.


    ''Shit... I hope he will stay hypnotized long enough. I gave him quite the complicated order compared to what I have done in the past.''


    He snuck his way back through the crowd and hopped onto the stage abruptly.


    "Oh! You''re back!" the merchant shouted with a chuckle. "That was a quick piss!" he said with a mixture of awe, surprise, and confusion.


    "I have blessed genetics," Tyr brushed past that, placing his hand on the arm wrestling pad and facing the arm in front of him. "Let''s get this started!"


    As Tyr said this, the crowd erupted into a cheer once again.


    The merchant was slightly thrown off by all of this. It gave him a slightly ominous feeling, but seeing as how the crowd was loving it, he decided to continue playing along.


    ''Thankfully... crowd work is my specialty,'' the merchant exclaimed inwardly. "So be it! Begin in... 3...2...1... go!"


    Tyr immediately transformed into his Polaris Tiger form to make sure he had a good chance even if his Hypnosis wore off.


    However, he noticed that the arm wasn''t pushing back against him at all.


    He had a slight sigh of relief wash through him.


    In that split second where no hand moved either way, the merchant suddenly felt his heart sink into his stomach.


    His eyes darted over to Mechan, who was in the corner.


    ''He''s still asleep... so why!? Is this brat this strong!?''


    The crowd was also very impressed, since they hadn''t seen the machine struggle at all up until now.


    Tyr put on a face that made him seem like he was struggling slightly, before gripping the hand tightly and slamming it down into the pad.


    A grin stretched across his face.


    "Haha! I won!" he lifted his hand in the air.


    The crowd cheered as the merchant''s face turned pale with shock.

 Chapter 190: Getting A Cultivation Technique (3)

    **EXTRA LONG CHAPTER***Tyr felt a wave of relief.


    ''It actually worked!'' he thought to himself, glancing at the crowd and then at the merchant.


    The crowd clearly loved it. Some even seemed to recognize Tyr:


    "That''s the one, right? The one who caught all those petals in one day."


    "What? Are you sure? Inos wasn''t really specific about the guy''s description."


    "He doesn''t have to be! This is the guy, the one who stands around naked in the plum blossom garden."


    "Now that I think about it... you''re right!"


    Some weren''t so sure, but nevertheless, it was amusing to see their expectations be surpassed.


    The merchant, on the other hand, was silent. Although it hadn''t been long, Tyr could just see the man processing a dozen things in his head at once.


    "No... no! This is not right! You cheated!" the merchant turned and pointed his finger at Tyr with a sour look on his face.


    "How dare you cheat!" the merchant exclaimed, his eyes darting around to see if the crowd was agreeing with him.


    So far, the crowd looked to become silent with confusion and intrigue.


    Tyr, on the other hand, wasn''t too surprised.


    ''Huh... I guess that explains why he was thinking for so long instead of just admitting defeat. The idiot wants to take away my win... but I got the win through seeing through this bastard''s cheat. He knows it too... so I have the upper hand here.''


    Tyr gazed deeply into the merchant''s eyes.


    "Did you think before saying that?" he said in a deep tone.


    The merchant inhaled sharply.


    ''Damn it! This bastard... he didn''t just overcome Mechan through strength. It seems he knows my trick...'' His eyes darted around.


    ''If he exposes me, my business will collapse!'' S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Tyr was also thinking to himself about how to profit best from this situation:


    ''No matter how you look at it, this is a silent negotiation,'' Tyr mused, getting excited.


    ''And right now, I have the upper hand. Because he accused me of cheating without any proof, I can manipulate this scenario however I want, and he can''t do shit about it since I can expose him whenever I want. Bad move... dumbass.''


    Tyr walked toward the merchant, thinking:


    ''I won''t expose him... at least, not yet. If I do that, all of my leverage will be lost. If I expose him, he won''t have anything to lose. But... if I pretend to be clueless, the crowd will be on my side.''


    "How... how did I cheat? Care to explain?" Tyr said, leaving the crowd also murmuring with similar questions as the merchant remained silent.


    ''Damn it! This bastard has me stuck!''


    Tyr continued after a few seconds.


    "Or is it that you are scamming everyone who plays this game!? Are you that crude of a business owner!?"


    The crowd began to get more rowdy as they heard this:


    "Yeah! Give the guy his prize!"


    "Innocent until proven guilty!"


    "Give evidence of the cheating so we know what to believe!"


    Tyr continued to press on the gas pedal, beads of sweat forming on the merchant''s forehead:


    "You make a ton of profit, but if someone wins, then it''s cheating out of nowhere!? Be honorable, damn it! This is all about honor!" Tyr said, attempting to spin it a certain way.


    ''Honor... it drives many people to do many things without really needing to,'' Tyr thought to himself.


    The merchant couldn''t take it anymore.


    "Fine! I-I... I was mistaken," he exhaled.


    "I got angry... my apologies. It''s just that... I really have never seen anyone defeat that machine before. It is totally my fault." He bowed his head to the crowd.


    ''Hmm...'' Tyr thought to himself as he saw this.


    ''Tsk... this isn''t really that good of a situation. I was hoping to make this a lot more dramatic so I can take a bunch of this idiot''s cultivation techniques without any problem. But... if he apologizes and curries favor with the crowd, I won''t really have that power. After all, the crowd is clueless on the real details of the situation. All they are thinking about right now is the actions they are seeing happen in the live moment by the both of us.''


    The crowd was slightly surprised at the abrupt apology, it seemed. Seeing this, Tyr shook his head.


    ''Damn... it,'' he said to himself as he saw a smirk appear on the merchant''s face that was facing the crowd.


    "Wait!" Tyr shouted, garnering the attention of the crowd.


    "H-how much of an evil bastard can you be?" He paused dramatically, his face filled with disgust.


    The merchant furrowed his brows.


    ''What now!? What is he trying to do?''


    "Huh? He already apologized!" the crowd began to shout.


    "What happened?"


    "Despite cheating me... he still only bows his head and apologizes to the crowd! Clearly, this man has no care about his real actions. He doesn''t give a damn that he nearly cheated me out of a victory... no... all he cares about is maintaining a good image and reputation amongst the people! Who knows how this type of dishonorable man will act in the future!"


    The crowd was instantly convinced by this heartfelt statement.


    "A man should always apologize because he admits his guilt, not because he wants to be forgiven!" old heads among the monks immediately began to say.


    Tyr smiled, knowing that this crowd was perfect for this type of mindset.


    ''Monks hold honor quite high in their morals, since honor comes from truth. Work for me... honor.''


    "That''s right! Apologizing is not about oneself, but another!"


    "Don''t be selfish! Do you not have any honor!?"


    "How vile... turn your head away from us. You did not dishonor us, but rather, this young man!"


    The merchant slowly raised his head and faced Tyr, who was grinning at him.


    The merchant gritted his teeth and furrowed his eyebrows, with rage seething through his clenched fists.


    ''Demonic bastard... how could he speak such high tales of honor when he knows that of my cheats and is lying right now, pretending as if he doesn''t. I''ll get payback for this...''


    "Y-you all are right..." He loosened his fists and squinted his eyes, donning a frail expression of submission.


    "Please... choose a cultivation technique of your liking."


    Tyr, however, put on his angry face again.


    The crowd quieted down on seeing this.


    "What''s wrong?"


    They began to murmur again.


    "Huh? He''s still angry?"


    "Well... just because he got an apology doesn''t mean he has to forgive the man..."


    "You think that simply apologizing will make everything okay again?" Tyr said, clearly very upset.


    The merchant nearly broke his teeth from grinding them so hard.


    ''What the fuck does he want now!?''


    "This is about honor!" Tyr exclaimed loudly.


    "So what would you like me to do then!?" the merchant blurted.


    "Would you like me to give you everything that I have? Over a simple mistake like that!?"


    The crowd was taken aback. They remained silent with disappointment and slight anger as Tyr responded.


    "No... don''t give me everything you have. Just give me the techniques you have on this wall here. After all... it''s what an honorable man would do..." Tyr said, exaggerating the ''honorable'' when he said it.


    The merchant''s left eye couldn''t stop twitching.


    The crowd didn''t seem to disagree either:


    "Well... it''s the least he could do."


    "Trying to deceive us and cheat him out of his victory is going too far."


    "You''ve shown your true colors... if you want to be forgiven, do what''s honorable."


    ''Honor...'' the merchant thought to himself at that moment.


    ''I swear to all the gods... from the day I leave this wretched monastery, anyone who spews the blasted word "honor" will be cut down by my own hands!''


    "It''s yours... all of it is yours..." the merchant exclaimed, his tone utterly devastated.


    Tyr smiled.


    "It takes a lot of courage to be so honorable. Good for you..."


    He faced the crowd.


    "Making up for one''s mistakes isn''t easy... I think we should all forgive this man for moving forward and growing as a person, no?"


    Before long, agreeing voices and slow claps began to sound, as Tyr turned and made his way to the wall of cultivation techniques.


    ''This went better than I expected,'' he mused, his eyes glowing with eagerness as the shiny techniques in front of him danced with glimmer.

 Chapter 191: S Grade Cultivation Technique: Shadow Flock

    Tyr left that tent with a large smile on his face and a heavy ring on his hand.He raised his hand, looking at his 20x20 foot storage ring:


    "It''s filled to the brim." He chuckled to himself.


    Before leaving for the temple, he turned to look at the state of the shop and the merchant once more.


    The crowd around the stage had fizzled back into normal roaming customers.


    Tyr could almost taste the gloomy aura of the merchant as he saw the middle-aged man sit down beside Mechan.


    Before their confrontation unfolded, Tyr turned and began walking away from the marquee.


    "I don''t think this is over yet... but I have other things to focus on right now," he said to himself.


    Soon enough, he arrived at the same meditation area as the day prior.


    The number of monks meditating was also similar.


    The sky was bright and blue with scarce white clouds, and the fresh, clean air of the temple made its presence known with soft and rejuvenating breezes.


    After inhaling these breezes deeply, Tyr sat down on a mat. With a slight smile on his face, he lifted his finger.


    With a simple thought, his storage ring illuminated with a bright gleam as 20 scrolls appeared before him on the floor.


    The scrolls looked like raw pieces of shiny gold just sitting around, instantly capturing the attention of all the monks passing by.


    Even those who were on the mats, who happened to have their eyes open, widened their eyes even more to get a better look at Tyr''s scrolls.


    Most were confused, but the more learned monks understood the value of the scrolls Tyr had on the ground. sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "What in the world is he doing?"


    "Are those all cultivation techniques?"


    "They seem to be of very high grades..."


    A few dozen stopped what they were doing and paused in awe as they gawked at Tyr for the next few minutes.


    Tyr wasn''t very informed when it came to cultivation techniques, but from how he understood it, they worked something like this:


    A cultivator would first have to obtain a cultivation technique scroll.


    After obtaining it, they would have the choice to comprehend the writing inside the scroll before absorbing the scroll and understanding how to perform the cultivation technique.


    However, most scrolls were not written in the universal Subworld language, or even any language currently used in Subworld at all.


    For this reason, most simply chose to absorb the cultivation technique without any prior comprehension of what it did.


    This still allowed them to instantly understand how it worked.


    "It seems pretty stupid to want to read what the scroll does if using it instantly informs you anyway," Tyr thought to himself.


    "But then again... absorbing something you have no clue about isn''t a super safe thing to do. Back when these scrolls were created, I can imagine ruthless tactics such as weaponized cultivation scrolls were fairly commonly used."


    Although all of this was true, Tyr still had the choice to read all of these scrolls.


    Why? Well, because of GG, of course.


    With the translation abilities of GG, Tyr could understand even this ancient language¡ªalbeit, most of it was torn or erased by this point.


    The only thing keeping the scrolls together was the denser materials and the Aura.


    "Eh... I doubt any of these will harm me," Tyr mused.


    Enjoy new adventures from mvl


    "I shouldn''t be too paranoid. I''ve never heard of such a thing."


    With this rationale in mind, Tyr began to absorb the cultivation technique scrolls one by one as others watched.


    Bound with Aura Arrays that allowed information to be transferred into another''s brain, the process went along smoothly and quickly.


    After a mere half a minute, Tyr''s head was filled with a mountain of knowledge about how to use each and every scroll he had just absorbed.


    Tyr closed his eyes, wanting to focus on the techniques more closely and think with a clear head:


    "Wow... how interesting." He couldn''t help but be mesmerized.


    "Each technique has its own subtle or drastic differences. Most use aspects of nature, like vines, leaves, or raindrops. Others use more modern, manmade concepts such as brushes, chopsticks, and sandals. It''s all so random..."


    They worked in very odd ways as well.


    The sandal cultivation technique, for example¡ªaccording to the information Tyr gathered through absorption¡ªtransformed the Aura around him into small pellet-sized flies.


    These flies would be drawn toward Tyr and swatted out of the air by glowing sandals made of Tyr''s Aura¡ªthe specialty of this cultivation technique.


    After swatting these flies, they would be absorbed into Tyr''s Aura Core in their original pure Aura state of matter.


    The chopstick technique was also quite funny, grabbing the Aura in the air with chopsticks before thrusting it straight into Tyr''s Aura Core.


    Most techniques were simpler¡ªthe ones that worked in tandem with nature.


    The Rain Drop Cultivation Technique made the Aura around Tyr turn into denser drops of matter, able to be absorbed at higher quantities.


    The Vine Cultivation Technique created vines of Aura that grew out from Tyr''s Aura Core and sprawled across the floor¡ªabsorbing all nearby Aura from the air¡ªlike roots of a tree absorbing water and minerals.


    ''It seems that for the most part, a cultivation technique usually either transforms the Aura around you to help make it more efficiently absorbed or uses your own Aura to create a tool to help you capture and absorb this Aura... or in some cases, both!''


    Tyr could just imagine how much more complicated and in-depth this entire process could go.


    He spent a little while longer just looking through all of the techniques.


    Taking a peek at their characteristics and weighing the benefits against the losses, like scrolling through options on a menu.


    Finally, he arrived at a cultivation technique that intrigued him most.


    It was oddly powerful, significantly more so than the others¡ªwhich allowed him to choose it without a shadow of a doubt.


    ''S Grade Cultivation Technique: Shadow Flock.


    A technique that allows the user to deploy a crow created by their own Aura to hunt and bring back Aura to feed to the user''s Aura Core. Of course, like all other cultivation techniques, this crow will be invisible to the naked eye. Only the user will be able to see it when the user''s eyes are closed, and they are actively cultivating. However, there is one thing that makes this cultivation technique unique and far superior to anything else I have. After a certain amount of Aura is retrieved by my crow, it will materialize into a real crow, which summons in the visible world as a shadowy creature whenever I activate the cultivation technique. After one crow advances to this level and continues working for its user whenever they are cultivating, another crow will be created from the user''s Aura¡ªawaiting its time to also advance into a visible crow. And the juiciest part of it all is... when a crow goes from invisible Aura mode to the visible level... it remains in my core as a permanent tool in my kit¡ªcoming out and working to retrieve Aura for me whenever I cultivate, even if it''s another cultivation technique that I use.''


    A large grin was pulling on both sides of Tyr''s mouth right now.


    "What a fucking overpowered technique."

 Chapter 192: Hollow Crow

    For a moment, Tyr sat there simply contemplating how amazing this technique could be.''In the future, I could just sit down to cultivate and have dozens of crows gathering Aura for me at once. The most significant thing when it comes to seeing this technique''s true potential is how fast a hollow crow can turn into a real Aura crow.''


    Tyr decided to call the crows that weren''t visible to the naked eye ''hollow'' crows.


    This was because he already knew what they looked like, having absorbed the cultivation technique and understanding how it all worked.


    Before leveling up to permanent crows, the hollow crows would be like black-outlined figures with a see-through body.


    Their wings and beaks were prominent, but the rest wasn''t there. They had a wispy, shadowy energy that followed them.


    As with every other cultivation technique, only the user, Tyr, could see these hollow crows.


    After leveling up to the ''shadow crows,'' as Tyr decided to call them in Tyr''s soon-to-be


    Shadow Flock,


    these crows would look like normal crows except with glowing purple eyes.


    They would also still retain that shadowy black energy.


    Thinking about all of this made Tyr eager to try it out.


    Not wanting to wait any longer, he sucked down his two S Grade pills and took in a deep breath to begin his meditation.


    As Tyr began to meditate, he observed himself from a third-person perspective.


    He could see nothing but blackness all around. At the center of it all was his outlined white figure.


    Like being traced with chalk on a blackboard, all that existed of Tyr was the lining of his body.


    More, Tyr''s Aura Core was fully visible due to this transparent outlining.


    It was small, but filled with colorful Aura.


    Along with that, Tyr could see what looked to be the outlining of his veins stretching throughout his body.


    Upon closer observation, Tyr noticed that these lines represented something else rather than veins.


    They were slightly thicker and fewer in branches.


    ''These must be my meridians. I''m surprised this is the first time I''ve ever seen them,'' Tyr mused, remembering what meridians were from word of mouth.


    All that he knew about them was that, like veins carried and transported blood to the heart and throughout the body, meridians carried and transported Aura to the core and throughout the body all the same.


    After visualizing using the


    Shadow Flock


    Cultivation Technique for a minute or so, a slight smidgen of Aura slowly evacuated Tyr''s core.


    It traveled through a meridian route before exiting and floating. Within seconds, it transformed into a black, shadowy crow outline.


    ''My first hollow crow...'' Tyr mused, ''Go... fetch me Aura.''


    The crow had already begun to hunt for the good stuff before Tyr''s order, that being all it knew how to do.


    Tyr looked at the crow''s movements very closely.


    ''I wonder how exactly it works. Is it some sort of preprogrammed intelligence using the Aura Array, like AI? Or... does it have a mind of its own?''


    The crow flew by small drops of Aura floating around in the air.


    ''Huh? It ignored the Aura?''


    As soon as Tyr said this to himself in puzzlement, the crow grabbed a large, condensed blob of Aura with both its talons and its mouth.


    It turned swiftly, returning to Tyr without delay.


    Tyr was amazed by this.


    ''So it sees the different Aura options and goes for what gives it the best return on investment for the time it takes to reach the Aura... that''s impressive.''


    The more that time passed, the more Tyr was loving this technique.


    The crow didn''t slow down while torpedoing toward Tyr, spiraling right through his body.


    It flew across as though Tyr was just a hologram, but most of the Aura was swiftly inserted into Tyr''s core.


    The leftovers scattered around Tyr''s body were quickly gathered by the meridians and carried to the core in an efficient manner.


    The crow, on the other hand, did not stop even once, already on the hunt for the next Aura glob.


    After half an hour or so, Tyr finally began to see the Aura releasing from the two pills he had consumed.


    ''I guess the better the cultivation technique, the faster I''ll be able to absorb these spells. The mastery of the technique also matters, it seems, since many crows will most likely speed up the process as well.''


    As soon as the fairly abundant Aura oozed out from the pills, the hollow crow swooped in, circling around Tyr as it continuously thrust all the Aura that it could catch into Tyr''s core.


    ''It seems to catch about half of the Aura for now... but after getting more hollow crows, or advancing this one to a greater shadow crow, I should be able to fully absorb the Aura.''


    Despite this, what Tyr absorbed now was close to double from the day prior.


    Time continued to pass as Tyr cultivated. After an hour of total cultivation, Tyr had gained three levels'' worth of Aura.


    ''Not too bad at all.'' Tyr smirked.


    ''One level from the crow alone, and two this time from the pills instead of just one. As I get more crows and advance my technique, I''ll get power even more efficiently.''


    He was quite satisfied, opening his eyes as he distributed his status points.


    [Vitality: 127/127-->130]


    [Strength: 136-->137]


    [Stamina: 125/125-->126]


    [Aura: 124-->125]


    After closing the Status panel, he noticed the stares of dozens around him.


    His brow raised.


    "What do you want?" he stood up.


    There were ten monks in front of him, whispering to each other while staring at him.


    Behind him were double the amount as compared to in front, all intrigued by the young man.


    "Those techniques... you absorbed all of them?" one of the younger monks asked.


    "Huh? Oh, those ones? Yeah. I made sure to get every last one," Tyr replied.


    The monk who asked the question frowned.


    "Tsk... couldn''t save any for the rest, huh? We never get cultivation techniques like those in our temple. That merchant was the last in years..."


    Tyr looked around, recognizing that most of the crowd shared the same sentiment.


    "That merchant was no merchant. He was a scammer," Tyr said with a straight face, capturing everyone''s attention.


    "If I hadn''t gotten these, no one would have. You would all have lost your techniques instead. Be thankful that at least one of the people in this monastery got to use the techniques," Tyr exclaimed before walking off.


    He knew this was a bit harsh to say, but it was the truth. Plus, Tyr didn''t find it right that these so-called ''monks'' were getting so damn greedy.


    ''Or maybe it''s just me who''s too greedy... I don''t feel like giving a single cultivation technique to anyone other than myself right now... whatever. I''m not a monk. I can be as greedy as I want... if my dream is still my dream, that is.''


    Tyr made it back to the plum blossom garden, ready to practice.


    After taking his clothes off¡ªeverything except his underwear¡ªhe walked toward the plum tree he always trained under and took in a deep breath before exhaling.


    A gust of wind flew past him, sucking in a petal.


    Tyr remained steady, waiting for the petal to be carried away by the wind before swiftly moving his finger behind it.


    ''A perfect catch...'' Tyr said to himself. Explore more adventures at mvl S§×ar?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    But then, the petal moved slightly to the left¡ªavoiding Tyr''s finger.


    His brows immediately furrowed.


    ''Impossible... I felt no wind coming from the right.''


    As his eyes darted toward the right, he saw a bullet come mere inches from penetrating through his skull.


    Because he had looked to the right just milliseconds early, he was able to barely dodge the bullet.


    ''Blink Step.''


    "Who is it!" he shouted aggressively.


    ''I knew I wasn''t wrong there. It would be impossible for that petal to avoid me without some sort of outside influence.''

 Chapter 193: Retribution?

    *Extra Long Chapter*Stay updated with mvl


    "Impressive..." a low voice exclaimed as a hooded figure walked out from behind the plum blossom tree.


    ''He can hide his Aura perfectly... that''s a useful trick,'' Tyr mused with a serious expression as he stared down the person in front of him. S§×ar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "It seems you are that rumored Dragon Tamer after all." The figure lifted his hood, revealing a familiar face.


    "You''re the merchant," Tyr exclaimed, slightly surprised. "I''m not too shocked though. There''s no way you would let me slip away with all your valuable cultivation techniques in my hands."


    The merchant smirked, showing off his golden tooth. "Oh? So you knew the whole time that I was going to ambush you, huh?" He thrust his gun to his side.


    It was a golden pistol¡ªclosely resembling a Desert Eagle.


    "I guess that makes sense as to why you somehow avoided my attack." The merchant stared at his golden pistol. "This weapon is no ordinary gun. It''s a powerful tool created from my Ancestral Ability... one that allows me to speed up any projectile I use with it. Almost no one would be able to dodge it... but the fact that you are a powerful Dragon Tamer, paired with the knowledge of my ambush, is subsequent reasoning, I suppose. Otherwise, you would have never bought yourself a few more seconds in this life, as you just did there."


    Tyr raised a brow. He was offended but also shocked by the merchant''s cocky attitude.


    "Just who the hell do you think you are? I knew you would come for me, but I didn''t know you had set up an ambush here."


    "Impossible!" the merchant blurted. "My bullet traveled faster than your eyes twitched. I know for a fact you did not see it coming."


    Tyr paused on hearing this.


    "That''s true," he said after a second or so.


    The merchant remained silent as Tyr continued.


    "I didn''t see it coming... I predicted where it was going to go."


    "Huh? Stop messing around, brat. You don''t want your last moments to be seen as a joke."


    "I don''t have to see the bullet to see the effects that the bullet has on the environment around it. Your shot caused a slight gust of wind that moved a plum petal in the air, which my eyes were focused on."


    The merchant''s face was instantly riddled with confusion.


    "W-what? Shut the hell up... don''t pretend as if your reflexes and observation are so great. I don''t care for your bluffs... just die, and return those cultivation techniques to me!"


    The merchant lifted his gun, firing his bullet straight at Tyr''s dome.


    Tyr saw the bullet blast out of the barrel.


    ''Woah... it''s way too fast,'' he thought, instantly realizing he couldn''t dodge it.


    As he finished those thoughts, the bullet was already in front of his face.


    ''Blink Step.'' He disappeared, reappearing in front of the bullet again. This time, he was only about 5 feet away from the merchant.


    The merchant''s eyes widened in shock.


    "How in the hell are you dodging!? With the Aura emanating from your body, you shouldn''t be able to even move an inch!"


    Tyr smirked.


    "Stop complaining, weakling," he joked.


    Inside, however, he had other thoughts.


    ''I can use Blink Step to dodge those types of attacks well, but not in quick succession. Right now, my cooldown for Blink Step is exactly 3.5 seconds. This is due to my mastery over it after using it all this time. Without it, I can''t dodge anything that fast using my own body''s speed.''


    "Alright, old man... it''s time to settle down," Tyr squinted his eyes, moving them left to right.


    ''Hypnosis.''


    The merchant''s pupils turned a hazy blue color, immobilizing him instantly as his hands drooped to his sides.


    "Lay down on your stomach," Tyr said with a deep, commanding tone. The merchant didn''t waste time in doing just that.


    ''Scan.''


    ©³©¥©¥©¥Status©¥©¥©¥©·


    Name: Jicel Kot


    Age: 51 Years


    Power Level: 250


    Rank: Expert


    ©»©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¿


    ''Man... even these weaklings can beat my ass if it weren''t for my skills.'' Tyr walked over to the merchant and swiped the golden pistol, peering at it with a curious expression.


    ''His Aura Abilities are good though... very good. I need to evolve my Aura Ability as well through more cultivation.'' Tyr exhaled, clenching his jaw with resolution.


    ''With this new Shadow Flock cultivation technique, I will get much stronger. I''ll need to focus on it even more in the future.''


    The merchant began to squirm, his pupils regaining their color. His eyes immediately darted to Tyr, his eyebrows scrunching with a surge of realization and anger.


    "You fucker!" The merchant immediately pushed himself up to his feet but froze in place as he heard a loud click.


    Tyr had cocked the pistol, pointing it right at the businessman.


    The merchant gulped, staring down the barrel of his own gun.


    "Hand them over..." he said under his breath, his hands raised out to his sides.


    Tyr snickered lightly.


    "I consumed all of them."


    The merchant''s eyes slowly expanded as the realization of those words struck him.


    "You... did what?" he said in a broken voice.


    "I don''t have a single one in my storage. All of them are gone."


    "Why... why did you do that!?" the merchant raged. "All you needed was one... why did you learn all of them!?"


    "Because they were mine, and I can do anything with my own property."


    Hearing this smug reply, the merchant paused¡ªtrembling as he attempted to hold in his rage.


    He failed in the end, abruptly lunging at Tyr. Without hesitation, Tyr pulled the trigger of the pistol.


    However, nothing came out of the barrel.


    Tyr saw the merchant''s small grin through the corner of his eye at that moment.


    ''Tsk... he knew from the start that it wouldn''t do anything. Slimy bastard.''


    The merchant''s hands aimed to grab Tyr''s shoulders, but Tyr sidestepped just in time to avoid them.


    Perpendicular to the man, Tyr gave him a solid punch to the side of the jaw, sending him sprawling to the floor right next to the plum blossom tree¡ªwhere Tyr''s clothes and spear were placed.


    He was knocked out instantly, his body lying flat with all limbs extended.


    Tyr looked at the golden pistol one last time before storing it in his ring.


    Then, he turned his head to face the merchant lying on his stomach.


    After a few seconds of just standing there, Tyr walked over and knelt beside the man.


    He had an unreadable look on his face. You couldn''t tell what he was thinking.


    He grabbed the merchant''s hand, turning him onto his back before reaching for the coat.


    Just as his fingers graced the jacket, the merchant abruptly awoke with a loud gasp.


    Tyr stopped, observing the man.


    "Please!" the merchant suddenly shouted. "You can take everything I have left... just spare me!"


    Tyr squinted his eyes.


    "Spare you?" he said with a straight face.


    "Yes... please... I made a mistake. I shouldn''t have messed with you. I just wanted to... feed my family. I have three children and a wife at home."


    Tyr remained silent.


    The merchant saw this as an opportunity that he received to continue his attempt at winning the young Dragon Tamer over onto his side.


    "I will be honest with you... my children are young, but they don''t suffer a lot. They live decent lives, and it is due to my hard work. I don''t have to cheat to make money, but I have fallen into a bad habit. But I swear from this day onward, I will never do this again. If you let me go, I will only do what is right... what is honorable. For my children and my family... I will never dare to risk their sanctity again!"


    The merchant panted slightly after his spiel. His eyes darted all across Tyr''s face, praying to see any signs of emotion.


    However, Tyr remained absolutely stoic. His hand slowly neared the merchant''s coat.


    Seeing this, the merchant began to breathe at a rapid rate.


    "W-wait! I am not lying! I am truly not that bad of a person! You want what I have inside my jacket? I will give you it! Just give me a chance!"


    Tyr placed his right hand onto the man''s chest, tightening it into a fist.


    With his left hand, he grabbed the spear that was leaned against the plum blossom tree.


    The merchant''s eyes darted at Tyr''s left hand, his face turning pale from the abrupt horror.


    ''Transfer,'' Tyr said inwardly.


    "W-wai¡ª" the merchant was cut off.


    The spear transferred from Tyr''s left hand to his right, thrusting through the man''s throat instantly.

 Chapter 194: Jackpot

    ***AUTHOR NOTE: YO! There will be mass release next month. The privilege bundle price have been significantly reduced. Thank you all for reading and supporting.***The man''s eyes nearly popped out of his sockets as veins spread all over his forehead. Blood spurted from his mouth like a small fountain before his body stopped moving altogether.


    [You have slain Jicel Kot (Expert Rank Human).]


    [You leveled up!]


    ''Transfer.'' Tyr placed his spear back against the tree, his expression still emotionless.


    "Hmm..." he exclaimed, "I still gained a level from that? I wasn''t expecting one."


    [Strength: 137 --> 138]


    [Vitality: 130/130 --> 131]


    He reached for the merchant''s corpse, retrieving nothing but a single storage ring.


    ''50x50 feet storage... nice. So I have a total of 80 square feet now.'' He stood up. ''Now... how will I clean this bloody mess? Maybe Ares'' fire can turn it all to dust.''


    He thought about unleashing Ares for a second but then imagined an image of Ares blasting the entire garden to smithereens.


    He slightly chuckled to himself before thinking, ''Yeah... I don''t know about that...''


    ''Rudra!''


    ''Yes, master!''


    ''Come out... and clean this mess up.''


    ''Without hesitation!''


    Rudra immediately exited the infinite domain. He bit the corpse of the merchant, flung him in the air, and swallowed him whole. After that, he licked all the blood off the floor until the grass was clean as ever.


    He then lunged at Tyr with an open mouth. However, instead of baring his fangs, he attacked with a tongue assault.


    Right before Tyr was licked to death, Rudra was transported back into Infinite Domain.


    ''... You are too cruel!'' Rudra seemed to pout.


    Tyr raised an eyebrow. ''Are you a bloodthirsty beast or a 5-year-old girl?''


    ...


    Tyr straightened his fingers, putting on his new storage ring. Now, his pinky, ring, and middle finger were adorned with multicolored jewels.


    He opened the ring up, looking at its multitude of contents inside. After scanning through for a few seconds, Tyr noted everything in his head.


    ''A few trash cultivation techniques, a pouch, a few B-grade pills, 3 A-grade pills, 2 S-grade pills, and finally, a very potent S-grade pill as well.''


    Tyr already had a smile on his face upon seeing all of this, but his eyes lit up as he saw that last item.


    ''It looks nothing like the other S-grade pills I get from the monastery. It exudes much more Aura... S-grade pills come from Purple-grade beast cores. These are only found in Berserk Rank beasts, who are anywhere from level 400 to 1000 from my estimation... that means this S-grade pill must be in the upper echelon of that. It came from a beast close to level 1000. And not to mention the other pills as well... looks like my crow is going to have a field day tomorrow.''


    Tyr looked inside the pouch, finding many coins of various sorts inside.


    ''His money... altogether, I probably have close to an Aura Stone worth right now.''


    Tyr was very pleased by this. But, instead of indulging in the excitement for a longer duration, he decided to cut it short for now.


    ''I have more training to do. I can''t slack just because I got lucky.''


    Just like that, he began to observe the wind again.


    The day passed as Tyr advanced even faster than before, finding his groove through repeated practice.


    That said, each new petal added a layer of difficulty. Understanding new wind patterns was exponentially more impossible.


    It worked like this: Understanding one or two wind directions was easy, but as Tyr moved onto dozens or even hundreds of them, it was like trying to find a pin in a bale of hay.


    After the 50-wind direction mark, that bale of hay expanded 10 times in size. At least, that''s what it felt like.


    Soon the day ended, and Tyr spent that night studying petal formations as well¡ªignoring his sleep again.


    The next morning, he ate his food balls and headed to the temple to cultivate again.


    Before beginning his cultivation, he gulped down the 5 B-grade pills, 3 A-grade pills, and also the 5 S-grade pills, including the very potent one.


    His cultivation went very smoothly. His crow worked tirelessly, absorbing all of the Aura bursting out of the pills Tyr consumed.


    After a while, Tyr''s crow suddenly screeched¡ªmaterializing its feathery body in real-time and transforming from a hollow to a shadow crow.


    Another hollow crow summoned at the same time, the two working tirelessly to absorb even more Aura.


    In the end, Tyr stood up with a bright smile on his face.


    [You leveled up!]


    [You leveled up!]


    [You leveled up!]


    [You leveled¡ª


    ...


    ''Status.''


    ©³©¥©¥©¥Status©¥©¥©¥©·


    Name: Tyr Evolion Thalonis


    Bloodline: Almighty Thalonis + Unknown


    Age: 18 Years


    Level: 336


    Vitality: 131/131


    Strength: 138 S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Stamina: 126/126


    Speed: 125


    Aura: 125


    Stats remaining: 50


    Rank: Virtuoso


    ©»©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¿


    With a grin, Tyr began to input his remaining points.


    [Vitality: 131/141 --> 140] Explore more at mvl


    [Strength: 138 --> 150]


    [Stamina: 126/126 --> 135]


    [Speed: 125 --> 135]


    [Aura: 125 --> 135]


    ''Not bad... not bad at all. 25 levels in one day is no joke.''


    Tyr almost couldn''t contain his excitement from seeing these new numbers. He could already feel the strength in his limbs just by moving around.


    ''There''s truly nothing like gaining raw power... it feels like I''m inching to godhood with each point I invest.''


    ...


    After returning to the garden, Tyr continued his training. His routine was made to follow without any excuses or breaks.


    As hours began to turn into days, he did not stop for even a moment, determined to finish this shit as soon as possible.


    Finally, he arrived at the date of one week which he had spent at the monastery in total.


    For the first time this week, he had slept going into his eighth day.


    When he awoke, he saw the beautiful pink petals still dancing above him.


    Around him were scattered dozens of notebooks filled with drawings and writing. His hair was frizzled, his eyes almost crazed, and his body resembling that of a homeless man when it came to hygiene.


    Despite this, a slight smirk still pulled at his lips.


    "I did it," he said out loud.


    "You did what?" another voice called out to him.


    Tyr looked behind him, seeing the young monk that always brought him his food.


    "Oh... you''re here," Tyr said, standing up.


    "Did you really catch 20 plum blossom petals!?" the monk asked, amazed and intrigued at the same time while being infinitely curious.


    "Huh? No..." Tyr replied, walking over to the monk.


    "Oh..." The young monk''s excitement immediately dissipated. "Well... It wasn''t like I was expecting you to anyway."


    Tyr looked up at the monk with a brow raised as he heard that.


    Seeing this, the monk quickly apologized.


    "Oh! No no! That''s not what I meant. It wasn''t targeted towards you. It''s just that... of course, no one could ever accomplish such a task in such a short duration. No... that''s impossible." He muttered the ending of his statement under his breath, feeling a bit embarrassed that he even believed such a thing in the first place.


    Tyr brushed it off, beginning to eat his food balls.


    Yet, the young monk did not leave. His eyes were locked onto Tyr.


    "Hey..." he said in a quiet tone.


    Tyr looked up at him as he continued.


    "I still can''t help but ask... what were you talking about back there? When you said that you finally did it?"


    Tyr paused for a second, staring at the monk directly in the eyes before replying.


    "I mastered every single wind direction and petal formation in this entire garden."


    The monk was taken aback and also bewildered at the same time.


    "Huh?" he said, utterly confused.


    "Speaking of which..." Tyr said.


    "Tell your leader to come here... I have something to show him."


    "M-my leader?"


    "Your elder... the head monk or whatever he was."


    "Oh! Right... why though? You just said you couldn''t catch 20 petals."


    Tyr snickered.


    "Not just 20... I can catch as many petals as these eyes of mine can see."

 Chapter 195: A Test All Along

    The young monk was struck with disbelief as he heard those words come from Tyr''s mouth.With a gaped maw, he stepped back instinctively in surprise. At that moment, he felt his back rub against something solid.


    He quickly turned, noticing a figure behind him.


    "Oh! H-Head Elder!" The young monk threw his head down and bowed at a 90-degree angle without hesitation.


    "Hohoho." Lao Heshang chuckled, walking past the young monk.


    "You may go now, Jab," the elder monk said in a calm tone.


    The young monk nodded fervently before hastily turning and jogging away.


    Before leaving the garden, however, he looked back over his shoulder.


    ''As many petals as his eyes can see? For some reason... I don''t think he''s lying.'' He felt chills run up his spine.


    The elder monk slowly walked across the wooden bridge, standing above Tyr, who had just finished his food balls.


    After absorbing the two S-grade pills into his ring, Tyr also stood up.


    "So... do you believe you have the capacity to finish the evaluation exam?" Lao Heshang asked, a slight smirk tugging at his lips. His eyes were gracefully squinted.


    Tyr burped. "Yep..."


    For a moment, there was silence. Tyr broke it by saying, "By the way, have you been spying on me this entire time?"


    More silence ensued before Tyr continued.


    "Come to think of it, when I did my first cultivation, you abruptly appeared. And even now, you appear as if you have been beside me the entire time." S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The elder smiled. "I will let you believe that for now. Eventually, you will learn of my tactics."


    Tyr furrowed his brows slightly.


    ''Hmm... he is 5x my power level. It''s likely he has immense teleportation abilities.''


    "Young man... it seems you have failed to understand humility, however. Letting go of your ego, and learning from those who are stronger than you."


    Tyr didn''t wince in his reply: "Yeah... I gave up most of those words you told me early on. What were they again? Remove my doubt, don''t be arrogant, and learn from those stronger than me. I repeated them so many times in my head that I still have a slight headache. In the end, I realized that apart from realizing my doubt, the other two were useless."


    The monk tilted his head slightly. "How so? Without them, no other scout has been able to pass my exam, I''ll have you know. Do not think that you are above them..."


    Your next journey awaits at mvl


    Tyr smirked.


    ''This geezer doesn''t seem to understand that I passed his exam long ago...''


    "How so? It''s simple. I was willing to give up my ego and not be arrogant in order to pass this exam, being as I am weaker than you. However, I failed with that approach."


    "You failed? Maybe you didn''t try long enough to figure it out."


    "I don''t want to waste time. Why choose that route when it''s inferior to a more efficient one?"


    "Oh? You are saying you have found an even greater technique in passing this exam than the one I have provided?"


    "Without a doubt. And when it comes to learning from those stronger than myself... you probably meant to take your own riddle-like words and decode them to find some hidden meaning and use that to learn how to balance these petals. That would take far too long. I''d rather use common sense and pure numerical statistics than play that fairy crap."


    The monk sighed. "Young man... your arrogance has blinded you."


    Tyr raised an eyebrow. "Then can a blind man not pass this exam?"


    The monk lowered his brows, seeming to get more serious.


    "Peace is what one owes another human being in this realm. Ahimsa... the art of not harming another, is what all beings thrive upon. In that way, we live and breathe through each other¡ªforever learning to craft ourselves anew with blocks of society helping to propel us even further."


    Tyr''s expression also became more serious, realizing that the monk was getting slightly hostile with his tone.


    "Why are you lecturing me about peace all of a sudden?"


    "Because it ties into arrogance. Only the most arrogant deem it is in their right to decide whether or not they shall give peace and forgiveness to another. Who''s to say one has that right? It is not up to you but up to the highest powers."


    Tyr''s tone remained low. "What are you trying to say?"


    "That merchant you mercilessly slaughtered here in cold blood... did you think it would not hold major consequences, young man?" Lao Heshang finally said it, his tone deep, like an angry parent scolding their child.


    He continued: "This is a monastery... why did you think it was okay for you to murder another human being?"


    At that moment, an intense Aura energy seeped from the monk. It quickly surrounded Tyr, making the air around him seem as thick as water and ten times as heavy.


    He felt his shoulders want to droop, his knees wanting to cave in, and his heart begin to beat louder. A feeling of doom came over him in mere seconds.


    For a moment, his mind went blank. He couldn''t think, and his eyes were darting all across his vision.


    His body began to shake, his thoughts becoming blurred concepts of nothingness.


    ''Full Golden Body,'' he thought to himself reluctantly, since he didn''t want to seem like he was threatening the monk.


    Instantly, all of his fear and delusion were wiped away, and his mind was fresh and clear again.


    In that moment, a dozen thoughts traveled through his brain as his eyes widened with realization.


    "Wait a minute... it all makes sense now," Tyr said, as though figuring out a puzzle of sorts.


    "If arrogance has to deal with peace, then it seems all of this was planned from the very beginning. Very cunning." He stared the monk in the eyes.


    Tyr continued: "From the very first day, where you told me about arrogance... you were speaking of that decisive moment where I had the choice to save the merchant''s life or not. You knew the entire time. In fact... you set it up. All of it was a test, not just the petals... The day you told me of the importance of cultivation techniques, you had a double meaning which wanted me to go and seek out these techniques¡ªleading me directly to that merchant''s popular shop."


    The monk squinted his eyes as Tyr continued.


    "The first real test happened at that moment, where I was tested to see whether I would be greedy enough to want all of those techniques and play into the merchant''s game. I failed that test, taking all of his cultivation techniques. Naturally, that merchant would attempt to hunt me, but in his dying moments, he gave me a chance to save his life and forgive him. That must have been my second true test, which I also failed, according to you."


    Tyr smirked. "Quite an elusive plan you had... and to think... a righteous monk like you would use another human being''s life as a pawn in your grand exam."


    "He was not a real human."


    ''I gained EXP from him... you''re lying, old man,'' Tyr thought but remained silent.


    "However... you are right in your hypothesis. From the very beginning, you were tested. Your morals, balance, greed, and more. All of them played a part. This exam has three parts, two of which you have miserably failed. The last and final part is the petal balancing act... and even if you pass that one with flying colors, you will gain a score of 33%. A failing overall grade."

 Chapter 196: Unbelievable

    Tyr almost couldn''t believe the words he was hearing."I failed? Is this an evaluation exam... how could I have failed?"


    The monk swiftly replied with a stinging tone: "Evaluation or not, it is still an exam. An exam run by me..."


    Tyr remained silent as the elder continued:


    "It goes according to my rules, and my rules alone." He paused, catching a plum blossom on the tip of his finger.


    "However... as an instructor, I still must proceed with the test and have you take your final exam. Just know that even if you catch 20 petals, you will have to stay here for a few months. You will learn non-arrogance and selflessness. After those months, another three-part evaluation exam will come. You will not know the date or time, so you will have to be on your best behavior at all times."


    "Can it, you old bag," Tyr abruptly replied with an annoyed tone. From his face, one could tell he was infuriated.


    "Selflessness... what a pathetic goal. I don''t give a damn about sacrificing myself for everyone else. I want what''s mine... what''s the best. I want everything to myself." His tone was deep.


    The monk ignored Tyr.


    ''Who does he think he is? Even if he collects 30 damn petals in one week, that is still five shy of the highest ever collected within that time span. I even tested the current Grand Sovereign of the Ten High Peak Faction, who got 35 petals in one week.''


    The monk changed the topic: "Begin your third and final task..."


    Tyr frowned.


    ''Like hell I''m going to stay here for months. I don''t give a damn; I''m getting out of here whether this old cunt likes it or not. Even if I have to take his head... I''m not going to be stalled like this.'' He gritted his teeth.


    ''I''m the Dragon Tamer... continents across the world want my well wishes. I''m sure I''m worth more to this faction than a lying old geezer.''


    Tyr turned, walking toward the plum blossom tree.


    The elder was slightly confused by this.


    ''Hmm? He''s missing the petals that are falling... why is he walking toward the tree? Is he going to hit it to get even more petals to fall? That''s not necessary... there are already plenty of petals falling down.''


    ''Soul Mend: Polaris Tiger.'' Tyr''s body transformed accordingly.


    He arrived three feet away from the trunk of the tree before swinging his leg around, pivoting on his heel, and slamming the middle of his shin right into the tree.


    In one kick, the tree was broken in half. The vibrations of shock sprawled across the branches, releasing hundreds of petals into the air.


    The elder monk''s jaw fell to the floor in shock. His eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.


    "W-what in tarnation!?" he raised his tone.


    Tyr took a step back, de-transforming as he took in a deep breath.


    Raising his hand, he pointed his index finger toward the sky.


    The monk began to count how many petals rested on Tyr''s finger...


    ''1... 2... 3... 4...''


    Tyr moved, following the pattern of the wind around him.


    ''5... 6... 7... 8...''


    It looked like a dance, how Tyr was effortlessly capturing every petal with ease.


    It looked as though Tyr already knew where the petals were going to be. This was even more evident as the monk saw how Tyr''s eyes were closed half of the time.


    ''12... 13... 14...''


    Tyr danced across the field, not missing a single petal whilst managing to flawlessly balance all of them.


    ''20! 21... 22... 23... 24... 25... 26... 27...''


    At that moment, the monk''s face contorted with disbelief.


    ''He''s... not struggling at all. What in the world am I witnessing?''


    ''30... 31... 32...''


    Without warning, Tyr began to move even faster. So far, he had only been testing whether or not he had 100% mastered the wind and petal formations.


    Now that he was certain of his ability, he wasn''t scared to go all out.


    He began to catch so many petals that the monk could barely keep up¡ªstunned with bewilderment.


    ''38... 42... 56...'' S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    A smirk appeared on Tyr''s face after he glanced at the monk''s shit-faced look.


    ''78... 99... 115...''


    The counting continued until Tyr finally stopped out of nowhere.


    The young man exhaled, staring up at the enormous tower of petals all balanced on his finger as he said:


    "How disappointing... it looks like my stack has grown taller than the tree itself. I could have continued had it not been the shortness of that tree standing in my way."


    The monk was speechless.


    ''301... 301 petals... more than 30 feet of length stretching into the air.''


    Tyr allowed the petals to drop. The leaves drifted, floating their way over to the monk before slowly showering him.


    ''A... a god,'' the monk thought for a second as he stared into Tyr''s eyes.


    ''Has a god graced this planet?''


    Tyr gazed back at him.


    "So? Did I pass the last test, at least?"


    "You..." The monk was finding it difficult to get his words out even now.


    "You pass the exam, young man. You must go to the faction."


    Tyr raised an eyebrow with slight confusion.


    "What? But I thought you said¡ª"


    He was cut off.


    "No..." The elder was staring forward with a blank gaze. He was in his head as he spoke.


    "I can''t possibly stop you from advancing... it would be one of the most foolish decisions of my long lifetime."


    Tyr was still a bit confused.


    "Huh?"


    ''I guess I amazed the geezer way more than I thought I would. I mean... it really wasn''t that difficult.''


    The monk finally gathered his thoughts enough to talk again:


    "Wait here..." he said before disappearing behind his cloak.


    Tyr breathed out a sigh, relief flushing through his body.


    "Well, I can''t complain. I was a bit worried there..."


    ***


    The monk summoned into a chair behind a desk, drooping over the table without blinking even once.


    "I¡ªI¡ªI can''t make sense of it. What in the¡ªargh!" He seemed frustrated.


    "Whatever... it''s not my job to make sense of it. Miracles happen, I suppose, even at my gray age."


    On his desk was a metal band with blue glass connected to one side of it.


    He clicked the blue glass as a hologram of another figure popped up above it.


    "Yes, Elder Heshang?" the figure spoke.


    Heshang replied hastily, his breath slightly ragged and erratic:


    "Tyr Evolion has passed the evaluation exam."


    "Oh? At record speed I see. He rivals many Peak Captains and even the Grand Sovereign."


    "Yes..."


    "He must have passed the first two tests with flying colors then... and what about his final petal score?"


    "Erm... ahem!"


    "..."


    "301..."


    "..." After a pause, the transparent holograph spoke again:


    "Excuse me? I believe that came off wrong somehow. Did you say 301 as his petal score?"


    "Yes."


    "3¡ª301... wow."


    "..."


    "Are you sure you haven''t miscalculated anything?"


    "Do you take me as a fool?"


    "No..."


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    "Alright then... I shall relay this information to all of the Peak Captains. Thank you for this information."


    "..."


    "Medium out."


    *Click*


    The hologram disappeared. Discover exclusive content at §Þ??

 Chapter 197: Arin

    It didn''t take long for Tyr to see the monk again.The elder neared the young man. "It''s almost a shame to see you go into that horrid branch." His brows curled inward, as though with sorrow.


    "What?" Tyr said, confused.


    "Nothing¡­ but I just wanted to state my apologies for the way I acted before."


    "Where''s this coming from all of a sudden?"


    "Sometimes¡­ raw ingenuity can beat even virtue." The monk had a slightly defeated tone.


    Tyr paused for a couple of seconds before replying, "That depends on what you think virtue means."


    The monk smiled. "Despite being so young, you seem even older than myself."


    Tyr chuckled under his breath. ''I''m only a bit older than 48, I think, by now.''


    The monk let out a deep breath. "Truth be told, I need not come here again. The ship waiting to transport you to the High Echelon Inner Branch, or more commonly known as the Immortal Branch, is on its way here now. However, I wanted to get one last look at your face."


    "Uh¡­ that''s a bit weird."


    "So be it."


    "Right."


    "Do you even understand yourself how gifted you are?"


    Tyr raised an eyebrow. "I''d like to think so¡­ but those petals, I''d also like to think I worked pretty damn hard to catch them myself."


    The monk chuckled. "Hohoho¡­ I''m sure you do. Well then¡­ it was a pleasure meeting you. I hope you do not hate me moving forward."


    Tyr smirked. "Why would I waste time doing that? As long as you don''t stand in my way, you can stand with me for all I care."


    A warm smile appeared on the monk''s face.


    With that, the sounds of a storm brewed in the sky.


    Tyr turned to see a massive ship descending from the sky, its large body concocting storm-like wind sounds as it moved.


    "Holy fuck¡­ that''s awesome." Tyr was genuinely amused on seeing the ship. Gusts of fresh, cool winds flushed against his face as the ship lowered.


    After reaching 50 feet above the plum blossom garden, the ship stopped. A ladder was thrown down from above, uncoiling all the way until it reached Tyr''s face.


    Without any hesitation and a smile on his face, Tyr began to climb the rope ladder. Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He turned after a few pulls. "Oi! Thanks for the cultivation technique and the pills! I''ll make good use of them."


    The monk was still smiling, his mind still baffled.


    ''A storm is going to soon grace this planet. The largest continents are already in a cold war, and the arrival of a Dragon Tamer is going to spark that fuse into a blistering flame. He may very well be a herald of the reckoning that is to come¡­ or the world may be the herald, and he may be that same reckoning which all cower in fear over. I sure hope that the former is the route that fate decides to take us towards.''


    ...


    Tyr hopped over the wooden ledge above and onto the ship.


    The first thing he noticed were the people scattered around the large deck.


    ''About 30¡­'' he mused.


    The moment he made it onto the ship, almost all the eyes that could see him abruptly darted to him.


    Many faces were hostile, with furrowed brows and slight frowns. There were young men and women ranging from 18 all the way to 25 on board.


    ''Are they trying to act tough or something? I guess it''s normal¡­ acting stoic in front of strangers is a good defense mechanism to protect your reputation.'' Find exclusive stories on §Þ??


    However, the stares Tyr was getting were a bit too rude.


    A young man made his way past Tyr, nodding hello.


    Tyr nodded back.


    Tyr was greeted a few more times.


    Some were nice, others cold and indifferent.


    Soon enough, he made it to the front of the ship.


    "Oi!" a voice called out to him as he got there.


    He turned, facing another young man who had a pissed-off look on his face. "Thanks for making us wait several days! Tsk!" He walked away after saying that.


    Tyr raised a brow in confusion. "What? What''s all that about?"


    "ATTENTION!" a loud voice erupted from the inside of the ship''s main lodge: "The final passenger has climbed on board. We shall now depart!"


    ''Hmm¡­ were they all waiting for me this entire time?'' Tyr thought to himself. ''Actually¡­ from the looks that I got, I think they know who I am. They must know.''


    Tyr sighed, brushing it all off as he leaned over the railing. The ship began to float up, flying slowly across the air.


    He gazed at the view below, filled with mountains and hills as far as the eye could see.


    Several minutes passed as multiple more people greeted him here and there.


    It was all pretty normal and expected. A few even called him by his name, verifying his theory that people knew who he was.


    ''I guess I''ll have to get used to being known.''


    After half an hour of no one coming up to him, Tyr finally took some time to appreciate the view.


    He saw the giant mountain peaks in the distance, instantly knowing that those were the elusive Ten High Peaks he had been chasing all this time.


    ''Reminds me of traveling over to this continent¡­'' he mused as he took in the view. ''Speaking of which¡­ I wonder how Hanzo and the others are doing right now.''


    The sound of laughter and chatter from other new attendees drifted around him, but he paid it little attention.


    His thoughts were focused on his team members, wondering what they could possibly be doing right now.


    "Do you enjoy being alone?" a soft, melodic voice broke through his thoughts.


    Tyr turned to see a familiar-looking silver-haired girl standing a few steps away. Her hair shimmered faintly in the sunlight, and her eyes glistened with a pristine azure color.


    Her beauty was almost stunning, causing Tyr to recognize her almost instantly.


    "You¡­ you''re the one that gave me that pill back in Rock Saelfine." He paused, slightly confused. "How do you keep finding me even across continents?" He sounded genuinely puzzled.


    The girl chuckled slightly to herself. "I''m a traveler, and this is my original home. Plus, I can see things before they actually happen¡­ remember?"


    Tyr paused, looking back out at the horizon with a raised brow. The young lady also looked out past the railings. "Quite the view."


    "It''s alright," Tyr replied, his tone casual but curt. He continued looking out at the horizon, expecting her to walk away like everyone else had.


    Instead, she stepped closer, tilting her head with a playful smile. "Just alright? Most people would say it''s breathtaking. But then again, you''re not most people, are you, Tyr?"


    His eyes narrowed slightly. "I don''t know¡­"


    ''She probably knows things about me that I don''t know myself at this point¡­''


    "Of course," she said, folding her hands behind her back. "Everyone will soon know who you are after what you did at the temple. Passing faster than anyone in history? That''s not exactly subtle."


    Tyr grunted, unsure how to respond. He was slightly surprised that she even knew that so quickly, but he imagined it was her ability that allowed her to figure that out.


    Most of the attention he''d received so far was either fear or envy. But her tone lacked either¡ªit was warm, almost teasing.


    "I''m Arin," she continued, extending her hand. "We''ve crossed paths a few times, though I doubt you think about them often."


    She stepped beside him, leaning casually against the railing. "But that''s okay. You''ll get to know me now."


    Tyr frowned slightly, unsure what to make of her confidence. "If you say so."


    Arin chuckled softly, her voice like the chime of a distant bell. "You''re not very good at small talk, are you?"


    "What is there to talk about?" Tyr replied, deadpan.


    She laughed again, this time a little louder. "Fair enough. Let''s skip the small talk, then. When we reach the faction, I''ll show you around. You look like someone who''d appreciate knowing where everything is."


    "I can find my way," Tyr said dismissively.


    "Of course you can," Arin replied, her tone teasing again. "But wouldn''t it be easier if someone showed you? Someone who knows all the shortcuts?"


    Tyr glanced at her, her playful expression throwing him off balance. "...Do what you want."


    Arin smiled triumphantly, as though she''d won some invisible game. "Great. It''s a date, then."


    Tyr blinked. "A what?"


    "Relax," she said, turning to walk away. "I''m kidding. Sort of. I''ll see you when we land, Tyr."


    She disappeared into the crowd of other attendees, leaving Tyr standing there, feeling oddly unsettled. He shook his head and muttered to himself, "What the heck was that about?"


    He exhaled. ''She''s definitely peculiar. It isn''t okay that she has been following me since the very moment I entered this world, it seems. I don''t know what''s up with her, but it''s weird¡­ I can''t let my guard down.''

 Chapter 198: Immortal Peak

    Brushing off the odd conversation he had with Arin, Tyr continued thinking about Hanzo, Noa, and Malon.As he continued thinking about them, I, the narrator, almost switched perspectives over to their point of view. Almost...


    Tyr turned, taking a breath before sitting on the floor.


    ''Since I have nothing to do for a while, I''m just going to cultivate those two pills I got.''


    He began to use his Shadow Flock Cultivation Technique.


    Within a short amount of time, he had gained 4 levels altogether.


    ''It looks like I''m only gaining levels faster as I cultivate more.'' He smiled as he stood up.


    ''This is what a good cultivation technique should do... but I imagine there is a point where I flatline in progress.''


    [Vitality: 140/140 ¡ú 142]


    [Strength: 150 ¡ú 152]


    [Stamina: 135/135 ¡ú 136]


    [Speed: 135 ¡ú 137]


    [Aura: 135 ¡ú 136]


    By this time, the ship had floated above the mountain peaks.


    All of the scouts on board couldn''t help but throw their heads off the edge of the railings and peer down at the branches below.


    Tyr didn''t shy away, also doing the same.


    The ship was currently above one of the 10 mountain peaks, which also happened to be one of the 5 that held a real faction branch.


    Tyr paid attention to the chatter around him.


    "Look at it! It must be the Free Flowing Peak! That is one of the best branches out there!"


    "Wow... it''s so red. All the buildings look like they have been coated with shiny blood."


    "Look! I think I see the training grounds."


    "I hope I am allowed to enter that one..."


    "Screw that! Apparently the training is stupidly rigorous there. The Branch Captain I hear is some sort of hardened monster!"


    Tyr chuckled to himself on hearing this.


    ''Hardened monster, huh? Well... I guess some could see her that way.''


    He immediately knew who the captain was.


    Thinking back to when he and Judgment were first separated, Hanzo had joined the Free Flowing Peak.


    The captain was a tall lady with a very lewd and provocative look to her. Despite that, she was indeed rough from what Tyr remembered.


    ''To think... Hanzo is down there right now doing his training,'' Tyr said to himself, looking down at the peak.


    He could see an intricate network of winding roads carved into the mountain''s surface, weaving between a series of sprawling buildings.


    The architecture stood out, blending rugged stone foundations with ornate designs that shimmered faintly in the sunlight, as if infused with traces of Aura.


    Training halls and grand courtyards sprawled across the mountain like veins of life, pulsating with activity even from a distance.


    For a moment, Tyr''s mind wandered. He imagined Hanzo, his head bowed low, serving as a stool for Captain Maxim, her imposing figure sitting confidently on his back while she smirked and casually licked an apple.


    The scene sent a shiver of discomfort down Tyr''s spine.


    "Yikes," he muttered under his breath. "I hope his training isn''t actually like that... then again, maybe something like that will knock a dream into him." He let out a quiet chuckle.


    As the ship began its descent, Tyr''s attention shifted to the surrounding landscape.


    The jagged peaks of the Ten High Mountain Range towered over a massive valley below, their shadows stretching like sentinels over a vast expanse of dense green forest.


    The mountains themselves were gargantuan, their summits manipulated and repurposed for the towering faction branches, each one a city of its own.


    Only their very peaks held these branches, leaving the majority of the mountain range cloaked in mystery and untouched wilderness.


    The valley between the peaks sprawled endlessly, a verdant sea of trees stretching over what seemed to be 500 miles. Find your next read on §Þ??


    Tyr''s gaze scanned the horizon, searching for signs of his destination, but all he saw was an expanse of emerald that refused to give any answers.


    He frowned, his patience already thinning.


    ''So now I have to wait another hour or so?'' he thought irritably, tapping his fingers against the railing.


    As if in answer to his frustration, the ship suddenly illuminated with a vibrant blue Aura.


    A chorus of startled gasps rose from the passengers as the vessel surged forward, accelerating at a breakneck pace.


    It was like being flung on a rollercoaster. The sheer force of the wind pushed at their faces, rippling skin like disturbed water.


    Hair flew wildly in all directions, and everyone scrambled to grab hold of anything within reach.


    ''You''re telling me it could do this the whole time!?'' Tyr thought, his irritation rising along with the ship''s speed.


    Within moments, a large clearing emerged in the heart of the valley.


    Thick green forest encircled it like a natural barrier, but the clearing itself was a marvel.


    It was a sprawling layout of streets and buildings, bustling with life even at this distance.


    The entire expanse seemed alive, a thriving hub of activity hidden within the vastness of the mountains.


    Tyr''s eyes narrowed as a faint grin crept onto his face.


    "So this is the Immortal Peak... interesting."


    The ship''s momentum declined, slowing to its normal speed again and giving everyone breathing room.


    It lowered all the way until it reached the floor.


    "That was fun, wasn''t it?" Arin''s voice spooked Tyr from behind.


    As soon as Tyr made eye contact with her, she turned, joining the line of people wanting to exit the ship.


    "Come on... let me show you around."


    Tyr followed behind her.


    "Isn''t this your first time being here as well? How do you even know about this place?"


    Arin chuckled.


    "No, silly. I''ve been here my whole life."


    Tyr''s eyes expanded.


    "What?" he said under his breath, surprised.


    "Enough of that for now... I''ll get you situated!"


    The two hopped off the side of the ship together, joining the others on the ground.


    Surprisingly enough, there were barely 5 people on the ground.


    Tyr looked back up at the ship, noticing the majority of the scouts still on board.


    ''Hmm... I guess they are going to the other peaks.'' Tyr turned again, scanning the area around him.


    He was in a massive courtyard outside of the gates of the branch.


    The inside looked like a mix of a futuristic city while also being a western marvel of architecture. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    There wasn''t a single inch of land that wasn''t covered with something, whether it be a building, decoration, statue, road, or whatever else.


    All either made of metallic objects, white stone, or dark brown and bright red wood.


    After everyone departed, they seemed to head inside without any directions.


    Most people were confused, expecting a guide of sorts.


    ''I guess this is to be expected. We are the best of the best... right?'' Tyr stared at the imposing place in front of him.


    "Hey!" Arin''s voice broke through his thoughts.


    "I''ve been calling your name for 10 seconds. Come on! Are you just going to stand there?"


    "What? Oh... no. I''m coming." Tyr said, catching up with Arin as they entered the gates of the city.

 Chapter 199: Strong Prey On The Weak

    *Double Length Chapter*----


    As Tyr and Arin made their way into the giant city of the Immortal Peak, Tyr was immediately impressed by how smoothly everything seemed to function.


    This place was not just a faction institution but rather like a town filled with people calling the Ten High Peak Faction their home.


    There were shops and stores lined across all the streets¡ªarmories and smithies, workshops and accessory stores.


    From bakeries to alchemy stations, there was almost everything you could imagine.


    From what Arin explained as they walked through the streets of the city, Tyr understood that the people living in this city were all part of the Ten High Peak Faction.


    Everyone inside the faction apparently had different jobs. Many acted as guards, others as informants and social workers.


    Most were students of the faction, learning continuously and gaining power as they completed quests and helped the faction with its needs.


    However, this didn''t explain why there were seemingly tens of thousands of people in this city.


    "It works like this," Arin went on to explain happily. "Most of the people in this city have retired from being Hunters of the faction. Hunters are special forces like you and me, who are soldiers that work for the faction, completing missions and growing stronger using its institutions. These people, despite not following that path any longer, have chosen to continue living in this faction, as that is all they know. They are provided with everything they need, are self-sustainable, and are also a big asset to the faction itself as they create a good flow of a balanced economy."


    Tyr looked around at every civilian as he heard this information from Arin.


    Most looked like normal people going about their day¡ªhardworking citizens of a normal country.


    Arin continued, "But don''t be fooled by their first appearance. There''s a reason why there are no homeless people in the cities of the Ten High Peak Faction. Everyone was once a Hunter of the faction, who now have decided to live a normal life." Stay connected via §Þ??


    Tyr nodded. "So how many Hunters are there currently in the Upper Echelon Branch then? The Immortal Peak?"


    Arin didn''t hesitate to answer, "Including everyone, there are probably just over 300 now. There are three Sections in the Immortal Peak: A, B, and C. Each section houses about 100 Hunters and resides in different halls. However, when being taught, all three halls gather together. That is something unique about the Immortal Peak, since we have the least Hunters compared to the other branches."


    "Hmm... because this branch is the most elite, right?" Tyr asked.


    Arin paused. "Well... not exactly. Although it holds that title due to its past, as it is now, the Immortal Peak is..." Arin paused again, fixing a slightly sour expression. "A cesspool for spoiled brats."


    Tyr raised an eyebrow. "Huh? What do you mean?"


    Arin chuckled slightly. "There aren''t really any rules here."


    Tyr was confused by this statement. "How could there not be rules? Is Huevas not the Branch Captain?"


    "You say his name so easily..." Arin mumbled under her breath before saying more loudly: "But even he has no time to look over this branch. He is currently taking the seat of Grand Sovereign, since our current Faction Grand Sovereign is in isolation training."


    Tyr paused, narrowing his eyes. "Hmm... what is he preparing for?"


    Arin''s face dimmed slightly. "War..." she said in a low tone.


    Tyr moved on, not wanting to go down that route of conversation. "Listen, even if there aren''t many rules here, it''s at least strong, right? We do have the most materials and ways to become more powerful here, right? Leverages that the other peaks don''t have?"


    "Well... yes, and no. Due to the fact that we have better resources than the other branches, we barely sneak above them in terms of power. While that is true, we suck when it comes to actual tournaments. We have no synergy and all hate each other. On top of that, no one trains as much as the others, because, like I said, we are a bunch of spoiled brats."


    Tyr was surprised by this. "Then, what about the tournament that happens every three months between all the branches? To establish the power hierarchy between all of them?"


    Arin showed a slightly awkward smile. "About that... we haven''t won one of those in forever. In fact, we are currently rated the lowest, weakest branch of all."


    Tyr felt his shoulders droop as he heard this. "What the hell... has Huevas made me join?" he said, amazed with disappointment.


    He sighed. "Well... I''ll have to make do with what I have at least, I guess. That bastard chose this place for me, after all. I''m sure he knew what he was doing."


    Tyr looked to Arin at that moment and was slightly surprised to see the look on her face.


    Her mouth was slightly open, her eyes wide with a frozen expression.


    "What?" Tyr grunted.


    "O-oh... nothing. I just have never heard even a spoiled Immortal Peak guy say something as ballsy as that. You are talking about the Vice-Grandmaster of this faction... the Branch Captain of your peak... and also the standing Grand Sovereign as it is now."


    Tyr paused for a second before brushing it off. "Pfft... who gives a shit. It''s not like he will kick me out."


    He moved on quickly.


    Arin was stunned, stopping in place for a moment before laughing with amusement and catching back up to the young man.


    "So... what now?" Tyr asked.


    "Gosh. There are so many places I could show you. From the punishment halls to the mission hall, to the martial training hall and the cultivation grounds. The library pavilion and more... I don''t know where to begin!"


    Tyr shook his head, "Ehh... leave all that for now. I only care about places that either help me gain power much faster, or that I need to know."


    The two continued walking for a moment when they heard some commotion going on in front of them.


    A small crowd had gathered in the center of the street.


    The crowd was thin, easy to walk through without really bumping into anyone.


    Since it was in their path, the two made their way through the crowd and observed what was going on inside.


    "Hey! That''s mine!" a young man yelled, attempting to push himself off of the ground. He was sitting on his bum, a grim look on his face.


    Tyr immediately noted something about the young man.


    ''He''s one of the new ones... just like me.''


    Standing above the young man were three other faction members who also looked to be Hunters.


    Out of the three, one had his foot on the newbie''s stomach¡ªpushing him into the ground while holding a ring in his hand.


    He had bright orange hair and a fierce-looking face that was contorted into a mocking expression.


    "Che!" the redhead spat on the ground. "The bitch barely has an Aura Stone. Get him up."


    As he said this, he stepped back as his two accomplices picked the young new Hunter off of the ground.


    The orange-haired Hunter grabbed the newbie by the collar. "It''s hunting season. We are the Hunters, and you are the prey, newbie. Don''t ever forget that."


    The new Hunter''s eyes became red with moisture, quickly beginning to tear up as his entire body was quivering.


    "Please..." he whispered under his breath.


    The orange-haired bully suddenly looked down at a band around his wrist.


    It looked identical to the one that Lao Heshang used to communicate through back in the Mauyin Temple.


    His face turned slightly irritable as he said, "I''m going to give you some luck for now." He let go of the new Hunter''s collar. "I like playing with my food a little. You better pray that a soft little cupcake like you doesn''t end up in my section. I''ll make you forget the concept of what dignity even is." He growled in the newbie''s face before thrusting him toward the ground. S§×arch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The orange-haired bully gestured to his friends to leave the area. Whilst chuckling to themselves, they walked forward toward the crowd.


    It just so happened to be that Tyr was standing directly in the bully''s direction about 10 feet away.


    Every other civilian made space for the bully, quickly stepping to the side.


    Even Arin had disappeared out of sight completely, which Tyr felt was a bit odd. She didn''t seem like the type to be scared of bullies.


    ''Hmm...'' Tyr said as a reaction to the entire situation that unfolded in front of him.


    He didn''t make much of it except for:


    ''It looks like, since there aren''t many rules enforced here, the weak are preyed upon by the strong. It''s the same as in the wilderness. Without rules, that''s the natural way of life.''


    He moved on from the situation, walking forward. He wasn''t going to stall there for any more time. And he sure as hell wasn''t going to move out of the way for anyone.


    Tyr didn''t slow down as he approached the orange-haired Hunter.


    ''Who the hell is this guy?'' the redhead thought to himself, raising a brow. ''I haven''t seen him before... is he a new scout or something?'' He scanned Tyr from head to toe.


    ''Motherfucker is tall... and he doesn''t look too weak either.''


    The two came mere inches from each other.


    ''Is he trying to talk to me?'' the redhead mused, stopping for a moment as the two crossed paths.


    Tyr aggressively brushed past him, not halting for even a second and not even batting an eye.


    The orange-haired Hunter''s brows curled inward as he clenched his jaw, turning his head past his shoulders. "Oi... you''re new, aren''t you?"


    On hearing this, Tyr immediately responded, "Yep," he said, continuing to walk forward without much care for the bully.


    The orange-haired Hunter grinned. "You are going to regret touching me," he said as Tyr had already left the crowd and moved.


    For a few seconds, the Hunter continued to stand there and smile. But as he realized Tyr wasn''t coming back, his smile turned into a furious frown.


    "He thinks he''s some bigshot, huh? It''s okay... they all think that before learning the truth." He turned, "Come on... sir is waiting for us."


    The three moved on.

 Chapter 200: Training Facility

    Arin suddenly appeared beside Tyr, sneaking her way up from out of the crowd.She grabbed onto one of Tyr''s arms, which was nearly the size of her waist.


    "Wow! You just don''t care, huh? That''s a dangerous habit to have... challenging anyone you see." Arin chuckled.


    Tyr raised a brow while glancing down at her. "I was hoping he would try something... it might have been fun. But since he''s not in my way, I don''t care. Anyways, where did you even disappear off to? Are you scared of that guy or something?"


    "Scared? Hahaha!" Arin suddenly burst out into a peal of laughter. "You really are silly!"


    Tyr narrowed his eyes with confusion.


    ''What other kind of observation could I have made there?'' he said to himself.


    "I didn''t want to ruin your experience," Arin finally said after laughing.


    Tyr looked confused. "Ruin my experience? What do you mean? Nothing even happened there."


    Arin smirked. "Oh... yes, it did. Many dominoes just fell for you in the future."


    "Huh? Are you talking about your future-telling crap again? If you know everything that is going to happen, why not just tell me?"


    "Oop!" Arin exclaimed. "That is far above my capabilities!"


    "Huh??" Tyr was completely baffled.


    In the midst of their conversation, a booming noise calmly rang through the streets of the Immortal Peak.


    Tyr quickly looked up at the large tower at what looked to be the center of the city.


    It was a tall building with a bright blue crystal at its tip, releasing pulses of energy that exuded loud bell-like noises.


    The sound was very loud, beating the eardrums like bongos. However, it was also very comforting and alerting.


    "Hmm... I guess our little date is over," Arin muttered under her breath with a small frown. She looked up at Tyr. "Tyr! This was fun... I''ll show you around more next time!"


    "Next time?" Tyr said, raising an eyebrow in confusion. "What was that noise?"


    "The branch bells. They signal when it''s time for training. All Hunters have to gather there."


    "You won''t be coming?" Tyr asked. "Are you not a Hunter as well?"


    Arin smiled slightly. "I have... other things to attend to. I''ll see you around." Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Tyr turned as Arin walked away. He sighed. "What an exhausting person..." he mumbled before following the vibration of the bell.


    He moved on, excited for what was to come. "I''m curious what they will train us on... this is the best faction on the continent according to Huevas..." Just thinking of his power growing was enough to incite eagerness within him.


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    As he made his way to what he imagined would be the training grounds, Tyr couldn''t help but be a bit confused by how independent everyone was.


    ''From the journey here to everything else when you get here... you have to figure it all out by yourself. If I didn''t have Arin to tell me what was what, I could imagine some people being easily overwhelmed in my situation.''


    After a minute or so of walking, Tyr realized he still hadn''t seen a single other Hunter yet.


    ''They must all have already arrived, or are much closer than me,'' he thought.


    He looked around at the civilians.


    ''All of these people are former Hunters, right? They shouldn''t mind seeing a beast. Come out, Rudra.''


    The large white tiger leaped out of Tyr''s hand, taking a few steps before kneeling.


    Tyr hopped onto the beast''s back. "Let''s go," Tyr ordered, Rudra eagerly replying:


    ''Yes, master!'' he roared, lunging forward into a full-blown sprint.


    Due to Tyr''s orders, Rudra made sure not to break anything on his way, but still rushed through the streets and across rooftops in quick succession.


    Before long, the tightly packed houses and bustling markets began to fade, replaced by open spaces and fewer buildings.


    The streets widened, and Tyr found himself on a grand open road stretching endlessly to the left and right, its surface paved with smooth, polished stone that gleamed faintly under the sunlight.


    Ahead of him stood an imposing gate, forged from golden steel with intricate carvings of mythical beasts and runic patterns glowing faintly with blue Aura. Beyond the gate, a sprawling structure dominated the horizon.


    ''That must be the training facility,'' Tyr mused as he dismounted Rudra, the tiger gracefully kneeling to let him off before entering Infinite Domain.


    The area was alive with movement. Dozens of Hunters poured into the street, their steps purposeful and expressions resolute.


    The air hummed with an undercurrent of energy, a mixture of tension and excitement as they made their way through the gates.


    Tyr followed, stepping into a massive courtyard that stretched wider than any he had ever seen.


    The ground was paved with finely cut stone tiles arranged in intricate geometric patterns, each pulsating faintly with residual Aura, as if the very courtyard had been used for countless battles and ceremonies.


    At the heart of the courtyard stood a colossal palace, its architecture breathtaking and regal.


    A structure rose high into the sky, its towering spire crowned with a radiant crystal that shimmered with ever-changing colors.


    The palace wasn''t a single building but an interconnected network of facilities.


    A massive glass dome at the center gleamed under the sun, refracting light like a jewel and revealing hints of what lay inside¡ªperhaps a grand training arena or cultivation chamber.


    On either side of the main palace, sprawling wings extended, housing additional buildings, each marked by intricate designs and adorned with statues of past Hunters.


    Tyr''s eyes scanned the scene, taking in the scale of the place and the sheer number of Hunters assembled, their chatter blending into a low, constant hum.


    Everyone around him looked fairly powerful. Of course, there were different groups of Hunters that already knew each other.


    Tyr could see the groups separately since their dissociation from each other was plainly obvious.


    His eyes first landed on what looked to be the most average group that was in the very center.


    These were the normal Hunters, who were medium in strength and status at best.


    They were also the highest in number, of course.


    Apart from them was the small group of Hunters who looked to be the most calm and collected.


    They were untalkative, but from their demeanor, clothing, and Aura, Tyr could tell that they were not only strong but that they also came from a more high-status background.


    Differing from them were the also untalkative, but rather weak, nobodies of the institution.


    They didn''t speak much with each other, looking down with unconfident body language and meager Aura.


    Most of the new Hunters naturally joined this group, not understanding where they fit in yet and unsure of their skills.


    This group happened to be next to the final group, who were the most talkative and loud out of the many.


    These were the obnoxious people. Those who didn''t care for the rules and thought of this place as a game, and not so much as a place to gain power and respect.


    There were quite a lot of them, and they all overtook the very back of the large crowd.


    Everyone was spaced apart, despite there being over 300 Hunters on the scene. This was due to the sheer size of the courtyard.


    Tyr was at the very center. He didn''t care to join any groups for now, but just so happened to be squished between the average Hunters and the weaklings.


    ''Why the hell are we waiting here?'' he mused, a bit ticked off. He stood there crossing his arms.


    "Hey..." Tyr felt a tap on his shoulder.

 Chapter 201: Instructions

    Tyr turned, his face emotionless. His resting face was stern with slightly furrowed brows, making him seem a bit unapproachable.The person who had tapped on his shoulder looked to be from the group behind him.


    ''One of the shy ones, huh...'' Tyr immediately thought to himself on seeing the appearance of the young man who touched him. After a second, however, Tyr realized something different:


    ''No... this guy is one of the new Hunters... who arrived with me. He was the one who got bullied by that redhead,'' he mused as the other Hunter spoke.


    "How''s your experience been so far..." the guy said in a low tone, hiding his face a bit as his chin was tucked toward the floor.


    "Look up," Tyr said. Not for any particular reason, but just naturally. Why would he talk to someone who wouldn''t even share eye contact with him?


    The Hunter immediately met his gaze, prompting Tyr to talk: "I''ve been fine."


    "Oh... haha." The Hunter laughed awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. "I can''t say the same... but of course, that''s understandable. After all, I''m just a nobody, and you are the Dragon Tamer."


    Tyr didn''t say anything, letting the guy continue.


    "But... I think no one really knows that yet. At least, no one that''s been in the faction. They usually get the world''s information a bit late. I''m sure they will all figure it out soon."


    A short moment of silence ensued. The Hunter broke the awkwardness: "I-I''m Suyo, by the way." He reached his hand forward, "Suyo Rin."


    Tyr shook the guy''s hand. "Alright..."


    Another few seconds of silence ensued, where Suyo finally decided to break the ice:


    "Okay... well... the reason I came up to you was because... when he took my ring... you know who I''m talking about, right?"


    "Just get to the point."


    "O-oh. Yeah... well, he isn''t weak. He''s strong... and he has a bad reputation, you know. I saw you rub shoulders with him... I would suggest you not pick any fights. I have heard of you for a while... I don''t think it''s a good idea to get in the spotlight. You know this place''s reputation, right? It''s a lion''s den... and all of us new guys are sheep¡ª"


    "Speak for yourself..."


    "What?" Suyo''s meager voice rang.


    With narrowed eyes and a downward look that accidentally exuded condescension, Tyr spoke again: "I am not a sheep to anyone... even if I am weaker, I would never let another person trample over me."


    Tyr stopped, not wanting the more harsh words he was thinking to reach the poor young man''s ears.


    ''What''s the point of living if you aren''t going to live how you want? I''d rather die than live being the shoulders on which others stand to get ahead. Pretending to be weak is an option in the face of absolute defeat, but with any other situation, it is nothing but cowardice.''


    The words he said were: "Don''t be a damn coward," before turning and leaving Suyo speechless.


    "Hey!" A loud voice rang through the crowd. Everyone faced the front, where an average-looking man appeared on an elevated platform.


    He had black hair that was short and cut very neatly. His skin was unblemished, his eyes a crimson red, and his clothing consisted of simple black dress pants and a button-up white shirt.


    His eyelids were narrow, his tone monotone, and his demeanor the opposite of ecstatic.


    "Today, you may see a few new faces. It happens every once in a while... if you haven''t gotten used to it yet, then do so," the man said, sounding as if he had said these same words a thousand times before.


    "For those who are new, I am instructor Quinn, one of your many instructors in this facility. You can ask me questions if you are confused, but I would most likely defer you to the Hunter helpdesk, so you might as well just go there straight away."


    As the instructor continued, a silent murmur also continued through the crowd of Hunters.


    "Now that that''s out of the way, we shall begin our training." With a clap of his hand, the surroundings around Tyr changed instantly.


    Instead of being seated outdoors, he was now in the center of an immense theater-like classroom.


    It was a half-dome space with hundreds of seats all flowing down to a flat floor at the bottom where Quinn stood.


    The seats were fairly large, and from the looks of it, everyone was spread around randomly.


    People quickly began to make their way to their usual seats. Tyr, not having a usual seat, took the one that was closest to him near the center.


    After a few seconds, the instructor began to speak: "We don''t come to this room often, but you will always have access to it as your main information-learning room. Here, we talk about what you need to know before getting to the action side of Hunting. That is what I excel in... information."


    Chatter continued rampantly as Quinn spoke, but the instructor didn''t seem to mind. In fact, despite his voice being muffled to the point where Tyr could barely hear him, Quinn looked to pretend as if not a single soul was even in the room with him.


    "In this training institution, there are several quarters. To understand all of them and have communication amongst yourselves, you all will receive a tech bracelet. Imbued with an Array, it''s a band that allows all Hunters to have communication with each other. It is also a place where news about the faction can be easily accessed. A map is presented through it, which helps you navigate this place with ease."


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    As soon as Quinn said this, a metallic band appeared on Tyr''s table.


    It seemed to appear on a few other people''s tables.


    Tyr picked it up and observed it. It was made of metal except for one part, which was thin blue-stained glass.


    Inside of it, Tyr could see a flow of information passing through. He put it on his wrist with a click.


    With a single thought, Tyr accessed the small bracelet, opening it up to see the map and also the latest news.


    He quickly shut it down, channeling his attention to Quinn again.


    ''That''s pretty neat though... it''s like a cellphone back on Earth,'' he mused to himself.


    "You will be staying here in this facility as well. Each one of you will go to one of the three sections, housing around 100 Hunters each. Each section has its own canteen, where you will all eat. When it''s time to train, all will come to the main training grounds, or wherever your tech bracelet tells you to come. There are multiple instructors for each element of being a faction member and a Hunter. Alchemy, Cultivation, Knowledge, Power, Martial Arts, name it, and it''s probably here. Do not forget, you are here as Hunters for the faction. Eventually, you will be able to go on missions and quests. Do not disappoint."


    Quinn exhaled deeply. Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "There will be more information tomorrow. For today, class is dismissed. Go look around the city... or don''t. I don''t care. Tomorrow, there will be more real training. Be prepared."


    Quinn began to pack his things before leaving.

 Chapter 202: Bully

    Tyr was left slightly confused still, but he took a breath.''I guess I''ll have to eventually check out the different quarters. Alchemy and cultivation are things I want to get better at. I''m sure I could get a lot better at martial arts too. So far, I''ve learned fighting through experience, but learning the actual fighting techniques would probably boost my power even further.''


    At that moment, Tyr heard an annoying cackle of laughter travel through the classroom.


    It was at the back, where Tyr noticed Suyo getting picked on by a few bully types.


    ''I was hearing their teasing since the start of Quinn''s lesson...'' Tyr mused, throwing a glance.


    While most of the classroom had already left, about 80 or so stayed after. Most of the other students seemed to hang out, talking to themselves about plans of what to do after.


    Some were preparing to leave.


    At the back, the bullies had a field day. From what it looked like, Tyr imagined most of the people who usually got bullied were not as interesting as the new guys.


    That''s why Suyo and a few others were getting picked on much more.


    ''I wonder why Quinn didn''t stop it... when he could have easily done so, I imagine,'' Tyr thought to himself.


    ''On second thought, that guy didn''t seem to even notice a single one of us were here...''


    A guy wearing a black leather coat with bright pink hair slapped the back of Suyo''s head as five other young men around him broke out into a peal of laughter.


    "Come on... don''t joke around, man. You''re embarrassing me in front of my friends," the guy with pink hair exclaimed.


    "What do you mean you have no money? Are you trying to make it look like a skilled Hunter like myself can''t even take down fresh meat like you?"


    The bullies laughed again.


    Most of the class wasn''t paying attention to it. They looked to have gotten used to it by now.


    Tyr found it kind of entertaining though. Well... interesting at the very least. It wasn''t too common to see, after all. sea??h th§× n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Before leaving, he wanted to see how things would unfold. This was also to get somewhat accustomed to things around here.


    "I''m telling you... someone took it! It was a person with orange hair... I don''t know his name," Suyo attempted to fight back, but only verbally, of course.


    "Huh? Are you trying to rat out someone I know? That ain''t cool, bud," the pink-haired young man slapped the back of Suyo''s head again, but this time with a serious tone.


    Suyo winced with pain, squeezing his eyes tightly for a second.


    "Please!" He suddenly lifted his head and faced the class before him.


    "Are you all just going to sit there and look!? Someone help me--"


    Suyo was grabbed by the face¡ªhis mouth immediately muffled.


    With an aggressive pull, he was thrown forcefully onto the ground with a loud thud.


    Everyone''s gazes instantly darted away and faced the ground as the pink-haired young man scanned the classroom.


    "This your first time getting bullied or something? Stand up for yourself, you little pussy. You think the class is going to help you in real life? I''m just preparing you for what''s to come!" the pink-haired guy yelled, kicking Suyo in the stomach.


    "So..." Pink-hair faced the crowd, "Is anyone going to help him!?" He kicked the young man on the ground again as he grunted in pain.


    All eyes were faced away from the pink-haired guy. He was clearly looking for trouble.


    All eyes, of course, except for Tyr''s. Him and the bully made eye contact almost immediately.


    Tyr''s expression was unassuming. He didn''t really understand why this guy was looking at him for so long.


    After a few seconds, Tyr turned.


    ''Huh... that''s interesting, I guess,'' he mused, getting ready to leave the class.


    ''Let''s see... I think I''m going to get some food first before anything. It''s been so long since I''ve eaten anything other than random crap like food balls.''


    As he was walking down the steps in between the aisles leading down the rows, Tyr couldn''t help but notice that many were shooting quick glances at him.


    The murmurs began to slowly enter his ears as well:


    "He''s walking away after staring Javr in the eyes? Dude''s a lunatic, hahaha!"


    "Who is that guy? Is he new?"


    "Come on... even if it''s your first day here, it''s easy to know not to look somewhere when everyone else is doing the opposite."


    "He thinks he''s getting away easily? Pfft..."


    "This one will be entertaining..."


    On hearing all of this, Tyr closed his eyes. He exhaled, turning around abruptly.


    Opening his eyes, he noticed the pink-haired guy, addressed as ''Javr,'' was still staring at him.


    "What do you want?" Tyr said, knowing the bully was going to call him out. He pieced it together quite easily after hearing the comments of the classroom.


    Javr smiled.


    "Oh... that''s polite. Fresh meat actually willing to confront me instead of running away and hiding," he began to make his way down the steps along with his five friends.


    "Look... I don''t want much. I''m not trying to impede on anyone''s territory... the real stuff happens in the sections. All I''m trying to do is build up a bit of cash. Is that such a bad thing to do? A man has to work hard for his money, right?" Javr smirked.


    "Stop speaking all smart with me, you little twerp. If you wanna fight, just say so..." Tyr replied, cutting through all of the bullshit.


    Javr paused, his smile turning into a frown as he furrowed his brows.


    The class had a slightly surprised reaction, peering closer at Tyr.


    Javr did the same.


    While maintaining eye contact with the ballsy young man, he turned to one of his friends.


    Leaning into his ear, Javr asked, "This guy... he is fresh, right?"


    "Yeah, dude... 100%."


    "Ahem!" Javr cleared his throat.


    "Tyr..." he suddenly said, throwing Tyr off slightly.


    "That''s your name, right? Tyr Evolion? The oh-so-popular Dragon Tamer?"


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    After a long pause, Tyr smirked slightly.


    "So you''ve heard about me. You should have just told me from the start that you were a fan, as well as a beggar."


    "Beggar?" Javr confusedly exclaimed.


    "What? Did I mistake something? You were just asking me for money, weren''t you?" Tyr replied with a straight face.


    A few Hunters around the room couldn''t keep their lips intact, breaking down into short bursts of unsuccessfully stopped laughter.


    Javr looked around the room, his face turning slightly pale from embarrassment as he clenched his teeth and faced Tyr.


    "Don''t fuck around... you little bitch. You''re dead now."


    Javr began to stomp down the stairs.


    Tyr tilted his head to the side, his glabella erupting with a golden flame.


    "Oh yeah?" He cracked his neck from right to left.


    "I don''t give a fuck if you''re a dragon tamer, or the tamer of my left nut. You are still fresh meat. When you come in here, you forget who you even were out there. You have no backing here. The kingdoms that helped you grow are no longer your shields. This is the Immortal Peak, bitch."


    "Kingdoms that helped me grow?" Tyr nearly broke out into a laugh, but stopped with a scoff of disbelief.


    "That little remark just pissed me off. I''m going to have fun beating your ass..."

 Chapter 203: Watch Your Tongue...

    "Shut the fuck up!" Javr abruptly bit his own finger. Out of nowhere, he transformed into a giant teddy bear that took up five entire seats worth of space.Tyr raised a brow, utterly perplexed.


    "What the fuc¡ª" he suddenly felt a powerful force against his back, making him stumble forward slightly.


    Despite turning immediately, he couldn''t see anyone behind him. He began to turn slowly, looking around with narrowed eyes.


    ''No wind movements... did he teleport?'' Tyr mused.


    "You think you can beat me? You''re nothing in here!"


    Tyr was attacked again from the side, another teddy bear appearing in another spot in the room.


    ''No wind again... what the hell is his Ancestral Ability?''


    "A fresh canvas! You become a fresh canvas in here... and I''ll dye yours red with blood!"


    Tyr grit his teeth on hearing this.


    "Just shut the fuck up at this point," he said in a low tone, darting over to a teddy bear.


    "Keep talking like that... I''ll make you say those same words again on your knees while you beg for forgiveness!"


    Tyr''s nostrils flared, his eyes reeking with fury.


    ''This guy... he''s so fucking annoying. Who does he think he is, talking to me like this?'' Tyr mused, getting extremely riled up.


    Tyr clenched his fist, punching the large teddy bear.


    He expected to burst a hole through it, but instead, his fist came back from the bouncy surface of the stuffed animal and sent him flying across the room.


    He landed on his feet, thankfully, but realized something at that moment.


    "Come at me!" he yelled, testing his theory.


    "Oh, trust me... I will!" Javr exclaimed as the class watched with anticipation.


    Instead of trying to read where Javr could be, Tyr simply kept his focus on the teddy bears. The stomach of one of the bears sunk in slightly out of nowhere before springing back to normal.


    ''Like I expected...'' Tyr said, reaching his hand forward as he grabbed a small fly from out of the air.


    "Found you..." Tyr exclaimed, crushing the small thing with his fingers.


    "STOP!" Javr screamed, transforming back to his normal size and dashing backward.


    He panted, feeling his head nearly explode at that moment.


    "How the hell did you figure it out!?"


    "It was obvious. I could hear you while you were still around me. That would explain invisibility, but from the fact that I couldn''t detect any wind from your actions, it meant that either you were teleporting or moving as a puny object that gave no wind. It was easy to guess after punching your stupid bears. What a trash Ancestral Ability..." Tyr said, tightening his hand into a fist.


    "Che..." Javr snarled.


    "You think that''s all? I will¡ª" Out of nowhere, Javr''s eyes turned a hazy blue color.


    "Bow down, bitch," Tyr exclaimed, the young man instantly getting down to his hands and knees and pressing his forehead against the floor.


    Tyr grabbed Javr by the hair, pushing his teeth against a table.


    ''He''s slightly above me in power level, but from everything else in my disposal, I could tell Hypnosis would work... interesting.''


    Tyr paused, seemingly waiting for something.


    The entire class was baffled by what they were seeing.


    "Why the hell did Javr bow!?"


    "Oh my god!"


    "What the hell am I witnessing?"


    "Tyr... The Dragon Tamer..."


    "Holy shit... is he going to do what I think he''s going to do?"


    Tyr waited right until Javr regained consciousness, and the hazy blue color in his pupils disappeared.


    At that moment, he slammed his fist on top of Javr''s head¡ªjamming his face into the table and ramming all of his teeth out.


    They fell to the floor like scattered pebbles as a piercing scream traveled through the entire classroom.


    Many closed their eyes, cringing at the sharp screech.


    Javr''s eyes looked crazed¡ªwidened, like two planets, and completely in shock and trauma from the pain.


    He grabbed at his mouth, but his hands grasped nothing and were only covered in blood instead.


    Javr''s friends whispered to each other as they stared at Tyr with frozen body language.


    "We shouldn''t have messed with him..."


    "Fuck... is he going to be alright?"


    "Of course not! Look at him!"


    At that moment, Tyr suddenly looked at them, making them all jump slightly with surprise.


    Grabbing Javr''s hair, Tyr smirked¡ªsending shivers crawling up the backs of the young men.


    Javr attempted to say something but sounded like a disabled person.


    "Jab wir audfk ug."


    Tyr looked down at him, as Javr moved his pupils straight up to match Tyr''s gaze.


    As soon as the two made eye contact, Tyr''s smile widened even further.


    Tyr unsheathed his spear.


    The class gasped, expecting the worst.


    Javr attempted to move, but Tyr''s grip was impossible to stir.


    SLICE


    A long pink tongue flopped onto the ground, still squirming like a worm.


    The scream that came from Javr was like one straight out of a horror movie.


    His vocal cords nearly burst as he flailed around for a few seconds before passing out.


    Tyr dropped his body, slashing the blood off of his spear as he sheathed it and exited the class.


    "If you want to fight... I''d be happy to. Just make sure it''s not a waste of my time."


    Those were his last words before closing the door on the room.


    Javr''s friends quickly rushed to his aid, carrying him on their backs as they ran out of the room behind Tyr. Find your next read on M V L


    The rest of the Hunters were left speechless and in shock.


    They all made their first impressions of Tyr that day.


    "Ruthless..."


    "Demon..."


    "What the fuck..."


    "Strong..."


    Suyo smiled, "Awesome..."


    In the grand hall outside of the room, Javr''s friends carried him and ran the opposite way of where Tyr was heading.


    "Wait till Crimson hears about this! You messed with the king''s man! You''re dead!" one of the young men that was carrying Javr shouted.


    Tyr raised a brow, immediately responding before the young men turned a corner.


    "Crimson can suck my dick!"


    He turned, shaking his head.


    ''What if he''s actually stronger than you?'' Ares asked at that moment.


    ''What? Well... if he is... I''ll just have you come out and blast the entire faction down. Then we move on, like nothing happened.'' Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''You can''t just always fall back to that, you know.''


    ''Every power I learn is something I can fall back to.''


    ''...''


    "Now... where is my section? I want to head to the canteen immediately..."


    A loud grumble came from Tyr''s stomach.

 Chapter 204: The King

    In a random back alley...SLAP


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    Javr''s head was flung to the side, his eyes wide in shock. He was kneeling, and his five friends were also in the same position behind him.


    In front of them was a small duo of two guys. One of them, with jet-black hair and a large stature, was standing, while the one beside him, with dark, spiky gray hair, was sitting on another Hunter who was down on his hands and knees.


    "Get out of my sight... you pathetic weakling," the gray-haired young man sitting in front of Javr said in a low tone after slapping him.


    A few seconds of silence ensued before Javr attempted to speak again, "Ajw wad ahntr."


    One of his friends quickly jumped in: "He''s trying to say that it wasn''t just any old new guy. It was... Tyr."


    The gray-haired young man''s eyes twitched slightly, his attention changing to the guy who had just spoken.


    "Speak..." he said, allowing Javr''s friend to continue.


    "We were wary, but we didn''t think he would be that strong." sea??h th§× NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "What did he do? What was his power like?" The gray-haired young man''s eyes seemed to glow slightly as he heard more about this ''Tyr.''


    "Undescribable... we don''t know what happened," another one of Javr''s accomplices said.


    The next one chimed in, "Tyr quickly figured out Javr''s Ancestral Ability... but what happened after..."


    "Tell me, damn it! Stop dawdling!" Gray-hair raised his voice, prompting one of Javr''s friends to bark:


    "He bowed down!"


    Gray-hair''s eyes narrowed, "What?"


    "He suddenly just bowed down after being ordered to do so. We have no clue what happened... one moment, Javr was completely normal, and the next, he was on his hands and knees with his forehead pressed onto the floor."


    Another continued to explain: "Tyr grabbed him and broke all of his teeth before slashing his tongue out... thankfully, we rushed him to emergency care as soon as possible, or else he would have died of blood loss."


    The tall young man standing next to Gray-hair cast the sitting Hunter a glance.


    Gray-hair leaned back slightly, looking up as though in thought. "Amazing... so he might be the real deal then, huh?" He smiled, seemingly unable to hold in his excitement.


    He broke out into a small laugh, "I want to see that power... how frivolous and dominating it is. I want to see it... and crush it."


    "He..." one of Javr''s friends continued, "He also mentioned your name."


    Gray-hair raised a brow instinctively.


    "Oh? So he heard about me somehow..." Gray-hair exclaimed, but the tall young man standing beside him quickly added:


    "These fools probably paraded your name to Tyr in order to bluff."


    Javr''s friends looked down, unable to deny that accusation.


    "So be it... at least now, he has some sort of respect for my reputation," Gray-hair replied.


    "Well... not quite," Javr''s friend said. "We taunted him with your name, and he said¡ª"


    "Give me his exact quote," Gray-hair said, his tone serious.


    "W-what?" The young man before him stammered, stumbling over his words, "I-I mean it was... super disrespectful. I-I can''t possibly..."


    "Just say it... or else I''ll cut your tongue out as well." Gray-hair''s tone was cold.


    Javr''s friend gulped. ''He''s serious...'' He paused before speaking, "He said... ''Crimson can suck my dick¡ª''"


    As soon as he said this, the tall Hunter beside Gray-hair moved.


    SLAM


    The guy who quoted Tyr caught a brunt blow with a hammer to the side of the head, smashing his skull as he was thrust several feet to the side¡ªdragging across the pavement like a ragdoll.


    "Watch your tongue..." Gray-hair, or rather, Crimson, stood up. His body was shaking slightly, his teeth clenched tightly.


    Javr and his friends fell onto their bums as they pushed themselves away from Crimson.


    The gray-haired young man growled: "Who the hell does he think he is? No one slanders my name and gets away with it..." He and the tall young man beside him left the alley.


    The Hunter he was sitting on also got up and sprinted away in the opposite direction.


    As the two turned a corner, Crimson exclaimed: "He''s made me really angry... but I''m excited, Kepl. I want to see how close he has come to being a conqueror of souls. One who looks at another and tears apart their resolve and determination in one move. I want to see how close he is to becoming a king."


    "I don''t think he''s far away," Kepl answered. "His mind must be developed. It''s possible he didn''t even receive help from his continent to be where he is now."


    Crimson sucked in a mouthful of breath before letting it go: "Do you think I will win this time, Kepl?"


    For a moment, there was silence.


    "You are the strongest conqueror of mortals this peak has seen," Kepl answered. "Everyone is under your feet... you''ve proven yourself time and time again."


    Crimson looked down, his face shadowed. "So... it''s going to be difficult then, huh?" he said, understanding what Kepl meant by all of that.


    "Yes... extremely difficult," Kepl replied.


    ***


    Tyr checked his tech bracelet (band), hoping to find out what section he was in.


    "Section C, huh? Looks like the only other ones are A and B." A sparking message caught his attention at that moment, "C-c-closed!?" he exclaimed, realizing the canteen wasn''t open yet.


    "I guess it''s only open in the morning before classes. Tsk!" He sucked his teeth, irritated.


    With a grumbling stomach, he decided to head into the city to find some food.


    ***


    "He''s a frightening bastard," an orange-haired young man exclaimed, walking with two other guys.


    "Yeah. I mean, there''s a reason why he''s the so-called ''king'' of the Immortal Peak right now. Apart from the king of Section B, he''s running this branch like it''s a bakery and he''s got the hottest buns," one of the other guys said, laughing slightly.


    "It wasn''t a very useful conversation, but we had to attend it either way. Our section would get punished if we hadn''t done so," another one said.


    "Tsk." Orange-hair was clearly annoyed. "That little bitch from this morning probably had more money that we could steal. Too bad we had to let him go."


    "What was his name? Suyo, right?"


    "Meh... we will find him again. I think he''s in our section. It will be fun tonight in the canteen."


    ...


    The three turned a corner, and the orange-haired guy nearly bumped into another group of Hunters that looked to be coming from the opposite direction.


    "Javr?" The orange-haired young man and his friends backed up. "From Crimson''s section..."


    Javr and his friends backed up as well, wary.


    "Race, huh?" one of Javr''s friends said, raising his guard.


    "Back off... we already had the meeting with Crimson. There''s no need to fight... unless that''s what you want to do," the orange-haired guy said, rubbing his fist.


    Javr sighed as one of his friends spoke, "Listen, Race, we don''t want any trouble."


    At that moment, Orange-hair, addressed as ''Race,'' noticed Javr''s mangled face.


    "What the hell happened to you?" He raised a brow.

 Chapter 205: News Spreads Quickly

    One of Javr''s lackeys spoke up: "Don''t worry about it..." He looked to the side, not wanting to face Race for some reason.Race looked at the guy he was carrying on his back. He had a hammer indent on the side of his face¡ªlooking heavily injured.


    "Kepl... you guys just met up with Crimson, didn''t you?" Race immediately surmised, narrowing his eyes. "Tell me what happened if you want what''s best for you."


    "Okay... it doesn''t matter now anyway," another one of Javr''s friends spoke up. "Javr picked a fight with that Dragon Tamer guy."


    Race''s brow heightened as he scanned Javr closer.


    ''What...'' He thought to himself in shock. ''Javr isn''t a section king like me, Crimson, and Bepan... but he still isn''t weak by any means. To do this to him... that guy must not be a complete weakling.''


    "How much damage did Tyr Evolion take?" Race asked decisively, wanting an answer so he could gauge Tyr''s power.


    "None..." Javr''s friends replied without hesitation.


    Race paused for a moment, he and his friends taken aback by that statement.


    "I see..."


    Another one of Javr''s friends continued, "Crimson is set on Tyr now... but he will probably wait it out. Scope his prey from afar as he builds confidence and strength... it''s what he always does to newcomer meat that looks like it has potential."


    Race grinned, "He''s in my section though... isn''t Crimson stepping too far?"


    There was silence as Race continued, "Sure... we all know Crimson could probably best me in a one-on-one... but I have confidence that my entire section could pose a threat to him."


    Javr and his friends didn''t say anything for a while but replied with: "If anything, Crimson will probably lose interest if you defeat Tyr anyway. He doesn''t care for weaklings who get beaten by the likes of you."


    Race furrowed his brows, "What did you just call me?"


    "We aren''t going to fight now... move out of the way so we can head to the emergency."


    Javr and his group trudged forward, not looking to have a care for even their own lives at this point.


    It threw Race off guard so heavily that he and his friends just let them go.


    "Fucking weirdos... I would make them pay for saying such things, but I don''t want to fight a dog with a broken leg."


    He and his group also left.


    ***


    Nearly starving to death, Tyr lazily stumbled along the streets, his eyes zoning around like a missile to find food anywhere nearby.


    "Found you!" a sweet voice reached his left ear. He turned, but no one was there.


    "Shall we continue on where we left off?" Arin said, this time on his right side.


    Tyr turned like a zombie. "Do what you want... I need... food."


    Holding her hands behind her back as she walked with long strides beside Tyr, Arin chuckled as she said: "I heard about what you did in the first class... quite the troublemaker you are, huh?"


    "From your weird power, huh?" Tyr asked, getting more used to it by now.


    "Oh no... I don''t need that to get information like this. Trust me, word of you brutally beating Javr has already spread across this peak."


    Tyr didn''t say anything.


    "Some say ''the great Dragon Tamer defeats a bully,'' and others exclaim ''That demonic bastard is ruthless.'' It''s pretty funny to hear all of that, when in reality, you are only moving in the direction of power."


    Tyr sighed, "I stand in people''s way..."


    "You don''t like it when people stand in yours. You want to become powerful."


    "There is a path to that power. A path that is not laid out for me, but one I have to create through other people."


    ...


    "To have others not stand in your way, you have to stand in theirs, huh?"


    "That is the only way..." Tyr nearly passed out after saying that. "That''s it... I have no more energy to talk... I need... food."


    "Don''t you have food in your storage rings¡ª"


    "That''s not food! I''ve been eating dried meat jerky for too long... I will get real food, or starve right here and now..."


    Arin chuckled. "Yet you would go through hell itself to not die... You really are interesting, Tyr."


    Tyr glanced over at her. ''Why is she so infatuated by me? I really don''t have the time nor energy to entertain her. She isn''t a problem for now, so I guess I don''t really have to do anything. She''s also a small resource for her knowledge...''


    As Tyr was thinking this, Arin stepped into an empty alleyway. "There''s a hidden restaurant here. Only some know about it... but it''s the best food in the Immortal Peak. Let''s head there."


    Tyr followed her like a sheep following its herder, not hearing a single word out of her mouth except for ''restaurant'' and ''food.''


    After getting to the middle of the alley, the two were surprised by a blistering wind that fell down upon them.


    They were nearly swept off of their feet due to the power of the wind.


    Tyr immediately stood straight and looked up, seeing a small figure in the air as he was a second away from activating Full Golden Body. ''Tsk... another fight with no food in the stomach? I guess I''ll have to get it done quickly¡ª'' He stopped thinking as he saw the figure closer.


    "Huevas?" He mumbled as the man gracefully floated down with a warm smile.


    "Tyr! How has your journey in the Ten High Peak Faction gone so far?" Huevas exclaimed happily.


    "What do you want? I''m about to starve to death, Huevas... make it quick."


    Arin looked over at Tyr as she heard this, breaking out into a small chuckle.


    "My apologies, young Tyr. I have an urgent meeting to hold with you. Food shall be provided where we are going."


    "Where we are going?" Tyr confusedly asked, "What are you talking about?"


    "Let''s not waste time here... you will soon find out." Huevas grabbed the back of Tyr''s shirt, throwing him into the air as Tyr disappeared into the clouds.


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    "WHAT THE HELL!?" Tyr''s voice faded away into the distance.


    Huevas turned to Arin, bowing his head. "It is a pleasure seeing you, young mistress."


    Arin welcomed the greeting with a kind expression. "Likewise, Sir Kane."


    With a nod, Huevas jumped into the air¡ªdisappearing from sight as well.

 Chapter 206: Living Miracle

    Tyr was propelled across the sky at insane speeds, reaching the ground before he could even tell what was going on.When he landed, his hair stood straight up as if he had been electrocuted. His expression wasn''t far off either.


    "What the hell was that!?" Tyr shouted, finally taking a look around at the new place he was kidnapped to.


    All he could see in the distance were clouds. The elevation was extremely high since not a single cloud rose above where Tyr stood.


    Above him was a deep, dark blue sky. ''Looks like a thin atmosphere before I reach space itself... this is a high peak.''


    He surveyed his closer surroundings. As a blast of freezing wind tickled his face, he noted the thin white snow covering the grayish, green grass on the floor around him.


    There was a single building on the side of this mountain slope, on the patio of which Huevas was making his way.


    Tyr looked up the mountain, noticing more buildings going up.


    "Where are we?" he asked, curious.


    "This is the second tallest peak within the Ten High Peak Faction. It isn''t a peak that houses one of the five branches, but that doesn''t mean it''s empty."


    Huevas turned, facing Tyr. "This is my humble abode." He smiled, "They tried to give me a palace, but I''d rather work on gaining power rather than showing off to fools who I have never even met."


    Tyr followed Huevas. Although the Grandmaster made it seem like this place was lackluster, it was still very grand.


    It looked similar to a Japanese-style house, with sloped roof tiles and pointed tips.


    Huevas led Tyr into the building and through a sliding door.


    They sat down on floor mats opposite a puny table in the middle that had two small cups on it with no handles.


    The steaming aroma led Tyr to recognize the cups to be filled with hot tea.


    Tyr''s stomach grumbled as he sat down, "Make this quick..." he said, placing his hands on his lap.


    "Of course..." Huevas stared into Tyr''s eyes. "I... am a genius," he suddenly said.


    "What?" Tyr was thrown off.


    "Look at you... you are perfect!" Huevas couldn''t help but chuckle to himself.


    Tyr was weirded out but remained silent.


    "I made a very good choice to reach out to you. I heard from a source that Lao Heshang passed you in the evaluation exam... but not by regular means. You captured over 300 petals, I hear?" Huevas seemed eager to speak about this.


    "Well... yeah. It wasn''t easy." S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Trust me... I understand. Believe it or not, I tried the same thing as you."


    "What?" Tyr wasn''t expecting to hear that.


    "Indeed... did you think you were the only one to try mastering all the wind formations and petal formations? That test is taken by every Hunter who has entered the Immortal Peak. Some, realistically, are even smarter than you."


    Tyr didn''t respond. He wasn''t going to combat that since it was a fact. He didn''t hold pride in himself that he was the smartest person ever or anything like that.


    "I tried my best. I didn''t sleep for weeks, calculating every last possibility. Despite that, I only managed to get 24 petals. Can you believe it? And it took me three entire weeks."


    Tyr squinted, "I didn''t do anything special though... sure, it was very difficult, but all you really need is perseverance. When it comes to math, all that exists are probabilities and percentages. These will never change, despite the time it takes to find out what they are."


    "That''s what you think, Tyr. But you are mistaken."


    Tyr''s eyes narrowed even more, confusion entering his mind. "What do you mean?"


    "Those petals, Tyr..." Huevas paused, his smile stretching. "Have completely random generation probabilities."


    Tyr''s eyes opened this time, surprise taking over. "Then... how--"


    "I don''t know!" Huevas shouted. "That''s the fun part! Many have tried your tactic, and all have failed! Yet... you were able to do it. You have something that no one else has... it''s special. It''s what winners have!"


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    Tyr didn''t know what to make of all this.


    "I don''t know what it is. Luck... coincidence... skill... who knows!? But what I do know is that there is something in this world that is on your side. A certain will that lifts you up like Atlas lifting the world on his shoulders."


    After a pause, Tyr''s stomach grumbled again. He rested his hand on his belly as he said, "So... is that all you wanted to talk about?"


    Huevas looked down at Tyr''s stomach before quickly moving on: "Not just that, but I hear you have been cultivating at a very high speed as well. Above that, you don''t seem to be having any troubles with your dragon."


    "Ares..."


    "Pardon?"


    "His name--"


    "The dragon has a name!?"


    "Yes. The dragon''s name is Ares."


    Huevas leaned back, nearly falling backward. He looked at Tyr''s face again, but the boy looked to be clueless.


    A cold sweat ran over his forehead. ''I can''t believe it... not even he knows what he is saying. To name a dragon... not even a damn dragon tamer can name a dragon!?''


    He was baffled, "This is unbelievable news... although Dragon Tamers hold custody and part ownership of the dragon, their names are chosen from before they are even born. Their names are special, and cannot be changed for crucial reasons... their names are what give them power."


    "What gives them power?" Tyr asked, confused since Ares still had power despite getting the name from Tyr.


    "Their names are chosen by the Gods themselves before being born into this world. Each name has a different meaning, giving the dragon its personality and power. It cannot be changed! If it is ever changed somehow by a God... then I have no clue what would happen. It has never been recorded before in history!"


    Tyr chuckled, "Jeez... I guess you''re having a good day today then huh?"


    Huevas shook his head. "I should have conversations with you more often. Listening to you is like listening to a miracle machine! Almost as if you yourself are a god or something, hahaha!"


    Huevas paused, getting back to the main point. "Tyr... although I have entered you into the Immortal Peak, you are still superior compared to all of those Inner Echelon branch students in terms of potential. It is only right that you get even more special perks. That is why I have invited you here today."


    ''More like kidnapped...''


    "It is my responsibility to see that you grow into your potential... so... I would like to present you with something that I believe only you and your miraculous mind can decode, and make use of."


    Huevas reached into his storage ring, taking out a scroll that illuminated with a dark, purplish glow.


    "Neither I nor the Faction Sovereign have been able to use this cultivation technique. It is imperfect, unstable, and sealed off via an arsenal of Aura Arrays. But... from the Aura that exudes from it, we can measure its Grade to be well into the SS Grade."


    Tyr''s eyes slowly widened.


    "It''s ancient, found inside of a unique dungeon without a backstory. It was found a very long time ago, but it has symbols sharing the symbols within that dungeon, as if the two are intertwined. I want you to have it... and I want you to make use of it."

 Chapter 207: Chaos Veil Sutra

    Tyr grabbed the scroll from Huevas'' hand.It felt grand to hold. Its weight was obviously not much, yet it felt like it weighed far more than the impression it gave off.


    The paper scroll was dark brown in color. Its edges were ripped and battered, crumpled and tarnished to a certain degree. sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The paper was wrapped around a dark purple oak carved in a majestic shape that resembled the trunk of a large and mangled jungle tree.


    Tyr couldn''t help but take a deep breath, feeling as though the air around him suddenly became thicker when he took hold of the scroll.


    Huevas looked at Tyr''s movements with a curious gaze, a slight smirk pulling at his lips.


    Tyr was a bit mesmerized by the cultivation technique. ''It feels like I''m holding a chunk of history in my hands. I''ve never felt something like this before.''


    It was almost overwhelming and unable to be described by Tyr''s understanding.


    After a second or so, Tyr attempted to unroll the scroll and open it up.


    He clutched the handle, unrolling the paper slightly.


    A sudden jolt of purple Aura that mimicked electricity bounced out of the scroll, striking Tyr in the chest.


    It traveled throughout his body, unleashing sparks of purple lightning.


    Before Tyr knew it, he had fallen unconscious.


    When he woke up, he saw Huevas'' worried face above him.


    Huevas let out a massive sigh of relief as soon as Tyr''s eyelids flew open. "Phew! That was close."


    "What... the hell are you trying to do!? Kill me?" Tyr abruptly sat up.


    "M-my apologies! I forgot to mention... whatever you try with this cultivation technique, do it with caution. You never know what it can throw at you."


    Tyr shook his head, staring back at the scroll. "So you haven''t been able to open it either, then, I assume?"


    "I have," Huevas said, "and so has the Faction Sovereign."


    Tyr''s eyelids narrowed. "So then why have you given it to me? Clearly, I can''t do it either."


    Huevas didn''t hesitate to reply. "Well, opening it is a matter of caution and technique. What lies after is the difficult part."


    Tyr''s gaze intensified with intrigue.


    Huevas exhaled. "The Chaos Veil Sutra... this technique is a beast. A treacherous beast that lies dormant. Sure, it attacks you when you try to open it. But when you do, the real difficulty is actually defeating that beast and taming it so that it allows you to use it without any trouble."


    The man stood up, walking toward the sliding door exit. "Both I and the Faction Sovereign have failed miserably to go against that beast. When we use the cultivation technique, we enter its domain. A frightening wasteland of catastrophic power that we cannot even fathom."


    Tyr''s eyes opened slowly as he heard this. ''That strong? That even they can''t scratch?'' He knew how many realms above him Huevas was, so to think of something being even that much stronger was almost unbelievable.


    "Again... why have you given it to me then?" Tyr asked, still not fully understanding.


    "What?" Huevas said, a bit confused himself. "Don''t you get it? You aren''t just some nobody." A short pause ensued before Huevas said, "You, Tyr Evolion, are the Dragon Tamer."


    Tyr''s gaze slowly traveled back to the scroll. ''The Dragon Tamer, huh? How the hell did I even tame Ares? I don''t really think I ever tamed him except for that time I beat his ass. Soul Marking linked our souls, but I can''t use something like that on a cultivation technique...''


    Huevas opened the sliding door. "If anyone in this world can do it, I''d bet my life that it would be you. Eventually, when Lord Ares grows into an adult, you will see how much weight your title truly holds."


    After another pause, something came to Tyr''s mind. "Oh yeah... what about the symbol of the dungeon you were talking about? Is that important?"


    "We don''t know yet. But I believe that it is. However, that''s just a gut feeling, so don''t get too caught up on it." Huevas snapped his finger, and a giant bowl of ramen appeared on the small table before Tyr.


    It was filled with ingredients and toppings, from green onions to coriander, peppers and spices, dark and delicious broth along with an array of sliced meats. Of course, the noodles sat steaming at the bottom, ready to be slurped right up.


    Tyr''s expression brightened as he saw this, his mouth instantly watering.


    "This is the first day of your arrival at the Ten High Peak Faction. I believe our next meeting will be in the Faction Branch Tournament... by then, I trust that you will have conquered this technique, young Tyr. Farewell until then..." Huevas exited the room.


    Tyr felt the floor shake slightly after a few seconds of Huevas'' exit, signifying his retreat to another place.


    ''All the way until that tournament, huh? Well... I guess he is a busy man.'' His eyes looked at the ramen, but then switched his gaze back toward the cultivation technique.


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    Although he was deathly hungry, his desire to conquer this technique had increased by leaps and bounds after what it did to him mere seconds ago.


    He understood the strength of this technique, and that hunger for power was far more significant in his mind than the hunger for food.


    "The Chaos Veil Sutra, was it?" Tyr muttered, grabbing the scroll and turning it over.


    He closely inspected the symbol that was melted into the seal of the scroll.


    Instantly, he felt an odd connection with the symbol. It didn''t feel random.


    This led him to scan it for a while longer.


    One... three... ten minutes passed as Tyr continued to unravel his mind on what the symbol could be.


    "Ah..." He finally got it, his eyes narrowing in. "The ember of fire surrounded by a ring. The same symbol in the Truid Dungeon... where I first retrieved Ares'' egg."

 Chapter 208: Mysterious Symbol

    "It''s weird... why would this scroll have that symbol on it? I am tens of thousands of miles away from Mycopolis, where that dungeon was. But... then again, that dungeon also had a very murky history. It was elusive, mysterious, and certainly ancient. This cannot be a mere coincidence... not only the two dungeons but the immense power of this cultivation technique and also a real Dragon egg... it all must be connected somehow. But how?"Right now, Tyr was in the state of mind of putting things together from right now and back then in the Truid quest.


    So, another thought entered his mind. Huevas had been talking about ''God'' so much that Tyr remembered the odd trial he had to complete within that dungeon.


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    ''Will I Be A Good God. That was the question I had to answer back then... It''s weird. It all feels connected somehow...'' He paused, moving onto how these connections could intertwine with the scroll before him.


    "The ember within the ring. That was the special power I needed to complete my task. What is the meaning of it? Potentially, it may be the very power I need to conquer this technique as well." He mused but obviously didn''t have any real answers yet.


    After a sigh, Tyr put the scroll in his storage ring, "I''ll figure it out." His stomach grumbled as his predatory eyes lurked upon the bowl of ramen in front of him.


    "But for now..." His fingers danced around the bowl, ready to eat, "I will feast!"


    He grabbed the chopsticks leaning against the edge of the bowl, forcibly slurping down the noodles.


    As soon as that first bite entered his mouth, a bomb of flavor exploded in his mouth.


    The broth was the first thing he experienced. It was rich and savory, like a soup of a thousand ingredients cooked for a century to enhance the flavors.


    It slizzed along his tongue, enlightening it with delicious flavor as the fantastic aroma and steam flew out of his nose and the extravagant liquid flowed down his tongue¡ªfilling his ice-cold, empty stomach with a warm, electrifying magma.


    The meat simply melted on his tongue, the salty and slightly sour flavor mixing into the broth and bringing on another level of satisfaction.


    The noodles were just right, not too soggy. They were slightly chewy, cooked to perfection, and had absorbed a perfect amount of broth. sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The vegetables inside gave the dish a refreshing, unique crunch that put everything together to form a party of flavors and textures that were almost impossible to describe.


    That day, it was safe to say that Tyr had reached three peaks, counting for the Immortal Peak, The Peak of Flavor, and one more down south!


    ***


    Tyr stepped out of Huevas'' house, and as his feet touched the snow on the floor, he was instantly transported right back to the alley where Huevas had first captured him.


    Tyr looked around, gathering his surroundings.


    There looked to be no one around him. At that moment, he felt a tap on the shoulder.


    He abruptly turned, noticing Arin''s smiling face behind him.


    ''How the hell can she hide her Aura like that? I need to learn that as well... it''s pretty damn effective.''


    "You''re still here." Tyr said, looking up at the sun.


    "Well yeah, it''s only been half an hour or so. Still... leaving me alone like that was pretty rude."


    "You pretend as though I had a choice," Tyr said with narrow eyes, turning, "So where''s that restaurant?"


    Arin ran up and grabbed onto his arm again, "Right this way!"


    Tyr exhaled, ''Wait... why am I doing this? I already ate...''


    *


    The two spent a little while in the small restaurant.


    It was certainly known, especially considering the fact that the door to enter was hidden behind an invisible brick wall.


    Inside, it was quite cozy and small. There didn''t seem to be many people inside, and those who were attending were silent and respectful.


    The food was surprisingly delicious. Maybe even surpassing the ramen Tyr had eaten before.


    Overall, it was a decent experience. Yet, Tyr still regretted it slightly since he could have used that time cultivating, or maybe figuring out how to open his new cultivation technique.


    After leaving the restaurant, it had gotten a bit darker into the day.


    "It''s time for me to go," Arin said, jumping in front of Tyr with a slightly sad look on her face.


    "Alright. Bye," Tyr said, beginning to turn, but he halted as Arin continued to talk.


    "Wait! Aren''t you even going to say goodbye? Don''t lie, that was fun!"


    Tyr turned back around as Arin continued, "I wish we could do this every day," Arin paused as Tyr thought to himself,


    ''Please no...''


    "But..." Arin looked down, seemingly disappointed, "I have to go for a while now. I don''t get to come down here too often."


    Tyr raised a brow, "What? Didn''t you say you live here in the Immortal Peak?"


    Arin chuckled slightly on hearing this, "You''re adorable!"


    Tyr had a straight face, ''Okay... I wasn''t trying to be.'' He shook his head.


    "I live here, in the faction. Not in this peak though. Don''t worry, we will meet as soon as I have the time. Until then, learn that sutra!"


    "Don''t worry about that. I''ll conquer that thing if it''s the last thing I do."


    Arin grinned, "I know..." She turned, waving goodbye as she walked away¡ªher beautiful silver hair flowing side to side across her back.


    ''I''m not surprised she knew about the Chaos Veil Sutra.'' Tyr mused, turning as well, ''Now... let''s see if I can decode this scroll.''


    *


    Riding atop Rudra, Tyr arrived at the training facility. He wasn''t willing to waste any more time.


    Using his tech band, he arrived at his section, which was Section C.


    The first thing he saw was a long, extending hall. It was very tall, the ceiling over 70 feet high in the air.


    Its width wasn''t a joke either, stretching 40 feet from side to side.


    Tyr saw a few students make their way through this section.


    They left and entered their rooms, which were on the sides of the hall.


    At the very back was a grand fleet of stairs that led to the second floor¡ªwhich was nothing but a wide 10-foot balcony about 30 feet up from the floor, which lined the entire hall. On the right side of the balcony were the rooms, all directly above the bottom floor rooms.


    Tyr arrived at the entrance of his designated room. He checked the room number, just to make sure it was correct.


    ''111... that''s the one.'' He thought to himself before taking in a deep breath. He grabbed the door handle and twisted it, taking a large step forward...

 Chapter 209: Surprise

    When Tyr entered his room, he was immediately introduced to a very unpleasant sight.The room itself was quite large. It was round, with a small corner at the very back housing a twin-sized bed which was beside the window.


    At the center of the room was a circle that was lowered compared to the rest of the room. This place had a couch which faced what looked to be a black glass screen, resembling a modern-day flat-screen TV.


    There were a few decorations here and there, floor mats, tables, and chairs.


    To the left was a door, which seemed to lead to the bathroom.


    All of this was fine on its own, but what upset Tyr was the fact that his bed had been ripped up and torn to shreds.


    The floor was drenched with a black liquid that seemed to stain the entire room with splotches of color.


    The couches were also torn up, their fluff removed and replaced with what looked like stones. sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The walls were ripped and painted with different words and symbols.


    "My future bitch."


    "Come prepared."


    "I''ll kill your baby dragon."


    "Juicy meat."


    More lettering similar to these was scattered around his room.


    Tyr clenched his jaw, having a stoic expression as he walked over to the bathroom.


    Looking down, he could see a red liquid seeping out from under the door.


    He opened the door, slowly creaking it open as he saw a horrid sight inside.


    The corpses of several dead animals were littered across the bathroom¡ªinside the tub and the toilet.


    Deer, wolves, rabbits, birds, and other various species had their remains splattered all over.


    Tyr walked back out to the living room, taking one last look around.


    At a table, he found a note that looked to be written in blood:


    "I''ll make you my bitch and fuck you. Can''t wait till dinner... the canteen is going to look like a wonderland. --King"


    ''King, huh...'' Tyr closed his eyes, staring up as he exhaled deeply.


    He glanced at the time on his tech band, which read "7:30 PM."


    A lot of thoughts ran through his head, but in the end, he decided to sit down at one of the chairs that wasn''t dirty.


    He took out the scroll and placed it on the table.


    ''Full Golden Body.'' His eyes illuminated with a bright sunny glow as a golden flame erupted at his glabella.


    Tyr placed his hand on the scroll, closing his eyes. In that moment, Tyr attempted to enter a meditative state, similar to the one he would enter during cultivation.


    In that state, one could not only see Aura in its manifested physical form but also creatures and powers created by the cultivation techniques that you couldn''t normally see in a normal state of being.


    Tyr wanted to try and see what type of power he was dealing with here. Explore more at M V L


    After a short while, Tyr entered that state of mind, where he saw his surroundings from a third-person perspective.


    Everywhere else was an infinite void of blackness, but before him was something that covered that void as if infinity had no meaning.


    It was big. Incomprehensibly big. Trying to fathom it was like trying to think of a new color¡ªfar too overwhelming for the human brain.


    Yet, this unprocessable power existed before Tyr''s very body.


    ''What are you...'' He inspected it closer, but all he could see was a blurry vision of its purple Aura for now.


    It was devastating, like a world made from a storm. Lightning and hellfire rained down at all times, wretched and terrifying, the noises coming from its innards.


    After a little while longer, Tyr opened his eyes.


    ''I''ll unlock you eventually...''


    He looked at the time, which read "8:09 PM."


    ''But for now... I have some judgments to make.''


    He stood up, walking toward the door.


    His door flew open, slamming into the wall and nearly breaking in half as Tyr walked out.


    His body was contained, tightened with anger.


    He had managed to hold it in since he couldn''t do anything about it half an hour ago.


    Now, however, Tyr was allowing those fumes to burn up within him.


    He had forgotten how long it had been since he felt this damn furious.


    The canteen was close by. At the end of the hall and to the left.


    When Tyr first entered the grand chamber, he didn''t survey how it looked at all.


    Despite that, the grandeur of the place spoke for itself. It was immensely large, filled with tables that were scattered across a sprawling floor.


    The back of the canteen was a wall made completely out of differently shaped glass panes.


    To the left was the food court, where dozens of students had already lined up and were being served their food.


    Apart from them, everyone else looked to be doing something completely unexpected.


    Everyone was... taking advantage of another person.


    Some classic bully types were strangling cash out of the new guys and weaker Hunters.


    However, even the average Joes were getting their fair share¡ªalthough through non-violent means¡ªfrom those weaker than them.


    It seemed there was an agreement all across this canteen. It was a war ground, pretty much.


    If you were even slightly stronger than another, you needed to take advantage of them. If you didn''t, then you would be punished by the person who was stronger than you for not having what they wanted.


    Everyone was trying to take advantage of the others, and the strongest at the top had a monopoly over the whole thing.


    At the very back, a group of about 15 Hunters stood around, cracking jokes with each other as they tossed small bites of food into their mouths.


    Some were sitting on other weaker Hunters, others holding them hostage, it seemed.


    Sitting on top of Suyo, who was kneeling atop a lunch table, was Race.


    Tyr noticed him immediately. ''There''s no doubt about it... he is the king of this section.''


    He b-lined straight in Race''s direction with no questions asked.


    Tyr wasn''t walking like he was the king, but rather, like he didn''t give a damn who the king was.

 Chapter 210: Devastating Ancestral Aura

    As Tyr made his way through the room, he noticed a group of bullies on his left who were searing hot letters into another Hunter''s back."Ahheeeeekkrgh!" The Hunter''s piercing screech blended into the rest of the loud exclamations of pain.


    Other Hunters were being stripped of all of their clothes, completely naked and made to dance on top of tables.


    "Yeah! Turn around!"


    "Do that one move from yesterday! Hahaha!"


    "Hahah!"


    Others were tied up and ganged up on, brutally beaten to the point of being a bloody meatbag.


    "What did I tell you about late payments!?"


    "If you don''t want to die, stop resisting!"


    Through all of this, Tyr''s vision remained locked onto Race.


    The other bullies and Hunters in the canteen also seemed to notice Tyr as he walked through. He stood out since he was the only one to encroach on other people''s so-called ''territories'' without warning.


    "Hey... that''s fresh meat."


    "Yeah, dragon meat!"


    "Be careful though... I heard Crimson wanted a piece."


    "Crimson? I''m pretty sure the King is going to try and take him out..."


    "All he did was beat up Javr of Group A. How strong could he be if we ganged up on him?"


    "Should we tie him up?"


    A small group of Hunters gathered, slowly beginning to tail Tyr from afar.


    As Tyr reached 50 meters away from Race, the two made eye contact.


    Race''s neck stopped dead in its tracks, staying locked onto Tyr as a smirk played at his lips.


    "Oh? It''s the fresh meat we''ve all been waiting for, I see. Did you like your little gift I left in your room? Hahaha!" He broke out into a peal of laughter.


    The Hunters around him also laughed hysterically.


    Suyo noticed Tyr from the corner of his eye, his eyes widening. His face was clearly beaten to a pulp. He was in his underwear as well, exposing the bruises and cuts all across his bare body.


    "Tyr... the Dragon Tamer..." Suyo suddenly spoke. At that moment, Race and his lackeys all stared at him with hostile looks.


    ''Didn''t I tell this little bitch that I would cut his tongue off if he were to speak again?'' Race thought to himself, hearing Suyo out before deciding what to do.


    "You..." Suyo began to stammer, "You... you..."


    Others began to make fun of him.


    "Are you going to ask him for help, like this morning!?"


    "Do you think he will save you again? This is our canteen, dumbass!"


    "Don''t tell me you are going to beg him to rescue you!"


    "You..." Suyo finally finished what he wanted to say, "Need to run! This place is impossible to survive!"


    The entire gang broke out into abrupt laughter again. Race slapped the side of Suyo''s head.


    "Ahaha! Looks like I''ve truly broken your spirit! Damn, even I feel a bit bad!"


    "Wait... really?" one of his friends asked.


    "Huh?" Race responded. "Hell no! Hahaha!"


    "Hahaha!"


    Race turned to Tyr amidst the laughter, "Why the ugly face? Have some fun!"


    ''Oh, I will...''


    "Come on... are you mad that I beat the shit out of your boyfriend? Why don''t you do something about it?"


    As soon as those words exited Race''s lips, he immediately felt a blast of air that felt like lava slam against his face.


    He immediately stopped laughing, his eyes widened, and the edges of his lips fell to a large frown.


    ''My face... do I still have skin?'' He caressed his cheeks, in shock and disbelief.


    His eyes wandered over to Tyr, who was ten times the size of before and towering over the canteen.


    A devastating Aura unleashed from Tyr, which felt like radiating waves of death.


    A looming feeling of doom crashed into Race''s mind as he suddenly felt a blade slowly slide through the back of his neck.


    "No..." he said. "No... no, no! I don''t want to die!" Like butter, the blade reached his vocal cords, disabling him from speaking.


    Just like that, blood spurted from his neck, and his head fell to the floor.


    In that moment, Race checked his neck... and it was completely unscathed.


    But then, he felt a sword slash across his chest. The pain was horrible, his lungs gashed open¡ªbut again¡ªdisbelief struck him as he felt no wounds on his body. Explore more stories at M V L


    Like this, Race felt himself butchered ten thousand times in ten thousand different ways, in ten mere seconds.


    This was the terrifying prowess of Tyr''s passive spell: [Ancestral Aura], which also affected every other living creature inside this canteen at this very moment.


    More than half of the canteen had immediately passed out as Tyr''s Ancestral Aura flooded the room like a tsunami. Their eyes rolled back into their heads, their bodies flopping to the floor like ragdolls.


    The rest felt the weight of a thousand suns crashing onto their shoulders, many smashed flat into the ground while others withstood and bent to their knees.


    The looks in their eyes were something that most humans never saw in a lifetime. A look that was primal, something that came from deep within their subconscious when all else failed.


    When the identities and masks they had created of themselves fell down and exposed who they truly were. When the egos and self-respect they once had for themselves were forgotten, and all that was left was the only true desire all living beings had inherently within them from the day they were born:


    ...


    ''Survive... I must... survive!''


    ''Spare me...''


    ''Please... I don''t want to die.''


    ''Help!''


    ''I don''t want to... die!''


    The distraught faces of the Hunters turned red as many burst into tears, crying like newborn children for the first time in years.


    No longer did the concepts of humiliation or embarrassment, judgment nor character play any role in their minds. All that existed was the despair that overwhelmed them, and their desperation to survive at all costs.


    Some gave in to the assault, unable to take this mental torture. Every second felt like an eternity of pain, all stemming from one single being which felt like death itself.


    They gave up on living, only wanting escape from what felt like hell in the mortal world.


    Tyr glanced over at Race, who had gotten up from Suyo''s back.


    ''He managed to stand?'' Tyr mused as Race hopped off of the table and onto the floor.


    Race''s expression was different from before. He looked furious, his brows curled inwards, and his eyes seething with hatred.


    Tyr immediately understood why. Ancestral Aura and bloodlust only worked due to the fear induced on one by their own mind.


    However, if one no longer had fear for their life, it would have no effect.


    Anger had overtaken Race to the point where he would risk his life as long as it meant he could kill Tyr.


    "Some are born with a more courageous mind... I''m sure you didn''t become the so-called king of this section without being more special than the rest," Tyr exclaimed, raising his chin. "Still, you haven''t learned when to take a back seat." S§×ar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Race growled, "I have taken a back seat far too many times. Whether it be for the other two bastards, or anyone else that has beaten me in a fight. But I promise you... I will die before ever bending my knee to a pathetic, southern bastard like you, who was gifted his power and status from birth."


    Tyr''s eyes narrowed as Race continued, the young Hunter walking forward.


    "You were probably born in an undisturbed family with a silver spoon in your mouth. You don''t know the concepts of working hard... everything you have gotten is from luck! I''ll show you... I''ll show you what it means to work hard!"


    Tyr felt a bloodlust brewing from the Hunter, so he quickly scanned him before their fight began.


    ''I know he won''t be weak. He is a section captain of the Immortal Peak... this won''t be easy.''


    ©³©¥©¥©¥Status©¥©¥©¥©·


    Name: Race Rath


    Age: 20 Years


    Power Level: 450


    Rank: Grandmaster


    ©»©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¿


    Race suddenly sprinted forward¡ªthe ground beneath his feet almost melting from the sheer speed of his launch.

 Chapter 211: Obliterated

    ''Tsk... he''s way too fast.'' Tyr thought to himself, blink stepping forward to avoid being caught off guard.He quickly turned to see where Race had landed, but was surprised to see that the Hunter was nowhere to be seen.


    ''Too fast... it must have something to do with his Ancestral Ability.'' Tyr felt a slight breeze of wind behind his back, signaling him to duck below just in time to avoid a devastating roundhouse kick.


    Race''s foot was burning with a bright red flame, signaling to Tyr that speed from the feet was the young man''s main ability.


    ''I need to power up fully before I even have a chance to defeat him. According to his level, he must have a minimum average of 180 in all stats.''


    Tyr immediately activated his Full Golden Body.


    [You have gained immunity to all water damage.]


    [You have gained immunity to all fire damage.]


    [You have gained immunity to all wind damage.] Find your next read on M-V-L


    [You have gained immunity to all diseases.]


    [You have gained immunity to all mental attacks.]


    [Your defenses have increased by 2x]


    [Vitality: 142/142-->284]


    Right now, all of Tyr''s attention was on battling Race, so his Ancestral Aura concentrated only on the opponent he was going against.


    The others slowly recovered from their devastation, eventually finding their bearings before staying back and witnessing the battle unfolding in front of them.


    Tyr sprinted forward, hoping to buy himself enough time to wait out the cooldown for Blink Step.


    ''I only managed to dodge that last one because I felt the wind. I don''t know if I will get that opportunity again.''


    Just as those thoughts finished in his mind, Tyr felt another gust of wind to his left.


    He attempted to block this one, but looking to the left, he saw that it was a feint that he had detected.


    A powerful kick landed on his left shoulder, propelling him several feet to the side and into the tables.


    Tyr quickly recovered, ''Shoulder shots hurt, but they aren''t too dangerous. Thankfully I have this extra health... but defense is only half of it.''


    ''Soul Mend: Polaris Tiger.''


    [All of your stats except for Aura are 1.5X for the next 30 seconds.]


    [Vitality: 252/284-->378/426]


    ''As I expected... they stack.''


    [Strength: 152-->228]


    [Stamina: 136/136-->204]


    [Speed: 137-->206]


    Tyr''s eyes expanded in amazement as he saw these stats, a smile playing at his lips, ''Holy fuck... I''m strong as hell.''


    He felt a wind from the left, allowing him to predict Race''s kick. In a split second, he grabbed Race''s shin right before it hit the side of his temple.


    Race struggled in mid-air, Tyr''s smile expanding, ''I only have 28 seconds left... I''ll end it within this timeframe.''


    The force of Race''s kick was absorbed by Tyr''s massive health pool, and the flames on his feet were rendered useless due to Tyr''s Full Golden Body.


    As Race saw how effortlessly Tyr caught his leg, his eyebrows furrowed in shock and confusion.


    "You bastard!" He aggressively pulled his leg back, standing in front of Tyr, "How did you catch that? It was even stronger than the one I hit you with before, which sent you flying!" A second of pause later, Race panted with fury, "You''ve been playing weak, haven''t you? I don''t need your pity! Don''t play around with me, I''ll kill you!"


    Race lifted his leg, faking a front kick before sliding forward with his rear leg and thrusting his front knee forward at Tyr''s ribs.


    Tyr looked down, slamming his fist on the knee as Race''s body flew forward.


    Tyr swung his head down, smashing his forehead directly into Race''s incoming nose and crushing it with ease.


    Coughing blood, Race backed up, one eye closed and a pain-filled expression, "Argh!" He roundhouse kicked, but Tyr grabbed it and swung it forward with its momentum, forcing Race to fall onto his bum.


    Race attempted to push himself away in order to get space so that he could stand up, but Tyr stepped on one of Race''s feet, immobilizing him. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Race looked up at Tyr, "... Do it! Hit me!"


    Tyr paused. The last thing Race saw was Tyr''s maniacal face with wide eyes and a bright smirk before he felt a low kick smash his skull from the side--instantly fracturing his cranium and knocking him out.


    Tyr felt a thrill of exhilaration surge through his bones, ''It feels so good... to display justice.'' He looked at Race''s fallen body, ''It would be great to kill him... he deserves to die, and he would be a lot of exp as well. But I don''t think I''m in the right state to do that as I am now.''


    He took a step back, his gaze scanning through the crowd of onlooking Hunters as their eyes darted to the side and to the ground.


    ''Fuck... please don''t target me next.''


    ''He''s... insane. How did he beat Race so easily!?''


    ''Race... was beaten?''


    ''He''s frightening.''


    ''A demon...''


    ''Just how strong is he?''


    Suyo gulped as he stared at Tyr from afar, ''He beat the king of this section that easily...'' Tears began to swell up in his eyes, ''All those bullies in this horrible hierarchy of evilness and power. All of them looked up to their leaders, and all of those leaders looked up to Race as the most powerful figure here. No one dared to talk back to him, let alone take him on in a fight... yet, Tyr fought him. He beat him... he beat his ass.''


    Suyo couldn''t believe what he was seeing.


    Tyr finally spoke: "All of you!" He exclaimed, "Do you know how filthy and annoying this place was when I first walked in?" His voice was loud and dominating.


    Even without his Ancestral Aura, the way in which he carried himself and the tone in which he spoke was demanding, like an order from a general.


    Everyone squirmed at his presence, unable to respond.


    "If I walk into this canteen again and ever see anything that was happening today, I take my time dismantling each and every one of your bones and tendons until you are paralyzed and can never even walk--no, until you will have to ask for help even to take a shit or a piss! Is that understood!?"


    "YES!" A resounding roar erupted from the crowd instantly, as if they had been waiting to behave. Everyone in that room felt frozen, unable to move unless Tyr gave them permission.


    "Now fuck off." Tyr said, everyone immediately running out of the canteen.


    Suyo was the last one to leave. He ran up to Tyr before leaving:


    "You... you did all of that to save me--"


    "Shut the fuck up." Tyr exclaimed, "I don''t give a damn about you. Now go." Tyr moved past him, completely ignoring the young Hunter.


    Suyo was struck with disbelief, but quickly gathered himself and left the canteen as well.


    ''Tsk... why the hell does he think I acted for him? I have no clue who he even is... I acted because this orange-haired cunt pissed me off. It''s clear to see that everyone is taking advantage of each other and doing these disgusting things like stripping people naked and burning marks on them after learning from this bastard... I don''t want to see anything inspired by him in my section.''


    He stared at Race, "I''m lucky huh? You''re far more lucky than me... any other place, and I would have killed you without a second thought."

 Chapter 1 - 1: It Cant Get Worse

    *DING*


    A phone notification.


    A pair of lifeless eyes peered down at a bright screen in the middle of the night.


    [Oi, Tear! You were not able to get the promotion this time. Your shift starts at 1:00 AM again today. Make sure you show up like always, we are running low on staff!]


    Those void pupils compressed in size as this middle-aged man''s eyebrows furrowed inwards.


    "Fuck this... there''s no way." Tear Shosha said under his breath as he quickly stuffed his phone back into his old cargo pants.


    His struts through the empty and pitch-black metropolitan streets became faster and faster as he gritted his teeth.


    "He didn''t pay me for working extra hours last week and now... he cancels the promotion that I''ve been waiting on for 2 years!?" Tear almost couldn''t believe the words coming out of his own mouth.


    ''I''ve worked far too hard to let him just snatch this away from me. I''ve cleaned those disgusting toilets too many times for him to just fuck me over like this!''


    Tear''s mind filled with so many negative thoughts that he arrived at his workplace before he even knew it.


    It was an old gas station on the edge of a large city. Half the sign was missing, and the other half had graffiti all over it.


    [Dude working here has a 3-incher... he''s also 34 years old!] The graffiti read.


    Tear glanced at these letters and quickly shrugged it off, heading straight to the entrance.


    He had read the graffiti way too many times by now to give a dam.


    With a loud slam, Tear pushed the gas station door open.


    Inside; a stubby and chubby 55-year-old-man with a black mustache, and a young kid with shit posture and painted black nails both stared at Tear with bewildered expressions.


    "Two years. I''ve been waiting for that promotion for two--" Tear''s tone was getting increasingly irritated as he spoke, but he was abruptly interrupted before he could finish.


    "So what?" The older man replied, his eyes squinting as he walked around the cash register and toward the middle of the store. "And since when did you start to raise your voice against me? Huh? Last time you did that, I cut your pay for a week. Did you already forget?" The old man smirked with a smug expression cast all over his face.


    Tear''s eyes danced with frustration, but it seemed in the end, he made a decision.


    "Shut... the fuck up!" He suddenly blurted.


    Even the round man was taken aback, his smug expression suddenly erased from his face. The teen in the back frowned, but he seemed to be too stoned to care.


    "Fuck this..." Tear said under his breath, and then raised his voice: "Fuck you!" He shouted to the short elder.


    His eyes, seething with hatred, quickly darted to the youngster in the back, "And fuck you too!"


    The teen''s chin tucked into his neck, a puzzled look on his face.


    Tear continued: "So you''re the reason why my promotion got delayed huh?" He looked back at the old man, "All the shit I''ve done for your business over the years and this is what I get? A damn junkie to take my earned pay!?"


    The large man had been silent this entire time. But now, he decided to finally speak up. He stepped forward, a look of pure disdain on his face.


    "Earned? Earned by doing what?" He said in a low tone. "All you''ve done here is make a mockery of my store, ever since the beginning! Your very presence makes people trash this place and speak badly about it. I mean seriously, what is a 34-year-old man doing working in a gas station!? Are you mad that I gave your pay to someone else?


    I gave it to them because you are a dog who will work under me under any circumstances. You are a curse to my business, but just good enough to keep with a few treats tossed to you every once in a while. Any more invested in you... is not worth it."


    On hearing this, a blistering build-up of rage erupted within Tear. He gritted his teeth as hard as he could and lunged forward without any thoughts in his head. sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "I''ll kill you! I have nothing left to live for! Even if I go to jail for the rest of my life, I swear you will die by my hands, you motherfucker!"


    ...


    After a minute or so, Tear was thrown out of the gas station right onto his bum. The old man dusted his hands and looked down at Tear before saying: "You''re fired." And slamming the door shut.


    Tear stood up. He had a black eye and his nose was busted up. He turned around, as tears swelled up in his eyes.


    "My life can''t possibly get any worse than this..." He said, as he abruptly heard thunder in the distance.


    A few trickling droplets turned into light streams, and streams into a full-on downpour. Mere seconds passed by as Tear was entirely drenched in the rain.


    I guess his life could get worse after all...


    His first instinct was to run, but he had no energy for that. Neither did he have anywhere to run to. So, he began to walk slowly through the rain.


    This walk was dreadful. He was cold and had no umbrella or anything to shield himself. Cars passed by at high speeds, sometimes even splashing water on him.


    Many memories passed through his head during this walk. Memories of his recent past. His years of solitude and emptiness.


    No matter what he thought about, the dull color in his eyes still remained vigorously. He was undoubtedly depressed. In the eyes of most, Tear Shosha was nothing more than a pathetic bum.


    Finally, in the distance, he saw a car resembling a taxi begin to get closer. He stood to the edge of the road holding his thumb out.


    As it neared him, however, it showered him in a bunch of mud water and sped on by. The mud water even entered his mouth, making him take multiple steps back as he choked on the disgusting shit in his mouth.


    The back of his head hit a stone wall, sending a stinging buzz through his brain as he turned around.


    "Fuck! Couldn''t he slow down a bit, even if he wasn''t going to pick me up?" He clutched the back of his head as he stared at the wall behind him.


    He planned to use his pent-up anger and punch this wall as hard as possible, not caring about the repercussions at this point.


    However, right before he did this, a colorful poster on the wall stopped him. Out of the dozens of old posters, this one was in pristine condition. It was clearly new.


    Tear furrowed his brows, leaning closer to read it as he took out his phone and shined a flashlight on it.


    [There isn''t much time left to apply! A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to impress the entire world with your... magic tricks! Do you have what it takes to get all 3 yesses, and maybe even the golden yes!? Then apply for it right now! Let''s see what kind of magicians are in your city!]


    At that moment, Tear''s lifeless eyes suddenly sparked with a hint of light. His fist lowered as a memory sharply reentered his mind.


    "Magic... wasn''t that my passion?" He looked down at the deadline for applications.


    [June 1st]. Only one day left.


    A memory resurfaced: "Grandpa''s magic book... I used it after he died a few times, but... it never worked. Magic isn''t real. But..."


    He trailed off, the thought lingering. It seemed foolish, chasing a childhood dream. But with nothing left to lose, a spark of hope ignited within him.


    "Maybe this time... maybe in a place where magic is supposed to be performed. Maybe here, it will work."

 Chapter 2 - 2: Disappear

    Tear walked all the way home through the night. During the trek, he reminisced about his distant past.


    ''My life''s been shit for as long as I can remember, but... I barely even remember what happened before my grandpa died. Still, I know those were my best days.'' Tear thought to himself on his walk.


    His eyes stared at the sky, which was devoid of all stars due to the thick light pollution in the city.


    He thought of his late grandfather: ''Had to leave me to fend on my own when I turned 18 huh?'' He said to himself, slightly scoffing.


    As soon as he arrived at his crappy apartment building, he took off most of his clothes, stuck a toothbrush in his mouth, and began rummaging through his old storage.


    It didn''t take him very long to find a dusty old wooden box with blue writing all over it.


    ''Here it is.'' He mused, remembering how he threw this box away after his grandpa died and never looked back at it again.


    He blew on it to get rid of all the dust. Carved on it was a word that read: "Remember."


    ''How could I forget.'' Tear immediately said to himself: ''The last words you said to me before you died...'' He paused that thought, opening up the box.


    Inside, there was a textbook-sized paperback book. He opened it up straight in the middle.


    Even though it had hundreds of pages, "They are all blank." Tear said, looking at the plain sheets in front of him.


    "Well... all of them except the first few." He quickly flipped to the start of the book.


    On the first three pages, there were some directions on how to do random and simple magic ''spells'' as the book called it--and also visual depictions.


    One of them was a spell called Transfer (Written in all-black ink): [Allow any small object in one hand to move to the other when concealed.] S~ea??h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    This was a trick that most magicians knew how to do. It was sleight of hand and was fairly easy to learn.


    There was one more simple trick on the next page, but Tear ignored that one and flipped the page to come to the final spell.


    "Disappear." He said out loud as he looked at the third and last spell in the book. This spell, unlike the other two, was written in pencil.


    "This is the only one that has a chance to make me win big. If it works... I will surely win and maybe even make it big one day."


    At that moment, thoughts of Tear riding on helicopters, driving supercars, swimming in gold, and having hot babes all around him screaming his name quickly filled his thoughts.


    He nearly drooled at the thought of it all, but quickly shook his head and collected himself.


    "But... It has to actually work first." As he said this, his fingers grazed against the description portion of the page.


    It was... completely ripped off, unlike every other page in the entire book.


    Tear didn''t know why, but he knew that: "There''s no description for this spell... and it''s not even written in ink. But, I am sure I can figure out what this spell does just from knowing its name. Disappear. Like all other disappearing spells, It makes someone disappear right in front of your very eyes." He surmised from its name.


    A hint of excitement swelled up within him just thinking about the possibility of the spell working.


    After brushing his teeth and getting ready to go to sleep, Tear decided to practice the Disappear spell first.


    He sat down on the ground with the magic book in front of him. To the side, he placed an empty cardboard box: his test dummy.


    He exhaled deeply: "Come on... please work." He said under his breath--staring at the pencil-drawn letters on the book page.


    Tear raised his hand to perform the spell, causing a spur of memories to suddenly enter his mind.


    He remembered he used to do magic tricks--or rather, how his grandpa used to do them.


    Before he even knew about the modern world, Tear lived with his grandpa in the mountains.


    His grandpa was surprisingly strong for his old age, so they didn''t have a difficult time out there.


    The old man taught Tear to read and write, and also some lessons about morals and... whatever else. Tear forgot about that stuff quickly.


    What Tear remembered most from those days were the magic tricks that his grandpa always used to show him.


    Disappearing, making things float, and etc.


    Although Tear grew to believe they were only tricks and not real magic, his grandpa never gave up his argument that he was performing actual spells.


    He didn''t give this fact up, not even on his final day...


    On Tear''s 18th birthday, his grandpa passed away. There was a lot that Tear still wanted to know, and wanted to say.


    Yet, the immovable and ever-overpowering time forced Tear to give up those qualms and come to grips with reality.


    He was thrust into the real world--not a single year in school, and not even a single contact with another person other than his grandpa...


    What Tear wanted to know most that day was... what were his parents like?


    For some unexplainable reason, Tear couldn''t remember what happened before he was 6 years old for the life of him. It was like a mental blockade of sorts that simply never left him.


    Due to this, he didn''t remember his parents at all either. Heck, he didn''t even know if he had ever seen them before.


    The only thing his grandpa had to say about his parents was that... "They are a funny folk, Tear. I guarantee that you will meet them in your lifespan."


    ...


    Remembering all of this, a slight smile pulled on Tear''s lips. To him, his memories were mostly bitter, yet still had a hint of sweetness to them.


    Finally, he said "Disappear" as he moved his hand around the cardboard box next to the book.


    Nothing happened.


    He waited a few seconds, his eyes filled with hope.


    Yet, again... nothing.


    He tried for 2 more hours. It was the pinnacle of boredom, but such measly things rarely affected Tear anymore.


    In the end, he fell asleep while continuing to practice.


    ***


    The next day, Tear stood in front of a behemoth of a building. His mouth was slightly agape, while his eyes gleamed in awe.


    A large building that resembled a palace, with many pillars and marble structures supporting it.


    It had tall windows that were glowing even in the daytime, with a wide red carpet rolled several hundred meters down to the street.


    The loud commotion of thousands of people around him pushed him back into reality as he looked down at his clothing.


    This was the fanciest he had ever dressed--a white tuxedo with black dress pants, a small black bowtie, and a blue magic book in his hands.


    ''I owe that suit-store guy more money than what''s in my bank account... I can''t afford to mess up.'' With this sentence said in his head, Tear sucked in two lungs worth of air and took a large step forward...

 Chapter 3 - 3: Dont Try

    Tear turned in his 50$ deposit and application to join the magic show at a booth located near the side of the building entrance.


    After that, he was stuck in what he liked to call "The torturous chamber of boredom."


    Or in other words, a damn long line. In the end, though, it still felt like mere seconds cause of the anxiety of the situation.


    He was in the the line from dawn to noon, and then noon to dusk. After 8 entire hours, Tear was finally only one person away from entering the stage.


    He had been rehearsing what he was going to say and do during his entire wait, yet he still couldn''t shake off the nerves even up until a couple minutes before his performance.


    What forced him back into the moment was an abrupt and loud "BOO" from the crowd.


    His vision became clear and his eyes locked onto the person on the stage in front of him.


    It was a young woman in her early thirties. She was clearly dressed up for the occasion. She seemed as though he was about to burst into tears.


    And yet, the criticism and rude shouting from the crowd wasn''t stopping whatsoever.


    Tear happened to live near Yollymood, where magic was more popular than any other sort of entertainment.


    Several hundred were lined up to participate, and on such a big stage, Tear quickly realized that only perfection wasn''t torn to shreds.


    Everything else was roasted and burnt to a crisp before even getting a chance to surface.


    Out of nowhere, the lady on the stage broke out into a flurry of tears before digging her face into her elbow and running backstage--brushing past Tear.


    Understanding that his turn was next, Tear felt his breath wanting to stop at his throat and his voice closing in as though he was suffocating. His heart was beating non-stop, feeling as though it was going to burst out of his chest.


    Cold sweats, horrible chills crawling up and down his back, and even a feeling of lightheadedness. Despite this, his name was still called on the loudspeaker after a few seconds:


    "Next contestant, #1102 Tear Shosha, please make your way to the center of the stage!"


    Just like that morning, Tear took in a deep breath and walked forward. He felt the eyes of the crowd pierce into him like daggers--almost feeling the sting on his skin.


    The feeling was judgemental and vicious, like a pack of starved wolves ready to gnaw at any chunk of skin they could get their teeth in.


    Yet... ''This is my only chance, damn it. Toughen up.'' Tear gritted his teeth, walking to the X on the floor before turning to face the crowd.


    In front of him were three judges behind a glowing table. One was a bald man, the other a beautiful lady, and the final one was an ugly middle-aged man with sunken eyes.


    In front of them all was a green button that read "Yes."


    Tear''s eyes darted around, hurrying to find the most important person--the Golden Yes holder.


    To the left, sitting on an elevated seat was a man wearing all golden-colored clothing.


    He looked pompous as could be and was slightly chubby, having what many would call a grand mustache and plump red cheeks.


    In front of him was what Tear had been waiting to see. The elusive Golden Yes button.


    "Good morn--" That was all that left Tear''s mouth before he was abruptly interrupted.


    "Morning? It''s dark outside right now. What kind of mornings do you have?" The Golden Yes holder blurted out.


    A few seconds of silence passed, as the crowd erupted into hearty laughter.


    "Pahhaha! We got a retard on stage!"


    "Get this clown out of here!"


    "Did he say morning!?"


    ...


    For a moment, Tear felt panic climb up from his feet to his head, wanting to burst out the top.


    However, he composed himself again.


    "Haha..." He chuckled lightly, warranting everyone''s attention. At this moment, he unexpectedly felt a flush of confidence wash over him. S§×arch* The N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    It might have been his nerves carrying him through it, but having never done this before, his body moved on its own.


    "Of course, it seems I''ve been inside for so long I forgot what time it was!" He said, inciting a few laughs from the crowd himself.


    The pompous Golden Yes man snarled slightly at Tear''s remark.


    "Nevertheless, I am not here to tell you all whether it is nighttime or day, but rather, to impress everyone with the most fantastic magic you have ever seen in your lives!"


    This speech warranted a few odd cheers from the crowd. Mostly, it was still a load of badmouthing.


    Tear performed his Transfer spell as a warm-up. Or at least, he tried to.


    He put a golden ball in his hand, showcased it to the crowd, and attempted to move it to the other hand.


    ''Work.'' He mused in his head, closing both hands into fists before opening them up again.


    Yet, the ball had not transferred. Once the audience noticed this, they had quite a laugh.


    On top of that, the insults were much worse than before.


    Even the judges were disappointed.


    "One of the easiest sleight of hand tricks a magician can do, and yet you fail at even that? Do you take this competition as a joke?" The pompous Golden Yes holder said again.


    Tear felt agitated at this.


    ''I''m trying my best here, fat bastard! I bet your stubby fingers wouldn''t even close into a fist if you tried this!'' Tear said inwardly, but had to remain stoic to continue his act.


    At this point, no one was on his side. The stage was so loud with boos and ugly remarks that most people would have just given up by now.


    Yet, Tear was going to continue. He had already had his fair share of humiliation in the past.


    Compared to the accumulation of his entire life, this wasn''t shit. Tear realized this and gained even more confidence.


    He had nothing to lose, so why not go all out!


    "For my next trick!" He announced loudly into the crowd, quieting them down.


    Some of the judges looked behind themselves, "Well... at least he has good crowd control." One said under his breath.


    Tear continued: "I will be requesting a volunteer." He placed the crowd in a slightly uneasy mood.


    For a moment, Tear felt like he held the power. As his eyes scanned across the crowd, he almost felt like a hawk searching for its prey.


    Finally, his gaze stopped at the Golden Yes holder.


    He pointed at the pompous man: "Sir, would you be so kind as to join me for my final magic spell?"


    A few seconds of silence passed. The pompous man tucked his chin back, almost in disbelief.


    "What? Me?" He confusedly exclaimed.


    Suddenly, the crowd began to cheer for the man to step up to the plate.


    Even the judges encouraged it.


    "Come on! Go for it!"


    "You are the most experienced amongst all of us, you got this!"


    Tear''s smug expression became more and more cunning as the cheers became louder.


    ''Come on, fatty. I''ll use you as my test subject.'' He mused as he smirked.


    "F-fine!" The pompous man''s seat lowered to floor level as he pushed himself off of it and walked onto the stage. "Don''t do anything silly, or else you will never be able to pay it back up." He said with a low gaze.


    "Naturally!" Tear retorted, "Please step here right next to me."


    As the pompous man did this, the crowd calmed down.


    Some whispers began to sprout about.


    "Where is the equipment?" A few murmured amongst themselves.


    "Is he not going to use the usual curtain?"


    "A new piece of technology?"


    No one understood what Tear was trying to do, while Tear was simply re-reading his magic book.


    After a few seconds of awkward silence, Tear faced the crowd.


    "Today, I will be making this man disappear without any equipment or tricks. This will be raw, real magic!"


    Of course, no one believed him. He became an even bigger laughingstock than before.


    The bald judge was dying of laughter, convinced Tear''s act was a comedic one rather than magic.


    Tear raised his hand above the unsuspecting pompous man, who looked back at him with furrowed brows of puzzlement.


    At that moment, Tear felt every external sound muffle out and time seemed to almost slow down.


    ''Your final words...'' He mused to himself, remembering that life-changing day 16 years ago.


    ***


    Before his grandfather died, his last words to Tear were: "Be good, Tear. When you need help, use my book. Don''t just try your best. It''s not good enough. Don''t try at all. Just do..."


    Back then, Tear had always imagined that his grandpa was trying to tell him to use the magic book if he ever needed help performing a magic spell.


    However, Tear now began to understand that perhaps his grandpa''s advice to "remember" the book was a way of telling him to use it whenever he needed guidance or assistance in any aspect of life.


    ***


    Remembering his grandpa''s words and widening his eyes, he seriously focused on the magic book before saying out loud:


    "Disappear."

 Chapter 4 - 4: Another Planet

    The pompous man instantly vanished into thin air. There were no special effects, no dramatic scenery.


    One second he was right there, the other, he was gone.


    The crowd was stunned in shock for the first few seconds, like a pack of deer in front of headlights.


    However, they quickly mixed their shock with excitement and cheered for Tear.


    Even the judges were amazed.


    "This is... the most flawless magic trick I have ever seen."


    "How in the world did he do it?"


    "Never have I been this puzzled!"


    They were all awestruck.


    Even Tear himself couldn''t believe it. He exhaled out loudly in shock, almost wheezing as he began to slightly laugh to himself.


    "I-it... worked." He then passed his hand over where the man should have been.


    However, that''s when his heart sunk down into his stomach.


    ''What?'' He said to himself, feeling nothing but the air in front of him.


    "He''s not here." He said out loud accidentally, surprised by this news himself.


    He began to turn pale with confusion and bewilderment, "He''s gone." He verified to himself.


    However, the crowd obviously heard this as well.


    Their amusement quickly turned to concern and panic as Tear continued to wail his hands in the air like an idiot.


    "It''s just a disappearing spell, right? I mean... what could go wrong!?" At that moment, Tear remembered that this spell was the only one written in pencil.


    "The page was torn... I imagined Grandpa rewrote it or something. Could it have been a completely different spell?" This horrible thought crept into his mind, along with several others.


    Did he just kill the judge? Make him disappear forever? Could he undo it? No... there was no such thing as that in the book.


    His mind began to race in panic as the crowd and judges became increasingly worried.


    It even got to the point where medics and safety personnel had to enter the stage.


    Mics fell, sending loud siren-like screeches through the building.


    Whispers turned into screams and shouts of worry and confusion.


    The judges also joined the stage, as they and several other people such as the medics began screaming at Tear for an answer.


    "What did you do!?"


    "Where is he!?"


    However, Tear couldn''t hear any of this right now. S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Tears eyes darted everywhere, looking for an answer... and then, he found one.


    "I-I''ll go." He said out of nowhere.


    Everyone who was screaming at him took a step back, squinting their eyes.


    "You''ll go? Go where?"


    Tear gripped his magic book, "I''ll go and get him back. I''ll make this right!"


    ''That''s what you would have wanted, right Grandpa? To do what''s right...'' Tear closed his eyes shut.


    Voices and hands began to pull on him: "Don''t do it! What if you can''t come back either!"


    "Are you stupid! Just wait and see how things turn out!"


    People pulled and pushed him around, but he had already made up his mind.


    "Disappear." He said again with total conviction.


    In the second moment when he opened his eyes, a much darker scene graced him.


    He seemed to be under a pitch-black night sky. Suddenly, an extremely cool wave passed by him, and for some reason, he could feel the wave in every crevice of his body.


    Even his private parts...


    He looked down in confusion and found that he was totally naked.


    "W-what the hell!?" He exclaimed in confusion, covering his private parts.


    He was extremely scared, but what scared him even more was a cold thing touching his shoulder.


    A sound came from behind him: "Hey, quiet down--" But Tear was far too busy being terrified out of his mind to understand:


    "AHHHHH!!!!" He screamed at the top of his lungs, nearly breaking the canopy off of the forest he was in.


    He heard a thud behind him and quickly turned around.


    On the floor was the pompous man, completely butt-naked with a shocked expression on his face.


    It seemed the scream made the man fall onto his rear.


    "What the hell!?" The pompous man yelled while still whispering. "I told you to be quiet, why did you scream!"


    "What the fuck do you mean why did I scream? I''m naked in this random place and something cold randomly touched my back. What would you do in that situation!?" Tear retorted, also whispering while shouting.


    The pompous man paused for a few seconds before replying: "Well... look. The point is, this is fucked up. I''ve been hearing random sounds ever since you teleported me here. I don''t know what you did but know this. Even if it takes me my entire life, I will never stop until you regret ever being born--"


    Tear interrupted the fatty''s dialogue: "You might as well stop now because I already regret that. Anyways... why do you look so old?"


    The fatty raised an eyebrow, "W-what!? Now you''re insulting me? How dare you!"


    "No! I''m being serious. You looked 60 before, but now you look 80 years old."


    It was true. The pompous man had much more wrinkly skin now, and his overall look made him seem shorter and more frail than before.


    The fatty paused for a moment, noticing that Tear also looked around 20 years older: "Now that I think about it, you look like you are in your forties." He said.


    At that moment, Tear looked up at the thin forest canopy above their heads.


    "Two moons..." He said, noticing two discolored moons in the sky fairly far away from each other.


    "We didn''t just get teleported to some random forest. It looks like we are on another planet entirely." Tear''s eyebrows furrowed as he looked at the ground and tried to figure out what was going on.


    Hearing Tear''s words, the fatty was perplexed: "What the hell did you just say!? Please don''t tell me you''ve gone mad!"


    "No!" Tear retorted: "I''m sane, but that''s the only thing that makes sense. If we traveled this far away, that also explains our rapid aging. I imagine it''s our body''s way of adapting to the cycle of years on another planet. Then again... that still doesn''t explain how we teleported here. One key thing is missing.


    A reason why our age miraculously expanded without any side effects and how the hell the spell work in the first place."


    The pompous old man had something to say: "Perhaps it''s... magic."


    Tear immediately stared at the fatty with an unimpressed look. He was just stating the blatantly obvious fact.


    But then, Tear realized that the fatty was possibly on to something.


    "Wait a minute..." Tear said, "A factor that could affect our bodies like this and teleport us. A form of power that wasn''t on Earth, but on this planet. It must be that sort of magical power that allowed all this to take place. A power that goes beyond the laws of physics."


    Tear looked at the fatty: "Thats what you were talking about right?"


    The fatty looked back at him with low eyelids: "No... I was just saying stupid crap to make you mad." He said while picking his nose.


    Tear threw a stone at the fatty''s head out of anger, knocking him out cold as he began to think.


    "Hmm... looking at our bodies, it seems that no physical object could transfer with us. That means the magic book also--" The thought stopped, as Tear felt an odd feeling in his chest as soon as he thought of the magic book.


    It was weird, as though an intuitive feeling calling for him.


    Like knowing how to smell, see, and hear naturally, this feeling gave the same vibe.


    Tear focused in on his chest, suddenly revealing a glowing transparent magic book in the air in front of him.


    It illuminated the area with its mystical blue glow and it flipped dozens of pages at once nonstop.


    Tear''s eyes lit up with intrigue as information began to fill his mind out of nowhere.


    "I see... so because this book couldn''t travel with me physically, it turned spiritual and imbued into my soul." Tear said out loud, having learned this information randomly.


    ***


    The pompous fatty felt a few light slaps to the face. He woke up halfway:


    "No Mommy! Let me sleep more!"


    He got a much harder slap across the face this time, sobering him up from his sleepiness real quick.


    "Wake up fatass!" Tear blurted.


    "W-what? What do you want!" The fatty sat up.


    "First of all, can you see what''s in front of me in the air?" Tear asked, confusing the fatty as he couldn''t see anything.


    Just from his puzzled expression, Tear understood that the book seemed to appear only to him.


    ''That makes sense since it''s only imbued to my soul...'' Tear mused.


    "Anyways. Let''s go back... home." Tear said this, but in reality, Earth didn''t feel like home whatsoever. More like a damn torture chamber of endless suffering.


    He knew that if he were to go back, he would have to continue living his old pathetic life and most likely be imprisoned on top of that.


    A small part of him wanted to stay in this more magical world with two moons... but he also wanted to make up for his mistakes.


    "Let''s go then! What are you waiting for!" The pompous fatty exclaimed.


    Raising his hand in the air, Tear said: "Disappear." As both him and the judge erased into thin air.


    Before opening his eyes again, Tear thought to himself: ''Please be Earth. Please be the stage we were just on--''


    However, a completely different setting met his gaze on opening his eyes.

 Chapter 5 - 5: Who Is The King?

    Tear''s expression was utterly shocked. As he looked all around him, all he could see was that he was in the midst of a giant battleground.


    His ears rang loudly with what seemed to be bullets of various elements blitzing through the air.


    Some were blue, others purple, and some even neon in color.


    Surrounding him lay a dusty ground with fallen metallic objects resembling mecha''s and other futuristic instruments.


    Tear turned, breathing a sigh of relief as he saw the judge still with him.


    Right now, both he and the judge were in the midst of a pile of these fallen and dismembered mecha bodies.


    Tear noticed something about the fat judge at that moment.


    "Wait a second. You look young again. Actually, you''re even younger than before!" He said, surprised.


    The pompous man retorted: "You look like a young man too. Did we reverse in age this time?"


    Before any of them could say another word, a human-like futuristic cyborg appeared from behind the pile of mecha''s, noticing Tear and the judge before stopping in place.


    Tear also noticed the cyborg. As they came into contact with each other, the cyborg''s helmet lowered into his armor and a green alien-like head suddenly revealed itself.


    The thing had four square-shaped eyes and a disgusting-looking hole of a mouth with no nose.


    Tear immediately got freaked out, chills crawling up his body as he backed up slightly.


    "What the fuck is that!?" He said as the alien raised the element-powered rifle it was holding toward both him and the judge. S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    It began to power up a blue laser beam out of nowhere and unleashed a bolt of energy toward the two naked people.


    "Disappear!" Tear said just in time, vanishing himself and the judge once again.


    Just like this, both he and the judge traveled through multiple planets.


    Some were icy tundras, others were dry deserts that felt like hellfire.


    Some were under the water, nearly drowning the two humans, and others were in the sky with no ground to be seen! Through all of these planets, the two witnessed landscapes and creatures that were nearly unimaginable.


    Finally, Tear and the pompous judge summoned into a land that seemed more familiar.


    Everything around them was luscious greenery, and the ground below them looked like real dirt.


    Tear furrowed his brows, looking up at the bright blue sky, and then at the greenery around him.


    "At first I thought these were just odd-shaped bushes. But... aren''t they just grass blades?" As he said this, both he and the judge heard some rustling in the leaves a few feet away.


    They both neared each other, readying themselves for what was to come.


    Out of nowhere, a leafling jumped out of the grass forest.


    It had the head of a leaf and the body of a larger leaf. Its legs were stems and its arms were another few small leaves.


    It had beady black eyes and a cute, innocent look on its face.


    "H-huh?" Tear exclaimed in confusion.


    In the next couple of seconds, over 20 of these leaflings gathered in front of both Tear and the judge.


    Finally, one of the leaflings spoke: "Ha hu ga ge?"


    The judge became perplexed at this odd language. However, somehow, Tear was able to understand what the leafling said perfectly.


    "It said... ''Who is the king?''." Tear exclaimed. At that moment, more information entered his mind.


    "I see. It seems this magic book imbued in my soul allows me to understand every possible language ever created, including the language of... the Gods?"


    The judge seemed to be more concerned with what the leaflings said:


    "Is one of us the king? That''s what they asked!? I don''t know how you understand them but... if that''s the case, we can fully take advantage of this situation." The pompous fatty exclaimed, grinning widely as he attempted to step forward.


    "No! Don''t do anything rash" Tear quickly retorted, making the fatty halt. "They may want one of us as king, but what will they do to the other one? These creatures may look innocent, but it''s stupid to be fooled by looks. They could be vicious savages for all we know." Tear was completely serious as he gazed at the leaflings with a stern face.


    The leaflings'' expressions changed, some of them looking as though they got their feelings hurt by Tear''s angry look.


    Noticing this, the judge exclaimed: "Oh, shut up! Don''t act like you are Sherlock. They are clearly a bunch of weak and stupidly gullible creatures."


    Tear didn''t say anything to this. Of course, he didn''t know whether he was right or wrong either. He just wanted to be safe.


    At that moment, a much taller leafling came out from the back of the group. It looked the same as the others, except it had more scars on its body.


    It placed down two sticks and adorned a crown made of thorned leaves on one of them.


    It then said: "Hu ev ju ga ne bim, to dlo!" or "Whoever is the king, they become our feast! Whoever''s stick we break means that we welcome that person!"


    Right after this, it broke the stick without the crown in half and threw it to the ground.


    ''They... are way too aggressive and violent. Plus, if they have even more of these big leaflings, we won''t stand a chance. We need to get out of here.'' Tear thought to himself without hesitation.


    The judge, however, not understanding thier language, got a completely different message from the large leafling breaking the uncrowned stick.


    ''So... whoever isn''t the king gets killed huh?'' The judge thought to himself, clenching his jaw.


    "Yeah... we need to get out of here and go back home--" Tear said as he took a few steps backward, but was abruptly interrupted.


    "Go back where!? Huh!" The judge suddenly retorted in anger, looking back at Tear.


    Tear was taken aback by this sudden reaction.


    "Let''s be honest here... we''ve been trying for several hours. There are millions--no--trillions of planets out there in the universe. What do you think are the chances of us ever returning back to Earth? You''ve ruined everything for me. However...


    you will not ruin this." The judge said with a disdainful and low tone, stepping forward.


    "Wait! Just what do you think the big leafling said!?" Tear exclaimed at that moment.


    "It''s obvious! Whoever is the king gets to live! The other one is broken in half. Right now, it''s you or me. One gets to live the life of a king... the other gets to die.


    I''d choose me every single time over a pathetic low-life like you." The judge turned, facing the leaflings as he shouted:


    "I am the king!" He took the thorn-leaved crown and placed it on his head, "Take me for your leader! Kill that son of bitch back there!"


    Tear stayed silent, his expression shadowed. As the judge made it to where the leaflings were, he was abruptly grabbed by the large leafling.


    His neck was twisted and his body was split in two pieces, as though butchering a chicken with one''s bare hands.


    The man didn''t even get to scream before he was mangled.


    "D--disappear..." Tear managed to say under his breath--astonished at what just happened in front of him.


    ***


    When he opened his eyes again, he finally felt as though he was home. Was this place Earth though? Probably not...

 Chapter 6 - 6: Spells

    Tear found himself in the middle of a spacious jungle. The trees were much larger than normal, the grass was still short, and bushes were taller than him.


    Plants of various colors and sorts, luscious and vibrant thrived all around him. It gave an appealing, refreshing vibe.


    The sky was mostly visible as well, and so, the first thing Tear did was look straight up into the sky.


    "Only one sun." He said, "But it looks different than the one I''m used to... maybe it''s a bit bigger?" He couldn''t pinpoint it.


    He looked down at his hands. They were clean, unblemished and tan.


    No wrinkles as he had seen plenty of times before. He also noted that he was a fairly normal height for a human.


    He plopped down onto the ground before lying on the grass with all of his limbs extended out.


    "So... I just killed a man." He said to himself, thinking of the pompous judge.


    He knew that the judge was going to die if he let him go near the leaflings.


    But then again, the judge chose to sacrifice him and save his own fat ass instead.


    "At that moment, my emotions overtook me. I was mad, so I let him get a taste of his own medicine. But... didn''t I go too far?"


    Everything that had happened to him in the past several hours was more than overwhelming.


    The new information was like a bomb dropped on his brain.


    And now, he had to deal with the fact that he pretty much was the cause of a man''s death. S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He was frustrated. Did he do the right thing? Some people might have called his actions justice.


    He couldn''t make a decision about whether what he did was the right move or not.


    "My goal was to get him back to Earth. But... the words he said before he died. He wasn''t wrong. The chances of me returning there are slim to none."


    He paused, thinking for a moment.


    "Who cares though. I don''t want to go back to that shithole anyways. I''ll start a new life here. Out of all the planets I''ve been to, it''s the most similar to Earth. Maybe here, I''ll get to live a better life than the one I had on Earth."


    His eyes were closed, a grin on his face as he daydreamed about having four-eyed alien babies with a leafling wife.


    Wait... how does that even make sense? There must have been an alien mailman in the equation or something.


    Well, anyway! A cool breeze passed through Tear''s balls.


    "Oh shoot!" He abruptly said as his eyelids flew open. He ran over to a bush and used a large leaf over his waist.


    "I forgot I was naked." With this sentence, Tear looked forward with big eyes--ready to accept this planet as his own.


    He took out the transparent magic book. He now understood that its name was the God Grimoire. Or GG as he already nick-named it.


    "I''ll never use the Disappear spell again unless I have to due to dire situations."


    As he flipped the page once to get to the Disappear spell, he noticed that it had completely changed.


    No longer was it called Disappear, but rather, [Planetary Teleportation].


    [Description: Ability to teleport to the nearest habitable planet.]


    [Hidden ability: ??????]


    Tear looked read this description a couple times over before flipping the page back to his previous two.


    "GG has already automatically told me that these two spells have also already changed." He said, staring at the first two spells.


    [Transfer]-[Description: Ability to transfer small objects from one hand to the other.]


    And the second spell was:


    [Hypnosis]-[Description: Ability to hypnotize certain subjects within met criteria by moving a round object in front of their eyes from left to right.]


    [Spell Criteria: The subject has to be weaker than the user. This limit falls short on beasts, who can be stronger than the user to a certain degree.]


    "Interesting... from what GG has told me automatically, I know that this grimoire adapts to any world that it''s in. Since it was on Earth, it learned Transfer and Hypnosis, which are very simple tricks that many magicians know how to perform. The Planetary Teleportation spell, however, is a mystery as to how it got there.


    Nevertheless, what''s interesting is that now that I am on this new planet, all the spells have already changed slightly."


    He looked at each spell and read over thier descriptions again and said:


    "Transfer went from the user having to have their object concealed, to it just having to be small. Hypnosis went from having to have a spiral to hypnotize subjects, to only having to have something round."


    He suddenly got excited as he thought about what spell he was going to get next.


    "GG has already told me about how it can work. It''s through a power system called... Aura. The building block of all living and dead things--superior to even the Atom. Aura is the life essence of everything and can be channeled for an infinite amount of incredible uses. GG only learned these weak spells by being on a planet with no Aura such as Earth.


    However, this planet may have much more Aura, making GG learn an actual Aura spell like the ability to shoot fireballs or something!"


    Clearly, his human view of what fantastical magic should look like had biased his expectations.


    Still, the mere thought of him gaining an actual Aura spell made him get ticklish in the stomach from excitement.


    He was about to check out one last, very important, thing that GG had informed him about when he was caught off guard by a pebble thrown suddenly landing on his forehead.


    He got rid of GG, furrowing his brows as he zoned his vision onto what was in front of him.


    A green creature lunged out of what seemed to only be a bunch of bushes.


    Tear stepped back, nearly tripping over his own foot and falling down.


    "A leafling!?" He said fearfully. Clearly, he still had some PTSD from his last violent encounter.


    "No... this thing is a--"

 Chapter 7 - 7: You Leveled Up!

    "No! This thing is a wolf!" Tear faced the beast in front of him with sharp eyes as his heart began to beat faster.


    It wasn''t just a normal wolf. It was around half the size and was made of natural materials. Tree bark, leaves, and even some stones.


    On its head it had some sort of catapult contraption the size of a hand made of vines and what looked to be a wooden spoon.


    A small pebble formed inside of the wooden spoon out of thin air. The catapult spoon was cocked back by the vine before launching the stone forward.


    It went straight for Tear''s forehead again, but this time Tear moved to the side to dodge it.


    "What... a weird ass creature." Tear was confused by it at this point more than scared.


    "But the fact that it can generate stones from nothing is interesting. At the very least, that means this world has more Aura than Earth."


    The wolf had enough of waiting, lunging at Tear before swiping at him with its stone claws.


    A bit of fear made Tear''s reaction time slower, causing him to get a slight scratch on the arm before rolling to the side.


    He stopped near a tree, quickly grabbing a small stick that he found.


    Now that he was on the floor though, he was much slower. The wolf turned to face him, bearing its sharp rocky fangs.


    It hopped in the air again, landing right above the young man. One of its feet pinned Tear''s right hand down--the hand holding the stick.


    ''Fuck!'' Tear freaked out, feeling the hot breath of the wolf mere inches away from his face.


    The wolf attempted to bite his face off, but in that split second Tear managed to dodge his head to the side.


    His adrenaline rose through the roof as his primal fight-or-fight instinct kicked in. Gritting his teeth he exclaimed: "Like hell I''d die so soon after finally arriving to a decent world!"


    ''Transfer.'' He said in his mind.


    The stick from his right hand instantly disappeared and materialized in his left, allowing him to stab it right into the face of the creature.


    It pierced in surprisingly easily, but that made sense since most of the wolf''s face was made of leaves.


    Tear pushed the beast off of him and onto the floor, quickly getting to his feet before dislodging the stick from its face.


    Without hesitating, Tear drove the stick down from above his head with full force--plunging it into the wolf''s head over and over again until it finally stopped squirming.


    He was panting heavily by the end--green bodily liquid all over him.


    "That..." He panted, "Was exhilarating." He wiped the green blood off of his mouth area.


    *Ding*


    Tear suddenly heard in his head. It was similar to how the information from GG entered his mind.


    [You have slain an Earth Wolf.] S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    [You leveled up!]


    [You leveled up!]


    [Current level: 3]


    [Level needed for next spell: 10]


    These messages popped up like small transparent notifications in front of his retinas.


    ''Huh? I leveled up? Like in a video game?'' He noticed the bottom message and his eyes began to glow with excitement.


    "Level 10 huh... I''m not too far off already."


    Now that he had dealt with this sudden encounter, Tear decided to do what he was about to do before he got interrupted.


    "GG, open my status." This was another thing that he was automatically informed about.


    ©³©¥©¥©¥Status©¥©¥©¥©·


    Name: Tyr Evolion Thalonis


    Bloodline: Almighty Thalonis + Unknown


    Age: 15 Years


    Level: 3


    Vitality: 6/6


    Strength: 7


    Stamina: 6/6


    Speed: 5


    Aura: --


    [Stats remaining: 4]


    Rank: --


    ©»©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¿


    Tea---Tyr was highly intrigued by all of this information.


    ''It really is just like a game.'' He thought to himself, looking over all the stats one by one. ''My name is spelled with a y huh? Come to think of it, Gramps never really taught me how to spell my own name.''


    He looked down at his body: ''And I''m 15.'' He couldn''t help but smile slightly: ''Feels good to be young again. This time, I won''t let it go to waste. Now, I have four stat points remaining. I guess that means for every level, I get two of these points.''


    He looked over his stats for a few more seconds before deciding what to do.


    ''I don''t get what''s up with my Aura stat, but it seems I can''t level it. Maybe I need to unlock it in the future somehow. For now, since I like the idea of close combat fighting more than anything else, I''ll put my stats into Strength and Speed.''


    [Strength: 7-->10]


    [Speed: 5-->6]


    Despite only putting a few points into his stats, he instantly felt the difference in his body.


    His limbs felt lighter, his muscles becoming slightly more dense and powerful as his tendon''s and ligaments were relieved of some stress.


    It was starting to get late so Tyr decided to try and find a place where he could camp out for the night.


    Before he moved on, however, he checked the Earth Wolf for anything he could salvage.


    After poking at it with his stick for a minute or so, he found a small, shiny orb the size of a marble within its chest area.


    It was gray in color but still had a dim light illuminating it. It was warm, as though it was filled with hot water.


    Just by looking at it, it seemed valuable, so Tyr kept it.


    For the next three hours, Tyr worked tirelessly to set up a campsite. He ensured there was a reliable water source nearby, locating a stream not too far away.


    His actual camping ground was on a hillside. The hill being a big ass mountain, that is.


    He chose this spot because he found a small hole in the wall that he could live in.


    It was a round cavern room about 10 feet in height and 15 feet in width. Fairly cozy without feeling like too much.


    Most of his day was spent trying to get a fire going.


    He tried until the sun fell over the horizon and the moon lit up the forest canopy. Using hand bow drills, spinning sticks, and whatever else he thought would have a chance.


    In the end, he couldn''t even get a single ember. After all, this was real life, not some fantasy novel or anything like that.


    Miracles wouldn''t happen just because you really wanted them to.


    Exhausted, he patched together a leaf door for his cave and fell asleep in no time.


    Today had been his first few hours in this world, but the coming sunrise would mark the beginning of his first day.


    Although slightly overpowered by everything that had happened in the past 24 hours, Tyr was more than ready to kick start his new life off in a firey manner!

 Chapter 8 - 8: Ambush

    The next morning, Tyr woke up nice and early to start planning. Thankfully, he didn''t freeze to death last night. But he was damn close.


    While his teeth still clattered he exclaimed: "I need to get a fire going today... that''s the number two priority." He shook his body, forgetting about the cold for now.


    "The main goal though is to get to level 10. One of those Earth Wolfs gave me 2 levels, but I know I will need more EXP if I want to continue leveling up. For now, I think about 6 Earth Wolf''s should do the job."


    Saying this was the easy part, but actually managing to pull it off was an entirely different story.


    Tyr began to walk through the forest but made sure to mark the trees he went past to know where he was at all times.


    "I got a lucky encounter last time, but I doubt those beasts are too common. I''ll have a better chance if I set a trap."


    Although Tyr hadn''t been exactly what you would call productive on Earth, he was smarter than most people.


    He didn''t have much to go off of, but he quickly began getting to work on a trap idea he had.


    First, he made a slingshot using random materials nearby. It didn''t work great since he only had some vine as a propelling instrument, but for wolves made of leaves, he knew it would be enough.


    Especially if he used sharp rocks as his ammo.


    After this, he decided to use yesterday''s Earth Wolf corpse as bait.


    "I don''t know if these things are cannibals, but I really have no better option than this."


    With this trap set in the middle of a flat patch of grass, he began his wait inside of a big bush.


    He waited for what felt like 5 minutes, which slowly turned into 20... and then 60.


    He had barely blinked the entire time, focusing hard on the bait. Right now, he was pissed off.


    He had waited patiently for so long, yet nothing was happening.


    "You know what... fuck this." He walked out of the bush and stood next to the corpse.


    "COME OUT! IM RIGHT HERE! I AM THE BAIT!" He screamed at the top of his lungs.


    Although this seemed foolish, there was some reasoning behind it.


    Tyr had only come across a beast in this forest once, and the reason behind that one encounter was because he was a prey that seemed good enough to attract the Earth Wolf.


    Going off of this information, he knew that this plan had a much higher chance of working.


    The reason why he didn''t use this option earlier was because he knew it would put him in a lot of danger that could have potentially been avoided.


    "COME ON! JUICY RED HUMAN MEAT RIGHT HERE, RIPE FOR THE TAKING!" He screamed again, walking over to a tree branch and breaking off a piece.


    "I''m no longer hidden, so a slingshot won''t be of very much use since I''ll have to be fighting close combat."


    It didn''t even take 10 minutes before Tyr began to hear rustling in the bushes.


    But then, he heard rustling inside of another bush and well. Before he knew it, sounds were coming from multiple different directions.


    "Oh shit..." He said under his breath, his eyes darting from one bush to the other as a bead of sweat trickled down his brow.


    Finally, a boar-like beast jumped out of one of the bushes. Although boars were omnivores, this thing had sharp, serrated teeth and tusks resembling a woolly mammoth''s!


    It was big too, way bigger than the Earth Wolf. In fact, it was probably even a little bit bigger than a real wolf.


    "Fuck... this thing is no joke."


    The boar set off a dominos effect, causing the other animals to begin coming out as well. Another beast revealed itself from the opposite direction.


    "What are you now!?" Tyr abruptly turned to face it.


    It was a jelly. A little blue slime creature the size of a basketball.


    "Pfft! A bitch ass weak one, nice." He turned again as a pebble hit his back.


    It was his old friend, the Earth Wolf. Finally, the last creature lunged out of the bushes and showed itself.


    A bit bigger than the Earth Wolf, it was a leopard with a long monkey tail on its back.


    Tyr stood still for a few seconds as if it was an old gun down... before abruptly sprinting in the opposite direction.


    "No way! I can''t beat all of those things!" He exclaimed dramatically as he ran full speed into the forest.


    The beasts didn''t hesitate to follow him, rapidly approaching.


    As Tyr ran, he still marked all the trees he ran past with a sharp stone.


    With a smirk on his face, he said: "I can''t beat them all at once, but I can still use my greater intelligence to outsmart them."


    He furrowed his brows, "The boar will still be a problem though... even if I can get it trapped, will I be able to kill it?"


    He didn''t have time to think about that for now. He wasn''t used to the forest floor covered with sharp sticks, fallen logs, and rigid stones all across the ground--while the beasts had already conquered such a landscape.


    Noticing a low-hanging tree branch a few meters ahead of him, he quickly jumped up and grabbed it.


    ''I won''t be in front of them for long. I have to use this distance advantage while I still have it!'' He said in his head, hanging onto the branch with his legs as he shot multiple sharp stones at the quickly encroaching beasts using his sling shot.


    His target, however, was purely the Earth Wolf.


    Since its skin was so flimsy, a stone eventually made contact--piercing straight through its skull and out the other side.


    The wolf flew forward and bounced across the ground before sliding to a stop.


    [You have slain an Earth Wolf.]


    [You leveled up!]


    "Nice. Now for the other three." He got on top of the branch, beginning to climb up as the other beasts arrived at the trunk of the tree.


    The boar slammed its head into the tree trunk like a maniac, shaking it slightly. S§×arch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The slime simply stayed there helplessly, while the Leopard managed to use its claws and monkey tail to quickly ascend up the branches.


    Before Tyr knew it, the leopard was at his rear--ready to lunge for his bum.


    "Shit! I don''t know if this will work, but I have no other choice!" Tyr exclaimed, ''Transfer!''


    As the leopard leaped up with its fangs bared, Tyr''s sharp stick moved from his hand to between two of his toes.


    He kicked his foot down as hard as he could, impaling the stick into the leopard''s open maw.


    The stick dealt nasty damage to the leopard''s insides, digging all the way down to its organs.


    Since it was a near-instant spell, the leopard''s reaction time didn''t stand a chance.


    ''Transfer.'' Tyr said again, summoning the stick to his hand.


    [You have slain a Monkey-Tailed Leopard.]


    [You leveled up!]


    [You leveled up!]


    ''Perfect.'' Tyr mused as the leopard''s corpse fell down the tree, flopping against some branches before hitting the boar on the head.


    This made Tyr a bit hopeful, ''Did that do some damage?'' He thought, looking down at the big pig as he held onto the tree with his left hand.


    However, this seemed to only make the boar more mad. It agressively shook its head and threw the leopard corpse a dozen feet away.


    Grunting loudly, it slammed its head against the tree again.


    ''As I expected... this thing will be a challenge to deal with.'' Tyr was worried about how exactly he would damage the beast but decided to take a small break for now since he was safe.


    However, something caught him off guard.


    He noticed that the slime was no longer on the ground. Furrowing his eyebrows, he scanned the entire floor around him and still didn''t see it.


    Just then, however, he felt a slimy feeling cover his left hand--the only hand that was holding onto the tree.


    His eyes expanded with realization and shock as his grip loosened and gave up.


    He began to fall down the tree just like how the leopard did, looking up to see the slime from before sticking onto the tree.


    ''The slime! I thought it was useless so I counted it out, but that was a foolish mistake! I''m still new to this world, I shouldn''t be taking even small risks like that. While I was busy with the leopard, it must have slowly climbed up the trunk to get to me!''


    However, none of that mattered right now. As he faced the ground, he saw two large tusks pointed into the air, ready to impale straight through him!

 Chapter 9 - 9: Hypnosis

    The ivory tusks weren''t just large; they were menacingly sharp, each point glistening like polished daggers under the sunlight.


    Tyr''s eyes widened in sheer terror as if he had seen a ghost, his mouth falling open to reveal teeth tightly clenched in fear.


    As he fell, he desperately attempted to grab onto the branches around him, but the impact from each collision was too much, causing him to be thrown off course like a deadweight, flailing helplessly.


    With no other options, he had to face what was coming to him. He inhaled sharply and shut his eyes tightly as he thought to himself:


    ''Fuck! I was beginning to like this world but I have no other choice... Disappea--'' He stopped himself at the last moment. ''Wait! I still have one more spell. Hypnosis...


    I need a round object. Where can I get that right now? Think! Think god damn it!''


    He was now just a mere foot away from being skewered by the tusks, his heart pounding like a war drum.


    ''The orb from the Earth Wolf! But wait, it''s too late to reach for that.''


    His face came merely 5 inches from the tusks. The boar was ready to go, steam coming from its snout.


    4 inches away. 3... 2...


    And then, Tyr got a sudden realization.


    ''Something round... of course! I''ve had it all along. Hypnosis!'' He said, staring into the eyes of the boar with a focused gaze as he began to move his pupils from left to right.


    It took a mere millisecond to perform this maneuver, and as soon as he did, he shouted in his mind: ''Move your tusks!''


    The boar''s pupils turned a hazy blue as it forcefully moved its head to the side and dug its tusks into the earth.


    Tyr fell onto the ground, thudding like a barbell. A painful cough racked his body, but with sheer determination, he pushed himself back to his feet.


    "HAHAHA! NOT TODAY, MOTHERFUCKERS!" he bellowed, thrusting both middle fingers into the sky.


    The criteria to use Hypnosis was to move a round object in front of the eyes of the subject from left to right, and one''s pupils were perfect for such a thing.


    Of course, it would be easy for people to forget about their eyes since they were a part of their own body.


    "Phew!" Tyr exclaimed, "But that... was way too damn close. If I hadn''t realized that I could use my eyes I would have been dead. I gave up on the Disappear spell too... maybe I shouldn''t have put all of my eggs in one basket by relying on my own wits to save me. Then again, I am still alive.


    Hahaha!" He put his hands on his hips and proudly laughed to himself.


    But then, he spotted the slime on the tree and felt his blood boil: "You useless sack of shit! Turns out you were the biggest threat out of them all. But... at least you made me learn a valuable lesson. Never again will I underestimate anything in this world... I have too much of a reason to stay here to be making foolish decisions like that."


    He turned, facing the boar. Even though he was using Hypnosis on it, Tyr was still a bit skeptical.


    After all, it was a big-ass demonic-looking boar that was trying to kill him only seconds ago.


    He tip-toed near it, only to have it suddenly pull its tusks out of the ground and swing them toward the boy''s face.


    Tyr was thankfully just out of its range, or else he would have copped quite the scar.


    "Did the hypnosis already run out!?" He shouted in confusion, taking multiple steps back.


    "I see... so it doesn''t last for long. I hope that will improve as I get better at Aura or using spells and shit."


    Although Tyr was still on edge, he wasn''t nearly as scared as before.


    "I already conquered you. I can do it again." He said with a confident expression, staring the beast down. As soon as he captured its eye contact, he moved his eyes from left to right again slowly.


    A hazy blue color coated the pig''s pupils again.


    "Lay down on your stomach."


    The boar didn''t waste a single second and did exactly what Tyr commanded.


    With that, Tyr ran forward with his sharp stick and drove it down into the softest part of the boar''s underbelly.


    Crimson blood splattered across his face and body, but he continued his frenzied assault, driven by adrenaline. After a barrage of stick stabs, he was covered in blood and even some guts, but it was finally over.


    ''Red blood... It''s a lot harder to get used to than the green shit.'' Tyr mused, breathing heavily as he looked at the gory scene below him. Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    [You have slain a Carniboar.]


    [You leveled up!]


    [You leveled up!]


    [You leveled up!]


    ''Three levels!? And It''s fairly easy to kill them using Hypnosis too. But there''s also the risk of being ambushed or caught off guard. If I make a single mistake or am fighting against multiple of these, I''ll easily get butchered. I still need to be careful.''


    He turned to face the slime on the tree, but it had disappeared again.


    Looking to the side, he saw the little grub trying to run away on the other side of the tree. It was moving slowly, its slimy body inching along the ground.


    "Where do you think you''re going?" Tyr called out, raising his stick. He aimed carefully, his eyes narrowing as he focused on the target.


    With a swift, powerful motion, Tyr hurled the stick at the slime. The weapon flew through the air, slicing through the light and shadow of the forest.


    It went right through the middle of the beast, digging into the dirt with a satisfying thud. The slime quivered for a moment before going still.


    "Bullseye," Tyr said with a smirk, feeling a surge of satisfaction as he watched the creature lie motionless.


    [You have slain a Slime.]


    [You leveled up!]


    [Current level: 10]


    [Congratulations! You have met the requirements to receive your next spell.]


    "Finally... now what is it going to be? Please be something powerful..."


    [New spell: ...]

 Chapter 10 - 10: Blink Step

    [Current level: 10]


    [Congratulations! You have met the requirements to receive your next spell.]


    ''Come on... something big!''


    [New spell: Blink Step]


    [Description: Ability to move at incredible speeds for short bursts, effectively traversing short distances in the blink of an eye.]


    Tyr read the description over again several times. He wasn''t blown away by it, but he wasn''t at all disappointed either.


    ''It doesn''t seem half bad.'' While thinking about a potential scenario where he could use this ability, he thought back to where he was nearly impaled by the Carniboar.


    ''If I had this back then, I could have avoided being stabbed much easier. It would have actually been perfect for that situation... maybe that''s why GG gave me this spell specifically over any other one.''


    Needless to say, he was excited to try it out. But before that, he knew he had some stat points to distribute.


    A slight smile appeared on his face as he opened his status tab. For some reason, this process was just exciting.


    Feeling himself grow in power gave Tyr an electrifying buzz of exhilaration unlike any other he had experienced before as if he was designed for it or something.


    ©³©¥©¥©¥Status©¥©¥©¥©·


    Name: Tyr Evolion Thalonis


    Bloodline: Almighty Thalonis + Unknown


    Age: 15 Years


    Level: 10


    Vitality: 6/6


    Strength: 10


    Stamina: 6/6


    Speed: 6


    Aura: --


    [Stats remaining: 14]


    Rank: --


    ©»©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¿ Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''It looks like I don''t need Aura to use this new spell either. That''s good since I still can''t put any points into it.'' Tyr thought about where he should distribute his points more carefully this time.


    After several minutes, he found what he thought was the perfect split.


    ''All of those creatures who were chasing me were faster than me, all except for that bitch ass slime, that is. Still, I should want to be able to at least keep up with them for now. My strength seems decent from that last encounter, but I need to be constantly upping it as my main stat. I don''t think there is anything else as important.


    My stamina is okay as well, but it could need some points just in case...''


    [Vitality: 6/6--> 9/9]


    [Strength: 10--> 14]


    [Stamina: 6/6--> 9/9]


    [Speed: 6--> 10]


    This seemed pretty balanced for now. As soon as Tyr put these stats in, a tingling feeling arose slightly in his chest.


    The feeling expanded out rapidly, covering his entire body with a warm burst for a short second.


    At the end of it, Tyr felt rejuvenated. Gripping his hands, he could feel the extra strength in the tips of his fingers.


    Walking forward, he felt lighter as well. He decided to hop in the air and felt like he was floating for a second. That''s just how much of a difference even a few stat points made.


    "Hell yeah! I gotta do some more hunting. I can become nearly unstoppable if I pair this new ability with Hypnosis!"


    [Congratulations, you have completed the achievement: (First Original Spell).]


    [Reward: First Sealed Memory Key.]


    ''A key? To a sealed memory of all things. What the hell is this?'' Tyr was obviously confused by this sudden message that randomly popped up in front of him.


    A golden key that was shining extremely bright materialized a few inches in front of his nose, dropping down onto his open palm.


    It stopped glowing, becoming a normal golden key.


    He held it between his thumb and index fingers, at which point a small keyhole appeared in the air in front of him.


    The air around the keyhole was warped, as though cracking before molding itself back to normal again and again.


    Although a little puzzled, Tyr didn''t hesitate and put the key into the keyhole before giving it a slight twist.


    He heard a light click resonate through the air for a split second, and before he knew it he was gone... mentally, that is.


    ***


    A loud bang echoed across what felt like the entire world, booming through Tyr''s eardrums.


    What he felt at this moment was surreal, as though he was in a dream yet in reality at the same time.


    All he could see in front of him were explosions and blasts. At random moments he would see a flash of blood spattering across a wall, and at another instance, he would see the vision of people arguing and screaming at each other.


    Their words were muffled by the overwhelming amount of sounds and flashes of various visions Tyr was witnessing all at once, but what he could undoubtedly make out was the fact that it was violent.


    He saw people being butchered and exploded into a thousand pieces of blood and guts.


    He saw buildings topple over, maniacs laugh with frenzied looks on their faces, and mothers cry for their fallen children.


    And then... all of this suddenly stopped. Tyr now lay within a small and dark, enclosed space.


    There was only a small hole to peek through that had dim brown light shining through it.


    In the distance, he could still hear explosions and screams, but right now, what he heard were the distinct voices of a few people in the same room as him outside of this enclosed box he was inside.


    "Take him and go, Father! A weak planet, one with no Aura so that he can properly grow until the time is right. Take the Grimoire with you as well."


    Tyr heard these rough, manly words as clear as day.


    And then, time itself shifted and warped out of nowhere. Tyr was still in the same place, but multiple seconds seemed to have gone by.


    "Please, Lord Atlas! Only you can do this. You have the strongest control over it... make sure he comes back here. Make sure he--" This time it was the feminine voice of what seemed to be a distraught lady screaming at the top of her lungs.


    "I understand... leave the rest to me." A third voice sounded, this one even more deep than the first male. There was a short pause, and then: "Stars!" The voice sternly exclaimed: "If you die before this boy sees your eyes, I will never forgive you!"


    Time warped once again, but right before it did, the faint voice of the first male saying "Yes, father--" Sounded before being cut off.


    Next, all that Tyr could fathom was short flashes of visions of him being carried by a mysterious figure hiding under a dark hood.


    Another flash showed him dashing across an obliterated battlefield.


    Another flash showed him traveling across what seemed to be a galaxy scattered with countless stars and brilliant lights.


    The last words he heard in these bizarre and indescribable memories were by the figure holding him.


    The figure looked down at him--several planets and stars flying rapidly past his head in the background.


    The figure looked slightly old with a 6-inch white beard that blended into black, an ash-covered face, and azure eyes as bright as the stars behind him.


    "Only you can do it, Tyr Evolion Thalonis. Do not fail."


    ***


    Tyr was back in the forest, where he had unlocked his First Sealed Memory.


    "Grandpa?"

 Chapter 11 - 11: Fire

    ***BONUS CHAP***


    Bonus for 100 Powerstones so early on!


    ***


    Streams of tears trickled down Tyr''s face, like waterfalls from his eyes.


    The tip of his nose was red, and his eyes were also slightly swollen.


    ''That was my grandfather... he looked much younger than what remember though.''


    His nose burned with pain, something that happened often after crying. But despite this, he didn''t feel much of an emotional connection to what he had just seen.


    ''I''m crying?'' He questioned, noticing the moisture on his face.


    Even though he didn''t feel an emotional bond to those memories at this moment, it seemed his body did. His body yearned to cry for those memories for a reason he didn''t know himself.


    Everything from the memory was still so hazy in Tyr''s brain. But from what he could surmise:


    ''Those people wanted Gramps to take me and the grimoire to a weak place with no Aura. Could that have been Earth?'' Right now, Tyr was still unsure about these memories.


    Sure, they seemed very real to him now that he had experienced it for himself, but at the same time, he was living a normal life just days ago.


    Believing in something like this was going to take some getting used to.


    If he were to believe in it though, it would mean that what Tyr just witnessed was something that he needed to never forget.


    Especially those last words coming from his grandfather.


    ''I am the only one who can do it huh?'' Tyr paused, staring at the sky through the thin canopy: ''What have you put on my shoulders now, you old man?''


    Tyr wiped his tears and donned a determined look: "Well, whatever it is. I guess I have no choice but to bear it. GG did say this was only my first memory. Maybe I''ll understand more about my early years as I continue to get stronger and unlock more of them."


    He didn''t waste any more time and began to salvage the creatures that he had killed.


    Now, Tyr had more reasons to become stronger. At first, his reasoning was only to make his life easier. To be able to hunt better and increase his chances of survival.


    But now, Tyr wanted to get stronger to unlock more of these memories. To understand who he really was, and what the meaning behind all of these mysteries was.


    Also, he wanted to get stronger so he could uphold whatever responsibility that was given to him by his grandfather.


    He didn''t know whether that required strength, but if it was like any other expectation ever put onto Tyr... it definitely did.


    After a few minutes, Tyr got the small orb from all of the 4 beasts that he killed.


    They all looked identical--gray with a slight shine. He now had five of them including the one from the first Earth Wolf.


    After, he put his hands on his hips and observed the corpses. They were far enough away to where he didn''t have to worry about them attracting anything else near his base.


    Other than that, what he needed most right now was...


    His stomach abruptly grumbled loudly.


    He needed food more than anything. His adrenaline and excitement were so high that he had completely forgotten about it.


    Yesterday, all he killed was a bag of leaves and dirt, so he didn''t really have a choice but to stay hungry.


    Now, however, he had two actual options in front of him.


    "There''s the leopard..." Tyr said with a slightly disgusted expression. He turned to face the other option: "And then there''s the boar. Out of the two, I''d rather not eat the predator cat... it just doesn''t seem right. After all, humans never really eat meat eaters. We eat herbivores."


    ***


    It took him over an hour to drag the Carniboar corpse near the stream he found yesterday.


    And then it took him two more hours to skin, gut, and filet the thing so he could cook it.


    After that came the hardest part... the part that he had been dreading almost all day.


    When he tried to create a fire yesterday, it had utterly failed--leaving him to almost freeze to death through the night. At least that''s what it felt like.


    This time, however, he was much more confident. Although he had been dreading making a fire, that was only up until he killed the beasts. More specifically, the slime.


    He brought the slime corpse with him. After making a campfire outside of his cave and placing kindling at the bottom, he lifted the slime over it.


    Using the angle of sunray piercing through the treetops, Tyr was able to get a sharp and condensed beam of light to form through the slime''s reflective body.


    He shined this beam directly at the kindling. In mere seconds, an ember erupted onto the kindling--quickly becoming bigger as Tyr threw the slime to the side and added more sticks.


    He made sure the fire wasn''t going to die out before jumping up into the air with a large grin across his face.


    "FIRE!!! WE HAVE FIRE BABY!"


    ***


    He slowly grilled the boar atop a flat stone, finally getting to eat his first meal on this new planet near the end of the day.


    He grabbed a thin strip of meat which he cut off using a sharp stone and placed it right over his tongue.


    He hadn''t eaten in so long that an explosion of aroma burst throughout his mouth.


    He took his first bite--the boar meat almost melting on his tongue as its rich and flavourful juices began to flow down his throat.


    His eyes were closed, his nose puffing out the steam as he wholeheartedly enjoyed this surreal moment.


    Each bite gave way to more juice, each movement of his tongue transporting him to an entirely new dimension of flavor.


    As he swallowed, he felt his entire body welcome that meat, revitalizing from the inside as if he just put points into his stats!


    By the time it had gotten dark, he had inhaled over 5 pounds of boar meat. Safe to say, he was fucking stuffed.


    His stomach was so big that he looked like a pregnant woman lying on the floor belly up. Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    While looking at the stars, Tyr placed his hand on his gut and burped loudly.


    ''Starting tomorrow, I''m gonna get strong as hell. Physical training is a must. Even if I evolve my stats, I don''t want my physique to lag behind. Who wants to be strong while looking like a twig? And of course, I''ll need to focus on leveling up my stats more than anything else. With Blink Step, I know it''s going to be several times easier than what it was today.''


    Tyr paused his thought, a smirk playing at his lips:


    ''Let the hunt begin.''

 Chapter 12 - 12: Routine

    A week passed.


    Tyr was relentless during this time. This new life had given him a stupid amount of motivation.


    So, he used it to the best of his ability, maximizing each second of his days.


    He had a basic routine that he would follow every day:


    Firstly, he would wake up early in the morning. This was so that he had more of the day to hunt.


    He would eat whatever food he cooked from the days prior for breakfast first before doing anything else.


    Not much though, since he didn''t want to be bogged down.


    He would begin hunting early on, and this time he actually had different methods and traps that he had developed over the days.


    Traps for smaller creatures were those like nets that automatically contracted as soon as something stepped on them. These weren''t manual traps, so they were perfect to leave overnight.


    During the day, however, Tyr would travel farther and farther in various directions to hunt. This caused him to sometimes see new, beautiful landscapes as well.


    Of course, he wasn''t traveling to sightsee. Most of what he saw was the plain old forest anyway. He was a mere human on foot, so it wasn''t like he was going to travel too far.


    After getting far enough away, he would use himself as bait again and wait in the bushes.


    He wore a ghillie suit of leaves--making himself blend perfectly into the shrubbery.


    Baiting multiple creatures like his first day of hunting was rarer than he had imagined. Usually, one or two would show up to his shouts.


    As soon as they did, he would use his Blink Step to catch them off guard before Hypnotising them and going ham.


    Blink Step wasn''t an easy ability to use, however, unlike his other spells.


    It had a fairly long cooldown of 5 seconds, which didn''t seem like much but in the heat of battle, 5 seconds could feel like a lifetime and be the deciding factor.


    On top of this, Blink Step used up 5 Stamina on each use, so he would be fairly exhausted right afterward.


    Another thing was that the spell itself was pretty hard to use correctly. The first few times Tyr tried it, he accidentally blitzed forward to an area that was way too far from the creature to do anything.


    This just gave away his position, nearly killing him.


    He got better and better at using it through the seven days though, and now he felt he had a good grasp on how it worked. Still, there was a bit more go to before he fully mastered it.


    The best way to use it seemed to be to visualize where in his eyesight he wanted to move to before using it. His imagination needed to be perfect since he didn''t have much room for error and his body moved on its own after activating the spell.


    Hunting was what most of his day consisted of. It wasn''t easy by any means. It was grueling work, and most of the time it actually just consisted of waiting around or traveling to find a place that was far enough away where animals were still around.


    After hunting, Tyr worked out using equipment he created himself for about an hour and a half before going to sleep.


    He did push-ups, sometimes putting stones on top of his back to make it harder, pull-ups, and squats first as his compound exercises. After that, he trained his accessory muscles, such as the abs with sit-ups; biceps with bicep curls using dumbells he made himself with rocks tied to sticks; and triceps using the same dumbells.


    After a solid week of all of this, Tyr was understandably stronger.


    In general, he hunted about 6 beasts a day. It didn''t sound like much, and that''s because it wasn''t.


    Despite his constant traveling, Tyr still hadn''t seen an entire group of animals or anything like that.


    Just random solo beasts here and there. This gave Tyr the impression that the forest he was in was humongous. After all, it was either that the beasts were scarce, or the land they were in was big enough to make them appear so.


    Still, this was enough to level him up a solid amount.


    Right now, he was eating breakfast beside his campfire. It was some dried meat jerky from the prior days.


    He donned animal hide on his torso that went around his left shoulder down to his right abdomen and also a short hide skirt around his waist.


    Despite only training for a week, he had put on a fairly noticeable amount of muscle.


    Before, he was relatively skinny without nearly any muscle definition, but now he looked lean with slight development poking through.


    It wasn''t crazily noticeable, but for a week, it was pretty incredible.


    Tyr was also impressed at this small transformation. As he noticed his muscles while eating he thought:


    ''Maybe putting points into my stats helps me grow muscle easier or something... speaking of which. I haven''t checked my stats since yesterday night. I still have a few points to put in. GG, open my Status.'' S§×ar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ©³©¥©¥©¥Status©¥©¥©¥©·


    Name: Tyr Evolion Thalonis


    Bloodline: Almighty Thalonis + Unknown


    Age: 15 Years


    Level: 19


    Vitality: 14/14


    Strength: 17


    Stamina: 12/12


    Speed: 14


    Aura: --


    [Stats remaining: 3


    Rank: --


    ©»©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¿


    ''My progress has slowed down a ton. At the start, I could hunt a single normal beast for a level or two. After level 15, I''ve needed 5 to even 7 beasts to level up only once.''


    [Stamina: 12/12-->14/14]


    [Strength: 17-->18]


    ''With Blink Step taking so much stamina, it''s become much more important. Still, at this rate, I need to kill around 5 more beasts to reach level twenty.''


    And there was a big reason why he wanted to get to 20...


    [Level needed for next spell: 20]


    Just the thought of it excited him.


    ''Blink helped me a ton... I wonder if the next spell will be just as good.''


    After thinking about it for more than five seconds, he was ready to get up and head out for his hunt today.


    Just like usual, he picked up his 3 light but durable stone-headed spears and headed out.


    He lightly jogged in a direction away from the mountain for a while. He had never gone past the mountain near his base, since it was too dam big to even think of climbing.


    But, since he had what seemed to be an endless jungle on the other side, there wasn''t any point in attempting to climb the mountain anyway.


    After an hour or so of trekking in a direction he hadn''t been in before--marking his path along the way--he got to an empty patch of grass.


    It was a large plot of land, stretching close to 50 by 50 meters where there wasn''t a single tree or bush.


    Seeing empty patches of land was common, but this was definitely the biggest one Tyr had come across so far.


    Before walking out into the middle, Tyr suddenly heard noises and felt movements coming from all around him.


    After living in the forest for a little bit, he had gotten used to the signs of his surroundings.


    The birds flying off of the trees--as though startled by something--was the first sign that something was wrong.


    There was also light trembling of the earth beneath his feet, a vibration he could feel through his whole body light.


    His eyes scanned the perimeter for a second. A random Carniboar abruptly tore through the bushes on the opposite side of the grass patch out of nowhere.


    Tyr''s eyes opened widely as he saw the big beast.


    ''What the fuck!? It''s huge!'' Tyr confusedly exclaimed. The thing was no joke, weighing probably 100 pounds more than the one Tyr had first ever seen.


    It headed right in his direction too, making him paranoid that it had seen him.


    Nothing in the forest had seen past his camo yet, especially not a big dumb boar.


    ''But then again... it is heading straight for me. Should I move? But that might give away my position and make me a target in case it hasn''t spotted me after all...'' He was a bit conflicted.


    The boar came very close to him, merely 20 feet away. It was storming forward with all its strength as if this was the last time it could ever run or something.


    ''No... I won''t move. I''ll use Blink Step if need be.'' He firmed this thought in his mind and stood still as the Carniboar inched closer and closer to him.


    Finally, it stormed right in front of him and locked eyes with him. This sent chills down Tyr''s spine since no creature had ever made eye contact with him while he was in his ghillie suit.


    This meant that the Carniboar had 100% seen him, and yet, it ran right past, completely ignoring him...


    Tyr felt his heart still pounding slightly faster.


    ''That was close... but why would it ignore me--'' He thought halted as he noticed 3 more beasts run out of the same bushes that the Carniboar came from.


    ''Huh!?''


    An immense roar echoed through the forest--loud enough to make his very heart shudder.


    *ROOOOARRR*


    Then, as if it had been launched from the heavens, a giant wolf, as large as a grizzly bear, plummeted from the sky and crashed onto the ground behind the fleeing beasts--the earth trembling slightly beneath the impact.


    Its aura was devastatingly strong, like nothing Tyr had ever felt before. Its fur was pitch black, and a glowing red symbol hovered above its back.


    Tyr felt his body freeze up, his hairs standing on end as the beast let out another deafening, guttural roar.


    ''W-what the hell... what in the fuck is that thing?''

 Chapter 13 - 13: Pixie

    The wolf lunged forward, grabbing a large half-giraffe half-deer hybrid animal with its claws before pummeling it to the ground.


    The deer-giraffe hybrid was a bit bigger than the wolf, but the predator still had no problem taking it down as if it weighed less than a feather.


    Its body was mangled and torn to pieces in seconds, its strength not able to fight back at all whatsoever.


    ''Those are... Giradeers! They are rare. I don''t think they are meant to be here in the jungle since both deers and giraffes live in packs on Earth, but I''ve only seen one of them at a time here.''


    Tyr also considered the fact that the ecosystem could force similar creatures to have completely different pack mannerisms and patterns as well.


    ''Still, those things are no weaker than Carniboar''s if they wish to defend themselves. And yet, that wolf is tearing it to pieces like it''s made of paper. It''s way too damn strong. I need to get out of here before it spots me--''


    Tyr''s mind went blank as a random thing touched his left shoulder.


    He slowly turned his head to the left, a hysterical expression on his face that looked like he was about to shit his pants and also burst out screaming at the same time. S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Yet, he contained himself as he saw a puny human-like creature on his shoulder.


    It was a girl who had small fairy wings that glistened in the sunlight and radiated a golden glow.


    She wore leaf clothing while staring directly back at Tyr with an innocent expression on her face.


    "W-what... the hell are you?" Tyr confusedly exclaimed in a whisper, calming down slightly as this fairy thing didn''t look like much of a threat. Still, he kept his guard up.


    After his slime incident, there wasn''t any way he was going to underestimate anything.


    "Huh? I guess it can see me." The miniature lady said in a soft and squeaky voice, as though speaking to herself.


    "It? I can see you and hear you just fine. Now... can you answer my question?" Tyr replied without hesitation, slightly offended.


    The small girl paused, blinking a few times.


    Tyr also didn''t say anything, confused.


    "You can understand me?" The girl finally exclaimed, seemingly baffled.


    "Uh... yeah? Now answer the goddamn question before I slice you up. I need EXP right now..."


    ''Whatever this thing is, It''s not human. If it''s weak, it''s just free EXP...'' He mused for a moment.


    The girl seemed to understand his intent and quickly replied:


    "I see... a human who can understand the language of the forest caretakers is quite rare. Usually, that means that they are a--"


    Tyr stared at her with a serious gaze. This made her stop her previous train of thought and answer his question:


    "I am a Pixie. Far and few, but undoubtedly important. I see that my part of the forest is taken care of so that the ecosystem can thrive and the balance of life and death is equalized. Speaking of which... you in fact have begun to make some small strides of difference in this balance. But that conversation should be held at a later date."


    "Hmm... so I can''t kill you after all," Tyr said to himself under his breath, slightly disappointed.


    "You know I can still hear you right? I''m right next to your mouth." The Pixie stared at him with an unimpressed look, hands on her hips.


    "Well, anyways... what the hell is that thing? I imagine that''s why you''re here right?" Tyr said as both of them looked at the big ass wolf still tearing apart the creatures in the field.


    The Pixie took in a deep breath before saying: "I won''t ask how you are so clueless about these things..." She paused, "In this forest, and most likely all other natural biomes across Subworld, there are territories which the strongest of beasts hold dominion over. This is their domain, their place of hunting and rulership, and it expands from 10 miles to sometimes even over 100 in size."


    Tyr spoke up: "I see... so that thing is a territory king huh?"


    "They are called Domain Alphas. And no, that wolf isn''t one of them."


    "What!?" Tyr exclaimed, furrowing his brows in surprise. "If that stupidly strong thing isn''t then what is?"


    "Well, it just happens to be that we are on the edge of a new domain. The domain of White Crimson, one of the strongest Domain Alphas in the entire forest of Gitran. Nicknamed after its pure white fur that is often stained in crimson red blood from its massive killing sprees."


    Tyr gulped loudly, feeling the presence of the creature just by hearing its descriptions. He then looked over to the wolf: "And how does that thing tie into all of this?"


    The Pixie replied: "That one is what we like to call a rebel. A strong and young beast that no longer wants to follow the norms and rules of its Domain Alpha. Right now, it is stirring as much trouble as it can to challenge the Domain Alpha. In clearer words, it''s breaking all of the rules of the government in this area, directly insulting it and calling out the ruler at the same time."


    "A rebel huh..." Tyr continued to stare at the wolf as blood flew across the air in front of it. ''I bet I would get a ton of levels from killing that thing.''


    The Pixie noticed this look in his eyes and instantly flew up and smacked him across the cheek.


    "No! Don''t even think about it!" She exclaimed, thinking to herself:


    ''This boy must be thinking of wanting to slay it to preserve balance. However, he fails to understand that he is far too weak... even we Pixies do not stir conflict with rebels as strong as this one. Not most of us, at least.''


    "This is natural law and order. Don''t try to be a hero by messing with the cycle of nature!" The Pixie said in a scolding voice.


    Tyr was slightly taken aback with confusion. "Is that what you thought I was thinking? That I wanted to get rid of the rebel so that law and order stays in balance?"


    The Pixie was slightly taken aback as well: "Is that not it?"


    Tyr smirked, nearly scoffing at the Pixie''s words: "No... not even close. I want to kill that thing for my own gain." His eyes were wide and dancing with excitement and motivation.


    The Pixie was left speechless.


    Tyr looked forward: ''No matter how strong it is, as long as I don''t fuck up my spells, I won''t lose.''


    A large grin stretched across his face.

 Chapter 14 - 14: Apex Rank Beast

    "You really shouldn''t do this!" The Pixie urged, flying all around Tyr''s head.


    But he was locked in. He had already made up his mind. Everything else now was just noise.


    ''Tsk! Even though It won''t disturb the balance of the forest much if he dies, I still don''t want to witness the innocent death of a creature who isn''t even supposed to be a part of this cycle. Wherever he came from, he doesn''t belong here. That is without a doubt.'' The Pixie thought to herself as Tyr began to make his way around to the wolf through the bushes.


    The rebel beast was over 40 meters away from him right now. But if he were to get to the other side the maximum distance would be lessened to around 25 meters.


    There were 6 living creatures in the field excluding the wolf, and by the time Tyr had made his way around to the wolf, there was only one left.


    It just so happened to be a slime. These creatures weren''t good nutrition, nor did they taste good. Yet, the wolf clearly wanted to prove a point right now and lunged at the small thing.


    As soon as it did, Tyr also sprinted out of the bushes from the side.


    He had his eyes locked onto his target, his heart beginning to pump faster and faster as adrenaline poured into his muscles.


    ''I''ve hunted dozens of times. I know I can do this.'' Tyr reaffirmed in his mind, throwing his first spear at the tail of the wolf.


    ''The spear lodging into its tail will distract it. At that moment I can Blink Step in front of its eyes and quickly use Hypnosis.'' Tyr restated his plan of attack as the spear spun in the air toward the wolf''s tail.


    It hit its target perfectly but bounced off of the black fur as if it were made of stone.


    Tyr felt his heart skip a beat, his eyes expanding as his entire body went limp for a second.


    The wolf turned around in a vicious manner that was so fast that Tyr''s eyes were barely able to keep track of its movements.


    Its bloodlust was sharp and fierce, instantly enveloping the human.


    Out of nowhere the circular red symbol with a big dot on the beast''s back began to glow--and out from it came a blast of fire that obliterated the spear that was still in mid-air.


    A pile of ashes fell towards the ground before being swept away into the air by a gust of wind.


    Now, the wolf stared at Tyr with a horrifying glare that was covered in blood. Its razor-sharp teeth were bared at the young human and a primal, guttural growl came from the depths of its stomach.


    Its face was ferocious, more scary than anything Tyr had ever seen in his life up until this moment. He felt his body begin to lock up and almost freeze in place.


    The Pixie inhaled sharply. "What was that boy thinking!? That wolf is far too strong for a simple stone spear to pierce its fur! On top of that... it knew where he was the entire time. The boy doesn''t even know how to hide his aura yet.


    In the presence of an Apex Ranked beast, you can not stay hidden by merely making yourself invisible to the naked eye."


    Of course, being new to this planet, Tyr had no clue about any of this.


    How was he supposed to know that this thing''s fur was way more durable even though it looked like any other piece of fur!


    Tyr stopped in place. ''Did I underestimate this thing too?'' He thought to himself. ''No... I knew that it was going to be powerful, yet I still challenged it.''


    He gritted his teeth, thinking about the reason why he wanted to stay on this damn planet. He wanted a new life, a good one.


    "Why... am I scared of you? Even if all fails, I can just use Disappear." Tyr''s confidence began to rise more and more--his voice filling with aggression as his face contorted into anger.


    The wolf''s horrific look didn''t seem so scary anymore as Tyr''s began to mimic it.


    "You can not kill me!" He shouted, his body burning with energy as he lunged forward into a full-on sprint.


    The wolf moved forward with effortless speed. It appeared in front of Tyr and slashed its claws at him--blocking its own eyes in the process. S§×arch* The N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''Tsk! Blink Step!''


    Tyr blitz out of the way, appearing behind the beast.


    ''This is the opposite of what I usually use Blink Step for, but I had no other choice there. Still, I won''t lose to this fucker!''


    Tyr dug his spear into the wolf''s rear. This had much more force behind it compared to the throw, but it still only pierced about two inches into the wolf''s flesh.


    The wolf furiously growled as it felt the spear puncture its body.


    However, Tyr wasn''t finished there. He let go of the first spear and held onto the second one like a baseball back before giving it a full swing.


    *BANG*


    The first spear lodged a foot deep into the wolf, at which point the wolf turned again with an open maw toward Tyr''s body.


    It attempted to bite down on the boy, but Tyr firmed his stance on the ground and raised his spear toward the bloody muzzle of the beast.


    "NO YOU DON''T!" He screamed as his spear lodged into the top of the beast''s widened mouth.


    Another painstaking growl sounded from the wolf as it quickly limped backward and freed itself from the spear in its mouth.


    ''Here''s my chance!''


    Tyr jumped forward, grabbing onto the snout of the beast.


    The Pixie gasped in astonishment: "Are you suicidal!?" She let out a yell.


    Tyr had less than a second before the wolf would throw him up in the air and swallow him whole, but this was more than enough time for what he was going to do.


    Staring deep into the eyes of the beast he inwardly said: ''Hypnosis.'' And moved his eyes from left to right.


    A blue haze overcame the wolf''s pupils.


    "Lay on your stomach!" Tyr exclaimed at once without wasting a fraction of a second.


    As soon as the wolf did this, he stabbed his spear into the neck of the beast a dozen times over--blood gushing all over him.


    "Hahaha! This is what you get, you sharp-fanged cunt!" He held onto his spear with both hands and raised it in the air.


    [You have slain a Charwolf]


    [Congradulations! You have slain a beast that is much higher in Rank than you.]


    [You leveled up!]


    [Congratulations! You have met the requirements to receive your next spell.]


    [You leveled up!]


    [You leveled up!]

 Chapter 15 - 15: Soul Marking

    [Current level: 22]


    [Level needed for next spell: 50]


    ''Damn... that''s high.'' Tyr thought to himself. Now that his adrenaline calmed down, he felt a wave of fatigue wash over him.


    He stumbled back, stepping off of the wolf''s corpse and digging his spear into the ground to hold himself up.


    His eyelids were attempting to close. He hadn''t realized it, but the top layer of his skin was slightly burned all over his body.


    Even the breath of the Charwolf was powerful enough to have this effect.


    His limbs wanted to buckle and yield, but Tyr wanted to know one thing first before he would allow himself to fall.


    [New spell: Soul Marking]


    ''There it is...'' Tyr smiled, his left eyelid loose and nearly closed.


    [Description: Ability to form a bond with a beast by marking both the user and the creature with a shared soul mark. This mark allows the user and the beast to share a fraction of each other''s power and communicate telepathically. The process involves physically touching the creature and attuning to its heartbeat, transferring a part of the user''s life force into the beast.]


    [Spell Criteria: The beast must be in a calm, subdued, or heavily weakened state for the mark to be successfully applied. The strength of the bond depends on the user''s willpower and the creature''s resistance. If the bond is broken, both the user and the beast will suffer significant consequences.]


    [Sub-spell: Soul Marking comes with the sub-spell: [Infinite Domain.]


    [Description: Ability to store multiple living beings within a mental dimension created by the user within their brain.]


    [Spell Criteria: The living being can not be human or any sort of intelligent High-Species life. The living being must also be tamed by the user.]


    [Infinite Domain has a creature limit of 2 living beings.]


    ''Wow... awesome.'' These were Tyr''s last thoughts before he passed out--just kidding!


    Right before his brain shut off he felt a warm, comfortable feeling culminate all around him. He felt like he was next to a cozy fireplace, his body relaxing rapidly.


    The excruciating burn marks on his face and body be erased and healed--his exhaustion vanished out of nowhere.


    [Stamina: 1/14-->8/14-->14/14]


    When he opened his eyes, he saw the Pixie from before hovering above him.


    She had her hand out, releasing some sort of glowing green energy.


    "Aura..." Tyr said out loud, mesmerized by the light. After all, this was the closest thing to magic he had ever experienced.


    ''No. Aura is even greater than magic, which was created by humans. If anything, Aura inspired magic.''


    He paused before saying: "I want to use it too."


    The Pixie retracted her hand, having finished healing the boy.


    "What? Aura? Don''t worry about that right now. What you should worry about is..." She paused, looking to the side.


    Tyr confusedly squinted his eyes.


    The Pixie abruptly turned back toward Tyr and screamed in his face: "Not trying to kill yourself!" She yelled, balling her fists up and squeezing her eyes shut.


    "Do you know how close you were to dying right there? Do you think I want to see the death of an innocent creature that isn''t supposed to be in the cycle of the forest to begin with!? It''s foolish! Simply foolish!"


    Tyr chuckled: "But... I killed it though, didn''t I?"


    The Pixie calmed down, letting out an exasperated sigh. S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Although I want to scold you more, I have to admit that what you did is unheard of. Never in my lifetime of a thousand years did I think I would see a boy as weak and Aura-less as you come and slay an Apex Ranked Beast. A Charwolf, no less. There was indeed some luck... but that still doesn''t take away the fact that you defeated it in the end."


    ''A thousand years!?'' Tyr exclaimed, astonished at that number.


    The Pixie rose up into the air after a few seconds.


    "Stay out of trouble, young boy. Fate seems to want you alive for its whims in the distant or near future. No normal being without the shoulders of that deity would have survived an encounter like that. Do not take it for granted." With these words, the Pixie turned and flew off into the forest--shrinking into nothing but air in the distance.


    "Hey! Thanks for healing me!" Tyr shouted in her direction, the Pixie having already disappeared.


    However, a small ball of green Aura flew toward him, slamming into his forehead and pushing him to the ground.


    "D-damn... so that''s her goodbye gift? A punch to the face huh."


    Tyr looked leftward at the Charwolf corpse. Without delay, he dug his hands into its body, beginning to look for a core orb.


    Sure enough, he found a bright red orb near the beast''s heart. It was as large as a cherry, about double the size of the normal gray cores.


    It was iridescent as well, shining its various shades of dark and light red hues at different angles.


    Tyr stored it and salvaged the orbs of the rest of the fallen beasts.


    In total, he now had 54 gray orbs and 1 red orb.


    ''GG, open my status.''


    ©³©¥©¥©¥Status©¥©¥©¥©·


    Name: Tyr Evolion Thalonis


    Bloodline: Almighty Thalonis + Unknown


    Age: 15 Years


    Level: 22


    Vitality: 14/14


    Strength: 18


    Stamina: 14/14


    Speed: 14


    Aura: --


    [Stats remaining: 6


    Rank: --


    ©»©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¿


    [Vitality: 14/14-->15/15]


    [Strength: 18-->20]


    [Stamina: 14/14-->16/16]


    [Speed: 14-->15]


    ''It seems I''ll need to focus on stamina more and more. Especially if I want to use Blink Step multiple times during a fight in the future. And my Strength is still pretty bad. I''m stronger than a lot of gray orb beasts. After all, I started with only 7 Strength points. But I still barely got that spear into that wolf.


    I think If I had closer to 30 strength, my spear throw would have pierced into its skin for sure.''


    Tyr returned to the stream near his base to clean himself up.


    It was quite shallow, covering about half of his body. There was also a 20-foot-tall waterfall next to it that had a calm and steady flow.


    As he bathed here, he thought about his future goals.


    ''Level 50 is when I get my next spell. That''s way higher than my previous level benchmarks. Maybe that means I''ll finally get an Aura spell. A strong one at that.''


    Right now he was looking at the description of his most recent spell again.


    ''But... I think this will keep me busy for a while.'' A smirk appeared on his face.


    [Soul Marking]


    ***


    2 Months Later...

 Chapter 16 - 16: White Crimson Hunt (1) Hunt Beings

    The days went quickly. On this new planet, which Tyr learned from the Pixie was called "Subworld," he had so many new things to do that time felt like it simply whizzed by.


    Tyr spent his time hunting during the two months and focused on almost nothing else. After putting his mind onto something, he was locked on for good.


    Warmer winds traveled through the Gitran forest trees today as spring had ended and the buds of summer had begun to show their roots.


    Flowers turned to fruits, and the life of leaves and bushes became even more rich in thier greenery.


    These winds traveled under the thin treetops and into a small cavern--where a scorching campfire was lit up.


    As it crackled and popped, light footsteps approached from the distance--getting louder and louder.


    A blurry figure carrying a large Giradeer corpse began to clear up upon getting closer.


    Tyr''s black hair had grown to his shoulders now, making him look like Tarzan. S§×ar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Another feature that helped in that comparison was the fact that he had gotten jacked as hell.


    Even though only a couple months had passed, Tyr seemed to have gained over 2-3 years of strict hypertrophy training worth of muscle gain in this time.


    He was also taller, surprisingly enough. Due to his stats, his body needed to adjust accordingly to not fall behind and become overwhelmed.


    If he was 5''8 ft. in the past, he had now grown to around 6''0 ft in stature.


    ''Man.. GG works wonders.'' Tyr chuckled at his own fortune. I mean, it wasn''t like he was going to complain.


    Anyways... Tyr dropped the Giradeer onto the ground. It had already been gutted and dried of blood.


    Now, it only needed to be filleted and cooked. Tyr was also going to skin it since he deemed he wanted a bit of yellow coloring on his Charwolf hide armor. It was the only flavor missing.


    After setting it down, he sat on a log and began grating his teeth-tipped spear on a sharpening stone.


    His 3 spears were now enforced with the teeth of a Glassback Alligator. The sharpest material in all of Gitran--as he liked to call it. It was also extremely durable.


    ''The Glassback probably isn''t Apex Rank like what the Pixie said the Charwolf was, but definitely a higher Rank than normal gray orb beasts. Its core orb wasn''t Red, but Green. It''s most likely the Rank in between gray and red.''


    After sharpening all three spear tips, Tyr stood up and sheathed them on his back quiver.


    "Now... it''s time to hunt White Crimson." He said with a smirk on his face. This is what he had been preparing for during the past two months.


    ''Now that I finally have 30 stat points into Strength, I think I have a good shot at defeating it.''


    He opened his stats.


    ©³©¥©¥©¥Status©¥©¥©¥©·


    Name: Tyr Evolion Thalonis


    Bloodline: Almighty Thalonis + Unknown


    Age: 15 Years


    Level: 39


    Vitality: 21/21


    Strength: 30


    Stamina: 25/25


    Speed: 24


    Aura: --


    [Stats remaining: 0


    Rank: --


    ©»©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¿


    ''I''m going to play it safe, not like the Charwolf encounter. I only caught it off guard because it was distracted with trying to be a rebel and attacking other creatures without real intent. It wasn''t attacking them for food or even anger. Its malice had nothing to do with them but was instead targeted towards White Crimson.


    This made its thought process faulty when hunting, causing its actions to be flawed as well. Without those distractions, I wouldn''t have lasted even a second. On top of that, White Crimson is supposed to be levels stronger than even that beast. I can''t take any chances.''


    With his current stats, he was pretty confident. And plus, he had waited for long enough.


    Right now, he was giddy at the fact that he could finally tame his first creature using the Soul Marking spell.


    ''I still haven''t used it, despite my Infinite Domain spell having a limit of 2 beasts. I want the best of the best, and no less. Even the Charwolf won''t do... I want the king.'' Tyr was seriously determined.


    He set off in the direction where he had observed some of the beast''s markings before.


    Up until now, he had been tracking White Crimson. He hadn''t ever seen it in real life, but he had seen the aftermath of its well-known ''massacres.'' There, he used the claw markings and paw print patterns to slowly track it down.


    ''I could have seen it dozens of times by now. But... I''ve stayed just out of its vision. Not only to protect myself but also to not spoil this exhilarating moment.'' Tyr grinned as he thought this to himself.


    He traveled for 15 miles on foot, something that now wasn''t too difficult for him.


    After that point, he would come to a massive cliff drop. The forest that Tyr thought was so big ended at this cliff drop, revealing a massive biome that was an even thicker jungle 2500 feet below him that stretched on until the end of the horizon.


    From where Tyr stood, he could nearly touch the clouds from time to time.


    He had an easy way to get down as well. But, it wasn''t so easy the first time he ever did it...


    Sure, there was a 5-mile path he could take to go down the sheer straight cliff without falling, but why waste so much time when there wasn''t any need for it?


    Arriving at the edge, Tyr leaped off into the air.


    He fell face first, his mouth and skin pulling back as he fell as if he was on a roller coaster.


    As he neared the floor, he quickly used Blink Step to blitz down to the ground, landing completely safely.


    "Hah~~ that never gets old," Tyr said, feeling the rush of the activity still in his body. "But... running 5 miles back up ain''t very fun."


    He began running into the thick jungle. This place was far more dangerous. The canopy was nowhere near as thin--the sun almost being blocked out.


    The trees were mangled and dense, their roots traveling all across the ground.


    The beasts here were no weaker than the strongest of Carniboar''s. Half of the beasts Tyr encountered here had green core orbs instead of gray.


    After half an hour or so of running, Tyr arrived back where he had last seen White Crimson''s footprints.


    He stopped, taking a breath as he calmly tracked its movements.


    It wasn''t always accurate and he had to do a lot of reworking to pinpoint it, but this time the beast''s path was fairly easy to see.


    Just from the prints, Tyr could see that its paws were as larger than his head.


    The prints were embedded quite deep into the ground too, hinting at the beast''s heavy ass physique.


    As he traveled a bit farther, Tyr noticed that the beast''s prints stopped, as if it simply vanished on the spot.


    ''Huh? This is odd.'' He scanned the entire premises, ''Even though its prints are sometimes difficult to find... they don''t just completely disappear like this.''


    *Seeeeeu*


    A sharp noise sounded, and before Tyr knew it, an arrow had lodged into his left shoulder.


    He felt the powerful impact nearly thurst him forward into the ground. His body went into a state of extreme focus as he turned on his heel.


    The arrow had thankfully not gone in very deep, so he pulled it out.


    "This is... manmade." Tyr confusedly exclaimed.


    *Seeeeeu*


    *Seeeeu*


    *Seeeeeeeu*


    *Seeeu*

 Chapter 17 - 17: White Crimson Hunt (2) Hanzo

    Four more arrows came from the same direction. Tyr furrowed his brows, grabbing two arrows in mid-air before Blink Stepping away from the other two.


    He cracked the two he had with his fingers before throwing them on the ground and trampling them to pieces.


    "Show yourself!" He shouted furiously into the forest. "Motherfucker!" He exclaimed loudly.


    He already knew that GG not only allowed him to understand every possible language but that it also translated his speech multiplied with his core intentions to make sense to all other ears as an understandable language to them.


    So, if Tyr were to speak Chinese and you were only able to understand English, then you would still understand Tyr''s Chinese as English despite the difference in how it sounded.


    A few seconds of silence passed as the pain in Tyr''s shoulder began to radiate through his entire body.


    ''I would dislodge it... but I don''t want to be heavily bleeding in case a fight breaks out.''


    He waited until he heard some footsteps slowly approach him through the dense vines and large leaves in front of him.


    A young man dressed in black dress clothing stepped out of the bushes. His pants were tight, and his coat, white in contrast to the rest of his attire, was lengthened all the way down to his knees. He wore white gloves, had brown hair with tinges of white, had a small device in his ear, and was fairly short, around 5''6 ft. in stature. In terms of age, he looked no older than 22.


    He wore a monocle and held a wooden bow that seemed way too low quality to be from his real arsenal. Tyr made sure to keep note of this odd detail.


    "As expected, you aren''t him." The young man said, shining one of his gold-plated teeth as he spoke. He had a stoic expression on his face.


    Tyr was processing a lot of things through his brain right now.


    ''So... humans exist here as well.'' He was more astonished than anything else.


    He understood that this was probably going to need some thinking to get used to. After all, he had fully expected to go on with his life never seeing a human face again.


    Now, seeing this idiot''s face in front of him was sort of a bittersweet moment.


    There was a hint of relief to see a fellow human, or whatever this species was that resembled a human so closely--but that was heavily overshadowed by the furious anger that Tyr held towards the guy.


    "You mean to tell me you shot at something that you weren''t sure was your target?" Tyr said, attempting to reason with the guy and hold in his anger.


    "No." The monocled young man said, "I was 95.0012% sure that you weren''t my prey."


    "Don''t give me that shit, you nerd freak!" Tyr blurted out, "If you weren''t sure, you shouldn''t have shot!"


    The young man paused, fixing his monocle. After a few seconds, he raised his bow horizontally with one hand.


    "Nerd freak? The name''s Hanzo... and what I gave you was a warning shot. It did its job perfectly since this isn''t my real weapon. All I wanted was to see if you were my target or not. I didn''t want to actually kill you."


    He dropped the bow, at which point it quickly condensed into a wooden ring and floated onto his ring finger.


    On his middle finger was an iron ring, which he took off and threw in the air.


    It shifted and contorted, rapidly expanding in size to reveal a metallic bow that looked futuristic.


    The string was a thin red laser and the edges of the bow were made from transparent blue glass.


    Tyr exhaled from his nose, dislodging the arrow from his shoulder.


    "You better tell me that you have a healing potion or something," Tyr said, not knowing if his terminology was correct.


    He just knew that in fantasy novels and games, that was what they were usually called. sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "A healing what?" The young man said with a confused squint on his face. And then, his brain seemed to click, "You mean a health capsule?" He pulled out a red pill from his coat pocket and tossed it over.


    Tyr grabbed it, still looking at Hanzo with a mean glare.


    "You can eat it... caveman." Hanzo exclaimed with a slight scoff.


    "W-what did you call me!?" Tyr exclaimed in surprise, offended.


    Hanzo chuckled slightly, "You know, you''re not that boring, kid."


    Tyr paused, the pain getting to him. He popped the capsule, instantly feeling the same sensation from when the Pixie healed him after the Charwolf fight spread all over his body.


    In a few seconds, his small injury had been patched up--leaving a slight scar.


    "It''s not just called a health capsule by the way. Some might call them Healing Tonics as well. Or maybe Vitality Pills off to the east..." Hanzo looked to the side as he seemed to think of even more possible options.


    "Whatever man... I don''t care. What are you hunting anyways?" Tyr exclaimed, hesitant but curious.


    Even though he was still upset at the young man who had just shot him... this was the first human interaction he had had in a damn while.


    The ability to laugh and connect, and to just understand another being wasn''t something that you would expect to be able to move you so easily, but evidently, it was a spectacular feeling in its own right.


    Hanzo put his large bow on his shoulder, raised a brow, and put on a condescending look on his face as he said: "Che! What would a small fry like you gain from knowing what kind of bait the big fishes go after? Just continue living in the forest, weirdo."


    The best description Tyr could come up with about Hanzo''s face was that of a ''dickhead douche.''


    Tyr''s left eyebrow twitched for a second in anger.


    "You wanna see who''s the small fry, and who''s the bass?" Tyr exclaimed, converting his anger to a challenge.


    Hanzo paused. He snickered slightly, but his squinted eyes hinted at him actually considering the idea.


    "Look... Drance has already been up my ass about finding this stupid beast."


    ''Drance? Is that a person or place?'' Tyr mused instantly.


    Hanzo continued: "I really don''t want to waste time fighting a random like you. Plus... I probably shouldn''t be wasting any materials if I''m fighting the strongest thing in an 85-mile radius of Gitran."


    There were a lot of questions that sprouted up from these words, but the one that Tyr focused on was: "Wait... are you hunting White Crimson?"


    Tyr surmised this by the fact that Hanzo said he was fighting the strongest thing. This instantly reminded Tyr of the beast he was going after as well.


    Hanzo''s left brow raised in intrigue, genuinely this time.


    ''Only Drance''s highest guild members know that name... how could this crazy bum have any clue about it?''

 Chapter 18 - 18: White Crimson Hunt (3) Conflict

    "How the hell do you know what that is?" Hanzo said, slightly on edge.


    ''Is he some sort of spy from the Black Merchant Guild? Those bastards would do anything to fuck up our plans if they caught on to it.'' Hanzo thought to himself, gripping the hilt of his bow just in case.


    Tyr intuitively understood that a bit of malefic intent was being thrown his way. He didn''t know how, but he just knew.


    ''Looks like me saying that nickname threw him off...'' Tyr mused, ''I''ll just be honest with him I guess. I doubt any problems will come from that.''


    "Oh... a Pixie told me," Tyr said with a straight face.


    Hanzo''s expression instantly went from serious to baffled, his mouth gaping widely, eyeballs poking out, and nostrils flared.


    "Did you just say that... a Pixie told you?" Out of nowhere, he broke out into a hearty laugh: "Pahaha!"


    Tyr squinted his eyes, confused by this reaction: ''Do Pixies not usually speak to people? She spoke to me as if it was a normal occurrence.'' After this thought, he remembered how he and the Pixie first met.


    ''Her first words were ''it can see me'' which probably means that humans usually can''t see Pixies.'' Tyr came to this realization while Hanzo was still laughing his ass off.


    ''He said a Pixie! Ancient and elusive beings who haven''t shown themselves to humans for hundreds of years! The last time they appeared was when the Great Pheonix Yustora threatened to burn all of Gitran to the ground! What kind of fool is this guy!?'' Hanzo thought to himself.


    "Ahaha! A lunatic, I''ve really been wasting my time with a lunatic here!" He was hysterical.


    Tyr furrowed his brows: "Okay, then tell me, how do I know about White Crimson if I was just some mentally ill idiot?"


    Out of nowhere, Hanzo''s comedic expression instantly turned back to a stern look. He fixed his monocle again as he said: "That''s right... so it seems this lunatic was telling the truth."


    "Wha--!? If I''m telling the truth then it means I''m not a lunatic, you dumbass!"


    "Ah... this crazy guy is actually right about that as well..."


    Tyr shook his head. "Look here, pipsqeak. I don''t care if you believe me or not, but if White Crimson is your prey then that most likely means that you are in my way." Tyr''s tone was very serious.


    Hanzo didn''t say anything, allowing Tyr to continue.


    "I''ve worked toward this hunt for a while... I won''t let anything impede it. Sorry, but you will have to find another beast to hunt." Tyr maturely stood his ground.


    Hanzo seemed to respect this and spoke seriously as well: "I see... well, what is driving you may be your own selfish intents, but what is driving me has to do with several people. I am working on behalf of the Skyfall Guild''s hunter group: Ultimatum.


    If I fail this task, I''m not only going to lose trust, but money, fame, prestige, and also a sense of self-worth." He paused, holding his bow out in front of his thigh: "Do you still wish to stop me from impeding your hunt?"


    A killing intent seeped into Tyr''s bones, making his hair follicles stand erect and a feeling of doom creep over him. It was as though he was standing in front of the Charwolf all over again.


    Tyr exhaled, his eyebrows still scrunched as he clenched his jaw. Without hesitation, he pulled out one of his spears and forcefully extended it toward the young man in front of him.


    The movement was so fast that a fierce whiplash noise clapped from it.


    Tyr replied: "Yes, now go home." He was firm in the fact that he wasn''t going to let anyone or anything get in his way of obtaining this beast as his first tame.


    With that, Hanzo let out an exasperated sigh. He put his bow away--turning it into a metal ring again and walked forward.


    "Fine, you can join me then. Don''t slow me down." He said, walking right past Tyr.


    After a short pause, Tyr put his spear away. ''This guy... he''s weird.'' He thought to himself.


    Just then, Hanzo tripped over some roots and fell flat on his face.


    Tyr raised an eyebrow in disappointment and contempt as he said: "How about you follow me... you probably aren''t used to this place as much in comparison." He then took the lead.


    Hanzo was embarrassed, not saying a word as he quickly got up, patted himself off, and began to follow behind Tyr.


    Despite Tyr having only come to this world for a couple months, he had already gotten more accustomed to the forest life compared to someone who had visited it infrequently for short periods, such as Hanzo.


    Tyr looked up, finally noticing White Crimson''s patterns again way high up in the trees.


    ''That''s some crazy leg strength to be able to jump so high.'' He mused as he began to climb up, Hanzo shortly following behind.


    As they continued through the forest, Tyr asked a ton of questions to Hanzo without really even realizing it.


    It was as if he was a toddler again who finally got the ability to speak and comprehend things--unable to stop asking questions about everything.


    He wanted to know more about humanity than he had first thought since the amount of questions he asked Hanzo was ludicrous.


    "How far is Drance? Is it in a kingdom? Oh, a dynasty? Which dynasty then? I see... the Seris Dynasty huh?


    How many people are there? Are they all weird like you? What kind of society do you all live in? Are there homeless people? Do you all wear weird futuristic yet old clothing? What currency do you all use?"


    Tyr continued over the span of 20 minutes, nearly draining Hanzo of all of his life essence.


    He looked like a skeleton by the end, "Come one... stop it, kid. Even with my Aura, I can''t compete with your spell of life-sucking questions."


    "I mean... there''s a lot I need to know now that I know there are humans here. Speaking of which, you are a human, right?"


    "Huh? What kind of question is that? Of course, I''m a human."


    "I see... so despite there being such a difference in distance, we still go by the same name. Or wait, no, it could just be that GG is translating the definition of human as we both know it to ourselves as the same word." Tyr went into his own obsessive little rant for a second.


    Hanzo simply looked at him like he was a freakshow.


    Both of them arrived at a clearing, a large pond was located in front of them with about 50 feet of fairly plain grass covering the outskirts of it. There were some bushes that thinned out as you got closer to the water, and a small layer of sand-like loose dirt underneath various shapes and sizes of pebbles and stones encircling the lakes edge.


    There were also large boulders standing over 20-30 feet tall poking out from the ground all over the place, giving the place an alien look.


    The lake was over 1000 square feet in size and was bright and blue. Small waves and ripples moved around on top of it, giving it an iridescent glow in the sunlight. S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Tyr was walking with his head turned to face Hanzo who was behind him, so he didn''t notice the lake for a few seconds.


    He instead continued to ask questions:


    "Anyways... do you have parents?" On hearing this question, Hanzo''s face turned a bit grim.


    His brows furrowed, as though he became angry all of a sudden.


    But then, Hanzo noticed a large bubble begin to push up on the surface of the lake behind Tyr.


    ''A beast!'' Hanzo quickly mused, his alertness boosting.


    Out of nowhere, Tyr heard a loud splash come from behind him.


    As he turned his head back around, the giant maw of an obsidian-coated bass fish greeted him--swallowing him whole.

 Chapter 19 - 19: White Crimson Hunt (4) Emperor

    "You idiot! Look where you''re going!" Hanzo blurted out, taking off his metal ring as it transformed into a futuristic bow again.


    He pulled the red laser string back with his pointer finger, and as soon as he pulled it to his eye, 3 red arrows made of Aura energy summoned on it.


    By now, the bass was attempting to flop back into the water.


    What it had just done was a common hunting tactic performed by large aquatic beasts. Since they could survive out of the water for a minute or so, doing the unexpected and hunting land prey had proved to become fruitful to them.


    Hanzo didn''t give a shit about this though, letting go of his bowstring. The arrows propelled forward and spun rapidly in the air.


    The force of the spin was powerful, contorting the air around each arrow into an air drill of sorts and piercing straight through the bass'' head. Despite the arrows being a quarter of an inch in width, the force that they came with burst 10-inch holes through the thick skull of the beast.


    It stopped flopping, killed instantly, and allowed Tyr to begin climbing out of its slimy insides.


    Hanzo walked to the mouth of the beast, giving a hand to Tyr. The boy inside the fish had a frown on his face. He was silent, grabbing Hanzo''s hand and getting out of the mouth of the beast.


    As both of his feet made contact with the ground, Hanzo walked forward and began pushing the fish back into the lake.


    "Oi! Hurry up and give me a hand!" He exclaimed, seemingly in a rush. When he flipped the fish over once, there was a large pool of blood left over on the patch where it just was.


    ''Fuck...'' Hanzo clenched his jaw as he noticed the sheer amount of blood. ''This is way too much. When I attacked Tyr, I thought even that much blood was too much and gave him the Health Capsule... but this is like putting out a full-on invitation. I wanted to notice it before it noticed me... but I think it''s too late for that now.''


    *ROAR*


    As if on cue, a ferocious roar echoed through the forest. It was deep, straight from the stomach of whatever beast it came from.


    A devastating killing intent fell onto both Hanzo and Tyr as if it were a giant boulder.


    Tyr''s knees buckled, wanting to drop as his breathing became more tiresome. His eyes expanded widely, scanning the area. It was a primal feeling of fear, one that forced shivers to crawl up his back.


    However, this was different. This was an entirely separate, greater level of fear compared to that of the Charwolf.


    "Oi, stay back. It''s spotted us thanks to this pool of blood. Since it saw us first, our chances of defeating it are slim, even with me here."


    Hanzo turned to face Tyr with a sharp stare.


    "If you can, run back to where you came from. When White Crimson sees the face of its prey once, it will never stop chasing until it drinks the prey''s blood."


    Tyr felt his body want to subconsciously gasp on hearing these words.


    ''I... am still so fucking retarded.'' Tyr tightened his fists and gritted his teeth. He did so with so much effort that his nails began to dig into the skin of his palms--causing a few drops of blood to trickle down.


    "Oi!" Hanzo confusedly exclaimed in a loud tone, "What are you doing!?"


    ''Want to live a good life on this planet you say? Then why do you keep fucking up?'' He said to himself inwardly, continuing to squeeze his fists.


    ''This is all your fault. Had you not been so obsessed with trying to learn about humanity, as though you were an immature child, you wouldn''t have been swallowed by that stupid fish. Hanzo could have left you, not wanting to risk being seen first by White Crimson, yet he saved you only to put himself in a worse situation.''


    ''No excuses... no extra chances. You don''t get to have them.'' Tyr squeezed his eyes shut as tight as he could.


    ''I won''t accept any more failure. Nothing short of perfection, damn it!''


    Tyr finally opened his eyes, his grip loosening as he unsheathed his spear and stared at Hanzo with a determined look in his eyes: "I''ll make this right!" He exclaimed with conviction and certainty.


    Hanzo was a bit taken aback by this reaction.


    ''That look in his eyes... he seems to punish himself harshly for his own mistakes. He probably feels bad that he put us into this situation as well. He has heart, but he''s still too foolish to understand that you can''t reach perfection in this world. If that were the case, I would be living in a mansion with my mother still alive.''


    Hanzo pulled his bowstring back: "Do what you want." He said as his earpiece began to glow a low red hue: "Target is north-west bound of my departure. I may need backup since it spotted me first but..." He paused, glancing over at Tyr.


    "Only send help if I specifically ask for it. I may be okay on my own."


    He coated his bowstring with the blood on the ground and shot an arrow straight up into the air.


    The bright light flew out of the jungle canopy and into the air--sprinkling some blood around the area as well.


    ''That should do to tell them my location.'' Hanzo turned, ''And it should also be enough to attract White--''


    *BOOM*


    As though it fell down from the heavens, a large snowy-white furred tiger with crisp and rich black stripes landed in front of Tyr and Hanzo--still emitting its horrifying waves of bloodlust.


    It had large, sharp fangs and a primal, savage look on its face of an apex predator.


    It was larger than even a Polar bear--standing at over 6 feet tall on all four legs with a length of 15 feet. Its limbs were covered in muscles that were simply bulging out of its skin.


    Its eyes were a deep gray, staring into your soul like a demon.


    Now that Tyr was in its presence, he could tell why White Crimson''s aura was different than the Charwolf''s.


    ''This thing... it has the air of a king. The poise of a ruler. The Charwolf was only a baby trying to rebel against its master, but as I stand now, I am facing the very emperor of this domain.''


    It was a feeling that made the body of any normal animal want to flee more than anything else or bow down. The idea facing this creature in one''s fight or flight response had left the canvas entirely in the mien of this monstrous being. Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 20 - 20: White Crimson Hunt (5) Clash

    A smile stretched across Tyr''s face, slowly turning into a chuckle before erupting into a full-blown laugh. "Huh...haha... perfect. You''re perfect to be my first pet," he declared with a confident tone.


    Hanzo raised an eyebrow in disbelief. ''He isn''t scared at all?'' he wondered, puzzled.


    Despite the beast''s fierce presence and intimidating demeanor, which would incite devastating fear in most people, Tyr was exhilarated. The more powerful the creature, the better.


    "I won''t fail," Tyr proclaimed, charging forward with determination. "I''ll tame this thing and correct my mistakes."


    The tiger didn''t hesitate to move as it noticed Tyr''s intentions. The boy wasn''t scared, so it took this as a clear challenge.


    ''Fighting it head-on won''t suffice. I already know this.'' Tyr mused as the tiger lunged at him with lightning speed, ignoring Hanzo who was in front. Its claws slashed through the air with a thunderous roar.


    With a practiced motion, Tyr rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding. He felt the gust of the beast''s nails brush against his skin.


    The jungle grass beneath Tyr''s feet was smeared into a paste as he sprang away, his heart pounding with adrenaline-fueled urgency.


    ''Instead, I''ll need to focus on its weakest points and slowly batter it down.'' Tyr exclaimed, abruptly feeling a stinging pain on the side of his torso.


    He quickly brushed his hand against the pain, the palm coming back up with dark blood.


    Without him even noticing it, the tiger had managed to barely graze his side-abdomen.


    The beast was on his tail, pouncing into the air with both hands extending out toward Tyr.


    Tyr saw this--his head turned behind his shoulder to observe the tiger''s movements as he ran.


    ''Perfect!'' He exclaimed, abruptly pushing the heels of his feet into the ground.


    Tyr had practiced this move many times before on other predatory creatures.


    Whenever they attacked with both hands and were in the air, it prevented them from moving anywhere but forward and also made it difficult to attack anything that wasn''t in their intended range.


    This was obviously because they had extended both hands out to aim for something, leaving no backup attacks.


    After halting in place, Tyr pushed his feet into the ground and jumped backward instead.


    Hanzo furrowed his brows in confusion as he saw this. He was worried at first, but the confident look in Tyr''s eyes assured him that the boy knew what he was doing.


    Tyr flew below the large beast who was in the air, balanced himself to the ground by hand-standing, retracted his feet in like coils, and finally propelled himself out with maximum speed and power--digging them into the belly of the beast.


    ''Legs aren''t to be underestimated. The strongest of humans can hold and even lift over 4000 pounds with their legs alone!'' Tyr thought to himself, pushing the tiger up and over him.


    It began to nearly flip forward due to the misbalance in momentum, but landed normally and turned around with malicious intent.


    In other words, all that did was piss it off.


    But Tyr wasn''t too disappointed at that. He smiled slightly: ''It now understands that it can''t just kill me whenever it likes.'' He knew that to a certain extent, this was also a mental battle.


    Not just for the tiger to respect him, but also for him to prove to himself that he was worthy of this fight. S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Hanzo chuckled, ''Good on ya, kid. I doubt I''ll have to intervene at this point.''


    Tyr pushed himself up, running away from the beast and toward the large stones. The tiger leaped forward without delay, right on the boy''s tail again.


    ''My Blink Step cooldown is still 5 seconds. I can''t afford to waste one if I use it. I can''t Blink Step near it, since it''s faster than me without that spell. I need to be able to use the speed of Blink Step not to be faster than it... but to be invisible.''


    Tyr jumped behind a large boulder with dozens of the same kind all around it--the tiger mere feet away. Just as Tyr had anticipated, the beast attempted to swipe its claws at Tyr without running around the stone.


    However, as its paw got to the other side of the boulder, it found that there was nothing there except for air.


    Out of nowhere, Tyr jumped out from behind a boulder that was next to the one that he had first jumped behind--thrusting his spear right into the middle of the tiger''s paw and thrusting it a foot deep into the stone.


    He had gone behind the first stone and then used Blink Step to blitz over to another one to the right. Although there was still the risk of the tiger being able to see him move, in the heat of battle when the beast was so close behind him, Tyr was confident in his chances.


    Tyr''s 30 points in strength along with the Glassback Alligator''s teeth made stabbing the tiger''s palm feasible.


    Now that it was also dug into the stone, Tyr let go of the weapon and jumped backward, instantly turning and beginning to run away.


    ''That will have cut some nerve endings... its right claw will be close to useless now, especially if it--'' As though on cue, the tiger did exactly what Tyr wanted.


    Furious, it pulled its hand away from the boulder at a quick speed, allowing the sharp spear to shred right through it.


    Even though the tiger''s paw was removed, the spear was still lodged into the boulder, covered in blood, skin, and flesh.


    The tiger exclaimed loudly in pain, but didn''t stop its relentless pursuit. However, it was now limping slightly after each lunge.


    Tyr continued to move forward, sprinting around all of the boulders.


    ''One hand down... this might be enough to slow it down enough to where I can Hypnotize it without worry, but I''d like to be more cauti--'' At that moment, the tiger landed 15 feet in front of him.


    Tyr stopped on the spot, using his spear to push himself backward slightly.


    ''Damn it! I shouldn''t ignore the intelligence of this beast. It''s going to be unpredictable.''


    At that moment the tiger lunged to the left--bouncing off of a boulder and straight toward Tyr with its left paw ready to slash.


    Tyr sharply inhaled, blocking himself with the spear as he turned his head to the side.


    He imagined himself blitzing 10 feet away behind another boulder: ''Blink Step!'' He urgently exclaimed.


    [Blink Step is still on cooldown...]


    ''Fuck...''

 Chapter 21 - 21: White Crimson Hunt (6) First Pet

    The tiger''s claw landed heavily, gashing across Tyr''s torso and stomach.


    [Vitality: 17/21-->3]


    The instant pain from this was excruciating. It was levels beyond what Tyr had ever experienced before, obliterating through even his pain-removing adrenaline.


    Blood splattered across the ground below him as the tiger pushed him down onto his back--holding both of his limbs down.


    Blood bubbled out from his mouth. The slash from before revealed some of his ribcage--scraping off a several large chunks of meat.


    Along with that, the lowest claw narrowly avoided puncturing Tyr''s organs--leaving only one layer of flesh between the outside world and his inner guts.


    Hanzo sprinted over, moving around the boulders and finally laying his eyes on Tyr.


    ''Shit! I should have assisted more!'' He exclaimed, pulling his bowstring back fiercely as a wave of killing intent burst out of him.


    "STOP!" Tyr screamed, his eyes bloodshot and his face covered. His breathing was racked, mucus and blood getting in the way.


    Hanzo lowered his bow, clenching his jaw in frustration.


    "Damn it... I''m trusting you, Tyr. Don''t die!" He said, his pupils dancing with genuine concern. Even though he hadn''t known the boy long, he still liked him--despite their arguments.


    He almost began to become a little brother of sorts, reminding Hanzo of someone he once knew...


    The tiger opened its maw, preparing to bite Tyr''s head off like a grape.


    ''Hypnosis!'' Tyr finally found his opportunity. Despite the mental and physical trauma, excruciating pain, and devastating exhaustion radiating through his body right now--he knew that this was his only chance. He wasn''t going to fuck it up...


    The beast''s retina enveloped in a hazy blue color.


    "Lay on your stomach and calm down..." Tyr uttered in a low tone, feeling his consciousness slowly slip through his fingers.


    Tyr knew that one of the ways he could tame a beast was by having it be in a calm state. For now, this was his only option.


    The other two options were to have the beast subdued or in a heavily injured state, both of which obviously weren''t feasible right now.


    The tiger stopped what it was doing at once, laying on its stomach atop Tyr.


    ''It''s way stronger than me, so I have less time with Hypnosis. Approximately 3 seconds. I can''t afford to mess up.''


    Hanzo squinted his eyes, trying to understand what was happening in front of his eyes.


    ''Am... I seeing this correctly?'' He mused with bewilderment.


    Tyr slowly raised his shaking hand, placing his palm on the white chest of the beast as he felt its loud heartbeat. It was thunderous, like a drum; and powerful enough to make Tyr''s body tremble slightly each time it pounded.


    Tyr closed his eyes, concentrating deeply on the task at hand.


    ''Match its heartbeat with mine.'' He took a couple of seconds to do this. Despite time running short, he didn''t allow himself to panic. Right now, he needed to be calm more than anything else.


    This was his only chance. If he were to mess up, he couldn''t save himself with Blink Step either as his Stamina was below 5. Taking on such a big blow demolished his endurance capabilities.


    He calmed his breathing, his heart finally matching in rhythm to the tiger.


    "Soul Marking. Become my pet..." Tyr declared, angry, frustrated, writhing in pain, but also enthralled.


    He felt a sapping of energy from deep within his core. This was the spell taking his life energy. His entire body nearly went limp for a fraction of a second, but he gritted his teeth and stayed in his current position.


    For a moment, there was a delay; the tiger attempting to fight back against Tyr''s taming.


    However, for some reason, it didn''t fight for long. This may have been because of Tyr''s immense determination to get it as a pet, or perhaps something else... Tyr was too busy to think about that right now.


    A fragment of both his and the tiger''s souls connected as soon as the beast gave way--releasing a bright white light between their chests.


    Hanzo was almost mesmerized as he saw this. ''I''ve never seen a beast calm down so fast and so willingly... just who is this crazy caveman?''


    After this, a mark was sealed and inscribed onto both of their souls that resembled a pentagram of sorts.


    With that, the blue haze over the tiger''s eyes disappeared.


    [Stamina: 2/25]


    Tyr''s arm dropped to the floor like a ragdoll''s limb, his breathing coarse and weak.


    [Congratulations! You have successfully tamed a Polaris Tiger through Soul Marking.]


    [Description: A powerful beast at the peak of Apex Rank. Its ivory-white fur stands as a declaration of war to its biome; violating its natural law of camouflage in exchange for raw strength, speed, and power. Its abilities make it a feared opponent in any obstacle, often allowing it to become a fierce ruler in most environments it happens to spawn in.]


    [Congratulations! You have learned two new Sub-Spells under Soul Marking: Soul Communication, Soul Mend]


    [Soul Communication Description: Ability to speak to your pet through mental dialogue.]


    [Soul Mend Description: Ability to access the ability of any one of your pets for a temporary amount of time.]


    [Current Soul Mend time limit: 30 seconds.]


    [Cool down: 10 Minutes.]


    [Current viable specimens: Polaris Tiger (Immense strength, durability, and speed.]


    [Congratulations! You have learned a new ability: Pet Status]


    [Pet Status Description: Ability to check the status menu of your pets, including all of their stats.]


    [Sub-spell: Pet Status comes with the sub-spell: [Scan.]


    [Description: Ability to check the status menus of most other living beings.]


    [Spell Criteria: Any subject to Scan must be within the estimated level cap depending on your own level. If they are too powerful, Scan can not process their status. Additionally, Scan can not survey one''s stats.]


    [Please name your new pet to complete the taming process and multiply its power under the God Grimoire.]


    Tyr smiled through his bloody teeth, "Ha...ha... I did it." He gazed deeply into the eyes of his new monstrous pet: "Your name..."


    "Will be..."


    "Rudra."


    ***


    (Author note:


    "Rudra" translation: "The Roarer." - Google.


    Origin: Hinduism. Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Rudra Meaning: Mightiest of the mighty, who eradicates problems from their roots.)

 Chapter 22 - 22: Here I Come, Humanity!

    As soon as Tyr uttered that name, Rudra, the seal on both his and the tiger''s soul finally cooled down. It was still red hot seconds ago, like heated iron. But now, it sizzled down to become a solid black symbol.


    With that, he completed the taming process and passed out. He had used the rest of the strength in his body to name Rudra.


    Hanzo rared his bow, his brows furrowed as he slowly inched closer to Rudra and Tyr.


    Rudra was currently staring at Tyr, his eyebrows curled inwards as though worried.


    As Hanzo got 10 feet away, the beast abruptly stood and jumped in front of Tyr, acting as a guard as he released a ferocious growl targeted towards the approaching human.


    Hanzo stopped in his tracks.


    "Looks like he did tame you after all..." Hanzo said out loud, Rudra staring at him with his ferocious gray eyes.


    Hanzo lowered his bow, "I am Hanzo Elec. For now, I see your master as a friend. He''s hurt... I know you''re worried, so let me treat him."


    Rudra hesitated for a moment but eventually moved to the side slowly. Despite being tamed, he was still a powerful, majestic creature of immense size and strength. His actions were scary, whether peaceful or violent.


    Hanzo put his bow away, turning it into a ring, before kneeling down next to Tyr.


    Taking off the Charwolf hide, he saw the deep marks on the boy''s chest and stomach.


    ''It''s far worse than I thought...'' He looked at his thumb finger, which had one of his 5 rings. It was a ring with a green crystal engraved into it.


    ''Hmm... fine. The kid just barely got his first foot in the world. I won''t let him go so fast.''


    He took the ring off, and as he did, it transformed into a cloud of green Aura. The gas summoned various separate healing and medical artifacts such as bandages, stitches, tonics, scalpels, forceps, surgical scissors, and more that all began to revolve in the air in a circular motion in front of Hanzo''s face.


    Hanzo fixed his monocle, stretching his gloves before getting to work...


    ***


    When Tyr awoke, he felt a cool breeze brush past his entire body--giving him a feeling of bliss for a moment.


    It also passed through his balls.


    ''Damn...'' He mused, ''I''m naked again.'' This could only mean one thing, right?


    Tyr bit the bottom of his lip, trying to hold in his emotions to not break down into tears.


    ''I must have used Disappear... just when I tamed my first beast too--''


    He stopped his train of thought as whatever he was riding on experienced a light bump in the road--pushing his stomach up and giving him a short burst of stabbing pain.


    "Ghh!" He exclaimed, raising his head and looking down. As he did this, he noticed that he was still in the same body.


    He also noticed what he was riding on--white fur with black stripes.


    His face lit up, his eyes staring up into the forest canopy above him: "I''m still here! Hahah---ack!" He exclaimed with excitement, but nearly broke some stitches at the end so he had to calm down.


    Tyr was lying on Rudra, who was calmly jogging through the forest to not cause Tyr any pain--an order by Hanzo. Although he was lightly running, he was still traveling at a quick pace. Over 40 miles per hour.


    Hanzo was in front, riding on a small vehicle that resembled a jetski, except it was riding in the air and not on water. It looked similar to his bow, made of white metal and light-blue stained glass.


    On hearing Tyr''s sudden words, he turned his head. "You''re awake? Don''t move right now. I didn''t patch you up so you could go rip yourself open again so quick."


    After a short pause, he said, "And... sorry for the naked situation. I don''t carry extra clothing with me, nor did I have time to fasten a leaf skirt."


    After saying this, Hanzo suddenly heard the word:


    "Why."


    He was slightly taken aback for a second, not expecting to be questioned on that.


    "Well, let''s just say that doing surgery on you took longer than expected. Your body''s weird..." He paused.


    Tyr squinted his eyes, ''Weird huh... I mean, it definitely isn''t normal.'' He looked at his ripped arms.


    "Anyways, I was supposed to come back by nightfall but I totally forgot. At this rate..." Hanzo''s face turned a bit grim, as though he was thinking of some devastating news.


    "At this rate what? Why did you need to come back before nightfall?"


    "Well... I made a bet that I could hunt the Polaris Tiger, or White Crimson in one day. Tracking it down and killing it: all a part of the deal. But with you randomly joining in, I forgot all about it." He looked up, checking the position of the sun.


    "I lost..." Tears began streaming down his face.


    "A bet to take down this beast by yourself huh? I barely managed to tame it... how strong are you that you were confident you could solo hunt it?" Tyr questioned.


    ''There''s a part of him that seems powerful... but at the same time, his image looks weak.'' Tyr thought to himself, genuinely curious. ''It''s probably a strong world out there if a random person like him is so strong... S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    a place where people hunt beasts like Rudra as if it''s nothing.'' Many thoughts and imaginations began to sprout up in his head, his eyes glowing slightly, ''I would want to go there someday.''


    Hanzo stopped crying as he heard this question, a small smirk forming on his face.


    "Kid, they don''t call me Drance''s strongest Squad Captain for no reason." He said with a prideful tone.


    "What? That sounds like a load of bull. You''re like 5 feet tall... how could you be the strongest?" Tyr exclaimed, picking a booger.


    Hanzo''s face immediately contorted into anger: "What did you just say!? Take that back, you naked caveman freak!"


    "Huh!?" Tyr retorted, "I''m not the one wearing dress clothing and a monocle in the middle of a forest beast hunt!"


    ***


    Eventually, they arrived at Tyr''s base on his directions.


    "The health capsule I gave you this time is a B grade. It''s far superior to the D grade one I gave you last time. It should have kicked in by now." Hanzo exclaimed as Tyr hopped off of Rudra''s back.


    Although there was a slight amount of pain, he was in much better shape than even just a couple hours ago.


    Tyr put on a set of spare hide attire, at which moment Hanzo revved his jetski-like vehicle.


    "Come on, don''t slow me down," Hanzo said with a serious expression.


    "Huh?" Tyr looked up at him, "What do you mean?"


    Hanzo shook his head, "You want to come, right? Don''t tell me you asked me all those questions just for fun... You want to explore the human world, do you not?"


    Tyr paused, feeling a bud of excitement swell up within him as a slight smile formed on his face.


    "Y-yeah! Let''s go!" He got atop of Rudra again.


    Hanzo grinned, spinning his vehicle around before zooming away into the forest.


    Tyr looked down, patting the side of the tiger''s neck: "Let''s go, Rudra!" He said, already feeling as though he had a tight emotional bond with the beast.


    ''Yes, master!'' A deep yet eager voice replied to Tyr from within his head, slightly scaring him. Rudra leaped forward, rapidly bouncing through the forest and quickly catching up to Hanzo.


    "That''s right, I forgot you could reply." Tyr chuckled, turning his head past his shoulder as he looked at his base again. He couldn''t help but feel a touch of sadness whilst looking at his home for the past two months, but the overwhelming excitement of entering a human city again after so long far outdid that.


    He had many hopes, aspirations, and desires for this place, and several times as many questions.


    "Let''s speed it up!" Hanzo revved his engine again, "We might still be able to make it if we rush!" He zoomed forward.


    Tyr grinned, patting Rudra''s neck as the beast accelerated forward as well--lunging through vines and around trees, overtaking Hanzo in an instant.


    ''Here I come, humanity!''

 Chapter 23 - 23: Excuse

    A couple hours passed. Tyr and Hanzo had made their way around the large and steep mountain that Tyr used to live beside.


    After getting around and on top of it, the path was smooth sailing.


    The hill on the other side slowly inclined down. It was an even thinner forest than the one on the other side--the one Tyr was used to.


    The trees and shrubbery became more and more scarce as they finally opened up into what looked like flat plains.


    The grass was medium length, the trees rare, and the ground smooth.


    Every now and again, you would see packs of Giradeer grazing on the grass.


    ''So this is their natural habitat...'' Tyr mused as he saw all of this, mesmerized. His question of where Giradeer thrived was finally answered.


    He also saw large, powerful-looking horses roam about as well, along with slimes, antlered sheep, bunny-eared cows, and a few more creatures that weren''t very threatening.


    Sometimes, he would see a couple Earth Wolves attack some Giradeer and whatnot. However, Rudra moved too fast to be able to really observe anything too closely.


    Tyr was currently looking at Rudra''s status menu.


    ©³©¥©¥©¥Status©¥©¥©¥©· S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Name: Rudra


    Bloodline: None


    Age: 45 Years


    Power Level: 130


    Vitality: 55/55


    Strength: 67


    Stamina: 52/52


    Speed: 62


    Aura: 50


    [Stats remaining: 0


    Rank: Apex


    ©»©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¿


    ''Power Level as opposed to just Level huh? I guess it makes sense. I mean, it''s not like Rudra can level up like me. Instead, it''s an estimated level of strength.'' He took a good glance at all of the stats.


    ''Yeah... he''s on another level compared to me. His stats are more than double mine. On top of that, I haven''t even leveled up Aura... If I had, my stats would pale in comparison to Rudra''s more than they already are.''


    Tyr put away this status menu, noticing Hanzo who was riding in front of him.


    ''Hmm... with my new Scan Sub-spell, I can scan any other being as well right? Let''s see just how powerful he is.''


    [Error!]


    [This subject''s power level exceeds 5x of your current strength.]


    [Scan is unable to check their status.]


    ''Huh?'' Tyr eyes expanded, dancing slightly with surprise followed by awe.


    ''The strongest squad captain for a reason I guess. However, that means...'' Tyr looked down at the tiger below him.


    ''He could have slain Rudra without having to put in much effort... why did he let me tame it?'' Now that he thought about it, he hadn''t really asked Hanzo about that ever since he fell unconscious.


    "Hey," Tyr exclaimed, causing Hanzo to reply instantly: "What!"


    "How come you let me tame this thing. Wasn''t your mission to hunt it before sundown? Even if we got to Drance before then, wouldn''t you lose out on your bet?"


    Hanzo paused for a moment before replying, chuckling slightly as he spoke, "Nah... killed, tamed, what''s the difference? It won''t slaughter any more Hunters and kill a shit ton of good hunting practices around the weak part of Gitran, right? That was the goal from the start. And plus, if I don''t have to put in any work, why would I? I''m not particularly fond of being in combat.


    Unfortunately for me, I''m genetically blessed in the subject." Hanzo spoke in a joking manner.


    "I see..." Tyr replied. ''Even though he''s naturally gifted at it, he doesn''t like to fight?'' Tyr couldn''t find himself relating to this, ''I don''t know what exactly it is... but fighting always excites something deep within me. I find it exhilarating.''


    They both didn''t say a word for 20 seconds or so and then Hanzo suddenly spoke:


    "You know, from what I''ve seen, you are pretty talented as well. I can see from the way you move and your spear technique that you haven''t learned any actual fighting styles before. I''m curious, what were you doing out there in the forest anyway? Did ya'' parents drop you off there when you were a baby or something?"


    Tyr paused, not knowing how to answer this for a second. He was pretty happy to hear that he had some talent though.


    ''Damn it... I really haven''t thought of an excuse. I didn''t think I''d need to, since I didn''t think humans existed on this planet in the first place! What should I tell him? Should I go with his story? No, that will be way too obvious.''


    He began to stress slightly, his face showing this emotion for a millisecond.


    ''I can''t just say I wanted to go out there, right?'' He was still confused.


    Hanzo saw his expression and retorted: "Did you not like the comment I made about your parents? Don''t worry, they aren''t around in my life either. Not anymore, at least." He smiled.


    "Oh! No! That wasn''t what I meant." Tyr exclaimed, not even thinking about his parents. He wasn''t used to thinking about them. After all, it was hard to miss something you never had...


    "If you don''t want to tell me," Hanzo turned and faced forward, "You don''t have to until you want to. I''m sure you have a good enough reason why. Plus... I don''t really care enough to poke at matters that I''m not involved in."


    Tyr felt a wave of relief wash over him. He was grateful. ''I''ve never met a person so chill...'' He mused inwardly.


    "What about you? What happened between you and your family..." Tyr questioned, feeling as though it was an appropriate thing to ask right now.


    "Ahh... nothing too special. I''m not the main character of a novel or anything. Hahaha!" Hanzo burst out into hearty laughter before continuing, "Dad was abusive and left early, and my mom was a prostitute who died because I couldn''t get her a cheap ol'' medicine. I also had a little brother, but he got kidnapped a long time ago.


    So far back that I can''t even remember what he looked like anymore!" Hanzo was smiling as he said this, as though he didn''t take it to heart at all.


    Tyr, however, was taken aback: ''Nothing special he says? That''s a crazy story If I''ve ever heard one...'' He couldn''t help but feel empathetic. ''Even though he tries to hide it, there''s no way it doesn''t affect him deep inside even a little bit. But, I shouldn''t pry much either..''


    With that, they began to talk about other things that Tyr was interested in, like how Item Grades and Power Ranking worked, and various other topics like that.


    Before he knew it, they arrived at a city gate...


    ***


    Author Note: Yo! I''ve just started my character creation. So far, Tyr, Hanzo, and Rudra have been added. Make sure to vote for whoever you like the most, or all three (:

 Chapter 24 - 24: Power Rankings

    20 minutes before...


    "You talked about the Grade of the Health Capsule you gave me right? I want to know more about that. What are the different Grades?" Tyr asked, curious about this as it was a foreign concept to him.


    Still, he wanted to get more powerful, and knowledge was power. Especially when it came to seemingly important things like this.


    ''I wanna get strong to unlock more of those memories and live a decent life... but also just for the hell of it. I''m in a world with a fantastical, magical Aura element. After all those years living a boring, shit hole of life, why the hell shouldn''t I try to get as powerful as possible?''


    It might have been a man''s natural instinct to conquer and prevail, or maybe something else. Tyr didn''t have a clue, but he didn''t care either. Getting stronger was just satisfying!


    "Grades huh? Well, just know that everything has a letter grade. Every item, at least. Weapons, armor, health items, etc. It goes from F, being the most basic and run-of-the-mill thing, to D, C, B, A, A+, and S--around these parts. Of course, there''s also the SS and even the SSS+ Grades, but you only see those in the inner city and in the greater empires.


    Our Seris Dynasty isn''t so prosperous compared to those like the Zasea Kingdom and Rock Saelfine Empire."


    "I see... is A the only one with an A+ Grade in front of it?"


    "Yep. That''s just how it goes. At least on this continent. Subworld is big... way too big to say anything for sure. Still, you shouldn''t underestimate the difference between A and A+.


    It''s the same as the other grades."


    "Hmm... I''ve also heard about Beast Rankings before. Do they work in the same way?"


    "They sure do. Except, they got fancier names is all. And, they correlate to the beast''s threat level too. Beast Rankings and Human Rankings are different for this reason. Anyways, from the weakest to the strongest, the beast one goes like this: Basic, Pure, Wild, Apex. These four are the beginner options, let''s just say.


    After them come the big boys. These are not only on a whole separate level of power, but they increase in terms of growth after each Rank as well. Sentinel, Warden, Berserk, Vanguard, and finally... Titan. But, then again, you probably won''t have to worry about most of those, since whatever city you''re in when you come across them will most likely get demolished and so will you along with it.


    Who cares what Rank they are when you aren''t even alive, pahaha!"


    Hanzo was so nonchalant about it, but Tyr was a bit scared hearing all this horrifying shit.


    ''Strong enough to demolish a city!? Damn... those beings are probably in the thousands of Power Levels if I were to Scan their status''... I haven''t even turned into a sapling from a bud in comparison to them, who are already large oaks!''


    "You said that only the Beast Rankings stand for a beast''s threat level right? What about Human Rankings? If they exist, what are they, and what do they signify? Strength?" Tyr asked, more and more questions appearing in his head as they continued.


    "Not exactly... Human Rankings aren''t based purely on strength though, but rather on growth. Human rankings are a bit different from the beast ones. They also correlate perfectly to the Hunter Ranks--which are the C, B, and A shit I told you about a second ago."


    ''I see... so Hunter Ranks are just like Item Ranks. I should remember to differentiate Hunter Ranks from normal Human Ranks.''


    "From weakest to strongest, they go like this: Initiate, Novice, Apprentice, Adept, Expert, Virtuoso, Grandmaster, Sage, Paragon. Each one signifies growth from one stage in adapting and strengthening your Ancestral Ability to another..." Hanzo seemed tired at this point, almost wanting to yawn.


    "Ancestral Ability?" Tyr quipped, intrigued by this new word.


    "Oh God..." Hanzo exclaimed, ''I shouldn''t have even mentioned that to him.''


    "What''s that?"


    "You will learn on your own."


    "No! I want to know right now! Give me a heads up."


    "Nah..."


    "Come on! It sounds important."


    "That''s cuz'' it is."


    "Then tell me!"


    "Tsk! Fine! But I won''t go into much detail. It''s complicated, to say the least. Pretty much... 40% of those in the Subworld receive a random ability conceived from a chosen time through all of their ancestries when they unlock their Aura Core.


    It''s different for everyone, not just the Ancestral Ability, but also their Aura Core. You can grow stronger in this ability by strengthening said Aura Core... but that takes a lot of resources and time. You will figure it out on your own in the future."


    Tyr was pleasantly surprised by all of this, "I see... what''s your Ancestral Ability?" Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Elite Bowmanship paired with Mother Gaia''s Touch. Or in other words, I can shoot good and my chances of healing another person are increased by over 500%..."


    Tyr was blown away by this, "That''s powerful! And you can have two of these at the same time? That''s a bit too strong, isn''t it? I wonder what my Ancestral Ability would be."


    "I''m surprised you don''t already have it. Usually, the lucky 40% unlock their Aura Core at 5 years of age, at which point they also receive their Ancestral Ability. You can''t harness Aura and use it to actually wield your Ancestral Ability without an Aura Core since the Aura has nowhere to pass through in your body. So, an Aura Core is needed.


    I mean, you can still control it temporarily to do some household chores or whatever... but that isn''t nearly as effective or strong as actually absorbing it."


    Hanzo turned, noticing Tyr''s excited dome. He sighed, "Look... there''s a lot you will need to figure out. For now, just try to not get killed inside the city."


    Hanzo looked forward. Tyr did the same, noticing large stone pillars in the distance.


    He was so distracted in the conversation that he hadn''t even seen the city walls approach.


    They weren''t exactly walls though. Stone pillars reaching over 100 feet in height were placed about 50 feet away from each other. In between them was an invisible glass-like barrier that you could see through.


    Looking up above the city, right below the clouds, there was a giant transparent green diamond-looking thing rotating in the air.


    "The sign of civilization. We''ve arrived." Hanzo smiled

 Chapter 25 - 25: Drance City

    A few dozen feet in front of them was the entrance gate. It was fairly large, about 20 feet tall and 10 feet wide.


    Outside of it, there looked to be some guards holding the post. They were checking everyone''s identification who was entering the city.


    The line was long, with close to 20 or so people in it. Some were riding horses, and others had their carriages pulled by the horses instead.


    A few were riding unique beasts, and about half were on foot.


    Tyr also noticed that mostly, everyone seemed to wear medieval-like clothing.


    ''Hmm... from the way Hanzo described Subworld, it''s so vast that the cultures and lands on each new continent are like different planets. It seems like this one is more old-style.'' He didn''t feel any sort of way about this.


    Hanzo got out of his vehicle, turning it back into a ring. He turned, "Oi... get off that thing." He said to Tyr.


    "Rudra?" Tyr said as he hopped off. "Why?"


    "Before we actually get into the line, we shouldn''t get arrested first..."


    Tyr was a bit confused by this, but he decided to listen anyway.


    ''Rudra... enter Infinite Domain.'' Tyr said this as though it was natrual, but it was his first time using the Sub-spell.


    Without hesitation or delay, the tiger answered: ''Yes, master!''


    A purple void opened up underneath the beast, sucking it in instantly before closing up.


    ''Hmm, that''s pretty cool.'' Tyr thought to himself.


    Rudra was transported to a forest-like biome similar to Gitran. With a smile on his face, he sprinted into the jungle and began to hunt.


    Tyr followed Hanzo to the end of the line.


    "Is it illegal to have a pet that''s a predator or something?" Tyr questioned, slightly confused.


    "No, but you are a newcomer here. If those guards have their undies too far up their crack today and feel threatened by anything you do, they can place you under temporary arrest. I''d rather avoid that."


    Tyr snickered slightly on hearing this. S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "How stupid... I should have freedom of expression!"


    Hanzo turned, sizing Tyr up and down with an eyebrow raised, "Freedom of what? Some people don''t even have any freedom at all here."


    "What?"


    "Don''t worry... you''ll see soon enough."


    The line slowly became shorter and shorter. Hanzo kept looking at the sun as it had nearly waned over the horizon by now.


    A line formed behind them as well by this point.


    A robed figure accidentally stepped on the back of Tyr''s foot, causing him to turn around.


    "Oh! My apologies brother. My eyesight isn''t great these days." A rough voice said from underneath the thick, brown robe.


    A few scoffs and mocking laughs came from a couple more robed individuals in the back.


    Tyr squinted his eyes, ''These guys... are they making fun of me or something? I dealt with that too much in my past to let it slide again. If you let one drop through the crack, the ocean will come asking to get in the next day.''


    Tyr nearly turned fully around, but Hanzo placed his hand on his shoulder.


    "Oi! Stop wasting time. Come on, it''s our turn." He said, walking in front.


    Tyr sucked his top teeth in slight annoyance but decided to ignore the few figures for now. However, Tyr did note the black coloration of the long hair sticking out of the robe of the man behind him, along with a black tattoo of a snake on the outside of his palm.


    ''In case I ever meet him again. I probably won''t, but who knows...''


    Tyr turned and followed Hanzo to where the guards were.


    They were both middle-aged men with slight beer bellies. One had a liquor stain running down his chest and iron armor.


    Both of them held long iron spears, one--the bearded guy--walking forward as he said: "A price of 25 coppers to get in!" He spoke in a drunken voice.


    There was a slight pause where Hanzo didn''t say anything.


    Tyr thought something was wrong. He felt the awkwardness in the air as the guard stopped moping around and actually scanned the face of who he was talking to.


    Tyr saw the guard''s eyes widen and his mind quickly sober up. His expression grew near horrified in a fraction of a second.


    *SLAP*


    The guard''s head slammed onto the floor, bouncing off of it like a bowling ball.


    A few in the line behind them gasped in astonishment.


    Tyr furrowed his brows, ''What the fuck!?'' He said inwardly.


    He then saw Hanzo clenching his jaw: "I keep telling you to stop drinking on the job. Beasts will inevitably attack sooner or later. I don''t even know why they put you slobs on such an important job."


    Hanzo walked forward, stepping over the now unconscious bearded guard.


    Tyr paused for a second before tip-toeing across the man as well.


    The second guard quickly ran to Hanzo: "I apologize deeply for this inconvenience! I-I--"


    "Shut up," Hanzo exclaimed, leaving the guard panting in distress as he walked past him.


    After the two of them entered the city gates, Tyr walked up to Hanzo and hurriedly asked: "What the hell was that? Why did you get so mad all of a sudden?"


    "I just wanted to teach them a lesson. They are stubborn learners..."


    "You weren''t mad? I would argue against that."


    "I slapped him so that they would ignore you, you fool. You think they would just let some random hobo into this city through the front gates without any background information checks?"


    "Ahhh... now that makes sense."


    It didn''t take them long to enter the main streets of Drance. The place was packed, to say the least.


    It was teeming with life, bustling with people and activity at every corner.


    The streets buzzed with energy, shop vendors shouting their sales pitches, and the rich aroma of food mingled with the smoky scent of coal wafting through the air.


    Children darted past Tyr''s legs, their laughter ringing out as they narrowly avoided tripping him.


    Dozens of people moved alongside and against him, a sea of bodies flowing through the streets. Carts and carriages, each pulled by various unique beasts, added to the vibrant chaos.


    The landscape was far different from anything Tyr was used to or had imagined. The houses bore a resemblance to medieval structures but with an otherworldly twist.


    Many were crafted from intricately carved stone, while others featured unusual, rounded shapes that seemed to defy traditional architectural norms.


    Triangular roofs with ornate carvings were common, yet some buildings stood out with their unique, cylindrical designs and sloping, curved roofs.


    The juxtaposition of familiar medieval elements and fantastical, alien architecture created a visually stunning and surreal environment.


    As they delved deeper into the heart of Drance, the scene grew even more intense.


    The real bustling streets were a cove of tightly packed buildings on the sides of a spacious street, with taverns, brothels, street shops, and food stations crammed together in a chaotic yet captivating jumble.


    The cacophony of voices, clattering dishes, and the occasional burst of laughter created a symphony of urban life that was both overwhelming and exhilarating.


    Out of nowhere, Hanzo stopped. Tyr had been looking around in surprise and didn''t notice, so he bumped into him.


    "Oh, my bad." He backed up, "Why''d you stop?"


    Hanzo turned, "I need to go. Ask some questions and head to the Hunter''s Guild. I''m sure you can make it there without getting fucked over. You don''t look too gullible. And worst case scenario, at least you will get some character development."


    "Huh?"


    "It''s called Skyfall Hunter''s Guild. It''s a bar, tavern, and hotel all in one. I''ll get in contact with you again when... the times are right I guess."


    "What the fuck? What does that mean?" Before Tyr could get a grasp on what Hanzo was trying to say, he dashed up onto a random roof and disappeared into the distance.


    And so, Tyr was left alone in the middle of this crazy city.

 Chapter 26 - 26: Seems Legit...

    "What... the hell is wrong with that guy? Skyfall Hunter Guild, that''s what he said right?" Tyr noticed an old man walking in his direction amongst the crowd.


    He walked toward him: "Hey, do you know where--" He suddenly got slammed in the face with the old man''s cane. "Ack!"


    "Watch where yer'' goin, brat!" The elder exclaimed rudely and moved on.


    Tyr turned toward the old man with an enraged expression: ''Bastard geezer! I''d kill you if you weren''t so old!''


    He turned, panting slightly as he made sure his nose wasn''t cracked. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Instead of asking random people who clearly seemed like they had things to do, he decided to go around and ask all the street vendors and shop owners who weren''t going anywhere.


    At first, all he got was people trying to kick him away from thier store.


    "Get the hell outta'' here you homeless street rat!"


    "Shoo! My broom will be your greatest nightmare tonight if you don''t scram! Go!"


    "Take a shower!"


    "Stop scaring away the customers!"


    Soon enough, Tyr realized that he needed to look more professional. Sure, he could have just used Hypnosis to get the answer, but there wasn''t really a point to it now that he understood that his appearance was so bad. He had worn animal hide and let his hair grow without taking care of it for so long that he forgot he had to do all that.


    Instead of just using Hypnosis and making his way to the Hunting Guild, probably just to be kicked out again, he decided to kill two birds with one stone and fix his look up. This way, he would get directions and look presentable.


    He found a decent-looking clothing store--one that was a walk-in place and not a random street vendor.


    Upon entering, a fat woman immediately addressed him.


    "AHHH! A CRIMINAL SLUG! SOMEONE HELP!!" She screamed at the top of her lungs.


    Tyr was baffled, "W-what the fuck is wrong with this planet!?"


    "HE''S SUICIDAL TOO!" The woman screamed after hearing those words.


    "Wha--no! Wait, I want to buy clothing!"


    "HELP--Oh?" The woman suddenly exclaimed, pausing.


    Tyr breathed a sigh of relief.


    "I won''t sell anything to a homeless street dweller. Get out of my store." The lady said with a straight face.


    "Just hear me out! Look... I have these~~!" Tyr exclaimed, pulling out a large hide bag and grabbing a handful of gray Beast Cores. He spoke enthusiastically and persuasively, like showing a new toy to a dog or a child.


    He had hundreds of them after hunting for so long. To get specific, he had 556 gray Beast Cores, 25 green ones, and 1 red one from the Charwolf.


    The lady looked at them for a second, and then donned an unimpressed look, "Why would I care for a bunch of Beast Cores! At least go sell them and get enough money to buy some decent clothing, you hoodlum! Get out!"


    Before Tyr knew it, he was outside of the store.


    "Sell them huh? Hmm... well, I was kicked away when I tried to ask them a question. But if I come to them wanting to sell them some stuff, they might have a different reaction." He hoped, walking across the street to a weapons and armor dealer.


    It was a sketchy-looking street cart-shop to the left of a prosperous-looking bar and right next to a dark alleyway, but the guy behind the counter did have some cool-looking stuff hung on the back wall.


    He also sold beast materials and things, which Tyr imagined were for Alchemy and whatnot.


    As Tyr approached, the man inhaled 2 lungs full of breath to scream at him to go away.


    However, Tyr quickly pulled out his Beast Cores before the man could explode.


    "Wait! I want to sell stuff! Rare Beast orbs!"


    "Ya'' mean Beast Cores!?" The rowdy-looking middle-aged man behind the counter with a grizzly beard and dirty apron shouted back at him.


    "Yeah! Yeah... Beast Cores."


    "Hand em'' over, brat. Let me see what you got."


    As Tyr neared the counter, he noticed that he got some looks from some people every now and again. After glancing at them, they laughed for some reason every time while conversing amongst themselves.


    It confused Tyr a bit, but none of that mattered right now. He was on a mission.


    "Alright... here''s my selling checkbook. You can check all the buying and selling prices here to prove that I don''t scam people." The shop owner exclaimed, taking a piece of paper that was plastered on the back of the store and placing it on the counter for Tyr to see.


    Tyr really had no clue about pricing. But, it seemed pretty legit.


    ''One D-Grade Beast Core for 10 copper.''


    ''One C-Grade Beast Core for 100 copper.''


    ''One B-Grade Beast Core for 10 silver.''


    ''I wouldn''t sell my highest one since I only have one of those. But even with what I have now, that would be 5560 copper with just the D-Grade Beast Cores alone.''


    Tyr did some math, and in the end, he sold 500 D-Grade Beast Cores which were the gray ones, and 10 C-Grade Beast Cores--the green ones.


    He got 6000 copper in total in a ring silver ring. The ring came free, and apparently, it could store 5 by 5 feet of storage.


    Tyr made his way back to the other establishment, where he spent a few minutes trying to convince the fat lady to let him buy the clothing.


    "Please! Come on! I have money now!"


    "GET OUT!!!"


    ***


    After 10 minutes of begging, the lady finally listened. Tyr wasn''t letting this go. Not only did he feel his pride on the line, but this was the only store that actually had a decent conversation with him like this.


    "Fine! How much did you get anyway?" The fat lady sighed with exasperation.


    "6000 copper!" Tyr proudly exclaimed, ''Yeah, deny that now you whale!'' He inwardly grinned as he saw the lady''s shocked expression.


    "6000 copper? You mean 60 silver?"


    "W-what?"


    "What do you mean ''what''? And is that what you were blabbering about all this time when you said you had a lot of money? Pfft! You can barely afford a mediocre set of clothing here with that pocket change."


    Tyr felt his heart drop. He then felt a boiling rage swell up within him.


    ''Did I... get scammed?'' He paused, calming down, ''No, maybe this is the right price after all. Even if I was scammed, I was hurrying too much. But I don''t care... who cares if I hurry, that doesn''t mean I should get scammed!''


    He had an entire mental war with himself in the span of a few seconds.


    But then he decided to ask the fat lady: "Hey... what''s the selling price of say, 1 D-Rank Beast Core?"


    The fat lady replied quickly, not paying much attention though as he was tending to other things in the back: "Eh, anywhere from 10 to 20 silver''s."


    Tyr stopped moving entirely. He was about to explode with anger and fury, but he held himself in to ask one more question, "What... what about a C-Rank?" He sounded like a crack addict or something.


    "A C-Rank? That''s around 50 silver to one gold coin."


    A short moment of silence passed... and then hell broke loose: "DAMNNNN YOUU! YOU MOTHERFUCKING SCAMMER!" Tyr screamed at the top of his lungs.

 Chapter 27 - 27: Live On My Feet

    Although incredibly pissed, Tyr picked out some clothing for himself. He couldn''t get much, as the fat lady had already warned him about several times.


    But he didn''t need much either. He got a pair of baggy black trousers made of wool. They were tight at his waist, enlarging in size up until his knees before tightening back down to the middle of his shins.


    That was where the top of his brown leather boots were. They were old and long, but thin and flexible.


    Finally, he could afford a thin brown tunic for his top.


    After trying everything on, he walked up to the counter and placed his storage ring on there.


    The lady looked up and down once more with a disdainful expression before saying: "Leave the ring and go."


    Tyr was slightly taken aback: "L-leave the ring? I know it came free, but 5 by 5 feet spacing is pretty valuable. Plus, this is all the money I have! How am I supposed to get my hair cut? A shower?"


    The lady abruptly chuckled as though she just heard a mediocre joke.


    ''What is this cunt laughing about now?'' Tyr thought in his head, still mad about getting scammed.


    "Boy, who told you that ring had 5 by 5 feet spacing? That''s a one-time-use ring. It''s useless after spending whatever is in it." She stated as if it was an obvious fact.


    Clenched his fists, "Ah fuck it... whatever." He turned and walked out of the store. He slammed the door shut behind him.


    Without hesitation, he stormed over back across the road. Even if he bumped into people, he simply ignored them and continued.


    "Hey! Watch where you''re going!" A few said, annoyed after getting randomly brushed past.


    "Are you serious!?"


    "Youth these days..."


    Tyr didn''t care right now though. As soon as he got to the shop stand, he noticed that it had been closed down.


    There was a long, thin wooden board covering the entire station with a "Closed" lettering written over it.


    Tyr balled his fist up and punched a hole right through it--not caring about the consequences...


    After putting all those stat points into strength, the wood broke open easily.


    "You can''t hide, you greedy fuck! I know you''re still in here! Give me back my cores!" He shouted, tearing the wooden board apart.


    A group of young girls walked past, laughing at him as though they had seen something similar to this many times in the past.


    Tyr turned, "What the fuck are you laughing at!?" He blurted in anger.


    One was pretty, with bright silver hair and deep blue eyes. Her smile also took Tyr aback slightly since it was so bright and genuine.


    The other was as skinny as a skeleton, and another with a face full of hormonal pimples.


    "Ugh! How emotional! Control your anger, weirdo!" The girl with bad skin exclaimed with a disgusted expression as though she just had a good waft of shit go up her nose.


    "Huh? Mind your own business, wart face!" Tyr retorted, ignoring the girls and turning back around.


    The girl''s face went pale for a second, her eyes looking toward her friends who seemed as though they just witnessed a violation.


    "Ouch... are you alright?" The skinny one exclaimed.


    A few heads in the crowd even turned when Tyr yelled this, making the girl shield her face by looking down.


    She obviously felt humiliated. No one had really spoken to her in that manner before.


    The pretty girl turned, taking a glance at Tyr once last time with furrowed brows before quickly turning her head around again.


    Tyr had torn a large enough hole in the man''s closed sign that he could fit through. Without hesitation, that''s exactly what he did.


    "He really isn''t here? What the fuck man..." Tyr felt disappointed but then realized that he could just jack the bastard back for scamming him.


    "He scammed me... I can just say I took my shit back." He rummaged around for anything even semi-valuable looking that he could find.


    Compared to what was there from before, it seemed everything real had been shipped up and loaded away.


    Everything else was just fake imitations. The hide hung on the back of the shop felt as though it was made of plastic despite looking so realistic.


    The weapons were way too light and malleable to be usable, the armor felt like cardboard.


    Tyr almost went super saiyan in that store from all the built-up anger within him.


    ''HOW SCUMMY CAN A MAN BE!?'' He screamed inwardly before calming down and leaving the store.


    However, before he left, he noticed a piece of paper on the counter that had the symbol of a black snake on it.


    "Huh?" He looked closer, noticing it was the same symbol on the hand of the robed guy he had met before.


    "Boss wants a talk. You''ve been fucking off with all that money you''re being given instead of actually running your businesses, right? If you don''t want your head chopped off, come to the meeting place by 10 AM. Make sure to be robed."


    ''Businesses? You mean scamming people?'' Tyr scanned this note several times in his head.


    ''He has a boss huh? I wonder if this scammer and that guy from the line are all working for the same cunt.''


    Tyr felt a hint of excitement generate within him as he thought of getting his revenge on the scammer. He didn''t exactly know how he was going to do it, but the simple fact of it possibly being a reality was enough to make him eager.


    ''Thats right... whats the point of going to a new planet if I let people walk all over my face? My life will just become what it was on Earth... worthless. It won''t matter what planet I travel to, since there''s nowhere in the universe where people aren''t pieces of shits. So, I have to start right now.''


    Although he knew this to be true, he still understood the threatening part of it all. He wasn''t going to carelessly risk his life if he didn''t think it was worth it.


    He exited, taking the note with him: ''I once heard the saying, I would rather die on my feet than live on my knees, but I don''t like either of those ideas. No... I''m gonna live on my feet from now on.''


    For now, he decided to head to the Skyfall Hunter''s Guild. He had spent most of his day wandering around and it was almost 10PM, so he didn''t want to delay much longer.


    This time, his luck in asking people for directions was much better. They couldn''t even see that he was still dirty since it was nighttime, and even dust looked like shadows sometimes. S~ea??h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    After an hour of navigating the winding streets and following various directions, Tyr finally arrived at his destination.


    The large building stood majestically at the heart of the town, perched on a circular plot of land enclosed by a bustling roundabout. Its imposing structure immediately drew the eye.


    The building boasted three distinct rooftops, each one rising higher than the last and tapering to a sharp, spear-like point at the very top.


    These rooftops, with their steep inclines and intricate designs, added an air of grandeur to the structure. Despite its slightly weathered appearance, the building was meticulously maintained, exuding an aura of timeless elegance.


    Above the sturdy front door, a striking symbol captured Tyr''s attention: a gleaming sword piercing through a pair of angel wings.


    Tyr was hungry after not eating for so long, tired since he had been on the move for most of the day, and still in slight pain from his injuries.


    With a big deep breath, he took a step forward...

 Chapter 28 - 28: Skyfall Hunters Guild

    As soon as Tyr stepped inside, he was greeted with a very lively environment.


    To both his left and right, he could see various seats filled with different people.


    They were aged young to about middle-aged, talking and laughing as they enjoyed their drinks and food. Speaking of which, the rich aroma of food items wafted across the entire room, delightfully hooking Tyr.


    The inside was fairly large, close to over 120 feet in size from one side of the floor to the other.


    The tables were spread around about 10 feet apart from each other--some being more inclosed and stuck onto a wall, and others being more open and in the center of the establishment.


    The environment was lively and fun, and the inside had a warm brown hue coloring over it.


    As Tyr stepped inside, he got a few odd glances here and there from some men. They had their large weapons unholstered and placed on the side of their tables.


    Tyr began to walk forward. At the very left of the floor was a large bar area where everyone got their food and drinks.


    Opposite the entrance, however, was a long countertop with 8 workers standing behind it--each one separated by a thin pane of glass.


    There were 8 lines in front of the counters with varying amounts of people, each one separated by a cloth railing.


    ''Looks like a help desk...'' Tyr mused as he walked over there. He surveyed the room as he walked, however.


    To the right was a giant board of posters ranging in size and the tone of their colors. In front of it were dozens of people who looked to be Hunters.


    ''A mission board?'' Tyr thought once more before arriving at a line.


    He waited nonchalantly for a while, thinking of how Hanzo just left him to figure all of this out on his own. On top of that, Tyr still wanted to get to level 50 as soon as possible.


    ''Tsk... It took me weeks and dozens of beasts just to level up once to get to 39. At this rate, It''ll take me months to get to 50! I need a better way...'' He also remembered what Hanzo said about Ancestral Abilities.


    ''That''s right... the main power in this world.'' He looked around once more at the unique faces of people in the building, ''To think that most if not all of these hunters are a part of the 40% who have Ancestral powers is pretty insane.''


    Tyr could only imagine what power he would get, if any.


    ''The spell I''ll get at level 50 is probably going to be my first Aura spell. I think I will unlock my Aura Core then, and if what Hanzo said is right, I should get my Ancestral Ability at the same time...''


    He took a breath. There were a lot of things to think about, but this wasn''t the correct place to plan it all out right now.


    He arrived at the front of the line, where a line of 5 more people had already formed behind him.


    A sparky young lady addressed him, wearing clean white work clothing. She had locks of blonde hair and bright blue eyes. S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Hi! How could I help you today sir?" She said with a bouncy tone.


    Hearing this, Tyr remembered how he had to act happy and put on a smile while greeting customers back on Earth. However, he just stopped doing that after a while. He didn''t have too many shits to give after getting humiliated so many times...


    He had been a victim of constant bullying and embarrassment by random teens and even adults. He never lashed out, however, scared of losing his only job. Well, I guess he did lash out once, didn''t he...


    Tyr replied with a straight face: "I want to be a Hunter."


    Of course, he had already decided this on his way to Drance with Hanzo. Hunters weren''t only strong, but they had exciting lives.


    Although at first Tyr just wanted to live a decent life after coming to this planet, he realized that maximizing his existence was a far better goal.


    And so, doing what excited him most was the path he had changed to now.


    Hunting would allow him much easier access to stronger beasts, allowing him to level up much faster. Especially if he were to last hit some crazy strong beast that a whole squad ganged up on.


    "I see!" The chirpy young lady exclaimed, placing one of her palms on the desk.


    As she did this, a piece of paper materialized out of thin air on the table in front of her and letters began to appear. Tyr was pleasantly surprised, always happy to see the mystical wonders of this new world.


    The letters weren''t just normal but formed from the best of fonts, without any flaw or imbalance.


    ''She isn''t just manipulating the Aura. If she was, generating ink and paper from nothing would be impossible. According to Hanzo, Aura can be used externally to push, pull, grab, and other functions that a physical object can do. However, unless it is harnessed and absorbed through one''s Aura Core, it can not be used to create something from another or use any real elemental powers.''


    He spoke up, wanting to confirm his theory: "That''s your Ancestral Ability, right?"


    "Oh?" The lady said, "Yes!" She smiled. "Hand Of A Writer is my Ancestral Ability. It''s very useful for tasks such as these." She seemed delighted to say.


    ''I see...'' Tyr mused, ''I guess even though she has an Ancestral Ability and is a part of the 40% who can unlock thier Aura Core, she isn''t a Hunter. I mean, what could she do with such a useless Ancestral Ability anyway? It really is like a genetic lottery.''


    Out of nowhere, the young lady laughed as she continued working on the paper with her ability.


    Tyr was slightly taken aback, ''Huh? I didn''t say that out loud did I?'' He questioned for a second.


    "Don''t worry, I know what you''re probably thinking. I too know that my Ancestral Ability isn''t great, but the way you ask that question tells me you don''t know much about the topic. You know, not many out of the 40% able to be blessed with an Aura Core have great Ancestral Abilities."


    She paused, the lettering on the page coming to a halt.


    "So, why do you want to become a hunter?" She started with this question.


    Tyr answered, and as he did, the writing on the page continued to grow. This happened for 10 minutes straight.


    By the end, Tyr was forced to sign a separate piece of paper. Why? Because he didn''t have an Aura Core.


    ''I may not ever get it, but I''m hoping that I do at level 50. She doesn''t know that though. She probably thinks that I just didn''t get my Aura Core whatsoever.'' Tyr thought to himself as he signed the page.


    The young lady said some motivational words to Tyr, "It''s really no problem that you don''t have an Aura Core. Of course, an Ancestral Ability would help greatly, but even without it and with just the help of techniques and whatnot, you can become a great Hunter with practice."


    She was genuine, but Tyr wasn''t really convinced. If he didn''t have his spells from GG, he would be quite useless even with his leveled stats. That was another aspect he had to work on in the future.


    After he signed the paper, the young lady instructed him that his Hunter Test was scheduled for 1 day from now. That meant that he had tomorrow off fully without anything to do.


    He thanked her and after asking a few questions, was given a key to a 1 person bedroom.


    On asking about the payment, the young lady reassured him: "Don''t worry! First night''s on the house!" She said with a big smile.


    Tyr made his way to the right of the bar area, where a flight of stairs led to the upstairs bedrooms.


    He found his room at the end of the hall at the very top of the stairs.


    It was small, as expected. There was a single window looking outward opposite of the door, and a small bed right beside it.


    A table was next to the door, and opposite the end of the bed was another door leading to a fair-sized toilet and bathroom.


    Although Tyr was hungry, he had forgotten about that feeling--more so concerned about how tired he was. Healing from an injury as large as his was extremely taxing on the central nervous system.


    So, without hesitation, he threw his spears toward the table and jumped onto the bed, falling fast asleep. His body melted into the pillow and mattress like it was jello. This was, after all, the first bed experience he had had since coming to Subworld.


    It was bliss... utter bliss...


    Tomorrow, however, he had some grand plans.

 Chapter 29 - 29: Snooping

    Tyr woke up the next morning fairly early. The first thing he did was a 30-minute bodyweight workout the start his day.


    It wasn''t anything crazily exhausting, but just something to get him warmed up for the day.


    The medicine from the day prior seemed to have fully healed his body by now. Tyr imagined GG also had something to do with his quick healing.


    After working out, he took a shower and headed back downstairs. Finally, he looked freshened up and clean.


    Despite living in the forest for so long, his looks weren''t bad thanks to his genetics. He had a chiseled jawline and low-set eyes--like that of a predator. His nose was straight and proportional, while his cheekbones were rigid and bulging out--giving him a very handsome face overall.


    He was pretty good-looking on Earth too--since he had the same genetics as he did right now--but he was more chubby then and also had close to no muscle.


    Tyr had some priorities today that he wanted to accomplish. First of all, he wanted to learn how to actually wield a weapon.


    ''When I was fighting with Rudra back then, Hanzo pinpointed the fact that even though I am strong physically, my technique with the spear is horrible. I wonder just how much more powerful I can get if I learn even a bit about how to use one of those things apart from the simple stabbing and whatnot here and there.''


    This was just something he was going to have to figure out how to learn as he went, however.


    He also had another goal. While walking to the bar area, he pulled out the note that he got from the scammer''s shop.


    ''10 AM it says.'' He looked up at the clock, noticing that it was about 8 AM right now. ''That means I have a couple hours till then.''


    Dropping that thought for a second, he sat on one of the bar seats.


    A single man was working behind the counter. Tyr quickly noticed that the man had his back turned for almost the entire time.


    He was a bit older than middle-aged. From the tightly wrapped stained apron he had on, Tyr could tell that the mad had quite the belly as some of it spilled over.


    Every once in a while he turned, giving a glimpse of his face which looked between a red mix of Italian and Greek back on Earth. He had a large black mustache and a large nose and looked like a trustable figure.


    As he cooked over a dozen dishes at the back all by himself--tending to each one at a time with seemingly great efficiency and experience, a pair of 2 floating arms would work the front desk.


    It would mix several cocktails at the same speed that the man was making the food in the back, serving them to people at the bar table with ease.


    Tyr, of course, found this hella amusing. ''What an absurd power.'' He laughed inwardly, ''Duplicate hands huh? That could actually be quite useful for Hunting. But... it would probably be far more useful in this type of environment.''


    After a minute or so, the hands and the bartender switched places. With the hands working on the food, the bartender addressed those at the table.


    He walked right over to Tyr, "What do ya'' want, brat?" He immediately started off with this. He had a thick Southern American accent with a deep voice.


    "Food," Tyr exclaimed with a straight face.


    There was a short silence.


    ''What a fucking weirdo.'' Both the bartender and Tyr thought to themselves about the other person.


    "Type?" The bartender said, Tyr quickly replying:


    "Medium tits and big ass," Tyr replied again with a straight face.


    "What!? I meant what type of food you moron!" The bartender screamed in irritation, a few people beside Tyr on the bar table chuckling at his joke.


    "Well, give me a menu, you moron! I''m new here, how am I supposed to know what you got in stock!?" Tyr replied, matching the man''s energy.


    The chef sighed, turning around and picking up a random dish before sliding it across the table.


    It dragged to a halt right in front of Tyr. Tyr looked down. Although it smelled decent, the food looked like a heap of brown slop.


    "By the way, I don''t have any money for this," Tyr said on receiving his meal.


    The bartender switched places with his extra pair of hands again as he shouted behind his back: "It''s fine, fresh meat. What you got there ain''t worth a copper in my eyes."


    Tyr smiled slightly on hearing this, chowing down on the meal in front of him. It wasn''t too great, but compared to just plain meat without even a hint of salt that Tyr had been eating for so long, it was like a small taste of modern-day heaven.


    He couldn''t wait to actually taste some real food, but until then, Tyr was happy knowing he could get this for free whenever he wanted.


    After finishing up, he left the guild and headed back to the scammer''s shop.


    It didn''t take him very long to get there, and when he did, he took a right instead and entered the fat lady''s store again.


    When she saw him this time, she wasn''t at all upset.


    "Oh? You''re back?"


    "You aren''t screaming your tits off? That''s something new."


    "Well, you don''t look like a barbarian anymore... in fact, you don''t look too shabby. If I were younger, you would be right up my alley." The fat woman gave a weird smile.


    Tyr''s face turned sour, "Are you trying to flirt with me?" He exclaimed, almost disgusted.


    The fat lady put on a cute expression on her face. Well, she tried at least...


    "Listen, little boy... back then, I had boys lining up by the hundreds to get a taste of heave--"


    "Please! Stop! I''d rather Disappear to another planet than hear the rest of that!" Tyr cried in agony.


    "Oh, fine!" The fat lady said, accepting her defeat, "That''s a weird way of saying you would rather die though." She commented.


    "Anyways, yesterday I saw you had some spare brown cloth lying around. Can I--" Before Tyr could even finish asking his question, the fat lady replied:


    "Yes, take it and go. It''s trash anyways."


    Sure, he could have used Hypnosis to steal the cloth. But it wasn''t like Hypnosis also made the victim forget what they were doing while Hypnotized. If Tyr used Hypnosis, right afterwards the fat lady would have just had him arrested...


    Plus, Tyr also understood from... experiments, let''s just say, that he couldn''t Hypnotize anyone with an Aura Core--since he didn''t have one himself.


    "Perfect," Tyr replied with a smile, picking up a brown cloth and wrapping himself with it before exiting.


    It took him an hour longer of lingering around before he noticed the scammer behind to close his shop down.


    Tyr looked up at a clock at a random store, noticing the time was nearly 10 AM. sea??h th§× Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''Good... he should be heading out for that meeting now.'' Tyr mused, smiling inwardly.


    The scammer left the establishment with a bright ring on his finger that he didn''t have before. He was also wearing a brown robe, similar to that of the individuals Tyr met in the line before entering Drance.


    ''That ring probably has all of his merchandise...''


    Keeping a safe distance, Tyr began to follow behind the man.


    Even though Tyr didn''t know his own full intentions, he felt he needed to see what was going on here. He was going to be safe, but if he could, he was going to get his items back.


    And maybe do some more things if allowed...

 Chapter 30 - 30: Caught

    Tyr followed the man for a mere 10 minutes in the big street before the scammer ducked into an alleyway.


    During these 10 minutes, however, there had been a few times where Tyr was scared that he had been noticed. S~ea??h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The man was looking back behind himself and checking around more times than you would usually expect.


    But then again, when dealing with illegal activities like his, Tyr assumed it could also be normal to be so scared.


    And just to be safe, Tyr had used Blink Step a couple times to blend back into the crowd and enter a random alleyway to not be detected by the scammer.


    As soon as the man entered the alleyway, Tyr used Blink Step to get on top of the rooftop to the left of the alley. He lay down, peering at the scammer from the top.


    The scammer took out a black-looking stone, throwing it on the floor before being engulfed in pitch-black smoke. As the smoke cleared into thin air, the man was nowhere to be seen.


    Tyr''s brows furrowed in confusion as he saw this. He waited for about a minute, and nothing happened.


    Then, he decided to jump down on the spot where the scammer had disappeared.


    Nothing.


    He didn''t feel anything, and neither did anything happen to him.


    ''He just disappeared?'' Tyr was disappointed, ''How long could a meeting take? I can wait...''


    And so, that''s what he did.


    Another 5 minutes passed, which soon turned to 10. 10 turned to 15, and 15 to 20.


    At the 25-minute mark, Tyr noticed a slight spec of black smoke appear in the alleyway from his rooftop hideout.


    His senses quickly sharpened as he focused in on the spot.


    Another cloud of smoke suddenly formed from a small burst, and as it dispersed into the wind, two robed figures appeared.


    ''Two?'' Tyr mused, quickly Scanning both of them.


    The scammer turned out to be a basic guy with normal stats that resembled Tyr''s stats before putting any levels in. His name was Craig Baldwin.


    The other guy, however, made Tyr''s eyes expand in shock.


    ©³©¥©¥©¥Status©¥©¥©¥©·


    Name: Bilweif Snaas


    Age: 48 Years


    Power Level: 75


    Rank: Apprentice


    ©»©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¿


    ''75... that times two is 150, and 150 divided into 5 stats, including Aura, is around 35 into each stat if it''s divided equally. Realistically speaking, he''s much stronger than me. If one or two stats were higher than mine then that would be another story, but an accumulation of so many far surpassing mine is pretty brutal.''


    Observing closer, Tyr noticed that this Bilweif character had a black snake tattoo on his hand.


    ''It looks like the one from the line...'' Tyr mused, ''Hmm... It''s quite the risk to fight him. I do want my items back though. Since that scammer Craig doesn''t seem to have any Aura, I can use Hypnosis on him. But the other guy would still get in the way.''


    Tyr didn''t have much time to think about this, however, as the two were already beginning to exit the alleyway.


    If he was going to fight them, he didn''t want it to be out in the open where he could get in trouble.


    If he was going to make a decision, it was going to have to be quick.


    ''That Bilweif guy seems to have a backing too. I don''t know if the scammer is a part of it but I wouldn''t want a big criminal organization coming after me.''


    Before Tyr could think another word, the two suddenly paused right before leaving the alleyway.


    Out of nowhere, their heads turned in unison and locked onto Tyr.


    Bilweif''s lips stretched across his face in a large grin, and the scammer also smirked.


    ''What!? How did they know I was here?''


    "We meet again it seems, young man!" Bilweif exclaimed, confirming Tyr''s theory that this was the guy from the line. "Next time when spying on people, learn to hide your presence along with covering your physical body up, okay?"


    ''Again, I fall short of hiding my presence. Last time it was with the Charwolf. I''m sure they won''t just let me leave.'' Tyr stood up, not knowing exactly what to do.


    "Oh! Where are you going, little doll?" Bilweif turned, "Come down and play."


    Tyr paused for a short moment. "You know what... fuck it." He jumped down into the alleyway, cracking his neck and fingers as Bilweif''s smile grew even more.


    He had an ugly face with messed up teeth and black gums. Just by his arms, however, Tyr could tell that he had a vascular and developed body.


    ''I haven''t tried Soul Mend yet either. If I''m not too badly mistaken, my power might even be greater than this fools with it activated...''


    Bilweif walked forward, taking off his robe with one movement and throwing it onto the ground.


    His body was indeed ripped. He had thick veins going everywhere and was wearing a white tank top and leather pants.


    Craig chuckled from behind, "Ahaha! You made a mistake, brat! Did ya'' really think you could get your shit back? How about don''t get scammed like a little retard!" His voice sounded more annoying than ever.


    Tyr got more angry as he remembered how he got scammed.


    "You have a lot of hope in life... but you messed with the wrong person today," Bilweif exclaimed as he walked forward calmly.


    "Is that right?" Tyr exclaimed with a strong expression on his face.


    "Kah! Kekehe!" Bilweif let out an almost maniacal laugh, "You clearly don''t know me, so let me inform you!"


    "Wait, Boss!" Craig suddenly shouted, causing Bilweif to turn his head past his shoulder and look at the scammer with a slightly irritated expression.


    "Should you be giving your identity to this brat? What if he--" The scammer was suddenly cut off.


    "There won''t be a ''he'' around after today, don''t you understand, you dimwit!" Bilweif exclaimed, causing Craig to be slightly taken aback. But then, a smile appeared on the scammer''s face.


    Bilweif continued, "I am Bilwef Snaas, the branch leader of the Black Merchant Guild that runs this side of Drance!" He proclaimed arrogantly.


    "Huh? So that means you''re just a weak son of a bitch who got a slight promotion by your daddy right?" Tyr replied, showing how much he cared for the bragging.


    Inwardly, however, he had different thoughts: ''Damn... it seems I''ve messed with something a bit bigger than I could chew. I had a backup plan to run, but my damn presence gave me away. I need to find out how to hide that.''


    Bilweif seemed to get a bit angry, but calmed himself down and forced on a smile while tightly rubbing his fist against his palm: "You... you''re a confident little bud. Too bad I have to end your promising life today."


    "Let''s see about that!" Tyr said, lunging into a sprint. ''Blink Step.'' He said in his head as he got close enough, disappearing from where he was and appearing behind the ugly criminal.


    The jacked bastard''s face went a bit confused for a second on seeing how fast Tyr was.


    Clenching his fist tightly, Tyr hurled it into the Bilweif''s back. There was a thud, like hitting a bamboo trunk, which caused Bilweif to stumble forward slightly.


    However, he turned with an even larger smile stretching across his face.


    Tyr was taken aback, his eyes expanding, ''No damage? Even though he has higher stats, I should be able to do a solid amount of damage with 30 points in strength. Unless... he''s focused on having more health throughout his life!'' He hadn''t taken this quite into consideration, but it was a bit too late for that.


    Bilweif turned his entire body around with his hip, using that momentum to throw a blistering blow right into Tyr''s stomach.


    The punch landed, digging deep as it forced all the air out of Tyr''s lungs and sent him flying several feet across the alleyway before landing on the floor.


    "Hahaha!" Craig laughed, Tyr mere feet in front of him on the ground.


    "Do you understand now, little doll? You--" Bilweif attempted to say, but Tyr wasn''t having any of it.


    "Shut the fuck up!" Tyr shouted, still in pain, ''I should have just used it from the beginning.'' He rose to his feet, staring forward with a serious look on his face as he said in his head, ''Soul Mend.''

 Chapter 31 - 31: Soul Mend: Polaris Tiger

    [Stamina: 25/25-->15/25]


    Tyr immediately felt a surge of power travel up from his legs through his entire body, ramping up every cell it passed like a fast-acting steroid.


    His mind became a bit hazy out of nowhere, but his senses such as smell, sight, and hearing boosted immensely.


    He took on a rabid stance, bending slightly at the knees as his mouth opened a bit--revealing his canines which grew to double the length of normal.


    Three white stripes appeared on top of his nose, his pupils shifting into a deep and ferocious gray color.


    The nails on his hands and feet grew in both size and durability.


    Some white fur appeared on his elbows, shins, and shoulders. All of his muscles expanded in size slightly and had an elevated level of vascularity. Since they were bigger, they pushed against his skin--giving them a more lean and shredded look.


    This was Soul Mend: Polaris Tiger.


    [All of your stats except for Aura are 1.5X for the next 30 seconds.]


    [Vitality: 21/21-->31.5]


    [Strength: 30-->45]


    [Stamina: 25/25-->37.5]


    [Speed: 24-->36]


    Bilweif took a step back instinctively as his body noticed the change in Tyr''s presence. He was no longer the boy from before. The energy that exuded from him resembled that of a savage predator.


    Bilweif''s brows curled inwards, slightly confused and wary.


    ''What just happened? Is this his Ancestral Ability? But... I saw that he has no Aura... how? How can it be?'' A frown began to grow on his face.


    Craig saw his boss''s expression from afar, his mind also growing worried as he put his guard up just in case.


    Tyr''s confidence was at an all-time high like a predator scoping out its prey.


    He lunged at Bilweif in an animalistic stance, his hands and feet moving at flashing speeds.


    Suddenly, he changed course, jumping to the right and landing on the wall before pushing himself off again and landing on the left side of the alleyway. He did this until he was over 20 feet in the air in quick succession and finally pounced down at Bilweif.


    Before the criminal knew it, Tyr was upon him. Bilweif raised his guard, but it was too late. Tyr''s sharp claws raked across his face, slicing off strips of skin.


    "AARRGH!!" Bilweif screamed, pain and shock evident in his voice. Deep X-shaped wounds marred his face, blood splattering onto the ground.


    Tyr was relentless, unleashing a powerful kick into Bilweif''s chest whilst in mid-air and sending him sprawling deeper into the alley.


    Bilweif slid to a halt, rising to his feet with a furious expression on his face. Adrenaline pumped through his veins, temporarily hiding the trauma and pain of Tyr''s last attack.


    He tightened his fists, suddenly making his arms grow in muscle and get denser in size.


    He stormed forward, getting mere feet from Tyr before launching several punches at the boy.


    As the hailstorm of punches came at him, Tyr''s arms and feet moved in a much more smooth, quick fashion than usual.


    Tyr ducked below one punch, the force from the afterblow causing Craig''s hair to sway slightly.


    As the attacks continued, Tyr jumped, dodged, and swayed to the side several times in quick succession, successfully avoiding all of the attacks thrown at him.


    It was as though his body was already used to fighting.


    Tyr understood from all of this that he had not only mended himself with Rudra''s physical abilities but also some of the fighting skills the tiger had built up through decades of experience.


    Bilweif was at a loss as all of his attacks failed to land.


    "Damn it!" He shouted in frustration, jumping backward and creating some space. His face and body were covered in blood. He clenched his teeth, tightening his entire face as blood gushed out even more.


    His head suddenly expanded about 2 times in size. His legs also became larger as he abruptly stormed forward with his head faced toward Tyr like a bull.


    "Try and dodge this!" He screamed moving at a much quicker pace than before.


    Moments before he tackled the boy, Tyr guarded himself with his hands.


    As Bilweif''s attack landed, Tyr felt an immense amount of force suddenly drive through him--propelling him into the air.


    It nearly drove all the air out of his lungs again as he felt a throbbing pain radiate through his back.


    ''What!?'' He was surprised at the sudden increase in power of the criminal, his wrists badly bruised. ''Fuck... if I get hit by something like that again my wrists will break.''


    The attack threw him all the way out of the alley and above the busy street.


    A few people spotted the boy randomly appear in the air, calling out in shock.


    "Oi! There''s a person falling!"


    "Get out of the way!"


    A few people yelled, others screaming as Tyr landed on top of a small group of people.


    It didn''t injure them much, allowing them to quickly run to safety.


    Those around Tyr also made space. A circle formed, people making a loud commotion about what was going on.


    "What the hell just happened?"


    "Where did he come from?"


    "Hey, kid! Are you alright!?" S§×arch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The landing was harsh, causing Tyr to be a little light-headed as he rose to his feet.


    At that moment Bilweif stormed in from the alleyway. People made way for him as they saw him approach.


    [Time limit: 10 seconds.]


    ''Damn... I don''t have time to waste. I have to get this done quick.''


    Bilweif came to Tyr with a nasty expression. As he got closer to the middle of the crowd, dozens of people began to call out his name all of a sudden.


    "Look! It''s Bilweif!"


    "What!? Is that really him!?"


    "Look at his face! The kid must have done that!"


    The crowd quickly grew in shock as everyone began to recognize the brute. Tyr was shocked, not expecting this whatsoever.


    ''I didn''t know he was so well known...'' He thought to himself.


    Suddenly, a man called out to him: "Oi, kid! Beat his ass!"


    Tyr looked toward this man''s direction for a split second.


    Without a moment''s delay, another voice added on top: "Yeah! Get him!"


    "Fuck him up!"


    "I want to see him dead!"


    The crowd began to hype up in excitement for some reason.


    ''What have I gotten myself into!?'' Tyr exclaimed inwardly. As he saw Bilweif get closer, he hardened his resolve and dashed forward: ''I''ll end this right now.''


    Before Bilweif could make a move, Tyr appeared beside him and slashed his stomach--tearing off several more strips of meat.


    Bilweif screamed in agony, but before that scream finished Tyr appeared on the opposite side and raked his claws across the man''s abdomen again.


    As Bilweif reacted in shock and turned, Tyr tore his chest open with a double hand swipe. All of this occurred within 3 seconds.


    The man thumped onto the floor like a ragdoll, Tyr standing over him while panting.


    [You have slain Bilweif (Apprentice Rank Human).]


    ...


    [You leveled up!]


    ''I-I can level up... from killing a human?''


    A roar of cheers erupted from the crowd out of nowhere.


    "Yeah!!!"


    "Whohooo!"


    "Fuck that bastard!"


    Tyr turned to face the people around him: ''Why are they celebrating so much?'' He was confused, ''Aren''t they angry? Did I not just murder someone?''


    [The time limit for Soul Mend has ended.]

 Chapter 32 - 32: Jonas

    Author Note: From this chapter onwards, this novel will be publishing 2ch/w with mass releases on the weekends depending on the goals we hit!


    ***


    He faced Bilweif again. A pool of blood had already formed around him.


    Tyr took in a deep breath as he witnessed this. The crowd was also pretty silent. They didn''t seem to know exactly how to react either. Not until the killer himself did...


    "I really killed him..." Tyr said, shocked at his own words. He couldn''t really comprehend it at that moment.


    ''I mean... It''s not that crazy, right? I''ve killed before... beasts...'' He paused, suddenly getting a flash back to the judge being obliterated by that big leafling.


    ''I''ve killed humans too... but not like this.'' His entire body felt a bit weaker and squeamish as he continued to stare at the corpse on the ground.


    "Hey... it happens." A man suddenly said from behind his back.


    Tyr turned, noticing a very tall man with brown hair and eyes walk forward from the crowd.


    "W-what happens? Killing people?" Tyr replied in a slightly sarcastic tone to lighten his emotions and cope. Of course, he wasn''t going to get used to this so fast... After all, he was a normal human just months ago.


    "My name is Jonas." The tall man, who was about 6''7 ft. in stature, said to Tyr as he pushed his hand out. He had a giant scythe sheathed on his back that was 2 feet taller than even him--made of black and bright silver metal with a green handle.


    Tyr, still in a bit of a daze, shook the man''s hand. As soon as he did, Jonas pulled him in closer and suddenly embraced him.


    Tyr''s eyes widened in shock, not knowing what to do as he was caught off guard.


    "I once killed for the first time as well with my own two hands." Streams of tears suddenly began to trickle down Jonas'' face, the silent crowd looking with awe and puzzlement as Tyr stood frozen.


    "But know that you will get used to it as you become more of a Hunter. This isn''t a pleasant world, Tyr." Jonas suddenly said, Tyr''s eyes expanding in size once more in surprise.


    Jonas began to whisper: "Despite this city being so harmless, this world... it isn''t kind to the weak. Only the strong survive, and the rest perish without any peace wished upon them. Once you leave Drance, you will understand it all."


    He pulled Tyr away from him after saying this, holding the teen by the shoulders as he peered deeply into his eyes.


    "Lift him up, Tyr." Jonas exclaimed, no longer crying. Instead, he had a bright expression on his face--a driven look in his eyes.


    Tyr was taken aback by all of this, especially what Jonas just said.


    "Lift him? What do you mean?" He asked in confusion.


    Jonas'' head scanned the area, "Look at everyone around you. They hated that man whom you have slain. You haven''t committed a crime... you have bestowed justice on the lives of all of these people. Bilweif took away their loved ones and their livelihoods, and you have given them the heavenly peach of sweet revenge. So..."


    Jonas''s voice became deep and serious: "Lift him up, and show their prize to them, hero."


    These words hit Tyr like a brick. Although he hadn''t fully understood, he was still moved by what the man said.


    Jonas let go of him, looking at him with a slight smile before nodding his head.


    Tyr turned, grabbing a handful of Bilweif''s hair on the back of his head and lifting his body up in a display of dominance.


    A few seconds of silence passed by, but then, a wave of smiles appeared on everyones faces.


    "Yeah!!"


    The crowd burst out into a roar of cheers again.


    "Hahaha! You did it!"


    "Good for you!"


    "You killed that bastard!"


    "Thank you!"


    ...


    Guards broke through the crowd circle at that moment, dressed in the same chainmail as those from Drance''s entrance gates.


    Their eyes quickly scanned the perimeter as their minds came up with quick conclusions.


    Thankfully for Tyr, Jonas had a small talk with the guards. It took him about 5 minutes, and afterward, the guards came and thanked Tyr personally before telling him that he was free to go.


    "Come with me," Jonas said, walking away from the scene.


    Tyr followed, still bewildered. After leaving the crowd circle, he looked back with a baffled and almost scared look in his eyes: ''Those people... they really celebrated his death like that? Even if he was a criminal... would it have been the same back on Earth?''


    He couldn''t help but want to differentiate that reaction from the reaction of normal humans. At least, what he deemed to be normal that is.


    Jonas spoke up at that moment, still looking forward: "Young Tyr!" He exclaimed, causing Tyr to look forward.


    "I don''t know what society you come from, but understand that all canvases are made of the same paper and the same wood."


    Tyr squinted his eyes, "What do you mean? And... how do you know my name in the first place?" sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "What do I mean? Well, all I''m trying to say is that one''s environment affects one''s outlook and also his development. Despite every canvas being made of the same materials, each one''s individual experience makes a completely different art piece, don''t you think?"


    Tyr took that in and thought about it for a second.


    ''Is he trying to say that despite all people being built the same, they have different outlooks on life due to their experiences? I guess that explains the reaction of those people back there compared to what I would expect from normal people... he did say this was a much more ruthless one than the one I''m used to.''


    "Wait... but how do you know? How do you know I come from a different place?"


    Jonas laughed at Tyr''s seriously asked question.


    "I don''t know, but it''s just an educated guess."


    "And my name? How do you know that?"


    "Oh, that?" Jonas said nonchalantly.


    "Yes, that!" Tyr replied in a shout.


    "Hmm..."


    ''...'' Tyr stayed silent, his patience quickly declining.


    "Hanzo told me, hahaha!"

 Chapter 33 - 33: Get Used To It

    "H-Hanzo did!? When? Why!? Who are you? Did he tell you to meet me? Did he know I was going to get into that fight!?" Tyr spitfired a bunch of questions, confused out of his mind.


    "No no, you are overthinking it. I am Jonas Hejlak, a member of Skyfall Hunter Guild''s Hunter Squad: Ultimatum. Hanzo described you as an interesting character, so I decided to come and check you out for myself. I came at what I could consider the perfect time, but it was by pure coincidence that I happened to come right as you were in a battle. I did learn two things from seeing you today though..."


    "Two? And what are those?"


    "First of all, you are definitely interesting. And secondly, you are strong!"


    "Uh... yeah. Thanks, I guess." Tyr was still a bit weirded out by the guy.


    "From today onwards, you should expect a lot of people to know your name."


    "W-what?"


    "Not bystanders per se, but squad members. 5 of the strongest squads follow his every move, and once they know that his newest ''friend'' has slain Bilweif, they will want to study this ''friend'' for themselves."


    "By ''his'' you mean... Hanzo right?"


    "Indeed."


    "Is he that much of a big shot? How do they know I''m associated with him anyway? Do they track his every move or something as soon as he enters Drance?" Tyr said in a slightly joking tone.


    "Yes." Jonas instantly answered, not joking whatsoever.


    "Well damn..." Tyr said, looking towards the ground, ''I wonder if I''ll get spied on too from now on. It doesn''t sound too bad if I think about it right now. Like being a celebrity or something... but I know I shouldn''t look forward to it. There are some things I prefer to do... in private.''


    "Hey!" Jonas abruptly shouted, turning around on the spot.


    Tyr''s head jerked up.


    "It was nice meeting you. I just wanted to see what you were like... good luck on your Hunter Test tomorrow!"


    "What?" Tyr was surprised at what the man said at the end, "How did you know I had a Hunter Tes--"


    "I just guessed! I imagined you had made one of those. Looks like I guessed right. Ciao!" With that, Jonas turned again and sprinted into the busy street in front of him--disappearing into the distance.


    Tyr was left confused and alone: ''I feel like I''m experiencing deja vu... what a weird planet, seriously.'' He sighed, making his way back to the Hunter''s Guild.


    He took a nice long shower as soon as he got back. He couldn''t help but feel he was still dirty no matter how much the water trickled down his body.


    He suddenly thought back to Jonas'' words...


    ''But know that you will get used to it as you become more of a Hunter. This isn''t a pleasant world, Tyr.''


    ''I''ll get used to it huh? I guess I should. I come from a world of weakness compared to this one. I suppose it''s only natural that I am shocked by its craziness.''


    He opened up his status menu.


    [Vitality: 21/21-->23]


    ''I get EXP from killing humans as well.'' He clenched his jaw, staring forward at the shower wall with a serious and determined expression, ''If I can get used to killing people... bad people... I can level up way easier. If it grants me power, then I''m used to killing criminals.'' He ironed his resolve...


    Out of nowhere, the water turned cold as shit.


    "ACK! What the fuck!?" He screamed, his body stiffening up and nearly going into anaphylactic shock. S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Sorry!" A muffled voice came from the wall next to him: "That happens when I flush to toilet!"


    ***


    After taking a shower, he headed out again. This time, he decided to exchange some of his Beast Cores at the most trustworthy place he could find.


    It was a full-fledged smithy, a haven of fire and metal. As Tyr walked in, blistering waves of heat assaulted his face, the intense warmth radiating from the heart of the forge.


    He approached the main desk, his eyes sweeping over the giant furnaces and smithing tables in the back. Anvils and other tools stood ready, their purpose evident in the craftsmanship surrounding him.


    Armor and weaponry lined the walls. Unlike the fake items that the scammer had, these items were the real deal, crafted with care and precision right here in this very workshop.


    Several blacksmiths labored away, their forms silhouetted against the roaring flames. But Tyr''s focus was elsewhere, drawn to the impressive scale of the place. It was vast, about half the size of the Hunter''s Guild, buzzing with activity.


    Behind the counter stood a young man, no older than twenty-five. His glasses perched on his nose lent him an air of innocence, and he wore a welcoming smile, eager to assist any customer who walked through the door.


    "Can I sell these to you?" Tyr questioned at first, placing 5 C-Rank Beast Cores on the table.


    "Sure! Let''s take a look shall we?" He took out a magnifying glass and closely observed one of the cores.


    "Ah yes, it seems perfectly stable and real."


    "Do I have to negotiate?" Tyr questioned.


    "Well, this is a smithery, not a random shop. We run on the set market price, no cheaper nor more expensive. We don''t make a profit on these things unlike other stores, we make a profit on our equipment."


    "Perfect. That''s just what I wanted to hear."


    ...


    Tyr sold 5 C-Rank Beast Cores for 375 silver coins and 26 D-Rank Beast Cores for 390 silver coins, leaving him with 25 D-Rank cores, 10 C-Rank cores, and 765 silver coins--or 7 gold coins and 65 silver coins.


    After that, he took a gaze at some of the weapons in stock behind the young man at the front desk.


    ''Soul Mend is great, but its still a bit unstable. If I can practice and get it fully under my control, I will be able to use weapons while in that form. That will be an easy power boost.''


    His eyes scanned over several spears, axes, swords and other items.


    ''I want to learn how to train one of these anyways, so I might as well buy one now as early as possible. Nothing crazy expensive though.''

 Chapter 34 - 34: Weapon

    Tyr asked to see some cheaper weapon options.


    He was led to an area where dozens of unique weapons lined the wall.


    Tyr spent a few minutes looking over them, thinking about what fit him best.


    ''Axes are way too heavy and clunky to use. I''m not really a long range fighter right now, and it would take a while before I get good aim to start using them realistically.''


    Just like this, he knocked off each weapon one by one. Finally, he narrowed them down to just two.


    ''The sword and the spear.'' He said to himself, ''The sword seems like a perfect fit. It''s probably the most useful in most situations.'' His gaze turned to the spear, ''But... I''ve been using the spear for months. I feel like if I learn how to wield it, it can outdo a sword in combat.''


    Seeing Tyr a bit conflicted on the matter, the young blacksmith spoke up:


    "You''re struggling between the spear and the sword, right?"


    Tyr looked at him, "Yeah, I don''t know which one suits me more."


    The blacksmith smiled, picking up the sword and tossing the spear over to Tyr.


    Tyr grabbed it, slightly surprised at the young man''s actions.


    The weapon was long, clean, and slick. It had a large and powerful tip with wind-like patterns mounting the blade.


    Its handle was a silver metal with a hint of green.


    "Come with me, let''s see which fits you better." The young man said as he began to walk to the counter.


    Although slightly confused, Tyr followed him.


    They made their way outside of the smithery and into the backyard.


    There was a decent-sized training field out there, about 500 square ft., with multiple people training away at their various weapons.


    Some were sparring, others were watching from the stands, and others were individually practicing their techniques.


    Tyr was taken aback as he saw this, his pupils dancing with slight awe.


    "I''m Yurin Tatan." The young blacksmith said from behind his back without turning.


    "Tyr..." Tyr replied, noticing Yurin stop about 15 feet in front of him in the middle of the training field.


    They were over 50 feet away from the next closest person.


    Yurin turned, raising his sword toward Tyr.


    Seeing this, around 20 people watching from the sidelines changed their attention to the two.


    "Look! Yurin''s fighting again!"


    "Jeez... I hope he goes easy on whatever unfortunate soul he''s trapped this time."


    "He always lures them in with that innocent look of his..."


    They all joked to themselves.


    "Come, test your spear ability. I will be able to tell whether it''s the right fit for you, or whether the basic sword is the correct option."


    "Shouldn''t I have to test both?" Tyr asked.


    "No. A sword is nothing more than an extension of one''s limbs. A spear, on the other hand, is technology." A weird smile pulled at Yurin''s face as he said this.


    "What? Technology?"


    "The origin of the sword and spear are different. A sword relays the basic instinct of a human, but the spear marks the dawn of human technology. It is the very development that allowed our species to go from cavemen to rulers of kingdoms." Yurin sounded overly excited as he spoke.


    "Uh... right." Tyr was a bit weirded out. Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Those standing on the sidelines spoke amongst themselves: "Look at his creepy smile. He''s probably talking about technology and developing weapons and armor again."


    "He''s an odd ball. Despite being a full-time Hunter, he spends time working at a smithery all day."


    "Who cares? He''s strong... that''s all that matters."


    Tyr got in a fighting position, "Tell me when to begin."


    Yurin matched his stance: "Now!"


    They both sprinted forward at once, clashing in the middle as the loud twang of metal reverberated through the air.


    Tyr felt his wrists vibrate in a searing hum, making them go slightly limp from the pressure of Yurin''s sword.


    ''He''s strong.'' Tyr realized immediately as he felt this.


    "You''re strong!" Yurin said with a smile on his face, backing up slightly.


    Tyr continued forward, unleashing several stabs at the young man.


    Yurin moved with seemingly careless grace, side-stepping each attack with ease.


    He spun in a circle, sprinting around from the side before swiping his sword at Tyr''s abdomen.


    Tyr panicked slightly since Yurin was now inside of his range.


    ''Shit!'' He exclaimed, pulling his spear in close to his chest using both hands.


    "Wrong!" Yurin yelled, stopping his sword at once. "What the hell was that!?" He seemed genuinely mad.


    "Sorry, I''m not good at technique yet," Tyr said, not thinking of it as a big deal right now.


    "No! Its pathetic."


    "Huh?"


    "How can you think of moving both of your hands inwards just because I came close? Don''t you know how a spear works?"


    "Yeah, if someone comes in your range, it''s hard to defend."


    "Wrong again! It''s the spear user that destroys his own range. When you pulled your spear in, it became horizontal. You crushed your own leverage. How can you attack again if your spear is horizontal right next to your body?"


    Tyr was at a loss for an answer.


    "I''ll give you one more chance. Understand this, if someone gets close to you, it may seem like your biggest nightmare as a spear user. However, that doesn''t mean they are in your range yet. Instead of pulling your spear in horizontally, shift it vertically to block my attack with 100% accuracy--which also allows you to counterattack instantly."


    Yurin''s explanations made perfect sense to Tyr.


    The blacksmith continued:


    "Tell me this, if you are blocking your body horizontally while I am swiping my sword, can''t I just move my sword by a mere 2 inches and avoid your weapon altogether? Would it not be more wise to hold it vertically and keep your range while blocking my slash completely?"


    This was like a revelation to Tyr: ''Despite being harsh, he''s right. I panicked and chose to get my weapon near me, but instead, I should have preemptively blocked his attack and continued my attacks.''


    "Now... don''t mess up this time. It''s the last chance I will give you."


    "I won''t," Tyr said with conviction.


    Yurin backed up again, and the duel began for the second time.


    They both sprinted forward again and clashed, but this time Tyr tried his best to make sure Yurin didn''t get into his range.


    Out of nowhere, the young blacksmith jumped into the air as though he weighed as light as a feather, landing on Tyr''s spear.


    He pushed it down with one leg, digging the blade of the spear into the ground as he jumped behind Tyr.


    ''Shit!'' Tyr said as his spear tip seemed to be slightly lodged. He quickly looked behind his shoulder, ''He''s in my range!''


    Yurin swiped at Tyr''s back, at which moment Tyr forcefully pulled his spear out of the ground and swung it around his head--holding it vertically behind his back.


    *CLANG*


    He successfully blocked the blow.


    Yurin smiled: "Good!"


    But then, Tyr disappeared from his sight.


    ''Blink Step...''


    Yurin''s brows instantly furrowed, ''What?'' He exclaimed inwardly in confusion.


    Then, he felt a poke at the back of his neck.


    "I won," Tyr said, the hilt of his spear pushed up against Yurin''s neck.

 Chapter 35 - 35: Hunter Exam (1)

    The guys that were watching from the side lost their shit.


    "WHAT!?"


    "What the fuck was that!?"


    "Did I just see that correctly?"


    "Hahaha... nice one, Yurin."


    ...


    Yurin froze: "Well... you outdid what I expected." He chuckled, "You won."


    Tyr lowered his spear, a smile forming on his face as Yurin turned.


    Tyr bowed slightly, "Thank you, Yurin."


    ''Scan.''


    ©³©¥©¥©¥Status©¥©¥©¥©·


    Name: Yurin Tatan


    Age: 23 Years


    Power Level: 195


    Rank: Expert


    ©»©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¿


    ''As I thought... he let me win...''


    "No need to thank me. I do this for fun. Plus, I wanted to punish you more, but you''re weirder than I thought." Yurin politely replied.


    "What?" Tyr got slightly offended, "What are you trynna say?"


    "Well, in fighting terms at least. You don''t have an Aura Core, yet that quick moving ability you just did sure made it seem like you had an Ancestral Ability."


    "I see..." Tyr didn''t know what to say. It wasn''t like he could reveal he had GG, could he?


    "Anyways, I''m impressed. I didn''t expect that from you. Maybe I should have though..." Yurin looked to the side, "Considering you were chosen by captain himself..."


    "C-captain? What do you mean?" Tyr questioned, slightly wary: ''Ain''t no way this guy is also a part of Ultimatum...''


    "Oh right!" Yurin''s eyes darted back to face Tyr, "I didn''t ever fully introduce myself. I''m Yurin Tatan, a member of Skyfall Hunter Guild''s Hunter Squad: Ultimatum."


    "How the hell is everyone I meet a part of that group!?" Tyr shouted in confusion.


    "Hahaha! Fate perhaps?" Yurin quipped, walking back inside.


    Tyr followed him, but before he entered the building, he got a few nice words from the guys on the sides.


    "Yo! Good job newbie!"


    "I look forward to having you as a fellow Hunter!"


    Tyr nodded politely before entering. ''Just how the hell do even those guys know me?''


    He arrived at the counter, where Yurin charged him 3 gold and 50 silver coins for the spear.


    "That''s way too expensive!" Tyr exclaimed, shocked at the price of the weapon. "I told you to show me the cheap ones, you greedy bastard!"


    "No no! This is cheap! It''s a discount, actually. I would have charged you 4 gold coins had it not been for you being captain''s friend."


    "Sure..." Tyr said, not convinced whatsoever. ''Now I''m starting to think this guy just made me spar him with this spear as a ploy to sell me it... tsk.''


    In the end, he paid the money and left.


    He felt a bit robbed but was happy to have a decent weapon. It didn''t have any special abilities or anything like that, but it was sturdy. For now, Tyr wasn''t going to be able to afford anything too much more powerful.


    As he stood outside of the smithery, Tyr heard his stomach grumble loud enough to make some passers-by turn their heads in astonishment.


    ''Damn... I''m hungry.''


    After this, Tyr stopped by an outdoor food cart. He spent the rest of his 15 silver coins on some food--an entire grilled chicken along with vegetable soup and freshly baked bread.


    He spent the rest of the day exploring Drance since there wasn''t anything much more he could do. He was checking out stores, establishments, and the various other aspects of the city.


    Even on Earth, the only reason why Tyr was a loner was because he didn''t want to make friends.


    What was the point of friends? Why would he want to invite people into a shitshow that even he didn''t want to be in? It made no sense.


    However, he was never really an introvert. He didn''t believe in such labels anyway.


    When he wanted, he could be the most outgoing person--but he simply never did. This trait was something he carried from his grandfather, who was a very light-hearted person whose personality revolved around comedy.


    After a day of exploring, Tyr arrived back at the Hunter''s Guild again.


    This time, he had to pay a fee of 10 silver coins for the night.


    ''I need a way to get more money, quick.'' He looked around the lobby/bar area of the guild as he walked toward the stairs leading to his room.


    ''These guys are strong beast hunters, but at the same time, they give off the aura of 9-5 workers. Sure, they are probably making more money than the average person... but not by a lot. Unless I become a mega star Hunter, I probably won''t make a fortune.''


    He arrived at his room.


    ''I want to make a fortune though.'' One of Tyr''s dreams was to live in luxury. Having all of his wants met was extremely appealing to him. After all, he had lived a life of poverty up until now.


    ''I don''t want to get spoiled either... that''s why I''ll work for whatever wealth I build.''


    Tyr wasn''t really into the ''don''t be materialistic'' mantra. He wasn''t some sort of monk who was going to give up all worldly desires. This was because he wasn''t raised religiously either. S§×arch* The N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    When it came to the various Gods, Tyr couldn''t help but not be drawn towards them as he stood now. He wanted luxury, fame, glory, and power.


    As he prepared himself for bed, a lot of thoughts crossed his mind.


    The moonlight piercing through his bedside window made him peer into the starry sky.


    Unlike the large metropolitan cities of Earth, this place had no light pollution. The stars vibrated brightly all throughout the sky--presenting a beautiful vision of dancing colors and mesmerizing patterns.


    ''I won''t allow this life to turn into what it was. I can''t.'' These were the last thoughts Tyr had before falling into a deep slumber.


    ***


    The next day arrived.


    Right now, Tyr was sitting in the Hunter Exam waiting room, fully prepared, with his left ankle crossed above his right knee.


    He had already done his morning workout and eaten breakfast. His morning shower was completed, clothes were checked off, and his spear sheathed and ready.


    The waiting room he was in was behind a door next to the help desk at the back of the main guild room.


    As he stepped inside there was a fairly long corridor with filled seats lined across the walls.


    At the very back of the room was a small window booth--behind which sat a young woman with black hair and coffee eyes.


    "The previous 20 have finished their exams! The next 20 should now enter the exam room! Ionel Grendel, Maximus Cortez, Urval Jens, Lyrai Opal, Ja..." The young woman''s voice sounded from the speaker''s place in the corners of the room.


    Tyr had already been waiting for quite a while now. Just as he had imagined, his name was called this time around.


    "--And finally, Tyr!"


    ''That''s right, I didn''t give them my full name did I... eh, it''s not like it matters.'' He stood up, taking a deep breath to prepare before taking a step forward...

 Chapter 36 - 36: Hunter Exam (2)

    A few minutes prior...


    Tyr had just arrived at the waiting room. He couldn''t help but survey the other examinees as he waited--his eyes scanning across all those in front of him.


    There were about 100 total people in the room, and dozens more joined in seemingly every half an hour or so.


    20 Examinees were tested at a time from what Tyr could see since the young lady at the front called 20 names at a time. So, the room didn''t fill up. It looked to be perfectly in balance at all times.


    As Tyr looked around, most of what he saw were nervous expressions and body language.


    Many faced the ground, their eyebrows curled inwards and frowns on their faces from the stress of the matter.


    ''I wonder if you can only take the test once or something...'' Tyr thought to himself, not fully grasping the tension of the matter.


    Many had their shoulders drooped forward, their faces shadowed as though this was one of the most dreadful days of their life.


    "Hahaha!" A man suddenly burst out into a laugh sitting to the very left of Tyr. He was tall, bald, and seemed to be in his early thirties.


    He had a scar on his cheek and wore leather great with a short sword sheathed by his waist. He conversed with a small group of friends while continuing to laugh. S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Yeah! Of course, I''ll pass! It''s going to be easy as pie!" The man yelled, capturing the attention of several people in the room.


    "Yes!" A shorter, smaller guy wearing similar clothing exclaimed: "If anyone can pass, it''s you, Don!" He exclaimed.


    Tyr raised a brow, ''Cheerleader much?''


    Another small guy next to the baldy exclaimed, "Yeah! You''re the man Don!"


    The guy was getting a lot of love. Only from these two though...


    "How¡­ how could they be so arrogant?" Another voice sounded, this time from the other side of Tyr. It was a fat guy with glasses on and a basic set of attire. He was whispering under his breath as he faced the ground and twiddled his thumbs.


    "Don''t they know that they are all inferior? We are all inferior? We are only taking this test because we are the pathetic humans abandoned by the Gods. We are the ones without Ancestral Abilities¡­" The fat guy continued whispering to himself.


    Tyr was creeped out. ''Why do I have to get seated next to these weirdos''?'' He questioned, slightly irritated.


    Despite the guy acting funny, what he was saying was serious. And it made Tyr think. It was a point of view that he hadn''t fully considered.


    But the more that he thought about it, it only made more sense.


    If there was one thing humans were good at, it was prejudice in Tyr''s eyes. So, how could those with Ancestral Abilities, especially the stronger ones, not discriminate against those without it?


    More things began to make sense to Tyr after he realized this, ''It makes sense why these guys are pretty nervous for this exam I guess. Before they even take it, they know the whole reason why they are taking it in the first place is that they are worse than another demographic of people. It''s pretty demotivating if you think about it.''


    His eyes wandered to his left, where the cocky bald guy was, ''It seems this guy is just trying to hide his insecurity of the fact that he is a part of the many who don''t have Ancestral Abilities by hyping himself up using those lackeys. Pretty damn sad.''


    Soon enough, the next 20 examinees were called up. The fat guy to Tyr''s right and the bald guy to Tyr''s left were both a part of this group.


    As they stood up and joined the party of 20 entering the exam room, the bald guy gave the fatty a good slap on the back: "Don''t be such a downer, lardy! You can always become a farmer or something." He mocked, causing his friends to laugh even more as they all entered the exam room.


    About half an hour later, they all came out again. One figure sprinted out of the room with utter confidence and power. His man tits and fat belly jiggled in the limelight as a bright smile stretched across his face and a bright glimmer shone in his eyes.


    This figure¡­ was the fatty from before.


    "I passed! I passed god damn it!" He exclaimed in shock and excitement.


    The baldy walked behind him, his back slouched and a frown appearing over his pale face.


    Out of nowhere, the fatty slapped the baldy on the back hard enough to make him stumble forward and nearly fall. "Better luck next time, dork!" The fatty yelled, joyfully skipping out of the exam room.


    Tyr couldn''t help but burst out laughing as he saw this.


    ***


    After a while of waiting, Tyr''s name was called up¡­


    Tyr entered the exam room with his group of twenty. As soon as he did, he was met with a completely unexpected scene.


    Firstly, they all walked onto a wide balcony made of steel. This balcony wrapped all around the large, round room everyone was in.


    Slowly, everyone spread out and stood behind the iron railings¨Clooking down at the arena below them.


    It was a battleground, its floor composed of pristine white-stone slabs, polished to a gleaming finish.


    The walls, fortified with thick iron layers, exuded an aura of indestructibility as if they could endure relentless assaults without a scratch.


    Overhead, a colossal glass dome bathed the entire arena in brilliant light, casting an almost ethereal glow.


    The room was vast, its sheer size awe-inspiring. As Tyr took in the impressive sight, the murmur of the other examinees filled the air, their excited whispers and speculative conversations creating a lively hum.


    Everyone seemed eager, theorizing about what the upcoming exam might entail.


    "They keep the exams under tight regulation and change them up every month or so."


    "I wonder what this one is going to be like."


    "I hope its easy¡­"


    From where Tyr stood to the other side of the room, about 100 feet away, he could see a group of figures standing there opposite of him.


    Looking to his left and right, he could see four more small groups of about 4-5 people separated about 10-20 feet apart each.


    ''Who are they? Examinators?'' He questioned.


    Out of nowhere, a voice sounded from the speakers placed in every side of the dome: "First contestant, Ionel Grendel, please make your way into the Exam Arena."


    And so it began¡­

 Chapter 37 - 37: Hunter Exam (3)

    Tyr paid close attention to how the exam was going to go.


    ''Since only one person got called, I guess that means that this isn''t going to be a team exam. I wonder why they call 20 people at a time then? Time management?'' He could only imagine.


    The first contestant entered the arena by jumping off of the railing and falling 20 feet before landing on the ground.


    It was a seemingly old man wearing a white kimono. He also had a wooden sword sheathed on his waist.


    "Begin!" The voice from the speaker shouted.


    As soon as it did, something began to materialize from the stone floor in front of the examinee.


    The crowd of examinees made slight reactions of surprise as a punching box formed out of seemingly malleable stone in front of their very eyes.


    It was a box with a small punching bag hanging down under it.


    Tyr furrowed his brows, ''Strength is first...'' He kept note of how each part of the exam went.


    The old man unsheathed his sword, swiping at the punching bag and tearing it into pieces.


    Slight noises murmured from the examinees as they saw this.


    ''I see...'' Tyr mused, ''So it doesn''t have to come from a punch or anything like that. You can use weapons...''


    Time quickly passed as Tyr continued observing the exams that came and went.


    Everyone was first tested in what seemed to be their striking ability. Each strike was given a rating.


    "45!" S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "32!"


    "66!"


    Afterward, they were forced to dodge a single Aura bullet shot at them at high speed. Similarly, each person was also rated on their speed.


    "52!"


    "69!"


    "22!"


    ''It seems we are graded on a grade from 1-100.'' Tyr surmised from these results.


    After these two tests, the exam took on a more unique turn. The stone materialized into different beasts that the examinee had to fight off.


    Up until his turn came around, Tyr imagined that the beast had to have been based on the speed and strength of the examinee since each creature was very distinct.


    "Next, Tyr!" The voice called through the speaker after about 25 or so minutes of waiting.


    Tyr hopped down into the arena. As he did, his eyes scanned the 5 groups of people standing above him near the railings.


    They had been almost nonexistent during the entire examination process, not moving an inch.


    Sure, they were communicating with each other, but other than that their slight murmurs from the distance didn''t mean anything.


    "Oi!" A familiar voice abruptly sounded from one of the groups.


    Tyr squinted his eyes and narrowed down the place where the voice came from.


    He looked at a group that had 5 people in it. The two in front were girls. Tyr couldn''t see how they were dressed or how they looked properly from this distance.


    Behind the two girls was a super tall guy who Tyr instantly recognized, and also a guy of average height who wore glasses--who Tyr also recognized.


    ''Jonas and Yurin...''


    Finally, out from all four of them walked a midget--around 5''6 ft. in stature.


    Tyr''s eyes expanded, "H-Hanzo!?" He yelled in shock, "What the hell are you all doing here?"


    Hanzo had his arms crossed. He was smirking as he stood over the railings and stared at the young teen.


    "What do you mean, why am I here? I wanted to see how you would perform. I brought you here... I don''t want to just leave you to fail."


    "Really? Because you left me instantly all by myself as soon as I got here."


    "Oh, shut up and stop whining. Isn''t your test beginning? Focus on that!"


    Tyr looked around, "Who are these people? More Hunter Squads?"


    "Bingo!" Jonas yelled from behind Hanzo.


    Now that he was closer, Tyr could get a better look at all of the teams.


    A few people in front of their groups were stoic, their expressions stern and their body language hostile.


    Others, however, smiled at Tyr as though they had known him for a while.


    "Let''s see what you can do, Hanzo''s dog!" A tall man in front of one of the groups yelled, a grin on his face as his team laughed. He wore black leather clothing--similar to some sort of rockstar--and had long black hair that seemed to be held up by gel or something.


    On hearing this remark, Hanzo''s face remained fully stoic--a gentle smile on his face and his eyebrows loose. His squad didn''t make a single move either, totally unaffected. They didn''t even turn their head toward the guy who made the comment.


    "What did you say?" Tyr turned, facing the rockstar-looking guy with furrowed brows.


    The guy simply smiled in reaction to him, not saying a word as his squad continued to laugh.


    At this moment, Tyr felt the eyes of all the other squads zone in on him.


    ''Oh...'' Tyr realized at that moment, ''They are trying to see how I react. They probably want a calm and collected guy that doesn''t take offense to words.''


    Tyr turned away from the guy who yelled at him...


    ''But to me, ignorance is cowardice. I''ll deal with this test first. It''s a bigger priority than that idiot.'' Tyr wasn''t just going to let any insult like that slide though.


    "Begin!" The announcer yelled through the speakers.


    Tyr prepared himself as the punching box and bag formed in front of him.


    He unsheathed his spear, ''I''m not taking any chances. Soul Mend: Polaris Tiger.''


    His body transformed, growing in size and changing in visual. The squads seemed intrigued by this ability.


    Slight murmurs of conversation sprouted from Tyr''s transformation.


    Yurin was especially taken aback, "He first had that super speed, which I thought was an Ancestral Ability... but now even more?" He said under his breath to his squad.


    Even the other examinees were impressed, conversing amongst themselves.


    "Huh? How is he transforming without an Aura Core?"


    "Does he have an Ancestral Ability?"


    "Then he shouldn''t be taking the physical exam..."


    For those who had an Aura Core, their Hunter Test was less of a test and more of a confirmation.


    They would place their hands over an Aura Orb, which would confirm and describe what Ancestral Ability they exactly had.


    Knowing this, almost everyone was naturally at a loss.


    Tyr tightened his grip on the spear, ''It''s a bit weird to hold a weapon in this form. I''ll need a lot more practice. But for one attack, I''ll be fine.''


    He held the spear with both hands, preparing himself to attack as he spread his feet apart.


    All the squads looked at Tyr''s vigorous stance with varying feelings of excitement, curiosity, disdain, and even jealousy perhaps...


    ''Come on, Tyr.'' Hanzo thought to himself, smiling slightly.


    At that moment, Tyr lunged forward--forcefully thrusting his spear directly into the punching bag.


    *BOOM*

 Chapter 38 - 38: Hunter Exam (4)

    The punching bag ruptured into several pieces and blasted all over the examination chamber.


    Tyr returned to a normal position, retracting his spear.


    A few slight gasps waved around the railings, examinees and Hunter''s exclaiming alike.


    Jonas had a bright smile on his face, as did Hanzo.


    ''He really is an anamoly.'' Hanzo thought to himself, ''I still don''t know his background or his true motives...''


    The girls in Hanzo''s group also seemed to be impressed by his power.


    "Strength Grade:"


    The voice sounded through the speakers. Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "150."


    Several louder gasps of astonishment sounded all around the examination room, paired with wide eyes and pouted lips.


    The different Hunter Squad members couldn''t help but converse in surprise:


    "Who the hell is this guy?"


    "Without an Aura Core?"


    "What is that ability..."


    "150 is similar to having years of hunting experience already under his belt. He''s stronger than a B Rank Hunter already, at least in terms of strength."


    Tyr smirked as he heard this score, "I thought it only went to 100... but I''m happy with that." He said under his breath.


    The rockstar-looking dude seemed to be at a loss.


    ''How the fuck...'' He gritted his teeth, veins poking out slightly from his forehead.


    A short young man wearing a rainbow-colored wool sweater bumped him on the shoulder with a playful smirk, "He got higher than even you, Miski."


    "Shut the fuck up, twerp." The rockstar-looking dude, addressed as ''Miski,'' replied with a disdainful and irritated tone.


    ''How did he do it? Unstable pills? It has to be... there''s no other way. Damn junkie coming here and showing off as if he''s some big shot.'' Miski thought to himself, angered by his expectations being crumpled up and thrown into the bin.


    Tyr couldn''t help but notice the guy''s expression and put on a spiteful smirk.


    On seeing this, Miski gave an abrupt angry reaction, as if he wasn''t expecting Tyr to mock him.


    ''That fucker...'' He mused.


    Tyr laughed inwardly: ''I don''t know why, but seeing his stupid ass get annoyed gives me a lot of goddamn satisfaction!''


    This wasn''t over yet, however. There was still more to the exam.


    Next was the speed test, where Tyr had to avoid a single long-ranged attack.


    A large cannon materialized from the stone this time about 50 feet away from Tyr. It didn''t take long before it began to charge up a red-hot Aura attack.


    Tyr bent his knees slightly, preparing to dodge. With Blink Step, he had no worries about this portion of the exam.


    A basket-ball-sized orb of blazing energy darted at Tyr out of nowhere, ''Blink Step.'' Tyr seemingly disappeared in front of everyone''s eyes, appearing a few feet to the side of the Aura attack.


    The reaction of the squad members and examinees was even more dramatic this time.


    It was like watching a pro take a beginner''s test. Many were at a complete loss as to how the rookie was doing this.


    "Speed Grade: MAX."


    "How..."


    "Hahaha! Thats absurd!"


    "Just where did Hanzo find a monster like this?"


    "He''s... a prodigy."


    Tyr raised a brow, placing his hands on his hips, "Max huh? I didn''t think there was such a thing. I wonder what number that is, 200? 250 perhaps?"


    "300 points in a Hunter Exam is pretty impressive for a newbie. Good job, Tyr." Hanzo exclaimed from the railing.


    "300? Damn... if my strength was only half of the max, I guess that means I got a 50%, or an F on that. Not that impressive when you think about it." Tyr said, gripping his fist.


    "Not at all." A girl from Hanzo''s team exclaimed. Stepping forward, she was short, around 5''2 ft. in stature, and wore a small loose dress that shone in bright velvety purple shades and small inscribed gems.


    Her hair was short and black, flowing down to about her shoulders.


    "That isn''t how the grading works here. A score above 100 is very impressive, as most get around 40-80 for a decent score. 300 Isn''t really a score acheiveable by most humans. It''s more of a traditional aspect that the old heads of Seris don''t want to remove from the tests... I haven''t seen anyone get 300 during my entire life being a Hunter."


    "Is that so..." Tyr exclaimed, "Still, I would want to match my speed score and strength score." Tyr wasn''t fully satisfied with the 300-speed score either.


    Without Blink Step, he wouldn''t have gotten it at all. There was still a long way for him to go before thinking he was truly strong.


    The final portion of the exam began shortly afterward.


    By now, Tyr''s Soul Mend was still on cool down. He had about 2 minutes before that cool-down wore off.


    However, Tyr understood that the last portion of the exam didn''t give you a score, but rather only graded you on whether you passed in defeating the beast you were given or not. There was also a timer of 10 minutes for you to try and kill your allotted beast. Trying to simply stall and survive wasn''t an option.


    So, thats why he decided to use it on the strength portion rather than this one.


    He was confident in his ability to defeat the beast without having to use Soul Mend.


    ''But the only thing I didn''t take into consideration was that I was going to get a max score on the speed section. I just pray I don''t get a stupidly overpowered beast due to that...''


    It had been a gamble from the start, but Tyr could only hope for things to go his way.


    The stone in front of Tyr began to transform again. He had seen a multitude of beasts become opponents of the examinees before.


    From bulls to horses, to wolves, to even tigers.


    However, what began to materialize in front of Tyr wasn''t something he was expecting whatsoever.


    A pair of large wings brushed out from the stone''s center, expanding over 5 feet on either side.


    In the middle, a long yellow beak formed on the head of the aerial beast, its eyes molding into ferocious pupils and its body a muscular balance between strength and speed.


    "This looks like a... giant Bald Eagle." Tyr said to himself in slight astonishment as the creature finished being created.


    It let out a piercing screech before thrusting its wings against the ground and soaring up into the air.


    It began to circle Tyr from over 30 feet above the exam arena.


    Tyr looked up, his eyes expanding in slight worry as he realized: ''This thing... it counters every move I''ve used during this exam...''

 Chapter 39 - 39: Hunter Exam (5)

    ''It makes sense. Why else would they add another test after examining your strength and speed? They don''t care about those stats much at all, or else the exam would end there. No, instead, those tests are to create a beast that counters the examinee''s abilities. Whoever created this exam was thinking in the long term.''


    Tyr noticed the beast continue to circle above him, the force of its flaps brushing against his face every few seconds.


    ''I can''t use Blink Step since its too far from my range. My strength is my only option, but with this thing being aerial its going to be fast. I''ll have to be able to attack it without getting hit myself.''


    As Tyr began to plan his mode of attack, the eagle abruptly pointed its beak to the floor and powerfully thrust its wings.


    It zoomed downward, accelerating instantly as it nose-dived toward Tyr at lightning speeds out of nowhere.


    Tyr''s eyes widened slightly. He gripped his spear, staying still and waiting for the eagle to come down to him.


    As it came mere feet from the ground it thrust its wings again--changing its direction to torpedo toward Tyr while being parallel to the ground.


    It swooped in before Tyr could react--inching under a foot away from him in under a second.


    ''Blink Step!'' Tyr said, appearing behind the beast as it barely missed and flew up into the sky.


    ''Shit! Its too fast! I couldn''t even try to attack. If I hadn''t used Blink Step there, I would have been obliterated.''


    He quickly turned, looking at the eagle in the sky again as his mind began to race, ''What do I do? Its attacks are too strong, but it isn''t because of its strength that the attacks are strong, but rather its speed. Without the speed, its beak wouldn''t do much to me, but as it stands now my Vitality won''t do shit.''


    He began to think of more options, rushing to make sure he had some sort of plan before the bird swooped down again. He was on Blink-Step cool down for a few more seconds.


    ''I can''t use Hypnosis because its far faster than any other creature I''ve faced. Even if I manage to Hypnotise it, I can''t stop it from attacking fast enough.''


    Speed usually worked against a strong creature as its weakness, but this creature was strong due to its speed of all things in the first place, so Tyr being able to use Blink Step to get a quick hit wasn''t possible.


    Hanzo squinted his eyes slightly, ''For him, there''s only one way to win. It''s unfortunate that he got such a strong creature, but that''s what happens when you max out a test with such a powerful ability when you aren''t supposed to have any Ancestral Ability to begin with.''


    He paused, staring deep into Tyr''s somewhat desperate and focused eyes:


    ''Still, If I know you correctly through the short time I''ve spent with you, Tyr, I know you can do it. Compared to Rudra, this thing is still inferior.''


    The eagle swooped down again, pin-missiling toward Tyr before narrowly missing again.


    This continued for a little while longer. Tyr got shoved and bruised from time to time, even getting a little lacerated on his abdomen.


    Yet, the look in his eyes remained the same. He was focused; determined to find a way to win.


    Tyr attempted to use Blink Step to catch the bird but failed since it didn''t stop moving--unlike Tyr, who would go back to normal speed instantly after using his spell.


    He tried parrying it with his spear, but its sheer force was too powerful, knocking the boy off course.


    30 seconds had passed, yet there still seemed to be no way to win.


    Most of the people viewing this part of the exam were silent, closely observing Tyr as he struggled.


    Some examinees gulped loudly, ''I got off easy... there''s no way in a million years I could beat such a beast.''


    ''The fact he''s still in the battle is impressive on its own, whether he manages to win or not.''


    The squads didn''t talk much either, absorbed in the actions of the teen. S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    They couldn''t help but be captivated by his conviction. It didn''t seem like he could do anything to win--he was completely overpowered in every metric at first glance.


    The eagle swooped down, narrowly missing this time as it went back up.


    Tyr began to run around the arena, a new plan sprouting in his mind.


    As he panted slightly he mused: ''I''ll have to do something out of order to beat this thing. At the end of the day, it isn''t a real creature. I''m just going to have to bet that it won''t be able to adapt quickly to a sudden and odd movement that isn''t normally seen. Otherwise, I won''t lose to this thing, but I won''t be able to beat it in the 10-minute deadline either.''


    As Tyr continued to run around the arena, he kept a good eye on the eagle as he had been doing for the entire fight, ''From what I''ve noticed, it flies exactly about 20 feet away from me in a perfect circle at all times before swooping down. This is probably to get the perfect attack every time. This means that I am a means of its coordination. I control its movements.''


    At that moment, The bird flew closer to Tyr--attempting to circle him.


    However, since Tyr was hugging the wall at all times, the bird was unable to circle since it was going to have to exit the parameters of the dome over the examination room.


    Tyr smiled as he saw this, ''Perfect! This is exactly what I wanted.''


    The eagle''s perfect circling motion broke off as it began to move in an obtuse half-oval motion.


    Still, this didn''t stop it from swooping down.


    ''You can come for me, but your path isn''t as perfect as before. It won''t be a perfect shot.''


    The eagle thrust its wings against the ground and began swooping around the side of the arena toward Tyr.


    However, with its perfect circle off balance, its right-side wing scraped against the wall. This caused it to sway side to side for a moment. It looked to the right momentarily, balancing itself again but unable to lose contact with the wall.


    Tyr noticed that it was more preoccupied than before, ''It''s still coming for me though, as expected. Its balance is off, unlike the other times, and its thinking is slightly distracted. This is the perfect opportunity to catch it off guard.''


    As the beast''s sharp beak closed in on Tyr, he abruptly jumped forward and landed on the wall in front of him without curving--bouncing off of it again as he pointed his spear toward the bird.


    ''Blink Step!''


    With the momentum of his jump still propelling him through the air, he appeared directly in front of the bird: above its beak and in front of its eyes with his spear pointed right at its skull.


    This was done in a swift and almost flawless manner, taking everyone in the examination room in shock.


    ''I win.'' A grin stretched across Tyr''s face.

 Chapter 40 - 40: Hunter Exam (6)

    A wave of expanding eyes washed through the onlookers across the railings.


    Their mouths opened slightly as their eyes danced with slight disbelief and awe.


    Tyr thrust his spear forward, piercing it straight through the forehead of the eagle and lodging it deep within.


    He let go, falling into a roll before getting back up to his feet.


    A piercing screech sounded across the arena as the eagle slammed into the examination chamber wall and tumbled onto the ground. S§×arch* The N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    It rolled and dragged to a slow stop against the wall as its wings finally stopped extending.


    The announcer''s voice sounded through the speakers: "Tyr has passed the Hunter Exam."


    The eagle turned back to stone and morphed into the ground, leaving Tyr''s spear on the floor.


    Tyr quietly walked back over to his weapon, picking it up before thrusting it into the air: "I won!" He said with a satisfied grin, clutching the side of his abdomen that was bleeding heavily by this point from the eagle''s lacerating attack.


    The examinees all broke out into a flutter of claps.


    "Hey! You did awesome!"


    "I could have never done that! You''re super strong!"


    "Congrats man!"


    They had just gone through a similar struggle themselves, so they naturally felt obliged but also happy to cheer on Tyr.


    The different squad members stayed silent despite their varying feelings toward what just happened.


    Hanzo jumped down into the examination chamber, tossing Tyr a small health capsule as he landed.


    Tyr caught it, quickly popping it into his mouth.


    Everyone around the chamber railings stared closely at Hanzo as he walked toward the boy.


    "Good job, newbie," Hanzo said, patting Tyr on the shoulder.


    "Thanks, Hanzo," Tyr replied genuinely, his bruises and cuts quickly beginning to heal.


    Miski hopped over the railing and landed on the examination floor as well.


    Most of the group that he was a part of followed him after a hesitant second. Only one stayed behind.


    The rockstar-looking dude walked toward Hanzo and Tyr with his face shadowed. His struts were quick and rushed.


    As he got close, Hanzo stepped beside Tyr. Finally, Miski abruptly grabbed Tyr by the collar and lifted him a foot off the ground.


    "Tell me where you got them, you criminal scum! Don''t take us for fools!" Miski''s expression finally showed as he furiously spoke to Tyr. His eyes were slightly red, veins poking out his forehead and neck.


    "If you think we will just believe that you have these crazy abilities without the use of unstable pills, you''re out of your mind!"


    Miski turned to Hanzo as the other squads jumped down and began to make their way to the commotion.


    "And you! Your power trip has gone too far! Who do you think you are, Bringing degenerate drug abusers to our facility!? Don''t you know the threat they pose?"


    Miski turned to face Tyr again, punching him in the stomach before letting him go.


    The punch felt like a brick being thrown into Tyr''s organs, causing him to grunt slightly in pain.


    "Admit the truth, you fucker. You got them from the Black Merchant Guild didn''t you? We all heard that you took down Bilweif of that guild... but that must have just been a cover-up for your involvement with them."


    The other squad members stayed silent. Although these accusations seemed baseless and absurd to some, Miski had the right to be confused after seeing Tyr''s miraculous abilities.


    Before Tyr could react, a voice suddenly screamed in his head.


    ''Master! Let me out!'' Rudra''s tone was urgent and ferocious.


    [Request to be let out of Infinite Domain has been issued by Rudra.]


    [Will you let him out?]


    [Yes/No]


    ''Huh?'' Tyr mused, several messages suddenly popping up in front of him that he wasn''t familiar with.


    [Answer not chosen.]


    [Letting out Rudra...]


    At that moment, Tyr understood the implications of the situation. ''Shit! If he gets out he will kill this guy. W-wait! Stop! Don''t let him--''


    However, it was too late for that.


    Tyr''s shadow turned into the vortex that Rudra had first entered to go to the Infinite Domain.


    Out from it sprung a giant beast who immediately pounced at Miski.


    With a savage growl, Rudra pushed over the young man and pinned him to the ground.


    "ARUGH! W-what the fuck!?" Miski exclaimed in both shock and horror.


    "Miski!" The short, rainbow sweater-wearing kid who was standing next to Miski before shouted in surprise. He jumped at the tiger to help his friend but was swatted several feet away by Rudra''s paw.


    Miski was taken aback at first but quickly understood the situation he was in with Rudra''s mouth agape and a world of sharp teeth facing him, ready to tear him to pieces.


    ''Where did this thing come from!? It''s too strong! I can''t move my arms!'' Miski thought to himself in sheer panic.


    The other squads rushed closer.


    "What the hell!?"


    "Whose pet is that!?"


    "How did it get here all of a sudden?"


    They had several questions, all of which went unanswered as a crowd began to form around Miski.


    Rudra growled menacingly at whoever attempted to get close.


    ''Rudra, enter Infinite Domain.'' Tyr said inwardly, raising his hand at the beast.


    ''What!? But Master! This vile creature has insulted you! Let me punish him by eating his heart!'' Rudra roared in rage.


    ''No. I can''t kill someone just because they made me angry. But don''t worry, I won''t let anyone insult me and get away with it. Enter.''


    Rudra gave Miski a final growl of humid breath and saliva before, although unwillingly, slowly retreating and entering Infinite Domain through Tyr''s hand.


    Miski quickly sat up and pushed himself away from Tyr, panting slightly in shock and bewilderment.


    "W-what the fuck was that!?" He exclaimed in shock. He looked at Tyr, "You! Your crazy beast almost killed me! I''ll have you punished!"


    Tyr raised a brow in annoyance, "Huh? You retarded mother fucker... you punched me first--"


    A sharp guitar blare boomed through the examination arena out of nowhere, interrupting Tyr.


    Everyone''s heads turned to face the man who had been behind Miski''s squad before on the railings.


    He looked similar to Miski, but wore fully white clothing instead of Miski''s black attire and had a large neon mohawk on his head. He had a white guitar on his head, which he put behind his back again before jumping down into the arena.


    He walked over to Miski and grabbed him by the hair--lifting him to his feet. He had a nonchalant expression on his face as he did this.


    Miski noticed who was in front of him and quickly straightened his posture, also lowering his gaze.


    He whispered, "S-sorry, elder brother..."


    "Quiet." The white-wearing young man said, turning away from Miski.


    ''What the hell? He usually doesn''t react unless I do something really bad. Why is he stepping forward today?'' Miski thought to himself confused.


    The other squad members tracked the mohawked young man as he walked over to Tyr and Hanzo.


    A girl from Ultimatum pulled Tyr back and to the side.


    "Let go of me! I still haven''t paid that bastard back yet for what he did."


    "Shh... something big''s about to happen." The girl said as the mohawked young man stared down at Hanzo with a disdainful expression.


    Tyr noticed at that moment that the atmosphere in the building had completely changed from before.


    Everyone was serious, as though on edge. Tyr looked up, noticing the examinees already having left.


    The girl holding him wore tight leggings that continued as a one-piece suit up her body. It was black, showing quite a bit of cleavage as well.


    She had two circular straps attached to her shoulders, but that was it in terms of armor. This compressed clothing accentuated her voluptuous curves.


    The girl leaned into Tyr''s ear.


    "You can deal with that later. Right now, the challenge for the throne is about to be proposed..." She whispered.


    "What?"

 Chapter 41 - 41: Battle Royale (1)

    "Isn''t that a bit bombastic? What do you mean, challenge for the throne?" Tyr questioned in a fairly silent tone as well since the girl he was speaking to was whispering.


    The girl paused, looking into his eyes for a second before speaking.


    "I''m Cyllia, nice to meet you." The girl abruptly said, changing the topic as he reached her hand forward.


    "Right... Tyr." Tyr said, lightly shaking her hand. "But you still haven''t answered my question."


    Cyllia looked forward: "The 5 strongest Hunter Squads in Drance are here. This hasn''t happened in a while, and the only reason it did happen was not only because Hanzo has chosen you to be his next squad member, but also because you defeated Bilweif in the short time that you''ve been here."


    Tyr was slightly taken aback as he heard this. "Chosen me to be the next squad member?" He was still stuck on this part. ''That''s... a perfect thing. I can hunt better creatures and level up faster that way too.''


    Cyllia continued: "Of course, word of that slimy scoundrel being caught quickly spread through town. Especially since he has a bounty of 500 Gold if caught alive."


    "HUH!?" Tyr''s eyebrows flew up as his jaw dropped to the floor, ''FUCK! If I had known about that I would have been rich!'' He rued.


    "Too bad you killed him... but still, we had been trying to stop him for years," Cyllia said, causing Tyr to think oddly.


    He remembered a detail that didn''t seem to make sense.


    Furrowing his brows, he thought back to when he was first entering Drance.


    ''Hanzo saw that I was distracted with that Bilweif guy all the way back then, and pulled me away from arguing with him even after making eye contact with the robed individual. Of course, I had no clue who he was at the time, but surely Hanzo had a clue...'' This confused him slightly. But there was still a chance that Hanzo also had no clue that that figure was actually Bilweif.


    "Anyways. The 5 strongest squads don''t meet often, like I said. When it does happen, a war breaks out." Cyllia exclaimed with her gaze focused in front of her.


    Several squad members began to make their way toward the sidelines as well.


    Leaders and stronger members of their squads seemed to stay behind, facing each other with serious looks.


    "Hanzo, let''s see if you are still the strongest. It''s been two years since the last time." The white-leather-clothed young man who resembled Miski said.


    "Jae, it''s not just between you and him. I''ll show you just how much I''ve grown." A tall brute who was slightly fat but heavily muscular stepped forward, cracking his knuckles.


    "Thats right Crank, let''s rank each other one more time." Another person who seemed to be a squad leader stepped up and faced the other three. She was a girl who wore a bright and long green mage dress.


    "The great Pencil, AKA me, says that we have some fun! Isn''t that right, Misterel?" Another guy walked up, his hair short and buzzed. He had an average stature, a fairly developed body, and a smirk on his face.


    The five gathered in the middle, with at least one other person from their team beside him.


    Beside Hanzo was Yurin, the short girl and Jonas returning to Tyr and Cyllia''s side.


    A short moment of silence ensued between the different squads, their egos clashing with each other.


    But in reality, all of them were waiting on one thing.


    What was the strongest going to say?


    After a few seconds, Hanzo let out an exasperated sigh.


    "Oi, Camie!" He yelled into the sky with his hands on his hips.


    A voice hurriedly sounded from the speakers in a nervous tone: "Y-yes, Hanzo!"


    "Shut the exams for 10 minutes."


    "Yes sir!"


    "I''m surprised you agreed." Jae, the mohawked young man, retorted with a smug attitude.


    "I have my reasons." Hanzo replied, "Begin." He said as all of the squad leaders and their companions jumped backward in unison and created over 20 feet of space.


    All but Hanzo and Yurin, that was, who stayed in the center. S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Tyr furrowed his brows, ''They are that scared of Ultimatum? Just how strong are these guys?''


    Noticing Tyr''s expression, the short girl from behind tapped him on the shoulder.


    "Hey, you are probably confused about what''s going on right? Sorry, we Hunters tend to be too competitive at times." She said in a high-pitched, gentle voice.


    Tyr turned, giving a pity laugh at the girl''s words. "Haha... right."


    "I''m Urvil Crystal, nice to meet you. I hope we become good teammates later on down the line." She said with a genuine smile.


    "Same here..." Tyr replied, still slightly surprised that he was invited into this squad to begin with.


    Right now, there was a standstill between all the squad members participating in this battle royale. That was up until Jae lunged forward to attack Hanzo.


    As soon as he did this, all the other squad members attacked other squad members--instantly transforming the examination arena into a battleground.


    Hanzo gracefully sidestepped and avoided all of Jae''s punches, moving around the arena on their own.


    Miski happened to fight a random person from Crank''s squad. The person from Crank''s squad had the power to make swords float around him.


    Miski on the other hand used his hands which unleashed waves of musical notes that were powerful enough to cause damage to even Expert Rank Aura fighters.


    Crank, the big brute, fought Misterel, the mage girl. The brute had the power to transform into an elephant! Right now, he was only using his power to transform his nose into a trunk to swing at his opponent.


    Misterel on the other hand was using all sorts of spells, waving her wand around as several vines poked out of the ground and attacked Crank.


    Finally, Pencil took on Yurin. The latter fought using a gauntlet on his hand that was able to unleash several Aura attacks consisting of various elements such as Water, Fire, Wind, Earth.


    Pencil had the power to wield a giant pencil that formed out of thin air. It could be used as a large rod weapon, but also to create projectile weapons. This could be done by writing in the air and sending the scratches flying toward one''s opponent.


    Before Tyr knew it, fights were happening all around him. And he couldn''t help but stare with awe and exhilaration. These fights, first of all, were hella fun to watch!


    Seeing all these crazy and new abilities made the little kid in Tyr jump up and down with joy. But on top of that, it gave him a lot of understanding when it came to how one fought in the first place.


    These were skilled fighters, ones who knew how to attack, dodge, parry, and move themselves in the world of combat.


    It was like liquid gold when it came to information, all in front of his very eyes!

 Chapter 42 - 42: Battle Royale (2)

    The battle royale continued for a few minutes. No one seemed to be holding back much at all.


    Loud noises, odd explosions, abrupt clanging, and random projectiles were flying all over the place.


    Tyr only watched in mesmerization.


    "Psst." Cyllia suddenly neared Tyr, pushing her large melons into his right shoulder.


    Tyr paused, looking to the right slightly before letting out a steaming breath from his nose.


    ''Damn.'' He mused, impressed, his nose slightly red.


    "Crank and Misterel have had their arguments for as long as Hanzo has been a squad captain," Cyllia said, forcing Tyr''s attention to be changed to the two fighting out there.


    "Despite their differing looks, they were once partners... now, they fight each other at every chance they get."


    Out of nohwere, Crank''s body began to morph. It extended heavily in size, eventually turning into an entire elephant in the span of 5 seconds.


    He had large ivory tusks, dark gray skin that was as thick as a bulletproof vest, and a trunk that could unroot trees with a single swing.


    Tyr forgot all about the boobies that were mere feet from his face, distracted by the fight that was ensuing.


    Misterel harrumped loudly as a large vine summoned beneath her feet and lifted her 10 feet above the ground.


    More vines formed, surrounding her in a protective barrier of the stuff as she waved her wand some more. Dozens of giant vines grew out from the ground, all attempting to slash, whip, and peirce the large elephant.


    The elephant wasn''t just going to give up easily, however. It charged forward in a ruthless rampage.


    "Look over there," Cyllia paused as she turned, pushing her melons even more into Tyr.


    ''Damn.'' Tyr said inwardly, even more impressed than before.


    "Miski is pretty strong, but weak in comparison to the squad captains. He''s annoying... not my type at all. He''s fighting a pretty boring guy, but his fighting style is unique. I''ve never seen anything like it in my life. Some say they were once friends, rivals even."


    Miski was unleashing a flurry of punches at the sword guy right now, each blow sending musical vibrations flying into the air. They were sorted in various colors such as dark blue, purple, neon, and more.


    The sword guy had several daggers and blades floating all around him, able to block each of Miski''s punches as they danced around the entire arena.


    He wasn''t just blocking, however, using his mastery of swords to swing them around and attempt to slash at his opponent as well. He had to attack while defending, as did Miski.


    "And over there! It''s an even more exciting fight." Cyllia said, pushing her cahonas even further into Tyr.


    ''Wow.'' Tyr thought to himself, even more satisfied than before.


    "Pencil and Yurin. Both have extremely unique fighting styles. You might think that Yurin''s power is to cast multiple elemental spells, but you would be wrong. It''s the ability to create powerful weapons that can wield these powers in the first place. His weapon is named the Infinity Gauntlet, since it can wield all four main elements in the world."


    "I see..." Tyr observed the fight closer.


    Pencil was moving fiercely, each step and attack sending afterblow after afterblow.


    His rod attacks were strong enough to destroy Tyr, and he knew this just from looking at it.


    At times Pencil would write in the air before slamming his rod into the writing as if he was playing baseball toward Yurin. He would write all over the place whenever he got the opportunity, knowing he could hit them toward Yurin whenever he wanted.


    Although Pencil was strong, Tyr was more focused on Yurin, who seemed to be dominating the battle with a stupid amount of ease.


    Yurin moved at a noticeably faster pace. His attacks were more potent, whether it be physical or Aura attacks from his spells.


    ''From the way he moved back then during our spar, he''s a completely different animal. I thought he had held back just a little, but now I understand that even with Blink I would barely be faster than him.'' Tyr thought to himself, amazed by this fighting.


    Cyllia pressed herself against Tyr even more, "Yurin is something special. He is no weaker than a squad captain, but chose to join Hanzo''s squad. Many say he is the third strongest Hunter in Drance behind Jae... I personally think he is the second strongest."


    Out of nowhere, Tyr was picked up by Jonas and carried away.


    "Sorry for her antics... she does this to every guy she finds interesting," Jonas said to Tyr, apologizing sincerely.


    "Hey! What are you doing!? Things were just getting good!" Cyllia yelled from behind, stomping her foot on the ground like a toddler throwing a tantrum.


    "Shut up! He''s just a kid! Leave him alone you succubus!" Jonas yelled back at her, taking Tyr to the other side of this small watch party.


    Cyllia pouted her lips and crossed her hands, returning her attention to the battles. Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''I really didn''t mind it much.'' Tyr thought to himself.


    "Screw all those other fights. The really interesting one is this. Watching Hanzo fight is rare, but that''s what makes it so amazing."


    Jonas placed Tyr down in front of him as they both witnessed two quick figures zipping across the entire examination chamber at random intervals.


    Hanzo seemed to be using his bow as a physical close-range weapon, which confused Tyr.


    Jae on the other hand was using his guitar to send out powerful waves of Musical Aura.


    "Why won''t he just fight using his arrows? He could end the battle much sooner, no?" Tyr questioned on seeing this.


    "Kid, you oughta learn a thing or two about self-respect. Using your most valuable gem on fools who don''t deserve it is disrespectful to yourself." Jonas exclaimed, not giving Tyr the answer, but letting him find it himself.


    "I see... so Hanzo doesn''t declare Jae worthy enough."


    "Oh no, he does. He just wants the idiot to feel bad enough to go full power. Only then will Hanzo take out his bow." Jonas chuckled slightly.


    Tyr kept an eye on Hanzo, ''So Hanzo''s just playing with him huh?'' A memory wandered into his mind:


    ''That time I challenged him to fight me back when I was on the hunt for Rudra, he declined. But, he did almost use his bow when he saw that I was nearly about to get killed by Rudra...''


    At that moment, Hanzo noticed Tyr in his peripheral vision. They made eye contact for a split second. A millisecond after this, Hanzo swung his bow forcefully.


    *BANG*


    Jae was thrown across the examination chamber like a swatted fly, slamming into the wall before falling to the floor.


    Tyr''s eyes expanded, his mouth slightly agape at the sudden show of power.


    ''He could have done that all along?'' He mused in surprise.


    Hanzo fell from the air and landed on the ground, "I guess it''s time to end this." He said, walking toward Jae with his finger on his bowstring. A wave of dangerous intent burst out of the young man, falling over everyone in the entire arena like a 10-foot-tall ocean wave.


    Everyone stopped what they were doing, their eyes covered temporarily with a haze of fear and shock as their heads turned 180 degrees toward where Hanzo was.


    The strongest was about to get serious...

 Chapter 43 - 43: Battle Royale (3 )The Strongest

    ***EXTRA LONG CHAP***


    ----


    Yurin noticed his captain pull his bowstring back.


    ''Its time to end it huh? And here I thought I could test my weapon out some more...'' He mused, facing Pencil with a stern glare.


    Pencil took a step back instinctively, "Ending it already huh?" He awkwardly chuckled.


    "Yep." Yurin pushed his palm forward, a fury of fire exploding out of his gauntlet.


    "I yield," Pencil said, putting down his weapon.


    The flames stopped, immediately absorbing back into Yurin''s palm.


    "Good fight..." Pencil said, his tone slightly somber.


    Yurin ignored him, dashing over to where Tyr and Jonas were. ''I want to get a good look at this...'' He thought to himself.


    While the others who were fighting resumed their battles, Tyr focused on the two figures in front of him.


    Jae seemed lightheaded and still slightly off balance from that last attack.


    Shaking his head, he rose to his feet. He gripped his guitar, facing Hanzo who stopped walking.


    "Get serious. I want to end this." Hanzo said as Jae spit out a loogie of blood.


    "Those words... they are a contradiction. Why would you want me to get serious if you want to end this?" Jae responded, playing a note on his electric guitar.


    Hanzo raised his chin slightly, "Contradiction or not, I want to tell how much stronger I''ve gotten."


    "Yeah yeah..." Jae exclaimed, suddenly contracting his forearm muscles. Viens bulged out, his entire wrist and arm revolving with dozens of dense muscles.


    "Final attack: Death Song!" Jae exclaimed, beginning to play his guitar strings at an extremely quick pace.


    Giant waves of Musical Aura which resembled dark neon colors began to pulsate out of the guitar. The music, although blaring, sounded amazing--like a powerful guitar solo at a rock concert.


    Jonas stepped in front of Tyr and the others, getting down on one knee before placing his giant sycthe in front of him.


    From it radiated a powerful energy that quickly formed into an invisible forcefield all around him and the other onlookers.


    ''Wow... a powerful-looking attack weapon with defense capabilities too? I wonder what Jonas'' Ancestral Ability is.'' Tyr thought to himself as he saw this.


    Hanzo pulled his bowstring back as a blue arrow manifested in his fingertips.


    He let go, the blue arrow clashing against Jae''s Musical Aura waves before exploding into a large, transparent blue forcefield.


    "That''s Hanzo''s defensive attack: Defense. An arrow that turns into a barrier of protection on impact." Yurin exclaimed, crossing his arms.


    Tyr was getting more and more impressed by the second. Hanzo was the real deal.


    Some waves of the Musical Aura crashed into Jonas'' invisible forcefield before being spread apart and thrown into different directions.


    "Tsk... that how easy it is huh?" Jae exclaimed under his breath, continuing to play his riff to unleash more waves.


    Hanzo continued walking forward despite the waves rampaging toward him--unleashing several blue arrows as he walked.


    "Just how powerful is your forcefield? Is it as strong as Hanzo''s to be able to deflet these Aura waves?" Tyr questioned, impressed at the fortidude of the thing.


    The waves crashing against Jonas'' forcefield still made it shake slightly, but it was intact in the end.


    Jonas scoffed on hearing this, "Far off... Jae''s attacks aren''t intended toward me, but fully toward Hanzo. Only about 20% of his power is being slammed into my force field. It wouldn''t stand a chance if I was getting hit with 80% like Hanzo is right now--especally at such a close range."


    Tyr was slightly taken aback, "I see... Im beginning to understand more and more why he''s called the strongest now."


    "You got decent, Jae!" Hanzo exclaimed as he got 20 feet away from the mohawked young man. He pulled his bowstring back again, this time creating a red arrow in his fingertips before letting go.


    "Attack." Jonas said as he heard the arrow go off.


    "What?" Tyr questioned at that moment.


    "Its the name of his red arrow. It spins so fast that most Aura gets shredded on the molecular level from its force curve."


    The arrow pierced through all of the incoming Musical Aura waves like a spinning drill ripping through leaves.


    It neared Jae''s face at extreme speed, barely grazing the side of his cheek before puncturing the iron wall beside him with a loud boom.


    Jae stopped playing his guitar, placing it behind his back as he raised both of his hands: "Alright alright, you won! You are still the strongest! Tsk..."


    Hanzo smirked, "Thats what I like to hear!" He said loudly with a smile. But then his smile disappeared and his face returned to normal as he turned around, "Just kidding, I couldn''t care less." He said, walking over to Tyr and the others.


    Jonas undid his forcefield, standing up and turning to face Hanzo.


    Everyone gazed at the young man with awe dancing behind their pupils.


    Some fighters were great because they had long mastered techniques that were mesmerizing to behold--the subtle perfection and experience through every movement.


    Other fighters were great to watch because their fighting was beautiful, like a dance in the middle of a battle.


    But fighters like Hanzo were the best the to watch, and this was because they simply overpowered every obstacle in their way like a truck ramming through Novel MCs.


    *BOOM* Sear?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    A noise sounded from behind, everyone turning their attention to Misterel and Crank.


    They both were knocked out cold from what seemed to be a large final clash.


    "You''re dead!" Miski exclaimed, charging at his opponent for their final clash as well.


    "You are still years behind me!" The sword guy exclaimed as the two lunged at each other in the center.


    They both slid to a stop on opposite sides with their backs facing each other. After a second, Miski dropped flat on his face.


    The sword guy, whilst panting, raised all of his blades in the air: "I''m still stronger!"


    And just like that, all of the battles that day were concluded.


    Tyr and the other Ultimatum Hunter Squad members were staring at all of these figures silently.


    ''He got knocked out huh? I guess I can pay him a visit some other time.'' He thought to himself.


    Suddenly, he felt a smack on the back of his head.


    "What the--!?" He turned, Hanzo standing there with his hands on his hips and a large smile on his face.


    "So, how about it?" The squad captain said.


    "H-how about it?" Tyr exclaimed in slight puzzlement, scratching the back of his head. ''He''s probably talking about me joining his squad. Yeah, that''s got to be it!''


    "I accept!" He blurted happily. The other Ultimatum members had sour expressions on their faces as they saw this. They all turned to the side, as though embarrassed or fearful.


    "Really?" Hanzo said with excitement in his eyes, "I thought it was going to take longer than that to convince you! Its a long trip after all..."


    "Huh? A trip? What are you talking about?" Tyr thought he understood, but now he was lost.


    Hanzo''s joyful look slowly turned to an unhappy frown as his eyes panned over his squad members.


    As he made eye contact, they all looked away as though in shame.


    "You all had one job... a simple, single proposal. And yet, you all failed at even such a minimal thing?" He said, a vein bulging out of his forehead in anger.


    The others couldn''t reply to him, all too ashamed.


    "What proposal exactly?" Tyr asked, still not filled in.


    Hanzo sighed, "Well... what they were supposed to have asked you was a question." He paused, staring at Tyr for a few seconds.


    "Tyr, would you like to go on an A+ Class Hunter Mission with us to another kingdom? It''s going to be Ultimatum''s, and for that matter, Drance''s largest quest yet." Hanzo''s face was sincere yet confident, like a fresh breeze.


    Tyr was surprised by this sudden proposal. It was big news. According to what he knew, Subworld was far larger than Earth. A single kingdom was similar to the size of a continent, so traveling it wouldn''t be easy nor short.


    But, there wasn''t a single second in Tyr''s mind where he was opposed to the idea. Without much hesitation at all, he said:


    "Yes! Yes I would!"


    Hanzo smirked: "Perfect!"


    The other members of Ultimatum burst out into a laugh.


    "Wow! That really was easy huh?" Yurin exclaimed, chuckling slightly as he mocked Hanzo.


    "Huh? Shut up nerd, I''ll beat you up." Hanzo replied, the group laughing even more.


    Tyr couldn''t help but also chuckle slightly, and then break out into a full-on laugh as the commotion between the group members continued.


    He hadn''t been on Subworld for long, but he felt comfortable in this moment. More comfortable with these people, in this place, than he had been on Earth for over a decade.


    ''Im happy I made this decision... I think I would have regretted doing anything else in this world other than this. Im prepared to grow stronger with these people.''


    .


    .


    .


    *3 Month''s Later*


    ***


    Author Note: Please read the Author''s Thought. Thanks!

 Chapter 44 - 44: Unbound

    *BONUS CHAPTER*


    *Purrr*


    Rudra licked his lips as he lay on his stomach beside his master, a deep and guttural growl coming from his mouth.


    Tyr sat before him, chipping away at a random stick with a dagger and flinging the wood chips into the campfire in front of him.


    The night was large and dark, the brilliant but dim silver moonlight barely peeking through the mushroom canopy above the Ultimatum Squad.


    They all sat around this single campfire. Silent conversation occurred here and there, but the air was mostly filled with exhaustion. S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Around him was a forest of large mushrooms ranging from 2 to 200 feet tall, each one a different shade of blue, purple, and red--with white spots coating its ceiling.


    Large light bugs the size of cats buzzed through the air, their heads lighting up like glowfish at the bottom of the sea.


    "Mycelia is only 7 hours away. We should get there by dawn at this pace." Urvil said, tending to her rabbit-on-a-stick over the fire.


    "That''s if we don''t get ambushed by another pack of Shroom Dogs..." Hanzo replied, lying beside the fire with a book over his face.


    ''I wouldn''t mind that actually. They gave me pretty decent EXP.'' Tyr thought to himself, opening up his status menu.


    ©³©¥©¥©¥Status©¥©¥©¥©·


    Name: Tyr Evolion Thalonis


    Bloodline: Almighty Thalonis + Unknown


    Age: 15 Years


    Level: 48


    Vitality: 28/28


    Strength: 33


    Stamina: 30/30


    Speed: 28


    Aura: --


    [Stats remaining: 0


    Rank: --


    ©»©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¿


    ''Im damn close... only two more levels and a lot of things will go my way. Im hoping I get a good spell and Ancestral Ability. There''s also more memories to come I have to think about.''


    The idea of receiving these memories was nothing shy of concerning. Still, Tyr wanted to figure out everything about his past.


    Especially now that he had traveled so far in Subworld.


    During the past several weeks, Tyr had seen many things on his travels. Various aspects of land resembled Earth, like forests and mountains.


    But, there were also regions like the mushroom forest he was in right now that he had never expected to see.


    The more he traveled and saw these incredible scenes, the more he wanted to continue adventuring.


    His boring life of old was now just a distant memory. He was in a fantasy world now! Like any human, he wanted to explore! He wanted to see all parts of this world.


    Just thinking about seeing all of these new things excited him.


    Not just the new natural environments, but the new foods, people, creatures, Aura spells, and more. It all exhilarated him beyond belief!


    "Isn''t it great?" Tyr said, a smile on his face, "This world is so vast."


    The others randomly stared at him as if he was a weirdo. After a few seconds though, their expressions mellowed.


    "You could say that." Hanzo replied, chuckling slightly at the boy''s remark. He continued: "They say there are so many biomes out there that no one has conquered them all. So many planets out there that no one has seen them all."


    "Isn''t it exciting?" Tyr questioned, causing Hanzo and Jonas to smile most of all.


    Everyone stopped talking for a while, letting the noise of the fire popping and clicking soothe the atmosphere.


    "I didn''t have a concrete goal in this life... but I think I''ve found one now." Tyr''s eyes sparkled in the fire as he spoke, his pupils dancing with real hope and aspiration.


    "I want to travel the world. See everything that there is to see, and do everything fun that there is to do."


    Everyone was a bit taken aback by his statement.


    Cyllia found herself lost in thought. Urvil smiled warmly. Yurin gazed up at the stars, his fists clenched. Jonas shook his head, wondering about the possibilities.


    Hanzo stared at Tyr, ''Those eyes...'' He couldn''t help but be reminded of his younger brother.


    A memory kicked into his head. Several years ago, his brother had said something similar when he was just 5 years of age.


    "I want to run across the world! I want to see everyone''s faces!" These were the words that Hanzo''s younger brother had told him.


    ''I remember back then, there was nothing more that I wanted than to give my family the world. To make their dreams come true. To give my mother the medicine she needed to heal from her chronic illness and to carry my brother on my shoulders across the entire world so that his smile would never fade.''


    And now, he saw a similar smile on Tyr''s face.


    "That childish, crazy dream of being free to do whatever you want. It isn''t really possible in a world like this, Tyr." Hanzo said, sitting up.


    "Huh? Why not?"


    "I''m sure you can understand... Drance, and even Seris for that matter is a very civilized nation. It''s small and weak, yet civilized. Outside, however, there are lands where getting to see sunlight itself is what people kill each other for. There are cruel people out there, whose whole purpose in life is to destroy other people''s dreams."


    The others looked at Hanzo with squinted eyes of ponderance as he spoke.


    "I know what you mean, Hanzo."


    Tyr paused.


    ''Im not a child... I''ve lived even longer than Hanzo when adding up my life on Earth. I know the greed and malice in people, but on that planet, there is no special thing that can solve everyone''s problems. There''s no escape for the average worker, the single parent, or the abandoned child. There is no hope, no Aura. But this is no Earth...


    Subworld is a magical place. Here, I can do things that I never even imagined were possible back on Earth. If I can''t live my life to the fullest on this planet, then what''s the god damn point?''


    "Here, I have a choice..." Tyr said out loud but meant it to himself.


    The others looked at him, Hanzo retorting with slight confusion: "You have a choice?"


    "If they won''t let me, then I''ll just do it anyways," Tyr said, his eyes calm yet raging with conviction deep inside.


    His words were so simple, yet they impacted everyone sitting around the campfire that night in unique ways.


    His words were the same ones that caused all great civilizations to prevail.


    Each child born into a new generation broke away from their parent''s ideals, wanting to forge a new life for themselves and therefore continuing an endless path of discovery and change throughout human history.


    Each new idea created a spur of more thoughts and theories that were the genesis of all technology.


    Each time a barrier was broken, a new one was placed by the next era.


    This was Tyr''s breakthrough.


    Tyr chuckled, "If they try to stop me, I''ll just get strong enough to the point where they have no other choice!" He truly believed those words. He had to since he was going to bet his entire life on it!


    ''That will be my new purpose. I will be unbound.''

 Chapter 45 - 45: Journey

    Throughout the past several weeks, Tyr and the other members of Ultimatum traveled out of Seris and into a very small and remote kingdom called Mycopolis: the home of mushrooms.


    Before arriving at Mycopolis, however, Ultimatum took on its fair share of troubles on its journey.


    Many of these troubles were placed upon themselves. As they stopped by small villages and cities in Seris, they took on small quests here and there.


    Defeating beasts, tending to crops, helping high-status people travel through states. Tending to crops was done by Tyr only, by the way, since he had to up his Hunter Rank.


    "Tsk... I can''t believe Im the only one that has to do this." Tyr thought to himself, picking up shit-covered haybales as he placed them into horse-feeding troughs.


    His sleeves were rolled up, mud all over his face as he imagined his other group members hanging out at some brothel or whatever.


    He shook his head, placing the haybale into the feeding trough before suddenly getting his hair chomped on by a horse.


    "Argh! What the fuck!? That isn''t hay, let go you stupid long-faced bastard!"


    ...


    Tyr continued to work, ''Even though I did well on the exam, they only made me a C Rank Hunter. This mission Hanzo invited me on is an A+ Rank, which apparently means I have to be at least an A Rank Hunter if I want to participate in it. This usually isn''t the case in quests, but anything A+ Rank and above is an entirely new ballgame.


    You need multiple S Class Hunter''s to be able to take an A+ Rank dungeon or quest down.''


    He wasn''t very excited about what he had to do, but it wasn''t like there was much of a choice.


    As the days of traveling continued, Tyr advanced in his Hunter Rank gradually.


    It took them multiple days sometimes to arrive at their next city, but each time they landed they made sure to make Tyr do a few harder quests around the place to earn the right to rank up as a Hunter.


    Unfortunately for him, ranking up wasn''t easy whatsoever.


    It wasn''t just some random power grade that determined his score, but rather a clergy member or high magistrate figure of a town that would assert his next rank depending on his previous missions and what not.


    After two months, Tyr got to B Rank. They also left Seris, venturing out into a light mushroom forest biome.


    The biome quickly became thick and expansive however as they dove deeper in.


    Finding villages was even more rare in Mycopolis since the Moosh people of the kingdom were more closed into their culture themselves and not particularly nice to outsiders.


    Only in more populated and prosperous villages were there any sign of Humans, and even there it was hard to get a decent quest.


    Still, whenever they could find a place to stop and get a new quest thats exactly what they did for Tyr.


    Tyr worked tirelessly, not wanting to let his team down. He had grown very close to them through this time.


    He had gone through trails and tribulations, near death scenarios that were so crazy that they all laughed about it in the end.


    To everyone in his party, Tyr felt more like they were his family than anyone back on Earth except for his grandfather of course.


    He also leveled up along the way, his body strengthening while his brain became blistered and brittle.


    Above all, Tyr respected the experience he got out of it... although he knew he would never want to do all of it again if he had a choice.


    At this current moment, Tyr and the others sat around the campfire after traveling for 6 days without a single Moosh town or village in sight.


    This was the longest distance between any town in both Seris and Mycopolis, but it was going to be worth it.


    Why? Well, where Tyr and the others were headed was no joke. Mycelia, the city of quests. It was known as the Hunter''s den due to the fact that it was surrounded by such a dangerous array of beasts.


    Many hunters took post there, ranking up their class by taking on the multitude of quests that would come in each day due to the high number of beast attacks around the place.


    But of course, this came with its own downsides.


    "I can''t believe im still not A Rank..." Tyr exclaimed, sighing as he laid back on Rudra who was behind him. It felt like falling into a sea of warm marshmellows.


    "I think you are." Jonas replied, "We just haven''t tested it for a while. Let''s see what they tell you in Mycelia."


    "Yeah... hopefully. If not, I won''t be able to do the quest." Tyr replied, crossing his fingers metaphorically.


    "Im just happy they chose to specifically ask for Ultimatum. Thanks to Hanzo, its name has been spread all over Seris and it has even spilled over into other kingdoms." Cyllia chuckled as she played with the campfire charcoal with a stick. Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Nah... we all made that happen. Don''t just give all the credit to me." Hanzo replied, his tone a bit nonchalant.


    Cyllia was a bit taken aback to hear this, as if she hadn''t thought of it that way before.


    "I-I guess you''re right. We all played a part." She said, pausing for a moment before saying, "This is really the oppurtuinity of a lifetime. The prize is 35,000 gold after all."


    "Yeah, split that into 6 and we have ourselves enough money to live lavishly for a while." Jonas said with a grin on his face.


    "I still can''t believe that''s a real possibility... its crazy to imagine how much a single person is willing to pay for their safety," Tyr exclaimed, gazing at everyone''s expressions.


    ''It''s clear that everyone is excited for this quest. It truly is life-changing. I imagine a few of them may quit being a Hunter all together after this quest...'' Tyr thought to himself.


    ''Apparently, all we have to do is help a Royal go through a large dungeon that has been discovered near Mycelia. This Royal bought the rights to the dungeon quickly, and now wants the best of the best Hunter''s in the region to help him. Since he already bought the rights to the dungeon, we can''t participate in its rewards. But still, the 35,000 gold prize is quite enough for us.''


    "5833 gold huh? That aint enough for me whatsoever!" Yurin suddenly blurted, "I gotta keep going until I have at least 10,000 in my hands. That''s the life goal! After that, I can spend the rest of my time leisurely, doing whatever I want." He declared in a joking manner.


    "Yeah well, try and make sure to actually complete the quest and not die in the process first," Hanzo replied as the entire squad broke out into a heap of laughter.


    "I think its time we sleep." Tyr exclaimed, closing his eyes.


    "Sounds like a plan..." Cyllia replied.


    Hanzo was the last to speak: "We will wake up early tommorow and arrive at Mycelia. Be ready for any crazy antics... it''s the meeting place of the strongest Hunters in the South of our continent after all..."

 Chapter 46 - 46: Blockage

    "If yerr''s want ta'' cross over this here side of the forest, yerr''s gonna have ta'' pay up!" Screamed a grizzly-looking bandit. He wore clothing that resembled a pirate. His left eye was patched up and his right leg was a piece of wood.


    He had a large belly that peeked out from underneath his stained tunic and a black coat overtop that was ripped to shreds.


    He was in the middle of a small pathway between a thick mushroom forest, the fungi forcing all entry and exit through only this one path.


    There were dozens of smaller bandits wearing roguish clothing standing behind him and also to the side, blocking anyone from going around the side past them.


    200 feet in front of the big bandit was a fairly long line of various carts carrying goods, carriages holding people, travel mounts, and other types of transportation vehicles.


    Tyr and his squad were directly at the center of this line of vehicles, which numbered into the dozens.


    He rode atop Rudra, Hanzo riding on his floating Jetski-looking vehicle while the others rode inside of a metallic, futuristic-looking car with three giant exhaust pipes at the back of it and wheels that radiated in mellow colors.


    A few people inside of a carriage a few carts behind Tyr''s group stuck their head out of the carriage window, "What''s with the commotion!? Why did we all suddenly stop!" A young man screamed, slamming his fist against the carriage he was in.


    More and more angry shouts began to sound as people''s patience grew thin.


    Tyr was also confused, taking Rudra out of the line slightly and to the side to catch a glimpse of what was happening in front.


    Hanzo and the others kept an eye on him as he squinted his eyes and looked at the front of the line.


    There, he saw the big bandit and his goons. A hundred or so feet further than even that guy, however, Tyr saw a giant metropolis of mushroom buildings behind a small wall of wooden spikes. sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    There were giant mushroom skyscrapers with several floors, all of low technology when it came to electrical work, but still mesmerizing to gaze upon. They were like tree houses, all interconnected through a complex array of wood-rope bridges.


    Tyr''s eyes lit up as he saw all of this. He wanted to get a fine look at the smaller structures that mostly populated the town, but also understood that he had to get closer in order to do so.


    He then focused his eyes back on the bandit. ''This guy''s the thing stopping me from doing what I want.'' He said to himself.


    ''I already made myself a promise.'' He thought back to what he declared to himself last night.


    ''I will be unbound.'' These were his own words forged into his own mind.


    With his internal command, Rudra began to walk forward and cut the others in the path.


    "Tyr!" Hanzo shouted, but Tyr didn''t turn his back. Instead, the boy simply gave a thumbs up to him.


    Hanzo scoffed, chuckling in disbelief. ''This guy...'' He didn''t know what to say.


    ''If I don''t stick to my word, then what kind of man am I?'' Tyr thought to himself as Rudra''s pace increased until eventually turning into a full-blown sprint.


    Other people in carts and carriages noticed him, blurting out words in the various feelings of shock, confusion, and anger invoked in them from his actions:


    "Hey! What the hell was that!?"


    "Was that a beast?"


    "Oi! Don''t skip in line! We''ve been waiting for a while!"


    Tyr ignored all of these words, leaping all the way to the front of the line. Rudra''s feet landed heavily on the dirt path, dust flying a few feet into the air.


    Finally, Rudra slowed to a jog as he got closer to the bandit.


    The fat bandit raised a brow, putting his hand on his gun holster as he scanned the creature approaching him.


    "What''s that?" He said under his breath.


    "Sir Tearch, I believe that''s a Polaris Tiger. They are a strong speci--" Another bandit attempted to answer him, but the fat bandit wasn''t in the mood to hear all that crap right now.


    "Shut up, weakling! Go find out for yerr'' self!" The fat bandit addressed as ''Tearch'' exclaimed, pushing the smaller rogue stumbling forward.


    He slowed to a walk, continuing to move forward. He turned only to see the malicious eyes of his leader behind him. He had no choice but to continue, so he ironed his resolve as much as he could and slowly inched forward.


    The giant beast got about 50 feet away from the bandit line, and 10 feet away from the sole scout bandit sent out as a sacrifice, and stopped.


    "Stay here," Tyr said, hopping off of the tiger as he walked forward. His struts were fast and confident.


    As he got closer to the sole bandit, the criminal slammed his eyes shut in fear and froze in place--like a porcupine closing in on itself.


    Tyr, however, fully ignored him and continued moving forward. He saw no point in fighting a man who had already given up.


    Instead, his eyes were locked on to the fat bandit.


    "Oi oi oi!" Tearch screamed, black spit flying out from his mouth from all the tobacco he was chewing. He unholstered his gun, shooting the large pistol into the air three times.


    The sound of the bullets was loud, making even some of Tearch''s goons flinch slightly.


    "Looks like we ave'' ere'' a sacrificial lamb! Perfect!" He laughed in a hoarse voice, "What are yerr'' gonner'' der''? Try and get past meh''!?" He paused:


    "Huak tuah!" He spit out a ball of saliva and tobacco, wiping his mouth as his expression suddenly turned serious. His chin lowered, his eyes tight and thin.


    Hanzo appeared in front of the cart that was at the front of the line. He was carrying Cyllia on his ride with him.


    "I''m sure he had it under control," Hanzo exclaimed, as though unbothered.


    "No! What if he gets hurt? We have to at least be here as backup!" Cyllia replied, sounding genuinely worried.


    "Yeah yeah..."


    The other people in line also left their carts and carriages to witness this fight. It was a natural instinct to group up and look at a brawl go down!


    Tearch''s bandits formed a tighter line beside their leader so that Tyr could not get through.


    They interlocked their daggers, creating an even stronger guard.


    Tearch saw this and smirked slightly, "How are ye'' gonna get through? There''s no hope for yerr''..."


    Tyr got about 15 feet away from the fat bandit, his expression stoic and his jaw clenched.


    "Who said I was trying to get through?" Tyr exclaimed, ''Blink Step.''


    Tearch''s left brow raised in confusion as soon as he heard what Tyr said, but then his brows furrowed in shock as the boy suddenly appeared mere inches from his face.


    ''Hypnosis.'' Tyr said in his head, moving his pupils left to right as the fat bandit immediately fell into a thick daze.


    The other bandits nearby Tearch put their guards up even more, the speed of the boy intimidating them slightly.


    "Get on your hands and knees."


    As the bandits heard this, they paused for a millisecond--their eyes bouncing off of each other before breaking out into a laugh.


    "Did you hear what he said?"


    "Pahaha! He said get on your kne--"


    However, thier laughter instantly stopped. Instead, it was replaced with pale faces and large frowns. After a millisecond of delay, Tearch got down to his knees. He then placed his hands on the floor like a dog.


    Tyr raised his right leg, stomping the fat bandit''s head into the ground. ''I guess there''s a slight delay with Hypnosis since it''s a human...'' He thought to himself.

 Chapter 47 - 47: Mycelia

    Tyr rubbed his foot, digging Tearch''s face into the ground some more.


    A few surprised laughs and dramatic noises of astonishment sounded from the crowd of people behind Tyr standing outside of their vehicles.


    "Haha... hahaha! Look at that! He just stomped on his head!"


    "What!? Where? Let me see!"


    "What the hell am I looking at?"


    "Did that bastard willingly oblige to that!?"


    Hanzo furrowed his brows, ''That was the same look on the Polaris Tiger''s eyes before Tyr tamed it somehow... just what is that ability?'' He questioned, impressed.


    The other bandits were at a loss, their eyes as wide as planets and their jaws gaped to the floor.


    "H-hey... this guy. He kind of resembles the brat who took down Bilweif."


    "W-what?"


    "Wait a minute..."


    A few bandits exclaimed, their eyes dancing in realization as they slowly began to back up.


    "Ack! Argh!" Tearch got back to his senses, spitting out the dirt in his mouth as he slid his head out below Tyr''s feet.


    "Boss! This guy! He''s the guy in the wanted poster!" A bandit yelled at that moment.


    "What?" Tearch questioned, turning slightly in confusion.


    "The one we saw in Seris! In the black market!" Another one yelled.


    "Errgg..." Tearch slowly turned to face Tyr, wiping the dirt off of his lips, "I don''t care. I don''t care about any of that... I will torture this son of a bitch to death if its the last thing I do." His eyes were lowered and seething with hatred as he slowly got onto his knees and began to stand.


    "Oh? Where did your accent go? Were you faking it this whole time?" Tyr questioned with a smug look on his face.


    "Shut up!" Tearch screamed, "I''ll teach you today why they call me king of the south!" He nearly rose to his feet.


    The bandits behind him were in slight awe at those words, their hopes having risen. That was the reason why they joined his brigade in the first place. According to Tearch, he had a fearsome background.


    "Oh?" Tyr exclaimed, ''Hypnosis.'' He said again as the fat bandit froze before getting fully up to his feet.


    ''I wonder what else is fake on this guy.'' Tyr mused, grabbing the bandit''s hair and roughly pulling on it.


    Out of nowhere, it all came off as a wig, revealing the fat bandit bald head that glimmered in the sunlight.


    "Just like I thought. I knew it looked fake..." Tyr was used to seeing fake wigs all the time where he used to work back on Earth.


    The bandits around the fatty gasped in shock and almost horror at what they were seeing.


    "W-what the hell?" S§×arch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "He''s bald?"


    "Who is this guy?"


    They began to doubt. The onlookers from afar were simply dying of laughter. Even Hanzo couldn''t controll himself, bursting out into a whole-hearted laugh as he clutched his stomach.


    "PAHAHAH!"


    "You mother fucker!" Tearch screamed out of nowhere, staring at Tyr as he lunged at the boy.


    ''Hypnosis. When will this guy learn?'' He thought to himself, unimpressed at the stupidity.


    Tearch froze again. Tyr exhaled some breath, clenching his jaw. He reached for his spear.


    ''Now for the harder part...''


    As the bandits looked in awe and confusion, and the crowd was dying of amusement, Tyr swung his spear across the fat bandit''s face.


    It cut through like butter, cleaving half of the man''s face swiftly. The upper half slowly slid off before dropping to the floor--revealing his bloody face cavities and half of his still-moving brain.


    ''Kill bad guys... get EXP.'' Tyr said to himself as Tearch''s body slumped down onto the floor. He cleaned his blade on the clothing of the man before sheathing it behind his back.


    [You have slain Tippy Ballsack (Apprentice Rank Human).]


    [You leveled up!]


    ''Jeez... he faked his name too? Fair enough though... I would have done the same if my parents named me that.'' Tyr turned, walking away from the rest of the bandits.


    [Strength: 33-->34]


    [Speed: 28-->29]


    He patted the sole bandit out on the path on the shoulder--causing the scrawny guy to stumble forward--his eyes locking onto the fat bandit in shock.


    Tyr got back on top of Rudra, "Hanzo! Let''s go on first."


    The onlookers stared at the young man addressed as ''Hanzo.''


    Hanzo looked back at the crowd: "Are you all going to try to stop us?" He asked, not wanting to bother himself with it.


    "Stop you? Hell, cut the line all you want!"


    "Dude! That was a hell of a show!"


    Multiple people came up closer to Tyr.


    "Who are you?"


    "Thanks for stopping that motherfucker... he was getting out of hand."


    "What''s your name? I gotta remember it."


    ...


    Tyr couldn''t help but feel a weird tickle deep inside his stomach. It made him smile as if he was actually getting tickled.


    The feeling was short but addictive.


    "My name huh? Its Tyr." The boy riding the large tiger exclaimed.


    "Tyr? That''s it?"


    "Whats your full name!"


    ''Full name huh? Tyr Evolion Thalonis... giving them the whole spiel will probably be too melodramatic.''


    "Tyr... Evolion. My name is Tyr Evolion."


    "Tyr Evolion..."


    "I see, thank you again!"


    "Tyr..."


    "Tyr."


    "Tyr..."


    Several murmurs spread through the crowd.


    "Evolion huh?" Hanzo exclaimed, "Even I didn''t know that. I''ve just called you Tyr for so long I don''t even know your full name."


    "Haha... right," Tyr exclaimed, turning Rudra around.


    ''Master, why didn''t you give them your full name?'' Rudra inquired at that moment, curious.


    ''Oh... I don''t know. I just didn''t feel like it I guess. But, who cares. It''s not like it matters. Whatever name I have, I''ll make it so that whenever someone hears it, they are impressed!''


    After a minute or so, Ultimatum''s futuristic car arrived to the front of the line. After Cyllia got inside of it, Rudra and Hanzo led the vehicle through the bandits--who were mostly disbanded by now--and toward Mycelia.


    After getting past the guards at the small wooden-spike wall entrance, they were met with an incredible scene.


    This place really was like no other. Situated deep within a dense forest, it thrived beneath the canopy of ancient mushrooms, hidden from the prying eyes of the outside world. The entire city was an intricate network of fungi, from the smallest toadstools to towering mushrooms that resembled trees themselves.


    The ground was carpeted in a thick layer of moss and fungi, creating a soft, springy surface to walk on.


    Glowing bioluminescent mushrooms dotted the landscape, casting an ethereal light that illuminated the city in a perpetual twilight.


    The air was thick with the earthy scent of mushrooms and the faint, sweet aroma of decomposing wood.


    Mushroom houses of various shapes and sizes formed the residential areas, their walls made from sturdy fungal stems and their roofs covered in colorful caps. Some homes were built into the sides of giant mushrooms, while others sprouted directly from the ground.


    As Tyr looked around, he noticed the inhabitants of the city: Moosh''s. He had seen them before as well, of course, but never in such a dense capacity. This was the capital of Mycopolis, after all.


    At first glance, they were a diverse group of mushroom folk, ranging from tiny, sprightly toadstool sprites to tall, wise myconids. They resembled humans for the most part, except their hair was made of mushrooms and their skin was light blue, green, or purple--with various darker colored spots on them sometimes.


    Their skin was sometimes also undiscernible from human skin, except they were of course made of fungi.


    They also had small mushrooms growing on their elbows and shoulders.


    After moving through the city on foot for a few minutes, Tyr and the others encountered a bustling town center revolving around a single enormous mushroom.


    The place was packed with humans, moosh''s, and also other unique species that Tyr had never seen before.


    At the heart of it all, however, was a single establishment buzzing with the most people that had a sign over its entrance:


    "Centerguard Hunter''s Guild."


    On arriving a few feet away from the building''s entrance, Tyr sucked in a deep breath and took a large step forward...

 Chapter 48 - 48: Trouble

    The inside was batshit crazy.


    Ultimatum made their way into the establishment and through the dense group of people standing in between the aisles.


    There didn''t seem to be a single area that was free from mooshs and humans alike, along with a few shorter stumpier beings that resembled dwarf''s walking around as well.


    Everyone was drunk, holding their own jugs of rum and booze as they waltzed around the place.


    Drinks were being thrown everywhere, laughter and conversation filling up the atmosphere.


    Waiters were rushing through the people in the aisles, attempting to not spill their drinks amidst the chaos.


    The six finally made it to the front of the house where a large bar table was being tended by 6 moosh bartenders.


    Hanzo was leading the group. He slammed his fist on the bar table as he finally got there.


    "Fuck! This is why I hate coming here every time... its such a mess." He said under his breath, heavily irritated.


    Cyllia and Urvil chuckled at his despair.


    "Moal!" Hanzo abruptly yelled, causing one of the bartenders to stop making drinks and walk to where the short human was.


    "Hanzo! Long time to see buddy!" The moosh said to Hanzo, a bright smile on his light green face. He was a tall moosh wearing a waistcoat.


    "Skip the formalities, I''m too tired for that shit right now. We''re here for the Truid Dungeon Quest. The one sent by Rock Saelfine''s Royal." Hanzo replied with an unimpressed look on his face.


    "No problem, it''s probably been a long travel. Lord Michel Gallallof will arrive in two days. You all should rest until then. Your flat is 102 Shroomtop." Moal said, handing over 5 small golden tablets.


    Hanzo took them, but raised a brow: "5? Don''t you see there''s 6 of us here?"


    "6?" Moal replied, moving his head left and right to see who was a part of Hanzo''s group, "No... there''s only 5 that I see."


    Hanzo turned, ''Tsk...'' He thought to himself as he reached for Tyr.


    However, his hand was met with air as he realized that Tyr wasn''t where he was just a second ago.


    "Huh? Where the hell did he go?" Hanzo turned, talking under his breath: "Nothing is going my way..." He clenched his jaw in anger.


    Out of nowhere, he grabbed Moal by the collar and pulled him close.


    The moosh shrieked in fear, his chin tucking into his neck as he got pulled inches away from Hanzo''s face.


    "Give me another one." Hanzo said to the moosh before letting him go and turning to face his group. He handed them 4 tablets.


    "You all can go do whatever you want. I''ll get Tyr." He said as the others rejoiced and began their leave. sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Hey," Jonas was the only one to stay behind. Hanzo turned to face him. "Make sure he doesn''t get in trouble. He already stirred some news up with the Black Merchant Guild. The only reason they don''t have him cornered in some basement right now is because we quickly left Drance and have been on the move for months now." Jonas said with a serious look.


    "I know." Hanzo replied simply. Jonas left shortly after this, and Hanzo received another golden tablet before starting his search for the boy.


    ***


    "Of course I can think like a human! What kind of question is that? Are you some racist!? Douden left that ideology behind ages ago! Get with the times you bastard!" A very short-looking man yelled at Tyr, spilling his drink slightly in anger.


    They were on a completely different side of the establishment right now.


    The short man wore a beanie and a blacksmith''s clothing. Tyr assumed he was a dwarf at first sight. He had a long brown beard and thick eyelashes with a big round nose and brass skin.


    "Douden? What''s that?" Tyr questioned, curious.


    "The Kingdom of Dwarfs!" The dwarf replied angrily.


    A drunk moosh walking by heard the conversation, "We aren''t in Douden right now you fool!" He yelled out of nowhere before moving on.


    "W-what did you say? Screw you, mushroom boy! You got brains in that soft head of yours or is it more fungi!?" The dwarf suddenly yelled.


    Tyr was taken aback, "Huh? I thought you said you gave up racism where you''re from." He quipped with a bit of humor.


    The dwarf abruptly turned to face Tyr, "Screw you too, hairless monkey!" He harrumped, turning before waddling away with his short legs.


    "What? You''re the same as us humans except you''re just shorter!" Tyr yelled at the dwarf as he left. The dwarf gave Tyr the middle finger behind the back before disappearing into the crowd.


    Tyr got up from his crouched position, "Jeez..." He said under his breath, "I guess the finger is a universal ''fuck you'' throughout all the planets."


    He heard a voice come from behind his shoulder at that moment, "Move." It was deep and commanding.


    Tyr turned past his shoulder to see a very tall moosh towering above him. He was wearing long white robes with golden patterns flowing down it. He was about 7ft. tall in stature.


    Before he could react, the moosh shoved past him and continued forward.


    Behind him was an entourage of 3 guards that weren''t any shorter, carrying sheathed swords and wearing iron armor.


    The tall moosh continued walking as many people nearby began to notice him. Their faces quickly contorted from happy smiles to pale frowns and fearful gazes.


    They quickly made way for the tall being, who was clearly someone of authority.


    Tyr''s body wanted to react to being disrespected, but he clenched his fist and stopped himself...


    ''I... can''t get in trouble with an official. Not when we just arrived here.'' He thought to himself, ''The others have talked about this quest like its the biggest day of their lives. I won''t ruin it for them...''


    As the crowd began to clear up for the tall moosh who was heading toward the exit, a random dwarf didn''t seem to get the memo and stood in the middle of the free path facing away from the incoming robed moosh.


    Tyr''s eyes squinted, ''That''s the guy I was just talking to...''


    On arriving close to the dwarf, the tall moosh stepped down his back.


    "Ack!" The dwarf exclaimed in pain, his drink falling out of his hands as he felt a force drive into his back and lay him flat on the floor.


    "Tsk... vile creatures." The tall moosh said outloud with a disgusted expression, walking past as his guards also stepped over the dwarf several times.


    Everyone around the area was silent. Their faces were worried, their eyes darting around cluelessly.


    Tyr''s eyebrows were furrowed in a furious rage that suddenly erupted within him. His teeth ground against each other. He couldn''t hold it in anymore.


    "Oi! Stop where you are, you tall motherfucker." He shouted across the room, garnering several head turns and shocked expressions.


    Whispers of confusion and intrigue quickly spread through the closeby crowd as the tall moosh halted.


    With an eyebrow raised, he slowly turned his head past his shoulder, "Huh?" He said in a low tone, a side of his lip raised in disdain.

 Chapter 49 - 49: Prick

    "Did he seriously just say that?"


    "Oh my god..."


    "Who is that guy?"


    "It''s happened again... poor fool."


    "He doesn''t know where he is."


    "Who does he think he is, talking to Lord Mano like that!?"


    More and more murmurs flooded the area. As this happened, the eyes on the drama began to grow as well--word quickly spreading.


    "What did you just say to me?" The tall moosh addressed as ''Mano,'' said, turning around fully.


    "You heard me. Stop right there." Tyr said, his gaze as sharp as a viper.


    One of the tall moosh guards looked at another beside him. The other one nodded downwards, and the original one nodded in Tyr''s direction before they both started to move toward the boy in unison.


    However, they stopped as Mano raised his hand in front of him.


    "No... I''ll handle this. Moosh''s of this city understand how to behave, they are quite well trained like the dogs they are. But... these new skins still have some lessons to learnt." The moosh said, raising his chin toward Tyr:


    "Stop and do what, exactly?" He questioned.


    "Stop... and apologize." As Tyr said this, the crowd gasped a bit more in astonishment. Their whispers became louder and more pronounced.


    "Apologize?" Mano suddenly smirked, "How amusing... and what should I, Prince of this very city in which you so carelessly waltz, apologize for exactly?"


    "Apologize for bumping into me, you prick." Tyr retorted, not giving a shit about the consequences anymore. He was human, after all. There was an extent to how much he could tolerate.


    "Fuck you and your bloodline. I don''t give a shit if you''re the prince or a homeless bum, you don''t get to push past me."


    "HUH!?"


    "Did he really just--??"


    "Ahahah!" sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Did I just hear that correctly!?"


    There was a mix of reactions in the crowd, but above all, pure shock was a good way to describe it.


    Mano paused, his guards looking at him with slightly concerned expressions.


    He didn''t seem to be bothered by the reactions around him, but he didn''t say anything either, creating a tense atmosphere as the crowd calmed down from Tyr''s rebuttal.


    After 10 seconds of silence, he took a step forward and swept the dwarf up from the ground.


    "Wha--? No! Im sorry! Please! Let me go, im sorry Lord!" The dwarf screamed, his hands and feet flailing in the air as he was lifted into the air.


    Tyr''s eyes narrowed: "What are you--" He attempted to say, but the words that were about to come out of his mouth halted due to shock.


    Out from Mano''s hand grew a sharp and round spike of hardened fungi. It pierced through the dwarf''s chest, causing his small swinging arms and legs to abruptly collapse.


    Blood from the strike splatted all over the ground in front of Mano, a few drops reaching inches from Tyr''s feet.


    "Insects!" Mano abruptly shouted, garnering the attention of most of the entire building by now. Heads darted over, expressions filled with confusion and worry.


    His hateful gaze swept through the crowd as he lifted the dwarf''s body into the air:


    "Remember where you stand! You are all insects here in my domain! Do not step out of line, or in my way!"


    "That''s it... I''ve had enough of your bull shit." Tyr said under his breath, liquid rage surging through his veins.


    ''Soul Mend: Polaris Tiger.''


    His body began to transform as Mano''s head made its way around to face him again.


    ''Blink Step.''


    Tyr appeared in front of the large moosh out of nowhere, his spear already in hand. He had a ferocious look on his face with no thoughts other than to kill.


    Through the months of traveling, Tyr had gained much more control over his mind and physical abilities while using Soul Mend.


    On top of that, after training with Yurin and the others, his physical skills had skyrocketed. His stats had grown as well, of course, but his technique and fighting prowess had grown in even more impressive amounts.


    Mano inhaled sharply, attempting to back away as he noticed the boy summon in front of him:


    ''Fast!'' He managed to think to himself as Tyr thrust his spear forward.


    Despite attempting to move, the moosh found himself thrown off by Tyr''s sudden burst of speed.


    Mano''s eyes panned down to his stomach, where Tyr''s spear had already made contact with his skin: ''Im... too slow.''


    Tyr''s spear nearly punctured through the moosh''s side abdomen--but barely missed as a guard pushed the tall fungi to the side.


    Tyr retracted his spear, managing to at least punch the moosh in the the stomach. The blow was hard enough to send him falling onto his rear.


    "Get away!" One of the guards abruptly screamed, slashing at Tyr with his sword and driving the young man back.


    The guard''s eyes were expanded, he was in a state of shock at what he had just seen.


    The two other guards quickly ran to Mano''s aid, kneeling beside him as they shouted: "Young Lord! Are you alright!?"


    "Stay strong! We have capsules!"


    The guard facing Tyr stormed forward, "How could you think to do such a foolish thing!? You barbarian!"


    "The only barbarian is you and your master!" Tyr screamed, his rage amplified even further due to his animalistic form.


    Despite having gained more control over Polaris Tiger Soul Mend, Tyr''s ability to speak was still slightly hindered because his brain had less of a filtering system.


    This meant that he blurted whatever he felt at the moment without much of a way to stop it. Of course, he wasn''t forced to speak whenever in this form, but since he was so angry he couldn''t help himself.


    "Confront me! I''ll butcher every one of you!" Tyr roared, sprinting forward with his spear before clashing with the guard.


    They exchanged several blows, but Tyr was quickly forced on his back leg.


    ''He''s strong... they wouldn''t just have some weakling guarding the Prince.'' Tyr thought to himself, battling while moving backward.


    "You will be punished!" The guard screamed as he slashed Tyr''s spear out of his hand. It flew across the room, spinning in the air like a fan before digging into a wall.


    With a quick and fluid motion, the guard raised his blade and thrust it down toward Tyr''s head.


    Tyr''s Blink Step cooldown was not finished yet, and this sword was coming down at an immense speed that he couldn''t avoid.


    ''Tsk!'' Tyr''s blind went blank for a second. As the blade came a foot away from his face, a red arrow suddenly appeared from the distance.


    *CLANG*


    The guard''s blade was flung out of his hand and sent flying upwards before its tip dug into the ceiling, halting its momentum.

 Chapter 50 - 50: Consequences

    All heads turned to face the direction where the arrow had come from, including the guard attacking Tyr and also Tyr himself.


    Hanzo calmly stepped forward, lowering his bow as he spoke in a joyful tone: "Now now, gents, no need to turn into savages." His eyes were closed and a slight smile was on his lips.


    Despite his friendly look, the sharp burst of killing intent that had shown itself in the millisecond of when his arrow was shot made everyone jump on edge.


    The guard that was fighting Tyr a second ago had his brows raised in surprise, ''Thats... Hanzo Elec of Skyfall Hunter Guild. What is he doing here? If this kid is a part of his group... that will spell some trouble.'' He thought to himself, gulping.


    Tyr turned back into his normal human form, "Savages? What was savage was that bastard murdering that Dwarf for no reason." He said in a loud tone.


    "Yes, I admit, it was... distasteful. But we are all here for the betterment of everyone''s situations, right?" Hanzo said to the crowd but zoned his gaze in onto Tyr, whom he really meant the question towards.


    ''I know you''re angry... but messing with nobility like this isn''t an easy deal. Just let it go for now, Tyr. We have more important things to focus on.'' Hanzo said inside of his head, hoping his eyes would convey his thoughts.


    Despite Tyr still being angry, he understood Hanzo''s intentions.


    "Jail!" Mano''s voice suddenly shrieked from the ground, his tone high-pitched and girly.


    He pointed his finger at Tyr as he yelled: "For life! Jail for life, torture him until he rots!" He was panting, his eyes crazed and his expression ugly.


    His guards were hesitant as Hanzo''s gaze was over them all.


    "Well... lets consider things..." One of them said under his breath.


    "Yeah, it would be rash to move so far." Another added.


    Mano''s brows furrowed in bewilderment as he heard this from his own men.


    "What? What are you all saying!? Have you gone mad? I am your God! Follow my rul--" He began to scream, but was abruptly cut off by Hanzo.


    "Hey! They could be atheists for all you know! Hahaha!" He said in a light-hearted, but loud way, to cut off the young moosh.


    "What?" Mano questioned, genuinely confused.


    "Listen, that young man who punched you is with me," Hanzo began to speak, walking to where Mano was before crouching down so that they were face to face and only a few feet away from each other.


    "What you did today was take the life of his close friend..."


    Hanzo''s tone, look, and demeanor were all kind and jovial, but the way he he carried himself and his sheer presence was enough to incite terror in the heart of the moosh on the floor.


    Mano''s lips began to subconsciously quiver in fear as Hanzo continued to speak.


    "That''s quite the offense... and for that, he lashed out and punched you. I''d say the score is pretty heavily weighed on your side, so how about we go with a normal sentencing for a punch ey? What''s that? An hour or so in jail?"


    Even the guards and the people around Hanzo felt his power oozing out from him simply in the way he spoke and the confidence in his eyes.


    Mano had recognized the figure a few seconds ago, but his anger drove him to not care about who Hanzo was at first. Now, however, he lowered his tone.


    "A week..." He whispered under his breath, looking up at Hanzo as if he was a child getting punished.


    "What was that?" Hanzo smiled, leaning in even closer to the moosh, pretending as though he couldn''t hear.


    He was now mere inch''s from Mano''s face.


    "A-a day... he has to spend at least a day in jail for his crimes." Mano''s voice was frail, but he barely managed to utter his words.


    "Ah! I see! I think that seems just about fair!" Hanzo stood up, turned, and walked toward Tyr as the crowd''s eyes followed him.


    Whispers of awe, reverence, fear, confusion, and more quickly began to spread around.


    Hanzo arrived at where Tyr was and handed him a golden tablet.


    "Here. It''s the room key to our flat. Come to us when your time is done." He said in a genuinely kind tone this time.


    From what Tyr knew about Hanzo, he wasn''t expecting this sort of reaction. He was slightly surprised: "Aren''t you angry?"


    Hanzo sighed, "It wouldn''t be right of me to be angry at a frog who visits the alligator''s world. You''re human, just like me. We aren''t flawless, Tyr... it''s okay to care for people every once in a while."


    Tyr was taken aback, impacted by those words as though they were the exact ones he needed to hear right now.


    "But... next time try to be more mindful. You shouldn''t have gotten lost in the first place you moron!" Hanzo karate chopped the top of Tyr''s dome hard, causing a bump that quickly swelled up.


    He turned, "You might as well get your Hunter Class checked before you return to the flat as well..." These were his last words before leaving the guild.


    Tyr''s face continued to face the ground, ''He really understands people''s emotions. A frog in a world of alligators huh? It''s true when he says I''m not used to such ruthless behavior.'' He looked up at that moment, facing Mano who had now gotten back up to his feet. Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''Killing thoughtlessly is so easy for people like him. But... surely he''s inferior to me because of that. What kind of strong person kills an innocent for no reason? That''s the action of a coward, one who gains strength, whether it be through power or prestige, and uses it to try and prove their strength to others. But, a truly powerful person does not need to prove anything.''


    These were his current thoughts on the situation...


    In a few moments, he got his hands chained up by the guards. After that, he was carried away in a carriage led by a large creature that resembled a buffalo with a large red mushroom top on its head.


    He rode in the same carriage as Mano, staring the Prince down during the entire ride.


    After that, he was thrown into a dirty and dark underground jail cell beside hundreds of other hidden criminals.

 Chapter 51 - 51: Malon

    The halls of this dungeon-like underground prison consisted of other prison cells. They were dimly lit by torches every 50 or so feet. The bars were made of rusty and black iron with crazed criminals lurking inside.


    The stone floor''s crevices and cracks were filled with moss and small fungi that were beginning to grow.


    Inside the cells, it was even worse. Tyr noticed brown stains all over the floor, ''That''s either dried blood or diarrhea... hopefully the former.'' Thankfully it seemed old enough to not give a smell.


    Looking around, he noticed a wooden bucket in the corner.


    On seeing this and nothing else, he sighed: ''This is gonna be long.'' He said to himself, sitting against the wall with his feet stretched out in front of him.


    His cell thankfully was connected to a wall at the very back of the dungeon room so that he could lean against it and not have rough bars digging into his back.


    ''I''m only in here for a day... I could sleep.'' He thought to himself, jerking up to his feet.


    ''Or I could train a bit.''


    After getting put in the cage, they took the chains off his hands so he was free to at least do some basic exercises.


    He quickly got down and began to do push-ups. In this quiet, dark abyss--the inconsistent and unusual sound of slight grunting and huffing began to echo.


    "Hey! Psst!" A whisper suddenly sounded out of nowhere.


    Tyr got slightly freaked out for a second but quickly composed himself.


    ''Where the hell did that come from?'' He questioned, getting back up to his feet and turning to look at his left cell. However, he quickly turned his head back as he saw a rotting skeleton tied to a post inside of there.


    "No! Over here!" The voice whispered again, Tyr turning toward the right this time.


    He squinted his eyes as he noticed a guy who looked awfully similar to Mano sticking his nose in between the bars of his and Tyr''s cell.


    Unlike that prick, however, this guy had a genuinely kind-looking smile. Along with that, he looked to be covered from head to toe with tribal looking bright blue tattoos.


    "Mano?" Tyr exclaimed, confused at what he was seeing.


    As soon as he said this, however, an abrupt wave of whispers and murmurs washed through the entire prison cell.


    "Mano?"


    "Where!"


    "Hide!"


    "He came back!?"


    "Shh! Don''t say his name!"


    Tyr was a bit shocked by this, flinching slightly since he didn''t expect everyone to start talking.


    "Damn... that guy must be a demon in this town." Tyr said to himself.


    "You''re right, he is. Try not to say his name around here." The moosh that looked like Mano said, causing Tyr to look at him again.


    "He was the reason why most of these men are in here, including me. That selfish, arrogant, evil prick..." The moosh continued, sounding increasingly irritated the more he thought of Mano.


    "I get that, but why do you resemble him so closely?" Tyr said, walking a bit closer.


    "Oh me?" The moosh exclaimed, pointing to himself.


    "Who else would I be talking to?"


    The moosh paused:


    "Well... I''m his older brother, Malon. Nice ta'' meetcha''." He smiled.


    Tyr froze, a confused and slightly annoyed expression on his face: "W-what? How come you just bad-mouthed him so much? And why are you in jail anyway? Aren''t you a prince?"


    On hearing Tyr''s last word, the dungeon had another small spree of scared and worrisome murmurs.


    Malon looked around, turning his attention back to Tyr as the noise calmed down: "Don''t mention anything that might make people think about him... but to answer your question, no I am not of any status like the p-word. It seems you''re new here to Mycopolis, so I''ll inform you of the rules of hierarchy in the moosh world.


    When more than one son is born, the father chooses a single heir and he alone is to be honored as the p-word. The other is simply a member of the family but holds no real prestige except for the basic recognition and family ties."


    "Huh... that''s foreign," Tyr exclaimed as he thought about the system.


    "Yeah..."


    "So why him and not you? You''re the elder brother, no?"


    "Only by a week. Plus, if you were to see him you would know why. At least, that''s what people say. He''s strong, you know. If nothing else, I won''t deny him of that."


    "Strength? That''s why your father chose him? Shouldn''t he know that strength isn''t what determines whether a person is a good leader or not? I imagine you need intellect and also care for your people. That idiot doesn''t seem to have either of those qualities." Tyr said, a bit spiteful.


    "Wait a second... I just realized you have met him before." Malon said, slightly taken aback.


    "Yeah, how else would I recognize his face in yours?" Sear?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Haha... true." Malon scratched the back of his head as he awkwardly laughed.


    "From what I saw, not only was he not strong, but he was a damn coward. A pathetic cunt like that doesn''t even deserve to rule my toilet, let alone a city of people."


    Malon paused, sighing as he looked to the floor.


    "It wasn''t my father who picked him. My father would have hated how he turned out. And... you''re right." Malon seemed to be emotional as he spoke: "My brother doesn''t love the people of this land, far from it. He despises them, and foreigners even more so. He makes them work like dogs and tramples over them as though they are nothing but insects.


    The very people who hold him up, he pushes them down. It''s not right... it''s horrible."


    Tyr took a liking to Malon''s character at that moment, ''He seems to genuinely care about his people. In his position, thats the right thing to do...''


    "Did your father die?" Tyr questioned.


    "No. He caught a chronic illness called Jooe. It impairs his ability to speak and move, and for most of the day, even his ability to think gets disturbed. We are hoping to find a cure, but until then, my uncle makes the decision. Too bad... that bastard is almost as bad as my brother."


    "What''s your Ancestral Ability, Malon?"


    The moosh looked up at Tyr, standing up from his crouched position. He was no shorter than Mano, over 7ft. in stature.


    "A far more garbage version of my brothers. Of course, family members tend to share similar Ancestral Abilities. We both can shift our bodies to create things. But his ability turned out to be a powerful offensive weapon, creating spikes from anywhere on his body, and mine..." Malon paused, raising his hand as it suddenly shifted into a hardened fungi shield.

 Chapter 52 - 52: Rage

    The shield on Malon''s arm shifted, turning into a different variant. It continued, going from a blocky square to a diamond shape, and then to a full circle. It even became several smaller shields before splitting into two and creating one large shield on each wrist.


    Malon looked at his own hands shift and transform as he spoke: "I gained control of this ability quite early on. I was a talent before my brother gained his Ancestral Ability. Even though his control over it is still not as good as mine, who would choose an idiot who can make shields over one who can make spikes..." S§×arch* The n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Well, I don''t care either way. As long as you''re powerful and aren''t a total piece of dog shit, you''re good in my book." Tyr retorted with his hands on his hips.


    "Yeah... we all choose you over him. You know that, Malon." A voice echoed from the cell to the left of Malon''s.


    "True..."


    "Life would be great if you were chosen."


    "Lord Ma-ne would have chosen you regardless."


    "My family wouldn''t have to work in the mines."


    "Mine would still be alive..."


    More and more voices added to Malon''s comment.


    Tyr looked around, his brows furrowed as he thought to himself: ''I thought everyone here was some deranged criminal. But now that I take a closer look, most just seem to be basic citizens who pissed off that prick.'' It wasn''t amusing to see all of this around him. It kind of pissed Tyr off.


    "So... why did you call me in the first place?" He questioned, shrugging off that annoyed feeling. It wasn''t like he could do anything about it right now.


    "Eh... I''ve been in here for a month and I''ll be in here for 3 months longer. I need someone to talk to!" Malon exclaimed excitedly as though he had been deprived of conversation for ages.


    "I see..." Tyr went back to the center of his cell and continued doing push-ups.


    "I guess talking won''t hurt." He exclaimed, causing Malon''s smile to enlarge as a genuine relief washed over his pupils.


    "Perfect!"


    ...


    *The next morning*


    "And that''s how my people came to know me as the dragon slayer," Malon said, his tone fierce and arrogant.


    "Because you killed a Wild Rank Lizard?" Tyr replied, unimpressed.


    "Dude! I was only 16! Cut me some slack."


    "I''m 15 right now and I can do better."


    Malon paused, his nostrils flaring in shock: "Really!? Damn... I was lying too. I killed that thing when I turned 20. Anyways, you looked way too strong for a 15-year-old. What are you eating?


    Unstable pills by the boatload?" He said in a slightly joking manner.


    "I look strong huh? Yeah, my body just packs on muscle like crazy. Genetics man, you gotta get lucky." Tyr proclaimed with a smug expression.


    ''Master... you lied.'' Rudra relayed telepathically.


    ''Sometimes, Rudra, you gotta lie and let the soul breathe.''


    "Anyways, why does everyone keep talking about Unstable pills? What even are they?"


    "You don''t know what Unstable pills are?" Malon raised a brow in confusion, "Jeez man... they''re illegal, thats the most important thing to know. Pills that alchemists fail to condense and stabilize, hence their name. But nowadays criminals are making them on purpose to sell."


    "Why? Are they more effective or something?"


    "Oh yeah... their power isn''t stabilized or condensed, so instead of having to manually absorb it through techniques to strengthen your Aura Core, it hits you all at once and gives you immense power for a short burst. Abusing it can potentially have permanent effects on your body too, both positively and negatively. The only thing is...


    it comes with a lot of goddamn side effects--the biggest of which is fucking death. They say it''s over 70% chance that you die from taking even one... 90% on average if you don''t have an Aura Core."


    "They sound interesting," Tyr said, thinking to himself about how potentially lucrative they could be if somehow made safe. His eyes moved the side.


    Malon furrowed his brows in suspicion on seeing this: "You sure you aren''t on them?" He said, actually a bit worried.


    "What? No man..."


    "Hey!" A loud and rough voice echoed through the halls. "Breakfast, ya'' old cunts. Get up!" A guard pushing a trolley exclaimed. He was tall, just like Mano and Malon.


    A bunch of manly groans, yawns, and silent complaints filled the dungeon.


    The guard made his way down the hall of cells, stopping momentarily to toss food at the inmates.


    Tyr quickly noticed, however, that the moosh stopped longer for some prisoners--throwing their bowls of food at them.


    A few attempted to shout back in anger:


    "Hey!"


    "What the fuck was that for!?"


    But they were quickly shut down, "Shut up! Lest you want no food for the next week... pahaha! Imbeciles." The moosh exclaimed with a laugh, continuing down the hall.


    Tyr clenched his teeth, ''He throws them only at those who aren''t mooshs.'' He noted.


    After a few minutes, he arrived at Tyr''s cell. He stared the boy up and down with a mean glare.


    "You''re getting let out in about 5 minutes... how about out with a bang?" He grinned.


    "Don''t throw--" Tyr couldn''t even get his words out before the guard tossed a bowl of green liquid all over his face.


    Tyr stood silently as the bowl rattled against the ground, the liquid slowly trickling down his face.


    The guard sized him up, "Damn red-skin scum. You all are only good for--" Out of nowhere, he felt a tiredness take over his body, as though he was about to faint.


    ''Hypnosis. Come closer...''


    The guard''s eyes turned a hazy blue color as he took a step toward the cell bars.


    *WOOSH*


    Tyr grabbed his neck with force, squeezing it with all his strength as he stared at the guard with enraged eyes.


    His forearm muscles bulged as his veins pushed at his skin from the intense squeezing.


    The guard''s face quickly turned red like a cherry tomato--looking like it was about to pop as veins popped up everywhere on it as well.


    Finally, the blue haze left the guard''s eyes as he realized what was going on and began to struggle.


    "Argh! Khh! Cak!" He exclaimed in pain and suffocation, his bloodshot eyes nearly popping out of his socket as he scratched and pulled at Tyr''s fingers.


    This occurred for two seconds, which felt like a lifetime. Finally, the moosh stopped struggling, his eyes slowly panning to look straight into Tyr''s horrible gaze.


    He could feel his life slowly being sapped out of him.


    As soon as he made direct eye contact with the boy, he saw a slight, almost unnoticeable smile play on Tyr''s lips--sending waves of chills up his back before his neck was crushed and torn.


    Tyr let go, the guard''s body slumping onto the floor.


    [You have slain La Kinel (Novice Rank Moosh).]


    ...

 Chapter 53 - 53: Nonbeliever...

    "Damn..." Malon was the first to speak. He was impressed, but surprised at the same time.


    "Good on ya''... red-skin." A few more voices sounded.


    "Err... good."


    "Hah, bastard deserved it."


    Tyr exhaled as he pulled his hand to his side. Out of nowhere, he scoffed and then chuckled. Before he knew it, his snickering had turned into a silent laugh.


    "He deserved it alright," Tyr said, crouching and retrieving the keychain from the guard''s pocket.


    Right now, Tyr felt for the first time almost no repercussions of killing someone. Maybe it was because it was a moosh instead of a human, but Tyr didn''t believe that to be the case.


    Instead, he felt this douche warranted his death more than any other person Tyr had killed...


    He tossed the keys over to Malon, who caught it with a puzzled look. "W-why?"


    "So you can get out. You''re gonna be in here for 3 more months, right?"


    Malon smiled, "Thank you, Tyr," He stated genuinely, staring into Tyr''s eyes before looking to the side, "Good thing I had a plan for an exact situation like this."


    "Oh?" Tyr raised his brows, "What''s that?"


    Before Malon could reply, another voice echoed through the halls.


    "Alright! It''s time for an inmate to be released. It''s your lucky day, Tyr Evolion!" The voice was rough, just like the first guard that came in.


    This new guard scanned the cells, "Hahah!" He broke out into a chuckle: "Seems La did a good job feed ye'' huh?" He barked, noticing all the green-stained individuals in the cells.


    "Speaking of which, where is that bastard?" The guard said as he made it to Tyr''s cell.


    He looked around, "He should be here somewhere..." He furrowed his brows as he put a key in the cell lock outside of Tyr''s cell.


    "Right here!" A loud voice came from the distance. A tall moosh was making his way down the hall back to where Tyr and the guard were.


    The moosh in the distance was dressed just like a normal guard--no difference from this far away at first glance.


    Tyr was let out of his cell, "Follow me." The guard said before turning and making his way out in the same direction he came from the dungeon.


    The food cart guard followed them from behind.


    As soon as they made it outside, the food-cart guard karate-chopped the shit out of the guard in front using a fungi shield, knocking him out cold.


    "He''ll be out for a few days at least." The food cart guard exclaimed, taking off his armor and throwing it into some mushroom bushes.


    "Ahh~!" Malon sucked in his first fresh breath of air in weeks. "I told you I had a plan. Hahaha!" He laughed as the two made their way into the city streets.


    The dungeon was nothing more than a downwards-leaning dirty staircase leading into the ground. It had surprisingly little defense on the outside.


    It let right into the city, placed in front of a mansion or large estate that resembled a big mushroom with several windows and rooms inside of it.


    Tyr took out his room tablet, "Hmm..." He said under his breath.


    Malon looked over, "An expensive one... just for you?"


    "Oh... I''ve come here with my Hunter Squad. We are all staying at this flat."


    "Ah, I see." S§×arch* The N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Speaking of which, I have to get my Hunter Class tested before going back there. You know where that is?" Tyr asked, putting the tablet back into his pocket.


    Sometimes one could get their Hunter Class reassigned at a basic guild, but other times you would have to go to a cleric or priest of the city.


    "Sure! Follow me. I have nothing to do anyways apart from this." Malon kindly gestured, leading the way.


    From Malon''s reaction, it seemed to be one of the latter options which was the case in this city.


    On their walk, many citizens waved kindly and greeted Malon. It was increasingly surprising just how many mooshs seemed to have smiles on thier faces when seeing the guy.


    Malon never ignored them either, always replying with a small nod and a smile or a few kind words to acknowledge them.


    ''He''s like a stark contrast to this brother...'' Tyr thought to himself as he arrived at a large Mycelia church.


    "Here it is!" Malon exclaimed, looking up at the large structure.


    It was made of fungal wood with a mushroom top, large with pointy roofs leading up to the shroom on top. The building itself was slender and tall. The entrance had a long flight of stairs which people were constantly ascending and descending.


    "Wow... so what is your people''s God?" Tyr questioned as he and Malon climbed the stairs, their heads tilted upwards taking in the magnificent view.


    "Who? Well, Mother Gaia of course. She is the universal God of all, and especially of those societies who worship plants and natural life."


    "And you guys are made from the shit, so I guess that makes sense," Tyr replied in a joking tone.


    Malon cast a curious gaze at Tyr, "You aren''t a believer?"


    Tyr smirked, "Not quite yet..." He joked.


    "Not even of any God?"


    "Nope."


    Malon was slightly taken aback, "Wow... I''ve never met one of you."


    "Really?" Tyr was also confused on hearing that, "How so? Isn''t half the population atheist or something?"


    "What? How could that be when the proof is everywhere." These words from Malon were innocent but took Tyr aback.


    ''Wait... thats right. This is a new world. There could be proof of a God that I didn''t see while on Earth. Then again, it wasn''t like I did my research there either.''


    "Not believing is silly. It''s for the suicidal and nihilistic." Malon chuckled as Tyr paused, allowing him to continue, "There are many, many Gods of varying order, creed, and hierarchy. We worship those whom we know most about, but they are undoubtedly real. How do I know?


    Well, how else do you explain the Ancestral Abilities of the strongest beings to ever grace Subworld being from the Gods themselves."


    "W-what? They are actually given by the Gods?" Tyr questioned, confused.


    "No no, it''s just the case that their ancestry of blood goes all the way back to contact one of these Gods. Everyone''s ancestry does... but only those most blessed, or those most lucky, or even those most cursed, have their Ancestral Abilities go back into Godhood--their original ancestry."


    "I see..." Tyr had a lot of thinking to do about this subject, but that was going to have to be postponed as the two had entered the church by now.

 Chapter 54 - 54: Accusation

    As they stepped inside, a grand hallway unfolded before them, stretching deep into the heart of the building.


    Flanking either side were orderly rows of seats, leading towards a majestic sight at the far end: a slightly elevated platform dominated by an imposing Shrine. Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Behind the Shrine, towering windows soared to a height of over 100 feet, through which streamed ethereal rays of pure sunlight, casting an otherworldly glow throughout the hall.


    The Shrine itself was a marvel of craftsmanship, fashioned from gleaming green metal. Its pointed spikes of steel radiated outward before gracefully curving back towards the center. Numerous spikes adorned each end of the Shrine, all converging towards a central point where a luminous glass orb floated mysteriously.


    A small line of people awaited their turn near the Shrine, overseen by a short moosh figure clad in a flowing green vestment.


    Embroidered on the back was the arc of a verdant planet, surrounded by intricate patterns and designs that spoke of ancient craftsmanship and reverence.


    "People rechecking their classes," Tyr said as he and Malon got in line.


    Other than the line, there were also other doors leading out to the divine courtyard--where many religious Hunters trained thier abilities.


    Other places in this religious area connected to the church were various shrines, rooms, statues, and beautiful scenes that were worthy of tourism and worship.


    That was where people went the most, but Tyr wasn''t interested in any of that right now, of course.


    As he and Malon talked, the short line quickly ended and they were at the front in no time.


    "Come forward." The short moosh said in an almost impatient way, pulling his fingers in toward himself.


    Tyr did just that, standing to the left of the priest and in front of the shrine.


    He had done this a few times before, but never in front of such a large shrine.


    Without instructions, he placed his hand on the orb.


    "Think about your greatest strength." The priest said, placing his hand on Tyr''s upper back.


    ''My greatest strength...'' A few things crossed his mind, but there was one which he believed the most: ''Ambition.''


    After a few seconds, the orb began to quickly spin and show the various scenes of Tyr''s Hunting travels and missions.


    The priest took a good look at all of them, his eyes accustomed to quickly scanning everything he saw on the orb.


    "That''s good." He said, causing Tyr to take his hand off. "You''re B-Rank, right?"


    "Right now... yes," Tyr said, a bit scared. ''That''s what he got from my experiences? That I was B-Class? That ain''t a good sign...''


    The priest suddenly smiled, "Well not anymore, brat! Take out your Hunter ID Plate!"


    Tyr''s expression brightened, a slight smile on his face as he pulled the ID out.


    The priest waved his hand over it, changing it with an Aura pen from a Golden plate to a shiny Platinum ID.


    Each Hunter Class/Rank had different minerals depicting their power, which were as follows from lowest to highest: Bronze F-D, Silver C, Gold B, Platinum A, Diamond A+, Emerald S, Mythril SS, and Aurantium SSS+.


    "Finally!" Tyr blurted out, throwing his hands into the air. He truly felt blessed.


    With a confident and joyful mood, he and Malon made their way out of the church.


    "Good for you man, haha!" Malon laughed, "I''m still a B-Rank myself. It''ll probably take me a good minute before I cross over that line."


    "Really? You seem pretty strong to me. I''m sure you will get there soon enough." Tyr replied, ''Scan.'' He said in his head as Malon continued.


    "Well yeah, thats if they let me outside of the cells for once..."


    ©³©¥©¥©¥Status©¥©¥©¥©·


    Name: Malon Hevest


    Age: 21 Years


    Power Level: 80


    Rank: Apprentice


    ©»©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¿


    ''Not bad... he''s about as strong as Bilweif was. Right now, I''m a good bit ahead of that due to Soul Mend. In terms of actual level though, I''m still over 30 behind.'' Tyr said to himself as he and Malon were nearing the end of the stairs.


    A thunderous horn abruptly reverberated through the air at that moment, causing a slight public panic.


    Tyr furrowed his brows, pausing as he looked around and surveyed everyone''s expressions.


    Moosh''s were scared, quickly turning their backs and facing the street with horrified expressions.


    Others, who wore more expensive clothing and ornaments were less concerned--but seemed a bit excited even at the sound of the horn.


    Malon looked to have a serious expression, his fists clenched as the street below him and Tyr quickly cleared up.


    Moosh''s moved to the side. Whispers of surprise, confusion, and even excitement quickly spread around as a group of figures were revealed standing in the center of the street.


    ''3 guards and another tall moosh.'' Tyr noted in his mind.


    One of the guards who was holding the horn stepped back in line with the other two.


    Finally, the moosh that wasn''t a guard brushed his hand through his mushroom hair. Unlike Malon''s hair, which was a single large mushroom, this guy had several smaller shrooms on his head.


    He seemed a bit older and more distinguished--his clothing noble and unblemished.


    His expression was smuggish, like an overconfident 13-year-old. Yet, he looked to be well in his 30s.


    "Nephew! Why do you do this to yourself?" The moosh spoke, Tyr''s head darting toward Malon.


    His eyes screamed: ''This is your uncle!? He already found us!'' But he didn''t say it out loud right now.


    Malon stayed stoic as his uncle continued. The moosh walked back and forth in the street--murmurs growing even more as time went on.


    "First you rape a moosh citizen! A lady of great merit whose life is now ruined due to your actions!" As the moosh said this, astonished murmurs washed through the crowd like a wave before calming down again.


    Even Tyr''s brows furrowed as his gaze remained locked on Malon.


    The other stares seemed to mean nothing to the moosh, but as he saw Tyr''s confused look cast on him, Malon''s resilient shell cracked. He looked at Tyr, his eyes filled with concern.


    ''Now him too huh...'' Malon thought to himself on seeing Tyr''s expression, ''He probably wants me dead.''


    "We were kind, we gave you but a week in prison. But you decided to escape, and so the next time your sentence was increased to multiple months. But now, since you insist on continuing to be a criminal, you will be punished for far, far longer!" The uncle''s tone became angry at the end, his voice increasing in volume.


    Malon paused as he stared at Tyr. Tyr didn''t say anything. Finally, he moosh opened his mouth to speak: "I didn''t--" He was cut off--Tyr slapping the back of his head slightly.


    "You fool. Why are you trying to prove yourself innocent to me right now? This isn''t a court, and I happen to believe in innocent until proven guilty. Go deal with him first."

 Chapter 55 - 55: Duel (1) Weak

    Malon gasped slightly, his mouth opening as his eyes became tender and moistened only a little.


    "Thank you." He said, wiping his eyes as he roughly turned to face his uncle, "That was all I needed. A friend to believe in me, god damn it!" He roared, causing Tyr to chuckle slightly in disbelief.


    ''What a crazy guy... a friend huh? Yeah, after everything, I''d say we are friends.'' Tyr thought to himself with a small laugh.


    "If you want to take me, come and get me! I challenge you to a duel right here and now under the Gods and overseen by Mother Gaia herself!" Malon thrust his hand out, creating a robust shield.


    The crowd gasped in shock at this proclamation, confusing Tyr who didn''t understand what all the hype was about.


    "What!?"


    "Is he serious? He''s practically giving himself over..."


    "Damn... what a fool."


    The guards behind Malon''s uncle cast slight glances at themselves, staying right behind the man.


    Out of nowhere, Malon''s uncle busted out into a peal of laughter, grabbing his face: "What? Hahaha! Have you grown brave now, little worm? You wish to challenge me, your own uncle Isavior to a formal duel?"


    Silence washed through the crowd as anticipation brewed. Malon stayed silent, his anger-filled eyes glaring down at his uncle.


    "Fine. So be it." Isavior said, his expression becoming more stern as he unsheathed a long and shiny blade from his waist belt.


    The three guards behind him stepped back in unison, blending into the crowd.


    Malon stepped down, "Tyr, I noticed you were confused about what a formal duel is."


    "Yeah..." Tyr said, still taken aback.


    "We hold ourselves true to Mother Gaia who may decide our fate, as do many other species and kingdoms around Subworld. The winner of this battle will have been pardoned of their crimes by the will of Mother Gaia... and the loser: subject to the will of the winner for eternity."


    Malon''s gaze was fierce as he said this, his jaws clenching as his fists tightened.


    From his body language, Tyr could tell that the moosh was extremely afraid right now. He was trying his best to keep himself from shaking uncontrollably.


    ''His uncle must be strong. Scan.''


    ©³©¥©¥©¥Status©¥©¥©¥©·


    Name: Isavior Hevest


    Age: 33 Years


    Power Level: 110


    Rank: Adept


    ©»©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¿


    Tyr''s eyelids expanded in slight disbelief, his pupils darting back to Malon: ''H-he''s fighting a losing battle... there''s no way he could win, right?''


    He looked down at his own hands, ''If I have to step in, I will.'' He declared to himself.


    "Not so fast." A guard exclaimed, putting a spear in front of Tyr''s throat.


    Another one appeared to his left, placing his hand on the boy''s shoulder.


    Tyr paused, looking down at the blade at his throat for a second before suddenly ducking beneath it and pushing the spear-holding guard forward into a stumble.


    "Don''t put your blade near my neck. I''ll stay here, but I won''t accept your arrogance." Tyr said with a low tone, the guard grunting slightly in anger before standing in front of the boy.


    Tyr looked at Malon with squinted eyes, "Win! Malon!" He shouted, crossing his arms.


    A few dozen heads darted toward him for a short second, glancing with confusion and curiosity.


    Malon smiled as he heard Tyr''s words from behind him, "If she wills..." He said under his breath, "You may start it." He said aloud.


    Isavior swung his sword around, sharp swiping noises echoing through the air as his blade suddenly expanded in size.


    It became as long as a mushroom--standing over 20 feet in height with a flexible structure, similar to a silk rope. Its movements were carried by momentum, exactly mimicking a whip.


    "If I win," Malon shouted, "I shall be pardoned from all crimes placed upon me!"


    "If I win," Isavior yelled, "You shall be punished with life in prison or death... my decision. Begin!"


    Isavior didn''t waste time, sprinting forward as he swung his sword all through the air.


    He whipped it at Malon, the sword striking like a viper.


    *CLANG*


    It bounced off of Malon''s shield as he began to run around his uncle.


    Isavior stood there, turning his body to face Malon as his sword continued to dance in the air.


    *SWIPE*


    It lashed out again.


    *CLANG*


    Malon managed to block but was thrown onto the ground from the powerful impact behind the attack.


    He was facing someone far stronger than him, so even blocking the attacks was going to cause some damage.


    A few murmurs began to spread through the crowd again as Isavior slowly made his way closer to Malon, who was scraping to get off the floor.


    "Poor guy..."


    "What can he do?"


    "He only has a shield. How can he do anything with that?"


    "Truly a rotten apple of the Hevest family." Said a noble-looking moosh, who got several glares by the common folk as he said this.


    Hearing those words caused Malon to have a slightly pale expression. He got to his feet, quickly beginning to run again.


    ''Those words have haunted me for so long.'' He thought to himself as he continued to run.


    "Seriously, what kind of God would punish a person with such a power."


    On hearing this from the crowd, Malon exhaled slightly--his eyes drifting to his shield for a second.


    *SWIPE*


    *CLANG*


    He was thrown to the ground again, ''Damn it! Stop getting distracted! You''ve heard this for so long...'' Malon mused, backing up from Isavior who slowly walked closer.


    ''You''ve gotten used to it. You''ve gotten used--''


    *SWIPE*


    This time, Isavior''s slash landed, lashing across Malon''s abdomen and tearing him open.


    "ARGH!" Malon exclaimed in pain, getting back up to his feet as he clutched his abdomen and began to run.


    *SWIPE*


    It landed again, slashing across both of his back hamstrings and causing him to stumble forward and roll across the ground.


    Panting, he lay on his back.


    *SWIPE SWIPE SWIPE*


    The sword slashes flew towards him at immense speeds.


    *CLANG CLANG*


    He managed to block a few, but he still got slashed here and there.


    ''Damn it! Damn it!'' He attempted to get back up, but he fell right back down again.


    ''Fuck!'' He screamed inwardly.


    *SWIPE*


    He turned on hearing this, positioning his shield toward the blade.


    *CLA--CRACK*


    His shield tore in half, digging into his body.


    "AGGHK!" He exclaimed, making his wrist normal again and regenerating the shield. He turned, attempting to get up as he rolled over onto his stomach.


    ''Stupid fucking shield! Can''t you even block anything!? I already can''t attack to save my life, just do something for a change!'' He screamed inwardly.


    *SWIPE* S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Another attack slashed across his back.


    *SWIPE SWIPE*


    His tricep was cut open, and then his calves took on a blow. He turned again, heavily panting as Isavior stood above him with a disgusted look on his face.


    "I should just end you right here. Failure." The man said under his breath so that only Malon could hear it.


    At that moment, a flurry of emotions surged through Malon''s brain.


    *SWIPE*

 Chapter 56 - 56: Duel (2) Conviction

    The blade traveled in slow motion as memories of the past swam into Malon''s head--like flashes of his childhood.


    He was first born in his family and praised at a young age for unlocking and mastering his Ancestral Ability to a great extent in just a matter of a few days.


    However, his brother Mano gained his own Ancestral Ability a week later, outshining him in an instant.


    Malon was supposed to be the star child, something he didn''t even care for.


    When that was all taken away from him, he didn''t mind it either. But despite this fact, Malon was treated like trash by the nobles of Mycelia.


    His mother died early due to an illness. And so, his father always had to protect him. Many days Malon would come home with dozens of scars. These were scars from protecting the average city-folk from the disastrous rule of his brother and his nobles.


    Those at the top always looked down on those at the bottom, but Malon had been treated horribly since the very beginning by those in power--so he felt connected to the average mooshs of his city.


    They also felt the same about him.


    Through the years, Malon continued gaining more punishment and isolation when closer to his own ''people'' and more love when he spent time with the poorest of the poor.


    Although all of this was true, Malon couldn''t help but feel in his heart of hearts that he still didn''t exactly belong anywhere.


    He felt he was in the middle. The nobles shunned him despite sharing his blood, and the common folk took care of him but never spoke to him on the deepest of levels.


    They never admitted that they believed he was innocent of crimes, nor did they speak out against the high-borns for his sake. This was understandable, as they wanted to protect their own livelihoods.


    But nonetheless, it still left Malon with an empty feeling deep in his being.


    Tyr was really the first person in Malon''s life to treat him in a way that filled this empty space, even if it was just for a second. To outwardly express his emotions without giving a damn about the consequences.


    Malon knew he couldn''t lose this duel... there was far too much at stake. Not just his own life, but of those who took care of him through the years as best they could while protecting themselves as well. Along with that... Tyr wanted him to win as well, right?


    ...


    Even up until only a couple years ago, the question of who would gain the right to be Mayor of Mycelia was a mystery.


    The people were obviously split, the rarer nobility wanting Mano as their candidate, and the majority of city folk wanting Malon.


    Mano was powerful and praised even more from a young age--growing into an arrogant brat. Yet, the high-borns of Mycelia understood that this made the boy the most prone to manipulation.


    Using him as a scapegoat for their own financial interests was going to be easy.


    On the other hand, the townsfolk--although not admitting it publically--never believed in the false lies told about Malon to get him less popular. They wanted him as the next Mayor for obvious reasons.


    He was not only a leader, but a friend. A family member to all those who treated him with kindness. The people of his city.


    This all changed, however, when the Mayor of Mycelia, Mano and Malon''s father, became ill from Jooe.


    The decision soon was transferred to Isavior as the Mayor''s death continued to decline.


    Now, all that was left was for Malon''s father to die.


    Seeing all of these memories flood his mind; the memories of hate, isolation, and torture, Malon became overwhelmed with fury.


    Rage like he had never seen before swam from deep within his veins, fueled by his undescribable conviction, reaching his Aura Core and making his abdomen burn from the sheer animosity.


    ''If I let them take my city... they will turn it into a money plant and practically enslave these people who they already treat like bugs. These people... I can''t let them be tortured any further. I WILL WIN!'' Malon screamed inwardly as a burst of strength erupted out of his Aura Core--allowing him to roll to the side and avoid Isavior''s blow to the chest. sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Right now, all of Malon''s pain was gone for some reason. All he could feel was his Aura Core burning as though it was really on fire.


    But he ignored that, his eyes glowing in a green light as he rose to his feet. He was surprisingly light, as though he had lost 100 pounds in mere seconds.


    "Huh?" Isavior exclaimed in confusion, digging his sword out of the ground as he stared at his nephew with genuine puzzlement.


    "How? How is that possible?"


    The crowd also began to give mixed opinions. Some brave souls cheered Malon on, while others simply exclaimed their confusion.


    "How?"


    "What!?"


    "He stood up!"


    Tyr couldn''t believe what he was seeing either, "That... shouldn''t be possible." He whispered under his breath.


    At that moment, no other thoughts were in Malon''s mind except for vengeance and rage.


    "Come on, you stupid shield!" He shouted and thrust his wrist out.


    Out of nowhere, he felt that burning fire from his Aura Core surge out through his body and flow into his wrist.


    A giant shield the size of a horse exploded out of his hand out of nowhere--slamming down onto the ground.


    It was a magnificent aegis of gargantuan proportions, its peak a rough point: a long and smooth curve downward before reaching another point at its bottom.


    Malon''s eyes expanded in shock: "W-what?" He questioned, the shield radiating with green energy and ready to go.


    Isavior took a step back, "His Ancestral Ability... it became stronger?"


    Malon wasn''t in the right state of mind to care about how this happened. Right now, he just wanted to win this fight!


    He stormed forward with the shield in front of him like a battle ram: "AHHHRRGH!"


    Isavior''s eyes widened, "Take this!" He forcefully swung his sword several times.


    *SWIPE SWIPE SWIPE SWIPE*


    However, the shield was too protective and enormous--easily blocking and ricochetting each attack that was thrown at it.


    *CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG*


    Before Isavior knew it, his sword hand had been flung to the side and the shield was upon him.


    Malon dug his feet as far as he could into the ground and pushed up with all of his might.


    The shield rammed into Isavior like a cannonball--instantly crushing his nose and frontal skull. Most of his front teeth were knocked back into his throat.


    His lungs took on a booming brunt blow, squeezing all the air inside out as his eyes rolled back into his head and his consciousness was obliterated into the void. He was propelled into the air like a puny bug.


    The heads of the crowd moved like a row of flowers pushed by the wind, staring at Isavior''s body fly above them and land on top of a mushroom roof in the distance before sliding off and thudding onto the floor.


    Malon''s shield shrunk down back into his wrist as he clenched both fists, bent his knees slightly, and screamed into the sky as loud as he could:


    "GRAHHHHHH!!!" His voice was damaged and torn but his tone was rough and deep--like the bellowing roar of a lion.


    With that, he stood up straight... and fell right over onto the ground.

 Chapter 57 - 57: Ancient Help

    A warm gust of air brushed across Malon''s graceful sleeping face, slightly swaying his mushroom hair to the side.


    As the bright rays of sunlight broke through the mushroom canopies to hit his face, his eyes slowly opened.


    He felt pain radiating through his entire body at once, so he knew he couldn''t move. Still, he forced himself to lift his head and look down at his body.


    He was covered from his hip down with a blanket, but above that, his entire body was bandaged. It seemed the bandaging was head-to-toe like a mummy.


    He was on a bed in a fair-sized room. There was a window right beside him which he looked out of.


    Down in the field below, he saw a training ground with 4 figures seemingly dueling together. Spread out around the large field were also more groups of other Hunter''s training.


    Multiple light footsteps approached from the hallway.


    "Finally woke up huh?" Tyr said, entering the room and walking to the side of the bed.


    "Tyr... w-where am I? What happened?" Malon''s voice was still a bit coarse from all the screaming the day prior. But, he sounded a bit relieved to see Tyr.


    "Well, you passed out after fighting your uncle."


    "D-did I win!?" Malon''s eyes expanded. He tried to sit up, but nearly threw up from the pain and had to immediately lay back down again.


    "Chill man, you won. Take it easy, you won''t be able to do much for a while. You''ve been out for a day."


    Malon let out a large sigh of relief as he heard this, letting his body sink into the bed.


    "Wierd... your shield suddenly multiplying in size by such a degree," Tyr exclaimed, making Malon''s eyebrows furrow.


    "That''s right... That''s why I won." Malon paused, thinking back to that moment and remembering why that happened.


    "It wasn''t just larger in size, but Aura coated its every surface. It was much, much stronger than a normal shield that size. Still, the size was incredible. I doubt I can do it again even if I tried my hardest."


    "Maybe it was a last-ditch effort by your body to survive," Tyr replied as another voice suddenly sounded from the doorway.


    "Life isn''t a movie where that random fantasy crap happens, Tyr." Hanzo said, walking into the room.


    "W-wait a minute... you''re Hanzo! Hanzo Elec, Mother Gaia''s Gift!" Malon''s expression changed to excitement and shock as he saw Hanzo.


    "Uh... right. Nice to meet ya'', Malon was it? Tyr told me all about you as I was patching you up..."


    "Yes! Thank you very much! Im a big fan! You are the human who received Mother Gaia''s boon... how exhilarating to see you in person!" Malon exclaimed in eagerness.


    "No problem."


    "What were you talking about a second ago?" Tyr continued, curious, "Do you know why his shield increased in size?"


    Hanzo paused, "Not exactly, but I have an idea. Ancestral Abilities are unique and are still a mystery mostly to humanity and in fact every other species on Subworld. But, from what I understand, our Ancestral Abilities might not just be randomly chosen."


    "Really? That''s different from what you told me outside of Drance." Tyr replied.


    "Well, I was trying to simplify it then. And for all we know, it could be random as well. But from the evidence so far, that doesn''t seem to be the case." Hanzo replied as the two in front of him silently gawked at him with intrigue filling their pupils.


    "Most likely, your own ancestors choose your Ancestral Ability. And since the Gods are also our old ancestors, sometimes the ability is chosen by them. That is why I believe some of us get their Boons."


    He looked at Malon. S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "That is also why I believe your Ancestral Ability awakening had to do with your ancestors. You probably haven''t noticed it yet yourself, but you''ve broken into the next Rank, Malon."


    "What?" Malon was taken aback, "But I wasn''t even close... I needed a lot more Aura and time to cultivate it before my Aura Core was strong enough to break through."


    "Yes, and that''s why what happened was so confusing. But, the only explanation is that your ancestors gave you their own Aura. It obviously doesn''t happen often, but it seems it isn''t an impossible occurrence. You got so much Aura from them that it was enough to make you break through into another Rank, which, of course, evolves your Ancestral Ability.


    Hence why you could summon a giant shield, and probably still can when recovered."


    Tyr was amazed to hear all of this. ''To think that''s possible... how insane. Scan.''


    ©³©¥©¥©¥Status©¥©¥©¥©·


    Name: Malon Hevest


    Age: 21 Years


    Power Level: 105


    Rank: Adept


    ©»©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¿


    ''So its fully true...'' Tyr said to himself in astonishment, ''He got so much Aura that he leveled up in metaphorical power levels by 25 goddamn levels.''


    However, Tyr noticed something that caught his attention, ''Still... he''s weaker in power level than his uncle, who was level 110.''


    "Even if you ranked up, Malon, you are only at the very beginning of Adept Rank. While on the other hand, your uncle was a bit farther down the line. He was stronger than you in most aspects." Tyr said to Malon, who was slightly confused by this statement.


    "Yeah..." Malon replied.


    "You know what that means right? The thing that beat him was the fact that your Ancestral Ability was simply superior to even his." Tyr grinned big.


    Malon couldn''t help but smile as well, "Yeah... that''s right." He suddenly broke out into laughter, "Hahaha!"


    Tyr couldn''t contain himself either, "Ahaha!"


    The laughter ensued for a couple seconds longer.


    "How about you join Ultimatum!?" Tyr suddenly blurted out.


    "Huh!?" Hanzo said, one of his eyebrows raised in confusion.


    "W-what!?" Malon exclaimed, utterly perplexed.


    ***


    Author Note: Yo! I want to thank you all for reading up until this point! After this chapter, Tyr and his group will officially begin their first large hunter mission which has been long awaited. If you are excited, let me know by showing your support by voting! I have a lot planned, and I can''t wait to share it with you all. Thanks again for all the support up until now!

 Chapter 58 - 58: Promise

    "Hell no!" Hanzo suddenly shouted.


    "W-what!? Why not!" Tyr rebutted.


    Malon closed his eyes, his soul entirely crushed and defeated.


    ''Mother... take me now.'' He said to himself, ready to leave Subworld.


    "You fool!" Hanzo slapped Tyr on the back of the head, "Does he not have responsibilities here? Who will take care of his people!? On top of that, this new power he''s gotten might just make him useless in battle from now on."


    Tyr understood the first part and accepted it, but was confused by the latter: "What? How so? He used it fine yesterday."


    "Tsk... it''s not about yesterday. It won''t be every day that he is lifted up by his ancestors. After recovering, he may not ever get used to this new fighting style. Don''t underestimate the effect of sudden change on a person. It not only depends on their luck but also their will to change and how much they are willing to put in.


    Their conviction, so to speak."


    Tyr smiled slightly as he heard this, "If that''s the case, Malon''s got it in the bag. Even if he has to stay here to protect his people, I know he will master his new Ancestral Ability."


    Hanzo sighed, "Sure man..."


    They both looked at Malon. Hanzo left first, saying: "Come on... Rock Saelfine''s royal is gonna arrive soon. Our quest starts right after."


    "I''ll be there," Tyr said as Hanzo left the room. "Malon, by the time we come back, I need you to be fully healed. I also need you to have your new Ancestral Ability mastered to the same extent as your weaker version."


    Malon awoke from his shell of depression, "What? Why so sudden?"


    "There''s also one more thing," Tyr said, ignoring those questions, "What was the name of your father''s illness?"


    Malon''s eyes expanded, taken aback slightly from what Tyr was trying to imply. He smiled, closing his eyes.


    "You are a really good guy, Tyr. Try not to change too much in the future. It''s called Jooe."


    Tyr turned, "Wait here and heal up by the time I get back." He said as he left the room. "Farewell, Malon."


    ''I... have never met anyone like him. It''s like his soul is made of pure gold. He wants my father to be healed so that he can run this city and I can join his Squad. Such an idea really is a dream... no matter whether it happens or not, I will never forget your name, Tyr.''


    ***


    Tyr arrived at the base of the giant mushroom hotel he and his squad were staying at.


    The four other members of Ultimatum who were training just a moment ago met Tyr and Hanzo at the main entrance.


    There was a roundabout driveway circling a water fountain in the center right in front of the hotel''s face.


    Ultimatum stood on the sidewalk of the stone driveway directly in front of the entrance.


    "Why are we standing here again?" Tyr said, leaning toward Jonas slightly.


    "A Royal is coming. We have to greet him properly."


    "What''s the difference between a Royal and a Noble in this world?"


    "Hmm... a Royal is a part of the Imperial Family of a kingdom. Meaning the family that rules that entire domain. A noble is a respected figure uplifted by that very Royal family, a relative of that Royal Family, or a family that has held prestige for a long time."


    "I see..."


    At that moment, large and powerful horns blared from the distance as a cavalry of white-horse-driven carriages made their way into the driveway.


    The horses marched with knees high in the air. The carriages they pulled were a pristine white color.


    This was the case for all of the 5 except for one in the very center which was adorned with patterns of pink chains all around the white background.


    The center carriage arrived right in front of Ultimatum. The door opened as a small red ramp fell out and landed on the ground. A long red carpet was rolled off of it.


    It continued to roll out until it reached Tyr''s foot. Dozens of guards wearing pristine white iron armor marched out of the various carriages on either side of the middle one--making a hall of people facing each other on both sides of the red carpet.


    They lifted their swords in the air to create a canopy of blades above the carpet.


    "Please welcome the one and only, great--" A knight began to yell into his horn, but a voice from inside the carriage suddenly blurted out and interrupted him.


    "No! Stop being so loud you fool! This is supposed to be a secret mission! I don''t want any termites wanting to take pictures of me or an autograph. Yuck..." Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Tyr raised a brow, leaning in toward Urvil before saying quietly: "I can see it. Him wanting to lay low that is... just take a look at his entrance."


    Urvil chuckled, placing her hand in front of her face to hide her smile.


    "Uh... right sir." The guard said with a slightly scared tone, "The great--" He began to whisper, but was interrupted again.


    "Don''t whisper, you fool! Who do you think I am!?"


    "The great Lord Michel Gallallof!" The guard finally yelled without using the horn.


    Finally, a figure appeared in the carriage doorway and stepped out. He was average height and donned a pink robe with several shiny jewels encrusted onto it.


    He had a pale, boyish face. It seemed it wasn''t any older than about 22 at first glance.


    He had short silver hair and a pair of deep blue eyes.


    Although his demeanor was arrogant, blunt and sounded pretty retarded, no one could deny his great facial features. He was a beautiful boy.


    With a great smile on his face, he made his way toward Ultimatum.


    Out of nowhere, everyone beside Tyr bowed except for Hanzo, who looked at him.


    "Bow," Hanzo said, bowing at that moment with his eyes still on Tyr.


    Tyr furrowed his brows, "B-bow?"


    ''Tsk... I knew he was gonna be like this.'' Hanzo thought to himself, pushing Tyr''s head down himself.


    "W-what?" Tyr exclaimed in confusion.


    "Raise your heads!" Michel said in a proud tone, "That''s right!" He paused, nearly arriving at the sidewalk. "I am here--" Out of nowhere, he tripped.


    Time seemed to slow down as his eyes expanded in shock. He began to stumble, his momentum fast.


    The guards quickly rushed to sheath their blades and help their lord... but it was too late.


    *BOOM*


    He fell face-first onto the concrete...

 Chapter 59 - 59: Imperial Prince

    "O-OW!!!" Michel screamed at the top of his lungs.


    *A few moments later...*


    "Ahem," Michel said, standing in front of Ultimatum. His nose was still a bit red from the fall just a second ago, but thankfully he had a few dozen health capsules to keep him in good shape.


    A couple of guards stood behind him, their bodies tensed up in case Michel fell again.


    "I have arrived--" Michel tried to say, but gave up the act, "Ugh... it''s me. You get the gist... its no fun to act all high and mighty with my nose still stinging. Just get in the carriage behind mine. You all know who I am." Michel suddenly said with an unimpressed look on his face, turning and entering the vehicle he was just in.


    It was as though he was a child who didn''t want to play anymore after getting hurt.


    "Uh, right. Yes sir." Hanzo said, first to walk forward. Ultimatum followed him, all getting onboard the carriage behind Michel''s.


    "Guards! You know what to do!" Michel''s voice rang from the carriage in front.


    "Y-yes sir!" One of the guards said. The other guards got on their respective carriages and left the area at once. This one guard, however, neared Ultimatum''s carriage with a small scroll in hand.


    Tyr popped his head out of the window to look at what the guard was doing.


    The guard opened the scroll, beginning to chant something under his breath. Afterward, he placed his hand on the carriage. A red aura traveled from the scroll into the carriage through his hand.


    After a second of delay, Ultimatum''s carriage pulled forward on its own and morphed into Michel''s carriage.


    It became longer. Tyr looked with heightened brows of surprise as he saw this happen.


    He could see Michel now, but for some reason, the royal''s carriage was blocked by what looked to be wooden bars. Moreover, Michel''s part of the carriage was elevated compared to Ultimatums.


    ''What a weird setup. It''s like we are in jail or something.'' Tyr thought to himself, ''And not only is this guy in an elevated position, but he''s taking all that carriage space for himself. Tsk.''


    Tyr looked back out at the guard outside, who walked to his own carriage and rode away.


    "That guy''s Ancestral Ability isn''t to morph carts is it?" He questioned at that moment.


    "Nah..." Yurin answered, "The scroll he was holding allowed him to do that. It''s an inscription scroll, meaning it has an Aura Array placed inside of it by someone else. All he has to do is activate it using his own Aura and whatever was inscribed will take place."


    "I see..." Tyr replied, slightly impressed at the idea of these Aura Arrays.


    "They are mass-produced in Rock Saelfine. Most of those in Ainsveld come from Rock Saelfine." Jonas said at that moment, taking Tyr aback slightly.


    "In all of the continent? Wow... it''s quite a niche item though. Why would it need to be mass-produced?"


    Hanzo replied this time: "This is meant to transfer slaves. And it just so happens to be that Rock Saelfine is the largest slave capital in all of Ainsveld. It practically runs on the slave trade." S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Tyr furrowed his brows: ''Slaves huh... so I''m finally getting closer to that part of the world.'' His eyes peered over at Michel.


    ''Unlike a lot of things after coming to Subworld, having slaves is something I still can''t justify. Hell, I''ve even justified murder at this point. But slavery... I don''t care who you are, what you want, or any other reason under the sun... it just seems so pathetic.''


    ''Master...'' Rudra''s voice chimed in at that moment.


    ''Hmm?'' Tyr replied, a bit surprised by his pet''s sudden call.


    ''What if... one deserves to be a slave?''


    ''W-what?''


    ''You probably think that slaves are simply good people turned into working hogs and tortured, and that is true most of the time, but maybe criminals sometimes should be slaves.''


    Tyr squinted his eyes. He hadn''t really thought of it like that.


    ''Hmm...'' He was torn on whether that would justify it or not.


    ''Think of it this way...'' Rudra said, ''What about those horrible slave owners themselves? The ones that torture and rape their slaves. Don''t you think they--''


    ''Yes.'' Tyr interrupted Rudra, his expression stern, ''On second thought, that would be a perfect justification for slavery. Thanks, Rudra, you''ve opened my mind up some more.''


    "Listen up, you Hunters!" Michel suddenly yelled, catching everyone''s attention.


    "I sent my guards away, so you all better protect me with your lives! If you do, you know what''s waiting for you after you complete this dungeon mission. We are heading to the Truid Dungeon!"


    "Hmm... yes." Hanzo replied, "The rumored most dangerous dungeon to show up throughout the south of Ainsveld."


    Michel paused before speaking, "Yes... and I bought the rights to it as soon as it came out. I''m eager to retrieve its treasures for myself. Consider yourselves lucky, pipsqeaks. You are all from the tiny Dynasty of Seris, which is like the piss droplets of Rock Saelfine.


    I could have hired any Hunters from Rock Saelfine, but I wanted to keep this mission secret, so I hired the best in the region closeby to the dungeon. I don''t have time to wait for those any further. This quest is a gift from me to you..."


    "Yes." Yurin quickly replied, "And we thank you for this opportunity."


    Everyone looked at him as he said this, including Michel--who had a slightly disdainful look.


    After a pause, he harrumphed and turned the other way, "Sure... It will take us 1 day to get there, so prepare yourselves. And don''t forget, if you try to steal any artifact inside there for yourself, you will be punished by me. Or in other words, by the Imperial Prince of Rock Saelfine. Or, in other other words, the entire Rock Saelfine Imperial Cavalry."


    He tried to sound threatening, his voice sounding like an annoying 40-year-old Dutch woman.


    Nonetheless, what he said was still scary. The voice didn''t matter when flexing the shit Michel flexed.


    Tyr laid back whilst looking up, ''One more level... I guess I''ll get it during the quest.'' He looked at everyone else. Yurin, Urvil, and Cyllia were playing a game of rock paper scissors. Hanzo was snoozing, and Jonas was looking out the window.


    ''Let the quest begin.''

 Chapter 60 - 60: Truid Dungeon Quest (1) Arrival

    The mushroom forest became even more dense as Tyr''s squad traveled further and further into the thick of the wilderness.


    Night came and passed, but even the morning sun''s golden rays of light could barely pierce through the thick canopy of the shroomtops.


    Their long cart continued to travel, having already been roughed up by a fair share of powerful Apex Rank beasts up until now.


    Of course, Ultimatum took care of them with fair ease. Thankfully nothing stronger than Apex had appeared, but nothing weaker either...


    This was the most dangerous part of Mycopolis--the land of mushrooms.


    "So what exactly is this dungeon? The Truid Dungeon... it sounds like it has a history behind it." Tyr questioned, a bit bored. Despite his attempts, he hadn''t gotten the final blow on more than one beast by now.


    It was a bit depressing since he felt like he was on the very cusp of leveling up.


    "It was rumored to sprout up for a few years by some shamans. No one knows how those old bastards can predict it, but they are usually right." Yurin replied with a slight chuckle.


    Jonas continued looking out the window as he said: "Truid Dungeon... known for its 3 paths leading to the same destination. Its whereabouts were a mystery for a while, but it was suddenly discovered by some wandering Hunters. They were all butchered and never seen again, and so were the dozens of other Hunters who attempted it afterward.


    After a little while though, the mysterious Hunter disappearances warranted a search, and the Truid Dungeon finally became a name on the map that was an official dungeon available to be bought."


    "Hmm... sounds dangerous," Tyr said, a bit wary.


    Cyllia continued: "Yep. No one knows exactly what it looks like or what it is for the most part. All who went in were slain. Dead men don''t tell tales, as you know."


    Urvil added, seeming oddly more scared than expected, "The treasures they say are plenty though. There are 3 that are rumored to be inside. A powerful weapon, Aura pill, and also the egg of a strong beast."


    The conversation about the dungeon continued, Michel''s eyes wandering over the Hunters below him as they neared their destination.


    It didn''t take much longer. As morning left and noon began to show itself through the slim sunrays, their carriage abruptly stopped.


    "This is supposed to be the area." A guard driving the carriage said, turning his head toward Michel.


    Everyone exited the vehicle. Tyr looked around, surveying the area.


    ''I can just smell the danger right from here.'' He thought to himself.


    At that moment, the guard driving the carriage used another Aura Array scroll to transform the vehicle into a little house.


    "Now that ain''t mass manufactured." Hanzo joked to Tyr as they both saw this.


    The guard set up a small seat and umbrella where Michel sat and began to drink a hot cup of tea.


    "Shoo! Go and get the treasures and complete the dungeon. Your time limit is one day. I''ll be waiting right here with my guard."


    "Right. Thank you, sir." Hanzo said, bowing slightly before walking off in a random direction. His strut was completely carefree.


    The others followed him, "Do you know where it is?" Tyr questioned, confused at Hanzo''s sudden march.


    "Nope. But there''s only one way to find it right? Keep moving."


    A piercing scream echoed through the mushroom forest out of nowhere, "AHHHH!" The voice was girly and high-pitched.


    "Michel!" Tyr said under his breath, the first face popping into his head. He quickly turned to see a giant mushroom dog beast with a mane of snakes around its neck all wearing mushroom top heads.


    The other members of Ultimatum also turned, thier guards suddenly increasing.


    "HELPPP!" Michel screamed as his guard stepped forward, calmly unsheathing his sword.


    ''That''s easily an Apex Rank beast...'' Tyr said to himself, slightly skeptical of the guard''s abilities.


    The guard stepped forward before jumping into the air.


    *SWISH*


    In one smooth motion, he slashed his sword through the air and appeared behind the giant beast.


    He sheathed his blade. As his hilt hit the mouth of the sheath, the dog''s body split cleanly in two and slumped onto the floor.


    The guard returned, picking up both sides of the giant dog on his shoulders and throwing them a few dozen feet far into the forest.


    He patted his hands before returning to Michel''s side--who continued to drink his tea.


    Ultimatum was a bit stunned for a second.


    "That''s an Imperial Guard for ya''" Hanzo said, turning and continuing his walk.


    ''Scan.''


    ©³©¥©¥©¥Status©¥©¥©¥©·


    Name: Hepa Titis


    Age: 42 Years


    Power Level: 200


    Rank: Expert


    ©»©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¿


    ''What a monster.'' Tyr thought to himself. ''I''ve never seen anyone that high of a level.'' He turned to face Hanzo as he began to follow after him.


    ''Hmm... I wonder if now I can Scan him... Scan.''


    Tyr''s eyes expanded in slight shock as a status panel appeared in front of him.


    ''Finally...''


    ©³©¥©¥©¥Status©¥©¥©¥©·


    Name: Hanzo Elec


    Age: 22 Years


    Power Level: 230


    Rank: Expert


    ©»©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¿


    ''230!? He''s on another stratasphere compared to me...''


    "If I''m correct, there will be three locations that we have to touch that will open this dungeon up." Hanzo suddenly said, stopping and looking around.


    "I thought you said you don''t know where the dungeon is!" Cyllia yelled.


    "I don''t... but I have some clues."


    At that moment, the ground Tyr stepped on suddenly gleamed in a light orange color.


    *Shiiing*


    He stopped, "Uh... guys, I think I found an area."


    *Shiiing*


    "Lookie here... so did I." Hanzo said, his hand placed on a tree. The area around his palm also gleamed in a slight orange color.


    *Shiiing*


    "Um..." Urvil exclaimed with slight nervousness, the ground beneath her feet also suddenly lighting up.


    Tyr was smiling, but that smile quickly disappeared as a hole opened up beneath his feet.


    "Oh shit..."


    The same happened to the rest of the group members. Jonas and Hanzo shared the same hole. Yurin, Urvil, and Cyllia shared another, while Tyr was left all alone with a hole to himself.


    Without a second delay, they all fell into a seemingly endless underground void.


    "AHHH!!"


    "AHHH!""


    "HELLPPPP"


    "MOMMMY!!"


    S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 61 - 61: Truid Dungeon Quest (2) Only Death

    Tyr couldn''t see anything. He was falling for so long in this abyss that it didn''t even feel like falling anymore--just floating in an infinite void.


    However, he saw a light quickly approaching from beneath him. His body tightened up--preparing itself for the fall.


    Tyr fell right out of the hole and into what seemed to be a dungeon room. He had barely a millisecond to see this, however, as he immediately fell into a large pool of light-blue water.


    A large splash ensued as Tyr''s eyes opened up underneath. The water was abnormally bright. It was absolutely beautiful and oddly warm as well.


    The water was about 10 feet deep. He floated up to the top, his head pushing against the surface of the water before bursting out.


    After gasping for breath, his head darted around to see where he was.


    From what he could see, he was in a stone chamber with 10-foot tall ceilings.


    The room wasn''t very large, about 50 feet on all sides. The pool of water he fell into looked to be at the very center.


    He swam to the edge, the extra bouncy water making it easy for him. S§×ar?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    After getting out of the pool, all of the warm light-blue water sucked out of his clothing and hair and returned to the pool--leaving him completely dry.


    "Huh, convenient." He said to himself, continuing to survey the room.


    There were pillars and vines around the edges, ancient writing on some of the random white stone blocks that the room was made of, and also what seemed to be various pedestals with nothing on them.


    "Looks like this dungeon is quite old... all of its old artifacts are gone. According to Urvil, only 3 are left now." Tyr looked at all the empty pedestals.


    "Damn, they were probably strong." He had no choice but to overlook them and make his way toward the only door in the room.


    Right next to the door was a stone table with a flat top. Above it was what looked to be a map of the entire dungeon made of stone.


    ''Hmm...'' He gazed deeply at it.


    "I''m right here," He placed his finger on the map, dragging it along as he spoke.


    In the middle of the map, there was a final room with the symbol of a treasure chest on it.


    There were dozens of various rooms all around this giant labyrinth that you could get lost in, however.


    Before Tyr were three rooms with the skull symbol on them. He had no other option but to enter one of these.


    It was unlike any other room, which had at least one option to go toward a safer route.


    ''I got the unlucky one huh.'' He said to himself. Before leaving, he noticed a stamp on the very edge of the map.


    The stamp looked to be a single round ember of fire with a ring circle around it.


    It was a bit hard to discern since it was obviously made of stone.


    He made his way through the door, which opened up for him as he got close to it. He was a bit worried for a second that it wasn''t going to open, but thankfully he wasn''t that unlucky.


    The next room was nearly 10 times smaller than the first one. It had nothing inside of it except for three doors.


    "The three death rooms..." Tyr said under his breath, "Guess I have no choice. This one is the one closest to the center room." He took a deep breath and walked directly forward into the center room.


    After walking inside, the door behind Tyr immediately shut. After that, it sealed itself with stone--blending back into the wall.


    Tyr didn''t notice this, however, as he was too busy looking at what was in front of him right now.


    Sleeping in the center of this massive death chamber was an enormous serpent that was most likely over 100 feet long. Its body was thick and its scales were clearly durable.


    Most of all, even while seemingly sleeping it gave off a menacing aura.


    All around the room were the skeletal remains of past Hunters who attempted to complete this room.


    It was an intimidating sight, there was no question about that.


    ''There''s no doubt in my mind that this thing is at the very peak of Apex Rank.''


    Tyr looked down at his shadow, ''I haven''t tested your strength in a while, Rudra. Care for a challenge?''


    ''I will prove to you, master, that I am capable of being your servant!'' Rudra''s rough voice sounded through Soul Communication.


    "Then come out. Kill that long worm right there." Tyr pointed his finger as a monstrous tiger summoned from his shadow and leaped forward.


    Rudra let out a bloodcurdling roar that boomed through the entire massive death chamber.


    The noise bounced off the walls, echoing in the air and reveberating the walls as the coiled snake slowly rose his head up.


    Its eyes were just as Tyr expected them to be, dangerously bright and lethal looking.


    Its maw was long. A long slithering tongue jumped out of its mouth and rattled quickly with aggression as it slowly made its way toward Rudra.


    Finally, it opened its jaws--revealing rows of sharp and serrated teeth before hissing loudly at the tiger.


    Rudra grunted slightly, not giving a shit about the imminent threat in front of him.


    ''Soldiers of his blood do not fear. No cowardice, no retreat, no defeat.'' Rudra said with pride.


    Tyr was slightly taken aback, ''What does he mean by my blood? Is he just that loyal to me?'' He didn''t understand just how loyal Rudra was. Not only that, but it seemed that the tiger held him in an extremely high regard even more than what loyalty could give.


    Still, he chalked it up to their Soul Marking each other.


    "You ready?" Tyr questioned out loud as the serpent suddenly began to slither forward.


    Rudra roared loudly: ''Give me a go, master!''


    Tyr smiled, "Bring me it''s heart."

 Chapter 62 - 62: Truid Dungeon Quest (3) Medicine Trial

    Rudra lunged forward into a full-blown sprint. He dashed side to side quickly, appearing extremely nimble despite his massive size.


    ''Rudra is no normal creature. He has been a Domain Alpha, granting him years of expert fighting and ruling experience. His combat is superior to that of a normal Polaris Tiger.''


    Rudra didn''t hesitate to show this, appearing right before the serpent''s mouth.


    The snake instantly lunged forward to bite him, but he jumped to the side--avoiding the attack.


    *CHOMP*


    He bit into the side of the snake, violently pulling a large chunk off of its body.


    The snake screeched in pain, quickly turning its head around before approaching Rudra again.


    Rudra continued to run away from the snake''s head. As he was distracted by the front of the beast, an unexpected tail swipe whipped across his abdomen--throwing him onto the ground.


    Tyr furrowed his brows slightly as he saw this, ''It''s not going to be easy. This is no weak beast you''re fighting.''


    Rudra grunted, getting back up to his feet.


    ''I must end this now!'' He roared.


    ''Why now all of a sudden?'' Tyr questioned in slight confusion.


    ''Because I am angry!'' Rudra lunged into the air, landing on the center of the serpent''s body.


    He aggressively began to bite into the snake--blood and guts quickly flying everywhere as the snake squirmed and moved with shock and pain.


    Despite this, however, Rudra''s powerful paw held it in place as he dug into its back. sea??h th§× N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The snake was too far away on either side to do anything about it, and in a matter of seconds, it was split into 2.


    Rudra''s white fur had been stained in crimson blood, but the snake was still moving somehow.


    After becoming half the length of its original size, it slithered forward before turning around and coming back for Rudra.


    Its eyes were savage and maniacal now, wanting to butcher Rudra more than anything else.


    Tyr was a bit scared for him, ''Pure primal aggression is something that can make you win a fight sometimes...'' He thought to himself.


    However, he was surprised to see Rudra charge forward at the snake.


    He roared from his gut, storming forward with a primal urge to murder himself.


    ''Oh... that''s right. Rudra is the king of this primal shit.''


    Just like that, the tiger ducked below and crunched into the snake''s jugular--lifting the beast into the air before shaking his head violently to tear the jugular out of the serpent''s body.


    The snake''s half-body stopped squirming and thudded onto the floor, and Rudra let go of the torn neck that was in his mouth.


    Without hesitation, he tore into the snake''s body--retrieving a bloody heart before walking it back to where Tyr was and dropping it before the young man.


    ''Master, I have completed your request.'' Rudra said, his eyes expanded as though he was eager. He was panting slightly, similar to an excited dog.


    Tyr smiled, "Good job, Rudra. I expected no less of you." He patted the tiger''s head. Rudra closed his eyes as he received his pats, a feeling of bliss summoning within him.


    ''Hahaha! I am indeed great!''


    "Don''t get too ahead of yourself." Tyr laughed, "There''s still a lot of training we have to do to get strong enough to where nothing can stop us. Infinite Domain."


    Rudra entered the Infinite Domain through Tyr''s shadow.


    Tyr took a good look at the heart on the ground and also the body of the creature.


    And after a few seconds, it all turned to dark ash and fell over itself like a falling sand castle.


    "Just like I thought... it''s not a real creature. That means it wouldn''t have given me any EXP either." He looked around, "There''s no way a creature like that could survive in here for so long without a proper food source, water source, and an environment in general. It must be an Aura Array that has kept it alive for so long."


    The noise of rocks sliding against each other sounded in the distance. Tyr squinted, looking forward as he saw a large door open up in the wall directly ahead of him.


    "A hidden exit after defeating the beast huh? I mean, it''s not like this place is a death trap. It''s a dungeon that wants only the best to receive its treasures." This was his best idea of what a dungeon was in general right now.


    To be honest, he still wasn''t familiar at all with dungeons. This was his first one, after all.


    In fantasy stories, they kind of just popped up out of nowhere just to seemingly help Hunters.


    But of course, these were different. These were in real life, with real history behind them. All of it was something that Tyr was mildly interested in, but more than that, Tyr wanted to progress toward the treasure room.


    He made his way through the exit door and arrived at another room.


    This room was small, about 8 by 8 feet in size. Tyr looked up and his brows furrowed as he realized that this room either didn''t have any ceiling--or the ceiling was simply over 1000 feet high. The very top looked to be a light-blue, bright color.


    The super-high walls were lit up with various crystals and gems.


    ''Seems that the only way out.'' He noted, curving his attention to the other parts of the room.


    To the left was a mortar and pestle with a box beside it that seemed to be full of various ingredients.


    On top of all of this, this new room didn''t seem to be of the same type of structure as the rooms before it.


    Instead of being made out of smooth white-stone bricks, it was like a cavern room. The walls were made of rough uneven stones.


    This was also the case for the walls going all the way up.


    To his right, Tyr noticed a small crop plot with multiple different kinds of herbs growing inside of it that he had never seen before.


    He was confused at all of this. He walked over to the mortar and pestle and opened the small box beside it.


    It was indeed filled with various ingredients and odd objects, like bones, teeth, hair, silk, small flutes and whistles, dream catchers amongst other things that Tyr couldn''t exactly identify.


    Finally, he took out a note that read: "Save your friend by creating a medicine. Life and Death are in your hands... will you be a good God?"


    Tyr raised a brow, "Save... a friend?"


    ***


    In an entirely separate area, Urvil was nicked by a poisonous arrow attached to a tripwire hook. Her piercing scream echoed all through the dungeon chamber she was in as her face quickly turned pale and her knees gave out from underneath her.


    Cyllia and Yurin quickly ran to her aid. Yurin placed Urvil on his knees: "Hey... hey! What''s wrong? Stay awake! Don''t let your eyelids close!


    What are you doing!?" He began to almost freak out as he saw Urvil''s eyes begin to slowly close.

 Chapter 63 - 63: Truid Dungeon Quest (4) A Good God

    Tyr''s pupils increased in size out of nowhere, a slightly heavy feeling growing in his heart for some odd reason.


    "I feel concerned for some reason." He couldn''t describe how, but it was like an uneasy feeling in his bones, "I don''t think this is a coincidence that this note is telling me to make an antidote." He said, thinking about what sort of medicine he should make exactly.


    "I have nothing to go off of." His pointer finger landed on his bottom lip as his eyes panned toward the ground--thinking about what he should focus on.


    "Even if I had an idea of the illness, how am I supposed to use this random shit to create an antidote? Is everything I need even here? What if I''m too late? How will I even get to them, there''s no exit out of this place..."


    Many questions began to race through Tyr''s mind.


    He turned to look at the crop plot. He took a few seconds to gaze at the various odd plants.


    Of course, he had never seen these weird plants in his life.


    Some were oddly colored flowers that looked like balls of flame or falling droplets of water.


    Other plants were glowing golden rings that seemed to simply float in the air.


    Other plants were weird-shaped vegetables, and others resembled cooked meat somehow.


    ***


    "Hanzo! Get out of the way!" Jonas shouted, slamming his scythe in front of him and creating a forcefield.


    *BOOM*


    The claws of a giant roll rat slashed against his forcefield.


    Hanzo turned, "Thanks for covering." He said, shooting several Red arrows at another roll rat in front of him.


    They all periced straight through, leaving the roll rat to fall over onto the ground.


    "Don''t turn your back for no reason!" Jonas said, "You never know what could happen." He lunged forward, spinning his scythe in the air before slashing it at the roll rat in front of him several times and chopping it into peices.


    Jonas slashed his scythe through the air one last time, cleaning it of all the blood before sheating it on his back.


    "You don''t gotta tell me that," Hanzo said, sheathing his bow. "Disgusting creatures." He had a sour look on his face as he stared at the roll rats.


    They were large creatures the size of hippos that would dig underground to survive.


    Their claws were extremely long and their snout was wet and pink.


    "They aren''t even native to this dungeon. Tsk." Hanzo said, brushing his coat off before walking forward.


    "What a weird dungeon. I don''t see any coordination whatsoever. It''s like a free for all where I can just explore all the rooms and fight shit." Hanzo said, seemingly a bit annoyed.


    "I mean, isn''t that most dungeons?"


    "No... they usually have more structure to them. There is just something off about this dungeon... about today." Hanzo squinted his eyes.


    "You sure it ain''t just you?" Jonas laughed, continuing with Hanzo through the dungeon.


    ***


    Yurin carried Urvil on his back, Cyllia following close behind him. sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "How is she doing? Is she still warm?" She asked, her eyes filled with genuine worry.


    "She seems completely fine. Her temperature is the same. She just can''t function her body well, as though she''s paralyzed or something." Yurin was dead serious as he spoke. He was obviously very worried too, but knew that showing that side of him wouldn''t be productive right now.


    "Tsk... I can''t believe this has happened on this one day when we need her the most." Yurin still complained though, "This is horrible."


    Cyllia continued: "If her condition worsens, we may have to abandon our plan and get out of here so we can get her some actual help at Mycelia."


    Yurin stayed silent as Cyllia continued after a short pause: "It seems that arrow had some sort of poison at first, but now I see that it was coated with an illness. How heartless..." She shook her head.


    ***


    They all continued to make their way through the dungeons slowly but surely.


    While on the other hand, Tyr had figured something out in his little chemistry chamber.


    After an hour of finding absolute jack shit, walking in circles, getting ideas, and canceling them out again, Tyr saw a ray of hope that he thought he could grab onto.


    "I might just be imagining it at this point since I''m so desperate, but hopefully this isn''t just me being stupid and reaching too far." He said, kneeling and grabbing the flower that looked like the shape of a fire.


    Its bottom was round and smooth, while its top was rougher like narrow mountain peaks going all the way up to the highest peak in the center--just like a falling fireball.


    "This and..." He got the ring vegetable, "This... these two." He said, placing the flower inside of the gold-looking ring vegetable.


    "This replicates that symbol that was on the map." As soon as he put the two together, he felt a click. A small burst of yellow Aura summoned from the tip of the flower, surrounding the ring and itself.


    As it dispersed again, Tyr noticed that both the ring and the flower were now both fully white in color.


    The yellow Aura continued to mingle in the air as Tyr placed the two objects into the mortar and grinded them up with the pestle.


    As soon as he did this, the Aura from before magnetized toward the paste and combined into it again--making the entire concoction glow slightly.


    A smile appeared on Tyr''s face--a bead of sweat trickling down his forehead.


    His eyes shone with hope, "Perfect. Im heading in the right direction. Now... what else? Are there any clues?"


    He read the note over and over again, finding this part more interesting than the rest: Life and Death are in your hands... will you be a good God?


    "Life and death? A good God?" He rummaged through the artifacts and found a bone.


    "Out of anything, this should represent Death." He continued rummaging around, picking up a very small glass bottle of water. "And this... Life right? What else would represent life if not water?"


    He added both things into the mortar and began to crush them. Alas, they both combined into the paste and caused the concoction to glow an even richer golden color this time.


    "Still missing something?" He questioned. After thinking about it for several minutes, going over his steps, searching the room multiple more times, and retracing his words and thoughts, he finally found something he thought would work.


    "It''s the statement about God, right? Will I be a good God or not?" He had already figured this out, but now he had an idea of what ingredient would correlate to this:


    "No ingredient at all. It''s a question, so why not just answer it?" At this point he had gone to the very basics of what kind of ideas his mind could come up with.


    He wasn''t going to try and read into it, as he had already done that for hours and didn''t get anything out of it. Now, he was going off of the literal meaning of the words. In the end, all it was was a question.


    He leaned in close to the mixture and spoke: "A great God!" As he said this, the mixture glew some more and began to suddenly mix on its own. After he stopped speaking, however, it toned back down.


    "Oh? So that''s how it is? Fine then... If you want a lengthy answer I''ll give you one!" Tyr exclaimed, taking in a deep breath before mouthing away:


    "I''ll be the greatest God you will ever meet! There will be no being that won''t worship my effulgence! All creation and destruction will stem from me and me alone!"


    As he continued, the mixture began to spin and morph at an ever-accelerating rate, condensing in on itself and turning into a different thing entirely.


    "I will be a brave God, a strong God, a gracious God, a beloved God... I will be a good God!"


    With that, the mixture finally condensed so much that it turned into a molten bead of magma before hardening back into a small pill.


    "A... a pill? Don''t tell me this is what Urvil was talking about when she said one of the three treasures in this dungeon was a pill."

 Chapter 64 - 64: Truid Dungeon Quest (5) Reunion

    ***XXTRA LONG CHAP***


    ***


    Tyr sighed, "Well, I guess I can''t complain much even if this is one of the three treasures. It''s not like I would have been able to make it on my own outside of this dungeon."


    He turned, walking toward the various vegetables and plants in the crop plot.


    "And if this pill is one of the treasures, that just means these plants are scarce and valuable... I won''t let them go to waste in this rut." He decided to make the most out of the situation.


    In just a few minutes, every plant and ingredient in the room was wiped out clean. Even the mortar and pestle weren''t spared, all stored inside of his 5x5 ft. storage ring that he had gotten while on his travels to Mycelia.


    He placed his hands on his hips and exhaled, "Hah~~ let''s see... what the hell am I supposed to do now?"


    He left the small room, "Maybe I retrace my steps and go to other death chambers?"


    But when he got to the room where the snake was, he noticed that the exit that he had entered through was fully sealed.


    "Huh... that''s odd." He looked around the entire serpent chamber but didn''t find a single area that even allowed a smidge of airflow through.


    In the end, he was back in the room with no ceiling.


    "Think Tyr... what''s the answer out of this one?" As soon as he said these words while staring up at the tall walls, a realization entered his mind, "The only other possible thing that is out of order is the fact that these walls... they are far rougher than the smooth walls of the other rooms."


    He walked forward and grabbed a small natural ledge. He then grabbed another one that was slightly above the first one--placing his feet on one bump that was near the ground.


    Just like this, he began to ascend the wall. After climbing 20 feet, he grabbed onto a rock bump that abruptly dislodged and became loose--causing him to lose his grip on the wall and fall back down.


    He tried to grab onto some rocks as he fell to keep some of his progress but all that did was scrape the shit out of his fingers.


    A nail was even torn straight off. Tyr squinted hard, "Tsk." He exclaimed in slight pain, shaking his hand.


    "This won''t be easy. But it''s doable. I just have to test each rock before grabbing it. I can''t fail too much either... I don''t know the time I have."


    He furrowed his brows, "Anyone in my squad... I hold them to be as close as family. We have gone through thick and thin with each other... I won''t let them down. And even if they are fine and don''t need this medicine, I only have less than 18 hours now to climb up. Otherwise, we fail the quest."


    He furrowed his brows, continuing to climb up the walls.


    Several minutes passed as he continued to climb. Many times he fell before reaching even the 100 feet mark.


    His body was damaged each time since there was no way to fall without getting slightly injured. If he let himself go all the way down, he would take heavy damage on the ground.


    And if he tried to stop his fall to get a more graceful landing, he would just scratch and tear open his hands.


    Two hours passed.


    Tyr''s journey up the wall was still treacherous. However, he quickly understood that he could use Blink Step in case he accidentally made a mistake.


    It was a save for the most part--unless he Blink Stepped to another bad ledge.


    Despite this, he continued to climb. As he got higher and higher, he began to make less mistakes.


    At the same time, his body was getting more tired by the second.


    Keeping your grip for so long was excruciating, and feeling the pain radiate through your body was a constant reminder that this was far too difficult.


    Each wave of the tingling feeling of knives digging into Tyr''s hands and feet made him want to quit. S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Yet, ''It''s not like I have a choice. Damn...''


    He had thought of using Rudra to climb up, but this space was simply too small for the beast.


    It was unfortunate, but all he could do was hope for the best and keep on going.


    Multiple more hours passed...


    Tyr fell and got back up, no longer falling all the way down to the bottom after reaching 500 feet. He had multiple safe ledges and spots that he had marked by now and memorized through pure mental blisters.


    At some point, Tyr forgot all about his pain. His body went numb, and his mind was in a state of tunnel vision where he didn''t see anything but the top inch closer and closer.


    ***


    "Finally... I think this is the last piece." Hanzo said, placing a large stone tablet into a slot in the ground.


    He took a step back, sweat trickling off of his forehead as he looked at the grand puzzle before him.


    It was over 20 feet in both length and width, filled with stone slabs that were 2 by 1 ft long.


    "Over 200 of them... what an insane dungeon," Jonas said while sitting on his rear, exhausted from all that just happened.


    "See, I told you it wasn''t a normal dungeon." Hanzo joked as the door in front of them slowly began to open up.


    They had been stuck in a room for several hours, fighting random beasts that came from holes in the ceiling while trying to solve this giant stone puzzle.


    Each stone had a line on it, and you had to place the stones in the perfect position to where the lines all matched up and you went from the very top--the start--and slithered all the way down to the bottom--the finish line.


    Due to the waves of beasts, it was tiresome work. Yet, they finally managed to pull it off.


    "This next room..." Jonas said, standing up as he slowly walked closer to where Hanzo was.


    Hanzo was standing right in front of the opening door, "Yeah... it''s the final room before the boss room, which is the final one before the treasure room. This was one of the only rooms that all other rooms connected to eventually unless they were dead ends."


    They entered inside and noticed a fairly large space with an elevated pool in the middle filled with bright and transparent light-blue water.


    There were pillars all on the sides of the chamber, with several ancient encryptions on the wall.


    "Huh?" Hanzo raised a brow as he saw three figures on the ledge beside the small pool of water.


    Yurin and Cyllia looked up, their faces brightening slightly.


    "You finally arrived!" Cyllia said, running up to Hanzo with open arms.


    Time seemed to slow down as two round, bouncing planets quickly assaulted the short young man.


    As she neared him, however, he pushed her behind him and walked toward Yurin.


    Cyllia landed on Jonas'' leg, crying, "I missed you guys so much!"


    Jonas sighed, limping over to Yurin and Urvil who was lying beside him--Cyllia stuck to his left leg.


    "What''s wrong with her?" Hanzo said while looking at Urvil, sitting down beside the pool.


    Yurin had a grim expression. He explained what had happened up until this point. All the trouble they had gone through and also what happened to Urvil.


    Hanzo had a stern expression by the end after hearing it all, "If Tyr doesn''t show up soon, we might have to abandon this quest--"


    "No." Yurin interrupted, "It''s fine... she will be fine. We are already so close... we have to finish this quest at the very least."


    Hanzo squinted his eyes slightly at Yurin. ''Yurin...'' He said inwardly.


    The others stared at Yurin as well, quickly sobering up from their previous feelings of exhaustion.


    Cyllia was the first to speak after a short silence, "Well... I suppose that''s what Urvil would have wanted. I''m sure she will kill us if we tell her we quit the mission because of her. It will make her feel horrible." Cyllia sounded genuinely concerned.


    Hanzo continued to stay silent.


    "You know how harsh she takes these things..." Yurin said, seeming as though he was also conflicted.


    "We will wait for Tyr," Hanzo said, lying beside the pool and closing his eyes.


    The others sighed, sitting down and making themselves comfortable.


    ***


    "One more stone..." Tyr''s voice echoed through this tall tunnel as he grabbed onto another ledge.


    His arms were throbbing with pain and numbness.


    "One more stone..."


    His face was pale, the blood from his body only entering his hands and feet.


    Tyr continued to climb in solitude, his voice echoing through the tall chamber. Each more sentence was another reminder to him to keep going...


    "One more stone... one more stone... one more stone..."

 Chapter 65 - 65: Truid Dungeon Quest (6) Worth It

    Hours passed...


    By now, Tyr had been climbing alone for 7 hours straight.


    Hanzo and the others were still waiting, their patience growing more and more thin as Urvil''s condition only seemed to worsen.


    Hanzo had an even more stern look on his face now, "Five more minutes." He said out loud, staring at Urvil''s face. She was sweating profusely.


    Jonas had a serious gaze as his eyes were also locked onto the young girl.


    Cyllia sat beside her best friend, fanning her with her hand.


    Yurin stared at the ground, an unpleasant look on his face as well.


    "Hey... is that just me or do you guys hear it as well?" Jonas suddenly said, lifting his head as his eyes went to the side.


    Everyone paused, listening to what Jonas might have been talking about.


    Sure enough, a light echo seemed to sound from somewhere.


    "A voice?" Hanzo said, looking around, "Its been quiet for so long that even this faint noise seems loud."


    He stood up, closing his eyes to hone into this sound some more. He wanted to confirm what it was.


    "..."


    "On.. m... st..."


    "One mo... sto"


    His eyes suddenly opened as the words finally entered his ears fluently. A slight smile appeared on his face: "He''s here." He said out loud.


    "One more stone."


    The voice was louder this time, and the others were able to hear it as well.


    Everyone located where the sound was coming from.


    "The pool?" They questioned, leaning over it with confused looks.


    "How can that be?" Yurin questioned.


    "Is it some sort of trap door?" Cyllia mused outwardly.


    After a few more seconds, a hand arose from what seemed to be out of the floor at the bottom of the pool.


    Everyone''s eyes expanded in shock as they saw this.


    Tyr on the other hand felt a warm, wet sensation cover his hand.


    From his point of view, there was no stone in between him and the water above him.


    From the top, however, there was a stone floor.


    ''An illusion Aura Array?'' Tyr questioned as he pushed himself up through the water and grabbed onto the ledge of the pool.


    His hands were rid of all nails--bruised and scraped. His body was no less injured as he climbed out of the pool.


    The others looked with gaped jaws and furrowed brows with their faces looking like they had just seen a monster appear out of nowhere.


    As Tyr fell over the ledge of the pool and onto the floor, he noticed everyone and smiled before his vision began to become blurrier.


    "Everyone... I finally made it..." He barely managed to say using what seemed to be the last of his energy as Ultimatum all quickly made their way toward him.


    "What happened!?" Jonas was the first to question, kneeling beside Tyr and lifting him onto his knees. "Are you alright brother?" He sounded extremely concerned.


    Tyr attempted to speak, but words didn''t come out of his mouth. He had already gone far past his point of exhaustion. In the end, he was using sheer grit to finish the climb--pushing past his bodily limits.


    [Stamina: 0/30]


    He simply grunted, despite wanting to speak so desperately from the inside.


    Hanzo came over, "How in the hell did you get in this shape?" He too was worried.


    "Tyr! What happened to you!?" Cyllia questioned, rushing to his aid.


    Yurin also hurried over to the young man.


    Tyr continued attempting to force his sentence out as everyone paid close attention to his next words.


    "Is... is..."


    ''Come on! Get the words out! I climbed this entire fucking wall just for this!''


    "Is... everyone..."


    Their anticipation grew even more as he saw this.


    Finally, he managed to utter the last word: "Okay?"


    Everyone was suddenly taken aback by this statement.


    Tears attempted to come out of Jonas'' eyes, "Wow... you truly are a great man." He said as he sniffled out of nowhere, "You''re this injured but you still have the mental capacity to put us first."


    Yurin furrowed his brows, "Is that not a bit too concerned? You should be worried more about yourself right now!" He shouted.


    However, Hanzo''s face was more serious. He saw a different message behind Tyr''s words.


    "Tyr... don''t tell me, you already know what happened to Urvil," Hanzo said as the others quickly understood the situation.


    Of course, there would be no other logical reason for Tyr to be concerned about everyone right now when he was about to enter the next life himself.


    "No... but... now I do..." Tyr smiled slightly, "So... the note... wasn''t... lying..." He slowly croaked.


    "Wait. Heal a little first." Hanzo said, stuffing a handful of health capsules into Tyr''s mouth.


    Despite Tyr being heavily injured, all of his damage was a combination of small scratches and bumps. Thankfully, these were healed easily by health capsules--unlike torn limbs or internal injuries.


    Tyr quickly began to return to a healthy shape as he sat up, "A note told me that a friend would fall ill. I had to create a medicine for them."


    Jonas, Cyllia, and Yurin subconsciously gasped slightly in astonishment as they heard this.


    They were both amazed and bewildered at the insane nature of this dungeon.


    Tyr laughed, "Haha... thank god I could make it. All of that hard work was worth it after all. If I hadn''t done that, Urvil might have been in trouble." He said as he stood up and slowly inched toward the short girl.


    Jonas began to cry again, "Wow... truly a divine being. He went through so much pain, and in the end, he deems it all worth it just because he got to help a friend. I aspire to be like you one day, Tyr." Rivers of tears trickled down his face. S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Everyone looked as Tyr took out a pill from his storage ring and put it into Urvil''s mouth.


    Their eyes danced with nervousness, hope, anticipation, and fear as Urvil''s face remained frail.


    Tyr exhaled, "It will work. I won''t accept it not working after all that shit I just did." He declared.


    At that moment, a golden light summoned in Urvil''s glabella, or her metaphorical third eye.


    Her face instantly began to turn more tan and get color, her body becoming more lifelike.


    Within a matter of seconds, Urvil no longer looked weak--but rather she was glowing with energy!


    She opened her eyes and instantly began to cry.


    "Everyone... I''m so sorry for having you worry!" She said, wiping her streams of tears with the back of her wrists as Cyllia hastily embraced and comforted her.


    "So she could tell what was going on the entire time huh..." Hanzo said, "What a horrible illness."


    Tyr felt a wave of relief flush over him, "Man... that was way too close."


    At that moment, the final door slowly scraped open.


    Tyr looked around, "Hmm... this room looks pretty familiar." He began to question with sudden suspicion, "A little too familiar."


    Before he could think too hard about it, however, Hanzo walked toward the slowly opening door.


    "Everyone, take a short break. After that, we take out this final boss room and get that treasure."


    Everyone looked at the squad captain with determined eyes as he finished with these words:


    "Let''s complete this mission!"


    "Yeah!" The other squad members retorted in unison.

 Chapter 66 - 66: Truid Dungeon Quest (7) Backstories

    As the boss room door continued to open ever so slowly, everyone sat around for about ten more minutes. They chatted to themselves about everything they had to go through up until this point.


    The unique hardships and horrifying experiences of a friend were always hilarious to listen to because, in the end, everyone understood that those times were now over and they were still intact.


    Laughing over them gave both parties a feeling of well-being, which was some of the only stuff working to keep many Hunters sane.


    Their conversations were filled with personal issues as well, but this was expected since such high stakes were proposed today.


    Tyr already knew the background of all of his squad members, but hearing them again was always interesting and mostly unpleasant.


    This was because they all for the most part weren''t lucky in life.


    Yurin was orphaned from a young age, eventually taken in by an unknown bandit who wanted a son to do his dirty and measly work for him.


    After growing up well into his teens, his father died. Yurin wasn''t upset about it much, since his father was an abusive piece of shit.


    But still, that man was the only one he had left. And now, he was left with nothing except for an undying passion for creating weapons to get even stronger.


    He somehow ended up in Ultimatum, which changed his life up until this point.


    Tyr didn''t deem Cyllia''s story to be any better. Even worse, in fact.


    She grew up in a brothel, pretty much orphaned since her mother was never in the picture and was too busy having fun¡­


    She was destined to be a prostitute when she reached the ripe age of 12.


    After two years of sexual abuse and trauma, she managed to escape and followed a life of thievery and petty crime in the streets before finally becoming a Hunter and joining Ultimatum.


    Jonas had a calmer life. He was lucky to have both his mother and father in his life. His upbringing was humble, his mother was a stay-at-home mom and his father was a part of the Seris Imperial Army.


    From early on he learned good lessons like helping others in need, and joined Ultimatum as a route to achieve his goals of being the best person he possibly could.


    Finally, Urvil''s story wasn''t nearly as pleasant. She grew up on a farm on the outskirts of Seris. S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Throughout her life, she had multiple step-parents and was eventually raised by 3 different siblings--one always leaving after reaching a certain age to do something with their own life.


    Her sister who was 5 years older than her was the last one to leave her all alone only at the age of 14, where she lived in poverty for a few more years until finally becoming a Hunter and joining Ultimatum.


    Everyone always liked to joke about their backgrounds.


    "Hell, if it wasn''t for Ultimatum we would all probably be dead in some ditch right now! Hahah!" Yurin said as he laughed his ass off.


    "Yeah! It must have been fate that tied all of us together!" Cyllia added in the funny moment.


    There was a new joke that Ultimatum had now about their backstories. This joke was exactly about 3 months long...


    "All of us have our stories, and then there''s Tyr who apparently just appeared in this world out of nowhere!" Jonas shouted as everyone laughed and chuckled to themselves.


    Tyr thought to himself as he laughed: ''If only you knew that''s actually what happened...''


    The only ones who weren''t laughing were Hanzo and Urvil.


    Hanzo looked to be taking a light nap, but really he was deep in thought. ''Today was too close of a call.'' He hated it when his squad members were injured.


    Urvil was still a bit shaken up it seemed, so that explained why she wasn''t laughing.


    After becoming mentally prepared, the mood not so dark as it was just a few minutes ago, everyone readied their weapons and entered the final boss room.


    "This room is supposed to be the last one guarding the treasure room. Be wary... do not lose your guard no matter what." Hanzo said as he walked inside.


    ...


    The others were right behind him, Urvil having also recuperated after what happened. Although her body language still seemed very nervous, she promised herself that she was prepared.


    Holding tightly onto her staff, she walked forward into the boss room with everyone else.


    As soon Tyr got inside, he noted what type of room this was.


    It was a giant chamber made of stone again that wasn''t smooth and modern looking.


    It was a round, seemingly naturally formed cavern that was over 500 feet in width and 70 feet in height.


    The inside looked like a type of natural ginormous terrarium filled with plants that grew up to the very top of the cavern room.


    Giant thick stems as hard as tree trunks but quadruple in size were everywhere, along with various smaller types of plants--making this place a labyrinth of invisible spots.


    It was hard to move around in. Ultimatum all had their weapons out and guards up as they slowly traversed the area.


    Several piles of what seemed to be human bones were sometimes seen in random places.


    Various hardened scales were left behind all over the place, along with what seemed to be dried debris.


    Small birds and other critters were roaming around as well, making it seem like you were outside for a moment.


    The room was covered in bright orange crystals, giving the effect of a real sun over the room.


    Hanzo rose to a vantage point on one of the stems. The rest of Ultimatum quickly split up, climbing other vines and searching the area as well.


    They all saw a unique area at the very back of the room.


    It was a giant nest placed at the bottom of the mangrove of tightly knitted vines and leaves.


    Inside of it was a large egg the size of a watermelon. It was covered in blue and purple scales--the cracks seeping with bright energy.

 Chapter 67 - 67: Truid Dungeon Quest (8) Final Boss

    "It looks like a dragon egg..." Tyr said quietly, mesmerized by the sight of the object. "Holy shit..."


    Jonas also seemed to be surprised, following up:


    "Holy shit indeed. Imagine we have to fight a dragon! That would be horrible."


    ''No... that''s not why I''m saying holy shit...'' Tyr said to himself, ''Imagine if... I could have a pet dragon...''


    Dragons were the most mythical creatures in all human history. No matter what type of life you lived or what culture you were a part of, you had to have heard of them on Earth.


    Since Tyr was fascinated by magic from a young age, he loved the idea of dragons.


    Of course, he knew that this most likely wasn''t a dragon of all things. But still, just the idea of an egg was an exhilarating thought.


    ''I want it.'' He said inwardly. ''If it''s the egg of the boss, it''s probably damn strong.'' He knew it would help him tremendously in his life goal of doing whatever he wanted with no shackles!


    Before he went too far with that idea, however, Hanzo shot a blue arrow into the sky.


    Without a second''s delay, another red arrow pierced through it--causing a large explosion of Aura in the middle of the chamber.


    "W-what the hell!?" Tyr exclaimed, climbing down the vines.


    "It''s only one creature in here. At least, one strong one. 6 against one... there''s no reason for us to be hiding. We are the seekers in this situation. Our job is to find it." Hanzo replied, emphasizing the ''it'' in his sentence as he jumped down.


    "I see..." Tyr gripped his spear tightly.


    The hairs on his arm suddenly stood fully erect. He looked down with confusion and abruptly felt immense chills crawl up his spine.


    As the chills arrived at his head, Tyr felt a horrifying feeling and a dangerous presence behind his back. It was as though a monster the size of a ginormous boulder was right behind him.


    Its presence was unshakeable. Its demeanor was vicious, like that of the Polaris Tiger except even more lethal.


    Tyr couldn''t help but freeze in sheer fear for a split second. As he slowly turned to look past his shoulder, he was met with an image that was far more terrifying than he had imagined.


    It was a giant scaly beast that resembled a dragon but it had no wings.


    It was over 12 feet in length and stood 8 feet tall on all four legs.


    Its scales were a rich purple and blue, its eyes also azure in tone, but the most shocking part was the sheer sharpness and size of its fangs and claws.


    It hissed and roared aggressively before swatting at Tyr from the side.


    Before Tyr could even utter the words ''Blink Step'' in his head, a metallic object appeared between him and the beast''s claws.


    *CLANG*


    Tyr opened his eyes, noticing Hanzo standing behind him.


    "Move," Hanzo said, Tyr quickly sprinting forward before turning around. He breathed heavier: ''Shit... I... would have died there. No time to use Blink Step, or even Hypnosis for that matter. I have never witnessed something so fast.''


    Hanzo seemed to also struggle to push the beast back. Its sheer strength was undoubtable.


    With a push, it forced Hanzo to jump back and create space.


    Without giving the man a rest, however, the Drake rushed forward in a wavy and loose manner--like a crocodile mixed with a snake--and unleashed a series of incredibly powerful and swift slashes.


    Each attack sent gusts of wind brushing against the faces of the other members of Ultimatum.


    Hanzo managed to dodge and parry all of them without much trouble but acknowledged the beast''s strength in the process.


    "Oh ho ho!" He laughed, "You are one strong bastard." He said, pulling his bowstring back in a millisecond and unleashing the arrow.


    The red arrow scratched the side of Drake''s shoulder before being deflected off.


    "As I expected... scales are great for deflecting rather than blocking--making it so that they don''t have to take the force of the attack. It''s a smart natural adaptation." Hanzo said under his breath.


    Tyr was astonished by what he saw, ''For the first time, Hanzo''s Red actually didn''t obliterate a beast?''


    "It''s strong huh?" Tyr shouted out to Hanzo.


    "Yeah!"


    "Stronger than you!?"


    Hanzo smirked, "Of course not." He unleashed several more arrows that pushed the Drake back slightly but still deflected right off of its chest scales.


    Finally, he unleashed a blue arrow and paired it with a red one close behind, causing another explosion that propelled the Drake back a few dozen feet.


    "Still, I''m going to need backup. I don''t want to lose a finger." Hanzo continued as the dust around the Drake settled--revealing a nearly unblemished body.


    The members of Ultimatum finally stepped forward, slowly spread out all around the Drake.


    "Let''s get this party started," Jonas said, spinning his sheath all around him in the air.


    Rocks, splashes of water, bursts of ember, and gusts of wind began to float all around Yurin as he clenched his gauntleted fist.


    Cyllia swung her whip several times in the air, unleashing powerful and loud snaps in the air.


    Tyr made his way around as well, equally spread out. His eyes darted toward the others, ''Watching these guy''s work is something else. They are the strongest Hunter Group in a very large area... master''s at their craft.''


    He remembered when he first saw all of their teamwork. It was mesmerizing and never got old even up until now.


    Tyr was eager to witness it again: ''I just hope I can fit in well enough and dont slow them down.''


    Urvil stood behind them all, raising her wooden staff as she closed her eyes.


    "Oh mother of all, please bless these friends with your divine boon for as long as you wish as they have entered your land willingly. Oh Father Zese, please give us the strength to fight for you another day. By your right, may we prosper once again."


    Urvil''s voice was ethereal. Her entire body lit up in a vibrant white light as though she was an angel and her voice echoed through the final boss chamber. It was as though she was singing. It was beautiful to hear, like liquid gold pouring into the ears.


    It cleansed the members of Ultimatum of all temporary thoughts of cowardice for the most part, strengthing their bodies and honing their minds.


    Tyr immediately felt this take effect, ''What a useful Ancestral Ability...'' He thought to himself.


    "Everyone!" Hanzo paused as all eyes locked onto him with anticipation. S~ea??h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "GO!"


    He darted toward the Drake in the middle. Everyone else quickly followed suit in complete unison.


    "Let''s finish this dungeon!" Tyr shouted, sprinting in with his spear aimed.

 Chapter 68 - 68: Truid Dungeon Quest (9) Evolved

    Hanzo reached the Drake first, wielding his bow as a close-range weapon. Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    One wouldn''t expect an archer to be able to do this, but Hanzo utilized his bow in more ways than simply long-range.


    The Drake attempted to slash at the young man, but its claws were slammed away by Hanzo''s bow.


    With its arms flung to the side, Hanzo unleashed a flurry of 5 red arrows into the beast''s chest.


    They carved into its scales a little bit before ricocheting off once again.


    Out of nowhere, the end of a whip swung down from the sky and lashed across the Drake''s back, leaving a glowing pink line that didn''t erase.


    The Drake roared at the sky in frustration as several boulders and fire waves smashed into both of its sides.


    It exclaimed again, becoming overwhelmed by all of the attacks.


    Tyr was running from the side, mesmerized by what was happening. He loved seeing Ultimatum in perfect sync. Not letting the enemy take a single breath was how their plan usually worked.


    Jonas flew in from above, spinning his scythe before exchanging several blows with the Drake.


    The clang of his blade slamming against Drake''s claws resounded through the chamber as he suddenly kicked the Drake in the chest, pushing it back a few feet.


    The Drake instantly recuperated, lunging at the man. Jonas got down to one knee and pushed the hilt of his scythe deep into the ground.


    The Drake''s claw attacks were halted by Jonas'' forcefield for a moment.


    ''Now, young Tyr!'' Jonas thought to himself, everyone''s eyes on the teen as a foot landed on Jonas'' back.


    Tyr jumped into the air, throwing his hands above him before thrusting the spear down into the back of the Drake as hard as he could.


    It was a perfect shot--arriving right in between the scales and beginning to pierce through slightly.


    However, this wasn''t the ending move of course.


    The Drake backed up as Tyr did the same. Everyone resumed their positions.


    The Drake paused, looking around rapidly. It seemed to know to be more cautious now, but that was understandable.


    The Drake lowered its head as its shoulders squirmed slightly. Its body was lunged, still ready to attack at any moment.


    However, Hanzo squinted his eyes in slight suspicion at this moment, "Something is off..." He said, "This beast..." His eyes wandered over to the Drake''s shoulders.


    "Everyone back up!" Hanzo abruptly shouted, everyone quickly following his orders.


    The Drake abruptly let out a vicious and eardrum-shaking roar.


    "This beast resembled a Drake at first... but those nearly invincible scales aren''t the adaptation of an ordinary Drake. I thought it was an odd occurrence, but now I understand that this thing has already adapted past the Drake stage..."


    He paused, the others looking at him with confused eyes as he himself seemed to be deep in thought.


    "Hundreds of years. It makes sense. This Drake has already adapted--no, it has evolved to its stronger species." Hanzo finally said, taking some of the others aback.


    "So you''re telling me this thing is a Dragonewt?" Cyllia said, her voice filled with astonishment.


    "How do you know?" Yurin said, confused and surprised.


    "It''s shoulders. There are slight nubs on its shoulders. Normal Drakes don''t have those... they are the sign of wings attempting to appear." Hanzo''s head turned to face the egg.


    "The next beast will be a full..." Before Hanzo could finish, the Dragonewt charged at him with a far superior speed compared to before.


    Hanzo''s eyes widened slightly in surprise as he shot 3 blue arrows to form a shield.


    However, the Dragonewt was not delayed--smashing through the shields with its claws and storming forward.


    "It was holding back..." Hanzo said under his breath, the realization hitting him at that moment.


    Hanzo clenched his teeth, dashing forward to meet the beast in the middle.


    They exchanged a series of powerful and extremely quick blows, the after-effect of the attacks blowing everyone''s hair back slightly.


    Jonas rushed in from behind, slashing his Scythe toward the beast''s hind legs.


    However, he caught a giant boot to the face instead, sending him flying across the chamber and into a vine that was quite high up.


    As he landed on the ground, he wiped his nose which had a slight trickle of blood coming down it.


    He smiled, "Hahaha... now things are really starting to get serious." He said. "So it was just trying out its power lightly for the first time in a while huh? And now we''ve gotten it angry enough to go all out it seems."


    "Far-range attacks only!" Hanzo declared, still clashing with the powerful beast nonstop.


    Each attack of the Dragonewt was ferocious--merely inches from ripping off Hanzo''s head.


    It clawed and crunched like a savage beast that was unleashed into the wild after being kept in captivity for its whole life.


    It''s rage was unbelievable.


    Cyllia continued to whip it from afar, Yurin''s elemental attacks also doing a bit of damage. Urvil''s blessings remained online, as Jonas and Tyr were the only ones forced to stand back.


    "Be prepared to attack at any moment. We may not be of help right now, but battles are always unexpected. You never know what may happen." Jonas said to Tyr, not wanting anyone''s guard to lower.


    After a minute of clashing, Hanzo had damaged the beast to a fair degree. However, he had also copped his fair share of scratches. His arms were bleeding heavily, but in the heat of battle, he knew he wouldn''t be able to heal himself.


    ''One wrong step and I''m done for.'' Hanzo said inwardly. The beast was getting slower as it grew more tired, but its onslaught was still as relentless as possible.


    "Cyllia! Have you prepared it yet?" Hanzo shouted out.


    "No!" Cyllia said, slashing her whip one more time as it left another pink glowing line on the Dragonewt''s back.


    "How many more do you need!?"


    "This should be the last one!" Cyllia screamed, sprinting to the side and swinging her whip one more time.


    It clapped against the sky and swatted across the beast''s back.


    By now, dozens of pink lines were crossed all over its back, almost like a series of chains wrapping around it.


    Cyllia stopped placing her hands together in a heart shape. "Love prison!"


    At that moment, all of the pink bands materialized into physical pink bands of Aura.


    They constricted tightly all over the Dragonewt''s body, rendering it nearly immobile in a couple of seconds.

 Chapter 69 - 69: Truid Dungeon Quest (10) Demons...

    Tyr had never seen this before. His eyes glanced at Cyllia: ''I never knew she had such a power! I saw her use the physical love strips sometimes but using them at such a high count is a genius idea. As long as she has someone else to distract the beast, she can immobilize it most of the time.''


    The Dragonewt roared viciously again, still attempting to move. Hanzo grabbed its wrists, having to control it.


    He gritted his teeth, "Strong mother fucker..." He said under his breath, "Even though you''re in Love Prison you can still move enough to kill us all for a single mistake. Whoever placed you in this dungeon must have been a monster."


    Hanzo sucked a bunch of air into his lungs: "Cyllia!" He shouted, "I''ll flip this thing on its back! Wrap his stomach and limbs with Love strips and put another Love Prison on it!"


    Cyllia sprinted closer, "Yes, captain!" She said, preparing to do just that.


    She stopped a few dozen feet short, beginning to walk. Everyone else also made their way closer, all staring at Hanzo fight the immense strength of the Dragonewt.


    He grunted as he continued to struggle. With a large push, he turned the beast onto its side. But the job was not finished. His hands, neck, and forehead bulged with veins and his face turned redder than a tomato as he pushed.


    "Grrh! Garh!" He exclaimed, using the extent of his strength to push.


    Cyllia continued to walk closer, even though the others had stopped. Urvil was still behind everyone.


    Jonas and Tyr''s eyes landed on Cyllia walking far too close, "Wait! Cyllia!" Jonas shouted, "Don''t get too close!"


    Cyllia approached Hanzo with determined eyes. They gleamed with slight uncertainty, yet fous.


    She raised her hand''s whip as it quickly began to glow in a pink light.


    Hanzo gazed at her with confusion.


    "Cyllia!" Jonas shouted, "What are you--", but it was too late. The Love strips shot out from Cyllia''s whip-like serpents, soaring toward the beast but stopping shy of hitting their mark... and instead wrapping around Hanzo''s wrists and ankles with surprising speed and strength.


    Hanzo gritted his teeth in pain as the Love strips tightened around him, restricting his movements.


    He couldn''t let go of the Dragonewt, as it was in a position where it could heavily injure him. His eyes widened with disbelief, not understanding anything, and several questions flew through his head.


    Tyr was completely taken aback and stunned, "Cyllia..." He said under his breath, "What are you doing." He whispered, unable to believe what he was seeing.


    Meanwhile, Yurin moved swiftly toward Hanzo. He darted before him and grabbed his leader in a tight clutch--hugging him with both arms and legs and fully restraining him.


    In that split second, Hanzo spoke: "Yurin? Why--" But he was cut off.


    "Shut up... just shut up..." Yurin said under his breath.


    Yurin and Cyllia screamed at the top of their lungs: "DO IT NOW!" Both of them were facing Urvil with eyes filled with urgency.


    Hanzo, Jonas, and Tyr were frozen by the sudden tension. Their eyes slowly moved to stare at Urvil.


    ''They are betraying us.'' Jonas thought inwardly, staring at Urvil.


    ''Hmm.'' Hanzo thought, his eyes also locked onto the short girl.


    ''Why would they do this?'' Tyr said to himself, his eyes also on Urvil.


    They were all awaiting her answer to the screams of the apparent betrayers.


    The short girl''s face was shadowed. Her body language looked extremely nervous and shaky. She gripped her staff tightly.


    "URVIL! Don''t you remember what we said!? Don''t screw it all up!" Yurin screamed at the top of his lungs.


    At that moment, Urvil''s head lifted, revealing a face that was drowning in tears and snot with bloodshot eyes from crying for so long.


    "Hanzo!" Urvil screamed, "I''m sorry! I''m so sorry! Everyone! I''m so sorry!" She fell to her knees.


    Seeing this sent chills crawling up the backs of Tyr and Jonas.


    ''No...'' Tyr thought inwardly, utterly bewildered and stained with disbelief.


    He felt the blessings from before abruptly leave his body.


    He looked down at his hands, ''This can''t be happening.''


    "From the Lord''s light comes his darkness." Urvil began to say in a shaky voice: "May it cover one''s life. May it cover his life." Urvil said, raising her staff as a blast of pitch-black Aura exploded out of it and rushed toward Hanzo like a tsunami.


    It slammed into him, absorbing in rapidly and rupturing his stomach. S§×ar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Tyr heard rapid and breathless pants above him. He turned to face Jonas whose expression was a mix of disbelief and sorrow, his eyes expanded with rage.


    "No! NO!" Jonas walked forward with his scythe gripped. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?!" He abruptly roared at the top of his lungs in a rough and enraged voice.


    He stormed forward at that moment, leaping into the air, "WHY!? AFTER EVERYTHING WE''VE GONE THROUGH!!" He landed in front of Hanzo and Yurin, his eyes maniacally wide and his body roaring with fury.


    He paused, his pupils dancing with shock as he saw Hanzo''s lifeless face.


    His lip began to quiver with emotion. His eyes slowly panned to Yurin.


    Seething hatred oozed out of Jonas'' being. There was so much of it within his body that he couldn''t control himself.


    The frustration built up to the roof and burst out as Jonas screamed: "I''ll kill you! I''LL KILL YOU DAMN IT!" He slashed his scythe at Yurin.


    "Cyllia!" Yurin yelled at that moment as a sharp pink pike abruptly pierced through Jonas'' torso.


    Tyr gasped subconsciously, his heart dropping as his body went limp. ''First Hanzo... Jonas... my friends.'' He was overwhelmed. His mind felt like it was going to explode from what was going on before him.


    The people who he had grown so close to were killing each other in front of his very eyes.


    Cyllia retracted her whip as Jonas wheezed... and then she pierced through his chest again... and again... and again.


    He fell onto his back as a large puddle of blood began to pool around him.


    Tyr scoffed, tears building up in his eyes and his mouth agape. His entire body shook uncontrollably.


    Time itself seemed to slow as his eyes slowly looked back at Urvil.


    She was crying nonstop, with no more strength seemingly left in her body.


    ''No...'' Tyr thought, his head slowly turning to face Yurin and Cyllia.


    And then... he saw their smiles.


    As soon as those lips tugged to form smirks, an incomprehensible feeling of anger swelled up within him:


    ''Demons.''


    He gripped his spear as hard as possible.

 Chapter 70 - 70: Truid Dungeon Quest (11) What Goes Up...

    Tyr slowly walked toward Yurin and Cyllia. As they continued to smile at each other, Tyr''s vision morphed.


    Instead of seeing them as they were, he saw them as shadowy dark figures with red eyes and horns sticking out of their heads.


    But then, a thought entered his mind, ''Why...'' As soon as he thought this, he felt the grip on his spear loosen.


    ''Maybe... there is a reason.'' He wanted to believe this more than anything else right now.


    These people whom he hated at this moment despite never wanting to were the closest thing he had to family other than his grandfather. It had been decades since he had met anyone who he could love so closely.


    And yet, they were showing the colors of monsters.


    Tyr wanted to know if these were their true colors.


    "Why?" Tyr said in a low tone, walking toward both of the Hunters.


    They both stared at him in unison. Oddly enough, even though Tyr had known these two for so long, their stares felt unfamiliar.


    It was as if they had never seen him before in their lives. As if he was some stranger to them. It was deeply painful to see this, but Tyr was holding in everything for this one answer and this one answer only.


    "Why?" Yurin said, "Look... I didn''t want to do this. I''ve known Hanzo for the better part of a decade. But he isn''t my God."


    Hearing this irked Tyr, who gritted his teeth to restrain himself further.


    "Give me a reason." He said in a deep voice, cutting to the chase.


    After a short pause, Cyllia spoke up: "You want to real reason? Its because... the prize money is split up between us all. If 3 unfortunately die, the prize money will be split into 3 instead of 6. That will be enough to retire. To live out the rest of our lives--"


    "No..." Tyr said, his eyes widening as he spoke. He stared at Yurin with a vicious glare: "Not even close. That is not even close to a good enough reason... to why you would do this."


    "What?" Cyllia exclaimed, "But that is my reason. Like it or not, that''s how it is."


    Seeing these people who were great in Tyr''s eyes speak in such a horrible way was painful... for a moment.


    But all of a sudden, all of that admiration fell to the ground like a weak tower of cards.


    "Greed? That is why you heartlessly butchered Jonas? How pathetic." Tyr looked at Yurin, rage fuming through his body: "Hanzo isn''t your God? Who said he needs to be your God for you to be loyal!? He''s your friend, damn it! That should be enough!"


    "Friend? Shut up, Tyr. You know nothing about the real world. This is not a world of such stupid ideas. Everyone is a monster here, who will do what they want to get what they want. Other wise, you won''t survive.


    The weak fall to the strong."


    "So all that time, not even for a single moment did you truly believe us to be your friend?"


    Yurin paused, "I don''t care."


    "Good." Tyr finally said, "Then I won''t have any guilt in taking your head. I don''t care what I have to do... but I will not let you leave this place with your life." S§×ar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Yurin clenched his jaw, a snarling expression on his face, "Oh yeah? Try and defeat me, you fucking weakling."


    He stood up and allowed Hanzo''s body to fall to the floor.


    At that moment Cyllia ensnared the Dragonewt in another Love Prison, fully immobilizing it.


    As Yurin walked toward Tyr, Cyllia shouted from behind: "Why don''t you understand!? There is no such thing as amazing justice and chivalry in the real world. We want whats best for us... Isn''t that enough? Try to understand, Tyr--"


    She was abruptly cut off: "Don''t address me by my name as though we are friends. You are nothing to me, and I''ll rip your head off the same." Tyr''s tone was ice-cold and serious.


    It cut through Cyllia''s mood, taking her aback in astonishment. Never did she imagine Tyr would talk like this.


    "Surely you don''t think you can beat me right?" Yurin said, "Im sure you understand that I am the second strongest member of this squad."


    ''Come out, Rudra.''


    ''Glady, master!'' The beast jumped out of Tyr''s shadow, landing in front of him with a loud thud.


    "Go!" Tyr said as he sprinted to Yurin''s right. Rudra ran left, the two surrounding the young man.


    ''Soul Mend: Polaris Tiger.'' Tyr''s body transformed.


    Communicating mentally, Rudra and Tyr had an automatic advantage.


    Rudra lunged at Yurin, slashing at the young man several times with powerful paws.


    Yurin dodged them with grace, exchanging a few blows with his gauntlet.


    Tyr thrust his spear at Yurin''s back, but the young man leaped into the air to evade that attack as well.


    ''Finally.'' Tyr thought to himself at that moment. ''No matter how fast you are... you can''t dodge while in mid-air.''


    Rudra ran toward Yurin as Tyr jumped onto his back, leaping off at the last moment.


    Yurin raised a brow, "What are you doing? Did you not learn anything from the lessons I taught you?" He said in confusion.


    This was because Tyr appeared too far away to land his attack.


    "Shut the fuck up." Tyr retorted, throwing Yurin off guard for a second, ''Blink Step.''


    He appeared behind Yurin, thrusting his spear toward the young man''s stomach.


    ''He disappeared! That ability again...'' Yurin mused in shock, ''Then that means... he''s behind me!''


    Using a gust of wind from his gauntlet, he turned his body sideways.


    Despite doing this, Tyr''s spear still tore through the side of his abdomen.


    "Arrgh!" Yurin exclaimed in pain as Tyr jumped back to create space.


    "Damn! That won''t happen again!" Yurin screamed as he clutched his wound: "DIE!"


    He swung his gauntleted hand across the air, sending powerful bursts of flame and large boulders flying at Tyr and Rudra.


    Rudra managed to avoid the blow, but Tyr wasn''t nearly so fast.


    A giant boulder coated in flame soared toward him at extreme speed.


    ''Blink Step.''


    [Error]


    [The cool-down for that spell is not over yet]


    Tyr''s eyes widened in shock as the boulder came inches from his face. ''Fuck...''


    *BOOM*


    A sudden blue explosion sent Tyr flying into the air, but he didn''t seem to be damaged at all.


    "Huh?" He looked at his limbs, "What... happened?"


    ''Master! Are you alright!?'' Rudra rushed to where Tyr was going to fall, leaping up and narrowly catching him in mid air.


    He landed right in front of where the Dragonewt was.


    Tyr rose, his eyes quickly darting to where Hanzo was.


    "He''s... not there," Tyr said in disbelief.


    "Not bad!" Hanzo''s voice echoed from somewhere else. He was walking toward Yurin all of a sudden with a smile on his face.


    The horrible wound on his stomach was beginning to heal already somehow.


    The short young man continued: "But you must have forgotten who I was."


    All of the hairs on Yurin''s body erected straight all of a sudden, "Why are you up?" His eyes danced with fear and shock, "Why..."


    "Did you think that measly spell would destroy me? Urvil!" Hanzo shouted: "Your God, Zese, is not strong enough! Choose another one to pray to in your next life!"

 Chapter 71 - 71: Truid Dungeon Quest (12) Boon Of The Sun Devourer

    ''Fuck...'' Yurin panted heavily, ''He''s back, but he''s weakened a lot. He''s talking as though he''s fully healed, but he is obviously still damaged. I have to use this opportunity to kill him or this will all be for nothing!''


    Although he had this much conviction and reason, just facing the monster that stood before him caused his nerves to flare.


    It was hard for a moment to even make his limbs do what they wanted in the immense presence of Hanzo who Yurin knew healed more each second that he hesitated to make a move.


    ''Stop being scared. He''s human, even despite his God Boons. I''ll kill him here!'' With this firmed in his mind, Yurin swung his arm in the air and unleashed several elemental attacks.


    Large stones covered in flames, towering waves of water, and twirls of inferno the size of trees all charged forth.


    Hanzo didn''t look to have a single hint of fear in his eyes. He pulled his bowstring back: "Attack." He said out loud before releasing 3 arrows at once.


    They pierced through the air with an immense spin, obliterating through all of Yurin''s attacks.


    Hanzo shot three more defensive blue arrows as the red arrows all barely grazed off Yurin''s skin.


    "ACK!" Yurin exclaimed as his forearm, shoulder, and thigh were scraped.


    Yurin took a step back instinctually. His attacks fell apart and he saw Hanzo continue walking through the rubble; completely unfazed.


    ''No...'' He began to pant in fear again, ''Too strong...'' His head darted toward Cyllia:


    "HELP! HELP ME ALREADY! I''LL DIE AT THIS RATE!" He screamed at the top of his lungs with a desperate look in his eyes.


    Hanzo continued to walk forward as Cyllia looked at Yurin for a long duration without saying a word, her face expressionless.


    "CYLLIA! DID YOU NOT HEAR ME YOU BITCH!? HELP ME!" Yurin screamed even more, his voice cracking at times and making him seem like a girlish wimp.


    "HELP!" He said as he continued to back away, lodging as many elemental attacks as he could toward Hanzo without looking.


    Hanzo walked through the attacks as though they were nothing.


    "HEL--" Yurin stopped as he heard the faint laughter of Hanzo behind a boulder he had just thrown.


    "Hahaha!" Hanzo couldn''t help but laugh even more.


    "Why..." Yurin said, his eyes filled with confusion, "Why are you laughing?"


    "You fool... do you really think she will help you?" Hanzo said with a cunning look on his face.


    "W-what? Is she still on your side?" Yurin questioned with disbelief.


    "No, you retarded cunt. She is a disgusting bitch who would betray everyone as long as it meant she could get more out of the situation."


    At that moment, Yurin felt like a brick of realization had hit his brain.


    ''It''s over...'' He said to himself, looking at Cyllia who continued to stare at him brainlessly, ''Only now I realize... the mistake I have made.''


    He faced Hanzo again, ''I''m dead.'' He said to himself, coming to accept his fate.


    "But!" Hanzo suddenly said, "Cyllia, aren''t you missing something?" He stopped, turning to look at the woman.


    Cyllia furrowed her brows as Hanzo continued: "Do you think I''ll let you leave here unaffected after you tried to kill me? Your best chance is to help Yurin, or else you both will die quite gruesome deaths..."


    Cyllia gasped at that moment, her eyes widening as he suddenly burst into a sprint toward Yurin.


    "What?" Yurin said under his breath, "Fuck... what is happening? Why... how did it go this wrong!?"


    "I''ll help you for now." Cyllia said, "I changed my mind."


    Yurin was out of it right now, his mind completely discombobulated from the despair he felt just a moment ago.


    "Tyr!" Hanzo shouted, "What are you doing?"


    Right now, Tyr was standing over the Dragonewt''s immobilized body.


    "I... needed to do this," Tyr said, turning his face slightly behind his shoulder. He stood holding a bloody spear in his hand...


    [You have slain a Dragonewt.]


    In front of Tyr lay the corpse of the Dragonewt, which he stabbed the shit out of while it was trapped.


    [You leveled up!]


    [You leveled up!]


    [Current level: 51]


    [Congratulations! You have met the requirements to receive your next spell.]


    [Congratulations, you have completed the achievement: (First Aura Spell).]


    [New Spell: LOCKED (Requires minimum Rank: Adept).]


    [Requires cultivation]


    [Level needed for next spell: 250]


    [Reward: Second Sealed Memory Key.]


    [Your Aura Core awakens...]


    Tyr felt an immense surge of pain and tension tear through his stomach at that moment. It burst through what felt like every vein, spreading the pain and tightness in a fraction of a second.


    [(Aura) Stat recieved]


    [New (Aura) Stat has been automatically leveled up to fit the average of your other stats.]


    [Ancestral Ability recieved...]


    [Ancestral Ability: Boon Of The Sun Devourer.]


    After receiving Ancestral Abilities, average humans became stronger in general.


    But of course, this had to do with how powerful your ancestry was as well.


    If it was a good ancestry, you could receive an unbelievable amount of strength for simply unlocking your Ancestral Ability--without that strength having to do anything with the actual ability at all. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    It seemed Tyr''s ancestry... was quite powerful...


    [Vitality: 30/30-->60]


    [Strength: 34-->64]


    [Stamina: 30/30-->60]


    [Speed: 31-->61]


    [Aura: 0/0-->60/60]


    [ERROR]


    [Your Ancestral Ability is too strong.]


    [Your Ancestral Ability has destroyed GG''s level balance.]


    [To match your stats, GG will automatically level you according to your newfound power.]


    [You have received 90 levels!]


    [Level: 51-->141]


    ''Boon of the... Sun Devourer?'' Despite every other insane thing happening to him, Tyr was interested in this the most. It was his Ancestral Ability after all... what everyone''s main power was in this world.


    ''I hope it''s one from a God. Looking at this power increase... it has a good chance to be.''


    At that moment, as though a trigger went off in his brain, knowledge began to pour into his thoughts like a waterfall.


    The knowledge was not about what the backstory of his Ancestral Ability was, but rather, how to use it and what powers it granted.


    In a fraction of a second, Tyr understood every new skill he had obtained.


    He turned, gripping his hands as he felt the tight feeling of his own fingers push into his palm. It was a powerful sensation.


    "This is a perfect time to try it out," Tyr said, grabbing his spear and sprinting toward battle.


    He still had many questions about his new spell and also his Ancestral Ability, but one thing was for sure... he was already a lot damn stronger!


    After getting 30 feet away, he leaped into the air and was able to travel the entire distance with one jump.


    As soon as he saw the faces of Cyllia and Yurin, Tyr was reminded of what he had to do.


    "Die!" He shouted as he rained down on the battlefield from above.

 Chapter 72 - 72: Truid Dungeon Quest (13) Vow

    *A minute prior*


    For a minute or so, Cyllia and Yurin were struggling with Hanzo.


    Despite sharing malice toward each other at this point, they understood that working together was their best chance at defeating this monster.


    They knew that he was in a weakened state still, which was a boost of hope for them.


    Still, they were on the backfoot while facing him. This just went to show Hanzo''s prowess.


    All three of them were primarily long-range fighters, so for this minute, none of them had gotten any closer.


    Instead, Cyllia and Yurin had been running all around Hanzo, attempting to get in any shots they could.


    The two finally came together for a moment.


    "Listen here bitch... I''ll kill you if we manage to beat him," Yurin said, staring at Hanzo but talking to Cyllia who was on his left.


    Cyllia held the same stance, "Same here... but let''s focus on what''s in front of us."


    "Tsk."


    They both ran forward at the same time. S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Hanzo raised a brow, ''Oh? A duel close-range attack? Let''s see...'' He prepared to parry their blows and come back with a strike of his own.


    But then, he saw a figure appear from the sky at the very top of his vision.


    He paused, slightly astonished to see Tyr falling.


    ''What is he...?'' Hanzo questioned, exhaling slightly as he touched his stomach.


    ''Tsk... the healing is getting worse since I''m moving. I won''t be able to fight for long.'' He thought to himself but was suddenly taken aback in shock by what he abruptly saw...


    Tyr landed in front of Cyllia and Yurin with a loud thud. They both backed up immediately, noticing the sudden threat ahead.


    ''Blink Step.''


    "W-what the--?" Yurin attempted to say under his breath but was shocked to find Tyr in front of his face.


    Tyr''s gaze was wide and seething with hatred. It was the most horrifying pair of eyes to look at in such a close distance.


    Tyr clenched his fist as hard as he could and thrust it into the center of Yurin''s stomach.


    Without having time to react, Yurin felt a monstrous blow to his gut, forcing out all the air in his lungs.


    He wheezed, falling onto his knees as his eyes threatened to roll into the back of his head.


    ''How... did he get so... strong? That strength is like Hanzo''s...''


    Cyllia lunged at Tyr, "STOP!" She screamed as she whipped at the young man.


    Tyr abruptly turned, grabbing the tip of the whip in mid-air and yanking it toward him.


    Cyllia''s light body flew at him out of nowhere. Tyr reached forward with his fingers extended, using Cyllia''s momentum to tear right through her stomach.


    A splash of blood, guts, and ligaments burst through the other side, along with Tyr''s hand.


    Cyllia immediately let go of her whip, both of her hands falling onto Tyr''s arm as her body slowed to a stop and a drop of blood slowly trickled down her lip.


    Her eyes gazed deeply into Tyr''s. "P-please..." She suddenly uttered, coughing out even more blood during the process.


    "Please... have mercy. You remember our friendship..." A genuine smile appeared on her face, "You remember it... right?"


    Tyr paused, his stoic gaze not leaving Cyllia''s pupils for even a fraction of a second.


    "No." He simply stated, forcefully pulling his hand out. Cyllia landed on her knees.


    Before she fell onto her face, Tyr slashed his spear across her neck, grabbing her decapitated head by the hair and throwing it toward Hanzo.


    It bounced across the grass a few times before rolling right to Hanzo''s feet.


    Hanzo looked down with squinted eyes. He looked worried.


    ''Tyr...'' He said inwardly.


    Tyr didn''t turn around. "That''s for Jonas." He said to Cyllia''s corpse before moving to Yurin, who was now slowly getting to his feet.


    Tyr picked him up by his hair.


    "St-stop!" Yurin abruptly screamed, blood also trickling down his mouth.


    "Why would I stop here?"


    "R-revenge... it does no one well. It will be nothing but a waste... a curse you put on yourself." Yurin replied, using as much energy as he could.


    Tyr stared intensely into his eyes: "Slicing Cyllia''s head off was nothing but the opposite of a curse."


    As he said this, Yurin gasped in shock. ''How could he say this... did he not hate killing people!? Where has the innocent Tyr gone... who is this crazed monster!?''


    "Killing her felt like the greatest of all blessings. I enjoyed every moment of it."


    "Please..." Yurin silently pleaded.


    Tyr spoke after a short pause: "But fine... maybe that was a one-off situation."


    "Yes... yes! It won''t always feel like a blessing! It will--" Yurin was abruptly cut off.


    "Let''s test it out with you next." A smirk appeared on Tyr''s face as his eyes opened up almost maniacally.


    Yurin froze in shock, "W-what?"


    Without another second of delay, Tyr thrust his spear through the heart of the young man.


    Yurin''s life slowly seeped away from him as he hit the ground.


    He moaned in pain, clutching his stomach.


    Tyr stood over him, "It felt like a blessing again." He said as Yurin finally closed his eyes.


    He slashed off the man''s head, throwing it behind his back to Hanzo again.


    With that, Tyr stood there motionless. His limbs felt numb, and a wave of weakness rippled through his body.


    His eyes suddenly became moist with tears.


    He bit the top of his mouth hard, his eyes and lips quivering to stop himself from crying.


    However, no matter how hard he tried, the tears didn''t stop... and wouldn''t stop.


    Hanzo stood from afar and watched as Tyr stared at the ground and silently wept.


    "What Yurin said... about revenge being a curse," Hanzo said after a minute or so of this quietness.


    Tyr abruptly wiped both of his eyes, gathering himself again before turning around.


    "Hanzo... I already know the answer to that one. That isn''t a lesson I have to learn, unlike many others which you have taught me." Tyr said with a confident look in his eyes.


    Hanzo was slightly taken aback, "Oh? Well... what is it then? What''s the answer? Is it good to take revenge?"


    "For the innocent fallen, for the courageous fallen... for the good fallen, I will always take revenge for those that I love from this day forth. That is the vow I have made for myself from now until my last breath."


    He clenched both of his fists as tight as possible, not wanting to burst out into tears again: "I won''t let another person that I love die again, damn it!" He declared as rivers of tears suddenly streamed down his face again...

 Chapter 73 - 73: Truid Dungeon Quest (14) Wrong Choice...

    ***15 CHAPTER MASS RELEASE***


    ---


    A minute or so more passed as Hanzo collected the heads below him and walked toward Tyr. He stored them in his storage ring.


    ''I don''t know what the fuck I''ll do with them...'' He said to himself, slightly puzzled: ''But... Tyr gave them to me as a sign of his guilt and empathy. I won''t lose them.''


    He arrived at where Tyr was. The teen was staring at the ground as tears swam down his face.


    Hanzo placed his arm on Tyr''s left shoulder while standing on the right of him.


    "Tyr... let''s go." Hanzo said in a more quiet tone, "Now, you truly understand what type of world we live in. Here, we Hunter''s can not afford to be emotional whilst still in our missions. The time for mourning will come... but it is not now." From his tone, Hanzo clearly cared for the teen. Yet, he understood the importance of composure.


    "If one is not stoic here, they will forever be traumatized."


    Tyr sucked in two lung fulls of breath after hearing this before releasing them. He then wiped his tears, donning a serious face as he turned and walked toward Jonas'' corpse.


    "You''re right. Let''s go. I''ll clean up this... you clean up what you have to." Tyr replied as he left.


    Hanzo understood what he meant by this, and immediately began to walk toward Urvil. But before that, he said: "Tyr!"


    Tyr turned, a slightly curious look in his eyes.


    "Take this. It''s a spare. 20 by 20 feet." Hanzo threw a ring.


    Tyr caught it, ''A storage ring? 20 by ''20s are expensive.''


    "Thanks." He turned, as did Hanzo.


    Tyr made it to where Jonas lay flat on his stomach.


    ''You didn''t deserve such a gruesome death.'' Tyr thought to himself as he stood before the man.


    ''Time for mourning isn''t now, Jonas. I know you understand.'' He said, absorbing his body into the storage ring.


    As he did this, Hanzo made his way right up to Urvil.


    He stood before the kneeling girl, who had not stopped crying even until now.


    "Out of everyone here..." Urvil suddenly began to speak as she noticed Hanzo''s feet in front of her. "I am the one suffering the most."


    Hanzo paused, "Hardly... Tyr must be suffering far more than you."


    "He stopped crying."


    "He would have cried for ten times longer than you if he wasn''t reminded of reality."


    There was a silence between the two.


    "You want to know why right?" Urvil said finally in a low tone. Her voice frail and damaged.


    "No. I already know why." As Hanzo said this, Urvil faced him with confusion in her eyes.


    "I had a suspicion your background would lead to this..." Hanzo continued, leaving Urvil filled with questions.


    Urvil stayed silent, allowing Hanzo to speak:


    "You came from a past of having no parental figure. So, you clutched to various versions of those until arriving at different types of leader figures, such as your siblings. However, after even they abandoned you, you felt a feeling of emptiness. So, despite thinking you came to Drance wanting a better life for yourself, that wasn''t the reason why you entered that city.


    Subconsciously, the real reason was because you wanted another person in your life who wouldn''t abandon you. And so... you found Yurin and Cyllia, your closest friends. And now, your fear of abandonment from childhood trauma forced you to not refuse their evil thoughts of betrayal and murder."


    Hanzo''s tone was ice-cold and serious as he said this.


    Urvil gasped slightly: "S-so you know all of this... you know what I am going through."


    "Yes, Urvil. You aren''t as horrible as the other two."


    Hearing this, Urvil nearly broke into tears. Finally, someone understood her.


    "But..." Hanzo added after a few seconds, "You still had a choice whether you wanted to perform evil or not. More importantly, whether you wanted to go against me and my friends or not."


    "W-what are you saying? I--I had no choice."


    "You had a choice when they first asked you the question. You had a choice when we journeyed through this dungeon. You had a choice when Tyr climbed for hours, blistering and breaking his body to give you an antidote for your life." Hanzo''s tone became more and more angry as he spoke.


    You had a choice for each and every second you took a breath from the moment they proposed the question of betrayal to you, up until the moment you did it. You had infinite choices, Urvil... and you chose the wrong one."


    Hanzo''s tone was completely heartless.


    Urvil stammered, her mouth quivering as she didn''t know how to respond.


    Hanzo grabbed his sheathed bow, "If only you chose differently, you would have never been abandoned by us."


    Urvil''s eyes widened at that moment as tears naturally poured down her face. Despite everything else Hanzo said, these words hit much harder. They broke any stability that was left in Urvil, causing her to break down into a flurry of tears.


    "To think... Tyr nearly killed himself for you." Hanzo finally said.


    As she had the realization of the mistake she made, an arrow went straight through her head--obliterating it in an instant.


    Hanzo stood over her with a stoic expression. He turned to look at Tyr who was making his way over right now.


    "You killed her huh?" Tyr said, looking at Urvil''s corpse.


    "Did you not want me to?"


    Tyr paused, "No... I did." He had a stern look.


    "Then there''s nothing more to talk about. Let''s get this dungeon over with." Hanzo turned, Tyr following behind him.


    They both walked over to the Dragonewt egg first.


    "Hanzo... what would happen if I were to take this egg?" Tyr questioned as they arrived before the egg.


    Hanzo was slightly confused by the question, "What do you mean? You can''t, it''s in the rules of the quest to bring all the treasures. I mean, it''s not like I cared about breaking the rules of quests, I would break all the rules if they didn''t have blockages put in place." Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Blockages? Like what?"


    "Well... I''m sure those pompous bastards already knew there was a Drake inside of this dungeon. If you were to take the egg, they would test to see if you were telling the truth about whether you took it or not. Of course, it''s impossible to beat the truth."


    Tyr thought about it for a moment, "Hmm... you say they already knew a Drake was in here? Are you sure? I thought no one knew..."


    "Of course, they are lying. Since that prince bought the rights to this dungeon, he would naturally scan it for every treasure he could find without having to kill anything. He did this using Aura technology. Or else, people would never buy the rights to dungeons. This boss room is the last room that you can enter without having to kill a single thing.


    The final treasure room, however, is the only room that requires the slaying of a beast. That being the boss Drake in this dungeon."


    "If that''s the case, I can take the egg." Tyr smiled, grabbing the egg.


    "What?" Hanzo was confused.


    Tyr stared right into his eyes and said: "The question will be if I took the Drake egg or not."


    "Yeah..."


    "And the truth will be... no."


    "Huh?"


    "I took the Dragonewt egg, not the Drake egg."

 Chapter 74 - 74: Truid Dungeon Quest (Finale) To Future Adventures...

    ***15 CHAPTER MASS RELEASE***


    ---


    "... Ha... wow. You slimy little bugger. That''s fucking smart." Hanzo chuckled slightly. S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Tyr stored the egg, "I have my moments. I am the smartest on this squad after all."


    Hanzo stopped smiling as he heard this. "This squad huh..." He had a face of realization.


    "Ultimatum. That name was created by the three who betrayed us, ironically." Hanzo said with a slightly pitiful tone.


    The two began to walk toward the treasure room, that had opened up after they defeated the Dragonewt.


    "Then it has to be changed without a question," Tyr said with a straight face as he walked in front.


    "You still want to be a Hunter after that?" Hanzo had a satirical tone.


    "From what I can see, Hunter''s are the freest of all the professions. Free to do whatever they want. If there''s anything to be on Subworld, it''s a Hunter. At least, for now."


    "Well... I guess that''s true. Then, start thinking of a name." Hanzo smiled.


    "I already have one in mind... but I''ll bring it up only when the time is right." Tyr smirked back, a cunning look on his face.


    "W-what? Pulled the reverse on me huh... fine. Do what you like."


    The two laughed slightly as they entered the treasure room.


    The room was large and clean, filled with numerous pillars that stretched towards the ceiling.


    Its walls were made of stone bricks, their prismarine white color giving the chamber a bright and polished appearance.


    Scattered throughout were pedestals of various sizes, each holding a collection of intriguing items.


    There were aura trinkets, weapons, armor, staffs, wands, capsules, potions, elixirs, rings, mechanical creations, and even some delicate eggs.


    Seeing all of this lit up Tyr''s eyes in a golden light.


    But unfortuneately for him, he couldn''t steal these like he could with the Dragonewt egg.


    He sighed, "At the end of the day, the Dragonewt egg might be more valuable than all of this shit. So it is what it is I guess."


    Tyr grabbed all of the items using the spare ring Hanzo had received from Prince Michel for this mission.


    After that, they walked to the back of the room, which had a glowing circular light blue Aura on the floor. Above it floated a transparent, wispy spike of Aura.


    As they walked above it, they were instantly transported to the very top of the surface.


    Coincidentally, it was right in front of Michel''s little house.


    He was still outside under his umbrella, sipping on a coconut drink when he saw the two suddenly appear in front of him.


    He had sunglasses on, which he quickly took off--revealing his widened eyes.


    "What took you guys so long!? And where are the others?"


    "They died," Hanzo said directly, walking right to Michel.


    Tyr furrowed his brows slightly, ''Whats he doing? Why the sudden aggressive tone?'' He questioned but trusted Hanzo enough to not intervene.


    "Here''s your shit." Hanzo abruptly unleashed all of the treasures on the floor from the ring.


    Michel''s guard went and collected it all.


    "W-what''s with the tone! Back up you worm! Or do you want your head gone!?" Michel shouted with a slightly nervous tone.


    However, his guards stepped forward, "Please... Lord Michel. Let him be. He has lost friends today. It is obvious from his tone... such unfortunate things have happened to me during my missions as well."


    Hanzo felt a wave of relief wash over him as he heard this. ''Great... now we don''t have to explain what happened inside.''


    Michel backed off, "F-fine... I suppose you are spared. Humph!" He pompously exclaimed, turning his head to the side.


    The guard then took out a scroll, walked to Hanzo, and asked a bunch of questions about the dungeon.


    Hanzo answered truthfully, passing all of the lie detection.


    The same was the case for Tyr.


    The final question was: "Did you take the Drake egg within the dungeon?"


    Tension rose slightly between Hanzo and Tyr as they heard this.


    "No," Tyr replied.


    But then, the guard said: "Care to elaborate? The scroll isn''t sure if you are lying or telling the truth."


    At that moment, Both Hanzo and Tyr panicked slightly.


    "I swear by all the Gods and Mother Gaia, I have not taken an egg I know to be the Drake egg or any other egg within the treasure room."


    Hanzo smiled as he heard Tyr say this, ''He avoided saying any other egg in the entire dungeon. Smart bugger.''


    The scroll lit up in a yellow hue, proving Tyr was telling the truth.


    He took a sigh of relief after this.


    "Let''s get going." The guard said, entering the carriage.


    Both Tyr and Hanzo looked at each other breifly before making their way into the carriage as well.


    This mission had been quite the journey.


    *


    As their carriage left, Tyr and Hanzo spoke about what to do next in life. What their goals were...


    All that Hanzo wanted was a good, simple like before this. But understanding Tyr''s immense ambitions, he decided to change his route.


    "I don''t know that overly ambitious goal of mine yet... but I''ll follow you around, Tyr. You seem like a person who is interesting to have in my life."


    These words were very meaningful to Tyr.


    "Despite what I say, even I haven''t found that one amazing dream yet. The one that far surpasses the others. The one that is solid, one that will satisfy me. Up until then, I would love to have you by my side." The young teen replied as the two made a promise to themselves that day.


    Hearing these inspiring words, the guard driving the carriage couldn''t help but look back behind his shoulder: ''I was once like them too... but something tells me that they will acend, unlike most others. Light is usually swallowed by the darkness, but the ember of the Gods can burn even the most horrible void of pitch black darkness of the most powerful demons.''


    *One day later...*


    On top of the highest mountain soaring above Mycopolis, Tyr, Hanzo, and Malon stood before a giant roaring fire.


    The mountain overlooked the entire kingdom and biome of mushrooms. It was a beautiful sight to see as the orange sun rose over the horizon far away--casting its thick rays upon the earth.


    Tyr wiped his tears, having mourned for Jonas for the last time.


    "You were strong... and taught me a lot of things." He began to say as he stared into the fire, "I will repay you one day through my own actions... and never forget you until the day I die. That way, you will live on in our memories."


    Malon and Hanzo stared at Tyr as he said this.


    Malon couldn''t help but feel horrible about what had happened.


    "Guys, I know it isn''t my turn to speak on the matter... but I know that he didn''t die for nothing. I will pray he enters the greatest of afterlifes..."


    A long moment of silence ensued, as all three standing on that mountain suddenly felt a powerful gust of air almost throw them off the cliff.


    Hanzo chuckled slightly after this, staring into the sky.


    "Jonas... even after your death, you don''t want people crying for you huh?" Hanzo said, Tyr and Malon staring at him with confusion.


    "Fine then... it''s over now, Tyr, Malon. Instead of being sad, lets celebrate Jonas entering the kingdom of Heaven! Hahaha!" Hanzo said, bursting into a laugh with his eyes closed.


    Tyr paused, staring at the sky, ''You would want us to be happy...''


    "Hahaha! To future adventures!" Tyr raised his fist. Hanzo did the same.


    Finally, Tyr looked at Malon, "Raise your fist, you fool. I have an antidote for your father..."


    Malon felt a surge of excitement and eagerness swell up within him as a smile played on his lips. He threw his fist into the air.


    "R-really!? Then... to future adventures!"


    And just like that, the three spent the night on that mountain, drinking to their heart''s content and falling fast asleep.


    *


    Author Note: 15 Chap Mass release! Please support by purchasing to the best of your ability (:


    Even one coin purchase helps a ton in the rankings, thanks!

 Chapter 75 - 75: Fight

    ***15 CHAPTER MASS RELEASE***


    ---


    The sun soared high in the sky, reaching past even noon. The trio had slept quite late, so they woke up in the middle of the day.


    Right now, all three of them stood outside the house of the Mayor of Mycelia; Malon''s dad. They were in the front courtyard with serious expressions on their faces.


    The estate itself was grand. It was a mushroom mansion that extended to all sides of the courtyard except for the south side, where the exit and entrance to the property were.


    Standing outside of the estate gates were what looked to be hundreds if not thousands of people.


    The commotion was loud, filled with confused gasps, curious murmurs, and interested whispers.


    "What are they doing?"


    "Malon wants to get his city back... for us."


    "Isn''t the election in a few months? Why is he trying to do an illegal coup?"


    "Don''t be foolish. You know exactly why if you have eyes."


    "Mano and his uncle... they want to ruin this city. Hell, let him commit crimes. As long as it''s for the betterment of this town."


    Hanzo looked over at Malon at this moment, "Look at all those people supporting you."


    Malon nodded. At that moment, a cavalry of moosh knights made their way outside of the noble estate.


    They formed two lines, and from the middle walked forward Malon''s uncle: Isavior.


    "Woah!" Hanzo exclaimed, "What''s with the guards? We didn''t break any laws did we?"


    Isavior walked forward with his hands behind his back. A stern expression was written on his face.


    However, Hanzo didn''t say this for no reason. His words incited more emotion from the crowd behind.


    "Hey! They haven''t done anything wrong! Why are you showing up with guards!?"


    "Is this the righteous city that you preach!?"


    "Stop with the guards! Why the aggression!"


    Many began to say, the noise beginning to slowly climb.


    "I know your plans. I won''t let it happen." Isavior simply said, "You will not step forward from this point onwards." He slammed his foot down.


    "No, you don''t know our plans," Malon said, also stepping forward. He raised a small pill in his hand.


    Tyr had spent a little while creating it right before they came here. Of course, it was the antidote for an illness very similar to Jooe.


    "It is the possible cure for father''s illness. We have no intention of starting any fights. All we want is for father to be well, and that''s it." Malon''s tone was very collected.


    A wave of astonished breaths washed through the crowd as they heard this. No one was expecting this of all things. But more so than surprised, everyone felt a ray of hope light up within them.


    The election was split between nobles and the commonfolk, but when it came to the Mayor of Mycelia, everyone adored him for the most part.


    He was the most kind, the one who understood his people the most and did what they wanted.


    He wasn''t very old either. He was still in his 40''s.


    Isavior''s eyes widened as he heard Malon say this. The small shrooms on his elbows and shoulders erected chillingly as terror seemed to jump up and down in his pupils.


    ''A...a cure? No... he must be lying. But... why would he lie about that? It would just place him at a disadvantage.


    Then it most likely is true... but if that bastard lives longer, our entire plan will be ruined!'' Isavior worried inwardly, suddenly unsheathing his blade.


    "YOU WILL NOT ENTER!" He screamed at the top of his lungs.


    There was silence from both sides after he said this. But then, the first thing to sound was a roar from the crowd behind the trio.


    "Injustice!"


    "How dare you not allow lord Hevest to be cured!"


    "This is treason!"


    They all yelled with conviction.


    "Silence! You fools! This boy is a criminal! Yet you still believe him!?" Isavior urged.


    "A criminal? Was I not relieved of that status when I defeated you in that duel decided by Mother Gaia? Are you saying she is wrong?" Malon retorted, gaining the favor of the crowd even further.


    "A duel does not constitute your actions!" Isavior barked back in retortion.


    "Your words do not destroy this nation''s ancestry!" Malon finally raised his voice. He paused, then walked forward slowly.


    "The men who stand by you today are knights!" He suddenly said, sending a few shocked reactions through those armored guards.


    They were staring at the ground watching it all unfold, ready to be told what to do.


    "They are the ones who have signed to lay down their lives for the greater good of this country. But... if they are to die fighting against this country under those who wish to destroy it, will their entire purpose in life not be destroyed!?"


    No one spoke a word as Malon continued. Isavior was taken aback, confused as to where the young man was going with this.


    "Men!" He spoke directly to the knights now. "Despite your bravery, you are treated as though you are not human, and you are used to it... do you not have your own ambitions? Do you not wish for your family to say that you were once a courageous warrior who died fighting for his country? If you follow this path that you are currently on, they will say you died fighting for a maniac!"


    The guards began to raise their heads. Some had widened eyes of realization and shock.


    "You pledged to serve righteousness." Malon said in a low tone, "When you leave your homes every day, your families, your children... you promise them that what you are doing is holy, and good! What will you say to them when you go against what you have sworn? What face will you have left to show them?"


    The guards all looked at him with inspiration dancing in thier eyes and a warm feeling of trust swimming in thier hearts. Conviction began to bloom like a sunflower atop a valley.


    "Fight for what''s right, not because it is easy... but because it is hard, and because it will create prosperity for the land you call home! If evil wins, their recollection of what happened may sound glorious to the ears of men, and even legendary in the heart of fools... but you have not sacrificed your life only to exchange it again for the admiration of those who you lived trying to defeat!


    Turn around, men! Turn and fight!"


    ...


    Isavior looked around at the backs of the heads of the guards around him. Nervousness flooded his body as no guard attempted to move a single inch.


    ''They are... still on my side?'' He questioned inwardly.


    But then, every single knight surrounding Isavior abruptly turned and pointed their weapons at him.


    "Stand down for the order of this nation!" They shouted with rage and determination, cornering the man in an instant.


    The crowd roared with excitement as they saw this, and also Isavior''s defeated face.


    Tyr slapped Malon on his back, smiling as he said: "That was one hell of a speech."


    Malon laughed, "I only spoke from my heart is all."


    "That''s what makes it great, Malon." Hanzo retorted, walking forward beside the other two: "Now let''s retrieve this city from ruin..."


    "Yeah."


    "No better time than now!"


    * S§×ar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Author Note: Yo! I Hope you all enjoy this 15 chapter mass release. Of course, I have many more in the chamber. I''ve been grinding! If you want me to set more mass release goals, please support! I already have mass release goals in the synopsis.


    Thanks! The latest next mass release will be next month, but im sure there will be many more to come this month as well...

 Chapter 76 - 76: Child

    Even though Isavior surrendered quickly, this seemed to not be enough to quell the rage of the knights.


    Only now did they realize that they had the freedom to fight back and still be acting righteously.


    Although they felt immense gratitude to Malon for showing them the truth through simple words, their anger toward Isavior and the fools who wished to ruin their home far overpowered their emotions.


    In other words, they beat Isavior to a pulp; stomping on the man as if he were a spider on the ground. They would have killed him if not for Malon stepping forward.


    Tyr and Hanzo stared at Malon as he pushed the guards aside.


    "Move! Don''t kill him! We still need him." He said as the guards moved hesitantly.


    They grunted and gritted their teeth, but respected Malon enough to follow his command.


    Isavior saw Malon''s blurry face and then saw the young moosh lowering him a hand.


    His lip was bruised and inflated. A large bump had swollen up over his right eye and the rest of his face was all beaten up as well.


    With a lisp, he said: "You forgif me?" With hopeful eyes.


    ''How foolish... its only naivety to forgive me now after all I''ve done.'' Isavior thought to himself as he grabbed Malon''s hand.


    "Of course I don''t," Malon said, pulling Isavior close and using his own arm to put him in a chokehold.


    "Argh! Wh-waf are fou doingf!?" Isavior screamed, shocked by this sudden and aggressive action.


    The guards were also a bit taken aback since they were expecting him to be more kind. Slight smirks of satisfaction even rippled through some of them.


    Malon kept a loose hold on his uncle to not choke him.


    "Don''t move or else you will suffer." He said, beginning to walk forward into the main estate with a determined look in his eyes.


    Tyr and Hanzo followed very shortly behind him. The guards also decided to come for this moment. After more commotion from the crowd, even they were let inside the gates to enter the Mayor''s house...


    The building was indeed grand inside, with large hallways ornamented with various large candles and chandeliers. The roofs were tall, giving way to tall stairs and large balconies.


    This gave the place a grandiose atmosphere.


    After a minute of walking, Malon turned to Tyr.


    "Mano is in the Mayor''s quarters up the stairs. Please go and get him... the same way I got Isavior."


    Tyr nodded, "No problem." He departed from the main group without hesitation.


    ''The same way he got Isavior huh?'' He smirked.


    When he arrived in the Mayor''s quarters, he saw a circular room filled with books and a large table at the back. Behind the table was a giant window wall that overlooked the entire city.


    And sitting behind that table was Mano with his feet on the table and dozens of pills before him.


    Tyr raised a brow, "What the hell are you doing?" He said.


    Mano''s eyes slowly moved to face Tyr, a disdainful and unbothered look on his face.


    "You... the weakling bug." Mano said, "Those guards haven''t caught you yet? How pathetic." He stood up and walked around the table.


    "I should have them all executed... tsk."


    Tyr furrowed his brows, "I don''t have time to have a dialogue with you." He walked toward the young moosh.


    Mano raised his right eyebrow, "W-what are you doing? Don''t you know my fighting prowess? Did you come here all by yourself? Or did you come with that dog Malon too..."


    Tyr got mere feet from the moosh and thrust his hand toward his neck.


    "Tsk... do you really think--" Mano''s speech was interrupted as Tyr clutched his neck out of nowhere.


    Suddenly, the Mano''s eyes opened with shock and confusion at the unexpected speed of Tyr''s hand.


    "W-what? How!?" The moosh squeezed out, swiping his hand across the table and grabbing all of the pills before throwing them into his mouth.


    Tyr''s eyes squinted in slight confusion after seeing this, but he quickly shrugged it off.


    "Like I said... I have no time." He punched Mano square in the nose--crushing his nose and knocking him instantly.


    ''What a monster...'' These were Mano''s last thoughts as he passed out. sea??h th§× N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ***


    Malon stepped into a large room with one bed at the very back of it. It was lifted up by several rows of stairs on all sides.


    Malon neared the bed with Hanzo, and the guards turned and formed a strict wall of arms to not allow anyone inside.


    Malon turned as he heard this abrupt clanking, "Men," He said as the guards quickly turned to face him, "Let them in."


    The guards were once again taken aback by this odd order.


    "And you all should join as well for this moment... in case my father is healed of his illness," Malon said with a genuine and kind tone.


    The guards understood that it was okay to let their minds cool every once in a while, and stopped the blockade while joining around the Mayor''s bed with all the citizens.


    With everyone now watching, Malon stared at this father who lay on the bed.


    He looked extremely pale and even a bit malnourished, but other than that he was still healthy at first glance.


    ''If only he could move... this disease is truly hell.'' Malon thought to himself, taking out the pill and leaning over the bed.


    Everyone''s eyes widened and their mouths gaped slightly with anticipation.


    Malon opened his father''s mouth and placed the pill inside.


    Within seconds it melted and slowly trickled down the Mayor''s throat. A golden light suddenly glowed from the man''s glabella... and his eyes miraculously opened.


    "Father..." Malon said with wide eyes as the crowd around him gasped.


    His father looked at him for a moment... before pulling the young moosh''s forehead into his chest.


    "It''s good to be back... my beloved son." Malon''s father''s voice was dry and deep, roughed up from the years of neglect.


    Malon was surprised by his father''s sudden gesture. He had no mother, and he expected to never be able to get his father back either.


    For a moment, he couldn''t accept what was happening. He gritted his teeth, not wanting to leave from his father''s embrace.


    "It''s okay, son." His father whispered, "I''m alright now... I will always be alright from today onwards."


    At that moment, all the emotions that Malon had been holding in were released like a bursting dam. He began to silently cry into his father''s chest. The fear and frustration through the years had all been relieved at once in an overwhelming moment of joy and also vulnerability.


    For the first time in so long, Malon felt like a child in his fathers embrace again...

 Chapter 77 - 77: Unstable Monster

    "He''s... back!" A moosh suddenly yelled, unable to contain his excitement.


    The others looked at him with skepticism, not knowing if it was their place to celebrate.


    Hanzo turned, "Celebrate, people!" He said with a bright smile, "Your Mayor has returned!"


    People''s eyes lit up with awe... and after a second of silence, the entire crowd suddenly erupted into a reverberating roar of excitement.


    Malon rose from his father''s embrace.


    "Wow... you got old. Have you found a wife yet?" His father suddenly said, chuckling slightly as he pushed himself to sit up.


    "W-what? No... I haven''t." Malon replied, slightly thrown off by the question, but happy that his father hadn''t seemed to have changed one bit.


    His father''s eyes quickly filled up with astonishment as he saw the entire room filled with knights, common folk, nobles, and all.


    He scanned through the crowd and felt a warm bud of joy light up within him.


    "My people..." He began to say as the crowd calmed down, "It''s good to be back. I''m sorry for taking a short break like that... It won''t happen again!" He said before laughing wholeheartedly.


    Many people in the crowd felt emotional, tears beginning to pour out of their eyes.


    Hanzo looked around, ''What a leader... after all his years of suffering, he decides to make sure his people aren''t worrying about him. Instead of wanting any attention, he gives it all to them. Like how a great father is a pillar of strength for his children.'' He thought to himself with awe.


    At that moment, a group near the entrance began to make confused and shocked murmurs.


    Tyr entered the room with Mano slumped over his shoulder. As the crowd cleared the way, he made it to where Malon was.


    Sir Hevest furrowed his brows and donned a serious expression as he saw Mano.


    "Father..." Malon said, grabbing Isavior from the crowd behind him as well.


    Tyr and Malon made the two stand before Sir Hevest, both clearly beaten.


    Sir Hevest remained silent.


    "Uncle!" Malon exclaimed, forcing Isavior to awaken from his painful slumber.


    "Admit your crimes... and you won''t be punished with death."


    It didn''t take Isavior long to admit his plans to destroy the country for his own gains...


    Sir Hevest did not react, keeping his same very serious expression as his eyes panned over to Mano.


    "Brother! You must now admit your evil..." Malon exclaimed as Mano''s eyes swept through the crowd nervously.


    He faced his father with bitter eyes of fear and hatred.


    "I..."


    He paused, raising the anticipation of everyone present,


    "I... HAVE NOT DONE ANYTHING WRONG!" A spike expanded out of his back--thrusting toward Tyr''s chest.


    However, Tyr grabbed it before it touched his skin and stopped it.


    Mano aggressively thrust Tyr''s hand down and escaped from his grasp.


    He dashed to the side with everyone''s eyes on him.


    "Come on... work already..." The moosh seemed to say under his breath.


    "Work? What do you mean work?" Tyr questioned, "I have heard of unstable pills for a while now..." He said, garnering a slight smirk from Mano.


    Many who saw this smirk understood what Mano had done now, including his father, Hanzo, and Malon.


    His body began to vibrate uncontrollably out of nowhere, as cracks formed across his skin with a deep purple glow beaming out of them.


    "GRRAHH!!" Mano screamed in pain as his body was ripped apart. He morphed, his arms and legs turning into disgusting, large and grotesque-looking bulges of meat.


    His face was completely contorted, his eyes were mismatched and several ears formed all over his face.


    "He won''t live for much longer now..." Sir Hevest said, his tone not revealing any emotions.


    "RRAUH!" The corrupted Mano yelled, swiping his arm around as a giant spike unleashed, stabbing three people and slashing them across the room.


    Tyr''s eyes widened at that moment, ''Shit! I shouldn''t have lost control of him!'' He mused, dashing forward and unleashing a punch.


    Mano also threw a punch using his giant discombobulated arm. As their fists clashed, Tyr felt an immense force travel through his entire body.


    He was thrown backward, overpowered utterly. ''Those unstable pills... they are dangerous but also incredibly strong!'' He thought to himself.


    "Tyr! This is the perfect time..." Hanzo suddenly shouted.


    Tyr looked back, "You''re right..." He faced the monster in front of him again.


    "It''s time to try my new Ancestral Abilities..." Tyr closed his eyes, a golden light beginning to shine from his glabella.


    After a second longer, the golden light burst into a golden flame! It was small, no larger than three inches. As Tyr opened his eyes, his pupils shone in a deep golden hue.


    However, before he could take even a single step, Mano contorted further and suddenly burst into a million pieces of blood, guts, ligaments, bones, tendons, and more...


    Tyr''s stopped his ability. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "W-what the hell!?" Sir Hevest suddenly exclaimed, "My rooom!!!" He cried.


    ***


    Soon, this small event ended. Tyr, Hanzo, Malon, and Sir Hevest moved to another quarter alone.


    Malon first spoke with his father about Mano and Isavior. Despite remaining stoic during what happened, Sir Hevest was not happy seeing it all unfold.


    "Isavior was never a good soul... but I did not expect Mano to turn out like he did." He paused, shaking his head.


    But then, his eyes rose up and faced Malon, "But, son... what you did was the right thing. I did not lose a son today... I had already lost him a while ago. It''s not like I didn''t hear everything around me while I was in my coma... I knew how bad things had gotten, but I just didn''t want to admit them until seeing it all for myself."


    Malon was taken aback by this, "Y-you heard everything!? Even up until recently?"


    "Yes, son. I have been contemplating Mano''s verdict for a very long time. But... as a leader, love can not be my primary focus. Atleast, not to a idea like the evil that Mano was apart of. And now, what I have left is a great son like you."


    They continued to speak...


    Malon spoke with his father about his plans moving forward, and Sir Hevest seemed to have no problems.


    "You are a great soul, Malon... but you aren''t meant to stay here. You are a free spirit, unlike many of us. Go explore, son."


    With these kind words, they left Sir Hevest to attend to his city with the help of his guards and more.


    Of course, Malon''s father was not going to let another piece of evil enter his circle, and this was to ensure both the prosperity of his people and also the peace in the mind of his son.


    Before anyone else could say their goodbyes, the trio left Mycelia like a shadow in the night, except it was the middle of the day.


    *One day later*


    "So... where the hell are we going again?" Tyr questioned, riding atop Rudra with Malon sitting behind him.


    Hanzo, who was laying his flying jetski beside Rudra as it moved answered nonchalantly: "Before we start our journey around the world or whatever, we have one more thing to do... submit our quest to the main Hunter Guild within a certain empire to get the 35,000 gold."


    "Oh?" Malon questioned, "What kingdom is that?"


    Hanzo paused before saying: "The Empire that represents Humanity within Ainsveld... and the slave trade capital of the continent; Rock Saelfine."

 Chapter 78 - 78: Second Sealed Memory

    ***EXXTRA LONG CHAP***


    Dawn turned to dusk. Tyr and the others were still within Mycopolis, however, as it hadn''t been long since their journey began.


    Hanzo was taking a nap as he usually did, and Malon was standing atop Rudra while configuring how his shield power worked.


    He turned it small, and then large again just by thinking of applying more of his Aura.


    ''During the time they were gone... I trained my ass off to be worthy of potentially joining them.'' Malon thought to himself as he continued to inspect his power, ''I won''t let them down.''


    ... S§×ar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Tyr on the other hand was doing his own thing. He was taking into account everything he had right now on his body.


    ''1241 D Rank Beast cores, 285 C Rank Beast cores, 51, B Ranks, and finally, 3 A Ranks.'' He said inwardly. Of course, this wasn''t just all his alone, but rather the pills of the old Ultimatum up until now.


    ''Along with that, I have 11 gold coins and 91 silver ones.''


    Of course, he couldn''t forget about the 35,000 Extra gold they were going to receive as soon as they arrived at Rock Saelfine. That was the agreement made by Prince Michel.


    He thought about the 3 A Rank cores he had. ''A Rank cores belong to Sentinel Rank beasts... Despite their cores only being A Rank, it takes several A+ Class Hunters to take them down, or even a single S Class Hunter.''


    He took a look at his new Dragonewt egg as well. ''And this guy still needs to be hatched somehow. Maybe I need some sort of incubator for it or something... in the meantime though.'' He placed his hand on the egg.


    ''I might as well Soul Mark the creature now. The connection will only be stronger.''


    "Soul Marking," Tyr said out loud with determined eyes.


    A slight amount of energy sapped from the pit of his stomach. He felt his arms lose some strength for a millisecond, but it wasn''t anything unbearable.


    There was not even a second of delay, as the still developing Dragonewt seemed to not have even a hint of disapproval to Tyr''s gesture of bonding.


    Tyr closed his eyes, envisioning a piece of his soul mending into a piece of the unborn Dragonewts.


    As the soul fragments combined, a white light shined from the egg and also Tyr''s chest. A piping red pentagram formed on both of their souls.


    [Congratulations! You have successfully tamed a ###### through Soul Marking.]


    ''Huh? Thats odd... maybe he isn''t fully finished developing into an identifiable beast yet...'' Tyr thought as he saw this odd detail.


    [Description: ERROR.]


    ''...''


    [Congratulations! You have learned a new Soul Mend ability!]


    [Current viable specimens: Polaris Tiger (Immense strength, durability, and speed.) ###### (ERROR).]


    [Please name your new pet to complete the taming process and multiply its power under the God Grimoire.]


    Tyr smirked slightly, feeling excitement within.


    ''It feels the same as when I tamed Rudra...'' He thought to himself, pausing.


    "A name huh? How about..."


    "Ares."


    ***


    (Author note:


    "Ares" translation: "bane, ruin, curse, imprecation." - Google.


    Origin: Greek Mythology.


    Ares Meaning: The legendary spirit of battle, the God of War, God of Fire.)


    ***


    After Soul Marking the Dragonewt egg, Tyr placed the creature inside Infinite Domain.


    ''He''ll stay there for a bit while I figure out what to do with him. And Rudra,'' Tyr looked down.


    ''Yes, master!''


    ''Make sure to take care of Ares when you go to Infinite Domain.''


    ''I shall take care of my comrade with the best of my ability! We both share the greatest honor of serving under you, and that alone makes him worthy of my utmost respect!''


    Tyr exhaled, ''Now... time for the big thing.'' He reached his hand out and summoned a brightly glowing golden key in his palm.


    The key to his first memories was overwhelming, sending tears streaming down his face.


    This time, he hoped that things were going to be no different. Of course, he didn''t want to cry, but just as much as that, he wanted to learn about his past.


    There were still many questions floating around in his head about what exactly he saw in his first memory. He hoped that this key would answer them...


    He raised the key, placing it in the keyhole that opened up in the air.


    As soon as the click sounded, Hanzo opened his eyes and glanced at Tyr with furrowed eyebrows.


    And Tyr... well he was gone. Drowned in the world of knowledge, visions, and flashes of memories.


    He saw blood again, war, cries, screams. But this time, he also saw good things. Laughter, playing in green valleys of lively nature and bright blue skies.


    Finally, it all stopped in a zap of a moment as Tyr found himself coddled in the warm and comfortable embrace of someone who he instantly knew to be his mother.


    She had purple eyes and beautiful blonde locks of hair. She looked to be in her twenties. Her presence was ethereal, like some sort of angel.


    Tyr noticed his stubby hands, which were no larger than an infant''s.


    His mother leaned down, kissing him on the cheek. At that moment, Tyr felt an immense wave of nostalgic emotions crash into him.


    ''Mother...'' He said, remembering his experiences with this person.


    He remembered how he was loved by his mother. The various stories she used to tell him while they were alone. How she would put him to sleep under beautiful hums.


    How she could carry him with pride, and how she would kiss him at every moment she could. Every fond memory of his mother, from infancy to the age of six, Tyr remembered all at once.


    Suddenly, he heard the wailing of a child and then realized that was him.


    "Wahh! Wahhh~"


    As he cried, Tyr stared into the bright blue sky above him. The clouds sped up, quickly dipping past the horizon as glimmering stars appeared in the night sky instead.


    The stars also passed, as cycles of day and night sped across the sky dozens, hundreds, and even thousands of times in but a few seconds.


    Time slowed down again, Tyr finding himself in a completely different area.


    It was late at night, and he stood in the courtyard of his estate with a campfire nearby.


    His short little hands held a wooden sword for some reason.


    He looked to the side, noticing his mother kindly smiling at him.


    ''Mother...'' He thought, looking forward.


    Out of nowhere, another wooden sword sped toward him.


    ''What the!?'' It bumped him on the head, causing him to fall over onto his rear.


    "Stars!" A sharp yell came from Tyr''s mother''s normally graceful voice, "I told you to be more careful with him!"


    Tyr felt a slight buzz of pain radiate through his forehead, noticing a young man in his twenties standing a few feet in front of him.


    He wore pristine royal garments and a pair of light brown pants. His eyes were a bright blue and his hair a slightly long brunette.


    Tyr''s mother knelt beside him, squeezing him in her warm embrace again as she whispered with care: "Are you alright my beloved?" Her voice was soft and genuine.


    But he wasn''t focusing on her words right now. Instead, he peeked at the nervous laughs of the man in front of him who he knew was his father.


    The man scratched the back of his head, closing his eyes as he apologized: "Im sorry, honey. He lost focus all of a sudden! He''ll be alright though! He is my son, after all!"


    Tyr''s father walked closer and stole him out of his mothers embrace--grabbing him by the arm and then throwing him up in the air before picking him back up from underneath.


    Stars stared deep into Tyr''s eyes as he said: "Tyr! Say, I am the strong Thalonis bloodline! I shall never bow, never bend! I own what many call... victory!" He genuinely laughed.


    Tyr felt a devastating blow of nostalgia again as the memories of his father assaulted his brain.


    ''Father... father...'' He said inwardly, as the stars behind the man who he was looking at began to speed up once again.


    ''Don''t leave...'' He grasped forward but touched nothing but air as his father dispersed into the air as if he was never there to begin with.


    How he played with his father, trained and visited others, joked and laughed countless times. All of these memories poured like a waterfall into a small basin.


    Finally, Tyr heard a familiar voice as more continuous flashes of random memories went through his vision: "His sixth birthday! That means he will unlock his Ancestral Ability. Can we have a round of applause for our little Tyr? Hahaha!"


    The voice said from the distance, nowhere to be seen through Tyr''s thousands of immense flashes that he was seeing right now.


    A roar of cheers and applause sounded across a large banquet as well, echoing through the space in Tyr''s mind.


    ''Grandpa...?'' Tyr finally thought to himself through all of the noise on hearing that voice.


    And just like that, he was back to reality; tears once again trickling down his face.

 Chapter 79 - 79: Ancestral Ability

    Tyr''s vision returned to normal. He was staring into the Mycopolis forest that sped toward him as Rudra kept moving forward.


    The rushing wind that brushed against his face gave a cool feeling to his tears, reminding him that he was crying.


    He closed his eyes, gritting his teeth, ''Mother... father... How could I have forgotten them?'' More tears attempted to come, but he squeezed his fists as right as possible.


    Then, he opened his eyes again with a fierce look on his face. He wiped his tears, breathing in through his nose.


    ''I need to know what happened to them... I still don''t know anything apart from who they were. These memories... my past home... it was all on another planet right?''


    It was frustrating to only get small pieces of information at a time, ''I need to level up more and get stronger. More knowledge about the past... that way, I can maybe even reach my parents again.''


    Despite knowing this, he also knew worrying was futile. More questions had appeared in his head compared to ever before, but he shook them all off.


    ''My goal is to become strong. That''s all I need to focus on. Whether it be for seeking more memories, being unchained from the shackles of weakness, or even finding my parents... it can all be solved by simply getting more powerful.''


    It seemed the aspect of power gained more and more importance in Tyr''s mind as time passed while on this new planet of Sub-world.


    Hanzo had been staring at Tyr the entire time. After Tyr seemed to collect himself, however, he closed his eyes and went back to napping.


    ''Hmm. He''s enigmatic... I can''t tell what''s going on in that brain of his. But whatever it is... I hope he rises from it even stronger.''


    *** S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    That night, they stopped in the middle of the jungle.


    With their campsite set up, the three decided to play a little game.


    "This game is called... hit the rock!" Malon exclaimed loudly.


    They all stood a few dozen feet away from the campsite. In front of each of them were three large boulders.


    "This is a perfect time to test out all of our Ancestral Abilities... including yours, Tyr. I know you haven''t had time to do that yet." Malon smiled.


    Tyr nodded, "Let''s get this party started!"


    Hanzo was the first to go.


    "Alright..." He said as he prepared himself. "I have two Ancestral Abilities... and both of them are from the Gods."


    Both Malon and Tyr was taken aback as they heard this.


    "W-wait what?" Malon said in confusion.


    Tyr was even more puzzled, "Didn''t you say only one of them was..." He cut himself off, not knowing what Hanzo was talking about.


    "Well, back then I didn''t want to fight any longer. It bored me... and I only did it because I had to as a Hunter. That''s why I didn''t acknowledge my offensive Ancestral Ability." Hanzo said, pulling his bowstring back.


    Tyr was taken aback, "That''s right... you called it simple elite bowmanship or something back then."


    "Yep." Hanzo replied, "But now, a new goal has given me quite a bit more inspiration. If I will travel the world with a person with as big of aspirations as you... I have to be willing to get as strong as possible."


    Both Malon and Tyr stayed silent as Aura began to swirl around Hanzo''s bow, condensing into an arrow.


    "Mother Gaia''s Touch... and the Boon Of Apollo!" Hanzo exclaimed, shooting his arrow at that moment.


    The red arrow spun through the air with disastrous force, penetrating straight through the boulder as if it were butter.


    A few cracks turned into a web of splits before the entire boulder burst into a thousand pieces.


    Hanzo lowered his bow, both Malon and Tyr gawking at the man with jaws on the floor.


    "Hahaha!" Malon wholeheartedly laughed, "What a disgustingly powerful ability!" He said, turning to stare at the boulder.


    "I don''t have the boon of a God, unfortunately. The name of my Ancestral Ability is... Aegis Of The Shield Bearer."


    He raised his wrist in front of him. A giant shield summoned from it, slamming into the ground.


    Malon formed his footing, "Hrah!" He exclaimed, storming forward.


    He infused Aura into his shield as it clashed with the boulder. A loud booming noise sounded as the boulder exploded into hundreds of pieces upon impact.


    Malon stepped back, his serious expression being replaced with an excited smile.


    "Haha! I did it!" He sounded proud, "I''ve been working on that move for a while. It''s called Aegis Battalion."


    "Good work, Malon!" Tyr said, Hanzo also nodding in approval with a smile on his face.


    "Now it''s only me left..." Tyr said, facing the boulder in front of him.


    "Don''t panic. Ancestral Abilities usually take getting used to." Hanzo advised.


    "For some reason, I feel like I already have the hang of it though," Tyr replied, a slight smirk forming on his face.


    "Already? Without using it even once?" Hanzo questioned, a bit thrown off.


    Tyr closed his eyes for a second, as a golden flame suddenly burst from his glabella.


    It was a sharp flame, holding the shape of a falling water droplet. It was small as well, no larger than 2.5 inches.


    As he opened his eyes, his pupils shined in the darkness of night in a brilliant golden color that was mesmerizing to gaze at.


    "My Ancestral Ability..." Tyr''s tone was deeper than usual.


    Hanzo furrowed his eyebrows, ''His presence... its completely different. It''s like he''s an entirely different person. Maybe he somehow does have the hang of it already.''


    "Boon Of The Sun Devourer." Tyr declared.


    Malon squinted: "Sun Devourer? That''s odd... a title rather than a name? Wouldn''t that mean the Ancestral Ability is of a powerful Ancestor rather than a God?"


    Hanzo also seemed a bit confused, "Hmm... I have no clue. These Ancestral Abilities are confusing to decode."


    Tyr remained silent, his eyes slightly widened with surprise at the several GG panels that had abruptly appeared in front of his eyes.


    [You have gained immunity to all water damage.]


    [You have gained immunity to all fire damage.]


    [You have gained immunity to all wind damage.]


    [You have gained immunity to all diseases.]


    [You have gained immunity to all mental attacks.]


    [Your defenses have increased by 2x]


    [Vitality: 60/60-->120]


    [New Ability gained: ...]


    Tyr read this ability out loud: "Full Golden Body..."

 Chapter 80 - 80: Journey Begins

    ''That''s... strong.'' Tyr was still taken aback. He was in complete and utter awe.


    ''It doesn''t increase my offensive ability in any way, but with these buffs, it doesn''t have to do that... these alone are unimaginably powerful.''


    He ran forward, tightening his fist before punching the boulder.


    A loud impact sounded, instantly shattering the boulder into several pieces from one point. It crumbled after a second.


    "The Ancestral Ability... did nothing?" Malon confusedly said in a slightly joking manner as well.


    "Well, it is only his first Ancestral Ability after all... when cultivating Aura Cores, your ability either gets stronger, or you get other abilities. If his first one isn''t offensive, then it must be defensive. Am I right, Tyr?"


    Tyr pulled his fist in, "That''s exactly correct." He smiled from corner to corner, "I am practically invincible!" He thrust his hands into the air.


    "Sometimes offense is the best defense. But then again, the defense can be the strongest offense as well." Hanzo replied.


    ***


    The next day, their journey to the Empire of Rock Saelfine truly began.


    Tyr''s main question currently was how he could cultivate his Aura Core.


    This was because of the information he had gained through his months in Sub-world. And of course, he knew that to get his first Aura Spell, he had to reach the Adept Rank as GG had pointed out.


    Aura cores worked like basins of water. The more water stored, the stronger the person. Of course, this meant you needed taller walls over the basin to store even more water.


    At this moment, Tyr had a lot of water stored up from the automatic Aura Stat increase done by GG.


    But, he didn''t even have a 1-inch wall over his water basin to store anything inside of it.


    If he were to cultivate even a little and create the first layer over his Aura Core, or the first wall over his basin, then the Aura he had stored up would take over from there and create taller walls.


    He needed a foundation first before he could store his Aura and let that benefit him.


    "So... can I use Beast Cores?" He asked Hanzo.


    "Nope. Unless you learn Alchemy and create cultivation pills... you won''t be able to use those Beast Cores by themselves for cultivation. But you don''t have to go down the Beast Core route either."


    As Hanzo said this, Tyr listened with intent to learn.


    "There are also Aura Shards. Naturally found materials that can be turned into Aura Stones. Aura Stones are currency in the more developed countries, as they are worth more than simple gold and silver."


    "Oh? How so?"


    "Well, if 100 copper coins make 1 silver, and 100 silver makes 1 gold, then..."


    "100 gold makes 1 Aura Stone!? That''s 10,000 silver coins!" Tyr interrupted, shocked.


    "Mmhm. That is why Aura Stones are so sought after, and also why its hard for smaller countries to make them their legal tender."


    "10,000 silver coins for a single Aura Stone..." Tyr said out loud and then thought inwardly: ''Comparing things to how they were on Earth, it seems copper is like a cent on this planet. Silver is like 1 dollar, and a single gold is worth what 100 dollars would be on Earth. That means a single Aura Stone is worth what is 10,000 US dollars... it''s absurd.


    But when you think about it, we are going to receive what''s worth 3.5 million dollars soon. That makes Aura Stone not seem to be out of reach.''


    "Don''t think about it too much." Hanzo closed his eyes, entering nap-mode. "We still have a long way to go..."


    "Right..." Tyr replied.


    "Plus, you have the Black Merchant Guild on your tail as well so we won''t be stopping by local towns. They haven''t placed many bases in the isolated kingdom of Mycopolis, but outside they will be waiting for us..."


    "I see."


    *


    *


    *


    2 Month''s later...


    ***


    Tyr stepped on top of a pressure plate in the middle of a dungeon accidentally.


    He looked down, "Oh... oops."


    Malon and Hanzo were a few feet behind him. They were in the center of an old brown-stone chamber.


    Pillars with vines growing all around them surrounded the three.


    A few seconds after Tyr stepped on the pressure plate, a blue light flowed through all the seams in the stone floor below.


    They conjoined at a single point and suddenly unleashed a blast of energy toward Tyr.


    "Fuck..." Tyr exclaimed as the light dispersed. His arms and legs had been completely tied up by some sort of blue seal.


    "I can''t move..." Tyr said as both Hanzo and Malon shook their heads in disappointment.


    "We entered this dungeon just to explore a bit and you go and put yourself in the worst situation imaginable," Hanzo said, disappointed.


    Even by the next day, Tyr was still completely trapped.


    "We had to leave that dungeon early because of you," Malon said, his palm over his face.


    "I know... my bad. Hahaha!" Tyr laughed.


    Of course, Malon didn''t take it too seriously.


    Nonetheless, it was a drag to have to be stuck in this situation.


    "An ancient seal we can''t break no matter what... well, good thing there''s a person in Rock Saelfine that I know who is a specialist in seals. Especially human seals." Hanzo exclaimed, capturing Tyr''s attention.


    "Hm?" He exclaimed in heightened intrigue. "That''s an interesting power..."


    ***


    Another few days passed, Tyr still immobile during each and every second of it.


    ''This is truly torture.'' He exclaimed, not able to even eat properly, let alone do other... things...


    It had been over a month since they had left Mycopolis and headed northeastwards.


    The forests had become lighter and were again formed with trees instead of mushrooms.


    In the past few days, they thinned out even more and revealed an open savanna.


    And finally, now, the trio noticed their first form of large civilization.


    In the far distance, they noticed an enormous glass-like aura dome.


    Before they arrived there, however, Hanzo led the group to a small village on the outskirts.


    As they arrived, they began to walk on foot. Hanzo took the lead, while Tyr and Malon walked behind with curious eyes.


    One by one, kind villagers exited their homes and came to greet them.


    "Hanzo!" An old gentleman said, "Long time no see, son!"


    "Are these your friends?" A middle-aged woman asked with grace. S§×arch* The ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "How have you been?"


    "Is everything alright?"


    More and more caring questions came their way, and soon enough, the Hunter trio was surrounded by the entire village.


    They laughed awkwardly as they received all of the warm welcomes.


    Suddenly, an abrupt wave of killing intent tore through the crowd, alerting the trio as their heads instantly darted forward.


    From the distance came a powerful wave of energy that abruptly grabbed Hanzo and placed him in a bind made of several purple chains of Aura.


    Both Tyr and Malon were also pushed back slightly from the force of the blow.


    "HANZO!" A feminine voice shouted, seemingly fueled with rage, "You dare enter my village with a slave!?"

 Chapter 81 - 81: Noa

    A young lady sprinted at Hanzo from the distance, holding a giant bazooka-sized double-barrel shotgun taller than her entire body.


    Other than the crazy weapon, she looked like a normal person, except for the fact that she was stunningly beautiful.


    She had normal lengthed, bright orange hair that flowed to her shoulders. She wore a white and brown village dress, normal for a village girl.


    Her eyes were blue, her complexion pale and without any blemishes.


    "Wait!" Hanzo said, unable to move, "He isn''t a slave, Noa!"


    The crowd moved aside as the girl addressed as Noa stepped in front of the trio. She seemed to be no older than 19.


    "Trust me, he''s a friend. An idiot, who got stuck in a seal. We came here so that you could help him..." Hanzo said, struggling with the tight chains around him.


    Noa''s eyes wandered over to Tyr, who akwardly smiled at her.


    "Haha... yeah. He''s not lying." He knew he sounded like an idiot.


    But, unexpectedly, Noa''s entire personality changed with her tone: "Oh my god! You should have told me from the beginning! I''ll free you right away, come this way."


    Hanzo rolled his eyes, "I would have told you if you didn''t put me in a seal first." He whispered under his breath.


    Noa spoke immediately afterward, killing intent still fuming from her being: "What was that? I can hear you... you know."


    "Yeah yeah..."


    "It seems you want to be in those chains for a couple more days," Noa exclaimed, her eyes turning red like a demon''s from Hanzo''s viewpoint.


    "Wait! Never mind what I said! Please don''t do that, I have important inquireies!"


    ***


    Tyr found it weird how the entire village stared outside of Noa''s small hut as she performed her Aura spells on him.


    Nonetheless, he was happy to get this stupid bind off him after so long.


    He looked at Noa, who had her eyes closed. It had been 5 minutes by now of Noa placing her hand on Tyr''s chest and unlocking his bind ever so slowly.


    She was sweating, and Tyr could see from the concerned look on her face that she was clearly struggling.


    Yet, she wasn''t complaining whatsoever about freeing him.


    ''Another person with a good heart, I think.'' Tyr said to himself, ''I feel like those are rare here... especially after what happened with my past friends... now that I think about it, there was never a time where they did anything for me without receiving a benefit themselves.''


    Ten more minutes passed.


    ''It must be grueling for her... but I''m used to staying in one position for a long time by now.'' Tyr thought to himself, worried as he saw Noa''s bothered face. S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Out of nowhere, her eyelids sprang open. A smile appeared on her lips as the blue chains around Tyr obliterated into particles and disappeared into the air.


    A small cheer came from the crowd outside.


    "Hahaha! That''s our Noa for you!"


    "She can always free anyone!"


    "She''s truly a prodigy."


    Tyr smiled on hearing this, ''They clearly love her. Good for her.'' He thought to himself.


    "Thanks a bunch!" He grabbed Noa''s hands and dug his forehead into them as a sign of graditude.


    He then stood up, jumping around since he was free for the first time in so long!


    "Hopefully I don''t end up trapped like that anytime soon!" Tyr laughed, and Noa joined in on the chuckling.


    "Haha... its my pleasure. I would never turn away from freeing someone. I feel there''s no better purpose in life!" Noa shared a genuine smile.


    Tyr was slightly taken aback, ''She''s a really nice person.'' He thought to himself.


    "Hey..." Hanzo''s voice squeaked from the corner, "What about me?"


    Noa turned toward him with an unimpressed look on her face.


    Hanzo squinted his eyes, ''Why do I feel... fear...''


    "You didn''t do anything wrong." Noa said, shifting her attitude, "Im sorry for locking you up, haha!" She laughed, freeing him instantly from her own bind.


    "W-what? Don''t give me a scary stare then pretend as if its all okay!" Hanzo exclaimed, throwing his hands out to the side as an exclamation of his freedom.


    For a moment, everyone inside of the small shack laughed.


    Even the villagers outside couldn''t help but innocently snicker.


    "So... how''s the situation with the village?" Hanzo asked at that moment.


    Noa''s expression changed. Her eyebrows curled inwards as she looked to the side. Her face was somber as she spoke:


    "It''s... gotten worse. The villagers can''t pay their month''s rent. Our crops aren''t growing and our Hunters are practically nonexistent. Our debt has kept increasing for the last year. Soon, it will reach over 1,000 Aura Stones, which is the limit."


    On hearing these words, the villagers quieted down as well.


    Tyr''s eyebrows furrowed. ''Hmm... a person as good as she seemingly is shouldn''t be going through that.''


    Malon also didn''t seem amused by the information. He and Tyr looked at each other as he thought to himself: ''Poor lady. She seems to care a lot as well. It must be heartbreaking.''


    Hanzo exhaled before saying: "So... what''s the punishment?"


    Noa looked up at him, moisture building up in her genuine eyes.


    "Y-" Her voice cracked, "You know... what the punishment is."


    Hanzo exhaled again, gritting his teeth. Malon seemed to understand what Noa meant by this as well quite immediately.


    For Tyr, however, it took a few more seconds of thinking. This was because the answer wasn''t something he was used to whatsoever, unlike Hanzo and Malon.


    ''Does she mean... everyone here will be sold into slavery?'' He questioned, piecing together the puzzle parts. He couldn''t help but feel a horrible feeling in his gut just thinking about it.


    "Don''t you have any way to fix the situation? I know you''ve been working to save your village for your entire life... isn''t there anything you''ve come up with?" Hanzo questioned.


    "Hmm... there''s been one thing I have worked on. It was a dream, but now it has become quite likely." Noa said as the others stayed silent, intrigue in their eyes.


    "Its a technique to remove all types of Seals at once." Noa said, making everyone''s eyes expand slightly.


    At that moment, a small dog dashed into the shack through the window and landed on top of Hanzo''s head.


    His eyes moved up as Noa couldn''t help but chuckle slightly: "Maybe Spen here will be the hope to our village. He is quite the powerful beast after all."


    "Spen, how''ve you been buddy?" Hanzo reached up to pet the dog that was fully black in color.


    *CRUNCH*


    Hanzo paused for a second as his finger was devoured by the dog... and then he let out a horrible scream of pain.


    "YYYYYEEEEOUCH!!!"


    He attempted to grab the small sucker, but Spen suddenly disappeared and appeared back in Noa''s lap.


    "You stupid dog! I forgot how much of a pain you were!"

 Chapter 82 - 82: Bad Predicament

    Everyone continued speaking for a few more minutes about how things were going.


    From what Hanzo explained, Tyr understood that Noa had been a friend of Hanzo''s for a few years now.


    He met her first around 5 years ago when he first visited Rock Saelfine.


    He had to free himself of a seal, and she was coincidentally the perfect person to meet during that time.


    He learned about her backstory through his time spent at Imbu village, and in the end, he and Noa came to know more about each other.


    He hadn''t met her much but was still thankful to her up until now.


    In their current conversation, Noa explained that there truly was no hope for her people other than her potential seal-breaking technique.


    Even if they were to get good crops and have a better Hunter team, the lord of their area would simply raise the property taxes so that what everyone made would still not be enough.


    This was apparently to wipe out Imbu from the map, as different plans were being set forth by the nobles about what to do with the Imbu village land.


    And of course, those plans couldn''t proceed without Imbu being fully wiped out.


    It was indeed a corrupt system, but no one cared about random people in the boonies to do anything about it.


    The only way to counteract this was to make an absurd amount of money so that no lord would want to disturb Imbu village for any reason.


    After the entire conversation, Tyr was noticeably annoyed.


    "Tsk! Isn''t there a single good person in power in an empire ruled by humans who sees what''s going on and wants to end the corruption? I mean seriously... it''s hysterical at this point." He exclaimed, shaking his head.


    Noa chuckled slightly on seeing Tyr''s reaction, "I''m sorry Tyr, I shouldn''t make others worry about my own situations. It isn''t right."


    Tyr exhaled, "No... you''re the last person that should be saying sorry. You''re the one suffering, after all." He looked into her eyes, "It''s okay to ask for help sometimes, you know. Not everyone out there wants to take advantage of you."


    Noa was taken aback by this statement, her eyes widening with awe.


    She sighed, looking down: "Thank you... just those words mean a lot to me, Tyr. However, this is something I must deal with on my own. Even if you want to help, it isn''t your place to do so."


    Tyr furrowed his eyebrows, thrown off by this, "Hmm... alright. That''s your choice to make." He said in a serious tone.


    ''But... why refuse? It doesn''t make much sense.'' He thought to himself.


    Noa also mused inwardly: ''I know he wants to help, but he''s being foolish. I mean... what can they do here? The only thing that would help our cause would be to interfere against nobles and the army of Rock Saelfine. It would spell certain death for them. No...


    instead, I''ll just have to master Raya''s Seal Breaking Technique. If I can do that, I can save this village from ruin surely.''


    After this little encounter, Tyr and the others stayed for dinner. They hadn''t eaten good food or taken well-needed rest in a long time, and before they headed into the real cities, they decided staying here was a better idea.


    It was also because everyone in the village persuaded them to stay by guilt-tripping:


    "You want to leave!? You cant! You just got here!"


    "At least eat and get some sleep before you leave! You are our guest!"


    It felt like everyone in the village was family, which was amusing to see for Tyr.


    Everyone enjoyed warm meals by a campfire at the very heart of the village as the sun dipped below the horizon.


    Afterward, the trio spent the night sleeping on Noa''s floor.


    Despite being hard stone flooring, it was still somehow more comfortable than the jungle bush. Maybe because it was indoors...


    Tyr slept soundly until the next morning. That''s when he felt a sudden and immense pain spawn at his nose and spread all across his body.


    His eyes flew open, ''Do I have to use disappear!?'' He thought to himself in shock as he noticed a small black dog''s maw chomped onto his nose.


    "AHHH!" He screamed, causing a few birds on a nearby roof to fly away.


    Malon and Hanzo also jerked up from their sleep, their guard instantly raised.


    They arose with fighting positions, only to see Tyr with a swollen red nose.


    The two stared at Tyr for a few seconds before laughing their asses off. Spen seemed to have already disappeared.


    Tyr shook his head, "That dog... is truly a demon." He said under his breath, his nose still throbbing.


    The three washed their faces using a bucket of water. As they left, they noted that Noa was already gone.


    "She probably woke up a while ago and went to tend to her village. She cares about her people a lot..." Hanzo said, scratching the back of his head.


    Malon and Hanzo proceeded to leave the small shack. Tyr was the last one to finish getting ready.


    Before he left, however, he noticed a picture on Noa''s bedside table that caught him off guard.


    It was ripped in half, but from what he could see, Noa as a child no older than nine sat with two people who looked to be her parents. S§×arch* The N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    They wore very pristine and luxurious garments. Noa herself also looked to be adorned in a large dress with a golden lining. The background was of a grand balcony view overlooking a city of millions.


    ''Thinking now... doesn''t she have parents? I assumed that they died or something here in this village, but now that I look at this picture... she seems to come from a completely different place.''


    He noticed a small note beside the picture: "Find them-" Tyr read the note out loud. The rest of the letter was also torn, but he made out the words: "In Ti--"


    He thought about this for a split second.


    ''A place beginning with the letters Ti huh... so she still wants to find her parents it seems. How did she end up in this random village?''


    He knew it wasn''t his place to interfere with her belongings, so he left the shack soon after.


    The trio said goodbye to everyone, including Noa who kindly waved to them with a grin on her face.


    Before they knew it, the grand, transparent gates of the largest Human domain within the continent were upon them.

 Chapter 83 - 83: Rock Saelfine Empire

    Before even reaching the transparent dome around the empire, Tyr and the other two came across more modern architecture.


    The stone beneath them turned to large, smooth white stone bricks from over 1000 feet away and stayed this way up until the entrance to the country.


    A small gate surrounded this white stone floor, and right from there Tyr and the others could see that a long ass line was before them.


    Looking up, they could see various travel and shipment vehicles via flying aircraft coming in and out of the dome.


    To the left and right, other pathways several thousand feet in the distance loaded and unloaded cargo non-stop.


    However, this one line seemed to be the only one for people to enter and exist.


    As they got in line, they noticed dozens of people leaving the transparent dome at the same time as well.


    ''So big...'' Tyr thought to himself. There was so much going on that he couldn''t help but get the impression that this place was ginormous.


    It was on another level compared to Seris.


    The line took a long time to shorten.


    Tyr and the other two were met by a single tall guard at the end. He wore half chainmail and cloth armor with an open helmet on his head.


    After checking their Hunter ID''s, he allowed them inside.


    As they crossed the transparent threshold into Rock Saelfine, Tyr was immediately assaulted by the city''s vastness.


    The sheer size of the place seemed almost unfathomable, stretching out in every direction as far as the eye could see.


    The streets were a living tapestry of activity¡ªpeople of all kinds jostled along the crowded sidewalks, some hurrying purposefully while others lingered at vibrant market stalls.


    The city was a dazzling amalgamation of eras. Towering skyscrapers of sleek glass and polished metal loomed high above, their reflective surfaces catching the sunlight and casting shifting patterns on the smooth, white stone pavements below.


    These modern giants stood in striking contrast to the older buildings that dotted the landscape¡ªelegantly carved stone structures that hinted at a rich medieval history.


    Flying vehicles zipped through the sky, their streamlined forms gliding effortlessly against the backdrop of the transparent dome that covered the city.


    The air was filled with a cacophony of sounds: the constant hum of advanced machinery mingled with the rhythmic clatter of traditional tools. Vendors called out, their voices rising above the din as they peddled their wares.


    The scent of street food and fresh produce mended with the more metallic tang of machinery, creating an aroma that was uniquely Rock Saelfine.


    Tyr''s head only faced up and around, unable to stop his amazement at the grandeur of this place.


    As he walked forward, he suddenly bumped into someone.


    He had been looking up for so long that he forgot to make sure he wasn''t getting in anyone''s way. S§×arch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He looked down, "Oh, my bad--" He cut himself off, noticing the attire person that he had bumped into.


    ''N-naked?'' He thought to himself, his eyes surveying the person in front of him.


    It was a man in his early thirties. He had bronze skin and brown eyes. His head was bald, and he was no taller than 5''6 ft.


    He was fully naked, his skin blistered and slashed with all types of scars and bruises.


    He was bald, and one of his eyes was missing. His hands and feet were tied together with chains.


    ''A slave...'' Tyr said inwardly.


    At that moment, this man''s gaze slowly moved up from the ground and looked into Tyr''s eyes.


    Tyr gasped subconsciously as he saw the look in the man''s eyes.


    Despair.


    The eyes were like that of a ghost. They were void, filled with nothing but horrible sorrow.


    There was something about them that caused this vision to be etched deep into Tyr''s mind. It was as though all of the suffering that man had gone through was showing through his eyes all at once in that single moment.


    Tyr could see the man''s yearning for hope, but along with that, also his belief that there was no such thing in store for him.


    "You... dare look at someone else in the eye?" A disdianful voice came from behind the slave from a person who was holding a chain that connected to the slave''s chains.


    As the naked man heard this, he immediately looked back down at the floor.


    "Looking humans in the eyes... that is worthy of capital punishment!" The man behind the slave suddenly kicked him down onto the floor.


    Tyr furrowed his eyebrows as he saw this.


    A few people also glanced over at this scene, but quickly shrugged it off and continued moving.


    "Are you trying to say you are equal to us? Do you not know your place? I would have never bought you if I had to simply kill before the auction! Act accordingly, you trash!" The man pompously screamed, continuously kicking the slave who was curled up on the ground.


    ''He... isn''t stopping.'' Tyr thought to himself, his eyes twitching slightly with shock and displeasure.


    "Get up!" The man said as the slave slowly stood. He kicked him again, prompting to slave to stumble forward and start walking.


    The man then turned to Tyr, giving him an annoyed look as well, "What are you doing? Trying to have a conversation with him or something? Jeez..." He said before moving on.


    A few bystanders chuckled at the thought of that.


    Tyr, however, didn''t understand how that was so crazy.


    After the slave left, he scratched the back of his head.


    "What the fuck..." He said out loud.


    Hanzo patted him on the shoulder, "It''s good you didn''t interfere. We would have had to deal with every mother fucker in here with a slave otherwise." He said, moving forward.


    Malon stared at the ground, clenching his fists.


    "I can''t believe this place." He said under his breath, very upset. "Tsk." He also moved forward.


    Tyr took a second to think before doing the same, ''Despite what he''s going through, he still refuses to ask for help... is that mental willpower, or unfathomable fear?''


    The trio continued, eventually making thier way to a large establishment which Tyr instantly recognized as a Hunter''s Guild.


    "Mastermind Hunter Guild."


    After a deep breath, Tyr took a step forward toward the building.

 Chapter 84 - 84: Help?

    As they entered, Tyr kept contemplating how he felt at this moment.


    ''I don''t want to see any innocent person suffering the fate of a slave. But... I''m too damn weak to do anything about it. Then again, it doesn''t feel right to help people who don''t ask for it... maybe it''s not my place to intrude?''


    It was that same feeling again. The feeling of helplessness that he hated more than anything else in his entire life.


    There was nothing more binding than that feeling. It was the complete opposite of his goal of freedom.


    This establishment was similar to the one in Seris. It was very large, with several help desk booths at the back.


    However, it was packed with people, making it slightly resemble Mycelia''s Hunter''s Guild.


    "Let''s make this quick," Hanzo said, "I don''t want to stay in this kingdom any longer than I have to." He walked to the counter line.


    As Tyr and Malon waited, Malon received some odd glances from time to time.


    "It''s understandable..." Malon exclaimed, "After all, humans are the most selfish species. They would probably have me be a slave if they see fit." He spoke without really thinking.


    "Oh shit," He looked at Tyr, "I forgot you were--"


    "No problem. You know more about humans than me... I guarantee it." Tyr replied, thinking about the fact that the humans he knew from Earth were vastly different from those in Subworld.


    "You also think humans are selfish?" Malon questioned.


    "I don''t know..."


    "Is it because you come from a place where the humans are different?"


    On hearing this question, Tyr furrowed his eyebrows and stared at Malon with a confused look on his face, ''How the hell does he know that? Does he know I''m from Earth...?''


    Malon continued: "What was its name again?" He said, looking to the side, his face in thought.


    ''He isn''t going to say Earth is he?'' Tyr thought to himself, slightly concerned. It wasn''t anything inherently scary, but it was going to be a long process of explanation that he didn''t want to go through right now.


    "Seris Dynasty, right?" Malon said.


    "W-what?" Tyr was taken aback.


    "What do you mean, ''what,''? Isn''t that where you came from? It''s a completely different place from here."


    "Oh... right." Tyr said, ''Jeez... how could I forget that.''


    "Listen," Malon exclaimed, "You may think that a single species is very different depending on where they come from, but in the end, they are the same."


    Tyr squinted slightly as he heard this, ''He is speaking about Seris and Rock Saelfine... but what he is saying can also apply to Earth. However, is what he is saying true?'' He questioned in his mind.


    Malon continued: "Despite having various upbringings, it''s about a being''s nature, not their environment that determines their actions when crucial moments arise. All that changes is the shell. That is what I believe. If the people from where you came were put in the same situation as those in Rock Saelfine, I''m sure they would adapt accordingly."


    Tyr took a few seconds to think about this.


    Malon spoke as Tyr remained in thought: "But then again, I don''t discriminate. I say all of these things, but I don''t actually know the nature of humans or any other creature for that matter."


    "I don''t know... some humans are selfish," Tyr paused, thinking about his old manager at his job, that one golden yes holding judge, Yurin, Urvil and Cyllia, and every other person in his life who had taken advantage of him.


    "But at the same time, some humans are totally selfless." The memories of his grandfather, his mother, and his father entered his mind as he said this. He also thought about how Hanzo helped him from scratch without receiving anything in return.


    "Huh..." Malon was stumped in thought after that one. "I mean... what you''re saying is simple, yet it poses so many questions."


    "Well..." Tyr paused, as if he was going to say something really important. "I..."


    Malon looked at him with anticipation dancing in his eyes.


    "Have to go piss."


    Malon''s eyebrows immediately dropped back down, unimpressed.


    Tyr chuckled as he made his way toward the bathrooms.


    "Don''t get lost..." Malon shouted as Tyr disappeared from his vision.


    Tyr noticed a bathroom sign hanging above a door in the corner of the establishment and then looked down to see a line of people that extended... and extended... and kept extending from one side of the room to the other.


    His eyelids lowered, "Tsk... all this technology and no working bathroom system. I guess it''s something that all societies will forever struggle with."


    He turned, walking out the entrance.


    ''Good thing I don''t need a pristine hole to piss in. Any old alley will do.''


    Tyr had gotten used to pissing in alleys, as his old gas station bathroom would regularly be out of service from all the trashy people that would ruin it.


    He made his way around the guild building and into an alleyway that was dark even in the daytime.


    It was long and gave off some pretty creepy vibes, but nothing that Tyr wasn''t already used to by now.


    *ZIIP*


    *SHHHHHHH*


    "Ahh~~"


    *ZIP*


    He made his way back out of the alley. As soon as he stepped out of it, a figure bumped into him with force.


    ''Shit, I should have looked before leaving the alley.'' Tyr thought to himself, his eyes moving down to see who had hit him.


    It looked like a young girl had clutched onto his leg, and was unwilling to let go.


    Tyr immediately noticed the shackles on her hands and feet, and her clothing which was a dirty brown hood and robe.


    "What are you--" He attempted to say but was cut off by the young girl''s silent and soft voice.


    "Help..." She said in a low whisper. S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Tyr''s eyes expanded as he heard this, ''H-help? She asked... she asked for help.'' He was completely caught off guard.


    As he was stunned, a voice came from a dozen feet in front of him:


    "My apologies!" A man dressed in a long brown hood exclaimed. "It seems a slave of mine has escaped. The weekly auction is tonight, so naturally, merchandise is plentiful. It can slip right out of your fingers here and there, you see." The man spoke in a somewhat polite and joking manner. His face was covered fully by the hood.


    Tyr looked back down at the girl who seemed to be crying at this point.


    ''She asked... I can''t just ignore her, right?''

 Chapter 85 - 85: Destruction

    Tyr placed his hand on the young girl''s head, "Don''t cry... you''re alright." He said, hoping to calm her down as the poor child broke down in front of him.


    The man from afar walked closer, now standing before Tyr who was on one knee.


    ''So many bruises...'' Tyr thought to himself as he looked up at the man again. He was pissed, his brows furrowing in anger.


    "I get she''s your slave, but do you really need to hurt her this much?" Tyr said in a low tone.


    The robed man paused. His smile disappeared, instead replaced with a disdainful look.


    "You''re new here aren''t you..." The robed man said and then squinted his eyes as he sized Tyr up and down.


    "Wait a minute... I think I recognize you from somewhere." The robed man exclaimed, reaching into his chest pocket while exposing his wrist.


    Tyr''s eyes expanded as he saw a symbol on the man''s arm.


    ''A snake tattoo... Black Merchant Guild.'' He immediately realized, preparing to fight at any moment.


    ''I guess it''s been a long time coming. I knew I''d encounter them someday... it might as well be now.''


    The robed man pulled out a poster and flipped it around to show Tyr.


    Tyr''s pupils widened in shock as he read the poster. It had his drawn face stamped on the front with a bounty of 100 Gold once found alive. sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''A bounty poster of all things?'' Tyr thought, ''That''s actually pretty cool. I''m worth 100 Gold to the criminals huh?''


    *Click*


    The robed man suddenly took a photo of Tyr.


    "W-what the hell was that for?" Tyr said with confusion.


    "Don''t worry about it... Anyway, I''m sure you''ve figured out who I am."


    "So you will want to fight me, right?" Tyr said, getting more serious.


    "Nope." The robed man looked to the side: "HELP!" He screamed at the top of his lungs.


    Tyr furrowed his brows with confusion, "H-help? I''m the one protecting the child..."


    ***


    Before Tyr knew it, several guards had arrested him.


    The guards spoke to the robed figure: "Sorry good sir, this criminal thief almost stole your merchandise."


    ''I''m the criminal huh...'' Tyr thought to himself as he was dragged away with his hands chained up.


    His eyes were focused on the little girl, and the bastard Black Merchant Guild member who now had the child back in his hands.


    The thug smiled at Tyr and waved goodbye as he left. Tyr gave a mean glare to the man as he was dragged away.


    "You will be placed in jail for a week at the very least to atone for your sins, criminal--"


    "Shut the fuck up..." Tyr couldn''t care less to hear what the bastard guard had to say.


    ''I could fuck all of these guards up, but I don''t want to get in even more trouble.'' He closed his eyes, ''Fuck this place... I want to burn it to the ground.''


    As he was taken away, Hanzo and Malon finally exited the Mastermind Hunter''s Guild.


    They both had unimpressed looks on thier faces as they saw Tyr''s ass being hauled away.


    "Tsk..." Hanzo exclaimed as he saw Tyr in the distance.


    Noticing his friends, Tyr raised seven fingers in the air.


    "A week huh... we have no choice but to wait it out." Hanzo said, "This place isn''t like Mycelia where I have any influence."


    "I guess we head back to Noa''s and rest there until its all over, right?" Malon replied.


    "Yep..."


    ***


    And just like that, Tyr was thrown into a dirty cell. This one wasn''t nearly as bad as the one in Mycelia, however.


    Instead of being underground, it was caged within an enormous marquee that stretched over 1000 feet in width and length.


    Inside this chamber were hundreds of iron cells placed randomly. They consisted of various sizes, and some were placed on top of each other while others were to the side.


    They were long, thin cells without much room.


    ''That Black Merchant guy... it must have been the best option for him to call the guards. After all, he already knows where I will be after I''m arrested. Fighting me head-on would have been foolish. Im sure he''s preparing with his bitch gang to visit me anytime now...''


    Tyr sat down. He closed his eyes and raised his head, ''Experience... levels... isn''t there a place where I can get a ton of that?'' He thought to himself as he waited.


    ***


    Meanwhile, Hanzo and Malon had closed in on Imbu village.


    However, something seemed to be off about the place the second they neared it.


    Even from over a hundred feet away, random debris scarcely littered the ground.


    Hanzo furrowed his brows, zoning in on the village ahead.


    Malon on the other hand couldn''t help but notice all the new pieces of debris that seemed to appear every few feet.


    Horrible ideas popped up in thier head as soon as they saw this, but they restrained themselves from overthinking.


    The two approached the village, their hearts sinking as they took in the devastation before them.


    The once-vibrant Imbu village, with its bustling market stalls and lively homes, was now a scene of utter destruction.


    Buildings were reduced to rubble, and the streets, usually filled with the sounds of everyday life, were eerily silent.


    Hanzo scanned the area with a furrowed brow, his usual calm demeanor replaced by a mix of concern and anger. "This wasn''t just a raid," he muttered. "It''s too thorough, too destructive. Whoever did this was intent on leaving nothing behind. They wanted to wipe this place off the map."


    Malon''s face was pale, his hands trembling slightly as he took in the wreckage.


    He moved through the debris, calling out in desperation, "Is anyone here? Can anyone hear me?"


    His voice echoed through the empty streets, met only by the quiet wind rustling through the remains of the village.


    His hopeful eyes scanned the area with hope as he stumbled on a familar spot--Noa''s shack. Half of the building was smashed in half, as though a large stone had fallen onto it.


    Both Hanzo and Malon approached the shack, their pace increasing with each strut.


    "Stay calm, Malon..." Hanzo said, clenching his jaw with anger.


    Malon nodded, taking in a deep breath. "You''re right. There might be survivors here..."


    The two searched Noa''s house, unable to find a single thing even after thoroughly going through everything.


    With time, panic began to slowly set in.


    After a couple of minutes, the sound of light rustling came from behind them.


    The two quickly turned, thier guards up.


    "S-Spen?" Hanzo said, noticing the small dog that was limping due to a deep laceration across its left foot.


    The pup whimpered in a low tone, his eyes filled with sorrow and fear.


    Despite this, he clamped his teeth down with determination and gestured toward a certain direction in a pointing pose.


    "He''s... trying to tell us where they went," Malon explained, immediately understanding the canines intentions.

 Chapter 86 - 86: Spen

    Hanzo healed the pup up with a few Health Capsules. In only a minute or so, Spen was up and kicking like nothing ever happened to him.


    Hanzo looked at Malon afterward: "Let''s go." He said as Malon immediately nodded.


    "Go, Spen!" Hanzo shouted as the dog sprinted toward Rock Saelfine, disappearing from time to time and leaping grand distances in mere seconds. Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Hanzo and Malon got on the flying jetski, zooming after the dog with determined expressions.


    ''I won''t let them be sold into slavery... I can''t.'' Hanzo said, gritting his teeth.


    It was a complicated subject...


    Of course, there was also a logical side to it that Hanzo usually listened to.


    Thinking logically, trying to save Noa and the others was an impossible mission that would only lead to Hanzo and his group''s downfall.


    But... at the heat of the most important moments, logic wasn''t what made legends.


    It wasn''t what created kings, but rather, fighting for what one believed--and not caring about the consequences. That was what determined who prevailed.


    Hanzo wasn''t moving off of that basis, however. Both he and Malon rushed to save Noa and the others simply for the fact that they were kind and hospitable to them.


    They were friends, and that was enough to act.


    The two made it into the transparent walls of Rock Saelfine as fast as they could.


    Following Spen, they were led to a board beside a random stall.


    Spen halted, barking toward the poster as loud as he could.


    Hanzo and Malon dropped off the jetski, nearing the board and reading the poster that was on there.


    "Weekly Auction!"


    "Join the auction house now if you have your own merchandise to sell."


    "Or, join to get the finest products collected through this entire week!"


    There were many more advertisements placed, but this was enough for Hanzo and Malon to understand what Spen was going on about.


    "Spen," Hanzo said, the looking looking up to face him, "Go and get Tyr... we know where to go from here."


    Spen barked several times as Hanzo and Malon hopped on their jetski and zoomed across town.


    Spen on the other hand tore the auction poster off, carrying it in his mouth as he began to run in the opposite direction.


    As the two parties separated, a group of robed men leaned toward each other:


    "Whaddya'' think they''re planning?"


    "Who knows..."


    "Forget about that. We know what our goal is. Focus on that guy..."


    "You''re right. Let''s keep going."


    ***


    Spen hurried to the prison.


    The dog had traveled all across this first city of Rock Saelfine with Noa in the past. He knew all of the closest landmarks, including the prison that was nearest to where he was.


    It took him mere minutes to get there using his ability.


    The pup neared the large prison marquee and dashed atop the roofs beside it to avoid getting spotted by any guards.


    He disappeared, appearing atop the marquee roof. He disappeared again, this time appearing inside of the tent.


    As he landed on the ground, a few odd groans and rustling noises sounded.


    Some prisoners noticed the dog that had entered.


    They stared at Spen with confused looks as he sniffed the air.


    After a few seconds of sniffing, Spen rushed toward a certain cell.


    He neared closer and closer to a figure doing push-ups in the distance.


    *Roof! Roof roof!*


    "Huh?" Tyr raised an eyebrow, looking to the side and noticing a pitch-black-furred little dog.


    "Spen? What are you doing in here?" He was slightly perplexed.


    Spen dropped the poster on the ground next to Tyr''s cell.


    With scrunched eyebrows, Tyr grabbed the poster and read it.


    His eyes slowly widened as horrible thoughts entered his mind.


    "Noa and the others..." He said out loud, Spen barking multiple times with urgency.


    Tyr went to the very edge of the cell and stared into the dog''s eyes intensely, "One bark for yes, two barks for no." He said, Spen barking once to confirm.


    "Are Hanzo and Malon alright?"


    *Roof*


    "Do they know?"


    *Roof*


    "Noa... Noa and the others in the village. Are they alright?"


    *Roof roof*


    "Slavery... right? They were abducted?"


    *Roof*


    Realization slowly struck Tyr as he continued asking questions.


    "They are being held in this place right now, right?" Tyr said, pointing to the poster that spoke about the weekly auction.


    *ROOF!*


    "Okay... that''s all I need to know." Tyr''s eyes narrowed, his demeanor completely serious.


    *ROOF ROOF ROOF!*


    "Don''t worry, Spen... I will save each and every one of them." Tyr said in a serious tone, clenching his fist.


    Light footsteps echoed through the marquee at that moment.


    Tyr noticed a group of 10 robed figures enter the tent and slowly approach him.


    ''They are already here? I guess they didn''t want me to slip out from out of their grasp.''


    Spen moved to the side as the robed figures shot a glance at him before returning their attention to Tyr.


    "Tyr... Evolion, you go as now, right?"


    Tyr remained silent as one of the robed figures spoke.


    "You are quite powerful... even managing to kill one of our small branch leaders."


    Tyr eyes expanded slightly as he heard this, ''They... don''t know that I''ve become far stronger. That means their forces far underestimate me.'' A slight grin played on his lips from out of nowhere.


    ''Scan.''


    ©³©¥©¥©¥Status©¥©¥©¥©·


    Power Level: 90


    ©»©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¿


    ©³©¥©¥©¥Status©¥©¥©¥©·


    Power Level: 83


    ©»©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¿


    ©³©¥©¥©¥Status©¥©¥©¥©·


    Power Level: 71


    ©»©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¿


    ©³©¥©¥©¥Status©¥©¥©¥©·


    Power Level: 77


    ©»©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¿


    ©³©¥©¥©¥Status©¥©¥©¥©·


    Power Level: 101


    ©»©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¿


    ''These weaklings... they think they are enough?'' Tyr''s grin stretched even more as he saw all of these panels.


    "Stop." He suddenly said, "I am wanted alive, right?" He raised both of his hands in the air, "Take me... I give up. There''s no way I can defeat all 10 of you. You all are pretty strong from what I can tell."


    The Black Merchant Guild members paused with slight confusion, raising their brows.


    They looked at each other, murmuring silently with puzzlement.


    Finally, the one in front spoke: "Well... of course we are strong. That weakling was a branch leader within a random city, within a random country at that. We are members of the Rock Saelfine Black Merchant Guild... far superior in comparison."


    Tyr nodded.


    "If you give yourself up so willingly, we have no choice but to accept. And by the way... if you think you''re doing something smart here, know that each one of us is stronger than Bilweif by ourselves. I hope that clears any foolish hope you may have had to somehow escape." The robed figure said in a smug tone, smirking as he opened the cell door with a key.


    ''He has the damn key? Is he working for Rock Saelfine or what?'' Tyr thought to himself as he saw this.


    *Click*


    The door to his cell slowly opened.


    "Sorry gents..." Tyr said while facing the floor. Out of nowhere, a brilliant golden flame erupted from his glabella.


    The robed figures took a few steps back in shock, unsheathing thier weapons.


    "I''ve changed my mind. I''m not giving up for shit... instead, I''ll just butcher each one of you." Tyr''s head raised, revealing his wide eyes as he smiled through his teeth.

 Chapter 87 - 87: Despise

    A pair of soft eyes slowly opened in the darkness, revealing bright, azure pupils.


    Noa looked left and right with fear and alertness.


    She was confined within a small, iron cell with dozens of other women.


    Unlike her, all of these women were half naked, only their private parts being covered up with dirty rags.


    They had blisters and injuries all over their dirt-covered bodies, their hair frizzled to a mess and their eyes void of all emotions.


    Noa gasped subconsciously, horrified at what she saw: ''All of these women... they are slaves.''


    She was taken aback with sorrow and also anger at this entire concept.


    Her knees weakened, buckling beneath her as she fell onto her feet.


    Noa never remembered coming to Rock Saelfine, the village of Imbu.


    She had always remembered her life in another place far away from here, with her parents and family.


    However, a lapse in her memory caused her to one day appear in Imbu.


    Ever since then, although she was left alone, Noa was taken in by the people of Imbu and raised as one of their own.


    She grew, played, learned, and eventually became a member of the Imbu people.


    Her goals quickly formed around the village.


    The people within Imbu were not like those from Rock Saelfine.


    Instead, they were the very opposite. Despite those within the main kingdom viewing unfortunate people as slaves, the people within Imbu viewed the unfortunate as someone they could relate to. A friend, perhaps.


    The people outside of Rock Saelfine''s invisible walls hated the concept of slavery, as their ancestors were the ones to go through that fate.


    And as such, Noa came to hold the same view. However, her passion for the hate of slavery extended beyond that.


    To her, the very thought of confining someone else for one''s bidding was the worst act possible.


    From a young age she vowed to free anyone that she could from this fate, and her Ancestral Ability fit her personality perfectly, as she was able to use it to free many from their physical shackles.


    However, it wasn''t like she could actually free slaves...


    She was only a young girl, and she had other things to worry about, like caring for her people of Imbu.


    Although her dream for as long as she could remember was to free everyone she could... she also badly wanted to find her parents...


    And now, her worst nightmares had come true. Seeing these slaves in front of her sapped her of all energy.


    It was the worst thing she could imagine, and it was happening right in front of her. The grief and angst she felt was deplorable.


    She even began to tear up, muffling her mouth as she silently sobbed. The memories of the people of Imbu... Spen... her parents... her dreams and aspirations.


    ''Were they all for nothing?'' She thought to herself. ''Why... why must people be so cruel?''


    ***


    Hanzo and Malon arrived at the auction venue within a few minutes of their departure from Spen.


    They were speeding like never before. At a certain speed, even the guards wouldn''t bother trying to catch you...


    The auction house was a large, half-circle building. It''s walls were red, with white stripes lining its edges.


    The entrance was grand and large, the main doors open to all from what they could see.


    Dozens stood outside, others entering while others exited the building. S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Everyone looked to be dressed either in brown robes or very fancy attire.


    The two hopped off of the jetski and neared the building.


    "The poster said all are welcome..." Hanzo said to Malon, slightly concerned if they would be let in.


    "What the plan..." Malon questioned, slightly skeptical.


    "I haven''t ever been to a slave auction, but I''ve been to other ones. They all work the same in terms of the highest bidder getting the purchase."


    Malon furrowed his eyebrows, "Y-you want to buy all of the villagers!?"


    "No..." Hanzo said in a low tone, "I do not know what they did with everyone, but we will try to buy everyone that we can... especially Noa."


    Malon was a bit caught off guard by this, "Why do you hold her above the others? Is that not cruel?"


    Hanzo sighed, "Look, Malon... she has one of the most rare abilities in the world. Above that, she is a real friend of mine. At least I think she is. Although I wish I was perfect, I''m not. I want to save my friend at the very least, damn it."


    Malon turned his face forward, "No... I can''t blame you. I would do the same if I was in your situation. No one is perfect... but if we can, we must try to buy all of the villagers that we see."


    "No doubt about that. Let''s see how far 35,000 Gold takes us..."


    ***


    Tyr''s intent to kill was so surreal that it had translated into real, physical blood thirst energy in the air.


    So much so that the Black Merchant Guild members could feel an overwhelming feeling of doom suddenly overcome them.


    They stared at the smiling human in front of them with bewilderment, who, with this blasphemous killing intent, now seemed like some sort of towering monster.


    ''Blink Step.''


    Tyr blitzed forward out of nowhere, appearing before one of the robed figures and grabbing him by the neck.


    The thug was lifted up from the ground and immediately began choking. He wailed his legs, kicking nonstop as he clawed at Tyr''s tightly gripped hand to remove the iron maiden on his neck.


    Tyr''s expression remained furious as he continued to squeeze even harder, eventually crushing the man''s vertebrates and neck bones and tearing his neck muscles as if they were mush.


    The robed man immediately stopped moving, his hands and feet falling like a ragdoll''s limbs as blood trickled down his mouth.


    [You have slain Mena Oeal (Apprentice Rank Human).]


    [You leveled up!]


    [Current level: 142]


    [Level needed for next spell: 250]


    Tyr smiled again, "How satisfying..."

 Chapter 88 - 88: Justice!

    Seeing thier comrade be crushed to death like a bug in front of their very eyes, the other members of the Black Merchant Guild felt a horrifying, dull pressure in their chests.


    It was almost hard to breathe right now, let alone attempt to fight Tyr.


    ''What is it...'' Tyr thought to himself at that moment, ''Why am I so happy?'' He turned toward one of the robed men.


    "Killing humans... is it not an inherently bad thing?" Hesaid out loud, tightening his fist before suddenly unleashing it with full force into the robed man''s stomach.


    A powerful bang sounded as a woosh of air flew out from the robed man''s back from the impact of the blow.


    He was lifted into the air and folded like an omelet over Tyr''s wrist, having lost all of his consciousness instantly.


    His inner organs also exploded from the blow.


    [You have slain Haji Nae (Apprentice Rank Human).]


    "Everyone back up!" A Black Guild member suddenly shouted, jumping back several feet.


    The others broke out of their slight haze on hearing this, dashing backward themselves. They came back to their senses, furrowing their brows.


    "Tyr Evolion! Were you hiding this power!? It''s impossible to grow so much in such a short time unless you go through an Ancestral Ability Awakening!"


    Tyr turned to face the man who said this, a smile still residing on his face.


    "Last time we checked, you were not an Ancestral Ability user. So either you were hiding the power... or you have taken unstable pills." The man said in a low tone.


    "Unstable pills? Pfft." Tyr disappeared from sight, appearing before the man who said this.


    "Don''t overestimate yourself," Tyr said under his breath, unleashing a devastating blow onto the man''s face.


    With a bang, the robed man was thrown across the marquee, like a bug swatted across the air.


    [You have slain Messe Davi (Apprentice Rank Human).]


    Tyr faced his gripped fist, ''So damn powerful.'' He said, almost in awe at this newfound strength.


    "If it was inherently wrong, I wouldn''t feel such joy from it. No..." He turned, facing the other Black Merchant Guild members who were even more on edge.


    "I thought that killing the criminals who go against me is justified because they are bad, and stand in my way. But now... I understand that killing those who stand on my path is justice in itself!"


    "W-what?" A robed man said with confusion, ''Has he gone mad? What''s that crazed look on his face?''


    This man was obliterated in a mere second after he spoke.


    [You have slain Mans Kenna (Apprentice Rank Human).]


    "That''s right!" Tyr exclaimed, "Justice!"


    A punch to the chest, bursting the heart and lungs.


    [You have slain Chi Ken (Apprentice Rank Human).]


    A kick to the abdomen, tearing apart the kidneys and ribcage.


    [You have slain Benjamin Doverton (Apprentice Rank Human).]


    [You leveled up!]


    "RUN! HE''S TOO STRONG!"


    [You have slain Troy Nae (Apprentice Rank Human).]


    "We must report this to--"


    [You have slain Hane Djobh (Apprentice Rank Human).]


    "Please! Spare me!"


    [You have slain Hichel Mith (Apprentice Rank Human).]


    "Have mercy!"


    [You have slain Peua Nise (Apprentice Rank Human).]


    Finally, Tyr approached a single Black Merchant Guild member who had fallen onto his bum.


    The robed man pushed himself away from Tyr, tears surprisingly trickling down his cheeks. He raised his hand as he backed up: "I have a family..."


    "Oh?" Tyr said, almost in a sarcastic tone. Out of nowhere, he snickered and chuckled, "You think I care about you? Hahaha!"


    The robed man''s eyes widened with shock as he heard Tyr''s laughter echo through the marquee.


    His hand lowered, his face turning pale.


    ''Why am I begging for my life... he isn''t killing us for any purpose other than his own satisfaction. He decided to kill every single one of us from the very beginning...''


    Tyr kicked the man in the stomach, rupturing his inner organs and sending him flying into a prison cell. sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    [You have slain Havef Emerce (Apprentice Rank Human).]


    [You leveled up!]


    [Current level: 143]


    [Vitality: 60/60-->61]


    [Strength: 64-->66]


    [Stamina: 60/60-->61]


    Tyr deactivated his Full Golden Body, looking over at Spen.


    The dog-faced Tyr with a pair of slightly hesitant eyes.


    "Fear?" Tyr said out loud, "Don''t worry, I only kill bad people." Tyr smiled genuinely, causing Spen to come out from the shadows.


    "Let''s go, buddy. We have a lot of people to save..." He said with determined eyes.


    After a couple of driven barks from Spen as well, the pup dashed out of the marquee.


    Tyr ran behind him, leaping onto the roofs: "Come out, Rudra!"


    He fell onto Rudra''s back as the two followed Spen across the city ceilings.


    ***


    "Sold!" A man''s voice echoed through the auction hall, sending a roar of cheers across the seating arena.


    Hanzo and Malon sat at the very center of the theater in the middle row of seats.


    All around them was an enormous sitting area that revolved around half of the building.


    The entrance was at that top row, where you could walk down the middle row of stairs to enter any row of seats.


    The seating rows lowered until reaching the ground, a few feet in front of which was the grand stage.


    Atop the stage was a fat and pompous-looking man clad in jewel-adorned suit attire, holding a microphone as he shouted out to the crowd.


    Behind him were several half-naked, chained figures of various kinds.


    To the right of the building was a jazz band playing harmoniously.


    To the left was a bar where drinks were being served on carts continuously through the rows.


    Overall, it was a greatly pleasant and joyful atmosphere for those in the stands.


    Joyful for all those that weren''t Malon and Hanzo, of course.


    "Still not a single village member..." Malon said under his breath, leaning toward Hanzo.


    "It''s fine..." Hanzo said, looking over at a table beside the stage that was filled with stacks of several hundred paper sheets.


    "Look at all of the slave documentation. There is still a lot of slaves to go."


    "I hope you''re right..."


    "This row has been sold to those lucky few! And now, the next batch of slaves will be introduced!" The fat man said, arising some small reactions from the crowd.


    "It''s a lucky pull this time, folks!" The pompous man said, taking a look at his notes for a second:


    "A female slave among this group has an Ancestral Ability!"


    The crowd cheered quite a bit on hearing this, Hanzo and Malon both furrowing their brows.


    "Above that, it is quite a strong ability! One that can free people from Aura Binds of all sorts!"

 Chapter 89 - 89: Bids Increase

    The crowd suddenly erupted into a roar of cheers and applause.


    Both Hanzo and Malon immediately lowered their gaze, honing in on the next batch of slaves being brought onto the stage.


    As they were being brought in, Hanzo couldn''t help but peer down at a man sitting in the front row.


    He resided in a large booth that was filled with half-naked beauties, wearing colorful and revealing clothing while fanning the man and feeding him grapes.


    Hanzo cringed on seeing this, but that wasn''t why he was staring at the bald-headed guy.


    ''One of the three Lords of Rock Saelfine... Southern Lord of Female Slaves, Goghfrey. He buys all good-looking and useful female slaves in any auction he comes to.''


    Hanzo took a glance around him. Many other nobles and random people were also staring at Goghfrey with upset faces, swallowing their spit in anticipation and worry.


    ''It''s only once in a blue moon he pops up to small auctions like these... naturally, every other person wanting to buy a female slave now has their hopes in the gutters because of that swine.'' Hanzo gripped his paddle that had the name "Halon." Written on it.


    ''But... surely he wouldn''t spend much gold on her right? She''s just a random slave at a small auction...'' He hoped as the slaves were placed on stage.


    It was a batch of only women. The eyes of both Hanzo and Malon flew wide open as they saw Noa in the midst of all of them.


    She was the only one wearing her dress, so she heavily stood out. She was also at the very front of the group, so she was going to be ''sold'' first.


    The auctioneer began to speak: "Ladies and gentlemen! Your first slave is a one-of-a-kind. She''s the one I spoke about when introducing this swell group! One who can unlock all Aura binds, and ain''t she a fine piece of work? Take a good look at her face... her body."


    The crowd cheered, lustful eyes clearly landing on the girl.


    Hanzo clenched his jaw, restraining himself from acting out in anger.


    Malon placed his hand on Hanzo''s shoulder.


    ''Huh?'' Hanzo thought, ''Is he trying to comfort me?'' Out of nowhere, the grip on his shoulder tightened. He looked over at Malon, only to see an enraged expression on his face.


    "The starting price is!" The auctioneer blurted, capturing Hanzo''s attention again as he prepared himself.


    "250 Gold!"


    A wave of relief washed over Hanzo as he heard this: ''250? That''s quite low... there''s a lot of room I have to increa--'' He stopped, stunned at what he heard come from below.


    A paddle raised into the air as fast as a bullet and a loud voice echoed through the hall: S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "10,000 Gold!" Lord Goghfrey exclaimed with a large smile on his face, "Gaaahaha!" He burst into a peal of laughter, revealing his several gold-capped teeth.


    A low hum of disappointment washed through the crowd as Hanzo''s face turned pale, his heart suddenly feeling as though it was in his mouth.


    ''W-what? Already? Why? Is the mother fucker just showing off!?'' Hanzo thought inwardly with sheer hatred.


    Noa''s eyes widened with fear and shock as she heard this.


    Goghfrey continued to laugh as the auctioneer slowly raised his microphone to his mouth:


    "W-wow... we have Lord Goghfrey''s 10,000 Gold gambit! Are there any other takers!?" He shouted into the crowd.


    A wave of silence rippled across the entire stadium. It was expected. Why would anyone want to go against a Lord? Not only because they had a stupid amount of money that they could splurge with, but it also came off as quite disrespectful.


    However, Hanzo had no choice right now...


    The auctioneer slowly smiled while facing Goghfrey, "I don''t know why I even asked that question... SOLD to--" The auctioneer paused, his brows quickly furrowing as a paddle flew into the air from someone random in the crowd.


    As the auctioneer faced this man, the rest of the crowd also uniformly turned their necks to gaze at him.


    Whispers quickly began to swim about:


    "What? Why did he raise his paddle?"


    "Is he stupid? He isn''t winning against Lord Goghfrey..."


    "Tsk... what a fool."


    Even Goghfrey turned to look back past his shoulder with a judgemental expression on his face.


    "20,000 Gold," Hanzo said in a low tone, knowing he didn''t have to shout at this moment, as everyone was giving him their attention.


    As soon as he said this, a block of astonishment fell onto the crowd like a mountain.


    "WWHAT!?" The auctioneer exclaimed in shock. Everyone in the stands was perplexed at the bid.


    "What did he say!?"


    "Why would he--??"


    "20... thousand?"


    Hearing this, Noa squinted her eyes, ''Who would...'' She mused, zoning in on the man holding the paddle.


    As soon as she caught a good glimpse of who he was, she subconsciously gasped. Tears quickly formed in her eyes as her lips began to quiver.


    ''Why... is he here?'' She said inwardly. She was immensely moved by Hanzo and Malon coming here to save her, hence why tears were trickling down her face right now.


    But... she also faced the reality of the matter, ''They will be punished... they don''t deserve that just because of me.'' She knew this but had no choice but to bear witness.


    Even Goghfrey raised a brow as he heard Hanzo say his bet.


    The auctioneer stumbled on his words a bit but finally got out: "20,000 gold bid from Halon! Do we have any takers!?"


    Goghfrey turned back around.


    Hanzo clenched his jaw, staring down at the back of Goghfrey''s head with disdain: ''Come on you bald bitch... don''t tell me you care so much about losing a bid.''


    Goghfrey looked down at his paddle, ''More than 20,000 gold would be quite a waste... but this peasant dares try to make a mockery of me in my own home? He will regret that...''


    He raised his paddle: "25--"


    Hanzo kept his paddle raised, cutting Goghfrey off as he exclaimed loudly: "30,000 gold!"

 Chapter 90 - 90: Silver Haired Girl

    "W-what?" Goghfrey said under his breath, surprised at this himself.


    The auctioneer was both delighted and confused to hear this, "We have a challenger here it seems! To cut off a Lord, what a ballsy gentleman!" The auctioneer said with excitement but then noticed Goghfrey staring at him like he wanted to kill him.


    The auctioneer quickly fixed the smile on his face with a professional expression as he exclaimed: "Ahem... are there any more bids?"


    The crowd''s reaction to Hanzo''s bid was immense. Everyone was perplexed, but also entertained as hell.


    "Hahaha! He actually cut off a lord!"


    "Who the hell is that guy? Halon?"


    "This is crazy... I hope that guy lives to tell the tale."


    Hanzo looked at Noa, the two making eye contact. And then, Hanzo smiled, causing Noa to break out into a laughing cry.


    ''Hanzo...'' She thought, ''What are you doing.'' She continued breaking down. ''I can''t accept this... you will only get punished! Please...'' Noa was going through immense mental torture right now, understanding that her friends were digging themselves deeper into their own graves only for her.


    Hanzo stared at Goghfrey.


    The Lord stayed silent for a moment, the entire crowd amazed at his hesitation.


    To make him of all lords hesitate was insane to even imagine.


    His paddle raised again, "100,000 Gold."


    Jaws dropped to the floor...


    Shock was the only way to describe this theater right now.


    Hanzo''s eyes widened as his paddle slowly lowered.


    Goghfrey turned to witness this, a large grin stretching across his face.


    "Geeehehehee!" His chuckle slowly turned into a full-blown laugh. "Did you think I would ever lose a bid? Were you under the impression that you had me thinking about it? I am Lord Goghfrey of Rock Saelfine, not a runt like you who has any competition!"


    His voice echoed through the hall.


    Noa''s face lowered, facing the ground as tears dripped from her eyes and plopped on the floor.


    Hanzo closed his eyes, taking in a big breath as the entire crowd stared at him.


    He exhaled, opening his eyes and looking at Malon.


    He quietly spoke so that no one but Malon could hear him:


    "All Lords in this empire are assigned a Supreme Guard who rank no lower than Imperial Military Commanders in terms of strength. However, that Supreme Guard isn''t here right now... he probably isn''t anywhere in our 20 mile radius."


    Malon furrowed his eyebrows, instantly understanding what Hanzo was trying to tell him.


    As the crowd stared at them with anticipation and confusion, both Hanzo and Malon rose from their seats.


    Both of them stood there with shadowed expressions for a few seconds... before lunging toward opposite directions and sprinting down the rows.


    Everyone was thrown off. Goghfrey clenched his fist, "Guards! Arrest them immediately!"


    A group of full knights stormed into the theater from the stop entrance, but Hanzo and Malon leaped onto the stage far before they could do anything.


    Noa''s face was still pointed toward the ground. Malon and Hanzo rushed toward her from both sides, their hand extended.


    "NOT ON MY WATCH!" Goghfrey exclaimed, placing his hands on his face as an immense beam of Aura exploded out from it and blasted onto the stage.


    Hanzo was hit first, but before it could do much damage he was forced to jump off of the stage to avoid it.


    Next was Malon, who took a heavy blow to the left arm but was thankfully unharmed due to his shield.


    Goghfrey''s Aura beam disappeared as he stepped forward, "I am not a Lord for no reason! Do not underestimate my blood, heathens!"


    At that moment, the guards had caught up and surrounded both Hanzo and Malon who were quickly pushed together in the center of the floor before the stage.


    Over 20 guards were on all sides with spears and swords pointed at them. Goghfrey sat back in his chair, "Kill them..." He said with wide eyes.


    Hanzo sucked his top teeth, "Tsk... we still have a chance." He said to Malon. The two were back to back.


    "Yeah... these guards aren''t too powerful." Malon replied, "We can deal with them."


    "But don''t make any mistakes. The Supreme Guard has already begun his journey here."


    "W-what!?" Malon was perplexed to hear this.


    "He won''t take long... we can''t afford to mess up. Compared to a Supreme Guard, even I am like a bug."


    Malon gulped, preparing himself, "Well... we have no choice do we?"


    "Nope..."


    The guards lunged in to attack at that moment.


    Hanzo pulled his bowstring back, unleashing his blue arrow first before exploding it with a red arrow.


    The impact sent several guards slamming into the walls, multiple limbs exploded right off.


    Just as a few guards were immobilized, however, dozens more began pouring into the theater from above.


    "We just need a single frame of time where we are free to go and save Noa." Hanzo exclaimed, Malon nodding as the two continued fighting off the guards.


    As this happened, many bystanders began to exit the premises.


    ***


    Tyr arrived at the auction house.


    He got off of the Rudra, sending him into the Infinite Domain as he rushed toward the entrance.


    Spen remained on the roof upon Tyr''s orders, looking with determination at the young man.


    As Tyr arrived at the entrance, hundreds of people were suddenly storming out.


    "W-what the hell is this!?" He confusedly exclaimed, "Move! All of you move!" He attempted to push his way through but there were far too many people to make it quick.


    "Get lost kid! There''s a fight breaking out in there!"


    "Goghfreys inside, you won''t be able to buy shit anyways!"


    Random people shouted as they brushed past him.


    Finally, a random hand grabbed Tyr''s clothing above his chest.


    "Huh?" He exclaimed, looking down at a feminine hand with a pure white complexion grabbing his shirt.


    Out of nowhere, Tyr felt an immense force push him into the air and several dozen feet away.


    He was powerless to do anything as he was almost flown across the sky--a young lady holding onto him--and slammed on top of a random roof.


    He was taken aback with shock, and then finally took into account the randomly young lady who was sitting on his stomach right now.


    His eyes widened, unable to help but be mesmerized by her beauty for a split second.


    She looked familiar as well. Her eyes were a pristine azure color, and her hair was smooth, a long white-silver color to it.


    "You... from the scammer at Drance..." Tyr said under his breath.


    "Get off of me, woman! I need to get inside!" Tyr pushed the girl to the side, quickly standing up.


    "W-wait!" The girl said before he left.


    "What do you want!? I don''t have time for your shit!"


    "No... you will fail without this." She said, raising her palm.


    Tyr turned, noticing a small pill in her hand. He raised an eyebrow.


    "What? What are you saying?"


    "You want to save Noa, right?"


    "How the hell do you know all of that?"


    She ignored his question: "I came here... to free all of those slaves, not just Noa."


    "H-huh!? You still haven''t answered my question!"


    "Oh... right... let''s just say that I can... see things that will happen before they actually do."


    Tyr paused for a second, "Bulllshit! Your story doesn''t check out whatsoever! If you wanted to free all of those slaves, why were you rushing out of the hall when I arrived!?"


    The gorgeous silver-haired girl didn''t hesitate to reply: "Because I saw something different... I saw you." S~ea??h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Tyr remained silent, a confused look on his face.


    "With you here, I need not do my job. But that''s only possible if you take this. Please... trust me."

 Chapter 91 - 91: Reverse

    IMPORTANT AUTHOR NOTICE: The 4th Spell of the God Grimoire has been altered due to future story plot points. Thanks for understanding! More on the change in the next chapter.


    ***


    Tyr was split apart right now. He wanted to go inside and save his friends, but what if he couldn''t do it without this girl''s pill?


    The argument she was making didn''t seem absurd at this moment, especially considering the fact that she even knew who Noa was somehow.


    It could have been some sort of trap, but why would this random girl know to trap him anyway?


    So many things didn''t make sense on thier own, and only made sense if the girl was telling the truth about her ability to see into the future.


    Tyr couldn''t help but feel his intuition tell him to trust the girl.


    "Tsk... fine! But know that no diseases work on me. If you somehow fuck me over, don''t think I''ll forgive you just because you''re a girl."


    "That''s fine..." The girl said in a soft manner, sitting on her knees.


    Tyr swiped the pill off of her palm and quickly swallowed it.


    Almost instantly, he felt an excruciating pain blast his core.


    His face tensed, veins poking out of his forehead.


    His eyes slowly moved to look at the girl, who had a small and innocent smile on her face.


    "You... lied..." Tyr barely managed to utter, "What... is this?"


    "I didn''t lie." The girl stood up, putting a black hood over her head, "That pill is a rare one. It doesn''t hold much cultivatable Aura, but it''s a type that automatically is absorbed into your core without the need to cultivate. That way... you can unlock your... Spell, is it called?" She smirked cheekily after saying this.


    Tyr''s eyes expanded with shock, "How the hell do you know that? I haven''t even told Hanzo or Malon about my Spells..."


    The girl turned, "I told you, didn''t I? I can see things..." She jumped off of the roof, disappearing into the night.


    "What... the hell..." Tyr exclaimed, his vision turning blurrier and blurrier.


    Finally, everything turned pitch black all of a sudden...


    A vision of his core appeared in this darkness.


    The Aura from the pill entered his Aura Core, immediately strengthening it.


    As soon as the first layer formed, the Aura that GG had given him to balance his stats immediately flowed into his core, strengthing it more and more in the span of a few seconds.


    All he needed was that little foundation wall, and now his Aura did the rest of the work for him.


    [Congradulations! You have broken through into the Novice Rank!]


    [Congradulations! You have broken through into the Apprentice Rank!]


    [Congradulations! You have broken through into the Adept Rank!]


    Finally, Tyr opened his eyes. All of the pain and blurriness from before had disappeared.


    He was still the same strength as before, as GG had leveled him up to fit the amount of Aura he was holding. Now, his title finally matched his strength: Adept Rank.


    There was also one other change...


    [You have met the requirements to unlock your sixth Spell!]


    [You have unlocked the Spell: Reverse]


    [Description: Ability to copy and attack back with any Aura ability.]


    [Spell Criteria: You must absorb the damage of any Aura ability completely before being able to copy it. You must also meet the Aura stat needed to use the spell: your Aura stat must at least be half of the original ability user''s.]


    [The ability you Reverse can be used a total of three times in the duration of 10 minutes.]


    Tyr furrowed his eyebrows as he read this description, ''Thats strong...'' His mind immediately thought of how to use its spell criteria to his advantage.


    ''Fully absorb the damage huh... I think I have the perfect idea for that.''


    A powerful energy captured his attention at that moment.


    He looked into the sky, opposite the auction house.


    ''Killing intent?'' He thought with widened eyes of shock. The energy was disastrous, clearly fueled with malice.


    As time passed, it became stronger and hit you like a brick.


    ''Someone strong is coming. I can''t waste time her--'' Tyr turned toward the auction house, but as he did, something blitzed past him in the sky.


    The afterblow of this object propelled him forward, nearly causing him to stumble off of the roof.


    His eyes rapidly looked above the auction house, where a floating figure stood motionlessly.


    Without a second more delay, the figure coiled his fist back and zoomed into the building. From the sound of it, he obliterated the roof and penetrated into the main hall.


    Tyr had already left the roof by now, arriving back at the entrance of the auction house where hundreds of people were still lining up to escape.


    *A minute prior*


    *Seeeu*


    *Seeeeeuu*


    *Seeeu*


    Several arrows flew across the theater, obliterating multiple guards at once in a scene of bloody gore.


    "Tsk..." Hanzo exclaimed, pulling his bowstring back as he looked around.


    "They keep coming like ants..."


    *Seeeeeu*


    *Seeeeu*


    Malon also seemed irritated, "They aren''t that strong, but in numbers, even ants can topple elephants. This is insane."


    He blocked attacks coming in from multiple knights at once using his giant shield, blasting them away with force.


    Hanzo''s eyes darted to the entrance of the theater, "But... even ants have a limit." He noticed that there didn''t look to be any more reinforcements.


    "This is the last wave of em... after that, I''ll get Noa. You block that idiot''s mouth beam or whatever." He said to Malon as the two continued to fight.


    Goghfrey on the other hand stood at the edge of the soliders, clenching bost fists as he screamed at the two inside the circle.


    "You do not realize the mistake you have made, attempting to fight against a Lord!" He said, blabbering continuously.


    Hanzo''s viper-like eyes landed on him for a split second, throwing the angered fool off guard slightly as he felt a small chill climb up his back.


    "Don''t overcompensate... this has nothing to do with your Lordship. We are simply criminals who want to free a slave... it doesn''t have anything to do with you." Hanzo exclaimed in a serious tone.


    He focused back on the fight, ''If we were to admit to going against his Lordship... it would most likely mean the very end of our lives at that very moment. Going against his Lordship is like going against the laws of the empire... and therefore going against the empire itself.''


    *Seeeeeeu*


    *Seeeeeu*


    ''Thats also why we can''t afford the Supreme Guard to show up. His only job is to protect his Lord. All offenses against him count as an offense against hierarchal Lordship within this empire.''


    *Seeeeu*


    *Seeeeeu*


    A duo of blue and red arrows flew out this time.


    *BOOM*


    Hanzo lowered his bow. All of the enemies on his side had been cleared out. He had also focused on beating some of the soldiers that Malon was fighting.


    He turned to see Malon finish off the final couple.


    Malon also turned as he did this, the two looking at each other and nodding.


    Malon''s head darted toward Goghfrey--his shield slamming down from above before the Lord.


    Hanzos eyes on the other hand locked onto Noa. S§×arch* The Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    A large explosion sounded from above out of nowhere.


    Right before Hanzo moved even an inch, a disastrous tsunami crashed into the building--crushing everyone and forcing them to stay frozen in place under the immense weight.


    Except... this was no tsunami, but rather the horrifying killing intent of a Supreme Guard...

 Chapter 92 - 92: Supreme

    IMPORTANT AUTHOR NOTICE: The 4th Spell of the God Grimoire has been altered due to future story plot points. The copy spell [Xerox] has been changed to the counter spell [Reverse]. You can reread the previous chapter for its new description. It will also be provided below. Thanks for understanding!


    [You have unlocked the Spell: Reverse]


    [Description: Ability to copy and attack back with any Aura ability.]


    [Spell Criteria: You must absorb the damage of any Aura ability completely before being able to copy it. You must also meet the Aura stat needed to use the spell: your Aura stat must at least be half of the original ability user''s.]


    [The ability you Reverse can be used a total of three times in 10 minutes.]


    So, the only difference is that Tyr won''t be able to save these abilities for the long term.


    ***


    Everyone except for Goghfrey inside of the auction hall froze in place like statues, including those who were rushing to exit the place.


    Like a fallen angel, a figure exuding ruthless amounts of malicious Aura slowly descended from the broken ceiling.


    The pupils of Hanzo, Malon, and everyone else in the theater widened with shock and terror as they slowly dragged over to face the figure lowering from the skies.


    Clad in a fully black and dark red robe-like armor, the figure''s presence seemed to feel no different from that of a natural disaster.


    He was tall, more than 6''5 ft. in stature. His skin was pale, and his eyes were an icy blue. His hair was long, flowing down below his waistline and floating ethereally.


    "All those within thy Imperial presence..." The man spoke in a slow tone, his voice deep and commanding: "Kneel." He raised his voice slightly.


    In less than a second, a resounding sound of clothing rustling echoed through the hall as every civilian fell onto their knees. Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Hanzo''s eyelids widened as he felt a powerful force push down on his back out of nowhere like the gravity around him had increased by tenfold.


    He glanced over at Malon, who looked to be struggling much more than him.


    The look on Goghfrey''s face was of pure delight. With a broad smile, he exclaimed: "It''s them! The two right there! Get them!"


    As he said this with excitement, the Supreme Guard slowly turned to face him.


    "Lord Goghfrey of the Southern Rock Saelfine State." The guard''s voice echoed.


    Hanzo looked over at Goghfrey with squinted eyes, noticing the man''s smile fade as he gulped, as though in fear.


    ''He... doesn''t hold full command over the guard?''


    "Insufficient is your purpose to decree my summon... state thy reason." The Supreme Guard ordered at that moment with a calm demeanor and emotionless eyes.


    "W-well," Goghfrey stuttered, as though talking to a parent after a scolding, "Sir Thaddeus..." He addressed him politely, "I know I shouldn''t be pacing myself in any dangerous situations while you are appointed as my Guard... but these criminals have offended my very Lordship!"


    The Supreme Guard, namely Thaddeus as said by Goghfrey, turned to face Hanzo and Malon.


    "Do you wish to disgrace his Lordship?" Thaddeus exclaimed, floating down to the ground.


    His feet touched the floor, releasing most of the Aura pressure on everyone''s shoulders.


    Malon stood straight, finally feeling as though he could breathe properly.


    Hanzo straightened his shoulder as he stared at the Supreme Guard.


    "No... we never offended any type of Lordship. That is not what we are here for." He said, seeming collected.


    ''Unless we want to directly harm Goghfrey, this guy shouldn''t be able to do anything to us in terms of fighting or something like that... but it''s weird. From what I understand, Supreme Guards are strong but in terms of ranking, they are still less important than Lords in this empire. Yet, Goghfrey addresses him as though he is a king...''


    Thaddeus'' head tilted to the side slightly, an unimpressed expression on his face.


    He raised both hands in front of him, facing his palms downwards and placing them on top of each other.


    At that moment, an enormous hammer materialized under his arms. His palms clasped the bottom of the weapon''s hilt as the giant glowing hammer head sat on the floor.


    It had streaks of red aura flowing through it, and several chain designs encrusted into its handle.


    "For your crimes of thievery and disturbance, you will face the punishment of a severed limb," Thaddeus exclaimed in a heartless manner.


    Goghfrey furrowed his brows, "What!? Ergh..." He groaned, withholding his anger.


    Malon turned, staring at Hanzo. The short young man exhaled, gripping the hilt of his bow.


    Thaddeus then added: "However... you''re family bloodline will not be doomed, and your reputation will not be tarnished with the decree of death. Through thy eyes, I see that you tell no lie, and have not raised your weapons against Principal Goghfrey''s Lordship."


    Goghfrey''s hint of sanity disappeared as he heard this. A frown quickly formed on his face:


    "Nonsense! How can you be so forgiving!? These men have gone far enough! They deserve death rightfully due to the highest offense! Treason against the modes of the empire, such as Lordshi--"


    "Quit your whining..." Thaddeus interrupted, speaking in a low tone while even casting a glance toward the Lord.


    "The kingdom already deals with enough cases of disrespect. Although we all hold it in the highest regard, what is true must not be tainted."


    His gaze turned toward Malon and Hanzo.


    Hanzo spoke after a short pause, "Can we not have a trail by combat first?" He said, slightly desperate to somehow get out of this situation.


    "There is no need. I have declared your conviction."


    "How? What authority do you hold? Are you not only a Supreme Guard?"


    On hearing this, Thaddeus seemed to squint his eyes. He paused, sucking in a breath of air before speaking:


    "I am the Supreme Commander of National Defense and personal Imperial Guard of his highest Majesty; the Sovereign Warden of the Rock Saelfine Throne."


    Hanzo''s eyes widened slightly on hearing this, ''T-the Supreme Commander!? What the hell is he doing here of all places!?''

 Chapter 93 - 93: Golden Fury

    "We..." Hanzo paused, "will resist." He said with a lowered face, looking up at the tall man before him.


    "Your strength is too miniscule to make a difference..." Thaddeus slowly walked forward, his footsteps sending waves of Aura pulsing through the theater.


    ''Is he doing this on purpose?'' Malon thought to himself, feeling the subtle ripples all around the hall.


    He formed a giant shield, "Guess we have no choice..."


    Hanzo pulled his bowstring back, ''A lost limb huh...'' He thought to himself for a split second.


    "WAIT!" A piercing scream echoed from the stage. Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    All four men standing before the arena looked up at who made the noise.


    The auctioneer quickly rushed over to the slave line.


    All of the slave women were facing the ground, but one had her head raised.


    With a face reddened by tears, she screamed for her friends to be spared:


    "Please!" She cried, "They haven''t done anything wrong... just take me... kill me if you have to. It''s all my fault that they have to go through this!"


    Hanzo and Malon were taken aback to hear this.


    ''W-what? Does she think she caused all of this?'' Hanzo was surprised as he thought this.


    "Shut the fuck up you bitch!" The auctioneer suddenly yelled as the loud whipping noise of a slap echoed through the hall.


    Both Hanzo and Malon widened their eyes.


    "Oi! Stop that right now!" Malon said with an enraged expression, turning around.


    "How rowdy..." Thaddeus exclaimed, twirling two of his fingers, "Two-finger Seal." He said as a sudden chain bind constricted both Hanzo and Malon--tightly wrapping their limbs together.


    Hanzo''s bow fell to the floor as he struggled against the binds, as did Malon.


    Noa slowly faced up again after getting slapped, "Please, Supreme Commander... let them go. They aren''t at fault here." She pleaded. She knew that realistically, it was stupid to say such things.


    But right now, logical thinking was the least of her concerns. She badly wanted her friends to be left alone, especially after everything they had done for her.


    "You whore! Didn''t I tell you to be quiet!? These aren''t affairs you should be meddling in! You are a slave! Do not raise your voice to us with rights!" The auctioneer screamed again.


    "Another word from you, and I will personally end your breath right here as we speak..." He pulled out a dagger from his storage ring. "I don''t like destroying merchandise, so keep your mouth shut."


    Hanzo frowned, "Fuck..." He said under his breath, "This entire situation... it''s fucked up."


    Goghfrey raised his voice, "This entire situation is your fault!"


    Hanzo fiercely turned his head, "Our fault? You are the one who enslaves hard-working people for no reason! Your country of slavetrade!"


    Thaddeus spectated with subtlety as Goghfrey shook his head and leaned back in disbelief:


    "You dare speak treason against this country!? That is punishable by death!"


    Hanzo lowered his face, gritting his teeth back and forth, ''Damn it... god fucking damn it! If I offend the country I die, but this damn country is the whole reason this is happening. Enslaving innocent people... damn cheating bastards!'' He was fuming inside but was also conflicted on what to do.


    Thaddeus turned, facing the theater entrance...


    ''What is this presence? That amount of malice... is that even possible?'' These thoughts drifted across his mind at that moment.


    Goghfrey screamed: "Cut their damn limbs off already!"


    Thaddeus faced the two criminals again.


    "Please..." Noa exclaimed, "Please let them go!"


    "You just don''t listen do you!?" The auctioneer blurted, swinging at the girl''s neck with his dagger.


    Hanzo and Malon held their breath, their eyes expanding with shock and their lungs subconsciously gasping.


    "D-DON''T!"


    "STOPPP!!"


    The dagger swiped toward Noa''s neck. She flinched, closing her eyes in fear. As the blade made contact with her neck, it sliced the first layer of skin and drew blood.


    Out of nowhere, a sharp noise echoed across the entire hall. In less than a second, a spinning spear obliterated its way straight through the auctioneer''s stomach--even drilling through the stage floor below.


    His barely pieced-together body fell sideways onto the floor as his dagger fell out of his loose fingers.


    Noa opened her eyes, her breath shaky. She looked up at the hall entrance, her eyes widening in astonishment.


    Everyone''s heads immediately turned toward the theater entrance, silence spreading through the hall. It was quiet enough to hear a pin drop at that moment.


    "What..." Tyr said in a low tone before pausing, his heavy footsteps echoing through the silence as he walked down the steps, "THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE!?"


    A bright golden flame erupted from his glabella, his eyes glowing with a golden fury.


    His fists were clenched with anger, veins protruding out of his forearms.


    The look in his eyes was horrifyingly intense, like staring into the heart of a raging volcano.


    Thaddeus furrowed his brows, ''That Ancestral Ability...'' his eyes expanded as thoughts flew through his head.


    No one spoke a single word as Tyr continued walking down the stairs with heavy footsteps.


    His gaze had not moved around even an inch ever since he entered the theater. They remained locked onto Noa from the very beginning.


    She had also held eye contact up until now.


    "NOA!" Tyr exclaimed, "YOU... WANT HELP, RIGHT!?" He yelled out of nowhere, confusing the lot.


    Hanzo and Malon furrowed their brows, puzzled.


    Goghfrey squinted his eyes and Thaddeus'' expression remained quite stoic.


    Tyr didn''t care for any of that right now though. He continued to stare at Noa with firey eyes. Before anything else, he wanted to know that she wanted his help.


    Noa broke out into tears on hearing Tyr''s words. Not able to speak, she slowly nodded.


    Tyr gritted his teeth on seeing this, "WE ARE ALL GETTING OUT OF THIS WRETCHED SHITHOLE OF AN EMPIRE TOGETHER!" He roared into the ceiling.


    "You dare insult the empire!?" Goghfrey barked, "You have crossed the line! Anger is one thing, but do you really wish to offend the entire--"


    "I couldn''t care less about your empire! As I stand now, I see your empire as nothing more than my absolute enemy!" Tyr shouted without hesitation.


    Goghfrey was completely thrown off by this, "W-what?" He said under his breath in disbelief.


    Hanzo furrowed his brows, "Tyr! What are you--"


    He was cut off by the young man:


    "I won''t live in a world where a country like this thrives! Whether it be now or in the future, I will burn this empire to the ground and step on its ashes!"

 Chapter 94 - 94: Immunity

    ***AUTHOR NOTE***


    Sorry for the late chap everyone. My internet is being stupid and randomly turning off. I hope it gets fixed soon, but until then please have patience if something like this happens again.


    ***


    Jaws gaped and fell to the floor. Even the slaves beside Noa faced up for the first time since they entered the stage.


    "W-what are you saying?" Hanzo exclaimed in disbelief, "You just declared war on the entire empire." He faced Tyr''s eyes but was suddenly taken aback.


    There were no second thoughts in the young man''s eyes, and Hanzo instantly recognized this. S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''Oh...'' Hanzo thought to himself, closing his eyes at that moment for a short duration.


    When they opened again, a smile had formed on his face, "So be it then. Fuck this empire!"


    Malon''s head jerked toward Hanzo, his face riddled with astonishment.


    Hanzo looked at him and nodded.


    Malon took a moment to take it all in but didn''t hesitate much to make a decision.


    "Yeah... fuck this place! I hope it crumbles under its reign!" He yelled.


    Goghfrey remained silent, his shocked expression replaced with a shadowed face.


    After a short moment, he placed his palm on his face and shook his head side to side, "Heh..." He chuckled, "All my life as a Lord in this empire and I haven''t ever witnessed such foolishness."


    He turned to face Tyr fully, his expression disdainful and threatening: "You all are nothing but a bunch of peasant brats who know nothing about the real world, yet you think you can speak as if you are on some sort of high horse? Pathetic! All you''ve done is throw your lives into the gutters!"


    His head jerked toward the Supreme Guard: "Sir Thaddeus! Do you now see their intentions!?"


    Thaddeus raised his hammer, swinging it around in the air as gusts of wind began to twirl into it like a hurricane.


    It took mere seconds for a strong pull to cover the entire hall as if the man was a black hole sucking everything in.


    "Thy word... is thy bond. By insulting this grand empire, you have caused doom upon your entire bloodlines and your very lives..." He paused, raising his chin as he slowly floated into the air.


    The wind pull became even stronger as the man continued to fly up.


    Tyr stormed down the stairs, his gaze not leaving Thaddeus'' body for even a split second.


    "Tyr!" Hanzo shouted, "The bastard''s getting serious now... you said all you wanted to say, but do you have a way to actually back it up? The Tyr I know wouldn''t just say things as dangerously stupid as this without having some sort of plan in mind..."


    He paused, looking at Tyr, "Right?"


    Malon also stared at Tyr with anticipation.


    "Of course, I have a plan, damn it! We are all leaving this dump togethor... I''ll promise you that." Tyr declared, stopping in his tracks as he stared at the man above.


    "Dishonerable heathens!" Thaddues shouted, his voice somehow carried by the wind and now echoing through the hall.


    The wind was so strong that the clothing and hair on everyone''s body were standing straight up as though frozen.


    Goghfrey left the scene, rushing up the stairs before an attack came down.


    Thaddeus finished his declaration at that moment: "DIE!" He said in a furious tone, widening his eyes as he slammed his hammer toward the ground.


    A spiral of wind the size of a flying dragon swooped down from his hammer and raged toward the three on the ground.


    ''Fast...'' Was all that Hanzo could think, pulling his bowstring back. However, he knew he would be far too late to use his Defense as it currently stood.


    Malon had already formed a giant shield, but the look of worry in his eyes displayed the fact that he didn''t have much hope to survive this.


    However, in the midst of their vision, a glowing golden figure leaped into the air right in the center wind attack''s route.


    ''W-what the... fuck!?'' Hanzo thought, his eyes expanding with horror.


    Malon was at a loss, as was Noa.


    However, Tyr did not falter. His expression had not weakened whatsoever, his piercing eyes locked onto Thaddeus'' like a vipers.


    ''I am immune...'' Tyr said as the front of the wind attack formed into a transparent dragon head and devoured him--crashing into him with full force.


    His eyes did not flinch even a bit as the wind thrust at his body... and was repelled to the side like a faucet of water hitting a flat spoon.


    The immense pressure and wind force of the dispersed air pushed everything below it several feet away, crashing various instruments, food items, chairs, and decorations into each other as Malon and Hanzo were propelled back several feet.


    ''Reverse.'' As Tyr said this, the reflecting wind suddenly disappeared.


    Hanzo stopped blocking his face due to the crazy wind force disappearing, finally able to see that the wind was seemingly absorbing into Tyr like a drain.


    ''Holy... fuck.'' Was all he could think.


    ''Tyr... how can you do this? Just what are you?'' Malon was entirely at a loss for words.


    Even Thaddeus raised his left brow in confusion, "Impossible... what type of Ancestral Ability grants such a ludicrous power?"


    Out of nowhere, Tyr''s fierce expression morphed into a smirk, "Is that a hint of defeat entering your mind that I see?" He said as the last of the wind sucked into his body.


    He instinctively raised his hand, causing a giant hammer made of rich purple aura to summon in his grip.


    He swirled it around just as Thaddeus had done, having absorbed both the ability and how it was performed.


    A giant vortex of wind was formed within two seconds, rivaling that of Thaddeus'' without any signs of incompetence.


    Thaddeus furrowed his brows as Tyr suddenly thrust the purple hammer toward him, even letting go of the weapon as it traveled with the wind spiral.


    "How insane... has a True God blessed this planet once again?" He said under his breath, perplexed with disbelief as the wind dragon head crashed into him.


    It threw him out of the theater roof, dragging him several hundred feet into the air.

 Chapter 95 - 95: Great Escape

    Tyr breathed heavily as he saw the wind dragon continue to propel the man away. He fell to the ground, landing swiftly before turning and sprinting toward Hanzo and Malon.


    The two were at a loss for words.


    "How..."


    "Thats... insane..."


    Tyr wasn''t stuck on that right now. He had done all this for a reason, and he wasn''t going to forget about that after coming so far.


    "He isn''t anywhere near dead... and probably isn''t hurt much either. He''ll be back within seconds, so we need to get the hell out of here as soon as possible." Tyr shouted as he picked up but Hanzo and Malon on his shoulder.


    They were sealed right now, so Tyr had no choice but to do this.


    Goghfrey''s maw was wide open with shock as he saw this.


    He paused, taking in the ludicrousy of what he just witnessed as he screamed:


    "You won''t get away! This empir--"


    "Screw your empire!" Tyr interrupted, "Even if its the last thing I do, I''ll crush this dump beneath my feet. Just you watch, you bald prick!"


    Goghfrey furrowed his brows, his chin backing up into his neck in disbelief: "Just who... gah! Damn peasant rats!"


    "Tyr! Noa!" Hanzo exclaimed, staring at the girl on the stage.


    "Yep..." Tyr said under his breath, sprinting onto the stage.


    He was holding Malon on one shoulder, so he decided to prop Noa up on top of Hanzo to make the weight more balanced before swiftly turning on his heel.


    "Quick!" Malon yelled with haste.


    "Out the exit!" Hanzo shouted urgently.


    However, instead of heading toward the exit, Tyr first ran toward a table beside the stage that had thousands of pages on it.


    He ducked his head down, touching the papers with the golden flame on his forehead.


    As he did this, the pages were set ablaze instantly.


    With that, he turned on his heel and dashed toward the exit, using Blinkstep as often as he could to be faster.


    The three on his shoulders were taken aback as they saw this.


    Noa burst into tears again, but this time out of happiness.


    "Thank you... Tyr." He exclaimed as drops trickled down her cheeks.


    Tyr smiled, "Of course..."


    "YOU FOOL!" Goghfrey screamed at the top of his lungs, "You destroyed all of their documentation! Those slaves are now not even humans!"


    "You didn''t consider them humans to begin with!" Tyr shouted back in a rough tone.


    "Well--shut up! You just ruined the entire slave auct--"


    "That was the plan, dumbass." These were Tyr''s last words as he Blink Stepped past the Lord.


    As he arrived outside, he summoned Rudra and dashed atop a roof. Spen hopped on board, and from there the group disappeared into the city at full speed.


    They rammed through guards and carts, destroyed rooftops, and knocked over civilians, but in the end, they made it out of the city in one piece...


    ***


    Goghfrey ran after the escapees up to the exit door of the auction house.


    As he arrived a few feet away from the exit, he slowed and panted slightly, walking towards it while wheezing.


    "Damn criminals... they don''t know what they''ve done." He walked out of the doorway, facing the city before him as he shook his head.


    "No mistake about that." A voice suddenly sounded from behind the Lord, making him jump in fear.


    "Wha-!?" He stumbled forward slightly before turning around.


    Standing beside the doorway and also facing the city was Thaddeus--who remained leaning on the wall with a nonchalant expression on his face and closed eyes.


    "T-Thadeus!?" Goghfrey exclaimed with shock.


    The man opened his eyes as he heard his name, "It''s ''Sir'' to you..."


    "O-oh right... Sir Thaddeus,"


    ...


    "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE!??" He screamed in disbelief. "Shouldn''t you be chasing those criminals!?"


    Thaddeus pushed himself off the wall, "Hmm... I have a few reasons."


    "What could possibly stop you from completing such a duty!?"


    Thaddeus walked past the Lord, slowly climbing down the steps: "Apart from some other things... I don''t really feel like going on a wild goose chase right now. I have other things to attend to with my time."


    Goghfrey''s shoulders drooped as a frown showed on his face in defeat: "What..."


    "Well, they are enemies of the empire now. It''s not like they will actually thrive for long."


    "Still, how could you not go after them? Apart from the reason you just stated, what else is there that is making you deny such a duty?"


    "That young man, Tyr was his name right? He reminds me of a young version of someone that I know."


    "That you know? What do you mean? Personally?"


    "Pfft! Not at all..." With that, Thaddeus jumped into the air and flew off.


    Goghfrey was left there gawking like a fool.


    "What a horrible day to be a Lord."


    ***


    After a short while, Tyr and the others arrived at Imbu Village. Or rather, what was left of the town...


    Tyr dropped everyone inside of Noa''s half shack. After that, Noa spent a few minutes taking Hanzo and Malon''s seals off.


    She wiped drops of sweat off of her forehead after doing so, "Phew... thankfully they were quite weak binds. I guess seals aren''t his specialty."


    "Still," Malon said, rotating his arm, "To have that strong of a bind without it being your specialty is really something."


    "No doubt about that..." Hanzo added, "Its still amazing to me how powerful of an attack that was, Tyr." He faced Tyr. "That man was strong... he should have caught us if we are speaking in chances."


    "I guess we got lucky... plus, I only reversed his technique. It''s not like I used my own at him." Tyr replied, and then a short silence ensued.


    Everyone sighed quietly...


    "So..." Tyr broke the silence after a few seconds, "What now..."


    Spen squealed slightly with sadness after hearing this.


    Noa faced the ground, everyone else looking at her.


    "Since you burned the documentation, everyone is now free. Without their identities, not even Rock Saelfine can confine them." sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "That also leaves them stranded in this world though, no?" Tyr replied, genuinely curious.


    "Im afraid so... but they are strong people. I know they will manage." Noa said, tightening her fist, "Without the threat of slavery, at least for now... they can create new identities for themselves."


    "We can''t go back for them, even if we wanted to." Hanzo said, "We won''t be able to stay in this place for longer than a couple days either before search warrants are put out and our heads will be worth a lump sum to the government..."


    Tyr sat down, "Noa..." He said, staring at the young lady''s eyes.


    Noa was slightly taken aback by this confrontational tone, but she didn''t hesitate to look back at him: "Yeah..."


    "Do you think we can save them?" He said with a straight face.


    Noa sighed, thinking about it for a moment, "No..."


    "Then tell me, what do you want to do from this point onwards..."


    Everyone listened closely as Tyr said this.


    "What do I want..." Noa paused to think.

 Chapter 96 - 96: Now What?

    Noa stood up, walking over to her bedside table. Thankfully, that side of her shack was still intact.


    She picked up the picture of her parents and stared at it.


    "I want to find my parents again..." She paused, "All I know is that they are really far away. Across the world I think... its kind of a crazy goal." She chuckled slightly with embarrassment.


    "No, not really." Tyr replied, his tone nonchalant, "Our goal is to travel this entire planet, you know. Compared to ours, it doesn''t seem all that insane if you ask me."


    Noa turned, facing the three as they all stared at her and nodded.


    "M-my dream... is to free everyone that is in chains."


    Tyr furrowed his brows, "Your dream?"


    "It''s like a fantastical goal. Something I''d get if no one could stop me or get in my way, you know?" The young lady replied in a slightly hesitant and joking tone.


    "I see..." Tyr thought about that for a second, ''If no one could stop me? But that is already a goal of mine, to make sure no one can stop me from doing what I want... but what exactly is it that I want? What is my dream?'' He asked himself.


    "It''s impossible to return to Rock Saelfine..." Noa said, "I want to help my village folk more, but I can''t stay here and help them my entire life. I have aspirations too... I want to see my parents as well..." Noa looked down, seemingly emotional.


    "No one can blame you for that, Noa. What kind of child wouldn''t want to see their parents after being separated for so long?" Tyr said, a long moment of silence ensuing before Tyr again broke it:


    "So... I guess you''re coming with us." He said with a smirk.


    Noa''s head immediately lifted with a shocked expression, "W-what? But I have nothing to offer you guys. I''d just slow you down. Are you sure that would be okay?"


    Hanzo and Malon chuckled slightly.


    Hanzo exclaimed, "Just asking out of the blue huh Tyr? I mean, I have no problems with it."


    "Yeah." Malon added, "You are our friend now, Noa... plus, we already worked our butts off to save you. We can''t just leave you stranded now, can we?"


    She looked back up at Tyr.


    Tyr replied: "Enough thinking, just come with us. Thinking too much never leads to greatness." He smirked, "There''s a lot to do out there, and if I get sealed again I can''t just come back here all the time."


    Noa laughed as she heard this, but she still seemed extremely emotional.


    "Thanks... thank you all... I promise to be a good teammate."


    The three grinned wide as they heard this.


    Spen also barked happily.


    "Oh? I almost forgot. That means you''re going with us too aren''t ya'' buddy?" Tyr said, picking the small pup up.


    *Chomp*


    "ARRRGHHH!!!"


    *A couple minutes later*


    After taking a Health Capsule and bandaging his nose, Tyr faced Spen again who was now on the ground.


    "Damn mutt... you really shouldn''t come with us after that. Nearly tore my nose straight off." Tyr grumbled, still in pain.


    *Roof roof!*


    "What do you want now?"


    Spen remained silent but still stared at Tyr with a wagging tail.


    Tyr paused, squinting his eyes slightly, "Yes and no questions like we did before?"


    *Roof!*


    "Okay... so what do you want to tell me? You are coming with us, right?"


    *Roof roof!*


    "Huh!?" Tyr was shocked.


    Hanzo''s brows were furrowed in shock right now, "What the hell? Are you saying you understand him?"


    Malon was equally perplexed: "Since when did you become a dog whisperer!?"


    Noa chuckled, "I can understand Spen quite well, but having full conversations isn''t something even I have fully mastered."


    Tyr continued his conversation: "You don''t want to come? Why?"


    Spen turned around, facing the direction of the empire as he howled into the sky.


    "Rock Saelfine... what about it?" Tyr questioned.


    Noa spoke at that moment: "Sir Hastel and the others, right Spen?"


    *Roof!*


    Tyr put the puzzle pieces together, "He wants to go to the villagers?"


    *Roof!*


    "I mean, it''s not like Spen is a criminal in the empire like us... he won''t get in trouble," Hanzo noted.


    "I know what he wants," Noa said, looking into Spen''s eyes as everyone else remained silent.


    "You want to protect them, don''t you boy?"


    *ROOF!*


    It was one bark, but the loudest that Spen could muster.


    Noa chuckled slightly on seeing this.


    "If you want to stay back, we can''t do anything to stop you... just be safe, okay?" She said, petting Spen on the head.


    *Roof!*


    Tyr walked toward the dog, "Spen! If you want to protect the people of Imbu village, I will give you an order. Can you promise to me that you will be able to follow it?"


    *Roof!*


    Tyr smirked, "We won''t be leaving this kingdom forever. I will come back one day to wipe it off the map."


    The others were slightly surprised to hear this.


    Tyr continued, "When I come back, you have to guarantee that I see the village people safe and secure under your guidance, got it?"


    *ROOF!*


    "Good! Now go off, you bastard nose biter!"


    *Roof roof roof!*


    Spen jumped up at Tyr''s face at that moment, freaking the young man out.


    The dog''s mouth opened as though in slow motion, ''Blink Ste--''


    However, instead of a bite, Tyr caught a slobbering lick on his face.


    Spen dropped down, darting toward the empire as Tyr stood there with a slightly irritated expression.


    He wiped the saliva off his face, and smiled after a second, "Ahh whatever... he was a good dog. I hope he doesn''t stay that small forever. I want to see him again when I come back." Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ***


    The group of four shortly fell fast asleep, understanding that they had to be urgent the next morning.


    And urgent they were. As the sun barely crept past the horizon, Tyr and his group had already traveled hundreds of miles north of the Rock Saelfine empire.


    "So where are we off to next!?" Tyr shouted into the sky.


    "It''s an adventure isn''t it? Let''s just pick a place on the map and hope for the best!"

 Chapter 97 - 97: Dream Formed...

    "If it helps, here''s a map of Ainsveld," Noa exclaimed, taking a scroll out of her bag.


    She was on Rudra with Tyr, Malon having moved to Hanzo''s jetski.


    "A map? Why haven''t we thought of buying one of these before? Tsk..." Tyr complained, taking a good look at the piece of paper.


    He noticed 5 larger empires in the region, with a few smaller isolated lands here and there as well.


    To the south was Rock Saelfine. Its tip, however, extended close to the center of the continent.


    Right above it was a smaller kingdom in the center, the second larger country on the map that went by the name Ovalantis Province.


    To the left of Ovalantis Province was a large kingdom named Zasea.


    To the right of the central nation of Ovalantis was the Douden Federation, the land of the dwarfs and other humanoid beasts.


    Finally, above the central region was a kingdom named


    To the bottom left of Rock Saelfine Empire was Mycopolis, the third larger kingdom.


    Finally, at the very top of the map was Edenharl Garden.


    Apart from these five large nations, there were dozens of smaller kingdoms, dynasties, and countries littered plentifully.


    This included the Seris Dynasty, which was below Rock Saelfine and connected to the southern sea named: Major Rastafore Ocean.


    Slight above Seris, and slightly below and to the left of Rock Saelfine was the secluded nation of Mycopolis.


    "I want to go somewhere where I can grow much stronger," Tyr said, staring closely at the map.


    "Stronger huh? That means you will have to cultivate..." Hanzo noted, lying calmly on his flying jetski-like vehicle.


    Malon added his two cents: "We could have done something in Rock Saelfine, but unfortunately we declared war on the fucking place before we even got to a single store..."


    Tyr and Noa chuckled slightly on hearing this.


    "It''s your fault you bastard, don''t laugh." Malon said with an irritated expression while shaking his head.


    "I know I know..."


    "Well anyways... thankfully, other than the big slave trade, Rock Saelfine isn''t known for its cultivation prowess." Malon moved on quickly.


    "Hmm... I wouldn''t exactly say that." Hanzo said, causing Noa and Tyr to turn their heads toward him instead.


    Compared to Malon and Hanzo, the two were much more clueless. Their backgrounds weren''t nearly as opportunistic to learn all this stuff.


    "Rock Saelfine is a very strong nation. Their military rivals that of any other kingdom apart from one... however, I do agree that it isn''t the best when it comes to cultivation." Hanzo paused as everyone waited for him to finish.


    In the meantime, Tyr questioned: "Apart from one? Which kingdom is that? The strongest of all..."


    "Im not surprised you don''t know, since you''re Tyr after all, but everyone understands this behemoth to own Ainsveld. They control everything when it comes to the distribution of cultivation supplies such as elixirs, pills, techniques, and what not,"


    Tyr furrowed his brows, his excitement rising and turning into eagerness as he heard this, ''Damn... quite the hype up.'' He mused.


    "It''s known as the Empire of Ancestral Abilities... the illustrious Ovalantis Province."


    "Ovalantis huh? The central region... and the smallest of the big empires." Tyr paused, "It''s in the middle no? I feel like it should have the worst possibility of being the strongest empire. Its location isn''t anywhere near ideal if war were to break out."


    "You aren''t wrong about that. Ovalantis is surrounded by mountains, but it still is in a disadvantaged location. Nonetheless, the other nations wouldn''t dare attack it even with their combined powers." Hanzo replied nonchalantly.


    Tyr was slightly surprised to hear this, "Seriously? Even the other four combined they couldn''t take that kingdom down?"


    Hanzo paused before speaking, "Ovalantis'' Regal Magistrate... those 5 figures are probably some of the strongest Ancestral Ability users in the entire world, let alone the continent. With them on the battlefield, the war would probably end in a dead tie."


    "Damn..." Tyr couldn''t help but find himself smiling as he thought about this, "Wouldn''t that be amazing? To be so great that people thousands of miles away speak your name with such awe." Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    As he said this, the others laughed slightly.


    Hanzo replied, "Well, when you state it like that, yeah... it''s pretty crazy to think about."


    "I''ll get there, you know... I''ll be the strongest," Tyr said, as though daydreaming but still completely serious.


    Hanzo paused for a second, "W-what? Pahaha!"


    Noa chuckled, "Wow... that''s quite the dream!"


    "Strongest? You would have to be king of the world to be the strongest! What an absurd dream! Hahaha!" Malon laughed his ass off.


    "King of the world you say? That doesn''t sound like a bad title." Tyr exclaimed as the others continued to laugh.


    ''I was given this second chance for a reason... these immense powers for a reason. Do I not deserve that throne? Hell, even if I don''t, I want it. I want to rule this world, and have power like no other...''


    He reflected on just what he was saying, and if this was something he really wanted.


    ''I have a feeling that others would want a basic and boring life... but I''ve always wanted something more than the boring and normal existence. I have no interest in being weak and unknown. I have interest in becoming the strongest under the sun... the most glorious in the eyes of men, and the most respected in the heart of mortals. With this power I hold, would it hurt to try?


    If not that, then what would I aim for? I have no limitations... so why not aim straight up and hope for the best?''


    "Thats it," Tyr said out of nowhere, a determined look on his face, "I''ve decided for sure... Im going to be the king of the world!"


    .


    .


    .


    "Ahaha!"


    "Pahaha!"


    "Hehehe!"


    "Tsk! Laugh all you want, but im being dead serious!"


    ***


    And just like that, their journey to the central nation of Ovalantis began.


    *Months later...*

 Chapter 98 - 98: Birth Of A Dragon

    Tyr and the others had officially began their journey to Ovalantis Province.


    Not only did they want to become more powerful, but they also wanted to avoid being caught by the Rock Saelfine army.


    The only way to do this was by entering the jurisdiction of another empire entirely.


    As weeks passed, Tyr finally turned 16. His birthday was short and sweet, his friends wished him a happy birthday and cut a small fruit cake.


    There weren''t any gifts shared, as the four had been practically living together for over a month. Everything they all had was already shared anyway.


    A couple more months passed. Darkness loomed over the forest canopy as low rustles and scarce fireflies littered the twilight.


    The group were sleeping in thier tents around a small campfire. Tyr was in a deep slumber when he suddenly heard a loud and rough voice wake him up in the middle of a good dream.


    ''Master! Master! I require your attention immediately!''


    Tyr was awoken in the middle of the night to Rudra''s consistent yells.


    ''What happened? Why are you yelling in such a rush?'' Tyr telepathically communicated, rubbing his eyes with exhaustion.


    ''It''s Ares! He''s moving like a real beast and cracking apart!''


    ''Huh!? Did he not need an incubator?'' Tyr said this to himself rhetorically, but Rudra answered him anyway.


    ''I decided to create a nest for him during my free time... I guess it worked in the end.''


    Tyr immediately got up and left his tent. The rustling thankfully didn''t wake up anyone else around the campsite who were sleeping in their tents.


    They were in the middle of the forest right now, and to avoid making noise Tyr sprinted into the forest half-naked to release Rudra and Ares.


    After he was about 500 feet away, he allowed both of his beasts to come out.


    Rudra stood beside his master, both of them gazing intensely at the egg before them.


    It was cracking and shaking incessantly.


    Tyr slowly approached it, nearing his hand toward the shell.


    As soon as his hand landed on the egg, it abruptly settled down.


    A warm feeling buzzed through Tyr''s palm as he continued resting it there.


    "It''s alright, boy. You can come out now... be birthed into this world." Tyr commanded, hoping that would do something.


    *Crack*


    One rupture led to another...


    *Crack*


    *Crack*


    *Crack*


    And before he knew it, the eggshell shattered apart.


    Tyr furrowed his eyebrows, getting a good look at what was inside of the egg.


    A small head popped out. It was the size of a baseball; a pointy snout with a pair of the cutest large eyes.


    The beast''s entire body was covered in blue and purple scales. He was no larger than 2 feet in length.


    He moved his head erratically a few times before yawning and furling the gills that were beneath his small jaw.


    Finally, he raised his entire body and displayed a pair of scaly wings on its back--like a peacock bluffing its feathers.


    Tyr''s eyes expanded at that moment as he saw what this creature was, ''A... dragon? Did that dungeon truly have a dragon egg inside of it?'' He was slightly at a loss for words.


    [Congradulations! Ares has turned out to be an advanced species: Dragon!]


    ''So its true... then does that mean it may have not grown to be a real dragon?''


    [Description: An extremely powerful beast that rules over continents. Ancient, and able to wreak havoc on planets. It holds greed and power above all else, and is the most blessed species of all the Gods.]


    [Your new Soul Mend ability has been created.]


    [Current viable specimens: Polaris Tiger (Immense strength, durability, and speed.) Dragon (Winged flight, flame breath, durable scales.).]


    ''Holy fuck... those are strong. Soul Mend; Dragon.'' Tyr wasn''t going to wait to try these out. No way in hell.


    At once, scales grew over his arms and legs, shoulder, upper back, chest, and also a bit on his cheekbones and forehead.


    *Woooosh*


    In one movement, two giant dragon wings thrust out from his back and extended to the side.


    Tyr smiled, unable to help but even chuckle in excitement.


    "Ho-hoolly shit! Ahaha!" He exclaimed, feeling as though he had grown two extra limbs.


    He attempted to flap them to fly, but instead threw himself sideways into the tree and then crashed onto the ground.


    ''Master!'' Rudra yelled with concern, ''Are you alright!?'' He sprinted over to Tyr immediately.


    ...


    After a few seconds, Tyr decided that he was gonna wait to try out his new powers after all.


    He returned to Ares, who looked up at him with innocent eyes.


    Tyr pet the small creature, "I consider you nothing less than my son now, Ares." He said as the dragon continued to look at him.


    "Grow big and strong... and help me take over this world."


    Rudra growled loudly on hearing this, ''Hoorah! The world shall be in your palm if I have any say in it!'' He roared.


    ''Consider...'' Ares said out of nowhere before pausing.


    ''He can speak even though he just got born?'' Tyr confusedly thought, but then realized, ''Oh right... GG will translate his thoughts without him needing to even know a language. I wonder what a newborn like him will say...'' S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''It... done.'' Ares finished his sentence.


    "What? Consider it done?" He paused for a second before breaking out into a light laugh.


    "Ahaha! Good! Thats exactly what I wanted to hea--" He was suddenly cut off.


    ''You have the right to be my servant when I take over this world...'' Ares suddenly proclaimed.


    "Wait... that wasn''t what I--" Tyr was again cut off.


    ''Silence! You are nothing more than a measly human.'' His eyes darted over to Rudra: ''And you...'' Ares paused as a sudden and menacing Aura exploded out from his being.


    Tyr felt as though a towering dragon the size of a mountain was before him at that moment, the killing intent and primal presence of the beast causing the sheer gravity around him to feel dozens of times heavier than normal.


    His eyes expanded with shock as his smile instantly disappeared: ''Strong...'' He thought to himself.


    ''You will also be a servant... but expect no more mercy from me.''


    Rudra''s eyes widened... but even the king lowered his head and groaned with fear.


    Tyr was completely shocked by this, ''The blood an Advanced Species of beast. So this is the presence of a true dragon. Not even that Supreme Guard seemed this horrifying...''

 Chapter 99 - 99: A Dragons Declaration Of War

    ''A bloodline of absolute monarchs passed down through countless generations...'' Tyr thought to himself in awe as he stared at the beast before him, ''The lord of the skies, a damn dragon.''


    At that moment, Ares thrust his wings against the ground and flew up into the sky.


    "W-wait! Where are you--??" Tyr said, running after the beast before stopping and staring at the sky.


    Upon reaching above the tree tops, Ares lifted his chin and let out a low growl into the air.


    ''Feeble beings...''


    Although the small dragon was merely growling, GG translated this for Tyr based on Ares'' intentions.


    Ares continued to growl, his exclamations becoming louder:


    ''The utmost superior lifeform has graced your planet... fret, fear, and cower under your firmament of false security. Be afraid! Your rule is no longer sanctioned by my ultimate decree!''


    The dragon finally roared into the air--although, it did sound like a chirp at the same time.


    Nonetheless, right after he said this, a wave of purple Aura blasted out of him, repelling in all directions like a ripple traveling across the water.


    *SWWOOOOOSH*


    The noise was loud, booming across the sky as the Aura traveled with immense speed and power--blowing gusts of wind on everything in its path.


    With that, Ares swooped back down to the ground. His devastating Aura from before seemed to be purposefully lessened.


    "What the... hell was that?" Tyr questioned, completely puzzled.


    ''What do you think it was?'' Ares chirped, ''I declared my arrival to this world, and told all of the seemingly powerful creatures in this world of my exact location.''


    Tyr paused for a moment as he heard Ares nonchalantly spout this as if it was something completely normal.


    .


    . sea??h th§× Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    .


    "HUHHHH!?!"


    Safe to say, everyone at camp woke up after Tyr''s scream, if not having already woken up from Ares'' booming Aura wave.


    Tyr rode atop Rudra as they walked back to camp, Ares flying beside him with furrowed brows. Even with his strong demeanor, however, he was extremely cute.


    "You told everyone exactly where we are? Thats... stupid!"


    Ares stared forward as he spoke: ''I carry myself without fear. I am the most superior being, and I must uphold my bloodline. No dragon fears a world of pathetic creatures.''


    "Still... I can Scan you."


    Tyr glanced at the beast''s stats.


    ©³©¥©¥©¥Status©¥©¥©¥©·


    Name: Ares (Dragon)


    Age: Minutes


    Power Level: 100


    Rank: Apex


    ©»©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¿


    ''Apex Rank from birth... fucking insane. Still, I can take him.'' He thought to himself.


    "I know you aren''t anywhere near strong enough to defeat everyone that you just challenged right now."


    ''What did you say!? Don''t dare insult me again!''


    "What? I birthed you into this world, you bastard lizard!"


    ''What did you call me!?'' The crease in Ares'' lips lit up with a bright orange flame.


    A golden flame erupted from Tyr''s glabella a second after, "If you''re the most superior, what does that make me, who allowed your life to happen in the first place!?"


    ''Silence! You will pay for your words!'' Ares'' mouth glowed even brighter with fire.


    ''Watch out master!'' Rudra yelled, ''Dragons are unique creatures who can wield Aura to a crazy level from birth. Their physical strength may be lacking at the start, but Ares'' Aura can decimate you and over 30 trees behind you with one flame breath!''


    "What? How do you even know that? Anyways... go back into Infinite Domain. I''ll be fine, trust me."


    Tyr dropped to the floor as Rudra disappeared into a purple portal.


    ''Do not overestimate yourself, human!'' Ares finally yelled before unleashing a blast of fire toward Tyr.


    It was a ginormous attack, reaching over 20 feet in height and 15 feet in width. The fire was bright red, orange, and yellow, and thrust through the forest for over 100 feet.


    [You are immune to all fire attacks]


    All the trees in the path of Ares'' breath were burned to crisps and obliterated, but Tyr stood emboldened by the flame rather than destroyed.


    ''What have I summoned...'' Tyr thought to himself as he stared at Ares. ''This power... it''s unimaginably too strong. I can''t even think about what it will do in the future...''


    Ares'' face was filled with shock as he saw Tyr stand there completely unharmed.


    ''What!? How! My flame is no ordinary flame! It is the flame of the most powerful Fire God! His blessings created the ember in my very stomach! How can you not be damaged at all!?''


    Tyr smirked, "I am superior, it seems." He said, sprinting forward to catch the dragon.


    At that moment, Hanzo and the others showed up at the scene.


    They were tired, half asleep, and wearing pajamas. With shock in their eyes, they witnessed the mass destruction of hundreds of trees near Tyr--which looked like a battlefield.


    "W-what in the hell!? What is going on!" Hanzo yelled in confusion.


    "Tyr! Are you alright!?" Malon exclaimed.


    "A dragon!?" Noa was the first to notice.


    Tyr was chasing the small creature down at that very moment.


    ''Go away! Get away from me!'' Ares yelled, flying all around Tyr.


    "Get back here you twerp!"


    ''Leave me alone!''


    On seeing this, Hanzo and the others stood back.


    "He doesn''t look to be in much trouble..." Malon exclaimed.


    Hanzo felt his knees attempt to buckle from beneath him, "A... a... a... a..."


    "Dragon," Noa said.


    "Dragon... that''s right. A dragon." Hanzo finally got it out.


    A beast from legends... how could it be possible? Hanzo and the others found it hard to believe... It was fucking unfathomable!


    At that moment, Ares flew into the sky.


    "Not so quick!" Tyr exclaimed, ''Soul Mend; Dragon!'' He grew wings, also thrusting himself into the sky.


    ''I can''t fly for shit, but I don''t need to. I just need to get close enough to do this.''


    After a split second, he said inwardly: ''Blink Step.''


    He appeared in front of the dragon, quickly grabbing him before falling back down to the ground.


    "You..." Tyr said with furious eyes.


    ''LET ME GO!! SCREW YOU, HUMAN!''


    "No! You''re in time-out! Unless you behave better, you aren''t going to be coming out of Infinite Domain anytime soon!" Tyr said, letting the dragon go at that moment.


    ''Infinite Domain?'' Ares said, flying back up into the air, ''Whatever that is! I don''t care! So long, loser!'' He darted away.


    Tyr stood there with an unimpressed expression, ''Infinite Domain.'' He said as a purple portal suddenly opened up in front of Ares.


    ''What the-!?'' The dragon squeaked with sudden surprise.


    He was instantly imported into Tyr''s spell.


    ''I could have done that the entire time, but I had to make him understand first that I am stronger than him...'' Tyr said to himself at that moment.


    ''I am insanely fortunate to have the Full Golden Body ability... if not for the ability to be immune to fire damage, I would have been killed 10 times over right there. Still, this is only temporary. Of course, I can always place Ares into Infinite Domain, but I need to also be able to control him outside of that place... when he grows a bit stronger, he won''t need flame to damage me.


    His sheer physical strength will be enough.''


    *Meanwhile... inside of Infinite Domain*


    ''Get back here you stupid tiger! You''re getting it today!'' Ares flew around the skies, blasting giant flames down at Rudra as he ran.


    ''Masterr!!! Helpp mee!! I can''t deal with this crazy maniac for much longer!!!''


    ...

 Chapter 100 - 100: Ervals Legend

    Rock Saelfine Empire, Southern State.


    While in bed, Thaddeus felt a threatening force drive through him.


    His eyes flew open, sweat quickly forming on his forehead. The feeling he had just experienced was that of a slap to the face.


    No, rather, it felt like a foot stomping on his head, making him kneel with a deeply embedded sense of inferiority.


    "A dragon? Surely not..."


    Many miles away, certain figures in the same kingdom had similar reactions.


    ***


    Zasea Kingdom, Rocavell Capital City.


    A group of figures with shadowed faces all stood in unison as they felt a powerful force drive through their bodies.


    "What in tarnation..."


    "No..."


    ***


    Douden Federation, Sylvell Capital City.


    A large, muscular man clad in royal attire furrowed his brows, "Things have changed now..."


    "You got that right..."


    ***


    Edenharl Garden, Pinnacle Plant Garden.


    Three advisors stood before their king, bowing as they exclaimed in unison:


    "Yes, sir... a dragon indeed."


    "Who has released such a powerful creature upon this world? Have we been forsaken by the Gods once again?"


    ***


    Ovalantis Province, King Capital City.


    A group of 7 powerful figures sat around a giant and luxurious table.


    They all had very serious expressions.


    "The world has to make a decision."


    "Not yet... we yet to know its strength."


    "All we have to go off of is the ancient history..."


    "What can we do?"


    "Will it spill war?"


    "The dragon was within Ovalantis... does that not mean our country will be targeted?"


    "Forget about the country... Ainsveld itself is at stake."


    "I must think... who has held such a power, and why are they releasing it now?"


    *


    *


    *


    *Loud snoring*


    Tyr was abruptly woken up by Noa, "Wake up! You''ve slept for long enough now..." She gave him a slap on the face.


    "Wha-!?" Tyr jerked up, looking around with shock and confusion, "What happened last night? I totally forgot..."


    The three other members of the Hunter group were staring at Tyr with furrowed brows and serious expressions.


    "Oh shit..." He said under his breath.


    "After you birthed a dragon into this world, you simply said you wanted to get some sleep and you will talk about it after..." Noa exclaimed, causing Tyr''s eyes to widen in shock.


    "I summoned a--!? Oh wait... I did..." Tyr finally seemed to remember. "A dragon huh... thats--" Before could finish, Noa interjected and continued:


    "Now that you''re awake, we have to talk about what all happened... and what we have to do moving forward."


    Tyr paused, thinking about that for a moment.


    "Look, it''s not too big of a deal right? Sure, its a strong beast, but I have control over it."


    "How!?" All of the other three exclaimed in unison.


    "Ch-chill! I have an ability to store my pets. Hanzo and Malon already know about it..."


    "That''s fine, but when you unleash it again, who''s to say it won''t destroy a damn forest again?" Hanzo said, "And who''s to say your spell can even hold a dragon for long... im sure a dragon can break out of any spell its held in within a short duration of time."


    He looked to the side, as though to think.


    During this second, Tyr mused: ''Hmm... my Full Golden Body easily negated even the strongest dragon flames according to Ares himself. My Ancestral Ability seems to be very strong, but what about GG? I don''t know if it can withstand that power for long. Then again... it is called Infinite Domain for a reason...''


    "Have you heard of the legends, Tyr?" Malon said at that moment.


    "Legends?" Tyr questioned, "Of dragons?"


    "No..." Malon replied, continuing: "Dragons have never set foot on Subworld. However, they, even now, are plentiful in the most dangerous regions of Titan as I understand."


    "Titan?" Tyr raised a brow in confusion.


    Noa and Malon seemed a bit confused, but Hanzo was used to Tyr not knowing things, so he decided to add in: "Its another planet within our Solar Tree. A Solar Tree is what connects all planets into a system, allowing beings to travel in between them using its roots and branches."


    "I see... so Titan must be much more dangerous than Subworld huh?" Tyr replied, garnering a bunch of nods.


    "But that''s beside the point... I''m talking about the legend of a man named Erval." Malon said, everyone quieting down.


    Tyr squinted his eyes, "No... I''ve never heard of such a thing."


    "It''s an ancient story that really shouldn''t even be in our part of the world. It happened on the completely other side of Subworld many years ago, from what we in this part of Subworld understand. However, Erval was such a great man that his life deeds allowed his name to be carried across hundreds of thousands of miles, and even across planets."


    Tyr continued to listen intently, his intrigue increased.


    "We in this part of Subworld don''t know much of his story, but what we do know is that he once was a great leader who once saved this entire continent from destruction."


    Tyr''s eyes expanded, wowed by what he just heard.


    "Many say that the Gods had forsaken Subworld, and that was why this destruction event happened in the first place."


    "What was the event? Not a dragon?" S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "No... but something nearly just as powerful. A phoenix, whose name began with a Y. It threatened to destroy this entire continent and further. At least, thats what many say... there are various different renditions of this ancient story, you see."


    "Hmm."


    "But in the end, Erval used a great seal to conquer the beast, allowing peace to reign once again on Subworld."


    "What''s the point of that story? Why did you want to tell me it?"


    "It''s a lost legend, not much of it is known... yet, these shattered bits are spread across all of the various planets and retold a bit differently each time across every village littered across Subworld. Despite there not being much known about that, this sheer fact makes it a reality, rather than a legend."


    "I see."


    "And it is all to say that a phoenixphoenix is one thing... but a dragon... that''s a whole nother story. All those who have heard of Erval''s name will have known God''s Forsakening... and will be scared it will happen again. Most likely, all leaders of the free world will want to be the second Erval of our time."


    "I see... Erval set a precedent that now feels as though it must be followed." Tyr surmised, donning a serious expression, "Its quite the predicament I''ve put myself in..."


    ''However,'' He thought inwardly, unable to help but grin with excitement in his mind, ''This power is under my control, and if I can continue that until Ares reaches his full power, then that alone will make me a continent-level threat. A boost to the throne of continent ruler, as long as I play my cards right...''


    ***


    Author Note: YO! Thank you all for reading 100 god damn chaps of this novel. Thats awesome! Its been fun writing this and I have much more planned for this novel. If you have enjoyed it up until now, please support me so I can pump out even more chapters! Join the discord and feel free to tell me your wants and ideas for the novel as well!


    All support helps, thanks a bunch and I hope your reading experience only gets better from here on out.


    A storm is brewing...

 Chapter 101 - 101: Birds Of Tales

    Birds of various shapes and sizes soared across the wide, azure horizon. Their wings flapped against the wind, but their eyes remained determined as they all had one goal in mind.


    From the southern lands came small and quick pigeons, carrying scroll letters strapped to their legs.


    From the western lands came large hawks, with letters held within their beaks.


    From the eastern land came owls, letters wrung around their necks.


    From the north came swift doves with notes attached to their feet.


    And from the center lands came crows with scroll letters held in their mouths.


    Communication across Ainsveld seems to have begun swiftly. S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Within the Ovalantis Capital, King City; a group of seven individuals sat around a round table.


    A knight to the side stepped forward and read a message outloud that came from a dove.


    "Greetings, king and kingsmen of Ovalantis. We spread this message urgently to all empires within Ainsveld. There must be another Continental Meeting held..."


    The knight placed the note to the side, straightening his posture with a loud stomp.


    A man at the very back middle of the round table sat with his elbows on the table and his mouth covered by his interlocked fingers.


    He furrowed his eyebrows as he stared at the giant table before him.


    Across it was sprawled a realistic and geological map of the entire continent, with its mountains, valleys, kingdoms, and all--all carved from wood.


    All 6 other members stared at him from the left and right sides of the table as he finally spoke:


    "That''s the last of the letters. Each empire wishes to hold a meeting over this dragon." The man had a rough and powerful voice.


    As soon as he said the word ''dragon,'' a small dragon carved from wood was summoned from the air and fell onto the board.


    It was to the bottom right of Ovalantis.


    "The dragon was brave enough to declare that it was still a child. That gives us time to prepare for it... from what we know, it will grow to its natural state of ''full power'' in around 3 years. From there, it will gradually grow in power until the end of its life..."


    Another voice added at that moment:


    "We must be prepared by then." He was a man wearing all-white robes. He was large, with muscles bulging out from his clothing and his long white hair flowing to his shoulders.


    Another man with a less impressive, rather scrawny physique exclaimed at that moment: "We should just butcher it while it''s young. Who knows how powerful it will become." He wore a green and black robe.


    "Hmm..." The man at the back middle of the table exclaimed, "That shall be decided at the Continental Meeting. Send the crows again to each of the empires."


    The knight saluted, stomping as he exclaimed: "When is the date, Your Superiority?"


    ...


    After a short pause, and anticipation growing in the room, the man said: "One month."


    ***


    "My goal in this empire is to get to Expert Rank," Tyr said as he rode atop Rudra.


    Right now, the group was inside an immense mountain range. Rudra was jumping from one steep ledge to another--hoping not to fall to his sure demise.


    They were thousands of feet up in the air, with clouds sometimes waving by them.


    It was misty and cold up there, with no one being able to see more than 20 feet ahead of them.


    As cruel winds continued to howl, Tyr thought of how he could get to Expert Rank the quickest.


    Hanzo wasn''t so sure of Tyr''s goal, however: "Expert Rank? Increasing in Rank depends on genetics, mental ability to stabilize your body and senses, and much more. You need a lot of skill to be able to cultivate proficiently as well... it takes years if not decades for most people to achieve that Rank starting from Adept."


    "You''re Expert Rank, right?" Tyr said at that second.


    Hanzo immediately replied: "Yes, but just because i''m Expert Rank doesn''t mean everyone else will be able to--" He was cut off.


    "Then you should aim for Virtuoso Rank..." Tyr said with a straight face.


    "W-what!?" Hanzo exclaimed in confusion.


    "We should all aim for one Rank higher than we already are." Tyr smirked.


    Noa looked to the side, "Rank huh... well before that, I need to get a weapon back for myself. My gun was confiscated when they captured me and the villagers."


    While the group spoke about what to do with Noa''s gun situation, Malon thought to himself:


    ''Increase by one in Rank...'' He didn''t seem to be happy as he thought this, ''I know Noa said that she would drag us down, but if anything, that person would be me. Her seal-removing powers are something else, but I on the other hand am still nowhere near strong enough to support Hanzo and Tyr if real combat were to break out.''


    He stared at his own wrist, ''I need to get stronger... even though I am also Adept Rank, I am still much weaker. Expert Rank will be my goal as well.''


    Just then, Tyr shouted aloud: "Then it''s settled!"


    Malon was jerked back to reality at that moment, his head facing the young man on Rudra.


    "Malon and I will become Expert Rank, Hanzo will get as close as possible to Virtuoso, and Noa will build her weapon back, along with cultivate until she''s at least Adept Rank!" Tyr smiled with excitement as he said this.


    Hanzo shook his head with closed eyes before yelling: "Hell yeah! Let''s do this!"


    Malon smiled as well on seeing this, "Lets get stronger, team!"


    Noa chuckled, slightly flush with embarrassment. However, as he stared at the people yelling with joy in front of her, she couldn''t help but join in:


    "Yeah!" She raised her fist.


    ''These are my people now... my friends.'' She thought to herself.


    *Crack*


    The small ledge beneath Rudra''s feet suddenly broke apart into two lodged pieces.


    The tiger looked down with nervousness.


    ''Master...''


    ''Yeah...''


    ''Brace yourself.''


    ''Okay...''


    The ledge cracked several more times before suddenly crumbling to pieces right beneath Rudra''s feet.


    Rudra immediately began to fall straight downwards.


    "Oi!" Hanzo yelled in shock, turning his flying jetski-like vehicle around as he and Malon swiftly zoomed downwards: "What the hell!?"

 Chapter 102 - 102: Strongest Ice

    ***AUTHOR NOTE***


    Yo, im out of town right now so the posting schedule will be fkked for a few days. Don''t worry though, I''ll still somehow post 2 chaps a day... but the timing won''t be anywhere near consistent.


    ***


    Tyr, Noa, and Rudra quickly fell toward the bottomless ground.


    As they screamed, Hanzo and Malon rushed to save them.


    Hanzo had furrowed brows as he thrust his jetski to move even faster to reach the falling fools.


    However, he noticed something out of place.


    Below Tyr and the others, through the mist, wasn''t just a normal valley--but rather--something that resembled a transparent blueish Aura.


    His eyes expanded, ''Wait a minute... what we are attempting to cross now, these mountains. They aren''t just natural formations alone. They are also Ovalantis'' barrier of protection...''


    He realized something: ''No wonder we fell... it seemed we were all meant to fall here. These mountains are just an illusion. A trap for all intruders...''


    Tyr and the others fell through the transparent energy, completely disappearing.


    Hanzo and Malon were next, unable to stop their momentum.


    ***


    It was like Tyr had blinked, but in that period, he was transported to a completely different area.


    He fell onto the floor, in the same falling motion as before.


    Rudra and Noa fell next to him shortly after.


    He quickly rose to his feet, "Where the hell--!?" He surveyed where he was instantly.


    He felt a cold chill seep up into his spine at that moment. Looking around, he noticed that they were all inside of some large ice chamber.


    All around him were cages made of hardened ice.


    He walked forward in his cage, grabbing the ice bars as he moved his head and looked around.


    "What the hell... an ice prison?" He said, his voice echoing through the chamber.


    He felt a sudden stinging pain pierce through his palms, causing him to swiftly remove his hands from the bars: "Yeouch!" He exclaimed in pain while shaking his hand, "That''s super cold. A few more seconds and my palms might have stuck onto them."


    "You are not mistaken." A dreary voice echoed from out of nowhere.


    "Huh?" Tyr raised a brow, Rudra and Noa nearing the bars as well.


    As they looked around, all they could see were skeletons within the blue-ice bars around them.


    In a few seconds, Hanzo and Malon also appeared in one of the ice cages to the left of Tyr and the others''.


    While they exclaimed in confusion, Tyr zoned his focus in on the single hall that looked to be the exit out of this prison room.


    The entire place was made of ice from floor to ceiling, bright, blue, and radiating with a bright light.


    A few soft but echoing footsteps sounded from the hall. After a second, a small old man stepped out.


    He was wearing black and brown robes, and was no taller than 5''1'''' ft. He had his hands clutched behind his back as he walked--his eyes barely able to open. S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "So... we finally have intruders again after so long ey?" The old man''s frail voice echoed.


    "Sir!" Hanzo spoke, "We had no intentions of harm. We only wanted to enter the Province."


    The old man slowly turned toward Hanzo: "You can''t just enter illegally! How about pass through the main gates, you fools!"


    "There''s main gates?" Hanzo said, raising a brow.


    The old man shook his head, "Well... for your crimes you will be staying here for... a while."


    "Huh!?" Tyr exclaimed, "What does a while mean? We have things to do, old man!"


    "Quiet! I have been living and working here alone for over 50 years. Its rare that I have any company. And don''t try to escape either... this ice is created by the Ice Pillar of Ovalantis. There is no flame on this planet that can melt it..."


    Tyr was slightly taken aback by this.


    Noa spoke at that moment: "Aren''t you allowed to go back home to your family? Its cruel to have you stay here..."


    "Whether it be cruel or not, lady, it matters not. My job is of utmost importance. Spies, enemies of unknown origin... I have the duty to prevent them all from entering the land of Ovalantis. I have to stay within these confines until the day I die."


    Tyr sighed, "Well... I understand it then."


    "What?" The old man was taken aback, not expecting Tyr to say that.


    "We will stay here until you are satisfied, but we can not stay for too long. I hope you understand. If you are an innocent man given a duty to protect your country by staying here, I won''t go against your wants."


    The others were slightly surprised to hear this.


    After a short pause, the old man turned his back and began to walk out. However, he added this before he left:


    "Who said im an innocent man? I didn''t choose to do this... I am a criminal. This is my punishment."


    Everyone was shocked to hear this. After the man left, Tyr took a step back from the bars.


    "We don''t have much of a choice do we?" He said, sighing some more.


    "Hey..." Malon spoke with a slightly confused tone, reaching toward and seemingly rummaging through a dead corpse''s clothing.


    Everyone looked at him with puzzlement as he pulled out a small poster.


    It was more of an article, but at the very center was a face that looked similar to the old man''s, except younger.


    Malon''s eyes expanded as he read the paper.


    "A serial murderer?" He said under his breath, but everyone else still heard it.


    Tyr looked behind him, noticing a similar paper in the pocket of a corpse within his cage as well.


    After a few seconds, the group rummaged through all the corpses they could... and found the same letters scattered about.


    "This old man... did he put these here on purpose?" Tyr exclaimed, bewildered.


    "Hahaha!" A loud laugh suddenly resounded through the entire chamber.


    A block of ice up on the wall suddenly disappeared, revealing a room encased in glass.


    Inside sat the old man with a microphone in front of his face and a large control panel before him with dozens of buttons--as though he was inside of a pilot''s booth.


    "Correct! I did put them there on purpose, you fools!" The old man''s expression and tone had completely gone 180 degrees.


    No longer was he the sad old guy, but rather, he seemed overjoyed and filled with exhilaration.


    "Finally! Finally I can taste the blood of humans again! I have long awaited the day where I can torture my fellow kin day in and day out! Kreeehahaha!"


    He broke out into a maniacal laugh, his face like that of a crazy lunatic.


    As he pressed buttons, the room suddenly became much colder.


    Out of nowhere, ice spikes formed and flew out of the walls, nearly piercing through Malon and Rudra.


    Tyr lowered his brows, his expression unimpressed.


    "So this was your plan? Knowing you can''t leave, you decided to just spend your days capturing and torturing people?" Tyr questioned nonchalantly.


    "Yes! And above that, I am fully supported by Ovalantis, although they don''t have a clue about it. I have done this for many years... and not once have they discovered my deeds. I am given the power of the strongest ice and the most powerful weapons! What can you do--"


    ''Soul Mend: Dragon.''


    "Lets see what your ''strongest ice'' does to withstand that strongest flame." A smile tugged on Tyr''s lips as scales grew all over his body...

 Chapter 103 - 103: Strongest Flame

    "Huh?" The old man exclaimed, slightly perplexed at Tyr''s words. sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Strongest flame you say? Pahaha!" He laughed his ass off. "Im a criminal of past who hasn''t seen the real world in decades... but even I know that there is no such thing as the strongest flame... atleast not here in the mortal realms. Ice, on the other hand, has been stolen from the Gods by our own Ice Pillar, one of the five pillars of Ovalantis.


    Atleast, thats what people say due to its immense ability."


    Tyr sucked in a bunch of air as his mouth began to glow a bright orange.


    "He''s about to do that move," Hanzo exclaimed at that moment, "Everyone back up!"


    Heeding his words, the other''s quickly retreated from the bars.


    The old man''s eyes darted around with shock, ''Even if they are bluffing, I won''t take any chances.''


    He looked down at a giant red button on his control panel.


    ''I''ve never had to use this... and I don''t want to because its only a one time use thing...'' He was still contemplating it, ''Ugh...'' He was stuck between a rock and a hard place.


    ''If I use it, I will kill all of them and be free to torture others until the end of my days... but if I don''t, I may be killed.'' He simply couldn''t risk such a thing.


    Without much more delay, he pressed the button. ''Ice Pillar''s true power is held within it... one real attack from him has been placed inside of this button, which triggers an Aura Array to blast a gust of ice so powerful that no flame can withstand it...''


    Tyr''s scaly chest expanded, glowing in a bright orange color as well.


    His eyes widened, ''Flame Breath!'' He said inwardly before unleashing all the air in his lungs.


    *BOOM*


    A giant blast of fury raged from his mouth, obliterating right through the ice bars as if they were butter.


    Hanzo and the other''s shielded their eyes for a split second, but upon seeing just how destructive the attack was to this supposed ''strongest ice,'' they couldn''t help but smirk slightly.


    "Damn... that bastard has really attained the power of a dragon''s fire." Hanzo said under his breath, chuckling.


    "DAMN YOU!" The old man screamed through the speakers as a block of ice on the other side of Tyr''s cell opened up.


    Inside was a cannon made of thick blue ice. Before Tyr''s flame breath could reach it, it charged up with a sharp noise before unleashing a blast of its own.


    A deep, rich blue Ice energy exploded out and stormed toward Tyr''s flame like a rampaging behemoth.


    Everyone''s smiling expressions disappeared as they noticed this immense attack.


    They could sense an immense Aura simply oozing out of it, as if it was cast by a War General.


    Tyr furrowed his brows, unrelenting in his attack. With a determined set of eyes, he exhaled even harder and allowed his flame to surge forth.


    The two powers clashed in the middle with a giant explosion, sending a shockwave that thrust every back and into the walls of the chamber.


    Only Tyr stood straight, his expression and posture not having changed one bit.


    After only half a second of clashing with the ice, his flame breath penetrated straight through it as if it was an iron bar piercing through water, dispelling it to the sides with ease.


    The old man was blown away with shock as he saw this, ''How in the...'' He looked down at the button, ''You scammed me... this is no attack of a pillar.''


    With those final thoughts, he looked back up to see an explosion of flame knocking on his window.


    *BOOM*


    The window was blasted right open, destroying everything inside.


    Tyr stopped his breath, panting slightly as that took every bit of his Aura.


    ''Damn... I should have conserved it a bit more. I''m still new to using Aura it seems. It''s not like I get many opportunities to use Reverse.''


    He jumped out of his cell, right over the melted ice bars.


    "Let''s find a way to get out of here." He said to everyone else as they made their way out of the cells as well.


    "Not so fast!" A voice came through the speakers: "You think you can escape? Just try it... see what happens. You will never escape here... and I will die to uphold that promise. Hehehahah!"


    Tyr looked up at the ceiling with an annoyed expression, "He''s like a cockroach... unkillable."


    Hanzo walked forward, "Let''s forget about him for a moment. I imagine that body of his from a second ago must have been an animatronic or a clone. But this place... it seems much more important than what he was saying it was for."


    After a short pause, Noa added: "All the advanced machinery... and one of the pillars themselves cooperating to create this place. Surely it isn''t just for some criminal to run all by himself."


    "Come to think of it," Malon exclaimed, "I remembered hearing about Ovalantis'' Transportation Terminal being encased inside of a castle of Ice..."


    Hanzo nodded, "Yeah, thats what I heard too. And it would explain the crazy defenses of the place."


    Tyr seemed a bit thrown off by this, "Wait... what is that again?"


    "A Transportation Terminal?" Malon quipped, and after Tyr nodded, he answered: "Each developed kingdom has atleast one of them. You can consider them train stations, except, the trains are space crafts and the various stations are placed on different planets."


    "Huh!?" Tyr wasn''t expecting that whatsoever, "Wait... but I thought that the Solar Tree was the thing that allowed you to transport between planets, no?"


    Malon stammered slightly, "Well... here, let me explain it for you in simple terms. Transportation Terminals teleport you to a universal Transportation Lobby that all terminals across the planet are connected to. There, you can access the Solar Tree and go to other planets."


    "I see..."


    The group had left the cell room they were in by now, and had been walking along the wide halls of the area.


    Suddenly, they came across a giant room to their right.


    "Oh? What''s this." Tyr said, being the first to step in.


    "Hold up!" Hanzo exclaimed as he followed the crew inside, "Lets not just mindlessly waltz into area''s. There are unknown dangers in here."


    As soon as Tyr stepped inside, the large chamber of ice was gone. It seemed to only be a visual illusion.


    Now, what he saw was a room made of metal. Large and small iron pipes went everywhere, and various machinery seemed to be pumping chemicals throughout.


    "What is this?" Noa exclaimed with surprise as she looked around.


    "Woah..." Tyr said under his breath, noticing the multiple portal-like objects at the very back of the chamber--surrounded with unimaginable machinery that seemed to stabilize them.


    "No way..." Hanzo said as he approached Tyr, his face in awe while looking at the portals.


    "World Portals... they open up on their own and allow you to travel between realms. It seems Ovalantis has found a way to create them from scratch."

 Chapter 104 - 104: Portals

    "Woah..." Tyr exclaimed again in shock as everyone made their way closer to the portals.


    There were six of the portals lined beside eachother, and were of various sizes and colors. They looked like oval, vertical vortexes with cloudy energy swirling around within them.


    As everyone stared with awe, Tyr said, "But... is that a big deal? I have no clue."


    ''I can teleport to other planets no problem... heh.'' He mused inwardly.


    Hanzo''s brows lowered, "Tsk... of course it is! Its not just a big deal, its a giant deal. No country, atleast in Ainsveld, has been able to create portals to other planets in our Solar Tree. That alone tells you how rare this is."


    "What exactly does it help with though?" Tyr questioned, still not sold.


    "Look... from what I see now, they must not have perfected it yet. It must still be in the prototype mode. However, if this can be monopolized then Ovalantis may be able to become a world power in no time. Above that, spreading Ovalantis'' influence over other planets is another possibility. There are endless choices that open up when world travel is involved."


    "Hmm." Tyr said, making his way toward one of the portals.


    He stopped after a few feet, however, as he felt a cold chill seep into his spine.


    ''A person...'' He thought to himself, feeling his intuition blaring.


    "You sure you wanna step so close to an unstable portal?" A voice came from the doorway to the room.


    Everyone turned, their guards quickly raised and their brows furrowed.


    A skinny young man made his way into the room, half naked and wearing only dirty black rags over his private parts.


    "Who the hell are you?" Hanzo exclaimed, reaching for his bow.


    "Me? Oh... im nobody that you need to have a big reaction to right now. Anyways, playtimes over... for both me and you. It''s time you all get your punishment." The young man exclaimed with a smirk on his face.


    Malon raised a brow, "For both us... and you? What does that mean."


    Hanzo exhaled, "Its you isnt it..." He said under his breath.


    On hearing this, the young man''s face went a bit surprised, "Did you already figure me out?"


    "I was right... you''re the old man from before." Hanzo said in a low tone.


    On hearing this, the young man seemed to have a wave of relief wash over him.


    "Phew... I thought, well, nevermind." He quickly changed the subject, "Yes! You caught me indeed!" The young man somehow morphed into the old man again, and then into a middle aged man.


    "So what is our punishment going to be? Are you going to cage us again?" Noa questioned, her expression hostile.


    There was a short moment of silence between both parties, and then...


    "What? No, hahaha! I was just doing that to scare you guys. What you have done is a minor offense. A few weeks doing voluntary work within the kingdom should be enough."


    The young man, who was the old man, and now a middle aged man, turned at that moment, "Follow me... ya'' don''t have much of a choice. Trust me... I am far stronger than you guys." He smirked.


    ''Scan.''


    [Error!]


    [This subject''s power level exceeds 5x of your current strength.]


    [Scan is unable to check their status.]


    Tyr''s eyes flew open with shock, ''F-five times... more powerful than me? Thats well in the 700''s...'' He was at a loss.


    Hanzo furrowed his brows, "Come on, lets go... he isn''t bluffing it seems." He said, walking forward. Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The other two followed along as Tyr stayed back for a moment.


    "Oh and you..." The middle aged man suddenly stopped, turning and speaking to Tyr who was dozens of feet away, "Try to survive... you seem to have some potential."


    Tyr''s brows abruptly furrowed. The others were also on edge by hearing this.


    "What do you mean?" Hanzo stared at the man, who gestured toward here.


    On turning to face Tyr, Hanzo noticed a large hand double the size of a human, rotten and red, slowly reach out of the red portal behind Tyr--the fingers fully extended.


    Tyr stood there clueless, and before Hanzo or the others could say anything, the fingers collasped on Tyr--wrapping him in a tight grip before violently pulling him inside the portal that it came from.


    "TYR!" Malon yelled, attempting to dash forward.


    "Not so quick." The middle aged man''s voice was serious, "Don''t take another step. Your month punishment will turn into much more... just quietly proceed this way."


    A block of ice rose in front of Malon at that moment--halting him in his tracks.


    "He will die..." Noa said in a low tone, as though in disbelief.


    "Is that the trust you have in your friend?" The middle aged man exclaimed.


    Hanzo gritted his teeth, turning around and facing the doorway: "Oi... lets go. He will survive it and come out. If not, we will return here one way or another after our sentences. After all, getting inside this ice dungeon is just another few weeks of punishment right?"


    The middle aged man remained silent.


    "Then its settled..." Hanzo began to walk forward, the other two staring at his back with shock as he said: "I know Tyr won''t die in damn stupid place like this."


    After a minute or so, the three had left the room. Only the middle aged man stood there still looking at the red portal for a few seconds with squinted eyes.


    ''Apart from parts of Titan, there is no planet as unforgiving as Tarnish. Its creature''s aren''t of the strongest variety, and its materials aren''t of the highest values... yet even the strongest of Hunter''s can''t remain there long. Out of all these portals, he decided to stand in front of the most dastardly one. He has absolutely no choice to survive.''


    He shook his head: ''Tsk tsk tsk... poor soul.''


    ***


    [Warning!]


    [You have entered a very harsh environment.]


    [Warning!]


    [Your health is rapidly decreasing!]


    [Health: 50-->41]


    [41-->35-->24]


    "Shit!"


    Tyr quickly activated Full Golden Body.


    [Immune to all fire damage.]


    [Immune to all wind damage.]


    Tyr began to heal again after popping a health capsule.


    All around him was what seemed to be a completley unfamilar landscape.


    It was a giant red desert made of hard red stone floor as far as the eye could see.


    Even the sky was a tone of orange, blocking out any sign of the sun or moon.


    The land was incredibly dystopian, with random rock formations scattered aroound scarcely. On top of that, lava flowed through the floor cracks, and fire seemed to be littered all over as well.


    *Kera ka machi knea*


    A noise came from behind, GG quickly translating it: "Fresh meat..."


    The young man slowly turned his head, only to notice a ginormous humaniod figure with melting skin sitting behind him.

 Chapter 105 - 105: Tarnish

    ''Scan...''


    ©³©¥©¥©¥Status©¥©¥©¥©·


    Name: Tarnished Gorc


    Age: 1240


    Power Level: 175


    Rank: Sentinel


    ©»©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¿


    "Hehegehugeu." The monster let out an ugly laugh that sent chills up Tyr''s spine.


    "Strong... disgusting mother fucker." Tyr said, taking a step back and surveying the beast before him.


    Standing, it was probably close to 20 feet tall. It was fully bald, with rotting pale skin and several giant open wounds and scabs all over its putrid body.


    It was lanky and thin and sat down with its back bent over and one knee up. Its face was no less ugly, with a protruding nose, no ears, and a set of bloodshot eyes.


    ''Soul Mend: Dragon.''


    Scales grew all over Tyr''s body.


    The Tarnished Gorc quickly stood up on seeing this, hauling a seemingly slow kick toward Tyr.


    A few meters before hitting, however, the kick abruptly sped up out of nowhere.


    Tyr''s eyelids flew wide open as he thrust his wings to the side--narrowly avoiding the attack.


    The Gorc''s kick flew past him like a cannonball, the afterblow pulling his hair back slightly.


    "Tsk... bastard. Flame Breath!" Tyr exclaimed. An enormous blast surged forth from his mouth.


    After the flame settled, however, Tyr noticed that the monster was utterly unharmed.


    "W-what..." He said under his breath, "No... I get it. Even if this is the mightiest flame, it means nothing to monsters immune to heat and flame in general..."


    He understood that on a planet like the one he was on right now, where most creatures from Subworld couldn''t survive, other beasts from here must have adapted to almost all types of heat.


    The monster''s lips pulled upward into a horrid smile. Before Tyr knew it, the lanky beast had lunged into a full blown sprint.


    "Fucckkkk!" Tyr screamed, "YOU UGLY BASTARD! JUST HOW CREEPY CAN YOU BE!?" He turned, running the opposite direction.


    The Tarnished Gorc quickly caught up to him, however. The smile on his face still not leaving.


    "Soul Mend! Polaris Tiger!" Tyr''s scales disappeared, replaced with fur instead.


    ''I can''t use any other Soul Mend for another 10 minutes. I''ll have to beat him with this.''


    He suddenly sped up, making quick distance on the monster behind him.


    "Ha... yeah bitch. What are you gonna do now?" He turned on his heel, dashing up into the air and unsheathing his spear from his back.


    ''Blink Step.''


    He appeared right in front of the monster''s face, thrusting his spear deep into its eyeball.


    The beast was propelled backward, screaming in pain as if it were a toddler.


    A smile appeared on Tyr''s face, his eyes widening with exhilaration. The monster tumbled all the way onto its back with a loud slam.


    "Hahaha!" Tyr''s laugh roared. He repeatedly stabbed the monster in the eyes and head over and over again.


    "Die! Die you fuck! Fuck you, you ugly, disgusting fuck!"


    After over 20 stabs, the beast finally stopped screaming and squirming in pain and died.


    [You have slain a Tarnished Gorc.]


    [You leveled up!]


    Tyr deactivated his Soul Mend as well, but not before tearing into the beast''s chest and retrieving an A-Grade Beast Core.


    He then walked off the chest of the beast before falling on his ass, panting with exhaustion and adrenaline still coursing through his veins.


    [Your brain has acclimated to the aging process of Tarnish.]


    ''Is that the name of this shit hole planet?'' Tyr asked rhetorically.


    [Your aging has been increased by a factor of 24x]


    ''Huh...''


    [1 hour will count as a day.]


    ''What...''


    [1 day will count as 24 days.] Sear?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    [1 month will count as 24 months]


    ''What the fuck...''


    [This effect does not apply to those within Infinite Domain.]


    ''Master!'' Rudra suddenly exclaimed at that moment, ''Im afraid neither I nor Ares will be able to survive that environment.''


    ''I can survive any environment!'' Ares exclaimed out of nowhere.


    "Okay... want to test it out? I''ll unleash you for only a mome--" Tyr was interrupted.


    ''Why would I want to go out in that shithole? Screw that...''


    "Sure man..." Tyr said, shaking his head.


    He looked around, "I need to find a way back. On top of that... I need to get stronger and find my way around this place before I get slaughtered by a gang of those ugly freaks." He stood up, beginning to trek toward a certain direction.


    ***


    Hanzo, Malon, and Noa were escorted outside of the ice chamber by the middle aged man.


    The place looked to be inside of one of the mountains surrounding Ovalantis.


    From there, they were taken by Imperial Knights into the main gates of the kingdom.


    After that, they were assigned their separate services to their lords and given a certain timespan to complete their jobs.


    Hanzo''s job was to be nothing more than a farm stable within a outskirts city named Pennion.


    He had to clean, wash, feed, and take care of various animals such as cows, horses, pigs and more.


    His time would end in exactly 3 weeks, so he didn''t waste any time and began working day in and day out.


    Malon on the other hand had it a bit easier. He was a chore boy for the Thors Hunter''s Guild in an outer city named Kastel.


    Cleaning up messes, serving customers, and basic house keeping were his duties. He had to serve for about 3 weeks and a half.


    Finally, Noa was to help a clothing store in the same city of Malon. She was to do housekeeping there as well, but her time was only 2 weeks.


    Imagining she had some spare time, Noa first decided to try and see if she could get a gun for herself again.


    A gun almost gave her her personality, and it had felt weird this entire time not having it.


    She wanted to get one as soon as possible.


    So, she decided to enter a blacksmith''s shop nearby and try to get one tailored.


    Upon stepping inside, the place looked like any old smithery. Noa walked to the back, where a man in his mid-sixties stood behind a counter rubbing a large greatsword with a white cloth.


    The sounds of metal clanging in the background reverberated through the air as Noa spoke to the man behind the counter:


    "Hi... do you guys do weapon orders? Tailor-made."


    The old man looked Noa up and down before looking back at the weapon he was cleaning, "Depends on what it is..."


    "A gun." Noa said with a straight face.


    The man stopped, as did a few other blacksmiths as they heard Noa speak.


    "A what? Gun? Pahaha! Why are you coming to a blacksmith for a gun?" The man exclaimed, causing a few other men to also chuckle.


    "Because no other business can make the gun that I want."


    "Oh yeah? And what type of gun is that?"


    Noa paused for a second. A few other blacksmiths in the place also glanced over at the young lady.


    After the pause, she abruptly grabbed the greatsword out of the old man''s hand.


    She held it by the handle with ease with just one hand. The sword was almost one and a half times the size of her entire body, yet she pointed it at the blacksmith''s neck without any signs of struggle.


    "A gun thats a bit bigger than this right here," Noa said with a smirk on her face.


    The old man''s smile turned to a frown, "Okay... I understand. Now put down the weapon you crazy lady!" He said with hands raised.


    *Weeks later...*

 Chapter 106 - 106: Reunion

    Noa leaned over a small counter, her face resting atop the palm of her hand, and a bored expression was on her face.


    She stared at the hung clothing in front of her as if it were a void.


    People came in and out at random intervals, the bell beside the door ringing each time.


    Chatter, slight laughter, and scarce yet urgent demands resounded through the shop.


    However, Noa was too much involved in her own mind to hear all of that.


    ''It''s been three and a half weeks since I''ve been working here...'' She looked at the clock, ''It''s almost time to clock out...'' She began to make her way toward the clock out booth.


    ''I could have stopped working, but it took one week to get the details of my gun just right...'' She mused as he put in her number to clock out for the day.


    ''And now...'' A smile appeared on her face as she turned toward the door, ''Betsy should be all finished up.''


    Noa''s time in this town was over in her eyes, as all she had to do was retrieve her finished gun. After that, she could find out how to reach Hanzo and Malon again.


    ***


    Hanzo walked onto a hardwood floor completely butt naked with a proud smile on his face.


    "Each time I take a shower after that dirty dump, it feels like heaven. Even though its been 4 days since I was last there..." He exclaimed with joy, quickly putting his clothes back on.


    Hanzo had finished his time exactly 4 days ago at the farmhouse, and had already traveled across the empire to get to a city named Kastel.


    Thankfully, he and the other''s were given details of where they were all transferred.


    ''Its a bit annoying that only I was thrown thousands of miles away, but its no big deal...'' He grumbled inwardly before making his way out the motel that he was staying in for the night. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    After searching around for a short while, he found the Thors Hunter''s Guild.


    ''Good thing he works at such a well known establishment... it would have been impossible to find him otherwise in this crowded metropolis.'' Hanzo mused to himself as he made his way into the guild.


    As he was making his way toward the back of the building near the booths, he bumped into a rather tall fellow.


    Looking up, he instantly recognized that mooshroomy face.


    "Hanzo!?" Malon exclaimed with delight quickly spreading across his expression.


    Hanzo smirked, "You tall shroom! We finally meet again, hahaha!"


    Malon picked Hanzo up out of nowhere and spun him around like a child.


    He didn''t see any fault in it since he was happy, but Hanzo''s face immediately went pale.


    "W-what the fuck are you doing!?" He slammed the moosh''s shroomtop with the bottom of his fist.


    *Moments later...*


    "Anyways," Hanzo fixed his coat, "Lets get out of here and find Noa. Hopefully she stayed close to this city."


    "Sounds like a plan."


    With that, the two began their search for the clothing store that Noa worked at.


    They didn''t have a name for it, so it took a damn long while.


    While they searched for stores, the two talked about what happened during their stay at the stables.


    "Actually, I''ve gotten quite a bit stronger." Malon said, a hint of pride in his tone. "Still, Im probably weaker than Tyr is. But atleast I made some progress, right?"


    Hanzo was slightly taken aback by this, "How did you get stronger?" He emphasized the ''you,'' "Weren''t you working in Thors Guild the entire time?"


    Malon slightly chuckled on hearing this, "Haha... well, about that... I decided to ask the Vice Guildmaster to help train me."


    "What!?"


    "At the start he was of course hesitant, but I decided to keep pestering him until I either was kicked out or he agreed to my demands. In the end, knowing that I was working to serve time, he decided to train me. While consuming various pills that I bought using some money, I began to cultivate and also train with him every day for two hours.


    My cultivation technique is still quite trash, but in terms of combat training I have upgraded by leaps and bounds. Atleast, thats what he tells me."


    Hanzo paused for a moment before replying: "Well, lets hope he didn''t just say that to get you off his back. But, you do seem a lot stronger, I will say that."


    He looked at his own hands, "I on the other hand barely gained strength. I tried to cultivate, but at my strength, basic techniques don''t really work."


    ''Tsk...'' Hanzo exclaimed inwardly, ''But its not just that. Maybe if I had the work ethic of Tyr, or even Malon I could have gotten a lot stronger. When it comes to most things, I do... but when it comes to gaining power, even though I want to become stronger for Tyr''s goal... I can''t seem to be able to bring myself to agree with it fully.''


    He thought about it for a moment.


    ''I know what I need... a goal of my own. A dream of my own, as Noa spoke about. Doing something for someone else is one thing, but Malon and Tyr are determined to get stronger for their own wants and purposes. That is why they are succeeding so greatly... yet, I am here trying to do it for someone else.


    Its wrong, I need to want it for myself. Only then can I truly boost my power... I need a dream.''


    *


    After a while, The two were led to a black smithery by a clothing store, since, apparently, Noa had gone there after her shift.


    Upon reaching the smithery, a giant pink cannonball fired out of the entrance out of nowhere.


    Hanzo and Malon were speaking, so they were totally caught off guard by the projectile.


    "Heeeeelllll yeahh!" A female voice sounded from inside, as the pink cannon ball expanded into a web and wrapped Malon and Hanzo tightly into a seal.


    "Whooohoo!" The voice seemed familar.


    "Noa?" Both Hanzo and Malon exclaimed at once.


    At that moment, Noa stepped out of the blacksmithery with a smile on her face and a giant gun in her hand: "Im back! And so is Ol'' Betsy!"

 Chapter 107 - 107: Power Up

    Noa''s personality seemed completely different from before.


    Malon was thrown the hell off by it.


    "What the hell is happening? Why is Noa such a monster!?" He exclaimed with confusion.


    "Yeah..." Hanzo said in defeat, "She gets excited when a gun is in her hands."


    After a short while, Noa placed the gun on her back and freed Hanzo and Malon.


    "Isn''t it amazing!?" She shouted, overjoyed at her new weapon.


    "What? Your Ancestral Ability?" Hanzo questioned, straightening his arm as it almost got dislocated right there.


    "No silly! Ol'' Betsy, my gun!"


    "You named her huh?" Malon said, "Crazy..." He whispered under his breath.


    "What did you just say? You know I heard you right?" Noa suddenly exclaimed in a low tone.


    Hanzo frowned, ''Shit... Im not gonna be apart of this.''


    *


    After a couple seconds, the three made their way across the city on Hanzo''s jetski.


    Malon had a large bump on his head...


    "Let''s go save Tyr now." Hanzo said, his expression determined.


    "He must be so scared... I can''t believe its been a month he''s been alone on some random planet." Noa said in a worried tone, her eyebrows curling inwards.


    Malon exhaled, "No way... I can''t imagine Tyr being scared of something like that. I know he is doing just fine."


    Hanzo spoke: "Lets just hope we can make it there as fast as possible."


    *Days passed*


    Tarnish. Random Hellish Desert.


    Sprawled out across the scorching sand was a body lying flat on its back.


    The person had a large golden flame burning up from their glabella. He had long hair that extended 2 feet outwards from their head. His eyes were closed, and his mouth hung wide open with his tongue flopped out and to the side as if he was a corpse.


    *Bzzzz*


    A fly buzzed through the air above the man.


    *Bzzzzzz*


    It came closer, expanding in size as it neared the man.


    It seemed no larger than a housefly at first, but as it got a few feet away from the man on the ground, the fly was as large as a twin sized bed.


    Now, the fly''s buzzing sounded like a high powered mechanical engine.


    *BZZZZZZZZZZ*


    On hearing the loud sound, the man seemed to awake from his slumber, "Get outta'' here," A deep voice came from the man as he swatted his hand across the air.


    It slammed into the fly, which was instantly obliterated impact--its remained propelled hundreds of feet away.


    [You have slain a Robust Fly.]


    Some of the fly juice spilled onto the man, who quickly sat up and spit out whatever was thrown into his mouth.


    "Puh! Puh! Pahhhh!" He stuck his tongue out in disgust, "Ew... fucking cunt fly." He shook his head and stood up.


    "I swear its been a month already... that means I''ve aged two years right?" Tyr looked at his hands and feet.


    He was taller than before, about 6''4 ft. in height now. His frame was filled out as well, jacked and ripped from head to toe with muscle protruding from every inch of his physique.


    Veins sprawled all across his limbs and body like water hoses forming spider webs. Striations played like piano strings each time he moved, and his clothes had been long ripped apart from the increase in muscle. He wasn''t a block of muscle, still appearing athletic and relatively lean.


    "Its weird... but I''ve been gaining an immense amount of natural strength without doing jack shit. I think It has something to do with my Ancestral Ability and also maybe those odd fruits. I am way stronger than before."


    Tyr hadn''t cultivated for even a second during this entire time, but through killing beasts and sometimes eating very rare fruits that he would find throughout the planet, he had gained a mountain of power.


    "I never thought I would find fruits in a hell like this, but whenever I do, they taste like bliss. They also give me a crazy amount of Aura... so maybe thats being used somehow. I have no clue..."


    *Boom boom boom*


    Tyr looked down, noticing the fine particles atop the ground below him dancing up and down as though on a beating drum.


    He furrowed his brows, "Something''s approaching." He turned, noticing a group of 4 Tarnished Gorc''s rampaging toward him.


    "Oh... its just those weaklings." He said, unimpressed, as he had fought creatures who were far superior by now.


    He lunged forward into a sprint, nearly turning into a blur due to his immense speed.


    ''Blink Step.'' He appeared before the one of the Gorc''s face, reaching his arm back before unleashing a powerful punch.


    *BANG*


    The Gorc''s head was exploded into a thousand pieces.


    [You have slain a Tarnished Gorc.] S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Tyr hopped off of it''s shoulder, slamming it to the ground as he was thrown in front of another Gorc''s face.


    *BANG*


    [You have slain a Tarnished Gorc.]


    Just like this, he hopped from one Gorc to the other, annihilating each one without much trouble.


    [You have slain a Tarnished Gorc.]


    [You have slain a Tarnished Gorc.]


    [You leveled up!]


    ''Just one level from all that huh... speaking of levels, GG must have increased my level to match the strength I''ve gained through these month long days... lets see how im looking now. GG, open my Status.''


    ©³©¥©¥©¥Status©¥©¥©¥©·


    Name: Tyr Evolion Thalonis


    Bloodline: Almighty Thalonis + Unknown


    Age: 18 Years


    Level: 301


    Vitality: 125/125


    Strength: 135


    Stamina: 120/120


    Speed: 125


    Aura: 120


    Stats remaining: 0


    Rank: Virtuoso


    ©»©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¿


    A smile stretched across Tyr''s face: "Nice... very nice. I guess it wasn''t a mistake to come here after all. Maybe I''ll stay for longer."


    Tyr''s rate of strength gain had slowed significantly, but at this rate he was still expanding in strength much faster than on Subworld.


    ***


    Ovalantis Capital City: King.


    11 powerful figures exuding their own immense Aura''s sat around a giant round table.


    Behind five of them was one person who was no weaker than any of those sitting down it seemed.


    After a long pause, the man sitting at the back middle of the table finally raised his voice: "I would like to thank you all for joining this Continental Meeting... without delay, let''s begin to talk about the main reason this meeting was called in the first place. The new threat upon this world... a Fire Dragon."

 Chapter 108 - 108: Continetal Leaders

    ***EXTRA LONG CHAPTER***


    A few minutes prior...


    A knight standing beside one of the pillars in this large meeting room held a horn up to his lips and exclaimed:


    "Please welcome, High Lord of the western mongrals and Emperor of the Zasea Kingdom; his almighty, Karax Haou!"


    As he said this, a tall man who was 6''3 ft. in height walked up the steps leading to the main platform where the meeting roundtable was held.


    He wore a giant red-skinned thick wool cover over his shoulder, and a short skirt made of thick leather--showcasing his ripped and shredded legs.


    He wore hide sandals, and had dozens of feathers poking out of his frizzled, long black hair.


    His skin was not clean, but rather appeared dirty and unkept. His face was like that of a powerful tribe chief with a chiseled diamond jawline.


    His entire demeanor, expression, and presence was rough.


    The person behind him was 2 inches taller, and looked almost no different in terms of clothing. Except, the feathers on his head were only a couple, and his face was more blocky.


    After Karax Haou sat down, the announcer knight roared again:


    "Please welcome, Holy Protector of the northern elves and Crown King of Edenharl Garden; his divinity, Syelthus Edenguard!"


    This man was even taller than the previous one, but appeared almost completely like the opposite.


    Standing at 7''0 ft. flat in height, the man was elegant, poised and slim. His pale white skin seemed to somehow glow a white gleam as if it were made of crystals.


    He was unblemished from head to toe, wearing a long white and warm-green robe with a crown made of thin vines seemingly growing out of his head.


    He had long, pointy ears resembling and elf, and low eyes with an expressionless face.


    Behind him was a far shorter elf with glasses and a slightly nervous smirk on his face.


    As Syelthus Edenguard sat down, Karax pointed his chin toward him with a disgusted look.


    He grunted slightly before returning to his position and keeping his rough expression on.


    The announcer began to shout again in no time:


    "Please welcome, High Lord of the eastern dwarfs and Chancellor of the Douden Federation; his powerful, Dristadhumna Mahapra!"


    Slight tremors danced throughout the room at that moment as loud yet slow footsteps climbed up the steps.


    Finally, a towering behemoth of a man entered the meeting room. He was no less than 20 ft. in height, wearing tight yellowish-brown armor. He had a long red cape behind him.


    The tight armor showcased his brutish and jacked body, covered in muscles in every part.


    His face was calm, rigid and exuded immense power. Behind him was a 3''5 ft. dwarf wearing knight''s armor and wielding an axe.


    Dhum, as most called the Chancellor of Douden, sat down on his ginormous seat to the right of the table.


    "Please welcome," The announcer started again, "High Lord of the southern humans and Emperor of the Rock Saelfine Empire; his glorious, Augustus Cloud Maximillion XII!"


    A 6''3 ft. tall man made his way up the stairs. He withheld the most balanced presence of all those who climbed those steps prior to him.


    He was elegant, yet boasted a power no lesser than the others at the same time.


    He wore red robes and a golden crown atop his head, his face clean-shaven, his hair a brilliant silver, and his eyes a soul-piercing azure color.


    With a slight smile on his face, he made his way to the seat beside Dhum''s and sat down.


    The person standing beside him... clad in black and dark red robe-like armor, a tall man no shorter than 6''5 ft. in stature with pale skin, icy blue eyes, and long black hair flowing down to his waistline. It was no other than Thaddeus.


    "And finally, last, but certainly not least: Please welcome the Supreme Emperor of the center lands, High Ruler of the collected species, and Absolute Commander of the Ovalantis Province; his sovereignty, Julius Vell Storm!"


    As soon as this name was called, all those sitting down rose up in unison.


    The quick rustling and fluttering of clothing items gave way to silent steps rising above the stairs.


    Julius Vell Storm walked to the middle-back chair and took a seat.


    He was no shorter than that of Zarax or Augustus. He wore pristine white armor, with lines of white Aura flowing through it in a pattern resembling that of giant pentagrams all throughout.


    Across his forehead rested a large diadem, his eyes a piercing red, and his hair a bright blonde.


    The man who walked beside him who was shorter in stature took a seat. He was clad in light blue robes and held a fan over his face.


    Afterward, five more men made their way into the meeting room, taking their own respective seats.


    Each person wore various colors, and they were known as the five pillars of Ovalantis.


    Back to present time...


    Julius began the meeting.


    ***


    "Come to think of it, this rate of growth has been so quick I haven''t even gotten a chance to test out what I''ve retrieved from it." Tyr said as he walked in a certain direction.


    "I know I leveled past the threshold for my Third Sealed Memory and also my new spell, but I have yet to check with all the things I have to deal with on this shitty planet."


    He made his way next to a boiling lake, knelt down and drank a couple of mouthfuls of water.


    "Ugh... water is still as hot as ever. Thankfully it doesn''t hurt me though." He exhaled, "Its good that Full Golden Body can stay on infinitely. Although, having a fire attached to my forehead isn''t great in terms of practicality in the normal world. Here though, everything has fire attached to it so... whatever."


    After drinking the water, he sat down, "Alright... lets see what this is now." He summoned a golden key in his hand.


    "Third sealed memory... show me what you got." He placed it in the keyhole which appeared in the air, before giving it a slight turn.


    *Click*


    A few seconds prior...


    ''I remember in the last sealed memory that I witnessed my childhood with my parents up until my 6th birthday. From there the memory cut off. There isn''t anything special about it being my 6th birthday, except for the fact that it was the day I was meant to unlock my Ancestral Ability.''


    With this thought in mind, he unlocked the sealed memory.


    ***


    *ZOOOSH*


    He was taken into oblivion at once. He witnessed more war cries, sobs and wails, screams of rage.


    He heard the blasts of Aura spells, clanging of weapons and the destruction of buildings and body parts while witnessing flashes of them all at once.


    After moments of this overwhelming sensation of memories aligning themselves, Tyr found himself opening his eyes to a random hallway.


    ''Im short... 6 years old type of short.'' He immediately noted before looking around.


    This time, he wanted to survey each part of his memory so he could begin piecing things together.


    He looked forward first, noticing a door a few hundred meters away. To the left was a wall with various paintings and emblems, and to the right were pillars placed about 10 feet part from each other.


    In between the pillars, there were no walls. Tyr could look out into the courtyard and garden where dozens of people seemed to playfully laugh.


    "Tyr, keep going, boy. Your birthday party and Ancestral Ability awakening is tomorrow, don''t you want to get ready?" A familiar voice sounded from behind.


    Tyr felt a tap on the shoulder, turning to see his father, Stars, standing behind him with a smile on his face.


    "Oh... right." Tyr said, continuing to walk.


    Stars chuckled, "You''re quite the odd one."


    At that moment, Tyr furrowed his brows, ''Why is my father in my memories reacting to me as if I actually did this back then?'' He realized, questioning it for the first time.


    ''Is it that these are my memories... or am I going back in time?'' He thought for a split second, but quickly shrugged that off.


    It was going only to confuse him further if he thought about it in that way.


    At that moment, Stars picked Tyr up and held him with one arm while pointing out into the yard.


    "Look! That''s your uncle, Uriel Thalorin. He doesn''t come often, but he came for your birthday. Say hi!" Stars excitedly exclaimed.


    As Tyr glanced over at the man his father was gesturing toward, Stars'' smile disappeared for a moment.


    Tyr waved, as Uriel paused for a few seconds--staring at the boy before giving a wave and a bright smile.


    ''Uriel huh? I remember that name somehow.'' Tyr mused as a he noticed everything around him turning black.


    *ZIIIIP*


    He blinked, opening his eyes again to an entirely different scene.


    He sat behind a long table atop a platform. Beside him sat his parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts and more.


    Below, there was a large red carpeted hall with tables, choirs, food courts and more--not to mention the hundreds of people gathered together for Tyr''s ceremony.


    S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 109 - 109: Third Sealed Memory

    Tyr''s eyes glanced through the crowd like a wave. Out of nowhere, he felt an overwhelming feeling of joy.


    ''Oh... this is what I must have felt back then.'' He thought to himself, unable to help but smile.


    His mother caressed his head with a beautiful smile.


    Tyr glanced at her and then looked at his father, who stared at him with the same joyful smile before abruptly standing up.


    "Everyone!" His loud voice echoed, "I would like to propose a toast to the future ruler of the Thalonis House!" He raised his glass high in the air.


    Those sitting behind the long table on both sides of him quickly stood up on hearing this, also raising their glasses.


    Many who were below were already standing, but those who weren''t also stood for this great event.


    "I would like to thank all of you for joining us on this grand occasion!" He said, receiving a roaring cheer from the crowd.


    "Commonfolk, royals, nobles and all! Even those of you who have supported us from other planets, such as the Xylothians of planet Xylax, I would like to hand out my memento of gratitude!"


    Tyr furrowed his brows as he heard this, looking to the right, where his father had glanced, and noticing a group of figures behind the table and to the right of his uncle''s family who did not look like humans whatsoever.


    Before he could begin to note their features, his father continued.


    "I--" *Cough* "--Excuse me. As I was saying, I would like to also--" *Cough cough*


    "--ahem! It seems a piece of rice has gotten stuck to my throat! My apologies, everyone!" He joked, causing a resounding laugh to ripple through the room.


    "Ah yes, so as I was sayin--" *Cough cough* "--What in the world is--" *Cough cough cough*


    Stars'' coughs began to get even worse. Suddenly, he stumbled to the side, his face turning pale as his hand slid across the table while trying to keep himself on his feet.


    The crowd quieted down quickly, light sounds of shock beginning to hum as Tyr''s mother yelled: "Stars!" And ran to his side.


    Everyone gasped in a state of astonishment with concerned looks on their faces as they saw this.


    As he stared at his father''s face turn more pale, and his eyes turn more red, Tyr''s brows slowly furrowed with concern, ''Why didn''t I think of the possibility... that those scenes of destruction from the flashes of memories could happen right here...'' Tyr suddenly thought to himself, looking around at the building he was in.


    ''I was so preoccupied with what was going on that I totally forgot about them...'' He looked at the various pillars of this grand hall. ''Why else would my memories be showing me this day specifically.''


    His eyes widened more and more in shock as each time he looked at a pillar, a flash of memories showing that pillar being destroyed in fire appeared for just a split second. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Wherever he looked, this seemed to be the case. The completely normal ground exploding, the unblemished windows bursting, and more.


    Tyr began to pant with worry. He was out of it, and instead of looking at his father, who had dozens of people surrounding him by this point, he looked around at others.


    Finally, his eyes landed on his uncle, who, despite what was going on, had a slight smirk on his face.


    Tyr''s eyelids flew open with shock, ''Oh...''


    Stars'' face was quickly riddled with purple veins, his eyes completely bloodshot with blood trickling out of his lips.


    Touching the blood on his son''s lips, Atlas, Tyr''s grandfather, stared at the crowd and roared with rage: "Who has dared to do this!? Show yourselves now!" He slammed his foot on the ground--sending a powerful tremor through the entire building.


    At that very moment, a slow and quiet laugh came from the right side of the hall.


    "Hahaha... ahaha!" The laugh became louder, as Uriel Thalorin became the center of attention of the crowd and everyone else inside the hall.


    "Finally! Finally, the heir to another cursed Thalonis head has been slain!" He screamed, as dozens of aliens sitting beside him suddenly began to jump up and surround the room.


    "Uriel! What is the meaning of this!?" Atlas roared.


    "Shut up, you old geezer!" Uriel screamed, "Quick! Kill the old bastard so he can''t spawn any more Thalonis demons, and kill the little Ancestral Ability-less twerp before he gains power!"


    The aliens darted forward, but dozens of knights appeared before both of those called-out figures.


    *BOOM*


    A blast of Aura sounded as bystanders began to panic and rushed out of the building.


    Many, however, stayed. Their brows were furrowed with anger, and their weapons were sheathed.


    A battle quickly broke out between them and the knights versus the aliens as a man burst through the ceiling, grabbing Tyr, his mother, and his grandfather all at once.


    Tyr couldn''t believe what he was seeing, ''Father!?'' He exclaimed inwardly with shock.


    "Stars!?" Uriel yelled as the aliens and knights of Thalonis continued their fight, destroying the building they were in.


    Amidst the incredible destruction, Stars smiled, "I knew your plan from this morning... and before that as well. Do you think the Thalonis Family would ever truly trust the Thalorin... even after all the evil you have caused? The Golden Age is no more, cousin."


    Uriel ground his teeth with rage, ''The Thalonis House is to end today... I will not allow any other option. Not after everything I''ve sacrificed!'' He inwardly screamed.


    "How... how did you find out this morning." He said in a low and angered tone.


    "You didn''t wave back fast enough to my boy." Stars said boldly, angering Uriel even further as he continued: "I would never let my family be harmed. I am the head of the Thalonis Family, damn it!"


    Stars finally jumped, escaping the area at once.


    Uriel slammed his fists on the table and roared at the sky: "I don''t care, Stars! I will have your entire family butchered! The centuries-long war will soon end, and our family will finally earn what was taken away by your blood from the very beginning! By Erval and the others! We will all gain it back through fire and blood!" Vein''s protruded out of his neck, his eyes seething with hatred.


    He turned toward the rest of the building, noticing hundreds of knights pouring into the place. He then glanced over at Stars'' fake body, which now turned to Aura energy and dispersed into the air.


    Suddenly, a smile appeared on his face: "Not this time... we won''t lose this time around. We can''t... even the God''s are on our side, Erval..."


    He paused, staring up at the sky: "Do you hear me... Crypt? You should have chosen a side. You caused this... now who will stop it!?"


    *BOOM*


    *BOOM BOOM*


    The ceilings shattered as thousands of aliens with wings littered the sky, even blocking out the sun like a cloud of locusts in the distance.


    *


    Tyr was taken into one of the buildings nearby and placed inside a small wooden box, outside of which his parents and grandfather began to speak of what to do.


    ''The first sealed memory...'' Tyr recognized the scene at that moment. He tightened his fists, his eyes widening with rage: ''Uriel... Thalorin.'' The intensity in his eyes was like that of no other.


    It was a rage that stemmed from deep inside his soul that he couldn''t control, ''I will slaughter him with my very hands.'' He thought to himself, never feeling this amount of anger ever before in his entire life.


    It was like something deep within him had awakened, something that came from centuries ago. Something that he had to act upon as soon as possible.


    But then, he felt a wave of fatigue wash over him as if he had taken a sleeping pill.


    For a split second, he felt all of his past memories be erased.


    *ZIIIP*


    He was back to reality and had regained all those memories again.


    ''Why... did I just lose my memories there?''

 Chapter 110 - 110: Ancestral Presence

    Tyr took a deep breath, "I''ve gone through 3 memories now..." He said under his breath, tightening his fists.


    "I have to piece things together." He couldn''t help it, as he still felt that burning rage within his bones, "I want to act out on this anger that I feel right now... but it''s not like I can find Uriel Thalorin right now. And even if I could, would I be able to defeat him?"


    This question was like a bud, stemming dozens of branches and roots of questions:


    "Why was he speaking about Erval? What did the aliens have to do with it? How long ago was that event? 10 years ago? 30? 40?


    How long did I live without knowing all of this happened... is Uriel even still alive?"


    As he asked that last question, he had a sudden realization, "My parents... are they still alive? I have to find them!"


    He paused, plagued by confusion. After a while, he took a deep breath, "Why... does GG know about these memories." He finally asked, "And why do my actions in these so-called ''memories'' affect how my parents and others react to me? Why can I change my memories, damn it!"


    He was rightfully confused and angered by all of this, "Who made me lose my memories in the first place? It''s not right... none of it is right!"


    He finally stood up, fueled with rage and sick of not being able to do anything about it.


    "Fuck!" He yelled into the sky, "GG, when are my next memories going to be shown?"


    [Level needed for Fourth Sealed Memory Key: 850]


    [Level needed for next spell: 850]


    "What the fuck?" Tyr exclaimed raising a brow, "Fuck you GG!" He screamed into the sky.


    After exhaling, he gathered himself, "Just kidding... without GG I would not have made it this far for sure. Now that I have my Ancestral Ability... Boon Of The Sun Devourer, I am good to be on my own, but before then I was useless without GG."


    "Let''s see... I don''t know what happened to my parents, but if they are still alive I will not fail in finding them. When it comes to Uriel... I''ll have to get strong enough to beat his ass myself."


    He stared forward with a determined expression on his face.


    "My dream is to be the most powerful in the wor--no, its to be the most powerful in the entire Solar Tree. And my goal is to gain power so that I can kill Uriel and find my parents."


    He paused for a moment, "Then that means... my goal is to wage a war against whatever force Uriel has and come out on top."


    Out of nowhere, Tyr felt a pain in his spine. It drove up his back and all the way into his head and to his glabella.


    GG also opened up in front of him in its floating transparent form.


    He closed one eye in pain, "Ach!" He exclaimed, keeping one eye open to look at the floating Grimoire in front of him.


    "What the hell..." He muttered under his breath, confused.


    The pages in GG flipped hundreds of times, revealing many empty pages, before finally returning to the starting pages.


    It showed Tyr all of his abilities, such as Transfer, Hypnosis, Disappear, Blink Step, Soul Marking, and Reverse, and finally, it flipped to the last page that was filled out.


    On that last page, Tyr glanced over the new Spell that he gained when he went over level 250 sometime back.


    But he barely even got to read what it was when it was suddenly erased.


    "What the hell!?" He exclaimed, still in searing pain as he felt like his head was going to blow off at any moment.


    Finally, the transparent blue book wrote new symbols on the page that just had the level 250 Spell disappear from it.


    Before, it was a spell called God Thunder. But now, it was replaced with a spell called...


    [New Spell: Ancestral Presence.]


    [Description: Passive ability to mimic and exude the Aura and spiritual pressure of previous generations of your family. This Spell can be trained to become stronger, giving you the ability to exude the Aura of those far superior to you.]


    [Spell Criteria: This spell is unique, as it is a rare spell that more than one person can learn. To meet the requirements of learning this Spell along with one''s Ancestral Ability, one needs to be born with their *ERROR*.]


    [*ERROR* has been substituted for the word: Truth.]


    "Huh... that''s weird. So since I wasn''t born with this, I am receiving it now through GG instead of with my Ancestral Ability?" Tyr exclaimed, the pain finally leaving his body.


    "God Thunder sounded pretty cool too though... but, whatever. I guess this can be useful as well. I can''t use any Aura of my Ancestors or anything like that, but I can mimic their presence. Thats pretty sick... I wonder whose presence I can activate right now."


    He tried to activate the Spell like normal, but found that he couldn''t do it for some reason.


    "Thats weird... usually they just work when I think of using them. But I guess this ones a bit different... it was introduced as a fully passive ability, unlike all my other Spells." Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    With that thought, he decided to close his eyes and try to envision something that would trigger his emotions enough to unleash this Ancestral presence.


    The first thing that was fresh on his mind was the anger that he held for Uriel.


    *Woooooshh*


    A gust of wind traveled out of him in all directions, causing a slight storm of dust to build up.


    The water beside him over the lake was also propelled away in a series of large ripples.


    *Crack*


    The floor beneath his feet abruptly broke apart slightly.


    Although Tyr himself didn''t feel anything, he could tell that there was quite an immense force around him right now.


    ''This... is similar to what Thaddeus used.'' Tyr mused, deactivating the spell.


    *WHIRLLL*


    The sound of wind swirling around began to sound around him.


    "Huh? I know I didn''t do that. My ability is already gone..." He turned, noticing a small blue portal beginning to form from thin air.


    After a few seconds, a face popped out.


    Tyr''s brows immediately furrowed, "H-Hanzo!?"

 Chapter 111 - 111: Doomed

    "Ack!" Hanzo suddenly exclaimed with a sour look on his face, "Shit!" He disappeared back into the portal.


    Tyr stood there in confusion for a few seconds.


    ''What the...'' He thought to himself inwardly.


    And then, a hand popped out of the portal. Without delay, the hand gestured for Tyr to come closer.


    "Why are you doing that?" Tyr asked, following the hand''s command. As soon as the hand touched Tyr''s chest, it grabbed him out of nowhere and pulled him with force.


    Tyr was pulled through the portal and let go, causing him to stumble forward.


    When he looked around, he noticed he was back in the mechanical portal room in the ice chamber. Only he and Hanzo were in here.


    "You idiot!" Hanzo exclaimed at that moment, "Why didn''t you come sooner? The skin on my hand was seconds from burning off!" He shook his hand in pain.


    "Huh?" Tyr furrowed his brows for a second with confusion, "Oh wait... thats right, I totally forgot about the climate of Tarnish. I was using Full Golden Body for so long that I got used to Tarnish having a normal atmosphere."


    Hanzo paused, and then smiled, "Well... welcome back buddy." He said with a genuine tone.


    Tyr also smiled on hearing this, "Thank you, Hanzo... I was getting strong there, but Im also glad I can come back here."


    Hanzo raised a brow on hearing this, "You were... getting strong there?" S§×ar?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Tyr quickly replied: "Yeah. Time went by 24 times faster than normal, and I was growing in power by the day naturally due to my Ancestral Ability, I think. I was also eating fruits sometimes that were packed with Aura."


    Hanzo furrowed his brows, as though he was concerned, "Wait a minute..." He slowly made his way toward Tyr. He circled the young man several times while scratching his chin as he finally exclaimed: "You look different!"


    Tyr''s eyelid''s lowered, unimpressed, "You noticed only now!?"


    "Yeah!" Hanzo replied, "Way different. You''re taller, and your muscles are way bigger. Your hair is also longer. It looks like you did age faster... and since its been a month... that means you have aged exactly 2 years.


    You are 18 years old!"


    "Mmhmm."


    "When one gets his Ancestral Ability Awakening, they do get stronger in general. They also grow stronger simply because they have their Aura Core finally created, which goes in tandem with the Ancestral Ability."


    Hanzo was still seeming to think about something as he surveyed Tyr, "So being inside of Tarnish is like a time chamber to gain power. But... how did you survive for so long?"


    "My Full Golden Body. It allows me to negate all fire and wind damage, which are the two things causing the heated climate on Tarnish."


    "I get that, but surely you didn''t use it at all times. No, that would be foolish. Hmm..." Hanzo continued to think.


    Tyr was a bit taken aback by this, "W-what do you mean? That''s exactly what I did."


    Hanzo didn''t seem to hear this for a second. But then, he realized what Tyr just said.


    He immediately looked at the young man with widened eyes, "You... did what?"


    "I used my Ancestral Ability the entire time."


    "Oh... well if thats the case, rest in peace." Hanzo exclaimed turning to the side with tears trickling down his face.


    "Huh!? What are you talking about? Speaking of Full Golden Body, I should deactivate it now--"


    "NO! Stop!" Hanzo exclaimed, jumping up and slamming his fist across Tyr''s head.


    "Ow!"


    "Shut up! You fool! You can''t just use an Ancestral Ability thats passive like that for so long!"


    "What? But I had no side effects..." Tyr replied, clutching the bump on his head.


    Hanzo shook his head, "Fuck... this is bad. Its not that you get side effects while the spell is continuing, you fool. It''s like using a super powered energy pill or something... you feel great when you use it, but after it runs out everything you did hits you all at once and crashes your system."


    Tyr''s eye''s expanded on hearing this.


    Hanzo continued: "I''ve never heard of someone using their Ancestral Ability for a month straight... and I''ve seen people get ill for days after just using their ability for a couple days straight. And I''ve even seen some people get permanently paralyzed and have their Aura Core be destroyed from using their ability for more than a week."


    "Oh shit... thats bad. Especially because I technically used it for 2 years straight..."


    Hanzo''s maw gaped slightly with realization and shock as he faced the ground, "What the hell are we gonna do now? Tsk... good thing we got you out as soon as possible. If not for that, maybe even a day more would have been fatal. It might even be fatal right now... but one more day would have been 24 more days technically."


    "Hmm... speaking of ''we,'' where are the others?" Tyr asked, seemingly ignoring all of these scares.


    Hanzo sighed, "We decided to split up. If we all went the way we originally got here, all three of us might have gotten trapped until our last days in those ice prisons. Those two decided to go that way, and I decided to see if I could find a new way somehow... and I did. Good thing I didn''t choose the ice prison as well, or else you would have been in quite some trouble."


    Tyr placed his hands on his hip, "You know what... something tells me I''ll be alright."


    Hanzo''s shoulders drooped with defeat, "You were actually an interesting, fun person. How sad to see you go." He stared at Tyr as he said this.


    "W-wha--don''t speak as if im already dead! Like I said, I will survive this. I have more goals now..." Tyr furrowed his brows, "Just tell me this, do you know what exactly hurts me after I deactivate this ability?"


    Hanzo let out an exasperated sigh, "If it helps you find peace at your end times, I''ll tell you what I know I guess... from my experience, I know that all the fatigue you build up from using your Ancestral Ability continuously comes back in the form of small Aura attacks on your Aura Core. Your Aura Core connects all parts of your body, and is the main function of your power."


    Tyr nodded along as Hanzo continued to explain.


    "Since you have been using it for 2 years, the attacks will be large and they will be plenty, and have a 99.9999999% chance to destroy your Aura Core, and also your body and brain at the same time through attacking your nervous system. Thats my estimate atleast..."


    "Thats harsh..."


    "Yeah."


    Tyr smiled at that moment, "But if its like that, I think I have a chance to survive."


    Hanzo sighed, looking up at Tyr''s eyes. Out of nowhere, he was taken aback, ''That look... its the one that he has before doing something big... why does he have it now? Does he actually have a plan?''


    "But before that, let''s go free the other two." Tyr began to march out of the portal room.

 Chapter 112 - 112: Survive

    Noa and Malon were freed by Tyr''s Flame Breath. After that, they had a grand reunion, with tears and hugs and all those types of shenanigans. The tears were only from Hanzo by the way...


    After all of that, the three sat around Tyr in the middle of the ice chamber. Now, Noa and Malon were crying, as they heard the news of Tyr.


    Tyr shook his head, "Is this some sort of demonic ritual?" He questioned, seeing as everyone was sitting around him and bawling.


    "You''re gonna die~~!" Noa exclaimed, tears flailing out of her eyes.


    "Jeez... nihilistic much?" Tyr chuckled.


    "You were a great guy!" Malon exclaimed at that moment.


    Hanzo remained quiet, simply shaking his head.


    "Listen to me!" Tyr exclaimed at that moment, "Just do me a favor... all of you, and just trust me. I won''t die." Tyr finally became more serious.


    The others stopped their incessant wailing and focused more closely on his words.


    "But," Noa began to say, "How can you be so sure?" S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Im not sure..." Tyr stared forward with determination, "If I were to use percentages like Hanzo, it has maybe a 3% chance of working. But that all depends on me."


    Malon and Noa paused for a moment... and then began to wail with tears again.


    Hanzo shook his head on seeing this, "Aiyaiyai... these two are useless..." He exclaimed.


    "You were crying like them a minute ago too," Tyr said in a joking way.


    Hanzo paused, ignoring him, "Anyways... what''s this big solution you have to boost your survival chances by a couple of rabbit turds worth of percentages?"


    "It has something to do with an ability of mine."


    "Hmm? Your Ancestral Abilitity?"


    "No... one of my spells..." He stared into Hanzo''s eyes, "You all... rest at Ovalantis until im done. Im sure it won''t take more than a couple days."


    Hanzo squinted his eyes, "Tyr... don''t you dare die from something like this. I''ve sacrificed a lot due to you... and I won''t ever forgive you if you throw it all away." He was completely serious in his tone this time, disengaging from all the jokes.


    Tyr didn''t say anything, simply giving him a firm nod.


    "Come on, you morons!" Hanzo exclaimed, picking both Malon and Noa up on his flying jetski.


    He gave Tyr one last glance before zipping his way out of the prison room and further.


    Tyr saw them go and continued looking at the hall. He understood that that might have been the last time he would see them.


    "I won''t die." He clutched his fists. After that, he crossed his leg, sitting in a meditative position before closing his eyes.


    He placed the bottom of his palms on his lap and touched the tip of his longest fingers and also his thumb together.


    After taking in a deep breath, he undid his Full Golden Body. In a matter of milliseconds, the small golden flame on his glabella dispersed into nothing.


    ...


    *BOOM*


    It was like a bomb had exploded inside of his organs out of nowhere. The force was horrifyingly intense. The pain was excruciating, and the feeling was unfathomably overwhelming.


    It was as though 10 mountains the size of Hua had summoned inside of his core all at once, threatening to break all the bones in his body.


    However, before it continued any longer, Tyr gritted his teeth and fought through the pain: ''Reverse!''


    *BOOOM*


    All of the force and pressure on his Aura Core was suddenly thrust outwards in all directions.


    The Aura unleashed from Tyr''s body slammed into the walls of the ice chamber and sent quaking tremors through the entire structure.


    However, due to the durable nature of the ice, there wasn''t even a scratch of damage.


    ''I can use it once per minute now since I''ve gotten stronger... I just have to hold out until then.''


    After a couple seconds, the pain and immense pressure began to crash Tyr like a tsunami.


    ''Reverse.''


    *BOOM*


    Minutes passed, as Tyr continued to use his ability to ward off as much damage as possible.


    ''Reverse.''


    *BOOM*


    ''Reverse.''


    *BOOM*


    Minutes turned to hours, as Tyr continued using his ability through the night.


    ''Reverse.''


    ''Reverse.''


    ''Reverse.''


    *BOOM*


    *BOOM*


    *BOOM*


    ***


    Eventually, Tyr''s first estimation of a couple of days was extended. After an entire week of sitting there in excruciating pain, boredom, pressure, and everything else you could think of, Tyr finally mused his last ''Reverse.''


    *BOOM*


    The pressure no longer assaulted his Aura Core. Before he could even open his eyes, he fell backward onto the ice floor.


    He panted heavily, his skin torn up and cracked. He was bleeding from head to toe, and nearly deceased by this point.


    [Vitality: 6/125]


    Several bones in his body had been cracked and broken into pieces. Tendons, muscles, and ligaments ripped apart.


    His Aura Core was also in extremely rough shape, nearly about to shatter.


    However, Tyr didn''t care about this excruciating pain right now. He had gone through a week of pain like this and worse... he had gotten used to it by now.


    Instead, he smiled through his bloody gums.


    "Haha..." His low voice barely whipped a laugh, "I..." He sounded like a dying old man, barely understanding with crushed vocal cords, "I will not die."


    With that, he slowly opened his eyes.


    Standing over him was a man with his hands crossed and a nonchalant expression.


    "You really had to use my chamber for your shit, didn''t you? Well... at least you survived. I truly didn''t think you would have come out of Tarnish. Well done, young blood. You may be more of a prodigy than I first estimated."


    Tyr stared at the man for a few seconds after he heard this. He squinted his eyes, wanting the blurriness to fade.


    After a couple of seconds of pausing, Tyr finally saw what the man looked like and said: "Who..."


    The man furrowed his brows at that moment, attempting to understand what Tyr was going to say.


    "... the fuck are you?"

 Chapter 113 - 113: Dragon Bounty

    The next thing Tyr knew, he was seemingly getting carried by someone. He couldn''t open his eyes due to the exhaustion, but during this time, all he could hear was:


    "You''ve committed an offense that could land you life and more in prison. Destroying one of the very mountains surrounding Ovalantis... tsk."


    The rough voice paused.


    "But, I won''t crush a bud while its still attempting to sprout. I want to see that fun battle to decide who the strongest in this continent is, sometime in the future."


    ***


    "Conquer the world he says? How the hell does he expect to do that now that this is out." A sarcastic voice echoed in close proximity, as Tyr suddenly gained consciousness.


    His eyes slowly opened to a wooden ceiling above. To his left, there was a window showing a busy street down below.


    He then looked down slightly, noticing that his entire body seemed to be bandaged.


    Looking to the right, Tyr saw all three of his group members sitting around a small circular table, sounding to have a discussion.


    Hanzo was holding a small poster, and staring at it with a frown on his face.


    The others didn''t seem too elated either.


    "Well, what do we do now?" Noa asked, her tone low.


    Malon sighed, "Maybe its time for us to go out of the continent. The world out there is far stronger than here... we will adapt."


    After this, a short break of time where no one spoke ensued


    "Guys..." Tyr''s voice creaked like an old door amidst the silence.


    Everyone''s heads darted toward him, Noa and Malon quickly making their way over.


    "Tyr! You''re awake!" Noa jumped onto him, attempting to embrace the young man.


    "GAH!" Tyr exclaimed in pain, his eyes flying open.


    Malon also threw himself over the young man with excitement: "Thank Mother Gaia you didn''t enter a coma!"


    "AGHHH!" Tyr groaned, almost dead at this point.


    Suddenly, Noa noticed drops of blood trickling down Tyr''s mouth.


    She immediately got off, "Hanzo! He''s bleeding again!" She exclaimed as Hanzo slowly walked over.


    Malon also jumped off as he heard this.


    Tyr tried to speak but was too busy dealing with the pain.


    Hanzo had his head toward the floor, "Tsk tsk tsk... you stupid fools..." He said under his breath.


    Finally, he jumped up and smacked them both across the head: "Of course, he''s going to bleed again! I only healed him a bit! Not enough for you guys to crush him and reopen all of his wounds!" He screamed in anger.


    As Noa and Malon stood back with bumps on their head and sorry looks on their faces, Hanzo stood over Tyr.


    "What you did was foolish. You should have died... frankly, I don''t know how you survived."


    Tyr smiled immediately on hearing this, "I told you didn''t I? I was not going to die."


    Hanzo exhaled, and then smiled slightly, "Thank you, Tyr..." He said in a genuine tone, which threw Tyr off slightly.


    After a short pause, Tyr replied: "Y-yeah... of course, man. I wouldn''t die... before doing the things I wanted. I have too much to lose." He smiled again.


    Hanzo turned, "Still, we aren''t out of harm''s way. You can''t fight for the next several months or maybe even years due to your injuries... and we have an even bigger thing to worry about on top of that."


    He grabbed the poster he was looking at just a moment ago and showed it to Tyr.


    Tyr''s eyes widened in shock as he saw the poster.


    "DRAGON WANTED!"


    "Anyone who can find and slay the Fire Dragon will earn a grand prize and be crowned Lord of a region."


    "The grand prize is 1 Million Aura Stones!"


    A smile then appeared on Tyr''s face, "Hahaha!" He laughed, "Ack!" He was forced to stop due to the pain. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    After a few breaths, he resumed: "Thats awesome."


    All three other people in the room looked at Tyr with unimpressed expressions.


    "What do you mean, awesome!?" They all screamed in unison.


    "Woah! Calm down!" Tyr said in a quiet voice, "Listen... it''s not like they can ever enter my Infinite Domain. And I can just walk around knowing I can sell that twerp for ten billion fucking dollars at all times."


    "Ten billion what?" Noa asked at that moment, confused, with her head tilted to the side.


    The others seemed just as puzzled.


    "I mean, 1 million Aura Stones." Tyr retorted.


    ''Who did you call a little twerp!? I''ll have you know, I am far superior to you now in terms of strength! In just the past month I''ve nearly doubled my power!''


    ''Huh?'' Tyr confusedly exclaimed, ''GG, show me Ares'' status.''


    ©³©¥©¥©¥Status©¥©¥©¥©·


    Name: Ares


    Bloodline: Immortal Fire Dragon


    Age: Month(s)


    Power Level: 185


    Vitality: 78/78


    Strength: 80


    Stamina: 80/80


    Speed: 80


    Aura: 92


    Rank: Sentinel


    ©»©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¿


    ''Holy fuck.'' Tyr mused, ''How in the... oh...'' He realized why this was. ''That''s right... Soul Marking makes it so that all of my pets gain half the experience I do... so half the levels, in other words. That means Rudra is quite strong as well now.''


    ©³©¥©¥©¥Status©¥©¥©¥©·


    Name: Rudra


    Bloodline: None


    Age: 46 Years


    Power Level: 257


    Vitality: 109/109


    Strength: 131


    Stamina: 104/104


    Speed: 109


    Aura: 87


    Rank: Warden


    ©»©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¿


    ''Jeez... Warden Rank? That''s not something I see very often.''


    ''Thank you! Master!'' Rudra exclaimed, teeming with excitement.


    Ares on the other hand was pissed: ''Gained power through you? Impossible! It''s probably more so the case that you gained power through me!''


    Tyr''s brows lowered, ''Shut up, you twerp lizard.''


    ''W-what did you--''


    Tyr ignored the dragon, returning to his conversation with Hanzo and the others.


    "Anyways... the point is, Im still safe as long as no one associates Ares to be my pet."


    The other three paused. What Tyr was saying was true, but they still couldn''t help but be slightly worried.


    "Now... what were you guys talking about before I awoke? Something about conquering the world?" Tyr''s eyes seemed to light up as he said this.

 Chapter 114 - 114: Stranded

    "It''s the land of savages," Hanzo exclaimed, pointing at a map that was placed on Tyr''s lap.


    The other two were standing beside Hanzo, also staring at the map of Ainsveld.


    "So that''s where you want to go next?" Tyr questioned, "Why?"


    Hanzo didn''t hesitate to answer: "Ovalantis is fine to stay in, but not for much longer. We should stay on the move, as to not get caught by Rock Saelfine eventually. Above that, only through the Zasea Kingdom can we truly leave Ainsveld."


    He looked up at Tyr, "If your goal is to explore to world, you want to leave this continent right?"


    "Yes..." Tyr replied.


    "So then, we have no other choice but to go there."


    Noa turned, "Hmm..." She noised, "The land of savages huh?" She paused, changing her train of thought, "So Tyr, how exactly will we start to make you the ruler of the world? Will we create an army, and perhaps start conquering regions?"


    Tyr didn''t delay an answer: "Yes."


    Malon furrowed his brows, "Is that our next step? I mean... are you sure?"


    Tyr sighed, "Well, thats the eventual goal. Right now though, I just want to gain power. I don''t think we have to take direct steps like that. Thats the final dream, but right now I want to explore and do other things. I want to gain experience and..."


    He paused, knowing that he of course also wanted to save his family potentially and also get revenge on Uriel Thalorin.


    He couldn''t say that right now, however, as it would only confuse the others.


    "Lets just keep exploring and see how it goes. I think we will end up where we want that way." With these final words from Tyr, everyone remained silent.


    Tyr looked at the map, "I like the idea of Zasea. A more secluded land filled with completely different cultures... lets go there next." He also paused for a moment, "After that... only time will tell what we do."


    ...


    "Sounds good to me." Hanzo smiled.


    "Mmhmm!" Noa exclaimed.


    Malon chuckled, "Lets go."


    With that, Tyr closed his eyes, "Hanzo... give me more health capsules. All this talking has me nearly dead." He groaned.


    *Month''s passed*


    During this time, the news of the Fire Dragon within Ainsveld spread like wildfire.


    After the Continental Meeting, where many topics including the Fire Dragon were discussed, news began to print stories like crazy.


    Every city of every kingdom, including even the outskirts villages, seemed to get their fair shares of newspapers dropped on their streets.


    If not for that, all TV stations and radios only sounded the large news of what occurred during the Continental Meeting.


    So many decisions were made during this rare get togethor that it was enough to hold up queue in the news station''s schedule for over a month.


    Every intellignet person came to know about the Dragon, and many started their journey to go out and hunt the beast.


    Tyr and his group on the other hand hadn''t been involved in much of this. Well, they were technically in the center of it all, being as the dragon that everyone was after, was inside of Tyr after all.


    But nonetheless, they were more focused on other things.


    They traveled northwest, through forest, desert, and tundra alike.


    Through their journey of cities, villages, and even small kingdoms, everyone spent time getting stronger.


    Tyr stayed back during the entire time, allowing his body to heal. Despite his physical body healing much faster, his Aura Core still needed much more time to regenerate in comparison.


    Their hunter group stopped by these societies for sometimes even days at a time.


    Hanzo sometimes learned new tricks, bought better gadgets for himself, and also spent his time cultivating.


    Malon continued to practice the combat training that he learned from the Thors Guild Vice Guildmaster. Along with that, he cultivated to gain strength as well.


    Noa practiced with her gun as well, not only with her aim but also to empower the weapon with even more Aura.


    She worked on creating various types of binds for all different types of occasions.


    As they completed missions, fought beasts naturally, and continued traveling across the continent, they all became a bit stronger little by little.


    The only one who lacked behind was Tyr.


    ''Tsk...'' Tyr mused, ''Its annoying that I don''t get to train or do much of anything... but I guess I have to pay a price for all that power I gained in Tarnish.''


    After their most recent city visit, they prepared for a long journey across a large lake.


    After staying the night at a harbor village, they set off early the next morning on a fairly large wooden ship.


    They packed supplies that would last them about 2 weeks since their trip was estimated to be no less than 1 week in length.


    "Overpreparing is better than starving to death." Noa laughed, sitting on the ship as she read the local newspaper.


    Tyr and the others chilled out as well, as all they could do was wait. S§×ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    It was decent at first, like a time of rest after all the shit they had been going through.


    But eventually, the peace turned into boredom.


    A week passed, and still, no sign of land had shown itself.


    "Its because of your shit steering skills!" Tyr yelled at Hanzo, who retorted back without hesitation:


    "We would be on Tarnish if you were to be steering the ship!"


    As they argued, the days continued to pass...


    The food, that was already getting rationed, was starting to dwindle down.


    *Three weeks later*


    By this point, the entire crew had eaten nothing for a week straight.


    They all resembled pale skeletons who had just risen from the dead.


    "So..." Tyr said amongst the silence and dread of the group. "Why didn''t we just swim back to shore?"


    Hanzo stared at Tyr as if he was a dumbass.


    "We aren''t anywhere near land. I''ve scanned the area on my Hoverski over a hundred times through this trip... theres never any land."


    "Hoverski? So thats what its called..." Tyr said, looking to the side.


    "GUYS!" Malon suddenly screamed, "Its... its..." He stammered, standing at the very front of the ship, near the steering wheel.


    The others quickly rushed up there as they heard his wails.


    "ITS LAND! LANNDDD HOOO!!"

 Chapter 115 - 115: Dunes

    The four of them locked their arms around themselves, laughing as they jumped up and down and exclaimed: "Land ho! Land ho! Land ho!"


    After so long, none of them had the energy to have anything but excitement pumping through them.


    After a few minutes, they arrived at shore.


    Tyr immediately knelt down and kissed the floor several times.


    "I love you, grass! Where have you been all this time!?"


    "Oi!" Hanzo shouted, "Come on... we have no clue where we are. For all we know, we may still die of hunger."


    The shore they had landed in wasn''t like anything they had witnessed before.


    It looked like a normal sandy beach at first, but as they continued walking up the shore, they noticed that the sand didn''t stop.


    It continued on like dunes for as long as the eye could see.


    It wasn''t even a rocky desert, which they were used to by now. The ones filled with cacti and boulders as far as the eye could see.


    No, this one barely had any cacti, and not a single boulder in sight.


    The sand was fairly flat, with light bumps and valleys that extended into an infinite distance.


    On arriving atop a hill and seeing all of this, tears nearly came out of Tyr''s eyes.


    "Did the God of luck decide to take shit on our heads this past month?" He said, his eyes opened wide with despair.


    Noa felt her knees almost buckle, "First Tyr nearly dying... and then the dragon bounty, and then being stranded on the ship... and now, this?"


    Malon simply stood there uttering the same words under his breath: "No food... no animal... no food... no rabbit... no deer..." He continued.


    Tyr took a deep breath, "Alright!" He roared, "Snap out of it! I won''t die just because of some stupid thing called starvation! I just survived hell!"


    He began to stomp forward, the others staring at him from afar.


    ''Starvation wants to kill me? I wonder... Reverse!'' Nothing happened...


    ''Reverse! Reverse!''


    His stomach suddenly grumbled.


    ''Ah... whatever! I don''t need Reverse. I''ll survive this without a problem.''


    After he continued for several dozen feet, the others were also convinced to follow him.


    They all gathered themselves eventually and began their trek across the dunes.


    *Hours passed...*


    The group continued to dwindle down to their last legs as they walked across the scorching land.


    With tongues swinging and postures slouched, they finally made it atop a large dune hill and noticed a twinkle of blue at the very bottom of it--thousands of feet away.


    "An... oasis!" Tyr exclaimed, a smile appearing on his face.


    Malon also seemed excited at the thought of an oasis, but Noa and Hanzo weren''t so convinced. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    They looked at each other silently, shaking their heads.


    "We have no other choice..." Hanzo said under his breath, following Tyr down the hill toward the oasis.


    Tyr hadn''t wasted any time whatsoever, not even waiting for his group before hopping on Rudra and sprinting down towards the water.


    It was over a thousand feet down, but Rudra made his way there fairly quickly.


    ''I wish I could bring you my bounty from Infinite Domain, master...'' Rudra exclaimed in a low, somber tone.


    He felt the hunger and pain of his master and didn''t like it whatsoever.


    "It''s fine... this is no big deal." Tyr exclaimed under his breath, as the oasis neared.


    As they got closer, they noticed that the small twinkle of blue was actually enormous up close.


    "This place..." Tyr said lightly, his chin pointed toward the sky while looking at the large structure before him.


    "Its a city."


    There were giant walls made of sandstone and metal, along with giant stone spikes that appeared every few dozen feet.


    The walls were tall, clearly measuring to be over 500 feet, which shocked Tyr.


    "I swear it wasn''t thing big a second ago... and where did the blue water go?"


    At that moment, Hanzo and the others arrived on his Hoverski.


    The group made it to the main entrance, where not a single guard was present.


    Although they were a bit confused, they neared the large entrance.


    They couldn''t see what was inside, as the entry doorway looked to be blocked by a thick white mist of sorts.


    As they traversed across the fog, an entirely new scene blessed their eyes.


    Malon''s brows furrowed with confusion, "Green... everywhere." His eyes darted all over the place.


    The others were no less bewildered.


    Tyr couldn''t believe his eyes. In front of them was an enormous, thick jungle.


    The trees were large and small, but the canopy was dense--blocking out the sky. The rays of sun that shined in from the treetop crevices gave the entire area a slightly yellowish, green hue.


    The air was humid and moist, the ground slippery and wet, and the forest stretched for as far as the eye could see.


    "There''s no way this was actually inside those walls." Hanzo said, in slight disbelief.


    Tyr turned, "Most of the trees are about 30-40 feet tall." He noted. The trees were like from the jungle part of Gitran. They were mangled, twisting and turning in every which way.


    "However," Tyr continued, "There''s a few that are huge. Like that one." He pointed to an enormous tree in the distance that looked to tower over the wall they just came from by a few hundred feet.


    "We would have see that tree on the other side... that means this is a small, but separate dimension within the confines of this wall."


    The others gasped slightly in lodgement and surprise as they heard Tyr say this.


    "Thats some awesome technology." Hanzo chuckled, the others also agreeing.


    Before them was a wide dirt-trodden path, which they decided to follow.


    On their way, Hanzo and Tyr decided to scope out the area a bit more by flying over the main treeline and trying to get a viewpoint of the place.


    Hanzo went left, obviously using his Hoverski.


    Tyr on the other hand went right, using his dragon wings to fly. He had a solid amount of control over them now, as he had practiced a fair amount.


    "Insane..." Tyr exclaimed to himself as he saw the forest before him. It looked like there wasn''t any desert dunes to begin with. The forest extended as far as the eye could see.


    Finally, he saw something that looked manmade in the distance. He squinted his eye to get a better look at it.


    "A warehouse?" He confirmed, noticing a large and worndown metal building in the middle of the jungle. He began to slowly float over to it when he heard Hanzo''s shouting all of a sudden:


    "A city! Its a city!"


    As Tyr heard this, his head immediately turned away from the warehouse. With a smile, he flew back over to the others.


    "Finally!"

 Chapter 116 - 116: Hidden City

    Hanzo and Malon rode the Hoverski, and Noa and Tyr rode atop Rudra in front, continuing along the path.


    "It''s right on the trail, about half a mile in front of us." Hanzo said, everyone unable to contain their eagerness.


    They would finally be able to eat food after so long and rest... it was going to be like a small piece of heaven.


    After a while, they indeed came across another wall to civilization.


    These walls were different, only about 50 feet in height and made out of giant wooden spikes tied together with some sort of hide and vines.


    The place looked ferocious from the very entrance.


    A single guard looked to be holding post at the entrance.


    Tyr hopped off of Rudra, making his way toward the guard.


    The man holding post didn''t look like any average guard. Instead of armor, he wore animal hide over his crotch and had a leather strap running over his shoulder.


    His muscular body was covered in tribal paint and wielded a large wooden spear.


    He had a caveman-like face, which was chiseled and blocky. His stature was also tall, around 6''3 ft in total.


    As Tyr approached, the guard stomped one foot on the ground and straightened his posture. S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Welcome lrax!" The man exclaimed with his chin held high.


    "Lrax? What''s that?" Tyr exclaimed.


    "Oh... this lrax has a young voice? Which city do you come from?" The guard asked again.


    "Again... I don''t know what that is." Tyr said, finally stopping about 6 feet away from the guard.


    The guard then furrowed his brows and squinted his eyes, "Wait a minute... you are no lrax."


    Tyr had an unimpressed expression on his face, "Yeah no shit... that''s what I''ve been saying. What is a lrax?"


    As Tyr continued his conversation with the guard, the other members of his hunter group looked at him from afar with confusion.


    They whispered amongst each other:


    "He knows how to speak Zasean?" Hanzo questioned.


    "What the hell..." Noa said.


    "Since when did?" Malon paused, confused.


    "Well actually," Noa continued, "It checks out. I mean, look at him. He''s no shorter than a Zasea native, and his body and hair look no different either. Maybe he was born here..."


    Hanzo and Malon paused...


    "That would actually make a lot of sense you know..." Hanzo said, thinking to himself.


    Tyr on the other hand hadn''t heard a lick of what his team was saying.


    "I see!" The guard exclaimed, "So you are no lrax... or lord, as you probably call that title. But you are of Zasean heritage, no? Look at your body! It''s no different from mine when I was your age!" He grabbed Tyr''s shoulder, laughing loudly.


    "Uh... right." Tyr replied, "Well, look... I am no Zasean."


    "Thats a language."


    "Whatever! The point is, im not from here, and im no lrax or whatever you call it. I, and my group, are travelers. We have been stranded and starving for weeks... give us some food!" Tyr was direct.


    The guard looked puzzled for a second, "You talk Zasean as if you are born with it though... anyways, follow me. We welcome visitors." He turned, walking into the city.


    ''Oh... thats right. My speech is autotranslated isn''t it...'' Tyr remembered, ''Thats a bit weird to explain.'' He turned to face his team.


    ''They are probably confused,'' He mused as he saw their faces. He gestured for them to follow, and that was what they did.


    The guard led them a few feet into the city before turning to say his goodbyes, leaving Tyr and the others to navigate the streets alone.


    With Rudra trotting ahead and the Hoverski following close behind, the group moved cautiously through the eerily quiet streets.


    People wandered about, but the usual hum of conversation was conspicuously absent.


    It struck Tyr as strange¡ªevery other city he''d visited buzzed with life.


    But here, the silence was unsettling. As he rode atop Rudra, he scanned the crowd and noticed dozens of people who reminded him of the addicts he''d seen back on Earth, particularly in places like Skid Row.


    Their faces were gaunt and pale, eyes bloodshot, and their bodies painfully thin.


    They shuffled through the streets like the living dead.


    Yet, not everyone looked this way. There were others who seemed more normal, though their attire was primitive, like something out of a prehistoric tribe.


    Fur and leather garments seemed to be the height of fashion in this place.


    Tyr had seen enough. Without warning, he leaped off Rudra and sprinted forward, his voice echoing through the narrow streets:


    "I need to find food before I die!" he shouted, vanishing into the crowd ahead.


    ''"M-Master!'' Rudra cried out, bolting after him. In his haste, he crashed through carts and sent people tumbling, while Noa clung on for dear life.


    "W-what the¡ª!? Tsk! You idiots!" Hanzo snarled, revving up his Hoverski to chase after them.


    The city itself was clearly underdeveloped, with few stone buildings in sight.


    Instead, the streets were lined with shacks and cabins made of rough-hewn wood. Tyr ran until he stumbled upon a large pub constructed entirely of logs.


    Without hesitation, he rushed inside, weaving through the crowd seated on the floor, each person perched on their own mat, being served steaming hot meals.


    Ignoring the strange setup, he made a beeline for the counter at the back, driven by a single-minded hunger.


    "Oi!" The chef behind the counter shouted as he saw the young man sprinting toward him: "What are you doing!?"


    Tyr raised his hand into the air, clenching it to form a fist. He then swung it down from above as he ran right toward the counter.


    "Hey! STOP!" The chef yelled as he saw this, clenching his buttcheeks in fear and anticipation.


    Tyr''s palm slammed flat onto the table.


    *BOOM*


    The noise resounded through the walls, capturing the attention of everyone.


    The chef had closed his eyes for a second, but when he opened them again, Tyr retracted his hand from the table--revealing a single gold coin inside.


    "Give me some food." Tyr said with a smirk.


    The man looked down at the coin, and then back at Tyr.


    "You need 10 more of those to get a single bite in this place."


    "W-what!? Why?"


    "Because... you broke my damn table, you mother fucker!"

 Chapter 117 - 117: Slug Den

    Tyr and the others sat around a floor mat toward the left of the pub.


    Everyone was still looking over at all of them since they were making the loudest chewing noises the others had ever heard in their lives.


    Despite that fact, Tyr''s group couldn''t care less. They continued chomping down like there was no tomorrow.


    Tyr grabbed a stick of meat, tearing through it like a beast before gulping down a lassi to the side.


    He tipped mouthfuls of rice and curry into his pie hole, achieving extreme savory bliss.


    From bread to soups, juices to drinks, meats to deserts and whatnot, the entire group ate until they couldn''t eat anymore.


    In the end, all four members of Tyr''s Hunter group looked pregnant.


    Tyr, Malon, and Hanzo laid back on the mat with their stomachs facing the air.


    *BUURPP*


    "Lets get out of here... im finished." Tyr exclaimed, patting his stomach.


    "Yeah...*burp*." Malon said, smiling wide as he imagined frolicking in a field of daisies right now. The moosh was happy to finally satiate himself.


    Noa shook her head, "I can''t believe you three right now. Are you just going to sleep here the rest of the day? Have some shame, we are in an establishment!"


    As Noa, Hanzo and Malon argued, Tyr found his attention swayed elsewhere.


    He looked to the left. A dozen or so people were staring at him, but they didn''t capture his gaze.


    The one that did was a single figure sitting on a chair behind the main pub counter.


    He was fully hooded in a long brown robe.


    ''I would recognize that attire anywhere...'' He donned a serious expression.


    "Hey... psst!" A Zasean native whispered from behind Tyr, "Don''t stare at that guy for too long." As he said this, he tilted his head to the side quickly, gesturing for Tyr to come to the side to talk to him.


    Tyr stood, a little confused, but intrigued at the first words the man said.


    After walking a couple feet away, he asked: "How do you know about that man?"


    The man that had called him over was still walking, however. He seemed to ignore what Tyr said.


    Finally, as they neared the spot beside the entrance where there weren''t many people, the man turned.


    *Wooosh*


    In a sudden and quick fashion, the man slammed a bottle of dark liquid into Tyr''s face.


    The glass broke as if it wasn''t there in the first place, but the liquid inside instantly transformed into a dark purple gas and entered Tyr''s nose.


    At that moment, Tyr immediately felt his brain convulse with pain.


    ''Ah... I see.'' He thought to himself in that split second.


    His eyes rolled into the back of his head as his body went limp, drooping over the man''s shoulder.


    The man grinned, picking Tyr up before walking out, "You shouldn''t have come here of all places... Tyr Evolion." He muttered under his breath.


    However, what the man hadn''t noticed was the golden flame burning out of Tyr''s glabella.


    As they got a few feet outside, a loud bang resounded through the streets.


    Seconds later, Tyr stood in the street, dusting off his clothes with a nonchalant expression on his face.


    To his left was the man who attempted to capture him. He stood still, his face expressionless. he also had a 2 feet long and wide hole in the center of his stomach--his organs splattered all across the wall.


    "H-how..." Were the man''s last words.


    ''I could tell him that mental attacks don''t work on me... but why would I tell the enemy anything.'' Tyr mused before saying:


    "Im too strong for the likes of you." He said with a smirk as the man fell over onto the ground.


    [You have slain Mero Geda (Apprentice Rank Human).]


    Tyr stood above the man and noticed that a snake tattoo was on his wrist; intelligiently camouflaged by the various other artworks.


    "This place..." He looked around, noticing several figures that now looked suspicious--unlike before.


    He continued looking around, realizing more and more eyes seemed to glance at his direction as time went on.


    "Its crawling with them... with Black Merchant Guild slugs."


    ***


    He made his way back inside as if nothing happened. He also told the others what happened, and that this place seemed to be a den of the ''black slugs'' as Tyr and Hanzo called them.


    Minutes later, Hanzo thought out loud: "Hmm... I have not heard of those black slugs being anywhere near Zasea, but that could just mean their secret location worked perfectly. If this really is their hideout, and maybe even their base of operations, we should bounce out of here as soon as possible."


    The others remained silent for a moment, but Tyr had other plans, "No. I don''t think thats the right call."


    "What? What do you suggest then?" Malon questioned, curious.


    Tyr looked over at him, and then at Hanzo, "Tell me... how strong exactly is this guild?"


    Hanzo squinted his eyes slightly in hesitation, but didn''t delay for long: "Well... they aren''t known for their strength. Thats one thing. That''s not their goal either. The main reason of that guild is a simple, boring reason, which is to make money. Thats why I dislike them even more...


    vile bastards who will do anything for the most worthless reasons."


    Tyr exhaled, ''Yeah... I hate those types too. Especially after what happened with our past hunter group...''


    Hanzo continued: "They want to make money through any means necessary. For a corporation like that, knowledge is key, and the black slugs are like the tree of knowledge when it comes to Ainsveld. They have spies practically everywhere, gathering intel on almost all subjects at all times. With that, they hold a high hand even though their power prowess isn''t great. S§×arch* The N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    They are still not to be messed with simply due to the information they hold, and thats why the empires haven''t wiped them out yet. Who knows what some empires don''t want other ones knowing..."


    "Hmm..." Tyr said, deep in thought.


    Hanzo finished with this: "But at the end of the day, they make their money mostly from the black markets that they own in almost every city. Forbidden spells, scams, fakes, and most of all by far, Unstable pills is what runs wild in their markets.


    I''ve heard recently that they have been experimenting with human subjects in order to perfect the unstable pills, but of course, there probably isn''t a genius alive in all the realms that can ever do that perfectly. Atleast... not in this one." Tyr noticed that Hanzo caught a few stray glance while saying these wordss.


    He furrowed his brows... "We... will destroy every black slug in this city." He said in an ice cold tone.

 Chapter 118 - 118: Overrun

    A smile slowly appeared on Malon''s face.


    Noa widened her eyes in slight excitement, "I want to kill them using Betsy..."


    Hanzo stared at her as if she was crazy, "Calm down! I can never get used to how crazy you get when you even think about that stupid gun."


    "What did you say about Betsy!?" Noa exclaimed in anger.


    "Oi, stop talking about the gun for a second. I am talking about something serious here." Tyr said at that moment, causing Noa to hmph loudly and turn to the side.


    Hanzo exhaled before replying, "Destroy the black slugs you say... I don''t think we sho--"


    "I have already made up my mind." Tyr interrupted, his eyes wide and raging with a fire of determination.


    Hanzo paused, staring at him for a moment, "If you are that certain, then I agree with you, Tyr." He said right then and there, not refuting any longer.


    "Haha." Malon chuckled slightly, "There really is no choice when Tyr makes up his stubborn mind huh?"


    Hanzo smirked, getting up, ''Not just that... but Tyr would never make up his mind on something he doesn''t know will come out as a victory. I''ve learned to trust him on these things. When it comes to decisions like those, he feels far older than even me.''


    Tyr also stood up, as did the others.


    "If the black slugs are weak, we can obliterate them and be done with it. I won''t want to deal with being chased by them across the continent for any longer. I won''t stand for being chased by anyone, let alone those weak cunts."


    "They weren''t exactly weak for you only a few months ago." Hanzo joked, "But now, you grew in strength like crazy."


    "Thats true. I would not have been able to say these things had it not have been for that power boost." S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Before the group left the pub, they heard a voice calling for them from the back.


    "Oi! You hunters!" A man''s voice sounded.


    They turned, noticing a man behind the counter calling for them.


    It wasn''t the chef, but rather, it seemed to be the owner of the establishment.


    "Please, come. I want to talk with you about something." The middle aged, short Zasean native exclaimed.


    Tyr and the others decided to make their way over.


    *


    "My name is Theroflliakokorankel. Please, feel free to call me Therof, as it is probably easier to your tongue."


    Thankfully, this man spoke the main language that everyone could understand.


    "Uh... right." Tyr said, "Im Tyr, thats Hanzo, Noa, and Malon." All of them gave slight gestures of introduction as their names were said.


    Suddenly, the pub owner''s tone lowered and his expression went serious: "So... you all know about what this place is, right? Or rather... what it has become."


    Tyr and Hanzo looked at each other for a second before Tyr answered.


    "You''re saying this place wasn''t... that, before?"


    "What? No! Gods no!" The pub owner exclaimed, "To be truthful with you, this place was once of the most thriving states within Zasea Kingdom. Now, however, it is overrun with... them."


    "We call em'' black slugs."


    "Black slugs it is then." The store owner continued, "But they arrived here a few years ago, and ever since then, our state has been a victim and labrat to their experiments. We still can not do a single thing about it, despite thousands getting addicted to the unstable pills, and dozens more getting kidnapped for testing."


    Tyr furrowed his brows, pausing for a moment, "Does your government not care? Why are they not moving forth in executing these criminals?"


    The pub owner frowned, his brows curling inwards in a sorrowful look: "That practically isn''t a government anymore. After everything that has happened, no one trusts our lrax. Many say he has allowed our state to fall to ruin, but trust me... he isn''t like that. Despite most people losing hope in the state and in him, he hasn''t lost that hope yet.


    With those who still stick with him, he works day in and out to find their hideout in this very pocket dimension and eradicate them."


    "Hideout huh..." Tyr said, before the pub owner continued.


    "Its not as easy as it seems. They have various forbidden techniques and arts. They can make entire structures summon and disappear. They can teleport from one place to another as well... I''ve seen it with my own eyes."


    "Yeah, I''ve seen that too." Tyr replied, thinking back to the time in Drance when he saw that scammer guy disappear into thin air and come back with Bilweif.


    After a short pause, the pub owner seemed to come up with an idea of sorts, "There''s a journalist in town..." He suddenly said, capturing the attention of the group.


    "She came in town 3 months ago, and has been working on exposing these criminals base of operations for a while. From what I understand she is an independent contractor wanting to make it big, and also despises these... bad guild people. She is one of the only people who still believes in the future of this city. I recommend you go meet her if you are serious about understanding this place more..."


    "Understanding? We want to eradicate those sons a'' bitches. Screw understanding." Tyr quickly retorted.


    The pub owner chuckled, "Paha! Even better then!"


    *


    They were given more information on this mysterious journalist girl and left alone.


    "Hahh~~" Tyr exclaimed as he walked through the streets of the place with long steps and his hands behind his head. "Finally... Im blessed with luck by finding this place. Now I can finally get rid of that bug thats been biting my back without stopping."


    Noa frowned, "I don''t think you''d exactly count this as good luck."


    Malon chuckled, "Yeah... I double down on that."


    Tyr grinned, "Of course its luck."


    ''I can kill those vile bastards, bringing more justice to this world, while gaining levels at the same time...''

 Chapter 119 - 119: Journalist

    ***EXTRA LONG CHAP***


    ------


    The sun was just waning below the horizon, so Tyr and the others decided to meet this journalist girl before night fully fell.


    The builder was deeper in the city, where security looked to ramp up more and more. S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Guards patrolled the streets like worker ants, their expressions dull and numb.


    Tyr''s eyes brushed through the passerby as he rode atop Rudra.


    ''They must be tired of dealing with this shit for so long. I am too, but they have it much worse. It''s not like they can carry the entire city and run.''


    *


    After half an hour of walking, they arrived at a small cottage made of dried straws and logs of wood, supported by a circular row of 2-foot tall pillars.


    The area around it wasn''t crowded, as it was farther into the suburban areas of the city and not close to the main streets.


    After putting away their vehicles and pets, Tyr and the others made their way up the stairs and toward the entrance.


    After a slight knock, Tyr opened the thatched door.


    As soon as he took a step inside, he was met with a slightly surprising scene.


    The inside of the cottage looked to be a fairly large office, about 20 feet in length and 25 feet in width. The walls were covered with hundreds of books, various folders, and other paperwork that were poorly managed.


    On the wall below was a board with several papers posted on it. Many were attached using red and white string.


    In the very center was a table where paperwork and books towered up over the head of the person sitting on the table behind it--seemingly scribbling away.


    ''She''s clearly passionate about it...'' This was Tyr''s first thought as he saw all of this.


    "Ahem!" He exclaimed, trying to capture the attention of the woman so he didn''t just barge in and freak her out.


    The scribbling behind the books on the table stopped. Then, a head popped out from the side.


    It was of a nerdy-looking girl that had black hair and large glasses. She had freckles and looked to be naturally quite pretty despite her messy look.


    She noticed Tyr and others and quickly made her way around the table.


    She wore a dress skirt and coat with her shirt untucked and her collar lopsided.


    Her hair was all over the place as well, but ignoring all of this, she greeted everyone.


    Bowing, she exclaimed: "Welcome!" She raised her head, "I am... Reana Golda. Is there... something I can do to help you?" She said in a soft tone, fixing her glasses.


    Noa stepped into the cottage, "Yes... we would like to know all the information you have on the Black Merchant Guild."


    Reana''s eyes twitched, raising slightly for a second, "I see..."


    Hanzo spoke from behind: "How about we talk over some tea?"


    Reana''s polite tone had switched to serious, "I see no problem with that..."


    *


    Hanzo poured cold tea for everyone, and they all sat on the floor and talked for about 20 or so minutes.


    By now, Reana had eased up from her more tense attitude from before.


    Tyr and his group had talked about their intentions, which made Reana more comfortable. They also talked about their background.


    Now, it was time to know Reana''s intentions and goals.


    "Well... my goal in this city is simple... to expose the hideout of the Black Merchant Guild to the rest of the world."


    Hanzo''s brows raised as he heard this. "But... I imagine many people would pay you a crazy lump some for that type of information. Why not just take the money and keep it a secret?"


    Reana smiled, "My passion is stories. Not like books or novels, but like breaking news. Things that go on in this world that everyone should know about at once."


    Her eyes seemed to glow as she spoke.


    "That look in someone''s eyes when they read a newspaper and see that front page title. The impact the entire society has... the murmurs of suspense and awe. I live for that." She grinned.


    Tyr chuckled on hearing this, "I believe you... but is that why you are doing this right now? Risking your life for a few reactions?"


    Reana quickly replied: "What this? No, definitely not! Exposing this gang, which is the largest underground criminal organization in the world, is going to be my way to catapult myself into the continental scene. This is going to be my first big thing. After I am known by many, then I can continue publishing without any risk, capturing the world''s attention each time.


    Right now though, I need to get onto the world stage first."


    "Ahh... that makes sense," Tyr replied.


    A short pause ensued, after which Reana looked over at her table.


    "So... you guys have come here to eradicate the Black Merchant Guild huh? I will say this, even the largest of snakes die after you cut off their heads... but their remnants will still exist."


    Tyr exhaled before replying: "I understand that, but eventually those remnants will rot and disappear."


    Reana paused, seemingly thinking of something in her mind.


    Finally, she turned to Tyr and said in a genuine tone: "There''s one problem here, however."


    As Tyr and the others heard this, they furrowed their brows in slight confusion.


    "Problem? What problem?" Tyr quickly retorted.


    "I know you all want me to give you the information of the Black Merchant Guild so you can eventually destroy the guild... but I can not do that. If I do, I will have no story to publish. What''s the point of revealing the location if they are already wiped out? No one cares about a long gone artifact."


    The others paused, taken aback as they hadn''t thought of it in that way. Reana continued:


    "If I help you, my entire plan to stardom will be ruined. I have worked a day in and out for years for this one opportunity. I''m sorry but... I can not help you."


    There was pure silence in the room. And then, Hanzo spoke up.


    "Reana..." He said in a stern manner, staring into the young woman''s eyes.


    "I''m sure you''re no fool, nor are you evil. I know you care about the smallest of details as well."


    "How exactly do you know that...?" Reana interrupted, questioning about that past part of Hanzo''s statement.


    "From the fact that, despite having the location of the Black Merchant Guild, you still haven''t published a single story. You are waiting patiently, gathering information until the perfect story is created. Like a gator on the lake surface, or a diamond-fingered merchant... you are waiting for that opportunity to pounce."


    Reana stayed silent, knowing Hanzo had read her like a book.


    After a pause, Hanzo finally said, "If you don''t help us now, your selfish desires will lead to the death of many."


    Reana''s eyes widened slightly as she heard this, gasping slightly on accident.


    "No... I--" She tried to refute the accusation but was quickly interrupted.


    "Right now, people are dying due to that guild''s influence across the continent. Maybe even in this very city." Hanzo was being honest.


    "But who''s to say they will stop? Their loyalty can not be thought of as being so measly."


    "Yes, it can," Hanzo replied, dismissing Reana''s statement entirely. "Most members of the Black Merchant Guild are thieves. Criminals and thugs of the past are now acting on their dark and evil, hidden desires. And they are doing it all under the veil and protection of the Black Merchant Guild mantle. Without that name, they are nothing but measly criminals again who hold no standing.


    Without that self-confidence, they will fall fickle like infant chicks without their mother."


    Reana was left speechless.


    Malon finally added: "We don''t dismiss your life''s work entirely. Do what you want to do, we will not stop you. But please, just give us the information you have... not for you, and not even for us, but for the sake of those suffering out there right now."


    *


    The group left Reana''s cottage empty-handed... however, they did have all the information about the black slugs in their brain--which Reana decided to give them in the end.


    Despite having their differences, Reana and Tyr''s group also decided that working together would be the best option.


    Though their end goal was different, the path to get there was the same--and that path was the investigate and eventually infiltrate the black slug hideout.


    Until then, they decided to remain allies with one shared goal in mind.


    There was also another figure that Reana had told Hanzo and the others to go and meet, but right now, there was nothing they wanted to do more than take a good night''s sleep...


    ***


    They spent the night at a small tavern, waking up in the middle of the day after catching up on missed sleep for several days.


    Afterward, they met up with Reana again to meet this figure that she had spoken about the day prior.


    "So... who exactly are we going to see? You still haven''t even told us his or her name." Tyr asked, confused on the matter.


    "Fine... I guess this is the right time to tell you. His name is Helas, and he is the lrax of this city." Reana replied, her brows furrowed.


    "Oh... that''s right, the pub owner was saying good things about him too. I heard he really cares about this city." Tyr said, thinking back to yesterday.


    "That he does." Reana said instantly, "That''s why he let me work with him as well."


    "Huh?" Tyr exclaimed in slight confusion.


    "He understands that if my story is published, it will bring a lot of awareness to this city, and potentially even help it recover. Of course, that''s not a guarantee."


    Tyr paused before saying: "Well... I think we will be happy to meet us." He smirked.

 Chapter 120 - 120: (CORRUPTED CHAPTER) Base

    ***IMPORTANT PLEASE READ: This chap has been corrupted. Along with tomorrow''s, chapters, I will repost this chapter as well in its uncorrupted state.***


    -------


    As they neared where Reana told them the city''s lrax was, the members of the group couldn''t help but notice the guard presence increase exponentially.


    Unlike what Tyr imagined, the base of operations of the lrax wasn''t embedded deep in the center of the city, away from all danger.


    They had to exit the spike walls toward the right side and were joined by a random guard all the way to the base which was over an hour away after already leaving the walls.


    There was a dirt path or torches that led the way. It was a pure forest. Most would get utterly lost just by venturing a few feet in.


    "I''ve heard of explorers getting lost for days and dying of dehydration or mental trauma while being minutes away from society. Jungles aren''t anything to underestimate." Malon said, slightly freaked out by the idea.


    "You''re right." Reana replied, "Mycopolis isn''t so dense. The mushroom trees are also much bigger compared to these, so it''s easier to tell where you came from and where you go. But... that''s why a Zasean native had to join us."


    Tyr squinted his eyes, looking at the guard that was running in front of them.


    Although Rudra wasn''t moving at full speed or anything, he still found it impressive that the guard could keep up with his pace.


    ''They are smarter than they look.'' He thought to himself.


    Finally, a few spikes in the distance revealed the fact that they had almost arrived at the base.


    As they neared it, they noticed that the place was quite small. There were guards walking around, patrolling the premises.


    As they made their way inside the spikes, Tyr questioned: "It''s funny how they let us in so easily, despite not knowing our intention."


    "No, that''s not it. This is a relief center as much as it is a base of operations. Although citizens aren''t allowed in any buildings, those wish to come and ask questions are free to do so."


    Tyr was taken aback by this, "Ask questions? Freely? The lord of the city of all people? What a super weird system..."


    "Its the only way to gain the trust of people slowly, while still continuing to work as hard as possible to stop this establishment."


    They were ordered to get off of their mounts and walk whilst inside. Led by Reana, Tyr and the others approached a small group of Zasean natives standing before a slightly elevated platform.


    On the platform, behind a small podium, stood a tall Zasean native. He had a single feather poking out from his hair, his body bulging with muscles, and his stature no less than Tyr''s.


    They joined the small group listening to him as he continued to seemingly pour his heart out.


    "So hear me, my people! I will continue to stay here until my bones rot if that is what it takes, in order to help keep this city alive! I want this city to return to its roots! To its glory and strength!"


    Tyr instantly understood the passion the man had for his city as he heard this. Of course, the others couldn''t understand a lick of what they were saying except for Reana who had studied the language before.


    She was also less in touch compared to Tyr, however, who could fully hear the emotion behind the words.


    "Lrax! Why have you not launched an infiltration mission in so long!?" A young Zasean native said, standing right next to Tyr.


    He was a couple inches shorter, but looked healthy and optimistic. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Well... that is..." The lrax paused, "I''ll tell you what I can! We are preparing," The lrax smiled, "And when we hit, its going to work this time! This time for sure!"


    Tyr''s eyes waved through the crowd as everyone cheered. There were only about 15 people there in total.


    Something caught his attention. A single old woman who wasn''t cheering, or even appeared to be happy.


    After the cheers died down, she was the one to speak: "Lrax! My three sons died during your last mission... and with that too, you promised victory! What do you have to say? Why do you insist on lying, and throwing lives into the gutter." She suddenly screamed, breaking down into tears in the middle of her speech.


    The crowds excitement was instantly sapped away from them, as dread once again filled their eyes--similar to the Zasean natives walking around in the city.


    They all looked at her, whispering slightly with a somber tone. Tyr and his group also observed this situation, Tyr''s brows furrowed as he stared at what the lrax'' reply was going to be.


    After a long pause, the old woman walked forward, reaching into her robe and pulling out something wrapped in cloth.


    She placed it on the platform, next to the lrax'' feet, before opening it up to reveal a severed arm that was rotting.


    Its putrid smell quickly blasted out and filled the air, its aroma making everyone cringe with disgust.


    "That..." The old woman cried, "That was what you personally gave me after your last mission. The arm of my oldest son Hermiel." She paused, crying uncontrollably.


    "He was a good boy... my oldest, who listened to everything I said and never doubted the feeling of hope, and faith that he had in his heart. Not for God, not even in himself nor you, the lrax... but the hope that he had for a good future!"


    As she paused, everyone gasped slight, hit with the reality of the situation.


    "Now, I will never see him again. I will never have a conversation, never cry or laugh with him... never get to embrace my baby again."


    The lrax picked the arm up with a sincere look on his face, as the crowd began to tear up slightly despite wanting to hold it in.


    "I can only describe Hermial from what I know of him." The lrax started off by saying this, making the old woman snarl with anger.


    "He was an amazing solider. Never did he turn his back... and never did he doubt that we would win. And maybe that was why he died." He spoke in a very low tone, calm and almost silent.


    The crowd was even more quiet, so much so that one could hear a pin drop from several meters away.


    "But... what he did was not throw his life in vain. Far from it. What he did, and what the rest of the soliders that died that day did for us, was not comparable to being in vain... no, what they did was show us that we still have something left to fight for."


    His tone increased slightly, his eyes widening.


    "The deaths of those before us... told us, who continue to fight, what we are fighting for. Their lives are not meaningless, because we the living will fight until whatever they fight for is ahcieved!" His tone became even louder as people began to get goose bumps on their skin.


    "Each day we strive to fight, so that we may not forget what our previous men did for us! Each day we ride into the battle field, maybe not even for our goal anymore... but because we refuse to forget them to died for us! Who... THE HELL ARE WE, TO DISHONOR THEM BY FORGETTING THEIR SACRIFICE!?" He suddenly roared with passion.


    "We may die as well, entering that horrible battlefield... but those after us will not forget our sacrifice, and fight for us as well! We will not stop, until we achieve victory!"


    *


    Her eyes seemed to glow as she spoke.


    "That look in someone''s eyes when they read a newspaper and see that front page title. The impact the entire society has... the murmurs of suspense and awe. I live for that." She grinned.


    Tyr chuckled on hearing this, "I believe you... but is that why you are doing this right now? Risking your life for a few reactions?"


    Reana quickly replied: "What this? No, definitely not! Exposing this gang, which is the largest underground criminal organization in the world, is going to be my way to catapult myself into the continental scene. This is going to be my first big thing. After I am known by many, then I can continue publishing without any risk, capturing the world''s attention each time.


    Right now though, I need to get onto the world stage first."


    "Ahh... that makes sense," Tyr replied.


    A short pause ensued, after which Reana looked over at her table.


    "So... you guys have come here to eradicate the Black Merchant Guild huh? I will say this, even the largest of snakes die after you cut off their heads... but their remnants will still exist."


    Tyr exhaled before replying: "I understand that, but eventually those remnants will rot and disappear."


    Reana paused, seemingly thinking of something in her mind.


    Finally, she turned to Tyr and said in a genuine tone: "There''s one problem here, however."


    As Tyr and the others heard this, they furrowed their brows in slight confusion.


    "Problem? What problem?" Tyr quickly retorted.


    "I know you all want me to give you the information of the Black Merchant Guild so you can eventually destroy the guild... but I can not do that. If I do, I will have no story to publish. What''s the point of revealing the location if they are already wiped out? No one cares about a long gone artifact."


    The others paused, taken aback as they hadn''t thought of it in that way. Reana continued:


    "If I help you, my entire plan to stardom will be ruined. I have worked a day in and out for years for this one opportunity. I''m sorry but... I can not help you."


    There was pure silence in the room. And then, Hanzo spoke up.


    "Reana..." He said in a stern manner, staring into the young woman''s eyes.


    "I''m sure you''re no fool, nor are you evil. I know you care about the smallest of details as well."


    "How exactly do you know that...?" Reana interrupted, questioning about that past part of Hanzo''s statement.


    "From the fact that, despite having the location of the Black Merchant Guild, you still haven''t published a single story. You are waiting patiently, gathering information until the perfect story is created. Like a gator on the lake surface, or a diamond-fingered merchant... you are waiting for that opportunity to pounce."


    Reana stayed silent, knowing Hanzo had read her like a book.


    After a pause, Hanzo finally said, "If you don''t help us now, your selfish desires will lead to the death of many."


    Reana''s eyes widened slightly as she heard this, gasping slightly on accident.


    "No... I--" She tried to refute the accusation but was quickly interrupted.


    "Right now, people are dying due to that guild''s influence across the continent. Maybe even in this very city." Hanzo was being honest.


    "But who''s to say they will stop? Their loyalty can not be thought of as being so measly."


    "Yes, it can," Hanzo replied, dismissing Reana''s statement entirely. "Most members of the Black Merchant Guild are thieves. Criminals and thugs of the past are now acting on their dark and evil, hidden desires. And they are doing it all under the veil and protection of the Black Merchant Guild mantle. Without that name, they are nothing but measly criminals again who hold no standing.


    Without that self-confidence, they will fall fickle like infant chicks without their mother."


    Reana was left speechless.


    Malon finally added: "We don''t dismiss your life''s work entirely. Do what you want to do, we will not stop you. But please, just give us the information you have... not for you, and not even for us, but for the sake of those suffering out there right now."


    *


    The group left Reana''s cottage empty-handed... however, they did have all the information about the black slugs in their brain--which Reana decided to give them in the end.


    Despite having their differences, Reana and Tyr''s group also decided that working together would be the best option.


    Though their end goal was different, the path to get there was the same--and that path was the investigate and eventually infiltrate the black slug hideout.


    Until then, they decided to remain allies with one shared goal in mind.


    There was also another figure that Reana had told Hanzo and the others to go and meet, but right now, there was nothing they wanted to do more than take a good night''s sleep...


    ***


    They spent the night at a small tavern, waking up in the middle of the day after catching up on missed sleep for several days.


    Afterward, they met up with Reana again to meet this figure that she had spoken about the day prior.


    "So... who exactly are we going to see? You still haven''t even told us his or her name." Tyr asked, confused on the matter.


    "Fine... I guess this is the right time to tell you. His name is Helas, and he is the lrax of this city." Reana replied, her brows furrowed.


    "Oh... that''s right, the pub owner was saying good things about him too. I heard he really cares about this city." Tyr said, thinking back to yesterday.


    "That he does." Reana said instantly, "That''s why he let me work with him as well."


    "Huh?" Tyr exclaimed in slight confusion.


    "He understands that if my story is published, it will bring a lot of awareness to this city, and potentially even help it recover. Of course, that''s not a guarantee."


    Tyr paused before saying: "Well... I think we will be happy to meet us." He smirked.


    ***IMPORTANT PLEASE READ: This chap has been corrupted. Along with tomorrow''s, chapters, I will repost this chapter as well in its uncorrupted state.***

 Chapter 121 - 121: Base (REUPLOAD)

    *AUTHOR NOTE: This is the reupload of the previous chapter. It won''t substitute as a new chapter, so don''t worry about that.


    Also, if you feel like the writing and schedule has been lackluster or messed up as of lately, I apologize. A ceremony was held at my place for over a week so I''ve been extremely busy. In the next several days the chapters will be of much greater quality, and the publishing time will be fixed. Thanks for understanding!


    -----


    As they neared where Reana told them the city''s lrax was, the members of the group couldn''t help but notice the guard presence increase exponentially.


    Unlike what Tyr imagined, the base of operations of the lrax wasn''t embedded deep in the center of the city, away from all danger.


    They had to exit the spike walls toward the right side and were joined by a random guard all the way to the base which was over an hour away after already leaving the walls. S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    There was a dirt path or torches that led the way. It was a pure forest. Most would get utterly lost just by venturing a few feet in.


    "I''ve heard of explorers getting lost for days and dying of dehydration or mental trauma while being minutes away from society. Jungles aren''t anything to underestimate." Malon said, slightly freaked out by the idea.


    "You''re right." Reana replied, "Mycopolis isn''t so dense. The mushroom trees are also much bigger compared to these, so it''s easier to tell where you came from and where you go. But... that''s why a Zasean native had to join us."


    Tyr squinted his eyes, looking at the guard that was running in front of them.


    Although Rudra wasn''t moving at full speed or anything, he still found it impressive that the guard could keep up with his pace.


    ''They are smarter than they look.'' He thought to himself.


    Finally, a few spikes in the distance revealed the fact that they had almost arrived at the base.


    As they neared it, they noticed that the place was quite small. There were guards walking around, patrolling the premises.


    As they made their way inside the spikes, Tyr questioned: "It''s funny how they let us in so easily, despite not knowing our intention."


    "No, that''s not it. This is a relief center as much as it is a base of operations. Although citizens aren''t allowed in any buildings, those who wish to come and ask questions are free to do so."


    Tyr was taken aback by this, "Ask questions? Freely? The lord of the city of all people? What a super weird system..."


    "Its the only way to gain the trust of people slowly, while still continuing to work as hard as possible to stop this establishment."


    They were ordered to get off of their mounts and walk whilst inside. Led by Reana, Tyr and the others approached a small group of Zasean natives standing before a slightly elevated platform.


    On the platform, behind a small podium, stood a tall Zasean native. He had a single feather poking out from his hair, his body bulging with muscles, and his stature no less than Tyr''s.


    They joined the small group listening to him as he continued to seemingly pour his heart out.


    "So hear me, my people! I will continue to stay here until my bones rot if that is what it takes, in order to help keep this city alive! I want this city to return to its roots! To its glory and strength!"


    Tyr instantly understood the passion the man had for his city as he heard this. Of course, the others couldn''t understand a lick of what they were saying except for Reana who had studied the language before.


    She was also less in touch compared to Tyr, however, who could fully hear the emotion behind the words.


    "Lrax! Why have you not launched an infiltration mission in so long!?" A young Zasean native said, standing right next to Tyr.


    He was a couple inches shorter, but looked healthy and optimistic.


    "Well... that is..." The lrax paused, "I''ll tell you what I can! We are preparing," The lrax smiled, "And when we hit, its going to work this time! This time for sure!"


    Tyr''s eyes waved through the crowd as everyone cheered. There were only about 15 people there in total.


    Something caught his attention. A single old woman who wasn''t cheering, or even appeared to be happy.


    After the cheers died down, she was the one to speak: "Lrax! My three sons died during your last mission... and with that too, you promised victory! What do you have to say? Why do you insist on lying, and throwing lives into the gutter." She suddenly screamed, breaking down into tears in the middle of her speech.


    The crowds excitement was instantly sapped away from them, as dread once again filled their eyes--similar to the Zasean natives walking around in the city.


    They all looked at her, whispering slightly with a somber tone. Tyr and his group also observed this situation, Tyr''s brows furrowed as he stared at what the lrax'' reply was going to be.


    After a long pause, the old woman walked forward, reaching into her robe and pulling out something wrapped in cloth.


    She placed it on the platform, next to the lrax'' feet, before opening it up to reveal a severed arm that was rotting.


    Its putrid smell quickly blasted out and filled the air, its aroma making everyone cringe with disgust.


    "That..." The old woman cried, "That was what you personally gave me after your last mission. The arm of my oldest son Hermiel." She paused, crying uncontrollably.


    "He was a good boy... my oldest, who listened to everything I said and never doubted the feeling of hope, and faith that he had in his heart. Not for God, not even in himself nor you, the lrax... but the hope that he had for a good future!"


    As she paused, everyone gasped slightly, hit with the reality of the situation.


    "Now, I will never see him again. I will never have a conversation, never cry or laugh with him... never get to embrace my baby again."


    The lrax picked the arm up with a sincere look on his face, as the crowd began to tear up slightly despite wanting to hold it in.


    "I can only describe Hermial from what I know of him." The lrax started off by saying this, making the old woman snarl with anger.


    "He was an amazing soldier. Never did he turn his back... and never did he doubt that we would win. And maybe that was why he died." He spoke in a very low tone, calm and almost silent.


    The crowd was even more quiet, so much so that one could hear a pin drop from several meters away.


    "But... what he did was not throw his life in vain. Far from it. What he did, and what the rest of the soldiers that died that day did for us, was not comparable to being in vain... no, what they did was show us that we still have something left to fight for."


    His tone increased slightly, his eyes widening.


    "The deaths of those before us... show us who continues to fight what exactly we are fighting for. Their lives are not meaningless, because we the living will fight until whatever they fought for is achieved!" His tone became even louder as people began to get goosebumps on their skin.


    "Each day we strive to fight, so that we may not forget what our previous soldiers did for us! We storm into the battlefield, maybe not even for our goal anymore... but because we refuse to forget them who died for us! Who... THE HELL ARE WE, TO DISHONOR THEM BY FORGETTING THEIR SACRIFICE!?" He suddenly roared with passion.


    "We may die as well, entering that horrible battlefield... but those after us will not forget our sacrifice, and fight for us as well! We will not stop until we achieve victory!"


    The lrax looked at the old woman, "Ma''am... place your hopes and wants in accordance with your son if you wish to find peace. Pray each day, not for your son to not die--that option is no longer available--but rather, that what he wanted is achieved. Only then may you find some semblance of hope."


    With that, the lrax turned and walked away from the podium.


    "I guess he''s taking a break. Must be hard to do this each day..." Tyr said in a low tone as the small crowd around him dispersed.


    The old lady grabbed her son''s arm, which the lrax left on the cloth that it was wrapped it, and walked away with tears still flowing from her eyes.


    Only one person from the previous crowd still stood there. It was the young man beside Tyr.


    Reana followed the lrax, "Break? If you think the lrax would take a break, you must still not have understood who he is." She quipped as Tyr and the others followed her into a large marquee.


    Inside, there were dozens of guards all standing around a single table.


    Sitting down at the table was only one man, the lrax.


    Tyr raised his chin, looking over the guards and noticing a large map stretched across the surface.


    "Tomorrow, we attack. We may all die, but we will serve as a reason for the future to continue fighting. Is that understood!?"


    "YES!" A resounding cry suddenly sounded at once without any delay.


    "Lrax Helas!" Reana suddenly spoke up, capturing the attention of a few, "I would like to introduce you to some people I think may be of help..."

 Chapter 122 - 122: Test

    "I see." Lrax Helas exclaimed, minutes after understanding who Tyr and his hunter group exactly were.


    Tyr decided to not pay attention to the various looks he and his team were getting from the other Zasean guards.


    Most of them were sizing him up as if he wasn''t worthy.


    Reana had described him and his group to be a powerful Hunter group who wanted to eradicate the Black Merchant Guild.


    So, naturally, all the men were skeptical. Despite this, Tyr kept his composure.


    In Zasean mother tongue, Tyr finally spoke his first word to the lrax: "Lrax Helas, I wish you trust me. We can work together with the men you have. I have no problem in helping you if you can help us."


    Helas flared his nostrils and snarled slightly, staring at Tyr with the side of his top lip raised.


    Tyr felt a slight hint of killing intent at that moment. He wanted to react but clenched his jaw and remained stoic.


    Meanwhile, Reana was translating for Hanzo and the others the conversation that was going on.


    Everyone else remained silent.


    "Where did you learn to speak Zasean, boy?" Helas'' rough voice exclaimed as he stood.


    "I learned it in this very continent," Tyr replied.


    Helas walked toward Tyr until he was uncomfortably close. He then leaned into the young man''s ear and said: "You got jokes ey? Follow me... I''ll test if you have strength as well."


    Tyr felt a horrible amount of killing intent spew from the lrax''s lips.


    ''There is no mistaking it... he wants me fucking dead.'' He thought to himself, ''This was unexpected.'' He didn''t think the man would act so rough.


    The lrax stomped out of the marquee through a back exit, and into a small ground that was circular and seemingly trodden for a long time.


    Tyr followed him there.


    The guards, Reana, Hanzo, and others also followed along.


    Soon, guards from all around the base gathered together around the circular arena outlined by a thick rope.


    Tyr''s eyes squinted, looking around as he saw guards gather around and form a crowd of hundreds.


    "Let''s see what the gentle flesh can do!"


    Many began to shout with excitement.


    "He''s a warm skin? He looks like a Zasean native to me..."


    "His looks don''t determine what''s inside. He''s a warm flesh through and throughout... he will get crushed."


    They continued, some laughing and joking, while others were dead serious.


    Hanzo and the others stood back, getting the important bits translated to them by Reana.


    "Boy, you lead your group, am I right?" Helas said in a loud tone so that everyone could hear.


    Tyr paused, looking around for a moment as he sensed the anticipation in the crowd.


    "Yes, I do." He replied.


    Reana translated this to Noa and the others, and their expressions did not change even a bit. They simply nodded on hearing it.


    "Then, you shall prove your group''s worth by defeating a Zasean warrior in combat. Have you any qualms? Inquiries?"


    Tyr replied without delay: "Yes."


    "State them then!"


    "The rules. How far am I allowed to go? To the death?"


    As he said this, a resounding *Oooo* sounded from the crowd. Many laughed, making dramatic noises, while others furrowed their brows, angry at the audacity of the boy.


    "He thinks he''s tough ey?"


    "He will learn what''s tough today..."


    "Send me in, I could fold him like a towel."


    Helas scoffed slightly, "The opponent must give up, but you may not kill, nor permanently injure."


    Tyr nodded slightly on hearing this. He was calm, ''All I have to do is prove to them I am worthy of standing beside their ranks. That should be easy enough...''


    He looked down at his right hand before squeezing it into a fist, ''This could be a good opportunity to test out Ancestral Presence on humans... I''ve only done it with animals so far.'' Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "So, who will I be fighting?" Tyr loudly said, getting a few annoyed reactions from the crowd.


    Helas'' eyes scanned through the crowd like a hawk. Many warriors smiled brightly, itching to get their hands on the boy.


    However, his eyes landed on a much larger Zasean warrior who was looking to the side. He seemingly wasn''t interested, nor did he think he was going to get chosen anyway.


    "You, Ha." Helas said, pointing out the big guy.


    Ha looked at his lrax with furrowed eyebrows of confusion, "A-are you sure, my lrax? The boy is only a soft flesh..." His deep voice quickly responded.


    Helas'' decision seemed to spur some controversy, as the crowd of Zasean warriors was quite amused by his pick.


    "Seriously? Our strongest warrior against a damn Southerner?"


    "Pahah! It looks like he has done something to piss lrax Helas off."


    "Rest in peace... jeez."


    On the other hand, Hanzo, Malon, and Noa smiled.


    "This is going to be satisfying from the looks of it," Hanzo said in a low tone.


    "Mmhm." Malon nodded.


    "You bet." Noa chuckled.


    Reana raised a brow, not convinced, ''Jeez... are they that delusional?'' She thought, turning to look at Tyr.


    She saw his expression, and her eyes widened slightly with surprise.


    He was staring at Ha with a large grin on his face, and his eyes glowing with excitement.


    "Come, Ha! Let us fight like men!" He said with with a loud, confident tone.


    ''Or...'' Reana mused, ''Is he actually as strong as they think?'' She couldn''t help but think this as she saw his expression.


    Ha sighed, "Fine... but don''t expect me to go easy on you. I am no warm skin. I know no mercy... those who wish to fight me, get to fight all of me, not just a teaser."


    The big Zasean native stepped forward as the crowd cheered him on.


    He towered over Tyr, clearly over 7''1. feet in size.


    He wasn''t ripped, but bulky. Weighing most likely over 500 pounds with ease. Despite this, he had an athletic physique with bulging muscles. His stomach was protruding out slightly, but he still had large abs--showing the thick nature of his muscles.


    He was naturally terrifying as an opponent, but Tyr only grinned on seeing him.


    ''Maybe I would have had a bit of fear before Tarnish... but after fighting those disgusting freaks for so long, not many things scare me anymore.'' Tyr thought to himself, cracking his neck using his right arm.


    "Begin." Helas calmly said.


    "Pray to whatever God you follow now before its too late. You will get hurt..." Ha said, cracking his knuckles.


    "I pray to no one, big boy. Bring it on."

 Chapter 123 - 123: Holy Fuck

    With that, Ha lunged forward--attempting to grab Tyr with both hands.


    However, Tyr ducked below and slipped out of the way, causing the big brute to stumble forward slightly before quickly turning on his heel.


    An amused and slight reaction resounded from the crowd as they saw this.


    Tyr made some space between him and Ha, allowing the big man to turn.


    "You are fast, I''ll give you that. It may take me a while to catch you, but when I do... it won''t be pleasant." Ha said, brushing off the small mistake.


    "Oh no... you have it all wrong." Tyr replied, confusing Ha and the crowd, "I won''t want to extend this for long. After all, this is not enough to be worthy of being called a fight for me." He spoke the truth.


    "Hrugh." Ha exclaimed under his breath, snarling at the boy, "You want a painful loss I see..."


    At that moment, Ha ripped a hair out from his arm and threw it into the air.


    He reached forward, grabbing the hair in mid air as it suddenly transformed into a long bone spear in his hand.


    "Unsheath your weapon!" He roared while storming forward, causing the crowd to erupt in a resounding cheer.


    While excitement was at an all-high, Tyr took in a deep breath.


    Hanzo and the others stood there with confident expressions on their faces.


    Helas had his arms crossed, his brows furrowed and his eyes squinted--taking note of each of the boy''s movements.


    ''Ancestral Presence.'' Tyr said to himself at that moment, triggering his own emotions and unleashing a burst of spiritual energy from his glabella. He understood that he had the ability to either target the energy at a single person, or multiple. Right now, he decided to let it loose, but mainly target Ha.


    ...


    Ha''s chin raised, his eyes widening as he noticed a tsunami coming from Tyr and nearly about to crash onto him.


    He halted in his tracks, taking several feet back as his maw gaped with awe and shock.


    The tsunami transformed into a horrifying beast and crashed into him, forcing him to his knees at once.


    The weight did not stop there, continuously crashing onto his shoulders as though gravity itself had increased by several times fold.


    His muscles all cramped up, his bones attempting to implode under the pressure.


    His brain felt as though it was being squeezed by a pair of hands as hard as possible, and his vision was extremely blurry.


    Despite all of this, the worst thing that Ha was experiencing at that moment was an impending, unfathomable, crippling feeling of utter doom that loomed over him.


    It was a fear that he had never experienced before in his entire life, one that he wanted to jump out of his own skin to escape from.


    He had no thoughts in his mind and body right now other than to escape.


    Flight or fight had already activated, and flight had been his long-chosen primal instinct.


    A beast. A monster. A creature... a demon so powerful that it could swallow him whole. Such a being was in front of him at this very moment, already beginning to melt his skin from its sheer piercing gaze.


    Ha''s eyes were expanded like two large planets, his pupils dancing in shock, the hairs on his arms raised, and his entire body suddenly drenched in sweat.


    All of this occurred in the span of... 3 seconds.


    Of course, what everyone else saw was the large man suddenly falling onto his knees and panting with fear as he profusely began to sweat.


    However, the crowd also felt an immensely terrifying, ruthless energy exude from the boy out of nowhere.


    Finally, Ha barely managed to raise his head and look at Tyr.


    The young man seemed to be hundreds of meters away from him, like a dark figure standing atop a hill.


    Behind him was a golden glow, as if he were outlined by the sun itself.


    "Y-you..." He began to utter, "Are no mortal." He said, traumatized by the overwhelming experience.


    Helas''s eyes flew wide open as he heard Ha say this.


    ''The fearsome aura I felt... must have been scratch in comparison to Ha''s experience.'' He looked at Tyr, ''What a terrifying boy... it''s good that he is on the side of good. Who knows the travesty he would cause otherwise...''


    Tyr stopped the Ancestral Presence at that moment, allowing everyone to breathe easier.


    Ha dropped flat onto his back, panting heavily as though he just ran 10 miles.


    The crowd was silent, a complete switch from before. Another complete switch was the look in their eyes. S~ea??h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    They were still staring at Tyr as they were before, but the only difference was that instead of disdain, or pity, their eyes were now filled with respect, confusion, intrigue, and most of all, fear.


    "If... its not obvious already, I fucking yield." Ha said at that moment, making the crowd burst out into a peal of laughter. Yet, their eyes still refused to move away from Tyr.


    Tyr smiled, "Im sorry I made you go through that." He said, giving a hand to the large man.


    Ha stared at the boys hand and then back at his face, before taking it.


    "I better accept... if I know what''s good for me." He joked, rising up to his feet.


    He then bowed his head, "Im sorry I doubted you... you''re a monster, man."


    Ha''s tone was completely different from before. Tyr was no longer like an outsider, and was spoken to with a friendly voice.


    Helas stepped forward as Ha made his way back into the crowd.


    Tyr turned to face the lrax.


    "Sir," Tyr said, "Do you trust me enough now?"


    Helas stopped and paused. The crowd quieted down, as everyone stared with anticipation.


    And then, a smile suddenly appeared on his face, "You won, didn''t you? Of course, I trust you!" He laughed, giving Tyr a hug and a pat on the back.


    Tyr scoffed slightly with relief, ''The bastard was testing me with his rough attitude. But... that makes me respect him even more. He clearly takes his job and the safety of his ranks quite seriously. Thats a very good trait in a leader.''


    Helas walked back toward the marquee: "Now... lets prepare you and your teams positions in the raid tommorow. If they are even a quarter of your strength, they will be of great assistance."


    As Helas walked past Reana, she didn''t translate that part to Hanzo and the others.


    "Uh... Reana? Are you going to translate?" Noa asked, slightly confused.


    Reana, however, was staring at Tyr with a stunned expression: "Holy... fuck." She finally said.

 Chapter 124 - 124: Rescue Mission Begins

    "Did I seriously just see what I saw?" Reana said, still at a loss.


    "What kind of question is that?" Hanzo quipped, getting a few chuckles from the others.


    "Jeez... although I couldn''t feel what Ha was feeling, I think we could all tell it was far worse than the fear we felt. Tyr is a monster." Reana exclaimed, almost shaking her head in disbelief.


    "Oh? Is that right?" Tyr suddenly said, walking up behind her and making her jump.


    "Eeek" Reana exclaimed, "Don''t jumpscare me, you bastard!" She quickly blabbered with fear.


    "Bastard? I thought I was a monster just a second ago..." Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    *One hour later*


    Tyr''s group, Reana, Helas, and the rest all stood around the mapped table.


    "So, is that the final plan?" Tyr asked, everyone, looking at him as his eyes remained locked onto Helas.


    After a sigh of hesitation, the lrax spoke: "Hmm... lets see if all bases are covered. We will first enter what we think is their domain through an Aura Array breaker. It should dissolve the array seal they have over that dimensional air, breaking it and allowing us to enter the second dimension--where their base is located."


    Everyone nodded along as he continued.


    "Thanks to Trai over here, we know about this technology in the first place. So, again, thank you, Trai." Helas gave his flowers to a young man standing a few feet from Tyr in the crowd of guards.


    Tyr''s eyes glanced at the young man who was smiling proudly, ''The same guy who was standing beside me during Helas'' speech. Trai is his name huh?''


    "After that," Helas continued, recapturing everyone''s attention, "We will strictly continue until we reach the place where all of the test subjects are kept. Freeing them will be our main objective in this mission. After that, we can focus on a full war. But, without freeing the victims, war would only spill innocent blood."


    Helas'' words were taken goodly by everyone.


    "Thanks to Tyr here, we understand where we can enter their separate dimension." Helas suddenly said, throwing Tyr off slightly.


    "Hm?" Tyr exclaimed in slight confusion.


    "You told us when you questioned about your known details that you had seen a warehouse-looking shed right?"


    "Oh... yes, I did say that. But how does that correlate here?"


    "We, the Zasean natives, do not build such things especially not out of metal. It must have been the Black Merchant Guild. And wherever these buildings pop up, they eventually disappear. It''s not like they simply cease to exist, as everything inside would be dropped. Instead, its the case that the buildings are taken to that second dimension."


    "Ah..." Tyr said, the crowd also understanding.


    Helas continued: "This means that wherever that warehouse is, around there is a link to that second dimension. Our Aura array breaker will be of use there."


    With those words, Helas went on to explain more specific details of the mission, such as individual actions and positions.


    After everything was decided, everyone was ordered to rest well for the coming day.


    ***


    Loud footsteps thudding through the forest floor sounded, each step crushing the grass below into a green mush.


    Tyr''s bare feet rushed through the jungle, above fallen logs, below branches and vines, and through the dense bush.


    The Zasean natives followed close behind him, their large weapons and bared.


    Finally, Tyr''s feet slid across the grass as they came to a halting screech.


    In front of him was a large opening where there were no trees, and at the back of this patch of grass was a giant warehouse.


    It was made of gray steel, with a round roof and flat walls.


    It looked to be over 1000 feet in length, close to 500 feet in width, and easily over 120 feet in height.


    It was rusting, seemingly old.


    "Well, this is it." Tyr said as the army of soldiers following him arrived to the spot.


    Trai, the young man from before, tapped Tyr on the shoulder as he walked in front: "Good work, Tyr!" He smiled.


    Tyr squinted his eyes slightly, but before he could reply, Helas arrived to the scene.


    "Warehouse first." He simply said, glancing at Tyr.


    Tyr instantly understood what the lrax was trying to tell him. He nodded, beginning to walk forward as Hanzo and the others, including Reana and Trai, followed after him.


    They made it to the front doors of the warehouse, where Tyr sniffed a few extra times.


    "Huh? What is that foul odor?" He said, thrown off.


    He looked down, noticing the remains of a dried black liquid seemingly leaking out of the doors.


    The others also reacted to the smell, finding it foul.


    Tyr gritted his teeth, pulling a lever up then to the left to dislodge a metal rod placed in between the two large metal doors.


    This caused the doors to swing in fast, and unleashed a gust of wind out from the warehouse.


    Along with the wind traveled that same putrid stench, except it was much stronger this time. It flew all the way into the small army of about 50 Zasean natives, making them all cringe in disgust.


    Some even began to welch slightly, unable to control themselves.


    Inside, it was pitch black and dark. It seemed there were no windows, and even if there were, they must have been blocked out somehow.


    As they made their ways inside, they noticed a cold stone floor below them.


    Finally, Tyr walked to the side and found a light switch. With one of his hands squeezing his nostrils shut, he flicked on the light switch.


    In a slow wave, all of the rows of lights opened one by one: displaying everything inside of the warehouse.


    Eyes widened, pupils dancing with shock. Maws gaped, limbs quickly weakening for many people inside of the warehouse right now.


    Tyr quickly walked in front of the group, taking in what was before him with an expression that displayed pure disbelief.


    Before him were large towers of metal scaffolding and storage areas... all covered in nothing but dead corpses.


    Piled onto each other like bags of sand, they were sprawled around everywhere.


    On each piece of scaffolding, hanging off the edges. Littered all over the floor, in several piles at times.


    At the very center of the warehouse was the worst of all--a giant pile of bodies that were mutilated, cut open like a rose. Mangeld and broken, beaten and bruised from the looks of it.


    All of these people were Zasean natives.

 Chapter 125 - 125: Test Subjects

    "These people didn''t just die." Tyr said under his breath, his brows furrowed with a serious look: "They were tortured... mangled and thrown here like a garbage dump."


    Hanzo exhaled, "The Black Merchant Guild members are horrible people, but the guild itself is smarter than this. What reason is there for them to needlessly slaughter over a thousand people like this?"


    Tyr clenched his jaw and walked forward.


    "Hey!" Trai suddenly exclaimed, reaching his hand forward, "Where are you going!? We should escape... who knows how many diseases there are in this one place. Probably enough to ravage civilizations!"


    Tyr ignored him, continuing to walk forward.


    He finally arrived at the large pile of bodies stacking up over 15 feet. Kneeling down, he examined each body with a look of curiosity in his eyes.


    He picked up hands, staring at them closely before dropping them again.


    Like this, he made his way around the pile of bodies for over 10 minutes.


    ''Some have holes blasted through their bodies... others have exploded heads, and others have been cleaved and broken.''


    Tyr thought to himself as he continued examining the bodies.


    ''But... in the oldest of bodies, the ones that are the most dry and rotting... there is a pattern.''


    He picked up the foot of an older looking body that was rotting like hell, ''Its large, too large for the body. Its like mangled bags of meat. The veins in it are nearly quadruple the size as well.''


    He moved it how he pleased, look at each angle. Finally, he pulled the body out from the large pile.


    Taking a good look at the face, Tyr saw that this person had 6 ears all over their face.


    ''There''s no doubt about it. This person took an unstable pill... just as Malon''s brother did in Mycelia. The enlarged limbs and veins... and the multiple ears are a tell tale sign.''


    He paused, squinting as he thought about it some more.


    ''The oldest bodies are more fucked up than the newer ones in terms of looking crazy. That means... those slugs are finding a way to make unstable pills into usable objects. However, there are also bodies in here that have seemingly no flaws. That could mean that the ''perfect unstable pill'' in the mind of these slugs is one that grants great power to the user with no side effects...


    but then kills them no matter what after their job is done. Its a powerful weapon... one that can''t give information. Like a war machine...''


    He began to walk back to the exit, ''I doubt they''ve already perfected it... but even if they are close, thats quite an issue. The weak Mano was unrecognizable in strength after taking some pills... I can''t even imagine what type of monster a more powerful person would become.''


    As he made it a few feet away from where everyone was, he said: "They were test subjects for unstable pills..." S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Everyone stayed quiet, silently acknowledging Tyr''s words.


    Reana closed her eyes, looking to the side with sorrow.


    "Thats horrible..." She whispered.


    Trai had a somber look on his face. Malon gritted his teeth, furious at those words.


    Noa slowly shook her head, in slight denial while also feeling horrible about the situation.


    Hanzo furrowed his eyebrows, "Slugs..." He said.


    Tyr calmly spoke: "Their deaths won''t be painless..." He said as he walked out of the warehouse. The others followed him.


    When Tyr stepped out, his eyes once again flew open in shock.


    "He-Helas?" He said from under his breath, noticing the lrax kneeling with his head facing the floor. His entire body was covered in blood, and around him lay dozens of freshly butchered corpses.


    "W-what the fuck?" Tyr said under his breath again, unable to believe what he was seeing, "WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED!?" He rushed over to where the lrax was.


    As the others followed him, their expressions equally filled with horror and shock, Tyr placed his hand on the lrax''s back and kneeled.


    He stared at Helas'' face. The man was clearly in shock. He seemed to have small wounds all over his body, but that clearly meant nothing to him right now.


    His eyes were wide open, staring at the ground and dancing like crazy. He was panting heavily as well, as if he had just seen a ghost.


    "T-they... are here." He suddenly said, "Don''t lower your guard."


    At that moment, Tyr furrowed his brows, "Huh?" He managed to say before feeling an immense pressure plow into his side out of nowhere.


    A kick to his abdomen launched him several feet away, tumbling across the ground before sliding to his feet.


    He quickly raised his head, staring at the large figure in a brown hood standing before Helas.


    "Kehahaha!" The figure burst out into a peal of maniacal laughter, "Aren''t you guys just a bit too late?"


    The figure took his stainless robe off and threw it into the wind--revealing his immense physique.


    Hanzo and the others halted, spreading out around the man.


    His skin was black, his height easily over 7 feet tall. His muscles bulged as if they were powered by a full-on machine.


    He had nothing but a mouth for a face and a giant ear on his torso.


    "Foul beast..." Tyr said under his breath, rising to his feet.


    "What you all have to understand is..." The mouth-ear-man began to speak, his voice very loud despite not yelling: "You are unmatched here! Worms can not defeat slugs!"


    Tyr furrowed his brows, ''How the hell does he know about that nickname? Black slugs...''


    "Transform!" A voice suddenly sounded from behind Hanzo.


    It was Trai, who continued: "Cheetah!"


    As he said this, he leaped into the air--his body morphing into a large cheetah in seconds.


    He stormed across the field, grabbing Helas by the hair and throwing him to safety.


    "Huh?" The earman exclaimed, slamming the back of his fist into the cheetah.


    Trai was slammed in the face, and thrown several feet into the air before transforming back into his human form and falling to the ground with a loud thud.


    Helas on the other hand was taken in by Hanzo and the others.


    Hanzo tossed him a few healing capsules before turning to the earman again.


    "Die!" Hanzo shouted, unleashing three red arrows.


    "Huh?" The earman exclaimed, "Don''t you get it? All matter and Aura, atoms and everything else is just an accumulation of vibrations on their core level. Vibrations are nothing but sound!"


    The arrows absorbed into the earman''s giant torso ear.


    He then opened his mouth, unleashing a blast of red Aura at Hanzo and the others.


    "Dodge!"


    Most made it out of the way except for Malon and Noa.


    Malon quickly slammed his giant shield in front of Noa, "Come!" He exclaimed.


    The red Aura blasted onto his shield--pushing him back several feet but eventually repelling in all different directions.


    "I see... so that your power. You hear something... and let us hear it back." Tyr said, making his way toward the earman, "What a copycat."

 Chapter 126 - 126: Copycat

    "Everyone back up!" Tyr shouted, "I want this kill!" He said with a slightly crazed, yet determined look in his eyes.


    "What!?" Reana exclaimed in confusion but was ignored by Tyr.


    "Come at me, you freak!" He yelled at the earman as he dashed around the side of the beast--a golden flame invigorating from his glabella as his eyes turned a golden hue.


    The earman turned with Tyr, not taking a single step forward.


    "Its like that then huh? Waiting for me to attack first... fine, have it your way. It will only be a more painful death." Tyr said, ''Soul Mend: Dragon.''


    Scales grew all over his body as wings protruded from his back.


    "Flame Breath!" He roared, unleashing a blast of inferno at the earman.


    The freak took a step back in instinctual fear, the sudden explosion of fire throwing him off.


    However, he seemed to grit his teeth and firm his resolve before stepping forward.


    "All Aura is vibration... and all vibration is sound!" He yelled, absorbing Tyr''s dragon fire into his large torso ear by converting it into vibrations.


    He gritted his teeth even more, seemingly struggling to do this.


    Finally, he sucked in all the flame through his giant ear.


    "Damn! I couldn''t convert all of it... what in the world is that flame!?" He yelled as Tyr and the others could see an orange glow coming from deep within his neck.


    "Whatever... die!" He roared, widening his mouth as a blast of energy no weaker than the dragon flame thrust out of it.


    Tyr smirked, ''Reverse.'' He said, raising his hand.


    All of the energy was instantly absorbed, and then thrown out again in the span of a couple seconds.


    "W-what!?" The earman exclaimed with confusion, unable to hear this attack fast enough.


    Although he tried, Tyr''s reversal had caught him off guard.


    The attack stormed into him with full throttle, like a truck slamming into a giant watermelon.


    While feeling the brunt of the blow, the earman screamed: "You called me a copy cat... and had an ability like this!?"


    Right after he said this, his entire body exploded like a microwaved egg, separating into a thousand pieces.


    "It''s called strategic wording, you dumbass freak." Tyr smirked, "Thats why you''re dead right now."


    [You have slain Ear Mouth (Expert Rank Zasea Human).]


    [You leveled up!]


    [Strength: 135--136]


    [Stamina: 120/120-->121]


    ''Expert Rank... the strongest I''ve killed apart from beasts. But... a human? That thing... was a human once?'' Tyr furrowed his eyebrows, ''I wonder if it was a black slug...


    or actually, a normal native that they converted.''


    His brows curled inwards with a slightly somber look, ''It''s horrible... this should never be happening. To not only be evil bastards, but to ruin people''s lives like this and use them while turning them into wretched creatures.''


    He couldn''t help but feel angry thinking of it all. However, he tightened his fist and constrained himself, ''I''ll get their revenge for them. There''s no doubt about that.''


    He made his way back to Helas and the others.


    "Are you alright?" He said, staring at the lrax who had now risen to his feet.


    "Im fine... thankfully I only caught minor injuries, which Hanzo''s health pills helped heal." Helas said in a low tone, turning toward Trai who had made it back to the group.


    He was stretching his hands, but over all, the young Zasean native didn''t seem too injured.


    "Trai, please make sure the bodies of the fallen are recovered. Our mission for today... is over." The lrax said, limping slightly while being helped by Hanzo and Malon.


    ''He sounds devastated... and defeated.'' Tyr thought to himself, ''He had to see all of those people... his soldiers, die in front of his very eyes. It must have been traumatizing. Tsk... how horrible.''


    *BOOM*


    A crashing noise sounded from nearby.


    A few hundred feet away, a cloud of dust had formed from a recent impact.


    Tyr squinted, attempting to get a good glimpse at what it was.


    As the dust cleared, Tyr saw a pair of robed figures standing in the center.


    One was tall and wide, the other small and seemingly thin.


    "Brother... do you think it''s time for us to rejoice yet?" The large one said, taking off the hood from his head.


    He resembled a human, but his skin was blue. He was bald, and his eyes were a bright red color like a demon.


    He was around 6''7 ft. tall in stature, jacked to the gills, and had a square face shape.


    "Quiet, Heim. Let your older brother do the talking." The short one exclaimed, walking forward. He wasn''t more than 5''2 ft. on a good day.


    "Oi! You people... one of you is too strong." He said in a simple voice.


    "Can you just die?" He said again, as if he was genuinely asking.


    "Huh?" Tyr raised a brow, "What kind of question is that? Of course not."


    Everyone looked at him as he replied.


    There was a moment of silence, and then the short hooded figure spoke:


    "Did you think we were talking about you?"


    Tyr was slightly taken aback by this.


    "Uh... you weren''t?" He asked, puzzled.


    "We were." The short guy replied again in a straight tone.


    There was another bit of silence.


    "Then why did you question it!?" Tyr replied, annoyed this time.


    "J-just shut up! Both of you!" The big guy shouted, "Lets just fight already, golden warrior. Don''t you want to fight? All strong people like to fight... thats why they are strong in the first place."


    Hanzo squinted his eyes as he heard this, looking down at his own hands for a second.


    Tyr stepped forward, "Fine... in fact, you two made a mistake coming here. Now that you have shown yourselves, I won''t let you escape. No way in hell. I''ll butcher every slug I see." He clenched his teeth.


    The small robed figure dashed forward, suddenly blitzing past Tyr before he could even notice.


    Tyr''s eyes widened with shock as he felt a tap on the back of his head, making him stumble forward and nearly fall onto his face.


    ''F-fast...'' He mused inwardly. ''My eyes couldn''t even track him.''


    "I won''t be fighting you today... I don''t want to die." The short, robed figure said, "Instead, I''ll just take some... test subjects."


    He sprinted behind Malon, grabbing him by the ankle.


    Before anyone could see, he also appeared in front of Hanzo and placed a bind over his hands in the span of a second--grabbing the interlocked hands before dashing back to his accomplice.


    He did this so fast that no one could even see his blur, let alone try to stop him. sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Hey!" Tyr yelled, a mix of anger, confusion, and even worry in his mind: "STOP! COME BACK HERE!" He roared as the two waved and disappeared on the spot.


    Tyr activated Polaris Tiger Soul Mend to reach them, but they escaped from his grasp in a mere few millimeters.


    He stood there panting in shock as he realized they were actually gone.


    His eyes were wide, "No... damn it!"

 Chapter 127 - 127: Thin Patience

    "No! We will not play safe any longer!"


    "Saving the victims first will only put them in danger, don''t you see that!?"


    "We are not in the position to be giving ourselves handicaps. They don''t care about their test subjects, but we care about our people."


    "What!? If you care, then why try to fight with them in the fray? You will only slaughter them in the collusion!"


    "Stop! Everyone! Stop arguing, the decision is final! We will attack head on, and save the victims only after we have dealt with the Black Merchant Guild criminals!"


    "To hell it''s final! Nothing is final yet! We have to find a way to save the innocent first!"


    "Trying to save the innocent first has led us right into the hands of those bastards! In the attempts to save some, we have lost hundreds of soldiers!"


    "Yes! Don''t you get it? They want us to try to protect the weak so that they can use it against us."


    "Still! Two wrongs don''t make a right. We shouldn''t risk the lives of the victims!"


    *


    Inside of the main marquee, dozens of soldiers who seemed quite old and mature argued about what was the next plan of action. S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Tyr and a few others sat down outside atop a couple of boxes. Reana, Noa, Trai, Ha, and a couple of others were with him. They had been listening for hours, and even though they could hear the muffled screams from within right now, it was a lot better than being inside.


    "Tsk..." Tyr exclaimed, seemingly annoyed: "One side wants to rush in and kill, while the other side wants to rush in and rescue. Both sides will lead to death on our side..."


    The others didn''t say a word, understanding all of this.


    "Its been three days since Hanzo and Malon have been abducted. My patience won''t run for much longer." He gritted his teeth, staring forward with a seething hatred in his eyes.


    Reana put her hand on his back, "Please... Tyr. I know what type of person you are. I know what you are feeling, and from the little I''ve known them, I would also want to help them badly. But the experienced soldiers are making their own decisions right now. Listen to them...


    wait for their call. What''s the point in continuing casualties?" She said in a genuine tone.


    Tyr slowly turned toward her and stared directly into her eyes with the same expression as before.


    "You don''t know a thing about what type of person I am." He said, standing up and walking back inside.


    Reana was left slightly stunned. The others remained silent. After a second, Noa followed Tyr back inside.


    As she walked past Reana, the journalist tried to joke to lighten the mood: "He''s quite angry right now--" But she cut herself off, noticing that Noa''s eyes were also fuming with malice.


    After Noa entered the marquee, Reana''s shoulders drooped and laid back on the box below her.


    Trai looked over at her: "They have a close connection, it seems. That Hunter group... what was the name of it again?"


    "They never said." Ha said, staring forward.


    "Whatever it is... they aren''t being reasonable." Reana spoke, "I mean... who do they think they are? To want to destroy one of the largest guilds in the entire continent."


    Ha and Trai looked over at Reana, not saying a word.


    They then looked at themselves, understanding that they were thinking the same thing inside.


    ''Looks like she''s also mad now.''


    ''Yep...''


    ***


    ''Trust the experienced soldiers she says... yet these blabbering fools have shown themselves to be nothing more than idiotic, childish, emotional morons who have more pride in their decision being accepted, rather than their decision being the right one.'' He couldn''t hold his patience in any longer.


    When Tyr stepped inside the marquee, it seemed that someone had something quite rare, and so the entire chamber was quiet right now.


    Tyr found this the perfect opportunity to speak: "Listen up, everyone." He said in Zasean, making heads turn.


    Over 50 people, some sitting, and most standing, looked at him with varying emotions in their eyes.


    "The only reason you are arguing whether to attack first, or rescue first, is because all of you as a collective are weak." Tyr did not hold back in an attempt to be polite.


    He was going to speak what he thought, his patience running thin after three days of waiting. He did not sound how cold-hearted he sounded.


    Many eyebrows furrowed with anger and arrogance as they heard Tyr''s words.


    Older men grumbled under their breath, and the younger sprouts even tightened their grasp on their weapons or clenched their fists.


    However, Tyr didn''t shy away from taking the reactions head on. His eyes waved through the crowd like a hawk, looking at everyone in the eyes as a way to tell them that he was not scared.


    "If you were strong," He continued, "Then you could have it both ways. Rescue, while attacking at the same time."


    A few more grumbles sounded, this time some even agreed to Tyr''s words.


    "The way it is now, you all will never beat the Black Merchant Guild."


    As Tyr said this, another voice blurted out: "Alright, thats enough!" A large, older-looking native slammed his fist on the table.


    "Where do you go off saying all of this nonsense!? Do you have no respect for this team''s morale? You will be butchered by my hand--"


    At that moment, Tyr furrowed his brows in anger--and as he did, a burst of killing intent via his passive Ancestral Presence ability slipped out.


    It targeted strictly toward the Zasean native, piercing through him like a dagger through the heart.


    As this bloodlust was only targeted toward the native, no one else felt it. Yet, it was clearly enough to stop the man from speaking any further.


    The native froze, his speech unwilling to come out of his mouth for a moment.


    Tyr calmed himself down, ''I need to remember that this is a passive ability... it works when I am too riled up.'' He thought to himself.


    The Zasean native finally took in a breath, wheezing slightly as if he had just seen a ghost.


    "Let the boy continue," Helas said at that moment, a curious look in his eyes.


    The Zasean native stood and walked out of the marquee as Tyr''s pupils followed him.


    After he left, Tyr continued: "All of you will die gruesome deaths, including every person in this city, if you do not listen to my following words."

 Chapter 128 - 128: New In Charge

    ***EXXTRA LONG CHAP***


    -----


    The tone in the room had changed from what it was only seconds ago.


    Some had been getting prepared to give the young arrogant cunt a piece of their mind as well.


    But now that they saw how their comrade reacted, there was an underlying tone of respect and fear in their minds.


    They only stared at Tyr with serious expressions, as that was the extent of what they felt they could do.


    Tyr continued: "If you had the strength of ten times the men you have right now, you could go in and destroy that base while rescuing everyone simultaneously. The thing you lack is strength... and that is exactly what I am providing you. You may not believe it, but I don''t care."


    Some squinted their eyes as they heard that last part, even Helas.


    "That''s right, it doesn''t matter whether any of you listen to me. I am going to go on my own after this anyway."


    A few shocked responses of awe murmured about slightly as Tyr said this.


    "I am only offering a hand to you all as a sign of respect, a hand large enough to place you all in its palm." With that, Tyr reached his hand out above the table in between everyone.


    "So... will you take this hand?" He finally said, sending a wave of silence through the entire marquee.


    Tyr was staring at Helas, and everyone''s eyes naturally moved toward him as well as they saw this.


    Feeling the pressure of those around him to make the final decision, he stood up and raised his hand above the table.


    "We will take your hand..." Helas said sternly. This wasn''t a small deal, as Helas wasn''t just accepting Tyr''s recruitment, but rather, agreeing to go with his plans completely with all of his men. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He had just decided to place all the lives of his men at risk in the hope that Tyr was going be their main front when it came to strength and strategy.


    There were quite a few mixed reactions. Some were shocked that Helas would suddenly agree to the qualms of the young man.


    Others were happy, liking the fact that someone much stronger was commanding them from now on.


    And some, who hadn''t seen Tyr''s fight with Ha, underestimated Tyr and weren''t satisfied with this.


    However, another hand raised up slowly. It was the hand of the oldest warrior in the room.


    "I am the wisest... and I know that as one climbs further up a mountain, the more he can see. In the same who, weakness is a blinding veil in front of the eyes of men, while strength is the cure. Those who are strong see more opportunities that the weak do not have... those who are strong worked to get there... those who are strong, are born to lead."


    With this speech, another hand raised up.


    After that, a couple from each side of the circle began to rise.


    Before long, a ripple effect took over--as every hand around the table had risen.


    Tyr''s eyes glanced around the crowd: ''Of course some are still going to oppose this... but they have no choice but to follow the flock.''


    He then looked out the door, ''I was going to go out on my own, but its good that at the very least, I have some men behind me as back up.''


    He began to walk toward the exit.


    "T-Tyr!" Helas exclaimed at that moment, "What about your plans? You are the commander now... you have to inform us of everything before you just leave out of nowhere!"


    Tyr turned past his shoulder to glance at Helas for a moment, "Everyone! Sit tightly and wait. I''ll be back to your benefit."


    He left the marquee, leaving everyone confused and silent.


    "That might have been a bad decision," Helas said at that moment, almost in a joking, pitiful tone.


    The others simply sighed.


    "If he wasn''t so strong, as I hear him to be, he would be thrown to the hunting dogs." The old warrior exclaimed, shaking his head.


    ***


    Noa and Tyr made their way out of the Zasean base of operations and headed out into the forest.


    "Noa, what exactly are Aura arrays to you?" Tyr abruptly asked out of nowhere as they walked.


    Noa was slightly taken aback by this, "Odd question," But she still replied, "Hmm... lets see, to me, Aura array''s are like binds and seals. They aren''t placed on people to entrap them, but rather on things to enforce them."


    Tyr tilted his head slightly, intrigued, "Hmm... go on..."


    Noa paused for a moment before saying, "Well... its like the laws of the universe. Aura dictates these laws, and Aura arrays create new laws in our universe that are enforced by Aura. When one is sealed, a new law is created in the universe stating that he should not be released until the Aura seal is released.


    In the same way, when an Aura array is placed on an object, a law or rule is placed on it which the Aura has to oblige to."


    "Hmm... if thats the case..." Tyr paused for a long time, looking to think.


    Noa walked with him patiently, understanding that he was feeling stressed right now as well.


    "Do you think you can break an Aura array in the same way you can break Aura binds?"


    Noa''s eyes widened as she heard this. After an exhale, she said: "Well, I don''t see why not. Both are restrictions placed on something using Aura. All its about going into the deep coding of the aura and releasing whatever is binding the Aura together to create a rule in the first place."


    A smile appeared on Tyr''s face as he heard this.


    Noa continued: "However, it will still probably take me a while to learn."


    "A while?" Tyr''s expression suddenly turned serious.


    "Like... 10 hours."


    Tyr smiled again, "Thats no while. Thats perfect!" He stopped, turning and facing Noa.


    "I want you to learn to do that. I need that as a crucial part of my plan."


    Noa also stopped, looking at Tyr with slight puzzlement, "But... the array breakers. Don''t we already have those?"


    Tyr sighed, "Unless you want to travel a few hundred miles and buy another few of those, we don''t nearly have enough. Plus, I have a feeling the ones we have will hardly do the job. These are powerful arrays, and Trai''s array breakers are newly found. They are also scarce here."


    Noa nodded after hearing this, "I''ll get to it." She turned, "Ten hours... it will be done before 10!"


    She shouted as she left.


    Tyr chuckled, "Thanks!" He said, turning around as his smiling face erased and turned into a serious expression.


    His pupils turned a bright golden hue as a golden fire erupted from his glabella.


    He dug his front foot into the ground as he launched himself forward.


    He sprinted through the jungle almost like a blur, using Blink Step at times to travel farther distances at once.


    He looked like a feather being carried by a string, weaving and ducking, jumping and gliding through the forest with haste and ease and fluttering in the wind.


    He arrived back to the warehouse and noticed that it was gone. Instead, it was replaced by one large tree.


    On seeing this, Tyr clenched his jaw. He tightened his fist and let out rip right into the truck of the plant.


    A somewhat loud bang sounded as he removed his fist from the giant cavity that was now on the tree.


    ''Even when I go 20%, its quite strong.'' He smirked, ''Tsk... its annoying that they removed the warehouse already. But I guess its to be expected.''


    "Oh?" A voice suddenly came from out of nowhere.


    Tyr furrowed his brows, looking around erratically: "Who''s there?"


    "To think I''d find you of all people again... isn''t it immensely lucky?"


    Tyr turned, recognizing the annoying voice as the one from the puny slug from before.


    He saw the puny-robed figure about 200 feet away from him. His eyebrows lowered, unimpressed.


    "Is this what you do for a living? Wait till someone comes out here and randomly ambush them? Or are you only following me? Get a job..." Tyr said, an irritated look on his face.


    This time, the puny robed figure took his hood off.


    He had normal skin, but red eyes. He looked to be a young man who was around 21. Unfortunate genetics indeed. He had a lousy stubble and the nerdiest glasses you can imagine atop his nose ridge.


    "You should be thankful we found you here. We were actually on our way to your little hideout. Or... I suppose it isn''t really yours since you''re just an outsider. Hehehe!" The puny slug laughed.


    Tyr gritted his teeth in anger, but then he realized something, "Wait... why are you saying ''we''? Isn''t it just you?"


    "Oh... well, my brother decided to go forward while I stay here with you. Im sure you know one of the two reasons as to why, right?"


    Tyr''s eyes widened as he heard this, ''Shit... I need to get back there as soon as possible.''

 Chapter 129 - 129: Slave

    "One of the two reasons?" Tyr said, putting on a confident appearance, "All I know is that you need to stay here to try and stop me, or else I''ll stop your brother from reaching our base."


    The black guild member laughed, "Yes, that is correct. But the other reason is far more important. It was actually the main reason we wanted to go to your camp in the first place. And its all about you you you."


    Tyr furrowed his brows, "Cut to the chase." He said in a low tone, his chin lowering.


    "You''re right... let me be frank. I hate overextending things too."


    The shorty paused, taking in a deep breath:


    "Surrender yourselves to the Black Merchant Guild, Tyr Evolion." He raised a black worm, still squiggling in his hands, "We will free your two friends, and also all of the people captured by us from this village. The number is in the thousands."


    Tyr''s furrowed eyebrows slowly loosened as the Black Merchant Guild member continued:


    "Will you save thousands of lives? Or will you let them die for your own personal satisfaction? The choice is yours. This is our strongest mind-controlling worm. Once you take it, you will be the same, but never able to disobey us again."


    Tyr''s serious expression had left. On seeing this, a smile grew on the black slugs face.


    "Oh... you''re considering it. Hahaha! Of course you are. Thats the weakness of those who are strong... and merciful.


    Its easy to win by playing against the rules!"


    Tyr turned around, facing the ground with a shadowed expression. He was silent.


    The black guild member raised an eyebrow on seeing this. He was a bit confused, but let it slide. He rose onto his tiptoes to try and see what Tyr was doing, but gave up after a few seconds after realizing he was too short.


    "Fine! Take your time..." He harrumped, crossing his arms.


    Tyr looked to be in deep thought. These were the lives of thousands that he held in his hands. And yet... a giant grin was stretched from one side of his face to the other.


    His eyes were widened, burning with exhilaration and eagerness.


    ''Hahahahaha! Perfect... this is perfect! The god of luck might even have a crush on me at this point. To get such an amazing opportunity... I won''t let it go to waste.'' He thought to himself.


    He turned, an unexpressive look on his face, "Let me stop your brother first... after that, I am all yours."


    The short guy paused before replying.


    "No." He blatantly said, "Don''t even think about it. This is no negotiation. Eat this first," He raised the black worm, "Like I said, it won''t change you at all, except you can never disobey or harm any of us ever again. And... if you work diligently enough, it can also be extracted."


    Tyr exhaled, "Fine..."


    The black guild member''s eyes widened slightly on accident as he heard how easily Tyr accepted his proposal.


    ''This guy... did he actually believe it wasn''t a negotiation? Every negotiator says it isn''t a negotiation. Maybe he''s dumb,'' he paused, squinting his eyes:


    ''Or maybe, he''s super smart.''


    Tyr began to walk toward the short young man at this moment.


    ''Something is missing here. He is so diligent. Is he that good of a person? To give his life so willingly for others? It doesn''t make sense... but...


    it doesn''t matter.''


    He smiled slightly: ''No matter what plan he thinks he has, as long as he eats this worm, he will forever be a slave under me.''


    Tyr finally arrived mere feet away from the black slug.


    He took a worm. It was wiggling uncontrollably. It had quarter-inch pincers on its head, and a slightly furry tail. Its body was almost a bit hard like a rock, and its eyes were a deep red.


    With a grimacing, disgusting expression, Tyr placed the creature on his tongue and quickly got it down with a big gulp.


    The black guild member''s smile turned into a giant grin as he saw this.


    Tyr felt the worm melt as soon as it entered his stomach.


    Just then, he felt a blast of pain radiate from his Aura Core and stem all through his body like a spider web.


    He gritted his teeth, despite the excruciating pain.


    On his body were red stripes, as though Tyr had just entered a bind of chains.


    After a few seconds, it was over. When Tyr opened his eyes again, his pupils were completely red. S§×ar?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He looked around. He opened and closed his hand, wanting to know if he still had most control.


    ''Looks like I can think normally, and also move normally. Perfect.''


    He looked at the black slug in front of him who was smiling like a child.


    ''I''ll kill you.'' Tyr thought to himself. His eyes instantly flew open as a bolt of bain severed down his body--stemming from his head.


    It was far worse than the pain of originally swallowing the worm.


    It felt like it was doing actual damage to his inner organs.


    As soon as he stopped thinking of what he said, the pain stopped.


    "Oh? Did you have a rude thought toward me? Tsk tsk tsk... not so nice." The short guild member slapped Tyr across the face out of nowhere.


    Tyr''s head moved to the side, his eyes dancing slightly with shock as he stood there, stunned.


    "Call me master Jiro from now on, you runt. And know that you can never disobey me, or else you will die... literally. Ahaha!" Jiro broke out into a laugh.


    "Yes, Jir--" Tyr felt the pain in his head again, making him clutch his temple.


    "Master! Don''t forget that part!" Jiro yelled.


    "Yes... master Jiro. Now, can we go and stop your brother?"


    Jiro turned, an annoyed look on his face. However, that quickly turned to excitement: ''It actually worked! My rank will explode from this!'' He thought to himself.


    "Lets go." He said, dashing forward.


    Tyr followed close after him.


    *


    "If he isn''t here, then I want one life as compensation." Jiro''s brother proclaimed to the Zasean natives.


    The natives were gathered before the tall blue man, gritting their teeth in anger.

 Chapter 130 - 130: I Am No Slave

    Helas stood at the forefront, arguing with the large bastard: "You will not receive any more than what you have already taken from us! Prepare to die!"


    "Die?" The blue slug laughed, "Haha! And who will be doing the killing exactly? You? You couldn''t kill me in a thousand years."


    Helas paused, furrowing his eyebrows, "I bet if all of us were to attack at once, we would be able to take you down with ease."


    The blue-skinned criminal clenched his jaw, looking around at the furious expressions of the various natives that were gathered around.


    ''They aren''t weak. I might even face a bit of trouble. But... I would still win.'' He declared to himself. He suddenly looked past his shoulder, "Brother?" He said under his breath.


    A smile slowly appeared on his face, "So... you succeeded." He grinned.


    He quickly turned to face the Zasean natives again, "So... will one of you step forward, or will I have to butcher several of you first!?"


    Heavy footsteps approached from the back, as people began to move and make way.


    Ha stepped in front of the group, his expression stern.


    "Ha... I command you to stand back." Helas said, his tone serious.


    Ha looked back at the man, "Lrax... let me do this before I die. It''s the least I can do."


    "That was an order," Helas replied, his tone even deeper than before.


    "Its okay." Ha retorted, turning to face the blue rogue, "Im giving my life... an order won''t punish me as much as this sacrifice."


    Helas was taken aback as he heard this. He was left speechless for a moment as Ha continued to step forward.


    "I''ll fight you!" He exclaimed, staring at the blue man.


    The blue rogue sized him up and down.


    Ha was four inches taller than the blue slug. He had the same-sized muscles, and a slightly larger belly as well.


    The two looked similarly matched, apart from the fact that Ha simply looked larger and stronger. Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The blue man raised a brow, "Huh... I''ll take it." He smirked, "I would usually take you for testing, but I want to fight you instead. So... unseathe your weapon!"


    As he said this, he ripped his robe off of his body--revealing his ripped physique.


    Ha wielded his spear, spinning it several times before slashing it down toward the blue slug.


    "Hehaha..." The blue slug began to laugh, his expression almost giddy.


    Everyone looked with awe as this battle looked to begin at almost any second.


    Many were nervous, and others were angry at this entire predicament. Others were slightly hopeful, but their wishes were feigned and they knew it themselves.


    Finally, Helas stood there with his head facing the ground, his face shadowed.


    "Come at me first!" The blue slug exclaimed, curling his fingers toward himself.


    Ha didn''t hesitate, lunging forward with his spear before thrusting it forward.


    It aimed to pierce straight through the blue slug''s stomach, but the mark disappeared before the spear could reach it.


    The blue slug had sidestepped the attack, causing its afterblow to rustle the tree leaves several feet behind.


    "Not bad..." The blue slug exclaimed, "Now... It''s my turn." He dashed forward, clenching his fist tightly.


    Ha couldn''t calibrate the immense speed at which the blue slug was moving. He instinctually took a step back and raised his spear--getting ready for the blow.


    The blue slug unleashed his fist. It flew forward like a missile, arriving a foot away from Ha''s face within a millisecond.


    *BANG*


    The impact was hard.


    Ha opened his eyes feeling no pain or pressure. At that moment, the overwhelming gasps of everyone around him rang in his ears.


    He looked forward. His maw gaped wide open as he saw Helas back in front of him.


    Helas fell to the ground, his arms badly bruised and possibly broken by blocking the attack.


    "L-LRAX!" Ha exclaimed in shock, quickly kneeling.


    Several others also raced to Helas'' aid, worried and angry.


    The blue slug had an unimpressed look on his face, "How boring..."


    "Shut the hell up!" Ha screamed, looking at the rogue, "I''ll kill you!"


    He rushed forward, attempting to pierce the blue slug several times.


    After dodging all of Ha''s attacks with ease, he gave the young man a harrowing punch to the gut.


    It sent him flying over 50 feet into the distance, before skipping across the ground like a stone over water and finally sliding to a stop--fully unconscious.


    The blue rogue smiled, "Good... thats good... hahaha!"


    Several more Zasean natives rose from their lrax''s side, their eyes fueled with anger as they unsheathed their swords and axes.


    "Oh? You dare to raise a weapon against me? That means death you know..." The blue slug grinned even harder.


    At that moment, the dozen or so Zasean natives stormed the blue rogue.


    The blue bastard didn''t back up, however, instead sprinting forward with his malicious intent spewing in the air.


    *BANG*


    He punched a native in the chest, exploding a hole through his torso.


    *BOOM*


    A slap across the body, tearing skin and bone.


    *CRUSH*


    A kick to the hips, ripping a native in two.


    Blood was spilled everywhere, and the blue slug was bathing in it with joyful tears nearly wanting to come out of his eyes.


    The screaming from other natives was horrifying.


    Some yelled for them to stop, some yelled for reinforcements.


    It was total and utter chaos.


    At that moment, a voice rang from behind them all. The blue slug even turned, recognizing it to be his brother''s tone.


    "Mrama! It''s over... let''s go home." Jiro said from about 50 feet away.


    Tyr''s eyes couldn''t stop looking at the mutilated bodies lying across the floor.


    Behind his red pupils, there were seemingly no emotions.


    Jiro looked back at him and laughed, "Hahaha! Looks like you were too late."


    At that moment, the others also noticed how Tyr looked.


    The natives began to point out his eyes.


    Finally, after all the murmuring, the oldest Zasean native spoke: "Red eyes... the bastard has sided with the Black Merchant Guild! He''s eaten the Black Worm!"


    A wave of gasps and shocked noises went around.


    "You fucker!"


    "You lead us to this!"


    "How dare you!"


    "Damn it! The mistake we made, choosing him to lead us."


    "Foolish! How damn foolish!"


    Reana, raised up from beside Helas, "TYR!" She screamed, capturing Tyr''s eyes.


    "Is it true..." She asked softly, her voice cracking slightly. She was clearly terrified at the idea of Tyr switching sides.


    Everyone quieted down in anticipation. The natives looked at Tyr with their pupils dancing in desperation.


    Mrama and Jiro stared at Tyr with grins across their faces.


    Finally, Tyr inhaled deeply. He slowly extended his hands out to both sides of him, and then he closed his eyes.


    Jiro and Mrama were slightly confused by this.


    Finally, when Tyr opened his eyes again, they were brightly glowing; a glorious golden color.


    A golden flame also erupted from his glabella.


    [You are immune to all mental attacks.]


    Tyr spoke: "I... am no slave."


    He suddenly grabbed Jiro by the back of the neck, capturing the little son of a bitch with a tight grip.


    A smile stretched across Tyr''s face as Jiro was raised into the air, his legs flailing as his hands claws to get out of the hold.


    "It''s time to talk, you pathetic slugs."

 Chapter 131 - 131: Negotiation

    (Author Note: Yo. A new college semester is starting. My writing schedule is a bit all over the place due to this, so please be patient. As soon as things begin to calm down, I''ll be back in the groove. It won''t take more then a week; I''ll keep you all updated. Thanks!)


    Oh, and btw, I''ll still upload chaps. Don''t worry about that.


    ***


    The Zasean natives were taken by shock. Some felt immense relief as they saw Tyr go against the Black Merchant Guild, such as Reana and Trai.


    Still, everyone was distraught at what had just happened.


    The blue-skinned man slowly turned toward Tyr, his eyes unblinking with a look of disbelief and raging anger deep within. Despite that, his expression was completely still.


    His mouth was gaped ever so slightly. It was as if he couldn''t believe what he was seeing right now.


    "Oie..." He said in a low, deep tone.


    Tyr looked up at him, a smile stretching across his face like a killer clown.


    "Let him go." Mrama''s voice was serious and rough, unleashing a blast of killing intent at Tyr.


    Tyr instantly felt the bloodlust seep into his mind.


    At that moment, Mrama appeared to have a reddish, black Aura come out of him. It wasn''t actually happening, but the bloodlust made it seem like that.


    However, Tyr felt absolutely zero fear at that moment. With the golden flame blaring from his forehead, all fear had vanished from his mind.


    "And what if I don''t?" Tyr inquired in a hostile tone.


    "I''ll fucking butcher you like a pig." Mrama''s expression didn''t change as he said this, except, his eyes simply widened.


    Tyr paused, seeming to ignore the big bastard. He pressed Jiro''s stomach against the ground, stepping on the slugs back so that he couldn''t escape anywhere.


    After that, he reached into his storage ring and took out a radio before murmuring something into it. He then put it back into his storage ring, as if nothing happened.


    Mrama lowered his chin, "What was--" He was cut off abruptly.


    "Shut the fuck up. Don''t talk to me as if we are equals. You are a mass murdering criminal... a waste of oxygen in this world. I don''t regard your words as spreading information. They are simply noises of irritation."


    Mrama furrowed his brows, preplexed at that statement.


    ''Does he think Im joking when I say I''ll kill him?'' Mrama thought, looking at his brother, ''But he has Jiro... I can''t be careless. Despite how I have made it seem, he has all the fucking power. Damn it!''


    Tyr looked down at Jiro. He knelt down, making Jiro exclaim and wail in pain as Tyr''s weight fell onto him some more.


    Tyr took Jiro''s finger, grabbed a nail, and pulled it out without any warning.


    Jiro''s face turned pale for a moment, accidentally gasping before genuinely screaming in pain.


    The Zasean natives only looked with intrigue and puzzlement, as Mrama gritted his teeth in anger.


    Tyr smirked slightly on hearing Jiro''s pain, "So you''re still somewhat human after all." He lifted the nail in front of his face, inspecting it closely.


    "The nail... connected to many nerve endings for pain. Some say underneath it is the most sensitive part of the body. And when its taken out, one gets some of the most uncomfortable, painful experiences a person can undertake."


    Jiro was foaming from the mouth slightly from the screams, his eyes bloodshot as he wheezed.


    Tyr gazed at Mrama, ''So I have the negotiating power after all... I needed to make sure he didn''t have something up his sleeve. But even after I''ve tortured his brother like this, the fact that he hasn''t done anything means... he''s scared. He has nothing left to do except to wait for a good opportunity.'' S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Tyr felt a giddiness in his system on thinking this.


    "I have a proposal. It''s up to you to decide it, Mrama, or whatever your name was. You can either save your brother, or have him die."


    As Tyr said this, standing up from his knelt position, Jiro looked up with contempt, ''Making a deal? How much does he intend to mock me?''


    Mrama squinted his eyes slightly, lowering his gaze.


    "The request is simple. Free my friends. The ones you took last time. After that, I''ll let this little bitch slug go." Tyr proclaimed, twisting his foot on Jiro''s back.


    The little slug squealed even more, his lungs barely left with any oxygen.


    Mrama exhaled, "Fine... but it will be an equal exchange. If you can promise to meet at a time and place, there will be an exchange with no qualms."


    Tyr snickered, almost chuckling on hearing this, "Oh, so you can speak properly now huh? Good... I like your terms. Except, I''ll pick the location and the time."


    Mrama stayed silent for a moment before suddenly saying: "Location... I''ll pick that."


    Tyr squinted, "It has to be close."


    "It is... the warehouse."


    Tyr didn''t know what the guy was planning but didn''t see it as anything too impactful.


    "Fine."


    ''Jeez... just how important is his brother for him to be so willing? Or maybe he just loves him? Meh...'' Tyr mused, pleasantly surprised by Mrama''s reaction.


    "Tommorow at 9 PM exactly. No sooner, no later. Oh... and if you even dare think of touching them in any way, the deals off... and I''ll kill you too." Tyr said, his tone turning deadly serious at the end.


    Mrama nodded, silent, but saying many things at the same time.


    The others behind were awestruck at this scene. To make a deal like this was crazy with the Black Merchant Guild.


    They hadn''t even considered a possibility like this, being honest.


    How could they? Their men had been slain constantly like pigs. It made no sense to then go try to make a deal.


    It was like trying to reason with a plague or buy antivenom from a serpent. Death was the only thing that loomed there.


    Yet, Tyr had made a deal, and had even gotten the upper hand.


    "You can go, blueballs... when you bring your people, don''t bring too many okay? I know you probably won''t listen to that suggestion though..." Tyr said, knowing the facts in the matter.


    He wasn''t going to take any chances of bringing little people either. No one would in a situation like this.


    As soon as Tyr said this, Mrama dug his feet into the ground and leaped into the air. He hopped right over Tyr and Jiro before sprinting into the forest and quickly disappearing.


    ''That golden flame... I don''t know what it is, but It scares me for some reason. The feeling of confidence I had was somehow obliterated when I saw it...'' Mrama thought, thrown off.

 Chapter 132 - 132: Sacrifice

    After the blue slug left, Tyr picked Jiro up.


    "Hmm... now what to do with you..." He said, looking at the short guy up and down.


    "You..." Jiro uttered, "How did you escape the grasp of my black worm? That isn''t fucking possible... I had planned to use it on... tsk!"


    Tyr smirked, "It clearly is possible."


    "No, you don''t get it! You couldn''t get it... you''re a freak!"


    "Huh? Do you wanna run that by me again?" Tyr tightened his grip on the back of the slugs neck.


    "Ack! Okay I yield! Please stop Tyr!"


    *SLAP* S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Jiro was blasted across the face, a red mark on his cheek with his body frozen.


    "It''s master Tyr to you."


    *Slap slap slap*


    "Okay! Please master Tyr!" Jiro finally exclaimed, entirely defeated and exhausted.


    "But I tell you... what you have done is something that not even the great empires of Ainsveld have discovered how to solve. It''s crazy... far too crazy to even believe."


    Tyr thought about that for a moment: ''Hmm... maybe I''ll have to use this trick again now that I''ve learned it.''


    At that moment, he saw something from the corner of his vision, "Ah... looks like its time."


    *BANG*


    "Go, Ol'' Betsy!" A feminine voice shouted as a giant ball of pink energy traveled through the air.


    It beamed right toward Jiro. As it neared a mere few feet away, Tyr let go of the short slug.


    The Aura orb hit Jiro with a powerful impact, suddenly spreading into a dozen spider-web-like straps before binding onto Jiro''s arms, legs, torso, and more.


    "Ack! What is this!?" Jiro screamed, his limbs and body instantly entrapped in an immovable barrier.


    At that moment, all eyes turned like flowers waving in the wind toward the direction where the attack had come from.


    There, Noa stood tall with a giant gun on her hip and a bright smile on her face.


    "Hahaha!" She laughed, "Thats Betsy''s classic, ya'' like it?"


    Tyr smirked slightly, "Finally... I called you a while ago. Took you long enough."


    "Oh zip it! I was working on finishing that array breaker you wanted me to try."


    "Wait..." Tyr said, confused, "Don''t tell me you already finished it!? It''s barely been a couple of hours!"


    Noa put her gun on her back and chuckled as she walked over to where Tyr was.


    "It was actually a lot easier than expected." She said, noticing that everyone was looking at her. She got excited to see this, and closed her eyes as she continued walking and explaining eagerly:


    "You see, the Aura code for an array is like a set of rule algorithms enforced into the very atom of the substance. There are billions of codes that tell what the larger codes that they call create together to do, and those ones combine to tell what the code that they create has to do as well. Like this, a series of codes creates an entire Aura array. To destroy it, one simply has to--"


    Noa opened her eyes, her voice stopping as she realized everyone had long stopped paying attention to her yapping.


    They were all instead looking at Tyr, who seemed to be laughing while standing on Jiro.


    "This bastard really thought he had me, ahaha!" Tyr joked, making a few Zasean natives join in on the quipping.


    Tyr''s gaze suddenly landed on Noa, who had her fists clenched in anger.


    "Oh... yea we stopped listening to your explanation after the algorithm part. I''m not really an IT guy."


    Noa''s anger was trumped by her confusion, "A what guy?" She exclaimed in confusion.


    "Oh... don''t worry about it. Anyways, now that this bastard is trapped, all we have to do is wait for tomorrow."


    Tyr handed Jiro to Noa, dropping him beside her feet as if he were a ragdoll.


    He then made his way over to Helas. Kneeling down, he noticed that Helas'' arms were were bad shape.


    ''Jeez... he didn''t even incur this much damage from fighting off Jiro and Mrama back at the warehouse.'' Tyr mused, feeling horrible for the man.


    At that moment, his eyes squinted slightly as he stared at Helas...


    "Lrax..." Ha suddenly said, capturing Tyr''s attention.


    Tyr''s eyes widened slightly with surprise as he saw tears flowing from the young man''s eyes.


    Ha was in tears. His entire face had turned red like a tomato.


    "I''m sorry... you have been like a father to me." He said, suddenly slamming his forehead onto the ground and bowing.


    "I just wanted to help... I promise." He could barely speak, at the verge of breaking down.


    Tyr looked around, noticing everyone''s somber expressions. Clearly, Ha''s words had invoked similar emotions in them as well.


    "All these years you have helped me... the debts you have paid... the family members you have honored... the scars you have taken on the front of your body. I''m sorry for being so foolish!"


    At that moment, Helas placed his hand, although broken, on top of Ha''s head.


    A slight smile formed on his face, as many onlooking soldiers began to get emotional. Moisture built up in their eyes, redness taking over the tip of their noses as they began to sniffle.


    "Ha... it doesn''t matter. Why would I get mad at you for something like this? You only wanted to help. Heroes help... the ones that are on the right side of history help."


    As he felt Helas'' hand on his head, and heard those warm and kind words, Ha couldn''t help but break down into even more tears.


    Tyr saw this heartwarming moment and couldn''t help but feel slightly moved.


    ''He''s a powerful person.'' He thought to himself, looking at Helas.


    "Here, these are fairly powerful healing capsules. You should be fine in a few weeks." Tyr fed a variety of capsules to the lrax.


    Tyr then stood up, turning, "Oi, you," He pointed at Trai, his expression now serious.


    "Bury those who fell. Give them an honest burial..."


    Trai was slightly taken aback by this at first, but quickly agreed to the order, raising his chin and straightening his posture: "Yes sir!"


    Tyr looked at the other soldiers, "Enough crying... get ready to give up your lives tomorrow." He said in an ice-cold tone.


    This threw off a few natives. Tyr caught a few angry glances and confused looks.


    Out of nowhere, a young native who had been crying stared at Tyr with an expression seething with hatred: "Why..." The boy said in a low tone, his voice slowly increasing in volume as he spoke:


    "So that you can save your little friends!? Is that why you want us all to die!? Are you really with us... or are you with the black guild!?"


    Tyr paused, staring at the young boy who was no younger than 15 with a serious glare.


    He then walked up to the boy, staring down at him with a stern look.


    The boy was clearly confused, and even scared by this reaction. He had spoken out of spite and frustration but hadn''t expected this confrontation.


    Tyr picked the boy up by the collar, "My friends... will save your mother and father, siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles, friends and more..." He said in a deep tone, "What will your life do?"


    The young boy was already scared, wincing as he was picked up off the ground.


    On hearing Tyrs'' words, however, he gasped accidentally. His eyes widened, suddenly realizing what Tyr said.


    He was both baffled, but also awestruck with understanding, "So... in the grand scheme of things... my life means nothing?"


    Tyr abruptly dropped the boy, turning around and walking away.


    "No... you''re life is even more important than ours. We are far too selfish to sacrifice ourselves... but you, you all are doing this for a purpose much greater than us. You are doing it for those very loved ones which I spoke about. Your lives will do more than ours could even imagine in this coming day...


    so prepare well."


    The young boy was taken aback again with shock as he heard this. But then... he clenched his fists. A small smile appeared on his face, "I will..." He said under his breath, before gathering the courage to shout: "Thank you... Commander!"

 Chapter 133 - 133: Brute King

    Those standing around the smiling young boy were also taken aback by Tyr''s words.


    They imagined the young man to be a brutish, arrogant person. But Tyr''s words gave an insight to how he really was.


    "He isn''t a bad person..." One of the natives said, smiling slightly.


    "He''s treating us harshly... but I think thats the only way to move forward."


    "We need to rally after him. If not, we may never end this war."


    The oldest member of the Zasean natives squinted his eyes as his pupils followed Tyr. He exhaled deeply before saying: "Strength shall be the light that will set us on the path of salvation. He must be the right choice... I can feel it." S§×arch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Everyone was moved by these words... except for Reana: "Yeah right, old man..." She rolled her eyes, turning to look at Tyr.


    "Strength isn''t everything in this world. That''s something you Zasean natives should understand. There are many aspects greater than it."


    The oldest native raised a brow, "Is that right... like what?"


    Reana smirked: "Justice."


    ***


    Hanzo opened his eyes after yawning slightly.


    "Dude... it''s already morning. Come on, we have to go get food." Malon said, standing above him.


    "It''s morning?" Hanzo questioned, "How can you tell? There''s no sun above us..." He said as he stood up, scratching his ass.


    The two made their way out of a fairly large, medieval stone house and into the street.


    They were indeed underground it seemed. However, the many multicolored crystals on the cavern ceilings made it no darker than daylight below.


    As they walked along the streets, they passed by several hundreds of robed figures who bowed slightly as they passed the two Hunters, as though in fear.


    After getting past the Hunters, they quickly hurried to get away from them.


    The two also walked by dozens of vendors and stores along the sides of the dirt path.


    "I still can''t believe they made this entire small civilization here..." Hanzo said, looking around with an impressed expression on his face.


    "I can... I mean, they do have more information than anyone in the continent. I can only imagine what type of Aura techniques they have." Malon replied as the two stepped into an average pub.


    As they made their way down the main aisle--straight to the back bar table--many necks turned to face them.


    Whispers quickly spread around, as heads ducked down in fear.


    "Shit! It''s him!"


    "The damn brute king."


    "Hide your face... you don''t want to be next on his chopping block."


    The robed figures sitting around all began to speak to each other in fearful noises.


    Hanzo and Malon sat on the long bar table with dozens of seats. As they did, the several robed figures also sitting on the bar table looked at Hanzo.


    Hanzo paused and then looked left and right.


    As his eyes made contact with the eyes of the robed figures, their gazes quickly darted away, and they exited the bar table with haste.


    "Oi!" Hanzo finally exclaimed, forcing a bartender to come to his aid.


    "Yes... what would you like sir?" A short, fat man said with closed eyes, curled eyebrows, and his hands rubbing together.


    "Give me your hardest liquor... make it sweet. I''m not staying here for long." Hanzo exclaimed, catching a surprised reaction from Malon.


    "W-what!? Again!? What has gotten into you after entering this place? Not only are you ruthless, you are addicted to alcohol!" Malon said, shaking his head.


    He turned toward the bartender, "Get him some hot stew. Same for me."


    The bartender wasn''t sure, however, so he looked back at Hanzo.


    After a short pause, Hanzo said: "Both. Soup and the spirit."


    "Y-yes sir!" The bartender exclaimed, quickly rushing to fetch what was asked of him.


    Hanzo laid back on the tall chair, placing his feet on the bar table.


    "The black slug elites would rather terrorize the small-time crook slugs in their little cities by placing me here... than deal with me and potentially lose a few important lives. Pffft! Cowards..." He said, seemingly still hungover from his tone.


    Malon sighed, "Well, it makes sense. They tried to restrain you on the first day, and you ruthlessly killed not only over 5 of their higher ranking majors but also went on a killing spree and murdered over 20 random civilians. They let you go after that one... to do whatever you pleased here."


    Hanzo stared at Malon, "Random civilians? These are slugs we are talking about... Black Merchant Guild Slugs. Did you forget what was in that warehouse?"


    Malon was slightly taken aback by this, staying quiet as he understood what Hanzo was trying to say.


    At that moment, Hanzo felt a heavy hand grab his shoulder.


    "Hey..." A very tall robed figure said in a deep voice, "You''re the ruthless brute everyone keeps talking about. I''ve heard about you for a couple of days... but im disappointed. You seem like a short little twerp... how about you try to prove me wrong."


    The robed figure said as 4 other robed individuals beside him chuckled. No one was hooded inside of the Black Merchant underground domain, so Hanzo saw all of their expressions.


    He looked at them all with an unimpressed look in his eyes.


    The other robed figures all over the pub simply looked away.


    "Fucking idiots."


    "They chose death in the worst way possible."


    "Ignorance is bliss..."


    ***


    The next day came for Tyr and the others without much of a warning. After Mrama left the Zasean base of operations, everyone began to prepare themselves mentally and physically for the task ahead.


    Sharpening weapons and techniques were one thing, but forming a plan was an even bigger ordeal.


    Everyone in the base--over a thousand to be more specific--were gathered together outside around a single meeting table filled with the most experienced of Zasean Natives.


    At the center sides sat Helas and Tyr, their seating placements opposing each other.


    They spoke for hours on end about how to make sure their retrieval plan was succesful.


    First, they had to create a plan in the first place, however.


    Tyr was the man assigned to that task, as he was the commander now.


    "I already have something that only has to be set in motion." Tyr started off by saying this, capturing everyone''s attention.


    "And for this, I need everyone who isn''t a part of the 20 around this table to exit the premises," Tyr said, his eyes waving across the crowd around him.


    A few murmurs wandered about as Tyr said this, and the members of the table curiously looked around.


    "Don''t worry... you will be told your respective roles. But the entire plan... that is something that only a trusted group will discuss. If the black slugs find out about everything we talk about, we will not come out the winner. I can assure you that."


    With that, everyone slowly made their way to the other side of the base camp one by one. They were hesitant at first, but followed their peers and eventually made way.


    "Now that its only us, I will speak of the main plan..."

 Chapter 134 - 134: The Plan

    "Absolute fucking retards. Have they learned nothing after joining the black guild?"


    "They are probably newbies that want to make a name for themselves."


    "Tsk tsk tsk..."


    Murmurs waved throughout the entire pub as Hanzo stared at the five robed guys before him with a slightly irritated look on his face.


    There was a short period of silence where no one made a single move.


    And then... the robed figure standing before Hanzo threw a punch.


    Hanzo instantly blocked it with his hand but struggled slightly to withhold it.


    ''Oh? He actually isn''t weak as piss...'' Hanzo thought to himself, clenching his fist before letting one hurl into the slugs chest.


    "Oouu!" The big robed slug exclaimed as the air in his lungs was stolen by Hanzo.


    He took a few steps back, wheezing as he attempted to breathe.


    The other goons around him saw this, and quickly reacted, lunging at Hanzo to get their revenge.


    However, a giant shield suddenly summoned in front of him--causing them to bust their noses and chins on it. sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Ack!" A couple exclaimed, blood dripping from their crushed nostrils.


    Malon made his shield smaller, placing it to his side with a fierce look on his face.


    Hanzo darted forward, punching one of the robed figures in the face and cracking his jaw in two.


    He moved to the next one, unsheathing his bow and slamming it into the side of the head of the robed slug.


    The blow left an indent in the slug''s skull that revealed his still-moving brain...


    Just like that, Hanzo moved from one robed slug to the other, bashing their brains and bodies in.


    At the end, the big bastard from the start seemed to have recovered. He clenched his fist, summoning a bow made of Aura in his hands.


    He pulled the string of his bow back--aiming it right at Hanzo.


    "Oh... you did not want to do that," Malon said under his breath, worried for the guy.


    Hanzo saw the slug''s bow and pulled his own bowstring back.


    The two unleashed their arrows at the same time.


    However, Hanzo''s red arrow penetrated through the slug''s as if it wasn''t even there--ripping it to mere particles.


    The arrow then traveled straight through the robed slug''s heart--drilling a 12 inch hole through his chest.


    He fell onto his back with a loud thud. At that moment, Hanzo walked over to him and pulled his bowstring back again.


    *BOOM*


    He fired, causing his arrow to drill another hole through the slug''s torso and Peirce deep into the ground.


    He pulled his bowstring back again...


    *BOOM*


    And again...


    *BOOM*


    And agai--but before he could unleash the arrow this time, Malon grabbed his hand with a tight grip.


    "Hanzo... what is up with you?" He asked in a serious tone.


    Hanzo stared at the moosh in the eyes, pausing for a second before aggressively shrugging Malon''s hand off of him and walking out of the bar.


    Malon stood there with furrowed eyebrows as he stared at Hanzo leave.


    ''What the hell is going on...'' Malon thought to himself, confused and irritated.


    He then noticed the horrified, pale expressions of the slugs around him.


    "What are you all looking at!? Go back to your meals... damn thugs." As he said this, everyone followed his orders.


    "Um... sir..." A weak voice sounded from behind.


    Malon turned to see the fat little bartender.


    "Your meal... is here?" The bartender squeaked.


    Malon stared at the man with glaring eyes of irritation.


    He grabbed the bottle of liquor before leaving the establishment.


    ***


    "Tommorow, we meet at noon inside of the warehouse." Tyr said, the 19 others around the table nodding along as he went. Among these members were Reana and Noa.


    "Today, however, I and Noa will use a new and improved Aura array breaking method to see where that warehouse leads to when you warp in that area. That way, we can follow after those black slugs if they intend to escape early."


    Everyone was still nodding along, understanding and thinking of Tyr''s words thoroughly as he went.


    "We will already have many members stationed at the second teleportation spot, hiding for an ambush."


    Everyone nodded.


    "If all goes right, we will exchange Jiro for Hanzo and Malon. After that, we attack... big. We will slaughter every bastard Black Merchant Guild member that is there. We will take a few hours to reconvene and attack once again at night when they least expect it. Tomorrow night is when the Black Merchant Guild will fall..."


    Many heaved heavy sighs, "Jeez... such a big amount of tasks in one day."


    "Isn''t there too much riding on it?"


    "Why not spread the destruction out? It would come with less risk..."


    "Yeah... Hanzo and Malon would probably also be in disarray and unable to follow the plans nicely."


    Tyr replied without hesitation: "That is also what the black slugs will think, but instead, Hanzo and Malon will be ready to fight, completely catching the slugs off guard and ensuring our victory."


    "But how can you be sure of that?" Helas asked at that moment.


    Tyr stared into his eyes, "I know my friends. A mere few days locked up won''t change how they function. Plus, they will have a few hours of breaks until nightfall to get informed on the mission."


    Tyr turned his attention to one of the Zasean natives who had said something about risk:


    "You said there would be less risk to spread out the attack, and you aren''t wrong. However, with less risk comes less reward. The higher the risk, the higher the chance we actually win and eradicate those bastards. We need to do it now... that is a command."


    After those words, there were a few more talks of what to do, and the meeting swiftly ended.


    For the rest of the day, Noa, Tyr, Ha, Trai, and over 200 more Zasean soldiers ventured to the warehouse.


    Everyone else at the base continued to prepare and spoke of what to do. They were all informed of their various roles by Helas and the others.


    Tyr and his group made it to the warehouse.


    After using Noa''s Aura array-breaking technique, they walked through a rift in dimensional reality which led them to a secluded, deep jungle.


    Tyr used his Dragon Soul Mend to fly up and scope out the area, making sure it was still within the walls.


    After verifying this, he flew back down and instructed everyone of their hiding areas.


    After that, Tyr and Noa returned, allowing Ha to take command of this group.


    *Present time*

 Chapter 135 - 135: In Action

    *SLAP*


    A pair of eyes opened up, abruptly awoken by a stinging backhand across the cheek.


    The eyes saw a young man standing above him, the sun blaring brightly in the sky behind.


    "Get up, slug." Tyr exclaimed, having just slapped Jiro across the face.


    "You didn''t need to slap me." Jiro responded, annoyed and also exhausted at this point.


    "Yeah? Well I wanted to. Get up... I don''t spill sympathy for fucks like you." Tyr grabbed the short man by the hair and lifted him in the air.


    "Ack!" Jiro exclaimed in pain.


    ''I swear...'' He thought to himself, staring at Tyr with malice boiling inside, ''When I get free, I''ll butcher this mother fucker myself. I don''t care if I have to go against the guild... he will be mine. He will be mine to torture.''


    Tyr tossed the short slug onto the shoulders of a few Zasean natives.


    He and these three Zasean natives made their way through the crowd of hundreds of soliders.


    Many were speaking to themselves about how today''s event was going to go.


    Others were fastening their weapons, and making sure their sheathes were tied correctly.


    After traveling through the maze-like soldier layout, Tyr and the Jiro-carrying squad made it to the front of the Zasean army.


    Noa, Reana, Helas, and a couple other Zasean native warriors were waiting for the young man to arrive.


    Tyr hadn''t been well accustomed to these warriors who stood beside Helas, but understood that they were the strongest ones behind Helas.


    They had similar builds in comparison to Helas'', except one wore several layers of thick deerskin. This one had a giant axe over his shoulder.


    The other one had three thin strips of bear hide over his shoulders and wielded a long sword.


    "Folks," Tyr said, capturing the attention of those waiting for him.


    They all looked at him. They all had stern yet hopeful expressions.


    "Lets go." Tyr marched forward without stopping.


    Behind him were the three carrying Jiro--and around them were the 5 who were waiting for him.


    And of course, behind all of them were the hundreds of soldiers.


    Tyr turned, noticing that everyone was following behind him, ''This is kind of cool.'' He first thought, finding it slightly amusing.


    He never thought of something like this happening to him even in his wildest imaginations.


    But, he also understood that he had a job to do. Despite the fun factor, the seriousness of the matter far outweighed that.


    Tyr turned back around before breaking into a sprint.


    Without hesitation, the Zasean natives followed after the young man, navigating their way through the jungle with near-flawless motion.


    This place was their home... they understood how to flow through it like water moving through a dry canal.


    After several minutes, Tyr held a radio to his mouth: "Division 3, spread out into your positions."


    He said before chucking the radio into the bushes.


    Over 150 soldiers suddenly turned and darted into random parts of the jungle--quickly disappearing.


    Tyr grabbed another radio: "Division 2, deploy."


    Another several dozen soldiers did the same as the first ones.


    "Division 4. Your turn." Tyr said, chucking away his third radio.


    By that point, Tyr had arrived at the vacant grass field with only about 100 soldiers standing behind him.


    ''Everyone is in their positions.'' He said to himself, taking a deep breath as he stared at the warehouse a few hundred feet in front of him. He then took a large step forward...


    ***


    A group of three men stood in the center of a giant pile of mutilated bodies.


    One looked quite old, with long gray-patched hair and an eloquent yet arrogant expression on his face. He looked rather scrawny under his robe, but he was the tallest out of the three.


    Another was wearing no robe. Instead, he was wearing a latex superhero-like suit. The suit was gray and black in color, with a giant B on the chest portion of the outfit. sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Finally, the last one was in a wheelchair. He looked paralysed--half of his face drooping to the side. He was bald and had one long iron beam sticking out from the center of his head.


    To their side were two figures, one tall, the other short, with both of their heads covered in old bags.


    They sat beside each other, their hands and feet tied to their chairs.


    Finally, Mrama was to the right of all of them. He also wore no brown robe. Behind him were dozens of robed Black Merchant Guild members.


    "Tsk..." The old looking figure sucked his top teeth, clearly pissed. His eyes roamed over to Mrama:


    "If this doesn''t work out, you will be our next big breakthrough..." He said, rolling his eyes.


    Mrama sighed, his eyes looking down in fear.


    "I apologize... lord Camadral." He said, but thought completely differently in his head:


    ''Shut the fuck up... when my brother is freed, his black worm will take your mind before anyone else...''


    "Don''t get too upset about it, kid." The figure in the superhero costume said, "We all make mistakes. Especially when going up against strong opponents, as you described."


    Mrama nodded, ''Don''t think you are out of the pen... you will also be our slave.''


    "Hey, master Mrama. Isn''t it noon by now? They should already be here." One of the robed guys behind the big blue Black Merchant Guild member said.


    Another replied: "Yeah... maybe they forgot..."


    Mrama gritted his teeth, "Shut the fuck up!" He exclaimed with frustration.


    ''I can''t stand this much longer. Just when will that fucker come here...'' Mrama''s eyes scanned the entire warehouse.


    ''Maybe he''s already here, listening to every word I even think.'' On saying this to himself, Mrama was caught off guard all of a sudden, ''Wait... why am I so damn scared of this guy!?''


    "Hey, master Mrama. Didn''t you say that the guys you captured were dead?" A random robed figure questioned out of the blue.


    This made the three figures in the middle turn their heads slightly to face the blue guild member.


    Even the one in the wheel chair turned his machine slightly.


    Mrama turned, "What did you just say?" He uttered in a low tone, his eyes glaring with rage.


    *BANG*


    The warehouse doors suddenly flew open at that moment.


    Standing at the entrance was a single figure seemingly carrying a duffle bag. Everyone inside quickly turned their heads to face Tyr.


    With furrowed eyebrows, Tyr walked into the warehouse all by himself... and also Jiro, who was sealed up over his shoulder.

 Chapter 136 - 136: All Hell Breaks Loose

    *Three seconds earlier*


    "Tyr... did you hear what one of them just said over the hidden radio?" Noa''s voice came through an ear chip in Tyr''s left earlobe.


    "Yeah..." Tyr said, pushing the doors to the warehouse wide open.


    As Tyr stepped inside, necks twisted toward him as if he was Medusa.


    ''The guys you captured were dead. Thats what I heard...'' Tyr confirmed to himself, gritting his teeth with anger just at the thought of that possibility.


    "Mrama!" Tyr roared, "You slugs... where are Hanzo and Malon!? Show them to me, now!"


    Mrama had a smile stretching across his face right now. The three other figures also looked to be chuckling slightly to themselves for some reason.


    "Woah woah! Calm down..." Mrama stepped forward, "First of all, where is my broth--" He paused, noticing Jiro''s situation as his eyes expanded with shock.


    Jiro attempted to shout something but was muffled by a piece of cloth stuffed into his mouth.


    After a short pause, Mrama looked at the figures whose heads were covered by bags.


    "Here are your friends." Mrama took off the bags.


    Tyr squinted, getting a good look at both Hanzo and Malon.


    Sure enough, they were who Mrama said they were.


    However, something felt off.


    The two simply stared forward without saying a word. They were breathing, but their eyes looked lifeless--like looking into a void.


    "What did you do to them..." Tyr said in a low tone.


    Mrama smirked, "Im sure they can tell you that themselves... anyways, you should be happy they are still here. Alive and well. Now... lets exchange. My brother...


    for your friends."


    Mrama took a step forward but was abruptly stopped as a ginormous dragon of blood and fire rushed toward him out of nowhere--like something out of a crazy horror book.


    He stumbled backward, falling onto his bum as his jaw fell to the floor as his eyes stared at the horrifying, demonic beast before him.


    His entire body was shaking, as beads of sweat began to profusely form all over.


    The three figures at the back also heightened their guards severely.


    This was all a result of Tyr''s piercing glare at Mrama, which expelled a blast of Ancestral Presence toward the blue slug which was also masked with killing intent and anger.


    Tyr spoke: "What did you do to them... our deal was simple. If I figured out that you touched them in any way, I would cut off the deal and butcher you."


    Mrama was too distracted by what was in front of him, but suddenly felt a lot safer when he felt a touch on his shoulder.


    It was the superhero-dressed figure, who placed his hand on Mrama''s arm: "Be brave."


    Mrama laughed, scoffing at the same time with fear and disbelief.


    "Y-you''re right... im back to normal now. Forget what just happened." He awkwardly chuckled as he got back to his feet.


    "Are you going to answer my question or not?" Tyr said, his tone deadly serious.


    "Tyr..." The superhero-dressed figure exclaimed, "You have fallen right into our trap my friend."


    *Zibip... zeeep.* The paralyzed figure''s wheelchair made some odd robotic noises.


    Finally, out from the paralyzed figure''s eyes shot out a beam of darkness.


    It struck Tyr for only a second and ended.


    ''That was fast... too fast for me to dodge. What the hell was that? I feel nothing from it.'' Tyr thought to himself for a split second.


    "One second!" The tall, older figure said, "Tyr Evolion... what this kind man is trying to tell you is that you have fallen right into our trap." He said, standing in front of the superhero-dressed guy.


    "Thats exactly what he said... you are just repeating him." Tyr exclaimed, confused as hell. S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Tell your friends from outside to come in... I know you were listening in on our little conversation." The old Camadral said, smirking slightly.


    Tyr squinted his eyes again, "A bluff... if you knew we were listening, you would have made precautions as to not have some random bastard say that you already ''killed the captured,'' or in other words, Hanzo and Malon."


    Camadral paused, and then smiled, "We are the Black Merchant Guild."


    "Exactly. You wouldn''t make a mistake like that... having some big-mouthed rookie in your mix." Tyr instantly replied.


    "No no... we are greater than even that. To be honest, we weren''t sure if you were behind that door."


    "Huh? So you aren''t all that great after all..."


    "But," Camadral continued, "We had this one say those agitating words. And lo and behind, a certain Tyr, angry as a beast, comes stepping in. Quite a crucial mistake, boy... maybe next time, be more careful."


    Tyr snarled, "So what... that doesn''t change anything."


    "Oh..." Camadral''s smile widened, "Yes it does. You see..." The old man began to walk to the side:


    "When one is flustered, he opens himself up to many games of the mind. When one of our soldiers said those angering words, you were already half of the way there. After seeing the state of your ''friends,'' your mind had opened wide. That was when we implanted a black seed that has already almost fully bloomed."


    Tyr smirked, "A mental attack? Again? How foolish..."


    "No no..." Camadral said, "This is no mental attack. It is a physical obliteration of the mental of a being." He grinned.


    At that moment, Tyr suddenly zipped out of reality.


    Before he knew it, he was in a random black space in the middle of nowhere.


    He furrowed his brows, reaching for his radio.


    Out of nowhere, a voice came from all directions: "You have lost, Tyr. Did you think you could win against us so easily?"


    Tyr gritted his teeth, "Don''t think I came here without any backups!" He shouted into the voice before placing the radio next to his mouth.


    "Hello? Noa! Can you hear me?"


    "Y-yes!" Noa''s voice barely came through the radio.


    "Retreat... wait for me to come back."


    "W-we can''t! They found every one of our hidden locations around the warehouse. We are currently under attack. I have to go---zip" Noa''s voice suddenly warped off.


    Tyr got another message, this time, it was from a male voice.


    "Commander... Tyr." A familiar voice sounded.


    "Ha?!" Tyr yelled into the radio, "Why are you contacting me right now!?"


    "Commander..." Ha''s voice sounded weak, as though it was barely still able to come out.


    "Talk!" Tyr roared.


    "All of us... are dead. They knew where we were..." Ha''s voice faded off.


    Tyr then heard a thump through the radio, causing Tyr''s eyes to widen in shock.


    "Ha! Ha! TALK DAMN IT!" Tyr exclaimed in frustration.


    ''How? HOW!? No one knew where that damn location was... only the 20 discussed it. A mole... there must be a mole in the mix.''


    At that moment, Tyr noticed a gravitational pull on his body.


    He looked down, noticing a flat stone floor quickly approaching.


    "Was I falling this entire time?"


    ***


    Noa rushed toward the warehouse. She used her Aura array-breaking technique, opening a giant rift in the dimensional space.


    A robed slug who was chasing after her suddenly knocked her aside, throwing them both into another barrier in space-time altogether.


    They were both thrown into what looked to be a giant underground chamber.


    As they rolled across the ground, Noa was abruptly picked up.


    When she opened her eyes, Noa saw Malon standing above her.


    "He''s gone... Hanzo is no longer with us." Malon suddenly said.


    "W-what are you saying!?"


    ***


    Just like this... all hell broke loose. Confusion and chaos swarmed the entire world, it felt like.

 Chapter 137 - 137: Flame Of Ambition

    The traumatizing noises of weapons clanging and Aura exploding boomed through the air.


    A war had broken out outside of the warehouse. Reana observed everything from the sidelines.


    She hid between tree branches, photographing the bloodbath before her.


    A teardrop trickled down her cheek, dropping down her face.


    It fell down as she clicked more pictures. The droplet splashed on a Zasean native''s head as he stormed into the battlefield with a cry.


    Along with him came hundreds more through the forest, joining the giant battle before them.


    Aura waves crashed through dozens of Zasean soliders.


    Others, who avoided these attacks, clashed their weapons with robed Black Merchant Guild members.


    "Close to a thousand soldiers for us..." Reana said under her breath. She was shaking, and so was her voice.


    Her eyes moved, looking at the warehouse. The warehouse was there physically, but from it came hundreds upon hundreds of robed individuals.


    It was like the walls of the warehouse were portals.


    "Over three thousand soldiers for them and counting..." She gasped accidentally, "We can''t win." She felt her limbs go numb.


    ***


    Tyr sat on the stone floor with his eyes closed. He was in a meditative position.


    "Its been a week... yet you have not moved for even an inch." A completely unfamiliar voice came from the shadows.


    Tyr''s eyelids finally opened.


    "So you finally decide to speak..." His voice was low.


    "You act as though you know who I am..."


    Tyr scoffed slightly, "It was your attack that transported me here... but that isn''t why I know its you who is speaking to me." Tyr stood up.


    "Oh? Then why..."


    With a nonchalant expression, Tyr said: "You are paralyzed in real life... but here, in your little playhouse, you can do whatever you want. You can speak... you can kill, you can fly, you can create. You can do anything you want."


    "Hmhmhm." A slight laugh echoed through the void as Tyr said those words.


    Tyr replied: "Why are you laughing? All of those things I mentioned... they don''t exist. Only here they are real. Only in the figment of your imagination." S§×arch* The n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    There was total and utter silence.


    ''Looks like I pissed him off.'' Tyr smirked inwardly.


    He continued: "That is your Ancestral Ability, right? To teleport people inside of your own brain..."


    More silence, prompting Tyr to continue:


    "Oh... I see... is it your great Ancestral Ability that made you paralyzed? Everything is worth something else..."


    Not a word came from the void, causing Tyr to speak even more:


    "Hahaha!" He burst into a laugh, "How pitiful! Truly... its sad. To get such a powerful ability... but to lose your real functions."


    After another moment of silence, Tyr''s expression turned serious as he said: "I bet you would give all of this away to be a normal human again even if it was just for one day. Too bad... you were born inferior, cursed by your own power. What horrible ancestors you have. What a treacherous life you live. If I were you, I would end it all--"


    "STOP IT NOW!" A voice roared through the infinite darkness from all directions.


    A grin stretched across Tyr''s face, "Oh... did you finally have enough?"


    "SILENCE!" The screamed, "You will not insult me in my own world. I AM GOD HERE!"


    Tyr snarled, "A child in a man''s body. You are no God..."


    "Is that what you think? Do you understand my power!? I control time itself. It has been mere seconds, yet I have forced you to remain here for a week. I can continue... I can make you think that you are going to live here for eternity.


    In fact, I can make you go through eternity right now, infinite times over in mere seconds!"


    Tyr furrowed his eyebrows, ''Good... just like I thought, not much time has passed. I haven''t gotten hungry, so that was a tell tale sign.''


    "Enough of this useless talking... I''ll do my job and end you here. Seal you, and create a new power that no world has ever seen."


    Tyr didn''t say anything, thinking: ''He want''s me to be another one of those unstable pill weapons...''


    "Feeble thing in my world... useless thing in yours. Arrogant worm that has climbed its way to glory... cocky genius who has forgotten his mortality. Where are your roots now? Where are your ancestors?


    Your family... someone must destroy your name... let it be Maximillius The Infinite."


    ''Quite a speech.'' Tyr thought to himself on hearing this.


    At that moment, the floor beneath him disappeared. Before he knew it, he was falling again.


    He looked down, "I see..."


    A giant metal sculpture of a greek woman dressed in robes was over a thousand feet below him.


    A line split down the middle of the statue, and as Tyr got 500 feet away from it, the statue suddenly opened up.


    It was hollow on the inside, filled with millions of large metal spikes that were already drenched with blood.


    "Ultimate seal:" Maximillus said, "Bloody Iron Maiden; Mary."


    Tyr closed his eyes, ''Im calm...'' He said to himself, his hair fluttering in the wind as he fell.


    ...


    ''Transfer will do nothing.''


    Tyr fell closer, beginning to clench his jaw.


    ''Soul Mend, nothing. Blink Step might have worked, but this iron maiden is far too large.''


    He neared merely 100 feet away from the spikes below, his eyes squeezing together even tighter.


    ''Hypnosis is useless here. Disappear won''t help me. Soul Marking has no use. Infinite Domain will not do anything.''


    40 feet away....


    ''Reverse won''t work on a physical object. Ancestral Aura will not save me...''


    Finally, Tyr''s eyes opened: "Full Golden Body..."


    His eyes turned a bright golden color, as a golden flame erupted from his glabella.


    ''It looks like I''ve been fully defeated. I will die here, most likely.'' Tyr admitted, finding no escape. This was no magical story, where he could get a free lifeline.


    He was in a horrible situation, and he wasn''t going to get out of it from piss alone.


    As the spikes neared him, his eyes expanded.


    He clenched his teeth together as hard as possible, unleashing all of the true emotions he felt at that moment:


    "AS LONG AS I LIVE... I WILL NOT LOSE!" His voice roared like a lion.


    The spikes came mere feet from peircing through him, but before that, he grabbed onto them with a vice grip.


    "I WILL NOT BE CAGED!" He roared at the top of his lungs.


    "You will die!"


    "I WILL NOT!" Tyr''s voice was so loud that it was echoing through the void.


    Tyr''s grip had melded the iron spikes inwards, leaving deep indents in the metal.


    "Your freedom ends here!"


    "IT DOES NOT!" Tyr''s voice boomed once again as he tore one of the spikes out of the wall.


    He looked up, noticing the doors of the maiden slowly beginning to close.


    If it closed, the spikes would impale him completely. He understood this, but continued to grab the spikes in front of him.


    "What reason do you have to yell? You are already dead! You were dead from the moment you entered this place..."


    "Even if I die... I WILL NOT DIE!" Tyr roared, crushing another iron spike.


    "What!? What are you even sayi--"


    "Whether I have to destroy the gates of Heaven or climb from the very depths of hell... I will come back. I can not die... I WILL NOT LOSE!"


    Tyr wasn''t thinking at this moment. He was simply stating what he felt at that moment.


    His abmition was immense, raging like a fire never before seen.


    Even in the face of a continent-devouring tsunami, which was the fact that his death was near, his flame of ambition only continued to increase in size.


    *CREAAAK*


    The doors above him swung over 90 degrees, suddenly falling as though pushed by springs.


    Tyr let go of the spikes he had pulled out of the walls, and placed his back there instead--facing the spikes on the doors of the iron maiden head on.


    *SLAM*


    The doors shut tight.

 Chapter 138 - 138: Forged

    ***EXTRA LONG CHAP***


    -----


    "He''s dead..." Malon said, shaking his head.


    "W-what are you saying!? Hanzo is dead!?" Noa shouted in disbelief.


    Malon squinted, "Hey! Calm down... I''m obviously speaking figuratively."


    Noa''s lips quivered before she suddenly unleashed: "You don''t know what has been going on!"


    Malon was taken aback, "O-okay! Im sorry!"


    ''What the hell has happened for her to react like that? What has made her think that I would actually be telling the truth!?'' Malon thought to himself with confusion.


    "Where is he? Where are we!?" Noa yelled.


    Before Malon could respond, the black slug that had traveled with her spoke after looking around:


    "This place... its where we wait before traveling to the overworld. Why are you here..." S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    *BOOM*


    The robed individual was suddenly blasted into 200 pieces of flesh and blood.


    Malon''s jaw dropped to the floor: "What the fuck..." He said under his breath.


    "MALON!" Noa screamed, "Where is Hanzo!?"


    Malon quickly snapped out of it, "Y-yes! He''s right there..." He pointed. "But that guy was right... Mrama and the other three... they wanted us to come, but Hanzo refused."


    Noa''s eyes lit up slightly as she saw that Hanzo was still alive. He looked to be sitting on the floor, his face toward the ground.


    "Im glad you two are okay..." She said, getting slightly emotional. "So he fought against them?"


    Malon sighed, "Well... yes, but only until they let him go. After that, he stopped attacking."


    Noa furrowed her brows, "What? Why!? If he could have atleast stopped some of them... maybe the hundreds of lives that are being lost right now could have been saved..."


    Malon''s eyebrows furrowed, "What in the world are you saying?" He said, his voice shaking slightly with disbelief.


    The two made their way to where Hanzo was sitting.


    "Hanzo, we need you in the battlefield," Noa said, placing her hand on the young man''s shoulder.


    Hanzo didn''t respond.


    Malon shook his head, "The battlefield?" He said under his breath, hearing this at the same time as Hanzo.


    "Hanzo!" Noa shook the man, "Didn''t you hear what I said? Look... I get it, you may be upset for whatever reason, but there isn''t time for that! Hundreds of Zasean natives are being killed. The black slugs... they are butchering our men by the dozens every second.


    We need someone on the battlefield."


    Hanzo didn''t even toss a glance at Noa''s direction.


    Malon sighed, "He''s been like this for days... ever since we came here, he has had no motivation. Like I said, the Hanzo we once knew is gone. All thats left is an empty shell, it seems."


    "How can you say something like that?" Noa exclaimed, "He''s still here... he''s clearly still right here in front of us."


    Malon paused, "I do not wish to dishonor him... he is my brother, and I would give my life for him in a heartbeat. But he isn''t here... he has not replied to me all day."


    Noa turned toward Hanzo: "Get up!" She shouted, attempting to pull Hanzo to his feet. She was unable to do so, only pulling him slightly.


    "People are dying! Don''t you get it!?"


    Still, Hanzo didn''t even acknowledge her. Simply staring at the ground with lifeless eyes.


    Noa panted, panicking slightly as she didn''t know what to do, "Everyone''s dead!" Tears built up in her eyes as she expressed her inner turmoil:


    "Ha... Trai... they have all been killed! And even Tyr has been taken! I don''t know where he is, but he isn''t responding to my radio at all!"


    On hearing that, Hanzo''s void-like eyes suddenly gained a glimmer of life.


    With widened pupils, he turned to look at Noa: "Tyr... is in trouble? Why didn''t you tell me that earlier?"


    Noa paused, panting with emotional breath''s: "Now that you know... get up. Get up and help us."


    Hanzo didn''t speak for a while. And then, he turned and looked at the floor again.


    "I am not like you guys. I can''t grow in power... I can''t fight." He said out of nowhere, confusing both Malon and Noa the hell out.


    "What are you saying!?" Noa exclaimed, puzzled.


    Hanzo continued: "I don''t have those dreams and aspirations... those things that drive me. On the inside, all I am is someone who wants a normal life. I don''t want to fight... I told Tyr this when we first joined teams. Only after time have I learned that I have no life purpose to motivate me.


    I have no ambition. I am not meant to fight..."


    Noa was taken aback with shock, ''What is he saying... so what if he doesn''t have ambition? He''s still powerful, and we need that power right now...''


    "I get people are dying... but don''t you understand? How can I get up when I don''t have bones? How can I squeeze my fists when my body won''t give me strength? How can I fight... when I have nothing to fight for..."


    On hearing this, a burst of anger swelled up within Noa, "Nothing to fight for?" She said in a low tone.


    Without hesitation, he slapped the shit out of Hanzo. It left a steaming red mark on his face.


    His eyes widened with disbelief, yet he didn''t move.


    "What did you say to Tyr when you joined this group? Was it not that you would fight for his sake!? For his dream!?"


    "Yes... but fighting for another''s dream is hardly like fighting for my own."


    Noa paused, tears pouring down her face. She fell to her knees, "Hanzo... why did you even join this group? If you don''t want to fight... why are you still here?"


    She broke down into tears.


    Malon simply stared at her with squinted eyes of sorrow.


    However, her words made Hanzo think back to when he first met Tyr.


    ''He was an interesting character. When I first met him, I thought he would bring some fun into my life, so I followed him. And as a result, he followed me. He saw me as a guide... a mentor...''


    Hanzo''s eyes suddenly widened half an inch more, ''He saw me as an older brother... and I remembered my younger brother in him...''


    At that moment, flashes of memories assaulted his mind.


    He was a child when his mother died. Some unknown disease that random doctors gave names to in order to learn money from his pockets...


    She was a prostitute, but that hardly mattered to Hanzo.


    He remembered the day when he went to buy her medicine, but was denied due to a greedy merchant.


    She died after that.... and his little brother was kidnapped as well on the same day. Had it not been for Hanzo''s quick-wittedness... or plain old luck to decide to leave his house, he may have been captured as well.


    ''Now that I think about it... both of those things happening to me aren''t easy coincidences. That merchant... he wore a brown robe.''


    Things began to piece themselves together.


    ''My younger brother had entered the city... and he never came back. If it was the Black Merchant Guild''s doing, denying my mother medicine would only make sense... maybe it was to reap my Ancestral Powers. Did they think my younger brother was me, by chance?''


    ...


    ''Well... what happened, has happened. The past doesn''t matter now... what matters is what I do next.''


    Hanzo looked down at his hands. They were quivering, ''Younger brother... I say I can''t protect you, because I don''t have a reason. Am I that bad of an older brother... that I can''t even come up with a reason to save you?''


    ...


    ''Then... I''ll do it right now. To save you, Kin... I''ll come up with a reason.''


    Hanzo began to speak out loud, making both Noa and Malon stop what they were doing and look at him:


    "To..." Hanzo began to say, "To..." His mind raced, thinking of a reason, "To protect my younger brother, I will be the strongest."


    Noa stared at Hanzo with blood-shot eyes.


    Malon''s brows curled inwards with bewilderment.


    "I vow... to never let anything happen to him. I will not lose him again." Hanzo slowly rose to his feet.


    He closed his eyes as the other two looked at him.


    After 10 seconds, his eyes opened with grace.


    A smile appeared on his face, "What are you two waiting for? Let''s go... we don''t have time to waste here!"

 Chapter 139 - 139: Supreme Ancestral Sanctuary

    ***EXTRA LONG CHAP***


    -----


    Noa and Malon both looked at each other with shock. After a couple of seconds, the sides of their mouths started to pull upwards slightly, as if to form a smile.


    Malon couldn''t believe what he was hearing. Even more so than the fact that Hanzo was back to normal, the way in which he did it filled Malon with awe:


    ''Did he just... create a false dream in his mind to go fight and save Tyr?'' He was riddled with disbelief simply on thinking about this:


    ''Not just a false promise... I know Hanzo wouldn''t be able to function on something petty like that. No... he actually reached into his heart and grabbed a goal to place on that throne... and it was only to save Tyr.''


    This wasn''t a feat many people can do, and that''s why Malon was even more surprised that Hanzo did it right in front of his face.


    Noa had already wiped her tears by now. No matter what happened, she didn''t have the peace of mind to focus on it.


    People were dying right now, and she was the only one who could get Hanzo to the warehouse to aid in the battle.


    ''When the responsibility is in my hands... I can''t stay here whimpering.'' She thought to herself, standing with a fierce look.


    "Lets go!" She yelled, opening a rift in dimensional space using her Aura Array breaking ability.


    ***


    ''...''


    .


    .


    .


    ''Whats this? I can think?'' Tyr suddenly said to himself. As he verified this, he suddenly felt his limbs again one by one.


    With that, he opened his eyes.


    The first thing he saw was a blaring orange ray shining down upon him.


    He had never seen such an illustrious, glorious, beautiful sun in his entire life.


    He shielded his eyes with his hand, but when he lifted his arm--it felt as though it didn''t weigh a feather.


    He sat up from a laid position. Looking down, he noticed that his body was intact. It had no cuts or bruises, no blood, and no holes in it, which, quite frankly, he had expected.


    At that moment, he began to smell a faint, yet delicious and sweet aroma.


    ''Oh? My nose wasn''t working this entire time, and I only noticed just now...'' Tyr mused with slight surprise.


    The scent was like a million fruits dancing together in a bundle of joyous worship. Each strip of smell was its own form of sour or sweet, all mixing to form a cacophony of emotions and flavors.


    There was no doubt about it, Tyr had never smelled something so pleasant.


    He realized that he couldn''t hear anything right now either. But when he took note of that fact, his ears began to work all of a sudden.


    A low, deep, yet loud hum seemed to dominate the background of wherever he was. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    It was so loud, yet so blissful and divine to the ears, that Tyr couldn''t fully grasp what noise it was.


    All he could tell was that it sounded like ''R''.


    As he began to hear this sound, the sky above him changed.


    He looked up with awe as he saw thousands of letters--no smaller than clouds--begin to roam the sky.


    They littered the entire world, like a dome above Tyr--outside of the clouds, yet inside of where the sun was.


    The letters were golden and unable to be understood by even GG.


    They moved as opposed to each other after each row, the one on top moving left slowly, and the one on the bottom moving right.


    Just like this, the pattern followed and consumed the entire sky.


    The golden letters were amazing to behold.


    Tyr looked elsewhere, surveying the magnificent forest he was in.


    The trees above him were ones that he had never seen in his entire life. Their sheer size rivaled that of mountains.


    Cities and even some small kingdoms could be built on them from the looks of it.


    Tyr stood, his maw gaping slightly in awe at these giant mangled trees.


    The bark was a rich brown, the leaves an amazing green color that spewed with life.


    Finally, Tyr took notice of the sun. It was large, orange, and looked slightly different from the sun Tyr was used to.


    ''Must be a different planet then...''


    The sun was slightly oblong--not a perfect circle. The shape matched somewhat that of a mango.


    "Where the hell am I..." Tyr confusedly exclaimed, looking around this overwhelming and ethereal land with bewilderment.


    "Hahaha!" A loud and confident laugh sounded from within the forest.


    "How crazy is your ambition, son? To come straight here for help!" The voice of this person was comforting for some reason.


    It was courageous, yet had a hint of comedy behind it as well--truly like a father.


    "Who are you? And what do you mean I came here for help?" Tyr didn''t even attempt to find this person.


    For some reason, he understood that he wouldn''t be able to find him.


    And this wasn''t due to any other reason except for the fact that in the back of his mind, Tyr instinctively understood somehow that he was speaking to this person only because he was allowed to do so right now.


    "Who am I? My names stretch along the trillions."


    Tyr''s eyes widened slightly, "What..." He said under his breath.


    "Forget about me... who are you?"


    Although these were simple words, Tyr was slightly taken aback by them. Right now, everything that was happening felt like a dream... yet, an experience had never felt so real to Tyr before either.


    It was surreal... overwhelming to every pourus of his body and more.


    "Who am I?" Each word Tyr said felt like it had the most meaning in the world.


    Each thought chose a part of his brain to highlight and dissect.


    Wherever this place was, it was no joke.


    "I am Tyr Evolion Thalonis." Tyr proclaimed loudly.


    "Ah... and what is your claim? Are you powerful? Do you have a dream, son?"


    Tyr furrowed his eyebrows, thinking about this for a moment: "I... am powerful!" Tyr felt he was safe to say whatever he felt at this moment.


    No... in fact, he believed there was no other option.


    "Through the years I have learned to become stronger. Using the Grimoire of The Gods, I have leveled up and gained pets. Through my journey, I have gained friends and foes. I have gained The Boon Of The Sun Devourer. And my dream... is to become the most powerful under the sun!


    That way, all is mine, and none can limit me."


    "Oh?" The radiant voice seemed to be caught off by that last part, "Hahaha!" He broke out into a heartfelt laugh. "I see..."


    A long pause ensued, where Tyr felt it right to say:


    "Look... I need to go back to where I was. I have people to protect... others to kill."


    ...


    "How can I get back? Don''t tell me I''ve already died..."


    ...


    The voice finally spoke up, "Tyr Evolion Thalonis!" His voice echoed loudly.


    It had completely changed from what it sounded like before.


    It was now godly, transcendent, and omniscient--coming from all directions, inside and out.


    Each word that came from this figure made Tyr''s heart shudder with bass, with the ground quake with force.


    "When a gifted soul finds its life to be at an end, it comes to its Ancestral Sanctuary. There are many of these for each gifted being, and for some, it takes an infinite amount of chances to step foot on even the lowest one, let alone the most supreme..."


    Tyr felt these words in his mind, in his soul, in his bones, and inside of his own skin.


    It was like all bodily parts of his had been taken away, atoms and all, and instead replaced with the words coming out from this person.


    "Yet you, and your magnificent flame of ambition, have arrived at the greatest plateau! I wanted to see what you were like... now go... have my hand... and do what you must do."


    Those reforged atoms in Tyr''s body felt an extra boost of strength, radiating like tiny suns of their own.


    "You are still only a bud in your journey, and one day, you will grow even taller than these trees you see before you. Until then, do whatever you deem to be right... for you are the one who will carry the light on your shoulders."


    ''W-what?'' These were Tyr''s last thoughts as he abruptly lost consciousness.

 Chapter 140 - 140: Justice

    ***EXXTRA LONG CHAP***


    ----- S§×ar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "How fearsome can a kid be? His damn screams echoing through my brain nearly gave me a headache." Maximillius exclaimed, staring down at the fully closed Bloody Iron Maiden.


    "Still alive... the bastard is fighting long. But he will soon succumb."


    ...


    At that moment, Tyr''s eyes opened wide inside the iron maiden. His entire body was glowing like the sun. His mere skin looked to radiate rays that could blind any mortal.


    The rays of his skin seeped out of the crack of the iron maiden, causing Maximillius to figuratively squint his eyes in confusion.


    *CRACK*


    The entire maiden was suddenly split in half.


    "What..."


    *BOOM*


    With another impact, the Bloody Iron Maiden was eviscerated into a million pieces which dispersed into thin air--revealing a magnificent and glorious sun in the infinite void.


    In an instant, the entire void of darkness was illuminated. Tyr''s rays of light did not stop, continuing on for an infinite reach and making all shadows within Maximillus'' brain disappear.


    "ACHK!" Maximillus exclaimed with discomfort--feeling as though his eyes had been blinded, except many times worse as it was within his own brain, "Stop it! Get rid of this light! My mind is not meant for this!" He was overwhelmed.


    Tyr''s expression was stoic and fierce, "Ancestral Aura." He exclaimed, unleashing a blast of lethal bloodlust, so powerful that anything he had done before it was mere specs of dust in comparison.


    ***


    Camadral, the superhero-dressed person, and Maximillus remained inside of the warehouse as Mrama and the others went to fight.


    Jiro had already been secured. Unable to release his seal, they kept him to the side.


    Right now, Maximillus'' eyes were closed as he was inside of his own mind dealing with Tyr.


    However, he began to twitch and make weird noises through his paralyzed mouth.


    Camadral furrowed his brows, looking to the side and noticing his disabled peer begin to foam slightly from the mouth.


    "Hey... what is going."


    *SPLAT*


    Maximillus'' head suddenly exploded into a million pieces of brains, blood, eyeballs, bones and more--splattering all over Camadral and the superhero.


    Camadral''s lip quivered--his open maw filled with blood and chucks of flesh and hair.


    He froze for a moment in shock before abruptly turning to the side and spitting and gagging, nearly throwing up.


    He panted with horrified breaths of shock and dismay, "What in tarnation!?" He screamed.


    The superhero''s reaction to this was not very different. He backed up, wiping the brains off of his body.


    "How the fuck did he--" The superhero was cut off.


    "Shut up, Enhanced!" Camadral exclaimed, "Tyr... he''s more of a monster than they said. To be able to overwhelm a brain as big as Maximillius'' to the extent of explosion... we can not defeat him through normal tactics."


    The superhero addressed as Enhanced spoke up: "His mind is already destroyed... we have to get out of here and form a plan. There isn''t much longer until he returns from that realm after Maximillus'' brain has ceased to move."


    With that, the two instantly disappeared from the warehouse.


    They flew above the battlefield outside, observing what was going on.


    From first glance, it seemed the Black Merchant Guild was getting the upper hand.


    Their forces were about the same.


    "A flaw of expanding across an entire continent is that we don''t have many members in one place. It''s a shame... but with generals like Jiro and Mrama, we should have the upper hand." Camadral stated.


    "But look... they have powerful warriors of their own as well." Enhanced stated, pointing to a duo of Zasean warriors who were cleaving and chopping through dozens of Black Merchant Guild members as if they were mere bugs.


    One wielded an axe, the other a sword. They were two of the three along with Helas who were the strongest of the Zasean natives.


    "We may have a minute maximum before he returns... we should wipe out as many as we can to ease our chances of defeating Tyr." Enhanced said, looking at Camadral.


    The old man met his gaze and nodded.


    Reana captured all of this. Despite her emotions on the subject, and knowing in the back of her mind that she would likely die today, she continued to take videos.


    This was her passion... her only job here today on this battlefield.


    Sure, she felt like she bit more than she could chew, but what good would it do to admit that now?


    She wanted a big story... and she was surely going to get it...


    *BOOM*


    Camadral unleashed giant explosions of black Aura all across the battlefield, obliterating dozens in seconds.


    Enhanced ran through the battlefield, lazering down many with his red eye beams, and punching dozens of Zasean soldiers into oblivion.


    Each one of his punches forced a group of 5 to be thrown into the sky--their organs already having imploded from the impact.


    Reana began to speak into her camera: "The... the tide of battle has changed." She stuttered, her voice soft, shaky, and meager:


    "Without powerhouses on our side, the Black Merchant Guild is annihilating us. We don''t have much longer to survive."


    As time went on, she spoke through her tears, "Hundreds are dying... this is no longer a battle of who will win, but one that questions if we will even be able to have a single survivor to tell the tale."


    Camadral rose higher into the air, raising his hands above his head as a giant black orb of malicious energy began to summon atop his palms.


    It swirled like a vortex, collecting in one place menacingly.


    "Winds from his spell are causing my hair to sway, and the leaves in the various trees around us to turn and flutter. This is our end..."


    Reana stopped talking, her maw agape as she stared at the giant vortex in the sky with despair and doom looming over her.


    "Damn scoundrels! All you had to do was stay in your labs, but you rats are too curious! Perish, and rue the day you ever fought against your masters!" Camadral roared into the sky.


    *SEEEEEWWW*


    An ear-piercing noise sharply reverberated into everyone''s ears.


    Ever so slowly, Reana''s pupils gazed upwards--even above Camadral''s vortex--and high into the sky.


    One by one, the clouds in the heavens burst apart--as if a meteor was flying through them.


    Finally, this speeding, golden object flew through the final cloud--ripping a giant hole in it as it flew straight into Camadral''s vortex.


    Many looked up, hearing the sharp noise in their eyes and seeing the clouds tear above them.


    Out of nowhere, Camadral felt a tight grip on the back of his neck.


    His eyes expanded a molten touch constricting his airflow.


    He turned, his eyes filled with horror as shivers ran down his back.


    A furious golden figure stood behind him. The look on Tyr''s face was ruthless and angry like a beast finally capturing its prey.


    Wings sprouted from Tyr''s back as he darted high up into the sky, dragging Camadral and his sphere of Aura with him.


    Enhanced stopped what he was doing and stared into the sky.


    "Damn it! I have to help him... I have no choice!"


    "Not so quick!" The sword-wielding Zasean native grabbed onto Enhanced, throwing his weapon to the side and clutching the superhero in a tight embrace.


    "W-what are you doing!? Get off me, you weakling!" Enhanced attempted to pull the brute off of him, his eyes facing the sky.


    As he continued to fight, Tyr stopped as he thought he was high up.


    With over a thousand eyes on him, he raised his hand at the black sphere of Aura: ''Reverse.''


    He sucked in all of the Aura, facing Camadral again before placing his hand right on the old man''s forehead.


    "N-no!" Camadral screamed for mercy, his body wailing for help as Tyr''s grip was still on the back of his neck.


    "Let me go! I promise I will leave! I will never come to Zasea again! We will all go! Please! Please spa--" Camadral stopped begging, his throat gasping slightly subconsciously as he saw Tyr''s heartless eyes...


    and a slight smile.


    "Y-you are smiling." Camadral was shocked beyond belief, his entire system reset. Now, he understood that there was no realm where he would receive mercy...


    "I..." Tyr said, "Am justice."


    He unleashed the Reverse. As the black orb of Aura grew, it obliterated Camadral''s head as well as half of the old man''s body.


    "Not yet..." Tyr held on to the man''s body and faced the ground.


    Along with Camadral''s corpse, Tyr propelled the black Aura sphere toward the ground.


    Enhanced pushed the Zasean soldier off of him, but before he could move out of the way of the black Aura sphere that was quickly closing in on him, a sharp pain drilled through his ankle.


    Looking down, a red arrow had chopped his foot off, causing him to fall to his knees.


    Turning around, he saw Hanzo and a couple of other figures behind him.


    "Y-you... how did you come bac--"


    "There''s no time for talking." Hanzo said with a smile on his face, "You''re dead."


    *BOOOOM*

 Chapter 141 - 141: Mysterious

    The explosion propelled hundreds nearby into the air. It caught the attention of almost every fighter on that field.


    Hundreds of Black Merchant Guild members stopped fighting as they understood that their leaders had just been severely attacked, and possibly killed.


    Seeing their comrades throughout the battlefield lower their weapons, other black slugs felt their morale leave them--despite not knowing why.


    They also lowered their weapons in confusion and concern.


    Slowly, Tyr floated back down from the sky.


    And at the same time, Hanzo walked over to the aftermath of the explosion.


    Most Zasean natives and Black Merchant Guild members also stopped fighting and neared, imagining the battle to have finally stopped.


    As they came to the explosion spot, they beheld a fearsome sight.


    Hanzo stood above the fairly large crater, looking down with disgust at the ashes of what their enemies once were. Above him, as though a perfect cinematic shot, Tyr floated down with the same look in his eyes.


    The scene was mesmerizing, envigorating the Zasean side with morale while sucking away all aspirations that the black guild ever had.


    At that moment, when the tides felt to have turned, Reana''s camera did not stop recording. It captured this moment flawlessly.


    Before tension settled down, however, heads began to turn once again.


    Hanzo and Tyr both furrowed their brows as they saw a black concentrate begin to swirl around the massive cavity before them.


    Murmurs began to spread like wildfire, reaching every one of the soldiers on that field.


    Finally, as Tyr landed on the ground beside Hanzo, a figure materialized in the center of the crater.


    He was fully robed in plain brown robes. He was tall, likely close to 6''1. ft in height.


    As he summoned, many looked on with awe and confusion.


    However, Tyr instantly noticed that something was off.


    ''He... is superior.'' Tyr thought to himself, feeling a strip of doom in the millions of strips creating the universe around him. In the state that Tyr was in right now, his senses were evolved many fold--able to sense the very fabrics of reality.


    At least, thats what it felt like.


    "Why do you insist on picking on the weak..." The robed figure''s deep voice came, sending waves of confused murmurs throughout.


    The figure slowly turned, "Fight..." He commanded.


    A slight silence ensued for a moment. Right afterward, every single black slug turned--nearly in sync--and attacked their Zasean counterparts.


    The bloody sounds of cleaved body parts littered their air at once.


    Tyr''s eyelids raised, ''A perfectly coordinated attack.'' His mind began to race slightly, ''Were we meant to kill those two, so that this figure could come and do this attack? Did he plan everything? No... it must be his power.''


    "You''re right." The figure spoke at that moment, taking his hood off.


    Tyr furrowed his brows on hearing those words. ''So he can read my mind...''


    "Yes, I can." The figure spoke again. His face was covered in stitches and scars. However, it had a normal and innocent look to it at the same time.


    He looked to be a man in his forties, with a clean-shaven face and slightly long white hair.


    Slowly, he placed one hand on his face before saying: "A lizard... a snake... no, a rat?" The man began to say under his breath.


    Right now, the fight from before was raging on, while Tyr, Hanzo, and the others, and this mysterious figure were concentrating on themselves.


    Tyr remained silent, the others doing the same.


    "A frog! Thats it... you see, Tyr, you are a frog in a well. You may think you know what the world looks like by staring at that beautiful blue sky above you, but you will truly never understand it. All you are doing is picking on the weak." sea??h th§× N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Tyr squinted his eyes.


    The figure continued, "I left my strongest officers to deal with you... but Tyr, you are simply too strong for them. And of course, I predicted this. I predicted that Maximillus would lose to you and that it would most likely be due to your Ancestral Awakening... meaning, you would travel to your Ancestral Sanctuary."


    He turned, shaking his head in disapproval, "But... never did I expect for you to kill him. Kill Maximillius of all people? Even I can not perform that feat. Do you know why? Because even though in the real world he is useless, it is only in the real world where he is immortal."


    Tyr was slightly taken aback by this seemingly contradicting statement.


    The man continued: "And even though in his own mind he is the most powerful... he is only vulnerable there truly. The only way to kill him is to overwhelm the master of overwhelming minds and infinite power within his own mind... so that means, the Ancestral Sanctuary you visited must have been quite something."


    The man finally stopped, staring right at Tyr, "Tell me, who did you meet?"


    Tyr didn''t say a word. However, the white-haired man quickly replied before could speak:


    "No need... I know you saw no one." The man sighed, "I am the God of information in this world, after all. There is nothing I do not know... including how you die today."


    A blast of killing ruthless intent exploded out from the man at that moment.


    On feeling its effects, Malon felt his heart shudder with pain and shock. At once, a powerful force drove into his shoulders.


    However, he enlarged his shield and placed it in front of him. With a smirk, he exhaled.


    ''My shield can repel all types of killing intent...'' He thought to himself.


    Noa wasn''t quite as lucky. As she felt her limbs nearly give way, she was forced to quickly hide behind Malon''s aegis.


    Hanzo gritted his teeth through the pressure, while Tyr on the other hand felt absolutely nothing.


    The killing intent bounced right off of his golden aura as if it were repelled by a magnet.


    He simply raised his chin with a condescending look on his face.


    On seeing this, the man below lowered his chin with a disdainful expression, ''He thinks he is better than me... yet I have already seen his death.''


    The man turned, waving his hand over the ashes on the ground.


    In mere seconds, the ashes turned from black to pink and red.


    They floated into the air, turning into streams of blood, blocks of bone, and sheets of flesh--before combining together to reform Camadral and Enhanced as if they hadn''t even been touched.


    Finally, the two opened their eyes...

 Chapter 142 - 142: No Mere Mortal

    Neither Tyr nor Hanzo had any big reaction to this.


    Tyr mused, ''Power over the dead? Or is it power over life itself...''


    Mere seconds after Camadral and Enhanced opened their eyes, they fell to one knee and bowed their heads with one fist on the ground.


    "Lord Black!" They both said in unison, fear and respect both mingling in their tones.


    The white-haired figure addressed as ''Black'' looked to the side, "Come here." He said in a quiet tone.


    *BANG*


    Something heavy plummeted from the sky, crashing into the ground with a burst of dust and dirt. As the debris settled, Mrama was revealed, kneeling like the others.


    "Lord Black!"


    With a wave of Black''s hand, an object busted through the doors of the warehouse and floated to where he was before falling before him.


    It was Jiro, who was still heavily bound by Noa''s seal.


    With another wave, the Aura binds on Jiro were broken apart easily.


    Another wave and a green Aura flushed through Jiro''s body--fully rejuvenating him and taking away all bruises and blemishes.


    "Lord Black!" The young man got on one knee and declared.


    ''All of them gathered together in one place huh...'' Tyr thought to himself at that moment, ''This is a perfect opportunity to see what I''m dealing with here... Scan.''


    ©³©¥©¥©¥Status©¥©¥©¥©·


    Name: Mrama Matal


    Age: 21 Years


    Power Level: 235


    Rank: Expert


    ©»©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¿


    ©³©¥©¥©¥Status©¥©¥©¥©·


    Name: Jiro Matal


    Age: 22 Years


    Power Level: 234


    Rank: Expert


    ©»©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¿


    ©³©¥©¥©¥Status©¥©¥©¥©·


    Name: Thelmis Cank (Enhanced)


    Age: 31 Years


    Power Level: 270


    Rank: Expert


    ©»©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¿


    ©³©¥©¥©¥Status©¥©¥©¥©·


    Name: Camadral Rurahan


    Age: 79 Years


    Power Level: 295


    Rank: Virtuoso


    ©»©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¿


    Tyr''s pupils lowered to the last screen in his vision, ''And finally...''


    ©³©¥©¥©¥Status©¥©¥©¥©·


    Name: Black Knowledge


    Age: 308 Years


    Power Level: 550


    Rank: Grandmaster


    ©»©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¿


    Tyr paused, a faint smirk forming. ''Weaker than I expected...''


    At that moment, Black turned to face Tyr and the others.


    "Tyr..." His voice was loud and powerful, as everyone beside him stood up and faced those standing above the crater.


    "A mere mortal like you wants to fight against me... a God of knowledge? Do you understand what type of trap you have walked into? The size of the bite you choose to take? Well... it''s too late for reconciliation now.


    Prepare to die."


    He paused, "Go... kill them all."


    At that moment, Mrama and Jiro both lunged toward Malon and Noa. Enhanced followed after them, but was abruptly thrust to the side by a certain figure.


    He was pushed onto the main battlefield, skidding across the ground before finally coming to a stop.


    When he stood, he saw Helas standing before him.


    "Do not forget that I am also here... you will be fighting me, heathen!" Helas roared, swinging his sword frivolously in the air. He was already bloody, seeming to have fought for a while.


    Enhanced smiled, "Oh? Then come at me, weakling!"


    As they clashed, Black turned his focus from them, back to the figures above the crater.


    Mrama and Malon were already locked in combat, their battle pushing several meters away. Jiro and Noa were also deeply engaged. Only Camadral remained at Black''s side.


    "Before I leave... Lord Black..." Camadral said at that moment, almost under his breath.


    "Speak..." Black said in a low tone.


    Camadral took a step forward before saying: "There is nothing ''mere'' about that mortal..." He lunged upwards and toward Hanzo.


    Hanzo backed up, shooting several arrows at the elder.


    However, Camadral dodged all the arrows in mid-air, unleashing a flurry of small Aura bombs toward the young man.


    Tyr looked at Hanzo with a nonchalant expression as his battle traveled farther away.


    ''Hanzo is 245 OP at max... I need to beat this Black cunt before I can rejoin and help the others. 245 and 295 is not a fair match in any regards.'' He mused, slightly concerned.


    Black had the side of his top lip raised, almost in disgust: "I will have to teach him a lesson about how to speak later..." He said, "Does he think you will be a challenge to me? How foolish... through various learned methods I have forgotten what fear and death even feel like..."


    Tyr clenched his jaw. "Are you ready to fight, or are you just going to keep talking?"


    Black''s eyes narrowed as he began to levitate from the crater. "Boy..."


    "So that''s a no," Tyr muttered under his breath.


    "I have witnessed the rise and fall of emperors you mortals fear, seen rulers grow old and die countless times, including the ones who now govern the major kingdoms of Ainsveld. You should lower your¡ª"


    "Fear? I fear no man. I fear nothing," Tyr interrupted, his voice rough and defiant. He felt no such thing as cowardice at this moment.


    "You¡ª"


    "As long as you draw breath, you can be killed," Tyr cut him off again, his tone cold and resolute. "No matter what you claim to be."


    Black''s expression darkened, his eyes narrowing as he floated higher above the crater, his aura intensifying like a storm gathering strength.


    The air around him seemed to warp with raw power, the ground beneath him cracking and splitting from the sheer force of his energy. sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    His voice, now laced with fury, resonated like a thunderclap. "You insolent whelp... I am a God."


    Tyr stood his ground, his gaze unwavering. He could sense the malevolent, crashing waves of energy repelling from his shield of golden Aura. "A god?" he scoffed. "You''re just another obstacle in my path. And I''ve dealt with plenty of those."


    Black''s lips curled into a snarl. "So be it. You wish for death, I shall grant it."


    With a sudden, explosive burst of speed, Black lunged toward Tyr, his hand glowing with a dark, malevolent Aura.


    Tyr barely had time to react, raising his arm to block as Black''s fist connected with a deafening crack.


    The force of the blow sent a shockwave through the ground, and Tyr was pushed back, his feet digging trenches into the earth.


    ''Fast...'' Tyr thought, gritting his teeth as he slid to a stop. He understood immediately that he couldn''t afford to let Black''s attacks connect¡ªeach blow was like a hammer strike from a mountain-sized giant.


    But he also knew he couldn''t hold back.


    Gathering his strength, Tyr launched himself forward.


    ''Blink Step.'' He closed the gap in an instant.


    He threw a punch of his own, his fist wreathed in a blazing golden Aura. Black deflected it with ease, but Tyr was relentless. He followed up with a flurry of rapid strikes, each one faster and stronger than the last.


    Black dodged and parried with inhuman speed, his movements a blur. "Is this all you have?" he taunted, his voice calm despite the ferocity of the exchange. "Pathetic."

 Chapter 143 - 143: Direct Counter

    Tyr''s furrowed his brows, continuing his flurry of attacks. Black moved backward on the ground as though he was gliding, his left hand tapping away all attacks.


    Finally, Black''s right hand moved forward with precision and speed, grazing across Tyr''s forehead.


    Black grinned, "It ends here..." He said with widened eyes.


    Tyr didn''t know why Black had suddenly stopped moving, but he couldn''t care less either.


    He used this opportunity to clench his fist and hurl a big one right into the stomach of the man before him.


    "Ouah!" Black exclaimed as his hands flew forward, the punch landing. His mouth gaped slightly as he quickly blitzed backward with shock.


    He clutched his stomach, a slightly concerned look in his curled eyebrows.


    Tyr smiled on seeing this.


    However, Black also smiled, before breaking out into a slight chuckle.


    "I see... so that is what pain feels like. I had forgotten it, along with fear and death. Thank you for reminding me of it... as a prize, I''ll grant you a speedy death." His tone switched from polite to angry in a split second.


    ''So it''s true... he somehow truly can''t be affected by mental attacks. The one I just tried... there aren''t many stronger ones on the continent. Even with that power alone, this boy is dangerous. Far too dangerous to let roam about and grow on this continent.


    I need to cut his stem before it grows too large...''


    In this short moment of pause, Tyr''s attention swayed from the battle for a split second.


    This wasn''t due to his lack of attention, but rather, in his current form he felt like he could hear, smell, taste, and feel everything around him to a heavily heightened degree.


    At the moment when he wasn''t in a full-blown exchange, he heard the cries of dying warriors around him.


    He heard the explosions of Hanzo''s arrows... the thuds against Malon''s shield, and the blasts of Noa''s Betsy.


    ''I have to hurry and end this, or else their lives will be in danger.'' He mused, facing Black, "You said you have forgotten the fear of death?" He said out loud in a boisterous tone.


    Black looked to find this amusing, snickering, "How could I know it? I control death itself... boy."


    "I saw you revive your goons, but can you do the same for yourself." Tyr lowered his gaze.


    Black did the same, his eyes becoming more serious.


    A faint smirk appeared on Tyr''s lips, "Looks like I found the flaw..."


    "It''s time to end this battle," Black said, placing both hands together.


    Tyr inhaled, "I will make you fear death again." He said in a low tone.


    The two blitzed forward in the blink of an eye, connecting with several exchanged attacks.


    Their clashes sounded like thunder clouds reigning down from the sky and clattering eardrums like they were real instruments.


    ***


    Mere meters away, Malon and Mrama clashed head to head in a battle of strength versus defense.


    Mrama screamed to his heart''s content since the spawn of this battle, "Kraaa! Just die, you weakling!" He roared, thrusting several punches into Malon''s seemingly invincible shield.


    Malon was being slowly pushed back from the sheer force behind those blows. However, his expression remained calm.


    "Is this all you have!? Your Ancestral Ability consists of a pure defense!? Fight me like a man! Do you have no strength!" Mrama continued, raging like a beast as his clothes ripped from his shoulders and back, revealing his ripped physique.


    Each impact sent slight tremors through the ground, but Malon stood strong.


    Finally, Mrama backed up, panting slightly.


    Malon lowered his shield, a serious expression on his face.


    "You don''t deserve to be alive." He said, not a bead of sweat on his face.


    Mrama furrowed his brows, "Shut up... fucking mushroom."


    "At least I am how I was born. You... you''re a weird monstrosity. A human mangled and morphed into a damn beast, like a rat in a lab."


    Mrama growled aggressively like a lion, his eyes scrunching in hatred. He tore his robes off fully.


    Without hesitation, he raised his hand... and punched his own chest.


    As Malon''s eyes squinted with confusion, Mrama punched himself again and again.


    And as he did, his smile became larger and larger.


    "My Ancestral Ability is like no other..." He exclaimed, "It allows me to love what I love more than anything else in the world even more... fighting!"


    He continued to bang his chest like a drum with powerful attacks. He wasn''t holding back either.


    Each time, his punches seemed to do more damage, but his body healed quickly and took the blows even easier each time.


    "Boon Of Janus The Transitioner..." Mrama exclaimed, leaving Malon''s eyes to widen slightly with shock.


    ''Janus? The Roman God of Transitioning... he has the boon of a God.'' Malon felt slightly worried at that moment.


    Ever since he was young, he had boons from the Gods. To go against one was fearsome, even until now.


    He readied his guard, preparing for the battle.


    "I can transfer damage into even more power. It''s one of the most broken abilities out there... but of course, there is a major flaw." Mrama exclaimed, his smile growing as the pain he felt also grew.


    His arms were bulging with veins at this point, having become far stronger.


    "But... there''s no need for me to tell that flaw to a bum who is about to die." S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Malon paused, ''So that''s why he was angry I wasn''t attacking...''


    At that moment, Mrama dug his legs--bulging like giant hearts--into the ground and propelled himself forward.


    He flew tthroughthe air like a dart, appearing before Malon before hurling a mountainous blow at him.


    Malon barely managed to shield himself, and as he did, Mrama was thrown back several hundred feet into the air. His arm had busted into several chunks.


    Malon''s shield slowly lowered. A slight smile appeared on his surprised face, "Haha..." He chuckled under his breath, "Hahaha!" He laughed to his heart''s content.


    "Without speed, no matter your strength, you will not be able to defeat me!" Malon roared, regaining all of the confidence he had lost.


    Mrama clutched the shoulder of his arm that he lost. He was bleeding profusely, an angry expression on his face.


    "You are right..." Malon said, "Your power is strong... far stronger than mine in this world. However, it is unfortunate that you have met me of all people, who counters your Ancestral Ability directly!"


    He paused, a smile stretching across his face as he said: "Come!"

 Chapter 144 - 144: Transitioning Boon

    Mrama walked forward. He no longer smiled and instead gritted his teeth.


    ''An Ancestral Ability that blocks all physical attacks...?'' He questioned to himself, ''It''s like attacking a giant rubberband... it will always attack me back with even more force.''


    He clenched his left fist, "Even a rubber band has a limit." He muttered under his breath, "If I give you enough force, you will crumble like dust!"


    Out of nowhere, he grinned again, "Thank you for that attack!" He said, "I am even stronger now!"


    He sprinted forward, Malon also racing toward the slug now that he was more confident.


    Mrama clenched his left fist as hard as possible, nearing tearing his own muscles as hardened his arm.


    "DIE!" He roared as the two came mere feet from each other.


    Malon clenched his jaw as he put his shield over his shoulder and rammed upwards like a bull.


    Mrama lunged with his legs and drove his punch from his hips, using the momentum of his entire body to thrust his fist forward.


    *BANG*


    Malon was thrown onto his back, his shield suddenly shrinking.


    As he faced the sky, blood and guts fell on and around him... the exploded remains of Mrama.


    He smiled, "Hahaha! I did it!" He rejoiced. But then, a piece of meat fell onto his face.


    That was when he got up, placed his shield above his head, and ran as fast as he could.


    "Disgusting!" He exclaimed, getting far enough away.


    He turned, looking at the remains of the bastard slug.


    ''I wonder what the main flaw of his Ancestral Ability was... Boon Of Janus The Transitioner...''


    At that moment, a glow of Aura captured his eyes.


    It came from the glabella of Mrama''s face. It was a red light flickering in the air.


    It paused, and then suddenly sped toward Malon.


    The moosh furrowed his brows, abruptly raising his shield.


    ''A last attack!?'' He confusedly thought.


    The red spark traveled through his shield as if it wasn''t even there, and assaulted his forehead.


    "ARGH!" He exclaimed, feeling a sudden explosion of pain throughout his entire body.


    He fell to his knees, grabbing his head in pain.


    ''What is this!? I feel like my head is going to explode!''


    The pain traveled from his brain down to his Aura core.


    He could feel this pain as if it were its own object moving around inside of his body--radiating waves of excruciating pain.


    He felt it attempt to remain at his Aura core, but failed to do this. It kept trying but was pushed out again and again.


    ''Why are you trying to enter my Aura core!? My Ancestral Ability is already there!'' Malon shouted inwardly, squeezing his stomach.


    ''Damn it!'' He yelled inside, his brain racing as he thought of ways to stop this.


    ''Somewhere to go... where can I let it go inside of my body that won''t hurt me!?'' He knew it clearly didn''t want to go anywhere else for some reason.


    From what he understood in this short moment, he needed something that was a part of his own body, but also something that didn''t cause him pain.


    Yet, normally, everything apart of one''s body would cause. Especially for a moosh, whose hair was mushrooms, still causing him pain if they were to be cut.


    He had no nails either which could act as unhurting pieces of his body into which this orb of pain could enter.


    As the pain worsened to its worst extent, Malon raised his hand and summoned a giant shield, ''Go! Get out of me!''


    The pain traveled instantly as the shield summoned, disappearing from his body.


    He opened his eyes, looking at his shield. It gleaned a bright red color as if it was burning with a red flame, before settling down again.


    At that moment, a flood of the information entered Malon''s brain in a mere second.


    His eyes opened with shock as he muttered, "A... new Ancestral Ability?" He stood up, confused.


    He understood how to use this ability instantly. It was no different from Mrama''s.


    "So I received his Ancestral Ability? But... it couldn''t stay in my body since I already had one. However, it could stay in my shield."


    He paused, taken aback with disbelief.


    "Janus, the God Of Transitioning. Not only does it transfer damage into power... but the power itself also transfers from user to user after they are killed. Thats a godly boon if I''ve ever seen one."


    He put his shield in front of him, a smile forming on his face, "So... whenever I receive attacks on this shield, not only will it become even more durable, but it will also deflect the damage with more and more power each time!?" He laughed.


    He was in disbelief but also pleasantly amused, "This is awesome!"


    He shrunk his shield, looking around. His eyes turned more serious as his smile remained, ''Lets go help...'' He sprinted forward into the battlefield.


    ***


    Noa and Jiro faced off across the battlefield, their eyes locked in a fierce stare. Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Around them, the sounds of battle raged, but all Noa could focus on was the figure in front of her¡ªthe enemy she knew she couldn''t afford to underestimate.


    Jiro was quick, too quick, his movements a blur even to her fairly experienced eyes. He was circling her, looking for an opening.


    With a calm breath, Noa hoisted her massive gun onto her shoulder. The weapon hummed to life, glowing with a pink energy that began to gather in its barrel.


    She steadied herself, keeping her eyes on Jiro, who smirked, recognizing her strategy. He knew about Ol'' Betsy''s power, but he wasn''t intimidated. Instead, he seemed amused.


    "You think that toy is going to catch me?" Jiro taunted, his voice confident, almost playful. "You''ll have to do better than that."


    Without warning, Jiro vanished, moving with incredible speed. Noa''s eyes widened as he reappeared to her left, only a few feet away, his fist already coming down toward her head.


    She rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding his strike, the force of his punch creating a small crater in the ground where she had just been standing.


    Noa swung Ol'' Betsy around, pulling the trigger. A pink ball of energy erupted from the barrel, hurtling toward Jiro.


    But he was already gone, a blur of motion as he darted to her other side, laughing.


    "Too slow, Noa!"


    She gritted her teeth, firing off another shot. This time, she anticipated his move, leading her aim to where she thought he''d go.


    The pink orb exploded just as Jiro moved into its path, and for a split second, it looked like she''d caught him.


    But Jiro twisted in mid-air, his body bending in an impossible way to avoid the binding energy. He landed lightly on his feet, a mocking grin on his face.

 Chapter 145 - 145: Save Her

    "You''ll have to be faster than that!" Jiro called out, his voice carrying over the sounds of their battle.


    Noa felt a surge of frustration but quickly pushed it down. ''Stay calm... focus.'' She knew she couldn''t match his speed, but she didn''t need to.


    She just needed one good shot. She activated the charge function on Ol'' Betsy, feeling the weapon vibrate as it began to build up energy for a more powerful blast.


    Jiro noticed the glow intensifying around her gun and narrowed his eyes. "Charging up for something big, huh? Alright, let''s see what you''ve got."


    He disappeared again, zigzagging toward her, his movements erratic and unpredictable.


    Noa tracked him as best as she could, her finger hovering over the trigger. ''Just a few more seconds...''


    Suddenly, Jiro was right in front of her, his speed astonishing. Noa had no time to react as he swung a kick aimed at her midsection.


    The blow connected, and she was sent sprawling backward, sliding across the ground. She winced in pain but managed to keep her grip on Ol'' Betsy. sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Jiro closed the distance in an instant, appearing over her with his hand outstretched, ready to strike again. "It''s over, bitch!"


    But Noa smirked. "Not yet, it isn''t."


    She squeezed the trigger, and Ol'' Betsy unleashed a massive blast of pink energy at point-blank range.


    Jiro''s eyes widened in shock as the ball of energy engulfed him. He tried to dodge, but it was too late.


    The binding energy wrapped around him, constricting his movements, pinning his arms to his sides.


    "What the¡ª?!" Jiro struggled, but the more he fought, the tighter the bindings seemed to become. He gritted his teeth, trying to use his speed to break free, but the pink energy was relentless, holding him in place.


    Noa got to her feet, breathing heavily, a determined look on her face.


    Jiro glared at her, fury in his eyes. "You think you''ve won? This won''t hold me forever!"


    "It''ll hold you long enough," Noa replied, charging another shot. This time, she aimed for his legs.


    She fired, and another pink ball of energy shot out, hitting Jiro squarely in the knees. The bindings wrapped around his legs, locking them in place.


    Jiro''s speed was useless now. He was completely immobilized, trapped in the glowing pink energy. He struggled against his restraints, his face contorted with rage.


    Noa kept her distance, knowing better than to get too close. "You''re finished, Jiro. Surrender now, and maybe I won''t blast you into pieces."


    Jiro sneered. "Never!" He let out a burst of energy, trying one last desperate attempt to break free, but the bindings tightened even more, and he cried out in pain.


    Noa steadied Ol'' Betsy, her finger on the trigger, ready to fire again if needed. "Last chance, Jiro. Stand down."


    Jiro glared at her, his pride wounded. But he could see he had no choice. For now, he would have to concede. "Fine," he spat. "But this isn''t over, Noa."


    Noa nodded, keeping her weapon trained on him. "You''re right about that," she said. "Not by a long shot."


    As she closed the distance, she put away her gun and raised her hands instead.


    After saying a short mantra under her breath, she unleashed several more thick binds around the short man.


    Jiro was tightly tied together this time like a packed-up riceball.


    ''I won''t kill him yet...'' She thought to herself, ''We may be able to use him.'' She had more of a level head.


    After her training through the months with Hanzo and the others, Noa had become quite a formidable force as well.


    She walked even closer to Jiro, no fear in her mind anymore.


    However, as she got mere inches from reaching down and picking him up, she felt the tips of her fingers sting slightly.


    She was taken aback in slight surprise as she straightened her posture.


    Time felt as though it slowed down as she noticed her hair beginning to slowly float for some reason while looking at the peripherals of her vision


    She then noticed a transparent black dome slowly begin to form around her, and the baby hairs on her arms suddenly burned off...


    "NOA!" Hanzo''s voice screamed from afar, pushing Noa out of her daydreaming state where time felt slow.


    *BOOM*


    A 20 by 20 feet dome of black Aura exploded around Noa and Jiro.


    Hanzo landed on the ground right afterward, his face contorting with a harrowing fear.


    With eyes dancing in worry, he ran over to Noa and knelt beside her.


    The young woman''s skin had been fully scorched. Her heartbeat was still fine, but she was in a horribly critical state.


    Hanzo''s heart, on the other hand, played like a drum nearly jumping out of his chest as she placed his hand on Noa''s head.


    He closed his eyes tightly, ''Oh Mother Gaia, please, don''t let her die.'' A burst of green energy was unleashed from his hand.


    ''Oh, mother of all those living... save her now. Do not let her die...''


    The green energy flowed heavily with several long green streaks spreading through her body.


    ''Oh mother of fertility and life... give me the strength I need to save her. Do not let her die...''


    He paused, gritting his teeth as he saw blood begin to pour out of the cracks in Noa''s skin.


    He couldn''t bear to look at her state right now, so he only focused on her forehead.


    ''Do not let her die...''


    He kept saying to himself over and over.


    ''Do not let her die... do not let her die... do not let her die!'' He exclaimed with frustration.


    Above him, Camadral slowly lowered from the sky with a nonchalant look in his eyes.


    Hanzo''s eyes began to tear up as Noa coughed out lumps of blood.


    ''Damn it!'' He yelled to himself, ''Don''t die! Just stay alive!''


    He closed his eyes as tightly as possible, ''Gaia! Do not let her die... do not let her... don''t you dare let her die! This is up to you! I won''t forgive you, damn it!


    Save her! Save her now!''


    At that moment, the streaks of green coming from his hands and surrounding Noa''s body began to materialize.


    The Aura became green, lively, and thick vines as though from a real plant and embraced Noa''s burnt body.


    Hanzo felt his entire body go weak as this happened, however, he didn''t care about that right now.


    He opened his eyes, a faint smile beginning to form on his face as Noa began to heal in the embrace of Mother Nature.


    Her entire body was covered apart from her head, like a small cicada of green vines glowing with life and Aura.

 Chapter 146 - 146: Beyond Limits

    ***EXXXTRA LONG CHAP***


    ------


    Hanzo stopped, inhaling with nerves nearly bursting through his head. He felt a wave of relief wash over him like a tsunami.


    He felt like breaking down at that moment into tears of happiness, but bit his top lip as hard as he could and stood up, donning a serious expression and fierce eyes.


    Camadral raised his hand again, "Tsk... pathetic. Just die. You can not defeat me."


    In that split second, an arrow darted toward his face.


    ''A blue one?'' He mused, catching it with the hand he had already raised with an unimpressed look on his face.


    However, his eyes expanded as he noticed a red arrow''s Aura at the bottom of the blue arrow in his hand.


    ''Inside...'' He thought to himself for a split second before...


    *BOOM*


    He was thwarted backward. Hanzo sprinted forward, shooting several red arrows into the air.


    Camadral fell to the ground, avoiding all of the red arrow attacks.


    As soon as his feet touched the ground, Hanzo was already waiting for him.


    Hanzo swung his bow like a staff, swinging it at Camadral like a monk warrior.


    Camadral deflected all of the attacks, but Hanzo was relentless, pushing forward without any signs of stopping.


    Camadral squinted his eyes, wincing slightly in pain as he backed up.


    ''Close combat isn''t my forte...'' He mused, waving his hand in front of him.


    A large half-circle of black Aura summoned around Hanzo.


    However, Hanzo pulled back his bowstring and summoned multiple a blue defense arrow--creating a forcefield around himself as the black Aura circle exploded.


    He didn''t unleash the arrows until he was outside of the explosion area--coming out fully unscathed. S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He was panting heavily at this point. Although he was trying to hide it, after fighting Camadral already for so long, and now having used most of his Aura on healing Noa, he was nearly out for the count.


    Despite this, he shot several attack arrows toward Camadral, who dodged them all again.


    Hanzo''s breath came in ragged gasps as he steadied himself, eyes locked on Camadral.


    His heart pounded in his chest, but he forced himself to stay calm, to focus. His fingers trembled slightly on the bowstring, but his gaze was fierce, his determination unwavering.


    He knew this was a battle he had to win. ''I can''t lose here... it isn''t an option. I have formed a goal. I need to help my little brother.''


    Camadral stood a few paces away, his hand still raised. A sneer spread across his face, his eyes gleaming with malice. "You think your little tricks will work on me, archer?" His voice was low and mocking. "I have lived through a hundred battles, and faced warriors far stronger than you. Do you know the difference between you and them?"


    ...


    "Nothing... they are all dead, and soon, you will join them."


    Hanzo didn''t respond with words. Instead, he nocked another arrow, a red one glowing with fierce energy.


    He drew the bowstring back, the tension of the string mirroring the tension in his muscles. He could see the black energy swirling around Camadral, the slug''s Aura growing stronger, more chaotic.


    He had to strike now before Camadral unleashed another one of those deadly blasts.


    He released the arrow, and it streaked through the air, a crimson streak cutting across the battlefield. Camadral''s eyes narrowed, and with a flick of his wrist, he sent a wave of black energy to deflect it. The arrow exploded mid-air, a burst of red energy that dissipated harmlessly against the black wave.


    "Is that all you have?" Camadral taunted, taking a step forward, his hand crackling with dark power. "I expected more from you."


    But Hanzo was already moving, sprinting to the side, his hands a blur as he nocked and released another arrow, this one blue. The arrow flew wide, curving around Camadral in an arc.


    Camadral raised an eyebrow, turning to follow its path, but then another arrow, a red one, was fired directly at him.


    "What a pathetic trick." Camadral grinned, sidestepping the red arrow. It exploded behind him, sending up a plume of dust and debris.


    But then he felt it¡ªa duo of blue and red arrows that had been hiding in the explosion.


    It struck the ground at his feet and detonated in a brilliant flash of light. Camadral was forced to shield his eyes, staggering back as he did so.


    Hanzo seized the opportunity. He charged forward, closing the distance between them with surprising speed.


    With a swift motion, he swung his bow like a staff, aiming a powerful strike at Camadral''s side.


    Caught off guard, Camadral barely managed to raise his arm in time to block the blow. The impact sent a shockwave through his body, and he cringed slightly, gritting his teeth against the pain.


    "Despite being a marksman, you like fighting as though you are a swordsman huh?" Camadral hissed, his voice strained. "You''ll regret that."


    But Hanzo didn''t let up. He swung again, and again, his bow a blur of motion as he rained down blows on Camadral.


    Each strike was precise, and powerful, driving the old man back step by step. Camadral tried to counter with a blast of black energy, but Hanzo was too close, too fast. He dodged the attack with a swift roll, coming up on Camadral''s other side and landing a blow on the old man''s jaw.


    Camadral''s head whipped to the side, at which point he retreated, his expression twisting with frustration.


    ''Damn him... does he know close combat isn''t my strength?'' He needed to create some distance, to use his Aura effectively.


    "Impressive," Camadral growled, wiping a trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth. "But you''re still just a fly, buzzing in my ear."


    Hanzo didn''t waste time with a retort. He had already gone far past his limit. No longer was he using energy to continue this fight, but rather, pure spite and grit. He fired the blue arrows directly at Camadral, aiming to pin him down. Camadral dodged the first few, but Hanzo was relentless, firing shot after shot, his movements fluid and precise.


    Camadral summoned a wall of black energy to block the arrows, but as they struck, Hanzo quickly followed up with a red attack arrow.


    The red arrow pierced through the wall, striking the cluster of blue arrows that had embedded themselves near Camadral.


    *BOOM*


    The combined energy of the red and blue arrows exploded with a thunderous roar, sending a shockwave through the battlefield.


    Camadral was thrown back, his body slamming into the ground with a heavy thud.


    Dust and debris filled the air, obscuring him from view.


    Hanzo lowered his bow slightly, his breath coming in heavy pants. His eyes scanned the dust cloud, waiting for any sign of movement.


    ''Did I get him?'' He wondered, his muscles tense, ready to react.


    Then, a dark figure emerged from the smoke. Camadral rose slowly to his feet, his clothes scorched and tattered, blood trickling from a cut above his eye. But his expression was one of rage, not defeat.


    "You... you will pay for that," he snarled, his Aura flaring up with a renewed intensity.


    Hanzo gritted his teeth, nocking another arrow. He could feel the weight of the battle pressing down on him, but he couldn''t give up. Not now.


    He drew the bowstring back, the tension in his arms a mirror of the tension in the air.


    "I won''t let you win, Camadral," he said, his voice steady despite the exhaustion creeping into his limbs.


    Camadral raised both hands, his Aura coalescing into a massive sphere of black energy. "You don''t decide that!" he roared, hurling the sphere toward Hanzo with all his might.


    Hanzo reacted instantly, releasing a series of arrows in an abrupt flurry. They flew true, striking the black sphere in mid-air. There was a moment of silence, a heartbeat of stillness, and then¡ª


    *BOOOM*


    The explosion rocked the battlefield, a shockwave of red, blue, and black energy that sent both fighters sprawling. Hanzo tumbled across the ground, barely managing to keep his grip on his bow.


    Camadral was thrown back, his body slamming into the dirt with a heavy impact.


    Both fighters lay still for a moment, the world spinning around them. Then, slowly, painfully, Hanzo pushed himself to his feet, his body aching, his breath ragged.


    He looked across the battlefield at Camadral, who was also struggling to rise, his expression a mix of rage and disbelief.


    Hanzo raised his bow one more time, a single red arrow nocked and ready. "This ends now, you fucking slug," he said, his voice filled with resolve. "I will decide... whether you win... or whether you lose."


    Camadral glared at him, his Aura flickering, his strength waning. "You... you think you''ve won?" he hissed, but there was a tremor of fear in his voice.


    Hanzo''s eyes hardened. "That... is what I have decided."


    He released the arrow, and it flew straight and true, a streak of red light cutting through the air. Camadral tried to raise a hand to block, but he was too slow, too weakened. The arrow was weak, only able to strike Camadral in the chest. And for a moment, there was silence.


    Then, with a final, echoing roar, Camadral''s Aura exploded outward, a blast of black energy that dissipated into the air. His body crumpled to the ground, still and lifeless.


    Hanzo lowered his bow, his body trembling with exhaustion. He took a deep breath, his eyes still fixed on the fallen form of Camadral. The battle was over.


    However, his eyes moved toward the sky without hesitation, scanning the horizon to find Tyr.


    ''Now that the obstacle is done...'' He began to think to himself, barely even able to stand at this moment, ''I will join the real fight... and save... Tyr--''


    He fell forward onto his face, having already far surpassed his limit. His muscles were torn and cramping and his Aura core was about to permanently bust into pieces from abuse.

 Chapter 147 - 147: Soul

    Tyr clenched his fist harder than before, unleashing his most powerful punch yet toward Black.


    Unlike the other times, Tyr saw a pathway for his fist to connect.


    His eyes widened as he attacked, the rest of his face as still as stone.


    Black attempted to deflect it with a tap as he had done with the others, but his fingers weren''t able to cast this punch aside.


    His eyes suddenly widened as he noticed his fingers getting pushed back, and nearly dislocated instead in that short moment.


    Tyr''s fist flew forward with power, unleashing a powerful impact.


    In that split second, Black had already disappeared--having moved out of the way.


    The aftershock of Tyr''s attack sent a wave of wind powerful enough to crash into the trees in the distance.


    Tyr turned to face Black, who was behind him.


    Black looked at him with a blank face of surprise, "You... that was the first time you made me dodge."


    Tyr did not speak, his expression angry yet stoic at the same time. Intense, like a fire ready to combust at any moment.


    "Hahaha!" Black laughed, "Good job... but I won''t let this battle continue any longer." He raised one of his hands up.


    As he did, a large, black scythe summoned in his grasp. It was shadowy and nearly transparent. Wrapped in a cloth made of darkness, it was easily over 20 feet in height.


    "Boon Of The Shinigami... that is my Ancestral Ability... and that is what makes me God."


    Tyr squinted his eyes, ''Shinigami... Gods of Death in Japanese Mythology.''


    "With this spear, I can do whatever I choose with your soul. That includes taking it across the rivers to hell, heaven, or even use it in any personal way I deem fit." Black said, a smirk playing on his lips as he looked at Tyr''s reaction.


    The latter had no reaction to this on the outside. No matter what power Black said he had, it wouldn''t matter. Tyr was adamant that he would win today no matter what the circumstances.


    Seeing this, Black slashed his scythe across the air and toward Tyr''s side.


    Tyr reached for his spear, holding it with both hands to the side of his abdomen like nunchucks.


    *CLANG*


    Black''s scythe slammed against Tyr''s spear, the two of them struggling for a moment.


    "Argh!" Black exclaimed, pushing with even more force. Tyr was overpowered and thrown into the ground in a mere second.


    He landed with a loud thud, but despite this, get got up as if nothing had happened.


    Black raised an eyebrow as he saw this.


    Tyr was also slightly confused, ''I have taken no damage... and I feel no fear. Yet, I am still losing.'' He looked at his hands, ''I don''t have control over his power...''


    He thought back to the voice he had communicated with in the Ancestral Sanctuary.


    ''What do I need to do...'' He thought to himself as he floated back up. Brushing off his thoughts for a moment, Tyr blitzed toward Black.


    ''Soul Mend: Polaris Tiger.'' Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    With increased strength, he unleashed a barrage of punches toward the man.


    This time, Black dared not deflect any punches. He dodged them all inside, and still got away unscathed.


    He backed up, swinging his scythe again and pummeling Tyr into the ground.


    When Tyr arose this time, he felt a coldness in his heart which he had never felt before. It was like a frozen chamber had summoned around his still-beating heart.


    He heard Black''s light chuckles at that moment, looking up.


    Black was holding something in his land that resembled a ball of light. The orb was no bigger than a cantaloupe, its color a brilliant gold.


    On seeing this, Tyr looked down and caressed his chest, ''My soul...'' He immediately understood.


    "Let''s see what resides here..." Black smirked, closing his eyes.


    Instantly, he was transported to an immense domain of infinite thoughts floating around an endless void of space.


    He looked around at the millions of memories flying past him like flashes of light.


    ''An Auraless planet?'' He thought to himself, perplexed. He dove even deeper, finding what looked to be an enormous fire so large that it felt like it could destroy the very infinity he beheld.


    ''What is the cause...''


    He dove even deeper to beyond Tyr''s life...


    Then he saw it. Something that should remain untold.


    His maw gaped as his eyes widened, shock filling his eyes as a smiling face stared back at him.


    What he saw at that moment was indescribably shocking. He had never felt such bewilderment, confusion, and disbelief at one moment.


    He instantly zapped out of this state, returning to the normal world.


    He looked down, his pupils dancing rapidly as thoughts raced through his mind, "E-everything was..." He muttered under his breath.


    Then, he looked up at Tyr with an entirely different look in his eyes.


    Tyr, in this state, could sense every emotion coming from those eyes.


    ''Shock...'' Tyr said to himself, confused by the feelings he was suddenly witnessing from Black''s eyes:


    ''Astonishment... fear... hysteria... and fear?'' Tyr spun his spear around him and harshly thrust it to his side before raising it into the air.


    "Return my soul!" In a swift motion, he pointed the spear at Black.


    The golden orb returned from the man''s hand and entered Tyr''s chest, returning that warm feeling back to the young man.


    Tyr spun his spear around himself, "I understand it now." His voice was loud, confident, like a roaring blaze.


    "I can see why this power is useful." He began to float up even more, leveling himself to where Blackw was.


    "This is not infinite strength or defense. This power is not some sort of mega boost to everything I control."


    As he said this, Black remained silent. He was seemingly still at a loss from what he had seen in Tyr''s soul, specifically in his past life...


    "Thinking back to my talk with that being in the Ancestral Sanctuary... I understand that this power that he has given me is one of sight. Of seeing, understanding... I can see not only with my eyes, but with all other parts of my body. Nose, ear... hell, I can see with every atom."


    The Aura around him began to grow and burn even brighter. With each swing of his spear around his body, the Aura danced like rays of the sun.


    "All I have to do to control this power is... see."

 Chapter 148 - 148: Fear

    ***EXTRA LONG CHAP***


    -----


    Black''s face contorted with rage. He took in a deep breath through his bared teeth, shaking with anger as his eyebrows scrunched together.


    "Damn you!" He screamed, this time unable to control his emotions whatsoever.


    "Who is to say you can not lose!?" He screamed, "I don''t care... I will destroy that reality. I am a God, unbound by time itself! The past and present have no meaning! I will control it all!"


    He blasted forward like a missile after saying this, swinging his scythe in the air like a maniac.


    Tyr furrowed his eyebrows, his eyes squinting slightly in genuine confusion, "W-what the hell is he talking about?" He muttered but shrugged it off for now.


    Tyr flew forward as well, his Soul Mend having already ended. However, he did not need that right now.


    In a burst of speed, they slashed their weapons toward each other. S§×arch* The ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    A catastrophic burst of Aura boomed from the impact, pushing into the battlefield below and dropping every soldier in a wave, like dominoes.


    Tyr opened his eyes, and with a powerful intent, he could see everything in front of him as if it was happening in the past, present, and future.


    He could see what had already happened, what was currently happening, and even what was going to happen in the short future, all at once.


    He spun to the side, thrusting his spear into Black''s ribs.


    The spear stopped at the man''s bones like a sword attempting to enter a wall of iron.


    *Crack*


    The spearhead abruptly shattered, leaving Tyr with nothing but a long handle.


    He and black made eye contact. And then, a slight smirk appeared on Black''s face.


    The man unleashed a kick, which Tyr swiftly blocked with his spear handle.


    *Crack*


    Tyr looked down, his handle nearly about to break from the pressure.


    "Tsk." He exclaimed, throwing the handle away before grabbing Black''s leg.


    Black looked up at him with shock at that moment as Tyr swung the man over his head and used his entire body''s momentum to fling him toward the ground.


    Black was thrown at a velocity that he couldn''t control, slamming into the ground with an explosion of dust and debris.


    Before he could even get to his feet, Tyr was above him.


    Clenching his fist, Tyr unleashed a blow straight into Black''s abdomen.


    "Ough!" Black exclaimed, his hands flying forward as blood spurted from his mouth.


    Tyr did not stop there, unleashing several punches into the stomach of the man.


    However, none of them connected as Black kicked Tyr off of him and flew backward.


    He spun his scythe in front of him, creating a barrier as a means to rest for a couple of seconds.


    Tyr was not thrown off by this, flying straight into the flurry of slashes.


    As he got into range, Black swung his scythe down into Tyr with full force.


    Tyr looked up at the attack, able to see all of its motions in all time frames.


    ''Impossible to dodge...'' He thought to himself.


    Black smiled on hearing this thought, ''Perfect... I got you now, you mere mor--''


    Tyr stopped Black''s scythe with a single hand on the weapon''s blade, the aftershock blowing past Black''s long white hair.


    "W-what?" Black exclaimed, his arm and weapon shaking as they struggled against Tyrs strength.


    Tyr had a faint smirk on his face, while Black was frowning in disbelief.


    "Why... did you even think of dodging when you knew you could have stopped it?" Black exclaimed, frustrated.


    Tyr looked at him with condescending eyes: "To give you false hope."


    As Black heard these words, he was taken aback. The gravity of his situation fell onto him like a mountain.


    "No... you wont win!" Black let go of this scythe, placing both hands in front of him: "Your soul deserves no retribution!"


    A rift appeared in front of his hands, expanding in size. It was a pitch-black hole in space, and like a black hole, it began to suck everything around it inside.


    It sucked in air, and even nearby fallen weaponry and dust.


    Tyr stood there with a half smirk on his face as he saw this. He purposefully didn''t think anything.


    "Void Of Death!" Black spun around before throwing the blackhole forward at Tyr.


    The blast of Aura came with a horrifying presence to many, but Tyr felt no such thing.


    He raised his hand forward: ''Reverse.'' He said, instantly absorbing the immense attack.


    Black maw gaped slightly, his lungs accidentally gasping for air as his eyes stared forward like a lunatic.


    "Do I have you that scared that you have forgotten what you know about me? Hahaha!" Tyr laughed, "Aura attacks won''t work, feeble old man..."


    With that, Tyr unleashed the Void Of Death back at Black with the same speed and intensity as before.


    Black attempted to dodge but was pulled into the attack with an unfathomably powerful physical force.


    "Damn you!!" His voice faded into nothing as he was absorbed into the attack.


    It took a few seconds for the attack to end. As it finally ended, it spit out everything it had consumed--including a burst of air, dust, and scraps.


    Along with that, it spit out Black''s torn-up body.


    He fell to the floor with a desperate look. His robes had been tattered and ripped to shreds. His body was badly bruised and cut.


    Tyr slowly floated down before the man.


    "Deplorable..." He said, standing above the leader.


    Black looked at Tyr with wide eyes of horror. At that moment, Tyr unleashed his Ancestral Aura through the entire battlefield, but especially at Black.


    Black felt his throat already cut a thousand times. He felt his heart, lungs, brain, and kidneys ripped apart.


    His skin peeled off of his body, his brain melted in a pot of lava.


    He was overwhelmed with infinite visions of his own death, overwhelming his brain to a degree indescribable to anyone.


    "Are you a God now?" Tyr said in a low tone.


    Black found the strength to speak, "P-please..." He begged.


    Tyr nearly scoffed on hearing this, "Please? That is what you say in the very end? What happened to forgetting the feeling of fear? What about the fear of death? Im sure you feel it now... right?"


    Tears began to swell up in Black''s eyes as memories of his life flashed before him.


    "I... don''t want to die." He said, his lips quivering with horror.


    Tyr lifted the man up by his hair, staring into his eyes.


    "I don''t care what you want." He said with a fierce look, "Whatever it is, I will make sure you never get it. You deserve nothing but the worst of deaths. And I will enjoy seeing your life slowly sapped from your body."


    Tyr smiled, his eyes widening as he continued:


    "The men and women you have butchered... the lives you have toyed with. You should consider death a gift compared to what you may have to face in the afterlife."


    After a long pause, Black finally spoke, "You... know what happens, right?"


    Tyr squinted, "What are you talking about?"


    Black somehow managed to smile slightly, "Then... my life was meaningless after all..."


    Tyr continued to stay silent as Black spoke:


    "Thousands of years in the making... and you will be carrying that light on your very shoulders. Well... not you. You are but a child. But you." Black stared deeply into Tyr''s eyes, as though he was talking to someone else.


    Tyr furrowed his eyebrows, "What you saw in my soul must have made you go mad."


    Black sighed, "For my final act... I shall give my life for a revival of the Black Merchant Guild."


    He waved his hand slightly above the floor, "Revive..." He said as his body suddenly began to turn frail like a dying old man.


    It lost its color, turning pale and soft.


    A large amount of Black Aura entered the ground, soaking into the dirt before spreading to all of the dead bodies around the entire battlefield.


    Tyr looked around as one by one, every single fallen Black Merchant Guild soldier began to stand, their bodies restored.


    This included all of the generals as well, such as Mrama and Camadral...

 Chapter 149 - 149: Blitzkrieg

    Black''s body no longer looked middle-aged. Rather, he resembled a man who barely held a breath.


    He was closer to a skeleton than a human, a skinny bag of skin and bones.


    However, he was still alive. This was shown by the proud smile on his face.


    Seeing this smile irritated Tyr.


    ''I wanted him to feel fear... regret... pain. I wanted the last thing in his memories before he died to be the worst of punishments... yet... he''s too smart for that.


    He made sure he got the last laugh in his mind. Even though he knows the Black Merchant Guild will most likely still be destroyed, he can believe that it won''t since he will be dead anyways.''


    Tyr gritted his teeth, annoyed at this prospect.


    He let go of Black, and at that moment, a pink orb of Aura blasted into the old man''s back.


    It expanded, tightly wrapping around him and binding his limbs together while keeping him upright and unable to fall over.


    Noa swung her giant gun over her shoulder and hoisted it on her back as she made her way closer to Tyr.


    She looked to be completely unharmed. Except, she wore a Black Merchant Guild member''s robe, her clothes having completely burned off.


    "Tyr! What do we do now?" She said, holding Jiro in one hand, "We don''t have enough forces to kill them all again..."


    Tyr looked around silently. Then, he tightened his fists and looked at Black.


    He was angry... but then his angered expression softened to a smirk, "You think you will have your way before you die? Stay there and watch with your very eyes."


    Tyr began to float into the air with his gaze still locked into Black''s eyes.


    ''If he thinks he will die in such a glamourous way... he has no clue who I am.'' Tyr turned, yelling this before flying through the air:


    "Noa! Feed the cunt a health capsule and make sure he doesn''t fall over..."


    Noa was taken aback by this command, but still decided to do it without much hesitation.


    Black tried his best to spit the pill out of his mouth, but in the end he was forced to swallow it.


    As he felt the pill go down his stomach, his eyes widened and his heart sank with fear.


    "No..." He muttered, "Let me die... please... kill me!"


    Noa stood beside him, her brows furrowed.


    Jiro looked up at Black through the peripheral of his vision. He looked horrified like a son seeing his father cry for the first time.


    His entire morale had been shattered at that moment, ''He... is begging... for death? Black... the omnipotent? Impossible...'' His eyes turned to face Tyr who was already thousands of feet away.


    ''What kind of horrible creature has entered this world? Invincible against all mental attacks... lethal against all Aura spells... an Ancestral Ability so absurd that it defies the very laws of our world. He does not belong here.''


    "Noa!" Malon''s voice called for the girl.


    Noa turned, noticing Malon sprinting over to her, "Rifts! We need to open rifts so that everyone can escape from here. Tyr is about to go ballistic."


    Malon was carrying Hanzo over his shoulder. He noticed that Noa saw this and spoke: "Don''t worry about him. I will take care of it to the best of my ability. I will stay here and look after these three... you go and do what you must."


    Noa inhaled but didn''t say much, simply nodding and dropping Jiro before sprinting away.


    She tore rifts in dimensional space, breaking Aura arrays so that everyone could escape.


    From what happened last time when she used an Aura array breaker in this area, she knew it would transport everyone to that underground cavern again where she had met the distressed Hanzo.


    And so, she began to spread the word for everyone to escape and stop fighting--leaving black slugs confused.


    Seeing all this, Black body shook with discomfort and stress.


    It didn''t take long for most Zasean Natives to take the hint and escape as soon as possible.


    By this point, Tyr had flown 100 feet above the air right in the center of the battlefield.


    He inhaled deeply, ''Soul Mend: Dragon.'' He said as scales grew all over his body and large wings sprouted from his back.


    ''Flame Breath.'' He said inwardly, as his chest expanded--gleaning with a brilliant reddish-orange hue.


    Finally, he exhaled, unleashing the blast of flame from his mouth.


    The explosion was enormous, covering a 50 by 50 feet of area as it scorched the ground below.


    Tyr moved his head, showering down hell like a blitzkrieg and annihilating everything in his path.


    All revived and alive Black Merchant Guild members were decimated and turned into ashes as the dragon''s flame rained down on them like the gates of purgatory had been opened from above.


    Black''s maw slowly opened, his eyes remaining wide and unblinking as he saw this.


    It didn''t take long before every soul on the battlefield was wiped out. And at that moment, Tyr stopped the attack.


    The only ones that were still remaining now were the ones that could dodge Tyr''s attack.


    Tyr floated down, standing only a few hundred feet away from Black.


    At that moment, Camadral flew above him and swiftly cast an explosion of black Aura all around him.


    However, Tyr came out unscathed. This threw Camadral off, but before he could react, Tyr summoned in front of him.


    Tyr was not even touching the old man, but Camadral was frozen in place by Tyr''s horribly ferocious killing intent and piercing gaze.


    Tyr grabbed Camadral''s neck before crushing it in one move. Camadral''s body fell to the ground, bouncing off of the ground like a ragdoll.


    Tyr fell to the ground again, where he was rushed by Enhanced.


    However, Tyr grabbed the superhero by the leg and slammed him over his head onto the ground.


    Enhanced landed with a loud slam, choking out blood. He stared at Tyr before unleashing laser beams from his eyes.


    However, the attacks simply absorbed into Tyr''s body before coming out from his eyes and melting Enhanced into three parts.


    Malon and Noa had already met up again by this point.


    "Wasn''t lrax Helas supposed to be fighting Enhanced?" Noa questioned, slightly confused.


    "Did he already enter the rifts you created?" Malon said, raising a brow. S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Not quite..." Helas'' voice came from behind.


    He walked with Mrama on his shoulder, seemingly unconscious.


    Naturally, Noa and Malon were thrown off by this.


    "Did you manage to defeat the revived Mrama?" Malon asked, confused at this moment.


    On seeing his brother''s revived body, Jiro''s eyes widened. His morale looked to come back to him.


    ''Brother? He''s... still alive!'' Jiro thought to himself.


    Helas finally answered, "Yes... I have temporarily immobilized him. Now, I need to see Jiro''s situation as well." He placed Mrama on the floor, slowly making his way closer to Noa and the others.


    Black''s pupils were at the sides of his eyes as if to look back at what was happening.


    Helas knelt beside Jiro as Noa and Malon looked at each other with slight confusion.


    With his usual kind face, Helas placed his hand on Jiro.


    After a mere second, the pink bind on the slug''s body disappeared.


    A grin stretched across Jiro''s face... as Helas'' nice smile turned into a serious, malicious frown.

 Chapter 150 - 150: Trophy

    Noa and Malon immediately furrowed their eyebrows in confusion.


    "Hey!" Noa spoke in a louder tone, "Why did you just--" She was abruptly punched across the face by Jiro. She was thrown into the air before landing on the ground a few feet away.


    Malon saw this and immediately put his guard up. ''I can''t forget how fast this bastard is...'' He thought to himself, rushing to Noa and putting up his shield.


    "That was for binding me, you silly bitch!" Jiro yelled, returning to his brother.


    Noa slowly sat up, her lip cut slightly. She had one eye closed as she saw what was happening in front of her.


    With Jiro''s help, Mrama slowly woke up and got to his feet.


    At that moment, Mrama, Jiro, and Helas stood beside each other.


    Noa and Malon couldn''t believe what they were seeing.


    "Lrax...?" Noa said, her voice stopping with disbelief.


    "Don''t call him that," Malon exclaimed, his face fuming with anger. "This bastard is a slug."


    At that moment, Helas burst out into a laugh, "You didn''t notice? My acting skills have been superb!"


    Many memories raced through Malon''s head at that moment as he gritted his teeth.


    ''The time we first came to this warehouse... we thought that Mrama and Jiro had slain those Zasean warriors... but now that I think about it, the only survivor was him. He was unbruised... he must have slaughtered them without any second thoughts.''


    "Why now? Why have you kept yourself hidden for so long?" Noa said, rising to her feet.


    "You could have let this city already be destroyed." She continued, still bewildered by this predicament.


    "All those people that said you weren''t a trustworthy leader when we first came to this city... they were actually the ones that were right..."


    On hearing all of this, Helas raised his chin, "Because our goal isn''t to destroy this city. If it was, we wouldn''t have stayed here for so many years. Our goal is to slowly use the rats of this city in our lab, and keep it running steadily. Everything was going fine before you bastards showed up..."


    Noa gritted her teeth in anger, "You consider your own people labrats?"


    Helas smirked, "The only people I have are the ones that saved me from dying." He looked to his sides, where Jiro and Mrama stood.


    After a pause, he continued: "The Zasean natives are no people of mine. Even when I acted nice, kind... and soft with them, they used those weaknesses of mine as a way to abuse me with words of their sorrow. Like that old bitch and her fucking wailing about her damn son."


    "Thats enough..." Malon said, "If you are going to fight, prepare to die, you bastard."


    With that, Jiro and Helas changed their attention to Mrama, who hadn''t said a word this entire time.


    He was awake, but he had been staring at the floor.


    "Oi! Mrama! Are you ready to fight!?" Jiro shouted with a smile on his face.


    However, Mrama didn''t answer, unlike usual.


    ''What the hell? Is this really my brother? The same brother who breathed and lived in fighting and nothing but fighting?''


    Finally, Mrama looked at his hands and spoke: "I... I..." He stammered, his voice quite soft and weak. S~ea??h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "I don''t want to fight." He finally said, confusing Jiro and Helas. "I can''t fight. I don''t have my power... my power that was the meaning behind everything. The only reason I loved my life was for fighting... and now, I can''t fight without my power...


    I am a weakling..." Mrama seemed traumatized and broken.


    "Don''t call yourself that!" Jiro screamed, "You hate that word, remember!? Your least liked word is a weakling, brother, have you forgotten!? You call those that deserve to die weaklings... not yourself!"


    After a short pause, Mrama slowly looked over at Jiro and locked eyes with him.


    Jiro gasped slightly as he saw Mrama''s tear-filled eyes of sorrow.


    From those eyes alone, Jiro understood an unspoken message.


    "No..." Jiro said, "Don''t... you can''t. We can get your power bac--" He stopped speaking as Mrama placed his hands on the sides of his head... and twisted his neck as hard as possible.


    *CRACK*


    He slowly fell forward with a loud thud.


    Jiro''s breaths were ragged, his eyes as wide as planets as he saw his brother fall.


    "Brother..." Tears began to form in his eyes as he fell onto his knees. "KRREAAGHHH!!!" He screamed from the depths of his throat, scratching his chest with his fingers as as exclaimed his frustration and sorrow.


    "DAMN IT ALLL!!" He slammed his head onto the ground as hard as possible.


    Out of nowhere, a blast of killing intent exploded out from the young man. His Aura became electrified, sparking like small lightning bolts around his skin as he slowly stood up.


    "I will kill you... I WILL KILL YOU ALL!" He blitzed forward at unfathomable speeds.


    Malon nor Noa could even see his blur, he was so fast.


    However, as the short man reached inches from Malon''s unguarded face, he was eradicated mid-air from a duo of powerful lazers.


    His legs were chopped off at once, the slug falling to the floor and screaming in agony.


    Tyr slowly floated down from above, and stood right in front of Black.


    Noa and Malon heaved sighs of relief as they saw Tyr appear.


    Tyr placed his hand on Black''s head before grinning widely, "Your final act was for nothing... and your lifes work has gone to shit. Regret it more in your afterlife."


    With that, Tyr spun the old man''s head around like a bottle cap--instantly severing his spine and ending his life.


    Tyr made his way in front of Helas, facing the man with glorious golden eyes.


    "You tried to salvage this?" Tyr''s face contorted to laughter, "Hahaha!" He wholeheartedly pealed.


    Helas'' chin was lowered, his eyes dancing with worry as he clenched his fists.


    "You, my friend, have an important role." Tyr placed his hand on Helas'' shoulder before pausing, "You are going to be the singing trophy that I get to show this city as proof of my victory... make sure your vocal cords are ready to scream as loud as they can."

 Chapter 151 - 151: Annihilation & Submission

    ***EXXXXXXTRA LONG CHAP***


    -------


    Helas was swiftly bound by Noa in several ways, even locking his fingers together in an inescapable hold.


    They weren''t going to take any chances.


    The couple hundred Zasean soldiers that remained were cared to right there on the battlefield.


    There were enough health capsules to go around a couple of times, but for those more severely injured, the capsules would only work as short solutions.


    Many had limbs cut off, and heavy wounds on their body. They needed real medical assistance as soon as possible.


    At that point, Reana had also joined Noa and the others.


    Tyr decided to stay back, saying he would deal with the corpses himself.


    The others couldn''t question him, so they decided to head back without him.


    Malon carried Hanzo and Helas on his shoulders as everyone began their trek back to the city.


    With everyone gone, Tyr took a deep breath and looked around the battlefield.


    "While I still hold this power..." He looked at his limbs, glowing with a burning golden Aura, "I will use it to its fullest extent."


    He floated up into the air slowly. And then, he began to blitz all over the place--carrying corpses and dropping them off somewhere else...


    He did this until the entire battleground was free of Zasean and Black Merchant corpses.


    After that, he used the rifts previously created to go to where Ha and Trai would have been.


    Once he got there, he looked around with dismay.


    "So many dead..." He saw a field full of blood and Zasean corpses, along with Black Merchant corpses as well... but not nearly as much.


    In moments, he swept them all up.


    ''Looks like all of the slugs went to the warehouse after being called there for backup...'' Tyr mused, returning to the warehouse.


    Finally, he entered one last rift. It was the large rift where every Zasean soldier escaped when Tyr unleashed his Flame Breath.


    He was immediately summoned into a large underground cavern.


    The people who hid in here had already exited and left with Noa and the others.


    So, it was empty.


    ''The head of the snake has been chopped off... but the body will continue to squirm. If it''s a cunning enough snake, it will even grow a new head.''


    Tyr thought to himself as he closed his eyes, using his ears to their maximum extent while in this powerful form.


    His hearing had of course increased by several fold.


    Within seconds, he heard the muffled commotion of what sounded like human voices against one side of this hole in the ground.


    There was no entrance nor exit to this cavern he was in. It was clearly only a hidden transportation space between places--only available to enter through transportation methods.


    He walked to one side of the cavern, placed his left hand flat on the wall, and unleashed a powerful punch with the other fist.


    The force tore through the wall like a cannon, busting a large hole through while causing a large explosion to sound.


    The voices Tyr was hearing suddenly paused.


    He had exploded a hole right into the streets of the underground labyrinth.


    There were dozens of Black Merchant Guild members still walking around.


    Now, however, witnessing the large hole in the wall, they all stopped and paused--staring at the large dust cloud with wide eyes of shock.


    A figure emerged from the dust, and as he did, an enormous blast of killing intent erupted through the entire underground domain like a tsar bomb.


    Every being in this underground city felt gravity suddenly increase by a dozenfold.


    Their skin melted, their eyes popped out of their sockets, and their bones turned to mush and were crushed to paste---or at least, that''s what it felt like at once.


    The fear in the eyes of those kneeling before Tyr was grotesque.


    Their pupils faced the ground as beads of sweat trickled off of their faces and fell onto the ground. S~ea??h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''Lord Black''s Aura was nothing in comparison to this... what in the world is this monster!?''


    ''Have the empires finally decided to wipe us out? A planned move while our leaders were distracted with those no names?''


    ''It''s over... we will all die...''


    Tyr threw himself up into the air, floating above everyone as he said: "Come out, Ares."


    On hearing his name, Ares awoke from his slumber within Infinite Domain.


    His eyes opened with a fierce gaze, as a faint smile played on his lips.


    A black and purple colored portal appeared before Tyr, and blitzing out from it came a bolt of Aura.


    "FINALLY!" Ares roared, inhaling before letting out a ginormous blast of fire that was even larger than the one Tyr had used on the battlefield.


    He turned his head, scorching over 500 feet of land within seconds and burning several slugs.


    Buildings under his flame were eradicated, even the stone melting and turning into lava from his breath.


    Tyr chuckled slightly with disbelief, ''It was a good decision I didn''t let him out until now. I knew he would immediately do this shit.''


    He paused before thinking to himself: ''But... it''s good sometimes for occasions like this. Here in this underground domain, he can spew as much fire as he likes.''


    Tyr''s eyes followed the dragon as he continued to turn this entire realm into hellfire and magma.


    Ares was now over a foot longer than before. His wings had grown, along with his Aura and overall power. It had been multiple months since his birth, after all.


    The dragon was to grow to its young adult years within 2 years, so Ares wasn''t too far off already.


    Tyr didn''t stop just there, however. He wasn''t going to let Ares have all the fun.


    He also began to fly around and breathe fire into the city below: ''Soul Mend: Dragon.''


    *


    After less than a minute''s worth of time, the several-acre land below them had been annihilated.


    Tyr was still doubtful, knowing that many had escaped through their little slimy methods. However, he couldn''t care less about that.


    He had finished his job.


    Even after that though, Ares continued to rampage.


    "Oi!" Tyr yelled, "Stop it... everything is already destroyed."


    Ares heard this and changed his direction, heading right for Tyr like a torpedo.


    "You! You locked me in there for centuries! How dare you! I will have your head!"


    "Do you want to go back in there?" Tyr threatened in a low tone.


    Ares immediately halted as he heard this, staying stationary in mid-air.


    "Tsk... you are lucky you hold such power over me... monkey."


    Tyr floated closer to the Dragon at that moment, his eyes squinted.


    Ares was taken aback, confused as to why Tyr was getting so close to him without saying a word.


    Ares backed up slightly, but Tyr caught up to him and grabbed him by the back of the neck.


    "You seem like you need to learn a lesson," Tyr said in a low tone.


    "W-what?" Ares retorted in genuine confusion.


    Tyr spun his whole body around at that moment, flinging Ares into the ground with force.


    The power was too immense, causing Ares to slam into the ground.


    "You bastard!" Ares unleashed a giant flame breath, but it simply bounced off of Tyr''s body.


    [Immunity to fire.]


    Tyr blitzed forward, appearing before Ares before giving the dragon a slap across the face.


    Again, Tyr didn''t go easy, propelling the dragon several hundred feet to the side in mere seconds.


    Ares slammed into the wall with a large thud--cracking the stone wall before falling to the ground.


    The large stones from above fell onto him, but before they landed, he used flame breath to melt them to shreds and flew up into the air.


    "That''s it! No more joking aro--"


    *BANG*


    Slapped across the face again and thrown to the ground.


    Before the dragon even reached the floor, however, Tyr appeared below him and slapped him again--slamming the dragon into the ceiling.


    Tyr continued to slap the fucking shit out of the dragon for an indefinite amount of time.


    After 20 entire minutes of the stubborn beast not wanting to settle down, Tyr went even harder.


    Slaps turned to punches, and mercy turned to madness.


    An hour passed. Tyr had not expected this whatsoever... hell, even he was tired now.


    However, it was only right of a dragon to be so stubborn.


    At the two-hour mark, Tyr had turned into the devil.


    Making sure not to kill the dragon, he nearly went all out.


    And finally, through methods of pain that Ares had never seen before, the dragon succumbed...


    "I give up..." Ares said, his wings spread flat out on the floor as he panted while facing the sky.


    Tyr stood above him, his fist clenched.


    "You are greater than me..." Ares said in-between pants.


    "Because I am your master, correct?" Tyr asked of the dragon.


    "No," Ares said, causing Tyr to tighten his fist again. "It''s because of you... are stronger than me."


    Ares closed his eyes tightly while saying that as if it hurt him deeply.


    ''A dragon''s pride is like no other... so naturally, admitting this is probably more painful than all the pain he just went through. However, I need to use this power I have right now to subdue him before it gets too late.'' Tyr thought to himself.


    "Although I hate to admit it... I do not break honor. If I admit you are greater than me, I have a great amount of respect for you as well... a loser has no place claiming to be powerful..." As Ares said that last sentence, he looked to the side--nearly about to tear up.


    Tyr saw this and felt empathy for the poor guy, ''He''s still a child...''


    "Get up, Ares!" Tyr said with a smile, "You are lesser than me... but you are greater than every other being in the world! Do not forget where you stem from!"


    On hearing this, Ares began to rise.


    "Brush off those pathetic tears from your face. You are a dragon! Chosen by the Gods themselves... never forget that!"


    "You-you''re right!" Ares roared, "Apart from you, there is no being I can not decimate!" He blasted flame from his mouth once again, melting the roof above.

 Chapter 152 - 152: Atonement

    ***EXXTRA LONG CHAP***


    ------


    After a while, Tyr made it back to the Zasean soldier base camp. Moments after leaving the Black Merchant Guild city, he returned to his normal state.


    Thankfully, there were no side effects to having the Ancestral Sanctuary''s power.


    However, Tyr doubted whether he could get help from it again.


    After all, it''s not like something he could just depend on.


    When he arrived at the base camp, everyone looked to be gathered together.


    Most were getting healed by Hanzo, Noa, Malon, Reana, and other volunteers in the group.


    Hanzo was bandaged up, but he was still able to move just fine it seemed.


    Before talking to anyone else, Tyr went up to Hanzo.


    Hanzo noticed Tyr''s heavy footsteps and slowly turned.


    "Tyr..." Hanzo said in a low tone.


    The two made their way to the side where they spoke in private.


    Noa and Malon looked at them from afar, intrigued.


    "I messed up. I nearly gave up... I nearly allowed Noa to die, along with many others on the battlefield." Hanzo said, facing the ground. He felt horribly guilty on the inside at this moment.


    Tyr remained silent, his expression stoic.


    Hanzo continued: "I was only able to fight because of you. A dream was forged, where I would protect you with my life."


    After a long pause, Tyr said: "Hanzo," He placed his hand on Hanzo''s shoulder.


    This caused Hanzo to look up and face Tyr in the eyes.


    "I want something from you, is that okay?" Tyr said, his voice kind and welcoming.


    Hanzo simply nodded.


    "Moving forward from this moment onward, I want you to dedicate most of your effort to finding a dream. I know you had created a temporary dream to fuel your efforts at that moment, but I have another goal for you in mind. Not for me, but for you... form a dream, Hanzo." Tyr said with friendly eyes.


    On hearing this, Hanzo felt slightly emotional. He didn''t show it on the outside, but he squeezed his fists as he mused:


    ''Tyr... really is an angel in human skin. Even though I made such a horrible mistake, he ignores all of that instantly and only focuses on what will make me better.''


    "I..." Hanzo said, "Am honored to have a friend like you."


    Tyr smiled on hearing this, "I feel no different. You are the person I look up to, Hanzo." He said with a bright expression before walking away.


    This took Hanzo aback in shock, his eyes opening as he looked to the ground.


    He tightened his fists even harder, ''Form a goal... from this moment onwards, I will dedicate everything to forming a goal!''


    *


    Reana sprinted up to Tyr after this, holding her camera in her hand.


    She had a bright smile on her face, her personality was chirpy, and her body language was jumpy and excited: "TYR! Thank you so much!" She bounced up and embraced the young man.


    Tyr raised a brow, completely taken aback.


    Reana got down, taking out several pictures from her camera and placing them in the air to hover like holograms. She also placed several videos in the air--most showcasing Tyr''s battle with Black.


    Several also showed the fighting of the other members of Tyr''s team.


    Tyr squinted his eyes while looking at all of this, Reana screaming in the background.


    "I wanted to expose the Black Merchant Guild... but you seriously fucking took them out! And on top of that, you did it in a flashy and grandiose way that will capture the attention of the entire world. From elder to adult, to child, all eyes will draw onto you like a moth to a light! You have saved my career and my life!"


    Tyr chuckled on hearing the excited young lady scream even more: "I will never forget this! I will owe it back to you one day, I promise!"


    "Oh?" Tyr said at that moment.


    Reana continued: "When I become the world''s biggest news source... feel free to influence what I publish. I wouldn''t trust anyone else with this, as it is my life''s work. However, as you have saved that life that I hold so dearly, It is only right for you to have this trust of mine."


    Finally, Reana bowed her entire body 90 degrees with hands to her side: "THANK YOU!"


    "Hahaha!" Tyr laughed. Noa and Malon also chuckled, standing a few feet behind Tyr as he said: "Sure... but there is one more thing you''ve forgotten to add to that story."


    "Oh?" Reana exclaimed, her head tilting to the side.


    "You still have to film the aftermath."


    Reana exhaled before calmly stating: "Helas'' punishment for all that he''s done to this city?"


    Tyr didn''t hesitate to respond: "No... the revival of a city. From despair to glory and happiness. I don''t want to leave this city without making everyone understand that they no longer need to stress about getting kidnapped and tortured."


    Reana was moved by this, "I thought you didn''t want to do it for the city... but rather, for the goal of demolishing the Black Merchant Guild."


    "You''re right... but after doing all of this, what sense would it make to exit this city and leave everyone still wary of things to come in the distant future? We saved them... let''s go toast a drink to that." Tyr smiled, causing Reana to smile as well.


    "Good idea... that isn''t a bad scoop whatsoever."


    Tyr turned, "But before that, let''s show them who caused most of their suffering in the first place." S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    As he walked through the base, he shouted to everyone: "Get ready to depart! Those injured will be carried by those who are fit to walk. Everyone must attend this ceremony!"


    Slowly but surely, some soldiers carried others on their backs and began to rise.


    Those who could still limp did just that, and those who could sprint did not hesitate to do so.


    Soon enough, everyone rose and began their journey to the city...


    ***


    A lone man walked through the streets of an empty village. His hands were tied along with his feet.


    His clothes were ripped and tattered, his body beaten and bruised.


    "Those who I have hurt!" His voice rang through the village, "Those who I have lied to!"


    As he continued to shout at the top of his breaking breath, heads began to peek out of windows.


    "Those who I have wronged! Those who I have betrayed!" Helas continued to shout.


    "I AM SORRY!"


    On hearing their lrax''s voice suddenly echoed through the streets, more and more people slowly began to exit their homes.


    Shock clad their expression and confusion puzzled their minds as they saw their lrax''s state.


    "I am a traitor! A member of the Black Merchant Guild! I have wronged you all... and for that, I am deeply sorry!"


    On hearing his cries, hundreds of Zasean natives began to exit their homes and line the streets.


    About a hundred feet away from Helas walked Tyr and the others, along with the Zasean army who were behind them.


    "To think..." Hanzo exclaimed under his breath, "He asked if he could do this himself..."


    Tyr nodded, "Does he intend to fix his wrongs before his final moments? Pfft..."


    "Its okay now! Saviors have come to this city... and they have decimated the Black Merchant Guild as you know it. They have tortured me... and I have come here today to admit my faults."


    As Helas walked forward, the thousands lining the streets in front of him began to slowly raise their voice.


    Within mere seconds, the ripples of noise turned into booming waves:


    "You fucker!"


    "You ruined this city!"


    "How dare you!"


    "How could you do this!?"


    Those old, those young, middle-aged, and more. Soldiers and civilians... all those present had separate reactions, but all of them were fueled with sorrow and rage.


    Soon enough, dirt and stones began to get hurled toward the man.


    The rocks hit his face and body, bruising and cutting him open.


    Stones busted his lips. They make his eyes black as plums. They made his face swollen like a gourd, as if a thousand wasps had stung him.


    His body was equally beaten, stones of tears thrusting into his body.


    Stones of anger, of distrust, of pain and sorrow. All of these stones thudded off of his body as he walked.


    As Tyr and the Zasean army made their way down the street, all those who had lined the streets prior joined the line and continued the trek through the city.


    Just like this, Helas traveled across the entire town, gathering every soul that heard the chimes of his punishment.


    ***


    Yo, Author here. This is the end of a mini-arc, and things are going to start moving on a larger scale from here on out in the story. I want to thank everyone for reading up until this point. Uni has my schedule all fked up but I''m still updating daily and I will continue to do so to the best of my ability. Thanks a ton!

 Chapter 153 - 153: Original

    Helas wandered the city for two hours, his body torn to shreds and covered in blood.


    Yet, with the last ounce of strength still in his body, he made his way back to the city center. S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    There, he sat down on the ledge of a giant statue no smaller than 40 feet in height.


    The statue was made of bronze, and it looked to be of a previous lrax. The lrax statue held a large cup into the air and was clad in tribal armor.


    As thousands gathered around the city center, Helas spoke while staring at the ground.


    "Black..." He uttered through the pain, "He was a horribly cunning man." As soon as he said those words, his pupils gleaned in a bright red for only a couple of seconds.


    During this time, he exclaimed in pain, his chest sticking out as he squeezed his eyes shut.


    Seeing this, Tyr furrowed his brows in confusion, ''Red eyes and pain after insulting Black...?'' He was a bit thrown off.


    "What I have done here today... I know it does not make up for anything that I have done to you all." Helas began to say, looking up and facing every spite-filled expression in the crowd.


    He was no longer looking at humans, but rather, fearsome forms and shapes created out of emotions such as rage, disdain, and spite.


    "What I am going to say may make some see glory in my actions... and may change nothing for others." Helas paused again, causing many to shake their heads, scrunch their eyebrows, and clench their fists.


    Tyr squinted his eyes, ''This isn''t making sense...'' He thought to himself, ''Something is amiss. I am not understanding everything... why... why am I not understanding everything? I have already defeated Black. Why is there still confusion...''


    "However, I do not want mercy. What I have done is horrible." Helas paused for the last time before saying: "Years ago, I was infected with something called the Black Gu. A powerful weapon created by the Black Merchant Guild, which every child and adult in this city has heard of in thier lifetime."


    ''As I thought...'' Tyr mused as he heard this.


    Helas continued: "Through threats on my family... friends... city and more, I have been forced to work with the Black Merchant Guild for a very long time. And for that, I use this final day as a means to apologize, not to you all, but to myself. I know that my apology means nothing to you, and you all deserve much more. But...


    to that person who I was long ago, I want to tell him that I did what I promised. I atoned as much as I could."


    On hearing all of this, many of the furious expressions among the crowd began to soften all of a sudden.


    Eyes began to expand, some even glistening in the sun due to slight moisture build up.


    Lips began to peel open, soft and ragged breaths going in and out of them.


    Hearts thudded like drums, limbs shaking and arm hairs raising slowly amongst many in the crowd.


    "And now..." Helas said, turning to face the statue behind him, "There is one last act I must do..."


    He rose to his feet and raised his arms into the air.


    "Father of Blood... take my ichor... and take my soul as a sacrifice. Do unto thy as you have promised." He closed his eyes.


    The blood all over his body began to shake all of a sudden. As though a magnet pulled on the vital fluid, it began to float up.


    All of the blood on the outside of Helas'' body was pulled out from him, all pouring into the cup held by the statue above.


    Then, Helas fell over the ledge as a white orb flew out of his body and entered the statue.


    After a couple seconds of silence, a low creak came from the statue.


    Out of nowhere, the statue''s eyes opened. Rust fell from its limbs as it stood up straight.


    As everyone looked with fear and awe, the statue lowered the cup full of blood to its mouth and drank it in two big gulps.


    It closed its eyes again. Its body changed, turning from bronze to flesh all of a sudden.


    In mere seconds, the statue had turned into a real giant human figure.


    Finally, it threw the cup to the ground as a large smile appeared on its face--stretching from one side of its mouth to the other in an almost eerily scary scene.


    "Hahaha..." It chuckled lightly, "Did you really think that you had slain me so easily." It said these words... and then suddenly twisted its neck toward Tyr with big bold eyes.


    Tyr''s eyes slowly opened as realization filled his thoughts.


    "Black..." He muttered under his breath.


    As he said this, the large statue smiled even more.


    "Hahaha!" Black broke out into a peal of laughter, "Fool... did you think I had not anticipated death? Like I said... even though I have seen it... I will defy it!"


    ''There he goes again talking about what he saw in my soul...'' Tyr thought to himself.


    Everyone slowly began to back up... everyone excluding Tyr, Hanzo, and Malon.


    Noa rushed to get everyone to safety, causing many to begin sprinting backward and away from the lifefilled statue.


    "So... a plan B huh? If you were to lose your main body, you would use Helas as a means to trick others into leading to this. Helas was a scapegoat from the very beginning... a smart trick." Tyr said, thinking of just how genius this plan really was.


    "Yes... except, you missed a few key points. My previous body was no main body of mine... I wouldn''t walk around in my main body... how foolish would that be? I can only revive because my main body remains intact."


    Tyr exhaled before saying: "Who are you?"


    Black smiled: "Long ago... I was Lrax of a city within the Zasean Kingdom. I also had a statue built for me. One that I placed an array on... which could always revive me. Thankfully, however, as lrax'' birthed into this world and fell, I never died.


    Not until now... but I am finally back to my original body--sealed in this statue."


    *Author Note*


    End of the mini-arc? Just kidding... not quite yet!

 Chapter 154 - 154: Krax Sakti

    Tyr was taken aback by this, as were Hanzo and Malon.


    ''This bastard has really thought of everything...'' Tyr mused, "Helas... you took over his soul in order to come here, right? Quite the acting skills you have."


    Black replied without hesitation, "You''re right... that is precisely what I did. It hurt, but that pain is nothing I am not used to."


    "What about his words... were they true? Did you force him to do those heinous acts?"


    Black chuckled, "You will never know, will you? After all... you will die here today. And those tiny ants that manage to escape alive after what will happen... they will simply have to figure it out through hearing stories of how Helas acted."


    Tyr gritted his teeth, ''So he won''t even tell us... if Helas was truly a good or bad character...''


    "What makes you think you will win this time? You were defeated with ease before..." Tyr said with a bold tone to the large man.


    "What makes me think I will win?" Black said, seemingly amused by the inquiry, "Well... for one, you are back to your normal state. No longer can you come close to rivaling me in power."


    Tyr exhaled, putting up a fierce look while understanding that he was only bluffing on the inside.


    "Above that... my original body has been cultivating power for centuries. Did you think I left it here to starve? All those failed experiments... their Aura have entered my true body, and my true body alone."


    After a short pause, Black exclaimed: "I am far superior in this form. This... is my true power, boy."


    A terrifying surge of black Aura erupted from Black like a tidal wave of malevolence, swallowing the city in its dark embrace.


    The sheer force of his power crashed down with suffocating weight, as if the very air had turned into a crushing vice.


    Every living being in its reach was overpowered instantly¡ªtheir heads snapped downward, forced to bow as though an unseen hand gripped their skulls. S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Knees buckled and hit the ground with violent thuds, no one spared from the oppressive pressure.


    Malon and Hanzo were forced onto their knees in a mere millisecond.


    It was as if the fabric of reality itself was being bent to Black''s will, commanding absolute submission.


    Tyr was also assaulted by the Aura, his knees instantly beginning to bend as his bones threatened to combust under the pressure.


    ''Full Golden Body.'' Tyr quickly mused, a burning flame erupting in his glabella as he became immune to the fear. Even he was nearly crushed under Black''s newfound Aura.


    ''Scan...'' Tyr said in his head.


    ©³©¥©¥©¥Status©¥©¥©¥©·


    Name: Lramz Hural


    Age: 358 Years


    Power Level: 785


    Rank: Sage


    ©»©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¿


    ''Sage Rank... he''s on a completely different level. Even with the Ancestral Sanctuary power I held... I could not have--'' Tyr''s thought was interrupted.


    "That''s right! You would not have defeated me! But... you never did. Do not forget that." After saying this, Black disappeared.


    He summoned in front of Tyr with a clenched fist slamming right into the young man''s stomach.


    Tyr''s eyes flew open as he was propelled through dozens of buildings behind him.


    He coughed out blood as he skidded across the ground like a rock over water. As he slid to a stop, he mused: ''Impossible...'' He choked out even more blood, ''My organs are nearly ruptured. Ribs are broken...''


    [Vitality: 20/125]


    ''Not even one more hit...''


    Hanzo and Malon forcefully turned their heads with horror clad on their faces as they looked at where Tyr had been flung.


    Despite wanting to move, their bodies were forced to surrender.


    ''Tyr...'' Hanzo panted, ''He''s going to die!''


    Malon clenched his teeth together, ''No! Damn it! Stop!'' He screamed inwardly as he saw Black lunge over the air to where Tyr was.


    As Tyr witnessed the giant fly over the air with a punch ready to be unleashed, time itself felt as though it slowed down.


    ''None of my spells will work here. I know for a fact that entering the sanctuary isn''t an option either. I could summon Rudra or Ares... but they would only pose as mere panes of glass for this bastard to shatter through before hitting me...''


    His mind raced, overwhelmed with possibilities.


    ''Is it over?'' He scoffed inwardly, ''I guess... it was a good run while it lasted. Maybe I''ll try my luck on another planet.''


    He closed his eyes, ''Disappear? No... it changed to...''


    ''Planetary Teleportatio--''


    A tiny fraction of a second remained until Tyr was going to have finished saying the spell.


    However, at that moment, a thrust of energy slammed into the ground--disrupting his thought pattern and forcing him to open his eyes.


    When he looked forward, he noticed Black on his back with a figure glowing with ruthless and overwhelmingly powerful red energy standing on the giant''s chest.


    The figure was very tall, but compared to the giant Black, he looked puny.


    Despite this, he stood above Black with ease and confidence, as though he was far superior. The energy that radiated from his body was no joke, making that of Black''s seem like a damn joke.


    The energy even materialized into large sparks of electrical power, zapping and sparking the field like lightning bolts of red Aura.


    The man was over 6''5 ft. in height. He wore a giant red-skinned thick wool cover over his shoulder, and a skirt made of dense leather over his massive legs.


    Sandals covered his feet, and flowing down from his head was a long black waterfall of hair that stretched all the way down to his calves--frizzled and rough-looking.


    He looked unkept, his jaw was blocky and rough, and overall, he looked like a monster.


    "Tsk." The man sucked his teeth in irritation, "Foul beast... you dare to bare your fangs in his empire?" His voice was deep as he spoke.


    Black barely managed to utter: "K-k-krax... Krax Sakti... how did you find out where I was? How did you--"


    "A damn foolish question!" The ruthless figure who was addressed as Krax Sakti shouted, his voice booming like a ginormous speaker: "Every inch of this land is no different from my very skin.


    A Sage Ranked cultivator showing his face in any part of this empire without bowing to the High Lord of the western mongrals and Emperor of the Zasea Kingdom is nothing short of a treasonous villain that deserves death!"

 Chapter 155 - 155: Continent Altering Event

    Author note: I''m back! Took quite a break huh¡­ not because I wanted to though. College has been destroying me, but hopefully I''ll get back on track starting from now. Thank you all for staying on the track with me!


    ***


    ''W-what in the world is he saying?'' Tyr questioned, his brain barely able to stay conscious right now.


    Krax Sakti stood on Black''s chest like a heavy metal beam on a trampoline, touching the floor and immovable.


    Black''s previous had been wiped out, replaced with a more forgiving energy that was Sakti''s.


    Hanzo and the others slowly rose to their feet, gazing at Sakti with awe-filled faces.


    "I..." Black said, his eyes wide open and his pupils dancing as though they were being vibrated.


    ''All those years of planning... and yet, I overlooked something like this? No... this is not my fault. How could I expect this demon to arrive so quickly? Mere seconds of my existence and he was here.


    He is different from me... a true being of power.''


    Black couldn''t help but tighten his fists and clench him until his palms bled.


    His eyes flew open: "I apologize!" He screamed, "Please! I submit everything to his almighty!"


    Sakti raised his chin, a disdainful look on his face, "You have plagued this world for far too long... Black of the underground merchants..." He said in a low tone.


    ''He knows... who I am... even in this state?'' Black thought to himself in disbelief, his frustration growing like a bamboo shoot.


    Sakti turned to face Tyr. The man''s eyes were enough to make Tyr''s eyes widen in amazement.


    It wasn''t fear... but rather, astonishing respect for the man.


    However, there was no doubt about it: ''He tried to threaten my mental fortitude there... If I didn''t have Full Golden Body activated, I can already tell that I would have been crushed under that fearsome Aura from just a single glance.''


    After that, Sakti''s eyes gazed across the crowd in a more soft manner.


    "I see you brats want to make history..." Sakti exclaimed, clenching his fist.


    Everyone froze like deer in headlights. Even Reana, who had her finger on the trigger to capture a picture, could not move her hand even a millimeter under the pressure.


    "So be it." Sakti said before hurling a punch into Black''s chest. The punch sent a resounding boom through the floor and across the entire city as Black''s limbs flung forward and his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.


    With that, Sakti took a step back and got off of the giant. He looked around again before facing Tyr.


    "You... have promise, kid. Don''t die." With that, the man disappeared on the spot.


    Tyr was so focused on the present moment that he barely even thought about what the man had just said.


    Instead, he forced himself to rise to his feet--his organs ruptured and bleeding.


    ''My legs... are still fine.'' He thought to himself as he stumbled all the way over to Black, ''I can still hear his breath...'' Tyr mused.


    Everyone stared forward with anticipation. With Krax Sakti''s pressure gone, Reana continued to take pictures of the events unfolding before her.


    Each picture showed Tyr having moved multiple feet closer to the fallen Black.


    Finally, Tyr climbed onto the giant''s torso and stood on his chest, clenching his own fist and looking down at the man underneath him with pure malice in his eyes.


    Black spoke, barely able to get his words out, "I..." He said, "Knew this was going to happen. But I would never allow myself to be killed without a challenge... you fucker. You did not deserve it... YOU ARE NOTH--"


    As he began to scream, Tyr said only a single word: "Die..." And with that, he unleashed a punch into the same spot where Sakti had hit the giant.


    Tyr''s fist tore through the man''s torso and ribs, grabbing his still-beating heart.


    ''Its too big to grab...'' Tyr mused, digging all five of his fingers into the organ before pushing his legs into Black''s stomach and thrusting the heart out of his chest.


    Black gagged, coughing up blood as his eyes lost all spark and slowly turned lifeless.


    Tyr raised the heart above his head, the organ still beating as Reana took pictures of the event.


    All those witnessing this event gazed with awe and reverence, relief, joy, and... the satisfaction of retribution.


    As everyone reacted, most rejoicing with eager screams, and some mourning the losses of their lost ones, a robed figure staring at the scene from afar behind a building turned and began to sprint away.


    He quickly disappeared into the distance while panting in shock, ''Our leader is dead...'' He said to himself, ''And he... no, forget about him.''


    He paused, thinking of something before quickly shrugging it off.


    ''Anyways, I have to report what''s important to the world. The head may have been sliced off, but the body will remain as long as the blood still flows. I will cause havoc to Tyr Evolion before I get snubbed out as well...''


    Finally, he looked forward with determined eyes glowing in a bright brown hue: ''I will tell the world that he has the dragon.''


    *


    The day after the event, Reana left to publish her scoop to the world. But before that, she bowed to Tyr with tears trickling down from her eyes like rivers and thanked him wholeheartedly.


    Tyr was a bit surprised by this, not expecting the sudden act. He was completely bandaged up from head to toe, but still stood up on Reana''s request to accept her words of gratitude.


    "Thank you, Tyr! I will never forget this moment until the day I die! I''m sorry for ever doubting you..."


    Tyr was speechless at first, his friends around him near his resting bed.


    However, he smiled after only a moment and replied: "Of course... now go tell the world how strong I am." He grinned.


    Reana couldn''t help but chuckle through her tears as she heard this. Sear?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "I will!" She laughed, still bowing with tears and snot all over her face.


    With that, Reana left, and another day passed. On that following day, a tsunami crashed on the continent of Ainsveld.


    "Are you serious!?"


    "No way..."


    "Who is that kid?"


    That brilliant scene of Tyr holding Black''s heart up for all to see was soon mass-printed and plastered on the walls of almost every major town within Zasea.


    "Let me see! Give that paper to me!"


    "Tyr..."


    "Where did he come from!?"


    The shocking news quickly spread to the highest of media, catching their interests like a delicious grub on a hook and making them take the biggest bite of their lives.


    "Is it another prodigy!?"


    "He looks awesome!"


    "What a monster..."


    All news sources across the Zasea Kingdom began to print out the word of Tyr''s accomplishments, and the destruction of one of the most infamous villain groups in Ainsveld.


    "This is unbelievable..."


    "You''re right... it''s enough to shake up the state of the continent."


    The news spread like wildfire, reaching across the borders of the kingdom and quickly being shared all across the continent within hours.


    "I can''t fathom it... who is this guy!?"


    "That guy was the leader of the Black Merchant Guild!?"


    "I can''t believe they are actually gone... that Tyr kid is a saint!"


    Through Aura announcements, fast newspapers and word of mouth, the grand act of a young, unknown figure going by the name of Tyr Evolion quickly became the talk of every major town and minor city.

 Chapter 156 - 156: Behind The Scenes

    A large hawk soared across the air, darting through the wind toward a certain direction with a small scroll in its possession.


    The hawk entered a room atop a tall tower, releasing its letter to a single knight.


    After reading the letters to himself, the knight stepped forward.


    Before him was a large circular table with six figures sitting around the sides.


    The emperor of Ovalantis, Julius Vell Storm, sighed into the interlocked backs of fingers on which his chin was resting.


    He seemed to have a nonchalant expression, the other 5 pillars of the centerlands staring at him with serious eyes.


    "The news is of that boy that has made recent waves... Tyr Evolion." The knight said in a rough voice.


    Everyone paused, awaiting the words that were going to soon come out of the knight''s mouth.


    A middle-aged looking man donned with frozen blue robes furrowed his brows as he heard that name.


    ''Tyr Evolion...'' He thought to himself, ''I remember saving that brat from my ice chamber. Has he already made waves on this continent? That''s faster than I expected of that kid...'' The ice pillar mused to himself, thinking back to when he met Tyr.


    "He..." The knight paused, taking in a deep breath as he stared at the scroll in front of his face with shock deep in his eyes.


    "Holds the dragon."


    ...


    A long pause ensued. And then... a grin stretched across Julius'' face, his eyes expanding.


    The ice pillar spoke up first on hearing this: "Your information... where is it from?"


    The knight turned to face the light-blue-robed man: "The remnants of the Black Merchant Guild. Along with that, the information has already been confirmed by our own sources..."


    The emperor couldn''t help but chuckle, "Perfect... that''s simply perfect." He said through his pearly whites: "We will put out a continental hunt for the brat." With that, Julius stood up without hesitation.


    The five pillars stood in unison, but the ice pillar spoke out: "Wait, my lord." He lowered his head slightly.


    Julius gazed over at him, "Speak."


    "Let us not rush this. We should know the opinions of the other empires first. They may have other plans... that are more secretive."


    On hearing this, Julius squinted his eyes.


    The other pillars looked at the ice pillar with varying emotions of agreeance and also bewilderment.


    The ice pillar continued as all eyes in the room remained frozen on him: "This is a dragon we are dealing with... and above even that, this is a dragon tamer that we are dealing with. We know not how this boy has managed to tame a dragon... but that sheer fact makes me want to think about things more than normal."


    The tone in the room became more serious as he continued.


    "Caution. We need to proceed with caution. A plan under the sleeves of our empires... I believe that is the only way to succeed. Putting out a public continental hunt would only worsen our chances, I fear."


    Julius paused for a few seconds after hearing this before turning and walking away. As he left the meeting room, he said from behind his back:


    "Propose the hunt to the other kingdoms... we will see what they say."


    *


    Just like that, pitch-black crows soared through the air in all directions, carrying scrolls of their own.


    *


    Days passed along as Tyr and the others spent time recovering in the newly rescued city.


    A new Lrax was chosen and appointed, one with good morals and character, and especially a good background.


    Along with that, whichever person wasn''t too injured had the duty of scouring the city for the days that they were staying there to snuff out and eliminate any Black Slugs that were still roaming around.


    Just like that, an entire week of resting passed.


    While on the surface, the world became increasingly infatuated with the news of Tyr Evolion, underneath the covers, the various empires of Ainsveld had already begun to plot their next plan of action.


    By this point, Tyr had finally gotten back to his normal state. His fast-healing body was to thank for this speedy recovery.


    Noa was also fully recovered thanks to Hanzo''s continued healing after that day when she was burnt to a crisp.


    Tyr stepped out of his resting hut, looking around the village which seemed completely different from what it was when he and his group first arrived there.


    Instead of those empty streets, the roads were now filled with healthy and lively individuals.


    ''The Zasean people are strong-willed... a few days and they have already forgotten the horrors of their past. At least, thats what it looks like on the outside.'' Tyr thought to himself, his eyes gazing at the street before him.


    At that moment, he sensed a unique presence nearby.


    His eyes quickly darted toward a rooftop where he saw a shadowy figure suddenly disappear from the corner of his vision.


    His eyes furrowed immediately as a serious expression came on his face: ''Tsk... there they are again. They have been spying on me for days... and I know that they know that I know.'' He thought to himself.


    ''Spies from kingdoms... I imagine. I don''t sense malice, so I doubt its the Black Merchant Guild, or whatever is left of it anyway. They are probably curious about me since I have shaken the continent slightly by taking down the Black Merchant Guild.''


    Tyr looked down, facing his right palm. At that moment, he had a flash of vision of a bloody hand holding a giant heart.


    ''That day... Reana didn''t take or publish any pictures of Krax Sakti. No one knows that he helped me.''


    He clenched his fist, annoyed, ''Tsk... this exposure... it doesn''t feel like I earned it.''


    At that moment, he heard a series of light steps come from behind him.


    Noa stood beside him, looking at the street before them.


    Hanzo and Malon also arrived from the distance, the four meeting in the middle.


    "You guys finished your routine check for slugs?" Tyr asked the two as they came near.


    "Yep!" Hanzo said, his hands behind his head as he walked carelessly. Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Malon''s body language was also relaxed: "Thankfully, it''s for the last time."


    "Huh?" Tyr raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean? Are we leaving today?"


    Noa stepped forward, "Mmhmm... and about that... we are invited to a meeting. It''s with the Lrax, I hear. A leaving ceremony or something like that."


    Tyr wasn''t really paying attention to Noa''s words at that moment, instead thinking to himself: ''Leaving huh? Hmm... yeah... that''s a good idea. Yes, we are going to leave today as soon as possible. I want to get stronger...


    I think I can do that deeper within Zasea. Maybe we will go to another continent...''


    "Did you hear me?" Noa said out of nowhere, breaking Tyr out of his daydream.


    All three of his teammates stared at him as Tyr recollected his thoughts.


    "Oh... uh... yeah. Let''s go meet him... quickly."

 Chapter 157 - 157: Judgement

    Hundreds of people stood outside of a large marquee in what seemed like a townsquare.


    There were adobe-like stone structures surrounding the tent, much of the architecture still heavily damaged from the battle with Black.


    Despite this, the people of the Zasean city looked to be in a trance of preoccupation with the marquee before them.


    "Right now? You''re saying all of them are in there right now?"


    "I haven''t actually seen them in real life before..."


    "Tyr Evolion... thats the name of him... right? The one who saved us..."


    Murmurs sparked like calm embers surrounding the entrance of the marquee.


    Inside; Tyr, Noa, Malon, and Hanzo all stood before a small table, behind which sat a man who didn''t look a second over 35 years old.


    To the sides of the marquee stood many Zasean soldiers with spears in hand and heads facing the ceiling, rough expressions donning their faces.


    "What you have done for us... we can not thank you more, Tyr." The man said with a tone of genuine gratitude.


    His eyes glanced over at the rest of the Hunter group, "Hanzo, Malon, Noa... I extend this thanks to all of you."


    For a moment, there was silence. The three simply stared at the man before them with bold smiles on their faces.


    And then, Tyr spoke: "He says he wants to thank all of you as well."


    A resounding "Ohh" sounded from the trio.


    Noa chuckled, "Of course, it was the least we could do."


    Tyr translated everything his group said to the new Lrax.


    Hanzo spoke: "We appreciate the kind words."


    Malon finished, wiping the bottom of his nose with a finger as his smile refused to leave his face, "No problem... no need to thank us... hehe."


    That was a bit weird to translate for Tyr, but he still did it, despite how awkward he sounded...


    In the end, all five in the center of the tent had a good laugh.


    "My apologies... I should speak in a language all of you can hopefully understand." The Lrax exclaimed in the mostly universal language of Subworld language that everyone could understand, slightly guilty.


    "Now..." Tyr spoke, "I believe its time for us to go. I also thank you for your hospitality... but we need to move on now."


    The Lrax exhaled deeply as he heard this, "Before that... there is one last thing I would like to say. This is not from me, but rather, it is an order by a higher court."


    Tyr and the other three exchanged short, slightly confused glances with each other.


    The Lrax continued: "This is a decree from not only the Ovalantis Supreme Magistrate... but the Ainsveld Supreme Tribunal, consisting of all empires within the continent..."


    The tone in the room shifted slightly as these words were spoken.


    Tyr''s expression became more serious as he remained silent and allowed the Lrax to continue.


    "Before that, however... I need to know one thing first. Your Hunter Squad name, what is it? It doesn''t seem to exist in the records." The Lrax paused for a short moment, looking over at Hanzo.


    "Unless... is it still Ultimatum? Your old squad name, right?"


    "No." Hanzo simply stated, his gaze unwavering and calm.


    ''Hmm...'' The Lrax mused to himself, ''He is lucky... it seems he has already moved on from them, and no longer has any ulterior feelings even when asked about them to make him lower his head slightly. Good for him, that he found people he could get comfortable with again...''


    After that, the Lrax eyes remained on Hanzo.


    However, Hanzo faced Tyr instead. So did Noa, and Malon.


    Although it was undecided, everyone already subconsciously knew for some reason that Tyr was the leader of this group, and also the one who should have the right to choose the name.


    Noa thought to herself, ''Tyr is the one that keeps this team together and stronger like glue. He is the leader...''


    Malon had similar thoughts, ''Tyr... what will you say?''


    Hanzo smiled slightly: "Go on, captain. This has been your decision from the very beginning."


    He paused, Tyr staring at him with a slightly confused look on his face.


    "You remember, right?" Hanzo smirked, "You said back then when Ultimatum was disbanded... that you had a name already in mind."


    Tyr paused before speaking: "Oh that? Hmm... that was a lie. I just wanted to get back to you." He chuckled.


    "Huh!?" Hanzo exclaimed, slightly irritated at hearing that.


    "But now that I think about it... there doesn''t need to be much thinking when it comes to a name for this squad. Hunter group or not, I think we should be called this from now on..." As Tyr said this, all eyes in the room faced him, and all ears perked up with anticipation.


    ''A name based on truth... and justice. Things that set one free... and things that give anyone solace and satisfaction.'' Tyr thought to himself for a final time before announcing the group name:


    "Judgement... that will be our name."


    The eyes of all those staring at Tyr widened slightly with surprise and awe as they heard those words.


    Slight smiles appeared on the faces of all of Tyr''s teammates, while the Lrax seemed to be taken aback with confusion at that daunting name.


    ''J-judgement? I have no clue what the meaning behind it is...'' He looked over at the other three, ''They seem to be clued in... tsk. I don''t want to seem like a fool here who is the only one to not understand it.''


    "Judgement? I see... a fearsome name indeed. Care to tell us why? Im sure not everyone from your team understands it fully--" The Lrax was cut short.


    "No... we do." Hanzo said, "We don''t need an explanation. That is the perfect name in my book."


    The Lrax looked over at Malon and Noa, who nodded in agreeance.


    ''Tsk!'' The Lrax exclaimed inwardly before putting on a fake smile. Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "I see... anyways, its a very fitting name. I congratulate you all on officially founding your Hunter Squad. Now... it is time for me to reveal why I needed that information."


    Everyone looked at the Lrax again before the man spoke:


    "Your squad, more specifically, the one that Tyr Evolion is a part of, is invited to the Royal Capital of Ovalantis. The reason for this calling is...


    an event hosted at your honor, Judgement." The Lrax faced all of the members of the newly formed Hunter squad as he spoke: "A grand gesture of gratitude that the continent would like to show you for your recent acts of eliminating a very prominent problem within this land."


    This news fell onto the shoulders of the members of Judgement like a mountain. They were taken aback in shock and confusion.


    The Lrax finished his statement: "You all are invited to a banquet thrown in your name... and it is tomorrow."

 Chapter 158 - 158: Not Normal

    "T-tommorow? How the hell do they expect us to get there!?" Tyr instantly reacted.


    The Lrax remained silent.


    "Get there!?" Hanzo replied, "You''ve already decided to go?"


    "No! Im just saying! Thats crazy!" Tyr replied, changing his attention back to the Lrax:


    "This information... when did you receive it?" Tyr asked.


    "Mere hours ago, Sir."


    Tyr took a step back, exhaling with slight frustration.


    Malon shook his head, "Well... what do you want to do?"


    Tyr looked at him, "This is not normal." He looked back at the Lrax, "Do we have a choice in this situation?"


    The Lrax quickly replied, "Sir..." He paused, looking at Tyr with a slightly desperate look in his eyes: "All of the Emperors of Ainsveld will be present, along with many Kings and thousands of other individuals. Im afraid, even though you do have a choice to not go, you would be doing yourself a huge disfavor."


    Tyr sighed, "So thats a no then huh... it''s not like we can make enemies of the entire fucking continent for something like this."


    "So then, you will be going?" The Lrax inquired.


    "We don''t have much of a choice it seems in that department," Hanzo exclaimed.


    *


    The Hunter squad Judgement left the Lrax''s marquee after informing him of their answer.


    Tyr gritted his teeth, "This is not normal." He said again, causing Malon to glance over at him.


    "You''ve said that twice now... what are you talking about? I mean, of course, something like this isn''t normal... but you defeating the damn Black Merchant Guild isn''t exactly normal either."


    Tyr sighed, "We... we defeated him. Anyways, that''s not what I''m talking about. Sure, I expect an event of gratitude I guess. But for all of the Emperors to be there? Above that...


    it feels rushed. Why would they not have more time to prepare? As if they want to do this as soon as possible or something... as though in fear."


    Malon chuckled, "I mean, its continental news. Im sure everyone who would have been there will still be there even if its on a one-day notice. Its not like they can just skip it because they were rushed."


    "Thats true, but still. Giving an earlier notice is what would be normal. That means that something is out of place here..." At that moment, Tyr''s eyes landed on a rooftop, where he spotted another shadowy figure disappear from his vision.


    His eyes squinted at that moment, his brain seeming to move quickly.


    "Wait a second..." He said, his eyes nearly closed, "Spies... and now, a rushed event from all of the kingdoms. Now that I think about it, spies don''t seem to match the good occasion of defeating a villainous group. A small squad of representatives from an empire is what would be more fitting. Spies... they are only signs of danger."


    He sighed.


    "I don''t know why I didn''t see it from this perspective before... but I have a bad feeling that there is malice behind this invitation."


    Hanzo and the others donned serious expressions as they heard this.


    "What you''re saying makes sense... I suppose then that its best for us to prepare beforehand." Hanzo said in a low tone.


    Tyr looked over at Noa, "You''ve broken the Black Merchant Guild''s teleporting Aura Arrays... do you think there''s any way that you can re-create them?"


    Noa faced downwards toward her hand, "Hmm... probably... but it would take me a long time to learn it. Probably over a week."


    "A week that we don''t have." Malon commented.


    Tyr sucked his top teeth, "Tsk... we need a way to quickly leave that place in case it is a..." He leaned inwards, causing the rest of Judgement to do the same.


    "Trap." He whispered, his eyes scanning for any spies.


    Everyone nodded, quickly putting their brains to work.


    "By the way, lets say we manage to find a way to quickly teleport out... how are we going to get there in the first place? I get transportation terminals, but those are only in capital city''s for the most part. Even if we rush, we aren''t getting to a capital city in weeks..." Hanzo exclaimed, not sounding too optimistic.


    Everyone was silent for a moment, but then, Tyr sounded to have an answer: "Its simple... we need to find a way to get there and also a way to get back. Two in one..."


    "That only makes the odds even worse." Malon joked, slightly demotivated.


    "Good." Tyr smirked, "At least we will learn something... hopefully."


    *


    The team spent a while thinking of what to do.


    Noa explored options through the shops of the city, looking at different Aura Array tools to break and create different Aura Arrays.


    Despite this, nothing seemed to be of much help.


    Malon tried his best to think of something, but soon realized that he was as useless as piss when it came to this and gave up.


    Hanzo looked through the city as well, scouring the entire place for different forms of transportation that would be the fastest.


    Tyr did everything that everyone else did... but in the end, he was left stumped.


    Finally, desperate and wanting a solution, he decided to think abstractly.


    ''Tsk...'' He mused, sitting beside the street, seemingly defeated. ''My Planetary Teleportation ability is overpowered. It allows me to teleport across entire planets... but it cant even let me teleport a few thousand miles on a single globe. How silly...''


    At that moment, a realization struck his head, ''Hmm... but what if thats the point? Maybe the ability to teleport great distances isn''t the powerful aspect... but rather, the shorter the distance one can teleport, the more powerful in battle.''


    On thinking to himself, it made sense. sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''GG... all of my spells can evolve and grow stronger, right?''


    [Correct]


    ''Then... if Planetary Teleportation''s base spell power is to teleport between planets, maybe as it evolves, I can teleport shorter and shorter distances...''


    At that moment, Tyr closed his eyes, ''I have nothing else... I guess its worth a shot to atleast take a peek and see if theres even a smidgen of a chance.''


    ''From planets... large distances across planets should be the next one, right? I just hope thats kingdoms apart, and not continents...'' He thought to himself, imagining himself using Planetary Teleportation to get to Ovalantis.


    His eyes scrunched as his brows furrowed, the visualization of where he would arrive suddenly appearing in his head.


    ''Oh shit... it might actually work.'' He smirked, ''I guess its time to evolve the first spell I ever used.''

 Chapter 159 - 159: Teleporting

    A few minutes later, Tyr gathered all of Judgement in one place outside of the village walls.


    He had already explained to them his method of thinking, and what his plan was.


    "I don''t know... I mean... how did you even get this ability? How can you trust it?" Malon asked, not quite convinced.


    Tyr had told everyone that he had a spell that allowed him to transport great distances across planets, but he hadn''t gained much control over it.


    He lied, telling them that it was a power from his Ancestral Ability that he hadn''t used.


    ''I can''t tell them that it allows me to transport across planets... otherwise, they could probably piece together the fact that I came here using this spell,'' Tyr thought to himself, ''Telling them that right now... would just complicate things for no reason. There isn''t a point in doing that.''


    After another minute or so of the team wrapping their heads around Tyr''s idea, they all decided to try it out and see how it goes. S§×arch* The N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Man... it''s awfully coincidental that you have this specific ability right when we need it..." Hanzo said, staring at Tyr with a slightly satirical look in his eyes.


    Tyr simply chuckled awkwardly, "Yep..." he said, still not wanting to reveal his lies.


    He closed his eyes at that moment, the rest of Judgement standing silently around him as they waited.


    "The reason I didn''t want to use this... was because I was afraid I couldn''t come back. However... it''s worth a shot." Tyr said, knowing all of that was a load of bullshit.


    ''Now... it''s time.'' He exhaled deeply before opening his eyes and looking at Hanzo: ''Disappear.''


    He said the wrong spell in his head on purpose, finding it easier to say than ''Planetary Teleportation,'' but since his intentions were the same and pure to what he knew would happen, it worked the same.


    Hanzo abruptly disappeared into thin air without any warning.


    [Congratulations! Your spell [Planetary Teleportation] has evolved.]


    [New Spell learned: World Migration.]


    [Spell Description: Ability to travel far distances across worlds.]


    [All abilities of the unevolved spell are still available.]


    There was no magical effect. No buffering or static in the air.


    One second he was there, and the next, he was gone.


    The members of Judgement turned their heads in shock and confusion as they saw this.


    "Holy shit... it actually worked--" Malon started to say before he vanished into nothing as well.


    Noa slowly turned to face Tyr, feeling fear for some reason, "This is terrifying." She exclaimed, causing Tyr to scoff and smirk.


    "Bye." Tyr said as Noa also disappeared on the spot.


    Finally, Tyr looked back at the village, ''Hmm... I don''t think I ever learned the name of this place.'' He mused.


    He spotted another spy for a split second, shaking his head in disappointment: "I''m going to figure out why you idiots are doing this..." He said in a low tone before finally musing: ''Disappear.''


    ...


    When Tyr opened his eyes again, he was struck with a brightness that made him squint.


    When he slowly opened his eyes, he noticed a bright blue world around him.


    "Oh fuck..." He whispered under his breath, "Don''t tell me this is another planet..." He looked around with dismay.


    But then, he felt a thunk across the back of the head: "You bastard!" Hanzo screamed, "You trapped us back in the ice prison!"


    Tyr turned, a wave of relief washing over him.


    "Oh! Thank god!" Tyr exclaimed with a big smile.


    Hanzo raised a brow, the side of his mouth raising with irritation: "Huhh!?"


    ...


    After a small squabble between the two, the group decided to calm down a bit and reorganize themselves.


    "It''s fine..." Tyr finally said, "I can just order Ares to blast through this place. His flame can easily melt through all this ice."


    "Even if that''s the case... it''s more complicated than that." Noa said in a slightly defeated tone.


    "Look around us... it''s total destruction." She said, causing everyone to take a long gaze at the ruin that they were in.


    ''Now that she says it... this place is completely destroyed. It was where I used Reverse to save myself from the effects of using Full Golden Body for so long.'' Tyr mused, ''When I think back, I remember that guy who carried me out of here saying how I destroyed an entire mountain surrounding Ovalantis... I guess this was that mountain.''


    The crew made their way through the prison and as close to the exit as they could get.


    Hanzo and the others had ventured here without anything like teleportation to meet Tyr, so they sort of knew their way around.


    That being said, the place that they thought was the ''exit'' seemed to be nonexistent, completely blocked off by a wall of debris, stone, dirt, and snow.


    "So you''re telling me..." Malon said, staring at the giant wall of debris in front of him, "We have to tear through an entire mountain to get out of here?" He took a big gulp.


    Tyr chuckled, "That ain''t shit..." He said, stepping up to the plate while rotating his right arm with his left hand on his right shoulder.


    His eyes glowed in a bright golden color as a golden flame sparked and combusted from his forehead.


    Along with that, fur covered parts of his body as he shape-shifted into a half-tiger.


    His fangs grew, as did his claws and muscles.


    Finally, he clenched his fist and lunged his right foot forward, rotating his entire torso and unleashing a punch at full force toward the wall.


    A giant explosion of force ensued, throwing debris everywhere as a crater was torn into the wall of stones.


    However, there still wasn''t any daylight on the other side.


    Tears fell from Noa''s eyes on seeing this, "We will never get out of here!" She cried, "Why couldn''t you have teleported us a few hundred meters that way!"


    Tyr glanced at her before refocusing his attention on the wall of debris, "I guess it''s easier for my brain to teleport to places I''ve been to. Probably because I can imagine it more. Anyway... this should be doable."


    He clenched his fists, Malon and Hanzo also stepping beside him as he cocked back another punch.


    Malon readied his shield to hurl back any projectiles at their same velocity, and Hanzo pulled his bowstring back with three red arrows strung on it.


    "We will make it to that damn event." Tyr exclaimed under his breath as all three of them unleashed their attacks.

 Chapter 160 - 160: Continental Event

    Tyr didn''t just stop with one punch, blasting everything that was in his way with an unrelenting flurry.


    Hanzo''s arrows tore through the debris like butter as he unleashed even more, penetrating several holes through the wall that would quickly fill up again but clear more space each time.


    Finally, Malon stood back with his shield armed.


    With his shield''s new Ancestral Ability, each time a piece of debris from the other two struck his shield, the shield gained even more kinetic energy.


    As they were physical attacks, the shield built up a large amount of force before propelling it forward on Malon''s command, even stronger than the initial power with which it was hit.


    The blasts added to the onslaught by the trio, and within a matter of seconds, a large enough tunnel was dug through the wall of debris to where everyone could rush out safely.


    They ran out, quickly getting on Rudra and the Hoverski before exiting the area.


    There was no hesitation on their part to do this.


    "Let''s get to that event..." Tyr said with a determined look in his eyes as the four traveled down the hill they were on and toward the main city.


    No one else seemed to have any confusion toward this motive. S§×arch* The N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    And just like that, Judgement began their journey to the Continental Thank You Event...


    Across their journey, night fell.


    The next day, Judgement continued to travel to the capital city where the event was to be held that night.


    As they did, the sky began to become darker with time...


    As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting a warm glow over the bustling capital city within Ovalantis, a grand event was starting to kick into gear within the majestic confines of an enormous arena.


    The colossal structure, with its towering columns and intricate mosaics, buzzed with vibrant energy, filled to the brim with nobles and dignitaries from across the continent.


    The atmosphere was alive with excitement, laughter, and animated conversations, as guests in exquisite attire mingled, their voices rising and falling like the waves of a joyful tide.


    Inside, ornate banners hung proudly from the high ceilings, each one representing a different empire, their vivid colors and intricate designs a testament to the power and prestige of those gathered.


    At the center of the arena, a magnificent stage awaited the arrival of the emperors, adorned with lavish floral arrangements and golden accents, signaling the importance of the evening''s festivities.


    Rows of elaborately decorated seating flanked the stage, with plush cushions and intricate carvings, reserved exclusively for the royal figures.


    These thrones gleamed under the soft light of elegant chandeliers, their presence commanding respect and awe from all who dared to look.


    In stark contrast, the lesser nobles and dignitaries occupied the back rows, seated on simpler yet still luxurious benches, their fine garments adorned with elegance but lacking the grandeur reserved for the ruling elite.


    Servants glided gracefully through the throngs of guests, balancing trays of delicacies¡ªdelightfully arranged hors d''oeuvres, sparkling beverages, and sweet confections¡ªeach offering a glimpse of the lavish hospitality expected at such an illustrious gathering.


    The high-status guests were treated with an air of reverence, their every wish attended to with utmost diligence, while the less fortunate members of the assembly received polite nods, their voices often drowned out by the laughter and chatter of the elite.


    Mysterious figures, cloaked in dark fabrics, lingered at the edges of the arena, their faces obscured yet exuding an aura of authority and intrigue.


    They exchanged hushed words, their conversations steeped in veiled intentions and knowing glances.


    The anticipation in the air was electric, a palpable tension that grew with each passing moment, as every eye in the arena glanced toward the grand entrance, eagerly awaiting the arrival of the emperors, and of course... of Tyr Evolion.


    "I wonder what he is like..."


    "A young man who eliminated The Black Merchant Guild, they say? He must be a genius."


    "I can''t believe they threw an event so grand, so fast for this boy... it must be of great importance."


    ...


    Suddenly, the atmosphere shifted.


    The knight who had been standing beside the entrance pillar raised his horn.


    All royals and nobles within the confines of the arena immediately understood what this meant, and they had been eyeing him for the longest by now.


    The emperors were to arrive now...


    "Please welcome the Supreme Emperor of the center lands, High Ruler of the collected species, and Absolute Commander of the Ovalantis Province; his sovereignty, Julius Vell Storm!"


    The air crackled with energy as Julius stepped forward.


    A hush fell over the crowd as he moved with purpose, each step resonating with authority.


    Beside him walked five men who commanded no less respect than Julius himself.


    "The five pillars..." a person exclaimed, in awe of what they were seeing.


    One was a middle-aged man wearing bright light-blue robes.


    Another wore dark blue robes; he was younger¡ªmost likely in his thirties.


    A scrawny man walked alongside them, short and wearing baggy dark green and purple robes.


    There was another, this one wearing bright green and brown robes with a young face no older than 26 and a large leaf hat on his head.


    Finally, behind them all walked a tall figure with a large white beard and long white hair.


    Muscles protruded through his white robes, his skin seemingly glowing as he walked.


    He was older, most likely over 70 years, yet his body looked no older than 35.


    The elegant way Julius carried himself, along with the gleaming diadem across his forehead, commanded immediate respect, and the crowd stood, all even bowing their heads in reverence as he approached his seat.


    "Next, we welcome the High Lord of the southern humans and Emperor of the Rock Saelfine Empire; his glorious, Augustus Cloud Maximillion XII!"


    As the proclamation echoed through the arena, Augustus entered, flanked by slaves who bore him on a grand litter, their faces a mixture of pride and weariness.


    Clad in his flowing red robes and golden crown, he emanated a charisma that drew both admiration and apprehension from the attendees.


    The slaves, while treated with a certain deference, were a stark reminder of the empire''s dark realities, their nature hidden beneath the grandeur of the emperor''s arrival.


    Augustus smirked as he saw the reaction of the crowd.


    They all bowed to him the same, despite how they might have felt depending on their backgrounds.


    He whipped the slaves with a spiked golden lasso one last time before arriving at his seat.


    "Please welcome the Holy Protector of the northern elves and Crown King of Edenharl Garden; his divinity, Syelthus Edenguard!"


    With this announcement, Syelthus glided into view, the fabric of his white and warm-green robe flowing behind him like a gentle breeze.


    His presence brought a sense of calm, and the audience held their breath, awed by the elegance he radiated.


    A slight nod from him brought forth a wave of murmurs, with many commenting on the elven king''s aura of tranquility amidst the chaotic energy of the arena.


    "Next up, we have the High Lord of the eastern dwarfs and Chancellor of the Douden Federation; his powerful, Dristadhumna Mahapra!"


    As the crowd watched, the ground seemed to tremble beneath Dristadhumna''s massive frame.


    He entered the arena, a towering figure in yellowish-brown armor, and as he stepped forward, even the nobles shifted slightly in their seats, feeling the power emanating from him.


    Behind him, a diminutive dwarf kept pace, an emblem of loyalty standing next to his colossal leader.


    Finally, the knight''s voice boomed once more: "Please welcome the High Lord of the western mongrals and Emperor of the Zasea Kingdom; his almighty, Karax Haou!"


    With a fierce presence, Karax ascended the steps, his appearance wild yet commanding.


    The contrast between his unkempt look and the lavish surroundings of the arena added an intriguing element, stirring whispers among the guests.


    The attendees watched in mixed awe and judgment, caught between the roughness of the tribesman and the elegance of their own attire.


    As the emperors took their places on the raised dais, the tension in the arena reached a fever pitch.


    Each one settled into their respective thrones, and the crowd shifted restlessly, eyes wide with anticipation.


    The emperors were here, but still, the most discussed name lingered in the air, the reason for this grand event looming like a shadow over the festivities.


    With the emperors seated, the whispers grew louder, filled with speculation about Tyr''s arrival.


    "Who is this Tyr Evolion, truly?"


    "The boy who conquered the Black Merchant Guild¡­ Will he live up to the expectations?"


    "A young hero or a mere fluke? We''ll find out soon enough¡­"


    The excitement built, the crowd buzzing with a mixture of curiosity and apprehension, their gazes still fixed on the entrance, waiting for the arrival of the hero who had united such a gathering.


    At that moment, Syelthus addressed the other emperors: "He still is yet to arrive." He spoke elegantly.


    There was a short moment of silence before Julius answered: "They have teleported somewhere within my empire... it won''t be much longer now. Until then... we will propose a toast."


    The emperor abruptly stood, turning necks and capturing gazes.


    "Welcome! All ye'' who have graced this grand arena today..." he called out, his voice resonating through the hall, rich and inviting.

 Chapter 161 - 161: Continental Event (2) Entertainment

    The people inside this grand arena weren''t just any old no-name individuals.


    They were the owners of the largest firms and banks across the continent.


    The CEOs of the biggest businesses and the owners of the largest markets.


    Great merchants, medicinal experts, cultivators, and more.


    Royals and nobles flooded the area, making themselves at home with whomever their status aligned to.


    Naturally, existing hierarchies from the past were falling perfectly into place.


    Everyone knew who to talk to, and they also understood not to mingle with anyone else.


    Some, however, broke these barriers.


    They began to create new groups, making more levels in this complicated hierarchy of social status.


    Despite all of these mind games, all eyes were restlessly focused on a single person in this room.


    Mighty or unknown, no person dared to look away from Julius Vell Storm when he stood to speak.


    "This is an event that marks a great accomplishment in the history of our beloved continent, Ainsveld.


    As I am sure you have all heard by now, the Black Merchant Guild has been eliminated," Julius boldly said, causing murmurs and whispers of awe and impression to calmly ripple through the crowd.


    As Julius'' voice sounded again, everyone quieted down in respect.


    "The person who contributed to this achievement the most was none other than a young man of this very continent, Tyr Evolion."


    A short burst of cheers sounded.


    "As of right now, Tyr and his Hunter Squad, Judgement, are steady in their travels to this event." He paused.


    The crowd whispered amongst each other with varied emotions.


    "He isn''t already here?"


    "That''s a bit disrespectful... no?"


    "Oh... he will be here soon, I hope."


    "Who does he think he is!? I gave up one of the most important meetings of my life to be here..."


    "I doubt he will get punished either... the event is thrown in his honor after all."


    Most of the backlash was quite negative.


    Those who had rushed to this sudden event were important figures, after all, who had sacrificed quite a lot to come here.


    "This event will only formally begin upon Tyr Evolion''s arrival.


    But, of course, for us, it has already begun."


    He smiled with charm.


    The arena broke out into a light hum of laughter.


    "Until Tyr arrives, however, I would like to honor his origins.


    He hails from the small yet prominent Dynasty of Series!"


    On announcing this, a cheer sounded through the arena as a row of individuals near the center stage stood up. S§×arch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    In their mix was a bearded man no older than 45, his hair a rich brown color.


    He wore red and white robes, had a beautiful silver crown on his head, and also had a large red cloak attached to his back.


    With a smile, he turned and waved to the crowd around him.


    As he and his group sat down, he spoke to them under his breath, "Never did I think I would get flowers for something I am not involved with whatsoever..."


    The people in his row chuckled upon hearing this.


    "I''ve never even met the boy myself... I can''t imagine how he managed to complete the gargantuan task."


    As the king of Series said this, a young girl next to him tugged on his robe.


    "The task of taking down the Black Merchant Guild?" she asked in a soft and high-pitched voice.


    The king turned to face her with a kind expression, patting her head.


    "No, honey.


    The gargantuan task of finding their base..."


    People stopped their chatter as Julius spoke again:


    "Now... while we wait for Tyr, the entertainment will begin."


    With a smile, Julius stood for the arena as they erupted into applause and cheer.


    After a few seconds, he sat down, the cheers still roaring on.


    When he sat down, he stopped smiling and glanced over at Augustus Cloud Maximillion XII, Emperor of Rock Saelfine.


    Augustus smirked, snapping his fingers.


    As he did this, a small group of white-robed mages to the side of the stage lifted their hands.


    The thrones of the five emperors were slid across the stage all the way to the back, as if gliding over water.


    Now, over 50 by 50 feet of free space was left on the stage before them, available for all the crowd to see.


    "Let us see what all of the Empires have brought for us to see..." Augustus spoke, his voice a mix of posh elegance and pompous arrogance.


    The crowd cheered for a moment before Augustus continued:


    "First, we will see what the artistical talents of Edenharl Garden have to show us."


    A group of four tall, lanky elves with pale skin and pristine white and light-green robes made their way to the stage.


    As they did, a few figures who were new to such large events questioned their freshly made friends:


    "Entertainment? Is that what Emperor Augustus said?"


    "Yes," a man beside him answered.


    "It is tradition that all empires show their artistic talents on the continental stage.


    Artists from each continent work tirelessly to create impressive artwork and even have tournaments to see who will represent their empire on this very stage..."


    "Ahh... I see.


    I guess this is going to be quite the show then."


    He eagerly chuckled.


    As the crowd settled into a hushed anticipation, the four elves took their positions on the stage.


    With a wave of each of their hands, various instruments created from natural plants grew out and materialized from the ground.


    The elves began to play their natural instruments.


    The lead elf, with cascading silver hair, lifted a bamboo flute to her lips.


    As she blew into it, a soft, melodious sound floated through the air, reminiscent of a gentle breeze rustling through the leaves.


    The second elf, tall and graceful, struck a large drum crafted from a hollowed log, its surface adorned with intricate carvings of forest creatures.


    With each beat, the drum echoed like the heartbeat of the forest, deep and resonant, sending vibrations rippling through the floor of the arena.


    As the third elf joined in, he played a stringed instrument made of plant fibers, plucking its strings with delicate precision.


    The notes danced like sunlight filtering through the canopy of trees, adding a layer of warmth to the melody.


    The final elf, adorned with vines woven into his hair, raised his hands to the sky.


    He closed his eyes, channeling the ambient sounds of nature.


    With a gentle motion, he conjured the sounds of chirping birds and the gentle gurgle of a nearby stream.


    The arena filled with the illusion of a serene forest, where nature thrived in perfect harmony.


    As the performance unfolded, the elves began to weave their melodies into a narrative, depicting the beauty of their homeland.


    The music told the tale of the ancient trees that stood watch over the land, of crystal-clear rivers that flowed with life, and of the vibrant flora and fauna that danced in the wind.


    Suddenly, in a brilliant display of magic, the fourth elf summoned shimmering lights that danced above the stage, illuminating the arena in a dazzling array of colors.


    As the final note resonated through the arena, a moment of silence enveloped the crowd, hearts racing in exhilaration.


    Then, a wave of applause erupted, echoing through the grand hall like a gentle rain on leaves.


    Cheers and gasps of admiration filled the air, with many audience members on their feet, captivated by the experience they had just witnessed.


    The lead elf smiled, her eyes sparkling with joy.


    "Thank you, honored guests, for sharing in our song.


    May the music of nature forever resonate within your hearts."

 Chapter 162 - 162: Continental Event (3) Play

    As they took a bow, Augustus sat back in his chair.


    "Tsk..." He spoke in a low tone, "That peasant still isn''t here... bastard." Augustus suddenly gritted his teeth in anger.


    The other emperors faced him.


    For a few seconds, there was silence.


    And then, Karax Haou of Zasea said something:


    "Don''t spoil the surprise... soft skin." He said in a deep and calm voice, facing forward.


    Augustus raised a brow, looking toward Karax with an offended look on his face:


    "What did you just call me? You dare wish to speak like that again, you savage brute?" Augustus retorted in irritation.


    This prompted Karax to slowly turn his head toward the emperor of Rock Saelfine, a hint of malicious intent unable to help but leak out of him.


    Syelthus shook his head in disappointment on seeing this.


    "Fools..." Dhum said under his breath, equally disappointed.


    In the mix of this small altercation, Julius'' voice interjected: "Stop... both of you."


    On hearing this, both Augustus and Karax glanced toward Julius, who had a stern look on his face.


    Augustus rolled his eyes before sitting back even further into his throne.


    Karax, on the other hand, had a different reaction: "Don''t tell me what to do, kid." He exclaimed, abruptly standing up.


    "Where are you going?" Julius asked.


    "I''ll be back before the main event." Karax exclaimed before disappearing.


    Julius exhaled.


    ''Children... I have immature children as emperor comrades...'' He also shook his head.


    Soon after this, the other empires showcased their artwork.


    The Douden Federation showcased a marvelous moving statue made of iron.


    Ovalantis showed a small galaxy created before the eyes of the very people within the arena.


    And finally, Zasea showcased a monstrous beast that threatened to destroy the entire arena itself, scaring the shit out of some folk.


    However, none of these came even close to surpassing Edenharl Garden''s art.


    In the end, over half an hour passed before it was finally time for Rock Saelfine''s art team to have a go.


    Augustus seemed bored up until this point.


    But now, he rose slightly in his seat with a smile on his face as he saw dozens of slaves line the stage.


    "Finally... something that actually seems fun." He said.


    Dhum looked at him, thinking: ''Damn demon... he only fancies things that result in slaves getting hurt.


    If it wasn''t for his position, I would have buried him by now.'' He clenched his jaw.


    The crowd looked on with anticipation and slight anxiety as to what Rock Saelfine had in store this time.


    Every time their art was shown, it would usually result in a horrifying ending where something would go very wrong... on purpose.


    The people on stage were easily identifiable as slaves due to the metal shackles on their hands and feet, but other than that, they wore different clothing than that of a slave.


    Some were dressed in brown robes, others in pristine clothing and robes. S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Others were clad in knight''s armor, and others were wearing simple attire.


    "This... is a play of how Tyr defeated the Black Merchant Guild!" One of the slaves exclaimed.


    The crowd paused for a moment, taking this slightly shocking revelation in before applauding in amusement.


    And so, the play went on.


    A young man dressed as Tyr was painted in a golden color.


    He also had lanterns on his shoulders which were burning in a golden flame¡ªgiving the illusion of what Tyr looked like in the newspapers and media videos.


    The fake Tyr stood before three other figures, the fake members of Judgement.


    They were all dressed similarly but were hideous compared to the real group.


    Despite this, they had a full-on brawl against multiple other members who were dressed in brown robes and knight''s armor.


    There was also one taller figure who resembled a fake Black, leader of the guild.


    In the play, the members of Judgement fought with the Black Merchant Guild members as Tyr took on Black.


    As the battle seemed to be lost, in a final display of power, Tyr took down the villain and grabbed his heart from out of his chest.


    Of course, the fake Tyr grabbed a fake heart.


    He raised it in the air as the crowd cheered, and crushed it, causing fake blood to explode all over the stage.


    As the applause settled, the fake Tyr walked toward the crowd and faced them while panting.


    "I... will be the king!" The valiant Tyr exclaimed, causing an amused and surprised reaction from the crowd, like a parent listening to the bold wishes of their child.


    Then, a golden crown appeared on Tyr''s head, matching his golden flames and skin.


    The play ended with that brilliant display, and the crowd erupted into a roar of cheer and applause once again.


    However, in the process of the celebration, Augustus'' voice broke through the noise: "Blasphemy!" He screamed in anger all of a sudden.


    The crowd immediately quieted down on hearing this, fearful and confused.


    Augustus stood up, a vein popping out of his forehead in anger.


    The slave playing as Tyr turned and faced the emperor with a fearful expression.


    "W-what is the matter, your glory?" He said in a meager, shaky tone.


    "Slave..." Augustus began to speak, clearly seething with anger, "Not only do you speak back to me... as if you and I are equals... but you dare wear a golden crown in the presence of the Emperor!?"


    A wave of gasps fueled by shock and realization washed through the crowd.


    The slave paused for a millisecond before quickly taking the golden crown off his head.


    "I-I am terribly sorry!" The slave fell onto his knees, "The crown represents Tyr''s golden powers.


    It did not mean to offend your authority at all, your glory!"


    Augustus snarled, "Damn slave still wants to blabber in my ear... hawk tuah!"


    The Emperor spat in the direction of the slave in disgust before continuing:


    "No king in this continent dares to wear a golden crown.


    Even those from the largest kingdoms below the five empires... or even those ruling the five empires... besides me, and me alone!" Augustus'' voice echoed through the deadly silent arena.


    The slave was on the floor, panting into the ground with wide eyes of horror.


    With a disdainful expression from Augustus, the slave exploded out of nowhere from the inside.


    Their blood and organs were splattered across the stage, as a gasp rippled across the crowd.


    "Do not forget thy prestige!" Augustus roared, "I alone wear the golden crown!"

 Chapter 163 - 163: Continental Event (4) Entrance

    The other performing slaves shook in fear, but were frozen by it as well.


    They were unable to move from their bowing positions.


    The arena was quiet.


    The atmosphere... awkward.


    But, this was slightly expected of the Emperor of Rock Saelfine.


    In the midst of the silence, Karax Haou''s presence blessed the arena once again.


    Appearing in the sky a few meters above his throne at the center of the hall.


    As he floated down, all eyes were drawn to him.


    With a nonchalant expression, he said: "They are here."


    *BANG*


    The door to the entrance suddenly blasted open.


    Without delay, all eyes darted toward the noise.


    Behind the gates were four figures almost outlined by the darkness behind them.


    Tyr stood in the middle with his hands extended, seemingly having pushed the doors open.


    He had a slight smirk on his face as he muttered under his breath, "Whoops... I didn''t know the doors were so loose."


    He began to walk forward with a calm yet confident strut.


    His team followed behind him.


    Silence flooded the room as the eyes of everyone inside the arena fell onto them.


    You could taste the judgment in the air.


    Tyr led with a slight smile and wide eyes.


    Malon walked to his left, a 7-foot-tall giant capturing many gazes.


    Noa was to the left, Ol'' Betsy resting on her shoulders with one hand on the trigger.


    Finally, Hanzo walked at the back of the group with his hands behind his head and his eyes closed, giving a composed aura.


    As Judgement walked forward, whispers began to quickly build up.


    "So that''s them, huh..."


    "Quite the dramatic entrance..."


    "They look fearsome."


    "They are younger than I expected."


    "They took down the Black Merchant Guild? Wow..."


    "That''s a bit hard to believe..."


    Various opinions were shared between the crowd members.


    On seeing Tyr and his team approach, Julius faced them with a growing grin and a sparkle in his eyes.


    Judgement arrived about 50 meters away from the center stage, at which point they stopped.


    Julius inhaled to speak on seeing this, but before he could get a word out, Tyr spoke:


    "Nice to meet you, Emperors!"


    Tyr said in a lone tone, followed by a few seconds of silence.


    People in the crowd looked at each other with confused faces for a second.


    "Did he seriously just say that?"


    "Does he have no respect?"


    "I get it''s his event... but he should be more humble..."


    People began to quickly gossip.


    However, Tyr''s team members didn''t seem to have anything to say against his words, fully sticking with it.


    Hanzo wasn''t impressed inwardly, ''That''s not... a great way to speak with the emperors. But, that''s a conversation to have in private. Right now, Tyr is our captain... dismissing anything he says is a sign of weakness for not just him, but the entire squad.''


    On seeing that this was Judgement''s introduction, Julius laughed, "Hahaha! Amusing! You are quite amusing, Tyr! That''s good, I like you!"


    As Julius said this, a more light-hearted tone was created.


    The crowd members finally became less tense, seeing that Emperor Julius had not taken offense to Tyr''s introduction.


    "Welcome to the banquet held in your honor, Tyr."


    Julius paused.


    For a few seconds, there was nothing but silence.


    Then... whispers began to spread again.


    "Why... have they still not bowed even once?"


    "What are they doing?"


    "Have they never met royalty before?"


    "This is disrespectful!"


    As these murmurs grew, Hanzo and Malon were gritting their teeth in nervousness.


    ''Damn it! Why hasn''t he bowed yet!?''


    ''We can only bow after our leader... or else that would just single him out as being disrespectful.''


    "Thanks..." Tyr said, pausing for a moment himself before saying, "But I have a question."


    Julius raised a brow, "Go ahead... it is your event after all."


    He smiled.


    "Why... did you send spies to keep track of me, instead of informing me of your plans earlier? A formal invitation of sorts could have sufficed..."


    Tyr spoke with a straight face.


    His squad members were shocked by this, but hid their inner thoughts behind their stoic faces.


    The crowd, on the other hand, didn''t hold back their surprise.


    "Isn''t that a bit out of line?"


    "Why is he being so direct? Does he know who he''s talking to?"


    "I think this fame went to his head..."


    Julius was also taken aback by that question, but smiled with closed eyes on hearing it, "Hmm... you actually addressed something that I was about to get to."


    Tyr clenched his jaw, "Right..." He said in a low tone.


    ''I still don''t have a great feeling about this...'' He thought to himself, his intuition blaring alarms in his head.


    "The reason why we sent spies is because..."


    Julius paused again as the anticipation in the crowd reached its peak.


    "You, Tyr Evolion, have been declared a treasonous criminal against all five Empires, and a threat to the continent of Ainsveld."


    Julius'' tone suddenly switched from light-hearted to stone cold.


    His eyelids lowered as his chin raised, a disdainful look on his face.


    A wave of gasps rippled through the crowd as Julius'' words echoed across the arena.


    Every person a part of Judgement furrowed their brows except for Tyr.


    In a mere second, three figures appeared behind Hanzo, Noa, and Malon.


    They were quickly captured and taken away, leaving Tyr completely alone.


    His eyes looked to the left and right, his face still seemingly calm at that moment.


    Hanzo had been captured by Thaddeus of all people and taken to the left of the floor in front of the stage.


    Noa had been captured by the Ice Pillar of Ovalantis and taken to the back of the floor.


    And finally, Malon had been captured by Krax Sakti and taken to the left.


    These were all figures that Tyr had slight previous encounters with.


    Even if that did have a meaning, Tyr wasn''t going to think about it right now.


    He was already heavily preoccupied with the five Emperors before him.


    He stared at them with an unwavering gaze, not backing down whatsoever.


    Augustus spoke from his throne, a slimy smirk on his face, "Tyr Evolion! You hold it... you hold the Fire Dragon!"


    The crowd was astonished to hear this, even more gasps and dramatic noises of bewilderment reverberating through the arena.


    "He has the dragon!?"


    "This was all a setup!"


    "I can''t believe it!"


    "I knew it! I knew this was too unrealistic to be true."


    At that moment, Tyr finally furrowed his brows and stared at Augustus with an irritated glare.


    On seeing this, Augustus immediately stopped grinning, a disdainful expression donning his face as he locked down on Tyr.


    "What? Are you going to do something about it? Huh, Dragon Tamer?" S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Augustus suddenly broke out into a snickering chuckle, "P-pahaha!"


    Tyr didn''t say anything, allowing Augustus to continue.


    "Your following options are simple, boy... the first one is... you release the dragon right now, and you and your entire squad are allowed to walk out of this arena."


    After a short pause, Augustus chuckled before saying, "In chains, and into the dungeons! Kahaha!"


    Tyr still didn''t say anything.


    Seeing this, Augustus'' tone changed to disdain again as he said, "Or... you can choose the second option."


    He paused, staring deep into Tyr''s eyes as he raised his chin in a condescending look, "You walk up here and lick my feet... if you do that, I will let you and your entire squad walk home scot-free... this is a Supreme Decree."

 Chapter 164 - 164: Continental Event (5) Dragon Holder

    On hearing that last part, even the other Emperors glanced at Augustus with slightly surprised looks.


    "Oi... we didn''t discuss that. You can''t just give out Supreme Decrees whenever you want," Karax exclaimed in a low tone.


    Julius added: "Karax is right... be wise, Augustus."


    The ruler of Rock Saelfine scoffed and ignored the words of the other emperors.


    The crowd was taken away with astonishment and at a loss for words right now.


    Silence had filled the entire arena after Lord Augustus'' proposal.


    Tyr faced the ground, his expression shadowed.


    All eyes were glued onto him right now without a single second of relief.


    Anticipation in the crowd rose to the roof as Tyr stood there silently.


    Finally, the young man began to slowly walk forward and up the steps to the stage. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The crowd gasped as they speculated what was about to happen.


    "Wow... Emperor Augustus really is too cruel."


    "Oi! Don''t say that! He might hear you..."


    "I think that brat deserves it! It''s a reality check..."


    Tyr slowly made his way across the stage, even the other Emperors staring at his every movement intensely.


    Julius exhaled, as though a bit tense.


    ''This boy... why can''t I tell his intentions right now? It seems obvious what he is going to do... but he doesn''t know that he holds the power in this situation right now.''


    Dhum furrowed his brows as he mused: ''He holds the Dragon... to injure him would be for this continent to insult the entire world.''


    Karax clenched his jaw.


    ''Surely this fool won''t get too emotional and try to do something to this boy... it will not end good for Ainsveld.''


    Syelthus squinted.


    ''Stay calm... Augustus. I don''t know what you think you are doing... but it''s too risky,'' he said inwardly.


    Tyr arrived a few feet away from Augustus'' feet.


    The emperor was grinning widely while facing the young man before him.


    "TYR!" Hanzo''s voice suddenly rang from the side.


    "Don''t you dare do it!" he yelled, capturing the crowd''s attention for a second.


    At that moment, Tyr smiled under his breath, his face still facing the ground and shadowed.


    With a chop to the back of the neck, Hanzo was knocked out by Thaddeus at that moment.


    Everyone locked back onto Tyr, who arrived a mere foot away from Augustus.


    Finally, he raised his head.


    He stared at Augustus'' stupid smile with a serious look in his eyes, before suddenly smirking.


    "You... can''t do shit to me, can you?" Tyr said out of nowhere, leaning down and getting mere inches in front of Augustus'' face.


    "Don''t think I can''t read the room... I am the Dragon holder... you can''t fucking touch me, bug."


    Tyr grinned, his eyes widening as exhilaration surged through his veins.


    The crowd was blown away by this sudden reaction, utterly puzzled by what they were seeing.


    Noa and Malon smiled wholeheartedly as they saw this.


    The other Emperors had shocked expressions as well, stunned for a moment by Tyr''s words.


    Augustus'' smile instantly faded, his grip on his throne armrest tightening all of a sudden.


    "Now..." Tyr stomped his foot forward.


    "Lick my foot, or else I''m going to kill this damn Dragon you love so much."


    He grabbed Augustus by the hair.


    Jaws dropped to the floor all across the arena, eyes nearly popping out of their sockets from shock.


    All of the other Emperors seemed to raise their guards as they heard Tyr''s threat.


    ''No...'' Julius mused.


    ''Why did you provoke him? He can''t hold himself bac-'' Before he could even finish his thought, a monstrous blast of killing intent exploded out of Augustus--crashing onto the arena like a tsunami.


    A golden flame instantly combusted onto Tyr''s forehead.


    He entered Full Golden Body as all fear instantly vanished from his mind.


    He stared down at Augustus with a condescending look, as if he was a mere insect.


    The crowd on the other hand was assaulted with a ruthless force.


    Many passed out from the pressure, others forced onto their knees.


    Stronger figures were still standing, but horrified by the emperor''s overwhelming aura.


    "Peasant..." Augustus spoke in a deep and slow tone.


    "Get your damn filthy hand off of my head."


    He suddenly stood up faster than Tyr could even fathom.


    Tyr''s hand was propelled backward simply from the force of Augustus standing up.


    However, in that millisecond of time, all four of the other Emperors appeared around Augustus and instantly seized him.


    They all held onto his hands, shoulders, and back--completely immobilizing him.


    Julius stared into Augustus'' eyes with an intense gaze of his own.


    "Stop your foolishness at this instance."


    Augustus seemed to be far too furious to be rational right now.


    His eyes were locked onto Tyr.


    "That bastard dares to touch me... he will die."


    At that moment, Karax stepped forward and lifted Augustus by the collar.


    "No... if you continue, you will die." He said in a deathly serious tone, releasing his own bloodlust.


    Powerful members of each empire stood back, prepared to jump in at any moment.


    "What did you just say to me, you savage brute?" Augustus exclaimed, clearly highly offended.


    Karax replied in a low tone.


    "Do something... let''s see if you care about your life.


    If you think you can truly beat me in combat, even with all of your Supreme Guardians in this arena fighting along with you, then try your best."


    For a few seconds, there was a silent standstill where the auras of the two Emperors clashed.


    Thaddeus stared at Augustus and Karax with wide eyes.


    ''Lord Augustus is in danger... but I will only lessen his chances of survival if I try anything... damn it... why did he go and piss off Karax Haou...''


    In the end, Augustus closed his eyes--erasing his killing intent from the arena.


    Karax immediately let go of the man''s collar, erasing his bloodlust all the same.


    "Smart decision..." he exclaimed as Augustus sat back down.


    Tyr was shocked on seeing this.


    ''Is there such a difference between their power?


    Just how powerful is the king of Zasea if even that bastard and Thaddeus combined can''t beat him!?''

 Chapter 165 - 165: Continental Event (6) Significance

    The crowd was at a loss for words. Thousands of quiet murmurs and whispers flooded the arena, but no one dared to speak up.


    "What in the world is going on..."


    "What am I witnessing right now?"


    "I never thought such a crazy day would come..."


    "A peasant still stands after insulting Lord Augustus... who truly is that boy?"


    ...


    Augustus sat in his chair with a shadowed face.


    Karax Haou, Dhum, Syelthus, and Emperor Julius faced Tyr, with the latter standing at the center.


    Tyr stared back with golden eyes of brilliance and might. "What do you all want to do? I have the power to butcher this Dragon at my slightest whim... will you risk that chance?"


    Tyr''s pupils darted side to side, glancing at his captured squad members. Slight worry crossed his mind.


    "Do not bluff too much... boy." Dhum said with a fierce look on his face. "You have no proof to back up what you are saying. We will not blindly believe anything you say--"


    The giant Emperor was cut off abruptly: "Oh yeah? If that were true, then I wouldn''t be standing here right now. If you truly did not believe me whatsoever, you would have already seized me. Yet, you haven''t."


    The crowd gasped, understanding that Tyr seemingly had the complete advantage in this situation.


    Dhum looked around as he heard this reaction from the crowd, flushed with irritation and slight embarrassment.


    "Even if I have no proof," Tyr continued, "You all have no choice but to believe me. I have nothing to lose when I kill this dragon... yet you all... you all have everything to lose."


    Julius widened his eyes slightly. ''The words he is using... he said "when" instead of "if." It''s either the case that this boy is extremely good at bluffing... or he is fully convinced that he will kill this dragon. We need to stop him somehow.'' He began to worry as he realized this.


    Without delay, Julius spoke: "Let''s calm down... we got off on the wrong foot."


    "Oh, I''ll say... the worst foot possible, actually." Tyr replied with a pissed-off tone.


    There was a standstill between him and the emperors.


    ''I thought we could manipulate him quite easily... but to think that he is one of the few rare individuals born in this continent to not have horrible fear of our authority... it''s like he wasn''t even born here.'' Julius thought to himself, quickly trying to think of a way to reach his goal of obtaining the dragon.


    After a couple of seconds, he raised his voice. "Unfortunately... it seems there is no going back anymore. There is only one way to end this drama."


    Tyr squinted his eyes as he heard this. The crowd was equally confused, listening closely to what the emperor had to say.


    "If we let you leave, the dragon will slip out of our fingers, and possibly lead to calamity. And if we attempt to capture you, you say you will kill this dragon. One way or the other, it will lead to the endangerment of our continent. We cannot have that..."


    As Julius continued, Tyr furrowed his eyebrows in slight nervousness. ''Tsk... he''s figuring out what his best option is as we speak... damn smart fucker. I guess there is a reason he is an Emperor. Right now, their best option would be to try and capture me anyway, as that is the only option in which they at least have even a slight chance of getting the dragon.


    Otherwise, their chances are zero.''


    "I''m sorry... Tyr, but you and your squad will have to die." Julius said in a low tone.


    As soon as he said this, Tyr felt several presences appear behind him.


    ''Behind...'' He thought to himself, his eyes darting to the side. ''They intend to kill me right here...''


    He closed his eyes. ''Blink Step.'' He suddenly disappeared, reappearing behind the four figures who had lunged toward him.


    He looked forward, noticing that they were the four other pillars of Ovalantis.


    They turned as they realized Tyr had managed to avoid their attacks.


    At that moment, Tyr smirked. "Fuck," he said out loud. ''If I didn''t have full golden body, their sheer bloodlust would have melted my damn skin by now.''


    He paused for a moment before thinking to himself with a slight and nervous smile. ''I might actually have to give you over, Ace.''


    ''What did you just say, human? Don''t fucking joke around with me...''


    ''I''m sorry...'' Tyr replied, his eyes closed.


    ''I respect you... Tyr Evolion Thalonis. However, I believe you fail to understand my worth.''


    ''Don''t you understand the circumstance that I am in? It''s either I give you over, or I die, and you are still taken.''


    ''...'' Silence was all that came from Ace.


    Tyr continued: ''Ace... I promise... even if I have to risk my life several times over, I will come and rescue you. Right now, however, I am guaranteed to die.''


    Acres seemed to stay quiet for a while longer before finally breaking out into a slight chuckle. ''Hahaha!''


    Tyr exhaled, furrowing his brows in slight confusion. ''Have you gone mad?''


    ''I am a dragon,'' Ares said intensely, ''Born of the blood of the gods. I hold the gifts of all those who hold power in high regard. Immortal, I reign over the world as a single deity of hope yet catastrophe.''


    Tyr didn''t say anything, understanding that Ares was probably furious right now.


    ''Civilizations have risen and fallen while the eyes of my ancestors have watched from the skies. Societies have worshipped us as Gods, and other cultures have created kingdoms simply to fight us off. Do you understand what I am saying, Tyr Evolion Thalonis?''


    ''No... I don''t.''


    ''Heh...'' Ares scoffed. ''Don''t worry, I figured that.'' S§×ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''Tell me then... what is your purpose in saying all of this?''


    After a short pause, Ares exclaimed with a confident tone. ''A Dragon is this great... but not even a fraction as great... as a Dragon Tamer.''


    At that moment, Tyr''s eyes widened as realization flooded his mind. All of what Ares had said... was about him all along.


    By casting dragons in such a grand light, he was instead trying to make Tyr understand just how significant Dragon Tamers were, or in other words, how significant Tyr was.


    ''I see...'' Tyr finally seemed to understand. ''So that means that--'' He was cut off.


    ''Yep... as of right now, every major faction across Subworld is coming here right now as we speak... to protect and harness a Dragon Tamer.''

 Chapter 166 - 166: Continental Event (7) Another Power Arrives...

    "Julius," Tyr abruptly exclaimed. The four pillars, and five emperors stared back at him with slight hostility.


    "Give me time to decide... whether I will surrender or not." Tyr wanted to delay as much as possible in hopes of the other factions around the world arriving.


    ''If they come here, I will have a better chance at escaping alive...'' This was his main train of thought.


    Julius frowned, "Unfortunately, that privilege of yours has already been lost. You have no choice... you will die here today, Tyr."


    Tyr clenched his jaw on hearing this.


    "Tsk..." One of the younger pillars stepped forward. His face was serious as he raised his hand, "Rain Stampede," he said under his breath.


    After a mere second, thousands of water droplets formed in the air before the man.


    They conjoined together to form a large bull while not making full contact. The bull snarled before dragging its feet across the ground and rampaging toward Tyr.


    It was fast, almost too fast for Tyr to react. He immediately understood the power behind this attack.


    These clearly weren''t just normal rain droplets, but droplets infused with high amounts of Aura that would most likely explode and release lethal shockwaves of force on contact.


    The crowd held their breath as the bull neared mere feet away from Tyr.


    Tyr reacted as fast as he could, but the bull seemed to only accelerate in speed as it traveled.


    It came a foot away from the young man when he muttered, "Flame Breath..." under his breath, having already activated the Dragon Soul Mend.


    A blast of blazing inferno exploded out from his mouth, rushing forward and clashing with the bull.


    The water droplets, as expected, exploded on contact and sent powerful shockwaves throughout the area.


    The wind made Tyr slide back slightly, but he was unharmed.


    The raging dragon fire tore through the bull, rushing toward the stage with the emperors and pillars.


    With raised eyes of surprise, everyone quickly evacuated the stage.


    The fire continued, reaching the other side of the arena before slamming into a wall and obliterating through it before finally calming down.


    The emperors who had moved to the side looked at the impact of the fire, and then back at Tyr with slightly bewildered expressions.


    "You... can use the flame of the dragon?" Karax said, seemingly puzzled with surprise.


    ''A disastrous ability... even with our power, stopping Dragon Fire is not something in our capability... thankfully its speed is still uncultivated. However, if this young man were to become stronger, and master this flame, he would grow far too powerful to control,'' he thought to himself, raising his guard.


    "We cannot afford to underestimate this boy," Karax said, suddenly stepping forward.


    "I will have to--" He was abruptly interrupted.


    "NO!" Augustus'' voice, seething with rage, echoed from behind.


    "If any emperor is going to butcher that brat, let it be me." He glided forward.


    Tyr stood back, preparing himself for the incoming attack of a damn emperor.


    ''Tsk... how long will these factions take!?'' Ares remained quiet.


    ''Master!'' Rudra instead spoke up, ''Let me out... I will sacrifice my life so that you can escape.''


    Tyr smirked slightly on hearing this.


    ''I''m glad you are willing to do that... but unfortunately, your life will only be lost for no reason if I do that.''


    Augustus unleashed his bloodlust onto Tyr.


    Of course, Tyr felt no fear. However, despite not feeling fear, he still felt how powerful those waves of spiritual energy were.


    ''He''s no joke...'' Tyr thought to himself.


    Augustus disappeared out of nowhere, causing Tyr to dart his head around.


    ''Above? Below?'' he questioned as he looked around.


    "Die..." A stone-cold voice sounded from seemingly out of nowhere.


    Tyr''s eyes expanded at that moment.


    ''Fuck... I will have to use Disappear to get away. But... I don''t know if I can think clearly of transporting to another place on Subworld if I don''t have enough time. I need to have peace of mind to carefully envision where I want to go, or else I get teleported to another plane--''


    Tyr felt Augustus'' presence suddenly appear behind him, his eyes opening with shock.


    Time seemed to slow down as he slowly turned his head past his shoulder, seeing a glimpse of Augustus'' face behind him.


    The emperor''s hand was raised, thrusting toward Tyr''s back at an unfathomably quick speed.


    ''Too... fast.'' These were Tyr''s last thoughts before Augustus'' hand made contact with his body.


    BOOOM


    Tyr was suddenly propelled across the arena like a fly swatted out of the air.


    His entire body went limp for a second from the immense pressure and pain traversing through his body.


    [Vitality: 100/125]


    ''But I''m... not that injured?'' he questioned as he slammed into a wall and landed on the floor, his nose bleeding slightly.


    He quickly looked back to see what had happened, and that was when his jaw gaped wide open in shock.


    Augustus'' hand had been stopped mid-attack, clutching by the grasp of an unknown figure.


    Augustus was frozen in place, his hand shaking in struggle yet unmoving.


    He looked at the tall man who was holding his hand with a confused and furious look.


    ''Who is this!? Trying to move my hand feels like attempting to get it out from under a mountain!''


    The man who had appeared had a calm expression. sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    They had long blue hair and dull blue eyes.


    Their attire was a mix of blue and white, and they looked to be no older than 35 in terms of age.


    "You see..." Their deep voice echoed through the arena as the other emperors and powerful figures looked with a sense of awe and confusion.


    The crowd was far more perplexed, not understanding what was going on whatsoever.


    "I wanted to see if Tyr truly had a dragon within his possession. I came here as soon as I heard of this event, and had been patiently waiting for him to showcase any hint of a dragon related to him."


    The man paused, arising even more confusion within the minds of all onlookers.


    "After seeing that brilliant flame, I cannot deny that it is anything short of a dragon."


    The man smiled largely as a powerful blast of spiritual energy exploded out from his being.


    It was not only a high amount, but it was thick and convulsing with power.


    It overwhelmed Augustus'' killing intent instantly, wiping it out as if it was nothing in comparison.


    Each and every member of the crowd who was not at least an Expert Rank immediately passed out.


    The others were crushed onto the floor from the strength, like ten mountains had piled onto their shoulders.


    The pillars and other representatives from the empires fell to their knees, as the emperors nearly folded under the pressure as well.


    Julius'' eyes were wide open in shock.


    ''What is this power? It is incomprehensible. Right now, as I stand, I feel like even the slightest twitch will lead to my certain death.''


    Karax Haou was no less bewildered.


    ''A monster... a monster has come.''


    "I am Lord Huevas Kane, Vice-Grandmaster of the Ten High Peak Faction within the northern continent of Eldraemar. Rulers of this land, heed my words carefully... resign immediately, or face the consequences of impending war."

 Chapter 167 - 167: Continental Event (8) Ten High Peak Factions Ultimatum

    As Huevas'' words echoed through the chamber, the emperors'' eyes darted to the corners of the arena, where several figures emerged, exuding an overwhelming and ruthless energy. The ground trembled beneath their presence.


    In the face of this calamity, Julius hesitated only a moment before speaking. "L-lord Kane... can we not come to an agreement? We weren''t actually going to kill him¡ª"


    Suddenly, the force on Julius'' shoulders intensified, forcing him to his knees. His eyes widened with disbelief.


    ''Damn it! Eldraemar must have become a behemoth in the past few centuries. What power... it''s incomprehensible,'' Julius thought as he struggled under the weight of the pressure.


    "Do not spout lies, Emperor Julius of Ovalantis. As I said, I have been here since the beginning of this event. I am no fool when it comes to the play of words," Huevas scolded, his tone severe, like a parent disciplining a disobedient child.


    "I will say this once more... if you care about your continent, stand down," Huevas warned coldly, his words met with stunned silence.


    The emperors were dumbfounded by the display of power before them.


    ''Huevas... I''ve heard that name before,'' Syelthus thought, trying to recall.


    Karax was equally baffled, ''What kind of monsters inhabit Eldraemar?''


    Augustus, however, was too shocked to think. He stood frozen, consumed by confusion and disbelief.


    Dhum''s body shook uncontrollably under the intense pressure, ''I''ve never felt something so terrifying...''


    Finally, Julius could no longer deny the situation. ''A vice-grandmaster from a mere faction wields this much power? How strong must the leader be? The emperors of Eldraemar? I don''t even want to think about it. We''ve encountered a different breed of power...''


    Though reluctant, he composed himself and spoke with an air of formality. "If that is your final decision... then, as a continent, we yield." His head lowered slightly, his voice tinged with shame.


    Tyr, observing from afar, stood in disbelief, his jaw practically touching the ground. Hanzo and Malon were just as shocked.


    ''We got lucky...'' Hanzo thought, still in awe. ''Is this divine intervention, Mother Gaia?''


    ...


    A large smile spread across Huevas'' face as his killing intent receded from the arena. The men who had flanked the chamber also withdrew their overwhelming spiritual energy.


    "Perfect... that was all I wanted," Huevas said, releasing Augustus'' arm and casually walking over to Tyr.


    The crowd, many of whom had passed out under the intense pressure, slowly began to regain consciousness. Their blurred vision gradually focused on the surprising scene before them.


    The emperors stood still, paralyzed with shock, while the powerful adversary from earlier walked freely.


    The crowd remained utterly silent¡ªso silent that the drop of a pin would have echoed throughout the arena.


    Tyr got to his feet as Huevas approached him. There was a brief moment of awkward silence as Huevas grinned broadly at Tyr, who could only return a dumbfounded stare.


    "Uh..." Tyr mumbled, unsure of what to say.


    "It is a great honor to meet you, Dragon Tamer," Huevas said in a deep, respectful tone.


    Tyr blinked in surprise, not expecting such gentle words from this fearsome man. "I... uh, it''s nice to meet you too..."


    "Thank you for feeling that way," Huevas replied, glancing around the arena. "But we don''t have much time. Apart from the continent of Mennanion, factions from Olympus and Terra are likely on their way to Ovalantis. And that''s not even considering the other factions farther away."


    Tyr furrowed his brow, unsure how to respond. "Oh... okay."


    Huevas seemed to realize he had said too much. "Perhaps I shouldn''t have mentioned that," he muttered, looking to the side as if deep in thought. "I''m trying to save time, after all..." S~ea??h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Tyr''s confusion only deepened. ''Is this guy... an idiot?''


    "Anyway!" Huevas suddenly exclaimed, causing Tyr to raise his guard. "Before they arrive and war breaks out, I have a proposition for you. It''s simple, and I''ll be honest with you."


    "Okay..." Tyr replied cautiously.


    "You are a Dragon Holder. Rare, yes, but also highly sought after. Naturally, many factions will want you. Why? Well... it''s simple."


    Huevas paused, giving Tyr a moment to glance at the other figures who had entered the arena with the vice-grandmaster.


    ''They''re all monsters... each one stronger than the emperors of Ainsveld,'' Tyr thought, astonished.


    "These factions wish to take you under their wing, to make you more powerful, to help you showcase your true potential. A Dragon and its Tamer don''t just appear out of nowhere. When they do, it changes the course of entire worlds. We need you, Tyr. We need you to make your dragon''s power shine like no other."


    Tyr still had his doubts. Before Huevas could continue, he spoke up, wanting to assert himself. "How exactly will you unlock the power of my dragon?"


    "Unlock? No, no... you misunderstand," Huevas replied, shaking his head. "We are not here to unlock your dragon''s power as if we are above it. Far from that. We want to help you become as powerful as possible, so that you can protect your dragon and allow it to thrive in Subworld for years to come."


    Tyr narrowed his eyes, suspicious. ''It doesn''t make sense... they''re all after the dragon, right? The Tamer is only special because of the dragon, isn''t he?''


    ''No,'' Ares interjected. ''A dragon is valuable because of its ability to destroy. But a Dragon Tamer is special because he can harness that power when no one else can.''


    ''I see...'' Tyr mused, pondering the implications.


    "So, Tyr," Huevas said, drawing Tyr''s attention once again. "Here''s our proposal: The Ten High Peak Faction is arguably the most powerful faction on the continent of Eldraemar. We''ve won the most continental tournaments and are widely regarded as the victors. Our faction trains the most elite talents and shapes them into future lords and even kings.


    We are no mere guild¡ªwe are a tier above any Hunter''s Guild. We offer power, prestige, equipment, materials, techniques... everything you could need to unlock your full potential."


    Huevas paused, then spoke the final words of his offer: "Will Judgment join The Ten High Peak Faction?"

 Chapter 168 - 168: Continental Event (Finale) Final Verdict...

    The entire area seemed to drip with silence for multiple seconds.


    The eyes of every crowd member were on Tyr.


    Noa, Hanzo, and Malon also looked at him with hopes that he would choose the answer that was correct in their own heads.


    The emperors could only look with greedy eyes, like beggars stolen of their cheap change.


    Tyr, however, only noticed the eyes of those from Eldraemar at this moment.


    The figures standing on the edges of this chamber along with Huevas had gazes that felt like needles prodding into Tyr''s skin, impatiently awaiting an answer.


    ''If I decline... I am not hopeless here. I can most likely negotiate a deal to protect myself even within his continent and give myself a position of power here. It seems clear that this continent is weak compared to others, so I imagine that would be extremely easy to obtain.''


    He continued to think to himself about possibilities.


    ''Staying here, I can slowly manage to build myself up in this continent and move onwards. However... I have wanted to leave this continent for even more fearsome places for a while now. That was why I visited Zasea¡ªalbeit, it was also because me and the others were running around Ainsveld like headless chickens, not knowing what path we were exactly on.


    Whether it was to escape from certain death or gain power, we have been moving nonstop. Through this time, however... I''ve made good progress in strength, but nowhere near as much in power as I want. There are other categories, but even with strength, I''m only basing my improvements on the environment around me. Who knows...


    if there is a continent so much stronger out there, maybe my increase in strength has been shit this entire time.''


    Many thoughts were buzzing through Tyr''s head, as he knew that this was an important question to answer. It didn''t have exact right answers either.


    ''Right now, I just have to think about the better future in mind, with the goals of everyone in Judgment held at a high standard. Our goals as a whole, decided and undecided, is to grow in power. I personally want to explore Subworld more... because why the hell not? I have only lived in just one planet before this one for a long time... I want to know more about this world.


    Along with that, a stronger place means a boost in power. And on top of even that, we are being invited to a so-called legendary Faction...''


    At this moment, Tyr locked eyes with Huevas, who clenched his jaw as he breathed.


    He seemed to grow impatient with each moment.


    At times, he seemed to want to look around, sensing the presence of other factions closing in on Ovalantis.


    Yet, his eyes remained unperturbed and unmoving from Tyr''s pupils.


    Finally, Tyr closed his eyes and made his decision: "I..."


    All ears perked up to hear his verdict.


    "Accept."


    Many gasps resounded through the crowd.


    The emperors were stunned, facing forward with widened eyes and slightly gapped maws.


    Hanzo, Noa, and Malon all had slight smirks on their faces.


    As soon as Tyr said that, the figures around the arena disappeared, and a grin appeared on Huevas'' face as well.


    "Good... great, in fact! Let''s get the hell out of here, young one!"


    He reached out and grabbed Tyr before throwing the tall young man over his shoulders.


    Hanzo, Malon, and Noa had disappeared, having been picked up by the other figures of the Ten High Peak faction.


    And just like that, the individuals from another continent disappeared, taking Judgment along with them and leaving Ainsveld in a discombobulated state.


    Seconds after Huevas and the others left, Augustus squeezed his fist harder than he had ever done before. S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He gritted his teeth, foaming at the mouth from anger as he panted heavily and stared at the ground with a maniacal look of frenzy: "Bastards... DAMN BASTARDS!" His voice roared through the arena.


    "We cannot afford to stay silent! We are Emperors of a continent, damn it! Who do they think they are, to blatantly disrespect us like this!?"


    The other emperors stayed silent.


    "I don''t care about anything else... we lost the Dragon..." Julius sounded devastated and defeated.


    "The strength of the weak... is to know why they are weak." Karax suddenly said under his breath, causing the other emperors, and audience members, to gaze toward him.


    "We are the weak in this situation. And the mistakes we have made over the years have kept us weak. The mistake we made today, and the mistake that the stronger continent didn''t seem to make, was the fact that they tried to conserve the Dragon Tamer... while we... we tried to conserve the Fire Dragon itself."


    Augustus slowly turned to face Karax: "Are you saying that we are just foolish bumpkins? We are wrong, and they are right, so they deserve to humiliate us?"


    Karax faced Augustus with a serious expression: "I am saying that we need to change... to improve. We need to win."


    There was a long, extended moment of silence. It seemed that everyone in the arena took Karax''s last words in different ways.


    The emperors, however, had already figured out what the King of Zasea wanted to implicate.


    However, as Tyr and his group began to quickly journey away from the current continent, the story of Ainsveld was left to continue on without a narrator.


    Over time, who knew what it would develop into? That was a story yet to be told, it seemed.


    On the other hand, Tyr''s journey continued on into a new continent over the next few days.


    Through air, feet, and water travel, Judgment, along with the Vice-Grandmaster of the Ten High Peak Faction and his acquaintances, arrived at a city beside the bay of a wide sea encased between land.


    ***


    Yo! Author here! Thank you all for reading up until this point! Finally, Tyr and his teammates have left Ainsveld.


    They still have many unresolved matters that will be tackled at a later date, at least, according to Tyr''s plan.


    For now, however, he has decided to expand to new heights!


    Eldraemar is no Ainsveld.


    There will be no spoilers here, but expect a much more powerful, ruthless world.


    Along with that, I am excited to present to you the brand new start of a new, big story ARC: Herald of Reckoning (Calm Before The Storm).


    Yes, this is the first big story arc of this novel.


    I have planned it long in advance and hope you enjoy each and every part of it.


    Although the upload schedule may not be ideal, I have tried my best to keep posting nonetheless.


    I''m sure as I continue, it will only pick up more.


    For now, any shows of support are appreciated to help me continue this novel.


    Even continuing to read it gives me a lot of motivation to keep on writing.


    Thanks, and enjoy...

 Chapter 169 - 169: To A New Continent

    A few hours earlier...


    The ship of the Ten High Peak Faction glided carefully along the calm waves of the Blue Sea¡ªa large body of water encased between the meeting point of three continents:


    Ainsveld, Eldraemar, and Mennanion.


    The ship was very large. It had multiple rooms, various sitting areas, three large sails, and the sculpted head of a dragon leading it forward.


    Within one of the ten master bedrooms inside the ship, Noa sat alone in her room, seemingly mastering her Ancestral Ability.


    An array of multicolored Aura binds, seals, and arrays were littered around her room.


    With her eyes closed, she tinkered with each and every one in curious ways.


    She created some, destroyed others, and morphed more into different shapes and sizes.


    Finally, she opened her eyes for but a moment. ''I''ve never seen such a variety of Aura seals. Not only are they different in shape and size, but their internal mechanisms coded by Aura are vastly different as well. It''s like a whole new world of puzzles to figure out... amazing!''


    She grinned with eagerness, closing her eyes before continuing her training.


    On the surface of the ship, Malon trained on the completely left side¡ªopposite of the helm.


    With an orb of floating Aura in front of him, he panted while standing before it. He seemed cut and bruised, exhausted and drenched with sweat.


    A man stood behind him. He seemed older, about 40 years in age. His hairy, muscular arms were crossed in a sense of sternness.


    He wore basic clothing: long brown trousers along with a slightly more formal white tunic. His hair was buzzed, and his face was blocky.


    He was around 6''2" tall, and his body was highly developed from just a glance. Overall, his look gave a tough presence.


    "Again..." he said in a low tone.


    Although panting, Malon clenched his teeth, raised his large shield in front of him, and rammed into the crystal Aura orb.


    As soon as Malon made impact, an explosion sent him flying backward. He landed on his bum before rolling back and sliding to a stop a few feet away.


    "Stand!" the buzzed-hair man shouted, prompting Malon to quickly get back to his feet.


    He stepped forward and thrust his shield, unleashing a blast of energy that clashed against the crystal.


    However, the crystal absorbed the attack instantly¡ªtaking zero damage.


    "Tsk!" Malon exclaimed in frustration. "What is this damn thing? It has an ability similar to my shield... growing stronger with each attack and absorbing all the force. Except, it seems superior in every way."


    Out of nowhere, his shield shrunk.


    "Wha¡ªoi! Get big again! What are you doing?" Malon yelled, shaking his arm. When he brought his hand closer to his face, the shield suddenly increased in size again, slamming into his nose and making him fall onto his back. S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Ack."


    The man overlooking Malon''s training shook his head side to side in disappointment.


    "It''s a Power Crystal... a popular training technology within the higher factions of Eldraemar. What you described was right. This crystal absorbs all attacks and slowly becomes stronger. That is why it is considered to be a perfect training tool for most. It can grow in power to even rival some Faction Branch Captains..."


    "W-what!?" Malon said in shock, standing up and wiping himself off while making his shield disappear into his arm.


    ''Stupid shield has a mind of its own now...'' he thought inwardly. ''Ever since I took that ability from Mrama...''


    ...


    "Are you sure? Faction Branch Captains... that means you, right, Captain Steel?" Malon asked the man.


    The man addressed as ''Captain Steel'' slowly turned to face Malon. "Me? Well... I suppose you are right. But, I am not like most weakling Faction Branch Captains." Steel paused.


    For a moment, Malon thought to himself, ''So this crystal could also beat up the emperors in Ainsveld with its full power, huh... how absurd. But... I guess it has to train with a partner that strong to get that strong over time. It doesn''t just start off like that.''


    "Apart from me, however," Steel continued, "This crystal is able to rival that of other Branch Captains... like¡ª"


    "Wait!" Malon said with excitement. "Prove it... show me that you can overpower this thing."


    Captain Steel looked unimpressed. "Tsk tsk tsk." He exclaimed, shaking his head as he walked over to the crystal.


    ''This object seems invincible... will he really be able to overpower it?'' Malon thought to himself, unsure.


    After taking a deep breath and exhaling, Steel clenched his fist, tightened his arm, and swung his elbow directly into the center of the Aura crystal.


    There was an initial afterblow of force that blasted through the air, nearly taking Malon off his feet.


    After that, however, there was a standstill where the crystal continuously absorbed the force put on it by Steel.


    However, after a few seconds, Steel''s eyes widened as he dug his feet into the floor and pushed with his entire body.


    "Hrah!" he yelled, forcing his elbow through the crystal and shattering it into a thousand pieces.


    A powerful explosion of Aura flew out, shaking the entire ship.


    Captain Steel stood back. "Don''t underestimate me... brat."


    Malon was shocked, his maw open slightly with astonishment.


    On the other side of the ship, Hanzo stood a few feet away from the helm¡ªleaning over the railing and looking out into the sea with a blissful look on his face.


    As the ship shook over the water, he remained stoic in his gaze.


    Tyr stepped beside him, also staring out into the sea with one hand on the railing. "What are you thinking about here all alone?"


    Hanzo looked behind his shoulder at Tyr and then faced the sea again.


    "Oh... well, I was just thinking about my dream."


    Tyr raised one side of his lip, unimpressed. "You still haven''t found it? You are hopeless!"


    Hanzo slightly laughed as he exhaled. "Not yet... I haven''t found a dream, but that doesn''t mean I never will. As long as I have even a 0.0001 percent chance of finding a dream good enough, I am not hopeless."


    Tyr slowly stopped smiling, understanding this was more serious. "Yeah..." He leaned backward on the railing, facing the sky.


    "I can''t tell you what to dream of... it has to be something you want yourself. Just make sure... it''s worthy of being a part of Judgment."


    Hanzo looked back at Tyr again, but Tyr was already walking away by this point. As he stared at the young man leave, he thought to himself: ''Worthy of being a part of Judgment, huh...''

 Chapter 170 - 170: Surprising News

    As Hanzo continued to stare out into the sea, he placed his bow next to him and leaned it against the ship''s railing.


    Gazing at its handle for a second, he thought to himself: ''Boon of Apollo... I used to hide the fact that I ever even had such a power. When Tyr first asked me, I told him that it was an Ancestral Ability that simply gave me elite bowmanship.''


    He paused, chuckling slightly.


    Before he could continue in his train of thought, he heard a voice boom from the center of the ship.


    "LAND HO!" Huevas'' recognizable voice echoed, "Everyone, come to the deck! Before you southerners land in another continent, I will tell you the rules to follow so that you aren''t bombarded by different rules!"


    His words flowed through the wood of the ship as though coated in Aura, reaching the ears of everyone on board.


    In a matter of seconds, all of Judgment had gathered on the deck facing Huevas with curious yet stoic expressions.


    A couple of other figures also summoned and stood to the side.


    There were three in total. One was Steel, who Malon had been training with.


    The others had unique looks to them. Despite that fact, their presence was noticeable without even looking.


    From a glance, one could tell they were behemoths when it came to power. Not a joke in the slightest.


    One looked to be in his thirties. He wore a black suit with a long overcoat on the outside, similar to Hanzo. He had slicked-back hair and wore a pair of dark glasses over the ridge of his nose.


    He carried himself with an elegant poise and a slight smile on his face, along with a magic wand seemingly attached to his waist belt.


    ''A magician?'' Tyr questioned in his mind, ''He looks like he''s from a random magic movie back on Earth...''


    Behind the average-height magician-like man was a fairly tall lady who was likely close to 6 ft in stature.


    From one look, a few males could potentially have their little guys sit up straighter.


    She almost wore nothing. A rainbow bikini clad her private parts, but barely covered her voluptuous body and bouncy curves.


    She nearly had the perfect proportions for most of the male species.


    Apart from that and her very picturesque face, she had very long rainbow hair that stretched down to her calves.


    With a bright smile on her face, she exuded the embodiment of carelessness, it seemed.


    Hanzo''s eyes were glued to her for a second, his eyelids raised.


    Out of nowhere, the woman gazed at him before smirking and giving him a wink.


    For a second, Hanzo turned to stone, frozen by shock and embarrassment. He quickly looked down, in disbelief of what just happened.


    ''What the fuck...'' He thought to himself.


    Tyr saw this occur and chuckled to himself, ''Pfft... he fell victim so easily.''


    Hanzo couldn''t help but think to himself, ''For the love of everything... please let this be the last time I see her. I''ll die if I have to look at her again. That was way too humiliating.''


    "Alright, listen up!" Huevas exclaimed, "Soon, we will be landing on the shore of Bruther Stone, a harbor city of the Blue Sea. It''s a fairly large town since it''s the main docking place of all those who enter Eldraemar. It''s within Eurania, one of the three empires of Eldraemar... known as the human empire."


    Tyr squinted as he heard this, ''Human empire, huh... in Ainsveld, the human empire of Rock Saelfine was known for its slave trade. I wonder if it''s the same here...''


    Huevas continued, "The Ten High Peak Faction is also located within the region of Eurania but does not fall victim to its jurisdiction. It has its own land and its own rules. We are partners in an alliance, but not one... apart from us, there is also the Cloud Faction in this empire alone, who are our imperial rivals... but let''s not focus on them for now."


    Huevas paused, allowing Judgment to get their bearings.


    "Now... on to the important stuff. The Ten High Peak Faction is located within the Ten Thousand Peak Mountains... quite far away from here, to say the least."


    Everyone exhaled as they heard this, furrowing their brows.


    "It will take most of us mere minutes to get there using technology, but for some... or more specifically... one, it may take them a few weeks, to forever, to maybe even never." Huevas'' tone turned stern at the end, his eyes facing Tyr.


    Tyr raised a brow in surprise, ''What the fuck.'' He simply mused in his mind.


    "But before we get to that, I have something to announce to all of you. Something that is... a bit harsh but also necessary." S§×arch* The ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Everyone prepared themselves as Huevas paused.


    "You all will need to split up into one of the Five different Peaks of the Ten High Peak Faction."


    As Huevas said this, everyone part of Judgment furrowed their eyebrows with slight hostility and puzzlement.


    "Before you guys react, let me say my piece. First of all, I''ll explain the layout of our faction. It exists within the Ten Thousand Peak Mountains, on the ten highest peaks of the entire range. There are five different ''Peaks'' or groups within our faction, each one divided by an empty peak in between.


    Within these five Peaks exist five different sects or branches of our guild that specialize in various forms of martial and Aura arts. Naturally, since no man or woman is created the same, he or she has to go to whichever Peak fits them best for their goals and shortcomings."


    The members of Judgment couldn''t rebut much to this, as it made sense. It wasn''t like all of them were the same person at the end of the day.


    Huevas continued, "And... there is also another reason why you all must split up. Not just because training without past friends is more rigorous, but because of the significant fact that Tyr is a Dragon Holder. With all due respect, he is a blade that will only get dull if put in with the rest of the meager blades in our faction.


    He will have to join the Inner Elite Group, which is a very small fragment of our faction that is alike to a sixth branch. Located at the very center of the ten peaks, only those with utmost potential and power are allowed to train and compete with them. However, that isn''t to say that you all won''t meet each other.


    When the tournament of prestige comes around to determine which of the six branches is most superior, you will be allowed to face off against each other... every three months or so."

 Chapter 171 - 171: Bruther Stone City

    ***XXXTRA LONG CHAP***


    ------


    "What!?" Tyr exclaimed, furrowing his eyebrows, "Every three months? You want me to simply forget my friends for three months straight!? Why didn''t you tell us this beforehand? It seems..." Tyr paused as Huevas and the other three members of the Ten High Peak Faction gazed at him with a striking intensity.


    "It seems... deceitful. Understand that although I have accepted your proposal, Huevas, I expect full clarity in what option I am given. As long as I have free will, I can still refuse your offer until the very end."


    Everyone paused as Tyr said this. His words imposed a tense, almost awkward atmosphere amongst everyone present.


    However, Huevas didn''t seem to be affected by it much.


    "I completely understand. If you want to decline, you are completely free to do so, as you have from the beginning," Huevas said, pausing for a moment.


    Right as Tyr was about to speak, Huevas continued, "However," his tone became a little deeper, "understand, Tyr, that our intention was to never deceive you or your group. No matter who joins our sect, they will be assessed through days by our elite members and be split up according to their strengths and weaknesses. This applies to your group the very same. Throughout our travels, we have observed each and every flaw, imperfection, strength, and characteristic of you all that we have seen. From that, we have decided to split you all into different groups. This is simply policy. However, I still apologize for the fact that I did not inform you of this earlier. If I had... you all could have potentially changed how you acted in order to get in within the same Peak. I hope you understand, and forgive me for taking this precaution..."


    Tyr exhaled, "Well... we''ve already come this far. And what you said makes sense..." He turned to his team members.


    "Guys... I guess it''s time for a bit of personal growth." He said with a smile on his face.


    "You betcha!" Malon grinned.


    Hanzo chuckled, "Just make sure you don''t change too much. All of you."


    Noa seemed to sniffle as she teared up slightly, "I''ll miss you guys..." Her nose turned red as she attempted to control her tears.


    She wiped her eyes, donning a braver look, "But I''m ready!"


    Everyone smiled as they saw this.


    "Thank you for understanding," Huevas said with a kind smile and closed eyes. He continued:


    "Now... Malon, let''s start with you." As Huevas said this, Steel stepped forward.


    "You, boy, will enter my branch. The Seven World Peak..." Steel grabbed Malon by the shoulder, "Say your goodbyes."


    Malon raised a brow, "W-what!? Right now?!" He paused for a second before turning to face his team members:


    "Get strong, everyone! I promise to get even stronger as well, strong enough to shield all of you--" He was pulled into the air as Steel leaped into the sky--disappearing into the distance.


    Reality began to kick in as Malon''s voice quickly faded into the distance.


    All of the other members of Judgement looked at the large mush turn into a speck of dust in the distance with slight somberness in their eyes.


    "Next!" Huevas exclaimed, "Noa!"


    "Greetings!" The magician-like man stepped forward, "I am Captain Clover of the Million Seal Peak. Welcome to my branch."


    Noa turned to Hanzo and Tyr, her eyes moistening up as her face flushed with a redness, "I''ll miss you all... please take care." She attempted to control her emotions.


    Clover began to swirl his magic wand in the air as a white aura slowly surrounded both him and Noa.


    "I love you all!!--" Noa''s voice abruptly stopped as she and Captain Clover disappeared into thin air.


    Hanzo looked at where Noa had been just a second ago and sighed, ''Damn... saying goodbye is harsh.'' Sear?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Next!" Huevas''s voice boomed, "Hanzo."


    Hanzo faced forward again, ''Oh yeah... now it''s my turn,'' he thought to himself.


    But then, he saw a pair of plump melons juggle over to him.


    ''Wait a minute.'' His mind stopped as he realized what was going on, ''Don''t tell me...''


    "I am Captain Maxim of the Free Flowing Peak! What''s up, you pervy little brat!" The lady who addressed herself as ''Maxim'' embraced Hanzo in a single arm clutch before rubbing the top of his hair with her knuckle. She laughed wholeheartedly as Hanzo''s face plunged right into heaven.


    Hanzo turned as red as a tomato as he forced his head to turn toward Tyr.


    Tyr looked like a monkey right now--his cheeks filled up to the brim with air as he was trying to stop himself from laughing.


    However, he couldn''t hold it any more after seeing Hanzo''s distressed, amazed, embarrassed, and bewildered face.


    "Pff--pahaha!" He broke out into a full-blown peal, laughing his ass off.


    After panting, Hanzo attempted to speak--his heart nearly coming out of his mouth because it was beating so fast, "Tyr... I''ll see you in three months. Have fun..."


    Tyr quickly responded as he laughed, "Oh, I know you will have fun..."


    As he said this, Hanzo froze as his face turned even more red and steam came out of his ears.


    Captain Maxim laughed loudly before pushing Hanzo into her yonkers and spinning him around before throwing him into the air.


    She then dashed forward before leaping up and using her hair to attach herself to the clouds--swinging like a monkey on vines with Hanzo in her hands and quickly disappearing into the distance.


    Tyr looked at Hanzo leave with a scoff, shaking his head from side to side, "Ungrateful, lucky bastard," he said in slight disbelief.


    Huevas sighed, "It may look like that, but Lady Maxim is no gift. If anything, she may just be the hardest Branch (Peak) Captain there is." He paused, looking out into the clouds, "In my youth, she taught me that even I couldn''t last more than a couple rounds with her..."


    There was a long pause, and then Huevas turned to see Tyr looking at him with largely widened eyes of intrigue, shock, respect, and amazement.


    "You are a legend, sir," Tyr saluted the man.


    "W-wha--!? N-no! I didn''t mean it like tha--I meant in battle, you fool!" Huevas'' cheeks blushed with a slight redness as well as he knuckled Tyr across the dome.


    ...


    After calming down, and giving Tyr a bump on the head, he harrumphed deeply before continuing, "Ahem! In any case... let''s get on to you next. The High Echelon inner branch is called the Immortal Branch. Most Peak Captains, all Vice-Grandmasters, and all Faction Sovereigns are from within the Immortal Branch. All those from the Immortal Branch are tasked with making sure this faction does not die out, and its roots continue to thrive for many future generations. I am the captain of this branch, but in reality, no one is the captain of this branch. It does what it wants, has its highs and lows, and becomes what it becomes. Of course, this isn''t to say there isn''t discipline. There is a lot of discipline... but with a lot of work comes a lot of play. I''m sure you can piece the puzzle I am giving you here. However, before you understand much about the faction branch in itself, you will need to get there."


    Tyr squinted his eyes on hearing this.


    "You do not get the same treatment as others. As you are in the Highest Echelon of our Faction, you will need to go through even more hardship. As your first task, you will have to travel to the Ten High Peak faction from the city of Bruther Stone all by yourself."


    Tyr exhaled, "Tsk... I guess it is what it is."


    Huevas grinned, "You got the right attitude. Now... let''s see if you have the ability to walk the walk."


    Huevas disappeared.


    Tyr''s gaze sharpened as the ship creaked to a halt, striking what felt like solid land beneath it.


    He stepped forward, hopping down right to the edge of the dock, his eyes narrowing as he took in the harbor before him.


    The bustling city of Bruther Stone lay stretched out across the shoreline, the air thick with the scent of saltwater and wood soaked by years of constant trade.


    Before him, tall ships with massive sails rocked gently in the harbor, ropes swaying and creaking as sailors barked orders from the decks.


    The sound of crates thudding against the docks filled the air, while men with sun-scarred faces hauled barrels and sacks of goods off the ships. Colonial-era buildings lined the waterfront¡ªstone and timber structures weathered by time and the sea.


    Wooden planks beneath his feet were slick with seawater, worn from countless footsteps, while a scattering of seaweed and debris clung to the edges of the pier.


    He could hear the clamor of the bustling marketplace just beyond the harbor, merchants yelling about their wares¡ªspices, rum, weapons, and exotic fruits.


    Taverns, their wooden signs creaking in the breeze, stood like landmarks, their doors wide open to offer sailors a brief escape from their journeys.


    The sound of laughter and the occasional outburst of a drunken brawl spilled out onto the street, blending with the distant echo of a blacksmith hammering metal into shape.


    People bustled about, dressed in colonial-era garb, though some were in flamboyant outfits resembling nobles from distant lands. Their laughter and chatter blended together, creating a lively atmosphere that felt foreign yet familiar.


    ''Seems... lively.''


    Tyr inhaled deeply before taking a large step forward...

 Chapter 172 - 172: Asking For Directions

    The first place Tyr entered was a tavern deeper inside of the town. It was the largest one he had seen, so naturally, it caught his attention.


    The half-doors swung open as he stepped inside the dimly lit bar.


    The establishment was lively with chatter, as expected. Many men and women sat around tables spread across the floor, most boasting in a drunken state.


    The bar was large, with close to 50 large tables and several dozen duplet seating arrangements as well.


    Four large wooden pillars stuck out near the center of the room.


    At the very back was a long bar table with tall barstools and a marble counter.


    Behind the counter were shelves filled with high-grade spirits, fine wine, and barrels of booze.


    Noticing a bartender working the table alone, Tyr decided to head straight over and ask for directions to the Ten High Peak Faction.


    ''Should be pretty straightforward...'' Tyr said to himself as he began to move toward the back.


    As he made it halfway to the bar table, a few wooden floorboards below him creaked loudly, and a few rough-looking men cast wary glances his way.


    Tyr made eye contact with the men for less than a second before moving on. ''They''ve been making the most noise since I''ve entered this place...'' He thought for a moment, exhaling.


    ''I''ll just get my directions and be on my way.''


    He arrived at the bar table, barely able to focus on the bartender due to the chaotic noise all around him.


    The bartender was a middle-aged man with weary eyes and a nervous demeanor, constantly juggling orders from what Tyr could see.


    He cast a slight glance at Tyr before being ordered by a person at the bar table.


    "Oi!" A woman yelled from across the long counter, "Give me another pint of the ginger!"


    "O-oh, yes!" The bartender rushed to serve the woman, when a man from the opposite end called out again:


    "Hey! A refill on this end as well!" He shouted, prompting the bartender to urgently turn around with sweat trickling from his brow.


    The man looked to his friend before they both had a chuckle at the situation.


    Finally, the bartender rushed toward Tyr, "How can I help you, sir?" he said, wiping the sweat from his face with a rag.


    Leaning against the table, Tyr calmly spoke, "Hey, do you by chance know the fastest way I can get to the Ten High Peaks Faction?"


    The bartender glanced up, startled by what he had just heard.


    After a short pause, he vaguely gestured toward a certain direction in one of the corners of the tavern.


    Without turning his head, Tyr''s eyes glanced in that direction, noticing that same group of rough-looking adventurers from before who were making a scene.


    Tyr''s eyes returned to the bartender''s, as the man behind the counter awkwardly gulped and coughed out: S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Uh... I''ll see what I can do. But... you might want to wait until those guys in particular are out of here first. They... don''t take kindly to outsiders, you know?"


    Tyr raised a brow, "Outsiders? How did you know I was--"


    Tyr paused as the bartender poured a shot of clear spirit in a glass, filled it up with ice, and slid it across the table to the young man in front of him.


    "My lucky charm?" The bartender winked, only to be met with an unimpressed look from Tyr.


    He harrumphed, quickly adjusting his response: "No one from Eldraemar would ask such a question, as you have asked today."


    ''Huh... that makes sense.'' Tyr mused for a split second before saying, "Look... I''ll be able to handle myself. Put yourself at ease."


    The bartender frowned, but noticed that Tyr''s straight expression didn''t seem to be disappearing any time soon.


    ''He''s serious...'' the bartender thought, finding a bit of safety in Tyr''s confidence, if only just for a moment.


    ''Still... it''s natural for an outsider I suppose. I won''t be the reason this young man loses his life...'' the bartender said to himself in a determined tone.


    "I wish I could help you... but those men are not from any old gangster group. They are members of the Bruther Clan. Guards of the noble family that rules this city..."


    Before Tyr could respond to this, a voice barked from the corner: "Oi, Yusef! Come over ''ere and pour us a drink!"


    The bartender instantly responded to this order, as if he was a robot programmed by that command: "Y-yes!"


    He seemed to forget about Tyr''s existence, instantly moving toward the loud table in the corner.


    Tyr sighed, sitting down as he took a sip of the spirit he received.


    He made a slightly sour face, ''Bleh... tastes like pure hand sanitizer.'' He placed the glass down, glancing at the group of noisy men one last time.


    They were visibly tough and were causing quite a scene with their incessant jeers and taunts to others in the bar.


    They were dressed in a mix of worn-out and also brand new mismatched adventurer''s gear.


    It was pretty obvious that they had gotten these ''special'' new pieces from a few unsuspecting victims recently.


    Their weapons were slung over their chairs, and coins were scattered on their table.


    As they continued to drink, their voices got louder and even more obnoxious.


    What stood out to Tyr was the fact that they looked to have forced the bartender into a game of bets, taking turns tossing coins at him and mocking him every time he fumbled or missed.


    Each time he caught the coin, he was allowed to keep it, but each time he missed, they would ridicule him in front of everyone and take their coins back.


    One of them flung a coin at the bartender''s forehead, striking him right in the glabella and leaving a deep red mark.


    "Hahaha!" The man burst out laughing, "Are you retarded or something? Can''t you catch a simple coin!?"


    As the table laughed, people from other tables also seemed to enjoy the show.


    Tyr took another sip, observing the situation unfold in behind him.


    The bartender''s shoulders tensed up with humiliation as the men around him continued to harass him for being too slow.


    A scar-faced man leaned forward, grabbing the bartender by the back of the neck and breathing stinking hot breath in his face as he said:


    "Come on, my little bitch... catch the coins already. I''m losing my streak here... I bet you would catch at least ten by now."


    The bartender remained frozen with fear, barely able to whimper a stuttering reply, "Y-yes sir..."


    The group suddenly burst into laughter again on hearing this.


    "Pahaha! Sir, he calls you!"


    "This man has more politeness in his heart than cells in his brain!"


    "What a boot licker..."


    "Are ya'' gonna drink my piss next!? Ahaha!"


    The bartender had no clue what to do in this moment.


    The many eyes piercing at him made him feel stunned with humiliation, and each insult that was flung his way hit him like a brick to the head.


    It was horrible in every way, and he had no choice but to stand there and take it.


    By this point, most of the bar had gathered around this table, laughing as they partook in watching the abuse of the bartender.


    There were only a couple of others who still remained seated, and one of them was Tyr, who was patiently waiting for the bartender.


    Noticing this, one of the men at the table, a burly guy with jagged teeth, stopped laughing and squinted at Tyr.


    "Hey, you! The loner!" he yelled across the room, loud enough to draw attention. "You think you''re better than us? Sitting there all high and mighty?"


    ...

 Chapter 173 - 173: Taunts

    Tyr heard what the man had said, but had no reaction.


    ''High and mighty? Well... I guess I do believe that,'' he pondered in his head as he continued to sip his drink in peace.


    He wasn''t affected by the man''s words much at all, and definitely not enough to react in any sort of way.


    The man with jagged teeth sneered at Tyr as the bar began to take note of what had just happened.


    The man with messed-up teeth glanced around at the crowd, who was looking at him for some sort of reply after this slightly humiliating moment where his taunts were outright ignored.


    The crowd also began to quiet down, anticipating a reply from the man.


    Without any more delay, the man with jagged teeth barked out loud, "Ohh~~ you must really think you''re some hot shit, attempting to ignore me. I can tell you''re new around here... you better start acting less smart, or you might become my next bitch." He grinned at his friends as the crowd voiced their dramatic amusement at his jeers.


    On hearing this, Tyr squinted slightly, ''Now that... that pisses me off a bit.'' He thought to himself, turning around after a few seconds of silence.


    He faced the man with jagged teeth straight on as most of the bar gazed toward him, eager to hear his response.


    "Do I think I''m better than you?" Tyr asked, seeming almost offended by that question, "Does a bear shit in the woods?" He spoke with an almost joking, insulting tone of condescension.


    On hearing this, a few couldn''t help but burst into chuckles.


    Quiet whispers also began to ripple around, but they were all drowned out as the man who had initially insulted Tyr abruptly stood up.


    His face was shadowed, his expression fuming with rage as he gritted his teeth and flared his nostrils.


    Seeing this, a hush fell over most people in the tavern. Those who hadn''t gotten the memo were quickly tugged on the shoulder and told to be quiet.


    A more serious atmosphere washed through the pub as even the other members of this ''Bruther Clan'' stopped what they were doing and paid attention to their burly accomplice.


    The man with jagged teeth revealed his tall height of 6''2'''', which towered over most other people in the bar.


    He had a bulky yet muscular physique, like a grizzly bear. He had hair all over his body except for his head, which was balding for the most part.


    However, he had a long brown beard that lowered to his torso and was braided at the very bottom.


    He spoke with a deep, hatred-fueled tone: "What did you just say?" Anyone could tell the anger seeping out from his voice.


    Tyr spun around in his seat, entertaining the brute and playing along, "What? You can''t take a joke at your decrepit age?"


    Tyr had thrown a direct insult at the man now, which seemed to shock the crowd, causing a gust of gasps to ripple throughout the room.


    "Did he really just say that?"


    "Who is that guy?"


    "Uh..."


    "This looks like it''s about to get sketchy..."


    The other Bruther Clan members turned in their chairs, facing Tyr with hostile looks on their faces.


    The bartender from before gulped, sweat trickling down his forehead as a frown appeared on his face. ''What in the world is that young man thinking!? Does he think he''s some sort of hero? To do all of this just for me... it''s foolish! He doesn''t even know who I am!''


    A few silent eyes sitting in the corners of the bar also glanced over at Tyr at this moment. S~ea??h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Tyr, on the other hand, had a slight, unimpressed smirk on his face.


    "You must want an early death..." the man with jagged teeth exclaimed, "I don''t get to fulfill the wishes of suicidal men often... but then again, I''ve only lived the fresh age of a 25-year-old..."


    Tyr scoffed on hearing this, "25? Yeah right!" He chuckled, pausing for a moment as the crowd furrowed their brows at his reaction, shocked and at a loss.


    "Wait... you''re serious?" Tyr said in a more normal tone after a few seconds, "Wow... you must have some shitty genetics. It looks like the gods decided to switch your chin and your scalp. I mean... seriously, is that your pet snake tied up for safekeeping down there?"


    Although many tried desperately to stop themselves, they couldn''t help but burst out into peals of laughter.


    "P-p-phaha!"


    "Ahaha!"


    "Switched places!? Haha!"


    The statement was too absurd and unexpected for even the fearing crowd to hold in their amusement.


    Hearing all of this laughter around him, the burly man felt a flush of embarrassment wash through his face. He stood there, frozen for a moment.


    "That''s it... I''ve had enough of your shit. I tried to give you a chance... but you just keep insisting on getting your ass beat." The man stormed forward with heavy steps.


    He arrived before Tyr within seconds, capturing the silence of the crowd again as they looked on to see what would happen next.


    The man raised his hand and tightly grabbed onto Tyr''s shoulder.


    Tyr had a nonchalant expression. His eyes slowly looked into the eyes of the man standing above him and then turned to face the hand on his shoulder.


    Seeing this, the other members of the Bruther Clan seemed to sit back in their chairs, feeling relieved.


    "Cheh! I actually thought the brat was a bit of a threat, seeing the way he was speaking," one said, turning to the other with a smirk.


    "He''s just a loudmouth, it seems..."


    "Well, it doesn''t matter now, does it?" one asked rhetorically, "Hamo''s strength is unparalleled. His Ancestral Ability makes his grip more powerful than a damn Warden Rank Beast..."


    Another nodded on hearing this, "Yep... once Hamo has got you within his grasp, you''re fucking done for..."


    Tyr exhaled, ''The fool really just had to go and step in my way...'' he thought to himself. ''Well... since he''s a bad guy, maybe I can get some exp from this encounter, and not leave empty-handed.''


    He paused, ''Eh... but then again, do I want to mess with the city''s main clan that much? Hmm... well, I guess that''s to decide in a few seconds. Firstly, I need to get this pig''s filthy hands off of me.''


    At that moment, Tyr pushed his feet into the ground and began to stand up.


    Experiencing the force of Tyr''s legs, the man addressed as ''Hamo'' by his comrades pressed down even harder. His eyes widened as an instant reaction to the force he felt on his hand right now.


    However, it wasn''t like he was going to actually let the brat stand up.


    ''My entire reputation is the ability to do this. This cunt really thinks he can overpower me?'' After thinking this, a red aura surrounded his hand, increasing the force applied to Tyr''s shoulder.


    Despite this, Tyr still had a confident smirk on his face.


    "Pfft!" Hamo exclaimed, "Don''t even try it, motherfucke--" He suddenly stopped speaking as an immense, machine-like power drove up through his arm.


    "W-what?" He exclaimed out loud in shock as Tyr slowly began to stand through the oppressive force.


    The crowd, who had already decided that the incident was over after seeing Hamo grab the young man, were now entranced by what they were seeing, their attention pulled back in.


    "W-what?"


    "No way... that guy... he''s overpowering Hamo''s death grip."


    "What the fuck..."


    Tyr fully stood up, towering over even this brute by 2 inches and staring down at his face with an unimpressed expression.


    "Go to a dentist," Tyr said, the side of his lip curling with disgust.


    "What?" Hamo responded.


    He was immediately met by a devastating punch to the stomach¡ªnearly popping his eyes out of his sockets as he was folded in half like an omelet.


    All the air in his lungs was evicted instantly as he fell over onto Tyr''s arm, completely unconscious.

 Chapter 174 - 174: Bar Beatdown

    The four other men at the betting table immediately stood up.


    The crowd was understandably shocked, their faces representing pure astonishment.


    They subconsciously backed up, making space in the center of the tavern between Tyr and the Bruther Clan.


    "Big mistake!" One of the thugs rushed forward, thrusting his dagger toward Tyr.


    Tyr sidestepped the attack with ease, grabbing the man''s arm and yanking it toward him.


    As the man stumbled forward, Tyr didn''t waste any movements and grabbed the back of the goon''s head before driving it into the counter behind him.


    A gruesome crunching noise sounded as the man slid to the floor and landed with a thud, his nose looking like a crushed tomato.


    Another man lunged forward, unleashing a kick to Tyr''s abdomen.


    Tyr grabbed the leg with his left hand, instantly halting the blow. With his right hand, he grabbed a chair nearby before swinging it around and smashing it into the thug''s face.


    The chair broke into several pieces as the man was knocked out stone cold.


    The last two men, part of the Bruther Clan, seemed visibly shaken.


    They stood frozen for a second, stunned by what they had just seen.


    Despite this, they both grabbed their weapons tightly.


    One rushed forward with his spear in hand, unleashing several consecutive strikes toward the tall young man.


    However, Tyr sidestepped each attack as if they were coming in slow motion.


    He danced between the blows, arriving mere inches from the thug before raising his hand to get a hold of the man''s collar.


    Just as Tyr''s hand grazed against the man''s shirt, he stopped his spear strikes and rushed to back away.


    Using some sort of Aura ability, his body turned into a blur before reappearing several feet away from Tyr.


    This movement was so abrupt that pieces of coins and accessories the man had on his body were left to fall to the floor, rolling around before coming to a stop.


    Tyr raised a brow, ''Huh... that''s like Blink Step.''


    After panting slightly, the man who had escaped gave a slight smirk, "It won''t be that easy, you little--"


    Out of nowhere, a coin came spiraling through the air at high speeds, hitting the Bruther Clan member square in the forehead.


    The blow rattled his brain, making him lose consciousness as his eyes rolled back into his head and he fell backward onto the ground.


    The crowd gasped as they realized that Tyr had done this by a simple flick of his finger.


    As the fight continued, the way everyone viewed Tyr changed dramatically with each passing second.


    There was less confusion and skepticism, instead replaced with respect and fear.


    Tyr finally turned his attention to the last standing member of the Bruther Clan.


    Without hesitation or fear, he walked forward.


    ''After beating his men like dummies, I know this fool wouldn''t dare risk trying anything stupid,'' Tyr mused as he arrived directly before the last thug.


    The man stumbled backward, his hands shaking from fear.


    As soon as Tyr noticed this, he swept his legs out from under him with a swift low kick.


    The man fell onto his bum with a thud and a wince, dropping his weapon and gazing at the young man above him as if begging for mercy through his regretful eyes.


    Tyr stared at the man for a few seconds before speaking, "Pathetic... and you should thank me for not using you and your weakling group as EXP."


    The man had no clue what Tyr just said, but knew that shutting his mouth would be the best option.


    He simply nodded frivolously, waiting until Tyr turned his head.


    Tyr did just that, glancing at the bartender, who was standing there with his jaw on the floor.


    As soon as Tyr redirected his attention, the man on the floor pushed himself back far enough away before pushing himself up to his feet and sprinting out of the tavern.


    The bartender met Tyr''s gaze, which now felt completely different from before.


    ''I don''t know why... but I feel like I should not look away from his eyes...'' the bartender mused, feeling a looming sense of authority spewing from Tyr''s pupils.


    "I asked for directions to the faction..." Tyr spoke with a nonchalant tone, sparking the bartender back into reality.


    He gulped loudly before rushing to speak, "Ah--uh-y-yes! Of course..."


    The eyes of everyone in the crowd had not settled down just yet.


    After seeing Tyr dominate the men of the Bruther Clan, they couldn''t help but continue to stare at him in reverence and confusion.


    "Where in the world did he come from? He''s young, but seems to have quite a blasphemous amount of power."


    "I wonder if he''s powerful enough to be recruited to a faction..."


    "Maybe he''s already from a faction."


    "Hahaha! Don''t joke around. A boy from a faction would never act in this way."


    "Hey... but hypothetically speaking. If he was from one, the Bruther Clan would be shaking in their boots right now."


    "Yeah yeah... that ain''t possible, buddy."


    After a short pause, the bartender tidied his collar, walked back behind the counter, and finally spoke: "So... you wanted directions to the Ten High Peak Faction, correct?"


    As soon as those words left his mouth, a series of gasps rippled through the crowd again.


    "T-t-the Ten High Peak Faction!?" One guy said in a louder tone, at a loss.


    "Don''t joke around with that name."


    "How could this boy ever join such a prestigious faction? Impossible."


    "Is he out of his mind? Why would he want to even try to go there? They will just kick him out like a dog."


    "Hey! Watch your tone... what if he hears you?"


    ...


    The bartender spoke as Tyr walked back to the bar counter and gave him a nod, "In all honesty, one cannot reach such a prominent faction through normal means. To enter... you need to gather enough money for a direct transportation terminal."


    Tyr''s eyes widened slightly on hearing this, ''Money? Crap... I forgot I left all of that with Noa before we parted ways. I barely have a few gold coins on me right now.''


    "Aren''t those free in each major city?" Tyr asked, a bit confused, "If not free... they should at least be affordable to most, right?"


    That''s how he understood it to be in Ainsveld, at least.


    "Well, traversing cities and kingdoms compared to entering very prominent factions is very different. To just enter the land of a highly successful faction like the Ten High Peaks, you would need 10 Aura Stones."


    "10 Aura Stones!?" Tyr exclaimed in surprise, "For what!? There''s no way just traveling there costs so much!"


    ''That''s like 100,000$ USD back on Earth... isn''t that a bit too absurd!?'' S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The bartender nervously chuckled, "I have no other say on the matter. I hope you understand."

 Chapter 175 - 175: Exploring Bruther Stone

    Tyr scoffed in slight disbelief at what he was hearing.


    After a short pause, he sighed and turned around, "Fine... thanks for the help."


    As he left the bar, everyone still stood frozen in place.


    "Did that really just happen?"


    "I still can''t believe it..."


    ...


    Tyr calmly strolled through the streets with his eyes closed. ''Those thugs... well, I guess they aren''t really thugs. They are members of the town''s clan... albeit, most likely just some scrubs who joined for infamy and status. Still, their level was around 150 on average. Easily in the Adept Rank.''


    He paused, pondering on this for a short while.


    ''That''s quite the upgrade from Ainsveld. Usually, most goons like these wouldn''t even be above level 50. That means that as status goes higher, power will also far supersede that of Ainsveld. Or, in other words, I''m weak as crap here. My level is still only 302...''


    As he made his way through the lively streets, Tyr visited various weapons and armor shops.


    ''I''ve wanted to increase my power in a better way, but I''ve been stalled each time. The only reason I''m even this powerful now is because of that incident in Tarnish.''


    He visited beast material stores, alchemy shops, aesthetic businesses, and pretty much whatever else was on the streets.


    He wanted to see how things were in Eldraemar. How they were different, and how they were similar to what he knew.


    ''I still haven''t fully looked into gaining power in this world. All I''ve done is trust my GG power of leveling up through killing. But... there are those in Eldraemar who are far superior to me without even having this advantage. My goal is to have no shackles... and being so weak is the biggest shackle I have right now.''


    He also wanted to get to know more about getting to the Ten High Peak Faction in case the bartender from earlier hadn''t been telling him the whole truth.


    After an entire day of roaming Bruther Stone, Tyr arrived back at the same tavern that he had originally entered.


    ''Well... I guess that''s why I am here in Eldraemar. Once I get into that faction, I will study and fully indulge in the alchemy and cultivation side of things. All this time, I have focused more so on leveling with GG, but I have never focused on the thing that has made everyone else in this world so strong... Ancestral Abilities, Cultivation, Ranks, and Alchemy.''


    Tyr caught a few odd glances here and there from some people when he entered the establishment.


    It seemed some people from earlier that day had decided to stick around or maybe come back for a second time.


    Other than that, there were some curious expressions that floated around upon seeing Tyr as well.


    These curious figures were tapped on the shoulder by their friends, who whispered words along the lines of:


    "That''s him..."


    "He''s the one I was talking about."


    "That''s the guy I heard beat up those Bruther Clan members..."


    "He dares to come back here? His balls must be made out of top-grade steel."


    Tyr ignored all of these reactions, making his way to the back again and capturing the bartender''s attention with a hand gesture.


    Seeing Tyr, the bartender was at first struck with surprise.


    ''That guy... why the heck is he back here? I hope he doesn''t cause much trouble for my establishment again. Then again, I guess I shouldn''t be too harsh on him. He did save me from those bullies...''


    He quickly wisened up, rushing toward the young man who had called him over.


    "Yes, sir. What is it?" the bartender said with a polite tone.


    "You got rooms here, right? I want to stay for a day."


    "Oh..." The bartender paused, looking to think to himself as his face turned slightly glum.


    ''He wants to stay here out of all places!?''


    "Well... you know, Bruther Clan men love to stay here," the bartender said in a whisper, leaning in. "It''s kind of a hot spot for them. I don''t think you should be risking another fight."


    The bartender looked up at Tyr''s eyes, a fearful and uncertain look on his face.


    Tyr looked back down at him with an unimpressed gaze, "You call that a fight?" he said in a low tone.


    The bartender paused, making this staring session between the two men quite awkward as he donned the same uncertain expression on his face.


    After a couple of seconds, he lowered his head and handed a key to the young man.


    "I apologize... your room is upstairs to the right. Please have a nice stay," the bartender finally conceded.


    Tyr grabbed the key and began to reach for his storage ring.


    "Oh, no worries. As a sign of gratitude for helping me out before, the stay is on me," the bartender smiled.


    Tyr gave a subtle nod, turning and heading for his room.


    On the upper floor, there was a long, wide hallway that had multiple smaller hallways branching out of it.


    Each one of these smaller hallways had room doors on either side. S§×ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Everything was modestly decorated, the interior made of mostly wood planks.


    Tyr made his way to his room according to the key number, exhaling as he placed the key into the doorknob.


    ''I can''t afford to waste time here... I need to get to the faction as soon as possible.''


    On thinking this, he opened the door and stepped inside.


    Right as his foot landed on the floor, his eyes expanded with surprise.


    The room itself was fairly normal, with a large window, a single bed, a table and chair, and what looked to be a door to the bathroom.


    However, what shocked him was a random, beautiful young woman elegantly dressed in fine silks lying on the windowsill beside the bed.


    The woman stared right at him with inviting brown eyes and plump red lips, her dark hair cascading over her shoulders.

 Chapter 176 - 176: Seduction

    "Shit..." Tyr muttered under his breath.


    He then thought to himself, ''Was the bar guy trying to subtly warn me by talking about the Bruther Clan? It seems this place is a...''


    He paused, nearly unable to think of it in his disbelief. However, he managed to speak it out loud: "This place is a god damn brothel?"


    As soon as those words left his lips, the woman beside the window suddenly scrunched her brows with anger.


    "What did you say!?" she shouted, clearly offended.


    "What? It isn''t?"


    "Of course not! I am not a prostitute! Quite the opposite!"


    Tyr raised a brow, even more perplexed.


    "I am... I am the daughter of the Bruther Clan head family!" the woman shouted in an attempt to reclaim her reputation in the eyes of this man who had just called her a hooker.


    "Oh... what? Why the hell are you here?" Tyr said, emphasizing the ''you'' in his statement.


    The girl shook her head, exhaling while closing her eyes, "Look... I think we started off on the wrong foot."


    She stood up, slowly walking over to Tyr.


    "Yeah..." Tyr said, at a loss in this situation. ''I can''t gloss over the fact that she said she''s from the Bruther Clan. Any odd movement... and I''ll have to deal with her. This is dangerous territory.''


    The woman arrived beside him, leaning against his arm as if she had known him for years. "Impressive... what you managed to do this evening," she said, her voice sweet, "but I think my men had a little too much to drink today."


    Tyr remained silent for a moment, then hesitantly nodded, his face unreadable.


    ''Is she trying to purposefully downplay the stupidity of her men? For what purpose?'' Tyr thought to himself. sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Let me make it up to you." She placed her hand on his back, leaning closer as her lips curved into a small smile.


    "You''re not from around here, are you?" Her voice was smooth and low, meant only for his ears. "I could tell the moment you walked in. You''re... different... you''re very strong. Someone like you could use a guide through this city, don''t you think?"


    Tyr''s eyes narrowed slightly as he observed her, his mind working through the situation.


    ''She thinks she can charm me.'' He smirked internally, letting her believe her subtle seduction was working. ''Cute.''


    "I could help you, you know," she whispered, her hand brushing against his back lightly, just enough to make it seem like an innocent touch.


    "My family runs this city. We could make sure you''re... safe. You want to get to the Ten High Peak Faction, don''t you? I can help you."


    Tyr raised an eyebrow, turning fully to face her.


    ''And if I don''t follow your directions... then I''m not going to be safe... isn''t that what you''re really trying to say? That I will be an enemy if I don''t comply?''


    He didn''t pull away from her touch, knowing full well what she was trying to do.


    "You''re offering me protection?" His tone was calm, indifferent, almost as if he hadn''t already anticipated her next move.


    "Not just protection," she smiled wider, her eyes dancing with satisfaction as she became convinced that Tyr was already wrapped around her finger.


    "An opportunity. I can get you where you need to be¡ªno strings attached. All I want in return... is friendship."


    Tyr let the silence hang between them, his expression thoughtful, though inside he was far from swayed.


    ''Perfect.''


    He could see her manipulation clear as day, but he wasn''t about to pass up an opportunity to use her.


    If her family had power in the city, she could be the perfect key to getting into the faction.


    ''She thinks I''ll follow her like a lost puppy,'' he mused to himself, unable to help but smirk inwardly with amusement at this situation.


    After a pause, he nodded, as if finally considering her offer. "Alright," he said slowly, his voice carrying a hint of intrigue. "Let''s see what you can do for me."


    The girl''s smile grew wider, her confidence swelling as if she believed she had won him over.


    She leaned in closer, "I think you''ll find this city much easier to navigate with the right connections. My father, for example, could be interested in someone with your... talents."


    Tyr gave her a small nod, as if acknowledging her supposed victory.


    ''Pfft... what a silly situation. Does she really think she''s convinced me this easily? From her choice of words... more specifically, ''friendship,'' she thinks I am going to accept as a way to further that into something more. But her real intentions are probably something having to do with my death. It''s pretty damn obvious... I''ll play her little game for now. Once she leads me to her family''s doorstep, I''ll take what I need...''


    "I like the sound of that," Tyr suddenly leaned in closer, pulling the woman in as he placed his hand on her lower back.


    This seemed to startle the woman, forcing her eyes to lock into Tyr''s gaze for the first time as a warm blush flushed over her face, causing it to turn as red as a tomato in a mere second.


    "Now..." Tyr said, his voice deep.


    The woman was too stunned to speak, frozen as she let Tyr continue.


    "Get out," Tyr exclaimed in a cold tone, pushing the girl out of his room before slamming the door shut on her.


    He turned, slumping down onto his bed. Then, he smiled with his eyes closed, ''Looks like tomorrow I will get an opportunity to get to the faction...''


    Outside of the room, the woman stood there staring at the door in front of her with a look of disbelief on her face.


    ''He... actually looked quite handsome there...'' She thought for a moment, ''How... dare he close the door on me!''


    She tightened her hands into fists, turning and beginning to walk away.


    ''Whatever! He''s probably just too nervous to make a move. Damn coward! Anyways...'' A light smirk played on her lips, ''Tomorrow is going to be another fun one.''

 Chapter 177 - 177: New Look

    Early the next morning, a young kid made his way up a series of wooden steps.


    He had a nervous, almost sick look on his face.


    He made it to a short hallway, grasping tightly to a letter in his hand as he lightly walked forward until turning to face a door.


    After gulping, he raised his hand and knocked.


    Tok tok tok


    Silence...


    He took a breath before knocking again, this time a little louder.


    Tok tok tok


    Still, there was no reply.


    After a second or so, he firmed his stance and knocked one more time, this time much louder.


    TOK TOK TOK


    His eyes darted down as the door-knob abruptly turned.


    He gulped again, nervous, as the door slowly creaked open.


    Immediately, a rush of bad intent flushed through the open creak and struck the young man, causing his eyes to widen slightly.


    The door opened as the young man''s eyes met with a very irritated expression of a young man.


    His look was dreadful, his eyes slightly swollen and tired-looking.


    "What... the hell do you want?" Tyr said, clearly pissed off for being woken up forcibly.


    "Uh-" The kid stammered.


    He seemed to attempt to say something, but on realizing he couldn''t utter any words, he simply pushed out the letter in his hand and lowered his gaze.


    Tyr glanced at the note as the kid finally spoke, free from Tyr''s striking gaze: "A note... from the Bruther Clan."


    After pausing for a second, Tyr swiped the note out of the kid''s hand and slammed the door shut.


    The kid looked back up, gulping once more. ''So he''s Tyr Evolion...'' He looked around, ''The Dragon Tamer...''


    He began to walk away, ''He''s as scary as I imagined such a figure to be. To think... no one else but the Bruther Clan has figured this out in this city. He''s just walking around like a nobody, as if everyone in the continent doesn''t want to see him.''


    Tyr turned from the door, shaking his head. ''Looks like they are eager...''


    He opened the note:


    "Dear Tyr,"


    The note started with this, immediately causing Tyr to squint. ''Did I ever tell her my name?''


    "I trust you rested well after last night''s... excitement. My sincerest apologies once again for my men''s behavior. They can be overly eager at times, especially when they feel their pride is at stake. However, I believe we both understand that true strength lies not in brute force but in intellect and subtlety.


    In light of our conversation, I would like to formally extend an invitation for you to join me and my family at our estate for lunch today. My father, the city lord, is always interested in meeting individuals of your caliber, and I''m certain he would appreciate making your acquaintance.


    Of course, I can also assist you with the matter of the Ten High Peak Faction, as promised. It would be a pleasure to help you achieve your goals in this city. Let''s discuss how we can... work together to both our advantages.


    I''ll be expecting you at noon. My carriage will be waiting outside the inn to bring you to the estate. Don''t keep me waiting.


    Warm regards, Pemphis Bruther"


    Tyr raised an eyebrow, "Do they really think I was that retarded? Tsk..." He muttered under his breath, looking up at the door.


    ''That annoying brat was far too scared to see me. He was either told bad stories of what I did yesterday... or they have figured out that I hold the dragon.''


    ''Idiot!'' Ares suddenly exclaimed, ''It''s not that they figured you have a dragon, but rather, that you are a dragon tamer.''


    ''Yeah yeah... same thing.''


    ''Not at all!''


    ...


    Tyr got ready before heading out.


    He decided that before anything else, he wanted to get a new fit.


    So, he began to make his way to a clothing shop that he spotted the day prior.


    ''I''m in a new continent, so I should get accustomed to the new clothing attire...''


    He had been wearing the classic tunic and trousers for a while now, which had gotten boring.


    Tyr stepped into the shop, his eyes narrowing at the sight of bold colors and fine fabrics draped across the displays.


    The place had an exotic feel, with intricate patterns stitched into long coats and tunics hanging from the walls.


    His gaze swept over the options¡ªmost of them extravagant, layered with ornate belts and dark cloaks.


    One jacket, in particular, caught his eye. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    It was a loose-fitting dark robe that flowed down his body.


    Its deep hood almost cast a shadow over his face, and it had silver accents along the edges.


    The black pants were tight at the hips and extended to be baggy near the knees before tightening back up near the ankles.


    The sleeves were long, giving him a sense of freedom in his movement.


    Overall, the look gave him a calm yet slightly intimidating look.


    ''This should do,'' he thought, purchasing the item and stepping out.


    By that time, it had nearly reached noon.


    ''I slept for a while... guess that''s a consequence of being on a ship for so long,'' Tyr mused, looking up at the sky and realizing that the sun was high up, nearly at the center.


    Seeing this, he decided it was time to head to the Bruther Clan household.


    He sheathed his spear on his back and began his short journey, asking for directions along the way.


    It didn''t take long for him to arrive outside the iron gates of a fairly large estate.


    Inside was a futuristic-looking building of only one story.


    ''Huh...'' Tyr mused, noticing how the house looked drastically different from the older-style mansions around the area.


    ''A weird world this is...'' He said, chuckling to himself.


    The house was made of steel and glass, with glowing neon pink and green lights radiating through the lined seams of each wall and pillar.


    It was wide, with a circular courtyard and several beasts roaming around out front.


    ''Stone beasts?'' Tyr thought to himself, seeing as the beasts were tall humanoid creatures made of circular boulders.


    ''Scan.''


    ©³©¥©¥©¥Status©¥©¥©¥©·


    Name: Stone Golem


    Age: 5 Years


    Power Level: 180


    Rank: Sentinel


    ©»©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¿


    ''Jeez...'' Tyr''s eyes darted around, ''Around ten of them... I should be able to handle myself.''


    He walked to the entrance gate, where he was met by a colorful spark that accessed his body.


    As soon as it made contact with the note in Tyr''s pocket, it jumped forward and led the young man toward the estate.


    ''That''s some advanced tech.''


    When Tyr arrived at the front doors, which were wide open and showcasing a broad and luxurious interior, he was met by two guards.


    They wore iron helmets and basic clothing.


    Their left hands remained still at their sides as their right hands rested on the hilts of their sheathed blades.


    ''Scan.'' Tyr furrowed his eyebrows.


    ©³©¥©¥©¥Status©¥©¥©¥©·


    Name: Malcos Kroe


    Age: 37 Years


    Power Level: 210


    Rank: Expert


    ©»©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¿


    ©³©¥©¥©¥Status©¥©¥©¥©·


    Name: Damein Smeeth


    Age: 40 Years


    Power Level: 212


    Rank: Expert


    ©»©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¿


    ''Both over 200?'' Tyr''s eyes glanced up at the entire mansion, ''I''m walking into a lion''s den here...''


    Tyr heard a growl from Rudra.


    ''Good thing tigers are stronger than lions.''


    For a moment, Tyr paused, and then he said internally, ''That''s cringe.''


    ''Wha-! H-hey! I was on your side!'' Rudra exclaimed, broken out of his edgy shell.


    Tyr chuckled to himself before stepping forward.


    "Welcome to the estate, Tyr Evolion." One of the guards spoke with a loud tone as both of them turned to face each other.


    ''So they know who I am.'' Tyr immediately assumed, raising his guard a bit.


    "Please, come inside." The two guards spoke in unison, welcoming him with their hand gestures.

 Chapter 178 - 178: Tyrs Horrifying Judgement

    ***EXTRA LONG CHAP***


    ----


    Tyr walked inside, the guards following behind him.


    He was met by an expansive living area with a tall ceiling, red carpeting, and walls filled with intricate designs and paintings.


    On continuing forward, Tyr was met with two short steps that led to an elevated platform.


    On this new, slightly taller floor, was the dining area. It was an equally large room with a long table at its center and a massive, luxurious chandelier hanging in the center of the chamber.


    There looked to be a doorway to the side connecting to a kitchen where the luring aroma of fresh food made itself present.


    In each corner of the room, there was a guard holding post.


    On the table itself, there were already five people seated at the very edge. Two on each side, and one at the back.


    On the left side were two children no older than 13.


    Both of them were young boys. One stared at Tyr with awe as the other indulged in the countless array of food items already present on the table.


    Seeing this, Tyr swallowed his spit. A piece of chicken especially caught his eye.


    He moved his gaze to the back, where a short, slightly round man with balding corners and a golden tooth sat.


    Most of his hands were covered in lavish rings, and he smiled at Tyr with a smug expression.


    To the left near this man was a woman wearing a modest dress.


    And finally, beside her was the girl that Tyr had met before.


    She was staring at him with a bright, eager smile, and inviting eyes.


    Tyr scoffed inwardly on seeing this, ''She''s grinning ear to ear... she really thinks she''s got me--''


    Before Tyr could finish his thought, he felt two sudden grips on his arms from behind.


    He furrowed his brows, looking side to side as he saw the two guards from before clutch onto him.


    ''Tsk... that was obvious.'' He said, slightly ticked, ''But, it''s alright for now. They think the threat has been controlled... it''s better in my favor actually.''


    "Thank god!" The lady from before, ''Pemphis,'' shouted as she abruptly rose from her seat.


    She raised her finger and pointed it toward Tyr, her face turning red and her eyes watering, "He''s the one! The disgusting, lewd scoundrel who raped me!" She suddenly burst into tears.


    Tyr raised a brow in surprise, ''Wow... that''s farther than I expected.'' He smirked.


    "YOU DARE SMILE ON HEARING SUCH AN ACCUSATION!?" The older man slammed his fists on the table, standing as he furiously yelled at Tyr.


    ''What a fool! He''s only making his situation worse! Who does he think he is?'' The man mused, chuckling to himself. ''At first, I wanted to take his life as punishment for what he did to my men, but I''ve recently learned of his status... Even if he is the dragon tamer, he is just a southerner... if we can use his power, we can excel to high lordship! Or even an Emperor-level federation!''


    "Oh calm down, baldspot," Tyr said, about to continue when he was interrupted again.


    "How dare you make jokes, and you so viciously stole my innocence!" Pemphis covered herself, her face distraught with trauma.


    On hearing this, the guards tightened their grip on Tyr.


    Tyr could only scoff, "You? Innocent? That''s exactly what a whore would say."


    Pemphis was taken aback, at a loss for words, ''What''s he saying!? He''s completely different from before... has he lost his mind? He didn''t actually rape me... so why is he talking in this way instead of trying to defend himself. Does he have no survival instinct!?''


    The father, and the others at the table, were equally thrown off. This wasn''t what they were expecting at all.


    Tyr looked back at the guards that were holding him, "What? You believe this bitch? I mean... come on. I know that you guys don''t really think she''s a pure angel, do you?"


    "Don''t dare spout such nonsense!" One guard spoke in a loud tone.


    "I''ll kill you, damn it!" The other screamed, gripping Tyr''s arm extremely hard now.


    On hearing that statement, Tyr''s slight smile turned into a frown.


    "What did you say?" He said in a low, stone-cold tone.


    "I said I''ll kill---!"


    Tyr suddenly disappeared into thin air, ''Blink Step.''


    He reappeared behind the guard, grabbing the back of his neck and thrusting his face down into the edge of the table.


    His front teeth slammed against the ridge.


    All of them were torn out of his gums, scattering across the floor like marbles.


    His nose was crushed and flattened, squirting like a fountain.


    Tyr lifted the guard''s head up and slammed him again, this time dislocating his jaw and breaking his throat.


    He then lifted him up one more time, throwing his lifeless body to the side like a ragdoll.


    [You have slain Malcos Kroe (Expert Rank Human).]


    [You leveled up!]


    [Current level: 305]


    [Vitality: 125 --> 127]


    [Stamina: 121 --> 123]


    [Aura: 120 --> 122]


    The mayor of Bruther Stone stepped back, his hands raised slightly and his mouth agape.


    The kids stood frozen in shock, as did the wife of the mayor.


    Pemphis, on the other hand, had lowered her pointed finger--standing with a defeated posture and a look of regret and disbelief.


    "What..." She said under her breath, "What is going on..." She was confused and at a complete loss.


    The other soldier saw what happened to his partner and backed up.


    Tyr didn''t show mercy, grabbing his spear and slashing it swiftly across the man''s body.


    Blood splashed forward, scattering across Tyr''s new robes as the guard screamed in pain and fell onto his back.


    [You have slain Damein Smeeth (Expert Rank Human).]


    Tyr slashed his spear across the air, cleaning the blood off before sheathing it on his back again.


    He menacingly turned to face the table again, "Did you fools really think I was going to fall for your scheme? What do you take me for? I didn''t tame a dragon without any power."


    The members of the Bruther family finally realized the person that they had offended.


    For the first time, the mayor of Bruther Stone thought about what would happen if his plan went completely wrong:


    ''If-if he gets out of here... our entire city will be leveled by the other factions and kingdoms for attempting to harm the dragon tamer! I can''t let that happen... I will not surrender!'' S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Tyr turned and faced Pemphis, "What a dirty whore..." He said, disgusted, "I wonder how many men you have fucked just to accuse them of raping you. It must be quite the ego boost."


    "ENOUGH!" The mayor screamed, "You have two choices!"


    Tyr raised a brow, almost amused at these words, ''The audacity,'' he laughed to himself, ''Does he still think he is in any position of authority?''


    "If you dare attempt to leave, we will label you as a rapist and ruin your reputation! It doesn''t matter if you''re a dragon tamer... the world will never take a liking to such a scoundrel."


    Tyr didn''t say anything, wanting to hear more of this amusing bull shit.


    "Or, you may submit to us. Yield, and help our house. Do that, and you will be free to go."


    There was a long silence after this.


    Tyr cracked his neck back and forth before saying: "You forgot the third option..."


    "The third?" The man said, his brows furrowed.


    "The option where I slaughter everyone here."


    On saying this, Tyr''s killing intent mixed with his Ancestral Aura and surged through the room, weighing heavily on everyone present.


    The children and wife were immediately knocked unconscious.


    The guards'' eyes were widened with shock.


    Pemphis''s pupils dilated with horror as she saw herself killed in a thousand ways just in a mere second.


    And finally, the mayor felt his heart beat like a drum attempting to burst out of his chest, unable to gasp for breath.


    ''No... no no no! Damn it all!'' The mayor fell back onto his rear, ''What... have I done?'' A brick of regret struck him like a truck.


    SEEEW


    A sharp noise sounded as a figure suddenly appeared in front of Tyr, hurling a kick at his face.


    Tyr could barely react to the speed, his hands only just reaching his face to absorb the force.


    Despite this, the power of the attack was still enough to throw him back several feet and dispel his Ancestral Aura.


    ''Strong...'' Tyr mused, looking up to see a man with long, light-blue hair standing on the table in front of him.


    The expressions of everyone else present seemed to lighten up on seeing this man, who stared at Tyr with scrunched brows of hatred and disdain.


    ''Scan.''


    ©³©¥©¥©¥Status©¥©¥©¥©·


    Name: Daniel Bruther


    Age: 28 Years


    Power Level: 350


    Rank: Virtuoso


    ©»©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¿

 Chapter 179 - 179: Obliteration

    The mayor stepped forward with a look of disbelief, "Daniel!?" he said loudly, obviously shocked.


    The light-blue-haired man faced forward, unreacting.


    "You have already returned from training!? It''s only been three out of five years!" the mayor exclaimed.


    Tyr raised an eyebrow on hearing this, surprised, ''That''s some pretty good luck I have.''


    For a moment, he was being sarcastic. But then he thought about it and realized, ''Actually... it''s probably another level for me.'' He smirked.


    "I am a fast learner," Daniel replied to his father before switching his attention back to Tyr.


    "That is my sister you are speaking about... you should be ashamed!" Daniel said in a stern manner.


    "If that''s your sister, then you should be ashamed." Tyr quickly replied, unsheathing his spear.


    Daniel''s eyebrows raised slightly, not expecting such a reply.


    "Kill him!" Pemphis suddenly screamed at the top of her lungs, "Kill him now, elder brother! I want his head at my feet!" She burst into tears, this time for real.


    "Don''t worry... I''ve beat plenty of pipsqueaks in my time," Daniel said in an arrogant yet confident tone, squeezing his fists as they turned into a see-through, slightly blue-colored liquid.


    "But... I won''t kill him. Though he is a weakling, he is an important one. I''ll do you one better, young sister... I''ll make him our slave." Daniel snarled, hopping down to the floor.


    Tyr frowned, "Tsk... that irks me a little too much."


    "Oh yeah?" Daniel smugly exclaimed, stepping forward, "What are you gonna do about it?"


    He reached his elbow back, preparing to throw a cross punch.


    After a moment of pause, he unleashed the attack--allowing a blast of water to rush forward from his fist.


    The water was very coordinated, forming into a very hard and strict horizontal pole that thrust at Tyr''s chest.


    ''Reverse.'' Tyr exclaimed, absorbing the water into his body before unleashing it back toward Daniel.


    Daniel immediately backed up, dashing to the side several times to avoid the attack.


    The water column slammed through the back wall of the estate, bursting through iron as it tore a clean hole in the house.


    "Argh!" Daniel exclaimed in frustration, "I''ll make you bend down and eat my shit when I enslave you! Just you wait, you peasant!"


    Tyr paused, squinting his eyes as he sheathed his spear out of nowhere.


    "What the hell are you doing? Giving up?" Daniel said, clenching his fist once again.


    "I refuse to tolerate this annoying bull shit. I hold way more power than you... why the fuck would I fight you right now?" Tyr said, confusing Daniel and the others.


    "That''s right... what the fuck am I doing wasting my time? None of you mother fuckers deserve a chance at life..." He was clearly pissed off.


    At the end of the day, he was human. Getting irritated was quite easy for Tyr, especially when it came to people implying they would impede him... or enslave him of all things.


    "Well!? Do something about it then!" Daniel roared.


    "Shut the fuck up..." Tyr muttered under his breath, abruptly growing reptilian wings and floating into the sky.


    Scales covered his body and joints as he continued to float up.


    Daniel furrowed his brows, confused.


    Tyr opened his mouth as wide as a watermelon, sucking in all the air around him as his chest expanded and began to glow in a rich orange hue.


    A frown eclipsed Daniel''s face as he saw this, his eyes widening with realization and horror.


    ''Flame Breath.'' Tyr mused, forcibly exhaling an enormous blast of flame which instantly obliterated everything in its path.


    Tyr''s eyes gleamed with a golden spark, a golden flame erupting at his glabella as the entire interior of the Bruther estate exploded with fire.


    There was not a single inch of room that wasn''t scorched and annihilated, booming and roaring like a lion.


    By the end, the entire mansion had been blasted, charred, and melted to almost nothing.


    Everything that was once there had been destroyed, over 5000 square feet of house completely turned to rubble and molten magma.


    As things settled down, all that was left was a single ball of water at the center of everything.


    Tyr floated back down, an irritated look still on his face.


    The ball of water transformed, morphing back into Daniel''s human body.


    The rest of his family had been protected within his water shield, but his entire body had been burned to a crisp.


    He heaved a heavy breath before falling to the ground and turning into a pile of ashes.


    [You have slain Daniel Bruther (Virtuoso Rank Human).]


    [You leveled up!]


    [Current level: 306]


    [Stamina: 123 --> 124]


    [Aura: 122 --> 123]


    A piercing scream echoed from Pemphis, distraught with rattled trauma and shock as she saw her brother''s charred corpse.


    The mayor rose up from his curled position, in disbelief of what he was seeing.


    The mother of Daniel simply shielded her children from seeing what had happened, preoccupying herself from the shock as well as she whispered protective hymns to her children.


    Pemphis looked up at Tyr''s heartless, stone-cold eyes. Her shoulders drooped with utter defeat.


    "Are you really going to kill all of us?" she said, her voice meager and raspy.


    Tyr walked forward.


    "No... no no no." Pemphis muttered, "I don''t want to die," she cried.


    Tyr reached forward and grabbed the mayor by the back of the neck.


    "There''s no point in wasting time killing you low EXP creatures," Tyr said, "Your lives were already ruined the moment you plotted against me."


    He moved on, "Now you... give me all the money you have."


    The mayor remained silent for a few seconds before uttering the words: "You... destroyed it all."


    Tyr sucked his upper teeth in irritation, "Just lead the way to the transportation terminal..."


    It didn''t take long for Tyr to walk through the streets hanging onto the back of the mayor''s head and using him as a GPS to get to the transportation terminal.


    However, it was safe to say that on seeing their mayor''s body being carried like a ragdoll through the town, everyone who bore witness to what they were seeing followed along with horror, confusion, and total bewilderment.


    Tyr finally made it to the transportation terminal, and with the mayor''s presence and forced permission, was allowed to enter the teleportation pad.


    "Oi!" Tyr yelled at both the mayor and the man working behind the teleportation booth, "Don''t you dare teleport me to the wrong place. Or else I''ll fly back here and do what I did to your mansion, except to your whole town."


    Tyr was obviously bluffing, but to the mayor, who understood Tyr to be nothing but a demonic monster beyond human comprehension and emotions at this point, he simply nodded.


    The mayor had long made his decision to follow Tyr''s directions. He had dealt with enough of trying to be anyone. Right now, he was nothing but a servant. A servant who didn''t want any more punishment.


    "Okay... teleport me," Tyr said, suddenly hearing a click as the metallic floor beneath him gleamed with a blue glow.


    He grinned, "Finally... Ten High Peak Faction, here I come. Get ready, world... I am going to become worthy of the title of dragon tamer."


    ''Hehe... let''s go.'' Ares chuckled.


    ''You are far beyond worthy, master!'' Rudra exclaimed. sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ZIIP


    And with that, Tyr disappeared. Within the blink of an eye, Tyr found himself at the misty foot of an immense mountain range.


    Before him lay a trodden dirt path moving from dark jungle to grey mountain valleys...


    He took in one deep breath... and then stepped forward.

 Chapter 180 - 180: Ancient Mauyin Temple

    Tyr journeyed through the mountains on Rudra''s back.


    The peaks were beautiful, rising up far above the clouds above.


    The wind was chilling and dry, causing cracked lips and swollen eyelids in some folk.


    Tyr, on the other hand, seemed to handle it fine. His GG constitution allowed him to survive under more harsh conditions with a lot more ease.


    The path he traveled along was fairly thin.


    A few trees accompanied alongside the path, and on either side were giant mountains as far as the eye could see.


    Tyr had seen his fair share of beasts travel along. Most of them weren''t too strong, around Apex Rank on average.


    Although, at that point, strength was only relative. Wilderness filled with Apex beasts would be frightening in Ainsveld, but it seemed nature evolved and adapted differently to Eldraemar''s superior strength.


    This was likely due to a cycle of difficulty. A harsher environment with even more Aura led to stronger adaptations by predators, which then led to even stronger adaptation by prey.


    Like a domino effect, this would play back on the predators and prey until civilization took over, monopolizing this power and creating an even more efficient evolution of strength on the continent.


    Tyr passed up on the chance to take down any Apex beasts.


    He would have to kill far too many to level up, and he wasn''t in need of food either, as he had a decent amount of rations in his storage rings.


    "Tsk... I wish I had kept the storage ring with money in it instead of the one with food..." Tyr grumbled under his breath.


    He paused, "Then again... it barely had any money in it compared to what I need in Eldraemar. If my plan is to buy all the materials I need to gain power, a few thousand gold coins isn''t going to get me very far. I''ll need to find a way to generate money as quickly as possible."


    For a moment, Tyr continued to think about this. Whilst still in thought, he arrived at an odd-looking location that caused him to squint his eyes.


    The path disappeared, and for the next few thousand feet, so did the mountains and trees.


    Instead, before him was what appeared to be an expansive bamboo forest.


    The hue in the air turned into a lime green as the yellow sun gleamed off of the green bamboo shoots.


    Green leaves slowly fell from up above, the bamboo shoots towering over 50 feet in the air.


    The shoots grew thickly, far too thick for Rudra to make it through without any trouble.


    Tyr sent Rudra back into Infinite Domain, beginning to walk on foot.


    It felt random, so Tyr didn''t know what to make of it.


    ''That''s weird...'' he mused, ''This doesn''t seem like a natural formation.''


    As soon as he stepped from the dirt path into the bamboo forest, Tyr felt an unfamiliar vibration run through his feet and spread across his body.


    He furrowed his brows, ''Through my meridians?'' he questioned, confused.


    Instantly, he also felt an ominous feeling lingering in the air.


    With his guard up, he ventured into the forest.


    It didn''t feel safe inside, as he felt blind only being able to see a couple dozen feet in front of him clearly.


    Everything else was patterned and deluded with bamboo shoots.


    Odd noises also rustled around the place, different presences making themselves known before disappearing again.


    Everything made Tyr become on edge.


    Finally, he arrived at an opening. There was a large shrine gate, as if to a Buddhist temple.


    The gate looked old and decrepit.


    As he walked inside, he arrived at an outside courtyard with a few trees and small grass fields.


    Everything had been overrun by nature.


    It was clear that this place had been abandoned for a while.


    At the back, opposite of the entrance shrine, were a series of steps leading up to a grand door.


    Tyr looked around as he made his way up the steps.


    The outside courtyard was protected by the walls of the ruin.


    The roofs were slanted and made of tiles, similar to Japanese-style temples.


    After arriving at the door, he leaned back and kicked it wide open.


    The doors swung back with force, immediately unleashing a gust of wind imbued with negative Aura, which felt like predatory bloodlust.


    Tyr quickly scanned what was behind the doors.


    It was an inner courtyard, the floor tiled with white stone.


    The yard was surrounded by temple buildings, all cracked and overrun with grass and moss.


    "Three hundred years... and no mortal has ever dared to enter the Mauyin temple without ill intent."


    A deep voice resonated through the floor, forcing Tyr to take note of the figure standing at the center of the courtyard.


    It was a man-beast. Taller than ten feet in stature; half wolf, half human.


    It wore black robes with dragon-like patterns lining its exterior and stood on both hind feet while wielding a long wooden staff.


    Tyr walked forward slowly, his eyes unwavering from the figure before him.


    "Those who abandoned my temple don''t deserve another chance... through the decades, they send their kin to kill me, and start this temple anew." The wolf-man spoke, slowly walking back and forth from left to right as his staff dragged across the ground.


    "Sin can never be wiped away, even if you think starting again is the solution. He will never forget, who has created our very souls." The wolf-man turned, facing Tyr.


    "And I, Langren Baohu Zhe, shall not forget either, nor shall I forgive."


    The wolf-man spun his staff across the air before swiping it at Tyr.


    A gust of wind traveled toward the young man before dispersing across his face.


    Tyr paused before speaking, "Do I also harbor ill will?" he asked. S§×arch* The Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Langren Baohu Zhe squinted, "Hmph... do you think your ancestors and kin have not tried this tactic before?" he grunted loudly.


    Tyr furrowed his brows, walking to the side.


    The wolf-man matched him, circling opposite of his direction.


    "I don''t know what you''re talking about... none of my kin have come here. I can assure you of that." Tyr responded, his spear unsheathed.


    ''Scan.''


    ©³©¥©¥©¥Status©¥©¥©¥©·


    Name: Langren Baohu Zhe


    Age: 378 Years


    Power Level: 410


    Rank: Berserk


    ©»©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¿


    ''Tsk... not fighting would be the best option here,'' Tyr mused, ''Even if I can beat him for the EXP, I will barely come out with my life, it seems.''


    Langren Baohu Zhe raised his upper lip in disdain, "Do not take me for a fool. I have bested your clan''s silly tricks for over a quarter of a millennia. I will continue to do so until He is happy."


    ''Looks like there''s no convincing this guy...'' Tyr regretted, ''Come out, Ares!''


    Without a millisecond of delay, the dragon darted into the air and unleashed a catastrophic blast of fire toward the wolf.


    Half of the courtyard was engulfed in a monstrous flame.


    Tyr stood back, squinting his eyes as he stared at the center of the fire where Langren Baohu Zhe was.


    ''What will you do, wolf?'' he mused for a second.


    Out of nowhere, he sensed a horrifying feeling of death loom over his shoulder.


    Tyr''s eyes flew wide open as he turned his head.


    As he barely got to look over his shoulder, a staff thrust into Tyr''s back, sending him sprawling forward into the ground.


    "Pfft... your kin has gotten weak with your petty tricks."

 Chapter 181 - 181: Langren Baohu Zhe

    Tyr rolled across the ground and quickly got up before turning to face Langren Baohu Zhe.


    He tightened his grip on his spear as he felt the impact point of the wolf''s staff radiate with pain on his back.


    ''Damn... he almost broke a fucking rib.'' Tyr glanced at his torso for a moment, ''And his killing intent is far beyond his Power Level... that must be due to not only his age, but the amount of ill will he harbors and the sheer number of people he has killed.'' S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Are you certain you won''t let me go!? If you stand in my way... I will have to kill you." Tyr shouted, staring at the wolfman with a determined look in his eyes.


    Langren furrowed his eyebrows, "Are you willing to die for it? Because it seems you and I both know that you cannot defeat me... boy."


    Tyr frowned, ''He can sense my unease? I guess it makes sense... he''s old as a mountain.''


    Tyr slashed his spear to his side, "I will defeat you and leave from here with my life... but if I have to die by fighting against someone standing in my way, then so be it."


    Langren Baohu Zhe had a curious look on his face, "Ah... a rare trait of your demented clan. Too bad a boy of your merit wasn''t born thirty decades ago."


    He dashed forward, disappearing into thin air.


    Tyr''s eyes darted all across his vision, ''Tsk!'' he mused, a golden flame erupting from his glabella.


    ''He isn''t using any Aura attacks. Even if my Full Golden Body doubles my vitality, if he''s this much stronger than me, all that means is a more slow and painful death.'' Tyr backed up, attempting to sense the presence of the wolfman as best he could.


    ''The only way I''ve been able to defeat those much stronger than me was by using Aura attacks with Reverse, or being immune to the Aura attacks totally. But... this guy is just using pure strength. He is simply superior to me...''


    BANG


    Langren Baohu Zhe''s staff slammed against the side of Tyr''s head, turning him over like a frisbee and knocking him to the ground.


    For a moment, Tyr''s consciousness had fully disappeared.


    He quickly regained his composure as he landed on the floor, but he was still highly discombobulated.


    ''Fuck!'' Tyr thought to himself, his head spinning and his vision blurry.


    His hearing became muffled as his sense of smell suddenly disappeared.


    All he could focus on was the pain in his head.


    ''He''s better than me... even at my full power.''


    As he rose to his feet, he entered Soul Mend: Polaris Tiger.


    He was still dizzy but made sure to stand his ground and look around.


    Langren Baohu Zhe was still invisible, but his voice echoed across the temple:


    "Abandoning this temple... throwing it to the thieves of the world. You would have burned it to the ground had it not been for that young Junis.


    Ever since the Doom Era into this Golden Era, I have protected this temple. Even now, the evil of this world has not been quelled. False promises are made by that evil family... only I and a few other rare exceptions do not believe them."


    Tyr was at a complete loss upon hearing all of this.


    ''What the hell is this guy talking about? Has my brain been concussed? He speaks as though all of these things are happening right now. Doom Era? Golden Era? I haven''t even heard of such concepts.''


    Langren Baohu Zhe appeared beside Tyr again, but this time, Tyr was able to see him.


    Even though the wolfman looked like an afterimage, this was enough for Tyr to duck below the staff attack.


    He lunged forward with the built-up spring in his feet, thrusting his spear into the belly of the wolf.


    Langren dashed back, only a few hairs on his stomach cut off from Tyr''s spear.


    He dashed back in, appearing to the left and right before arriving above the young man and spinning his staff down into Tyr''s head.


    BANG


    Tyr''s eyes rolled into the back of his head as the blow landed clean on his temple.


    His teeth pushed against each other, nearly shattering under the pressure as he was propelled into the ground chin-first.


    Langren calmly stepped back, "Junis was helpful. Centuries later, Crublood''s evil was also defeated by the great Erval. Now... it seems tensions rise again. How many more centuries will I have to defend this temple..."


    He turned around, walking away.


    "Wait..." Tyr whispered, opening one of his eyes and staring at the wolfman.


    "Erval, you said? I''ve heard of him before... what does he have to do with anything?" Tyr was curious about this infamous name.


    But apart from that, this was also an excuse to allow himself to rise up.


    ''Even at 100 percent of my power... he is stronger than me.'' He mused, rising to his feet, ''Then... I will have to push beyond that.''


    He threw his spear to the ground.


    It sharply clanged as Langren Baohu Zhe turned to face Tyr again.


    "Why do you care, boy? Thalorin blood may not run through your veins... but Thalorin ideology runs through your mind and ancestry."


    Tyr''s eyes widened with shock as he heard those words, "Thalorin?" he said, in disbelief.


    "How do you know that name?" Tyr''s hand began to shake for some reason as memories flashed across his mind.


    It seemed his body was having a natural reaction of instability, which Langren couldn''t help but notice.


    He raised a brow, "How do I know that name? What being on Subworld not know the name, Thalorin?"


    Tyr couldn''t understand what Langren was talking about.


    It made no sense.


    All he knew was that just hearing that name was pissing him off.


    "Whatever..." Tyr said, "I don''t care..."


    He stepped forward, "I''m going to go all out."


    Langren Baohu Zhe spun his staff around his head, concentrating his eyes: "You will die trying to defeat me."


    "I made a promise to myself when I got to this damn planet... I won''t live on my knees, and neither will I die on my feet. I''m going to live on my feet, damn it!"

 Chapter 182 - 182: Illusion

    Langren Baohu Zhe couldn''t help but squint his eyes, "You have come too far in life with such foolishness in your thoughts. All you are is ignorant to the truth. You know you cannot defeat me, yet you cling to that falsehood only to lose your life."


    Tyr furrowed his eyebrows, "You stupid wolf... no matter how old, it seems your animal brain still doesn''t work nearly as well as it should. Even if I accept that I will die, you will try to kill me anyways. That doesn''t change the outcome... but knowing I will kill you... I will force it to come into fruition."


    "Humph!" Langren exclaimed, "I won''t stop at one attack this time..."


    Tyr remained silent, thinking to himself for a moment, ''This bastard... he is still a wolf at the end of the day. I forgot about that fact since he seems so human and speaks my language.''


    He paused, ''I haven''t used this spell in so long, I had almost forgotten of its existence... almost.'' Tyr Blink Stepped forward, appearing in front of Langren''s face all of a sudden.


    ''Hypnosis.'' Tyr said in his head as the wolfman''s eyes instantly turned a hazy blue color.


    In that split second, a grin began to show on Tyr''s face, ''You are still a beast!''


    "Lie on your back!" Tyr shouted.


    Langren Baohu Zhe didn''t hesitate, immediately following Tyr''s orders.


    Tyr grinned with his teeth as he saw this, his eyes wide and filled with exhilaration, almost maniacal.


    ''Soul Mend: Dragon.''


    Scales summoned across his body as wings sprouted from his back, "Flame Breath."


    A blast of inferno exploded from his mouth, obliterating the wolfman below him into ashes.


    The center of the very temple they stood in was destroyed, Tyr unscathed due to Full Golden Body.


    In the end, Tyr stepped back, panting as the adrenaline in his body calmed down.


    He felt the pain that had disappeared before due to the heat of the moment hit him all at once now.


    His head felt like it weighed a hundred pounds, radiating with sharp bursts of pain.


    His ribs sparked with dull waves of numbing pain, which made it feel like he had no ribs at all.


    Despite this, Tyr was simply focused on the fact that he survived right now.


    He continued to smile, placed his hand on his hips, gazed into the bamboo canopy above him, and finally said, "I''m so fucking weak..."


    He stood there silently in that motion for a few more seconds.


    Then, the canopy above him slowly began to disappear as if it wasn''t there in the first place.


    Instead, it was replaced by an open sky.


    Tyr raised an eyebrow with confusion as he saw this.


    When he looked back down in front of him, he realized that his entire surroundings had completely changed.


    There was no longer even a single bamboo shoot in the area.


    He could see the mountains surrounding him again.


    The large open area of the bamboo forest was now replaced with what looked like... an enormous monastery.


    Tyr was standing right at the entrance of a sprawling temple sect.


    Multiple buildings with dark, curved roofs spread across the area, connected by stone paths winding up and down the mountainside.


    Tall trees surrounded the structures, with pink and white cherry blossoms scattered among them.


    Sturdy stone steps led to each building, their foundations solid against the mountains and cliffs around them.


    The architecture was simple yet refined, each structure blending naturally with the landscape.


    Clear skies and faint clouds hovered above, with cliffs rising sharply in the background.


    The entire layout was orderly, like a village built to follow the slope of the mountain.


    This massive monastery was guarded by a wooden wall with a shrine-gate at its center.


    Tyr was one step behind this shrine, which he stepped across after a second of hesitation.


    The first thing he saw was a large courtyard tiled with white stone.


    Soon enough, multiple figures began to slowly pour into this area.


    They were all dressed as monks and religious scholars.


    Their heads were shaven for the most part, and they wore yellow and orange garb.


    They stood across the courtyard from Tyr, whispering amongst themselves almost frantically.


    Finally, after over three dozen of these monks had gathered together, another monk materialized in front of Tyr.


    This monk had a long gray beard.


    He was old, his back curved and his limbs scrawny.


    His skin sagged slightly, his eyes held up by dark eye bags, and his body covered with red robes.


    He was very old, possibly nearing 80 in age from the looks of it.


    "Young man..." the elder spoke in a deep and soft voice, "What is your name?"


    Tyr was still in disbelief at what he was seeing.


    He snapped out of it for a moment to answer the monk''s question.


    "Tyr... Evolion."


    The monk smiled slightly and turned, "Come with me," he said, slowly walking back.


    Although slightly hesitant, Tyr stepped forward.


    As soon as he did, he disappeared into thin air.


    The elder monk was also nowhere to be seen, blown away by the wind like dust in the air.


    Before Tyr knew it, he was sitting under a plum blossom tree that was covered in beautiful pink leaves, scarcely falling down from time to time in a mesmerizing scene. S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He seemed to be in a flower yard behind one of the temple-like buildings.


    There were a few plum blossom trees around, along with various flower gardens and other varieties of plants splotched around the low grass yard.


    There was a koi pond at the center of the yard with a short stone bridge.


    Atop that bridge materialized the elder monk once again.


    "So you are the Dragon Tamer," the monk said, catching a falling plum blossom petal on his finger.


    The petal made contact with the man''s finger, and all of its momentum suddenly stopped, resting at complete ease and stillness.


    "Yes..." Tyr said, pausing for a moment before asking, "Where am I? Who was that guy I was fighting... who are you?"


    The monk chuckled on hearing this, "Very direct, are you? Mmhaha!" He sighed, "An illusion. Langren Baohu Zhe is nothing but an illusion. His temple, and his bamboo forest, are all objects created as a means to test all newcomers that wish to enter the Ten High Peak Faction."


    "An illusion?" Tyr furrowed his brows, slightly confused.


    "It didn''t feel like an illusion whatsoever to me... and is the test to enter the faction really that difficult?"


    He asked again, "So then... this place is the Ten High Peak Faction?"


    He knew he would feel a bit underwhelmed if that was the case, since this monastery¡ªalthough large¡ªdidn''t seem very grand or unique.


    Just a few temples and buildings for housing and whatnot.


    "Hoho," the monk chuckled, "The more I speak, the more questions you will have. So... I will give most of the answers you will seek in one go."


    Tyr remained silent.

 Chapter 183 - 183: Evaluation Exam

    "This is the Mauyin Temple," the elder exclaimed.


    ''Hmm? That''s the same thing that the wolf said...'' S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "It is an ancient temple that has existed for centuries. We are not the Ten High Peak Faction, but we are certainly associates with them. Like a symbiotic system, we work together in order to promote harmony in this mountain range."


    The monk moved his finger that held the plum blossom petal, catching even more petals on top as he continued.


    "Langren Baohu Zhe did exist once in the past. His soul still wandered in this area¡ªattempting to protect his temple further. He died exactly 100 years ago, and that mimic you fought of him was him from one century in the past. We had created an illusion array using Aura and allowed his soul to endlessly continue defending his temple until he himself decided not to."


    ''Hmm...'' Tyr mused, ''I wonder if he succeeded to protect his temple until the end...'' He gazed at the monk, ''Is this guy from the clan that Langren was against? Or is he a third party?''


    "However... that all changed when you arrived. You were not meant to defeat Langren Baohu Zhe..." The monk frowned. "In fact... no faction cadet or recruit has ever defeated him. In reality, you were meant to lose to him in order to learn humility..."


    Tyr raised an eyebrow in confusion, "Lose to him? He wanted to kill me. He nearly tore my head in two... in fact, it still hur¡ª"


    Tyr reached for his head, clutching it to show that the pain was still there. However, he noticed at that moment that all the pain from before had disappeared.


    "Hohoho." The monk was amused by this, "None of it was real, young man. However, what you have done by killing Langren Baohu Zhe is no small matter. You have forcibly freed his soul from the mortal realm... not by fulfilling his wants and giving him salvation... but by crushing his wants entirely and throwing him into the afterlife with many regrets."


    "What?" Tyr was taken aback by this. "So... he can never be seen in this world again?"


    "Precisely... Langren''s salvation would have been to continue serving this temple until his natural end... but you have stripped that from him."


    Tyr paused, thinking, ''If he was still here after dying... that means he hadn''t attained that salvation when he was living either. He must have failed to protect his temple 100 years ago.''


    "Anyways... your power is no joke. The other monks are going nuts just thinking about how this could affect our temple moving forward..."


    Tyr gulped, feeling slightly guilty now.


    "But... that isn''t something for you to worry about. After all, without this knowledge, it was your natural instinct to defend yourself and slay Langren Baohu Zhe."


    The monk had a pile of petals on a single finger now. Seeing this, Tyr couldn''t help but be slightly mesmerized by the balance of the bald old man.


    "Since you asked who I am, I will introduce myself. I go by Lao Heshang by my disciples. I am the elder monk of this temple and also the vice-chairman of the Ten Thousand Peak Mountain Range... although, that doesn''t really mean much."


    There was a short moment of silence where Tyr took all of this in.


    ''If I remember correctly, that was the name of this mountain range, right? So... if this guy is the chairman, he must be stupidly powerful. Let''s see... Scan.''


    [Error!]


    [This subject''s power level exceeds 5x of your current strength.]


    [Scan is unable to check their status.]


    Tyr''s eyes slowly widened as he saw this message pop up in front of him.


    ''What...'' he mused, at a loss for words. ''306 times 5... that''s 1530. And yet... this old geezer is still above that?''


    He had to take a few seconds to truly understand the implications of what he was seeing.


    ''I get it... I get people are stronger in Eldraemar. But... how much fucking stronger!? Just how weak am I here? Tsk!'' Tyr became immediately frustrated, ''I need to get stronger, damn it!''


    ...


    "So... what now?" Tyr asked, slightly impatient and in a worsened mood.


    The monk couldn''t help but chuckle slightly again.


    "Now... you will need to be tested. To enter the faction. Think of it more as an evaluation exam rather than an entrance exam." The monk flicked his hand in the air, scattering the plum blossom petals.


    "Your first task will be to catch all of these on the tip of your index finger." The monk quickly said before turning around.


    Tyr furrowed his brows, quickly pushing himself up to his feet as he stared at the dozens of petals falling from the sky.


    "W-what!? You can''t just give me a crazy task like that and leave! Wait a second!" Tyr exclaimed, his eyes still locked onto the petals.


    The monk stopped, still facing away from Tyr.


    The young man raised his hand, attempting to catch a falling petal.


    It looked as though it was going to land, but it moved slightly in the wind just before making contact with Tyr''s finger.


    His focus went to the next petal, and this time Tyr took the initiative to make sure he made contact with the leaf and moved his finger up to touch it.


    However, this slight motion disturbed the petal''s momentum, causing it to easily slip off of his finger and fall down.


    His eyes darted down, his mind wanting to lower his hand and try to catch that slippery petal again.


    However, as several more petals surrounded him, he was instantly overwhelmed.


    His eyes blitzed between the different petals, above and below.


    ''Should I go for the ones near the ground? That will save me... but then make every other petal above be near the ground as well. If I go for the petals higher up, the ones below will 100% land on the ground... fuck!''


    In a mere 10 seconds, not only was there not a single petal left in the air, but Tyr had failed to balance even a single leaf on his finger.


    Defeated, he gazed up at the monk, "This shit is impossible!" he exclaimed, "No... this can''t possibly be the test for the faction. What does it help me do anyways!? Even if I can do it, it will take me days to learn and complete!"


    Without turning his head to face Tyr, Lao Heshang spoke calmly, "Although you have seen me do it before your very eyes, you doubt it is possible." He paused.


    Tyr raised an eyebrow, slightly taken aback at those words.


    ''Well... that''s true, but¡ª'' Before he could continue thinking, the monk continued speaking:


    "You understand you are much weaker than myself, yet you arrogantly proclaim that what I attempt to teach you may not do anything to help you..."


    Tyr remained silent as the monk continued.


    "And you are impatient to learn from those stronger than you... all of these traits... they will need to be fixed before you leave this place." Finally, the monk turned his head to face Tyr one last time.


    "Recruits have taken years to get out of this temple, boy." Lao Heshang had a serious demeanor and expression.


    Tyr sensed a tone of ferocity behind the man''s gaze.


    "Try what you will... fly, dig, crawl... you will not leave here until you master my test or quit your goal of entering the Ten High Peak Faction."


    With those words, the monk veiled himself with his robe and disappeared into plum blossom petals.

 Chapter 184 - 184: Training

    Tyr took a step back. He stared at the petals below him.


    ''1... 2... 3...'' He began to count.


    ''20... 20 petals.''


    Out of nowhere, he smiled.


    "Damn... I really am an idiot, huh. People have dedicated their lives to try and join this faction, and yet here I am, complaining about a simple test. All it is is an excuse. I am just complaining because I am weak..." he muttered under his breath.


    He picked up the twenty plum blossom petals one by one.


    ''I have no clue if this will help me become stronger... but what the hell do I know anyways? Clearly... I am a nobody here. I need to become truly stronger before I can form an opinion on anything.''


    He threw the petals in the air, attempting to balance them on his finger again.


    ''Remove my doubt.''


    Tyr repeated in his head as he continued to practice.


    ''Don''t be arrogant.''


    He failed miserably again.


    ''And learn from those stronger than me.''


    Again, he failed in balancing even a single petal.


    ''Remove my doubt, don''t be arrogant, and learn from those stronger than me.'' Tyr exhaled deeply. ''Tsk... as it stands now, I have no choice but to follow this old man''s words. If that''s what it takes to pass this exam, then I will happily do it with complete discipline.''


    The next day arrived. Tyr had trained through the entire night, not getting a single second of sleep.


    He was in the flow state of learning, completely enthralled in the process. His eyes were like a hawk''s¡ªzoning in on each petal with an unfaltering gaze.


    As the sun''s orange rays cloaked the landscape, a young monk entered the garden in which Tyr was training.


    He crossed over the koi pond, placing a wooden basket on the floor.


    He was bald, likely in his twenties.


    "Tyr, your food is here," he said from afar, but his words went through one of Tyr''s ears and right out of the other.


    Tyr was far too locked in right now to hear anything going on around him.


    "It isn''t anything normal. Since you are an Elite Recruit... your meal consists of 2 S-grade cultivation pills, and highly nutritious food balls."


    As soon as Tyr heard this, he turned and faced the young monk.


    He dropped the three petals on his index finger and walked over to the basket on the ground. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    His entire body was drenched in sweat. His hair was far more curly and thick, all drooped down and frizzled with sweat.


    "2 S-grade cultivation pills?" Tyr asked.


    However, the young monk seemed to be distracted by something else in his train of thought.


    He spoke, "Did you just have... three petals on your finger?"


    Tyr didn''t hesitate to reply, "Yeah... now answer my question."


    The monk''s eyes widened with shock. ''Al-already? T-three petals? In less than a day...'' He gulped. ''This guy... is he human? It usually takes a week or more to get a single petal for most recruits... how on Subworld did he get it in merely a few hours!?''


    "Oh-uh-yes. 2 S-grade pills..."


    Tyr raised an eyebrow at the monk. "If I''m not mistaken, the ranking system here for beasts is the same as in Ainsveld, correct?"


    "Yes. This is due to there being more powerful beasts here in Eldraemar. The system works all across Subworld universally."


    "So these are pills from Purple rank beast cores? Berserk rank beasts?"


    The monk swiftly replied, "Indeed."


    A smirk pulled on Tyr''s lips. "Wow... sick," he exclaimed. "Thanks... now get outta here. I gotta continue my training."


    The monk nodded, taking a step back. "For your information, cultivation can be performed within our main temple. Aura is more rich inside of there..."


    Tyr squinted his eyes, nodding as well.


    "Oh, and also, before I leave," the monk continued, "Your sleeping quarters will be¡ª" He was cut off.


    "No need... I won''t be staying long enough to need that. Trust me."


    The monk was taken aback. "Tyr... you shouldn''t be arrogant."


    Tyr faced the monk outright, "I am not saying that through arrogance... or even confidence. I am saying that through certainty. I know I can do this task within a matter of days. If I need to sleep, I''ll sleep right here on the floor."


    The monk was puzzled for a moment. He bowed slightly before leaving the garden.


    Tyr sat down before the pills and the ''food balls.''


    The food balls were small, compact, light-brown spheres the size of golf balls. There were 5 of them in the basket.


    He popped a couple in his mouth... and immediately nearly gagged them out.


    They tasted as bitter as scorpion shit and smelled even worse. Despite this, as their juices flowed down Tyr''s throat, he instantly felt more rejuvenated.


    It was as if the muscles in his body were immediately healed, and the tiredness he felt was erased as if it was never there in the first place.


    ''Perfect,'' Tyr smiled, but then he immediately stopped smiling. ''Well... I mean, maybe not perfect. It tastes like shit after all. But, still... this is great. Now, I 100% don''t need to waste time sleeping. This will make my stay here around twice as short.''


    He grinned, quickly slamming the food balls before laying his hands on the S-grade pills.


    They were like little condensed marbles of Aura, perfectly blended and fused in order to create a balanced outcome.


    "So these are from Berserk rank beasts, huh... from what I understand, those stem from 400-1000 in terms of power level. Two of them should give me the power of a level up quite easily."


    He looked up at the tallest building peak that he could spot. "I imagine that''s the main temple." He stood up. "Pills are good to cultivate, right? I''m not a big cultivator yet, but I definitely intend to be in the near future. I might as well start now then."


    He began making his way to the temple.

 Chapter 185 - 185: Importance Of Cultivation Techniques

    A white-stone floor path led up to the temple. There were short trees on both sides of the road, leading up to a series of stairs before the temple''s entrance.


    He walked up the stairs, noticing multiple monks traveling up and down. They conversed with each other, laughing and smirking as they walked.


    Some were silent, others alone and seemingly more focused.


    ''Huh... I thought they would be more stoic.'' Tyr thought to himself. The monks around him were oddly kiddish, like normal young people their age.


    After getting atop the stairs, Tyr noticed there was a 10-foot wide stone flooring guarded by railings that wrapped around the entire temple.


    After asking, Tyr was guided by an older monk around the right side of this path to a more open balcony-like area.


    This place was large, around 100 by 100 feet in size.


    There were several mats on the floor for what seemed to be meditation, and a single plum blossom tree in the center.


    A few monks were already deep in meditation, breathing easily as they sat in a lotus position.


    ''Hmm...'' Tyr mused, surveying the area in depth as he understood he would be spending a lot of time here.


    There were 50 sitting mats laid out on the floor equally spaced out, and about 15 monks who were actually sitting on them.


    Tyr chose the mat closest to him and sat down as well.


    ''Man... I should probably get a good cultivation technique. That would help a lot. Right now, I am just using my basic breathing to try and absorb this Aura. It probably doesn''t work great.''


    He had this thought, but that was something to think about at another time.


    For now, he placed the two Purple grade pills in front of him and closed his eyes.


    He was sitting with criss-crossed legs and his hands on his lap, one palm above the other.


    He inhaled, focusing on his breathing.


    After about 5 minutes or so, he finally began to feel the Aura around him, and especially the Aura in the pills.


    It slowly began to flow toward him as he concentrated on it.


    It entered into his body, but he couldn''t really tell how.


    It just felt like it was absorbing into him somehow.


    This entire process was hazy and dulled. It felt confusing and odd, but it worked¡ªdespite the inefficient feeling.


    However, Tyr did feel the Aura finally entering his Aura Core.


    ''When I have enough of this, it will form another layer around my Aura Core¡ªincreasing my Rank and allowing me to become stronger.''


    After an hour of cultivating, Tyr finally managed to absorb both of the Aura pills.


    His body had acclimated to the increase in power.


    ''Status.''


    ©³©¥©¥©¥Status©¥©¥©¥©·


    Name: Tyr Evolion Thalonis


    Bloodline: Almighty Thalonis + Unknown


    Age: 18 Years


    Level: 307


    Vitality: 127/127


    Strength: 136


    Stamina: 125/125


    Speed: 125


    Aura: 124


    Stats remaining: 0


    Rank: Virtuoso


    ©»©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¿


    ''Tsk... I can''t believe I only gained a level from that. An entire goddamn hour of boring ass meditation. Maybe getting a cultivation technique is more important than I thought.''


    He stood up. ''And to think, that''s while being in this place with high Aura as well.'' He was disappointed.


    ''But then again... I guess one hour of meditation is better than attempting to slay a Berserk Rank beast. After all, that would be pretty much impossible for me if it was above something like level 500.''


    Just as he was about to leave the area, Tyr got a tap on his back.


    "Kid... you really are a frog in a well, aren''t you?" a familiar voice said.


    Tyr turned with a brow raised, noticing Lao Heshang from yesterday standing behind him.


    "It''s you... what do you mean?" Tyr said, confused.


    "To think... you have gotten this far from luck alone. It''s clear to see you have put no hard work into your talents." Lao Heshang shook his head.


    Tyr furrowed his eyebrows, pretty offended at that statement. "What the hell are you saying, old man!?"


    "Oh? Do we still have an ego? Lose it... brat." Lao walked forward, forcing the puzzled and irritated Tyr to follow behind him.


    "I will listen like a learner, but I won''t be subject to your abuse, geezer."


    "Yeah, yeah..." Lao Heshang exclaimed, "Listen well, young man." He paused, inhaling.


    "You are a frog in a well. A fly trapped in feces. A pig¡ª"


    "I get it! What''s your point? Do you even have one at this point!?"


    "My point is... you just wasted two purple grade pills due to your ill knowledge. Without even a proper cultivation technique, you absorbed only a meager amount of their Aura into your body."


    Tyr remained silent, willing to hear more about this as it was something he didn''t know about.


    "To cultivate, there is nothing more important than a cultivation technique. Yet I just observed as you wasted most of those pills into the atmosphere, giving others around you a treat as you yourself suffered."


    ''Nothing more important?'' Tyr mused rhetorically, shocked.


    "Depending on your cultivation technique, the same person can either be a lifelong Apprentice rank bum, or go on to be a Paragon rank or more."


    Tyr raised a brow, confused. "But... doesn''t it come down to the Aura around them? Their environment, and the pills they have?"


    "Those help, sure... but most cultivation doesn''t require nor have such things when at the highest level. With high-grade Cultivation Techniques, you get the Aura from the techniques themselves, let alone your environment!" Lao Heshang sounded passionate.


    This opened up Tyr''s eyes slightly, who hadn''t even considered that a possibility. S§×arch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''Over a thousand levels in difference... just from a cultivation technique? It seems I''ve been looking at this the wrong way the entire time.''


    "But I will admit. You are gifted. To have come this far without even knowing how to cultivate... you know less than a child no older than 5, yet are as strong as many Elite Faction members."


    Tyr quickly responded, "So how do I get better techniques? Do you have one? What''s your best? Give it to me."


    "Woah, woah!" Lao exclaimed, "Slow down there, bucko. Cultivation techniques are rare, and not just that, they are expensive. Written by our ancestors and created by powers in nature, they give us humans the power of the gods. Don''t just think I''ll give you a good one just because I am generous."


    Tyr sighed, "How can I get a good one then?"


    "I don''t know... buy one? Steal one... find an exploit... win a tournament. There are many ways, some ethical, others not. That is not up for me to decide. However, what you have to understand from now on is that cultivation techniques are the so-called ''bread and butter'' of power in this continent, understand?"


    Tyr didn''t hesitate to nod. He then thought to himself, ''Steal, huh? Where would I steal one from? This old dump of a temple probably doesn''t have anything too special... but I''m sure a faction like this has a place filled with good techniques. After all, the faction members need to gain raw Aura somehow, right? Sounds like a plan...''

 Chapter 186 - 186: New Breakthrough

    Tyr returned to the plum blossom tree garden to continue his training. S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    So far, Tyr had gotten to the point where he could balance three petals on his index finger, one on top of the other.


    The more he balanced on his finger, however, the more difficult it became.


    Tyr closed his eyes, exhaling as he concentrated his full attention on the task at hand.


    As soon as his eyelids flew open, he caught the first petal that was drifting down from above.


    With that, he swiftly moved his finger to catch the second petal.


    ''The first petal is soft and clean, the second one is fast, and the third one...''


    He moved slowly, allowing the third petal to rest on his finger.


    ''The third one is also calm and slow.''


    He glanced at the fourth petal gently floating downwards.


    ''The elusive fourth petal... being fast doesn''t help, and neither does being slow.''


    He tried to be fast, keeping up the pattern that he had been using.


    However, the petal closely slipped his finger, causing the rest to fall to the floor as well.


    He took a step back in annoyance, furrowing his eyebrows.


    "Tsk!" he exclaimed. "I''ve tried for several hours to go from the third petal to the fourth. Yet... it seems close to impossible. I can''t go too slow and calm, or else it will be hard to catch the petal in the first place. And if I go too fast, the other petals will be disturbed."


    He thought about it for a moment. ''Hmm... I shouldn''t be arrogant about it. This just means that I am the one who is the factor that is slowing me down. I have to come at it from a different perspective entirely.''


    He closed his eyes, trying to rewire his brain. ''If I am the problem, I have to force myself to completely forget the way I''ve been approaching this, and try a new way.''


    First, he recalled what he had been doing so far.


    ''I have been trying to slow down and speed up my own body to get the petals.''


    Then, he imagined what the opposite of that would look like.


    ''If I were to completely change my strategy, that would be something along the lines of... not trying to speed myself up or slow myself down. In fact, I wouldn''t have to chase the petal at all. The opposite of my current plan would be to let the petal come to me...''


    He squinted his eyes. He was puzzled. He had thought of the opposite solution to what he had been doing, but how could he actually execute this new plan?


    "Have the petal come to me... that would be impossible, unless I have some sort of petal magnet." He said, trying to think of other ways.


    "I guess there is one other way... but that would have to do with me being able to predict the future, so my finger can be where the petal will fall before even the petal knows of that location."


    He slightly chuckled to himself on hearing this. "Predicting the future is impossible though..."


    Then, he noticed a bright-pink petal drop down from above right in front of his face.


    It was oddly rich in color, capturing his attention for a split second.


    A gentle breeze flushed past him, coming from behind and waving forward toward the petal in front of him.


    At that moment, instead of moving with the current of the wind, the petal suddenly flew toward Tyr.


    Tyr felt a sudden impulse to catch the petal since it was close to touching his face.


    However, just before his hand made contact with the leaf, it was abruptly pushed away by the wind from before.


    ''Huh...'' Tyr mused. ''What just happened... it was like me being unable to catch a punch coming toward me.'' He couldn''t help but relate the two things together.


    ''Even though I saw the petal coming toward me, I was not able to catch it. Not because I was too slow... but because I didn''t anticipate what its next movement was going to be. If I had my hand slightly back, I could have caught it as it floated away.''


    He paused.


    ''The only way I could have known that it was going to fly back was the slight wind that I felt right before. Due to the wind coming toward the petal, it was sucked in due to the negative energy that was leading the wind. That''s why the petal came toward me. Then, it finally met with the real wind and was carried away by it, successfully juking me.''


    Tyr thought about how a car moved through a highway. Moving fast, it created a vacuum of air right in front of it, pulling in wind and throwing it backward even though the car itself moved forward.


    But, if that same car were to stop, all that momentum would be pushed forward, causing all the wind to travel in front of the car instead of behind it.


    ''Wind... that''s what I need to focus on. That''s the only way these petals can move, or else it would be extremely easy to catch them all.''


    As he said this to himself, Tyr suddenly felt the air around him for the first time.


    Like a placebo effect of noticing more of what you want to notice, Tyr finally felt the air around him in a much more obvious state.


    ''I need to study how these petals move according to each movement of the wind, and have an easy time predicting where it will go next. In that way, I can also learn how to predict an enemy''s attacks, not from how their attack comes toward me, but how their body reacts to their own movements¡ªtelling me the truth of what they actually intend to do, despite their showing of movement outright.''


    Tyr grinned, feeling as though he had figured it out. ''I''m a fucking genius.''


    But it wasn''t over yet. He actually had to put this theory into practice, and begin studying how these petals were able to move.


    And so, that''s what he did. Standing silently, and feeling the wind around him, he began to see how all petal movements occurred.

 Chapter 187 - 187: Mastery Through Obsession

    After an hour of observing the wind, Tyr attempted another try at catching the petals.


    This time, he managed to get four successfully, but that looked to be the new limit.


    He took a step back. ''One hour is not enough. I need to go all in and master each movement these petals could ever have, and ensure a 100% success rate.''


    When he said this to himself, a thought appeared in his mind which made him chuckle slightly.


    ''This doesn''t really feel like the correct way to go about it... there is probably a much easier way. But... as long as I pass this test, it doesn''t matter. My way will be the right way all the same.''


    Deciding to not take any shortcuts, Tyr spent some time wandering around the monastery with hopes of finding a pen and paper that he could use.


    Being a place of scholarship, it didn''t take long for Tyr to obtain what he was looking for.


    He got multiple notebooks and headed back to the plum blossom garden, where he then proceeded to take almost all of his clothes off except for his undergarments.


    ''If I want to feel the wind, I shouldn''t block out most of my body. The reason for small hairs on an animal''s body, including the human one, is for sensory purposes. This way, I will be able to feel the wind around me at a much higher volume.''


    And so, he began his studying again.


    To not forget, he wrote down how each petal moved according to the wind.


    He did this for several hours, filling up dozens of pages with intricate notes.


    Monks made their way past the garden, able to see Tyr continue his training from afar as they passed the hallways that connected one temple to another building. Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Some laughed at the seemingly lunatic young man, who was naked for some reason and standing still with a fierce look of focus in his eyes.


    Others were simply bewildered as they saw the young man write obsessively in a book every few seconds.


    Tyr wasn''t bothered by any of this. In fact, he was so concentrated that he didn''t even notice anyone else.


    Soon enough, the day stretched late into the afternoon.


    To test whether his studying was working, Tyr gave another go at catching the petals.


    Not a real attempt, but a simple experiment.


    After conducting it, he realized another flaw in his method.


    He balanced 8 petals this time, but he noticed that he still couldn''t advance.


    The reason for this became obvious to him instantly. After all, up until now, he had made sure everything was taken into consideration.


    So, whatever was missing was going to stick out like a sore thumb.


    Some petals still didn''t follow the pattern of the wind.


    Tyr gathered all of these together on the floor and stared at them intensely, noticing that each one of them had slightly deformed curves.


    While others had naturally separate curves from their counterparts¡ªwhich would make perfect sense as to why they would react differently to the same wind flow.


    Tyr grinned upon realizing this.


    ''Perfect... this is why I did the test in the first place. To find errors like these.''


    He was happy, seeing another obstacle he could overcome through sheer practice and perfection.


    As night soon eclipsed the horizon, Tyr decided to lean more into studying the shape of the petals instead of focusing on the wind.


    This was mostly due to the fact that he couldn''t see the petals at night, but also because it was something he had put less studying into.


    ''I think I like this routine. As long as I can see, I will study the petals'' movement according to the wind. And when night falls, I will study the shape of each petal formation this damn tree can give me.''


    Tyr was honed in like a hawk, not willing to stop until he succeeded.


    ''There won''t be a single petal that will elude me.''


    And so, he gathered every petal he could find, carefully sketching their unique patterns in another notebook.


    He continued this through the night, eventually filling up the entire notebook with unique petals.


    The next morning, he tested out how many petals he could catch again.


    Remembering everything he had been working on for the past 24 hours, he didn''t waste any movements and successfully caught 13 petals on his finger.


    Tyr smiled as he caught that last petal. ''I don''t even have to try. I know that''s my limit for now. But as I expected, my progress has gone up significantly...''


    "What... in the world?" a voice came from behind Tyr.


    Tyr turned, allowing all the petals to fall to the floor. "Oh, you''re back. Good... I was getting a bit hungry," he said to the young monk who had come to give him food the day prior as well.


    "I-I... h-how many petals... what?" The monk was at an utter loss for words.


    Tyr smirked, walking toward the monk. "That ain''t nothin''... just a few thousand more petal formations and a couple hundred more wind reactions to master, and I will capture every petal on this damn tree..."


    "What?" The monk was puzzled as to what Tyr was saying. "What in the world are you talking about?"


    "Don''t worry about that... I think you will see in a few days what I''m talking about."


    ...


    The monk left the basket of food and exited the garden with his mouth still slightly agape, his gaze void of any real thought.


    To him, seeing Tyr catch that many petals was like witnessing a miracle. It was simply impossible, and something that each monk aimed to perfect over many years. Despite this, Tyr seemed to be somehow rampaging past this test as if it was nothing.


    However, Tyr wasn''t just passing the test with talent and ease. He was working as hard as possible, forcibly erasing all possibilities of failure through sheer perfectionism.


    Speaking of forcibly, Tyr managed to stuff the disgusting, bitter food balls down his throat.


    After that, he got dressed, took the two S Grade pills, and headed to the temple to cultivate.


    Before arriving at the temple, however, Tyr decided to make his way into the center of the monastery¡ªwhere the market was¡ªto see if he could find a good cultivation technique for the assets that he possessed right now...

 Chapter 188 - 188: Getting A Cultivation Technique (1)

    In many parts of the world, as Tyr understood it, the greedy art of marketing and selling was seen as dishonorable in monasteries.


    After all, they were supposed to be places where one let go of "worldly desires," with the largest of those being none other than cold hard cash.


    Despite that fact, the market seemed to be thriving in this particular temple.


    Most of the people selling things beside the center road weren''t monks but rather travelers and merchants running their shops.


    After asking around for a few minutes, Tyr made his way to what he deemed was the best cultivation technique store nearby.


    Many vendors recommended their own stores, but this was the only store that many vendors, pedestrians, and even monks suggested.


    Tyr observed the shop with a curious gaze.


    ''Looks like it just got set up recently,'' he thought to himself, noting the large tent that barely had any dust on it.


    Tyr entered the store, noticing the busy atmosphere inside.


    There were pedestals and stalls scattered throughout the marquee, with dozens of customers walking around, scanning the wares.


    On the pedestals were books and scrolls galore, consisting of nothing but cultivation techniques.


    Hanging on the walls were also some rare spells and skills to learn.


    Tyr was unfamiliar with cultivation techniques, but he was even more unfamiliar with spells learned via scrolls.


    ''I guess I''ll have to check it all out.'' With a smile, he joined the crowd.


    First, Tyr skimmed through all of the cultivation techniques he could find.


    Many resembled grimoires¡ªhard-copy books with glowing inscriptions and lettering.


    Others looked like scrolls of various types¡ªsome old and tanned, others new and pristine. Some were long, others short. Some neat and tidy, and others simply falling apart.


    Then, he spent some time looking at spells available to learn.


    Most of them seemed a bit useless, frankly speaking.


    ''Huh... a slight energy boost for half of my stored Aura?'' he thought, furrowing his brows in disappointment.


    ''I understand that my Aura regenerates to its normal amount depending on how evolved my Aura Core is, but still... it takes a while for that Aura to come back. Using half of it for stamina is just silly.''


    He continued inspecting.


    ''Considerable regeneration for 1 Aura Stone.''


    ''Tornado of Fire for 3 Aura Stones.''


    ''Temporary strength boost, drains all of your Aura over a 60-second timespan.''


    Tyr shook his head. ''All of these are trash...''


    He sighed. ''Well, I guess you can''t expect much from a monastery. Most of these aren''t even attack spells. That strength boost could be used for farming, for all I know. At the very least, it doesn''t seem to be made for combat. Losing all of your Aura is like a death wish in battle.''


    He returned to the cultivation techniques, his main focus for coming here.


    At the very back of the marquee, there was a small stage surrounded by a generous crowd.


    Tyr had noticed it when he first entered the establishment but wanted to browse the cultivation techniques first.


    This time, he decided to check out what was happening.


    Squeezing through the crowd, Tyr managed to reach the front.


    He saw a man standing on the stage.


    ''Looks like a merchant,'' Tyr mused.


    "That''s right! It''s all about strength in this challenge. And you get to choose any cultivation technique you want absolutely for free if you can defeat my prized competitor!"


    It was a middle-aged man with a shiny gold tooth revealed by his cheesy smile as he riled up the shop with his exciting proposal.


    Hell, even Tyr couldn''t help but smile slightly at those words.


    ''For free? Hmm... it seems this guy is the owner of this establishment.'' Tyr glanced at a wooden wall at the back of the stage adorned with dozens of shiny cultivation technique scrolls.


    "These are the best of the best within our store! But remember, if you lose, you have to trade in a cultivation technique of your own! It can be the weakest of the weak¡ªit doesn''t matter! Just remember, even by risking a measly F-Grade cultivation technique, you earn the chance of winning at least an A-Grade technique in return!"


    Tyr raised a brow. ''Damn... well, it couldn''t hurt to try, right? I need a cultivation technique though... eh... I''ll just pretend to have one.''


    "But do not think it will be easy!" the merchant continued. "Your opponent will be no man. Instead, it will be a machine¡ªa hand powered by nothing but Aura!"


    Awe-filled gasps and dramatic noises of surprise rippled through the tent.


    In the center of the stage was an arm wrestling table. On one side was a hand floating in mid-air.


    "Hmm..." Tyr muttered under his breath, observing.


    At that moment, a young man stepped up to the stage. "Great! I''ll give it a go!" he exclaimed.


    The young scholar was a bald-headed monk. He looked to be quite muscular beneath his robes, and his stature was tall.


    Many seemed to recognize him as the crowd erupted in cheers.


    "Oh? Are you sure you have the ability!? Remember, you must have a cultivation technique ready to give up!" the merchant said, shaking the young monk''s hand.


    "Of course I do... now let''s get started. I will win an amazing cultivation technique for myself!"


    The monk sat down at the table.


    Tyr scanned him without hesitation.


    ©³©¥©¥©¥Status©¥©¥©¥©·


    Name:


    Yo Ing Hang


    Age:


    24 Years sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Power Level:


    350


    Rank:


    Virtuoso


    ©»©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¿


    ''Damn... he''s even stronger than I am. With my Polaris Tiger Soul Mend, I should be able to exceed his strength... but still. If he loses, I don''t think I''ll have a good chance of winning either.''


    Tyr observed the situation carefully.


    ''Then again... this all looks like a carnival game. Those cheating sons of bitches never let anyone win.''


    He glanced around the shop. ''I didn''t even find a single A-Grade cultivation technique in this store... so I was wondering why it was so popular. Now I see.''


    He paused, piecing things together.


    ''The main attraction is those A and S-Grade techniques hung up on the wall... but if it were that easy¡ªor even possible¡ªat least one of those would be gone by now. But not a single one has been won. Seems sketchy.''


    Before long, the match began.


    "Ready... 3... 2... 1... begin!"


    SWWISH


    The machine hand moved swiftly, instantly overpowering the young monk.


    BOOM


    The monk''s hand slammed into the pad, his defeat echoing across the room.


    The monk''s excited expression vanished, his hopes shattered abruptly.

 Chapter 189 - 189: Getting A Cultivation Technique (2)

    The crowd was surprised as well, seeing how one of their stronger disciples was humiliated so easily.


    Even Tyr was discouraged.


    ''Yeah... it really doesn''t seem possible. On top of that, maybe this hand has some special ability to match another person''s power or something. Similar to that punching Aura Crystal that Malon was practicing with on the ship over to this continent.''


    Tyr looked at the floating arm. It was made of cloth and seemingly sand. However, it was also twitching.


    When it defeated the young monk, Tyr could even see striations in the forearm muscles of the arm.


    Out of pure curiosity, Tyr mused: ''Scan...''


    To his surprise, something actually popped up.


    ©³©¥©¥©¥Status©¥©¥©¥©·


    Name:


    Mechan Teer


    Age:


    32 Years


    Power Level:


    210


    Rank:


    Expert


    ©»©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¿


    ''Huh? Wait a second... why am I able to scan a thing that''s not alive?''


    It obviously didn''t take long for Tyr to get his answer to this question.


    His head moved from left to right. ''Scan...'' He used his Scan on every damn person he could find throughout the entire tent.


    ''Someone must be controlling this thing.''


    Sure enough, another guy came up with the same name and status as the arm.


    ©³©¥©¥©¥Status©¥©¥©¥©·


    Name:


    Mechan Teer


    Age:


    32 Years


    Power Level:


    210


    Rank:


    Expert


    ©»©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¿


    As though using a metal detector, Tyr quickly tracked down who it was.


    The name ''Mechan Teer'' belonged to a small guy that was sitting on a barrel in the very corner of the marquee.


    He seemed to be nodding off right now, fully asleep.


    Tyr looked back at the stage.


    As Tyr continued to think, his eyes suddenly locked with the merchant.


    "Oh? You seem to have determined eyes, young man!" the merchant exclaimed, looking at the eyes of Tyr, which looked serious.


    "Huh?" Tyr exclaimed, confused.


    The merchant grinned.


    ''Hah! Perfect... another meathead buffoon who looks strong but really just too cowardly to act. This will make my competition look even more significant.''


    "Come on up! Show us what all those muscles are for! I know you want to speak up! Don''t worry, I will do it for you. Come on now, take a shot at the arm!"


    At that moment, a series of thoughts aligned in Tyr''s brain. His eyes expanded slightly, as a smirk began to appear on his face.


    ''This guy... it''s all clear now. I don''t know what it is, but there''s some sort of scam going on here. I can feel it. Why would this guy be lying and saying that this arm is some sort of new tech when it''s just some dude''s ability? However, even if I don''t understand that, simply knowing what I do is enough.''


    "Sure! Count me in," Tyr exclaimed, warranting a surprised and amused reaction from the crowd.


    The merchant smirked.


    ''Come... come, you fool! As long as you are a living, breathing mortal who isn''t above the Grandmaster Rank, no one can overcome Mechan''s ability to infuse the strength of his entire body into a single arm.''


    "But first!" Tyr paused, capturing the attention of the crowd.


    As a hush fell over the people and the merchant¡ªTyr facing the ground with his face shadowed in a dramatic manner¡ªthe young man finally acted:


    He raised his hand and showed his pinky finger. "I will need to piss," Tyr said confidently as he stared at the ground with a smirk on his face and his eyes closed.


    After a second or so of silence, a few in the crowd burst into laughter. Most, however, were just silent at this random message.


    Even the merchant was a bit thrown off. "What? Okay... come back after you piss, then..."


    Tyr nodded, turning and walking away.


    A few more seconds of awkward silence later, the merchant continued his rants, and the crowd quickly regained their excitement.


    Tyr, on the other hand, walked toward the exit, a proud look on his face.


    ''Great... I played that off innocently... I think.''


    He blended into the crowd, slithering his way over to Mechan.


    He placed his hand on the man''s shoulder. As soon as he did this, Mechan gasped loudly and awoke from his slumber.


    ''Hypnosis,'' Tyr said, instantly overpowering the man before he could do anything.


    "Allow me to beat you in an arm wrestling match," Tyr muttered under his breath, the man nodding without hesitation before falling back asleep.


    Tyr speed-walked his way over to the stage, acting as nonchalant as possible.


    ''Shit... I hope he will stay hypnotized long enough. I gave him quite the complicated order compared to what I have done in the past.''


    He snuck his way back through the crowd and hopped onto the stage abruptly.


    "Oh! You''re back!" the merchant shouted with a chuckle. "That was a quick piss!" he said with a mixture of awe, surprise, and confusion.


    "I have blessed genetics," Tyr brushed past that, placing his hand on the arm wrestling pad and facing the arm in front of him. "Let''s get this started!"


    As Tyr said this, the crowd erupted into a cheer once again. S§×arch* The Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The merchant was slightly thrown off by all of this. It gave him a slightly ominous feeling, but seeing as how the crowd was loving it, he decided to continue playing along.


    ''Thankfully... crowd work is my specialty,'' the merchant exclaimed inwardly. "So be it! Begin in... 3...2...1... go!"


    Tyr immediately transformed into his Polaris Tiger form to make sure he had a good chance even if his Hypnosis wore off.


    However, he noticed that the arm wasn''t pushing back against him at all.


    He had a slight sigh of relief wash through him.


    In that split second where no hand moved either way, the merchant suddenly felt his heart sink into his stomach.


    His eyes darted over to Mechan, who was in the corner.


    ''He''s still asleep... so why!? Is this brat this strong!?''


    The crowd was also very impressed, since they hadn''t seen the machine struggle at all up until now.


    Tyr put on a face that made him seem like he was struggling slightly, before gripping the hand tightly and slamming it down into the pad.


    A grin stretched across his face.


    "Haha! I won!" he lifted his hand in the air.


    The crowd cheered as the merchant''s face turned pale with shock.

 Chapter 190 - 190: Getting A Cultivation Technique (3)

    **EXTRA LONG CHAPTER***


    Tyr felt a wave of relief.


    ''It actually worked!'' he thought to himself, glancing at the crowd and then at the merchant.


    The crowd clearly loved it. Some even seemed to recognize Tyr:


    "That''s the one, right? The one who caught all those petals in one day."


    "What? Are you sure? Inos wasn''t really specific about the guy''s description."


    "He doesn''t have to be! This is the guy, the one who stands around naked in the plum blossom garden."


    "Now that I think about it... you''re right!"


    Some weren''t so sure, but nevertheless, it was amusing to see their expectations be surpassed.


    The merchant, on the other hand, was silent. Although it hadn''t been long, Tyr could just see the man processing a dozen things in his head at once.


    "No... no! This is not right! You cheated!" the merchant turned and pointed his finger at Tyr with a sour look on his face.


    "How dare you cheat!" the merchant exclaimed, his eyes darting around to see if the crowd was agreeing with him.


    So far, the crowd looked to become silent with confusion and intrigue.


    Tyr, on the other hand, wasn''t too surprised.


    ''Huh... I guess that explains why he was thinking for so long instead of just admitting defeat. The idiot wants to take away my win... but I got the win through seeing through this bastard''s cheat. He knows it too... so I have the upper hand here.''


    Tyr gazed deeply into the merchant''s eyes.


    "Did you think before saying that?" he said in a deep tone.


    The merchant inhaled sharply.


    ''Damn it! This bastard... he didn''t just overcome Mechan through strength. It seems he knows my trick...'' His eyes darted around.


    ''If he exposes me, my business will collapse!''


    Tyr was also thinking to himself about how to profit best from this situation:


    ''No matter how you look at it, this is a silent negotiation,'' Tyr mused, getting excited.


    ''And right now, I have the upper hand. Because he accused me of cheating without any proof, I can manipulate this scenario however I want, and he can''t do shit about it since I can expose him whenever I want. Bad move... dumbass.''


    Tyr walked toward the merchant, thinking:


    ''I won''t expose him... at least, not yet. If I do that, all of my leverage will be lost. If I expose him, he won''t have anything to lose. But... if I pretend to be clueless, the crowd will be on my side.''


    "How... how did I cheat? Care to explain?" Tyr said, leaving the crowd also murmuring with similar questions as the merchant remained silent.


    ''Damn it! This bastard has me stuck!''


    Tyr continued after a few seconds.


    "Or is it that you are scamming everyone who plays this game!? Are you that crude of a business owner!?"


    The crowd began to get more rowdy as they heard this:


    "Yeah! Give the guy his prize!"


    "Innocent until proven guilty!"


    "Give evidence of the cheating so we know what to believe!"


    Tyr continued to press on the gas pedal, beads of sweat forming on the merchant''s forehead:


    "You make a ton of profit, but if someone wins, then it''s cheating out of nowhere!? Be honorable, damn it! This is all about honor!" Tyr said, attempting to spin it a certain way.


    ''Honor... it drives many people to do many things without really needing to,'' Tyr thought to himself.


    The merchant couldn''t take it anymore.


    "Fine! I-I... I was mistaken," he exhaled.


    "I got angry... my apologies. It''s just that... I really have never seen anyone defeat that machine before. It is totally my fault." He bowed his head to the crowd.


    ''Hmm...'' Tyr thought to himself as he saw this.


    ''Tsk... this isn''t really that good of a situation. I was hoping to make this a lot more dramatic so I can take a bunch of this idiot''s cultivation techniques without any problem. But... if he apologizes and curries favor with the crowd, I won''t really have that power. After all, the crowd is clueless on the real details of the situation. All they are thinking about right now is the actions they are seeing happen in the live moment by the both of us.''


    The crowd was slightly surprised at the abrupt apology, it seemed. Seeing this, Tyr shook his head.


    ''Damn... it,'' he said to himself as he saw a smirk appear on the merchant''s face that was facing the crowd.


    "Wait!" Tyr shouted, garnering the attention of the crowd.


    "H-how much of an evil bastard can you be?" He paused dramatically, his face filled with disgust.


    The merchant furrowed his brows.


    ''What now!? What is he trying to do?''


    "Huh? He already apologized!" the crowd began to shout.


    "What happened?"


    "Despite cheating me... he still only bows his head and apologizes to the crowd! Clearly, this man has no care about his real actions. He doesn''t give a damn that he nearly cheated me out of a victory... no... all he cares about is maintaining a good image and reputation amongst the people! Who knows how this type of dishonorable man will act in the future!"


    The crowd was instantly convinced by this heartfelt statement.


    "A man should always apologize because he admits his guilt, not because he wants to be forgiven!" old heads among the monks immediately began to say.


    Tyr smiled, knowing that this crowd was perfect for this type of mindset.


    ''Monks hold honor quite high in their morals, since honor comes from truth. Work for me... honor.''


    "That''s right! Apologizing is not about oneself, but another!"


    "Don''t be selfish! Do you not have any honor!?"


    "How vile... turn your head away from us. You did not dishonor us, but rather, this young man!"


    The merchant slowly raised his head and faced Tyr, who was grinning at him.


    The merchant gritted his teeth and furrowed his eyebrows, with rage seething through his clenched fists.


    ''Demonic bastard... how could he speak such high tales of honor when he knows that of my cheats and is lying right now, pretending as if he doesn''t. I''ll get payback for this...''


    "Y-you all are right..." He loosened his fists and squinted his eyes, donning a frail expression of submission.


    "Please... choose a cultivation technique of your liking."


    Tyr, however, put on his angry face again.


    The crowd quieted down on seeing this.


    "What''s wrong?"


    They began to murmur again.


    "Huh? He''s still angry?"


    "Well... just because he got an apology doesn''t mean he has to forgive the man..."


    "You think that simply apologizing will make everything okay again?" Tyr said, clearly very upset.


    The merchant nearly broke his teeth from grinding them so hard.


    ''What the fuck does he want now!?''


    "This is about honor!" Tyr exclaimed loudly.


    "So what would you like me to do then!?" the merchant blurted.


    "Would you like me to give you everything that I have? Over a simple mistake like that!?"


    The crowd was taken aback. They remained silent with disappointment and slight anger as Tyr responded.


    "No... don''t give me everything you have. Just give me the techniques you have on this wall here. After all... it''s what an honorable man would do..." Tyr said, exaggerating the ''honorable'' when he said it.


    The merchant''s left eye couldn''t stop twitching.


    The crowd didn''t seem to disagree either:


    "Well... it''s the least he could do."


    "Trying to deceive us and cheat him out of his victory is going too far."


    "You''ve shown your true colors... if you want to be forgiven, do what''s honorable."


    ''Honor...'' the merchant thought to himself at that moment.


    ''I swear to all the gods... from the day I leave this wretched monastery, anyone who spews the blasted word "honor" will be cut down by my own hands!''


    "It''s yours... all of it is yours..." the merchant exclaimed, his tone utterly devastated.


    Tyr smiled.


    "It takes a lot of courage to be so honorable. Good for you..."


    He faced the crowd.


    "Making up for one''s mistakes isn''t easy... I think we should all forgive this man for moving forward and growing as a person, no?" S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Before long, agreeing voices and slow claps began to sound, as Tyr turned and made his way to the wall of cultivation techniques.


    ''This went better than I expected,'' he mused, his eyes glowing with eagerness as the shiny techniques in front of him danced with glimmer.

 Chapter 191 - 191: S Grade Cultivation Technique: Shadow Flock

    Tyr left that tent with a large smile on his face and a heavy ring on his hand.


    He raised his hand, looking at his 20x20 foot storage ring:


    "It''s filled to the brim." He chuckled to himself.


    Before leaving for the temple, he turned to look at the state of the shop and the merchant once more.


    The crowd around the stage had fizzled back into normal roaming customers.


    Tyr could almost taste the gloomy aura of the merchant as he saw the middle-aged man sit down beside Mechan.


    Before their confrontation unfolded, Tyr turned and began walking away from the marquee.


    "I don''t think this is over yet... but I have other things to focus on right now," he said to himself. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Soon enough, he arrived at the same meditation area as the day prior.


    The number of monks meditating was also similar.


    The sky was bright and blue with scarce white clouds, and the fresh, clean air of the temple made its presence known with soft and rejuvenating breezes.


    After inhaling these breezes deeply, Tyr sat down on a mat. With a slight smile on his face, he lifted his finger.


    With a simple thought, his storage ring illuminated with a bright gleam as 20 scrolls appeared before him on the floor.


    The scrolls looked like raw pieces of shiny gold just sitting around, instantly capturing the attention of all the monks passing by.


    Even those who were on the mats, who happened to have their eyes open, widened their eyes even more to get a better look at Tyr''s scrolls.


    Most were confused, but the more learned monks understood the value of the scrolls Tyr had on the ground.


    "What in the world is he doing?"


    "Are those all cultivation techniques?"


    "They seem to be of very high grades..."


    A few dozen stopped what they were doing and paused in awe as they gawked at Tyr for the next few minutes.


    Tyr wasn''t very informed when it came to cultivation techniques, but from how he understood it, they worked something like this:


    A cultivator would first have to obtain a cultivation technique scroll.


    After obtaining it, they would have the choice to comprehend the writing inside the scroll before absorbing the scroll and understanding how to perform the cultivation technique.


    However, most scrolls were not written in the universal Subworld language, or even any language currently used in Subworld at all.


    For this reason, most simply chose to absorb the cultivation technique without any prior comprehension of what it did.


    This still allowed them to instantly understand how it worked.


    "It seems pretty stupid to want to read what the scroll does if using it instantly informs you anyway," Tyr thought to himself.


    "But then again... absorbing something you have no clue about isn''t a super safe thing to do. Back when these scrolls were created, I can imagine ruthless tactics such as weaponized cultivation scrolls were fairly commonly used."


    Although all of this was true, Tyr still had the choice to read all of these scrolls.


    Why? Well, because of GG, of course.


    With the translation abilities of GG, Tyr could understand even this ancient language¡ªalbeit, most of it was torn or erased by this point.


    The only thing keeping the scrolls together was the denser materials and the Aura.


    "Eh... I doubt any of these will harm me," Tyr mused.


    "I shouldn''t be too paranoid. I''ve never heard of such a thing."


    With this rationale in mind, Tyr began to absorb the cultivation technique scrolls one by one as others watched.


    Bound with Aura Arrays that allowed information to be transferred into another''s brain, the process went along smoothly and quickly.


    After a mere half a minute, Tyr''s head was filled with a mountain of knowledge about how to use each and every scroll he had just absorbed.


    Tyr closed his eyes, wanting to focus on the techniques more closely and think with a clear head:


    "Wow... how interesting." He couldn''t help but be mesmerized.


    "Each technique has its own subtle or drastic differences. Most use aspects of nature, like vines, leaves, or raindrops. Others use more modern, manmade concepts such as brushes, chopsticks, and sandals. It''s all so random..."


    They worked in very odd ways as well.


    The sandal cultivation technique, for example¡ªaccording to the information Tyr gathered through absorption¡ªtransformed the Aura around him into small pellet-sized flies.


    These flies would be drawn toward Tyr and swatted out of the air by glowing sandals made of Tyr''s Aura¡ªthe specialty of this cultivation technique.


    After swatting these flies, they would be absorbed into Tyr''s Aura Core in their original pure Aura state of matter.


    The chopstick technique was also quite funny, grabbing the Aura in the air with chopsticks before thrusting it straight into Tyr''s Aura Core.


    Most techniques were simpler¡ªthe ones that worked in tandem with nature.


    The Rain Drop Cultivation Technique made the Aura around Tyr turn into denser drops of matter, able to be absorbed at higher quantities.


    The Vine Cultivation Technique created vines of Aura that grew out from Tyr''s Aura Core and sprawled across the floor¡ªabsorbing all nearby Aura from the air¡ªlike roots of a tree absorbing water and minerals.


    ''It seems that for the most part, a cultivation technique usually either transforms the Aura around you to help make it more efficiently absorbed or uses your own Aura to create a tool to help you capture and absorb this Aura... or in some cases, both!''


    Tyr could just imagine how much more complicated and in-depth this entire process could go.


    He spent a little while longer just looking through all of the techniques.


    Taking a peek at their characteristics and weighing the benefits against the losses, like scrolling through options on a menu.


    Finally, he arrived at a cultivation technique that intrigued him most.


    It was oddly powerful, significantly more so than the others¡ªwhich allowed him to choose it without a shadow of a doubt.


    ''S Grade Cultivation Technique: Shadow Flock.


    A technique that allows the user to deploy a crow created by their own Aura to hunt and bring back Aura to feed to the user''s Aura Core. Of course, like all other cultivation techniques, this crow will be invisible to the naked eye. Only the user will be able to see it when the user''s eyes are closed, and they are actively cultivating. However, there is one thing that makes this cultivation technique unique and far superior to anything else I have. After a certain amount of Aura is retrieved by my crow, it will materialize into a real crow, which summons in the visible world as a shadowy creature whenever I activate the cultivation technique. After one crow advances to this level and continues working for its user whenever they are cultivating, another crow will be created from the user''s Aura¡ªawaiting its time to also advance into a visible crow. And the juiciest part of it all is... when a crow goes from invisible Aura mode to the visible level... it remains in my core as a permanent tool in my kit¡ªcoming out and working to retrieve Aura for me whenever I cultivate, even if it''s another cultivation technique that I use.''


    A large grin was pulling on both sides of Tyr''s mouth right now.


    "What a fucking overpowered technique."

 Chapter 192 - 192: Hollow Crow

    For a moment, Tyr sat there simply contemplating how amazing this technique could be.


    ''In the future, I could just sit down to cultivate and have dozens of crows gathering Aura for me at once. The most significant thing when it comes to seeing this technique''s true potential is how fast a hollow crow can turn into a real Aura crow.''


    Tyr decided to call the crows that weren''t visible to the naked eye ''hollow'' crows.


    This was because he already knew what they looked like, having absorbed the cultivation technique and understanding how it all worked.


    Before leveling up to permanent crows, the hollow crows would be like black-outlined figures with a see-through body.


    Their wings and beaks were prominent, but the rest wasn''t there. They had a wispy, shadowy energy that followed them.


    As with every other cultivation technique, only the user, Tyr, could see these hollow crows.


    After leveling up to the ''shadow crows,'' as Tyr decided to call them in Tyr''s soon-to-be


    Shadow Flock,


    these crows would look like normal crows except with glowing purple eyes.


    They would also still retain that shadowy black energy.


    Thinking about all of this made Tyr eager to try it out.


    Not wanting to wait any longer, he sucked down his two S Grade pills and took in a deep breath to begin his meditation.


    As Tyr began to meditate, he observed himself from a third-person perspective.


    He could see nothing but blackness all around. At the center of it all was his outlined white figure.


    Like being traced with chalk on a blackboard, all that existed of Tyr was the lining of his body.


    More, Tyr''s Aura Core was fully visible due to this transparent outlining.


    It was small, but filled with colorful Aura.


    Along with that, Tyr could see what looked to be the outlining of his veins stretching throughout his body.


    Upon closer observation, Tyr noticed that these lines represented something else rather than veins.


    They were slightly thicker and fewer in branches.


    ''These must be my meridians. I''m surprised this is the first time I''ve ever seen them,'' Tyr mused, remembering what meridians were from word of mouth.


    All that he knew about them was that, like veins carried and transported blood to the heart and throughout the body, meridians carried and transported Aura to the core and throughout the body all the same.


    After visualizing using the


    Shadow Flock


    Cultivation Technique for a minute or so, a slight smidgen of Aura slowly evacuated Tyr''s core.


    It traveled through a meridian route before exiting and floating. Within seconds, it transformed into a black, shadowy crow outline.


    ''My first hollow crow...'' Tyr mused, ''Go... fetch me Aura.''


    The crow had already begun to hunt for the good stuff before Tyr''s order, that being all it knew how to do.


    Tyr looked at the crow''s movements very closely.


    ''I wonder how exactly it works. Is it some sort of preprogrammed intelligence using the Aura Array, like AI? Or... does it have a mind of its own?''


    The crow flew by small drops of Aura floating around in the air.


    ''Huh? It ignored the Aura?''


    As soon as Tyr said this to himself in puzzlement, the crow grabbed a large, condensed blob of Aura with both its talons and its mouth.


    It turned swiftly, returning to Tyr without delay.


    Tyr was amazed by this.


    ''So it sees the different Aura options and goes for what gives it the best return on investment for the time it takes to reach the Aura... that''s impressive.''


    The more that time passed, the more Tyr was loving this technique.


    The crow didn''t slow down while torpedoing toward Tyr, spiraling right through his body.


    It flew across as though Tyr was just a hologram, but most of the Aura was swiftly inserted into Tyr''s core.


    The leftovers scattered around Tyr''s body were quickly gathered by the meridians and carried to the core in an efficient manner.


    The crow, on the other hand, did not stop even once, already on the hunt for the next Aura glob.


    After half an hour or so, Tyr finally began to see the Aura releasing from the two pills he had consumed.


    ''I guess the better the cultivation technique, the faster I''ll be able to absorb these spells. The mastery of the technique also matters, it seems, since many crows will most likely speed up the process as well.''


    As soon as the fairly abundant Aura oozed out from the pills, the hollow crow swooped in, circling around Tyr as it continuously thrust all the Aura that it could catch into Tyr''s core.


    ''It seems to catch about half of the Aura for now... but after getting more hollow crows, or advancing this one to a greater shadow crow, I should be able to fully absorb the Aura.''


    Despite this, what Tyr absorbed now was close to double from the day prior.


    Time continued to pass as Tyr cultivated. After an hour of total cultivation, Tyr had gained three levels'' worth of Aura.


    ''Not too bad at all.'' Tyr smirked.


    ''One level from the crow alone, and two this time from the pills instead of just one. As I get more crows and advance my technique, I''ll get power even more efficiently.''


    He was quite satisfied, opening his eyes as he distributed his status points.


    [Vitality: 127/127-->130]


    [Strength: 136-->137]


    [Stamina: 125/125-->126]


    [Aura: 124-->125]


    After closing the Status panel, he noticed the stares of dozens around him.


    His brow raised.


    "What do you want?" he stood up.


    There were ten monks in front of him, whispering to each other while staring at him.


    Behind him were double the amount as compared to in front, all intrigued by the young man.


    "Those techniques... you absorbed all of them?" one of the younger monks asked.


    "Huh? Oh, those ones? Yeah. I made sure to get every last one," Tyr replied.


    The monk who asked the question frowned.


    "Tsk... couldn''t save any for the rest, huh? We never get cultivation techniques like those in our temple. That merchant was the last in years..."


    Tyr looked around, recognizing that most of the crowd shared the same sentiment.


    "That merchant was no merchant. He was a scammer," Tyr said with a straight face, capturing everyone''s attention.


    "If I hadn''t gotten these, no one would have. You would all have lost your techniques instead. Be thankful that at least one of the people in this monastery got to use the techniques," Tyr exclaimed before walking off.


    He knew this was a bit harsh to say, but it was the truth. Plus, Tyr didn''t find it right that these so-called ''monks'' were getting so damn greedy.


    ''Or maybe it''s just me who''s too greedy... I don''t feel like giving a single cultivation technique to anyone other than myself right now... whatever. I''m not a monk. I can be as greedy as I want... if my dream is still my dream, that is.''


    Tyr made it back to the plum blossom garden, ready to practice.


    After taking his clothes off¡ªeverything except his underwear¡ªhe walked toward the plum tree he always trained under and took in a deep breath before exhaling.


    A gust of wind flew past him, sucking in a petal.


    Tyr remained steady, waiting for the petal to be carried away by the wind before swiftly moving his finger behind it.


    ''A perfect catch...'' Tyr said to himself.


    But then, the petal moved slightly to the left¡ªavoiding Tyr''s finger.


    His brows immediately furrowed.


    ''Impossible... I felt no wind coming from the right.''


    As his eyes darted toward the right, he saw a bullet come mere inches from penetrating through his skull.


    Because he had looked to the right just milliseconds early, he was able to barely dodge the bullet.


    ''Blink Step.''


    "Who is it!" he shouted aggressively.


    ''I knew I wasn''t wrong there. It would be impossible for that petal to avoid me without some sort of outside influence.''


    sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 193 - 193: Retribution?

    *Extra Long Chapter*


    "Impressive..." a low voice exclaimed as a hooded figure walked out from behind the plum blossom tree.


    ''He can hide his Aura perfectly... that''s a useful trick,'' Tyr mused with a serious expression as he stared down the person in front of him.


    "It seems you are that rumored Dragon Tamer after all." The figure lifted his hood, revealing a familiar face.


    "You''re the merchant," Tyr exclaimed, slightly surprised. "I''m not too shocked though. There''s no way you would let me slip away with all your valuable cultivation techniques in my hands."


    The merchant smirked, showing off his golden tooth. "Oh? So you knew the whole time that I was going to ambush you, huh?" He thrust his gun to his side.


    It was a golden pistol¡ªclosely resembling a Desert Eagle.


    "I guess that makes sense as to why you somehow avoided my attack." The merchant stared at his golden pistol. "This weapon is no ordinary gun. It''s a powerful tool created from my Ancestral Ability... one that allows me to speed up any projectile I use with it. Almost no one would be able to dodge it... but the fact that you are a powerful Dragon Tamer, paired with the knowledge of my ambush, is subsequent reasoning, I suppose. Otherwise, you would have never bought yourself a few more seconds in this life, as you just did there."


    Tyr raised a brow. He was offended but also shocked by the merchant''s cocky attitude.


    "Just who the hell do you think you are? I knew you would come for me, but I didn''t know you had set up an ambush here."


    "Impossible!" the merchant blurted. "My bullet traveled faster than your eyes twitched. I know for a fact you did not see it coming."


    Tyr paused on hearing this.


    "That''s true," he said after a second or so.


    The merchant remained silent as Tyr continued.


    "I didn''t see it coming... I predicted where it was going to go."


    "Huh? Stop messing around, brat. You don''t want your last moments to be seen as a joke."


    "I don''t have to see the bullet to see the effects that the bullet has on the environment around it. Your shot caused a slight gust of wind that moved a plum petal in the air, which my eyes were focused on."


    The merchant''s face was instantly riddled with confusion.


    "W-what? Shut the hell up... don''t pretend as if your reflexes and observation are so great. I don''t care for your bluffs... just die, and return those cultivation techniques to me!"


    The merchant lifted his gun, firing his bullet straight at Tyr''s dome.


    Tyr saw the bullet blast out of the barrel.


    ''Woah... it''s way too fast,'' he thought, instantly realizing he couldn''t dodge it.


    As he finished those thoughts, the bullet was already in front of his face.


    ''Blink Step.'' He disappeared, reappearing in front of the bullet again. This time, he was only about 5 feet away from the merchant.


    The merchant''s eyes widened in shock.


    "How in the hell are you dodging!? With the Aura emanating from your body, you shouldn''t be able to even move an inch!"


    Tyr smirked.


    "Stop complaining, weakling," he joked.


    Inside, however, he had other thoughts.


    ''I can use Blink Step to dodge those types of attacks well, but not in quick succession. Right now, my cooldown for Blink Step is exactly 3.5 seconds. This is due to my mastery over it after using it all this time. Without it, I can''t dodge anything that fast using my own body''s speed.''


    "Alright, old man... it''s time to settle down," Tyr squinted his eyes, moving them left to right.


    ''Hypnosis.'' Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The merchant''s pupils turned a hazy blue color, immobilizing him instantly as his hands drooped to his sides.


    "Lay down on your stomach," Tyr said with a deep, commanding tone. The merchant didn''t waste time in doing just that.


    ''Scan.''


    ©³©¥©¥©¥Status©¥©¥©¥©·


    Name: Jicel Kot


    Age: 51 Years


    Power Level: 250


    Rank: Expert


    ©»©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¿


    ''Man... even these weaklings can beat my ass if it weren''t for my skills.'' Tyr walked over to the merchant and swiped the golden pistol, peering at it with a curious expression.


    ''His Aura Abilities are good though... very good. I need to evolve my Aura Ability as well through more cultivation.'' Tyr exhaled, clenching his jaw with resolution.


    ''With this new Shadow Flock cultivation technique, I will get much stronger. I''ll need to focus on it even more in the future.''


    The merchant began to squirm, his pupils regaining their color. His eyes immediately darted to Tyr, his eyebrows scrunching with a surge of realization and anger.


    "You fucker!" The merchant immediately pushed himself up to his feet but froze in place as he heard a loud click.


    Tyr had cocked the pistol, pointing it right at the businessman.


    The merchant gulped, staring down the barrel of his own gun.


    "Hand them over..." he said under his breath, his hands raised out to his sides.


    Tyr snickered lightly.


    "I consumed all of them."


    The merchant''s eyes slowly expanded as the realization of those words struck him.


    "You... did what?" he said in a broken voice.


    "I don''t have a single one in my storage. All of them are gone."


    "Why... why did you do that!?" the merchant raged. "All you needed was one... why did you learn all of them!?"


    "Because they were mine, and I can do anything with my own property."


    Hearing this smug reply, the merchant paused¡ªtrembling as he attempted to hold in his rage.


    He failed in the end, abruptly lunging at Tyr. Without hesitation, Tyr pulled the trigger of the pistol.


    However, nothing came out of the barrel.


    Tyr saw the merchant''s small grin through the corner of his eye at that moment.


    ''Tsk... he knew from the start that it wouldn''t do anything. Slimy bastard.''


    The merchant''s hands aimed to grab Tyr''s shoulders, but Tyr sidestepped just in time to avoid them.


    Perpendicular to the man, Tyr gave him a solid punch to the side of the jaw, sending him sprawling to the floor right next to the plum blossom tree¡ªwhere Tyr''s clothes and spear were placed.


    He was knocked out instantly, his body lying flat with all limbs extended.


    Tyr looked at the golden pistol one last time before storing it in his ring.


    Then, he turned his head to face the merchant lying on his stomach.


    After a few seconds of just standing there, Tyr walked over and knelt beside the man.


    He had an unreadable look on his face. You couldn''t tell what he was thinking.


    He grabbed the merchant''s hand, turning him onto his back before reaching for the coat.


    Just as his fingers graced the jacket, the merchant abruptly awoke with a loud gasp.


    Tyr stopped, observing the man.


    "Please!" the merchant suddenly shouted. "You can take everything I have left... just spare me!"


    Tyr squinted his eyes.


    "Spare you?" he said with a straight face.


    "Yes... please... I made a mistake. I shouldn''t have messed with you. I just wanted to... feed my family. I have three children and a wife at home."


    Tyr remained silent.


    The merchant saw this as an opportunity that he received to continue his attempt at winning the young Dragon Tamer over onto his side.


    "I will be honest with you... my children are young, but they don''t suffer a lot. They live decent lives, and it is due to my hard work. I don''t have to cheat to make money, but I have fallen into a bad habit. But I swear from this day onward, I will never do this again. If you let me go, I will only do what is right... what is honorable. For my children and my family... I will never dare to risk their sanctity again!"


    The merchant panted slightly after his spiel. His eyes darted all across Tyr''s face, praying to see any signs of emotion.


    However, Tyr remained absolutely stoic. His hand slowly neared the merchant''s coat.


    Seeing this, the merchant began to breathe at a rapid rate.


    "W-wait! I am not lying! I am truly not that bad of a person! You want what I have inside my jacket? I will give you it! Just give me a chance!"


    Tyr placed his right hand onto the man''s chest, tightening it into a fist.


    With his left hand, he grabbed the spear that was leaned against the plum blossom tree.


    The merchant''s eyes darted at Tyr''s left hand, his face turning pale from the abrupt horror.


    ''Transfer,'' Tyr said inwardly.


    "W-wai¡ª" the merchant was cut off.


    The spear transferred from Tyr''s left hand to his right, thrusting through the man''s throat instantly.

 Chapter 194 - 194: Jackpot

    ***AUTHOR NOTE: YO! There will be mass release next month. The privilege bundle price have been significantly reduced. Thank you all for reading and supporting.***


    The man''s eyes nearly popped out of his sockets as veins spread all over his forehead. Blood spurted from his mouth like a small fountain before his body stopped moving altogether.


    [You have slain Jicel Kot (Expert Rank Human).]


    [You leveled up!]


    ''Transfer.'' Tyr placed his spear back against the tree, his expression still emotionless.


    "Hmm..." he exclaimed, "I still gained a level from that? I wasn''t expecting one."


    [Strength: 137 --> 138]


    [Vitality: 130/130 --> 131]


    He reached for the merchant''s corpse, retrieving nothing but a single storage ring.


    ''50x50 feet storage... nice. So I have a total of 80 square feet now.'' He stood up. ''Now... how will I clean this bloody mess? Maybe Ares'' fire can turn it all to dust.''


    He thought about unleashing Ares for a second but then imagined an image of Ares blasting the entire garden to smithereens.


    He slightly chuckled to himself before thinking, ''Yeah... I don''t know about that...''


    ''Rudra!''


    ''Yes, master!''


    ''Come out... and clean this mess up.''


    ''Without hesitation!''


    Rudra immediately exited the infinite domain. He bit the corpse of the merchant, flung him in the air, and swallowed him whole. After that, he licked all the blood off the floor until the grass was clean as ever.


    He then lunged at Tyr with an open mouth. However, instead of baring his fangs, he attacked with a tongue assault.


    Right before Tyr was licked to death, Rudra was transported back into Infinite Domain.


    ''... You are too cruel!'' Rudra seemed to pout.


    Tyr raised an eyebrow. ''Are you a bloodthirsty beast or a 5-year-old girl?''


    ...


    Tyr straightened his fingers, putting on his new storage ring. Now, his pinky, ring, and middle finger were adorned with multicolored jewels.


    He opened the ring up, looking at its multitude of contents inside. After scanning through for a few seconds, Tyr noted everything in his head.


    ''A few trash cultivation techniques, a pouch, a few B-grade pills, 3 A-grade pills, 2 S-grade pills, and finally, a very potent S-grade pill as well.''


    Tyr already had a smile on his face upon seeing all of this, but his eyes lit up as he saw that last item.


    ''It looks nothing like the other S-grade pills I get from the monastery. It exudes much more Aura... S-grade pills come from Purple-grade beast cores. These are only found in Berserk Rank beasts, who are anywhere from level 400 to 1000 from my estimation... that means this S-grade pill must be in the upper echelon of that. It came from a beast close to level 1000. And not to mention the other pills as well... looks like my crow is going to have a field day tomorrow.''


    Tyr looked inside the pouch, finding many coins of various sorts inside.


    ''His money... altogether, I probably have close to an Aura Stone worth right now.''


    Tyr was very pleased by this. But, instead of indulging in the excitement for a longer duration, he decided to cut it short for now.


    ''I have more training to do. I can''t slack just because I got lucky.''


    Just like that, he began to observe the wind again.


    The day passed as Tyr advanced even faster than before, finding his groove through repeated practice.


    That said, each new petal added a layer of difficulty. Understanding new wind patterns was exponentially more impossible.


    It worked like this: Understanding one or two wind directions was easy, but as Tyr moved onto dozens or even hundreds of them, it was like trying to find a pin in a bale of hay.


    After the 50-wind direction mark, that bale of hay expanded 10 times in size. At least, that''s what it felt like. sea??h th§× N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Soon the day ended, and Tyr spent that night studying petal formations as well¡ªignoring his sleep again.


    The next morning, he ate his food balls and headed to the temple to cultivate again.


    Before beginning his cultivation, he gulped down the 5 B-grade pills, 3 A-grade pills, and also the 5 S-grade pills, including the very potent one.


    His cultivation went very smoothly. His crow worked tirelessly, absorbing all of the Aura bursting out of the pills Tyr consumed.


    After a while, Tyr''s crow suddenly screeched¡ªmaterializing its feathery body in real-time and transforming from a hollow to a shadow crow.


    Another hollow crow summoned at the same time, the two working tirelessly to absorb even more Aura.


    In the end, Tyr stood up with a bright smile on his face.


    [You leveled up!]


    [You leveled up!]


    [You leveled up!]


    [You leveled¡ª


    ...


    ''Status.''


    ©³©¥©¥©¥Status©¥©¥©¥©·


    Name: Tyr Evolion Thalonis


    Bloodline: Almighty Thalonis + Unknown


    Age: 18 Years


    Level: 336


    Vitality: 131/131


    Strength: 138


    Stamina: 126/126


    Speed: 125


    Aura: 125


    Stats remaining: 50


    Rank: Virtuoso


    ©»©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¿


    With a grin, Tyr began to input his remaining points.


    [Vitality: 131/141 --> 140]


    [Strength: 138 --> 150]


    [Stamina: 126/126 --> 135]


    [Speed: 125 --> 135]


    [Aura: 125 --> 135]


    ''Not bad... not bad at all. 25 levels in one day is no joke.''


    Tyr almost couldn''t contain his excitement from seeing these new numbers. He could already feel the strength in his limbs just by moving around.


    ''There''s truly nothing like gaining raw power... it feels like I''m inching to godhood with each point I invest.''


    ...


    After returning to the garden, Tyr continued his training. His routine was made to follow without any excuses or breaks.


    As hours began to turn into days, he did not stop for even a moment, determined to finish this shit as soon as possible.


    Finally, he arrived at the date of one week which he had spent at the monastery in total.


    For the first time this week, he had slept going into his eighth day.


    When he awoke, he saw the beautiful pink petals still dancing above him.


    Around him were scattered dozens of notebooks filled with drawings and writing. His hair was frizzled, his eyes almost crazed, and his body resembling that of a homeless man when it came to hygiene.


    Despite this, a slight smirk still pulled at his lips.


    "I did it," he said out loud.


    "You did what?" another voice called out to him.


    Tyr looked behind him, seeing the young monk that always brought him his food.


    "Oh... you''re here," Tyr said, standing up.


    "Did you really catch 20 plum blossom petals!?" the monk asked, amazed and intrigued at the same time while being infinitely curious.


    "Huh? No..." Tyr replied, walking over to the monk.


    "Oh..." The young monk''s excitement immediately dissipated. "Well... It wasn''t like I was expecting you to anyway."


    Tyr looked up at the monk with a brow raised as he heard that.


    Seeing this, the monk quickly apologized.


    "Oh! No no! That''s not what I meant. It wasn''t targeted towards you. It''s just that... of course, no one could ever accomplish such a task in such a short duration. No... that''s impossible." He muttered the ending of his statement under his breath, feeling a bit embarrassed that he even believed such a thing in the first place.


    Tyr brushed it off, beginning to eat his food balls.


    Yet, the young monk did not leave. His eyes were locked onto Tyr.


    "Hey..." he said in a quiet tone.


    Tyr looked up at him as he continued.


    "I still can''t help but ask... what were you talking about back there? When you said that you finally did it?"


    Tyr paused for a second, staring at the monk directly in the eyes before replying.


    "I mastered every single wind direction and petal formation in this entire garden."


    The monk was taken aback and also bewildered at the same time.


    "Huh?" he said, utterly confused.


    "Speaking of which..." Tyr said.


    "Tell your leader to come here... I have something to show him."


    "M-my leader?"


    "Your elder... the head monk or whatever he was."


    "Oh! Right... why though? You just said you couldn''t catch 20 petals."


    Tyr snickered.


    "Not just 20... I can catch as many petals as these eyes of mine can see."

 Chapter 195 - 195: A Test All Along

    The young monk was struck with disbelief as he heard those words come from Tyr''s mouth.


    With a gaped maw, he stepped back instinctively in surprise. At that moment, he felt his back rub against something solid.


    He quickly turned, noticing a figure behind him.


    "Oh! H-Head Elder!" The young monk threw his head down and bowed at a 90-degree angle without hesitation.


    "Hohoho." Lao Heshang chuckled, walking past the young monk.


    "You may go now, Jab," the elder monk said in a calm tone.


    The young monk nodded fervently before hastily turning and jogging away.


    Before leaving the garden, however, he looked back over his shoulder.


    ''As many petals as his eyes can see? For some reason... I don''t think he''s lying.'' He felt chills run up his spine.


    The elder monk slowly walked across the wooden bridge, standing above Tyr, who had just finished his food balls.


    After absorbing the two S-grade pills into his ring, Tyr also stood up.


    "So... do you believe you have the capacity to finish the evaluation exam?" Lao Heshang asked, a slight smirk tugging at his lips. His eyes were gracefully squinted.


    Tyr burped. "Yep..."


    For a moment, there was silence. Tyr broke it by saying, "By the way, have you been spying on me this entire time?"


    More silence ensued before Tyr continued.


    "Come to think of it, when I did my first cultivation, you abruptly appeared. And even now, you appear as if you have been beside me the entire time."


    The elder smiled. "I will let you believe that for now. Eventually, you will learn of my tactics."


    Tyr furrowed his brows slightly.


    ''Hmm... he is 5x my power level. It''s likely he has immense teleportation abilities.''


    "Young man... it seems you have failed to understand humility, however. Letting go of your ego, and learning from those who are stronger than you."


    Tyr didn''t wince in his reply: "Yeah... I gave up most of those words you told me early on. What were they again? Remove my doubt, don''t be arrogant, and learn from those stronger than me. I repeated them so many times in my head that I still have a slight headache. In the end, I realized that apart from realizing my doubt, the other two were useless."


    The monk tilted his head slightly. "How so? Without them, no other scout has been able to pass my exam, I''ll have you know. Do not think that you are above them..."


    Tyr smirked.


    ''This geezer doesn''t seem to understand that I passed his exam long ago...''


    "How so? It''s simple. I was willing to give up my ego and not be arrogant in order to pass this exam, being as I am weaker than you. However, I failed with that approach."


    "You failed? Maybe you didn''t try long enough to figure it out."


    "I don''t want to waste time. Why choose that route when it''s inferior to a more efficient one?"


    "Oh? You are saying you have found an even greater technique in passing this exam than the one I have provided?"


    "Without a doubt. And when it comes to learning from those stronger than myself... you probably meant to take your own riddle-like words and decode them to find some hidden meaning and use that to learn how to balance these petals. That would take far too long. I''d rather use common sense and pure numerical statistics than play that fairy crap."


    The monk sighed. "Young man... your arrogance has blinded you."


    Tyr raised an eyebrow. "Then can a blind man not pass this exam?"


    The monk lowered his brows, seeming to get more serious.


    "Peace is what one owes another human being in this realm. Ahimsa... the art of not harming another, is what all beings thrive upon. In that way, we live and breathe through each other¡ªforever learning to craft ourselves anew with blocks of society helping to propel us even further." S§×arch* The N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Tyr''s expression also became more serious, realizing that the monk was getting slightly hostile with his tone.


    "Why are you lecturing me about peace all of a sudden?"


    "Because it ties into arrogance. Only the most arrogant deem it is in their right to decide whether or not they shall give peace and forgiveness to another. Who''s to say one has that right? It is not up to you but up to the highest powers."


    Tyr''s tone remained low. "What are you trying to say?"


    "That merchant you mercilessly slaughtered here in cold blood... did you think it would not hold major consequences, young man?" Lao Heshang finally said it, his tone deep, like an angry parent scolding their child.


    He continued: "This is a monastery... why did you think it was okay for you to murder another human being?"


    At that moment, an intense Aura energy seeped from the monk. It quickly surrounded Tyr, making the air around him seem as thick as water and ten times as heavy.


    He felt his shoulders want to droop, his knees wanting to cave in, and his heart begin to beat louder. A feeling of doom came over him in mere seconds.


    For a moment, his mind went blank. He couldn''t think, and his eyes were darting all across his vision.


    His body began to shake, his thoughts becoming blurred concepts of nothingness.


    ''Full Golden Body,'' he thought to himself reluctantly, since he didn''t want to seem like he was threatening the monk.


    Instantly, all of his fear and delusion were wiped away, and his mind was fresh and clear again.


    In that moment, a dozen thoughts traveled through his brain as his eyes widened with realization.


    "Wait a minute... it all makes sense now," Tyr said, as though figuring out a puzzle of sorts.


    "If arrogance has to deal with peace, then it seems all of this was planned from the very beginning. Very cunning." He stared the monk in the eyes.


    Tyr continued: "From the very first day, where you told me about arrogance... you were speaking of that decisive moment where I had the choice to save the merchant''s life or not. You knew the entire time. In fact... you set it up. All of it was a test, not just the petals... The day you told me of the importance of cultivation techniques, you had a double meaning which wanted me to go and seek out these techniques¡ªleading me directly to that merchant''s popular shop."


    The monk squinted his eyes as Tyr continued.


    "The first real test happened at that moment, where I was tested to see whether I would be greedy enough to want all of those techniques and play into the merchant''s game. I failed that test, taking all of his cultivation techniques. Naturally, that merchant would attempt to hunt me, but in his dying moments, he gave me a chance to save his life and forgive him. That must have been my second true test, which I also failed, according to you."


    Tyr smirked. "Quite an elusive plan you had... and to think... a righteous monk like you would use another human being''s life as a pawn in your grand exam."


    "He was not a real human."


    ''I gained EXP from him... you''re lying, old man,'' Tyr thought but remained silent.


    "However... you are right in your hypothesis. From the very beginning, you were tested. Your morals, balance, greed, and more. All of them played a part. This exam has three parts, two of which you have miserably failed. The last and final part is the petal balancing act... and even if you pass that one with flying colors, you will gain a score of 33%. A failing overall grade."

 Chapter 196 - 196: Unbelievable

    Tyr almost couldn''t believe the words he was hearing.


    "I failed? Is this an evaluation exam... how could I have failed?"


    The monk swiftly replied with a stinging tone: "Evaluation or not, it is still an exam. An exam run by me..."


    Tyr remained silent as the elder continued:


    "It goes according to my rules, and my rules alone." He paused, catching a plum blossom on the tip of his finger.


    "However... as an instructor, I still must proceed with the test and have you take your final exam. Just know that even if you catch 20 petals, you will have to stay here for a few months. You will learn non-arrogance and selflessness. After those months, another three-part evaluation exam will come. You will not know the date or time, so you will have to be on your best behavior at all times."


    "Can it, you old bag," Tyr abruptly replied with an annoyed tone. From his face, one could tell he was infuriated.


    "Selflessness... what a pathetic goal. I don''t give a damn about sacrificing myself for everyone else. I want what''s mine... what''s the best. I want everything to myself." His tone was deep.


    The monk ignored Tyr.


    ''Who does he think he is? Even if he collects 30 damn petals in one week, that is still five shy of the highest ever collected within that time span. I even tested the current Grand Sovereign of the Ten High Peak Faction, who got 35 petals in one week.''


    The monk changed the topic: "Begin your third and final task..."


    Tyr frowned. S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''Like hell I''m going to stay here for months. I don''t give a damn; I''m getting out of here whether this old cunt likes it or not. Even if I have to take his head... I''m not going to be stalled like this.'' He gritted his teeth.


    ''I''m the Dragon Tamer... continents across the world want my well wishes. I''m sure I''m worth more to this faction than a lying old geezer.''


    Tyr turned, walking toward the plum blossom tree.


    The elder was slightly confused by this.


    ''Hmm? He''s missing the petals that are falling... why is he walking toward the tree? Is he going to hit it to get even more petals to fall? That''s not necessary... there are already plenty of petals falling down.''


    ''Soul Mend: Polaris Tiger.'' Tyr''s body transformed accordingly.


    He arrived three feet away from the trunk of the tree before swinging his leg around, pivoting on his heel, and slamming the middle of his shin right into the tree.


    In one kick, the tree was broken in half. The vibrations of shock sprawled across the branches, releasing hundreds of petals into the air.


    The elder monk''s jaw fell to the floor in shock. His eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.


    "W-what in tarnation!?" he raised his tone.


    Tyr took a step back, de-transforming as he took in a deep breath.


    Raising his hand, he pointed his index finger toward the sky.


    The monk began to count how many petals rested on Tyr''s finger...


    ''1... 2... 3... 4...''


    Tyr moved, following the pattern of the wind around him.


    ''5... 6... 7... 8...''


    It looked like a dance, how Tyr was effortlessly capturing every petal with ease.


    It looked as though Tyr already knew where the petals were going to be. This was even more evident as the monk saw how Tyr''s eyes were closed half of the time.


    ''12... 13... 14...''


    Tyr danced across the field, not missing a single petal whilst managing to flawlessly balance all of them.


    ''20! 21... 22... 23... 24... 25... 26... 27...''


    At that moment, the monk''s face contorted with disbelief.


    ''He''s... not struggling at all. What in the world am I witnessing?''


    ''30... 31... 32...''


    Without warning, Tyr began to move even faster. So far, he had only been testing whether or not he had 100% mastered the wind and petal formations.


    Now that he was certain of his ability, he wasn''t scared to go all out.


    He began to catch so many petals that the monk could barely keep up¡ªstunned with bewilderment.


    ''38... 42... 56...''


    A smirk appeared on Tyr''s face after he glanced at the monk''s shit-faced look.


    ''78... 99... 115...''


    The counting continued until Tyr finally stopped out of nowhere.


    The young man exhaled, staring up at the enormous tower of petals all balanced on his finger as he said:


    "How disappointing... it looks like my stack has grown taller than the tree itself. I could have continued had it not been the shortness of that tree standing in my way."


    The monk was speechless.


    ''301... 301 petals... more than 30 feet of length stretching into the air.''


    Tyr allowed the petals to drop. The leaves drifted, floating their way over to the monk before slowly showering him.


    ''A... a god,'' the monk thought for a second as he stared into Tyr''s eyes.


    ''Has a god graced this planet?''


    Tyr gazed back at him.


    "So? Did I pass the last test, at least?"


    "You..." The monk was finding it difficult to get his words out even now.


    "You pass the exam, young man. You must go to the faction."


    Tyr raised an eyebrow with slight confusion.


    "What? But I thought you said¡ª"


    He was cut off.


    "No..." The elder was staring forward with a blank gaze. He was in his head as he spoke.


    "I can''t possibly stop you from advancing... it would be one of the most foolish decisions of my long lifetime."


    Tyr was still a bit confused.


    "Huh?"


    ''I guess I amazed the geezer way more than I thought I would. I mean... it really wasn''t that difficult.''


    The monk finally gathered his thoughts enough to talk again:


    "Wait here..." he said before disappearing behind his cloak.


    Tyr breathed out a sigh, relief flushing through his body.


    "Well, I can''t complain. I was a bit worried there..."


    ***


    The monk summoned into a chair behind a desk, drooping over the table without blinking even once.


    "I¡ªI¡ªI can''t make sense of it. What in the¡ªargh!" He seemed frustrated.


    "Whatever... it''s not my job to make sense of it. Miracles happen, I suppose, even at my gray age."


    On his desk was a metal band with blue glass connected to one side of it.


    He clicked the blue glass as a hologram of another figure popped up above it.


    "Yes, Elder Heshang?" the figure spoke.


    Heshang replied hastily, his breath slightly ragged and erratic:


    "Tyr Evolion has passed the evaluation exam."


    "Oh? At record speed I see. He rivals many Peak Captains and even the Grand Sovereign."


    "Yes..."


    "He must have passed the first two tests with flying colors then... and what about his final petal score?"


    "Erm... ahem!"


    "..."


    "301..."


    "..." After a pause, the transparent holograph spoke again:


    "Excuse me? I believe that came off wrong somehow. Did you say 301 as his petal score?"


    "Yes."


    "3¡ª301... wow."


    "..."


    "Are you sure you haven''t miscalculated anything?"


    "Do you take me as a fool?"


    "No..."


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    "Alright then... I shall relay this information to all of the Peak Captains. Thank you for this information."


    "..."


    "Medium out."


    *Click*


    The hologram disappeared.

 Chapter 197 - 197: Arin

    It didn''t take long for Tyr to see the monk again.


    The elder neared the young man. "It''s almost a shame to see you go into that horrid branch." His brows curled inward, as though with sorrow.


    "What?" Tyr said, confused.


    "Nothing¡­ but I just wanted to state my apologies for the way I acted before."


    "Where''s this coming from all of a sudden?"


    "Sometimes¡­ raw ingenuity can beat even virtue." The monk had a slightly defeated tone.


    Tyr paused for a couple of seconds before replying, "That depends on what you think virtue means."


    The monk smiled. "Despite being so young, you seem even older than myself."


    Tyr chuckled under his breath. ''I''m only a bit older than 48, I think, by now.''


    The monk let out a deep breath. "Truth be told, I need not come here again. The ship waiting to transport you to the High Echelon Inner Branch, or more commonly known as the Immortal Branch, is on its way here now. However, I wanted to get one last look at your face."


    "Uh¡­ that''s a bit weird."


    "So be it."


    "Right."


    "Do you even understand yourself how gifted you are?"


    Tyr raised an eyebrow. "I''d like to think so¡­ but those petals, I''d also like to think I worked pretty damn hard to catch them myself."


    The monk chuckled. "Hohoho¡­ I''m sure you do. Well then¡­ it was a pleasure meeting you. I hope you do not hate me moving forward."


    Tyr smirked. "Why would I waste time doing that? As long as you don''t stand in my way, you can stand with me for all I care."


    A warm smile appeared on the monk''s face.


    With that, the sounds of a storm brewed in the sky.


    Tyr turned to see a massive ship descending from the sky, its large body concocting storm-like wind sounds as it moved.


    "Holy fuck¡­ that''s awesome." Tyr was genuinely amused on seeing the ship. Gusts of fresh, cool winds flushed against his face as the ship lowered.


    After reaching 50 feet above the plum blossom garden, the ship stopped. A ladder was thrown down from above, uncoiling all the way until it reached Tyr''s face.


    Without any hesitation and a smile on his face, Tyr began to climb the rope ladder.


    He turned after a few pulls. "Oi! Thanks for the cultivation technique and the pills! I''ll make good use of them."


    The monk was still smiling, his mind still baffled.


    ''A storm is going to soon grace this planet. The largest continents are already in a cold war, and the arrival of a Dragon Tamer is going to spark that fuse into a blistering flame. He may very well be a herald of the reckoning that is to come¡­ or the world may be the herald, and he may be that same reckoning which all cower in fear over. I sure hope that the former is the route that fate decides to take us towards.''


    ...


    Tyr hopped over the wooden ledge above and onto the ship.


    The first thing he noticed were the people scattered around the large deck.


    ''About 30¡­'' he mused.


    The moment he made it onto the ship, almost all the eyes that could see him abruptly darted to him.


    Many faces were hostile, with furrowed brows and slight frowns. There were young men and women ranging from 18 all the way to 25 on board.


    ''Are they trying to act tough or something? I guess it''s normal¡­ acting stoic in front of strangers is a good defense mechanism to protect your reputation.''


    However, the stares Tyr was getting were a bit too rude.


    A young man made his way past Tyr, nodding hello.


    Tyr nodded back.


    Tyr was greeted a few more times.


    Some were nice, others cold and indifferent.


    Soon enough, he made it to the front of the ship.


    "Oi!" a voice called out to him as he got there.


    He turned, facing another young man who had a pissed-off look on his face. "Thanks for making us wait several days! Tsk!" He walked away after saying that.


    Tyr raised a brow in confusion. "What? What''s all that about?"


    "ATTENTION!" a loud voice erupted from the inside of the ship''s main lodge: "The final passenger has climbed on board. We shall now depart!"


    ''Hmm¡­ were they all waiting for me this entire time?'' Tyr thought to himself. ''Actually¡­ from the looks that I got, I think they know who I am. They must know.'' Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Tyr sighed, brushing it all off as he leaned over the railing. The ship began to float up, flying slowly across the air.


    He gazed at the view below, filled with mountains and hills as far as the eye could see.


    Several minutes passed as multiple more people greeted him here and there.


    It was all pretty normal and expected. A few even called him by his name, verifying his theory that people knew who he was.


    ''I guess I''ll have to get used to being known.''


    After half an hour of no one coming up to him, Tyr finally took some time to appreciate the view.


    He saw the giant mountain peaks in the distance, instantly knowing that those were the elusive Ten High Peaks he had been chasing all this time.


    ''Reminds me of traveling over to this continent¡­'' he mused as he took in the view. ''Speaking of which¡­ I wonder how Hanzo and the others are doing right now.''


    The sound of laughter and chatter from other new attendees drifted around him, but he paid it little attention.


    His thoughts were focused on his team members, wondering what they could possibly be doing right now.


    "Do you enjoy being alone?" a soft, melodic voice broke through his thoughts.


    Tyr turned to see a familiar-looking silver-haired girl standing a few steps away. Her hair shimmered faintly in the sunlight, and her eyes glistened with a pristine azure color.


    Her beauty was almost stunning, causing Tyr to recognize her almost instantly.


    "You¡­ you''re the one that gave me that pill back in Rock Saelfine." He paused, slightly confused. "How do you keep finding me even across continents?" He sounded genuinely puzzled.


    The girl chuckled slightly to herself. "I''m a traveler, and this is my original home. Plus, I can see things before they actually happen¡­ remember?"


    Tyr paused, looking back out at the horizon with a raised brow. The young lady also looked out past the railings. "Quite the view."


    "It''s alright," Tyr replied, his tone casual but curt. He continued looking out at the horizon, expecting her to walk away like everyone else had.


    Instead, she stepped closer, tilting her head with a playful smile. "Just alright? Most people would say it''s breathtaking. But then again, you''re not most people, are you, Tyr?"


    His eyes narrowed slightly. "I don''t know¡­"


    ''She probably knows things about me that I don''t know myself at this point¡­''


    "Of course," she said, folding her hands behind her back. "Everyone will soon know who you are after what you did at the temple. Passing faster than anyone in history? That''s not exactly subtle."


    Tyr grunted, unsure how to respond. He was slightly surprised that she even knew that so quickly, but he imagined it was her ability that allowed her to figure that out.


    Most of the attention he''d received so far was either fear or envy. But her tone lacked either¡ªit was warm, almost teasing.


    "I''m Arin," she continued, extending her hand. "We''ve crossed paths a few times, though I doubt you think about them often."


    She stepped beside him, leaning casually against the railing. "But that''s okay. You''ll get to know me now."


    Tyr frowned slightly, unsure what to make of her confidence. "If you say so."


    Arin chuckled softly, her voice like the chime of a distant bell. "You''re not very good at small talk, are you?"


    "What is there to talk about?" Tyr replied, deadpan.


    She laughed again, this time a little louder. "Fair enough. Let''s skip the small talk, then. When we reach the faction, I''ll show you around. You look like someone who''d appreciate knowing where everything is."


    "I can find my way," Tyr said dismissively.


    "Of course you can," Arin replied, her tone teasing again. "But wouldn''t it be easier if someone showed you? Someone who knows all the shortcuts?"


    Tyr glanced at her, her playful expression throwing him off balance. "...Do what you want."


    Arin smiled triumphantly, as though she''d won some invisible game. "Great. It''s a date, then."


    Tyr blinked. "A what?"


    "Relax," she said, turning to walk away. "I''m kidding. Sort of. I''ll see you when we land, Tyr."


    She disappeared into the crowd of other attendees, leaving Tyr standing there, feeling oddly unsettled. He shook his head and muttered to himself, "What the heck was that about?"


    He exhaled. ''She''s definitely peculiar. It isn''t okay that she has been following me since the very moment I entered this world, it seems. I don''t know what''s up with her, but it''s weird¡­ I can''t let my guard down.''

 Chapter 198 - 198: Immortal Peak

    Brushing off the odd conversation he had with Arin, Tyr continued thinking about Hanzo, Noa, and Malon.


    As he continued thinking about them, I, the narrator, almost switched perspectives over to their point of view. Almost...


    Tyr turned, taking a breath before sitting on the floor.


    ''Since I have nothing to do for a while, I''m just going to cultivate those two pills I got.''


    He began to use his Shadow Flock Cultivation Technique.


    Within a short amount of time, he had gained 4 levels altogether.


    ''It looks like I''m only gaining levels faster as I cultivate more.'' He smiled as he stood up.


    ''This is what a good cultivation technique should do... but I imagine there is a point where I flatline in progress.''


    [Vitality: 140/140 ¡ú 142]


    [Strength: 150 ¡ú 152]


    [Stamina: 135/135 ¡ú 136]


    [Speed: 135 ¡ú 137]


    [Aura: 135 ¡ú 136]


    By this time, the ship had floated above the mountain peaks.


    All of the scouts on board couldn''t help but throw their heads off the edge of the railings and peer down at the branches below.


    Tyr didn''t shy away, also doing the same.


    The ship was currently above one of the 10 mountain peaks, which also happened to be one of the 5 that held a real faction branch.


    Tyr paid attention to the chatter around him.


    "Look at it! It must be the Free Flowing Peak! That is one of the best branches out there!"


    "Wow... it''s so red. All the buildings look like they have been coated with shiny blood."


    "Look! I think I see the training grounds."


    "I hope I am allowed to enter that one..."


    "Screw that! Apparently the training is stupidly rigorous there. The Branch Captain I hear is some sort of hardened monster!"


    Tyr chuckled to himself on hearing this.


    ''Hardened monster, huh? Well... I guess some could see her that way.''


    He immediately knew who the captain was.


    Thinking back to when he and Judgment were first separated, Hanzo had joined the Free Flowing Peak.


    The captain was a tall lady with a very lewd and provocative look to her. Despite that, she was indeed rough from what Tyr remembered.


    ''To think... Hanzo is down there right now doing his training,'' Tyr said to himself, looking down at the peak.


    He could see an intricate network of winding roads carved into the mountain''s surface, weaving between a series of sprawling buildings.


    The architecture stood out, blending rugged stone foundations with ornate designs that shimmered faintly in the sunlight, as if infused with traces of Aura.


    Training halls and grand courtyards sprawled across the mountain like veins of life, pulsating with activity even from a distance.


    For a moment, Tyr''s mind wandered. He imagined Hanzo, his head bowed low, serving as a stool for Captain Maxim, her imposing figure sitting confidently on his back while she smirked and casually licked an apple.


    The scene sent a shiver of discomfort down Tyr''s spine.


    "Yikes," he muttered under his breath. "I hope his training isn''t actually like that... then again, maybe something like that will knock a dream into him." He let out a quiet chuckle.


    As the ship began its descent, Tyr''s attention shifted to the surrounding landscape.


    The jagged peaks of the Ten High Mountain Range towered over a massive valley below, their shadows stretching like sentinels over a vast expanse of dense green forest.


    The mountains themselves were gargantuan, their summits manipulated and repurposed for the towering faction branches, each one a city of its own.


    Only their very peaks held these branches, leaving the majority of the mountain range cloaked in mystery and untouched wilderness.


    The valley between the peaks sprawled endlessly, a verdant sea of trees stretching over what seemed to be 500 miles.


    Tyr''s gaze scanned the horizon, searching for signs of his destination, but all he saw was an expanse of emerald that refused to give any answers.


    He frowned, his patience already thinning.


    ''So now I have to wait another hour or so?'' he thought irritably, tapping his fingers against the railing.


    As if in answer to his frustration, the ship suddenly illuminated with a vibrant blue Aura.


    A chorus of startled gasps rose from the passengers as the vessel surged forward, accelerating at a breakneck pace.


    It was like being flung on a rollercoaster. The sheer force of the wind pushed at their faces, rippling skin like disturbed water.


    Hair flew wildly in all directions, and everyone scrambled to grab hold of anything within reach.


    ''You''re telling me it could do this the whole time!?'' Tyr thought, his irritation rising along with the ship''s speed.


    Within moments, a large clearing emerged in the heart of the valley.


    Thick green forest encircled it like a natural barrier, but the clearing itself was a marvel.


    It was a sprawling layout of streets and buildings, bustling with life even at this distance.


    The entire expanse seemed alive, a thriving hub of activity hidden within the vastness of the mountains.


    Tyr''s eyes narrowed as a faint grin crept onto his face.


    "So this is the Immortal Peak... interesting."


    The ship''s momentum declined, slowing to its normal speed again and giving everyone breathing room.


    It lowered all the way until it reached the floor.


    "That was fun, wasn''t it?" Arin''s voice spooked Tyr from behind.


    As soon as Tyr made eye contact with her, she turned, joining the line of people wanting to exit the ship.


    "Come on... let me show you around."


    Tyr followed behind her.


    "Isn''t this your first time being here as well? How do you even know about this place?"


    Arin chuckled.


    "No, silly. I''ve been here my whole life."


    Tyr''s eyes expanded.


    "What?" he said under his breath, surprised.


    "Enough of that for now... I''ll get you situated!"


    The two hopped off the side of the ship together, joining the others on the ground.


    Surprisingly enough, there were barely 5 people on the ground.


    Tyr looked back up at the ship, noticing the majority of the scouts still on board.


    ''Hmm... I guess they are going to the other peaks.'' Tyr turned again, scanning the area around him.


    He was in a massive courtyard outside of the gates of the branch.


    The inside looked like a mix of a futuristic city while also being a western marvel of architecture.


    There wasn''t a single inch of land that wasn''t covered with something, whether it be a building, decoration, statue, road, or whatever else.


    All either made of metallic objects, white stone, or dark brown and bright red wood.


    After everyone departed, they seemed to head inside without any directions.


    Most people were confused, expecting a guide of sorts. sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''I guess this is to be expected. We are the best of the best... right?'' Tyr stared at the imposing place in front of him.


    "Hey!" Arin''s voice broke through his thoughts.


    "I''ve been calling your name for 10 seconds. Come on! Are you just going to stand there?"


    "What? Oh... no. I''m coming." Tyr said, catching up with Arin as they entered the gates of the city.

 Chapter 199 - 199: Strong Prey On The Weak

    *Double Length Chapter*


    ----


    As Tyr and Arin made their way into the giant city of the Immortal Peak, Tyr was immediately impressed by how smoothly everything seemed to function.


    This place was not just a faction institution but rather like a town filled with people calling the Ten High Peak Faction their home.


    There were shops and stores lined across all the streets¡ªarmories and smithies, workshops and accessory stores.


    From bakeries to alchemy stations, there was almost everything you could imagine.


    From what Arin explained as they walked through the streets of the city, Tyr understood that the people living in this city were all part of the Ten High Peak Faction.


    Everyone inside the faction apparently had different jobs. Many acted as guards, others as informants and social workers.


    Most were students of the faction, learning continuously and gaining power as they completed quests and helped the faction with its needs.


    However, this didn''t explain why there were seemingly tens of thousands of people in this city.


    "It works like this," Arin went on to explain happily. "Most of the people in this city have retired from being Hunters of the faction. Hunters are special forces like you and me, who are soldiers that work for the faction, completing missions and growing stronger using its institutions. These people, despite not following that path any longer, have chosen to continue living in this faction, as that is all they know. They are provided with everything they need, are self-sustainable, and are also a big asset to the faction itself as they create a good flow of a balanced economy."


    Tyr looked around at every civilian as he heard this information from Arin.


    Most looked like normal people going about their day¡ªhardworking citizens of a normal country.


    Arin continued, "But don''t be fooled by their first appearance. There''s a reason why there are no homeless people in the cities of the Ten High Peak Faction. Everyone was once a Hunter of the faction, who now have decided to live a normal life."


    Tyr nodded. "So how many Hunters are there currently in the Upper Echelon Branch then? The Immortal Peak?"


    Arin didn''t hesitate to answer, "Including everyone, there are probably just over 300 now. There are three Sections in the Immortal Peak: A, B, and C. Each section houses about 100 Hunters and resides in different halls. However, when being taught, all three halls gather together. That is something unique about the Immortal Peak, since we have the least Hunters compared to the other branches."


    "Hmm... because this branch is the most elite, right?" Tyr asked.


    Arin paused. "Well... not exactly. Although it holds that title due to its past, as it is now, the Immortal Peak is..." Arin paused again, fixing a slightly sour expression. "A cesspool for spoiled brats."


    Tyr raised an eyebrow. "Huh? What do you mean?"


    Arin chuckled slightly. "There aren''t really any rules here."


    Tyr was confused by this statement. "How could there not be rules? Is Huevas not the Branch Captain?"


    "You say his name so easily..." Arin mumbled under her breath before saying more loudly: "But even he has no time to look over this branch. He is currently taking the seat of Grand Sovereign, since our current Faction Grand Sovereign is in isolation training."


    Tyr paused, narrowing his eyes. "Hmm... what is he preparing for?"


    Arin''s face dimmed slightly. "War..." she said in a low tone.


    Tyr moved on, not wanting to go down that route of conversation. "Listen, even if there aren''t many rules here, it''s at least strong, right? We do have the most materials and ways to become more powerful here, right? Leverages that the other peaks don''t have?"


    "Well... yes, and no. Due to the fact that we have better resources than the other branches, we barely sneak above them in terms of power. While that is true, we suck when it comes to actual tournaments. We have no synergy and all hate each other. On top of that, no one trains as much as the others, because, like I said, we are a bunch of spoiled brats."


    Tyr was surprised by this. "Then, what about the tournament that happens every three months between all the branches? To establish the power hierarchy between all of them?"


    Arin showed a slightly awkward smile. "About that... we haven''t won one of those in forever. In fact, we are currently rated the lowest, weakest branch of all."


    Tyr felt his shoulders droop as he heard this. "What the hell... has Huevas made me join?" he said, amazed with disappointment.


    He sighed. "Well... I''ll have to make do with what I have at least, I guess. That bastard chose this place for me, after all. I''m sure he knew what he was doing."


    Tyr looked to Arin at that moment and was slightly surprised to see the look on her face.


    Her mouth was slightly open, her eyes wide with a frozen expression.


    "What?" Tyr grunted.


    "O-oh... nothing. I just have never heard even a spoiled Immortal Peak guy say something as ballsy as that. You are talking about the Vice-Grandmaster of this faction... the Branch Captain of your peak... and also the standing Grand Sovereign as it is now."


    Tyr paused for a second before brushing it off. "Pfft... who gives a shit. It''s not like he will kick me out."


    He moved on quickly.


    Arin was stunned, stopping in place for a moment before laughing with amusement and catching back up to the young man.


    "So... what now?" Tyr asked.


    "Gosh. There are so many places I could show you. From the punishment halls to the mission hall, to the martial training hall and the cultivation grounds. The library pavilion and more... I don''t know where to begin!"


    Tyr shook his head, "Ehh... leave all that for now. I only care about places that either help me gain power much faster, or that I need to know."


    The two continued walking for a moment when they heard some commotion going on in front of them.


    A small crowd had gathered in the center of the street.


    The crowd was thin, easy to walk through without really bumping into anyone.


    Since it was in their path, the two made their way through the crowd and observed what was going on inside.


    "Hey! That''s mine!" a young man yelled, attempting to push himself off of the ground. He was sitting on his bum, a grim look on his face.


    Tyr immediately noted something about the young man.


    ''He''s one of the new ones... just like me.''


    Standing above the young man were three other faction members who also looked to be Hunters.


    Out of the three, one had his foot on the newbie''s stomach¡ªpushing him into the ground while holding a ring in his hand.


    He had bright orange hair and a fierce-looking face that was contorted into a mocking expression.


    "Che!" the redhead spat on the ground. "The bitch barely has an Aura Stone. Get him up."


    As he said this, he stepped back as his two accomplices picked the young new Hunter off of the ground.


    The orange-haired Hunter grabbed the newbie by the collar. "It''s hunting season. We are the Hunters, and you are the prey, newbie. Don''t ever forget that."


    The new Hunter''s eyes became red with moisture, quickly beginning to tear up as his entire body was quivering.


    "Please..." he whispered under his breath. S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The orange-haired bully suddenly looked down at a band around his wrist.


    It looked identical to the one that Lao Heshang used to communicate through back in the Mauyin Temple.


    His face turned slightly irritable as he said, "I''m going to give you some luck for now." He let go of the new Hunter''s collar. "I like playing with my food a little. You better pray that a soft little cupcake like you doesn''t end up in my section. I''ll make you forget the concept of what dignity even is." He growled in the newbie''s face before thrusting him toward the ground.


    The orange-haired bully gestured to his friends to leave the area. Whilst chuckling to themselves, they walked forward toward the crowd.


    It just so happened to be that Tyr was standing directly in the bully''s direction about 10 feet away.


    Every other civilian made space for the bully, quickly stepping to the side.


    Even Arin had disappeared out of sight completely, which Tyr felt was a bit odd. She didn''t seem like the type to be scared of bullies.


    ''Hmm...'' Tyr said as a reaction to the entire situation that unfolded in front of him.


    He didn''t make much of it except for:


    ''It looks like, since there aren''t many rules enforced here, the weak are preyed upon by the strong. It''s the same as in the wilderness. Without rules, that''s the natural way of life.''


    He moved on from the situation, walking forward. He wasn''t going to stall there for any more time. And he sure as hell wasn''t going to move out of the way for anyone.


    Tyr didn''t slow down as he approached the orange-haired Hunter.


    ''Who the hell is this guy?'' the redhead thought to himself, raising a brow. ''I haven''t seen him before... is he a new scout or something?'' He scanned Tyr from head to toe.


    ''Motherfucker is tall... and he doesn''t look too weak either.''


    The two came mere inches from each other.


    ''Is he trying to talk to me?'' the redhead mused, stopping for a moment as the two crossed paths.


    Tyr aggressively brushed past him, not halting for even a second and not even batting an eye.


    The orange-haired Hunter''s brows curled inward as he clenched his jaw, turning his head past his shoulders. "Oi... you''re new, aren''t you?"


    On hearing this, Tyr immediately responded, "Yep," he said, continuing to walk forward without much care for the bully.


    The orange-haired Hunter grinned. "You are going to regret touching me," he said as Tyr had already left the crowd and moved.


    For a few seconds, the Hunter continued to stand there and smile. But as he realized Tyr wasn''t coming back, his smile turned into a furious frown.


    "He thinks he''s some bigshot, huh? It''s okay... they all think that before learning the truth." He turned, "Come on... sir is waiting for us."


    The three moved on.

 Chapter 200 - 200: Training Facility

    Arin suddenly appeared beside Tyr, sneaking her way up from out of the crowd.


    She grabbed onto one of Tyr''s arms, which was nearly the size of her waist.


    "Wow! You just don''t care, huh? That''s a dangerous habit to have... challenging anyone you see." Arin chuckled.


    Tyr raised a brow while glancing down at her. "I was hoping he would try something... it might have been fun. But since he''s not in my way, I don''t care. Anyways, where did you even disappear off to? Are you scared of that guy or something?"


    "Scared? Hahaha!" Arin suddenly burst out into a peal of laughter. "You really are silly!"


    Tyr narrowed his eyes with confusion.


    ''What other kind of observation could I have made there?'' he said to himself.


    "I didn''t want to ruin your experience," Arin finally said after laughing.


    Tyr looked confused. "Ruin my experience? What do you mean? Nothing even happened there."


    Arin smirked. "Oh... yes, it did. Many dominoes just fell for you in the future."


    "Huh? Are you talking about your future-telling crap again? If you know everything that is going to happen, why not just tell me?"


    "Oop!" Arin exclaimed. "That is far above my capabilities!"


    "Huh??" Tyr was completely baffled.


    In the midst of their conversation, a booming noise calmly rang through the streets of the Immortal Peak.


    Tyr quickly looked up at the large tower at what looked to be the center of the city.


    It was a tall building with a bright blue crystal at its tip, releasing pulses of energy that exuded loud bell-like noises.


    The sound was very loud, beating the eardrums like bongos. However, it was also very comforting and alerting.


    "Hmm... I guess our little date is over," Arin muttered under her breath with a small frown. She looked up at Tyr. "Tyr! This was fun... I''ll show you around more next time!"


    "Next time?" Tyr said, raising an eyebrow in confusion. "What was that noise?"


    "The branch bells. They signal when it''s time for training. All Hunters have to gather there."


    "You won''t be coming?" Tyr asked. "Are you not a Hunter as well?"


    Arin smiled slightly. "I have... other things to attend to. I''ll see you around."


    Tyr turned as Arin walked away. He sighed. "What an exhausting person..." he mumbled before following the vibration of the bell.


    He moved on, excited for what was to come. "I''m curious what they will train us on... this is the best faction on the continent according to Huevas..." Just thinking of his power growing was enough to incite eagerness within him.


    As he made his way to what he imagined would be the training grounds, Tyr couldn''t help but be a bit confused by how independent everyone was.


    ''From the journey here to everything else when you get here... you have to figure it all out by yourself. If I didn''t have Arin to tell me what was what, I could imagine some people being easily overwhelmed in my situation.''


    After a minute or so of walking, Tyr realized he still hadn''t seen a single other Hunter yet.


    ''They must all have already arrived, or are much closer than me,'' he thought.


    He looked around at the civilians.


    ''All of these people are former Hunters, right? They shouldn''t mind seeing a beast. Come out, Rudra.''


    The large white tiger leaped out of Tyr''s hand, taking a few steps before kneeling.


    Tyr hopped onto the beast''s back. "Let''s go," Tyr ordered, Rudra eagerly replying:


    ''Yes, master!'' he roared, lunging forward into a full-blown sprint.


    Due to Tyr''s orders, Rudra made sure not to break anything on his way, but still rushed through the streets and across rooftops in quick succession. S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Before long, the tightly packed houses and bustling markets began to fade, replaced by open spaces and fewer buildings.


    The streets widened, and Tyr found himself on a grand open road stretching endlessly to the left and right, its surface paved with smooth, polished stone that gleamed faintly under the sunlight.


    Ahead of him stood an imposing gate, forged from golden steel with intricate carvings of mythical beasts and runic patterns glowing faintly with blue Aura. Beyond the gate, a sprawling structure dominated the horizon.


    ''That must be the training facility,'' Tyr mused as he dismounted Rudra, the tiger gracefully kneeling to let him off before entering Infinite Domain.


    The area was alive with movement. Dozens of Hunters poured into the street, their steps purposeful and expressions resolute.


    The air hummed with an undercurrent of energy, a mixture of tension and excitement as they made their way through the gates.


    Tyr followed, stepping into a massive courtyard that stretched wider than any he had ever seen.


    The ground was paved with finely cut stone tiles arranged in intricate geometric patterns, each pulsating faintly with residual Aura, as if the very courtyard had been used for countless battles and ceremonies.


    At the heart of the courtyard stood a colossal palace, its architecture breathtaking and regal.


    A structure rose high into the sky, its towering spire crowned with a radiant crystal that shimmered with ever-changing colors.


    The palace wasn''t a single building but an interconnected network of facilities.


    A massive glass dome at the center gleamed under the sun, refracting light like a jewel and revealing hints of what lay inside¡ªperhaps a grand training arena or cultivation chamber.


    On either side of the main palace, sprawling wings extended, housing additional buildings, each marked by intricate designs and adorned with statues of past Hunters.


    Tyr''s eyes scanned the scene, taking in the scale of the place and the sheer number of Hunters assembled, their chatter blending into a low, constant hum.


    Everyone around him looked fairly powerful. Of course, there were different groups of Hunters that already knew each other.


    Tyr could see the groups separately since their dissociation from each other was plainly obvious.


    His eyes first landed on what looked to be the most average group that was in the very center.


    These were the normal Hunters, who were medium in strength and status at best.


    They were also the highest in number, of course.


    Apart from them was the small group of Hunters who looked to be the most calm and collected.


    They were untalkative, but from their demeanor, clothing, and Aura, Tyr could tell that they were not only strong but that they also came from a more high-status background.


    Differing from them were the also untalkative, but rather weak, nobodies of the institution.


    They didn''t speak much with each other, looking down with unconfident body language and meager Aura.


    Most of the new Hunters naturally joined this group, not understanding where they fit in yet and unsure of their skills.


    This group happened to be next to the final group, who were the most talkative and loud out of the many.


    These were the obnoxious people. Those who didn''t care for the rules and thought of this place as a game, and not so much as a place to gain power and respect.


    There were quite a lot of them, and they all overtook the very back of the large crowd.


    Everyone was spaced apart, despite there being over 300 Hunters on the scene. This was due to the sheer size of the courtyard.


    Tyr was at the very center. He didn''t care to join any groups for now, but just so happened to be squished between the average Hunters and the weaklings.


    ''Why the hell are we waiting here?'' he mused, a bit ticked off. He stood there crossing his arms.


    "Hey..." Tyr felt a tap on his shoulder.

 Chapter 201 - 201: Instructions

    Tyr turned, his face emotionless. His resting face was stern with slightly furrowed brows, making him seem a bit unapproachable.


    The person who had tapped on his shoulder looked to be from the group behind him.


    ''One of the shy ones, huh...'' Tyr immediately thought to himself on seeing the appearance of the young man who touched him. After a second, however, Tyr realized something different:


    ''No... this guy is one of the new Hunters... who arrived with me. He was the one who got bullied by that redhead,'' he mused as the other Hunter spoke.


    "How''s your experience been so far..." the guy said in a low tone, hiding his face a bit as his chin was tucked toward the floor.


    "Look up," Tyr said. Not for any particular reason, but just naturally. Why would he talk to someone who wouldn''t even share eye contact with him?


    The Hunter immediately met his gaze, prompting Tyr to talk: "I''ve been fine."


    "Oh... haha." The Hunter laughed awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. "I can''t say the same... but of course, that''s understandable. After all, I''m just a nobody, and you are the Dragon Tamer."


    Tyr didn''t say anything, letting the guy continue.


    "But... I think no one really knows that yet. At least, no one that''s been in the faction. They usually get the world''s information a bit late. I''m sure they will all figure it out soon."


    A short moment of silence ensued. The Hunter broke the awkwardness: "I-I''m Suyo, by the way." He reached his hand forward, "Suyo Rin."


    Tyr shook the guy''s hand. "Alright..."


    Another few seconds of silence ensued, where Suyo finally decided to break the ice:


    "Okay... well... the reason I came up to you was because... when he took my ring... you know who I''m talking about, right?"


    "Just get to the point." sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "O-oh. Yeah... well, he isn''t weak. He''s strong... and he has a bad reputation, you know. I saw you rub shoulders with him... I would suggest you not pick any fights. I have heard of you for a while... I don''t think it''s a good idea to get in the spotlight. You know this place''s reputation, right? It''s a lion''s den... and all of us new guys are sheep¡ª"


    "Speak for yourself..."


    "What?" Suyo''s meager voice rang.


    With narrowed eyes and a downward look that accidentally exuded condescension, Tyr spoke again: "I am not a sheep to anyone... even if I am weaker, I would never let another person trample over me."


    Tyr stopped, not wanting the more harsh words he was thinking to reach the poor young man''s ears.


    ''What''s the point of living if you aren''t going to live how you want? I''d rather die than live being the shoulders on which others stand to get ahead. Pretending to be weak is an option in the face of absolute defeat, but with any other situation, it is nothing but cowardice.''


    The words he said were: "Don''t be a damn coward," before turning and leaving Suyo speechless.


    "Hey!" A loud voice rang through the crowd. Everyone faced the front, where an average-looking man appeared on an elevated platform.


    He had black hair that was short and cut very neatly. His skin was unblemished, his eyes a crimson red, and his clothing consisted of simple black dress pants and a button-up white shirt.


    His eyelids were narrow, his tone monotone, and his demeanor the opposite of ecstatic.


    "Today, you may see a few new faces. It happens every once in a while... if you haven''t gotten used to it yet, then do so," the man said, sounding as if he had said these same words a thousand times before.


    "For those who are new, I am instructor Quinn, one of your many instructors in this facility. You can ask me questions if you are confused, but I would most likely defer you to the Hunter helpdesk, so you might as well just go there straight away."


    As the instructor continued, a silent murmur also continued through the crowd of Hunters.


    "Now that that''s out of the way, we shall begin our training." With a clap of his hand, the surroundings around Tyr changed instantly.


    Instead of being seated outdoors, he was now in the center of an immense theater-like classroom.


    It was a half-dome space with hundreds of seats all flowing down to a flat floor at the bottom where Quinn stood.


    The seats were fairly large, and from the looks of it, everyone was spread around randomly.


    People quickly began to make their way to their usual seats. Tyr, not having a usual seat, took the one that was closest to him near the center.


    After a few seconds, the instructor began to speak: "We don''t come to this room often, but you will always have access to it as your main information-learning room. Here, we talk about what you need to know before getting to the action side of Hunting. That is what I excel in... information."


    Chatter continued rampantly as Quinn spoke, but the instructor didn''t seem to mind. In fact, despite his voice being muffled to the point where Tyr could barely hear him, Quinn looked to pretend as if not a single soul was even in the room with him.


    "In this training institution, there are several quarters. To understand all of them and have communication amongst yourselves, you all will receive a tech bracelet. Imbued with an Array, it''s a band that allows all Hunters to have communication with each other. It is also a place where news about the faction can be easily accessed. A map is presented through it, which helps you navigate this place with ease."


    As soon as Quinn said this, a metallic band appeared on Tyr''s table.


    It seemed to appear on a few other people''s tables.


    Tyr picked it up and observed it. It was made of metal except for one part, which was thin blue-stained glass.


    Inside of it, Tyr could see a flow of information passing through. He put it on his wrist with a click.


    With a single thought, Tyr accessed the small bracelet, opening it up to see the map and also the latest news.


    He quickly shut it down, channeling his attention to Quinn again.


    ''That''s pretty neat though... it''s like a cellphone back on Earth,'' he mused to himself.


    "You will be staying here in this facility as well. Each one of you will go to one of the three sections, housing around 100 Hunters each. Each section has its own canteen, where you will all eat. When it''s time to train, all will come to the main training grounds, or wherever your tech bracelet tells you to come. There are multiple instructors for each element of being a faction member and a Hunter. Alchemy, Cultivation, Knowledge, Power, Martial Arts, name it, and it''s probably here. Do not forget, you are here as Hunters for the faction. Eventually, you will be able to go on missions and quests. Do not disappoint."


    Quinn exhaled deeply.


    "There will be more information tomorrow. For today, class is dismissed. Go look around the city... or don''t. I don''t care. Tomorrow, there will be more real training. Be prepared."


    Quinn began to pack his things before leaving.

 Chapter 202 - 202: Bully

    Tyr was left slightly confused still, but he took a breath.


    ''I guess I''ll have to eventually check out the different quarters. Alchemy and cultivation are things I want to get better at. I''m sure I could get a lot better at martial arts too. So far, I''ve learned fighting through experience, but learning the actual fighting techniques would probably boost my power even further.''


    At that moment, Tyr heard an annoying cackle of laughter travel through the classroom.


    It was at the back, where Tyr noticed Suyo getting picked on by a few bully types.


    ''I was hearing their teasing since the start of Quinn''s lesson...'' Tyr mused, throwing a glance.


    While most of the classroom had already left, about 80 or so stayed after. Most of the other students seemed to hang out, talking to themselves about plans of what to do after.


    Some were preparing to leave.


    At the back, the bullies had a field day. From what it looked like, Tyr imagined most of the people who usually got bullied were not as interesting as the new guys.


    That''s why Suyo and a few others were getting picked on much more.


    ''I wonder why Quinn didn''t stop it... when he could have easily done so, I imagine,'' Tyr thought to himself.


    ''On second thought, that guy didn''t seem to even notice a single one of us were here...''


    A guy wearing a black leather coat with bright pink hair slapped the back of Suyo''s head as five other young men around him broke out into a peal of laughter. S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Come on... don''t joke around, man. You''re embarrassing me in front of my friends," the guy with pink hair exclaimed.


    "What do you mean you have no money? Are you trying to make it look like a skilled Hunter like myself can''t even take down fresh meat like you?"


    The bullies laughed again.


    Most of the class wasn''t paying attention to it. They looked to have gotten used to it by now.


    Tyr found it kind of entertaining though. Well... interesting at the very least. It wasn''t too common to see, after all.


    Before leaving, he wanted to see how things would unfold. This was also to get somewhat accustomed to things around here.


    "I''m telling you... someone took it! It was a person with orange hair... I don''t know his name," Suyo attempted to fight back, but only verbally, of course.


    "Huh? Are you trying to rat out someone I know? That ain''t cool, bud," the pink-haired young man slapped the back of Suyo''s head again, but this time with a serious tone.


    Suyo winced with pain, squeezing his eyes tightly for a second.


    "Please!" He suddenly lifted his head and faced the class before him.


    "Are you all just going to sit there and look!? Someone help me--"


    Suyo was grabbed by the face¡ªhis mouth immediately muffled.


    With an aggressive pull, he was thrown forcefully onto the ground with a loud thud.


    Everyone''s gazes instantly darted away and faced the ground as the pink-haired young man scanned the classroom.


    "This your first time getting bullied or something? Stand up for yourself, you little pussy. You think the class is going to help you in real life? I''m just preparing you for what''s to come!" the pink-haired guy yelled, kicking Suyo in the stomach.


    "So..." Pink-hair faced the crowd, "Is anyone going to help him!?" He kicked the young man on the ground again as he grunted in pain.


    All eyes were faced away from the pink-haired guy. He was clearly looking for trouble.


    All eyes, of course, except for Tyr''s. Him and the bully made eye contact almost immediately.


    Tyr''s expression was unassuming. He didn''t really understand why this guy was looking at him for so long.


    After a few seconds, Tyr turned.


    ''Huh... that''s interesting, I guess,'' he mused, getting ready to leave the class.


    ''Let''s see... I think I''m going to get some food first before anything. It''s been so long since I''ve eaten anything other than random crap like food balls.''


    As he was walking down the steps in between the aisles leading down the rows, Tyr couldn''t help but notice that many were shooting quick glances at him.


    The murmurs began to slowly enter his ears as well:


    "He''s walking away after staring Javr in the eyes? Dude''s a lunatic, hahaha!"


    "Who is that guy? Is he new?"


    "Come on... even if it''s your first day here, it''s easy to know not to look somewhere when everyone else is doing the opposite."


    "He thinks he''s getting away easily? Pfft..."


    "This one will be entertaining..."


    On hearing all of this, Tyr closed his eyes. He exhaled, turning around abruptly.


    Opening his eyes, he noticed the pink-haired guy, addressed as ''Javr,'' was still staring at him.


    "What do you want?" Tyr said, knowing the bully was going to call him out. He pieced it together quite easily after hearing the comments of the classroom.


    Javr smiled.


    "Oh... that''s polite. Fresh meat actually willing to confront me instead of running away and hiding," he began to make his way down the steps along with his five friends.


    "Look... I don''t want much. I''m not trying to impede on anyone''s territory... the real stuff happens in the sections. All I''m trying to do is build up a bit of cash. Is that such a bad thing to do? A man has to work hard for his money, right?" Javr smirked.


    "Stop speaking all smart with me, you little twerp. If you wanna fight, just say so..." Tyr replied, cutting through all of the bullshit.


    Javr paused, his smile turning into a frown as he furrowed his brows.


    The class had a slightly surprised reaction, peering closer at Tyr.


    Javr did the same.


    While maintaining eye contact with the ballsy young man, he turned to one of his friends.


    Leaning into his ear, Javr asked, "This guy... he is fresh, right?"


    "Yeah, dude... 100%."


    "Ahem!" Javr cleared his throat.


    "Tyr..." he suddenly said, throwing Tyr off slightly.


    "That''s your name, right? Tyr Evolion? The oh-so-popular Dragon Tamer?"


    After a long pause, Tyr smirked slightly.


    "So you''ve heard about me. You should have just told me from the start that you were a fan, as well as a beggar."


    "Beggar?" Javr confusedly exclaimed.


    "What? Did I mistake something? You were just asking me for money, weren''t you?" Tyr replied with a straight face.


    A few Hunters around the room couldn''t keep their lips intact, breaking down into short bursts of unsuccessfully stopped laughter.


    Javr looked around the room, his face turning slightly pale from embarrassment as he clenched his teeth and faced Tyr.


    "Don''t fuck around... you little bitch. You''re dead now."


    Javr began to stomp down the stairs.


    Tyr tilted his head to the side, his glabella erupting with a golden flame.


    "Oh yeah?" He cracked his neck from right to left.


    "I don''t give a fuck if you''re a dragon tamer, or the tamer of my left nut. You are still fresh meat. When you come in here, you forget who you even were out there. You have no backing here. The kingdoms that helped you grow are no longer your shields. This is the Immortal Peak, bitch."


    "Kingdoms that helped me grow?" Tyr nearly broke out into a laugh, but stopped with a scoff of disbelief.


    "That little remark just pissed me off. I''m going to have fun beating your ass..."

 Chapter 203 - 203: Watch Your Tongue...

    "Shut the fuck up!" Javr abruptly bit his own finger. Out of nowhere, he transformed into a giant teddy bear that took up five entire seats worth of space.


    Tyr raised a brow, utterly perplexed.


    "What the fuc¡ª" he suddenly felt a powerful force against his back, making him stumble forward slightly.


    Despite turning immediately, he couldn''t see anyone behind him. He began to turn slowly, looking around with narrowed eyes.


    ''No wind movements... did he teleport?'' Tyr mused.


    "You think you can beat me? You''re nothing in here!"


    Tyr was attacked again from the side, another teddy bear appearing in another spot in the room. S~ea??h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''No wind again... what the hell is his Ancestral Ability?''


    "A fresh canvas! You become a fresh canvas in here... and I''ll dye yours red with blood!"


    Tyr grit his teeth on hearing this.


    "Just shut the fuck up at this point," he said in a low tone, darting over to a teddy bear.


    "Keep talking like that... I''ll make you say those same words again on your knees while you beg for forgiveness!"


    Tyr''s nostrils flared, his eyes reeking with fury.


    ''This guy... he''s so fucking annoying. Who does he think he is, talking to me like this?'' Tyr mused, getting extremely riled up.


    Tyr clenched his fist, punching the large teddy bear.


    He expected to burst a hole through it, but instead, his fist came back from the bouncy surface of the stuffed animal and sent him flying across the room.


    He landed on his feet, thankfully, but realized something at that moment.


    "Come at me!" he yelled, testing his theory.


    "Oh, trust me... I will!" Javr exclaimed as the class watched with anticipation.


    Instead of trying to read where Javr could be, Tyr simply kept his focus on the teddy bears. The stomach of one of the bears sunk in slightly out of nowhere before springing back to normal.


    ''Like I expected...'' Tyr said, reaching his hand forward as he grabbed a small fly from out of the air.


    "Found you..." Tyr exclaimed, crushing the small thing with his fingers.


    "STOP!" Javr screamed, transforming back to his normal size and dashing backward.


    He panted, feeling his head nearly explode at that moment.


    "How the hell did you figure it out!?"


    "It was obvious. I could hear you while you were still around me. That would explain invisibility, but from the fact that I couldn''t detect any wind from your actions, it meant that either you were teleporting or moving as a puny object that gave no wind. It was easy to guess after punching your stupid bears. What a trash Ancestral Ability..." Tyr said, tightening his hand into a fist.


    "Che..." Javr snarled.


    "You think that''s all? I will¡ª" Out of nowhere, Javr''s eyes turned a hazy blue color.


    "Bow down, bitch," Tyr exclaimed, the young man instantly getting down to his hands and knees and pressing his forehead against the floor.


    Tyr grabbed Javr by the hair, pushing his teeth against a table.


    ''He''s slightly above me in power level, but from everything else in my disposal, I could tell Hypnosis would work... interesting.''


    Tyr paused, seemingly waiting for something.


    The entire class was baffled by what they were seeing.


    "Why the hell did Javr bow!?"


    "Oh my god!"


    "What the hell am I witnessing?"


    "Tyr... The Dragon Tamer..."


    "Holy shit... is he going to do what I think he''s going to do?"


    Tyr waited right until Javr regained consciousness, and the hazy blue color in his pupils disappeared.


    At that moment, he slammed his fist on top of Javr''s head¡ªjamming his face into the table and ramming all of his teeth out.


    They fell to the floor like scattered pebbles as a piercing scream traveled through the entire classroom.


    Many closed their eyes, cringing at the sharp screech.


    Javr''s eyes looked crazed¡ªwidened, like two planets, and completely in shock and trauma from the pain.


    He grabbed at his mouth, but his hands grasped nothing and were only covered in blood instead.


    Javr''s friends whispered to each other as they stared at Tyr with frozen body language.


    "We shouldn''t have messed with him..."


    "Fuck... is he going to be alright?"


    "Of course not! Look at him!"


    At that moment, Tyr suddenly looked at them, making them all jump slightly with surprise.


    Grabbing Javr''s hair, Tyr smirked¡ªsending shivers crawling up the backs of the young men.


    Javr attempted to say something but sounded like a disabled person.


    "Jab wir audfk ug."


    Tyr looked down at him, as Javr moved his pupils straight up to match Tyr''s gaze.


    As soon as the two made eye contact, Tyr''s smile widened even further.


    Tyr unsheathed his spear.


    The class gasped, expecting the worst.


    Javr attempted to move, but Tyr''s grip was impossible to stir.


    SLICE


    A long pink tongue flopped onto the ground, still squirming like a worm.


    The scream that came from Javr was like one straight out of a horror movie.


    His vocal cords nearly burst as he flailed around for a few seconds before passing out.


    Tyr dropped his body, slashing the blood off of his spear as he sheathed it and exited the class.


    "If you want to fight... I''d be happy to. Just make sure it''s not a waste of my time."


    Those were his last words before closing the door on the room.


    Javr''s friends quickly rushed to his aid, carrying him on their backs as they ran out of the room behind Tyr.


    The rest of the Hunters were left speechless and in shock.


    They all made their first impressions of Tyr that day.


    "Ruthless..."


    "Demon..."


    "What the fuck..."


    "Strong..."


    Suyo smiled, "Awesome..."


    In the grand hall outside of the room, Javr''s friends carried him and ran the opposite way of where Tyr was heading.


    "Wait till Crimson hears about this! You messed with the king''s man! You''re dead!" one of the young men that was carrying Javr shouted.


    Tyr raised a brow, immediately responding before the young men turned a corner.


    "Crimson can suck my dick!"


    He turned, shaking his head.


    ''What if he''s actually stronger than you?'' Ares asked at that moment.


    ''What? Well... if he is... I''ll just have you come out and blast the entire faction down. Then we move on, like nothing happened.''


    ''You can''t just always fall back to that, you know.''


    ''Every power I learn is something I can fall back to.''


    ''...''


    "Now... where is my section? I want to head to the canteen immediately..."


    A loud grumble came from Tyr''s stomach.

 Chapter 204 - 204: The King

    In a random back alley...


    SLAP


    Javr''s head was flung to the side, his eyes wide in shock. He was kneeling, and his five friends were also in the same position behind him.


    In front of them was a small duo of two guys. One of them, with jet-black hair and a large stature, was standing, while the one beside him, with dark, spiky gray hair, was sitting on another Hunter who was down on his hands and knees.


    "Get out of my sight... you pathetic weakling," the gray-haired young man sitting in front of Javr said in a low tone after slapping him.


    A few seconds of silence ensued before Javr attempted to speak again, "Ajw wad ahntr."


    One of his friends quickly jumped in: "He''s trying to say that it wasn''t just any old new guy. It was... Tyr."


    The gray-haired young man''s eyes twitched slightly, his attention changing to the guy who had just spoken.


    "Speak..." he said, allowing Javr''s friend to continue.


    "We were wary, but we didn''t think he would be that strong."


    "What did he do? What was his power like?" The gray-haired young man''s eyes seemed to glow slightly as he heard more about this ''Tyr.''


    "Undescribable... we don''t know what happened," another one of Javr''s accomplices said.


    The next one chimed in, "Tyr quickly figured out Javr''s Ancestral Ability... but what happened after..."


    "Tell me, damn it! Stop dawdling!" Gray-hair raised his voice, prompting one of Javr''s friends to bark:


    "He bowed down!"


    Gray-hair''s eyes narrowed, "What?"


    "He suddenly just bowed down after being ordered to do so. We have no clue what happened... one moment, Javr was completely normal, and the next, he was on his hands and knees with his forehead pressed onto the floor."


    Another continued to explain: "Tyr grabbed him and broke all of his teeth before slashing his tongue out... thankfully, we rushed him to emergency care as soon as possible, or else he would have died of blood loss."


    The tall young man standing next to Gray-hair cast the sitting Hunter a glance.


    Gray-hair leaned back slightly, looking up as though in thought. "Amazing... so he might be the real deal then, huh?" He smiled, seemingly unable to hold in his excitement.


    He broke out into a small laugh, "I want to see that power... how frivolous and dominating it is. I want to see it... and crush it."


    "He..." one of Javr''s friends continued, "He also mentioned your name."


    Gray-hair raised a brow instinctively.


    "Oh? So he heard about me somehow..." Gray-hair exclaimed, but the tall young man standing beside him quickly added:


    "These fools probably paraded your name to Tyr in order to bluff."


    Javr''s friends looked down, unable to deny that accusation.


    "So be it... at least now, he has some sort of respect for my reputation," Gray-hair replied.


    "Well... not quite," Javr''s friend said. "We taunted him with your name, and he said¡ª"


    "Give me his exact quote," Gray-hair said, his tone serious.


    "W-what?" The young man before him stammered, stumbling over his words, "I-I mean it was... super disrespectful. I-I can''t possibly..." sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Just say it... or else I''ll cut your tongue out as well." Gray-hair''s tone was cold.


    Javr''s friend gulped. ''He''s serious...'' He paused before speaking, "He said... ''Crimson can suck my dick¡ª''"


    As soon as he said this, the tall Hunter beside Gray-hair moved.


    SLAM


    The guy who quoted Tyr caught a brunt blow with a hammer to the side of the head, smashing his skull as he was thrust several feet to the side¡ªdragging across the pavement like a ragdoll.


    "Watch your tongue..." Gray-hair, or rather, Crimson, stood up. His body was shaking slightly, his teeth clenched tightly.


    Javr and his friends fell onto their bums as they pushed themselves away from Crimson.


    The gray-haired young man growled: "Who the hell does he think he is? No one slanders my name and gets away with it..." He and the tall young man beside him left the alley.


    The Hunter he was sitting on also got up and sprinted away in the opposite direction.


    As the two turned a corner, Crimson exclaimed: "He''s made me really angry... but I''m excited, Kepl. I want to see how close he has come to being a conqueror of souls. One who looks at another and tears apart their resolve and determination in one move. I want to see how close he is to becoming a king."


    "I don''t think he''s far away," Kepl answered. "His mind must be developed. It''s possible he didn''t even receive help from his continent to be where he is now."


    Crimson sucked in a mouthful of breath before letting it go: "Do you think I will win this time, Kepl?"


    For a moment, there was silence.


    "You are the strongest conqueror of mortals this peak has seen," Kepl answered. "Everyone is under your feet... you''ve proven yourself time and time again."


    Crimson looked down, his face shadowed. "So... it''s going to be difficult then, huh?" he said, understanding what Kepl meant by all of that.


    "Yes... extremely difficult," Kepl replied.


    ***


    Tyr checked his tech bracelet (band), hoping to find out what section he was in.


    "Section C, huh? Looks like the only other ones are A and B." A sparking message caught his attention at that moment, "C-c-closed!?" he exclaimed, realizing the canteen wasn''t open yet.


    "I guess it''s only open in the morning before classes. Tsk!" He sucked his teeth, irritated.


    With a grumbling stomach, he decided to head into the city to find some food.


    ***


    "He''s a frightening bastard," an orange-haired young man exclaimed, walking with two other guys.


    "Yeah. I mean, there''s a reason why he''s the so-called ''king'' of the Immortal Peak right now. Apart from the king of Section B, he''s running this branch like it''s a bakery and he''s got the hottest buns," one of the other guys said, laughing slightly.


    "It wasn''t a very useful conversation, but we had to attend it either way. Our section would get punished if we hadn''t done so," another one said.


    "Tsk." Orange-hair was clearly annoyed. "That little bitch from this morning probably had more money that we could steal. Too bad we had to let him go."


    "What was his name? Suyo, right?"


    "Meh... we will find him again. I think he''s in our section. It will be fun tonight in the canteen."


    ...


    The three turned a corner, and the orange-haired guy nearly bumped into another group of Hunters that looked to be coming from the opposite direction.


    "Javr?" The orange-haired young man and his friends backed up. "From Crimson''s section..."


    Javr and his friends backed up as well, wary.


    "Race, huh?" one of Javr''s friends said, raising his guard.


    "Back off... we already had the meeting with Crimson. There''s no need to fight... unless that''s what you want to do," the orange-haired guy said, rubbing his fist.


    Javr sighed as one of his friends spoke, "Listen, Race, we don''t want any trouble."


    At that moment, Orange-hair, addressed as ''Race,'' noticed Javr''s mangled face.


    "What the hell happened to you?" He raised a brow.

 Chapter 205 - 205: News Spreads Quickly

    One of Javr''s lackeys spoke up: "Don''t worry about it..." He looked to the side, not wanting to face Race for some reason.


    Race looked at the guy he was carrying on his back. He had a hammer indent on the side of his face¡ªlooking heavily injured.


    "Kepl... you guys just met up with Crimson, didn''t you?" Race immediately surmised, narrowing his eyes. "Tell me what happened if you want what''s best for you."


    "Okay... it doesn''t matter now anyway," another one of Javr''s friends spoke up. "Javr picked a fight with that Dragon Tamer guy."


    Race''s brow heightened as he scanned Javr closer.


    ''What...'' He thought to himself in shock. ''Javr isn''t a section king like me, Crimson, and Bepan... but he still isn''t weak by any means. To do this to him... that guy must not be a complete weakling.''


    "How much damage did Tyr Evolion take?" Race asked decisively, wanting an answer so he could gauge Tyr''s power.


    "None..." Javr''s friends replied without hesitation.


    Race paused for a moment, he and his friends taken aback by that statement.


    "I see..."


    Another one of Javr''s friends continued, "Crimson is set on Tyr now... but he will probably wait it out. Scope his prey from afar as he builds confidence and strength... it''s what he always does to newcomer meat that looks like it has potential."


    Race grinned, "He''s in my section though... isn''t Crimson stepping too far?"


    There was silence as Race continued, "Sure... we all know Crimson could probably best me in a one-on-one... but I have confidence that my entire section could pose a threat to him."


    Javr and his friends didn''t say anything for a while but replied with: "If anything, Crimson will probably lose interest if you defeat Tyr anyway. He doesn''t care for weaklings who get beaten by the likes of you."


    Race furrowed his brows, "What did you just call me?"


    "We aren''t going to fight now... move out of the way so we can head to the emergency."


    Javr and his group trudged forward, not looking to have a care for even their own lives at this point.


    It threw Race off guard so heavily that he and his friends just let them go.


    "Fucking weirdos... I would make them pay for saying such things, but I don''t want to fight a dog with a broken leg."


    He and his group also left.


    ***


    Nearly starving to death, Tyr lazily stumbled along the streets, his eyes zoning around like a missile to find food anywhere nearby.


    "Found you!" a sweet voice reached his left ear. He turned, but no one was there.


    "Shall we continue on where we left off?" Arin said, this time on his right side.


    Tyr turned like a zombie. "Do what you want... I need... food."


    Holding her hands behind her back as she walked with long strides beside Tyr, Arin chuckled as she said: "I heard about what you did in the first class... quite the troublemaker you are, huh?"


    "From your weird power, huh?" Tyr asked, getting more used to it by now.


    "Oh no... I don''t need that to get information like this. Trust me, word of you brutally beating Javr has already spread across this peak."


    Tyr didn''t say anything.


    "Some say ''the great Dragon Tamer defeats a bully,'' and others exclaim ''That demonic bastard is ruthless.'' It''s pretty funny to hear all of that, when in reality, you are only moving in the direction of power."


    Tyr sighed, "I stand in people''s way..."


    "You don''t like it when people stand in yours. You want to become powerful."


    "There is a path to that power. A path that is not laid out for me, but one I have to create through other people."


    ...


    "To have others not stand in your way, you have to stand in theirs, huh?"


    "That is the only way..." Tyr nearly passed out after saying that. "That''s it... I have no more energy to talk... I need... food."


    "Don''t you have food in your storage rings¡ª"


    "That''s not food! I''ve been eating dried meat jerky for too long... I will get real food, or starve right here and now..."


    Arin chuckled. "Yet you would go through hell itself to not die... You really are interesting, Tyr."


    Tyr glanced over at her. ''Why is she so infatuated by me? I really don''t have the time nor energy to entertain her. She isn''t a problem for now, so I guess I don''t really have to do anything. She''s also a small resource for her knowledge...''


    As Tyr was thinking this, Arin stepped into an empty alleyway. "There''s a hidden restaurant here. Only some know about it... but it''s the best food in the Immortal Peak. Let''s head there."


    Tyr followed her like a sheep following its herder, not hearing a single word out of her mouth except for ''restaurant'' and ''food.''


    After getting to the middle of the alley, the two were surprised by a blistering wind that fell down upon them.


    They were nearly swept off of their feet due to the power of the wind.


    Tyr immediately stood straight and looked up, seeing a small figure in the air as he was a second away from activating Full Golden Body. ''Tsk... another fight with no food in the stomach? I guess I''ll have to get it done quickly¡ª'' He stopped thinking as he saw the figure closer.


    "Huevas?" He mumbled as the man gracefully floated down with a warm smile.


    "Tyr! How has your journey in the Ten High Peak Faction gone so far?" Huevas exclaimed happily.


    "What do you want? I''m about to starve to death, Huevas... make it quick."


    Arin looked over at Tyr as she heard this, breaking out into a small chuckle. S§×ar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "My apologies, young Tyr. I have an urgent meeting to hold with you. Food shall be provided where we are going."


    "Where we are going?" Tyr confusedly asked, "What are you talking about?"


    "Let''s not waste time here... you will soon find out." Huevas grabbed the back of Tyr''s shirt, throwing him into the air as Tyr disappeared into the clouds.


    "WHAT THE HELL!?" Tyr''s voice faded away into the distance.


    Huevas turned to Arin, bowing his head. "It is a pleasure seeing you, young mistress."


    Arin welcomed the greeting with a kind expression. "Likewise, Sir Kane."


    With a nod, Huevas jumped into the air¡ªdisappearing from sight as well.

 Chapter 206 - 206: Living Miracle

    Tyr was propelled across the sky at insane speeds, reaching the ground before he could even tell what was going on.


    When he landed, his hair stood straight up as if he had been electrocuted. His expression wasn''t far off either.


    "What the hell was that!?" Tyr shouted, finally taking a look around at the new place he was kidnapped to.


    All he could see in the distance were clouds. The elevation was extremely high since not a single cloud rose above where Tyr stood.


    Above him was a deep, dark blue sky. ''Looks like a thin atmosphere before I reach space itself... this is a high peak.''


    He surveyed his closer surroundings. As a blast of freezing wind tickled his face, he noted the thin white snow covering the grayish, green grass on the floor around him.


    There was a single building on the side of this mountain slope, on the patio of which Huevas was making his way.


    Tyr looked up the mountain, noticing more buildings going up.


    "Where are we?" he asked, curious.


    "This is the second tallest peak within the Ten High Peak Faction. It isn''t a peak that houses one of the five branches, but that doesn''t mean it''s empty."


    Huevas turned, facing Tyr. "This is my humble abode." He smiled, "They tried to give me a palace, but I''d rather work on gaining power rather than showing off to fools who I have never even met."


    Tyr followed Huevas. Although the Grandmaster made it seem like this place was lackluster, it was still very grand.


    It looked similar to a Japanese-style house, with sloped roof tiles and pointed tips.


    Huevas led Tyr into the building and through a sliding door.


    They sat down on floor mats opposite a puny table in the middle that had two small cups on it with no handles.


    The steaming aroma led Tyr to recognize the cups to be filled with hot tea.


    Tyr''s stomach grumbled as he sat down, "Make this quick..." he said, placing his hands on his lap.


    "Of course..." Huevas stared into Tyr''s eyes. "I... am a genius," he suddenly said.


    "What?" Tyr was thrown off.


    "Look at you... you are perfect!" Huevas couldn''t help but chuckle to himself.


    Tyr was weirded out but remained silent.


    "I made a very good choice to reach out to you. I heard from a source that Lao Heshang passed you in the evaluation exam... but not by regular means. You captured over 300 petals, I hear?" Huevas seemed eager to speak about this.


    "Well... yeah. It wasn''t easy."


    "Trust me... I understand. Believe it or not, I tried the same thing as you."


    "What?" Tyr wasn''t expecting to hear that.


    "Indeed... did you think you were the only one to try mastering all the wind formations and petal formations? That test is taken by every Hunter who has entered the Immortal Peak. Some, realistically, are even smarter than you."


    Tyr didn''t respond. He wasn''t going to combat that since it was a fact. He didn''t hold pride in himself that he was the smartest person ever or anything like that. S§×arch* The N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "I tried my best. I didn''t sleep for weeks, calculating every last possibility. Despite that, I only managed to get 24 petals. Can you believe it? And it took me three entire weeks."


    Tyr squinted, "I didn''t do anything special though... sure, it was very difficult, but all you really need is perseverance. When it comes to math, all that exists are probabilities and percentages. These will never change, despite the time it takes to find out what they are."


    "That''s what you think, Tyr. But you are mistaken."


    Tyr''s eyes narrowed even more, confusion entering his mind. "What do you mean?"


    "Those petals, Tyr..." Huevas paused, his smile stretching. "Have completely random generation probabilities."


    Tyr''s eyes opened this time, surprise taking over. "Then... how--"


    "I don''t know!" Huevas shouted. "That''s the fun part! Many have tried your tactic, and all have failed! Yet... you were able to do it. You have something that no one else has... it''s special. It''s what winners have!"


    Tyr didn''t know what to make of all this.


    "I don''t know what it is. Luck... coincidence... skill... who knows!? But what I do know is that there is something in this world that is on your side. A certain will that lifts you up like Atlas lifting the world on his shoulders."


    After a pause, Tyr''s stomach grumbled again. He rested his hand on his belly as he said, "So... is that all you wanted to talk about?"


    Huevas looked down at Tyr''s stomach before quickly moving on: "Not just that, but I hear you have been cultivating at a very high speed as well. Above that, you don''t seem to be having any troubles with your dragon."


    "Ares..."


    "Pardon?"


    "His name--"


    "The dragon has a name!?"


    "Yes. The dragon''s name is Ares."


    Huevas leaned back, nearly falling backward. He looked at Tyr''s face again, but the boy looked to be clueless.


    A cold sweat ran over his forehead. ''I can''t believe it... not even he knows what he is saying. To name a dragon... not even a damn dragon tamer can name a dragon!?''


    He was baffled, "This is unbelievable news... although Dragon Tamers hold custody and part ownership of the dragon, their names are chosen from before they are even born. Their names are special, and cannot be changed for crucial reasons... their names are what give them power."


    "What gives them power?" Tyr asked, confused since Ares still had power despite getting the name from Tyr.


    "Their names are chosen by the Gods themselves before being born into this world. Each name has a different meaning, giving the dragon its personality and power. It cannot be changed! If it is ever changed somehow by a God... then I have no clue what would happen. It has never been recorded before in history!"


    Tyr chuckled, "Jeez... I guess you''re having a good day today then huh?"


    Huevas shook his head. "I should have conversations with you more often. Listening to you is like listening to a miracle machine! Almost as if you yourself are a god or something, hahaha!"


    Huevas paused, getting back to the main point. "Tyr... although I have entered you into the Immortal Peak, you are still superior compared to all of those Inner Echelon branch students in terms of potential. It is only right that you get even more special perks. That is why I have invited you here today."


    ''More like kidnapped...''


    "It is my responsibility to see that you grow into your potential... so... I would like to present you with something that I believe only you and your miraculous mind can decode, and make use of."


    Huevas reached into his storage ring, taking out a scroll that illuminated with a dark, purplish glow.


    "Neither I nor the Faction Sovereign have been able to use this cultivation technique. It is imperfect, unstable, and sealed off via an arsenal of Aura Arrays. But... from the Aura that exudes from it, we can measure its Grade to be well into the SS Grade."


    Tyr''s eyes slowly widened.


    "It''s ancient, found inside of a unique dungeon without a backstory. It was found a very long time ago, but it has symbols sharing the symbols within that dungeon, as if the two are intertwined. I want you to have it... and I want you to make use of it."

 Chapter 207 - 207: Chaos Veil Sutra

    Tyr grabbed the scroll from Huevas'' hand.


    It felt grand to hold. Its weight was obviously not much, yet it felt like it weighed far more than the impression it gave off.


    The paper scroll was dark brown in color. Its edges were ripped and battered, crumpled and tarnished to a certain degree.


    The paper was wrapped around a dark purple oak carved in a majestic shape that resembled the trunk of a large and mangled jungle tree.


    Tyr couldn''t help but take a deep breath, feeling as though the air around him suddenly became thicker when he took hold of the scroll.


    Huevas looked at Tyr''s movements with a curious gaze, a slight smirk pulling at his lips.


    Tyr was a bit mesmerized by the cultivation technique. ''It feels like I''m holding a chunk of history in my hands. I''ve never felt something like this before.''


    It was almost overwhelming and unable to be described by Tyr''s understanding.


    After a second or so, Tyr attempted to unroll the scroll and open it up.


    He clutched the handle, unrolling the paper slightly.


    A sudden jolt of purple Aura that mimicked electricity bounced out of the scroll, striking Tyr in the chest.


    It traveled throughout his body, unleashing sparks of purple lightning.


    Before Tyr knew it, he had fallen unconscious.


    When he woke up, he saw Huevas'' worried face above him.


    Huevas let out a massive sigh of relief as soon as Tyr''s eyelids flew open. "Phew! That was close."


    "What... the hell are you trying to do!? Kill me?" Tyr abruptly sat up.


    "M-my apologies! I forgot to mention... whatever you try with this cultivation technique, do it with caution. You never know what it can throw at you."


    Tyr shook his head, staring back at the scroll. "So you haven''t been able to open it either, then, I assume?"


    "I have," Huevas said, "and so has the Faction Sovereign."


    Tyr''s eyelids narrowed. "So then why have you given it to me? Clearly, I can''t do it either."


    Huevas didn''t hesitate to reply. "Well, opening it is a matter of caution and technique. What lies after is the difficult part."


    Tyr''s gaze intensified with intrigue.


    Huevas exhaled. "The Chaos Veil Sutra... this technique is a beast. A treacherous beast that lies dormant. Sure, it attacks you when you try to open it. But when you do, the real difficulty is actually defeating that beast and taming it so that it allows you to use it without any trouble." sea??h th§× NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The man stood up, walking toward the sliding door exit. "Both I and the Faction Sovereign have failed miserably to go against that beast. When we use the cultivation technique, we enter its domain. A frightening wasteland of catastrophic power that we cannot even fathom."


    Tyr''s eyes opened slowly as he heard this. ''That strong? That even they can''t scratch?'' He knew how many realms above him Huevas was, so to think of something being even that much stronger was almost unbelievable.


    "Again... why have you given it to me then?" Tyr asked, still not fully understanding.


    "What?" Huevas said, a bit confused himself. "Don''t you get it? You aren''t just some nobody." A short pause ensued before Huevas said, "You, Tyr Evolion, are the Dragon Tamer."


    Tyr''s gaze slowly traveled back to the scroll. ''The Dragon Tamer, huh? How the hell did I even tame Ares? I don''t really think I ever tamed him except for that time I beat his ass. Soul Marking linked our souls, but I can''t use something like that on a cultivation technique...''


    Huevas opened the sliding door. "If anyone in this world can do it, I''d bet my life that it would be you. Eventually, when Lord Ares grows into an adult, you will see how much weight your title truly holds."


    After another pause, something came to Tyr''s mind. "Oh yeah... what about the symbol of the dungeon you were talking about? Is that important?"


    "We don''t know yet. But I believe that it is. However, that''s just a gut feeling, so don''t get too caught up on it." Huevas snapped his finger, and a giant bowl of ramen appeared on the small table before Tyr.


    It was filled with ingredients and toppings, from green onions to coriander, peppers and spices, dark and delicious broth along with an array of sliced meats. Of course, the noodles sat steaming at the bottom, ready to be slurped right up.


    Tyr''s expression brightened as he saw this, his mouth instantly watering.


    "This is the first day of your arrival at the Ten High Peak Faction. I believe our next meeting will be in the Faction Branch Tournament... by then, I trust that you will have conquered this technique, young Tyr. Farewell until then..." Huevas exited the room.


    Tyr felt the floor shake slightly after a few seconds of Huevas'' exit, signifying his retreat to another place.


    ''All the way until that tournament, huh? Well... I guess he is a busy man.'' His eyes looked at the ramen, but then switched his gaze back toward the cultivation technique.


    Although he was deathly hungry, his desire to conquer this technique had increased by leaps and bounds after what it did to him mere seconds ago.


    He understood the strength of this technique, and that hunger for power was far more significant in his mind than the hunger for food.


    "The Chaos Veil Sutra, was it?" Tyr muttered, grabbing the scroll and turning it over.


    He closely inspected the symbol that was melted into the seal of the scroll.


    Instantly, he felt an odd connection with the symbol. It didn''t feel random.


    This led him to scan it for a while longer.


    One... three... ten minutes passed as Tyr continued to unravel his mind on what the symbol could be.


    "Ah..." He finally got it, his eyes narrowing in. "The ember of fire surrounded by a ring. The same symbol in the Truid Dungeon... where I first retrieved Ares'' egg."

 Chapter 208 - 208: Mysterious Symbol

    "It''s weird... why would this scroll have that symbol on it? I am tens of thousands of miles away from Mycopolis, where that dungeon was. But... then again, that dungeon also had a very murky history. It was elusive, mysterious, and certainly ancient. This cannot be a mere coincidence... not only the two dungeons but the immense power of this cultivation technique and also a real Dragon egg... it all must be connected somehow. But how?"


    Right now, Tyr was in the state of mind of putting things together from right now and back then in the Truid quest.


    So, another thought entered his mind. Huevas had been talking about ''God'' so much that Tyr remembered the odd trial he had to complete within that dungeon.


    ''Will I Be A Good God. That was the question I had to answer back then... It''s weird. It all feels connected somehow...'' He paused, moving onto how these connections could intertwine with the scroll before him.


    "The ember within the ring. That was the special power I needed to complete my task. What is the meaning of it? Potentially, it may be the very power I need to conquer this technique as well." He mused but obviously didn''t have any real answers yet.


    After a sigh, Tyr put the scroll in his storage ring, "I''ll figure it out." His stomach grumbled as his predatory eyes lurked upon the bowl of ramen in front of him.


    "But for now..." His fingers danced around the bowl, ready to eat, "I will feast!"


    He grabbed the chopsticks leaning against the edge of the bowl, forcibly slurping down the noodles.


    As soon as that first bite entered his mouth, a bomb of flavor exploded in his mouth.


    The broth was the first thing he experienced. It was rich and savory, like a soup of a thousand ingredients cooked for a century to enhance the flavors.


    It slizzed along his tongue, enlightening it with delicious flavor as the fantastic aroma and steam flew out of his nose and the extravagant liquid flowed down his tongue¡ªfilling his ice-cold, empty stomach with a warm, electrifying magma.


    The meat simply melted on his tongue, the salty and slightly sour flavor mixing into the broth and bringing on another level of satisfaction.


    The noodles were just right, not too soggy. They were slightly chewy, cooked to perfection, and had absorbed a perfect amount of broth.


    The vegetables inside gave the dish a refreshing, unique crunch that put everything together to form a party of flavors and textures that were almost impossible to describe.


    That day, it was safe to say that Tyr had reached three peaks, counting for the Immortal Peak, The Peak of Flavor, and one more down south!


    ***


    Tyr stepped out of Huevas'' house, and as his feet touched the snow on the floor, he was instantly transported right back to the alley where Huevas had first captured him.


    Tyr looked around, gathering his surroundings.


    There looked to be no one around him. At that moment, he felt a tap on the shoulder.


    He abruptly turned, noticing Arin''s smiling face behind him.


    ''How the hell can she hide her Aura like that? I need to learn that as well... it''s pretty damn effective.''


    "You''re still here." Tyr said, looking up at the sun.


    "Well yeah, it''s only been half an hour or so. Still... leaving me alone like that was pretty rude."


    "You pretend as though I had a choice," Tyr said with narrow eyes, turning, "So where''s that restaurant?"


    Arin ran up and grabbed onto his arm again, "Right this way!"


    Tyr exhaled, ''Wait... why am I doing this? I already ate...''


    *


    The two spent a little while in the small restaurant.


    It was certainly known, especially considering the fact that the door to enter was hidden behind an invisible brick wall.


    Inside, it was quite cozy and small. There didn''t seem to be many people inside, and those who were attending were silent and respectful.


    The food was surprisingly delicious. Maybe even surpassing the ramen Tyr had eaten before.


    Overall, it was a decent experience. Yet, Tyr still regretted it slightly since he could have used that time cultivating, or maybe figuring out how to open his new cultivation technique.


    After leaving the restaurant, it had gotten a bit darker into the day.


    "It''s time for me to go," Arin said, jumping in front of Tyr with a slightly sad look on her face.


    "Alright. Bye," Tyr said, beginning to turn, but he halted as Arin continued to talk.


    "Wait! Aren''t you even going to say goodbye? Don''t lie, that was fun!"


    Tyr turned back around as Arin continued, "I wish we could do this every day," Arin paused as Tyr thought to himself,


    ''Please no...''


    "But..." Arin looked down, seemingly disappointed, "I have to go for a while now. I don''t get to come down here too often."


    Tyr raised a brow, "What? Didn''t you say you live here in the Immortal Peak?"


    Arin chuckled slightly on hearing this, "You''re adorable!"


    Tyr had a straight face, ''Okay... I wasn''t trying to be.'' He shook his head.


    "I live here, in the faction. Not in this peak though. Don''t worry, we will meet as soon as I have the time. Until then, learn that sutra!" S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Don''t worry about that. I''ll conquer that thing if it''s the last thing I do."


    Arin grinned, "I know..." She turned, waving goodbye as she walked away¡ªher beautiful silver hair flowing side to side across her back.


    ''I''m not surprised she knew about the Chaos Veil Sutra.'' Tyr mused, turning as well, ''Now... let''s see if I can decode this scroll.''


    *


    Riding atop Rudra, Tyr arrived at the training facility. He wasn''t willing to waste any more time.


    Using his tech band, he arrived at his section, which was Section C.


    The first thing he saw was a long, extending hall. It was very tall, the ceiling over 70 feet high in the air.


    Its width wasn''t a joke either, stretching 40 feet from side to side.


    Tyr saw a few students make their way through this section.


    They left and entered their rooms, which were on the sides of the hall.


    At the very back was a grand fleet of stairs that led to the second floor¡ªwhich was nothing but a wide 10-foot balcony about 30 feet up from the floor, which lined the entire hall. On the right side of the balcony were the rooms, all directly above the bottom floor rooms.


    Tyr arrived at the entrance of his designated room. He checked the room number, just to make sure it was correct.


    ''111... that''s the one.'' He thought to himself before taking in a deep breath. He grabbed the door handle and twisted it, taking a large step forward...

 Chapter 209 - 209: Surprise

    When Tyr entered his room, he was immediately introduced to a very unpleasant sight.


    The room itself was quite large. It was round, with a small corner at the very back housing a twin-sized bed which was beside the window.


    At the center of the room was a circle that was lowered compared to the rest of the room. This place had a couch which faced what looked to be a black glass screen, resembling a modern-day flat-screen TV.


    There were a few decorations here and there, floor mats, tables, and chairs.


    To the left was a door, which seemed to lead to the bathroom.


    All of this was fine on its own, but what upset Tyr was the fact that his bed had been ripped up and torn to shreds.


    The floor was drenched with a black liquid that seemed to stain the entire room with splotches of color.


    The couches were also torn up, their fluff removed and replaced with what looked like stones.


    The walls were ripped and painted with different words and symbols.


    "My future bitch."


    "Come prepared."


    "I''ll kill your baby dragon."


    "Juicy meat."


    More lettering similar to these was scattered around his room.


    Tyr clenched his jaw, having a stoic expression as he walked over to the bathroom.


    Looking down, he could see a red liquid seeping out from under the door.


    He opened the door, slowly creaking it open as he saw a horrid sight inside.


    The corpses of several dead animals were littered across the bathroom¡ªinside the tub and the toilet.


    Deer, wolves, rabbits, birds, and other various species had their remains splattered all over.


    Tyr walked back out to the living room, taking one last look around.


    At a table, he found a note that looked to be written in blood:


    "I''ll make you my bitch and fuck you. Can''t wait till dinner... the canteen is going to look like a wonderland. --King"


    ''King, huh...'' Tyr closed his eyes, staring up as he exhaled deeply.


    He glanced at the time on his tech band, which read "7:30 PM."


    A lot of thoughts ran through his head, but in the end, he decided to sit down at one of the chairs that wasn''t dirty.


    He took out the scroll and placed it on the table.


    ''Full Golden Body.'' His eyes illuminated with a bright sunny glow as a golden flame erupted at his glabella.


    Tyr placed his hand on the scroll, closing his eyes. In that moment, Tyr attempted to enter a meditative state, similar to the one he would enter during cultivation.


    In that state, one could not only see Aura in its manifested physical form but also creatures and powers created by the cultivation techniques that you couldn''t normally see in a normal state of being.


    Tyr wanted to try and see what type of power he was dealing with here.


    After a short while, Tyr entered that state of mind, where he saw his surroundings from a third-person perspective.


    Everywhere else was an infinite void of blackness, but before him was something that covered that void as if infinity had no meaning.


    It was big. Incomprehensibly big. Trying to fathom it was like trying to think of a new color¡ªfar too overwhelming for the human brain.


    Yet, this unprocessable power existed before Tyr''s very body.


    ''What are you...'' He inspected it closer, but all he could see was a blurry vision of its purple Aura for now.


    It was devastating, like a world made from a storm. Lightning and hellfire rained down at all times, wretched and terrifying, the noises coming from its innards.


    After a little while longer, Tyr opened his eyes.


    ''I''ll unlock you eventually...''


    He looked at the time, which read "8:09 PM."


    ''But for now... I have some judgments to make.''


    He stood up, walking toward the door.


    His door flew open, slamming into the wall and nearly breaking in half as Tyr walked out.


    His body was contained, tightened with anger.


    He had managed to hold it in since he couldn''t do anything about it half an hour ago.


    Now, however, Tyr was allowing those fumes to burn up within him.


    He had forgotten how long it had been since he felt this damn furious.


    The canteen was close by. At the end of the hall and to the left.


    When Tyr first entered the grand chamber, he didn''t survey how it looked at all.


    Despite that, the grandeur of the place spoke for itself. It was immensely large, filled with tables that were scattered across a sprawling floor.


    The back of the canteen was a wall made completely out of differently shaped glass panes.


    To the left was the food court, where dozens of students had already lined up and were being served their food.


    Apart from them, everyone else looked to be doing something completely unexpected.


    Everyone was... taking advantage of another person.


    Some classic bully types were strangling cash out of the new guys and weaker Hunters.


    However, even the average Joes were getting their fair share¡ªalthough through non-violent means¡ªfrom those weaker than them.


    It seemed there was an agreement all across this canteen. It was a war ground, pretty much.


    If you were even slightly stronger than another, you needed to take advantage of them. If you didn''t, then you would be punished by the person who was stronger than you for not having what they wanted.


    Everyone was trying to take advantage of the others, and the strongest at the top had a monopoly over the whole thing.


    At the very back, a group of about 15 Hunters stood around, cracking jokes with each other as they tossed small bites of food into their mouths.


    Some were sitting on other weaker Hunters, others holding them hostage, it seemed.


    Sitting on top of Suyo, who was kneeling atop a lunch table, was Race.


    Tyr noticed him immediately. ''There''s no doubt about it... he is the king of this section.'' S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He b-lined straight in Race''s direction with no questions asked.


    Tyr wasn''t walking like he was the king, but rather, like he didn''t give a damn who the king was.

 Chapter 210 - 210: Devastating Ancestral Aura

    As Tyr made his way through the room, he noticed a group of bullies on his left who were searing hot letters into another Hunter''s back.


    "Ahheeeeekkrgh!" The Hunter''s piercing screech blended into the rest of the loud exclamations of pain.


    Other Hunters were being stripped of all of their clothes, completely naked and made to dance on top of tables.


    "Yeah! Turn around!"


    "Do that one move from yesterday! Hahaha!"


    "Hahah!"


    Others were tied up and ganged up on, brutally beaten to the point of being a bloody meatbag.


    "What did I tell you about late payments!?"


    "If you don''t want to die, stop resisting!"


    Through all of this, Tyr''s vision remained locked onto Race.


    The other bullies and Hunters in the canteen also seemed to notice Tyr as he walked through. He stood out since he was the only one to encroach on other people''s so-called ''territories'' without warning.


    "Hey... that''s fresh meat."


    "Yeah, dragon meat!"


    "Be careful though... I heard Crimson wanted a piece."


    "Crimson? I''m pretty sure the King is going to try and take him out..."


    "All he did was beat up Javr of Group A. How strong could he be if we ganged up on him?"


    "Should we tie him up?"


    A small group of Hunters gathered, slowly beginning to tail Tyr from afar.


    As Tyr reached 50 meters away from Race, the two made eye contact.


    Race''s neck stopped dead in its tracks, staying locked onto Tyr as a smirk played at his lips.


    "Oh? It''s the fresh meat we''ve all been waiting for, I see. Did you like your little gift I left in your room? Hahaha!" He broke out into a peal of laughter.


    The Hunters around him also laughed hysterically.


    Suyo noticed Tyr from the corner of his eye, his eyes widening. His face was clearly beaten to a pulp. He was in his underwear as well, exposing the bruises and cuts all across his bare body.


    "Tyr... the Dragon Tamer..." Suyo suddenly spoke. At that moment, Race and his lackeys all stared at him with hostile looks.


    ''Didn''t I tell this little bitch that I would cut his tongue off if he were to speak again?'' Race thought to himself, hearing Suyo out before deciding what to do.


    "You..." Suyo began to stammer, "You... you..."


    Others began to make fun of him.


    "Are you going to ask him for help, like this morning!?"


    "Do you think he will save you again? This is our canteen, dumbass!"


    "Don''t tell me you are going to beg him to rescue you!"


    "You..." Suyo finally finished what he wanted to say, "Need to run! This place is impossible to survive!"


    The entire gang broke out into abrupt laughter again. Race slapped the side of Suyo''s head.


    "Ahaha! Looks like I''ve truly broken your spirit! Damn, even I feel a bit bad!"


    "Wait... really?" one of his friends asked.


    "Huh?" Race responded. "Hell no! Hahaha!"


    "Hahaha!"


    Race turned to Tyr amidst the laughter, "Why the ugly face? Have some fun!"


    ''Oh, I will...''


    "Come on... are you mad that I beat the shit out of your boyfriend? Why don''t you do something about it?"


    As soon as those words exited Race''s lips, he immediately felt a blast of air that felt like lava slam against his face.


    He immediately stopped laughing, his eyes widened, and the edges of his lips fell to a large frown.


    ''My face... do I still have skin?'' He caressed his cheeks, in shock and disbelief.


    His eyes wandered over to Tyr, who was ten times the size of before and towering over the canteen.


    A devastating Aura unleashed from Tyr, which felt like radiating waves of death.


    A looming feeling of doom crashed into Race''s mind as he suddenly felt a blade slowly slide through the back of his neck.


    "No..." he said. "No... no, no! I don''t want to die!" Like butter, the blade reached his vocal cords, disabling him from speaking.


    Just like that, blood spurted from his neck, and his head fell to the floor.


    In that moment, Race checked his neck... and it was completely unscathed.


    But then, he felt a sword slash across his chest. The pain was horrible, his lungs gashed open¡ªbut again¡ªdisbelief struck him as he felt no wounds on his body.


    Like this, Race felt himself butchered ten thousand times in ten thousand different ways, in ten mere seconds.


    This was the terrifying prowess of Tyr''s passive spell: [Ancestral Aura], which also affected every other living creature inside this canteen at this very moment.


    More than half of the canteen had immediately passed out as Tyr''s Ancestral Aura flooded the room like a tsunami. Their eyes rolled back into their heads, their bodies flopping to the floor like ragdolls.


    The rest felt the weight of a thousand suns crashing onto their shoulders, many smashed flat into the ground while others withstood and bent to their knees.


    The looks in their eyes were something that most humans never saw in a lifetime. A look that was primal, something that came from deep within their subconscious when all else failed.


    When the identities and masks they had created of themselves fell down and exposed who they truly were. When the egos and self-respect they once had for themselves were forgotten, and all that was left was the only true desire all living beings had inherently within them from the day they were born:


    ...


    ''Survive... I must... survive!''


    ''Spare me...''


    ''Please... I don''t want to die.''


    ''Help!''


    ''I don''t want to... die!''


    The distraught faces of the Hunters turned red as many burst into tears, crying like newborn children for the first time in years.


    No longer did the concepts of humiliation or embarrassment, judgment nor character play any role in their minds. All that existed was the despair that overwhelmed them, and their desperation to survive at all costs.


    Some gave in to the assault, unable to take this mental torture. Every second felt like an eternity of pain, all stemming from one single being which felt like death itself.


    They gave up on living, only wanting escape from what felt like hell in the mortal world. sea??h th§× N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Tyr glanced over at Race, who had gotten up from Suyo''s back.


    ''He managed to stand?'' Tyr mused as Race hopped off of the table and onto the floor.


    Race''s expression was different from before. He looked furious, his brows curled inwards, and his eyes seething with hatred.


    Tyr immediately understood why. Ancestral Aura and bloodlust only worked due to the fear induced on one by their own mind.


    However, if one no longer had fear for their life, it would have no effect.


    Anger had overtaken Race to the point where he would risk his life as long as it meant he could kill Tyr.


    "Some are born with a more courageous mind... I''m sure you didn''t become the so-called king of this section without being more special than the rest," Tyr exclaimed, raising his chin. "Still, you haven''t learned when to take a back seat."


    Race growled, "I have taken a back seat far too many times. Whether it be for the other two bastards, or anyone else that has beaten me in a fight. But I promise you... I will die before ever bending my knee to a pathetic, southern bastard like you, who was gifted his power and status from birth."


    Tyr''s eyes narrowed as Race continued, the young Hunter walking forward.


    "You were probably born in an undisturbed family with a silver spoon in your mouth. You don''t know the concepts of working hard... everything you have gotten is from luck! I''ll show you... I''ll show you what it means to work hard!"


    Tyr felt a bloodlust brewing from the Hunter, so he quickly scanned him before their fight began.


    ''I know he won''t be weak. He is a section captain of the Immortal Peak... this won''t be easy.''


    ©³©¥©¥©¥Status©¥©¥©¥©·


    Name: Race Rath


    Age: 20 Years


    Power Level: 450


    Rank: Grandmaster


    ©»©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¿


    Race suddenly sprinted forward¡ªthe ground beneath his feet almost melting from the sheer speed of his launch.

 Chapter 211 - 211: Obliterated

    ''Tsk... he''s way too fast.'' Tyr thought to himself, blink stepping forward to avoid being caught off guard.


    He quickly turned to see where Race had landed, but was surprised to see that the Hunter was nowhere to be seen.


    ''Too fast... it must have something to do with his Ancestral Ability.'' Tyr felt a slight breeze of wind behind his back, signaling him to duck below just in time to avoid a devastating roundhouse kick.


    Race''s foot was burning with a bright red flame, signaling to Tyr that speed from the feet was the young man''s main ability. sea??h th§× Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''I need to power up fully before I even have a chance to defeat him. According to his level, he must have a minimum average of 180 in all stats.''


    Tyr immediately activated his Full Golden Body.


    [You have gained immunity to all water damage.]


    [You have gained immunity to all fire damage.]


    [You have gained immunity to all wind damage.]


    [You have gained immunity to all diseases.]


    [You have gained immunity to all mental attacks.]


    [Your defenses have increased by 2x]


    [Vitality: 142/142-->284]


    Right now, all of Tyr''s attention was on battling Race, so his Ancestral Aura concentrated only on the opponent he was going against.


    The others slowly recovered from their devastation, eventually finding their bearings before staying back and witnessing the battle unfolding in front of them.


    Tyr sprinted forward, hoping to buy himself enough time to wait out the cooldown for Blink Step.


    ''I only managed to dodge that last one because I felt the wind. I don''t know if I will get that opportunity again.''


    Just as those thoughts finished in his mind, Tyr felt another gust of wind to his left.


    He attempted to block this one, but looking to the left, he saw that it was a feint that he had detected.


    A powerful kick landed on his left shoulder, propelling him several feet to the side and into the tables.


    Tyr quickly recovered, ''Shoulder shots hurt, but they aren''t too dangerous. Thankfully I have this extra health... but defense is only half of it.''


    ''Soul Mend: Polaris Tiger.''


    [All of your stats except for Aura are 1.5X for the next 30 seconds.]


    [Vitality: 252/284-->378/426]


    ''As I expected... they stack.''


    [Strength: 152-->228]


    [Stamina: 136/136-->204]


    [Speed: 137-->206]


    Tyr''s eyes expanded in amazement as he saw these stats, a smile playing at his lips, ''Holy fuck... I''m strong as hell.''


    He felt a wind from the left, allowing him to predict Race''s kick. In a split second, he grabbed Race''s shin right before it hit the side of his temple.


    Race struggled in mid-air, Tyr''s smile expanding, ''I only have 28 seconds left... I''ll end it within this timeframe.''


    The force of Race''s kick was absorbed by Tyr''s massive health pool, and the flames on his feet were rendered useless due to Tyr''s Full Golden Body.


    As Race saw how effortlessly Tyr caught his leg, his eyebrows furrowed in shock and confusion.


    "You bastard!" He aggressively pulled his leg back, standing in front of Tyr, "How did you catch that? It was even stronger than the one I hit you with before, which sent you flying!" A second of pause later, Race panted with fury, "You''ve been playing weak, haven''t you? I don''t need your pity! Don''t play around with me, I''ll kill you!"


    Race lifted his leg, faking a front kick before sliding forward with his rear leg and thrusting his front knee forward at Tyr''s ribs.


    Tyr looked down, slamming his fist on the knee as Race''s body flew forward.


    Tyr swung his head down, smashing his forehead directly into Race''s incoming nose and crushing it with ease.


    Coughing blood, Race backed up, one eye closed and a pain-filled expression, "Argh!" He roundhouse kicked, but Tyr grabbed it and swung it forward with its momentum, forcing Race to fall onto his bum.


    Race attempted to push himself away in order to get space so that he could stand up, but Tyr stepped on one of Race''s feet, immobilizing him.


    Race looked up at Tyr, "... Do it! Hit me!"


    Tyr paused. The last thing Race saw was Tyr''s maniacal face with wide eyes and a bright smirk before he felt a low kick smash his skull from the side--instantly fracturing his cranium and knocking him out.


    Tyr felt a thrill of exhilaration surge through his bones, ''It feels so good... to display justice.'' He looked at Race''s fallen body, ''It would be great to kill him... he deserves to die, and he would be a lot of exp as well. But I don''t think I''m in the right state to do that as I am now.''


    He took a step back, his gaze scanning through the crowd of onlooking Hunters as their eyes darted to the side and to the ground.


    ''Fuck... please don''t target me next.''


    ''He''s... insane. How did he beat Race so easily!?''


    ''Race... was beaten?''


    ''He''s frightening.''


    ''A demon...''


    ''Just how strong is he?''


    Suyo gulped as he stared at Tyr from afar, ''He beat the king of this section that easily...'' Tears began to swell up in his eyes, ''All those bullies in this horrible hierarchy of evilness and power. All of them looked up to their leaders, and all of those leaders looked up to Race as the most powerful figure here. No one dared to talk back to him, let alone take him on in a fight... yet, Tyr fought him. He beat him... he beat his ass.''


    Suyo couldn''t believe what he was seeing.


    Tyr finally spoke: "All of you!" He exclaimed, "Do you know how filthy and annoying this place was when I first walked in?" His voice was loud and dominating.


    Even without his Ancestral Aura, the way in which he carried himself and the tone in which he spoke was demanding, like an order from a general.


    Everyone squirmed at his presence, unable to respond.


    "If I walk into this canteen again and ever see anything that was happening today, I take my time dismantling each and every one of your bones and tendons until you are paralyzed and can never even walk--no, until you will have to ask for help even to take a shit or a piss! Is that understood!?"


    "YES!" A resounding roar erupted from the crowd instantly, as if they had been waiting to behave. Everyone in that room felt frozen, unable to move unless Tyr gave them permission.


    "Now fuck off." Tyr said, everyone immediately running out of the canteen.


    Suyo was the last one to leave. He ran up to Tyr before leaving:


    "You... you did all of that to save me--"


    "Shut the fuck up." Tyr exclaimed, "I don''t give a damn about you. Now go." Tyr moved past him, completely ignoring the young Hunter.


    Suyo was struck with disbelief, but quickly gathered himself and left the canteen as well.


    ''Tsk... why the hell does he think I acted for him? I have no clue who he even is... I acted because this orange-haired cunt pissed me off. It''s clear to see that everyone is taking advantage of each other and doing these disgusting things like stripping people naked and burning marks on them after learning from this bastard... I don''t want to see anything inspired by him in my section.''


    He stared at Race, "I''m lucky huh? You''re far more lucky than me... any other place, and I would have killed you without a second thought."