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Chapter 40
Chapter 40
[Translator – Helga]
[Proofreader – Lucky]
Chapter 40
A loud noise came from a cave in a distant demon forest.
A middle-aged man’s sword pierced through the body of a tiger-like monster.
*Thunk!*
*Fwoosh-!*
Simultaneously, the tiger’s body burst into flames.
“You’re attacking the wrong target.”
*Grrr.*
The injured tigers growled lowly.
Yet, they were too fearful to pounce on the middle-aged man.
“That’s right. Mere beasts shouldn’t challenge humans.”
“Leader, these things aren’t much of a threat.”
“I used to be so scared of these mutated monsters, but what is this?”
“I feel like we could sweep through this entire demon forest on our own.”
The group, dressed in black, laughed and chatted.
“Keep watch around us. I’ll finish this up.”
“Yes, Leader.”
After ordering his subordinates, the middle-aged man, Eugene, looked down.
In front of him was an egg.
It moved slightly.
Eugene raised his sword and struck down.
*Clang!*
The egg stopped moving.
Instead, the sword bounced back.
“No wonder Captain Silvio is desperately searching for this.”
It was a strike imbued with mana.
Powerful enough to kill a 3rd Class monster in one blow.
Despite that, the egg remained unscathed.
“They say a seed of evil will be born from this egg….”
A sinister aura surrounded the egg.
Thick, sticky demonic energy enveloped it.
“They say when it hatches, it will rival a Dragon. Maybe that’s not wrong….”
It was still an unhatched egg.
Yet it possessed an unimaginable amount of demonic energy.
And as time passed,
The demonic energy emanating from the egg grew stronger.
When Eugene tried to pick up the egg,
The demonic energy from the egg wrapped around his hand.
“Ugh!”
Despite protecting his hand with fire mana, the demonic energy seeped into his body.
Eugene hurriedly dropped the egg.
The egg hit the ground but remained intact.
“I almost fucking lost my hand.”
He nearly paid for his careless action.
He sighed with relief and muttered, stretching his hand towards the air.
“Fire Chain.”
A magic circle appeared beneath the egg.
Flames flowed from the magic circle and enveloped the egg.
The egg wobbled in response.
Resisting the chains that bound it.
Seeing this, the tigers lunged at the middle-aged man.
“Pathetic creatures!”
Eugene’s sword blazed with fire.
The cave lit up brightly due to the flames.
As he swung his sword,
A crescent-shaped blade of fire split in two directions.
The five tigers that were charging at him were directly hit by the fiery blade.
*Crash!*
With the sound of tearing flesh, the tigers’ bodies were grotesquely ripped apart.
“Now it’s a bit quieter.”
Eugene used the skill ‘Fire Chains’ again.
But the egg’s resistance was formidable.
The chains would bind it, then break repeatedly.
Frowning at the fierce resistance, he used more fire mana to strengthen the chains.
After dozens of attempts, the egg was finally trapped in the Fire Chains.
“Haha. The vice-captain will be very pleased if I bring this back to him.”
He intended to deliver the egg to the vice-captain instead of Captain Silvio Dinter.
They were in the same organization but belonged to different factions.
Eugene had aligned himself with the vice-captain.
Before returning with the egg, he moved to complete his final mission.
—
At that time.
Kane was swiftly running through the vast demon forest.
The area was filled with fog.
But it did not hinder him.
‘The first monster wave consists of Blood Tigers and Dark Tribe Goblins.’
Tiger-like monsters covered in red fur.
They were nearly 5 meters long.
‘Blood Tigers are troublesome mutated monsters, but there’s a way to control the entire species.’
By now, he was in one of the hidden territories within the demon forest.
[TL/N: The demon forest is vast and has countless hidden territories as we can tell by the story, and each individual hidden territory has barriers around them which can be opened with special things, strong strength/mana etc. Like the Forest of Deadly Poison was a hidden territory in the demon forest, and Rehinar has full control of it (aka the barrier can be opened by using their blood).]
The hidden territories of the Blood Tigers and Dark Tribe Goblins must have opened.
‘The reason for the first stir of the Blood Tigers is simple. Their leader was captured by the Hatzfeld royal family.’
The Dark Sentinels caused the fury among monsters, that was directed at innocent Rehinar.
‘If I take the “Seed of Blood” from Hatzfeld, the Blood Tigers will be powerless.’
The Blood Tigers experienced both a blessing and a misfortune.
The birth of a pure-blooded tiger.
It was the Seed of Blood, possessing both demonic energy and vitality.
The misfortune was that the Seed of Blood had been taken by Hatzfeld.
‘By now, the Fire Chains should have restrained it, and they will soon leave for the Hatzfeld Kingdom. There’s no time.’
The story was a timed attack.
If delayed even a little, he would miss the chance to acquire a rare pet.
This information wasn’t available in the game.
It was valuable knowledge obtained after experiencing the game as Ray Hatzfeld.
*Grrr.*
Throughout his run, he heard the growls of beasts.
Ignoring other monsters, he focused solely on reaching his destination.
He knew the geography of the area better than anyone.
Where each monster was located.
Where the dangerous spots and traps were.
He knew it all.
*Whoosh-*
After running straight to the southwest,
A massive mountain range came into view.
The Atlem Mountains.
Beyond this was the Lycera Theocracy.
At the base of this mountain range was the hidden territory of the Blood Tigers.
“The barrier is still open.”
There was no barrier around the hidden territory.
It meant the hidden territory was still open.
He approached the hidden territory.
*Grrr.*
A Blood Tiger bared its teeth and appeared.
“I have no business with you.”
Avoiding the pouncing Blood Tiger, Kane entered the hidden territory.
[You have entered the hidden territory, ‘Cave of Species’.]
The tiger’s bodies were not normal.
Despite their immense regenerative power, they were covered in wounds.
They were blocking intruders from entering the hidden territory in that state.
‘Eugene, the leader of the first squad of the Dark Sentinels. I’ll be seeing you again.’
A group clad in black emerged from inside.
A man with narrow, slanted eyes, Eugene, was holding the egg.
When he saw Kane,
He looked as if he had encountered someone unexpected.
“Kane Rehinar!?”
“Why is someone who should be in Rehinar, all the way here?”
The black-clad group was astonished.
“I’m honored that you recognized me right away.”
“How did you know about this place!”
“I have the same goal as you.”
Kane drew a sword he had brought from the blacksmith.
There were fifteen of them.
All were Mid-Tier 3rd Class warriors.
“Glad I’m not too late.”
Eugene clicked his tongue at Kane’s appearance.
“Tut tut. I don’t know how you got here, but it will be hard for you to leave alive today.”
Kane’s eyes turned into crescent shapes.
A cold smile formed at the corners of his mouth.
“You think you can stop me? Interesting. I’m looking forward to how much you’ll entertain me. But! If you disappoint me, you’re all dead.”
Kane unleashed the Blood Mark to its full power.
*Hwaaa-!*
—
*Shudder.*
Eugene felt his body trembling involuntarily.
‘Am I feeling fear from a dullard like him?’
He tried to stop the trembling with mana,
Instead, the trembling seemed to intensify.
‘Something is wrong.’
He needed to confirm it.
He need to confirm the unpleasant aura emanating from Kane Rehinar, the supposedly Dullard young duke
“Attack!”
The squad members, seemingly unaware of Kane’s power,
Rushed at him fearlessly upon receiving the order.
Their swords were all engulfed in flames.
With fourteen of them simultaneously displaying the Fire Rune,
The surroundings were filled with heat.
“The reason your squad is the first to be wiped out by me is because of your stupidity.”
He didn’t use the Blood Dance.
Instead, he showcased the Guardian Family’s Twin Sword Technique of Protection.
A massive stream of water surged from Kane’s sword.
“Guardian Stream.”
[Warning! You have used an unacquired skill.]
[Trait: Pure-Blooded has been activated.]
A water tiger began to circle around Kane.
It was a more powerful defensive technique than “Water Curtain”.
[You have flawlessly executed the unacquired skill ‘Guardian Stream’.]
[Skill ‘Guardian Stream’ has been registered in Blood Dance (S).]
{TL/N: The translation said registered in Blood Dance, even though it said above ‘He didn’t use Blood dance’. Maybe author made an error, or maybe the skills get saved in blood dance and it grows using them, as we know blood dance is a growth-type skill. Idk, it’s not clear right now, maybe it’ll be cleared in the future, or it’s just a simple typo and he wanted to say ‘got registered in ‘Twin sword techniques of protection’}
[You can now use ‘Guardian Stream’.]
As soon as the message ended,
The Sentinels’ flaming swords struck the Guardian Water Tiger.
*Thud!*
“Ugh!?”
The flaming swords burnt out instantly upon contact with the Guardian Water-Tiger.
The Dark Sentinels tried to pull their swords back.
“M-My sword won’t come out!”
“I’m being pulled in!”
They couldn’t hide their panic.
Even when they tried to summon mana, the Fire Rune was extinguished.
Eugene, watching from behind, shouted furiously.
“What are you all doing against one man!”
“Leader, help us.”
“We can’t use mana.”
Eugene joined the fray shortly after.
“Idiots.”
The flames emanating from his sword were hotter than everyone else’s.
The heat was intense enough to scorch the air.
He displayed the Fire mana more fiercely than ever, as if to dispel his own trembling.
“I finally understand why we lost contact with the 10th squad. It’s astonishing that someone thought to be a dulalrd is using ‘Guardian Stream’.”
Kane crushed Eugene’s momentum with his own.
“Didn’t I warn you? If you disappoint me, you’ll all fucking die.” Kane gave Eugene an eerie smile.
Eugene felt a sense of foreboding rising again.
An unfamiliar emotion.
He had always lived the life of a predator, but today, he stood on the opposite side.
“Fine. I’ll kill you and secure a hefty reward.”
Eugene’s flaming sword slashed through the air.
The same sword technique that had shredded the Blood Tigers.
A massive blaze hurtled towards Kane, transforming into an eagle that sought to crush everything in its path.
“Flame Extreme Sword Technique, Third Form: Flame Eagle? Interesting.”
The Flame Extreme Sword Technique was a skill of the Dark Watchers.
One that only those destined to become captain-level figuers could learn.
Yet, Eugene had mastered it.
This was the first significant change from the past.
“Dirk, that sly bastard, must have cheated to strengthen his faction.”
This was not a sword technique for someone of Eugene’s rank.
The ‘Flame Extreme Sword Technique’ was an A-rank skill.
Comparable to Dirk’s ‘Red Demon Spear Technique’
“But you learned it wrong. The ‘Flame Extreme Sword Technique’ isn’t about deceiving your opponent.”
Kane’s right eye flashed.
The Seal of Blood manifested.
It transformed from a droplet shape into a flame shape.
Then, the whirling Guardian Water Tiger vanished without a trace.
*Whoosh!*
Kane’s sword ignited in purple flames.
“This is the true ‘Flame Eagle’.”
As he slashed his sword diagonally,
A violet flame eagle soared into the air.
[Translator – Helga]
[Proofreader – Lucky]