Capítulo 18: Chapter 18: Strange Visitors
In the darkness, a singular flame could be seen flickering and dancing, revealing the faces of a group of four.
They were Kiana and three others who were following closely behind her.
They had been pursuing Luck for at least half an hour!
Now, they know the boy will be in front of them, trapped and unable to run any further.
After they kill him, they can finally pass the trial.
As their footsteps eventually reached the end of the path, an expression of shock formed on their faces.
The bald boy held the torch and lit every corner of the dead end, but Luck was nowhere to be seen!
Victor felt a chill. This scene was similar to the time at the juncture! The boy had completely hidden himself once again, but where?
There were no rock formations or gaps in the cave that someone could hide in this time, making them all stupefied.
"Did he manage to deceive us? Was that his plan all along — extinguishing the torches and suddenly changing paths?" Jarin spoke, coming up with ideas.
Kiana shook her head, her expression complicated. "No... I'm sure he went this way. There shouldn't be anywhere to hide, yet he's completely eliminated any traces. Even my instincts and senses are useless against him..."
As the group were conversing, they hadn't even realised that death was so close, hanging right above them...
At a corner of the cave ceiling, Luck was completely hidden, his dark eyes gazing at the group. His eyesight was extremely sharp due to the owl body training method. Like an owl, he could see perfectly in the dark.
Luck's hands and grip strength had reached an unfathomable level, allowing his fingertips to cling to the tiniest grooves on the ceiling.
The four didn't even consider that someone was right above them.
As they searched every corner of the place, Luck patiently waited for an opportunity.
Once the bald boy holding the torch was close enough, Luck promptly let go of his grip as he silently dropped onto him.
Thwoosh!
As he descended from above, his legs first clamped onto the boy's shoulders as his hands tightly wrapped around his head like a snake.
Luck's eyes flashed ruthlessly as he applied a terrifying amount of force to his hands.
Then, like the helm of a ship, Luck violently twisted his neck...
Crunch!
The bald boy immediately felt a strange sensation.
"huh... Why is the world upside down?"
Those were his final thoughts as his body dropped to the floor.
He had died without even knowing how.
As the disturbing sound of a neck being snapped echoed, the group swiftly turned. The scene they saw immediately made them feel sick and frightened.
One of their companions had their neck completely snapped — it was impossibly twisted.
They all knew that there was no chance of surviving such an injury. It was physically impossible for a human's head to be twisted like that.
As for the culprit, he stood over the grotesque corpse, his young and pale face illuminated by the torch on the ground.
His black hair flowed to his shoulders, while his cold, dark eyes were like black holes that absorbed any ounce of sunlight.
The three that saw the scene felt their breaths momentarily caught in their throats.
They all collectively thought that they were currently face to face with the grim reaper...
Suddenly, the reaper raised his foot and crushed the torch near the corpse.
The entire place quickly plunged into absolute darkness once again.
Kiana could vaguely see an outline in the dark due to her senses. But the other two were not so fortunate.
However, the outline of Luck suddenly vanished. He was like a ghost!
Kiana felt her body become unusually cold. Despite being one of the Dragons, she understood clearly that this was the feeling of fear.
Her emerald eyes eerily flashed as her mind raced. After some time, it truly dawned upon her. 'This person... He's way too dangerous!'
Jarin and Victor's vision was shrouded in darkness. It was impossible to see clearly. They couldn't even see the outlines of their hands.
Victor immediately took a stance as he exclaimed, "Stick close! Although we can't see anything, neither should he!"
"All right!" Jarin obeyed as he perked his ears, trying to listen for any sudden sounds that could give away the position of the enemy.
The group were on high alert.
As each second passed with nothing but eery silence, the group began doubting themselves.
Perhaps the culprit had already run away?
No! Perhaps he could also be patiently hiding, waiting for the perfect chance to strike!
If they make such a foolish mistake again, their fates would be the one Howden received!
Thoughts like these clouded their heads. They hadn't even realised that their state of mind was already deteriorating. It was like knowing that imminent death was near you, yet you couldn't see where!
As seconds turned into minutes, the group soon suspected that their enemy had left.
That was then.
Swoosh!
"Hh-"
"What was that?" Victor had a perplexed expression.
Quickly, he soon smelt a thick, metallic stench. After hastily checking if everyone was still fine, he realised that Jarin was gone!
That could only mean one thing...
"Dammit! Jarin got killed by him! This wasn't how it was supposed to go!
"Kiana! We need to quickly escape, this guy is too dangerous!"
However, the only response was silence...
"Kiana!" Victor exclaimed, feeling a foreboding feeling. 'No, it can't be... Did she die too?'
As his mind raced with possibilities, he heard light footsteps behind him.
Quickly turning, to his despair, all he could see was darkness.
The footsteps got closer and closer, causing Victor to feel an indescribable feeling of fear.
"Y-you, stay back!"
As fear clouded his thoughts, he recklessly swung his arms into the darkness, yet his fists didn't make contact with anything.
His back was covered in cold sweat.
That was then, a cold voice resounded.
"You seem quite scared."
"Who?!" Victor exclaimed, turning to the sound by his side. The footsteps had been in front of him, yet the voice was suddenly from his side, what kind of magic was this? Was his enemy toying with him?
"For someone that's been persistently trying to kill me, I thought you'd quickly tell."
After realising who the voice came from, he angrily spoke.
"Bastard! All you did was hide away like a coward! Fight me like a man!"
Suddenly, a chuckle came from behind him.
"A coward? Hehe, I guess you could perceive it as that. I used cowardly tactics to fight against a group of five."
Victor quickly spun around to the sound. It gave him goosebumps every time he did that. It meant his enemy could easily attack him from behind if he wanted to. Victor realised that the boy could hide his footsteps and remove any of his presence within an instant.
Realising how bad his situation is, he hastily said, "W-why not call us even? We tried killing you, and you killed some of us. We don't need to continue fighting..."
A voice, somewhat amused, replied, "Really? What a great offer."
Hearing the blatant sarcasm and mocking tone, he shuddered slightly.
"Bastard! Don't take it too far! I'll make sure you regret it. Even if I die, I'll still make sure to take you with me!"
"I wonder how you'll do that... Unlike you, I can see perfectly in this darkness. Heh, I even saw one of your friends running away ~"
"What?" Victor exclaimed. He knew that two of his companions had clearly died. With Jarin suddenly disappearing, he could guess that he was also likely dead. After recollecting his memories, he remembered that the moment the torch went out, making the entire cave become pitch-black, he hadn't seen or heard Kiana whatsoever.
He quickly understood.
"It somewhat surprised me. That girl is quite intelligent. I'm guessing she was the one that managed to track me down and corner me." Luck spoke with a hint of admiration. Being so young yet so scheming...
Only a place like the Sanctuary could breed such results.
Victor began feeling helpless. If what he said was true, that meant the opponent he was facing was much more dangerous than he anticipated. Still, he did not believe his words as he spoke, "I-impossible! Why would she run away? She's one of the Dragons!"
Luck chuckled, his laughter echoing around the boy.
"Someone at the same stage can gauge each other's strength using instincts alone. I wonder... When met with an opponent of similar strength, wouldn't it be wise to avoid a reckless fight?"
Victor carefully pondered over his words as his eyes quickly constricted. "At the same stage! Y-you are at the diamond stage?!"
Luck smiled, however, in the dark, Victor couldn't see it.
Victor's expression flashed with realisation, his expressions shifting as he played back everything that had happened.
Everything now made sense.
The reason for their failures.
The reason for their deaths.
The reason why a tracker or Kiana couldn't sense anything.
It was all simply due to a difference in power and ability...
Thud.
Falling on his knees, Victor laughed to himself as despair consumed his entire being.
"Hahahaha!
"I– I was really an idiot!" The moment Howden died with barely any resistance, he should've understood everything sooner. He even had a second chance when Luck managed to escape.
Even when they first encountered him, Luck still held his own despite the onslaught of four people, each at the gold stage with one being at the diamond stage. Even with Kiana in the group, the boy had always remained tranquil, daring to battle against them despite being severely outnumbered.
Everything had been right in his face, yet he was blinded by his confidence and arrogance.
Now, his death was imminent.
The only reason he was still alive was because his opponent was allowing him to live for a few more seconds. After all, the difference between a diamond stage and a gold stage was something he knew he couldn't overcome.
Seeing the boy lose all hope, Luck walked behind him, not even bothering to make his footsteps silent.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Hearing the sounds of footsteps get closer to him, Victor didn't care. He was consumed by madness as he laughed and kept mumbling sounds.
Being in this cruel place for over a year had already nearly broken him. With imminent death, it was as if his mind and body had lost all hope.
Once Luck was behind him, with a swing of his arm, the boy's head was quickly severed from his shoulders — briefly flying in the air before landing on the ground.
Splat!
A puddle of blood soon formed around the decapitated head and corpse, dyeing the floor in a deep shade of red.
Luck gazed at the headless corpse, his expression indifferent and apathetic.
'This person was the one that killed Avice...' Luck muttered in his heart.
Feeling the slight bitterness in his mouth vanish, Luck's eyes drifted upwards. It wasn't the ceiling of the cave, but beyond it — much, much further away.
With a cold, determined voice, he spoke to Victor.
"I held no grudge towards you. Yet I do not like you either...
"Having murdered people in this place, you should already have been prepared to meet your end..."
To kill someone, one should also be prepared to meet the same fate.
Despite Luck's cautiousness and reluctance to die, he was also aware that he wasn't free of being killed by others.
For his goals, his survival, he will do whatever it takes.
He will first get out of this place, then he will unravel the secrets of this world, becoming an individual that none can rival.
Luck was aware that he was merely an ant right now, but he was sure that he'd become something greater in the distant future.
For this goal, he was ready to climb a mountain of corpses and deal with any obstacles that obstruct him!
Despite Luck viewing Avice favourably, he wouldn't let something like vengeance cloud his judgement. Although this boy had mercilessly killed a naive and innocent girl, Luck knew he was simply forced by circumstances. Avice was weak, frail and couldn't adapt to this place quick enough.
This was just the harsh reality.
If another person could be exchanged for your life, how many would reject the offer?
Luck understood himself.
He is aware of his shortcomings, his weaknesses, strengths, ambitions.
For his goals, he knew that such ruthlessness was necessary.
After examining the three bodies, Luck sighed.
"As expected, that girl was the one that's marked... Too bad she already ran away. I guess I'll have to wait three days to pass this trial."
Kiana had eventually connected the dots and realised she was dealing with a diamond stage practitioner. The way Luck moved, attacked, dodged, uses stealth. It was something a practitioner at the gold stage couldn't even fathom or attempt to replicate. Only after seeing the death of the second person did she truly realise why her instincts had been so wild ever since she began hunting Luck down.
Figuring out that Luck might have sharper eyesight than ordinary, she quickly ran away. There were many body training methods, so she didn't rule it out. Fighting in the dark would be extremely disadvantageous. Thus, she left Victor to preoccupy him so she can safely escape.
Luck didn't pursue her. He can simply wait three days until the trial ends. As for her knowing his true strength, it didn't matter. After a year in the Sanctuary, most of the children had realised that Lord Thel was a cruel and vicious person. Luck doubted that she would tell him. Even if she did, he could just say he recently promoted to the diamond stage.
Such a situation was within his expectations.
After searching the bodies, Luck quickly left to search for another place to hide.
...
Boom!
Somewhere in the Sanctuary, a loud explosion resounded, causing the Sanctuary to slightly tremble.
As the dust dissipated, a large hole could be seen on the wall, which was the result of the explosion, as multiple figures walked out.
"Hoh? Who could've expected such a massive place to be right under our feet?"
"That traitor hid himself well. To think he was hiding here..."
"Yes, those formations that hid this place was quite difficult to discover and decipher."
As the three were talking, a man suddenly spoke in a domineering tone.
"Silence. I sense multiple lifeforms in this place. That man had gained the inheritance of a dark magi. Who knows what traps he could've placed. We're in his domain, so proceed with caution."
Hearing his words, five people nodded.
Once all of them gathered, they soon walked on a random path.
Eventually, they stumbled upon a group of children.
A man with brown hair and green eyes saw the children. He wore a luxurious robe with unique symbols forming a ring around his sleeves. He had an unusual expression as he said, "Ordinary children?"
An old man with grey-white hair and eyes filled with wisdom shook his head and replied, "No, I can feel their vitality. Their strength is similar to semi high tier slaves. It seems these children have been raised by Alexander."
"I see. No wonder all these children have such venomous expressions. Such cruelty can be expected by that wretched man. To raise them to this level at such a young age, their lives are truly miserable..." A woman spoke with a hint of melancholy. She had a black robe that had a purple crow symbol on the back and a large pointed hat on her head. Her beautiful features alongside her unusual, blue hair would make many men be lost in desire. She resembled a witch from medieval stories.
As the group were talking, the children were anxiously staring at them. They were familiar with everyone in the Sanctuary. With random strangers suddenly appearing, it made them wary. Did they come to save them? Or perhaps they held malicious intent?
Suddenly, a man walked towards the children before casually speaking in a "friendly" way.
"Children, do you know where the owner of this place is?"
The children hesitated. But as they saw the man's devilish smile and blood-coloured eyes, they quickly spoke.
"I-if you mean Lord Thel, he should be somewhere at the centre of the Sanctuary."
Another child added, "He's normally watching us to see who performs well. But whenever these Trials are finished, we don't know where he goes."
The man pondered over their words carefully before saying, "Hm, I see... Thank you for the information.
"As a reward... I'll free you from your suffering."
The children heard his words and were delighted. They can finally escape this place?
"Hurray! We can finally leav–"
Pierce!
But as the children were rejoicing, white bones suddenly protruded from the ground before piercing them. They were immediately suspended in the air as they held the sharp bones that penetrated through their stomachs.
Shrill screams echoed out as the children painfully struggled. After a few seconds, their erratic movements ceased...
"Aurien! Why did you kill them?" The blue-haired woman exclaimed furiously.
However, the man just laughed before casually responding.
"These children are tainted by evil magic. Furthermore, all of their lives are truly miserable. I did them a favour."
As the woman was about to refute, the old man also spoke.
"These are only mortals. Their lives aren't worth us being hostile to each other. Let's find Alexander, take the treasure, and leave this place."
The woman felt slightly speechless, however, she quickly decided not to pursue the matter. She has also experienced countless things. Mages were generally indifferent to mortal affairs. Although she felt slightly irritated due to the death of innocent children, her heart didn't stir any further. Her irritation stemmed from being part of the virtuous faction.
The old man suddenly looked to their leader and spoke.
"Lord Highwind, did you find any traces of the traitor?"
A man who was quite tall and had a luxurious white robe, with purple hair and eyes responded.
"No. My detection spells have no effect. Alexander used to be a genius mage of our Vision Wing Academy, so his means aren't something to be underestimated. That was why we hadn't discovered him for decades after his betrayal.
"If it weren't for his abilities, I wouldn't have resorted to hiring someone of the dark faction."
As Lord Highwind spoke, the old man looked at the individual with a devilish smile and blood-coloured eyes. The old man didn't trust this person in the slightest. His years of wisdom could tell that this person was very cunning and ruthless.
Lord Highwind suddenly asked, "Aurien, do you have a way to track him down?"
Aurien chuckled and quickly replied, "Yes, esteemed sir."
After saying that, he suddenly chanted a few incomprehensible words before cutting the tip of his index finger. As the blood dropped to the ground, three hounds made of blood were suddenly conjured up from the minuscule droplet.
"This is my spell: Bloodhounds. It can sense someone's magical undulations in someone's blood, no matter how small. It is especially sensitive to dark magic. From your descriptions, it seems this person has found an inheritance from a magi specialising in dark magic. However, he has also been gravely injured, blocking his path as a mage.
"Since he's held onto this inheritance for more than a decade, some of the dark magic should have contaminated him. This spell should suffice in tracking his whereabouts."
Lord Highwind nodded. Such unorthodox means of tracking had been the reason why he hired this person.
"Good. Then let's continue our search."
Estado de energía semanal
-- Ranking de
Poder 
-- Piedra de
Poder