Capítulo 16: Chapter Sixteen: A chaotic situation

Chapter Sixteen: A chaotic situation

Screams echoed through the area as flames consumed the surrounding trees, sending smoke rising into the sky.

The air was thick with the stench of burning flesh, charred wood, and suffocating smoke, making it nearly impossible to breathe properly.

Without hesitation, Dusken quickly untied his rope and dodged a barrage of arrows falling from the sky, albeit it was easier said than done.

The scene was utter chaos. No one knew who was attacking or why, but even the beastmen seemed afraid. They responded with furious roars, charging deeper into the forest, searching for the unseen attackers.

"Who dares to attack the lands of the Nura clan?" the beastman king bellowed, a guttural growl escaping his lips, almost shattering the children's eardrums.

Silence. Nothing responded, only the sound of arrows swooshing through the air. The stillness was palpable, but just as everyone thought no one would reply, a calm, beastly voice rang out.

The arrows suddenly stopped increasing, as if the hidden archers had ceased fire.

"Oh, Guro, my friend, how has it been? You held a banquet with such human delicacies and invited me, but you never did?"

A beastman materialized in the shadows. Its head resembled that of a frog, green scales covered its body, and its appearance struck fear into the hearts of the remaining children.

The beastman king growled furiously.

"You son of a whore, Gartan? So, you now have the guts to attack my territory?"

Gartan didn't respond. Instead, he slowly shook his head and waved his hand.

At once, from the dense trees surrounding the forest, creatures and beastmen charged out as the arrows resumed their unrelenting barrage.

The beastman king, Guro, charged at Gartan, and a catastrophic battle unfolded between them. They killed anyone in their path whether beastmen or humans.

This was the ferociousness of the beastmen race. All they cared about was glory in winning wrestles. No matter how many died, more would replace them.

'Curse it,' Dusken thought, dodging more arrows. Things were becoming bad for him as the arrows blanketed the sky.

It seemed that nothing could save him, but he grinned.

His head snapped back as an arrow zipped past his previous position. He twisted his body, narrowly avoiding another shot.

The other children screamed in terror, some managed to break free of their bindings in time to escape the deadly rain of arrows, others weren't so lucky and were struck down before they could react.

In the chaos, Dusken didn't hesitate. He summoned his soul script and checked the description of his talent ability.

Talent Ability: [Darkshadow Manipulation]

Talent Ability Description: [Darkness and shadows are yours to control, and you can share their perception.]

Dusken's eyes gleamed as he evaded another arrow. Previously, he had needed the darkness to share its senses with him. But with this ability, he could sense through the darkness without asking for its help.

It was like going to someone's house and taking whatever he wanted without them saying a word. Freedom. Absolute freedom.

This thought crossed his mind as he rolled on the ground, narrowly avoiding an arrow that grazed his ribs, before quickly getting back up.

The words on his soul script changed again, revealing his spell card:

Spell Name: [Nightfall Whisper]

Spell Status: [Dormant]

Spell Effect: [Since the early twilight of time, the world has been shrouded in darkness and shadows, drowning in rivers of nothingness, from which a whisper was born - the songs of the night.]

Dormant. This meant the spell wouldn't consume his magical energy, and he could use it at any time. But still…

'What the actual fuck?' Dusken cursed inwardly as he read the description. What he wanted was power to pursue what made him human, not this.

'No real description of its power, just some nonsensical poem. No wonder it doesn't need magical energy.' He shook his head.

Once again, he dodged an arrow that flew dangerously close to his face. He began to run deeper into the forest, taking this opportunity to escape. Some of the other children were already doing the same.

Dusken's sharp gaze scanned the area. He knew the other eight candidates were among the children, hidden somewhere in the chaos.

He had bore their looks to his mind, yet, he didn't recognise any of the children he saw. It was understandable. In this trial, they weren't ten year olds whose body hadn't fully developed, instead they were certified 15 to 16 year olds.

Suddenly, creatures charged from the depths of the forest, attacking the escaping children without warning.

A creature lunged at Dusken, pulling him from his thoughts. Its hunger was evident in its wild eyes. It resembled a lizard but was much larger. Its head was massive, and its slightly parted maw revealed rows of sharp, glinting teeth.

A spine rose from its back like a bent rod, and its rocky tail swung viciously. The creature's four legs were covered with needle-like claws that could pierce through anything.

Dusken felt a wave of urgency. As the words on his soul script shifted again, the description of his innate ability appeared:

Innate Ability: [Dark Flame]

Innate Ability Description: [The depths of your soul are ignited by the flames of darkness, a mystical fire found in the abyss that holds untold powers.]

Dusken nodded in contemplation. For some reason, he found this dark flame to be slightly familiar, but he couldn't remember what it was and also the power it wielded.

However, the cryptic descriptions were driving him mad, since he needed the power, not what it is or how it came to be.

He suddenly threw himself to the ground, rolling away just in time to avoid a slash from the creature.

"Kerch!" The beast emitted a strange, almost mental sound that seemed to echo in Dusken's mind.

His head throbbed, and his vision blurred as his eyes went bloodshot. The monster was somehow affecting his mind with those sounds.

With clenched fists, Dusken commanded his soul script, and it changed once more:

Material Card Name: [Dark sword]

Card Rank: [Awakened]

Card Level: 1

Card Description: [A blade gifted to you by the god of darkness.]

Card Enchantments: [Flash of Shadow]

Dusken immediately backed away as the creature lunged at him. He dismissed the soul script - he could check the details later.

Leaping back with impressive speed, his leap covering more than ten steps, Dusken marveled at how agile he had become, now that he was level one awakened.

He could feel the magical energy coursing through his veins. Every muscle, every fibre of his body was filled with such power.

The fact that he could harness magical energy made him even more formidable, however, he still had to get used to the strengths of level one.

"Kreeeech!!"

The beast screeched as it pounced at Dusken. He intended to leap two steps backwards, but the force of his light jump pushed him to more than 6 steps.

Although he dodged with a precise movement, it was still a bit awkward to have missed his target by such a wide margin.

Dusken knew that he had to get used to the sudden boost in strength before he could fight evenly with a level one creature.

The monster, who had missed its target, perched on a huge tree, then it pushed against the trunk of the tree and propelled itself toward Dusken.

Its speed was mind numbing. It flew in a circular motion, spiralling through the air as it closed on Dusken. Without using any flashing methods, Dusken simply sidestepped.

As the creature flew past him by mere inches, he grabbed its tail and swung it toward a nearby tree. His lean muscles bulged as he succeeded in hurling the creature with unexpected strength.

With a loud crash, the creature slammed into the tree, a painful scream reverberating through the area.

Dusken quickly scanned his surroundings. Some children had been killed by the beasts; blood stained the ground, and the stench of death was unbearable. Others were still running or putting up a fight.

His gaze locked onto the monster ahead of him. It stood on the tree, its body bent as its claws pierced the trunk for stability.

"Kerch!!!"

The creature launched itself at him once again with neck-breaking speed, but Dusken's cold eyes followed its every move. His feet shifted, and his body followed in perfect sync.

The sound of wind tearing through the air accompanied the arrows that were now flying toward them.

Dusken grabbed one of the arrows mid-flight and held it firmly as if it were a dagger, his heart pounding in excitement, anticipating the fierce battle.

Frustrated, the creature continued to scream. It lunged at him again, its claws aimed directly for his heart.

Dusken readied himself, prepared for the next move.