Outlands, Serisis.
9:26 a.m. 16th Banem 1092.
"Let's die?" GrizzlyDiamond snorted as he strode to the front. "Do you seriously believe you have the right to trade your life with one of ours?" The mighty knight looked at Brilith and asked, "Let me handle this. There's no need for you to get involved."
Brilith leaked a light smile as she regarded Ragnaf with disdain. "Make it quick. I want to explore this country afterward."
"Wh-what do you mean?" Uthman demanded in shock. "You said you were going to help them."
"Ah, that's right, I almost forgot you are still here," Brilith murmured as she looked at the dwarf. "Thank you for your services. You can rest now."
Uthman blinked. "Rest? What do you me—urk!" The dwarf clutched his throat, unable to complete his sentence because of a massive cut. Blood leaked through Uthman's fingers as he struggled in vain to keep the blood from rushing out of his throat. Unfortunately, his efforts proved useless, and within a few seconds, he was sprawled on the earth and breathed his last.
Above his body, Roro took out a handkerchief from her pouch, gently wiped the blood off her dagger, and then tossed the bloodied cloth on the dwarf's corpse. Silence descended on the land as Rudega and Ragnaf accepted the cruel reality before them.
Rudega looked from Uthman to the Summoned surrounding his corpse in disbelief. Even worse, he recognized the disdain in their eyes. Those were the eyes of someone who had slain a being lesser than themselves. Roro, in particular, had disgust in her eyes, like she lamented using her blade on such a creature.
"You Bastards!" Rudega roared in rage and was about to rush at Roro, but a heavy hand clamped on his shoulder and held him in place. "Let me go!" the dwarf angrily roared as he looked up at Ragnaf. However, he paused when he saw the rage in the orc's eyes.
To Rudega, this might be the first time someone looked at him with those eyes, but Ragnaf had faced those eyes since his very first memory. A half-breed orc-elf whose heritage was unknown was always destined to suffer in the orc community that valued strength above all else. His mixed heritage caused his body to mutate strangely. He was not as muscular as other orcs, and his tusks were like toothpicks compared to other of his tribe. Even worse, his features were smooth and graceful instead of other orcs' sharp, jagged features.
This led to a life of ridicule and bullying while growing up. However, rather than get discouraged, Ragnaf trained harder than anyone until he seized the crown of champion in the arena. Only then did those disdainful eyes turn into respect.
The eyes of the Summoned were the same as those eyes he saw in the past. In that case, there was only one thing to do.
"Don't lose your head," Ragnaf said as he tightened his grip on Rudega's shoulder. "If they don't respect us, we only have to beat it into them." The orc looked down at Rudega and said, "Take care of Durst. No matter what, in the end, their main target is you guys. I'm just collateral. I'll go kill as many as I can. I'm not good with my head so you think of a way to get us out of this."
"Get out of this?" GrizzlyDiamond chuckled as he stepped forward. "I thought you wanted to die with us? You want to run away, coward?"
"Don't misunderstand," Ragnaf said as he brandished his ax. The orc's body burst with terrifying ki as he approached the knight. "I just realized dying will satisfy your disgusting faces. So, I'll live. I'll kill as many of you as I can and live. I wonder if that face will remain the same afterward."
"You need my permission to live or die," GrizzlyDiamond replied in a low tone as his body erupted with monstrous ki no lesser than Ragnaf's.
The warriors' aura clashed before they even met, causing space to twist and distort from the sheer strength.
"Then die!" GrizzlyDiamond roared as he burst forward and swung his ax down with the force of a mad bear.
"You first!" Ragnaf retorted as he stood his ground and swiped upward with his ax, carrying along the momentum of a raging bull.
BOOOM!
???
9:40 a.m. 15th Banem 1092.
BOOOM!
Within a brightly lit cave at a hidden corner of the world, a red-haired warrior gritted his teeth as he was sent sliding backward from a clash. On the other side, a 30ft long earth dragon wailed in fury as it retracted its tail and then glared at the warrior. It roared and then breathed a column of flame at him, intended on burning him to ash.
The flames soon obscured the dragon's view of the warrior, but before it could celebrate its win, a giant scythe-like ki blade cut through the flames, revealing the man at its center, unscathed.
The man breathed hard as he brushed his hair back and tied it, revealing a handsome, rugged youth.
Hektor's eyes were cold but filled with unwavering confidence as he glared at the monster before him. Gone was the brash youth who struggled in front of those tiny monsters. Over forty floors of this hell-zone had forcefully sharpened that gemstone of a young man into a shining warrior.
The current Hektor only wore a pair of pants crafted from dragon leather, as most of the gear he'd found in the dungeon was promptly destroyed after a fight or two. Luckily, these pants had a self-repair function, so as long as it wasn't entirely destroyed during a battle, it would repair itself afterward.
Hektor glanced at the dragon and then strode towards it with a bone broadsword rested on his shoulder. Someone who saw this youth for the first time would assume he was the reincarnation of an ancient general that had graced the battlefield for decades. Such was the regality and power expounded by each step that even the dragon's heart tremored.
But of course, this was only natural. After fighting, and eating dragon meat and blood over the past weeks, some of the dragons' innate regality had begun to fuse with Hektor, transforming him from a regular fighter to a dignified warrior.
Hektor glared at the opposing dragon. He had a feeling this was the final guardian. He would be considered to have completed this training as long as he defeated this dragon. Hektor grinned as he quickened his steps and then broke into a full sprint. "Die for me!"
The dragon, in reply, roared and bit down at him!
CLANG!
CLANG!
GrizzlyDiamond and Ragnaf slid away from each other, propelled by the massive torrential force of their clashes. However, no sooner had they separated did they rush back at each other and once again traded a variety of blows.
Sparks flew, and winds generated by stray ki blew across the battlefield as the warriors' battle grew even more fervent. Hundreds of blows were exchanged in the span of a few seconds, with either warrior seeking to gain the upper hand.
It was the kind of battle where neither side even had the chance to pull off their special moves or skills. Each skill required at least a microsecond of preparation, but either warriors' harsh blades denied them even that chance.
However, experienced warriors always found a way. GrizzlyDiamond went forward with a heavy strike, which Rangaf responded to in kind. The resulting clash predictably sent both warriors sliding backward. However, this time, GrizzlyDiamond stretched out his sword and rotated in place as he slid back. Within the span of a microsecond, he soon turned into a whirlwind of death, as dense ki-blades shrouded his spinning form.
[Whirlwind] was a famous and scary warrior skill. It turned the user into a spinning top that tracked and cut down enemies. The dense ki blades surrounding the practitioner acted as both offense and defense, allowing the user to cut through its enemies without fear of retaliation.
Faced with the rapidly approaching spinning top, Ragnaf surprisingly did not attempt to dodge. Instead, he grasped his ax and injected ki into it. With a powerful snort, he flung it at the top of the approaching whirlwind. The ax's speed caused its form to blur into a circular disk as it approached the whirlwind.
To everyone's shock, the disk cut through the whirlwind's ki-defenses. The whirlwind scattered, revealing a shocked GrizzlyDiamond who had a large cut on his cheek. If he had not bent his head at the last moment, his skull would most likely have been cleaved in half.
"As expected, you Summoned rely too much on battle skills," Ragnaf taunted as the ax spun through the air and returned to his grip. "None of you are true warriors," the orc scoffed with disgust. "I've seen all I wanted to see," Ragnaf said with a disappointed groan. His eyes then grew sharp as he finished, "Time for you to die."
"I'll pluck those eyes out!" GrizzlyDiamond roared in rage as he charged at the orc. He gathered ki in his sword and swung his blade low at the left side of the orc's abdomen. He intended to force the orc to defend awkwardly and then grab an advantage to finish him off.
However, things did not go as planned.
First, Ragnaf did not bother with defense but instead swung his ax at GrizzlyDiamond's head with reckless abandon.
GrizzlyDiamond's eyes widened with shock as he realized this orc really wanted to trade their lives.
Ragnaf snorted as he said, "Who wants to trade lives with you?" Just as he said that, his left arm suddenly dropped to his side and received the sword blow in place of his abdomen. Surprisingly, the sword failed to cleave through as expected. Instead, it cut halfway through and then stopped.
GrizzlyDiamond tried to pull out the sword but panicked when he realized that Ragnaf's muscles had tightly clamped on the blade, rendering it impossible to remove in a short period.
Meanwhile, Ragnaf's ax was now only inches away from GrizzlyDiamond's head. Realizing the severity of the situation, GrizzlyDiamond let go of his sword's handle and swiftly retreated.
"A warrior who willingly let's go of his sword," Ragnaf taunted as he pulled the blade out from his arm, following which a massive torrent of blood poured out from the damaged veins and arteries. However, GrizzlyDiamond's eyes twitched as he watched the blood flow gradually slow down as the arm began to heal. That's right. He had forgotten about the orc clan's cheat-like regenerative abilities.
This was the reason orcs were feared so much on the battlefield. Orcs' rapid regeneration meant they could afford to take more damage to kill their enemy. This was also why the other races agreed to exile the orcs rather than wipe them out. The consequences would have been horrendous.
"You dare to call yourself a warrior?" Ragnaf taunted as he threw the sword on the ground and snorted. The orc brandished his ax and then burst forward with indomitable speed. "Die!" He struck down at GrizzlyDiamond, who was momentarily frozen in place by the orcs' aura.
GrizzlyDiamond's eyes shrunk as he watched the ax blade grow larger, blocking out everything in sight. Just when it seemed like he would lose his head, a heavy gale blasted past him and slammed into Ragnaf.
The force was so heavy that the orc coughed up blood as he was sent flying backward. Ragnaf crashed to the ground with a heavy thud, and remained still for a moment as he struggled to gather his bearings.
GrizzlyDiamond looked over his shoulder to see two large vines writhing behind him. Ah, Brilith had saved him. Moments after, the warrior's face contorted with rage. To think he almost lost his life here at the hands of a mere NPC. This damned! Fire burning in his eyes, GrizzlyDiamond walked forward and picked up his sword.
"GrizzlyDiamond," Renark called after a moment's hesitation. "This battle is your loss. Do not be disrespectful. Finish it in one blow."
"Shut up!" GrizzlyDiamond shot back, rage burning in his eyes. "A battle is something that happens between equals." The warrior walked over to Ragnaf's body, raised his sword, and then said. "We are not equals. This is an extermination." With those words, GrizzlyDiamond swung down.
The blade rushed toward Ragnaf's abdomen. It was clear GrizzlyDiamond did not care to finish off the orc in one strike.
Clang!
However, just when the blade was inches away from Ragnaf's skin, a heavy projectile collided against GrizzlyDiamond's blade. The warrior cursed out loud as the force knocked the sword out of his hand, injuring the webbing between his thumb and index finger.
"Who!?" GrizzlyDiamond shouted as he looked in the direction of the arrow. There, off in the distance, he spotted a small regiment of beastkin soldiers. With a bow in hand, at the head of the army, stood a fiery young woman with a stern expression.
"Who am I?" Chu Ling repeated with a sneer. The young general demanded with a roar that shook the heavens and the earth. "Who the hell are you!?"
???
Hektor breathed a sigh of relief as he sat down and rested his back against a large object. Surprisingly, this object was the corpse of the great Earth Dragon from earlier. The little brash youth from back then had grown into a character capable of solo hunting dragons on his own. Who knew how strong he was now?
Hektor took a moment to collect himself and then walked to the exit of that floor. He looked up at a massive ten-meter door hewn into the wall and knew he had come to the end of his journey.
The young man took in a deep breath and pushed the door open. The doors opened to a large cavern, which was at least three times bigger than the last one. However, this gigantic cave only housed a single broadsword stabbed into the center of the room.
Was this the reward for the dungeon? Hektor approached the sword and inspected it. The sword hilt and blade was as black as night, with no signs of rust or dust on it. The hilt was adorned with the skulls of creatures he could not identify, and the blade was as tall as he was.
Hektor sensed a terrifying bloodlust and rage from the weapon, but where he might have hesitated a few weeks ago, he boldly reached out and grabbed the weapon's hilt. "Submit!"
"It won't be that easy to make it submit." A deep, aged voice replied with a hint of sarcasm.
Hektor looked up at the man who had appeared next to the sword. The red-haired man bore the regality of a noble, his black and red jacket reminiscent of what Hektor had seen princes don, but at the same time, there was untamable savagery in the man's red eyes which beat out even the most ferocious berserkers.
However, more importantly, horrendous amount of ki and mana leaked out of this man, leaving Hektor short of breath. However, the young man refused to cower in fear. Gritting his teeth, Hektor tightened his grip on the broadsword as he asked, "Who are you?"
The red-haired man leaked out a smile. "For now, you can call me Razz."
"Razz?" Hektor frowned as he repeated the familiar word. For some reason, he felt like he should know this name. Furthermore, it was a critical name. But try as he might, he could not recall its origins.
Razznik looked upon Hektor's struggle with a blank expression. "Do not waste your time. You will not be able to recall my name no matter how hard you try."
Hektor's frown deepened as he glared at the man before him. "What did you do to me?"
"I temporarily sealed the portion of your memories pertaining to me," Razznik replied with a flat tone. "Do not worry. They will be unsealed after the test is over. If you survive, that is."
"Why!?" Hektor challenged with a low growl. He hated the idea of having his mind easily infiltrated by this dangerous man who came from gods know where.
"Why? Why did you come here? Why did you endure through this dungeon to reach this very point?" Razznik calmly replied with a question of his own.
Hektor did not know why, but even though he did not want to give the man the satisfaction of a reply, he felt an urge to answer, "To get stronger, of course."
"Therein lies your reason," Razznik revealed. "Knowledge is not always good. Right now, your knowledge of my origin will only hinder your path to get stronger. Hence, I temporarily blocked it."
Hektor's brows bunched together in stressed thought. "I don't like it. I want to make the decision myself."
"You seem to be under a misunderstanding," Razznik coolly said as a gargantuan pressure akin to the weight of a mountain suddenly crashed down on Hektor. Razznik's fiery eyes glared at the youth as the latter coughed up blood. "This is not a request. I am merely informing you of the process. You lost the right to negotiate the moment you forced your way down here and gripped the sword's hilt. You will now undergo my test. Be warned, however, that you shall perish if you fail, and join the rest of these fools."
"Fools?" Hektor repeated in a confused stupor.
At the child's word, Razznik snapped his finger. Immediately, space itself seemed to twist and distort, as if it was a fabric being grabbed by a seamstress. With a slight tug, the veil was removed, revealing the interior's true form.
Hektor's eyes narrowed as he gazed upon the numerous hills composed entirely of skeleton bones. Some were fully intact, while others were shattered to the point they might as well be dust. "These are?"
"Yes, these are adventurers who were lucky enough to stumble upon this dungeon or had backings from great families and countries," Razznik revealed. "They all challenged the test and failed, leaving their little lives behind." His eyes burned with a savage fire as he said, "You will take this test. Whether you prevail or fall like these fools is entirely upon your shoulders alone."
Hektor gritted his teeth and frowned. He could tell there was no way he could escape from this man. However, even as he faced this fatal predicament, the youth's eyes slowly began to light up with a defiant flame. Hektor had always been the type to rush headfirst into danger. Now, Razznik's words had provoked that innate, stubborn fighting spirit.
Hektor clenched his fists as he looked at Razznik. "What is the test?"
Razznik nodded. Though his fierce expression did not show it, he was impressed by the boy's spirit at the very least. Over 90% of the challengers lost their will upon seeing the skeleton hills, but it had the opposite effect on this child. That alone was commendable. "I will test your skills."
"Skills?" Hektor raised a brow in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"The difference between two equally powerful warriors is determined by their skills," Razznik explained.
Hektor frowned. "I was raised in a poor village. I don't have any powerful skills. The two I know right now, I learned in this dungeon. There's a third, but," Hektor looked at his right arm with a sad sigh, "It's sealed."
"Such skills are superfluous," Razznik chided as he placed his arms behind his back. "The most important skill is learning how to control each part of your body to the fullest. Only when you have mastered your ki can you begin to claim you have skills."
Razznik waved his hand, and a rockbiter rat appeared on the ground in front of Hektor. "The skill you learned. Use it on that rat."
Hektor looked at Razznik with suspicion but then turned his attention to the rat. He took in a deep breath, gathered his ki at the base of his throat, and then let out a deafening roar.
The rockbiter rat stiffened as a deathly aura enveloped it. Blood seeped out of its ears, and it immediately toppled over and fainted. Hektor looked over at Razznik, expecting praise, but he was only met with a stern glare.
Razznik snapped his finger, and this time, an ant floated in the air in front of Hektor. "Use that skill on this ant."
Hektor, confused, repeated the skill once again. Suffice to say, the ant instantly perished under the assault. However, Hektor weakly staggered. The second roar had taken a lot out of him. As expected of a skill he had copied from the dragons. Its ki usage was extremely unbearable.
Razznik glared at the teen and rebuked, "Waste. Do you still not understand?"
Hektor, who had not expected to be reprimanded, paused and reconsidered what just transpired. He utilized the dragon's roar on the rockbiter rat and the ant. Both were successful, but they left him exhausted. Wait? Why was he so exhausted despite facing a rockbiter rat and an ant? "Could it be?" Hektor muttered as he looked up at Razznik.
"Good, you are not entirely stupid," Razznik snorted. "You faced two enemies of vastly different strength, yet you utilized the same skill at the same amplitude. This is what people call using a hammer to crack an egg or using a treasured sword to truss a chicken. You, like most stupid Summoned and Residents, do not understand your bodies and ki. Because of this, you end up wasting more energy than you need during battles. A slightly more skilled opponent can use this gap to easily destroy you."
Hektor's eyes shook as he knew Razznik was telling the truth. He had watched Kashi fight, and it seemed the daeben always used the necessary amount of ki for a situation without any waste.
Hektor looked at his right arm and recalled how he used to indiscriminately pour all the energy in Sram's mark into his ax as a finisher. Why had he never tried to make that energy his? Why did he never consider utilizing it in more skillful ways?
Razznik clapped, drawing Hektor out of his thoughts. "Good, this is why I prefer warriors who live for the sword. I only have to say a few words, and you are already applying it to your situation." Razznik stepped forward, causing Hektor to let go of the sword's hilt and retreat involuntarily.
However, before the youth could go too far, Razznik disappeared from his sight, appeared right in front of him, and grasped the youth's right hand.
"Sram's mark, is it?" Razznik said as he examined the arm. "I see. She has yet to fully choose you as her champion. That works out fine." Razznik looked at Hektor and said, "Boy, would you like to be my champion? I can easily wipe out this mark."
Hektor's body violently trembled like a thunderstorm had been unleashed in his heart. The youth did not know why, but he felt like he would be unrivaled in the world if he accepted the man's proposal. However, in the end, he gritted his teeth and shook his head. "I have already contracted myself to a god. Unless she releases me, I will not choose another."
Crackle!
As soon as Hektor said those words, the space to his right suddenly cracked open like it was a piece of glass being shattered. The youth watched, wide-eyed as a fiery, scantily-clad, black-haired woman emerged from within the crack. A savage aura akin to the roar of a primordial beast shook the entire cavern as the woman made her appearance, and the air seemed to saturate with the thick scent of blood.
This was the power befitting the lone god to have survived Razznik's rampage. This was the power befitting Sram, the god of war.
"Well said!" Sram said as she grasped Hektor's right arm and glared at Razznik. "A mere remnant dare still what is mine?"
'I never said I'm yours, though.' Hektor inwardly protested, but he knew better than to speak up at this moment. Although he might not fear these gods due to Kashi's influence, he was still very mindful of their strength. If he messed around too much, he wouldn't even know how he died. However, the word remnant did pique his interest, "Remnant?"
"Of course, just a remnant," Sram replied with a disdainful snort. "The real deal can never appear in this world again. We made sure of that. This is just a memory stuck to that sword. Should I call it a sword spirit? Do not fret. This thing is not even 1% as strong as the real deal."
Sword spirit? Hektor's gaze shook as he stared at the man before him and then at the sword. This thing that felt so unfathomable was a simple sword spirit? Then just how strong was the real deal? Wouldn't he just suffocate to death in the real Razz's presence?
Sram, not realizing the severe psychological blow her reveal had caused to Hektor, frowned as she glared at Razznik—ah, no, the sword spirit. "What do you want? You know I will not let you erase my mark. Who knows when next I will find a suitable champion."
The sword spirit's gaze remained even, but its fingers twitched as it struggled to refrain from attacking Sram. Be it then, now, or forever, Razznik had and would always be a creature of battle. Upon meeting Sram, the first and foremost thought in his mind was to battle against her even though he knew his current form was not her match.
Luckily for Hektor, who would have been crushed to paste had these two started going at it, the sword spirit managed to curb its desire. It looked at Sram as it said, "Bestow your full mark on that child right now if you do not want him to die."
Sram frowned and roared as a fierce gale erupted and blasted toward the sword spirit. "What!? You dare order me!?"
"The true test is about to begin in a moment," The sword spirit calmly replied even as it was enveloped in the tornado. It's jacket barely ruffled in the fierce wind, and its relaxed expression looked more like it was enjoying a midsummer's night breeze. "If that child does not have your full mark, he will definitely perish."
"A mere sword spirit dare threaten me!?"
The sword spirit's eyes burned with an enthusiasm that did not lose out to the god of war's in any way. "You can try to interfere. However, I will definitely kill that child the moment you do, then fight you as you wish. As I'm sure you know, I cannot be killed unless you break that sword or the test is complete." The sword spirit's aura exploded outward, and for the first time, Hektor knew what it felt like to drop into the pits of hell. "Are you capable of breaking that sword?"
If Sram's aura possessed the savageness of a primordial beast, then the sword spirit's aura contained an endless sea of bloodlust. When it exploded, the very air itself was dyed red by the blood, and Hektor choked as he felt he was drowning in a sea of blood.
Sram's eyes furrowed, but upon noticing Hektor's pained expression, she withdrew her aura, following which the sword spirit did the same, thereby releasing Hektor from certain death. "I was planning on giving him the full mark anyway. I have been thoroughly impressed by the valor he has shown in this dungeon over the past weeks."