“But, why?” The prince asked. His voice had raised a few notches, betraying his frustration and confusion.

The man lowered himself even deeper, his forehead practically grazing the ground beneath him. The humble display of respect was not lost on the prince, who eyed the man with a mix of curiosity and suspicion. The man's words were measured and deliberate, spoken with a hint of uncertainty that only added to the intensity of the situation at hand.

"I do not know, milord," the man said, his voice even lower than a whisper. His words were barely audible, and even the prince had to lean forward to make out what the man was saying. "Demise has not passed the target yet, only for all of the members to be alert and ready. He seems to have no intentions to be secretive this time."

The man hesitated once more, but continued before the queen could tell him to do so.

“If I may… it feels like the precursor to a war, milords.”

The king, his regal countenance creased with worry and frustration, leaned back into the sturdy embrace of his wooden chair. The polished surface of the table before him gleamed in the flickering light of the nearby torches, casting an eerie glow over the somber proceedings. With a deep sigh, he cupped his face in his calloused hands, his fingers digging into the rough skin of his cheeks as if searching for some form of solace.

"This damned son of mine..." His voice trailed off.

For a moment, the king sat in silence, his mind racing as he tried to piece together the events that had led him to this point. He had always known that ruling a kingdom was a difficult task, but he had never anticipated that his own flesh and blood would prove to be such a thorn in his side.

As he sat there, lost in thought, the king couldn't help but wonder what his son was up to. What new scheme was he hatching, what fresh hell was he preparing to unleash upon the kingdom? The very thought sent a shiver down the king's spine, his heart heavy with the weight of his responsibility.

He let out a deep sigh as he completed his sentence, exhaustion vivid on his aged face. “...just what is he upto…?”

*

As Achylys lifted his finger, the air around him crackled with electricity. He focused his willpower and directed it towards the tree in front of him. With a fierce determination, he repeated the same term for the umpteenth time.

"Sole Thunder!"

With a sudden burst of energy that seemed to emanate from the very depths of his being, Achylys unleashed a bolt of white lightning from his outstretched finger. The ability crackled and sparked as it built up within him, causing his arm to tremble and his body to shake with the sheer force of the energy coursing through him.

As he released the ability, the lightning bolt streaked towards the tree in front of him with blinding speed, its brilliance illuminating his surroundings. The very air seemed to crackle and hum with the power of the ability, and Achylys watched silently as the bolt made contact with the tree.

However, all that appeared was a small black dot on the tree’s trunk, marking the place where the spell had hit. But Achylys was not demotivated by its seemingly minor effect. After all, that was what he expected the result would be. The trees in this forest were lightning proof, after all, which was why Achylys had decided to experiment his new ability in this place.

The true extent of damage might not be visible in this forest, Host, but I swear it’s a strong ability.

“I believe you,” Achylys replied with a small smile. “I can feel the power hidden within it, after all.”

And he truly could. He was not bluffing. When he decided to check out the new ability he’d gained after defeating the Forest King, it was purely to know all the weapons in his arsenal. He truly did not expect it to be even this… good. He didn’t know how effectively it’d work against the natives of this world, but he could feel the heat it radiated. Just the heat itself would probably burn someone’s skin off in his past world.

Achylys muttered to himself, his voice barely above a whisper, "Well, either way, an ability is an ability." It was a mantra that he had repeated to himself countless times before, a reminder that in a world where might makes right, even the smallest advantage could mean the difference between victory and defeat.

At least he wasn’t as powerless as before. In his line of work, powerlessness was a death sentence - one that he had narrowly escaped time and time again. Even a toy gun was better than having no guns in your arsenal. At least with a toy gun, you could hit people in their eyes and blind them, you could smack their heads with the gun itself, you could act like the toy gun was a real gun… The options were endless.

I agree, Host.

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“Right.” Achylys couldn’t help but sigh. “Time to get back to walking.”

We’re close, Host. You’re so so close.

Achylys let out a short, sarcastic chuckle, which echoed slightly through the now darkening forest. He couldn't help but feel a twinge of self mockery as he laughed. "You've told me that about fifteen times by now," he repeated, his tone laced with a hint of exasperation.

As he spoke, Achylys's mind wandered back to the minimap he had been staring at for what felt like hours. He had studied it meticulously, trying to get a sense of the terrain and distance. But despite his efforts, he couldn't shake the feeling that the map was playing tricks on him. The end looked so close. So, so close. A flick or two, at most.

Then again, even he was not so naive as to trust the map's scale. He knew better than anyone that maps were never a reliable indicator of distance or size. If there was one thing he’d learnt back at the DMHA, it was to never trust magical maps. Or magical and digital minimaps. Those were usually worse.

No, in actuality. You’re actually really close. Can’t you see the trees thinning, Host?

Achylys nodded. It was true. As he looked around, he couldn't help but notice the subtle change in the landscape once more. The once dense forest was thinning, giving way to occasional rocks and other flora. It was a small difference, almost negligible, but it was there.

However, he couldn’t help but feel something was off. No matter for how long he walked—

“Wake up.”

—nor to which direction he walked, the forest seemed endless. He even climbed the trees! Even from the top of the trees, all he saw was trees stretching in all directions. Wait. Why were trees stretching in all directions?

“Wake up.”

Why was there not a crater? There was supposed to be a crater. Which crater? Some crater. There was a crater that looked like poop on the map. He strongly remembered that. He strongly did. Truly strongly.

“Wake up.”

“Wait.” Achylys let out a gasp. “The Forest King. It died. What the hell? Where’s the crater? Where am I?”

Achylys suddenly felt an unfamiliar sense of unease creeping up on him. As he stood there, he couldn't help but feel a strange sensation in his body. His surroundings turned misty, and the weight of his head seemed to be increasing by the second. Achylys felt as though he was submerged in water; the dense fog and lack of oxygen suffocating him.

The sudden onset of this condition left Achylys reeling, and he began to feel his heart tighten within his chest. His thoughts raced as he tried to understand what was happening to him. Was this some kind of magical attack? Had he been poisoned? Or was it something else entirely?

Despite the barrage of thoughts that filled his mind, Achylys remained calm and composed, as befitting of a true researcher. He focused on his breathing, trying to slow it down and take in as much oxygen as possible. But the thick mist seemed to be getting thicker by the second, and the lack of air was beginning to take its toll on his body.

Achylys closed his eyes and tried to block out the noise around him. He could feel his head spinning, not from panic, but from the sheer lack of oxygen. It was as if his body was being starved of the very thing it needed to survive, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

And then, he felt a stinging sensation on his cheek.

Achylys blinked, and the world around him spun and blurred like he was on drugs. Eventually, after god knows how long, his surroundings finally faded into darkness. When he opened his eyes again, he found himself lying on the all so familiar cold, hard forest ground, his head throbbing with pain. Even as he struggled to regain his senses, his attention drifted to the man standing over him.

The man standing over him was a formidable figure, with broad shoulders and an imposing stature that seemed to dwarf the forest around them. His muscular build was accentuated by the tattered clothes he wore, which hung loosely on his frame and spoke of a life of hardship and toil.

Despite the ruggedness of his appearance, there was a kindness in his eyes that Achylys knew was rare to find. The man's piercing blue eyes seemed to bore into his soul, glinting with concern as he peered down at him with his makeshift mask wrapped tightly around his chin. The mask was a peculiar creation, cobbled together from bits and pieces of scrap metal and leather, which gave the man an almost neighborly feel.

Achylys couldn't help but feel melancholic and philosophical for a few seconds, wondering what kind of person this man was and what he had been through to end up here, standing over him in this strange place.

As he tried to sit up, Achylys realized that his body felt heavy and unresponsive. It was as if he had been asleep for days, or even weeks. His limbs felt numb and sluggish, and his head was swimming with a dizzying sensation that made it hard to think straight.

Danger! Toxic gas detected. Toxic gas has directly assimilated into the air.

Danger! Toxic gas detected. Toxic gas has directly assimilated into the air.

Danger! Toxic gas detected. Toxic gas has directly assimilated into the air!

Toxic gas being nullified. Body’s defense system activated.

Gas has been detoxified. Resistance to poison gas B!28A64 has been gained.

Lingering effects of the gas are still present. Unable to awaken the Host immediately.

Attempting to awaken the Host.

Attempt to awaken the Host successful.