“Hah? A child?”
The grizzly-faced warrior eyed Zeke with surprise. He was still holding the massive axe but didn’t seem hostile as if he didn’t consider Zeke or the rest a threat.
“Travelers or merchants, I presume?”
Although still startled by their abrupt arrival, Zeke solemnly nodded his head. He was on full-alert and especially a warrior of the man. He had killed that winged beast with one swing, making it clear that he was equipped with incredible physical prowess.
If he was attacked, Zeke would be hard-pressed to defend himself or flee. Fortunately, however, the new arrivals lowered their weapons and gazed at him inquisitively.
“This is a distance away from the main road. Not only is it dangerous but…”
The man’s eyes narrowed as he focused his gaze on Sulong, whom he presumed was the leader, “It’s also our territory.”
Sulong cursed under his breath and glared at Jack, who repeatedly insisted that he was adept at reading maps.
It was kind of odd that they haven’t met anyone and the ‘road’ was filled with thick layers of snow, but since the driver, Jack, reassured them they were on the right course, they didn’t question anything.
As it turned out, they were completely off-course, which was why they encountered that winged creature.
“Pardon us, we didn’t mean to come here. We thought we were on the main road.” Apologetically said Zeke.
As he saw Zeke take the lead instead of the bald Sulong, the man furrowed his brows and thought for a moment before heartily laughing
“No worries, kid!” He then paused, shook his head, and clicked his tongue, his eyes still glued to the frail-looking youth,
“I have to say… what are they feeding you out there? You kids from the big cities are thinner than our babies. Even my son can blow you away with a fart.”
“...”
Rendered speechless, Zeke opted to keep his silence rather than argue with the man. It didn’t seem he was purposely mocking him but just lamenting over something.
“I’m Roger! These are my fellow warriors, Verso and K’hart!”
Zeke shook hands with Roger only to have his hand almost crushed by his monstrous and natural strength.
While clenching and unclenching his numb hand, Zeke walked next to the three warriors while Jack drove the van and followed them. To avoid any unnecessary complications, Sulong stayed at the back and made sure Arbert was out of view.
After all, as the spawn of the Blood God, he might emit an invisible and ominous aura, which could possibly be felt by someone as strong as Roger. Therefore, it was best to keep things secretive and get on with this as fast as possible.
In fact, the main road wasn’t that far from their location, though they had to cross a medium-sized snowy cliff. They encountered no trouble, but despite the little time it took, Zeke felt as if it took an eternity due to Roger’s rambling and his excessive actions.
He would poke his back and grasp his thin arm, complaining about his lack of muscles or weak-looking physique.
“We, the Cryo Wolf tribe, are the strongest in the Whitefront Planes! We have safeguarded our homeland for generations!”
“...”
“Then came those marauders from the South!” Roger spat on the ground, anger surfacing on his scary face.
“We beat them senseless and only then did they run away like cowards! Hah! At least the Witches are helpful and reasonable.”
Zeke got to hear about fragment history regarding Roger’s supposedly famous tribe and the Empire’s unsuccessful attempt in subjugating the Western and Southern sectors of the Whitefrost Planes.
Eventually, after an hour, Stella finally entered the main road, which was well-paved and suitable for transportation vehicles.
“It’s been nice meeting you, kid!”
“Ugh… L-like wise!”
Zeke was ‘patted’ on the back, which almost made him head-first into the snowy ground. With a shaky voice, he reciprocated Roger’s heartfelt words and they soon separated ways.
It was fortunate that this whole matter proceeded smoothly and they were even escorted to a relatively safer place.
“Now I feel more motivated to train my body.” Grumbled Sulong as he looked to the side, staring at the disappearing back of the three warriors.
In comparison to Roger, even the muscular Sulong was like an ant. He was taller than average adults, but, apparently, the members of the Cryo Wolf tribe were gifted with a remarkable physique that was highly resistant to the blistering cold.
“He spoke of a blessing. Do you think it’s true?” Jack hesitantly asked the quiet Zeke, but he received no response.
“Maybe?” Replied Sulong instead. “Deities and celestial entities exist, so their so-called ‘Fenrir’ must be true too. After seeing their strength and bodies, I’m inclined to believe their ‘blessing’ nonsense. After all, no amount of training will turn you into a giant with a mountain of such well-defined muscles.”
Arbert, whose long crimson hair was tied into a pony-tail that surprisingly suited him, remarked,
“I sensed a lingering trace of divinity in the three of them. The man named Roger, especially, seemed to be blessed by not one but two divinities or Gods.”
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Now that he had grown exponentially, Arbert spoke more coherently. His lack of general knowledge notwithstanding, his perceptive senses and inherently different and unique characteristics allowed him to see and feel more than his companions.
“Oh? Do you know how strong he was? Like an approximation.” Enthusiastically asked Jack, who was hoping to get blessed by a deity too.
With a hand under his chin, imitating his adoptive father when he pondered, Arbert thought for a couple of seconds then gave an elaborate answer,
“He’s weaker than the Elf who attacked us. However, he’s stronger than any other person I’ve met.”
“You haven’t met a lot of people, though…” Dejectedly retorted Jack.
Arbert nodded while softly smiling. “Yes, I met Papa, Uncle Jack, brother Zeke, and that invisible woman who was spying on us in the office.”
Zeke snorted in annoyance the moment Katrina was mentioned. Actually, Sulong already told him that he kept feeling a subtle presence whenever he had visited him, but since they lacked critical evidence, they couldn’t determine who it was.
However, after deliberating for a bit, Zeke was able to guess the identity of the ‘stalker’.
He had met Katrina in the past and knew that she was proficient at stealth and assassination, and since the mysterious person who had followed him didn’t do anything, it wasn’t particularly to link them with Katrina, especially since he had caught a glimpse of her when he briefly fought Azmer’s father.
“Besides the Elf and Roger, the strongest person I sensed was in the shop close to Papa’s office.”
“Shop? What shop?”
“The red one you always look at, Papa.”
“Oh…”
Sulong, a bit embarrassed, averted turned his head away from Zeke’s inquisitive eyes.
“U-um… it’s the local brothel. Its owner and I are… acquaintances.”
“I didn’t ask.”
“Well I’m telling you!” Shouted back Sulong while grunting, his face turning a bit red.
“Heheheh, let me tell you about his c-”
Jack’s mouth was covered by his friend, who slapped his head and silently motioned for him to focus on driving.
…
A couple of days later, after making short stops at an outpost to refill Stella’s fuel, the group of four finally cross the Northern sector of the Whitefrost Planes.
The biome drastically changed, transforming from stretches of snowy cliffs to a range of beautiful green valleys, nter-connecting small rivers, and lush forests.
The van had diverged from the dirt road and halted next to a creek. The weather was warm and welcoming, the blue sky was clear, and the favorable environment enticed them to take a short rest to enjoy the view and plan things.
Jack was humming as he meticulously cleaned the van with Arbert’s help.
Sulong was by the side, doing push-ups, his muscular body covered in sweat.
As for Zeke, he was sitting cross-legged on the grass, finishing the last stretch of the Daily Tasks; meditation.
Although he didn’t particularly care for it when he received the System, he had learned to enjoy meditation due to the intangible benefits it brought him.
It significantly helped clear his mind and bring clarity and serenity. He would ease his troubled heart and isolate himself from reality while controlling his breathing and enjoying this ethereal and ephemeral sensation.
This was a brief moment of respite before the real action began. The information Sulong had gotten was not based on only rumors, so Zeke was confident that he would find traces of the Ascetic Blasphemers or even encounter some of its members.
[Daily Tasks 3/3 completed]
[+3 PE]
[+1 Strength]
[+3 EXP]
While grinning, Zeke opened his Status Window, ecstatic to have finally saved up 50PE for the Death-Walker Path. Instead of unlocking it later, he did it on the spot, hoping that it would provide him with useful skills for what fate was planning for him and the rest.
He might not be that strong in comparison to the big-shots, but he wasn’t alone. Their little group was versatile and decently strong, whether it was Sulong’s scorching crimson flames, Arbert’s potent and diverse Blood Magic, or Zeke’s arsenal of offensive and defensive skills.
Basically, they had the ability to defend themselves in dangerous situations.
[The Death-Walker Main Path has been unlocked!]
[You obtain the Survival Skill ‘Cycle of Life and Death’]
[You obtain the skill ‘At Death’s Door’]
[You obtain the skill ‘Reaper’s Sweep’]
[You gained 10 Aether]
[You gained 5 Agility]
[You gained 5 Strength]
[You gained 25 EXP]
Excited, Zeke immediately checked the new skills. Unbeknown to him, however, his body oozed a sinister black fog that made the other flinch and look at him with surprise.
Arbert, specifically, backed away in fright, only calming down when the fog returned inside the youth’s body.
…
“We should be close now. Any encouraging words, Zeke?”
The four sat around a campfire, which provided a bit of illumination amidst the darkness of the night.
Tomorrow, they would reach their destination and might even encounter Zeke’s targets.
“Hmm…” With a hand under his chin, Zeke swept his gaze across the three of them and responded,
“Don’t die.”
“That sounds awfully discouraging. You’re really bad with words, Zeke.”
“What am I supposed to say, then?” He snappishly retorted at the cheeky man.
“I don’t know! Maybe ‘We will survive this’ or ‘Let’s do this together’. Instead, you tell us not to die? By the gods, we must really fix your shitty attitude.”
“To begin with, we’ve here to investigate, not to recklessly fight. I’m only saying there’s a possibility to get embroiled in their affairs… and a possibility to die. I mean, that’s to be expected!”
“Expected, my ass! Sulong, give me the beer!”
The person in question put his hand in the make-shift freezer and touched the beer, “It’s still warm, though!”
“Arghh! It doesn’t matter! Give me!”
The bald ex-loan shark shrugged and threw a beer to his friend. Seeing him gulp it down in one go, he exchanged glances with Arbert and Zeke, the three heartily laughing at their disheartened companion.
…
“It’s the right way!”
Katrina breathed a sigh of relief as she saw the clear track marks left by the white van, which was last seen leaving the Sunken Metropolis.
Unlike the pursuers sent by the Vyrsan Household, she guessed that Zeke would rather risk traversing the Living Forest then the Whitefrost Planes.
Admittedly, she had her doubts in the beginning, but after seeing the traces left by her quarry, her prior suspicions were ascertained, fortunately.
She was aware of Zeke’s endeavor and his plan of investigating the recent sighting of the Ascetic Blasphemers on the South-east border of the Witch Association.
The young woman lifted her head and looked at the still-present ice bridge, cutting through the large swamp.
She had been slightly delayed due to the unrest spreading across the Living Forest. However, she managed to hold her own and eliminate any beasts that attacked her.
Given her current pace, she wouldn’t be able to catch up to Zeke as she was traveling on foot. Therefore, Katrina was going to take a dangerous shortcut to increase her pace and reach Zeke before something happened to him.
With her twin glistening silver blades in hand, the agent took a deep breath and then spring into a mad sprint, her silhouette turned blurry as she swiftly traversed the ice bridge.