A storm of rage roiled inside Sun Tie, and for a moment, the thought of ending Bruce's misery was almost too tempting.

But when he glanced over at James, he saw the priest shaking his head in a silent plea. Killing Bruce now would shatter James' spirit, and that was a price Sun Tie was unwilling to pay.

Showing mercy to Bruce was the same as showing mercy to James, and no consequence was worth breaking an innocent man forever.

May the Heavens take pity on us

“You are free to go. Don’t expect any help from us. And listen closely: This time, I’m not provoking you, joking, or doing anything of the sort,” Sun Tie crouched beside Bruce and grasped his shirt by the collar. “If I see you again, I’ll fucking kill you and end your family forever. Do you get it?”

James was muttering something under his breath, and Sun Tie’s concern for the man deepened. He’ll not hold on. A fraction of Sun Tie wanted to abandon the man, but that was merely a tiny part of him.

In reality, Sun Tie felt like a sack of rotten potatoes. In some way, it was his fault. He was prepared to kill; it was a certainty all cultivators understood they would face someday.

But the man before Sun Tie was just a priest, preoccupied with peace, and their previous actions would forever stain his conscience.

“We should’ve taken him with us,” James muttered, this time louder.

“No, we should not have,” Sun Tie responded, slowing his pace and drawing nearer to the larger man. “He would seek revenge at the first opportunity.”

“Yes, but he was crippled.”

“We don’t know. We spared his life and didn’t take any of his stuff. We did good today, James. Man up.” Sun Tie regretted the words when they left his mouth, but it was done.

“Man up? We killed a man today. No, I killed a man today. I’m doomed.”

“We killed a man today, only to save our lives,” Sun Tie said, stopping James on the spot and shaking his shoulders. “I spared those fools' lives earlier today, and they thanked me by trying to kill me. These are the kinds of men we’re dealing with now.” The young master couldn’t contain his anger against the loss of innocence.

“There’s no room in the world for this kind of remorse. We’re at war with everything until the contrary is proven. Do you understand?” James was holding back his tears, his mouth trembling. This was a show of strength, not weakness. Sun Tie’s grandfather would probably disagree, but his opinion no longer mattered.

“I understand, but still… God will never forgive me.”

“Do you need his forgiveness?”

“Yes,” James retorted firmly.

“I don’t know your God, but I’m sure he would not be happy to see you dying at the hands of those fools. We defended ourselves. Find some relief in that little book of yours; I’m sure you will,” Sun Tie concluded, pushing the man to the side. That was a lesson he had learned early as a master.

Kind words can pair well with harsh gestures.

The young master continued his walk ahead of them, following the light on the horizon. The forest thickened by the minute, the sounds of creatures diminished, and the temperature dropped. Soon it would be night, and Sun Tie wasn’t sure if he was anxious to discover what night was like in this damned place.

He gazed again at the horizon and asked himself if he really wanted to find the old goat. He could search for Cole and… No, humiliation has limits, and that old fool showed me where it is.

“I’m sorry,” James said behind him. Sun Tie didn’t reply; he would not indulge in self-pity. “I understand you. I’ll face it like a man.”

“Good,” Sun Tie replied. “So, will you keep following me forever? Aren’t you needed at the camp with the kids and Leigh?”

“Sofia is there with them; they all have fancy classes and weapons. I want to come back but with you. I’ll help you, and we’ll go back together. They’ll need you,” James stated, firmness in his voice.“I don’t need your help, and I won’t go back. You’re wasting your time and placing yourself in danger for nothing.”

“I’ll keep following you.” The man replied, ending the conversation.

“You don’t even know what I’m going to do.”

“What are you going to do?”

“Kill my cousin and force my grandfather to give me power.” Sun Tie said, halting and looking into James’ eyes. The big man dropped his jaw before posturing himself straight again.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

“I’ll follow you, anyway. I feel it’s the right thing to do.”

“I think I can do nothing about it. You peasants from Earth are really stubborn, aren’t you?” Sun Tie asked, smirking.

“Pretty much.”

A terrible smell hit Sun Tie’s nostrils, and he halted. James followed his movement.

Sun Tie waited for a few minutes, hearing and trying to understand his surroundings.

He couldn’t hear a thing. The forest was dead silent.

“Be careful.” Sun Tie replied. “If you have points to spend, this is the time to get [Stealth]. There’s something close.”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course, I am sure, James.” Sun Tie replied, locking gazes with the bald man.

“Okay, sorry.”

They started walking, and the scent quickly became unbearable. It wasn’t long before Sun Tie began seeing corpses on the ground, all sorts of animals lying there as if preserved by some strange cultivation power.

In the distance, Sun Tie saw dozens of bats torn apart, starkly different from the animals they had encountered before. A macabre feast lay on the ground.

Closing his nostrils, the young master kept walking. He looked over his shoulders and saw that James had his blade unsheathed. Sun Tie nodded to the man, and he followed.

As they walked, more bats appeared on the ground, these ones with arrows in their heads – the work of a good archer. The unknown person had probably killed them while they slept, delivering perfect shots to the skull, showcasing actual skill.

There’s someone out there better with the bow than you, old fool. And I hope they are not lurking in the shadows.

Sun Tie had obtained the [Focus] skill when he upgraded to level 9 and was now trying to detect any movement in his surroundings, but he found nothing. The other thing he had acquired as a reward for killing a human was stashed in his Inventory; that one he wouldn’t use.

A noise finally captured Sun Tie’s attention. Not far from him, the flap of wings sent a shiver through his neck. More bats were close. The young master looked up and saw three massive bats awakening and dropping from the branches they had been gripping.

“Attack! And don’t get bitten!” Sun Tie shouted as one of the creatures descended upon him, wings open and jaw dripping with saliva. The young master immediately activated his [Mana Seer] mastery and struck the monster in its belly, right at the center of the mana pool. [Echo Strike] activated immediately, paired with his Strength skills.

The beast flew away, striking a tree trunk and falling to the ground. Sun Tie rushed toward it and smashed the beast's head with his sandals, exerting all his force. Two steps later, the bat was dead.

The other two were slower in awakening, but they targeted James instead of Sun Tie. There was some lethargy in their actions as if they had fed too much.. Blood-sucking devils.

James swung his blade and struck one of the beasts in the chest, making it recoil, while the other lunged at the priest. Jaws aimed at the man's neck, causing him to despair on the spot, dropping his sword.

They would probably be dead if Sun Tie didn’t kill the beast now. Every second mattered.

The young master rushed, dodging the second bat with a duck and getting momentum to lunge toward the beast, biting James. An uppercut at the monster’s belly and the creature released James.

“Kill it!” Sun Tie shouted and turned to the other bat, which was already flying in his direction, blood dripping from its wounds. Sun Tie ducked one of its flying attacks and tried to hit the beast but failed.

Sun Tie didn’t dodge at a second attempt but stayed in the place, lifting both hands towards the beast’s wings. Their heads became inches close. The monster’s breath intoxicated Sun Tie’s nostrils, but the youth could hold the monster.

Holding both wings, Sun Tie dropped the beast to the ground and dropped his sandals into its mana pool. [Echo Strike] activating, even being not a fist hit. After two skill hits and one normal one, the beast was dead.

Adrenaline pulsing in his heart, Sun Tie turned to help James, but he didn’t need it.

The bat, now Sun Tie saw it was the biggest of them, was dead on the ground with the belly open.

“We are actually already in Hell,” James stated between breaths.

“And we’ll clean these devils from it.” Sun Tie said, removing the sweat from his forehead.

[You have gained a level]

You have received 1 basic skill point, 1 class skill point, and 1 stat points.

[You have slain Vampire Bat - lvl 10]

[You have slain Vampire Bat - lvl 09]

[You have slain Vampire Bat - lvl 09]

- Mission Updates -

Kill 15 enemies (12/15). Reward EXP and Uncommon Treasure Chest.

As Sun Tie read the system messages and thought about spending his points, he heard a scream coming from the horizon.

Before Sun Tie could see who it was, he spotted a horror recognition in James’ eyes.