20 years later, a man could be seen exiting a cave in the middle of nowhere.
Brushing his black hair, stroking his black beard, the man who appeared to be young yet old marched forward.
Pushing aside some vegetation, the man kept walking, not stopping. When suddenly, a wolf appeared from behind some tall trees.
Looking at it, the man took in the view of a wolf trampling the brown leafy ground, the wind howling the both of them.
"Hmmm~..." Stroking his beard this time with curiosity, the man's eyes shone, before his figure blurred.
'?!'
*Crack !*
Its eyes wide, the grey wolf felt its back bend, the man's powerful fist snapping its back in two.
*Whimper*
Crying from pain, the whimpering wolf was kicked to the side, its already broken body crashing on a nearby tree.
Ignoring the wolf, the man muttered to himself.
"Hmmm~... a grey valarat wolf... I expected a bit more from an early E-Rank beast..."
Casually strolling through the woods, the man was ambushed once more, but this time, a ten meters tall black bear with two heads glared at him.
His head moving, the man made eye contact with the giant bear. And as if understanding the man's provocation, the bear jumped at him, its size benefiting its speed, as if its body was lighter than a bird's feather.
Raising a brow, the man sighed, sending a punch brimming with power at the bear's left paw.
*BOOOOM !*
The rampaging energies around the man's fist colliding with the bear's paw, the outcome turned out comical, a giant deadly bear sent flying across the woods, snapping tree after tree from its weight.
"C-Rank Death Bear, also worse than expected ! But what can I say ? It's still a good haul, the space ring a great tool !" Snorting, the man continued walking, this time ornating a grave expression.
'I can't get experience now... is it a side effect ?' Frowning, the man looked at his own status, not slowing down in his adventure.
Name : Sullas Age : 42 Level : 57 Title : Aura Master HP : 1 998 / 1 998 MP : 1 998 / 1 998 STR : 999 AGI : 999 DEF : 999 INT : 999
Passive Skills :
[Deceit] : (lvl 1)
[Martial Arts] : (lvl 7)
[Vaxus' Swordsmanship] : (lvl 3)
[Forging the path from below] : (lvl MAX)
Active Skills :
[Appraisal] : (lvl MAX)
[Aura Strike] : (lvl 5)
[Aura Shield] : (lvl 5)
[Mana Claw] : (lvl 3)
[Fist Blast] : (lvl 2)
[Mana Burst] : (lvl 1)
[Oblivion] : (lvl 1)
'20 years, and I barely made it to the peak of B-Rank...'
His head held firmly, Sullas kept going forward, until he perceived a city near the horizon.
'Finally, took over a day !' Exhaling, Sullas did not dwindle around, marching with large strides.
-----
At the city gates, a guard looked at Sullas and his beggar outfit.
"Sir ? Young man ? Do you have a pass ? If not-" Cutting the confused guard was Sullas' crude movement, handing over his pass.
"I-I see... sir... Sullas ?" Not sure how a pass made from wood could degrade like this, the guard simply shook his head, letting him through.
-----
After a stroll inside the city, Sullas entered a large wooden building.
'The adventurer guild has not changed much. Only the right wall showing a deep and wide dent.' Curious about who would damage the adventurer's guild like this, he entered, pushing some heavy wooden doors.
As usual, Sullas went to the counter, unbothered by the many gazes.
"Hello sir, how may I help you ?" Politely greeting Sullas, a young receptionist looked at him with wonder, hiding her expression behind a professional mask.
"I'm here to confirm the death of Jack and Lena I think it was, among two other girls." Throwing his wooden E-Rank adventurer card, he waited.
"I see... I'll immediately check with our records ! But just to know, how long ago was it ?" Expecting a reactive response, she frowned, as Sullas stroke his beard in contemplation.
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"Hmmm~, I'd say about 25 years ago ! I'm not sure, but that should be around there." Her eyes wide, the receptionist ran to the back, leaving Sullas alone, first in a long queue of adventurers.
Half an hour going by, the receptionist came back, stacks of paper ready in between her arms.
*Thump*
Dropping them on the counter, she parted her lips.
"Sir Sullas right ? We are glad to tell you that a woman did not perish during this incident, not only that, but she became the greatest adventurer of our small city !"
Raising a brow, Sullas immediately asked her name, to which the receptionist answered truthfully.
'So it's that red haired one... Better not get caught by her, she must have extreme resentment for me, after all, I simply abandoned her to such a terrifying opponent on her own, not partaking in her plight.'
"I see, that's good, I ended up trapped inside the dungeon for so long, making me unaware of this."
Smiling, the receptionist kept her mask on, asking in a professional tone.
"Sir Sullas, is there anything else ?"
Unsure, Sullas looked around for a few moments, speaking with confidence soon after.
"I'll take your hardest B-Rank mission, or an easy A-Rank one, though I might need a party for this !"
"Hum... sir Sullas, unfortunately, you need to be an established B-Rank adventurer to take on such a mission, otherwise, it is prohibited."
Surprised by Sullas' confidence, the woman could only reject him.
"Is there a way for me to become B-Rank very soon ?" Surrendering this opportunity impossible for him, Sullas took a shot in the dark.
"Well... if you can defeat the only B-Rank adventurer of our city, we can grant you this request !"
His teeth visible, Sullas smiled brightly, taking an appointment on the spot.
Once done, he exited the building, searching for a good quality inn, not getting back to his house for the night.
-----
Exchanging beast remains for money, Sullas managed to sleep inside a proper inn, getting comfortable sleep. However, the bed ended up worse than his own inside the cave, causing him to sigh in resignation. After that, he decided to go shopping, buying proper clothes and leather armor.
Now back to the adventurer guild a couple of days later, he was lead to a sandy arena. His light-grey coat fluttering from the wind outside, he took a deep breath, peacefully smelling the surrounding nature.
Staring ahead, he saw a feminine figure approach.
'?!' Shocked, he witnessed his exact worry turn into reality.
'It's that red haired girl ! Is she really the only B-Rank here ?!' His eyes glowing, a window of light appeared for his eyes only, giving him insights on the red armored red haired beauty.
Name : Marguerite Lowplace Age : 44 Level : 54 Title : Aura Master HP : 1 430 / 1 430 MP : 680 / 680 STR : 720 AGI : 824 DEF : 710 INT : 340
'When I was level 54 I had 700 on all stats, she has a shit ton of agility and a bit more strength and defense but so little intelligence points...'
Comparing the woman's achievements with his own, Sullas saw her inevitably recognize him, her eyes wide in wrath.
"You ! You are the guy from back then !!" Ignoring customs, she jumped at him, killing intent oozing out.
'!!' Already expecting this, Sullas easily dodged her right fist, sending a left kick to her obliques, catching her off guard.
'?!'
*Cough !*
Blood dripping from her nose and mouth, Marguerite showed utter disbelief, but more so felt terror.
'There is no way ! I must make sure of it !' Kicking the ground, she tried to re-enact her battle with the puppet, sending the exact same right fist she did, and sure enough, she watched Sullas, as if an exact replica, counter her blow with his left fist.
Already trembling from Sullas' current posture, she bite her lip in inner agony, sending a flying left kick to his head, which was countered again, Sullas' right hand grabbing her shin with ease, before throwing her heavy body to the side, making her roll in the sand, an unsightly scene.
"You ! Why do you fight like those puppets !!" Roaring with tears, she aggressively charged forward, keeping appearances a distant thought.
*BOOOOM !*
Crashing on Sullas again and again, she hoped to inflict any damage to him, but to no avail, Sullas effortlessly dealing with each blow, his face an unmoving stern frown.
Kicking her away, Sullas spoke.
"Don't bother ! You can't beat me ! But even so, why lash out on me ? So what if I left you alone facing death, not only was this the dungeon, but I wasn't even in this party to begin with !!" Sullas, while feeling slight guilt, did not intend to become a slave to his past, firmly presenting his stance.
'Before finding master's teachings, I was a frail, disgusting weakling, but now, I have so much potential, why care about her little life ? Like master said, life is fair in its unfairness !' Not even realizing his own incredible change in personality, Sullas' figure blurred, forcefully stealing Marguerite's adventurer card around her neck. Once his future rank in hand, he left, presenting Marguerite's card to the receptionist.
"Here you go sir ! And congratulations on becoming a B-Rank adventurer !" Taking it, Sullas then grabbed the hardest B-Rank mission he could find, leaving for his quest soon after.
Changing for every bit of strength he gained, Sullas had not noticed himself turn more brutal and savage as time passed. Strolling out of the city before running within the woods.
-----
Four days later, Sullas was about to leave for the adventurer guild, a gigantic 50 meters tall beast limp on the ground when he heard rustling.
Looking over, he saw bushes part to the side, a group of ten adventurers burning with hostility.
Not even giving them time to speak, Sullas' figure blurred, slaughtering all of them. Picking up their adventurer cards, he shivered.
"Tyrus Clan ? Isn't that the kindest party in the city ? I heard they were gentle souls ready to help anyone in need..." Fidgeting nervously, Sullas exhaled, deciding on running away with his loot.
"I felt weird a few days ago when I leveled up to 58, is it because ?... No, no, no... how could leveling up do something like this !"
Unfortunately for him, Sullas almost threw up when arriving near the city gates, as everyone he saw oozed out hostility as well.
"There is no way... hahaha ! I must be hallucinating !" Muttering with gritted teeth, Sullas felt his insides churn, his past self battling his current state.
Calming himself, Sullas entered the city, his alarming expression sending shivers down the guards' spines.
Somehow managing to restrain himself, Sullas completed his mission, once done, he did not even return to his inn or house, simply leaving the city, nervousness submerging his entire being.
Deep within the woods, his young yet old figure started a massacre, butchering every beast and monster he found. Actively trying to quench his thirst for blood.
This was the start of the Demon God's world shaking short yet gut twisting history.