I strolled along leisurely, silently digesting the information I had gathered back at the library as well as contemplating plans for the future.
With a 75% chance of getting the boot, I knew I had my work cut out for myself. And then there was the whole "collecting weird stuff for the forgeatron" thing.
I suddenly bumped into a railing. It was a bulletin board for the Public Office, still promoting the "Encourage Procreation Plan."
"So this is the district Public Office, like a giant neighborhood watch?" I mumbled to myself, glancing at the sign across the street.
"BOOM!"
Lost in contemplation, I was suddenly thrown off my feet by a violent explosion and its accompanying shockwave. The back of my head slammed against the wall, causing a sharp pain that quickly gave way to numbness. My already frail body grew weak, and my vision darkened as if I were about to faint.
The pain and dizziness made it difficult for me to concentrate, but a strong sense of danger forced me to bite my own lip, jolting myself back to awareness.
I touched the back of my head and felt a wetness. The vision remained blurry, making it hard to see clearly, but I knew the dampness wasn't water – I knew I was injured.
"What... what's happening?" Ignoring the wound on my head for the moment, I forced my body to turn towards the source of the explosion.
By now, the Public Office building was engulfed in flames. Several individuals wearing red cloaks stood around the fire, chanting something. After a period of hushed whispers, they suddenly shouted in unison, "Let the flames purify everything!"
As if responding to their call, the flames roared with renewed intensity. Burning spheres shot out in all directions, igniting nearby houses. The fire began to spread to surrounding buildings, and black smoke filled the sky, blocking out the sun. The intense heat and acrid smell made it even harder to breathe.
Public Office employees scrambled out of the building, while nearby residents screamed and fled in all directions.
"Red clothes, fire..." I murmured, my mind struggling to process the situation.
I recalled the reports in the newspapers about the Imperial Army's attacks on the Firespear Cult. The attire of the cult members described in the articles matched the clothing of these pricks.
"What is this... a terrorist attack?" I gradually snapped out of my daze, muttering in disbelief. Despite the raging fire, a chill ran down my spine. It was only my tenth day in this world, and danger had arrived so suddenly without any warning.
The leader of the red-cloaked individuals pointed at the fleeing crowd and roared, "No matter how you oppress us, the flames will never be extinguished! Kill them all!" With a wave of his hand, the Firespear Cultists charged towards the civilians, brandishing their curved blades.
Despite the chaos, Atheanora wasn't a nation of pushovers as basic education included a healthy dose of military training, so people knew how to handle themselves. Even though the civilians were running for their lives, they weren't just helpless sheep waiting to be slaughtered. Though some realizing escape was impossible started fighting back with whatever they could get their hands on.
But the Firespear Cultists were a different breed. They were stronger, better equipped, and way more ruthless. The civilians' resistance was like throwing pebbles at a tank.
"Help!" A chubby old guy stumbled towards me, his eyes wide with fear.
"Squelch!" A sharp spear sliced through the guy's neck, spraying a torrent of blood onto my face.
I froze.
Though I knew this world was far from peaceful and had mentally prepared myself for danger, only when faced with a life-or-death situation did I realize how inadequate my preparations were. My weak constitution made even running away impossible; my legs still trembled uncontrollably.
The curved blade retracted, and the Firespear Cultist's crazed gaze shifted towards me.
Facing imminent danger, my heart pounded heavily in my chest. Adrenaline surged through me, bringing clarity and a strange sense of calm. Wiping the blood that blurred my vision, my eyes turned cold. There was nothing else in mind – I wanted to live.
[Ting! its advised that the host drink the blood!]
I was about to brace myself when a pop-up suddenly emerged. 'What do you mean?’ I asked inwardly, bewildered. The system was prompting me to drink blood? What blood? The dead person’s blood? I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.
I bit my lip with more intensity, using the pain to suppress my fear. My left hand clenched the Satan Ring tightly, while the other hand extended forward, fingers spread.
The Firespear Cultist charged towards me, brandishing his curved spear. I knew I had no time to spare.
"Aw hell no! I ain't dying today!" I yelled whilst clenching my fists.
The Firespear Cultist's jaw dropped, his face showing a mix of confusion and disbelief. "What in the world is this little punk doing?" he thought scratching his head, "Is he just standing there waiting to get skewered? What a dumbass!"
"BOOM!"
Flying debris and dust blurred the surrounding area as a result of the attack, but when the dust subsided, they didn't see the person they were attacking. "What. Where is the brat?"
“Shit!”
I was thrown aside due to the force of the attacker. “Ugh, damn dude,” I muttered, examining my body as I lay on the ground amidst scattered debris. I had activated the spell in panic and attempted to dash away but time was against me, it seemed.
Unable to balance my body with the increased speed I tripped, resulting in me banging my own head against a nearby wall.
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"Where the fuck is the brat!"
“Where is he?” The members of the Firespear cult were confused as they searched for me. They probably couldn’t understand how the frail-looking boy could flee so quickly.
They were certain they would be able to hear screams of terror and witness a fascinating spectacle as they tortured the young man.
“Forget the brat!” Unable to locate their target, one of the cult members who had been attacking Riktor decided to let it go and turned their attention to other nearby individuals to fulfill their objective.
"I gotta bounce,” I mumbled under my breath. “Damn, I’m dead if they surround me like that.”
Stabilizing my body, I noticed that the cult members who passed by didn’t seem to notice me crouching right in front of them.
“Ah! I actually forgot the first effect of the ring is for stealth!” I cursed for always failing to pay attention to the surroundings. It seemed that the low Int stats was what made me to be always forgetful.
I thought I would be able to cast that fire thing first. What a fool.
I examined my hands and body, “Now now, I can still see my body, though. It’s just kind of partially see-through.. hmm” I was totally blown away.
[Time limit: 6:57]
Caught up in my own thoughts, I didn’t see what was headed my way. "What the hell is this??" One of the cultists nearby spotted the shimmering red liquid hanging in the air and cautiously approached it.
"Shit." My heart skipped a beat as the cultist approaching.
The guy touched the mysterious liquid. "What? It smells like blood?"
"Move!" Suddenly, another cultist kicked the air in front of his buddy.
Boom!
“Uargh!” I was flung backwards again, smacking into the wall behind me.
I wasn’t too banged up this time 'cause I’d tried to dodge the enemy’s kick. Still got clipped in the end though, but it was just a graze on my shoulder since the kick didn’t land square.
“Idiots! Some punk tried to jump us!” The guy who’d just kicked was glaring daggers at me, who was now half transparent to everyone present. It was like he was trying to show who’s boss and let me know I was toast.
“What? You got some nerve, you bottom feeder!”
I watched as the three attackers moved in, their spears catching the harsh light and looking all kinds of dangerous. “Well, crap, I ain’t getting outta here without a scrap.” I winced from the injuries I’d already taken. I thought I could’ve slipped away if I’d had more time, unfortunately the enemy found me first.
“Shit, I’ve got some rotten luck,” I muttered, remembering that the item had a second effect as I thrust my palm forward like I was grabbing something and started yelling, “Fire! Fire!” I was freaking out because didn’t know the incantation for the Satan ring’s second effect.
Before the cultists could even react, the guy at the front was engulfed by the fire’s fierce energy that I had just unleashed from my hand.
"AAARGH" The guy's clothes vanished in an instant, the fire invaded him and consuming him from within, it was a wild scene to behold.
As the green flames dissipated, the screaming dude was reduced to a charred skeleton with a gaping hole in the chest. The remains emitting a putrid odor and crumbled to dust upon hitting the ground.
"What the fuck! Jo?" Seeing his fellow cultist bite the dust like that the remaining cultists froze in their tracks stopping the charge at the oddball young man. “Ain’t you an assassin? How the hell can you cast a spell like that?” The other cultists nearby were shook as they watched the kid get busted for using spells from different professions one after another.
My hand was still outstretched and shaking a bit. I had taken a life.
My muscles were stiff, but the adrenaline and my mental state helped me chill out pretty quick. I then slowly rose to my feet, with my hand firmly clenched.
I wasn’t sure if the ring could spit out another one of those fires, I probably could only risk my seizures for once more.
If I was still in danger, I’d break the ring and call up the little demon dude. “But how do I break this thing tho?” I wondered to myself, 'cause the ring was made of some super hard stuff and I was about as strong as a potato.
The counterattack swiftly seized the attention of an elder gentleman garbed in attire akin to his comrades', yet the subtle gilded intricacies adorning the cloak's hem bespoke a higher station, perhaps that of their leader.
This figure pivoted towards me, his countenance veiled by crimson tattoos and exquisitely crafted piercings evoking an uncanny semblance to a lizardman from some old TV shows, rendering his expression inscrutable.
Did he even deign to display emotion? All I could see was a visage as impassive as a marble statue, whose stoic facade grew increasingly intimidating the longer I looked at him.
"Fel energy, a Warlock?" the man asked, his voice laced with a hint of caution.
“Boss, this kid’s a weird one. He was able to cast a stealth spell on himself earlier. Now, with that other spell he just used, it’s tough to pin down what class he’s in.”
"Should we kill this brat?"
“A person with abilities from multiple classes?” The leader’s face that showed he was mulling over how to handle the youngster. It was a real head-scratcher for someone to have abilities from different classes all at once, at least he’d never heard of such a thing.
I locked eyes with him but kept my trap shut as I didn’t want to show my hand just yet.
As we stared each other down, I got a cold, indifferent vibe from the leader’s eyes. “This dude’s probably offed a ton of people,” I thought.
A second fire orb popped up in my right hand. “Gotcha,” I acted. Better to throw the first punch than wait to get hit I thought. No matter how this went down, I wasn’t about to just sit around and wait for death.
My magic game wasn’t exactly top-tier. But as long as I had the special ring, any fire spell I threw was gonna be a legit Rank 1 spell.
I let the second fire orb fly. The Firespear leader saw the incoming fireball and threw up both hands as if ready to face it head-on.
A normal-looking red fireball formed in the Firespear leader's hands, meeting my fire orb head-on. As a formal professional, the leader's fireball was significantly larger than mine. Despite this, his expression remained tense as he focused intently on the spell.
"BOOM!"
Fel energy and flames collided.
His flames seemed more intense, but the destructive power of the fire orb's fel energy surpassed that of a regular fireball, so the clash resulted in a stalemate with neither spell overpowering the other.
"Such power!" I marveled inwardly. "If adding the support of summoned creatures and the physical enhancements from bloodline integration, the combat strength of the Warlock class is simply outrageous."
But I had no time to ponder further. I was out of magic power. Without it, my physical capabilities were those of a mere chicken. If the little demon in my ring couldn't handle these enemies, I was as good as dead.
The leader remained motionless, as if unsure of how to resolve the situation. If the brat was indeed a Warlock, he would be quite a formidable opponent.
Since the leader wasn't attacking, then naturally I wouldn't either, atleast for the time being. After all I was out of options and could only stall for time.
"I've been fighting for so long, where are the city's Security Department and guards?" I couldn't help but complain inwardly.
The Firespear Cultists wouldn't remain in a stalemate for too long. Having launched such an attack, they had already embraced death as their inevitable fate regardless. And now, they were running out of patience.
"Attack together, kill him!" The Firespear leader pointed at me and issued the command.
In his view, killing a Warlock before dying was far more meaningful than slaughtering a group of civilians.
"Damn it!" I was already under immense pressure facing just one Firespear guy.
[Spell: Hide is in cooldown]
Remaining time [55:13 seconds]
"I can’t use the spells even if I want to. The only way out is to break the ring." I took a moment to look at the shiny ring on my finger, it was a tough call to make.
"Man, I really don’t want to!" I groaned, hating the idea of losing such a unique ring that allowed me cast spells from different classes at once. Having just seen what it could do, I was even more bummed about the idea of losing it.
With all of them barreling towards me, even calling up the little demon might not be enough to keep me alive it seemed..
Moreover, escape was off the table, so I figured I might as well go down swinging. But at what cost? My strength was about as impressive as a puppy.
I steeled my resolve. Facing death head-on, my entire demeanor changed in an instant.
Just as I was about to bust the ring, some sword aura zipped through the air so fast that nobody nearby could tell where it came from or when it was let loose. It was silent, which made it even harder for the target to see it coming.
"Eh?" I felt something sharp go into my body, followed by a burning feeling in my chest. I couldn’t hold back the urge to hurl, but what came up wasn’t my breakfast.
The aftertaste in my mouth was familiar - it had that metallic taste, kind of like copper or iron.
“Huh?” My body started to give way as I couldn’t stand the pain anymore, and my consciousness faded until it diminished completely..