The Bronze Adventurers could have dealt a death blow to Hyean when the Gnoll escaped Niko’s sword with a dive to the side. Their blades glimmered dangerously but didn’t cut too deep into the Gnoll. They didn’t want to kill the summoned monster under any circumstances.

Niko could have killed the Gnoll as well, but his broadsword slowed down and created an opportunity for the summoned monster. The idea of earning a big handful of gold coins from selling the special Gnoll Card was too enticing to ignore. Greed and their wild imaginations, showing the four Adventurers living in luxury for years from today’s hunt, overwhelmed their bloodlust.

Their greed was the only reason Hyean was still alive…and why Percy perceived an opportunity to survive.

Hyean growled and slashed the closest Bronze Adventurer with full might. The Adventurer blocked the blow but realized too late that the monster twisted the Gnoll Blade in its claw to push his shortsword aside. Hyean’s empty claw shot forward and pierced the Adventurer’s neck. A surprised squeal escaped the Adventurer’s lips. The Gnoll had been more proficient at wielding its blade than expected. But that alone wouldn’t have been enough to deal the killing blow. Hyean pushed forward, faster than the average Gnoll, and struck him before he managed to move aside.

Hyean ripped his claw from its victim and twisted its body until cracking noises sounded. The other Bronze Adventurer’s enchanted dagger swept past the Gnoll’s chest and missed the monster by a hair’s breadth. The Gnoll spun around its axis and executed a fierce attack with the Gnoll Blade’s pommel. The Adventurer blocked the attack, but his eyes widened in surprise and terror.

Even Lea, who’d seen what happened from the corner of her eyes, stared at the scene unfolding before her in terror.

“A Blade Master?” She blurted out, pulling the bowstring back to shoot the Gnoll.

Her drive to survive was greater than the idea of earning a fortune. Money was only valuable if you were alive! Lea tried shooting Hyean, but the Bronze Adventurer and Niko’s bodies blocked her trajectory.

“Shoot the Cardist, you fucking idiot!” Niko snarled when he noticed what was going on.

The Gnoll Card was definitely special. It must have a unique Augmentation, and Niko wanted it! He turned, ready to squash Percy and rip the Gnoll Card out of his chest, when something changed. His heart palpated wildly in his tightening chest.

The temperature dropped by several degrees and Percy’s expression contorted in unbearable pain. He paled, his eyes lingering on the body of the Adventurer his summoned monster had slain mercilessly.

“Careful!” Lea screamed all of a sudden. Niko’s eyes widened in surprise, and he instinctively pulled back, but not because of his lover’s warning. His entire being screamed at him, telling him to retreat and run as long as possible. A moment later, a cloud of darkness shot out of Percy’s hand. The darkness expanded rapidly and formed several rows of razor-sharp teeth. Niko and Lea shuddered involuntarily and pulled back. They changed into a defensive stance and prepared for a fierce battle with a powerful monster. Whatever it was that oozed out of Percy…it was dangerous.

The Silver Rank Adventurers had been through a fair share of deadly battles, but the atmosphere was heavier than ever. Was that how some monsters perceived imminent death?

Percy’s mind rattled wildly. He was still shocked at how easily Hyean killed the Bronze Adventurer and about the summoned Monster’s absolute lack of hesitation when the devilish grimace of his Ego manifested before his eyes. Percy didn’t know if the others could see his Ego, but that didn’t matter to him. All he could see was the grotesque grimace and how the corners of its lips tugged upward. The devious smile widened, and [Consume] activated.

His hands cracked again like the first time he’d used [Consume], but it hurt this time. His Ego had activated itself without Percy’s permission, after all.

You’re not going to do that…right?! Percy screamed in his mind as the familiar abomination of darkness and rows of razor-sharp teeth burst out of his palm. His eyes traveled back to the dead body, which turned out to be the abomination’s target…just like Percy had feared.

The abomination shot through the air and smashed heavily into the ground near the Gnoll and the other Bronze Adventurer. The Adventurer flinched when the dark mass shot past him and lifted his daggers to increase his guard against an attack. However, the dark mass never paid any attention to him. But Hyean did. It wasn’t affected by the abomination, knowing it belonged to its master, and grasped the opening. The Gnoll Blade glimmered as the monster infused enough mana into [Sharpness] to activate the enchantment and attack.

While the Bronze Adventurer suffered a heavy blow from his psyche, followed by several rapid and powerful slashes, the abomination swallowed the dead Adventurer and his equipment at once.

[Robert Miller (Mortal-8) and goods have been consumed. 3,814 Prosperity has been added.]

Percy tried using his willpower to block his Ego. He’d been using it often enough to know how to control it precisely. Yet, the Coin of Prosperity didn’t listen to it. [Consume] devoured the Bronze Adventurer whole, disobeying Percy’s order without care.

Fuck! Listen to me!!!

Percy struggled to digest everything happening in the last few seconds. He was forced into a fight with fellow humans and killed one – even if it was through his Monster Card. As if that wasn’t enough, the devilish grimace of his Ego manifested before his eyes, snickering and smiling mockingly at him as [Consume] disobeyed him.

But it was not yet over. A fountain of blood spurted through the air, and the other Bronze Adventurer collapsed to the ground. The Gnoll Blade, [Sharpness] still active, stuck in his chest. An interface popped up, and the abomination leaped at it. Percy tried restraining the abomination, fear filling his heart as he lost control of his Ego.

What is happening??

Niko appeared next to the dark mass of the abomination, his broadsword whizzing through the air. It cut through the abomination, which burst through the Silver Adventurer. Simultaneously, Lea released an arrow, but not at Hyean. She aimed at the source of the dark mass. Killing him should solve all of their problems. One arrow was all it would take.

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Percy was filled with fear at the unknown changes, yet he never stopped circulating mana through his body. He lifted one arm quickly and channeled enough mana into [Guard] to activate the runic enchantment. A semi-translucent shield manifested around his left forearm guard, blocking Lea’s arrow. The enchantment caught the arrow mid-air before and stopped it before shattering like glass.

Lea cursed under her breath and retrieved another arrow from her quiver. She nocked the arrow quickly and pulled the bowstring back in a smooth motion. But before she could aim at Percy, Lea saw a sudden movement from the corner of her eyes. Niko was still shrouded by the dark, unknown mass, but the summoned Gnoll had already moved ahead. It charged quickly at her, leaving the Silver Rank Adventurer no choice but to attack the Gnoll.

Niko burst through the dark mass of [Consume] as Lea spun around to kill the Gnoll.

“If you kill it, I will skin you alive, bitch!” He bellowed in a fit of rage.

Lea twitched at her lover’s sudden outburst and released the arrow a moment too early. The arrow blurred before their eyes and created a resounding fleshly sound as it dug deep into the Gnoll’s chest. The monster snarled in pain, but it didn’t go down. It wasn’t dead.

However, Lea’s situation didn’t look that good.

Percy didn’t stay idle after blocking the archer’s attack. He didn’t even stop as his Ego informed him about the successful consumption of the other Bronze Adventurer. Percy grasped the iron dagger tightly enough to see the white of his knuckles as he charged the Silver Rank Adventurer. He winced when Hyean was hit but knew instinctively that the Gnoll wasn’t in mortal danger.

Percy arrived before Lea, mana churning through the iron dagger as she retrieved another arrow. Her head flicked to Percy, who appeared next to her, and her eyes widened in terror and fear. Lea didn’t want to die. She had so much she wanted to do.

A flicker of hesitation passed through Percy as he lifted the iron dagger to prepare for a killing blow.

Should I–....She tried to kill me! I don’t want to die!!

The hesitation dispersed for a moment, and steely determination replaced it.

Percy thrust the mana-infused blade deep into the Silver Rank Adventurer’s heart.

The Adventurer’s eyes bulged at the sudden pain. She’d just lifted her bow to block Percy’s blade with its frame, but he’d slithered around the frame and found a clear path to her chest, piercing through it in one go.

Lea’s lips parted, but no words escaped her mouth. Tears well in her eyes, but the glimmer in them dispersed.

The vigor keeping her alive disappeared. Her legs caved in, and she collapsed to the ground, her empty eyes staring ahead in shock and regret. They should have never attacked Percy.

Before Percy could react, an interface popped up.

[Lea Elise - Elite-1 Gifted – 15,000 Prosperity]

This time, [Consume] reacted even faster than before. It retracted faster than anyone present could see and vanished into thin air. One moment, the abomination was no more, revealing the tiny clearing in its beauty, and in the next moment, a massive maw of teeth and darkness engulfed the dead woman.

[Lea Elise (Elite-1) and goods have been consumed. 21,359 Prosperity has been added.]

[Sven Tark (Mortal-9) and goods have been consumed. 7995 Prosperity has been added.]

The massive mouth disappeared when the new interfaces popped up, but the darkness remained. It lingered around Percy as if waiting for something. But all Percy did was shiver as the Adventurer’s warm blood trickled onto his hand. He was trembling but stared blankly at the blood-soaked blade.

What have I done?

Percy was fully aware of his actions, and he knew better than anyone that he would have died if he didn’t kill Lea. Any of the four Adventurers would have killed him. Their bloodlust ensured Percy was aware of their true intentions. Still, killing a monster and mercilessly murdering fellow humans was different. Monsters and humans were both living beings but Percy’s heart pained at the sight of the dying woman.

Percy’s emotions threatened to consume him. He stopped moving, his feet rooted to the ground, and Percy didn’t even realize that he’d stopped breathing as well. His eyes were wet, and his body didn’t want to stop trembling.

He was too occupied with himself and what had just happened to him to notice the darkness swirling around him, shrouding Percy slowly. It was already too late when he realized that something was off. Darkness swallowed him.

So cold…

Percy shuddered. Every inch of his body was frozen solid, or that was what it felt like.

Am I going to die?

Fear occupied him. His Ego had been acting weird since the first Adventurer died. However, this was…different. It wasn’t related to the death of the Adventurers. The Ego didn’t shroud him in darkness to consume him like the dead Adventurers. It didn’t behave like that because of the dead Adventurers either. Something was different.

Only a second passed, maybe less, but it felt like an eternity.

The darkness dispersed, leaving behind a small interface with no explanation.

[10,000 Prosperity has been consumed.]

Percy was still confused, but something changed drastically. He wasn’t afraid anymore.

His mind was void of any doubts and worries, and his body felt refreshed. Not a single trace of the last two arduous days of hunting had remained. Even his mana was fully replenished.

But that was not all his Ego did by engulfing him in darkness. There was also something spreading through his body. It empowered him…or did he just imagine that?

Percy stirred his mana with a mental command and walked forward, his eyes flicking to his last enemy as he activated [Reinforce] of his chestplate. The presence around the young Cardist intensified, but Percy hardly noticed anything. He continued infusing enough mana to manifest [Guard] shields at will.

The Gnoll trembled in what seemed like a mixture of wrath and excitement while staring at its master. It grasped the arrow shaft protruding from its chest and tore it out in a smooth motion. Warm blood spurted from the wound in its chest, but the ferocious creature paid more attention to its nemesis. The Silver Rank Adventurer grit his teeth tightly. What happened? How could a simple assault on a Bronze Adventurer escalate like this?

He shuddered as the scenes of the last minute replayed before his eyes and swallowed hard when the azure blue eyes of the rookie Adventurer threatened to swallow him whole.

The youth’s eyes, which had been filled with fear and desperation mere minutes ago, were no more. Ice-cold calculations and an overbearing calmness were all that remained in Percy’s eyes.

His Ego devoured everything else.