That was weird.
Percy’s expression distorted in pain as he got up. He turned in all directions, his lips tightly pressed together. The bodies of the four Adventurers were no more. Not even their blood remained.
Something like that was bound to happen…was there a way to prevent that? They wanted to kill me…I had to give my all to survive.
Percy had been avoiding the Adventurers since they started pursuing him. He’d given his utmost to avoid a fight, but it had been useless. Despite giving his all, Percy expected to feel disgusted about his actions. After all, he and Hyean had just killed four humans.
But why don’t I feel like that? It’s almost like my emotions are dulled…as if something restrains them.
It was hard for the youth to find the right words to explain how his perception of emotions had changed in the fight against the Adventurers. He was only certain about one thing: Everything changed when the darkness swallowed him. Maybe the changes had been for the best. They might be the sole reason Percy managed to keep his cool against Niko.
But why did my Ego not listen to me? [Consume] is difficult to use precisely, but something like that never happened. Even if I hadn’t been distressed, [Consume] would have devoured their bodies.
Some things didn’t work as intended, and Percy was still not fine with a few things happening to him, but he had to acknowledge that he had learned a lot today.
First things first, Percy learned how dangerous humans could be. The four Adventurers were ordinary Gifted Ones without many Artifacts and did not have a single Monster Card or Ego. If Percy had to guess, he would also say both Silver Rank Adventurers hadn’t been out hunting anything stronger than a Hill Hog or a lone Gnoll for years. Still, despite their rusty skills as ordinary Gifted Ones, Percy would have died if the Adventurers hadn’t been too greedy for their good.
Not all humans were dangerous, but enough of them had to be watched vigilantly.
If the Guild had known about my Ego, my current Tier, the Gnoll Card’s Augmentations, and all of my Artifacts, Niko and his people wouldn’t have attacked me frontally. They would have assassinated me, eliminating me with one precise dagger slash or empowered arrow hit. I only survived because they underestimated me and their greed.
The more Percy thought about it, the more he realized how close he had been to death. His left forearm guard was almost cut in half. It barely clung onto a few threads and leather chunks. The runic enchantment had been cut, rendering the Artifact useless. That was a shame, but it was probably also why Percy was still alive. The mana infused into [Guard] had been unleashed at once, slowing the broadsword Artifact when it threatened to sever his arms.
Percy removed the broken Artifact and used [Consume] on it, increasing his Prosperity by 23 points. He winced at the number but had to accept it nonetheless.
Even if nobody could tell Percy had killed Niko, some might get suspicious of him if someone saw the slash in his forearm guard. Percy didn’t want to take the risk.
The reminder that he’d killed four humans was related to the second crucial fact he’d learned today.
Percy realized he didn’t have full control of his Ego. It would devour the bodies of the humans he’d slain no matter how he tried to resist the Ego’s urge. But that was not all. Humans…were also more valuable to his Ego than monsters, Artifacts, and plants. Consuming them accelerated his Tier progression.
The Ego consumed everything related to the dead Adventurers, leaving not even their blood or a single hair behind.
Percy returned to Raewood, unsure how to feel or what to think. His arms hurt, but he didn’t visit the Alchemist or Erdwin’s shop to purchase a potion. He moved straight to his room, where he was left alone with the myriad of dark thoughts tormenting his mind.
His emotions remained dull and restrained for several days, but they returned eventually. However, Percy had already digested what happened to him after thinking about everything that had happened in the last few weeks. The only time Percy left his room in the Angel’s Brew Inn was to eat his fill in the dining room. The rest of the days he spent training his mana control, thinking about what had happened and what he could have done differently, but also mending his wounds.
He didn’t have a Healing Augmentation, but [Minor Strength Boost] did an unfathomable job keeping his bones where they should be. The mana coursing through his arms, accelerating his natural regeneration, helped him recuperate quickly. His arms still ached, but Percy felt better now, both mentally and physically.
Percy waged his options and concluded that Niko and his cronies had it coming. Maybe Percy could have tried fleeing, but Niko was an Elite-2 Gifted, and Lea carried a bow. One of the two would have struck him if he’d tried fleeing.
At the end of the day, they tried killing him for the Gnoll Card, but Percy returned the offer.
I don’t want to kill anymore humans…but I will have to if someone tries to do that again.
He disliked the idea of killing humans, but that didn’t mean others could do to him whatever they wanted to. Percy was tired of running away from his problems. He was ready to face them head-on. Percy was strong enough. He had to be!
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
**
Another week passed quickly, and the atmosphere in the little town changed drastically. The Archyeas returned to the little forest and more Adventures went missing. Among the missing Adventurers were not only the group of four Percy had killed but also other Adventurers. This time, more Bronze Rank Adventurers had been attacked.
The Guildhall in Raewood was in distress. Their members were getting killed left and right, but they couldn’t do anything about it. Guildmaster Lexter couldn’t find the Archyeas. It was almost like the Lesser Demon vanished into thin air whenever the Guildmaster approached its location.
Olivia said the Guildmaster was too strong, and the Archyeas could sense his approach due to its superior sensitivity toward strong magic, but the residents’ opinions shifted slowly. They had a different opinion and said that the Guildmaster’s actions were lackluster and that he wasn’t doing enough.
Raewood’s residents were afraid and searched for a scapegoat. The Guildmaster, who could be heard cursing whenever a new death report reached him, blamed his incompetence for every death. He was the perfect target for the townspeople’s fear and rage.
Percy stopped the self-isolation, purchased a decent healing potion with the rest of his little money, and improved the potion using Prosperity. He had been too busy creating Artifacts and thinking about improving the Gnoll Card to think about other ways to use his Ego. He could enhance the magical properties of potions and add a dormant effect, which the Alchemist didn’t manage to discover or trigger in the concoction process.
By investing a few hundred Prosperity points, Percy improved the healing potion enough to fix his arms in one go. Thereby, Percy was given enough time and the means to focus on other things for the rest of the week. He amassed money by hunting and collecting herbs, increased his Prosperity again, and spent several hours daily training and studying.
It was exhausting, but after his life and death fight with Niko and his cronies, Percy understood how important it was to grow stronger. His life depended on his growth, quite literally. Since the Gnoll’s Augmentations weren’t that easy to comprehend and use, other than [Minor Strength Boost] as a passive Augmentation that improved Percy’s strength permanently, he had much to learn and improve.
Percy ended up training with the iron dagger for hours, his mind pushing him back to fight with the Adventurers. He created images of the Adventurers and recreated the fight on the Guildhall's training ground. Percy fought them in his sleep as well. He didn’t know what exactly had happened, but on some days, he was thrown back into the battle against the four Adventurers. The scenario was the same as that day as well. The only difference was that Percy could use different tactics to fight the Adventurers and experiment with his improved strength and understanding of the blade and the essence of combat.
He could hunt more freely…and fiercely.
Thus, after several days of hard work passed, Percy was confident enough to return to the Guildhall. He was ready for the Silver rank promotion exam!
The Guildhall looked the same as always, but the atmosphere was somber. Not even the veteran Adventurers could keep their cool anymore. Even though they’d never met the Archyeas, it messed with their minds.
Should I be worried? Probably. Maybe I should be even more concerned than others. I’ve already seen the Lesser Demon. Or is that what they fear: the unknown?
Percy summoned his interface to distract from the somber atmosphere as he approached the counter.
『Percy 』
[Ego – Coin of Prosperity]
[Tier] – [Elite-0]
—
[Gnoll(Common –⭐⭐⭐) – [Blade Mastery⭐⭐],[A Hunter’s Smell⭐], [Minor Strength Boost⭐]]
[Empty]
『Coin of Prosperity』
Prosperity: 14,185
➛Consume
His lips parted, and he was just about to register for the promotion exam when a commotion from outside attracted their attention. Men and women cheered excitedly as the sound of horse neighing reached the Guildhall. Raewood had some horses, but they didn’t sound as vigorous.
“What is–...” One of the Adventurers walked toward the Guildhall entrance but couldn’t even reach the double door when it swung open, revealing a group of ten men and women wearing silver full-body armor. Their armor simmered beautifully, and not a single speck of dust tarnished the flawless silver metal. A symbol depicting an icicle had been engraved on their chestplate, but that wasn’t the only place Percy found it.
He discovered the same symbol on their longsword sheath, belts, and other positions.
If not for their imposing entrance or the pressure each of the men and women exuded, Percy would have asked the receptionist what was happening. But maybe that would have been useless. The receptionist stared starstruck at the armored men and women, his jaw nearly hitting the wooden counter.
The group entered the room slowly and scrutinized it intently.
“What are the Glacia Knights doing here?” A veteran Adventurer asked.
Glacia Knights? I think I’ve heard of them… Aren’t the Glacia Knights part of a noble’s force?
“Are they the reinforcement? Maybe they’ll get rid of the Archyeas!” Another one added with a touch of excitement.
The receptionist regained his senses hearing the Adventurers and rushed around the counter to approach the Glacia Knights.
He nearly tripped, but the Glacia Knight at the top responded quickly. His hand shot forward, catching the poor receptionist.
“Thank you, Sir!” The receptionist said in a hurry. He got up, cleared his throat, and bowed deeply.
“Sirs! Did you come to Raewood to execute the Archyeas?”
The Glacia Knights frowned deeply and looked at their leader until a high-pitched shriek resounded from their midst. The Glacia Knights moved to the side, revealing a young woman. No, she was more of a teenage girl around Percy’s age. But she was beautiful. Percy hadn’t seen many girls around his age, but he was certain the girl surrounded by Glacia Knights was one of the most beautiful in the kingdom. She had long dark hair that shimmered blue in the reflection of sunlight, piercing amber eyes, and a confident yet mischievous smile on her lips.
Percy didn’t know who that woman was, but she excluded an irresistible combination of toughness and beauty. She looked confident and cheerful, yet unapproachable, as if taking a step closer to her would freeze you to death.
“What is a Lesser Demon doing in this part of the Meiso Plains?”