Five rangers strolled down a dirt road. Water droplets smacked their faces as they passed by a waterfall. Flocks of birds with two sets of wings soared majestically across the blue sky in the distance. Massive jagged rock formations on the horizon pierced the clouds.

"We've been out here for four days." one of them, sporting knight armor and a sword, said. "You think we'll ever find this guy?"

"Eventually." the leader of the group responded. He wore a similar set of armor and a dark cape that whipped in the wind.

Their outfits all followed a similar theme, with knight helm insignias branded on each of their armor, either on their shoulder or breastplate. An insignia representing their allegiance to the same clan.

They weren't as popular in the guild as some of the other clans such as The Fiends or Saberclaw, but they were confident in their abilities. They were all A-rank after all.

They passed through a couple of ring-shaped stone structures that looked ancient in appearance. Even if they could read the runes engraved in them, it'd be difficult to make out what they said with the overgrown moss and vines that obscured most of the writing.

The group rested at a riverbed, dipping their canteens in the clear water as they admired the decaying ruins, overgrown with vegetation, beside them.

"You know, I heard this place used to be a hotspot for hunters. For some strange reason, they only hunted one type of monster." one of them said, pointing at the cracks and holes in the ground. "Not sure why the place turned out the way it did though."

"Spare us the history lesson. We're here for one reason."

"Yeah. Speaking of, what was his description again?" a ranger with a red fur collar asked.

The leader pulled out a mission sheet and read,

"Black trench coat, a red scarf, a scythe..."

"Yep, definitely fits the description of a psycho." another ranger chimed in, setting aside his battle ax. "When we catch this guy, everyone will praise the Knight Clan. Just watch."

Minutes passed as they rested and made small talk. Soon, one of the men stood up.

"I'll be back. Gonna go take a leak."

"Make it quick. We'll be headin' out soon."

"Got it." the ranger said as he pushed past the brush and into the ruins to relieve himself.

The group passed the time with more small talk. Thirty minutes passed but their comrade still hadn't returned.

The air felt heavier than usual, an eerie silence blanketing the area, making their breathing seem louder than normal.

They glanced at each other and then at their leader for guidance. It didn't take him long to come to a decision. He stood to his feet and drew his longsword.

"Let's find him. Stay vigilant and watch your step."

His clan members nodded in agreement before also drawing their weapons and following him into the brush.

Fanning out, they thoroughly searched the deteriorating structures and lush greenery for their lost clan member, occasionally calling out to him but each time was met with no response.

How far could he have gone?

Their search led them further into the ruins and along the way, they came across a large metallic sign. Through the rust that ate away at its once pristine surface, they were barely able to make out the propaganda with what appeared to be an image of someone with a proud smile beside it.

[He⊠p us m⊠rch ⊠⊠to ⊠ new ag⊠, an age ⊠f unl⊠it⊠d ⊠⊠ergy!]

Cracks, like jagged veins, split the ground and structures, deep chasms swallowing small buildings whole. Cautiously maneuvering through a large crumbling building, they spotted shattered glass belonging to what they assumed were pods half buried in the soil with vines slithering over them.

Within the canisters lay the skeletal remains of some kind of bipedal creatures, painting a haunting picture. Their skulls' empty eye sockets stared into the void and their jaws hung open in a permanent scream.

The rangers' hairs stood on end and goosebumps spread along their bodies when passing through.

Deciding to cover more ground, they split up. The red-collared ranger pushed aside some bushes only to stumble on something solid, nearly twisting his ankle.

"Geez! What in the..."

Looking back, he assumed it to be just a rock but upon further study, it was oddly shaped and hairy. Using his foot, he gently nudged the "rock" to shift it on its side. When he did, his eyes widened and yelped loud enough for his cry to echo through the woods.

There lay a head with its eyes rolled back into its skull.

He stumbled onto his behind, nearly vomiting on himself as the others came rushing to his aid.

"What's wrong?!"

"What happened?!" the leader shouted before looking down at the severed head.

Their legs nearly gave out from the horrific sight. As the others clamped their hands to their mouths, desperate to keep their last meal in, the leader analyzed the situation.

The entire time, they hadn't heard their ally cry out or metallic clanging which suggested he was ambushed and met his end swiftly.

With that information, it was more than apparent that they were dealing with some kind of skilled hunter–an apex predator.

Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

"Wait. We're missing another!"

Only the leader and one other ranger rendezvoused with the red-collared ranger. Surely their fourth heard their comrade's shriek, right?

As the situation escalated, sweat rolled down the leader's cheek as they drew their swords. That's when they heard it. A soft lullaby in the form of a whistle whispered menacingly through the trees.

Their heads darted from one tree to the next, desperately trying to pinpoint the source but by now panic began to cloud their minds. Rangers were supposed to be the hunters. Not the hunted.

Out in the distance, a dim red light shone between the trees.

𝘉𝘈𝘕𝘎!

In an instant, a streak of crimson light whipped through the deteriorating structures, crashing into the red-collared ranger and split fissures in the already weakened ground. His skeleton was briefly visible through the blinding light that burned their retinas.

Reflexively slamming their eyes shut, they sunk to their knees, at the mercy of the thunder roaring in their ears. When it was over, they slowly opened their eyes, their ears were still ringing.

What remained of the red-collared ranger was a blackened sizzling corpse inside a charred suit of armor.

"Metal makes good conductors." a hoarse voice exclaimed.

"Kugh!"

The leader snapped his head in the direction of the voice but his remaining party member had already been impaled. His teammate collapsed lifelessly, approaching from behind it was a dark figure twirling a scythe to his side.

All of his comrades were no more. He'd just started building his clan a few months prior. Gathering the resources, members, taking on difficult missions to climb the hierarchy in the guild. Yet all of it was for nothing. This man–this monster–had taken everything.

He didn't see a way to defeat this guy. He'd wiped out his entire party before anyone could react.

'...but why hasn't he killed me yet?'

He looked over to see the tree tilting to its side as the man appeared to be admiring his handy work. The Ripper glanced at his amulet, glowing fiercely before he gave a satisfied nod and began walking away, cackling. He didn't seem to notice the cracks subtly forming beneath his feet. The leader was clearly outmatched but that didn't mean he was out of options.

"What? Can't finish the job?" the leader taunted. "How weak."

The Ripper froze mid-step. His expression changed, the once amused look on his face then twisted into one of bewilderment mixed with rage. He turned his head to face the sweating leader, the anger in his eyes burning through the slits in his stringy hair. With the man now stationary, an opening presented itself.

The ranger infused his sword, plunging it into the unstable ground. Pillars of amber shot into the air, attempting to cage the Ripper inside while tearing the earth apart. The Ripper's eyes widened in shock when a gaping maw began to open up beneath him, devouring everything within its reach in an instant.

The ranger leaped back to avoid the devastation. When the dust settled, the ripper had disappeared. His plan had worked flawlessly. He carefully sat to not disturb the fragile surface and let out a breath he'd been holding in.

For some reason, he wasn't satisfied with this outcome. He'd defeated the ripper at the cost of his entire party.

"...Well...I'll—!" Something cold pierced his back and blood seeped from his mouth. When he glanced down, he found a curved blade peering out from his midsection.

"Weak?" The familiar hoarse voice echoed from behind him.

The ranger couldn't respond as blood began to fill his airways. He thought he had the upper hand but the Ripper's speed seemed to have compensated for his lack of situational awareness.

The mere action of infusing his scythe caused electric currents to surge through the ranger's body. A bloodcurdling scream echoed through the ruins as arcs of lightning burrowed out of his body, searing his flesh and bones.

When the screaming stopped, he ripped his scythe out and watched the ranger's smoking body topple over.

"What do you know of weakness?" He snarled.

*****

After returning to the guild, Yakeru and the others gave their report on the mission.

"Based on your description, that blight had to have evolved into a C-tier monster. So I'm relieved to see you're not hurt, Kenji."

"I guess I got lucky."

"Very. Here you go."

She placed pouches of coins on the counter with a smile.

"Thank you for taking care of the infestation before it got any worse."

They each took and pocketed their coins. As the reward promised on the mission sheet, they've earned quite a bit more than their first mission.

"It wasn't a problem." Yakeru chimed in. "Take care."

"You as well."

She waved as they turned to exit through the doors. Once outside, Fuyumi glanced back at the two.

"Same time tomorrow morning, got it?" she ordered.

They agreed before she disappeared into the crowd. Yakeru and Kenji began walking down the road in the opposite direction. By now, they had a sense that this would be somewhat of a normal routine: Meet their cold and demanding party member in the morning, choose a mission that included the slaying of monsters, slay said monsters, return for their rewards, then rinse and repeat.

They'd been on two missions but Yakeru was already feeling exhausted from so much fighting. At least he'd be treated to new sights to explore in the meantime.

"Oh, by the way, are you coming by to train today?" Yakeru questioned.

Kenji didn't respond, seemingly caught in a trance. He followed Kenji's gaze to find multiple stalls down the street, one of which was selling elixirs. The conjurer either didn't hear his question or it hadn't registered but he began to gravitate towards the stall.

"Kenji?" Yakeru followed.

As Kenji approached, the merchant perked up and put on a bright smile.

"Welcome!" He exclaimed as he got a good look at the boy. He studied the kid for a moment, searching his memories to see where he'd seen this familiar face before. "Uhm, don't I know you?"

"I was here earlier today."

"That's right!" The merchant snapped his fingers in realization. "Forgive my terrible memory. I take it the elixir was to your liking?"

"Yes, so I was hoping to buy some more."

"Why of course!" The merchant rubbed his hands greedily. "So long as you have the funds."

Yakeru watched as he pulled out a few coins—the same coins he'd been rewarded with not even thirty minutes ago. After exchanging them for a few more enhancement elixirs, he slipped the vials into his satchel.

"Will that be all? Perhaps you'll need a health elixir too? You never know." He put on an innocent smile in hopes of squeezing more money out of the kid.

"No, thank you. These will do."

"A shame. Do come again!"

Kenji began to walk away as if unaware of Yakeru's presence even as he walked past him.

"Kenji!"

He finally stopped to acknowledge him.

"What?" He asked without turning to him.

"I was just going to ask if you still wanted to-"

"I'm not training." Kenji interrupted in a rather aggressive tone.

Yakeru's words paused in his throat as he was taken aback. His mind called back to events that occurred earlier.

His gloomy face in the dungeon.

His unwillingness to speak a word on their way from Hanataru.

His outburst during their training.

...That disturbing smile in the Dark Ember Swamp...

Yakeru had seen the signs before but wasn't sure how to proceed. He let out a sigh to calm himself before deciding to confront him.

"L-Look, if something's going on, you can tell me. You know that, right?"

If it weren't for the constant chatter around them and hoofs clopping up and down the street, there'd be a deafening silence right now. Finally, Kenji had the decency to turn towards him to speak.

"Thanks, but I'm okay." He said with an expressionless face which made his response all the more unconvincing. Though still, Yakeru didn't know how to respond as Kenji continued. "There's something I'd like to do."

With that, he left Yakeru behind and disappeared around a corner. He didn't know what to make of his sudden change in aura. Having no choice, he headed home, still digesting the interaction.

Meanwhile, Kenji pondered the possibilities of enhancement elixirs. The fungus blights didn't stand a chance, not even the C-tier blight. He wasn't expecting to turn the tides of battle so quickly.

Enhancement elixirs could bolster one's abilities beyond their limits, evening the odds or even outright demolishing their opponents. Yet for some strange reason, they weren't used very often. They weren't very pricey so it wasn't like weren't affordable.

But that didn't matter. He approached a capital gate and gazed into the distance. Glancing down at the elixir in his hand, he wondered,

'Can I kill something stronger?'

A smile crept across his face as he curled his hand into a fist, the thought filling him with excitement.

"Only one way to find out."