The moonlight filtered through the dense canopy of the forest, casting eerie shadows that danced with every gust of wind. Jason and Sam had found what seemed to be a safe spot, though it was more of a temporary reprieve than a true sanctuary. They hadn't ventured deeper into the forest, instead, they kinda circle around, staying within a five kilometer radius from Kaya's ongoing battle with the Heaven's Gate leader. The echoes of their clash served as a constant, distant reminder of the peril that still loomed.

Jason gently set Sam down, leaning him against a sturdy tree. He crossed his arms and eyed Sam's attire with a skeptical look.

"I still can't wrap my mind around how that combat uniform of yours regenerates. You sure it's not alive?" Jason asked, his brow furrowed in curiosity and disbelief.

Sam, sitting in the ground, was enveloped in a faint blue aura. He opened his eyes, which now held a bit more energy than before.

"It's the enhancements, Jason. I don't know how the hell it works exactly, and honestly, I'm not keen on figuring it out right now," he replied, his voice tinged with exasperation but noticeably stronger.

Jason chuckled, shaking his head in amusement. He crouched near Sam and extended a hand to touch the blue aura that enveloped Sam whole body, his fingers phasing through it as if it were mist.

"And what's the deal with this glowing blue mist thing? Are you trying to be a human candle or what?" He teased.

Sam raised an eyebrow, a smirk playing on his lips. "Shut the fuck up, man. Just so you know, this skill has saved my life more times than I can count. If it makes me look like a walking human candle, so be it," he retorted, though the hint of a smile betrayed his amusement.

Jason grinned mischievously. "So you admit it makes you look like a human candle, huh?" He continue to tease, poking at the aura again.

Sam sigh and closed his eyes. "Yeah, sure, whatever. I'm a blue human candle, I speak for the light of my brethren in the council of candles. Happy now?"

Jason's grin widened. "Ha! I knew I was right," he said smugly.

Ignoring Jason's jibes, Sam focused inward, scrolling through the slew of notifications from the system. Most of them were mundane, detailing the humans he'd killed—nothing really new or even surprising there really. He decided to just skimmed through them, searching for anything different or important. Amidst the sea of notifications screens in his mind, he found something noteworthy: new skills.

The system offered him two options to choose upon reaching level 20, Deadshot and Berserk. Unfortunately, before he could delve into the skill descriptions, Jason sudden serious voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Sam, I don't want to disturb you but I think we've got uninvited company here," Jason said, his tone low and alert.

Sam's eyes immediately snapped open, his grip tightening his rifle as his mind went on high alert. He scanned the surrounding area, quickly spotting the uninvited guest. A figure emerged from the shadows, a gaunt man in a white robe, exuding an air of menace. When he saw the man, Sam recognized him instantly—Mi, the man Sam met in the past not that long ago and also the man whose brother he had killed.

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A wave of frustration and annoyance waged over Sam as his eyes twitched. 'Fucking great,' he thought, 'Just what I needed, a vengeance driven person. Though i'm not sure 100%, i'm sure as hell my guess is not that wrong.'

Mi's voice rang out, manic and triumphant. "Hahahaha! I finally found you, you bastard! The gods must be looking out for me!" His voice dripped with madness.

The moonlight bathed Mi in an otherworldly glow, highlighting his gaunt features. He looked down, his face obscured, but his voice carried a chilling fervor. "I've been fucking praying on my knees for god knows how long, hoping to meet you again... But I didn't think the gods would answer my prayers so soon hahahaha!!"

Jason, still keeping his eyes on the uninvited guest in front of him, puzzled, asked, "Sam, you know him? Seems like your friend over there got a few screws loose I assumed?"

"Well uh, unfortunately, yes," Sam replied, his tone weary. "I think he's here for revenge, probably, I guess?"

Jason's curiosity was piqued. "What do you mean by that? Just what the hell did you do?"

"Well, I kind of killed his brother. In self defense, mind you. He tried to kill me first, including that guy over there," Sam explained, his voice laced with a touch of defensiveness.

Before Jason could respond, Mi's voice cut through the air again. "I shall use this chance you bestowed upon me to fullfil my promise and revenge!!" He raised his staff, and the moonlight finally revealed his sickly pale face, streaked with blood tears. His eyes locked onto Sam's, filled with unbridled hatred. "With the gods as my witness, I swore upon my whole being that you would not die an easy death, Persona."

The atmosphere grew tense, the air thick with impending conflict. Mi's eyes narrowed, and with a flick of his wrist, the ground beneath then began to tremble. The earth cracked and split, jagged fissures radiating outwards. Roots and vines erupted from the soil, writhing like a serpents.

The trembling ground sending them stumbling a bit. Mi's staff glowed with an eerie green light, and he chanted in a language neither of them understood. The vines and roots responded to his call, lunging at them with terrifying speed and aggressiveness.

Jason moved first, he punched the approaching roots with a strong force, piercing and knocking back some of them before they could reach Sam. "Stay close! They seemed to target you!" He shouted, his voice filled with urgency.

Sam nodded, his eyes narrowing as he raised his rifle. He took aim at Mi, steadying his breathing. His vision sharpened, and time seemed to slow, he squeezed the trigger, and a single, perfectly armed bullet shot out streaking towards Mi.

The bullet hit it's mark, but unfortunately it's not Mi his bullet hit, rather, his yellow shield that Sam sure as hell didn't appeared before.

Mi laughed, the sound grating and hollow. "You think your little tricks can injure me? Foolishness!"

Mi's staff glowed once again, this time it glowed with an intimidating red light, he pointed his staff at them. Suddenly, an unusually big fireball came to existence out of thin air from the tip of the staff. The fireball responded to his command, quickly coming toward them.

Alarmed, Jason immediately jump out of the trajectory, he's not sure or even confident on his chance to blocked the incoming fireball with his shield without suffering heavy burns injury.

Sam, had way more time than Jason to dodge the incoming fireball decided to hide behind a big tree. Unfortunately, that's not the best choice he chose. The fireball exploded upon hitting the tree, and managed to injured Sam quite a bit.

"Fuck, that's hurt! It seemed I really underestimated that fireball spell this time." Sam muttered under his breath painfully, enduring a few burn injury on his body.

Sam gritted his teeth and try to ignore the pain in order for it to not clouded his judgement during the battle, he got a funny feeling this battle is going to be even rougher than the one he fought before.