“Master, it’s time to fight,” Dragun also urged.

Gen gulped, and he clenched his fist. He took a deep breath and nodded, “Alright, Dragun. Let’s go, Balance mode!”

[Balance Mode: Activated]

The gauntlet returned to its original shape, and it shone with deep blue color, the default mode for Dragun gauntlet. Gen took a deep breath, and his gaze focused on the giant roach that dashed towards him.

Right before the roach reached him, Gen jumped and then hit the roach right I the head. It made a screeching noise, and its antenna vibrated.

The roach wings started to flutter, and it flew up high, attacking Gen from above with its legs. Gen rolled to the side and asked for assistance, “Aria!”

Aria hurriedly picked the right arrow from her quiver. She drew her bow and focused on the roach’s wing.

“Take this!” Aria released the arrow, and when it hit right inside the roach’s wings, it exploded like a bomb and destroyed the roach's wings.

The roach shrieked again. It fell on the ground but was still mostly unharmed.

Aria drew her bow again, but she was intercepted by another web shot from the spider. She jumped back to avoid it, “Gen, I cannot help you here! I’m handful!”

“Watch yourself and protect Mia and that lady if needed!” Gen clenched his fist and then dashed towards the roach. He knew cockroach was hard to kill, so he better left that one the last. He jumped at the roach’s body and directly aimed his fist at the giant centipede.

The centipede sensed the attack. It spat out venom from its mouth at Gen. Gen shielded himself with his gauntlet and then shrugged the venom as if he didn’t take any damage from it.

“Dragun, Activate Blue Typhoon!”

[Blue Typhoon: Activated]

Gen clenched his fist and stretched his hand. The air around him stagnated for a second, then it turned its airflow swirling around him. Gen Jumped again, and his body spun like a tornado.

He directed his attack at the giant centipede. The centipede tried to attack a few more with its venom shots to no avail. Gen’s spinning gauntlet touched the centipede's body and drilling the centipede until its inside exploded, including the venom that scattered everywhere.

‘Help… why… did you… kill me…’ the human face on that giant centipede kept calling until its last breath.

It creeped Gen out. He hesitated again even though that voice came from a human controlled by that evil Endless Entity.

‘CAREFUL!’

Gen turned his back. The roach had recovered and attacked him, hitting his back.

“Ugh!” Gen fell to the ground, and the roach immediately bit his hand, trying to chew his meat.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

“Aarrghh!”

“Master Gen!” Mia looked at Aria, who was still busy with the spider. There was no other way. She should help Master Gen!

“Oh graceful light of Holy Father, smite the cursed from this land, Shining Ball!”

Mia raised her staff, and a light ball formed at the head of the staff. The light ball shot at the giant roach, hurting it badly because of its holy energy.

Thanks to that attack, Gen could recover and escape from the roach, although he got an obvious pincher wound from the bite.

Gen bit his lips, trying to bear with the pain, “We can’t let this any longer, Master Gen. We need to kill this thing as fast as possible!”

“Right. Dragun, Strength Mode!”

[Strength Mode: Activated.]

The gauntlet turned into a big glove made out of steel for Gen. The roach recovered from the attack and still targeted Gen.

“RIEEEEEK!” The roach dashed again, but this time, Gen was ready. He waited until the roach was close to him. He raised his hands up, and right when the roach was about to bite him again, he yelled.

“SMASSSHHHH!”

Gen smashed the roach with his fist, and the roach’s head exploded immediately. It was destroyed until nothing was left. Even the voice from the human disappeared completely.

Gen huffed puffed few times, using the skill from Dragun drained his energy because he was yet to be fully skillful in utilizing Dragun’s arsenal to its peak.

“A little help here? Guys?” Aria yelled. She was busy with the giant spider that kept shooting sticky spider web at her. It was a lot quicker than the other two insects. It could jump as well, so Aria had no way to attack this spider.

“Dragun, Agility mode!”

[Agility Mode: Activated!]

The gauntlet was reshaped into a long gauntlet that covered Gen’s hand up to his elbow. It glowed in green. Gen could feel his body was a lot lighter after he used the agility mode.

“Hup!”

Gen jumped up high and jumped at the spider’s body. The spider shrieked when someone was riding its back, it tried to roll around, and Gen used this opportunity to jump up high and kicked the spider’s head. He landed on the spider’s body again, then started punching the legs one by one to break all of it.

The spiders only shrieked helplessly, with their legs all broken. It tried to struggle to no avail. Thus, the voice from the human face spoke again.

“Why… Why do you hurt me…”

“Save me… please save me…”

“He… lp…”

Gen, Mia, and Aria were all freaked out with this because it sounded too real. But they already knew there was no way to save these people. This was just a trick used by the Endless Entity and his minions to confuse them.

Gen steeled his heart and then turned the gauntlet to big steel gloves with strength mode and smashed the spider’s head until it was destroyed.

After all the insects died, their body liquified and was absorbed into the earth, leaving nothing but three severed human skulls with bramble engraving on their heads.

Gen, Aria, and Mia were too disturbed with this, especially Gen because he was the one who killed all of them. He felt guilty for unable to save these three people.

Dragun sensed the guilt in Gen’s heart, then he said, “Master Gen, you don’t need to feel guilty. They cannot be saved anymore.”

“I know, but…”

“Don’t worry about them. They have a darkness in their hearts. That’s why the bride or groom of Endless Entity can easily turn them into monsters. They were probably people who had vile hearts. They’re not worth your attention.”

After getting Dragun’s explanation, Gen was relieved. He nodded and then turned his back, facing Aria, Mia, and the lady.

“Are you guys alright?”

“Yes, we are…”

The young lady in a purple dress still looked scared, but she nodded and thanked, “T—Thank you so much for saving me…”

‘Milord, what do you think?’ Lady Mephistopheles asked Endless Entity via telephony.

‘Quite impressive for a newbie, but he still struggled to fight against three weak monsters. Still, it’s good that you created those three insects to test him. Now we know that gauntlet named Dragun is one of the holy artifacts from the Ten Heroes that defeated me centuries prior.’

‘So, we shall continue with the plan.’

‘I am more interested in that girl with light magic. It is quite rare because that means she has a pure and blessed heart,’ Endless Entity said via telepathy.

‘Go with the plan, try to fetch these two. You can use that one girl as our bait.’

‘Certainly, Milord. Everything is in your command.’