*Rudolf's POV*

Every step in the Slum Kingdom, plunged me into endless misery. Poverty was everywhere, and the people I saw were mere shadows of what they once were. As I moved through the decrepit shacks and dirty alleys, I felt eyes on me. Hungry eyes, but also, evil and malicious eyes, filled with a murderous instinct that made me shiver. I didn't know where they came from, but I could clearlt felt the gazes of dangerous people on me. I thought I had become impassive, but those looks reminded me that, deep down, I am still vulnerable and need to do much more to become the ice soldier I hope to be one day.

Despite sensing the danger, I couldn't afford to give up. Not after the ultimatum given to me by Umarth. I couldn't disappoint him in any way; I had to find my grandfather and complete my mission.

So, armed with his photo, I approached the poor lying on the ground, trying not to attract too much attention. I decided to offer them some coins in exchange for information, hoping that my generosity would help me find that monster of my grandfather.

"Have you seen this man?" I asked, showing the photo to a toothless old man with a nauseating odor.

The man looked at me, extending a trembling hand to take the coins. "Yes, yes... I've seen him. Go in that direction." He vaguely pointed towards a group of shacks several meters away from me.

I didn't know if I could trust him, but I thanked him and moved on. However, as soon as I took a few steps away, I heard laughter; I turned around and saw that poor fool scampering away with stunted steps, laughing to himself.

At that moment, I realized I had been tricked, and anger began to rise within me, but I couldn't afford to attract attention. I had to keep my cool. I continued my search, asking more poor passersby, but the story repeated itself over and over again. Some took the coins and ran, others gave me false directions to get easy money. Each failed attempt was a blow to my already low patience, each lie dangerously bringing me closer to the breaking point.

After several hours, I came across a group of children playing with some bones, deliberately ignoring their origin. I was surprised, not believing that in a place like this, people could choose to raise children; it was madness.

[They are children… they can't trick me…] I thought, deciding to ask the children if they had ever seen my grandfather; "Do you know this man?"

A child with large, dark eyes took the coins and nodded. "Yes, sir. He lives over there." He pointed in a direction. I followed his gaze but found only empty shacks. Another lie. My anger boiled. I had the instinct to go back and kill them, but I was sure I wouldn't find them again. So, I took a few breaths, finding an apparent calm.

I then decided to move more cautiously, studying every person I approached. But my patience was severely tested, and I began to think that this search was pointless. I considered stopping the search when, in the distance, I noticed a shadow approaching in a dark area of those streets.

I wanted to ignore it, but its thirst for blood put me on alert, forcing me to observe it closely to avoid being caught off guard; “Of all times…” I muttered as I began to slowly enhance my body.

I watched for a few moments the dark corner formed by the huts, and after a few seconds, an Orc emerged from the shadows, looking at me with a menacing expression. It was rare to see an Orc in a land like this, and I guessed that it must have been an outcast Orc.

The appearance of the Orc was imposing; it had to be at least 2 meters tall, and its powerful muscles gave it an intimidating air. Its skin was ashen gray, and various tribal symbols were tattooed in black on its body. It was completely shaven, with its head also covered in tattoos, and its eyes were violet, seeming to glow with their own light.

Its beard was voluminous, and its extremely sharp canines protruded from its mouth, preventing it from closing it completely.

Facing an Orc was never advisable, due to their deviant magic and destructive strength, but judging by the way it approached, it was almost certain that I couldn't avoid the fight.

"You... stranger... what do you seek in MY territory?" the Orc asked in a deep voice, looking down at me.

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"None of your business," I replied, feeling the impending clash.

The Orc laughed, a guttural sound that resonated in the air. "You dared enter our kingdom, and you will pay with your life."

Without having the chance to avoid it, I found myself forced to fight for my life.

The Orc, without wasting time, launched a jet of magma at me, leaving me relatively surprised, as magma – used as magic – was quite rare to see. But I didn't let myself be caught off guard, and raising my hands in the air, I created an enormous ice shield from the ground, which rose and blocked the blow in time, creating a loud noise that echoed in the air, and a dense mist of hot and cold air spread throughout the area.

Taking advantage of the low visibility, I counterattacked with a barrage of ice spears, relying on their speed and the apparent slowness of the Orc. But the enemy smirked and, with surprising agility, dodged all my attacks effortlessly. I was surprised, but I couldn't stand still, or I would become an easy target for the Orc and his dangerous magic. So I decided to move at high speed after each blow and rely on long-range spells to avoid a direct confrontation with the opponent.

I launched several long-range attacks, such as glacial arrows and ice fragments, even using high-intensity water beams. But with each attack, the Orc used a highly viscous and manipulable cascade of magma, instantly vaporizing every attempt to hit him.

The Orc then went on the offensive, and at that moment, he showed all his fury: in order to take me down with his magma, he attacked every corner of that area indiscriminately, killing the poor people lying on the ground indiscriminately, instantly carbonizing them upon contact with his mana, with the smell of burnt flesh invading my nostrils.

It was a surreal, grotesque scene, but then – I thought that a true warrior had to be like him, cold and ruthless; that's how I wanted to be, just like that Orc, i wanted to be the epitome of the word Malevolence. So, without thinking about the casualties, I used the poor people, now at the mercy of our fight, as shields: I hid among them, used them to block blows; in a few moments, that place, already destroyed in itself, now looked like a real hell on earth, with the infernal heat and a nauseating smell that submerged the entire area where I was.

I felt no pity for those people: they were already dead inside, even if they were breathing, and they did nothing to save themselves. I thought that by doing so, combining this strategy and the use of decoys, I would manage to defeat the Orc. But none of this happened, as the more time passed, the more the Orc used even more energy, with violent attacks that, besides breaking the ground, began to put me in serious trouble.

And as time passed, my energy decreased in trying to keep up with his infernal rhythm. Unlike the Orc, who seemed as fresh as a rose. And at that moment, as the fight turned into my escape from death, I began to realize that the Orc was stronger than me and hadn't yet used his entire arsenal.

“You move like a fucking rat…” - the Orc suddenly began, with a smile that promised nothing good - “And I hate rat!”

Suddenly, the Orc's speed doubled… No, tripled. He began to run towards me furiously, moving in a zigzag pattern. I couldn't clearly follow his rapid and sudden movements, which, in addition to agitating me, slowed down my movements as I tried to follow his movements closely. But this, of course, was a grave mistake.

The Orc, now relentless, suddenly approached me, catching me completely by surprise and unprepared. He placed his hand at my chest level, and with a sinister grin, quickly created a sphere of magma, hurling it at close range; "Die, Elf!"

Creating an ice barrier required too much time, as the blow was too close; so, I concentrated my mana to the maximum, creating a sort of thin layer of ice, hoping to mitigate the blow. However, the power of the blow was much greater than I expected, and although I somehow managed to mitigate the damage, the impact with the sphere sent me flying several meters into the air before being violently thrown against abandoned huts, which, due to the impact with my body, crumbled like a sandcastle.

For a moment, I lost consciousness from the impact. But then, a searing pain in my chest woke me up, making me scream in anguish and pain. I looked down and, with horror, saw that the flesh around my chest was melting, as were my bones, although they took longer due to the mana reinforcing them.

“D-Damn it!” Summoning my courage, I wrapped my hand in a sinister and cold icy energy, and closing my eyes, I placed my hand directly into the still live and pulsating wound. The pain was immense, but I didn't want to die, not like this. Slowly, I managed to counteract the wound's progression, freezing the chest wound and the warm blood flowing over me.

I stopped the bleeding, but the wound was still there, and at that moment, I could no longer get up, as the pain was still unbearable.

"..Seems like the rat is having trouble moving..."; Meanwhile, the orc, with a grotesque laugh, was approaching slowly, confident of his victory.

I watched him advance, while in the palm of his hand, a sinister fireball began to form, ready to deliver the fatal blow.

[I have failed…Again...] I thought, my body shattered. The only small consolation was that I would die on the battlefield and not in Lorein, thus sparing Umarth from dishonor. I was ready, or at least, i thought i was ready. But suddenly…

A mysterious man, his body well-covered by a dark cloak, appeared out of nowhere, stepping between me and the orc, leaving both me and the monster surprised. I felt destroyed, disappointed, close to the end. Every breath was laborious, every heartbeat a pain. I had failed. But this man, who appeared out of nowhere like an angel, could be my last hope. His presence instilled a glimmer of hope in my desolate heart. Perhaps, all is not lost.

END OF CHAPTER 55 - CRUEL WORLD