On one side, there were about five armed orcs and thirteen goblins; on the other side, a lone human was waiting for them.

"Let's finish this quickly," he said nonchalantly and dashed forward, wielding two black swords that looked like they were stained with blood.

The first orc to meet him swung his club, hoping to crush his skull, but Ethan was faster. He dodged the blow and slashed the orc’s chest, piercing his heart with a wet sound.

[You have killed a humanoid species]

[Blood hunt has activated]

[Bloodbath had activated]

[Your hunting speed has increased]

[Your pain tolerance and regenerative ability have increased]

A message appeared in his mind, signaling the activation of his skill. Adrenaline surged through him, and without pause, he moved on to the next enemy, leaving the fallen orc behind.

Ethan hurled one of his swords at another orc, hitting it in the throat. He grabbed a goblin mid-jump and flung it towards its companions, charging ahead. Reaching the orc he'd disarmed, he swiftly decapitated it and swiftly dispatched the remaining three orcs before they could retaliate.

[Blood hunt has activated]

[Your hunting speed has increased]

[Blood hunt] [Unique]

'Your agility and strength increases as you face more blood'

☆ Duration: 40 minutes

☆ Cooldown: 8 hours

The remaining goblins were overridden with fear and panic. They tried to run away, but Ethan was too fast for them. He swung his swords at them, cutting them down one by one. He soon took care of all of them and sat down on the corpse of an orc.

After a few moments, Hector and the other members approached him. He noticed a strange expression on Hector’s usually cheerful face and asked,

“What’s wrong? You look pale.”

“Headquarters have summoned us back immediately.” Hector said nervously.

“Did something happen?” Ethan asked casually.

Hector hesitated for a moment and said, “It’s about your father.”

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

‘Spark’

Hector and the other members instantly backed away as they felt a sudden surge of bloodlust from their leader.

Ethan saw his members trembling and quickly suppressed his bloodlust and ordered them,

“Let’s go."

-------------

[Echleon headquarters]

"You are finally here." Lucien greeted Ethan as soon as he entered.

"What happened?" Ethan quickly inquired about his father.

"First, we should go to Commander's room. He will tell you everything." Lucien said and led him towards Gorgon's room.

"Sir, I have brought Ethan." Lucien reported as they reached the door.

"Okay, come in." A dull voice came from the room.

They entered the room and saw an old man sitting in his chair and looking at the report on the table with sad eyes.

"You two are here, come have a seat." Gorgan looked at them and gestured them to sit down.

"What happened, sir?" Ethan broke the silence first and asked Gorgon.

"Take a look at this." Gorgan handed over the report to him.

As Ethan read the report, his expression grew subtly grim.

"Your father is in critical condition due to mana poisoning. He is going to undergo an operation in three days, so I suggest you take a leave and visit him.” Gorgon advised him, even though he already knew his response.

"No, it's okay." Ethan replied in dull tone.

"How many more dungeons do you have to clear?" Gorgon changed his question, knowing that it was impossible to persuade him.

"Five"

"Okay, clear them quickly and then go straight to your father."

"Okay, sir," Ethan saluted and left the room.

"I still can't understand him." Lucien murmured to himself.

"What’s there to understand. He is just a boy who doesn't know how to express himself." Gorgan said to him.

----‐--------------

[Gradion City - Central Hospital]

'Mana poisoning mainly occurs due to too much exposure to mana, and if left untreated, it would cause harm to any organ or even lead to death. It is also one of the main reason players have to retire early or give up their career.'

This same disease has now occurred to the guildmaster of Phoenix guild, Norman ryoko.

"Dear, don't worry, Ethan will be arriving soon."

A blonde woman leaned over the patient bed, her voice trembling with worry as she spoke to her husband.

"It's okay Wanda stop panicking." Norman reassured her that he is fine.

"Master, Madam, it's butler, may I come in?" A voice came from the door.

"Yes, come in." Norman gave a weak nod.

He heard the gate open and saw an old man with a long white mustache and a formal suit enter the room. The butler’s face was grim as he looked at his master’s condition.

Wanda looked at the butler with hopeful eyes. "What did Commander Gorgon say?" she asked.

The butler cleared his throat and avoided her gaze. "Madam, Commander Gorgon had told young master to come quickly, but..." He paused as if searching for the right words. "Young master was delayed due to some pending missions, so..."

"So what?" Norman cut him off, his voice strained. He knew what the butler was going to say, but he didn't want to hear it.

The butler sighed and bowed his head. "Young master would come one or two days after your operation, sir." He said in a low tone.

Wanda gasped and clutched her husband's hand.

"What? What do you mean one or two days after the operation?" she shouted."He has to be here before that! His father is in critical condition, and he..!"

Norman squeezed her hand and tried to calm her down. "It's okay, Wanda. It's okay." He said in a dejected voice. "At least he's coming. That's more than we can ask for."

Silence fell in the room, broken only by a small voice that came from the door. "Mom, Dad, may I come in?"

Norman smiled weakly and nodded. "Yes, come in, Mark." He said.

A ten-year-old boy entered the room, his eyes wide and scared. He walked slowly towards the bed and asked nervously, "Dad, are you alright?"

Norman reached out and ruffled his hair. "Yes, son. I'm alright. Since you're here, I'm better than before." He lied, pretending to be better.

Mark smiled and put a bag on the table. It contained some fruits that he had bought from the market.

"Eat them, Dad. They will make you completely fine." He said, his voice full of innocence and hope.

He then turned to his mother and asked, "By the way, Mom, when will big brother arrive?"

Wanda forced a smile and hugged him. "Big brother wanted to come quickly, but he had some very important things to do, so he couldn't." She explained to him gently. "But he'll be here soon, don't worry. Anyway, you should go home quickly, you know you're ill."

Mark pouted a little and nodded. "Okay, Mom. I'll go home with the butler. But I'll come back tomorrow, okay?" He said.

"Of course, honey. We'll be waiting for you." Wanda said.

Mark kissed his parents goodbye and left the room with the butler. Wanda closed the door behind them and sat on the bed, holding Norman's hand.

"I'm sorry, Wanda. I couldn't find a cure for Mark's disease." Norman said, his eyes filled with guilt and regret.

"It's not your fault, dear. It's not your fault." Wanda said, trying to comfort him. "I know you did everything you could."

She hugged Norman and whispered in his ear. "You know, dear, I wonder if we had paid a little more attention to Ethan at that time. If we had listened a little more to him and spent more time with him, would things have been different?"

Norman closed his eyes and felt a tear roll down his cheek. He wondered the same thing.