《Dimension Weaver: My Wife Is The Dragon Empress!》


 Chapter 1 - 1-Portal

    <h4>Chapter 1:-Portal</h4>


    *RING* *RING* *RING*


    The sound of an rm clock echoed in the whole room as the eyes of the young man sleeping on the bed slowly opened. His unfocused gaze fell on the clock as he yawned audibly.


    "Hnng..." With azy groan, he moved his hand blindly to the side and turned off the clock as he tossed and turned in his bed tiredly. The time was 9 AM in the morning, and the day was the 16th of July. It was the middle of the summer in Seoul and the weather was extremely humid and hot.


    "I need to go to work..." Murmuring under his breath, Talon finally moved his body and stood up from his bed. His body swayed left and right for a moment before he finally bnced himself and started walking toward the bathroom.


    Standing in front of the mirror, he stared at his own reflection. Talon was a rather average-looking young man. The type to walk past him and never even look at him However, he possessed two captivating ck eyes that seemed to have a mysterious charm to them. His hair was short, ck and messy.


    Blinking slowly, he turned the faucet on and let the water run as he washed his face. Then, he took a sniff of his shirt.


    Immediately a frown appeared on his face. "I smell like rotten fish..."


    A few minutester, he came out of the bathroom with a towel around his waist as he dried his hair with another. From an outsider''s point of view, the young man possessed a rather well-toned body. It wasn''t overly athletic norpletely soft, the result of many years working part-time jobs here and there to earn a living.


    Since it was the summer vacation and he didn''t have to attend sses, he spent the break working multiple jobs to gather as much money as possible for his family. After all, sending him to Seoul to study and live alone was never the easiest financial choice they had to make. His mother and father only had him as their sole child so they worked their bodies off to make sure Talon would never feel like hecked anything in his life.


    Walking to his wardrobe, he picked up fresh new clothes and tossed the others in the basket.


    Then, he walked to the kitchen and made a simple cup of coffee before drinking it all to wake his sleepy brain up.


    "Fuuh, ok, time to go to work. Let''s make this another great day!" Looking at his old phone''s screen, it was 9:40 AM which meant he had around 20 minutes to reach his destination.


    ''Plenty of time.''


    Smiling slightly, he walked toward the door of his room, ready to leave. At that moment, something happened.


    Without any prior warning, the loud sound of ss bursting filled Talon''s ears as he saw a silhouette sh in front of him brusquely. The mysterious figure smashed against the ground before it rolled and hit the table, destroying itpletely along with the wooden floor.


    Talon found himselfpletely shell-shocked as his eyes slowly looked down, trailing the dents left in the wood as he slowly moved till his eyes fell on the unconscious personying right on top of the remains of his table.


    "..."


    Talon''s pupils kept staring at the figure who was clearly a woman or at least feminine enough to be a woman.


    Hispletely confused mind tried to understand where, how, and why this girl appeared in his room, out of the window... On the fourth floor!


    ''Did she fly over from somewhere?!''


    It obviously didn''t make any sense. However, what didn''t make even more sense was the girl herself.


    She was unbelievably gorgeous. So gorgeous in fact that Talon almost thought she was an angel that descended from the sky.


    ''Or is she?''


    She had long, blue hair that sprawled all around her sleeping body. Her face was as white as porcin, shining brightly even under theyer of dirt and blood that covered it. She had a small, cute nose and a pair of plump, amazingly seductive lips. Her eyshes were long and beautiful.


    Her body was mesmerizingly perfect, far better than anything even the best of supermodels in the world could everpare to. So beautiful, in fact, that if Talon wasn''tpletely terrified by what happened, he might''ve found himselfpletely attracted to her.


    Around the temple of her head was a unique ornament that Talon had never seen before that gave her an air of royalty and sophistication impossible to ignore.


    In all of his 21 years on earth, Talon had never seen in his life a woman this gorgeous. No, far from that, Talon would dare to say that this woman''s beauty was out of this world. Something that never and will never exist.


    Even when he was alerted of this anonymous existence, he still could only find himself staring at her for a longer period of time.


    Never did Talon realize that this woman was going to be the least of his problems the next moment.


    Without any warning, the world suddenly shook violently as if it were hit by a strong earthquake. Talon''s body instantly lost bnce as he found himself falling to the ground. Everything inside the room shook and fell chaotically.


    At the same time, loud screeches and cries, humane and inhumane filled the whole world.


    "AGH!!!" Because everything happened so suddenly, Talon wasn''t able to even react properly. He fell violently on his head, almost sustaining a concussion because of it. But, he didn''t even have a moment to rest as the second shockwave hit his room even stronger than the one before it.


    All the furniture inside the ce waspletely destroyed as the walls and the wooden floor cracked visibly. Bits and pieces of them started falling.


    "What the hell is going on?!!!" He shrieked as he barely avoided a wooden nk that fell from the ceiling, almost bashing his head in.


    The wooden piece crashed against the already cracked wooden floor.


    "Hahh... Hah..." Talon quickly stood up and rushed toward the girl, grabbed her and put her on his shoulder. At the same time, a third earthquake hit the building, tilting it forward.


    With that hit, the ceiling was fully sted as everything came falling down. The apartment rooms on the upper floors copsed on top of each other.


    "Holy shit!!" Talon''s face paled even harder as he quickly looked around before he rushed toward the door and opened it.


    The outside was as chaotic as the inside. The ceiling and floors were destroyed with barely anything intact. Students and others who lived in theplex were running as they screamed loudly. Talon could hear the sound of cries as he looked at the ends of the corridors.


    People were stuck under the rubble and wooden remains. Some were crying for help, while others werepletely motionless, swimming in a dark red pond of their own blood. Seeing that image, Talon felt his stomach churn, and the urge to vomit overwhelmed him.


    However, more than that, he was feeling fear, mind-numbing fear.


    "I need to get out of here!!!"


    Without anything else to do, Talon quickly started running through the corridors. He didn''t care what was happening around him. He needed to get out of that ce before it fully copsed.


    Luckily, Talon''s athletic physique helped him jump, duck, and dodge the falling debris as he moved through the corridors. However, the same can''t be said for the other students who were escaping like he was doing.


    "Help me!!! AGHHHHH!!!" One waspletely crushed by the falling debris as he yelled for help.


    "My leg!!! My leg!!!" Another found her leg stuck under a piece of wood.


    "Please, anyone!!! My sister is still stuck!!" A third one cried as he looked around him, calling the name of his sister panickedly.


    Screams for help mixed with the terrorizing sounds of the earthquakes filled Talon''s eyes as he navigated his way through the copsing building. His heart was racing wildly and the adrenaline was rushing through his body endlessly.


    His mind stopped working long ago as he tried to ignore the blood and terrifying sounds all around him. His eyes only focused on one thing and one thing only, to escape.


    Luckily, a few minutester, Talon found himself running toward the exit door of the apartmentplex. The girl on his shoulder was stillpletely out of it and didn''t seem to be intending to wake up even under the current circumstances.


    ''Yes! The exit!'' Talon felt a rush of excitement seeing the exit as he increased his speed. He was never more grateful for his strong physique. However, as he was about to leave the building, the destruction finally caught up to the main structure of the apartmentplex.


    With a loud bang, the whole ce started copsing as huge rocks and wooden nks rained down on Talon like a giant torrent.


    "Holy fuck!!!" Cursing loudly, Talon''s instincts kicked in. He was barely a few meters away but with his speed and the fact that he was carrying a human being on his shoulder, he couldn''t make it.


    But, he had another idea that instantly manifested in his head. So, without any time to hesitate, he quickly grabbed the girl with two hands and then using all his strength, he threw her forward.


    The momentum of the throw sent the girl flying as she exited the building and fell on the stairs before stopping a few steps down.


    ''This should work or I''m dead!!'' With clenched teeth, he immediately threw himself forward. At the same time, a gigantic rock fell down right on the entrance.


    "HNNNG!!!" Using his forearms, he rolled on the ground.


    *BOOOM*


    The rock fell right on the door, destroying itpletely as the rest of the building crumbled afterward. A giant cloud of debris and dust filled the air.


    "Hah... Hah... Cough, cough!! Ugh!!" Coughing his lungs out because Talon inhaled a huge amount of oxygen. His heart was still racing wildly as he looked back at the remains of the building.


    "I survived... Hah... Hah..." The feeling of relief from uttering those words was akin to a refreshing breeze on his body. He didn''t believe that he made it while many others ended up buried under the rubble.


    Talon wasn''t in the mind nor the sense to recall those images as he was still trying to understand what the hell just happened. A girl appeared inside his room out of nowhere who looked so beautiful she might as well be a goddess and then three earthquakes so strong that they turned the building into dust hit him one after the other.


    Everything started and ended in less than three minutes. No one would be able to make sense of anything in that short period of time. It all felt too ridiculous and oundishly unexpected.


    However, what Talon didn''t know was that this wasn''t the end.


    *ZNNNNNNNN*


    Suddenly, a ringing sound caught his attention and made him look up in the air only to be met with a sight straight out of fiction.


    An unimaginably gigantic cosmic gate was floating in the air as it spun around. Its ck, tentacle-like edges simr to a fictional imagination of a ck hole''s event horizon slowly rotated and moved everywhere, creating a ringing sound.


    "What... in the actual hell..." Talon''s eyes blinked in shock as he watched that huge entity, the size of a full continent, cover their sky and hide the sun. It was so eerily beautiful and terrifying that he found no words to describe it.


    However, his attention on that gate didn''tst long as another set of noisy sounds reached him. Shifting his gaze down, Talon was met with a scene ultimately insane.


    A sight thatpletely changed everything.


    (A//N: Hey everyone :) This is my new book here. I hope you will enjoy this ride with me. Don''t forget to add it to your library and support it with PS. I''m going to add goals that we can achieve for extra chaps xD! I''m relying on you and hopefully, this adventure will be something you will enjoy as I have endless ideas for it!)

 Chapter 2 - 2- You Are Mine

    <h4>Chapter 2:- You Are Mine</h4>


    Chapter 2- You Are Mine


    People were running around as they cried for help, their eyes filled with terror that had no bounds. What was chasing them were entities that Talon had never seen before. Things that should''ve only existed in legends and fiction.


    They werepletely dim-ck in appearance. The type of ck that sucks all light and makes the entity appear like a moving ck hole. On its lightless body were countless sparkling dots akin to the stars in the sky.


    They were the height of an average human and the size of one. They had rather long arms with sharp fingers. As for their faces, they had huge gaping mouths and a rather particrly big sparkling dot akin to a big star right in the middle of their faces. Other than that, they had no noses, no ears, and no expression for that matter.


    "No!!! No!! Help me!!!"


    Near Talon was a woman who got chased till she stumbled down and was finally caught by the entity. Immediately, the monster bit down on her neck as she shrieked in pain. The moment the monster did that, something changed. Her cries stopped and her body froze as if she was covered in ice. However, Talon could see her muscles spasming visibly as the monster let her go and started walking away.


    Meanwhile, terrifying changes were starting to happen to the woman. Dark matter formed over her skin,pletely covering it. It was akin to a slimy liquid that slowly crawled up her body and ate her flesh hungrily. Her dying eyes were submergedpletely as she turned into an entity, simr to the one that killed her.


    Then, the creature let go of the girl who was no longer the same. A few secondster, she slowly started standing up and running as if she was one of them and ran after other people. Everything started and ended in less than 10 seconds.


    Meanwhile, Talon, who watched that unfold right in front of him, felt his heart sink in as fear welled inside him. All around him, in and outside the apartmentplex, tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of these creatures were running rampant everywhere. Many people were caught while others were simply running around unable to even fight back because of the sheer number.


    As he was like that, Talon felt a presence right behind him. Looking back, his face paled as he noticed one of those abominations targeting him. Its arms were stretched forward ready to pounce on him. Talon quickly retreated back as the monster continued closing down on him. His first instinct was to run, but the next moment, he changed his mind.


    "Don''t you dare!!"


    So, without any hesitation, Talon grabbed a stone that fell right next to him and quickly threw it into the monster''s face. The hit was direct and strong, making it stumble back. Then, Talon stood up and quickly attacked the monster with all his strength.


    He didn''t even know if attacking it was the best idea but also knew that he wouldn''t be able to run away for long considering the situation. His best chance was to actually try defending himself rather than running and the best way to defend is to attack.


    Using both of his arms, he pushed the monster down using all his strength and quickly started squeezing its neck. The monster resisted and resisted hard. It tried to grab Talon and pull him down.


    Luckily, it didn''t seem to possess the strength to do that. But, their struggle only grew harsher and harsher. The young man tried everything he could to crack its neck.


    ''Is this even going to kill it?!'' He asked himself.


    Yet, he really didn''t know. There was really nothing he could do other than this. But, as time passed, he realized that the monster wasn''t even getting affected. its arms were still fidgeting as it resisted with all of its strength.


    ''I''m gonna lose my grip!! Hnnng!!!'' Talon''s face was glistening with sweat as he wrestled with the monster. The creature''s mouth kept opening and closing as if it was trying to sp his arm. He had seen what would happen if its sharp ck teeth were to bite him, he was as good as dead.


    "COME ON!!! AGHHH!!" Growling loudly, Talon pushed the monster down with one hand and grabbed its arm with the other. At this point, any living creature should''ve already suffocated to death and died. However, it was clear that this monster wasn''t alive or at least didn''t require oxygen to live.


    ''What could kill it? I need to find a weak point!''


    Talon didn''t believe that these things didn''t have any weak points. They were simply too physically weak to be unkible.


    As Talon stared down at the monster, his eyes squinted. Right in the middle of its face, he noticed the shining star-like orb. Its appearance was very eye-catching.


    ''Is it...''


    It only took him a few seconds before he finally realized how dumb he was. So, he didn''t waste time and immediately pulled his right arm away, and then he shoved it down, grabbing the monster by the face before he started squeezing with every ounce of his strength.


    His arm flexed as the veins running through it pulsed and expanded. The boy''s teeth clenched tightly and his face tensed up as he started shuddering. Talon''s finger slowly dug deeper into the monster, prating its liquid flesh.


    That continued for a few moments until. Talon finally reached the creature''s orb and then pulled it out with all his strength. The moment he did, the creature''s movements finally stopped and its limbs fell to the ground.


    All the stars in its body dimmed and turned into grayish remains as if those stars died and whatever was left of them were the few strands of light that didn''t end yet.


    Heaving up and down with a shocked look, Talon ran his hand across his forehead. He was relieved that this worked as he really didn''t know what to do if this orb turned out to be useless.


    "I was scared shitless..." Sitting down on the ground next to the dead thing, Talon''s eyes wandered around, scared that one of these things would sneak up on him.


    However, apparently, there were plenty of humans running around that Talon didn''t seem that desirable to them.


    ''I need to leave this ce as soon as possible. It''s too dangerous...''


    However, as he was about to stand up, he suddenly heard a weird sound. "God! What no-"


    The moment he was about to curse, his eyes fell on the origin of the sound. Right in front of him, a holographic image, floating silently in the air presented itself.


    [Ding!]


    [You have killed level 1 Dimension Walker. +3 Strength, +3 Agility.]


    [Ding!]


    [Dimension Link has been created with earth. You can now feel the link between you and the Core Dimension. You can open your status window for more details.]


    "... I don''t... I... What... What the fuck is even this?!" Talon blinked in shock. Things keep getting weirder and weirder endlessly.


    [Talon Everhart-


    Level: 0


    Dimension: Low-D (ess to other dimensions restricted. Reach level 25 to unlock.)


    ss: None


    Skills: None


    Strength: 15 (+3)- Agility: 13 (+3)- Stamina: 11- Health: 10- Aetheris: 95]


    Talon read the long list of information carefully as he tried to ept them as they are. He had no other choice but to do that since he was seriously at a loss of words. Things keep getting ridiculously over the top by the second so trying to understand everything was nigh impossible.


    "... Aetheris?" He read thatst word with clear confusion in his eyes.


    Everything in the window was understandable except for thest part. ''Is that some kind of magic-like energy? Because this is awfully simr to those books I keep seeing on the inte.''


    Talon had read fantasy novels before and stumbled across stories with power systems simr to the one he was seeing in front of him. However, those had Mana in them, while this one had somethingpletely different.


    He never heard of that thing before so he could only wonder to himself. But, other than that particr detail, everything else made sense. His status numbers were very good assuming the fact that the average was 10.


    ''Mm, I kinda felt that increase in strength. My arms feel less tired and more energized too. I feel lighter and faster too... This is the real deal... I can''t believe this is actually happening.'' Clenching and unclenching his fist, Talon nodded his head in understanding.


    As he was deep into his own thoughts, he didn''t notice someone slowly moving near him.


    "Hm?"


    Looking to the side, Talon was surprised to see the girl that has been unconscious the whole time finally wake up. His attention immediately went away from the panel and to the girl.


    When she fully stood up, Talon realized another detail about the girl. She was very tall, almost reaching Talon''s chin which was rare to see in Korea. Her closed eyes slowly opened, revealing a pair of the most beautiful irises the young man had ever seen.


    Just a mere nce at them and he found himselfpletely lost in them, unable to look away for a second.


    They were a faint red color that was so profound, they almost radiated the feeling of a boundless universe.


    Her unfocused gems finally lit up as they immediatelynded on Talon. Thetter squinted his eyes too and finally opened his mouth.


    "... Who are you?"


    He chose to speak in English instead of Korean since the girl didn''t seem Korean to him.


    ''Come to think of it, she doesn''t even look like a human. Why would she understand English?''


    Considering what he had seen, the chances this girl wasn''t even from this world were very high.


    On the other hand, the girl didn''t respond to his question and instead took a step forward. Her body swayed slightly as she slowly walked forward, toward the bbergasted young man.


    The young man didn''t know how to react at that moment. Should he retreat back? Should he take a fighting stance?


    ''But... Why am I not feeling intimidated by her?'' He realized the weird sensation that the girl gave him.


    Every step she took toward him made him more and more rxed. As if who was approaching him was the closest thing to his soul. Someone that hepletely trusted and yet at the same time, didn''t even know at all!


    They were two contradicting thoughts that somehow blended well together.


    ''I need to run away... This isn''t sitting well with me.''


    However, by the time he made up his mind, the girl was already standing right in front of him, barely a few inches away. Her face, which was awfully close, made Talon''s eyes widen slightly. The two stared at each other in silence, neither speaking, and neither averting their eyes.


    Eventually, the girl''s lips slowly moved as she exhaled a small breath. The hot air caressed Talon''s skin and made him flinch. However, he still didn''t move. He was either hypnotized or simply unable to rationally think under this mysterious aura exuding from the girl.


    The girl noticed that and slowly lifted her hand up till it reached Talon''s face and rested on his left cheek. He felt her soft touch on his face and the feeling of her cold, smooth skin that made his heart rate increase greatly. This was the first time a girl touched Talon''s face apart from his own mother.


    "You..." She faintly said under her breath.


    "... You?" Talon''s ears perked up when he heard her whisper.


    "You..." The girl lifted her head even higher and continued. "You are mine."


    Then, before Talon could even react, she grabbed him by the cor and pulled him down, sealing his lips with hers. Immediately, the whole world froze for him.

 Chapter 3 - 3- Escape

    <h4>Chapter 3:- Escape</h4>


    Every sensation in Talon''s body went numb except for his lips which felt far more sensitive than ever. The softness of the woman''s plump lips filled his whole mind and almost knocked all reason out of him.


    Although Talon wasn''t very experienced with women, he did date once before and did give his first kiss. However, that kiss was nowhere near as amazing as this one. It was as if the moment this woman kissed him, his entire being happily epted her.


    The warmth, her beautiful smell, the intimate position they were in, and finally the kiss itself. Talon found himselfpletely under the hypnotizing effect this girl cast on him. Nothing around him mattered anymore as if time itself froze.


    What was in reality a few seconds felt like an eternity for Talon. Eventually, the girl released Talon''s lips. Her mouth was still parted slightly as she stared directly at Talon. Her breath felt even more sensitive on his skin.


    Eventually, the boy broke his trance and finally spoke. "... Why?"


    He didn''t even know what to say or do and instead just asked the only question that came to mind, ''Why?''.


    He didn''t know why this girl kissed him when they had never even met before. Hell, he didn''t even know anything about her, including her name.


    The girl stared at him for a second before she replied. "Behind you..." Her face was as expressionless as ever.


    "What?"


    "A Dimension Walker is behind you." She repeated as she pointed behind him.


    Talon''s mind took a second to register what she said before he felt a looming danger behind him. Immediately, he ducked down, barely avoiding the sharp teeth of one of the monsters. The entity had sneaked behind him and tried to bite his nape which ended up failing and even backfiring as it lost its bnce.


    "You bastard!" Clenching his fist, heunched a punch toward the monster''s stomach, knocking it back.


    Then, he followed with a kick to the face whichpletely knocked the monster over. Without waiting, Talon jumped on it before he grabbed its head, digging into its very essence, and then pulled out the orb inside.


    Immediately, the monster stopped moving.


    [Ding!]


    [You have killed a level 1 Dimension Walker. +2 Strength, +3 Stamina.]


    [Ding!]


    [You have leveled up.]


    [You have gained +2 Free Points.]


    ''I leveled up, huh? That''s good and I did receive some nice free points.'' He mused as he read the notifications.


    "Too noisy though..." Rubbing the inside of his ear, Talon looked down at the things in his hand. He had weird glowing orbs. One was a very faint faint blue color while the other was an extremely bright rainbow color.


    "What are these?" He asked himself, not expecting an answer. Only that, he did receive an answer.


    "Monster cores. You can break them to receive some good rewards." The girl replied casually.


    "Huh? You know what these are?" He asked in confusion.


    "If I answered then that obviously means I do, human." She retorted.


    Talon ignored her arrogantly casual responses and looked down at the two cores. He didn''t know what kind of ''rewards'' she was talking about, but he was very curious to know.


    However, he quickly shook his head and pocketed the two orbs as he quickly turned to look at the girl.


    "I don''t know what''s going on or even who you are. But, I saved your life, so you have to pay me back." He said.


    "..." The girl''s expression didn''t change but he noticed subtle confusion in her eyes.


    "The building was going to copse and I brought you with me. I only ask that you exin to me what the hell is going on here."


    Talon was never someone who would abuse his own kindness to use people. But, he was in dire need of a good exnation for what was happening all around him and the girl in front of him seemed like the perfect person to exin that.


    Besides, he didn''t really know if she was trustworthy or not.


    ''She kissed me for fuck sake! Ugh! Ok, it''s not time to think about that!''


    "Since you''re now mine, I will naturally exin everything to you."


    "Yours... Excuse me, what?" Rubbing his temple with a tired look, he sighed. "I won''t even ask why you said that because I need to move. Can you run?"


    "I can fly." She replied as suddenly, the girl''s feet slowly elevated from the ground and she started floating quietly.


    "..."


    ''Yeah, she''s definitely not human.'' Talon noted down to himself.


    "What''s your name, human?"


    "... I''m Talon."


    "You can address me as Acrypha for now." She replied in a casual yet elegant tone. This whole time, Acrypha had a very strong royal-like demeanor that wasn''t too overbearing or unnatural. Nor did it feel too arrogant or condescending yet also leaves a very deep effect on anyone who talks with her, Talon included.


    "Ok, Acrypha. We need to go!"


    Saying that, Talon turned around and dashed toward the exit of the building. Everyone inside the apartmentplex was heavily injured, died, or turned into one of those abominations that walked around freely.


    Naturally, when they saw that Talon was still alive, they immediately targeted him. Dozens and dozens of Dimension Walkers rushed after the young man.


    "Shit! There are too many!" As he dashed as fast as he could, Talon picked up rocks and threw them at every monster that tried to get close. The hit didn''t kill them but it was enough to stagger them.


    ''Ten more meters!''


    Looking ahead of him, Talon noticed that the gate waspletely closed. He had no time to open it considering the situation, so he could only do one thing... Jump over it.


    Then, his eyes moved to the flying silhouette next to him. Acrypha had a casual look on her face as if the situation wasn''t already terrifying.


    She simply followed Talon, not even sparing the monsters around them a single nce.


    Shaking his head, Talon hurried his steps as he reached the gate before he leaped into the gate and grabbed the edge as he tried to lift himself up. He was one step away from leaving the building. Unfortunately, one of the Dimension Walkers grabbed his leg at thest moment and tried to pull him back.


    Talon almost lost bnce at that moment and his grip on the gate loosened. Clenching his fists he looked back and kicked the monster away before its teeth could bite him. Because of that, his jeans were ripped as a huge part of it went down with the monster.


    "Those were new! Ah, man!!" Cursing inwardly, Talon immediately jumped over the gate, andnded on the street outside. Immediately, he heard a loud banging behind him that made him flinch slightly.


    "Did you get bit?" Acrypha asked as she stared at him.


    "No, I barely escaped..." He replied.


    "Good, if you got bitten, I would''ve had to kill you."


    "Thanks for the optimistic remark!"


    Looking around him, the streets of his neighborhood that he grew ustomed to were nowhere to be seen. Everything waspletely destroyed with barely any buildings left intact.


    Talon''s face changed as he noticed the bloody corpses everywhere along with the powerful stench of blood. His stomach churned as he immediately threw up everything he ate that morning.


    He felt sick, extremely sick. Seeing all these dead people, he really couldn''t hold it in any longer.


    "This is messed up..." He murmured as he wiped his mouth using a handkerchief in his pocket. "Why is all of this happening?"


    He didn''t realize the sheer size of the disaster till he saw the outside world. His heart ached greatly.


    ''Wait... My parents!'' Suddenly, he realized something. A detail that he forgot about because of the situation. He didn''t know if they were able to survive the catastrophe or not and his worry instantly rose to the highest level.


    "I need to go back to them."


    But, he knew that was going to be way easier said than done. His parents lived in the far south of South Korea. It would take him at least 8 hours to reach them, if he used a car that is.


    ''I need to calm down. They''re going to be fine. I just need to find a way to go get them.'' He thought to himself as he calmed his racing heart.


    "This is merely the beginning. Far worse things will happen in the near future. You have to ept it. The sooner you do, the higher your chance of surviving and growing stronger will be." Acrypha dered, waking Talon from his own thoughts.


    His grimace remained, but he understood what she meant. Whatever is happening is going to change the worldpletely for a long time if not forever. If Talon wanted to survive, he had to adapt quickly.


    "I understand... Thanks for telling me..." He replied as he inhaled another deep breath and cleared his mind of any unnecessary thoughts.


    Acrypha noticed the change in his eyes from before and nodded faintly. "Where are you going now?"


    Thinking for a moment, Talon went through his potential choices. What he needed most was a safe ce so that he could rearrange his thoughts and also get food and water if he was going to survive.


    ''A safe ce with food and water...'' It didn''t take him long before his thoughtsnded on the perfect choice.


    "The warehouse!"

 Chapter 4 - 4- New Weapon

    <h4>Chapter 4:- New Weapon</h4>


    In the neighborhood that Talon lived in was a giant warehouse used mainly by the Seoul National University for food and other necessities that it receives every month from the government to keep the university running.


    It was a very huge, concrete building with thick metal doors and had an almost imprable set of windows all around its walls. It was the perfect ce to hide from Dimension Walkers. Not to mention the food it has stored in it which could be used to save Talon''s life and perhaps the lives of other people.


    So, without time to waste, Talon quickly started running through the destroyed streets of the neighborhood.


    The number of Dimension Walkers had dramatically increased during the time Talon was inside and so it didn''t even take a few seconds of running before Talon was met with numerous monsters that saw him as a good target.


    Looking around him, Talon immediately dashed around them as fast as he could. Luckily, even with their rather ominous speed, Talon was able to outrun them and escape. However, the more he ran, therger the group of entities that tried to attack him grew.


    "Why is everyone after me!" He cursed. "I can''t even fight all of them!"


    Running through the streets, he noticed another group of monsters right ahead of him, feasting on dead people.


    "You might need a weapon, boy," Acrypha said casually as she followed him.


    "I know! But where am I supposed to get one?" He asked.


    "Crush one of those orbs that you got previously." She said.


    "Huh? Why?"


    "Just do it."


    Talon did hear her saying that these orbs would give him rewards but considering the situation he was in, he had no other choice but to bet on these orbs.


    So, rummaging through his pocket, he pulled out one of the orbs, precisely the blue one with the very faint light. Looking at it for a second, Talon gulped before he closed his eyes.


    "Here goes nothing."


    *CRASH*


    With a simple exertion of strength, the orb was destroyed into pieces as the particles fell to the ground. At the same time, the faint blue light rested on Talon''s hand as it suddenly grew in size.


    Before the young man could even react, a long object was resting on his hand. Looking at it closely with a surprised gaze.


    "A spear?"


    What he saw in his hand was a long blue spear with a sharp de at the end of it. The de had a beautiful decoration running across its shaft and ended perfectly at the point where the de and the shaft merged.


    "Wow..." Talon admired the weapon with an awe-filled expression. He only saw such weapons in fiction and drawings. Never did he expect to see one in real life and even touch it.


    "Be careful." Suddenly, pulling him out of his thoughts was Acrypha''s voice that warned him.


    Immediately, Talon looked ahead and saw the monsters that he was running to, rush toward him. They were two very simr-looking Dimension Walkers. Immediately, Talon grabbed the spear with both hands as he aimed it at the two enemies.


    "Wait... I don''t even know how to use a spear?!" Immediately, he realized the huge problem he had at that moment.


    "Just thrust forward with all your strength," Acrypha said casually.


    "Ugh! I hate your overly logical, borderline arrogant remarks!"


    "Hate them as much as you want after you survive." She said.


    Clenching his teeth, Talon finally met the first Dimension Walker. Tightening his grip on the spear, he thrust forward using all his power. The de shed through the air, aiming for the monster''s head.


    However, the creature suddenly moved its head to the side at thest second.


    "Oh no!"


    Talon realized that he just put too much of his bnce into the thrust and it was about to miss. But, he had no other choice but to take the gamble now that he had done it. Using his whole body, he moved the spear forward as fast as he could. The de reached the target and pierced through the side of its head with ease.


    However, because it was to the side, the hit didn''t instantly destroy the monster''s core. Which meant one thing... The monster was still alive.


    Extending its arm, the Dimension Walker grabbed Talon''s arm and yanked him toward it. The young man felt his heart sink in at the horrible mistake he made. However, he didn''t just let the monster do what it wanted.


    So, in a split second, he gripped the shaft of the spear as hard as he could before he slid down, tackling the monster. Then, without waiting a moment, he pulled the spear out before he shed horizontally at the second monster that was a few inches away from him.


    The de of the spear sliced through the monster''s head with ease, decapitating it. Following that, Talon turned to the first monster and stabbed it with the spear, destroying its core.


    "Hah... Hah... Hah..." Wiping the sweat off his forehead, Talon looked at the two dead monsters with widened eyes. Adrenaline was still running through his veins and his heart was beating loudly in his ribcage.


    "You aren''t too bad at using the spear," Acryphamented as she stared at the two dead monsters. "Did you receive training before?"


    "Military service... I learned how to use a few de-type weapons... Mostly knives." Talon replied as he looked at his spear.


    ''It''s not as hard as I expected. However, I almost made the mistake of a lifetime. Guess that''s expected, I will need to practice a lot to get the hang of it.'' Noting down what he needed to do for the future, he focused on the notifications that appeared in his retina.


    [You have killed level 2 Dimension Walker. +2 Health, +2 Agility.]


    [You have killed level 1 Dimension Walker. +1 Strength.]


    "Why am I getting fewer points with each monster I kill?" The young man frowned when he noticed that he wasn''t getting the same number of status points as before.


    "The more of these low-level things you kill, the fewer rewards you will get," Acrypha replied as she simply looked around her curiously, not bothering with the apocalyptic nature of their environment.


    "Aaah, is it to stop people from just killing weak enemies?"


    "Exactly. The stronger you get, the stronger the monsters you need to kill be."


    Nodding his head, Talon''s eyes moved to the spear again. The reason for that was that a window had just popped out of nowhere right above the weapon.


    [Blue Lapis Spear (Common Item): A spear born from the essence of the sea. At the base level, it can easily kill any enemy Level 10 and below. It can level up and max out at Level 10. At that level, it can kill any enemy Level 30 and below.


    Level: 1/10


    Bonus Points: +5 Strength, +5 Agility, More effective against sea creatures.]


    "Nice weapon..." Talon nodded his head with an impressed look. A spear that can kill monsters levels above Talon and can even kill monsters at level 30 is very powerful.


    shing with it a few times, he felt Acrypha''s eyes on him.


    "So, this is the reward you''ve been talking about?" He asked as he slowly peeked from around the corner of the street to check for any monsters.


    "Yes. With each monster you kill, there is a chance that you will get a reward. It''s not 100% the case every time, though. And the rarity also depends on the monster you killed and a lot of luck."


    "So that''s why those two monster orbs didn''t have any shiny lights inside of them?" When Talon unexpected the two cores, they werepletely gray, akin to pieces of stone in contrast to the colorful nature of the first two cores.


    "Seems like you figured it out."


    "I see." Rubbing the back of his head, Talon finally exhaled a breath and started moving again. The other monsters following him were getting closer so he had to continue to his destination if he didn''t want to get stuck there.


    The run to the warehouse was a 10-minute one. Since the neighborhood he lived in was small, the streets were also very small which made evading monsters impossibly hard. However, Talon found a way around that problem by using the destroyed buildings around him as hiding spots that he could move through without alerting the monsters.


    With that, he continued running toward the warehouse as fast as he could. The darkness of the day cast its looming shadows on Talon. The weather felt cold even though it was summer and the ringing sound of the huge portal in the air was akin to a twisted background music that followed Talon wherever he went.


    ''I can''t find any survivors!'' Not even after he moved for minutes and minutes did he find a single living human being. Talon was starting to feel guilty that he didn''t save anyone else in the apartmentplex when he left.


    However, he knew that there was so much he could do in that situation. Now, after barely 20 minutes since everything went into a frenzy, Talon was actually doing way better than he expected.


    ''I can save some people! I just need to find them before they get eaten alive!''


    As he had that in mind, he suddenly heard a loud screaming from a nearby street. Immediately, Talon''s attention perked up.

 Chapter 5 - 5- Dimension Harvester (Part 1)

    <h4>Chapter 5:- Dimension Harvester (Part 1)</h4>


    The screams belonged to a person, a very terrified one but a person nheless. Talon looked around him, trying to locate the origin of the sound as fast as he could. He knew that if this person needed help then he didn''t have time to idle around.


    Luckily, since the voice came from a rtively close location, he was able to find it and then he quickly dashed toward it as fast as he could.


    ''Please stay alive! I''ming!'' He clenched his teeth as he hurried his steps.


    A few secondster, he reached an open area in the neighborhood where a small park was supposed to be. However, that park was long gone and what was left of it waspletely destroyed beyond recognition.


    Inside this ce, a young man could be seen running with a terrified look on his face. He kept looking back at whatever was following him, each time he took a nce at it, his face would pale even harder and the terror he was feeling would amplify.


    Ryan Shin-Il was going back home from the grocery store when the catastrophe hit and he found himself being chased around by unknown creatures. Beingpletely clueless and helpless, he could only run as fast as he could.


    Luckily, he was able to find a safe spot to hide in. However, his happiness didn''tst long when whatever was running after him discovered his location and from then on, he was running constantly while the monster closed the distance between them slowly.


    "Help!!!! Help, please!!! Anyone!!" He screamed and yelled as much as he could with no result.


    As he looked around him, searching for anyone who could help, he didn''t notice a small rock protruding from the ground and stumbled on it.


    "Ugh! My leg!!" Cursing loudly, Shin-Il quickly dragged himself through the dirt as he tried to stand up again. However, he didn''t have the time or the strength to do that. After running for 20 minutes non-stop, he was totally spent.


    The monster closed the distance between them and was about to grab him and end his life. The young man could only watch as the dark arm extended toward him.


    "Nooo!!"


    Closing his eyes, he waited for the inevitable. However, instead of feeling the crushing force on his body, he didn''t feel anything at all. Instead, he heard something.


    Looking up, he was met with a shocking site. A man suddenly appeared out of nowhere and kicked the monster in the side, pushing it a little bit farther from Shin-Il.


    "Wha..." He couldn''t believe his own eyes.


    Landing on the ground, Talon stared at the boy. "Are you ok? Did it bite you?"


    "... No... Thank you for saving me..." Shin-Il replied in a daze.


    "Thank meter once we get out of here in one piece."


    ''Not that I can guarantee that with this thing in the way...'' Staring at his enemy, Talon frowned visibly. No matter how he looked at it, it was a Dimension Walker, or at least of the same appearance as those nasty things. However, that''s where all simrities end.


    First of all, the monster was visibly taller than the other Dimension Walkers, reaching a height of at least 7 feet. Its body was also thicker and bigger than that of its fellow monsters, making it appear even more intimidating.


    "That Dimension Walker killed a good number of humans in a short time," Acrypha said casually as she swam around Talon.


    Hearing her remark, he frowned slightly. "How many?" He murmured quietly.


    "At least 5 or 6."


    ''Nasty bastard...'' Talon clenched his fists at the number. If only one was able to kill 6 and get this strong, then he didn''t even want to know what a Dimension Walker would look like after killing a dozen or more humans.


    "Be careful. Fighting it won''t be easy."


    "I know... Can''t you help me?" Talon asked.


    "I can''t do that or our problem will get even bigger. You have to fight it alone." She replied.


    "Tsk, I expected that much."


    As the two conversed, the monster had already regained its bnce and was rushing toward Talon at top speed. Its giant frame didn''t seem to affect how quickly it could run. Each step it took almost shook the whole ce.


    Talon took a deep breath before he ran toward it and thrust his spear forward. The de shed through the air at an amazing speed, only to be stopped dead in its tracks a secondter. The monster had grabbed the de with its hand.


    ''Shit!''


    Before Talon could even react, the monster pulled him in before it threw him to the side violently as if he were a small kid. Rolling on the dirt, Talon was stopped dead in his tracks by a tree as he quickly stood up.


    The creature didn''t stop there and rushed toward him like a hungry beast. Using its arm, it tried to grab into him. However, he quickly ducked before dashing around it and trying to attack it from the side. His spear shed through the air slicing the monster''s flesh.


    However, other than a shallow injury, nothing else happened to the Dimension Walker.


    ''Too strong!!''


    Even worse than that, the attack seemed to enrage the creature as it swung its arm, trying to p Talon''s body. Thetter had no time to react so he could only use his spear as a shield.


    *boom*


    The hit was akin to a car smashing into Talon sending him flying back as he stumbled on the hard ground a few times. Even with the strength of almost two people, Talon couldn''t rival the monster in strength at all.


    Slowly rising from the ground as he swallowed back the painful groan that tried to escape his mouth, he felt a warm liquid run down his face. Touching his forehead, he saw a trace of blood on his fingers.


    However, he didn''t stop as he quickly stood up, wiped the blood before it dropped on his eyes, and then grabbed his spear.


    "Come at me, you fat fuck!" He yelled loudly as he aimed his spear forward. The Dimension Walker looked at Talon silently before it started running toward him again.


    The brutal fightmenced again, far worse than before. Talon kept dodging, running, and sidestepping as much as he could while attacking back with all his strength. He got hit a few times, and each time, he felt his bones rumble and his whole body shudder. The pain was horrible and even breathing became hard.


    However, he didn''t stop or hesitate to attack again and again relentlessly. He was scared, horribly scared. But, he was even more scared of something else.


    ''My family! I gotta get them before they end up dead! I have to kill it!!'' His eyes red with a strong fire. He was terrified of dying, as any normal person should be. But, he was also terrified of letting his parents die before him.


    He had taken an oath upon himself to make them live the best life he could provide after he graduated from university and got a good job. He wanted to repay them for all those years they worked day and night to get him everything he needed.


    Shin-Il looked at the man with awe in his eyes. He had been running from that creature with all his might and never for a second even entertained the thought of fighting it. Yet, this young man in front of him was fighting it, getting beaten up, and yet standing again as if he didn''t care about his own life.


    It hit him hard. So hard in fact, that he forgotpletely about running away as he should''ve thought considering how upied the monster was with Talon. Instead, he found himself cheering for Talon, wishing he could beat that thing.


    "D-Don''t die!!!" He yelled loudly.


    Talon heard that scream, but he didn''t focus on it as his whole being was dead set on killing the Dimension Walker in front of him.


    His body was bloodied and battered, his clothes were shredded to pieces and he could barely stand up on his feet. Using his spear as a cane, he walked forward with difficulty, his mouth open to breathe and his heart beating so fast he could hear it in his ears.


    "Stop, Talon." Suddenly, Acrypha stopped him.


    "What..." He asked with a cold, angry tone. He was very irritated by this fight and Acrypha''s voice made it even worse.


    "You can''t beat it this way. It''s simply too strong for you."


    "Then what am I supposed to do, die?!" He yelled back.


    "The other orb, crush that one." She replied calmly even though Talon was clearly not in his mind.


    Hearing those words, he recalled the other orb in his pocket. Quickly, he pulled it out and stared at it. The orb had a myriad of colors on it that kept interchanging and dancing beautifully. It was far more pleasing to the eye than the Spear''s orb.


    But, Talon had no time to appreciate that and quickly crushed the orb with his bloodied hand.


    Suddenly, a bright, blinding light exploded everywhere, covering the whole park and even the monster''s vision.


    It onlysted a few seconds before it slowly vanished and what it left behind shocked Talon.


    [Ding!]


    [You have acquired your first skill: Dimension Harvester.]


    [Dimension Harvester (Lower Dimension) Level 1: Using this ability, you can link with alternate versions of yourself in parallel dimensions and acquire their skills. Costs Aetheris to activate.


    Skills avable: Spearmanship (Level 1)


    w: Overusing the ability could lead to permanent brain damage.]

 Chapter 6 - 6- Dimension Harvester (Part 2)

    <h4>Chapter 6:- Dimension Harvester (Part 2)</h4>


    The moment the notification appeared in Talon''s retina, his eyes shed. It was a skill... His very first skill. However, it wasn''t any normal skill.


    Reading through the description of the skill, Talon could only hold his breath in surprise.


    ''Alternate versions? Parallel dimensions? This is insane!'' He mused as he tried to calm himself down.


    Meanwhile, Acrypha, who was standing behind him seemed to have noticed the change in his expression. However, instead of asking about it, she instead said something different.


    "Whatever you got, just use it, quickly!" She alerted him to the monster that was rushing toward him.


    "How?!" Talon asked panickedly as he grabbed his spear tightly.


    "Just think of whatever you got and imagine activating it." She replied.


    ''Shit! Ok! This better work!'' Taking a deep breath, Talon did exactly what she said. Immediately, he started feeling a cooling sensation running through his body. It was far different from anything else he ever felt before as it was almost akin to an ethereal energy moving through his body. His painful injuries felt less torturing and his mind cleared up.


    At the same time, Talon felt something shocking. Weird knowledge and information started appearing in his head out of nowhere that he doesn''t recall ever seeing in his life. The information was all rted to Spearmanship, how to fight with a spear, techniques, movement patterns, and even a first-person point-of-view application of all of that.


    His mind wasn''t saturated with this newfound information but it was still a very odd and very insightful experience.


    Meanwhile, the monster had already closed the distance between them and was mming down with its hand.


    "DODGE!!!" Shin-Il yelled loudly when he noticed that Talon waspletely motionless. He didn''t seem to have any intention to dodge or counter attack which made Shin-Il''s heart stop for a second.


    However, what he saw nextpletely blew his mind and made his brain freeze.


    Talon''s body suddenly ducked as he jumped in the air, reaching the monster''s height as their eyes locked together. His movement was fast, fluid, and graceful yet also incredibly reckless.


    ''Is he intending to face the monster head-on without dodging?!'' Shin-Il didn''t understand at all.


    But, his answer came a split secondter when Talon''s spear suddenly moved and when it did, everything changed.


    *Swish*


    The de sliced through the air at incredible speed, cutting the monster''s head in half. The hit was far more brutal than anything he had done before. The way he moved his weapon and the way cut the monster felt so masterful, far from his previous clumsy attempts. Then, Talon''snded on the ground before he quickly dashed around the stumbling monster and jumped in the air,nding on top of him then, with a loud grunt, he stabbed down, right at the monster''s core.


    The moment the spear pierced through the tough flesh, it pushed the core outside the Dimension Walker''s body.


    *BANG*


    Immediately, the entity fell to the ground motionless... It was dead. Talon stood there for a good 5 seconds not saying or doing anything. The only thing indicating that he was still alive was his arms which were shaking visibly.


    "Hah... Hah... Hah..." Exhaling and inhaling loudly, Talon finally felt all the strength leave his body as he fell on top of the monster.


    "I... did it... Yes..." With a weak smile, he lifted his hand in the air and clenched his fist. The feeling of the bitter victory filled his body. Even in his condition, he felt good, enthralled, and for a fleeting moment, invincible. This was a deadly battle, one that he actually won.


    The feeling of victory was amazing. Something Talon never experienced before. He never knew fighting to death and winning was this amazing of a sensation.


    ''Shit... I might get addicted to this...'' Looking down at his spear, he recalled what happened in detail.


    Using that skill made him kill the monster in one single attack. He felt as if his spear was simply an extended part of his body that he could freely control as he wanted.


    [Ding!]


    [You have killed level 5 Dimension Walker. +6 Agility, +6 Health.]


    [Ding!]


    [You have leveled up. +2 Free Points.]


    [Ding!]


    [You have leveled up. +2 Free Points.]


    [Ding!]


    [You have leveled up. +2 Free Points.]


    A series of notifications appeared in front of Talon''s hazy eyes. Immediately, a stronger rush of unknown energy filled his body.


    ''Health and Agility increased a lot... This is the result of killing something way stronger than me, huh?'' He thought to himself as he started feeling his injuries going slightly numb. He was still heavily injured but his power increased by leaps and bounds.


    As he was like that, Acrypha slowly floated toward him with an impressed look on her face.


    "What did you get?"


    "... A very powerful skill," Talon replied as he slowly stood on his feet with the help of the spear.


    ''A skill that can kill a Level 5 Dimension Walker while he''s merely Level 1?'' Acrypha didn''t know how to feel about what she saw. The moment he activated the skill, his whole demeanor changed.


    His speed, uracy, and techniques all evolved in a single instant and he overpowered the monster before it could even react. That was something she had never seen before in a Low-Level creature like the human in front of her.


    Squinting her eyes, she kept staring at him silently. No one knew what was going through her head.


    "M-Mister!! Are you ok?!" As the two were like that, a voice reached their ears and made them look down. Shin-Il hade running toward Talon when he saw that the monster stopped moving.


    Even though he was scared shitless, he still was very worried about Talon. So, he ignored his instincts and came to check on his savior.


    "I''m good," Talon replied as he spat out a mouthful of saliva mixed with blood. "Well, mostly."


    "Fuuuh, thank god!" Shin-Il exhaled as he smiled at Talon. "Thank you! Thank you so much for saving me!!" Saying that, Shin-Il went down on his knees and bowed toward Talon. Tears welled up in his eyes as snot ran down his nose. "I thought... Hick... I thought was done for... Thank you... Truly..."


    He cried silently as he kept repeating the same words to Talon. Meanwhile, thetter simply looked at him silently. He didn''t know how to respond to such sincere gratitude.


    Rubbing the back of his head confusedly, he replied. "Lift your head up, man. I just did what I saw to be the right thing to do. Just saying thank you is more than enough.


    "Mmm... I''m sorry..." Rubbing his face, the boy stood up again.


    "What''s your name?" Talon asked.


    "Ryan Shin-Il, sir!"


    ''Sir...''


    "My name is Talon Everhart... You can call me Talon."


    "Ta... lon?" Shin-Il seemed rather confused at first since the name was certainly not Korean.


    "Yeah, Talon."


    "Nice to meet you, Taron!"


    "It''s Talon, with an L, not an R."


    "Oh, sorry! Talon... Talon... Talon... I got it!"


    "Congrattions." Talon sighed inwardly. This wasn''t the first time someone found it hard to pronounce his name. It was basically a daily thing for him. Because his father was a foreigner and was also an avid reader and writer of traditional fantasy books, he wanted to name his son after a character he loved greatly, hence the unorthodox name.


    ''Thanks for my name, Dad. Appreciate it.'' Talon thought to himself with a small smile. He would always bicker with his father jokingly about his naming sense.


    "Good memories. Anyway..."


    ''Wait...'' Suddenly, Talon realized something. His eyes looked at Shin-Il and then at Acrypha and he noticed something odd. The boy didn''t seem to look at Acrypha at all, or to be more precise, he didn''t seem to realize that she was there.


    "He can''t see you?" Talon asked with a small whisper.


    "Yeah, you''re the only one that can see me. No one else in this world can." Acrypha replied with a calm yet also yful tone.


    "So romantic..." Talon rolled his eyes. "You will exin whyter."


    "Anyway, Shin-Il. Do you have anywhere to go?"


    "N-No... I was just searching for a safe ce to hide before authorities could find me."


    "I doubt authorities will be able to do anything considering the situation."


    Looking above him, Talon noticed some military jets flying every now and then, but none of them seemed to be doing anything to stop this huge catastrophe. There was no cellrwork to call or get connected to the inte either.


    "I''m heading toward the warehouse. If you want to follow me or go on your own, it''s your choice." Talon added as he climbed down from the monster''s body.


    "I-I will go with you!" Shin-Il replied.


    "Good decision. But you will have to put your life at risk and fight one of those monsters when you need to. I''m not going to take care of a dead weight for a long time."


    "O-Ok! I will try my best!"


    "Good spirit. Now, let''s go."


    The two started moving again. Although Talon''s body was quickly healing, it would still take a long time for him to fully recover unless he got some medical treatment.


    "Ugh..." Groaning slightly, he continued walking using his spear.


    "Are you really ok? Do you need some help moving?" Shin-Il asked worriedly.


    "No need. I can move on my own."


    The two crossed the street and headed south. They used small alleys to avoid groups of monsters. Talon had to kill a few weak Dimension Walkers as they moved which didn''t give him any bonus stats. A few minutester, the warehouse appeared in their vision.


    "We''re close. Hurry." Talon said as he peeked from a nearby street before he signaled for Shin-Il to move. As the two were about to move to the next block, they heard a loud banging from the nearby alley.


    Talon crouched down as he signaled for Shin-Il to stop. Then, he slowly took a peek. There, he saw a group of people fighting Dimension Walkers.


    ''Another group of people.'' Talon squinted his eyes slightly as he noticed a familiar face amongst them.

 Chapter 7 - 7- The Campus Stars

    <h4>Chapter 7:- The Campus Stars</h4>


    The group consisted of exactly 4 people, two girls and two guys. They all had striking appearances and very strong presences. However, Talon''s eyes were focused on a particr girl amongst them whom he knew very well.


    ''Ran Hyun-Jae.'' He thought to himself silently.


    The girl was Ran Hyun-Jae, the daughter of the Ran family, which was one of the richest families in South Korea and even the world. They were a huge conglomerate worth billions of dors that had countlesspanies under their name. From beauty to media productionpanies and everything in between, they had their feet dipped in every pond.


    As for their daughter, she was the president of the Student Council at Seoul National University. She was a very brilliant, smart, and extremely beautiful girl that everyone admired. Even from this angle, Talon could notice her mesmerizing appearance with ease. Perhaps that was why he even heard of her in the first ce as he was never someone who took an interest in popr people who attended the same university as he does.


    Yet, he still heard about Hyun-Jae many times from his friends and ssmates. Things like her achievements, how beautiful she was, how she turned down every man who stepped forward to date her or even marry her. Many of these things were merely rumors but they worked in turning Hyun-Jae into this divine figure amongst the students.


    "Oh, It''s the president!" As he was like that, Talon heard Shin-Il exim behind him.


    "Shush!" Immediately, he mmed his hand against the boy''s mouth quickly. "Don''t yell like that."


    Although Talon intended to go out to talk with them, he was still uncertain if they were really trustworthy enough to talk with.


    "Mmm... Mmmm..." Shin-Il panickedly hummed to catch Talon''s attention.


    "What?"


    "Mmm... Mmmm... Mmmm..."


    "You know them?" He asked in confusion as if he understood what the boy meant.


    "Mmmm... Mmm..." Shin-Il nodded his head.


    "Ok, fine, go ahead," Talon said as he released Shin-Il and left him toe out.


    The boy quickly stood up and walked out of their hiding spot.


    "President!" He yelled as he walked toward them. Meanwhile, Talon looked at Acrypha. "Are they already leveling up?" He asked.


    "Yes. However, three of them are still Level 1. One is Level 3."


    "Level 3? Is it Ran Hyun-Jae?"


    "I don''t know who that is. It''s the beautiful girl." Acrypha replied.


    ''Already Level 3? She''s fast.''


    The only reason Talon reached Level 4 was because he fought something that out-leveled him greatly. He didn''t know if Ran Hyun-Jae did the same or simply killed a huge number of weak Dimension Walkers. Either way, that meant that she was very strong.


    "Shin-Il, is that you?!" Hearing a loud voice, Talon took a peek again. There, one of the guys, who was rather tall with a strong body and a rough yet very handsome face approached him with a wide grin. His short brown hair and striking brown eyes made him appear friendly even with his huge frame.


    "I''m d you''re ok, kid!" He said as he tapped him on the shoulder.


    "I''m d to see you too, Wan Yong!"


    The man was Wan Yong, the president of the basketball club, and was also the ace of the team. He was very popr amongst girls in the university. He was known for being a very nice person even though he looked very intimidating at first.


    Shin-Il then looked at the second guy who also stared at him. However, in contrast to Wan Yong, this young man had a very stoic and cold expression that didn''t show any emotion at all.


    His name was Seo Chin-Hwa and he was the vice president of the student council or in other words, Hyun-Jae''s right-hand man and the person who basically followed her everywhere she went.


    He was known for his strict attitude toward everyone especially when it came to conducting rules. He didn''t smile or talk much to other people. However, because of his prince-like appearance, he was the most popr guy on the campus.


    His fans were so devoted that they even created a fan club dedicated to talking about him. Sadly for them, Chin-Hwa found out and immediately closed it down.


    "Vice president." Shin-Il smiled at the young man.


    Thetter simply nodded his head in acknowledgment without saying a word.


    At the same time, Shin-Il felt a tap on his other shoulder. Looking to his side and saw a rather cute, short girl with a book in her hand staring back at him.


    "Soomin! I missed you!" Shin-Il hugged the short girl with a happy look.


    "Hey, don''t touch me, brat! Who said you can hug me?" The girl protested as she hit his back.


    "Hehehe! I''m sorry! I''m sorry!" Shin-Il pulled away as he protected his body. He knew that Nam Soomin was simply shy but he could also see that she was happy to see him alive and well.


    Nam Soomin was the president of the book club and she was very much a bookworm.


    "Did you not meet any of these monsters on your way, Shin-Il?" Finally, the leader of this group, Hyun-Jae stepped forward as she asked with a confused look. Her face was as white as snow, shining even under theyer of dirt and debris that covered it. Her eyes were big and beautiful with two blue irises inside of them.


    Her hair was dark ck with a hint of redness to it that was hard to notice unless one looked very close. She was also considerably tall, with an hourss figure that made her charms skyrocket.


    She wasn''t the most beautiful girl on the campus for no reason. Hyun-Jae was a beauty like no other and that was a fact that everyone knew already.


    "No, actually, I was chased by them for the past 40 minutes and even had to escape one that was very big in size. I would almost be dead if it wasn''t for Talon saving me and fighting the thing!" He replied.


    "Talon? Who''s that?" Hyun-Jae asked back with a raised eyebrow.


    "Ah! Talon, you cane out! They aren''t bad people!" Shin-Il said as he looked back.


    The others stared at where he was looking curiously. Especially Hyun-Jae since she wanted to know who this mysterious person was.


    A few secondster, Talon stepped out of his hiding spot and walked toward the group. All of them stared at him with prying gazes. Naturally, Talon felt slight pressure under their eyes but he didn''t show any reaction.


    "You didn''t have to introduce me that way, Shin-Il." He said with a small smile. "That makes me sound like some kind of generic hero in aic book."


    "But you are my hero! You saved my life there and even risked yours!"


    "As I said, I did what I thought was right."


    "So you''re Talon? Are you a foreigner?" The first to speak was Wan Yong, the giant guy.


    "Half-Blooded Korean." Talon corrected him. "Nice to meet you, Wan Yong."


    "I see..." The giant man squinted his eyes as he nodded his head. "You too, brother."


    "Thanks for saving, Shin-Il. I assume you heard our names there so there is no need to introduce ourselves again I suppose?" Hyun-Jae said as she stepped forward. Her eyes moved up and down, scanning Talon sharply.


    Her gaze eventuallynded on the spear in his hand. "Where did you get that weapon from?"


    "I crushed one of the cores those things drop and it gave me this spear."


    "Wait, those cores do that?" Soomin asked with a loud voice as she adjusted her sses.


    "Yes."


    "How did you know?" She asked again.


    "I discovered that by pure coincidence when I killed one," Talon replied.


    ''Can''t tell them that a flying invisible girl told me that or they will think I''m insane.'' He thought to himself.


    "Interesting." Pulling her book note out, Soomin started writing on it.


    "Do you have any idea what''s going on and what''s that gate above us?" Chin-Hwa, the cold prince finally spoke.


    He had been watching the conversation from behind silently as if he was testing Talon before he finally decided to participate in it.


    "No, I''m just as confused as you are."


    "..." Chin-Hwa didn''t add anything else and simply stared at Talon. However, his gaze was different from everyone else.


    ''He really doesn''t trust me, does he?'' Talon smiled wryly as he changed his gaze to Hyun-Jae.


    "I''m heading toward the warehouse for now since it seems like the best hiding spot. Do you want to join me?"


    "We were heading there ourselves. We have been followed by these things for a while and we''re exhausted." Hyun-Jae replied.


    "I can share all the information I gathered about Dimension Walkers if you all do the same thing."


    Although Talon didn''t really need to do this proposal considering the fact he had the most knowledgeable person he needed flying next to him. However, he wanted to establish some kind of trust between him and these four.


    If they were going to work together, they had to at least understand that they weren''t going to harm each other. Showing sincerity is a good start.


    "Good, we didn''t gather much but I think with your information and ours, we can form some kind of idea about what we found ourselves in." The beautiful student council president nodded her head.


    "Well, now that we got to know each other! Let''s go!" Shin-Il said excitedly.


    Then, without any time to waste, the group started moving as fast as they could.


    "Are you ok, brother?" Wan Yong asked when he noticed Talon''s tattered body.


    "I''m fine. Just need some rest and I should be fine."


    "If you say so..."


    ''Well, not really. But, I think I can help my body a little.'' Talon thought to himself as he opened his status window.

 Chapter 8 - 8- Surprise

    <h4>Chapter 8:- Surprise</h4>


    Immediately, a window appeared in front of him. Talon was also curious to see how much his stats changed after the number of monsters he killed.


    When he saw the numbers, he was truly surprised.


    [Talon Everhart-


    Level: 4


    Dimension: Low-D (ess to other dimensions restricted. Reach level 25 to unlock.)


    ss: None


    Strength: 18 (+1)- Agility: 21 (+6)- Stamina: 14 (3)- Health: 18 (+6)- Aetheris: 95]


    Free Points: 8]


    ''Holy... I have three stats that are already nearing 20 and one that''s almost 100... Isn''t this too powerful?'' He thought to himself.


    Talon had felt the improvement in real-time. His strength was now far above his old self. He felt his muscles pulsing with endless power. This feeling was simply too addictive even though he just got a taste of it.


    Talon was a little scared of how much the feeling of leveling up would affect his mind without him knowing.


    Shaking those thoughts away, Talon finally focused on the task at hand.


    ''Hmm, I need to use some of those points to increase my health.'' He thought to himself. Then, he imagined what wanted to happen.


    Immediately, he received a notification.


    [Ding!]


    [6 Points have been allocated to health status.]


    At the same time, Talon felt a warm sensation fill his body as all the pain he was feeling started diminishing faster than before. His health went from 18 to 24 in one single sweep which meant that he had the healing speed of 2.5 average people.


    ''An injury that would take a month to heal would only take 12 days now... This is ridiculous! Am I even a human anymore at this point?'' Shuddering at the thought of how far his strength could go, he tried to imagine his future.


    This new power that everyone acquired was certainly going to change everything. From power dynamics, to how people lived andmunicated with each other. The strong will get stronger and the weak will be stepped on even harder. New people will rise and others will fall.


    Perhaps many wars will ur for resources and domination. All in all, it was going to be chaotic no matter how Talon looked at it.


    He didn''t know how things would develop from now on nor did he know if he would have to face far worse things than these monsters. But, for now, he intended to take one step at a time. Whatever problems happen in the future, he relies on future Talon to take care of them.


    "I want to see your status window once you find a good ce to settle down for the day." Acrypha broke the silence as she looked at Talon.


    "... Why would I show you that?" Talon asked back.


    "Because I''m the only one that can help you grow stronger. Besides, you''re now mine, I have to see everything about you." She replied casually.


    "This thing again. What do you mean I''m yours? I''m not yours." Talon replied as he looked ahead of him, afraid that the others would notice him speaking with Acrypha. However, they didn''t seem to realize it.


    "Don''t worry, they can''t hear you. Only I can."


    "... Is that so? That''s convenient. Now, what''s this matter with me being yours?" He asked.


    Acrypha didn''t immediately respond and instead floated slightly forward where she was facing Talon as he ran. Her beautiful, addictive smell and her otherworldly beauty captivated him. However, he didn''t let that alter his judgment.


    "I have initiated a link between us through our lips."


    "A link?"


    "Think of it as a contract. I have offered you a proposal and all you have to do is ept it. That way you will be mine."


    "What the fuck?! I didn''t agree to this!!" Talon yelled in shock. He didn''t know that the sensual kiss he received from that girl was this terrifying.


    "Don''t worry, you still didn''t ept it yet. I can''t control nor affect your actions at the moment."


    ''Ah, man! I should''ve run away when I could''ve! But then again, can I even escape this woman.'' He cursed his bad luck inwardly.


    "Don''t jump to conclusions yet, Talon. This contract is actually very beneficial to you."


    "Ah, really? I''m happy." He replied sarcastically as he tried to hold back the urge to curse this woman.


    "Listen to me first, human," Acrypha replied with a domineering tone that made Talon flinch slightly. Her casual attitude was altered slightly for a moment and the result was that Talon felt like his shoulders were being pressed down on by something heavy.


    "This contract is simple. During the whole Integration process from now on, I will provide you with information and teach you what every single human on this doesn''t know so that you can survive and get stronger. You will be far ahead of them before they even realize it."


    "..." Talon couldn''t really respond to her words since they were true. Even though she only gave him a few pieces of information from the moment everything started, it still helped him defeat his enemies and grow stronger in a very fast manner.


    In reality, Acrypha had saved his life three times now and it barely has been an hour since they met. Whether he liked it or not, she had helped him greatly.


    "I see you did realize how useful my information is." The beautiful woman added with a hint of amusement in her voice.


    "Tsk, and what would you want in return for your kindness? I''m sure you didn''t do it out of the goodness of your heart now, did you?"


    Talon totally believed in the saying ''There ain''t no such thing as a free meal''. Acrypha might''ve helped him, but he was damn sure she didn''t just do it because she liked him.


    "What I want in return? I already said that before didn''t I?" The girl replied as she suddenly floated closer to him until their faces were barely inches apart. Her beautiful red eyes filled his vision and captured his attention.


    The young man didn''t know how such beautiful eyes could exist in this world. It was as if he was staring at two celestial entities dancing within her eyes.


    "Be mine, Talon. Submit yourself to me and be totally mine." She said. "I will bring you with me to heights you never even fathomed. I will make you a king of all kings. Everything you desire will be yours at a fleeting moment of thought."


    The words Acrypha dered made Talon''s eyes widen in surprise. His first thought wasn''t ''What kind of nonsense is this?'' and the reason for that was because he didn''t notice a single hesitation in her words.


    As if Acrypha was simply stating facts rather than over-the-top ambitions. She didn''t exude any arrogance as she said those words.


    However, at that moment, he only had one single question.


    "Why me?" He asked with a confused expression.


    "When the timees, you will know why. You will also be able to pay me back for my services."


    "Ugh, of course, the vague answers. I feel we''re some kind of fictional story characters talking now."


    "So, what do you say, will you be mine?" Acrypha ignored his words and urged him to answer as if she was eager to hear the word ''Yes''e out of his mouth. He could almost see it all over her face.


    ''Why is she this eager?'' Talon didn''t know whether tough or cry at this predicament he found himself in.


    In the end, however, Talon was still Talon, a man of priorities rather than impulsive decisions.


    "I will help you in whatever you need me for in the future as a repayment for what you will teach me. However, I won''t be yours. I''m my own self and I won''t give that to anyone. Unless, of course, you''re ready to be my wife then I will dly give you my everything." Talon replied with a deadly serious tone though thest part was simply said for joking purposes.


    Acrypha was ridiculously beautiful, that was a given. But, Talon had no intention of marrying her or liking her for that matter. He didn''t even know anything about her which was far more important to him than looks.


    Acrypha noticed all of those thoughts sh across his eyes as the two stared at each other and for a moment, she was shocked. This human had just refused her proposal. No, it wasn''t as simple as that, he refused her without even hesitating for a single moment.


    When was thest time Acrypha was refused by someone? She can''t remember. She was always the target of the desire of every single male who everid an eye on her. They were ready to die just to make her theirs for a single moment. Yet, this human didn''t even bother to think about it for too long after she told him that he could be hers.


    She was genuinely shocked and for an even weirder reason felt impressed by Talon.


    ''Very interesting...'' She thought to herself as she stared at Talon.


    At the same time, Hyun-Jae spoke. "We''re here!"


    Immediately, Talon and Acrypha broke eye contact and looked ahead of them. There, standing tall in the heart of the destroyed neighborhood was the warehouse. Its structure was barely affected by the earthquakes.

 Chapter 9 - 9- The Warehouse

    <h4>Chapter 9:- The Warehouse</h4>


    "Good that it didn''t fall because of the earthquakes." Wan Yong said with a wide grin as he admired the sight of the building standing tall above anything and everything around it, dering that even if everything fell, it wasn''t going to fall too.


    "It was built to resist natural disasters," Chin-Hwa replied coldly as he stared at the building''s walls for any noticeable cracks.


    "Can it handle the monsters though? That''s the question we should ask." Soomin added as she adjusted her sses.


    "I wonder. It''s still better than staying outside I guess." Wan Yong replied.


    "Let''s hurry." Hyun-Jae brought the group''s attention back to their initial goal.


    The group ran a few more dozens of meters before they reached the outer premiere of the warehouse which was surrounded by a wall and thick wires for protection. However, that wall had a huge hole in it because of a truck running into it perhaps because of the disaster.


    Talon approached the broken truck and took a peek through the broken front ss. There, he saw a man''s crushed body lying on the steering wheel, swimming in his own blood. Immediately, he looked away with a frown.


    "Rest in peace..." He murmured with a long sigh. He knew that from now on, he would have to see many dead corpses and he had to grow ustomed to it as much as he could. It''s a painful fact but it was still reality and reality is more often than not a very bad nightmare.


    The others noticed his expression and immediately understood what he saw.


    Hyun-Jae shook her head with a subtly sad expression as she looked another way. "We can enter from there, it''s open. She pointed at the gate on the northern side of the warehouse which was left open. Perhaps the truck was intending to leave the warehouse from that gate and then ended up smashing into that wall.


    "The group then slowly made their way to the opened gates and took a peek inside. The interior of the property was basically an open cemented yard with the warehouse lying right in the heart of the property.


    On this open area were some machines used to transport products that werepletely abandoned. There was also blood stains everywhere. but no actual corpses.


    "Be careful," Talon said as he stepped forward first and looked around him. Although he didn''t see any Dimension Walkers, he was certain that this ce wasn''t empty.


    ''On a normal day, tens of workers are avable here. They could''ve not escaped all.'' He thought to himself as he clenched his spear before he turned to the others.


    "Let''s move, but keep an eye on your surroundings." He said.


    Everyone looked at him silently with weird expressions. Talon noticed that and asked. "What''s up?"


    No one answered immediately until Shin-Il finally opened his mouth. "It''s just... you naturally took the lead without hesitation, Talon. Why?"


    "Hm? I''m the only one with a weapon here so it''s natural that I step first to secure the ce, no?" He asked back with a confused look. He didn''t understand why it seemed so weird.


    "You can step forward first. But, who are you to order us around?" The second to speak was Chin-Hwa, the cold prince. He had a strong re on his face that he directed at Talon.


    "Oi, rx, Chin-Hwa." Wan Yong said as he tapped Chin-Hwa''s shoulder.


    "I''m simply talking. He has to understand that we''re cooperating here, we aren''t following anyone but Hyun-Jae." He added.


    The tension between the members of the group intensified as everyone looked really ufortable. Especially Shin-Il and Soomin who remained silent. As for Wan Yong, he simply sighed inwardly.


    "No one is leading anyone, Chin-Hwa. It isn''t time for your pride to speak instead of your sound mind." Finally, Hyun-Jae spook as she gave her right-hand man a strong look as a warning.


    Immediately, the handsome vice president averted his eyes with a click of the tongue.


    "Sorry for his harsh words, Talon. He doesn''t trust strangers that quickly." She then looked at Talon and said with an awkward expression.


    "Don''t mind it," Talon said as he turned around.


    He honestly didn''t care about Chin-Hwa''s words as he was simply another arrogant and rich young man with an ego as big as this. He met many of those before. That was why Talon had no intention of interacting with this group more than he needed to. In his eyes, they were all the same arrogant assholes even if some were able to hide it better than the others.


    Without adding another word, he started walking into the property with the rest of the group tailing close behind him.


    The ce was eerily quiet. So much so that Talon could hear his footsteps and his uneven breathing. The rest kept tensely looking around, searching for any abnormalities. Slowly, they made their way to the warehouse, not knowing whether they were safe or simply not aware of the looming danger around them.


    No one spoke a word, not even to curse or to pray. Eventually, they reached the gates of the warehouse which were slightly parted open in a manner where only one person could enter inside at a time.


    Everyone looked at that gap tensely for a good 10 seconds as if they were waiting for someone to enter. That''s when two voices spoke at the same time.


    "I will go in first." (x2)


    Immediately, Talon lifted his head when he heard someone synching with his words. It was none other than Hyun-Jae who was also surprised to see he spoke too.


    "I will go first since I have a weapon, as I said before." He repeated, trying to convince the beautiful student council president.


    "A spear isn''t good in tight spaces. You might not be able to defend yourself if something attacks you while you''re trying to enter inside." However, Hyun-Jae retorted with a serious look.


    "I can fight bare-handed. You don''t need to worry." Talon didn''t back down.


    "Let me handle this one. We''re sharing work here and I can''t simply let you do all the dangerous stuff."


    "..."


    ''She''s oddly stubborn... Sigh, whatever, she can do whatever she wants.'' Shaking his head, he gave up.


    "Go ahead then."


    "Thank you," Hyun-Jae replied with a satisfied nod.


    For some reason, she felt happy that she was able to take this role from Talon. It was very subtle but she could still feel it clearly and she didn''t know where it came from. Her sense of rivalry red for no apparent reason.


    But, she quickly shook those thoughts away and focused on her task.


    "B-Be careful, president," Shin-Il said worriedly.


    "I will."


    "I can go instead, Hyun-Jae." Chin-Hwa stepped forward and said with a hint of worry in his usually stoic expression. He was clearly anxious about letting the president go first.


    "No, just stay here and follow me after I make sure nothing is inside," Hyun-Jae said before she turned around and stepped toward the gap.


    Taking a deep breath, she peeked inside. The inside was dark so it was impossible to see anything. After a few seconds, she slowly moved through the gap and entered the warehouse.


    ''It''s cold...'' She thought to herself as she looked around. Other than that, there was nothing else in there. She walked deeper and deeper till she was right in the middle of the gigantic warehouse yet nothing appeared to attack her.


    As she was about to turn around and call for the others, she suddenly heard noise awfully close to her. Before her instincts could kick in, monsters appeared out of nowhere and rushed toward her.


    Their number was at least 10 or 9.


    The others saw the scene and their hearts sank in. Their first thought was to immediately rush inside. However, someone was a step ahead of them. Dashing forward, Talon entered through the gap as fast as he could.


    Meanwhile, Hyun-Jae had already taken a fighting stance.


    "Where did these thingse from? They weren''t making any noise." She cursed as she immediately lifted her leg and kicked one of the monsters powerfully, sending it flying.


    At the same time, the other Dimension Walkers quickly surrounded her. She had no way to escape them now.


    Clenching her teeth, Hyun-Jae immediately ducked down, dodging one of the monsters before she punched it in the guts. Another one came rushing toward her, so she stomped it with her leg before using it as a support to jump in the air and kick another one.


    Landing on her feet, she took a fighting stance again. Her expression was calm and her mind was focused and ready to react.


    "I''m not an easy prey, am I, freaks?" She said. "Come at me."


    *Swish*


    At the same time, Talon appeared from behind the lines of the monsters and swung his spear, slicing a monster''s head in two before appearing next to Hyun-Jae.


    ''He''s fast.'' She thought to herself with an impressed look.


    "You might need a helping hand."

 Chapter 10 - 10- Anomaly

    <h4>Chapter 10:- Anomaly</h4>


    Talon and Hyun-Jae immediately stood back to back as they got ready to fight. The others were already rushing inside but it will take them some time to reach them.


    So, they had to fight these monsters alone for a while.


    "Don''t let them bite you," Talon said as he quickly dodged an attack before he sliced with his spear, cutting the monster''s head with ease. At this point, his speed and strength far exceeded that of low-level Dimension Walkers. He can easily handle two or three of them at once.


    "I know, you too." Ducking down, Hyun-Jae answered as she slid her leg, tackling two monsters before stomping on their heads ruthlessly.


    Talon nodded his head with an impressed look as he dashed forward and swung his spear, slicing every monster in his way. A series of notifications appeared in his retina that he pushed aside.


    [Ding!]


    [you have killed level 1 Dimension Walker.]


    [You have killed level 2 Dimension Walker.]


    [You have killed level...]


    [You have killed...]


    [Ding!]


    [You have leveled up. +2 free points.]


    In a matter of moments, he was able to finish 4 monsters without a problem. Talon felt the rush of strength fill his body and the excitement that came along with it.


    He was on cloud nine as he dodged, sliced, and kicked everything in his way. He didn''t even notice that the number of Dimension Walkers increased from 9 to almost 30 as they fought. His mind solely focused on one thing and one thing only, to kill as many of them as he could.


    A killing machine in a sense.


    Hyun-Jae and the others eventually noticed Talon and they could only watch in pure shock. He far exceeded their expectations.


    "He''s amazing!" Shin-Il murmured with a stupified expression.


    Chin-Hwa and Wan Yong were especially shocked since they had fought the monsters and knew how tricky it was to fight one of them let alone a huge group. Yet, Talon made it look easy which was in and out of itself an impressive feat.


    Chin-Hwa''s eyes especially shed with a weird glint as they slowly moved to Hyun-Jae who was also staring at Talon with clear surprise.


    "He... Why didn''t you say that he was this strong?" Soomin asked as she tried to adjust her sses.


    "I forgot haha!" Shin-Il rubbed the back of his head awkwardly.


    "Of course..." Rolling her eyes, Soomin looked ahead again. Wan Yong and Chin-Hwa were already shing with the monsters. The basketball team''s ace used his crushing strength to kick and punch any monster in front of him while Chin-Hwa used his Taekwondo ck belt knowledge to immediately take down any Dimension Walker in front of him.


    The fight continued getting more and more brutal by the second. Talon and Hyun-Jae were able to kill such a huge amount of them that they even left a pile of corpses lying on the ground.


    "Hah... Hah, are these things never ending?" Wiping the sweat off his face, Talon quickly dodged one monster and kicked it to the ground.


    "They seem like they''reing out of nowhere," Hyun-Jae murmured as she clenched her teeth. She was starting to feel exhausted from the endless fighting.


    Meanwhile, Acrypha, who was floating next to Talon, her expression was rather rigid which caught Talon''s attention.


    "Acrypha?" He spoke.


    The girl didn''t respond immediately and instead started looking around before she turned to Talon. "Those Dimension Walkers are about to be the least of your problems."


    "Huh? Why?"


    Before Talon could even respond, he suddenly heard a loud noiseing from the other side of the warehouse. The sound was akin to the buzzing of a fly or a mosquito except a hundred times louder and more terrifying.


    At the same time, all the Dimension Walkers suddenly stopped attacking the group and stood in their ces.


    "What the fuck is going on?" Wan Yong murmured with a frown as he noticed the odd behavior these things were showing. They immediately stopped moving as if they feared something they didn''t see. Akin to weak animals cowering in fear at the appearance of a predator.


    "Oh no, I have a bad feeling about this!" Shin-Il shuddered when he heard the sounds and immediately grabbed into Soomin who was also terrified to the core. She had never heard such sounds before in her life.


    Hyun-Jae immediately stood up and looked at the far distance, precisely at the deepest part of the warehouse. From there, something straight out of a nightmare came out that sent fear deep into their souls.


    A gigantic mosquito-like monster loomed in the shadows with wings that spanned an ominous darkness. Its needle-like proboscis resembling a serrate de, gleamed with a malevolent hunger. The creature''s body, swollen with red blood, pulsated with an eerie glow, casting a sickly aura in the gloom. Its incessant buzzing, a disconcerting symphony, filled the ears of the group and made their hearts race. With every beat of its enormous wings, it unleashed a whirlwind around it.


    Its eyes werepletely emotionless, reflecting the image of whatever was around it. In this case, the young humans in front of it.


    "... What the hell... is that?" Talon asked with widened eyes. Never in his life did he see anything as repulsive and as terrifying as this mosquito. With its human-sized body, it was truly the work of a nightmare manifesting in reality.


    Without waiting for their reaction, the monster quickly flew toward them at an rming speed. Its wings move so fast, that they can barely be seen.


    "Move, Talon!" Acrypha yelled to the dazed Talon.


    Thetter quickly shook his terror when he noticed the monster approaching him with its stinger pointed at him, ready to pierce his body, he quickly used his spear to defend himself.


    *CLING*


    The creature''s stinger shed with the shaft of the spear, pushing Talon back.


    "Ugh!! So... Strong!!" He grumbled under his breath as he tried to push the monster back. A struggle between the two started, one that Talon was losing clearly.


    Suddenly, the mosquito''s de moved, sliding on top of the spear before it reached Talon''s hand.


    *Swish*


    "AGH!!" The stinger sliced his wrist open with ease as blood exploded everywhere. Jumping back, Talon grabbed his wrist with a pained expression. He felt the blood dripping from his hand slowly. However, it didn''tst long as it stopped a few secondster due to Talon''s high health stat.


    "Are you ok, Talon?!" Hyun-Jae rushed toward him.


    "No! I''m fine! Focus on the monster!" Talon yelled quickly as he looked around him. The abomination had just disappeared into the darkness again before he could locate it.


    ''Where is it?!'' Grabbing into his spear, he lifted it up so he could move it as fast as he could.


    "I would tell you where it is if I could. But, I can''t." Acrypha said with an annoyed expression. She hated that she couldn''t help Talon much from her position.


    "It''s fine. I will kill this thing myself." He replied as he continued looking around.


    "hey! stand back to back so that everyone is looking at an angle. Don''t let anything past your eyes! It could be anywhere!" Talon said as he signaled for Hyun-Jae to join them.


    "What about you?" She asked.


    "I''m going to bait it out of its hiding spot. You guys try to attack it the moment ites out!" Talon said as he ran away from the group and jumped on top of a crater to get a better look at the ce.


    "Now,e out, bastard! I know you want to suck my blood!" He yelled, trying to catch the monster''s attention. He wasn''t sure if that was going to work, but he was trying. Surprisingly, it did as the next second, a silhouette flew out of its hiding spot as it attacked Talon from the back.


    ''Got you!''


    Thetter noticed it at thest second as he quickly shed with his spear. Everything happened in a split second. The monster''s stinger sliced Talon''s left arm as his spear''s de glossed over the monster''s body, barely scratching it.


    "Ugh!" The stinging pain from the injury made Talon groan.


    Meanwhile, the others have already seen what happened and immediately followed after the insect.


    ''They saw where it went! Good!'' With that in mind, Talon quickly jumped from one crater to another to follow them as he kept an eye on his surroundings.


    A few secondster, the monster appeared again as it attacked Talon from the side.


    ''It''s really after me, isn''t it?'' Cursing inwardly, Talon quickly rolled on the ground, dodging the stinger as the mosquito flew past him.


    "I got it!" Hyun-Jae moved nimbly as she jumped in the air and kicked the mosquito with the hill of her foot, sending it stumbling on the ground.


    The monster buzzed weakly from the hit as it quickly stood up and flew away. This time, it didn''t vanish and instead did something unexpected, it span around the warehouse before it suddenly started descending at top speed... Straight toward Shin-Il.


    "Shin-Il, move!" Soomin screamed when she noticed what the mosquito wanted to do.


    However, the boy was simply frozen in his ce from terror. His eyes stared wide at the creature as it reached him.


    ''I''m dead...'' A shing thought appeared in his head.

 Chapter 11 - 11- Brutal

    <h4>Chapter 11:- Brutal?</h4>


    At that exact moment, Shin-Il''s whole life shed before his eyes moment by moment. Ever since he was born, he was cursed with a weak body that gets sick easily and can''t really get stronger.


    He couldn''t exercise or do anything that exerts his body. However, for better or worse, he was able to attend school normally like everyone else his age which was something he was grateful for since staying at home would just be horrible.


    However, he didn''t realize that this was going to be the start of his suffering. His peers didn''t like him because of how skinny and weak he looked.


    Naturally, his soft appearance and short height made him an easy target for bullying. Shin-Il would spend his days alone at his seat or behind the school building getting beaten up for reason or no reason at all.


    He was cast away and never had friends during his whole childhood and as much as it hurt him, Shin-Il never lost his smile in front of his parents. They were the only people that truly cared for him and loved him unconditionally.


    He believed deep in his heart that as long as he had them, he would never need anyone else in this world. They were the beacon of his hope and the people he looked up to the most. And then... The two of them died in a train ident when Shin-Il was 11 years old.


    The ident was apparently a mistake by the train engineer who steered it out of its normal trail, ending up smashing into a building. Everyone inside the train died, including his parents.


    It was a tragedy that shook the whole country.


    When Shin-Il received the news, something cracked inside of him. No, it didn''t simply crack, itpletely shattered. He felt as if his entire world was robbed of all light in one single moment.


    His parents, the most precious people in his world were suddenly gone, just like that. It just felt so unreal that for months and months after, he became obsessed with looking at the door, wishing it would open and they would peek secretly from it to check if he was there just to surprise him with his favorite snacks.


    Yet, that day never came. Shin-Il spent the rest of his childhood living in his grandparent''s care. They were good people and they did treat him well, but Shin-Ilpletely lost the desire to do anything, no matter how simple it was.


    Even walking to school became his worst nightmare. Bullying and depression simply were too much to handle separately let alone at the same time.


    In reality, Shin-Il did consider ending it all. After all, how painful could death be? Certainly not as painful as he was feeling at that moment. However, every time he would take the knife to his wrist, he would stop at thest moment. The image of his parents smiling while looking at him would sh in his memory every single time he would try to end his life.


    ''What am I even doing...'' Tears well up in his eyes as he grabs his head. The regret and the pain would collide together and turn his head into a mess.


    Years passed slowly as Shin-Il grew up. Fortunately, with time, he started oveing his depression and things started getting better for him. His doctors found a way to treat his condition and he was able to improve physically although he couldn''te back to normal.


    He also started making friends andmunicating with people. He was starting to feel alive again, to feel that his life had a purpose.


    That was his life until he graduated from high school and enrolled in Seoul National University where he was able to join the student council and meet Hyun-Jae and the others who truly became his best friends.


    "Shin-Il!!"


    As the boy stood there, he felt his heart beat slowly. He didn''t feel anything around him nor look at anything else besides the stinger that was flying at him.


    At that moment, out of nowhere, a silhouette shed in front of him as he pushed him back and put his arm forward.


    That sudden movement shook him out of his own world as he focused on the man who appeared in front of him.


    ''Won... Yang?'' He blinked in surprise as something shocking happened. The stinger stabbed through Wan Yong''s arm as it plunged into his heart.


    "Blurgh!!" Blood sttered out of his mouth. But, he suddenly grabbed the monster with both arms as he grinned with his bloodied teeth.


    "I... won''t... let you... go!"


    "WAN YONG!!" Chin-Hwa yelled as he rushed toward him.


    Meanwhile, Talon used that opportunity to jump down and dash toward the mosquito. His spear was already moving as he closed the distance between them and shed down with all of his strength.


    "HAAAAH!!"


    *Swish*


    The spear sliced through the abomination''s body, cutting it into two as blood sttered everywhere, including Talon''s face and shirt.


    [Ding!]


    [You have killed a level 7 Imagdurel Mosquito. +5 Strength, +5 Stamina.]


    [You have leveled up. +2 free points.]


    [You have leveled up. +2 free points.]


    A series of notifications popped in Talon''s retina that he ignoredpletely and hurriedly approached Wan Yong.


    "Wan Yong! Wan Yong!!" Shin-Il screamed as tears welled up in his eyes. The giant man was on the ground, and a gruesome injury in his chest was pumping out blood endlessly.


    "Don''t die on me now, Wan Yong!" Hyun-Jae had already started trying to stop the bleeding as she cut a part of her clothes off. Her face had a huge frown on it.


    "*Cough* *Cough*... Did it... die?" Wan Yong spoke with great difficulty.


    "I killed it," Talon said with a dark expression.


    "Good... I''m d we did it..."


    "Don''t speak, you''re losing too much blood. We need to get him to a hospital!" Soomin said as she tried to hold back the tears. Even though she was trying to hide it, deep down, she knew that her words were simply impossible.


    "I-It''s pointless, prez... I''m feeling cold..."


    "No! Shut up! I won''t allow it! You aren''t going to die now!"


    As she tried to tie the cloth around his torso, Talon signaled for her to stop. Hyun-Jae looked up with surprise as he shook his head slowly with a deep frown. She understood what he meant.


    Then, Talon crouched down and grabbed the man''s arm. "Do you have anything you want to say?" He asked in a calm tone that was filled with hidden emotions.


    Wan Yong''s face rxed as if he felt d that Talon had given him the opportunity to speak. "Don''t follow me too early... guys... I want to see you... all... living well... in this cruel world..."


    "..."


    Everyone listened silently. Soomin and Shin-Il were already in tears.


    "I''m sorry! Wan Yong! I''m sorry! I''m really sorry!! If I didn''t stand there like a dumb idiot... If I just moved! Goddamit!!" Clenching his fists, Shin-Il felt his heart tighten greatly. Again, his weakness caused pain to him and to everyone around him. Just like how he went back home every day when he was young with bruises to his worried parents, he was now standing next to his dying friend.


    Just like how he would hear his mother crying and ming herself for causing harm to her child and giving him such a sickness, he was now staring at his friends who were holding back the tears.


    He felt the darkness that he escaped years ago starting to throw its hands on him, pulling him down again.


    "*Cough*... *Cough*... Don''t me... yourself... Idiot... Didn''t I tell you... before... that you can get stronger... you just... need to..." Wan Yong''s voice slowly waned as his body frozepletely and his eyes lost all light in them.


    Talon closed his eyes and looked away. Chin-Hwa simply punched the ground as he cursed to himself. As for Hyun-Jae, she stood there with a nk expression that no one could read.


    Soomin hid her face away and started crying. The only one that stopped crying was Shin-Il and the reason for that was the words he heard.


    ''You can get stronger, kid. You just need to believe. Those who reach their goals are those who dream the most, you know?'' Wan Yong told him on the first day they met.


    He never understood those words. Dream? Why would dreaming help? Dreams are nothing but an illusion we create with our minds or that was how Shin-Il interpreted it. However, at this moment, it hit him.


    Wan Yong didn''t mean the dreams that he saw at night. He meant ambition. He wanted him to be ambitious enough to reach his goal.


    ''But... What''s the point... I keep failing everyone... I keep failing myself...'' Beads of tears fell down his cheeks as his face crunched up. Then, he quickly turned around and dashed away.


    "Shin-Il!" Soomin called for him but he didn''t turn back.


    "I will go after him. The outside is still dangerous." Chin-Hwa said as he stood up and dashed after his friend.

 Chapter 12 - 12- First Day Over (Part 1)

    <h4>Chapter 12:- First Day Over (Part 1)</h4>


    After Chin-Hwa left, everyone remained silent for a long time. Nobody had anything to say nor did anyone want to say anything in the first ce.


    Hyun-Jae waspletely rooted in her ce, her eyes looking straight at Wan Yong. In her pupils was a weird glint that no one could understand.


    As for Talon, he simply put Wan Yong''s hand down gently, stood up, and walked slightly farther away from everyone before he rested his back against one of the craters, his eyes wandering around him. The monsters that were there were still not moving.


    They didn''t seem to realize that the predator was dead. Pushing back his hair, he grabbed his spear and approached one of the Dimension Walkers with a cold expression. Under that chilling gaze was endless anger.


    Then, with a single motion, he sliced the monster''s head without mercy. He looked at the corpse before he moved on to the second one and stabbed it in the head, pushing the core out.


    Just like that, he went to every single Dimension Walker and killed it. He stabbed, sliced, and punched every one of them till no one remained. He didn''t even look at the notifications at all.


    Each time he killed one of them, he felt angrier and angrier. The mes in his heart were threatening to burst out.


    [You have....]


    [You have...]


    [You have...]


    [You have...]


    [Ding!]


    [You have leveled up. +2 free points.]


    He killed so many of them, that he leveled up and something even better happened.


    [Ding!]


    [Your spearmanship skill has leveled up.]


    [Your passive spearmanship improved.]


    Talon felt a subtle change in his mind as some new information appeared out of nowhere. He suddenly was able to know how to grab the spear a little better and how to use it a little more effectively. But, he really didn''t care. He wasn''t in the mood to celebrate these level-ups.


    ''If I moved a little faster... Maybe I could''ve changed the oue.'' He thought to himself as he stood there, in the middle of a sea of dead Dimension Walkers. His teeth were clenched and his fists tightly gripped the spear.


    "Talon?" Acrypha approached him slowly.


    "... What was that thing?" He asked without looking back.


    "That thing was a monster that exists in another dimension, somewhere."


    "Exists in another dimension? Then what is it doing here?" Talon asked again with even more confusion.


    "It didn''te here. That insect was actually a Dimension Walker not that long ago but when it reached level 5, it was able to evolve and take the form of a creature from another dimension. Dimension Walkers can keep evolving the more creatures they kill and once they reach a certain threshold, they would be somethingpletely different. Though I never expected that something like this would''ve appeared this fast. It has barely been an hour."


    ''I''ve never heard of something like this happening before. The Dimension Walkers are evolving abnormally fast.'' Acrypha frowned slightly as she thought about it.


    If she knew that this would''ve happened, she would''ve warned Talon. But her senses were sealed and her powers were heavily restricted. By the time she noticed the abnormality, it was already far toote.


    "I should''ve warned you either way. It was a mistake on my side and for that, I apologize." Acrypha said with aplicated expression. No matter how she looked at it, it was her mistake on her side.


    When he heard those words, Talon was surprised. Looking back, he noticed the genuine regret in Acrypha''s eyes and he was shocked even harder.


    Acrypha didn''t strike him as someone who would apologize to a mere human. She still didn''t tell him who she was, but he was certain that she wasn''t anyone normal even by abnormal standards.


    Her demeanor, her strong presence, and the air of royalty around her made him realize that she was perhaps someone far above anyone he would ever meet in his life. Yet, even then, she still apologized to him when he was just a weakling from an unknown ce that she barely met an hour before.


    "It wasn''t your mistake. You told me that you are being restricted from actually helping me. I assume this was the same case." He replied as he turned around.


    "I will exin moreter, but yes, I can''t really do much to help you except for providing information when necessary. That''s the case for now at least."


    "I see..." Nodding his head, Talon went back to the topic. "So, from what you said, that means that I should expect monsters of all kinds to start appearing?"


    "Yes, there is no actual way to predict what kind of creature a Dimension Walker will manifest as after reaching level 5. It can be anything, and by anything, I mean anything that exists in any dimension at any time or any ce. However, they can only manifest as creatures with the strength of a level 6 at first. They can never be any stronger than that."


    Rubbing his chin, Talon digested the information carefully. Everything changed now with this being the case. He wasn''t going to merely fight unknown entities. A limitless number of creatures was too big of a number to even imagine.


    ''A human-sized mosquito. If that exists, I wonder what else could exist.'' Just that mere thought sent a chill down Talon''s spine.


    "And how many times can a creature evolve?"


    "The first evolution happens at level 5, then at level 25, then at level 50, and then 100, and then 200, and so on."


    "Are there no limits to how much they can evolve?"


    "No... At least no limit is discovered yet." Acrypha replied while shaking her head.


    "... A limitless evolution?"


    Talon''s mind waspletely blown by that piece of information. He couldn''t evenprehend how strong a Level 200 existence could be and yet that''s not even the limit.


    "I assume I don''t have a limit either?" He asked. Logically speaking, if they can do that, so could he, no?


    Acrypha smiled calmly. "I will wait for you to reach the top." She replied.


    "Hah, aren''t you overselling me a little too much?"


    However, Acrypha slowly descended to his level before she replied close to him. "You see, I''m an avid gambler who coincidentally never loses. I have no intention for you to be my first loss." She replied quietly.


    Talon was taken aback for a second before he rolled his eyes. "So convincing."


    Looking away from the yful woman, Talon noticed that Hyun-Jae was approaching him.


    "Can we talk for a moment?" She asked with a dark expression.


    "... Sure." He said.


    So, Hyun-Jae turned around and started walking a little bit farther from Soomin so that they could talk without her listening.


    Hyun-Jae stood there for a while not saying a word. Her mouth kept opening and closing as if she wanted to say something but didn''t know how to say it.


    "So?"


    "Can you lead the group?" She asked.


    "Huh?"


    "I don''t think I can bear this responsibility. I''m far too weak and incapable. If they follow me, they will die. Just like how Wan Yong is..." She couldn''t even finish her sentence.


    Talon looked at her silently.


    "I can''t bear seeing another one of my friends die. It''s too much." She added.


    Seeing the great Hyun-Jae this helpless, Talon felt his heart sink in. It hadn''t been two hours, no, even less than that, and yet, everyone was already broken. They were never ready for this.


    Especially Hyun-Jae, who carried the weight of keeping everyone alive. She was clearly ming herself for Wan Yong''s death.


    "No."


    But, Talon shook his head as he replied.


    "Huh?" Hyun-Jae didn''t expect that answer. "Why?"


    "Because I don''t want to and neither do your friends." He replied. "They took you as a leader without hesitating. They even attacked me when I tried to take the lead because theypletely believed in you. Even Wan Yong didn''t me you at all, you know why? Because they know you''re the best leader they could ever have."


    "..."


    "Are you really going to run away and leave these people when they put their lives in your hands without a single shred of hesitation? That''s cowardly and selfish."


    Hyun-Jae''s expression kept changing as she listened to Talon. He didn''t hesitate a single bit to tell her everything straight to her face and it was a surprise to her.


    Being ustomed to nice ttering words and endless admiration from everyone around her, hearing someone criticize her directly made her realize how dumb she was. She was indeed selfish and cowardly for trying to run away from responsibility because of her fear.


    Her friends needed her more than ever and yet she wanted to give up on them.


    "I... I don''t know why... It got to me... I''m..." She tried to find the words but couldn''t.


    "I don''t know who you are as a person and I frankly don''t really care. But they do, more than anyone else."


    "... You''re right." Grabbing her forehead, Hyun-Jae took a deep breath to calm herself.


    "Good. Now, we need to secure the cepletely and find a way to give Wan Yong a proper burial."


    "Yeah... Let me get them all gathered so we can talk."


    "Good."


    Turning around, Talon started walking away.


    "Don''t you think you were too harsh on her?" Acrypha asked casually.


    "That''s better than letting her do something stupid. She received the message."

 Chapter 13 - 13- First Day Over (Part 2)

    <h4>Chapter 13:- First Day Over (Part 2)</h4>


    After that, Hyun-Jae went back to Soomin and helped her to sit down. The girl was still crying silently while covering her face. Even though she had a hard front, Soomin was in reality a very soft girl with a very soft heart.


    She worries the most about the people she cares about and would feel great pain in seeing them suffer let alone die. So, Wan Yong''s death hit her hard.


    However, Hyun-Jae still talked with her at length and tried to calm her down. Talon watched that interaction without trying to eavesdrop. He didn''t want to shove his nose where it didn''t belong and that was certainly one of those cases.


    "Do you think they will ovee this?" He suddenly asked Acrypha with a nk expression, clearly still deep in thought from what happened.


    "I wonder. In my lifetime, I have seen people lose their loved ones and many of them get crushed under the weight of that loss. Especially that short kid, he took the harshest blow." She said.


    "You mean Shin-Il?"


    "Yeah, he will need a miracle to recover from the mental blow." She added.


    "... I see."


    In reality, Talon knew what she was talking about. Shin-Il was probably ming himself for Wan Yong the most. After all, he was the one that Wan Yong saved from death and sacrificed his life instead.


    ''Whether he can really stand up again or let thatpletely crush him... It''s up to him.'' Shaking his head with a long sigh, Talon looked up again.


    Surprisingly, Hyun-Jae seemed to have calmed Soomin down enough for the girl to stop crying. She started listening to Hyun-Jae as she faintly nodded her head every now and then.


    Her hands were shaking still, but she seemed to have reached some kind of conclusion. Hyun-Jae, on the other hand, continued to speak to her for a while longer.


    Finally, when she was done with her words, Soomin suddenly jumped on the girl and hugged her tightly. Hyun-Jae seemed surprised at first as she didn''t know what to do before she awkwardly patted her on the back.


    After that, Hyun-Jae finally stood up and excused herself before she approached Talon.


    "Is she going to be ok?" Talon asked with a raised eyebrow.


    "It will take some time. But, she will move on, I''m sure of that."


    "If you say so..." Cracking his neck, Talon finally pulled himself away from the crater. "What about Shin-Il and your vice president?"


    "We need to find them. I''m sure they didn''t go that far aw-"


    Before she could even finish her sentence, two silhouettes appeared inside the warehouse. Shin-Il and Chin-Hwa came back. Surprisingly, their expressions were calm and collected.


    Talon squinted his eyes as he watched them approach him and Hyun-Jae.


    "Shin-Il? Are you ok?" When she noticed the two, Soomin stood up and rushed toward them.


    Shin-Il looked at her for a moment before he nodded his head and bowed slightly. "I''m sorry for running away. I... I just didn''t know what to do at that moment."


    Shin-Il''s face was a mix of awkwardness and sadness, something that really squeezed Soomin''s heart.


    "It''s ok... It''s ok... We will definitely get out of here alive and fulfill Wan Yong''s wish!" She said as she hugged the boy tightly. Thetter was surprised at first but then hugged her back and closed his eyes.


    "Mmm... We will..."


    Meanwhile, Chin-Hwa approached Hyun-Jae. Thetter looked at him confusedly. "What did you say to him?"


    "I said nothing. I found him standing outside alone and then he told me that he wished to do something."


    "Hah..."


    Hyun-Jae didn''t understand what he meant by that. But, her confusion didn''tst long Shin-Il finally approached them along with Soomin.


    "I have a request, president..." He said.


    "What?"


    "Can you... Can you please train me!!" He yelled in reply.


    "Train you?"


    "Yes, I want to learn how to be stronger. I grew tired of being the one to be protected. It only harms the people I care about. It''s too much to bear. That''s why, I want to be helpful to everyone! I don''t want to stay like this! Just another heavy burden to stress about."


    Everyone was surprised to hear his words. Shin-Il was known to be a very gentle individual. So gentle in fact that he would hesitate to even hurt a fly let alone hurt someone. Yet, that same kid was now asking to be taught how to fight.


    "And here I thought it would take him a lot longer toe to that realization if he was ever destined to," Acrypha said with a subtly impressed tone.


    "More like 5 minutes..." Talon replied as he blinked with surprise.


    "If that''s what you want... Then I will help you." The beautiful student council president replied.


    Shin-Il''s face lit up visibly when he heard her words and could feel the excitement rising in his heart. Only to be pulled back to reality the next second.


    "However, you have to find something you can excel at even with your weak physique. Something that doesn''t require close contact with the target." Hyun-Jae added.


    "... But, what would that be?"


    Everyone fell into deep thought for a good while.


    "I think I have an idea for that." Soomin suddenly spoke. "You could learn how to use guns."


    "Guns?" Chin-Hwa was the one to ask. "Where are we going to find guns?"


    His question was justifiable. Getting ess to real firearms is really hard as it is in South Korea, it was even harder now with how the world was basically a chaotic mess.


    "Guns, or the easier choice here, a bow and arrows."


    "A bow and arrows is actually a good idea." Talon snapped his fingers as he realized something. Looking around him, the whole warehouse was riddled with small shiny stones of different colors.


    "Maybe we can find a bow in one of these stones." He said. Then, he looked at Acrypha. "Is that possible?"


    "Those stones contain weapons from all dimensions. There is always a chance to get a bow."


    "Good." Talon nodded his head before he looked at everyone. "Let''s first close this ce and secure it and then give Wan Yong a proper burial."


    "As you heard him, we don''t have time, let''s move." Hyun-Jae quickly started assigning tasks to each person.


    Talon and Hyun-Jae were to go out and try to close the gaps in the surrounding walls of the warehouse. Chin-Hwa and Shin-Il will bury Wan Yong and finally Soomin will collect the stones that the monsters dropped.


    "Come on, help me carry him." Chin-Hwa signaled for Shin-Il. Thetter looked at Wan Yong''s dead body and shuddered. The man had a subtle smile on his face that was hard to ignore. Shin-Il felt aplicated feeling within him at that moment.


    "Shin-Il?"


    "... Uh, I''m sorry..." Rubbing his face harshly, he finally stepped forward, took the other side of Wan Yong''s body, and slowly lifted him up.


    When he did that, he realized something that truly made his brain halt. Chin-Hwa also noticed it and he stopped and looked at the dead man he was carrying.


    Neither of them spoke, but they shared the same look of pure astonishment. After all, what they felt at that moment was not normal at all.


    Tears welled up in Shin-Il''s eyes as he fought the urge to cry. Even Chin-Hwa''s cold face crumbled slightly.


    "What happened? Is everything ok?" Soomin noticed that and asked worriedly.


    "Wan Yong... He..." Shin-Il tried to reply between his sobs.


    "What?"


    The one to answer was Chin-Hwa instead. "His body feels light..." Even as he was saying it, he couldn''t believe his own words.


    "Wan Yong is helping us carry him..." Shin-Il continued Chin-Hwa''s words.


    In reality, Wan Yong weighed at least 100 KG. Carrying him was bound to be hard even if Shin-Il and Chin-Hwa worked together. Yet, for some reason, at that moment, it didn''t feel heavy at all. It was as if Wan Yong was not throwing his whole weight on them. As if he didn''t want to burden them even in his death.


    Soomin stood there motionless as she stared at Wan Yong. She couldn''t find any words to say and what would she even say at such a moment?


    Only silence could truly describe how she felt at that moment.


    "Let''s go, Shin-Il," Chin-Hwa said as he started moving. Shin-Il also walked with him as he wiped his tears, his face was stillpletely crumbled. But, he didn''t want Wan Yong to stay like this any longer, he wanted him to rest properly, once and for all.


    The two walked outside and moved behind the warehouse where there was a dirt area that seemed like it was being constructed with all kinds of construction tools thrown everywhere.


    Apparently, the university was intending to do some expansions for the warehouse. Luckily, the two had everything they needed there to bury Wan Yong.


    So, they immediately went to work, digging the ground with the shovels. After a while, they were done. Then, they simply carried Wan Yong down the hole and slowly put him down. Everything went very smoothly without a hitch.


    After that, they climbed up and took one final look at Wan Yong. Then, they slowly returned all the dirt right to


    "Do you have anything to say?" Chin-Hwa looked at Shin-Il for a second.


    Thetter nodded his head before finally bowing toward Wan Yong. "Thanks for saving me... I will definitely be stronger, WAN YONG!! So please watch me!! I will fulfill your wish!!" He yelled at the top of his lungs.


    He was still deeply scarred and he will probably never heal from this scar. But, Shin-Il was ready to make that scar his purpose to be stronger. To fulfill his dream and his friend''s dream... To survive.

 Chapter 14 - 14- First Day Over (Part 3)

    <h4>Chapter 14:- First Day Over (Part 3)</h4>


    Meanwhile, Talon and Hyun-Jae quickly arrived at the entrance of the warehouse. The gates were still wide open and they could see numerous Dimension Walkers outside. The entities also noticed the two of them and started running toward them with extended arms.


    "Can you find the control room?" Talon asked as he pulled out his spear. "I will hold them back while you close the door." He said.


    "I can." Hyun-Jae nodded as the two separated.


    Talon rushed outside and faced the monsters confidently. At this point, he already was ustomed to fighting these things he wasn''t even intimidated by their numbers.


    ''It said that my passive spearmanship improved. Does that mean that I can now fight better with the spear without the need to use Dimension Harvester?'' Talon asked himself. It seemed like that was the case since he was injected with new knowledge the moment the skill leveled up. ''That''s very good actually... I want to try it.''


    With that in mind, Talonunched himself forward as he faced the first few monsters. Using his high agility, he quickly swung the spear, slicing them all in one single motion.


    "Haha, cool!"


    [Ding!]


    [You have...]


    [You have...]


    [...]


    "Ok, ok... I know..." Ignoring the notifications, he looked at his hand. "I feel like I know how to use the spear better. Like my mind automatically tells me how to grip it and how to fight with it a little better."


    However, one thing still bothered the young man. The fact that Talon''s knowledge was altered in a split second by the system was rather eerie. How much can it affect him? How much of his will can it control? And the most important questions are, why does it even exist? What purpose does it have? And who made it?


    These were all question marks that Talon had no answer for. He intends to ask Acrypha about them at some point when he finally settles down for the day. For now, however, he needed to secure the ce.


    So, the massacre began. Talon moved through the lines of monsters slicing and killing anything that came his way. Luckily, all of them were merely low-leveled Dimension Walkers that died with one hit. Talon''s improved senses and speed made dodging every one of their attacks feel like a breeze.


    ''Hahaha, this is kind of fun.'' Talon thought to himself. At that moment, he was feeling a rush of excitement unlike anything else he ever felt before. It was as if he was truly free. He didn''t have to think of how to pay rent or how to stress over his studies every night.


    He was just moving as he wished, doing what he wanted and getting instant rewards for every right thing he did. The more right decisions he makes, the stronger he bes. It was still a gamble since any mistake he made would end up sending him to his grave. But, for one reason or another, Talon found this gamble to be extremely attractive.


    He felt like he was meant to y this dangerous game. Perhaps not as recklessly as he was doing at that moment.


    At the same time, Hyun-Jae reached a small room nearby and kicked the door open with her leg. Then, she rushed inside as fast as she could. The interior of the room was simple with only a single old chair and one single button on the table that opens and closes the gates.


    Quickly she approached the table and clicked on the button.


    Outside, the number of Dimension Walkers was increasing which made Talon retreat back as he found himself being cornered slowly. His already extremely exhausted body was being pushed way beyond its limits.


    Even when he was feeling on top of the world, his body was begging to differ. His muscles were aching and the blood he lost from all the injuries made him feel a little lightheaded, perhaps adding anotheryer of drunk excitement to his mood.


    An excitement that was about to reach its end any time now.


    "Shit... I got myself stuck."


    "The gates are closing, get back!!" Hyun-Jae rushed outside and called for Talon.


    "I''m trying! Give me a second!" As he fought back the swarms of monsters, he made his way to the gate as fast as he could.


    "You better hurry, Talon," Acrypha said as she floated next to him.


    "I know! I can make it!"


    Using every ounce of energy left in his body, he found himself barely a dozen meters away from his target.


    But, at that moment, he realized that the gate was already about 75% closed. It was nearly impossible for him to actually reach it in time at this speed.


    So, he quickly opened his status window. After leveling up to level 7, he had 10 free points he could use. Talon didn''t want to use them unless it was necessary and this was a very urgent situation.


    ''Ah, screw it, if I don''t reach the gate, I''m dead.'' So, without hesitation, he allocated 8 points to agility.


    The moment he did that, his legs felt way lighter as if they lost some weight and his steps became way faster. After all, he was now in the realm of 3x the speed of a normal human which was


    Like a sh, he crossed the remainder of the distance quickly and jumped inside at thest moment as he rolled on the ground beforending on his back.


    "Hah... Hah... Hah... I made it... Hah..." Breathing heavily, he looked at the gate. The Dimension Walkers crowded around the door chaotically, seeking entrance.


    However, because of its thickness, the metallic gate held on well which eased Talon''s worry.


    As he sat there, Hyun-Jae approached him.


    "Are you ok?"


    "Yeah, I''m dead tired though." He replied as he closed his eyes for a few seconds. After that, he slowly stood up.


    "Ouch, ouch, ouch..." Each part of his body felt painful. To a point where Talon was swaying left and right, finding a hard time keeping his bnce.


    But, he still slowly walked.


    Hyun-Jae looked at him for a moment, seemingly hesitant about something before she pursed her beautiful lips and then approached him. Then, she put his hand around her shoulder.


    "What? I don''t nee-" Talon was about to pull his hand away when Hyun-Jae gripped it even harder.


    "Just let me help you, ok?"


    "..." Talon didn''t know whether tough or cry at that moment. But, he couldn''t really do much apart from letting Hyun-Jae do what she wanted.


    As they slowly walked back, his eyes wandered to her face every now and then. From this close, she was simply breathtaking, though not as divinely beautiful as Acrypha, but she was still amazing in her own right.


    And the feeling of her soft yet firm hands on his arm was rather nice.


    ''I''m not a pervert... But I can''t not enjoy this...'' He thought to himself with a wry smile.


    Perhaps epting this lucky situation was better for his sanity.


    A few minutester, they reached the warehouse again where they found the other three standing around a pile of stones.


    "The warehouse is secure for now. But it won''tst forever." Hyun-Jae said as she approached them.


    Chin-Hwa lifted his head and when he noticed the two of them, his face grimaced subtly. Talon waspletely in close contact with Hyun-Jae and his arm was ever wrapped around her shoulder.


    In his entire life, he had never seen his president this close to a man. He was shocked and also confused. But, he left those thoughts aside as he quickly acted on instinct.


    "Here, let me help you if you really need some support." He said to Talon as he tried to hide his anger.


    "No, it''s fine. I will sit down." Talon shook his head and released his arm from Hyun-Jae''s grip before he sprawled down.


    "So, did you collect all the stones?" He asked Soomin.


    "Yes, including the one that I found inside the dead mosquito." She replied as she adjusted her sses. "There were exactly 10 stones, 5 of them were blue, 3 were green and 2 were red." She said.


    "Interesting..." Talon rubbed his chin thoughtfully.


    "The blue ones are weapons, they are the least rare out of everything that a monster can drop. The green ones are mostly skills. As for the multicolored ones, they''re a rarer type of items. They''re potions." Acrypha exined.


    ''Potions?''

 Chapter 15: Chapter 15- Potions

    <h4>Chapter 15: ?Chapter 15- Potions</h4>


    Potions wasn''t an unfamiliar term to Talon. Potions existed in games and fictional stories and were prettymon. However, in this situation, he didn''t know if these potions were like the ones he knew of or apletely different thing.


    Acrypha noticed the confusion on his face and continued exining. "Potions are consumables that can leave instantaneous or slow effects on your body depending on what which one you consume."


    "Oh, so basically like the potions I know of."


    "They exist in many dimensions but are more umon in advanced societies in many other dimensions so that makes them very rare toe by. Not to mention some of them are extremely strong and could easily change the tide of whole wars." Acrypha exined.


    In her lifetime, Acrypha had witnessed potions changing oues of battles in a matter of moments. The loser would be on the brink of death and then out of nowhere, they''re winning.


    "Potion makers are one of the most sought-after individuals in every dimension, including the core dimension itself. They''re extremely important people." Acrypha added.


    "So potions are this important, huh?" Talon nodded his head as he finally looked at Soomin. "Ok, let''s start opening these stones and splitting the treasures."


    "Splitting the treasures?" Shin-Il asked. "But, I didn''t do anything to deserve getting a share of this."


    No one spoke for a few seconds as they looked at Shin-Il. They couldn''t really disagree with what he said, especially Soomin since she also didn''t really kill Dimension Walker.


    "Yeah, everyone will get their fair share. We need to get stronger if we want to survive and weapons and skills are crucial for that." Talon exined.


    "I see... Thank you, Talon!" Shin-Il replied with a small, touched smile.


    After that, Talon looked at the pile of stones and grabbed a random stone from it. The one he got was blue which meant that it was a weapon. So, Talon simply crashed it under everyone''s gaze.


    Immediately, the stone turned into shiny shards before it suddenly elongated and changed quickly to form a beautiful ck katana.


    Its handle was all ck and its de was a very dark grey which gave it an ominous vibe. However, the details on it were still fascinating.


    [ck Smog Katana: A Katana created by an unknown cksmith in thends of the ck smog. Its de never dulls and can kill any creature under level 10. Gets stronger in cloudy weather.


    +5 Strength, +5 Agility.]


    "Interesting weapon..." Talon murmured as he read the description of the sword. In terms of bonus stats, it was simr to his spear. However, where they differ is the level of monsters they can kill.


    ''My spear is better in that regard.''


    "Who''s good with a katana between you guys?"


    "I know how to use it," Chin-Hwa said. "I have trained under a dojo master when I was young."


    "You did? That''s really cool." Talon said as he blinked quickly.


    "Chin-Hwa is very good when ites to any form of martial arts," Shin-Il added with a proud smile.


    Chin-Hwa didn''t say a word but there was a subtle change in his eyes. Seeing Talon impressed by it, he felt superior to him. His eyes eventually wandered to Hyun-Jae expecting to see a reaction from her too. However, she didn''t seem to be focused on the conversation as she grabbed another stone and crashed it.


    Immediately, the stone turned into shards as itpletely vanished instead of forming into a weapon.


    Her eyes then changed to look ahead of her as if she was reading something no one could see.


    "I''ve got a skill." She said.


    Everyone looked at her curiously. Hyun-Jae went silent again for a while before she added. "For now, let''s keep our skills secret. We can reveal them once we need to." She said.


    Everyone looked at each other confusedly. Everyone except for Talon who seemed to realize what Hyun-Jae meant.


    ''She still doesn''t trust me and knows that I don''t trust them either.'' He thought to himself.


    Talon didn''t forget that he really didn''t know this group and neither did they. So, telling crucial secrets to each other like skills or things like that would be foolish.


    "Good idea. Let''s keep it a secret for now." Talon said. "Let''s continue opening these stones."


    After that, Talon and the others started breaking all the stones. In the end, they ended up with two more normal-looking swords that didn''t have any special effects one of which was given to Hyun-Jae and the other was kept alone for now, a longbat knife that looked rather futuristic and had the ability to retract the de and make it vanish allowing the user to surprise attack anyone which was given to Soomin. And finally, they found a red old bow.


    When Shin-Il saw it, he was very excited. The bow was rather old but still considerably bigger than a normal bow. It also had a rather special ability that Talon didn''t expect to see.


    The bow didn''t require arrows and instead would use Aetheris from the user''s body to create arrows. The more Aetheris the user imbues it with, the stronger the arrow is.


    ''That''s a nice ability.'' Rubbing his chin, Talon looked at Shin-Il.


    "You won''t need arrows to use it. Though you will need to practice using it first." He said.


    "Mmm, I will do my best!"


    Finally, they crashed thest 4 stones and got two skills and two viles with unknown liquid inside them.


    Talon grabbed one of them which had red liquid inside.


    [Healing Potion: Heals 20% of the consumer''s injuries. Side Effect: Exhaustion.]


    "What''s that?" Soomin asked curiously.


    "Here. Check it out." Talon handed her the potion.


    Reading its description, the girl was surprised.


    "Oh, this is really good. A healing potion could really save one of us." She said.


    "We need to find more of it," Chin-Hwa added.


    "We will once we kill more of those things outside. But for now, let''s check thest potion and rest for the day. I''m really exhausted." Hyun-Jae added.


    Picking up thest one, Talon noticed that the potion had a purple color.


    [Core Potion: Increases the chances of gaining a monster core by 15%.]


    "Hmm, interesting..." Talon rubbed his chin as he read its effects. Then, he handed it to everyone else to check it and they had the same reaction.


    "Speak of the devil. I guess Chin-Hwa''s wish was epted." Shin-Il said with a small smile.


    "..." Thetter averted his eyes for a moment.


    "Oh, he''s feeling embarrassed," Soomin said with a yful tone. "What a rare sight."


    "I''m not embarrassed," Chin-Hwa replied coldly.


    "Sure~" Soomin replied as she whistled quietly.


    "I''m not."


    "Say what you want, dude."


    As the two bantered, the others watched with smiles. The tension in the ce lessened considerably which was a good thing. Everyone was still devastated, but deep down, they didn''t want to crush the morale of the group.


    After that, Talon stood up slowly and dusted his clothes off.


    "I''m going to excuse myself. My eyes are barely staying open." Talon said.


    Everyone was dead tired after what happened today so they also wanted to sleep. It was still barely 1 or 2 pm in the afternoon and yet they felt as if days had passed with how many things happened in those few hours ever since things went out of control.


    Talon slowly walked away from the group and chose a nice quiet area of the warehouse where he sat down and rested his back against the wall. He exhaled a long breath as he closed his eyes.


    Meanwhile, Acrypha simply sat on top of a crater really close to him. Her eyes kept looking outside from a small window near her. Her eyes were directed at the huge gate that was still floating in the earth''s mesosphere.


    For a moment, Acrypha''s eyes shed with aplicated glint before they returned to normal.


    "I forgot to ask, what made youe to earth?" Talon asked.


    This was a question Talon wanted to pose to Acrypha ever since they met and yet didn''t have the opportunity to till now.


    Where was she from? Why did she fly through the window and smash into his room as if she was hit by something? And why can''t she help him kill monsters?


    All these were questions that Talon wanted answers to.


    Acrypha looked down at Talon for a moment before she replied.


    "Do you want to know why all of this happened?" She asked back. "The appearance of that gate, the monsters, and the talk about dimensions and other worlds?"


    "Yes, I want to." He replied with a serious look. "Why? Why did we end up like this?"

 Chapter 16 - 16- Dimension Wars (Part 1)

    <h4>Chapter 16:- Dimension Wars (Part 1)</h4>


    Acrypha took a quiet breath as she looked outside again with a calm expression that hid her emotions at that moment. Then, she started speaking slowly.


    "As I said before, there are countless dimensions in existence. So many in fact, that we don''t even know if they''re endless or not. Each dimension has different entities living in it, an endless amount of those. Every dimension of these dimensions was separated from one another for billions of years and nothing can go from one dimension to another. They all had their own rules andws that they didn''t share with any other Dimension. They werepletely independent from each other. "


    Talon listened quietly to her exnation with attentive ears. As absurd as it sounded, he knew that everything she was saying was the truth.


    "That was the case till something known as the ''Core Dimension'' appeared out of nowhere."


    "Out of nowhere? You don''t know how it manifested?" Talon raised an eyebrow in confusion.


    "No one does. It wasn''t there and then suddenly it was. Whether it was created by someone or simply formed by pure coincidence, I do not know. The Core Dimension was the beginning of everything, including what this is going through. Itpletely changed the equation." Acrypha added.


    "What do you mean?"


    "The reason for that is that the Core Dimension broke the sole rule that all these Dimensions had inmon and that rule is that you can''t really go from one Dimension to another, it was simply impossible. Yet, because of the Core Dimension, gates started appearing everywhere that linked all back to the core dimension. Everyone was able to ess those gates and enter the Core Dimension through those gates, and from there, they can go to other Dimensions."


    "Wait, gates?" Talon picked on that part as realization suddenly hit him and he quickly looked outside.


    "You mean that gate..."


    Acrypha nodded her head. "It links back to the Core Dimension as every other one does."


    Talon blinked in surprise as his view of that gate changedpletely. At first, he thought that it was simply some kind of entity that made Dimension Walkers appear on Earth. However, now, he understood that it goes far deeper than merely a monster gate.


    ''That means if I enter that gate... I will go to another dimension?'' He thought to himself.


    Acrypha noticed that subtle thought in his expression and spoke. "Don''t even think about it. You are far too weak to enter that gate now. Perhaps in a hundred years, you will be strong enough to enter it."


    "A hundred years? I will be dead by then."


    "Your lifespan will increase as you get stronger. You can live for thousands of years if you reach a certain power level."


    "Thousands of years?! Damn... That''s a lot of years." Talon rubbed the back of his head as he tried toprehend how that was even possible. A human only lived 70 years and yet he could live hundreds of times that number. It sounded like a cool concept in his head.


    "You can daydream about living a long lifeter. Focus on what I''m saying now." Acrypha snapped her fingers to catch his attention again.


    "Ok, continue, I''m all ears." Talon nodded his head and looked at her again.


    "Ehem, as I was saying before your intrusive thoughts got to you, the Core Dimension started linking Dimensions back to it. Coincidentally, each Dimension it connects with, it gives every single living creature in it a special power... The power to get stronger by killing other creatures." Acrypha exined.


    Talon''s eyes widened as his gorgeouspanion reached that point. He signaled for her to stop for a second as he rubbed his temple.


    "Wait... Let me get this straight. The Core Dimension gave every single creature the ability to get stronger. So, every creature has this holographic panel?"


    "In some capacity, yes. Although It differs from creatures that have awareness and those that don''t."


    "... But why?"


    "We don''t know too. The Core Dimension seems to have some kind of sentience that we can''tprehend."


    "Sentience, huh?" Talon looked down as his eyes closed for a second. "Yeah, of course. How to make an unknown Dimension that appeared out of nowhere and created havoc... Give it sentience. This almost sounds like a bad joke." Laughing without the urge tough, Talon finally looked up again. "So, what happened after that?"


    "Naturally, existences from all Dimensions started fighting brutally for domination. Blood was shed everywhere and things quickly spiraled out of control. With a tool that strong, the greed for power blinded most people, and those who weren''t blinded by it were eitherpletely stomped or killed."


    Taking a moment to think of what she was about to say next, she continued. "Years passed and the poption in most Dimensions decreased drastically. Death became something somon no one even cared anymore. Even the most advanced of civilizations were rendered into barbaric, survival-of-the-fittest worlds. Eventually, when things stagnated and people couldn''t find ways to get even stronger, their eyes were finally directed to the gates."


    The coldness in Acrypha''s voice intensified as a dark shadow loomed over her face. "The earliest Dimensions to get connected quickly rushed into the Core Dimension to explore it and get stronger. What they found there, however,pletely changed everything."


    "What did they find?" Talon unconsciously adjusted his sitting position as he listened closely to what Acrypha would say next.


    "That''s the thing, most of them didn''t even reach the Core Dimension. The gates swallowed many and trapped them in between Dimensions only to be deformed and twisted, turned into mindless monsters that can''t think before being spat out in a random ce... They''re called ''Dimension Walkers''."


    Like a bombshell, Acrypha dropped that piece of information on Talon. He froze for a second before he looked up again.


    "So... they were sentient beings at some point?"


    Acrypha nodded her head.


    Just the mere thought that every single one of those nasty things was alive before made him feel weird. Something about it annoyed him a lot and Acrypha noticed that.


    "If you''re thinking that you killed innocent lives, then you''re wrong. Those aren''t people anymore, their souls perished and whatever was left of them was covered by that darkness. They are nothing but empty puppets with no one to control."


    Talon ran his hand through his hair as he nodded quietly before he looked up again. "It''s fine... I know what you mean."


    "Good, you better not hesitate to kill them when you can. They won''t hesitate to do that if they were you, keep that in mind." Acrypha added with a hint of sternness in her voice. Thest thing she wanted was for Talon to stop fighting Dimension Walkers because of what they were.


    "Got it. I won''t hesitate to kill them. I''m not dumb enough to let this stop me."


    ''To reach my parents, I have to do it. I have to get stronger faster than anyone else.'' Looking at his hand, he tightened it into a fist as he steeled his will. He can''t falter now or anytime else if he wants to survive and save his family.


    "So, from what you said, most were turned into Dimension Walkers. What about the rest?" He asked.


    "The rest were able to reach the Core Dimension. However, most of those were killed instantly because of the crushing gravity of that ce. Their bodies were crushed into paste almost instantaneously."


    Talon shuddered for a moment as he imagined those images. They weren''t pleasant to think of.


    "What about the remaining ones?"


    "They were the strongest of the strongest and they were able to survive the gravity of that world. However, they were met with an even bigger problem... Everything in the Core Dimension is either dangerous, powerful, or outright deadly. Even the smallest things were capable of killing them."


    "Oh man, what the hell is that ce?! Why is it this dangerous?!"


    "Because it''s the highest Dimension possible. It''s above and beyond anything else. The living conditions were unimaginably cruel, so only the strongest and deadliest creatures survived and thrived there." Then, Acrypha slowly tapped her fingers on her beautiful thighs before she added. "But, miraculously, even that didn''t eradicate all the invaders. A good amount of them were able to survive."


    "I don''t want to even know how..." Talonughed with a nervous look. "And what happened next?"


    "They slowly killed their way through that unknownnd, getting stronger way faster than ever before and slowly establishing their presence. Many years passed and many more Dimensions got connected with the Core Dimension. Slowly, people were able to expand their control and establish their territories... Then those territories turned into empires and kingdoms. They were also able to turn that dangerous and hostile environment into a treasure trove far beyond your imagination. They were able to find herbs that can cure every illness, rivers that can elongate your lifespan, and food so delicious it would make you go crazy."


    Then, Acrypha slowly floated in the air before she descended to Talon''s level. "In other words, they turned that hell into a heaven... A twisted and terrifying heaven."

 Chapter 17 - 17- Dimension Wars (Part 2)

    <h4>Chapter 17:- Dimension Wars (Part 2)</h4>


    Talon blinked slowly as he looked at Acrypha. He could see within her eyes a myriad of thoughts,prehensible and iprehensible. He saw anger, regret, and a very faint hint of despair that he almost believed was just his imagination for a second. Yet, he waspletely charmed by those glints for a mysterious reason.


    But, in the end, he averted his eyes and rubbed the back of his head. "If such things exist, then that means that they were able to live there happily?" He asked.


    Acrypha shook her head slowly before she readjusted her position and sat in the air with her legs on top of each other, entuating her curves so naturally. Even such a simple gesture would make any man go crazy for her.


    "Things like this were naturally sought after by everyone. Now, imagine what would happen if billions of creatures were after the same things?" She asked.


    Talon''s face froze as he realized what she meant. "Wars..." He murmured the reply.


    "Exactly... wars and that''s exactly what happened. Wars ensued everywhere in the Core Dimension between all kinds of races from all dimensions. Brutal wars that were never seen before. So brutal, their remains are still present in the Core Dimension to this day. After thousands of years, the hierarchy of power was finally established. Those who won were able to take control of the Core Dimension and those who lost perished forever or simply were ced in a lower level. Consequentially, that created the current hierarchy of Dimensions."


    Then, Acrypha slowly lifted her beautiful fingers and drew a triangle in the air before pointing at the top of that triangle. "The highest Level is the Core Dimension, it''s the most dangerous ce and also the most sought-after ce for its endless treasures and the remains left from the wars that happened on it. It''s where everyone wants to go."


    Then, she pointed at a lower level. "Then there are the High-S Dimensions. Those are the closest to the Core Dimension in terms of power level and those who lived in it are the descendants of the people who came out victorious in ''the Dimension Wars'' era. Then, there are Medium-S and Low-S Dimensions which are still very strong but not as strong as the High-S."


    Slowly, her finger descended the hierarchy. High-A, Medium-A, Low-A, High-B, and so on till she reached the bottom of the triangle and said. "The lowest of the lowest and the majority of Dimensions that exist are the Low-Ds. They''re dimensions that were recently connected with the Core Dimension and so the creatures that live in them are extremely weakpared to others."


    "Let me guess, Earth is at that level, right?" He asked.


    "Yes."


    "It says in my profile status that I''m currently in Low-D dimension and I can''t ess any other Dimension till I reach level 25. Does that mean that if I reach level 25 I can go to another dimension?"


    "Mainly, the ability to go to other Lower-D Dimensions of the same level bes possible. It''s all a rule created by the Core Dimension to make Low-D Dimensions fight between each other and get stronger from killing each other which creates stronger Dimensions constantly."


    "That''s messed up... They want everyone to use each other for the sake of strength." Talon frowned just thinking about it. The Core Dimension clearly wants to see blood being shed for its twisted reasons.


    "That''s the price for strength many are ready to pay," Acrypha said. "And that''s also what you have to be ready to pay if you want to be something greater."


    "..." Looking down he contemted her words. Of course, to go far and beyond, one would need to sacrifice a lot and do things they don''t want to do. Talon waspletely aware of that.


    In the end, he decided to keep this for when he was faced with that choice. To simply be satisfied with whatever he achieved or to aim further than anyone else, only future him will tell what to choose.


    "What about you, Acrypha? Which Dimension did youe from?" Talon finally asked curiously as he lifted his head.


    His beautifulpanion didn''t reply immediately as she took a deep breath.


    "I''m from a Medium-S Dimension."


    Talon was surprised to hear that. "Really?! That''s insane."


    Acrypha didn''tment on Talon''s excitement and instead looked outside again. "Yeah... Really insane..." She murmured where Talon couldn''t hear her.


    Then, she shook her head and focused on the topic again. "As for why I ended up here. You can say that it''s a destined coincidence." She said.


    "Destined coincidence? How does that even make any sense?" Talon raised an eyebrow in confusion.


    "You won''t understand it for now. But, I will exin it in the future when the timees." Acrypha replied.


    "Uh, another mystery added to the list. Very exciting." Talon saidzily as he rested his back against the wall again and closed his eyes.


    "You will realize why I did this in the future."


    "Yes ma''am," Talon replied jokingly. "Ok, myst question for the day. Why are you unable to help me kill those monsters?"


    "Because the Core Dimension doesn''t allow for individuals from higher dimensions to affect lower dimensions. That would make it impossible for weaker Dimensions to have a chance to get stronger. My existence in this ce as a whole is already breaking the rules."


    "What? If that''s breaking the rules... Why are you not being punished for it? And what''s the punishment even?"


    "If I attack or help alter the state of anything in this world, my soul will sustain damage equal to the severity of the alterations I made."


    "Damn..." Talon didn''t know how painful it was to sustain soul damage, but he was damn sure he didn''t want to experience it.


    "As for why I''m not being punished... You can say I have a special privilege. However, that privilege could only protect me so much." She replied mysteriously.


    "... I see." Talon wanted to know more, but since she didn''t want to tell him, he decided to be satisfied with what he got for the day. They barely met recently, he couldn''t ask her about everything and expect an answer.


    As the two went quiet again, Talon slowly felt himself drifting to sleep. His tired body finally sumbed to the exhaustion. He never had a chance to fight that urge.


    Acrypha watched the young man silently with a mysterious look. No one knew what was going through her head at that moment.


    "Where are you going to bring me, human? I wonder..." She murmured to herself.


    ****


    A few hours passed and the sun finally vanishedpletely, dissipating any light that was able to prate the gate. Talon''s eyes slowly opened again as he groaned slightly under his breath.


    The warehouse waspletely dark so he had to rummage through his pocket to find his phone before he turned the shlight open.


    Directing it around him, he noticed that Acrypha wasn''t present.


    "Acrypha?" He called for her as he stood up and rubbed his eyes. However, she wasn''t there.


    "Hm, where did she go?" Rubbing the back of his head, he decided to simply wait for her. He assumed that she went somewhere during the time he was asleep.


    "It''s already midnight. Shit, I slept for too long." He murmured to himself.


    Talon didn''t feel like he slept for 10 hours and yet it seems he did. However, fortunately, that sleep energized him a lot and he even noticed that the pain decreased all over his body. His sore muscles also felt lighter.


    Even the huge injuries he sustained from his fight with the mosquito were already closing up.


    ''Damn, this healing speed is just amazing! I can''t even believe that I can recover this fast from all that beating.''


    Looking up again, Talon noticed that there was a small source of lighting from the other side of the warehouse.


    Walking toward it slowly, he noticed that the light wasing from a phone''s shlight. Near it was Hyun-Jae who waspletely focused on something in front of her as if it was the only thing in the world worth looking at.


    "Are you ok?" Talon asked quietly, making Hyun-Jae look up. He noticed that her face was a little pale and she was clearly exhausted.


    Everyone else was sleeping and yet she clearly seemed like she didn''t rest at all.


    "I''m working on catching any radio frequencies we can use tomunicate with anyone outside. Preferably the military or thew enforcements." She said as she pointed at a small, old phone she had been fidgeting with for a while.


    "Did you find any?" Talon asked as he took a look at the phone.


    However, Hyun-Jae shook her head as she rubbed her temples slowly. "Yawn, No, not yet. It seems like almost all means ofmunication are destroyed or not usable anymore."


    "Did you try satellite signals?" Talon asked.


    "I did, but that thing in the air is covering all satellites that we can connect to. Sigh, this is annoying." Hyun-Jae murmured to herself as she clenched her fists. She had been searching for any signals for hours and yet nothing came back.


    Talon stood there silently as he thought about it. "Is there a guaranteed way we can get a signal?" He asked.


    Hyun-Jae raised an eyebrow as she looked at him. "If you can find amunication center that links directly to a satellite, yes, those don''t need signals to receive or send messages since they''re connected with the satellite itself without a third party in between."


    "Amunication center?" Talon squinted slightly as he stared back at Hyun-Jae. The two seemed to realize something as they said at the same time.


    "The University''s research center!"

 Chapter 18 - 18- Plan

    <h4>Chapter 18:- n</h4>


    The Seoul National University''s research center is one of the most prestigious research centers in the country. It boasts a history of decades'' worth of research in all fields and has a plethora of the greatest minds South Korea could offer.


    One of its branches was dedicated to astronomy whichunched a satellite a few years ago that was the first of its type.


    Naturally, everyone on the campus knew of that which was why Hyun-Jae and Talon thought of the same thing at the same time. If they wanted to make contact with anyone far away, they had to reach that section of the university.


    However, even though they knew what to do, the harder part remained a question... How are they going to do that?


    "The University is a few kilometers away south. If we want to cross that distance now, it will be akin to suicide." Talon said with a frown.


    "The outside is filled with monsters and we don''t even know what else could be lurking," Hyun-Jae added with a nod.


    The situation outside waspletely unknown to them. If they decided to actually go to the research center, it was going to have to be quick and smart so that they don''t end up getting stuck somewhere.


    Talon and Hyun-Jae sat there thinking for a while before Talon suddenly snapped his fingers as an idea got to his head.


    "What if only one or two of us go there? We can just clear a path to the university and then we rush there as fast as possible, get into the research center, and do what we need to do before rushing back. It''s better than going as a whole group." Talon said.


    "Are you serious? How are we going to fight all those hordes of Dimension Walkers outside alone?" Hyun-Jae squinted her eyes in confusion. No matter how strong they were, fighting hundreds or potentially thousands of enemies was impossible.


    Talon obviously knew that, but, he still shook his head. "Who said we will need to fight them? We can simply avoid them. That''s why I told you that only one or two should go. If we get in a bad situation, we can run faster and more efficiently that way."


    "..." Hyun-Jae opened her mouth to retort but then thought about it again. Their choices at that moment were very few. They can either stay in the warehouse and wait for help that may note. Or, they can take the risk to seek help themselves.


    The outside world might''ve beenpletely destroyed, but they doubted that humanity waspletely eradicated. The sound of explosions and military jets flying in the sky were still audible every now and then so that means that the government was still resisting.


    Hyun-Jae, just like Talon and the others, had loved ones that she wanted to find as quickly as possible. More than that, she wanted to know if they were still alive or not. Her anxiousness was eating away from her sanity and she couldn''t hold on that longer.


    The more she thought about it that way, the more Talon''s suggestion started to make sense.


    "If you won''t do it. Then you can stay here, I will go myself." Talon added in the end with a serious look.


    That made Hyun-Jae look up again with a hint of surprise. "Alone?"


    "Yes, my parents live in a different city south of here, I can''t keep them waiting for long." He replied.


    Hyun-Jae''s eyes widened slightly when she noticed the determination in Talon''s eyes. She couldn''t pick up on a single shred of hesitation or fear in them. For a moment, her breath halted as she took in the profound depth of Talon''s ck irises.


    They were oddly beautiful to look at... Hypnotizing even. For a few seconds, Hyun-Jae''s mind stopped working. But, she quickly regained herposure as she shook her head.


    ''What happened there? Why did I do that?'' She asked herself in confusion mixed with embarrassment since she thought she looked at Talon for too long. She tried to erase that thought from her head as quickly as possible.


    Hyun-Jae was someone who never hesitated to stare straight into people''s eyes and almost all of them would eventually avert their eyes from her because of her strong presence and her beauty. Yet, here she was, flustered because she stared at someone she barely knew for a day.


    Talon, on the other hand, didn''t notice all of that and was instead looking in a different direction since he saw something. The silhouette of a girl appeared in his vision along with an addictively good smell.


    "Where have you been?" He asked as he looked at hispanion that juste back.


    "Roaming the ce since I was bored... This city is not bad-looking. Might''ve looked better before it gotpletely destroyed." Acrypha replied as she roamed around Talon casually.


    "Yeah, you could''ve been weed as a tourist if you hade a few days earlier." Talon joked.


    "If I don''t get weed with a parade from the corner of this world to the other corner, I will not pay this ce a visit," Acrypha said.


    "You''re definitely not arrogant, mydy." The young man couldn''t hold back his sarcasm.


    "That''s not arrogance... It''s called knowing your worth." Acrypha said with a faint smile as she poked Talon''s forehead.


    Thetter touched his forehead before he finally looked away from Acrypha to Hyun-Jae who just stood up.


    "I won''t let you go alone, two is better than one. And also, you can''t really control the satellite alone, we will have to work together." She said with a determined look.


    Talon raised an eyebrow at her sudden change of mind before he nodded his head slowly.


    "Sure..."


    "The others can guard the warehouse until wee back." She added.


    "Guard what?"


    Out of nowhere, they heard a voiceing from nearby. Looking back, they noticed that Chin-Hwa was there, looking at them. His face was far from rxed as he had a huge frown on it.


    ''Oh boy, here hees.'' Talon had a bad hunch about what was going to happen so he simply stood aside as Chin-Hwa approached them.


    "We were discussing how to find a signal to contact anyone. We decided that me and Talon would go to the university''s research center to get in contact directly with the satellite." Hyun-Jae exined briefly.


    "Wait, only you two?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.


    "Yes, we need speed more than strength or number so only the two of us," Hyun-Jae exined.


    "That''s too dangerous, president. I can''t let you go alone, let me join." Chin-Hwa tapped his chest gently.


    He was deeply worried about letting Hyun-Jae go alone. He has always been next to her to protect her in case anything happened. That was the main reason, at least. However, deep down, there was another reason why he wanted to go with her.


    Chin-Hwa''s eyes drifted briefly to Talon who stood there silently as he watched the two speak. His irritation spiked a little just by looking at him.


    "No, Chin-Hwa, we need you here to guard the ce. We aren''t the only ones who might be targeting this ce as a good shelter. Many would be arriving in the next few days so we need to protect each other."


    "But, pres-"


    "No buts. Unless you''re stronger than him, then he can stay and protect the ce instead." Hyun-Jae cut him off as she pointed at Talon. "Me and him are the strongest in the group so if we go together, our chances of surviving will increase while also maintaining some kind of security back here which is your part. You have to protect Soomin and Shin-Il."


    "..." Chin-Hwa found himself unable to speak as he stared at Hyun-Jae. Her serious face which he was all too familiar with didn''t change one bit. That was the face that she used with everyone and the face that made her who she was, a great leader, a genius, and... Chin-Hwa''s role model that he looked up to.


    "I understand..." In the end, he gave up and simply agreed.


    As much as he hated it, her points were valid. But, his irrational side was boiling with anger, an anger that he couldn''t point at anyone.


    "In any case, I''m going to rest. We need to assess the situation of the area around the warehouse tomorrow and choose the optimal route."


    After that, Hyun-Jae walked away, leaving Talon and Chin-Hwa alone. The two remained in tense silence for a while before Chin-Hwa suddenly looked at Talon. His eyes were deathly cold. Then, he slowly walked toward him till he was barely a few inches away.


    "Listen to me. I frankly don''t trust you and I certainly don''t think you can be someone that can guard Hyun-Jae''s back. But, since she chose this, I won''t do anything. However, if Hyun-Jae gets harmed or even scratched... I will never forgive you. You hear me?" He said in a harsh, threatening tone.


    Talon looked at him silently with a calm expression. He didn''t show any reaction to those threats.


    Chin-Hwa also noticed that the young man in front of him didn''t seem to feel intimidated at all and it made him secretly click his tongue before he turned and walked away.

 Chapter 19 - 19- Dinner With a Beauty From Another Dimension

    <h4>Chapter 19:- Dinner With a Beauty From Another Dimension</h4>


    Talon stared at Chin-Hwa''s back with a stoic expression. After a while, he exhaled a long breath.


    "Sigh, what''s wrong with him?" He asked himself as he rubbed the back of his head. "Did I do something to him?"


    Talon wasn''t scared at all from Chin-Hwa. If anything, his threat sounded like a child throwing a tantrum at him. However, he still didn''t know why he was the target of hatred of that guy.


    "He can''t do anything to you," Acrypha said casually as she sat on top of a crater.


    "I know, I will just ignore him. If he tries to do anything, I will beat his ass." Talon shrugged before he turned around. At that moment, his stomach gurgled. Looking down, he touched it gently.


    "Ugh, I need to eat."


    Ever since he left his house in the morning, he hadn''t eaten a single thing. Instead, he kept exerting himself continuously.


    "It''s weird that I didn''t get hungry until now." He murmured.


    "You will start to feel less and less hunger from now on since your body won''t rely on food to get its energy back. It is naturally getting stronger as you level up. Every imperfection you have will slowly vanish. That includes the urge to sleep and eat."


    "Every imperfection? Wait... So that means that I can be good-looking?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.


    "Yes," Acrypha replied.


    Talon pursed his lips as he nodded his head. That was good news to him if he had to be honest. However, he didn''t really care about his looks since he was never someone to seek attention from girls or anyone for that matter. He was too busy with studying and working to even care about trying to get to know a girl.


    ''Still, it''s nice to be handsome, haha.'' He smiled to himself as he finally focused on the task he wanted to do.


    "Ok, let''s cook something up." Looking around him, Talon was surrounded by all kinds of food stored inside the boxes and crates.


    So, he simply started walking around, looking into boxes and picking things he wanted to eat. Fruits, vegetables, seasonings, and even pots and other utensils. Then, he searched for a stove that he could use.


    "Do you know how to cook?" Acrypha asked curiously as she watched Talon ce everything skilfully and start rolling his sleeves.


    "Yes, I learned how to cook when I was young to prepare food for my parents before they came back from work everyday."


    "I see..." Acrypha murmured as she stared at Talon weirdly.


    After that, the young man pulled out a knife and rinsed it with some water from one of the many jugs of water he found. Then, he skilfully started cutting vegetables at a very fast speed.


    "Goddamn! I''m doing it fast!" Talon was surprised to see that his precision and speed increased a lot. He was basically storming through the vegetables in seconds.


    "Hahaha! This is fun!" Laughing jovially, Talon eventually finished preparing the ingredients before he started throwing them in the pot.


    "This, this... Oh, right, let''s add some of this and this..." As he quickly moved, Acrypha watched curiously from behind. For some reason, seeing Talon cooking while enjoying it was rather pleasant.


    She didn''t know what was so attractive about it, but she didn''t want toin either so she just watched.


    In a few minutes, steam was rising from the pot and the beautiful aromatics slowly filled the ce. Acrypha noticed that smell and her eyes widened slightly.


    ''That smells good...'' She thought to herself. For someone ustomed to the best delicacies any Dimension has to offer, she was surprised that her nose would react to something this simple.


    "Hmm, hmm, hmm..." Humming as he stirred the pot, Talon then looked back at Acrypha. "Want some? I''m making a chicken and vegetables soup."


    "..." Acrypha found herself unable to speak. "I don''t need food to stay alive."


    "Ah, I guess that''s true. But, there is no harm in eating for the fun of it, here." After filling a bowl, he gave it to her along with a piece of bread. "Just try it. Though I doubt it will be as good as a Medium-S Dimension''s delicacies.


    Acrypha grabbed the bowl and looked at it. The beautiful steam rose and entered her nose again, making her instinctively gulp down a mouthful of saliva. She didn''t know why, but at that moment, that soup looked so delicious.


    "Sigh, finally, time to eat. After you..." Talon said as he sat down and grabbed his spoon before looking at Acrypha.


    Thetter seemed hesitant for a moment before she finally gave up her resistance and grabbed the spoon too. Then, she took a mouthful of soup in her mouth. The moment she did, an explosion of vors urred in her mouth.


    Her mouth froze for a second as she took in the rich taste of the soup. Then, she looked down with an astonished expression on her face.


    Talon watched her silently before he finally asked. "So... Is it bad?" He asked.


    Acrypha didn''t reply and instead grabbed the spoon again and took another mouthful, and then another one. Quickly, she started eating the soup in an odd silence.


    Talon watched her with a raised eyebrow before he smiled lightly. At that moment, Acrypha looked really cute. Like a small girl who can''t admit something and was making a fuss about it. "You could''ve said you liked it... geez." He murmured to himself as she started eating too.


    The two ate in silence, a very calm andfortable one.


    "What''s your favorite food by the way?" Talon decided to ask.


    "Hm? I used to eat Logdursial mesteak. It was my favorite."


    "What in the hell is that, haha? I never heard of such a thing." The young manughed as he listened to her with an interested look.


    "Logdursial is a type of docile animal with very tender meat. It''s the most delicious food you can eat."


    "Really? What does it taste like?"


    "It tastes like heaven," Acrypha replied.


    "Never been to heaven before though. How am I gonna know how it tastes?"


    "Your sarcastic remarks won''t work." Acrypha smiled dangerously.


    "Oh, aren''t they? Seems like they''re working to me." Talon said with a mischievous smile.


    "If they were, you would be dead by now."


    "Hehe, so scary." Talon pretended to be scared by her yful threat.


    Then, the two continued talking about different things as they finished their dinner. Talon shared some of the funny things that happened to him before while Acrypha listened andmented every now and then.


    Time passed slowly until they finally finished their food. Talon felt full after the third bowl while Acrypha alone ate 5 bowls. Every time she went for seconds, Talon would tease her about it which ended up with him being flicked painfully on the forehead.


    "Now, I want to practice with the spear. I feel like I can increase its level." Talon said as he stood up and stretched his arms, ready to go out.


    "The more you practice, the higher your spearmanship will increase. However, before that, I need to see your status window."


    "Ah, right. Sure, you can take a look. But how?" Talon tilted his head confusedly.


    Although he might''ve been against the idea of showing his status window to Acrypha, when he thought about it, he really had no other choice. He needed her knowledge to get stronger.


    "Just let me grab your hand," Acrypha said as she extended her arm.


    "That''s it?"


    "Yes. That''s it."


    "Hm, ok." Shrugging, Talon approached Acrypha and touched her hand. The same soft fingers that were on his cheeks that morning were now touching his hand. Talon naturally felt his heart race a little. He couldn''t stop himself from remembering what happened.


    His eyes wandered to Acrypha''s red lips for a moment before he looked down again quickly. He tried not to show any reaction on his face.


    As for the girl herself, she was focused on somethingpletely different.


    "Manifest your status window."


    "Ok..."


    When Talon did that, surprisingly, he felt some kind of connection ur between him and Acrypha. He couldn''t describe in words how it felt but he was sure it happened.


    On the other side, Acrypha was finally able to see it, and when she did... She waspletely bbergasted.

 Chapter 20 - 20- Abnormal On Abnormal

    <h4>Chapter 20:- Abnormal On Abnormal</h4>


    Acrypha''s breath halted for a second as she read the information in front of her attentively. She had her predictions as to what Talon had in his status window. However, all of those predictions were crushed and destroyedpletely right in front of her eyes.


    No, it wasn''t simply that... She had been met with something far more ridiculous than she expected.


    Talon noticed that change in her expression and could only ask in confusion. "What''s wrong? Is there something off with my status window?"


    "Something off?" Acrypha finally raised her eyes and stared at Talon. "This... Do you even understand what this is?"


    "How would I understand?"


    Acrypha rubbed her forehead as she closed her eyes. Her mind was inplete shambles at that moment. She didn''t know what to think or do except for simply standing there.


    ''I knew that he was special... But this... This is far more than I expected... This not something that should exist!'' She thought to herself.


    The first abnormal thing Acrypha noticed was obviously the Aetheris stat which was standing at a ridiculous 95 points. That was almost 10 times the normal amount a new ranker should have. In her entire life, she had met many geniuses and prodigies that would shake the Core Dimension itself, and none of them had this high Aetheris at the start.


    ''Why... What makes his body so naturallypatible with Aetheris? No, far from beingpatible. It''s as if he''s blended with it.'' She thought to herself.


    Aetheris is a natural energy that exists in every dimension that gets linked to the Core Dimension. It''s the sole way someone can activate their skills and it''s also a crucial part of potion-making, cksmithing, and even enchantments at the highest level.


    Someone with this high amount of Aetheris would be a treasure so enticing that every single powerhouse in the Core Dimension would be frothing their mouths wanting to take them.


    Yet, it doesn''t end at that.


    ''His main skill... What is even this?'' She asked herself.


    ''Dimension Harvester''. She read the name again and again trying to remember if she heard it before and yet she failed. Almost 99% of all skills in existence have been documented. They were themon skills that the majority of creatures get when they are connected with the Core Dimension. They are called ''Common Skills''. The 1% left are called ''Special Skills'' and they are skills that are unique and have never been seen before which makes them even more precious.


    However, even the Special Skills fall under one of the categories that themon skills are found under. However, no matter how much Acrypha tried to categorize this skill, she failed. It was just too unique.


    ''To be able to connect with other Dimensions and take knowledge from alternate versions of himself... How absurd is that? Even at a base level, it''s already monstrously strong.''


    Acrypha remembered how Talon was able to beat that level 5 Dimension Walker even though he was clearly losing. Just two single moves were able to kill it, simply because he activated this skill.


    ''If he develops it... I don''t even know what could happen...'' Her eyes wandered to the confused Talon. Everything she assumed about Talon changed and even the light she looked at him through shifted.


    This normal human... This average university student... He was far from average...


    "Acrypha?"


    "Huh? Ah." Realizing that she had been staring at him for too long, Acrypha inhaled a deep breath before she looked at him.


    "Listen to me, Talon. No matter what happens now or in the future. You have to promise me one thing." She said in a very serious tone which made even Talon instinctively straighten his posture.


    "What? You''re scaring me with that look."


    "Never show anyone your status window, no matter what. If you don''t want to end up dead or in a far worse position. Never ever even entertain the thought of showing anyone your status window unless I''m aware of it at least." She said.


    "Why? What''s wrong?" Talon asked as he tried to understand what was going on. Acrypha''s grave tone really terrified him. He was talking to someone inconceivably stronger than him.


    He was sure that Acrypha had seen more abnormal things in her life than he could evene to understand and yet that same girl was telling him that he would be in danger if showed his status window to anyone. Naturally, he felt scared.


    "You don''t have to think about it. Just follow what I said and you''re going to be fine."


    "... Again with that?" Sighing, Talon gave up on persuading the beauty to tell him. He knew how stubborn Acrypha was.


    "Ah, fine, I will do what you said. I don''t want anything bad to happen to me. Sounds good?"


    "Good."


    "I will start training then," Talon said as he turned around and carried his spear toward the exit of the warehouse.


    Acrypha watched him from the back with aplicated gaze. No one knew what was going through her mind at that moment specifically.


    ''You''re too much of a treasure, Talon... Almost too enticing... The wrong eyes might fall on you. I will have to protect you no matter what.'' She thought to herself.


    If she wanted to reach her goals. If she wanted to go back ''there'' and get what she wanted then Talon was going to be her ticket. He was the fuel that would re the me of her dream.


    ***


    Outside, the weather was very cold. Abnormally cold in fact. Although it was the middle of the summer, it was still as if they were living in Antarctica. Talon shivered slightly from the cold but didn''t really feel too frozen.


    "I wonder if this is the effect of my stats... My body is resisting the cold a little better." He said as small clouds of steam came out of his mouth.


    "Yes, it is. With time, your body will start being immune to weather in general." Acrypha confirmed his suspicion.


    "Good."


    The night was very dark and the stars were nowhere to be seen. However, Talon could still see because of the lighting from the huge gate. Its glowing center was ominously pulsating and ringing.


    Using it as his guiding path, he started jogging around the warehouse to warm up.


    ''It''s good to train in such a cold weather... Makes me warm.'' He thought to himself.


    After a few minutes of running, Talon finally stopped and started stretching his limbs.


    "Ok, now let''s begin." He murmured as he grabbed his spear and aimed it forward. His eyes sharpened as his mind recalled all the knowledge he gained after leveling up his spearmanship to level 2.


    Although that increase helped him a lot. He still felt sluggish and awkward when using the spear. Perhaps because even though he had the knowledge, he stillcked actual practice in real life.


    That''s why, he wanted to cut that gap between his knowledge and what his body can actually perform.


    Taking a deep breath, Talon closed his eyes for a moment to calm his thoughts and his heart. His body naturally took a fighting stance. Then, suddenly, he moved. Using his arms as he saw in his head, he stepped forward with one step as he shed down.


    The veins on his arms flexed for a moment as he groaned loudly.


    *Swish*


    The spear made a line in the air as it stopped as it almost made contact with the ground. Looking down, he shook his head with a serious expression.


    "No..."


    Walking back, he took position again as he shed forward. However, he shook his head again.


    For the next 20 minutes, Talon kept repeating the same move again and again and shaking his head in disappointment as he repeated. He was certainly getting better, but the improvement was so slow and miniscule each time that it might as well be ignored.


    ''I know what I have to do but my body refuses to do what I want.'' He thought to himself.


    Acrypha watched silently as Talon continued doing the same thing. After a while, she finally spoke.


    "You aren''t really putting your whole body into applying what''s in your head." Shemented.


    "Huh? What do you mean?"


    "You''re only focusing on two things, your feet and your arms. Did you take into consideration the other body parts that get into doing the perfect spear sh?" She asked.


    "..." Her words struck Talon''s brain as he realized what she meant. Indeed, he was making that mistake.


    He focused on the main aspects of the move and forgot to actually look at everything else. Closing his eyes for a second, he imagined the sh in his head as vividly as he could, noting down every small detail he could see and making sure to memorize them.


    Then, he finally stood in his position again and focused.


    *Swish*


    He shed forward swiftly and the result was... a failure.


    Talon''s feet slipped and he ended up falling to the ground.


    "Ouch." Standing up slowly, Talon fell into deep thought, ignoring the whole fall as if it were nothing. Never in his mind did it ur to him that realizing what he was doing wrong meant that he could fix it instantly. There was still the whole part of actually learning how to integrate the correct moves.


    ''I felt it there... I was closer to a better sh than before. I''m on the right path.''


    Acrypha noticed the look in his eyes and a faint smile appeared on her face. His eyes werepletely focused, not caring about anything else except for learning and perfecting the single task he had to perform.


    ''Yeah, that look. That''s what you should have, human.'' Her eyes red with excitement.


    Perhaps, at that moment, she was witnessing the birth of a monster that would take every Dimension by storm. A monster that was yet to awaken truly, but was slowly hatching from its egg.

 Chapter 21 - 21- Newcomers (Part 1)

    <h4>Chapter 21:- Neers (Part 1)</h4>


    ''I think I can do it this way.'' Standing in his position again, Talon looked down at his body and started making small adjustments. He was trying topletely replicate what he was seeing in his head.


    However, because the adjustments were so minuscule, it took him a whole 10 minutes to finally give it a try again.


    "Hng!" His body moved as a whole, putting all of the momentum into the spear before he shed down using all of his power. A small gush of air pushed the dirt around him a little as the de made a screeching sound.


    This time, he stumbled forward but didn''t fall on his face. The young man used the spear as his support to stop himself before he adjusted his posture again.


    Then, he went back and started again. He didn''t say a word ofint or annoyment, he simply kept repeating the same thing again and again, each time making small adjustments. Time slowly moved and the first hour passed and then the second hour and Talon was still doing the same thing.


    Even in that cold weather, he was sweating and his arms were starting to feel number from all the shes he performed. However, apart from asional groans, he didn''t say a word as his whole focus was on the spear in his hand.


    Acrypha watched all of that ur with fascination in her eyes. It hasn''t been a day since everything started and yet Talon was already training with the determination of a veteran.


    ''He is improving at a very fast rate. Each attempt he makes is better than the one before it.'' Acrypha thought to herself with a curious look.


    Talon was clearly aplete beginner with some basic knowledge about spearmanship. But the way he was improving was so amazingly fast that Acrypha was sure he would be able to master the sh in a single day.


    By the fourth hour, Talon waspletely spent. His face waspletely covered in sweat and his arms were shaking. His progress has been amazing. His sh became faster, stronger, and more efficient.


    Talon was sure that if before, his sh was a good 5/10, he made it an 8/10 now. An extremely good improvement. However, he forgot one thing.


    "Huh?" As he tried to sh again, Talon''s legs suddenly gave up and he fell to the ground. His eyes were shocked for a second. Looking at his body, he noticed that his legs were shaking visibly.


    "What happened?" He murmured as he tried to stand up again, only for his legs to give out again and he ended up falling again.


    "Stop trying. Your body is spent." Acrypha said.


    "..." Talon pursed his lips. "I guess this is as far as I can go without resting." He murmured.


    "Your improvement is not bad. Getting too greedy will only cost you heavily."


    "I know. I guess I was too engrossed in mastering the sh I forgot that I can''t keep going at it forever."


    Talon sighed as he finally let his body fall to the ground as he stared at the dark sky. As eerie as it seemed, the gate''s appearance in the sky was majestic. It was as if a celestial body from far away finally reached Earth, casting its magical presence over everything.


    Talon''s hand slowly extended up as he opened it and closed it, trying to grab something that didn''t exist.


    "What are you doing?"


    "I''m just... Nothing..." Talon shook his head as if he decided not to speak. Some time passed before he finally opened his mouth again.


    "Hey, Acrypha, can I ask a question?"


    "What?" The beautiful woman replied.


    "Is it weird that I''m starting to like this?"


    Acrypha''s eyes squinted as she stared at Talon. Thetter was still looking up, not bothering to stare at her as if he waspletely captivated by something.


    "I don''t know why. But, I feel like I belong to this. I feel like it fits me."


    "Are you not angry that the integration could kill your family?" She asked curiously.


    "I am sickly worried. But, I feel like my true potential will only appear in this current world. This deste, apocalyptic mess of a world. I wasn''t fit for a normal world." He said in a mysterious tone.


    Talon''s whole life till that moment was hard. He was born into a very poor family, his dad was a sryman for a constructionpany that barely gets minimum wage while his mom was a house worker that gets hired by rich people to work in their houses as a maid.


    Their lives were very tough but also happy. They stayed close to each other and took care of each other. Talon felt all their love and care his whole life and he was deeply grateful for that.


    The way he showed his gratitude was through studying extremely hard. He had barely any friends as his whole life was either studying or working part-time jobs to help the family.


    In reality, he was never a fan of that lifestyle. He hated studying more than anyone else and the long shifts at work killed him. He would see his peers living their lives as they wanted while he had to think of what to cook that day, and how to tackle the next school module.


    Deep down, he hated that life but he couldn''tin. His mother and father had it way worse just to provide for him. How dare he whine? Or so he thought and that was why he ended up being able to join Seoul''s National University.


    Yet, deep down, he was never that happy with that achievement. Sure, he was now in the most prestigious university in Korea but that wasn''t really what he wanted.


    Talon was eager to live a different life. To experience things that not everyone would experience in their lives. He didn''t want to waste his life sitting behind a desk typing away on aputer and getting a sry every month.


    Lo and behold, that dream of his came in the form of the worst disaster humanity had ever seen. Ironic as it is, he couldn''t hide how eerily limated he felt to this environment.


    Acrypha''s eyes shed with a weird glint for a second before she closed them and exhaled a long breath.


    "I would be lying if I said that it''s wrong. I am almost certain that you have been born simply to thrive in the integration."


    Talon''s talent, his unique mind and thought process, and everything else around him made him seem almost perfectlypatible with an Integrated world.


    ''He felt it too. But, hises from instinct and an innate feeling. He isn''t aware of how much he is different.''


    As the two were like that, they suddenly were alerted by the sound of screaminging from outside the warehouse. The screams were clearly that of humans and very terrified ones at that.


    Talon immediately rose from his resting position as he looked in the direction of the noises confusedly.


    "Help!! Please!!!"


    "Anyone!!!"


    "Mommy!! Mommy!!! Waaaah!"


    "Don''t worry baby, we''re close!"


    "From here! From here!"


    Multiple voices kept yelling over each other making it hard to determine how many they were.


    "I guess yourpany finally came," Acrypha said casually as Talon quickly stood up and rushed toward the gates to check.


    "Hopefully not a badpany. Let''s go." He said.


    Although his body was very exhausted, the few minutes of rest he took gave him some energy back. His high stamina made recovery a lot quicker.


    When he reached the gates he climbed on top of the wall and took a look outside. The ce was dim with barely any light for vision. However, Talon could easily see the group of people running, and behind them was a huge swarm of Dimension Walkers. Some were normal looking while others were buffed up and muscr...


    ''There are many of those...'' He squinted his eyes.


    Fighting that many monsters was impossible for Talon and so he immediately scratched that idea from his head. His eyes then wandered to the actual group of people. There were 4 in total, one man, 2 women, and one child.


    The man was noticeably huge with a very good physique. He had a hair body and a slightly longer hair. He was the definition of the term ''Wildman'' and a pretty good-looking one at that.


    As for the girls, they were rather beautiful with each one having a different eye-catching feature about her.


    Talon didn''t give them any longer looks before he suddenly yelled.


    "FROM HERE!! THIS PLACE IS SAFE!!" He yelled as he finally prepared himself to jump.


    "Are you sure that you can open the gate before the other monsters can arrive?" Acrypha asked.


    Talon smiled slightly as he jumped down. "Time to give my Spearmanship skill another try." He said with a yful wink.


    "... This brat and his yfulness." Acrypha raised an eyebrow as she murmured. Talon ignored her astonishment as he rushed to the gate.


    He then quickly opened the gate and rushed outside. He then lifted his arm. "Here! Here!"


    The group of humans noticed him and without even thinking twice, they rushed toward him. The first to reach him was the wildman and he asked urgently.


    "Where do we go?!"


    "Inside, hurry." He said.


    "You heard him, hurry!" He yelled at the other women who quickly ran inside with terrified looks on their faces.


    When everyone was safe, Talon quickly rushed inside, closed the gate, and came out again.


    "15... No, 13 seconds before the gate closes. I need to hold them off till that happens. The first time was dangerous, this one is different!" Grinning wildly, Talon finally looked at the swarm of Dimension Walkers without fear in his eyes.


    "I''m sorry for trying my ability on you."


    [Ding!]


    [You have activated Dimension Harvester.]


    [You have activated spearmanship (level 2)]

 Chapter 22 - 22- Newcomers (Part 2)

    <h4>Chapter 22:- Neers (Part 2)</h4>


    The moment Talon activated the skill, his whole body felt different. It was as if some kind of unknown force had taken over him.


    It was weird but also a very pleasant feeling so he didn''t question it and instead focused on his enemies. The monsters had already reached him and were about to attack him. With a calm mind, Talon let his body just move naturally and the result was simply mind-blowing.


    *Swish*


    In a split second, he shed with the spear, cutting down multiple monsters as he suddenly dashed forward, taking everyone by surprise. Avoiding the arms of a few of them, he leaped in the air and descended down on one of the bigger ones as he stabbed its head powerfully.


    [Ding!]


    [You have killed a level 5 Dimension Walker.]


    [Ding!]


    [You have leveled up to level 8. +2 free points.]


    A series of notifications appeared that Talon ignored before he used the monster''s body as a way to jump back. The Dimension Walkers didn''t let him breathe as they quickly tried to surround him.


    "Talon!" Acrypha called him with clear urgency since he found himself in a very sticky situation. If anything touched him, he was done for.


    Talon''s eyes moved quickly as he identified the closest ones. Then, he quickly changed his grip on the spear to his two hands instead of only one. After that, he suddenly started spinning around quickly. The de of the spear swung around as it sliced through the enemies.


    "What..." Acrypha blinked in surprise. ''Where did he evene up with that idea?''


    Spinning around while swinging the spear created an invisible barrier around Talon. Any monster who wanted to pass that barrier would be sliced by the de of the spear. It was a smart idea to defend against the swarm of enemies.


    Then, when Talon was able to push most of them away, his spinning stopped as his handnded on the ground and his legs bounced forward as he dashed through the small path back to the gate that was about to close.


    In the darkness of the night, he appeared like a ghost moving through the swarm of enemies that tried to catch him. He dodged, sidestepped, and ducked any hand that wanted to grab him while slicing through any monster in his way without mercy.


    [Ding!]


    [Your spearmanship skill has leveled up.]


    [Your passive spearmanship has improved.]


    Even when his skill leveled up again, Talon didn''t really care at all. His sole focus was to get back to the warehouse. His mind was in a zone state where it only perceived what was around it with no unnecessary thoughts.


    ''I''m feeling it... This is too much fun!'' He thought to himself. ''More... More... More!!'' For a moment, Talon''s eyes shed with a crazed look. He felt a thrill far better than anything else.


    To be this close to death and yet still survive. To face such a dangerous situation and yet still show how much you improved. It was euphoric to a terrifying degree.


    Meanwhile, inside the warehouse, the man and the two women watched Talon withplete shock in their eyes. Never in their lives did they see someone so strong. He almost looked like some kind of invincible demon that couldn''t be defeated.


    *Swish*


    At the gate nearing the end, Talon emerged from the sea of monsters and jumped inside right before it closed as the waves of Dimension Walkers smashed against it.


    Looking back, Talon wiped the sweat off his face and exhaled a long breath. "That was a little too close."


    "A little?" Suddenly, he heard an angry toneing from above him.


    "What?"


    "You were almost killed there." She said.


    "Hahaha, it was exciting. Did you see how I did that move with the spear? I never even thought it could be possible but I still did it!" Talon eximed with excitement clear in his eyes.


    Acrypha was taken aback by his enthralled mood. She didn''t see fear or hesitation in his eyes as he talked about what he did.


    For a second, Acrypha didn''t know what to say. She didn''t want to break his excitement. But, in the end, she sighed.


    "You did well. But, don''t underestimate your opponents, Talon. Even the weakest Dimension Walker could be the reason for your death."


    "I know, I know. I wasn''t going to jump in there if I wasn''t confident and ready to face them." He replied with a shrug.


    "You don''t under-"


    "A-Are you ok, sir?!" Before Acrypha could speak, she was cut off by the man who called for Talon.


    "I''m good. You guys were really lucky that you were close by." Talon said.


    "Yeah, thank you so much for helping us! We owe you a lot!" The man nodded his head with a grateful look. "I''m Ryan Seok. And that''s An Sook, my wife, little Ryan Jung, my son and Eum Eun, our neighbor and a friend of the family." The man named Ryan Seok introduced himself and the people with him.


    "I''m Talon. Nice to meet you all."


    "What''s going on here?"


    At that time, Chin-Hwa suddenly emerged from the warehouse with a frown on his face. When he saw the strangers, he squinted his eyes. "Who are they?"


    "Just random people that were running from monsters and ended up here," Talon exined.


    Chin-Hwa nodded his head briefly before he looked at them. The group instinctively flinched from his strong gaze.


    "If you want to stay here, you will have to follow our rules or we will kick you out." He finally spoke with a cold tone.


    "I-I''m sorry, rules?" Ryan Seok was confused.


    "Yes, rules. You''ve heard of those, right? We control this ce so anyone who wants to be epted and sheltered needs to follow what we say."


    "Oi, Chin-Hwa. This isn''t the time for this kind of conversation. Let them rest first, they have been running for hours. We can establish rulester." Talon approached Chin-Hwa and spoke to him in a tone that the others couldn''t hear.


    "They''re strangers, who knows what they can do? We need to make things clear."


    "They have a damn kid, man. Let them get inside first and get warm and then we can talk, ok?" Talon added as he signaled briefly with his head.


    The cold prince was about to retort when Talon turned around. "You cane in for now. The outside is really cold."


    "You heard him. Thank you so much, sir! You are really kind! Thank you!" Tears welled up in Ryan Seok''s eyes as he bowed deeply to Talon.


    The two women and the child looked at him before they bowed too. "Thank you, good sir. We would''ve not made it without you."


    After that, they made their way inside the warehouse while Talon stood outside watching them. He had aplicated expression on his face.


    This was the first time in his life that he experienced such a feeling. To see people bowing in tears and thanking him deeply for his help... It felt good.


    "Hey, Acrypha." He murmured.


    "What?"


    "Saving people... Has it always been this good of a feeling?" He asked.


    However, Acrypha didn''t reply as she simply floated around Talon knowing well that he already knew the answer to that.


    Closing his eyes for a second, Talon smiled slightly. "I''m not a hero... But I damn well like helping people in need." He said.


    After that, he walked inside the warehouse again. There, he found Shin-Il and Soomin had already woken up and were talking to the new group.


    Chin-Hwa was standing nearby, staring at them with hawk-like eyes, clearly dissatisfied with what was happening.


    Talon simply walked to a nearby ce and sat down as he watched the group casually. He was resting after the training so he didn''t have anything to do for now. However, as he watched them, he noticed something weird.


    "Hm?"


    One of the women, precisely Eum Eun whom Ryan Seok identified as their neighbor seemed to act rather odd. While Ryan Seok and his wife were talking to the others, she seemed to look around with uneasy eyes.


    Her hands kept rubbing against each other and she seemed to want to do something but then refrained from doing it at thest moment.


    "What''s wrong with her?" Talon murmured to himself with a confused look.


    That continued for a while until her eyes finally met his. The two stared at each other for a while before Eum Eun finally opened her mouth and whispered something that Talon didn''t understand.


    "Huh?"

 Chapter 23 - 23- Message

    <h4>Chapter 23:- Message</h4>


    Talon tilted his head as he kept staring at the woman trying to understand what she was trying to say to him in secret. However, his attempts ended in failure.


    A secondter, the girl turned away and she started acting as if nothing happened for the most part.


    "What''s up with her?" Talon asked.


    "What?" Acrypha, who seemed to be upied with something else, didn''t really notice what happened.


    "That girl seemed like she wanted to tell me something but couldn''t say it." He replied.


    ''For a second there, I felt like she was trying to hide her words from someone.'' He thought to himself as he rubbed his chin.


    Talon intended to go to her and talk since she seemed to directly want to talk to him. However, when he thought about it again, if she really wanted to talk, she would''ve spoken in a loud tone.


    The fact that she was whispering meant that she didn''t want the others to hear. But, the question remains.


    "Why?" As he kept staring at her, his mind worked out all the details he had. But, in the end, he really couldn''t see what it could be.


    "She could be paranoid from everything that happened," Acrypha said.


    "Yeah, that could be true..." Talon decided to shrug it off for now and decided to do something else So, he jumped down and walked toward the pot of stew that he kept simmering on fire so that it doesn''t get cold before he filled a few bowls of it and walked toward the group.


    "Here, some food to warm up." He said.


    "Ah, thank you!" Ryan Seok took the bowls before he handed the two girls one each. Then, Talon sat down near them. Meanwhile, Shin-Il and Soomin seemed to have been called by Chin-Hwa for something.


    As they took a mouthful of soup, their faces changed as they looked down at the food in amazement.


    "This...." An Sook, the wildman''s wife murmured. "This is amazing..."


    "Hahaha, thanks."


    "Can I ask what''s the recipe for it?" She asked hesitantly.


    "Of co-"


    "No, don''t ask." Suddenly, Ryan Seok spoke in a surprisingly cold tone that took everyone by surprise.


    Everyone immediately stared at him. However, the man''s weird look shifted as he smiled awkwardly. "Can''t you see that sir Talon''s soup is too amazing? I''m sure it''s a secret family recipe."


    "Huh?" Talon was about to speak when An Sook suddenly looked at him and bowed.


    "My deepest apologies! I didn''t know! Silly me! Please forget everything I said." Her tone seemed perturbed for some reason.


    ''Ok, what the fuck is going on here?'' If Talon had a mere suspicion before, now he was almost certain that there was something fishy happening in front of him.


    However, he couldn''t really say what it was. Everything was simply too vague. He wanted to ask but also the image of Eum Eun was still in his head.


    "Just eat your food and rest. I''m going to take care of some stuff." Rubbing the back of his head, Talon stood up and walked away. He was simply too stressed to add another problem to his list of problems he needed to deal with.


    "Did you notice that now, Acrypha?" He asked.


    "Yeah. There is certainly something odd about those people. They don''t seem normal by the standards of humans." She said.


    "Standards of humans? What? Do other dimensions have different standards for what''s normal?"


    "Walking outside with clothes on is frowned upon in some worlds." The beautiful woman replied with a sarcastic tone.


    "..."


    "You haven''t seen anything child." Acrypha tapped Talon on the shoulder as she floated away.


    "Sorry for not being 7 billion years old like you." He replied, rolling his eyes.


    "Who are you saying is 7 billion years old you little brat?! I''m only 200 years old which is very young by the Core Dimension''s standards.." Acrypha replied as she red at him.


    "Ah, my bad... granny."


    *Flick*


    Acrypha flicked his forehead with her fingers which sent a sharp pain into Talon''s head. Grabbing his forehead, he groaned.


    "Ouch! Hey! Uncalled for."


    "You don''t know how to treat ady, do you?"


    "Tsk!" Talon clicked his tongue and looked away from her.


    Talon then walked toward the other side of the warehouse to rest. His body was exhausted after training and also activating the Dimension Harvester which seemed to drain his stamina a lot.


    However, as he passed beside one of the craters, he heard a sound. Looking down, he noticed the phone Hyun-Jae was using tomunicate with the outside world. It had been silent this whole time, but now, out of nowhere, it started making radio noises.


    Talon was confused at first but then it happened.


    "H-H...el... p... *Buzz*... Any...o..ne... *Buzz*"


    Talon picked up some human voices mixed within that buzzing sound. Quickly, he rushed to the receiver and spoke in it.


    "Hey! I''m here! Can you hear me?!"


    Then he waited for a moment when he heard the same voice again.


    "We...ar...* Buzz*... stu...."


    "What?" Talon put his ear next to the receiver. "Speak louder! I can''t hear you!"


    His voice caught the attention of everyone present in the warehouse. Even Hyun-Jae, who waspletely asleep and wasn''t even aware that some neers had arrived because of her exhaustion, woke up.


    Everyone quickly rushed to Talon.


    "What is hap-" Chin-Hwa was about to ask when he went silent.


    "Shh!" Talon signaled for him to not speak as he listened closer to the receiver.


    "We... Mon... *Buzz*... ster... Hu... *Buzz*..." Then, in the end, Talon picked up on a faint noise other than the buzzing or the human speaking. It was very faint, barely audible even.


    However, Talon heard it and he heard it well. At that moment, the receiver suddenly shut down and the connection was lost.


    "Hello? Hello! Dammit!" Cursing under his breath, Talon put down the receiver as he rubbed his face.


    "What did he say?" Hyun-Jae approached him and asked as she picked up the device and started fidgeting with it trying to make it work again to no avail.


    "I couldn''t understand everything. But I''m sure it said ''Help, anyone. We are... Stuck.'' or something else, I''m not sure about thest word. And then..." Talon looked down.


    "And then what?" Shin-Il asked as he gulped a mouthful of saliva.


    "And then it said ''Monster... Huge'' or something along those lines. At thest second, I heard something for a split second."


    "What did you hear?" Chin-Hwa was the one to ask this time as his face was getting darker and darker.


    The two words ''Huge monster'' were already terrifying enough let alone what Talon could''ve heard.


    "I heard... augh... No, it was a cry... Or augh, I really don''t know... It was the most twistedugh or cry I have ever heard... It wasn''t humane..." Talon said.


    Now, Talon wasn''t really sure if that was simply a distorted cry from one of the survivors there or if it was something else. But he was damn sure it wasn''t normal at all.


    "Augh or a cry?" Soomin adjusted her sses when she heard those words. "Could that be simply someone crying?"


    "It could be." Hyun-Jae nodded her head. "Or it could be something like that giant mosquito or far worse." Just remembering that insect sent a shiver down her spine. So, imagining what could be the origin of thatugh was simply terrifying.


    Everyone went silent for a while before Hyun-Jae asked. "But, where was that messageing from?" She murmured as she opened the device again and tapped a few buttons.


    A few momentster, her expression changed subtly again.


    "Where is it from, president?" Chin-Hwa asked.


    "... It''s from the coordination 37¡ã27''36.00" N 126¡ã57''0.00" E." She said.


    "And where is that?" Shin-Il asked.


    "The campus..." Talon replied with a dazed look. "It''s the coordination of the Seoul National University."


    When everyone heard that, they had different reactions. Chin-Hwa''s face darkened while Shin-Il and Soomin simply looked a little afraid but nothing too serious. The reason for that was because they still didn''t know about Talon and Hyun-Jae''s n.


    Sucking in a deep breath, Talon stood up. "I need some time to think."


    "Hold on there a second." Chin-Hwa interrupted him. "What time to think? The situation there is clearly bad. There is no way you can infiltrate the ce. It''s probably filled to the brim with Dimension Walkers and whatever else that could be there." He said.


    Talon stopped in his tracks and didn''t look back. "I still intend to go. There are no other choices. Whether you are afraid or if Ran Hyun-Jae is afraid, you can convince her to pull back."


    Talon waspletely serious about what he said. So what if the situation was terrible there? he had to go if he wanted to make some progress on actually leaving this ce instead of rotting here waiting for help that most likely would nevere.


    Then, Talon simply ignored the nces he was getting and walked away.


    "President, you heard him. He''s a suicidal maniac that doesn''t care about his own life. It''s clearly not a good idea to enter the campus. Just let him go alone." Chin-Hwa directed his eyes to Hyun-Jae who was still staring at Talon''s back.


    Then, she finally turned around and looked at Chin-Hwa.


    "I''m going with him."

 Chapter 24 - 24- Plan And Date

    <h4>Chapter 24:- n And Date</h4>


    "What?! President, please don''t follow his recklessness. You''re putting your life in danger." Chin-Hwa was shocked to see that Hyun-Jae was still adamant about going with Talon. No, she wasn''t only adamant, she didn''t even hesitate to say that even though she was clearly afraid of whatever could be lurking in that ce.


    ''Why? Why are you still going?!'' Chin-Hwa felt his throat tighten just from seeing Hyun-Jae act this way.


    "I have to. I don''t want to stay here forever. My mother is waiting for me. My fear isn''t enough of a reason to not go. I will be fine." Hyun-Jae.


    "But, pre-"


    "Enough!" Finally, Hyun-Jae lost it and raised her voice a little as she replied with a harsh tone. Her eyes shed with a hint of anger as she stared at Chin-Hwa. "This topic is over."


    "Hold on, guys. What topic?" Soomin finally found the opportunity to speak. "Where are you going, president?"


    "W-What is going on here?" Shin-Il was worried to see his two friends arguing. He had never witnessed Hyun-Jae and Chin-Hwa fighting like this before.


    He knew that they were childhood friends and their families were close. Chin-Hwa also seemed to have a very deep respect and admiration for Hyun-Jae which was the reason why he became her vice president.


    Hyun-Jae looked at them before she exhaled a long breath and finally revealed everything they were nning. When she finished talking, Soomin and Shin-Il''s expressions changed.


    "Are you serious, president?" Soomin murmured in disbelief.


    "Yes. This is our only choice here. I and Talon will handle the matter and get the objective while you guys maintain this ce."


    "It''s too dangerous..." Shin-Il added.


    "I know. But, what''s not dangerous in this current world? We are as good as dead if we stay stuck here. Perhaps there is already a safer and better ce somewhere in South Korea where our families are. Are we really going to stay here simply and do nothing?" She asked.


    "..." Shin-Il and Soomin looked away with a difficult expression. In reality, they didn''t want to stay there.


    They had people they were worried sick about. But, at the same time, the fear of what could be outside this warehouse was still looming over their heads.


    Seeing Hyun-Jae''s determination, they felt ashamed of their own cowardice.


    "We''re a team. Let''s work together to survive, ok?" Hyun-Jae''s tone became a little softer as she talked to them.


    The two nodded their heads in understanding. They couldn''t bring themselves to oppose Hyun-Jae''s choice. She wasn''t doing it only for herself but for them too.


    As for Chin-Hwa, he could only swallow his dissatisfaction and stay silent. No matter how much he was worried about her, Hyun-Jae wasn''t listening at all.


    ''It''s all because of that guy!! He''s pulling her toward the most reckless situations!'' He thought to himself as he looked at Talon. He never thought it was possible but his hatred for Talon was only growing bigger and bigger by the minute. He simply couldn''t bear to even look at him.


    ''Goddamit!''


    ***


    "What do you think, Acrypha? What could thatughing or crying be?" Talon asked Acrypha as he sat down.


    "The possibilities are endless. There are millions of creatures who can make sounds akin toughing or crying. Trying to determine which one the Dimension Walker evolved into would be impossible." She replied.


    "Sigh, I thought so." Talon shook his head as he ran his hand through his hair. "I guess my best bet is to just go there and deal with whatever could be there."


    "You will have to be careful. The speed at which the earth is getting integrated is rming."


    "Hm? What do you mean?"


    "That insect you fought. It should''ve only appeared after a few days, not on the same day. I''ve nevere across something like this before." Acrypha said.


    "Wait wait... You mean that there is something weird going on?" Talon asked in confusion.


    "Abnormal is the right word. Everything that''s happening is abnormal." Acrypha nodded her head.


    "But why?"


    "I don''t know myself. I will have to look into it more. For now, keep in mind that Dimension Walkers are evolving faster than normal."


    ''Shit, that''s really bad. If they''re evolving fast that means that I might meet something far stronger than me way too early.'' Talon cursed inwardly.


    In fact, Talon has already met two enemies that were overwhelmingly stronger than him. The level 5 Dimension Walker and the level 7 Imagdurel Mosquito, both took him everything to beat, and was even heavily injured in both fights.


    He was put against two stronger enemies in a matter of a few hours, that was already rming as it is. So, hearing that this was simply the beginning and that things were going to get worse, he could only sigh.


    "Talon?" As he was like that, he heard Hyun-Jae''s voice which made him look up. The beautiful president was searching for him.


    "Our princess came to talk to you," Acrypha said sarcastically.


    "Your humor is odd, Acrypha." Talonmented as he stood up.


    "My humor made billions of creaturesugh. What are you even saying?" Acrypha retorted proudly.


    "You mean the same creatures that like to go out naked?" He asked back with a small smile.


    "... Tsk!" Acrypha looked away with a dissatisfied expression.


    "Haha, we''re even now."


    "Not for long."


    "Yeah, yeah."


    After that, Talon walked toward Hyun-Jae who seemed eager to talk to him about something.


    "What''s up? Did you change your mind?" He asked.


    Talon was expecting to hear Hyun-Jae deciding to back out and although that was going to be unfortunate, it wasn''t going to change Talon''s n. He was going to the university whether alone or with her.


    However, much to his surprise, Hyun-Jae shook her head. "I''m still going. We already had an agreement, I won''t back out of it because of something like this." She said.


    "..." Talon blinked in surprise as he stared at Hyun-Jae silently.


    "What?" The girl was confused by his reaction.


    "No... I just thought you would decide to stay here with how bad the situation could be on the campus." Talon said.


    "I''m not a coward, Talon. If we agree on something, then I''m fulfilling my side of it no matter what. Even if it means putting my life on the line." Hyun-Jae answered with a mysteriously harsh tone. It wasn''t directed at Talon and instead seemed like it stemmed from something deep within Hyun-Jae''s heart that he didn''t know about.


    "I see. I''m sorry for doubting you then. Let''s do this." He nodded his head as he extended his hand for a handshake.


    Hyun-Jae looked down at his hand for a moment as she seemed hesitant. Then, she slowly extended her hand and carefully shook his hand. Her anxious eyes seemed to rx when she touched his hand.


    "Let''s get everyone out of here." She nodded her head in agreement.


    As the two stared at each other, they conveyed their intentions clearly through that contact. To survive and save everyone along with them and most importantly, for a better future.


    "But before that, shouldn''t we n our route to the campus and how we''re going to infiltrate it?" Talon asked as he titled his head.


    "Yes, that''s the second matter I came here for. We need to n the path because I want to go the day after tomorrow if possible."


    "Fine by me," Talon replied.


    ''Most of my injuries are already feeling way better and the rest should be healed by the time we have to leave.'' He thought to himself.


    "Good. As for the path, here." Approaching a wooden box, Hyun-Jae pulled out her phone and opened the map showing where they were.


    Talon stood next to her as he bent down to look. Because the box was small and the phone only showed from one angle, they had to be very close to each other and their shoulders would touch every now and then.


    Each time that happened, Hyun-Jae would look at Talon for a moment before she would look down.


    "Ehem, I thought about it carefully and I think that the best and shortest path to the university isn''t actually the neighborhood alleys. But, somewhere different."


    "Somewhere different?" Talon raised an eyebrow.


    "Yes, the neighborhood is already filled to the brim with Dimension Walkers, It is almost impossible to avoid them as they seem to move in hordes rather than individually."


    "That''s true."


    Initially, Talon thought using the alleys and broken houses, they could move toward the campus with a technically safe route. However, after what he saw outside when Ryan Seok and hispanions came to the warehouse, he was certain that it wasn''t going to be as easy as that.


    ''It''s as if their numbers multiplied tens of times in a matter of hours.'' Talon thought to himself with a frown.


    "So, what do you suggest?" He finally focused on Hyun-Jae again and asked.


    "Our best route is not on the ground... Instead, we should go underground."


    "Underground?" Talon squinted his eyes as he thought about her words for a second before he finally realized what she meant. "The Underground subway station." He murmured.


    Hyun-Jae nodded her head. "Exactly. It''s the safest route since there shouldn''t be too many people there and we can also use one of the metros down there to cross the distance to the university in minutes rather than running on foot which could take way longer."


    When Hyun-Jae finished exining, she found Talon staring at her silently.


    "What?" She asked with a subtly flustered look that she hid very well.


    "You''re really smart." He said in a serious tone. "No wonder you''re the student council president. You live up to your name."


    "..." Hyun-Jae was speechless for a second. Although these kinds ofpliments were a daily urrence to her, something about Talon''s words felt rather different and she didn''t know why. Her heartrate increased a little because of it.


    "Mm, thank you."

 Chapter 25 - 25- Preparation And Time

    <h4>Chapter 25:- Preparation And Time</h4>


    "So, what route should we take to the subway? It''s at least 15 minutes away from here if we run." Talon asked as he looked at the map.


    The subway was 5 kilometers away from them which was going to take them some time to reach. So, they weren''t entirely done with the problem of Dimension Walkers.


    "That''s the only problem we have now. We need to somehow reach the subway. If we do that, we will be safe till we reach the university."


    "Hmm..." Talon squinted his eyes as he picked up the phone and started looking at the map carefully. Although he knew the neighborhood very well, he still could forget the smaller alleys that they could use to traverse this distance.


    "Ok, look. Our only choices at the moment are two. Either we try to use the initial n of moving through the broken structures of the area. Or..."


    "Or?"


    Talon''s lips parted into a mischievous grin. "Or we can do something far more reckless but can really bring us to our destination way quicker."


    Hyun-Jae raised an eyebrow at Talon''s words as she felt that what he was going to say next was going to be wild.


    "What is it?"


    "We can use a car or a bike to go there! Smart, isn''t it?"


    "..."


    Silence took over the two of them and made Talon awkwardly cough when he realized that Hyun-Jae kept staring at him.


    "Ehem, I was just jok-"


    "No, that''s actually a good idea." Hyun-Jae shook her head as she thought about it.


    "Wait, it is?" Talon blinked.


    "Yes, there are a good amount of vehicles inside this warehouse that probably belonged to workers. We can use one of them to move faster."


    "... Uh, I guess that''s true."


    ''Even though I said that as a joke. I guess she has her reckless side too.'' Talon scratched the back of his head. "Ok, I guess it''s settled then. We will use the bikes and take route 24 from here which leads to the subway. From there, we just get rid of the bikes, enter the subway and find a metro to move toward the university. If we don''t, we just have to continue on foot through the tunnels."


    "That sounds good to me."


    The two looked at each other before they nodded in understanding. Their n was now ready, all that was left was to execute it correctly. As for the actual campus infiltration, they can''t really create a particr route toward the research center since they have no idea as to how the situation is inside the university.


    Whatever they will see there, they will have to deal with it ordingly which is very risky. But, when their choices are so few and far between, riskse along naturally.


    "Well, I will excuse myself then. You should also go to sleep. We will need every ounce of energy we can keep." Talon said as he turned around.


    "Yeah, I should." Yawning, Hyun-Jae was about to also leave when Talon called her name again.


    "Hey, Ran Hyun-Jae."


    "Hm?"


    "... Thanks for not backing away from this. You got my respect." He said as he continued walking away without waiting to see her reaction.


    Hyun-Jae stood rooted there, surprised by his words. Her usually calm and stoic face changed subtly. Again, his words affected her more than what should''ve been possible. So what if she got his respect? She had the respect of countless people.


    Yet, for some reason, his respect sounded way more genuine and truthful than anyone else and that was why she felt it more vividly.


    "Why am I reacting like this..." She murmured as she wiped her face with her hand. "What''s wrong with me today?"


    ***


    The rest of the night passed quietly. Talon slept through most of it to recover his energy and so did Hyun-Jae.


    As for Soomin and Shin-Il, they decided that they should start practicing with their new weapons. Soomin started learning how to handle the knife with the help of Chin-Hwa while Shin-Il started his first steps of learning how to shoot an arrow with the bow.


    Both found a hard time making any progress at first but they were excited and eager to learn so that didn''t stop them. As for Ryan Seok and hispanions, they simply spent the day in their own space, they didn''t talk to anyone nor did they seem eager to get to know anyone which confused the others a lot.


    At this point, they were sure that something was off with those people but they still couldn''t put their hands on it.


    When Talon woke up, he changed his old, bloodied clothes with fresh new ones that he found in the warehouse before he cooked a simple breakfast for everyone.


    "Oh my god! This is amazing, Talon!" Shin-Il eximed as he took a bite of the sandwich with shock.


    "Mmm, this stuff is pretty good," Soomin added as she wolfed down her food with eagerness.


    The two seemed to enjoy his food a lot which put a smile on Talon''s face. As for Hyun-Jae, she was certainly loving it too as she even smiled slightly when she tasted it. The only one who didn''t show a reaction was Chin-Hwa who didn''t even intend to eat his food at first only to be forced by Hyun-Jae to eat.


    "Where did you learn to cook, Talon?" Hyun-Jae asked as she continued eating.


    Talon wiped his mouth with a handkerchief before he replied as he looked up with a dreamy look.


    "Cookbooks and experimentation... A lot of experimentation."


    "Why do you love cooking so much?" Shin-Il asked.


    "Seeing people''s smiles while eating my food is one of the reasons why I love cooking. Mainly my parents since they alwayse back homete and so eating a warm meal always puts a smile on their faces. That made me so excited to cook every day so that I can see their smiles as they eat it."


    Everyone went silent when they heard him.


    "Talon..." Shin-Il murmured with aplicated gaze. He felt really emotional for some reason and he could barely contain it. The fondness in Talon''s words and the way he looked felt different.


    The others were also touched by his words.


    "Ah, what''s up with the emotional mood all of a sudden? I tell you, I hate these moods! Too awkward for my taste." Talon giggled.


    "Hehehe, who told you to say something emotional out of nowhere?" Shin-Il asked.


    "It''s called being nostalgic my dear Shin-Il."


    "That''s the same as being emotional, though." Soomin adjusted her sses as she retorted.


    "... Tsk! Ok, I was feeling emotional for a second! Spare me!"


    "Hehehe! Talon is shy!"


    Theughs of the group echoed in the warehouse as they talked about random topics. The mood was lighter than before which helped ease their stress a little.


    Chin-Hwa watched Talon silently from the corner. He didn''t notice how his hand was gripping the spoon way harder than before.


    However, he was fighting back his anger and irritation as much as he could. After all, his group seemed to like Talon, especially Hyun-Jae.


    ''Especially the president...'' Just remembering what he saw and how she treated him yesterday, he felt his heart squeezing with pain. It was a really bad argument between them.


    In fact, he was sure that she was still annoyed with him and that kept bugging his head the whole night with no way of getting rid of it.


    ''I need to apologize.'' He thought to himself. However, that''s where the problems appear, he doesn''t know how to apologize.


    He had never fought with Hyun-Jae before so it was a first for him.


    "I will apologize before they leave." He decided in the end. He didn''t want her to stay angry with him, it was simply too painful for him to handle.


    His eyes slowly wandered from the ceiling to Hyun-Jae as his gaze softened a lot. Then, he looked down at the te.


    ''It is delicious...'' He admitted secretly.


    ***


    The rest of the day passed quietly. Talon continued his training with the spear with his newfound knowledge after leveling up and his progress was very good. He was able to almost perfect the horizontal sh as it is and started integrating other moves too.


    Shin-Il and Soomin continued their training with the help of Chin-Hwa and Hyun-Jae which boosted their learning speed a lot.


    By the end of the day, everyone ate dinner and finally went to sleep, knowing fully well that Talon and Hyun-Jae would have to leave tomorrow.


    Everyone was nervous, except for the two that were going to leave which was very ironic in a sense.


    In the end, the morning came and Hyun-Jae and Talon finally were ready to embark on their mission. They decided to use one bike instead of two so that they don''t lose each other in the streets.


    "Fuuuh... So cold..." Talon stretched his limbs as he looked at the weather. It was still like winter so Talon wore a thicker coat he found.


    "Are you ready?" Acrypha asked.


    "You''re asking me now?"


    "Just a small test to see if you would hesitate." Acrypha teased him yfully.


    Talon rolled his eyes as he replied. "Thanks for the moral support, granny."


    "You!!"


    "Ok, this bag has food, some medicine we found and a few clothes in case we need them. Anything else?" Hyun-Jae asked as she strapped the bag to the bike.


    "No, nothing else."


    "Oh man, please be careful guys! You bettere back safe and sound!" Shin-Il eximed worriedly.


    "Don''t worry, we will be fine. Take care of the warehouse for us and don''t do anything dangerous." Hyun-Jae replied.


    "How long do you think it would take for you toe back?" Soomin asked.


    "At most a day or two, and in the least a few hours if everything works out perfectly." Talon was the one to reply this time.


    "Which it doesn''t most of the time," Soomin added at the end.


    "Sure thing, haha!"


    As everyone talked and said their farewells for now, Chin-Hwa was standing to the side, oddly silent. The time hade and he was still hesitant about apologizing to his childhood friend.


    "Mm, president." In the end, he called for her.


    "Hm?"


    "... I''d like to talk with you for a moment."

 Chapter 26 - 26- Ride Of a Lifetime (Part 1)

    <h4>Chapter 26:- Ride Of a Lifetime (Part 1)</h4>


    Hyun-Jae looked at Chin-Hwa confusedly for a moment before she gave Talon a nce as if she was telling him that she needed a moment. Talon nodded his head faintly and continued talking with Shin-Il and Soomin.


    Meanwhile, Chin-Hwa and Hyun-Jae walked away to a quieter ce where no one could hear them.


    "So, what do you need to tell me?" Hyun-Jae asked with confusion.


    Chin-Hwa shifted his gaze down as he took a deep breath before he finally looked up again and spoke.


    "I wanted to apologize for what came out of my mouth the other day. I was angry and worried and it ended up leading me to say dumb things." He spoke truthfully as he instinctively balled his fists.


    When he finished speaking, silence took over the two of them for a while which made Chin-Hwa panic, and was about to speak again to clear any possible misunderstanding.


    "Your apology is epted."


    "..." When he heard those words, relief filled his heart as his tense expression eased slowly.


    "I''m d I cleared this up." He murmured.


    "Anything else?" Hyun-Jae raised an eyebrow and asked.


    "... No. That''s it."


    "Good, then I''m leaving now. Take care of Soomin and Shin-Il for me."


    "I will, president."


    Seeing the seriousness in Chin-Hwa''s voice, Hyun-Jae nodded and finally turned around to leave. However, before she did that, she looked back at Chin-Hwa.


    "You''re a good friend, Chin-Hwa. I wouldn''t want our friendship to end because of something external. So, respect what I want as much as I respect what you want. Ok?" She asked.


    "..." Chin-Hwa blinked, clearly taken aback. Hyun-Jae''s words were calm and even considered nice. However, the cold prince could sense the warning in them. The warning that he must not cross certain boundaries or their friendship might not stay the same.


    But, in the end, he nodded his head in understanding.


    "Understood, I won''t do it again."


    "Good. See youter then."


    "See youter..."


    With that, Hyun-Jae walked away, leaving Chin-Hwa behind, watching her back with aplicated expression. His heart was squeezing with an unknown feeling. A feeling that Chin-Hwa never felt before in his life.


    "Friendship... Huh..." Resting his head on the palm of his hand, his teeth clenched slightly. "What was I even expecting?"


    Meanwhile, inside the warehouse, Ryan Seok and the two women were still in the same ces and didn''t move or that was what the others thought. However, Ryan Seok was actually near the gate listening to their conversations.


    When he heard them go quiet, he finally turned around and walked back to the two women.


    "They seem like they''re nning something." He said in a dark tone.


    "Is that so?" His wife, An Sook, replied with a difficult look on her face as she hugged her son tightly.


    "And they didn''t even tell us what they''re nning. That bastard, Seo Chin-Hwa or whatever his name even threatened me!" Cursing under his breath, Ryan Seok sat in between the two women as he fell into deep thought. His arms naturally went around their shoulders.


    The two women seemed really ufortable but couldn''t speak or push him away. They could only ept it with silence.


    "We can''t stay under their mercy. We have to either show our presence or take control over this whole ce." He finally spoke again.


    "Take over? But they have been very kind to us. They gave us food, clothes, and a warm ce to hide from the cold weather." Eum Eun said.


    "That kindness could end at any moment and we will find ourselves in the streets again to fend for ourselves against those nasty things."


    At the same time as Ryan Seok was speaking, his hand gripped Eum Eun''s shoulder strongly which made her lips pursed with pain. But, she held in the groan that threatened to leak out of her mouth.


    "Don''t you think so... dear?" Ryan Seok looked closely at her as he asked in a slow tone.


    "... Y-Yes..." She closed her eyes and replied.


    "Good. So we agree."


    "Waaaaah!! Waaah!" Out of nowhere, the small kid in An Sook''s hand started crying.


    "Agh, will you shut him up already?!"


    "I-I''m sorry!!"


    ''Tsk, so annoying. Everything here is so annoying. I can''t let them keep me at my edge the whole time. Two of them seem to be leaving. I can make use of that.'' Ryan Seok thought to himself with a small smile.


    ***


    Outside, Talon sat on the bike seat as he gripped the hand clutch a few times to feel its texture.


    "Now, let''s see if I still got it." He smiled as he turned on the engine, the vehicle roared loudly as smoke exited its exhaust.


    "You drove bikes before?" Hyun-Jae asked casually as she was about to get on behind him.


    "I used to work as a delivery. Driving one of these as fast as possible is one of the few skills I''m very proud of." Talon replied.


    ''Those were the good days. Having to deliver a pizza in 3 minutes to a ce 10 minutes away. Ah, nostalgia! Literal chills!'' Talon thought to himself with a wry smile.


    "I see..." Hyun-Jae looked at Talon curiously for a while.


    "Anyway, get on. Let''s get out of here."


    The girl then got on top of the bike as she adjusted her position. Then, she put her arms behind her to grab the metallic arm protruding out of the bike.


    "Are you ready?"


    "Yes."


    "Good. See youter, guys!" Talon bid everyone farewell as he turned the bike around and stormed out of the warehouse before the gates could close.


    Immediately, they were met with Dimension Walkers moving through the street around the warehouse. Their mindless walking and silence made them eerie to look at let alone fight.


    Luckily, their numbers were reduced a lot after what happened the day before as they seemed to have moved away to another ce.


    "Looks like we already havepany," Talon murmured as he elerated with the bike, moving past the monsters quickly.


    "I will deal with anything that tries to stop the bike, you just focus on driving," Hyun-Jae said as she unsheathed her sword, ready to slice any monster.


    "Ok."


    The bike continued moving as it dodged the monsters. Talon skilfully maneuvered around them with ease while keeping their speed consistent.


    However, moving through the rtively narrow streets of the neighborhood was still problematic even with Talon''s skill.


    A few turnster, they found themselves facing a street filled with Dimension Walkers. There was no way to get past them normally.


    Meanwhile, behind them, the rest of the Dimension Walkers were running as fast as they could to catch up to them.


    When Hyun-Jae saw that, she was immediately alerted. They were stuck with no way to go back or forward. However, what made her even more alert was that Talon wasn''t slowing down at all.


    "Talon... Slow down..." She said in a quiet tone as she tried to keep her cool. But, herpanion didn''t slow down and instead elerated even more.


    "Talon?"


    *Vnnnn*


    The engine of the bike roared as it moved like a sh through the street, heading straight toward the monsters.


    "Talon?!" She called him again.


    "Hold on!!" He said as he suddenly changed the direction and drove toward one of the run-down houses.


    "Oh no!!"


    Hyun-Jae instinctively bent forward as she grabbed into Talon''s shoulder ready for the impact. However, what she didn''t notice was that the bike was driving toward one of the broken pirs of the house which fell over the wall.


    ''Or in other words... A perfect stunt jump!!'' Talon smiled as he twisted the handle, making the bike elerate even more.


    *Swish*


    Climbing the pir, the bike wasunched into the air, right over the street.


    "Ah!" Hyun-Jae''s arms wrapped around Talon''s back as she pressed her body against his.


    "Shit! This is too much fun! Haha!" Laughing excitedly, Talon made the bikend on the other side of the street as it glided with a screech, stopping its momentum. Then, without wasting a moment, he elerated again and drove off before the Dimension Walkers could catch up to them.


    "What was that?!" Hyun-Jae eximed as she knocked on Talon''s head with her fist.


    "Ouch, ouch! I had no other choice!" Talon protected his head from Hyun-Jae''s relentless attacks.


    "I know! But, at least warn me before doing it!"


    "I had no time to war-" Feeling the deadly re on his back, Talon decided to wisely not continue his words. "Ok, I''m sorry."


    "Geez..." Sighing, Hyun-Jae looked behind her. Her heart was still racing a little from what happened. But, for one reason or another... It felt good.


    The thrill of that jump and the monsters chasing them was really something she never experienced before and it felt amazing.


    ''I''m enjoying this?'' She asked herself. What she didn''t notice was that during this whole time, her body waspletely pressed against Talon''s back, her breasts deformed as they stuck to his body.


    Talon felt the softness clearly and he could only take a deep breath and try to ignore it.


    ''Isn''t this a little too good to be true?''


    Meanwhile, the bike continued its trip, moving through the streets like a sh.


    "The 24th route, we''re close!" Talon pointed ahead as he shook his thought away. They had to focus since they were about to reach the main street.


    However, when the bike finally emerged into the route, the two were met with a sight that truly shook them to the core.


    And the adventure begins.

 Chapter 27 - 27- Ride Of a Lifetime (Part 2)

    <h4>Chapter 27:- Ride Of a Lifetime (Part 2)</h4>


    The sight they witnessed made Talon almost slip with the bike and fall. So, he quickly squeezed the brakes and stopped the vehicle in the middle of the street, facing the scene head-on.


    The 24th route was a very wide one with multiplenes so it was safe to say that it could fit at least 6 cars stacked next to each other. Another interesting detail was that this street was in fact built over a residential area like a bridge. Yet, even with that kind of wide space, the whole of 24th Street was filled with monsters.


    Weak Dimension Walkers and stronger ones were like ants everywhere. They were seemingly mped up like a disgusting hive of insects. Amidst this mp of terror were also numerous odd-looking monsters.


    Gigantic bees with horns as long as Talon''s forearm, weird white creatures that stood on two feet and had two heads and four eyes. They were akin to a more disturbing version of Dimension Walkers and more dangerous. Not to mention the giant rabid-looking dogs, a multitude of felines, and even creatures that Talon didn''t know how to describe in words. That''s how grotesque they looked.


    "... What the fuck..." Not even his words could describe the sheer terror Talon was seeing at that moment.


    Hyun-Jae had the same expression if not worse. Not even in the worst-case scenario did she expect to see this many creatures. She thought that after 2 days, they would''ve moved away or at least reduced in numbers.


    As they were like that, the monsters seemed to have noticed them too and what happened next was simply something straight out of nightmares. The whole horde suddenly rushed toward them like a huge tidal wave.


    "What are you waiting for?! Move!!" Acrypha, who was floating around them, yelled to wake Talon up.


    Her words shook Talon and made him realize what was happening.


    "Hold on!" He said as he drifted with the bike, turning it around and elerating as fast as he could.


    The bike roared loudly as it moved through the street. Behind it, shrieks and howls filled the whole ce as monsters chased after them. The normal ones weren''t able to keep up and fell behind.


    However, the same couldn''t be said for the other evolved ones. The felines and other distorted monsters were way faster and so Talon and Hyun-Jae found themselves being chased by these things as the distance between them grew smaller and smaller.


    "Shit! Shit! Shit!" Talon cursed. "Come on, move faster!!" Looking back with a dark expression, he called for Hyun-Jae. "Push them off as much as you can!"


    "Do you have a n?!" Hyun-Jae asked as she gripped her sword harder.


    "I don''t know! But, I have an idea! It could work! I need some time!" He said.


    "Ok, I trust you!"


    With that being said, Hyun-Jae suddenly turned around and put her back against Talon with her legs on the other side. Then, she gripped her sword with both hands.


    Facing these disgusting creatures, her heart raced faster and faster. However, she swallowed all of that dread and pointed her sword at them.


    *Roar*


    The first monster to reach the bike was a twisted cheetah hybrid with needles all over its body and a set of chainsaw-like teeth.


    *Roar*


    Coming from the side, the monster leaped in the air with its paws aiming for Hyun-Jae. Noticing that the girl quickly changed her grip on the sword and sliced as fast as she could.


    The de moved through the air and hit the monster''s paws, digging deep into its sharp ws.


    *BOOM*


    Because of the hit, the monster''s momentum was ruined as it shrieked from pain. However, that didn''tpletely stop it from hitting the bike as it was falling.


    The wheels of the bike screeched loudly as Talon found himself tilting left and right.


    "Oh no!" Using his full strength, Talon was somehow able to rebnce the bike somehow.


    "Are you ok, Hyun-Jae?!" He turned around to check on hispanion.


    "Yeah..." The girl nodded as she looked at her arm. The ws of the monster had still sliced through her skin but not too deeply.


    However, even then, she didn''t have time to actually take a breather as monsters started surrounding the bike.


    Without a word, Hyun-Jae gripped the sword with both hands again and got ready.


    "Be ready, Talon! They''re going to try and make us fall!"


    "I know!"


    "Good! Now focus!"


    With those words, the insects and the evolved dogs finally leaped on the bike. Defending against all of them all at once was going to be impossible.


    ''Oh no!'' Talon''s face paled as he quickly glided to the side, avoiding some of them before he moved to the side again to avoid others.


    Meanwhile, Hyun-Jae seemed to have oddly gone silent again. Her erratic breathing calmed down and her tense muscles rxed. Then, her beautiful eyes slowly opened again as Aetheris channeled through her body.


    [Ding!]


    [You have activated the skill: Lightning Maniption.]


    *ZZZZZ*


    Out of nowhere, the sound of electricity echoed in the vicinity as Talon felt a weird sensation on his back. Looking behind him, he was shocked to see Hyun-Jae''s arm sparking with lightning that quickly channeled to her sword.


    ''What the?!'' Blinking in shock, Talon noticed Hyun-Jae''s de suddenly move as she sliced with it as fast as she could.


    The sh didn''t hit any monster but the effect it left behind was devastating. Visible electricity in the form of a sh emerged from the de and flew toward the hordes of monsters.


    *BANG*


    The moment it made contact with them, it exploded, sending shockwaves all over the ce. A number of monsters fell, shaking as if they were electrocuted while others were outright fried. However, Hyun-Jae didn''t stop there and shed again, hitting another group of monsters. The girl''s face was pale as a sheet of paper by the second hit and yet she still bit her lips till blood leaked out.


    ''Come on! Onest one!'' She cursed as she inhaled a deep breath.


    *Swish*


    The third attack wasunched, hitting the closest enemies to the bike.


    By the third hit, the electricity vanished and Hyun-Jae returned to normal. When that happened, her body suddenly slumped over Talon with her head resting on his shoulder.


    "Hyun-Jae? Oi, Hyun-Jae! Wake up!"


    "Mmm..." Moaning in pain, Hyun-Jae''s eyes opened slightly as she seemed to regain some of her consciousness.


    However, it seemed that the skill she activated had spent all of her Aetheris and she was temporarily out of it. So, Talon could only tilt his back forward so that Hyun-Jae could rest closer to him. He can''t let her fall off the bike.


    However, it wasn''t done there as a few more monsters closed up on them from the other side and attacked.


    "You got to be kidding me..." With no other choice, Talon pulled out his spear and quickly stabbed to the side, piercing an unlucky evolved cat with no eyes and only a big gaping mouth.


    [Ding!]


    [You have killed a level 6 Mandorian Cat. +2 Strength.]


    Then, he quickly swung his spear, hitting a few more monsters but not dealing a finishing blow. At the same time, on the other side of the bike, a sneaky big rat with 6 legs had reached them and attacked the front of the bike.


    Its sharp ws slice through the metal, almost cutting Talon''s leg in the process too. Dark liquid exploded out of the bike.


    "You bastard!" quickly shifting the spear to the other side, Talon sliced the monster''s head off cleanly.


    [Ding!]


    [You have killed a level 6 Serebeth Rat. +1 Health.]


    However, even with that kill, the bike''s fuel was still gushing out endlessly.


    ''The bike won''t hold on for longer! Ah, goddamit!!'' Cursing under his breath, Talon decided that he couldn''t really push it any longer. He wanted to move a little farther away but with the situation getting critically bad, he could only try his luck with his idea now.


    "What do you want to do?" Acrypha asked as she noticed Talon suddenly change the direction toward the other side of the street.


    "Something that might kill us. But, if it works, we will survive." He said as he elerated harder.


    Acrypha frowned as she looked at the direction Talon was heading for.


    "Are you serious?"


    "More serious than ever! Now, can you tell me which side is the best one to do it?!" He asked.


    "..." Acrypha seemed hesitant for a moment before she took a deep breath and finally moved ahead of them and took a look.


    "Hurry, hurry!" Talon murmured to himself. The monsters were now already around the bike and closing in. Talon had no way of defending anymore.


    "Here! Do it from here!"


    "Ok!" Without even hesitating, Talon moved toward Acrypha as he tilted the bike up.


    ''Please... Please...'' Talon prayed in his head as he took a deep breath.


    *VNNN*


    At thest moment, right before the monsters could catch up, the bike jumped over the edge of the highway.

 Chapter 28 - 28- Ride Of a Lifetime (Part 3)

    <h4>Chapter 28:- Ride Of a Lifetime (Part 3)</h4>


    The bike flew in the air for a good 3 seconds after the initial jump. Everything felt like it was moving in slow motion for Talon. All his senses seemed to sharpen far beyond normal as if he felt that his life was on the edge and so his mind''s instinctive defensive mechanism kicked in, allowing him to be more aware of his situation than ever.


    Behind him, the monsters jumped too without hesitation. The sight of tens of creatures leaping from the bridge was as magnificent as it was terrifying.


    *VNNN*


    Looking down quickly, Talon twisted the elerator as he noticed the perfect ce tond. Right beneath him was the roof of one of the houses. The distance between it and the edge of the bridge was a dozen or so meters which was easily crossed by the bike.


    *BANG*


    At some point, time turned back to normal in Talon''s head as he found the bikending on the roof. Quickly, he twisted the hand clutch before he glided to the side.


    Looking to the side, he noticed the other edge of the roof getting closer and closer.


    "Stop, stop, stop!!" He cursed as he quickly smashed his leg on the ground to make it stop even faster.


    At thest second, the vehicle reached the edge, almost falling and bringing Talon and Hyun-Jae along with it.


    Talon was relieved for a second before he realized that there was a bigger problem about to fall on his head... Literally.


    Looking up, the sky waspletely filled with monsters that were raining down on them.


    "Move!!" Acrypha yelled, making Talon''s instincts kick in. Quickly, he dashed with the bike forward toward the other side of the house.


    "Where should I go, Acrypha?!" He yelled as he looked ahead of him. He was about to reach the end of the roof and he had nowhere to go. Meanwhile, monsters were alreadynding on the roof and all around the house.


    Some werepletely squashed by the impact because of their weak bodies while others were rtively unscathed.


    "Just move as fast as you can and trust me!" She said.


    "Ok!"


    Without time to even hesitate, Talon elerated and jumped from the roof again. At the same time, the monsters continued falling down on him. Looking up, he quickly tried to protect the bike from anyone who was about to impact it.


    [Ding!]


    [You have killed a level 7 Tarnished Dimension Walker.]


    [Ding!]


    [You have killed....]


    [Ding!]


    [You have leveled up. +2 free points.]


    A series of notifications shed and disappeared across Talon''s retina that hepletely ignored. At the same time, beneath him was another roof of another house that was slightly lower than the house before.


    The vehicle''snding was considerably safe.


    "To the right!" Acrypha floated ahead of them as she guided Talon. Thetterpletely trusted her words as he moved where she wanted him to move.


    At the same time, Hyun-Jae, who was still hallucinating from the exhaustion, looked dazedly at Talon.


    ''What''s happening?'' She asked herself. ''Are we dead? No, that''s not the case. I can still see that we''re moving. Did he find a way for us to escape?''


    Her eyes wandered around her. They were on top of a roof, being chased and rained down upon by monsters.


    ''Is he ok?'' She asked herself as she stared at herpanion. She could sense that she waspletely resting on his back. Yet, even in this horrible situation, Talon was making sure not to move his body too much and not to push Hyun-Jae away.


    His back felt wide and... dependable.


    "Hold on, Hyun-Jae! We''re getting out of here!" At that moment, Talon looked back and said in a serious, confident tone.


    Even when his life was at risk, he was making sure that she was fine. Why? He could simply get rid of her at that moment since his life was clearly at risk and he could have a better chance of surviving if he simply threw her off the bike as a decoy for the monster.


    It was inhumane, sure. But, one''s life is more precious than anything else so as weird as it may have been, Hyun-Jae felt like she wouldpletely understand it if Talon did so. Yet, not only did he not do that, he even made sure to protect her and also let her rest on his back as she recovered.


    Hyun-Jae''s dazed thoughts halted there and she felt something she had never felt before. She couldn''t put it in words at all. So, all she could do was stare at Talon silently. Her pupils only reflected his side silhouette as shepletely focused on him, even ignoring the monsters that were about to catch them.


    While hispanion was having these conflicting thoughts, Talon continued moving from one roof to another with Acrypha''s help. She kept guiding him lower and lower so that he could finallynd on the ground.


    Because of all of that, Talon was pushed to multi-task endlessly like a machine. He was driving the vehicle as fast as he could, maneuvering through a terrain that wasn''t even made for bikes while his other hand was swinging the spear and hitting any monster that might fall on the bike. At the same time, he was making sure that Hyun-Jae was still stuck to him.


    It was extremely taxing for the brain to handle two tasks at a time, especially if they were tasks that required extreme focus. Naturally, Talon was having a very hard time doing that even though it was working somehow.


    What he didn''t notice was that under this pressure, during those circumstances and because of his natural instincts, Talon''s skill ''Dimension Harvester'' reacted to that.


    [Ding!]


    [Host under extreme mental pressure.]


    [Host is using full brain capacity.]


    [Ding!]


    [Dimension Harvester reacted to the situation.]


    [Ding!]


    [Host acquired a new passive skill: Enhanced Focus.]


    [Enhanced Focus (Level 1): This skill increases the brain capacity of the host, making their senses sharper, their focus level higher, their ability to absorb the details around them better, and their thinking speed faster. It passively levels up the more the host finds themselves under immense mental pressure.]


    Talon had no time to read what skill he got but the feeling that came along with it was far too clear to ignore. His buzzing head and the struggle he was having to deal with all these tasks suddenly started easing up out of nowhere. It was as if his clouded mind was slowly clearing up miraculously.


    Talon''s eyes also started sharpening even more and his hearing became a lot better. In a split moment, Talon''s way of perceiving the world around him changed. What he found hard a second ago became a little more bearable. That improvement immediately applied to the situation. Talon started maneuvering the bike better and avoiding the monsters more efficiently. He also was able to follow Acrypha more urately.


    ''Hm?'' Thetter noticed that change and could only hum in confusion.


    A few secondster, the bike finallynded on the ground after descending slowly from one roof to another.


    "We''re close to the subway!!" He murmured as he tried to elerate faster with the bike. The monsters were still tailing them still. However, that''s when he realized something crucial... The bike was getting slower instead of faster.


    Looking down, Talon realized the problem immediately.


    ''The fuel!!''


    Since the fuel tank had been damaged, the bike had been leaking fuel endlessly and the effect of that was finally taking ce.


    "Oh no, oh no, oh no, don''t let me down now!" Talon tried to elerate again and again but the bike wasn''t answering. Its speed was slowly descending as they got closer and closer to the subway entrance.


    Acrypha noticed the problem and her face darkened.


    "Can''t you make it move the rest of the distance?" She asked.


    "I don''t know if it can handle it any longer!" Talon replied as he clenched his teeth.


    ''Just a little more! We just need a smaller push!''


    The distance remaining was around 100 meters or so. But, at the same time, the monsters behind them were in hot pursuit, closing the distance way faster than before.


    ''I need a little push. Just anything!'' Talon racked his brain for a solution but to no avail. There was nothing around him that could create a pushing effect.


    ''I guess it all depends on luck again!'' He cursed inwardly. ''Goddamit!!''


    Talon feltpletely powerless at that moment and his usually clear thoughts started darkening. ''Are we going to die here? This way?'' He asked himself as his teeth clenched.


    "We can do it..."


    At that moment, Hyun-Jae whispered to Talon with a slightly weak voice. Her energy was slowlying back and so she was able to move her body a little. Using her arms, she wrapped them around Talon''s waist and squeezed to reassure him.


    Talon was surprised for a moment when he heard those words. Looking back, he stared into Hyun-Jae''s beautiful eyes and could only feel what she was conveying... Just endless trust.


    Shepletely trusted Talon and alsopletely trusted that they were going to survive.


    When he saw that, Talon could only get all the negative thoughts out of his head. If Hyun-Jae was this convinced, then why would he have to be pessimistic?


    "You''re goddamn right we are!" He yelled as he felt a rush of excitement and hope fill his body. Looking ahead, the distance was now around 60 meters, Talon could see the subway.


    ''50 meters... 40 meters...''


    The bike was slowing down more and more.


    *ROAR*


    ''30 meters... 20 meters...'' Talon counted as his heart rate slowly decreased.


    ''10 meters...''


    (A//N: Thanks for everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 29 - 29- Guilt

    <h4>Chapter 29:- Guilt</h4>


    The bike''s speed dwindled quickly at the end and at some point, Talon was sure that it was slower than if he even walked. The reason he didn''t immediately give up on the bike when it started slowing down was mainly hismon sense telling him that he wasn''t faster than a bike when the reality was far different.


    What Talon forgot was that his agility was equivalent to two people and not one, if you add the effect of his spear which adds +5 agility to that, he was as fast as two and a half people.


    Approximately, at top speed, Talon could run at 50 kilometers which was very fast.


    "I''m sorry, Hyun-Jae. But I will have to pick you up." He said as he suddenly jumped from the bike, and lifted Hyun-Jae in a princess carry before he immediately dashed forward as fast as he could.


    Hyun-Jae was still bbergasted by what happened but still didn''t move since she was still feeling really spent.


    Running through the small passage that led to the entrance of the subway, Talon looked back at the hordes of monsters that were following them relentlessly. The distance between them was no more than 15 meters at that point.


    ''Don''t they get tired?!'' Talon clenched his teeth as he hastened his steps. At the same time, he opened his status window and decided to put all of his bets on his agility. After leveling up three times in the past few days, he had 6 free points he can use.


    ''Put 5 points into agility.'' He thought to himself.


    Immediately, Talon''s legs felt a lot lighter and his steps hastened even more. He was now running at triple the speed of a normal human being. For some, he might even appear like a sh with how fast he was.


    Reaching the entrance of the subway in a moment, Talon jumped the whole entire staircase.


    "Aaah!" Hyun-Jae naturally hugged his neck when she noticed that.


    "Hold on!!" Using all of his strength, Talonnded on his feet, absorbing the impact before heunched forward running as fast as he could.


    At the same time, the monsters sted through the subway''s entrance, destroying the whole staircase as they fought against each other in a chaotic bestial war.


    The only creatures that were able to ignore all of that were the insects. The giant bees, mosquitoes, and flies sliced through the air at amazing speeds, closing the distance between them and Talon.


    When the bees got close enough, they suddenly shifted their bodies'' position with their stingers aiming forward.


    ''Oh no...'' Realizing what was about to happen, Talon''s pupils contracted.


    *Swish*


    The stingers were suddenlyunched out of their sockets the next second, flying like arrows toward Talon.


    *BANG* *BANG* *BANG*


    A rain of stingers fell relentlessly on Talon like rain. They were considerably fast for how low leveled the bees were which made evading them extremely hard. Still, Talon tried his best as he jumped left and right, gliding with his feet and changing directions as he moved.


    With his Enhanced Focus skill, it was certainly easier than it could''ve been. But, neither Talon''s speed nor reactions were fast enough to dodge all the stingers.


    "AGH!!"


    A few stingers ended up lodging into his back because of missteps. Piercing through his flesh, they went very deep into his back, almost touching his backbones. The pain was immense from each hit and it made Talon almost stumble and fall.


    But, he quickly regained his bnce and ran as fast as he could.


    "Talon!!" Hyun-Jae''s eyes widened when she saw the stingers protruding out of his body.


    "I''m... fine! It''s nothing!" He said. "Are you ok?!" Then he quickly checked her body for any stingers. When he noticed that she was unscathed, he exhaled a small breath.


    Hyun-Jae could only stare in speechless shock at what he was doing. Not even her thoughts could describe what she was feeling at that moment. Nothing could make herprehend it, at least not in that moment.


    Instead of worrying about the things puncturing his back, Talon was more worried about Hyun-Jae''s well-being.


    ''Why... Why is he doing all of this?'' She could only ask herself.


    At the same time, Talon finally reached the underground level of the subway where the metros were. With a simple jump, he avoided the paid area barrier and entered the metro section.


    The ce waspletely empty if you ignored the stains of blood on the wall and the putrid smell of whatever abominations happened there before. Talon ignored all of that and rushed to the only thing he wanted to see now.


    ''A metro! I need a goddamn metro!!'' Looking around him frantically, Talon''s eyes fell on the other side of the area. There, he saw his hope. A metro was there, in the station with its door open.


    Around it were a few Dimension Walkers. However, Talon didn''t really care since they seemed really weak and he could deal with them without a problem. So, without hesitation, he elerated toward the front part of the metro where the control room was.


    Meanwhile, all kinds of creatures were following him. The sight of two people being chased by a clumped wave of unknown abominations was something to behold as horrible as it was.


    ''Come on,e on,e on,e on!'' Talon murmured quickly as he looked back and forth between the metro and the monsters behind him.


    With a simple calction, Talon realized that he was faced with a problem. He wasn''t going to have enough time to open the door to the control room on the metro with how close the monsters were in tow.


    ''Do I really have to do this?!'' Sighing inwardly, Talon looked at Hyun-Jae.


    "I''m sorry for this." He murmured before he suddenly pulled her up till her face was stuck to his neck and her body tightly close to his. Then, his arms wrapped around her even tighter before Talon suddenly leaped forward.


    He flew in the air for a few meters as his body smashed against the window ss of the control room, destroying itpletely as the two fell inside the metro.


    "AGH!!" Talon groaned from the impact. However, he kept his arms wrapped around Hyun-Jae to protect her.


    The young man didn''t even have time to process what happened as he looked up. Near him was the control panel of the metro. Without time left and with the monsters already outside, Talon extended his arm and pulled the huge lever to the maximum.


    Suddenly, the sound of the metro''s engine roared as the wheels of the vehicle started moving slowly. At the same time outside, the monsters surrounded the control room, trying to enter.


    Hyun-Jae''s eyes opened slightly as she noticed that some of them were about to barge into the control room. So, with great difficulty, she picked up her sword and aimed it at them.


    Her body channeled Aetheris slowly as she felt her weak body under immense pressure.


    "Fuck... off!!" She clenched her teeth in anger as her sword sizzled with lightning before a lightning bolt was sted out of it, straight toward the the window.


    *BANG*


    The lightning bolt hit the monsters, sending them flying back as the metro''s speed slowly increased and it finally entered the tunnel.


    "Hah... Hah... Hah..." Heaving up and down, Hyun-Jae looked at the window anxiously, expecting to see another monster. She really didn''t know what she would do if that happened as her body waspletely spent.


    Luckily, that didn''t happen at all. When she was assured that there weren''t any more monsters, Hyun-Jae''s head finally plopped back.


    "Talon... Are you ok?" She asked weakly.


    "Yeah..." Talon replied with an exhausted tone. "Thanks... for saving us there... Ugh!" With a small groan of pain, Talon closed his eyes.


    Hyun-Jae''s eyes shifted toward him as she worriedly moved her hand and touched his shoulder. They were still on top of each other from the fall and so the position was as awkward as one might imagine.


    Seeing the blood seeping out of Talon''s back, Hyun-Jae''s face darkened. His injuries were heavy.


    "I''m sorry..." She said in a low voice, barely audible. "Using that skillpletely spent my energy. I couldn''t move at all. I became a deadweight."


    ''If I was able to run... He wouldn''t have been this heavily injured.'' Hyun-Jae cursed herself inwardly.


    Her fists balled till they started shaking from frustration. "I''m really sorry... I was useless!"


    Talon looked at her silently with aplicated expression. He could see that Hyun-Jae was fighting the urge to cry at that moment and it made his heart squeeze a little. He didn''t me her for what happened at all.


    In fact, if it wasn''t for Hyun-Jae, they would''ve already been dead multiple times. Yet, because she overused her powers, she ended up unable to move.


    At that moment, Talon felt that it was pointless to use words. Instead, he decided to convey what he thought through actions.


    Wrapping his arms around Hyun-Jae-''s back, he pulled her into a small hug.


    (A//N: Thanks for everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 30 - 30- Poison

    <h4>Chapter 30:- Poison</h4>


    Hyun-Jae didn''tprehend what happened at first as she felt her body being pulled down into a tight hug. Her eyes opened widely and her breathing halted for a second.


    The first thing she felt was warmth, a veryforting warmth akin to that of a warm hot spring on a cold day. The type that would truly soothe her body and soul. Then, she felt relief washing up her worries and stress. The feeling was almost magical with how fast it happened. Her body instinctively rxed and her arms that were tightened into fists released the tension.


    For a while, she simply enjoyed the hug as if it was the best massage of her life. However, eventually, she realized what was happening and her panic reaction kicked in making her pull away.


    "What..." Staring into Talon''s eyes, she was about to ask what he was doing, only to end up speechless again. She didn''t see any weird glint in Talon''s eyes as she expected from such an intimate and unpredictable action. After all, Hyun-Jae was aware of her charms and how she could attract the eyes of all men around her, everyone without exception. Or so she thought till she met Talon.


    Not only did he not show any tant attraction toward her, he even treated her coldly for the most part. So his sudden hug did scare her. Was he the same as everyone else?


    However, all of those thoughts vanished when she looked at him. In his eyes, she only saw seriousness.


    "You did great, Hyun-Jae. We would''ve not survived without your skill. Your contribution is even better than mine since yours came in the crucial moments. I simply did the rest of the work."


    "..." Hyun-Jae blinked silently.


    "You helped me and I helped you... Isn''t that how a team works?" He asked with a small smile.


    The girl could only open her mouth and close it like a fish for a few moments before she finally gave up and sighed. Talon''s words were very simple and straightforward and yet theypletely wiped Hyun-Jae''s guilt.


    One would think that Talon could''ve been simply lying. But, for some reason, Hyun-Jae was convinced that he wasn''t lying. She had no basis for that and yet she believed it wholeheartedly. He really thought that she did more work than he did.


    "You''re really a very weird man..." She murmured as a small smile bloomed on her face that Talon couldn''t see.


    Looking up, Hyun-Jae fisted his chest lightly as she continued. "But I like you. Does that also make me weird?"


    Looking at her, Talon thought for a second before he smiled. "Maybe?"


    "Pfft! What kind of answer is that?" Chuckling briefly, she finally rolled from on top of him. "I guess if I''m weird then nothing can be done about it."


    "It''s ok, you aren''t alone in Weirnd."


    "Weirnd? Is that the name of your world?" She asked with a yful tone.


    "You can say that. Weirnd is a nice ce, we wee all kinds of guests."


    As the two looked at each other, they startedughing. After the whole chaos that happened and when they finally found some peace, the urge to simplyugh was too hard to ignore for them.


    "Am I witnessing some kind of love blooming?" Acrypha asked as she sat down on the control panel and watched Talon with a smug face.


    "Dream on. I have no feelings for her." Talon replied.


    "You say that now, but would it still be the same in the future? I mean, she''s a very pretty girl, isn''t she?" Acrypha asked as she squinted her eyes.


    "I doubt. Besides, how can I look at Hyun-Jae when I have you?" Talon retorted with a smirk.


    Acrypha rolled her eyes as she looked away. "So romantic of you."


    "Hehehe. Ouch!" Groaning from the stinging pain, Talon closed his eyes. "Hey, Hyun-Jae, can you get the stingers out of my back?"


    "Huh? Wouldn''t you bleed even harder if I do that?"


    "Don''t worry, my health status is high, the bleeding will stop." He replied as he rose from the ground slowly and sat cross-legged with his back facing hispanion.


    Seeing his bloodied back, Hyun-Jae frowned as she stood up too and got closer to him. Meanwhile, Talon pulled his sleeve and cut a small part of it before he bit on it hard.


    "Don''t hesitate and pull as fast and as hard as you can." He said through his gritted teeth.


    "... Ok." Taking a deep breath, Hyun-Jae finally looked up again. "Are you ready? I''m going to count to three and then pull, ok?"


    "Ok."


    Talon then looked ahead and closed his eyes as he started taking deep breaths.


    "Here I go then... 1...2...3!"


    At 3, Hyun-jae pulled one of the stingers with all her strength.


    "Aghh!!" Talon groaned through his gritted teeth lowly.


    The pain he felt at that moment was brutal. Way worse than the stab itself. For one reason or another, Talon''s pain was increasing rather than decreasing by the second.


    ''Come on, it''s nothing, Talon. You aren''t weak. You can handle this.'' He thought to himself.


    "Talon..." At that moment, Hyun-Jae called his name in a mysterious tone.


    "What?"


    "Can I rip your shirt off?" She asked again, her voice was even more serious than before.


    Talon felt uneasy when he heard her but he still nodded his head. Immediately, Hyun-Jae grabbed the shirt and ripped it from the back, revealing his naked torso. After his strength stat reached 25 points, Talon''s muscles also went through a visible improvement.


    They weren''t mind-blowing changes but they made his body look generally better than before. An eye candy for girls, in other words.


    However, Hyun-Jae ignored all of that as her focus was on something far more rming.


    "Talon..."


    "What?"


    "This is bad..." Hyun-Jae murmured.


    "What''s bad? What is happening?"


    "Your whole back... It''s covered in purple spots." She replied.


    "Huh? Purple spots?" Talon was confused.


    "Yes."


    Acrypha was listening to the conversation so she curiously floated closer to take a look.


    "Oh, she''s right. Your back is messed up. That looks like poison."


    "Poison? I got poisoned?"


    "Yes, probably from the stingers."


    The news was already bad as it was but for Talon, it was far worse considering what he was about to do.


    ''Oh man...'' Rubbing the back of his head, he asked.


    "Is it that bad?"


    Although his question was directed to Acrypha, Hyun-Jae still heard it.


    "It looks... Sigh, it doesn''t look good." She shook her head.


    "One sting might''ve not been a big deal. But, you were punctured by multiple ones, Talon." Acrypha added.


    "Shit!" Cursing, Talon smashed his fist on the ground. Out of everything that could''ve attacked him, he had to be attacked by poisonous bees, if that wasn''t bad luck, Talon didn''t know what was.


    "What should I do, Acrypha?" He asked.


    "..."


    "Acrypha?"


    "I have an idea. But it''s definitely not a pleasant one."


    "You do? Come on, tell me. I don''t care what it is, I just want to get rid of this poison."


    The beautiful woman seemed conflicted for a second before she finally gave up. "For now, just get all of those stingers out of your back and make sure to not throw them away."


    "... Ok."


    Talon didn''t know what Acrypha wanted with the stingers but he didn''t want to argue. So, he simply turned to Hyun-Jae.


    "Can you continue getting them out? I will be ok."


    "How can you say that you''re going to be ok with how your back looks now."


    "Trust me, I will be fine. I promise." Talon assured Hyun-Jae.


    Thetter seemed conflicted but since she had nothing else to do, she decided to continue what she was doing.


    "Turn around. I will be more careful now."


    "Thank you, Hyun-Jae."


    "... Sigh, on the count of 3... 1... 2... 3..."


    *Swish*


    "Agh!!"


    The horrible pain came back as the stinger was pulled out, revealing a gaping hole in Talon''s back.


    "Hah... Hah... Hah... Goddamn..." Talon''s face was already pale and sweaty from the torture but he didn''tin as he closed his eyes again. "Go ahead."


    Then, for the next few minutes, Hyun-Jae continued pulling the stingers out and each time, Talon would groan in pain.


    If it wasn''t for the piece of cloth in his mouth, he would''ve already lost it from pain. It was by far the worst torturous pain Talon went through. Nothing cane anywhere close to it.


    "We''re done..." Hispanion finally exhaled a long breath as she put down the stinger.


    "Ok... Ok..." Talon heaved up and down as he finally rxed his muscles and tried to calm down. He was still feeling horrible pain in his back but it was significantly less than before.


    "You need medical care, Talon. You really don''t look too good." Hyun-Jae said with a hint of worry in her eyes.


    "You think they will know what kind of poison this is? Besides, where are we going to find medical care?" He asked as he wiped the sweat off his face weakly. "Don''t worry, I can deal with this. Our n will continue as it is."


    "..." Hyun-Jae knew that he was right and could only shake her head.


    "Now, what am I supposed to do, Acrypha?" Talon asked.


    "You will have to drink all the poison left on the stingers." She replied.


    "... Excuse me?"


    (A//N: Thanks for everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 31 - 31- Poison Resistance

    <h4>Chapter 31:- Poison Resistance</h4>


    Talon looked at Acrypha with a weird expression. For a second, his mind didn''t register what she said and had to ask.


    "The poison... Drink it all." Acrypha repeated as she made a drinking gesture with her hand.


    "You want me to drink the poison?"


    "Yes. All of it, don''t leave a single drop behind." Acrypha nodded her head.


    "... Miss Acrypha, I don''t know if you realize this or not but I will exin to you." Talon''s face turned into an odd smile. "You see, I''m now poisoned, correct?"


    "Yeah."


    "I''m going to die if I don''t get an antidote, correct?"


    "Yeah."


    "So why the fuck would I drink the rest of the poison?!" Talon''s face changed at the end as he yelled angrily.


    "Because that''s how you''re going to get the antidote," Acrypha replied with a calm look on her face. "If you consume all the poison, your body will react to it and hopefully so does your skill Dimension Harvester. If everything goes well, you might get some kind of poison resistance to stop the poison."


    "... Oh." When on heard her exnation, his anger dissipated and was reced with realization. Acrypha''s words did make sense when he thought about them. After all, the body naturally tries to fight back the poison and if it ovees it, it builds a resistance toward that particr poison.


    But, there was still very little problem with that.


    "What are the chances that this would work?" Talon asked with a pale look on his face.


    He could feel the effects of the poison slowly appearing. His body was starting to feel cold and weak and he was sweating profusely.


    "I would say you have a good 20% chance of surviving."


    "20%..." Talon looked down with a frown. 20% wasn''t high by any means. However, Acrypha hasn''t finished speaking yet.


    "If we don''t include your skill that is. Dimension Harvester is very unique. With it, I would say you have a good 50% chance give or take." She said as she rubbed her chin thoughtfully.


    "Ah, 50%... Why does that somehow sound more stressful than the initial 20%?"


    "Maybe because at first, you didn''t have any high hopes that it would work. Now that you got a 50% chance, it''s a different story."


    "Haha, true." Laughing dryly, Talon looked at the stingers with aplicated expression. Their edge was still coated with his own blood and a very faint hint of purple color which he assumed was the poison.


    His decision was already clear since he had no other choice. Either drink the poison and try his luck or die.


    "Ok, fuck it. Let''s do this." Exhaling a long breath, Talon turned to Hyun-Jae. "I''m going to drink the rest of the poison on those stingers."


    "What?! Are you insane?!" The girl yelled instinctively when she heard him.


    "I think I can acquire poison resistance if I do that. It''s not the highest chance but it could work." He said.


    "No, no, no. You don''t even know what that poison is or how your body would react to consuming it. You could die."


    "Is there another choice?" Talon asked. "The metro will take at least 30 minutes to reach the university. I could end up dead by that time. This is my best bet." He added with a serious look.


    "... You... I..." Hyun-Jae wanted to retort but couldn''t find any words to say. He was totally right on point and as much as she hated it, that was really their only option at that moment.


    "This is such a reckless idea..." Sighing, Hyun-Jae grabbed one of the stingers and gave it to Talon.


    "Thank you." Talon looked at the giant stinger silently.


    It was ck in color with a very sharp edge and a slick surface.


    "Break it in half, the poison is inside," Acrypha said.


    "Ok." Nodding his head, Talon grabbed the stinger with both arms before twisting it. Using some of his strength, the stinger quickly snapped.


    Immediately, Talon saw the small socket inside the stinger that still had purple liquid inside of it. Taking a deep breath, he looked at Hyun-Jae and said.


    "Here goes nothing."


    *Gulp*


    Without hesitation, Talon spilled all the content of the stinger inside his mouth. A very bitter, burning feeling assaulted his tongue.


    "Mmmgh!" Groaning slightly, Talon forced himself to swallow the liquid. It was by far the worst thing he had drunk in his life.


    "Blurgh!" When he finished, Talon started coughing loudly as he fought the urge to throw up. "That was horrible!!"


    Holding his chest, he signaled for Hyun-Jae to give him the next stinger. After that, he snapped it, took a deep breath, and quickly chugged it down. With that, one stinger after the other, he drank all the poison inside of them.


    Each one he drank, the pain he was feeling was increasing. Before, only his muscles were aching and he had a strong fever. Now, his stomach was in extreme pain along with his entire chest.


    "F-Fuck... This is really bad..." Holding his chest, Talon''s body started swaying. His consciousness was slowly fading.


    "Don''t lose consciousness, Talon! If you do, you''re done for! Fight it!" Acrypha beside him kept speaking at him loudly to keep his brain awake.


    "I... Know..." He murmured are barely coherent reply.


    "Talon..." Hyun-Jae noticed how he was about to fall and quickly approached him. Talon didn''t even notice her as his body plopped forward only to be stopped when he made contact with her. Talon''s head rested on her shoulder.


    ''He''s boiling hot... And his body is shivering...'' The girl felt the horrible state Talon was in and she could only inhale a deep breath.


    Hyun-Jae''s face was dark with worry but she still remained very calm since she trusted that Talon could handle this. Instead, she simply put her hand on the back of his head and gently massaged it.


    In his hellish torture, the caresses he was feeling from Hyun-Jae were so pleasant that Talon''s mind regained some awareness.


    "T-Thank... You..." He murmured weakly.


    "... Don''t talk in your condition," Hyun-Jae replied.


    As time slowly passed inside the cockpit, neither of them spoke as Talon simply put his whole focus into staying awake and resisting the pain.


    Inside his body, the poison had already prated every cell and was wrecking him relentlessly. Talon was just one step away from death and all it took was for him to simply close his exhausted eyes.


    The internal fight he had to go through at that moment was the hardest thing he had to ever deal with. It wasn''t simply painful, but it was also psychologically taxing.


    ''Just take a small nap, Talon. What''s the worst that could happen? Resting is essential for recovery, no?'' A side of his thoughts said.


    ''No! Don''t listen to that! Acrypha warned you not to sleep! You have to resist!'' Another side retorted and the two sides kept fighting each other.


    ''Fuck... Shut up both of you!!'' Clenching his teeth, Talon tried to ignore his intrusive thoughts.


    Time ticked slowly and Talon''s fight was getting harder and harder. His eyes were now as heavy as boulders as they wanted to simply close.


    ''No... I''m... Losing... Consciousness...'' Talon realized the disaster that was about to happen.


    At that moment, out of nowhere, a notification appeared.


    [Host''s body is injected with poison.]


    [Ding!]


    [Dimension Harvester is activated.]


    [Ding!]


    [New Passive Skill has been acquired: Poison Resistance (Level 1)]


    [Poison Resistance (Level 1): Your body gains the ability to resist all types of poison to some degree. Ability doesn''t apply to soul poisoning or mental parasites. Levels up faster the more poison the host is exposed to.]


    When that notification appeared, Talon''s eyes parted slightly. He could feel it almost instantaneously. The hellish pain started decreasing out of nowhere in a slow manner.


    [Ding!]


    [Body is affected with poison.]


    [Skill ''Poison Resistance'' is improving.]


    [Ding!]


    [Body is affected with poison.]


    [Skill ''Poison Resistance'' is improving.]


    [Ding!]


    [Skill ''Poison Resistance'' leveled up.]


    [Ding!]


    [Body is affected with poison.]


    [Skill ''Poison Resistance'' is improving.]


    A series of new notifications started appearing one after the other in a quick manner and with each one, Talon''s pain was easing up and the urge to fall unconscious was starting to weaken.


    ''Yes... I''m saved!! Yes!!!'' He yelled in his head happily.


    His body was starting to resist the poison more effectively and even pushing it out of his system through the sweat and blooding out of his back.


    Acrypha noticed that first and exhaled a long sigh of relief.


    ''This bastard really scared me for a second.'' She thought to herself as she smiled slightly.


    "Talon?" Noticing the weird purple color covering Talon''s skin starting to vanish slowly, Hyun-Jae called for him.


    "I''m... alive... I got the skill..." He said with a faint yet happy voice.


    "Yes! Oh god... You scared me there." Feeling all the tension in her body releasing, Hyun-Jae smiled in relief. At that moment, she felt very happy, way more than she expected.


    "Haha... I told you I''m not going to die..." He replied.


    "Where did you get that confidence from?"


    "I''m a very lucky guy, what can I say?" He asked back.


    Meanwhile, his skill kept improving as the poison was getting destroyed. It went from level 2 to level 3 and then reached level 4 before it finally halted after a while.


    At that level, the poison was being destroyed very fast. All the purple spots were starting to disappear and Talon''s pale face regained a little bit of color.


    (A//N: Thanks for everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 32 - 32- Unexpected

    <h4>Chapter 32:- Unexpected</h4>


    When Talon finally realized that he was going to be fine, exhaustion caught him and he finally fell unconscious on Hyun-Jae''s shoulder. For some reason, the feeling of her body supporting him felt rather nice. The softest and warmest pillow he ever had.


    Hyun-Jae noticed that and could only sigh with a small smile.


    "I guess you can rest for now till we reach the university." She murmured as she helped Talony down on herp instead of her shoulder. Adjusting her position, she rested her back against the wall and finally exhaled a long sigh of relief.


    "We can finally take a breather..." She said as she cracked her neck. Ever since they left the warehouse, it has been nothing short of chaos.


    Hyun-Jae felt as if she faced a lifetime''s worth of dangers in a matter of minutes. It was by far the worst situation she ever faced and luckily, she made it out alive along with herpanion.


    Looking down at Talon, Hyun-Jae found herselfpletely focused on him. Ever since she met this guy a few days ago, the most bizarre things kept happening again and again. It was as if he was a ma for the weirdest situations possible.


    Yet, she still didn''t hate it. In fact, the past few days, as tough as they were, made Hyun-Jae feel more alive than ever before.


    Hyun-Jae had lived all of her life being put under heavy expectations from everyone around her. Being from a very rich and powerful family, she was naturally put in the highlight from the moment she was born.


    The fact that she showed exceptional talents early on didn''t help either and instead made her turn into a machine that was only meant to achieve what others thought was exceptional. Be sessful in school? She ranked number one every year. Be talented in sports, music, and a multitude of other hobbies? She mastered most of them in record time.


    For Hyun-Jae it was nothing but a continuous grind every single day as if there was no tomorrow. She didn''t know why she had to work this hard for others but she didn''t learn how to work for her own goals and desires so she had no other choice.


    As she grew up and her talents bloomed bigger and bigger, countless people admired her, loved her, and even worshipped her as this perfect human being with beauty and brains and Hyun-Jae understood why they thought that way.


    But, it never made her feel anything. Granted, it made her understand that she was blessed with many talents. But, it also robbed her of her ability to think for herself and choose what she wants to do instead of simply doing the ''Right'' thing.


    All of that changed when the integration started. When all the chains that were shackling her were broken and the rules of society were no more, she found herself feeling free. In a destroyed world where death was at every corner, she felt the freest she ever felt in her life. It was ironic.


    ''He really made me do things that I never even thought were possible.'' She thought to herself with a small smile.


    putting her hand on Talon''s hair, she slowly caressed it as she fell into deep thought.


    Meanwhile, Acrypha watched from the other side with a neutral expression. Nobody knew what was going through her mind at that time.


    With that, 20 or so minutes passed in silence. Hyun-Jae heard the asional noisesing from the other parts of the metro which she assumed were probably that of Dimension Walkers.


    Luckily, none of them tried to attack the control room at the front so they were rtively safe. At that time, Hyun-Jae felt Talon starting to wiggle on herp as his eyes were slowly opening.


    Looking down, she saw his confused pupils looking around before they focused on her.


    "You can rest for a little bit. There are at least another 10 minutes before we reach our destination. We can also remain inside the metro till we''re ready to move again." She said.


    "It''s... fine... We need to hurry back to the warehouse." Rising up slowly, he wiped his face with his hand before he finally looked back at Hyun-Jae.


    "Sorry for the... Uhm..." He said as he coughed awkwardly.


    "Hm? Oh, it''s fine. You fell unconscious so I just put you in a morefortable position."


    "Thank you..."


    ''Damn, that felt really nice for some reason.'' Talon scratched his head as he thought to himself. The nap, as short as it was, really energized him.


    After that small nap, he was feeling a lot better than before. The pain was still strong, but he at least could bear with it unlike before. His bleeding also stoppedpletely which was a good thing.


    ''Though my back still looks like Swiss cheese.'' Heughed dryly as he finally stood up slowly.


    "Hey, don''t move too much. I don''t have bandages to wrap it around your back." Hyun-Jae said with a serious tone.


    The bag they brought along with them remained on the bike.


    "It''s fine. My back won''t be a problem anymore. We need to focus on the mission." He said.


    Hyun-Jae wanted to protest but she could only shake her head. Talon was too stubborn to listen to her.


    "The station we will stop at is outside the university itself on the northern side near the entrance. It''s a 30-second sprint if we hurry. From there, the research center is approximately 3000 meters east, near the science department building." Hyun-Jae exined.


    "We don''t know what could be inside or how many monsters infested the campus. So, we will have to improvise with every situation we find ourselves in. With everything we saw, it''s safe to say that we should expect even the unexpected." She said with a dark tone.


    The monsters Hyun-Jae witnessed prior were things that she never even imagined could exist. Things that were straight out of nightmares or horror movies.


    What they heard on the radio was still vivid in her head.


    "I know. It''s going to be tough. But, I know we can pull it off. Just 3 kilometers."


    "Mm... Let''s hope for the best." Hyun-Jae nodded her head in agreement.


    As the two were talking, Talon walked to the control panel and looked through the window. They were still inside the tunnel so it was pretty dark. The outside was very calm from what he could see and the speed of the metro was normal too.


    "Hmm... Isn''t this kind of odd?" Talon murmured.


    "What''s weird?" Hyun-Jae asked.


    "I don''t know. I feel rather uneasy. Can''t you feel it?" Talon asked.


    As Talon was about to turn around and speak to Hyun-Jae directly, his eyes suddenly caught something in the far distance. Something that made his eyes widen to the extreme.


    Just a few hundred meters ahead on the rails, Talon saw a giant creature that was closing the entire tunnel.


    Talon didn''t even have time to identify what kind of creatures it was as the metro reached it the next second.


    "Crouch, now!!" He yelled as his instinct kicked in and he rushed toward Hyun-Jae and Acrypha, grabbing them by the hands before he pulled them closer to him and jumped.


    *BOOOOM*


    The metro hit the creature at full speed, piercing its abdomen as it continued moving in a frenzy. Inside, chaos ensued. The impact felt like a giant earthquake had shaken the metro as the trio smashed against the wall violently.


    The front part of the metro was smashed in as bits and pieces of metal flew everywhere. The vehicle waspletely diverted out of its path, smashing into the wall violently. Rocks and debris fell down like rain as the metro continued moving.


    A noisy screeching sound filled Talon and the two girls'' ears.


    A few seconds passed before the metro finally stopped as it dug deep into the tunnel''s walls. The rest of the vehicle followed suit, hitting the cockpit from behind.


    The trio were thrown like ragdolls to the other side before they also stopped.


    "Cough! Cough! Agh!! Are you ok?!" Talon asked as he looked down. Hyun-Jae and Acrypha were lying next to him.


    "I''m fine... Cough!!" Turning to the side, Hyun-Jae groaned slightly. Luckily, because their bodies were stronger than normal and because Talon was able to react in time, the impact didn''t injure them too badly.


    However, the shock from the hit and the realization that the train had just crashed was still a disaster.


    ''What the fuck did it hit?!'' Talon''s eyes shifted to the side to look outside. What he saw made his jaw drop and his heart stopped beating for a second.


    (A//N: Thanks for everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 33 - 33- Smile

    <h4>Chapter 33:- Smile?</h4>


    Barely a few meters away, skewered into the pointy end of the metro was a distorted monster Talon had never seen before in his life. Its skin was rough and grey like that of an elephant with the shape of a terrifying octopus.


    It had multiple long tentacles and very sharp needles protruding out of those long arms. However, all of that was nothingpared to the single feature that sent fear deep into Talon''s heart.


    On its upper body was what he assumed to be its eyes and mouth. They werepletely distorted. The lips were stretched wide and its eyes were almost squinting and the reason for that was because... It was smiling.


    A very wide, toothy, and disgusting smile that stretched its skin wide. For a second, Talon saw some humane features in that smile which made it even more of a repulsive nightmare than before. It was as if the monster was chronically smiling the whole time.


    What made that smile even more terrifying was the fact that the monster was already dead because of the impact of the metro. Blood and bits and pieces of its body were thrown everywhere and its face was ruined beyondpare.


    Some teeth were broken while one of the eyes was destroyed and blood was leaking out of it endlessly.


    "What the fuck is that?!" Talon eximed as he rose from his ce and retreated a little, bringing the two girls with him.


    Hyun-Jae noticed Talon''s reaction and looked at what he was looking only for her face to darken.


    The two looked at it silently for a while, unable to articte words that could describe the grotesque mess. In the end, Hyun-Jae couldn''t look anymore as she averted her eyes and fought the urge to vomit. Talon also closed his eyes and tried to calm his breathing.


    It was simply too much to look at even for the two of them.


    "What is that, Acrypha?" Talon asked with a wavering voice. He was having a hard time trying to keep his calm.


    Acrypha was still focused on the monster with a thoughtful look. A whileter, she finally spoke.


    "That''s definitely a Grey Elephant Octopus. It exists in multiple dimensions. However, this is weird." She murmured.


    "What''s weird?"


    "That species doesn''t have distorted smiley faces. This one isn''t normal by any means."


    Talon''s eyes opened again as he stared at Acrypha. "You wanna say that it shouldn''t look like that?"


    "No. Not the ones I know of, at least."


    "Then, why is it... smiling like that?"


    "... Hmm." Acrypha rubbed her chin as she thought about it carefully before she finally looked at Talon. "I would say this is probably the deed of another monster. Though, I don''t know what kind of creature can do that." She said.


    "Another monster, huh? What kind of power is this? Is it trying to kill people with jumpscares or something?" Talonughed with a weird look.


    "Creatures with mental attacks aren''t umon. As I said before, there are countless creatures that can force you to smile, get angry, scream till your vocal cords are severed, or even start strangling yourself on your own. The possibilities are endless." Acrypha exined.


    "That''s..." Talon didn''t even know what to say at that moment.


    He didn''t even want to imagine what strangling yourself on your own would be like. It was terrifying.


    "It seems like it''s dead," Hyun-Jae spoke as she nudged Talon''s shoulder.


    "Yeah. Luckily it is. Although now the metro ispletely destroyed and we will have to continue on foot." He said with a sigh.


    "Can you move?" Talon asked as he stood up slowly with a small groan. The impact of the ident had injured his already injured back so the pain was real.


    "Yeah, I''m fine. Thanks for... Protecting me." Hyun-Jae averted her eyes for a moment awkwardly.


    "No problem." Chuckling lightly, Talon picked up his spear and approached the huge gaping hole in the front part of the metro. Looking outside, he made sure that the tunnel''s ceiling was still intact and didn''t get damaged because of the impact before he signaled for Hyun-Jae.


    The two jumped on the upper part of the metro before theynded on the rails. From there, they had an even closer look at the monster and could even smell its disgusting blood and guts.


    It was almost unbearable to witness so they rushed away from it. Acrypha, meanwhile, approached the monster and curiously started inspecting it with her eyes.


    "Acrypha?" Talon called her name as they were walking away.


    "I''ming." She replied.


    A whileter, she floated till she reached him. Talon looked at her weirdly and decided to ask. "How are you even able to bear the smell of it?"


    "I have smelled far worse things in my life. That is nothing."


    "Far worse things than the insides of a monster octopus?"


    "You will see for yourself in the future," Acrypah replied mysteriously.


    "Thanks for assuring me." He said.


    As the trio continued moving through the dark tunnel, their unease remained. After all, whatever happened before could mean that there are other monsters that look that way ahead of them. Except, those would most likely still be alive rather than dead.


    ''How do you even fight things that look like that? Fuck!'' Talon cursed in his head.


    A few minutes passed like that. They walked in the dark tunnel, barely being able to see around. The only sound they could hear was the echoes of their footsteps reverberating all around them. The tension was high but they kept their calm, ready for anything that could attack them at any moment.


    But, for better or worse, nothing showed up and they finally saw the end of the tunnel and the light of day, as faint as it was.


    Reaching the end felt like a relief to them. But not for too long since that didn''t mean they were out of danger. On the other side of the tunnel, they found themselves in the heart of the city.


    The metro''s rails were elevated above the normal streets for safety so it was easier to see into the distance in all directions. In other words, the scenery of thepletely wrecked Seoul was in its full glory.


    Talon and Hyun-Jae approached the edge and looked around with a frown mixed with confusion. This was their city, the ce where they lived most of their lives. Seeing itpletely destroyed beyond repair was heart-aching, to say the least.


    Neither of them knew what to say at that moment.


    "Do you think we will ever see Seoul as it was before ever again?" Hyun-Jae asked at some point.


    Talon''s eyes shifted to look at her with confusion. He could notice the conflicted emotions in her eyes. She wanted her city to go back to normal but she also knew that it was a pipe dream to see it in her lifetime or so she thought. After all, how long would it take for humanity to get ustomed to the appearance of monsters and to the new world they''re living in?


    50 years? 100 years? Maybe even 200 years or more. They were all far into the future.


    "Who knows? Just like how everything shifted in a moment, things could change again in a moment. Seoul might be a far better ce than it ever was." Talon replied with a sigh as he turned around and started walking. "Should we go?"


    Hyun-Jae nodded as she gave the city onest nce and then followed Talon. At the current moment, they had way more things to worry about than the city itself.


    The journey continued in the deste remains of the city. The world was quiet except for the sounds of monsters in the far distance. Even the sounds of the military jets were no longer audible for some reason.


    It put the question of whether the government ispletely destroyed or not yet. After all, the situation was catastrophic. Not to mention the other countries which probably had it as bad as South Korea.


    But, the hope of finding a safe ce in this world remained. A ce where Talon would be at ease that his family is safe and sound.


    10 minutes passed as the two walked across the rails. They didn''te across any monsters on the way until they finally reached the next station which was right by the university.


    When they entered that ce, the duo immediately changed their casual walking to silent sneaking as they stuck to the wall. Even from afar, they could hear the buzzing of insects and the growls of monsters that infested the station.


    Being one of the biggest subway stations in the city, Soul University''s station was bound to be choke full of monsters.


    When they reached the waiting area of the station, Talon took a peek secretly. Lo and behold, he saw tens of monsters roaming the ce mindlessly. Some even seemed to be fighting against each other for some reason.


    "They didn''t notice us yet," Hyun-Jae whispered as she crouched and peeked too.


    The reason they couldn''t see them was because the whole station waspletely dark.


    Electricity waspletely cut so it was very dim inside.


    "OK, here is the n. We''re going to slowly climb the tform and slowly sneak to the side where nothing can see us. If we reach the stairs, we can then sprint out as fast as we can. By the time those things would notice, we would be far gone." Talon said as he pointed with his spear at the stairs on the other side of the station.


    "Ok. Let''s do it." Hyun-Jae nodded.


    Taking a deep breath, Talon finally turned around. "Good. Here goes nothing." With a silent but nimble move, he approached the tform before he slowly put his spear on top of it and then jumped up,nding quietly on top of it.


    Then, Hyun-Jae did the same and leaped up,nding on the edge of the tform.


    Looking around them, Talon halted his breath. He was nowpletely surrounded by monsters. Some were even a few meters away from him and yet they couldn''t see him because of the darkness.


    ''We''re really crazy.'' He thought to himself.


    Meanwhile, Hyun-Jae picked her sword up and started sneaking next to the wall as she signaled for Talon to follow.


    (A//N: Thanks for everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 34 - 34- Level 10 And a Plan

    <h4>Chapter 34:- Level 10 And a n</h4>


    Talon and Hyun-Jae stuck to the wall as they moved through the station as sneakily as possible. They made sure to carefully make every step not to create some kind of noise that would alert the monsters and ends up screwing them over.


    Meter by meter, they crawled toward the stairs, eager to leave this ce. During that time, multiple creatures came awfully close to them as if they were suspicious of something before they turned around and continued their mindless stroll.


    Talon and Hyun-Jae had to hold their breath and even their heartbeats to staypletely invisible. It was nerve-wracking.


    That continued for a while till they were halfway through the station when Talon made a huge mistake. Because the ce was very dark and he could barely see, he didn''t notice a metal pipe protruding out of the wall.


    As he moved next to it, he had to pull away from the wall to avoid it. However, when he was about to pass it, he mistakenly pushed his back against it, right where his open injuries were.


    Immediately, Talon''s eyes widened as a small groan leaked out of his mouth. The young man quickly shut his mouth with his hand as he noticed Hyun-Jae looking at him with a frown.


    ''Shit! Shit! Shit! I didn''t notice that thing!'' His eyes immediately wandered to the monsters. None of them seemed to have noticed the groan which made him sigh in relief.


    Then, he turned to Hyun-Jae to signal that he was fine only to be frozen in his ce. Right between him and Hyun-Jae, a gigantic spider had suddenly descended from the wall where they couldn''t see and stood between them with its red eyes staring directly at Talon.


    The young man and the monster looked at each other silently. Neither of them moved. However, at that moment, Talon knew one thing and one thing only... It was a disaster.


    A secondter, the spider suddenly opened its mouth before a long string of webs was spat out at Talon. Its speed was impressive.


    The young man immediately pulled his spear and with a skillful maneuver, he deflected the attack before he dashed toward the spider and thrust the spear forward, piercing its head.


    [Ding!]


    [You have killed a level 7 Wisten Spider.]


    ''Fuck! Did they hear it?!'' Talon immediately looked behind him only to see eyes of all colors shining through the darkness. Tens of eyes belonging to tens of monsters were directly looking at him.


    ''You got to be kidding me...''


    "Run!!" Without time to waste, Talon turned to Hyun-Jae and yelled.


    The girl didn''t even stop to think and immediately broke into a sprint. The two rushed toward the gate without bothering to hide their sounds since the monsters had realized their presence.


    As they ran, Dimension Walkers quickly rushed to them from all sides. Hyun-Jae pulled her sword and she swiftly sliced one of them before she ducked andunched herself forward cutting another one swiftly and continued to run.


    Her speed had seen an explosive improvement ever since they left the warehouse. Because of her lightning maniption skill, she had leveled up several times and gained a lot of bonus stat points.


    In the darkness, she appeared like a ghost that shed through enemies, killing them swiftly without wasting time. Dimension Walkers fell one after the other. At the same time, Hyun-Jae noticed that the insects and the other creatures were closing in.


    So, channeling her skill, she aimed her attack in the direction of the biggest monstersing from it.


    *Swish*


    The sh strike flew threw the air, cutting multiple monsters with ease as it exploded in the heart of the horde, wreaking havoc in their lines.


    A long list of notifications assaulted Hyun-Jae''s retina as she leveled up again and gained more points. She was now level 8 and her skill leveled up to level 2 after the continuous use which allowed her to activate it a few more times without the huge exhaustion.


    Meanwhile, Talon was akin to a killing machine as he ran behind Hyun-Jae. His spear shed left and right, destroying anything in his way. If Hyun-Jae had speed and uracy, Talon had destructive power and speed.


    His spear would slice through multiple monsters at once as if they were pieces of butter. He didn''t have the need to dodge too much because his spear would deal with any enemy before they could even close up on him.


    In a matter of a minute or two, the two single-handedly killed at least 40 monsters. Even though the two were barely a level or two above most of the monsters, their overwhelming strengthpletely ignored all of that.


    Acrypha watched what was happening with surprise. She had seen low-level geniuses at the start of their paths before in her lifetime and they could perform great feats. Talon and Hyun-Jae, however, made fighting these monsters seem easy.


    ''Their stats are ridiculously high for their levels.'' She thought to herself.


    It was certainly abnormal how high their stats were. Especially Talon with his ridiculous abilities that keep getting more and more ridiculous.


    Down beneath Acrypha, the duo had already crossed 2/3rd of the way to the stairs. However, the situation was getting harder and harder to deal with. Monsters were starting to overwhelm them with numbers.


    ''They keeping anding!! Is there no end?'' Talon cursed as he barely dodged a leopard hybrid sneakily attacking him.


    Cutting through a few monsters, Talon''s eyes were hit with a new notification.


    [Ding!]


    [You have leveled up. +2 free points.]


    [Ding!]


    [You reached level 10.]


    [Calcting host''s kills.]


    [Determining host''s potential sses.]


    [Ding!]


    [Potential sses have been chosen. Please pick one ss. Keep in mind that the ss you choose can''t be changed in the future.]


    ''What? Not now! Can''t you see I''m in a problem here!'' Talon clenched his teeth as he pushed the notifications away for alter.


    "I can see the exit! Hurry!" Hyun-Jae yelled as she pointed ahead.


    Seeing their escape, the two hurried even faster, using all their strength to kill anything that stopped them.


    Shrieks of pain echoed in the station as the duo cut their path through the monsters, emerging from the other side with minimal injuries. Apart from scratches and small cuts here and there, they were rtively fine.


    Eventually, they found themselves in front of the stairs. Without time to waste, the two leaped forward, skipping multiple steps, and continued their sprint.


    The monsters rushed after them with bestial eagerness to shred them to pieces. Because running up the stairs was considerably slower, Talon and Hyun-Jae found themselves quickly surrounded by monsters.


    ''We won''t make it in time!'' Talon clenched his teeth as he looked around him sharply. He knew that the situation was getting worse and worse by the second and he needed to find a way to stop these monsters.


    As he looked around, his eyes fell on something and an idea suddenly hit him.


    "Immediately turn left when we exit!!" Talon said as he suddenly turned around and stopped his sprint.


    "What?!" Hyun-Jae''s eyes widened in terror as she saw Talon fall behind out of nowhere. For a second, she thought that he decided to sacrifice himself.


    "I will be fine! Just move!!" Talon yelled back with a serious tone.


    Staring directly at the monsters, Talon swallowed back all of his fear as he took a deep breath. Everything slowed down for a moment as he opened his eyes again.


    ''Curse me if this doesn''t work.''


    As the monsters quickly rushed toward him, Talon suddenly changed the grip on his spear and then leaped in the air,nding on the handrail of the stairs before using it to leap even higher, reaching the ceiling.


    [Ding!]


    [You have activated Dimension Harvester: Spearmanship.]


    His body suddenly was taken over by an unknown force. Then, with all of his strength, he sliced the ceiling.


    *CRACK*


    The hit was aimed directly at a cracked part of the ceiling which made it shake before the cracks started widening. Like a domino effect, the cracks spread everywhere, turning the ceiling into a fragile, shaking mess.


    By the time Talonnded, the entire ceiling waspletely cracked. At the same time, the monsters reached the middle of the stairs where they found on staring at them.


    With a small smile, he picked up a small rock in his hand before he waved at them.


    "Bye bye~"


    A momentter, he threw the rock up at full speed.


    *BANG*


    Hitting the ceiling, everything started suddenly copsing. The entire ceiling fell down like a torrent right on top of the monsters.


    Shrieks and growls echoed in the station akin to the cries of devils in the depth of hell. Every monster that was hit with the rocks was crushed.


    Meanwhile, Talon had already broken into another sprint up the stairs. He wasn''t safe from the copse either.


    With his Enhanced Focus working at full throttle, he dodged every boulder that rained down on him. He kept his eyes ahead and his senses alerted.


    As the seconds passed, the rocks falling increased in number and started umting around the gate, forming a wall.


    "Come on!" Talon yelled as he moved toward the exit before he leaped forward right before it closed, emerging from the small hole in the wall.


    Rolling on the ground, Talonnded on his knee. His entire body was covered in blood, debris, and dust.


    "Hah... Hah! Damn, that was close." He murmured.


    "You''re seriously one of a kind, Talon," Acrypha said as she started pping with an impressed look.


    What she just saw was simply an outstanding genius move. To notice the state of the ceiling and quickly form an idea and execute it wlessly. She was starting to realize that Talon''s talent wasn''t the only thing amazing about him.


    It was his wits and quick thinking that was truly a work of art. Every characteristic he showed made Acrypha realize that he was indeed the perfect creature to thrive in this world.


    It was as if he was a fish that was finally put in the ocean so that it could freely move and live how it wanted.


    ''A fish?... More like a shark in this case. A very tenacious and unyielding shark.'' Acryphaughed at her own thoughts as she stared at the little humanpanion of hers.


    (A//N: Thanks for everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 35 - 35- Energy Cores

    <h4>Chapter 35:- Energy Cores</h4>


    As Talon stood up on his feet, he was met with Hyun-Jae''s strong re. Instinctively, he flinched at her look.


    ''Shhh, she''s pissed.'' Clenching his teeth, he awkwardly started scratching the back of his head. When he executed the n, he didn''t count on Hyun-Jae''s reactionter. The girl was clearly pissed by the reckless idea that Talon came up with.


    "Mmm... I''m sorry but I really couldn''t think of anything else we could''ve done there." Talon said with an apologetic tone.


    However, Hyun-Jae didn''t reply and kept rhythmically tapping her foot on the ground. Nobody knew what was going through her head. In the end, she sighed and shook her head slowly.


    "It would be unfair for me to get angry at you. We would''ve not escaped if it wasn''t for your idea. As reckless as it is. So, thank you." She said as her expression returned to normal.


    Talon was taken aback for a second before he smiled slightly. "It was nothing, really."


    "But, I still think we should have a good discussion about this. What should and shouldn''t be done on a whim, I mean." Hyun-Jae added.


    "Good discussion..." Talon naturally felt the hidden meaning behind ''good discussion''. Sighing inwardly, he smiled and nodded.


    "Sure. It''s only fair that we know what the other would and wouldn''t do since we''r-"


    "We''re a team, no?" Hyun-Jae asked back with a yful look on her face. Then, she extended her first forward at Talon.


    Thetter looked at her eyes for a moment before he shifted to her fist. For a moment, he didn''t move. Eventually, he smiled and extended his fist forward.


    "We''re indeed a team."


    *Tap*


    The two stared at each other for a while. Even though they only got to know each other for a few days, the bond they created was very strong. If Talon was told that he would be working with the famous Ran Hyun-Jaa herself, he would question what kind of alcohol that person drank.


    Hyun-Jae was simply akin to a goddess on the campus and he was a poor young man who was trying to make ends meet while still studying. The difference between them was unimaginable.


    Yet, ironically, the two were now teammates working for the same goal.


    ''This world is one ironic ce.'' Talon thought to himself.


    "Should we move then?" Hyun-Jae said as she turned around to look at the other side of the street. Standing tall were the walls of the campus. Behind them, multiple buildings could be seen still intact.


    The reason for that was the anti-earthquake mechanism that was integrated into the buildings to keep them from falling in case of catastrophes.


    "It''s nice to see the campus still rtively fine after everything," Talonmented as the two carefully crossed the road toward the entrance. There weren''t that many monsters around the ce which gave Talon a weird feeling.


    Seoul''s National University had at least 30 thousand students. Most of them live on the campus grounds. Not to count the staff, the professors, and the workers that are there every day.


    The number could easily reach 50 thousand people.


    ''50000 potential monsters...'' Talon shuddered just thinking about that number and what it could mean.


    The university was the perfect ce for Dimension Walkers to thrive and get stronger... Way stronger.


    "Hey, Acrypha. What do you think we could find inside?" Talon decided to ask.


    "Hm?"


    "Like, how strong could the monsters be?"


    "... I''m inclined to say that you should really be ready to see the most unexpected things. Monsters that reach level 15 or even level 20 could exist there."


    "Level 20?!" Talon blurted out in shock. He was barely level 10 and yet monsters double his level could exist this quickly?


    "Yes. Don''t forget about that smiling octopus. Whatever did that to it isn''t a weak monster." Acrypha exined as she crossed her arms under her plentiful breasts.


    ''Yeah, that thing didn''t look weak and yet it was distorted to that degree.''


    "Psst, Talon. From here." As the young man was talking with his otherworldlypanion, he heard Hyun-Jae calling his name from the other side of the street.


    Quickly, he moved toward her where he found her crouched near the wall and peeking through a crack.


    "The entrance seems to be quiet. I can see a few random monsters here and there but nothing too bad." Hyun-Jae said as she pointed through the hole. "The reception building is not that far away and it seems to be quiet."


    "We can use the rooftop of that building to scan the area and get to know the situation better." She added.


    "Sounds like a n to me. Should we move?"


    "Any time you''re ready," Hyun-Jae replied with a small smile.


    "Underestimating me is a bad idea, Hyun-Jae. I''m always ready." Talon replied as he stood up and quickly climbed on top of the wall as he stared at the far distance.


    Then, he jumped down inside the campus grounds. Hyun-Jae followed suit and the two started making their way to the entrance building.


    "We''re back to school sooner than expected." Talon joked as he looked around.


    "Too bad vacation was over way quicker than expected."


    Hyun-Jae chuckled at his words as she suddenly noticed a monster rushing toward her. With a simple move, she sliced their head off, dropping what seemed to be the monster''s core.


    Because of their situation, neither of them had the luxury of collecting these monster cores even though they were really useful. So, when Hyun-Jae found an opportunity, she picked up the core.


    "Let''s start collecting these from now on." She said as she pocketed the core.


    "Good idea."


    At that moment, Talon was attacked from the other side. A simple sh ended the monster''s life.


    [Ding!]


    [You have....]


    The monster dropped a shiny core too so Talon picked it up and examined it.


    ''Hmm, these look different from the other cores.'' Talon thought to himself.


    The color of this one wasn''t blue, red, or green like the ones before. It was instead purple in a color, a dim purple color.


    "Those are Energy Cores," Acrypha said as she looked at the core.


    "Energy Cores?"


    "When a Dimension Walker evolves. Its core develops and gets infused with Aetheris. When that happens, it bes impossible for the core to be empty or grey like the ones you saw before. Hence why you would get one of these every time you kill an evolved monster."


    "Oh, and are they of any use?" Talon asked.


    "They''re really useful. Energy Cores are used for cksmithing and to level up weapons. They''re in fact the only method known to upgrade your weapons and armor."


    "Oh! Wait, these things can do that? That means I can level up my spear finally?"


    Acrypha nodded her head. "Exactly. Although you will need a lot of those to max its level. Also, the higher you level up your spear, the better the required quality of the Energy Cores needed to upgrade bes."


    "That''s fair. I will have to start killing and collecting more of these things then."


    Pocketing the core, Talon looked around him. Some monsters were lurking around the reception building. They seemed weak so he decided to take the opportunity.


    "Let''s kill them all before entering the building. These cores seem useful." Talon exined as he rushed ahead.


    "Ok..."


    So, with that, the duo rushed toward their targets and started killing them one after the other and collecting all the cores that dropped.


    The process was very easy and swift, barely taking a few minutes of their time. By the end of it, they had a pile of Energy Cores in their hands all shapes and sizes, and an equally big pile of bloody carcasses all around the ce. Their purple color also varied in intensity and brightness.


    "Mmm, I think we need a bag to carry all of these."


    "Where are we going to find a bag?" Hyun-Jae asked.


    "I don''t know... Maybe we would find something inside the reception building." Talon said as he pointed at the building.


    So, the two decided to stop their hunt for now and approached the gates of the building which were expectedly locked. Perhaps when everything started, people locked themselves inside the building in fear of Dimension Walkers.


    "Hmm... The door is locked and the windows are also closed."


    "I doubt there is another way inside."


    Talon and Hyun-Jae looked at each other for a moment and oddly, they seemed to understand what the other person was thinking of.


    ***


    A few secondster.


    *BANG*


    A loud sound of ss bursting echoed in the area. Talon had picked up a rock and thrown it at one of the windows, breaking it to pieces.


    Then, to finish it off, he kicked the window powerfully, destroying whatever was left of it intact.


    "Was that too loud?" Talon asked.


    "Probably? Who knows?" Hyun-Jae shrugged. They had no other choice in the first ce. The n to be sneaky was never possible considering their situation.


    After that, the girl approached the window and peeked inside. The pce was quiet and dim with no sight of monsters inside. So, she jumped inside followed by Talon.


    Turning her phone''s torch on, Hyun-Jae directed it at the room.


    "Is this the kitchen?" Talon asked.


    "Seems so. I think we can find a bag here."


    So, the two started searching around the ce. Even though the earthquake wrecked the whole kitchen, it was still at least intact somehow.


    Hyun-Jae started opening shelves in search of a bag while Talon looked around the counter and the fridge.


    "Oh!!"


    Suddenly, Talon made a loud sound which alerted Hyun-Jae.


    "What?!" She asked.


    "I found some snacks!" Talon eximed excitedly as he pulled out bags of chips, candies, and other snacks that he found in the fridge. "These look really nice. Want some?"


    "..." Hyun-Jae stared at him with a deadpan expression.


    ''I want to punch him.'' She thought to herself.


    "What?"


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 36 - 36- A Problem In The Distance

    <h4>Chapter 36:- A Problem In The Distance</h4>


    "Sigh, what did you find?" Hyun-Jae asked as she approached Talon and took a peek at the snacks in his hands. Even though she almost had a heart attack because of his scream, she still wanted some candy.


    "Hmm, some fruit candies and chips," Talon said. "What do you want?" He asked.


    "Is it really ok for us to take these?" Hyun-Jae hesitantly grabbed one of the bags and read its expiration date.


    "Hmm, I mean, no one wille to get these and they might spoil so we might as well use them." Talon shrugged.


    "You got a point. There, can I have some fruit candy?" Hyun-Jae didn''t resist much and immediately went for the thing she wanted.


    "Sure. Here." Talon gave her the bag which Hyun-Jae opened and quickly took one candy into her mouth.


    Talon watched with surprise as she enjoyed the candy silently. Never did he expect to see Hyun-Jae look this delighted because of a piece of candy.


    "I didn''t think you liked candy that much." He chuckled as he spoke.


    "Hm? Oh, I have... Ehem, I have a sweet tooth. Can''t hold myself back when ites to anything sweet." Hyun-Jae coughed awkwardly.


    "Hahaha, now that''s unexpected."


    "Why is it unexpected?"


    "Hmm, I guess I thought you were the type of person to enjoy a no-sugar ck coffee or something like that."


    Hyun-Jae raised an eyebrow in confusion. "I was never a fan of coffee. Too bitter for my taste."


    Talon could only smile at her reply. For some reason, Hyun-Jae''s frown at that moment looked so cute. He knew that she probably tried coffee a long time ago and hated it so much that she could only react that way by just remembering its taste.


    "What about you?" The girl asked.


    "Me? I guess I do like coffee. Just not as much as some people do. I enjoy one in the morning but no more than that."


    "Impressive..." Hyun-Jae gave Talon a surprised look as if he was doing something she couldn''tprehend.


    "Pfft, hahaha, it''s nothing big! You make it sound like the hardest task possible!" Talon exploded intoughter.


    "Hey! Noughing!"


    As the two bantered yfully, they continued looking around the kitchen till they found a shopping bag hidden in one of the drawers. Quickly, they stored the cores inside of it before they finally made their way to the kitchen door and opened it.


    "Is it safe outside?" Hyun-Jae asked as she stood behind Talon.


    "It seems safe. Let''s go."


    The two then exited the kitchen and made their way through the corridor toward the stairs. The reception building had two floors, one for visitors and the other for staff. It was always a bustling area of the university.


    Imaginably, what they saw in the corridor was the result of thatrge number of people. Blood was everywhere they looked. So much blood, in fact, that the duo couldn''t find a clean spot in the whole ce.


    ''This isn''t the work of the Dimension Walkers.'' Talon thought to himself as his face darkened. The smell of blood was truly nauseating. Disturbingly enough, Talon was starting to grow ustomed to it and he didn''t know how to feel about that.


    From what he saw, the way the Dimension Walkers killed was through biting their target and they didn''t seem to leave a blood trace from doing that. This meant that whoever was inside this ce was killed by evolved monsters rather than Dimension Walkers.


    ''But, if that was the case, then where are the corpses and the monsters?'' He asked himself as he tried to ignore the gore.


    Hyun-Jae was oddly silent the whole time they walked through the corridors and even when they started climbing the stairs. Talon didn''t know what she was thinking of but he knew that it wasn''t pleasant.


    Slowly, they made their way to the second floor and from there to the rooftop. It was a smooth trip that didn''t take long. When they reached the rooftop''s entrance, they found it locked.


    Talon didn''t have any other choice but to kick it open with his leg.


    *BANG*


    With brute force, the door was opened with ease. The duo then walked into the rooftop. A wide view of the area presented itself to them.


    The entire campus could be seen from that rooftop, including the ce they wanted to go to: The research center.


    However, What they saw in the far distance was shocking, to say the least. To understand the situation, one has to understand theyout of the campus, especially the area of the research center.


    Because of the nature of their work, the research center was built in a remote area of the campus, precisely in an area surrounded by thick trees and greenery and as far away from other buildings as possible. In other words, it was built in the heart of a small forest.


    That precise area which they can see from this far, waspletely covered with monsters. So many monsters that for a second, Talon thought that they were small ants moving chaotically around.


    The entire forest, the research area, and all around that in a 2-kilometer radius was filled with them.


    Staring at that, Talon stood there, silent for a long time before he crouched down and rubbed his face.


    "You have to be kidding me..." He said in a low, borderline defeated tone. The worst possible situation turned out to be reality.


    If reaching the research center was a hard task, now it was borderline impossible. Unless the two of them somehow can kill all of those monsters, it was going to be a ridiculously hard challenge.


    Hyun-Jae stood still next to him, not saying a word before she wiped the sweat and dirt off her face.


    "It''s not over yet, Talon." Looking down at herpanion, she spoke in a serious tone. "You aren''t giving up this easily, are you?"


    "..." Talon rubbed his face before he looked up. He felt so down at that moment that he could only curse himself for it.


    ''Fuck! How am I supposed to reach that goddamn ce if it''s this choke full of those bastards?!'' He yelled in his head as he balled his fists till his knuckles were white.


    Deep inside, he wasn''t ready for this harsh reality. If he doesn''t reach the research center, he can''te in contact with anyone who could tell him if his parents are safe or not. That was his biggest and most important goal.


    Seeing that goal being crushed slowly was painful, incredibly so.


    "Come on, stand up." Hyun-Jae grabbed his arm and pulled him up. "It''s not over yet. Look at me!" She pointed at her eyes.


    Talon stared at her with aplicated expression. Hyun-Jae''s beautiful pupils were as bright as ever, still filled with endless will.


    "We already knew that this could happen. We''re going to find a way to that building and we''re going to finish what we started. I know that."


    "..."


    "But, I can''t do that alone, Talon. I need your help to do it. We''re a team, aren''t we?" She asked before she tapped his chest with her finger. "Your parents are going to be fine waiting for you on the other side. All you have to do is just reach them."


    Hyun-Jae''s words struck Talon deep in his heart. She wasn''t joking around or saying whatever that could make him feel better. Hyun-Jae meant every word she said and that ignited Talon''s dwindling spirit again.


    ''What was I doing? Letting this crush me is dumb.'' Shaking his head, Talon got rid of the dark thoughts before he looked down and suddenly pped himself powerfully. The sound of the hit echoed around them.


    "You''re right. I was a little overwhelmed by that. I''m fine now." Talon said as he shifted his gaze to the research center again.


    "We can reach that ce. Even if we have to kill every single one of those things. We''re going to do it and we''re going to do it right."


    ''No matter how many days or weeks it takes. Mom, Dad... I will have to make you wait a little longer. Just wait a little longer please.''


    Hyun-Jae looked at Talon silently for a good second before she smiled. That was the Talon she wanted to see. A man full of hope and will to do what it takes to reach his goal. She didn''t know him for long, but she knew that he wasn''t going to fall back because of one setback.


    "Hm?" As she was like that, her eyes noticed an anomaly in the distance. On the opposite direction of the research center.


    ***


    "Why are there this many monsters?! Shit!" Go Young-Soon eximed as he shoved a Dimension Walker away with his shield and looked at hispanions.


    "We need to keep them away from the gymnasium! Don''t let the formation break!" Un Hei-Ran replied as she aimed her gun at a Dimension Walker.


    "I need help here, guys!!" Mo Shin added from the other side. His face was pale with sweat as he aimed his hand at a monster tiredly.


    The trio''s situation was horrible and was getting worse and worse the more they tried to fight the Dimension Walkers. Luckily for them, there weren''t any Evolved Monsters in that group of creatures.


    Slowly, their formation was breaking and they were getting pushed back into a corner where they couldn''t escape. The fear of death started taking over their minds.


    "Help!! Please, anyone!!" Mo Shin yelled as he barely dodged the jaw of a Dimension Walker.


    The distance between the monsters and them were barely a few meters and was shrinking in real time.


    "It''s over..." Un Hei-Ran murmured as she fell to her knees with a disturbed look on her face.


    Reality finally weighed down on her mind and broke her will to fight anymore. They were already thrown away by everyone else to fend off the monsters away from their base. In reality, they were simply too scared to go out to fight on their own.


    Now, these three have to pay the price for it.


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 37- Who Is He?!

    Chapter 37- Who Is He?!


    "No! I don''t wanna die! Please! Anyone!!" Go Young-Soon screamed at the top of his lungs as he barely fended the monsters off with his shield that was already starting to crack. He was the only one who was still capable of fighting because of his naturally strong body and high stamina. However, even he can''t fight all of these monsters alone while also keeping his friends safe.


    The pressure he felt and the fear that took over his heart were overwhelming. Tears welled up in his eyes as his teeth clenched.


    ''Please¡­ I don''t wanna die! I don''t!!'' n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "I don''t want to die!!!" He yelled again with a hoarse voice.


    At that moment, out of nowhere, a sh filled his eyes as a silhouette appeared out of nowhere, cutting through the monsters with great swiftness.


    Go Young-Soon was shell-shocked by the sudden urrence. His eyes watched what was happening with iprehensible bewilderment. A young man around his age carrying what seemed to be a spear appeared out of nowhere and started slicing through the monsters with ease as he made his way to the other side.


    The way he nimbly moved through their lines and cut them with ease was mesmerizing. Coupled with his great strength, all the enemies fell under his attacks like insects. A whirlwind of slices was the only thing that they could glimpse of his weapon.


    At the same time, from another ce, a girl had made her way into the hordes of the enemy cutting them one after the other. She was extremely precise and fast which made it impossible to catch her.


    Go Young-Soon and his too friends watched the show, not knowing what to say or even do. They have fought these things for the past three days and they had experienced for themselves how brutally hard it was to kill one of them.


    One single bite and it was over for anyone and yet the mysterious duo made it look so unimaginably easy.


    "What the¡­" Un-Hei Ran blinked as she murmured.


    Her eyes followed the two individuals and yet she could barely see their silhouettes as they quickly cleaned the area from monsters without breaking a sweat. Almost 30 Dimension Walkers were wiped out of existence in a matter of minutes.


    When Talon was sure that he killed thest one, he finally stopped and exhaled a long breath.


    His eyes fell on the long list of notifications that indicated he killed those monsters before he got rid of it all. In total, he killed 17 Dimension Walkers while Hyun-Jae killed 13 herself.


    ''Damn, this many monsters and it didn''t give me a level up. I guess relying on weak enemies won''t cut it in the longer term. I have to face strong ones.'' He thought to himself.


    He still hadn''t forgotten about the ss notification he got but he postponed it till he was in a safe ce where he could think calmly.


    "Are you ok?" Hyun-Jae approached him and asked.


    "I''m good, you?" "Easy enough."


    "Good job." He said with a smile as he shifted his gaze to the trio that were staring at them this whole time. "Are you guys ok? Did anyone of you get bitten or scratched or anything of that sort?" His question seemed to break their daze as one of them finally stood up.


    "W-We''re fine! T-Thank you for¡­ saving us! I''m Go-Young Soon!" The young man said.


    Go Young-Soon was on the taller side with a good build and strikingly long hair that was tied into a messy bun. He seemed rather perturbed but he was still snappy enough to realize who one of these mysterious duo was.


    "E-Excuse me, Miss, but aren''t yo-"


    "It''s the president!" Un Hei-Ran eximed with shock.


    "Holy shit! The president is alive!!" Mo Shin added as he pped his face.


    "So it was Miss Ran Hyun-Jae¡­ I can''t believe it. I''ve never seen her from this up close before." Go Young-Soon murmured as if he was starstruck.


    "Shhh! Shut up, idiot! I''m sorry Miss President! I''m truly d to see you alive and well! Thank you so much for saving us!" Hei-Ran bowed deeply with a wide smile on her face.


    Her happiness for seeing her goddess and to be saved by her, she couldn''t be any more blessed. It was a divine intervention.


    "Me too! I''m really grateful! Miss President is amazing!" Mo Shin nodded his head and bowed too.


    Seeing his two friends bowing, Go-Young Soon followed suit without thinking twice as if it was the most natural thing to do whenever Hyun-Jae was present. Her poprity was simply mind-blowing. Something that Seoul''s National University had never seen before and will probably never see ever again.


    "..." Hyun-Jae didn''t know whether tough or cry at their reactions.


    "*Whistle* Talk about being popr."'' Talon whistled with an impressed look as he crossed his arms.


    Hyun-Jae immediately jabbed his side gently.


    "Do I look like I like this?" She said to him as she stepped forward with a calm look.


    "I wouldn''t either. Still impressive to witness from the sidelines though." Talon grinned.


    "Don''t worry, you will soon get the same treatment." Hyun-Jae retorted with a smile.


    "Ugh, no thank you." The young man shuddered just imagining people looking at him with awe and admiration that bordered on worshiping.


    He just wanted to stay out of all of that as much as possible.


    "Lift your heads up, please." Hyun-Jae approached the trio and said with a gentle yet serious tone.


    "A-Ah, we apologize!" The trio quickly stood up and stared at Hyun-Jae with endless excitement.


    They were talking to their idol, it was a historical moment for them.


    "Those looks give me a bad Deja Vu," Acryphamented as she snacked on one of the bags of chips that she stole from Talon.


    "Let me guess, you experienced that before?" Talon asked.


    "Excited looks and admiration? Those were just the beginning. Some people sliced an image of my face into their bodies using knives."


    "... Acrypha, are you by any chance some kind of goddess?" Talon asked. "A goddess? No, but I''m rather special. That''s the only thing I can tell you for now." She said.


    "That''s something I already knew. But, I guess if you didn''t feel surprised by my question means that I wasn''t that off the mark."


    "Hmm¡­" Acrypha murmured with a mysterious look on her face. She didn''t deny nor acknowledge what Talon said.


    Back to Hyun-Jae, she looked at the trio and asked. "What are you doing outside? It''s extremely dangerous."


    The trio looked down with frowns on their faces as they went silent.


    "What?" Hyun-Jae asked.


    "Miss President¡­ We were¡­" Mo Shin spoke as he rubbed his nape.


    "The other students made us leave to fight the monsters since we had weapons."


    Hyun-Jae frowned when she heard those words. "Exin." She said.


    "A-After everything started, many students and professors hid in the gymnasium since it was the safest ce on the campus. We found some food there but it wasn''t much so someone had to go out and get food or everyone would die from famine." Go-Young Soon clenched his fists in frustration as he exined what happened.


    "To our bad luck, Mo Shin, Hei-Ran, and I were able to kill a few Dimension Walkers and we got this shield, that dagger in Mo Shin''s hand, and that weird-looking gun Hei-Ran has. When everyone saw our weapons, they at first tried to take them by force to protect themselves. When they couldn''t do it, we were instead forced to go out to get food for everyone else."


    "Only the three of you?" Hyun-Jae asked as she looked at Talon who shrugged cluelessly. Neither of them understood what kind of messed up logic the other students worked on.


    "No one wanted to go out so they voted us to be the ones to leave. We were thrown to our deaths! If it wasn''t for the two of you, we would''ve been dead by now." Hei-Ran added as she wiped the tears off her face.


    The sheer anger and frustration she felt at that moment were unimaginable. How dare those cowards stay safe in the gymnasium while they have to risk their lives and get food to fill their fat bellies?


    Hyun-Jae exhaled a long breath as she grabbed her forehead. "And who was the one that suggested that you three go in the first ce?"


    "Mmm, it was¡­ Rim Kyung¡­ He took leadership of the entire ce and started giving orders as if he owned the ce."


    "Rim Kyung?" Hyun-Jae raised an eyebrow at the unexpected name.


    Rim Kyung was the president of the political studies club and the only person to dare and threaten Hyun-Jae''s position as the student council president. He was a very cunning and underhanded man who didn''t care about morals or consequences as long as he got what he wanted. In other words, aplete scumbag.


    "Rim Kyung, huh?" Hearing that name, Talon stepped into the conversation. "Isn''t he that dude that keeps making speeches in the main courtyard every day?"


    "Yes, that''s him. Wait, excuse me, who are you?" Mo Shin asked when he noticed Talon.


    The young man looked rather average appearance wise but the strength he possessed seemed to rival that of the president. Not to mention the weird feeling Mo Shin got when he stared at Talon. Something about his aura felt eerie and captivating at the same time.


    ''He''s also standing awfully close to the president as if it is nothing.'' He noted down in his head.


    The other two also noticed it and could only frown in shock. Hyun-Jae had never been this close to a man before. Even Chin-Hwa would keep at least three feet of distance between him and her.


    Yet, this young man dared not only stand next to her but also not respect the distance she put between her and everyone else.


    ''Who is he?!'' (x3)

 Chapter 38- Twisted Rim Kyung (Part 1)

    38 Chapter 38- Twisted Rim Kyung (Part 1)


    "I''m Talon. Nice to meet all of you." Talon replied, unaware of the deep impression he left on the three students.


    Then, he turned to Hyun-Jae who was in deep thought. "Is he someone that we should worry about?" He asked her.


    "He''s annoying and very much a scumbag. But, he shouldn''t be a problem for us." She replied as she shook her head.


    "I see. Ok, I guess it''s clear where we''re going for now."


    "Mmm, I need to talk with that Rim Kyung bastard directly. Letting him take control of the lives of those people is a spell for destruction."


    As the two conversed with each other, the three students watched them silently. They didn''t even know how to react to this scene. An average-looking man was talking with Hyun-Jae so casually as if they were close friends.


    What was even more alerting was that Hyun-Jae didn''t seem to mind it at all. In fact, from what the trio saw, she didn''t even look at Talon at all when he stood next to her as if it was the most natural thing.


    That raised suspicion in their minds as it was a very abnormal urrence. And those suspicions were further pushed by the way Talon and Hyun-Jae were talking.


    ''Is he her¡­ her¡­ boyfriend?!'' Go Young-Soon looked at his friends silently. His eyes were more than enough to convey what he was thinking of.


    ''That''s impossible, right? It''s Miss President we''re talking about. She probably refused all the most popr and sessful men in the world. Why would she date him?'' Hei-Ran shook her head.


    ''But, look at them, they''re awfully close. Also, look at how she stares at him.'' Mo Shin pointed out with a pale expression.


    The trio immediately looked at Hyun-Jae only to be shell-shocked by what they saw. Hyun-Jae had apletely different aura around her, far from her usually calm and stoic personality.


    Her eyes shone with a bright light when they looked at him and it was hard to not notice.


    She seemed eager to talk to Talon and she probably wasn''t even aware of it. That fact alone shattered their suspicions that these two didn''t have anything going on between them.


    ''Miss President is in a rtionship¡­ Is this the end of the world?'' Mo Shin thought to himself.


    ''What kind of man is he to capture her heart? How brilliant is he to exceed the creme of the crop of this country?'' Hei-Ran mused.


    "Oi, you three! What are you doing?" Talon''s voice suddenly reached their ears and snapped them out of their thoughts.


    "W-We apologize!!" Go Young-Soon panicked visibly.


    "Y-Yeah, we''re deeply sorry!" Hei-Ran added.


    "Hm?" Talon tilted his head in confusion. "What''s up with them, really?"


    "I don''t want to even know," Acrypha said as she shook the empty bag with an annoyed look.


    "We''re going to the gymnasium." Hyun-Jae pped her hands and said.


    "R-Really?" Go Young-Soon frowned visibly.


    The trio were nervous to go back after what they went through but they had no other choice. Besides, they had the two strongest allies they could possibly get. No one will be able to harass them.


    "Hopefully¡­"


    So, the group finally started moving again. The gymnasium was a few hundred meters away so the trip wasn''t going to take long.


    A few monsters were roaming the area. When they noticed them, they quickly attacked without hesitation.


    A giant rabid dog approached the group from the side. Hyun-Jae was about to kill it when Talon tapped her shoulder. "Leave it to me. I will take this side and you take the other side."


    "Sure."


    *Growl*


    The dog''s saliva dripped endlessly as it ran at Talon. Thetter pulled his spear and with a swift move sliced the monster before it could reach him. Blood sttered everywhere as the monster''s head fell to the ground.


    [Ding!]


    [You have killed a level 6 Green Hound.]


    "... Wow¡­" The three students were impressed by Talon''s strength.


    ''How did he kill that thing so quickly? He didn''t even look like he was trying.'' Perhaps the reason Hyun-Jae took him as her boyfriend was his crushing strength. It did make sense since Talon had unimaginable power.


    "Here. This is another energy core. It''s really annoying that we aren''t finding any skills, weapons, or potions." Talon said as he handed Hyun-Jae the core.


    "They''re rare. But, I''m sure we will find more in the future."


    "Yeah, you need to improve your sword. It''s not helpful that it''s barely able to kill monsters level 7 and below."


    Hyun-Jae''s sword was mediocrely average with no bonus stats or any special abilities. Because they didn''t find any other weapons, she didn''t mind using that one.


    "Don''t worry about it. I''m fine with this one for now."


    "Mmm, excuse us¡­"


    "What?"


    "But¡­ How did you guys get this strong?" Go Young-Soon asked.


    Talon and Hyun-Jae looked at each other for a moment before they shrugged. "We killed monsters. It''s very simple and straightforward."


    ''That''s far from simple!! You two are not normal!'' The trio screamed in their heads.


    "Hey, hey, it''s not time for chit-chat now. The gymnasium is around the corner."


    Talon then made the three students start walking again. A few minutester, they were standing in front of the gymnasium entrance.


    The three students were noticeably pale and terrified but they still held their feet. Talon noticed that and approached them.


    "Don''t worry, let me and Hyun-Jae deal with it, ok? Nobody''s going to touch you." He said with a reassuring smile.


    "... Mm, thank you!" Hei-Ran said with a small blush. For some reason, Talon''s smile felt really attractive to her.


    "Haha, no worries. We just want to help." "W-We appreciate it." Hei-Ran averted her eyes as she started rolling a strand of her brown hair.


    Hyun-Jae watched the scene from the side silently. Her eyes shed with a weird glint for a split second before she turned around and approached the gate of the gymnasium.


    *Knock* *Knock*


    She knocked loudly on the door as if she wanted to smash it and then stepped back and waited. Talon stood next to her and watched closely. A few seconds passed in silence before they heard footstepsing from inside.


    "Who is it?" A voice asked in a clearly wary tone.


    "Open the door, we''re humans," Talon replied.


    Silence took over for a few more seconds before the voice finally replied again. "How many of you?"


    "Five people. We came here seeking safety."


    "... We have no space for five people. I''m sorry to say that!" The voice replied.


    "Huh?" Talon raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean there is no space? Open the door." He said.


    "I said no space. The ce is choke full of people. Leave!" Talon was even more shocked by the reply. The voice didn''t seem bothered that five people were asking for help. He didn''t even seem like he cared whether they died or not. That really pissed him off.


    ''Ok, I''m about to smash that door open.'' Talon clenched his fists as he tried to step forward. However, Hyun-Jae grabbed his wrist and shook her head. "Let me handle it." She whispered softly before stepping forward.


    "I''m Ran Hyun-Jae. I came here to talk with Rim Kyung." n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "W-What?! Did you say ''Ran Hyun-Jae''?!" The voice was audibly shocked.


    "... W-Wait a second!"


    after that, they heard footsteps going away.


    "Are you sure that Rim Kyung guy would want to talk to you?" Talon asked.


    "If it''s the same Rim Kyung that I know, he would use any opportunity to try and mock me so that he can feel superior. He wouldn''t want me to die outside."


    "Ugh, that''s twisted." Talon frowned.


    "That''s why we need to deal with him if he does anything bad."


    "Deal with him, huh¡­"


    Talon knew that Hyun-Jae didn''t mean killing Rim Kyung. But, he could only ask himself: If killing was out of the question, then how do you deal with a human in an apocalyptic world like this one?


    "Your first human kill mighte sooner than you expect, Talon," Acrypha said when she noticed the change in his expression.


    "Sigh, I know. But, I don''t know if I''m ready for it."


    "You will have to be ready to do it. Not everyone is worth sparing. Some need the de on their necks or they will do more harm than good."


    Talon knew that fact and he probably will meet such people in the future. But, still, killing a fellow human being was a brutal task.


    A minute passed before they heard footstepsing toward the door again, this time, it was more than one person.


    Then, the door started opening slowly, revealing two guys who peeked outside. They scanned everyone with their eyes before their gaze fell on Hyun-Jae.


    "It''s really Ran Hyun-Jae..." One of them said in shock. "She''s still alive." The other said.


    "Now, will you open the door?"


    "The boss said that only you are allowed to enter. The others need to leave." The guy said.


    Hyun-Jae raised an eyebrow as she smiled dangerously. "Oh, so that''s what he said? Well, tell him that he has 30 seconds to open the door before we st it open ourselves."


    Hyun-Jae''s patience with this bastard was running thin, especially with his ridiculous requests. Leaving 4 people outside just so that he can see his rival under his control? How messed up was that!


    "Hey hey~ Is there really a need for violence, dear?" At that moment, a yful voice spoke out of nowhere.


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 39- Twisted Rim Kyung (Part 2)

    39 Chapter 39- Twisted Rim Kyung (Part 2)


    The voice was soft and rather respectful as yful as it sounded. However, the moment Talon heard it, he frowned hard. For some reason, he really didn''t like how it sounded and was about to close his ears just to not listen to it.


    The feeling was so intense that it took Talon by surprise. He had never experienced it before in his life. The young man scratched his head confusedly. ''What''s wrong with me?''


    Falling into deep thought, Talon tried to understand the origin of this odd feeling. In the end, he gave up and shook those thoughts away. At the same time, the door fully opened and a young man walked out in confident strides.


    He was rather short with a slim build hidden under formal clothes fit for ceremonies and business meetings. He had a good-looking face and wellbed ck hair. He wore a pair of sses and an earring on his left ear.


    Looking at everyone with a nonchnt smile, not caring how they saw him.


    "I never known you for someone who would use violence, Miss Ran Hyun-Jae~" He finally spoke with a smile.


    "Then you don''t know me well enough." Hyun-Jae retorted with a cold look.


    "Hahaha, perhaps I really don''t know you. I would''ve never expected you to have a barbaric side. I would''ve had to dig deeper."


    Staring at Hyun-Jae with a confident smile, Rim Kyung sent her a jab using his words. That was his method whenever he was dealing with her. He would try to rile her up and get her to make a mishap which he can use to his own advantage.


    "Considering the fact that you wanted to leave us outside for the monsters, your barbaric side doesn''t need digging to find." Talon barged into the conversation with a small smile. "Oops, my bad, I should''ve not said that in front of yourckeys." He added at the end as he covered his mouth with his hand.


    Everyone immediately looked at Talon silently. They all had varying degrees of shock. Especially Rim Kyung whose confident smile broke for a split second before it came back.


    Talon secretly gave Hyun-Jae a side nce that she understood immediately.


    ''I have your back, don''t worry.'' He said.


    Hyun-Jae''s heart felt warm and her face rxed considerably. Talon''s reply truly helped ease her anger.


    "And who might you be?" Rim Kyung asked.


    "Talon."


    "I never heard of your name."


    "You don''t know me, but I know you. You''re the dude that keeps saying weird nonsense in the campus courtyard every day." Talon said innocently.


    "Pfft¡­" Hyun-Jae almost exploded inughter when she heard what he said. It was brutally hard not tough when Talon was clearly toying with Rim Kyung as if it were nothing.


    ''Holy shit! Mister Talon is really not holding back! So cool!'' The three students mused with admiration.


    ''Weird nonsense¡­'' Rim Kyung''s well-crafted expression, honed by years of social skills, was about to crumblepletely.


    "Ehem, I do not say weird nonsense. I give speeches that people of your brain capacity can''tprehend."


    "No wonder nobody apart from your club members listens to those speeches. You guys are seriously a group of geniuses, aren''t you?"


    ''Oh no!'' Hyun-Jae''s cold face was on the verge of crumbling as she tried to hold her breath. She shouldn''tugh in such a tense situation but Talon''s words weren''t helping.


    ''This fucker!!'' If his previous words were insulting, Rim Kyung saw what Talon said now asplete and utter mockery. He couldn''t just let a nobody treat him this way.


    "Listen here, pal. I run this ce and everyone here is following my orders. You came here seeking my help. The minimum you should do is to keep your dumb jokes to yourself, understood?" Rim Kyung said with a threatening re.


    The atmosphere tensed up again as Talon and Rim Kyung looked at each other silently. Everyone around felt the coldness emanating from the two.


    ''What''s up with this guy¡­ He made boss angry¡­''


    ''I have never seen him this annoyed before¡­''


    Rim Kyung''s followers were shocked to see how their leader reacted. They knew him to be very calm and nonchnt which allowed him to keep control of any conversation he got into. He wasn''t the president of political studies for no reason. He was a warrior of words and a very good one at that.


    "Hmm, you know, I wasn''t intending to give you any face since you''re very annoying. But, I guess it''s only right that I y by your rules if I''m going to enter this ce." Talon smiled as he approached Rim Kyung, easily towering over him.


    Then, out of nowhere, he pulled his spear and gently put the de against Rim Kyung''s neck. "Talon..."


    "Oh no¡­"


    "Boss!!" The two students were about to rush to their boss. Never did they think Talon would dare to aim his weapon at RIm Kyung.


    "Stay right there, boys. You don''t want to see what I would do if you move a single more step." Talon said as he stared directly at Rim Kyung. "Now, let me apologize for my previously rude behavior. I should''ve not done that. Would you let me enter the gymnasium¡­"


    Talon then pushed the de a little further, making contact with Rim Kyung''s throat before he added with a smile. "Please?"


    Rim Kyung waspletely frozen in his ce not knowing what to do. The feeling of the sharp de on his neck truly terrified him to no extent. Never did he find himself in such a situation before.


    ''This crazy bastard!!'' He cursed in his head.


    Go Young-Soon and his two friends were hyperventting in secret as they watched the scene. Their hearts were beating loudly from fear and excitement at the same time. They were witnessing the person they hated the most get treated like aplete clown.


    The only two who weren''t shocked beyond words were Hyun-Jae and Acrypha.


    "Didn''t you say you were afraid of killing humans? Hahaha!" The floating beauty said with a yful tone.


    As for Hyun-Jae, she simply watched with satisfied silence. She didn''t mind seeing Rim Kyung being threatened since he deserved it. If anything, she didn''t even care about the fact that he was being threatened, her focus waspletely on Talon.


    ''Cool¡­'' She thought to herself as she looked at herpanion. The way he handled the situation was impressive.


    "So, your answer?" Talon asked again when he noticed Rim Kyung''s pale expression.


    "... I swear you won''t get away with this." He murmured under his breath as he balled his fists tightly. "I can''t hear you~ Can you repeat what you just said?"


    Rim Kyung looked back at hisckeys with a dark expression. "Let them in."


    "... Y-Yes sir!"


    Even though it was clearly a threat, they had toply with their boss'' orders.


    "Go ahead, you can ess the gymnasium." They moved to the side, allowing them inside.


    ''This is wild!!'' Go Young-Soon, Mo Shin, and Hei-Ran stepped forward hesitantly.


    "Go ahead." "Y-Yes!"


    They said as they walked inside the ce followed by Talon and Hyun-Jae.


    15:10


    "I know his type. All barks and no bites." As the two talked, Rim Kyung walked behind them with a very dark expression on his face. Long gone is his attempt to be the yful and well-spoken man he wanted to be. He was now boiling with anger and endless hatred toward Talon and Hyun-Jae. N?v(el)B\\jnn


    They disrespected him, mocked him, and threatened him. He would be damned if he ignored all of that.


    ''You bastards just wait. Thinking that you won just because you threatened me? I will definitely destroy both of you. I won''t spare you!!'' His eyes red with desire for revenge.


    ***


    The gymnasium was one of the biggest buildings on the campus. It had all the facilities rted to a huge variety of sports along with bathrooms, showering areas, and even an Olympic swimming pool.


    It could easily contain all the students on the campus which was the reason why many rushed toward it.


    The first thing that weed the group the moment they entered the ce was the huge number of students residing in it.


    ''....'' Talon stared around, shocked at what he was seeing.


    The entire ce was filled with people, moving around like brainless zombies. Everyone had a dead look on their faces. Terror, hunger, and worry for their loved ones had taken a huge toll on their minds.


    He could even see a good number of them hugging their knees in a corner as they cried silently.


    "Mom¡­ Where are you?"


    "I want to get out of here¡­ I don''t want to stay here¡­"


    "I''m going to die¡­ I''m going to die¡­ I''m going to die¡­"


    Such words were being said everywhere and it added anotheryer of gloominess over the ce. "This is far worse than I expected¡­" Hyun-Jae murmured with a frown.


    No one seemed like they were capable of moving let alone doing anything.


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 40- Twisted Rim Kyung (Part 3)

    40 Chapter 40- Twisted Rim Kyung (Part 3)


    Seeing all of that took the duo by surprise. They had expected to see a gloomy and terrified group of students clueless as to what they should do.


    However, the reality was far worse. They found apletely broken group of people with no actual will to do anything except wait for their demise. They had no desire to fight or try to leave this ce.


    Talon could clearly see it in their eyes. He could see that dark, void look of someone who gave up on life and it rmed him greatly.


    ''How are they this broken?'' He asked himself only to realize the answer the next second without even hearing a word.


    When Rim Kyung stepped into the gymnasium, the students immediately looked at him, way before Talon and Hyun-Jae even appeared in their vision. The moment they saw him, they all immediately cowered away and averted their eyes as if they were staring at the devil himself. It was clear that they feared him a lot and that fear wasn''t baseless.


    ''He did something¡­'' Talon knew it deep down and so did Hyun-Jae.


    "What did you do to them, shorty?" Talon asked Rim Kyung with a cold tone. "I''m not shorty, bastard!" Rim Kyung red at Talon hatefully. "I did nothing to them. They''re simply a bunch of weaklings that couldn''t handle this harsh world. All they can do is cry for their parents like toddlers and do nothing."


    Rim Kyung''s voice was loud enough to reach every student. He insulted them tantly and yet none of them reacted negatively to it. Their faces simply darkened and they looked down, hiding themselves from him.


    Talon watched the scene with squinted eyes before he nudged Hyun-Jae. The girl got closer to hear what he wanted to say to her in secret.


    Rim Kyung looked at them with a frown. He was certain that they were nning something.


    When Talon finished whispering to her, Hyun-Jae nodded her head and looked at Rim Kyung.


    "We''re taking control over this ce." She said coldly. "You''re incapable of leading these people. If you remain in power, they will die a wretched death."


    "... What?" Rim Kyung looked at Hyun-Jae with widened eyes. His anger vanished for a second as he blinked in surprise. Then¡­


    "Pfft, hahahahaha!" He exploded intoughter. Augh filled with amusement, surprise, and a very deep hatred.


    Afterughing for a while, Rim Kyung adjusted his sses before he replied. "Haha, ah, that was really funny of you, Miss Ran Hyun-Jae. Take control over this ce? I think you misunderstood something. This ce is mine. I helped these people survive and they willingly epted me as their leader. They rely on me and they know that is their only way of survival."


    Then, he looked back at all the students. "Isn''t that correct, everyone?! Come on, speak!"


    His yell intimidated the students and made them hesitantly nod their heads. No one uttered a single word the whole time.


    "See? You''re assuming things out of hatred toward me." "..." Hyun-Jae stared at the young man silently. She couldn''t find the words to describe what she was seeing. Rim Kyung hadpletely taken control of the ce using the fear factor for his own advantage. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    People weren''t scared of him, they were scared of what could happen if they didn''t follow his orders. It was akin to a dictatorship on a very small and yet horrifying scale.


    "Miss Hyun-Jae¡­" Go Young-Soon and the others stared at Hyun-Jae withplicated gazes.


    Even the other students looked at Hyun-Jae with hope in their eyes. They all knew her and respected her deeply. Her presence in that ce gave them a small beacon of hope that was growing ever-so-slowly.


    "Please don''t start any useless conflicts here, Miss Ran Hyun-Jae. You aren''t the center of the world so you aren''t entitled to lead every group of people you find." Rim Kyung smiled as he added.


    "Is that so? Why shouldn''t we see for ourselves then?" Hyun-Jae''s lips parted slightly as she started walking forward in a slow manner.


    Talon followed her casually as he gave Rim Kyung a smirky nce. Thetter stepped away the moment Talon got closer.


    "Don''t worry, I won''t hurt you¡­ Yet." Talon winked as he snickered.


    ''Fuck! You bastard!!'' Rim Kyung cursed in his head. His body was now scared of Talon even if he wanted to pretend like he wasn''t.


    When the duo reached the heart of the gymnasium, they finally looked at everyone. Hyun-Jae''s face was calm and so was Talon''s. "Who of you wants to leave this ce?" Hyun-Jae spoke loudly.


    The students looked at each other in confusion mixed with hesitance and no one lifted his hand.


    "Who of you wants to get reunited with their loved ones?"


    Her words carried confidence all across the ce, making the terrified students shudder. Everyone wanted to leave and see their loved ones. It was the thing they wanted the most at that moment.


    "M-Me¡­"


    Not long after, one person lifted their hand hesitantly. Everyone looked at their peer with surprise. Someone dared to speak even though Rim Kyung was there.


    "Me too¡­"


    "I want to leave too."


    "I don''t want to be left behind!"


    Like a chain reaction, students started lifting their hands in the air. The numbers wholly rose from a dozen or so to hundreds of students. They all shared the same hopeful look on their faces. Hyun-Jae had injected their broken will with hope, again.


    ''By simply asking two questions¡­ She had such a reaction. Wow¡­'' Talon watched what was happening with surprise. He always knew how strong Hyun-Jae''s impact on people was. However, he still somehow underestimated it.


    Hyun-Jae wasn''t simply popr amongst students, she was an icon. An unparalleled figure in their eyes.


    "You all want that. But, how many of you are ready to actually stand up and work for that goal, hm?" Hyun-Jae asked again, changing the whole atmosphere of the room.


    "How many of you would actually go out there and fight for your right to live with your loved ones?"


    When those words came out of her mouth, everyone''s hands started falling down. It was true, they were terrified of death. Fighting those monsters was the nightmare that they wanted to escape.


    "You cowardly voted those three students to go out and fight for you while you hide here, afraid of doing anything while wishing for salvation. And you call yourselves human? You''re worse than those things outside."


    Hyun-Jae pointed her fingers at the students with a cold look filled with loathing. Her words were harsh and painful yet still true. All the students looked down in shame and embarrassment from what they did.


    They knew that what they did was messed up and yet they still did it out of fear. They felt like scum.


    "But, even then, I will still ask again, who of you want to actually have a fighting chance against those monsters? You can be someone capable of facing those things confidently and turning your fear into strength. An endless strength that takes over everything." "..."


    "Me and my friend here killed tens of them ourselves and gained strength while doing that. Now, we don''t fear Dimension Walkers at all. In fact, they''re the ones who fear us." Hyun-Jae eximed as she tapped Talon''s shoulder.


    "They did?"


    "Miss President is amazing¡­ I couldn''t even face one let alone that number."


    Students started whispering and talking amongst each other. They were shocked by the number.


    "Now, I''m standing here to tell you that we can help you be stronger. We can show you the way¡­"


    Then, the girl extended her hand. "All you have to do is have the courage to do what it takes. It''s all in your hands. For those who had enough of hiding here in fear of the inevitable,e with us and take your freedom."


    Silence took over the ce. All kinds of expressions colored the students'' faces. The words resonated with them deeply.


    "I want to! Please help me!!" Suddenly, a student sprang to their feet and yelled.


    "Me too!!"


    "I want to get stronger like you!"


    "Help us, Miss President!!"


    Students started standing up one after the other. They all shared the same sentiment. A deep longing for freedom and safety. The past few days were brutal and terrifying, an endless nightmare that has no bottom.


    However, if there was still a light of hope in that dark abyss, then they wanted it. They wanted to find it and take it.


    Hundreds of students stood up like an army. They cheered, yelled, and fired their excitement even more, like a fire catching into a forest, it only grew bigger and bigger by the moment.


    "They all believe in you, Hyun-Jae. You did way better than I expected." Talon whispered to Hyun-Jae with a smile. However, the girl shook her head and looked at him. "No, I didn''t do it. We did it."


    Talon blinked in surprise before he started chuckling. "Yeah, we did it."


    If they can truly raise these people into warriors, perhaps the goal of reaching the research center wasn''t as far-fetched as Talon thought.


    ''Perhaps this is the perfect first step.'' He thought to himself.


    As they stared at the excited student body, they suddenly heard pping from behind.


    "Bravo, truly bravo! Amazing speech right there, Miss Ran Hyun-Jae. You aren''t the student council president for nothing. You really fed them the best motivational nonsense that could be articted." Rim Kyung stepped forward, parting a path with the huge number of students.


    "Courage? Will? Desire to get stronger? I have to say, I was almost convinced myself. After all, who doesn''t want to listen to a very powerful and talented individual giving hope to weak, pathetic people that they also have a chance to be like them?" (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 41: Chapter 41- Two Monsters (Part 1)

    His words echoed in the silent gymnasium as every student stared at him withplicated expressions. For a second, they forgot that Rim Kyung was still there, listening and seeing what was happening.


    Seeing his smile, many shuddered while others simply looked away. They couldn''t bear to look at him after everything that happened.


    "Why is everyone staring at me that way, huh? Did you really think she was going to help you be strong? Pfft, hahaha! You lot didn''t even kill cockroaches when the world was still at peace and now you suddenly want to kill monsters? Imend your optimism, it''s truly amazing." He pped as heughed.


    Rim Kyung loathed them all. He loathed their optimism, their will to live, and their belief that Hyun-Jae was going to give them the path toward those goals. He had boundless hatred toward her and Talon so his mindpletely ignored the possibility that it could be true.


    ''There is no way she can turn these weak maggots into actual warriors. That is impossible!'' He thought to himself.


    "You lot can''t do that and that''s why you need me! You need me to keep you alive! And all I asked for was your loyalty and respect. Yet, you still couldn''t even give me that! All I fucking asked was for you to listen to me and do what I say. Is that too hard toprehend for your peanut brains?"


    As Rim Kyung spoke, he didn''t realize that his words were having a rather different effect on the students than what he expected. This wasn''t the first time he mocked them in thest three days. In fact, he did that so often, the students started believing that they truly had no chance outside the gymnasium.


    It made them lose any hope of survival even more and that led to what they were at currently. However, after seeing Hyun-Jae, their president, arrive and promise them a way to salvation, their morals skyrocketed like never before.


    So, when they heard Rim Kyung''s hateful words, their fear slowly started turning into anger. Frowns filled their faces and their fists balled.


    The more he spoke, the more that anger started boiling. Until, at one point, it exploded.


    "Shut the hell up!!" One student yelled loudly, taking everyone by surprise.


    Even Rim Kyung was frozen in his ce as his eyes wandered to that student. He didn''t believe what he was hearing.


    "All you do is mock us and insult us!! Who are you to determine whether we can be strong or not?! You piece of scum!!" The student closed his eyes and continued yelling as if he didn''t care anymore.


    The other students around him slowly realized what he was doing and started joining in.


    "Yeah! We aren''t your followers! You''re just a greedy bastard!!"


    "I don''t listen to orders from you!!"


    "Me neither! Get out of here!"


    "Get out!!"


    "Get out!!"


    The insults quickly divulged into angry protests and chants to kick Rim Kyung out. The man himself stood in the middle of those hateful protests, unable to articte words.


    He thought everyone was under his grasp after he put them in their ces. He thought he was finally getting the recognition he deserved as a leader. This was what he was working for years, day and night, to be a leader.


    Yet, Hyun-Jae destroyed that dream of his... Twice.


    "Stop¡­" Clenching his teeth, Rim Kyung murmured.


    "Get the hell out, bastard!!"


    "Stop." He repeated in a little louder voice.


    "No one wants you here! Go and die outside!!"


    "I SAID STOP!!!" Thest one was the loudest,pletely stopping the protests.


    Looking around him, Rim Kyung''s face was dark. "I guess there is no point in trying to redeem you, low-lives."


    After that, Rim Kyung snapped his fingers. Immediately, a huge group of people surrounded him from all angles. Most of them looked like normal students while the rest had ck suits akin to that of bodyguards.


    "If you aren''t going to listen to words, perhaps I should give you a taste of what it''s like to try and oppose me." He said.


    Seeing the muscr men intimidatingly looking at them, many students started retreating in fear. Rim Kyung''s bodyguards were infamous on the campus. For some reason, he hired them to follow him all around the ce as if he were an important politician.


    No one knows why they were still following him even though the world ended.


    "Yeah, retreat, cowards! You don''t know who you''re dealing with here!" Adjusting his sses, Rim Kyung smiled wickedly as he was about to give the order for his followers to wreak havoc.


    However, at that moment, someone stepped forward.


    "Hm?" Rim Kyung''s gaze shifted to the direction the person wasing from. It was none other than his newly found enemy, Talon.


    "What do you want, huh? You still dare to approach me?!" Rim Kyung red at Talon angrily as he threatened him. However, thetter didn''t seem bothered at all.


    "You''re seriously something else, man. I don''t even know what to say anymore." He said as he lifted his spear and rested it on his shoulder. His face was calm but his eyes were far from that.


    "I''m going to shove your shoe in your mouth for what you did." He added with a cold tone.


    ''H-He''s still joking even in this situation?'' Everyone was blown away by Talon''s shameless words.


    Hyun-Jae watched with a smile. ''That''s more like him than anything else¡­'' She thought to herself.


    "Spout all the nonsense you want. I will make you prostrate in front of me like a dog. Guards!" Rim Kyung snapped his fingers and three guards immediately rushed forward holding their batons toward Talon.


    The way they moved was organized since they were professionally trained for years. They were seasoned fighters by all means. Talon stood in his ce silently as he watched them.


    "Move!!"


    The students'' hearts sunk in when they saw the three guards close the distance between them and their target. When they got close enough, they all attacked him with their batons.


    Everyone closed their eyes, expecting to hear Talon''s screams the next second. However, what happened was far from that. Out of nowhere, Talon suddenly moved like a sh, dodging the first baton before he changed his grip on the spear.


    *BANG*


    Swinging it powerfully, he hit the first guard on the side with the handle of the spear. A crisp sound of the man''s ribs shattering filled the gymnasium followed by a screech of extreme pain. The hit sent the man flying and he fell on the ground violently.


    Then, without waiting a moment, Talon extended his hand to grab the second baton without hesitation.


    "What?!" The second guard quickly tried to pull his baton away, only to realize that it waspletely stuck. Even with his amazing strength, he couldn''t move it an inch.


    Talon smiled before he swung the spear horizontally, hitting the man''s head with the handle again, knocking him unconscious.


    Meanwhile, the third guard''s baton descended on Talon, hitting him on the back of his head.


    "I got him!" The third guard eximed excitedly. The fear he felt witnessing his colleagues getting crushed easily made him forget to act professionally.


    However, what he expected to happen after that hit never happened. Even after a few seconds, Talon still didn''t fall to the ground.


    Instead, he slowly stood up on his feet and looked back with an angry look on his face.


    "That hurts." He said calmly before he clenched his fist andunched a punch aimed at the man''s chin.


    *BANG*


    The hit twisted the man''s head to the side, knocking him down with ease.


    Everyone watched the scene in total silence. The ce was so quiet that if a needle was to be dropped there, it would be heard loud and clear. No one could understand what just urred even though they saw it with their own eyes.


    "He¡­ defeated them?"


    "Am I hallucinating?"


    "No, he definitely defeated them! And he didn''t even seem like he was struggling at all!"


    Shocked murmurs and gossip filled the ce.


    "Tsk. I need to seriously learn how to fight other people."


    Meanwhile, Talon looked down at his own hand with a thoughtful look. When he stepped forward, he expected that he could defeat three guards without sustaining a hit. Yet, he was still hit with a baton at the end.


    "Martial arts aren''tmon in this world?" Acrypha asked as she floated next to him.


    "It''s popr, I just don''t know any martial arts."


    "Maybe I can help you a little in that regard." Acrypah thought for a second as she replied.


    "Wait, you can? That would be fantastic!" Talon replied excitedly.


    Seeing his sparkling eyes, Acrypha could only chuckle amusedly. In her eyes, Talon looked like a cute child eager to get what he wanted and she found that really adorable.


    ''Hey, what am I thinking of now?'' Shaking those thoughts away, she was about to speak when she heard a loud yell.


    "What the hell happened there?!" Rim Kyung pointed his finger shakingly at the three unconscious guards with a terrified look.


    ''W-What?! How did he do that?!''


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 42: Chapter 42- Two Monsters (Part 2)

    Rim Kyung knew his guards better than anyone else and was aware of their strength. They were real professionals that he paid a lot of money to hire. In fact, all of them were soldiers in war before, a very battle-hardened group.


    Yet, three of them were suddenly beaten up easily as if it were nothing. His eyes could''ve almost popped out of their sockets from shock.


    ''How strong did he get from killing monsters?'' Gulping down a mouthful of saliva, Rim Kyung noticed Talon staring at him and it made him flinch and retreat in fear.


    Talon appeared like the boogeyman in his eyes and he couldn''t get that out of his head. Rim Kyung waspletely wrecked by fear, and so he acted upon it.


    "All the guards! Attack him, now!!" He said as he ran back.


    All the guards looked at each other with difficult looks. They had seen what happened and they would be lying if they said they wanted to go. However, the young master had told them to attack and so they had to.


    Talon stared at them with a smirk as he started swinging the spear in the air like a baseball bat. The sound of the weapon slicing through the air was terrifying.


    "*Gulp* Fuck it! We''re 6 and he''s 1! We can overpower him!"


    "Yeah!"


    Using that logic as their only hope, the guards immediately rushed toward Talon as they yelled at the top of their lungs.


    "Need any help, Talon?" Hyun-Jae asked as she stepped forward.


    "No, I will deal with these idiots myself. Take care of the other students, especially the ones who are still following Rim Kyung." He replied.


    Hyun-Jae nodded her head and then moved away, leaving Talon to face the 6 guards.


    ''The first time, they were 3. Can I beat 6 without getting hit?'' He thought to himself as he took a fighting stance.


    "Let''s see."


    *Swish*


    Like a sh, Talon dashed forward at top speed, taking the guards by surprise. Before they could even react, he already reached the first one and swung his spear, hitting him in the side like the first one.


    "AGGGH!!" He screamed in pain as he flew to the side.


    At the same time, Talon sidestepped, dodging the second baton before punching the guard in his stomach.


    The man spat out a mouthful of saliva as he was knocked back.


    ''Two down¡­'' Talon''s eyes moved around sharply as he took in all the details and things that were happening. His passive skill Enhanced Focus was magnificent in this regard.


    It gave his senses a huge boost whenever he was in a fight. He could notice the smallest movements that his brain wouldpute almost instantly. Even though it was still level 1, Talon felt like he could see everything 360 degrees around him.


    [Ding!]


    [Your passive skill Enhanced Focus has leveled up.]


    The moment Talon saw the notification, he felt the change almost instantly. His senses suddenly felt even clearer and sharper out of nowhere. His eyes could take in even more details than before and his ears could hear even smaller sounds. Also, Talon started feeling something different.


    Without the need for him to use his eyes or ears, he could sense that people were standing behind him. It was a very faint feeling but he was sure it was there.


    ''What is this?'' He thought to himself for a moment before he pushed those thoughts away and focused on the fight. He didn''t care about it for now.


    The third guard came from behind him and swung the baton from the side to take him by surprise. Talon didn''t waste time and guarded with his spear. He could''ve simply taken the hit since his body was three times stronger than that of an average human but he was challenging himself not to be hit.


    *BANG*


    The baton smashed against the handle of the spear. Talon used that opportunity and jumped in the air, kicking the man with his leg.


    The attack connected with the man''s arm as a crisp cracking sound reverberated around. Like a ughtered chicken, the man was sted away as he smashed against the ground in front of the shocked crowd.


    At this point, what Talon was doing looked like a miracle rather than reality.


    "Is this¡­ Is this how strong you can get with this power?" One asked.


    "I don''t know. But, if I can be like that, then I''m ready to go out and fight!"


    "Me too! He looks so cool!"


    What Talon wasn''t aware of was that his show of strength had actually made the students even more eager to go out. They all wanted to be like him simply because he looked amazing at that moment.


    His speed, uracy, strength, and everything else were top-notch. He was akin to a character in a movie with how ridiculous the stunts he was pulling off were.


    Meanwhile, the one being talked about waspletely focused on the fight. The remaining three guards tried to encircle him but didn''t attack out of fear. They were terrified by what they saw.


    ''What the hell is going on?!!!'' Rim Kyung watched from the background with a pale face.


    ''H-He''s a monster¡­ A monster!!''


    "Come on, guys. Let''s get this over with." Talon stood up and sighed. "I need to shove a boot in your leader''s mouth and rest, I''m really tired."


    His words were nonchnt and casual as if he was talking with friends. It was clearly a mockery toward the guards and that pissed them off.


    "Fuck!!" Finding no other choice, one of the guards rushed forward followed by the other guards.


    Talon could easily locate the three of them and he was ready to fight. But, at thest second, the three guards suddenly halted and then fell to the ground, prostrating.


    "Please spare us!!" They yelled at the same time.


    "... Huh?" Talon looked at them with confusion.


    "W-We don''t want to fight anymore! We will follow you!!"


    "..." Talon looked at them with a ''What the hell?'' expression. He never expected to hear this from the guards.


    "Why do you want to follow me?"


    "Because you''re very strong!"


    ''Eeeh, I guess that makes sense since I have beaten up 6 of them. But, seriously, where is your loyalty, guys?''


    "Please let us work under you. We will be useful!"


    "Interesting." Rubbing his chin, he contemted their words.


    "Hey!! What the hell are you doing?! Get up and fight!!" Rim Kyung saw that and was outraged by it. He hurled insults at the guards but they ignored him.


    ''No, no, no, no¡­ Come on!! Why are they not listening?!''


    "I guess it''s over then." Talon shrugged as he turned around to face Rim Kyung.


    "These three idiots realized that it was a pointless fight. You can''t me them." Talon smiled.


    "Shut up!!"


    "Ok, ok, so loud. Let''s get this over with, Rim Kyung. I''m not backing away from my im. Your boot is going be lodged into your mouth in¡­ 30 seconds?" Talon said as he looked at a non-existent watch.


    Realizing the huge catastrophe he was in, Rim Kyung started retreating, he turned around and started running toward the exit as fast as he could.


    "Really? You''re going to make me chase you?" Talon sighed as he suddenly dashed forward at top speed, crossing a good chunk of the distance between them in a few seconds.


    "Hah¡­ Hah... Stay away!! No!!" Rim Kyung yelled with a pale face as he tried to run as fast as he could, but, it didn''t take long for Talon to reach him.


    "Boo!" Peeking at him from the side, Talon made a yful scary sound.


    "AGHHH!!" Rim Kyung screamed before he found himself falling to the ground. Talon made him trip with his leg.


    *BANG*


    Smashing face-first into the ground, Rim Kyung rolled around before he finally stopped.


    "AGH! My teeth!!!" Grabbing his mouth, Rim Kyung screamed in pain. Blood was gushing out endlessly from his broken teeth.


    Talon approached him and then put his foot on top of his chest as he rested his arm on it.


    "So much for making me prostate like a dog, Rim Kyung."


    "Y-You¡­ YOU BATHTARD!!!"


    "Pfft, hahaha! Bathtard! Hahaha!" Talon startedughing.


    "Thut up!! (Shut up!!)"


    Talon startedughing loudly the more Rim Kyung spoke. He couldn''t pronounce a single word right.


    "Stop, please! I can''t breathe!" Wiping the tears from his eyes, Talon finally looked down. "Sigh, you know, I''m sure you could''ve been a great leader, man. Have you not be an egotistical piece of shit, your speech skills would''ve led you to great things. But, you mistakenly thought that you were better than everyone else. Idiot, without those people next to you, how do you expect to be a leader?"


    "..."


    Rim Kyung looked at Talon silently. His mess of a face had a sour expression on it. For one reason or another, Talon''s words resonated with him on a way deeper level than he thought.


    ''Without those people next to you, how do you expect to be a leader?''


    That particr sentence hit a string in Rim Kyung''s heart. At some point in the past, he recalled having those thoughts. He recalled being enthusiastically ready to serve his people as their leader.


    However, at some point in his life that he can''t remember, he diverged from the right path and went down this dark hole. He became violent, terrifying, ruthless, and arrogant. He forgot why he even wanted to be a leader in the first ce.


    Without realizing it, tears had already welled up in his eyes.


    "H-Huh? I''m¡­ crying¡­" Touching his face, he felt the wetness on his fingertips.


    "I guess you aren''tpletely irredeemable after all."


    "... Fuck¡­ This is frustrating¡­ Goddamit!!" Crying silently as he tried to wipe his face, Rim Kyung''s emotions spilled out like a dam.


    "Yeah, it is frustrating. But you know what''s even more frustrating?" Talon asked.


    "..."


    "The fact that I''m still going to shove your boot in your mouth."


    "H-Huh?"


    Before Rim Kyung could understand what he heard, Talon had already taken his boot off.


    "Say aaah!"


    "What?! No! Wait! I''m sorry!! I''m really sorry, please!!"


    *Swish*


    For a few seconds, the muffled screams of a man echoed in the gymnasium.


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 43: Chapter 43- Class Selection

    Rim Kyung struggled with the boot in his mouth as he painfully screamed at the top of his lungs. Talon looked at him with a small smile on his face, clearly satisfied with his work.


    For one reason or another, he felt proud of what he did even though it resulted in a bloodied man screaming for help.


    "Hmm, am I sadistic or something?" He asked himself as he thoughtfully looked around, searching for ropes or anything he could tie Rim Kyung with.


    "Sadistic? What''s that?" Acrypha asked with confusion.


    "Never heard of it? It''s a term assigned to anyone who enjoys torturing people." Talon replied with a raised eyebrow.


    "There are people who don''t enjoy torturing their enemies?"


    "I mean¡­ Wait¡­" Talon blinked as he realized what she meant. "Uh, there are people who enjoy being tortured, I guess?"


    "So there are people who enjoy pain? Interesting." Acrypha floated around casually. "That means they could be the perfect spy to deploy into enemy territory. Even if they get caught, torturing them will be pointless."


    "..." Talon stared at Acrypha with a deadpan expression.


    "What?"


    "I feel like you''re saying something forbidden right now."


    "Mmmm!!"


    As the two talked, Rim Kyung was struggling for his life, unable to get the boot out because of the extreme pain.


    "Ok, ok, rx." Finding no other choice, Talon decided to drag him back without tying him up.


    Grabbing him by the back of his cor, he pulled him over his back like a sack of potatoes as he made his way inside the gymnasium again.


    There, he was surprised to see that the chaos that ensued hadpletely calmed down. Every student was sitting down silently while only one person remained standing.


    "You''re back¡­" Hyun-Jae looked at Talon and then at Rim Kyung. "Was he troublesome?"


    "No, it was easy. Though I need some ropes to tie him up so that he doesn''t escape."


    "Let the other students tie him up," Hyun-Jae said as she signaled for the others. Immediately, a group of them stood up and approached Rim Kyung before they dragged him away.


    Talon watched that happening with an impressed look on his face.


    ''She took control of the entire ce this quickly?'' He asked himself as he looked at Hyun-Jae from the side as she talked with some other students. Everyone was naturally listening to her as if it was the most obvious thing.


    That was how a natural leader was, they didn''t need fear or threat to make people follow them. They simply made them listen with the charisma and confidence that they exude so naturally.


    ''She''s seriously amazing.''


    "Talon?" As he was deep in thought like that, Hyun-Jae called for him again. He had been staring at her the whole time which made him awkwardly look away.


    "What?"


    "Can we talk for a moment?" She asked in a serious tone.


    "Ok¡­"


    So, the duo walked away from the students to a secluded corner. When Hyun-Jae stopped, she turned around and faced herpanion.


    "The situation is very bad in here. While you were dealing with that bastard, I talked with some students, and it''s¡­"


    "What?"


    "Sigh, there is basically no food in here. It has been the case ever since everything started. Many students didn''t eat a single thing for the past three days."


    "Hold on a second, didn''t Go-Young Soon say that they had some food in there?" Talon shook his head confusedly as he asked.


    However, Hyun-Jae shook her head. "That food was only for Rim Kyung and hisckeys. They ate it all."


    "... Those fucking bastards." Talon clenched his fists in anger as he looked at the tied-up Rim Kyung on the other side. "Oh boy, am I going to beat him up ck and blue¡­"


    "Hold on. I know he deserves what he''s getting, but we need to focus on the more important matter right now and that is to secure food. If we''re going to try and create a path to the research center, we need a huge group of people to help us. Capable people who can stand their ground against monsters."


    Hyun-Jae then looked up and continued. "And we have to create that group ourselves."


    Talon stared at Hyun-Jae''s eyes with aplicated gaze before he asked. "How do we start?"


    ***


    The rest of the day passed slowly as Talon and Hyun-Jae got busy. They first looked around the entire gymnasium and everything they could work with. Although there was no actual food, there were some water reserves they could use and electricity was still working moderately.


    Next, they organized the students into different groups. The people with the best physical capabilities were put in a group, the ones with a more flexible and agile body were put in a group while the rest were put in thest group. Doing that allowed them to know what they were working with.


    After that, they nned their next step which was to get to the cafeteria and secure food for the students. Luckily, the cafeteria wasn''t that far away from the gymnasium. However, reaching it will require them to kill a good number of monsters outside.


    ''We can use that to train the students. Practicing on weak Dimension Walkers would be good enough to trigger their growth.'' Talon suggested.


    Talon was betting on the fact that when the students get their first kill, everything else will be a lot easier to handle since they will start relying on themselves more and more to fight.


    With that, they decided that the best step is to start the n as soon as possible which they decided to be the next day. They were exhausted from the trip and needed some rest before they started moving again.


    With that, the night finally came and Talon took that opportunity to get a secluded area of the gymnasium to sleep. Nobody seemed to be using it so he took it for himself.


    "Agh! My back!" Stretching his tired limbs, Talony down on the ground and rested his back against the wall.


    "Good work today," Acrypha said as she sat down near him.


    "Thank you."


    Looking at his beautifulpanion, Talon could only think he was lucky for having a beauty around him the whole time.


    ''A one-in-a-lifetime beauty¡­'' He thought to himself.


    Acrypha had been around him for only three days and yet he already felt like she was a natural part of his life. They don''t know much about each other. Perhaps it will be years from now when the two finally get to know one another.


    ''Knowing who she is¡­ Would that be a good idea?'' He mused with aplicated expression.


    Even till that point, Talon didn''t forget the weird circumstances they met in. The way she was sted out of the core dimension and straight into his room. He knew that it wasn''t merely a coincidence.


    Something was suspicious about this divine woman who wanted him to be hers.


    "Talon?"


    Snapping him out of his thoughts was Acrypha''s angelic voice which was scarily addictive to listen to.


    "Ehem, it''s nothing. Oh, right, something interesting popped up to me in the notifications."


    "What?"


    "Something about ''ss Selection'' or something like that?"


    "You''re already level 10?"


    "Yeah, I hit that level today," Talon replied. "I couldn''t check what I got since we were still on the move."


    "Open it then. What are you waiting for?" Acrypha asked urgently.


    "Huh? Is this ss Selection thing that important?"


    "Of course! Choosing your ss is the most important step to take early on. A good ss will shape your entire future and can make or break you." Acrypha exined.


    Many geniuses she met across her lifespan were shining brightly till they were met with their first ss Selection. Sadly, they made the wrong choice and that ended up destroying thempletely.


    There was no way she could let Talon make a mistake here.


    "Damn, I didn''t know it was that serious." Instinctively, Talon adjusted his sitting position. Long gone his casual attitude.


    "Ok, fuuuh, I''m ready." Taking a deep breath, Talon opened his notifications.


    [Would you like to choose your ss?]


    "... Yes."


    When Talon responded, a list of words organized by numbers appeared in front of him.


    [1) Mage4) cksmith


    2) Swordsman5) Berserker


    3) Assassin6) Dimension Maniptor]


    "... Interesting." Reading through the sses curiously, Talon rubbed his chin. "I got some pretty interesting choices."


    "Hold my hand so that I can see," Acrypha said.


    When Talon got a hold of her soft hands and allowed her to see the sses, Acrypha''s expression changed subtly.


    Silence took over the room for a while till Talon wasn''t able to bear it anymore and asked. "What is it?"


    "... The first 5 sses are rather normal. They show up for every individual with offensive power."


    "Yeah, those terms are rathermon here so I think I have an idea what you''re talking about."


    "However¡­ Thest one is the one that is confusing me."


    "Huh, why?"


    Acrypha shook her head for a second before she stared at Talon. "... This ss shouldn''t even exist."


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 44: Chapter 44- Dimension Manipulator

    "What?" Talon asked with confusion clear in his face. "What do you mean it shouldn''t exist?"


    "As I said, I¡­ Have no idea how this ss appeared." Acrypha exined as she turned to look at Talon seriously. "You have to understand something about sses first."


    "What?"


    "When someone chooses their ss, it''s akin to them choosing their job for the rest of their lives. A mage is good with Aetheris and all that is magic and spells-rted. A swordsman is good with swords and so on."


    "Oh, so it tells you what you''re good at the most?" Talon asked.


    "Exactly. That''s why, if someone chooses a ss that doesn''t fit them, it''s a disaster."


    "Lacking the talent for something and yet still choosing it as your path¡­ Yeah, that sounds like a recipe for failure." Talon rubbed his chin as he nodded his head.


    "Now, back to your ss choices. The first 5 are normal as I said. However, thest one makes no absolute sense. The word maniption is always linked with skills. Fire Maniption and Water Maniption for example. Never before did anyone get a ss called ''Fire Maniptor'' or ''Water Maniptor''.


    At least, none that I heard of."


    "... Wait a minute. So my ss should''ve been a skill instead?"


    "The logic says so. But, it is a ss." Acrypha replied with a frown. She really didn''t understand what was going on there.


    ''What could the Core Dimension want by doing this? What could this ss give him?'' She asked herself as she stared at Talon.


    "So, what am I supposed to do now? Did the Core Dimension glitch or something?"


    "No, that''s impossible. The Core Dimension never makes mistakes. It is a ss, the first of its kind apparently."


    "The first of its kind, huh? Well, at least that makes me feel special." Talonughed dryly as he stared at the choices again.


    "One of a kind could be good. But, it could also be disastrously bad. Because it''s unique, we know nothing about it at all. What are its powers, what it could give and what it could take, and so on." Acrypha exined.


    It was a high-risk, high-reward situation they found themselves in. If Talon chose that unique ss, he was betting his entire future on it. If it fails, he was done for with no way ofing back.


    Acrypha wrecked her brain calcting all the possibilities and weighing the pros and cons and yet she still found it hard.


    "So, what should I do now? Should I choose this one-of-a-kind ss or go with one of the safe choices." Talon asked.


    In the end, Acrypha sighed and gave up. "I was intending to guide you on what ss to choose. But, I give up, it isn''t my position to make the choice for you. You have to follow your guts and choose what you feel could be the best path for you." She said.


    At that moment, Acrypha felt rather embarrassed. She boasted to Talon that she could bring him to new heights the world had never seen and yet at the first ordeal, she couldn''t make the choice. She thought Talon would find that pathetic or at least make him see her in a bad light.


    After all, she had failed him and left all the burden of the choice on his shoulders. However, his reaction turned out to be far from what she expected.


    "Pfft! Hahaha." Talon startedughing jovially, taking the beautiful woman by surprise. Blinking in surprise, she stared at Talon silently, not knowing what to say.


    "You sound like my mother when I graduated high school and had to make the choice of which university to join." Heughed. "She looked as anxious as you did. I guess you both have that one inmon."


    Acrypha couldn''t see a single shred of anger in his eyes the whole time. In fact, he seemed happy rather than angry.


    "Aren''t you¡­ angry?" She asked quietly.


    "Hm? Angry? Why should I be?"


    "Because I couldn''t help you make the choice, obviously."


    "Oooh, of course not! If anything, I appreciate that you let me choose for myself. Even though you need my help in the future and this choice will affect you as much as it will affect me, you still let me decide for myself. You have a very good heart, Acrypha." Talon smiled warmly at her.


    "..." The girl waspletely speechless for a good few seconds.


    Her eyes werepletely focused on the young man''s face for some reason. His smile was so pure and carefree, it almost dazzled her.


    It felt like a cold breeze for her after years of seeing fake, malicious smiles from all kinds of people who wanted to use her or take something from her. Talon had no such intentions. He was so innocent that she could only wonder how such a creature existed.


    In the end, she averted her eyes with a weird expression on her face. "Ehem, don''t get ahead of yourself, boy! I''m not as kind as you might think! You just didn''t get to know me yet." She replied as she coughed awkwardly.


    "Is that so?" Talon grinned yfully. "How evil are you then?"


    "I did things that would give you nightmares for the rest of your life. Far worse than anything you might imagine" Acrypha replied seriously.


    Talon was a little surprised by the look he saw on her face. He was sure that she wasn''t bluffing or lying which made it even weirder.


    ''Yeah, that should scare you away, good.'' Acrypha thought to herself as she was about to close her eyes when Talon spoke.


    "I don''t know what you''ve done and I don''t really care to be honest. I judge people for what I see and from what I''ve seen so far, you''re a very kind person, Acrypha. Even if you did bad things, I''m sure you had your reasons." Talon replied as he shrugged.


    For the third time, Talon hadpletely subverted Acrypha''s expectations and made herpletely speechless.


    ''How is this kid¡­'' She couldn''t even find a way to question his replies.


    Deep inside, his words kept hitting weird notes that she never thought about before orpletely ignored.


    "You''re¡­"


    "What?"


    "No¡­ It''s nothing. So, did you decide on what ss you want to choose?" Acrypha shook her head and asked.


    "Ah, yeah, I already made the choice from the first moment I saw it. I had no shadow of a doubt, hahaha." Talonughed.


    "Wait, you already decided from that moment?" Acrypha blinked.


    "Yeah, I''m an avid seeker of a thrilling life. Why go for the normal when you''re presented with a one-of-a-kind path to take?" Talon grinned.


    "Wait¡­ So you''re¡­"


    "Yeah, my choice is the Dimension Maniptor."


    [Ding!]


    [You have chosen ''Dimension Maniptor'']


    [Dimension Maniptors are beings capable of weaving the fabric of reality itself. To tread this path is to embark upon a journey where the boundaries of reality are not constraints but rather the raw material to be sculpted. With a move of your hand worlds change and with the other, creatures bow in utmost respect.]


    [Requirements for activation:


    -Kill 100 Level 10+ monsters with a single attack. 0/100


    -Kill 2 level 20+ monsters by yourself. 0/2


    -Collect 200 Energy Cores of monsters level 8+. 0/200


    -Collect 100 Item Cores of monsters level 5+. 0/100]


    "..."


    Complete silence engulfed the room as Acrypha and Talon stared at the words floating in front of them. Neither of them uttered a single word for a good 30 seconds.


    "What?!!" In the end, Talon jumped back as he yelled inplete shock. "What the fuck kind of requirements are those?!!"


    Ignoring the fact that he didn''t even know that he needed to fulfill some requirements to activate the ss, the things he needed toplete were simply mind-boggling.


    The first one on the list could be considered possible even though it will require some work. The rest were simply ridiculous.


    Killing two Level 20+ monsters alone? Talon doesn''t even know what level 20+ monsters look like let alone fight them. They were creatures with strength that he didn''tprehend yet.


    As for collecting monster cores, it required Talon to kill a ridiculous number of monsters on top of the ones he needed to kill for the first two requirements.


    No matter how he thought about it, Talon could only frown at the challenge it posed.


    "Anyments, Acrypha? I''m losing my mind here!"


    "... This isn''t right." The girl murmured. "You''ve been given extremely hard requirements. Normally, requirements would be challenging but not to this degree." She exined. "Most people can fulfill the requirements in a few days of work at most."


    "A few days?! I would be lucky if I finished this in a few months!" Talon retorted as he ran his hand through his hair. "Why did I get these requirements?"


    "It''s¡­ I don''t know. As I said before, this is the consequence of having a one-of-a-kind ss. We don''t know anything about it till we see it with our own eyes. It seems the requirements for Dimension Maniptor are extremely difficult."


    "How is this even fair, Acrypha? How am I supposed to do this?" He turned to hispanion with a confused expression. From what she told him, the Core Dimension was fair when it came to treating individuals. How is this fair to Talon?


    "The Core Dimension works on the concept that the harder the challenge, the better the rewards you will get. If it gives such hard requirements, then that means that the ss you have chosen will be amazingly powerful¡­ More powerful than anything else."


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 45: Chapter 45- Spear Level-Up! And Kindness

    "The strongest?" Talon asked with a raised eyebrow.


    "Yeah, this ss is most likely extremely strong and those requirements are proof of that. If you fulfill them, I''m almost sure you will be getting something worth all the effort you put into it." Acrypha replied.


    "If you say so¡­ Sigh, I guess I have no other choice. So what if it''s ridiculously hard, everything is hard nowadays! If anything, this is good since I can grow stronger way faster."


    Talon''s main goal was to get way stronger and faster than anyone else so that he could go back to his parents.


    ''The challenge was already meant to be difficult. I need to up the efforts.'' Looking at his hands, Talon clenched them tightly as he steeled his will.


    "Ok¡­ Ok." Exhaling a breath, he felt like he was mentally ready.


    "Good. Now, there is one thing left." Acrypha said as her eyes shifted to the other side of the room where a small bag was ced. In the darkness, it was the only source of light inside the ce.


    Talon confusedly shifted his gaze to the bag too before he realized what Acrypha meant.


    "Oh, right! The spear!" Talon remembered that he needed to level up his Blue Lapis Spear. Even though the spear can kill level 10 monsters with ease, he needed it to get stronger so that he could face stronger enemies.


    So, standing up, he approached the bag before he opened it and counted all the cores inside.


    "Hmm, exactly 30. Perfect, 15 for me and 15 for Hyun-Jae." Talon murmured as he pulled his portion and left the rest inside.


    "Didn''t you kill more monsters than she did?" Acrypha asked as she watched him sit down again.


    "Hm? I did? Meh, Hyun-Jae is extremely talented. I need her to get stronger too. Can''t be too greedy and selfish." Talon replied.


    "Being greedy is like a second nature to most strong beings."


    "Well, my father always said ''Greed, in the end, fails even the greedy''. No matter how clever you can be, if you''re greedy then you''re bound to fall." Talon replied.


    "... Your father has an interesting thought process," Acrypha replied with a thoughtful look. For some reason, she liked that quote a lot. Greed was indeed horrible but because everyone around her was greedy, she had to be the same if she didn''t want to be left behind.


    "Hahaha, he''s very wise when ites to such things. I''m sure you will like him when you meet hi-" Talon spoke happily before he suddenly realized what he was about to say and immediately went silent.


    "Sorry, I forgot that you don''t want anyone to see you." He apologized.


    He knew that Acrypha hid herself from everyone for a reason and so meeting his parents was simply impossible. Why would someone of her standing want to meet weak humans? That was way too beneath her after all.


    However, much to his surprise, Acrypha shook her head.


    "When the time is right, I would love to meet them. They seem like good people." She replied.


    "..." Talon blinked silently.


    "What?"


    "No¡­ It''s just¡­ I never thought you would want to meet them." He replied with a dazed look.


    "Why wouldn''t I want to meet them? I''m arrogant, but I''m not condescending to whom I deem decent. If your parents are good, then I will meet them and treat them as good as they treat me." She said.


    "... Wow¡­" Talon could only murmur in surprise. Acrypha hadpletely blown his expectations away.


    She was a being of another world that had an iprehensible amount of strength, probably enough to make this world vanish out of existence. Yet, she didn''t let that get into her head and bring her to look down upon anyone and everyone.


    ''That kind of self-control and wisdom is amazing.'' It would be a lie if Talon said that his respect toward this otherworldly beauty hadn''t increased by leaps and bounds.


    "Thank you." In the end, he smiled and looked down at the spear. "As I thought, you''re definitely a kind person, Acrypha."


    "Again with that. I''m not good." She retorted.


    "Ok, ok, you aren''t good, got it." He chuckled as he finally picked up one of the energy cores.


    "So, how do I make the spear absorb energy inside this core?"


    "Just crush the core on top of it and the energy will enter the spear," Acrypha replied.


    "Ok."


    Following her instructions, Talon squeezed the core right on top of his weapon. With his high strength, a simple squeeze was more than enough to make the core explode into pieces.


    The shards fell on top of the spear as something magical urred. All the purple energy inside the shards slowly left them and floated toward the spear before entering it from all ces.


    [Ding!]


    [Your weapon has absorbed energy.]


    [Weapon strength increased.]


    [Weapon leveled up to level 2.]


    "Oh! Nice!" Talon eximed with a smile. "It leveled up."


    "Check the weapon''s stats."


    [Blue Lapis Spear: A spear born from the essence of the sea. At base level, it can easily kill any enemy Level 12 and down. It can level up and max out at level 10. At that level, it can kill any enemy level 30 and down.


    Level: 2/10


    Bonus Points: +6 Strength, +6 Agility, More effective against sea creatures.]


    "Now I can kill monsters level 12 and below and my bonus stats increased!" Smiling widely, Talon gripped the spear tightly.


    "Good. Now add more."


    "Ok!"


    So, Talon crushed another core on top of the spear and made it absorb the energy.


    [Ding!]


    [Your weapon has absorbed energy.]


    [Weapon strength increased.]


    "Hmm, no level up."


    Then he crushed the second one. This time, he got another level up.


    [Weapon leveled up to level 3.]


    "Hmm, so the number required to level it up multiplied."


    "Yeah, add them all, and let''s see what level it reaches," Acrypha suggested.


    Talon didn''t waste any time and started crushing all the 15 energy cores one after the other on top of the spear. A long series of notifications appeared and disappeared from his retina.


    By the time he crushed the 15th core, the spear''s stats hadpletely changed.


    [Blue Lapis Spear: A spear born from the essence of the sea. At base level, it can easily kill any enemy Level 20 and down. It can level up and max out at level 10. At that level, it can kill any enemy level 30 and down.


    Level: 5/10


    Bonus Points: +10 Strength, +10 Agility, More effective against sea creatures.]


    "Oh boy! This spear is now ridiculously strong! Level 20 and below, hahaha!" Talon was on the verge of jumping from happiness. Not only was he now able to fight stronger monsters without worrying about his spear breaking, but he also received +20 bonus stats, 10 in strength and 10 in agility.


    That was akin to killing a good number of monsters of his level. It was ridiculous!


    "It''s a really good spear for your level, no doubt," Acrypha murmured as she read the description with an impressed look.


    "That was my first item ever, mind you. Yours truly has the best luck in all dimensions." Talon puffed his chest proudly as he joked.


    "Maybe you''re using all of your luck early on and will end up with no luck in the future." Acrypha shrugged with a smile.


    "Hey! Don''t jinx me!"


    "You jinxed yourself, kiddo."


    The two joked around for a while, talking about pointless stuff.


    Eventually, Talon sumbed to his exhaustion and slept. After that long day and the numerous injuries that riddled his body, he was eager to sleep.


    It didn''t even take him a few seconds after closing his eyes for him to finally drift into a long and deep slumber.


    The night passed quietly with nothing alerting happening. As the sun rose slowly over the horizon, Talon''s eyes finally started fluttering open.


    Looking around him in a daze, he yawned and rubbed his eyes as he stretched.


    "Good morning." A beautiful voice spoke near him. Looking to the side, Acrypha was sitting where he left her yesterday, staring at him.


    "*Yawn* didn''t you sleep?"


    "As I said, I don''t require sleep."


    "Then what did you do the entire time?"


    "Stare at the sky," Acrypha replied casually.


    In reality, she was staring mostly at Talon and thinking about the future and what could happen from now on. However, she couldn''t obviously tell him that or she will have to kill him so that she doesn''t see his smug face.


    "Isn''t that¡­ boring?" The young man asked with a weird expression. He couldn''tprehend the concept of not needing to sleep or eat. They were an integral part of every human being''s life.


    "Boring? Hmm, I guess it could be boring sometimes. But, I do appreciate the atmosphere of the night since it helps me think about all kinds of things."


    "Getting all sentimental?"


    "I would''ve described it as ''Calctive nning for the future'' but ''Sentimental'' works fine too."


    "Hahaha, that''s true." Standing up slowly, Talon cracked his limbs before he looked at his back.


    "The pain in my back decreased a lot after a good night''s sleep. It should heal quickly in a few days." He murmured as he picked up his spear and finally walked to the door.


    Today was going to be another long and hard day. Not only was Talon going to lead the students outside for the first time but he was also intending to do something that he didn''t dare to do in the past few days.


    Go on a solo training trip.


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 46: Chapter 46- Small Kill, Giant Step

    Going on a solo training trip was a very risky idea considering how dangerous the world outside was. Monsters were evolving extremely quickly, especially in the past few days when Talon had seen level 8 monsters.


    It was safe to say that after an entire day of not killing monsters, they probably evolved even more and became even more of a threat to Talon.


    However, there was a single thing that made all of that risk worth it. Something that Talon wanted to learn from early on and hone well enough so that in the future he won''t find a problem with it and that is to learn how to survivepletely on his own.


    It was true that forming a group of survivors would boost his chances of survival, however, Talon knew that he wasn''t going to find his people around him all the time. He already knew that he would have to enter other dimensions at some point.


    What if they can''te with him? What if he loses them there and has to fend off monsters and other things on his own? Those were a few of many possible situations where Talon would be alone.


    ''If I can survive on my own and hunt monsters alone, I will be able to handle any situation that I face.'' He thought to himself.


    Acrypha knew that too and she didn''t stop him. Talon needed that experience more than anything else.


    ***


    Walking through the corridor, Talon found himself inside the main area of the gymnasium where many students were busily moving around, getting ready for what was about to happen.


    Talon could feel the palpable tension in the air as clear as day. Even though they were ready to leave, the fear of what could happen was still weighing on their minds. After all, they had never killed anything before in their lives. Not to mention the danger thates with doing this.


    Looking around him, Talon noticed many students shaking visibly as they tried to keep themselvesposed as much as they could while some tried to look normal but their pale faces and their eyes that kept looking all over the ce revealed their true thoughts.


    "None of them seem mentally ready. If they leave now, they will die." Acrypha said coldly.


    Her words were harsh, but they were true and Talon agreed with them. So, he decided to do something about it.


    "Where is Hyun-Jae?" He murmured as he looked around.


    The girl was nowhere to be seen.


    "Psst, hey, you. Do you know where Hy- Ehem, the president is?" Talon asked a random student he saw. Thetter flinched at first when being called but when he saw that it was Talon, he visibly rxed.


    "Mmm, I saw the president near the entrance checking the area." He replied.


    "Thank you." Tapping the student on the shoulder, Talon turned around to leave. However, at thest second, he stopped and turned around to the scared student.


    "Are you ready to y some nasty monsters?" He asked with a confident grin.


    The student was surprised at first when he heard the question but then, he smiled and nodded his head as he felt a surge of confidence.


    "I''m ready!"


    "Good. That''s the spirit, friend. As long as you have that look, you will be fine."


    After that, Talon made his way to the entrance of the gymnasium. There, he found the person he was looking for standing outside, writing on a piece of paper.


    "Hey¡­" Talon quietly greeted her not to take her by surprise.


    "Hm? Ah, hey, good morning." Hyun-Jae raised her eyes from the note and looked at Talon with a small smile. "Did you sleep well?"


    "As good as new!" Talon grinned as he flexed his arm.


    "Good. We will need to work extra hard today."


    "What about you?"


    "It was a not-bad night," Hyun-Jae replied in a mysterious tone.


    "Hm?"


    "It''s nothing, it''s nothing. Look here, I mapped the entire area with the potential number of monsters we can find in each route we could take to the cafeteria."


    Talon was then handed the piece of paper. At first nce, Talon was impressed by the intricacy of the map. Even though it was clearly drawn in a hurry, the level of detail was simply mind-blowing.


    Hyun-Jae had drawn the buildings, the small paths and main paths, the number of monsters in that area, and other things.


    "Damn¡­ This is impressive, Hyun-Jae." Talon said as he looked at her.


    "Thank you." The girl smiled and nodded her head.


    "How long did it take you to draw it?"


    "An hour or so."


    "In an hour?! Wow¡­" Talon was even more impressed.


    A map of this intricacy should''ve taken many hours to do. Hyun-Jae was simply amazing.


    "What do you think of this route?" Hyun-Jae ignored the astonished look on Talon''s face and got to his side before pointing at a particr area of the map.


    Talon felt the girl''s hair brushing over his shoulder for a moment as a whiff of her beautiful smell reached his nose. However, he quickly shook those thoughts away and focused on the task.


    "Hmm, if we go from there, we will only face a few dozen monsters at most," Talon said as he rubbed his chin.


    "Yeah, it''s particrly here that I think we could find a good number of weak Dimension Walkers that the others could fight." She said.


    The two continued discussing the options they had before they eventually settled down on where to go exactly. After that, they returned back inside the gymnasium.


    "OK, everyone! Gather around!" Talon yelled as he jumped on top of the stage and looked at the students.


    The students nervously approached the stage and looked at Talon and Hyun-Jae.


    "It''s time." Talon dered loudly. "As we agreed yesterday, only a selected group of you will go today since we can''t individually teach each and every single one of you at once. Don''t worry, everyone will have their chance to go out and kill some monsters."


    Talon and Hyun-Jae weren''t reckless enough to lead a group of hundreds of students outside all at once. That would be a disaster if it failed. So, instead, they decided to take the groups they separated yesterday each one at once.


    The first group was the best one by far. They were all students with good physical capabilities so their growth speed was bound to be fast.


    When the students heard Talon''s words, they nodded quietly as they looked at each other.


    "Now, all the people we assigned to the first group, move to the entrance." Hyun-Jae finally spoke.


    Slowly, the group separated from the others and moved where Hyun-Jae wanted. Even when they knew they were the best amongst the student body for this task, they were anxious.


    Talon and Hyun-Jae ignored that and continued with the n as if everything was fine. Opening the door again, they walked outside.


    Hesitantly, the others slowly moved outside. Since their number barely reached 50, it wasn''t a very long process. When the duo was sure that everyone was outside.


    "Let''s start moving."


    Like that, the group started slowly walking away from the gymnasium. Not even 30 secondster, they were met with their first enemy. A lonesome Dimension Walker found its way to the group.


    Immediately, everyone backed away, terrified by the monster. Meanwhile, Talon and Hyun-Jae stood in their ces as they stared at.


    "Hmm, it seems weak enough," Talon said casually.


    "Yeah, it''s a perfect first target." Hyun-Jae nodded her head.


    The students were surprised to see them acting that casually when there was a monster rushing toward them.


    "Hey, you." Then, Talon turned around and called for a random student amongst the mines.


    "M-Me?!" The students pointed at themselves nervously.


    "Yeah, you. What''s your name?"


    "H-Hwang Bong, sir!"


    "Good, Hwang Bong, you''re going to kill that thing using the metal bar in your hand."


    "W-What?!!" Hwang Bong and everyone around him were taken aback. "But, I don''t know how to fight, sir!"


    "Juste here," Talon said as he pointed at his position. "You will kill it."


    Hwang Bong looked around him hesitantly before he sighed and stepped forward. He had no other choice but toply.


    When he reached Talon, he found himself facing the monster and his fear kicked in. However, Talon grabbed his shoulder and stopped him from retreating.


    "See that thing. It''s weak. You''re stronger, faster, and smarter than it. Now tell me, how could that clearly inferior thing kill you? The only way it can kill you is if you let it kill you." He said as he pointed at the monster with his spear.


    "..."


    When the monster reached them, Talon simply stopped it in its tracks with the handle of his weapon effortlessly.


    "See? It''s easy enough. Now, give it a good hit to the head." Talon said as he held the monster in its ce.


    Hwang Bong stared at the Dimension Walker nervously. He was terrified, but, when he saw how easily Talon handled it, he felt a surge of courage rush through his body. It did seem weak in his eyes too.


    ''Come on! I can do it!''


    Steeling his will, Hwang Bong grabbed the steel bar with both hands before he yelled at the top of his lungs and swung it.


    *BANG*


    The weapon hit the monster right in the head, making it fall.


    "Come on, finish it off," Talon said as he stepped aside. "You need to knock that core out of its head to kill it."


    Hwang Bong nodded his head and approached the monster. Then, he swung the bar down, hitting the monster''s core precisely. When that happened, the core was knocked out of the monster''s head.


    "Hah¡­ Hah¡­ Hah¡­" Hwang Bong Heaved up and down as the rush of excitement filled his body. What was that feeling? For a second there, Hwang Bong felt invincible.


    Then, notifications started appearing in front of his retina one after the other, taking him aback.


    "Wha¡­"


    Talon noticed that and smiled. He tapped him on the shoulder.


    "Congrattions on your first kill. You were great there." He said.


    "T-Thank you¡­" Hwang Bong replied in a daze.


    "How was it?"


    "It was amazing!!"


    "Haha, it was, wasn''t it?"


    Then, Talon turned around to everyone and spoke. "See? Did that look hard? Of course not! Your friend Hwang Bong was able to do it and so do all of you. Your first step might be terrifying, but once you take it, everything opens wide to you."


    Talon''s words sent chills down the students'' spines. They had seen with their own eyes what happened and that was more than enough topletely change their thoughts. They were scared and yet they were now far more excited and eager to do it than before.


    "Who wants to go next?"


    When Talon asked that, immediately, hands started rising in the air with little to no hesitance.


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 47: Chapter 47- Strongest Enemy So Far

    Hyun-Jae watched from the side as the students lifted their hands one after the other. The fear she saw in their eyes was diminishing quickly, reced by a strong resolve to do what they needed to do.


    All of that happened in less than a minute by Talon. He didn''t give grandiose speeches or anything of that sort. Instead, he simply gave the students a real-life example of how easy it could be.


    Seeing a fellow student achieving what they thought was a far-fetched goal was the best motivation they could ever have.


    "That''s the spirit, boys. Let''s get these bastards back for what they did." Talon smiled as he dered confidently.


    "AAAAH!!" Everyone cheered loudly.


    Then, he turned to Hyun-Jae and said. "This should be enough."


    The girl blinked in surprise before she nodded her head. At this point, her amazement at how capable herpanion is is now rooted in her thoughts. This man was impable in everything he did.


    He did what she thought could be impossible and did it so confidently as if nothing could stop him. That kind of lifestyle, as reckless as it could be, was so attractive in her eyes.


    She wanted to be carefree and ready to face the world with a smile. She wanted the vast world and beyond to be her limit.


    The world that she assumed was a cage of responsibilities and expectations was finally opening itself for her to let her free. All because of him.


    Closing her eyes, Hyun-Jae smiled to herself before she finally put all those thoughts to the side and focused on the matter at hand. She can have her time thinking about these feelings when everything is done.


    "Ok, everyone, let''s move." She pped her hand to catch their attention.


    With that, the training officially began. The group moved around the gymnasium''s area searching for weak Dimension Walkers. There were a huge number of them so it wasn''t that hard to find.


    Then, Talon and Hyun-Jae would choose random students who would step up to kill those monsters. Since they needed to be careful, one at a time was the best choice they had.


    Fortunately, this n worked amazingly well. Students were able to kill Dimension Walkers on their own. One by one, they were able to get their first bonus stats and their first level. The feeling was so amazing that most of them found themselves eager for more.


    A few hours passed at that rate and the entire area around the gymnasium waspletely wiped out of Dimension Walkers. Granted, some of the stronger Dimension Walkers had to be dealt with by Talon and Hyun-Jae but the rest was all done by the students.


    Another good thing was the dropped cores they found after killing tens of Dimension Walkers. Weapons, skills, and even some potions. A good number of the students were able to get their hands on one of these things. Naturally, that made them even more excited.


    Meanwhile, Talon and Hyun-Jae were noting down everything. From the items that were dropped to the particr individuals that stood out amongst the group.


    Every piece of information they could get their hands on was noted down.


    ***


    *Swish*


    A steel bar fell on the head of a Dimension Walker, killing it instantly.


    "Hah¡­ Hah¡­ Hah¡­" The girl exhaled a long breath as she looked at the monster before looking at the notifications that appeared for her.


    "Good job," Talon said as he looked around him. "And that seems like thest monster here." He murmured.


    ''We cleared the first area faster than I thought and we got our hands on some pretty useful things. Mission aplished for now.'' He thought to himself.


    "Every student is now level 2 or 3. They grew stronger." Acrypha said as she looked at the students while floating around Talon.


    "Yeah, I''m proud of what they did."


    Noticing Hyun-Jae approaching him, Talon nodded his head. "OK, everyone, I think this is a good time to take a break. We will continue in an hour or so."


    When Talon said that, the students finally exhaled a long breath and started falling to the ground extremely tired.


    Talon could hear some students'' stomachs groaning from hunger. Even if they performed well today, their energy was getting depleted faster than before. Talon knew that they couldn''t hold on for that much longer.


    "This is problematic," Hyun-Jae murmured with a frown.


    Talon didn''t speak and instead looked in the direction of the cafeteria. It was barely visible from where he was standing. Squinting his eyes, he turned to Hyun-Jae and said.


    "Can I get a bag, a big one preferably." He said.


    "What do you want with a bag?" Hyun-Jae asked, feeling a bad omen about it.


    "A quick trip to the cafeteria. I will get as much food as I can and bring it back. It won''t be much but it should sustain the students till we clear a path to the cafeteria and take control of it." He said.


    "What?! No, that''s too dangerous. We don''t know what monsters are lurking around the cafeteria or inside it."


    "We need food or these students won''t be able to handle another arduous day of fighting monsters. I will be fine." Talon shook his head.


    "..." Hyun-Jae could only sigh at his stubborn nature. "If you''re going, then I''m going too. I can''t let you fight alone."


    "No, we need to continue with the n. The area beyond that building should be cleared by today if we want to make any progress." The young man retorted.


    "..."


    "I will be fine, trust me. I''m fast and all I''m going to do is get some food ande back. It will take at most an hour in the worst scenario."


    "... Sigh, fine, you can do that." Hyun-Jae facepalmed as she exhaled a long breath.


    "Hehe, thank you, Hyun-Jae. You''re a good partner." Talon said as he tapped her on the shoulder.


    "..." The girl stared at him silently stared at him with aplicated expression.


    After that, she gave him one of the bags she brought with her to collect monster cores. Talon strapped the bag to his back before he turned to look at Hyun-Jae.


    "Don''t die, ok? And don''t recklessly fight anything stronger than you. Escaping should always be your priority." Hyun-Jae said. Although her tone was joking, Talon felt the underlying worry behind it and could only smile at her.


    "I''m not going to die. It''s too early for that." Talon replied.


    The girl nodded her head before she turned around to take care of the rest of the students.


    Seeing that, Talon also turned around and dashed forward, rushing toward the cafeteria as fast as he could. His 36 points in agility made him appear slightly blurry for the normal eye.


    In a few seconds, he crossed a hundred meters.


    "Look at you go." Acrypha floated around him casually. She was effortlessly following him as if it was the easiest thing ever.


    "Tsk, isn''t it a little bit too unfair that you can fly around and I can''t?" Talon asked with a smile.


    "When you grow strong enough, you will also be able to fly."


    "Fine¡­"


    As he ran, Talon noticed three Dimension Walkers in front of him. So, brandishing his spear, he swiftly sliced through them with ease, decapitating their heads.


    "Damn! That felt like I was cutting through thin air. The spear''s strength is amazing!" Looking at his far superior weapon, Talon eximed.


    The de was now far sharper and the spear felt a lot faster and more precise. These details weren''t mentioned in the description of the spear but could be felt in realbat.


    "The system won''t tell you everything. Some stuff requires on-hand experience to feel." Acrypha said.


    "Oh, so that''s why. It makes sense."


    With that, Talon turned around and continued his trip toward the cafeteria. The gymnasium disappeared from his vision a minute or soter.


    What faced him were deste roads, as quiet as they could be except for the asional gushes of cold wind that moved around them. These streets were riddled with monsters instead.


    Evolved ones could be seen here and there too. When they noticed Talon, they came rushing toward him.


    Thetter didn''t even flinch as he took a fighting stance, facing them confidently.


    Not even half a minuteter, Talon was staring at their bloody remains. It didn''t even take him that long to kill 7 of them.


    "Damn, the boost I got from the spear''s level-up is showing its effect."


    Talon''s strength was now 35 points. For someone of his level, that was unheard of. Even Acrypha could only suck in a deep breath just reading through his stats.


    "Nice, I also got some energy cores, and oh! A skill core! I wonder what I go-" As Talon stood there, inspecting what he got, his evolved senses suddenly picked on somethinging from behind him as his body instinctively moved.


    Ducking down, Talon barely avoided the sharp ws that sliced through the air, almost cutting his head off. Quickly, he jumped back andnded on his feet.


    *GRRRRR*


    Staring at the monster that tried to ambush him, Talon''s face turned extremely serious. He didn''t even need to know anything about this monster to realize one single thing¡­ It was strong.


    Perhaps the strongest monster he hase across so far.


    *GRRRRRR*


    (A//N: I added PS and golden ticket goals. Once aplished, I will post extra chapters ?? Thanks for your support as always.)

 Chapter 48: Chapter 48- Level 15 Silver Bear

    Talon stared at the monster solemnly as he gripped his spear tighter than ever. Long gone his silly attitude as the enemy he was facing required his full focus and more.


    The monster was what seemed to be a very gigantic bear standing at at least 5 meters tall. It had the full appearance of a bear except for its silver, spiky fur that seemed extremely sharp and pointy.


    Its ws were long and terrifying and its fangs were protruding out of its mouth menacingly. With the two sharp red eyes it had, the monster stared at Talon angrily as it growled, clearly ready to attack.


    Without uttering a single word, Talon started slowly moving the side as he watched the bear''s movements. Even though he was sure that he was at a great disadvantage, he still kept his calm. So what if it was stronger than him? Talon had faced multiple stronger monsters before.


    ''This one is really nasty inparison, though.'' He frowned as he clicked his tongue.


    "What''s its level, Acrypha?" He asked quietly not to alert the monster that was also seemingly assessing its human target. It wasn''t as dumb as the other monsters clearly.


    "Level 15 Silver Bear. They''remon in many Dimensions and live in cold weather generally."


    "Level 15¡­" Talon sucked in a deep breath when he heard the number. An entire 5 levels of difference between them. Never did he fight any creature this far ahead of him in terms of strength.


    ''I can''t run either since this bastard got me in a corner.'' He thought to himself as he looked at his position.


    "Be careful, Talon. Its ws can easily slice you into two pieces." Acrypha warned him as she moved away so that she wouldn''t hinder him.


    *GRRRRR*


    Seeing that the human was nning something, the monster growled loudly as its anger peaked before it suddenly rushed toward him at top speed. Talon was taken aback by the monster''s speed.


    With no other choice, Talon rushed towards it too as he moved his spear to the side. When the two got close, Talon jumped in the air as he thrust forward, aiming for the monster''s head.


    *GRRAAAA*


    The bear made a loud screech as it swung its left arm aiming toward Talon''s spear. The two shed violently in the air.


    *Bang*


    Talon''s body was thrown back the moment it made contact with the paws. Rolling on the ground, he adjusted his position, stopping on his feet.


    "As I thought, it would totally crush me in a strength contest," Talon murmured as he spat out a mouthful of saliva.


    *GRRRRR*


    The bear moved to the side as it rushed toward him again before it shed down with its paw. Talon quickly jumped to the side, avoiding a crushing hit that cracked the ground where itnded.


    Then, the young man rushed to the side before he dived in, shing with his spear where he thought the monster would be vulnerable.


    The spear''s de sliced through the air at top speed, cutting the monster''s side.


    *GRRRRRRRR!!!*


    Blood splurted out of the injury as the monster groaned and turned around frantically, pping its paws toward Talon.


    ''Shit! That barely glossed over its skin!'' He clicked his tongue as he found himself in a position where he couldn''t dodge. His only choice was to use his strength to divert the attack away.


    *BANG*


    The moment the pawnded on the spear, Talon''s feet sank into the ground and his eyes widened. Clenching his teeth tightly, Talon tried to push the paw away.


    ''So¡­ Hnng, strong!!!''


    At that moment, Talon felt like he was being crushed by a huge truck with no way of escaping. His muscles flexed to the extreme and his veins bulged, almost popping off.


    "Haaah!!" Using whatever energy he had left in his arms, Talon moved the paw to the side, making it fall.


    At the same time, the bear growled and pped Talon with the other paw.


    ''What?!'' Talon realized the disaster he was in and tried to quickly salvage the situation.


    [Ding!]


    [You have activated the skill ''Dimension Harvester: Spearmanship''.]


    *BANG*


    The hit connected, sending Talon flying as he smashed against the wall and fell to the ground.


    *GRRRRRRRRR*


    The bear growled as if it was celebrating its triumph over this human. It stood on its hind legs.


    "Aaaah, fuck, that hurts!"


    *CRACK*


    The bear looked at Talon slowly standing up as he cracked his bones with a hint of surprise. It didn''t expect that human to stand up after that attack. After all, it was a direct hit or so it thought.


    "Ptuh¡­ That was close¡­" Laughing with a pale look, Talon tried to ignore the pain he was feeling on his back. The moment he activated Spearmanship, he immediately changed his grip on the spear skilfully before he deflected the hit at thest second, reducing its strength greatly.


    ''Still¡­ That almost broke my bones.'' He thought to himself as he touched his side as he squinted. Luckily, he didn''t break any bone, but his body was certainly injured.


    "Are you ok?"


    "Yeah, I''m fine. Ugh, just a little painful." He murmured as he brandished his spear. "Now, I''m fucking pissed."


    *GRRRRRRRRR*


    The bear growled as it stared at Talon.


    "Oh man, you''re so screwed. I''m about to turn your stupid fur into a carpet." He said as he dashed forward.


    The monster didn''t hesitate and rushed at him too. When Talon got close, he leaped in the air again. However, he didn''t go in for a close hit and instead changed the grip on his spear again.


    The monster didn''t hesitate and lunged at Talon too. It noticed how he was injured and was simply one hit away from his death. It expected the human to try the same attack. However, it was shocked when it realized what Talon was nning.


    Pulling his shoulder back, Talon extended his arm as much as he could. Then, at thest moment, heunched himself forward, sending the spear flying in the air at top speed.


    By the time the bear realized what Talon did, it was already far toote. The weapon flew in the air, reaching the monster in a split second before it pierced its eye, destroying itpletely. A fountain of blood exploded out of that ce followed by a terrifying shriek of pain.


    The bear fell on the ground rolling around as it frantically moved its arms around trying to get the spear out. Its beautiful silver fur waspletely tarnished with its own blood.


    Seeing that, Talon took the opportunity and rushed toward the monster as fast as he could. When he reached it, he grabbed the spear and pulled it out before he quickly plunged it into the second eye, destroying it too.


    The bear howled again with even more intensity as it tossed and turned quickly. Its movement was so fast and unpredictable that Talon couldn''t even predict what it would do next.


    "Finish it off!" Acrypha yelled.


    "I know!!"


    Having no other choice, Talon rushed after the bear and thrust forward, piercing its neck from the side. Because of his spearmanship skill, Talon was able to skilfully aim the hit at one of the bear''s arteries, severing itpletely.


    At that moment, the monster turned to the side and blindly pped with its paws.


    *bang*


    "AGH!!" The hit connected with Talon''s side and sent him rolling on the ground. At the same time, the monster continued its blind rampage.


    Blood was gushing out of the four injuries on its body endlessly. Time passed slowly as the monster''s strength waned and its movements grew slower and more sluggish.


    Eventually, it sumbed to its injuries and fell to the ground motionless. It died.


    "Talon¡­ Talon!!" Acrypha flew toward the young man lying on the ground with a worried look on her face.


    "I''m¡­ alive¡­ Somehow¡­" He murmured as he groaned in pain.


    The palm attack luckily didn''t include the ws since the monster was blinded and unable to see where its target was so the hit was also considerably weaker.


    [Ding!]


    [You have killed level 15 Silver Bear. +10 Strength, +10 Agility, +10 Stamina, +10 Health, +10 Aetheris.]


    [Ding!]


    [You have leveled up. +2 Free Points.]


    [Ding!]


    [You have leveled up. +2 Free Points.]


    [Ding!]


    [You have leveled up. +2 Free Points.]


    "What?!"


    The notifications that popped in front of Talon took him by surprise. This was the biggest boost Talon had gotten so far.


    "+10 in all stats¡­ Holy shit¡­ Ouch!" He groaned as he grabbed his side.


    The surge of energy he felt at that momenting from all these additional points was ridiculous. He felt as if he had undergone an entire evolution process in a matter of seconds. Even in his injured state, he felt his body growing unbelievably stronger.


    Acrypha noticed that power happening in real time.


    "To kill a level 15 monster as a level 10 human¡­ I have never seen anything like that before. The Core Dimension had witnessed something unheard of. No wonder it rewarded you graciously¡­" She said in aplicated tone.


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 49: Chapter 49- The Cafeteria

    "What?" Talon slowly rose from the ground. Each bone he moved hurt a lot. But, that pain was slowly decreasing at a noticeable pace. Now that his health is 35 points, his recovery speed was far and beyond anything he ever felt.


    Talon wouldn''t be surprised if he made a full recovery in a mere few days at this rate he was going.


    "Was it supposed to be impossible to fight that bear?" He asked as he looked at Acrypha.


    "Of course. It''s 5 levels ahead of you in strength. Never forget that the higher in levels you go, the bigger the difference between each level bes. the difference between a level 10 and a level 15 is bigger than the difference between a level 1 and a level 10." Acrypha exined.


    "That big?!" Talon blurted out.


    Even though the fight was very hard, it was nowhere near being impossible for him. Yet, it somehow was a ridiculous one.


    "Your stats are abnormally high for someone of your level. Coupled with your skills, and this is the result. You can fight monsters levels above you with rtive ease." She said. "Now with this kill, it''s safe to say that the gap will only grow bigger."


    Acrypha seriously didn''t know what to say at that moment. She had nevere across such a thing before. Granted, the greatest geniuses of all time were able to kill enemies a level or two ahead of them once or twice in their lives.


    However, Talon not only did that three times in the span of 4 days, he did it mostly alone. Because of that, the rewards he received were extremely good, boosting his powers into the sky.


    ''Is this perhaps the best early stage one could have?'' She thought to herself as she stared at her humanpanion with aplicated gaze.


    So far, Talon has done everything so outstandingly well that she really couldn''t think of anything he could''ve done better.


    "Hmm?"


    As he was like that, Talon noticed a shiny object lying next to the dead monster.Approaching it, he picked up the shiny orb and was surprised to see that it wasn''t an energy orb but instead a skill orb.


    "Another skill orb? Now I have two somehow." He murmured to himself.


    Getting one skill orb has been a pain in the ass for Talon, now he somehow got two back-to-back.


    ''Lady luck is on my side today.'' He thought to himself with a wry smile.


    "Crush them and let''s see what you got."


    "Ok¡­"


    Pulling out the first skill orb he got from one of the first evolved monsters he killed. He crushed it with a simple squeeze.


    [Ding!]


    [You have learned the passive skill ''Regeneration''.]


    [Regeneration (Level max): Your health stats increase by 10. Your pain tolerance increases.


    w: You lost 2 Agility points.]


    "Oh, that''s pretty nice. Free bonus points I guess. Though it took 2 points away from my agility. I guess it''s a good investment." He shrugged.


    In a world as dangerous as this one, having a body that heals extremely fast was akin to getting multiple lives. Even after a deadly battle, Talon wouldn''t take extremely long to heal.


    "But, isn''t it weird that it''s already maxed out as a skill?" He asked Acrypha.


    "Some skills can''t be leveled up. This one is one of them and they''re called ''Constant Skills''. Most of them are weak or give a fixed bonus status like this one here."


    "I see. Ok, let''s open the second one."


    The one that dropped from the Silver Bear was far brighter than the first one and looked really high-quality. Talon was excited to see what it would give him.


    ''I feel like this is going to be an amazing skill.''


    *Crack*


    [Ding!]


    [You have gained the active skill ''Tear Of Reality''.]


    [Tear Of Reality (Level 1): The Dimensions are merely a thin fabric away from each other. Yet, none can tear that fabric and get through. Using this skill, you can tear open that fabric momentarily, causing devastating destruction.


    w: The bigger the tear, the higher the chance you sustain internal damage. Reduces as the skill levels up.]


    Talon: "..."


    Acrypha: "..."


    Reading the description of the skill, neither of them spoke for a good 30 seconds.


    "A skill that can tear the fabric of reality¡­" Acrypha murmured in a daze. Forget about whether this skill existed before or not, Acrypha had never thought that the Core Dimension would ever even entertain the thought of giving someone the ability to touch into Dimensions.


    Yet, Talon has a ss and two skills rted to that. Three things, each one more mysterious than the other.


    "Talon." In the end, Acrypha finally turned to look at him. "Who¡­ are you?" She asked in a confused, lost tone.


    Talon: "..."


    Ironically, Talon found himself unable to answer that question. At first, he might''ve said that he was an average human being. But, this was far from being average. It was rmingly abnormal.


    Something was off, very off and he was now even more anxious about it than ever before. Talon was dly ready to get stronger, but he realized that he was getting stronger extremely quickly and everything about him was evolving quickly too.


    He didn''t know how to feel at that moment. After all, things were getting out of hand at a very rapid pace.


    ''What am I turning into?'' He asked himself with a frown.


    If Talon continued at this rate, was he going to still be a human by the end of it? He doubted that greatly. Even at this point, the only thing human about him was his appearance. The rest had evolved far beyond what any human should be capable of.


    Closing the notifications slowly, Talon looked ahead of him silently.


    "Let''s continue." He said in a mysterious tone.


    "Wai¡­" Acrypha wanted to stop Talon but he simply continued walking in silence.


    Looking at his back, she could only feel how lost Talon was. Perhaps many would think that one would be extremely happy to see themselves receiving all of this, yet, they never realize that a change too quick could be as bad as never changing at all.


    Talon was merely a normal college student trying to make ends meet a few days ago. Now, he was being told that he was perhaps the most unique creature in existence and had to act like one too. The pressure that was left on his shoulders would never be understood by anyone. Not even Acrypha.


    At that moment, Acrypha was clueless as to what to do. This was the mental battle one had to take in order to evolve. What differentiates extremely powerful individuals from weaker ones isn''t talent but mentality.


    How many weaklings grew to be bright stars simply because of their will? Too many to count. The same goes for extremely talented individuals who end up falling into mediocrity because they couldn''t evolve their mental strength along with their bodies.


    ''If Talon doesn''t ovee this¡­ He won''t go on for long.'' She thought to herself with a deep frown.


    However, Acrypha wasn''t intending to leave him alone either. As the wiser and more knowledgeable one of the two, she had to guide Talon herself and show him what to do.


    ''I will never let you fall¡­ No matter what it takes.''


    ***


    The duo then continued their trip to the cafeteria in silence. Talon''s face was looking a little down the whole time. Whenever a monster crossed his path, he would swiftly kill them with a single hit.


    Across 10 minutes of walking, he killed a dozen or so more monsters. One of them was surprisingly a level 10 giant ck mantis with four arms. He was able to kill it with a single move using his terrifying speed and strength.


    Slowly, Talon cleared a path toward his destination with ease. However, he didn''t show a single reaction to any of that at all. His mind was too upied with other thoughts to bother about it.


    By the time he reached the cafeteria, he was able to sneak into the building without a hitch. The cafeteria was a particrly huge structure with multiple floors for 30 thousand students to eat every day.


    The food inside that ce was more than enough to sustain the students for a month or so easily.


    Climbing over the wall, Talon jumped inside and made his way toward the door.


    "It''s really quiet in here." He murmured calmly as he checked the windows. He couldn''t see anyone inside.


    Naturally, the entrance was locked. So, Talon backed away and kicked it with his leg, sending the double doors flying back a few meters. 45 points in strength were no joke, this door was akin to fragile biscuits when met with that destructive prowess.


    Walking inside, Talon was met with apletely dark, ruined ce that was barely holding on from copsing after everything that happened. So, he turned on his shlight and started walking through the corridor, heading straight toward the vault where food should be.


    The ce was eerily quiet even when there were clearly some monsters inside. Talon could feel their presence here and there. However, they didn''t seem to notice him yet so he took that opportunity to simply go straight to his goal.


    Eventually, he ended up in the main area of the cafeteria where students sit every day to eat food. There, he was met with the sight of a few blood corpses riddling the ce. The young man could also see decapitated limbs and human bones here and there. On each corpse was a group of monsters, feasting on it wildly.


    The sound of their mouths biting into flesh filled the ce and made Talon frown. Looking around him silently, he searched for the door to the vault.


    The monsters eventually noticed his presence and when they did, they turned away from their meals and focused on him.


    "Hm?" Talon was intending to ignore them at first.


    Until he realized something that made himpletely forget about the vault. A small detail that he forgot about and wished he didn''t.


    (A//N: I added PS and golden ticket goals. Once aplished, I will post extra chapters ?? Thanks for your support as always.)

 Chapter 50: Chapter 50- Parasite

    On each one of the monsters inside the cafeteria, a creepy, humane smile could be seen as clear as day. Their faces were twisted beyond recognition and the blood covering those smiles made them even more nightmarishly scary.


    With everything that happened, Talon forgot about that smiling monster mystery. Even though it was clearly a very rming detail. Now that he saw them, he realized something important.


    There still was a terrifying monster lurking on the campus with the ability to turn other monsters'' faces into smiles and perhaps even control them.


    Staring around him with a dark expression, Talon pulled his spear out at the same time as the monsters rushed toward him.


    *Swish* *Swish* *Swish*


    Using his swift moves, Talon sliced through all of them precisely in one continuous motion. At this point, his mastery over the spear was on the professional level. It was close to bing simply an extension of his own arm.


    Exhaling a small breath, he stared down at one of the decapitated giant cats. Then, he crouched down and looked closely at its smile. The more he looked at it, the more terrifying it seemed.


    "So vile¡­" He murmured coldly.


    As he was about to turn away from the head, he suddenly noticed something. Quickly, he looked back at the monster''s eyes as he squinted. There, he could see something squirming around inside its eye. Something that looked like a worm or a parasite of some sort.


    At first, it was barely visible which is why Talon couldn''t notice it. But, it slowly grew bigger and bigger inside its eye. Eventually, the thing pierced through the monster''s eye and came out squirming wildly.


    "Woah¡­" Talon retreated as he looked at the worm with disgust. The creature was translucent in color with a long thin body and a pair of mandibles that closed and opened frantically.


    The monster slowly made its way out of the eye as blood leaked out before it fell to the ground moving left and right.


    It looked like it was searching for something in a hurry. However, as seconds passed, its movements started slowing down till it finally stoppedpletely and the monster seemingly died.


    "..." Talon stared at it for a while before he turned around him. From each and every monster he killed, a simr worm came out and fell on the ground before dying.


    "Are these¡­ Parasites?" He asked Acrypha.


    "It seems so. Now the weird smiles make some sense. This monster controls the brains of its targets through these small parasites and alters their appearance." Acrypha nodded her head.


    "Why would it do that? How does controlling creatures help it thrive?"


    "How does a parasite thrive?" Acrypha asked back, hinting at the answer.


    It didn''t take Talon a second before he finally realized what she meant. "It eats away its target''s brain."


    "Exactly. This monster uses its parasites to consume its targets from the inside out. Slowly, and painfully."


    Just hearing that, Talon shuddered. Knowing that something inside your head was slowly eating you away while you were slowly degrading into a terrifying abomination, was a nightmare.


    "Wait, if that''s the case. Then, how strong could this parasite be?"


    "... Depends on how many targets it sessfully consumed. Tens, hundreds, perhaps even thousands of targets. It could be something very high-levelled." The otherworldly beauty murmured as she looked at the worm.


    ''High leveled¡­ It could be tens of levels stronger than me.'' He thought to himself as he looked around him.


    Suddenly, he started feeling restless inside the quiet cafeteria. Theck of sounds made his senses even more alert to anything around him.


    "Is this some kind of horror movie?" He murmured as he started picking up the energy cores around the ce.


    When he finished packing them, he decided to start moving toward the vault again. However, he made sure to be extra careful this time since there potentially could be a monster capable of wiping him out of existence hiding somewhere in here.


    The echo of Talon''s steps reverberated across the hall as he walked to the other side. His shlight was moving around continuously searching for any abnormalities. Eventually, he reached a double door.


    Walking inside, he found himself inside the main kitchen of the cafeteria.


    "Ugh, a foul smell." Closing his nose, Talon started looking around the ce. After 4 days, much of the food inside the kitchen was spoiled.


    The ones that didn''t spoil were inside the fridges. Fortunately, the cold temperature of the fridges retained the food long enough for Talon to get it.


    So, Talon quickly started packing the frozen food in the bag as fast as he could while looking around him every now and then.


    A whileter, his bag was finally full to the brim. So, he picked it up over his shoulder with ease. Even though it weighed around 250 pounds at least, Talon felt like he was carrying an empty bag.


    "Ok, let''s leave." He said as he started walking back to the gate. As he was about to exit the door, Talon suddenly heard a noiseing from the other side of the kitchen.


    "Hm?"


    Halting in his steps, he looked back as he held his breath not to alert whatever was lurking there.


    Looking at Acrypha, he nodded his head before he slowly put down the bag and started moving slowly deeper into the kitchen, trying not to alert the monster.


    He could hear small growlsing from it as it was seemingly eating something. When he reached the end of the first row, Talon crouched and started moving on all fours before he peeked secretly.


    There, a few meters away from him, a monster was eating the remains of a dead human. When he saw its appearance, he held his breath. Even in the darkness, Talon could see its hideous appearance as clear as day.


    The monster was very simr to a human in shape yet skinless with its muscles protruding out. It was on all fours with sharp ws at the end of each finger. Its mouth was extremely wide forming a disgusting smile with a long tongue protruding out. However, by far, its most eye-catching feature was its big, wide, dead eyes that seemed to shine in the darkness.


    Quickly turning back, Talon stared at Acrypha with wide eyes as he opened and closed his mouth silently, saying quiet words.


    "What the hell is that?" Talon asked.


    "Foreseeing licker. It''s a creature simr to humans in appearance and known for being very fast and lethal in its attacks. It can''t hear, but itpensates for that with its extremely sharp eyes." She exined in a normal voice.


    "Oh, so it can''t hear me?" He murmured as he peeked again at the abomination.


    "It can''t hear anything. Don''t worry, as long as it can''t see you, it won''t hear you."


    "What''s its level?"


    "That one is rather weak¡­ It''s level 18."


    "18 is weak?!" Talon blurted out as he almost choked on his own saliva.


    "Foreseeing Lickers at their peak can reach level 60 or even higher."


    Rubbing the back of his head, Talon looked at the monster again as he contemted what to do next. He had two obvious choices, either to fight it or to simply escape and leave it on its own.


    ''But, a level 18 monster¡­ The rewards will be really generous.'' He thought to himself as he sucked in a deep breath.


    Talon wanted to feel that same sensation of power he felt when he killed the Silver Bear. The rush of excitement it gave him was simply too good to resist. Not to mention the fact that Talon needed every single status point he coulde across.


    "I grew way stronger than before after killing the Silver Bear. I think I can fight it." He decided as he looked at Acrypha.


    Thetter stared at him silently for a moment. She could clearly see the mixed emotions in his eyes at that moment. However, it was clear that Talon was determined to fight this monster and kill it.


    Acrypha''s beautiful eyes shone for a second as she closed them and murmured. "Suit yourself. But, know that this is going to be a brutal fight if you don''t kill it in one single move. Your life will be in far more danger than anything you experienced so far."


    Talon gave her a long look before he nodded his head. "Ok¡­ Ok¡­" Picking up his spear, He slowly started crawling from his hiding spot. Since he knew that it was deaf, he wasn''t too worried about making noise. What he was worried about was making anything move too much to grab its attention.


    If its eyes are as good as Acrypha said then Talon needed to stay in its blind zone perfectly the whole time. Luckily, it was very upied with the food it was eating.


    ''One step at a time.'' Talon''s entire focus was put into choosing each step he took carefully. He made sure to keep the monster''s blind zone in mind.


    ''Yeah, just stay in your ce and don''t move. Only one meter left.'' He thought to himself as he carefully maneuvered his way to his target.


    From up close the horrible smell that the monster exuded almost made him cough. It was by far the worst thing that Talon ever smelled in his life. Like rotten, burnt corpses left to rot outside for ages.


    (A//N: I added PS and golden ticket goals. Once aplished, I will post extra chapters ?? Thanks for your support as always.)

 Chapter 51: Chapter 51- Level 18 Foreseeing Licker

    Inch by inch, Talon grew so close to the monster that he could hear its ragged breathing and its constant weird sounds as it moved its tongue around trying to lick and peel the skin off its prey.


    The more it ate, the messier the area became with blood and flesh. It took Talon an impressive effort to not throw up right there and then at the gruesome sight he was witnessing.


    Sweat trickled down his face as he finally reached the striking zone of the monster. Taking a deep breath, Talon slowly sat on his knees so that he could free his hand then picked up his spear.


    This entire time, the monster didn''t realize his presence at all. Perhaps its meal was too delicious for it to care about its surroundings or maybe it was Talon''s astonishing stealth skills that did the job, either way, he was d.


    ''Hello and bye-bye, fucker.'' He thought as he viciously thrust the spear down, aiming for the monster''s head since it looked like its weak point.


    The spear sliced through the air at top speed as it reached its target in a split second. Talon was certain that it was going to hit the target perfectly. However, merely millimeters before the spear pierces the monster''s skull, the creature''s eyes finally look away from the corpse.


    It didn''t even stare directly at the spear before its body suddenly moved and when it did, itpletely shattered Talon''s expectations.


    *Swish*


    The monster''s body swiftly dashed forward at a speed that almost appeared like a blur for Talon.


    *BANG*


    In the next split second, the spearnded, however, it didn''t hit the monster''s skull. Instead, it pierced its left side, cutting through its flesh. However, the spear''s de couldn''t cut any deeper into the monster before it squirmed its way out of that deadly situation.


    ''Shit!'' Talon frowned as he tried to salvage the situation and thrusted his spear forward, trying to hit it again. However, the monster had already escaped to the other side. ''Isn''t this a little bit too fast, Acrypha?!!''


    Looking at the creature that stood facing him right now on the other side of the room, Talon''s face grew colder. Even though it barely made any sounds at that moment, the rage he could see in its eyes was more than enough to convey what it was feeling at that moment.


    The ambush failed miserably and now Talon has to fight this thing face to face. Something he didn''t even know if he could do.


    A few seconds passed in silence before the Licker made a move, from its position it crawled toward Talon, swiftly crossing the distance between them almost instantly. Then, it lunged forward with its sharp ws forward. Even though this style of fighting was very simr to that of the Silver Bear, the speed this Licker hadpletely shattered theparison.


    Talon''s face paled slightly as he quickly moved too. Falling back, he grabbed the monster''s arms before he pushed his legs into its stomach and then threw it over his back with all the momentum he could muster.


    The Licker smashed against the countertop before itnded on its feet. Talon stood up too and looked down, there, he could see a rip in his already destroyed shirt. The monster''s ws had glossed over his skin when he threw it over his back. Luckily, it was nothing big.


    *Rip*


    "This shirt is basically useless now," Talon murmured as he ripped it apart and threw it to the side, showing his upper torso.


    ''I''m Bruce Lee now.'' He thought to himself as he grabbed his spear and took a fighting stance.


    "Come on."


    The Licker moved its tongue around as it stared at Talon without blinking. Then, it quickly dashed forward, jumping from one countertop to another.


    This time, Talon didn''t let it do what it wanted and rushed toward it, brandishing his spear. He wasn''t going to leave anything for chance.


    Talon''s focus heightened and his mind cleared up. When he got close, he sent a whirlwind of shes at the monster, trying to overwhelm it from the beginning.


    However, the Licker jumped high in the air, reaching the ceiling before it suddenly kicked its legs into it,unching it back down. Seeing that, Talon immediately tried to roll to the side.


    *BANG*


    He barely dodged the attack as hended on his feet, only for his eyes to be met with the sight of two ws about to hit his face.


    ''What?!'' With no moment to even take a breather, Talon immediately ducked. At the nick of time, the attack failed and simply glossed over his left cheek.


    However, the Licker didn''t stop there as the moment itnded, it turned around and jumped on Talon. It was so relentless in its pursuit that Talon found himself in apletely disadvantageous situation even with his status points.


    With no time to even think about his next move, Talon followed his senses as he focused on the presence of the Licker around him.


    *Swish*


    "Ugh." He cursed as he felt a stinging pain in his back. ''Why is it always my back?!''


    For the next minute or so, the Licker relentlessly rained down on Talon from all angles. Where itnded, it wouldunch back at him with even more speed and rhythm.


    In that short period of time, Talon sustained countless small cuts as he tried to dodge every attack. The situation was quickly getting worse with each second. The injuries kept umting while Talon was barely able to injure the monster once or twice.


    Acrypha watched the entire fight with a tense expression on her face. Talon was clearly unable to keep up with the Licker''s speed.


    ''He can''t hold on for longer.'' She thought to herself as she saw Talon''s exhausted expression.


    Acrypha wanted to help him and give him some suggestions on how to fight this monster. However, she realized quickly that it was a very bad idea. Even in his dire situation, Talon was stillpletely calm and focused. She noticed a subtle rhythm he was trying to create.


    When Acrypha understood what he was trying to do, her eyes widened. ''He''s learning its movement patterns.''


    It was very subtle, but she could see Talon starting to understand how the Licker moved. The injuries he was sustaining constantly were starting to reduce slowly.


    Meanwhile, Talon''s entire mind was now a calmke. His senses were heightened to their peak as they studied every move the Licker made. Whenever it attacked, Talon moved his body swiftly, dodging the attack as he quickly countered back with one of his own.


    The de made contact with the monster''s skin but never anything deeper. However, those small cuts seemed to affect the monster''s body as its movements started to be a little sluggish.


    [Ding!]


    [Your skill ''Enhanced Focus'' has leveled up.]


    When that happened, Talon''s senses experienced another breakthrough as he felt the world be clearer around him. That weird sixth sense feeling he got before heightened a little.


    *Swish*


    As the monster unknowingly jumped on Talon, thetter''s reaction speed suddenly increased and it took it byplete surprise. Using that opportunity, Talon thrust the spear into its abdomen.


    The de pierced the monster''s flesh and went deeper into its body. The Licker screeched as itnded on its back violently. Slowly, it stood up as blood leaked out of its body.


    "Hah¡­ Hah, that hit¡­ was good¡­" Wiping the blood on his face with the back of his hand, Talon smiled weakly as he stared directly at the Licker.


    He could notice the fear that was welling within its eyes. It seemed a little hesitant to attack again after what happened.


    "If you aren''t going to attack, then let me do the honor," Talon said as he tightened his grip on the spear and dashed toward the Licker and shed horizontally.


    Thetter jumped back avoiding the attack before it attacked Talon again. The two shed violently. The monster''s sharp ws and Talon''s spear hit each other again and again constantly.


    If the fight before was brutal, then what was happening now was in apletely different league. The two sides didn''t hold back anything. It was akin to a deadly brawl between two beasts.


    Talon waspletely focused on the hideous monster. He was still bleeding heavily as he constantly dodged certain death at thest moment. However, the rush of excitement he felt from all of that was undeniable.


    As twisted as it may sound, Talon found himself engrossed in this brawl like nothing before. He was in dire danger, but it was fun¡­ Ridiculously fun. Each move he made, each attack and counter attack, hell, each breath he took at that moment felt amazing.


    However, a fight of this level meant that if one side made a mistake, it was certainly over.


    At some point, Talon wanted to rush forward. However, he didn''t notice the pool of blood beneath him and stepped on it. Immediately, his gave slid forward, destroying his bncepletely as he started falling.


    Screeching, the Licker stood on the wall before itunched itself forward, taking that opportunity.


    Talon''s eyes widened slightly as he saw the uing attack. His heart beat louder in his ear and everything went quiet.


    His mind didn''t evenprehend the threat he was facing. Instead, at that moment, his instinct was the one that led his decision-making.


    He didn''t know how or why, but his instinct wanted him to do one thing and one thing only.


    [Ding!]


    [You have activated the skill ''Tear Of Reality''.]


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 52: Chapter 52- Tear of Reality

    The moment Talon activated the skill, his mind was jolted awake of its trance. He didn''t know why, but his body reacted instantly to that and moved ordingly to the information that manifested in his head.


    His right hand moved from its position, his fingers twisted as if he was trying to grab something invisible. With a simple motion, Talon shed down with his hand. Meanwhile, within the palm of his hand, a blue light formed out of nowhere, growing in size and intensity almost instantly.


    That light moved through his hand and to his fingers. When that happened, thingspletely went out of control. Talon''s fingers that were moving through thin air suddenly grabbed into something.


    However, there was nothing to be caught, at least, not in the normal sense. Instead, his fingers got stuck into the space in front of him. The image distorted slightly as Talon''s fingers ran through that thin, weird fabric. The more he pulled, the more stretched it became until it finally tore.


    No sound came from that motion at all. All that happened was that the fabric of reality opened, revealing a very dark ck interior akin to a ck hole in a sense.


    At the same time, the Foreseeing Licker''s ws were merely a millimeter away from Talon''s face when suddenly, an unknown, crushing force smashed into it like a trainwreck.


    *BANG*


    The floor shattered beneath the monster as it was sted away with great force as it smashed into the wall. The entire kitchen shook violently as if it was hit by an earthquake as the ceiling started cracking quickly.


    "Woah!!" Talon fell to the ground. At the same time, he felt a stinging pain in his chest. The pain increased quickly as it rose to his throat.


    "Blurgh!!" Turning to the side, the young man coughed a mouthful of blood. "Ugh! What the fuck?!" He heaved up and down as he quickly turned to look at the monster only to be shocked by the sight he witnessed.


    On his side of the kitchen, things were still looking rather normal. However, in the exact spot where Talon tore the fabric of reality open, things changedpletely. The floor waspletely cracked and bits and pieces of the ceiling fell to the ground. The tables were shattered and the fridges were broken beyond repair as if they were hit by a truck.


    On the other side, the Foreseeing Licker''s body was destroyed beyond repair. Its muscles were ruptured and its bones were turned into dust.


    The sheer contrast between the two sides of the same room shook Talon to the core. Such a destructive power was something he never expected to see.


    His eyes then slowly wandered to the tear itself. Never in his entire life did he think he would see thin air torn like a piece of fabric. The parts that he pulled were dangling down while the holes themselves were a very disturbing ck color.


    A secondter, the tear closed up quickly and things went back to normal as if nothing happened.


    Talon blinked in silence. He stared at his own doing with a speechless expression. After all, what words could describe what happened?


    Acrypha on the other hand, had a frown on her face. It was really true, Talon was capable of tearing open reality now and the result was as destructive as she thought. No, it was even worse than she expected.


    Looking away from the destruction, she spoke. "Are you ok?"


    "... Huh? Ah, yeah, I''m fine. The ws didn''t hit me." Talon said as he slowly stood up with a pained look. Other than his superficial injuries, Talon still felt the burning sensation inside him that was really unpleasant. However, other than that, he was fine for the most part.


    [Ding!]


    [You have killed Level level 18 Foreseeing Licker. +15 Agility, +15 Stamina, +8 Strength.]


    [Ding!]


    [You have leveled up 3 times. +6 free points.]


    The notifications of Talon''s kill finally appeared as he felt an intense amount of energy filling his body. His speed and stamina had increased by leaps and bounds, changing his body again to an even better state. Talon''s exhaustion washed away quickly and was reced by seemingly endless vigor.


    His muscles pulsed with even more strength and his veins seemingly expanded to supply even more blood to them. Even his damaged internal organs improved greatly too.


    Talon''s body was now in apletely different league from before and he could feel it in every part of him.


    Clenching his fist, aplicated expression appeared on Talon''s face for a second before he looked away from it.


    "So, that''s what happens when you tear open reality?" He asked Acrypha.


    "A tear in reality is something that only the Core Dimension can execute. But, yeah, the fabric keeps everything in order, if it gets damaged, the consequences will be dire. Hence why half of this room was sted away by that small opening."


    "Such a power¡­" The young man murmured.


    This was by far the strongest skill he had gotten so far. Its power was simply made to eradicate the enemypletely. But, its consequences are also not that light. The internal damage Talon sustained was no joke.


    ''If I used even more Aetheris into the skill, I''m sure I would''ve not been able to stand up now.'' He frowned.


    "I guess I won''t need to tell you that you must not overuse the skill especially this early on."


    "I know. I will keep it for when I need it the most. The w is too heavy for me to handle constantly." Talon replied as he gently touched his stomach. Even that small touch was painful.


    Then, he turned around and looked at the Foreseeing Licker. He could faintly see the orb inside of it. Finally, the thing he wanted most.


    Approaching the dead creature, Talon made sure that the parasite infesting its brain was dead on the ground next to it before he shoved his hand into its chest and pulled out the core.


    "Oh, it''s blue," Talon murmured as he inspected the orb. It had a very visible shiny blue hue around it which meant that this one was either a weapon or equipment of some sort.


    Without waiting, he crushed the orb and looked at what appeared in his arm. Surprisingly, it wasn''t a weapon as he expected and instead a brown jacket. It had a soft fabric that seemed really high-quality.


    "A jacket?" Talon raised an eyebrow as he inspected it. It didn''t look like something old from what he could see. In fact, it seemed like something that would be trending amongst teenagers in his world.


    [Elmerone Jacket (Umon Item): The most popr piece of cloth by Elmerone. It''s not only fashionable but has healing abilities. At level 1, it boosts your healing speed by 5%. It can level up to 25%. It has self-cleaning ability.


    Level: 1/5


    Bonus Points: +5 Health.]


    "Oh, an umon item. This is the first ever umon item I got." Talon raised an eyebrow. He liked the item''s description.


    Not only does it help his healing process but also gives him additional points in health. He also won''t need to worry about cleaning it from blood after each fight. So, without hesitation, he wore the jacket over his body.


    "How do I look?" Talon turned around as he gave Acrypha a look.


    "... It fits you nicely." The woman said.


    "Thanks. It also feels really warm to the touch. Perfect for this extremely cold weather." He murmured as he hugged his body.


    "Let''s leave." He finally turned around and walked toward the bag of food he left on the floor. Putting it over his shoulder, he opened the door and left the kitchen.


    Slowly, Talon made his way out of the cafeteria. For some reason, as he was walking, he started to feel all weird and sluggish.


    His steps were awfully slow and his body was slumped forward.


    Acrypha noticed that and asked. "Are you ok?"


    "Huh? Yeah¡­ I''m fine. Just a little tired." He said as he continued moving back to the gymnasium.


    ''Why does this bag feel heavier than before?'' He thought to himself. What Talon didn''t notice was that his face was as pale as a sheet of paper and he was sweating buckets. All of his muscles felt sore and painful which slowed him down greatly.


    "Are you really fine? You don''t look normal." Acrypha floated in front of him, stopping him in his tracks.


    "... I''m fine, Acrypha. It''s nothing." He said as he tried to pass her only to suddenly stumble on a rock and fall forward.


    The woman immediately flew toward him and stopped his fall at thest second. Talon''s whole body rested on hers as he found himself unable to move.


    "What''s going on¡­" He asked weakly as he tried to lift his hand.


    Acrypha calmly pulled him closer and touched his forehead. Her eyes squinted. "You have a horrible fever." She said.


    "Fever¡­? Why? I was fine a minute or two ago¡­"


    "Your body has been taxed with too much in a short period of time. Not only did you fight two strong enemies, but you also evolved at an extremely rapid pace. I''m surprised you didn''t lose consciousness immediately after all of that. Your body reacted to that through a very intense fever and weakness." She said as she gently lifted Talon up and carried him to a nearby wall where she put him down.


    Talon couldn''t even resist her as she ced him down. His condition deteriorated that quickly.


    ''He needs to rest to recover from this fever. I guess even he can''t avoid this kind of repercussion after leveling up.'' Acrypha frowned as she thought to herself. Almost all beings would go through such a phase after a while.


    Their bodies need to adjust to the continuous stream of power that enters them after each monster they kill. Talon''s fever was particrly intense because he killed two high-level monsters back-to-back.


    "Huh? I need¡­ to move¡­"


    "No, you need to rest." Acrypha shook her head.


    It was true that he needed rest. However, she didn''t forget where they were. All around them, monsters were lurking quietly, waiting for a moment to attack Talon and Acrypha had no way of protecting him at all.


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 53: Chapter 53- Choice

    Acrypha looked around her warily as she stood in front of Talon. Thetter was barely able to lift his eyes up to look at her. His face was nowpletely white and the sweat kept rolling down his face.


    "I really shouldn''t¡­ Stay¡­ Here¡­" He said between his heavy breaths.


    "Just be quiet. There are monsters around you." Acrypha replied. "Even if I let you move right now, you will fall a few stepster."


    ''I can''t carry him back either or my soul will be heavily damaged.'' She frowned at the tough situation she found herself in.


    Acrypha''s ability to change any possible oue in this world was heavily restricted. She can''t kill any monster or alter something that the Core Dimension considers inevitable. The bigger the change, the heavier the punishment is.


    ''If I carry him back now with how important the Core Dimension deems Talon¡­ I will be killed.''


    So, her only choice was to stand there and wait for someone toe and bring him back. It was not an optimal choice but she had no other idea she could think of.


    "How long¡­ will I remain like this?" Talon asked as he finally gave up on trying to stand up and instead rested his head on the wall.


    "A few hours at the least, a few days at most," Acrypha replied.


    "Hahaha, brilliant¡­" He murmured with a dryugh. Then, he closed his eyes and went silent as if he lost consciousness.


    The two remained like that for a few minutes before Talon opened his eyes again and said.


    "Hey, Acrypha."


    "Hm?"


    "Can¡­ I¡­ ask a¡­ question?"


    "Is this the time for questions? You need to conserve your energy." She said as she sat down next to him.


    "It''s¡­ important," Talon replied.


    "Ask away then." Acrypha looked at him with a curious gaze.


    The young man ran his hand weakly through his hair before he finally spoke after settling his mind down.


    "Will¡­ I lose myself¡­ if I be¡­ strong in the¡­ future?"


    "Lose yourself?" Acrypha didn''t quite understand what he meant.


    "I mean¡­. changepletely¡­ from how I am now¡­ be someone¡­ different¡­ someone worse¡­?"


    The woman''s expression changed a little when she heard those words. Her eyes closed for a second before she finally turned around.


    "The short answer for that is yes, you will changepletely from how you are now." She said.


    Talon''s face darkened visibly as he tilted his head down, feeling like he heard the worst news possible. So his suspicion was right on point.


    However, at that moment, Acrypha continued. "Your body will change a lot. It will be honed into a perfect vessel capable of wielding the power you will get. That''s the biggest change you will face. As for whether you will lose who you are now or not. The short answer for that is: it depends on you." She replied as she turned to stare at Talon.


    "''Nearly all beings can stand adversity, but if you want to test one''s character, give them power.''" She added. "The power you will get could change you for the worse just as much as it could change you for the best. I have no idea what the future will hold for you. But, that doesn''t mean that it will be a bad future." She said.


    Talon stared weakly at her as he held his breath. He would be lying if he said that her words didn''t resonate with him. It was indeed true that Talon was scared of what his future would look like.


    He didn''t want to change from who he was now. Bing a ruthless monster that destroys anything and everything in his way. That was not what he wanted.


    ''But my skills are saying otherwise.'' He thought to himself.


    With each monster he killed, his powers were getting more and more destructive than before. Now, he even possessed a skill capable of ensuing chaos wherever it was used.


    "How will¡­ I know if¡­ I''m still on the¡­ same path?" He asked after a while.


    "And why do you think I''m still here? Of course to stop you from doing dumb things. When I deem that you''re straying away, I will put you back on the right path." Acrypha said with a calm smile.


    Talon blinked in surprise before smiling a little as he exhaled a small breath. "Isn''t¡­ that¡­ a little bit too¡­ cocky¡­"


    "You''re just imagining stuff," Acrypha replied.


    "Sure¡­" He closed his eyes as he murmured. "Thank you¡­ Acrypha¡­ You put my heart at ease¡­"


    Hearing those words, Acrypha could only smile as she nodded her head quietly. For some reason, she felt really nice hearing those words from Talon.


    Perhaps it was because she was starting to understand this enigmatic human she stumbled across. If she had been told before that she would find a low-level human from a random dimension to be someone she would grow fond of, she would probably haveughed it off.


    Yet, here she was, sitting next to him, protecting his weakened body as they waited for someone toe to the rescue. It was definitely a fall from grace for Acrypha who had been raised with a diamond spoon in her mouth, or that was what most people would think.


    However, for one reason or another, Acrypha didn''t see this as a fall from grace. If anything, Acrypha found this life more thrilling than most things she did in her life. Seeing Talon slowly grow up, get stronger, and achieve things that break themon sense she knew. It was very refreshing.


    "It''s really iro-" She murmured as she looked up, only to freeze in ce.


    A few dozen meters away from them, a Dimension Walker had clearly noticed Talon''s presence and started walking toward him. Slowly, it started making its way toward him as if it wasn''t certain he was there or not.


    "Oh no¡­" Acrypha''s face darkened as she stood up.


    "What¡­?" Talon''s eyes opened as he looked ahead of him. When he noticed the Dimension Walker approaching him, he froze for a second.


    "Don''t make a noise." Acrypha hushed him as she stood right in front of him.


    The Dimension Walker was still approaching Talon, growing more and more certain that he was there the more it walked toward him.


    ''No, no. Move over there.'' She thought to herself as she tried to think of an idea to push the monster away.


    She had no way of fighting it unless she wanted to be punished. So, all she could do was stand there, her expression as sour as ever.


    Tense seconds passed as the monster grew even closer. At this point, it was certain that Talon was there and so it started hurrying its steps.


    "No, no, no, no¡­ Move over there!" Acrypha yelled as she looked at Talon and then at the monster. Even though she knew that it was pointless to do that since the monster couldn''t hear her.


    Meanwhile, Talon waspletely silent the whole time. His expression wasn''t as terrified as Acrypha expected. If anything, he seemed way calmer than she was as if the matter didn''t concern him.


    "Hey, Talon, can you move? Even if for a few meters." Acrypha asked in a borderline desperate tone. Even though she knew that it was a far-fetched request since Talon was barely keeping himself conscious that entire time.


    Talon: "..."


    Without responding, the young man dragged his heavy arm to the spear next to him as he tried to lift it. However, he could barely lift his arm. Clenching his teeth, he tried to force himself to stand up.


    But, the effect of his burst of growth was simply too much to handle at that moment. He had no way of doing anything.


    At that time, the Dimension Walker was merely a dozen meters away from Talon and growing closer.


    Acrypha kept staring at the monster, her heart started to race faster than before and her breathing was erratic. As calm as she had always been even in dire situations, this was simply a disaster. She had absolutely no control over what was happening.


    If she killed the Dimension Walker, the chance that she might sustain a deadly soul attack was very high and if she didn''t kill it, Talon would die for sure. Either choice was brutal.


    ''Come on, Acrypha. Think! Think! What can I do? There must be something I can do.'' She looked around her hurriedly.


    "Acrypha¡­" Talon murmured her name.


    "Don''t worry, you will be fine." She spoke in a not-so-convincing tone.


    However, there was nothing to do. The monster was now merely a few meters away from her. Seeing that, Acrypha froze in her ce. She had a few seconds at most to do anything that could salvage the situation.


    "Goddamit!"


    Looking down, she clenched her fists.


    "It''s¡­ Ok¡­ I will be¡­ fine."


    "How the hell are you this calm?! I really can''t do anything here!" She snapped back at Talon with a despaired look.


    However, Talon shook his head calmly. "I will¡­ be fine¡­" He repeated.


    "Again with that¡­" Acrypha''s eyes widened again as she found herself unable to even reply. Talon looked rather peaceful at that moment. For a split second, his image ovepped with a memory inside her head.


    It was a fleeting moment and yet it made Acrypha''s face change again. No one knew what was going through her head at that moment.


    "Ah, screw it!" A few secondster, Acrypha turned around to stare at the monster as she snapped her finger. When she did that, the Dimension Walker halted as if it was alerted by the sudden appearance of something.


    Acrypha had shown herself to the Dimension Walker.


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 54: Chapter 54- Savior

    Talon''s eyes widened at the sight as he panicked. "Hey¡­ *Cough* *Cough* No!"


    "Shut up. If I don''t do this, you''re 100% dead." Acrypha replied coldly.


    "You''re¡­ going to die too¡­" He replied as he started trying to move again. He wasn''t going to let Acrypha do something as reckless as this.


    "Stay in your ce or I will knock you out myself." She said as she retreated a little as the monster started moving again, more cautiously this time.


    "No¡­ I can fight it back¡­ Trust me¡­" Talon said with great difficulty. He wasn''t going to let Acrypha risk her life when he could easily kill this monster. He just needed to move his body.


    ''Come on, goddammit! Move!!''


    But, as he was struggling, the monster was already barely a few meters away and Acrypha finally stepped forward.


    "No¡­ Acrypha¡­ Don''t¡­" Talon spoke.


    The woman smiled as she gave him a fleeting nce. "I won''t die, kid. It''s far too early for that. But, if I do. I want you to reach the absolute peak of this world where nothing can rival you. I''m sure you''re the only one that can pull that off.


    When you do it, don''t forget to finish what needs to be finished." She said as she finally extended her hand forward.


    As she did that, suddenly, a chunk of the ground beneath her separated and elevated in the air till it reached her level. Moving her hand down, the rock hovered over her palm quietly.


    The monster noticed that and grew even more alert as it rushed toward Acrypha. Thetter stared at it for a moment before she took a deep breath.


    ''I hate gambles. I always lose in those and yet my entire life has been one huge, fucked-up gambling game.'' She thought to herself as she snapped her finger.


    Instantly, the rock flew toward the monster at top speed, aiming for its head. Seeing that, Talon''s heart sunk in as his face paled greatly. In that split second, he really thought that everything was over.


    Acrypha closed her eyes and waited for the inevitable. However, a moment passed and nothing happened. She was confused, so she opened her eyes only to be met with an unexpected sight.


    Right before the rock could hit the Dimension Walker, the Dimension Walker was suddenly blown by a lightning bolt out of nowhere, sting it into pieces as it was thrown away. The rock flew past it at thest moment, avoiding any contact with the monster.


    ''Huh¡­'' For a second, Acrypha was surprised before she immediately noticed a new presence a little far away. Looking to the side, she saw a beautiful girl rushing toward them at top speed.


    ''That girl¡­'' Acrypha immediately recognized who it was.


    "Talon!!" Hyun-Jae yelled as she approached him quickly and crouched down. Her face was visibly worried as she quickly started inspecting his body.


    "Are you ok?!"


    "Hyun¡­ Jae¡­?" Talon stared at her weakly.


    "Yeah, it''s me." She said as she put her hand on his forehead before she pulled away in shock. "Oh no, you''re boiling." She murmured.


    Talon''s fever was so hot that Hyun-Jae genuinely felt a stinging pain from that mere touch. Never in her life did she see anyone with such a high fever. A normal person would''ve instantly died if their body reached this degree.


    "Come on, we need to leave." She said as she quickly put Talon''s hand around her neck and picked him up before she strapped the other bag filled with food around her shoulder and she started walking in a hurry.


    However, when she moved a distance, she stopped and turned around. Her eyes squinted sharply. She nced at the entire area before she turned around and started walking again.


    ''I thought I saw another person there. Was I hallucinating?'' She thought to herself weirdly.


    When she reached that ce, for a split second, she caught a glimpse of a mysterious silhouette before it suddenly vanished. She didn''t know what it was or whether it was even real or not.


    However, because Talon was far more important, she put that matter away and focused on carrying him back as fast as she could.


    "I''m sorry¡­ Hyun-Jae¡­" Talon murmured weakly.


    "Apologizeter once you get better. We need to go back first." She replied calmly as she moved through the roads, avoiding monsters as much as she could and killing others with the only avable hand she had.


    Since Talon cleared a good path from the cafeteria back to the gymnasium, Hyun-Jae didn''t find any major hardships bringing him back.


    ***


    Back in the gymnasium, the students'' mood was very gloomy. Most of them were feeling horrible pain from the sheer hunger they were feeling, now they also realized that their two leaders left the ce and still hadn''te back yet.


    The only ones that had it better than the others were the group of students that went out and killed monsters. Since all of them leveled once or twice with some even leveling three times, they felt really special even amongst their peers.


    Granted, it was inevitable that this special feeling would turn into arrogance really quickly given the right circumstances.


    Amongst the students, one particr male student stood out and garnered a lot of gazes from other people. The reason for that was that he was surrounded by a group of girls. They all had curious and excited looks on their faces.


    "Did you really kill most of the monsters single-handedly, Ji-Seok?" One of them asked.


    The male student smiled as he ran his hand through his hair. "Of course. They couldn''t match my power. Just a single hit and they''re gone." He said.


    "Woah, so cool." The girls murmured as they grew even closer to him.


    The reason for their attitude wasn''t Ji-Seok''s looks or personality, it was simply because he seemed like he could protect them under these dire circumstances. If things were back to normal, they wouldn''t even give him a side nce let alone this much attention.


    Ji-Seok knew that fact and took advantage of it the most. He wanted everyone''s attention to be focused on him.


    ''Bastard, you just killed a few more monsters than us and now you somehow soloed the entire group?'' The other students who knew the truth could only click their tongues in frustration.


    It was indeed true that Ji-Seok was stronger than them, but that didn''t mean that he was that far ahead. So, all they could do was to swallow their anger and frustration.


    "Ah, I''m worried about Mr Talon and Miss Hyun-Jae." Young-Soon murmured as he looked at the entrance door.


    "Don''t worry, Young-Soon. Both of them are extremely strong. They will be fine." Hei-Ran replied.


    She could clearly remember how ridiculously strong those two were. If they wouldn''t be fine, then they''re all also screwed.


    At that moment, the door was barged open, pulling everyone''s attention. From it entered Hyun-Jae carrying Talon.


    When everyone saw them, silence filled the room for a good few seconds.


    "What¡­" A student murmured in disbelief.


    "You got to be kidding me¡­"


    Talon''s body was riddled with small cuts and bruises and he looked like he was barely remaining conscious. Seeing that, everyone naturally was terrified. They all thought that Talon was extremely strong and even invincible. Yet, here he was,pletely beaten after leaving for a while.


    ''What could''ve done that to him?!''


    The monsters outside were still a mystery to most, they looked terrifying and had weird powers, but that was the end of it. They didn''t know anything else about them so assuming that Talon had faced an abomination and lost was logical.


    Naturally, that would be their first thought. Then, there was Hyun-Jae who was carrying him closely. Their bodies were intimately stuck to each other. No one really cared about the circumstances that led to such a situation as they knew Hyun-Jae''s character.


    She wasn''t the type to touch someone, man or woman, normally. In fact, they had never seen her touch someone willingly before. It reached a point where a rumor spread that Hyun-Jae was secretly an angel and her body was so pure that she couldn''t touch others or she would be tarnished and would never be able to ascend back to heaven.


    It was naturally a ridiculous idea but since Hyun-Jae was already akin to an angel in the eyes of most people, some came to believe that rumor.


    "What happened to Mr Talon?!" Go Young-Soon and the other two rushed toward them.


    "I don''t know yet. I need to carry him to a quiet ce where he can rest." Hyun-Jae replied.


    "O-Of course, from here!"


    Then, Hyun-Jae was led to one of the rooms in the gymnasium that had some mattresses used for gymnastics. Talon was put on one of them. Thetter was breathing heavily and his face was still as pale as a sheet of paper.


    Hyun-Jae sat next to him as she looked at the three students.


    "Bring me some water and a towel. Hurry."


    "Y-Yes!"


    The three students immediately rushed outside to bring what she asked. When she made sure that they were alone, Hyun-Jae turned to Talon and looked at him.


    "Did you get attacked by a monster?" She asked.


    Although she knew that Talon wasn''t in a condition to make a long conversation, Hyun-Jae needed to at least know the gist of what happened so that she could act ordingly.


    Talon shook his head at her faintly. "No¡­ I killed¡­ Some monsters¡­ And I leveled up¡­ So my body was overexerted from that¡­ I will be fine after¡­ a few hours of rest." He replied.


    Talon avoided telling her anything about the fact that he killed monsters levels above him and the skills he acquired. Even though Hyun-Jae was his partner, Talon still didn''t trust her fully to tell her his secrets.


    He did like her as a person, but liking someone and trusting them are twopletely different things. Talon was never intending to trust her or anyone else around him enough to tell them everything, not before he was certain that they were worth trusting first.


    "I see¡­" Hyun-Jae murmured. "Sigh, couldn''t you avoid those monsters?"


    Talon shook his head again.


    "You were really close to death, Talon. If I didn''t suspect the fact that you werete and went out after you, you would''ve ended up dead."


    Hyun-Jae tightened her fists. She couldn''t me the young man since he went out to get food for everyone. But, at the same time, she wanted to vent her anger to someone or something.


    "Thanks¡­" He replied quietly.


    (A//N: Thanks for everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 55: Chapter 55- The Pain And The Gain

    Rubbing her temples, Hyun-Jae went silent again. Her eyes wandered to the bag of food that Talon picked up. When she carried it around her shoulder, she felt her heaviness. Luckily, her strength was high enough to carry both Talon and the bag or she would''ve had to sacrifice it.


    So, as she waited for the students toe back with the water, she opened the bag and checked the contents. She was positively surprised by what she saw. The entire food was filled with canned food, snacks, and all kinds of beverages.


    ''He really brought a lot of food. With careful rationing, we can feed everyone.'' She thought to herself as she looked at Talon.


    As she was about to speak, the door opened again and the three students came rushing inside with the towel and the water.


    "H-Here!"


    "Good. This should help his fever a little." Hyun-Jae nodded as she approached Talon again and started flipping her sleeves. "See that bag? Carry it back to the basketball court."


    "Hm? What does it contain?"


    "Food. We''re going to ration it amongst all the students. Can you guys do that?" Hyun-Jae asked.


    "Food?! Of course, we can! Please leave it to us!" Go Young-Soon said.


    Hyun-Jae nodded her head before she said. "Everyone will get an equal part. If any one of you tries to get anything more, I will make sure you will regret it heavily. Understood?"


    The atmosphere inside the room dropped a few degrees as the three students shuddered under Hyun-Jae extremely beautiful yet terrifying gaze.


    "O-Of course!!"


    The three students quickly nodded their heads before they quickly started dragging the bag out of the room.


    When they left, Hyun-Jae turned around again and finally submerged her hand in the water as she got the towel wet. Then, she squeezed it and put it on top of Talon''s forehead. The moment she did, Hyun-Jae could swear she heard a sizzling sound. Talon was now akin to a boiling pot.


    However, when he felt the cold water over his forehead, his pained look became a little more rxed and he finally went into deep slumber. Hyun-Jae looked at his pale face silently as she pulled the towel, submerged it in the water again, and put it on his forehead again.


    Because of his unbelievably high fever, the towel would get hot almost instantly, so, she had to keep changing it again and again and again. Minutes passed in silence as Hyun-Jae took care of Talon.


    For some reason, as arduous as this task was, she didn''t find it annoying in the least. In fact, just watching herpanion''s face as she took care of him was a rather pleasant and peaceful moment amidst the constant chaos.


    There was too much to handle every single day ever since the Integration happened that Hyun-Jae forgot how to have a peaceful time. Not that her normal life had much of that either.


    So, just sitting there, doing something like taking care of Talon made a huge difference.


    However, there was a small problem. Even though this was taking care of his fever, the rest of his body was still hot and sweaty. Hyun-Jae knew that leaving him like this would only hinder his recovery.


    ''I need to wipe the sweat off at least.'' She thought to herself. However, that''s when she realized what she was thinking about and her face turned weird.


    She had just thought about wiping Talon¡­ A man''s sweat off which meant that she had to get him naked. There was no need to say that she had never done such a thing before in her life. In fact, apart from beaches and swimming sses, Hyun-Jae had never seen the naked torso of a man before.


    Gulping down a mouthful of saliva quietly, her eyes wandered slowly from Talon''s face to his upper torso. Luckily, Talon wasn''t naked so it wasn''t hard to look.


    ''Still¡­''


    Hyun-Jae was extremely hesitant as she contemted what to do. A whileter, she shook her head and decided.


    ''It''s nothing to hesitate about. I''m just helping him.''


    Weirdly enough, the entire time, Hyun-Jae didn''t find it the least disgusting or repulsive to do this. She was simply hesitant because it was her first time ever doing it.


    So, slowly and carefully, Hyun-Jae moved her hand down and started removing Talon''s jacket. Since Talon was wearing it with nothing beneath it, the moment she pulled it off, his naked torso waspletely visible to the eye.


    His skin was as pale as snow already because of his foreign blood so with sweat, it glistened under the light. The smoothness made Hyun-Jae stare for a little longer than she expected. Then, there was Talon''s physique itself which was the highlight of it all.


    Talon''s body had already been good even before the Integration. However, after leveling up continuously, his body underwent aplete change. His muscles were now even more defined than ever, with perfect shape and size that would put even the best of bodybuilders and models to shame.


    His toned muscles seemed like they were pulsing with energy even in his condition. Aplete feast for the eye.


    "..." Hyun-Jae stared at it silently as she didn''t know how to even react to what she was doing.


    Her face flushed with a subtle redness as she closed her eyes for a second. For some reason, she was even more nervous than before even though she had already settled her mind.


    ''Why does it have to be this embarrassing?!'' She cursed in her head before she sucked in a deep breath and finally moved her hand to the towel and started wiping Talon''s body.


    The feeling of his hot skin made her even more confused and nervous. But, she still moved her hand back and forth, wiping his sweat off. Surprisingly, his sweat didn''t have a bad smell as she expected.


    In fact, it was rather pleasant which made Hyun-Jae question how her mind and senses worked.


    All the while, Acrypha watched all of that with an amused smirk on her face.


    "Now, this waspletely unexpected." She murmured as sheughed to herself.


    The sight she was witnessing was definitely entertaining. A struggling innocent girl was wiping a man''s body for the first time, Acrypha would be damned if she didn''t want to see such a scene.


    After wiping his torsopletely, Hyun-Jae quickly put back his jacket on and closed it as she exhaled a long breath. Her face was visibly red and her eyes kept wandering around nervously as if shemitted something forbidden for the first time. Something that weirdly felt exciting rather than horrible.


    ''I''mpletely weird, aren''t I? Fuck! I will never tell anyone about this! It goes with me to the grave!'' Hyun-Jae cursed.


    With that, she put the matter away and sat next to Talon waiting.


    As time moved slowly, Talon''s fever started calming down noticeably. His pale face also started regaining some color and his pained expression turned a lot morefortable.


    "Hm?" Hyun-Jae raised an eyebrow as she touched his forehead again. "His fever isn''t extremely high anymore." She murmured.


    ''Of course, he wouldn''t be who he is if he doesn''t breakmon sense again.'' Acrypha sat a little far as she rubbed her temples. ''This kid is going to be the end of me.'' She thought to herself with a small relieved smile.


    A normal human wouldn''t recover from a very high fever in a matter of an hour or so. But, Talon was never normal to begin with so there was really not even a base forparison.


    She was really d that he survived that ordeal safely and she also didn''t end up getting a punishment. Had Hyun-Jae been a split secondte, Acrypha''s rock would''ve hit its target and she would''ve been in a horrible situation.


    In a sense, she owed that girl a lot for what she did even if she didn''t know what was happening.


    Acrypha''s eyes moved to Hyun-Jae for a second. Thetter was still focused on changing the towel constantly. Her eyes never left her partner at all.


    So, Acrypha stood up and approached the girl slowly. Her expression was as calm as a quiet mysticalke.


    When she got close enough to her, Acrypha stopped and gave her a deep nce. Then, she put her hands against each other in a particr way where two index fingers, two pinkies, and two thumbs were against each other while the rest of her fingers were tucked inside against each other.


    "You saved my life and saved his life. I won''t say anything like thank you or I appreciate it. But, it''s a debt I will return to you in the future. I never back away from my words." Acrypha said as she closed her eyes.


    Hyun-Jae didn''t seem to hear Acrypha as she continued what she was doing. Standing there, Acrypha kept her hand sign for a few more seconds before she finally pulled her hands away and turned around before she floated back to her ce.


    Meanwhile, Hyun-Jae suddenly stopped her movement as she looked behind her. For some reason, she had a weird feeling that someone was standing behind her a moment ago. But, there was clearly no one there except for the two of them so she simply shook it off and continued her job.


    A whileter, Talon''s eyes started opening slowly as he made a low groan. His dazed eyes scanned the ce slowly before theynded on Hyun-Jae.


    "You''re awake," Hyun-Jae murmured as she looked at him.


    "Yeah¡­" Talon nodded as he slowly rose up. A slight headache hit him, but it wasn''t too bad so he ignored it.


    "You shouldn''t move. You''re still sick." Hyun-Jae said.


    "No, I feel a lot better now. My fever is gone and my body is slowly regaining its energy. I can move." He replied as he suddenly felt something fall on hisp. Looking down, he noticed that it was a wet towel.


    Picking it up curiously, he inspected the towel before it clicked in his head. "Were you taking care of me?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.


    When the girl heard the sense ''Take care of me'', her mind went back to what just happened.


    "... It''s not much, your fever was too high, so I just put a wet towel on your forehead to ease it a little," Hyun-Jae replied with a weird expression as she looked away.


    Talon blinked a few times as he looked between her and the towel before he smiled.


    "Thank you. You didn''t have to do all of this, but thank you so much. I really owe you a big one this time."


    "Huh? No, it''s really nothing much. We''re teammates." Hyun-Jae shook her head.


    "No, you saved my life. My father taught me to always return the favor no matter what. I will return it, take my word for it." He said seriously.


    Seeing that expression, the girl didn''t even find the words to retort back. In the end, she sighed and gave up. If he was that persistent on returning the favor, then she would ept it.


    "So, it seems you grew way stronger than before, or am I imagining things?" Hyun-Jae changed the topic quickly to avoid any more awkwardness.


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 56: Chapter 56- Conflict

    "Hm?" Talon raised an eyebrow as he looked down before he nodded his head. "Yeah, I gained some more status points and also this jacket." He said.


    "That''s an item?" Hyun-Jae asked surprisedly.


    "Yeah, it has some healing abilities too."


    "Aaah, I guess that makes sense why you recovered quickly. On top of your health points." Hyun-Jae rubbed her chin as she thoughtfully looked at Talon. "It hasn''t been two hours since I brought you here."


    "Really? I thought I slept for a long time. I''m not feeling drowsy or anything like that." Talon murmured.


    "An hour or two of sleep a day should be enough from now on," Acryphamented from the side.


    Talon''s eyes moved to her for a moment as a myriad ofplicated feelings filled his heart. The memory of what happened two hours ago didn''t go anywhere. However, he didn''t say anything and instead focused on Hyun-Jae again.


    "I killed most of the monsters on the path to the cafeteria. If we bring the students there tomorrow, I think we can fully clear it out in a few hours and ess the building fully." Talon said.


    "You cleared it?"


    "Yeah, I killed around 40 or so monsters. They weren''t strong so it was easy enough."


    ''Ehem, except for two particr ones.'' He added in his head with a wry smile.


    "That''s good news. I think we can pull that off." Hyun-Jae nodded her head. essing the cafeteria was a very optimal step. After that, they had two choices, either try to take control of other buildings like the pharmacy or simply head straight toward the research center.


    ''I doubt we can clear the research center quickly with the group of students we have.'' Talon thought to himself.


    The thousands of monsters there were simply too much to handle for a newbie group that barely knew how to kill monsters.


    Just thinking about it, Talon realized how much work and time it would take to actually reach the research center and he could only sigh. If there was a way to simply clear that cluster of monsters in one swipe, he would go for it in a heartbeat.


    "Talon?" Hyun-Jae snapped her fingers to catch his attention.


    "Hm?"


    "Are you ok?"


    "Ah, yeah. I was just thinking."


    As they were like that, the door to the room was suddenly barged open as a girl ran inside in a hurry, her face was pale.


    "M-Miss Hyun-Jae!"


    "Hei-Ran?" Hyun-Jae was alerted by the girl''s sudden appearance and stood up. "What happened?"


    The girl quickly pointed outside. "There is chaos outside!"


    "Again, what happened? Did monsters enter the ce?"


    "N-No¡­ S-Some students are trying to forcefully get more food than others and we can''t stop them!"


    "Forcefully?" Talon''s face turned cold.


    "Y-Yes, some of the students of the group that went outside yesterday are trying to take more food for themselves."


    "Sigh, what are those idiots doing?" Facepalming, Hyun-Jae turned to Talon. "You can still rest if you want. I will deal with this matter."


    "... It''s fine, let mee with you. I won''t do anything if I don''t need to." He replied.


    "Suit yourself."


    So, the trio quickly left the room and headed toward the main area of the gymnasium. The ce was more noisy than usual.


    ***


    Students were standing in a circle surrounding a group of other students. One of them was Go Young-Soon who had a deep frown on his face. Beside him was his friend Mo Shin, lying on the ground unconscious. His right cheek had a deep red spot on it.


    "I said no more food for you. There are others who need it." Young-Soon said as he hid the bag behind him.


    "Come on, man. We''re really hungry here. Look at my girls over here, they''re barely standing." Ji-Seok said with a smile as he looked behind him. The girls that were around him the whole time had small smiles on their faces.


    "Look, I worked hard today and I''m barely able to move. Give me some more food so that I can work better tomorrow." He added with a smirk.


    "No! Miss Hyun-Jae''s orders are clear. Everyone will get equal portions because everyone is going to work hard. You aren''t anything special!" Young-Soon retorted as he grabbed the bag even tighter.


    Hearing that, Ji-Seok''s face darkened as his smile finally vanished. "Listen here, fat fuck! I''m the strongest one in here. I have the talent to do this. Getting equal portions with other weaklings is dumb! Now, hand over the fucking bag!" Stepping forward, he closed the distance between him and Young-Soon.


    "No! I won''t hand it over!"


    Even though Young-Soon tried to keep his calm, Ji-Seok was still stronger than him so all he could do was grab into the bag.


    The more Ji-Seok got closer, the more anxious he got. Until Young-Soon''sposure finally snapped and he pulled his weapon out as he pointed it at Ji-Seok.


    "Get one step closer and I won''t hesitate." He said in a desperate tone. The moment everyone saw the weapon, the atmosphere grew even more tense. The students watched everything ensue with hesitant looks.


    They knew that Ji-Seok was an asshole and he was trying to bully Young-Soon into giving him more food. But, since most of them were terrified, none dared to step forward and stop the fight.


    "A shield? Pfft, hahahaha! Isn''t that funny, friend?" Ji-Seok exploded intoughter when he saw the shield. "Is that toy supposed to be intimidating?"


    "..." Young-Soon''s face was tense as he tightened his grip on his weapon. He knew that if he backed away now, he was going to lose the bag that Hyun-Jae trusted him with.


    ''I won''t let Miss Hyun-Jae down!'' He thought to himself as he gulped down a mouthful of saliva.


    "Fine! You asked for it! Go join your friend!" Ji-Seok said as he pulled out the weapon too that he had next to him. It was a rather big Warhammer that was dropped from one of the monsters he killed.


    It wasn''t as massive as an actual Warhammer but it was still heavy. The reason Ji-Seok could lift it was because he put all of his points into strength after leveling up which boosted that status to 20 points.


    ''More strength means more destructive power. I don''t need the other stats when I can simply crush everyone with one single hit.'' He thought to himself with a grin as he approached Young-Soon daringly.


    "Take this!"


    Yelling, Ji-Seok swung the hammer down with full force aiming at Young-Soon. Thetter quickly used his shield to defend against the hit. But, he underestimated how strong Ji-Seok was.


    The moment the hammer smashed against the shield, Go Young-Soon was pushed back, almost stumbling. The hit made his arms numb with how strong it was.


    "Hahaha, that''s it? You aren''t doing a convincing job, friend." Ji-Seok added as he swung the hammer again.


    Young-Soon''s face paled when he saw the uing attack.


    *BANG*


    "Ugh!"


    Falling to the ground with a loud thud, Young-Soon groaned as he grabbed his hand. The sheer pain he felt upon impact was brutal.


    Students watched with pale faces at what was happening. Go Young-Soon was being assaulted right in front of them and yet they didn''t dare to move forward and protect him simply because they didn''t want a fight.


    Ji-Seok took advantage of that fact fully and grinned at Young-Soon. "Onest chance, give me the food."


    "... Fuck you!" Amidst the pain he was feeling, Young-Soon cursed angrily at Ji-Seok with a strong re.


    Thetter was taken aback for a moment before he frowned hard and grabbed the hammer with two arms.


    "I guess you won''t need both of your legs."


    Without any hesitation, he swung the hammer down aiming for Young-Soon''s legs. Everyone''s hearts stopped at that moment. Some even closed their eyes and waited for the inevitable sound of bones cracking and wails of pain.


    "No!!" Young-Soon yelled as his eyes closed shut too.


    However, at thest moment, a silhouette appeared out of nowhere and stood in front of Young-Soon, facing the uing hammer. Before anyone could even react, the person extended their hand in the weapon''s direction.


    *BANG*


    Eventually, the hammernded on the hand as it made a loud sound. When everyone realized what happened, their expressions changedpletely.


    Even Ji-Seok didn''t expect what he was about to see. The hammer waspletely halted mid-air by the extended hand.


    For a good few seconds, no one made a single sound. The sight was simply too unreal.


    Talon looked at Young-Soon with a dark expression. "Don''t you think that was a little bit too far of a joke?" He asked coldly as he watched the male student''s face change from confidence to confusion and then to deep fear. A fear thatpletely paralyzed his body and shook his very soul.


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 57: Chapter 57- Ruthless

    Ji-Seok was never a particrly brilliant person in anything he did. He had a good physique which allowed him to y rugby and basketball his entire life but he was never the best at them. He learned how to fight but would still end up being defeated by stronger, more skilled people.


    Seeing those people achieving great things while he always fell behind frustrated him greatly and made him feel inferior. He knew that he put a lot of effort into everything he tried and yet that didn''t seem to be enough to make him the best at something.


    So, when the Integration happened and he miraculously killed his first few Dimension Walkers, he saw the others around him being impressed by that achievement. For the first time in his life, he saw people''s eyes on him.


    He felt really special, but also, started craving that attention more than ever. Wherever he went, he wanted the others to talk about him and hail him as one of the greats.


    ''Fuck! How did he do that?! I used all of my strength in this attack.'' Ji-Seok in his head as he clenched his teeth. Just a mere nce at Talon''s eyes made him shudder.


    However, he still had enoughposure not topletely crumble.


    "I just asked for a little more food for me and the girls. Is that against the rules?" Ji-Seok asked.


    Talon didn''t reply immediately as he instead grabbed the hammer with two hands and yanked it to his side. Ji-Seok couldn''t start to resist before everything happened. Putting the hammer on his shoulder, Talon stared at Ji-Seok.


    "What were you intending to do there?" He eventually opened his mouth and asked coldly.


    "..." Ji-Seok waspletely tongue-tied at that moment. Something about Talon''s question sent a shiver down his spine. He was unable to even utter a single word.


    "I asked a question, didn''t I? Answer¡­ Uh, what was your name again?" Talon casually spoke as he tapped the hammer''s handle with his finger as if he were ying around.


    "J-Ji-Seok¡­" The male student replied.


    "Ah, Ji-Seok. Interesting name. So, Ji-Seok, what were you intending to do to Young-Soon." Talon asked.


    "... I¡­ I didn''t¡­"


    "Hm? I can''t hear you clearly. Speak louder!" Talon tilted his head forward, making Ji-Seok retreat.


    "I-I, I don''t¡­ I just wanted some¡­ food!"


    "To get extra food, you were ready to break his legs?" Talon raised an eyebrow.


    "No¡­ I¡­" Ji-Seok was turned into a nervous mess as he felt the immense pressureing from Talon''s re.


    "I see," Talon murmured as he stood up and looked at the students around him. "Let''s make a small voting session, shall we?"


    "Voting session?"


    "What does he mean?"


    Murmurs erupted between the students as they waited curiously for Talon to continue.


    "Those who think that Ji-Seok deserves to get punished for his actions raise your hand. Those who don''t, keep your hands down."


    "Huh?! Wait! Punishment?!" Ji-Seok panicked when he heard those words. "Hold on!"


    "The voting starts now. Everyone has seen what happened and can judge for themselves, can''t they? What do you deem is the right thing to do here?"


    When Talon asked those questions, the students'' expressions changed. They had indeed seen everything that ensued and they knew who was right and who was wrong. But, the fact that they had to decide the fate that Ji-Seok would face made them hesitant.


    However, it didn''t take long for someone to raise their hands. When that happened, things changed quickly. Slowly, one by one, people started raising their hands in agreement.


    What was one turned into 10 then 100 and kept on growing quickly. Eventually, almost all the students had their hands in the air.


    Ji-Seok watched that happen as his face paled even harder and his heart started racing. He knew that he waspletely screwed.


    "Hold on guys, this isn''t true. He was the one that didn''t give me food. I did nothing wrong." He said desperately.


    However, when his eyesnded on the students, he realized how wrong he was. Everyone with no exception looked at him as if he was some kind of scum. No shred of empathy is visible in their scrutinizing looks.


    Ji-Seok froze in ce when he realized that. The words couldn''te out of his mouth anymore.


    "The people have spoken. You get what you deserve, my friend." Talon said coldly as his eyes shed with a dangerous glint. Then, he lifted the hammer in the air above his head as he nced at Ji-Seok.


    "I guess you won''t need your legs." He repeated the same words Ji-Seok said.


    When thetter realized what he meant, his panic kicked in as he quickly stood up and tried to run away as fast as he could. His heart was racing in his chest and adrenaline filled his veins.


    ''I need to run! He will seriously break my legs!!'' He thought to himself as he hurried his steps.


    However, before he could even move a few dozen meters, he felt a silhouette appear next to him out of nowhere. Then, he felt something hinder his foot, making him fall to the ground face-first.


    "AGHH!!" A hoarse scream escaped his throat as he grabbed his face painfully and rolled around.


    Talon then stomped on the student''s stomach, halting his movement.


    "P-Please, spare me, man! I won''t ask for more food! Please, I beg you!" He yelled.


    Talon stared at him coldly for a second before he pointed at Go Young-Soon. "You know, if I was a split secondte, Young-Soon would''ve lost both of his legs. What would''ve happened if you did that, hm? You''re still guilty of attacking him."


    After that, Talon lifted the hammer again and aimed it at Ji-Seok''s legs. Then, he swung it down without a shred of hesitance.


    "No! Noooo!!"


    But, it was already far toote for Ji-Seok to try and stop it.


    *CRACK*


    The crisp sound of bones cracking echoed in the entire gymnasium followed by a blood-curdling scream of pain that sent shivers down all the students'' spines. Everyone was shocked speechless by what they saw.


    The hammernded directly on Ji-Seok''s legs, crushing thempletely. A single hit ttened them out entirely as Ji-Seok started shaking from pain like a mad animal. No one couldprehend the sheer agony he was feeling at that moment. Then, he frothed from his mouth before he lost consciousness.


    Talon lifted the hammer and stared at the male student with a cold look on his face. For some reason, even though this was the first time Talon had done such a thing in his life, he didn''t feel anything particrly weird or off.


    If anything, doing this made him feel even more rxed. Seeing an asshole get what wasing for him was akin to a breath of fresh air for him.


    Even under everyone''s terrified gazes, Talon turned around and said.


    "I am not someone who likes violence. But, this world requires violence for us to survive. You lot aren''t anything special than anyone else. We all follow the rules and the rules say not to assault your peers or try to abuse your powers. If anyone dares to do that, I will personally make sure they regret it, like this bastard over here. Understood?" He dered in a cold tone.


    No one spoke a word as they looked at Talon with fear and respect in their eyes. Fear because of his ruthless methods and respect because he stood up for the weak even though he didn''t have to.


    Hyun-Jae watched all of that ensue with a calm, expressionless face. Hei-Ran stood next to her as she stared at her with a confused look.


    "Mmm, Miss Hyun-Jae¡­"


    "Hm?" Hyun-Jae''s gaze which was fixed on Talon the whole time looked to the side. "What?"


    "Did Sir Talon do such a thing before?" She asked.


    "No, as far as I know." She replied.


    "Then why¡­"


    Hei-Ran didn''t understand why Talon would go so much out of his way to help Go Young-Soon. He could''ve simply stopped Ji-Seok and tied him up. Yet, he didn''t do that and instead executed the same punishment Ji-Seok intended to do on Go Young-Soon.


    Hei-Ran, Hyun-Jae, and even Talon knew that this would make people fear him greatly which would definitely make him get secluded out of their groups.


    However, Hyun-Jae saw it in a different light. Shaking her head, she replied. "He wasn''t doing that for Go Young-Soon''s sake alone. He was doing it for everyone''s sake. If you warn a group of people not to do something with mere words, there are bound to be people who would break those rules.


    However, if they see the punishment being applied to those who break those rules, they will think twice before they actually try to do the same."


    "Oh¡­" Hei-Ran''s eyes shed with understanding. "So that''s why Mr Talon¡­"


    "Yeah, he established order here. Something that we need the most at the moment."


    In a world of chaos, Talon wanted to establish order among survivors. Something that many would think is pointless when in reality, it was the main factor that determines their survival in this world.


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )


    Ps: I will update 5 more chapters in two hours.

 Chapter 58: Chapter 58- Life Value

    After that, Talon walked away from the group as he approached Hyun-Jae.


    "Sorry for moving first without telling you." He said calmly.


    Even though he told her that he wouldn''t do anything and let Hyun-Jae deal with the matter, seeing what was happening really angered him and made him react before Hyun-Jae could do anything.


    Talon wasn''t the type to let his anger control him but in such circumstances, it bes harder for him to actually keep hisposure. Talon was raised to hate oppression more than anything else.


    He hated seeing the weak being abused by the strong for no reason other than ego and greed. Even before the Integration, he would end up in random fights with others because of this very same reason. He never imed to be a hero or a kind person, but this was a line he wasn''t ready to let anyone cross.


    Never did he regret learning such a habit from his father since he really believed that this was the right thing to do.


    "It''s fine. He deserved what he got." Hyun-Jae replied as she stared at the unconscious Ji-Seok with a cold re. "Scumbag." She murmured.


    "Don''t worry about him. He won''t be able to move for a few months and when he does, I''m sure he won''t be able to be a threat to anyone." Talon replied as he exhaled a long breath. Even though he was faring a lot better than before, he was still sick and the remains of that sickness remained in his body.


    He will need some more time before he makes a full recovery.


    "I will excuse myself. I want to rest a little more before we get ready for the next step." He said.


    "Mm, I will take care of the rest," Hyun-Jae replied.


    Talon nodded his head in understanding before he walked away. Moving through the corridors, he felt Acrypha slowly floating behind him.


    The entire time, the woman didn''t utter a single word and neither did Talon. When he returned to the room and sat down on the mattress, his eyes finally moved to the divine beauty in front of him.


    The two stared at each other for a while silently before Talon finally opened his mouth to speak.


    "Thanks for protecting me back there." He said in aplicated tone.


    Acrypha was slightly taken aback by his words since she expected him to be annoyed with her. Still, she nodded her head. "No problem. I did what I deemed to be the right choice."


    "Was it really the right choice, though?" Talon asked.


    He didn''t know exactly how strong and important Acrypha was but he was certain that she was extremely special. The fact that she was ready to risk her life just to save him, a mere human, didn''t sit well with him.


    It wasn''t because he looked down on himself and more of a sense of confusion. Why was Acrypha doing all of this? Why was she ready to go as far as to sacrifice her life just so that he could survive? What goal did she want to achieve by helping him grow stronger and stronger?


    Talon had all these questions going through his head and he had no answer for them. He still remembered what Acrypha said to him back then.


    "I won''t die, kid. It''s far too early for that. But, if I do. I want you to reach the absolute peak of this world where nothing can rival you. I''m sure you''re the only one that can pull that off. When you do it, don''t forget to finish what needs to be finished."


    Those words definitely had a deeper meaning behind them.


    ''Do what has to be done? What exactly do I need to do?'' He stared at Acrypha mysteriously. Her purpose was still as vague as ever, but he knew that it required him to reach the absolute peak for it to be fulfilled whatever it was.


    "It was the right choice. If one of us needs to live, it''s you, not me." Acrypha replied with a certain look on her face. She didn''t seem hesitant at all to say those words.


    Realizing her seriousness, Talon felt even more confused. Tilting his head down, he ran his hand through his hair.


    "Are you fucking with me?" He sighed as he murmured.


    "You don''t realize how important you are, Talon. I''m not someone who''s seeking death and yet I know that your life is more valuable than mine."


    "Enough¡­" He murmured again quietly.


    "Your powers are going to matter greatly for the future. I can''t let you die because I want to li-"


    "To hell with that bullshit!" Talon finally snapped as he yelled. His face was confused and angry, taking Acrypha by surprise.


    "''You''re special'' this, ''you''re more important than me'' that! That''s all a bunch of nonsense! Did you forget what you told me the first time we met? You said you would take me to the highest of peaks. Are you intending to break your promise, Acrypha?"


    In reality, Talon''s problem wasn''t really lying within that fact. He was annoyed because he didn''t want anyone to sacrifice their lives so that he could live. Whether he liked that person or not, whether he cared for them or not, he didn''t want that kind of debt toy on his shoulders with no way for him to pay it back.


    If Acrypha died, he knew that no matter what he did, his consciousness wouldn''ty peaceful knowing that his entire life and future were preserved because of her death. He was ready to return favors no matter how massive they were, the only favor he didn''t want to bear was that of a life''s sacrifice.


    "Here I am, Acrypha. Aren''t you going to take me to the top? If that''s what you want then do it! I want to achieve that goal with you by my side." He opened his arms as he added.


    Acrypha blinked silently as she looked at Talon. His words echoed in her head again and again seemingly not vanishing at all.


    Her thoughts felt chaotic at that moment. She didn''t know what to say back at all. Even though she always had an answer to anything Talon would say, this time was different.


    Talon had said something that was unfair in a sense. After all, even Acrypha herself was still struggling with that dilemma. What was more important to her? Her life or her goal?


    She valued both greatly and wanted the two of them equally. So, whenever she was met with those two choices, she would lose herself in choosing which path was the right one.


    Choosing Talon''s life over hers meant that she valued her goal over her life. However, it seemed that her goal refused to allow her to choose it instead of her life.


    Closing her eyes, she exhaled and inhaled. No words could describe what she was thinking of at that moment.


    "Ok, I understand." In the end, she replied with a small nod of her head.


    "Thank you. I know that we don''t know each other yet and it will probably take ages before we really reach a deep understanding of each other. Perhaps your goal is far bigger than anything I canprehend currently. But, there is nothing in this world more worthwhile than your life. As long as you''re alive, things can change for the better whether by your own efforts or by fate.


    That I am sure of." Talon said seriously.


    "Mmm¡­" Acrypha sat down and nodded her head. His words felt extremely familiar to her.


    ''That person said the same thing, no?'' She asked herself with a small smile as she remembered someone from her distant past. She found it rather funny how simr the two of them were in this sense. Both wanted her to value her life and both refused to let her sacrifice herself.


    ''I guess they were always simr in more ways than one.''


    "I won''t promise you anything. But, I won''t throw my life as easily as I did there." She said in the end with a peaceful look on her face.


    Talon noticed that change in her expression but didn''tment on it. Instead, he simply nodded his head with a small smile.


    "Ok, with that settled. I think I''m going to rest for now." Talon said as hey down. His body was recovering at a fast speed but the mental exhaustion from what happened that day was still there as heavy as ever.


    "Onest thing before you sleep," Acrypha said as she looked at Talon.


    "Hm?"


    "It''s something important. Even though it will be a long while before you will need to worry about it I still wanted to tell you either way to avoid any potential unexpected situations." Acrypha exined seriously.


    Talon naturally straightened his posture as he listened to what Acrypha wanted to say seriously.


    "You already know that the Core Dimension''s gate is the trigger that starts the integration process."


    "Yeah, you told me that before. What about it?"


    "You also know that the dimension this world resides in is a Low-D one which is the weakest level, right?"


    "Yeah, that''s also something you told me. Why are you telling me that again?" Talon felt a bad hunch about what was about to be said so his expression subtly changed.


    "Have you ever wondered how a Dimension Transitions from one rank to another?" She asked.


    "..." Talon blinked as he realized what she meant. He never really thought about it that deeply so that question didn''t cross his mind.


    But, now that he heard that, his curiosity grew to know how that happened.


    "How does it do the transition?" He asked.


    "Very simple. To do the transition, the gate will reshape the entire dimension to fit the newws that will enter it. Earth won''t look the same and neither the universe around you. Everything will slowly shiftpletely."


    "Hold on a second, newws?" Talon stopped Acrypha with a surprised look on his face.


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 59: Chapter 59- Time Moves

    "Yes, thews of this world won''t remain the same as it slowly transitions from one level to another."


    Talon blinked in surprise. Acrypha did tell him before that the Core Dimension had different worldlyws than other dimensions but she never told him that the other dimensions also hadws of their own.


    "How much change are we talking about?" He asked.


    "Things like the gravity, the weather, and the size of the earth and others and stars will change greatly as the dimension transitions. The days will be a lot longer and almost all creatures that didn''t level up enough to face this change will die. The ones that remain are the ones that know how to adapt. Basically, a whole entire new ecosystem will be created on this." She exined.


    "So basically everything¡­" Talon rubbed his chin with a frown. To erase an entire ecosystem and rece it with another one, naturally, was a huge disaster.


    Not to mention the otherws that are either going to be erased or changed beyond recognition. Adapting to all of these things will be really tough.


    Talon was certain that he would be able to handle this change one way or another but he wasn''t sure if the others would be able to. After all, they weren''t as strong as he was. Talon was a special case.


    ''Sigh, I gotta find a way to keep them alive.'' He thought to himself. Talon needed a group of survivors to do the work he didn''t have to do. Things like searching for food, water, and other supplies and perhaps building a base where people can live peacefully.


    He didn''t want to busy himself with such matters and forget about his initial and most important goal, to get as strong as possible as fast as possible.


    "When do you think the transition will happen?" He asked the most important question.


    "Initially, I thought it would take a year or two for it to happen. But, with how rapidly the world and the monsters are developing, that period could be cut down a lot."


    "... How much time, Acrypha?" Talon asked with a wary look.


    ''Don''t tell me¡­''


    "A month or two at most," Acrypha replied with a serious look. "Could be even less than that considering how abnormal this world is."


    Talon facepalmed as sighed. "I hate that I expected that." He murmured. "So a few weeks give or take?" He asked.


    "Yes, pretty much."


    ''Making the students stronger in a few weeks¡­ If it''s possible then it''s going to be very hard.'' He thought to himself.


    "Ok, thanks for telling me. I didn''t think it was going to be this early on but there is nothing we can do except get ready for it."


    "As I said, you won''t have to worry about it for the time being. Who knows what kind of monster you will turn into a few weeks from now?" Acrypha asked with a mischievous smile.


    "Certainly not as much of a monster as you are." Talon grinned back as he replied.


    "Tsk, little rascal¡­" She clicked her tongue in defeat. "Now, go to sleep before I knock you out myself. You need every ounce of energy for the days toe."


    "Mm, I will do that even if you didn''t say it. Good night." Talonid down again and closed his eyes.


    Quickly his mind shut off and he went into deep slumber. Resting helped him recover quicker as his body would focus on the recovery instead of supplying him with energy the entire time. In a sense, Talon''s body was akin to a machine now, a machine made to kill monsters.


    The night passed quietly and the morning came again. Talon woke up early feeling energized and great. His sickness was almostpletely gone and most of his injuries closed during the night or were painless.


    Even the horrible injuries on his back were alreadypletely closed with some small traces left that would require more time to vanish. Add to that the strength Talon acquired after yesterday''s fights, he was now basically at his peak.


    For that, Talon felt like he was ready to take on the whole world as he left the room and headed to the basketball court of the gymnasium where everyone was.


    For the next few hours, he helped Hyun-Jae organize the second group that would go out and then led them outside to train. The process went even smoother than yesterday with Talon and Hyun-Jae''s supervision.


    Even though today''s group wasn''t the best, they were able to kill tens of weak monsters themselves, clearing the few areas around the gymnasium they didn''t reach yesterday. They acquired a lot of items, all of which were very weak and useless for Talon. However, Hyun-Jae was able to acquire a better sword for herself.


    She used her share of energy cores on it to increase its level and made it her main weapon. The rest was handed to a particr group of students that Hyun-Jae and Talon created beforehand.


    That group was responsible for receiving loot and giving it to the students depending on what they needed. They created a list with all the students and started working over that list.


    Talon wanted to weaponize every single student by the end of the week so that they could finally start working on the research center area.


    Luckily, that worked as by the end of the day and after going out multiple times, the students were able to create a path to the cafeteria. It wasn''t a hard process since Talon had gotten rid of most of the monsters that could pose a problem to the students and those he didn''t kill were dealt with at the time.


    All in all, things worked out smoothly for the time being and Talon was satisfied with the progress. The students'' morals were also growing by the second as they saw sess in everything they were doing. With the food finally bing avable for them, they felt even better than ever before.


    That happiness was naturally turned into respect and gratitude toward the two people responsible for all of that. Talon and Hyun-Jae''s poprity among the students rose to new heights. When they were at their lowest, those two came and pulled them out into the light of hope like two messiahs.


    Even Talon who they feared yesterday was now akin to a legendary figure amongst the students. They talked about what he did during their expeditions and how strong he was fighting all kinds of monsters with ease.


    The rumors grew slowly till they reached ridiculous degrees. One of the more popr rumors, however, was rted to Talon and Hyun-Jae.


    The students noticed how close they were and how they were basically inseparable the entire day and that naturally made them question what kind of rtionship they had.


    "I tell you, Sir Talon and Miss Ran Hyun-Jae are dating." One student whispered to another with a serious look on their face.


    "Really? I thought they were just best friends or something like that." The other replied interestingly.


    "I tell you, man, they''re definitely dating. I mean, look at how they act around each other. Does that look like normal friends to you?"


    "Wait, he has a point. Miss Hyun-Jae seems to be quite fond of him even if they aren''t dating, it''s as clear as day." Another student intervened in the conversation.


    "Damn, this is actually insane. To think Miss Hyun-Jae would actually start dating someone. Ugh, my angel is taken¡­"


    These kinds of conversations spread around the gymnasium like wildfire. Perhaps theck of anything else to do apart from talking helped greatly in spreading those rumors.


    Talon and Hyun-Jae werepletely oblivious to these rumors as they were too engrossed in their tasks.


    With that, the day was over as fast as it started and Talon and Hyun-Jae went to bed again to get ready for the next day.


    ***


    *Around 3:00 AM*


    "Hnng¡­" Talon''s eyes opened wide out of nowhere as he rose from his position with an alert look on his face.


    Looking around him, he immediately heard some weird noise in the distance. The sound was very loud and booming, like that of a giant engine working at full throttle.


    His face frowned when he heard that and he stood up.


    "Acrypha?" He called hispanion''s name but it seemed she left to roam the ce on her own since he was asleep. So, Talon quickly picked up his spear and headed out.


    The moment he walked outside, he was met with a group of students who were rushing toward him. Their looks were far from normal as they had pale expressions.


    "Sir!"


    "What happened? What is this sound?" He asked seriously.


    "T-There are¡­" One of the students tried to spark but could only halt as she took a few deep breaths to calm down.


    "What?"


    "Some military jets are flying over the campus!" The other student continued.


    ''Military jets? Those are still roaming?'' Talon thought to himself. He didn''t see one in days so he assumed they were gone.


    "If it''s only that, then there is no need to wor-" As Talon was about to turn around, the student continued.


    "They''re bombing the campus, sir!!"


    Talon froze in his ce for a second as he turned around. "What?"


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 60: Chapter 60- Bombing

    The student''s words didn''t register in his head for the first second.


    "We don''t know, sir! They simply appeared out of nowhere and started dropping bombs on the entire campus! They''re destroying all the build-"


    Before the student could even finish his words, Talon had already vanished as he dashed toward the exit of the gymnasium as fast as he could. He didn''t even wait to understand the situation fully as what he heard is more than enough to throw him offpletely.


    As he ran, the loud noises he was hearing grew even bigger. Now that he knew that these weren''t just engines but also bombs, his heart went cold.


    At the same time, the screams of fearing from the students with each explosion filled his ears.


    "Evacuate to the other side, now!"


    There, he found Hyun-Jae already giving orders to the students on what to do. When she saw Talon, she hurried toward him.


    "The government started attacking the campus."


    "I heard, but why? They''ve been quiet the past few days." Talon frowned.


    "I don''t know. But, they seem adamant about ttening the entire ce down at this rate. They''re bombing everywhere."


    Talon didn''t know what to say at that moment. The government was supposed to be the one that was going to save them, yet it was somehow now bombing the entire ce and could potentially hit the gymnasium.


    After making sure that the students moved away from the main area of the building, Talon, Hyun-Jae, and a few other students rushed outside to check what was happening. The moment they exited the door, they were met with a sight straight out of nightmares.


    The usually dark and quiet nights of this world were nowpletely red. Wherever they looked, mes burned violently, eating away from buildings, trees, and even cars and other vehicles.


    The entire ce was turned into a sea of mes that was still expanding with each passing second.


    Everyone froze in fear except for Talon and Hyun-Jae whose eyes were then led to the sky above them. There, shes of ckness moved across the sky left and right. The sound of the loud engines of the military jets filled their ears as they tore through the sky at unbelievable speeds.


    Then, one of them suddenly dropped something they couldn''t identify with their eyes. However, they knew what it was.


    "CLOSE YOUR EARS!!" Talon yelled as he put his fingers into his ears.


    A split secondter, it happened.


    *BOOOOOOOOOOOOM*


    A gigantic explosion urred in a building a few hundred meters away from them. The mes rose in the air like giant fireworks as a wave of heat smashed against the group.


    "GET INSIDE!!" He said as he covered his eyes and face.


    Since he was strong, he could bear the heating from the mes rising all around him. But, the same can''t be said for the other students.


    Without waiting, the students went back inside quickly for protection while Talon and Hyun-Jae remained outside.


    "They don''t seem to be aware that there are students here," Hyun-Jae said with a dark look.


    No bombs had hit them yet, but she was sure that it wouldn''t be long before they dropped one on their heads.


    The situation wasn''t just bad, it was catastrophically bad.


    ''*BOOOOOOOOM*


    Another explosion came down on another building even closer to where they were. The effect of the explosion sent a shockwave across the area that pushed Hyun-Jae and Talon back from its intensity.


    Bits and pieces of debris flew everywhere. Talon noticed the rocks that were about to rain on them so he quickly rushed toward Hyun-Jae and grabbed her as he activated his spearmanship skill.


    Immediately, his arm that was holding the spear moved at top speed.


    *Swish* *Swish* *Swish*


    He swung the spear left and right, destroying any rock that wasing their way. Using his spearmanship skill, coupled with his abnormally high stats and his Enhanced Focus skill, Talon was able to easily destroy all of the rocks with amazing uracy.


    [Ding!]


    [Your spearmanship improved.]


    [Your skill ''Spearmanship'' leveled up.]


    "Are you ok, Hyun-Jae?" Looking behind him, Talon checked hispanion.


    "Yeah, thanks." She replied, a little dazed.


    "These bastards!" The young man clenched his teeth as he looked up.


    "THERE ARE SURVIVORS HERE!!!" He yelled at the top of his lungs. "STOP THE BOMBING!!"


    His voice was booming and loud even amidst the chaos and other noises. But, the jets didn''t seem to stop their campaign as they continued destroying one building after the other at a rapid pace.


    ''Think Talon, think! There must be a way for me to stop this!'' Wrecking his brain for a solution, Talon started looking around him.


    His eyes wandered everywhere, taking in every detail his brain could memorize. Eventually, his eyes fell on something that made him halt. His eyes shed with a weird glint as he shifted his gaze back to Hyun-Jae.


    "Hyun-Jae¡­" He said in a weirdly calm tone. "You said that we trust each other, right? That''s how teammates work, no?"


    "Huh? What are you talking about?" Hyun-Jae asked, a dangerously off feeling filling her heart.


    "Trust me on this one too," Talon added as he suddenly dashed away at top speed.


    "Huh?! Talon, wait!!" Hyun-Jae stood up and rushed after him.


    Talon moved around the building to a particr spot. There, he could seedders that led up to the ceiling of the gymnasium. So, he quickly jumped on top of them and started climbing fast.


    "What are you trying to do?!" Hyun-Jae jumped after him.


    "This is the only choice! Stay down there, Hyun-Jae!"


    "No! You aren''t going to do something reckless again to yourself. If you''re going to be reckless, at least let me be reckless with you!" Hyun-Jae replied with an angry tone.


    ''Wait¡­ She isn''t angry because of my reckless ideas and instead, because I don''t let her join me on them?'' Talon looked down with a surprised look. Hyun-Jae''s eyes met his and he could only notice the determination in them.


    He instantly knew that this time was different, Hyun-Jae wasn''t going to let him go on his own. There was no way he would be able to make her go down now.


    "Fine, fine!" Talon exhaled a breath as he replied.


    Hyun-Jae''s face rxed a little when she heard that and she hurried her climbing till she reached the top.


    There, she found Talon standing near the edge as he looked at the sky.


    "What are you going to do?" Hyun-Jae asked.


    "I''m going to destroy the bomb mid-air if it falls here." He replied.


    "... Excuse me¡­ What did you just say?" Hyun-Jae asked. She almost thought that she heard him wrong.


    "I''m going to make it explode mid-air before it hits the gymnasium."


    "How are you going to even do that?" She asked, not even trying to understand how that was somehow possible even for Talon to do.


    "Mm, I know what to do. I just need a little bit of luck." He said as he started moving, trying to locate each military jet flying over their heads.


    ''I need to predict which one is going to bomb this building.'' He thought to himself.


    "Does this n include you putting your life in deadly danger?" She asked.


    Talon continued looking around silently for a while before he looked back at Hyun-Jae. "I think I can pull it off without dying."


    "What are your chances?" Hyun-Jae asked with a deadpan expression.


    "Hmm, with some luck, maybe a 40% chance of survival?" Talon shrugged.


    At that moment, Hyun-Jae had the strongest urge to facepalm. But, she refrained from doing that.


    "Ok, but do-"


    Before Hyun-Jae could even finish her sentence, her ears caught a small sound in the distance. Looking up quickly, her eyes fell on one particr military jeting right in their direction. She didn''t know why, but she had a very strong hunch that this one wasn''t going to pass over them peacefully.


    Talon seemed to share that feeling as he ran to the edge again and looked at it with a sharp gaze.


    ''There you go¡­'' Talon sucked in a deep breath as he got ready. His hand gripped his spear hard and his heart raced.


    If he was told a few days ago that 5 days from now, he was going to stand on top of the gymnasium facing military jets with the intention of destroying one of their bombs mid-air, he would probably question the sanity of the person who told him that.


    Yet, as ironic as it was, everything that happened in the past few days turned that silly idea into reality.


    ''The funnier thing is that things will probably get even crazier from now on.'' He thought to himself.


    The jet flew at top speed on top of them as the door beneath opened and something was dropped. The object was long with a pointy end akin to a giant arrow.


    Talon stared at it silently, counting each second passing as it was falling from the sky.


    ''Not yet¡­'' He thought to himself.


    "Talon?" Hyun-Jae looked at him with a strong frown. Her heart was beating out of her chest as she stared at the bomb. Now that they were here, there was simply no way they would survive the bomb if it hit them.


    If Hyun-Jae had run away, her chances of surviving would''ve probably been higher. But, she was certain of one thing¡­ This was the best choice she could''ve made.


    ''If I die here¡­ I won''t regret it.'' She thought to herself as she stared at the missile.


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 61: Chapter 61- Risky Move And Skill Level Up

    During that whole time, Talon''s eyes never left the missile for even a split second as he dashed forward, following its trajectory. His enhanced focus made it easier for him to pinpoint the exact ce where it was going to fall.


    Using all of his senses, he predicted the trajectory with amazing uracy. Reaching the location, he looked up again. The missile was now barely a few dozen meters away from the building.


    A few more seconds and it will explode.


    ''Not time yet¡­'' Talon thought to himself.


    Seconds passed like an eternity for Hyun-Jae as she intensely watched what Talon was about to do.


    ''Not yet¡­''


    The missile was now barely 30 meters away from exploding. That''s when Talon''s eyes suddenly widened as he crouched down. Then, focusing all of his strength on his legs, he suddenly sprang up explosively.


    His jump easily exceeded 15 meters in height. When he reached that peak, he immediately channeled his aetheris.


    [Ding!]


    [You have activated ''Tear Of Reality''.]


    Then, without hesitation, he wed with his right hand as he swung it horizontally in the missile''s direction.


    His fingers sliced through thin air, ripping the fabric of reality off with ease. Since this was his second time doing it, Talon knew how to rip the fabric faster than before. Not to mention the fact that he used more Aetheris points in this one which was bound to make the effect even more destructive.


    ''Here goes nothing!'' Closing his eyes, Talon waited for the inevitable.


    A split secondter, the effect of the tear manifested in the world and what happened because of it was simply mind-blowing.


    Strong, invisible vibrations emerged from within the tear and flew up toward the missile. The sound of something ringing echoed in the vicinity right before contact. When the vibrations hit the missile, the object shook violently as its metal exterior was peeled off and its interior was wrecked.


    [Ding!]


    [Your active skill ''Tear Of Reality'' has leveled up.]


    It didn''t evenst a second under the relentless attacks and the damage it sustained.


    *BOOOOOOOOOOM*


    The missile erupted in the middle of the air as mes flew everywhere. The sound of the explosion reached every single corner of the campus.


    Talon found himself facing the ring, hot mes as he was descending. The temperature in that split second reached an unbelievable degree and Talon felt his skin burning.


    "Blurgh!!!" He coughed a mouthful of blood which made him lose his bnce mid-air.


    "Talon!" Hyun-Jae quickly rushed toward him, her expression was a mix of worry, confusion, and shock.


    She had seen what happened but she didn''t understand anything at all. Talon had weirdly moved his hand and suddenly, the missile exploded. That made no sense at all to her even though she knew that it was some kind of skill he acquired.


    Quickly reaching him before he hit the ground, she cushioned the impact with her arms. At the same time, mes rained down on them from all ces.


    Using her sword, Hyun-Jae fended off the mes that were going to fall on them. However, that didn''t stop the entire ceiling from turning into a huge furnace.


    The temperature rose quickly at a rapid pace.


    ''We need to go down quickly.'' Hyun-Jae clenched her teeth as she looked down at Talon.


    "Are you ok? Can you move?"


    "Yeah¡­ Hah, I''m fine¡­ Let''s go¡­" Standing up, Talon gazed at the ce. The good news was that he stopped the missile and so the building was still intact. The bad news was that he had no idea how he was going to stop these mes from making the ceiling copse.


    "Move!" Hyun-Jae tapped his shoulder as she rushed forward. "The ceiling will hold on till the mes die!"


    He knew that fact, but there was still a high chance that the ceiling wouldn''t be able to stay intact.


    "Fuck¡­" Cursing under his breath, Talon ran after Hyun-Jae.


    The military jets were still flying over their heads, but it seemed like they stopped bombing after what happened. Talon was sure that the pilots werepletely confused which was good.


    ''Hopefully, that makes them stop bombing!'' He thought to himself as he rushed ahead, dodging the rising mes. At the same time, Hyun-Jae, who was ahead of him by a good distance, reached thedders and was about to jump down when her ears caught another noise.


    A noise that she heard less than a minute ago and it made her heart stop for a second. Looking up, her eyes fell on one of the jets that flew over their heads and dropped another object.


    ''Another missile!!'' Her eyes widened as she looked at the falling rocket.


    "What?!" Talon''s eyes widened when he saw that.


    ''The bastards dropped another one?!'' He didn''t expect them to drop another one this quickly.


    "No, no, no, no! Move, Hyun-Jae!" He yelled at the top of his lungs. He quickened his speed as he dashed toward the ce of the missile.


    ''Can I even handle another Tear Of Reality?'' He touched his chest. The sheer amount of blood he just spat out was terrifying. He knew that if he did another one, he wasn''t going to simplye out of it like that.


    However, a secondter, he realized an even bigger problem. Hyun-Jae was still standing in her ce, not moving.


    "What are you doing?!"


    However, Hyun-Jae didn''t reply as she instead dropped her sword and looked down. Her shocked expression faded away as it was reced by a calmposure. Then, Hyun-Jae lifted both of her arms to chest level as she pped them against each other.


    The moment she did that, a sizzle-like sound emerged from that contact as white lines appeared and disappeared across her hands. The strings of lightning grew in size and intensity as she slowly parted her hands away.


    Between her palms, a chaotic ball of lightning was created. The ball was floating in the air with its tentacle-like shiny strings sticking to Hyun-Jae''s hand. Carefully, Hyun-Jae moved her hands left and right as she made the ball bigger and brighter.


    ''I practiced this skill for the past few days¡­ I think I can do it.'' She thought to herself with a serene expression.


    Even though Hyun-Jae has been really busy with many things, she never neglected to practice her new powers and level up as much as she could. In fact, in thest 3 days, she leveled up 4 times, reaching level 12 with extremely high stats.


    She also kept constantly practicing her Lightning Maniption skill and made it reach level 3 which opened many new ways for her to use it. One of those methods was the lightning ball she was creating at that moment.


    However, because it was the very first time she was trying that technique, she didn''t know if it would work out or not.


    ''There is no time to hesitate.'' She thought to herself as she looked at the ball. Its size was now as big as her hand.


    Feeling satisfied with what she made, she looked up at the missile. Even though it felt like an eternity for Hyun-Jae, barely two seconds passed.


    Taking a deep breath, Hyun-Jae released one of her hands, letting the ball rest on the other. Then, with a strong re, she extended her arm back and threw it forward, using all of her power.


    "Go!"


    The ball of lightning flew through the air as it sizzled violently. In a split second, it reached a few dozen meters in the air. The missile and the ball met halfway as they smashed against each other.


    The moment that happened, the ball dispersed across the entire body of the missile. The strings of lightning assaulted the missile from all angles, wrecking its body and interior.


    It didn''t take long for all of that umted damage to make the missile detonate.


    The explosion sent a huge shockwave across the area, as big as the previous one. mes rained down again relentlessly.


    "Wha¡­" Talon''s eyes widened. He never expected Hyun-Jae to have such a trick hidden under her sleeve.


    "Move, Talon!" The girl in question yelled as she moved toward the stairs quickly.


    Talon shook those thoughts away and rushed after her, avoiding the mes as much as he could.


    Reaching the stairs, he started descending down while swinging his spear. Bits and pieces of hot metaling from the missile keptnding on top of him. Unfortunately, that wasn''t the end of it.


    *CLING*


    Suddenly, Talon heard a very loud screeching from the top of thedder. Looking up, he frowned when he saw the screws that were holding thedder intact starting to break quickly. A secondter, one of the screws finally loosenedpletely and thedder tilted to the side.


    "Woah!" The duo found themselves losing their bnce. Thedder couldn''t hold its weight for long.


    "Move, Hyun-Jae!" Talon said as he continued going down quickly.


    "I will hold it, just continue descending!"


    The moment she reached the bottom and quickly tried to hold thedder fixed with her strength. Her teeth clenched as she used every ounce of strength in her body. Thedder, being made out of metal, weighed easily a few hundred kilograms which was too much for Hyun-Jae to handle for too long.


    "Come on¡­" She groaned as she tilted thedder to the side a little.


    Meanwhile, Talon continued descending as he fended off the mes falling him. Even with his skilled moves, he wasn''tpletely unscathed from the explosion. Some burning shards of metal fell on his skin and burned it. The pain was naturally intense but Talon clenched his teeth and continued going down quickly.


    *CLING*


    At that moment, out of nowhere, thedder snappedpletely, detaching itself from the wall as it started falling to the ground.


    *BANG*


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 62: Chapter 62- Malicious Intentions

    Even though Talon was still in the middle of descending, he found himself falling to the ground. So, as ast resort, he quickly pulled his arms away and jumped in the air.


    "This is going to hurt!" Clenching his teeth, Talon got ready for the impact.


    *BANG*


    Falling on his feet, Talon rolled on the ground to reduce the pressure from his legs. Finally, hended on his back. Looking up in a daze, he saw thedder falling right in his direction.


    "Shit!" Cursing, he quickly rolled to the side, barely avoiding the heavydder as it smashed against the ground.


    "Hah¡­ Hah¡­ Hah¡­" Heaving up and down as he looked at thedder, Talon felt relieved. That was way more dangerous than he expected, somehow.


    ''Thisdder almost killed me twice!'' He thought to himself.


    "Talon!" Hyun-Jae rushed toward him.


    "I''m fine, ouch! Ugh, my skin has some burn marks on it." Looking at his arms, Talon saw multiple burn marks left by the hot metal. Some were light while others were swollen and bleeding. He didn''t know what part of his body was the most affected though.


    Seeing that he was fine, Hyun-Jae exhaled a long breath as her eyes finally moved up to the sky. The military jets had vanishedpletely from the area as if they were fleeing. She assumed that it was because the two missiles were destroyed mid-air.


    What they left behind, however, was nothing but destruction and chaos. The sight of mes burning everywhere was intimidating and depressing. Most of the campus was wiped out of existence in a matter of minutes, leaving behind merely a few buildings here and there.


    "The entire university¡­ is gone," Talon murmured with a sad look on his face.


    The ce he studied in for the past three years waspletely destroyed beyond recognition. He felt his heart ache greatly just seeing this sight. The same could be said for Hyun-Jae if not more.


    The memories they both created there were numerous and beautiful. This ce was their second home in a sense.


    A myriad of emotions shed across their eyes as they looked around them. In the end, Talon sighed as he wiped the dirt off his face. Sniffing with his nose, he stood up slowly.


    Then, he looked at Hyun-Jae who was still on the ground, clearly devastated by what happened. He would''ve been lying if he said that he didn''t mind seeing her in that state. So, he extended his hand toward her.


    Hyun-Jae lifted her eyes to look at him. Her usually calm andposed face was worn out and gloomy. Seeing his extended hand, Hyun-Jae feltplicated emotions.


    "Hold your head high, Hyun-Jae." He said. "We can''t let this break us."


    Hyun-Jae blinked a few times as she looked at him before she nodded her head. It was true, she couldn''t let this break her, not when they were merely at the start of this long, arduous journey.


    In such a cruel world, losing something or someone you cherish is always one mistake away from them. That fact was painful but it was the truth and they had to adapt to it, work as hard as they could to avoid it, and try to thrive in this environment.


    So, slowly, Hyun-Jae extended her hand toward Talon and grabbed it as he pulled her up slowly.


    Seeing that her gloominess lightened a little, he smiled with a sad look.


    "OOOI!!! Mr Talon, Miss Hyun-Jae!!!"


    As they were like that, they heard someone yelling from the other side. The duo looked back only to see Go Young-Soon, Hei-Ran, and Mo Shin rushing toward them with deadly worried looks on their faces.


    "Are you ok?!"


    Seeing the worried looks on their faces made the duo feel rather nice. After all, that trio had by far the kindest and most innocent attitude they had seen from everyone around them in that gymnasium.


    "We''re fine. Just some scratches and a lot of dirty clothes." Talon replied casually. "I really need a shower."


    "The showers in the dressing rooms are still working. You can take a shower there." Hyun-Jae replied.


    "Wait¡­ They''re still working?!" Talon blurted out in surprise.


    "Yeah¡­ You didn''t know?"


    "... No, no one told me!" He replied. "I didn''t take a shower in an entire week!"


    Hyun-Jae looked at him calmly before she suddenly tilted her head forward to get a little closer to him. Then, she sniffed him with her nose a few times.


    "Don''t worry, you don''t have a bad smell." She said.


    Talon: "..."


    Talon waspletely speechless for a good few seconds. ''I feel vited for some reason¡­'' He cried in his head silently.


    "Ah, thank god! We were deadly worried!" Hei-Ran said as she wiped the tears that umted her her eyes.


    "We weren''t going to die that easily," Hyun-Jae replied with a small smile.


    "But, you two went out while we were being bombed by those military jets!"


    "Come to think of it¡­ Why, did they do that? Why did they attack the campus?" Go Young-Soon asked as he naturally looked up with a terrified look on his face.


    "Maybe they didn''t know that we were here?" Mo Shin suggested.


    "Yeah, that could be true. They thought everyone here was a monster and decided to blow the entire ce up." Hei-Ran nodded her head.


    It was quite logical to think that the government was simply conducting a mission to get rid of all the monsters in Seoul National University and was unaware that there were survivors within the campus. After all, what kind of government would see its own citizens and willingly blow them up? Or so the trio thought.


    "No." Talon''s voice cut them off as his face turned deadly serious. "It wasn''t a mission to eradicate the monsters on the campus ground."


    "What?"


    "They knew we were here. I''m also sure they knew exactly how many of us were inside that building." Hyun-Jae exined.


    Hearing that made the trio''s faces change.


    "How could that be¡­?" Mo Shin asked.


    Neither Talon nor Hyun-Jae spoke for a good few seconds. They knew the reason why it was indeed the case.


    ''When I destroyed the first missile, they went ahead and threw a second one. That means that they received direct orders to destroy the gymnasium even though something abnormal had happened.'' Talon thought to himself.


    If the government''s goal was to save the people there, they would''ve stopped the bombing when that weird urrence happened. With their advanced cameras, it wouldn''t be hard for them to identify the students there.


    However, they didn''t do that and instead tried to bomb it with a second missile. That meant that this was their goal from the very start. However, that naturally raised one single question.


    "Why would they try to intentionally kill us?" Go Young-Soon asked.


    That was the mystery that Hyun-Jae and Talon were in. They had no usible reason for such drastic actions.


    Running his hand through his hair, Talon looked up. "I don''t know. But, it''s certainly something that we can''t ignore."


    "What can we even do about this? This is the government of South Korea we''re talking about. How can we fight such a force alone?" Mo Shin asked.


    Talon stared at him coldly for a second before he replied. "Simple. We just be stronger than the government itself."


    "Be stronger than the government?"


    "Yeah, unless we want to be under their mercy, getting stronger than them is our only choice."


    After that, Talon started walking, heading back to the gymnasium, he wanted to check the state of the ceiling from the inside after all the mes.


    However, his mind was still really bugged with questions. If the entire government was trying to kill them, then what was the purpose of them trying to enter the research center to get in contact with them?


    All of their efforts would''ve been for naught. However, there still remained a little hope in Talon''s heart that this was simply some kind of procedure they were forced to take.


    ''If we reach the research center, I can definitely get in contact with my parents.'' He mused.


    Whatever happened back in his hometown, Talon wasn''t ready to think of the worst-case scenario.


    "It seems that monsters won''t be our only enemies," Hyun-Jae said to his side.


    "Yeah¡­ Monsters aren''t the biggest threat. It''s other people trying to take us down." Talon replied.


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 63: Chapter 63- Chin-Hwa鈥檚 Decision (Part 1)

    After that, Talon and Hyun-Jae walked inside the gymnasium where they found all the students, clearly terrified beyond imagination by what happened. They had been listening to the bombing for the past several minutes without even knowing if one would drop down on their heads and kill them or not.


    That kind of anxiousness was akin to mental torture, especially when the entirety of the building waspletely dark and the only sense they could use was their ears.


    However, when they saw Talon and Hyun-Jae, the sheer happiness they felt was overwhelming. Their hope was back when they saw that they were fine.


    "The jets had flown away. They won''t continue this attack for now." Hyun-Jae dered seriously.


    Those words naturally made everyone exhale a long sigh of relief and be thankful their prayers were answered. Some cried in relief while others simply startedughing. After all of that tension, when things finally ended, their feelings overflowed.


    Talon and Hyun-Jae watched that scene withplicated gazes. Seeing that strong of a reaction from everyone was truly heartbreaking. These people were living normally merely a few days ago and yet suddenly, everything shifted and they had to learn how to fight, kill, and survive in this cruel world.


    Ignoring the fact that it was a humungous challenge to learn all of that, people easily forget about the mental aspect of it. Under such circumstances, one could easily crumble like a sand castle hit by the strong and continuous waves of the sea.


    However, there was nothing that could be changed about the situation unless they also changed. That was the sole rule that they had to follow in order to thrive.


    After that, Talon left Hyun-Jae and the students and went to check the condition of the ceiling. Luckily, Hyun-Jae''s words seemed to be correct as he didn''t find any noticeable cracks or indentations which meant that it was pretty much good.


    When he was done with that, he decided to leave again to check the condition of the campus thoroughly. The sun was already rising in the distance so it was a lot easier to see.


    "Fuuuh, I didn''t realize how cold it was today," Talon murmured to himself as stepped outside. The weather was seemingly growing colder and colder by the day ever since the integration happened.


    He didn''t know why that was happening but he was sure it had something to do with the ''Transition''. Staring into the horizon for a good few minutes, Talon left his thoughts to swim into the distance.


    The ce was quiet and the sun was peeking at him, throwing its rays upon this world. The scene was magnificent.


    After a while, Talon finally shook his head and shifted his gaze to the ce around him. As he expected, most of the buildings werepletely destroyed and those that were still standing were irreversibly damaged.


    Even the cafeteria building was ruinedpletely which could''ve been a catastrophe had the students not moved all the food to the gymnasium a day before.


    ''They killed a good number of monsters too, I guess.'' He mused as he noticed the monsters'' parts here and there. The entire area was wiped out of monsters on a bigger scale than what Talon and Hyun-Jae did.


    It was a bad and a good thing at the same time. Bad, because now Talon and Hyun-Jae had no weak monsters they could train the students on, and good because, well, no more monsters to worry about.


    However, this wasn''t Talon''s biggest concern at that moment. His biggest concern was somethingpletely different. So, he looked around, pinpointed a good location, and headed toward it.


    The location was one of the buildings that were still standing. It had most of its walls sted into pieces with the foundations barely staying intact. But, it was still good enough for Talon.


    *Swish*


    With a few simple jumps, Talon climbed to the top of the building and stared into the distance. When he saw what he was looking for, his expression changed.


    "Hm?" His eyes squinted as he crouched down with a confused look on his face. "This isn''t what I expected to see¡­" He murmured to himself.


    Far in the distance, his eyes were staring at the sole building he wanted to reach¡­ The research center.


    After what happened a while ago, he expected to see itpletely destroyed or at least heavily damaged like the other buildings around it. However, forget about that, the building looked as good as it was the first time he saw it.


    It had no damage or even traces of burning from yesterday''s attacks as if the missiles didn''t hit it.


    ''Did they deliberately not target it?'' He asked himself only to shake his head. There was really no reason for them not to hit unless there was something important in there which Talon doubted since barely a few dozen meters away from the research center, a building was sted into pieces that was a part of thepound of the research center.


    If the government had something they wanted to protect there, they would''ve never risked throwing a missile that close to the research center.


    What was even weirder and what made Talon seriously question what was going on was the cluster of monsters that surrounded that ce 24/7. Their numbers didn''t dwindle as he expected to see, instead, they seemed to increase even more!


    Rubbing the back of his head, Talon tried to understand what he was seeing, to no avail. The research center was such an odd and iprehensible ce for some reason. Ever since they received that weird message back in the warehouse and up till this point, everything rted to that building was screaming ''bizarre''.


    "This is getting weirder and weirder."


    To solve this mystery, Talon decided to do something about it. So, he hopped down from the building he was standing on and headed back to the gymnasium. His mind was still upied with what he saw.


    Something felt extremely off for him but he couldn''t put his hand on it. He felt like he was missing some kind of detail.


    "Thinking too much might make you look older."


    Suddenly, he heard a very beautiful and familiar angelic voice speaking near him. Looking to the side, Acrypha had appeared out of nowhere and was looking at him with a smile.


    "Oh, Acrypha, you''re back." He said with a raised eyebrow. "Where have you been?"


    Because of all the wild events that happened, he forgot that Acrypha wasn''t present the entire time. Not that this was the first time she left on her own to do whatever she wanted.


    "It''s nothing important. But when I heard the noisesing from here, I rushed back. What happened?" She asked.


    Sighing, Talon told her the whole matter from start to finish. By the time he was over, Acrypha''s expression changedpletely.


    "Missiles? This world has that kind of technology?"


    "Yeah, it''s probably not as advanced as some of the other worlds out there but we do have it," Talon replied. "It''s effective enough as you can see."


    Acrypha: "..."


    "We were able to destroy two missiles but I doubt they will stop at that."


    "Why would they attack this ce?"


    "I don''t know myself. That''s what Hyun-Jae and I are trying to figure out. Either way, I''m going to stay alert to anything that could happen today or in the next few days."


    If another attack happened, Talon would have to deal with it. But, he was worried that the next time they wouldn''t merely use a missile to destroy this ce.


    "What a weird world this is," Acrypha murmured.


    "Tell me about it." Talon sighed. "It''s one headache after the other."


    "I guess no dimension is free of fools."


    ***


    Meanwhile, far away from where Talon was, back in the warehouse. Chin-Wa, Shin-Il, and Soomin were in apletely different dilemma.


    It has been precisely 4 days since Talon and Hyun-Jae left the warehouse and yet they still didn''t return after all that time. Naturally, they were all extremely worried about it since Talon had said that it would take them at most a few hours to a day for them toe back.


    Yet, after a few days, there was no trace of them.


    "I''m going to the campus." Chin-Hwa dered with a deadly cold look. His face looked even more terrifying than usual due tock of sleep, and the stress he was under at the time.


    His mind was sopletely upied with Hyun-Jae and her well-being that he couldn''t focus on anything else. All kinds of bad thoughts kept bugging his head and it made him almost go insane.


    So, he finally decided to put a stop to all of it and go after Hyun-Jae.


    "What?!" Shin-Il asked with a pale expression. "You can''t do that, Chin-Hwa. President and Talon said that we need to remain here to protect the ce. If you leave, we will be in deep trouble."


    The past few days have been hectic with monsters for the trio. They had to kill many of them who tried to barge into the warehouse. Luckily, the three of them were strong enough to fend them off and grow even more powerful because of it.


    However, if Chin-Hwa left now, Shin-Il and Soomin would have to face all those monsters alone.


    "Shin-Il is correct. The two of them are extremely strong, they can take care of themselves. I''m certain they''re fine." Soomin nodded her head.


    However, Chin-Hwa shook his head as he rubbed his temples. "I can''t remain quiet as days pass without any trace of the presidenting back. It should''ve been a quick mission. Why is she not back yet?"


    Just uttering those words made the cold prince clench his teeth in frustration. He would rather die than see Hyun-Jae hurt or even worse¡­ dead.


    He couldn''t handle the worry he felt for her let alone the feelings that would get to him if he lost her.


    "..."


    The duo looked at him with difficult expressions. They understood why he was this adamant about going, hell, they also wanted to go. But, they also trusted the two of them more than anything else.


    "Please, don''t do this, Chin-Hwa. We can''t take care of this ce without you." Shin-Il said.


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 64: Chapter 64- Chin-Hwa鈥檚 Decision (Part 2)

    The tension between the trio grew at a rapid pace. Chin-Hwa''s expression only grew darker and darker by the second as he looked down, thinking of what to do at the time.


    He was split between Hyun-Jae and what Hyun-Jae told him to do. If he went after her and found her, he was sure that she was going to be disappointed in him. However, at the same time, the mental torture of not knowing whether she was fine or not bugged his head constantly like an annoying insect.


    However, there was also a third reason that Chin-Hwa tried to ignore the entire time but failed to do so miserably. A reason that made him feel even worse and pushed him to the edge.


    ''She has been with that guy for days¡­'' He thought to himself as he balled his fists in frustration.


    Although he knew that Hyun-Jae would never actually seek a romantic partner since she had a secret that she hid from everyone¡­ Everyone excluding Chin-Hwa. He was the only one in this world that knew that secret and it made him feel special.


    However, even then, the fact that Talon had the privilege of staying with her for such a long period of time was something that he wasn''t going to ept.


    ''The only person fit enough to stand by her side is me!!''


    He didn''t care if that was unreasonable thinking from his side or if it was even true or not, he firmly believed in it and that''s what mattered most to him.


    Seeing that weird glint in his eyes, Shin-Il and Soomin found themselves even more confused. Chin-Hwa was acting far from the usual him. He feltpletely different and far more aggressive.


    However, since the situation was already tense as it is, they assumed that stress was simply getting to him.


    "Mmm, excuse me?"


    As they were like that, they heard a hesitant voice calling them from the side. The trio looked back at the same time only to see a man standing there.


    Ryan Seok had a very awkward look on his face as he felt their gazes on him. He sucked in a deep breath and finally looked up.


    "What do you want?" Chin-Hwa asked coldly as he gave him a threatening re.


    One of the other things that he was annoyed about was this man and the women with him. The trio kept to themselves and acted so suspiciously for no apparent reason. They didn''t seem like they even wanted to do anything except sit in their own corner, not interacting with the others.


    "Mmm, I''m sorry for interrupting you!"


    "It''s ok, what is it?" Shin-Il decided to speak since Chin-Hwa was scaring the man away.


    "Mm, my wife seems to be a little sick." He said as he pointed behind him.


    "Sick?" Soomin raised an eyebrow.


    "Y-Yeah, she is tired and her face looks really pale. I don''t know what to do." He added.


    "Hmm, let me check her out. I have some medical knowledge. I can''t promise you much though." Soomin adjusted her sses as she stood up and walked away.


    "T-Thank you!" Ryan Seok was about to turn around and follow her when he heard a cold voice.


    "Hey, you, stop right there," Chin-Hwa said as he stood up.


    "..." Ryan Seok flinched as he turned around. "You need me in something, sir?"


    "Yeah, we have to make some things clear." He said coldly as he approached Ryan Seok. "You don''t seem to understand the situation here clearly even though I made sure to rify it before. You have been sitting on yourzy ass the past week without doing anything, only consuming our resources without contributing anything in return."


    "..."


    "We aren''t having a charity here. If you want to remain in this ce, you better start working to earn it." Chin-Hwa red at him threateningly.


    "But¡­ I don''t know how to fight, sir!"


    "Do you think we all knew how to fight before everything happened? You have to learn like everyone else or pack your things and leave."


    "I-I can''t do that¡­ If I die, my wife and kid will be alone¡­" Ryan Seok hesitantly replied.


    "You bastard!" Grabbing him by the cor, Chin-Hwa red at the man angrily. "Who do you think you are, huh? Everyone here has people they want to go back to and we''re still risking our lives to do it. You are no exception! You hear me?!" Shaking him violently, Chin-Hwa pushed the man down.


    "Chin-Hwa, stop." Shin-Il grabbed his friend by the shoulder with a nervous look on his face.


    Thetter stared back at him for a second before he clicked his tongue and started walking away. "You better start doing what I told you or I will personally make sure you leave this ce, understood?"


    Ryan Seok waspletely terrified by what just happened as he heaved up and down. He was sure that if Shin-Il didn''t stop Chin-Hwa, he would''ve beaten him up.


    ''That bastard doesn''t joke around¡­ He was ready to hit me¡­'' He thought to himself as he wiped the beads of sweat on his forehead.


    "Are you ok, Mister?" Shin-Il Sighed as he approached Ryan Seok and extended his arm for him.


    "Y-Yeah¡­ I''m fine, thanks for helping me." He said as he took his hand and stood up. "He was really angry, wasn''t he? haha¡­" The manughed dryly.


    "I''m sorry for that, Chin-Hwa is usually considerate even though he doesn''t look like it. Stress is affecting him a littletely." Shin-Il said.


    "It''s fine, it''s fine. I didn''t take any offense to that."


    ''That bastard will pay for what he did to me.'' Ryan Seok thought to himself secretly as he looked at Shin-Il.


    "To be honest, sir. Although I don''t agree with how Chin-Hwa treated you, I still think he''s right. You need to learn how to fight if you want to survive in this world. Staying here will only put you and your family in even more danger."


    Ryan Seok: "..."


    "I can help you train and maybe kill a few monsters, you know? It''s not as hard once you figure it out." Shin-Il smiled innocently at the man.


    "Mmm, if you say so¡­"


    "Of course! You would even have a higher chance of protecting your family and surviving in the future." Shin-Il beamed.


    After that, Shin-Il excused himself and left Ryan Seok alone. Thetter looked at his silhouette as he walked away with a very weird glint as he formed a small, wicked smile on his face.


    "I will ept your kindness then, good sir." He murmured mysteriously.


    ***


    *Back on the campus*


    "So, tell me exactly what happened at the research center right before everything happened," Talon said as he crossed his arms in front of him staring at two students, one male and one female.


    "Everything?" The male student asked hesitantly.


    "Every single detail you can remember. Even if you think that detail is pointless or insignificant, tell me everything." Talon exined in a serious tone.


    The two students were confused as to why Talon wanted such information but they didn''t dare to ask.


    "O-Ok." The female student replied. "Ehem, a few hours before the earthquake, we were inside theb at the research center doing some experiments for our project in chemistry. We were the only ones inside the research center at the time."


    "No, there was also the guard at the entrance, remember?" The male student cut her off as he snapped his finger.


    "Ah, right, the guard! I-I''m really sorry for forgetting!!" She apologized nervously.


    "It''s fine, I''m already asking too much from you to remember all of that. I appreciate youing here to tell me. You have no idea how helpful that is to me." Talon smiled slightly as he assured them with a gentle voice.


    "..." (x2)


    The two werepletely speechless when they saw Talon''s smile. For some reason, even with his barely above-average looks, Talon''s smile was extremely charming. It had a certain feeling to it that they couldn''t wrap their heads around.


    The male student simply blinked in surprise while the girl blushed with a dazed look on her face.


    "Mr. Charming is back in business," Acrypha said as she snickered.


    "What?" Talon looked at her with confusion. "What do you mean?"


    "You charmed them with your smile." The woman smirked amusedly.


    "I didn''t do that. It was just a normal smile."


    "Yeah, sure~"


    Sighing, Talon looked away from his beautifulpanion and to the two students again. "Go ahead and continue."


    "Mm, since no one was technically inside the research center, the ce was quiet. We spent the time doing our work. We barely chatted and when we did, it was all about the project. Mmm, that continued for a few hours and then the earthquake happened so we rushed outside." The girl said.


    "We didn''t know what was happening so we simply escaped the area as fast we could when we saw the monsters." The male student nodded his head as he added.


    "Ok, before that, did you notice anything weird happening? Anything that was not normal?" Talon asked.


    "Something weird? Hmm, let me see. I don''t remember anything particrly odd, to be honest." The male student said.


    However, the girl was still thinking when her eyes shed suddenly.


    "Oh, right! I think that a few minutes before the earthquake, I heard someoneugh outside the building. It sounded like the guard was having some fun on his own." She said.


    When Talon heard that, he went silent for a second he bent forward. "Laugh?"


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 65: Chapter 65- Mystery And Charms

    "Augh?" Talon squinted his eyes when he heard those words. It didn''t even require him a split second to realize that something was very off with what they said.


    "Yeah, he wasughing." The female student nodded her head. "Very loudly in fact. He seemed like he was having so much fun." She added.


    "Yeah, now I remember, sir! I did hear it too."


    Talon''s eyes stared at the two silently for a few seconds before he looked at Acrypha. Thetter had the same suspicious look on her face as he did if not more. Her expression told him everything he needed to know, so he shifted his eyes back to the two and asked.


    "Can you describe theugh for me in detail? Like how it sounded."


    "Mmm, it was very loud as I said, it was also high-pitched and kind of weird now that I think about it. He sounded like he was unable to stopughing." The female student said.


    Talon sucked in a small breath when he heard that description as he finally closed his eyes. "Did theugh slowly go from being normal to bizarre or did it immediately begin that way?"


    When he asked that question, his wariness grew as he knew the answer and if they said the same thing, then he was seriously in a massive dilemma. A dilemma that only Acrypha can solve for him.


    "Hmm, that''s actually correct, it started normally and then shifted slowly to being weird. How did you know?" She asked.


    ''Fuck me¡­'' Exhaling a long breath, Talon ran his hand through his hair before he looked up and smiled coldly. "Let''s say I have a walking library following me 24/7." He said.


    The two students looked at him and then at each other in confusion. They didn''t understand what Talon meant.


    "Anyway, thank you two for your help. It was truly tremendous." Talon stood up and shook their hands.


    "Any time, sir! We would always be happy to help you and Miss President!" The male student beamed with happiness.


    "I''m sure Hy- Ehem, the president will be happy with that too. Keep up the good work."


    After that, the two students left as they whispered to each other secretly. Meanwhile, Talon''s smile remained till the two were gone before it disappearedpletely as he closed the door.


    Turning around, he walked to the chair and threw himself on it with a tired look on his face. It wasn''t even the middle of the day and he already felt like he consumed every ounce of energy in his body.


    Staring at the ceiling in silence for a while, he finally spoke. "Care to exin?" He asked.


    Acrypha remained silent till Talon had to look down at her. "Is it what I think it is?"


    "It is apparently. That monster most likely affected that human." She replied.


    "How? At the time, the integration hadn''t even started yet, how did that monster appear?" He asked.


    His problem wasn''t theughing monster, it was the fact that it seemingly appeared out of nowhere, way before the Core Dimension gate was summoned. That totally broke all thews Acrypha told him about and more.


    "I can''t say for certain but I have heard of a case a long time ago where a world that wasn''t integrated yet was essed by someone. It was a rumor that I was dep- Ehem, that I heard of. But, I was never able to check its truthfulness."


    "ess a dimension before its integration starts? How is that possible? Isn''t the Core Dimension the sole one responsible for those gates and links between worlds?" Talon raised an eyebrow.


    "As I said, it''s not something I''m sure of yet. But, in some dimensions, very high ones, scientific achievements in Dimensionology reached levels far beyond what you canprehend. They tried to tap into the realm of the Core Dimension and control it. Many tried actually, but for the longest time, it was one failure after the other.


    That was until that rumor appeared that someone seeded in creating a gate on their own." Acrypha exined.


    "What about the ones that failed?" Talon asked.


    "Naturally, the Core Dimension wasn''t pleased with that and it punished them heavily. Most of them either died a gruesome death or turned into pathetic Dimension Walkers. That''s why no one dares to defy the Core Dimension. The risk is simply too big."


    Talon could only shudder when he heard those words. He already knew that the Core Dimension was the supreme entity above everything else. It ruled all dimensions with an arm of steel. Naturally, if it found a bunch of individuals trying to shake that control, it wouldn''t spare them that easily.


    ''And yet some are still trying¡­ I guess you can''t kill the desire for freedom from people''s hearts.'' Talon thought to himself.


    These people were clearly defying this sovereignty simply because they didn''t want to be caged by the Core Dimension even if that granted them endless power.


    "In any case, we aren''t sure yet whether that''s true or not. It could be what I just mentioned, or it could be simply a bizarre human with a weirdugh." Acrypha shrugged.


    "I damn wish it is that. I don''t even know what I will do at this point."


    Talon knew that most likely, that wasn''t just a coincidence. After all, the research center had many odd things about it that he couldn''t understand. Theugh was simply a new one added to the list.


    "Sigh¡­" Rubbing his temples, Talon felt his thoughts getting more and more chaotic the more time passed.


    "I think I''m going to be an alcoholic at this rate." He murmured with a scoffedugh.


    "As you get stronger, your body will start detoxifying alcohol faster and you won''t be able to get drunk with the low-quality drinks this world produces," Acrypha said.


    "Thanks for telling me that I can''t even do that!" Talon rolled his eyes.


    "You''re wee, Mr. Charming." Acrypha smiled at him mischievously.


    "Is that what you''re going to call me from now on? Mr. Charming?"


    "Maybe~"


    "Where did that evene from, geez? I''m far from charming todies." He said as he shrugged.


    Talon did date once before when he was still in middle school but it didn''t work out well. Since then, he never really tried to get into another rtionship. He was too busy with life to really have time for a partner.


    "Hm, I think you''re underestimating your charms."


    ''Very much.'' Acrypha added in her head as she remembered the scene of Hyun-Jae wiping his naked body a few days ago.


    "Huh? Do you even realize who you''re talking to? I''m really bad with girls." Talon pointed at himself.


    "If you''re bad with girls, then most other males in this world are a lost cause," Acrypha replied mysteriously.


    "Again with the mysterious answers, sigh."


    "Haha, don''t worry about it. Either way, you won''t be able to find a woman since you''re going to be mine. I do not share what belongs to me." Acrypha replied with augh.


    Talon: "..."


    The young man stared at theughing beauty in front of him with wide eyes. Even her casualughs sound like a divine melody in his ears. He didn''t know if she realized what she said or not, but it was very close to a confession. Her words could''ve easily been misunderstood if Talon didn''t know their context clearly.


    ''I''m sure she''s joking. But¡­ It still feels rather weird.'' He thought to himself as he touched his chest.


    As the two were like that, Talon heard a knock on the door. Turning his head away from Acrypha, he stood up and opened it, only to see someone familiar outside.


    "Hyun-Jae? Everything ok?" Talon asked.


    "Can Ie inside for a moment?" The girl asked mysteriously.


    Talon raised an eyebrow confusedly before he moved to the side. "Sure, go ahead."


    Hyun-Jae nodded her head and walked inside with wary steps. Talon looked at her as he closed the door. "Is everything ok? I thought you said you were going to rest?" He asked.


    The girl turned around to stare at him with some hesitance in her eyes. For some reason, she seemed conflicted about something that Talon didn''t understand.


    "Mm, I was intending to sleep. But, I couldn''t sleep because of the noiseing from the other side."


    "Oh, that''s true. You''re sleeping in a room close to the basketball yard."


    Since there were hundreds of students inside the gymnasium, it was naturally noisy the entire time except for the night since everyone would be asleep. However, since Hyun-Jae didn''t sleepst night, she had to take a nap now.


    "Yeah¡­"


    "So, what are you going to do about it?"


    The girl looked even more conflicted for a second before she took in a small breath and said.


    "Can I sleep here?"


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 66: Chapter 66- Trust and Skill Mastering

    "Huh?" Talon looked at Hyun-Jae with a confused expression as he blinked quickly. For a second, his mind refused to register what she said.


    "I have no other ce to sleep in and this room is the farthest away from the noise so I thought I would ask you if I can sleep here," Hyun-Jae exined quickly when she realized how absurd what she said was.


    Talon: "..."


    "Pfft, hahahaha! This girl is something else, I tell you, Talon." Acrypha said inughter as she held her stomach. Her giggles filled the room like a divine melody. "She''s more daring than you. Maybe you should humor her a little and share the bed together."


    "Cough! Cough! Cough!" When Talon heard that, he almost choked on his own saliva and started coughing awkwardly. Then, he gave Acrypha a strong re to the side before he turned to Hyun-Jae.


    "Ehem, that makes sense. Sure, I''m not using the mattress so you can sleep there." He said.


    "Really?" Hyun-Jae asked with a hint of anxiousness in her tone. "It''s fine if you don''t want to. I can sleepter."


    However, Talon shook his head in refusal. "No, you already worked extra hard the past few days, you deserve some rest. Besides, I need you at your best mental and physical state for what''s about toe."


    "..." Hyun-Jae stared dazedly at him for a few seconds before she nodded her head. "Thank you."


    "Of course, any time you need help, you can ask me," Talon said as he turned around to leave.


    "Where are you going?" The girl asked confusedly.


    "Hm? I''m going to leave the room for you to sleep."


    "No, it''s fine, you can stay. I''m already asking for too much, I wouldn''t kick you out of your room." She said.


    "But¡­"


    "Please, I really don''t mind." Hyun-Jae insisted.


    ''What''s up with her?'' Talon could only think when he noticed how adamant she was about him staying. But, since she was insisting, he had no reason to leave.


    "Ok, if you don''t mind¡­" Talon shrugged and went back before he sat down on his chair.


    Hyun-Jae awkwardly stared at him before she stared at the mattress on the other side of the room.


    "If you excuse me¡­" She murmured as she approached the mattress and slowly sat down on it.


    ''What am I even doing?'' Hyun-Jae asked herself as she felt way more nervous than before. Even when she was fighting monsters, she didn''t feel as nervous as she did at that moment which made her feel even weirder.


    However, since she already asked, she can''t back down now. If anything, as nervous as she was, she still wanted to sleep here for one reason or another. So, with that in mind, Hyun-Jae slowlyid down on the mattress before she stared at the ceiling.


    Talon busied himself with something else to not make Hyun-Jae feel even more awkward. The two remained silent for a long while before Hyun-Jae opened her mouth and spoke.


    "Thanks again."


    "No problem."


    "No, really, thanks for everything," Hyun-Jae repeated. "I really appreciate everything you have done so far. You really helped me greatly. You''re really kind." She said.


    Talon stopped what he was doing and stared at her. Their eyes met for a second as he read what she conveyed through hers. He could see deep gratitude in them, something that made him feel even moreplicated.


    The reason for that was simple, Talon did nothing out of kindness. Everything he did so far was simply in order to get closer to his goal. He worked hard day and night to train the students, providing them with weapons and skills, it was all just to achieve what he wanted.


    He was even sure that if it wasn''t for the fact that it would benefit him, he wouldn''t have gone this much out of his way to help them.


    Even his teamwork with Hyun-Jae, was all out of pure selfishness. However, Talon couldn''t really tell her that since it could break their trust and make things worse.


    "You should probably sleep." He said as he turned around again.


    "Hm¡­" Hyun-Jae stared at him confusedly for a second before she nodded her head. "Yeah, you''re right." She murmured as she finally closed her eyes slowly.


    Not even a minute passed before Talon could hear Hyun-Jae''s small, rhythmic breaths. Talon could only sigh as he looked at the window silently.


    He wasn''t necessarily feeling guilty that he was selfish since Talon knew he would still do the same stuff again if he went back in time. However, that didn''t make lying feel any better.


    Acrypha noticed that lost expression on his face and could only shake her head. "You don''t need to convince anyone with your intentions. Everyone here is seeking a goal of their own. Are you intending to be a hero, Talon?" She asked.


    Thetter shook his head as he looked at her with an expressionless face. "I''m no hero and will never be one as long as I live." He replied.


    That was something Talon was certain of. Heroes were meant to be very selfless people with a noble desire to help others. Talon never had such a thing in his life. He simply sought his own goals and if that meant he could help others on the way then it was a good plus.


    "Then you don''t have to feel like you owe anyone anything. This world won''t repay your kindness as you might think. I have seen with my own eyes countless people dying a miserable death because they tried to y heroic roles. It''s foolish."


    Acrypha wasn''t against helping others or giving a hand to someone in need. But, her problem lies where others think that helping others is a must no matter the situation. She wasn''t dumb enough to think she could save everyone she wanted to save even with her powers.


    ''I couldn''t even save who I care for, saving everyone else is a pipe dream for the fool.'' She thought to herself with a small frown.


    "I know. I won''t try to do any of that." He said as he finally shook those thoughts away.


    Whether this ended up bringing him friends or foes, allies or enemies, he didn''t care. As long as those he cared about were safe and sound, nothing else mattered as much.


    Time passed quietly as Hyun-Jae slept soundly. Talon was surprised by how defenseless she was even though she was in the same room with him.


    ''Where did she even get all this trust in me?'' He wondered with surprise.


    Hyun-Jae had irresistible charms that any man would appreciate. So, the fact that she didn''t seem that wary of Talon made him rather confused and also a little happy.


    As he was like that, Talon heard a whimper that broke his focus.


    "No¡­ No, I didn''t do it¡­ I didn''t¡­ A mistake¡­"


    Hyun-Jae had a very deep frown on her face as she murmured those words during her sleep. Her hands were balled into fists and her breathing was erratic as if she was fighting some kind of deep fear.


    The way she spoke even in her sleep sounded disturbed and terrified to an endless degree. Even when they were facing life-threatening danger, Talon had never seen such a reaction from her.


    It reached a point where she even started channeling her Aetheris unconsciously as it fluctuated with her emotions.


    "She''s having a nightmare¡­" Talon murmured as he looked at Acrypha. "Should I wake her up?"


    "No, that''s a bad idea. Let her be." Acrypha said as she approached the girl and looked at her. "Whatever she''s dreaming of, it''s probably a trauma from her past. You can''t wake her up from it or the effect of it will remain even when she''s awake."


    "I see¡­ Wait, how do you know all of this?" Talon asked.


    Acrypha floated back to him. "Let''s say I knew someone who had a lot of knowledge about dreams. I learned a few things from them."


    "Interesting¡­" Talon murmured as his eyes went back to Hyun-Jae.


    Her whimpers seemed to grow quiet again as her face rxed a little bit. When he was certain that she was totally back to her deep slumber, Talon stood up and he stretched his arms.


    "I''m going to go out to train. I didn''t have time to do that yesterday." He murmured. "What about you, Acrypha? Are you going to follow me or go on your own?"


    "I already roamed the ce as much as I wanted. When you will start moving again, I will explore other areas."


    "Suit yourself." He shrugged as he picked up his spear and took onest look at Hyun-Jae before he closed the door behind him quietly and left the gymnasium after making sure things were going ording to the n.


    Outside, Talon moved a little far from the building to a secluded ce where he could train in quietness. It wasn''t that hard to find that kind of ce.


    "Hmm, perfect." He murmured as he started warming up and then began his training. After learning the horizontal sh, Talon started to master the other moves as much as the first one.


    Since they were a lot harder and more technical, they naturally took more time. However, in the past few days, Talon was able to master the thrust and the vertical sh. His rapid pace exceeded Acrypha''s expectations by a mile.


    Still, even with those two moves mastered, Talon wasn''t able to level up Spearmanship to level 4 which annoyed him. His skills were the only thing that slowly leveled up unlike everything else about him.


    ''Well, I will continue training either way and we will see how things go.'' He thought to himself as he began his exercises. What Talon wasn''t aware of was the unexpected urrence that would happen as he was training.


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 67: Chapter 67- Disaster In The Distance (Part 1)

    After an entire week of training, Talon was already a master at the spear at a level where he could easilypete with people who had trained for years using that weapon. His spearmanship skill, coupled with his monstrously fastprehension speed made his progress look almost like a lie.


    Even by Acrypha''s standards, Talon was ridiculously good at learning new things and implementing them almost instantly. He didn''t take long to graspplicated stuff even though it would normally take years and years to master.


    However, for one reason or another, Talon didn''t seem to be leveling up his spearmanship skill. Even though he keeps receiving notifications telling him that his spearmanship is improving constantly.


    "This is really annoying," Talon murmured as he exhaled a long breath and readjusted his position. He had been training for the past two hours and his eyes had been led to the countless ''Your Spearmanship skill has improved'' notifications again and again.


    However, even after 20 of them, his skill was still level 3, something that annoyed him.


    "Why is it not increasing, Acrypha?" He turned around confusedly.


    "The more your skill levels up, the more is required for it to move to the next level. In your case, training alone won''t cut it. To break through, you need to fight and kill monsters using the skill." Acrypha exined.


    "Oh, that makes sense. I don''t know why I didn''t figure that out myself." Talon murmured as he rubbed his chin.


    "At higher levels, it would take you far more than that to level it. Some entities would take hundreds of years just to level one of their skills."


    "Hundreds of years?!" Talon blurted in shock.


    "Of course, what do you expect? The strength they will gain from that simple level is far beyond anything you can fathom. At extremely high levels, the difference between each level is like heaven and earth."


    Talon shook his head with an overwhelmed look. He really can''t fathom how massive the difference is and it hurts his brain to even try to understand it. So, he gave up as quickly and focused on his spear.


    "Well, training is still good since I want to learn how to use the spear before I fight monsters with it."


    "Practicing is key. Leveling up is good but the true learning is that you engrave into your very body with continuous training." Acrypha added with a nod of her head.


    "Why does that sound like a quote an old man from the mountains would say?" Talon chuckled.


    "Hey, who are you calling an old man, you little rascal?"


    "Ah, sorry, old granny, not man." He smirked mischievously.


    "Hmph! Find an old granny as beautiful as me and we can talk. No, scratch that, find any woman as beautiful as me." Acrypha puffed her chest angrily.


    "Is that a challenge?" Talon raised an eyebrow.


    "It''s not a challenge if you''re bound to lose it." Acrypha winked.


    "So arrogant." He rolled his eyes at her jokingly. "But, truth has to be told, you are by far the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. By a far margin too." He shrugged.


    Acrypha: "..."


    Talon was looking away so he didn''t notice the change in Acrypha''s expression when he said those words.


    ''This kid has a smooth tongue and he doesn''t even realize it.'' Acrypha thought to herself as she touched her chest. For some reason, her heart raced a little when she heard those words.


    Being someone of great standing, Acrypha naturally heardpliments countless times. However, this one felt different and she didn''t know why. Perhaps it was theck of any malicious intent in his words and the straight honesty that made it feel special or maybe it was something else, either way, Acrypha liked it.


    However, before she could even speak, suddenly, she noticed something weird. Looking down, Acrypha noticed that the pebbles and rocks on the ground started to shake out of nowhere.


    It was subtle at first and could even be ignored, but it slowly grew in intensity and rhythm. Squinting her eyes, Acrypha snapped her finger at Talon. "Hey,e look at this."


    "Hm?" Talon raised an eyebrow as he approached her. "What?"


    "This¡­" She said as she pointed down.


    Talon''s eyes trailed down to the ground as he noticed the subtle shaking of the rocks. He frowned slightly as he crouched down and stared at it in silence. That''s when he felt it, the shaking had moved to his body.


    "An earthquake?" He murmured in confusion.


    "No, this isn''t an earthquake." Acrypha shook her head. "Focus on the rhythm."


    The young man was confused at first before he listened quietly again to the rhythm and counted the seconds before each shake. It didn''t take him long to realize what Acrypha meant as his eyes widened and he stood up.


    "No, don''t tell me¡­" Talon''s voice turned dead cold. This wasn''t the first time he had felt that rhythm, hell, it was still a vivid memory in his head. Looking around, he rushed to the nearest high-ground area and climbed it to check for himself.


    Reaching the top, he gazed into the horizon with his sharp eyes. With his enhanced focus skill, staring almost ten miles into the distance was an easy task. What he saw shook him to the very core.


    The buildings in the distance were shaking violently as they started copsing one after the other as if they were a series of dominoes. The trail of dust they left behind was so gigantic that it covered Talon''s vision.


    However, that didn''t hide the culprit for this destruction. A horde of monsters, at least 400 strong, was moving through the city, wreaking havoc as it moved. They didn''t seem like they had any intentions to stop. Crazed howls and cries echoed in the vicinity, shaking the world with terror. It was a sight straight out of a nightmare.


    The worst part was¡­ That horde was heading straight toward the campus.


    "Oh no, no, no." Talon gripped his spear as he turned around. "They''re moving towards us!"


    Without waiting a second, Talon descended and rushed back to the gymnasium.


    ''If they enter the campus grounds, we''re all screwed. Shit!'' He cursed. Talon wasn''t sure why that horde was suddenly triggered into moving this violently toward the campus ground but he was sure that it wasn''t going to end well if he didn''t do something.


    However, Acrypha didn''t immediately move with him as she kept staring at the horde with sharp eyes.


    ''Something is off about their movements¡­ It''s almost as if they''re following something.'' She thought to herself before she turned around and flew after Talon.


    The two reached the gymnasium quickly as Talon rushed inside.


    "Everyone, leave everything you''ve been doing and grab your weapons now!! Everyone moves to their assigned groups and get ready!!" He yelled as he rushed inside.


    "What?"


    "Huh?"


    All the students were confused by the sudden yells as they flinched. Seeing Talon, they noticed the dead serious expression on his face.


    "Everyone, move! Monsters are approaching the campus from the outside! I need everyone to get ready to defend this ce!"


    "Huh?"


    "Monsters?"


    "From the outside?"


    The students were naturally confused. But, since Talon''s orders were clear and straightforward, they immediately moved, unaware of the severity of the situation.


    "Go Young-Soon, organize them. Hei-Ran and Mo Shin make sure everyone has a weapon ready and move all the archers or long-range weapon users to the roof."


    "Y-Yes, sir!" The trio didn''t even wait a moment as they dispersed ordingly.


    Meanwhile, Talon headed toward his room as he opened the door. There, he found Hyun-Jae had just woken up and was staring through the window.


    "What''s going on?"


    "A horde of monsters is approaching this ce in an hour or so," Talon said as he approached her.


    "What? Why?" Hyun-Jae blurted out in shock.


    "I don''t know what triggered them but they don''t seem like they''re going to stop. We need to stop them or this entire ce will go down on our heads." Talon replied with a serious tone.


    "How many¡­?" Hyun-Jae asked as she picked up her sword with a serious look.


    "A few hundred at least. Most of them are weak monsters, some are a little high-leveled from what I''ve seen. I already ordered the students to get prepared. We will need any help we can."


    "Are they even ready for such a thing?" Hyun-Jae asked with a frown. "Most of them barely learned to pick a weapon and kill a Dimension Walker."


    She knew that the students barely killed their first monsters a few days ago. They were far from ustomed to it to even face such an ordeal.


    "There is no other choice. We can''t kill that many monsters alone. The least they can do is to protect the gymnasium from any monsters that escape us. I know we can handle the rest." Talon said as he turned around.


    ''Goddamit! Even then, how many can I even kill on my own?'' Talon cursed inwardly as he ran his hand through his head.


    This was going to be brutal and he knew it very well. Yet, such a brutal challenge appeared out of nowhere and was threatening all the things he built up so far.


    Meanwhile, the horde of monsters grew closer and closer as it crushed its way through anything in its way. The sheer destruction it left behind was unimaginable, ttening the entire ce. The countdown for their approach started.


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 68: Chapter 68- Disaster In The Distance (Part 2)

    "Where are theying from exactly?" Hyun-Jae asked as the two rushed out of the room.


    "Northwest. Though they probably stretched straight north after ttening out the entire area." Talon exined as he opened his status window to check his current level and other things rted to it.


    [Talon Everhart-


    Level: 16


    Dimension: Low-D (ess to other dimensions restricted. Reach level 25 to unlock.)


    ss: [Dimension Maniptor]


    [Requirements for activation:


    -Kill 100 Level 10+ monsters with a single attack. 1/100


    -Kill 2 level 20+ monsters on yourself. 0/2


    -Collect 200 Energy Cores of monsters level 8+. 13/200


    -Collect 100 Item Cores of monsters level 5+. 10/100]


    Strength: 47 (+5)- Agility: 52 (+2)- Stamina: 54 (+2)- Health: 50 (+5)- Aetheris: 105]


    Free Points: 15


    Skills: [Dimension Harvester (Lower Dimension) Level 1: Using this ability, you can link with alternate versions of yourself in parallel dimensions and acquire their skills. Costs Aetheris to activate.


    Skills avable: Spearmanship (Level 3)/ Enhanced Focus (Level 3)/ Poison Resistance (Level 4)


    w: Overusing the ability could lead to permanent brain damage.]


    [Regeneration (Level max): Your health stats increase by 10. Your pain tolerance increases.


    w: Reduces agility by 2 points.]


    [Tear Of Reality (Level 2): The Dimensions are a thin fabric away from each other. Yet, no one can tear that fabric and get through. Using this skill, you can tear open that fabric momentarily, causing devastating destruction.


    w: The bigger the tear, the higher the chance you sustain internal damage. Reduces as the skill levels up.]


    (A//N: I won''t be showing this status window that often so do tell me if you want to see it every 50 chapters or so.)


    "Not bad." He murmured as he read through it with a thoughtful look. His stats were looking good after all the leveling up he went through and the status bonuses he umted from his weapon and skills.


    His free points were also at the 15-point mark which was great since he was going to need every single ounce of strength for this fight. However, Talon still found himself in front of a problem.


    ''Should I allocate them now or during the fight?'' Frowning at the dilemma he found himself in, Talon scratched his head. With the huge number of monsters he was about to fight, Talon knew he was going to use those points sooner orter. But, he also didn''t want to waste all of them if he wasn''t going to need them all.


    Leveling up was bing harder and harder as he went so each point became more precious the more he leveled up.


    "What do you think, Acrypha?" He turned around to his partner.


    "It''s a good idea not to use all of them since you will probably need themter on. However, you also need a boost of strength now so using a part of them sounds like the best n." She suggested.


    "Hmm, yeah, seems so. I will use 10 points and leave 5." He decided and opened the status window again.


    ''Allocate 5 points to strength, 3 to agility, and 2 to stamina.'' He thought as the system immediately responded.


    Feeling the newfound strength soar through his body, Talon exhaled a long breath. His strength was now that of approximately 5 average people which was ridiculous. Talon was now a superhuman in every sense of the word and was still evolving constantly.


    ''I wonder how it would feel if I be hundreds of times stronger than a normal human? It would definitely be wild.'' He mused.


    "Talon?" Hyun-Jae called him as she turned around.


    "Hm? Yeah, I''ming." He nodded his head as he rushed after her. The two reached the gymnasium''s main area where everyone was standing in their groups with anxious looks. At this point, they can feel the ground shaking beneath their feet as the horde moves toward them.


    They were waiting for Talon and Hyun-Jae to arrive and exin what was exactly going on.


    "Sorry for the wait everyone," Talon said as he stepped in front of them. "I will briefly exin what''s going on so everyone listens quietly." He gazed at them strongly, making them go silent.


    After he made sure they were all listening, he took a deep breath. "There is a huge horde of monsters heading straight toward this ce in about an hour or so. Their numbers are huge, at least a few hundred."


    "A few hundred?!"


    "Oh no!"


    "What?! Why are theying here?!"


    "No¡­ No!"


    Naturally, the news sent terror through everyone as murmurs erupted between them. The atmosphere inside the gymnasium changedpletely in a split second.


    "Calm down everyone, he hasn''t finished yet." Hyun-Jae pped her hands, catching their attention again.


    Her words didn''t calm them downpletely but they at least made them focus on Talon again. Thetter gave Hyun-Jae a faint nod before he turned around again.


    "Yeah, the situation is honestly not good. However, that doesn''t mean it ispletely unsalvageable. I believe we can stop them in their tracks with our current strength." He dered loudly.


    "What?"


    "Did he say we can stop them?"


    "Hundreds of monsters? How can we do that?"


    "It''s impossible!"


    Naturally, many were skeptical, and even more were questioning whether they could even kill a monster let alone hundreds. Talon saw all of that but didn''t get phased by it.


    "Everyone was training and working hard for a purpose and that purpose was to kill those nasty things and stop them frompletely destroying the world and wiping us all out. Isn''t that what everyone wants?" He asked as he looked around at the students.


    Seeing their expressions subtly change, Talon nodded his head. "Exactly, we all want our world back to how it was, we all want our families and loved ones to be safe and sound. Which is why we should fight those things and kill them all. Now, they areing here, threatening to kill us. If we don''t fight, we''re all dying."


    Talon didn''t hold himself back from giving them reality as it was. He wasn''t someone to sugarcoat his words to anyone as that would only give them false ideas of what was actually happening.


    That obviously led toplicated expressions on the faces of all the students. But, Talon hasn''t finished yet.


    "I understand how you''re feeling. I''m also terrified, but as I said before, fear isn''t something that should stop you. I wouldn''t let myself hide or run away just because of it. There are really only two choices here¡­" Lifting up two fingers, Talon continued.


    "You can either continue hiding here and destroy all the progress you made the past few days. Or,e with me and pave the path for a better world for everyone. A world where all of you will be heroes that will be revered for decades toe. This is your opportunity." He dered loudly with a confident tone.


    His words sent shivers down their spines as they felt a rush of excitement fill their hearts. It was true that they were terrified to no extent, but their desire to live was as intense if not more than that.


    ''I don''t want to die¡­ But, if I don''t fight, I will die too.'' They all thought which further instilled that idea in their heads.


    "The president and I will be the first to rush toward them, we won''t hide or stay behind. This is our problem as much as it''s yours. I promise you I will do everything within my abilities to kill as many as I can. To a better future, folks!" He lifted his fist in the air as he balled it tightly.


    Everyone stared at Talon with a burning fire in their eyes. Then, one by one, they lifted their hands up in the air as they yelled in union.


    "We will follow you, Talon!!"


    "I will definitely murder those bastards!!"


    "We won''t spare a single one!!"


    "Let''s get rid of them all!!"


    Their shouts echoed in the entire gymnasium and beyond it. Hyun-Jae watched the students cheer excitedly with an impressed look. As a leader herself, she knew how hard it was to make an entire crowd that riled up with simple words. It required someone with extremely good speech skills and a voice tone that conveyed those emotions well.


    It wasn''t something that could be learned, but a god-given talent and a lot of preparation, yet Talon was able to do that without the need for any prior rehearsal.


    "Hyun-Jae, get ready, I need you outside with me. We gotta do some preparations before that." Talon turned around as he whispered to Hyun-Jae.


    She could see the glint in his eyes, she immediately knew that Talon had an idea.


    "Hm? What are you nning?" She asked as she noticed that.


    "I think I know how to reduce their numbers by a lot without putting anyone in danger¡­ technically." He said.


    "What, you have such an idea?" Hyun-Jae asked with her eyes wide.


    "Yeah, though I''m not sure how many it could kill. At worst, maybe a few dozen monsters¡­" He said as he started walking.


    "And what if at best?" She questioned.


    "At best? Hmm,..." Smiling confidently, Talon replied. "we could half their numbers."


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 69: Chapter 69- What?!

    Hyun-Jae stared at him in confusion. "Half?" The number made her think that she heard him wrong.


    "Yeah, more or less. As I said, it all depends on our luck and how we execute it." Talon shrugged as he opened the door to the gymnasium and walked outside with Hyun-Jae.


    Killing half of the monsters without even risking their lives was such an amazing thing. So amazing, in fact, that it soundedpletely impossible. Hyun-Jae couldn''t really see how that could be done. Yet, Talon said that it was possible so she naturally believed he was not speaking nonsense.


    "So, what''s the idea?" She asked curiously.


    Talon, however, didn''t respond immediately as he started walking farther and farther away from the gymnasium. His head kept turning left and right as if he was searching for something. Eventually, his eyes fell on something and he immediately hurried his steps toward it.


    "This building." He said as he turned around. The building he pointed at was one of the few that were still standing after the bombing. However, its state was naturally really horrible.


    "What about it?" Hyun-Jae raised an eyebrow.


    "Simple, we''re going to make it copse on the monsters as they rush toward us. Luckily, there are many buildings like this one. If we can destroy their bases enough to keep them barely standing and then finish the job the moment the monsterse under it, I think we can bury a good number of them under the ruble."


    "That is¡­" Hyun-Jae stared at Talon in shock. "That''s a really good idea!" She eximed.


    Thetter grinned as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Of course, I onlye up with genius ideas. Can''t beat that, hahahaha! The best n, no risks." Heughed.


    "But, wait, if we''re going to do that, one has to bait the monsters, no?" Hyun-Jae rubbed her chin as she asked.


    "Ah yeah, I will get close to the monsters and lead them toward the buildings before giving them thest hit."


    Hyun-Jae: "..."


    The girl blinked silently before she sighed. "Can you exin to me how that isn''t risky?" She asked as she rubbed her temples.


    "Hmm, I said technically. Besides, I''m not facing them, I''m just baiting them into the traps I set. All I have to do is run fast and I should be fine." He said as he pulled his spear out and started walking around the building searching for the areas he wanted to strike to make it shaky.


    Hyun-Jae didn''t know whether tough or cry at his humor during such a tense situation. In the end, she gave up. She already knew Talon well enough not to even try to stop him from executing the idea since he seemed so hell-bent on doing it.


    Instead, she pulled her sword out and started searching for the bases she needed to hit.


    "Hm, this looks good," Talon murmured as he gripped his spear tightly and thrust forward.


    *BANG*


    The de pierced through the wall with ease, creating a hole in it. Talon then pulled the spear out and thrust again with full force. Although his raw strength isn''t at the level where he can break cement with his fists, the spear was a different story since it was seemingly made out of a very sturdy metal of some sort.


    Slowly, Talon broke through the cement and the rocks, creating a bigger hole in the base. Then, when he felt like it was already fragile enough, he moved toward the next one.


    At the same time, Hyun-Jae did the same on the other side using her sword, though her progress was a little slower than Talon considering he had better strength than she did.


    In a matter of a few minutes, they were done with the building''s bases.


    "Great, this looks like it''s going to fall at any moment. Hitting that base should make it copse." Talon murmured as he turned around.


    "One down¡­ 10 more to go." He murmured as he realized the huge task they had to pull off before the monsters arrived.


    "Let''s hurry," Hyun-Jae said as she moved toward the next building followed by Talon.


    Then, the two started breaking all the bases they could see as fast as they could. They didn''t waste any second idling around, moving from one building to another in quick session.


    After more than half an hour, they were finally done with the buildings. However, at the same time, the shaking from the horde''s approach was now at an all-time high. Each move they made was akin to the earth shaking violently.


    After that, the two went back to the base and continued the preparations with the students and made sure everyone was ready physically and mentally for this. By the end of it, the students were standing outside, right in front of the gymnasium and facing the monsters directly.


    Even with their steeled wills, fear was still within their hearts naturally. Especially with the monsters being closer than ever now.


    Looking back, Talon could see the horde without the need to even rise to a high ground. His face turned dead cold as he inhaled a long breath.


    "Are you nervous?" Acrypha asked as she floated around him.


    "What do you think?" He asked back with a small smile.


    "Hm, is it weird that I don''t see any nervousness in your eyes?" She raised an eyebrow as she stared at him from up close.


    Talon looked at her silently for a second before he sighed. "To be honest, I''m not nervous."


    "Ohoh, so I was right, after all?"


    "Yeah, but rather than nervous, I''m eager to get this done well and reap all the rewards from killing hundreds of those bastards." He said.


    Talon was certain that if everything went ording to n, the sheer power he was about to gain was going to be monstrous.


    "You''re slowly turning into a greedy one, Talon." Acrypha smiled at him.


    "Am I now?"


    "Haha, you aren''t aware of it?"


    "I maybe am. Shit, I might need to tone it down then." He shrugged.


    "Well, as long as you''re aware of it, there is no need to worry."


    "Haha, fair enough." Talon chuckled briefly as his eyes finally fell on the monsters again. They were now right outside the campus grounds as they smashed into the walls, breaking thempletely as they moved outside.


    Their huge numbers made it impossible for them not to sh and smash against each other in a chaotic, bestial mess. Their howls and cries grew even louder, taking over the ears of the students.


    "They''re here," Hyun-Jae murmured with a strong frown as her eyes wandered to herpanion. She didn''t know how Talon was feeling at that moment being the one who would face the monsters first but personally, Hyun-Jae was terrified.


    However, seeing hisposed expressions made her realize that Talon wasn''t really letting his fear take control over him. That filled her with more confidence as she balled her fists.


    ''I can do this. I can¡­'' She repeated in her head.


    "Ok, I''m ready," Talon said as he finally turned to Hyun-Jae. "Are you?"


    The girl nodded her head seriously. "I am ready too. Take care and don''t get too close to the monster horde. Remember that we only want to reduce their numbers. No need for any extra efforts to kill more." She said.


    "I know, don''t worry." Saying that, Talon finally jumped down from the rubble he was standing on and dashed forward a top speed. Hyun-Jae watched him with a tense expression. The countdown officially started.


    The monsters already spread across the entire entrance area of the campus and continued moving in one single direction. Talon noticed that they didn''t seem like they were intending to spread across the entire campus.


    ''Why are they acting like this?'' Jumping through the rubble and rocks, he reached an open area where he could see the horde clearly. He wanted to check why they were acting this bizarrely.


    Much to his shock, what he saw therepletely shattered everything he thought of at that moment.


    "What¡­ the fuck¡­" He murmured.


    Right in front of the horde of monsters, a man riding a bike was moving at top speed right toward him. The monsters were chasing him madly as if he were their only target.


    The sight was so absurd that Talon thought he was hallucinating for a second. However, it was as real as it could get and was happening in real-time in front of him.


    Talon''s eyes squinted as he focused on the man, only to realize who he was in a second. His striking handsome features and cold expression were simply too hard to ignore even in such a horrible situation.


    "Seo Chin-Hwa?!" Talon blurted out in shock. "What the fuck is he doing here?!"


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 70: Chapter 70- Obsession And Dead Weight

    Seo Chin-Hwa twisted the elerator to the maximum as he moved through the destroyed campus at top speed. His face was cold with sweat and he had traces of blood and injuries all over his body.


    His eyes, dead cold, kept looking back and forth between his path and the monsters chasing him relentlessly.


    The journey to the campus was a brutal one and he almost died multiple times. Luckily, he was able to avoid danger using the bike, temporarily that is. No matter how much he tried to lose the horde of monsters, they were able to find him and follow him.


    ''Shit! They''re getting closer! Come on!!'' Chin-Hwa cursed inwardly as he searched for anything that could save him.


    However, other than destroyed buildings and rubble, there was nothing else he could use. His face paled considerably as he realized the huge problem he was in. There was nowhere to go and no way to lose these abominations.


    So, his only option was to continue driving as fast as he could and hope that a miracle would happen. Something that he doubted was possible in his current circumstances.


    The engine of the bike roared as it worked at full throttle, reaching ridiculous speeds in between tight passages and bumpy roads filled with rocks. Even with his improved senses and reflex speeds, it wasn''t a good idea to do that in this ce.


    *BANG*


    Unaware of one of the rocks in his path, Chin-Hwa moved the bike through as the wheel sunk into the sharp edge of the rock. What followed after that was the loud explosion of the tire as it started screeching loudly.


    Chin-Hwa lost bnce immediately as he found himself tilting left and right wildly. His panicked expression turned even more sour as he realized the huge blunder he made. Immediately, he tried to regain control of the bike as fast as he could.


    However, it was all for naught as the bike had alreadypletely tilted to the side as it moved right toward a building.


    ''No!!'' Feeling his heart stop as he realized that the end was near, Chin-Hwa closed his eyes. His fear took over his mind and everything felt slow for a second. It was the first time he ever felt such a thing and itpletely overwhelmed him.


    ''I''m going to die¡­'' He thought to himself. Till that point, Chin-Hwa''s concept of death was that it was an inevitable end to everything. However, he never really feared it or gave it much thought as he was still young and his future was bright.


    For some reason, death felt like such a distant and far-fetched thing for him till that point. Yet, here he was, barely a few seconds away from it and unable to change that oue. The moment he crashes, the monsters will eat him alive and leave nothing behind.


    ''Is it going to be painful? What if I get turned into one of those things? I don''t want that¡­'' His thoughts wavered.


    However, as much as he didn''t want it, reality was more often than not unforgiving. His wish seemed impossible to fulfill. So, at that moment, his mind only remembered a single person.


    The image of a pretty and dignified girl filled his thoughts. Her face, her eyes, her aura, he could easily recall all of her details as if she was standing right in front of him at that moment.


    ''President¡­'' He thought to himself. ''Would you remember me if I died? Would you get sad and cry for me?'' He asked himself.


    Ever since they were young, Chin-Hwa was always next to her, supporting her as much as he could and doing everything within his power to get a special ce in her heart. He worked day and night like a maniac just so that he could keep up with her and stay above and beyond any other man who might want her.


    He tries to be impressive in everything he does just so that she can look at him as much as he looks at her. Yet, no matter what he did, Hyun-Jae never seemed to care that much. She did see him as a good friend of hers and someone that she could rely on, but never more than that.


    It hurt him greatly, but he never hated her for it, if anything, it only made his desire to get her attention even bigger. He started working even harder and pushing himself beyond his limit in everything.


    He excelled in his studies, learned martial arts, and became one of the best in sports, not to mention his achievements outside the campus grounds. Coupled with his strikingly good looks, he was the perfect man in the eyes of all girls.


    He received attention from many girls from the high society who were excellent in their own ways. Normally, he would''ve epted one of them since they had beauty and brains, but he never did. It was all for Hyun-Jae.


    ''I''m sorry, president¡­ Hyun-Jae¡­''


    As he was about to crash, out of nowhere, he felt a gush of wind hit his face as his body was suddenly yanked to the side by an unknown force. His closed eyes opened wide again as he looked to the side in shock.


    "You fucking idiot! What the hell are you doing here?!" Talon yelled coldly as he dashed forward at top speed. He had pulled Chin-Hwa from the bike before he smashed into the wall and started running with thetter on his shoulder.


    "What¡­ You!!" Chin-Hwa recognized who it was. "Let me go!!" He started squirming.


    "Don''t move!! Don''t you see the monsters behind us!! We''re gonna get overwhelmed if we don''t escape!" Talon clenched his teeth as punched Chin-Hwa on the head.


    "Ouch!"


    ''Fuck! To save this dumbass I had to get closer than I wanted to!!'' Talon looked behind him as he noticed the monsters closing the distance between them. His n was to keep a distance of a few dozen meters between him and the horde and slowly lead them where he wanted.


    But, Chin-Hwa''s appearance changed his nspletely. Moving through the ruins, Talon nimbly jumped around as he dodged the rocks, heading straight toward the first building trap he set.


    The monsters got even more crazed when they noticed Talon for some reason and it made them increase their speeds. Luckily, Talon''s 60 points in agility came in clutch and kept him ahead.


    Reaching his first target, he pulled his spear out and with a swift sh, he hit thest base of the building before he continued running. Losing thest pir, the building immediately started crumbling down like a house of cards.


    At the same time, the monsters passed beside it, unaware of the trap.


    *BOOOOOOM*


    The entire building fell on the first line of monsters, burying them under tons of rocks and rubble.


    [Ding!]


    [You have killed a level 3 Dimension Walker.]


    [Ding!]


    [You have killed¡­]


    [Ding!]


    [...]


    [...]


    [...]


    A long series of notifications assaulted Talon''s retina relentlessly. Thetter quickly pushed them to the side so as not to obstruct his vision.


    ''Yes!'' He beamed when he noticed the number of monsters that got buried. His n was working!


    However, at the same time, the rest of the monsters were able to avoid the destruction as they immediately climbed on top of the rubble and rushed toward Talon as if nothing happened.


    "Oh boy, they seem even angrier now!" Talon murmured as he continued moving to the next building.


    *BANG*


    Smashing the pir, the building started crumbling as the monsters grew closer. They didn''t seem like they realized what Talon was nning and fell straight into the second trap.


    [Ding!]


    [...]


    Another series of notifications filled Talon''s head that he ignored. He had no time to waste idling around and counting his gains.


    With that, he moved through buildings, breaking the pirs and letting them crumble on the monsters. Slowly, he cut their numbers short bit by bit. Talon was certain that the number exceeded 70 monsters after the fifth building.


    [Ding!]


    [You have leveled up to level 17. +2 Free Points.]


    ''I even leveled up. Nice.'' He thought to himself.


    Meanwhile, Chin-Hwa watched what was happening with shock in his eyes. He didn''t even understand how Talon was able to do this and it honestly impressed him greatly. Looking up at the man with confusion, aplicated expression appeared on his face.


    He was now being saved by the person he hated the most out of all the students. Not only that, he was also very much a dead weight to him at that moment, and yet he still was able to fight back the monsters with cleverness.


    If that wasn''t a hit to his ego, then Chin-Hwa didn''t know what was. All he could do was not move as Talon carried him to the other side.


    At the same time, Hyun-Jae stood at the far front of the students'' lines as she waited for Talon anxiously. She could see the clouds of dust rising and the howls of monsters rushing toward them but Talon was invisible from her angle.


    ''Why is he taking so long?'' She asked herself. They had agreed that Talon would only leave for 3 minutes at most. If the n failed, he must not try to crumble the other buildings.


    ''Why do I have a bad feeling about this?''


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 71: Chapter 71- Brutal And Bloody (Part 1)

    The seconds passed slowly for Hyun-Jae as she waited for Talon anxiously. She didn''t even notice her hands shaking subtly. Her heart was starting to race ever-so-slightly with each passing moment she couldn''t see him appearing out of the destruction safe and sound.


    Her mind didn''t even register that she was this terrified of not seeing Talon. She was too upied with him to even care about what she was feeling at that moment let alone question the behavior she was exuding.


    ''Where are you? Don''t make it any longer or I will go down there!'' She thought as she held herself asposed as she could in front of the students. She didn''t want to show them anything that would break their spirit or terrify them.


    *BOOOOM*


    Her only indication that Talon was still alive was the buildings continuously crumbling one after the other followed by the howls of paining from the monsters. The situation seemed to be moving in the right direction that Talon nned.


    ''4 more houses¡­'' She thought to herself.


    ***


    Meanwhile, Talon had already finished the sixth building and everything was working out perfectly. The monsters had no awareness to avoid his traps each time so they fell into it like the brainless beasts they are.


    "What brought you here, Chin-Hwa? Are the others ok?" He asked as he continued moving.


    "They''re fine. Is the president fine? I came here to check on her since she didn''te back." He replied in a cold tone.


    ''I''m surprised he is able to keep his cold and aloof aura even though I''m carrying him like a sack of potatoes.'' Talon raised an eyebrow as he shook his head.


    "We faced some problems and it''s taking us a while to finish the mission. The president is fine."


    Hearing that, Chin-Hwa exhaled a long breath of relief as he felt his anxious heart calm down.


    ''So the president is really fine¡­ Thank god¡­'' He closed his eyes for a moment as he felt overwhelming happiness fill his heart.


    *BANG*


    Destroying another pir, Talon looked down. "It was honestly a really dumb idea for you toe here. You could''ve died right there if I didn''t pull you at thest second. What were you thinking? Look at what you did now. An entire horde of monsters is on our asses!"


    Chin-Hwa: "..."


    As much as he hated to admit it, Chin-Hwa knew that Talon had a point. He was so close to his death that for a second, he was certain that it was over. Yet, Talon saved him in the nick of time.


    Seeing the subtle change in Chin-Hwa''s expression, Talon sighed as he looked ahead with a deadpan look. "You were worried about her, weren''t you?"


    Chin-Hwa''s eyes widened for a second before he quietly nodded his head.


    "I see¡­ Well, you''re still a huge dumbass for rushing here to see her. Did you think it was going to be easy? Don''t overestimate your abilities, brother." Talon said.


    Chin-Hwa clenched his teeth in frustration as he looked away. "I don''t need any advice from you."


    "Well, suit yourself. You will hear the same things from Hyun-Jae." Talon replied.


    "Huh? Hyun-Jae? Why are you calling the president by her first name?" The cold prince asked with a strong re.


    "It''s nothing big, dude. I just use her name since it''s easier."


    ''Damn, for a popr guy, he''s surely one jealous goofball.'' Talon rolled his eyes as he sliced through another pir, killing more monsters on his way.


    Finally, he reached thest building that he was going to destroy and was about to slice through it when suddenly¡­


    *CRACK*


    The building''s walls started cracking before he could even hit them. The reaction expanded in a split second and before Talon knew it, the building was crumbling on his head.


    ''Shit!!'' Feeling alerted, he quickly tried to dodge the falling debris as fast as he could. His inhumane reaction speed kicked in and his body jumped to the side as fast as he could. However, because he was a split secondte, he found himself right under a giant boulder.


    At the same time, Chin-Hwa''s eyes moved up toward the rock. Then, without waiting a second, he channeled his Aetheris.


    *BANG*


    The rocks fell down and the rubble and dust rose into the air, creating a giant cloud.


    "Cough! Cough! Cough! Fuck!!" Talon cursed as he inhaled a huge amount of dust. Blinking slightly, he looked around him only to be surprised by what happened.


    He and Chin-Hwa werepletely fine even though the debris fell on them. No, to be more precise, no debris fell directly on them and the reason for that was floating right above their heads.


    A semi-transparent, slightly curved rectangr barrier was floating quietly. The debris that fell on it slid on both dies, avoiding Talon and Chin-Hwa. Looking down at the cold prince, Talon raised an eyebrow. Thetter seemed like he was having a really difficult time keeping the barrier activated so he gave up and the barrier immediately vanished.


    Some dust and debris fell on their heads, turning them white.


    "Since when did you get this ability?" He asked as he stood up, dusted his clothes, and rustled his already messy hair.


    "A few days ago." Thetter replied briefly.


    "Fair enough¡­ Really useful ski-"


    *GROWL*


    "Oh! We need to move! Can you keep up?!" Talon asked as he turned around and started running, followed by Chin-Hwa.


    "I''m not a weakling, bastard! Watch me!" The cold prince dered as he dashed after him.


    Talon looked behind only to see Chin-Hwa barely a meter or two behind him.


    ''Damn, he really grew stronger the past few days, huh. He isn''t messing around.'' Talon thought to himself as the two moved through the streets back to the gymnasium.


    ***


    "Hm?"


    At the same time, Hyun-Jae''s eyes caught the sight of two people running in the distance, followed by an ungodly number of monsters.


    "Wait¡­ Two?" Hyun-Jae squinted when she noticed the oddity.


    One of them she could easily recognize which was Talon and the other was¡­


    "Chin-Hwa? What is he doing here?"


    She had a million questions in her head as to why he was here but seeing the hordes of monsters, she immediately put them to the side as she looked back.


    "Get ready everyone! Hold your lines no matter what and don''t let any monster get past you. As long as you''re all standing like a strong barrier, nothing can break through!!" She said as she jumped down and unsheathed her sword. Electricity rushed through her body as it illuminated it a little before it moved to the de of her weapon.


    Then, she aimed the de at the monsters as she charged it up.


    "Fuuuh¡­"


    "Hurry up!!" Talon yelled as he looked back. They were getting close to the area where they nned to fight them. In the distance, he could see Hyun-Jae''s silhouette.


    ''Perfect, she''s in time!'' Talon smiled as he turned around. "At my count, you will jump to the side. Understood? Choose left or right, I don''t care!"


    "..." Chin-Hwa looked at him silently.


    "Here we go, in 3¡­ 2¡­1! Jump!!" Talon said as he quickly moved to the side.


    Chin-Hwa followed suit. The next second, a st of lightning flew through the area as it smashed into the lines of monsters.


    *BOOOOM*


    Monsters flew everywhere as they got sted by the explosion while others were electrocuted and fried.


    "Oh¡­" Chin-Hwa looked back with a shocked look. The hit was so strong that itpletely shambled the front line of the horde and made the rest stumble and fall in a chaotic manner. It didn''t kill many, but it certainly pushed the monsters back enough for Talon and Chin-Hwa to escape.


    "So amazing¡­"


    "Good job, Hyun-Jae!" Talon said as he reached her and turned around pulling his spear.


    "I was worried for a second there! What happened?!" She asked as she stared at the monsters.


    "Ask your little friend here. It seems he''s the one that led this horde here."


    "I''m¡­" Chin-Hwa approached Hyun-Jae with aplicated expression. "I didn''t know that this would happen. I came here to check if you''re fine¡­"


    "And you left Shin-Il and Soomin alone?" She asked with a strong look on her face.


    "I¡­ They will be fine, I know that¡­" He said.


    However, his words only made Hyun-Jae''s gaze grow even angrier. But, in the end, she looked away and sighed.


    "We will talk after all of this is over." She said, stepping forward. "We have to kill these things first."


    "Well, since he''s here, we might as well make use of him. You can fight, right?" Talon asked.


    "I can!"


    "Good, then your goal is to simply kill as many of them as possible without dying. We don''t want to dive deeper into their lines so that we don''t get surrounded. Got it?"


    The cold prince nodded his head as he pulled his katana out. "Just don''t stand in my way."


    ''He got the spirit for a big idiot.'' Talon smiled in his head.


    "Now, let''s get this over with."


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 72: Chapter 72- Brutal And Bloody (Part 2)

    The lightning attack dissipated quickly across the horde and its effects vanished the next second. Many monsters fell to the ground shaking violently while others were thrown in disarray because of it.


    However, it didn''t take them long to regain their bnce and flood the entire area. Their steps shook the ground like an earthquake and their growls and howls filled the world.


    Talon slowly stepped forward as he moved his spear gently around his arm. His eyes were deadly cold and his breathing was calm and steady.


    [Ding!]


    [You have activated ''Spearmanship''.]


    His steps slowly grew faster and faster as the hordes of monsters grew closer and closer to him. Even under their wild, untamed looks and pure savagery, he didn''t flinch nor look away.


    *Swish*


    Then, out of nowhere, he started running toward them, slowly increasing his speed till he seemed like a blur to untrained eyes.


    Barely a secondter, he was a few meters away from the monsters. So, without hesitation, he gripped his spear tightly and leaped in the air at full speed, crossing the remaining distance.


    In his vision was the first monster he aimed for, using both hands, he stabbed forward with his spear. For a moment, the weapon appeared like a sh as it sliced through the air, piercing the monster''s head with ease.


    [Ding!]


    [You have killed a level 7 One-Eye Monkey.]


    Talon ignored the notification as he pulled the spear out and immediately sliced it to the side, cutting two monsters'' heads. Swiftly, he spun the spear around and stabbed behind him at a monster that tried to sneak around before he jumped back.


    In just a few seconds, he killed 4 monsters as if it was nothing without sustaining any damage whatsoever. But, he wasn''t done yet, dashing forward, Talon daringly dived into the enemy lines as he sliced left and right.


    With his strength and speed, no monster was able to stay alive the moment the spear touched them. Blood exploded everywhere he went followed by growls of deadly pain. The earth beneath him was turned into a sea of blood and bodies.


    [Ding!]


    [Ding!]


    [Ding]


    [Ding!]


    Notifications kept appearing and disappearing endlessly as Talon continued his rampage. His enhanced focus skill worked full-throttle as he moved through enemy lines.


    [Enhanced Focus has improved.]


    [Enhanced Focus has improved.]


    [Enhanced Focus has improved.]


    [Enhanced Focus has improved.]


    [Ding!]


    [Enhanced Focus has leveled up.]


    Feeling his senses sharpen even more, Talon''s speed increased along with it as his eyes moved left and right at ridiculous speed while his brain calcted all the right moves he needed to do like a killing machine.


    Meanwhile, Hyun-Jae and Chin-Hwa witnessed that sight from the sidelines and could only shudder at how terrifying it was. Talon wasn''t simply killing these things, he was massacring them without hesitation.


    The scene was horrible to witness but also impressive to endless degrees. Especially Chin-Hwa, he realized that Talon had grown way stronger during the few days he didn''t see him. His overwhelmingly crushing strength had jumped by leaps and bounds again.


    ''I can''t let him exceed me!!'' Shaking his head, he held his katana as he noticed the monsters rushing toward him. Holding the sword above his head, he waited for the first monster to approach him. When it got close, Chin-Hwa suddenly shed forward like a ghost, appearing behind the monster with a subtle ringing of the sword.


    "Fuuuh¡­" He exhaled a long breath as he heard a loud thud behind him.


    Then, without looking back, he rushed forward. Using his katana, Chin-Hwa skilfully cut the monsters in his path. He wasn''t extremely fast or extremely strong, but he had incredible technique with the sword.


    His moves looked so easy, fluid, and perfect, giving the hallucination that he was merely swinging the sword left and right.


    His eyes were dead sharp and his arms were straightened as he held the sword with two hands rather than one.


    Meanwhile, Hyun-Jae decided to take another approach. While Talon and Chin-Hwa were a little deeper in the enemy line, she used the opportunity to move freely around hunting down the monsters that broke through and were rushing toward the students.


    Using her nimble movements, she crossed the distance left and right as she killed every single monster she saw. Her lightning maniption skill was a devastating power especially with her sword being the one that conducts it.


    ***


    "Holy shit¡­"


    "Pinch me¡­ I think I''m dreaming! Ouch!! I didn''t mean to literally pinch me!!"


    Meanwhile, back at the students'' lines, they watched everything ensue with their mouths wide open in shock. Three people were fighting hundreds of monsters alone without seemingly getting overwhelmed by it.


    The number of monsters falling to the ground was enormous and still rising at a rapid pace.


    "Are we even going to need to fight?" One male student asked confusedly.


    "It seems Miss Hyun-Jae and Mister Talon are handling the matter alone. Although, I don''t know about the third person. I can''t see his face from here. He seems really strong."


    "Hey! Focus everyone!" Go Young-Soon shouted as he snapped them back to reality.


    Even though the trio were indeed fighting the monsters alone, that didn''t mean that some monsters weren''t able to escape their des. These monsters naturally moved toward the huge number of students at the back.


    When they saw that, some tensed up and instinctively retreated. However, when they realized that there were hundreds of students and only a few monsters, their courage came back as they pulled their weapons out.


    "Archers and marksman, get ready." Go Young-Soon signaled for the students standing on top of the gymnasium to get ready to aim. "At my mark¡­ Shoot!!"


    When Young-Soon moved his hand down, the students shot their arrows and bullets. A rain of them fell on the monsters, wrecking them relentlessly.


    The bows and arrows used were stronger than the normal ones since they weremon and umon items and could deal damage to the otherwise tough monsters'' bodies. As for the actual guns, some looked extremely advanced and shot weird-looking light bullets while others had a more normal appearance and bullets.


    In a matter of seconds, the few monsters that escaped werepletely obliterated.


    "Haha! Isn''t this too easy?!" One of the students said as they pulled their bows back. "They can''t even get 5 meters close to the gymnasium."


    "Yeah! At this rate, we will kill them all without the need to fight up close." A female student nodded her head.


    It was indeed true that everything was going ording to n. The trio ahead was dwindling the numbers of the enemies while the rest of the students were dealing with whatever was left.


    However, what most of these students didn''t realize was that, Talon, Hyun-Jae, and Chin-Hwa while extremely strong weren''t invincible.


    ***


    "Hah¡­ Hah!!" Talon''s face was covered in sweat and a huge amount of blood as he dodged and sliced with his spear. His appearance was wretched with the blood of his enemies and the small injuries he sustained from the continuous fighting.


    He hadpletely forgotten how many monsters he killed. Notifications kept popping off one after the other, telling him that he killed and leveled up.


    ''They don''t seem like they''re ending!'' He mused as he sidestepped and sliced a monster''s head off before he kicked back, barely dodging another attack.


    After fighting continuously for almost 20 minutes, Talon was naturally starting to get overwhelmed. Even with his monstrous stamina, the number of monsters didn''t help at all. To deal with them, his body was pushed to his extreme and beyond. His muscles were continuously stretching and retracting as he did the most ridiculous movements possible to avoid threatening attacks.


    Meanwhile, Hyun-Jae and Chin-Hwa were also facing the same problem, if to a lesser degree since most of the monsters seemed to be attracted to Talon because of his aura.


    "You need to retreat, Talon. You can''t keep going at this rate for long." Acrypha advised him as she floated over the ce. Seeing him struggling made her frown visibly.


    "I''m trying! They aren''t letting me create an opening."


    Even though Talon made sure to not dive deep into their lines, the sheer number of monsters still made it hard to retreat for a breather.


    As he was like that, one of the flying monsters above his head suddenly screeched as it dived down aiming its ws at him. Talon was too busy fending off other monsters so he only noticed at thest second.


    *Swish*


    Quickly, he spun around and sliced with his weapon. However, he waste.


    "Ugh!"


    The ws sunk into his shoulders and chest as blood gushed out. Then, the monster tried to lift him up in the air and fly with him.


    "No, you won''t!!" Talon changed his grip and stabbed the monster''s abdomen, making it release him down.


    ''Oh no!! I didn''t n this much ahead!!'' Clenching his teeth, Talon smashed into the ground and was quickly swarmed by monsters.


    "TALON!!!" Hyun-Jae saw that happen and her eyes widened to the extreme. For a split second, her heart stopped beating.


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 73: Chapter 73- Brutal And Bloody (Part 3)

    Hyun-Jae''s mindpletely shut off along with her senses. For a second, everything around her turned nk and she couldn''t even see anymore. If it wasn''t for her body instincts fighting for her, she would''ve fallen too.


    "No, no, no, no!" Her expression shiftedpletely as she kicked a monster away before stabbing it. Then, without wasting time, she rushed toward where Talon fell as fast as she could, killing monsters on her way.


    ''Talon, Talon¡­'' Her thoughts were simply filled with his name. The fear she felt at that moment far exceeded anything she felt in recent memory.


    "Get out of my fucking way!!" Clenching her teeth, she sliced through the monsters as she yelled loudly.


    However, the more she tried to approach him, the more monsters attacked her. No matter how many she tried to kill, more would take their ce and stop her in her tracks or push her back.


    Her solid defenses were starting to crumble with the overwhelming attacks she was sustaining.


    "Goddamit!!" Channeling every ounce of Aetheris left in her body, she sted the monsters away and tried to tear her path open again. But, her attempt failed horribly.


    A monster took the opportunity of Hyun-Jae looking away and shed down with its ws at her back.


    "AGH!!" The girl groaned as she turned around with a deadly cold look and sliced its head off. Then, she tried to turn around again only to realize something¡­


    A ridiculously painful shock rushed through her body. Looking back, she noticed four deep wounds on her back that were gushing out blood endlessly.


    The wounds were so deep that they dug through her back muscles and almost reached her ribs. On top of that, the smell of blooding from her body made the monsters even more crazed, and tried to pounce on her all at the same time.


    "BACK OFF, PRESIDENT!!" Chin-Hwa noticed the disaster that was happening and rushed toward Hyun-Jae, trying to help her before she ended up killed.


    "But Talon!!" She replied as she pushed a monster away with her sword and stabbed another in quick session.


    "He fell far!! We can''t get to him! Please back off or you will get killed!"


    Hyun-Jae knew that Chin-Hwa had a point. After getting carried by the flying bat-looking monster, Talon fell way deeper into the horde and waspletely surrounded by the enemies. There was no way for Hyun-Jae to actually reach him without getting heavily injured or even killed for it.


    Her choices at that moment were few: Either keep fighting and dying from deep wounds¡­ Or back off and give up on Talon.


    ''Give up¡­ on him?''


    Just realizing the second option sent a chill down her spine and made her heart go cold for a second. She had to give up on him¡­ She had to leave Talon there to die.


    "PRESIDENT! PLEASE DON''T DO IT!!"


    *GROWL* *BANG*


    Finding herself in front of a wall of monsters, Hyun-Jae clenched her teeth till they almost broke and retreated back as fast as she could. Her expression was horribly sour as she felt the overwhelming powerlessness of not being able to do what she wanted.


    ***


    Meanwhile, at the back lines, the students started noticing something weird. The number of monsters that started reaching grew in number exponentially. Each second, a few monsters would appear in their vision before they get sted by the long-range shooters on the rooftop.


    Those few turned into a few tens, and then a few dozens of monsters till it reached a point where the long-rangers couldn''t kill them all and the monsters were able to break through to the final line of defense.


    "Brandish your weapons!!" Go Young-Soon held his sign to the students. His face looked noticeably more tense than before as he realized what was happening and so did the students.


    However, they still prepared themselves for the uing threat. When the monsters reached their area, Go Young-Soon signaled again. "Attack!"


    Immediately, the first line of defense rushed forward and met them. In a matter of seconds, the students hailed attacks on the monsters, slicing and beating them up ruthlessly. Their overwhelming numbers took care of the task quickly.


    The reason for that was very simple, before the fight, Talon had deliberately put the strongest students at the front line so that they could have ess to the fight faster and deal the most damage.


    "More areing! Get ready!"


    The students didn''t even have a second to breathe before the second wave approached them. All the monsters that reached them were rather weak, with the strongest being a Level 7 Leopard that they were able to kill due to teamwork.


    Go Young-Soon watched the situation with a nervous expression. Even if they were able to sessfully eliminate each wave of monsters, that didn''t mean that the n was going perfectly. Hell, the fact that monsters were growing in numbers meant that Talon and Hyun-Jae were facing a problem up ahead.


    ''Please be fine, Sir Talon, Miss Hyun-Jae¡­'' He prayed in his heart.


    ***


    "Oh no! President, your back is heavily injured. We need to stop the bleeding quickly." Chin-Hwa tried to grab Hyun-Jae''s arm, only for her to dodge him.


    "I''m fine. Get back to the students and defend the gymnasium." Hyun-Jae exhaled a long breath as she fought the grueling pain. It was true that her back injury was nasty but she didn''t have time to treat it nor did she want to treat it.


    Talon was still within enemy lines, surrounded by a huge number of creatures. Hyun-Jae couldn''t see clearly from her position whether he was still alive or not and that made her feel even more frustrated.


    "We can''t save him, President! Please, we need you!" Chin-Hwa tried to talk to her, not realizing that every word he said only fueled her anger more and more. At some point, it reached the boiling point.


    "It''s all your fault!!" She turned around and gave Chin-Hwa a strong re. "If you didn''t act like aplete fool, none of this would''ve happened." She said.


    Thetter''s face darkened deeply when he heard those words. It was true that what he did was a grave mistake and the guilt he felt for it at that moment was crushing. Hyun-Jae''s eyes red at him with deep anger and a small glint of something that made him realize how disastrous what he did was.


    Within her beautifully mesmerizing eyes, he could see a spark of hatred shing through her pupils for a fleeting second.


    His mind stopped for a second as his eyes widened. "I''m¡­ sorry¡­" He murmured in disbelief.


    However, Hyun-Jae didn''t say anything else and turned around as she ran toward the frontline to hold the monsters as much as she could. Her eyes were deadly cold, far colder than ever before. If it wasn''t for the fact that she had to still fight in order to keep everything afloat, she would''ve snapped.


    Her mind was inplete shambles, but her goal kept her standing on her feet.


    ''I will kill them all¡­ Every single one of them¡­'' She thought to herself as she quickened her steps.


    Meanwhile, Chin-Hwa watched her back with a face filled with despair. That feeling was the worst thing he ever experienced by a far margin. Seeing the person he looked up to the most turn her back to him was akin to a stab to his heart.


    He felt like he was suffocating even though he was breathing. His heart squeezed on him as if it wanted to stop beating.


    But, he couldn''t just stand there and wallow in pain. The growls of monsters shook him up and made him turn around. Without waiting, he rushed back to the students as Hyun-Jae ordered him to do.


    The situation slowly grew worse and worse as more and more monsters flooded the gymnasium''s vicinity. All the students faced the flux of monsters with the help of Chin-Hwa while at the frontlines, Hyun-Jae kept fighting on her own.


    Her arms felt numb from exhaustion and her hands were bleeding after fighting non-stop for a long time. However, she didn''t back down at all even under that immense pressure. She had to do everything within her ability to change the oue.


    ''I can''t fall now¡­ I can''t¡­ I won''t¡­'' She told herself again and again that she wasn''t going to fall, not in such a ce. How many hardships did she go through in her life? Too many to count. Dying in such a ce was simply not where Hyun-Jae expected the end to be.


    She had too many things she wanted to do, things that she could never achieve with the chains of her past life binding her. Now that they were broken, she wasn''t ready to die.


    ''And neither is he¡­ I know he won''t fall here! Not here!'' Her eyes sharpened as she growled loudly and stabbed with her sword.


    Right at that moment, out of nowhere¡­


    *BOOOOOOOOOOOM*


    The entire ce shook violently as if it were hit by a second earthquake.


    "Wha¡­!" Hyun-Jae''s eyes looked up as she noticed monsters getting sted away¡­ A huge number of them wereunched away, creating a giant empty hole in the middle of the hordes of monsters. Many fell to their deaths brutally while the remaining ones that survived the hit were dismembered ruthlessly.


    "Cough! Cough! Ptuh, you bastards really had your fun, didn''t you?" A cold, sinister voice came from within the horde.


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 74: Chapter 74- RUN!

    [Ding!]


    [Ding!]


    [Ding!]


    [Ding!]


    [You have leveled up. +2 free points.]


    The attack was so brutal that for a second, Talon''s vision waspletely covered in notifications and nothing else.


    Then, he slowly stood up on his feet, his clothes were shredded to pieces, barely hanging loosely over his body. His skin waspletely covered in his blood and the blood of the countless monsters he killed.


    His face and hair were also drenched in that liquid which made him look like a terrifying devil that came straight out of hell. His strong re filled with rage didn''t help make him look any better either.


    Looking around him with a terrifying stare on his face, he made the monsters retreat instinctively. Their senses alerted them that the human standing in front of them was not a normal prey and the proof was right behind them. Many of their fellows were suddenly sted into pieces when they tried to eat him.


    They didn''t know what he did to create such a destructive attack but they were sure that they didn''t want anything to do with it¡­ For a few seconds.


    After that, they realized the brutal state Talon was in. His body was riddled with injuries from head to toe. The ws of monsters sliced his skin open brutally and even left a big injury on his left cheek that ran down to his chin.


    Luckily, since Talon was able to st the monsters away using Tear Of Reality, no actual Dimension Walkers were able to reach or touch him.


    "Ptuh¡­" Spitting out a mouthful of blood, he exhaled a long breath. Then, he picked up his spear and aimed it at the hesitant creatures surrounding him.


    "What are you waiting for? Let''s continue." He said in a cold tone.


    [Ding!]


    [You have allocated 4 points in strength and 3 points in agility.]


    Feeling the surge of strength from using 7 free points, Talon closed his eyes for a second before he opened them again and finally took a fighting stance.


    "To hell with trying to hold back, I''m going to dissect all of you into pieces." He murmured as he dashed forward like a dangerous predator.


    ***


    "Talon¡­" Seeing the man she''d been looking for, Hyun-Jae''s eyes widened in shock. She had clearly seen Talon pull off something weird that created such a destructive effect.


    The area all around him waspletely wrecked and the ground was cracked open as if it was made out of biscuits.


    The st was so strong that Hyun-Jae felt its effect from dozens of meters away and it pushed her back a little. What was even weirder was that this wasn''t the first time Talon pulled off such a thing which led her to believe that it was some kind of skill he acquired.


    However, none of that mattered at that moment. What really mattered to her was that Talon was still alive and standing. That fact alone filled her heart with such an intense feeling that she could only smile at that moment.


    It was an overwhelming happiness that she had never felt in her life before. As if her entire world was slowly submerging in darkness suddenly regained light and hope out of nowhere. The feeling made her low morals skyrocket.


    With that, she immediately rushed forward as she tried to pave a path for Talon to escape the trap he found himself in. Now that she was sure he was alive, she wasn''t going to let him down even if she put her life at risk.


    "From here, Talon! Open a path from here!" She yelled to catch his attention.


    Talon''s ears caught her voice from the other side and immediately changed his direction without wasting a second. His speed was slower than before due to his wrecked body, but he was able to slice through the monsters in his way efficiently and swiftly.


    Using every ounce of energy in his body, he rushed out of the trap, being followed everywhere he went by the eager beasts, he had no other choice but to actually move slower.


    What he and Hyun-Jae didn''t realize was that slowly, the number of monsters was dwindling around them at a high rate. After almost an hour and a half of continuous fighting, the horde was finally being reduced greatly.


    However, because they were too focused on the task of slicing down enemies, they didn''t realize the good news at all.


    With that, minutes passed, and slowly but surely, Talon paved a path out of the horde. He was beyond exhausted and his body was so painful that it became numb. His arms couldn''t move anymore and his palms were bloody from all the swinging. Every inch of him just wanted to lie down unconscious.


    But, with pure will, he fought that urge and continued his rampage. There was no way he was going to let some exhaustion and pain beat him. He was far too stubborn to allow it.


    "Talon!!" Hyun-Jae sliced through a monster as she finally saw glimpses of herpanion. Her eyes sparkled with endless joy and her face brightened considerably. No words could describe how she felt at that moment so all she could do was hurry toward him.


    Talon also looked at her, but he didn''t give any visible reaction and instead continued cutting and thrusting left and right.


    Eventually, he finally saw the glimpse of hope he wanted to see. A small passageway revealed itself to him in the sea of monsters. Immediately, he dashed forward as fast as he could and leaped forward, avoiding the ws and teeth that tried to grab him as hended on the other side, rolling on the ground.


    "Talon!" Hyun-Jae immediately rushed toward him and lent him her hand to stand up.


    "I''m fine¡­ Somehow¡­" He exhaled a long, painful breath as he grabbed onto it and stood up slowly with a small groan.


    "We need to retreat, you can''t continue fighting in this condition." She said in a worried tone.


    "Ugh, I''m fine¡­ I can fight for a little longer. You also need to get treated. Your back is bleeding still." He replied as he cracked his neck.


    "I won''t go back unless you''re also going back. If you''re going to continue fighting, then so am I." Hyun-Jae shook her head.


    "Sigh, I know you would answer that way." Smiling slightly, Talon picked up his spear again with a tired expression. "Come on, onest push, I can see the end of their numbers. There are no more than 70 left." He said.


    "Mm, we can do it." Standing with her back to his, the girl channeled her Aetheris as lightning flickered across her body.


    "Please don''t do anything reckless and let''s get it done with." She replied.


    "Mm, I know." She replied


    However, as the two of them were about to move, they suddenly noticed something odd.


    "Hm?" Talon''s eyes squinted as he looked around him.


    All the monsters that were chasing them wildly the entire time have suddenly stopped movingpletely as if they were halted in time. Their wild res also vanished, reced by a tame, terrified look.


    What was even weirder was that they weren''t even looking at Talon and Hyun-Jae anymore and instead, all looked in a certain direction.


    "What''s going on?" Hyun-Jae murmured in confusion. The monsters didn''t seem interested in them anymore for some reason.


    Talon also looked around him as he felt that something was weirdly off with this behavior. But, a secondter, a memory shed in his head.


    This wasn''t the first time Talon had seen this weird behavior. In fact, it was the second time. The first one was back when he first reached the warehouse and fought the dimension walkers there. At the time, before the giant mosquito appeared, the dimension walkers had stopped moving as if they were terrified by some creature.


    "Don''t tell me¡­" Talon''s suspicion rose by leaps and bounds as he was about to turn around. At that moment, Acrypha appeared in his vision.


    "You need to run, right now." She said with a very grave expression. "Just move!" She repeated.


    "Huh? Why? What''s happen-"


    Before Talon could even move, he suddenly felt a deep chill run down his spine at that moment. Looking back slowly with widened eyes, he saw it, barely a few hundred meters away from him, hiding behind a building with its eyes peeking at him in an eerie silence.


    "I SAID RUN!"


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 75: Chapter 75- Rank-1 Monster

    Talon''s pupils widened as he took in the disturbing image in front of him. Never in his life did he expect to see something like this.


    The monster was at least 12 meters tall with an extremely white body. So white in fact that Talon thought its skin was made out of snow with no blood running within its body. It was as hairless and as smooth as a baby with a bald head that looked like an egg. Its hand that was grabbing into the building''s side was extremely thin with long, sharp fingers and no ws.


    It had an extremely wide mouth with pointy sharp fangs within it that were ordered in rows from the front to the back all around the interior of its mouth. However, by far, the most disturbing detail about this monster was its eyes, it had hollow, ck eyes with no pupils or even eyeballs for that matter.


    Just a mere nce at it made Talon''s heart beat faster. He didn''t even need any indication from Acrypha to realize that this monster wasn''t something he should mess around with even as an experiment. Its aura, presence, and everything about it made his instincts shudder and his heart go cold.


    "Hyun-Jae¡­ Move¡­" Talon murmured as he put his hand in front of her. "Just don''t look back and run. Don''t even hesitate for a second." He said in a low tone as if he was trying not to alert the monster.


    "What¡­" Hyun-Jae also realized that there was something deeply wrong with that monster. Something that she didn''t feel from any other monster she had seen so far.


    "Don''t even check if I''m behind you or not. Run as fast as you could." While Talon''s voice was calm Hyun-Jae could feel the weird tone he had at that moment.


    Meanwhile, the monster that was peeking at them finally moved its body as it slowly moved out of its hiding spot revealing its entire body in full glory. It had the shape of a human and stood ont wo human-looking feet which made it even more disturbing to look at. Slowly, it took one step forward and then another one.


    The monsters all around them immediately scattered away the moment it made a move. They didn''t even seem like they wanted to stay and witness what was about to happen.


    "Move, move, move!!" Talon yelled as he snapped Hyun-Jae out of her trance and pushed her to run. When he was sure that she was ahead of him, he also dashed after her at top speed.


    Meanwhile, the monster looked at them from hundreds of meters away before it opened its mouth wide and lifted its head up as it screeched loudly. Its scream sounded like a hollow yet deep inhuman noise.


    Just with its voice alone, the monster broke the ss windows around it and shook the buildings. After that, it looked down and started running toward Talon and Hyun-Jae, crossing tens of meters in a matter of few seconds.


    "Run!!" Talon yelled as he looked behind him. For something of that size, its speed was terrifyingly ridiculous.


    It didn''t even take 5 steps and it was already half the distance away from Talon and Hyun-Jae and closing it second by second.


    Talon''s heart was beating so loudly in his chest that he couldn''t even hear anything else. Never in his life did he feel this scared before. Even when he faced his first monster, he never felt this powerless and terrified.


    In dire situations, he was always the hunter and never the prey. This time, however, he was definitely the prey, a very terrified prey.


    "What the fuck is that, Acrypha?!"


    "A rank-1 monster." Acrypha''s face looked extremely grave at that moment as she flew next to him.


    "What? What''s a rank 1 monster?!" Talon asked again as he looked behind him. The creature was growing closer and closer by the second as it leaped huge distances with each step.


    "When a monster reaches level 25, it goes through a second evolution just like the first one back at level 5. However, this evolution doesn''t simply change its appearance, it also boosts its strength to a whole new league. That''s when a monster is called a ''Rank-'' and the difference between them and the level 24 monsters that didn''t break through yet is very vast!"


    "Are you fucking with me?! What the hell is a level 25 monster doing here?! I haven''t even seen a single level 20 monster yet!!" Talon cursed.


    "As I said, this world is really abnormal. Its growth speed is extremely fast."


    Meanwhile, the entity behind them screeched again, shaking the entire ce, and increased its speed again.


    "Shit, at this rate, we''re going to lead it back to the gymnasium," Talon murmured as he looked ahead of him, searching for anything he could do.


    "Hyun-Jae, I''m going to fall back a little! Keep moving and don''t look back. I''m going to lead it far away from the gymnasium." He yelled.


    "What?!"


    "We can''t fight it. Our best chance is to lead it away from here!"


    Talon looked to the side as he finally slowed down a little.


    "Talon, no!!" Hyun-Jae looked behind her too as she wanted to stop.


    "Please, just trust me on this one! I have an idea!"


    "..."


    "Please, Hyun-Jae!"


    The girl looked at him with aplicated gaze as she clenched her teeth. She could see the plea in his eyes and for some reason, she couldn''t refuse him at all at that moment.


    "Dammit, fine! I''m going to evacuate the students!"


    Talon nodded his head as he quickly moved in a different direction. "Hey, ugly bastard, follow me!!" He yelled as he caught the monster''s attention.


    The creature''s hollow eyes turned around to look at him before it suddenly changed the direction it was running towards. Just seeing that thing targeting him was Talon''s worst nightmare. However, he still sucked in a deep breath as he turned around and ran toward the southern side of the campus.


    "Do you really have a n in mind?" Acrypha asked as she floated near him.


    "No," Talon replied coldly.


    "What¡­" Acrypha blinked in shock. "So you''re just going to run?"


    "Does that thing look like something I can take down?! I''m just going to lead it as far away as possible and then see how I can deal with it. It''s all reliant on my luck!" He replied as he jumped on top of a rock and leaped in the air.


    Meanwhile, the monster behind him was on hot pursuit, shaking the earth with each step it took.


    "Go from there, you can lose it between the destroyed buildings," Acrypha suggested.


    Talon didn''t waste time and rushed there. The entire ce was just a huge maze of destroyed buildings and small hiding spots where Talon could easily vanish from the monster''s eyes.


    ''Good idea, Acrypha!'' He looked at the beautiful woman with a grateful expression as he quickly moved through the tight areas and slid under two rocks where he hid, just a few seconds before the monster reached the ce.


    Talon cowered inside the small hole as he held his breath and tried to calm his heartbeats. Outside, he could hear the sound of the monster running before it stopped and started looking around silently.


    Then, it slowly stepped between the buildings, looking left and right. Talon''s face tensed up and beads of sweat came down his face.


    He had no vision of the monster and could only hear its noises and feel its presence. That made his fear skyrocket even higher.


    However, more than fear, his mind was also working through an idea at that moment. An idea that even Talon knew was probably the most ridiculous thing he could evere up with.


    ''What if¡­ Hypothetically speaking, I can kill that thing. How strong will I be?'' He asked himself the wildest question. Even at that moment, Talon''s arms were subtly shaking from fear and yet his mind was telling him that an opportunity was slowly presenting itself to him.


    ''Just what if¡­'' Slowly, Talon peeked his head a little to look outside. There, the monster was looking away as it searched for him.


    Meanwhile, Acrypha was outside watching everything tensely. She noticed the subtle change in Talon''s eyes. At first, his only goal was to escape. But now, she could see that he was thinking of something else.


    "Oh, you aren''t¡­" She murmured.


    Talon kept looking at the monster silently as he registered every move it was making. Then, his eyes shifted to Acrypha as he gave her a signal with his eyes.


    ''I''m doing it.'' She read from him.


    "Talon, no¡­ No. I know you''re talented, the best in every dimension, even. But, this is something that isn''t even possible. This is impossible." She said.


    This wasn''t even a matter of talent or strength. This is a fight between two creatures in two different leagues. Killing that monster was impossible for Talon.


    It was something out of the realm of insanity.


    However, she could see it in Talon''s eyes, he wanted to do it. He wanted it.


    "You''re insane¡­" She murmured as her expression froze.


    "When did I say I wasn''t?"


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 76: Chapter 76- Insanity Or Genius (Part 1)

    The monster waspletely lost in the maze of broken houses. It couldn''t find Talon at all with all the small holes and corners where he could hide with ease. It was akin to a human trying to find a cockroach in a messy room.


    Talon knew that very well and decided to take advantage of it to the fullest. It was a very crazy idea that even the bravest of people would immediately shake away with how ridiculous it sounded.


    However, more than courage, Talon was eyeing the benefits he would get from killing that thing. Ignoring the huge number of stat points he would get, he knew that this was considered impossible. So, if he achieved it, the Core Dimension might reward him with something that this world had never seen before.


    It was a gamble, a very risky and foolish one but nheless a gamble. If it worked, then Talon was going to reap the best rewards he would ever dream of.


    ''High risk, high reward.'' He thought to himself.


    However, the question remains, how can he actually kill something like that? Granted, he had the element of surprise on his side, but, that didn''t mean that he could kill it simply by ambushing it. He needed something more than that.


    ''A weak point I can exploit. If I can find anything like that, I might be able to kill it without ending up dead too.'' His eyes squinted as he silently eyed the monster from his hiding spot.


    From what he could see, the monster''s body, as slim as it was, was probably tougher than anything he fought so far.


    "What can you tell me about it, Acrypha?" He asked hispanion with a serious tone.


    "Hmm, I think that''s the Grim Roamer. A species of creatures that live in the Endless Fog ins. They''re carnivorous and extremely hostile no matter what the situation. They also live and hunt in groups so you rarely would find a lonesome one moving around like this."


    "Do they have any special ability or anything I should worry about?"


    "To be honest, you should worry about everything rted to it. It''s stronger and faster than you by arge margin. They have strong defense and lethal attacks. However, if you want to know their worst ability, it''s their sound waves." She said.


    "Sound waves?"


    "Yeah, using their mouths, they can create strong sound waves that can travel a good distance. If it makes contact with a target, depending on their strength, it could make their heart and brain explode due to how loud and concentrated they are. It can also give heavy internal damage if it doesn''t outright kill you."


    ''... Shit, that sounds even more terrifying.'' Talon gulped down a mouthful of saliva. He would be lying if he said that he wasn''t even more terrified of that Grim Roamer now due to this piece of information.


    "Are you still intending to fight it?" Acrypha asked as she stared at him.


    "Yeah, I''m going to give it a try." He nodded his head without hesitation.


    Acrypha rubbed her temples with a sigh. "I can''t seem to understand whether you''re a huge idiot or a genius."


    "I''m both. Quite special, no?" Talon smiled nervously as he wiped the sweat and blood off his face. "So, does it have any weaknesses I can exploit?"


    "Normally, a Grim Roamer has rather weak skin and defenses due to its skinny body. However, because of the huge level gap between both of you, it''s not a weak point anymore." Acrypha thought for a second before she replied.


    "Fair enough¡­ The skin, huh? I think that would work." Talon murmured.


    As the two were like that, they suddenly heard the monster slowly turn around. Talon didn''t waste a second as he hid again before it could see him. The monster stared in his direction for a second as if it was suspecting something before it slowly made its way toward the noise it heard.


    Talon held his breath again as he waited anxiously. ''Calm down, calm down, calm down¡­'' Feeling his heartbeat in his chest, the young man clenched his teeth.


    A few secondster, the monster reached the area where Talon was hiding. It was so close form him, in fact, that he could see its shadow cast on the rock in front of him. He was barely a few meters away from the monster. The silence and theck of noises made it even more nerve-wracking.


    Talon found himself in a psychological warfare with his own fear. His mind was ying tricks on him left and right.


    But, for better or worse, the monster didn''t seem to notice him as it moved forward, slowly appearing in Talon''s vision as it looked in a different direction. Barely a few meters away from him, it stood and looked around.


    Talon could notice all the details on its body, the weird blemishes on its snowy white skin that he hadn''t seen before, the giant feet it had that would leave a trace in the rock wherever it walked, and the sharp, terrifying fingers that were at least 1 meter long.


    Looking silently at it, Talon''s eyes shed with a weird glint as he instinctively gripped his spear tighter. His mind was going through countless options at that moment at a rapid pace.


    ''What if¡­'' He thought to himself as he got an idea.


    Then, taking a deep breath, Talon gave Acrypha a signal as he slowly moved out of the hole. He looked up to check if the monster was about to look back or not. Luckily, it was upied with something else to notice him leaving the hole.


    So, slowly, he crawled out and crouched on his knees to keep himself invisible. Taking a deep breath to calm his heart, Talon counted in his head to three. Then, without giving himself the time to even hesitate, he dashed forward at top speed, closing the distance between him and the monster in a split second as he used all his strength to swing his spear.


    *Swish*


    The de swiftly moved through and sliced the monster''s Achilles. The moment the spear made contact with the Grim Roamer''s skin, Talon felt his muscles shudder as it was met with an extremely tough object.


    However, he still clenched his teeth and forced the spear through, cutting the monster''s flesh. The creature''s hollow eyes widened as he made a loud, hollow groan that echoed in the entire area.


    ck, ink-like blood sttered out of its body and sshed on Talon as he quickly dashed away without looking back at all. He didn''t even check if his attack sessfully severed the monster''s Achilles Tendon as he wanted or not.


    However, when he heard the loud thud of the Grim Roamer falling to the ground, his terrified, pale face drew a small relieved smile as he slid through rocks and hid again before the monster could even see him.


    ''I did it! I severed one of its legs! Now it can''t move around as fast!'' He thought to himself.


    After seeing the back of its foot, Talon realized that the Grim Roamer perhaps had the same anatomy as humans and so, if that was true, then cutting that particr part would paralyze it in its ce.


    Acrypha witnessed all of that happen with wide eyes. ''He''s trying to slowly make it unable to move around which reduces its threat¡­ This kid¡­'' She thought to herself as she looked at Talon.


    Meanwhile, the monster was on both knees as it grabbed its foot painfully. Its sad, disturbed face now had a hint of profound anger. Looking around it, it searched for Talon eagerly. However, there was no trace of him left.


    That made it even more outraged and Talon could feel it as he watched it closely. The monster''s whole behavior shiftedpletely as it released its bloodied foot and instead put its hands around its mouth. A sign that humans do usually when they''re about to yell.


    ''Oh no¡­''


    Before the young man could even react, the inevitable happened. An extremely loud and booming shriek filled with endless terror was released out of the monster''s mouth in a random direction.


    The sound was so loud that for a second, Talon felt his eardrums shudder and his bones shake. Grabbing his ears, he quickly closed them.


    ''So loud!!''


    *BOOOOOM*


    The screamsted exactly 6 seconds, during which, Talon could hear nothing at all except an extremely painful ringing sound. When it stopped, he finally opened his eyes again as he looked outside quickly in terror. There, he witnessed a sight that made his heart stop for a second.


    In the direction that the monster screamed in, all the rocks, debris, and buildings were swiped awaypletely. Leaving behind an empty barrennd. With just one single scream, it cleared out an entire area.


    That''s when Talon realized again¡­ He was fighting a Level 25 monster.


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 77: Chapter 77- Insanity Or Genius (Part 2)

    The sightpletely shell-shocked Talon for a good few seconds before he quickly slid down under the rock to hide before the monster could see him.


    ''That was a single attack¡­ Yet it blew an entire street off the face of the earth.'' He thought to himself as he clenched his teeth. Even though Acrypha had warned him about the monster''s strength, he still assumed that its attack would be strong, but not to this degree.


    It was far from what he expected to see and that made him question if his idea was really going to work as well as he thought.


    Meanwhile, the Grim Roamer slowly turned its head around as it aimed its mouth in another direction before it shrieked again at full volume, shaking the entire ce. Talon quickly covered his head and ears as he tried to reduce the noise that assaulted his eardrums.


    A few seconds passed before the noise subsided when Talon noticed that another area waspletely wiped out.


    ''Wait¡­'' That''s when he understood what was happening in front of him. The monster wasn''t just throwing a tantrum, it was sting the rocks and debris away so that it could either kill Talon or at least reveal his ce.


    "Shit¡­" Cursing at his sudden and yet extremely horrible realization, his eyes quickly moved to look at the monster. It had already changed its direction again and aimed before shrieking.


    Then, for the next minute or so, it kept aiming and using its ability, sending all the debris away and clearing the entire ce. Meanwhile, Talon was still hidden as he watched everything ensue. He had no idea what to do at that moment. If he remained in his position he was at risk of being hit by those sound waves and if he moved, the monster could see him which would destroy his npletely.


    Each choice was worse than the other and each had its huge risks.


    ''I need to do something quick or I will be the next one to be sted away!'' Clenching his teeth, Talon crawled out of his hole slowly and dragged himself through the dirt till he reached a huge rock where he quickly hid and peeked at the monster.


    The Grim Roamer didn''t seem like it was aware of him yet, so Talon slowly moved his hand and picked a rock in his hand. Then, taking a deep breath, he rose up and threw the rock as strong as he could in a different direction and then quickly crouched down and hid himself.


    The rock flew through the air for dozens of meters before itnded on the ground, making an audible noise that caught the Grim Roamer''s attention. Immediately, it activated its skill, sting that entire area away.


    Using that opportunity, Talon quickly crawled to another hiding spot as fast as he could before the monster could see him.


    ''Fuck, that was close¡­'' Talon heaved up and down. The rushed idea he came up with was seemingly working.


    Grabbing another rock, he threw it in a different direction again, making the monster react quickly.


    "I never thought I would ever witness such a thing¡­" Acrypha murmured as she watched Talon slowly inch his way toward the monster with each rock he threw.


    In just a matter of minutes, Talon hade up with multiple ns, adapting to every situation he found himself in as fast as he realized he was in it. Who would''ve thought to use rocks to trick a monster levels above them in strength? No one apart from him.


    ''But, even if he gets close, what is he trying to do?'' She asked herself. ''Is he going to ambush it again?''


    Tense moments passed slowly as Talon kept repeating the same trick again and again. The monster was seemingly unaware of it since the noise kepting from random ces which made it assume Talon was moving around and making sounds.


    Meanwhile, the real Talon grew so close to it that Talon could hear the monster''s rough groans.


    Sitting down silently on the ground, he grabbed his spear as he wiped the sweat off his face, and looked back.


    ''Come on, I can do it¡­'' He thought to himself as he closed his eyes. ''Mom, dad, pray for me¡­''


    Feeling his parents'' presence in his heart, he quickly grabbed a rock and threw it to the other side before he immediately stood up and rushed out of his hiding spot and rushed toward the monster.


    *Swish*


    His spear aimed for the monster''s second leg as the spear sliced through its Achilles Tendon again. The monster shrieked in pain as it grabbed its second leg. Its body fell on both knees as it started shaking.


    ''I did it!'' Talon thought to himself as he tried to escape again. However, before he could even cross a small distance, the monster''s head turned around quickly and it looked straight at him.


    Thetter looked back and for a split second, his heart stopped. Everything felt like it was going in slow motion.


    The Grim Roamer slowly opened its mouth, revealing its terrifying set of teeth to Talon.


    "TALON!!" Acrypha''s eyes widened as she yelled his name.


    However, it was toote, the monster''s sound wave blew the entire area the next second. The rocks disintegrated and flew away, leaving nothing behind. A huge cloud of dust flew through the air.


    "Oh no!" Acrypha quickly flew toward the cloud of dust as she pierced through it. "Talon! Talon, where are you?!"


    Her eyes were looking around with a frown. Her senses could locate Talon and she could even feel his soul still alive, but that didn''t mean that he was fine.


    "Ugh! Fuck!!"


    "Talon?" Hearing the ground, Acrypha looked behind as she flew toward the source of the noise.


    There, she found Talon lying on the ground as he grabbed his side. He was groaning and moaning from extreme pain. Never before did Acrypha see Talon react like that even though he sustained countless injuries.


    Flying around, her eyesnded on the reason why he was in such pain.


    "Oh no¡­"


    "Ugh! Goddamit! That hurts!!" Biting his lip till it bled, Talon tried to stand up, only to fall again.


    Looking down, he saw an entire pond of blood umting under him and the reason for it was the gruesome injury he had on his side. An entire chunk of his abdomen was blown away, leaving behind a visible dent.


    ''If I didn''t dodge at thest second, I would''ve died!!'' Heaving up and down, he held his side, squeezing it as much as he could.


    The sheer amount of blood he was losing was ridiculous.


    "This is so fucked up!!" He cursed as he quickly used one of his hands to move to the inside of his jacket. From there, he pulled out a small bottle of red liquid.


    [Healing Potion (Umon Item): Restores 25% of health upon consumption.]


    Popping the vile open, Talon shugged down the liquid as fast as he could.


    "Ugh, cough! Cough!"


    The moment he drank it, Talon''s body immediately reacted. The bleeding stoppedpletely and Talon''s pale face regained some color. Not only that, the potion also healed some of the small cuts and bruises on his body.


    ''Luckily, I had brought a healing potion with me¡­'' He thought to himself.


    After hunting down monsters for days on the campus grounds, Talon and the rest students were able to acquire a plethora of potions, mostlymon and umon potions that restored health and Aetheris upon consumption.


    Naturally, before the fight, Talon took one bottle for himself and left the rest to be distributed amongst the students by priority.


    Slowly rising up, Talon grabbed his side with a pained expression. Even with the bleeding stopped, the injury was still extremely brutal. Talon was sure that a chunk of his internal organs in that area was sted off too and he was starting to feel its effect.


    ''Ugh, my eyes are turning hazy¡­'' He thought to himself as he shook his head.


    "You need to run, now! You can''t fight anymore. Your body is on its limit."


    "No¡­ Not after I cut both its legs. I can kill it¡­" Looking down, Talon picked up his spear and he started walking out of the cloud of dust.


    Meanwhile, the monster outside was on the ground, unable to move. Both of its legs were paralyzed. All it had was its arms to drag its body around. Looking around to start crawling away thinking that Talon was dead, it suddenly felt a presence behind it.


    Looking behind, a presence shed through its vision. Then, before it knew it, its left arm gave out as it fell on its face.


    A loud groan escaped the Grim Roamer''s mouth as it felt blood leaking out.


    "Haha, now it should be fair and square, fucker!" Talon said as he appeared in the monster''s vision holding his spear.


    His wretched looks and his wide smile made the monster''s hollow eyes widen.


    "Come on, stand up, bastard! You blew half my body off and you can''t take a small injury? Weak fuck! Let''s have a goddamn fight, I grew tired of running."


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 78: Chapter 78- Achievement Of a Lifetime

    Talon daringly stared at the monster with a wicked grin as he rested his spear on his shoulder. He didn''t seem like he was terrified of the Grim Roamer anymore and was instead the one in control at that moment.


    However, the truth couldn''t be anything further from that. In simple words, Talon''s body waspletely exhausted to the point where Acrypha thought it was a miracle he was still standing and even ready to fight.


    Ignoring the gaping hole in his side, Talon''s entire body was just a bloody mess. Countless cuts and bruises covered his skin like tattoos. He had broken a few ribs and damaged his internal organs heavily. Not to mention the amount of blood he lost after all of that.


    If it wasn''t for his superhuman strength and continuous evolution, she was sure that he would''ve died right there and then. But, his iron will and pride kept him on his feet.


    ''I need to finish this¡­ Before Ipletely copse.'' Exhaling a small, extremely tired breath, Talon aimed his spear at the monster.


    "Ok, if you won''t stand up, then I''m going to finish you off." He said as he dashed toward the monster suddenly.


    The monster realized what he wanted to do and immediately opened its mouth as it activated its skill. However, Talon had already anticipated that attack and immediately jumped to the side, barely avoiding the wave that blew the entire area behind him off the face of the earth.


    Then, the young man continued his sprint toward his target. The Grim Roamer visibly panicked as it activated the skill again and yet Talon was able to avoid it. The fact that the monster can''t move made it way easier to predict where the attack was going toe from.


    However, that didn''t mean that the effect of it didn''t hit Talon at all. With each sound wave, Talon''s eardrums would shake violently, sending waves of pain across his brain. Blood leaked out of his ears and dripped down his neck. Squinting slightly as he clenched his teeth, the young man tried to ignore that pain.


    ''Come on, I''m close!!'' He cursed inwardly as he leaped in the air, crossing the remaining distance between him and the monster.


    Thetter immediately screeched as it extended its still-working hand and tried to m Talon to the ground. However, Talon immediately shifted his bnce in the air as he spun forward. That sudden move stretched his injured side and almost made him lose concentration from the hellish pain.


    However, Talon bit his tongue so hard that it bled as he regained hisposure. Then, using his hands Talonnded on the monster''s hand as he pushed himself back into his feet and dashed across its arm as fast as he could.


    The creature immediately screeched as it immediately used another sound wave aimed at its hand.


    "I don''t think that''s a good idea, buddy." Talon made a toothy grin as he immediately leaped in the air again, avoiding the wave before it smashed into the monster''s arm. The hit pushed the arm down as the creature howled in pain.


    Meanwhile, Talonnded on the monster''s head as he quickly stabbed down with his spear, aiming for the skull. However, before the spear could dig through the skull, the monster shook its head violently, throwing Talon off.


    The young mannded on the ground as he rolled before hended on his knees.


    "Hah¡­ Hah¡­ I was close¡­ I pierced through the bones, but I couldn''t hit the brain." He murmured with a pained look. As he tried to stand up, Talon felt a sudden burning feeling in his throat.


    "Blurgh!!" Immediately, he threw up a mouthful of blood on the ground. His eyes widened slightly as he felt a sick, cold feeling fill up his chest.


    "Enough, Talon! You will self-destruct if you don''t stop right now!!" Acrypha said as she floated toward him with an angry look mixed with deep worry.


    Thetter heaved up and down powerfully as he wiped his lips before he stood up again slowly. "No, I''m close¡­ I''m so close! I can do it!"


    "This is crazy! You already did better than any other creature I have seen in my life! It''s enough! It''s really enough!" She replied in an almost desperate tone. Although Talon might have known that he was in a bad shape at that moment, but, he really had no idea how bad he looked at that moment.


    There was nothing left of him that looked like a normal human. He was just a blood-soaked wretch with shredded clothes and numerous injuries. Acrypha didn''t evenprehend how he was still standing at that moment.


    ''These type of injuries would easily make someone level 100+ to copse right there and then. How is he still standing?'' She frowned hard.


    "Is that all you got, bastard?! I''m not done yet!" The young man yelled with a hoarse voice as he rushed toward the monster again.


    When he reached it, sliced through its arm again as he tried to make it fall again so that he can jump on its head. However, the creature pped him away with its working hand.


    "Hnnng!!" Talon used his spear to block the attack as he dragged back with his feet digging into the ground.


    He didn''t even have a chance of fighting the monster in a contest of strength so a few secondster, he was sted back as hended on his back violently.


    "Cough! Cough! Not yet!" He yelled as he stood up with great difficulty and rushed toward the monster again.


    The Grim Roamer shrieked as it turned its head at him. Even the creature was shocked at how tenacious the little prey it chased was. No matter how many times he got hit, he still stood up and rushed toward it.


    It didn''t understand how that was possible and yet it was happening right in front of it. Using every ounce of energy he had left in his body, Talon encircled the monster as he searched for any ce he could attack from.


    Eventually, his eyes fell on a particr ce that Talon had ignored so far. But, he realized that in such a situation, it was probably the best area to attack.


    So, without hesitation, Talon dived in as he went right under the monster''s body as he rushed toward his target. The creature frantically tried to push him away again. However, Talon dodged its attacks as he reached his target.


    ''The neck!'' He thought to himself as he sliced with his spear. Yelling loudly, Talon used every ounce of strength to strike that area as strong as he could. He knew that if this attack worked, the monster would defly bleed to death.


    The Grim Roamer seemed to realize that too and quickly pped down with its hand, aiming to squash Talon like a bug. The two attacks happened almost at the same time.


    The de cut the monster''s throat open as blood gushed out endlessly. A split secondter, Talon was mmed away by the hand,nding in the pile of rocks violently.


    "Oh no!!" Acrypha immediately flew toward Talon in a hurry. She waspletely done with it. She can''t let Talon fight anymore. Even if it meant that she had to carry him away and get punished for it, she won''t let him move a single inch anymore.


    He was simplymitting suicide at that moment. Not that he could''ve not been already dead at that moment.


    Reaching her human quickly, Acrypha quicklynded on her knees as she pulled him out of the rubble with a horrified look. Talon''s appearance was so horrible that even for an ancient being like Acrypha that had witnessed countless dead corpses, she could only frown seeing Talon.


    He simply looked too terrifying at that moment. However, she still pulled him out and hugged him tightly as she let his head rest on her hand.


    Talon''s closed eyes seemed to open a little as he felt warmth engulf him. His vision was blurry, but he could capture in the far distance, the Grim Roamerying on the ground as it was bleeding violently.


    The attack had severed one of its aretries and it was now struggling to stop the bleeding. Tens of gallons of blood on the ground. Its howls of pain echoed in the entire vicinity before they also slowly weakened till they couldn''t be heard anymore.


    Eventually, the monster''s struggles stopped too as it finally lied down, motionless.


    "Is it¡­ over?" He asked in an extremely tired tone.


    "You bastard¡­" She murmured. "You did it¡­ You really did it¡­" Acrypha replied in aplicated tone. She didn''t know whether tough or cry at that moment. Talon had litteraly done the impossible and achieved something that no creature before him could''ve ever done.


    Hearing those words, Talon''s tired expression turned into a smile, a bloody yet still happy smile.


    "Haha, I told you¡­ My genius¡­ is boundless¡­" He said as he closed his eyes and enjoyed Acrypha''s arms wrapped around him. The blissful feeling made his pained body feel like it was floating between the clouds.


    [Ding!]


    [You have killed Level 25 Grim Roamer. +15 Strength, +15 Agility, +15 Stamina, +15 Health, +15 Aetheris.]


    [Ding!]


    [You have leveled up 4 times. +8 Free Points.]


    [Ding!]


    [Host has achieved a feat never done before!]


    [Ding!]


    [Host has acquired a secondary ss: ''Boundless Breaker''.]


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 79: Chapter 79- Far Too Close (Part 1)

    Talon''s hazy eyes couldn''t really read the notifications that he was receiving as he felt his body sumb to exhaustion. It was already a miracle he remained conscious this long and fought till thest second.


    Now, when he was sure that things were finally over, the adrenaline finally depleted and the pain that he had umted in the past few hours came rushing back like a train.


    "I''m¡­ a little¡­ tired¡­" He murmured to Acrypha as his eyes slowly closed.


    Thetter held him tightly as she nodded her head. "You did well. Just rest now." She replied in a gentle tone.


    Hearing her soothing voice, Talon''s tiredness finally beat him and he lost consciousness, throwing his full weight on Acrypha''s arms. Thetter kept hugging him as she gently pulled her face away. She didn''t care that his blood had covered her face and hair as she looked at him.


    ''Even in his state, I can feel the sheer strength he gained from this fight¡­ Hepletely broke the limit¡­ Again.'' She thought to herself with aplicated look.


    The human in her hands had been a rollercoaster in her life in the past week or so. The sheer mind-blowing things she had seen in just a few dayspletely shrouded her entire lifetime.


    Talon had kept breaking her expectations again and again and again without seemingly being able to stop. He had no regard for what was consideredmon sense at all. No, it''s not that he had no regard for it, it was simply that he was made to break these limits and soar beyond them.


    His character, his iron will, his ambition, and his monstrosity of talent all came together to create a creature that was bound to destroy everything that was binding him.


    ''I came here for you and yet¡­ I never thought I would see this. I want to be happy that you''re rising faster than I expected and yet I can only feel even more worried that you will catch the wrong eyes way too early. I can''t let them have you, I can''t let anyone have you. Not now, not ever. You''re mine and mine alone.'' She thought to herself as her eyes shone with a weird light for a split second.


    Nobody could see her expression at that time, not even Talon himself. So, Acrypha simply took her time as she looked at Talon, engraving every detail of him in her memory. Slowly, she lifted her hand up and slowly moved her fingers across his face, touching the huge scar that ran through his cheek down to his chin.


    For some reason, even in his hideous appearance, Acrypha found his face quite charming. This has be a small hobby of hers, just staring at Talon whenever he isn''t aware of it. It was indeed bizarre and quite creepy, but Acrypha couldn''t hold herself from doing it.


    As she was like that, she heard noisesing from the distance so she finally averted her eyes from the young man in her hands and stared up. There, she could see Hyun-Jae, Chin-Hwa, and three other students rushing toward them.


    "Talon! Where are you?!" Hyun-Jae''s voice echoed in the vicinity as she looked around, searching for Talon.


    They had heard the noise that came from the brutal battle and immediately rushed toward Talon. It was mainly Hyun-Jae who decided to go there, but since Chin-Hwa couldn''t let her go alone, he followed her. Then, Go Young-Soon, Hei Ran, and Mo Shin were also extremely worried about Talon so they insisted they follow them.


    "I guess they came looking for you, kid." She murmured with a small smile as she finally gently put him down on the ground and floated in the air.


    "Talon!"


    "Mr Talon! Where are you?!"


    The group called his name again and again as they searched the rubble. It didn''t take them long to notice the giant corpse of the monster lying on the ground.


    "It''s¡­ dead?" Hyun-Jae''s eyes widened in pure shock. "He killed it?"


    She had sensed the monster''s presence herself and she knew how absurdly strong it was. She was even sure that there was no way for them to kill it, not even Talon himself. Yet, here it was, a cold corpse.


    "What the fuck is that¡­" Go Young-Soon shuddered as he looked at the wretched creature. Even when it''s dead, a mere look at it made him retreat in fear.


    "Did Mr Talon fight that thing?" Hei Ran asked with a pale expression.


    "He either killed it and survived or died trying," Chin-Hwa murmured as he squinted his eyes.


    However, one single cold re from Hyun-Jae and he immediately retracted his words. The girl then turned around and started searching for Talon again.


    Not long after that, her eyes fell on a silhouette of a human lying on the ground a few dozen meters away.


    Immediately, she rushed toward it as fast as she could move with her tattered body.


    "Oh my god¡­" The moment her eyes fell on him, her heart stopped for a second. She thought that he was a dead corpse lying on the ground.


    "Oh no, no, no!" Hyun-Jae didn''t even realize that the others had followed her as she went on both knees and lifted him then she immediately put her head on his chest as she listened to his heart.


    A terrifying second passed before the sound she was eager to hear finally reached her. Talon''s heart was still beating audibly.


    Just that fact alone made her body rx from relief. She didn''t even know she could go from being this terrified to being this happy in a few seconds and yet in the past few days, she experienced this exact feeling multiple times.


    "Is he ok?" Hei Ran asked with a pale expression.


    "No¡­ His body ispletely destroyed. He needs to get healed now." Hyun-Jae said as she pulled him up and put him over her shoulder.


    The others watched that scene with surprise in their eyes. Especially Chin-Hwa whose expression changedpletely. Hyun-Jae was carrying Talon in such an intimate without seemingly caring at all.


    That sight tugged Chin-Hwa''s heart in ways he didn''t know was possible.


    "Please don''t exhaust yourself, president. Let me carr-"


    Before Chin-Hwa could even finish his sentence, Hyun-Jae had already walked away,pletely ignoring him. Seeing that, he clenched his teeth as he looked down. He still didn''t forget that Hyun-Jae was extremely angry and didn''t even speak with him once yet.


    The others saw that and could only feel confused by her reaction.


    "Don''t worry, Talon. Everything is fine now. I''m getting you to a safe ce." Hyun-Jae murmured as she gently pulled Talon''s body closer to her as she brought him back to the gymnasium.


    There, all the students were on the ground, resting or getting treated after the battle. They were allpletely spent, mentally and physically.


    After Talon led the Grim Roamer away, all the monsters left in the area flooded the gymnasium and ended up shing with the students. The fight was as brutal as one would expect.


    The students found themselves against tens of monsters and they had to fight them. It was an all-out chaos.


    But, in the end, Hyun-Jae and Chin-Hwa reached the area and immediately cleaned the rest of the monsters, finally putting an end to the stampede.


    "Please bring him closer so that I can heal him."


    "Ugh, my arm!!!"


    Meanwhile, some of the students who were able to get their hands on skills rted to healing, were busy touring the ce, trying to heal as many people as possible and save those who were close to death.


    "Gu Iseul,e here!" The moment Hyun-Jae reached the ce, she called for a girl who was running around frantically.


    "Hm? Oh my god!! What happened to him?!" The short and skinny girl immediately rushed toward Hyun-Jae.


    "No time for questions, he needs immediate help. He lost too much blood." Hyun-Jae replied.


    "Please, put him down here." Gu Iseul immediately led Hyun-Jae to a small nketid on the ground before putting Talon down.


    The girl then sat down next to him as she started inspecting his body. The more she looked at him, the more her face changed. Gu Iseul was a medical student back before the integration and after it, she was able to get her hands on a decent healing skill that made her a very invaluable asset to the group.


    However, even she couldn''t look at Talon for more than a few seconds before she closed her eyes.


    "I can''t believe he''s still alive¡­ He didn''t just lose blood, he also lost a good chunk of his intestines and kidney. He also broke a lot of bones."


    "Can you heal him?" Hyun-Jae asked with an urgent tone. She already knew that Talon was in an extremely dangerous situation.


    "I will try, Miss President. But, I really don''t know if it''s possible or not." The girl replied as she channeled her Aetheris and put her hand over Talon''s body.


    Slowly, a green light emerged from the palm of her hands, casting its rays on Talon''s body.


    Meanwhile, Hyun-Jae watched the process anxiously.


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 80: Chapter 80- Far Too Close (Part 2)

    The green light emitting from Gu Iseul''s hands slowly engulfed Talon''s body. A few seconds passed like that before any effect started taking ce.


    Talon''s injuries started visibly closing at a rapid pace. The remaining cuts and bruises slowly disappeared as tissue cells and skin reconnected. The broken bones also healed and returned to their normal position. By the time a minute passed, all those small injuries vanished out of existence, leaving behind only the nasty ones.


    There were three main ones that were lethally dangerous, the huge scar on his face, his carved side, and a hugeceration in his left leg.


    Each one of them was even worse than the other and healing them seemed like it was going to take ages. Minutes passed as Gu Iseul''s face started changing. Her breathing turned audible and erratic and her hands started shaking visibly.


    Eventually, she couldn''t keep that light going and she fell back, her facepletely covered in sweat.


    "Are you ok?" Hyun-Jae looked at her.


    "I-I''m sorry, Miss President¡­ I depleted my Aetheris¡­ I need to replenish it to continue¡­" The girl replied with a pale expression as she closed her eyes.


    She could see that Hyun-Jae was in a really bad mood because of Talon''s state, so the fact that she couldn''t continue the healing made her fear the president''s reaction. However, much to her surprise.


    "It''s fine, go take a break. You already healed so many students. Thank you for your help." Hyun-Jae replied in a calm tone.


    "..." Gu Iseul blinked in shock as she looked at Hyun-Jae. There wasn''t a shred of anger or disappointment in her eyes at all.


    Gu Iseul didn''t know how to react at that moment as she nodded her head and stood up. ''So this is why Miss President is so popr¡­ She''s really such an amazing person.''


    All she heard about Hyun-Jae were rumors before and she never really believed them fully. However, when she saw Hyun-Jae''s character from up close, Gu Iseul was certain that it wasn''t merely rumored¡­ Hyun-Jae was indeed that amazing of a person.


    After the healer left, Hyun-Jae exhaled a long breath as she sat down again. Her eyes wandered back to Talon who was still unconscious. His face looked a little better than before, but he was still far from good. The nasty injury on his side was fully open still.


    However, surprisingly, it didn''t seem like it was getting any worse as Hyun-Jae expected. In fact, she noticed that Talon''s body was recovering on its own at a considerably fast pace.


    That made her heart feel a little more at ease even though she was still worried.


    "Mmm, Miss President¡­" As she was like that, she heard a soft voice calling for her.


    "Hm?" Hyun-Jae turned around. "Hei Ran? Everything ok?"


    Hei Ran had an awkward look on her face as she pointed at Hyun-Jae''s back. "Mm, I know this isn''t the time for this, but your back is¡­pletely exposed. Do you need some clothes?" She asked.


    Hyun-Jae took a second to take her words in before she looked at her back only to realize what the girl meant. Because of the continuous fighting, Hyun-Jae''s clothes were shredded to pieces. Especially her back which was not covered at all. Her eyes then wandered around her only to notice students looking at her with weird eyes.


    Immediately, her body shuddered and she felt her heart grow cold.


    "I brought you a nket." Hei Ran said when she noticed the president''s reaction. Being naked in front of others, even if no sensitive parts were visible was a very bad feeling. Especially for Hyun-Jae who hated that way more than normal.


    "Thank you."


    Taking the nket, Hyun-Jae covered herself as she exhaled a long breath.


    ''This feels a lot better¡­ Though, how did I not notice this earlier?'' She asked herself in confusion.


    Usually, Hyun-Jae would instantly notice if someone was looking at her no matter where she was. It was akin to a sixth sense she developed across her entire life. It helped her cope with the trauma she had since childhood.


    The trauma that followed her till today and will probably keep following her for the rest of her life. Something that only a few people knew of. For a split second in her head, a dark image filled her vision as she noticed a silhouette beneath her, dripping with a red liquid.


    When Hyun-Jae realized what she was doing, her eyes widened as she immediately shook those thoughts away and focused on Talon.


    ''I guess I was too upied with him to even notice that¡­ It never happened before¡­'' She mused.


    Her worry and fear made her ignore arguably the most sensitive thing about herpletely. It was a first for Hyun-Jae and naturally, that made her even more confused. How did this young man make her feel that way? She, who rarely feels anything intense, was now on an emotional rollercoaster on a daily basis.


    All because of him¡­


    Hyun-Jae''s eyes shed withplicated emotions as she stared at Talon silently. Her senses werepletely focused on him, ignoring the outside for a few moments.


    "Mm, excuse¡­ me¡­"


    That focus was broken when she heard a voice behind her again. Looking up, she saw Chin-Hwa standing there with a frown on his face.


    Hyun-Jae squinted her eyes without replying which seemed like a signal for him to speak.


    "Can we¡­ talk alone for a moment?" The cold prince said in an awkward tone.


    "Speak, no one can hear you," Hyun-Jae replied as she turned around and started looking at Talon again.


    Chin-Hwa''s face grew even uglier when he noticed that and could only gnash his teeth in frustration. In the end, he exhaled a long breath before he spoke.


    "I wanted to apologize for what I did¡­ It was really idiotic of me toe here and put such a huge risk on everyone. I''m really sorry."


    Every word Chin-Hwa said at that moment was his true, sincere feelings. He hadn''t realized the huge disaster of a mistake he made that put everyone, including his and Hyun-Jae''s life in danger.


    His selfishness had brought his beloved pain and suffering, that fact alone was enough to break his heart to pieces.


    ''I''m such a moron!!'' He cursed himself again and again countless times.


    As he stood there, Hyun-Jae didn''t seem to show any reaction as she kept looking at Talon with a serene expression, as if his features were a source of peacefulness for her. In the end, she opened her mouth and replied.


    "Did he save your life?" She asked.


    "... Saved my life?"


    "Yes, did he save your life when you came here?"


    "..." Chin-Hwa frowned before he nodded his head. "Yes, he pulled me off the bike before I hit a wall."


    "I see¡­ So that''s why it took him a long time toe back¡­" Hyun-Jae''s calm face smiled slightly. "Yet, it''s weird that he didn''t say that to me, isn''t it?"


    "..." The cold prince''s face changed again. "He didn''t? Why?"


    Hyun-Jae''s smile turned way softer as she eyed the unconscious man next to her.


    "Knowing him, he probably didn''t want to make you look bad in front of me."


    Hearing that, the young man''s eyes widened. Hyun-Jae''s words made him remember what Talon had said when he saved his life.


    "You came here for her, didn''t you?" He asked him at the time to which Chin-Hwa nodded his head.


    At the time, Chin-Hwa didn''t give it much thought. But, he now realized what happened. Talon knew that Chin-Hwa had more than just ''respect'' toward Hyun-Jae so he didn''t really want to make him lose even more favorability from her.


    ''But why¡­ Isn''t he¡­'' Chin-Hwa feltpletely lost at that moment. Everything he assumed before had seeminglye crumbling down at that moment. Was he wrong about Talon having malicious intent toward Hyun-Jae? Was he really not trying to take her away from him? Each question blurred into the other and it made him even more confused.


    "It''s really funny¡­ He always does the most unexpected things without bragging or telling anyone and yet it''s always amazing when you notice it. I never understood how he does it."


    ''It''s really like him, isn''t it?'' She asked herself again as she felt warmth in her heart. Perhaps, it wasn''t all too vague and puzzly as to why she found Talon this intriguing. After all, this seemingly normal young man kept stirring her heart as he wished.


    "I¡­ I didn''t¡­" Chin-Hwa was at a loss for words.


    "What happened had happened. You put everyone''s life at risk without realizing the consequences of your actions. All for something that I already warned you not to do." Hyun-Jae finally turned around and looked at Chin-Hwa. Her voice was calm and yet incredibly stern and heartless.


    "I don''t think we can be friends anymore."


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 81: Chapter 81- Far Too Close (Part 3)

    "... Huh?" Chin-Hwa''s face frozepletely as he looked at Hyun-Jae with widened eyes. For a good few seconds, he couldn''t register what she said at all. No, he did understand what she said, it''s just that his mind refused to take it in.


    Standing there, he looked at Hyun-Jae''s calm expression, trying to figure out whether she was really saying what he thought she was or was his mind was simply hallucinating.


    "I do not wish to be friends with someone who can''t seem toprehend their limits. You used to be a clever and rational person which was why I believed that you''re one of the few people I could trust. However, that part of you is long gone now." Hyun-Jae exined, her voice as monotone as ever.


    "..."


    Just like that, everything chattered inside Chin-Hwa''s head. His biggest fear, no, wasn''t even a fear in the first ce since he never thought a day woulde when his rtionship, his bond with Hyun-Jae would be severed.


    A very cold, suffocating feeling filled his chest and threatened to make him copse right there and then.


    "No, please¡­ Please, president¡­ I made a mistake. I was dumb, really dumb! I should''ve never done anything like this! I was just worried about yo-"


    "We aren''t children anymore, Chin-Hwa. I can take care of myself. Even if you were worried about me, you should''ve prioritized your duty rather than your feelings."


    "I¡­ I¡­"


    Hyun-Jae noticed the desperate look on Chin-Hwa''s face as he looked at her with a pleading expression, almost tearful at some point. Seeing him like that made her frown a little. It pained her to see an old friend of hers turn into such a person.


    Chin-Hwa was one of her very first friends whom she really believed were good people. The two spent their childhood together and learned things about each other that others didn''t.


    She really liked him as a friend and someone to rely on in time of need. That remained the case for years as they grew up. However, slowly, Hyun-Jae started noticing Chin-Hwa''s behavior toward her change.


    The way he looked at her slowly shifted and became very simr to the eyes she would get from other people and would make her shudder. At first, she wanted not to believe it since this was her childhood friend and a trustedpanion of hers.


    However, with time, those looks became more and moremon till they eventually became the only way Chin-Hwa looked at her.


    Naturally, the blow from that realization was really strong for her. She realized that Chin-Hwa didn''t see her as a friend anymore but something far more special. Except, Hyun-Jae never really felt that way toward him.


    He was indeed a brilliant man on every front, but she had never seen him as someone to fall in love with. After all, she never found love to be really a topic of interest to her. It wasn''t that she didn''t want to experience it, it just never really urred to her that it was something she needed.


    Nobody around her sparked that feeling within her before and so she assumed that it was simply something that didn''t fit her.


    So, even when she knew that Chin-Hwa was looking at her that way, she didn''t push him away. Her attachment to him as an old friend stopped her from leaving him.


    However, that decision perhaps was the reason why they reached such a point in the first ce. Chin-Hwa started trying to get into her life more actively. It was odd, but Hyun-Jae tried to stop him from doing that multiple times.


    He never listened to her nor acknowledged that she didn''t want that at all. So, in a sense, today''s events were simply thest straw that broke the camel'' back.


    "It''s not a personal grudge, Chin-Hwa. I just don''t think it''s a good idea for both of us to remain friends. It''s harming you as much as it''s harming me. We can still work toward a shared goal as fellow survivors but do not try to approach me with anything more than that. Consider that a warning."


    At thest sentence, Hyun-Jae''s voice turned deathly cold, making Chin-Hwa shudder.


    He didn''t even need to look at her to realize that this wasn''t friendly advice. She was threatening him not to get close to her or there will be dire consequences.


    Chin-Hwa''s heart and soul felt as if they were no longer there. Even the pain he felt became a horrible numbness filling his entire body. Then, slowly, he turned around and started walking away silently.


    "Sigh¡­" Rubbing her temples, Hyun-Jae closed her eyes as she felt a headache assault her head.


    ''Hopefully, he really reflects on it.'' She thought to herself.


    Meanwhile, Acrypha was floating above the scene, watching with an interested look.


    "Humans are such interesting creatures." She murmured as she looked at Hyun-Jae.


    ***


    With that, the day ended in a peaceful manner. The moment the night arrived, all the students went to sleep. No one was able to stay awake to do a night shift from exhaustion nor there was any need for it at the time.


    The next day, Hyun-Jae woke up and immediately was hit with a pile of tasks. First of all, she had to go over the entire student body, checking their condition and noting down those who received particrly heavy injuries or¡­ died.


    After that brutal fight, the number of students that met their end was exactly 8 students. 3 of them were from the frontlines and the rest were from the backlines. Naturally, everyone was devastated by those losses. Their friends and peers have lost their lives during this ordeal, after all.


    Hyun-Jae made sure to give them a proper burial with everyone present except for Talon and Chin Hwa. It was a sad moment for everyone, but also a moment of realization that even with everything going as perfectly as it could, death was still but a moment away from iming their lives.


    It was the harsh truth that many of them forgot because of the constant feeling of power they experienced. But, this came as a reminder that out there, monsters capable of ending their lives were roaming free.


    After that, Hyun-Jae went out with a group of students to do the second most important thing¡­ Collect the cores and corpses of the monsters.


    Outside, hundreds of dead enemies riddled the ce, many of them having shining cores next to them that were begging to be imed. Monsters varying from level 1 to level 13 filled the ce. It was akin to a treasure trove.


    Naturally, these cores were going to boost the power of the group by leaps and bounds. Till that point, the most they had was a few dozen weapons, mostlymon items, a few good skills here and there,and finally, a dozen or so potions.


    It wasn''t the best arsenal of weapons for a group of students in the hundreds. But, after collecting the hundreds of cores left behind, Hyun-Jae was certain that the power of the group was finally going to break through.


    This naturally gave everyone a moral boost like nothing else and kept them on their feet even though they were affected by the horrible fight.


    However, even with all this good news, there was still something that kept Hyun-Jae''s mood in a really bad state.


    Even after two entire days, Talon still didn''t wake up from hisa. During this time, Gu Iseul had to visit him multiple times to heal his injuries. She would drain all of her Aetheris on him till she''s about to copse before she leaves, rests, andes back.


    Naturally, Talon''s condition grew better and better with each session and even the brutal injury on his abdomen started closing on its own. Yet, the young man himself didn''t seem like he had any intention of waking up.


    With that, the second and third days after the fight passed peacefully. Hyun-Jae was drowned in more and more work but she still made sure to visit Talon every single day.


    For at least one hour, she would sit next to him silently as she watched him. It was her only peaceful time amidst the chaos. She also used that time to simply think about everything and have a moment of reflection.


    With that, the fourth and fifth days quickly passed too and Hyun-Jae''s worries grew bigger and bigger. Talon wasn''t waking up at all and Gu Iseul didn''t know why.


    His vital signs seemed fine and so was his recovery process. Iseul thought that his recovery was going to be a miracle in itself, yet, that turned out to be the smoothest part of the entire process.


    "I really have no idea when he could wake up¡­ He''s in aatose state, so it could take days, weeks, or even months for him to wake up¡­" She told Hyun-Jae with a difficult expression. "All we can do is wait."


    Just hearing that news ruined Hyun-Jae''s mood. However, she still epted them. After all, Talon was still alive and well, all that was left was for him to wake up.


    All that was left was for him to wake up¡­ Just thinking about that made Hyun-Jae smile bitterly. Even in such a situation, she still firmly believed that Talon was going to wake up any time soon.


    ''Don''t make me wait too long, Talon.'' She thought to herself as she gave the young man onest look and left the room, closing the door behind her.


    ***


    Meanwhile, Inside Talon''s head.


    "Ok, where the hell am I?"


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 82: Chapter 82- Dream And Reunion

    "Hnnng¡­." Talon groaned quietly as his eyes started opening slowly. His mind was hazy and sluggish as if he had been sleeping for two days straight.


    Rubbing his eyes, he slowly rose from the soft mattress as he looked around him confusedly. He couldn''t really recall what happened after beating the monster.


    ''Acrypha told me that everything was over¡­ and then¡­ I lost consciousness¡­ I think.'' He mused as he tried to stand up, only to realize a crucial detail.


    "Huh?" Looking around him again, he was shocked by what he saw. He wasn''t in the gymnasium as he thought he was. Instead, he found himself in a bedroom, a very fancy and expensive-looking bedroom.


    It was by far the most beautiful room Talon had ever seen in his life. The floor beneath him was carved out of marble, the furniture was a beautiful brownish mahogany wood and the walls were made out of gold.


    A huge chandelier dangled from the ceiling that shone brightly, illuminating the entire room. Resting his hand on the soft mattress beneath him, he blinked in shock.


    "Ok, where the hell am I?" He murmured to himself as he slid toward the edge of the bed andnded on his feet.


    "Hm? Where are my injuries?" Looking down at his body, he noticed that he lookedpletely fine. All the brutal wounds he sustained from the fight had suddenly vanished. Not only that, his clothes weren''t the bloodied mess that he recalled. Instead, he wore what seemed to be a veryfortable pyjamas made out of silk.


    "Now I''m really confused. What the fuck is this ce? Did I go to heaven? Or maybe hell?"


    Many questions filled Talon''s head with no apparent answer. So, he decided to do the most logical thing he could think of at the moment, to explore the room and see what answers he could find.


    "Hmm, sounds like a good n to me." Shrugging, he turned around and started walking around the ce, inspecting everything he found to be interesting.


    The first detail he noticed during this exploration was that the room was oddly simr to those rooms found in luxury pces.


    In fact, Talon was almost sure that there was no such ce in South Korea, and even if it existed, the fact that it still looked intact and in good shape even though the integration happened was another mystery in itself.


    The second detail was theck of windows inside the room. It waspletely closed with no view of the outside world.


    Finally, the most important detail out of them all was¡­


    "I can''t open my status window¡­" Talon murmured as he tried to summon it. No matter how many times he thought of the word ''status'', the holographic image refused to appear. This further proved to Talon that he was indeed not in the real world but instead somewhere else.


    But, even with all those thoughts, he still looked around till he reached the gigantic closet that was easily double the size of his room back in the dormitory.


    There, clothes of all kinds were organized in rows on the shelves with tens of pairs of shoes on the ground.


    "This is ridiculous¡­"


    Talon was sure that these clothes were extremely expensive without the need to even be knowledgeable about clothes.


    "Who needs 10 different pairs of shoes? How are you going to even use them all?" Talon shuddered at that mere thought.


    Being a poor student living in the city, he had one pair of shoes that he used for everything. They weren''t good in any way, but he liked them. They helped him through thick and thin and he was grateful for that.


    Walking around the ce, Talon''s eyes finally fell on the huge mirror on the wall so he immediately walked toward it and took a look at himself.


    "..." His eyes blinked, then, he rubbed them quickly before he took a second nce. But, nothing changed in what he was seeing, the reflection in the mirror wasn''t his.


    "Who the fuck is this irritatingly handsome man?!" He blurted out in shock as he immediately grabbed the mirror and started looking at every detail on his face.


    The face he was seeing in the mirror was far from his normal appearance. It was instead that of a prince-looking man with a jaw-dropping beauty that would put any model or actor to shame. If anything, this was by far the most handsome man he had ever seen in his life.


    Every detail about him was perfect to the utmost degree. His short ck hair, his piercing blue eyes, and even his snow-white skin. He was akin to a prince from another world.


    "This isn''t me!! What happened to my face?!" Talon immediately started panicking. "Oh no¡­"


    Rubbing his face, Talon rested his back on the wall behind him. Taking a deep breath, he tried to calm down.


    "Ok, let''s calm down and recount what happened. I fell unconscious after the fight then I woke up here in an unknown location. There are no windows and no way for me to know where I am. My face also changed. I can''t open the status window either. Hmm¡­ Is this some kind of dream?"


    The fact that everything didn''t make sense at all made Talon assume that all of this was simply a dream of some sort. A very realistic dream.


    As he was like that, he suddenly heard a sounding from the outside. Looking up, Talon immediately crouched as he moved toward the door of the closet and peeked secretly.


    ''The door is knocking.'' He thought to himself as he waited.


    The knocks continued for a while before he finally heard a voice. "Young master, please wake up."


    Hearing that soft voice, Talon frowned as he looked at the bed again. Without waiting a second, he rushed toward it and jumped on the bed as he covered himself and pretended like he was asleep.


    A secondter, the door was opened as someone walked inside the room. Since Talon covered his face, he couldn''t really see who it was. Still, he kept quiet and pretended like he wasn''t aware of their presence.


    "Young master¡­" The voice, clearly that of a woman, called for him again. It sounded really soothing and angelic as if it didn''t belong to a human and rather an angel.


    "..."


    "It''s already morning, Young Master."


    "..."


    "Please, young master, you can''t jail yourself in your room for days. Your health will deteriorate."


    "..." Talon didn''t answer at all.


    "Sigh, it really has been hard on him, wasn''t it?" The woman murmured to herself with a sad tone. "Love is a double-edged sword indeed¡­"


    ''Huh?'' Talon frowned even harder as he listened to the woman speaking. Her words made him even more confused. ''Love?''


    But, before he could hear anything else, the woman turned around and walked out of the room before closing the door.


    When Talon was sure that she left, he uncovered himself as he looked around.


    "Ok, that was a little close. But, what was that about me being a Young Master? And what did she mean by love is a double-edged sword? Am I lovesick or something?"


    The more Talon tried to think about it, the more his head hurt. So, he sighed andy on his back as he looked at the ceiling. "What is seriously going on here?"


    He silently looked up, trying to organize his thoughts. Seconds passed silently as Talon''s eyelids started feeling heavy again without him realizing, and before long, he fell asleep again.


    ***


    When his eyes opened again, Talon''s scenery had changed againpletely. The moment he regained his senses, sharp pain assaulted him and made him squint. It was an all-too-familiar pain.


    "Ugh¡­" Groaning hoarsely, tried to look around him only to realize that he couldn''t move his body at all. So, he could only sluggishly move his neck around. It didn''t take him long to realize that he was back in the gymnasium.


    He felt as if he was hit by a train as each move he tried to do would result in a painful groan. In the end, Talon gave up and simplyid there.


    "Acrypha¡­ Are you there?" He murmured weakly.


    However, no answer came back from hispanion so he assumed that she left as usual to go roam around. So, all Talon could do was simplyy there and take in the scenery.


    "So, it was indeed¡­ a dream¡­" He exhaled a small breath and a small smile formed on the young man''s face. "d I didn''t die¡­"


    Talon really thought for a second that he was dead and that feeling was reallyplicated. As someone who lived a very hard life, Talon did consider death as a way for him to escape the brutal life he had to live.


    He wasn''t suicidal by any means, but he always thought that perhaps if one died, they would go to a better ce. However, if he was given the choice to actually go to a better ce and leave his loved ones behind, he would immediately refuse.


    Talon cherished his family more than anything else, they were everything he wanted in life. As long as they were fine, he didn''t need anything else. Today''s events were simply a reminder for him that death was never really a solution, actually facing the problem and solving it was the true solution to everything.


    As he was like that, Talon suddenly heard the door click as it opened. His eyes slowly moved toward it as he watched someone enter inside.


    Hyun-Jae closed the door behind her with a sigh as she rested her forehead on the door. Her face looked extremely exhausted from all the work she had to do the past week. With Talonpletely out of it, all the responsibilitiesid on her back.


    However, by far, the most stressful thing she was going through at that time was Talon not waking up yet. Even when she believed it was simply a matter of time before he opened his eyes, the small chance that it wouldn''t happen still messed with her mind.


    ''Keep yourself together, Hyun-Jae. Nothing bad will happen¡­'' She clenched her fists and finally turned around to stare at Talon. At that moment, her eyes made contact with his before she froze in her ce.


    The two stared at each other silently for a while before Talon finally opened his mouth.


    "Hey, Hy-"


    Before he could even finish the sentence, Hyun-Jae had suddenly moved swiftly and before he knew it, her arms were wrapped around his neck in a very tight hug.


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 83: Chapter 83- Boundless Breaker

    Talon froze in his ce as his eyes widened. He had to take a whole second to register what just happened as his irises moved down to look at the girl hugging him tightly at that moment. Her body was pressed tightly against his in a very intimate position.


    It was so unexpected that Talon forgot that he was in hellish pain a second ago. Feeling Hyun-Jae''s arms around his neck, and her chest against him was too much sensory overload to even be ready for it.


    "Mmm¡­" In the end, he made an awkward sound as he lifted his hand slowly and tapped her on the back awkwardly. "d to see you too." He said the first thing that came to mind which he immediately regretted the next second.


    ''What the fuck do you even say when a beautiful girl hugs you out of nowhere?'' He screamed in his head. What was even worse than that was the fact that Talon started feeling his body reacting the next second which would be disastrous.


    Even though Talon never really sought love or interaction with the opposite sex that much due to his hard life, that didn''t mean that he didn''t want to experience it. After all, he was a healthy 21-year-old man.


    ''Clear thoughts, Talon. Clear thoughts¡­'' He repeated in his head like a mantra as he struggled to keep himself calm.


    "Thank god¡­" As Talon was fighting the demons inside his head, he heard Hyun-Jae''s small murmur which broke his thoughts and made him look down. "You didn''t wake up¡­ For 6 days¡­ I knew you would eventuallye back¡­ But, I was really worried." She confessed in a relieved tone.


    Hearing that, all of Talon''s bad thoughts vanishedpletely as his expression changed visibly. He realized how brutal it must''ve been on Hyun-Jae. To handle everything on her own while still not knowing whether Talon would even wake up or not was too much mental pressure even for someone as brilliant as she was.


    He was sure that if he was in her ce, he would''ve been heavily affected too, perhaps even more than she did. Not to mention the fragile nature of the situation they were in.


    ''She really had it rough¡­'' He frowned.


    Hyun-Jae''s face was buried in his neck so she couldn''t really see it happening. However, a secondter, she felt Talon''s arm wrap around her back as he hugged her back with whatever strength he had in his body at the time.


    At first, she was taken aback but then, she simply closed her eyes and went silent. She knew that this was far from what she would normally do and she would probably die from embarrassmentter, but, at that moment, she simply epted the hug.


    For some reason, just the feeling of his warmth made her feel at ease. All the exhaustion, stress, and pressure that she went through the past few days vanished as if it was never there.


    Time passed slowly for the two of them as they remained in that position. They didn''t have to say anything as they understood each other well.


    "I''m sorry for taking so long to wake up." Eventually, Talon spoke in a calm yet apologetic tone.


    However, Hyun-Jae shook her head faintly while still in his embrace. "It''s fine. You woke up now, so it''s all fine."


    "Mm, thank you for saving me¡­ again¡­" He said. "And for keeping up with my recklessness."


    At that moment, Hyun-Jae pulled away slightly and stared at him from a close distance. Her clear, beautiful eyes captivated himpletely. A small smile bloomed on her face as she replied.


    "Are you finally admitting that you''re a tad bit too reckless?" She asked amusedly, taking the young man by surprise for a second.


    "You don''t seem like you hate that, do you?" Talon chuckled.


    "Depends, if it means you will get half your body carved out, then yeah, I do hate it. However, if it means having some fun, then why not?"


    Talon had awakened the adventurous spirit within Hyun-Jae that she never knew had in her. Going beyond the normal and living as you want without restraints was something that she learned from him in the short period of time they knew each other and it was by far the best thing Hyun-Jae ever experienced in her life.


    "Hmm, Lady Ran Hyun-Jae is learning bad habits," Talon replied mischievously.


    Thetter tapped his shoulder lightly, making him squint a little.


    "Ouch¡­" He smiled as he pretended like he was in too much pain.


    "You deserve that for trying to tease me."


    "I''m a sick person, you can''t hit me," Talon replied.


    "You seem fine to me." Hyun-Jae rolled her eyes as she finally pulled awaypletely and sat down next to him. "So, jokes aside, how are you feeling?"


    "Hm, my body feels heavy and I still feel a lot of pain on my side. But, other than that, I''m fine."


    In the six days he spent in aa, most of Talon''s injuriespletely healed. Theceration in his leg was now closed and the scar on his face was also on the verge of disappearingpletely.


    The only injury that remained was the huge one in his abdomen. Talon''s internal organs took some time to heal and get back to good shape and it was now in the process of closing the skin and muscle tissue.


    With Gu Iseul''s healing and Talon''s monstrous 70 healing points, such a miraculous fast recovery became possible.


    "Can I see the injury?" Hyun-Jae asked.


    "Sure¡­" Talon murmured as he opened his jacket and pulled it up.


    The girl then peeked closer as she inspected the injury with her eyes. "Hmm, it''s definitely looking better. In a few more days, you should bepletely healed. During that time, you should not move." Hyun-Jae smiled.


    "A few more days? I''m not waiting a few more days here. I''ve already been in aa for six days."


    ''Wait¡­ Now, that I think about it¡­ How was I asleep for six days? I swear the dream I was insted 60 minutes at most.'' He thought to himself.


    Talon''s entire experience wasn''t long by any means. He didn''t know whether it was simply a lucid dream of some sort or if there was any special meaning behind it.


    ''I should ask Acrypha about it.'' He noted in his head.


    "Sigh, you''re still far from ready to leave this room. You should take the rest of the day off at least. I won''t be at ease if you move around with that gruesome injury." Hyun-Jae said.


    "Ugh, fine fine. But, only one day. We have many things we need to do."


    For starters, Talon needed to get back to pace with everything that happened in the past few days. He also needed to start his training again after stopping it for a while.


    But, the most important task by far was to finally start nning the infiltration of the research center. It has been exactly two weeks since Talon and Hyun-Jae arrived on the campus, 13 days more than what Talon expected.


    He was already eager to finish this mission as soon as possible, so everything that happened in the past two weeks was in a sense, a hindrance from his initial goal.


    "Yeah, there are many things you need to know about. But, for now, just rest." Hyun-Jae said as she stood up. "I wille backter to check on you, ok?"


    "Hmm, ok. But, you don''t really have to check on me that often, you know? I already owe you too much." Talon said with an awkward smile.


    "You owe me nothing, good sir. If anything, we''re even now." Hyun-Jae pulled her tongue out jokingly as she walked away.


    "Wait, wha-"


    "See youter~"


    Before Talon could even understand what she meant, Hyun-Jae had already left in a hurry as if she didn''t want to answer his questions.


    "That woman¡­" Sighing, Talon rested his head back on the mattress again. "Now, what should I do for the rest of the day? Oh, wait, now that I remember."


    Without hesitation, Talon summoned the notifications he received a few days ago that had been waiting for him the entire time. He was eager to see the rewards he got after killing that monster.


    The first thing he noticed was the 4 levels he gained. At this point, Talon was on level 23 with 12 free points to allocate. It was a very good number that he was naturally happy with. Then, he saw the points he gained for killing the Grim Roamer.


    "Holy shit! +15 Points for all stats?! That is wild!" He blurted out when he saw the number.


    Forget about all stats, if Talon had gained +15 for one stat, he would be on cloud nine. Yet, all his stats received that boost. It was safe to say that he went through another evolution in a sense.


    ''I''m excited to see how stronger I be when I heal.''


    Just the thought of feeling his new power was making him extremely eager to return to work. But, for now, he simply had to imagine it.


    Finally, his eyes fell on thest notification which made him raise an eyebrow.


    "A second ss?" Talon murmured. "I didn''t know you could get multiple sses at once. Interesting, ''Boundless Breaker'', sounds like a very cool name. What does it do though?"


    [Boundless Breaker: You''re the only creature in existence to do the impossible. You broke the norm and soared beyond. Your achievement will remain etched in history for eons toe. This secondary ss gives you a 20% boost in attack power when using any weapon, a 10% increase in all stats, and a 25% increase in strength when fighting stronger enemies.]


    Talon: "..."


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 84: Chapter 84- Greatness (Part 1)

    Talon wiped his eyes a few times as he looked at the description of the ss thinking he had read something wrong. But, no matter how many times he reread it, it still said the same thing.


    "What the fuck..." He murmured as he grabbed his forehead in disbelief. "This has to be some kind of practical joke..."


    The sheer ridiculousness of the ss description made Talon forget to even feel happy. He didn''t even need to try it toprehend how absurdly powerful it was. It didn''t simply give him a small boost or a useful ability, no, far from that. Instead, itpletely reshaped his power level and pushed him a few leagues higher.


    "Haha, hahahaha!" In the end, he startedughing. "The Core Dimension is one sick bastard. They''re sick!" Talonughed weirdly as he stared at the floating holographic window.


    "+20% in attack power using any weapon, +10% in all stats, and +25% power against stronger enemies. This is madness, this is literally madness."


    Talon didn''t take long toprehend how mind-boggling that is. While currently, the numbers might not be that massive, Talon realized that this ss will only show its true potential in the future, when Talon''s stats reach hundreds of points, those percentages will be a monstrous boost.


    In other words...


    ''This ss is made to push me to fight stronger enemies and level up even faster so that I can reap the benefits of its percentage-based boosts.'' Talon thought to himself.


    Even for someone who just recently got to know what the Core Dimension is, he could easily see through its tantly obvious intentions. It wanted Talon to push himself even more and do way more reckless things, just so that he could reap more rewards and get even stronger.


    But, the question remains, why would the Core Dimension want him to do this? As far as he knew, the Core Dimension doesn''t treat anyone better than the other. If anything, from what he heard, it wants to put creatures under its firm control without letting anyone get too strong to threaten its sovereignty.


    Yet, with this second ss it gave him, Talon wasn''t sure anymore if that was true. If he truly does continue to get stronger, at some point, his power will be so out of this world that there is a very high chance it could threaten the Core Dimension''s supreme presence.


    If that happens, what would the Core Dimension do?


    "Ugh, this is a headache." Rubbing the back of his head, Talon realized the absurd nature of what he was trying to imagine.


    ''Fighting the Core Dimension? Pfft, why am I even bothering to imagine it now? This has been a problem for Talon from 100 years in the future. Good luck with that dude, you will need a lot of it.'' Talon chuckled as he finally closed the window.


    "For now, I will just enjoy the benefits of this ridiculously strong ss. I feel like I can finally tackle the research center problem."


    What seemed like such a far-fetched idea two weeks ago didn''t look as impossible today. That made Talon realize how far he hade in this period of time. He had done so many things, discovered many secrets, and learned valuable lessons, physically and mentally.


    It was, in a sense, the most fruitful two weeks he ever lived. Granted, it was chaotic, dangerous, and really bloody, but, Talon was still d he was able to survive through it and emerge apletely different person.


    Sitting there, he reminisced about what happened for a while as he thought of the future, his ns, and what could happen after he finally left this ce.


    "Hmm, I want a hearty meal... A good bed and a pillow, for god sake, I miss having a pillow. Mmm, then, I will finally be able to start moving south... Back home." He murmured to himself.


    "Someone is getting homesick?"


    At that moment, a very soft, beautiful voice spoke to him from up close, making Talon look to the side. Acrypha had suddenly appeared inside the room out of nowhere. Talon''s eyes shed with a glint for a second as he turned away with a smile.


    "I''ve always been Homesick. I just don''t show it to anybody." He replied casually.


    "And here I thought I was able to make you feel at home with me. So disappointing." Acrypha pretended like she was sad which made Talonugh.


    "Your presence did help."


    "Oh?" Acrypha raised an eyebrow as she looked at him curiously. Talon could see anticipation in her eyes which made him grin inwardly.


    "Yeah, like it helped by... 1%? No, more like 0.5%."


    "You little rascal! I thought you were honest for a second there!"


    "Hahaha!"


    Acrypha looked at the young manughing before she smiled again. "I''m d to see that you woke up. You took your sweet time, didn''t you?"


    "I deserve some rest. But, yeah, I''m d I woke up. I missed you too." Talon replied with a sigh as he cracked his neck.


    Acrypha flinched for a split second when she heard thest sentence before she quickly regained herposure and continued. "I assume you have some things to tell me."


    "Oh? How did you know?"


    "It''s all over your face since I came back. Besides, I learned to read your expression better."


    After spending more than two weeks together, Talon and Acrypha had naturally grown familiar with each other. They learned each other''s personalities, likes and dislikes, and how they can act in certain situations.


    It came as a natural result of spending every day together. But, what they also didn''t realize helped a lot was the natural chemistry between them.


    Talon and Acrypha perfectly fit each other as partners. Even with their drastically different origins, they both somehow found each other to be the best person they wanted to spend time with. For Talon, Acrypha became his guide and the person he would look for whenever he was in a bad situation.


    As for Acrypha, she found Talon to be the most intriguing individual she had met. He gave her a sense of familiarity and belonging that she didn''t feel in god knows how long. Spending time with him became one of the few things she genuinely enjoyed. Watching him develop slowly and guiding him through it became her main purpose.


    "Yeah, in fact, I do have many things I want to tell you about." Talon nodded his head.


    "Go ahead, I''m all ears."


    Then, Talon went on to recount the dream that happened to him during the time he was in aa. He gave her every detail he could remember, even the insignificant ones. Meanwhile, Acrypha listened carefully.


    By the time he finished, her face subtly changed.


    "Interesting..."


    "Yeah, I was confused at first. But, to be honest, I think it''s just a weird dream, that''s all." He shrugged.


    However, Acrypha didn''t reply immediately as she thought about it. "Really interesting... Yeah, it could be simply a dream, but I don''t think it''s that simple. So far, everything that happened to you has been abnormal. This dream seems too realistic to be a mere illusion."


    "Is it?"


    "Yes, that''s what I think. I can''t give you a definite answer since you were only inside a room and couldn''t take a look at the outside world from there."


    ''Though, his description of the ce feels vaguely familiar... Though, I can''t remember where exactly I heard it before.'' Acrypha frowned as she tried to remember.


    "Well, I will keep it in mind since you''re suspicious. Until something else happens, it''s not that big of a deal." He shrugged as he finally moved on to the most important topic. "Also, I received a second ss after killing that monster."


    "You did? That''s rare. Second sses are usually something you acquire at a much higher level. But then again, by your standards, this is just another Monday." Acrypha rolled her eyes.


    "Hey, I was surprised too. It''s called ''Boundless Breaker'' and let''s say... Ehem, it''s ridiculous." Talon coughed awkwardly as he extended his hand to Acrypha to grab it.


    "What did you get this time?" Thetter realized what he meant and could only frown. She had to take a few deep breaths before actually touching his hand, just so that she could be mentally ready for the shock.


    But, when Talon revealed the ss to her, she froze in her ce for a second. Her beautiful eyes blinked as she read the description.


    "Yeah, I feel you, I had the same reaction when I saw it." Talon nodded his head with an ''I feel you'' look.


    "I don''t even know what to say at this point." Acrypha rubbed her temples. "This ss is one of the strongest sses I''ve ever seen. Percentage boost is extremely rare to find in skills and sses because of its versatile nature that keeps changing as the individual gets stronger. Unlike getting a fixed boost which won''t increase further in the future."


    "Oh, that makes sense..."


    "In this case, based on the description, there never existed and probably will never exist a ss like this one. However..."


    "Hm?" Talon noticed the change in Acrypha''s expression.


    "I did hear of a ss that sounds oddly simr to this one before."


    "Wait, really?"


    "Yeah, remember when I told you about the entire history of how creatures from all dimensions traveled to the Core Dimension?"


    "Yeah, of course."


    "Well, there was a particr standout of those individuals. The first ever creature to take a step inside the Core Dimension..."


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 85: Chapter 85- Greatness (Part 2)

    "The first one?" Talon raised an eyebrow.


    "Yes, the first one. As I told you before, entering the Core Dimension at the time was akin to suicide. Nobody knew how to safely ess that dimension so it was natural that no one wanted to actually go first. They saw too many fools die to risk their lives for it."


    With theck of knowledge at the time, Talon could easily see why no one wanted to go after the first few failed attempts. It was basically a suicide mission with no guarantee of survival at all. What made it even worse was how purely based on luck it was. Even those who get strong enough to ess the gate, there was still a chance they would get turned into Dimension Walkers.


    "In fact, they were so scared of the gate that it quickly became a way for some worlds to punish criminals. If you break the rules, you''re thrown in that gate to die. It fed into the legend that was created around the gate and its notorious ways of brutally killing anyone that dared to enter it."


    ''Damn, it must''ve been a rough time.'' Talon frowned as he realized how brutal and savage that punishment was. They didn''t even bother to kill the criminal normally and instead threw them in there, making the gate seem like a terrifying nightmare.


    "That was the case for a while. Until a certain man appeared out of nowhere, his origin was unknown and so was his real name. But, he liked to be called ''Zero'' for unknown reasons."


    "Zero... The dude definitely had an edgy phase in his life." Talon shook his head with a sigh.


    "From the records, Zero was born in a Low-D world. He was a very ambitious man with a great talent that allowed him to rise quickly to great power. No one in his world could beat him or dare to offend him which led him to live his life in solitude for years. When he emerged again after a long period of time, he dered that he was ready to leave his world through the gate."


    "Just like that? Didn''t he fear the consequences?" Talon waspletely taken aback by this man''s decision. Even Talon wasn''t that reckless when it came to throwing his life in danger... Or was he?


    ''Shit, why do I feel like I would''ve done the same thing?'' He frowned to himself.


    "Yeah, he was a very battle-hungry man with an endless desire for power. Even after turning his world into his yground, he still sought after great battles and thrilling adventures. Naturally, his eyes would be directed to the gate when he knew the sheer mysteries he could unravel if he sessfully entered the Core Dimension."


    "He seems like an interesting individual."


    "He definitely is. Anyway, many people obviously thought he was a fool for trying to do such an absurd thing. But, he didn''t listen to their warnings and ridicule and did enter the gate on his own. What happened after that was a historic moment. For the first time ever, a creature was able to sessfully pass the gate and enter the Core Dimension."


    "Damn, that''s really cool. He didn''t even care that everyone mocked his ambition." Talon murmured in an impressed tone.


    "You still don''t know how great of a historic figure that man is. He not only didn''t care, but after that, he went on to conquer the Core Dimension on his own, gaining power faster than anyone else. He didn''t try to build an empire like many others did. Instead, he lived his life free, doing whatever he wanted and going wherever he wanted while documenting his adventures in his books.


    It was said that on his own, Zero was able to discover 5% of the Core Dimension."


    "Wow... Wait, 5%? That sounds... underwhelming." Talon rubbed the back of his head.


    "No, it''s far from underwhelming. Just to put it into perspective, in the entire history of the Core Dimension and after thousands of years, do you know how much of that dimension was discovered? Only 20%. 5% of those 20% were done by a single man."


    "..."


    "And to be more precise, 5% of the Core Dimension is thousands of times bigger than this world."


    "... Ok, scratch everything I said... What the hell?! How is that even possible?!" The young man blurted out as he almost choked on his own saliva.


    An area the size of thousands of earths? That was a scale that was simply iprehensible. To discover such a massive area with all the dangers, abominations, and terrifying environments in it... That was simply insane.


    "As I said, he is the greatest figure in history. But, what''s important and the reason why I mentioned him is your ss. In his books, he mentioned that the moment he entered the Core Dimension, he was given a ss like you did. The name of that ss was ''Limit Breaker''."


    Hearing that name, Talon frowned. "Limit Breaker? That sounds..."


    "Yeah, very simr to your ss. That''s why I remembered it. Though, I do not know what the description of that ss was."


    Talon looked down as he thoughtfully contemted Acrypha''s words. It was true that the names sounded simr and the situation they got the sses in is really simr too. In both cases, it was an achievement never been done before in history.


    "Is there some kind of pattern to this? Or is it just a coincidence?" Talon asked.


    "If it''s a coincidence, then it''s a really convenient one. However, I would say this is good news since your ss sounds way more powerful than his. With the great things he achieved, if you continue to grow, perhaps you will enshroud him in the future." Acrypha smiled as her eyes shed with excitement.


    Even if she had her questions about this ss and Talon''s journey so far, she was still d that he was blowing her expectations into pieces. One part of her was eager to achieve her goal, while another part simply was happy to see the young man in front of her be a great figure in all dimensions.


    "Well, anyway, I''m now excited to get back to work! I''m sure my strength is going to be out of this world! Haha! Ouch!" Talonughed excitedly.


    "Be careful or your injury will reopen."


    "I can''t wait, goddammit! I hope it heals today!" Talon cursed as he stood up slowly and walked toward the window.


    "That Ran Hyun-Jae girl will definitely be angry if she sees you walking around," Acrypha said with an amused smile on her face.


    "I''m not really doing much. Just want to breathe some fresh air and get some sunlight."


    Standing near the window, Talon stared outside silently as he enjoyed the cold breeze. He really missed moving around so much after 6 days of sleep. Even with the horrible weather outside, he still found it far better than being locked in a room.


    ''I feel in a really good mood...'' He thought to himself with a smile as he started humming.


    "Hmm..." Acrypha rested her back on the wall and listened to him silently.


    It was a peaceful time. After all the chaos and destruction, they were having a rare moment of peace.


    ***


    Later that day, Hyun-Jae knocked on the door to Talon''s room carrying two huge bags in her hands. Walking inside, she found Talon busy wiping his spear with a cloth.


    "Sorry for beingte, I had to deal with some problems." She said as she threw the bags down and exhaled a long breath as she rubbed her neck. "Are you feeling ok?"


    "Yeah, I''m feeling a lot better than earlier today. I can move around with ease too." He replied.


    Sitting down, the girl nodded her head with a sigh. "I''m d to hear that."


    "On the other hand, you don''t look fine at all," Talon said with a serious tone as he inspected Hyun-Jae''s face closely. It didn''t take him long to notice the dark spots under her eyes and her pale face.


    Hyun-Jae was clearly overworked to the bone and didn''t sleep at all the past few days due to stress.


    "I''m fine." She shook her head.


    "No, you''re exhausted. You should sleep early tonight. I''m going to take care of the rest." Talon said in a firm tone.


    "You really don''t have to..."


    "I want to. I''ve already rested more than enough. Time to get back to work. Let''s put an end to this mess and get out of here, ok? We don''t know what could happen in the next few days so I want you to be ready."


    Hyun-Jae stared directly at Talon as she felt the seriousness in his voice. She could also see the worry in his eyes. In the end, she gave up and nodded her head. For some reason, seeing him this worried about her made her a little happy.


    "Ok, I will rest tonight."


    "Good. By the way, what''s up with those two bags?"


    "Hm? Ah, right. These are the monster cores I collected a few days ago. I already gave everyone their part based on their contribution. The rest is yours." She said.


    "All of that?" Talon looked at the two bags again.


    They were easily over 1 meter tall each and at least twice the size of a normal human. Yet, they were filled to the brim with cores.


    "How many did I kill?"


    "Hmm, it''s a rough number, but I think 200 monsters more or less."


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 86: Chapter 86- Max Level Spear and New Weapons

    "200? I killed 200?" Talon asked with a raised eyebrow.


    Even though he knew that he had killed a good number of monsters, he didn''t really keep count of how many so the number was rather surprising for him. After all, the total number of monsters in the horde was around 500 or 600, so with quick math, he easily killed 1/3rd of their numbers single-handedly.


    "Yeah, more or less. I killed around 130 of them and the rest were killed by the others." Hyun-Jae replied.


    ''Damn, I guess I''m really cool. Wait, no, I can''t let it get to my head.'' He thought to himself as shook those thoughts away.


    "Well, in any case, I won''t need all of these stones, if I have to be honest."


    "You don''t?" Hyun-Jae asked.


    "No, I''m going to take the energy cores, the level 25 monster''s core, and another good core or two. Give the rest to the others." Talon shrugged as he opened the bag and checked its contents.


    In reality, Talon had no need for all of these monster cores. He already had everything he needed. He only wanted the Grim Roamer''s core because of how valuable it was and also the cores of a few level 15+ monsters that he killed during the ordeal. As for the energy cores, he simply wanted them to max out his spear''s level.


    Hyun-Jae blinked quizzically as she nodded her head. "I did the same thing since I have no need for all these cores either. I found a new good sword though."


    "Wait, you did? That''s great! Where is it?" Talon asked excitedly.


    "I left it in my room since experimenting with it. I will show it to youter." She responded.


    "Good good! I''m really d you''re finally improving your weapon. I was a little worried we won''t find a good one for you any time soon." Talon scratched his cheek.


    ''... He was worried about that?'' Hyun-Jae thought to herself as she looked at him.


    Even she wasn''t that worried about her own weapon and yet Talon had that thought in his head. She would be lying if she said that didn''t make her a little happy.


    "Mmm, anyway, they would need those cores more than we do," Talon said as he started pulling out all the items he needed. He first started with the energy cores.


    Since the majority of the monster cores were pure energy, the bags were halved in size by the time he was finished. After that, he took the cores that he thought looked interesting. Eventually, at the bottom of the bag, he found thest core he was looking for.


    It was by far the most eye-catching one he had seen so far. It was extremely shiny, to the point where it almost made Talon squint just to look at it.


    ''Oh, blue?'' Talon lifted the core up and examined it. The bright blue color indicated that the core had a weapon inside of it. That alone made Talon confused. What kind of weapon could be inside the core? A weapon that fell from a Level 25 monster.


    "Are you going to crush it?"


    "Hm? Oh right, I will." Talon replied to Hyun-Jae as he focused on the blue orb in his hand.


    Hyun-Jae and Acrypha watched closely as they waited for Talon to crush the stone. Eventually, the young man took a deep breath and squeezed the stone.


    "Here goes nothing."


    *CRUSH*


    When the crisp sound of the core bursting echoed in the room as a bright blue light shed through the stone, blinding everyone for a split second before it vanished as quickly as it appeared, revealing two objects in Talon''s hand.


    Looking down confusedly, Talon noticed that he had two des in his hand. They were as long as his forearm with extremely sharp edges all around the entire weapon, and no handles to grab them from. They had a slick design with a beautiful ck color with veins of blue that passed through it shining brightly as if they were beautiful stars.


    For a second, the trio were mesmerized by how beautiful these des look.


    "What are these?" Hyun-Jae asked in a quiet tone as she examined the des with her eyes.


    [Aetherial des: Twin Aetheris des, forged in the Soul Valleys of Ameria. They''ve been fused with the soul power of a thousand creatures. Infusing them with Aetheris makes these des float and follow the host''s will purely by thought. At base level, they can kill monsters level 20+ and can level up infinitely by consuming the soul power of the targets they kill.


    The more they level up, the more their strength, speed, and distance increases. They can''t be leveled up with energy cores.


    Level: 1/???


    Bonus Points: +20 Aetheris.]


    "Oh!" Talon eximed as he read the description of the des. "Floating weapons?! This is so cool!"


    "Floating weapons?" Hyun-Jae raised an eyebrow.


    "Yeah, it says that if I infuse these with Aetheris, they start floating and could follow mymand."


    "Interesting... Try it, let''s see how it works." She replied with an interesting look on her face.


    "Sure, hold on." Taking a deep breath, Talon channeled his Aetheris through his body. The feeling of that mysterious energy coursing through his veins and muscles was an amazing feeling.


    It was as if his body was getting rejuvenated by it. Slowly, Talon''s body created a faint ethereal halo around him. His 140 points in Aetheris manifested in front of Hyun-Jae and made her breath halt. It was very mesmerizing to witness.


    Then, Talon''s Aetheris slowly moved to his hands and from his hands to the des, coating thempletely.


    ''Hmm, ok, let''s see... Float.'' The young man thought to himself.


    Immediately, the des in his hand started shuddering before they slowly started moving up, leaving Talon''s hands. They slowly rose in the air till they reached Talon''s head level before they separated and positioned on both of his sides.


    "Wow..." Hyun-Jae murmured in amazement. They were really beautiful des no matter how she looked at them. But now, with the beautiful blue halo around them, they seemed almost divine.


    Talon had the same feeling, the des were definitely something out of this world. So, he decided to experiment with them.


    ''Move forward.'' He thought to himself.


    Immediately, the des flew forward the exact distance Talon wanted.


    ''One goes left and one goes right.'' He thought to himself.


    The des did that exact order with no problem at all. At first, Talon thought controlling them was going to be hard, but turned out that it was so easy. It felt as if Talon was simply controlling his limbs. With his Enhanced Focus skill helping too, it was a breeze to make the two move at the same time.


    A few secondster, the des were flying all around the room swiftly like birds. Hyun-Jae looked around her silently.


    "Haha, this is really amazing."


    "It''s magical..."


    After a while, the des came back to Talon and positioned themselves where they were exactly.


    "They''re going to be extremely useful in all situations. They''re like two ranged weapons." Hyun-Jae eximed.


    Even though their distance wasn''t huge, the two des could definitely target enemies that Talon''s spear usually can''t hit. It will also reduce the pressure on him in case of a fight against a huge number of enemies like the one that happened a few days ago.


    If Talon had these weapons at the time, he would''ve not struggled as hard.


    ''Well, these things can level up infinitely, so they''re going to stay with me for a very long time.'' He thought to himself as he finally put the des down.


    After a minute or two of flying, they had consumed 10 points of Aetheris from his body which was normally a high consumption rate. But, with Talon''s 140 Aetheris points, this was nothing much.


    "Can I take a look at the dester?"


    As he was like that, Talon heard Acrypha''s voice from the other side of the room. She had a curious look on her face the entire time.


    "Yeah, I will show youter," Talon replied as he finally shifted his focus to the next thing which was the energy cores.


    "Ok, time to get the spear to max level." Talon smiled as he grabbed one of the energy cores and pulled his spear out before crushing the core on it.


    [Ding!]


    [Your spear strength has improved.]


    Then, slowly, he continued crushing one core after the other on top of the spear and watched the level rise quickly.


    With the sheer number of considerably high-level monsters he killed, the spear naturally was consuming an enormous amount of energy.


    [Ding!]


    [Your spear leveled up.]


    [Your spear leveled up.]


    [Your spear leveled up.]


    [Your spear leveled up.]


    [Your spear has reached max level.]


    By the time Talon finished thest core, the spear had already maxed out and didn''t consume any more energy. Looking at it closely, the aura around it hadpletely changed again.


    It felt sharper, more lethal, and far lighter in his hand. It was as if he was carrying a feather with enough power to pulverize a building.


    "Wow..."


    [Blue Lapis Spear (Common Item): A spear born from the essence of the sea. At base level, it can easily kill any enemy Level 20 and down. It can level up and max out at level 10. At that level, it can kill any enemy level 30 and down.


    Level: 10/10


    Bonus Points: +15 Strength, +15 Agility, More effective against sea creatures.]


    ''Another 10 bonus points... I''m really losing track of how many points I''m getting at this point.'' Talon thought to himself with a wry smile.


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 87: Chapter 87- Earth-Shattering Strength (Part 1)

    At this point, all of Talon''s stats were 65+ points without counting the percentage boost ''Boundless Breaker'' gives him, which meant that he was now better than an average human by more than 6 times. It was ridiculous to think considering he only started leveling up a few weeks ago and was now probably the strongest human to ever live on earth.


    That fact alone was weird to contemte as Talon really couldn''t feel any different mentality-wise. He didn''t feel like he was the greatest to ever live or the best genius Earth has to offer. He just felt an endless eagerness to get better every day and move forward at his own pace.


    If he was fearful of the oue of continuously getting stronger a few days ago, then he was now more than curious to see what the end of this path would lead him to. Whether it was destruction or prosperity, pain or happiness, he was on it for the longer term.


    Meanwhile, Hyun-Jae watched Talon silently as if she was contemting something. Her eyes shed with a mysterious glint for a split second.


    ''He''s getting really strong...'' She thought to herself as she realized that the young man in front of her was now a force of nature. She could feel it from his aura and presence and it made her feel even moreplicated.


    ''If he continues at this rate, I will fall behind. I can''t let that happen.'' A mysterious fiery determination fired up in her eyes as she realized that she wasn''t that close in strength to Talon anymore.


    This entire time, the two of them were very close in terms of overall power with Hyun-Jae even exceeding him in agility at some point. However, that wasn''t the case anymore. Talon kept on aiming higher, doing far more ridiculous things and gaining extremely powerful abilities along the way.


    Hyun-Jae knew that if she wanted to keep up with him in the future, she had to actually up her level too. She didn''t want to be left behind as Talon reached new heights. Standing next to him and helping him was now her goal aside from finding her family.


    Unaware of Hyun-Jae''s resolution, Talon put his spear to the side and finally looked at her.


    "Thank you for the help as always, Hyun-Jae." He said in a soft tone.


    "Hm? Oh, it''s nothing much. This all your hard work, I didn''t do anything." She replied as she shook her head.


    "No, really, you''re a very good friend. I don''t know what I could''ve done without your help." Talonughed wryly.


    Hyun-Jae: "..."


    "Hm? Everything good?" Talon noticed Hyun-Jae''s expression changepletely.


    "... Friends? You think... we''re friends?" She asked with a confused look mixed with surprise.


    "Of course, wait, aren''t we? I thought it was obvious." Talon blinked, even more confused than she was. Then, he frowned as he realized the huge blunder he did.


    ''Shit! I jumped to conclusions on my own! We''re obviously not friends!'' Talon cursed inwardly.


    Even though the two didn''t know each other for long, Talon assumed that after everything they went through, they had at least be friends.


    "Ah, sorry, I was mistak-"


    "I thought I was the only one who thought so." Hyun-Jae cut him off.


    "Huh? Of course not, I always thought that way... Wait, you also thought the same?"


    "No, I mean, I never said it before, but I also assumed it was the case the entire time."


    "Yeah, me too..."


    The two looked at each other in confusion for a few seconds before they exploded intoughter.


    "This is so weird! Hahaha!" Talon murmured as he wiped the tear from his face. "What kind of misunderstanding works like this?"


    "I don''t know. You confused me for a second there."


    "You did too! But... I''m d we''re on the same page. So, to make things clear, wanna be friends?" Talon asked as he extended his hand for a handshake.


    Hyun-Jae stared at his hand for a second before she smiled too and grabbed his hand.


    "Of course. Please take care of me in the future." She said.


    "You too."


    ***


    After that, Talon and Hyun-Jae talked for a while about different topics. Mainly about the current state of the gymnasium, the students, what happened the past 6 days and many more things.


    Hyun-Jae gave Talon a general idea about what the students were doing and how their progress was going so far.


    Apart from their training, some students had discovered something important that caught Talon''s attention.


    "They''re using monster hides to make clothes and armor?" Talon asked with a confused expression.


    "One of the students found a special sewing skill a few days ago and a few others learned how to skin the weaker monsters to get their skin. It''s still a very rough idea and the first tries aren''t the best, but after trying it, the skin was rather tough and could definitely stop bullets." Hyun-Jae exined.


    "Interesting..."


    "Hmm, sewing skills are rather rare but they aren''t unheard of. It could definitely be useful if you know how to choose the stronger hides to create armor." Acrypha said as she floated around Talon.


    "I will check it out and see if I can help in any way," Talon said as he stood up and dusted his clothes. "For now, you should go to sleep. I will take care of the rest from here on."


    "... Ok, I will listen. But, don''t overwork yourself. You''re still injured."


    "Yeah, I know. I don''t want to get back to that mattress for another second." Heughed.


    "Mmm, can I request onest thing?" Hyun-Jae hesitantly called for Talon before he left.


    "Hm?"


    "Can I... Sleep here again? Because of the noise..." She awkwardly said.


    "Of course, make yourself at home. I won''t be back till morning so take your time."


    "Thanks..."


    After that, Talon bid the embarrassed Hyun-Jae farewell and left the room.


    "Mr Charming hits again~" Acrypha said jokingly as she flew next to him.


    "Huh? What are you talking about?"


    "You made her blush there, didn''t you?"


    "Blush? Hyun-Jae? There is no way that''s true. I''ve never seen her blush before. Besides, she''s just using the mattress to sleep, nothing to be embarrassed about." Talon shrugged as he moved beyond Acrypha.


    "Fufufu, is that so?"


    "Yeah, that''s so."


    Talon then continued his walk toward the basketball court where the students were. On the way, he came across a few students going about their chores.


    "Oh, Mr Talon!!"


    "It''s Mr Talon!!"


    Naturally, they were surprised to see him after a whole week.


    "How are you doing, folks?" He asked.


    "W-We''re doing great, sir!" One of them answered hesitantly.


    "Good, keep up the good work." He nodded his head as he continued walking.


    "Damn... Why did I feel way more nervous seeing him today?" One of them asked the other.


    "Hmm, you felt it too? He seemed... Different? And also, am I imagining stuff or... Is he noticeably better looking now?"


    "Yeah... I think that''s not your imagination..."


    What Talon didn''t notice was that after all the continuous evolution, his face had also undergone some changes. His skin was brighter now, his messy ck hair more luscious and his facial features were better than before.


    He was now a rather good-looking young man, far from the average looks he had a few weeks ago.


    Unbeknownst to him, he reached the main area of the gymnasium where he greeted everyone.


    The students were delighted to see him fine. They heard how he was in a grave state after what happened which made them extremely worried. Talon was by far the strongest student out of them and losing him meant their chances of survival would drop really hard.


    In any case, Talon gave everyone a brief notice and thanked them for their hard work. Then, he walked around making sure that everything was going as he intended.


    It didn''t take him long to notice the changes that happened inside the gymnasium during his absence. The biggest change by far was the teamwork and chemistry between students as they did their tasks.


    They seemed more effective and fast, clearly a huge improvement from before. After two weeks at this rate, they started to learn how to live and adapt to this world better. Naturally, that boosted their performance, and tasks that would''ve taken hours before are now finished in a matter of minutes.


    ''It''s nice to see that things are going well. Hyun-Jae really did a magnificent job.''


    After making sure that he checked everything, Talon finally left the gymnasium to the quiet training ce he found before.


    "Time to give my newfound power a try," Talon said as he stretched a little.


    "Are you sure you won''t hurt yourself?" Acrypha asked.


    "Yeah, don''t worry. Just going to move the spear around a little and see what happens."


    "Ok, go ahead, big boy," Acrypha said as she shrugged and flew to a nearby rock to watch.


    "Hnng, let''s see..." Touching his side to see if there was still some pain, Talon pulled his spear out as he took a fighting stance.


    His calm eyes immediately turned extremely sharp as his muscles contracted. His veins expanded visibly as his entire body moved forward, swinging the spear with a terrifying speed that shocked him.


    *Swish*


    The moment Talon''s arms moved, he realized something.


    ''Oh no!''


    *BOOOOM*


    Before he could even react, a huge explosion filled his ears as a giant cloud of smoke filled his vision. A huge shockwave spread from his spear to the vicinity, sending the rocks flying away as if they were feathers being carried by the wind.


    "Cough! Cough! What the fu-"


    Before he could even utter a single sentence, Talon''s eyes fell on the area in front of him and he immediately swallowed all of his words.


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 88: Chapter 88- Earth-Shattering Strength (Part 2)

    Talon stared at the area in front of him that had been hit with the giant shockwave. His eyes were fully wide as he took in the scenery.


    A huge visible trace of the spear''s de ran across the area, carving the ground out and leaving a mark behind as it moved forward a dozen meters or so. The depth of the trace was also considerably far for a mere swing of a spear.


    "... I didn''t even... use all of my strength..." Talon murmured as he crouched down and touched the mark.


    The sheer precision of the hit made it appear like a straight line to the naked eye so there was no way it was anything but his strength that created it.


    "Acrypha?" Talon turned around to hispanion. "What kind of power is this? I didn''t think a single sh would do this!"


    Acrypha stared at him with a serious look. "What did you expect? With all the bonus points you have, your stats are easily over 80+ points. You have the strength of 8 average humans. With the fully leveled spear, leaving an effect like that is expected."


    ''Though, it''s unheard of for a level 23 creature to do it. But, it''s Talon we''re talking about so It''s not abnormal anymore.'' She thought to herself as she sighed.


    "Damn, I''m already at that level..." Talon murmured.


    "Yeah, and it''s only going up from here. At some point, your strength will reach a level where a move from your hand could erase a continent or a as a whole." Acrypha nodded her head.


    "..." Aplicated expression appeared on Talon''s face as he looked at his hand.


    Slowly, he started realizing that his strength was breaking through the realm of what was possible for a creature on Earth to do. With each move he makes, the effects will be devastating and monstrous.


    ''I can''t take this lightly...''


    He knew that if he continued at this rate, the consequences of each mistake he made would be irreversible. That was something that he naturally wanted to avoid and he knew exactly how to do that.


    Clenching his fist, Talon stood up as he exhaled a long breath.


    "Are you good?" Acrypha asked.


    "Yeah, just took a moment to think. Let''s try again." He said as he picked up the spear and took a fighting stance.


    Staring ahead of him, he inhaled air before he shed forward in the blink of an eye as he shed down again.


    *BOOOM*


    A giant explosion urred the moment his spearnded on the ground. But, Talon didn''t stop there as he shed to the side again, sending a giant airwave that sent everything flying back into his area.


    He didn''t stop there and span the spear in his hand before he turned around and sliced thin air. With each move he made, he would change how the entire ce looked. That was how absurdly strong he was.


    ''Such attacks would be devastating on a group of monsters.''


    A few shester, he finally spanned the spear onest time and put it to his side. His eyes sharply looked around. The entire ce was now deste of anything other than the piles of dirt carved out of the ground and the traces of the spear''s de.


    With Talon standing alone in the middle of this chaos, it was in a sense, a very scenic image that captivated Acrypha''s eyes as she watched from afar. Complicated emotions shed through her eyes.


    Then, she murmured some incohesive words that nobody heard other than her before she finally closed her eyes and smiled to herself.


    "Acrypha!" As she was like that, she heard Talon call for her. "I think I''m ready!" He said in an excited tone.


    "Hm?"


    "We''re going to leave this ce, finally! I believe getting to the research center isn''t impossible anymore! I can do it!"


    Talon would be lying if he said that he wasn''t over the moon seeing how ridiculously strong he became. He was over the moon and he couldn''t hide it, especially not from Acrypah.


    Thetter blinked confusedly before she nodded her head. "Yeah, I grew bored of this ce. You better put an end to it."


    "Mm, I''m going to do that! Just watch!" Talonughed heartily.


    ***


    With that, Talon continued experimenting with his spear for a while. He tried all kinds of attacks, tested his bare strength without the spear, and even tried to sprint. What he discovered was an even bigger delight for him.


    Not only was he stronger now, but he was also faster, more durable, could heal quicker, and had an almost endless amount of Aetheris to use for his skills. He was an absolute all-rounded fighting machine. He was good at offense and defense with basically no weak points to mention.


    By the time he was done with the experiments, it was alreadyte at night. The sky waspletely dark with the moon shining brightly in the distance, casting an ethereal light upon the world.


    Wiping his sweat, Talon picked up his spear and headed back to the gymnasium.


    "What are you going to do now?"


    "I''m going to check the progress on the monster hides'' armor creation and then I think I''m going to check the research center''s current state."


    ''Hopefully, nothing weird happened there again.'' He thought to himself.


    "Mr Talon!"


    As he was about to walk inside, he was met with a student rushing to the door. It was a female student that he had never seen before. She had an extremely weird expression on her face.


    When she saw him, she stopped as she started heaving up and down in a panicked state. Talon could see the terror in her eyes.


    "What''s wrong?" Talon approached the girl with an rmed look on his face.


    "It''s... It''s... Hah..." She tried to speak but her tears and cries would stop her as she tried to say anything.


    "Look at me,e on, look at me." Talon tapped her shoulder as he crouched down to reach her level. "It''s fine, just breathe in, breathe out. Slowly."


    The girl looked at him as he said and followed his instructions. A few secondster, her heart rate calmed down considerably as she finally wiped her tears.


    "Now, calmly, tell me what happened," Talon said.


    "... I-I''m assigned to provide food for the prisoners we have... It''s my turn today so I had to do it. But, I was busy, so I only remembered now to bring them food. But, when I just went there... I..."


    So far, there were two people inside the gymnasium that the students captured and imprisoned. Ji-Seok who was ready to harm Go Young-Soon for extra food, and Rim Kyung, the previous leader of the students before Hyun-Jae and Talon arrived.


    Both hadmitted horrible crimes and tried to harm the students around them so Talon decided to chain them up and keep them in a closed room. He did contemte simply throwing them outside for the monsters to eat, but he felt that it would''ve been too extreme for the students to handle so he put it aside for now.


    "What about them?" Talon asked with a frown. "Did they escape?"


    The girl shook her head as she pointed back. "Come and take a look... I don''t know what I saw... It''s... It''s weird..."


    Talon didn''t understand what the girl was saying. So, he decided to go and see for himself what she meant.


    "Stay here. Don''t alert anyone till Ie back, understood?" He said.


    "Y-Yes."


    As he moved inside the gymnasium, Talon''s eyes moved left and right, making sure to keep his senses alerted just in case. A whileter, he found himself in front of a dark room in the corner of the gymnasium. It waspletely secluded from the other parts of the building and students were warned not to enter it unless they had to.


    ''Hmm, I''m not feeling anything weird...'' Talon squinted his eyes as he turned the knob and opened the door. The interior was dimly lit with one single, old bulb.


    There, his eyes fell on two students lying down on the ground as if they were asleep. Their arms and legs were tied with ropes and they were facing the other side.


    "Oi, bastards, wake the fuck up!" Squinting his eyes, Talon called for them coldly.


    However, no response came back to him.


    "I said wake the fuck up!" He yelled again, shaking the entire room with his voice. However, still, they didn''t seem to move at all.


    "What..."


    Talon confusedly walked inside the room and approached the two students slowly. A weird, cold feeling was starting to rise in his chest as he got closer. Without even noticing, his grip on his spear became stronger as Talon started channeling Aetheris.


    It was a natural reaction from his body when it felt that Talon was in danger.


    When he got close enough to one of them, he slowly crouched down and grabbed him by the shoulder.


    "Wake up. Rim Kyung! I said wak-"


    Before Talon could even finish the word, Rim Kyung''s body fell to the side, revealing his face.


    Seeing that, Talon immediately jumped back in shock. "What?!"


    The young man''s entire face waspletely distorted into a wide, skin-tearing smile. His eyes were crying tears of blood and his motionless expression made Talon realize... He was dead.


    ''That smile... What the fuck?! Why does he have that smile?!'' Talon immediately looked around him alerted as he grabbed the spear with both hands.


    ''Is someone here?''


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 89: Chapter 89- Parasite Attack (Part 1)

    Talon felt a chill run down his spine as he looked around him with a cold expression. He tried to expand his senses so that he could feel any presence around him. However, no matter how much he tried, he couldn''t sense anything.


    "Shit! Can you feel anything, Acrypha?" He looked to hispanion as he slowly backed into a wall and held his spear tightly.


    "No, there is no one here besides you." She shook her head. "Whatever did that isn''t present here anymore." She said.


    Hearing her confirmation, Talon exhaled a small breath as he finally dropped his guard a little. He trusted Acrypha''s senses more than his so if she said that there was nothing near him then it was indeed the case.


    "What happened here? How did it get to them?" Talon frowned as he looked at the dead Rim Kyung.


    He didn''t even need to look at him twice to know the culprit. It was the same goddamnughing monster that he couldn''t find yet. At this point, Talon was starting to feel as if he was chasing a ghost of some sort.


    No matter how much he tried to discover anything about this monster, he would fail miserably. He didn''t know what to do and it made him even more pissed off.


    "It essed the gymnasium and killed these two... But, why them?" He racked his brain for answers.


    From what he could see, they were the only ones affected. There was no indication that it targeted any other students. Everyone seemed safe, so it wasn''t much to worry about.


    Talon''s guard slowly rxed and he felt his stress and worry wash away. All the tension he felt for a moment there also disappeared. Yeah, everything was fine after all. But...


    ''Wait...'' Talon frowned as he halted his thoughts at that point. ''Why did I think that everything was fine? It''s clearly not... Am I overthinking?''


    Resting his back against the wall again, Talon grabbed his forehead.


    "Are you ok, Talon?" Acrypha approached him.


    "Huh? Oh... I''m fine, I think." He murmured as he pushed himself again and stood on his feet.


    "I need to get every student checked and then I guess bury these two, haha..." Heughed dryly as he put his spear away. "I guess they got what they deserved, am I right? Hahaha..."


    "Talon?" Acrypha stared at the young man with squinted eyes. "What are you saying?"


    "Hm? It''s nothing, I was just joking about how they died. It''s kinda funny, not gonna lie."


    Acrypha: "..."


    Laughing to himself, Talon stepped forward to leave the room, only for Acrypha to suddenly appear in front of him with a serious look on her face. Talon didn''t think much of it and tried to move to the side, only for her to block his path again.


    "What, Acrypha? You''re blocking my way. Hahaha!" Heughed amusedly. "How am I supposed to leave the room if you stand in front of me? Wait, you''re technically floating, hahaha!"


    "Stop right there. Don''t move an inch." The woman said in a cold tone.


    "Huh? What''s happening here? Are we doing a detective roley? Hahaha..."


    "You''re acting weird."


    "Weird... What are you ta-"


    At that moment, Talon received a notification from his system that made him freeze.


    [Ding!]


    [Your Poison Resistance has increased.]


    [Your Poison Resistance has increased.]


    [Your Poison Resistance has increased.]


    "What... Poison Resistance?" Talon blinked in shock.


    His poison resistance had somehow been triggered for no reason which made him even more confused. He knew that unless he was hit by some kind of poison, that skill never did anything.


    "Sit down now and don''t move. I think the parasite had gotten to you somehow through those two. You have to keep that in mind and don''t let it get to your head. Just fight the urge to do whatever your brain is telling you to do now." Acrypha said as she tapped his shoulder.


    "... Ok." Seemingly still in shock, Talon followed her orders.


    [Ding!]


    [Your Poison Resistance has increased.]


    Sitting silently, Talon watched the notifications appear slowly. He already realized that he had been somehow affected by the monster.


    ''I feel a strong urge to justugh... This is messed up. A parasite is in my fucking head!'' Taking a few deep breaths to try and calm down, Talon stared at the poison resistance notifications silently.


    He was d that the skill seemed to be fighting the parasite that tried to take control over him. However, he wasn''t sure if it was enough to stop it from eating his brain and turning him into one of those ugly abominations.


    ''How did it even enter my head? I didn''t get close to any of these bastards!'' Talon cursed inwardly.


    "What should I do, Acrypha? The skill is resisting the parasite." He said as he covered his eyes and silently fought his thoughts. It was telling him to simply not worry and to justugh, have fun, and feel better about everything.


    Those obnoxiously happy thoughts were screwing his head since well, who wouldn''t want to feel happy when they have the opportunity to? It was a very hard and odd thing to resist. But, Talon didn''t let that get to him as best as he could.


    "If your skill is resisting it, then that''s a good thing. Usually, if you''re injected with a poison way stronger than what your poison resistance skill can handle, it won''t even activate to fight it off." Acrypha said as she sat down next to him.


    "Ok..."


    "Just calm down and stay focused. I''m here with you. Focus on me and what I say, understood?" She said calmly and clearly for him to stay present with her.


    Talon nodded his head as he looked at Acrypha silently, admiring her beauty. Even after spending weeks with her, he still found looking at her something special. Her looks never feel normal ormon. But, perhaps the thing he liked the most about her was her eyes since they always captivated him.


    She always looked like an ethereal divine being and it was conveyed through her mesmerizing irises.


    As he was like that, Talon suddenly felt his stomach churn. His eyes widened as he quickly turned around and started coughing wildly. He felt a burning feeling in his chest as if a fire had been ignited there. It was extremely painful and suffocating.


    ''What... is going on?!'' He couldn''t even speak as he simply coughed and choked on his own saliva. Something within him seemed to want to exit him.


    "Cough! Cough! Blurgh!" In the end, a few droplets of blood exited his mouth along with a small thing. "Hah... Hah... Hah..."


    Looking down, Talon noticed the small parasite worm squirming left and right as if it was dying before it stopped moving altogether.


    "Are you ok?" Acrypha approached him and she helped him stand up again. "... Yeah... That feels a lot better..."


    After spitting that parasite out, Talon felt his thoughts clear uppletely and hisposure came back to him. Wiping his lips, he looked at it. "That little bastard almost killed me! That really was something! It felt so fucking wrong. I wanted to justugh and joke around."


    "Doesn''t help that that''s what you do 90% of the time," Acrypha replied.


    "Hey! Excuse you! I don''t joke around THAT much. But, my humor is one of my charming points." He rolled his eyes.


    "Can''t deny that." Acrypha smiled amusedly.


    "Tsk, anyway, how did that parasite get to me? I didn''t notice anything change before you warned me."


    "..." Acrypha thought for a moment as her eyes fell on the two dead corpses. "You did touch that human, didn''t you?" She asked.


    "... Yeah, I did. Wait..." Suddenly, Talon realized as he looked at his hand. His eyes squinted as he sharply analyzed it.


    It didn''t take him long to notice something abnormal. Right in the middle of his palm, a very small hole could be seen that wasn''t visible to the normal eye. It was so small that blood didn''t even leak out of it.


    "So that''s where it got to me. Shit..." Clenching his fist, Talon looked at Acrypha. "It passes through touch."


    "Exactly."


    "This is bad. Really bad..."


    Talon didn''t know exactly when the parasites infected Rim Kyung and Ji-Seok. So, if someone had touched them during this time, they could definitely be infected. This meant that the students who had entered this ce in the past few days could possibly be infected too.


    "Oh no..." Looking up with a frown, Talon quickly picked up his spear and rushed to the door. "Shit, shit, shit!"


    Closing the door behind him, Talon ran to the main court.


    "EVERYONE!! WAKE UP NOW!!" He yelled loudly as he barged into the ce. "EVERYONE WAKE UP! IT''S URGENT!"


    "Huh?"


    "Hm? Mr Talon?"


    "What''s going on?"


    The students were confused by the sudden noises. But, Talon didn''t wait as he jumped. "Now, everyone, stand up, don''t touch each other, and keep a distance from one another! No questions asked yet! I will exin everything!" He dered in a firm and authoritative tone.


    His strong presence made everyone immediately shudder and stand up on their feet even though they were very drowsy. Talon''s orders were absolute as he was the one responsible for their survival so far.


    "Young-Soon, make sure everyone is here. I don''t want anyone absent. Hei-Ran, wake up Hyun-Jae and get her here. Mo Shin, find Chin-Hwa and get him here too." He started giving orders around to get every single student inside the main court.


    "Yes sir!" (x3)


    ''Hurry, hurry! I don''t know how much time I have! Shit, think, Talon, think! How do you know if someone is infected? I need to cut down the number of possibilities!''


    His brain ran through countless ideas as he searched for a good idea. A few moments of deep thinkingter, Talon''s eyes shone with a bright light.


    Looking up, he asked the students. "Who of you has been feeling a weird urge tough the past few days?"


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 90: Chapter 90- Parasite Attack (Part 2)

    His question naturally made the students look at each other in confusion. It made no sense at all given the context.


    "Urge tough?"


    "Did I hear him correctly?"


    "Why would I have the urge tough? I''ve been asleep."


    Suchments could be heard everywhere on the basketball court. However, Talon didn''t care as he looked around.


    "If one of you feels the urge tough or has been feeling it for a while now, tell me. It''s really important." Talon said in a calm tone.


    He didn''t let their confusion break his focus. He didn''t know how long he had before things got out of control and he didn''t want to wait to see either.


    ''Come on,e on!'' He kept looking around, waiting for a hand to rise.


    Seconds passed like an eternity with no reactioning from the students. That made Talon frown even harder. It seemed no one had felt that way from the group.


    "So no one?" He asked.


    The students shook their heads confusedly. That made Talon exhale a long breath as he ran his hand through his hair. For better or worse, this was a good thing since that meant the parasite probably didn''t infect them yet.


    ''No, I can''t assume that yet. I need to y it safe.'' He thought to himself.


    "OK, who''re the people responsible for feeding the two prisoners Ji-Seok and Rim Kyung? All of you, step forward." He spoke after a few seconds.


    The students looked at each other again with confusion before a group of them stepped forward. The group was not that big, barely 10 people who belonged to the Food and Supply section. As the name suggested, they were the group assigned to split the food amongst the students and keep everyone well-fed and in full health.


    "Ok, who of you fed them the past three days, step forward." He specified again.


    In the end, three students walked forward nervously. Feeling Talon''s prying sharp eyes on them was not the best feeling by any means. They looked down nervously, unable to keep eye contact with him.


    "Now, I want you to answer me honestly and don''t lie. It''s for your sake." He said.


    "Y-Yes, sir!"


    "When you went to bring them food, did you make any body contact with them? In other words, did you touch them in any way?" He asked. "Even if it''s a very insignificant touch."


    "..." (x3)


    The three students were confused by the question. Why did it matter if they touched them or not? It made no sense. But, since Talon had asked them, they couldn''t just ignore it.


    "No sir, I didn''t touch them. I just put the tes near them and they ate from it." One said.


    "Me neither, I was scared that they might do something so I just put the tes down too." Another added.


    Talon nodded his head thoughtfully, it seemed that these two weren''t infected, most likely. Then, his eyes fell on the third one, which was a female student.


    "And you?" He asked.


    "... Sir... I..."


    Talon squinted his eyes when he noticed her nervous expression.


    "I... I think when I brought them the food yesterday... I found Rim Kyung on the ground, unable to move. He called for me to help him. I was hesitant at first, but, I felt bad leaving him there so I helped himy against the wall." She exined nervously.


    Talon wentpletely silent as he stared at her. Nobody knew what was going through his head at that moment.


    The more seconds passed without Talon saying a word, the more the students felt nervous. Theck of information and the bizarre way he was acting made it even more stressful.


    "What''s going on?"


    At that moment, Hyun-Jae entered the main area with a serious look on her face.


    ''It''s the president!''


    ''Thank god she''s here!''


    Talon''s eyes wandered to the girl approaching him.


    "What happened, Talon? Why is everyone here?" She asked.


    "Sigh... I found Rim Kyung and Ji-Seok dead." He sighed as he finally spoke.


    His words ignited a strong reaction in the students. They never expected to hear such a piece of news out of nowhere.


    "Dead?!"


    "Did they get killed?"


    "What''s happening?"


    "Dead? Was it a normal death?" Hyun-Jae shook her head as she looked at him.


    "No, when I inspected their corpses. They had wide, disgusting smiles on their faces."


    "Smiles? Why would they have smi-" Suddenly, Hyun-Jae remembered what they discovered a while ago, all the monsters they saw with that same horrid smile. "The monster..."


    "Yeah, he somehow infiltrated the gymnasium and killed those two. I think there is a possibility that someone else was infected by the parasite responsible for the smiles. For now, I have one single suspect." He exined as he looked at the girl. "Step forward. What''s your name?"


    "Mmm... Yang Hana... Sir..."


    "Yang Hana. Ok, I will be a little honest with you here. I think you could possibly be infected by a parasite that could very likely kill you."


    "... What?! What p-parasite, sir?! What happened to me?!" She asked with a terrified look on her face.


    "Listen to me, Hang Yana. I need you to be calm. I said ''Possibly'', which means that it''s not a certainty yet. That''s why, I need to check. Can you help me out?" Talon asked calmly.


    "O-Ok! Please help me, sir!" She said in a begging tone.


    "Don''t worry,e here," Talon said as he crouched down and extended his hand for her to get on the stage.


    The girl immediately approached him and took his hand as he pulled her up. Meanwhile, everyone watched tensely, unable to understand what happened. Parasite? Deadly?


    "Now, can you sit down?" He asked in a calm tone.


    "Ok... Hah, hah..." With a still pale expression, Hang Yana sat down and looked at Talon as she fought the urge to cry.


    "What are you going to do, Talon?" Hyun-Jae asked confusedly.


    However, Talon didn''t respond as he crouched down in front of the girl, startling her. "Don''t move, ok? I want you to stay fixed and take deep breaths."


    "Ok..."


    "Now, open your eyes wide and look up as much as you can."


    ''I don''t know if this is going to work... But, this is the only idea I cane up with.'' Talon thought to himself.


    Since Talon had no idea how these parasites work, he went on with the sole thing he knew about them and that is the ce where they affect the host. It seemed that they directly get into the brain and start consuming it, effectively changing the host''s behavior and slowly controlling it, till it dies.


    However, in case the target is killed before the parasite can consume its brain, the thing itself would leave through the eyes and die outside.


    Which meant that there was a chance Talon could see the worm through the girl''s eyes. Precisely, the sclera. Or that was at least his theory.


    "Ok..." The girl did what he asked.


    "Excuse me."


    Talon then squinted his eyes as he got closer to her face, awfully close. So close, in fact, that she could feel his breath on her face. The girl was surprised at first, but she didn''t move at all. Even though she was feeling her heart race with Talon being this close to her, she didn''t move.


    Meanwhile, Hyun-Jae watched everything ensue with a weird expression. Seeing Talon''s face close to another girl didn''t sit well with her at all. She didn''t know why, but she felt the urge to simply look away.


    ''Why am I acting this way? It''s an urgent situation. Focus!'' She cursed her weird feelings and focused again.


    Meanwhile, Talon''s eyes were staring directly into the girl''s sclera, prying through that thinyer and trying to notice any small abnormalities within it. With his Enhanced Focus skill and his evolved vision, Talon''s eyesight was now at least 10 to 11 times better than that of a normal person.


    Inparison, an eagle''s eyesight is only 8 times better than that of a normal human so it was safe to say that Talon had the ability to see things that normal humans could never notice.


    "Hmm..." He searched through her eyes for any indication but he couldn''t really notice a single abnormal thing.


    A whileter, he pulled himself away. "You can blink now."


    "Am I ok, sir?" The girl asked anxiously.


    "... I didn''t see anything weird within your eyes. I think you''re fine. Though, just in case, I want you not to make any physical contact with anyone else till I''m 100% sure you''re fine, ok?"


    Hearing his assuring words, the girl felt all the tension in her body leave immediately as she sat there, heaving up and down. Then, small tears welled up in her eyes.


    "Thank god..." She murmured to herself.


    Talon looked at the girl silently. He could understand why she was crying at that moment. Hearing that your life could be in grave danger and then realizing that you were fine was a great feeling.


    "How did you know that they were dead?" Hyun-Jae approached Talon and whispered into his ear from up close.


    "Hm? A girl came and told me that she brought them food and noticed that they weren''t moving, so, she called me to check it out." He said.


    "A girl? Who?"


    "Oh, it''s that... Wait..." As Talon was about to point at one of the ten students, he suddenly realized something. Of the ten students, he couldn''t see the girl at all.


    "Huh?" Talon shook his head and looked again. "Why isn''t she there?"


    "Talon?"


    "..."


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 91: Chapter 91- Close Contact

    Talon didn''t look at Hyun-Jae as he stood up and started searching around the ce with his eyes, trying to locate the girl that he saw earlier. In a matter of seconds, he analyzed dozens of faces as he tried to identify the girl.


    But, no matter where he looked, there was no trace of her.


    "Where is she? Did she not hear my call?" He murmured with a frown as he felt a cold sensation well up in his chest. A very uneasy feeling filled his consciousness for some reason that he couldn''t understand.


    "Talon, can you exin what''s going on here?" Hyun-Jae asked.


    Talon''s eyes that were focused on the crowd finally turned toward her as he said in a serious tone. "The girl that told me about the abnormality. I can''t find her."


    "Girl? Who is she?" Hyun-Jae asked with a confused look.


    "I don''t know, she seemed like a new face to me. But, since I didn''t have much contact with the food and supply group, I thought she was just one of the students there." Talon replied.


    The reason he had no idea who worked in that group was that Hyun-Jae was the one responsible for it. So, Talon didn''t have many chances to interact with that group. If anything, all of his interactions with them were through Hyun-Jae and the information she relies on him.


    On the other hand, Talon knew more about the weaponry group, the first line of fighting students and other groups than that group.


    Hyun-Jae noticed the uncertainty in Talon''s eyes and finally shifted her gaze to the ten students in front of her.


    "Hey, everyone from the Food and Supply group, step forward, please." She dered.


    A few secondster, a few dozen more students stepped forward. With her eyes, Hyun-Jae counted their numbers carefully. In the end, she turned to Talon.


    "That''s the entire group. There isn''t a single person missing. Can you see her with them?" She asked.


    Talon gave them a nce as he scanned their faces with his eyes before he shook his head. "No, she isn''t between them..."


    At this point, Talon was questioning whether the girl he saw was real or not. It was messing with his head how she suddenly vanished as if she never existed.


    "You saw her too, didn''t you, Acrypha?" He turned to his trustedpanion.


    "I sure did."


    "Then how did she suddenly vanish... What the hell is going on?" Talon''s eyes looked down as he tried to recall the girl''s features, what she said, and the entire interaction from start to finish.


    ''Now that I think about it... Her entire attitude was odd... If anything, how did she know that I was outside? I never told anyone that I was leaving. Then, there is the timing of the entire thing. It''s already 2 am in the morning now. How did shepletely forget to feed them and then decide to do it now of all times? No normal student would think that it was a perfect time to finish their tasks.''


    Slowly, Talon started discovering things that were very off. Things that he would''ve not realized had he not looked at the interaction again.


    ''Then, there is the fact that she isn''t a part of the food and supply team.'' Talon frowned even harder. Everything he discovered so far was very odd, but he couldn''t find an exnation for it.


    "New face... New face..." He murmured to himself as suddenly, his eyes widened. A weird glint shed through his eyes for a split second before his eyes regained their calmness.


    Slowly, he lifted his hand to his face and covered it as a smile formed on his lips.


    "You got to be fucking kidding me..."


    "Talon?"


    "Hahaha, they got me... They absolutely got me." He said in a cold tone.


    Hyun-Jae stared at him confusedly. Talon''s behavior had changed suddenly from confusion to amusement.


    "Hyun-Jae, follow me for a second, I want to check something out." He said, snapping her out of her daze.


    She opened her mouth intending to speak, or at least ask questions. But, when she noticed that Talon started walking, she could only sigh. ''He really confuses me sometimes.'' She thought to herself as she walked after him.


    The two left the gymnasium and moved a little bit far away from it. Talon looked around him, searching for something before he noticed a building in the distance, so, he approached it.


    "Why are we here?"


    "To check something out," Talon replied mysteriously as he leaped in the air,nding on the fragile rooftop of the building.


    Hyun-Jae followed him as she casually asked. "I don''t know what''s going on here. But, I know you aren''t here for something insignificant, are you?"


    "Hmm, who knows?"


    Talon said as he put his hand over his eyes as if he were trying to look into the distance. His sharp vision peered through the darkness in a particr direction. Not even theck of light stopped him from seeing what he wanted to see.


    Far into the distance, precisely the forest around the research center. The chaotic mess of monsters that surrounded that ce 24/7 was still there, as savage and as alive as ever. Each one of the monsters there was howling and crying every now and then in a wild melody of terror.


    However, Talon noticed something odd about that horde at that moment. Something, as terrifying as it was, still made him smile coldly for some reason.


    Right in the heart of that chaotic group of monsters, they seemed to have created an empty path that cut through the forest. The path was too precise to be a coincidence and Talon wasn''t there to even debate that idea as he already knew what was going on.


    The monsters were creating a path for something or someone to move through to the research center. It was as clear as day. Hundreds or perhaps even thousands of monsters were moving in unison like an organized army or a hivemind, ready to follow orders at a moment''s notice


    Then, Talon''s eyes fell on the heart of that path where he could see a lonesome figure walking slowly deeper into the forest. He couldn''t see how they looked exactly, but he didn''t need that either as he knew who it was.


    It was that girl. The same girl that talked to him a few minutes ago. She was heading to the research center without being attacked.


    As she moved farther and farther away, Talon watched her silently. Nobody knew what was going through his head at that moment.


    But, as the girl was about to disappear from his visionpletely, she suddenly halted her steps and slowly turned her head around. Without hesitation, her eyes stared directly at Talon as if she knew that he was there the entire time.


    The two stared at each other, peering through each other''s eyes. For a split second, Talon could see her ck eyes sh with a blue hue. Then, she turned around andpletely vanished behind the thick trees.


    "You bastard..." He murmured to himself.


    "Talon? What was that?" Hyun-Jae asked, her voice as grave as it could be. She seen a glimpse of the girl too.


    "It seems our little friend here isn''t as simple as we thought. That girl... She''s theughing monster." He said.


    "What?! That girl?"


    "Yeah, and shepletely tricked me. She had infiltrated the gymnasium pretending to be a human. Then, she infected Ji-Seok and Rim Kyung as a trap to make me get infected too. After that, she left the gymnasium after ensuing all of that chaos." He exined in a cold tone.


    All it took Talon to realize all of this was a small conversation he had with Acrypha a while ago. A conversation about the true identity of the monster. He already knew that it had possibly appeared before the actual Integration even started. That naturally put to question its origin if it wasn''t the Core Dimension''s gate.


    That was when Acrypha told him about the possibility of the monster arriving from another dimension through a scientifically created gate. A gate that didn''t need the Core Dimension''s influence to be opened.


    That idea, as ridiculous as it sounded, made Talon realize that the enemy he was dealing with, wasn''t a simple beast or a mindless abomination... He could very well be dealing with an intelligent entity... An entity that can actually think like humans.


    An entity that somehow could understand and adapt to its environment and learn how to live in it.


    "I guess this confirms our theory, Talon," Acryphamented as she floated silently in the air. "We have ourselves a little sneaking rat that escaped the Core Dimension''s eyes. If this isn''t really interesting..."


    ''This perhaps could shake the entire Core Dimension if the information got to them...'' She frowned slightly.


    The Core Dimension wasn''t the only thing they had to worry about either. More than that, the entities that would want to put their hands on this technology are the real threat.


    "If they even as much as smell a whiff of it on earth... It won''t end peacefully..."


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 92: Chapter 92- Unpredictable Intentions

    Staring into the distance silently, Talon contemted everything that happened. Every single thing sounded so ridiculous and out of this world that it became a little funny for him. After all, how much could he get shocked? He had already been shocked by countless things in the past few days.


    He had seen the most oundish stuff one could imagine and even fought some of them directly. Now, he was met with a smart creature from another dimension that wanted him dead and potentially had technology eons ahead of what his world discovered.


    He didn''t know a lot of things about this monster, but he knew enough to understand that¡­ He can''t back down now.


    ''It tried to kill me¡­ That''s a deration of war if I have ever seen one.'' He thought to himself as he finally shifted his gaze to Hyun-Jae.


    "We can''t postpone the mission any longer, Hyun-Jae. We need to infiltrate the research center as soon as possible." He said.


    "I know, but, do we even know who we''re going against? What kind of monster is that? Why can it look and act like a human?" Hyun-Jae, who had no idea about the gates, the history, and everything around it, was naturally very confused.


    ''Ugh, exining things to her is going to be impossible without revealing Acrypha''s existence. I can''t let that happen.'' Talon mused.


    All his information came from Acrypha so exining things to Hyun-Jae would make rouse her suspicion.


    "I don''t know. But, it was the only usible exnation and it seems to be the truth. Monsters that can think and act like us do exist and will probably continue to exist and even grow smarter as we get stronger."


    "... To think that this is real¡­" Hyun-Jae looked down for a second as she sucked in a deep breath to calm herself down. It truly felt like a headache to even try toprehend what was going on.


    "Don''t worry, Hyun-Jae. We will get our answers from that monster once we capture it." Talon tapped her on the shoulder as he approached the edge of the rooftop. "We''re going to end this, once and for all."


    He said as he jumped down from the rooftop. Even with his casual attitude and the small smile on his face, Talon was now far more annoyed than ever before. He felt that what the monster did was an insult to his intelligence.


    With his pride, he wasn''t going to let that slide.


    ''I will definitely pay you back for what you did.'' He balled his fists tightly, his eyes ring up wildly.


    ***


    Talon and Hyun-Jae went back to the gymnasium. It was still veryte at night, but everyone waspletely awake and on the edge. Since they didn''t know what was happening yet, it was too hard for them to go back to sleep.


    But, Talon and Hyun-Jae calmed them down. Luckily, it didn''t take them long to do so since the students trusted them more than anything.


    After that, when everyone finally went back to sleep, Talon brought Hyun-Jae to the ce where the two corpses were.


    When she saw them, Hyun-Jae frowned in disgust as she averted her eyes for a moment. "This is¡­ vile¡­" She said in a perturbed tone.


    "Yeah, it''s really horrible. Their death wasn''t painless by any means." Talon sighed.


    Even though these two were definitely bad people, Talon never really hated them enough to feel happy seeing their dead corpses. However, that also didn''t mean that he really cared much whether they died or not. What happened had happened and he can''t change that oue even if he wanted to.


    "We can''t let that thing do as it wishes anymore."


    "Knowing you, we''re probably going to infiltrate the research center in the next few days," Hyun-Jae said as she turned around.


    "Precisely in two days. We can''t wait any longer than this. I don''t want to let the monster have a chance to y another dumb trick." Talon said.


    Even though optimally, he wanted to have a few more days to prepare, with what happened tonight, he didn''t have the time to do what he wanted. They had to hurry before the monster pulled out another attempt to end them all.


    "..."


    Noticing that Hyun-Jae wasn''t speaking, Talon looked up at her. "Do you think it''s a bad idea?" He asked, thinking she didn''t like his n.


    "No, I was intending to say the same thing anyway. I was just contemting how to go about doing it with the least amount of casualties."


    "Oh?" Talon raised an eyebrow. "Already? I didn''t even start thinking of that yet." He smiled.


    "Well, the faster the better, no?"


    "Haha, very well, you should do most of the nning since I suck at doing that. Meanwhile, I wille up with ideas to make it a lot easier and maybe add a small surprise element." Talon replied mysteriously.


    "Surprise element, huh? Let me guess, you wille up with another one of your ''totally safe'' ideas?" Hyun-Jae asked with a knowing smile.


    "So far, every idea I came up with worked out perfectly well¡­ For the most part. And that''s a real statistic by the way." Talon shrugged.


    The girl rolled her eyes at his sarcastic remark. She knew that Talon''s ideas were very clever, but they somehow always included a very dangerous situation where he puts his life on the line. Yet, every single time, he would emerge victorious no matter what. It made her wonder how much determination he had.


    "In any case, although you can n for this mission. Can you put something in mind when you''re drawing the n?" Talon thought for a second as he looked at Hyun-Jae. "It''s really important." His eyes shed with a mysterious glint.


    "What?"


    ***


    The two continued talking for a while longer before Hyun-Jae finally excused herself. It was stillte at night and she had to rest per Talon''s words. They already discussed what they wanted from this mission, the general direction, and some other details before leaving everything else for tomorrow.


    "Ugh, my neck hurts." Talon threw himself on the chair as he groaned lowly.


    "You handled the situation well, kid," Acrypha said as she looked through the window.


    "Is that apliment I''m hearing from you? How rare."


    "Yeah, many would''ve been crushed under the pressure of a situation like that. You have what it takes to lead people." She added.


    "... Is that so?"


    "Yeah, perhaps in the future, you can build your own kingdom. All the strongest entities to ever live were kings or founders. You could probably give them a run for their money."


    "No, I don''t want any of that." Talon shook his head. "Building a kingdom or bing a full-on leader¡­ It''s not my thing. I just want to be free and do whatever I want. Being surrounded by the people I care for and living life as I want, that''s all I ask for."


    "Oh?" She shifted her gaze to look at him.


    "I will leave the world domination stuff to those who want it. As long as they don''t annoy me, they can do whatever they want." He shrugged.


    "Hmm¡­" For a second, an iprehensible glint appeared in Acrypha''s eyes before it vanishedpletely as if it was never there.


    "Yeah. Anyway, what I wanted to talk about is the girl. Was that her true appearance or was it altered?" He asked. Before vanishing in the forest, Talon saw her eyes sh with a weird blue light for a second. He didn''t know the origin of that light and it made him question whether that was her appearance or was simply a facade she created.


    "I want to say that it''s altered since she possibly came from a very technologically advanced dimension. But, then again, there are many dimensions with humans in them. Your race is verymon, really." Acrypha said.


    "So she could be a human?"


    "Yeah. Though, naturally, there could be some small anatomical differences between you and her."


    ''Now this makes it even weirder¡­ But, I already knew that there were humans in other dimensions, so it isn''t a surprise.''


    Talon''s main skill ''Dimension Harvester'' takes its abilities from his copies from other dimensions. That meant there were humans that looked and acted like Talon in other worlds. Or that was what he understood at least.


    It was a weird thing to think about.


    ''I wonder if I will ever meet a copy of mine. It would be the weirdest thing I would experience if it happened.''


    "But, that still leaves the question. Why did shee here? and what purpose does she get from killing other humans?" Talon asked.


    "Who knows? She could possibly be a one-of-a-kind genius if she was the one that created this new ''Manual Gate''. There is always a thin line between genius and insanity so her intentions are as unpredictable as they could be."


    "Hm, a one-of-a-kind genius with advanced technology and the ability to control monsters. I don''t want to even think about how I''m going to fight her." Talon murmured as he ran his hand through his hair.


    "This fight could be an easy breeze or the deadliest battle you will fight so far. It could go either way." Acryphamented as she stared back at the window again.


    "Thanks for the assurance, Acrypha."


    "I''m just giving you the reality of things."


    "I know¡­ Well, we will see what happens."


    ***


    Meanwhile, a little bit far away from the gymnasium. Inside the quiet and dark Research Center¡­


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 93: Chapter 93- Terror And Level Up

    The ce was eerily silent with the asional beeping sounds of what seemed to beputers working. The corridors werepletely dim with next to zero visibility. However, that didn''t hide the thick, metallic smell that permeated the ce.


    The smell of blood and rotten flesh filled the ce and made it hard to breathe properly. Glimpses of dark spots could be seen on the wall, on the ground, and everywhere else.


    Inside this horror of a building, a particr room had the lights turned on and the doors shut. All the noise from the ce came from that ce.


    Inside the room, a total of three people were sitting in front ofputers, typing away on the keyboards. Complex numbers and letters appeared and disappeared on the screen every few seconds.


    A very tense atmosphere permeated the room as if whatever the three people were doing was the most important thing in their lives. They had pale, tired expressions due tock of sleep and food but that didn''t seem to hinder their focus on the task.


    "What is the progress on the data breach for the FB-7?" One of them asked another.


    "80% so far. It''s going to take a few more days toplete."


    The response made the tense atmosphere grow even tenser. "A few more days? Didn''t you say that it should be done by tomorrow?" One of the men asked again as he clenched his fists.


    "The estimations were correct yesterday because the energy supply was higher. We''re quickly running out of energy and that''s hindering the data breach."


    "Damn it! That means that it won''t take just a few days. The generators have already been running out of fuel for the past week. It won''t be long before they shut down! Way before it could finish even!" He smashed his hand on the table angrily, his face filled with terror and frustration.


    "..."


    The other two frowned too, but they didn''t say a word.


    "What¡­ What should we do?" One of them, a woman, asked in a perturbed tone. "If we don''t finish this¡­ We''re¡­ We''re going to get killed¡­"


    "No! Don''t say that! We will finish it, goddammit! We just need to work harder! There must be a way!"


    "Harder?! We''ve already been working for days without sleep or food! I''m barely holding on, man!" The second man said in a grave tone.


    It has been exactly three weeks since they have been imprisoned inside the research center. Ever since that day, they had no connection with the outside world except for a small, weak signal they received from a random ce in Seoul.


    They had found that signal and tried to contact it for help, but they had little to no response. Ever since they have beenpletely isted. They didn''t know what was happening outside at all.


    And all of that was because of a single person¡­ If they could even call them a person.


    As the trio were sitting there, they heard the sound of footsteps approaching the room from outside. Immediately, their expressions changed and their heartbeats increased. Their eyes stared directly at the screen, not moving an inch at all.


    However, their ears listened clearly to the footsteps as they grew closer and closer till they finally halted in front of the door to the room. Then, they heard the sound of keys twisting and rustling before the door finally opened.


    "*Gulp*..." Sweat trickled down the scientists''s faces. Their pupils dted and their breathing turned even more erratic.


    ''She''s¡­ She''s here¡­''


    The footsteps entered the room and the door closed behind them as they heard the lock turn again, effectively closing the room.


    Then, the person walked to the other side of the room and sat down on a chair. After that, it wasplete silence.


    ''Fuck¡­ Fuck! Don''t ask questions, please! Don''t ask questions, please! Please!'' One of the scientists prayed in their heads.


    Knowing her, if she knew that the progress was stagnating, she would definitely do to them what she did to the three other scientists she brought here. The image of their peers after what happened was still vivid in their minds and it haunted them every single day they were stuck there.


    "I don''t hear you tapping on those old panel things." A few minutester, the girl finally spoke in a very cold, almost emotionless tone.


    "Mmm¡­ We''re¡­ We were resting for a few minutes¡­" One of them responded.


    "Resting? Oh, humans on this earth do need that, don''t they?" She asked casually.


    "W-We shall resume working immediately."


    "No, take your time. I need you ready to continue working the rest of tonight and tomorrow. Everything should be done after tomorrow."


    "In two days?" One of the scientists asked in shock still staring at the screen and the progress bar.


    "32 hours and 45 minutes to be exact. Then, upon our agreement, you''re all free to go."


    ''There is no way in seven hells we will finish in 32 hours!!''


    Just hearing her made their hearts almost leap out of their chests from fear. They knew that what she was asking from them was nearly impossible to do. Yet, they couldn''t dare to actually say it to her or the consequences would be dire.


    "But¡­"


    "Is there a problem?" She asked.


    "No, not at all! 32 hours! Of course!" The woman answered with a nervous tone. She didn''t know whether that was her entire


    "Good." The girl nodded her head calmly as she looked down, upied with something else.


    Seeing her not reacting, they felt a little relieved. It seemed that she didn''t seem like she was bothered with what they were doing.


    "But, I wonder if the energy generators are going tost that long." She added a few secondster.


    Those words, as simple and as casual as they were,pletely stopped the scientists'' hearts and made them freeze in their ces. Terror filled their eyes.


    ***


    Back at the gymnasium, a few hours passed quietly. Talon slept for a few hours and woke up right before dawn to continue training.


    He decided to use the entire next day for training and getting his sluggish body back to its peak. His injuries were recovering extremely fast and so was his stamina so after a few hours of sleep, he felt energized to continue the grind.


    "Fuuh¡­ I''m feeling really good now." Talon murmured as he wiped the sweat from his face. Since the weather was now hotter than before, he got rid of his shirt and trained shirtless to stay cooled up.


    His muscr body glistened in the sunlight as he moved his arms, swinging the spear. Each move he made would flex his muscles.


    Meanwhile, Acrypha was watching casually from the side, secretly enjoying the sight in front of her.


    ''He''s going to be troublesome with women if he continues evolving this fast.'' She thought to herself with a frown.


    Even though Talon''s looks were barely better than average, his body had already reached a new level of perfection.


    At such a low level, normally, his body shouldn''t look this perfect. But, with how pure his soul was after continuously killing monsters levels above him in strength and absorbing their strength, it was natural that his body would transformpletely at a very rapid pace.


    Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Talon, he continued swinging the spear again and again, hundreds of times across hours. Notifications kept popping off


    [Your spearmanship has improved.]


    [Your spearmanship has improved.]


    [Your spearmanship has improved.]


    ''I didn''t level up my spearmanship during the battle. Come on, I''m really close to level 4!'' He thought to himself.


    Even while his focus waspletely on his technique, he kept an eye for the notifications as they kept rolling in one after the other. He was waiting for it, waiting for the level-up.


    [Your spearmanship has improved.]


    ''Come on!''


    Talon felt his senses heighten and his entire body followed the single rhythm he created. Everything around him turned into a blur and the sole thing he could see was the spear and his arms moving the weapon.


    Minutes passed quickly for him as his sense of time vanishedpletely.


    Until¡­


    [Ding!]


    [Your spearmanship leveled up.]


    ''Yes!'' Seeing that, Talon''s eyes lightened. But, it wasn''t over there.


    [Ding!]


    [Dimension Harvester has leveled up.]


    [You have unlocked a new skill.]


    "Oh..." Talon''s body halted as he noticed the umon message. "My Dimension Harvester finally leveled up... and I got a new skill..."


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 94: Chapter 94- Azure Flames

    Ever since Talon received the Dimension Harvester skill, it hadn''t leveled up a single time. The reason for that was a mystery for him and Acrypha, but they theorized that it could simply be because the skill itself relies on the abilities it provides to level up.


    Since Talon had been constantly leveling up all of Dimension Harvester''s abilities, it was naturally bound to level up at some point too. That point seemed to be today. But, the question is, what would he get from that skill leveling up?


    "A new ability?" Acrypha floated next to him as she touched his hand to see what he got.


    "Yeah, it didn''t give me a new ability in a long while. I hope this one is well worth the wait." Talon murmured.


    "You have a skill that grants you abilities randomly. If that isn''t ridiculously strong as it is, I don''t know what is." Acrypha rolled her eyes.


    "Is finding skills that hard? I could easily get a few if I kill monsters now." Talon raised an eyebrow.


    "Weak skills are easy to find, that is indeed true. But, what people naturally look for are strong skills. Skills that can boost their strength to new levels. In your case, Dimension Harvester has been giving you really good abilities so far. They aren''t world-shaking strong, but they definitely added an extra depth to your power." Acrypha exined.


    Talon nodded his head in understanding. He knew what she was talking about. So far, Talon had three abilities from Dimension Harvester, they were Spearmanship, Enhanced Focus, and Poison Resistance. All These abilities weren''t that strong on their own but Talon benefited from them greatly so far.


    They weren''t as destructive as Tear Of Reality, nor did they boost his strength to a ridiculous level like his new ss Boundless Breaker.


    "Well, I can''t deny that I needed all three of them in basically all kinds of situations. It''s as if the skill knows what I would need in the future. But, it never really gave me anything without a trigger for it."


    So far, Talon didn''t receive a single ability from Dimension Harvester without working his ass off for it. He either had to push his limits, or do something that had never been done before to receive a new ability so it was never a ''free ability'' type of deal.


    "Of course, the Core Dimension would never grant you strength without a proper trigger for it. So far, you''ve been continuously pushing your limits so you deserve to get powerful."


    "Mmm, and it''s also because you helped me a lot. I appreciate it very much." He said with a smile on his face as he stared at his beautifulpanion.


    "I''m inclined to say ''I barely did anything''. But, knowing your stubbornness, you would never want to hear that, do you?" She asked.


    "Hahaha, you know me well."


    "I can''t deny that. Anyway, open the skill, and let''s see what you got."


    "Ok."


    Talon finally shifted his gaze to the holographic window.


    [Ding!]


    [You have gained the active skill: Azure mes.]


    "Azure mes?" Talon raised an eyebrow as he read the notification. "I received blue mes?" He looked at Acrypha with a confused look mixed with disappointment.


    "No, this isn''t¡­ normal mes¡­" She said as she read the name. "Open the description of the ability, I think I know what this is and if I''m correct, then you''ve got yourself an extremely useful ability."


    "Hmm, ok."


    [Azure mes (Level 1): Weak, dying shards of fire, born from the ashes of the Eternal mes. They have lost most of their power. Using this ability, you can manipte Azure mes and burn the souls of your enemies. Absorbs an extra 1% of stats from your targets.


    w: Untamed, violent mes that are extremely hard to control.]


    "Oh! Interesting¡­" Talon rubbed his chin as he read the ability description. He was delightfully surprised when he least expected it.


    "As I thought, it is the Azure mes that I know of," Acrypha said.


    "Yeah?"


    "They''re an ancient relic of the past. There isn''t much known about them. But, one of the strongest ns in the Core Dimension called ''The Eternal mes'' possessed these mes after the Eternal me died. Ever since, they have been the only ones to use its powers. It could be said that it''s the main reason why they''re a behemoth in the Core Dimension."


    "Oh, that sounds badass. It''s like a fantasy story." Talon whistled impressively.


    The more he heard about the history of the Core Dimension the more it sounded like a fictional story in a book. Yet, everything was as real as it could get.


    "So, what does this Azure mes do?"


    "It does function like normal mes. Except, it can also deal soul damage to its targets."


    "Oooh, soul damage? Like the one you could get from breaking the Core Dimension''s rules?" Talon raised an eyebrow.


    "Yes, that one. It''s by far the most effective way of hurting an opponent since many creatures in this world won''t actually die if you destroy their bodies alone. There are also creatures with no actual physical bodies to target. So, your best chance is to attack their souls as every single being has a soul."


    Talon listened carefully to Acrypha''s words as he noted down everything in his head. He already knew that soul damage was a very bad thing with how much Acrypha was wary of it. So, the fact that he can use it himself now was such a nice addition.


    "Though, considering that it''s still a level 1 ability, it won''t do much for stronger enemies. But, it could be effective against a group of weaker enemies."


    "A weaker group of enemies, huh?" Talon murmured as he thoughtfully shifted his gaze to look at the research center. Slowly, a smile formed on his face.


    "Yeah¡­ Definitely sounds like a good idea." He said in a calm tone as an idea slowly formed in his head.


    "Come on, give it a try, and let''s see how it works. But, be careful, the w is indeed a real thing. These mes are extremely hard to control even for the Eternal mes n, you will have to be careful when you use it or you could damage your own soul instead of your enemies."


    "Ugh, I know, I will just make a small ember." He said as he stepped away from Acrypha and stood alone as he extended his hand forward.


    "Let''s see what you got."


    Slowly, Talon channeled his Aetheris throughout his body, casting an ethereal glow around him. Then, he looked at the ability and activated it. Almost immediately, he felt a weird sensation in his hand akin to a cold breeze of air.


    Then, before he could even react, a small blue me ignited on the palm of his hand. It had a very distinct bright color and a rather cold sensation on his hand even though it was supposed to be fire.


    "Woah, amazing!" Talon murmured as he looked at it. "It looks really beautiful¡­"


    "It is. Its distinct color has its charm. It''s the most beautiful mes you could see in the Core Dimension actually."


    "Wait, there are other types of mes?"


    "Obviously, there are a lot. Too many to even count, and they''re good for offense, defense, cksmithing, or even healing. The azure mes are one of the best offensive ones that is."


    Rubbing the back of his head, Talon nodded his head. "The rabbit hole goes deeper than I expected¡­"


    He only knew of one single type of fire, the one that he used to cook every day. To think that the mes in other dimensions could do things far more advanced than that was very new to him.


    "Try to throw that fireball and let''s see what could happen."


    "Hm? Yeah, I was about to." Talon said as he focused on the mes again before he tried to make them fly from the palm of his hand.


    He thought that it was the same as the Aetherial des in that case. However, what happened waspletely out of his expectations.


    The fireball suddenly started shaking and flickering in his hand as if it was trying to react to something. Then, out of nowhere, it exploded powerfully.


    *BOOOOM*


    "Agh!" Talon groaned loudly as he was thrown back a good 5 meters,nding on his back. "Ugh! Fuck! My hand! That hurts!!"


    Looking at his hand, he didn''t notice any burn marks or anything other than some ck smoke. He was clearly not burnt, but the pain he felt from his hand at that moment was intense, probably worse than if he was burnt by a normal fire.


    Laying there, he held his hand as he heaved up and down to calm himself. Eventually, 30 secondster, the pain started subsiding slowly and Talon could finally rise up from the ground.


    "What the heck¡­ That hurt as hell!" He cursed.


    "I told you, it didn''t burn you, but it gave you a very small soul damage. Luckily, it''s not anything to worry about. Your soul will recover in a few hours at most." Acrypha said.


    "So this is how soul damage feels¡­ Damn, that was brutal!" Talon frowned hard.


    Even with his really high pain tolerance, that small hit was really terrible and he didn''t even know why. He couldn''t really put into words the pain he felt at that moment and that made it even scarier. He didn''t even want to know what an actual soul injury would feel like. Just the mere thought of it sent a chill down his spine.


    "I see you''re getting scared," Acryphamented with an amused smile.


    "What?! Ehem, who''s scared? I''m not scared. It was just the initial shock. This me ain''t nothing!" He said as he extended his hand again.


    "Oi¡­"


    "I will learn how to control it properly! Watch!" Talon dered loudly as his determination ignited.


    ''I probably should''ve not joked that way with him¡­ He has a stubbornness I''ve never seen before.'' Acrypha looked at the young man with a tired expression.


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 95: Chapter 95- Not a Genius

    Talon inhaled a deep breath as he channeled his Aetheris again before activating the Azure mes. A beautiful, blue me formed on the palm of his hand and floated quietly.


    Its size was now a little smaller than before since Talon used less Aetheris to activate it. Because the first attempt was a huge failure, he decided to start trying with less risk. He was a stubborn man, but he wasn''t dumb.


    ''Fuuh, ok, just focus on the me and try to keep it stable.'' He thought to himself as his eyes turned sharp.


    Slowly, he tried to control the mes and make them fly from his hands. Even with the first failure, he still didn''t believe that these mes were impossible to control. After all, the first attempt wasn''t even an attempt, to begin with, or that was at least what he thought.


    After a few seconds, he tried to st it again. At first, the mes didn''t flicker and surprisingly, they moved two inches away from him.


    ''It''s working!'' Talon''s eyes shed with excitement for a split second.


    However, before he could even celebrate, the mes suddenly started flickering like before. Seeing that, his senses kicked as he immediately jumped back using all his strength.


    *BOOOOOOM*


    The mes exploded again violently as smoke rose in the air.


    "Fuuuh¡­ That was close." Talon murmured as he wiped his face.


    "Mastering how to control those mes isn''t easy. Even the Eternal me n members take years to actually learn how to make the mes submit to their control. Knowing you, though, you would either take a few months to master it. Or, a few days." Acrypha said with a deadpan expression.


    ''I''m not going to let him shock me anymore. I''m ready to see it happen in a few days.'' She thought to herself.


    "A few days, huh? Hmm, no, I think that''s too much time. I want to use it tomorrow so I want to learn how to control it today." He said.


    "... Today?"


    "Yeah, I don''t know about what you said, but I don''t feel like it''s something that would take more than a few hours to do. It doesn''t seem that hard." Talon shrugged.


    Even though he failed twice, Talon didn''t feel like he was so far away from actually executing a good fireball.


    "Did you hear what I said? The geniuses of the Eternal me n would usually take a few years to learn how to use these mes! I said a few days knowing your monstrosity of a talent. A few hours isn''t even a funny joke at this point."


    "Hmm, is it now?" Talon asked as he seemed deep in thought. Acrypha''s words didn''t seem to affect him at all.


    ''Sigh, I''m going to grow a few years older in a few months because of this kid.'' She facepalmed silently.


    But, then again, even with his ridiculousness, this was what made Acrypha find Talon special, not even as a talent, but even as a personality. His unpredictable thought process and often over-the-top ideas never get old and it always feels like fresh air to her.


    "Hmm¡­" Humming to himself, Talon stared at his hand for a long while. His eyes shed with a weird glint every now and then.


    Acrypha didn''t know what he was thinking of and she didn''t want to break his focus so she remained silent and watched from the sidelines. She felt that he wasing up with some kind of idea.


    Eventually, he looked up at Acrypha and asked. "What method does the Eternal mes n use when they practice controlling the azure mes?"


    "General method? Hmm, from what I heard, they simply try to forcefully make the mes follow their orders. It''s the only method they taught anyway."


    "Oh, interesting¡­" He murmured as he finally stepped forward again.


    Then, Talon created another me with his hand before he aimed it forward. However, this time, he didn''t try to make it fly forward.


    Instead, he flipped his hand up and left the me to float on top of it. Then, he simply looked at it silently for a while. His body was frozenpletely as if time stopped for him.


    ''What is he doing?'' Acrypha thought to herself as she watched Talon curiously. She couldn''t understand what kind of practice was this. He wasn''t even trying to throw the fireball away.


    But, she still watched, because she felt that Talon was up to something¡­ Something really interesting.


    Minutes passed in silence, nothing could be heard except for the asional gushes of wind that moved through the empty field.


    Talon''s body was still in the same position and didn''t move at all. His focused eyes didn''t seem to be aware of anything around him. It seemed like he was doing nothing at all However, at some point, Acrypha started to notice some odd changes, especially to the Azure me.


    Before, even when it was floating on his hand, it wasn''t as imposing as she knew it after seeing it before. But, now, she started to notice that the mes were changing. Their color was growing brighter and their flickering stopped.


    ''Hm?'' Acrypha squinted her eyes.


    The changes were rather sudden and unexpected since the entire time, Talon wasn''t really doing anything except staring at the mes.


    Then, before she could even speak, Talon''s fingers closed as they left the me to float on the tips before he snapped them.


    The moment he did that, the mes suddenly rose in the air quickly, reaching a dozen meters. Acrypha''s eyes widened as she followed the blue light in the air as it reached its peak and then started descending.


    But, she quickly realized that the blue mes were going back down to where Talon was standing.


    "No, Talon¡­ It will explo-" Before she could even say anything, she saw something even more shocking.


    When the fireball reached him, it suddenly halted and didn''t explode at all.


    "What?"


    But, Talon didn''t stop there and snapped his finger again and the ball flew in the air again without exploding.


    Then, he did it again, and again. The ball bounced up and down with each time, he snapped his finger. Meanwhile, Acrypha watched with her eyes wide in shock.


    By the fifth time, when the ball flew in the air, it finally exploded.


    "Hahaha, good! Did you see that, Acrypha?! I was able to throw it up a few times without making it explode!" Talon smiled as he yelled excitedly.


    "..."


    "I thought I could only do it three times, but five is really good,"


    "..."


    "I should probably practice for a few more hours before I can finally throw it around. Hmm, either way, this is a good start."


    "..."


    "Acrypha? Are you ok?" Noticing that hispanion waspletely silent the entire time, he looked at her confusedly.


    The girl had a dumbfounded look on her face as if she had heard the dumbest joke ever, except ten times worse.


    "How did you¡­"


    "How did I? Oh, I guess I had a different approach. It was a dumb idea, but I''m d it worked out well." He said.


    "A dumb idea? What?"


    "Hmm, you said that the main method of controlling the azure mes is to forcefully make it bend to your will, right?"


    "Yes¡­"


    "I thought, what if instead of trying the forceful way, I just try to make the mes listen by their own will."


    "... Continue."


    "So, basically, I thought since they''re hard to control that means they have their own will. So, if that''s the case, why try to antagonize the mes? I just simply tried to converse with them and they listened¡­ for a little while." He said with a small chuckle.


    "So, you simply asked nicely?" She asked with an even more dumbfounded expression.


    "Yeah, that''s it, I asked nicely. Good description, Acrypha!"


    ''This guy¡­ I can''t even¡­'' Acrypha didn''t know whether tough or cry at that moment.


    Even when she was ready to see Talon learn how to use the mes in a few days, he went ahead and learned how to in a few minutes when normally it would take years of practice to learn.


    That was just a brutal hit to hermon sense that she would probably never recover from. But, even more than that, it was probably the fifth hit to hermon sense this week alone which was probably not a very healthy lifestyle.


    Staying with Talon was probably going to shatter everything she assumed was impossible to happen. He had been and will probably always be a once-in-a-lifetime anomaly that will never get repeated.


    "Hahaha! Don''t look like that, Acrypha! Sometimes the simpler ideas are the solution to the hardest of problems. Just because these mes are divine or whatever doesn''t mean we have to fight them for control. I just make them help me out and it''s totally fine." He said with a small smile.


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 96: Chapter 96- Burning Flames And Fair Game

    "You really¡­" Acrypha couldn''t find the words to describe what she heard.


    It was simple and innocent, absurdly so. He didn''t think about a way to control the mes like every single other person and instead thought differently than everyone else. Acrypha found herself unable to understand how she and everyone else never thought of it that way before.


    The mes had their own will and because of their strength and scaredness thest embers left of the Eternal me, they had a sense of pride that makes them not easily abide by someone''s will. So, actually trying to give them a reason to follow yourmands was the better choice.


    It was such an obvious possibility and yet, no one had ever thought of it before him. That fact alone blew her mind away.


    Looking at his smile at that moment, Acrypha''s eyes shed with a myriad of emotions. She didn''t know why, but she felt that it just fit perfectly. This ridiculously innocent approach to a problem¡­ It just fits Talon''s bizarre character like a puzzle. These two almost pr opposite sides to his personality totally captivated her.


    He is a man capable ofing up with the most clever solutions to the weirdest situations and executing those solutions perfectly. He was certainly very smart, sharp, and even cunning in more than one instance. However, there was his other side, a totally different one. The side that simply lives life innocently.


    The side that made Acrypha feel like Talon''s presence was a breath of fresh air. This exact moment was but another example of that innocence. Living her entire life surrounded by schemes and conspiracies, by a facade that people built to take advantage of her or to get something from her.


    In such a world, finding someone who truly didn''t care at all about her status or her strength, was just an indescribable feeling. Talon is that kind of person and just like how he doesn''t care about her background, he also doesn''t care what others before him did, he just follows what he deems right.


    ''He really doesn''t care, does he?'' She asked herself as her expression finally rxed and a smile formed in her mouth. ''He never did¡­ He has always been like this. I wonder why I''m surprised now.''


    "Hahahaha!" In the end, she couldn''t hold herself back and started giggling. Herughs were more beautiful than the best melody Talon ever heard.


    Staring at her, he was confused as to why she startedughing. "What? Did I say something funny?" He asked.


    "No¡­ Nothing at all¡­" Acrypha replied as she wiped her eyes. "I just remembered something really nice."


    "Hmm, what is it?"


    "It''s nothing."


    "Ohe on, it''s gotta be something. It''s rare to see youugh."


    "I dough¡­ When I find something funny."


    "Which means zero percent of the time, right?" Talon asked as he tried to hold hisugh back.


    Meanwhile, Acrypha''s face changed subtly from calm to dangerous. Her beautiful smile felt threatening at that moment.


    "Ehem¡­ Ignore what I said." Talon coughed before he looked away. "Anyway, I should continue trying this new ability. I''m sure I can learn how to throw it around by the end of today."


    "If the Eternal me n elders heard about it, they would probably die from a heart attack,"


    Acrypha murmured.


    "Hahaha! Sucks for them."


    ***


    After that, for the remaining hours of the morning, Talon experimented with the azure mes in all kinds of ways. Even though he was able to throw it up and down with a single thought, actually making the fire fly away in a direction he wanted was harder than that.


    It required more focus and more control which was something he stillcked. But, it didn''t take that long for him to finally start seeing results. It seemed the Azure mes were willing to ept the connection he was trying to create with them and would listen after a few tries.


    In a mere few hours, he went from having to jump back each time because the mes would explode, to consistently being able to hit a random wall in front of him a few consecutive times.


    However, what truly shocked him and made him rethink his expectations from these Azure mes was the sheer destruction they left behind.


    "Damn¡­" Talon murmured as he touched the wall in front of him. A gaping, charcoal ck hole could be seen where his fireball hit. After one single attack, the thick wall waspletely destroyed as if it were nothing. Mind you, Talon barely used a fireball the size of his fist. "This is insane¡­"


    "That''s the true destructive nature of these mes. At higher levels, you can easily burn an entire out of existence with them." Acrypha exined casually.


    Just hearing that made Talon shudder. Burning an entire sounded like a nightmare. These mes weren''t made to be used by the wrong hands and he could see it with his eyes now.


    "Ehem, yeah, I definitely need to be careful with it." He noted down in his head and went back to trying.


    The improvement was visible and it surprised Acrypha even more, knowing that Talon wasn''t exaggerating when he thought that he could do it.


    In the end, even when she thought that it was impossible to shock her anymore, Talon proved that she was far from urate when it came to evaluating his talent. It was akin to a very deep well, no matter how much she went down, there was still more depth to it that she couldn''t discover yet.


    Eventually, Talon''s Aetheris was depleted after the countless attempts he made and exhaustion took over his body. So, he stopped for the time being and went back to the gymnasium.


    He had agreed to meet Hyun-Jae at that time to discuss the n and what they had to do before the actual day arrived.


    Back in the gymnasium, he found the students moving around in a hurry. It was clear that they had already heard the news about infiltrating the research center and were getting ready for it.


    Naturally, the tension inside the ce was palpable. But, it wasn''t as bad as before. The students weren''t paralyzed in fear anymore after everything they went through. Their hearts were far stronger than ever.


    "Good¡­" Talon murmured as he walked through the bustling ce and headed toward Hyun-Jae''s room.


    The moment he knocked on the door, it opened and two students walked out in a hurry. Inside, Hyun-Jae was seemingly busy writing down some things in a notebook.


    Talon walked inside quietly and closed the door behind him before he sat down. He didn''t utter a single word as he waited for her to finish. It was clear to him that she was extremely focused.


    Eventually, her hands finally stopped writing as she finally seemed to notice that someone was in the room. Looking up, her eyes widened slightly.


    "Oh? Talon? When did you get here?" She asked.


    "Been here for thest 5 minutes or so." Thetterughed.


    "Oh! I''m sorry, I was so focused, I didn''t notice someone entered the room."


    "It''s fine. I wasn''t going to stop you either way. So, how is your nning going so far?"


    "It''s finished for the most part. Take a look at this." Hyun-Jae said as she stood up and walked around the table till she stopped next to Talon and bent down to show him the notebook.


    "I have been thinking about it and I think this is the best strategy we can do for now. Since we''re now on the offense rather than the defense, we have to take a bigger risk trying to pave a path through the forest. It''s not an empty terrain and it''s hard to maneuver through it with a big number of people.


    So, we have to somehow pull the monsters out of the forest and fight them on an empty field." Hyun-Jae exined as she showed a drawing to Talon.


    "Yeah, normally, it shouldn''t be that hard to pull them out. However¡­" Talon frowned visibly. "That girl could potentially be controlling those monsters. They don''t have their own will and that''s why they''re still swarming that forest like a hivemind."


    ''I doubt she will let us drag those monsters outside and fight them in an advantageous position.'' He thought to himself.


    "Mm, I already thought of that too and to be honest, I couldn''t find a clear way to actually go around it. We have to somehow trick her into losing control of them."


    "Hmm¡­" Talon rubbed his chin silently for a few moments as he seemingly contemted something. "I think I have an idea."


    "You do?"


    "Yeah, though, this one is definitely dangerous and requires a little bit of luck."


    "..." Hyun-Jae stared at him silently. "So it''s very dangerous?"


    "Ugh, I mean, it will require making the students do something dangerous."


    "And that is?"


    "... I need them to enter the forest and fight the monsters there to buy me time."


    Hearing that, Hyun-Jae frowned visibly. That was indeed very risky and could kill many of them. However, she didn''t deny the idea because it was Talon who came up with it.


    He definitely had a good reason why he would want them to do that.


    "For how long?" She exhaled a small breath as she asked.


    "... 3 minutes. No, 2 minutes. I just need 2 minutes and I can definitely pull it off." Talon thought for a moment before he answered.


    "2 minutes, huh? And what are you exactly going to do in those two minutes?"


    "... Hmm¡­" Talon smirked slightly as he pointed at the notebook, catching Hyun-Jae''s attention. "I''m going to make it a little more fair."


    Seeing where his finger pointed, Hyun-Jae''s interest peaked. "I''m listening."


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 97: Chapter 97- Challenge

    After that, Talon exined the entire idea to Hyun-Jae in great detail. It wasn''t aplicated n, but it had multiple steps that needed to be taken before there could be any chance of seeing a good result.


    Around twenty minutes or soter, he was finally done with the exnation. Looking up at Hyun-Jae, the girl had a frown on her face mixed with interest.


    "It''s¡­ It''s really smart¡­ She probably would never expect such a thing." She said as she ran her hand through her hair. "But, it''s still going to be a huge leap of faith. If all the students don''t execute their roles perfectly, everything will go in vain."


    Talon''s n was perhaps the best thing they could do, but it was still going to rely on the entire student body rather than Talon and Hyun-Jae alone. Before, all they had to do was to trust their own capabilities which made it easier to make a decision. However, for the first time ever, they will have to put their faith in the students they nurtured for the past few weeks.


    It was a new feeling, one that wasn''t pleasant at all.


    "Yeah, that''s our only choice I guess. Though, call me weird, but I think the students are going to do a great job. We have seen their progress so far, and they are far stronger than ever before."


    "Mm, I know what you''re saying. They havee a long way. I guess we have to believe in them. On the other hand, your part of the n is what I''m truly concerned about."


    Even with the students doing a perfect job, what Talon intended to do on his own was terrifying, to say the least. Hyun-Jae was conflicted about it naturally since it came with a lot of risks¡­ Far more than anything Talon has been through so far.


    ''It''s probably going to be a lot more dangerous than my fight with the Grim Roamer.'' Talon thought to himself with a nk expression.


    "If I don''t do it, we all will die one way or another."


    Hyun-Jae exhaled a long breath. "I know."


    "Hey, why the down look?" He asked.


    "Maybe becausest time you executed one of your ideas, half your torso got carved off?" She asked back with a wry smile.


    "Don''t worry, this time, I will only lose a limb or two at most. It won''t be that bad." Talon replied jokingly.


    "Yeah¡­ That sounds a lot better." Hyun-Jae murmured as she looked down again.


    Seeing that, Talon bent forward on the chair to look at her eyes. "Hey, it''s going to be fine. If anything, you also have a really risky part to do. I''m also worried about your well-being."


    Hyun-Jae''s role, while not as dangerous as Talon''s, was probably far more delicate than his. Any mistake she might make would probably ruin the entire n which also means everyone will die. The pressure on her equaled that of Talon and yet, she didn''t seem that bothered by it and instead was worried about Talon.


    When Talon realized that, he felt warmth in his heart. It made him feel rather happy that someone truly cared for him even when they themselves were in the same situation as he was.


    "We''re going to do it, together, ok?" He said in a calm tone.


    Hyun-Jae looked up at him as her eyes shed withplicated emotions. She couldn''t see a shred of hesitance in Talon''s eyes. In the end, the same situation repeated itself, she would worry and worry about everything. But, when she sees Talon''s confidence, that worry suddenly vanishes as if it was never there in the first ce.


    He had that kind of effect on her and she had to admit that it was very effective.


    ''I need to stop worrying too much or I will never do anything like Talon does.'' She thought to herself.


    "Mm, that is true." Shaking her head, she smiled slightly. "Our teamwork is invincible. Let''s keep it that way for a long time." She said as she raised her fist.


    "Long time? Why not forever?"


    "Isn''t that a little too much to ask for?"


    "Have I ever said that I''m not ambitious?" Talon grinned as he fist-bumped her.


    Hyun-Jae blinked before she exhaled. "Yeah, forever it is then."


    "When is the marriage?" Suddenly, Acrypha asked out of nowhere.


    "Pfft!! Cough! Cough!" Hearing that, Talon felt as if he was about to choke on his own saliva as he started coughing.


    "Are you ok?"


    "Cough! Ugh, yeah, I''m fine." He said as he covered his mouth before giving Acrypha a re. Thetter shrugged casually.


    "Hmm, ok. Anyway, I think I''m going to finalize the n and then tell the students about it. What are you going to do?"


    "I was intending to visit the students responsible for creating hide armors. I didn''t find time to check them out yet." Talon replied.


    "Their progress has been great so far. They were able to make a few fairly practical armors to use and they were very hard and could stop some monster attacks."


    "That''s¡­ impressive," Talon murmured. "I might even take one for my-"


    As Talon was about to speak, the door suddenly knocked, catching the trio''s attention.


    "Come in," Hyun-Jae said.


    The one that walked inside after that took them by surprise. His strikingly handsome face and sharp features were too hard not to know instantly. It was Chin-Hwa.


    "Chin-Hwa? I haven''t seen you in a while, man." Talon raised an eyebrow as he stood up. "Where have you been?"


    Ever since he woke up from hisa, Talon hasn''t seen Chin-Hwa once. Even when he told Mo Shin to bring him yesterday, he didn''t appear at all. But, because he was busy, Talon didn''t have time to really find him.


    Looking at the young man, Talon was rather surprised. Chin-Hwa didn''t look well at all. His hair was messy and all over the ce, his face was pale and he had dark circles under his eyes due tock of sleep, most likely.


    ''Damn, dude really looks like a goblin now.'' Talon thought to himself.


    "I have been¡­ Busy with some stuff¡­" Thetter looked at Talon with a weird expression before he replied. "Mostly training."


    "Training? Hmm, that''s good. But, you shouldn''t kill yourself in training. You don''t look well." Talon said as he walked past Chin-Hwa. "I''m going to check their progress, Hyun-Jae. See youter."


    Talon wasn''t aware of what happened between Hyun-Jae and Chin-Hwa so he assumed thetter wanted to talk to her privately.


    "No, wa-" Hyun-Jae tried to speak, only to be cut off by Chin-Hwa who turned around suddenly and looked at Talon.


    "Actually, I came here looking for you." He said.


    Talon''s steps halted as he turned around. "Me?"


    "Yeah, It''s a matter concerning you."


    Talon blinked confusedly as he tilted his head. His eyes went from Chin-Hwa to Hyun-Jae asking for an exnation.


    However, thetter was as clueless as he was. She had no idea why Chin-Hwa sought Talon when the two rarely even spoke.


    "What''s up?"


    Chin-Hwa didn''t break eye contact as he inhaled a deep breath. "I want to fight you."


    Talon: "..."


    Hyun-Jae: "..."


    Everyone went silent the moment the cold prince uttered those words. They werepletely taken by surprise. Talon blinked before he smiled. "Excuse me? Fight me?"


    "Yes, me and you, let''s spar."


    "Chin-Hwa what are you talking about?" Hyun-Jae asked with a frown as she stood up.


    "Please don''t get into this, president. It''s a matter between me and him." Chin-Hwa turned around and said in a respectful yet determined manner.


    ''Matter? We had a matter between us? Since when?'' Talon rubbed the back of his head as he tried to recall if he ever had any actual confrontation with Chin-Hwa. But, he really can''t remember anything.


    "This is ridiculous, Chin-Hwa. You can''t just fight him. It''s not the time for your antics." She said.


    "Hold on a second, Hyun-Jae. Let me hear him." Talon stopped her as he stared at Chin-Hwa. "Let me get this clear, you want both of us to spar? But, what kind of spar?"


    "I want to fight you, using our weapons. It''s not a fight to the death. I just want to challenge you fair and square."


    "Interesting¡­ and your reason is?"


    "No reason. I just want to see where I am on thedder and how much I have to do to reach the peak. You''re the strongest one I know so far, so I want to fight you."


    "Hmm." Talon thoughtfully rubbed his chin. "I can ept."


    "Talon?" Hyun-Jae spoke.


    "But, on one single condition." He lifted one finger.


    "State your condition."


    "Neither of us can harm the other. The spar ends when the de is close to one''s body."


    "... epted."


    "Good, when do you want to do it?"


    "In an hour. Meet me behind the gymnasium." Chin-Hwa said as he turned around to Hyun-Jae. "Excuse me for this, president. I had to do it."


    "No, you did not," Hyun-Jae replied in a cold tone. "What are you trying to achieve by doing this? It''s pointless."


    Her words made Chin-Hwa''s expression change for a split second before he turned around. "For you, it might be. But for me¡­ It now means everything."


    Then, he walked away, disappearing around the corner without looking back even once.


    A//N: Though I usually don''t make such requests, but, I would love it if we could reach top 5 in ps rankings ?? I believe we can do it. Thanks for reading.

 Chapter 98: Chapter 98- Talon Vs Chin-Hwa (Part 1)

    When Chin-Hwa disappeared, Talon finally turned around, only to see Hyun-Jae standing in front of him. She had a visible frown on her face as she looked at him.


    "Why did you ept that?" She asked, clearly not agreeing with what he did. She wanted to reprimand Talon for his decision, but, she assumed that he had a good reason why he epted.


    But, Talon didn''t immediately reply as he thought for a second. "Hmm, if I didn''t ept, I''m sure he would''ve kept bugging me till I epted. He had ''that'' kind of look on his face after all." Talon shrugged.


    "That kind of look?" Hyun-Jae tilted her head confusedly.


    "Yeah, the look of someone that made up his mind. He wasn''t joking when he said this means everything to him¡­ Whatever that means." Talon replied.


    He had no idea why this spar meant everything to Chin-Hwa, but his guts told him that the cold prince wasn''t lying about it, and that made Talon even more interested in this fight. Chin-Hwa was just the oddest human he ever met till this point.


    "Sigh¡­" Hyun-Jae sighed as she rubbed her temples. "Why is he acting like this¡­?" She murmured to herself.


    "Act like that? Wait, why did I sense some tension between you guys just now? Am I missing something?"


    "... It''s¡­ Ugh, after you defeated that monster¡­ I had a talk with him and I decided to sever our friendship right there and then."


    "Wait, what? You two aren''t friends anymore?" Talon blinked in surprise.


    "I saw that hepletely changed and his change was going to put his life and the life of the people around him in danger. I couldn''t let him do that, not to himself, not me, you, or anyone else." She exined with a frown.


    Even when she had willingly taken this decision, losing a lifelong friend wasn''t easy on Hyun-Jae either. She had grown ustomed to him being by her side wherever she went. Now, that spot was empty.


    However, quickly, Hyun-Jae shook those thoughts away and focused on Talon. What she was concerned about now was his reaction to what she did. She knew that Talon was probably unpleasantly surprised by the fact.


    Thetter stood there with a small frown on his face as he seemingly thought about it for a few seconds.


    "Well, I don''t really know much about what happened, but I know you had a good reason for doing that. He doesn''t seem like he''s faring that well."


    Hearing that response, Hyun-Jae exhaled a small breath. "Yeah, I really don''t know what to do with him. The problem is, I can''t fully me him because everything he did was out of worry for me. He isn''t a bad person." She murmured.


    Knowing how he felt toward her, Hyun-Jae found it even harder to face Chin-Hwa anymore. She knew that feelings were something that a person couldn''t control and that was why she never med him for feeling that way. She just wished it never happened so that their friendship could''ve remained intact.


    "Sigh¡­" Talon looked at the conflicted Hyun-Jae. He knew that it was never easy to break a friendship, especially one thatsted years.


    "Well, let''s first see what he wants out of the spar. I''m sure Chin-Hwa has a good reason for this. As for your rtionship with him, I have no right to tell you what to do. Though, as my grandpa said to me when I was a child, thepass of your heart always follows the right path for you, trust it and you will never lose your way."


    Hyun-Jae''s eyes widened slightly when she heard those words. As simple as they were, they did resonate with her.


    "Wait, was the quote like that? Ugh, it sounded way better in my head. How did grandpa say it again?" Talon frowned as he shook his head. "No, it wasn''t like that, scratch everything I said. My grandpa was probably more profound than this."


    Blinking silently, Hyun-Jae''s grim expression turned into a small smile as she startedughing.


    "What the hell is that, hahaha?"


    Seeing herughing. Talon could only follow suit. "He would''ve probably beaten my ass if he heard I ruined his quote in such a glorious manner."


    "Yeah, I''m sure he would''ve done that. But, I wouldn''t say it was a bad quote. I liked it."


    "Really?"


    "Yeah, it sounded nice and I feel like I understood it. Thanks." Smiling warmly, Hyun-Jae nodded her head.


    "If you say so¡­"


    ''Even though she rarely smiles that way, she has a beautiful smile.'' He thought to himself.


    "Mm, anyway, I''m going to check the monster pieces of armor and then go to the agreed location." Talon turned around and excused himself.


    "Take care."


    "You too."


    ***


    *One Hour Later*


    "Hold on, we didn''t agree on this."


    In an empty field right behind the gymnasium, Talon said in a cold tone as he looked around him. The usually deste area was now far from empty, hundreds of students were present, surrounding two people, the confused Talon and Chin-Hwa who were staring daggers at him.


    "Didn''t agree on what?"


    "Calling all the students here to watch," Talon said. "It''s not a show."


    "What? Are you afraid of losing in front of them?" Chin-Hwa retorted coldly.


    "That''s not the point¡­" Talon murmured.


    "They''re here to watch the spar and learn. It''s nothing big." Chin-Hwa said as he unsheathed his sword slowly and took a fighting stance.


    Rubbing the back of his head, Talon exhaled a small breath. "If that''s how you''re going to y, then sure."


    "Hm?" Chin-Hwa hummed confusedly.


    But, Talon ignored him and channeled his Aetheris through his body before directing it toward something he had strapped to his back. Slowly, a shiny ck de slowly left its sheath and floated in the air right next to Talon.


    ''Let''s try one of the Aetheris des on this idiot.'' Talon thought to himself, ignoring the shocked looks on the students'' faces.


    "Oh my god! Is that sword flying?!" One of the students said in shock.


    "Yeah¡­ Mr Talon just made it float! What kind of weapon is that?!"


    Whispers echoed in the area.


    "Quiet." Suddenly, a cold voice cut through their whispers and made everyone gopletely silent. Hyun-Jae had spoken and put an end to the gossip.


    Her aura was colder than usual and it was all because of this sudden change in agreement. Having all the students here was a very bad idea.


    "Hey, that isn''t your weapon." Chin-Hwa frowned hard as he pointed at the Aetheris de.


    "Who said it isn''t? This is one of the weapons I use." Talon shrugged.


    "You!"


    "Hey, you yed dirty, so I''m going to do the same. Besides, if I used my main weapon, I would probably destroy youpletely."


    "...!!" Hearing that tant disrespect, CHin-Hwa''s anger peaked as he gripped his sword tightly.


    "Fine, I will make you regret underestimating me!"


    *Swish*


    Saying that, Chin-Hwa dashed forward at top speed. He was able to cross the distance between him and Talon in a matter of a few seconds. Meanwhile, Talon stood in his ce, not moving at all.


    When Chin-Hwa was about to swing his sword, he suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. His body instantly moved as he guarded his side with the katana.


    *Cling*


    A split secondter, the Aetheris de appeared out of nowhere and attacked him. Thetter was barely able to block the hit, and yet, it still pushed him back a few meters. But, the de didn''t stop there as it flew up again in the air and then dived down like a hawk, aiming for Chin-Hwa.


    ''Shit!'' Thetter clenched his teeth as he jumped back. Before the de could even hit the ground, it suddenly changed direction and flew right toward him.


    *Cling*


    Chin-Hwa blocked again at thest moment. Then, what ensued after that was simply shocking. The flying de kept attacking the cold prince again and again and again as thetter barely dodged and blocked the attacks while slowly losing all his advantage.


    "That de¡­ is insane¡­"


    "Yeah¡­ Mr Chin-Hwa can''t even do anything¡­"


    The speed, strength, and uracy of the Aetheris de were shocking, even to Hyun-Jae. She had seen Talon fly those des a few days ago, but she didn''t know that he had been practicing with these des too apart from the Azure mes and the spearmanship.


    He wanted to learn how to move those des while he was mid-fight so that they could be akin to his support. It was a little hard at first to do that since fighting and also controlling the flying weapons required unbelievable mental capacity. But, Talon''s focus was far better than ever before so he was able to start seeing some good results.


    "*Yawn*, I''m starting to regret that used the Aetheris de. I was even intending to use two. But, I guess even one is too much for him." Talon murmured as he watched the two des shing as sparks flew in the air.


    "What an amazing show," Acrypha said with a bored look. "That human never had a chance against you, not even if you''re not using any weapon. I wonder why he was adamant on fighting you."


    "Hmm¡­ It''s something you know very well." Talon replied as he watched Chin-Hwa coldly.


    "Something I know?"


    "Yeah¡­ He isn''t fighting to defeat me. He''s fighting for his pride."


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 99: Chapter 99- Talon Vs Chin-Hwa (Part 2)

    "His pride you say?" Acrypha asked as she looked at Talon curiously. "And what pride would he get from being utterly crushed by you?"


    If there was one person familiar with the word ''pride'', it''s definitely Acrypha. She was a prideful being and had been dealing with prideful people basically her entire life. So, she was surprised she didn''t notice the fact that Chin-Hwa was fighting for his pride rather than anything else.


    However, hearing her, Talon shook his head. "Keyword ''Fighting''. He was never going to win and he probably knew that."


    Talon''s eyes wandered to Chin-Hwa again as he watched him struggle greatly to keep up with the Aetheris de. The entire time, Talon wasmanding the de to aggressively attack the cold prince from all angles and not leave him a single moment to even think about retaliating.


    It wasn''t out of spite or anger, but it was to show Chin-Hwa how far behind he was. Talon had deemed Chin-Hwa''s problem to be ack of awareness of what kind of reality he was in. He always assumed things and didn''t try to understand whether he was right or wrong.


    "Then why?" Acrypha asked.


    That''s when Talon''s eyes finally moved to the beautiful girl standing in front of the crowd with a cold look on her face. Hyun-Jae was naturally not enjoying watching this fight.


    "I guess you should know yourself why," Talon murmured.


    "What do you mea¡­ Oh¡­" Looking in the direction Talon was looking, Acrypha''s eyes


    shed with a hint of understanding. "You''re talking about that¡­"


    "Yeah, exactly that." Talon sighed. "He''s probably trying to show her that he changed and was improving."


    "What an interesting approach. And by interesting, I mean naively foolish." Acrypha sneered. "Does he think this is some kind of fairy tale?"


    Talon''s eyes moved to the side as he stared at the divine being floating next to him before smiling. "We''re as close as we can be to a fairy tale."


    Before the integration, Talon naturally never believed in the supernatural and so did most people. However, all of that changedpletely now. This world isn''t as simple as they thought it was.


    "If this world is a fairy tale, then it''s perhaps the most twisted one imaginable." Acrypha rolled her eyes.


    *Cling* *Cling* *Cling*


    Meanwhile, a little far away from the duo, Chin-Hwa''s body was moving left and right as he swung the sword as fast as he could. His face was riddled with sweat and he was heaving up and down.


    It has been a few minutes since the fight started and all he could do was simply dodge and deflect the Aetheris de to the best of his ability. It was a nightmare. The flying weapon was akin to a ghost that appears and disappears at top speed and attacks where he least expects it to.


    ''Fuck! Fuck! I can''t do anything!'' He cursed in his head as he clenched his teeth hard. He couldn''t find a single opening to attack Talon who was standing casually a dozen meters away.


    Seeing him acting like that crushed Chin-Hwa''s moralspletely. This wasn''t even a fight anymore, Talon was toying with Chin-Hwa as he wished and he didn''t even seem that bothered about it.


    The difference between them in terms of strength was like heaven and earth. It was simply unimaginable.


    ''Why? Why?! We were barely that far away from each other a few weeks ago! How did he grow this strong so fast?!'' He asked himself again and again as he fought the flying de.


    It made no sense at all how Talon could improve this fast even though Chin-Hwa worked extremely hard to keep getting stronger just so that he could be worthy of standing next to Hyun-Jae and proudly defending her when he needed to.


    Yet, that position has been imed by someone else without even trying. At this point, Chin-Hwa knew that Talon had no intention to actually try and im Hyun-Jae. Which meant, everything Chin-Hwa did this whole time waspletely wrong.


    He put everyone''s lives in danger because of his pitiful jealousy and rash thinking. Had he been a little more level-headed, Hyun-Jae would''ve never hated him or severed their friendship and he would''ve still had a chance to actually be with her.


    ''It''s all my fault! It''s all my fucking fault!'' As he deflected each hit, Chin-Hwa''s frustration grew and so was the guilt in his heart. It was truly all his doing and he couldn''t me anyone but himself for it.


    "Come on, Chin-Hwa. Is that all you''ve got? You wanted me to use my main weapon, right? Then make me use it." Amidst all of that, he heard Talon''s voice booming in his ears.


    For a second, he stared at the young man with a frustrated look and all he could see was a calm expression.


    "Shut up!!"


    "Make me," Talon replied coldly.


    ''This bastard! I won''t let him insult me!!'' Feeling his anger rising higher than ever, Chin-Hwa channeled his Aetheris as he activated his skill.


    Immediately, his style of fighting changed. Jumping back, Chin-Hwa pushed the ground with his feet, leaping forward at a speed way faster than before. The Aetheris de flew toward him, aiming for his neck.


    But, Chin-Hwa swiftly deflected it and continued his dash. His uracy and technique had also improved greatly. This sudden shift took everyone by surprise.


    ''Interesting.'' Talon looked at the approaching young man with a curious gaze. ''He has a pretty nice skill.''


    The Aetheris de flew toward Chin-Hwa relentlessly as it got deflected back with way more ease than before. It seemed the weapon was not capable of pushing him back anymore.


    The distance between him and Talon grew closer and closer really quickly till the cold prince found himself in front of Talon again. But, this time, his katana was already moving swiftly through the air, aiming for Talon''s neck.


    ''I got you!!'' Chin-Hwa''s eyes red up as he watched the de close up on his target. His surprise attack was going to work!


    Talon had no weapon in his hand and the Aetheris de was going to take a split secondte to actually attack Chin-Hwa. It was checkmate!


    However, as Chin-Hwa was about to celebrate in his head, suddenly, Talon''s silhouette vanished from his peripheral vision. It happened so fast that he couldn''t even react to it in time.


    ''What?! Where did he?!'' His eyes moved to the side quickly as he felt his senses catching something dangerous.


    Talon had suddenly dodged the de and was now moving to his side. Then, thetter tightened his fist as heunched a strong punch toward Chin-Hwa''s face.


    The punch carried at least 50 points of strength from Talon''s 70 points. That strength was more than enough to blow a normal human''s head off.


    Chin-Hwa''s heart stopped as he watched the iing attack with wide eyes. The tables have suddenly turned in a split second and he could do nothing about it except watch the deadly blow flying toward him.


    ''I''m dead¡­'' For a split second, he thought he was going to die.


    But, at thest moment, the fist suddenly stopped, barely a quarter of an inch away from Chin-Hwa''s face.


    Then, the cold prince felt a strong gush of air hitting his face that pushed him back a few steps as he fell to the ground.


    Silence.


    The entire field turnedpletely silent as if no one was there. Everyone had a shocked look on their faces. Things happened so fast that they could barely even see anything with their eyes.


    At first, it was Talon being the target of the attack and then suddenly, Chin-Hwa was on the ground, bbergasted and in shock.


    The speed at which Talon movedpletely blew their heads off. Even Hyun-Jae who witnessed Talon''s strength more than once could only stare in awe.


    He was far stronger than what she remembers from the stampede fight. No, it wasn''t simply that, he was now on apletely different level than before.


    ''The difference between Talon and these humans is almost funny to watch.'' Acrypha exhaled with a small, proud smile on her face. Her little monster was ufortable to anyone else and she enjoyed seeing that.


    "What¡­ did I just witness?" Eventually, one student uttered.


    "I¡­ don''t know¡­"


    "He moved¡­ so fast¡­ I couldn''t see anything¡­"


    "Did he even move¡­ I only saw a sh¡­"


    Reactions of such nature could be heard everywhere amongst the students. They already knew that Talon was absurdly strong, but this¡­ This was just terrifying.


    Meanwhile, back in the middle of the field, Talon''s fist finally released as he pulled back and stood in front of Chin-Hwa. His expression was calm and collected.


    "How¡­" Chin-Hwa murmured.


    "It''s really simple, isn''t it? I don''t like to brag. But, we both aren''t on the same level." Talon replied casually.


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 100: Chapter 100- Pulses Of Change

    Talon''s words echoed inside Chin-Hwa''s head as he blinked. Different level? His mind couldn''t register what it meant at first.


    But, his body definitely understood those words. The crushing strength, the instantaneous defeat, and the fear of death that came with that sudden punch. They were all engraved into his senses and would probably never vanish.


    The terror that Talon instilled in his heart in a split second without seemingly trying too hard. He couldn''t understand how such a monstrous power could be in a human being. It was simply ridiculous.


    ''Monster¡­'' Feeling a chill run down his spine, Chin-Hwa looked down as he tightened his fist.


    "So you were that far ahead¡­" He murmured.


    "Yeah, there was no chance for you to beat me here," Talon replied in a straightforward manner. Others might think that he was being mean for saying such things to a clearly broken person. But, Talon would rather tell him the truth than let him live in his delusion anymore.


    Chin-Hwa''s fist shook visibly as he tried to hold in his frustration. "Would I ever be able to shorten this gap?"


    Talon stared at him silently for a few seconds before he opened his mouth. "No. I''m not going to sit idly and wait for you to catch up. I have many things I need to do in the future and I require more strength to achieve them. I won''t stop improving any time soon."


    "..." Chin-Hwa nodded his head faintly. It was all now clear. He was defeated, mentally and physically. It was an utter loss on every single level and it wasn''t even a challenge to his opponent.


    The pain he felt at that moment was far worse than anything he ever felt before, even worse than when Hyun-Jae severed their friendship once and for all. The reason for that was his realization that not only did he lose everything, but he also had no chance of actually taking back everything he wanted.


    His desire to challenge Talon and beat him was simply a pipe dream, one that took weeks for him to wake up from and when he did, he did it in the worst way possible.


    ''What am I supposed to do now? I have nothing left to try for.'' Dark thoughts filled his head and made him feel like he was falling deeper and deeper into a dark abyss, one that he would never wake up from. ''Maybe it would be better if I just vanished from everyone''s lives¡­ That would be better for them.''


    Suddenly, he heard Talon''s voice and it shook him up from his own dark world.


    "But, who said you need me to stop for you to catch up?" He asked.


    "... Huh?"


    "I''m saying, you''re trying to cut the gap between us short and prove that you aren''t just a huge moron with an ego as big as the earth, right? Then prove it with your actions. No one is going to forgive you for being an idiot if you don''t change your antics. Hearing me say that you will never catch up made you feel depressed? How pathetic.


    I thought you had far more ambition than this." Talon said as he crouched down and stared at Chin-Hwa coldly. His tone was as condescending as it could be.


    Thetter blinked in shock, he couldn''t believe what he was hearing.


    "So what if your opponent said that, huh? Who is he to determine what you can and can''t achieve? If you want to reach my level, do it, don''t let me or anyone else stop you. Meanwhile, I''m going to stay at the peak and climb even higher so that you will always find me as a challenge that you will need to ovee."


    "..."


    "Tsk, as for Hyun-Jae, you think she will forgive you just because you defeated me? How egotistical can you be? She isn''t a damsel in distress waiting for you to save her. Even if you defeated ten thousand clones of me, she would never forgive you for what you did unless you truly showed her that you changed."


    Each of Talon''s words hit a string in Chin-Hwa''s heart that he never even thought existed. It made him angry, sad, hopeful, and even determined. Talon had told him everything he didn''t want to hear and made him realize how ignorant he was the entire time.


    ''He''s¡­ right¡­'' Chin-Hwa thought to himself. ''I am a big fool¡­''


    Everything he thought about himself was wrong. Even if he was brilliant in many things, Chin-Hwacked what was important and that is understanding himself.


    Sitting there silently, a raging war of emotions broke inside his head. All his depressed thoughts vanished and were reced with a hopeful desire to turn things over. He realized that perhaps, it wasn''t all over. Giving up before trying was indeed the worst move he could''ve taken and Talon made him realize that.


    Meanwhile, Talon watched how Chin-Hwa''s expression kept changing. He could see his dark aura disappear slowly which made him exhale a small breath.


    ''I guess this should be enough to change his mind a little. If he doesn''t do the rest of the work, then I can''t help anymore.'' Talon thought to himself as he stood up and turned around.


    "Show is over, folks. Get back to work. We have a very important day tomorrow." He pped his hands as he made all the students disperse.


    Even as they walked away, he could hear them talk about him. They were still heavily affected by what he did.


    "Did I show too much strength?" Talon asked himself as he rubbed the back of his head.


    "Anything you could''ve done would''ve shocked them. This was probably the best you could''ve done." Acrypha approached him as she said.


    "Really? Damn, I guess there is no helping it then." He shrugged.


    "Talon."


    As he was like that, he heard a soft voice calling for him from behind. When everyone left, she approached him quietly with aplicated look on her face.


    "Hey, what''s up?"


    "What did you tell him?" She asked as her eyes fell on Chin-Hwa. He was still sitting on the ground as he looked down, seemingly deep in thought.


    "Hmm, let''s say I helped him understand what to do a little."


    "Huh?"


    "Don''t worry about it. I think you will be delighted with what he will do next." Talon said with a smile as he tapped her on the shoulder. "For now, just leave him alone. We will see what he does."


    Talon said as he started walking away. Hyun-Jae looked onest time at Chin-Hwa before she started walking with him.


    The only one left in the empty field after that was Chin-Hwa. A lonesome figure that was slowly realizing his mistakes and developing a new path for himself¡­ A path that will change the fate of countless people forever in the future.


    But, that''s a story for another time.


    ***


    *A few hourster*


    The winds whistled violently and the sky had turned a grim grey. The distant sound of lightning striking could be heard from inside the gymnasium. The light of the sun hadpletely vanished and was reced by the darkness of the clouds and the night itself.


    It was a very gloomy night by all means. However, the students had no time to even look at the sky as they worked relentlessly, getting ready for tomorrow, arguably the most important day in their entire lives.


    Tomorrow, they will infiltrate the Research Center, a mission that was seemingly impossible considering the sheer number of monsters that guarded that ce. They knew that it wasn''t going to be easy at all, even with Talon on their side.


    They had to be mentally prepared to see death in front of them and even look it in the eyes.


    The tension was heavy inside the building. But, no one dared to rx or let their thoughts wander to what could happen tomorrow. One of the most important rules to survive was to keep an optimistic mentality no matter what. Losing hope, even for one second, meant death, no other choice.


    While everyone was working hard, Talon stood outside as he looked at the sky.


    "It''s going to rain tonight¡­" He murmured as he squinted his eyes.


    He went outside to check the terrain and the condition of the ce where the battle would ensue. The weather was certainly a part of that inspection.


    After that, he climbed one of the buildings and sat down and next to him, he put down a bag of chips that he brought with him to snack on.


    ''I''m going to spend the night awake watching the forest. That girl must be nning something.'' His sharp eyes turned colder. ''I won''t let her have any chance.''


    Far into the distance, Talon could see the cluster of monsters squirming and moving as usual. Nothing was out of the ordinary, at least from what he was seeing. Except for some rare instances of fighting ensuing between the different monsters.


    ''I guess even she can''t make them follow orders 24/7.'' He thought to himself.


    "Hmm¡­" Talon hummed quietly as he opened the bag of chips and started eating it. "Want some, Acrypha?" He asked as he looked to the side.


    However, much to his surprise, hispanion seemedpletely upied with something.


    Her eyes were looking at the sky, precisely at the Core Dimension''s Gate. Her sharp eyes peered through the clouds and stared directly into that massive hole.


    "Don''t tell me¡­" She murmured as her expression grew darker and darker.


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 101: Chapter 101- Decision

    "Acrypha?" Talon looked at hispanion with confusion when he noticed her grave expression. He didn''t understand why she was acting like this when she was fine a second ago.


    However, the girl didn''t reply as she kept staring at the sky for a while. Her eyes shed with a weird glint as she finally looked down and said. "Get ready."


    "Huh? Ready for wh-"


    Before on could even ask what she was talking about, he felt a chill run down his spine as he heard a small noise. It was a very faint one, barely audible even for his heightened senses. But, he could easily identify it since it was a familiar sound.


    ''A heartbeat?'' He asked himself as he listened quietly.


    *BADUM*


    The second time was a little louder than before and so was the third time and on forth. The sound of heartbeats echoed in the vicinity. It didn''t sound like the heartbeats of a human, but they were simr enough for Talon to identify it with ease.


    At first, he didn''t know where these sounds wereing from, but it didn''t take him long to find the source as it was as visible as the sun in the sky or perhaps even more. His eyes looked up into the atmosphere, exactly where the gate was floating. What he saw right there was a sight straight out of dreams.


    The Core Dimension''s gate was pulsing. Every two seconds or so, the gate''s enormous body would expand ever-so-slightly and retract in a split second as huge amounts of Aetheris would explode from inside of it.


    The Aetheris would quickly spread in the sky and disperse. But, that wasn''t the most important detail that Talon saw, what caught his attention. The heart of the gate, or in other words, the ck spot in the middle of it, was now shining in a bright blue as if it were some kind of monster core.


    "What the fuck is going on?"


    Acrypha exhaled a long breath as she looked at Talon. "Did you forget what I told you a few weeks ago?" She asked.


    "Huh? What are you talking abo-..."


    Suddenly, it hit Talon as he remembered something. Three weeks ago, exactly when he first came to the campus, Acrypha told him about something that would happen in the near future. She told him that the earth was going to expand and the world''s entire ecosystem was going to change.


    "Don''t tell me¡­" Talon murmured with a nk expression, unable to articte words. "The expansion? Is it going to happen now?"


    However, Acrypha shook her head. "Not exactly now. But, it''s starting. I can''t say for certain when. But, expect it in the next few hours or days. Whatever the gate would decide." She exined.


    "Few hours? That''s when the battle will happen though!"


    Acrypha stood there silently as she shook her head. "If the gate starts pulsating then there is no stopping it. You don''t know how much time you have left before the world starts expanding."


    Talon frowned hard. "This isn''t good. This isn''t good at all. If the expansion starts before or even mid-battle, we''re all screwed."


    From what Acrypha told him, earthquakes were going to hit the entire globe at the same time and would start changing the terrainpletely. Not to mention gravity and time increase. It was going to be chaos.


    ''Out of all times that it could happen, goddammit!'' clenching his fist, Talon exhaled a small breath. ''I can''t loseposure now. Calm down, Talon.''


    Even with such a drastic change in the course of events, Talon didn''t let himself lose control. He still didn''t know for certain when it was going to happen so his best bet was to actually finish the battle quicker than the expansion.


    But, if it happens before the battle even starts then¡­ At that point, Talon really had no idea what he was going to do. It was all reliant on luck.


    "I need to warn the students."


    Standing up, Talon descended from the building and rushed back to the gymnasium. He didn''t have time to simply wait and watch what his enemy was nning when there was such urgent news.


    Back inside the gymnasium, Talon barged into Hyun-Jae''s room where he found her talking with some students about the preparations. When she saw Talon, Hyun-Jae noticed the grave expression on his face and immediately realized that something had happened.


    "You two can go." She said as she walked the students outside and closed the door.


    "What happened?" She asked.


    Talon didn''t say a word as he walked to the window and pulled the curtains back before he gestured for her to look outside. Hyun-Jae didn''t understand what he wanted but she still did that.


    "Wha-" Seeing the gate, her mouth hung down in shock. "What is happening to that thing?"


    "It''s pulsating, I heard the sound of heartbeatsing from it. I don''t know when or how it happened, but that thing suddenly started doing that."


    "..." Looking silently outside, Hyun-Jae''s eyes squinted slightly. For some reason, she felt a sense of deja vu seeing the gate acting that way. It was as if this wasn''t the first time she had seen it act this way.


    The first time was¡­


    "Oh¡­" That''s when she got it.


    The first time she had seen the gate act this way was when it first appeared. At the time, she was walking back to the dormitory after going out. For some reason, everything from the moment of integration felt like a blur to her.


    Perhaps it was the shock or the fear, or maybe it was simply the overwhelming nature of the event that made it hard for her to remember that moment in detail. But, now, she recalled it.


    ''If it''s acting that way¡­''


    "Talon, I think that''s an indication of another earthquake¡­" Hyun-Jae looked at the young man.


    "That''s what I thought too. The first earthquake was already destructive enough as it was. This one looks way stronger and more dangerous." He replied as he sat down.


    "What¡­ What can we even do? If it hits today, we won''t be able to do anything except watch. Everything will go down the drain." Hyun-Jae''s voice wavered for a moment.


    "..."


    For the first time ever, Talon really had no answer to her worry. He also didn''t know what to do at all.


    The two sat in silence for a long while as they thought of any possible solution they coulde up with. However, there was nothing. Just emptiness.


    "I think we should continue with the n as it is," Talon spoke a whileter.


    "..."


    "It seems like the earthquakes won''t happen yet since the pulses aren''t loud. So, our only choice is to bet on it not happening when we least want it to."


    "Is that¡­ Sigh, never mind, that''s the only choice we have, isn''t it?" Hyun-Jae asked as she tapped rhythmically on the table.


    Inside the dark room, the duo stared at each other. They didn''t need words to convey what they were thinking. The pressure on their shoulders had suddenly increased tenfold.


    If their mission was dangerous before, then it was now bordering on the realm of impossibility. A huge chunk of their chance of sess fell on luck¡­ something that Talon hated greatly.


    He did use luck many times to get out of bad situations, but it was never to this extent. Before, on all those asions, sess relied on his ability as much as it relied on luck so in a sense, he always had a hand in what oue would happen.


    However, now, it was far from that. If the expansion hits before or mid-battle, he is seriously at risk of dying along with everyone else.


    "We will continue with the n as before. Nothing will change." Talon exhaled as he finally said.


    The decision was brutally hard to take, but, one had to take it and Talon didn''t want to put the pressure of all the me on Hyun-Jae''s back if everything copsed and failed. If there was one person who could handle this pressure, it was him.


    "..." Hyun-Jae looked at him with aplicated look. She could clearly see that Talon was extremely conflicted. But, he didn''t show that on the surface as his aura was still exuding endless confidence.


    "Screw the gate. We will do it our way and win. Nothing will stop us, not after everything that we went through to reach this point. It''s either us or us." He said as he clenched his fist.


    "..." The girl blinked for a few moments before she nodded her head as she slowly regained her calm. "Yeah, we already achieved the impossible more than once, we have to do it once more, that''s all". She said.


    Meanwhile, outside, the gate''s slow rhythmic pulses continued seemingly endlessly. The sight of that behemoth floating being was as majestic as ever. Floating domineeringly over the world like a god, it was slowly preparing a change.


    A change that no one, not even Acrypha expected. Something that this world had never and will never see for as long as it existed. Earth is taking its first step into higher dimensions.


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 102: Chapter 102- Knowing More About The Beauty From Another Dimension

    The grey clouds kept umting and covering the entire sky casting a gloomy veil of darkness on the world.


    The wind grew stronger that night and the temperature dropped heavily as if it was winter again. The weather was really bad on every single level. In fact, it became so bad, that the students that usually would guard the entrance to the gymnasium were called inside to protect themselves from the cold.


    The lightning strikes grew more menacing and even stronger. Luckily, students were able to stay protected from all of that for the most part.


    Meanwhile, Talon left the building again and headed back to the same spot he was before. After talking with Hyun-Jae and informing the students that the n was continuing as it was, he rushed back to where he was to keep an eye on the research center and the forest.


    He knew that the girl wasn''t going to stay still and let them do whatever they wanted.


    "It''s going to be one hell of a night," Talon murmured as he sat down and put an umbre on top of his head. Because his body was now far stronger than before, he didn''t feel that cold at the moment.


    This strong wind was akin to a pleasant spring breeze. But, that didn''t mean that he was enjoying his stay there since the situation was really bad.


    "Is she going to make a move, I wonder." He murmured as he watched the forest silently.


    "Who knows? Though because she''s also in a bad situation like you are, she doesn''t have many choices." Acrypha said as she sat down next to Talon.


    "Yeah, I guess that''s one good thing about this entire situation. If the expansion hits, then it''s going to hit everyone."


    With that, time slowly moved as Talon watched the forest. Seconds turned into minutes and then minutes turned into hours. Meanwhile, the forest was the same as always, nothing was out of the ordinary as much as he could see.


    *Drop* *Drop*


    As he was like that, he heard a tapping sound on top of him. Looking up, he could see droplets of water had dropped on the umbre slowly. The droplets kept increasing in frequency and strength till the entire surface of the umbre waspletely wet.


    The sound of rain filled his ears as the world around him turned a little blurry. For one reason or another, Talon found this to be calming rather than stressful. He was always a fan of rain. Something about the sound and atmosphere it creates feels special to him.


    Even in his bad days, if it rains, then he feels that all of that sadness would wash away just like how rain washes away the impurities in this world.


    "It''s raining¡­" He murmured as he looked slowly to his side. There, Acrypha was sitting close to him with her eyes closed. He didn''t know what she was doing since she said she didn''t require sleep at all.


    "What are you doing?" He decided to ask.


    "Stabilizing my body." She replied calmly.


    "Stabilizing your body?"


    "Yes. I have suffered some problems with it beforeing here so I''m slowly restoring my strength."


    "Wait, you''re injured?" Talon blinked in surprise.


    "In a way, yes, I am. I can''t use a good 60% of my strength. But, I''m slowly regaining it." She replied.


    Talon went silent for a few seconds. So far, the only thing he knew about Acrypha was that she was from a medium-S dimension, he didn''t know exactly what her background was but he knew that it was far from normal.


    ''To think that something could injure her¡­'' Just trying to imagine what could be the reason made him frown. It was probably something that could erase him out of existence in a split second.


    That thought alone made him realize how far away he still was from actually being considered ''strong''. By this world''s standards, sure, he was indeed strong, but when the scale goes up, his true power gets dwarfed by the true monsters.


    Acrypha was one of those monsters that could kill him with a thought. If it wasn''t for the fact that the Core Dimension was protecting him and every other existence in lower dimensions, they would''ve been long gone.


    "And how long would that take? To restore your strength, I mean." He asked eventually.


    "Depends. If things go well, a few years. But, if things don''t go as intended, a few hundred years give or take."


    "A few hundred years?!" Talon blurted out in shock.


    "Yes, it''s not easy to recover from heaving injuries like the one I have. But, with your help, I might be able to recover in a shorter time than I ever expected. You seem to enjoy breaking my expectations, after all." Acrypha smiled with her eyes closed.


    "Hmm, is that so?" Talon hummed quietly as he looked ahead again.


    Then, the two remained silent for a while longer before Talon opened his mouth again. "By the way, Acrypha."


    "Mhm."


    "Do you have a family?" He asked.


    His question came rather abruptly and out of nowhere which made Acrypha open her eyes and look at him.


    "And where did that questione from?" She asked casually.


    "Uh, just curious. You never told me anything about your past, so I just thought I could ask." Talon exined. "You don''t have to answer if I''m prying too much."


    However, Acrypha shook her head. "No, it''s fine. I don''t mind talking about it. You can ask me anything and if I can''t answer something, I will tell you." Then, she turned her head to stare at the rain dropping around them. "Well, the short answer to that question is yes, I did have a family."


    "You did?" Talon squinted. "So, they aren''t alive anymore?"


    "No, not really. Hmm, how should I exin this¡­ Let''s say, they''re alive and dead at the same time. And yes, I know it sounds confusing. But that''s the only way I can exin it to you without making your brain explode with information." She said.


    "Alive and dead? How¡­ Not very much, I don''t want to know. So, I guess your goal is to help them?" He asked.


    "No, they don''t need my help nor do I wanna help them." She replied in a rather cold tone.


    Acrypha couldn''t hide some hatred from leaking through her tough front and Talon felt it clearly.


    ''I guess her rtionship with them isn''t as simple as familial love.'' He thought to himself.


    "Hmm, then¡­ Do you have a lover? Or did you use to have a lover? Maybe a husband?" He asked after thinking for a second.


    His question made Acrypha''s cold expression vanish in an instant as she looked at him. A small smirk started slowly forming on her gorgeous face.


    "And why is that important now?" She asked, teasingly. "Are you perhaps trying to give it a chance?"


    Talon smiled back as he lifted his hands. "You got me. I was intending to confess my endless love to you right here and now. A rainy weather, we are alone, it''s the perfect ce for a romantic confession, no?" He replied with a joking tone.


    "Hahaha, indeed, you chose the right ce."


    The twoughed for a while before Acrypha finally exhaled. "Jokes aside, though. The answer is no, I never had a lover and was never interested in romance in the first ce."


    "Oh, is that so?"


    "Mainly because I was too busy with other things and also, I never thought I would ever find a good partner." She exined.


    "I feel you." Talon sighed. "Finding someone who can understand you is a hassle. It''s like trying to find a needle in a haystack."


    "So you never had a lover before?" Acrypha asked curiously.


    "I did actually. But, it was years ago and it didn''t work out well so we separated and went our own paths."


    "Why is that?"


    "Hmm, I guess it was simply that our goals didn''t align and we knew that keeping this up would only do us more harm than good, so we just broke up. Though, I never regretted any of that."


    Even though it was a short period of time, Talon only had pleasant memories from that time. There weren''t any lingering feelings, but if he met her again, he wouldn''t mind befriending her.


    ''I wonder if she''s still alive today, though.'' He thought to himself.


    "Mr. Charming is really amazing, isn''t he? You''re truly adies'' man."


    "Spare me, please. I''m really bad when ites to such stuff. You''re the first woman I properly talked with in years. Then, there is Hyun-Jae too. So, in total, I only know two." He sighed in exhaustion.


    ''I''m so bad at this and I probably won''t get any better soon.''


    Meanwhile, Acrypha looked at him with a silent smile. Knowing that he wasn''t aware of what kind of effect he had made it even more amusing.


    ''Well, it''s good that way.'' She thought to herself. For some reason, she felt rather at ease knowing that he wasn''t interested in romance either.


    As they were like that, Talon''s ears suddenly picked on a small noiseing from the distance.


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 103: Chapter 103- Rain Walkers

    The sound was very faint and extremely hard to hear. Especially with the sound of the rain mixed in, even Talon didn''t hear it until a few seconds before.


    Looking away from Acrypha, his hand slowly moved to his spear as he squinted his eyes. He couldn''t see anything out of the ordinary in front of him. The world was as quiet as it was before.


    However, the difference this time was that Talon''s senses picked up on something. It was a very faint feeling, but he was certain of it¡­ Something was looking at him.


    Slowly, he stood up as he picked up his spear and the umbre before he approached the edge and looked around him silently, searching for anything that could be considered abnormal.


    ''I felt it, something had moved around this ce, it wasn''t a coincidence.'' He thought to himself.


    If there was one thing Talon trusted more than anything else, it was his senses. They were one of the main reasons why he was still alive to that day and they didn''t let him down most of the time so if they told him to be alert, then he was going to do exactly that.


    Taking a step over the edge, Talon descended down to the ground as hended quietly. Acrypha followed him silently. Down on the ground, he couldn''t see anything weird either.


    The rain had grown extremely violent so the scenery wasn''t particrly visible. Still, he waited patiently.


    "Hmm¡­" Talon stood there for a while waiting for anything. "Was I imagining things?" He murmured to himself.


    ''I swear I heard it clearly though.''


    Sighing to himself, Talon turned around and started walking back to where he was before. However, at that exact moment, something suddenly moved at incredible speed as it closed the distance between them. The sound of water sshing ever-so-slightly echoed in the vicinity.


    When it was close enough, it swung its ws down, aiming for Talon''s open back. It was a guaranteed hit.


    But, before the monster could even celebrate, its body suddenly halted at thest split second. Then, slowly, its head started sliding off its shoulders before it dropped to the ground, dead.


    [Ding!]


    [You have killed level 16 Rain Walker.]


    "Did you really think I wouldn''t notice that, idiot? You were louder than my rm in the morning." Talon turned around and said coldly.


    Staring down at the dead monster, he was surprised to see its appearance for the first time. It was a rather short creature with a very hideous appearance like that of a goblin. Its pointy ears and distorted teeth made it look even more terrifying.


    However, its most ring feature by far was its skin. Because of its weird grey color, the monster''s skin blended very well with the world around him. Especially with the rain, it seemed almost invisible.


    ''So that''s why I couldn''t see it. Though, it probably used some kind of ability to vanish from sight.'' He thought to himself as he swung his spear to the side, getting rid of all the blood that umted on it.


    "Did ite here alone?" He asked as he turned around to look for any other creatures lurking.


    The moment his sentence ended, he felt a chill run down his spine. A few auras suddenly appeared out of nowhere within his range. Talon couldn''t exactly pinpoint the number but he was certain they were more than 5.


    Before even reacting to it, Talon''s body suddenly bent back. A split secondter, he felt a small gush of air hit his face along with the sharp sound of something slicing through the air at top speed.


    ''Damn.'' With a nk expression, Talon quickly moved again as he felt two new auras attacking him from behind and to his left side. Using his spear, Talon swung it to the side with full strength, sending a strong gush of air that blew one of the monsters away before he kicked with his leg, sending the third one flying back.


    His body didn''t need him to react for it to move so the entire time, Talon was still not fullyprehending the situation.


    [Ding!]


    [You have killed a level 15 Rain Walker.]


    [Ding!]


    [You have killed a level 17 Rain Walker.]


    "Damn, these things are really nimble and stealthy." He murmured as he took a fighting stance and looked around him sharply.


    The situation wasn''t extremely threatening by any means since these monsters were far weaker than him. But, that didn''t mean that Talon could rx as their attacks could very much injure him.


    ''The other two aren''t attacking yet.'' He thought to himself.


    Looking around him in silence, he waited. But, nothing happened. He wondered if they ran away or perhaps didn''t want to fight him anymore. So, he sat there and waited for a few seconds.


    "Why aren''t they attacking m-" Suddenly, Talon''s eyes widened as they quickly moved back to the gymnasium. That''s when everything instantly clicked.


    ''Shit! I wasn''t their target in the first ce!'' Realizing the huge blunder he made, Talon dashed back to the gymnasium as fast as he could.


    The entire time, the monsters weren''t targeting him but instead were targeting the actual weak part of the group, the rest of the students. The few that came to Talon were simply a decoy. It was a rather simple trick but when the situation was this tense, Talon couldn''t see through it as fast as he should''ve.


    Reaching the gymnasium in a few seconds, he noticed a stain of blood at the entrance, next to the lying corpse of one of the students.


    Frowning hard when he saw it, Talon clenched his teeth as he rushed inside. The ce was naturally in chaos. Students were running around, trying to find their weapons and escape the clutches of the monsters. There were a huge number of them. Around 40 or even 50.


    Since the inside wasn''t rainy, the monsters could be seen. But, no one could fight them head-on because of their extremely high level. Students fell to the ground in terror as they watched the monsters rampage.


    At the same time, Hyun-Jae had just reached the scene when she heard the ruckus and quickly pulled her sword out.


    "Don''t stand there, grab your weapons! We''re getting attacked!" She yelled powerfully, sending a chill down the students'' spines.


    Meanwhile, Talon had already reached the first monster and sliced it down, severing its head with ease before he turned around and cut another one at top speed.


    Then, he quickly dashed toward the closest one and stabbed it in the heart. His eyes wandered around as he pinpointed the location of all his targets. Then, he filtered out the ones that weren''t killing any students and only focused on the rest.


    To this point, Talon could see a few dead students on the ground which made him even angrier. Using all his strength and speed, he appeared like a blur as he moved around, cutting down monsters before they even realized he was there.


    In a matter of seconds, he killed over 20 of them without breaking a sweat. At the same time, Talon had already summoned his Aetheris de.


    At their current level, he knew that the Aetheris des couldn''t kill those monsters. But, he didn''t need them to kill.


    "Please! Please don''t kill me!! AGHHH!!" One of the students was cornered by a Rain Walker and he fell to the ground, screaming. Tears welled up in his eyes as he saw the ws approaching.


    The monster stared at him menacingly as it was about to swing its ws. However, at that moment, a de shed through the air and shed with the monster.


    "Graaaa!!!!" The creature growled as it found its ws being stopped by a flying de.


    Quickly, it tried to attack with the other hand, only for the de to spin around and push the monster back.


    "Graaaa!!!"


    As it tried to attack again, the monster suddenly felt a cold gush of wind. Looking down slowly, its vision suddenly started tilting to the side before it fell to the ground dead.


    ''Good, the des can handle these things for a few seconds.'' Talon thought to himself as he moved to his next target.


    In less than a second, Talon found a way to hinder the monsters without the need to reach them instantly. Even with his enormous speed, Talon couldn''t be everywhere at the same time. So, the Aetheris des worked perfectly to buy him time.


    Meanwhile, Hyun-Jae was also fighting the Rain Walkers. Though her level was 18, she took a few seconds longer than Talon to kill one of them so her progress wasn''t as fast.


    For the next 30 seconds or so, Talonpletely destroyed the entire army of monsters. Even the Rain Walkers realized the terror that ensued on them and started running around instead of attacking the students.


    The fear of death had taken over their instincts and made them forget their orders. Without uttering a single word, Talon had instilled a fear so deep into their hearts that they couldn''t even fathom it themselves.


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 104: Chapter 104- War And Goals

    As bad as the situation was at the start, with Talon''s strength, hepletely shifted the bnce of power in that ce. The terrifying Rain Walkers that were there to shed the blood of students suddenly became unable to even defend themselves against this raging monster.


    One second, one of them is still alive and the next second, they''re gone. None of them were spared from the terrifying sharp de of this human.


    The number of Rain Walkers quickly depleted till only a few were left. Those few were cornered by Talon as hepletely cut off any possible route of escape for them.


    Staring coldly at the terrified monsters in front of him, Talon felt his anger soar. These nasty things have killed multiple students when he was absent and it obviously didn''t sit well with him. These students were his group and while he didn''t know each one of them individually, seeing their lives being stolen in such a way was something he couldn''t ignore.


    He felt his heart boiling with anger and he knew that simply murdering thesest few of them wasn''t going to cut it. So, he came up with another idea, a more twisted one.


    *Snap*


    Snapping his finger, a small, azure me formed in his hand, illuminating the dark ce even more. When the monsters saw the me, they cowered back even more. Their instincts told them that the me wasn''t normal at all.


    "I will make sure to send you to hell in the most painful way possible." He said coldly. "You will never rest easy knowing you shed the souls of innocent people."


    After that, Talon aimed his hand at the monsters and left the fire to fly toward them slowly. the monsters'' screeches echoed in the building as they looked at the Azure me approaching.


    The feeling of its heat hit their skin and made them cry from pain. However, the real pain didn''te yet.


    The Azure me took a few seconds to reach them. Upon contact, the size of the mes increased exponentially as they spread over the body of one of the monsters. What followed after was the most spine-chilling cries Talon had ever heard. The inhumane sounds of a creature getting burnt alive by these mes echoed in the vicinity.


    It sounded cursed, unbelievably so. The Rain Walker squirmed around as it fought the mes. However, that only made things worse not only for it but for the rest of the Rain Walkers. In a matter of seconds, the mes spread to the other monsters.


    Meanwhile, Talon watched coldly as they burnt alive. Seeing their skin getting cooked and their bodies getting tortured made him feel a little better.


    Seconds passed as the sounds of these monsters started dying down and their bodies slowly disintegrated. Unlike normal mes, the Azure mes were eating thempletely, not even leaving ashes behind like a gluttonous monster. No bad smell came out of their burning corpses either.


    As he was like that, Talon received a notification.


    [Ding!]


    [You have killed 4 Rain Walkers using Azure mes. +2 Strength, +2 Stamina.]


    "What?" Talon raised an eyebrow when he saw the notification. "Why did I get stats from killing them?"


    This was a first for Talon. He thought with how high his level was, there was no way for him to actually gain any power from killing these creatures. It was also what Acrypha told him.


    "Hmm¡­" Acrypha grabbed his hand and looked at the information. "Yeah, that''s expected." She said.


    "What? How is that expected?"


    "Because you killed them with the Azure me, you have not only destroyed their bodies but alsopletely destroyed their souls. Doing that gives you bonus points more often than not." She exined.


    "Woah, really? That''s convenient." Talon nodded his head thoughtfully. "I should start finishing off monsters with the Azure me from now on."


    Then, he turned around, only to see Hyun-Jae approaching him in a hurry.


    "Are you ok?" She asked worriedly as she scanned his body with her eyes.


    "Yeah, I''m fine. What about you?" Talon replied.


    Seeing that he was unscathed, she exhaled a small breath of relief. Then, she looked behind her. "I''m fine. But¡­ What were those things? I didn''t even see them or feel their presence till they infiltrated the ce."


    "I don''t know myself. I was also ambushed out of nowhere outside."


    Hyun-Jae nodded her head faintly as she watched the students silently. They were still in deep shock at what happened. Some were able to at least help the injured to stand up while others just stood there, in a daze.


    Watching that scene made Hyun-Jae frown even harder. Even though they were able to get rid of the monsters, the damage has been done. The students were hit with an unexpected attack that instilled fear in their hearts.


    Seeing their fellow students on the ground can crush their morals with ease. Especially in such a delicate situation, their enemy knew very well what they were doing.


    ''She was never going for kills. She wanted to crush everyone before the true battle.'' Hyun-Jae clenched her teeth as she realized the true intentions of the enemy.


    "How many died?" Talon''s voice broke her train of thought and made her turn around.


    "I¡­ I think 5 students¡­" She replied in a quiet tone.


    ''Five¡­'' Talon mused. It wasn''t a big number by any means. But, these were still human beings, people that did nothing wrong and yet met their end in such a brutal way. It was painful to see it.


    Inhaling and exhaling to calm himself down, he said. "We can''t remain quiet like this or she will continue toying with us."


    ''She doesn''t mind sending a few monsters to their death if it meant crushing her enemy''s morals before the fight. On the other hand, we can''t do that¡­''


    "What should we even do at this point? The weather is extremely bad and we can''t move now. We can''t retaliate either until there is actually a clear path to the forest." Hyun-Jae replied.


    Unlike them, the mysterious girl had nothing to lose if she sent a few monsters to die fulfilling her goal. After all, they were simply monsters and not actual people. On the other hand, Talon and Hyun-Jae had moral boundaries they couldn''t cross even if they wanted to.


    "Give me a moment to think," Talon replied as he rubbed his temples.


    ''There has to be something I can do. Think!''


    The situation kept deteriorating quickly and he couldn''t find a single way to make it any better. He felt as if his enemy was always one step ahead of him no matter what he did. It didn''t sit well with him to be on the receiving end the entire time.


    However, that didn''t mean that he could really do anything at the current time except fix whatever he could fix and get the students ready for the battle as much as he could. It wasn''t optimal, but with theck of other options, it was the only thing he coulde up with.


    "Tsk¡­" Clicking his tongue, Talon shook his head. His aura slowly rose from his body as he felt his anger rise higher and higher.


    Calling what he was feeling at that moment ''anger'' was an understatement. In his entire life, Talon had never felt this pissed off ever.


    ''I will definitely make you regret all of this. I''m going to pay you tenfold for everything.'' A weird glint shed through his eyes for a split second.


    If his enemy wants war, then so be it.


    ***


    Meanwhile, outside. A silhouette stood on top of a huge building as she watched the scene in the far distance.


    Her eyes shone with a bright blue color akin to two magical orbs. Very cold yet also mysterious, she watched the gymnasium silently for a long while.


    Rain fell on her body but somehow, she didn''t seem like she was getting wet by the endless torrent.


    "That should be enough¡­" She murmured as closed her eyes for a second as if she was taking in the scenery.


    Then, she opened her eyes again and stared up at the pulsating gate. The magnificent scene of that giant behemoth floating in the air was mesmerizing and terrifying at the same time.


    "I wonder how long before I can get to you¡­ 10¡­ 15 years?" She asked as if she was talking to someone. However, since no one was there, she didn''t get an answer.


    In the end, she simply turned around and started walking back to the exit. "The n is officially in motion now¡­ I can''t stop¡­ Even if I wanted to." The door closed behind her as she went back inside the building.


    Her words dissipated into the atmosphere, unheard by anyone, and yet carried a deeper meaning than what many wouldprehend.


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 105: Chapter 105- Lesson

    *RUMBLE*


    The sky shook powerfully as a lightning strike hit the ground, leaving behind a burnt mark akin to the remains of a dying fire.


    In the past hour or so, the weather grew more and more violent and the rain flooded all the streets of Seoul. Buildings were filled with water and started copsing and whatever remained intact was swept away by the water.


    The only safe ces remaining in the city were the high-ground areas since water didn''t reach that level. Luckily, the campus belonged to those areas so the gymnasium was fairly safe from the rain.


    Talon and Hyun-Jae spent the entire remainder of the night helping the injured students. Luckily, apart from the casualties, the injuries the students sustained were rather minimal. As for the dead ones, they could only cover them with nkets and leave them alone for others to mourn their loss. They couldn''t bury them because of the weather.


    Talon stood in front of the few crying students who sat near the dead bodies. Some were friends of the deceased, others were their peers back when things were still normal, and one single person¡­ Just one single person lost his big brother.


    Staring at the silent student near his brother''s corpse, Talon''s expression changed subtly. Out of everyone there, he was the only one not crying. He didn''t even seem like he was fighting the urge to cry.


    However, the entire time, he had his brother''s hand grabbed tightly, holding onto him. For some reason, the scene hit Talon far harder than the other ones even though he was already affected.


    "Talon?" Hyun-Jae noticed the change in his aura and looked at him.


    Thetter didn''t reply and instead approached the student till he was right behind him.


    The young man didn''t notice at first until Talon''s shadow loomed over him. Turning around confusedly, he flinched when he saw Talon behind.


    "S-Sir!" He eximed as he tried to stand up. However, Talon stopped him and made him sit down again.


    Talon then crouched down and looked at the dead corpse lying in front of him.


    "What was his name?" He asked.


    The student blinked in confusion before he looked down at his brother. "Ryung¡­ Sam Ryung." He replied.


    Talon nodded his head faintly in a daze. "... Sorry for your loss¡­" He murmured quietly to the student.


    The young man''s face didn''t change the entire time as he kept staring at his brother. "He was myst family member¡­"


    Hearing that, Talon''s eyes widened slightly as he looked up. Just hearing those words made his heart sink. "Thest one?"


    The student nodded his head quietly before he inhaled. "My parents died a few years ago and we were a family of four."


    Talon: "..."


    Talon found himselfpletely speechless at what he heard. Just imagining what the young man in front of him was feeling at that moment made his heart grow colder. Forget about losing his entire family, if Talon lost even a single family member, he would bepletely broken by it.


    The only thing he truly cherished in this world was his family so if he lost them, then there was really nothing worth living for anymore.


    But, what shocked him even more than that, was how calm and collected the male student was. He could clearly see that he was devastated by the loss, but he didn''t let it show in his demeanor at all.


    "How are you this calm?" He decided to ask, as curiosity really killed him. "He was yourst family member, wasn''t he?"


    "I won''t cry¡­ Not yet." The student shook his head. "My brother''s life was taken so cruelly. I won''t¡­ Until I make sure the one responsible pays back for it¡­ I won''t cry¡­" Clenching his teeth slightly, the student put his fist on top of his brother''s chest.


    "I have to make sure that his soul rests peacefully first."


    Talon gazed at the student silently, unable to find any words to speak. Something about this young man''s words made his thoughts halt. This kind of strength was something that he found admirable.


    He didn''t know this student before, but now, he had a deep respect for him. If anything, he himself could learn a thing or two from him.


    In the end, he silently stood up again and turned around. "Don''t worry¡­" He said as he started walking away. "I won''t let his death be for naught."


    ***


    With that, the night eventually came to an end and everyone stayed awake. With everything that happened, nobody could really find the desire to sleep again. Today was the day they were going to finally leave the gymnasium and head north, to the research center.


    It was going to be a brutal battle, one that many would probably die in it. But, it was still the only step they needed to take toward finding peace. In this apocalyptic world, what was previously a basic luxury became something rare.


    Things like a house, a shower, or even a kitchen or a fridge. They were all things that became a luxury so hard to find. So, to get back what they wanted, they had to fight.


    *Whistle*


    After an entire night of rain, the intensity of the flood was finally reduced by dawn. The rain was still pouring relentlessly, but it wasn''t as brutal as before which was good news.


    Standing outside silently, Talon assessed the condition of the roads and the damage done byst night''s storm. Luckily, the roads weren''t heavily affected, the students could still use them to move to their next target. The second thing he checked was the gate. Its pulses were still audible and louder than before.


    ''It doesn''t seem like it''s going to start anytime soon¡­ We should have some time.'' He thought to himself as he exhaled a cloud of smoke due to the cold weather.


    As he was like that, he heard footsteps approaching him.


    "Everyone is prepared and waiting inside," Hyun-Jae said as she tapped Talon''s shoulder.


    "Mm? Yeah, I''ming." He replied with a dazed look on his face. His eyes were fixated on the horizon. The usual beautiful sunrise was nowhere to be seen that day.


    The girl looked at him silently for a while. "It''s unusual of you to be out of it like this." She said in a casual tone.


    Talon gave her a side nce for a moment before he turned around again. "No, I''m just thinking about how many monsters I''m going to kill today. I''m aiming to break my personal record." He replied.


    Hyun-Jae chuckled slightly as she pushed him slightly. "You really worried me for a second there."


    Talon smiled slightly at her before he said. "When the n gets into motion¡­ Be careful, Hyun-Jae. No matter what happens, don''t put your life in danger. Even if you see me getting killed or at a disadvantage."


    "Where did thate from all of a sudden?" She asked.


    "Just saying it in case things go south which is something I highly doubt. I''m not going there to get defeated." He replied. "Can you promise me that?"


    Talon still remembers how Hyun-Jae had tried to save him when he was thrown into the middle of the monster horde a week ago. While it warmed his heart to know that she was ready to do anything to save him, he didn''t want her to lose her life because of him.


    In a sense, it was the same as when Acrypha tried to defend him against a Dimension Walker a while ago.


    ''Now that I think about it¡­ Acrypha and Hyun-Jae are really simr in many ways. What a weird coincidence.'' He mused as he looked at Hyun-Jae and then at the floating beauty near him.


    He could see a lot of things they shared especially when ites to certain character traits. Both are extremely clever, serious, and mature. Both have stoic personalities but can be soft and warm to people they''re close to and both are ready to sacrifice their lives if it meant saving people they love.


    "I can''t promise you that. In the spur of the moment, I don''t know what I would do. But, I will try to focus on the mission as much as I can. On the other hand, you shouldn''t throw your life away just to fulfill the n. Even if it fails, just try to escape, as long as we''re alive, there is always a second chance."


    "... I wasn''t intending to put my life in dan-"


    Before he could even finish the sentence, he felt a cold re poring at his face which made him change what he was about to say. "... Not. Ok, I promise I won''t be too reckless! If I see a 0% chance of sess, I will think of fleeing."


    "Good¡­" Hyun-Jae murmured suspiciously. She wasn''t totally convinced by what he said considering his past record. But, she decided to be satisfied with his promise. There wasn''t time to keep warning him anyway.


    Turning around, she walked back to the entrance. "Come on, it''s time." She said.


    Talon nodded his head and walked after her, when he reached the gate he turned around and nced at the horizon onest time.


    Even though the sky was still grey, Talon caught a glimpse of a small hole in the clouds, from which, one single strand of light passed and reached him. For a second, he looked at it before he turned around and entered the building.


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 106: Chapter 106- March And Lure

    "OK, everyone, listen here." A loud voice echoed in the vast gymnasium, catching everyone''s attention.


    Talon stood on the stage staring at the students. Everyone was holding a weapon and some had armor made out of monster hides on their bodies. They looked far closer to a medieval army than to a group of university students.


    Even their auras were far different than before. Now, each one of them had the presence of a warrior rather than a normal person. Their eyes stared seriously at Talon.


    "The n is in and simple, we''re going to go that ce and wipe it out of monsters. Inside the research center is the key for us to contact the world. If we can reach it, we might be able to talk to other survivors or even our own families. Who wants that?" Talon asked as he raised his hand.


    Immediately, all the students lifted their hands too in agreement. Most of them were people who came from other cities and viges to study in the city and make their families proud. They all had some kind of strong bond with their loved ones and so their hope to see them again was as high as ever.


    Talon wanted to y on that note because that''s also his reason for doing all of this.


    "We''ve struggled, fought hard, faced death, and emerged victorious. Each one of you grew on your own and improved day in and day out just for this exact moment. What was the point of all of that hard work if we don''t make sure to end with a huge victory!"


    The students looked at each other and nodded in agreement. They had grown far stronger than before and went through one rollercoaster after the other. Now, the true moment for them to shine has finally arrived.


    "Let''s finish this!"


    "Yeah! We''re going to stomp on those nasty things!!"


    "I''m not backing down! Even if I die!"


    Such shouts could be heard from the students and it made Talon nod with a satisfied look on his face.


    "Time to put an end to all of this, boys¡­ Once and for all!"


    "AAAAAH!!"


    The students yelled in union before Talon turned around. "Off we go!"


    Immediately, the students started marching toward the exit in an organized manner. There wasn''t any disorder amongst their lines nor panic. Fear was still instilled in their heart, but even more than fear, they had endless determination¡­ Something that their enemy perhaps never expected.


    Slowly, the students left the gymnasium and stood outside. The cold weather hit them hard, but, it wasn''t dangerously bad so they were able to easily ovee it. As for the rain, most of them wore thick monster hides that covered their bodies from getting wet.


    "March!" Talon said as he stood atop a huge boulder as he gave them the orders.


    The students immediately followed his words and with that, hundreds of people started their march toward the research center. The wind blew at their faces and the rain poured down on them relentlessly, but, they didn''t stop for even a second. The sound of their steps echoed in the vicinity, imposing as ever.


    Meanwhile, Talon and Hyun-Jae moved to the side of the group to keep an eye out for any possible ambushes. Since they knew what the enemy was capable of, they couldn''t just ignore the possibility of another sneak attack.


    But, for better or worse, nothing of that sort happened. Minutes passed as the group walked to their destination. Some monsters appeared in sight across their journey which were easily dealt with by the students. Other than that, it was as quiet as it could be.


    At some point, The scenery started shifting slowly. For instance, the number of buildings around thempletely diminished and greenery became more frequent. Grassy areas and small gardens started appearing around them. Granted, all of them were ruined after the continuous disasters that hit the world, but it was still a good change of scenery for the students.


    At the same time, on the horizon, a beautiful, thick forest appeared in sight. Its huge trees stood tall and imposing as they loomed over the world. Around this forest, monsters moved chaotically as they went in and out.


    Their growls could be heard with ease even through the rain. Immediately, the tension amidst the students'' lines grew and their heart rate increased.


    "It''s time¡­" Talon murmured as he stared at the thick forest and then at Hyun-Jae. "Are you ready, Hyun-Jae?" He asked her.


    "Is that even a question? I''m more than ready." She replied confidently.


    The young man smiled when he saw her confidence as he finally turned around. "Ok, I''m leaving then." As Talon was about to descend, he heard Hyun-Jae calling his name.


    "Talon¡­"


    "Hm?"


    "You bettere back to me in one piece." She said after a moment of thought.


    Talon blinked confusedly before he smiled. "I will."


    After that, he jumped down and quickly vanished somewhere as if he was never there. Hyun-Jae''s eyes lingered on thest spot she saw him in before she shook her head.


    Then, her vision moved to the monsters ahead of them. The creatures seemed to notice them too and they started growing wary.


    Jumping down, Hyun-Jae stood in front of the group as she looked at them. "Get your weapons ready!"


    "Graa!!!"


    The monsters growled loudly as they finally realized what was happening and immediately, tens of them left the forest and rushed toward the survivors. The sound of their steps shook the entire ce.


    "Long-range, get ready!" Hyun-Jae lifted her hand and gave the backlines the signal to aim their weapons.


    Unaware of it, the monsters closed the distance between them. Their bestial hunger could be felt even from the students'' positions.


    What was initially a few kilometers of distance was immediately shortened to one or two kilometers.


    "Hold¡­" Hyun-Jae didn''t move her hand the entire time as she watched the monsters. She kept herposure the entire time and didn''t let the pressure get into her head. She trusted the n more than anything.


    "Hold¡­"


    "P-President¡­" Go Young-Soon called her name as he looked at the horde of monsters approaching. The distance between them was now less than 1000 meters.


    "Hold¡­" She said as she focused on the monsters.


    The tension grew even higher as the students gripped their weapons tightly. Each passing second felt like an eternity of waiting. Their hearts beat loudly in their chests and their breathing became erratic.


    *BADUMP*


    "Now!" Suddenly, Hyun-Jae yelled as she moved her hand.


    At the same time, a rain of arrows and bullets flew from the backlines toward the iing enemies.


    *Swish*


    The rain of projectiles fell on the targets, covering thempletely. What followed after was the disgusting shrieks of pain of dying monsters that were pierced by the arrows mercilessly.


    Blood sttered everywhere as dead creatures fell to the ground. In one fell swoop, a few dozen monsters died. But, it was far from over as the next second, even more monsters reced them and rushed toward the students with endless hunger.


    "Now!" Hyun-Jae gave the second sign and another wave of projectiles flew in the air, hitting the monsters and killing a good number of them. The third wave was the same. In a matter of seconds, over a hundred monsters died.


    However, even after killing that huge number, what was left looked extremely terrifying. Not only did their number not reduce, but it felt as if they increased.


    "The first line! Hold your shields!"


    "AAAH!!" The students yelled as they held their positions firmly.


    A few secondster, the monsters reached them and they smashed into the first line of the army.


    The hit was extremely violent like a raging tsunami. But, with sheer determination, the students held their positions as they pushed the monsters back. The violent attack felt like a crushing boulder.


    "Hnnng! So¡­ Heavy!!"


    "They''re¡­ relentless!"


    The monsters attacked the shields with endless vigor, wanting to break their way through with pure force.


    "Don''t retreat! Hold on!" Hyun-Jae yelled as she gave a secret signal before she pulled her sword out.


    *SIZZLE*


    Lightning coursed through her body and into her sword. Her eyes turned a degree colder and her aura exploded before she dashed between the lines of the students, emerging at the front.


    *Swish*


    With a shing move, a huge lightning bolt exited her sword and exploded amidst the horde of monsters.


    "Keep the first line intact! If they break through, it will be a huge problem!" She yelled as she sliced a monster''s head off with ease before she kicked another one back.


    "GRAAAAA!!!"


    The monsters, unaware of anything, continued their rampage. They shed, smashed, and did everything they could to break through the shields.


    ''Just a few more seconds.'' Hyun-Jae thought to herself as she continued cutting down monsters she moved back and forth between the lines to avoid being targeted by the enemy.


    Her goal was to cut down the pressure on the first line till something important happened. Unbeknownst to all the monsters, her n was in motion the entire time.


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 107: Chapter 107- (Title at the end of the chapter)

    "In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity."


    A quote that Hyun-Jae read before in a book when she was young and stayed engraved in her mind her entire life. Something about the quote felt very profound and mysterious. Perhaps it''s the contradicting nature of the quote itself that made it seem nonsensical or perhaps it was theck of further exnation.


    But, when she thought about it carefully, she could onlye to believe that it was true. While chaos is most of the time linked to everything bad, chaos can create opportunities a person would never expect.


    In fact, chaos itself could be an opportunity for someone to achieve their goals and that was what Hyun-Jae exactly decided to do.


    Her entire n was built on that quote from start to finish.


    *BOOOOOOM*


    The relentless attacks from the monsters continued like a raging tide. The students held their positions as much as they could under Hyun-Jae''s orders. They had been told about the n and they knew that if they continued at this rate, sess was but a certainty.


    Meanwhile, the leader herself was butchering all the monsters that stood in her path. Her extremely high speed, clever movement, and stealth made it impossible for the monsters to even catch a glimpse of her let alone attack her.


    All they could do was see corpses fall to the ground one after the other like insects. Notifications appeared and disappeared in Hyun-Jae''s retina as she felt the bonus points umte slowly.


    The more she fought, the stronger and faster she felt which made it even harder to trace her. It was a disaster for the monsters.


    However, even then, Hyun-Jae was still but a single person so she couldn''t be everywhere at the same time, so with their sheer number alone, the monsters slowly pushed the line of defense back.


    The more they were pushed back, the stronger the monsters'' rampage became. It was a brutal sh on all fronts, one that seemed like it was bound to be a loss.


    However, at that moment, something changed.


    "Attack!!" Hyun-Jae suddenly yelled loudly. Immediately, the line of defense suddenly pulled back in, taking the entire horde of monsters even deeper.


    Before the monsters could evenprehend what had happened, students attacked them from both sides at the same time.


    "AAAAAAAHHH!!" The survivors used that moment of chaos topletely infiltrate the horde as they attacked them.


    The sudden ambush happened so fast that by the time the monsters realized what happened, the students had already closed up on them. Meanwhile, thest line of the army moved to the other side and closed thest possible route of escape. In other words, it was aplete encirclement of the horde.


    In wars, all military generals would always try to get into this very position because in most cases, encircling the enemy meant victory.


    ''It worked!'' Hyun-Jae exhaled a small breath as she quickly rushed forward. There was still a lot of work to do.


    Even if they massacred the entire horde of monsters, there were still way more of them lurking in the forest waiting to attack at the right time.


    Meanwhile, inside the trap, a giant massacre ensued. The students attacked the monsters, brutally killing them one after the other. Blood and flesh sshed everywhere as dead corpses fell to the ground. The sight was horrifying to watch.


    In a matter of seconds, piles of dead bodies stacked like a hill. The bodies themselves were ruined beyond recognition by the relentless hits. Some students even kept slicing the dead monsters just to ruin their bodies.


    "Die! Die! Die!!"


    "Kill them all!!"


    All the hatred, anger, frustration, and whatever emotions the survivors bottled up this entire time came out in this battle. For the past few weeks, the only thing they could do was to fear and escape from these abominations. They didn''t have any way to fight back.


    They were weak, powerless, and inexperienced. They saw their friends and families die and yet they couldn''t do anything about it. All of that made their hatred toward these creatures rise to new heights. They didn''t care about blood or killing anymore, all they wanted was to get their revenge and that was exactly what they did.


    The more seconds passed, the more the massacre grew even worse. It reached a point where the monsters were so squeezed andpacted together that they couldn''t move at all. All they could do was watch as they died, one by one.


    At the same time, Hyun-Jae was supervising what was happening. She didn''t really care about the horrors that were ensuing in front of her. These were the same monsters that kept trying to take their lives away. They deserved all of this.


    ''Things are going well for now¡­'' She thought to herself as she looked up. The forest was still as quiet as ever with seemingly no trace of movement at all.


    She squinted her eyes suspiciously. Considering the current situation, she assumed that their enemy was going to do something. After all, it was clear that the survivors were cutting down huge numbers of monsters.


    "What is she nning? There is no way she would let this happen¡­"


    Still, no matter what their enemy was nning, they now had the advantage and Hyun-Jae was going to make sure to use that advantage to the fullest.


    ''This is far from over!''


    ***


    Meanwhile, a few kilometers away, Talon was moving quickly through the trees and buildings as he made sudden turns left and right. He could clearly hear the screeches of monsters and the yells of the survivors in the distance.


    "I hope the n is going well¡­" He murmured as he leaped in the air.


    His mission hasn''t started yet even though he left the group a few minutes ago and it won''t start till he gets the sign he is waiting for.


    Looking at his surroundings, Talon was now on the eastern side of the Research Centerpound.


    The forest was exactly 1 kilometer to his west and was within vision distance. The ce was very quiet and calm which was something that made Talon even more wary.


    "Hmm, this should be a good ce to hide." He murmured to himself as he found a good hiding spot in the bushes. Sitting down, Talon watched the forest quietly and waited.


    Now, the real test will start. He had to be extremely patient and know when to move so that he could take his enemy by surprise. But, that also meant that he couldn''t interfere in the battle no matter what was happening.


    He had to staypletely vanished from sight even if he was seeing his group losing. Because if his n worked, then their chances of victory were going to increase by leaps and bounds.


    "I rely on you, Hyun-Jae. You can definitely do it."


    ***


    Back at the battle, the numbers of the monsters have dwindled down to a mere few. What was at first a terrifying horde of abominations was rendered into butchered corpses lying down in a messy pile.


    The students were exhausted from all the killing and had to take a moment to catch their breaths. But, Hyun-Jae could see the satisfaction in their eyes as they looked at their doing. Weirdly enough, the massacre felt really good.


    It gave them a refreshing feeling after all the fear they had to go through every single day knowing that death could snatch their lives at any moment.


    "Don''t let your guard down! This is just the beginning!" She yelled, catching their attention. "Everyone, take your positions again. We''re going to enter the forest!" She ordered them strictly.


    Immediately, the students followed her orders and got back to their positions. Then, Hyun-Jae returned to the leading position and started moving toward the forest. For some reason, the more she looked at it, the more she felt a deep unease fill her heart.


    While she was upied, the forest felt as if it had gone through some kind of change all of a sudden.


    There was something off that she couldn''t put her hands on yet and she was sure that her hunch wasn''t just a coincidence.


    As the group grew closer and closer to the forest, Hyun-Jae''s expression changed slowly. Her hand gripped the sword even tighter till her knuckles turned white. Then, when they were about 100 meters away from the forest, she suddenly halted and gave a signal for all the students to stop.


    "P-President?"


    Hyun-Jae stood there inplete silence. No one could see her expression but they were certain that it wasn''t normal at all.


    What they weren''t aware of was the reason Hyun-Jae stopped in the first ce. The reason that made herpletely freeze in her ce.


    "Where¡­ are the monsters?"


    Chapter title: Where¡­ Are The Monsters?


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 108: Chapter 108- It Moves!

    No matter how much she looked around her, Hyun-Jae was enable to locate any monster in the vicinity. The ce was eerily quiet except for the sound of rain pouring down on her head.


    She was certain of it, the monsters had suddenly vanished from the forest as if they were never there in the first ce. But, the truth is, Hyun-Jae did see them a few minutes ago simply lurking around and waiting. Hell, she even counted how many of them were stronger than the students so that she could deal with them herself.


    With a rough estimate, there were easily over 600 monsters still inside that ce. So, even if Hyun-Jae was somehow not able to sense their presence, the idea that 600 creatures suddenly vanished like that was simply out of this world.


    Standing there, she tried toprehend what was happening. Her mind raced through possibilities like a sh and yet she couldn''t find a single way to exin what was happening now.


    ''This makes no sense! I saw them! I saw them all!'' She frowned hard. In the end, she could only conclude that this was the work of the mastermind they were facing.


    In one way or another, she must''ve made them vanish or ordered them to do somethingpletely different. But, that didn''t really matter at that moment as she was faced with an even more important decision.


    Should she proceed and enter the forest? Or wait outside based on the fact that it was most likely bait?


    The question, as simple as it sounded, was actually far harder than one would expect. The entire n Hyun-Jae and Talon built was based on the fact that they had to take whatever bait their enemy put for them just so that they could buy time and trick them at the same time.


    But, this sudden change made that idea sound even more dangerous. The possibility of death became a lot higher with the element of mystery added into the mix.


    ''Fuck¡­'' Running her hand through her hair, she turned around to the students. As the leader, she had no time to consider every option carefully, she had to act and act quickly. Talon was waiting, after all.


    "We will proceed inside the forest in 30 seconds. Scouts!" She said as she called for a particr group of students.


    Immediately, they stepped forward. These were the scouts team, a small group of survivors that had abilities rted to stealth, pathfinding, or both. They were a very useful group for basically every mission that included going out to explore.


    They helped reduce the threat and choose the best path for the entire trip every single time.


    "Clear a path for us to enter and inform me if there is anything abnormal happening. No matter how small it is." Hyun-Jae exined their role before she let them leave.


    After that, she walked back to Go Young-Soon. Even under such immense pressure, Hyun-Jae had to make sure of one single thing.


    "President!" Seeing his leader, Young-Soon greeted her respectfully.


    "Did anyone touch the monsters?" She asked.


    Young-Soon shook his head. "No, I made sure to assign a few students to keep an eye out for that and also, the shields helped keep the blood away from touching anyone." He exined.


    After what happened a few days ago with the parasites, Talon made sure to remind the students not to touch any monster, especially dead corpses unless they were wearing gloves or had some kind of protection.


    Which was why Hyun-Jae used the shields as the first line in the first confrontation. Not only did shields work as a way to stop and lure the monsters in, but they also had a secondary feature which was repelling the blood of the monsters away from everyone. It was a simple n, but a very effective one.


    "Keep an eye out for any abnormal behavior." She reminded him before she moved back to the first line and organized the students, checking the condition of some of the injured ones. Luckily, there weren''t any big losses from the first battle considering how massively sessful it was.


    What remained was to wait for the scouts toe back with the information needed for their advance.


    A few dozen seconds passed before Hyun-Jae finally noticed the silhouettes of the scoutsing back.


    "Prez! The path is clear! There aren''t any monsters in the area. It''spletely empty!" They reported back.


    ''So I wasn''t wrong¡­ The monsters did suddenly vanish. What is really going on here?'' Hyun-Jae exhaled a small breath as she felt her head spinning from all the confusion.


    "Prez?" Noticing the abnormal expression on her face, one of the scouts called her name.


    "Hm? Ah, thank you for your work. Get back in line. We''re going to advance."


    "Yes ma''am!!"


    With that, Hyun-Jae could only shake those thoughts away for now. She had already made the decision to trust that Talon would finish whatever he needed to do in the agreed-upon time. Her best bet at that moment was to believe that no matter what their enemy was nning, they couldn''t really execute it in a couple of minutes during which Talon would be making his move.


    ''I know he won''t let me down. He never did and never will.'' She thought to herself. The silhouette of a very familiar young man shed in her thoughts and made her worries ease a little.


    She had Talon on her side, why did she have to worry? If anything, their enemy had to worry because of it.


    "Advance!" Turning around, she calmly ordered the students before she took the lead and started walking into the forest.


    The entire army marched slowly into the thick trees. Using their weapons, they formed their way through the ce. At the same time, some students stepped ahead and started cutting down any trees that obstructed the path.


    Luckily, with their huge numbers, that process went really quickly and they were able to easily open big areas for the rest of the survivors to move through.


    Slowly, they marched, carefully keeping an eye on their surroundings. The forest was quiet, eerily so. The sound of feet stepping on the grass could be heard which created a very palpable tension amongst the group.


    ''It''s quiet¡­'' Hyun-Jae squinted as she looked around her.


    Her eyes scanned the ground, the trees, and everything else and she could pinpoint some details that picked her interest. For instance, she noticed that in many areas, the des of grass on the ground were broken and cut in a chaotic way. She could also see many footsteps of all sizes around the area.


    Which meant, that she wasn''t hallucinating when she saw those monsters lurking in the forest. They were there and then suddenly, they weren''t.


    "Halt!" She said as she signaled for the students to stop.


    Then, Hyun-Jae crouched down and touched the grass to see if she could trace any possible paths that these creatures could''ve taken to vanish like this.


    "Hm?" Humming in confusion, Hyun-Jae stared at the de of grass in her hand as she fiddled with it.


    At first, she was simply thinking of what was happening, but slowly, her attention shifted from the situation to the de of grass itself. Something about it caught her attention. Except for its appearance, it felt oddly different from a normal de of grass that Hyun-Jae knew about.


    Fidgeting with it, Hyun-Jae''s fingers snapped the de of grass by mistake. When that happened, she felt it. Something that she never expected to feel at all. Slowly, Hyun-Jae''s eyes widened to the extreme, staring at the snapped de of grass.


    It took her a second to register what just happened but when it did, her senses kicked in as she sprang to her feet and turned around.


    "Retreat! Now!!!" She yelled loudly.


    "What?"


    The students were confused by her sudden reaction. But, before they could even react to it, things started to shift.


    The ground beneath them started to shake and a loud rumbling sound echoed in the vicinity. The shaking was powerful, akin to that of an earthquake. Students started feeling the ground tilting under their feet as if it was rising in the air.


    "Move, move!!" Hyun-Jae rushed back as she channeled her Aetheris to the fullest. Her face looked extremely grave.


    Without waiting a moment, the survivors turned around and started moving to the exit of the forest as fast as they could.


    They didn''t understand what was happening and they didn''t have time to understand it as everything was suddenly copsing on them from both sides.


    Some fell to the ground as they started sliding down while others could barely hold on and move through the chaotic terrain.


    Meanwhile, Hyun-Jae passed like a sh through the lines of students as she helped every student who fell down. Her inhuman speed helped her achieve that. But, the entire time, her face was turning graver and graver.


    To her side, she could see an entire chunk of the forest rising up like a wall, and the same could be said for the opposite side. If she had to describe it, it looked as if the forest had suddenly turned into some kind of giant bear trap that was about to close up on them and tten them out. Or, a better way to describe it¡­


    ''A mouth! This goddamn forest is alive!!'' Hyun-Jae clenched her teeth tightly.


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 109: Chapter 109- Between a Rock And a Hard Place (Part 1)

    The forest shook powerfully, as dirt, broken trees, and all kinds of other things started sliding down to the middle. All the students who took that route to escape found themselves being hit by an avnche from both sides.


    Some of the unlucky ones were hit by broken tree trunks.


    "AAAGHHHH!! My leg!!"


    "WHAT IS HAPPENING?!!"


    Panic spread across the entire group as they realized the massive disaster happening. Nobody expected such an oue from entering this ce. They prepared themselves mentally and physically to fight actual monsters, not a moving forest!


    "Don''t panic and keep moving! We aren''t far away from the exit!" Hyun-Jae''s voice echoed through the entire ce, capturing the attention of the students. Her voice, as cold as it was, brought them a small glimpse of hope as they kept running.


    Meanwhile, still at thest line, Hyun-Jae went everywhere, helping any student she could help. She wasn''t intending to exit the forest the first one even if she could and the reason for that was simple.


    ''I need to buy Talon as much time as possible. I can''t let him down!'' She thought to herself as she used her sword to cut a way through the rising hills.


    Even under such an unexpected situation, Hyun-Jae''s priorities remained the same. She was buying as much time as possible for him. That was what they agreed upon. It was a promise she made that no matter what, she would fulfill her part.


    Like a sh, Hyun-Jae jumped through tree branches and from one side of the forest to the other in quick session. Her eyes followed the students as they exited the forest. She could see tens of them still stuck inside the forest and it made her frown even harder.


    Even if she wanted to, she couldn''t save them on her own. She wasn''t even sure if she could get out of there unscathed considering how far behind she was.


    ''I need to hinder this forest''s movements¡­'' Looking around her, Hyun-Jae tried to look for anything she could use.


    What made her discover that the forest was alive in the first ce was the de of grass. When she snapped it in two, she felt the Aetheris within the de of grass transfer to her which was something that happens only when she kills a living being¡­ Precisely, a creature that has Aetheris in it.


    As far as she was concerned, Hyun-Jae had never seen a nt imbued with Aetheris before so thest option left was that this de of grass was very simr to the rest of the monsters¡­ In other words, an enemy. What remained was a simple conclusion that the entire ce was the same.


    It also made perfect sense why the monsters vanished as if they were never there. It wasn''t because they ran away, but because of this living forest.


    ''Think, Hyun-Jae, think¡­ There has to be a way to it!''


    Even as she moved, she knew that time was ticking down at a rapid pace. At most, she had 80 seconds before the forest wouldpletely close and squash her to death. What she does in those 80 important seconds is going to determine the sess of the entire n.


    ***


    Meanwhile, far away to the east.


    "What¡­ the fuck¡­" Talon witnessed everything that ensued in shock. A few seconds ago, he saw the sign for him to start his move. But, the moment he stepped out of his hiding spot, the ce suddenly started shaking violently.


    For a moment, he thought that the expansion was about to start. But, that suspicion waspletely shattered when he witnessed the entire forest suddenly rise from the ground, leaving behind a giant crater beneath.


    "A living being¡­" Acrypha murmured as she looked at the scenery.


    "What?"


    "That forest is a living entity." She repeated.


    "How the¡­" Talon couldn''t even find the word to ask hispanion.


    "You don''t have time to ask questions. You need to move now! I can feel the humans being trapped in there."


    Clenching his teeth, Talon nodded his head and rushed toward his destination at top speed. In a matter of one second, he crossed a hundred meters, seemingly appearing like a sh to the naked eye.


    With 70 points in agility, increased to 90+ with the Boundless Breaker ss bonus, Talon had broken through the boundaries of what was possible for any human to ever do. The path he took was toward the northern east, taking a long detour around the forest.


    As he ran, his eyes kept staring at the continuously rising forest. He would be lying if he said that he wasn''t extremely worried about Hyun-Jae being in there. But, he knew that he needed to focus on the task and trust her.


    ''She will handle this situation, somehow. I need to reach my position as quickly as possible.''


    *Swish*


    With that, Talon vanished into the distance, leaving behind a cloud of dust on his path.


    ***


    "Help me!! Please help!! AGHHHH!" A student screamed for help as she found herself stuck between two tree trunks, slowly being crushed by their massive weight.


    Tears rolled down her eyes as she felt her bones cracking and her organs being crushed. The pain was unimaginable.


    Suddenly, she heard a ringing sound in her ears out of nowhere before the weight of the trunks suddenly vanished.


    "Can you stand up?" Hyun-Jae asked as she lifted the giant trunks and threw them to the side before she pulled the girl up.


    "Ugh!" The student squinted in pain as she felt her broken leg touch the ground.


    "Tsk, you! Carry her and move, now! You still have time!" She called for another student.


    "Y-Yes ma''am!!"


    "I''m stuck!!"


    Immediately, Hyun-Jae heard another scream for help behind her. Clenching her teeth, she rushed back to help. At this point, the entire forest was at a 100-degree angle on both sides and rapidly closing.


    Meanwhile, tens of students were still stuck, unable to move and there was only Hyun-Jae there. She feltpletely powerless as she tried to save as many as she could. As strong as she was, this was simply far above her level and it was frustrating.


    Even as she moved back and forth, barely dodging the debris raining down on her, she knew that she was only minimalizing the damage. People were going to die.


    "DAMN YOU!!" She cursed loudly as she sidestepped a falling branch and leaped in the air, crossing a big distance in one step.


    Her heart raced wildly and her thoughts felt chaotic. She had to continuously do small yet precise calctions of where, how, and when to move so that she didn''t end up being buried alive. Dirt covered her body and soiled her hair, but she didn''t care at all.


    "President!!" Reaching one of the survivors, Hyun-Jae found him stuck under piles of rock and dirt. Using her sword, she sliced through them before she tried to carry the remaining pile to free him.


    But, she underestimated how heavy it was. Even as she used all of her strength, the boulder, and the dirt barely moved. She estimated that the weight of the entire thing was at least 400 kilograms.


    "Hnnng¡­" Frowning hard, Hyun-Jae tried again, only to fail.


    ''So¡­ heavy¡­''


    Her fingers dug into the boulder, pressing into it. She felt her nails breaking from the sheer pressure. But, she ignored that and continued trying to lift it up.


    "Please¡­ president¡­" The student begged in tears as he tried to wiggle out. But, his legs werepletely crushed by the immense weight on top of him.


    ''Come¡­ on!! Move!!'' Hyun-Jae''s eyes turned even colder. But, even then, there was a limit to how much she could really do.


    With a rough estimate, Hyun-Jae had no more than 20 seconds left before the entire cepletely closed shut.


    Hyun-Jae was slowly losing hope of saving anyone else. The rest of the students were either too far away or were in a situation so dire that it would probably take minutes for her to save them.


    As she was like that, Hyun-Jae suddenly felt a presence appear behind her. Before she could even react, she felt the weight of the boulder reduce as it started moving faster than before. In less than a second, the weight was pushed to the side and the student was released.


    Hyun-Jae blinked in confusion as she turned around quickly.


    "I''m here, president!" Chin-Hwa said as he quickly picked up the student. "Let''s get out of here before the entire ce closes!" He said.


    "..." Hyun-Jae opened her mouth to say something but then shook her head. "You go first. I''m going to stop the forest!"


    "What?! How?" He asked.


    However, Hyun-Jae stood up and smiled coldly. "I have an idea."


    ***


    At the same time, inside the research center.


    "Oh lord¡­ What is happening outside?" One of the scientists tapped frantically on the table as he listened to the loud noisesing from the outside.


    His peers had the same terrified looks on their faces for many reasons. But, perhaps the biggest one was the fact that today was the deadline set by their abductor. They had to breach into the satellite and get her what she wanted.


    However, there was one small problem. Before they could fulfill that task¡­ The generators ran out of fuel.


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 110: Chapter 110- Between a Rock And a Hard Place (Part 2)

    It was already a known fact to them that the generators weren''t going tost that long even if the scientists worked as quickly as they could. What was even worse was the fact that even their abductor knew that.


    Yet, for some reason, she didn''t do anything to them in the past two days. In fact, after returning, she barely entered the room they were stuck in to give them some food and water. It dawned on them that she didn''t seem like she was interested in killing them and that made them even more terrified.


    After all, with what they saw, that woman didn''t strike them as the type to spare a human''s life even if they did nothing wrong.


    Now, they were still sitting inside theb, listening to all the rumbling, shaking, and destruction that was happening outside and yet they couldn''t take a glimpse of that.


    The tension was over the roof and no one could handle it as they kept shaking violently. They had no idea whether they were going to die or not.


    "I¡­ I can''t anymore¡­ This is too much!" Suddenly, one of them stood up. It was the female scientist. "I can''t handle waiting here any longer!" She eximed.


    "What? What are you even saying?"


    The other two looked at her in confusion.


    "Are we seriously going to sit here and wait for our deaths? How does that make any sense? That woman had her control over us for weeks and we couldn''t do as much as raise our voices. I''ve had enough!"


    "..." The other two scientists'' expressions changed upon hearing that. It was indeed true what she said, this was their prison and they had been inside of it the entire time. They even forgot what the light of the sun looks like anymore.


    "If we''re going to die anyway, we might as well try to escape! It''s better than not doing anything and waiting for her toe back and kill us!" She added with a shaky voice. Even she knew that what she was saying was a huge risk.


    But, the question was: what do they want more? Their freedom or their lives? Depending on the answer, it was technically easy to decide what they wanted to do.


    Looking at each other withplicated expressions, the scientists tried to find any courage within each other''s eyes. Just a speck of approval or willingness would probably make them do it.


    "She¡­ has a point." One of them said in a low, hesitant tone. "We already lost everything, what would change if we lost our lives too?"


    "..."


    As if it wasn''t already enough, hearing the sounds outside had given them a spark of hope that help could be waiting. After all, the entire past few weeks have been really quiet except for some asional instances.


    If they could just leave this building, then they could truly have a chance to survive.


    "Are you with me?" The woman asked.


    "..."


    For a few seconds, neither of the two spoke as they contemted everything and tried to find whether it was truly worth it or not. In the end, both of them had the same exact conclusion.


    "... I''m in." One of them said.


    "Me too. I had enough of this room. I just want to go home."


    In their eyes, a spark of hope ignited powerfully. Indeed, freedom was the greatest thing a human could possess, even more precious than their own lives.


    ***


    "President! What are you going to do?" Chin-Hwa asked as he picked up the injured student.


    "I''m going to stop this forest from closing up. Go ahead and leave, I will follow you shortly." She replied as she brandished her sword and dashed away before Chin-Hwa could even utter another word.


    Staring at her silhouette, he clenched his teeth and quickly turned around to run. As much as he was worried, he didn''t even entertain the thought of running after Hyun-Jae and simply stuck to what she wanted him to do.


    "Please be safe, president¡­" He murmured as he quickly rushed back to the exit as fast as he could.


    At the same time, Hyun-Jae continued going deeper and deeper into the forest as fast as she could. With a brief calction, she estimated that she had around 30 seconds before the entire forest fully closed and she got trapped in there.


    What she didn''t tell Chin-Hwa was that she never had any intention of trying to escape. After all, her idea required her to go to the deepest part of the forest. Trying to reach that ce and then leave was simply impossible.


    ''If this doesn''t work¡­ I''m dead.'' She thought to herself calmly as she dodged a boulder and dashed forward.


    Even under such a harsh penalty, Hyun-Jae kept her calm and collected self. There was no point in panicking when she had already made up her mind.


    ''25 seconds¡­'' She counted in her head as she found herself at the heart of the forest, exactly in the middle.


    Looking around her quickly, she searched for something. Her eyes analyzed every single detail in her vicinity for a few seconds before her eyes eventually fell on something promising.


    Quickly, she rushed to it and went down on her knees before she changed the grip on her sword.


    "This better work!" Murmuring to herself, Hyun-Jae lifted the sword in the air and stabbed the dirt mercilessly.


    Her sword dug through the ground and went very deep. Eventually, it hit something hard like a rock.


    When that happened, the entire forest shook as if it was hit by an earthquake far stronger than anything before it.


    "Agh!" Hyun-Jae fell back from the shock as she found herself being buried with dirt. Quickly, she pushed it away and grabbed her sword as she approached the same spot and stabbed down again with all her strength.


    The second hit made the entire forest shake again, but, this time, everything suddenly halted after that. The two jaws of the forestpletely stopped moving. The noises died down for a good few seconds.


    "Hah¡­ Hah¡­" Hyun-Jae heaved up and down powerfully as she looked down at the hole in front of her with wide eyes. There, she could see a shining light peering through the dirt. It was a very bright blue light.


    ''It was there¡­'' Wiping her sweat, Hyun-Jae slowly picked up her sword again, approached the hole, and peeked inside.


    There, lying feet deep under the dirt was a giant shiny rock. Its size was at least twice as big as Hyun-Jae and it was exuding a huge blue light. That same rock now had a huge broken dent on its outer surface.


    "The monster core¡­" Hyun-Jae blinked in a daze.


    Her idea worked. When everything started, Hyun-Jae had already realized that she was dealing with a living being rather than a forest. So, by that logic, Hyun-Jae assumed that the forest, like every other monster, had a monster core deep within it.


    That was a huge gamble considering theck of knowledge about this thing. However, to stop this, she had no other choice but to put all her bets on this possibility. With that, all she had to do was to find the core.


    That was the easier part since she knew that most monsters have their cores in their chests with some rare cases where it was in the head like the Dimension Walkers for example.


    So, with that in mind, she blindly decided to go for the most logical possibility which was that the core is located right in the middle of the forest. Everything was correct.


    ''Did I kill¡­ it?'' Hyun-Jae asked herself as she touched the core. It seemed to be still lively, but the forest wasn''t moving at all so she assumed that it was simply a sign that it was heavily damaged at least.


    ''Maybe if I pull it out.''


    Deciding on what to do, Hyun-Jae grabbed the core with both hands and used her strength to slowly pull it out. Luckily, it wasn''t hard to do that.


    A few secondster, the core was taken out as Hyun-Jae threw it on the ground.


    "Ugh¡­" Groaning lightly, she was immediately met with a notification.


    [Ding!]


    [You have killed a level 23 Iluthian Woods. +14 all stats.]


    [Ding!]


    [You have leveled up 4 times. +8 free points.]


    A surge of immense strength filled her body out of nowhere like a tsunami. It was the first time in her life that Hyun-Jae had ever felt such a thing. It was as if every part of her body went through a drastic change in a split second and became better.


    The world became way clearer than before and her senses jumped a few levels of sharpness. Her body felt lighter, stronger, and way more durable. Even her skin under the dirt, became far brighter and more beautiful.


    ''A level 23 monster¡­ I killed a level 23 monster¡­'' She thought to herself in disbelief.


    Never in her life did Hyun-Jae expect to kill a monster this high-leveled at her current power level. The memory of that giant that Talon killed was still vivid in her head. That thing wasn''t simply terrifying, it was a true death threat to her.


    Yet, out of nowhere, she found herself killing something 6 levels above her in terms of power, and that pushed her by leaps and bounds.


    But, in the end, it was really good news. More strength meant that she was slowly bing a powerhouse of her own, just like Talon. Smiling slightly, Hyun-Jae was about to stand up. That''s when she felt it¡­ Something that ironically she just recalled.


    A true feeling of near death. Something that could very much end her life effectively.


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 111: Chapter 111- Brutal

    *Swish*


    Without having the time to even register what she felt, her hands moved to her sword as she guarded her side as fast as she could.


    *BOOOOOOM*


    A split secondter, she felt a strong impact on her arm that almost broke it. Instantly, Hyun-Jae was sted away at full force, smashing into the ground a few times before hitting a tree and stopping.


    Hyun-Jae''s ears rang painfully as she felt her body go numb for a moment. Her heart was racing quickly.


    ''What¡­ Happened? Was I attacked¡­? Who attacked me?'' Many questions popped into her head as she tried to calm down from the shock. Her eyes slowly went down to her body. She could see blood seeping through her clothes.


    ''I was injured¡­'' She thought to herself.


    Luckily, it didn''t seem like a heavy injury even though the impact was really brutal. Hyun-Jae felt numb at that moment so the pain didn''t register yet. But, she knew that when she regained her senses, it was going to be hellish.


    "Hah¡­ Hah¡­" Her dted eyes then moved up as she heard the sounds of someone walking toward her.


    Immediately, she felt her heart grew even colder. Those steps belonged to the entity that attacked her a second ago.


    Without waiting a moment, Hyun-Jae forced herself to stand up as she rested her back on the tree and pointed her sword forward. Her eyes grew a few degrees colder.


    The steps continued moving till they finally appeared in her vision.


    ''A woman?'' Her eyes squinted when she saw the silhouette.


    The person in front of her was a woman, d in what seemed to be ck clothes. She had a terrifying, demon-like mask on her face that hid her features with only her ck hair being visible.


    Hyun-Jae''s grip naturally tightened on her sword and her senses started going haywire, alerting her of this mysterious enemy.


    But, Hyun-Jae didn''t move from her ce and instead opened her mouth. "You¡­ You''re that same girl, aren''t you?"


    She didn''t even need to see her face to identify this person. Her entire presence already foretold who she was and Hyun-Jae sensed that.


    ''So this is the mastermind behind all the mess that happened.''


    Just realizing all the trouble this woman made for them made Hyun-Jae''s anger rise to new levels.


    Without uttering another word, Hyun-Jae stood up on her two feet as she channeled her Aetheris. Electricity coursed through her body and made her body seem like it exuded light.


    The energy coursed through her body and filled her with even more strength. Staring coldly at her enemy, Hyun-Jae suddenly dashed forward at top speed. Her explosiveness broke her expectations as she crossed a good distance in a split second.


    Reaching her enemy a few secondster, she swung her sword as her lightning sizzled terrifyingly.


    The mysterious woman stood still and didn''t move the entire time. The sword closed up on her neck and was about to hit her when suddenly, her hands moved like a sh. Before Hyun-Jae could react, she felt her arm being struck, pushing the sword away before the other arm moved in and punched her in the guts powerfully.


    The hit was so strong that air was blown out of her lungs along with a big mouthful of blood.


    The girl was thrown back a dozen meters, falling on her back.


    "BLURGH!!" Coughing powerfully, Hyun-Jae heaved loudly. She couldn''t breathe at all and that made her eyes widen.


    Eventually, her ability to breathe came back to her as she slowly rose from the ground. At that moment, she felt her senses go off again!


    Turning around, she saw a punch going straight toward her face. With no time to dodge, she could only use her arms as guards.


    *BANG*


    "Ugh!!" A loud groan escaped Hyun-Jae''s mouth as she rolled on the dirt.


    ''Too strong¡­ She''s too strong¡­'' She realized the huge disaster she was in.


    This wasn''t even a fight, it was a one-sided beating. It only took her a few hits topletely destroy Hyun-Jae.


    ''This isn''t good¡­ At this rate¡­ I''m going to get killed!''


    So, Hyun-Jae decided to change her approach immediately. Her enemy was still seemingly walking toward her rather than running.


    Quickly, Hyun-Jae stood on her feet again as she started running. Her face was pale and her body felt extremely painful with each move.


    Turning around after a few seconds, Hyun-Jae aimed her sword at her enemy and sted a lightning ball before she continued running as fast as she could.


    Looking back as she ran, she saw a cloud of smoke rise in the air.


    ''Even if it hit her, I doubt it would''ve done anything! It''s fine, I just need to buy time!'' Hyun-Jae thought to herself.


    At this point, she realized that there was no way she could fight this woman head-on. The difference in strength between them was simply too big.


    It wasn''t even a matter of ego or revenge at this point, Hyun-Jae forgot about trying to fight her the normal way.


    As she ran, Hyun-Jae sensed a presence rushing toward her. Quickly, she looked back and aimed her sword, ready to hit the mysterious enemy with another Lightning Bolt.


    However, looking back, she noticed that there was nobody running after her. Her eyes squinted as she quickly looked left and right.


    *Swish*


    Suddenly, she noticed a silhouette sh in the air. Looking up, she finally found her enemy,


    The woman had jumped in the air and was now descending right in front of her. Hyun-Jae felt her heart sink as she stopped and tried to turn around.


    "Hah¡­ Hah¡­ Hah¡­" Heaving audibly, she maneuvered her way in the opposite direction. "Ugh!" Because of the frantic movements, her injuries became even worse and blood was seeping out of them endlessly.


    The woman watched as Hyun-Jae attempted to escape. But, she didn''t follow after her target and instead put her hand behind her back as she pulled what seemed to be a Kunai. However, what was different about this Kunai was that it had a weird green halo around it.


    Gripping it tightly, the woman then swung her arm back before throwing the kunai at full force.


    *Swish*


    The kunai blew through the air like a bullet, crossing a vast distance in a split second. However, in the direction it was going, there were obstacles and trees that were going to stop it.


    However, before it could hit the obstacles, the kunai suddenly changed direction mid-air and avoided them with ease before it went after Hyun-Jae again.


    Thetter realized what was happening as she quickly looked to her side. Using all the obstacles in her way, she tried to lose the kunai. But, no matter what she did, it would easily avoid whatever was in its way and continue after her. In a matter of few seconds, the distance between them was barely a dozen or so meters.


    ''I can''t lose it! I need to find another way!''


    Since the ground was still at an inclination, she realized that she could use it to her advantage somehow.


    So, Hyun-Jae quickly went to work as she jumped to the side. Landing on the inclined side, she used it as a support to jump even higher. Meanwhile, the kunai passed through, going ahead.


    Hyun-Jae aimed her sword at the kunai and sted it with another lightning ball.


    *BOOOM*


    The weapon immediately exploded the moment it was hit with the lightning ball.


    ''It''s explosive too?''


    Hyun-Jae had never seen in her life a weapon that could follow someone to this great degree. It was as if it had a mind of its own and knew how to chase after a target.


    Slowly, Hyun-Jae descended to the ground as she was about to dash again. But, at that exact moment, she felt something appear behind her.


    Before she could even understand what happened, everything nked out for her.


    *BOOOOOOM*


    A second kunai had reached her during the time she was dealing with the first one and exploded on her back. A huge cloud of smoke rose in the air.


    Hyun-Jae couldn''t even realize what happened as she fell to the ground powerlessly. Her senses werepletely overloaded by the explosion and her mind refused to work. Landing on her stomach, she stayed in her ce, unable to move.


    ''... H-Huh¡­ What¡­ a second¡­ kunai¡­ She¡­ used¡­ the first one as¡­ decoy¡­''


    Slowly realizing what happened, Hyun-Jae didn''t even know how to react. Her body refused to move, everything felt numb and painful at the same time. She didn''t know how bad the injury she sustained was. But, she was sure of one thing¡­ It was lethal.


    She didn''t know why, but a sense of coldness filled her body that she had never felt before in her entire life.


    Even when she risked her life countless times, never did she feel something like this. It was as if life was getting sucked out of her body. She was on death doors.


    Meanwhile, the mysterious woman walked toward her silently, taking her time to close the distance between them. When she reached her, she looked down at the dying girl. Her eyes were as cold as ever through the mask.


    But, for a moment there, her stoic eyes squinted slightly as she realized something.


    ''This girl¡­ At thest second, she diverted the kunai''s direction right before it could stab her back¡­ If it stabbed it¡­ It would''ve been an instant death.'' She thought to herself.


    Never did she expect her enemy to have such a fast and smart reaction. As useless as it was, this simple move had given her a few extra seconds of life.


    "... Interesting¡­" She murmured as she pulled another kunai. "If you didn''t die here, you would''ve probably gone ces, miss. Curse fate for letting both of us meet."


    Then, she aimed the weapon at her target and was about to throw it and finish off the girl.


    However, out of nowhere, something shed in front of her eyes. The woman felt her senses going off as she quickly and instinctively jumped back a few meters.


    Looking up hurriedly, she noticed a new presence had appeared next to the girl out of nowhere.


    ''I didn''t feel his presence¡­ Did he grow stronger again?'' She realized what just happened and her wariness immediately grew.


    Meanwhile, Talon crouched down near Hyun-Jae silently, his hair was blowing with the wind and he had a solemn aura around him.


    Just a small glimpse at her condition made his entire body shudder.


    "Hyun-Jae¡­" He murmured her name as he slowly and carefully lifted her up from the ground. His movements were extremely swift and gentle as if he was dealing with something very fragile.


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 112: Chapter 112- Gentle Force Of Nature

    To describe Hyun-Jae''s condition in a few simple words, it was simply horrifying. Her entire back waspletely burnt beyond recognition. Her skin and muscles were destroyed, some of her ribs could even be seen.


    A normal person would''ve died instantly from such a hit. But, Talon could feel that Hyun-Jae still had a pulse, albeit a very weak one.


    He knew that if he left her here, she was bound to die.


    "... Ta¡­lon¡­" The girl in his arms murmured weakly with a barely audible voice.


    Just hearing her voice made his dark expression turn even darker. To see her in such a condition twisted his heart greatly. He felt his hands shaking slightly as he stared at her eyes.


    "I''m here, Hyun-Jae¡­ I''m here¡­" He assured her with a gentle voice as he slowly pulled something from his pocket.


    It was a big vile filled with a bright red liquid. Opening the vile, Talon tried to put the vile near Hyun-Jae''s mouth. But, as he poured the liquid into her mouth, she couldn''t move her lips to drink it and so it spilled outside.


    ''She can''t even move her mouth¡­'' Talon didn''t even know how to feel at that moment. He had reached a level of anger that weirdly made him very calm, on the surface at least.


    Clenching the vile tightly, Talon inhaled a deep breath before he poured the vile into his mouth and threw it to the side before he gently held Hyun-Jae''s cheek. Then, slowly, he closed up on her face and made their lips connect.


    The feeling of her soft yet dry lips was something Talon never felt before. It was a new yet incredibly pleasant feeling. But, at that moment, he didn''t really care about such unimportant details when Hyun-Jae''s life was in such a dire state.


    ''I won''t let you die¡­ I won''t. You aren''t allowed to die. Not now, nor ever.'' He thought to himself as he left the liquid pour into her mouth and with his tongue, he slowly guided it down her throat.


    The process was rather slow but Talon made sure that Hyun-Jae was going to drink every single drop.


    Meanwhile, the mysterious woman watched the entire scene with a cold re. Talon''s back was open and he didn''t seem like he was wary of her which was a clear sign of disrespect.


    But, for some reason, every time she contemted attacking him, her senses would tell her otherwise. It told her that Talon wasn''t the same human she saw a few days ago. Something about his aura waspletely different.


    Even though she wasn''t able to actually see what he was capable of, she knew that fighting him wasn''t going to be easy which was why she tried to trick him into consuming one of the parasites.


    However, even that didn''t seem to work somehow. She couldn''t really kill him and that made her even more alerted by this individual.


    As for Talon himself, he didn''t seem like he was bothered with her at all. His entire focus was on Hyun-Jae. After he made her drink the potion, her back finally started healing slowly and her pained expression slowly eased.


    But, he knew that she wasn''t out of danger yet.


    ''She needs healing¡­'' Talon clenched his teeth as he looked around him. Since they were far too deep into the forest, there wasn''t anyone who could really bring Hyun-Jae out of this ce.


    It was only Talon there. But, he kept his calm and slowly put Hyun-Jae down as he rested her head on a tree branch.


    "Wait for me. It won''t take long." Gently pushing her hair behind her ears, Talon slowly stood up.


    ''With her current condition, I have 5¡­ No, 4 minutes¡­''


    Turning around, Talon unsheathed his spear and stared at the mysterious woman with an emotionless expression. However, his aura was far from calm.


    The woman could definitely feel it, the overwhelming presence he had. Even when she was clearly the one with the advantage, she could only feel as if she was facing a monster right there and then.


    A monster that was about to unleash all of his strength.


    ''From where did he get such a pure aura¡­ He is only level 23¡­'' She squinted her eyes as she pulled 10 kunais.


    The rain was still pouring down powerfully on the forest as the two stood facing each other.


    Neither of them moved for a good 5 seconds. It was as if they were assessing each other''s strengths.


    "She''s level 33. Are you sure you want to take this fight on?" Acrypha flew next to Talon and asked him with a serious look.


    However, he didn''t respond at all. Instead, Acrypha got her response from his aura that turned a few degrees colder. Even without ncing at his expression at that moment, she knew that the idea of running away never crossed his mind.


    He already swore that he was going to kill this woman. Now, with what she did, he wasn''t going to let it go. He was going to show her hell on earth.


    ''I''ve never seen him this angry¡­'' Acrypha didn''t even know what to feel at that moment. For a level 23 creature to exude such a terrifying presence was unheard of.


    Then, out of nowhere, Talon suddenly dashed forward at top speed. In less than a second, he closed the distance between him and his enemy.


    ''Fast¡­'' Quickly, the woman threw 5 kunais at him. They were barely 3 meters away from each other so it should be a direct hit.


    However, even at such a close distance, Talon shockingly shifted his bnce as he vanished again.


    ''What?'' The woman''s eyes widened as she quickly looked for him.


    However, instead of locating him with her eyes, her senses went off as she felt two cold eyes staring at her back. It was akin to being eyed by a predator. A chill ran down her spine.


    *Swish*


    Talon''s spear shed down viciously, aiming for the woman''s back.


    *BANG*


    Quickly, the woman used her arms to guard against the attack. The spear connected with her arms as blood sshed out before the woman was pushed back a dozen meters.


    Looking down at her arms, she two bigcerations on them. So, she quickly pulled out what seemed to be a small capsule. Then, she popped the capsule into her mouth, swallowing whatever powder was in there.


    Almost instantly, the twocerations closed and the blood stoppedpletely.


    ''He was able to dodge my attack at thest split second¡­ How is that possible? Does he have 120+ points on speed? That shouldn''t be possible. He''s only lev-'' Before she could even finish her thoughts, Talon suddenly appeared behind her again like a ghost.


    His cold and vicious aura assaulted her senses like a raging train. He didn''t even let her breathe for a second.


    The woman immediately tapped her arm which made a short sword appear in her hand out of nowhere.


    *CLING* *CLING* *CLING*


    A rain of shes and stabs fell down on her. Each hit felt like a heavy boulder and was as fast as bullets.


    ''He is definitely far stronger than what I gathered about him.'' She clenched her teeth as she deflected his attacks.


    Each hit pushed her back a few steps and made her bones shudder. Looking at Talon, all she could see in his eyes was endless hatred and anger that was spilling out endlessly.


    The fight continued at that rate with the two opponents moving at top speed. They were so fast that they appeared like shes to the naked eye. They moved back and forth, left and right, and even up and down as Talon chased after the woman like a terrifying beast.


    Each move he made carried all of his strength and more. Long gone his calm and collected style of fighting. He was nowpletely unleashing his bloodlust.


    Stomping down with his leg, the earth beneath him cracked as he dashed forward. The woman threw 10 kunais at him. The weapons flew at top speed and surrounded him. But, Talon didn''t even bat an eye and swung his spear with all his strength. The gush of air created by that swing blew all the kunais away like weightless feathers.


    *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*


    A giant explosion shook the forest as Talon emerged from the smoke like a ghost before he stabbed forward.


    ''It seems this is the most he could do. If I continue fighting him, he should be drained after a while.'' The woman thought to herself as she dodged the attack and shed at him with her sword, making him sidestep.


    But, at that moment, Talon''s feet slipped out of nowhere, making him lose his bnce. Because of the rain, the entire forest was turned into a muddy swamp.


    The woman noticed that and immediately used that opportunity as she swung her sword, aiming at his neck.


    ''He can''t dodge!'' Her eyes shone with a vicious glint.


    Before she could even realize it, the fight seemed like it was about to end. However, at thest second, right before her sword sh could connect, the woman''s eyes widened to the extreme.


    *Swish* *STAB*


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 113: Chapter 113- Ghost Bullets

    *DRIP* *DRIP* *DRIP*


    The woman''s eyes slowly went down as they looked at her stomach. There, she could see what seemed to be a sharp de protruding from her stomach. Blood dripped from the de to the ground as it mixed with the dirt and water beneath it.


    Then, her eyes slowly looked up as she saw Talon. Half of his face was covered by the wet strands of hair. But, she could see it, a very cold and menacing smirk on that dark face.


    Her eyes slowly trailed from his face to his neck where she could see that her de did indeed hit its target. Except, it didn''t go as deep as she wanted. Instead, Talon had put his hand on the de, stopping it in its tracks. Naturally, that left a deepceration on his hand.


    All of that happened in a split second and ended at the same exact moment.


    ''He¡­ tricked me¡­'' She thought to herself as she quickly pulled her sword back and jumped a dozen meters away.


    "Cough!" Blood leaked out of her mouth as she coughed. Then, she slowly moved her hand down to the de as she pushed it out of her stomach. Her face subtly changed when she felt the sharp pain filling her body.


    "Hah!" Eventually, the de was out and thrown on the ground, leaving behind a visible hole in the woman''s stomach.


    Blood gushed out of her injury like a flood. In normal cases, that should''ve been enough to kill a human many times over. But, because of her high level and rapid healing speed, she didn''t immediately fall to the ground.


    ''How did he stab me in the back with that de? I made sure that his hands were within my peripheral vision!'' Her mind raced to a thousand possibilities.


    As for Talon, he slowly stood on his two feet as he looked at his hand. It waspletely coated in blood from the sword. Then, he slowly traced the neck injury he sustained. Even though it didn''t go deep enough to kill him, it was still pretty bad by all means.


    "I almost got you." He opened his mouth and said as he cracked his neck, ignoring the extreme pain that came with it. "Now I can see how fun it is to y little tricks on people."


    Picking up his spear, Talon aimed it at the woman. "Have fun rotting in hell, bitch."


    "Hm?" The woman exhaled a small breath as she heard a small noiseing from behind her.


    Before she could even react, her body already moved as she jumped to the side. A split secondter, the same de flew through the air and gave her a shallow cut.


    ''A flying de?'' Leaping in the air, shended on her feet again, only to find herself faced with another de that was aiming for her face.


    *Swish*


    Tilting her head back, she barely dodged the iing attack before she had to backflip again to dodge the first de. The two flying des assaulted her from all sides at the same time. Whenever she dodged one, another would take its ce and try to ambush her.


    She didn''t even have time to understand what was happening.


    ''He keeps revealing new abilities one after the other. Is this some kind of joke?'' She cursed to herself.


    Meanwhile, Talon used that time to circle around her and join the three-sided assault. Not even for a second did hesitate from aiming for lethal attacks.


    Even if she looked like a human, he didn''t care at all. She harmed someone close to him, that was more than enough for him topletely lose any sense of empathy.


    As he continued his rampage, pushing the woman more and more to a disadvantage, Talon realized that even with that deep injury, her speed and strength weren''t decreasing at all.


    In fact, the more they fought, the faster she became and he could easily notice that.


    Swinging his spear, the woman jumped back swiftly, avoiding all of his attacks with great uracy.


    ''I can''t let her take control or she will pull off something weird again.'' Talon squinted his eyes as he flipped his spear. Even after all of this, he still had multiple trump cards in his sleeve ready to be used. He only needed the perfect moment to unleash them and end her.


    Starring at him through the menacing mask, the woman pointed her finger at him.


    "Don''t overestimate your abilities. The only reason you''re still alive at this very moment is because you''re still useful to me. Killing you would be a waste." She said.


    "Well, you better rethink your decision," Talon replied as he dashed forward and shed down, shing with the woman powerfully.


    The two looked at each other from up close as sparks flew from their weapons.


    "You do not seem to understand your limits. Every single one of you dumb copies is the same. Very foolish, idiotic, and yet egotistical bastards." Her voice was as cold as ice as she pushed Talon back before she shed with her short sword.


    Talon raised an eyebrow as he barely dodged her attacks.


    "Copies?"


    However, the woman ignored his question and attacked him viciously.


    "I didn''te here to die from you." Her aloof voice slowly became more and more angry.


    ''She''s getting stronger¡­'' Talon frowned hard as he moved his spear, shing with the woman. He felt his advantage slowly waning.


    "This world is too weak to take me down."


    Throwing ten kunais at Talon, the woman suddenly tapped her side. Immediately, a long object appeared in the palm of her hand in a very bizarre way. Blue hexagonal particles surrounded the object as if they were creating it before they vanished, revealing what seemed to be a gun¡­ A sniper rifle to be precise.


    However, its slick and advanced appearance made it seem like it came from far into the future. Turning around, the woman grabbed the weapon with two hands and aimed it at Talon who was running out of the kunais way, letting them explode in the ground.


    The moment she rested her cheek on the back of the weapon, a blue, holographic scope appeared where her right eye was.


    The scope easily located Talon''s moving silhouette before aiming at him. Slowly, she put her hand on the trigger.


    ''You have no idea how much I worked hard to reach this point. All I have to do is get to thest destination and everything will be over. I won''t let you be a hindrance.''


    *BANG*


    Talon, who was still running, heard the sound of the gunshot as he looked to the side, only to realize something¡­ He was already hit.


    ''Shit!'' Clenching his teeth, he felt the bullet pierce through his side and exit from the other side.


    "AGH!!"


    Blood splurted out as he fell to the ground, unable to breathe from the shock. His eyes widened slightly as he felt his consciousness waver for a second.


    ''God¡­ dammit!''


    Clenching his teeth, he quickly put his hand into his pocket and pulled another healing potion before he chugged it down as fast as he could. Then, he quickly stood up as he held his injury.


    Looking at the woman, he saw that her sniper rifle was still aiming at him.


    *BANG*


    Again, he heard the sound of the rifle shooting. However, even though he was staring directly at it, he couldn''t even see a glimpse of the bullet before it pierced through his shoulder, blowing a chunk of it off.


    ''Fuck!! Why can''t I see the bullet?! It doesn''t seem like it''s even shooting anything before I I need to move!'' Cursing under his breath as he fought the hellish pain, he quickly dashed to the side.


    With Talon''s enhanced vision, he was damn sure that he can see bullets even if he doesn''t have the reflex speed to dodge them. But, with her weapon, not only could he not see anything, but he was almost sure that there weren''t any bullets leaving the muzzle. It was as if the bullet just teleported to his body.


    ''How am I supposed to dodge that?!''


    The woman calmly aimed at him as she pulled the trigger again.


    *BANG*


    The moment Talon heard the sound again, he immediately jumped in the air. This time, the blood splurted out of his left leg.


    Falling to the ground, he quickly stood up again. The pain from each bullet almost made him lose his mind. He had never been shot before, but he was sure that it didn''t hurt as much as these bullets did. Every part of his body felt as if it was being destroyed from the inside. But, he couldn''t stop or he was dead for sure.


    "Run, little prey¡­ Run. You aren''t going anywhere." The woman murmured as she aimed her rifle again, ready to shoot another bullet.


    However, at that moment, she noticed something weird.


    "Hm?" Looking back, she saw a small cloud of smokeing from the other side of the forest. Then, looking down, she saw something that made her freeze in her ce,pletely shell-shocked.


    "... What?"


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 114: Chapter 114- Burning

    Far into the distance, she could see glimpses of a flickering blue light. The light was very weak at first but rapidly grew as she looked at it. At first, she didn''t understand what was happening since the light was rather odd.


    But, as it slowly crawled toward her, she realized what it was.


    ''Fire¡­? Blue fire?'' She frowned hard as she tried to understand what was happening. At the far distance, a very bright blue fire was slowly eating away at the grass and logs while moving toward her.


    No matter how she looked at it, the fire looked extremely different from normal mes that she knew of.


    A few seconds passed before she finally made the connection and looked back, only to realize the huge blunder she made.


    While she waspletely upied by the mes, Talon had dashed toward her and jumped in the air, aiming his spear at her. At the same time, the Aetheris des flew from both sides, closing thest two escape routes she could''ve had in her hands.


    It was a huge blunder and she was about to pay for it¡­


    ''Fuck!'' Cursing, the woman moved.


    Quickly, she aimed her sniper rifle as she pulled the trigger three times sessively.


    *CLING* *CLING*


    The two Aetheris des made a loud noise as they were deflected by the bullets. As for the third bullet, it was aiming for Talon.


    ''Here ites!'' Talon clenched his teeth as he swung his spear down as fast as he could. He knew that there was no way for him to dodge this bullet and so he readied himself for the impact.


    *BANG*


    Blood exploded from his stomach as the bullet tore through his skin ruthlessly. His eyes widened to the extreme as he felt breath being knocked out of his lungs.


    ''Fu.. ck!!'' Cursing under his breath, Talon''s eyes turned even colder.


    "AAAAAGHH!!" He yelled at the top of his lungs and clenched the spear even tighter.


    Looking at him, the woman realized that the bullet didn''t knock him back and her face paled immediately.


    ''Oh no.''


    Quickly, she tried to jump back, only to find the spear already a few inches away from her face.


    In a split second, the de of the spear cut through her forehead, going down to her left eye and then through her nose.


    *BOOOOM*


    The hit sted her away a few meters as she rolled on the ground. At the same time, Talon fell to the ground powerlessly. Blood was seeping out of all of his injuries like a dam.


    "Talon!" Acrypha flew toward him as fast as she could. Her expression was as dark as it could ever be. When she reached him and took a look at his condition, her face paled.


    His condition was brutal on all fronts. He had multiple injuries in his entire body, each one worse than the other. The sheer amount of blood that pooled around him made her question whether he even still had any blood coursing through his veins.


    "You need to leave now. This ce is going to burn." She tried to lift Talon up, only for him to signal at her weakly.


    "... No¡­ Hah¡­ It''s not¡­ over¡­ yet¡­" He replied as he slowly lifted himself up. "She¡­ ugh, isn''t dead¡­"


    Looking up, Talon could see the woman on the other side slowly lifting herself up. Her mask was broken in half, and whatever remained of it covered half of her face. The other half waspletely bloodied beyond recognition.


    A huge, terrifying scar ran through her face that destroyed her right eye and a part of her nose. The pain from that hit must''ve been brutal, and yet, she didn''t show any extreme reactions to it as if it didn''t bother her at all.


    Clenching his teeth, Talon slowly stood up on his working leg as he grabbed his stomach. Each move he made felt like hell, even breathing was painful. He couldn''t feel most of his body and the parts he could feel were aching like crazy.


    This was by far the most pain Talon had ever been in his life. Even when he fought the Grim Roamer and got half of his torso carved out, it didn''t hurt as much as all of these ghost bullets punctured multiple parts of his body.


    Meanwhile, the fire was slowly making its way toward them. A good chunk of the forest had already caught in mes and was eatenpletely, leaving behind a barrennd with nothing on it.


    The Azure mes rapidly consumed anything in its way.


    "You¡­ What did you do?" The woman asked coldly as she red at Talon. Her aura was far more chaotic than ever before.


    But, Talon wasn''t intimidated in thest as he smiled mockingly. "I''m going to burn this entire ce down¡­ With everything in it. When I tten it out, then I can finally put an end to you and your little monsters." He dered coldly.


    ''So, he did set mes to the forest¡­'' Feeling her face turn even darker, Talon''s smile widened.


    "I''ve had enough¡­" Spitting a mouthful of blood, the woman said. "I''m going to kill you, right here and now!"


    Hearing that, Talon''s fist gripped even tighter on the spear as he got ready. He knew that the fight was far from over even though he was already in such a critical condition.


    Still, his smile didn''t even vanish as he slowly lifted his hand before he extended his middle finger.


    "Good luck with that."


    "Very foolish. But, I might say you forgot one single detail." The woman said as she slowly picked up her weapon. "I don''t need to fight you directly to kill you."


    Saying that, she suddenly aimed her sniper. But, this time, she didn''t aim it at Talon. Thetter''s eyes widened as he followed the trajectory of the weapon, only for his breath to halt.


    The weapon was aimed at Hyun-Jae, who was lying behind him on a tree trunk,pletely unconscious.


    Immediately, his aura exploded as he stared at the woman with an extremely terrifying expression, further intensified by the blood that covered him. For a second, the woman shuddered as she felt as if she was staring at a monster.


    "Touch her¡­ And I will make you realize hell is a better ce." His voice was devoid of any emotion and yet carried a deep, unfathomable hatred.


    His threat wasn''t a bluff or a way to intimidate her either and she knew it. Talon had meant every single word he said.


    ''This bastard¡­'' Squinting her working eye, she continued aiming at Hyun-Jae, knowing full well that this was going to outrage him even more. He clearly cherished that girl greatly and she wanted to use that.


    "If you want that girl to stay alive. Then, you''re going to hand yourself over and leave the other survivors to die. I will only spare her life. As for you, I''m going to make sure to use you for my ns, and then depending on whether you were really helpful or not, I will make your death painless." She said.


    Her offer was ridiculous and she knew it. But, she was testing how much Talon was ready to go for that girl.


    However, Talon ignored her wordspletely as he channeled his Aetheris.


    "Leave her out of it and fight me if you really think this world isn''t good enough to put an end to your life." He said.


    His words carried an aura of superiority that the woman couldn''t ignore. It was a clear disrespect that hurt her ego. But, more than her ego, she had things she cared about more.


    "... Keep your morals to yourself. This world was never fair." She replied as she fully aimed her rifle and pulled the trigger at Hyun-Jae.


    Immediately, Talon shed from his position appearing right in front of Hyun-Jae.


    *BANG*


    The bullet hit his left arm.


    "Agh!" Groaning slightly, he made one step back. But, he didn''t fall to the ground.


    The masked woman was taken aback for a second. ''He still can move that fast¡­'' She thought to herself as she shook her head and aimed the rifle again.


    "Die."


    *BANG*


    ***


    Meanwhile, inside the research center.


    *CLICK*


    The sound of a door clicking as it opened echoed in the corridors.


    "Shit¡­ Was that too loud?" One of the scientists whispered.


    "I don''t know, just take a look outside and move." The woman replied.


    "... Ok¡­ *Gulp*"


    Peeking outside, the corridor waspletely empty and dark which gave them a very dark feeling. But, still, there was no trace of the woman.


    "No one is outside¡­ Let''s move quickly before shees back."


    With that, the three of them crawled out of the room and started moving through the building carefully, trying to navigate their way to the exit.


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 115: Chapter 115- Zenith And Evolution (Part 1)

    In the rain, Talon slowly took slow steps forward. His body was slumped forward, covered in blood from head to toe.


    ''... I''m¡­ still standing¡­'' His hazy eyes were staring ahead, trying to discern what was happening. At this point, everything was simply blending into an iprehensible image in his retina. Nothing made sense and even things that made sense became but another white noise in the background.


    The sounds around him turned into muffled noises that he couldn''t understand. His arms feltpletely numb and yet still carried the spear. Not for a second did he stumble or sway. It was as if even in his condition, he never considered falling to the ground.


    Meanwhile, his enemy stared at him with a horrified look on her face, only hidden by her mask and bloody scar.


    ''8 shots¡­ He took 8 shots¡­ and he''s still standing¡­ How is that even possible?!'' She asked herself.


    She knew what kind of weapon she was carrying and she knew how strong the bullets inside this sniper rifle were. These bullets were called ''Ghost Bullets'' and they were a very technologically advanced invention from her homeworld.


    These bullets had the ability to pass the target''s senses and pierce them before they could even realize where they were. They had the destructive power to kill any target under level 30 almost instantly.


    A few bullets were always a guarantee that any target under level 40 was dead. Yet, Talon not only didn''t die after getting hit by 8 bullets, he was still standing and walking toward her. This was something she would''ve never expected in her wildest imagination.


    ''Goddamit, why doesn''t he want to die?!'' Clenching her teeth, she looked behind her. The Azure mes were closing on them at a very rapid pace.


    Seeing that, the woman''s face turned even darker. If those mes continued to eat away at the forest, one of her biggest advantages was going to bepletely destroyed. Not only was she going to lose the forest which was akin to ayer of defense to the research center, but it was also going to potentially kill all the monsters she ordered to retreat.


    There was simply no way she could let that happen, especially when she was wasting time dealing with this young man in front of her.


    ''I have to move before things get out of control!'' Clenching her teeth, she turned around and aimed her gun at Talon before she slowly fixed the angle of the scope to aim at Talon''s head.


    This entire time, she had been aiming for his arms, torso, and chest. But, because of the one single problem the ghost bullets had, none of these bullets hit a a very vital organ of Talon''s body.


    The single w they had was that they were extremely hard to aim with. Even with her extremely advanced sniper rifle that can basically aim automatically and give the best possible shot, it''s still almost impossible to get the exact spot she''s looking for.


    But, to put an end to all of this, she had to deliver a lethal blow¡­ A single shot that he could definitely not recover from and she knew exactly where to aim for that shot.


    ''I need to hit him in the head¡­'' She thought to herself.


    Sucking in a deep breath, she tried to calm her raging thoughts and fixed her arms as she tried to adjust the angle to get a perfect hit.


    At the same time, Talon''s mind was in a in of its own, loosely linked to this world by his ever-so-weak awareness.


    ''It hurts¡­ It hurts like hell¡­'' He thought to himself. Every part of his being, every cell, screamed at him to stop and just lie down. He hated this¡­ He hated it so much that he wanted to yell at the top of his lungs how much he hated it.


    But, his weak body couldn''t really find the energy to even do that, so he just continued approaching his enemy,pletely unable to even move his body as he wanted.


    Acrypha flew next to him as she tried to catch his attention and even grabbed his shoulder to stop him. But, each time, he would slip from her grip and continue walking as if he were a soulless vessel.


    ''Why am I doing this? Uh¡­ I can''t remember¡­'' For a second, his mind was unable to recall what reason he was even still standing for at that moment.


    That moment, he felt like simply going on his knees and then letting his body off¡­ let it free.


    But, before that could happen, images suddenly shed in his head. Images of people he knew very well and loved very much.


    ''Ah¡­ Right¡­''


    He was still standing for a reason and that reason was as vivid as ever in his head, even in such moments where he even lost the ability to talk.


    Talon waspletely in his own world now, everything was suddenly a lot clearer. He felt like this was the ce he belonged in¡­ His own realm where no one can bother him.


    ''So warm¡­'' He thought to himself as he basked in the feeling.


    It was such a blissful thing, a very beautiful time when he wasn''t in need of lifting the spear and cutting down monsters.


    He felt his consciousness expand and his senses flourish. It was as if the entire world was now within the grasp of his awareness, ying as he wished and doing what he wanted.


    ''I feel¡­ A lot more¡­ alive¡­


    He didn''t know why, when, or how this happened, but he didn''t really care much as it felt really nice. He simply grasped that fleeting moment of enlightenment and left it to expand inside of him, taking over every part of him.


    Meanwhile, out of his own mental world, Acrypha watched what was happening with an extremely shocked look on her face.


    "What is he doing?"


    A few seconds ago, Talon''s consciousness was on the verge of dying which almost meant his demise. Acrypha was beyond terrified and tried to do everything within her ability to stop him. She even was about to simply give up trying to avoid the brutal soul damage she could sustain and was about to carry him to safety before he died.


    She knew that he would probably never forgive her for it, but she didn''t care, Talon must not die.


    ''I can''t let him die¡­ I can''t¡­ I simply can''t. I''m sorry, Talon.'' She clenched her teeth as she wanted to grab his shoulder again, only to notice a weird shift in her human.


    Out of nowhere, his consciousness suddenly sparked up again and his fading aura started harmonizing again even though it was still terrifyingly weak.


    Hisck of awareness of the world also seemed to vanish and was reced by a serene silence.


    Acrypha didn''tprehend what was happening at first. But, it didn''t take her long to realize what he just did. It was something that she had seen before a few times, but never even in her wildest dreams expected to see here, in this ce.


    ''He entered a Zenith State?'' She asked herself, seemingly unable to believe it. ''He isn''t supposed to enter such a state yet¡­ It''s far too early¡­ No, this isn''t good! If he stays in that zone, he will die!''


    Acrypha knew more than anyone else about the Zenith State. It was a moment where an individual would reach such a high level of concentration with their entire being that they would, for a very fleeting moment, merge with the Aetheris in their bodies.


    Such a thing naturally brought along with it unprecedented evolution to that individual if done sessfully and could be said to be the thing that differentiates between legends and mere weaklings. But, the huge risks that came with it were equally terrifying if not worse.


    For instance, because of that brief fusion, there was a huge risk that the Aetheris would take over the host''s body andpletely destroy it from the inside out due to the chaotic nature of Aetheris itself.


    Then, there was the possibility of the individual losing their connection with the real world and eventuallypletely losing their consciousness, bing an empty vessel with no mind.


    That was why, even the best of geniuses, refrained from trying to reach such a state at an early level because of the risks. Normally, even the strongest of beings would wait till they''re level 100+ to even consider doing such a mad thing.


    In Talon''s case, from what Acrypha could see, he had entered the Zenith State without realizing it. Perhaps it was his near-death condition that pushed him to actually dive deeper into consciousness or simply it was his mysterious talent that keeps revealing more and more every single day.


    Acrypha didn''t know and frankly didn''t care at that moment since her entire mind was focused on one thing.


    ''I need to get him out of it before he self-destructs¡­'' Her mind raced as she frowned harder and harder.


    From what she knew, when someone enters a Zenith State, the worst you could do is to wake them up since that meant almost 100% chance of them getting brutally punished. She also can''t try to alter his Aetheris flow.


    ''What can I do? Think, think¡­''


    Time ticked very slowly as the woman aimed her sniper at Talon, unaware of everything that was happening.


    The same could be said for Talon who was indulging that feeling more and more. He felt like he was at the peak of everything. Far beyond anything he could everprehend.


    Unbeknownst to him, outside, notifications were popping in front of him endlessly.


    [Ding!]


    [Your Enhanced Focus has improved.]


    [Ding!]


    [Your Enhanced Focus has improved.]


    [Ding!]


    [Your Enhanced Focus has leveled up!]


    [Ding!]


    [Your Enhanced Focus has improved.]


    [Ding!]


    [Your Enhanced Focus has leveled up!]


    [Ding!]


    [Your ''Enhanced Focus'' skill has reached level 5.]


    [The skill has evolved.]


    [Ding!]


    [''Enhanced Focus'' has evolved into ''Future Sight''.]


    [Ding!]


    [''Dimension Harvester'' has leveled up.]


    [You have gained a new ability.]


    ***


    A//N: Don''t forget the Golden Tickets to support your boy ?? Thanks for reading.

 Chapter 116: Chapter 116- Zenith And Evolution (Part 2)

    Talon waspletely oblivious to these notifications as he was still in his own world. However, he was able to distinctly feel a change the moment that evolution urred. Because, at the same time as it happened, the expansion of awareness in his mind field reached its peak.


    Talon truly felt as if he was an invincible being within the confines of that ce. Everything was extremely clear to him now.


    ''I can feel everything¡­ I can see everything¡­'' He thought to himself as he closed his eyes and left the feeling to leave its mark on his soul.


    Oblivious to him, his blue irises were shining with a blue light at that moment, a very simr one to the light his enemy exuded through her eyes.


    Meanwhile, in the outside world, the woman aimed her gun fully and finally exhaled a small breath as she put her hand on the trigger.


    ''This is perfect¡­ He isn''t swaying left or right. It''s a perfect shot.'' She thought to herself as she got ready to shoot.


    She knew that this was going to be a perfect shot by every means. The wind had suddenly died down and the rain slowed as if it wanted her to take that shot and kill Talon. However, she ignored all of that and focused on her target.


    "I wanted to use you to reach my goal¡­ But, you''re simply too dangerous to risk not killing you. I won''t make the same mistake. Never again. Goodbye." She murmured with aplicated expression as she finally pulled the trigger.


    *BANG*


    The bullet exited the muzzle and immediately vanished from sight, crossing a huge distance in a matter of a few fractions of a second.


    There was no way Talon could feel that bullet, not even if he was at his peak condition, let alone in such a situation where he was at death''s doors.


    "TALON!" Acrypha felt her heart stop for a moment as she heard the gunshot echo in her ears.


    Everything slowed down to a halt for everyone¡­ Everyone except Talon.


    As he swam in his own head, the blissful feeling he was in suddenly vanished as he was pulled back into reality again.


    His eyes slowly opened, revealing a shing glint of blue light that quickly vanished. At the same time, an image shed in Talon''s head.


    In that image, he saw himself walking, in the same exact ce he was in right now. Everything was the same, then, out of nowhere, blood sshed out of his head in an extremely gory scene as he fell to the ground.


    Then, the imagepletely vanished and he came back to the real world again. But, this time, he feltpletely different. All of his senses were suddenly extremely alerted and he felt his body move on its own.


    He didn''t know why, but he simply could only follow that instinct and let it do what it wanted. The moment he let go of the resistance, his head suddenly tilted to the side.


    *BOOOOM*


    A split second after he did that, he felt a gush of air glossing over his skin as a bullet passed beside him, hitting a random tree trunk.


    ''Wha¡­'' Seeing that, the woman waspletely frozen in her ce, in pure shock.


    The same could be said for Acrypha who witnessed what happened in far greater detail than the enemy.


    ''Why did it not hit?!'' The woman screamed in her head. The shot was perfect by every means. Hell, it was perhaps the best shot she had ever taken using that weapon. Yet, she didn''t see blood ssh or skull shards fly everywhere.


    Instead, Talon had suddenly moved his head, dodging the bullet.


    ''No, no, no. Did I miscalcte? Even then, it should''ve not been by such a far margin. He would''ve not been able to dodge itpletely! What is going on?''


    Both of them blinked as they tried to wrap their heads around it. Especially, Acrypha. She had seen how Talon moved and she was sure it wasn''t a coincidence.


    ''Was that a fluke?''


    Unable to answer that, she looked at the woman again who was frantically aiming her weapon again to shoot another shot.


    ''I only have 3 more bullets! Dammit! I can''t take any chances!'' Clenching her teeth, she put her finger on the trigger.


    With three bullets left, she had no choice but to aim for his body and try to bring him down by pure force.


    *BANG*


    She shot another shot, expecting a certain hit. Only for her expectations to be shattered again the next second.


    Talon suddenly sidestepped, dodging the bullet with perfect motion.


    "Wha¡­" The girl lost her ability to speak for a moment. It wasn''t a coincidence at all what happened. For some reason, Talon was starting to dodge her attacks out of nowhere.


    Meanwhile, Acrypha had apletely different thought process¡­ One that perhaps gave her a bigger shock.


    "He¡­ could see it¡­" She murmured.


    This time, she had seen it clearly. Talon''s movement was so swift and perfect that she knew it wasn''t just a fluke. He knew where the bullet was going, when it was going to reach him, and how to effectively dodge it.


    Those weren''t things that he could do at his level with pure eyesight. He had to be able to do something far above that to know how to dodge.


    ''Something far above¡­ An ability to sense the bullet before it reaches him¡­ Wait¡­'' It suddenly hit Acrypha.


    ''Don''t tell me¡­'' She murmured as she quickly flew toward Talon and touched his hand. Since thetter had no resistance at all, she was able to easily see what he was seeing at that moment.


    Reading through the notifications, she understood everything.


    ''Future Sight¡­ That''s his skill evolution?'' She asked herself.


    For a skill to evolve when reaching level 5, it wasmon knowledge. But, there were many variations of every single one that it was basically almost impossible to predict what a skill or an ability could evolve into.


    In Talon''s case, his ability ''Enhanced Focus'' evolved in a very abnormal manner.


    ''Seeing the future¡­ At such an early level? Where are you even going with all of this?'' She frowned hard as she looked up at the pulsating core gate.


    Her eyes carried a profound coldness. ''Where do you to carry him, huh? What is it that you want from Talon?''


    At this point, she knew that Talon was extremely favored by the core gate for one reason or another. But, after everything that happened, Acrypha couldn''t simply be happy with these powerups without thinking about the possible bad side.


    She knew very well how conscious and cunning the core dimension is. It knew everything, everywhere, all at the same time. It controlled the fate of every single creature, every speck of dust, and even the movement of the wind.


    So, if it chose to help Talon this much¡­ Then it definitely wanted something from him¡­ Something so important and pivotal that it was ready to provide him with all the means possible to reach it.


    ''This isn''t going to be good. Wherever fate is carrying him, it''s not going to be a nice end. Never did the Core Dimension take interest in someone and it ended nicely.'' Balling her fists, Acrypha stared down at her human.


    She knew that he was special, extremely special. It was the reason why they even met in the first ce. But, she never knew that Talon was this important nor how he would break so many rules as he soared up.


    As Acrypha was having these conflicting thoughts, Talon was still moving forward. The speed of his steps was slowly increasing as his body slowly regained some energy. During thest few minutes, his injuries healed and he was able to regain the ability to sense, which also carried back a lot of pain.


    Having almost ten times the healing speed of a normal person was a blessing and a curse.


    *BANG*


    The second shot was fired and Talon simply dodged it as if it was nothing again. He didn''t do any exaggerated moves, just simple sidesteps.


    *BANG*


    Finally, thest bullet flew andpletely missed the mark again.


    ''This is ridiculous!!''


    At this point, the woman waspletely losing herposure. Her face paled as she quickly rummaged through her pockets, searching for anything she could use to hit him.


    But, there wasn''t much she could use at that moment. Time was running out as the fire was eating the entire forest.


    Her mind raced as she tried toe up with a n, only to realize¡­ There wasn''t really a n.


    ''I need to run!''


    So, she quickly stood up and turned around to escape. The situation had spiraledpletely out of her control in less than a second. Everything she built so far was crumbling down in front of her eyes.


    Talon lifted his head up and looked at the woman as she started running away. Immediately, his eyes widened.


    ''She''s¡­ running?'' He asked himself.


    When he realized that it was the case, he felt rage boil in his head again. "YOU! I WON''T LET YOU GO!!" He yelled at the top of his lungs as he quickly summoned his Aetheris des and made them follow her. Then he quickly dashed forward, ignoring the blood that exploded from his body the moment he made those sudden moves.


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 117: Chapter 117- Expansion

    Under the influence of pure rage, one would lose most of their rational senses. Things like the feeling of pain, sadness, or any other feeling. Meanwhile, their impulse to do things they wouldn''t usually do would take the spot.


    In this case, Talon''s sense of pain was put aside and his desire to kill that woman took utmost priority. He didn''t want to let her escape or he knew that it wasn''t going to end well.


    ''Even if every muscle in my body explodes, I will kill her!!'' He thought to himself.


    Running as fast as he could, he shortened the distance between them. Meanwhile, the Aetheris des flew like bullets as they attacked the woman from both sides.


    Clenching her teeth, she quickly jumped forward as she rolled on the ground, leaving the two des to stab the ground instead.


    Landing on her feet, she quickly sprang up and tried to continue running. However, at that moment, she suddenly felt an extremely sharp pain in her stomach.


    ''Ugh¡­'' Her eyes widened as she found herself unable to breathe. ''My skill effect¡­ is over¡­ Not¡­ Now!!''


    This entire time, she had been using an active skill that basically turned all of her injuries and pain into an extra boost to her overall strength. It was a very useful ability in brutal fights that won her most confrontations.


    But, it also had a very bad shoring. When the effect of the skill is over¡­ The pain and consequences of all attacks woulde back double. So, in a sense, this skill required the user to finish the fight as fast as possible or they were going to be in deep trouble.


    Blood splurted out of her stomach as she coughed violently. Stumbling forward, she tried to continue moving. Talon was closing up on her and she had no time to dwindle. So, she quickly bit her tongue as strong as she could, jolting her senses back up and giving her a rush of energy that she used to continue moving.


    At the same time, Talon had already shortened the distance between them as he suddenly stopped and arched his arm back in a throwing stance. An overwhelming painful shock ran through his entire body and threatened to knock him unconscious, but, he ignored it as he clenched his bloody teeth.


    Then, using all of his strength, heunched his arm forward, throwing the spear like a bullet.


    "AAAAAGHH!!!" A hoarse cry came out of his throat.


    *Swish*


    ''Go!!!'' He yelled in his head as he watched the spear fly toward his target.


    That throw carried every ounce of strength he had at that moment and more. He genuinely didn''t know how he was able to even muster the strength to do such a thing. It was a throw for everything that happened because of that woman. For all the pain she inflicted on him, on Hyun-Jae, and on every other student.


    Slicing through thin air, the spear crossed a vast distance in a moment as it reached its target. The woman looked back with widened eyes. Everything happened in a split second, way faster than her sluggish reaction speed.


    The spear stabbed through her back as it exited from the other side.


    The woman coughed a huge mouthful of blood as she fell to the ground, motionless. Everything waspletely submerged in silence again, the rain continued pouring endlessly as if it was the end of the world.


    Meanwhile, Talon stood rooted in his ce as he looked at her. His breath was ragged and his body waspletely slumped forward. A few seconds passed in that state.


    "Is¡­ she¡­ dead?" He murmured to himself.


    But, he already knew the answer¡­ She wasn''t. He still didn''t receive the notification that he killed her which meant that she was still alive somehow.


    "I¡­ need¡­ to finish her¡­ off¡­" Clenching his teeth, he started walking slowly.


    At this point, he was still moving with sheer will. His body had long passed its limit and was now beyond destroyed. There wasn''t a single part of his body that wasn''t injured or exhausted.


    Step by step, he closed the distance between them like a turtle struggling to move as if it carrying a huge weight on its back.


    But, somehow, he was able to reach her while still on his feet. Looking down, he could see that she wasn''t moving at all as if she was truly dead. But, since he didn''t get the notification, he was sure that she was still alive.


    So, he slowly moved his hand and grabbed the handle of the spear. Then, he pulled it out of her back with whatever power he could muster.


    The woman''s body flinched when he did that. Then, Talon aimed his spear at her neck slowly. His face was as pale as a sheet of paper and theck of blood made him feel as if he was freezing to death in the cold weather.


    "Rot in hell¡­ Bitch¡­" He murmured tiredly as he lifted the spear and then sliced it down.


    However, at that exact moment, things shifted.


    A loud booming sound echoed in the entire world like the sound of drums. It was so loud that the entire world stopped just because of it.


    "What¡­"


    ***


    Meanwhile, in the earth''s atmosphere, the Core Gate''s pulses were far stronger than ever before. Their pulses grew louder and brighter and the ck fog spinning around its center grew thicker and more ominous. The heart of the gate grew brighter till it seemed like a massive star.


    This has been the rate for the past day or so. But, at that moment, the pulses reached their peak, and when that happened¡­ It sent a gigantic shockwave across the world.


    Each continent and ocean were hit with that shockwave, sending everything into an endless frenzy.


    Before Talon could deliver thatst blow, the ground beneath him cracked violently, throwing him back.


    His eyes widened in shock as he fell on his back. Everything spun around in his head as his eyes fell on the giant core gate.


    Seeing its pulses exploding so violently sent a chill down his spine and shook his very soul.


    "Not now¡­" Clenching his teeth, he rose up from the ground with great difficulty. All around him, craters started appearing out of nowhere, separating entire areas of the campus away from each other.


    Talon''s heart sunk in as he realized the disaster that struck.


    "The expansion¡­" He murmured. "Of all fucking times¡­ Now?!"


    Crusing his shitty luck, he stood up.


    "You need to leave right now! The situation isn''t going to get any better!" Acrypha alerted him as she flew ahead to scan the area for the best possible route he could take.


    Meanwhile, Talon looked back at the woman. While she was still lying on the ground, the crater between him and her kept growing in size till it was impossible for Talon to jump to the other side in his current condition.


    Then, his eyes moved to the opposite side where Hyun-Jae was. She was still lying in her exact ce. The ground around her was cracking quickly and the surface was shifting rapidly. If she was left there, Talon was sure that she was going to fall into the craters.


    ''Dammit! I couldn''t fucking deliver thest hit!!'' Clenching his teeth as he shook his head, he ignored his enemy and moved toward Hyun-Jae as fast as he could.


    His feet were extremely numb and his throat hurt like hell. But, he had no time toin or even rest as he had to move quickly before thingspletely turned into chaos.


    "From here," Acrypha called for him as she moved through the safe areas.


    Meanwhile, one shockwave after the other, the entire world was being changedpletely. Unbeknownst to all creatures on earth, the globe was entirely coated in a blueish hue at that moment as it very slowly expanded in size.


    Each pulse would separate entire thousands of kilometers of space from each other. Buildings crumbled and mountains shook violently as they were hit by earthquakes. Water flooded many ces across the world due to the expansion of the ocean and the areas that weren''t hit were turned upside down by the rampaging monsters that were fleeing the change.


    As Talon moved, his bnce would shake each time the world swayed. It didn''t help that he was barely still standing on his feet at that moment.


    ''I''m too slow¡­ I need to hurry or I''m going to die!!''


    The distance between him and Hyun-Jae was expanding really fast and he was losing momentum the more he walked.


    ''Think, think¡­ What do I have that can help?'' Talon looked around him frantically as he suddenly noticed something.


    In the corner of his retina, there was a set of notifications that he didn''t see the entire time. In one of those notifications, he noticed that he acquired a new skill.


    Till this point, he was still unaware of the evolution of his Enhanced Focus ability and he frankly didn''t care.


    ''Please be something useful¡­ Please be something useful!''


    [Ding!]


    [You have acquired a new ability ''Dash''.]


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 118: Chapter 118- Heart

    [Dash (Level 1): Using this ability, your agility increases by 10%. Requires Aetheris to activate.]


    Reading the notification, Talon''s face beamed. This was the perfect skill he was looking for.


    ''Thank you! At least my luck isn''tpletely shit!'' Cursing loudly, he immediately channeled the energy in his body and activated the skill.


    Immediately, he felt his body grow lighter and his feet less sluggish. A blue aura shed around his body before it vanished as his steps increased rapidly. Using this newfound speed, Talon navigated his way through the destroyed forest that was increasingly turning into a broken mess.


    He didn''t know if the world was even going tost with all these earthquakes that hit it. He lost count of how many had happened in the past minute or so. It was simply hell on earth.


    "Where do I go, Acrypha?!" Talon asked.


    "Follow me." She replied.


    Without asking any further questions, he moved after Acrypha as fast as he could. Crossing arge distance in a fairly small amount of time.


    His eyes werepletely focused on Hyun-Jae who was still on the ground, being pushed left and right. Her body was being rolled around, getting awfully close to the cracks around her.


    ''Oh no!'' Talon''s eyes widened as he saw how she was barely a few inches away from the edge of one of the craters.


    ''Faster! Faster! Faster!'' Talon murmured as he barely dodged a huge crater that formed in his way.


    Meanwhile, Hyun-Jae slowly continued rolling toward the hole, unable to stop herself. Eventually, her body slumped into it as she slowly slid down beforepletely falling.


    But, at thest second, Talon dived down as he grabbed her arm.


    "AGH!!"


    Because the arm he used to grab her was the injured one, the pain he felt at that moment was like hell. He could barely move a few fingers on that arm so holding on to Hyun-Jae was brutal.


    "Come¡­ On¡­"


    Meanwhile, Hyun-Jae, who was dangling into the hole slowly opened her dazed eyes as she looked around her. She had been unconscious for a few minutes now so she was unaware of what happened.


    The feeling of her arm being pulled woke her up and made her look up. Through her vague vision, she could see a very familiar silhouette.


    ''... Talon¡­'' She didn''t know why they were in such a situation, but she felt her instincts telling her that she was in an extremely bad situation.


    "Grab¡­ Into¡­ My arm¡­ Hyun-Jae!" Talon clenched his teeth as he felt blood seep out of his injury with each moment he tried to exert any kind of force. Instead, he put his spear down and extended his second hand for her.


    ''Grab¡­ Into his arm?'' She asked herself. ''He seems¡­ in pain¡­ I need¡­ to do¡­ what he said¡­''


    With that in her mind, Hyun-Jae moved her hand and grabbed into his with whatever power she had left.


    When that happened, Talon was able to push himself and pull her up from the hole slowly.


    "Hah¡­ Hah¡­" When Hyun-Jae emerged from the hole, she fell next to him as he heaved up powerfully.


    ''I''mpletely spent¡­ I can''t move at all¡­ This is crazy¡­'' His eyes were wide awake, but his body had reached apletely new level of exhaustion. A level where Talon just didn''t feel anything anymore which wasn''t even a good thing since that meant that his body was probably self-destructing just so that he could move around.


    But, even he knew that he couldn''t simply stay there or both of them were going to die. He had to somehow leave the forest.


    "Come on, Talon. Just onest push! The exit shouldn''t be that far away." He murmured to himself as an encouragement.


    Then, he clenched his teeth and rose from his position before he slowly picked up Hyun-Jae gently not to harm her back.


    Then, he quickly rushed toward the exit of the forest as fast as he could. Things were crumbling down on his head due to the relentless expansion.


    But, using his senses that were way sharper than ever before, he was able to somehow dodge most of the things that rained down on him. The ones that he couldn''t dodge, he had to tank their damage as he hugged Hyun-Jae tightly to protect her.


    He made sure that she didn''t get hit at all. However, he waspletely oblivious to the fact that Hyun-Jae was now aware of what was happening around her. Even if she couldn''t move or speak, she understood that Talon was heavily injured and that he was protecting her with his own body.


    ''No¡­ Don''t¡­ You''re harmed¡­ Please¡­'' She wanted to speak but she couldn''t at all. The injury on her back had cost her most of the blood in her body and whatever was left was barely keeping her alive and conscious.


    The degree of the damage was almost at the same level as Talon''s if not worse considering her ribs and backbones were visible in some areas. Yet, she didn''t care at all about that. Her worries were all about the young man who was putting his life on the line to bring them back to safety.


    Seeing the pained look on his face as he struggled hard, Hyun-Jae felt a myriad of emotions. Her heart ached seeing him in so much pain and she felt even more frustrated knowing that she was being a dead weight.


    She med herself for not being able to hold her ground against that woman. All of it was because she was extremely weak. That alone made her curse herself again and again constantly.


    As she was like that, she heard Talon''s voice close to her.


    "Hold on for a little longer¡­ Ok?"


    ''Huh?'' Looking up, she saw him smiling faintly through his pained expression.


    Even in such a situation, his voice still carried endless confidence and reassurance. So much that even Hyun-Jae''s heart was put at ease just hearing him. Something about it always eased her worries.


    "We will make it out alive." He continued. "I promise."


    ''How¡­ does he always¡­ do this¡­'' Hyun-Jae asked herself as she felt her heart beat even louder.


    She didn''t know why but at that moment, she was feeling intense emotions she never experienced before. Emotions that took her mind away from the world around her and made her focus simply on him¡­ His touch, his face, his presence.


    He hadpletely captured her entire being at that moment.


    ***


    "What is happening?!"


    "Holy shit! It''s the end of the world!!"


    "Help me!!"


    Right outside the forest, the group of students was thrown into chaos. The sudden earthquakes caught them by surprise. They had known that the expansion was going to happen but its brusk nature wasn''t expected.


    What made it even worse was the fact that Talon and Hyun-Jae were nowhere to be seen. They didn''t leave the forest along with the rest of the students.


    "Calm down, everyone! Running around frantically won''t save you!"


    In that crucial time, Chin-Hwa stood in the middle and yelled loudly. "Don''t forget what the president said! Stay in your positions and move together!"


    His words caught everyone''s attention and made them halt. Chin-Hwa had always been someone with great authority and respect amongst the students so his words were very valuable.


    ''Where are you, president?'' Meanwhile, the cold prince himself was having the dilemma of a lifetime.


    It had been a few minutes since he left the forest and Hyun-Jae behind. After that, he could hear explosions and gunshots in the distance. He didn''t know what was happening and his worry was eating away at his consciousness.


    "S-Sir!"


    "What?" Chin-Hwa turned around.


    "I-I can see two silhouettes approaching us! I can''t identify if they''re monsters or humans!" The scout replied as he pointed into the distance.


    "Where?"


    Hearing that, Chin-Hwa immediately rushed to the forest as he took a look. There, a little far away, there were indeed two silhouettes heading toward them through the crumbling forest.


    It took a second for Chin-Hwa to identify them since they werepletely covered in blood and dirt. They appeared like wretched monsters in the distance. But, he would never mistake her for that kind of monster.


    "P-President?!"


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 119: Chapter 119- Ominous Sounds

    When he realized who it was, he turned around and yelled. "I can see the two of them! We need to get them out of there!"


    "Y-Yes sir!"


    Immediately, the scouts stepped forward as they rushed inside the forest. By the time they stepped inside, they realized that the cracks had spread so far and wide that they couldn''t even find an easy path to reach Talon and Hyun-Jae.


    So, Chin-Hwa took the lead as he quickly jumped daringly, crossing the distance as he approached the two of them.


    "PRESIDENT!!" He yelled as he reached them. "What happened to her?!"


    Seeing her bloodied state, Chin-Hwa reached forward to carry her, only for Talon to pull away.


    "Out of my way¡­" He said in a low yet extremely cold tone.


    Chin-Hwa flinched visibly when he saw that terrifying look on Talon''s face and immediately retracted his arms. The young man''s aura was as terrifying as ever, if not even worse.


    Talon then continued moving as if he was conscious of it. In reality, however, everything was now a blurred mess to him. He could vaguely see that someone was standing in front of him but he couldn''t really know who it was so his natural instinct kicked in.


    "What is happening?" Chin-Hwa blinked as he quickly rushed after them. "Hey, wait! You can''t move! You''re heavily injured!" He yelled as he stared at Talon.


    Just a mere nce at him horrified Chin-Hwa. His body had so many see-through holes in it that he questioned how this man was still alive.


    But, Talon ignored himpletely as if he wasn''t there.


    So, all Chin-Hwa could do was move along with him,pletely terrified at how much resilience Talon had.


    "You can''t pass that crack! Let me help goddammit!"


    However, Talonpletely ignored him as he sprang to his feet, passing the crack with ease as if it wasn''t even there. Landing on the other side, he continued moving.


    ''What?! He can still jump that far with his injuries?!'' Chin-Hwa blinked in shock at what he saw.


    He could swear he saw that one of Talon''s legs was injured and yet he was able to do what Chin-Hwa barely did in his peak health. It was but another reminder of how monstrous that young man was and how hard it was to evenpare to him in terms of strength.


    *CRACK*


    However, Chin-Hwa''s thoughts were taken back to reality as he realized that the forest was crumbling on him. So, he quickly rushed after the two.


    On the other side, the scouts received the two leaders with terrified looks on their faces. Just a mere nce at their condition was akin to staring at two walking corpses.


    "Where¡­ is¡­ Gu Iseul¡­?" Talon asked as he finally reached the exit where the students were waiting.


    "Oh my god!!" The moment the girl heard her name, she rushed toward them as fast as she could. "What happened?!"


    "Help¡­ Her¡­" Saying that, Talon finally fell to the ground, barely stopping himself from hitting his head.


    Gu Iseul looked at him with a huge frown. "Not only Miss President! You too!"


    Quickly, she turned around and signaled for the group of students with healing abilities toe toward them.


    "Take care of Mr Talon!" She ordered them as she flipped her sleeves and sat down next to Hyun-Jae to check her condition.


    However, with a single look at her back, Gu Iseul realized how truly horrible the situation was.


    ''She''s in critical condition! And she lost too much blood!'' Gu Iseul thought to herself as she immediately started healing Hyun-Jae''s back.


    Meanwhile, the other students sat down next to Talon and used all their abilities at the same time since they weren''t that strongpared to Gu Iseul''s skill. But, together, their healing power was pretty much at her level if not better.


    "Is she going to be ok?" Chin-Hwa approached Gu Iseul as he looked at Hyun-Jae with a pale expression.


    Just seeing her in so much pain tore his heart to pieces. But, for the sake of their survival, he tried to keep his calm as much as he could.


    "... I will try my best, sir¡­ I won''t let Miss. President die!" Gu Iseul replied with a determined look on her face. "I owe her too much and I must repay it all!"


    ''I can''t let her die before I can show her how grateful I am!'' Her thoughts continued.


    Hyun-Jae was far from just her leader. But someone she looked up to greatly for her achievements and her great personality. She had helped her a lot during this tough time and inspired her to work harder than ever. Being the main healer in the entire group was a huge pressure that Gu Iseul wasn''tpletely ready for.


    Naturally, when she saw her peers die and she had no power to help them, it took a toll on her mental health and she found herself falling deeper and deeper into her own dark thoughts. The first one to be there for her was Hyun-Jae.


    ''It''s already a miracle that we''re still alive. You''ve been a huge factor in that and I''m grateful for it. Don''t beat yourself down because a few died, be proud because you saved many more souls.''


    Those words were still engraved in her heart and she would remember them whenever she felt like she couldn''t handle the continuous pressure.


    ''I will definitely work harder than before to not let anyone die! I don''t want to bury any more innocent souls!''


    As she continued healing her, Chin-Hwa was called by Go Young-Soon.


    "We need to move from this ce." He said as he looked around him nervously. "The cracks are spreading really fast and they''re going to reach our area soon."


    The precise location the students were in was located in a lower level than the other ces around the forest and the research center. Because of its level, the earthquakes didn''t hit it immediately.


    But, that didn''t mean that this wouldst forever. The pulses were growing in intensity by the second. At this point, the entirety of Seoul came crumbling down with no buildings left intact for the most part. The only ones that remained standing were the sturdier buildings that can tank earthquakes.


    Chin-Hwa knew that very well. But, he didn''t know if they could even evacuate this ce as a group. Hundreds of students moving through a very dangerous terrain at the same time is a spell for disaster.


    Not to mention the condition Talon and Hyun-Jae were in. There was simply no way they could leave this ce and even if there was, where are they supposed to go?


    "No, we''re staying here." He shook his head.


    "Bu-"


    "No buts. If we leave, we''re all done for. Our best chance of survival is if we reach the research center. We have to continue moving forward!"


    "..."


    ''Though, crossing that distance is going to be a challenge.''


    As they were like that, suddenly, they heard a loud noiseing from the distance that sent shivers down their spines. The sound was chaotic and certainly inhumane.


    Chin-Hwa''s eyes moved to the direction the sound came from and he frowned hard. "No way¡­"


    His eyes squinted coldly. The sound was very familiar to him as he heard it before not that long ago. The ground started shaking even more than it already was.


    "S-Sir?" Go Young-Soon called him with a pale expression.


    To which Chin-Hwa turned around and said. "Get everyone ready¡­" Then, he unsheathed his katana. "The war¡­ Isn''t over¡­"


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 120: Chapter 120- True Change

    The sound of loud footsteps echoed in the entire campus as the forest started crumbling even faster than ever before. Coupled with those loud footsteps were the inhumane shrieks of monsters, filled with terror and anger.


    "T-The monsters¡­" One student murmured as he looked at the forest.


    "You got to be kidding me! Not now of all times!!" Another said as they felt their hands shaking in fear.


    Everyone realized that these monsters were heading toward them at a very fast pace and the reason for that was clear¡­ Panic.


    Because of these earthquakes and the continuous expansion of the earth, the monsters lost their mind in fear for their lives. Naturally, that also meant that they were going to go haywire and destroy anything in their way as they fled. Sadly for the survivors, they were in their way.


    Meanwhile, Acrypha was floating high in the air as she stared into the distance.


    ''This expansion is really violent¡­ Far more violent than I expected.'' She thought to herself as she squinted.


    She had seen an expansion process before and it was never this violent. Especially for a Low-D Dimension like this one.


    "I can feel an abnormal amount of Aetheris in the air¡­ Far more than what a Low-Tier Dimension should have. What is going on?"


    Her eyes naturally went up to the Core Gate as she asked. The gate was acting very bizarrely. Its pulses were fast, extremely powerful, and very unpredictable. A behavior that only happens in Mid to higher-tier Dimensions.


    Acrypha knew that this wasn''t a coincidence. She had already thrown the idea that everything could be a coincidence out of the window long ago. Now, she was aware that this was going to be a very different expansion than she expected. One that perhaps will shatter her idea of what a process of this scale could be.


    ***


    Meanwhile, down on the ground, the students were panicking at this sudden disaster that was about to strike them. On one hand, they had earthquakes that were closing up on them, and on the other hand, monsters were about to attack them. A horde that was perhaps far bigger than ever before.


    To make it even worse, their two strongest fighters were heavily injured and were unable to move let alone battle.


    "We''re done for¡­ We''re all done for!"


    "I don''t want to die!" Another eximed with terrified looks on their faces.


    Some were crying in fear while others simply looked up, in a daze. Their will to fight was slowly crumbling under this huge pressure. After all, the world was now showing them the true scale of their power.


    Everything they''ve done so far, every achievement and every monster they killed¡­ They were all nothingpared to true power. A power that can change this very world as it wishes.


    How could they fight against such an absolute authority? It was simply impossible.


    They can only sit there and witness how they''re going to be but another disposable element in this massive change.


    Or that was at least what they assumed was going to happen before someone suddenly yelled loudly.


    "LISTEN TO ME, YOU IDIOTS!" Chin-Hwa''s voice boomed in their ears, catching their attention. "Brandish your weapons! We''re going to fight!"


    His words caught them by surprise and made them forget their distress. Chin-Hwa stared silently at the survivors for a second before he continued. "Why are you all looking down? This is what we came here for! Stop being wimpy cowards! So what if the president and that man are still injured?


    I''m here, that''s more than enough to end this damn battle!"


    His voice carried a strong energy to every student. It was very different from the energy that they felt from Talon or Hyun-Jae''s speeches. It was more brutal and colder and itcked any empathy.


    However, even then, it oddly elevated their spirit. Something about his insults hurt their egos.


    "I''m not a coward, goddammit!"


    "Me neither! He''s right, we came here to fight! Why are we being scared for?!"


    "Let''s fucking do it!"


    It didn''t take long for most of the students to lift their weapons up in the air. Seeing that, Chin-Hwa nodded his head as he turned around.


    ''Don''t worry, president. I will fight in your stead! I won''t let your hard work fall short!''


    At that moment, out of the forest emerged a giant wave of monsters. The wave was so massive that for a second, the entire world was drowned in the noises they were making. Ears rang painfully from the sheer scale of it. The entire area was invaded in mere seconds, only leaving behind the ce where the students stood.


    But, even then, everyone stood their position ording to the n before all of this.


    "Don''t fall back and fight with every ounce of power in your bodies!"


    The monsters rushed toward them, smashing against the first line of defense. The wave was massive and overwhelming. But, with sheer will, the defense didn''t crumble from one single hit. The shields held back against the relentless attacks of the monsters. They bit, wed, and jumped on the shields maniacally. It was clear they were terrified to no extent of the expansion and the earthquakes.


    "Why¡­ Are they¡­ stronger than before?!" One of the students clenched his teeth as he pushed back with all his strength.


    "Hold¡­ On!! We can''t¡­ Let them break through!!"


    The students'' formation was simple. The first line was positioned in the form of an arc around the rest of the group. They worked as the best defensive line. Meanwhile, the students with stealth-rted abilities would use that defense to attack secretly and kill as many as they could.


    As for the rest of the students, they would use that opportunity to encircle the monsters andpletely nullify their numbers advantage.


    But, in this situation, it was a little different. Because of their terrifying numbers. The students couldn''t possibly encircle the monsters as they were stilling out of the forest like an endless stream.


    So, for such a situation, they had a different n that Hyun-Jae told them about. A n


    made for such exact situations where they were being overwhelmed and had no way of actually ending their enemy swiftly.


    *Swish* *Swish* *Swish*


    The stealth team used the time to prate the enemy lines and kill the weaker monsters since they posed the greatest threat due to their massive numbers. Any monster level 10 and lower was swiftly murdered the moment they were seen.


    The process was extremely dangerous and many students found themselves unable to even move properly due to how crammed it was.


    "AGH!!"


    Some unfortunate ones couldn''t hold on for long as they were attacked brutally by the monsters and killed on the spot.


    "No!!!"


    "Don''t leave your position! We can''t help them! Hold on!!"


    The fight was brutal from the very start. Blood was shed from the very moment the sh urred. Both sides sustained brutal injuries as the seconds passed. The survivors found themselves in a very dire situation. But, they didn''t run or fear for their lives.


    This was their moment, as bumpy as it had been, this was the true moment where they were going to truly change their fate. Many fell and perhaps even more will fall by the end of this battle. But, if they prevail over their enemies then there was a future for them.


    It was far more than just a struggle for survival. It was a battle for a peaceful future for their kind.


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 121: Chapter 121- Lightning Step (Part 1)

    Amidst all of this chaos, Chin-Hwa was the only one to actually be able to deal heavy damage to the enemy lines. His speed and skills with the sword were devastating by every means.


    With each swing, a monster would fall dead to the ground. Nothing could catch him or deal heavy damage to him.


    This was the result of weeks of continuous training and leveling up that he went through. Even though he was still weaker than Talon and Hyun-Jae,pared to the others, he was definitely at a higher level.


    ''I need to kill as many as I can! I can''t let them get through us or they would harm the president!'' He clenched his teeth as he barely deflected a monster attack and returned with one of his own.


    The more he killed, the more monsters appeared in his vision. It was as if he was fighting an army that never ends. Minutes passed as he continued slicing and stabbing every single thing in his way.


    He was using every single ounce of strength in his body to kill as many as he could. Injuries slowly umted on his body after a long while. Blood seeped through his clothes and drenched them.


    On the other hand, the number of monsters he killed was absurd. Notifications kept popping off endlessly in his retina. Stats poured down on him endlessly, boosting his strength even more.


    In fact, if it wasn''t for that continuous scaling of his power, Chin-Hwa was sure he would''ve fallen long ago. He simply couldn''t handle an entire army of monsters on his own.


    Meanwhile, the situation was even worse for the students. Since they were weaker than Chin-Hwa, they naturally struggled very hard to kill as many monsters. Many sustained deep injuries in the span of a few minutes and others unfortunately weren''t lucky enough to remain alive.


    Their corpses couldn''t even be imed as they were either ravaged by the abominations or turned into mindless Dimension Walkers that attacked the students again.


    "We can''t hold on any longer!"


    "Please help me! I''m slipping!"


    "AGH!!! My arm!!"


    "NO! NOOO!!! STAY AWAY!!"


    The shrieks of pain and terror echoed in the campus, filling it with a dark, gloomy aura. The situation was turning into a desperate struggle for survival. Nothing was humane about the battle. It was chaotic, bloody, and merciless.


    Without realizing it, the students were turned into bloody beasts just like their counterparts. Theypletely got rid of their civilized personas and turned into monstrous barbarians with one single desire¡­ To kill as many monsters as they can possibly do.


    None of them expected that a day woulde when they would be covered in blood as they swung their swords around just so that they could live another day. It was very ironic and twisted.


    "This is horrible¡­" Gu Iseul murmured as she watched the fight from the backlines as she continued healing Hyun-Jae as fast as she could.


    Many injured students were brought back to her to get healed. But, she sadly couldn''t help them immediately. Getting Hyun-Jae back on her feet was far more important if they wanted any chance of winning the fight.


    Luckily, since the time she healed Talon, her healing skill had leveled up a lot and improved. Her ability to treat terrible injuries in a shorter time improved greatly and that appeared visibly.


    Hyun-Jae''s back which waspletely wrecked was looking way better than before after a few minutes of treatment. The blood stoppedpletely and flesh covered her backbones and ribs, leaving only the skin to recover.


    "Cough! Cough!"


    Surprisingly, Hyun-Jae''s eyes opened again mid-treatment.


    "Miss!" Gu Iseul beamed visibly when she saw that.


    Hyun-Jae didn''t reply immediately as she made a low groan. her body ached greatly and she was suffering from a strong headache.


    "Is¡­ Talon fine?" Her voice was hoarse.


    Hearing that, the healer looked up at the young man lying next to her, surrounded by multiple other healers. He was still in very bad shape, but he was improving visibly.


    "He will be fine, don''t worry! Please focus on your recovery!"


    Hyun-Jae exhaled a long breath in relief. If Talon was fine, then that''s what mattered most to her.


    "AAAAGHHH!!"


    "What is happening¡­?" She asked with a low tone. In the distance, she could hear loud noises.


    "The monster hordes went haywire! We''re trying to stop them but¡­ It''s not looking good¡­" Gu Iseul exined briefly.


    Immediately, Hyun-Jae extended her hand and grabbed Gu Iseul''s hand. Thetter was taken aback.


    "Miss¡­?"


    Hyun-Jae then slowly rose from the ground and looked at Iseul. "Where is my sword?" She asked.


    "Miss? Don''t tell me¡­" The girl blinked in shock. "You can''t! You''re still in a critical state! Moving now could kill you!"


    "I said¡­ where is¡­ my sword?" She asked. "I need¡­ To move¡­"


    "Please, don''t! You will get killed!"


    ''How are you even able to move?! Your entire back is burnt off!'' She screamed in her head as she watched Hyun-Jae pick up her weapon.


    "This¡­ is an order¡­ If I don''t¡­ Fight¡­ We will die¡­" Wiping the blood from her face, she stood up and supported herself with her sword.


    "..." Gu Iseul tried to find the words to stop her. But, even in her weakened state, Hyun-Jae''s presence was still as domineering as ever. Just a mere look from her would make any individual cower back in fear.


    ***


    "Hah¡­ Hah¡­ Hah¡­" Chin-Hwa heaved up and down heavily as he barely dodged the sharp ws of a two-headed tiger and stabbed it in the chest.


    *ROAR*


    But, immediately, another monster attacked him from the back, slicing through his flesh. The cold prince clenched his teeth in deep pain as he quickly turned around and decapitated it with one single swipe.


    Almost instantly, a few other monsters reced the two he just killed and he was overwhelmed again by their umted force.


    "S-Sir! Back away or you will get killed!"


    "Shut up!" Chin-Hwa yelled. "Unless any of you are ready to fight these things in my stead, then I''m not backing away!"


    His words made the students look away with difficult expressions. They were already struggling as it is with their positions. Taking Chin-Hwa''s role was simply suicide.


    Even the cold prince himself knew that this pretty was going to kill him before he could even really do anything to stop this endless stream of monsters.


    *ROAR*


    As he was like that, a monster suddenly ambushed him. So, Chin-Hwa tried to sidestep the attack. But, at that moment, his leg slipped on the mud beneath him and he lost his bnce immediately.


    His eyes widened as he felt his heart stop for a moment. The ws were about to stab him and he had no way of dodging it.


    ''Shit¡­'' Clenching his teeth, he tried to put his hands in the way of the ws.


    *STAB*


    Blood sshed on his face as Chin-Hwa fell to the ground with a loud thud. Opening his eyes, he flinched as he found the monster''s face awfully close to his. However, it didn''t seem like it was moving.


    His eyes slowly looked down only to see a sword de protruding out of its chest.


    "Are you ok?"


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 122: Chapter 122- Lightning Step (Part 2)

    Chin-Hwa''s vision shifted up as he noticed a silhouette had appeared behind the monster and pulled the sword out of its chest, making blood gush out of the injury.


    "P-Presitdent?" He murmured her name in surprise. He had to look at her twice to understand how she was standing in front of him at that moment.


    Twenty minutes ago, she waspletely unconscious with extremely bad injuries. Never did he think that he would see her on her feet this quickly. But, he clearly underestimated Hyun-Jae and her willpower.


    ''Wait, she''s still heavily injured¡­'' He blinked when he noticed the burn marks on her back before he sucked in a deep breath. Even when she could barely walk, she still decided to go back to the fight the moment she woke up.


    For some reason, that felt very familiar to Chin-Hwa. Perhaps because it was something he would expect from Hyun-Jae with how tenacious she was. She was always someone who would prioritize her responsibilities over her health.


    He would never forget the countless days he had to beg her to stop and rest after she spent days working non-stop.


    A small, nostalgic smile shed on his face before he stood up.


    "Thank you¡­ For saving me¡­" He said awkwardly.


    Hyun-Jae gave him onest nce to make sure he wasn''t injured heavily anywhere before she nodded her head and turned around. "We need to push them back a little before they break through. Can you still fight?"


    Chin-Hwa''s smile vanished as he quickly returned to his serious expression. "Of course."


    Wiping the sweat from his face, Chin-Hwa brandished his sword as he turned around again. "I will fight till I can''t stand on my feet again."


    Hyun-Jae turned around before she channeled her Aetheris. "Good." She replied mysteriously as she suddenly vanished like a ghost.


    Her speed was so shocking that it made Chin-Hwa look back. His eyes fell on his childhood friend who was now a few dozen meters away as she appeared like a ghost, slicing monsters before they could even realize that she was there. Then, she disappeared again and appeared next to another monster, severing their head swiftly.


    Her movement was so explosive and overwhelming that Chin-Hwa was barely able to keep up with her with his eyes. It was as if he was watching a blurry image of someone moving.


    She shed everywhere, cutting anything in her way effortlessly. Sizzles of lightning coursed through her body, making her appear as if she was exuding a bright light wherever she appeared.


    ''So fast!'' He eximed in his head.


    From what he remembered, Hyun-Jae''s speed was certainly amazing, but it never reached this level.


    ''Wait, is she...?'' That''s when Chin-Hwa noticed it.


    The lightning bolts that coursed through her body were precisely concentrated in her legs while the rest of the body didn''t have any of that. He also noticed that whenever she moved, she would sh forward, leaving behind her a burn mark on the ground as if a lightning bolt hit that area.


    ''She''s using her Lightning Maniption to increase her agility!'' The answer came to him really quickly after that.


    It was indeed the case. Hyun-Jae''s explosive speed that pushed her even beyond Talon''s agility was due to her main skill, ''Lightning Maniption''. This wasn''t a coincidence by any means or something that she just discovered at that moment. It has been something she worked on every single day ever since she received this skill.


    [Lightning Maniption (Level 4): Using this ability, you can manipte and create lightning however you want. The level of control depends on how much Aetheris is used and the level of the skill.


    w: Overusing the ability could leave internal damage or severe burns.]


    She had read the description many times over this period of time as she analyzed it word by word. That''s when she realized, she could very much use this ability not only to deal heavy damage but to also improve her overall strength.


    Since lightning was pure energy, if she somehow could actually make that energy move through her body, she could technically do it. From that point on, Hyun-Jae started working relentlessly on making that a reality.


    The first two weeks were brutal by every means. She failed countless times and would end up burning herself. She didn''t realize how hard this task was going to be. To make energy as chaotic and as damaging as lightning to swiftly move through her body and improve her agility and reaction speed turned out to be a colossal task.


    But, she didn''t give up and continued practicing every single day for hours as much as she could. Days slowly passed and she started seeing results soon enough.


    It didn''t take long for her to learn that channeling the lightning through her legs made it way easier to achieve way higher speeds. However, even then, the risk of damaging her own body using such a technique wasn''t out of the equation yet. The burns from using it were not light by any means.


    In fact, they were so severe that Hyun-Jae would end up unable to walk in more than one instance.


    That was why, she tried to avoid using this ability as much as possible unless the situation was too dire not to use it. Which was unfortunately the situation they were in at that moment.


    ''I need to end this before I overexert and burn my feet off!'' Hyun-Jae mused as she sliced down two monsters in quick session before she vanished again.


    Even in her condition, she kept her calm and moved elegantly, catching all her enemies by surprise. In a matter of a few moments, she killed a few dozen enemies or so on her own. It took a huge toll on her body to move this much and she knew that her recovery speed would slow down greatly after this battle.


    But, if she wanted to survive and protect everything that meant something to her, she had to put herself on the line.


    ''Just like how he put his life on the line for me!''


    *Swish* *Swish*


    At the frontlines where the shes happened, the shield-wielding survivors quickly noticed that the pressure they had to resist was growing weaker and weaker. Monsters were falling to their death at an extremely rapid pace.


    "What is happening?!"


    "I couldn''t see shit! One monster just fell dead in front of me!"


    "Me too!"


    They started realizing that there was something killing these creatures and vanishing at top speed.


    "Don''t stop, we have a chance to push them back!" Chin-Hwa yelled as he dashed forward and dived into the enemy lines again.


    "He''s right!"


    "I can finally move! Let''s go!!!"


    "Come at me, fuckers!!!"


    The situation started turning around and the tides of the battle changed. All because of Hyun-Jae. Her presence alone made the overall power of the survivors'' army way higher.


    The dwindling spirit of the army ignited powerfully again as they pushed their enemies back with all the strength they could muster.


    At the same time, the pulses of the gate reached a new height, and the cracks across the globe grew in size. The sheer strength of these earthquakes shifted the tectonic tes in many areas of the world, creating new valleys, mountains, and hills.


    Rivers formed and destroyed, entire cities were rendered t and others remained fairly unscathed. In a matter of minutes, the world as they knew it started changing beyond recognition.


    However, for better or worse, the survivors were able to stick together even under such circumstances. The cracks spread through their lines and yet didn''t push that much apart.


    ''There are still too many monsters.''


    After killing more than a hundred monsters, Hyun-Jae realized that even with their situation getting better, there was no end to the number of monsters exiting the forest. Her energy was running out extremely fast and she had no idea if she could even fight any longer.


    Her back injuries came back biting her hard. Each move she made was extremely painful and terrifying. The pressure on her only grew when she realized that if she didn''t somehow kill a massive number of these monsters in one single swipe, she was going to be in grave danger.


    ''How can I reduce their numbers?''


    To kill potentially hundreds of monsters with one single attack. It was perhaps the first time someone even thought of such a ridiculous idea.


    But, unless Hyun-Jae achieved such an idea¡­ Everyone was dead. Or at least, that was what she thought.


    ***


    "I-I think it''s safe¡­"


    Meanwhile, far deeper into the forest, the doors of the research center opened slightly as three humans peeked outside hesitantly, checking if there was anyone outside.


    But, all they could see was a destroyed world that took them by shock. Never in their wildest dreams did they expect something like this to happen in the past few weeks they were locked inside that building.


    "What¡­ In the hell¡­ Happened¡­" One of them murmured in shock.


    "The entire world is gone¡­" Another replied with a pale expression.


    "So, it was true¡­ I had this suspicion the entire time¡­ But, I never thought¡­ It could be this bad¡­"


    None of the trio knew how to feel at that moment. Should they be devastated that their world as they knew it was gone? Or should they be happy they''re finally out of this prison after weeks of hell?


    But, even more important than that, what were they supposed to do now that they''re out?


    Monsters lurked everywhere and they were as clueless as kids in a vast, dangerous world that was changing right in front of their eyes.


    "F-First of all, let''s leave this area¡­ I don''t feel safe still standing here¡­"


    "Yeah, that sounds like a good idea¡­"


    "Let''s go."


    The three scientists then started descending the stairs quickly. Only to halt again as they noticed something approaching them in the distance.


    "S-Someone ising!"


    The trio watched anxiously as a silhouette emerged from the forest, walking very slowly. They couldn''t recognize who it was at first due to the wretched appearance of this person. They werepletely covered in blood from head to toe with numerous injuries riddling their body. They had their hand on their stomach as they took one step at a time.


    Then, this person halted as they looked up at the scientists coldly. Just a mere glimpse at this person''s eyes sent a chill down their spines.


    "You¡­" A very hoarse yet feminine voice spoke to them.


    ***


    A//N: I know I ask too much and it might be annoying, but still, I''m a shameless author. If you like the story, don''t forget to support it with Golden Tickets and Power Stones. It means a lot to me ??

 Chapter 123: Chapter 123- Crushing Despair

    The woman''s cold and aloof aura was long gone, reced by a wretched anger and hatred that seeped into her aura and her very presence.


    Just a mere nce at her made the scientists freeze in their ce in terror. They didn''t know how their abductor was that heavily injured and they didn''t frankly care as they were now terrified for their lives more than anything else.


    Time passed slowly for the poor humans. They wanted to run for their lives but their legs refused to move.


    ''Why?! Why is she here?!''


    ''Move! You useless legs! Fucking move!!''


    ''No¡­ Please, no¡­''


    They realized the huge disaster they were in.


    As for the woman herself, no one could read what was going through her mind. But, it was clear that it wasn''t a pleasant thing at all.


    ''That bastard¡­ Did this to me!! I won''t forgive him! I won''t forgive him for it as long as I''m alive!! I will tear him limb by limb! Just like what I''m going to do to his stupid clones!!'' She cursed as she clenched her teeth.


    Her anger reached the boiling point and soared far beyond. This was the second time in her life she felt this humiliated. To get beaten by a weakling ten levels beneath her in terms of power and not even be able to kill him. It was a horrible feeling. She had been working hard her entire life, day and night, to ensure that no one could truly exceed her talent.


    Yet, out of all the people that could beat her, it was HIM. His face and silhouette were engraved in her mind a second time and she hated it¡­ God, did she hate it.


    But, for now, she knew that she couldn''t put her focus on him. She needed to heal and she had what she needed to make a full recovery really quick. All that she required to heal herself were a few sacrificialmbs.


    Luckily, she didn''t have to look too far to find them. There were three perfect prey standing in front of her.


    "You¡­" Slowly, she moved her hand and pulled her sniper rifle before aiming it at them.


    Seeing the muzzle of the weapon, the scientists flinched as their faces turned even paler.


    "Move inside¡­ Hah, hah¡­ Now¡­" She said in a tired tone.


    ''They don''t know that the weapon doesn''t have any bullets. It should be easy to scare them.'' She thought to herself.


    In her condition, she knew that she could barely move. Catching these three was going to be a tedious task.


    "... *Gulp*"


    "I said¡­ Move inside¡­ Now!" The woman threatened.


    Her words boomed in their heads and made them instinctively step back. They had two choices, either to listen and walk back inside their prison, or get shot to death.


    Each choice was more horrible than the other. Yet, that''s what they had.


    "Let''s get inside¡­." One said.


    "But, we''re definitely going to get killed! Look at her!" The other replied.


    "Do you have any other suggestions?! We''re going to die either way! I would rather prolong it! Who knows if someone woulde to save us."


    "There is no wa-"


    "Look at her¡­ She''s heavily injured. Who did that to her?" The female scientist said in a whisper as she took a peek at their abductor.


    She was in such a horrible condition that she was surprised she could still move. That wasn''t some kind of ident. There were injuries on her body that were the result of sharp weapons.


    Just imagining who could''ve inflicted such injuries on her was terrifying.


    "Let''s get back inside¡­" In the end, she decided to follow her coworker.


    "You two¡­"


    "If you want to die, go ahead."


    Then, they started slowly moving back inside the building, leaving the third one alone. He had a dark expression on his face.


    "I won''t repeat my words¡­" Hearing that threatening cold voice, he cursed his shitty luck. He wanted to just die right there and then. But, in the end, he knew that he cherished his life too much to throw it this easily.


    ''Please¡­ Anyone out there¡­ Help us¡­ Please!''


    ***


    The battle continued for another 30 minutes. During which, no side was able to fully overpower the other and im the victory.


    The humans fought with every ounce of power they had. Many fell injured and dead and even more were traumatized beyond repair. But, they still fought, killing endless numbers of enemies.


    They were tired, in extreme pain, and terrified to the bone. But, was there really another choice? Weirdly enough, none of them contemted the idea of running away.


    For them, escaping was akin to admitting that all their hard work, their determination, and their desire to get their lives back was all a bunch of nonsense. If fear was the only trigger they needed to simply revert to their past selves then they might as well never even do all of this. Death was a far easier solution.


    But, they didn''t want that. It was a nightmare far worse than being the target of a giant one-eyed bear.


    "Don''t let them break through!! Support the left side!" As Hyun-Jae fought, she also gave instructions to her army.


    ''Hah¡­ Hah¡­ This isn''t good at all¡­ We''re still being pushed back. The first line is going to break any time.'' She thought to herself as she wiped the sweat from her face.


    Hyun-Jae''s Aetheris reserve was on the verge of beingpletely emptied. It turned out that Lightning Step consumed far more energy than she expected and it took an even bigger toll on her already wrecked body.


    Standing on her feet became such a tedious task that she was amazed she didn''t crumble yet. Even with her iron will, Hyun-Jae knew that what she was doing right now far exceeded her limits. Surprisingly, even in that situation, her desire to fight was still over the roof.


    ''I can still keep going! I can do it!''


    At first, she didn''t know where all that motivation came from. But, she soon realized that the reason for it was far simpler than she thought.


    ''If I don''t fight¡­ I won''t be able to protect him when he needs me¡­''


    She had sworn to be next to him for a very long time as he strode the path of power. Seeing Talon grow that strong so fast made her realize that soon enough, he might never need her help. That thought alone terrified her to no extent and she didn''t know why.


    So, at this moment, when she knew he needed her, how could she not step up for it? Even if it was a losing war. Even if she could simply buy him time till he could move again¡­ She was ready to put her life on the line to do it.


    *ROAR*


    So, with all those thoughts running through her head, she sliced down the monsters in her path before shing forward.


    But, at that moment, her body suddenly froze mid-fight as she looked up with a strong frown on her face. Out of nowhere, multiple terrifying presences suddenly appeared in the area. Their auras gave her chills just by merely feeling it.


    ''Is it that woman?'' Hyun-Jae quickly looked up, only to realize that she was wrong.


    *SCREECH*


    In a split second, from within the forest, massive creatures crushed their way through, kicking all the monsters around them away with ease.


    ''What the fuck are those?!'' Hyun-Jae cursed.


    The monsters that appeared were massive, standing at 6 meters tall or more. They had the rough shape of humans with extremely ugly features and a single eye.


    In their hands were giant tree trunks that they used to smash their way through the horde, aiming for the survivors.


    "A horde of One-Eyed trolls¡­" Acrypha''s calm expression broke for a moment when she saw them. "Of all things that could appear in this world¡­"


    One-Eyed trolls were violent monsters that lived in groups and hunted down anything that moved. They were barbaric abominations with an insatiable desire for blood and war. However, the worst detail by far was their levels.


    From what Acrypha could see, the weakest troll in this group was level 22¡­ Far stronger than the strongest student in the survivors'' army.


    "Holy shit!!!"


    Seeing the massive group of enemies charging at them, the students freaked out as they instinctively moved back.


    But, by the time they realized the horrible disaster that befell them¡­ It was already far toote to retreat.


    The group of trolls reached them in a few seconds before they swung their giant wooden bats.


    *BANG*


    "AGH!!"


    Students were sent flying like ragdolls left and right. In a single moment, the first line of defense waspletely shattered.


    But, the trolls didn''t stop there as they immediately moved deeper into the army lines, rampaging as they wished.


    In a matter of seconds, all the momentum they were building up waspletely crushed under the overwhelming force of these giants. Many students were killed with each swing as the stench of blood filled the air.


    "No¡­"


    Hyun-Jae watched the scene with a pale look on her face. It happened too suddenly that she found herself unable to move for a few seconds. The monsters hadpletely shattered their defenses¡­ The onlyyer that kept everything intact. Now, the backlines were being ravaged endlessly.


    "Help! HELP!!!"


    *BOOOM*


    "AGHH!!"


    "No¡­" Hyun-Jae clenched her sword even tighter.


    For the first time in her entire life¡­ She felt crushed.


    (A//N: I know I ask too much and it might be annoying, but still, I''m a shameless author. If you like the story, don''t forget to support it with Golden Tickets and Power Stones. It means a lot to me :P)

 Chapter 124: Chapter 124- Birth Of a God (Part 1)

    If one would ask Hyun-Jae, ''What is the worst day of your life?'' she would immediately know the answer to that as she had lived with that day haunting her memories every single day for years. It was something that she did when she was young. Something that she wanted to never remember again.


    But, at this exact moment, that idea chattered in her head. Perhaps that wasn''t really the worst day of her life.


    Staring at the world around her, all she could see at that moment was blood and despair. The stench of death filled her nostrils and made her shudder. She felt herself unable to move at all due to shock.


    All her hard work and dedication had gone down the drain in one single moment without any warning.


    *BOOOOOOOM*


    "AGHHHH!"


    Meanwhile, the trolls continued their rampage, ruthlessly murdering every single human they saw in their path. Their disgusting eyescked any emotions, except for a subtle delight in seeing this much death around them.


    "P-President! Help us!! Please!!"


    "President!"


    "Ugh!! No!! No!!! Please, I don''t want to die!!"


    Hearing all those screams that called her name. Hyun-Jae frowned even harder as she tightened her grip on her sword till her knuckles turned white. She wanted to help, she wanted to kill all of these monsters. But, how was she supposed to do that? These trolls were stronger than her with the weakest being a little above her in strength.


    A sane person would never jump into such a fight mindlessly since it was akin to a death sentence. But, hearing all those cries, Hyun-Jae couldn''t stop herself. She simply couldn''t ignore them and move on.


    That was even worse than death for her.


    So, shaking her head, she sucked in a deep breath as she dashed forward.


    "Evacuate the area now! The fight is over! Don''t look back! Just run for your life!" She yelled as she closed the distance between her and the first troll before it could kill another human.


    "President!" Chin-Hwa saw that and quickly kicked the monster he was fighting away before rushing after her.


    ''The situation is disastrous! We need to run away before we be the focus of these giants!'' Chin-Hwa cursed.


    "Please, wait!! Fighting those things is suicide!!" Chin-Hwa''s heart sank as he saw the troll turn around and look at Hyun-Jae. Its eyes shed with a weird glint as it realized that a special human had appeared in front of it.


    Without hesitation, it swung its wooden bat down, aiming for Hyun-Jae. But, thetter quickly sidestepped, avoiding the attack before it went toward the monster''s right leg.


    "HAH!!" Swinging her sword, she cut through its tough skin, barely scraping the muscles.


    The hit made her hand go numb upon contact. ''So tough!''


    The monster fell down on one knee as it shrieked in pain. Its sound echoed in the entire area. Then, with an outraged expression, it swung its bat down again.


    Turning around quickly, Hyun-Jae jumped back as the weapon smashed into the ground, leaving a big crater behind it. Debris flew everywhere.


    ''I need to quickly finish it off!'' Hyun-Jae ran around the monster as fast as she could before leaping in the air and channeling whatever Aetheris she had left in her body before sending a lightning bolt toward its eye.


    *BANG*


    ''A direct hit!'' Hyun-Jae''s eyes shed with a cold glint as she saw her attack sessfully hit the monster, making it fall to the ground. She was surprised her hits were working this effectively.


    With her level barely reaching 20, she expected that she wouldn''t be able to fight against higher-level monsters. But, what she didn''t realize was after continuously killing monsters, the purity of her soul reached a new level on its own. Added to her abnormally high stats, her true power far exceeded her actual level.


    Leaping in the air, Hyun-Jaended on the troll''s body as she stabbed her sword right into its neck, piercing one of its arteries. Blood exploded out of the injury, sshing against her body.


    Immediately, the monster started shaking violently, throwing the girl off with ease.


    "Ugh!" Hyun-Jae quickly tried to move out of the way. However, that''s when she realized something terrifying.


    ''My body¡­ It''s refusing to move¡­'' Her eyes widened and her breath halted. Then, she realized the second problem¡­ Her vision suddenly ckened and she couldn''t hear anything anymore.


    Every sound around her started to turn into iprehensible buzzing.


    ''Huh¡­''


    This entire time, Hyun-Jae has been fighting over her limit. Her body was in such a horrible state that even her muscles were being heavily damaged with each move she made. When the human body reaches a certain level of exhaustion and doesn''t receive proper rest to recover, it naturally starts slowly eating itself away to provide energy for survival.


    But, the moment that individual stops for even a moment. All of that exhaustion woulde back tenfold worse. In Hyun-Jae''s case, she had not only lost the ability to move but her senses were shut off immediately.


    "President!" Chin-Hwa rushed toward her as fast as he could.


    Meanwhile, the monster continued tossing and turning, hitting everything in its way. Its arms swung everywhere. Due to her position, Hyun-Jae quickly found herself the target of one of those arms.


    Her eyes widened slightly as she realized the huge disaster about to befall her.


    "PRESIDENT!!!"


    Chin-Hwa felt his heart stop as he realized that¡­ He was too far to get her out of the way.


    ''I won''t reach her in time!!''


    Suddenly, at that moment, a silhouette shed beside him in the blink of an eye. Chin-Hwa couldn''t even see who it was before the silhouette reached Hyun-Jae.


    *BOOOOOM*


    "Wha¡­" Chin-Hwa covered his eyes from the gush of dirt as he quickly pushed it away and looked up.


    There, a few meters away from the spot where Hyun-Jae was¡­ A man stood carrying her in his arms.


    ''When did he¡­'' Chin-Hwa frowned hard. He didn''t even see that person moving before everything ensued.


    Meanwhile, Hyun-Jae was still in a dazed state. Her senses werepletely cked out and all she had was the faint sense of touch. Having no connection with the real world was a terrifying feeling. Her heart was beating loudly in her chest and her mind was buzzing


    as if it were a hive of bees.


    But, the moment she felt two arms wrap around her, all of that fear and concern washed away as if it was never there. Something about the warmth she felt at that moment put her heart at ease.


    Without realizing it, she embraced that feeling willingly without thinking too much about what was happening.


    In the real world, however, things werepletely different. The troll had lost all the blood in its body and stopped moving. The other trolls noticed that and their behavior changed immediately.


    They stopped caring about the humans around them and instead focused their eyes on the young man standing in the middle of the battlefield.


    Then, they started screeching loudly, shaking the entire world with their voices.


    "Oooh, they''re really angry, aren''t they?" Talon murmured. "I guess they didn''t like seeing an injured human kill one of their kind¡­"


    Looking down at the beautiful woman in his arms. Talon could only be impressed. Not only did Hyun-Jae single-handedly change the course of the war even though she was heavily injured. She also was able to kill one of these trolls all on her own.


    He couldn''t imagine how hard that was to do.


    "You did great¡­ I''m sorry for taking too much toe back¡­" He apologized calmly as he turned around.


    His eyes fell on Chin-Hwa as he signaled for him toe closer.


    Thetter was shaken out of his daze and quickly approached Talon. With a simple nce at the young man, the cold prince was surprised.


    Talon''s condition had improved really quickly since a few minutes ago. Granted, the bullet injuries didn''t vanish. But, he looked way better than before.


    "Take Hyun-Jae and leave the area." He said as he handed Hyun-Jae to him. "Don''t look back."


    "What? What about you?"


    Talon didn''t answer immediately as he turned around. There, in front of him, hundreds of monsters were staring ominously at him as if he were a tasty target. The trolls smashed their bats on the ground as they also focused their eyes on him as their next target.


    But, the young man didn''t seem intimidated by this giant army of monsters.


    "Me? Hmm¡­ Let''s say¡­ I''m about to put an end to this bullshit."


    "..."


    "If you don''t move now, you might get killed." He added as he moved forward.


    Chin-Hwa watched him silently. He couldn''t find the words to say at that moment. This young man had always been a dilemma to him. He hated him and yet also respected him. He considered him a rival and yet also an ally.


    It was a mix of conflicting emotions that he couldn''t sort out yet. But, at that moment, he could only say a single thing.


    "You better not die! Or¡­ She will be upset." He said in a weird tone.


    Talon raised an eyebrow, clearly not expecting these words toe out of his mouth. But, in the end, he smiled and nodded his head. Then, his body slowly started illuminating with a bright blue light.


    Lifting his hand in the air, that energy quickly moved to the tips of his fingers, forming an energy ball within the palm of his hand.


    "I wasn''t intending to die."


    [Ding!]


    [Warning triggered!]


    [Are you sure you want to use all of your Aetheris Points?]

 Chapter 125: Chapter 125- Birth Of a God (Part 2)

    A warning immediately shed in Talon''s retina when he channeled his entire Aetheris reserve into his hand. This had never happened to him before since he had never tried to use the entirety of his Aetheris in one single moment.


    After all, that meant that he was going to suffer from consequences due to it. But, at that moment, he had no other choice but to put every point of energy he had into what he was about to do for it to have any possibility of sess.


    ''I don''t know if this is going to work¡­ But, I''m betting my luck on it.'' He thought to himself as he stepped forward, heading toward the stampede of monsters.


    His heart was as calm as ake and his mind was clear and empty. For some reason, the sight of hundreds of monsters running toward him became something that he didn''t fear at all.


    ''I grew too ustomed to this shit to get scared anymore.''


    [Ding!]


    [You have activated ''Tear Of Reality''.]


    The ball of energy in his hand intensified the moment Talon activated his skill. He felt his fingers grow colder and the energy condensing even more till it was wrapped in a perfect sphere.


    But, he didn''t immediately use it as he lifted his other hand and channeled his Aetheris there.


    [Ding!]


    [You have activated ''Azure mes''.]


    A blue ball of mes formed in the palm of his hand as it floated silently.


    "What are you trying to do?" Acrypha asked as she looked at him with confusion.


    "Something that''s probably never been done before. Talon said as he looked at his hands with clear focus.


    "..."


    Hearing those words, Acrypha instantly realized that he was about to try something oundish, as he usually does. So, she went silent and watched.


    ''Ok, here goes nothing.''


    Slowly, the young man rotated his palms to face each other before he closed them up. The two balls of energy made contact with each other before Talon felt an extreme pain rush through his body like an electric shock as the two balls rejected each other.


    "Ugh!" Clenching his teeth, he shook his hands to get rid of the numbness.


    Meanwhile, Acrypha looked at him with confusion written all over her face. Was he seriously trying to mix the two skills together?


    ''That should be impos- Oh, hold on right there, Acrypha. It''s Talon we''re talking about. This kid doesn''t followmon sense¡­ He never did.'' She sighed as she rubbed her temple.


    She naturally didn''t have to say that doing this was a ridiculous idea by all means. The Azure mes and Tear of Reality were fundamentally two different abilities with basically nothing inmon except that the two of them are made out of Aetheris which might as well not be a simrity since it didn''t mean anything.


    Trying to mix them together is like trying to mix olive oil and water¡­ It should not work in normal circumstances.


    However, Acrypha wasn''t naive enough to think that such a thing would apply to her little human. Even if she told him, he would probably look at her and say. ''Who said that it''s impossible? Let me try first.''


    So, she saved herself the effort of doing that and watched his second attempt.


    Talon naturally failed the next few attempts as it should be. Each time, the two balls would repulse each other, hurting him instead. Meanwhile, the monsters were now basically right in front of him. At most, he had a few seconds before he waspletely swept by the raging beasts.


    ''Come on¡­ I know it can work¡­''


    Talon slowly calmed his breath to a halt as focused his entire being on his hands. Ever since his Enhanced Focus evolved into Future Sight, Talon''s senses had evolved far and beyond along with it. He was sure that they improved at least ten or twenty times.


    Naturally, his ability to focus also soared up. Now, he could easily submerge himself in his own world in a moment and put his entire mental strength into any task he wanted. But, that also meant that he could easily cut himself off from the real world¡­ Something that he shouldn''t do in a situation where he was about to be killed.


    Not to mention the expansion that was quickly rushing toward him from all angles. It was a terrifying situation.


    But, the young man ignored all of those secondary thoughts and put his entire being into these two contradicting balls of energy.


    ''Swiftly merge them together¡­ They simply are two balls of energy from the same source. They aren''t that different¡­ They just look different¡­'' He thought to himself again and again like a mantra.


    Then, he closed his hands toward each other very slowly. The Azure mes slowly touched the ball of energy that could Tear through reality. On the fifth attempt, something different happened.


    Instead of instantly rejecting each other, the two energy balls slowly fused as they sparked energy everywhere. Talon squinted his eyes as he tried to resist the urge to simply pull his hands away.


    He was feeling a very ufortable sensation run across his arms at that moment. Inch by inch, he fused the two balls together. The bright azure color of the mes mixed with the darkish blue of the Tear Of Reality, creating apletely new blue¡­ A color that Talon had never seen before.


    By the end of the fusion, Talon had a single floating sphere in his right hand. It was big, and shiny, with bolts of lightning coursing through it as if it had a weather of its own.


    Talon''s eyes shed with a weird glint as he looked up. The monsters were now within his reach. All he had was a few fractions of a second left.


    Silently, he threw his arm back, channeling every ounce of strength he had in his body, he swung his arms at full force.


    *TEEEARR*


    His fingers dug through the atmosphere violently, tearing it to pieces. A huge rip formed instantaneously and for a fleeting moment, the entire world went quiet.


    But, after that single moment, nothing remained the same.


    A blinding light shed across the entire ce. It was so bright that its rays reached the other side of the city.


    The students who were running away stopped in their tracks as they looked back in jaw-dropping shock.


    For a few seconds, they couldn''t hear anything and that was true. No sound came from the battlefield. Until¡­


    *Swish*


    A violent gush of air swept across the campus, sending them flying back. Dirt and debris were swept away, clearing the entire area.


    "AGHHH!! What the hell is going on?!!"


    Grabbing into anything near them, they fought the wind as much as they could. But, the sheer strength and scale of it was on the level of a violent storm.


    Chin-hwa quickly crouched down as he protected Hyun-Jae before he looked up.


    "... That guy¡­" He murmured under his breath. He didn''t know what happened and for a moment, he was terrified to even go back and look.


    A few moments passed before the light finally died down and things went back to what they were before¡­ Chaotic¡­ But not as soul-shaking as the event that just urred.


    Nobody knew what just happened. But, if they had to describe it¡­ It was simr to a nuclear explosion. The blinding light, theck of shy explosions, and the strong gush of air that swept them away.


    "Where is the leader?!"


    "He isn''t with us?! Wait, I saw him on the battlefield before we escaped! Is he still there?!"


    "Oh no! Did he get caught in that explosion?!"


    Worried murmurs spread across the entire group. They had seen their leader stand up from his injuries before they ran away and nobody knew what happened to him.


    Everyone assumed that this was the working of one of those abominations. Everyone except for Chin-Hwa that is.


    Staring into the distance with aplicated expression, he sucked in a deep breath. "What did you do?"


    ***


    Meanwhile, back where everything happened.


    Acrypha floated in the air silently, her body was motionless and so were her thoughts. Her eyes were staring but they weren''t registering what was happening. Her senses could capture the scenery in front of her in full detail and yet she wished she couldn''t.


    Ever since she met Talon, Acrypha was shocked many times by Talon''s feats. He was a monster through and through. She even found herself shuddering at the things he was capable of doing. Hell, she even learned to expect the unexpected from him again and again.


    But never before, not even in her wildest dreams, did she ever think that she would feel this from him¡­ To feel this particr feeling¡­ A feeling that even the strongest creatures in existence wouldn''t necessarily instill in her. A true, soul-shaking, fear.


    "Hah¡­ Hah¡­ Hah¡­ Cough! Blurgh!" Talon heaved up and down as he coughed a huge mouthful of blood and fell on one knee, catching his breath.


    His ears were ringing and his right hand felt extremely numb. But, he was still alive which was good news. Because from what he was seeing in front of him at that moment, he might as well think that he would''ve perished right there and then.


    ''I went... a little overboard... Haha...''


    [Ding!]


    [You have killed 742 monsters. +40 in all stats.]


    [Ding!]


    [You have leveled up 2 times. +4 free points.]


    [Ding!]


    [You have reached level 25. Your ability to level up has been locked temporarily.]


    [All the energy absorbed has been stored for when you fulfill the requirements.]


    [Ding!]


    [You have gained a new ss.]


    [Ding!]


    [You have fulfilled the requirements for your first evolution.]


    [Ding!]


    [The first gate has been created.]


    A//N: Thanks for reading ??

 Chapter 126: Chapter 126- Conflicting Emotions

    [Ding!]


    [Azure mes have leveled up to level 4.]


    [Ding!]


    [Tear of Reality has leveled up to level 4.]


    An endless stream of notifications assaulted Talon''s retina one after the other. The ringing sound echoed in his head endlessly. So, he quickly put it to the side, knowing fully well that this was going to happen the moment he did what he did.


    After all, what he just performed was by far the biggest feat he has ever done since the integration happened. He was certain that when he was done with everything, he was in for a myriad of surprises with this number of changes happening in one single moment.


    ''I had a hunch that this is going to work¡­ But¡­ I never expected¡­ To such an extent.'' He mused.


    Standing up again slowly, he stared into the distance with aplicated expression on his face. The previously loud battlefield had quieted downpletely and the reason for that was simple¡­ Most of the monsters havepletely vanished out of existence in thest second, leaving behind a deste field.


    What remained in their ce was a gigantic crater the size of multiple stadiums. Its depth was no less than 10 meters, making it look even more terrifying.


    This wasn''t a mere attack to kill monsters¡­ This was the result of aplete and utter extermination of an army¡­ With one single attack. Just a single move of Talon''s hand, and everything was over. Just thinking about it sent a chill down his spine.


    Nothing he could''ve done other than this would''ve had an effect anywhere near this caliber. Nothing of this gigantic army was left behind, not even their ashes.


    As he was standing like that, Talon''s exhausted body suddenly felt an extremely strong rush of energy take over him. Every single cell in his body pulsated at the same time. His pain vanished as if it was never there and instead, a very blissful feeling filled his body and mind akin to a cold shower on a very hot day.


    This was the biggest power-up he had ever received, by arge margin and it lived up to what he expected if not exceeded itpletely.


    ''+40 in all stats¡­ I''m officially over 100 points in everything.'' He thought to himself as he looked at his hands. Having the power of 10+ people in all aspects of physical prowess¡­ How wild is that? A normal human''s strength is already considerably good, so multiplying that by 10 justpletely shatteredmon sense.


    Talon felt as if he was a feather floating in the air with how light his body turned out to be. He was certain that merely trying to move now would shock him, so he instead stared at Acrypha.


    He was curious to see her reaction as he valued her opinion a lot in such situations. But, never did he expect to see an expression like that on her face.


    Seeing that clear, pronounced fear in her eyes¡­ He froze in his ce again. Iprehensible emotions shed through his mind for a moment.


    Nobody knew what was going through his head at that moment and he wasn''t going to tell her either. So, he turned away and tried to hide his reaction as much as possible.


    ''I guess this was expected¡­'' He clenched his teeth.


    "I''m going to the research center. I think that woman is still alive and is probably hiding there." He said.


    His voice shook her off her trance as she looked at him. Then, she silently nodded her head. "Yeah, I can sense her aura. She''s definitely still alive and can move."


    Talon didn''t respond and turned around as he stretched his limbs, getting ready to make a run for it. The pulses from the gate were still going as strong as ever so he ended up being stuck alone. Or that was what his old self would''ve thought, now¡­ It was apletely different matter.


    ''Let''s test our speed.'' Channeling his newfound strength, Talon put his foot on the ground.


    *CRACK*


    "Huh?"


    Hearing the crisp sound of cracking, he looked down, only to realize that his leg had just sunk into the ground. He didn''t even realize it till he heard the sound.


    ''This is apletely different level of strength than before.'' Talon thought to himself.


    Then, he looked ahead of him and sucked in a deep breath.


    ''Here we go.''


    *Swish*


    The moment he pushed himself off, Talon''s entire body flew forward at breakneck speed. He didn''t even use too much strength and yet the result was as ridiculous as he expected if not worse. In a split second, he crossed a few dozen meters.


    His body turned into aplete blur as he left a giant cloud of dust behind him. With each leap he took, he left a foot-sized hole in the ground.


    ''I''m fast!''


    It didn''t take him long to reach the first giant crack in the ground. So, Talon got ready and used his legs to leap in the air.


    "WOAH!!"


    He sprang 25 meters in the air with ease. With a simple look, he was able to see so much of the campus at that level.


    ''This is ridiculous¡­ Ah!''


    Landing on the other side, Talon''s momentum continued as he dashed forward. Jumping from one side to the other, he shed through the forest in a few seconds.


    Eventually, he found himself on the other side before he even knew it. The foresty motionless behind him and the single building he was looking for this entire time was now right in front of his eyes.


    "The research center¡­" Talon murmured as he stopped in his tracks and stared at it.


    This was the ce he had been working so hard to reach this past month. He had put his life at risk multiple times, fought monsters of all kinds, had to deal with a bombing attack from fighting jets, learned how to tear through reality, burn anything in his path, and even kill a gigantic army of monsters on his own with a single move.


    Just recounting all these events made them sound like the drunk mumblings of a senile old man. Yet, they were all true. It had been a full-fledged bizarre adventure from start to finish. An adventure that the old him would''ve never thought could happen.


    ''What a weird world we live in¡­'' Running his hand through his wet hair, Talon sighed.


    It was true that he had finally reached his goal. But, for some reason, he didn''t feel as excited as he thought he would be. Perhaps it was because of the reaction he saw on Acrypha''s face at that moment.


    He would be lying if he said that he wasn''t disappointed. This entire time, Acrypha had been the sole person who knew everything about him. She knew his powers, his talent, and what he could and couldn''t do.


    In a sense, she was the only person that should truly understand him. He grew ustomed to telling her everything, even if it were things that he would''ve not thought about telling anyone before.


    Yet, that person he trusted, was terrified of what he did and for a good reason. Talon wasn''t angry with Acrypha and instead felt frustrated with himself.


    ''I''m going to make her leave because of what I do¡­'' He thought to himself as he secretly clenched his fist.


    He didn''t want to lose Acrypha¡­ Not in such a manner. He grew too familiar with this otherworldly beauty floating around him, guiding him through his path. She had be his beacon of light when he didn''t know what to do or where to go.


    Not to mention that she was an invaluable friend to him. A friend that he trusted more than anyone else.


    In the end, Talon swallowed all of those emotions and focused on the research center. His feelings didn''t matter more than his objective. Then, he stepped forward, looking around him carefully to make sure that there wasn''t anything that could threaten him.


    As he was about to take his step on the stairs to the building, Acrypha who had been silent the entire time, finally spoke.


    "When everything is over. We can talk about it." She said, clearly showing that she was aware of what was going through Talon''s head.


    The young man halted as he looked over his shoulder. He could see a very serious and calm look on Acrypha''s face.


    He didn''t know what was going through her head, but the fact that she at least acknowledged that made him a little relieved.


    "Ok¡­" He replied as he finally exhaled a long sigh and turned around.


    "Let''s get this over with. I grew sick of this ce." He said coldly as he stepped toward the door and kicked it open violently.


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 127: Chapter 127- Risk And Choice

    The interior of the building was dark and very quiet, making it feel eerie and terrifying. The dry blood on the walls and on the ground didn''t help make it any nicer.


    Talon looked around him with a serious expression on his face. He didn''t have to take a closer look at the blood to know to whom it belonged. It was that of humans.


    ''A massacre happened here.'' Frowning hard as he realized the sheer scale of the murder spree that happened here. Whoever did this was an utter psychopath or a straight-up monster.


    Exhaling a small breath, Talon stepped inside the building carefully. He knew that the woman was hiding somewhere inside and he had to find her before she escaped his clutches again.


    He had enough of this cat-and-mouse game they''d been having for the past few weeks. Talon had been waiting for the moment he could finally put an end to her life and he was even a few millimeters away from achieving that if it wasn''t for the expansioning and ruining it for him.


    "Now, where could she be hiding?" He murmured as he let his senses expand.


    ''Oh? The area I can sense has expanded again¡­''


    Before, Talon''s range was around 5 meters all around him. But, now, he was easily in the 30-meter mark. Not to mention that his senses grew far sharper than before. So much so he could even feel the presence of ants moving through the corners of this rundown ce.


    It was a surreal feeling for someone who never experienced it before.


    ''Hmm, she''s definitely not on the first floor.'' After looking around for a while on the first floor, he made his way toward the second one where he found himself in a maze of long corridors and countless rooms.


    ''Why is this ce built like this¡­ Tsk, so annoying¡­'' Walking through the ce, he checked all the rooms he could find to no avail.


    So, he made his way to the third floor and then to the fourth. There was not a single trace of the woman in there.


    ''Only the fifth one is left¡­ She better be there¡­'' Going up the stairs slowly, Talon halted mid-way as he heard noisesing from up there.


    Immediately, he ducked down as he listened to the noises carefully. His sharp ears easily captured the subtle sounds.


    ''Hmm, those sound like¡­ muffled screams?'' Talon raised an eyebrow as he slowly took a peek.


    He was certain that what he was hearing were indeed muffled screams of some kind. Even more than that, they definitely belonged to humans.


    So, with that in mind, Talon slowly moved up the stairs as he listened to the sounds. He was certain that these people were in extreme pain from their groans and shrieks.


    As he walked through the dark corridor, the sounds grew closer and closer till Talon found himself standing right in front of a particr door.


    ''The sounds areing from here¡­'' Putting his hand against the door, Talon took a deep breath as he twisted the knob and pushed it open before he barged inside holding his spear.


    The sight he was met with inside that room made him freeze in his ce. On the ground, he saw three people, groaning and crying for help with their mouths muffled with pieces of cloth.


    Their bodies shuddered in agony and the reason for that was something sticking to their heads. They were wearing ssy helmets that ended with a tube. The three tubes moved from their heads toward a single stream that reached the fourth person in that room¡­ His target.


    She was sitting against the wall, her eyes were closed as she had the tube in her mouth. A stream of blue was constantly moving from the scientists through the tubes to her mouth. It was as if she was sucking their life force slowly in real-time.


    ''What in the actual hell¡­'' Talon stared at this scene with a bbergasted look on his face.


    If horror movies were to manifest in reality, this was definitely it. It was an utter nightmare fuel.


    At the same time, the woman opened her eyes slowly when she noticed his presence. Then, her expression slowly changed when she realized who it was.


    "Wha¡­"


    Before she could even speak, Talon had already moved forward and cut the tubes with a single sh. The moment he did that, the three humans stopped screaming and they fell unconscious; frothing from their mouths.


    Seeing that they were fine, he looked up again with a cold expression before pointing the de of his spear at her face. "I finally found you¡­ Sneaky rat¡­"


    The woman opened her mouth and closed it as she tried to find the words to speak at that moment. She hadn''t expected to see Talon so suddenly. He was brought to near death a few minutes ago.


    ''How did he recover this fast?'' She thought to herself.


    But, that question was useless at this point. He was now standing in front of her and his bloodlust was filling the entire room.


    ''I can''t fight, my body can barely move. I have nowhere to escape either¡­ He''s obstructing the only path out.'' She analyzed the situation, only to realize that there was really nothing she could do.


    "You''ve done everything you want. Killed as many humans as you wanted and harmed people that are important to me. I honestly want to cut your head off right now. But¡­"


    "Huh?"


    Then, under her confused looks, Talon sat down while still pointing his spear at her. "Before that, I have a few questions I want you to answer. Depending on your honesty, I will make your death easy."


    "... Questions?" Exhaling a small pained breath, the woman stared at him with a small, wicked smile. "And why do you think I would answer? Do I look like I''m scared of being tortured?"


    Her voicecked any shred of fear in it. Even in such a situation where her survival was very unlikely, she didn''t show a single shred of emotions.


    Talon was impressed by herposure when faced with certain death.


    ''Let''s y the chance card.'' He squinted his eyes as he opened his mouth.


    "I already know that you came here through a man-made gate."


    Those words dropped on the woman like a bombshell. Herposed expression shattered as she looked up at Talon. Never in her wildest dreams did she expect to hear such a thing from him.


    "What¡­"


    "I knew of it for a while now. You aren''t from this world and you didn''te from that floating gate either."


    ''No¡­ How does he know¡­'' Her face slowly turned paler and paler the more he spoke.


    "Should I continue giving you more information about you that I know of?" Talon smiled menacingly.


    ''Good, it seems that I was right on the bullseye.'' He secretly exhaled a sigh of relief. ''She''s going to be really confused and won''t know how I realized that.''


    "You¡­ Who¡­ are you?" She asked with a frown.


    "It doesn''t matter who I am. I know many things that you don''t know. That''s why, I think you should reconsider answering my questions because trust me, I can find out myself sooner orter. You''re just prolonging the inevitable." He said.


    ''Now, she won''t be able to refuse anymore. Unless she really doesn''t care if I get to know what she''s hiding or not.'' Talon carefully watched her expression, searching for the subtle changes.


    He knew that he waspletely in control of the conversation and could lead it wherever he wanted. He also could easily see how the woman was falling more and more into his trap.


    ''He''s easily manipting her thought process¡­ Where did he learn that?'' Acrypha shook her head.


    A few moments of silence passed as Talon waited for the woman to make up her mind. In the end, she opened her mouth.


    "Fine, I will speak." She said.


    ''Good.''


    "But, know that when you hear about this¡­ You will be involved and will never be able to leave." She said coldly.


    "Involved? In what?"


    "..."


    "Speak. What am I going to be involved in?" Talon tensed up as he pushed his spear closer to her neck.


    "I assume you already know that my existence in this world is hidden from the Core Dimension''s radar. It doesn''t know that I have been here for a few months now. But, that definitely won''tst forever. Sooner orter, it will know that something is off, and when it does¡­ It''s going to catch me and anyone else involved in this."


    Hearing that, Talon''s eyes moved to Acrypha.


    "She''s telling the truth. The Core Dimension isn''t a fool. It will know even if it takes some time." She nodded her head.


    "And so, if I know, then the Core Dimension will think I''m also involved in this and punish me ordingly?" He asked.


    The woman nodded her head.


    ''This is really problematic¡­ I can''t risk putting my life at stake just to learn more about her. But¡­''


    It was a hard choice to make. Talon had no idea what could be considered to be too much information and what could be considered normal. It was akin to trying to navigate a minefield blindfolded.


    ''How can I get to know as many things as I could without putting my life at risk?''


    Depending on what he does right there, his life could be saved... Or he could be pretty much at threat of being eradicated.


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 128: Chapter 128- Dream

    Rubbing his temples, Talon contemted his next move carefully. He had to be extremely careful with what he asked her. If he got too curious, he might end up falling into a trap.


    ''Not to mention that she could definitely try to make me know too much just to get me in trouble.'' He frowned when he realized the huge dilemma he was in.


    If Talon had truly wanted to know what he wanted to know without putting himself at risk, he had to give the woman a proposal far more inviting than a painless death.


    ''Ugh, this is so annoying. It would''ve been easier if I could just torture her for information. But no, it has to be ten times moreplicated. Great!''


    "Sigh¡­ Ok, first of all, what''s your name?" He asked.


    "Terren¡­ You can call me that." She replied.


    "Terren, huh¡­ Ok, my second question is, where are you from?" He asked.


    "I''m from Earth-447."


    "Earth-447?" Talon raised an eyebrow at the unexpected answer.


    ''There is more than one earth?''


    "Earth has many variations of it across dimensions. Yours isn''t anything special. If anything, it''s one of the worst versions of Earth. Earth-8884." Terren added with a cold expression.


    "I assume the reason it''s a bad version is because it''s not as advanced as the Earth you came from?"


    "We''re hundreds of years ahead in that regard. But, since we received the Core Dimension''s link at the same time, we''re not that far off in power."


    ''Ok, this is getting a little confusing. If there are potentially thousands of other Earths¡­ Does that mean?'' Suddenly, Talon had a hunch.


    It was an idea that he didn''t contemte before and yet when this topic was brought up, he could only have a suspicion that it was possible. After all, no matter how he thought about it, everything seemed to lead to one single conclusion.


    "So, you said that you came from Earth-447 here. For what reason?"


    "I wanted to fulfill my master''s dream." She said with a serious tone.


    "..." Talon stared at her silently. He couldn''t see any hints of lying in her voice. She was telling the truth as far as he could see.


    "And what dream is that?"


    "..." Terren went silent for a moment as her eyes shed with a weird glint. "To topple down the Core Dimension¡­"


    Talon looked at her with a frozen expression. "To topple down the Core Dimension? Are you crazy?"


    "When did I say I wasn''t?"


    "... You have a point. But, it''s still a wild idea. You''re most likely going to die before you can achieve that." Talon replied honestly.


    Even though he wasn''t someone to mock another person''s dream, he knew that it was simply impossible for her to do it. Unless a miracle happens which he highly doubted considering the fact that he wasn''t going to let her live.


    "I already did the first step¡­ Another person will do the job after me." She replied with a simple shrug. "I knew that I wasn''t going tost long. But, I did my part and that''s more than enough."


    "..."


    Talon would be lying if he said that he wasn''t impressed by her response. If he was asked if he would be satisfied with having his dream cut off mid-way, he would''ve shook his head furiously.


    A dream is one''s biggest desire. Achieving it is akin to reaching their true purpose in life. So, consequently, realizing that your dream is impossible to achieve within your lifespan¡­ It was devastating.


    Yet, for some reason, Terren didn''t seem like she had any regrets. That required a level of confidence far beyond what Talon understood.


    "And who that person might be that''s going to finish your work?" He asked.


    "I don''t know¡­ But, it''s going to happen. My master told me that one day, someone with enough power to rival the Core Dimension would appear and finally put an end to its sovereignty. It''s just a matter of time."


    As she spoke, Terren''s eyes closed and her expression rxed visibly. It was clear that whoever her master was, she was very fond of them.


    ''So even a monster like you can make an expression like that.'' He thought to himself as he exhaled a small breath.


    "And what do you think would happen when the Core Dimension gets taken down?" Talon asked.


    "... When that dayes¡­ Everyone will finally be free from their shackles¡­ They will finally be able to live the way they wanted, not guided by a higher power to do what they wanted."


    "What an ambitious statement." Acrypha whistled with an impressed look. "She dreams of a hero of freedom toe and save the day¡­ For someone as smart as she is, her dream is pretty naive."


    The otherworldly beauty clicked her tongue with an annoyed look. If there was one thing she hated, it was optimistic ignorance. She knew better than anyone else how ridiculously powerful the Core Dimension is. To topple it down was dam near impossible at their current stage.


    But, even if that happens somehow, that doesn''t mean everything will be rainbow and roses all of a sudden.


    "If there is one thing worse than the Core Dimension¡­ It''s the people that thrive in it. They''re greedy monsters with no morals. The Core Dimension is putting their ambitions under control somehow. If that thing vanishes, one of those old monsters will most certainly try to take its ce."


    Talon looked over his shoulder at hispanion. As harsh as her words were, they made a lot of sense. Terren''s goal sounded really foolish for many reasons. It was based on the idea that the sole source of evil in this world is the Core Dimension. When in reality, evil exists in people far more prominently.


    If anything, the Core Dimension simply gave them a tool to show their true colors¡­ It gave them the key to endless strength and it simply left them to do what they wanted. What happened after that was just a manifestation of the dark side of those entities.


    But, in the end, even knowing fully well that it was a useless idea. He decided not to tell her.


    Instead, Talon slowly stood up as he cracked his neck. ''She can die thinking her dream could be real. I don''t care.'' He thought to himself as he coldly pointed his spear at her.


    "I''ve known enough. I respect that you didn''t make it harder for me to know." He said.


    Terren looked at him with a small, sarcastic smile on her face. "Oh, how great of you to respect me before I die. It''s an honor."


    "It doesn''t need to be an honor. But, with what you did¡­ Having an ounce of respect from me is certainly not something I was expecting." He replied.


    "Haha, had anyone told you before that you''re a bizarre human?" She asked.


    "More than once. I''m starting to believe that it''s the case."


    "I expected that. Well, can I ask one thing from you before I die?" She asked with a tired sigh.


    Her body waspletely weakened by the injuries she sustained so she could barely speak even in her condition.


    "What?"


    Terren moved her hand slowly as she put it in her pocket. Then, out of it, she pulled a bloody piece of paper. Then, she slowly extended her hand to Talon.


    "Take this¡­ But, don''t read it till after you finish your first gate."


    "..." Talon squinted his eyes as he looked at the paper for a moment. "And what if I read it right now?"


    "... You won''t understand a single thing. It''s going to be just another useless piece of paper to you until you finish your first gate. When that happens¡­ Things will make sense."


    The young man went silent again as he contemted her words.


    ''Is she trying to pull another trick? No, I can''t sense any hints of lying in her voice, and even if she''s still going to resist, I should be far stronger than her.'' He thought to himself.


    "..." In the end, he extended his hand and grabbed the piece of paper as he inspected it with his eyes before he pocketed it. "I will keep that in mind."


    "... That''s good¡­"


    After that, Talon lifted his spear and looked at the woman with a cold expression. "May you repent for what you did."


    Then, the girl closed her eyes. ''I''m sorry master¡­ I''m going to follow you sooner than I expected¡­ I hope you won''t mind¡­ But, I think I have finally found a very special individual¡­ It might be the one we''ve been looking for, master¡­ I have given him the piece of paper¡­ I hope¡­ I wasn''t¡­ wrong¡­''


    *Swish*


    ***


    "Hnnng¡­" Hyun-Jae''s eyes opened slowly.


    "President!"


    When Chin-Hwa noticed that, he quickly rushed toward her. "Are you ok? Do you feel anything abnormal?"


    Hyun-Jae shook her head and slowly rose up. Her vision was still blurry and it was hard to see. But, she wasn''tpletely blinded like before.


    ''After killing that troll¡­ Ugh, I can''t remember anything¡­''


    Then, she slowly lifted her head and looked around her in confusion. All the remaining students were there. The atmosphere was very gloomy and the tension was high. But, out of everyone there, she noticed someone missing instantly.


    "Where¡­ Is Talon?"


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 129: Chapter 129- Never Leave Me

    For some reason, the first thought that came to her mind was about that young man. After all, in her subconscious mind, she remembered that warmth she felt after she lost her senses and all she could link it to was Talon.


    "Where is he?" She looked at Chin-Hwa seriously.


    Thetter frowned visibly as he found himself in a tough position. On the one hand, Talon had told him to carry Hyun-Jae and escape, leaving him alone against a giant army of monsters. He knew that if Hyun-Jae had been conscious at that moment, she would''ve never let him do such a reckless thing.


    Now that she was awake, telling her the truth was bound to make her extremely angry.


    "Chin-Hwa, where is he?" She pressured even further as her voice grew even more urgent. She had a bad hunch about the silence her childhood friend had.


    "He¡­" Rubbing his temples, the cold prince sighed. "When you were knocked out, he was able to pull you out of danger before I could reach you. Then, he handed you over to me and told me to leave along with the rest of the survivors¡­" He replied as he averted his eyes.


    Then, he waited for Hyun-Jae''s reply. But, it never came. Instead, before he could react, she was already on her foot as she left the area.


    "President?" Chin-Hwa''s eyes widened as he quickly stood up too. "Wait a second! It''s dangerous!"


    Running after her, he looked at Go Young-Soon and gave him a signal to take control of the ce for now.


    Meanwhile, Hyun-Jaepletely ignored her childhood friend''s cries as she ran back as fast as her injured body could move.


    ''Talon¡­'' Her mind was only filled with thoughts of him. ''I need to hurry!''


    When she heard that he had saved her life again, her heart skipped a beat as she realized that the warm feeling she felt a while ago wasn''t a hallucination. It was indeed him, after all.


    ''You better be ok!'' She clenched her teeth. She was very worried since she knew how ridiculously big that army of monsters was.


    ''Why did you decide to remain behind?! That''s suicide, Talon! Why?!'' She asked herself as she moved around the corner. ''Talon¡­ Talon¡­''


    She said his name in her head as she prayed that the moment she took that turn, she would see him standing there, as he always does. She prayed that he would turn around and smile at her.


    Seeing him smiling at her as he always did. Without realizing it, she found her heart beating faster and faster. Her fear grew with each passing moment and so was her desire to see him. It didn''t matter if it was a dangerous situation or not.


    As she took the turn, her eyes fell on the area where the battle ensued. The smell of blood and death assaulted her nose and made her frown. But, then, she halted in her steps as she saw the giant crater in the ground.


    "Wha¡­"


    It didn''t take long for Chin-Hwa to reach her. "Wait, please, presid-" Then he froze in his ce too, in shock.


    The two stared at the vast hole with jaw-gaping bewilderment.


    "What happened here?" The cold prince murmured with a dark expression. "That bright light¡­"


    "Bright light?" Hyun-Jae looked at him.


    "A few minutes ago¡­ A bright light appeared out of nowhere in this area. It was as if a bomb had fallen here. I don''t know what happened."


    "A bomb¡­" Just hearing that word made Hyun-Jae shudder.


    ''This isn''t good¡­ This isn''t good¡­'' Looking around her in a hurry, she couldn''t see Talon at all. ''Where is he?''


    "Talon! Where are you?!"


    Moving toward the hole, she looked around her. There wasn''t a single trace left of any monster, let alone Talon and that truly terrified her.


    "Can you hear me?! Please answer!" She called for him again and again.


    The area was reeking of the scent of death. Every single detail Hyun-Jae could see told her that there was not a single living being in that ce. Whatever urred here had wiped out everything.


    ''No¡­'' Just realizing the severity of the situation made her face pale even more.


    Sliding down the hole, she moved through it, looking for any traces of Talon. But, there was nothing there.


    "President¡­"


    The entire time, Chin-Hwa followed her with a frown on his face. He could feel Hyun-Jae''s aura fluctuating with each passing second.


    ''Where is that bastard?!'' He clenched his teeth in frustration as he looked around. ''He better not have died!''


    A few minutes of silence passed as they scoured the entire area before ending up inside the forest.


    "Maybe he ran inside the forest?" Chin-Hwa said as he tried to alleviate some of the tension.


    But, Hyun-Jae didn''t answer him and continued moving forward as fast as she could. Her focus was solely on finding him.


    ''Don''t do this to me, Talon. You can''t¡­ You can''t do that¡­'' Her body shook in the cold, rainy weather. Her hair was messed up and her body was bloodied, tattered, and exhausted to the limit.


    But, the feeling of fear she was experiencing at that moment was by far the worst thing she went through.


    Dark thoughts assaulted her head and she couldn''t get rid of them. A myriad of feelings filled her mind like bees. Feelings that she couldn''t understand as they werepletely new to her.


    ''Why is my heart beating this fast? Why does it hurt so much just thinking that I won''t see him?'' She asked herself and yet couldn''t find an answer.


    Many would''ve known what they were feeling, but for Hyun-Jae who lived her life far away from experiencing them, she was as clueless as a child.


    But, that didn''t mean that she didn''t realize that Talon had already taken a very special ce in her heart. He had taken over her mind ever since they met and she couldn''t take him off her head.


    His quirky personality, his humor, his unexpected actions in most situations. She found all of that captivating to no extent.


    Soon, before realizing it, he had be something she looked forward to every single day. In such a dark world, he was the only beautiful light that could shine on her day. Next to him, she didn''t have to worry about her responsibilities or what she had to do for the future. She simply could be herself without worrying.


    "That''s the research center." Chin-Hwa pushed a tree branch to the side and looked at the building in front of him.


    Hyun-Jae stared at the building as she secretly gulped a mouthful of saliva. This was thest ce Talon could possibly be at. If he isn''t there¡­ Then¡­


    Quickly, Hyun-Jae shook her head as she stepped forward.


    "We should be careful. We don''t know if there are any monsters left. They could''ve run away for all we kn-"


    "Oh, you two are already here."


    As Chin-Hwa was about to finish his sentence, a voice cut him off. Immediately, the two turned around as they looked at the door to the building. There, stood Talon, carrying three people on his shoulder.


    Putting them down, he dusted his hands. "I had to deal with the matter so I couldn''t go back quickly."


    Chin-Hwa: "..."


    Hyun-Jae: "..."


    "What?" He tilted his head in confusion. "Is there something on my face?"


    The two stared at him as if they were seeing a ghost. It took a few seconds for one of them to react.


    Hyun-Jae started walking up the stairs toward him in a slow manner. When she reached him, she stood silent for a moment.


    Talon stared at her for a moment before he was suddenly pushed back. Hyun-Jae wrapped her arms around his neck as she hugged him tightly, pressing her body on him.


    "Woah¡­" The young man instinctively touched her back so that he didn''t fall. He felt Hyun-Jae use all her strength to hug him.


    ''Now this is a little unexpected¡­''


    "Cough, I don''t think this is the best ce to do thi-"


    "Please¡­ Don''t ever leave me¡­" Hyun-Jae whispered with a wavering voice.


    Hearing those words, all of Talon''s thoughts haltedpletely.


    "Hyun-Jae?"


    "Please¡­" She repeated again in a faint voice. "I can''t¡­ I tried to think of it¡­ I can''t imagine that future¡­ It''s too much¡­ I can''t lose another one¡­ Please¡­"


    ''She''s shaking.'' Talon frowned when he felt her hands move. He had never seen Hyun-Jae this emotional before. Her usually cold and aloof personality was nowhere to be seen and it made his heart skip a beat.


    ''She was really worried about me.'' Feeling a little guilty, his arms wrapped around her as he pulled her in.


    "I won''t go anywhere. I promise." He whispered in her ear in a soft tone.


    Feeling his arms around her and his voice telling her that everything was ok, Hyun-Jae''s heart finally felt at ease.


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 130: Chapter 130- Contacting The World (Part 1)

    Meanwhile, Chin-Hwa watched the entire interaction with a frown on his face. Seeing Hyun-Jae hug Talon out of nowhere took him by surprise.


    Not only did she willingly do it, but the hug was also so intimate, akin to that of two lovers rather than acquaintances. His heart ached greatly from that sight and he didn''t know what to do.


    On the one hand, Hyun-Jae had severed their friendship so he couldn''t speak even if he wanted to. On the other hand, she probably didn''t even know that he had feelings for her, and that made his frustration grow even more.


    ''Goddamit¡­'' Cursing to himself, he clenched his fists tightly.


    In the end, he could only look away from the two. The sight pained him greatly and it was too much to handle even for someone as stoic as he was.


    Talon, who was focused on Hyun-Jae, noticed that. So, he slowly and gently pulled Hyun-Jae away. "Are you ok?" He asked.


    "Mm¡­ I''m fine." She replied with a small blush on her face.


    ''I really hugged him¡­ Again¡­'' She thought to herself.


    This was the second time Hyun-Jae''s emotions took over her and she ended up throwing herself at Talon. She could only feel embarrassed realizing how awfully close she was to him. The times she hugged people could be counted on one hand throughout her life, and yet, she ended up hugging him multiple times willingly. It was confusing how her mind worked.


    "Ok. Anyway, is the rest of the group fine?"


    "They''re waiting on the other side. When I heard that you stayed back to fight the monsters¡­ I rushed here." Hyun-Jae gave him a re.


    "Ah, haha, yeah. Ehem, my bad about that. But, no worries, I killed them all." Talon replied with an awkward smile.


    "Wait, what?" Chin-Hwa turned around. "You killed them?"


    "Yeah."


    "The entire horde?"


    "Yeah."


    "..." Just hearing those responses made the cold prince blink speechlessly.


    That''s when Hyun-Jae realized something. "That huge crater¡­ Was it your doing?"


    "It was. Luckily, that attack was strong enough to wipe out the entire army and I got myself some pretty nice rewards."


    "..." (x2)


    The duo stared at him in awkward silence. They didn''t know how to react at all.


    ''What kind of attack generates a hole of that size?'' Just trying to imagine what he did made the two shudder. How was he able to do such a thing?


    The shock was deep¡­ Very deep. Talon''s strength had truly be something straight out of a fictional world. The ability to create such devastating attacks.


    "Yeah, in any case, everything is over now. Well¡­"


    *CRACK*


    "Except for the expansion¡­" Talon looked around him at the expanding cracks.


    Even though the intensity of the earthquakes finally subsided, it was still very dangerous to move around with how fragile the ground was.


    ''The world probably already expanded a lot. But, the gravity didn''t increase yet¡­ I wonder when that will happen.'' Talon thought to himself.


    "Wait, everything is over? What about that woman?" Hyun-Jae asked curiously.


    "I found her and¡­ Finished her off." Talon thought for a moment before he replied.


    "Oh¡­"


    Hyun-Jae didn''t need any other hints to understand what ''Finished her off'' meant. Still, she could only look up at Talon. She knew that this was his first ever kill so she naturally expected him to feel something different about it.


    However, surprisingly, he shook his head. "I''m really fine. You don''t have to worry. I thought killing her would make me feel bad. But, I didn''t feel anything at all. It was just like killing monsters."


    Staring at his hand, Talon could vividly remember how it felt the moment his spear went through her heart. His heart rate didn''t increase nor did he feel anything out of the ordinary. It was as if this wasn''t the first time he killed a human in his life and that confused him.


    ''Is this because I killed many monsters?'' He asked himself and yet didn''t know the answer to that.


    In the end, he gave up thinking about it as it turned out to be far more confusing than he expected and he had no time to contemte such stuff. If he didn''t feel bad then that was good since that meant he won''t have a hard time killing humans in the future if necessary. That was his biggest concern this entire time and it finally got cleared up.


    Hyun-Jae noticed those subtle changes in his expression and sighed. Even though he probably didn''t realize it, she could see that Talon was a little worried that he might have something wrong with him. After all, normally, killing another human would affect one''s mind whether they realize it or not.


    But, she decided not to say that for now. She didn''t want him to end up overthinking it. So, instead, she looked down at the three unconscious scientists.


    "What about these three? Who are they?"


    "Hm? I found them inside, held hostage by that woman. They don''t seem familiar to me but I think they''re scientists of some kind." Talon rubbed the back of his head. "I thought we could ask them for help establishing contact with the outside world when they wake up."


    "That''s a good idea. They would do a better job than us."


    "Hnng¡­"


    At that moment, they heard a small groaning from one of the unconscious people. The man slowly opened his eyes and looked around him in a daze.


    "Are you good?" Talon crouched down as he helped him rise up.


    "Hu¡­ uh? Where am I?" The man asked.


    "Outside the building. Do you feel anything weird?"


    "No¡­ I''m¡­ Fine¡­ Who are you?"


    "We used to be students here. We''ve been looking for a way to contact the outside world and look for our families. When I came here, I found you and your peers held hostages by that woman."


    "That woman¡­ Oh! Oh no! Where is she?! Please, hide me!!" Just hearing the word ''that woman'' made the man lose hisposure as he started panicking.


    "Calm down. She''s dead. You''re fine."


    "Dead¡­ Huh¡­" For a second, the man didn''t understand what Talon had said. But, it slowly dawned on him. "She''s¡­dead¡­ Hah¡­ Hahaha¡­ Hahahahaha!"


    Then, he startedughing hysterically as he held his face. Tears welled up in his eyes as hisughs mixed with his sobs.


    "I can''t believe it¡­ We''re saved¡­ We''re saved! Thank god! Truly¡­ Thank god!"


    All of his bottled-up emotions came out all at once. He felt so happy that he didn''t even know what to do at that moment.


    ''It must''ve been really hard on them¡­ I don''t know how long they''ve been there for.'' Talon pursed his lips.


    "Were you the one who contacted us a month ago?" He asked after a while when he noticed that the man finally started calming down.


    "*Sniff* Contacted you? We didn''t¡­" The man wiped his tears as he suddenly realized what he meant. "Wait¡­ You were the ones who received our message?"


    Hyun-Jae and Talon nodded their heads.


    "Wow¡­" The scientist blinked. "To think that the small message we sent¡­ Would make the difference¡­"


    "We would''ve not had the idea ofing here if it wasn''t for it." Talon rubbed his chin.


    ''Pfft¡­ If it wasn''t for it¡­ All of this would''ve not happened.''


    Smiling wryly at the coincidence, he stood up. "Well, I guess destiny brought us here for a reason after all. To help you and in return, we can finally get your help too."


    "Our help?"


    "We want to contact the outside world, as I said. I believe that''s possible using the equipment inside this building, no?"


    "Yeah, it''s definitely possible. We can definitely try doing that. But, there is no guarantee there could be anyone that would receive the signal out there."


    "Well, there is no harm in doing it. Whether we find a signal or not is up to fate." Talon shrugged. "In any case, I would prefer if we can do this as fast as possible. This building won''t hold on for long with how much damage it sustained." Talon said as he looked up at the structure.


    Even with its resilience, the research center was still in very bad shape after the multiple earthquakes that hit it. With a simple look, it had a few days at most before it copsed too.


    ''Hopefully, our efforts won''t go down the drain.''


    ***


    After that, the group waited for the remaining scientists to wake up. They were naturally shocked to see that they were still alive after what happened.


    Turns out, Terren had used them to heal her wounds with the helmets she had. They were capable of sucking the life force out of them and in consequence, they would slowly die.


    It was a painful torture that they thought they would never wake up from. In the end, their lives were saved and they ended up bowing in front of Talon in gratitude.


    "It''s fine, you don''t have to thank me. Instead¡­"


    "Hm?"


    "Just help me get in contact with my family. If you do that, I will consider it as you returning the favor."


    The trio looked at each other in confusion. "That''s it?"


    "Yeah, just getting to know that they''re fine is more than enough for me. If you give me that good news, then it''s akin to saving my life."


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 131: Chapter 131- Contacting The World (Part 2)

    "Sir¡­"


    Seeing the small smile on his face, the scientists were taken aback. This man had saved their lives and killed the person who inflicted all that suffering on them. Yet, he didn''t even seem like he really cared that much about it.


    All he asked for was something that everyone wanted to do anyway. It wasn''t a personal, selfish request like they expected he would''ve wanted.


    ''What a kind soul¡­''


    Meanwhile, Hyun-Jae simply shook her head with a sigh. She already expected such a response from Talon considering his personality. She was sure that the only thing he was thinking of at that moment was how to find his family. Saving people or doing acts of kindness weren''t things he really sought after.


    ''Dummy¡­'' She thought to herself.


    "In any case, I think we should get things started and get out of here as soon as possible. The group can''t remain alone for long." Talon said as he pped his hands. "Can you guys move?"


    "Y-Yes! We can!"


    "Ok, lead the way then."


    Then, the group walked inside the building and headed toward the fifth floor. Even as they walked, the smell of blood filled their senses and made them frown hard. Just being there made them feel as if they were surrounded by death.


    Talon looked around him silently before he asked. "... How many died here?"


    The scientists went silent for a few seconds before one of them finally answered. "... We were¡­ 30 scientists¡­ She abducted us and forced us inside this building¡­"


    "30¡­ Wait¡­ There are only 3 left?" Chin-Hwa asked as he squinted his eyes.


    "Yes¡­ 27¡­ They''re all gone¡­" The female scientist replied with a difficult tone as she held herself from crying


    The trio could vividly remember what happened during the past few weeks as if it happened yesterday. It was the most traumatizing experience they ever went through and it will probably never be erased from their minds for as long as they could live.


    "What did she do?" Hyun-Jae asked.


    "She brought us here¡­ Locked us inside one of the rooms¡­ Each room had a group of 3 people and we were tasked with working on taking control of the satellite above South Korea."


    "What? For what reason did she do that?"


    "... We¡­ Don''t know. She just said that she was looking to locate something in the world. But, she never told us what it is."


    ''Locate something?'' Talon squinted his eyes hearing those words. ''Does it have something to do with her goal? Or the piece of paper in my hand?''


    It was still a mystery to him what Terren wanted to do in his world. He was unable to ask her about it due to the risk that came along with it. But, he was certain that whatever she handed him was going to give him a hint or even the entire answer he was looking for.


    "Then, what happened?"


    "In the first few days, many tried to escape. They couldn''t handle staying there¡­ They thought that even if she captured them she would put them back in the room since they assumed she needed all of us to do this job. But¡­ They were wrong¡­ Very wrong¡­"


    The atmosphere turned even more solemn. Talon, Hyun-Jae, and Chin-Hwa could only frown. It was clear how it ended up purely from the massacre they could see around them.


    "We tried to warn them¡­ It was a bad idea¡­ But, many didn''t listen. They wanted to go back to their families. But, they all faced the same fate. It was as if she knew when and how they were going to escape and she would be there, waiting."


    "*Sob*..." Just hearing those details again, the female scientist could only sob silently. Seeing her friends being murdered one by one was brutal to her consciousness.


    "I''m sorry to hear that¡­" Hyun-Jae said in a sad tone.


    "It''s fine¡­ We''re saved now¡­ We can''t be any more grateful than that. Thank you again for saving us, truly."


    "It''s fine." Talon shook his head. "You guys went through a lot."


    ***


    Slowly, the group made their way to the highest floor till they reached the highest floor. There, they walked inside one of the rooms¡­ The same one the scientists have been in for the past few weeks.


    Just being here again made their hearts race and their bodies shudder. But, they still swallowed their fear and sat down in front of theputers.


    "So, how do we go about doing this?" Talon asked as he sat down too.


    "Mmm, the energy generators aren''t working anymore, leaving only some reserved energy for emergencies. But, we won''t be able to have ess to the full functionality of the satellite." One of them replied as he started tapping on the keyboard.


    "So, what is the solution to that?"


    "We will have to try and pinpoint any signal from another party somewhere in the country. If another group is searching for us as we are doing right now, catching that signal will be far easier than before. But¡­ We will need luck¡­"


    "A lot of it¡­" Another added.


    "Luck, huh¡­ Well, if there is one thing I have a lot of, it''s luck." Talon shrugged.


    Then, the trio went straight to work, tapping away on their keyboards as fast as they could. Iprehensible pop-offs appeared and disappeared for a while as Talon and his twopanions waited tensely.


    This was it, the moment they had been working for. They did the hard part and what was left was simply a little bit of luck so that they could finally get a signal. Just a little bit of luck.


    Minutes passed, one by one. The scientists didn''t speak a word the entire time. It made Talon even more tense since he didn''t know if they were getting results or not. But, he tried to stay optimistic.


    ''Please be safe¡­ Mom, dad¡­'' He thought to himself as he felt his heart race.


    "Oh¡­"


    Suddenly, one of the scientists made a sound, catching the rest of the group''s attention. "I think I have gotten a signal."


    "You did? Where?" Hyun-Jae asked.


    "It''sing from the south¡­ Hmm, around¡­ 600 or 700 kilometers from here¡­ Near Gwangju¡­"


    "Gwangju? That''s really far¡­" Talon raised an eyebrow.


    ''It''s not that far away from my hometown¡­ Could it be¡­''


    "So, what kind of signal is it?"


    "It''s really weak so I can''t really hear what it says. Wait, Narae, can you help me find another wave length¡­ I think we can get a clearer message if we find the correct signal."


    "Wait a moment," Narae replied as she took a look at his screen and then started tapping quickly at her keyboard.


    "Come on¡­ It should be there¡­" She murmured. "Here! I found it!"


    "Send it to me."


    After that, the two continued working on it before eventually, they turned around with wide, excited smiles on their faces. "We found it!"


    "Wow¡­ That was quicker than I expected¡­" Talon murmured. "Let us hear it then."


    So, Narae clicked on the keyboard as a very loud ringing sound echoed in the room. Then, it turned into the noises of a radio signal.


    "Hello¡­ *Gibberish*... Is there anyone out there?"


    The voice that appeared through the noises belonged to a man and it was very clear and audible.


    "From the¡­ *Gibberish*... The new human society in Gwangju¡­ *Gibberish*... Are there any human survivors?"


    "The new human society?" Chin-Hwa murmured.


    "Shh¡­"


    "If anyone is out there and received this message¡­ *Gibberish*... Head to our location¡­ The government had set up the safest ce in the entire country and we need as many survivors as we can¡­ I repeat¡­ If you hear this message¡­ Head straight to Gwangju¡­"


    Then, the message kept repeating itself again and again so Narae stopped it.


    "That was the entire message¡­" She said.


    "..."


    Silence took over the room for a few seconds.


    "A government-made base in Gwangju, huh¡­" Hyun-Jae murmured with a frown. "Aren''t those the same people that threw bombs over our heads?" She asked.


    "Yeah¡­ And now, they are looking for survivors¡­ How does that make any sense?" Chin-Hwa shook his head.


    They have already been targeted by the government before so hearing that they are now trying to build a new society out of nowhere didn''t sit well with them.


    "But, they still said that they have built a base. They could''ve not done that without a huge number of survivors¡­ It could be the truth¡­" The cold princemented.


    "... It could be. Most survivors would''ve probably migrated to that area from the surrounding cities. What do you think, Talon?"


    This entire time, Talon had been silent as he seemed really deep in thought. His mind was analyzing all the possibilities that coulde out of this situation.


    ''If my parents are anywhere¡­ They should be there¡­ The new human society in Gwangju¡­'' He squinted before he stood up.


    "I guess we have no other choice but to go there. Whether it turns out to be a big trap¡­ Then I will make sure they regret that heavily."


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 132: Chapter 132- Her Feelings

    That deration made everyone look at Talon. It didn''t take them a moment to understand that he meant every word he said at that moment. While the scientists didn''t know how strong he was, Hyun-Jae and Chin-Hwa knew that he wasn''t simply bluffing.


    With how ridiculously strong he became, Talon could be considered a huge threat to the government and he was only going to get stronger as time moved. By the time they reach the new human society in Gwangju, Talon would''ve probably be even stronger.


    ''There is a very high possibility that things will spiral out of control.'' Hyun-Jae sighed. ''Well, if that happens, we will have to deal with it.''


    There was really no point in worrying since it didn''t happen yet. For now, they had to think about a more important thing which was¡­ How to reach Gwangju in the first ce.


    With hundreds of survivors with them, traveling through a deste world was nothing short of suicide. The trip could potentially take days'' worth of time, during which, all kinds of things could happen. From starvation to monster attacks and everything in between that could wipe out the entire army.


    Just trying to think of the true scale of such an operation, Hyun-Jae felt a slight headache. Her body and mind were already too exhausted to think of such a problem. All she wanted at that moment was some warm food, a change of clothes, and a good night''s sleep. Whatever happens after that is unimportant.


    "Ugh, I think we should leave now before the entire ce copses. We''re done here." Talon said as he walked toward the door.


    With that, the group quickly left the building and went on their way back to where the rest of the survivors were.


    "Do you need help, president?"


    As they walked, Chin-Hwa approached her and asked with a worried tone.


    "No. I can walk." She shook her head.


    "Oh, ok."


    The interaction was as awkward as it could get and Talon could see it from behind fully well.


    "Do you think they will ever go back to being friends?" He asked without looking at the floating beauty next to him.


    "Hmm, it depends," Acrypha responded.


    "Depends on what?"


    "It depends on you."


    Her response made him turn around with confusion all over his face. "How so?"


    "You already noticed it, didn''t you?" Acrypha asked back with a mysterious look on her face. "That girl is starting to like you and I don''t mean as a friend."


    Her words were neutral, but Talon could hear a subtle odd tone in them. He couldn''t understand what it was so he just shook his head. His expression turned serious for a moment.


    "Yeah, I noticed that." He replied quietly.


    "She doesn''t seem to be aware of it though. But, she''s growing very fond of you and it will probably continue growing with time."


    "Sigh, how did this even happen?" Running his hand through his hair, Talon tried to remember if there was anything he''d done that could''ve made her see him this way.


    This entire time, he had seen Hyun-Jae as an invaluablepanion and a good friend. He could admit that she was amazingly beautiful, smart, charismatic, and even cute on many asions and they even went along pretty well. Hell, a few weeks ago, if he had been told that the most important girl on the campus was going to like him, he would''veughed thinking it was a joke.


    The two of them were simply living in two different nes.


    But, he didn''t know if that meant that he liked her back or not. In his heart, he valued her as a close person to him, that he was certain of.


    ''I was never good with this stuff¡­'' Feeling a strong headache just thinking about it, he looked at Acrypha.


    "What do you suggest?" Talon asked.


    "Hmm, since she''s still not aware of it. You still have some time before you can address that. Whenever she realizes it and finally confronts you, you will have to make a decision then."


    "Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. Maybe it''s just the circumstances that made her think she likes me."


    Talon knew that people bond far stronger during hardships, especially if they already had a chemistry between them. So, what Hyun-Jae might deem as a good quality about him, could''ve simply been her subconscious mind telling her that it was something worth falling in love with.


    "Why do you seem so hesitant to ept her confession if it happens? Isn''t she a perfect partner by human standards?" Acrypha asked curiously as she floated around Talon idly.


    "Yeah, she''s as close to perfect as you could go. If this happened before the integration, I would''ve been head over heels for her. But, I''m not the same person anymore. My entire focus is on getting stronger as fast as possible now. There are too many dangerous threats lurking and waiting for me in the future. If I don''t be strong enough to face them, I will regret it heavily." Talon frowned.


    He still needed to find his parents, deal with the possibility of the government antagonizing him, and then would have to embark on a journey of his own in another dimension since he reached level 25 and could only unlock future levels if he did that.


    These were a few things he could remember off the top of his head and the list was guaranteed to grow bigger with each passing day. Talon had no time to really rx and think of other things like love.


    "It''s good that your entire focus is on getting stronger. But, don''t let it be the only thing you think of. With how strong you are now, you''re pretty much guaranteed to live over 100 years old. Don''t let strength be the sole reason you live. It''s the worst thing someone could do." Acrypha shook her head.


    "Oh, are you talking from personal experience?"


    "You can say so. But, a certain someone had taught me that my life''s value is far more than just my own goal." She smiled amusedly as she gave Talon a meaningful smile.


    "I wonder who that person is. Must''ve been a really great individual." Talon rolled his eyes as he replied sarcastically.


    "He is. But, he doesn''t seem to like to follow his own pieces of advice. Pretty silly, isn''t it?" She replied as she moved to Talon and wrapped her arm around his shoulder yfully. "Shouldn''t he reconsider it too?"


    "Hahaha, I might really need to do that."


    "..."


    "Ok, ok, you got me. If I fall in love with someone in the foreseeable future, then I will follow what my heart says without making it hinder my progress."


    "That''s what I want to hear. Let''s not make you turn into a heartless, bloodthirsty monster in the future, ok? I like you the way you are now, a breath of fresh air." She said.


    "Yes, captain." Talon made a silly salute.


    Acrypha chuckled amusedly for a few moments before she stared at Talon silently.


    ''Just stay the way you are right now. Even if you be the greatest existence in all dimensions. I want you to remain the same. The same person I want to take all for myself.'' She licked her lips secretly as she floated after him.


    ***


    With that, the group safely reached the location of the survivors. Naturally, seeing them, the students were beyond ecstatic.


    They had been left alone the entire time, and their fear was taking over their hearts. The moment Talon appeared again, they felt their hope rise again.


    So, using that opportunity, Talon stood in the middle of the group, surrounded by everyone else.


    "The battle is over, folks!" He dered loudly, taking everyone by surprise.


    "Over¡­?"


    "Did I hear that correctly?"


    "He said¡­ Is it over?"


    Confused murmurs echoed amongst the students as they looked at each other.


    "The horde is no longer¡­ It''s over. We won!"


    Then, it wasplete silence. Nobody reacted to those words immediately. But, it didn''t long for them to react.


    "WOOOOOOOOOAAAAAH!!!"


    "It''s really over?!"


    "I can''t believe it!!!"


    "*Sob* I''m d!! I''m truly d!!"


    Yells of excitement, happiness, and tears of relief spread across the entire army. It was a great moment for them, as bitter as everything before it was.


    Talon watched that scene with a calm expression. It was certainly a nice moment for him. But, there was still a lot to do before they could actually celebrate victory. Monsters were going to only get stronger and their enemies wouldn''t remain the same mindless bunch they had been fighting. Humans will eventually join the fray.


    They had to also leave this ce unscathed and go back to the warehouse somehow.


    ''But¡­ For now¡­''


    "Let''s celebrate this battle!!" He yelled loudly.


    "WOOOOOOH!!"


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 133: Chapter 133- Relief And Discovery

    That day, the group decided to set camp in the area they were in. Even though the earthquakes were still a huge threat to them and they even caused the death of a few of the students.


    But, that was by far the best location to spend the night at. It wasn''tpletely split open with cracks and it had a rtively high altitude that helped solve the problem. Besides, most of the students were heavily injured or exhausted and they could barely move around to even travel anywhere.


    So, they set their camps and campfires for the night. Before leaving the gymnasium, they brought along with them all the things they would need to spend nights outside in the cold. It wasn''t the best set of tools, but they were good enough for the time being.


    Then, when things settled down, the students had a small victory celebration with some food, drinks, and other things. It wasn''t a huge celebration considering the fact that they didn''te out of this battlepletely unscathed. Many people had died during the entire ordeal and even more suffered grave injuries due to it.


    Even if things were over, the students felt very sad for their fallen peers. Many lost their friends and it was devastating. No one in their right mind wouldugh and be happy when others are mourning next to them.


    The atmosphere was bittersweet as it should be. The rain had slowed down and the wind became a little tamer and more bearable. Also, the pulses of the Core Dimension''s gate finally died downpletely.


    Everyone assumed that it meant the end of this entire phenomenon. But, Talon knew that it was far from over.


    ***


    "How long is it going to take before the worldlyws change?"


    After celebrating with the group for a while, Talon excused himself to a secluded ce where he could think alone and talk with Acrypha. In his hand was a cup of coffee he had taken with him after eating a warm meal.


    Talon wasn''t much of a coffee guy, but in such cold weather, that cup of coffee felt really great.


    Staring into the distance, he waited for Acrypha to answer.


    "A few weeks, maybe a few days. It''s a gradual change that you will only notice by the time it''s over." She replied. "We won''t know what kind of expansion happened to Earth till then."


    "Oh? Why is that? Isn''t it going to go from being a Low-D dimension to a Medium-D?" Talon asked curiously.


    However, Acrypha shook her head. "That''s what should happen. But, I noticed that the expansion that happened to Earth was extremely abnormal and violent. So much so, it should only happen in higher dimensions. I''m suspecting it won''t be as simple as a one-step transition."


    "Oh, great. Let me guess, that also means that monsters are going to be way stronger and the changes will be far more prominent?" Talon asked with a sigh, knowing the answer already.


    "Unfortunately, yes. The progress of the earth''s transition will elerate greatly too. So, it will probably not take that long before the second expansion happens."


    "What a bunch of good news¡­" Talon murmured as he sipped on his cup of coffee to calm himself down.


    Then, he wentpletely silent, thinking of what he needed to do next. He knew that it things were only going to get harder and harder from now on. What happened the past few weeks was just the start.


    ''I will need to get even more serious than before.''


    Acrypha watched the subtle changes in his face for a while before she opened her mouth to speak.


    "That attack that you did today¡­ It was devastating." She said.


    Talon looked over his shoulder at the flying beauty. "Yeah, I didn''t expect it to be that effective. In my head, I just thought that mixing fire and pure destruction would somehow create a magical reaction of some sort. But, it was nowhere near that powerful in my head."


    ''It was too powerful in fact¡­'' Talon thought to himself.


    "It was abination of many factors that created that attack. But, the most important one is the fusion between your Azure mes and Tear of Reality. Two things that should not mix, it was natural that forcefully making them do that would create a ticking bomb¡­ A very powerful one." Acrypha shook her head.


    "I did feel it when I mixed them together. The numbness in my hand as I was about to throw it. It was the most unstable thing I have ever touched."


    Looking at his hands, Talon squeezed it slightly as he remembered the sensation of the orb in his hand. It was akin to carrying an electrical wire that coiled around his entire arm. It felt really ufortable to carry even for a quick second.


    "if I didn''t throw it at the perfect time, I could''ve been caught in the attack." He added with a frown.


    Talon was but a split second away from imminent death due to his own creation. That thought made him shudder.


    ''I definitely won''t do that again unless it''s absolutely necessary. It''s too much risk.''


    "You were really close to death. For a second there, I really thought you were in grave danger. I was going to use my powers." Acrypha replied.


    "Hm? You were worried?"


    "Of course. Just seeing what you created, I was terrified of the effect it could''ve had on you. You could''ve died right there and then."


    "... Wait, so¡­ you weren''t terrified of me?" Talon turned around, seemingly taken aback by what she said.


    "Hm? Why would I be scared of you? Though, what you made is definitely something I have never seen before of someone of your level."


    Hearing that, the young man waspletely speechless. His brain halted thinking for a moment.


    ''So, that look on her face¡­ It wasn''t because she was scared of me? Instead, she was worried?'' He asked himself as he realized how wrong he was in his assumption that Acrypha was repulsed by what he did.


    But, the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. Acrypha had already seen things far more terrifying than what he did, getting scared by him would be a far-fetched idea. But, for some reason, knowing that it was the case put his heart at ease.


    He felt as if a huge burden had been lifted off his shoulders and he could now finally rx. It was a very refreshing sensation by all means.


    "Hahaha¡­" In the end, he could only chuckle audibly.


    "Why are youughing?"


    "Sorry, I just felt dumb for a moment. But, I feel much better now." He replied.


    "What? I''m confused."


    "It''s nothing, really."


    "Tell me. I want to know." Acrypha urged him.


    "Nope~"


    "You¡­ Sigh, all right then, keep your secret to yourself."


    "Hahaha, I will definitely do that."


    With that, the two continued talking idly for a while. The subtle tension between them vanishedpletely as if it was never there. In fact, Talon felt as if he got to know more about Acrypha through this interaction than before.


    Time passed slowly till the sound of students died downpletely and everyone went to sleep. The light of the campfires they kept died down too, leaving only a few for vision. Everyone, except Talon, who decided to finally do something he had been postponing for a while now.


    "Let''s check what I got from killing all those monsters." He murmured as he sat down and opened his notifications. "I''m expecting a lot of good things." Talon smiled.


    He had seen a small glimpse of what he received and it was a very useful new ability from his Dimension Harvester. Using Dash, he was able to save his and Hyun-Jae''s life twice. He was sure that it was going to be something he would use consistently.


    Acrypha sat near him and looked curiously.


    The first thing Talon was weed with was the number of monsters he had killed.


    "More than 700 monsters¡­ That is¡­ insane." He murmured. "This is more than the number of monsters I killed beforebined. Probably double that number."


    Talon didn''t count the number exactly before but he was certain this was far more than that.


    "What you did is something even someone double your level would have a hard time actually doing. The rewards you will get will be definitely interesting, to say the least." Acryphamented, making the young man nod his head.


    "No wonder I have received +40 points in all stats. That number is starting to make sense to me now." He rubbed the back of his head confusedly.


    Even though 40 pointspared to the number of monsters he killed might sound low, Talon didn''t forget that most of these monsters were lower than him in level so only a huge number of them would actually give him any bonus.


    ''Though, my level only increased twice¡­''


    Then, his eyes fell on the next notification which was far more interesting than the first two.


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 134: Chapter 134- New Class And a Test

    "I got a new ss," Talon eximed as he read the notification with an excited look on his face. "This could turn out to be another really good ss."


    So far, Talon only had two sses. Dimension Maniptor, which is his main one that he hasn''t activated yet, and Boundless Breaker. Even though he still doesn''t know what the first one will give him, the second one is perhaps his strongest ability so far.


    The percentage increase in his strength was simply a cheat. Without it, he would''ve never been able to fight Terren head-to-head and win, or kill that many monsters with one single attack. It gave him a boost that he couldn''t even imagine.


    ''Makes me wonder what the main one will give me once I finish the requirements. All I have to do is collect the monster cores and the requirements will be met finally.''


    Talon was certain that there were hundreds of monster cores still waiting for him at the scene of the battle. He was intending to collect them tomorrow when things calmed down.


    "Ok, let''s open it."


    [Ding!]


    [You have received a new ss: ''One-Man Army''.]


    "Oh? One-man army? Very interesting name." Talon read the name with a curious look on his face.


    [One-Man Army: An army is an unstoppable force, only equaled by another army. Yet, with your overwhelming power, no number of enemies can stop you. For every 100 enemies you fight, you gain +1% in all stats. Can stack up infinitely.]


    "Oh! This is really good!" Talon murmured as he read the description of the ss. "Have you ever heard of this ss before Acrypha?" He turned around and asked hispanion.


    "Hmm, let me remember." The woman closed her eyes for a second as she went through her memories. "I think I do¡­ I have read about it a very long time ago. It''s a pretty good secondary ss." She replied.


    "Yeah, stacking up even more strength when facing a huge army sounds really useful. I will probably use it way more than I would wish I needed to." Talon chuckled.


    "Since the ss stacks up infinitely. Its potential is basically endless. If you face a gigantic army one day, at least you will have a new source of strength to rely on." Acrypha shrugged.


    ''Though, its effect will truly appear in the worst-case scenarios. Hopefully, he will never have any urgent need for it.''


    Acrypha knew that if the bonus stacked up into the tens or even hundreds percent, that meant that Talon was facing thousands or even tens of thousands of enemies. Something like that was bound to be life-threatening.


    "Yeah, well, it''s a good extra ss." He shrugged as he moved to the next notification.


    [You have fulfilled the requirements for the first evolution.]


    [The first gate has been created.]


    "Now this¡­ Can you exin it to me, Acrypha? What is it about this gate and first evolution?" He asked.


    Even though Talon has been aware since the beginning that he was going to need to go to another dimension when he reaches level 25. He still didn''t know anything about that and he never had an opportunity to ask Acrypha about it till this point.


    "It''s as you can see. Since you reached level 25, you can''t level up any further till you go through a test made by the Core Dimension. Think of it as a way for it to filter those who are worthy to continue growing stronger and those whose life will mean nothing." Acrypha exined with a serious tone.


    "Filter, huh? So, the Core Dimension doesn''t want to provide its gifts to those who can''t seed in its ordeals?" Talon asked.


    "Exactly. Even though all creatures in existence are bestowed with this ability¡­ Not everyone can keep it."


    "Makes sense." Talon nodded his head. Even though he doesn''t agree with such a thing, he can understand why the Core Dimension will do it.


    "In any case, at level 25, you get your first test. In which, a gate will open that you must go through. That gate will lead you to a random dimension that is usually one or two steps higher than the dimension you came from. There, you will have to finish some kind of task or achieve some kind of goal in order to pass the test."


    "Oh, what kind of goal?"


    "It could be anything. The Core Dimension will be the one to give you the task and you must finish it in a period of time."


    "What if I don''t finish the task in that period of time?" Talon asked.


    "Simple, you will get stuck in that dimension and will never be able to leave it for the rest of your life. You will also lose all the abilities you have gained so far so you can''t get stronger either. Or, an even easier result, you will die trying to achieve that goal." She replied casually.


    Talon frowned slightly. "Sounds like a fun thing to do." He murmured.


    ''Losing all my progress and getting stuck there¡­ Yeah, I might as well die, that sounds like a better oue.'' He thought to himself.


    The punishment was certainly heavy and filled with risks. It didn''t take Talon long to understand that his test was going to be extra hard considering how much he had done so far.


    "OK, but what would happen if I achieve that goal?"


    "Naturally, you will gain rewards. In most cases, the rewards are very good. If you achieve the task exceptionally well, you will get even better rewards."


    "So, if I do everything perfectly and more, I can have an advantage over others?" Talon asked curiously.


    "Exactly." Acrypha nodded her head.


    "Good. That will motivate me to work harder." He smiled.


    "You will have to take this test extremely seriously since it''s going to be way harder than anything you''ve done so far¡­ Just saying that while remembering what you did makes me wonder what kind of hellish test you will have to go through. Let''s hope for the best." She said as she knitted her eyebrows.


    With that, Talon found himself at the end of the notification streak. He had seen everything he had to see and so far, he had received some very nice rewards for his work.


    ''I can''t wait till tomorrow to see what Dimension Maniptor will give me.''


    With that, he stood up and stretched his limbs as he was about to head back to the camp to sleep. He was already pretty exhausted after the battle, staying awake this long didn''t help much.


    ''An hour or two of sleep will help a lot.''


    ***


    The night passed quietly for the survivors. It was cold and windy, but with their growing resistance to cold, it wasn''t as unpleasant as one would expect.


    By the time the sun peeked from the horizon with its golden rays, many students were starting to wake up. The ones who were still injured remained in their ces to rest and recover.


    Hyun-Jae and Talon also didn''t wake up early as they usually do since their bodies were really tattered.


    "Ugh¡­ I slept for 10 hours¡­" Talon groaned as he looked around him.


    The sun was already rising in the sky when his eyes opened and he realized that instead of sleeping for two hours¡­ He slept for 10.


    ''I didn''t know that my body was this exhausted. Damn¡­'' Murmuring to himself, he slowly stood up and left the tent he was in.


    Outside, he found the students going around, busy. Some were cooking breakfast while others were taking care of the injured.


    "Good morning, sir!" As he stood there, some students noticed Talon and greeted him with smiles on their faces.


    "Ah, good morning." He greeted them back as he started walking.


    Looking at his moving back, some of the girls could only blush. "Isn''t he growing more and more handsome by the day or am I imagining?"


    "You aren''t¡­ I swear he looks way more handsome today than yesterday. He is like a model!"


    "Should I try getting closer to the leader?" Another girl asked hesitantly with a blush on her face.


    "What? Ain''t no way he would look at you. He has Miss Hyun-Jae, remember? With someone like her next to him, we have no chance."


    "Oh right¡­ Sigh, my crush ended before it could even start." The girl sighed with a tired look on her face.


    Unbeknownst to Talon himself, many girls in the group were starting to notice the changes in his appearance and aura. Because of his strength, confidence, and charisma, he was naturally attracting their attention heavily.


    Especially since he was the reason they were still alive, so their admiration for him only grew bigger and bigger by the day.


    But, none of them dared to approach him with those intentions since they thought Talon and Hyun-Jae were in a rtionship.


    "*Sneeze*... Hmm, why did I sneeze just now? Is someone talking about me?" Talon thought to himself as he rubbed his nose.


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 135: Chapter 135- Endless Respect And Harvesting Cores

    Walking through the camp, Talon first went to the area where all the injured students were. He wanted to check on them and see how many were unable to move.


    There, he found Iseul going around busily as she instructed her peers on what to do next.


    "He still isn''t out of danger yet, we need to- Oh, sir!" The girl turned around when she noticed Talon''s presence there.


    "Sorry for bothering you when you''re busy, Iseul," Talon said with an apologetic look.


    "Not at all, you''re always wee." The girl shook her head.


    "Thank you. So, how are the injured students?" He asked as he looked around him.


    Many people were lying down, groaning in pain or asleep. Their injuries varied in degrees of severity but they all needed medical care.


    "We''re¡­ Somehow progressing fine. Most of them should be able to make a full recovery soon enough. As for the ones that lost limbs¡­ Well, we can''t do much about that." Gu Iseul exined.


    Even with her healing abilities, Gu Iseul still had many limitations. Regenerating limbs or recovering lost organs was impossible for her at her current stage. It was frustrating, but she had to ept it and do what she could actually do.


    "Don''t think about it too much. The fact that you saved their lives is more than enough. You saved Hyun-Jae''s life and my life too. We''re all grateful for you." Talon tapped her shoulder gently when he noticed the gloomy expression on her face.


    Gu Iseul nodded her head faintly as she shook her head. "Yes, I know. Thank you very much."


    "No problem. In any case, if you need my help with anything, just tell me." He said as he started walking away.


    "Of course."


    With that, Talon left that area and headed toward the food area to get something to fill his stomach. Even after yesterday''s dinner, his stomach still felt really hungry for some reason.


    "Ugh, I hate being this hungry. I don''t want to waste food pointlessly." He murmured as he grabbed his stomach.


    Even though they raided the cafeteria a while ago, it didn''t have endless resources inside of it. In fact, a few weeks after that, the students had to go out to search for more food since the stored food was running out quickly.


    Even more now when they were outside. Talon would prefer not to waste food on himself unless it was necessary.


    "Your body is recovering, so it requires more energy."


    "I know. But still¡­ Sigh." Exhaling a small breath, he stopped in the line of students who were getting their breakfast.


    At the end of the line, a group of students were handing over tes. The line was considerably long since most people had just woken up.


    "This is gonna take some time. I hope the monster cores weren''t carried away by the wind." He murmured to himself. "What do you think Dimension Maniptor will be?"


    Even though the ss already had its description, it was so vague that Talon couldn''t really get anything from what it said.


    [Dimension Maniptors are beings capable of weaving the fabric of reality itself. To tread this path is to embark upon a journey where the boundaries of reality are not constraints but rather the raw material to be sculpted. With a move of your hand worlds change and with the other, creatures bow in utmost respect.]


    No matter how many times he reads that description, it never makes any sense. The way the ss was described was akin to a riddle of some sort. A riddle that he must uncover somehow. The second thing he didn''t understand was the requirements put on the ss.


    Unlike his secondary sses which didn''t need him to do anything, his main one had a very hard set of requirements he had to achieve before it could actually activate. Something that raised even more questions in his head.


    "It''s really hard to predict what it could exactly be. But, if I have to take a guess. It will probably have something to do with going through dimensions. Perhaps it will give you the ability to open gates as you wish and move through them." Acrypha murmured as she rubbed her chin.


    ''If that is the case then it makes me question what the Core Dimension is doing even more. On the one hand, some people have already tapped into the ability to go to other dimensions as they wished and they''re being targeted by the Core Dimension for it. On the other hand, it''s potentially giving an individual the power to do that.


    What is the meaning of this?'' Even with all the possibilities in mind, Acrypha couldn''t wrap her head around this logic.


    Something was amiss and she didn''t find it. One piece of the puzzle that could reveal everything and exin everything. If she could just find thatst missing piece, perhaps things would change forever.


    "Acrypha?" Snapping her out of her thoughts was Talon''s voice.


    "Hm?"


    "You had a very scary expression just now." He said.


    "My apologies. I was just thinking."


    "Yeah, it''s fine. Though, as you said, I also think that this ss will let me travel through dimensio-"


    "Oh! It''s the leader!"


    As he was about to finish speaking, some students passing by noticed his presence and called him excitedly.


    Their voices made everyone in the line look behind them.


    "The leader is here?"


    "I didn''t notice his presence."


    "Why is he waiting in the line?"


    "Is he here for food too?"


    "What? How can we make the leader wait in line? He has more important things he needs to attend to. Hey! You can take my te, leader! I can wait!" One said as he approached the bewildered Talon and gave him his ce.


    "Hold on! He can have mine instead!"


    Another got closer and put his te in Talon''s hands.


    "So unfair! Please take mine~" A girl smiled seductively with a wink as she gave Talon her te too.


    With that, a few more students surrounded Talon and tried to give him their portions.


    "Hold on, guys! I''m getting drowned here!" Talon peeked from behind the mountain of tes in his head. "I can''t eat all of this! And I can wait in the line like everyone else. You don''t need to treat me any different than anyone else." He said.


    ''I can''t get ustomed to special treatments. If there is a line, I''m waiting like everyone else.'' He thought to himself with clenched teeth as he struggled to bnce the stack of tes.


    But, unbeknownst to him, instead of making the students realize that he wasn''t there to take their portions, his words had apletely different effect.


    "So¡­ humble¡­" One murmured with a touched look on his face.


    "Even though he is far stronger than anyone else and could easily get what he wanted. He still wants to be humble."


    "That''s why he''s the leader! He is so down to earth!"


    "I love you, Mister Talon!"


    From murmurs, it turned into excited cheers. Talon looked around him confusedly. He didn''t know whether tough or cry at that moment.


    ''How did it turn out like this?''


    "They really love you, don''t they? Hehehe¡­ Leader~" Acrypha chuckled amusedly.


    "Ohe on, not you too. I really hate this Leader nickname I got. Just call me Talon like everyone else. I''m not a leader."


    "Though, I have been acting like one for a while now. It''s only because it''s necessary for survival. When we find a safe ce to settle down, I don''t want to remain in the same position."


    "Well, even if you don''t want to remain their leader. They still respect and love you greatly. That''s something many ''great leaders'' fail to achieve. So, you are already far ahead of most of them. Just enjoy it while itsts." Acrypha hugged him from behind as she picked something from one of the tes and ate it. But, she frowned visibly and looked away.


    "This doesn''t taste as good as the food you make." She murmured.


    "I guess you''re making a point¡­"


    "I always make a point," Acrypha replied casually.


    With that, Talon decided to simply take the portions and thank the students for their kindness. That made them even more excited since he epted their gifts.


    With that, Talon sat down in a secluded ce and wolfed down the tes one after the other in quick session. His hunger seemed endless at first, but, by the time he reached thest portion, he waspletely full.


    "Oh man¡­ I ate like a monster¡­" He said as he looked at the empty tes next to him.


    "You sure did."


    "I feel a lot better. Now, I can finally move." He stood up and stretched his limbs. "Off we go!"


    Then, he quickly left the camp after notifying Go-Young Soon in case Hyun-Jae or anyone else needed him. His trip wasn''t going to take long so he assumed there won''t be a problem if he left the ce for a while.


    Using his high speed, Talon was able to cross the distance between the camp and the battlefield in a few dozen seconds or so.


    When he reached there, the area was still the same as he left it yesterday. except for the puddles of water that umted everywhere and the muddy soil.


    In this open area, countless small shiny orbs could be seen lying everywhere. Their sizes varied and so did their colors.


    "So many¡­ I have never seen this number of cores in my life." Talon murmured to himself as he walked around the ce. Picking up random orbs, he checked their condition.


    "Hmm, they don''t seem to have been affected by the attack. Weird, aren''t they fragile?"


    "They are fragile to physical force. Any attack made out of Aetheris most of the time doesn''t have any effect on them." Acrypha exined.


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 136: Chapter 136- Dimension Manipulator

    "Oh, and why is that?" Talon asked curiously as he inspected the cores again. He couldn''t understand how these fragile, ss-like objects could resist destructive attacks even if they weren''t purely physical.


    ''If anything, Aetheris attacks are more destructive than physical attacks. How does this make any sense?'' He asked himself.


    "Nobody knows for certain why. But, from what we discovered, the matter from which the cores are created doesn''t exist. Monster Cores are made of a very unique material that can''t be found in any dimension. It follows no particrws of any world and so no matter where you find it, the monster cores are the same."


    "Wait, so this material only exists in this form?" Talon blinked as he rubbed the core, feeling the material even better.


    "Yes, and it can''t be harvested and used in other ways. The moment the core breaks, that material dissipates and vanishes from existence as if it was never there."


    "What a very weird fact. To think that this could exist¡­ Wait, couldn''t it be simply recreated artificially?" Talon asked.


    "No. That''s the thing, that material isn''t created out of something that exists like other materials. It just manifests out of nowhere. So, making it is almost impossible."


    "Almost?" Talon noticed what Acrypha said. She didn''t immediately deny that possibility outright.


    "I said ''almost'' because things aren''t as certain as they were before. If someone could tap into the realm of moving through dimensions with pure science. Then, why would Ipletely deny the possibility that someone will be able to recreate that material and give us a breakthrough in material creation?" Acrypha shrugged.


    "You have a point¡­" Murmuring to himself, Talon gave the core onest nce before he put it in the bag.


    ''Well, if that happens in the future, it will probably be very chaotic.'' He thought to himself.


    A material that doesn''t get affected by Aetheris at all. That sounded like the perfect armor to defend against other enemies that use Aehteris. It could very much change how people fight forever.


    With that, Talon continued harvesting all the cores. Dozens of cores were everywhere. Most of them were energy cores, and a good number were items, potions, and skills. Even though they were a fraction of the total number of cores, there were still so many of them that Talon knew it was going to be sufficient to boost the group''s strength to new heights again.


    "Many of these are very high-level items. If the students get some of them. We will probably be able to actually get stronger." The young man smiled as he continued harvesting the cores one by one as he watched the counter on his requirements rising up continuously.


    A few minutes passed before Talon was finally able to gather all the cores he could find with his senses. He was certain that a few were still there, hiding under the mud and water but he didn''t want to bother searching for them and getting dirty. He barely had any clothes he could use for his day-to-day life.


    ''I seriously need to visit a clothing store in the near future. I can''t wear the same stuff every single day.'' He noted down as he finally heard the satisfying ringing sound he was waiting for.


    [Ding!]


    [You have finished the requirements for activating your main ss, ''Dimension Maniptor.'']


    [Requirements for activation:


    -Kill 100 Level 10+ monsters with a single attack. 400/100


    -Kill 2 level 20+ monsters on yourself. 15/2


    -Collect 200 Energy Cores of monsters level 8+. 400/200


    -Collect 100 Item Cores of monsters level 5+. 150/100]


    [Ding!]


    [Dimension Maniptor has been activated.]


    [Ding!]


    [You have gained +10 points in all stats.]


    [You have gained a new passive skill: Broken Will.]


    [ding!]


    [You have exceeded the number of requirements needed.]


    [Calcting extra rewards¡­]


    [Ding!]


    [You have gained a new function: Storage.]


    "Hold on a second! Wait, this is too many things at the same time!" Talon blinked as he read through the notifications.


    Never did he expect that he would see so many things the moment he finished collecting the monster''s cores.


    Acrypha stared silently at the rewards. She had already expected something like this. But, it was still amazing to see in real life.


    "Ok, let''s take it one step at a time. I got +10 points in stats. That''s a nice addition." Talon murmured as he felt the new surge of strength.


    At this point, this increase in his power didn''t shock him anymore. He was already over 110+ points in all stats. It was already too ridiculous to begin with, getting shocked by another boost is pointless.


    "I received a new passive skill too. What does it do?" He asked as a panel appeared in front of him.


    [Broken Will (Level Max): The will of many is their very own existence. Kill to live or live to die. Only those who truly know their worth can know their own will. But, once one reaches the true peak, a will, broken orplete, can change destiny itself.]


    "Huh? What is this overlyplicated nonsense?" Talon rubbed the back of his head confusedly as he read the description of the skill. For a second, he thought he was reading some kind of philosophical quote and it didn''t sit well with him.


    "What does it even do? At least tell me that much. Goddamit, this is annoying." He cursed as he used that opportunity to read through the description again and again.


    "Very interesting¡­" Meanwhile, Acrypha had a very interested look on her face.


    "Do you have any idea what this is?"


    "No. I have never seen that passive skill. Though, it''s not umon for sses to give skills. This one seems particrly odd."


    ''A skill about will¡­ That is a very broad concept. I wonder what effect it has and it doesn''t even level up. So, whatever change it brings will remain constant.''


    "Tsk, I hate when it does this. But, well, I can''t do much about it. Whatever it does, I will know sooner orter." He sighed as he gave up.


    "Yeah. Just keep in mind to tell me if you feel anything different. Particrly with your feelings, thoughts, or character." Acrypha instructed him.


    "Ok¡­ Now, what is thisst thing? A new function? What is a function?"


    "... I have never heard of that either." Acrypha shook her head. "See what it does first."


    Talon looked at the word and tried to read its description. However, shockingly, nothing appeared in front of him as he expected.


    "What? Why isn''t it showing me its description?" Talon murmured as he tried again a few times and failed.


    The duo looked at each other confusedly. At this point, Acrypha really had no idea what was happening. She was as clueless as her human was. If anything, she was far more confused since she knew far more than he did and understood how unusual this was.


    "Try to activate it then. That might work."


    "Hmm, ok, let me try."


    ''Storage.'' As Talon thought of that word, immediately, something popped up in his vision.


    It was arge panel, with no words on it. Instead, it had a rectangr shape inside of it that was dark in color. In this rectangle, shiny, empty squares were organized one next to the other. In total, there were three squares inside the rectangle.


    "What is even this?" Acrypha asked this time.


    "This looks really familiar¡­" Talon squinted his eyes. "Wait, storage¡­ Oh! Oooh!" Talon suddenly realized what it was and his eyes shone brightly. "An item storage! This is what it is!"


    "An item storage?" Acrypha asked confusedly.


    "Yeah, I know this from games I used to y. You can store items inside this ce instead of carrying them outside."


    "You mean ''Dimension Packs''?" Acrypha asked.


    "I don''t know what that is though."


    "Dimensional Picks are items used to store objects. They can be found in monster cores like other items. Though, they''re rather rare to find and vary in how much they can carry.."


    "Yeah, that sounds exactly the same. But, this isn''t an item. It''s a function."


    Acrypha nodded her head silently. ''Instead of a Dimensional Pack, it gave him something that was integrated with the system itself. Very interesting.''


    "If that''s the case, then this is going to be extremely useful in the future."


    "Yeah! It sure will be! Wait, let me try it." Talon immediately picked up the bag of monster cores he had in his hands before he looked at one of the item slots.


    Even though he had no idea what he was doing, something inside him told him that this was what he was supposed to do.


    Almost instantly, the bag disappeared from his hand before it reappeared inside the slot in the form of a miniature icon of it. Next to that icon down below, a number was written¡­. 550.


    "So it does work! Hahah! This is amazing!" Talonughed excitedly as he quickly focused on the slot again.


    Immediately, the bag vanished and appeared in his hand. Then, he repeated that motion again and again as if he was ying a game.


    "I love this too much. What the heck?"


    Meanwhile, Acrypha watched the scene with a speechless look. She didn''t know whether tough or cry at that moment.


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 137: Chapter 137- Waking Up The Sleeping Beauty (Part 1)

    After a few more tries, Talon finally stopped ying around and closed the storage window after putting the bag in it.


    "Hahah, this is really good. Now, I won''t have to worry about carrying stuff around. I could have everything I need within an arms reach." He smiled.


    "Yeah, having a Dimensional storage space like that one is very invaluableter on. When you''re going to start moving around, going to uncharted ces. Carrying a Dimensional Pack is extremely important. That''s why, the price to buy one in the Core Dimension is hefty." Acrypha exined with a nod of her head.


    "Oh, so what I have here is priceless, no? Even though I only have 3 slots. From what I can see, it will probably unlock more in the future."


    The rectangle was very bigpared to the small three slots. So, unless the Core Dimension was simply creating a wasted space which was something that Talon highly doubted, it most certainly meant that the storage was going to expand.


    He didn''t know how that would happen yet, but he was sure that it wouldn''t go long before he got his answer.


    "Though, I don''t know if I should hide this from the others or not¡­" He murmured.


    Even though Talon trusted Hyun-Jae and the others, he wasn''t dumb enough to show them everything he was capable of. He had to always keep something a secret in case something unexpected happened.


    No matter how much he trusted someone, Talon knew that this world wasn''t nice enough to go the way he wanted all the time.


    "Just try to hide it. But, if someone knew, you can just brush it off as one of your skills." Acrypha suggested.


    "Sounds good enough." Talon shrugged. "Ok, time to go back then."


    With that matter done, Talon made his way back to the camp. The ce was now bustling with activity after everyone woke up.


    Since they weren''t going to stay there for long, the students were trying to work as fast as they could so that they could start moving as soon as everyone could move.


    But, that didn''t mean that they actually had any idea where they were going to go. The decision wasn''t taken yet.


    Walking through the camp, Talon was thinking deeply about that point. There wasn''t really much time left for them to rx. If they wanted to avoid getting attacked by another group of monsters, they had to start moving as soon as possible.


    "Hey, psst!"


    As he was walking, someone stopped him and made him look up. It was surprisingly Chin-Hwa. He had a serious look on his face.


    "What''s up?"


    "Can we talk for a moment?"


    "Hmm, sure¡­"


    ''Thest time this happened, it ended weirdly.'' Talon thought to himself as he followed Chin-Hwa till they were a little far away from the camp.


    "So, what do you want to talk about?"


    Chin-Hwa turned around and looked at Talon seriously.


    "I will cut to the chase, we need to go back to the warehouse as soon as possible. And by soon, I mean, tomorrow or the day after at most." Chin-Hwa said.


    "Hm? Why? Did something happen?" Talon asked seriously.


    "No. But, I left Shin-Il and Soomin alone for more than a week now. I''m worried they might get in trouble." He exined.


    "Yeah, you do have a point," Talon murmured as he rubbed his chin.


    Even though it didn''t seem like it, a week had passed since Chin-Hwa arrived on the campus. Leaving behind Shin-Il and Soomin to fend off for themselves.


    ''The warehouse is a very eye-catching location for other survivors. If people with malicious intent arrive there, it could very quickly be dangerous.'' The young man frowned.


    "If we can move now, I would''ve pushed for it to happen as soon as possible. But, many students are still injured. Even more, are extremely exhausted and can barely move. Moving now, in this condition, is very dangerous." Talon exined.


    Even with him around, keeping everyone safe from any potential threat was going to be extremely hard if not outright impossible during a trip like this. Talon is fast, but he can''t be everywhere at the same time.


    ''We already lost too many students. I can''t let even more people die.''


    Chin-Hwa was already aware of that when he asked. So, instead, he decided to change the n.


    "How about I go back first to check on them? The group can follow after that whenever they''re ready." He suggested.


    "No. That''s too dangerous too. You will get yourself killed." Talon denied it immediately.


    ''After the expansion, monsters are only going to get stronger and more violent. Going out alone at his level is foolish.''


    "I''m not weak, Talon," Chin-Hwa replied with a slightly offended tone, thinking that Talon was belittling him.


    "You aren''t strong either. But, it has nothing to do with strength. I also won''t do something as stupid as going out alone. Who knows what kind of abominations lurk where we can''t see?"


    "Then what¡­"


    "Our best bet is to wait for the students to get ready and then move. We already made Shin-Il and Soomin wait for over a month, making them wait a few more days shouldn''t be a problem." Talon said as he turned around.


    ''Hopefully¡­'' He added in his head. ''I wonder why I have such a bad feeling about this.'' He scrunched his face.


    With that, he walked back to the camp and then headed straight toward Hyun-Jae''s tent. He hadn''t met her since yesterday evening when she had to leave to get healed.


    "Hyun-Jae¡­ Are you awake?" He said as he stood in front of the closed tent. But, he didn''t receive a response.


    "Hyun-Jae, it''s time to wake up." He said as he tapped the tent again. Yet, no response again.


    ''She''s really deep asleep, isn''t she? She must be exhausted.'' He thought to himself as he felt bad about trying to wake her up.


    However, with their current situation, they had to act quickly. He needed to talk with her and see her insight on their next step. Even though Talon was considered the leader, Hyun-Jae was far better than him in terms of strategic nning, in his opinion. She has a keen eye for small details and knows how to handle certain situations perfectly.


    "Hey, psst, excuse me." Deciding on what to do, Talon saw a girl walking by.


    The girl turned around, and when she saw who was calling her, she was taken aback.


    "L-Leader? Do you need me in anything?"


    "Yeah, could you help me out if you can?"


    "O-Of course." The girl approached him quickly.


    "Thank you." Talon gave her a small, soft smile that made the girl blush furiously as she averted her eyes.


    "No problem."


    ''Ah, I need to get a hold of myself! I''m acting like aplete idiot.'' She screamed in her head.


    "Ok, so, Hyun-Jae is asleep and she isn''t waking up no matter how much I call her name. Can you please go inside and wake her up?" He asked.


    Even though Talon knew that Hyun-Jae didn''t like interacting with people that much, especially when she was asleep, he had no other choice. He can''t just go inside himself since in the end¡­ She''s still a woman.


    "Huh? Why don''t you go inside yourself, leader?" The girl tilted her head confusedly.


    ''Aren''t they dating? Surely waking her up isn''t a big problem? I heard they even shared the same room before.''


    "Huh? Of course, I can''t." Talon replied as he blinked.


    The two stared at each other for a few awkward seconds, not knowing what to say. That''s when the girl''s eyes suddenly shone with a bright light.


    "Oh! I see. So that''s why!"


    "...?"


    ''The leader is actually feeling shy, isn''t he? Hehehe, I never thought he had such a cute, innocent side to him. As someone who respects both of them, I must make sure their rtionship flourishes!'' The girl giggled in her head before she looked at Talon with a determined look.


    "Don''t worry leader! You have my support." She said with a smile.


    "Again, what are you talking about?" Talon stared at her.


    "Just take a deep breath and walk inside. I will leave you alone then."


    Then, before Talon could even ask her again what she meant, the girl stormed off.


    "What¡­"


    The young man stood there, bbergasted. He didn''t know what to do at that point. Looking around him, he couldn''t see anyone else he could call for help.


    ''Goddamit! Where is everyone when I need them the most?!'' Clicking his tongue, Talon slowly turned around.


    "Are you going to go inside?" Acrypha asked curiously.


    "Do I have another choice? Oh man, I''m so going to regret doing this." He murmured.


    ''Why am I even nervous? This isn''t the first time I saw Hyun-Jae asleep. It shouldn''t be a problem.''


    Shaking his head, the young man finally pulled the tent''s cover away slowly as he peeked inside. There, he could see a silhouette sleeping with a thin nket.


    Making sure that she was still indeed asleep, and dressed somewhat properly, Talon made his way inside quietly and closed the cover again. He didn''t want anyone else to see Hyun-Jae asleep.


    ''Ok, this was easier than I thought.'' Turning around, he finally took a clear look at Hyun-Jae.


    The girl was deep asleep, her head was leaning to the side and her hair was messily spread everywhere.


    However, even in such a state, Hyun-Jae''s beauty was still as stunning as ever. No matter how much Talon looked at her, she was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen, if he didn''t count Acrypha since she wasn''t a human.


    She had an allure unmatched by anyone else he met before. An allure that doesn''t diminish no matter where Hyun-Jae is.


    Now, he had to wake that sleeping beauty up from her slumber.


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 138: Chapter 138- Waking Up The Sleeping Beauty (Part 2)

    Standing there for a while, Talon watched Hyun-Jae''s sleeping face, trying to find a way to approach her without sounding like a creep.


    ''Even though what I did is already creepy enough.'' He sighed in his head as he made a small cough.


    "Ehem, Hyun-Jae. Wake up." He called for her again.


    But, except for a small disturbance in her rhythmic breathing, the girl didn''t reply at all to his voice. It was clear that she waspletely out of it. When someone''s body reaches a certain level of exhaustion, their sleep could very much turn into a form ofa that they can still wake up from, except it requires far more effort to do that.


    So, with no other choice, Talon slowly approached her and crouched down.


    "Psst, Hyun-Jae. Please wake up." He said in a gentle tone.


    Still, the girl didn''t open her eyes. Instead, her face frowned slightly before she turned to the side with her face in his direction.


    ''What am I supposed to do now?'' Rubbing the back of his head, Talon contemted his next move.


    Thest thing he wanted was to make Hyun-Jae think he was a pervert or someone with any malicious intent. So, depending on his next action, the consequences could be vastly different.


    ''I guess it should be fine if I tap her shoulder, right?'' pinching his nose, Talon slowly moved his hand and touched the girl''s soft shoulder. Then, as he tried to ignore the embarrassment, he shook it a little.


    "Hyun-Jae. Hey, Hyun-Jae. Come on, you need to wake up. We have work to do." He said again.


    "Mmm¡­" The girl groaned slightly. "No¡­ Not me¡­"


    ''Huh?'' Talon looked at her confusedly. ''Is she still dreaming?''


    "Please¡­ No¡­ Don''t go¡­ there¡­" She repeated again in a wavering, weak voice. "You won''t¡­e¡­ back¡­"


    Her tone was very sad and filled with regret even though she was talking through her sleep. Her face also had a very ufortable look on it as if she was suffering through something great.


    Talon listened quietly to those words as he recalled something.


    ''This is the second time I heard Hyun-Jae speaking in her sleep. It seems like a simr nightmare.'' He thought to himself.


    Whatever it was, Talon was certain that it wasn''t as simple as a fleeting dream. If Hyun-Jae has this exact nightmare every time, then that meant that it had something to do with her past. Perhaps a trauma, or something that she can''t forget.


    ''In both times, she seemed like she regretted doing something. Like she was trying to prove a point. But, what could it be?''


    With how popr Hyun-Jae was, Talon thought that her past was already known. She was very much a celebrity and the press loved to dig through the pasts of known figures. If there was a bad thing that happened to Hyun-Jae when she was young, they would''ve spread it far and wide across the country or perhaps even the world.


    But, no such thing happened. In the end, Talon could only shake those thoughts away. It was none of his business what she had hidden in her past. Whatever it was, it was something she decided not to tell anyone about.


    As he was like that, Talon suddenly felt a hand touch his. Looking up confusedly, he realized that the sleeping girl had suddenly grabbed the hand that was touching her shoulder.


    He flinched for a moment as he thought she had woken up. But, in reality, Hyun-Jae was still deep asleep.


    "Fuuh¡­ That was close¡­"


    So, Talon slowly tried to pull his hand away, only to feel Hyun-Jae''s grip on him strengthen. It wasn''t to the point where he couldn''t pull it out anymore, but it was going to require him yanking it away with some force which was guaranteed to jumpscare the sleeping girl.


    Finding himself in such a delicate situation, Talon cursed himself forgetting himself in it like an idiot.


    ''This reminds me of those anime shows that keep doing dumb stuff just to get perverted lucky situations! Isn''t this a little bit too much of a joke, guys?!'' He screamed in his head.


    Meanwhile, Hyun-Jae, who was stillpletely asleep, finally stopped talking and feltpletely at ease the moment she grabbed this unknown object in her hand. Something about it filled her heart with ease and safety that she didn''t understand.


    ''More¡­'' Her subconscious mind told her. ''Give us more of that warmth.''


    So, the girl naturally epted and tried to get that warmth closer to her. Embrace it, feel it more so that she can be even more at ease.


    In the real world, Talon noticed how Hyun-Jae was moving his hand from her shoulder to her chest.


    ''Ay! Hyun-Jae?!'' He blinked as he instinctively was about to yank his hand away thinking that the girl was about to do something ridiculous. But, fortunately, it didn''t turn out to be the case and instead, Hyun-Jae put the hand next to her face, rubbing it against her cheek gently.


    "Mmm¡­"


    Talon: "..."


    For a second, the sight of Hyun-Jae hugging his hand made her seem like a small baby feeling at ease hugging her dad''s hand next to her. She even had a small smile on her face at that moment as she slept peacefully.


    ''That''s¡­ cute¡­'' He thought to himself for a moment. ''To think the usually cool and aloof Hyun-Jae would have such a side. This is interesting.''


    "When is the marriage?" Acrypha asked from the background.


    "There is no marriage."


    "How unfortunate, I could''ve been your best woman." She joked.


    "Maybe you should be the wife instead," Talon replied as he hid a cheeky grin.


    Acrypha: "..."


    ''Yeah, that''s what I thought. You can''t tease me as easily anymore. I''m evolving.'' Talon chuckled to himself as he felt his hand move again in Hyun-Jae''s embrace.


    After rubbing it on her cheek for a while, she slowly turned her head as she lifted his hand before she slowly and carefully nted a kiss on the back of it. He felt her soft, plump limps glossing over his skin and it made his brain freeze for a good second.


    "Wha¡­" Talon felt his breath halt.


    "Mmm¡­ Zzzz¡­"


    For a few seconds, he stared at the girl, not knowing how to even react.


    In the end, he silently moved his second hand and shook her shoulder with a little more strength.


    This time, somehow, his action made Hyun-Jae-''s eyes slightly part open as she started waking up.


    "Hyun-Jae." He called her name in a stoic tone.


    "Mmmm¡­" The girl moaned slightly as she rubbed her eyes before parting them open confusedly.


    At first, she didn''t understand what was happening but slowly, she realized that someone else was inside her tent. Then, she discovered that it was none other than Talon.


    "Talon¡­? What are you doing here? Is everything ok?" She asked with a sleepy tone as she rose up.


    "I came to wake you up." He said. "It''s almost afternoon."


    "... Afternoon? Oh, I really slept too much. I''m sorry. I will get ready immediately." She said as her eyes opened wide.


    ''I usually wake up early. Dammit, it''s not time to sleepfortably!'' Hyun-Jae cursed herself forzing around too much when Talon and the others were working hard.


    Even though in their eyes, she was the one who worked the hardest next to Talon, she still felt that she wasn''t doing as much as she should be doing.


    "Yeah¡­ But, before that, ehem¡­" Talon coughed awkwardly as he pointed down.


    The girl raised an eyebrow as she slowly looked at where he was pointing. There, she could see that she was holding Talon''s hand, with both of her arms intimately.


    "...!! Oh! What?" Immediately, she released it in shock. "When did I? I''m really sorry. I didn''t notice that."


    "It''s fine, nothing happened. I should''ve not entered your tent while you were asleep. I know that you don''t want such a thing." Talon replied as he stood up.


    "No! that''s not a problem." The girl blurted out without thinking twice.


    "...?"


    "Oh, I mean¡­ I don''t mind you doing that. You aren''t¡­ a bad person¡­" She exined as she averted her eyes awkwardly.


    "Is that so? Well, thank you. You aren''t¡­ a bad person either."


    The two remained in a little awkward silence for a few moments before Talon finally turned around and started walking.


    "Take your time getting ready and oh, good morning."


    "... Good morning¡­"


    With that, Talon finally left the tent. When that happened, Hyun-Jae''s body fell to the side. She covered her face with both hands.


    ''What the hell was I doing? So that was the warmth I was feeling while I was asleep¡­ He must think I''m some kind of weirdo that likes to grab people''s hands while asleep¡­''


    For the next 30 seconds or so, she rolled around as she cursed herself for being an idiot again and again. In the end, she stopped as she peeked through her hands.


    ''Though¡­ I don''t know why¡­ But it felt really nice¡­ holding his hand.''


    Her eyes shed with a weird glint for a second before it vanished.


    "What am I even thinking of¡­" Finding her thoughts rather embarrassing, she shook them off as she finally stood up. "A bittersweet start to the day." Even while she was readying herself, her face still had a healthy blush on it.


    Meanwhile, Talon moved away from the tent and found himself in a secluded area of the camp. There, he rested his back on a wall as he rubbed his face with one hand.


    "That was¡­ unexpected¡­"


    "Look who''s hiding their embarrassed look. She really got you there, didn''t she?" Acrypha asked amusedly.


    "... Shut up¡­" Talon averted his eyes as he sighed.


    "You have a very cute reaction~"


    "No! I don''t!"


    "You definitely do, hahaha."


    "... Tsk."


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 139: Chapter 139- Next Step

    After that, Hyun-Jae quickly prepared herself and left the tent to get some breakfast. Her back injury was still in bad shape. But, she was able to move around fairly easily.


    With some estimation, Hyun-Jae was almost sure that she can make a full recovery in a few days at most. Her healing abilities had increased by leaps and bounds after thest battle and so her recovery rapidly increased.


    Not only her healing abilities, but all her other stats have gone through a drastic change.


    As she was walking, Hyun-Jae opened her stats to check what it looked like currently.


    [Ran Hyun-Jae-


    Level: 22


    Dimension: Low-D (ess to other dimensions restricted. Reach level 25 to unlock.)


    ss:Soul Eater (Locked)


    Strength: 60 (+10)- Agility: 70 (+10)- Stamina: 59 (+10)- Health: 61 (+10)- Aetheris: 52 (+10)


    Free Points: 8


    Skills: Lightning Maniption- Sword Master- Star Aura- Sharp Eye]


    Reading through her stats, Hyun-Jae nodded with a satisfied look on her face. She had grown a lot ever since the integration started and seeing the result of her hard work right now was really pleasant.


    ''My skill arsenal is also getting better.'' She thought to herself.


    Her main skill ''Lightning Maniption'' was by far the most important. It had so much destructive power and could even be used to boost her speed. Hyun-Jae was certain that with time, she was going to discover more and more ways she could use it in battles.


    The skill ''Sword Master'' gave her swordsmanship a great boost and gave any sword she handled a percentage-based increase in strength, sharpness, and speed. As for ''Star Aura'', it was a passive skill that gave her aura the ability to hide from monster senses.


    It didn''t work for stronger enemies, but it was perfect against weaker monsters, giving her a huge advantage even against an entire horde of enemies. Finally, ''Sharp Eye'' boosted her vision and gave her the ability to subtly see silhouettes behind walls.


    It was a very good arsenal of abilities that could be used for almost all situations.


    ''I still require a defensive ability. But, I couldn''t find a good one so far.''


    Sighing to herself, she reached the other side of the camp where a small tent was set. It was the location where all the nning and decisions happened. There, she found Talon, Chin-Hwa Go Young-Soon, and a few other students waiting.


    "Good morning, president."


    "Good morning. How is everyone doing?" She asked as she sat down on one of the chairs. On the table was a rough map of the city they were using to map their future ns.


    "They''re doing as best as they could," Young-Soon replied with a tired tone.


    "..." Hyun-Jae nodded her head silently. "We can''t really remain here for longer. Students need food and medicine."


    "The weather is also too cold and it''s affecting us." Another studentmented.


    Since the end of the expansion, the weather has been getting worse drastically. The temperature plummeted to the point where students were freezing even next to the fire.


    However, since they had nowhere to hide from the cold, it affected their sleep and consequentially made working even harder.


    "We should really consider starting the moving process," Chin-Hwa said. "Even with injured students. More students will fall sick because of the weather and hunger. At least, if we reach the warehouse, we''re guaranteed warmth and food."


    The other students listened to his words and nodded their heads. They could see the point Chin-Hwa was trying to make and they honestly agreed with it. Leaving this ce was just that attractive of an idea.


    ''He is still stuck on that idea.'' Talon squinted his eyes as he looked at Chin-Hwa silently.


    Even though they had just talked about it and he made it clear how dangerous it was to move with dozens and dozens of injured students. But, Chin-Hwa didn''t seem to agree with him at all.


    "As I said before, that won''t work. It''s too much risk for too little of a return."


    "Many are going to die here if we stay." Chin-Hwa retorted with a serious tone.


    "Even more are going to find themselves in the jaws of monsters if we leave with almost a hundred injured students," Talon replied.


    "It''s not for certain. If we map our path well enough, we can avoid monsters."


    "How are you going to do that with basically no knowledge of the outside world? Unless you can predict where monsters could be at any given time, then sure, we can go with your idea."


    Words went back and forth between the two as the tension grew inside the tent. Because he was getting annoyed, Talon''s aura was leaking and it put a huge pressure on the other students. They felt as if an invisible weightnded on their shoulders.


    ''The leader is pissed¡­'' They thought with pale expressions.


    However, even then, Chin-Hwa didn''t back down. "President, please tell him. He doesn''t seem like he''s aware of how gravely dangerous it is for us to stay here even if it was for a few more days."


    "I don''t need to be told. I already know that it''s dangerous. But, I know for certain that if we go out and end up facing a horde of monsters, most students won''t be able to fight them."


    What the other students weren''t aware of that Talon knew was that the expansion had made monsters evolve way faster. Most students won''t be able to keep up with this drastic change and will have to take some time adapting to it.


    ''I can''t let that happen.'' Talon frowned as he thought to himself. ''Too many already died. We can''t let any more of them die.''


    Even in their current position, Talon was devastated by the huge losses of lives they had during the battle. These were students with families and loved ones waiting for them somewhere. He didn''t know how he was going to face their families if he found them.


    Perhaps his past self would''ve taken this risk, but not now when he felt like he was carrying the burden of many dead souls. The more he thought about it, the more darkness he felt in his heart and the more his aura leaked without him being aware of it.


    No one inside the tent dared to speak at that moment as they felt deep coldness fill their bodies. Even Chin-Hwa went silent when he realized that Talon wasn''t acting normally.


    Everyone except for one single person¡­


    "Talon?" Hyun-Jae called his name with a noticeably softer tone than her usual one.


    "Hm?" The young man looked up, shaking those thoughts away.


    "Are you ok?"


    "Yeah, I''m fine. My apologies." Retracting his aura back, he sighed. "I was thinking for a moment."


    Hyun-Jae looked at him confusedly for a second. She could sense the disturbance in his thoughts at that moment and it alerted her. Talon wasn''t the type to worry for no reason, after all.


    ''Does he know something?'' She asked herself. ''I should probably ask himter.''


    "Ok, it seems talking won''t solve this. We can''t take this decision ourselves either. So, our only choice is to simply try both ideas." Hyun-Jae said after a moment of thinking.


    "Both? What do you mean?" Chin-Hwa asked confusedly.


    The rest of the students looked at each other, trying to understand what she meant.


    "Oh, wait¡­ Hyun-Jae, you mean¡­?" At that moment, Talon''s eyes shone with a hint of understanding.


    The girl nodded her head. "We will go out, scout the area, and see if there are any noticeably dangerous hordes of monsters roaming the ce. If we find anything dangerous, we can simply wait till everyone is ready and then move. But, if we don''t, we will have to start moving as soon as possible to take that opportunity. What do you think?"


    Talon stared at her for a moment before he smiled slightly. He knew that she was going to resort to such a solution. "Hitting two birds with one stone¡­ Ok, we can try that."


    Even though the risks were still there, this n could diminish the possibility of any ident happening.


    "I don''t mind either." Chin-Hwa nodded his head.


    "What about you?" Her eyes wandered to the rest of the students.


    "That sounds like a good idea."


    "I''m also in."


    "We can try that. Definitely a good idea."


    Seeing that everyone was on the same ground, Hyun-Jae nodded her head with a satisfied look.


    "Ok, this ends the meeting. Everyone, get back to work. Even if the scouting mission ends up with a failure, we still need to get ready to move any moment."


    "Yes, ma''am!"


    With that, the students left the tent to go back to work, leaving only Talon, Hyun-Jae, and Chin-Hwa.


    "You''re definitely better than me when ites to making such decisions." Talon rubbed his head.


    If it was him, he would''ve probably insisted on his idea and went with it. But, Hyun-Jae naturally knew how to deal with different opinions shing against each other. She had been the student council president for three years for a reason, after all.


    That reason was: She was naturally gifted when it came to convincing people.


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 140: Chapter 140- Freedom And Imagination

    "Ugh, ok, I think I''m going to get ready and leave on my own. I think I can cover the north and the east in a few hours if I hurry. When the rest of the students get ready, they can cover the rest of the areas of the campus." Talon said as he stood up.


    "Are you sure?" Hyun-Jae asked worriedly.


    "Of course. I also kinda want to experiment with my powers a little and see what I can do so if I find some monsters, that would be optimal." He grinned.


    ''Experiment¡­'' Just hearing that word made Hyun-Jae recall the giant crater that Talon created using his ability. Just trying to imagine what kind of stuff he could do made her heart go cold.


    "Be careful, ok?" Hyun-Jae nodded her head.


    "Mm, don''t worry."


    As Talon was about to leave, he suddenly halted as he remembered something important. "Oh, right, I forgot to bring this." He said as he suddenly turned around, making Hyun-Jae and Chin-Hwa stare at him curiously.


    "Wait a moment there."


    After that, he walked outside for a few seconds before returning inside with a big in his hand. The bag was filled the brim with monster cores to the point where it was almost going to overflow.


    "These are all the monster cores I could harvest. Give the students most of these cores since I don''t need them. Any monster core level 23 and higher, leave it to me." He exined.


    *BANG*


    Putting it down, the bag made a loud sound as if he just dropped a heavy weight.


    "... Ok¡­" Hyun-Jae speechlessly replied as she stared at it.


    ''I have never seen this many monster cores in my life.'' She thought to herself as she stood up and approached it.


    "Are you sure about that? I mean, there are a lot of monster cores. You might need them in the future." Hyun-Jae said as she rummaged through it curiously. Even with a simple look, she could see dozens upon dozens of level 15+ monster cores and she could only be impressed.


    These many monster cores were bound to be useful at some point in the future. But, Talon didn''t seem that bothered about it even though he worked the hardest to get them.


    "It''s fine. I don''t need them. Besides, it''s a good investment for the future if we help the rest of the group grow stronger."


    ''Makes it a lot easier for me to let them go on their own so that I can focus on other stuff.'' He added in his head.


    With how much progress they were making, Talon was already considering how he was going to step down from being the leader of this group and leave the job to someone else. The reason for that wasn''t simply because he didn''t want to carry that responsibility.


    Talon knew that he wasn''t going to stay with them for a long time and he would have to leave sooner orter.


    ''In a few months at most, I will leave this world through the first gate. I don''t know how long I''m going to be absent so getting them as strong as possible is a must.'' He sighed.


    Hyun-Jae stared at him for a moment. "Sure, thank you." She replied. "Also, once youe back. Can I have a talk with you?" She added as she watched him leave the tent.


    Talon nodded his head and vanished, leaving the girl staring at the spot where he was for a few seconds. Her eyes lost focus as if she was thinking about something.


    The cold prince squinted his eyes, knowing his childhood friend, he quickly realized what she was thinking of.


    ''Tsk¡­'' Clicking his tongue, he called her name.


    "President?"


    Snapping back to reality, she looked at Chin-Hwa. "You should join the rest. You will probably have to lead a small group yourself."


    "..." Complicated emotions shed across the young man''s eyes as he looked down. "... I shall go¡­"


    Then, he started walking to the exit. However, at thest moment, he stopped as he looked back.


    "Would you¡­ ever consider¡­ I mean¡­ Forgiving me?" He asked hesitantly.


    Since he was standing with his back facing Hyun-Jae, he couldn''t see her reaction at that moment. But, he could certainly hear her. Except, Hyun-Jae didn''t immediately respond.


    Seconds passed and Chin-Hwa''s worry grew along with it. He started regretting asking that question.


    As he was about to speak and apologize, Hyun-Jae opened her mouth.


    "I don''t know. I can''t say for certain." She said.


    Those words hit Chin-Hwa''s heart hard even though he was expecting them. No matter how many times he could hear them, they would still hurt all the same. His heart simply didn''t want to ept it and he wasn''t willing to try and change that either since it meant too much to him.


    Hyun-Jae wasn''t simply someone he cherished and loved, she had been the center of his life for the past 13 years. She was the only thing he thought about day and night. He could never change that.


    "But¡­ You''re doing better than before¡­ That''s good. I trust that you will do great things." She added at the end, taking him by surprise.


    "... Thank you¡­" In the end, he murmured those words before he quickly left the tent.


    "Hah¡­ Hah¡­" Moving quickly, he felt his heart racing quickly and his mind inplete shambles.


    Even though she still didn''t forgive him, just knowing that he was going on the right path again, Chin-Hwa felt ecstatic. It didn''t matter how long it was going to take, he knew that he wasn''t going to back down or give up till Hyun-Jae forgave him again.


    ''I''m doing it¡­ I''m really doing it!'' With an excited look on his face, he walked away with far more motivation than ever before.


    ***


    Meanwhile, far away from the camp, a lonesome silhouette was moving through the streets.


    "This ce is really far gone beyond salvation." He murmured as he watched the destroyed buildings around him.


    After continuous ordeals, battles, natural disasters of all kinds, and many more things, the campus waspletely wiped out of existence. Nothing of it was left intact of it and it was painful to see.


    Nothing left of this area looked the same as Talon remembered. All of his memories in this ce were destroyed.


    "Sigh¡­ I should probably hurry." Shaking those thoughts away, Talon started running toward the exit of the campus.


    It had been weeks since he had seen the outside world and he was looking forward to it. In less than a minute, Talon found himself nearing the gate.


    There, he noticed a few monsters moving around the area. They were all low-level and weak. So, Talon decided to try something.


    ''Let''s see how much I improved sincest time.'' Without pulling his weapon out, he dashed toward them at top speed.


    Closing the distance in a moment, Talon passed through the group like a bullet. His speed was like the wind.


    *Swish* *Swish* *Swish*


    The moment he moved through, the monsters'' heads started falling one after the other as if they were sliced off with a sword or a spear. Looking back, Talon grinned.


    "Hahahaha! I never expected it could actually work! My hands are like knives now!"


    With pure speed and strength, Talon was able to deal deadly blows to the monsters with his bare hands. He had only seen such things happen in fictional stories so when he was able to trante it to reality, it felt amazing.


    Then, his eyes wandered forward and he saw another group of monsters.


    "Let''s try it again."


    "Look at him go¡­" Acrypha watched the young man st through the group of creatures as if it were nothing. "He really doesn''t set any limits to himself¡­ His imagination is his only limit."


    With how much power Talon was gaining every single day, he somehow was able to create new ways of using that power that made it feel way stronger than it should be.


    That kind of imagination and cleverness... it was as impressive if not even more impressive than Talon''s talent itself.


    *Swish* *Swish*


    Like a ghost, the young man moved through the group, killing them all in one moment. Notifications popped in his retina endlessly.


    After that, he swiftly headed toward the outer wall of the campus before leaping into the air as hended on top of it.


    The wind blew on his face as he looked around him with a smile. The cold weather made him feel fresh. Just standing there, watching the deste city was something to die for.


    ''I might get addicted to just going on my own and roaming around. Freedom is too much fun.'' He smiled.


    He stood there for a while, just admiring the scenery before he finally looked down. "Are you ready, Acrypha?" He asked hispanion.


    "As long as you are ready." She replied.


    So, without hesitation, Talon leaped down from the wall outside the campus.


    "Time to scout the area."


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 141: Chapter 141- Abducted Woman

    Seoul was one of the biggest and most bustling cities in the world before the integration. It had a poption of over 50 million people living in it. More than many entire countries in the world.


    This gigantic metropolitan city found itself in apletely different state after the integration. All of its glory came crumbling down along with all of its buildings. Every corner of this god-forsaken city turned into a shade of its past self. The traces of human hands on it turned into mere relics of the past, even though the disaster happened merely a month ago.


    The destruction, the smell of death, and the constant tension filling one''s body as they walked through it expecting a monster to pop up and decapitate them anytime... It made living in it akin to a nightmare.


    Well, for most people it would be a nightmare¡­


    "Wooooah!"


    Meanwhile, in the heart of this city, a silhouette could be seen jumping from one ce to another excitedly. He appeared like a bunny, hopping very high andnding in one spot before vanishing and reappearing somewhere else.


    ''Ah, I love this!'' As he moved, Talon''s eyes were looking around him, scouting the ce and memorizing every nook and cranny of it. With each level he gained, Talon''s memory slowly got better and better.


    Now, he could easily map out an entire area and keep it in his head as if it were nothing.


    ''For now, all I''m seeing are some monsters scattered here and there.'' Talon thought to himself as hended on top of one of the buildings and stopped to look around him.


    "I was going to experiment a little and see what I should do. But¡­" He murmured as he slowly turned around him. "The entire city seems really empty."


    Even after moving around for a good 15 minutes, the young man couldn''t find a single group of monsters he would consider dangerous.


    There were a few moving on their own, but no hordes of any kind. Normally, he would''ve thought that it was simply a coincidence or that the monsters moved somewhere else in search of food.


    But, not this time, and the reason for that is simple.


    "There are monster corpses around."


    Here and there, Talon could see dead creatures lying down on the ground, swimming in their own blood. There wasn''t one or two but at least a few dozens of them.


    ''Let''s check¡­'' Jumping down from the building, he approached one of them and inspected it.


    At first nce, Talon could determine that the monster didn''t die in normal circumstances, that was immediately noticeable. Instead, it had a deep, visibleceration in its neck and stomach. Lacerations that only one thing could create.


    ''Swords¡­ These are sword injuries.'' He squinted his eyes seriously.


    For a second there, Talon''s aura turnedpletely solemn and his yfulness vanished.


    "Humans, huh¡­ Well, I guess this should be expected. You aren''t alone in this city." Acrypha said.


    "Yeah. I already knew that other survivors were roaming the city. But, the more important question is, are they friendly or hostile?" Standing up slowly with a sigh, Talon contemted that question.


    So far, all the survivors he met were friendly and cooperative. They didn''t have any malicious intent toward him and he was d that was the case. But, Talon knew for certain that not everyone was like that.


    Humans were morally grey creatures. They can be as good and honorable as they can be bad and twisted. In modern society, that darker side gets pushed back withws, but when thosews vanish, that darker side has no restraints anymore and so it resurfaces again.


    "You should be careful moving now," Acrypha added.


    Unsheathing his spear, Talon turned around and started moving again, more carefully this time. He still had a few more areas to check before he could return to the campus.


    So, for the next 15 minutes or so, Talon slowly made his way to every street while keeping his senses alert for any abnormalities.


    As he was walking, he heard a loud noiseing from a little farther away.


    "Hm?" Squinting his eyes, he halted for a moment and listened.


    "....!!!"


    "What am I hearing?"


    The noises were incoherent for him even with his sharp ears. So, instead of waiting there, Talon decided to go and check for himself. Climbing one of the buildings, he sneakily moved toward the source of the noise.


    The more he got closer to the noise, the more it started making sense to him. At some point, Talon realized that what he was hearing wasn''t just noise¡­ They were screams.


    As soon as hended on thest building, Talon found what he was looking for.


    "..." His eyes squinted coldly while he silently watched what was ensuing.


    ***


    "Please¡­ No!! I swear!! I didn''t!!!"


    "Shut up, bitch!"


    *SLAP*


    Down on the ground, a group of men surrounded one single woman. They were carrying weapons in their hands and wearing rough armor.


    The woman, on the other hand, was barely wearing any clothes. She had numerous injuries on her body. Her face was bloodied beyond recognition and tears rolled endlessly from her eyes.


    She lookedpletely wretched as if she had been brutally tortured not that long ago.


    "You did do it. Trying to stab the boss while he was asleep? You have some guts on you, whore." One of the men said with a malicious grin on his face.


    "I really didn''t do it!! I swear! Please believe me! This is a huge misunderstanding!"


    "Pfft, hahahaha! Is this womanpletely stupid? The boss saw you with a knife in your hand." Another replied.


    "That wasn''t¡­" The woman fumbled on her words as she found herself unable to even speak. Instead, she slowly tried to crawl toward one of the men. "Please, sir! It''s hell!! Being with him is hell on earth! I couldn''t keep living like that!


    It was either us or him!"


    As she was about to grab his leg, the man pulled it back before he kicked her hard in the face, sending her stumbling back.


    "UGH!!" Blood sttered out of the woman''s mouth as she shrieked.


    "The audacity to say these words. The boss had given you women a ce to live, food, warmth, hell, he even gave you beauty products that we had to put our lives on the line to get, and yet, you''re still insulting him and trying to kill him? Are you stupid?"


    "He is a monster!"


    *SLAP*


    "Ugh!"


    "It''s pointless to speak to her. The boss told us to get rid of her, so we might as well get it over with."


    "NOO!!"


    "Grab her!"


    Immediately, the men surrounded her and grabbed her arms as they lifted her up.


    "Please, *hick*, spare me¡­" She whimpered weakly as thest man stood in front of her and aimed his sword at her neck.


    Then, he silently raised the sword before shing down. At that moment, out of nowhere, a silhouette appeared next to the man.


    *SWISH* *CRACK*


    Tightening his fist, Talon sent a flying punch to the man''s jaw with great force. The hit twisted the man''s entire neck before it sted him away like a ragdoll. Nobody reacted in time to what just happened.


    ''One down.'' With a cold look on his face, Talon dashed to the second one at top speed before he delivered a palm strike to his sr plexus.


    "BLURGH!!" The man spat out a huge mouthful of blood as he fell down, unable to breathe.


    Then, in quick session, Talon elbowed the third one, destroying all the bones in his face as if they were made out of fragile biscuits, and then kicked thest one on the side, pulverizing his ribs.


    The entire time, the woman had her eyes closed as she waited for her inevitable death. She waited for a few seconds and yet nothing happened. But, when she heard the groans and whimpers, she slowly opened them again only to be met with a shocking site.


    The three men¡­ were all down on the ground.


    "Wha¡­"


    "Are you ok, miss?"


    Then, she heard a cold and yet soothing voice speaking to her. Turning around, she saw a handsome young man crouching next to her with his hand extended forward.


    "..." Blinking silently, she stared at him for a while before she opened her mouth. "When did you¡­"


    "It''s irrelevant where I came from. I saw that you were about to get killed and so I jumped in to help." Talon said as he looked around him.


    "... Thank you¡­" The woman replied in a bbergasted tone.


    ''I didn''t feel anything before he appeared¡­ And yet, he beat them instantly¡­ How strong is he?''


    Even though she should''ve been crying with happiness that she was saved, the shock from what happened overwhelmed her even more.


    ''She seems to be still in shock.'' Just with a small nce at her condition, Talon''s expression grew darker. ''What kind of monster did this to her?''


    Almost all the visible parts of her body were either bruised, injured, or both. Her skin was almost blue from the cold weather and she had multiple fractures across her ribs, arms, and even hips.


    "Ouch!"


    "Here, let me help you," Talon said as he put his hand on her back before he easily picked her up.


    "Tell me if you feel any pain. I''m going to bring you back to a safer ce."


    The woman simply looked at him silently, almost in a daze before she faintly nodded her head.


    "Good."


    Seeing that she wasn''t too ufortable, Talon started walking back to the campus while keeping his senses alert. He wasn''t sure if those were the only men that were there so he was cautious not to lead anyone of them back to where they were.


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 142: Chapter 142- Good Cop, Bad Cop

    As Talon moved back to the campus inplete silence, he felt the woman''s movementspletely stop as she lost consciousness.


    ''Her injuries aren''t light by any means. It''s already amazing that she stayed awake this long.'' he thought to himself as he looked at her with a calm expression. Now, when she felt safe from death, all of that exhaustion and pain took over her and she sumbed to sleep.


    "Let''s hurry." realizing that she might notst as long as he expected with the blood loss, Talon increased his speed as he rushed back.


    A few minutester, he found himself back inside the campus and quickly moved toward his destination.


    When he reached there, he headed straight toward Gu Iseul.


    "Hey, Iseul!" Reaching the area where the girl was working, he called for her in a hurry.


    "Leader?" When she approached him confusedly. "Who is she?"


    "I found her outside. It''s a long story but her condition is critical. Can you take care of her for me?" He asked.


    Even though Talon knew that Iseul was busy with other patients, he knew that saving this woman''s life was going to be extremely useful for him. He didn''t forget about the conversation that ensued between her and those men.


    ''From the bits and pieces I heard, she tried to kill the leader of another group and he ended up discovering it before it happened so he decided to kill her. Probably tortured her before deciding to end her life.'' He thought to himself with a frown.


    But, from what Talon could see, her injuries weren''t all fresh. She had many traces of torture from a few days or even weeks prior to that. So, she was either tortured for weeks because of what she did or¡­


    ''Or I''m dealing with one twisted bastard.''


    Either choice told him that the people he''s dealing with aren''t probably good. Though, since he doesn''t know the full context of the situation, he didn''t want to get to conclusions really quickly.


    ''She could still be at fault for all I know.''


    "Leader?"


    "Hm? Sorry, I was thinking for a moment. I will put her down." Talon shook his head andid the girl on one of the nkets.


    Iseul sat next to her as she rolled her sleeves and started inspecting her body. Meanwhile, Talon stood next to her, waiting silently.


    "Hmm¡­ She really got a rough beating." Iseul murmured with a frown. "She also seems to be heavily dehydrated and malnourished as if she didn''t eat properly in days."


    "So, she had been tortured?" Talon asked to confirm his suspicion.


    "Definitely. I wonder who did this to her¡­ Monsters¡­" Iseul cursed as she quickly channeled her Aetheris and started the healing process.


    "Can you heal her, Iseul?"


    "Of course, luckily, you brought her to me before she could reach a very critical state. I can definitely save her life."


    "Thank you." Talon gave her a nod of acknowledgment.


    "Don''t worry, leader. This is the least I can do so I will do it to the best of my abilities."


    "OK, I will leave you at it. Call me if she wakes up. I need to talk with her." He said as he stood up and left.


    ***


    "Who should scout this area, president?" A student asked Hyun-Jae as they stared at the map.


    "Leave it to Young-Soon. I already told him to get a few of the best scouting team members and go there. It shouldn''t be too dangerous considering how small it is." She replied as she pointed at the exact spot she was talking about. "As for you, I want you to take on the southeast. Mainly these two roads and the buildings surrounding them."


    "Understood! I will start preparing to leave immediately!" The student nodded their head as they turned around to leave, only to meet to find a tall person standing in front of them.


    "Oh, leader! Good evening to you!"


    "You too¡­" Talon replied as he looked at Hyun-Jae.


    "You''re already back, Talon?" Hyun-Jae asked curiously.


    "Yeah, and I did find something really interesting." Approaching her, Talon continued. "There are another group of survivors close to where we are."


    "Another group?" Hyun-Jae raised an eyebrow. "Did you find them? Where exactly?"


    "No, I didn''t see their base or anything like that. But, while I was out, I found a woman about to get executed by a group of men. I eavesdropped on their conversation and from what I heard, they seemed like they were working with some kind of ''boss''. I have saved the woman and brought her to Iseul to treat her injuries." He exined with a serious tone.


    "... This is interesting." Hyun-Jae fell into deep thought when she heard the entire story. "It was natural that other groups of survivors would appear if we were able to make one ourselves."


    "These don''t seem like they''re the type we would want to meet by sheer coincidence. Even though I don''t know their boss, my guts are telling me that he isn''t up to any good."


    "You''re saying¡­" Hearing that, Hyun-Jae looked at him with slightly wide eyes.


    "Yeah¡­ If we end up meeting them, it will probably end up in a battle¡­"


    Hyun-Jae sucked in a small breath as she sat down. "A battle against other humans¡­ That doesn''t sound like a pleasant thing."


    This entire time, the only battles they went through were against monsters. Fighting mutated abominations wasn''t that morally questionable considering the fact that their sole desire is to kill as many people as possible. But, humans are apletely different matter.


    No one in the entire group had killed humans before so making them do that was a problem in and out of itself.


    "It is. No one is ready to kill one of their kind. But, if we end up in a situation where we can only fight, I don''t know if anyone is going to be up for that kind of responsibility." Talon sighed as he rested his back against the wall.


    The two went silent for a while, thinking of all kinds of possibilities. A future where they had to kill people¡­ It seemed almost like a nightmare to do that. A nightmare that they must go through unless they want to perish.


    It didn''t matter how they felt or what their past lives taught them to do, this world was different, and they were different. Keeping old ideologies such as ''Killing is bad no matter what situation it was'' will only hinder them greatly or even kill them.


    "Sigh, for now, let''s first hear what the woman has to say. I want to know the full story before making any decisions." Talon shrugged.


    "Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. We shouldn''t rush our steps."


    "That''s why I even came here in the first ce, I want you toe with me."


    As they were like that, a student suddenly entered the tent. It was one of the healers of the group.


    "Miss Iseul said that the woman had woken up."


    "Ok, we''re gonna be there in a moment."


    Hyun-Jae stood up and walked to the exit, only to be stopped by Talon who grabbed her shoulder.


    "Before we go, I want to tell you something," Talon said seriously.


    "Hm?"


    ***


    "W-Where am I? What is this ce?" The terrified, injured woman looked around her warily as she held on to the nket she had.


    "Don''t worry, this is a safe ce. The leader brought you here after he found you injured." Iseul said reassuringly.


    "Leader¡­? Oh!"


    It took a moment for her to link between the word ''leader'' and the handsome young man who saved her life. For a moment, she thought that what happened was merely a dream of some kind and that she was dead.


    ''So¡­ It was all true¡­ I was saved¡­'' Realizing the good news, the woman''s face rxed a little.


    "You were lucky, miss. Your injuries weren''t light." Iseul said seriously. "If it wasn''t for the leader hurrying back here carrying you, you could''ve died."


    "... Where is he? I want to thank him properly! I owe him my life!" She said as she looked around her.


    "He will be here soon, just rx. Anyway, I have some other things to do. If you need anything, tell one of the healers."


    "..."


    Before the woman could even react, Iseul already walked away, leaving her alone. So, with nothing much to do, she started looking around her.


    Seeing many students of all kinds moving around, the tens, the food, and the weapons. She realized that this ce wasn''t small by any means.


    ''It''s an entire base¡­ Just like the one we had¡­'' She blinked surprisingly.


    As she was like that, she heard footsteps approaching her. Looking to the side, she saw two peopleing toward her.


    One of them was the same handsome young man who saved her.


    "You''re already awake?" Talon said as he crouched down next to her. "How are you feeling? Do you want some food or water?"


    "I¡­"


    "I already told someone to bring you some food. I hope you don''t mind." Talon said with a small, gentle smile on his face.


    The dazzling smile took the girl by surprise and made her stare at him dazedly.


    ''Handsome¡­'' She thought to herself.


    Even though he wasn''t the most handsome man she had ever seen, the woman could only find herself staring at his smile. Something about him was extremely captivating and she didn''t know what it was.


    "Tsk¡­"


    Then, she felt a chill run down her spine as two extremely cold eyes peered at her. Looking to the side, an extremely beautiful yet annoyed girl was staring at her.


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 143: Chapter 143- Horror

    (This chapter may contain some bad topics for some people. I tried to make it as censored as possible and there aren''t any explicit scenes so there is your warning. It won''t be amon theme in my story to do this, so rest assured :).)


    The woman found herselfpletely terrified by Hyun-Jae''s strong re and could only look at Talon quickly to avoid it.


    ''Why is she angry¡­? Did I do something?'' The woman asked herself as she gulped down a mouthful of saliva.


    "Miss?" Snapping her out of her thoughts was Talon''s soothing voice. Immediately, she turned around and spoke to him. The fact that he was treating her nicely made her feel a lot more at ease.


    "Are you ok?" He asked.


    "Yes, yes, ehem, I''m sorry. Of course, thank you so much for the food¡­ And thank you for saving my life. I owe you everything." She bowed deeply as she thanked him again and again profusely.


    She couldn''t put into words how grateful she was for what he did. So, all she could do was repeat the same words as many times as she could in hopes of it being enough to convey what she felt at that moment.


    "It''s fine, you don''t have to thank me that much. I didn''t do much." Talon replied as he shook his head. "Instead, I''m here to ask you about what happened back there. I''m really curious."


    "..." Hearing that, the woman''s expression immediately changed as she looked down again and hugged her knees.


    "I¡­"


    "Take your time, no one is in a rush here," Talon said.


    "... Sigh, ok, thank you." Then, taking a deep breath, the woman finally closed her eyes. "Where should I even start?"


    "From the beginning if you don''t mind."


    "I understand¡­ Well, as you probably know, after that disaster urred a few weeks ago, my house was destroyed and I found myself on the street. All I saw were monsters and people running around. So, like everyone else, I simply ran away. I was close to death many times and for the next few days, I hid wherever I could and searched for anyone to help me.


    I went to many police stations, but, I didn''t find anyone there." As she spoke, the woman''s voice wavered ever-so-slightly.


    Talon and Hyun-Jae listened quietly to what she was saying.


    "Then, a week after that, I already ran out of food I found and had to go out to search for more. But¡­ I ended up being chased by a monster. I ran and ran till I was unable to move anymore and when I thought I was about to die, someone appeared and saved my life¡­ He was very strong. He could kill the monster with one strike.


    That was my first ever meeting with him¡­ Cha Kwang." Just uttering those words made the woman''s teeth clench and her face contort with hatred and anger. It was clear how she felt about this man.


    "Cha Kwang¡­ Hmm, I never heard of that name before." Hyun-Jae muttered coldly. "He doesn''t seem like he''s any known person."


    "I really don''t know much about his past¡­ He is a very careful man." The woman shook her head.


    "You said he killed it with one strike?" Talon raised an eyebrow.


    "Yes."


    ''After only one week¡­ I guess he isn''t as simple as I thought.'' The young man squinted his eyes seriously.


    From what Talon knew, most people couldn''t kill a single monster after one week so this man''s achievement was definitely higher than ordinary.


    "Continue please."


    "He was apparently moving with his group and found me by sheer coincidence. I was terrified so stumbling upon his group was akin to salvation for me. I never knew that it was the biggest mistake of my life to join them. The group consisted of Cha Kwang, his guards, they were extremely loyal to him and were ready to follow every order he wanted and they''re all very strong." She exined.


    "And then, there are a big number of women of all ages¡­ Most of them have good looks and those are Cha Kwang''s women... His ''lovers''."


    "..."


    Talon and Hyun-Jae stared at the woman speechlessly.


    "His lovers, huh¡­" Talon ran his hand through his hair. "That definitely sounds as shady as I expected."


    "... From what I heard from the other women, Cha Kwang was obsessed with finding beautiful women and bedding them to make them his. Since most of us were in trouble when he found us, many fell in love with him at first nce¡­ I was sadly one of those foolish ones." She added in a downcast tone.


    ''To them, he must''ve appeared like a hero in shiny armor. I can''t me them for thinking they fell in love with him.'' Talon thought to himself without interrupting her.


    "So, when he proposed to me to join his group and promised me safety, I agreed in a heartbeat. Everything seemed like it was perfect. I even cried from happiness thinking my nightmare was over."


    "..."


    "Then, the first night came, I was brought back to the ce where Cha Kwang and the group were¡­ A big supermarket west of Seoul. We had everything we needed there and more. It was the perfect ce. I was given food, water, and clothes. There was even showers. I was able to clean myself and wear proper clothes.


    But, when I thought I could finally get some sleep¡­ Cha Kwang called me to his section of the building¡­ Then, he¡­" In the end, the woman fumbled over her words and couldn''t continue anymore as tears rolled down her eyes.


    Talon and Hyun-Jae didn''t have to hear thest part to know what the woman was implying. But, that still made them frown even harder.


    Just a mere nce at the bruises and injuries on her body, Talon could imagine how horrible it was.


    ''Bastard¡­'' He cursed in his head.


    "*Hick* I''m sorry for crying¡­ It''s just¡­ I can''t stop myself¡­"


    Sobbing silently, the woman covered her face with her hands. All the pent-up emotions she felt came pouring out endlessly.


    The duo went silent as they waited for her to regain herposure. They had no idea how much she went through and how scarring it was. So, the only thing they could do was give her the time to cry it all out.


    A few minutes passed like that before the woman finally regained her ability to speak a little.


    "By the next morning¡­ I was broken¡­ I couldn''t move¡­ My body hurt and I was half conscious¡­ Then, he told me that it was a great night before leaving¡­ I was then given a healing potion and left alone¡­"


    Pursing his lips, Talon sat down next to the woman. "It''s ok. I''m really sorry you had to go through such an experience." Talon said with a sympathizing tone.


    "... After that, for the next few days, he didn''t call me again¡­ I heard that he didn''t like to spend the night with the same woman so he uses that opportunity to do it with all of them and they all end up broken¡­ the next day¡­ Just like me or even worse...


    I tried to warn them, I even tried to resist and say that this isn''t right¡­ But, each time, he will threaten to kick me out or kill me if I don''t listen¡­ The other women couldn''t speak and some even were disillusioned to believe that it was fine to do this¡­"


    Memories of those hellish days came back to her head and sent a chill down her spine.


    Meanwhile, the entire time, Hyun-Jae silently looked at the woman. Nobody knew what was going through her head.


    "In the end¡­ I couldn''t hold on any longer¡­ I had enough of it¡­ So, one night, I decided to bring a knife with me¡­ I thought I was ready to just kill him so that I could escape that hell and save everyone else with me¡­ But¡­ He was able to discover my intentions and I was immediately caught¡­ I was beaten ruthlessly¡­ And then, I was brought outside to get executed¡­ That''s when you found me¡­"


    With that, the woman wentpletely silent as she sat there.


    Nobody could really say a word at that moment. After all, what''s there to be said? It was a tragic story from start to finish. The pain and suffering that woman had gone through was unimaginable.


    A few moments passed in solemn silence before Talon finally spoke in a cold tone.


    "... If I bring you along with me¡­ Can you lead me to the supermarket you''re talking about?"


    The woman blinked in surprise as she stared at the young man. "I can¡­"


    "Good." Standing up, Talon dusted his clothes. "Bring me there. I want to meet this Cha Kwang guy¡­" He said without looking back. "For now, you can rest and recover slowly. You have time."


    Then, Talon started walking, only to stop when Hyun-Jae nudged him. "Are we going to attack them?" She asked.


    Even though she already knew that they were bound to confront these people, she still wanted to make sure Talon knew what he was going to do. In fact, Hyun-Jae was more eager than he was to find that man and make him regret everything he did.


    "No¡­" He replied as he gave her a small nce. "I''m just going to talk to him¡­"


    *Flinch*


    Seeing that look in Talon''s eyes, Hyun-Jae felt a chill run down her spine. For a moment, she thought that she was staring into the eyes of a terrifying monster and that''s when she realized¡­ Talon waspletely outraged.


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 144: Chapter 144- I Do Love That About You

    Hyun-Jae stood there for a few moments as she looked at Talon before she gave the woman onest nce.


    "Hey, before I leave, you didn''t tell me your name." She said in a monotone voice.


    "Hi-Ah¡­ You can call me Hi-Ah."


    "I''m Hyun-Jae and he is Talon." She replied before she started walking away. "Rest for the day, we wille back tomorrow."


    Then, Hyun-Jae moved after Talon who was already back in the tent.


    Sitting down on the chair, he threw his back behind as he sighed. "That fucking bastard¡­ He''s going to regret this for the rest of his miserable life." He murmured as he tried to calm his raging mind.


    The sheer anger he was harboring at that moment was shocking, even to him. If there was one single thing he hated in the entire world, it was people who used their power to oppress the weak and use them. He had lived his entire life hating that kind of people and he will continue to hate them for the rest of it.


    Now that he possessed the power to actually stand his own ground against anyone, Talon wasn''t going to back down when he found something hepletely despised happening right in front of his eyes.


    "Sometimes, I question whether monsters are the real threat or not. Sane creatures are capable of far worse evil than those brainless beasts could ever do." Acryphamented as she floated around.


    "It''s ironic, isn''t it? We''re supposed to be better than them. But, the worst disasters to ever happen are the work of humans, not beasts." Talonughed sarcastically.


    "Perhaps that''s the reason why we''re different. We believe that we are better than them simply because we can think. Perhaps not thinking is sometimes a better choice."


    With how much evil Acrypha had seen in her entire life, she really didn''t have any reason not to believe that sane creatures are far worse than monsters.


    "Yeah, that is true."


    As they were like that, Hyun-Jae walked inside the tent.


    "Talon?" Seeing him on the chair with his neck arched back.


    "Hm¡­" Thetter replied quietly, still deep in thought.


    Seeing him in that state, Hyun-Jae pursed her lips as she thought for a moment before she decided to do something. Slowly approaching him, she stood behind his chair as she stared down into his eyes.


    Thetter stared back at her in a daze.


    "Don''t let it get to your head, ok? He is nothing. Just a small pest to get rid of in our path." She said in an unusually gentle tone.


    "... I know¡­" Talon closed his eyes as he replied calmly. "It''s just¡­ I have always been hot-blooded when ites to dealing with this type of people."


    ''I''m not asposed as Hyun-Jae. Losing my temper from just hearing the story.'' He thought to himself.


    Even though she was clearly extremely angry, Hyun-Jae was able to keep her calm and think rationally. He admired that kind ofposure a lot.


    Hyun-Jae noticed all those emotions sh across his eyes. For a second, she was speechless. Nobody knew what was going through her head at that moment, not even Talon.


    "I should probably go back to sco-" As the young man was about to rise up from the chair, Hyun-Jae''s hands suddenly moved as she grabbed his face.


    Talon''s eyes widened in surprise as he stared at Hyun-Jae directly. Never in his life did he expect her to do such a thing as holding his face.


    But, for some reason, just staring at her eyes made him gopletely silent.


    "There is no shame in feeling anger when such things happen. Having such a kind heart even when no one can hold you back or stop you from abusing that power¡­" She murmured as she smiled at him. "I do love that about you."


    Talon: "..."


    Talon''s heart skipped a beat. Her words were such a surprise to him that he found himself unable to react properly.


    "Hahaha, you have a funny look on your face." The girl chuckled when she saw how dumbfounded he was. Then, she lifted her left hand and tapped his forehead.


    "I''m just¡­ a little surprised¡­" Talon replied. "Mm, thank you for saying that.


    "Don''t worry about it. I was just being honest. As long as your heart remains as it is¡­ I''m sure everything will be fine." With that, Hyun-Jae lifted her hands and allowed him to move.


    Talon rose up and touched his face. ''Damn, was I blushing?''


    "This Hyun-Jae girl is seriously something else. She made you blush twice in one day. Mr. Charming isn''t in his prime anymore. Hahahaha!" Acryphaughed amusedly.


    "Shut up¡­"


    Clicking his tongue, Talon stared at Hyun-Jae. "I understand what you mean. I won''t let it get to my head. We will just deal with him and get over with it."


    With that, he stood up. "I''m going to continue scouting the rest of the area. Maybe I will find some more information we can use."


    ***


    *One Day Later*


    With the dawn of a new day rising and the sun peeking through the cloudy sky, the survivor''s camp was way busier than usual at such times. The reason for that was simple¡­ Today, they were going to start moving back to the warehouse.


    After scouting the entire area yesterday, no dangerous horde of monsters was found so, per n, they decided to start moving. It helped that a good number of the injured students were able to stand on their feet.


    Turned out that the monster cores Talon had given to the group contained a few good healing skills, increasing the number of healers in the group. Which elerated the recovery of most injured students.


    What remained after that was to prepare to leave which only took a few hours at most. By dawn, everyone was prepared and ready to move.


    "Is everything ready?" Talon asked Go Young-Soon as he stared around him.


    Everyone was standing in line, waiting to start moving. The ones who couldn''t move were being carried by other students in the middle of the group.


    "Everything''s ready, leader. We''re just waiting for your order to start moving."


    "Ok, good. I guess there is nothing left. Are you ready, Hyun-Jae?"


    "Always." The girl replied casually.


    "Perfect, then¡­ Before we move, I wanted to thank you all for holding this long. It was tough, painful, and devastating. We lost many of our good peers, friends, and family members. Now, it''s thest stretch. Outside of here is a safe ce we can stay in for a long time. A ce that is warm, has food, supplies, and everything we need to live.


    It''s far better than this ce. Time to move out of this hellhole, boys!"


    "YEAAAAAAAAH!!!"


    The entire group cheered powerfully. Their voices were filled with endless determination. It had been indeed a nightmare, each day was harder than the one before it. They went through all kinds of terrifying situations and yet they emerged victorious each time.


    Now, that nightmare is merely a few hours away from being over. All they had to do was reach theirst destination. A ce where they can be at ease.


    With that, the group of survivors started moving in union. The sound of their steps filled the entire campus. They weren''t any normal students anymore¡­ They were now seasoned warriors ready to face anythinging their way.


    Their eyes lost all that innocence, leaving only a battle-hardened group of people, sharing a deeper bond than ever before.


    ***


    Meanwhile, far away from where Talon and his group were.


    Two men were walking through a tight corridor. One of them was tall with a very powerful physique and a terrifying aura to back it up. The other was also muscr yet in contrast was as timid as he could be as he walked behind the first man.


    The atmosphere in the corridor was solemn and suffocating.


    "Are you sure they''re going to speak?" The first man asked coldly.


    "... Mm, I¡­ I already helped you capture them, sir¡­ I don''t know if they will speak or not¡­ But, I swear, what I told you is the truth!" The second man replied in a desperate tone.


    "... Is that so? Good job."


    Hearing those words, the second man''s eyes beamed as he was about to speak.


    "Thank yo-"


    *Swish* *BANG*


    "Blurgh!"


    Before he could even react, a fist smashed into his stomach, making him fall to the ground unable to breathe. Then, the first man ruthlessly stomped on his head.


    "Our agreement was¡­ You make those two speak and when they do, you get what I told you I would give you. Was I not clear? Perhaps I spoke in anguage you can''t speak?" He asked as he bent down a little to stare at the terrified man.


    "Please... Spare... Me..."


    Feeling the crushing weight on his skull, the man''s face turned extremely red as he felt extreme pain. If he stayed in that position, his head was going to get crushed.


    *CRACK*


    "Please..."


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 145: Chapter 145- Vendetta (Part 1)

    The man whimpered painfully as he tried to move his head out of the immense pressure. The sheer pain he was feeling at that moment was unimaginable. His brain was being squashed like an insect and he had nothing to do about it except beg for his life.


    "Please¡­ Sir¡­ I will¡­ make them speak¡­" He said with clenched teeth.


    "Am I supposed to believe that?"


    *PRESS*


    "I promise!! On my life!!!"


    The first man squinted his eyes for a moment as he stared down coldly. Seeing the struggle and the sheer despair in his eyes, he could only smirk coldly.


    "To put it on your own life, hahaha! Good. Really good! I will spare your life for now. I want them to tell me where they are by the end of today. If they don''t¡­"


    *PRESS*


    "I promise, they will!!! Please! My head, sir!!"


    With that, the man released his grip and left thetter to breathe heavily on the ground.


    "Hah! Hah! Thank you!"


    "You better make that happen. Or, better yet, don''t do it¡­ I want to hear you squirm and cry when I start skinning you alive." Licking his lips as if he was looking at a delicious meal, the man turned around and left.


    The second man remained on the ground, breathing heavily as he covered his face with the back of his arm. His teeth were clenched and his fists were tightened.


    "Dammit¡­ I already tried everything¡­ They won''t speak!!" Cursing to himself, he slowly stood up.


    "Ptuh! Fuck¡­ If I don''t get what he wants¡­ I''m in deep trouble¡­"


    With that, he started slowly walking toward his destination. "I will make them speak¡­ No matter what!"


    ***


    "Hmm, seems everything is calm so far."


    The survivor''s group moved quickly through the streets of Seoul as they headed back to the warehouse. The trip was going to take an hour or less on foot and they had crossed almost all of it unscathed.


    Some monsters appeared here and there, but, they were immediately dealt with by Talon, Hyun-Jae, or Chin-Hwa who were strategically positioned around the group as the first line of defense in case of emergency.


    ''We didn''te across any hordes. Well, I guess I was wrong in the end.'' Sighing to himself, Talon shook his head.


    Even though he expected to see more groups of monsters around the area considering the current state of the world, the new addition of an enemy group of survivors waspletely unexpected.


    "I should probably apologize to Chin-Hwa." He murmured to himself.


    "You don''t have to apologize. Your logic wasn''t wed by any means. If there wasn''t another group killing the monsters in this area, there was a very high chance you would''ve ended up facing a horde of them." Acrypha said.


    "Yeah, but still¡­ I was ready to force everyone to stay in the camp just because of it,pletely disregarding the possibility of the trip going fine. That was a mishap on my side." He shrugged.


    The floating beauty stared at him silently without replying. As predictable as his words were, she could only be impressed either way.


    ''Even though no one could force him to apologize¡­ He really doesn''t care about things like pride and ego¡­'' She thought to herself.


    "Leader! I can see the warehouse from up ahead!"


    As he was like that, one of the scouting team members approached him in a hurry.


    "Got it. Tell the scouting team toe back and get everyone in position again, I''m going to get in first." Talon said as he walked to the front of the group. There, he found Hyun-Jae standing silently as she stared at the building a few hundred meters away from them.


    "Looks like nothing happened to it, fortunately," Hyun-Jae said in an almost relieved tone.


    "Hmm, yeah," Talon responded as he squinted his eyes. "I''m going head in first and see. Keep an eye for our surroundings just in case."


    "Sure."


    With that, the young man left the group as he headed toward the warehouse on his own. Hyun-Jae watched him as he disappeared.


    "Get everyone ready to move the moment hees back."


    ***


    Closing the distance slowly toward his destination, Talon noticed an abnormality. "Hm? Where is the truck that was closing this hole in the wall?" He asked himself.


    Before leaving, Talon could clearly remember leaving a truck that closed a gap in the warehouses'' outer walls. It worked perfectly in stopping monsters from barging into the building.


    Now, it was nowhere to be seen. That made Talon''s heart grow colder as he frowned. Instinctively, his steps quickened as he reached the gap and peeked inside.


    Immediately, the second abnormality presented itself to him. The entire area surrounding the main warehouse''s building waspletely emptied. The bikes, cars, and even the forklifts vanished from existence.


    "..." Knitting his eyebrows, the young man stepped outside. At this point, Talon had already realized the possibility of what could''ve happened and it made his aura shake.


    Looking around him, he quickly rushed toward the warehouse. He wanted to call Shin-Il and Soomin''s names but he decided not to do that. If someone was there and they were in danger, revealing his position would be a very foolish idea.


    When he reached the gates of the warehouse, Talon crouched down as he peeked into the building. The ce was extremely dark and quiet.


    He couldn''t feel a single presence inside. So, he stood up and moved inside carefully. He looked around him in solemn silence.


    "..." His aura was colder than usual and his face was far from rxed.


    "Empty¡­ The entire ce was emptied of everything¡­" He murmured.


    The entire warehouse with all of the supplies stored in it was all gone. Nothing was left behind. All that was left was apletely empty massive storage area.


    "The entire ce was stolen," Acryphamented with a calm expression. "I don''t think it can get any more obvious than this who did it."


    "Yeah¡­" As he murmured those words, Talon''s eyes fell on something odd a little far away from him. Picking it up, Talon stared at it for a few moments. It was a flipped old piece of paper with some words written on it.


    Reading the content of the message, Talon''s aura fluctuated again before it red visibly. The pressure around him increased greatly.


    Then, Talon turned around and walked toward the exit. "It seems I''m going to pay those bastards a visit earlier than I expected."


    With that, he left the warehouse and went back to the group that had already advanced closer to the warehouse.


    Seeing Taloning back, some of the students sighed in relief. The fact that he returned quickly meant that there were no big problems.


    But, when they noticed the dark expression on his face, many felt a chill run down their spines. That look on his face was clearly extremely serious.


    "What happened?" Hyun-Jae asked.


    "... Everyone, get inside and settle down. It''s safe." He said, not answering her question immediately. "Hyun-Jae, Chin-Hwa, make sure everything is going perfectly. I''m going to leave for a while." He dered.


    "Huh?" Hyun-Jae asked. "Hold on a second, Talon. Where are you going?"


    Walking past Hyun-Jae, Talon stopped as he stared over his shoulder. "I''m going to deal with an annoying bug. No need for everyone to go. I''m more than enough."


    "..." The girl stared at him for a few moments, trying to read through his words. In the end, she pursed her lips. "Ok, we shall wait while you deal with it." She said mysteriously.


    Talon nodded his head. "I won''t take long¡­ A few hours at most. Where is Hi-Ah?"


    "H-here, Talon!" The woman stepped forward as she announced herself. After a good night of resting and multiple healing sessions, she was able to stand on her feet again even though she required a cane to move around properly.


    "Sorry¡­ But, I''m going to ask you to lead me to that ce now. The n changed." He said as he helped her.


    "O-Of course, but¡­ I know it''s not my ce to ask¡­ Are you going alone?"


    "Yes."


    "..." The woman blinked in shock. "It''s an entire base¡­ There are at least a hundred people there of Cha Kwang''s men¡­"


    "And?" Talon asked back.


    "No¡­ But¡­"


    "A hundred of them¡­ Yeah, that sounds really troublesome now that I think about it." Talon added after thinking for a moment. "Getting rid of a hundred corpses is going to be a pain in the ass."


    Hi-Ah: "..."


    With that, Talon carried the woman slowly away from the group.


    "Are you sure he will be fine, president?" Chin-Hwa asked confusedly. "Shouldn''t we go with him?"


    However, the girl shook her head. "I don''t know what he saw inside the warehouse. But¡­ This isn''t a mission anymore¡­ It''s personal now¡­"


    As she stared at herpanion''s moving silhouette, her eyes fell on something he was holding in his right hand.


    Within his tightened fist, he held the piece of paper. On it were written a few words.


    ''Come alone if you want your little friends alive. I''m waiting for you.''


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 146: Chapter 146- Vendetta (Part 2)

    The duo walked through the streets of the destroyed city in silce. Hi-Ah had a nervous look on her face as she thought about what was about to happ. As for Talon, his face waspletely stoic with no visible emotions on it.


    Nobody could read through his expression, not ev Acrypha who had be with him for a very long time. However, she was certain that whatever he was thinking of, it wasn''t something nice.


    Evtually, the two ded up in apletely differt area of the city.


    "Over there, can you see it?" Hi-Ah pointed ahead at a particrly huge building. It was the main supermarket for the western section of Seoul and it was one of the biggest in the country.


    "Oh, you meant that one," Talon murmured as he stared into the distance."Understood. Thanks for the help. Let me find a good ce for you to hide. Things might get really ugly really quick."


    "O-Oh, o-ok¡­" Hi-Ah replied hesitantly.


    She didn''t need to know what he meant by his words as it was as clear as day. He wasn''t there to talk.


    With that, Talon helped Hi-Ah to a nearby building before he made her sit down in a hidd ce.


    "Stay here and don''t move. It won''t take long. Understood?"


    "Y-Yes."


    "Good."


    ''That ce should be hidd ough from monsters and humans.'' He thought to himself as he looked a him before he turned a and vanished from sight.


    "Wha¡­" Hi-Ah looked a her, unable to believe her eyes. "Where did he go?!"


    Her eyes couldn''t keep up with Talon''s speed, so it appeared to her as if he vanished like a ghost.


    ''Who is this person¡­'' Rubbing her temples, Hi-Ah questioned whether her worries that he might get himself killed were ev needed or not. Perhaps, what she should worry about was how brutal it was going to be.


    Outside, Talon had already crossed a few doz meters in a second as he approached the supermarket without trying to hide his presce too much.


    "What''s your n?" Acrypha asked.


    "n?... There is no need for a n." Talon replied coldly. "I''m just going to get in there, make those bastards regret the day they were born, and th go back home."


    "Well¡­ I guess I expected that much." She murmured with a calm expression.


    ''With how strong he is¡­ Wiping out this human camp is very much possible.''


    Wh Talon reached the perimeter of the supermarket, he finally stopped and crouched down as he took a peek at it.


    There, right in front of the gate stood 4 guards, carrying a multitude of weapons, mostly swords and guns. They were talking to each other casually, not aware that someone was looking at them.


    "Seems op ough to me." Sucking in a deep breath, Talon stood up and left his hiding spot, walking straight toward the four guards as if nothing was happing.


    "Hm?"


    It didn''t take long for the m to notice the odd presce approaching them. Immediately, they pulled out their weapons.


    "Wow, stop right there, little guy¡­" One of them said as he pointed his sword at Talon. "Who are you and what are you doing here?"


    "I''m here to meet a piece of filth named Cha Kwang. Can you bring him to me? I can wait here while you do that." Talon dered coldly.


    "..." (x4)


    The guards blinked in shock before they stared at each other.


    "Pfft! Hahahahahahahahaha!" Everyone exploded inughter almost at the same time. "Are you ok, kid? Did you hit your head beforeing here?!" One of them said.


    "I didn''tugh in a while. That took me by surprise." A second one said.


    They kept giggling for a while as if the joke was too funny to ev stop. Th, one of them started walking toward Talon with a wide grin on his face.


    "Hahaha! Hey, be nice to the guy. He has a good sse of humor."


    "Don''t worry, I won''t beat him up too much. Hey, kid, did you just call our boss ''a piece of filth''? You do realize that''s a sin only punishable by death?"


    Reaching Talon, the man suddly realized that he was far shorter than him and it made him a little irritated. Not to mtion the fact that this kid had some good looks.


    ''A very punchable face too¡­ Tsk!'' Clicking his tongue, he reached out with his hand to grab Talon''s cor.


    *Swish*


    "Huh?"


    Before the man could ev react, Talon grabbed his hand. The guard instinctively tried to pull it back only to realize that the young man''s grip was very tight and was only growing tighter.


    Meanwhile, the guards were still joking a, unaware of what was happing.


    "Ugh¡­" It didn''t take long for the grip to be painful¡­ very painful.


    "Hey, release it, bastard." Clching his teeth, the man tried to grab Talon with his other hand, only to find himself in a situation he never expected.


    *Swish* *CRACK*


    A loud, crisp cracking sound echoed in the vicinity, catching everyone''s atttion. No one understood what happed for a good two seconds, not ev the man himself. Slowly looking down, his eyes wided in pure shock.


    His right arm was bt to apletely abnormal degree. His bone protruded out of his skin and blood was gushing out dlessly.


    "AAAAAAAAAAAGHHH!!!" Wh he realized the situation, the hellish pain hit him. "MY ARM!! MY ARM!!!!"


    Falling to the g, he started screaming and rolling a as he cried like a pig. Talon stared at him coldly for a second before he stomped his chest, crushing his ribs as if they were weak tree branches.


    With that single attack, the man stopped moving and his cries died down.


    "..."


    The remaining three guards stared at him in pure shock. Their minds couldn''t register the sight.


    "I think I wasn''t clear with my words. Where is that piece of filth, Cha Kwang? Get him outside or I''m going to get him myself." He repeated in a cold, chilling tone.


    Ev though they were the same words he said before, this time, they didn''t sound funny at all.


    "Fuck! This guy isn''t joking!" But, in the d, with pure will, they snapped out of their daze as they quickly took fighting stances.


    Talon didn''t ev flinch and started walking toward them. "You should''ve run wh you had the opportunity. Now, you''re all involved."


    "We''re three, he''s alone! Let''s fuck him up!!"


    Ev with fear writt all over their faces, they rushed toward Talon with their weapons high in the air as they attacked him from three sides.


    ''We got him!!'' They all thought wh they saw how he had no way of dodging three attacks at the same time.


    However, much to their shock, Talon didn''t ev try to attack them as he suddly jumped and spun in the air, kicking one of them on the side. The sheer impact of the hit st the man flying to the side, hitting both of his frids.


    "AGH!!" The trio fell on the g, stacked on top of each other.


    Before any one of them could move, Talon approached them before he grabbed one of them by the hair, and lifted his head.


    "Where¡­ is¡­ Cha Kwang?" He asked slowly.


    The man stared at him with a pained look on his face. His eyes were barely op as he smiled weakly.


    "Fuck¡­ You!"


    Hearing those words, Talon stared at him for a few seconds before he nodded his head faintly. "At least you lot ar''tplete sellouts."


    *BANG*


    Th, he smashed his head against the g, blood sshed everywhere as Talon released him.


    Standing up, he started walking toward the building''s trance in a calm manner.


    Pushing the door op, he found himself inside the supermarket, a vast area filled with rows upon rows of aisles filled with all kinds of products.


    The ce was akin to heav in a world where food was scarce and resources were few and far betwe.


    ''... This ce is definitely going to be perfect as a second base.'' He thought to himself.


    As he stood there, inspecting the ce, a few guards noticed his presce and were quite tak aback.


    "What? Who the fuck are you?" Looking at him, the guards noticed the blood on his hand and on his clothes and they immediately grew alerted. They didn''t need any more details to realize that this young man was an emy.


    In a matter of seconds, a big group of m approached him. They didn''t ev think twice before they quickly sured him and pulled their weapons out.


    ''Hmm, these are certainly more expericed than the ones outside. They don''t seem like they''re underestimating me. Interesting.'' Talon noted down that detail.


    "I said, who are you, bastard?! What are you doing here?"


    "If you don''t speak, you''re dead."


    "Sigh, just make this quick, ok?" Rubbing the back of his head, Talon finally unsheathed his spear.


    ''Time to get a little bit more serious''.


    Seeing that the mysterious young man wasn''t intding to speak, the guards got ev more wary.


    "Is he insane? There are 30 of us and only him? Does he want tomit suicide?"


    "A sane person would never do this shit. Hahaha, it''s a crazy idiot."


    "Kill him!!"


    With that shout, the guards rushed toward him.


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you joyed reading ??

 Chapter 147: Chapter 147- Vendetta (Part 3)

    In a normal fight, 30 people vs one single person usually had one single and very logical oue¡­ Theplete and utter defeat of that person. After all, the total strgth of arge group crushes that of an individual.


    Well, that was the logic wh the world was still normal. After the integration and wh the human limit of power was brok, that rule was no longer a rule anymore.


    Holding the spear with both hands tightly, Talon stared at the group with a cold expression. The veins on his arms expanded as he channeled his Aetheris. A blue hue sured his body and his aura expanded powerfully.


    Th, using 0 points of strgth, he swung the spear.


    *BOOOOOOOOM*


    The swing st a giant shockwave across the tire supermarket.


    "AGH!!"


    The guards were thrown off by the hit, falling on top of each other like stacks of dominoes.


    "What the fuck?!"


    "What did he do?!"


    "I saw nothing!!"


    "He swung his spear and suddly, it''s like a goddamn tornado had be unleashed here!"


    Amidst their total chaos, Talon pulled his spear back as he took the same fighting stance. Seeing that, the guards felt a chill run down their spines.


    ''He''s about to do it again!!''


    *Swish*


    A weird glint shed across the young man''s eyes as he shed with the spear again.


    *BANG*


    "AGHHH!!!"


    The second shockwave st everyone stumbling back. Shelves fell to the g, burying some of the guards under them while items of all kinds flew off everywhere.


    "D-Don''t let him swing his spear! Quickly, sur him!" One shouted in disarray.


    Ev though Talon''s hits had pushed them back and injured some of them, they wer''t lethal at all. That made them think that he couldn''t really gerate any deadly attacks.


    So, with that in mind, the guards quickly stood up and attacked him with all their might. The ones with guns stood behind the lines as they aimed their guns and bows. The guards who can have long-range abilities channeled their Aetheris as they slowly formed their attacks.


    As for the melee fighters, they sured him again as they attacked with no regard for their gigantic number.


    *BANG* *BANG*


    Bullets, arrows, fireballs, and all kinds of other projectiles wereunched at Talon at the same time.


    But, ev in such a clearly bad situation, the young man keptpletely calm. He quickly changed the grip of the spear to one hand before he dashed forward at top speed, taking everyone by surprise.


    [Ding!]


    [You have activated ''Dash''.]


    [Ding!]


    [You have activated ''spearmanship.]


    [Ding!]


    [You have activated ''Future Sight''.]


    In quick session, he activated three of his best abilities in the Dimsion Harvester skill. Wh that happed, his tire fight style changed in a split second.


    Closing the distance betwe him and his first target, Talon easily dodged their attack as he stabbed the man with the sword, piercing his heart.


    [Ding!]


    [You have killed a level  human.]


    Ignoring the notification, Talon pulled the spear out before he swung it a at the perfect time, decapitating another guard before they could ambush him. Th, in a swift and fluid motion, he grabbed the spear with both hands and spun it in front of him.


    All the projectiles came rushing toward him before they smashed against his spear, getting either deflected or destroyedpletely.


    Dealing with those weak long-range attacks was nothing to him. Meanwhile, the other guards tried to quickly overwhelm him.


    At that momt, Talon''s eyes shed with a glint of understanding as his brain saw a glimpse of the future. That was all he needed to know what was going to exactly happ in the next second.


    ''5 behind me, 3 are going to try and stab from behind the lines and 4 more will jump over them.'' He thought to himself as his eyes moved a like a sh. ''I can stop them all with one single move.'' His eyes shed with a terrifying glint as he wt into motion.


    ''The more he grows stronger, the more strgth blds in and loses its importance. What bes important at the highest level where all individuals are almost equal is information and cleverness¡­ Those who have more information and know how to use that information to their advantage will always win.'' Acrypha thought to herself as she watched Talon change his approach again almost instantly.


    Crouching down, the young man extded his leg as he slid it at a 360-degree angle.


    "Woah!!!"


    In a momt, many guards were swiped off their feet and fell to the g. That small mishap caused the tire group to fall into chaos again. Some of the m who tried to stab Talon in secret ded up stabbing their own frids instead because of the sudd movemt.


    "Wha..!!!"


    Th, Talon quickly stood up as he summoned the Aetherial des. The two flying weapons emerged from his storage as they quickly moved into action.


    Flying away, they attacked the guards ruthlessly. Because of their extreme sharpness, with simple contact, the de could tear through the skin and ev muscles, leaving behind a terrifyingceration.


    "AGH!!"


    Screams of pain echoed in the tire supermarket as guards fell to the g, unable to ev react to the sudd appearance of the Aetherial des, many were stabbed.


    [Ding!]


    [Ding!]


    [Ding!]


    [Ding!]


    [Aetherial des have leveled up.]


    [Aetherial des have leveled up.]


    A series of notifications popped up in Talon''s retina as the Aetherial des wt on a murder spree.


    "HELP!!! HELP!! AGHH!!"


    "What the fuck is that?! Flying swords?!!!!"


    "Stop them!!!"


    "Anyone do anything, goddammit!! We''re all gonna die!!!!"


    The guards tried to stop the Aetherial des using all the means possible. However, how were they supposed to stop two flying sharp des that move a very fast? It was simply impossible.


    Meanwhile, the young man stood there, watching the tire sce with terrifying coldness. The strong smell of death permeated the air a him and made it almost suffocating to breathe. The sight of blood sshing everywhere as guards fell dead like ants filled his vision.


    Yet, not ev for a second did Talon feel anything at that momt. Seeing all these pieces of filth dying slowly one after the other only gave him a sse of satisfaction. He didn''t know why, but ev wh he was clearly killing humans, people of his kind, it didn''t bother him at all.


    His heart was as calm if not calmer than usual seeing all this carnage. That thought made Talon question his sanity.


    ''Am I turning into a murderous psychopath?'' He asked himself casually as he squinted his eyes.


    He was already aware of how numb he was to the idea of killing humans. Ever since he put an d to Terr''s life, he found himself with ack of reaction to it.


    He would be lying if he said that it didn''t bother him. After all, thest thing Talon wants to lose without realizing is his humanity. Ev if he bes the strongest creature in existce, capable of feats that this world can''t ev imagine, he still wants to remain himself. Someone who joys simply sitting on a couch watching TV with some snacks next to him or spding time with his loved ones.


    He wanted his life to remain simple no matter how big he became.


    But, that same imagination of his future slowly ovepped with the bloody image of ts of m lying on the g dead. Before he ev realized it, all the guards were dead. The Aetherial des were simply too overwhelming to handle.


    "..." Pursing his lips at the brutal sce, Talon sighed. "Well, I suppose it could''ve not be any less bloody than this."


    "What the hell is going on he-..."


    After all of that ruckus, people naturally would be attracted. Many more guards rushed to the sce wh they heard the screams of pain.


    The sight they were met with upon reaching the ce made them freeze in their ces in pure shock and terror.


    Corpses upon corpses of their peers stacked on top of each other, filling the tire trance of the supermarket. Some were decapitated while others were stabbed to death in the chest.


    Th, their eyes fell on one young man still standing on his feet in the middle of that bloody sce. Just a single look at him made their souls shake in fear. He had no noticeable expression on his face¡­ Just calm and sere like a mythical being staring down upon mortals.


    "Ok, list here, idiots. You have two choices at this very momt. Either get Cha Kwang toe out here on his own or I will kill every single one of you, no exceptions. I don''t like having to search for that scumbag." The young man oped his mouth and said coldly. "I''ve already killed ough of you."


    "..."


    No one dared to speak for a good few seconds. After all, how could they believe that this one young man had killed 30 of their people on his own? That simply sounded ridiculous.


    "You have 30 seconds to decide. I don''t like slow thinkers either."


    Hearing that, the guards flinched as they looked at each other. Their expression was dark and pale.


    "What should we do?"


    "I don''t fucking know¡­ Where is the boss?"


    "He''s with his wom¡­ He said nobody should disturb him."


    The group talked amongst themselves as they tried to figure out their next step.


    "What is all this ruckus, bastards? Did a bomb fall in he-?"


    At that momt, a fully naked man appeared in front of everyone, catching their atttion¡­ Including Talon''s.


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you joyed reading ??

 Chapter 148: Chapter 148- Vendetta (Part 4)

    The man waspletely naked, from head to toe with nothing to cover him, not ev his private parts. He walked with confidce, seemingly not bothered at all that everyone could see him that way.


    But, for better or worse, his body was muscr and well-shaped, giving him the appearance of an expericed bodybuilder. He was tall, almost as tall as Talon with a strikingly average face that had a scare running across it.


    His aura was noticeably stronger than most people Talon met since the start of the integration.


    Wh he reached the sce, his eyes naturally fell on the dead corpses. However, unlike his followers, he didn''t have any noticeably huge shock. Instead, his expression just turned a lot more stoic.


    "I assume you received my message, didn''t you?" He th asked in a calm tone as his eyes shifted to Talon.


    Thetter returned the same look before he slowly pulled the piece of paper out of his pocket and tossed it to Cha Kwang.


    "Where are they?" Talon asked.


    "Who? Oh, you mean those two? Well, I must say, they''re quite the tough nut to crack. Ev after asking them for a few days, they really didn''t tell us where you are." Cha Kwang replied with a cold, malicious grin.


    The momt Talon heard those words, his aura grew ev colder. He didn''t need any more hints to understand what this man did.


    "Oh man, look at you, that got you really pissed, didn''t it? But, don''t worry, I ain''t no devil, am I? They''re still alive and well. I did not torture them as I would usually do to get what I want."


    "And why do I need to believe that?"


    "Because, I''m not a monster, frid. To be in this business, you gotta know who you antagonize and who you befrid." He said with a smile.


    ''This guy¡­ What is he ev talking about?'' Talon squinted his eyes confusedly.


    "Hahaha, of course. I mean, wh I first got the information that the warehouse was empty, I took my m and wt there thinking it was going to be tough to pass through all those monsters lurking there. But, wh we wt there and saw all the dead corpses riddling the area, I immediately knew that I was dealing with someone of my kind¡­ A man that knew how to survive in a brutal world."


    Talon: "..."


    "We captured that ce and took your two little frids back with us. I must say, they resisted quite well. They ev took down multiple of my m on their own. I had to get in to make them surrder. Seeing how strong they were, I must sa-"


    *Swish*


    Before the man could ev finish his stce, one of the Aetherial des attacked him from the side. The man''s body immediately reacted as he quickly jumped back, barely dodging the attack.


    "h, h, h. Did anyone tell you that you speak too much? My ears are ringing, fucker. Your mouth is bigger than that little thing dangling betwe your legs." Talon said with a cold tone as he pointed at the lower part of Cha Kwang''s body.


    Silce took over the tire supermarket. The guards stared at Talon with wide eyes as if they just heard the most absurd thing in their tire lives.


    ''Oh shit¡­ He actually said that¡­''


    ''He insulted the boss'' little brother¡­ He is insane¡­ But he also seems like a monster¡­ This is gonna turn into a fight!''


    Meanwhile, Cha Kwang himself stood there siltly. His face turned a degree uglier. But, he didn''t immediately snap and instead clched his fists tightly.


    "Who do you think you are? Does killing 30 of those bastards make you feel like you''re a god?"


    As he said those words, he suddly turned a and looked at one of the m standing behind him. Th, he grabbed him by the neck as he lifted him up in the air, choking him.


    "BLURGH!! WHA¡­ BO¡­SS!!"


    *CRACK*


    Before the man could ev resist, Cha Kwang snapped his neck with one hand as if it were a twig. The man stopped movingpletely as he died on the spot.


    *DROP*


    "See? Just like that, dead¡­ They''re so easy to kill! Like stomping on a cockroach or pping a bug! Don''t think that''s how you measure true strgth."


    Talon''s eyes moved to the dead man on the g. ''He really killed one of his m. They have no worth to him.''


    Ev though it was a terrifying sight to see, it didn''t affect Talon at all. Instead, he simply realized that the man he was dealing with wasn''t just a scum¡­ He was a psychopath through and through.


    "Now, we don''t need to go through a useless battle, do we? It will only exhaust us for no reason. Why don''t we just merge our powers together, Talon? With your help, I know we can take over this tire country on our own. What do you think?"


    "Take over the country?"


    "Yes, you''re strong, I''m also strong. Together, no one can stop us. Fuck it, not only this country, let''s aim to conquer this tire world." Oping his arms, he dered in an ecstatic voice.


    Talon could see it all over his face, an dless excitemt. As if what he was saying didn''t sound like an absurd dream.


    "We''re equal, Talon. We can get everything we want, money, fame, wom. Especially wom, all those beauties out there, they would die to d up under someone like us." Licking his tongue, he looked down.


    ''The boss is really trying to convince him¡­ No one stupid ough would refuse an offer like this.'' The guards thought to themselves as they watched the interaction siltly.


    In their eyes, they believed Cha Kwang was really giving Talon something he couldn''t turn down. Fame, money, wom, that was all they wanted and more. Naturally, he should be the same.


    Silce took over the ce again as Cha Kwang and his m waited for Talon to speak. However, thetter simply stood there, not showing any noticeable reaction.


    "... You''re delusional, ar''t you?" Rubbing his temples as if he were suffering from a headache, Talon spoke. "Equal? Me and you? Is your brain as small as that thing down there? Sigh, I wonder why did I ev list to you bber for a few precious minutes of my time.


    List here, I am far better than you, not ev morally or anything like that, I am way better than you in everything. Whatever you can do, I can do better. Why would I need an insane, pathetically weak idiot by my side? Know your ce, trash."


    Immediately, the tire ce turned a degree colder as Cha Kwang''s aura leaked out for the first time. Theposure that he came in with slowly vanished and was reced with outrage.


    "You bastard¡­ Disrespecting me twice, I can not tolerate that."


    "Yeah, sure."


    *Swish*


    Suddly, Talon vanished as he closed the distance betwe him and Cha Kwang.


    *BANG*


    Th, heunched a strong punch toward Cha Kwang''s stomach. Before the man could ev react, he was already st flying back as he smashed against the wall.


    "..."


    The guards took a second to react as they pulled their weapons out. The fear they felt at that momt seeing what their emy did made them stand still in their ces.


    "Hold on, you idiots will get killed if you get in this. Just step back." Cha Kwang said as he stood up on his feet.


    ''Hmm¡­'' Looking at him, Talon squinted his eyes. ''My punch didn''t break his ribs?''


    Ev though he could see the trace of his fist on the man''s chest, there wasn''t any noticeable damage he could see. But, since he didn''t use that much in his punch, he assumed that Cha Kwang was using some kind of skill.


    ''A defsive skill.''


    "Get me my weapon." The man said as he took a fighting stance. "That punch was the strongest one I have ever received, I must say."


    ''If I didn''t use my Strgthed Armor skill at thest momt¡­ That punch might''ve ded me. Hahaha, this guy is the real deal.'' He thought to himself.


    "Fighting a naked idiot¡­ Sigh, humans are some interesting beings." Acrypha murmured with a deadpan expression. "Just d him quickly, Talon. I don''t want to see this vile thing of a creature anymore." She said.


    Nodding his head faintly, Talon channeled his Aetheris. At the same time, the guard came back with Cha Kwang''s weapon, a giant hammer at least twice his size. Just carrying it there seemed like a struggle to the guard and yet, Cha Kwang was able to lift it up with one single hand as if it was nothing.


    "You will regret this, bastard. I will show you what true power is all about." Th, Cha Kwang lifted the hammer in the air before he channeled his ergy and smashed it down.


    *BOOOOOOOOOM*


    Immediately, the earth shook from sheer impact as a series of cracks appeared across the floor, moving toward Talon at an rming speed.


    ''Interesting¡­''


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you joyed reading ??

 Chapter 149: Chapter 149- Vendetta (Part 5)

    Jumping in the air, Talon dodged the uing attack with ease. Ev with its high speed, the attack took more than a second to reach him which was ough for Talon to avoid it. But, Cha Kwang didn''t seem like he expected it to hit as he instantly dashed forward, closing the distance betwe him and Talon.


    "You didn''t think I was going to do this, no?" He asked with a grin as he swung his hammer, aiming for Talon the momt hended.


    ''He can''t avoid this!'' He thought to himself.


    However, at that momt, Talon suddly shifted his bnce mid-air before hended with his feet on top of the hammer. Th, he jumped in the air again.


    "Wha¡­" Cha Kwang stared at what happed in pure shock, only to realize that his emy wasn''t intding to escape.


    *Swish*


    Talon lifted his leg as he threw a kick at Cha Kwang''s face. The attack connected and st the man flying to the side like a ragdoll before smashing against one of the shelves violtly.


    "Blurgh!" Blood gushed out of the man''s head as he slowly rose from the g. "Fuck!"


    ''That hurts!!'' Cursing to himself, he touched the injury, only to realize that something. ''Did his attack just get stronger out of nowhere?! That wasn''t his strongest one yet?''


    The hit felt like a train smashing him in the face. Ev his strong defsive skill which he boasted about and thought made him invincible didn''t work at all.


    This also meant a terrifying fact for Cha Kwang that he only realized at that very momt.


    ''If I don''t keep my defsive skill activated¡­ I will get killed with one single move¡­'' His eyes wided as he heaved up and down.


    "Get me my armor, now!!" He shouted loudly.


    But, before he could ev look back to Talon, thetter vanished again like a ghost. Cha Kwang panicked as he started looking a in a rush.


    ''Where is he? Where did he go?'' His heart rate increased as he felt two eyes looking at him. Th, out of nowhere, Talon appeared again right in front of him with his hand already moving toward the man''s neck.


    ''What?!'' With no time to dodge, Cha Kwang tried to grab Talon''s arm. But, thetter suddly pulled it away and used the other one to deal a jab to the man''s side.


    "BLURGH!"


    Feeling his tire body shake from the punch, he spat out another mouthful of blood as he jumped back.


    "Hah¡­ Hah!!" He heaved up and down powerfully as he stared at Talon with wide eyes. The young man had the same casual look on his face as if nothing just happed.


    ''This bastard!!'' He clched his teeth powerfully.


    All of his ego and confidce vanishedpletely and were reced by soul-shaking fear. Never did he expect his emy to be this ridiculously stronger than him. This tire time, Cha Kwang thought that he was one of the strongest, if not the strongest human in the world.


    He had strong skills, he was level 9 and he had killed countless monsters with his pure strgth. Nothing was able to stop him so far and that fueled his ego into the skies.


    But, Talon came and shattered that belief in a few seconds. This wasn''t ev a fight, it was a one-sided beating he was receiving.


    ''How could this be? How strong is he?! We started at the same time goddamit!!''


    The more he tried to think about it the more Cha Kwang''s instincts started telling him to simply ditch everything and run away. But, that idea simply made him ev more irritated.


    ''Why?! Why do I need to run away? I''m Cha Kwang!! I run away from nobody!!''


    "FUUUCK!!!" Yelling loudly, the man channeled his Aetheris as he was about to attack, only to realize that Talon had appeared behind him and kicked him powerfully.


    *BANG*


    Rolling on the g violtly, the man ded up on the g.


    ''This gotta be a joke¡­ This has to be a goddamn joke!!!'' He yelled in his head as his eyes turned red from anger.


    "I won''t kill you instantly. I will make sure you feel every single momt of pain you made your victims go through. I will destroy your mind and soul till you wish to go to hell." Talon said coldly as he approached the man. His words only made the man shudder ev more as he slowly stood up with great difficulty.


    ''I really can''t fight against him¡­ He is far stronger than me¡­ Do I really have to use that? Do I really have to?!'' Staring at the cold young man approaching him, Cha Kwang realized that he really had no other choice but to do that.


    As much as he was unwilling to use it, there was clearly no way to win this fight unless he used that thing.


    "Ugh, screw it!" Wiping the blood off his face, he slowly moved his bloodied hands and put them against his chest. After that, he slowly started moving his hands across his body, coating it in his own blood.


    Th, he channeled every single point of Aetheris through his body to his hands. However, unlike anything Talon had se before, the man did somethingpletely differt. He halted his steps wh he noticed Cha Kwang''s aura change.


    ''Hm? His aura changing color.'' He asked himself.


    "AGHHHHHHHHH!!" Th, a blood-curdling shriek escaped Cha Kwang''s mouth that was so far detached from being humane that Talon thought for a second he was listing to the screams of a beast.


    "What in the actual¡­"


    "A sacrificial skill?" Acrypha spoke, taking Talon''s atttion.


    "A what?"


    "He''s using a sacrificial skill. These are skills that require the use of some kind of sacrifice to activate, usually the life force of a creature. In return, they gain a lot of temporary power to fight for that cost. How did he eve across a skill like that? They''re quite rare." She exined.


    "Wait, so he''s sacrificing his own life to get a temporary boost of strgth?"


    "A very huge boost, but yeah, from what I can see, he won''t be able to recover from using this ability now. Ev if he doesn''t die, his soul will be heavily damaged by the d."


    *BOOOOM*


    At that momt, Cha Kwang''s aura exploded powerfully, sding a strong gush of air a him. Talon covered his eyes to avoid the debris before he focused on the man again. His tire presce hadpletely changed. His muscles bulged noticeably and his veins expanded to a dangerous degree.


    His eyes were alsopletely red as if they were that of a demon.


    "Hagh, Hagh!!" Heaving up and down with a pained look on his face, Cha Kwang grinned wildly. "Hahahaha! I never thought I would need to use ''Demon Blood'' in my life! Honestly, the cost of this skill is too much for me! But, wh I im your soul, I know for certain I will recover from it!!"


    Stepping forward, the man spoke in a distorted voice. His tonecked the shred of humanity he had in him before. He was now a monster in human skin.


    Meanwhile, Talon simply stood in his ce staring at his emy.


    "Here Ie, bastard! Try to keep up!"


    *Swish*


    The momt he finished speaking, Cha Kwang dashed at top speed, crossing the distance betwe him and Talon in a split second. Thetter''s expression grew colder.


    "TAKE THIS!!!"


    Tighting his fist, Cha Kwangunched a powerful punch aimed at Talon. Thetter crossed his arms in front of him at the perfect momt.


    *BANG*


    Upon contact, Talon''s eyes wided a little as he was pushed back. Sliding back on his feet, he stopped a few meters away.


    ''Strong.'' He thought to himself. The punch was far stronger than anything Cha Kwang had tried before. So much so that Talon felt his arms go numb.


    "Not over yet!!!"


    Cha Kwang didn''t stop as he vanished again and appeared on Talon''s side as heunched another punch at him.


    *BANG*


    Pushing him back again, Cha Kwang th followed with a series of punches, each more powerful than the other. Meanwhile, Talon deflected each attack skilfully as he moved back.


    "Hah!! Take this! And this!! And this!!!"


    The sheer power Cha Kwang exerted shocked Talon. Seconds passed as the rain of punches increased in intsity and speed.


    "Why are you only defding, Talon? He shouldn''t pose that much of a threat to you ev if he was using a sacrificial ability." Acrypha asked as she floated a him.


    *BANG* *BANG* *BANG*


    "I want to learn more about these sacrificial abilities. They seem quite interesting." He said as he dodged an attack. "But, I guess apart from a little bit more strgth, it doesn''t have anything else worth experimting with."


    Saying that, Talon suddly changed his position as he quickly stepped forward, grabbing Cha Kwang''s arm, heunched a punch with his right hand.


    "Ugh!" The fist smashed against the man''s stomach, shaking his core. Th, Talon followed with another punch.


    "Fuck! It won''t work this time!" Shaking the damage away, Cha Kwang clched his teeth and tried to yank his emy.


    ''Oh¡­'' Wh Talon felt himself losing his bnce, he was met with a fist going straight to his face.


    *BANG*

 Chapter 150: Chapter 150- Vendetta (Part 6)

    The hit connected as Talon was sted back a dozen meters or so. Hitting one of the shelves as he knocked down all the items stacked on it.


    "Hahahahaha! Did you feel that?! It must''ve hurt!!" Cha Kwang yelled as heughed maniacally.


    "Ptuh¡­" Talon spat out a mouthful of saliva as he stood up. Then, he wiped his cheek with the back of his hand. A red trace of the punch could be seen on it.


    ''That was a punch and a half.'' He thought to himself as he looked up. His eyes were now far colder than before. ''I guess I underestimated him a little bit. He ispletely different from before.''


    "That''s the difference between us, bastard!!"


    However, the young man ignored the sarcastic remark and channeled all the Aetheris in his body.


    "I will be a little more serious now," Talon replied.


    *Swish*


    In the blink of an eye, Talon vanished from his spot andunched a powerful punch toward Cha Kwang. Thetter grinned wildly as he did the same, the two fists connected violently. The impact from the hit sent a small shockwave across the entire supermarket.


    Then, Talon punched with his other hand, only to end up getting stopped by Cha Kwang. The two red at each other before they jumped back at the same time and dashed toward each other again.


    In a few seconds, they exchanged multiple punches at breakneck speed. Their arms appeared blurry to the naked eye. Each punch connected with the other as neither of them was able to push the other back or overwhelm them.


    ''Is it me or is his strength only growing with each passing second?'' Talon mused with a cold look on his face.


    Even though they had been fighting for almost a minute, Cha Kwang was only getting faster and stronger.


    "That''s the true power of a sacrificial skill. It''s a high-risk, high-reward deal. He will only keep getting stronger till the skill stops¡­ That''s when all of that umted debt is going to be collected all at once." Acrypha exined.


    "That''s¡­ interesting¡­" Talon said as he dodged an attack and returned one of his own. The exchange was only growing violent the more it went.


    *BOOOOM*


    "I really didn''t want to use more than this. But, I can''t be bothered to wait for this bastard to crash!"


    The reason Talon didn''t want to use more of his strength was solely to avoid destroying the entire supermarket. Skills like Azure mes and Tear of Reality were simply too destructive and could very much destroy this entire ce beyond recognition.


    He had ns for the building to be used in the future. With the sheer number of the survivors'' group, the warehouse wasn''t going to be enough. Not to mention the fact that Talon was contemting the idea of doing something¡­ Something that seemed like an absurd idea merely a few weeks ago.


    ''Cleaning the entire city of monsters¡­ Turning it into a gigantic base for survivors from all locations of the country.''


    Hearing that the first time might sound like a far-fetched dream, but, Talon felt that with time and as he grew stronger, the possibility of creating a stable base for humans didn''t sound like an impossible idea.


    Talon knew that the possibility of the Human Society in Gwangju being nothing but a trap for them was still present. If that happens, he knows that his only choice is to create his very own base, an entire society of humans built from scratch after the end of the world.


    ''Slowly¡­ one step at a time. We can definitely do it. If I can create such a ce, then I won''t have to worry if I leave them. It will be a functional society on its own that doesn''t require my presence to work perfectly.''


    Even in the middle of a brutal fight, Talon''s mind was already imagining what his next steps should be. Setting up a n and paving a path.


    "Why do you have that look on your face, huh?!"


    *BANG*


    Launching a powerful punch at Talon''s face, thetter stopped it as he clenched Cha Kwang''s fist. Thetter clenched his teeth as he tried to pull it back.


    "nning ahead for after I put you 6 feet under," Talon replied as his left hand suddenly ignited with a blue me.


    ''What?'' Cha Kwang''s eyes widened when he saw that.


    Then, without giving him a chance to event each, Talon mmed the palm of his against Cha Kwang''s chest.


    "Burn in hell, you piece of shit."


    The fire in his hand exploded powerfully as Cha Kwang was thrown back.


    "AGHHHH!!!"


    Falling on the ground, he started rolling around as he held his chest. The Azure mes slowly spread across his entire body, burning his skin ruthlessly. Cha Kwang tried to kill it off with his hands but it only made it worse as it spread to his arms.


    His inhuman shrieks echoed in the entire ce, shaking the guards to their cores. Watching their leader burn alive with those mysterious blue mes was terrifying.


    Slowly, the man burned alive, his skin turning scorched ck before disintegrating, his blood boiled and vaporized and his insides turned into steam.


    His frantic movements and screams continued for a while before he started slowly losing strength. His voice died down when his voice cords wore off.


    "You¡­ Fuck¡­. You¡­" Amidst his veryst words, he looked at Talon through the mes. He looked like a terrifying demon, emerging from the deepest parts of hell.


    In the end, the mespletely ate him away, turning him into mere ashes and those ashes vanished on their own, leaving no trace behind.


    [Ding!]


    [You have killed a level 19 human.]


    [Sacrifical Skill has been detected.]


    [Ding!]


    [+3 strength, +2 healing.]


    "Oh, I gained points from this idiot?" Talon raised an eyebrow.


    "Sacrificial skills increase the value of the individual. So, in a sense, you fought a level 25 human, so you received some points for it."


    "Pretty nice. At least killing him was beneficial in some way."


    "AAAGHHH!! BOSS!!!"


    At that moment, Talon heard the guards yell at the top of their lungs. Rushing toward the spot where he burned they surrounded it as they tried to find any trace left of him.


    "WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO TO THE BOSS?!!!!"


    "So loud¡­ I sent him to the deepest parts of hell where he belongs."


    "..."


    They stared at Talon with dumbfounded expression. Their eyes were wide and their mouths hanging open.


    ''Are they going to attack me?'' Talon squinted his eyes before he took a fighting stance.


    But, much to his surprise, the guards didn''t pull out their weapons. Instead, as if they agreed on it beforehand, they all fell on their knees as they bowed their heads deeply.


    "THANK YOU!!" They yelled at the same time.


    "...?" Talon tilted his head confusedly.


    "We''re finally free! Thank you! Thank you for saving us!!"


    "What? Saving you?"


    "Yes! We finally got rid of that bastard! Thank you, good sir! We have been terrified of him for the longest time! We never really wanted to work for him! But, with his influence, he threatened us with our families!


    We couldn''t run away! Now, with him gaining even more strength, we were only left with the choice of serving him if we wanted to survive!" One exined with tears on his face as he wiped the snot off his nose.


    "... Wow¡­ Now that is unexpected." Talon murmured. "So, you want to say that you were also victims of Cha Kwang?"


    "Yes! We are!"


    "Oh, I''m sorry to hear that. Here, stand up please, I feel your pain. It must''ve been tough." Talon added as he approached them and lent his hand to one of them with a kind smile on his face.


    The guard smiled back nervously as he grabbed his hand and stood up. But, before he could even react.


    *BANG*


    A fist mmed against his face as he threw him to the side.


    The guards flinched in shock as they retreated back in fear.


    "Who the fuck will believe that? Do I look like I''m some kind of idiot to you lot, huh? You''re all criminals who should be killed."


    "No, sir, please wait!!"


    "Shut up. You''re now begging for your life. Did you listen to those women begging for their lives too while your scumbag of a boss toyed with them as he wished?"


    Nobody dared to speak as they looked down with pale faces.


    "Line up, I''m going to kill you one by one." He said.


    "No, please! Spare us, sir! We''re sorry! We''re really sorry!!"


    "I do not care. I said, line up." Talon coldly said as he pointed at them.


    "Hey, Talon, hold on a second." At that moment, Acrypha, who was silent the entire time, spoke.


    "What?"


    "I think I have a better idea of what you should do with these things." She said in a mysterious tone.


    "..."


    Looking at Acrypha, Talon could easily see the weird glint in her eyes. With how much he knew her, Talon was certain that she had a great idea.


    "Ok, what is it?"


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 151: Chapter 151- Contract

    Turning around, Talonpletely ignored the guards sitting behind him and focused solely on Acrypha. For him, she was far more worth his time than all of these idiotsbined. If anything, she was perhaps the person worth most of his time in this world.


    "From what I can see, there are 70 of them. Most of them are level 10-13 with a few being level 14 and 15. They have decent weapons too. They aren''t weak by this world''s standards."


    "Yeah¡­ Perhaps from all the hunting they did." Talon said as he looked up again. "But, what does that have to do with anything?"


    "Simple, why don''t you make use of this additional power? You can make them work for you and benefit from them instead of simply killing them off. I believe that would be a better way to punish them for what they did." She exined.


    "Hmm, that isn''t a bad idea. But, how am I supposed to control them? Even if I scare them into submission. One of them will probably try to do something bad and I will end up having to deal with him." Talon replied with a shrug.


    "That''s not hard. Just bind them with a contract." Acrypha replied.


    "A contract? Wait, you mean a contract simr to the one you tried on me?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.


    "Exactly, that one. By the way, my offer is still present, you can ept it whenever you want." The beauty said in a mischievous tone as she licked her lips.


    But, Talon ignored that look and thought about her words for a second. "I thought making a contract is something only you can do."


    "No, every single creature that has the Core Dimension''s blessing can offer a contract to another creature. But, as I said before, a contract is only activated once the second party epts it with a full understanding of what it offers."


    "Wow, to think that is true. Well, that makes it perfect then. How do I initiate a contract?" Talon asked. "Wait, don''t tell me¡­ Do I have to kiss them?!"


    Recalling what happened the first time he met Acrypha, she kissed him deeply to initiate the contract.


    ''Blurgh, no please¡­'' Just imagining it made Talon shudder.


    "No, you don''t have to kiss them hahaha. All you have to do is just touch their foreheads, think of the contract you want to offer, and channel Aetheris to your fingertips. That would trigger it and all that''s left is for them to ept it." She said.


    "Then, why did you¡­" Talon opened his mouth to ask before he shook his head. "Not very much, ignore what I said."


    "Hm?" Acrypha raised an eyebrow in confusion.


    With that, Talon turned around and stared at the group coldly. "Who of you want to die first?" He asked.


    But, no one immediately answered for obvious reasons. But, Talon predicted that and continued speaking.


    "So, I assume none of you want to die?"


    The guards looked down as they faintly nodded.


    "Ok, fine, let me give you a choice instead. If you don''t want to die then you only have one single thing to do¡­ Work for me." He said.


    "Huh? Work for you?"


    "That''s an option?"


    "We can do that?"


    Questions and murmurs echoed in the ce, but, Talon stopped them all with one single p.


    "Yes, you have that choice now. My offer is this: I will bind you all under a contract with me. In the contract, you will unconditionally serve me, do what I must tell you without any questions, and ept whatever I say as the absolute order you must adhere to. In other words, you will be my puppets to control."


    His words made the guards frown visibly. No matter how they thought about it, what he said sounded like very rather than a contractual job. It was perhaps the same thing as what Cha Kwang was doing to them.


    "But, in return, I can guarantee you a normal life. You can live like everyone else, eat like everyone else, and do what everyone else does. I won''t kill you or beat you up unless there is a good reason for it and apart from the times I order you to do something, you''re free to do what you want the rest of the time." Talon exined.


    He knew that with what he said at first, they were not going to ept the offer willingly which is an important part of the contract. So, he put that part as bait so that whatever benefits he would give them will sound way better than it actually is.


    It was a simple trick Talon learned to manipte how people think and perceive things.


    "Oh¡­"


    Much to his expectations, the expression on the guards'' faces changed again as they started slowly contemting the offer to themselves. At that moment, Talon knew that he needed to hammer thest nail in the coffin.


    "You told me that you wanted to atone for your sins, no? Then, what better time to start than now? Instead of burning you all to death right here and now, I''m giving you a choice to live life better."


    "... We¡­"


    The men werepletely speechless. In a few seconds, what they assumed was a horrible offer became something really convincing. Talon had somehow turned it into a viable option for them to consider.


    ''They''re going to get convinced.'' He thought to himself as he squinted his eyes while watching their reactions change.


    Meanwhile, Acrypha watched all of that ur with an impressed look on her face. ''The ability to toy with your targets like this is a terrifying weapon. He really learned how to control others using words alone. I didn''t even teach him that. Where did he learn it from?''


    Acrypha still recalled when she first met the young man in front of her. He was an innocent and cheerful human who had no clue about anything. In a sense, he was a white sheet of paper. But, with time, Acrypha watched that white sheet of paper change colors every now and then before returning to being a white sheet of paper on its own.


    This was one of the moments where his color changed and it always impressed her.


    She never understood how someone could go through all of that and still remain the same person the entire time. Even she couldn''t do such a thing and yet Talon was the best example that it is possible.


    ''''Perhaps that''s why I found him to be too intriguing. No one other than him can stay the same no matter what happens.'' She thought to herself.


    "So, what is your choice? I don''t have the entire day. You have 10 seconds to give me an answer. Who wants to serve me and who wants to burn in hell?"


    Hearing that, the men quickly panicked as they started lifting their hands in the air.


    "Me, sir! I want to live!"


    "Me too!!"


    "Count me in!"


    "I would never choose death over anything else!"


    In a few short seconds, all the guards lifted their hands as they epted the offer. None of them refused and that surprised Talon. Even with how convincing he sounded, he expected a few of them to still think that dying is better than bing his puppets. But, he clearly underestimated how much these idiots valued their lives.


    ''Well, I can''tin, the more the merrier.'' He shrugged to himself as he approached the first man and slowly pointed his finger at his forehead.


    "This is a contract I will initiate using Aetheris. If any of you try to break this contract, you will die a very painful death. So don''t even try to mess around. Understood?"


    "Y-Yes, sir! *Gulp*"


    "Good." With that, Talon closed his eyes for a second as he thought of all the rules he wanted to add to the contract. From ''not harming any individual he tells them not to touch'' to ''Doing everything he asks immediately without any questions''. He made sure to think of every possible loophole that the contract could have and immediately closed it.


    Then, when he was certain that everything was perfect, he channeled Aetheris to his body and then to his fingertips. Meanwhile, the man felt a cold sensation pierce through his skull. It wasn''t painful or ufortable but still a very weird sensation.


    [Ding!]


    [A contract has been offered.]


    [Do you want to ept?]


    [Yes.][No.]


    Met with those choices, the man hesitated for a second as he felt extremely nervous. It almost looked like he was about to sell his soul forever and he didn''t know how to feel about it. But, in the end, this was clearly the better choice.


    ''I''m going to be fine¡­ I ept.''


    [Ding!]


    [Contract has been epted.]


    [Ding!]


    [Contract sessfully established.]


    At that moment, both Talon and the guard felt a very faint connection emerge between them. It wasn''t anything noticeable in normal cases but due to the circumstances, they felt it at that moment.


    ''Ok, he epted. I don''t know how I can feel this but somehow I can.'' Talon shrugged as he moved to the next one and did the same.


    Then, slowly, one by one, he initiated a contract with every single one of Cha Kwang''s men. It took a few minutes but when he was done, the entire group waspletely under his control.


    "Ok, time to try this contract thing." He murmured to himself.


    "Just say anything you want them to do and they will do it. You won''t need to use Aetheris to make them abide either." Acrypha said.


    "Ok, my first order for you is¡­ I want you to free Soomin and Shin-Il and all the women you have imprisoned in here and bring them here now." He said.


    The moment he finished those words, all the guards stood up at the same time before they all scattered away. They didn''t even hesitate for a second to do it.


    "Wow¡­ This feels a little weird. To easily control people with mere words¡­ What a power!" He eximed. "Thank you for the help, Acrypha. This is far more worth it than killing them." He said as he smiled at Acrypha.


    "Any time. If I can help you with anything, I will always do." She replied with a soft look on her face.


    Seeing that beautiful smile he loved to look at, Talon could only sigh.


    "... Are you trying to make me fall in love with you?" He asked jokingly.


    "Maybe¡­ Who knows?"


    "Have mercy on me, will you? I have a fragile heart."


    The two stared at each other before they startedughing.


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 41 - 41- Two Monsters (Part 1)

    His words echoed in the silent gymnasium as every student stared at him withplicated expressions. For a second, they forgot that Rim Kyung was still there, listening and seeing what was happening.


    Seeing his smile, many shuddered while others simply looked away. They couldn''t bear to look at him after everything that happened.


    "Why is everyone staring at me that way, huh? Did you really think she was going to help you be strong? Pfft, hahaha! You lot didn''t even kill cockroaches when the world was still at peace and now you suddenly want to kill monsters? Imend your optimism, it''s truly amazing." He pped as heughed.


    Rim Kyung loathed them all. He loathed their optimism, their will to live, and their belief that Hyun-Jae was going to give them the path toward those goals. He had boundless hatred toward her and Talon so his mindpletely ignored the possibility that it could be true.


    ''There is no way she can turn these weak maggots into actual warriors. That is impossible!'' He thought to himself.


    "You lot can''t do that and that''s why you need me! You need me to keep you alive! And all I asked for was your loyalty and respect. Yet, you still couldn''t even give me that! All I fucking asked was for you to listen to me and do what I say. Is that too hard toprehend for your peanut brains?"


    As Rim Kyung spoke, he didn''t realize that his words were having a rather different effect on the students than what he expected. This wasn''t the first time he mocked them in thest three days. In fact, he did that so often, the students started believing that they truly had no chance outside the gymnasium.


    It made them lose any hope of survival even more and that led to what they were at currently. However, after seeing Hyun-Jae, their president, arrive and promise them a way to salvation, their morals skyrocketed like never before.


    So, when they heard Rim Kyung''s hateful words, their fear slowly started turning into anger. Frowns filled their faces and their fists balled.


    The more he spoke, the more that anger started boiling. Until, at one point, it exploded.


    "Shut the hell up!!" One student yelled loudly, taking everyone by surprise.


    Even Rim Kyung was frozen in his ce as his eyes wandered to that student. He didn''t believe what he was hearing.


    "All you do is mock us and insult us!! Who are you to determine whether we can be strong or not?! You piece of scum!!" The student closed his eyes and continued yelling as if he didn''t care anymore.


    The other students around him slowly realized what he was doing and started joining in.


    "Yeah! We aren''t your followers! You''re just a greedy bastard!!"


    "I don''t listen to orders from you!!"


    "Me neither! Get out of here!"


    "Get out!!"


    "Get out!!"


    The insults quickly divulged into angry protests and chants to kick Rim Kyung out. The man himself stood in the middle of those hateful protests, unable to articte words.


    He thought everyone was under his grasp after he put them in their ces. He thought he was finally getting the recognition he deserved as a leader. This was what he was working for years, day and night, to be a leader.


    Yet, Hyun-Jae destroyed that dream of his... Twice.


    "Stop¡­" Clenching his teeth, Rim Kyung murmured.


    "Get the hell out, bastard!!"


    "Stop." He repeated in a little louder voice.


    "No one wants you here! Go and die outside!!"


    "I SAID STOP!!!" Thest one was the loudest,pletely stopping the protests.


    Looking around him, Rim Kyung''s face was dark. "I guess there is no point in trying to redeem you, low-lives."


    After that, Rim Kyung snapped his fingers. Immediately, a huge group of people surrounded him from all angles. Most of them looked like normal students while the rest had ck suits akin to that of bodyguards.


    "If you aren''t going to listen to words, perhaps I should give you a taste of what it''s like to try and oppose me." He said.


    Seeing the muscr men intimidatingly looking at them, many students started retreating in fear. Rim Kyung''s bodyguards were infamous on the campus. For some reason, he hired them to follow him all around the ce as if he were an important politician.


    No one knows why they were still following him even though the world ended.


    "Yeah, retreat, cowards! You don''t know who you''re dealing with here!" Adjusting his sses, Rim Kyung smiled wickedly as he was about to give the order for his followers to wreak havoc.


    However, at that moment, someone stepped forward.


    "Hm?" Rim Kyung''s gaze shifted to the direction the person wasing from. It was none other than his newly found enemy, Talon.


    "What do you want, huh? You still dare to approach me?!" Rim Kyung red at Talon angrily as he threatened him. However, thetter didn''t seem bothered at all.


    "You''re seriously something else, man. I don''t even know what to say anymore." He said as he lifted his spear and rested it on his shoulder. His face was calm but his eyes were far from that.


    "I''m going to shove your shoe in your mouth for what you did." He added with a cold tone.


    ''H-He''s still joking even in this situation?'' Everyone was blown away by Talon''s shameless words.


    Hyun-Jae watched with a smile. ''That''s more like him than anything else¡­'' She thought to herself.


    "Spout all the nonsense you want. I will make you prostrate in front of me like a dog. Guards!" Rim Kyung snapped his fingers and three guards immediately rushed forward holding their batons toward Talon.


    The way they moved was organized since they were professionally trained for years. They were seasoned fighters by all means. Talon stood in his ce silently as he watched them.


    "Move!!"


    The students'' hearts sunk in when they saw the three guards close the distance between them and their target. When they got close enough, they all attacked him with their batons.


    Everyone closed their eyes, expecting to hear Talon''s screams the next second. However, what happened was far from that. Out of nowhere, Talon suddenly moved like a sh, dodging the first baton before he changed his grip on the spear.


    *BANG*


    Swinging it powerfully, he hit the first guard on the side with the handle of the spear. A crisp sound of the man''s ribs shattering filled the gymnasium followed by a screech of extreme pain. The hit sent the man flying and he fell on the ground violently.


    Then, without waiting a moment, Talon extended his hand to grab the second baton without hesitation.


    "What?!" The second guard quickly tried to pull his baton away, only to realize that it waspletely stuck. Even with his amazing strength, he couldn''t move it an inch.


    Talon smiled before he swung the spear horizontally, hitting the man''s head with the handle again, knocking him unconscious.


    Meanwhile, the third guard''s baton descended on Talon, hitting him on the back of his head.


    "I got him!" The third guard eximed excitedly. The fear he felt witnessing his colleagues getting crushed easily made him forget to act professionally.


    However, what he expected to happen after that hit never happened. Even after a few seconds, Talon still didn''t fall to the ground.


    Instead, he slowly stood up on his feet and looked back with an angry look on his face.


    "That hurts." He said calmly before he clenched his fist andunched a punch aimed at the man''s chin.


    *BANG*


    The hit twisted the man''s head to the side, knocking him down with ease.


    Everyone watched the scene in total silence. The ce was so quiet that if a needle was to be dropped there, it would be heard loud and clear. No one could understand what just urred even though they saw it with their own eyes.


    "He¡­ defeated them?"


    "Am I hallucinating?"


    "No, he definitely defeated them! And he didn''t even seem like he was struggling at all!"


    Shocked murmurs and gossip filled the ce.


    "Tsk. I need to seriously learn how to fight other people."


    Meanwhile, Talon looked down at his own hand with a thoughtful look. When he stepped forward, he expected that he could defeat three guards without sustaining a hit. Yet, he was still hit with a baton at the end.


    "Martial arts aren''tmon in this world?" Acrypha asked as she floated next to him.


    "It''s popr, I just don''t know any martial arts."


    "Maybe I can help you a little in that regard." Acrypah thought for a second as she replied.


    "Wait, you can? That would be fantastic!" Talon replied excitedly.


    Seeing his sparkling eyes, Acrypha could only chuckle amusedly. In her eyes, Talon looked like a cute child eager to get what he wanted and she found that really adorable.


    ''Hey, what am I thinking of now?'' Shaking those thoughts away, she was about to speak when she heard a loud yell.


    "What the hell happened there?!" Rim Kyung pointed his finger shakingly at the three unconscious guards with a terrified look.


    ''W-What?! How did he do that?!''


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 42 - 42- Two Monsters (Part 2)

    Rim Kyung knew his guards better than anyone else and was aware of their strength. They were real professionals that he paid a lot of money to hire. In fact, all of them were soldiers in war before, a very battle-hardened group.


    Yet, three of them were suddenly beaten up easily as if it were nothing. His eyes could''ve almost popped out of their sockets from shock.


    ''How strong did he get from killing monsters?'' Gulping down a mouthful of saliva, Rim Kyung noticed Talon staring at him and it made him flinch and retreat in fear.


    Talon appeared like the boogeyman in his eyes and he couldn''t get that out of his head. Rim Kyung waspletely wrecked by fear, and so he acted upon it.


    "All the guards! Attack him, now!!" He said as he ran back.


    All the guards looked at each other with difficult looks. They had seen what happened and they would be lying if they said they wanted to go. However, the young master had told them to attack and so they had to.


    Talon stared at them with a smirk as he started swinging the spear in the air like a baseball bat. The sound of the weapon slicing through the air was terrifying.


    "*Gulp* Fuck it! We''re 6 and he''s 1! We can overpower him!"


    "Yeah!"


    Using that logic as their only hope, the guards immediately rushed toward Talon as they yelled at the top of their lungs.


    "Need any help, Talon?" Hyun-Jae asked as she stepped forward.


    "No, I will deal with these idiots myself. Take care of the other students, especially the ones who are still following Rim Kyung." He replied.


    Hyun-Jae nodded her head and then moved away, leaving Talon to face the 6 guards.


    ''The first time, they were 3. Can I beat 6 without getting hit?'' He thought to himself as he took a fighting stance.


    "Let''s see."


    *Swish*


    Like a sh, Talon dashed forward at top speed, taking the guards by surprise. Before they could even react, he already reached the first one and swung his spear, hitting him in the side like the first one.


    "AGGGH!!" He screamed in pain as he flew to the side.


    At the same time, Talon sidestepped, dodging the second baton before punching the guard in his stomach.


    The man spat out a mouthful of saliva as he was knocked back.


    ''Two down¡­'' Talon''s eyes moved around sharply as he took in all the details and things that were happening. His passive skill Enhanced Focus was magnificent in this regard.


    It gave his senses a huge boost whenever he was in a fight. He could notice the smallest movements that his brain wouldpute almost instantly. Even though it was still level 1, Talon felt like he could see everything 360 degrees around him.


    [Ding!]


    [Your passive skill Enhanced Focus has leveled up.]


    The moment Talon saw the notification, he felt the change almost instantly. His senses suddenly felt even clearer and sharper out of nowhere. His eyes could take in even more details than before and his ears could hear even smaller sounds. Also, Talon started feeling something different.


    Without the need for him to use his eyes or ears, he could sense that people were standing behind him. It was a very faint feeling but he was sure it was there.


    ''What is this?'' He thought to himself for a moment before he pushed those thoughts away and focused on the fight. He didn''t care about it for now.


    The third guard came from behind him and swung the baton from the side to take him by surprise. Talon didn''t waste time and guarded with his spear. He could''ve simply taken the hit since his body was three times stronger than that of an average human but he was challenging himself not to be hit.


    *BANG*


    The baton smashed against the handle of the spear. Talon used that opportunity and jumped in the air, kicking the man with his leg.


    The attack connected with the man''s arm as a crisp cracking sound reverberated around. Like a ughtered chicken, the man was sted away as he smashed against the ground in front of the shocked crowd.


    At this point, what Talon was doing looked like a miracle rather than reality.


    "Is this¡­ Is this how strong you can get with this power?" One asked.


    "I don''t know. But, if I can be like that, then I''m ready to go out and fight!"


    "Me too! He looks so cool!"


    What Talon wasn''t aware of was that his show of strength had actually made the students even more eager to go out. They all wanted to be like him simply because he looked amazing at that moment.


    His speed, uracy, strength, and everything else were top-notch. He was akin to a character in a movie with how ridiculous the stunts he was pulling off were.


    Meanwhile, the one being talked about waspletely focused on the fight. The remaining three guards tried to encircle him but didn''t attack out of fear. They were terrified by what they saw.


    ''What the hell is going on?!!!'' Rim Kyung watched from the background with a pale face.


    ''H-He''s a monster¡­ A monster!!''


    "Come on, guys. Let''s get this over with." Talon stood up and sighed. "I need to shove a boot in your leader''s mouth and rest, I''m really tired."


    His words were nonchnt and casual as if he was talking with friends. It was clearly a mockery toward the guards and that pissed them off.


    "Fuck!!" Finding no other choice, one of the guards rushed forward followed by the other guards.


    Talon could easily locate the three of them and he was ready to fight. But, at thest second, the three guards suddenly halted and then fell to the ground, prostrating.


    "Please spare us!!" They yelled at the same time.


    "... Huh?" Talon looked at them with confusion.


    "W-We don''t want to fight anymore! We will follow you!!"


    "..." Talon looked at them with a ''What the hell?'' expression. He never expected to hear this from the guards.


    "Why do you want to follow me?"


    "Because you''re very strong!"


    ''Eeeh, I guess that makes sense since I have beaten up 6 of them. But, seriously, where is your loyalty, guys?''


    "Please let us work under you. We will be useful!"


    "Interesting." Rubbing his chin, he contemted their words.


    "Hey!! What the hell are you doing?! Get up and fight!!" Rim Kyung saw that and was outraged by it. He hurled insults at the guards but they ignored him.


    ''No, no, no, no¡­ Come on!! Why are they not listening?!''


    "I guess it''s over then." Talon shrugged as he turned around to face Rim Kyung.


    "These three idiots realized that it was a pointless fight. You can''t me them." Talon smiled.


    "Shut up!!"


    "Ok, ok, so loud. Let''s get this over with, Rim Kyung. I''m not backing away from my im. Your boot is going be lodged into your mouth in¡­ 30 seconds?" Talon said as he looked at a non-existent watch.


    Realizing the huge catastrophe he was in, Rim Kyung started retreating, he turned around and started running toward the exit as fast as he could.


    "Really? You''re going to make me chase you?" Talon sighed as he suddenly dashed forward at top speed, crossing a good chunk of the distance between them in a few seconds.


    "Hah¡­ Hah... Stay away!! No!!" Rim Kyung yelled with a pale face as he tried to run as fast as he could, but, it didn''t take long for Talon to reach him.


    "Boo!" Peeking at him from the side, Talon made a yful scary sound.


    "AGHHH!!" Rim Kyung screamed before he found himself falling to the ground. Talon made him trip with his leg.


    *BANG*


    Smashing face-first into the ground, Rim Kyung rolled around before he finally stopped.


    "AGH! My teeth!!!" Grabbing his mouth, Rim Kyung screamed in pain. Blood was gushing out endlessly from his broken teeth.


    Talon approached him and then put his foot on top of his chest as he rested his arm on it.


    "So much for making me prostate like a dog, Rim Kyung."


    "Y-You¡­ YOU BATHTARD!!!"


    "Pfft, hahaha! Bathtard! Hahaha!" Talon startedughing.


    "Thut up!! (Shut up!!)"


    Talon startedughing loudly the more Rim Kyung spoke. He couldn''t pronounce a single word right.


    "Stop, please! I can''t breathe!" Wiping the tears from his eyes, Talon finally looked down. "Sigh, you know, I''m sure you could''ve been a great leader, man. Have you not be an egotistical piece of shit, your speech skills would''ve led you to great things. But, you mistakenly thought that you were better than everyone else. Idiot, without those people next to you, how do you expect to be a leader?"


    "..."


    Rim Kyung looked at Talon silently. His mess of a face had a sour expression on it. For one reason or another, Talon''s words resonated with him on a way deeper level than he thought.


    ''Without those people next to you, how do you expect to be a leader?''


    That particr sentence hit a string in Rim Kyung''s heart. At some point in the past, he recalled having those thoughts. He recalled being enthusiastically ready to serve his people as their leader.


    However, at some point in his life that he can''t remember, he diverged from the right path and went down this dark hole. He became violent, terrifying, ruthless, and arrogant. He forgot why he even wanted to be a leader in the first ce.


    Without realizing it, tears had already welled up in his eyes.


    "H-Huh? I''m¡­ crying¡­" Touching his face, he felt the wetness on his fingertips.


    "I guess you aren''tpletely irredeemable after all."


    "... Fuck¡­ This is frustrating¡­ Goddamit!!" Crying silently as he tried to wipe his face, Rim Kyung''s emotions spilled out like a dam.


    "Yeah, it is frustrating. But you know what''s even more frustrating?" Talon asked.


    "..."


    "The fact that I''m still going to shove your boot in your mouth."


    "H-Huh?"


    Before Rim Kyung could understand what he heard, Talon had already taken his boot off.


    "Say aaah!"


    "What?! No! Wait! I''m sorry!! I''m really sorry, please!!"


    *Swish*


    For a few seconds, the muffled screams of a man echoed in the gymnasium.


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 63 - 63- Chin-Hwa鈥檚 Decision (Part 1)

    After that, Talon and Hyun-Jae walked inside the gymnasium where they found all the students, clearly terrified beyond imagination by what happened. They had been listening to the bombing for the past several minutes without even knowing if one would drop down on their heads and kill them or not.


    That kind of anxiousness was akin to mental torture, especially when the entirety of the building waspletely dark and the only sense they could use was their ears.


    However, when they saw Talon and Hyun-Jae, the sheer happiness they felt was overwhelming. Their hope was back when they saw that they were fine.


    "The jets had flown away. They won''t continue this attack for now." Hyun-Jae dered seriously.


    Those words naturally made everyone exhale a long sigh of relief and be thankful their prayers were answered. Some cried in relief while others simply startedughing. After all of that tension, when things finally ended, their feelings overflowed.


    Talon and Hyun-Jae watched that scene withplicated gazes. Seeing that strong of a reaction from everyone was truly heartbreaking. These people were living normally merely a few days ago and yet suddenly, everything shifted and they had to learn how to fight, kill, and survive in this cruel world.


    Ignoring the fact that it was a humungous challenge to learn all of that, people easily forget about the mental aspect of it. Under such circumstances, one could easily crumble like a sand castle hit by the strong and continuous waves of the sea.


    However, there was nothing that could be changed about the situation unless they also changed. That was the sole rule that they had to follow in order to thrive.


    After that, Talon left Hyun-Jae and the students and went to check the condition of the ceiling. Luckily, Hyun-Jae''s words seemed to be correct as he didn''t find any noticeable cracks or indentations which meant that it was pretty much good.


    When he was done with that, he decided to leave again to check the condition of the campus thoroughly. The sun was already rising in the distance so it was a lot easier to see.


    "Fuuuh, I didn''t realize how cold it was today," Talon murmured to himself as stepped outside. The weather was seemingly growing colder and colder by the day ever since the integration happened.


    He didn''t know why that was happening but he was sure it had something to do with the ''Transition''. Staring into the horizon for a good few minutes, Talon left his thoughts to swim into the distance.


    The ce was quiet and the sun was peeking at him, throwing its rays upon this world. The scene was magnificent.


    After a while, Talon finally shook his head and shifted his gaze to the ce around him. As he expected, most of the buildings werepletely destroyed and those that were still standing were irreversibly damaged.


    Even the cafeteria building was ruinedpletely which could''ve been a catastrophe had the students not moved all the food to the gymnasium a day before.


    ''They killed a good number of monsters too, I guess.'' He mused as he noticed the monsters'' parts here and there. The entire area was wiped out of monsters on a bigger scale than what Talon and Hyun-Jae did.


    It was a bad and a good thing at the same time. Bad, because now Talon and Hyun-Jae had no weak monsters they could train the students on, and good because, well, no more monsters to worry about.


    However, this wasn''t Talon''s biggest concern at that moment. His biggest concern was somethingpletely different. So, he looked around, pinpointed a good location, and headed toward it.


    The location was one of the buildings that were still standing. It had most of its walls sted into pieces with the foundations barely staying intact. But, it was still good enough for Talon.


    *Swish*


    With a few simple jumps, Talon climbed to the top of the building and stared into the distance. When he saw what he was looking for, his expression changed.


    "Hm?" His eyes squinted as he crouched down with a confused look on his face. "This isn''t what I expected to see¡­" He murmured to himself.


    Far in the distance, his eyes were staring at the sole building he wanted to reach¡­ The research center.


    After what happened a while ago, he expected to see itpletely destroyed or at least heavily damaged like the other buildings around it. However, forget about that, the building looked as good as it was the first time he saw it.


    It had no damage or even traces of burning from yesterday''s attacks as if the missiles didn''t hit it.


    ''Did they deliberately not target it?'' He asked himself only to shake his head. There was really no reason for them not to hit unless there was something important in there which Talon doubted since barely a few dozen meters away from the research center, a building was sted into pieces that was a part of thepound of the research center.


    If the government had something they wanted to protect there, they would''ve never risked throwing a missile that close to the research center.


    What was even weirder and what made Talon seriously question what was going on was the cluster of monsters that surrounded that ce 24/7. Their numbers didn''t dwindle as he expected to see, instead, they seemed to increase even more!


    Rubbing the back of his head, Talon tried to understand what he was seeing, to no avail. The research center was such an odd and iprehensible ce for some reason. Ever since they received that weird message back in the warehouse and up till this point, everything rted to that building was screaming ''bizarre''.


    "This is getting weirder and weirder."


    To solve this mystery, Talon decided to do something about it. So, he hopped down from the building he was standing on and headed back to the gymnasium. His mind was still upied with what he saw.


    Something felt extremely off for him but he couldn''t put his hand on it. He felt like he was missing some kind of detail.


    "Thinking too much might make you look older."


    Suddenly, he heard a very beautiful and familiar angelic voice speaking near him. Looking to the side, Acrypha had appeared out of nowhere and was looking at him with a smile.


    "Oh, Acrypha, you''re back." He said with a raised eyebrow. "Where have you been?"


    Because of all the wild events that happened, he forgot that Acrypha wasn''t present the entire time. Not that this was the first time she left on her own to do whatever she wanted.


    "It''s nothing important. But when I heard the noisesing from here, I rushed back. What happened?" She asked.


    Sighing, Talon told her the whole matter from start to finish. By the time he was over, Acrypha''s expression changedpletely.


    "Missiles? This world has that kind of technology?"


    "Yeah, it''s probably not as advanced as some of the other worlds out there but we do have it," Talon replied. "It''s effective enough as you can see."


    Acrypha: "..."


    "We were able to destroy two missiles but I doubt they will stop at that."


    "Why would they attack this ce?"


    "I don''t know myself. That''s what Hyun-Jae and I are trying to figure out. Either way, I''m going to stay alert to anything that could happen today or in the next few days."


    If another attack happened, Talon would have to deal with it. But, he was worried that the next time they wouldn''t merely use a missile to destroy this ce.


    "What a weird world this is," Acrypha murmured.


    "Tell me about it." Talon sighed. "It''s one headache after the other."


    "I guess no dimension is free of fools."


    ***


    Meanwhile, far away from where Talon was, back in the warehouse. Chin-Wa, Shin-Il, and Soomin were in apletely different dilemma.


    It has been precisely 4 days since Talon and Hyun-Jae left the warehouse and yet they still didn''t return after all that time. Naturally, they were all extremely worried about it since Talon had said that it would take them at most a few hours to a day for them toe back.


    Yet, after a few days, there was no trace of them.


    "I''m going to the campus." Chin-Hwa dered with a deadly cold look. His face looked even more terrifying than usual due tock of sleep, and the stress he was under at the time.


    His mind was sopletely upied with Hyun-Jae and her well-being that he couldn''t focus on anything else. All kinds of bad thoughts kept bugging his head and it made him almost go insane.


    So, he finally decided to put a stop to all of it and go after Hyun-Jae.


    "What?!" Shin-Il asked with a pale expression. "You can''t do that, Chin-Hwa. President and Talon said that we need to remain here to protect the ce. If you leave, we will be in deep trouble."


    The past few days have been hectic with monsters for the trio. They had to kill many of them who tried to barge into the warehouse. Luckily, the three of them were strong enough to fend them off and grow even more powerful because of it.


    However, if Chin-Hwa left now, Shin-Il and Soomin would have to face all those monsters alone.


    "Shin-Il is correct. The two of them are extremely strong, they can take care of themselves. I''m certain they''re fine." Soomin nodded her head.


    However, Chin-Hwa shook his head as he rubbed his temples. "I can''t remain quiet as days pass without any trace of the presidenting back. It should''ve been a quick mission. Why is she not back yet?"


    Just uttering those words made the cold prince clench his teeth in frustration. He would rather die than see Hyun-Jae hurt or even worse¡­ dead.


    He couldn''t handle the worry he felt for her let alone the feelings that would get to him if he lost her.


    "..."


    The duo looked at him with difficult expressions. They understood why he was this adamant about going, hell, they also wanted to go. But, they also trusted the two of them more than anything else.


    "Please, don''t do this, Chin-Hwa. We can''t take care of this ce without you." Shin-Il said.


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 64 - 64- Chin-Hwa鈥檚 Decision (Part 2)

    The tension between the trio grew at a rapid pace. Chin-Hwa''s expression only grew darker and darker by the second as he looked down, thinking of what to do at the time.


    He was split between Hyun-Jae and what Hyun-Jae told him to do. If he went after her and found her, he was sure that she was going to be disappointed in him. However, at the same time, the mental torture of not knowing whether she was fine or not bugged his head constantly like an annoying insect.


    However, there was also a third reason that Chin-Hwa tried to ignore the entire time but failed to do so miserably. A reason that made him feel even worse and pushed him to the edge.


    ''She has been with that guy for days¡­'' He thought to himself as he balled his fists in frustration.


    Although he knew that Hyun-Jae would never actually seek a romantic partner since she had a secret that she hid from everyone¡­ Everyone excluding Chin-Hwa. He was the only one in this world that knew that secret and it made him feel special.


    However, even then, the fact that Talon had the privilege of staying with her for such a long period of time was something that he wasn''t going to ept.


    ''The only person fit enough to stand by her side is me!!''


    He didn''t care if that was unreasonable thinking from his side or if it was even true or not, he firmly believed in it and that''s what mattered most to him.


    Seeing that weird glint in his eyes, Shin-Il and Soomin found themselves even more confused. Chin-Hwa was acting far from the usual him. He feltpletely different and far more aggressive.


    However, since the situation was already tense as it is, they assumed that stress was simply getting to him.


    "Mmm, excuse me?"


    As they were like that, they heard a hesitant voice calling them from the side. The trio looked back at the same time only to see a man standing there.


    Ryan Seok had a very awkward look on his face as he felt their gazes on him. He sucked in a deep breath and finally looked up.


    "What do you want?" Chin-Hwa asked coldly as he gave him a threatening re.


    One of the other things that he was annoyed about was this man and the women with him. The trio kept to themselves and acted so suspiciously for no apparent reason. They didn''t seem like they even wanted to do anything except sit in their own corner, not interacting with the others.


    "Mmm, I''m sorry for interrupting you!"


    "It''s ok, what is it?" Shin-Il decided to speak since Chin-Hwa was scaring the man away.


    "Mm, my wife seems to be a little sick." He said as he pointed behind him.


    "Sick?" Soomin raised an eyebrow.


    "Y-Yeah, she is tired and her face looks really pale. I don''t know what to do." He added.


    "Hmm, let me check her out. I have some medical knowledge. I can''t promise you much though." Soomin adjusted her sses as she stood up and walked away.


    "T-Thank you!" Ryan Seok was about to turn around and follow her when he heard a cold voice.


    "Hey, you, stop right there," Chin-Hwa said as he stood up.


    "..." Ryan Seok flinched as he turned around. "You need me in something, sir?"


    "Yeah, we have to make some things clear." He said coldly as he approached Ryan Seok. "You don''t seem to understand the situation here clearly even though I made sure to rify it before. You have been sitting on yourzy ass the past week without doing anything, only consuming our resources without contributing anything in return."


    "..."


    "We aren''t having a charity here. If you want to remain in this ce, you better start working to earn it." Chin-Hwa red at him threateningly.


    "But¡­ I don''t know how to fight, sir!"


    "Do you think we all knew how to fight before everything happened? You have to learn like everyone else or pack your things and leave."


    "I-I can''t do that¡­ If I die, my wife and kid will be alone¡­" Ryan Seok hesitantly replied.


    "You bastard!" Grabbing him by the cor, Chin-Hwa red at the man angrily. "Who do you think you are, huh? Everyone here has people they want to go back to and we''re still risking our lives to do it. You are no exception! You hear me?!" Shaking him violently, Chin-Hwa pushed the man down.


    "Chin-Hwa, stop." Shin-Il grabbed his friend by the shoulder with a nervous look on his face.


    Thetter stared back at him for a second before he clicked his tongue and started walking away. "You better start doing what I told you or I will personally make sure you leave this ce, understood?"


    Ryan Seok waspletely terrified by what just happened as he heaved up and down. He was sure that if Shin-Il didn''t stop Chin-Hwa, he would''ve beaten him up.


    ''That bastard doesn''t joke around¡­ He was ready to hit me¡­'' He thought to himself as he wiped the beads of sweat on his forehead.


    "Are you ok, Mister?" Shin-Il Sighed as he approached Ryan Seok and extended his arm for him.


    "Y-Yeah¡­ I''m fine, thanks for helping me." He said as he took his hand and stood up. "He was really angry, wasn''t he? haha¡­" The manughed dryly.


    "I''m sorry for that, Chin-Hwa is usually considerate even though he doesn''t look like it. Stress is affecting him a littletely." Shin-Il said.


    "It''s fine, it''s fine. I didn''t take any offense to that."


    ''That bastard will pay for what he did to me.'' Ryan Seok thought to himself secretly as he looked at Shin-Il.


    "To be honest, sir. Although I don''t agree with how Chin-Hwa treated you, I still think he''s right. You need to learn how to fight if you want to survive in this world. Staying here will only put you and your family in even more danger."


    Ryan Seok: "..."


    "I can help you train and maybe kill a few monsters, you know? It''s not as hard once you figure it out." Shin-Il smiled innocently at the man.


    "Mmm, if you say so¡­"


    "Of course! You would even have a higher chance of protecting your family and surviving in the future." Shin-Il beamed.


    After that, Shin-Il excused himself and left Ryan Seok alone. Thetter looked at his silhouette as he walked away with a very weird glint as he formed a small, wicked smile on his face.


    "I will ept your kindness then, good sir." He murmured mysteriously.


    ***


    *Back on the campus*


    "So, tell me exactly what happened at the research center right before everything happened," Talon said as he crossed his arms in front of him staring at two students, one male and one female.


    "Everything?" The male student asked hesitantly.


    "Every single detail you can remember. Even if you think that detail is pointless or insignificant, tell me everything." Talon exined in a serious tone.


    The two students were confused as to why Talon wanted such information but they didn''t dare to ask.


    "O-Ok." The female student replied. "Ehem, a few hours before the earthquake, we were inside theb at the research center doing some experiments for our project in chemistry. We were the only ones inside the research center at the time."


    "No, there was also the guard at the entrance, remember?" The male student cut her off as he snapped his finger.


    "Ah, right, the guard! I-I''m really sorry for forgetting!!" She apologized nervously.


    "It''s fine, I''m already asking too much from you to remember all of that. I appreciate youing here to tell me. You have no idea how helpful that is to me." Talon smiled slightly as he assured them with a gentle voice.


    "..." (x2)


    The two werepletely speechless when they saw Talon''s smile. For some reason, even with his barely above-average looks, Talon''s smile was extremely charming. It had a certain feeling to it that they couldn''t wrap their heads around.


    The male student simply blinked in surprise while the girl blushed with a dazed look on her face.


    "Mr. Charming is back in business," Acrypha said as she snickered.


    "What?" Talon looked at her with confusion. "What do you mean?"


    "You charmed them with your smile." The woman smirked amusedly.


    "I didn''t do that. It was just a normal smile."


    "Yeah, sure~"


    Sighing, Talon looked away from his beautifulpanion and to the two students again. "Go ahead and continue."


    "Mm, since no one was technically inside the research center, the ce was quiet. We spent the time doing our work. We barely chatted and when we did, it was all about the project. Mmm, that continued for a few hours and then the earthquake happened so we rushed outside." The girl said.


    "We didn''t know what was happening so we simply escaped the area as fast we could when we saw the monsters." The male student nodded his head as he added.


    "Ok, before that, did you notice anything weird happening? Anything that was not normal?" Talon asked.


    "Something weird? Hmm, let me see. I don''t remember anything particrly odd, to be honest." The male student said.


    However, the girl was still thinking when her eyes shed suddenly.


    "Oh, right! I think that a few minutes before the earthquake, I heard someoneugh outside the building. It sounded like the guard was having some fun on his own." She said.


    When Talon heard that, he went silent for a second he bent forward. "Laugh?"


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 67 - 67- Disaster In The Distance (Part 1)

    After an entire week of training, Talon was already a master at the spear at a level where he could easilypete with people who had trained for years using that weapon. His spearmanship skill, coupled with his monstrously fastprehension speed made his progress look almost like a lie.


    Even by Acrypha''s standards, Talon was ridiculously good at learning new things and implementing them almost instantly. He didn''t take long to graspplicated stuff even though it would normally take years and years to master.


    However, for one reason or another, Talon didn''t seem to be leveling up his spearmanship skill. Even though he keeps receiving notifications telling him that his spearmanship is improving constantly.


    "This is really annoying," Talon murmured as he exhaled a long breath and readjusted his position. He had been training for the past two hours and his eyes had been led to the countless ''Your Spearmanship skill has improved'' notifications again and again.


    However, even after 20 of them, his skill was still level 3, something that annoyed him.


    "Why is it not increasing, Acrypha?" He turned around confusedly.


    "The more your skill levels up, the more is required for it to move to the next level. In your case, training alone won''t cut it. To break through, you need to fight and kill monsters using the skill." Acrypha exined.


    "Oh, that makes sense. I don''t know why I didn''t figure that out myself." Talon murmured as he rubbed his chin.


    "At higher levels, it would take you far more than that to level it. Some entities would take hundreds of years just to level one of their skills."


    "Hundreds of years?!" Talon blurted in shock.


    "Of course, what do you expect? The strength they will gain from that simple level is far beyond anything you can fathom. At extremely high levels, the difference between each level is like heaven and earth."


    Talon shook his head with an overwhelmed look. He really can''t fathom how massive the difference is and it hurts his brain to even try to understand it. So, he gave up as quickly and focused on his spear.


    "Well, training is still good since I want to learn how to use the spear before I fight monsters with it."


    "Practicing is key. Leveling up is good but the true learning is that you engrave into your very body with continuous training." Acrypha added with a nod of her head.


    "Why does that sound like a quote an old man from the mountains would say?" Talon chuckled.


    "Hey, who are you calling an old man, you little rascal?"


    "Ah, sorry, old granny, not man." He smirked mischievously.


    "Hmph! Find an old granny as beautiful as me and we can talk. No, scratch that, find any woman as beautiful as me." Acrypha puffed her chest angrily.


    "Is that a challenge?" Talon raised an eyebrow.


    "It''s not a challenge if you''re bound to lose it." Acrypha winked.


    "So arrogant." He rolled his eyes at her jokingly. "But, truth has to be told, you are by far the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. By a far margin too." He shrugged.


    Acrypha: "..."


    Talon was looking away so he didn''t notice the change in Acrypha''s expression when he said those words.


    ''This kid has a smooth tongue and he doesn''t even realize it.'' Acrypha thought to herself as she touched her chest. For some reason, her heart raced a little when she heard those words.


    Being someone of great standing, Acrypha naturally heardpliments countless times. However, this one felt different and she didn''t know why. Perhaps it was theck of any malicious intent in his words and the straight honesty that made it feel special or maybe it was something else, either way, Acrypha liked it.


    However, before she could even speak, suddenly, she noticed something weird. Looking down, Acrypha noticed that the pebbles and rocks on the ground started to shake out of nowhere.


    It was subtle at first and could even be ignored, but it slowly grew in intensity and rhythm. Squinting her eyes, Acrypha snapped her finger at Talon. "Hey,e look at this."


    "Hm?" Talon raised an eyebrow as he approached her. "What?"


    "This¡­" She said as she pointed down.


    Talon''s eyes trailed down to the ground as he noticed the subtle shaking of the rocks. He frowned slightly as he crouched down and stared at it in silence. That''s when he felt it, the shaking had moved to his body.


    "An earthquake?" He murmured in confusion.


    "No, this isn''t an earthquake." Acrypha shook her head. "Focus on the rhythm."


    The young man was confused at first before he listened quietly again to the rhythm and counted the seconds before each shake. It didn''t take him long to realize what Acrypha meant as his eyes widened and he stood up.


    "No, don''t tell me¡­" Talon''s voice turned dead cold. This wasn''t the first time he had felt that rhythm, hell, it was still a vivid memory in his head. Looking around, he rushed to the nearest high-ground area and climbed it to check for himself.


    Reaching the top, he gazed into the horizon with his sharp eyes. With his enhanced focus skill, staring almost ten miles into the distance was an easy task. What he saw shook him to the very core.


    The buildings in the distance were shaking violently as they started copsing one after the other as if they were a series of dominoes. The trail of dust they left behind was so gigantic that it covered Talon''s vision.


    However, that didn''t hide the culprit for this destruction. A horde of monsters, at least 400 strong, was moving through the city, wreaking havoc as it moved. They didn''t seem like they had any intentions to stop. Crazed howls and cries echoed in the vicinity, shaking the world with terror. It was a sight straight out of a nightmare.


    The worst part was¡­ That horde was heading straight toward the campus.


    "Oh no, no, no." Talon gripped his spear as he turned around. "They''re moving towards us!"


    Without waiting a second, Talon descended and rushed back to the gymnasium.


    ''If they enter the campus grounds, we''re all screwed. Shit!'' He cursed. Talon wasn''t sure why that horde was suddenly triggered into moving this violently toward the campus ground but he was sure that it wasn''t going to end well if he didn''t do something.


    However, Acrypha didn''t immediately move with him as she kept staring at the horde with sharp eyes.


    ''Something is off about their movements¡­ It''s almost as if they''re following something.'' She thought to herself before she turned around and flew after Talon.


    The two reached the gymnasium quickly as Talon rushed inside.


    "Everyone, leave everything you''ve been doing and grab your weapons now!! Everyone moves to their assigned groups and get ready!!" He yelled as he rushed inside.


    "What?"


    "Huh?"


    All the students were confused by the sudden yells as they flinched. Seeing Talon, they noticed the dead serious expression on his face.


    "Everyone, move! Monsters are approaching the campus from the outside! I need everyone to get ready to defend this ce!"


    "Huh?"


    "Monsters?"


    "From the outside?"


    The students were naturally confused. But, since Talon''s orders were clear and straightforward, they immediately moved, unaware of the severity of the situation.


    "Go Young-Soon, organize them. Hei-Ran and Mo Shin make sure everyone has a weapon ready and move all the archers or long-range weapon users to the roof."


    "Y-Yes, sir!" The trio didn''t even wait a moment as they dispersed ordingly.


    Meanwhile, Talon headed toward his room as he opened the door. There, he found Hyun-Jae had just woken up and was staring through the window.


    "What''s going on?"


    "A horde of monsters is approaching this ce in an hour or so," Talon said as he approached her.


    "What? Why?" Hyun-Jae blurted out in shock.


    "I don''t know what triggered them but they don''t seem like they''re going to stop. We need to stop them or this entire ce will go down on our heads." Talon replied with a serious tone.


    "How many¡­?" Hyun-Jae asked as she picked up her sword with a serious look.


    "A few hundred at least. Most of them are weak monsters, some are a little high-leveled from what I''ve seen. I already ordered the students to get prepared. We will need any help we can."


    "Are they even ready for such a thing?" Hyun-Jae asked with a frown. "Most of them barely learned to pick a weapon and kill a Dimension Walker."


    She knew that the students barely killed their first monsters a few days ago. They were far from ustomed to it to even face such an ordeal.


    "There is no other choice. We can''t kill that many monsters alone. The least they can do is to protect the gymnasium from any monsters that escape us. I know we can handle the rest." Talon said as he turned around.


    ''Goddamit! Even then, how many can I even kill on my own?'' Talon cursed inwardly as he ran his hand through his head.


    This was going to be brutal and he knew it very well. Yet, such a brutal challenge appeared out of nowhere and was threatening all the things he built up so far.


    Meanwhile, the horde of monsters grew closer and closer as it crushed its way through anything in its way. The sheer destruction it left behind was unimaginable, ttening the entire ce. The countdown for their approach started.


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 68 - 68- Disaster In The Distance (Part 2)

    "Where are theying from exactly?" Hyun-Jae asked as the two rushed out of the room.


    "Northwest. Though they probably stretched straight north after ttening out the entire area." Talon exined as he opened his status window to check his current level and other things rted to it.


    [Talon Everhart-


    Level: 16


    Dimension: Low-D (ess to other dimensions restricted. Reach level 25 to unlock.)


    ss: [Dimension Maniptor]


    [Requirements for activation:


    -Kill 100 Level 10+ monsters with a single attack. 1/100


    -Kill 2 level 20+ monsters on yourself. 0/2


    -Collect 200 Energy Cores of monsters level 8+. 13/200


    -Collect 100 Item Cores of monsters level 5+. 10/100]


    Strength: 47 (+5)- Agility: 52 (+2)- Stamina: 54 (+2)- Health: 50 (+5)- Aetheris: 105]


    Free Points: 15


    Skills: [Dimension Harvester (Lower Dimension) Level 1: Using this ability, you can link with alternate versions of yourself in parallel dimensions and acquire their skills. Costs Aetheris to activate.


    Skills avable: Spearmanship (Level 3)/ Enhanced Focus (Level 3)/ Poison Resistance (Level 4)


    w: Overusing the ability could lead to permanent brain damage.]


    [Regeneration (Level max): Your health stats increase by 10. Your pain tolerance increases.


    w: Reduces agility by 2 points.]


    [Tear Of Reality (Level 2): The Dimensions are a thin fabric away from each other. Yet, no one can tear that fabric and get through. Using this skill, you can tear open that fabric momentarily, causing devastating destruction.


    w: The bigger the tear, the higher the chance you sustain internal damage. Reduces as the skill levels up.]


    (A//N: I won''t be showing this status window that often so do tell me if you want to see it every 50 chapters or so.)


    "Not bad." He murmured as he read through it with a thoughtful look. His stats were looking good after all the leveling up he went through and the status bonuses he umted from his weapon and skills.


    His free points were also at the 15-point mark which was great since he was going to need every single ounce of strength for this fight. However, Talon still found himself in front of a problem.


    ''Should I allocate them now or during the fight?'' Frowning at the dilemma he found himself in, Talon scratched his head. With the huge number of monsters he was about to fight, Talon knew he was going to use those points sooner orter. But, he also didn''t want to waste all of them if he wasn''t going to need them all.


    Leveling up was bing harder and harder as he went so each point became more precious the more he leveled up.


    "What do you think, Acrypha?" He turned around to his partner.


    "It''s a good idea not to use all of them since you will probably need themter on. However, you also need a boost of strength now so using a part of them sounds like the best n." She suggested.


    "Hmm, yeah, seems so. I will use 10 points and leave 5." He decided and opened the status window again.


    ''Allocate 5 points to strength, 3 to agility, and 2 to stamina.'' He thought as the system immediately responded.


    Feeling the newfound strength soar through his body, Talon exhaled a long breath. His strength was now that of approximately 5 average people which was ridiculous. Talon was now a superhuman in every sense of the word and was still evolving constantly.


    ''I wonder how it would feel if I be hundreds of times stronger than a normal human? It would definitely be wild.'' He mused.


    "Talon?" Hyun-Jae called him as she turned around.


    "Hm? Yeah, I''ming." He nodded his head as he rushed after her. The two reached the gymnasium''s main area where everyone was standing in their groups with anxious looks. At this point, they can feel the ground shaking beneath their feet as the horde moves toward them.


    They were waiting for Talon and Hyun-Jae to arrive and exin what was exactly going on.


    "Sorry for the wait everyone," Talon said as he stepped in front of them. "I will briefly exin what''s going on so everyone listens quietly." He gazed at them strongly, making them go silent.


    After he made sure they were all listening, he took a deep breath. "There is a huge horde of monsters heading straight toward this ce in about an hour or so. Their numbers are huge, at least a few hundred."


    "A few hundred?!"


    "Oh no!"


    "What?! Why are theying here?!"


    "No¡­ No!"


    Naturally, the news sent terror through everyone as murmurs erupted between them. The atmosphere inside the gymnasium changedpletely in a split second.


    "Calm down everyone, he hasn''t finished yet." Hyun-Jae pped her hands, catching their attention again.


    Her words didn''t calm them downpletely but they at least made them focus on Talon again. Thetter gave Hyun-Jae a faint nod before he turned around again.


    "Yeah, the situation is honestly not good. However, that doesn''t mean it ispletely unsalvageable. I believe we can stop them in their tracks with our current strength." He dered loudly.


    "What?"


    "Did he say we can stop them?"


    "Hundreds of monsters? How can we do that?"


    "It''s impossible!"


    Naturally, many were skeptical, and even more were questioning whether they could even kill a monster let alone hundreds. Talon saw all of that but didn''t get phased by it.


    "Everyone was training and working hard for a purpose and that purpose was to kill those nasty things and stop them frompletely destroying the world and wiping us all out. Isn''t that what everyone wants?" He asked as he looked around at the students.


    Seeing their expressions subtly change, Talon nodded his head. "Exactly, we all want our world back to how it was, we all want our families and loved ones to be safe and sound. Which is why we should fight those things and kill them all. Now, they areing here, threatening to kill us. If we don''t fight, we''re all dying."


    Talon didn''t hold himself back from giving them reality as it was. He wasn''t someone to sugarcoat his words to anyone as that would only give them false ideas of what was actually happening.


    That obviously led toplicated expressions on the faces of all the students. But, Talon hasn''t finished yet.


    "I understand how you''re feeling. I''m also terrified, but as I said before, fear isn''t something that should stop you. I wouldn''t let myself hide or run away just because of it. There are really only two choices here¡­" Lifting up two fingers, Talon continued.


    "You can either continue hiding here and destroy all the progress you made the past few days. Or,e with me and pave the path for a better world for everyone. A world where all of you will be heroes that will be revered for decades toe. This is your opportunity." He dered loudly with a confident tone.


    His words sent shivers down their spines as they felt a rush of excitement fill their hearts. It was true that they were terrified to no extent, but their desire to live was as intense if not more than that.


    ''I don''t want to die¡­ But, if I don''t fight, I will die too.'' They all thought which further instilled that idea in their heads.


    "The president and I will be the first to rush toward them, we won''t hide or stay behind. This is our problem as much as it''s yours. I promise you I will do everything within my abilities to kill as many as I can. To a better future, folks!" He lifted his fist in the air as he balled it tightly.


    Everyone stared at Talon with a burning fire in their eyes. Then, one by one, they lifted their hands up in the air as they yelled in union.


    "We will follow you, Talon!!"


    "I will definitely murder those bastards!!"


    "We won''t spare a single one!!"


    "Let''s get rid of them all!!"


    Their shouts echoed in the entire gymnasium and beyond it. Hyun-Jae watched the students cheer excitedly with an impressed look. As a leader herself, she knew how hard it was to make an entire crowd that riled up with simple words. It required someone with extremely good speech skills and a voice tone that conveyed those emotions well.


    It wasn''t something that could be learned, but a god-given talent and a lot of preparation, yet Talon was able to do that without the need for any prior rehearsal.


    "Hyun-Jae, get ready, I need you outside with me. We gotta do some preparations before that." Talon turned around as he whispered to Hyun-Jae.


    She could see the glint in his eyes, she immediately knew that Talon had an idea.


    "Hm? What are you nning?" She asked as she noticed that.


    "I think I know how to reduce their numbers by a lot without putting anyone in danger¡­ technically." He said.


    "What, you have such an idea?" Hyun-Jae asked with her eyes wide.


    "Yeah, though I''m not sure how many it could kill. At worst, maybe a few dozen monsters¡­" He said as he started walking.


    "And what if at best?" She questioned.


    "At best? Hmm,..." Smiling confidently, Talon replied. "we could half their numbers."


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 71 - 71- Brutal And Bloody (Part 1)

    The seconds passed slowly for Hyun-Jae as she waited for Talon anxiously. She didn''t even notice her hands shaking subtly. Her heart was starting to race ever-so-slightly with each passing moment she couldn''t see him appearing out of the destruction safe and sound.


    Her mind didn''t even register that she was this terrified of not seeing Talon. She was too upied with him to even care about what she was feeling at that moment let alone question the behavior she was exuding.


    ''Where are you? Don''t make it any longer or I will go down there!'' She thought as she held herself asposed as she could in front of the students. She didn''t want to show them anything that would break their spirit or terrify them.


    *BOOOOM*


    Her only indication that Talon was still alive was the buildings continuously crumbling one after the other followed by the howls of paining from the monsters. The situation seemed to be moving in the right direction that Talon nned.


    ''4 more houses¡­'' She thought to herself.


    ***


    Meanwhile, Talon had already finished the sixth building and everything was working out perfectly. The monsters had no awareness to avoid his traps each time so they fell into it like the brainless beasts they are.


    "What brought you here, Chin-Hwa? Are the others ok?" He asked as he continued moving.


    "They''re fine. Is the president fine? I came here to check on her since she didn''te back." He replied in a cold tone.


    ''I''m surprised he is able to keep his cold and aloof aura even though I''m carrying him like a sack of potatoes.'' Talon raised an eyebrow as he shook his head.


    "We faced some problems and it''s taking us a while to finish the mission. The president is fine."


    Hearing that, Chin-Hwa exhaled a long breath of relief as he felt his anxious heart calm down.


    ''So the president is really fine¡­ Thank god¡­'' He closed his eyes for a moment as he felt overwhelming happiness fill his heart.


    *BANG*


    Destroying another pir, Talon looked down. "It was honestly a really dumb idea for you toe here. You could''ve died right there if I didn''t pull you at thest second. What were you thinking? Look at what you did now. An entire horde of monsters is on our asses!"


    Chin-Hwa: "..."


    As much as he hated to admit it, Chin-Hwa knew that Talon had a point. He was so close to his death that for a second, he was certain that it was over. Yet, Talon saved him in the nick of time.


    Seeing the subtle change in Chin-Hwa''s expression, Talon sighed as he looked ahead with a deadpan look. "You were worried about her, weren''t you?"


    Chin-Hwa''s eyes widened for a second before he quietly nodded his head.


    "I see¡­ Well, you''re still a huge dumbass for rushing here to see her. Did you think it was going to be easy? Don''t overestimate your abilities, brother." Talon said.


    Chin-Hwa clenched his teeth in frustration as he looked away. "I don''t need any advice from you."


    "Well, suit yourself. You will hear the same things from Hyun-Jae." Talon replied.


    "Huh? Hyun-Jae? Why are you calling the president by her first name?" The cold prince asked with a strong re.


    "It''s nothing big, dude. I just use her name since it''s easier."


    ''Damn, for a popr guy, he''s surely one jealous goofball.'' Talon rolled his eyes as he sliced through another pir, killing more monsters on his way.


    Finally, he reached thest building that he was going to destroy and was about to slice through it when suddenly¡­


    *CRACK*


    The building''s walls started cracking before he could even hit them. The reaction expanded in a split second and before Talon knew it, the building was crumbling on his head.


    ''Shit!!'' Feeling alerted, he quickly tried to dodge the falling debris as fast as he could. His inhumane reaction speed kicked in and his body jumped to the side as fast as he could. However, because he was a split secondte, he found himself right under a giant boulder.


    At the same time, Chin-Hwa''s eyes moved up toward the rock. Then, without waiting a second, he channeled his Aetheris.


    *BANG*


    The rocks fell down and the rubble and dust rose into the air, creating a giant cloud.


    "Cough! Cough! Cough! Fuck!!" Talon cursed as he inhaled a huge amount of dust. Blinking slightly, he looked around him only to be surprised by what happened.


    He and Chin-Hwa werepletely fine even though the debris fell on them. No, to be more precise, no debris fell directly on them and the reason for that was floating right above their heads.


    A semi-transparent, slightly curved rectangr barrier was floating quietly. The debris that fell on it slid on both dies, avoiding Talon and Chin-Hwa. Looking down at the cold prince, Talon raised an eyebrow. Thetter seemed like he was having a really difficult time keeping the barrier activated so he gave up and the barrier immediately vanished.


    Some dust and debris fell on their heads, turning them white.


    "Since when did you get this ability?" He asked as he stood up, dusted his clothes, and rustled his already messy hair.


    "A few days ago." Thetter replied briefly.


    "Fair enough¡­ Really useful ski-"


    *GROWL*


    "Oh! We need to move! Can you keep up?!" Talon asked as he turned around and started running, followed by Chin-Hwa.


    "I''m not a weakling, bastard! Watch me!" The cold prince dered as he dashed after him.


    Talon looked behind only to see Chin-Hwa barely a meter or two behind him.


    ''Damn, he really grew stronger the past few days, huh. He isn''t messing around.'' Talon thought to himself as the two moved through the streets back to the gymnasium.


    ***


    "Hm?"


    At the same time, Hyun-Jae''s eyes caught the sight of two people running in the distance, followed by an ungodly number of monsters.


    "Wait¡­ Two?" Hyun-Jae squinted when she noticed the oddity.


    One of them she could easily recognize which was Talon and the other was¡­


    "Chin-Hwa? What is he doing here?"


    She had a million questions in her head as to why he was here but seeing the hordes of monsters, she immediately put them to the side as she looked back.


    "Get ready everyone! Hold your lines no matter what and don''t let any monster get past you. As long as you''re all standing like a strong barrier, nothing can break through!!" She said as she jumped down and unsheathed her sword. Electricity rushed through her body as it illuminated it a little before it moved to the de of her weapon.


    Then, she aimed the de at the monsters as she charged it up.


    "Fuuuh¡­"


    "Hurry up!!" Talon yelled as he looked back. They were getting close to the area where they nned to fight them. In the distance, he could see Hyun-Jae''s silhouette.


    ''Perfect, she''s in time!'' Talon smiled as he turned around. "At my count, you will jump to the side. Understood? Choose left or right, I don''t care!"


    "..." Chin-Hwa looked at him silently.


    "Here we go, in 3¡­ 2¡­1! Jump!!" Talon said as he quickly moved to the side.


    Chin-Hwa followed suit. The next second, a st of lightning flew through the area as it smashed into the lines of monsters.


    *BOOOOM*


    Monsters flew everywhere as they got sted by the explosion while others were electrocuted and fried.


    "Oh¡­" Chin-Hwa looked back with a shocked look. The hit was so strong that itpletely shambled the front line of the horde and made the rest stumble and fall in a chaotic manner. It didn''t kill many, but it certainly pushed the monsters back enough for Talon and Chin-Hwa to escape.


    "So amazing¡­"


    "Good job, Hyun-Jae!" Talon said as he reached her and turned around pulling his spear.


    "I was worried for a second there! What happened?!" She asked as she stared at the monsters.


    "Ask your little friend here. It seems he''s the one that led this horde here."


    "I''m¡­" Chin-Hwa approached Hyun-Jae with aplicated expression. "I didn''t know that this would happen. I came here to check if you''re fine¡­"


    "And you left Shin-Il and Soomin alone?" She asked with a strong look on her face.


    "I¡­ They will be fine, I know that¡­" He said.


    However, his words only made Hyun-Jae''s gaze grow even angrier. But, in the end, she looked away and sighed.


    "We will talk after all of this is over." She said, stepping forward. "We have to kill these things first."


    "Well, since he''s here, we might as well make use of him. You can fight, right?" Talon asked.


    "I can!"


    "Good, then your goal is to simply kill as many of them as possible without dying. We don''t want to dive deeper into their lines so that we don''t get surrounded. Got it?"


    The cold prince nodded his head as he pulled his katana out. "Just don''t stand in my way."


    ''He got the spirit for a big idiot.'' Talon smiled in his head.


    "Now, let''s get this over with."


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 72 - 72- Brutal And Bloody (Part 2)

    The lightning attack dissipated quickly across the horde and its effects vanished the next second. Many monsters fell to the ground shaking violently while others were thrown in disarray because of it.


    However, it didn''t take them long to regain their bnce and flood the entire area. Their steps shook the ground like an earthquake and their growls and howls filled the world.


    Talon slowly stepped forward as he moved his spear gently around his arm. His eyes were deadly cold and his breathing was calm and steady.


    [Ding!]


    [You have activated ''Spearmanship''.]


    His steps slowly grew faster and faster as the hordes of monsters grew closer and closer to him. Even under their wild, untamed looks and pure savagery, he didn''t flinch nor look away.


    *Swish*


    Then, out of nowhere, he started running toward them, slowly increasing his speed till he seemed like a blur to untrained eyes.


    Barely a secondter, he was a few meters away from the monsters. So, without hesitation, he gripped his spear tightly and leaped in the air at full speed, crossing the remaining distance.


    In his vision was the first monster he aimed for, using both hands, he stabbed forward with his spear. For a moment, the weapon appeared like a sh as it sliced through the air, piercing the monster''s head with ease.


    [Ding!]


    [You have killed a level 7 One-Eye Monkey.]


    Talon ignored the notification as he pulled the spear out and immediately sliced it to the side, cutting two monsters'' heads. Swiftly, he spun the spear around and stabbed behind him at a monster that tried to sneak around before he jumped back.


    In just a few seconds, he killed 4 monsters as if it was nothing without sustaining any damage whatsoever. But, he wasn''t done yet, dashing forward, Talon daringly dived into the enemy lines as he sliced left and right.


    With his strength and speed, no monster was able to stay alive the moment the spear touched them. Blood exploded everywhere he went followed by growls of deadly pain. The earth beneath him was turned into a sea of blood and bodies.


    [Ding!]


    [Ding!]


    [Ding]


    [Ding!]


    Notifications kept appearing and disappearing endlessly as Talon continued his rampage. His enhanced focus skill worked full-throttle as he moved through enemy lines.


    [Enhanced Focus has improved.]


    [Enhanced Focus has improved.]


    [Enhanced Focus has improved.]


    [Enhanced Focus has improved.]


    [Ding!]


    [Enhanced Focus has leveled up.]


    Feeling his senses sharpen even more, Talon''s speed increased along with it as his eyes moved left and right at ridiculous speed while his brain calcted all the right moves he needed to do like a killing machine.


    Meanwhile, Hyun-Jae and Chin-Hwa witnessed that sight from the sidelines and could only shudder at how terrifying it was. Talon wasn''t simply killing these things, he was massacring them without hesitation.


    The scene was horrible to witness but also impressive to endless degrees. Especially Chin-Hwa, he realized that Talon had grown way stronger during the few days he didn''t see him. His overwhelmingly crushing strength had jumped by leaps and bounds again.


    ''I can''t let him exceed me!!'' Shaking his head, he held his katana as he noticed the monsters rushing toward him. Holding the sword above his head, he waited for the first monster to approach him. When it got close, Chin-Hwa suddenly shed forward like a ghost, appearing behind the monster with a subtle ringing of the sword.


    "Fuuuh¡­" He exhaled a long breath as he heard a loud thud behind him.


    Then, without looking back, he rushed forward. Using his katana, Chin-Hwa skilfully cut the monsters in his path. He wasn''t extremely fast or extremely strong, but he had incredible technique with the sword.


    His moves looked so easy, fluid, and perfect, giving the hallucination that he was merely swinging the sword left and right.


    His eyes were dead sharp and his arms were straightened as he held the sword with two hands rather than one.


    Meanwhile, Hyun-Jae decided to take another approach. While Talon and Chin-Hwa were a little deeper in the enemy line, she used the opportunity to move freely around hunting down the monsters that broke through and were rushing toward the students.


    Using her nimble movements, she crossed the distance left and right as she killed every single monster she saw. Her lightning maniption skill was a devastating power especially with her sword being the one that conducts it.


    ***


    "Holy shit¡­"


    "Pinch me¡­ I think I''m dreaming! Ouch!! I didn''t mean to literally pinch me!!"


    Meanwhile, back at the students'' lines, they watched everything ensue with their mouths wide open in shock. Three people were fighting hundreds of monsters alone without seemingly getting overwhelmed by it.


    The number of monsters falling to the ground was enormous and still rising at a rapid pace.


    "Are we even going to need to fight?" One male student asked confusedly.


    "It seems Miss Hyun-Jae and Mister Talon are handling the matter alone. Although, I don''t know about the third person. I can''t see his face from here. He seems really strong."


    "Hey! Focus everyone!" Go Young-Soon shouted as he snapped them back to reality.


    Even though the trio were indeed fighting the monsters alone, that didn''t mean that some monsters weren''t able to escape their des. These monsters naturally moved toward the huge number of students at the back.


    When they saw that, some tensed up and instinctively retreated. However, when they realized that there were hundreds of students and only a few monsters, their courage came back as they pulled their weapons out.


    "Archers and marksman, get ready." Go Young-Soon signaled for the students standing on top of the gymnasium to get ready to aim. "At my mark¡­ Shoot!!"


    When Young-Soon moved his hand down, the students shot their arrows and bullets. A rain of them fell on the monsters, wrecking them relentlessly.


    The bows and arrows used were stronger than the normal ones since they weremon and umon items and could deal damage to the otherwise tough monsters'' bodies. As for the actual guns, some looked extremely advanced and shot weird-looking light bullets while others had a more normal appearance and bullets.


    In a matter of seconds, the few monsters that escaped werepletely obliterated.


    "Haha! Isn''t this too easy?!" One of the students said as they pulled their bows back. "They can''t even get 5 meters close to the gymnasium."


    "Yeah! At this rate, we will kill them all without the need to fight up close." A female student nodded her head.


    It was indeed true that everything was going ording to n. The trio ahead was dwindling the numbers of the enemies while the rest of the students were dealing with whatever was left.


    However, what most of these students didn''t realize was that, Talon, Hyun-Jae, and Chin-Hwa while extremely strong weren''t invincible.


    ***


    "Hah¡­ Hah!!" Talon''s face was covered in sweat and a huge amount of blood as he dodged and sliced with his spear. His appearance was wretched with the blood of his enemies and the small injuries he sustained from the continuous fighting.


    He hadpletely forgotten how many monsters he killed. Notifications kept popping off one after the other, telling him that he killed and leveled up.


    ''They don''t seem like they''re ending!'' He mused as he sidestepped and sliced a monster''s head off before he kicked back, barely dodging another attack.


    After fighting continuously for almost 20 minutes, Talon was naturally starting to get overwhelmed. Even with his monstrous stamina, the number of monsters didn''t help at all. To deal with them, his body was pushed to his extreme and beyond. His muscles were continuously stretching and retracting as he did the most ridiculous movements possible to avoid threatening attacks.


    Meanwhile, Hyun-Jae and Chin-Hwa were also facing the same problem, if to a lesser degree since most of the monsters seemed to be attracted to Talon because of his aura.


    "You need to retreat, Talon. You can''t keep going at this rate for long." Acrypha advised him as she floated over the ce. Seeing him struggling made her frown visibly.


    "I''m trying! They aren''t letting me create an opening."


    Even though Talon made sure to not dive deep into their lines, the sheer number of monsters still made it hard to retreat for a breather.


    As he was like that, one of the flying monsters above his head suddenly screeched as it dived down aiming its ws at him. Talon was too busy fending off other monsters so he only noticed at thest second.


    *Swish*


    Quickly, he spun around and sliced with his weapon. However, he waste.


    "Ugh!"


    The ws sunk into his shoulders and chest as blood gushed out. Then, the monster tried to lift him up in the air and fly with him.


    "No, you won''t!!" Talon changed his grip and stabbed the monster''s abdomen, making it release him down.


    ''Oh no!! I didn''t n this much ahead!!'' Clenching his teeth, Talon smashed into the ground and was quickly swarmed by monsters.


    "TALON!!!" Hyun-Jae saw that happen and her eyes widened to the extreme. For a split second, her heart stopped beating.


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 73 - 73- Brutal And Bloody (Part 3)

    Hyun-Jae''s mindpletely shut off along with her senses. For a second, everything around her turned nk and she couldn''t even see anymore. If it wasn''t for her body instincts fighting for her, she would''ve fallen too.


    "No, no, no, no!" Her expression shiftedpletely as she kicked a monster away before stabbing it. Then, without wasting time, she rushed toward where Talon fell as fast as she could, killing monsters on her way.


    ''Talon, Talon¡­'' Her thoughts were simply filled with his name. The fear she felt at that moment far exceeded anything she felt in recent memory.


    "Get out of my fucking way!!" Clenching her teeth, she sliced through the monsters as she yelled loudly.


    However, the more she tried to approach him, the more monsters attacked her. No matter how many she tried to kill, more would take their ce and stop her in her tracks or push her back.


    Her solid defenses were starting to crumble with the overwhelming attacks she was sustaining.


    "Goddamit!!" Channeling every ounce of Aetheris left in her body, she sted the monsters away and tried to tear her path open again. But, her attempt failed horribly.


    A monster took the opportunity of Hyun-Jae looking away and shed down with its ws at her back.


    "AGH!!" The girl groaned as she turned around with a deadly cold look and sliced its head off. Then, she tried to turn around again only to realize something¡­


    A ridiculously painful shock rushed through her body. Looking back, she noticed four deep wounds on her back that were gushing out blood endlessly.


    The wounds were so deep that they dug through her back muscles and almost reached her ribs. On top of that, the smell of blooding from her body made the monsters even more crazed, and tried to pounce on her all at the same time.


    "BACK OFF, PRESIDENT!!" Chin-Hwa noticed the disaster that was happening and rushed toward Hyun-Jae, trying to help her before she ended up killed.


    "But Talon!!" She replied as she pushed a monster away with her sword and stabbed another in quick session.


    "He fell far!! We can''t get to him! Please back off or you will get killed!"


    Hyun-Jae knew that Chin-Hwa had a point. After getting carried by the flying bat-looking monster, Talon fell way deeper into the horde and waspletely surrounded by the enemies. There was no way for Hyun-Jae to actually reach him without getting heavily injured or even killed for it.


    Her choices at that moment were few: Either keep fighting and dying from deep wounds¡­ Or back off and give up on Talon.


    ''Give up¡­ on him?''


    Just realizing the second option sent a chill down her spine and made her heart go cold for a second. She had to give up on him¡­ She had to leave Talon there to die.


    "PRESIDENT! PLEASE DON''T DO IT!!"


    *GROWL* *BANG*


    Finding herself in front of a wall of monsters, Hyun-Jae clenched her teeth till they almost broke and retreated back as fast as she could. Her expression was horribly sour as she felt the overwhelming powerlessness of not being able to do what she wanted.


    ***


    Meanwhile, at the back lines, the students started noticing something weird. The number of monsters that started reaching grew in number exponentially. Each second, a few monsters would appear in their vision before they get sted by the long-range shooters on the rooftop.


    Those few turned into a few tens, and then a few dozens of monsters till it reached a point where the long-rangers couldn''t kill them all and the monsters were able to break through to the final line of defense.


    "Brandish your weapons!!" Go Young-Soon held his sign to the students. His face looked noticeably more tense than before as he realized what was happening and so did the students.


    However, they still prepared themselves for the uing threat. When the monsters reached their area, Go Young-Soon signaled again. "Attack!"


    Immediately, the first line of defense rushed forward and met them. In a matter of seconds, the students hailed attacks on the monsters, slicing and beating them up ruthlessly. Their overwhelming numbers took care of the task quickly.


    The reason for that was very simple, before the fight, Talon had deliberately put the strongest students at the front line so that they could have ess to the fight faster and deal the most damage.


    "More areing! Get ready!"


    The students didn''t even have a second to breathe before the second wave approached them. All the monsters that reached them were rather weak, with the strongest being a Level 7 Leopard that they were able to kill due to teamwork.


    Go Young-Soon watched the situation with a nervous expression. Even if they were able to sessfully eliminate each wave of monsters, that didn''t mean that the n was going perfectly. Hell, the fact that monsters were growing in numbers meant that Talon and Hyun-Jae were facing a problem up ahead.


    ''Please be fine, Sir Talon, Miss Hyun-Jae¡­'' He prayed in his heart.


    ***


    "Oh no! President, your back is heavily injured. We need to stop the bleeding quickly." Chin-Hwa tried to grab Hyun-Jae''s arm, only for her to dodge him.


    "I''m fine. Get back to the students and defend the gymnasium." Hyun-Jae exhaled a long breath as she fought the grueling pain. It was true that her back injury was nasty but she didn''t have time to treat it nor did she want to treat it.


    Talon was still within enemy lines, surrounded by a huge number of creatures. Hyun-Jae couldn''t see clearly from her position whether he was still alive or not and that made her feel even more frustrated.


    "We can''t save him, President! Please, we need you!" Chin-Hwa tried to talk to her, not realizing that every word he said only fueled her anger more and more. At some point, it reached the boiling point.


    "It''s all your fault!!" She turned around and gave Chin-Hwa a strong re. "If you didn''t act like aplete fool, none of this would''ve happened." She said.


    Thetter''s face darkened deeply when he heard those words. It was true that what he did was a grave mistake and the guilt he felt for it at that moment was crushing. Hyun-Jae''s eyes red at him with deep anger and a small glint of something that made him realize how disastrous what he did was.


    Within her beautifully mesmerizing eyes, he could see a spark of hatred shing through her pupils for a fleeting second.


    His mind stopped for a second as his eyes widened. "I''m¡­ sorry¡­" He murmured in disbelief.


    However, Hyun-Jae didn''t say anything else and turned around as she ran toward the frontline to hold the monsters as much as she could. Her eyes were deadly cold, far colder than ever before. If it wasn''t for the fact that she had to still fight in order to keep everything afloat, she would''ve snapped.


    Her mind was inplete shambles, but her goal kept her standing on her feet.


    ''I will kill them all¡­ Every single one of them¡­'' She thought to herself as she quickened her steps.


    Meanwhile, Chin-Hwa watched her back with a face filled with despair. That feeling was the worst thing he ever experienced by a far margin. Seeing the person he looked up to the most turn her back to him was akin to a stab to his heart.


    He felt like he was suffocating even though he was breathing. His heart squeezed on him as if it wanted to stop beating.


    But, he couldn''t just stand there and wallow in pain. The growls of monsters shook him up and made him turn around. Without waiting, he rushed back to the students as Hyun-Jae ordered him to do.


    The situation slowly grew worse and worse as more and more monsters flooded the gymnasium''s vicinity. All the students faced the flux of monsters with the help of Chin-Hwa while at the frontlines, Hyun-Jae kept fighting on her own.


    Her arms felt numb from exhaustion and her hands were bleeding after fighting non-stop for a long time. However, she didn''t back down at all even under that immense pressure. She had to do everything within her ability to change the oue.


    ''I can''t fall now¡­ I can''t¡­ I won''t¡­'' She told herself again and again that she wasn''t going to fall, not in such a ce. How many hardships did she go through in her life? Too many to count. Dying in such a ce was simply not where Hyun-Jae expected the end to be.


    She had too many things she wanted to do, things that she could never achieve with the chains of her past life binding her. Now that they were broken, she wasn''t ready to die.


    ''And neither is he¡­ I know he won''t fall here! Not here!'' Her eyes sharpened as she growled loudly and stabbed with her sword.


    Right at that moment, out of nowhere¡­


    *BOOOOOOOOOOOM*


    The entire ce shook violently as if it were hit by a second earthquake.


    "Wha¡­!" Hyun-Jae''s eyes looked up as she noticed monsters getting sted away¡­ A huge number of them wereunched away, creating a giant empty hole in the middle of the hordes of monsters. Many fell to their deaths brutally while the remaining ones that survived the hit were dismembered ruthlessly.


    "Cough! Cough! Ptuh, you bastards really had your fun, didn''t you?" A cold, sinister voice came from within the horde.


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 76 - 76- Insanity Or Genius (Part 1)

    The monster waspletely lost in the maze of broken houses. It couldn''t find Talon at all with all the small holes and corners where he could hide with ease. It was akin to a human trying to find a cockroach in a messy room.


    Talon knew that very well and decided to take advantage of it to the fullest. It was a very crazy idea that even the bravest of people would immediately shake away with how ridiculous it sounded.


    However, more than courage, Talon was eyeing the benefits he would get from killing that thing. Ignoring the huge number of stat points he would get, he knew that this was considered impossible. So, if he achieved it, the Core Dimension might reward him with something that this world had never seen before.


    It was a gamble, a very risky and foolish one but nheless a gamble. If it worked, then Talon was going to reap the best rewards he would ever dream of.


    ''High risk, high reward.'' He thought to himself.


    However, the question remains, how can he actually kill something like that? Granted, he had the element of surprise on his side, but, that didn''t mean that he could kill it simply by ambushing it. He needed something more than that.


    ''A weak point I can exploit. If I can find anything like that, I might be able to kill it without ending up dead too.'' His eyes squinted as he silently eyed the monster from his hiding spot.


    From what he could see, the monster''s body, as slim as it was, was probably tougher than anything he fought so far.


    "What can you tell me about it, Acrypha?" He asked hispanion with a serious tone.


    "Hmm, I think that''s the Grim Roamer. A species of creatures that live in the Endless Fog ins. They''re carnivorous and extremely hostile no matter what the situation. They also live and hunt in groups so you rarely would find a lonesome one moving around like this."


    "Do they have any special ability or anything I should worry about?"


    "To be honest, you should worry about everything rted to it. It''s stronger and faster than you by arge margin. They have strong defense and lethal attacks. However, if you want to know their worst ability, it''s their sound waves." She said.


    "Sound waves?"


    "Yeah, using their mouths, they can create strong sound waves that can travel a good distance. If it makes contact with a target, depending on their strength, it could make their heart and brain explode due to how loud and concentrated they are. It can also give heavy internal damage if it doesn''t outright kill you."


    ''... Shit, that sounds even more terrifying.'' Talon gulped down a mouthful of saliva. He would be lying if he said that he wasn''t even more terrified of that Grim Roamer now due to this piece of information.


    "Are you still intending to fight it?" Acrypha asked as she stared at him.


    "Yeah, I''m going to give it a try." He nodded his head without hesitation.


    Acrypha rubbed her temples with a sigh. "I can''t seem to understand whether you''re a huge idiot or a genius."


    "I''m both. Quite special, no?" Talon smiled nervously as he wiped the sweat and blood off his face. "So, does it have any weaknesses I can exploit?"


    "Normally, a Grim Roamer has rather weak skin and defenses due to its skinny body. However, because of the huge level gap between both of you, it''s not a weak point anymore." Acrypha thought for a second before she replied.


    "Fair enough¡­ The skin, huh? I think that would work." Talon murmured.


    As the two were like that, they suddenly heard the monster slowly turn around. Talon didn''t waste a second as he hid again before it could see him. The monster stared in his direction for a second as if it was suspecting something before it slowly made its way toward the noise it heard.


    Talon held his breath again as he waited anxiously. ''Calm down, calm down, calm down¡­'' Feeling his heartbeat in his chest, the young man clenched his teeth.


    A few secondster, the monster reached the area where Talon was hiding. It was so close form him, in fact, that he could see its shadow cast on the rock in front of him. He was barely a few meters away from the monster. The silence and theck of noises made it even more nerve-wracking.


    Talon found himself in a psychological warfare with his own fear. His mind was ying tricks on him left and right.


    But, for better or worse, the monster didn''t seem to notice him as it moved forward, slowly appearing in Talon''s vision as it looked in a different direction. Barely a few meters away from him, it stood and looked around.


    Talon could notice all the details on its body, the weird blemishes on its snowy white skin that he hadn''t seen before, the giant feet it had that would leave a trace in the rock wherever it walked, and the sharp, terrifying fingers that were at least 1 meter long.


    Looking silently at it, Talon''s eyes shed with a weird glint as he instinctively gripped his spear tighter. His mind was going through countless options at that moment at a rapid pace.


    ''What if¡­'' He thought to himself as he got an idea.


    Then, taking a deep breath, Talon gave Acrypha a signal as he slowly moved out of the hole. He looked up to check if the monster was about to look back or not. Luckily, it was upied with something else to notice him leaving the hole.


    So, slowly, he crawled out and crouched on his knees to keep himself invisible. Taking a deep breath to calm his heart, Talon counted in his head to three. Then, without giving himself the time to even hesitate, he dashed forward at top speed, closing the distance between him and the monster in a split second as he used all his strength to swing his spear.


    *Swish*


    The de swiftly moved through and sliced the monster''s Achilles. The moment the spear made contact with the Grim Roamer''s skin, Talon felt his muscles shudder as it was met with an extremely tough object.


    However, he still clenched his teeth and forced the spear through, cutting the monster''s flesh. The creature''s hollow eyes widened as he made a loud, hollow groan that echoed in the entire area.


    ck, ink-like blood sttered out of its body and sshed on Talon as he quickly dashed away without looking back at all. He didn''t even check if his attack sessfully severed the monster''s Achilles Tendon as he wanted or not.


    However, when he heard the loud thud of the Grim Roamer falling to the ground, his terrified, pale face drew a small relieved smile as he slid through rocks and hid again before the monster could even see him.


    ''I did it! I severed one of its legs! Now it can''t move around as fast!'' He thought to himself.


    After seeing the back of its foot, Talon realized that the Grim Roamer perhaps had the same anatomy as humans and so, if that was true, then cutting that particr part would paralyze it in its ce.


    Acrypha witnessed all of that happen with wide eyes. ''He''s trying to slowly make it unable to move around which reduces its threat¡­ This kid¡­'' She thought to herself as she looked at Talon.


    Meanwhile, the monster was on both knees as it grabbed its foot painfully. Its sad, disturbed face now had a hint of profound anger. Looking around it, it searched for Talon eagerly. However, there was no trace of him left.


    That made it even more outraged and Talon could feel it as he watched it closely. The monster''s whole behavior shiftedpletely as it released its bloodied foot and instead put its hands around its mouth. A sign that humans do usually when they''re about to yell.


    ''Oh no¡­''


    Before the young man could even react, the inevitable happened. An extremely loud and booming shriek filled with endless terror was released out of the monster''s mouth in a random direction.


    The sound was so loud that for a second, Talon felt his eardrums shudder and his bones shake. Grabbing his ears, he quickly closed them.


    ''So loud!!''


    *BOOOOOM*


    The screamsted exactly 6 seconds, during which, Talon could hear nothing at all except an extremely painful ringing sound. When it stopped, he finally opened his eyes again as he looked outside quickly in terror. There, he witnessed a sight that made his heart stop for a second.


    In the direction that the monster screamed in, all the rocks, debris, and buildings were swiped awaypletely. Leaving behind an empty barrennd. With just one single scream, it cleared out an entire area.


    That''s when Talon realized again¡­ He was fighting a Level 25 monster.


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 77 - 77- Insanity Or Genius (Part 2)

    The sightpletely shell-shocked Talon for a good few seconds before he quickly slid down under the rock to hide before the monster could see him.


    ''That was a single attack¡­ Yet it blew an entire street off the face of the earth.'' He thought to himself as he clenched his teeth. Even though Acrypha had warned him about the monster''s strength, he still assumed that its attack would be strong, but not to this degree.


    It was far from what he expected to see and that made him question if his idea was really going to work as well as he thought.


    Meanwhile, the Grim Roamer slowly turned its head around as it aimed its mouth in another direction before it shrieked again at full volume, shaking the entire ce. Talon quickly covered his head and ears as he tried to reduce the noise that assaulted his eardrums.


    A few seconds passed before the noise subsided when Talon noticed that another area waspletely wiped out.


    ''Wait¡­'' That''s when he understood what was happening in front of him. The monster wasn''t just throwing a tantrum, it was sting the rocks and debris away so that it could either kill Talon or at least reveal his ce.


    "Shit¡­" Cursing at his sudden and yet extremely horrible realization, his eyes quickly moved to look at the monster. It had already changed its direction again and aimed before shrieking.


    Then, for the next minute or so, it kept aiming and using its ability, sending all the debris away and clearing the entire ce. Meanwhile, Talon was still hidden as he watched everything ensue. He had no idea what to do at that moment. If he remained in his position he was at risk of being hit by those sound waves and if he moved, the monster could see him which would destroy his npletely.


    Each choice was worse than the other and each had its huge risks.


    ''I need to do something quick or I will be the next one to be sted away!'' Clenching his teeth, Talon crawled out of his hole slowly and dragged himself through the dirt till he reached a huge rock where he quickly hid and peeked at the monster.


    The Grim Roamer didn''t seem like it was aware of him yet, so Talon slowly moved his hand and picked a rock in his hand. Then, taking a deep breath, he rose up and threw the rock as strong as he could in a different direction and then quickly crouched down and hid himself.


    The rock flew through the air for dozens of meters before itnded on the ground, making an audible noise that caught the Grim Roamer''s attention. Immediately, it activated its skill, sting that entire area away.


    Using that opportunity, Talon quickly crawled to another hiding spot as fast as he could before the monster could see him.


    ''Fuck, that was close¡­'' Talon heaved up and down. The rushed idea he came up with was seemingly working.


    Grabbing another rock, he threw it in a different direction again, making the monster react quickly.


    "I never thought I would ever witness such a thing¡­" Acrypha murmured as she watched Talon slowly inch his way toward the monster with each rock he threw.


    In just a matter of minutes, Talon hade up with multiple ns, adapting to every situation he found himself in as fast as he realized he was in it. Who would''ve thought to use rocks to trick a monster levels above them in strength? No one apart from him.


    ''But, even if he gets close, what is he trying to do?'' She asked herself. ''Is he going to ambush it again?''


    Tense moments passed slowly as Talon kept repeating the same trick again and again. The monster was seemingly unaware of it since the noise kepting from random ces which made it assume Talon was moving around and making sounds.


    Meanwhile, the real Talon grew so close to it that Talon could hear the monster''s rough groans.


    Sitting down silently on the ground, he grabbed his spear as he wiped the sweat off his face, and looked back.


    ''Come on, I can do it¡­'' He thought to himself as he closed his eyes. ''Mom, dad, pray for me¡­''


    Feeling his parents'' presence in his heart, he quickly grabbed a rock and threw it to the other side before he immediately stood up and rushed out of his hiding spot and rushed toward the monster.


    *Swish*


    His spear aimed for the monster''s second leg as the spear sliced through its Achilles Tendon again. The monster shrieked in pain as it grabbed its second leg. Its body fell on both knees as it started shaking.


    ''I did it!'' Talon thought to himself as he tried to escape again. However, before he could even cross a small distance, the monster''s head turned around quickly and it looked straight at him.


    Thetter looked back and for a split second, his heart stopped. Everything felt like it was going in slow motion.


    The Grim Roamer slowly opened its mouth, revealing its terrifying set of teeth to Talon.


    "TALON!!" Acrypha''s eyes widened as she yelled his name.


    However, it was toote, the monster''s sound wave blew the entire area the next second. The rocks disintegrated and flew away, leaving nothing behind. A huge cloud of dust flew through the air.


    "Oh no!" Acrypha quickly flew toward the cloud of dust as she pierced through it. "Talon! Talon, where are you?!"


    Her eyes were looking around with a frown. Her senses could locate Talon and she could even feel his soul still alive, but that didn''t mean that he was fine.


    "Ugh! Fuck!!"


    "Talon?" Hearing the ground, Acrypha looked behind as she flew toward the source of the noise.


    There, she found Talon lying on the ground as he grabbed his side. He was groaning and moaning from extreme pain. Never before did Acrypha see Talon react like that even though he sustained countless injuries.


    Flying around, her eyesnded on the reason why he was in such pain.


    "Oh no¡­"


    "Ugh! Goddamit! That hurts!!" Biting his lip till it bled, Talon tried to stand up, only to fall again.


    Looking down, he saw an entire pond of blood umting under him and the reason for it was the gruesome injury he had on his side. An entire chunk of his abdomen was blown away, leaving behind a visible dent.


    ''If I didn''t dodge at thest second, I would''ve died!!'' Heaving up and down, he held his side, squeezing it as much as he could.


    The sheer amount of blood he was losing was ridiculous.


    "This is so fucked up!!" He cursed as he quickly used one of his hands to move to the inside of his jacket. From there, he pulled out a small bottle of red liquid.


    [Healing Potion (Umon Item): Restores 25% of health upon consumption.]


    Popping the vile open, Talon shugged down the liquid as fast as he could.


    "Ugh, cough! Cough!"


    The moment he drank it, Talon''s body immediately reacted. The bleeding stoppedpletely and Talon''s pale face regained some color. Not only that, the potion also healed some of the small cuts and bruises on his body.


    ''Luckily, I had brought a healing potion with me¡­'' He thought to himself.


    After hunting down monsters for days on the campus grounds, Talon and the rest students were able to acquire a plethora of potions, mostlymon and umon potions that restored health and Aetheris upon consumption.


    Naturally, before the fight, Talon took one bottle for himself and left the rest to be distributed amongst the students by priority.


    Slowly rising up, Talon grabbed his side with a pained expression. Even with the bleeding stopped, the injury was still extremely brutal. Talon was sure that a chunk of his internal organs in that area was sted off too and he was starting to feel its effect.


    ''Ugh, my eyes are turning hazy¡­'' He thought to himself as he shook his head.


    "You need to run, now! You can''t fight anymore. Your body is on its limit."


    "No¡­ Not after I cut both its legs. I can kill it¡­" Looking down, Talon picked up his spear and he started walking out of the cloud of dust.


    Meanwhile, the monster outside was on the ground, unable to move. Both of its legs were paralyzed. All it had was its arms to drag its body around. Looking around to start crawling away thinking that Talon was dead, it suddenly felt a presence behind it.


    Looking behind, a presence shed through its vision. Then, before it knew it, its left arm gave out as it fell on its face.


    A loud groan escaped the Grim Roamer''s mouth as it felt blood leaking out.


    "Haha, now it should be fair and square, fucker!" Talon said as he appeared in the monster''s vision holding his spear.


    His wretched looks and his wide smile made the monster''s hollow eyes widen.


    "Come on, stand up, bastard! You blew half my body off and you can''t take a small injury? Weak fuck! Let''s have a goddamn fight, I grew tired of running."


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 79 - 79- Far Too Close (Part 1)

    Talon''s hazy eyes couldn''t really read the notifications that he was receiving as he felt his body sumb to exhaustion. It was already a miracle he remained conscious this long and fought till thest second.


    Now, when he was sure that things were finally over, the adrenaline finally depleted and the pain that he had umted in the past few hours came rushing back like a train.


    "I''m¡­ a little¡­ tired¡­" He murmured to Acrypha as his eyes slowly closed.


    Thetter held him tightly as she nodded her head. "You did well. Just rest now." She replied in a gentle tone.


    Hearing her soothing voice, Talon''s tiredness finally beat him and he lost consciousness, throwing his full weight on Acrypha''s arms. Thetter kept hugging him as she gently pulled her face away. She didn''t care that his blood had covered her face and hair as she looked at him.


    ''Even in his state, I can feel the sheer strength he gained from this fight¡­ Hepletely broke the limit¡­ Again.'' She thought to herself with aplicated look.


    The human in her hands had been a rollercoaster in her life in the past week or so. The sheer mind-blowing things she had seen in just a few dayspletely shrouded her entire lifetime.


    Talon had kept breaking her expectations again and again and again without seemingly being able to stop. He had no regard for what was consideredmon sense at all. No, it''s not that he had no regard for it, it was simply that he was made to break these limits and soar beyond them.


    His character, his iron will, his ambition, and his monstrosity of talent all came together to create a creature that was bound to destroy everything that was binding him.


    ''I came here for you and yet¡­ I never thought I would see this. I want to be happy that you''re rising faster than I expected and yet I can only feel even more worried that you will catch the wrong eyes way too early. I can''t let them have you, I can''t let anyone have you. Not now, not ever. You''re mine and mine alone.'' She thought to herself as her eyes shone with a weird light for a split second.


    Nobody could see her expression at that time, not even Talon himself. So, Acrypha simply took her time as she looked at Talon, engraving every detail of him in her memory. Slowly, she lifted her hand up and slowly moved her fingers across his face, touching the huge scar that ran through his cheek down to his chin.


    For some reason, even in his hideous appearance, Acrypha found his face quite charming. This has be a small hobby of hers, just staring at Talon whenever he isn''t aware of it. It was indeed bizarre and quite creepy, but Acrypha couldn''t hold herself from doing it.


    As she was like that, she heard noisesing from the distance so she finally averted her eyes from the young man in her hands and stared up. There, she could see Hyun-Jae, Chin-Hwa, and three other students rushing toward them.


    "Talon! Where are you?!" Hyun-Jae''s voice echoed in the vicinity as she looked around, searching for Talon.


    They had heard the noise that came from the brutal battle and immediately rushed toward Talon. It was mainly Hyun-Jae who decided to go there, but since Chin-Hwa couldn''t let her go alone, he followed her. Then, Go Young-Soon, Hei Ran, and Mo Shin were also extremely worried about Talon so they insisted they follow them.


    "I guess they came looking for you, kid." She murmured with a small smile as she finally gently put him down on the ground and floated in the air.


    "Talon!"


    "Mr Talon! Where are you?!"


    The group called his name again and again as they searched the rubble. It didn''t take them long to notice the giant corpse of the monster lying on the ground.


    "It''s¡­ dead?" Hyun-Jae''s eyes widened in pure shock. "He killed it?"


    She had sensed the monster''s presence herself and she knew how absurdly strong it was. She was even sure that there was no way for them to kill it, not even Talon himself. Yet, here it was, a cold corpse.


    "What the fuck is that¡­" Go Young-Soon shuddered as he looked at the wretched creature. Even when it''s dead, a mere look at it made him retreat in fear.


    "Did Mr Talon fight that thing?" Hei Ran asked with a pale expression.


    "He either killed it and survived or died trying," Chin-Hwa murmured as he squinted his eyes.


    However, one single cold re from Hyun-Jae and he immediately retracted his words. The girl then turned around and started searching for Talon again.


    Not long after that, her eyes fell on a silhouette of a human lying on the ground a few dozen meters away.


    Immediately, she rushed toward it as fast as she could move with her tattered body.


    "Oh my god¡­" The moment her eyes fell on him, her heart stopped for a second. She thought that he was a dead corpse lying on the ground.


    "Oh no, no, no!" Hyun-Jae didn''t even realize that the others had followed her as she went on both knees and lifted him then she immediately put her head on his chest as she listened to his heart.


    A terrifying second passed before the sound she was eager to hear finally reached her. Talon''s heart was still beating audibly.


    Just that fact alone made her body rx from relief. She didn''t even know she could go from being this terrified to being this happy in a few seconds and yet in the past few days, she experienced this exact feeling multiple times.


    "Is he ok?" Hei Ran asked with a pale expression.


    "No¡­ His body ispletely destroyed. He needs to get healed now." Hyun-Jae said as she pulled him up and put him over her shoulder.


    The others watched that scene with surprise in their eyes. Especially Chin-Hwa whose expression changedpletely. Hyun-Jae was carrying Talon in such an intimate without seemingly caring at all.


    That sight tugged Chin-Hwa''s heart in ways he didn''t know was possible.


    "Please don''t exhaust yourself, president. Let me carr-"


    Before Chin-Hwa could even finish his sentence, Hyun-Jae had already walked away,pletely ignoring him. Seeing that, he clenched his teeth as he looked down. He still didn''t forget that Hyun-Jae was extremely angry and didn''t even speak with him once yet.


    The others saw that and could only feel confused by her reaction.


    "Don''t worry, Talon. Everything is fine now. I''m getting you to a safe ce." Hyun-Jae murmured as she gently pulled Talon''s body closer to her as she brought him back to the gymnasium.


    There, all the students were on the ground, resting or getting treated after the battle. They were allpletely spent, mentally and physically.


    After Talon led the Grim Roamer away, all the monsters left in the area flooded the gymnasium and ended up shing with the students. The fight was as brutal as one would expect.


    The students found themselves against tens of monsters and they had to fight them. It was an all-out chaos.


    But, in the end, Hyun-Jae and Chin-Hwa reached the area and immediately cleaned the rest of the monsters, finally putting an end to the stampede.


    "Please bring him closer so that I can heal him."


    "Ugh, my arm!!!"


    Meanwhile, some of the students who were able to get their hands on skills rted to healing, were busy touring the ce, trying to heal as many people as possible and save those who were close to death.


    "Gu Iseul,e here!" The moment Hyun-Jae reached the ce, she called for a girl who was running around frantically.


    "Hm? Oh my god!! What happened to him?!" The short and skinny girl immediately rushed toward Hyun-Jae.


    "No time for questions, he needs immediate help. He lost too much blood." Hyun-Jae replied.


    "Please, put him down here." Gu Iseul immediately led Hyun-Jae to a small nketid on the ground before putting Talon down.


    The girl then sat down next to him as she started inspecting his body. The more she looked at him, the more her face changed. Gu Iseul was a medical student back before the integration and after it, she was able to get her hands on a decent healing skill that made her a very invaluable asset to the group.


    However, even she couldn''t look at Talon for more than a few seconds before she closed her eyes.


    "I can''t believe he''s still alive¡­ He didn''t just lose blood, he also lost a good chunk of his intestines and kidney. He also broke a lot of bones."


    "Can you heal him?" Hyun-Jae asked with an urgent tone. She already knew that Talon was in an extremely dangerous situation.


    "I will try, Miss President. But, I really don''t know if it''s possible or not." The girl replied as she channeled her Aetheris and put her hand over Talon''s body.


    Slowly, a green light emerged from the palm of her hands, casting its rays on Talon''s body.


    Meanwhile, Hyun-Jae watched the process anxiously.


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 80 - 80- Far Too Close (Part 2)

    The green light emitting from Gu Iseul''s hands slowly engulfed Talon''s body. A few seconds passed like that before any effect started taking ce.


    Talon''s injuries started visibly closing at a rapid pace. The remaining cuts and bruises slowly disappeared as tissue cells and skin reconnected. The broken bones also healed and returned to their normal position. By the time a minute passed, all those small injuries vanished out of existence, leaving behind only the nasty ones.


    There were three main ones that were lethally dangerous, the huge scar on his face, his carved side, and a hugeceration in his left leg.


    Each one of them was even worse than the other and healing them seemed like it was going to take ages. Minutes passed as Gu Iseul''s face started changing. Her breathing turned audible and erratic and her hands started shaking visibly.


    Eventually, she couldn''t keep that light going and she fell back, her facepletely covered in sweat.


    "Are you ok?" Hyun-Jae looked at her.


    "I-I''m sorry, Miss President¡­ I depleted my Aetheris¡­ I need to replenish it to continue¡­" The girl replied with a pale expression as she closed her eyes.


    She could see that Hyun-Jae was in a really bad mood because of Talon''s state, so the fact that she couldn''t continue the healing made her fear the president''s reaction. However, much to her surprise.


    "It''s fine, go take a break. You already healed so many students. Thank you for your help." Hyun-Jae replied in a calm tone.


    "..." Gu Iseul blinked in shock as she looked at Hyun-Jae. There wasn''t a shred of anger or disappointment in her eyes at all.


    Gu Iseul didn''t know how to react at that moment as she nodded her head and stood up. ''So this is why Miss President is so popr¡­ She''s really such an amazing person.''


    All she heard about Hyun-Jae were rumors before and she never really believed them fully. However, when she saw Hyun-Jae''s character from up close, Gu Iseul was certain that it wasn''t merely rumored¡­ Hyun-Jae was indeed that amazing of a person.


    After the healer left, Hyun-Jae exhaled a long breath as she sat down again. Her eyes wandered back to Talon who was still unconscious. His face looked a little better than before, but he was still far from good. The nasty injury on his side was fully open still.


    However, surprisingly, it didn''t seem like it was getting any worse as Hyun-Jae expected. In fact, she noticed that Talon''s body was recovering on its own at a considerably fast pace.


    That made her heart feel a little more at ease even though she was still worried.


    "Mmm, Miss President¡­" As she was like that, she heard a soft voice calling for her.


    "Hm?" Hyun-Jae turned around. "Hei Ran? Everything ok?"


    Hei Ran had an awkward look on her face as she pointed at Hyun-Jae''s back. "Mm, I know this isn''t the time for this, but your back is¡­pletely exposed. Do you need some clothes?" She asked.


    Hyun-Jae took a second to take her words in before she looked at her back only to realize what the girl meant. Because of the continuous fighting, Hyun-Jae''s clothes were shredded to pieces. Especially her back which was not covered at all. Her eyes then wandered around her only to notice students looking at her with weird eyes.


    Immediately, her body shuddered and she felt her heart grow cold.


    "I brought you a nket." Hei Ran said when she noticed the president''s reaction. Being naked in front of others, even if no sensitive parts were visible was a very bad feeling. Especially for Hyun-Jae who hated that way more than normal.


    "Thank you."


    Taking the nket, Hyun-Jae covered herself as she exhaled a long breath.


    ''This feels a lot better¡­ Though, how did I not notice this earlier?'' She asked herself in confusion.


    Usually, Hyun-Jae would instantly notice if someone was looking at her no matter where she was. It was akin to a sixth sense she developed across her entire life. It helped her cope with the trauma she had since childhood.


    The trauma that followed her till today and will probably keep following her for the rest of her life. Something that only a few people knew of. For a split second in her head, a dark image filled her vision as she noticed a silhouette beneath her, dripping with a red liquid.


    When Hyun-Jae realized what she was doing, her eyes widened as she immediately shook those thoughts away and focused on Talon.


    ''I guess I was too upied with him to even notice that¡­ It never happened before¡­'' She mused.


    Her worry and fear made her ignore arguably the most sensitive thing about herpletely. It was a first for Hyun-Jae and naturally, that made her even more confused. How did this young man make her feel that way? She, who rarely feels anything intense, was now on an emotional rollercoaster on a daily basis.


    All because of him¡­


    Hyun-Jae''s eyes shed withplicated emotions as she stared at Talon silently. Her senses werepletely focused on him, ignoring the outside for a few moments.


    "Mm, excuse¡­ me¡­"


    That focus was broken when she heard a voice behind her again. Looking up, she saw Chin-Hwa standing there with a frown on his face.


    Hyun-Jae squinted her eyes without replying which seemed like a signal for him to speak.


    "Can we¡­ talk alone for a moment?" The cold prince said in an awkward tone.


    "Speak, no one can hear you," Hyun-Jae replied as she turned around and started looking at Talon again.


    Chin-Hwa''s face grew even uglier when he noticed that and could only gnash his teeth in frustration. In the end, he exhaled a long breath before he spoke.


    "I wanted to apologize for what I did¡­ It was really idiotic of me toe here and put such a huge risk on everyone. I''m really sorry."


    Every word Chin-Hwa said at that moment was his true, sincere feelings. He hadn''t realized the huge disaster of a mistake he made that put everyone, including his and Hyun-Jae''s life in danger.


    His selfishness had brought his beloved pain and suffering, that fact alone was enough to break his heart to pieces.


    ''I''m such a moron!!'' He cursed himself again and again countless times.


    As he stood there, Hyun-Jae didn''t seem to show any reaction as she kept looking at Talon with a serene expression, as if his features were a source of peacefulness for her. In the end, she opened her mouth and replied.


    "Did he save your life?" She asked.


    "... Saved my life?"


    "Yes, did he save your life when you came here?"


    "..." Chin-Hwa frowned before he nodded his head. "Yes, he pulled me off the bike before I hit a wall."


    "I see¡­ So that''s why it took him a long time toe back¡­" Hyun-Jae''s calm face smiled slightly. "Yet, it''s weird that he didn''t say that to me, isn''t it?"


    "..." The cold prince''s face changed again. "He didn''t? Why?"


    Hyun-Jae''s smile turned way softer as she eyed the unconscious man next to her.


    "Knowing him, he probably didn''t want to make you look bad in front of me."


    Hearing that, the young man''s eyes widened. Hyun-Jae''s words made him remember what Talon had said when he saved his life.


    "You came here for her, didn''t you?" He asked him at the time to which Chin-Hwa nodded his head.


    At the time, Chin-Hwa didn''t give it much thought. But, he now realized what happened. Talon knew that Chin-Hwa had more than just ''respect'' toward Hyun-Jae so he didn''t really want to make him lose even more favorability from her.


    ''But why¡­ Isn''t he¡­'' Chin-Hwa feltpletely lost at that moment. Everything he assumed before had seeminglye crumbling down at that moment. Was he wrong about Talon having malicious intent toward Hyun-Jae? Was he really not trying to take her away from him? Each question blurred into the other and it made him even more confused.


    "It''s really funny¡­ He always does the most unexpected things without bragging or telling anyone and yet it''s always amazing when you notice it. I never understood how he does it."


    ''It''s really like him, isn''t it?'' She asked herself again as she felt warmth in her heart. Perhaps, it wasn''t all too vague and puzzly as to why she found Talon this intriguing. After all, this seemingly normal young man kept stirring her heart as he wished.


    "I¡­ I didn''t¡­" Chin-Hwa was at a loss for words.


    "What happened had happened. You put everyone''s life at risk without realizing the consequences of your actions. All for something that I already warned you not to do." Hyun-Jae finally turned around and looked at Chin-Hwa. Her voice was calm and yet incredibly stern and heartless.


    "I don''t think we can be friends anymore."


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 81 - 81- Far Too Close (Part 3)

    "... Huh?" Chin-Hwa''s face frozepletely as he looked at Hyun-Jae with widened eyes. For a good few seconds, he couldn''t register what she said at all. No, he did understand what she said, it''s just that his mind refused to take it in.


    Standing there, he looked at Hyun-Jae''s calm expression, trying to figure out whether she was really saying what he thought she was or was his mind was simply hallucinating.


    "I do not wish to be friends with someone who can''t seem toprehend their limits. You used to be a clever and rational person which was why I believed that you''re one of the few people I could trust. However, that part of you is long gone now." Hyun-Jae exined, her voice as monotone as ever.


    "..."


    Just like that, everything chattered inside Chin-Hwa''s head. His biggest fear, no, wasn''t even a fear in the first ce since he never thought a day woulde when his rtionship, his bond with Hyun-Jae would be severed.


    A very cold, suffocating feeling filled his chest and threatened to make him copse right there and then.


    "No, please¡­ Please, president¡­ I made a mistake. I was dumb, really dumb! I should''ve never done anything like this! I was just worried about yo-"


    "We aren''t children anymore, Chin-Hwa. I can take care of myself. Even if you were worried about me, you should''ve prioritized your duty rather than your feelings."


    "I¡­ I¡­"


    Hyun-Jae noticed the desperate look on Chin-Hwa''s face as he looked at her with a pleading expression, almost tearful at some point. Seeing him like that made her frown a little. It pained her to see an old friend of hers turn into such a person.


    Chin-Hwa was one of her very first friends whom she really believed were good people. The two spent their childhood together and learned things about each other that others didn''t.


    She really liked him as a friend and someone to rely on in time of need. That remained the case for years as they grew up. However, slowly, Hyun-Jae started noticing Chin-Hwa''s behavior toward her change.


    The way he looked at her slowly shifted and became very simr to the eyes she would get from other people and would make her shudder. At first, she wanted not to believe it since this was her childhood friend and a trustedpanion of hers.


    However, with time, those looks became more and moremon till they eventually became the only way Chin-Hwa looked at her.


    Naturally, the blow from that realization was really strong for her. She realized that Chin-Hwa didn''t see her as a friend anymore but something far more special. Except, Hyun-Jae never really felt that way toward him.


    He was indeed a brilliant man on every front, but she had never seen him as someone to fall in love with. After all, she never found love to be really a topic of interest to her. It wasn''t that she didn''t want to experience it, it just never really urred to her that it was something she needed.


    Nobody around her sparked that feeling within her before and so she assumed that it was simply something that didn''t fit her.


    So, even when she knew that Chin-Hwa was looking at her that way, she didn''t push him away. Her attachment to him as an old friend stopped her from leaving him.


    However, that decision perhaps was the reason why they reached such a point in the first ce. Chin-Hwa started trying to get into her life more actively. It was odd, but Hyun-Jae tried to stop him from doing that multiple times.


    He never listened to her nor acknowledged that she didn''t want that at all. So, in a sense, today''s events were simply thest straw that broke the camel'' back.


    "It''s not a personal grudge, Chin-Hwa. I just don''t think it''s a good idea for both of us to remain friends. It''s harming you as much as it''s harming me. We can still work toward a shared goal as fellow survivors but do not try to approach me with anything more than that. Consider that a warning."


    At thest sentence, Hyun-Jae''s voice turned deathly cold, making Chin-Hwa shudder.


    He didn''t even need to look at her to realize that this wasn''t friendly advice. She was threatening him not to get close to her or there will be dire consequences.


    Chin-Hwa''s heart and soul felt as if they were no longer there. Even the pain he felt became a horrible numbness filling his entire body. Then, slowly, he turned around and started walking away silently.


    "Sigh¡­" Rubbing her temples, Hyun-Jae closed her eyes as she felt a headache assault her head.


    ''Hopefully, he really reflects on it.'' She thought to herself.


    Meanwhile, Acrypha was floating above the scene, watching with an interested look.


    "Humans are such interesting creatures." She murmured as she looked at Hyun-Jae.


    ***


    With that, the day ended in a peaceful manner. The moment the night arrived, all the students went to sleep. No one was able to stay awake to do a night shift from exhaustion nor there was any need for it at the time.


    The next day, Hyun-Jae woke up and immediately was hit with a pile of tasks. First of all, she had to go over the entire student body, checking their condition and noting down those who received particrly heavy injuries or¡­ died.


    After that brutal fight, the number of students that met their end was exactly 8 students. 3 of them were from the frontlines and the rest were from the backlines. Naturally, everyone was devastated by those losses. Their friends and peers have lost their lives during this ordeal, after all.


    Hyun-Jae made sure to give them a proper burial with everyone present except for Talon and Chin Hwa. It was a sad moment for everyone, but also a moment of realization that even with everything going as perfectly as it could, death was still but a moment away from iming their lives.


    It was the harsh truth that many of them forgot because of the constant feeling of power they experienced. But, this came as a reminder that out there, monsters capable of ending their lives were roaming free.


    After that, Hyun-Jae went out with a group of students to do the second most important thing¡­ Collect the cores and corpses of the monsters.


    Outside, hundreds of dead enemies riddled the ce, many of them having shining cores next to them that were begging to be imed. Monsters varying from level 1 to level 13 filled the ce. It was akin to a treasure trove.


    Naturally, these cores were going to boost the power of the group by leaps and bounds. Till that point, the most they had was a few dozen weapons, mostlymon items, a few good skills here and there, and finally, a dozen or so potions.


    It wasn''t the best arsenal of weapons for a group of students in the hundreds. But, after collecting the hundreds of cores left behind, Hyun-Jae was certain that the power of the group was finally going to break through.


    This naturally gave everyone a moral boost like nothing else and kept them on their feet even though they were affected by the horrible fight.


    However, even with all this good news, there was still something that kept Hyun-Jae''s mood in a really bad state.


    Even after two entire days, Talon still didn''t wake up from hisa. During this time, Gu Iseul had to visit him multiple times to heal his injuries. She would drain all of her Aetheris on him till she''s about to copse before she leaves, rests, andes back.


    Naturally, Talon''s condition grew better and better with each session and even the brutal injury on his abdomen started closing on its own. Yet, the young man himself didn''t seem like he had any intention of waking up.


    With that, the second and third days after the fight passed peacefully. Hyun-Jae was drowned in more and more work but she still made sure to visit Talon every single day.


    For at least one hour, she would sit next to him silently as she watched him. It was her only peaceful time amidst the chaos. She also used that time to simply think about everything and have a moment of reflection.


    With that, the fourth and fifth days quickly passed too and Hyun-Jae''s worries grew bigger and bigger. Talon wasn''t waking up at all and Gu Iseul didn''t know why.


    His vital signs seemed fine and so was his recovery process. Iseul thought that his recovery was going to be a miracle in itself, yet, that turned out to be the smoothest part of the entire process.


    "I really have no idea when he could wake up¡­ He''s in aatose state, so it could take days, weeks, or even months for him to wake up¡­" She told Hyun-Jae with a difficult expression. "All we can do is wait."


    Just hearing that news ruined Hyun-Jae''s mood. However, she still epted them. After all, Talon was still alive and well, all that was left was for him to wake up.


    All that was left was for him to wake up¡­ Just thinking about that made Hyun-Jae smile bitterly. Even in such a situation, she still firmly believed that Talon was going to wake up any time soon.


    ''Don''t make me wait too long, Talon.'' She thought to herself as she gave the young man onest look and left the room, closing the door behind her.


    ***


    Meanwhile, Inside Talon''s head.


    "Ok, where the hell am I?"


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 84 - 84- Greatness (Part 1)

    Talon wiped his eyes a few times as he looked at the description of the ss thinking he had read something wrong. But, no matter how many times he reread it, it still said the same thing.


    "What the fuck..." He murmured as he grabbed his forehead in disbelief. "This has to be some kind of practical joke..."


    The sheer ridiculousness of the ss description made Talon forget to even feel happy. He didn''t even need to try it toprehend how absurdly powerful it was. It didn''t simply give him a small boost or a useful ability, no, far from that. Instead, itpletely reshaped his power level and pushed him a few leagues higher.


    "Haha, hahahaha!" In the end, he startedughing. "The Core Dimension is one sick bastard. They''re sick!" Talonughed weirdly as he stared at the floating holographic window.


    "+20% in attack power using any weapon, +10% in all stats, and +25% power against stronger enemies. This is madness, this is literally madness."


    Talon didn''t take long toprehend how mind-boggling that is. While currently, the numbers might not be that massive, Talon realized that this ss will only show its true potential in the future, when Talon''s stats reach hundreds of points, those percentages will be a monstrous boost.


    In other words...


    ''This ss is made to push me to fight stronger enemies and level up even faster so that I can reap the benefits of its percentage-based boosts.'' Talon thought to himself.


    Even for someone who just recently got to know what the Core Dimension is, he could easily see through its tantly obvious intentions. It wanted Talon to push himself even more and do way more reckless things, just so that he could reap more rewards and get even stronger.


    But, the question remains, why would the Core Dimension want him to do this? As far as he knew, the Core Dimension doesn''t treat anyone better than the other. If anything, from what he heard, it wants to put creatures under its firm control without letting anyone get too strong to threaten its sovereignty.


    Yet, with this second ss it gave him, Talon wasn''t sure anymore if that was true. If he truly does continue to get stronger, at some point, his power will be so out of this world that there is a very high chance it could threaten the Core Dimension''s supreme presence.


    If that happens, what would the Core Dimension do?


    "Ugh, this is a headache." Rubbing the back of his head, Talon realized the absurd nature of what he was trying to imagine.


    ''Fighting the Core Dimension? Pfft, why am I even bothering to imagine it now? This has been a problem for Talon from 100 years in the future. Good luck with that dude, you will need a lot of it.'' Talon chuckled as he finally closed the window.


    "For now, I will just enjoy the benefits of this ridiculously strong ss. I feel like I can finally tackle the research center problem."


    What seemed like such a far-fetched idea two weeks ago didn''t look as impossible today. That made Talon realize how far he hade in this period of time. He had done so many things, discovered many secrets, and learned valuable lessons, physically and mentally.


    It was, in a sense, the most fruitful two weeks he ever lived. Granted, it was chaotic, dangerous, and really bloody, but, Talon was still d he was able to survive through it and emerge apletely different person.


    Sitting there, he reminisced about what happened for a while as he thought of the future, his ns, and what could happen after he finally left this ce.


    "Hmm, I want a hearty meal... A good bed and a pillow, for god sake, I miss having a pillow. Mmm, then, I will finally be able to start moving south... Back home." He murmured to himself.


    "Someone is getting homesick?"


    At that moment, a very soft, beautiful voice spoke to him from up close, making Talon look to the side. Acrypha had suddenly appeared inside the room out of nowhere. Talon''s eyes shed with a glint for a second as he turned away with a smile.


    "I''ve always been Homesick. I just don''t show it to anybody." He replied casually.


    "And here I thought I was able to make you feel at home with me. So disappointing." Acrypha pretended like she was sad which made Talonugh.


    "Your presence did help."


    "Oh?" Acrypha raised an eyebrow as she looked at him curiously. Talon could see anticipation in her eyes which made him grin inwardly.


    "Yeah, like it helped by... 1%? No, more like 0.5%."


    "You little rascal! I thought you were honest for a second there!"


    "Hahaha!"


    Acrypha looked at the young manughing before she smiled again. "I''m d to see that you woke up. You took your sweet time, didn''t you?"


    "I deserve some rest. But, yeah, I''m d I woke up. I missed you too." Talon replied with a sigh as he cracked his neck.


    Acrypha flinched for a split second when she heard thest sentence before she quickly regained herposure and continued. "I assume you have some things to tell me."


    "Oh? How did you know?"


    "It''s all over your face since I came back. Besides, I learned to read your expression better."


    After spending more than two weeks together, Talon and Acrypha had naturally grown familiar with each other. They learned each other''s personalities, likes and dislikes, and how they can act in certain situations.


    It came as a natural result of spending every day together. But, what they also didn''t realize helped a lot was the natural chemistry between them.


    Talon and Acrypha perfectly fit each other as partners. Even with their drastically different origins, they both somehow found each other to be the best person they wanted to spend time with. For Talon, Acrypha became his guide and the person he would look for whenever he was in a bad situation.


    As for Acrypha, she found Talon to be the most intriguing individual she had met. He gave her a sense of familiarity and belonging that she didn''t feel in god knows how long. Spending time with him became one of the few things she genuinely enjoyed. Watching him develop slowly and guiding him through it became her main purpose.


    "Yeah, in fact, I do have many things I want to tell you about." Talon nodded his head.


    "Go ahead, I''m all ears."


    Then, Talon went on to recount the dream that happened to him during the time he was in aa. He gave her every detail he could remember, even the insignificant ones. Meanwhile, Acrypha listened carefully.


    By the time he finished, her face subtly changed.


    "Interesting..."


    "Yeah, I was confused at first. But, to be honest, I think it''s just a weird dream, that''s all." He shrugged.


    However, Acrypha didn''t reply immediately as she thought about it. "Really interesting... Yeah, it could be simply a dream, but I don''t think it''s that simple. So far, everything that happened to you has been abnormal. This dream seems too realistic to be a mere illusion."


    "Is it?"


    "Yes, that''s what I think. I can''t give you a definite answer since you were only inside a room and couldn''t take a look at the outside world from there."


    ''Though, his description of the ce feels vaguely familiar... Though, I can''t remember where exactly I heard it before.'' Acrypha frowned as she tried to remember.


    "Well, I will keep it in mind since you''re suspicious. Until something else happens, it''s not that big of a deal." He shrugged as he finally moved on to the most important topic. "Also, I received a second ss after killing that monster."


    "You did? That''s rare. Second sses are usually something you acquire at a much higher level. But then again, by your standards, this is just another Monday." Acrypha rolled her eyes.


    "Hey, I was surprised too. It''s called ''Boundless Breaker'' and let''s say... Ehem, it''s ridiculous." Talon coughed awkwardly as he extended his hand to Acrypha to grab it.


    "What did you get this time?" Thetter realized what he meant and could only frown. She had to take a few deep breaths before actually touching his hand, just so that she could be mentally ready for the shock.


    But, when Talon revealed the ss to her, she froze in her ce for a second. Her beautiful eyes blinked as she read the description.


    "Yeah, I feel you, I had the same reaction when I saw it." Talon nodded his head with an ''I feel you'' look.


    "I don''t even know what to say at this point." Acrypha rubbed her temples. "This ss is one of the strongest sses I''ve ever seen. Percentage boost is extremely rare to find in skills and sses because of its versatile nature that keeps changing as the individual gets stronger. Unlike getting a fixed boost which won''t increase further in the future."


    "Oh, that makes sense..."


    "In this case, based on the description, there never existed and probably will never exist a ss like this one. However..."


    "Hm?" Talon noticed the change in Acrypha''s expression.


    "I did hear of a ss that sounds oddly simr to this one before."


    "Wait, really?"


    "Yeah, remember when I told you about the entire history of how creatures from all dimensions traveled to the Core Dimension?"


    "Yeah, of course."


    "Well, there was a particr standout of those individuals. The first ever creature to take a step inside the Core Dimension..."


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 85 - 85- Greatness (Part 2)

    "The first one?" Talon raised an eyebrow.


    "Yes, the first one. As I told you before, entering the Core Dimension at the time was akin to suicide. Nobody knew how to safely ess that dimension so it was natural that no one wanted to actually go first. They saw too many fools die to risk their lives for it."


    With theck of knowledge at the time, Talon could easily see why no one wanted to go after the first few failed attempts. It was basically a suicide mission with no guarantee of survival at all. What made it even worse was how purely based on luck it was. Even those who get strong enough to ess the gate, there was still a chance they would get turned into Dimension Walkers.


    "In fact, they were so scared of the gate that it quickly became a way for some worlds to punish criminals. If you break the rules, you''re thrown in that gate to die. It fed into the legend that was created around the gate and its notorious ways of brutally killing anyone that dared to enter it."


    ''Damn, it must''ve been a rough time.'' Talon frowned as he realized how brutal and savage that punishment was. They didn''t even bother to kill the criminal normally and instead threw them in there, making the gate seem like a terrifying nightmare.


    "That was the case for a while. Until a certain man appeared out of nowhere, his origin was unknown and so was his real name. But, he liked to be called ''Zero'' for unknown reasons."


    "Zero... The dude definitely had an edgy phase in his life." Talon shook his head with a sigh.


    "From the records, Zero was born in a Low-D world. He was a very ambitious man with a great talent that allowed him to rise quickly to great power. No one in his world could beat him or dare to offend him which led him to live his life in solitude for years. When he emerged again after a long period of time, he dered that he was ready to leave his world through the gate."


    "Just like that? Didn''t he fear the consequences?" Talon waspletely taken aback by this man''s decision. Even Talon wasn''t that reckless when it came to throwing his life in danger... Or was he?


    ''Shit, why do I feel like I would''ve done the same thing?'' He frowned to himself.


    "Yeah, he was a very battle-hungry man with an endless desire for power. Even after turning his world into his yground, he still sought after great battles and thrilling adventures. Naturally, his eyes would be directed to the gate when he knew the sheer mysteries he could unravel if he sessfully entered the Core Dimension."


    "He seems like an interesting individual."


    "He definitely is. Anyway, many people obviously thought he was a fool for trying to do such an absurd thing. But, he didn''t listen to their warnings and ridicule and did enter the gate on his own. What happened after that was a historic moment. For the first time ever, a creature was able to sessfully pass the gate and enter the Core Dimension."


    "Damn, that''s really cool. He didn''t even care that everyone mocked his ambition." Talon murmured in an impressed tone.


    "You still don''t know how great of a historic figure that man is. He not only didn''t care, but after that, he went on to conquer the Core Dimension on his own, gaining power faster than anyone else. He didn''t try to build an empire like many others did. Instead, he lived his life free, doing whatever he wanted and going wherever he wanted while documenting his adventures in his books.


    It was said that on his own, Zero was able to discover 5% of the Core Dimension."


    "Wow... Wait, 5%? That sounds... underwhelming." Talon rubbed the back of his head.


    "No, it''s far from underwhelming. Just to put it into perspective, in the entire history of the Core Dimension and after thousands of years, do you know how much of that dimension was discovered? Only 20%. 5% of those 20% were done by a single man."


    "..."


    "And to be more precise, 5% of the Core Dimension is thousands of times bigger than this world."


    "... Ok, scratch everything I said... What the hell?! How is that even possible?!" The young man blurted out as he almost choked on his own saliva.


    An area the size of thousands of earths? That was a scale that was simply iprehensible. To discover such a massive area with all the dangers, abominations, and terrifying environments in it... That was simply insane.


    "As I said, he is the greatest figure in history. But, what''s important and the reason why I mentioned him is your ss. In his books, he mentioned that the moment he entered the Core Dimension, he was given a ss like you did. The name of that ss was ''Limit Breaker''."


    Hearing that name, Talon frowned. "Limit Breaker? That sounds..."


    "Yeah, very simr to your ss. That''s why I remembered it. Though, I do not know what the description of that ss was."


    Talon looked down as he thoughtfully contemted Acrypha''s words. It was true that the names sounded simr and the situation they got the sses in is really simr too. In both cases, it was an achievement never been done before in history.


    "Is there some kind of pattern to this? Or is it just a coincidence?" Talon asked.


    "If it''s a coincidence, then it''s a really convenient one. However, I would say this is good news since your ss sounds way more powerful than his. With the great things he achieved, if you continue to grow, perhaps you will enshroud him in the future." Acrypha smiled as her eyes shed with excitement.


    Even if she had her questions about this ss and Talon''s journey so far, she was still d that he was blowing her expectations into pieces. One part of her was eager to achieve her goal, while another part simply was happy to see the young man in front of her be a great figure in all dimensions.


    "Well, anyway, I''m now excited to get back to work! I''m sure my strength is going to be out of this world! Haha! Ouch!" Talonughed excitedly.


    "Be careful or your injury will reopen."


    "I can''t wait, goddammit! I hope it heals today!" Talon cursed as he stood up slowly and walked toward the window.


    "That Ran Hyun-Jae girl will definitely be angry if she sees you walking around," Acrypha said with an amused smile on her face.


    "I''m not really doing much. Just want to breathe some fresh air and get some sunlight."


    Standing near the window, Talon stared outside silently as he enjoyed the cold breeze. He really missed moving around so much after 6 days of sleep. Even with the horrible weather outside, he still found it far better than being locked in a room.


    ''I feel in a really good mood...'' He thought to himself with a smile as he started humming.


    "Hmm..." Acrypha rested her back on the wall and listened to him silently.


    It was a peaceful time. After all the chaos and destruction, they were having a rare moment of peace.


    ***


    Later that day, Hyun-Jae knocked on the door to Talon''s room carrying two huge bags in her hands. Walking inside, she found Talon busy wiping his spear with a cloth.


    "Sorry for beingte, I had to deal with some problems." She said as she threw the bags down and exhaled a long breath as she rubbed her neck. "Are you feeling ok?"


    "Yeah, I''m feeling a lot better than earlier today. I can move around with ease too." He replied.


    Sitting down, the girl nodded her head with a sigh. "I''m d to hear that."


    "On the other hand, you don''t look fine at all," Talon said with a serious tone as he inspected Hyun-Jae''s face closely. It didn''t take him long to notice the dark spots under her eyes and her pale face.


    Hyun-Jae was clearly overworked to the bone and didn''t sleep at all the past few days due to stress.


    "I''m fine." She shook her head.


    "No, you''re exhausted. You should sleep early tonight. I''m going to take care of the rest." Talon said in a firm tone.


    "You really don''t have to..."


    "I want to. I''ve already rested more than enough. Time to get back to work. Let''s put an end to this mess and get out of here, ok? We don''t know what could happen in the next few days so I want you to be ready."


    Hyun-Jae stared directly at Talon as she felt the seriousness in his voice. She could also see the worry in his eyes. In the end, she gave up and nodded her head. For some reason, seeing him this worried about her made her a little happy.


    "Ok, I will rest tonight."


    "Good. By the way, what''s up with those two bags?"


    "Hm? Ah, right. These are the monster cores I collected a few days ago. I already gave everyone their part based on their contribution. The rest is yours." She said.


    "All of that?" Talon looked at the two bags again.


    They were easily over 1 meter tall each and at least twice the size of a normal human. Yet, they were filled to the brim with cores.


    "How many did I kill?"


    "Hmm, it''s a rough number, but I think 200 monsters more or less."


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 87 - 87- Earth-Shattering Strength (Part 1)

    At this point, all of Talon''s stats were 65+ points without counting the percentage boost ''Boundless Breaker'' gives him, which meant that he was now better than an average human by more than 6 times. It was ridiculous to think considering he only started leveling up a few weeks ago and was now probably the strongest human to ever live on earth.


    That fact alone was weird to contemte as Talon really couldn''t feel any different mentality-wise. He didn''t feel like he was the greatest to ever live or the best genius Earth has to offer. He just felt an endless eagerness to get better every day and move forward at his own pace.


    If he was fearful of the oue of continuously getting stronger a few days ago, then he was now more than curious to see what the end of this path would lead him to. Whether it was destruction or prosperity, pain or happiness, he was on it for the longer term.


    Meanwhile, Hyun-Jae watched Talon silently as if she was contemting something. Her eyes shed with a mysterious glint for a split second.


    ''He''s getting really strong...'' She thought to herself as she realized that the young man in front of her was now a force of nature. She could feel it from his aura and presence and it made her feel even moreplicated.


    ''If he continues at this rate, I will fall behind. I can''t let that happen.'' A mysterious fiery determination fired up in her eyes as she realized that she wasn''t that close in strength to Talon anymore.


    This entire time, the two of them were very close in terms of overall power with Hyun-Jae even exceeding him in agility at some point. However, that wasn''t the case anymore. Talon kept on aiming higher, doing far more ridiculous things and gaining extremely powerful abilities along the way.


    Hyun-Jae knew that if she wanted to keep up with him in the future, she had to actually up her level too. She didn''t want to be left behind as Talon reached new heights. Standing next to him and helping him was now her goal aside from finding her family.


    Unaware of Hyun-Jae''s resolution, Talon put his spear to the side and finally looked at her.


    "Thank you for the help as always, Hyun-Jae." He said in a soft tone.


    "Hm? Oh, it''s nothing much. This all your hard work, I didn''t do anything." She replied as she shook her head.


    "No, really, you''re a very good friend. I don''t know what I could''ve done without your help." Talonughed wryly.


    Hyun-Jae: "..."


    "Hm? Everything good?" Talon noticed Hyun-Jae''s expression changepletely.


    "... Friends? You think... we''re friends?" She asked with a confused look mixed with surprise.


    "Of course, wait, aren''t we? I thought it was obvious." Talon blinked, even more confused than she was. Then, he frowned as he realized the huge blunder he did.


    ''Shit! I jumped to conclusions on my own! We''re obviously not friends!'' Talon cursed inwardly.


    Even though the two didn''t know each other for long, Talon assumed that after everything they went through, they had at least be friends.


    "Ah, sorry, I was mistak-"


    "I thought I was the only one who thought so." Hyun-Jae cut him off.


    "Huh? Of course not, I always thought that way... Wait, you also thought the same?"


    "No, I mean, I never said it before, but I also assumed it was the case the entire time."


    "Yeah, me too..."


    The two looked at each other in confusion for a few seconds before they exploded intoughter.


    "This is so weird! Hahaha!" Talon murmured as he wiped the tear from his face. "What kind of misunderstanding works like this?"


    "I don''t know. You confused me for a second there."


    "You did too! But... I''m d we''re on the same page. So, to make things clear, wanna be friends?" Talon asked as he extended his hand for a handshake.


    Hyun-Jae stared at his hand for a second before she smiled too and grabbed his hand.


    "Of course. Please take care of me in the future." She said.


    "You too."


    ***


    After that, Talon and Hyun-Jae talked for a while about different topics. Mainly about the current state of the gymnasium, the students, what happened the past 6 days and many more things.


    Hyun-Jae gave Talon a general idea about what the students were doing and how their progress was going so far.


    Apart from their training, some students had discovered something important that caught Talon''s attention.


    "They''re using monster hides to make clothes and armor?" Talon asked with a confused expression.


    "One of the students found a special sewing skill a few days ago and a few others learned how to skin the weaker monsters to get their skin. It''s still a very rough idea and the first tries aren''t the best, but after trying it, the skin was rather tough and could definitely stop bullets." Hyun-Jae exined.


    "Interesting..."


    "Hmm, sewing skills are rather rare but they aren''t unheard of. It could definitely be useful if you know how to choose the stronger hides to create armor." Acrypha said as she floated around Talon.


    "I will check it out and see if I can help in any way," Talon said as he stood up and dusted his clothes. "For now, you should go to sleep. I will take care of the rest from here on."


    "... Ok, I will listen. But, don''t overwork yourself. You''re still injured."


    "Yeah, I know. I don''t want to get back to that mattress for another second." Heughed.


    "Mmm, can I request onest thing?" Hyun-Jae hesitantly called for Talon before he left.


    "Hm?"


    "Can I... Sleep here again? Because of the noise..." She awkwardly said.


    "Of course, make yourself at home. I won''t be back till morning so take your time."


    "Thanks..."


    After that, Talon bid the embarrassed Hyun-Jae farewell and left the room.


    "Mr Charming hits again~" Acrypha said jokingly as she flew next to him.


    "Huh? What are you talking about?"


    "You made her blush there, didn''t you?"


    "Blush? Hyun-Jae? There is no way that''s true. I''ve never seen her blush before. Besides, she''s just using the mattress to sleep, nothing to be embarrassed about." Talon shrugged as he moved beyond Acrypha.


    "Fufufu, is that so?"


    "Yeah, that''s so."


    Talon then continued his walk toward the basketball court where the students were. On the way, he came across a few students going about their chores.


    "Oh, Mr Talon!!"


    "It''s Mr Talon!!"


    Naturally, they were surprised to see him after a whole week.


    "How are you doing, folks?" He asked.


    "W-We''re doing great, sir!" One of them answered hesitantly.


    "Good, keep up the good work." He nodded his head as he continued walking.


    "Damn... Why did I feel way more nervous seeing him today?" One of them asked the other.


    "Hmm, you felt it too? He seemed... Different? And also, am I imagining stuff or... Is he noticeably better looking now?"


    "Yeah... I think that''s not your imagination..."


    What Talon didn''t notice was that after all the continuous evolution, his face had also undergone some changes. His skin was brighter now, his messy ck hair more luscious and his facial features were better than before.


    He was now a rather good-looking young man, far from the average looks he had a few weeks ago.


    Unbeknownst to him, he reached the main area of the gymnasium where he greeted everyone.


    The students were delighted to see him fine. They heard how he was in a grave state after what happened which made them extremely worried. Talon was by far the strongest student out of them and losing him meant their chances of survival would drop really hard.


    In any case, Talon gave everyone a brief notice and thanked them for their hard work. Then, he walked around making sure that everything was going as he intended.


    It didn''t take him long to notice the changes that happened inside the gymnasium during his absence. The biggest change by far was the teamwork and chemistry between students as they did their tasks.


    They seemed more effective and fast, clearly a huge improvement from before. After two weeks at this rate, they started to learn how to live and adapt to this world better. Naturally, that boosted their performance, and tasks that would''ve taken hours before are now finished in a matter of minutes.


    ''It''s nice to see that things are going well. Hyun-Jae really did a magnificent job.''


    After making sure that he checked everything, Talon finally left the gymnasium to the quiet training ce he found before.


    "Time to give my newfound power a try," Talon said as he stretched a little.


    "Are you sure you won''t hurt yourself?" Acrypha asked.


    "Yeah, don''t worry. Just going to move the spear around a little and see what happens."


    "Ok, go ahead, big boy," Acrypha said as she shrugged and flew to a nearby rock to watch.


    "Hnng, let''s see..." Touching his side to see if there was still some pain, Talon pulled his spear out as he took a fighting stance.


    His calm eyes immediately turned extremely sharp as his muscles contracted. His veins expanded visibly as his entire body moved forward, swinging the spear with a terrifying speed that shocked him.


    *Swish*


    The moment Talon''s arms moved, he realized something.


    ''Oh no!''


    *BOOOOM*


    Before he could even react, a huge explosion filled his ears as a giant cloud of smoke filled his vision. A huge shockwave spread from his spear to the vicinity, sending the rocks flying away as if they were feathers being carried by the wind.


    "Cough! Cough! What the fu-"


    Before he could even utter a single sentence, Talon''s eyes fell on the area in front of him and he immediately swallowed all of his words.


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 88 - 88- Earth-Shattering Strength (Part 2)

    Talon stared at the area in front of him that had been hit with the giant shockwave. His eyes were fully wide as he took in the scenery.


    A huge visible trace of the spear''s de ran across the area, carving the ground out and leaving a mark behind as it moved forward a dozen meters or so. The depth of the trace was also considerably far for a mere swing of a spear.


    "... I didn''t even... use all of my strength..." Talon murmured as he crouched down and touched the mark.


    The sheer precision of the hit made it appear like a straight line to the naked eye so there was no way it was anything but his strength that created it.


    "Acrypha?" Talon turned around to hispanion. "What kind of power is this? I didn''t think a single sh would do this!"


    Acrypha stared at him with a serious look. "What did you expect? With all the bonus points you have, your stats are easily over 80+ points. You have the strength of 8 average humans. With the fully leveled spear, leaving an effect like that is expected."


    ''Though, it''s unheard of for a level 23 creature to do it. But, it''s Talon we''re talking about so It''s not abnormal anymore.'' She thought to herself as she sighed.


    "Damn, I''m already at that level..." Talon murmured.


    "Yeah, and it''s only going up from here. At some point, your strength will reach a level where a move from your hand could erase a continent or a as a whole." Acrypha nodded her head.


    "..." Aplicated expression appeared on Talon''s face as he looked at his hand.


    Slowly, he started realizing that his strength was breaking through the realm of what was possible for a creature on Earth to do. With each move he makes, the effects will be devastating and monstrous.


    ''I can''t take this lightly...''


    He knew that if he continued at this rate, the consequences of each mistake he made would be irreversible. That was something that he naturally wanted to avoid and he knew exactly how to do that.


    Clenching his fist, Talon stood up as he exhaled a long breath.


    "Are you good?" Acrypha asked.


    "Yeah, just took a moment to think. Let''s try again." He said as he picked up the spear and took a fighting stance.


    Staring ahead of him, he inhaled air before he shed forward in the blink of an eye as he shed down again.


    *BOOOM*


    A giant explosion urred the moment his spearnded on the ground. But, Talon didn''t stop there as he shed to the side again, sending a giant airwave that sent everything flying back into his area.


    He didn''t stop there and span the spear in his hand before he turned around and sliced thin air. With each move he made, he would change how the entire ce looked. That was how absurdly strong he was.


    ''Such attacks would be devastating on a group of monsters.''


    A few shester, he finally spanned the spear onest time and put it to his side. His eyes sharply looked around. The entire ce was now deste of anything other than the piles of dirt carved out of the ground and the traces of the spear''s de.


    With Talon standing alone in the middle of this chaos, it was in a sense, a very scenic image that captivated Acrypha''s eyes as she watched from afar. Complicated emotions shed through her eyes.


    Then, she murmured some incohesive words that nobody heard other than her before she finally closed her eyes and smiled to herself.


    "Acrypha!" As she was like that, she heard Talon call for her. "I think I''m ready!" He said in an excited tone.


    "Hm?"


    "We''re going to leave this ce, finally! I believe getting to the research center isn''t impossible anymore! I can do it!"


    Talon would be lying if he said that he wasn''t over the moon seeing how ridiculously strong he became. He was over the moon and he couldn''t hide it, especially not from Acrypah.


    Thetter blinked confusedly before she nodded her head. "Yeah, I grew bored of this ce. You better put an end to it."


    "Mm, I''m going to do that! Just watch!" Talonughed heartily.


    ***


    With that, Talon continued experimenting with his spear for a while. He tried all kinds of attacks, tested his bare strength without the spear, and even tried to sprint. What he discovered was an even bigger delight for him.


    Not only was he stronger now, but he was also faster, more durable, could heal quicker, and had an almost endless amount of Aetheris to use for his skills. He was an absolute all-rounded fighting machine. He was good at offense and defense with basically no weak points to mention.


    By the time he was done with the experiments, it was alreadyte at night. The sky waspletely dark with the moon shining brightly in the distance, casting an ethereal light upon the world.


    Wiping his sweat, Talon picked up his spear and headed back to the gymnasium.


    "What are you going to do now?"


    "I''m going to check the progress on the monster hides'' armor creation and then I think I''m going to check the research center''s current state."


    ''Hopefully, nothing weird happened there again.'' He thought to himself.


    "Mr Talon!"


    As he was about to walk inside, he was met with a student rushing to the door. It was a female student that he had never seen before. She had an extremely weird expression on her face.


    When she saw him, she stopped as she started heaving up and down in a panicked state. Talon could see the terror in her eyes.


    "What''s wrong?" Talon approached the girl with an rmed look on his face.


    "It''s... It''s... Hah..." She tried to speak but her tears and cries would stop her as she tried to say anything.


    "Look at me,e on, look at me." Talon tapped her shoulder as he crouched down to reach her level. "It''s fine, just breathe in, breathe out. Slowly."


    The girl looked at him as he said and followed his instructions. A few secondster, her heart rate calmed down considerably as she finally wiped her tears.


    "Now, calmly, tell me what happened," Talon said.


    "... I-I''m assigned to provide food for the prisoners we have... It''s my turn today so I had to do it. But, I was busy, so I only remembered now to bring them food. But, when I just went there... I..."


    So far, there were two people inside the gymnasium that the students captured and imprisoned. Ji-Seok who was ready to harm Go Young-Soon for extra food, and Rim Kyung, the previous leader of the students before Hyun-Jae and Talon arrived.


    Both hadmitted horrible crimes and tried to harm the students around them so Talon decided to chain them up and keep them in a closed room. He did contemte simply throwing them outside for the monsters to eat, but he felt that it would''ve been too extreme for the students to handle so he put it aside for now.


    "What about them?" Talon asked with a frown. "Did they escape?"


    The girl shook her head as she pointed back. "Come and take a look... I don''t know what I saw... It''s... It''s weird..."


    Talon didn''t understand what the girl was saying. So, he decided to go and see for himself what she meant.


    "Stay here. Don''t alert anyone till Ie back, understood?" He said.


    "Y-Yes."


    As he moved inside the gymnasium, Talon''s eyes moved left and right, making sure to keep his senses alerted just in case. A whileter, he found himself in front of a dark room in the corner of the gymnasium. It waspletely secluded from the other parts of the building and students were warned not to enter it unless they had to.


    ''Hmm, I''m not feeling anything weird...'' Talon squinted his eyes as he turned the knob and opened the door. The interior was dimly lit with one single, old bulb.


    There, his eyes fell on two students lying down on the ground as if they were asleep. Their arms and legs were tied with ropes and they were facing the other side.


    "Oi, bastards, wake the fuck up!" Squinting his eyes, Talon called for them coldly.


    However, no response came back to him.


    "I said wake the fuck up!" He yelled again, shaking the entire room with his voice. However, still, they didn''t seem to move at all.


    "What..."


    Talon confusedly walked inside the room and approached the two students slowly. A weird, cold feeling was starting to rise in his chest as he got closer. Without even noticing, his grip on his spear became stronger as Talon started channeling Aetheris.


    It was a natural reaction from his body when it felt that Talon was in danger.


    When he got close enough to one of them, he slowly crouched down and grabbed him by the shoulder.


    "Wake up. Rim Kyung! I said wak-"


    Before Talon could even finish the word, Rim Kyung''s body fell to the side, revealing his face.


    Seeing that, Talon immediately jumped back in shock. "What?!"


    The young man''s entire face waspletely distorted into a wide, skin-tearing smile. His eyes were crying tears of blood and his motionless expression made Talon realize... He was dead.


    ''That smile... What the fuck?! Why does he have that smile?!'' Talon immediately looked around him alerted as he grabbed the spear with both hands.


    ''Is someone here?''


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 89 - 89- Parasite Attack (Part 1)

    Talon felt a chill run down his spine as he looked around him with a cold expression. He tried to expand his senses so that he could feel any presence around him. However, no matter how much he tried, he couldn''t sense anything.


    "Shit! Can you feel anything, Acrypha?" He looked to hispanion as he slowly backed into a wall and held his spear tightly.


    "No, there is no one here besides you." She shook her head. "Whatever did that isn''t present here anymore." She said.


    Hearing her confirmation, Talon exhaled a small breath as he finally dropped his guard a little. He trusted Acrypha''s senses more than his so if she said that there was nothing near him then it was indeed the case.


    "What happened here? How did it get to them?" Talon frowned as he looked at the dead Rim Kyung.


    He didn''t even need to look at him twice to know the culprit. It was the same goddamnughing monster that he couldn''t find yet. At this point, Talon was starting to feel as if he was chasing a ghost of some sort.


    No matter how much he tried to discover anything about this monster, he would fail miserably. He didn''t know what to do and it made him even more pissed off.


    "It essed the gymnasium and killed these two... But, why them?" He racked his brain for answers.


    From what he could see, they were the only ones affected. There was no indication that it targeted any other students. Everyone seemed safe, so it wasn''t much to worry about.


    Talon''s guard slowly rxed and he felt his stress and worry wash away. All the tension he felt for a moment there also disappeared. Yeah, everything was fine after all. But...


    ''Wait...'' Talon frowned as he halted his thoughts at that point. ''Why did I think that everything was fine? It''s clearly not... Am I overthinking?''


    Resting his back against the wall again, Talon grabbed his forehead.


    "Are you ok, Talon?" Acrypha approached him.


    "Huh? Oh... I''m fine, I think." He murmured as he pushed himself again and stood on his feet.


    "I need to get every student checked and then I guess bury these two, haha..." Heughed dryly as he put his spear away. "I guess they got what they deserved, am I right? Hahaha..."


    "Talon?" Acrypha stared at the young man with squinted eyes. "What are you saying?"


    "Hm? It''s nothing, I was just joking about how they died. It''s kinda funny, not gonna lie."


    Acrypha: "..."


    Laughing to himself, Talon stepped forward to leave the room, only for Acrypha to suddenly appear in front of him with a serious look on her face. Talon didn''t think much of it and tried to move to the side, only for her to block his path again.


    "What, Acrypha? You''re blocking my way. Hahaha!" Heughed amusedly. "How am I supposed to leave the room if you stand in front of me? Wait, you''re technically floating, hahaha!"


    "Stop right there. Don''t move an inch." The woman said in a cold tone.


    "Huh? What''s happening here? Are we doing a detective roley? Hahaha..."


    "You''re acting weird."


    "Weird... What are you ta-"


    At that moment, Talon received a notification from his system that made him freeze.


    [Ding!]


    [Your Poison Resistance has increased.]


    [Your Poison Resistance has increased.]


    [Your Poison Resistance has increased.]


    "What... Poison Resistance?" Talon blinked in shock.


    His poison resistance had somehow been triggered for no reason which made him even more confused. He knew that unless he was hit by some kind of poison, that skill never did anything.


    "Sit down now and don''t move. I think the parasite had gotten to you somehow through those two. You have to keep that in mind and don''t let it get to your head. Just fight the urge to do whatever your brain is telling you to do now." Acrypha said as she tapped his shoulder.


    "... Ok." Seemingly still in shock, Talon followed her orders.


    [Ding!]


    [Your Poison Resistance has increased.]


    Sitting silently, Talon watched the notifications appear slowly. He already realized that he had been somehow affected by the monster.


    ''I feel a strong urge to justugh... This is messed up. A parasite is in my fucking head!'' Taking a few deep breaths to try and calm down, Talon stared at the poison resistance notifications silently.


    He was d that the skill seemed to be fighting the parasite that tried to take control over him. However, he wasn''t sure if it was enough to stop it from eating his brain and turning him into one of those ugly abominations.


    ''How did it even enter my head? I didn''t get close to any of these bastards!'' Talon cursed inwardly.


    "What should I do, Acrypha? The skill is resisting the parasite." He said as he covered his eyes and silently fought his thoughts. It was telling him to simply not worry and to justugh, have fun, and feel better about everything.


    Those obnoxiously happy thoughts were screwing his head since well, who wouldn''t want to feel happy when they have the opportunity to? It was a very hard and odd thing to resist. But, Talon didn''t let that get to him as best as he could.


    "If your skill is resisting it, then that''s a good thing. Usually, if you''re injected with a poison way stronger than what your poison resistance skill can handle, it won''t even activate to fight it off." Acrypha said as she sat down next to him.


    "Ok..."


    "Just calm down and stay focused. I''m here with you. Focus on me and what I say, understood?" She said calmly and clearly for him to stay present with her.


    Talon nodded his head as he looked at Acrypha silently, admiring her beauty. Even after spending weeks with her, he still found looking at her something special. Her looks never feel normal ormon. But, perhaps the thing he liked the most about her was her eyes since they always captivated him.


    She always looked like an ethereal divine being and it was conveyed through her mesmerizing irises.


    As he was like that, Talon suddenly felt his stomach churn. His eyes widened as he quickly turned around and started coughing wildly. He felt a burning feeling in his chest as if a fire had been ignited there. It was extremely painful and suffocating.


    ''What... is going on?!'' He couldn''t even speak as he simply coughed and choked on his own saliva. Something within him seemed to want to exit him.


    "Cough! Cough! Blurgh!" In the end, a few droplets of blood exited his mouth along with a small thing. "Hah... Hah... Hah..."


    Looking down, Talon noticed the small parasite worm squirming left and right as if it was dying before it stopped moving altogether.


    "Are you ok?" Acrypha approached him and she helped him stand up again. "... Yeah... That feels a lot better..."


    After spitting that parasite out, Talon felt his thoughts clear uppletely and hisposure came back to him. Wiping his lips, he looked at it. "That little bastard almost killed me! That really was something! It felt so fucking wrong. I wanted to justugh and joke around."


    "Doesn''t help that that''s what you do 90% of the time," Acrypha replied.


    "Hey! Excuse you! I don''t joke around THAT much. But, my humor is one of my charming points." He rolled his eyes.


    "Can''t deny that." Acrypha smiled amusedly.


    "Tsk, anyway, how did that parasite get to me? I didn''t notice anything change before you warned me."


    "..." Acrypha thought for a moment as her eyes fell on the two dead corpses. "You did touch that human, didn''t you?" She asked.


    "... Yeah, I did. Wait..." Suddenly, Talon realized as he looked at his hand. His eyes squinted as he sharply analyzed it.


    It didn''t take him long to notice something abnormal. Right in the middle of his palm, a very small hole could be seen that wasn''t visible to the normal eye. It was so small that blood didn''t even leak out of it.


    "So that''s where it got to me. Shit..." Clenching his fist, Talon looked at Acrypha. "It passes through touch."


    "Exactly."


    "This is bad. Really bad..."


    Talon didn''t know exactly when the parasites infected Rim Kyung and Ji-Seok. So, if someone had touched them during this time, they could definitely be infected. This meant that the students who had entered this ce in the past few days could possibly be infected too.


    "Oh no..." Looking up with a frown, Talon quickly picked up his spear and rushed to the door. "Shit, shit, shit!"


    Closing the door behind him, Talon ran to the main court.


    "EVERYONE!! WAKE UP NOW!!" He yelled loudly as he barged into the ce. "EVERYONE WAKE UP! IT''S URGENT!"


    "Huh?"


    "Hm? Mr Talon?"


    "What''s going on?"


    The students were confused by the sudden noises. But, Talon didn''t wait as he jumped. "Now, everyone, stand up, don''t touch each other, and keep a distance from one another! No questions asked yet! I will exin everything!" He dered in a firm and authoritative tone.


    His strong presence made everyone immediately shudder and stand up on their feet even though they were very drowsy. Talon''s orders were absolute as he was the one responsible for their survival so far.


    "Young-Soon, make sure everyone is here. I don''t want anyone absent. Hei-Ran, wake up Hyun-Jae and get her here. Mo Shin, find Chin-Hwa and get him here too." He started giving orders around to get every single student inside the main court.


    "Yes sir!" (x3)


    ''Hurry, hurry! I don''t know how much time I have! Shit, think, Talon, think! How do you know if someone is infected? I need to cut down the number of possibilities!''


    His brain ran through countless ideas as he searched for a good idea. A few moments of deep thinkingter, Talon''s eyes shone with a bright light.


    Looking up, he asked the students. "Who of you has been feeling a weird urge tough the past few days?"


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 90 - 90- Parasite Attack (Part 2)

    His question naturally made the students look at each other in confusion. It made no sense at all given the context.


    "Urge tough?"


    "Did I hear him correctly?"


    "Why would I have the urge tough? I''ve been asleep."


    Suchments could be heard everywhere on the basketball court. However, Talon didn''t care as he looked around.


    "If one of you feels the urge tough or has been feeling it for a while now, tell me. It''s really important." Talon said in a calm tone.


    He didn''t let their confusion break his focus. He didn''t know how long he had before things got out of control and he didn''t want to wait to see either.


    ''Come on,e on!'' He kept looking around, waiting for a hand to rise.


    Seconds passed like an eternity with no reactioning from the students. That made Talon frown even harder. It seemed no one had felt that way from the group.


    "So no one?" He asked.


    The students shook their heads confusedly. That made Talon exhale a long breath as he ran his hand through his hair. For better or worse, this was a good thing since that meant the parasite probably didn''t infect them yet.


    ''No, I can''t assume that yet. I need to y it safe.'' He thought to himself.


    "OK, who''re the people responsible for feeding the two prisoners Ji-Seok and Rim Kyung? All of you, step forward." He spoke after a few seconds.


    The students looked at each other again with confusion before a group of them stepped forward. The group was not that big, barely 10 people who belonged to the Food and Supply section. As the name suggested, they were the group assigned to split the food amongst the students and keep everyone well-fed and in full health.


    "Ok, who of you fed them the past three days, step forward." He specified again.


    In the end, three students walked forward nervously. Feeling Talon''s prying sharp eyes on them was not the best feeling by any means. They looked down nervously, unable to keep eye contact with him.


    "Now, I want you to answer me honestly and don''t lie. It''s for your sake." He said.


    "Y-Yes, sir!"


    "When you went to bring them food, did you make any body contact with them? In other words, did you touch them in any way?" He asked. "Even if it''s a very insignificant touch."


    "..." (x3)


    The three students were confused by the question. Why did it matter if they touched them or not? It made no sense. But, since Talon had asked them, they couldn''t just ignore it.


    "No sir, I didn''t touch them. I just put the tes near them and they ate from it." One said.


    "Me neither, I was scared that they might do something so I just put the tes down too." Another added.


    Talon nodded his head thoughtfully, it seemed that these two weren''t infected, most likely. Then, his eyes fell on the third one, which was a female student.


    "And you?" He asked.


    "... Sir... I..."


    Talon squinted his eyes when he noticed her nervous expression.


    "I... I think when I brought them the food yesterday... I found Rim Kyung on the ground, unable to move. He called for me to help him. I was hesitant at first, but, I felt bad leaving him there so I helped himy against the wall." She exined nervously.


    Talon wentpletely silent as he stared at her. Nobody knew what was going through his head at that moment.


    The more seconds passed without Talon saying a word, the more the students felt nervous. Theck of information and the bizarre way he was acting made it even more stressful.


    "What''s going on?"


    At that moment, Hyun-Jae entered the main area with a serious look on her face.


    ''It''s the president!''


    ''Thank god she''s here!''


    Talon''s eyes wandered to the girl approaching him.


    "What happened, Talon? Why is everyone here?" She asked.


    "Sigh... I found Rim Kyung and Ji-Seok dead." He sighed as he finally spoke.


    His words ignited a strong reaction in the students. They never expected to hear such a piece of news out of nowhere.


    "Dead?!"


    "Did they get killed?"


    "What''s happening?"


    "Dead? Was it a normal death?" Hyun-Jae shook her head as she looked at him.


    "No, when I inspected their corpses. They had wide, disgusting smiles on their faces."


    "Smiles? Why would they have smi-" Suddenly, Hyun-Jae remembered what they discovered a while ago, all the monsters they saw with that same horrid smile. "The monster..."


    "Yeah, he somehow infiltrated the gymnasium and killed those two. I think there is a possibility that someone else was infected by the parasite responsible for the smiles. For now, I have one single suspect." He exined as he looked at the girl. "Step forward. What''s your name?"


    "Mmm... Yang Hana... Sir..."


    "Yang Hana. Ok, I will be a little honest with you here. I think you could possibly be infected by a parasite that could very likely kill you."


    "... What?! What p-parasite, sir?! What happened to me?!" She asked with a terrified look on her face.


    "Listen to me, Hang Yana. I need you to be calm. I said ''Possibly'', which means that it''s not a certainty yet. That''s why, I need to check. Can you help me out?" Talon asked calmly.


    "O-Ok! Please help me, sir!" She said in a begging tone.


    "Don''t worry,e here," Talon said as he crouched down and extended his hand for her to get on the stage.


    The girl immediately approached him and took his hand as he pulled her up. Meanwhile, everyone watched tensely, unable to understand what happened. Parasite? Deadly?


    "Now, can you sit down?" He asked in a calm tone.


    "Ok... Hah, hah..." With a still pale expression, Hang Yana sat down and looked at Talon as she fought the urge to cry.


    "What are you going to do, Talon?" Hyun-Jae asked confusedly.


    However, Talon didn''t respond as he crouched down in front of the girl, startling her. "Don''t move, ok? I want you to stay fixed and take deep breaths."


    "Ok..."


    "Now, open your eyes wide and look up as much as you can."


    ''I don''t know if this is going to work... But, this is the only idea I cane up with.'' Talon thought to himself.


    Since Talon had no idea how these parasites work, he went on with the sole thing he knew about them and that is the ce where they affect the host. It seemed that they directly get into the brain and start consuming it, effectively changing the host''s behavior and slowly controlling it, till it dies.


    However, in case the target is killed before the parasite can consume its brain, the thing itself would leave through the eyes and die outside.


    Which meant that there was a chance Talon could see the worm through the girl''s eyes. Precisely, the sclera. Or that was at least his theory.


    "Ok..." The girl did what he asked.


    "Excuse me."


    Talon then squinted his eyes as he got closer to her face, awfully close. So close, in fact, that she could feel his breath on her face. The girl was surprised at first, but she didn''t move at all. Even though she was feeling her heart race with Talon being this close to her, she didn''t move.


    Meanwhile, Hyun-Jae watched everything ensue with a weird expression. Seeing Talon''s face close to another girl didn''t sit well with her at all. She didn''t know why, but she felt the urge to simply look away.


    ''Why am I acting this way? It''s an urgent situation. Focus!'' She cursed her weird feelings and focused again.


    Meanwhile, Talon''s eyes were staring directly into the girl''s sclera, prying through that thinyer and trying to notice any small abnormalities within it. With his Enhanced Focus skill and his evolved vision, Talon''s eyesight was now at least 10 to 11 times better than that of a normal person.


    Inparison, an eagle''s eyesight is only 8 times better than that of a normal human so it was safe to say that Talon had the ability to see things that normal humans could never notice.


    "Hmm..." He searched through her eyes for any indication but he couldn''t really notice a single abnormal thing.


    A whileter, he pulled himself away. "You can blink now."


    "Am I ok, sir?" The girl asked anxiously.


    "... I didn''t see anything weird within your eyes. I think you''re fine. Though, just in case, I want you not to make any physical contact with anyone else till I''m 100% sure you''re fine, ok?"


    Hearing his assuring words, the girl felt all the tension in her body leave immediately as she sat there, heaving up and down. Then, small tears welled up in her eyes.


    "Thank god..." She murmured to herself.


    Talon looked at the girl silently. He could understand why she was crying at that moment. Hearing that your life could be in grave danger and then realizing that you were fine was a great feeling.


    "How did you know that they were dead?" Hyun-Jae approached Talon and whispered into his ear from up close.


    "Hm? A girl came and told me that she brought them food and noticed that they weren''t moving, so, she called me to check it out." He said.


    "A girl? Who?"


    "Oh, it''s that... Wait..." As Talon was about to point at one of the ten students, he suddenly realized something. Of the ten students, he couldn''t see the girl at all.


    "Huh?" Talon shook his head and looked again. "Why isn''t she there?"


    "Talon?"


    "..."


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 98 - 98- Talon Vs Chin-Hwa (Part 1)

    When Chin-Hwa disappeared, Talon finally turned around, only to see Hyun-Jae standing in front of him. She had a visible frown on her face as she looked at him.


    "Why did you ept that?" She asked, clearly not agreeing with what he did. She wanted to reprimand Talon for his decision, but, she assumed that he had a good reason why he epted.


    But, Talon didn''t immediately reply as he thought for a second. "Hmm, if I didn''t ept, I''m sure he would''ve kept bugging me till I epted. He had ''that'' kind of look on his face after all." Talon shrugged.


    "That kind of look?" Hyun-Jae tilted her head confusedly.


    "Yeah, the look of someone that made up his mind. He wasn''t joking when he said this means everything to him¡­ Whatever that means." Talon replied.


    He had no idea why this spar meant everything to Chin-Hwa, but his guts told him that the cold prince wasn''t lying about it, and that made Talon even more interested in this fight. Chin-Hwa was just the oddest human he ever met till this point.


    "Sigh¡­" Hyun-Jae sighed as she rubbed her temples. "Why is he acting like this¡­?" She murmured to herself.


    "Act like that? Wait, why did I sense some tension between you guys just now? Am I missing something?"


    "... It''s¡­ Ugh, after you defeated that monster¡­ I had a talk with him and I decided to sever our friendship right there and then."


    "Wait, what? You two aren''t friends anymore?" Talon blinked in surprise.


    "I saw that hepletely changed and his change was going to put his life and the life of the people around him in danger. I couldn''t let him do that, not to himself, not me, you, or anyone else." She exined with a frown.


    Even when she had willingly taken this decision, losing a lifelong friend wasn''t easy on Hyun-Jae either. She had grown ustomed to him being by her side wherever she went. Now, that spot was empty.


    However, quickly, Hyun-Jae shook those thoughts away and focused on Talon. What she was concerned about now was his reaction to what she did. She knew that Talon was probably unpleasantly surprised by the fact.


    Thetter stood there with a small frown on his face as he seemingly thought about it for a few seconds.


    "Well, I don''t really know much about what happened, but I know you had a good reason for doing that. He doesn''t seem like he''s faring that well."


    Hearing that response, Hyun-Jae exhaled a small breath. "Yeah, I really don''t know what to do with him. The problem is, I can''t fully me him because everything he did was out of worry for me. He isn''t a bad person." She murmured.


    Knowing how he felt toward her, Hyun-Jae found it even harder to face Chin-Hwa anymore. She knew that feelings were something that a person couldn''t control and that was why she never med him for feeling that way. She just wished it never happened so that their friendship could''ve remained intact.


    "Sigh¡­" Talon looked at the conflicted Hyun-Jae. He knew that it was never easy to break a friendship, especially one thatsted years.


    "Well, let''s first see what he wants out of the spar. I''m sure Chin-Hwa has a good reason for this. As for your rtionship with him, I have no right to tell you what to do. Though, as my grandpa said to me when I was a child, thepass of your heart always follows the right path for you, trust it and you will never lose your way."


    Hyun-Jae''s eyes widened slightly when she heard those words. As simple as they were, they did resonate with her.


    "Wait, was the quote like that? Ugh, it sounded way better in my head. How did grandpa say it again?" Talon frowned as he shook his head. "No, it wasn''t like that, scratch everything I said. My grandpa was probably more profound than this."


    Blinking silently, Hyun-Jae''s grim expression turned into a small smile as she startedughing.


    "What the hell is that, hahaha?"


    Seeing herughing. Talon could only follow suit. "He would''ve probably beaten my ass if he heard I ruined his quote in such a glorious manner."


    "Yeah, I''m sure he would''ve done that. But, I wouldn''t say it was a bad quote. I liked it."


    "Really?"


    "Yeah, it sounded nice and I feel like I understood it. Thanks." Smiling warmly, Hyun-Jae nodded her head.


    "If you say so¡­"


    ''Even though she rarely smiles that way, she has a beautiful smile.'' He thought to himself.


    "Mm, anyway, I''m going to check the monster pieces of armor and then go to the agreed location." Talon turned around and excused himself.


    "Take care."


    "You too."


    ***


    *One Hour Later*


    "Hold on, we didn''t agree on this."


    In an empty field right behind the gymnasium, Talon said in a cold tone as he looked around him. The usually deste area was now far from empty, hundreds of students were present, surrounding two people, the confused Talon and Chin-Hwa who were staring daggers at him.


    "Didn''t agree on what?"


    "Calling all the students here to watch," Talon said. "It''s not a show."


    "What? Are you afraid of losing in front of them?" Chin-Hwa retorted coldly.


    "That''s not the point¡­" Talon murmured.


    "They''re here to watch the spar and learn. It''s nothing big." Chin-Hwa said as he unsheathed his sword slowly and took a fighting stance.


    Rubbing the back of his head, Talon exhaled a small breath. "If that''s how you''re going to y, then sure."


    "Hm?" Chin-Hwa hummed confusedly.


    But, Talon ignored him and channeled his Aetheris through his body before directing it toward something he had strapped to his back. Slowly, a shiny ck de slowly left its sheath and floated in the air right next to Talon.


    ''Let''s try one of the Aetheris des on this idiot.'' Talon thought to himself, ignoring the shocked looks on the students'' faces.


    "Oh my god! Is that sword flying?!" One of the students said in shock.


    "Yeah¡­ Mr Talon just made it float! What kind of weapon is that?!"


    Whispers echoed in the area.


    "Quiet." Suddenly, a cold voice cut through their whispers and made everyone gopletely silent. Hyun-Jae had spoken and put an end to the gossip.


    Her aura was colder than usual and it was all because of this sudden change in agreement. Having all the students here was a very bad idea.


    "Hey, that isn''t your weapon." Chin-Hwa frowned hard as he pointed at the Aetheris de.


    "Who said it isn''t? This is one of the weapons I use." Talon shrugged.


    "You!"


    "Hey, you yed dirty, so I''m going to do the same. Besides, if I used my main weapon, I would probably destroy youpletely."


    "...!!" Hearing that tant disrespect, CHin-Hwa''s anger peaked as he gripped his sword tightly.


    "Fine, I will make you regret underestimating me!"


    *Swish*


    Saying that, Chin-Hwa dashed forward at top speed. He was able to cross the distance between him and Talon in a matter of a few seconds. Meanwhile, Talon stood in his ce, not moving at all.


    When Chin-Hwa was about to swing his sword, he suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. His body instantly moved as he guarded his side with the katana.


    *Cling*


    A split secondter, the Aetheris de appeared out of nowhere and attacked him. Thetter was barely able to block the hit, and yet, it still pushed him back a few meters. But, the de didn''t stop there as it flew up again in the air and then dived down like a hawk, aiming for Chin-Hwa.


    ''Shit!'' Thetter clenched his teeth as he jumped back. Before the de could even hit the ground, it suddenly changed direction and flew right toward him.


    *Cling*


    Chin-Hwa blocked again at thest moment. Then, what ensued after that was simply shocking. The flying de kept attacking the cold prince again and again and again as thetter barely dodged and blocked the attacks while slowly losing all his advantage.


    "That de¡­ is insane¡­"


    "Yeah¡­ Mr Chin-Hwa can''t even do anything¡­"


    The speed, strength, and uracy of the Aetheris de were shocking, even to Hyun-Jae. She had seen Talon fly those des a few days ago, but she didn''t know that he had been practicing with these des too apart from the Azure mes and the spearmanship.


    He wanted to learn how to move those des while he was mid-fight so that they could be akin to his support. It was a little hard at first to do that since fighting and also controlling the flying weapons required unbelievable mental capacity. But, Talon''s focus was far better than ever before so he was able to start seeing some good results.


    "*Yawn*, I''m starting to regret that used the Aetheris de. I was even intending to use two. But, I guess even one is too much for him." Talon murmured as he watched the two des shing as sparks flew in the air.


    "What an amazing show," Acrypha said with a bored look. "That human never had a chance against you, not even if you''re not using any weapon. I wonder why he was adamant on fighting you."


    "Hmm¡­ It''s something you know very well." Talon replied as he watched Chin-Hwa coldly.


    "Something I know?"


    "Yeah¡­ He isn''t fighting to defeat me. He''s fighting for his pride."


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 99 - 99- Talon Vs Chin-Hwa (Part 2)

    "His pride you say?" Acrypha asked as she looked at Talon curiously. "And what pride would he get from being utterly crushed by you?"


    If there was one person familiar with the word ''pride'', it''s definitely Acrypha. She was a prideful being and had been dealing with prideful people basically her entire life. So, she was surprised she didn''t notice the fact that Chin-Hwa was fighting for his pride rather than anything else.


    However, hearing her, Talon shook his head. "Keyword ''Fighting''. He was never going to win and he probably knew that."


    Talon''s eyes wandered to Chin-Hwa again as he watched him struggle greatly to keep up with the Aetheris de. The entire time, Talon wasmanding the de to aggressively attack the cold prince from all angles and not leave him a single moment to even think about retaliating.


    It wasn''t out of spite or anger, but it was to show Chin-Hwa how far behind he was. Talon had deemed Chin-Hwa''s problem to be ack of awareness of what kind of reality he was in. He always assumed things and didn''t try to understand whether he was right or wrong.


    "Then why?" Acrypha asked.


    That''s when Talon''s eyes finally moved to the beautiful girl standing in front of the crowd with a cold look on her face. Hyun-Jae was naturally not enjoying watching this fight.


    "I guess you should know yourself why," Talon murmured.


    "What do you mea¡­ Oh¡­" Looking in the direction Talon was looking, Acrypha''s eyes


    shed with a hint of understanding. "You''re talking about that¡­"


    "Yeah, exactly that." Talon sighed. "He''s probably trying to show her that he changed and was improving."


    "What an interesting approach. And by interesting, I mean naively foolish." Acrypha sneered. "Does he think this is some kind of fairy tale?"


    Talon''s eyes moved to the side as he stared at the divine being floating next to him before smiling. "We''re as close as we can be to a fairy tale."


    Before the integration, Talon naturally never believed in the supernatural and so did most people. However, all of that changedpletely now. This world isn''t as simple as they thought it was.


    "If this world is a fairy tale, then it''s perhaps the most twisted one imaginable." Acrypha rolled her eyes.


    *Cling* *Cling* *Cling*


    Meanwhile, a little far away from the duo, Chin-Hwa''s body was moving left and right as he swung the sword as fast as he could. His face was riddled with sweat and he was heaving up and down.


    It has been a few minutes since the fight started and all he could do was simply dodge and deflect the Aetheris de to the best of his ability. It was a nightmare. The flying weapon was akin to a ghost that appears and disappears at top speed and attacks where he least expects it to.


    ''Fuck! Fuck! I can''t do anything!'' He cursed in his head as he clenched his teeth hard. He couldn''t find a single opening to attack Talon who was standing casually a dozen meters away.


    Seeing him acting like that crushed Chin-Hwa''s moralspletely. This wasn''t even a fight anymore, Talon was toying with Chin-Hwa as he wished and he didn''t even seem that bothered about it.


    The difference between them in terms of strength was like heaven and earth. It was simply unimaginable.


    ''Why? Why?! We were barely that far away from each other a few weeks ago! How did he grow this strong so fast?!'' He asked himself again and again as he fought the flying de.


    It made no sense at all how Talon could improve this fast even though Chin-Hwa worked extremely hard to keep getting stronger just so that he could be worthy of standing next to Hyun-Jae and proudly defending her when he needed to.


    Yet, that position has been imed by someone else without even trying. At this point, Chin-Hwa knew that Talon had no intention to actually try and im Hyun-Jae. Which meant, everything Chin-Hwa did this whole time waspletely wrong.


    He put everyone''s lives in danger because of his pitiful jealousy and rash thinking. Had he been a little more level-headed, Hyun-Jae would''ve never hated him or severed their friendship and he would''ve still had a chance to actually be with her.


    ''It''s all my fault! It''s all my fucking fault!'' As he deflected each hit, Chin-Hwa''s frustration grew and so was the guilt in his heart. It was truly all his doing and he couldn''t me anyone but himself for it.


    "Come on, Chin-Hwa. Is that all you''ve got? You wanted me to use my main weapon, right? Then make me use it." Amidst all of that, he heard Talon''s voice booming in his ears.


    For a second, he stared at the young man with a frustrated look and all he could see was a calm expression.


    "Shut up!!"


    "Make me," Talon replied coldly.


    ''This bastard! I won''t let him insult me!!'' Feeling his anger rising higher than ever, Chin-Hwa channeled his Aetheris as he activated his skill.


    Immediately, his style of fighting changed. Jumping back, Chin-Hwa pushed the ground with his feet, leaping forward at a speed way faster than before. The Aetheris de flew toward him, aiming for his neck.


    But, Chin-Hwa swiftly deflected it and continued his dash. His uracy and technique had also improved greatly. This sudden shift took everyone by surprise.


    ''Interesting.'' Talon looked at the approaching young man with a curious gaze. ''He has a pretty nice skill.''


    The Aetheris de flew toward Chin-Hwa relentlessly as it got deflected back with way more ease than before. It seemed the weapon was not capable of pushing him back anymore.


    The distance between him and Talon grew closer and closer really quickly till the cold prince found himself in front of Talon again. But, this time, his katana was already moving swiftly through the air, aiming for Talon''s neck.


    ''I got you!!'' Chin-Hwa''s eyes red up as he watched the de close up on his target. His surprise attack was going to work!


    Talon had no weapon in his hand and the Aetheris de was going to take a split secondte to actually attack Chin-Hwa. It was checkmate!


    However, as Chin-Hwa was about to celebrate in his head, suddenly, Talon''s silhouette vanished from his peripheral vision. It happened so fast that he couldn''t even react to it in time.


    ''What?! Where did he?!'' His eyes moved to the side quickly as he felt his senses catching something dangerous.


    Talon had suddenly dodged the de and was now moving to his side. Then, thetter tightened his fist as heunched a strong punch toward Chin-Hwa''s face.


    The punch carried at least 50 points of strength from Talon''s 70 points. That strength was more than enough to blow a normal human''s head off.


    Chin-Hwa''s heart stopped as he watched the iing attack with wide eyes. The tables have suddenly turned in a split second and he could do nothing about it except watch the deadly blow flying toward him.


    ''I''m dead¡­'' For a split second, he thought he was going to die.


    But, at thest moment, the fist suddenly stopped, barely a quarter of an inch away from Chin-Hwa''s face.


    Then, the cold prince felt a strong gush of air hitting his face that pushed him back a few steps as he fell to the ground.


    Silence.


    The entire field turnedpletely silent as if no one was there. Everyone had a shocked look on their faces. Things happened so fast that they could barely even see anything with their eyes.


    At first, it was Talon being the target of the attack and then suddenly, Chin-Hwa was on the ground, bbergasted and in shock.


    The speed at which Talon movedpletely blew their heads off. Even Hyun-Jae who witnessed Talon''s strength more than once could only stare in awe.


    He was far stronger than what she remembers from the stampede fight. No, it wasn''t simply that, he was now on apletely different level than before.


    ''The difference between Talon and these humans is almost funny to watch.'' Acrypha exhaled with a small, proud smile on her face. Her little monster was ufortable to anyone else and she enjoyed seeing that.


    "What¡­ did I just witness?" Eventually, one student uttered.


    "I¡­ don''t know¡­"


    "He moved¡­ so fast¡­ I couldn''t see anything¡­"


    "Did he even move¡­ I only saw a sh¡­"


    Reactions of such nature could be heard everywhere amongst the students. They already knew that Talon was absurdly strong, but this¡­ This was just terrifying.


    Meanwhile, back in the middle of the field, Talon''s fist finally released as he pulled back and stood in front of Chin-Hwa. His expression was calm and collected.


    "How¡­" Chin-Hwa murmured.


    "It''s really simple, isn''t it? I don''t like to brag. But, we both aren''t on the same level." Talon replied casually.


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 109 - 109- Between a Rock And a Hard Place (Part 1)

    The forest shook powerfully, as dirt, broken trees, and all kinds of other things started sliding down to the middle. All the students who took that route to escape found themselves being hit by an avnche from both sides.


    Some of the unlucky ones were hit by broken tree trunks.


    "AAAGHHHH!! My leg!!"


    "WHAT IS HAPPENING?!!"


    Panic spread across the entire group as they realized the massive disaster happening. Nobody expected such an oue from entering this ce. They prepared themselves mentally and physically to fight actual monsters, not a moving forest!


    "Don''t panic and keep moving! We aren''t far away from the exit!" Hyun-Jae''s voice echoed through the entire ce, capturing the attention of the students. Her voice, as cold as it was, brought them a small glimpse of hope as they kept running.


    Meanwhile, still at thest line, Hyun-Jae went everywhere, helping any student she could help. She wasn''t intending to exit the forest the first one even if she could and the reason for that was simple.


    ''I need to buy Talon as much time as possible. I can''t let him down!'' She thought to herself as she used her sword to cut a way through the rising hills.


    Even under such an unexpected situation, Hyun-Jae''s priorities remained the same. She was buying as much time as possible for him. That was what they agreed upon. It was a promise she made that no matter what, she would fulfill her part.


    Like a sh, Hyun-Jae jumped through tree branches and from one side of the forest to the other in quick session. Her eyes followed the students as they exited the forest. She could see tens of them still stuck inside the forest and it made her frown even harder.


    Even if she wanted to, she couldn''t save them on her own. She wasn''t even sure if she could get out of there unscathed considering how far behind she was.


    ''I need to hinder this forest''s movements¡­'' Looking around her, Hyun-Jae tried to look for anything she could use.


    What made her discover that the forest was alive in the first ce was the de of grass. When she snapped it in two, she felt the Aetheris within the de of grass transfer to her which was something that happens only when she kills a living being¡­ Precisely, a creature that has Aetheris in it.


    As far as she was concerned, Hyun-Jae had never seen a nt imbued with Aetheris before so thest option left was that this de of grass was very simr to the rest of the monsters¡­ In other words, an enemy. What remained was a simple conclusion that the entire ce was the same.


    It also made perfect sense why the monsters vanished as if they were never there. It wasn''t because they ran away, but because of this living forest.


    ''Think, Hyun-Jae, think¡­ There has to be a way to it!''


    Even as she moved, she knew that time was ticking down at a rapid pace. At most, she had 80 seconds before the forest wouldpletely close and squash her to death. What she does in those 80 important seconds is going to determine the sess of the entire n.


    ***


    Meanwhile, far away to the east.


    "What¡­ the fuck¡­" Talon witnessed everything that ensued in shock. A few seconds ago, he saw the sign for him to start his move. But, the moment he stepped out of his hiding spot, the ce suddenly started shaking violently.


    For a moment, he thought that the expansion was about to start. But, that suspicion waspletely shattered when he witnessed the entire forest suddenly rise from the ground, leaving behind a giant crater beneath.


    "A living being¡­" Acrypha murmured as she looked at the scenery.


    "What?"


    "That forest is a living entity." She repeated.


    "How the¡­" Talon couldn''t even find the word to ask hispanion.


    "You don''t have time to ask questions. You need to move now! I can feel the humans being trapped in there."


    Clenching his teeth, Talon nodded his head and rushed toward his destination at top speed. In a matter of one second, he crossed a hundred meters, seemingly appearing like a sh to the naked eye.


    With 70 points in agility, increased to 90+ with the Boundless Breaker ss bonus, Talon had broken through the boundaries of what was possible for any human to ever do. The path he took was toward the northern east, taking a long detour around the forest.


    As he ran, his eyes kept staring at the continuously rising forest. He would be lying if he said that he wasn''t extremely worried about Hyun-Jae being in there. But, he knew that he needed to focus on the task and trust her.


    ''She will handle this situation, somehow. I need to reach my position as quickly as possible.''


    *Swish*


    With that, Talon vanished into the distance, leaving behind a cloud of dust on his path.


    ***


    "Help me!! Please help!! AGHHHH!" A student screamed for help as she found herself stuck between two tree trunks, slowly being crushed by their massive weight.


    Tears rolled down her eyes as she felt her bones cracking and her organs being crushed. The pain was unimaginable.


    Suddenly, she heard a ringing sound in her ears out of nowhere before the weight of the trunks suddenly vanished.


    "Can you stand up?" Hyun-Jae asked as she lifted the giant trunks and threw them to the side before she pulled the girl up.


    "Ugh!" The student squinted in pain as she felt her broken leg touch the ground.


    "Tsk, you! Carry her and move, now! You still have time!" She called for another student.


    "Y-Yes ma''am!!"


    "I''m stuck!!"


    Immediately, Hyun-Jae heard another scream for help behind her. Clenching her teeth, she rushed back to help. At this point, the entire forest was at a 100-degree angle on both sides and rapidly closing.


    Meanwhile, tens of students were still stuck, unable to move and there was only Hyun-Jae there. She feltpletely powerless as she tried to save as many as she could. As strong as she was, this was simply far above her level and it was frustrating.


    Even as she moved back and forth, barely dodging the debris raining down on her, she knew that she was only minimalizing the damage. People were going to die.


    "DAMN YOU!!" She cursed loudly as she sidestepped a falling branch and leaped in the air, crossing a big distance in one step.


    Her heart raced wildly and her thoughts felt chaotic. She had to continuously do small yet precise calctions of where, how, and when to move so that she didn''t end up being buried alive. Dirt covered her body and soiled her hair, but she didn''t care at all.


    "President!!" Reaching one of the survivors, Hyun-Jae found him stuck under piles of rock and dirt. Using her sword, she sliced through them before she tried to carry the remaining pile to free him.


    But, she underestimated how heavy it was. Even as she used all of her strength, the boulder, and the dirt barely moved. She estimated that the weight of the entire thing was at least 400 kilograms.


    "Hnnng¡­" Frowning hard, Hyun-Jae tried again, only to fail.


    ''So¡­ heavy¡­''


    Her fingers dug into the boulder, pressing into it. She felt her nails breaking from the sheer pressure. But, she ignored that and continued trying to lift it up.


    "Please¡­ president¡­" The student begged in tears as he tried to wiggle out. But, his legs werepletely crushed by the immense weight on top of him.


    ''Come¡­ on!! Move!!'' Hyun-Jae''s eyes turned even colder. But, even then, there was a limit to how much she could really do.


    With a rough estimate, Hyun-Jae had no more than 20 seconds left before the entire cepletely closed shut.


    Hyun-Jae was slowly losing hope of saving anyone else. The rest of the students were either too far away or were in a situation so dire that it would probably take minutes for her to save them.


    As she was like that, Hyun-Jae suddenly felt a presence appear behind her. Before she could even react, she felt the weight of the boulder reduce as it started moving faster than before. In less than a second, the weight was pushed to the side and the student was released.


    Hyun-Jae blinked in confusion as she turned around quickly.


    "I''m here, president!" Chin-Hwa said as he quickly picked up the student. "Let''s get out of here before the entire ce closes!" He said.


    "..." Hyun-Jae opened her mouth to say something but then shook her head. "You go first. I''m going to stop the forest!"


    "What?! How?" He asked.


    However, Hyun-Jae stood up and smiled coldly. "I have an idea."


    ***


    At the same time, inside the research center.


    "Oh lord¡­ What is happening outside?" One of the scientists tapped frantically on the table as he listened to the loud noisesing from the outside.


    His peers had the same terrified looks on their faces for many reasons. But, perhaps the biggest one was the fact that today was the deadline set by their abductor. They had to breach into the satellite and get her what she wanted.


    However, there was one small problem. Before they could fulfill that task¡­ The generators ran out of fuel.


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 110 - 110- Between a Rock And a Hard Place (Part 2)

    It was already a known fact to them that the generators weren''t going tost that long even if the scientists worked as quickly as they could. What was even worse was the fact that even their abductor knew that.


    Yet, for some reason, she didn''t do anything to them in the past two days. In fact, after returning, she barely entered the room they were stuck in to give them some food and water. It dawned on them that she didn''t seem like she was interested in killing them and that made them even more terrified.


    After all, with what they saw, that woman didn''t strike them as the type to spare a human''s life even if they did nothing wrong.


    Now, they were still sitting inside theb, listening to all the rumbling, shaking, and destruction that was happening outside and yet they couldn''t take a glimpse of that.


    The tension was over the roof and no one could handle it as they kept shaking violently. They had no idea whether they were going to die or not.


    "I¡­ I can''t anymore¡­ This is too much!" Suddenly, one of them stood up. It was the female scientist. "I can''t handle waiting here any longer!" She eximed.


    "What? What are you even saying?"


    The other two looked at her in confusion.


    "Are we seriously going to sit here and wait for our deaths? How does that make any sense? That woman had her control over us for weeks and we couldn''t do as much as raise our voices. I''ve had enough!"


    "..." The other two scientists'' expressions changed upon hearing that. It was indeed true what she said, this was their prison and they had been inside of it the entire time. They even forgot what the light of the sun looks like anymore.


    "If we''re going to die anyway, we might as well try to escape! It''s better than not doing anything and waiting for her toe back and kill us!" She added with a shaky voice. Even she knew that what she was saying was a huge risk.


    But, the question was: what do they want more? Their freedom or their lives? Depending on the answer, it was technically easy to decide what they wanted to do.


    Looking at each other withplicated expressions, the scientists tried to find any courage within each other''s eyes. Just a speck of approval or willingness would probably make them do it.


    "She¡­ has a point." One of them said in a low, hesitant tone. "We already lost everything, what would change if we lost our lives too?"


    "..."


    As if it wasn''t already enough, hearing the sounds outside had given them a spark of hope that help could be waiting. After all, the entire past few weeks have been really quiet except for some asional instances.


    If they could just leave this building, then they could truly have a chance to survive.


    "Are you with me?" The woman asked.


    "..."


    For a few seconds, neither of the two spoke as they contemted everything and tried to find whether it was truly worth it or not. In the end, both of them had the same exact conclusion.


    "... I''m in." One of them said.


    "Me too. I had enough of this room. I just want to go home."


    In their eyes, a spark of hope ignited powerfully. Indeed, freedom was the greatest thing a human could possess, even more precious than their own lives.


    ***


    "President! What are you going to do?" Chin-Hwa asked as he picked up the injured student.


    "I''m going to stop this forest from closing up. Go ahead and leave, I will follow you shortly." She replied as she brandished her sword and dashed away before Chin-Hwa could even utter another word.


    Staring at her silhouette, he clenched his teeth and quickly turned around to run. As much as he was worried, he didn''t even entertain the thought of running after Hyun-Jae and simply stuck to what she wanted him to do.


    "Please be safe, president¡­" He murmured as he quickly rushed back to the exit as fast as he could.


    At the same time, Hyun-Jae continued going deeper and deeper into the forest as fast as she could. With a brief calction, she estimated that she had around 30 seconds before the entire forest fully closed and she got trapped in there.


    What she didn''t tell Chin-Hwa was that she never had any intention of trying to escape. After all, her idea required her to go to the deepest part of the forest. Trying to reach that ce and then leave was simply impossible.


    ''If this doesn''t work¡­ I''m dead.'' She thought to herself calmly as she dodged a boulder and dashed forward.


    Even under such a harsh penalty, Hyun-Jae kept her calm and collected self. There was no point in panicking when she had already made up her mind.


    ''25 seconds¡­'' She counted in her head as she found herself at the heart of the forest, exactly in the middle.


    Looking around her quickly, she searched for something. Her eyes analyzed every single detail in her vicinity for a few seconds before her eyes eventually fell on something promising.


    Quickly, she rushed to it and went down on her knees before she changed the grip on her sword.


    "This better work!" Murmuring to herself, Hyun-Jae lifted the sword in the air and stabbed the dirt mercilessly.


    Her sword dug through the ground and went very deep. Eventually, it hit something hard like a rock.


    When that happened, the entire forest shook as if it was hit by an earthquake far stronger than anything before it.


    "Agh!" Hyun-Jae fell back from the shock as she found herself being buried with dirt. Quickly, she pushed it away and grabbed her sword as she approached the same spot and stabbed down again with all her strength.


    The second hit made the entire forest shake again, but, this time, everything suddenly halted after that. The two jaws of the forestpletely stopped moving. The noises died down for a good few seconds.


    "Hah¡­ Hah¡­" Hyun-Jae heaved up and down powerfully as she looked down at the hole in front of her with wide eyes. There, she could see a shining light peering through the dirt. It was a very bright blue light.


    ''It was there¡­'' Wiping her sweat, Hyun-Jae slowly picked up her sword again, approached the hole, and peeked inside.


    There, lying feet deep under the dirt was a giant shiny rock. Its size was at least twice as big as Hyun-Jae and it was exuding a huge blue light. That same rock now had a huge broken dent on its outer surface.


    "The monster core¡­" Hyun-Jae blinked in a daze.


    Her idea worked. When everything started, Hyun-Jae had already realized that she was dealing with a living being rather than a forest. So, by that logic, Hyun-Jae assumed that the forest, like every other monster, had a monster core deep within it.


    That was a huge gamble considering theck of knowledge about this thing. However, to stop this, she had no other choice but to put all her bets on this possibility. With that, all she had to do was to find the core.


    That was the easier part since she knew that most monsters have their cores in their chests with some rare cases where it was in the head like the Dimension Walkers for example.


    So, with that in mind, she blindly decided to go for the most logical possibility which was that the core is located right in the middle of the forest. Everything was correct.


    ''Did I kill¡­ it?'' Hyun-Jae asked herself as she touched the core. It seemed to be still lively, but the forest wasn''t moving at all so she assumed that it was simply a sign that it was heavily damaged at least.


    ''Maybe if I pull it out.''


    Deciding on what to do, Hyun-Jae grabbed the core with both hands and used her strength to slowly pull it out. Luckily, it wasn''t hard to do that.


    A few secondster, the core was taken out as Hyun-Jae threw it on the ground.


    "Ugh¡­" Groaning lightly, she was immediately met with a notification.


    [Ding!]


    [You have killed a level 23 Iluthian Woods. +14 all stats.]


    [Ding!]


    [You have leveled up 4 times. +8 free points.]


    A surge of immense strength filled her body out of nowhere like a tsunami. It was the first time in her life that Hyun-Jae had ever felt such a thing. It was as if every part of her body went through a drastic change in a split second and became better.


    The world became way clearer than before and her senses jumped a few levels of sharpness. Her body felt lighter, stronger, and way more durable. Even her skin under the dirt, became far brighter and more beautiful.


    ''A level 23 monster¡­ I killed a level 23 monster¡­'' She thought to herself in disbelief.


    Never in her life did Hyun-Jae expect to kill a monster this high-leveled at her current power level. The memory of that giant that Talon killed was still vivid in her head. That thing wasn''t simply terrifying, it was a true death threat to her.


    Yet, out of nowhere, she found herself killing something 6 levels above her in terms of power, and that pushed her by leaps and bounds.


    But, in the end, it was really good news. More strength meant that she was slowly bing a powerhouse of her own, just like Talon. Smiling slightly, Hyun-Jae was about to stand up. That''s when she felt it¡­ Something that ironically she just recalled.


    A true feeling of near death. Something that could very much end her life effectively.


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 115 - 115- Zenith And Evolution (Part 1)

    In the rain, Talon slowly took slow steps forward. His body was slumped forward, covered in blood from head to toe.


    ''... I''m¡­ still standing¡­'' His hazy eyes were staring ahead, trying to discern what was happening. At this point, everything was simply blending into an iprehensible image in his retina. Nothing made sense and even things that made sense became but another white noise in the background.


    The sounds around him turned into muffled noises that he couldn''t understand. His arms feltpletely numb and yet still carried the spear. Not for a second did he stumble or sway. It was as if even in his condition, he never considered falling to the ground.


    Meanwhile, his enemy stared at him with a horrified look on her face, only hidden by her mask and bloody scar.


    ''8 shots¡­ He took 8 shots¡­ and he''s still standing¡­ How is that even possible?!'' She asked herself.


    She knew what kind of weapon she was carrying and she knew how strong the bullets inside this sniper rifle were. These bullets were called ''Ghost Bullets'' and they were a very technologically advanced invention from her homeworld.


    These bullets had the ability to pass the target''s senses and pierce them before they could even realize where they were. They had the destructive power to kill any target under level 30 almost instantly.


    A few bullets were always a guarantee that any target under level 40 was dead. Yet, Talon not only didn''t die after getting hit by 8 bullets, he was still standing and walking toward her. This was something she would''ve never expected in her wildest imagination.


    ''Goddamit, why doesn''t he want to die?!'' Clenching her teeth, she looked behind her. The Azure mes were closing on them at a very rapid pace.


    Seeing that, the woman''s face turned even darker. If those mes continued to eat away at the forest, one of her biggest advantages was going to bepletely destroyed. Not only was she going to lose the forest which was akin to ayer of defense to the research center, but it was also going to potentially kill all the monsters she ordered to retreat.


    There was simply no way she could let that happen, especially when she was wasting time dealing with this young man in front of her.


    ''I have to move before things get out of control!'' Clenching her teeth, she turned around and aimed her gun at Talon before she slowly fixed the angle of the scope to aim at Talon''s head.


    This entire time, she had been aiming for his arms, torso, and chest. But, because of the one single problem the ghost bullets had, none of these bullets hit a a very vital organ of Talon''s body.


    The single w they had was that they were extremely hard to aim with. Even with her extremely advanced sniper rifle that can basically aim automatically and give the best possible shot, it''s still almost impossible to get the exact spot she''s looking for.


    But, to put an end to all of this, she had to deliver a lethal blow¡­ A single shot that he could definitely not recover from and she knew exactly where to aim for that shot.


    ''I need to hit him in the head¡­'' She thought to herself.


    Sucking in a deep breath, she tried to calm her raging thoughts and fixed her arms as she tried to adjust the angle to get a perfect hit.


    At the same time, Talon''s mind was in a in of its own, loosely linked to this world by his ever-so-weak awareness.


    ''It hurts¡­ It hurts like hell¡­'' He thought to himself. Every part of his being, every cell, screamed at him to stop and just lie down. He hated this¡­ He hated it so much that he wanted to yell at the top of his lungs how much he hated it.


    But, his weak body couldn''t really find the energy to even do that, so he just continued approaching his enemy,pletely unable to even move his body as he wanted.


    Acrypha flew next to him as she tried to catch his attention and even grabbed his shoulder to stop him. But, each time, he would slip from her grip and continue walking as if he were a soulless vessel.


    ''Why am I doing this? Uh¡­ I can''t remember¡­'' For a second, his mind was unable to recall what reason he was even still standing for at that moment.


    That moment, he felt like simply going on his knees and then letting his body off¡­ let it free.


    But, before that could happen, images suddenly shed in his head. Images of people he knew very well and loved very much.


    ''Ah¡­ Right¡­''


    He was still standing for a reason and that reason was as vivid as ever in his head, even in such moments where he even lost the ability to talk.


    Talon waspletely in his own world now, everything was suddenly a lot clearer. He felt like this was the ce he belonged in¡­ His own realm where no one can bother him.


    ''So warm¡­'' He thought to himself as he basked in the feeling.


    It was such a blissful thing, a very beautiful time when he wasn''t in need of lifting the spear and cutting down monsters.


    He felt his consciousness expand and his senses flourish. It was as if the entire world was now within the grasp of his awareness, ying as he wished and doing what he wanted.


    ''I feel¡­ A lot more¡­ alive¡­


    He didn''t know why, when, or how this happened, but he didn''t really care much as it felt really nice. He simply grasped that fleeting moment of enlightenment and left it to expand inside of him, taking over every part of him.


    Meanwhile, out of his own mental world, Acrypha watched what was happening with an extremely shocked look on her face.


    "What is he doing?"


    A few seconds ago, Talon''s consciousness was on the verge of dying which almost meant his demise. Acrypha was beyond terrified and tried to do everything within her ability to stop him. She even was about to simply give up trying to avoid the brutal soul damage she could sustain and was about to carry him to safety before he died.


    She knew that he would probably never forgive her for it, but she didn''t care, Talon must not die.


    ''I can''t let him die¡­ I can''t¡­ I simply can''t. I''m sorry, Talon.'' She clenched her teeth as she wanted to grab his shoulder again, only to notice a weird shift in her human.


    Out of nowhere, his consciousness suddenly sparked up again and his fading aura started harmonizing again even though it was still terrifyingly weak.


    Hisck of awareness of the world also seemed to vanish and was reced by a serene silence.


    Acrypha didn''tprehend what was happening at first. But, it didn''t take her long to realize what he just did. It was something that she had seen before a few times, but never even in her wildest dreams expected to see here, in this ce.


    ''He entered a Zenith State?'' She asked herself, seemingly unable to believe it. ''He isn''t supposed to enter such a state yet¡­ It''s far too early¡­ No, this isn''t good! If he stays in that zone, he will die!''


    Acrypha knew more than anyone else about the Zenith State. It was a moment where an individual would reach such a high level of concentration with their entire being that they would, for a very fleeting moment, merge with the Aetheris in their bodies.


    Such a thing naturally brought along with it unprecedented evolution to that individual if done sessfully and could be said to be the thing that differentiates between legends and mere weaklings. But, the huge risks that came with it were equally terrifying if not worse.


    For instance, because of that brief fusion, there was a huge risk that the Aetheris would take over the host''s body andpletely destroy it from the inside out due to the chaotic nature of Aetheris itself.


    Then, there was the possibility of the individual losing their connection with the real world and eventuallypletely losing their consciousness, bing an empty vessel with no mind.


    That was why, even the best of geniuses, refrained from trying to reach such a state at an early level because of the risks. Normally, even the strongest of beings would wait till they''re level 100+ to even consider doing such a mad thing.


    In Talon''s case, from what Acrypha could see, he had entered the Zenith State without realizing it. Perhaps it was his near-death condition that pushed him to actually dive deeper into consciousness or simply it was his mysterious talent that keeps revealing more and more every single day.


    Acrypha didn''t know and frankly didn''t care at that moment since her entire mind was focused on one thing.


    ''I need to get him out of it before he self-destructs¡­'' Her mind raced as she frowned harder and harder.


    From what she knew, when someone enters a Zenith State, the worst you could do is to wake them up since that meant almost 100% chance of them getting brutally punished. She also can''t try to alter his Aetheris flow.


    ''What can I do? Think, think¡­''


    Time ticked very slowly as the woman aimed her sniper at Talon, unaware of everything that was happening.


    The same could be said for Talon who was indulging that feeling more and more. He felt like he was at the peak of everything. Far beyond anything he could everprehend.


    Unbeknownst to him, outside, notifications were popping in front of him endlessly.


    [Ding!]


    [Your Enhanced Focus has improved.]


    [Ding!]


    [Your Enhanced Focus has improved.]


    [Ding!]


    [Your Enhanced Focus has leveled up!]


    [Ding!]


    [Your Enhanced Focus has improved.]


    [Ding!]


    [Your Enhanced Focus has leveled up!]


    [Ding!]


    [Your ''Enhanced Focus'' skill has reached level 5.]


    [The skill has evolved.]


    [Ding!]


    [''Enhanced Focus'' has evolved into ''Future Sight''.]


    [Ding!]


    [''Dimension Harvester'' has leveled up.]


    [You have gained a new ability.]


    ***


    A//N: Don''t forget the Golden Tickets to support your boy ?? Thanks for reading.

 Chapter 116 - 116- Zenith And Evolution (Part 2)

    Talon waspletely oblivious to these notifications as he was still in his own world. However, he was able to distinctly feel a change the moment that evolution urred. Because, at the same time as it happened, the expansion of awareness in his mind field reached its peak.


    Talon truly felt as if he was an invincible being within the confines of that ce. Everything was extremely clear to him now.


    ''I can feel everything¡­ I can see everything¡­'' He thought to himself as he closed his eyes and left the feeling to leave its mark on his soul.


    Oblivious to him, his blue irises were shining with a blue light at that moment, a very simr one to the light his enemy exuded through her eyes.


    Meanwhile, in the outside world, the woman aimed her gun fully and finally exhaled a small breath as she put her hand on the trigger.


    ''This is perfect¡­ He isn''t swaying left or right. It''s a perfect shot.'' She thought to herself as she got ready to shoot.


    She knew that this was going to be a perfect shot by every means. The wind had suddenly died down and the rain slowed as if it wanted her to take that shot and kill Talon. However, she ignored all of that and focused on her target.


    "I wanted to use you to reach my goal¡­ But, you''re simply too dangerous to risk not killing you. I won''t make the same mistake. Never again. Goodbye." She murmured with aplicated expression as she finally pulled the trigger.


    *BANG*


    The bullet exited the muzzle and immediately vanished from sight, crossing a huge distance in a matter of a few fractions of a second.


    There was no way Talon could feel that bullet, not even if he was at his peak condition, let alone in such a situation where he was at death''s doors.


    "TALON!" Acrypha felt her heart stop for a moment as she heard the gunshot echo in her ears.


    Everything slowed down to a halt for everyone¡­ Everyone except Talon.


    As he swam in his own head, the blissful feeling he was in suddenly vanished as he was pulled back into reality again.


    His eyes slowly opened, revealing a shing glint of blue light that quickly vanished. At the same time, an image shed in Talon''s head.


    In that image, he saw himself walking, in the same exact ce he was in right now. Everything was the same, then, out of nowhere, blood sshed out of his head in an extremely gory scene as he fell to the ground.


    Then, the imagepletely vanished and he came back to the real world again. But, this time, he feltpletely different. All of his senses were suddenly extremely alerted and he felt his body move on its own.


    He didn''t know why, but he simply could only follow that instinct and let it do what it wanted. The moment he let go of the resistance, his head suddenly tilted to the side.


    *BOOOOM*


    A split second after he did that, he felt a gush of air glossing over his skin as a bullet passed beside him, hitting a random tree trunk.


    ''Wha¡­'' Seeing that, the woman waspletely frozen in her ce, in pure shock.


    The same could be said for Acrypha who witnessed what happened in far greater detail than the enemy.


    ''Why did it not hit?!'' The woman screamed in her head. The shot was perfect by every means. Hell, it was perhaps the best shot she had ever taken using that weapon. Yet, she didn''t see blood ssh or skull shards fly everywhere.


    Instead, Talon had suddenly moved his head, dodging the bullet.


    ''No, no, no. Did I miscalcte? Even then, it should''ve not been by such a far margin. He would''ve not been able to dodge itpletely! What is going on?''


    Both of them blinked as they tried to wrap their heads around it. Especially, Acrypha. She had seen how Talon moved and she was sure it wasn''t a coincidence.


    ''Was that a fluke?''


    Unable to answer that, she looked at the woman again who was frantically aiming her weapon again to shoot another shot.


    ''I only have 3 more bullets! Dammit! I can''t take any chances!'' Clenching her teeth, she put her finger on the trigger.


    With three bullets left, she had no choice but to aim for his body and try to bring him down by pure force.


    *BANG*


    She shot another shot, expecting a certain hit. Only for her expectations to be shattered again the next second.


    Talon suddenly sidestepped, dodging the bullet with perfect motion.


    "Wha¡­" The girl lost her ability to speak for a moment. It wasn''t a coincidence at all what happened. For some reason, Talon was starting to dodge her attacks out of nowhere.


    Meanwhile, Acrypha had apletely different thought process¡­ One that perhaps gave her a bigger shock.


    "He¡­ could see it¡­" She murmured.


    This time, she had seen it clearly. Talon''s movement was so swift and perfect that she knew it wasn''t just a fluke. He knew where the bullet was going, when it was going to reach him, and how to effectively dodge it.


    Those weren''t things that he could do at his level with pure eyesight. He had to be able to do something far above that to know how to dodge.


    ''Something far above¡­ An ability to sense the bullet before it reaches him¡­ Wait¡­'' It suddenly hit Acrypha.


    ''Don''t tell me¡­'' She murmured as she quickly flew toward Talon and touched his hand. Since thetter had no resistance at all, she was able to easily see what he was seeing at that moment.


    Reading through the notifications, she understood everything.


    ''Future Sight¡­ That''s his skill evolution?'' She asked herself.


    For a skill to evolve when reaching level 5, it wasmon knowledge. But, there were many variations of every single one that it was basically almost impossible to predict what a skill or an ability could evolve into.


    In Talon''s case, his ability ''Enhanced Focus'' evolved in a very abnormal manner.


    ''Seeing the future¡­ At such an early level? Where are you even going with all of this?'' She frowned hard as she looked up at the pulsating core gate.


    Her eyes carried a profound coldness. ''Where do you to carry him, huh? What is it that you want from Talon?''


    At this point, she knew that Talon was extremely favored by the core gate for one reason or another. But, after everything that happened, Acrypha couldn''t simply be happy with these powerups without thinking about the possible bad side.


    She knew very well how conscious and cunning the core dimension is. It knew everything, everywhere, all at the same time. It controlled the fate of every single creature, every speck of dust, and even the movement of the wind.


    So, if it chose to help Talon this much¡­ Then it definitely wanted something from him¡­ Something so important and pivotal that it was ready to provide him with all the means possible to reach it.


    ''This isn''t going to be good. Wherever fate is carrying him, it''s not going to be a nice end. Never did the Core Dimension take interest in someone and it ended nicely.'' Balling her fists, Acrypha stared down at her human.


    She knew that he was special, extremely special. It was the reason why they even met in the first ce. But, she never knew that Talon was this important nor how he would break so many rules as he soared up.


    As Acrypha was having these conflicting thoughts, Talon was still moving forward. The speed of his steps was slowly increasing as his body slowly regained some energy. During thest few minutes, his injuries healed and he was able to regain the ability to sense, which also carried back a lot of pain.


    Having almost ten times the healing speed of a normal person was a blessing and a curse.


    *BANG*


    The second shot was fired and Talon simply dodged it as if it was nothing again. He didn''t do any exaggerated moves, just simple sidesteps.


    *BANG*


    Finally, thest bullet flew andpletely missed the mark again.


    ''This is ridiculous!!''


    At this point, the woman waspletely losing herposure. Her face paled as she quickly rummaged through her pockets, searching for anything she could use to hit him.


    But, there wasn''t much she could use at that moment. Time was running out as the fire was eating the entire forest.


    Her mind raced as she tried toe up with a n, only to realize¡­ There wasn''t really a n.


    ''I need to run!''


    So, she quickly stood up and turned around to escape. The situation had spiraledpletely out of her control in less than a second. Everything she built so far was crumbling down in front of her eyes.


    Talon lifted his head up and looked at the woman as she started running away. Immediately, his eyes widened.


    ''She''s¡­ running?'' He asked himself.


    When he realized that it was the case, he felt rage boil in his head again. "YOU! I WON''T LET YOU GO!!" He yelled at the top of his lungs as he quickly summoned his Aetheris des and made them follow her. Then he quickly dashed forward, ignoring the blood that exploded from his body the moment he made those sudden moves.


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 121 - 121- Lightning Step (Part 1)

    Amidst all of this chaos, Chin-Hwa was the only one to actually be able to deal heavy damage to the enemy lines. His speed and skills with the sword were devastating by every means.


    With each swing, a monster would fall dead to the ground. Nothing could catch him or deal heavy damage to him.


    This was the result of weeks of continuous training and leveling up that he went through. Even though he was still weaker than Talon and Hyun-Jae,pared to the others, he was definitely at a higher level.


    ''I need to kill as many as I can! I can''t let them get through us or they would harm the president!'' He clenched his teeth as he barely deflected a monster attack and returned with one of his own.


    The more he killed, the more monsters appeared in his vision. It was as if he was fighting an army that never ends. Minutes passed as he continued slicing and stabbing every single thing in his way.


    He was using every single ounce of strength in his body to kill as many as he could. Injuries slowly umted on his body after a long while. Blood seeped through his clothes and drenched them.


    On the other hand, the number of monsters he killed was absurd. Notifications kept popping off endlessly in his retina. Stats poured down on him endlessly, boosting his strength even more.


    In fact, if it wasn''t for that continuous scaling of his power, Chin-Hwa was sure he would''ve fallen long ago. He simply couldn''t handle an entire army of monsters on his own.


    Meanwhile, the situation was even worse for the students. Since they were weaker than Chin-Hwa, they naturally struggled very hard to kill as many monsters. Many sustained deep injuries in the span of a few minutes and others unfortunately weren''t lucky enough to remain alive.


    Their corpses couldn''t even be imed as they were either ravaged by the abominations or turned into mindless Dimension Walkers that attacked the students again.


    "We can''t hold on any longer!"


    "Please help me! I''m slipping!"


    "AGH!!! My arm!!"


    "NO! NOOO!!! STAY AWAY!!"


    The shrieks of pain and terror echoed in the campus, filling it with a dark, gloomy aura. The situation was turning into a desperate struggle for survival. Nothing was humane about the battle. It was chaotic, bloody, and merciless.


    Without realizing it, the students were turned into bloody beasts just like their counterparts. Theypletely got rid of their civilized personas and turned into monstrous barbarians with one single desire¡­ To kill as many monsters as they can possibly do.


    None of them expected that a day woulde when they would be covered in blood as they swung their swords around just so that they could live another day. It was very ironic and twisted.


    "This is horrible¡­" Gu Iseul murmured as she watched the fight from the backlines as she continued healing Hyun-Jae as fast as she could.


    Many injured students were brought back to her to get healed. But, she sadly couldn''t help them immediately. Getting Hyun-Jae back on her feet was far more important if they wanted any chance of winning the fight.


    Luckily, since the time she healed Talon, her healing skill had leveled up a lot and improved. Her ability to treat terrible injuries in a shorter time improved greatly and that appeared visibly.


    Hyun-Jae''s back which waspletely wrecked was looking way better than before after a few minutes of treatment. The blood stoppedpletely and flesh covered her backbones and ribs, leaving only the skin to recover.


    "Cough! Cough!"


    Surprisingly, Hyun-Jae''s eyes opened again mid-treatment.


    "Miss!" Gu Iseul beamed visibly when she saw that.


    Hyun-Jae didn''t reply immediately as she made a low groan. her body ached greatly and she was suffering from a strong headache.


    "Is¡­ Talon fine?" Her voice was hoarse.


    Hearing that, the healer looked up at the young man lying next to her, surrounded by multiple other healers. He was still in very bad shape, but he was improving visibly.


    "He will be fine, don''t worry! Please focus on your recovery!"


    Hyun-Jae exhaled a long breath in relief. If Talon was fine, then that''s what mattered most to her.


    "AAAAGHHH!!"


    "What is happening¡­?" She asked with a low tone. In the distance, she could hear loud noises.


    "The monster hordes went haywire! We''re trying to stop them but¡­ It''s not looking good¡­" Gu Iseul exined briefly.


    Immediately, Hyun-Jae extended her hand and grabbed Gu Iseul''s hand. Thetter was taken aback.


    "Miss¡­?"


    Hyun-Jae then slowly rose from the ground and looked at Iseul. "Where is my sword?" She asked.


    "Miss? Don''t tell me¡­" The girl blinked in shock. "You can''t! You''re still in a critical state! Moving now could kill you!"


    "I said¡­ where is¡­ my sword?" She asked. "I need¡­ To move¡­"


    "Please, don''t! You will get killed!"


    ''How are you even able to move?! Your entire back is burnt off!'' She screamed in her head as she watched Hyun-Jae pick up her weapon.


    "This¡­ is an order¡­ If I don''t¡­ Fight¡­ We will die¡­" Wiping the blood from her face, she stood up and supported herself with her sword.


    "..." Gu Iseul tried to find the words to stop her. But, even in her weakened state, Hyun-Jae''s presence was still as domineering as ever. Just a mere look from her would make any individual cower back in fear.


    ***


    "Hah¡­ Hah¡­ Hah¡­" Chin-Hwa heaved up and down heavily as he barely dodged the sharp ws of a two-headed tiger and stabbed it in the chest.


    *ROAR*


    But, immediately, another monster attacked him from the back, slicing through his flesh. The cold prince clenched his teeth in deep pain as he quickly turned around and decapitated it with one single swipe.


    Almost instantly, a few other monsters reced the two he just killed and he was overwhelmed again by their umted force.


    "S-Sir! Back away or you will get killed!"


    "Shut up!" Chin-Hwa yelled. "Unless any of you are ready to fight these things in my stead, then I''m not backing away!"


    His words made the students look away with difficult expressions. They were already struggling as it is with their positions. Taking Chin-Hwa''s role was simply suicide.


    Even the cold prince himself knew that this pretty was going to kill him before he could even really do anything to stop this endless stream of monsters.


    *ROAR*


    As he was like that, a monster suddenly ambushed him. So, Chin-Hwa tried to sidestep the attack. But, at that moment, his leg slipped on the mud beneath him and he lost his bnce immediately.


    His eyes widened as he felt his heart stop for a moment. The ws were about to stab him and he had no way of dodging it.


    ''Shit¡­'' Clenching his teeth, he tried to put his hands in the way of the ws.


    *STAB*


    Blood sshed on his face as Chin-Hwa fell to the ground with a loud thud. Opening his eyes, he flinched as he found the monster''s face awfully close to his. However, it didn''t seem like it was moving.


    His eyes slowly looked down only to see a sword de protruding out of its chest.


    "Are you ok?"


    (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )

 Chapter 122 - 122- Lightning Step (Part 2)

    Chin-Hwa''s vision shifted up as he noticed a silhouette had appeared behind the monster and pulled the sword out of its chest, making blood gush out of the injury.


    "P-Presitdent?" He murmured her name in surprise. He had to look at her twice to understand how she was standing in front of him at that moment.


    Twenty minutes ago, she waspletely unconscious with extremely bad injuries. Never did he think that he would see her on her feet this quickly. But, he clearly underestimated Hyun-Jae and her willpower.


    ''Wait, she''s still heavily injured¡­'' He blinked when he noticed the burn marks on her back before he sucked in a deep breath. Even when she could barely walk, she still decided to go back to the fight the moment she woke up.


    For some reason, that felt very familiar to Chin-Hwa. Perhaps because it was something he would expect from Hyun-Jae with how tenacious she was. She was always someone who would prioritize her responsibilities over her health.


    He would never forget the countless days he had to beg her to stop and rest after she spent days working non-stop.


    A small, nostalgic smile shed on his face before he stood up.


    "Thank you¡­ For saving me¡­" He said awkwardly.


    Hyun-Jae gave him onest nce to make sure he wasn''t injured heavily anywhere before she nodded her head and turned around. "We need to push them back a little before they break through. Can you still fight?"


    Chin-Hwa''s smile vanished as he quickly returned to his serious expression. "Of course."


    Wiping the sweat from his face, Chin-Hwa brandished his sword as he turned around again. "I will fight till I can''t stand on my feet again."


    Hyun-Jae turned around before she channeled her Aetheris. "Good." She replied mysteriously as she suddenly vanished like a ghost.


    Her speed was so shocking that it made Chin-Hwa look back. His eyes fell on his childhood friend who was now a few dozen meters away as she appeared like a ghost, slicing monsters before they could even realize that she was there. Then, she disappeared again and appeared next to another monster, severing their head swiftly.


    Her movement was so explosive and overwhelming that Chin-Hwa was barely able to keep up with her with his eyes. It was as if he was watching a blurry image of someone moving.


    She shed everywhere, cutting anything in her way effortlessly. Sizzles of lightning coursed through her body, making her appear as if she was exuding a bright light wherever she appeared.


    ''So fast!'' He eximed in his head.


    From what he remembered, Hyun-Jae''s speed was certainly amazing, but it never reached this level.


    ''Wait, is she...?'' That''s when Chin-Hwa noticed it.


    The lightning bolts that coursed through her body were precisely concentrated in her legs while the rest of the body didn''t have any of that. He also noticed that whenever she moved, she would sh forward, leaving behind her a burn mark on the ground as if a lightning bolt hit that area.


    ''She''s using her Lightning Maniption to increase her agility!'' The answer came to him really quickly after that.


    It was indeed the case. Hyun-Jae''s explosive speed that pushed her even beyond Talon''s agility was due to her main skill, ''Lightning Maniption''. This wasn''t a coincidence by any means or something that she just discovered at that moment. It has been something she worked on every single day ever since she received this skill.


    [Lightning Maniption (Level 4): Using this ability, you can manipte and create lightning however you want. The level of control depends on how much Aetheris is used and the level of the skill.


    w: Overusing the ability could leave internal damage or severe burns.]


    She had read the description many times over this period of time as she analyzed it word by word. That''s when she realized, she could very much use this ability not only to deal heavy damage but to also improve her overall strength.


    Since lightning was pure energy, if she somehow could actually make that energy move through her body, she could technically do it. From that point on, Hyun-Jae started working relentlessly on making that a reality.


    The first two weeks were brutal by every means. She failed countless times and would end up burning herself. She didn''t realize how hard this task was going to be. To make energy as chaotic and as damaging as lightning to swiftly move through her body and improve her agility and reaction speed turned out to be a colossal task.


    But, she didn''t give up and continued practicing every single day for hours as much as she could. Days slowly passed and she started seeing results soon enough.


    It didn''t take long for her to learn that channeling the lightning through her legs made it way easier to achieve way higher speeds. However, even then, the risk of damaging her own body using such a technique wasn''t out of the equation yet. The burns from using it were not light by any means.


    In fact, they were so severe that Hyun-Jae would end up unable to walk in more than one instance.


    That was why, she tried to avoid using this ability as much as possible unless the situation was too dire not to use it. Which was unfortunately the situation they were in at that moment.


    ''I need to end this before I overexert and burn my feet off!'' Hyun-Jae mused as she sliced down two monsters in quick session before she vanished again.


    Even in her condition, she kept her calm and moved elegantly, catching all her enemies by surprise. In a matter of a few moments, she killed a few dozen enemies or so on her own. It took a huge toll on her body to move this much and she knew that her recovery speed would slow down greatly after this battle.


    But, if she wanted to survive and protect everything that meant something to her, she had to put herself on the line.


    ''Just like how he put his life on the line for me!''


    *Swish* *Swish*


    At the frontlines where the shes happened, the shield-wielding survivors quickly noticed that the pressure they had to resist was growing weaker and weaker. Monsters were falling to their death at an extremely rapid pace.


    "What is happening?!"


    "I couldn''t see shit! One monster just fell dead in front of me!"


    "Me too!"


    They started realizing that there was something killing these creatures and vanishing at top speed.


    "Don''t stop, we have a chance to push them back!" Chin-Hwa yelled as he dashed forward and dived into the enemy lines again.


    "He''s right!"


    "I can finally move! Let''s go!!!"


    "Come at me, fuckers!!!"


    The situation started turning around and the tides of the battle changed. All because of Hyun-Jae. Her presence alone made the overall power of the survivors'' army way higher.


    The dwindling spirit of the army ignited powerfully again as they pushed their enemies back with all the strength they could muster.


    At the same time, the pulses of the gate reached a new height, and the cracks across the globe grew in size. The sheer strength of these earthquakes shifted the tectonic tes in many areas of the world, creating new valleys, mountains, and hills.


    Rivers formed and destroyed, entire cities were rendered t and others remained fairly unscathed. In a matter of minutes, the world as they knew it started changing beyond recognition.


    However, for better or worse, the survivors were able to stick together even under such circumstances. The cracks spread through their lines and yet didn''t push that much apart.


    ''There are still too many monsters.''


    After killing more than a hundred monsters, Hyun-Jae realized that even with their situation getting better, there was no end to the number of monsters exiting the forest. Her energy was running out extremely fast and she had no idea if she could even fight any longer.


    Her back injuries came back biting her hard. Each move she made was extremely painful and terrifying. The pressure on her only grew when she realized that if she didn''t somehow kill a massive number of these monsters in one single swipe, she was going to be in grave danger.


    ''How can I reduce their numbers?''


    To kill potentially hundreds of monsters with one single attack. It was perhaps the first time someone even thought of such a ridiculous idea.


    But, unless Hyun-Jae achieved such an idea¡­ Everyone was dead. Or at least, that was what she thought.


    ***


    "I-I think it''s safe¡­"


    Meanwhile, far deeper into the forest, the doors of the research center opened slightly as three humans peeked outside hesitantly, checking if there was anyone outside.


    But, all they could see was a destroyed world that took them by shock. Never in their wildest dreams did they expect something like this to happen in the past few weeks they were locked inside that building.


    "What¡­ In the hell¡­ Happened¡­" One of them murmured in shock.


    "The entire world is gone¡­" Another replied with a pale expression.


    "So, it was true¡­ I had this suspicion the entire time¡­ But, I never thought¡­ It could be this bad¡­"


    None of the trio knew how to feel at that moment. Should they be devastated that their world as they knew it was gone? Or should they be happy they''re finally out of this prison after weeks of hell?


    But, even more important than that, what were they supposed to do now that they''re out?


    Monsters lurked everywhere and they were as clueless as kids in a vast, dangerous world that was changing right in front of their eyes.


    "F-First of all, let''s leave this area¡­ I don''t feel safe still standing here¡­"


    "Yeah, that sounds like a good idea¡­"


    "Let''s go."


    The three scientists then started descending the stairs quickly. Only to halt again as they noticed something approaching them in the distance.


    "S-Someone ising!"


    The trio watched anxiously as a silhouette emerged from the forest, walking very slowly. They couldn''t recognize who it was at first due to the wretched appearance of this person. They werepletely covered in blood from head to toe with numerous injuries riddling their body. They had their hand on their stomach as they took one step at a time.


    Then, this person halted as they looked up at the scientists coldly. Just a mere glimpse at this person''s eyes sent a chill down their spines.


    "You¡­" A very hoarse yet feminine voice spoke to them.


    ***


    A//N: I know I ask too much and it might be annoying, but still, I''m a shameless author. If you like the story, don''t forget to support it with Golden Tickets and Power Stones. It means a lot to me ??

 Chapter 124 - 124- Birth Of a God (Part 1)

    If one would ask Hyun-Jae, ''What is the worst day of your life?'' she would immediately know the answer to that as she had lived with that day haunting her memories every single day for years. It was something that she did when she was young. Something that she wanted to never remember again.


    But, at this exact moment, that idea chattered in her head. Perhaps that wasn''t really the worst day of her life.


    Staring at the world around her, all she could see at that moment was blood and despair. The stench of death filled her nostrils and made her shudder. She felt herself unable to move at all due to shock.


    All her hard work and dedication had gone down the drain in one single moment without any warning.


    *BOOOOOOOM*


    "AGHHHH!"


    Meanwhile, the trolls continued their rampage, ruthlessly murdering every single human they saw in their path. Their disgusting eyescked any emotions, except for a subtle delight in seeing this much death around them.


    "P-President! Help us!! Please!!"


    "President!"


    "Ugh!! No!! No!!! Please, I don''t want to die!!"


    Hearing all those screams that called her name. Hyun-Jae frowned even harder as she tightened her grip on her sword till her knuckles turned white. She wanted to help, she wanted to kill all of these monsters. But, how was she supposed to do that? These trolls were stronger than her with the weakest being a little above her in strength.


    A sane person would never jump into such a fight mindlessly since it was akin to a death sentence. But, hearing all those cries, Hyun-Jae couldn''t stop herself. She simply couldn''t ignore them and move on.


    That was even worse than death for her.


    So, shaking her head, she sucked in a deep breath as she dashed forward.


    "Evacuate the area now! The fight is over! Don''t look back! Just run for your life!" She yelled as she closed the distance between her and the first troll before it could kill another human.


    "President!" Chin-Hwa saw that and quickly kicked the monster he was fighting away before rushing after her.


    ''The situation is disastrous! We need to run away before we be the focus of these giants!'' Chin-Hwa cursed.


    "Please, wait!! Fighting those things is suicide!!" Chin-Hwa''s heart sank as he saw the troll turn around and look at Hyun-Jae. Its eyes shed with a weird glint as it realized that a special human had appeared in front of it.


    Without hesitation, it swung its wooden bat down, aiming for Hyun-Jae. But, thetter quickly sidestepped, avoiding the attack before it went toward the monster''s right leg.


    "HAH!!" Swinging her sword, she cut through its tough skin, barely scraping the muscles.


    The hit made her hand go numb upon contact. ''So tough!''


    The monster fell down on one knee as it shrieked in pain. Its sound echoed in the entire area. Then, with an outraged expression, it swung its bat down again.


    Turning around quickly, Hyun-Jae jumped back as the weapon smashed into the ground, leaving a big crater behind it. Debris flew everywhere.


    ''I need to quickly finish it off!'' Hyun-Jae ran around the monster as fast as she could before leaping in the air and channeling whatever Aetheris she had left in her body before sending a lightning bolt toward its eye.


    *BANG*


    ''A direct hit!'' Hyun-Jae''s eyes shed with a cold glint as she saw her attack sessfully hit the monster, making it fall to the ground. She was surprised her hits were working this effectively.


    With her level barely reaching 20, she expected that she wouldn''t be able to fight against higher-level monsters. But, what she didn''t realize was after continuously killing monsters, the purity of her soul reached a new level on its own. Added to her abnormally high stats, her true power far exceeded her actual level.


    Leaping in the air, Hyun-Jaended on the troll''s body as she stabbed her sword right into its neck, piercing one of its arteries. Blood exploded out of the injury, sshing against her body.


    Immediately, the monster started shaking violently, throwing the girl off with ease.


    "Ugh!" Hyun-Jae quickly tried to move out of the way. However, that''s when she realized something terrifying.


    ''My body¡­ It''s refusing to move¡­'' Her eyes widened and her breath halted. Then, she realized the second problem¡­ Her vision suddenly ckened and she couldn''t hear anything anymore.


    Every sound around her started to turn into iprehensible buzzing.


    ''Huh¡­''


    This entire time, Hyun-Jae has been fighting over her limit. Her body was in such a horrible state that even her muscles were being heavily damaged with each move she made. When the human body reaches a certain level of exhaustion and doesn''t receive proper rest to recover, it naturally starts slowly eating itself away to provide energy for survival.


    But, the moment that individual stops for even a moment. All of that exhaustion woulde back tenfold worse. In Hyun-Jae''s case, she had not only lost the ability to move but her senses were shut off immediately.


    "President!" Chin-Hwa rushed toward her as fast as he could.


    Meanwhile, the monster continued tossing and turning, hitting everything in its way. Its arms swung everywhere. Due to her position, Hyun-Jae quickly found herself the target of one of those arms.


    Her eyes widened slightly as she realized the huge disaster about to befall her.


    "PRESIDENT!!!"


    Chin-Hwa felt his heart stop as he realized that¡­ He was too far to get her out of the way.


    ''I won''t reach her in time!!''


    Suddenly, at that moment, a silhouette shed beside him in the blink of an eye. Chin-Hwa couldn''t even see who it was before the silhouette reached Hyun-Jae.


    *BOOOOOM*


    "Wha¡­" Chin-Hwa covered his eyes from the gush of dirt as he quickly pushed it away and looked up.


    There, a few meters away from the spot where Hyun-Jae was¡­ A man stood carrying her in his arms.


    ''When did he¡­'' Chin-Hwa frowned hard. He didn''t even see that person moving before everything ensued.


    Meanwhile, Hyun-Jae was still in a dazed state. Her senses werepletely cked out and all she had was the faint sense of touch. Having no connection with the real world was a terrifying feeling. Her heart was beating loudly in her chest and her mind was buzzing


    as if it were a hive of bees.


    But, the moment she felt two arms wrap around her, all of that fear and concern washed away as if it was never there. Something about the warmth she felt at that moment put her heart at ease.


    Without realizing it, she embraced that feeling willingly without thinking too much about what was happening.


    In the real world, however, things werepletely different. The troll had lost all the blood in its body and stopped moving. The other trolls noticed that and their behavior changed immediately.


    They stopped caring about the humans around them and instead focused their eyes on the young man standing in the middle of the battlefield.


    Then, they started screeching loudly, shaking the entire world with their voices.


    "Oooh, they''re really angry, aren''t they?" Talon murmured. "I guess they didn''t like seeing an injured human kill one of their kind¡­"


    Looking down at the beautiful woman in his arms. Talon could only be impressed. Not only did Hyun-Jae single-handedly change the course of the war even though she was heavily injured. She also was able to kill one of these trolls all on her own.


    He couldn''t imagine how hard that was to do.


    "You did great¡­ I''m sorry for taking too much toe back¡­" He apologized calmly as he turned around.


    His eyes fell on Chin-Hwa as he signaled for him toe closer.


    Thetter was shaken out of his daze and quickly approached Talon. With a simple nce at the young man, the cold prince was surprised.


    Talon''s condition had improved really quickly since a few minutes ago. Granted, the bullet injuries didn''t vanish. But, he looked way better than before.


    "Take Hyun-Jae and leave the area." He said as he handed Hyun-Jae to him. "Don''t look back."


    "What? What about you?"


    Talon didn''t answer immediately as he turned around. There, in front of him, hundreds of monsters were staring ominously at him as if he were a tasty target. The trolls smashed their bats on the ground as they also focused their eyes on him as their next target.


    But, the young man didn''t seem intimidated by this giant army of monsters.


    "Me? Hmm¡­ Let''s say¡­ I''m about to put an end to this bullshit."


    "..."


    "If you don''t move now, you might get killed." He added as he moved forward.


    Chin-Hwa watched him silently. He couldn''t find the words to say at that moment. This young man had always been a dilemma to him. He hated him and yet also respected him. He considered him a rival and yet also an ally.


    It was a mix of conflicting emotions that he couldn''t sort out yet. But, at that moment, he could only say a single thing.


    "You better not die! Or¡­ She will be upset." He said in a weird tone.


    Talon raised an eyebrow, clearly not expecting these words toe out of his mouth. But, in the end, he smiled and nodded his head. Then, his body slowly started illuminating with a bright blue light.


    Lifting his hand in the air, that energy quickly moved to the tips of his fingers, forming an energy ball within the palm of his hand.


    "I wasn''t intending to die."


    [Ding!]


    [Warning triggered!]


    [Are you sure you want to use all of your Aetheris Points?]

 Chapter 125 - 125- Birth Of a God (Part 2)

    A warning immediately shed in Talon''s retina when he channeled his entire Aetheris reserve into his hand. This had never happened to him before since he had never tried to use the entirety of his Aetheris in one single moment.


    After all, that meant that he was going to suffer from consequences due to it. But, at that moment, he had no other choice but to put every point of energy he had into what he was about to do for it to have any possibility of sess.


    ''I don''t know if this is going to work¡­ But, I''m betting my luck on it.'' He thought to himself as he stepped forward, heading toward the stampede of monsters.


    His heart was as calm as ake and his mind was clear and empty. For some reason, the sight of hundreds of monsters running toward him became something that he didn''t fear at all.


    ''I grew too ustomed to this shit to get scared anymore.''


    [Ding!]


    [You have activated ''Tear Of Reality''.]


    The ball of energy in his hand intensified the moment Talon activated his skill. He felt his fingers grow colder and the energy condensing even more till it was wrapped in a perfect sphere.


    But, he didn''t immediately use it as he lifted his other hand and channeled his Aetheris there.


    [Ding!]


    [You have activated ''Azure mes''.]


    A blue ball of mes formed in the palm of his hand as it floated silently.


    "What are you trying to do?" Acrypha asked as she looked at him with confusion.


    "Something that''s probably never been done before. Talon said as he looked at his hands with clear focus.


    "..."


    Hearing those words, Acrypha instantly realized that he was about to try something oundish, as he usually does. So, she went silent and watched.


    ''Ok, here goes nothing.''


    Slowly, the young man rotated his palms to face each other before he closed them up. The two balls of energy made contact with each other before Talon felt an extreme pain rush through his body like an electric shock as the two balls rejected each other.


    "Ugh!" Clenching his teeth, he shook his hands to get rid of the numbness.


    Meanwhile, Acrypha looked at him with confusion written all over her face. Was he seriously trying to mix the two skills together?


    ''That should be impos- Oh, hold on right there, Acrypha. It''s Talon we''re talking about. This kid doesn''t followmon sense¡­ He never did.'' She sighed as she rubbed her temple.


    She naturally didn''t have to say that doing this was a ridiculous idea by all means. The Azure mes and Tear of Reality were fundamentally two different abilities with basically nothing inmon except that the two of them are made out of Aetheris which might as well not be a simrity since it didn''t mean anything.


    Trying to mix them together is like trying to mix olive oil and water¡­ It should not work in normal circumstances.


    However, Acrypha wasn''t naive enough to think that such a thing would apply to her little human. Even if she told him, he would probably look at her and say. ''Who said that it''s impossible? Let me try first.''


    So, she saved herself the effort of doing that and watched his second attempt.


    Talon naturally failed the next few attempts as it should be. Each time, the two balls would repulse each other, hurting him instead. Meanwhile, the monsters were now basically right in front of him. At most, he had a few seconds before he waspletely swept by the raging beasts.


    ''Come on¡­ I know it can work¡­''


    Talon slowly calmed his breath to a halt as focused his entire being on his hands. Ever since his Enhanced Focus evolved into Future Sight, Talon''s senses had evolved far and beyond along with it. He was sure that they improved at least ten or twenty times.


    Naturally, his ability to focus also soared up. Now, he could easily submerge himself in his own world in a moment and put his entire mental strength into any task he wanted. But, that also meant that he could easily cut himself off from the real world¡­ Something that he shouldn''t do in a situation where he was about to be killed.


    Not to mention the expansion that was quickly rushing toward him from all angles. It was a terrifying situation.


    But, the young man ignored all of those secondary thoughts and put his entire being into these two contradicting balls of energy.


    ''Swiftly merge them together¡­ They simply are two balls of energy from the same source. They aren''t that different¡­ They just look different¡­'' He thought to himself again and again like a mantra.


    Then, he closed his hands toward each other very slowly. The Azure mes slowly touched the ball of energy that could Tear through reality. On the fifth attempt, something different happened.


    Instead of instantly rejecting each other, the two energy balls slowly fused as they sparked energy everywhere. Talon squinted his eyes as he tried to resist the urge to simply pull his hands away.


    He was feeling a very ufortable sensation run across his arms at that moment. Inch by inch, he fused the two balls together. The bright azure color of the mes mixed with the darkish blue of the Tear Of Reality, creating apletely new blue¡­ A color that Talon had never seen before.


    By the end of the fusion, Talon had a single floating sphere in his right hand. It was big, and shiny, with bolts of lightning coursing through it as if it had a weather of its own.


    Talon''s eyes shed with a weird glint as he looked up. The monsters were now within his reach. All he had was a few fractions of a second left.


    Silently, he threw his arm back, channeling every ounce of strength he had in his body, he swung his arms at full force.


    *TEEEARR*


    His fingers dug through the atmosphere violently, tearing it to pieces. A huge rip formed instantaneously and for a fleeting moment, the entire world went quiet.


    But, after that single moment, nothing remained the same.


    A blinding light shed across the entire ce. It was so bright that its rays reached the other side of the city.


    The students who were running away stopped in their tracks as they looked back in jaw-dropping shock.


    For a few seconds, they couldn''t hear anything and that was true. No sound came from the battlefield. Until¡­


    *Swish*


    A violent gush of air swept across the campus, sending them flying back. Dirt and debris were swept away, clearing the entire area.


    "AGHHH!! What the hell is going on?!!"


    Grabbing into anything near them, they fought the wind as much as they could. But, the sheer strength and scale of it was on the level of a violent storm.


    Chin-hwa quickly crouched down as he protected Hyun-Jae before he looked up.


    "... That guy¡­" He murmured under his breath. He didn''t know what happened and for a moment, he was terrified to even go back and look.


    A few moments passed before the light finally died down and things went back to what they were before¡­ Chaotic¡­ But not as soul-shaking as the event that just urred.


    Nobody knew what just happened. But, if they had to describe it¡­ It was simr to a nuclear explosion. The blinding light, theck of shy explosions, and the strong gush of air that swept them away.


    "Where is the leader?!"


    "He isn''t with us?! Wait, I saw him on the battlefield before we escaped! Is he still there?!"


    "Oh no! Did he get caught in that explosion?!"


    Worried murmurs spread across the entire group. They had seen their leader stand up from his injuries before they ran away and nobody knew what happened to him.


    Everyone assumed that this was the working of one of those abominations. Everyone except for Chin-Hwa that is.


    Staring into the distance with aplicated expression, he sucked in a deep breath. "What did you do?"


    ***


    Meanwhile, back where everything happened.


    Acrypha floated in the air silently, her body was motionless and so were her thoughts. Her eyes were staring but they weren''t registering what was happening. Her senses could capture the scenery in front of her in full detail and yet she wished she couldn''t.


    Ever since she met Talon, Acrypha was shocked many times by Talon''s feats. He was a monster through and through. She even found herself shuddering at the things he was capable of doing. Hell, she even learned to expect the unexpected from him again and again.


    But never before, not even in her wildest dreams, did she ever think that she would feel this from him¡­ To feel this particr feeling¡­ A feeling that even the strongest creatures in existence wouldn''t necessarily instill in her. A true, soul-shaking, fear.


    "Hah¡­ Hah¡­ Hah¡­ Cough! Blurgh!" Talon heaved up and down as he coughed a huge mouthful of blood and fell on one knee, catching his breath.


    His ears were ringing and his right hand felt extremely numb. But, he was still alive which was good news. Because from what he was seeing in front of him at that moment, he might as well think that he would''ve perished right there and then.


    ''I went... a little overboard... Haha...''


    [Ding!]


    [You have killed 742 monsters. +40 in all stats.]


    [Ding!]


    [You have leveled up 2 times. +4 free points.]


    [Ding!]


    [You have reached level 25. Your ability to level up has been locked temporarily.]


    [All the energy absorbed has been stored for when you fulfill the requirements.]


    [Ding!]


    [You have gained a new ss.]


    [Ding!]


    [You have fulfilled the requirements for your first evolution.]


    [Ding!]


    [The first gate has been created.]


    A//N: Thanks for reading ??

 Chapter 130 - 130- Contacting The World (Part 1)

    Meanwhile, Chin-Hwa watched the entire interaction with a frown on his face. Seeing Hyun-Jae hug Talon out of nowhere took him by surprise.


    Not only did she willingly do it, but the hug was also so intimate, akin to that of two lovers rather than acquaintances. His heart ached greatly from that sight and he didn''t know what to do.


    On the one hand, Hyun-Jae had severed their friendship so he couldn''t speak even if he wanted to. On the other hand, she probably didn''t even know that he had feelings for her, and that made his frustration grow even more.


    ''Goddamit¡­'' Cursing to himself, he clenched his fists tightly.


    In the end, he could only look away from the two. The sight pained him greatly and it was too much to handle even for someone as stoic as he was.


    Talon, who was focused on Hyun-Jae, noticed that. So, he slowly and gently pulled Hyun-Jae away. "Are you ok?" He asked.


    "Mm¡­ I''m fine." She replied with a small blush on her face.


    ''I really hugged him¡­ Again¡­'' She thought to herself.


    This was the second time Hyun-Jae''s emotions took over her and she ended up throwing herself at Talon. She could only feel embarrassed realizing how awfully close she was to him. The times she hugged people could be counted on one hand throughout her life, and yet, she ended up hugging him multiple times willingly. It was confusing how her mind worked.


    "Ok. Anyway, is the rest of the group fine?"


    "They''re waiting on the other side. When I heard that you stayed back to fight the monsters¡­ I rushed here." Hyun-Jae gave him a re.


    "Ah, haha, yeah. Ehem, my bad about that. But, no worries, I killed them all." Talon replied with an awkward smile.


    "Wait, what?" Chin-Hwa turned around. "You killed them?"


    "Yeah."


    "The entire horde?"


    "Yeah."


    "..." Just hearing those responses made the cold prince blink speechlessly.


    That''s when Hyun-Jae realized something. "That huge crater¡­ Was it your doing?"


    "It was. Luckily, that attack was strong enough to wipe out the entire army and I got myself some pretty nice rewards."


    "..." (x2)


    The duo stared at him in awkward silence. They didn''t know how to react at all.


    ''What kind of attack generates a hole of that size?'' Just trying to imagine what he did made the two shudder. How was he able to do such a thing?


    The shock was deep¡­ Very deep. Talon''s strength had truly be something straight out of a fictional world. The ability to create such devastating attacks.


    "Yeah, in any case, everything is over now. Well¡­"


    *CRACK*


    "Except for the expansion¡­" Talon looked around him at the expanding cracks.


    Even though the intensity of the earthquakes finally subsided, it was still very dangerous to move around with how fragile the ground was.


    ''The world probably already expanded a lot. But, the gravity didn''t increase yet¡­ I wonder when that will happen.'' Talon thought to himself.


    "Wait, everything is over? What about that woman?" Hyun-Jae asked curiously.


    "I found her and¡­ Finished her off." Talon thought for a moment before he replied.


    "Oh¡­"


    Hyun-Jae didn''t need any other hints to understand what ''Finished her off'' meant. Still, she could only look up at Talon. She knew that this was his first ever kill so she naturally expected him to feel something different about it.


    However, surprisingly, he shook his head. "I''m really fine. You don''t have to worry. I thought killing her would make me feel bad. But, I didn''t feel anything at all. It was just like killing monsters."


    Staring at his hand, Talon could vividly remember how it felt the moment his spear went through her heart. His heart rate didn''t increase nor did he feel anything out of the ordinary. It was as if this wasn''t the first time he killed a human in his life and that confused him.


    ''Is this because I killed many monsters?'' He asked himself and yet didn''t know the answer to that.


    In the end, he gave up thinking about it as it turned out to be far more confusing than he expected and he had no time to contemte such stuff. If he didn''t feel bad then that was good since that meant he won''t have a hard time killing humans in the future if necessary. That was his biggest concern this entire time and it finally got cleared up.


    Hyun-Jae noticed those subtle changes in his expression and sighed. Even though he probably didn''t realize it, she could see that Talon was a little worried that he might have something wrong with him. After all, normally, killing another human would affect one''s mind whether they realize it or not.


    But, she decided not to say that for now. She didn''t want him to end up overthinking it. So, instead, she looked down at the three unconscious scientists.


    "What about these three? Who are they?"


    "Hm? I found them inside, held hostage by that woman. They don''t seem familiar to me but I think they''re scientists of some kind." Talon rubbed the back of his head. "I thought we could ask them for help establishing contact with the outside world when they wake up."


    "That''s a good idea. They would do a better job than us."


    "Hnng¡­"


    At that moment, they heard a small groaning from one of the unconscious people. The man slowly opened his eyes and looked around him in a daze.


    "Are you good?" Talon crouched down as he helped him rise up.


    "Hu¡­ uh? Where am I?" The man asked.


    "Outside the building. Do you feel anything weird?"


    "No¡­ I''m¡­ Fine¡­ Who are you?"


    "We used to be students here. We''ve been looking for a way to contact the outside world and look for our families. When I came here, I found you and your peers held hostages by that woman."


    "That woman¡­ Oh! Oh no! Where is she?! Please, hide me!!" Just hearing the word ''that woman'' made the man lose hisposure as he started panicking.


    "Calm down. She''s dead. You''re fine."


    "Dead¡­ Huh¡­" For a second, the man didn''t understand what Talon had said. But, it slowly dawned on him. "She''s¡­dead¡­ Hah¡­ Hahaha¡­ Hahahahaha!"


    Then, he startedughing hysterically as he held his face. Tears welled up in his eyes as hisughs mixed with his sobs.


    "I can''t believe it¡­ We''re saved¡­ We''re saved! Thank god! Truly¡­ Thank god!"


    All of his bottled-up emotions came out all at once. He felt so happy that he didn''t even know what to do at that moment.


    ''It must''ve been really hard on them¡­ I don''t know how long they''ve been there for.'' Talon pursed his lips.


    "Were you the one who contacted us a month ago?" He asked after a while when he noticed that the man finally started calming down.


    "*Sniff* Contacted you? We didn''t¡­" The man wiped his tears as he suddenly realized what he meant. "Wait¡­ You were the ones who received our message?"


    Hyun-Jae and Talon nodded their heads.


    "Wow¡­" The scientist blinked. "To think that the small message we sent¡­ Would make the difference¡­"


    "We would''ve not had the idea ofing here if it wasn''t for it." Talon rubbed his chin.


    ''Pfft¡­ If it wasn''t for it¡­ All of this would''ve not happened.''


    Smiling wryly at the coincidence, he stood up. "Well, I guess destiny brought us here for a reason after all. To help you and in return, we can finally get your help too."


    "Our help?"


    "We want to contact the outside world, as I said. I believe that''s possible using the equipment inside this building, no?"


    "Yeah, it''s definitely possible. We can definitely try doing that. But, there is no guarantee there could be anyone that would receive the signal out there."


    "Well, there is no harm in doing it. Whether we find a signal or not is up to fate." Talon shrugged. "In any case, I would prefer if we can do this as fast as possible. This building won''t hold on for long with how much damage it sustained." Talon said as he looked up at the structure.


    Even with its resilience, the research center was still in very bad shape after the multiple earthquakes that hit it. With a simple look, it had a few days at most before it copsed too.


    ''Hopefully, our efforts won''t go down the drain.''


    ***


    After that, the group waited for the remaining scientists to wake up. They were naturally shocked to see that they were still alive after what happened.


    Turns out, Terren had used them to heal her wounds with the helmets she had. They were capable of sucking the life force out of them and in consequence, they would slowly die.


    It was a painful torture that they thought they would never wake up from. In the end, their lives were saved and they ended up bowing in front of Talon in gratitude.


    "It''s fine, you don''t have to thank me. Instead¡­"


    "Hm?"


    "Just help me get in contact with my family. If you do that, I will consider it as you returning the favor."


    The trio looked at each other in confusion. "That''s it?"


    "Yeah, just getting to know that they''re fine is more than enough for me. If you give me that good news, then it''s akin to saving my life."


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 131 - 131- Contacting The World (Part 2)

    "Sir¡­"


    Seeing the small smile on his face, the scientists were taken aback. This man had saved their lives and killed the person who inflicted all that suffering on them. Yet, he didn''t even seem like he really cared that much about it.


    All he asked for was something that everyone wanted to do anyway. It wasn''t a personal, selfish request like they expected he would''ve wanted.


    ''What a kind soul¡­''


    Meanwhile, Hyun-Jae simply shook her head with a sigh. She already expected such a response from Talon considering his personality. She was sure that the only thing he was thinking of at that moment was how to find his family. Saving people or doing acts of kindness weren''t things he really sought after.


    ''Dummy¡­'' She thought to herself.


    "In any case, I think we should get things started and get out of here as soon as possible. The group can''t remain alone for long." Talon said as he pped his hands. "Can you guys move?"


    "Y-Yes! We can!"


    "Ok, lead the way then."


    Then, the group walked inside the building and headed toward the fifth floor. Even as they walked, the smell of blood filled their senses and made them frown hard. Just being there made them feel as if they were surrounded by death.


    Talon looked around him silently before he asked. "... How many died here?"


    The scientists went silent for a few seconds before one of them finally answered. "... We were¡­ 30 scientists¡­ She abducted us and forced us inside this building¡­"


    "30¡­ Wait¡­ There are only 3 left?" Chin-Hwa asked as he squinted his eyes.


    "Yes¡­ 27¡­ They''re all gone¡­" The female scientist replied with a difficult tone as she held herself from crying


    The trio could vividly remember what happened during the past few weeks as if it happened yesterday. It was the most traumatizing experience they ever went through and it will probably never be erased from their minds for as long as they could live.


    "What did she do?" Hyun-Jae asked.


    "She brought us here¡­ Locked us inside one of the rooms¡­ Each room had a group of 3 people and we were tasked with working on taking control of the satellite above South Korea."


    "What? For what reason did she do that?"


    "... We¡­ Don''t know. She just said that she was looking to locate something in the world. But, she never told us what it is."


    ''Locate something?'' Talon squinted his eyes hearing those words. ''Does it have something to do with her goal? Or the piece of paper in my hand?''


    It was still a mystery to him what Terren wanted to do in his world. He was unable to ask her about it due to the risk that came along with it. But, he was certain that whatever she handed him was going to give him a hint or even the entire answer he was looking for.


    "Then, what happened?"


    "In the first few days, many tried to escape. They couldn''t handle staying there¡­ They thought that even if she captured them she would put them back in the room since they assumed she needed all of us to do this job. But¡­ They were wrong¡­ Very wrong¡­"


    The atmosphere turned even more solemn. Talon, Hyun-Jae, and Chin-Hwa could only frown. It was clear how it ended up purely from the massacre they could see around them.


    "We tried to warn them¡­ It was a bad idea¡­ But, many didn''t listen. They wanted to go back to their families. But, they all faced the same fate. It was as if she knew when and how they were going to escape and she would be there, waiting."


    "*Sob*..." Just hearing those details again, the female scientist could only sob silently. Seeing her friends being murdered one by one was brutal to her consciousness.


    "I''m sorry to hear that¡­" Hyun-Jae said in a sad tone.


    "It''s fine¡­ We''re saved now¡­ We can''t be any more grateful than that. Thank you again for saving us, truly."


    "It''s fine." Talon shook his head. "You guys went through a lot."


    ***


    Slowly, the group made their way to the highest floor till they reached the highest floor. There, they walked inside one of the rooms¡­ The same one the scientists have been in for the past few weeks.


    Just being here again made their hearts race and their bodies shudder. But, they still swallowed their fear and sat down in front of theputers.


    "So, how do we go about doing this?" Talon asked as he sat down too.


    "Mmm, the energy generators aren''t working anymore, leaving only some reserved energy for emergencies. But, we won''t be able to have ess to the full functionality of the satellite." One of them replied as he started tapping on the keyboard.


    "So, what is the solution to that?"


    "We will have to try and pinpoint any signal from another party somewhere in the country. If another group is searching for us as we are doing right now, catching that signal will be far easier than before. But¡­ We will need luck¡­"


    "A lot of it¡­" Another added.


    "Luck, huh¡­ Well, if there is one thing I have a lot of, it''s luck." Talon shrugged.


    Then, the trio went straight to work, tapping away on their keyboards as fast as they could. Iprehensible pop-offs appeared and disappeared for a while as Talon and his twopanions waited tensely.


    This was it, the moment they had been working for. They did the hard part and what was left was simply a little bit of luck so that they could finally get a signal. Just a little bit of luck.


    Minutes passed, one by one. The scientists didn''t speak a word the entire time. It made Talon even more tense since he didn''t know if they were getting results or not. But, he tried to stay optimistic.


    ''Please be safe¡­ Mom, dad¡­'' He thought to himself as he felt his heart race.


    "Oh¡­"


    Suddenly, one of the scientists made a sound, catching the rest of the group''s attention. "I think I have gotten a signal."


    "You did? Where?" Hyun-Jae asked.


    "It''sing from the south¡­ Hmm, around¡­ 600 or 700 kilometers from here¡­ Near Gwangju¡­"


    "Gwangju? That''s really far¡­" Talon raised an eyebrow.


    ''It''s not that far away from my hometown¡­ Could it be¡­''


    "So, what kind of signal is it?"


    "It''s really weak so I can''t really hear what it says. Wait, Narae, can you help me find another wave length¡­ I think we can get a clearer message if we find the correct signal."


    "Wait a moment," Narae replied as she took a look at his screen and then started tapping quickly at her keyboard.


    "Come on¡­ It should be there¡­" She murmured. "Here! I found it!"


    "Send it to me."


    After that, the two continued working on it before eventually, they turned around with wide, excited smiles on their faces. "We found it!"


    "Wow¡­ That was quicker than I expected¡­" Talon murmured. "Let us hear it then."


    So, Narae clicked on the keyboard as a very loud ringing sound echoed in the room. Then, it turned into the noises of a radio signal.


    "Hello¡­ *Gibberish*... Is there anyone out there?"


    The voice that appeared through the noises belonged to a man and it was very clear and audible.


    "From the¡­ *Gibberish*... The new human society in Gwangju¡­ *Gibberish*... Are there any human survivors?"


    "The new human society?" Chin-Hwa murmured.


    "Shh¡­"


    "If anyone is out there and received this message¡­ *Gibberish*... Head to our location¡­ The government had set up the safest ce in the entire country and we need as many survivors as we can¡­ I repeat¡­ If you hear this message¡­ Head straight to Gwangju¡­"


    Then, the message kept repeating itself again and again so Narae stopped it.


    "That was the entire message¡­" She said.


    "..."


    Silence took over the room for a few seconds.


    "A government-made base in Gwangju, huh¡­" Hyun-Jae murmured with a frown. "Aren''t those the same people that threw bombs over our heads?" She asked.


    "Yeah¡­ And now, they are looking for survivors¡­ How does that make any sense?" Chin-Hwa shook his head.


    They have already been targeted by the government before so hearing that they are now trying to build a new society out of nowhere didn''t sit well with them.


    "But, they still said that they have built a base. They could''ve not done that without a huge number of survivors¡­ It could be the truth¡­" The cold princemented.


    "... It could be. Most survivors would''ve probably migrated to that area from the surrounding cities. What do you think, Talon?"


    This entire time, Talon had been silent as he seemed really deep in thought. His mind was analyzing all the possibilities that coulde out of this situation.


    ''If my parents are anywhere¡­ They should be there¡­ The new human society in Gwangju¡­'' He squinted before he stood up.


    "I guess we have no other choice but to go there. Whether it turns out to be a big trap¡­ Then I will make sure they regret that heavily."


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 137 - 137- Waking Up The Sleeping Beauty (Part 1)

    After a few more tries, Talon finally stopped ying around and closed the storage window after putting the bag in it.


    "Hahah, this is really good. Now, I won''t have to worry about carrying stuff around. I could have everything I need within an arms reach." He smiled.


    "Yeah, having a Dimensional storage space like that one is very invaluableter on. When you''re going to start moving around, going to uncharted ces. Carrying a Dimensional Pack is extremely important. That''s why, the price to buy one in the Core Dimension is hefty." Acrypha exined with a nod of her head.


    "Oh, so what I have here is priceless, no? Even though I only have 3 slots. From what I can see, it will probably unlock more in the future."


    The rectangle was very bigpared to the small three slots. So, unless the Core Dimension was simply creating a wasted space which was something that Talon highly doubted, it most certainly meant that the storage was going to expand.


    He didn''t know how that would happen yet, but he was sure that it wouldn''t go long before he got his answer.


    "Though, I don''t know if I should hide this from the others or not¡­" He murmured.


    Even though Talon trusted Hyun-Jae and the others, he wasn''t dumb enough to show them everything he was capable of. He had to always keep something a secret in case something unexpected happened.


    No matter how much he trusted someone, Talon knew that this world wasn''t nice enough to go the way he wanted all the time.


    "Just try to hide it. But, if someone knew, you can just brush it off as one of your skills." Acrypha suggested.


    "Sounds good enough." Talon shrugged. "Ok, time to go back then."


    With that matter done, Talon made his way back to the camp. The ce was now bustling with activity after everyone woke up.


    Since they weren''t going to stay there for long, the students were trying to work as fast as they could so that they could start moving as soon as everyone could move.


    But, that didn''t mean that they actually had any idea where they were going to go. The decision wasn''t taken yet.


    Walking through the camp, Talon was thinking deeply about that point. There wasn''t really much time left for them to rx. If they wanted to avoid getting attacked by another group of monsters, they had to start moving as soon as possible.


    "Hey, psst!"


    As he was walking, someone stopped him and made him look up. It was surprisingly Chin-Hwa. He had a serious look on his face.


    "What''s up?"


    "Can we talk for a moment?"


    "Hmm, sure¡­"


    ''Thest time this happened, it ended weirdly.'' Talon thought to himself as he followed Chin-Hwa till they were a little far away from the camp.


    "So, what do you want to talk about?"


    Chin-Hwa turned around and looked at Talon seriously.


    "I will cut to the chase, we need to go back to the warehouse as soon as possible. And by soon, I mean, tomorrow or the day after at most." Chin-Hwa said.


    "Hm? Why? Did something happen?" Talon asked seriously.


    "No. But, I left Shin-Il and Soomin alone for more than a week now. I''m worried they might get in trouble." He exined.


    "Yeah, you do have a point," Talon murmured as he rubbed his chin.


    Even though it didn''t seem like it, a week had passed since Chin-Hwa arrived on the campus. Leaving behind Shin-Il and Soomin to fend off for themselves.


    ''The warehouse is a very eye-catching location for other survivors. If people with malicious intent arrive there, it could very quickly be dangerous.'' The young man frowned.


    "If we can move now, I would''ve pushed for it to happen as soon as possible. But, many students are still injured. Even more, are extremely exhausted and can barely move. Moving now, in this condition, is very dangerous." Talon exined.


    Even with him around, keeping everyone safe from any potential threat was going to be extremely hard if not outright impossible during a trip like this. Talon is fast, but he can''t be everywhere at the same time.


    ''We already lost too many students. I can''t let even more people die.''


    Chin-Hwa was already aware of that when he asked. So, instead, he decided to change the n.


    "How about I go back first to check on them? The group can follow after that whenever they''re ready." He suggested.


    "No. That''s too dangerous too. You will get yourself killed." Talon denied it immediately.


    ''After the expansion, monsters are only going to get stronger and more violent. Going out alone at his level is foolish.''


    "I''m not weak, Talon," Chin-Hwa replied with a slightly offended tone, thinking that Talon was belittling him.


    "You aren''t strong either. But, it has nothing to do with strength. I also won''t do something as stupid as going out alone. Who knows what kind of abominations lurk where we can''t see?"


    "Then what¡­"


    "Our best bet is to wait for the students to get ready and then move. We already made Shin-Il and Soomin wait for over a month, making them wait a few more days shouldn''t be a problem." Talon said as he turned around.


    ''Hopefully¡­'' He added in his head. ''I wonder why I have such a bad feeling about this.'' He scrunched his face.


    With that, he walked back to the camp and then headed straight toward Hyun-Jae''s tent. He hadn''t met her since yesterday evening when she had to leave to get healed.


    "Hyun-Jae¡­ Are you awake?" He said as he stood in front of the closed tent. But, he didn''t receive a response.


    "Hyun-Jae, it''s time to wake up." He said as he tapped the tent again. Yet, no response again.


    ''She''s really deep asleep, isn''t she? She must be exhausted.'' He thought to himself as he felt bad about trying to wake her up.


    However, with their current situation, they had to act quickly. He needed to talk with her and see her insight on their next step. Even though Talon was considered the leader, Hyun-Jae was far better than him in terms of strategic nning, in his opinion. She has a keen eye for small details and knows how to handle certain situations perfectly.


    "Hey, psst, excuse me." Deciding on what to do, Talon saw a girl walking by.


    The girl turned around, and when she saw who was calling her, she was taken aback.


    "L-Leader? Do you need me in anything?"


    "Yeah, could you help me out if you can?"


    "O-Of course." The girl approached him quickly.


    "Thank you." Talon gave her a small, soft smile that made the girl blush furiously as she averted her eyes.


    "No problem."


    ''Ah, I need to get a hold of myself! I''m acting like aplete idiot.'' She screamed in her head.


    "Ok, so, Hyun-Jae is asleep and she isn''t waking up no matter how much I call her name. Can you please go inside and wake her up?" He asked.


    Even though Talon knew that Hyun-Jae didn''t like interacting with people that much, especially when she was asleep, he had no other choice. He can''t just go inside himself since in the end¡­ She''s still a woman.


    "Huh? Why don''t you go inside yourself, leader?" The girl tilted her head confusedly.


    ''Aren''t they dating? Surely waking her up isn''t a big problem? I heard they even shared the same room before.''


    "Huh? Of course, I can''t." Talon replied as he blinked.


    The two stared at each other for a few awkward seconds, not knowing what to say. That''s when the girl''s eyes suddenly shone with a bright light.


    "Oh! I see. So that''s why!"


    "...?"


    ''The leader is actually feeling shy, isn''t he? Hehehe, I never thought he had such a cute, innocent side to him. As someone who respects both of them, I must make sure their rtionship flourishes!'' The girl giggled in her head before she looked at Talon with a determined look.


    "Don''t worry leader! You have my support." She said with a smile.


    "Again, what are you talking about?" Talon stared at her.


    "Just take a deep breath and walk inside. I will leave you alone then."


    Then, before Talon could even ask her again what she meant, the girl stormed off.


    "What¡­"


    The young man stood there, bbergasted. He didn''t know what to do at that point. Looking around him, he couldn''t see anyone else he could call for help.


    ''Goddamit! Where is everyone when I need them the most?!'' Clicking his tongue, Talon slowly turned around.


    "Are you going to go inside?" Acrypha asked curiously.


    "Do I have another choice? Oh man, I''m so going to regret doing this." He murmured.


    ''Why am I even nervous? This isn''t the first time I saw Hyun-Jae asleep. It shouldn''t be a problem.''


    Shaking his head, the young man finally pulled the tent''s cover away slowly as he peeked inside. There, he could see a silhouette sleeping with a thin nket.


    Making sure that she was still indeed asleep, and dressed somewhat properly, Talon made his way inside quietly and closed the cover again. He didn''t want anyone else to see Hyun-Jae asleep.


    ''Ok, this was easier than I thought.'' Turning around, he finally took a clear look at Hyun-Jae.


    The girl was deep asleep, her head was leaning to the side and her hair was messily spread everywhere.


    However, even in such a state, Hyun-Jae''s beauty was still as stunning as ever. No matter how much Talon looked at her, she was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen, if he didn''t count Acrypha since she wasn''t a human.


    She had an allure unmatched by anyone else he met before. An allure that doesn''t diminish no matter where Hyun-Jae is.


    Now, he had to wake that sleeping beauty up from her slumber.


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 138 - 138- Waking Up The Sleeping Beauty (Part 2)

    Standing there for a while, Talon watched Hyun-Jae''s sleeping face, trying to find a way to approach her without sounding like a creep.


    ''Even though what I did is already creepy enough.'' He sighed in his head as he made a small cough.


    "Ehem, Hyun-Jae. Wake up." He called for her again.


    But, except for a small disturbance in her rhythmic breathing, the girl didn''t reply at all to his voice. It was clear that she waspletely out of it. When someone''s body reaches a certain level of exhaustion, their sleep could very much turn into a form ofa that they can still wake up from, except it requires far more effort to do that.


    So, with no other choice, Talon slowly approached her and crouched down.


    "Psst, Hyun-Jae. Please wake up." He said in a gentle tone.


    Still, the girl didn''t open her eyes. Instead, her face frowned slightly before she turned to the side with her face in his direction.


    ''What am I supposed to do now?'' Rubbing the back of his head, Talon contemted his next move.


    Thest thing he wanted was to make Hyun-Jae think he was a pervert or someone with any malicious intent. So, depending on his next action, the consequences could be vastly different.


    ''I guess it should be fine if I tap her shoulder, right?'' pinching his nose, Talon slowly moved his hand and touched the girl''s soft shoulder. Then, as he tried to ignore the embarrassment, he shook it a little.


    "Hyun-Jae. Hey, Hyun-Jae. Come on, you need to wake up. We have work to do." He said again.


    "Mmm¡­" The girl groaned slightly. "No¡­ Not me¡­"


    ''Huh?'' Talon looked at her confusedly. ''Is she still dreaming?''


    "Please¡­ No¡­ Don''t go¡­ there¡­" She repeated again in a wavering, weak voice. "You won''t¡­e¡­ back¡­"


    Her tone was very sad and filled with regret even though she was talking through her sleep. Her face also had a very ufortable look on it as if she was suffering through something great.


    Talon listened quietly to those words as he recalled something.


    ''This is the second time I heard Hyun-Jae speaking in her sleep. It seems like a simr nightmare.'' He thought to himself.


    Whatever it was, Talon was certain that it wasn''t as simple as a fleeting dream. If Hyun-Jae has this exact nightmare every time, then that meant that it had something to do with her past. Perhaps a trauma, or something that she can''t forget.


    ''In both times, she seemed like she regretted doing something. Like she was trying to prove a point. But, what could it be?''


    With how popr Hyun-Jae was, Talon thought that her past was already known. She was very much a celebrity and the press loved to dig through the pasts of known figures. If there was a bad thing that happened to Hyun-Jae when she was young, they would''ve spread it far and wide across the country or perhaps even the world.


    But, no such thing happened. In the end, Talon could only shake those thoughts away. It was none of his business what she had hidden in her past. Whatever it was, it was something she decided not to tell anyone about.


    As he was like that, Talon suddenly felt a hand touch his. Looking up confusedly, he realized that the sleeping girl had suddenly grabbed the hand that was touching her shoulder.


    He flinched for a moment as he thought she had woken up. But, in reality, Hyun-Jae was still deep asleep.


    "Fuuh¡­ That was close¡­"


    So, Talon slowly tried to pull his hand away, only to feel Hyun-Jae''s grip on him strengthen. It wasn''t to the point where he couldn''t pull it out anymore, but it was going to require him yanking it away with some force which was guaranteed to jumpscare the sleeping girl.


    Finding himself in such a delicate situation, Talon cursed himself forgetting himself in it like an idiot.


    ''This reminds me of those anime shows that keep doing dumb stuff just to get perverted lucky situations! Isn''t this a little bit too much of a joke, guys?!'' He screamed in his head.


    Meanwhile, Hyun-Jae, who was stillpletely asleep, finally stopped talking and feltpletely at ease the moment she grabbed this unknown object in her hand. Something about it filled her heart with ease and safety that she didn''t understand.


    ''More¡­'' Her subconscious mind told her. ''Give us more of that warmth.''


    So, the girl naturally epted and tried to get that warmth closer to her. Embrace it, feel it more so that she can be even more at ease.


    In the real world, Talon noticed how Hyun-Jae was moving his hand from her shoulder to her chest.


    ''Ay! Hyun-Jae?!'' He blinked as he instinctively was about to yank his hand away thinking that the girl was about to do something ridiculous. But, fortunately, it didn''t turn out to be the case and instead, Hyun-Jae put the hand next to her face, rubbing it against her cheek gently.


    "Mmm¡­"


    Talon: "..."


    For a second, the sight of Hyun-Jae hugging his hand made her seem like a small baby feeling at ease hugging her dad''s hand next to her. She even had a small smile on her face at that moment as she slept peacefully.


    ''That''s¡­ cute¡­'' He thought to himself for a moment. ''To think the usually cool and aloof Hyun-Jae would have such a side. This is interesting.''


    "When is the marriage?" Acrypha asked from the background.


    "There is no marriage."


    "How unfortunate, I could''ve been your best woman." She joked.


    "Maybe you should be the wife instead," Talon replied as he hid a cheeky grin.


    Acrypha: "..."


    ''Yeah, that''s what I thought. You can''t tease me as easily anymore. I''m evolving.'' Talon chuckled to himself as he felt his hand move again in Hyun-Jae''s embrace.


    After rubbing it on her cheek for a while, she slowly turned her head as she lifted his hand before she slowly and carefully nted a kiss on the back of it. He felt her soft, plump limps glossing over his skin and it made his brain freeze for a good second.


    "Wha¡­" Talon felt his breath halt.


    "Mmm¡­ Zzzz¡­"


    For a few seconds, he stared at the girl, not knowing how to even react.


    In the end, he silently moved his second hand and shook her shoulder with a little more strength.


    This time, somehow, his action made Hyun-Jae-''s eyes slightly part open as she started waking up.


    "Hyun-Jae." He called her name in a stoic tone.


    "Mmmm¡­" The girl moaned slightly as she rubbed her eyes before parting them open confusedly.


    At first, she didn''t understand what was happening but slowly, she realized that someone else was inside her tent. Then, she discovered that it was none other than Talon.


    "Talon¡­? What are you doing here? Is everything ok?" She asked with a sleepy tone as she rose up.


    "I came to wake you up." He said. "It''s almost afternoon."


    "... Afternoon? Oh, I really slept too much. I''m sorry. I will get ready immediately." She said as her eyes opened wide.


    ''I usually wake up early. Dammit, it''s not time to sleepfortably!'' Hyun-Jae cursed herself forzing around too much when Talon and the others were working hard.


    Even though in their eyes, she was the one who worked the hardest next to Talon, she still felt that she wasn''t doing as much as she should be doing.


    "Yeah¡­ But, before that, ehem¡­" Talon coughed awkwardly as he pointed down.


    The girl raised an eyebrow as she slowly looked at where he was pointing. There, she could see that she was holding Talon''s hand, with both of her arms intimately.


    "...!! Oh! What?" Immediately, she released it in shock. "When did I? I''m really sorry. I didn''t notice that."


    "It''s fine, nothing happened. I should''ve not entered your tent while you were asleep. I know that you don''t want such a thing." Talon replied as he stood up.


    "No! that''s not a problem." The girl blurted out without thinking twice.


    "...?"


    "Oh, I mean¡­ I don''t mind you doing that. You aren''t¡­ a bad person¡­" She exined as she averted her eyes awkwardly.


    "Is that so? Well, thank you. You aren''t¡­ a bad person either."


    The two remained in a little awkward silence for a few moments before Talon finally turned around and started walking.


    "Take your time getting ready and oh, good morning."


    "... Good morning¡­"


    With that, Talon finally left the tent. When that happened, Hyun-Jae''s body fell to the side. She covered her face with both hands.


    ''What the hell was I doing? So that was the warmth I was feeling while I was asleep¡­ He must think I''m some kind of weirdo that likes to grab people''s hands while asleep¡­''


    For the next 30 seconds or so, she rolled around as she cursed herself for being an idiot again and again. In the end, she stopped as she peeked through her hands.


    ''Though¡­ I don''t know why¡­ But it felt really nice¡­ holding his hand.''


    Her eyes shed with a weird glint for a second before it vanished.


    "What am I even thinking of¡­" Finding her thoughts rather embarrassing, she shook them off as she finally stood up. "A bittersweet start to the day." Even while she was readying herself, her face still had a healthy blush on it.


    Meanwhile, Talon moved away from the tent and found himself in a secluded area of the camp. There, he rested his back on a wall as he rubbed his face with one hand.


    "That was¡­ unexpected¡­"


    "Look who''s hiding their embarrassed look. She really got you there, didn''t she?" Acrypha asked amusedly.


    "... Shut up¡­" Talon averted his eyes as he sighed.


    "You have a very cute reaction~"


    "No! I don''t!"


    "You definitely do, hahaha."


    "... Tsk."


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 145 - 145- Vendetta (Part 1)

    The man whimpered painfully as he tried to move his head out of the immense pressure. The sheer pain he was feeling at that moment was unimaginable. His brain was being squashed like an insect and he had nothing to do about it except beg for his life.


    "Please¡­ Sir¡­ I will¡­ make them speak¡­" He said with clenched teeth.


    "Am I supposed to believe that?"


    *PRESS*


    "I promise!! On my life!!!"


    The first man squinted his eyes for a moment as he stared down coldly. Seeing the struggle and the sheer despair in his eyes, he could only smirk coldly.


    "To put it on your own life, hahaha! Good. Really good! I will spare your life for now. I want them to tell me where they are by the end of today. If they don''t¡­"


    *PRESS*


    "I promise, they will!!! Please! My head, sir!!"


    With that, the man released his grip and left thetter to breathe heavily on the ground.


    "Hah! Hah! Thank you!"


    "You better make that happen. Or, better yet, don''t do it¡­ I want to hear you squirm and cry when I start skinning you alive." Licking his lips as if he was looking at a delicious meal, the man turned around and left.


    The second man remained on the ground, breathing heavily as he covered his face with the back of his arm. His teeth were clenched and his fists were tightened.


    "Dammit¡­ I already tried everything¡­ They won''t speak!!" Cursing to himself, he slowly stood up.


    "Ptuh! Fuck¡­ If I don''t get what he wants¡­ I''m in deep trouble¡­"


    With that, he started slowly walking toward his destination. "I will make them speak¡­ No matter what!"


    ***


    "Hmm, seems everything is calm so far."


    The survivor''s group moved quickly through the streets of Seoul as they headed back to the warehouse. The trip was going to take an hour or less on foot and they had crossed almost all of it unscathed.


    Some monsters appeared here and there, but, they were immediately dealt with by Talon, Hyun-Jae, or Chin-Hwa who were strategically positioned around the group as the first line of defense in case of emergency.


    ''We didn''te across any hordes. Well, I guess I was wrong in the end.'' Sighing to himself, Talon shook his head.


    Even though he expected to see more groups of monsters around the area considering the current state of the world, the new addition of an enemy group of survivors waspletely unexpected.


    "I should probably apologize to Chin-Hwa." He murmured to himself.


    "You don''t have to apologize. Your logic wasn''t wed by any means. If there wasn''t another group killing the monsters in this area, there was a very high chance you would''ve ended up facing a horde of them." Acrypha said.


    "Yeah, but still¡­ I was ready to force everyone to stay in the camp just because of it,pletely disregarding the possibility of the trip going fine. That was a mishap on my side." He shrugged.


    The floating beauty stared at him silently without replying. As predictable as his words were, she could only be impressed either way.


    ''Even though no one could force him to apologize¡­ He really doesn''t care about things like pride and ego¡­'' She thought to herself.


    "Leader! I can see the warehouse from up ahead!"


    As he was like that, one of the scouting team members approached him in a hurry.


    "Got it. Tell the scouting team toe back and get everyone in position again, I''m going to get in first." Talon said as he walked to the front of the group. There, he found Hyun-Jae standing silently as she stared at the building a few hundred meters away from them.


    "Looks like nothing happened to it, fortunately," Hyun-Jae said in an almost relieved tone.


    "Hmm, yeah," Talon responded as he squinted his eyes. "I''m going head in first and see. Keep an eye for our surroundings just in case."


    "Sure."


    With that, the young man left the group as he headed toward the warehouse on his own. Hyun-Jae watched him as he disappeared.


    "Get everyone ready to move the moment hees back."


    ***


    Closing the distance slowly toward his destination, Talon noticed an abnormality. "Hm? Where is the truck that was closing this hole in the wall?" He asked himself.


    Before leaving, Talon could clearly remember leaving a truck that closed a gap in the warehouses'' outer walls. It worked perfectly in stopping monsters from barging into the building.


    Now, it was nowhere to be seen. That made Talon''s heart grow colder as he frowned. Instinctively, his steps quickened as he reached the gap and peeked inside.


    Immediately, the second abnormality presented itself to him. The entire area surrounding the main warehouse''s building waspletely emptied. The bikes, cars, and even the forklifts vanished from existence.


    "..." Knitting his eyebrows, the young man stepped outside. At this point, Talon had already realized the possibility of what could''ve happened and it made his aura shake.


    Looking around him, he quickly rushed toward the warehouse. He wanted to call Shin-Il and Soomin''s names but he decided not to do that. If someone was there and they were in danger, revealing his position would be a very foolish idea.


    When he reached the gates of the warehouse, Talon crouched down as he peeked into the building. The ce was extremely dark and quiet.


    He couldn''t feel a single presence inside. So, he stood up and moved inside carefully. He looked around him in solemn silence.


    "..." His aura was colder than usual and his face was far from rxed.


    "Empty¡­ The entire ce was emptied of everything¡­" He murmured.


    The entire warehouse with all of the supplies stored in it was all gone. Nothing was left behind. All that was left was apletely empty massive storage area.


    "The entire ce was stolen," Acryphamented with a calm expression. "I don''t think it can get any more obvious than this who did it."


    "Yeah¡­" As he murmured those words, Talon''s eyes fell on something odd a little far away from him. Picking it up, Talon stared at it for a few moments. It was a flipped old piece of paper with some words written on it.


    Reading the content of the message, Talon''s aura fluctuated again before it red visibly. The pressure around him increased greatly.


    Then, Talon turned around and walked toward the exit. "It seems I''m going to pay those bastards a visit earlier than I expected."


    With that, he left the warehouse and went back to the group that had already advanced closer to the warehouse.


    Seeing Taloning back, some of the students sighed in relief. The fact that he returned quickly meant that there were no big problems.


    But, when they noticed the dark expression on his face, many felt a chill run down their spines. That look on his face was clearly extremely serious.


    "What happened?" Hyun-Jae asked.


    "... Everyone, get inside and settle down. It''s safe." He said, not answering her question immediately. "Hyun-Jae, Chin-Hwa, make sure everything is going perfectly. I''m going to leave for a while." He dered.


    "Huh?" Hyun-Jae asked. "Hold on a second, Talon. Where are you going?"


    Walking past Hyun-Jae, Talon stopped as he stared over his shoulder. "I''m going to deal with an annoying bug. No need for everyone to go. I''m more than enough."


    "..." The girl stared at him for a few moments, trying to read through his words. In the end, she pursed her lips. "Ok, we shall wait while you deal with it." She said mysteriously.


    Talon nodded his head. "I won''t take long¡­ A few hours at most. Where is Hi-Ah?"


    "H-here, Talon!" The woman stepped forward as she announced herself. After a good night of resting and multiple healing sessions, she was able to stand on her feet again even though she required a cane to move around properly.


    "Sorry¡­ But, I''m going to ask you to lead me to that ce now. The n changed." He said as he helped her.


    "O-Of course, but¡­ I know it''s not my ce to ask¡­ Are you going alone?"


    "Yes."


    "..." The woman blinked in shock. "It''s an entire base¡­ There are at least a hundred people there of Cha Kwang''s men¡­"


    "And?" Talon asked back.


    "No¡­ But¡­"


    "A hundred of them¡­ Yeah, that sounds really troublesome now that I think about it." Talon added after thinking for a moment. "Getting rid of a hundred corpses is going to be a pain in the ass."


    Hi-Ah: "..."


    With that, Talon carried the woman slowly away from the group.


    "Are you sure he will be fine, president?" Chin-Hwa asked confusedly. "Shouldn''t we go with him?"


    However, the girl shook her head. "I don''t know what he saw inside the warehouse. But¡­ This isn''t a mission anymore¡­ It''s personal now¡­"


    As she stared at herpanion''s moving silhouette, her eyes fell on something he was holding in his right hand.


    Within his tightened fist, he held the piece of paper. On it were written a few words.


    ''Come alone if you want your little friends alive. I''m waiting for you.''


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 146 - 146- Vendetta (Part 2)

    The duo walked through the streets of the destroyed city in silce. Hi-Ah had a nervous look on her face as she thought about what was about to happ. As for Talon, his face waspletely stoic with no visible emotions on it.


    Nobody could read through his expression, not ev Acrypha who had be with him for a very long time. However, she was certain that whatever he was thinking of, it wasn''t something nice.


    Evtually, the two ded up in apletely differt area of the city.


    "Over there, can you see it?" Hi-Ah pointed ahead at a particrly huge building. It was the main supermarket for the western section of Seoul and it was one of the biggest in the country.


    "Oh, you meant that one," Talon murmured as he stared into the distance. "Understood. Thanks for the help. Let me find a good ce for you to hide. Things might get really ugly really quick."


    "O-Oh, o-ok¡­" Hi-Ah replied hesitantly.


    She didn''t need to know what he meant by his words as it was as clear as day. He wasn''t there to talk.


    With that, Talon helped Hi-Ah to a nearby building before he made her sit down in a hidd ce.


    "Stay here and don''t move. It won''t take long. Understood?"


    "Y-Yes."


    "Good."


    ''That ce should be hidd ough from monsters and humans.'' He thought to himself as he looked a him before he turned a and vanished from sight.


    "Wha¡­" Hi-Ah looked a her, unable to believe her eyes. "Where did he go?!"


    Her eyes couldn''t keep up with Talon''s speed, so it appeared to her as if he vanished like a ghost.


    ''Who is this person¡­'' Rubbing her temples, Hi-Ah questioned whether her worries that he might get himself killed were ev needed or not. Perhaps, what she should worry about was how brutal it was going to be.


    Outside, Talon had already crossed a few doz meters in a second as he approached the supermarket without trying to hide his presce too much.


    "What''s your n?" Acrypha asked.


    "n?... There is no need for a n." Talon replied coldly. "I''m just going to get in there, make those bastards regret the day they were born, and th go back home."


    "Well¡­ I guess I expected that much." She murmured with a calm expression.


    ''With how strong he is¡­ Wiping out this human camp is very much possible.''


    Wh Talon reached the perimeter of the supermarket, he finally stopped and crouched down as he took a peek at it.


    There, right in front of the gate stood 4 guards, carrying a multitude of weapons, mostly swords and guns. They were talking to each other casually, not aware that someone was looking at them.


    "Seems op ough to me." Sucking in a deep breath, Talon stood up and left his hiding spot, walking straight toward the four guards as if nothing was happing.


    "Hm?"


    It didn''t take long for the m to notice the odd presce approaching them. Immediately, they pulled out their weapons.


    "Wow, stop right there, little guy¡­" One of them said as he pointed his sword at Talon. "Who are you and what are you doing here?"


    "I''m here to meet a piece of filth named Cha Kwang. Can you bring him to me? I can wait here while you do that." Talon dered coldly.


    "..." (x4)


    The guards blinked in shock before they stared at each other.


    "Pfft! Hahahahahahahahaha!" Everyone exploded inughter almost at the same time. "Are you ok, kid? Did you hit your head beforeing here?!" One of them said.


    "I didn''tugh in a while. That took me by surprise." A second one said.


    They kept giggling for a while as if the joke was too funny to ev stop. Th, one of them started walking toward Talon with a wide grin on his face.


    "Hahaha! Hey, be nice to the guy. He has a good sse of humor."


    "Don''t worry, I won''t beat him up too much. Hey, kid, did you just call our boss ''a piece of filth''? You do realize that''s a sin only punishable by death?"


    Reaching Talon, the man suddly realized that he was far shorter than him and it made him a little irritated. Not to mtion the fact that this kid had some good looks.


    ''A very punchable face too¡­ Tsk!'' Clicking his tongue, he reached out with his hand to grab Talon''s cor.


    *Swish*


    "Huh?"


    Before the man could ev react, Talon grabbed his hand. The guard instinctively tried to pull it back only to realize that the young man''s grip was very tight and was only growing tighter.


    Meanwhile, the guards were still joking a, unaware of what was happing.


    "Ugh¡­" It didn''t take long for the grip to be painful¡­ very painful.


    "Hey, release it, bastard." Clching his teeth, the man tried to grab Talon with his other hand, only to find himself in a situation he never expected.


    *Swish* *CRACK*


    A loud, crisp cracking sound echoed in the vicinity, catching everyone''s atttion. No one understood what happed for a good two seconds, not ev the man himself. Slowly looking down, his eyes wided in pure shock.


    His right arm was bt to apletely abnormal degree. His bone protruded out of his skin and blood was gushing out dlessly.


    "AAAAAAAAAAAGHHH!!!" Wh he realized the situation, the hellish pain hit him. "MY ARM!! MY ARM!!!!"


    Falling to the g, he started screaming and rolling a as he cried like a pig. Talon stared at him coldly for a second before he stomped his chest, crushing his ribs as if they were weak tree branches.


    With that single attack, the man stopped moving and his cries died down.


    "..."


    The remaining three guards stared at him in pure shock. Their minds couldn''t register the sight.


    "I think I wasn''t clear with my words. Where is that piece of filth, Cha Kwang? Get him outside or I''m going to get him myself." He repeated in a cold, chilling tone.


    Ev though they were the same words he said before, this time, they didn''t sound funny at all.


    "Fuck! This guy isn''t joking!" But, in the d, with pure will, they snapped out of their daze as they quickly took fighting stances.


    Talon didn''t ev flinch and started walking toward them. "You should''ve run wh you had the opportunity. Now, you''re all involved."


    "We''re three, he''s alone! Let''s fuck him up!!"


    Ev with fear writt all over their faces, they rushed toward Talon with their weapons high in the air as they attacked him from three sides.


    ''We got him!!'' They all thought wh they saw how he had no way of dodging three attacks at the same time.


    However, much to their shock, Talon didn''t ev try to attack them as he suddly jumped and spun in the air, kicking one of them on the side. The sheer impact of the hit st the man flying to the side, hitting both of his frids.


    "AGH!!" The trio fell on the g, stacked on top of each other.


    Before any one of them could move, Talon approached them before he grabbed one of them by the hair, and lifted his head.


    "Where¡­ is¡­ Cha Kwang?" He asked slowly.


    The man stared at him with a pained look on his face. His eyes were barely op as he smiled weakly.


    "Fuck¡­ You!"


    Hearing those words, Talon stared at him for a few seconds before he nodded his head faintly. "At least you lot ar''tplete sellouts."


    *BANG*


    Th, he smashed his head against the g, blood sshed everywhere as Talon released him.


    Standing up, he started walking toward the building''s trance in a calm manner.


    Pushing the door op, he found himself inside the supermarket, a vast area filled with rows upon rows of aisles filled with all kinds of products.


    The ce was akin to heav in a world where food was scarce and resources were few and far betwe.


    ''... This ce is definitely going to be perfect as a second base.'' He thought to himself.


    As he stood there, inspecting the ce, a few guards noticed his presce and were quite tak aback.


    "What? Who the fuck are you?" Looking at him, the guards noticed the blood on his hand and on his clothes and they immediately grew alerted. They didn''t need any more details to realize that this young man was an emy.


    In a matter of seconds, a big group of m approached him. They didn''t ev think twice before they quickly sured him and pulled their weapons out.


    ''Hmm, these are certainly more expericed than the ones outside. They don''t seem like they''re underestimating me. Interesting.'' Talon noted down that detail.


    "I said, who are you, bastard?! What are you doing here?"


    "If you don''t speak, you''re dead."


    "Sigh, just make this quick, ok?" Rubbing the back of his head, Talon finally unsheathed his spear.


    ''Time to get a little bit more serious''.


    Seeing that the mysterious young man wasn''t intding to speak, the guards got ev more wary.


    "Is he insane? There are 30 of us and only him? Does he want tomit suicide?"


    "A sane person would never do this shit. Hahaha, it''s a crazy idiot."


    "Kill him!!"


    With that shout, the guards rushed toward him.


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you joyed reading ??

 Chapter 147 - 147- Vendetta (Part 3)

    In a normal fight, 30 people vs one single person usually had one single and very logical oue¡­ Theplete and utter defeat of that person. After all, the total strgth of arge group crushes that of an individual.


    Well, that was the logic wh the world was still normal. After the integration and wh the human limit of power was brok, that rule was no longer a rule anymore.


    Holding the spear with both hands tightly, Talon stared at the group with a cold expression. The veins on his arms expanded as he channeled his Aetheris. A blue hue sured his body and his aura expanded powerfully.


    Th, using 0 points of strgth, he swung the spear.


    *BOOOOOOOOM*


    The swing st a giant shockwave across the tire supermarket.


    "AGH!!"


    The guards were thrown off by the hit, falling on top of each other like stacks of dominoes.


    "What the fuck?!"


    "What did he do?!"


    "I saw nothing!!"


    "He swung his spear and suddly, it''s like a goddamn tornado had be unleashed here!"


    Amidst their total chaos, Talon pulled his spear back as he took the same fighting stance. Seeing that, the guards felt a chill run down their spines.


    ''He''s about to do it again!!''


    *Swish*


    A weird glint shed across the young man''s eyes as he shed with the spear again.


    *BANG*


    "AGHHH!!!"


    The second shockwave st everyone stumbling back. Shelves fell to the g, burying some of the guards under them while items of all kinds flew off everywhere.


    "D-Don''t let him swing his spear! Quickly, sur him!" One shouted in disarray.


    Ev though Talon''s hits had pushed them back and injured some of them, they wer''t lethal at all. That made them think that he couldn''t really gerate any deadly attacks.


    So, with that in mind, the guards quickly stood up and attacked him with all their might. The ones with guns stood behind the lines as they aimed their guns and bows. The guards who can have long-range abilities channeled their Aetheris as they slowly formed their attacks.


    As for the melee fighters, they sured him again as they attacked with no regard for their gigantic number.


    *BANG* *BANG*


    Bullets, arrows, fireballs, and all kinds of other projectiles wereunched at Talon at the same time.


    But, ev in such a clearly bad situation, the young man keptpletely calm. He quickly changed the grip of the spear to one hand before he dashed forward at top speed, taking everyone by surprise.


    [Ding!]


    [You have activated ''Dash''.]


    [Ding!]


    [You have activated ''spearmanship.]


    [Ding!]


    [You have activated ''Future Sight''.]


    In quick session, he activated three of his best abilities in the Dimsion Harvester skill. Wh that happed, his tire fight style changed in a split second.


    Closing the distance betwe him and his first target, Talon easily dodged their attack as he stabbed the man with the sword, piercing his heart.


    [Ding!]


    [You have killed a level human.]


    Ignoring the notification, Talon pulled the spear out before he swung it a at the perfect time, decapitating another guard before they could ambush him. Th, in a swift and fluid motion, he grabbed the spear with both hands and spun it in front of him.


    All the projectiles came rushing toward him before they smashed against his spear, getting either deflected or destroyedpletely.


    Dealing with those weak long-range attacks was nothing to him. Meanwhile, the other guards tried to quickly overwhelm him.


    At that momt, Talon''s eyes shed with a glint of understanding as his brain saw a glimpse of the future. That was all he needed to know what was going to exactly happ in the next second.


    ''5 behind me, 3 are going to try and stab from behind the lines and 4 more will jump over them.'' He thought to himself as his eyes moved a like a sh. ''I can stop them all with one single move.'' His eyes shed with a terrifying glint as he wt into motion.


    ''The more he grows stronger, the more strgth blds in and loses its importance. What bes important at the highest level where all individuals are almost equal is information and cleverness¡­ Those who have more information and know how to use that information to their advantage will always win.'' Acrypha thought to herself as she watched Talon change his approach again almost instantly.


    Crouching down, the young man extded his leg as he slid it at a 360-degree angle.


    "Woah!!!"


    In a momt, many guards were swiped off their feet and fell to the g. That small mishap caused the tire group to fall into chaos again. Some of the m who tried to stab Talon in secret ded up stabbing their own frids instead because of the sudd movemt.


    "Wha..!!!"


    Th, Talon quickly stood up as he summoned the Aetherial des. The two flying weapons emerged from his storage as they quickly moved into action.


    Flying away, they attacked the guards ruthlessly. Because of their extreme sharpness, with simple contact, the de could tear through the skin and ev muscles, leaving behind a terrifyingceration.


    "AGH!!"


    Screams of pain echoed in the tire supermarket as guards fell to the g, unable to ev react to the sudd appearance of the Aetherial des, many were stabbed.


    [Ding!]


    [Ding!]


    [Ding!]


    [Ding!]


    [Aetherial des have leveled up.]


    [Aetherial des have leveled up.]


    A series of notifications popped up in Talon''s retina as the Aetherial des wt on a murder spree.


    "HELP!!! HELP!! AGHH!!"


    "What the fuck is that?! Flying swords?!!!!"


    "Stop them!!!"


    "Anyone do anything, goddammit!! We''re all gonna die!!!!"


    The guards tried to stop the Aetherial des using all the means possible. However, how were they supposed to stop two flying sharp des that move a very fast? It was simply impossible.


    Meanwhile, the young man stood there, watching the tire sce with terrifying coldness. The strong smell of death permeated the air a him and made it almost suffocating to breathe. The sight of blood sshing everywhere as guards fell dead like ants filled his vision.


    Yet, not ev for a second did Talon feel anything at that momt. Seeing all these pieces of filth dying slowly one after the other only gave him a sse of satisfaction. He didn''t know why, but ev wh he was clearly killing humans, people of his kind, it didn''t bother him at all.


    His heart was as calm if not calmer than usual seeing all this carnage. That thought made Talon question his sanity.


    ''Am I turning into a murderous psychopath?'' He asked himself casually as he squinted his eyes.


    He was already aware of how numb he was to the idea of killing humans. Ever since he put an d to Terr''s life, he found himself with ack of reaction to it.


    He would be lying if he said that it didn''t bother him. After all, thest thing Talon wants to lose without realizing is his humanity. Ev if he bes the strongest creature in existce, capable of feats that this world can''t ev imagine, he still wants to remain himself. Someone who joys simply sitting on a couch watching TV with some snacks next to him or spding time with his loved ones.


    He wanted his life to remain simple no matter how big he became.


    But, that same imagination of his future slowly ovepped with the bloody image of ts of m lying on the g dead. Before he ev realized it, all the guards were dead. The Aetherial des were simply too overwhelming to handle.


    "..." Pursing his lips at the brutal sce, Talon sighed. "Well, I suppose it could''ve not be any less bloody than this."


    "What the hell is going on he-..."


    After all of that ruckus, people naturally would be attracted. Many more guards rushed to the sce wh they heard the screams of pain.


    The sight they were met with upon reaching the ce made them freeze in their ces in pure shock and terror.


    Corpses upon corpses of their peers stacked on top of each other, filling the tire trance of the supermarket. Some were decapitated while others were stabbed to death in the chest.


    Th, their eyes fell on one young man still standing on his feet in the middle of that bloody sce. Just a single look at him made their souls shake in fear. He had no noticeable expression on his face¡­ Just calm and sere like a mythical being staring down upon mortals.


    "Ok, list here, idiots. You have two choices at this very momt. Either get Cha Kwang toe out here on his own or I will kill every single one of you, no exceptions. I don''t like having to search for that scumbag." The young man oped his mouth and said coldly. "I''ve already killed ough of you."


    "..."


    No one dared to speak for a good few seconds. After all, how could they believe that this one young man had killed 30 of their people on his own? That simply sounded ridiculous.


    "You have 30 seconds to decide. I don''t like slow thinkers either."


    Hearing that, the guards flinched as they looked at each other. Their expression was dark and pale.


    "What should we do?"


    "I don''t fucking know¡­ Where is the boss?"


    "He''s with his wom¡­ He said nobody should disturb him."


    The group talked amongst themselves as they tried to figure out their next step.


    "What is all this ruckus, bastards? Did a bomb fall in he-?"


    At that momt, a fully naked man appeared in front of everyone, catching their atttion¡­ Including Talon''s.


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you joyed reading ??

 Chapter 148 - 148- Vendetta (Part 4)

    The man waspletely naked, from head to toe with nothing to cover him, not ev his private parts. He walked with confidce, seemingly not bothered at all that everyone could see him that way.


    But, for better or worse, his body was muscr and well-shaped, giving him the appearance of an expericed bodybuilder. He was tall, almost as tall as Talon with a strikingly average face that had a scare running across it.


    His aura was noticeably stronger than most people Talon met since the start of the integration.


    Wh he reached the sce, his eyes naturally fell on the dead corpses. However, unlike his followers, he didn''t have any noticeably huge shock. Instead, his expression just turned a lot more stoic.


    "I assume you received my message, didn''t you?" He th asked in a calm tone as his eyes shifted to Talon.


    Thetter returned the same look before he slowly pulled the piece of paper out of his pocket and tossed it to Cha Kwang.


    "Where are they?" Talon asked.


    "Who? Oh, you mean those two? Well, I must say, they''re quite the tough nut to crack. Ev after asking them for a few days, they really didn''t tell us where you are." Cha Kwang replied with a cold, malicious grin.


    The momt Talon heard those words, his aura grew ev colder. He didn''t need any more hints to understand what this man did.


    "Oh man, look at you, that got you really pissed, didn''t it? But, don''t worry, I ain''t no devil, am I? They''re still alive and well. I did not torture them as I would usually do to get what I want."


    "And why do I need to believe that?"


    "Because, I''m not a monster, frid. To be in this business, you gotta know who you antagonize and who you befrid." He said with a smile.


    ''This guy¡­ What is he ev talking about?'' Talon squinted his eyes confusedly.


    "Hahaha, of course. I mean, wh I first got the information that the warehouse was empty, I took my m and wt there thinking it was going to be tough to pass through all those monsters lurking there. But, wh we wt there and saw all the dead corpses riddling the area, I immediately knew that I was dealing with someone of my kind¡­ A man that knew how to survive in a brutal world."


    Talon: "..."


    "We captured that ce and took your two little frids back with us. I must say, they resisted quite well. They ev took down multiple of my m on their own. I had to get in to make them surrder. Seeing how strong they were, I must sa-"


    *Swish*


    Before the man could ev finish his stce, one of the Aetherial des attacked him from the side. The man''s body immediately reacted as he quickly jumped back, barely dodging the attack.


    "h, h, h. Did anyone tell you that you speak too much? My ears are ringing, fucker. Your mouth is bigger than that little thing dangling betwe your legs." Talon said with a cold tone as he pointed at the lower part of Cha Kwang''s body.


    Silce took over the tire supermarket. The guards stared at Talon with wide eyes as if they just heard the most absurd thing in their tire lives.


    ''Oh shit¡­ He actually said that¡­''


    ''He insulted the boss'' little brother¡­ He is insane¡­ But he also seems like a monster¡­ This is gonna turn into a fight!''


    Meanwhile, Cha Kwang himself stood there siltly. His face turned a degree uglier. But, he didn''t immediately snap and instead clched his fists tightly.


    "Who do you think you are? Does killing 30 of those bastards make you feel like you''re a god?"


    As he said those words, he suddly turned a and looked at one of the m standing behind him. Th, he grabbed him by the neck as he lifted him up in the air, choking him.


    "BLURGH!! WHA¡­ BO¡­SS!!"


    *CRACK*


    Before the man could ev resist, Cha Kwang snapped his neck with one hand as if it were a twig. The man stopped movingpletely as he died on the spot.


    *DROP*


    "See? Just like that, dead¡­ They''re so easy to kill! Like stomping on a cockroach or pping a bug! Don''t think that''s how you measure true strgth."


    Talon''s eyes moved to the dead man on the g. ''He really killed one of his m. They have no worth to him.''


    Ev though it was a terrifying sight to see, it didn''t affect Talon at all. Instead, he simply realized that the man he was dealing with wasn''t just a scum¡­ He was a psychopath through and through.


    "Now, we don''t need to go through a useless battle, do we? It will only exhaust us for no reason. Why don''t we just merge our powers together, Talon? With your help, I know we can take over this tire country on our own. What do you think?"


    "Take over the country?"


    "Yes, you''re strong, I''m also strong. Together, no one can stop us. Fuck it, not only this country, let''s aim to conquer this tire world." Oping his arms, he dered in an ecstatic voice.


    Talon could see it all over his face, an dless excitemt. As if what he was saying didn''t sound like an absurd dream.


    "We''re equal, Talon. We can get everything we want, money, fame, wom. Especially wom, all those beauties out there, they would die to d up under someone like us." Licking his tongue, he looked down.


    ''The boss is really trying to convince him¡­ No one stupid ough would refuse an offer like this.'' The guards thought to themselves as they watched the interaction siltly.


    In their eyes, they believed Cha Kwang was really giving Talon something he couldn''t turn down. Fame, money, wom, that was all they wanted and more. Naturally, he should be the same.


    Silce took over the ce again as Cha Kwang and his m waited for Talon to speak. However, thetter simply stood there, not showing any noticeable reaction.


    "... You''re delusional, ar''t you?" Rubbing his temples as if he were suffering from a headache, Talon spoke. "Equal? Me and you? Is your brain as small as that thing down there? Sigh, I wonder why did I ev list to you bber for a few precious minutes of my time.


    List here, I am far better than you, not ev morally or anything like that, I am way better than you in everything. Whatever you can do, I can do better. Why would I need an insane, pathetically weak idiot by my side? Know your ce, trash."


    Immediately, the tire ce turned a degree colder as Cha Kwang''s aura leaked out for the first time. Theposure that he came in with slowly vanished and was reced with outrage.


    "You bastard¡­ Disrespecting me twice, I can not tolerate that."


    "Yeah, sure."


    *Swish*


    Suddly, Talon vanished as he closed the distance betwe him and Cha Kwang.


    *BANG*


    Th, heunched a strong punch toward Cha Kwang''s stomach. Before the man could ev react, he was already st flying back as he smashed against the wall.


    "..."


    The guards took a second to react as they pulled their weapons out. The fear they felt at that momt seeing what their emy did made them stand still in their ces.


    "Hold on, you idiots will get killed if you get in this. Just step back." Cha Kwang said as he stood up on his feet.


    ''Hmm¡­'' Looking at him, Talon squinted his eyes. ''My punch didn''t break his ribs?''


    Ev though he could see the trace of his fist on the man''s chest, there wasn''t any noticeable damage he could see. But, since he didn''t use that much in his punch, he assumed that Cha Kwang was using some kind of skill.


    ''A defsive skill.''


    "Get me my weapon." The man said as he took a fighting stance. "That punch was the strongest one I have ever received, I must say."


    ''If I didn''t use my Strgthed Armor skill at thest momt¡­ That punch might''ve ded me. Hahaha, this guy is the real deal.'' He thought to himself.


    "Fighting a naked idiot¡­ Sigh, humans are some interesting beings." Acrypha murmured with a deadpan expression. "Just d him quickly, Talon. I don''t want to see this vile thing of a creature anymore." She said.


    Nodding his head faintly, Talon channeled his Aetheris. At the same time, the guard came back with Cha Kwang''s weapon, a giant hammer at least twice his size. Just carrying it there seemed like a struggle to the guard and yet, Cha Kwang was able to lift it up with one single hand as if it was nothing.


    "You will regret this, bastard. I will show you what true power is all about." Th, Cha Kwang lifted the hammer in the air before he channeled his ergy and smashed it down.


    *BOOOOOOOOOM*


    Immediately, the earth shook from sheer impact as a series of cracks appeared across the floor, moving toward Talon at an rming speed.


    ''Interesting¡­''


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you joyed reading ??

 Chapter 149 - 149- Vendetta (Part 5)

    Jumping in the air, Talon dodged the uing attack with ease. Ev with its high speed, the attack took more than a second to reach him which was ough for Talon to avoid it. But, Cha Kwang didn''t seem like he expected it to hit as he instantly dashed forward, closing the distance betwe him and Talon.


    "You didn''t think I was going to do this, no?" He asked with a grin as he swung his hammer, aiming for Talon the momt hended.


    ''He can''t avoid this!'' He thought to himself.


    However, at that momt, Talon suddly shifted his bnce mid-air before hended with his feet on top of the hammer. Th, he jumped in the air again.


    "Wha¡­" Cha Kwang stared at what happed in pure shock, only to realize that his emy wasn''t intding to escape.


    *Swish*


    Talon lifted his leg as he threw a kick at Cha Kwang''s face. The attack connected and st the man flying to the side like a ragdoll before smashing against one of the shelves violtly.


    "Blurgh!" Blood gushed out of the man''s head as he slowly rose from the g. "Fuck!"


    ''That hurts!!'' Cursing to himself, he touched the injury, only to realize that something. ''Did his attack just get stronger out of nowhere?! That wasn''t his strongest one yet?''


    The hit felt like a train smashing him in the face. Ev his strong defsive skill which he boasted about and thought made him invincible didn''t work at all.


    This also meant a terrifying fact for Cha Kwang that he only realized at that very momt.


    ''If I don''t keep my defsive skill activated¡­ I will get killed with one single move¡­'' His eyes wided as he heaved up and down.


    "Get me my armor, now!!" He shouted loudly.


    But, before he could ev look back to Talon, thetter vanished again like a ghost. Cha Kwang panicked as he started looking a in a rush.


    ''Where is he? Where did he go?'' His heart rate increased as he felt two eyes looking at him. Th, out of nowhere, Talon appeared again right in front of him with his hand already moving toward the man''s neck.


    ''What?!'' With no time to dodge, Cha Kwang tried to grab Talon''s arm. But, thetter suddly pulled it away and used the other one to deal a jab to the man''s side.


    "BLURGH!"


    Feeling his tire body shake from the punch, he spat out another mouthful of blood as he jumped back.


    "Hah¡­ Hah!!" He heaved up and down powerfully as he stared at Talon with wide eyes. The young man had the same casual look on his face as if nothing just happed.


    ''This bastard!!'' He clched his teeth powerfully.


    All of his ego and confidce vanishedpletely and were reced by soul-shaking fear. Never did he expect his emy to be this ridiculously stronger than him. This tire time, Cha Kwang thought that he was one of the strongest, if not the strongest human in the world.


    He had strong skills, he was level 9 and he had killed countless monsters with his pure strgth. Nothing was able to stop him so far and that fueled his ego into the skies.


    But, Talon came and shattered that belief in a few seconds. This wasn''t ev a fight, it was a one-sided beating he was receiving.


    ''How could this be? How strong is he?! We started at the same time goddamit!!''


    The more he tried to think about it the more Cha Kwang''s instincts started telling him to simply ditch everything and run away. But, that idea simply made him ev more irritated.


    ''Why?! Why do I need to run away? I''m Cha Kwang!! I run away from nobody!!''


    "FUUUCK!!!" Yelling loudly, the man channeled his Aetheris as he was about to attack, only to realize that Talon had appeared behind him and kicked him powerfully.


    *BANG*


    Rolling on the g violtly, the man ded up on the g.


    ''This gotta be a joke¡­ This has to be a goddamn joke!!!'' He yelled in his head as his eyes turned red from anger.


    "I won''t kill you instantly. I will make sure you feel every single momt of pain you made your victims go through. I will destroy your mind and soul till you wish to go to hell." Talon said coldly as he approached the man. His words only made the man shudder ev more as he slowly stood up with great difficulty.


    ''I really can''t fight against him¡­ He is far stronger than me¡­ Do I really have to use that? Do I really have to?!'' Staring at the cold young man approaching him, Cha Kwang realized that he really had no other choice but to do that.


    As much as he was unwilling to use it, there was clearly no way to win this fight unless he used that thing.


    "Ugh, screw it!" Wiping the blood off his face, he slowly moved his bloodied hands and put them against his chest. After that, he slowly started moving his hands across his body, coating it in his own blood.


    Th, he channeled every single point of Aetheris through his body to his hands. However, unlike anything Talon had se before, the man did somethingpletely differt. He halted his steps wh he noticed Cha Kwang''s aura change.


    ''Hm? His aura changing color.'' He asked himself.


    "AGHHHHHHHHH!!" Th, a blood-curdling shriek escaped Cha Kwang''s mouth that was so far detached from being humane that Talon thought for a second he was listing to the screams of a beast.


    "What in the actual¡­"


    "A sacrificial skill?" Acrypha spoke, taking Talon''s atttion.


    "A what?"


    "He''s using a sacrificial skill. These are skills that require the use of some kind of sacrifice to activate, usually the life force of a creature. In return, they gain a lot of temporary power to fight for that cost. How did he eve across a skill like that? They''re quite rare." She exined.


    "Wait, so he''s sacrificing his own life to get a temporary boost of strgth?"


    "A very huge boost, but yeah, from what I can see, he won''t be able to recover from using this ability now. Ev if he doesn''t die, his soul will be heavily damaged by the d."


    *BOOOOM*


    At that momt, Cha Kwang''s aura exploded powerfully, sding a strong gush of air a him. Talon covered his eyes to avoid the debris before he focused on the man again. His tire presce hadpletely changed. His muscles bulged noticeably and his veins expanded to a dangerous degree.


    His eyes were alsopletely red as if they were that of a demon.


    "Hagh, Hagh!!" Heaving up and down with a pained look on his face, Cha Kwang grinned wildly. "Hahahaha! I never thought I would need to use ''Demon Blood'' in my life! Honestly, the cost of this skill is too much for me! But, wh I im your soul, I know for certain I will recover from it!!"


    Stepping forward, the man spoke in a distorted voice. His tonecked the shred of humanity he had in him before. He was now a monster in human skin.


    Meanwhile, Talon simply stood in his ce staring at his emy.


    "Here Ie, bastard! Try to keep up!"


    *Swish*


    The momt he finished speaking, Cha Kwang dashed at top speed, crossing the distance betwe him and Talon in a split second. Thetter''s expression grew colder.


    "TAKE THIS!!!"


    Tighting his fist, Cha Kwangunched a powerful punch aimed at Talon. Thetter crossed his arms in front of him at the perfect momt.


    *BANG*


    Upon contact, Talon''s eyes wided a little as he was pushed back. Sliding back on his feet, he stopped a few meters away.


    ''Strong.'' He thought to himself. The punch was far stronger than anything Cha Kwang had tried before. So much so that Talon felt his arms go numb.


    "Not over yet!!!"


    Cha Kwang didn''t stop as he vanished again and appeared on Talon''s side as heunched another punch at him.


    *BANG*


    Pushing him back again, Cha Kwang th followed with a series of punches, each more powerful than the other. Meanwhile, Talon deflected each attack skilfully as he moved back.


    "Hah!! Take this! And this!! And this!!!"


    The sheer power Cha Kwang exerted shocked Talon. Seconds passed as the rain of punches increased in intsity and speed.


    "Why are you only defding, Talon? He shouldn''t pose that much of a threat to you ev if he was using a sacrificial ability." Acrypha asked as she floated a him.


    *BANG* *BANG* *BANG*


    "I want to learn more about these sacrificial abilities. They seem quite interesting." He said as he dodged an attack. "But, I guess apart from a little bit more strgth, it doesn''t have anything else worth experimting with."


    Saying that, Talon suddly changed his position as he quickly stepped forward, grabbing Cha Kwang''s arm, heunched a punch with his right hand.


    "Ugh!" The fist smashed against the man''s stomach, shaking his core. Th, Talon followed with another punch.


    "Fuck! It won''t work this time!" Shaking the damage away, Cha Kwang clched his teeth and tried to yank his emy.


    ''Oh¡­'' Wh Talon felt himself losing his bnce, he was met with a fist going straight to his face.


    *BANG*

 Chapter 150 - 150- Vendetta (Part 6)

    The hit connected as Talon was sted back a dozen meters or so. Hitting one of the shelves as he knocked down all the items stacked on it.


    "Hahahahaha! Did you feel that?! It must''ve hurt!!" Cha Kwang yelled as heughed maniacally.


    "Ptuh¡­" Talon spat out a mouthful of saliva as he stood up. Then, he wiped his cheek with the back of his hand. A red trace of the punch could be seen on it.


    ''That was a punch and a half.'' He thought to himself as he looked up. His eyes were now far colder than before. ''I guess I underestimated him a little bit. He ispletely different from before.''


    "That''s the difference between us, bastard!!"


    However, the young man ignored the sarcastic remark and channeled all the Aetheris in his body.


    "I will be a little more serious now," Talon replied.


    *Swish*


    In the blink of an eye, Talon vanished from his spot andunched a powerful punch toward Cha Kwang. Thetter grinned wildly as he did the same, the two fists connected violently. The impact from the hit sent a small shockwave across the entire supermarket.


    Then, Talon punched with his other hand, only to end up getting stopped by Cha Kwang. The two red at each other before they jumped back at the same time and dashed toward each other again.


    In a few seconds, they exchanged multiple punches at breakneck speed. Their arms appeared blurry to the naked eye. Each punch connected with the other as neither of them was able to push the other back or overwhelm them.


    ''Is it me or is his strength only growing with each passing second?'' Talon mused with a cold look on his face.


    Even though they had been fighting for almost a minute, Cha Kwang was only getting faster and stronger.


    "That''s the true power of a sacrificial skill. It''s a high-risk, high-reward deal. He will only keep getting stronger till the skill stops¡­ That''s when all of that umted debt is going to be collected all at once." Acrypha exined.


    "That''s¡­ interesting¡­" Talon said as he dodged an attack and returned one of his own. The exchange was only growing violent the more it went.


    *BOOOOM*


    "I really didn''t want to use more than this. But, I can''t be bothered to wait for this bastard to crash!"


    The reason Talon didn''t want to use more of his strength was solely to avoid destroying the entire supermarket. Skills like Azure mes and Tear of Reality were simply too destructive and could very much destroy this entire ce beyond recognition.


    He had ns for the building to be used in the future. With the sheer number of the survivors'' group, the warehouse wasn''t going to be enough. Not to mention the fact that Talon was contemting the idea of doing something¡­ Something that seemed like an absurd idea merely a few weeks ago.


    ''Cleaning the entire city of monsters¡­ Turning it into a gigantic base for survivors from all locations of the country.''


    Hearing that the first time might sound like a far-fetched dream, but, Talon felt that with time and as he grew stronger, the possibility of creating a stable base for humans didn''t sound like an impossible idea.


    Talon knew that the possibility of the Human Society in Gwangju being nothing but a trap for them was still present. If that happens, he knows that his only choice is to create his very own base, an entire society of humans built from scratch after the end of the world.


    ''Slowly¡­ one step at a time. We can definitely do it. If I can create such a ce, then I won''t have to worry if I leave them. It will be a functional society on its own that doesn''t require my presence to work perfectly.''


    Even in the middle of a brutal fight, Talon''s mind was already imagining what his next steps should be. Setting up a n and paving a path.


    "Why do you have that look on your face, huh?!"


    *BANG*


    Launching a powerful punch at Talon''s face, thetter stopped it as he clenched Cha Kwang''s fist. Thetter clenched his teeth as he tried to pull it back.


    "nning ahead for after I put you 6 feet under," Talon replied as his left hand suddenly ignited with a blue me.


    ''What?'' Cha Kwang''s eyes widened when he saw that.


    Then, without giving him a chance to event each, Talon mmed the palm of his against Cha Kwang''s chest.


    "Burn in hell, you piece of shit."


    The fire in his hand exploded powerfully as Cha Kwang was thrown back.


    "AGHHHH!!!"


    Falling on the ground, he started rolling around as he held his chest. The Azure mes slowly spread across his entire body, burning his skin ruthlessly. Cha Kwang tried to kill it off with his hands but it only made it worse as it spread to his arms.


    His inhuman shrieks echoed in the entire ce, shaking the guards to their cores. Watching their leader burn alive with those mysterious blue mes was terrifying.


    Slowly, the man burned alive, his skin turning scorched ck before disintegrating, his blood boiled and vaporized and his insides turned into steam.


    His frantic movements and screams continued for a while before he started slowly losing strength. His voice died down when his voice cords wore off.


    "You¡­ Fuck¡­. You¡­" Amidst his veryst words, he looked at Talon through the mes. He looked like a terrifying demon, emerging from the deepest parts of hell.


    In the end, the mespletely ate him away, turning him into mere ashes and those ashes vanished on their own, leaving no trace behind.


    [Ding!]


    [You have killed a level 19 human.]


    [Sacrifical Skill has been detected.]


    [Ding!]


    [+3 strength, +2 healing.]


    "Oh, I gained points from this idiot?" Talon raised an eyebrow.


    "Sacrificial skills increase the value of the individual. So, in a sense, you fought a level 25 human, so you received some points for it."


    "Pretty nice. At least killing him was beneficial in some way."


    "AAAGHHH!! BOSS!!!"


    At that moment, Talon heard the guards yell at the top of their lungs. Rushing toward the spot where he burned they surrounded it as they tried to find any trace left of him.


    "WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO TO THE BOSS?!!!!"


    "So loud¡­ I sent him to the deepest parts of hell where he belongs."


    "..."


    They stared at Talon with dumbfounded expression. Their eyes were wide and their mouths hanging open.


    ''Are they going to attack me?'' Talon squinted his eyes before he took a fighting stance.


    But, much to his surprise, the guards didn''t pull out their weapons. Instead, as if they agreed on it beforehand, they all fell on their knees as they bowed their heads deeply.


    "THANK YOU!!" They yelled at the same time.


    "...?" Talon tilted his head confusedly.


    "We''re finally free! Thank you! Thank you for saving us!!"


    "What? Saving you?"


    "Yes! We finally got rid of that bastard! Thank you, good sir! We have been terrified of him for the longest time! We never really wanted to work for him! But, with his influence, he threatened us with our families!


    We couldn''t run away! Now, with him gaining even more strength, we were only left with the choice of serving him if we wanted to survive!" One exined with tears on his face as he wiped the snot off his nose.


    "... Wow¡­ Now that is unexpected." Talon murmured. "So, you want to say that you were also victims of Cha Kwang?"


    "Yes! We are!"


    "Oh, I''m sorry to hear that. Here, stand up please, I feel your pain. It must''ve been tough." Talon added as he approached them and lent his hand to one of them with a kind smile on his face.


    The guard smiled back nervously as he grabbed his hand and stood up. But, before he could even react.


    *BANG*


    A fist mmed against his face as he threw him to the side.


    The guards flinched in shock as they retreated back in fear.


    "Who the fuck will believe that? Do I look like I''m some kind of idiot to you lot, huh? You''re all criminals who should be killed."


    "No, sir, please wait!!"


    "Shut up. You''re now begging for your life. Did you listen to those women begging for their lives too while your scumbag of a boss toyed with them as he wished?"


    Nobody dared to speak as they looked down with pale faces.


    "Line up, I''m going to kill you one by one." He said.


    "No, please! Spare us, sir! We''re sorry! We''re really sorry!!"


    "I do not care. I said, line up." Talon coldly said as he pointed at them.


    "Hey, Talon, hold on a second." At that moment, Acrypha, who was silent the entire time, spoke.


    "What?"


    "I think I have a better idea of what you should do with these things." She said in a mysterious tone.


    "..."


    Looking at Acrypha, Talon could easily see the weird glint in her eyes. With how much he knew her, Talon was certain that she had a great idea.


    "Ok, what is it?"


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 152: Chapter 152- Midas

    A few seconds passed before the guards came back carrying two people and dragging a third one violently. The third person was resisting violently but because he was still at the back lines, Talon couldn''t see him.


    "Hm? Soomin! Shin-Il!" Seeing the two students, he rushed toward them. "Put them down."


    The guards immediately lowered the two down to the ground. After that, Talon crouched next to them and inspected their conditions. The two were unconscious with some bruises here and there on their bodies.


    But, other than that, he couldn''t see any noticeably dangerous injuries. They also didn''t seem like they were starved or dehydrated which was a good thing.


    ''So he really didn''t torture them as much as I expected.'' He thought to himself as he exhaled a small breath of relief.


    Even though he only knew these two for a short time, he still considered them as his allies. One of the very first people he met after the end of the world. Seeing them still alive made him feel happy.


    "Still, I need to get them back to Iseul to check up on them. I don''t know if they''re fully fine or not yet." He murmured to himself as he looked up at the guards.


    "Carry them carefully and make sure not to harm them."


    "Yes, sir!"


    As Talon was about to stand up, his eyes coincidentally fell on amotion happening at the back.


    "Let me go, bastards!! What the fuck are you doing?! I''m under the boss'' protection! Fuck you! Ouch!"


    "Who is there?"


    "He is Ryan Seok, sir. We found him in the warehouse and he helped us capture these two."


    "Ryan Seok¡­ Ugh, who was that again?" Talon frowned as he tried to recall who they were talking about. The name sounded familiar but it still took him a good second to remember their identity.


    "Oh! Ryan Seok? That creepy man?"


    "I said let me go, bastard! Be careful, that''s my hand!"


    At that moment, a man was pushed forward as he fell in front of Talon.


    "What was that fo-" As he rubbed his back from the hit, Ryan Seok''s eyes fell on Talon who was standing in front of him. "..."


    Immediately, he froze in ce. His brain stopped working as if it was hit with an overload of information at once.


    "Been a while. You seem like you''re faring well." Talon said in a calm tone.


    "H-Huh? O-Oh yeah, thank you, sir! I''m d you''re fine too!" Ryan Seok replied with a nervous look on his face.


    "Good, good, it must''ve been tough for you. Sucking Cha Kwang''s toes must require a lot of practice, no? Is that how you convinced him to let you work under him?" Talon asked.


    "Wait, a second sir! You got something wrong!"


    "Mhm¡­ What did I get wrong?" Talon asked as he snapped his finger, creating an Azure me in the palm of his hand.


    "Hiiiih!!" Immediately, Ryan Seok dragged himself back in fear.


    "Come on, exin. What did I get wrong?" Talon approached him slowly as he asked again.


    "I had no other choice!! He was going to kill me! I had to protect my wife and kid!!" He yelled.


    "And where are they now?"


    "They''re¡­ I¡­ They¡­" Immediately, the man started fumbling with his words.


    Talon could see that Ryan Seok was lying. It didn''t take a genius to know the truth of what he actually did and it only made Talon even more angry.


    "Where are the women you held hostage in here?" He asked as he looked around him.


    "They''re here, sir." A guard yelled as he opened the door as a group of women walked in.


    Talon could count exactly 7 of them along with a small kid being carried by one of them. They all looked equally exhausted with bruises all over their bodies. They had terrified looks on their faces.


    "Why did you get us out? Does the boss need us all?" A woman asked the guards warily. She had a wild look on her face as she stood in front of the group of women as if she were defending them. "We already served him today. There is no reason for a second time, is it?"


    "Hey, Emi. Don''t say that. You will get in serious trouble." Another girl whispered to her.


    "No, this isn''t fair! We had enough of this!"


    "Calm down." One of the guards tried to calm her down, only for her to re at him angrily.


    "No, leave us alone!! You already took Hi-Ah! Have you no shame?! You sick bastards!!"


    Seeing themotion, Talon approached the women.


    "Cha Kwang is dead." He said.


    "Huh?"


    "I killed him. He won''t harm you anymore, you can rx."


    "How¡­"


    "It''s too long to exin. But, you''re all free now. You don''t have to be under anyone''s control anymore."


    It took the women a few seconds to understand what happened before they all broke down in tears. They couldn''t believe what they were hearing.


    The pain and suffering they went through in the past few weeks came out as they hugged each other tightly.


    "Leave them alone for now. They deserve a moment." Talon said as he turned around. "As for you¡­ You¡­ I won''t kill you¡­" He added while looking at Ryan Seok.


    Thetter stayed in his ce, unable to even move under the immense pressure Talon was putting on him.


    "I will leave your destiny for Soomin and Shin-Il to decide on. Get some ropes and tie him, we''re bringing him with us."


    "Yes, sir!"


    ***


    With that, for the next hour or so, Talon explored the supermarket and made sure that there was nothing left worth his attention in there. He then made sure that the women were fine and healthy enough to move on their own. After that, he made the guards collect all the supplies in the supermarket to carry them back to the warehouse since they all belonged there.


    The process was really quick with the huge number of men that he had under his control at that moment.


    "If you feel any pain or difort, tell me, ok? I have some healing potions with me." He dered.


    "Thank you! Thank you so much, sir!" One of the women said in a timid tone.


    Even though they were still terrified and on the edge, Talon tried his best to calm them down. He knew that they perhaps would never be able to heal from the trauma that was inflicted on them, but at the very least, he knew that they wouldn''t have to go through such a thing again. Not under his watch.


    "It''s fine, you don''t need to thank me." He smiled kindly at the woman. "Now, if everyone is ready, we should leave. I have nothing left to do here."


    "Yes, sir!"


    The group then immediately started moving out of the supermarket. Their numbers were huge, but since the distance wasn''t that far, the trip only took 30 minutes.


    When they reached the warehouse, Talon found Hyun-Jae waiting outside. It took a few minutes for Talon to exin what happened as the group moved inside the warehouse.


    "... All of that happened in the few hours you were away?" Hyun-Jae asked with a speechless look on her face.


    "Yeah. It was quite eventful, not gonna lie." He shrugged.


    "Still, this is really sudden. So, these men are now under your controlpletely?"


    "Yes, they can''t do anything to harm anybody. I think we can use them to expand our n in Seoul and start paving a path to Gwangju."


    "Yeah¡­" The girl murmured as watched the guards carry all the supplies inside the warehouse. Never did she expect a small trip like this one would get them so many benefits. Not to mention, this was all done by Talon, on his own.


    ''Whatever he does, it always brings great things. It''s as if he''s Midas¡­'' She thought to herself as she watched Talon from the side secretly.


    The things this man standing next to her had done so far were nothing short of miraculous. Just a month ago, Hyun-Jae was on the verge of losing her mind from fear. Everything that happened after the integration put a huge toll on her mind.


    Now, here she was, standing proudly as they fought their way out of hell and slowly created a path on their own. She wasn''t afraid of the responsibility anymore. After all, this was now her goal¡­ To carry the burden with Talon.


    To make the Midas of miracles reach even higher levels. It was now her purpose in this destroyed world.


    "Hey, Hyun-Jae¡­" At that moment, Talon spoke.


    "Mm?"


    "What do you think about controlling all of Seoul?" He turned around slowly as he asked her with a deadly serious expression.


    "Control Seoul?" Hyun-Jae blinked in surprise.


    "Yeah, I have been thinking about it. What''s stopping us from making this entire city a base for humans? We''re more than capable of doing it and we should do it. That''s the only possible future I can think of where everyone I care for along with all the survivors could live in peace." Turning around, Talon stared into the distance. "That''s my final goal before I focus on other things¡­"


    ''Way more ridiculous things.'' He added in his head.


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 153: Chapter 153- Message To Acrypha (Part 1)

    Hyun-Jae didn''t reply for a while as she contemted his words carefully. She was certain that Talon was serious about what he said. However, it was still hard to imagine how that could go.


    ''To control the entirety of Seoul? That''s¡­'' Hyun-Jae frowned slightly as she looked at the endless expansion ofnd in front of her.


    Seoul is one of the biggest cities in the world. A city that once had over 26 million people living in it. Naturally, such a huge number of people living in one city would require a vast area where they can live, work, and do other activities. Now, that city was destroyed, but, the number of monsters inside of it was perhaps farrger than the poption that was in it before.


    "It''s a colossal task." She murmured.


    "It is. But, I think with your help, we can definitely pull it off. Would you help me?" He asked with a smile.


    With the rays of the noon''s sun casting its shadows upon him and with the wind rustling his ck messy hair, Talon appeared almost like a mystic being for Hyun-Jae. Staring at the beautiful scene in admiration, she took a few seconds to read his expression. In the end, she sighed with a wry smile.


    "Were you expecting me to leave when I heard this goal of yours?" She closed her eyes and asked.


    "No. But, I wouldn''t me you if you did. I know how much of a headache this is going to be. But, we can only aim higher if we want to break through the limits and I''m going to keep aiming higher till there is nothing above." He replied as he clenched his fists.


    "Well, I already knew that you were going to say that at some point."


    "Huh? You expected me to do this?" Talon raised an eyebrow.


    "Yes. Well, I didn''t know when, but I was certain of it. I know you far more than you might expect." Hyun-Jae crossed her arms in front of her.


    "Damn¡­ Your senses are too keen." Talon chuckled as he rubbed the back of his head.


    "Of course. In any case, I don''t mind helping you with this goal. I also think that''s the best way to get everyone to live a somewhat safe life."


    "... Just like that?"


    "Yeah."


    "Wow, and here I was ready to give you a long list of reasons why we should do it and the benefits of building an entire society from the ground up."


    "I don''t need all of that. You''re more than enough of a reason to do it." She replied with a smile.


    Hearing that, Talon froze for a second. The reply was sudden and unexpected.


    ''How does she reply this way every single time?'' He asked himself as he looked away awkwardly.


    "Ehem, thank you. Well, since it''s my idea, I won''t burden you with nning. Let me handle this matter since it''s going to be a very slow process across months or perhaps even years."


    ''Though, I don''t want it tost years. Getting stuck in level 25 for years will be ridiculous.'' He thought to himself.


    However, the real reason why Talon didn''t want this process tost years was different. He was actually eager to go through the gate to another dimension as soon as possible. It was going to be dangerous, but the thrill of such an adventure was too captivating for him.


    Going to another world and living there was a fantasy every kid had dreamt of before at some point in their lives. Now that it was a real possibility, Talon could only be excited when he realized that he could finally go there.


    "Anyway, I think we should go back. It''s still chaotic inside." Hyun-Jae said as she turned around and started walking. "Are you still going to stay here admiring the view?"


    "No. I''ming. Give me a second."


    With that, Talon followed after Hyun-Jae back inside the warehouse.


    ***


    For the rest of the day, Hyun-Jae and Talon got busy organizing the entire group, setting up everything in their ce, and making sure everything was ok.


    Having a group of hundreds of people settle down wasn''t an easy task, especially when they arrived at apletely new ce and it became even harder when they had to somehow work with a group of criminals.


    But, in the end, things went somewhat smoothly and everyone went to bed for the night. Talon used a stack of boxes as his bed. Acrypha sat next to him watching him silently while asionally taking a look outside as if she was expecting something.


    This has been her routine every single day ever since she met Talon. To simply watch the young man''s sleeping face and to check the outside world. Each time she would move her eyes away from Talon, her expression would changepletely and she would be more stoic and cold.


    No one knew what was going through her head at the time, not even Talon who waspletely oblivious to this habit of hers.


    "My power is slowlying back¡­" The woman murmured to herself in a mysterious tone. "I thought it was going to take way longer. But, the dense Aetheris in the atmosphere here is elerating the process. In a few months, I will regain 50% of my strength."


    Apart from doing this, Acrypha was also slowly recovering her lost power with each passing second. She had learned how to make her body absorb the Aetheris in the air, filter it, and turn it into strength. An ability that would make Talon''s mouth hang open in shock.


    Time moved slowly for Acrypha as she waited for the sun to rise. However, unbeknownst to her, that night was going to be a lot different than what she expected.


    As she was like that, Acrypha suddenly felt something weird enter the range of her senses. Since she constantly covered the entire globe with her senses, when something odd entered that veil she cast, she would immediately notice it.


    Her eyes that watched Talon softly quickly turned around as they shifted. Before, her eyes were a faint red color that would suck anyone who looks at them. However, at that moment, those red irises went from being round to vertically slit¡­ Like those of snakes and lizards.


    Staring outside the window, her eyes peered through everything in its way. Then, she slowly stood up. Squinting her eyes coldly, she started floating in the air. Before leaving the window, she gave Talon onest nce.


    "I will be back in a minute." She said as if he could hear her.


    Then, she floated through the window slowly before suddenly vanishing out of existence as if she was never there.


    *Swish*


    When Acrypha appeared again, she was in apletely different ce in the world. Around her were vast expanses of ocean that seemed to stretch endlessly. The waves were violent and the rain was pouring down endlessly.


    But, Acrypha ignored all of that and looked up instead. Her eyes fixated on the sky above her. After waiting a few seconds, something finally appeared from behind that veil of grey clouds as it flew down directly toward her like a meteor.


    The object had a bright blue color and a strong aura, but, the moment it reached Acrypha''s hand, its light dimmed down.


    Staring at the thing carefully, Acrypha''s eyes shed with a weird glint.


    "... A voice capsule¡­" She murmured to herself.


    The object she had in her hand was a scroll-shaped object, closed from both sides. It had weird golden engravings on its silver-colored body and it gave off a mystical aura to anyone who touched it. However, from a single look, one could see that the capsule was heavily damaged and cracked in multiple areas.


    ''The fact that it passed through the Core Gate without getting disintegrated is already amazing¡­''


    Acrypha didn''t know who sent it, but, she was certain that it wasn''t a coincidence that the capsule ended up on Earth¡­ Right in the palm of her hand. So, with nothing to wait for, she flicked the lid off before pulling the content of the scrollpressor out.


    In her hand was a piece of paper, blue in color and with a texture far more resilient than that of normal paper.


    Slowly, she pulled the scroll open. The moment she did, the paper started shining brightly as a voice emerged from within the scroll.


    "From the Northern Ruins to the Last Empress¡­" A weak yet soft voice spoke to Acrypha.


    Immediately, Acrypha''s expression changed from curiosity to shock the moment she heard it¡­ A soul-shaking shock. A myriad of emotions shed across her eyes at that moment and her hands started shaking. It was the most shocked Acrypha had ever been and Talon would''ve known that instantly had he seen that look on her face.


    Her heartrate increased to a terrifying degree and she couldn''t stop it from doing so.


    But, even with that, the voice continued speaking, unaware of the woman''s current turbulence.


    "This message has been sent to every single Dimension in existence. We do not know when it will reach its rightful destination in the palm of your hands. Years, decades, centuries, or millennials. Perhaps by the time it does, we all have died or on the verge of death.


    However, for the current moment I''m recording this message, I will say one thing¡­ We are still alive, Your Majesty." In thest sentence, the voice wavered a little as if emotions were taking over it.


    "We haven''t perished, Your Majesty. The very few remaining people of our kind are alive. After that night¡­ We fought our way out of death¡­ Many of us died. Your father¡­ Your Grandfather¡­ Your¡­ Sister¡­" The more it spoke, the more the voice wavered and fluctuated. One could even hear the sniffling sounds in it, clearly indicating that it was crying.


    "We apologize, Your Majesty. We deeply apologize. We couldn''t stop them. We were never destined to emerge victorious and we let you down. Now, we are desperately sending messages to every corner of this vast world, wishing that you will find this. If you ever do, that means that you are still alive and that puts me in great relief.


    But, if you never find it, then, this message shall be considered me leaving a trace of our kind in this world. A trace that says ''We were here. We have lived and thrived and we died with pride.'' A sign for future generations to seek our legacy and our history."


    Amidst the loud sounds of the waves, the voice continued talking.


    A//N: We''re almost reaching the end of the first volume ?? Yay!! Thanks for reading!

 Chapter 154: Chapter 154- Message To Acrypha (Part 2)

    Floating silently as she listened to the message, Acrypha didn''t realize that the barrier she cast around herself to protect her from the rain had vanished and she was now soaking wet with rain.


    Her mind was in so much shambles that she didn''t even care about anything else apart from the voice speaking.


    "We really miss you, Your Majesty. Everyone here is still fighting for their lives in the hopes of seeing you again one day. That is our one and only wish in this life. You''re the only one needed to keep our kind alive. So, please, if you receive this message, do not try toe back. Your father and grandfather sent you away for a reason¡­ To find him¡­ And to fulfill the prophecy.


    That''s the only way we can truly make a change."


    "..." Acrypha pursed her lips as she clenched her teeth.


    "I understand how frustrated and sad you might feel. But, please, don''t do anything reckless. Don''t worry about us, we shall fight till our legs can''t carry us and till our arms can''t lift a sword. No matter what, we won''t fall back, we won''t break. That''s what we were taught and that''s how we''re going to die¡­ On the battlefield, amongst our brothers and sisters.


    "But, for now, this is all I can tell you in this short message: We''re in the Norther Ruins, the ce is extremely dangerous and we have to stay on the move constantly. Once you find the existence you''re seeking, please head toward the Northern Ruins. That''s all, this message shall self-destruct in 10 seconds to avoid keeping any trace of it left."


    Hearing that, Acrypha''s grip on the scroll tightened as she started shaking visibly. The droplets of water fell on her face hiding itpletely.


    "Thank you for everything, your highness. We all love you. Keep your head held high."


    Then, out of nowhere, the scroll started burning on its own before it disintegratedpletely in a matter of seconds, leaving nothing behind, not even ashes.


    Acrypha floated in her ce for a long time, not moving a single muscle. Her mind repeated the words the voice said again and again and again as if it were a broken record. Each time she remembered those words, her soul would shake.


    "I found him¡­ I have already found him¡­ Everyone¡­ He is the one I have been looking for¡­ No, he is far better than that¡­ Please, wait for me¡­ I wille back with him on my side¡­ He will be the one to finish it all¡­" She said in a wavery voice as she wiped her face with the back of her hand. A determined look shed across her eyes for a split second.


    "Don''t worry, the message has reached me¡­ All of your voices have reached me. Let me carry that burden till the veryst moment. You have done enough, everyone. Thank you¡­ For trusting me." Her voice echoed in the empty world, not heard by anyone except herself.


    But, for one reason or another, the wind and the rain grew even more intense the more she talked as if it was reacting to her oath¡­ An oath that she took right there and then.


    ***


    "Hnng¡­ It''s already morning¡­" Opening his eyes, Talon frowned as he rose up rubbing his face. "I slept like shit yesterday but I''m not feeling tired."


    For some reason, Talon didn''t feel well-rested after yesterday''s sleep. He could vaguely recall having a bad dream in the middle of the night but he can''t really remember anything about it.


    "Hey, Acrypha, what time is it now?" He asked as he rubbed his eyes, not looking around him.


    However, he didn''t get a response which made him look up confusedly. "Acrypha?" He looked around him, only to see the woman sitting near the window, staring outside.


    "Oh, there you are. Good morning." He said as he stood up.


    Acrypha: "..."


    The woman didn''t reply as she kept looking outside.


    "Acrypha? I''m talking to you." Talon said again with an even more confused look. It was rare for this otherworldlypanion of his to ignore him so it raised many questions in his head.


    ''Is she ok?'' He asked himself as he approached her and peeked at her from the side.


    "Heyyyy, from Earth to Acrypha. Do you copy?" He asked jokingly as he snapped his finger in front of her to catch her attention.


    "What the hell do you want?!" Suddenly, Acrypha snapped back as she red at Talon. A very small amount of her aura leaked out, making Talon step back with a frown.


    At that moment, the woman realized what she had done as her expression went from anger to shock.


    "Oh, it was you, Talon. Sigh, I''m really sorry¡­ I didn''t mean to snap at you¡­ I was just¡­" She tried to find the words to apologize but all she could do was look down.


    "Are you ok?"


    "Yeah, I''m fine, it''s nothing to worry about."


    "Well, now I''m worried, that''s for sure. Are you really fine? Did something bad happen?" He asked as he approached her again.


    ¨»???¦Ø#§Ñ-¦Ã¡Ò-¦Ò§Ú-*


    Even though Talon''s heart was still beating fast from the sudden unleash of Acrypha''s aura, he didn''t let it show on his face as he tried to calm the woman down. But, in reality, he was still quite shocked by how terrifying that small amount of aura she leaked out was.


    He was certain that it wasn''t even a fraction of what Acrypha could reveal and yet it was more than enough to send chills down his spine. The difference in strength between them was like the earth and the stars.


    "It''s not something I can tell you about. Don''t worry, it''s really nothing you should be concerned about currently." She replied in a calmer tone.


    However, Talon ignored her words as he looked down at her hands. He noticed how they were shaking visibly for some reason and it only made him even more concerned.


    At that moment, his expressionpletely changed from confusion to a frown.


    "I see¡­" He murmured before he suddenly extended his arm and grabbed her hand.


    "Talon?"


    "Follow me." He said as he pulled her hand and descended from the stack of boxes. Acrypha blinked as she followed him silently.


    "Hey, leader! Good morning!!"


    "Good morning, leader!"


    The students greeted Talon when they saw him, but thetter didn''t respond as he continued walking.


    "Hm? Is the leader ok? Why does he look so serious in the morning?" One asked.


    "Maybe he didn''t have a good night''s sleep? It happens." Another replied as they shrugged it off.


    "Poor leader. He deserves the most rest out of all of us and yet he can''t even have that due to stress. Oh, he''s so amazing!"


    "Shut up and eat your food before it gets cold, dumbass!"


    ***


    Exiting the warehouse, Talon dragged Acrypha toward the exit as he left the ce without telling anyone.


    "Hey, where are you going?" Acrypha decided to ask when she saw Talon''s weird behavior.


    Thetter didn''t reply and kept walking till he was a hundred meters or so away from the warehouse. Then, he sprawled down on the ground.


    "I''m not moving from here a single inch till you tell me what''s wrong." He said in a dead serious tone.


    "What? Why would you do that?"


    "I can decide what I want to do. Now, you can either tell me what''s wrong, or some monster cane by and kill me. I won''t move a single muscle." He added.


    Acrypha found herselfpletely speechless. The reason for that was the fact that she couldn''t even notice a single hint of lying in Talon''s voice. He was being as serious as he could be.


    "Why would you do this? You''re going too far. It''s not something I can tell you about ye-"


    "I''ve had enough of beingpletely clueless about what''s happening outside this world. I know that you''re doing this to protect me and I really appreciate that. But, at the very least, I want to know what''s distressing you."


    "... I¡­ What¡­"


    "It''s all over your face, Acrypha. I can see it as clear as day¡­ You''re in a lot of pain and you''re trying to hide it as best as you can. But, I know you more than anyone else. There is no reason to hide it from me."


    With how much time Talon had spent talking to this gorgeous woman, he had basically mastered the art of reading her expression even though he thought it was an impossible task at first. Acrypha was simply too good at hiding her emotions, even the positive ones.


    But, Talon and Acrypha shared a connection far deeper than merepanionship. The two of them knew each other inside and out as if it was the most natural thing to happen.


    With Talon''s soft look, and his words that resonated reply in her head, all of Acrypha''s walls started crumbling.


    A//N: Golden Tickets Boys ??

 Chapter 155: Chapter 155- Closer Than Ever

    In her entire lifespan, Acrypha had met countless people from all kinds of races across all dimensions. Many of them had the skill to manipte anyone as they wished with words alone and it worked perfectly each time.


    In a world where power is the one that rules, these people used their only gift, words, to pave their own path and they excelled at it better than anyone else. So, to protect herself, Acrypha had to learn how to deal with this type of people.


    Surprisingly, it turned out way better than she expected. Not only did she learn how to do that perfectly, but Acrypha also learned how to manipte them herself. Her cleverness and cunningness were in no way inferior to them. In fact, in a sense, she was far better at it than most.


    So, with time, that slowly turned her into a stoic and emotionless person. Rare are the people who could get a reaction out of her and even those can''t really make her fully open herself.


    But, at that moment, all of that was thrown right out of the window. The woman''s entire body shook as she looked down trying to stop herself from crying.


    "Do you remember when I told you about my family?" She sucked in a deep breath and finally spoke.


    "Yeah, I do. You said that they are alive and dead at the same time and that you don''t want to save them even if you can." Talon replied with a nod.


    "Exactly. In reality, I always had a disagreement with all of them. We didn''t get along that much since all they wanted was to control me and get me to do what they wanted. In the end, due to circumstances, I had to leave them behind and go on my own. I had to leave all my people behind and run away on my own." She said, her voice wavering with each word.


    Talon listened quietly to her story without cutting her off a single time.


    "Yesterday, I received the news that my entire family¡­ died." She continued.


    At that moment, Talon''s eyes widened a little bit. But, he still didn''t utter a single word no matter how shocked he was.


    "Luckily, my kind aren''t all dead yet. They are still somewhat alive and waiting for me. But¡­ I really don''t know¡­ A part of me wants to feel sad and devastated for losing them and another part simply wants me to focus on my goal¡­" Droplets fell from Acrypha''s tilted head to the ground, getting immediately absorbed.


    "I know that I must carry this burden and I''m going to do that. But, knowing that my people could die at any moment while I''m still stuck here¡­ It hurts badly." She said.


    ''I can''t do anything. I can''t help them in any way.'' Clenching her teeth, she tried to swallow all that frustration back in.


    For someone who was ustomed to being in control, to having the initiative in all conflicts. Suddenly bing powerless was a devastating hit.


    "Sigh, that''s the entire problem¡­ I lost all my family¡­ And my race is on the verge of getting eradicated." Lifting her head, Acrypha tried to form some kind of smile. "It''s a pretty dumb story, isn''t it?"


    Her face was contorted with pain and yet, her words were still the same yful, sarcastic things she would always say.


    Staring at her with aplicated look, Talon opened his mouth to speak, only to realize that there weren''t any words he could say at that moment. He didn''t have an answer to her question. Acrypha was torn between giving herself the right to mourn her family''s death and her duty as the carrier of her race''s legacy.


    Each one tugged her heart and mind ruthlessly and she couldn''t put an end to it.


    "Well, that''s that. You need to focus on the matters at hand. We cannot stop to think about useless stu-" As Acrypha spoke again, her words were suddenly cut off as Talon suddenly pulled her hand toward him before he wrapped his arms around her back.


    The woman''s eyes widened when she felt herself falling into his embrace. But, for some reason, she didn''t feel an urge to resist it. Instead, the moment she felt his body close to hers, her heart calmed down a little.


    "You don''t have to hold it in, Acrypha. No matter how much you disagree with them, they''re still your family. The fact that you''re feeling sad about their loss is more than enough to say that you never hated them. No one is going to me you for mourning their loss. No one has the right to do that, not even your people." As he spoke, Talon''s grip tightened on her.


    Acrypha''s mouth parted open to speak only for her to close it again as her eyes shed with a myriad of emotions. Then, tears started slowly rolling down her cheeks as she buried her face into Talon''s neck.


    "It hurts¡­ Talon¡­ It hurts a lot¡­"


    "I know¡­" Talon closed his eyes and replied faintly.


    "I don''t know what to do¡­"


    "Let me carry that burden with you. You don''t have to do it alone."


    "You might get killed¡­" She added.


    Even though Acrypha had already known of the severity of the situation from the very first moment she saw Talon, she still never told him anything about it, including the fact that it was perhaps the most dangerous thing he would ever do. In fact, his chances of living through that ordeal were far lower than his chances of dying.


    But, as she got to know him more, Acrypha felt her heart aching every single time she remembered that she was going to selfishly throw this young man into a huge conflict that he had no reason to get involved in.


    ''I''m a selfish scum like everyone else¡­ Putting Talon''s life at risk for my gain¡­ I''m the worst of scum¡­'' Without realizing it, Acrypha had gripped Talon''s back tightly. ''I won''t me him if he hated me for it¡­''


    "And? I already knew that. I''m still going to help you. That''s why we''re here, no?" He asked.


    "... I''m selfish¡­"


    "So, what? Everyone is selfish to some degree. I''m also selfish. I used you for my own benefit. There is no harm in that, Acrypha. We''repanions, we rely on each other to grow."


    "..." Acrypha fell silent for a while which made Talon pull her off a little as he grabbed her cheeks gently. "Just let me help you. I know I''m too weak right now to do anything. But, I promise that I will keep working hard and get stronger¡­ Far stronger than anyone else.


    I won''t stop till Ipletely destroy everything that caused you pain." He said in a serious tone as he stared directly into Acrypha''s eyes.


    Thetter could only look at him in silence, unable to articte a single word. Her entire mind and soul werepletely sucked in by Talon''s words and she had no way of resisting that. It was as if the moment he hugged her, all her fear, worries, and sadness washed away.


    All she felt at that moment was relief. She didn''t know why, but that was all she could think about.


    "All you have to do is ask me for help, and I will do it."


    Acrypha: "..."


    Seconds passed slowly as the woman soaked in all those words. Talon watched as her expression slowly changed from gloomy darkness to a more hopeful look.


    Then, she lifted her head and stared directly at Talon as tears continued rolling down her face.


    "Talon¡­ Help¡­ me¡­"


    "Of course I will."


    Feeling Talon''s arms around her, looking at his eyes and even sensing his breath on her skin, they were extremely effective on her mind and heart.


    ''Since when did he gain so much effect on me¡­?'' She asked herself. ''I have never thought I became this sensitive¡­ Yet, I somehow don''t hate that¡­''She thought to herself.


    "Thank you¡­ Really, thank you¡­" She murmured with a small soft smile on her face.


    The two stood there, in each other''s embrace. A few words were more than enough to tighten their bond for more than any time before. Talon learned that Acrypha wasn''t just stoic and cool¡­ She had her own burdens and fears. She loved, hated, cried, and smiled, just like everyone else. The only difference was that not everyone could really trigger those emotions in her.


    Only those Acrypha deemed close enough to her would actually make her feel anything. In this case, the only person in the world that could do it was Talon¡­ No one else can really make her breakdown without worrying about anything else.


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 156: Chapter 156- Trust

    For a while, the two hugged each other, not moving from where they were. Acrypha continued crying silently in Talon''s embrace, letting everything she pent up out in one fell sweep.


    Talon simply caressed her hair gently as he waited for her to calm down. He was d that Acrypha was able to get all of her emotions out but also really sad to see her this broken. He could never imagine how losing her family felt like and he frankly didn''t wish to feel it either.


    It was a horrible sensation, akin to losing a huge chunk of one''s heart in a single moment. Even for someone as strong-willed as Acrypha who was far from a human even in terms of feelings and emotional intelligence, she couldn''t handle this loss and he didn''t me her for that.


    ''Whoever did this to her¡­ I will make them pay for it¡­ I will definitely make them regret it.'' Closing his eyes, Talon took an oath upon himself at that moment.


    He still didn''t know who are the actual enemies that caused this, but, he was certain that no matter who they were, he was going to make them pay for it.


    The people Talon cared about were a red line that can''t be crossed and Acrypha was one of those people. He was ready to put his life on the line for those people he cherished.


    A whileter, Acrypha finally calmed downpletely as she pulled herself away from Talon. Even though she was still clearly very sad, Talon was sure that she didn''t have a raging conflict within her at least. stay-updated-with-MVLeMpYr


    That was far more dangerous than mourning or feeling sadness.


    "*Sniff* I really made a fool of myself." She said as she wiped her eyes.


    "No at all, there is no shame in crying." He replied.


    "This was the first time I''ve ever cried¡­ It''s a weird feeling¡­"


    "Did it help?"


    "It did. Thank you, for being here." She nodded her head.


    "Any time. We''re here for each other at all times."


    Staring at him silently, Acrypha''s expression shifted for a second as she suddenly turned away from him.


    "Mmm¡­"


    "Well, time to go back, then. I have a lot of things to do." Talon murmured to himself.


    "Yeah, that sounds like a good idea."


    With that, the duo started walking back inside the warehouse in silence. Talon kept looking at Acrypha every few seconds. Even though her expression might appear normal to most people, he could easily notice the sadness hidden within it.


    However, that conflict he saw within Acrypha was long gone. For him, that was the most important as mental conflicts within a person could be their destruction. Luckily, Acrypha had at leaste to an understanding of her own thoughts.


    ''It will take time, but hopefully, she will feel better.'' Talon thought to himself.


    When the two reached the warehouse, Talon found Hyun-Jae walking toward him in a hurry.


    "Where have you been? The students told me you left the warehouse on your own." She asked him the moment she reached him.


    "Oh, I''m sorry, I had to do something really quick."


    "... What kind of thing?" Hyun-Jae asked confusedly.


    "Uuh, it''s really not that important, here I am." Talonughed awkwardly as he brushed off the matter. "So, how is Soomin and Shin-Il? I couldn''t check up on them yesterday."


    "They just woke up, that''s why I came looking for you. They wanted to see you too."


    "They wanted to see me?"


    "Yes. Apparently, they wanted to tell us something when we''re both there." She replied. "I don''t know what it is, but it doesn''t seem normal."


    Hearing that, Talon frowned a little as he felt that something was off. "Ok, let''s go."


    ''Why do I have a bad feeling about this?'' The young man mused.


    So far, Talon''s instincts have been very urate when ites to pointing out really bad situations before they happen. So, whenever he had that cold feeling within him, he would trust it no matter what.


    It saved his life many times, why wouldn''t it do it again?


    Entering inside the warehouse, the two immediately headed toward the area where the healers operated.


    There, they found the two. Soomin and Shin-Il, lying down on mattresses. In their hands were warm cups of chocte. They had dazed looks on their faces as if they were deep in thought about something.


    When they noticed two people approaching them, they looked up at the same time before their eyes immediately went brighter.


    "Talon!!"


    "How are you two? It''s been a while." Talon asked with a smile as he sat down next to them with Hyun-Jae beside him. "You two really look different, hahaha. Did you put on some muscles, Shin-Il?" He joked as he touched Shin-Il''s shoulder.


    "I have been working hard to help you guys. I''m d you noticed!" Shin-Il smiled excitedly.


    "Mmm, you really did your best. You too, Soomin. I''m d you''re fine." Talon''s gaze shifted to the girl.


    "Thank you." She replied with a tired smile.


    Seeing those looks on their faces, Talon could only purse his lips bitterly. "Also¡­ One thing before we get to the other topic¡­ I just wanted to deeply apologize to both of you. For leaving you on your own for a very long time and putting your lives at risk. I have nothing to say except I''m really sorry."


    Then, Talon bowed slightly as he closed his eyes. He had been waiting for the moment the two of them woke up so that he could apologize properly. Even though he had no hand in what happened and he couldn''t change the oue, he still believed that he owed them an apology.


    The duo had gone through hell on their own with no one to help them except each other. They felt fear, pain, stress, and all kinds of bad feelings throughout thest month. That was made even worse by Chin-Hwa leaving them in the warehouse alone.


    "No, you don''t have to do that, Talon! Prez had already told us what happened and we understand that there was no other choice." Shin-Il quickly tried to make Talon lift his head.


    Thetter slowly looked up. "You have every right to be angry and frustrated. But, I won''t push it any further, thank you for being so understanding. In any case, can I ask you two about what happened during the time we were gone?"


    The duo stared at each other for a second, exchanging their thoughts through their eyes. They both knew what happened and it was far from pleasant. In the end, the first one to speak was Soomin.


    "Sigh, well, after both of you left, we simply continued training, killing monsters around the warehouse and getting stronger. That went on for a few weeks before Chin-Hwa left suddenly. We didn''t know what to do at that point and we were very close to also leaving to search for you guys. We were lost and the monsters were threatening to break in at any moment.


    All we could do was resist them as much as we could¡­ That''s when that¡­ bastard and his men appeared in the area. We thought they were a group of survivors seeking shelter and we let them in foolishly."


    Shin-Il frowned as he listened to the story. Unpleasant memories came back to his head.


    "Cha Kwang immediately took control of the ce and threatened us to immediately surrender.But, we tried to fight them, only to end up getting captured and brought along to that supermarket¡­ Then, that bastard imprisoned us along with the women he captured. We were barely fed and were even tortured more than once so that we could reveal where you guys went¡­"


    "We didn''t tell them, though. We agreed to keep it a secret no matter what." Shin-Il added.


    "Why? You could''ve gotten killed for it!" Talon eximed in shock.


    He had seen how brutal Cha Kwang was, and even if he had his reasons for not killing them, he probably would''ve not hesitated to inflict tremendous pain on them.


    However, the duo shook their heads. "We were certain that you guys woulde to save us. We knew that for a fact." They smiled at Talon, stunning himpletely.


    Never did he expect that response. He could even see it in their eyes, aplete trust in him and Hyun-Jae.


    "Damn it, you two¡­ Where did that evene from?" Covering his face, Talon tried to hide a small from his face. He would be lying if he said that he didn''t feel happy at that moment.


    "Hahaha!" Shin-Ilughed innocently. "We were right, weren''t we?"


    "Yeah, you two were still really reckless," Hyun-Jae said in a serious tone. "You could''ve gotten tortured even more or killed."


    "We knew that. But, we were ready to take the risk any time."


    Seeing how careless they seemed, Talon could only sigh. He really couldn''t change their minds at all. So, instead, he decided to move on to the most important question.


    "What did you want to tell me and Hyun-Jae, by the way?" He asked.


    When Talon brought that up, the atmosphere immediately changed. All theughs and jokes vanished as if they were never there.


    Then, Soomin turned to Talon with a deadly serious expression. "Yes, it''s actually something we didn''t expect at all. It happened a few days ago when we were still captured by Cha Kwang."


    ***


    *A few days ago*


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 157: Chapter 157- Unexpected Person (VOLUME 1 END)

    The location was the supermarket, deep inside the gigantic building was a huge freezer storage room used to store meats and all kinds of foods that require cold temperatures to remain safe to eat.


    MVLeMpYr-chapter


    Inside this room, Soomin and Shin-Il were trapped, their hands were tired and their mouths were closed shut with some pieces of cloth. This had been their situation for a few days now during which, they tried everything they could to get rid of their chains and escape.


    However, all of their attempts were unsessful as the chains were simply too strong to break with mere strength. So, all they could do was stay there, their hearts anxious and their fear only growing with each passing second.


    "What should we do, Soomin?! I''m scared!" Shin-Il said as he shook his body.


    "Calm down, we can''t lose ourposure now." Thetter replied with a fairly calm voice. However, her expression was far from calm.


    ''We gotpletely fucked over! He took everything! Even my secret weapon!'' She cursed in her head. Just remembering what happened made her fists tighten from frustration.


    "W-What is he going to do to us? Nobody came to talk to us since the moment we were thrown here." Shin-Il murmured as he looked around him. Apart from the guards that brought them food every now and then, nobody spoke to them at all.


    Luckily, the room they were trapped in wasn''t freezing cold so they weren''t struggling in that department.


    At that moment, Soomin heard some noise outside and her eyes quickly moved to the door. Then, with her eyes, she gave Shin-Il a sign to remain silent.


    A few secondster, the door to the room suddenly opened as Cha Kwang walked in.


    "Oh, if it isn''t the little tricky bastards that I caught yesterday. Good evening to you two, how was your day?" He asked with a smile as he pulled a chair and sat down.


    Neither of the two replied to his clearly sarcastic question which made the manugh loudly.


    "So cold, you two. Come on, we''re friends here, aren''t we?" He asked.


    "Go to hell, you scumbag," Soomin replied.


    "Hey, Soomin!" Shin-Il eximed with a terrified look on his face.


    "Don''t worry, kid, I ain''t going to kill both of you. You see, I took quite an interest in the leader of your group. I know for sure that he didn''t die out there. Tell me where he is and we might be able to reach a good agreement."


    The duo slowly looked at each other for a moment before they turned around to the man.


    "We won''t say anything!" Shin-Il replied.


    "Hmm, why is that?"


    However, the two remained silent, not responding to his question. They knew that he was going to try and slowly extract information from them without them realizing. So, their best solution was to just ignore him.


    "Hahah, so that''s what you want to do? Sure, suit yourselves. After a few weeks of being trapped here, I''m sure your tongues will loosen up to speak." He said as he was about to stand up to leave, only for one of the guards to suddenly barge in.


    "Boss!!"


    "What? What the fuck do you want?" Cha Kwang growled.


    However, the guard didn''t immediately talk and instead approached him before he whispered in his ear.


    Soomin and Shin-Il watched the scene with confusion as Cha Kwang''s expression changed slowly to a huge frown.


    "Huh? Now? of all times?"


    "Y-Yes sir¡­"


    "They said they were going toe here a few days from now. Tsk! Goddamit! The society is going to ruin my fucking ns!" Cursing loudly, Cha Kwang punched the guard violently, sending him flying back.


    The man fell on his backpletely unconscious.


    Heaving up and down, the leader turned around to Soomin and Shin-Il with a strong re in his eyes. Then, he walked out of the room quickly.


    Meanwhile, the stunned Soomin and Shin-Il looked at the door speechlessly.


    ***


    "That''s all that happened. We don''t know what that meant. But, we thought that it must''ve been important so we wanted to tell you two." Soomin exined with a sigh.


    This entire time, Talon and Hyun-Jae listened to the entire situation silently without interrupting the girl. However, the moment they heard the word ''Society'' their minds immediately went into shambles.


    It took them a few seconds after that to collect their thoughts.


    "Are you sure he said ''Society'', Soomin?"


    "Yes, I remember every single word he said. He definitely said that."


    "Talon¡­" Hyun-Jae immediately turned to Talon.


    Thetter had a stoic expression. It didn''t take a genius to know what ''Society'' Cha Kwang was referring to.


    "So, he has some kind of connection to that society?" He murmured as he crossed his arms in front of him.


    From what Talon knew of the bits and pieces of information he gathered, Cha Kwang was a drug lord before the integration happened. He had giant operations across the entirety of South Korea and even China and Japan which made sense as to why he never heard of him and yet he had such a huge army of men and it also exined why his men weren''t able to escape his tyranny.


    Naturally, because of his influence, he also had deep connections that go as far as the government itself. So, it didn''t take Talon long to make the connection.


    ''Those bastards¡­'' Clenching his fists slightly, he looked up.


    "I think it''s almost clear now. The human society in Gwangju might not be the safe haven we''re looking for." Talon said.


    "What? It''s not? But¡­ Everyone is there." Shin-Il replied.


    "That doesn''t mean that whoever controls that ce has good intentions. Don''t forget that we were almost bombed to death by war jets a few weeks ago." Hyun-Jae shook her head. "At this point, we should be ready to treat them as enemies rather than allies."


    Immediately, silence took over the entire ce as everyone fell into deep thought. After all the effort they had put into achieving their goal, it might very much turn into a nightmare rather than a dream.


    A ce where all humans were supposed to have a safe shelter from the dangers of the outside world was slowly showing its true colors¡­ Dark, corrupted, and evil to the core.


    However, far worse than that, Talon already knew that it wasn''t going to be as simple as taking over that society. After all, even he could do that on his own if he wanted to. The problemy in the aftermath of said action.


    ''A base controlled by the government¡­ I doubt nearby countries would let a bunch of university students take over whatever remained of the human poption in South Korea. It probably won''t help their future ns.'' He thought to himself as he sighed.


    In the worst-case scenario he could imagine, Talon felt like he might end up fighting a war not only against his own government but the governments of multiple countries. It sounded as much of a ridiculous idea as any other thing he was nning in the future if not worse.


    But, the more he tried to imagine the scale of that problem, the more it gave him a headache. So, in the end, he shook those thoughts away and decided to focus on the near future. Whatever happens in the distant future should remain in the distant future.


    "Thank you two for telling us. You can rest now. You deserve a few days off. But, after that, we should get back to work, ok? We''re going to start expanding our area of control soon." Talon said as he stood up and dusted his clothes off.


    Then, he quickly bid them farewell and walked away before they could ask any more questions. Talon didn''t want to needlessly worry them about the future when they were still required to get stronger.


    "The society can wait. For now, it''s time to conquer the entirety of Seoul."


    ***


    Meanwhile, far away from where Talon was, in a different location in South Korea.


    *Knock* *Knock*


    The ce was a particrly huge building. In a world where buildings were either destroyed, ruined, or a mix of both, this particr building lookedpletely fine. In fact, most of the buildings surrounding this building werepletely fine too as if earthquakes had hit them before.


    Inside this building, in one of the many rooms, a door was knocked.


    "Come in~" A soft and yful voice replied. Its melody was more than enough to flutter the hearts of men the moment they heard it. However, that same voice sounded particrly monotone and devoid of emotions.


    The door then slowly opened, revealing a beautiful bedroom.


    "Sophie, you''re still in your bed? It''s already 10 pm¡­ Wake up!"


    "I don''t want to, there is no reason to wake up. It''s only a circle of pain and suffering outside." The girl replied in an oddly poetic tone as she hid herself under the nket.


    The older man who walked inside stared at her with a sigh. "Do you really think your philosophical remarks would make me leave? Come on, we seriously need you. Your power and talent are too precious for the society."


    "I do not care. Without seeing him¡­ I lost all will to do anything apart from sleeping." She retorted.


    "Sigh, you''re still thinking about that boy, Sophie? It has been 5 goddamn years, when are you going to move on?"


    "Move on?" A cold voice spoke akin to sharp ice knives poking into the man''s skin.


    At that moment, the atmosphere inside the room turned a few degrees colder as the older man flinched visibly. Then, he quickly coughed. "Ehem, never mind. Actually, I came here to bring you some really good news."


    "... I''m not interested¡­"


    "They''re really important to you¡­"


    "I am not interested, old man¡­ Leave it. Don''t forget to close the door behind you when you leave."


    However, even with her clear warning, the man didn''t leave and instead replied. "I have found potential leads to your lover boy. He might very much be alive."


    The moment the man finished his words, the girl suddenly sprang from her bed, throwing the nkets off as she dashed toward the older man. Reaching him in a split second, she said with a deadly serious tone.


    "Tell me everything¡­ In detail¡­"


    The man couldn''t even react in time as he found himself under the intense gaze of two mesmerizing green irises. Not even he could bear the pressure that those eyes put on his shoulders.


    ''Why did I even say this to her?...'' He cried in his head.


    Meanwhile, the girl named Sophie waspletely focused on the man, waiting for him to speak. Her head only had one thought.


    ''He''s alive.''


    A//N: And that''s the end of Volume 1: "shy Beginnings" Hope you enjoyed the ride so far ?? more crazy stuff is on the way

 Chapter 158: Chapter 158- Clearing Out Seoul (Part 1)

    *1 Week Later*


    *GRAWR*


    A giant bear growled loudly as it charged toward a group of humans at top speed. Its hideous appearance and sharp fangs made it seem way more terrifying than a normal bear should be.


    The survivors took a fighting stance immediately as they got ready to fight it. Even with its terrifying presence looming over them, none of them lost theirposure. Instead, they simply put their entire focus on it.


    When the monster reached them, it shed down with a mighty force. Immediately, the survivors dispersed, letting the ws hit the ground. Then, they quickly surrounded the monster and attacked it ruthlessly.


    *GRAAWWWRRR*


    The creature shrieked when it felt the weapons piercing through its skin and tried to frantically push them away. However, the survivors were anticipating that and quickly dodged the attack before they resumed their assault.


    The battle continued for a while going back and forth. The survivors strategically attacked and retreated as they chipped down at the monster''s strength without rushing. This wasn''t the first nor thest time they had fought this kind of creature so they knew very well what its behavior was like.


    With that, the n slowly manifested in reality and the monster''s resistance weakened as the injuries umted on its body.


    In the end, the monster fell to the ground dead.


    "Yes! We did it!" One of the survivors eximed with a smile on his face.


    "Another one down!"


    "Let''s keep up the rhythm guys! We''re on a roll!"


    The group celebrated the kill as they felt their pride and ego grow higher and higher. They were now able to take down monsters way bigger than them with ease. It filled them with a sense of aplishment.


    However, at that moment, they suddenly heard a loud bang. Quickly, they looked up to the other side of the street. There, a swarm of the same type of bear was attacking what seemed to be a single person.


    -read-now


    Their arms flew everywhere as they violently rampaged around, trying to squash him to death. Much to their shock, that single individual suddenly disappeared like a sh as he passed through the monsters in the blink of an eye.


    When he appeared on the other side, he had in his hand multiple giant monster cores. Then, a momentter, blood exploded from the monsters'' bodies as they fell down one by one like flies.


    "Wha¡­"


    The students werepletely stunned by what they saw. In less than a second, 5 of these terrifying monsters were down on the ground when 6 of them took 4 whole minutes to kill one. The more shocking fact is that¡­ this individual didn''t even use their weapon.


    *Drip* *Drip*


    Talon looked down at his bloodied hands with a calm look. "Sigh, this is seriously messy." He murmured to himself.


    "He killed them¡­ With his bare hands." One spoke as his mouth hung open.


    "The leader¡­ is something else¡­"


    "Yeah¡­"


    As they watched their leader in awe, Talon turned around and secretly through the monster cores in his storage space.


    "I''m d I can stack up cores in one bag inside the storage instead of each one taking an individual slot."


    Even though so far, he only had three slots, Talon made full use of them and they turned out to be pretty useful in most situations. Not only did they give him a ce where to put his things without worrying about them getting stolen or being an extra weight on him but it also gave him the element of surprise when needed.


    For his enemies, if Talon approached them barehanded and then suddenly manifested a weapon at thest second, it would most likely take them by surprise each time. It was perfect in fights where Talon had some kind of disadvantage or had to finish the fight quickly.


    "Hey, are you ok, folks?" Turning around, he called for the group, shaking them out of their trance.


    "Yes, sir!"


    "Good, you can take a break now. We already cleared this street. We will continue in 15 minutes." Talon said.


    "Yes, sir!"


    With that, the group quickly prepared a small area where they could rest for a while and eat some food to restore their energy.


    Talon sat down against the wall on his own and left the students to eat and talk jovially. Stretching his neck, Talon closed his eyes. He took a few seconds of silence before he slowly moved his hand to his pocket and pulled out a small notebook and a pen.


    Opening the notebook, he flipped through a few written pages before he ended up at a fresh new page. Then, he started writing.


    ''Today is the 20th of March, the weather is cold, slightly windy, and perhaps a little cloudy too. It has been a week since we started the operation of expanding to the south. We have cleared almost 30 kilometers worth of areas and we secured the buildings in them. The process has been smooth so far with no major problems.


    If we continue at this rate, we should be able to clear a path out of Seoul in a few more days.'' After writing that, he read it again once before he nodded his head and closed the notebook.


    Ever since he started this mission, Talon had been writing down the process in a notebook. He had no particr reason to do that except to document everything he does for the future. It also was a perfect way to get all of his thoughts out.


    "Do you want some snacks, leader?" As he was like that, a girl called his name, making him look up.


    "No, it''s fine, you guys eat. I''m not hungry."


    "If you say so¡­"


    "Don''t forget to skin that bear when you finish eating. They have quite strong hides so they can definitely be used as armor."


    "Yes¡­"


    ''Didn''t he just pierce through that hide with his bare hand?'' The group thought to themselves.


    "Hey, Leader, can I ask a question?"


    "Hmm¡­" Talon hummed as he wiped his hands with a wet towel.


    "Can you give us love advice?"


    The moment Talon heard that question, his movements halted as he looked up. "What? Love advice?"


    "Yes. I have never had a girlfriend before and I don''t know how to approach a girl. I thought any advice you might give me would be really helpful." The male student smiled.


    "... And why do you think I might know anything about that?" Talon asked back with a raised eyebrow.


    "Come on, we all know that you''re very good at it. Isn''t that right, guys?"


    "Yes."


    "Definitely."


    "He''s the best to ever do it."


    Seeing everyone nodding their heads, Talon frowned. "Huh? I''m really not that good at it. I''m as inexperienced as you guys or probably less."


    ''Well, except for that one time.'' He added in his head as the image of a particr girl shed in his head for a split second before vanishing.


    "The leader is so humble."


    "Yeah, if I was in his ce, I would definitely feel really proud or even brag about it."


    "That''s the difference between him and us."


    "Guys, guys, hold your horses right there. I really don''t know where you got the idea that I''m experienced. I really am not."


    "Huh? You''re not?"


    "Yeah, I am not."


    The students looked at each other confusedly as if they couldn''t believe it at all.


    "Then¡­ You asked the president out just like that?"


    "Hmm, maybe it''s because the president is also not ustomed to such things."


    "Yeah, that makes sense."


    As the students started conversing, Talon was frozen in his ce.


    "I asked Hyun-Jae out? When did I do that?"


    "Please, leader. We already know that you two are dating. You don''t have to hide it, hehe."


    "Since when¡­ Sigh, wait, hold on a second¡­" Rubbing his temples tiredly, Talon slowly started to understand what was happening.


    ''Is this some kind of dumb rumor? There was also that girl who thought I could enter Hyun-Jae''s tent just like that. Oh no¡­''


    "Listen here, guys, I will make it clear once. I am NOT dating Hyun-Jae. We are simply friends and partners. Just like you all are my partners in this. This rumoris wrong and stupid." He said.


    "... So¡­ We were wrong?"


    "Yes."


    The students were stunned for a few seconds as they stared at Talon. Then, they suddenly bowed.


    "We''re really sorry, leader!! We didn''t know that!"


    "It''s fine, geez. You don''t have to apologize. You probably heard it from the others and believed it."


    "Y-Yes¡­"


    ''Sigh, there are Hyun-Jae''s feelings, and now this¡­ I don''t know anymore.''


    Even though Talon immediately shut down those rumors. Deep down, he didn''t actually hate the idea of being linked with Hyun-Jae that way even if it was not true. His mind wasn''t opposed to the idea.


    ''If things continue this way, those rumors might not remain false¡­''


    "Ok, guys, enough chit-chat, time to get back to work." Shaking those thoughts away, Talon stood up as he pped his hands. "We must finish this area by the end of the day. So, brace yourself!"


    "Yes, sir!"


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 159: Chapter 159- Clearing Out Seoul (Part 2)

    Talon''s group then continued their mission. They moved around, killing all the monsters in their way. Talon took one side of the street on his own while the rest of the group took another side and they swapped whenever needed.


    This was the n that all the other groups also followed as they expanded into the other areas of Seoul. Even though their main target was the south since they wanted to reach Gwangju, they still made sure to empty out particr key points of Seoul that would be useful for the future when they would start really working on taking over the city.


    By the end of the day, the group had already finished their work and decided to take a break before going back to the warehouse as they nned beforehand.


    "When are we going to reach the Han River I wonder?" One of the students asked curiously.


    "A few more kilometers," Talon replied. "It''s a few streets from here. We should be able to reach it tomorrow."


    "Oh, then, how are we going to cross it?"


    Normally, crossing the river was an easy task since there were many bridges that connected both sides of the city through it. However, after the continuous earthquakes that assaulted the world, those bridges were eitherpletely destroyed or simply too fragile to use reliably multiple times to transport students.


    No matter how they looked at it, there weren''t many things they could do. The river was too wide to cross swimming and even if they could somehow swim to the other side, the water was simply too cold and could pretty much kill most of the students.


    Talon and Hyun-Jae were already aware of that problem and they had one single solution to it.


    "We''re gonna have to use a boat to cross the river. It''s the only way. We can probably find a few docked near the river." Talon replied.


    ''However, we would only be able to move so much of the number of survivors. That would probably slow down the process a little. But, once we reach the exit of Seoul, everything else should be smooth.'' He thought to himself.


    Since the outside of Seoul was just empty vastnds, they could use cars to cross that distance without problems.


    With that in mind, the group reached the warehouse. There, they found the rest of the groups led by the others were already back.


    Walking inside, Talon was weed by Hyun-Jae.


    "Good work. Here, have some water." She said as she gave him a bottle.


    Talon took it as he thanked her before he rested his back against the wall and took a sip. "Fuuh, that''s refreshing."


    Hyun-Jae stood next to him and asked. "How was your progress?"


    "Good. We''re still going ording to n."


    "I''m d to hear that. My side is also going well. We''re going to reach the Han River from the west tomorrow."


    "Same here."


    Then, the two went silent for a while as they stood next to each other, watching the rest of the students settle down for the day and cook food. The atmosphere was calm and warm which made them instinctively rx a little bit.


    The cold warehouse has been turned into a warm shelter for the survivors and the duo felt slightly proud of that. The bond between the group grew stronger and stronger and they now felt more like a family rather than a bunch of survivors.


    "Oh, by the way." Then, Talon spoke out of nowhere.


    "Hm?"


    "Apparently there is a rumor circting amongst the group. A very dumb rumor."


    "What kind of rumor?"


    "Uh, how should I say this." Thinking for a second, Talon pursed his lips. "Well, let''s say that many students think that¡­ We''re¡­ Uh¡­"


    Hyun-Jae looked at him confusedly as she didn''t hear thest part.


    Talon found it hard to say thest sentence with how awkward it was. But, he still decided to finish the sentence.


    "That we''re dating or something like that."


    Hyun-Jae: "..."


    Looking at him with a stunned expression, Hyun-Jae took a few seconds to take in what he said.


    "Oh¡­ Why would they think that?"


    "I don''t really know. But, it''s probably a misunderstanding. I already rified that it''s not true. But, I just wanted to tell just in case." He replied with an awkward chuckle.


    However, much to Talon''s surprise, Hyun-Jae didn''t immediately approve of what he did. Instead, she kept staring at him for a while.


    "Hyun-Jae?"


    "Hmm? O-Oh yeah, ehem, I understand. Thank you for telling me." She said.


    "Anytime¡­" Talon replied with a weird tone.


    see-MVLeMpYr-for-more


    "Well, I''m going to go get some rest now. See youter." The girl excused herself before walking away quickly.


    ''Why am I feeling like this?... Why is my heart hurting?'' She asked herself as she touched her chest gently.


    This was the first time Hyun-Jae felt this way in her life. It was really unpleasant and almost suffocating. But, since she never experienced it before, her first thought was that something was wrong with her. But, then she quickly remembered how this feeling emerged when she heard Talon say that he turned down those rumors.


    ''I''m really acting off¡­'' Running her hand through her head, she decided to head to her section of the warehouse to calm down.


    Talon watched her back silently. Aplicated glint shed across his eyes for a moment before he looked away.


    "Well, I probably should''ve not brought that up. I''m so stupid." Sighing to himself, he continued sipping on the bottle of water.


    "Hmm, that would probably make her realize her feelings faster than before," Acryphamented from the side.


    "You think so?"


    "I know so. She''spletely clueless about it so anything would feel considerably different for her. With how smart she is, I doubt that she will just brush these feelings off anymore. You will have to be ready to address those feelings, Talon."


    "Yeah, yeah, to be honest, I think I already have the answer to it."


    "Ohoh? What is it?" Acrypha smiled. "Is it something along the lines of ''I have the love of my life, a beauty like no other and we''re destined to be together for eternity. I''m sorry, but I can''t be with you.''?" She jokingly deepened her voice as she started impersonating Talon. Her moves were soically exaggerated that it made the young manugh.


    "I don''t speak like that! You make me sound like some kind of creep."


    "Hmm, I must say, I was spot on with that. I can speak like you."


    "Haha, I really don''t speak like that."


    "''I really don''t speak like that.''" Acrypha replied jokingly as she repeated his words.


    "Tsk, so childish, stop it."


    "''Tsk, so childish, stop it''."


    "Ok, ok, fine, I kinda speak like that. Can you stop now?" He raised his hand in defeat.


    They continued joking and bantering for a while as they enjoyed their time together. After a week since their talk, Acrypha had returned to normal for the most part. He could see her losing focus every now and then but he was d that she didn''t remain down.


    However, one thing he noticed that changed about Acrypha was how close the two of them became after that. It was as if their rtionship which seemed to have reached some kind of bottleneck had broken through.


    He couldn''t describe it in words but he felt it and he was certain Acrypha did too.


    ***


    The rest of the night passed quietly, and the morning sun quickly rose. After eating breakfast they immediately left to continue their work.


    The rest of the morning hours were spent killing monsters and clearing the route to the river. By the time it was noon, their progress reached a halt.


    When Talon and his group reached the river, they were met with a sight they never expected at all.


    "What in the¡­" Looking at the river with wide eyes from across the street, Talon didn''t feel when his breath halted for a second.


    The Han River, a beautiful river that split Seoul in half and had a nice view to the other side of the city¡­ had turned into a giganticke that expanded far into the distance. Looking into the far distance, Talon couldn''t see the other side at all as it waspletely flooded with water.


    "L-Leader¡­ What happened?" One of the students asked in a terrified tone.


    "The expansion¡­ It expanded the river." Talon replied with a weird tone as he started walking closer and closer to the edge of the street. Since the water level had increased a lot, he could easily touch the water if he simply extended his hand over the bridge.


    "Cold¡­" The sensation of the water on his hand was deadly cold, akin to touching ice.


    Then, he slowly lifted his hand and licked his finger, only for his eyes to squint.


    "Salty¡­ It''s not fresh water." He murmured.


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 160: Chapter 160- Too Hard To Turn Down

    Staring at the small puddle of water he had in his hand, Talon stood there silently. A myriad of thoughts crossed his mind in a split second before he looked up at the river.


    "Leader? What happened?" The group quickly approached him.


    "The river hadpletely mixed with the sea. The water is salty now." He replied. "Dammit, give me the walky-talky."


    The students were confused as to why Talon''s mood suddenly soured but they still quickly rummaged through their belongings before they handed him the device.


    Talon then pressed one button and talked. "Hey, Hyun-Jae, do you copy?"


    A few secondster, a voice responded to him. "Hyun-Jae here, I do copy."


    "Did you reach the river yet?"


    "Yes, we''re here¡­ The water is salty." The girl replied.


    Rubbing his face gently, Talon took a deep breath. "We should meet up now. Tell Chin-Hwa and the others."


    "Roger¡­ I''m on my way."


    After that, Talon handed the walky-talky back. "We''re going to stay here for a while until Hyun-Jae and the otherse here. Stay alert for any monsters."


    "Yes, sir." The group replied in a clearly confused tone.


    They really had no idea why the fact that the water turned salty made Talon react that way. If anything, wasn''t the expansion of the river far more alerting?


    But, because of his aura at that moment, they were hesitant to ask. In the end, curiosity just took over them.


    "Uh, leader¡­"


    "What?"


    "What''s wrong with the water being salty, sir?"


    Talon sighed and turned around. "If the water had turned salty then what does that mean?" He asked.


    "That¡­ the sea mixed with the river?" One of the students thought for a moment before they replied.


    "In other words, the river is now an extension of the sea. Now, if the river remained fresh and simply expanded, it would''ve not that big of a problem. However, with this, we might expect a huge trouble. Whatever creatures live in the sea are probably going to migrate to this area."


    So far, Talon had only met monsters onnd and they had been quite the terrifying bunch. However, when it came to the creatures of the sea, Talon had apletely different dread toward them. The reason for that was a small piece of information he knew.


    ''Deep sea creatures have a higher tendency to grow way bigger than shallow waters creatures and evennd creatures¡­'' He squinted his eyes as he remembered that sentence.


    So far, the evolution of monsters on Earth has been extremely abnormal, to say the least. Monsters grew stronger extremely fast and seemingly had no limit at all. In a matter of weeks, creatures over level 20 appeared regrly which was something that normally would take months to happen in other dimensions.


    ''If that''s the case for thend creatures, then what about the sea?'' Just asking that question sent a chill down Talon''s spine.


    The monsters that lurked in the sea were perhaps far worse than the ones onnd.


    "Oh, no¡­ Are we in trouble?"


    It didn''t take the students to realize what Talon meant and they immediately started panicking.


    "If we try to cross the river and we end up getting attacked by some kind of monster¡­ Just imagining that is terrifying."


    "Rx. We aren''t going to cross the river yet. We have to make sure it''s safe first."


    ''Though, I doubt that''s going to be an easy thing to do¡­ Dammit! This such a headache!'' Clenching his fists, Talon turned around and stared at the water. Even though the wind was rather strong, the water wasn''t moving as violently as he expected.


    As he watched the water, a weird feeling was slowly rising within him that he couldn''t quite describe with words. Something about the water made his senses wake up again as if they were trying to tell him something.


    But, weirdly enough, he couldn''t sense anythinging from the river. No monsters and certainly no abnormal Aetheris behavior.


    "Talon¡­" At that moment, he heard a voice calling for him, making him turn around.


    There, he saw Hyun-Jae and the others had already reached them. Everyone had a tense look on their faces.


    Taking a deep breath, Talon spoke. "Change of ns, guys. We won''t be able to cross the river yet. We need to first make sure the river is safe."


    "How are we going to do that?" Hyun-Jae asked.


    That was the question everyone wanted to ask. If the river was filled with monsters, getting past them was going to be extremely dangerous and terrifying on so many levels.


    But, Talon had already found a good idea to do it. An idea that was perhaps his most clever one so far.


    "It''s really simple. If you want to catch a sea creature, what do you do?" He asked with a small mischievous smile.


    Hyun-Jae looked at him with squinted eyes for a second before it suddenly hit her. "Oh¡­ You mean¡­"


    "Yeah, if we''re going to hunt down sea creatures, we gottay some bait for them to emerge on their own."


    "Oh!"


    wee-to-MVLeMpYr


    Hearing that, the students eximed in surprise. As simple as it sounded, they didn''t really think of it that way. After all, in their heads, monsters are monsters. But, they forgot that in the end, they still behaved like most other creatures on earth.


    Laying some kind of bait to catch their attention was the perfect way to do it.


    "We''re going to need some monster corpses and some ropes," Talon instructed the students. "A group should go get all the monsters we just killed around the area and another group needs to go back to the warehouse to get the ropes. Make sure they''re very thick and sturdy.


    "Yes, sir!"


    After giving those instructions, the students scattered quickly.


    "Hey, Hyun-Jae, follow me for a moment. I want to check something out before we actually do anything." He said as he started walking.


    Hyun-Jae stared at his back for a second before she nodded her head. She didn''t have to think much to know that Talon wanted to talk to her privately.


    ***


    The two moved a little bit far from the group.


    "I wanna do something that you might not like." He said.


    "What is it?" The girl frowned as she had a bad feeling about what he said.


    "Hmm, I think I''m going to dive into the river." He replied with an awkward chuckle.


    "What?! Why would you need to do that?"


    "Well, one has to kill those monsters, no? Even if we bait them to the surface, we have to still kill them."


    "We can simply attack them with long-range weapons." Hyun-Jae retorted with a frown.


    "Do you really think whatever lives there would actually be killed with weak long-range weapons?"


    Hyun-Jae: "..."


    Opening her mouth to speak, the girl found herself unable to reply. What Talon said was true, the chances that their weapons would be effective against monsters that lived in the sea were highly unlikely.


    If they wanted to kill them then they had to actually get close and y them with sharp weapons.


    "My Blue Lapis spear is actually really good for such a thing. Its performance peaks when it''s in a water environment." He replied. "Besides, I think I''m far stronger than anything that lives in the sea and even if I''m not, I can definitely escape with a few simple tricks."


    Hyun-Jae rubbed her temples tiredly as she looked at Talon.


    "Sigh¡­ Is there really no other choice?"


    "I doubt. But, trust me, I will be fine." He said with a small smile.


    Seeing that look on his face, Hyun-Jae felt her heart skip a beat as she fell into a daze. Every single time she saw his smile, her eyes will getpletely sucked in by it.


    ''He always changes my mind so easily¡­ I don''t know if that''s even a good or bad thing.'' She thought to herself.


    The sheer effect Talon had on her was slowly sinking into her head and making her realize that there was simply no way for her to actually deny him a request if he tried hard enough to convince her.


    Her heart would ache greatly if she saw him disappointed or sad.


    "Sigh, fine, you can do that."


    Hearing that, Talon''s expression beamed, only to dim again when he heard her next words.


    "But, I have one condition¡­"


    "What is it?" He asked.


    "I''m going to get on a boat and follow you wherever you go underwater. Also, you need to wear a diving suit and tie a rope around your body so that I can pull you out if the worst happens." She said.


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 161: Chapter 161- Sea Hunter (Part 1)

    Talon gave her a single nce before he slowly nodded his head. Even though he would''ve preferred if Hyun-Jae didn''t follow him since if her boat broke, it would be a disaster. But, he didn''t forget that this was Hyun-Jae he was talking about, in most scenarios she could very much take care of herself without his help.


    In fact, she was so capable in his opinion that her idea made him feel even more at ease knowing that Hyun-Jae would actually drag him out of the water if he ended up in trouble.


    "Ok, I agree to that. But, if you end up having to drag me for any reason, can I at least give you a sign whether that''s necessary or not?"


    "What kind of sign?" Hyun-Jae raised an eyebrow.


    "Every 2 minutes, I will shake the rope to tell you that I''m fine. That way, you would know whether I need help or not. If I don''t shake the rope after 2 minutes pass, you can immediately drag me out." He exined.


    "That''s¡­" The girl frowned a little. For some reason, as much as it sounded like a good idea, the sheer pressure of having to wait two minutes each time for the rope to shake was perhaps the most nerve-wracking thing Hyun-Jae would go through.


    But, in the end, her heart and mind knew that Talon simply wanted the n to work. Everything about this task was going to be nerve-wracking.


    "Ok, I will follow your words. But, if the timer reaches the two-minute mark and you don''t instantly shake the rope, I''m going to pull you out immediately, no questions asked, ok?"


    "Yeah, I know and I don''t mind. If anything, please do that, I might be drowning down there, hahaha."


    Hyun-Jae: "..."


    The girl''s eyes darkened as her aura leaked a little, making Talon flinch.


    "Don''t even joke about that."


    "Yes, ma''am." He nodded his head.


    "Sigh, I really hope everything goes smoothly."


    "As long as I''m the one who does it, things will always go well, don''t worry." Talon tapped her shoulder as he walked back to the group.


    "We will see¡­"


    ***


    For the next hour or so, the group worked hard to gather as many monster carcasses as possible, then, they tied those corpses with tight ropes. After that, they brought Talon a diving suit with its own mask and a small oxygen tank.


    "How long does this tankst I wonder?" Talon murmured as he tapped it.


    "It depends on how you use it, but, you have no more than 10 minutes of oxygen before it runs out," Soomin replied.


    "Ten minutes¡­ Huh." Repeating her words as he stared at the tank, Talon pursed his lips.


    ''Well, now I have to worry about my oxygen too, perfect.'' Shaking his head, he stood up and put the tank on his back.


    "No worries, ten minutes is more than enough to kill any monster lurking in that ce."


    With that, he waspletely ready for the mission. All that was left was to get on the boat which was the easiest task since they found countless boats floating aimlessly in the river with no owners using them.


    The perfect boat was soon dragged to where Talon stood as he hoped on it.


    "Hmm, I gotta get ustomed to this suit, it''s too tight." Stretching his arms, Talon tried to free himself a little.


    The only negative thing he could say about the suit was that it restricted his movement quite a bit. Especially in a fight, Talon couldn''t really have a full-range motion to deliver devastating attacks.


    "You will have to rely a lot on your spear instead of your own strength. That Blue Lapis material is really special." Acrypha said.


    "Would there actually be that big of a difference?" He raised an eyebrow as he looked at his floatingpanion.


    "Most definitely, you will notice the difference when you dive in the water. That weapon is lethal in that environment."


    "Ok, got it." Rubbing the back of his head, Talon turned around, only to see Hyun-Jae standing behind him.


    "You look great." She said jokingly.


    "Do I? I feel like I''m being squeezed to death."


    "Better than freezing to death." She replied with a chuckle.


    Even though she might seem normal, Talon knew that she was only joking to alleviate the tension and to lessen her worries.


    ''She cares for me a lot. Sigh, I wouldn''t want to worry her needlessly. But, it doesn''t seem to work at all.'' He thought to himself.


    So, with that in mind, he approached Hyun-Jae before he whispered in her ear. Nobody noticed when he did that as it seemed like he was simply moving past her. But, Hyun-Jae heard him well.


    "Thank you for worrying about me."


    Her eyes widened slightly as she looked to the side. But, he had already moved past her as if nothing happened.


    "Let''s get this over with, ok? It won''t take that long." He spoke to the group standing near the edge. "Throw the carcasses."


    Immediately, the group went to work as they started pushing the bait into the water.


    *SPLASH*


    Water sshed violently with each corpse falling into it. Then, the corpses would rise to the surface and float silently.


    One by one, the entire area was covered in a few minutes. Blood seeped from the dead monsters into the water, coating it in an eerie red color. A weird, metallic smell filled the air.


    Meanwhile, Talon put the mask on his forehead as he got ready to jump at any given moment. What was left was a single thing¡­ Waiting for the sign to appear.


    With the baits set in ce, they only had to wait for the monsters to take them. Nobody knew how long that would take since they didn''t even know whether there were monsters beneath them or not in the first ce. But, patience was the biggest key at that moment.


    Silence took over the entire ce as everyone watched the water anxiously for any unusual movements. The tension was palpable amongst the survivors, including Hyun-Jae. The only one that didn''t seem nervous was Talon who was ironically the one to put his life in the most danger.


    For some reason, even when he was supposed to be terrified, he was extremely calm and collected. This wasn''t the first time it happened to him and yet it was still surprising each time.


    ''I''m really starting to think like some kind of seasoned warrior who saw death countless times. I don''t feel like anything can outright terrify me into running for my life.'' He thought to himself as he sat on the edge of the boat and watched the water silently.


    Seconds turned into minutes and minutes turned into dozens of minutes and no corpse was eaten yet.


    "Are there really monsters down there? We''ve been waiting for almost an hour now." One said.


    "We have to be patient. Normal fishing would take hours usually. One hour is nothing."


    "But still¡­ Something should''ve at least noticed the bait, right?"


    Many were starting to think that there weren''t really any creatures lurking in the depths. Though, most of it was their wishful thinking rather than actual facts.


    Meanwhile, Talon and Hyun-Jae were stillpletely focused on the water as if a minute had just passed.


    At that moment, something finally happened.


    *Ssh*


    Out of nowhere, one of the corpses suddenly shook before it started going down. Talon''s eyes shed with a sharp glint as he immediately pulled the mask down.


    Hyun-Jae turned around to the students. "Grab the ropes and start pulling now!" She yelled.


    The group snapped out of their daze as they quickly kicked into motion. Locating the rope that linked to that particr bait, theytched into it.


    "Pull!!"


    The entire group used their collective strength to start pulling. Meanwhile, whatever was pulling that corpse found itself struggling to make it submerge.


    "Hnng! It''s really, pulling hard!"


    MVLeMpYr-official-text


    At the same time, Talon pulled down the mask before he adjusted the oxygen tank output.


    "I''m going, Hyun-Jae." He notified the girl before he flipped back and left his body to be pulled down by gravity.


    *Ssh*


    The moment Talon''s body made contact with the water, a cold sensation filled his senses. The extremely cold water touched his skin and made him frown a little.


    ''Nice cold bath¡­'' He thought to himself as he slowly submerged his head underwater to take a look.


    The water beneath the surface waspletely dark akin to an endless abyss. A normal eye would never be able to see anything. However, Talon didn''t find a problem in seeing a few dozen meters away from him.


    ''How deep did this river get, geez?''


    Scanning the area around him, he noticed something moving in the distance. With a closer look, he could identify the thing as a rather big fish with two heads and sharp teeth. It had the appearance of a piranha except for more terrifying.


    That creature wastched into the corpse as it tried to drag it down violently while facing the resistance of the survivors outside.


    Without time to waste, Talon pulled his spear out as he dived down and moved toward the creature as fast as he could.


    ''Holy shit! I''m fast!''


    Even though he barely shook his legs a few times, Talon had already crossed a dozen meters. He never realized that his leg strength had reached a level where it could easily rival that of an actual fish in the water.


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 162: Chapter 162- Sea Hunter (Part 2)

    Immediately, the creature released its prey and turned toward Talon with its two terrifying heads.


    Then, like a bolt, itunched itself toward Talon as it opened its wide mouth, ready to swallow him whole. However, the young man quickly brandished his spear as he moved it forward.


    One split second before they shed, Talon changed the grip on his weapon and shed horizontally. That''s when he noticed it.


    *Swish*


    The spear''s movement was way faster than he expected. So fast in fact, that Talon''s eyes barely followed it even though he was looking at his hands. Then, he was met with a second shock.


    *BOOOOM*


    The momentum of the sh created a gigantic underwater shockwave that flew toward the monster fish.


    Upon contact, the sh cut the monster in two as if it were made out of paper. Blood exploded from the monster''s two severed parts and it died almost instantly.


    [Ding!]


    [You have killed a level 19 Sea Muncher.]


    ''Sea Muncher, huh?'' Reading the notification, Talon squinted his eyes. The name sounded rather funny for a creature that looked like it came straight out of someone''s nightmare. Then, his eyes shifted to the spear in his hand.


    Even though the description of the skill indicated that it worked amazingly well in a water environment, he still didn''t think it would make this much of a difference. He didn''t even use much force in his arms and yet the attack was so terrifyingly powerful.


    ''So this is the effect of the boost.


    But, in the end, it was still good news so he didn''t dwindle on it much and looked around him.


    The reason for that was simple, he had suddenly noticed multiple new auras entering his area of detection. The auras were numerous in number and were very simr to one another and to the monster he just killed.


    Then, out of the darkness, the two-headed abominations emerged, looking as terrifying as ever. Their numbers were in the dozens and each one seemed maddeningly hungry for blood.


    ''The entire squad is here.'' Gripping his spear tightly, Talon channeled his Aetheris as he activated Spearmanship and Future Sight.


    Immediately, his irises lit up with a faint blue light as quick images of the future shed in his brain. In a moment, Talon knew exactly where the monsters were going to attack him.


    Future Sight was perhaps his most terrifying ability apart from the Azure mes and the Tear Of Reality. Those were purely destructive. But, Future Sigh gave him a huge advantage over his opponents no matter the situation.


    Knowing what your opponent was going to do before they do it is an advantage that can determine victory.


    *Swish*


    With that in mind, Talon dashed forward at top speed like a fish as he reached the group of fish. Then, he shed multiple times with his spear. Waves of water currents were generated one after the other, sting the fish back.


    A series of ringing sounds filled his brain for a moment before he shut them down and quickly turned around. Even though his first few attacks killed a good number of the fish, the rest quickly moved all around him.


    Floating in his ce, Talon took a deep breath as his eyes turned extremely sharp.


    ''Time to get serious.'' He thought to himself.


    *Swish*


    Without waiting, the monsters quickly dashed toward him from all angles. The young man didn''t waste time and flew up, letting them smash against each other. Or that was what he thought would happen.


    However, much to his shock, the fish were able to instantly change their direction as they rose up after him.


    ''Shit!''


    Realizing his mishap, Talon tried to immediately recover as he shed down. The attack cut through multiple abominations. The rest quickly lunged at him hungrily.


    ''I didn''t know they had this fucking ability!!'' Cursing, Talon quickly swam up as fast as he could with the fish in hot pursuit.


    In a matter of moments, he reached the surface. But, instead of emerging outside, Talon suddenly changed his direction at thest moment.


    *Ssh*


    Almost instantly, the fish tried to change directions too. But, they didn''t ount for an important detail.


    *BANG*


    The moment the front line of fish stopped, the ones behind them didn''t react in time and smashed into them and then the line behind that one smashed into the second line. In less than a second, the entire group was thrown into chaos.


    *Ssh*


    That naturally led to some of the fish flying out in the air as bubbles filled the entire surface of the river.


    "What is happening?" Hyun-Jae watched the scene with a frown. Her heart was beating loudly from sheer worry, but, with her strong vision, she was able to see Talon''s silhouette as he moved near the surface at top speed.


    ''What is he trying to do?'' As she watched him silently, Talon suddenly dived deeper again.


    In a few moments, he went 20 meters deep. Then, he adjusted himself so that his body would face the surface before he grabbed the spear with both hands.


    ''Oh boy, this is such a ridiculous idea I''m trying to do.'' He thought to himself with a sigh.


    Then, using all his strength, Talon started slowly spinning the spear clockwise. The rotation speed slowly elerated with each passing moment. Meanwhile, the fish had fallen back into the water and dove toward the young man with far more bestial rage than before.


    Meanwhile, thetter continued to elerate the rotation, moment by moment. What started as a slow movement, turned into an extremely fast fan and kept going.


    At the same time, a water current was forming in front of Talon. A whirlpool-shaped tornado manifested and grew bigger as the rotation speed quickened.


    ''Faster! I need it to be faster!'' He thought to himself as he focused his entire strength on his arms. His veins expanded and his hands moved way quicker than before. Coupled with the boost in the spear''s ability, Talon witnessed his idea appear in real life.


    A gigantic whirlpool of water rose up to meet the monsters. All the momentum created so far came in one single moment as it smashed against the group of fish,pletely capturing them.


    *Swish*


    All the monsters started rolling around in the heart of the whirlpool as it slowly moved up. Meanwhile, the water current around it grew extremely violently, pulling in all the water around it.


    "Huh¡­"


    Outside, Hyun-Jae noticed that the boat was slowly starting to shake as the previously calm surface started bing violent.


    The girl didn''t know what was happening down there and the grip on the rope naturally grew stronger. But, the 2-minute mark didn''te yet so she didn''t try to pull it.


    ''This is Talon''s work, I''m sure. He''s the only one that can do things like this.''


    With that belief in mind, Hyun-Jae''s eyes moved back to the water as she noticed something odd.


    The shape of the surface a dozen meters away from her was carved in as a circr whirlpool formed. Then, out of nowhere, dozens of gigantic two-headed piranhas were sted into the air.


    "Wha¡­" The girl''s eyes widened as she watched the dissected, bloodied monsters rising in the air. Bits and pieces of their bodies werepletely separated as if they were cut with a knife.


    Then, what followed was a rain of blood poured on the area before the dead monsters fell down to the sea again with a loud ssh.


    Hyun-Jae quickly covered her face from the blood as she looked down again with a shocked expression. The entire area around the boat was turned into a sea of dead monsters.


    The red color of blood covered every single inch of the area, turning it into a terrifying blood sea.


    "..." Hyun-Jae couldn''t find the words to describe what she was seeing.


    *Ssh*


    Then, out of the water, a head popped up.


    "Damn, are you ok, Hyun-Jae? I tried to go as far away from the boat as possible to do it but it still reached you." He pulled the oxygen mask off as he said.


    "..."


    "Hyun-Jae?"


    "Yeah¡­ I''m fine¡­" She shook her head as she replied. "Are you ok?"


    "Yeah. That wasn''t too bad. But, I don''t know if that''s the only type of monster living here. I''m going to continue roaming for a while before we call it a day."


    ''I don''t think that''s the only group of monsters in here. My guts aren''t feeling at ease.'' Floating silently above water, Talon contemted that feeling he had a while before.


    "Are you sure?" Hyun-Jae yelled at him.


    "Yes, I won''t take long. I think I have a few more minutes of oxygen avable."


    "Ok, but don''t take too long and keep an eye on your oxygen level," Hyun-Jae warned him.


    Thetter nodded his head and put the mask on again as he dived down again.


    ''Let''s see if my feeling is correct.''


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 163: Chapter 163- Sea Hunter (Part 3)

    The darkness of the sea engulfed Talon''s body andpletely isted him from the world outside. No light, sound, or sensation reached him from beyond the surface. It was as if the moment he submerged himself, he left that world and entered apletely new world. MVLeMpYr-your-novel-source


    A world that was mysterious, dark, and eerie. Yet, at the same time, it was uniquely fascinating. Just the feeling of floating in the absolute darkness with an endless abyss beneath him¡­ Talon found himself incredibly intrigued by it. He felt like a small dot in a vast world.


    Taking a few moments to take in that sensation, Talon finally looked down beneath him before he started slowly descending into the darkness of the abyss. His vision was limited and so was his senses. He could barely see 1/4th of the normal distance he could and it made him feel threatened¡­ Far more threatened than usual.


    ''I kind of get why people fear the ocean¡­ This is quite unpleasant.'' He thought to himself as he continued moving down, crossing the 30-meter depth mark, and kept going.


    ''Holy shit, how deep is this ce? The Han River was only 10 meters deep if I''m not wrong.'' He thought to himself.


    Talon was certain that after the expansion, the world not only expanded in size which was quite noticeable with how stretched the entire city of Seoul be¡­ But, that expansion also changed the depth of most bodies of water.


    He didn''t know exactly how much that change affected the world, but it was definitely not a small one.


    After moving for a little while longer, Talon finally reached the deepest part of this river. Touching the bottom of it, he lifted a small chunk of sand in his hand before examining it.


    ''This haspletely turned into an extension of the ocean. Even the sand is different.'' He thought to himself before he let the sand go and looked around him.


    The ce waspletely quiet. Not even a single sound or noise reached him except for the deep gurgles of the ocean. So, Talon slowly started moving around a little. He walked across the river floor, searching for any indications of the presence of another life form.


    Time passed slowly with nothing appearing in his vision. By the time Talon reached the second minute, he shook the rope to make sure that Hyun-Jae knew he was fine.


    Then, he continued walking around for a while, exploring the ce and enjoying himself a little.


    ''I''ve never experienced diving before so this is pretty fun.'' Smiling to himself, he jumped around for a while before he finally looked up.


    ''I guess I was wrong. There is really nothing here. If there was, they would''ve already been attracted by the dead corpses and the blood around them. So, he decided to go back up to the surface.


    ''I only have 40 seconds left in my oxygen tank. Damn, I guess I had a little bit too much fun.''


    With that in mind, Talon started swimming again to the surface.


    Meanwhile, outside, on the boat, Hyun-Jae was waiting for him with a worried look on her face.


    "Did he find something?" She murmured as she watched the rope.


    Fortunately, she noticed that the pressure on the rope was slowly lessening which meant that Talon was rising to the top. That made her exhale a small, tense breath.


    "Ok, it seems he''s fine."


    Unbeknownst to her, someone was floating right above her head. Acryphad had been watching the entire scene. Even though she was also very worried about her little human, she knew that Talon wouldn''t be easily in danger even underwater.


    ''He really blended those things mercilessly.'' Smiling to herself, suddenly, Acrypha''s senses felt something in the far distance.


    Immediately, her eyes moved from the rope to a particr direction¡­ Precisely to the far west.


    Then, her rxed expression immediately changed to a huge frown.


    "Oh no¡­ Oh no, no, no¡­ What¡­ That can''t be¡­" Her voice wavered as she quickly looked down. "Talon is in trouble, huge trouble!!"


    Without wasting a single breath, Acrypha flew toward the water as she dived down. However, surprisingly, the water didn''t seem to stop her or even touch her body as she flew down like a bullet.


    In less than a second, she found Talon who was swimming up.


    "Talon! Move fast, now!! There is somethinging toward you at extremely fast speed." She said.


    "Huh?" Talon looked at Acrypha confusedly before his eyes followed where her fingers were pointing.


    Looking there, suddenly, a weird feeling filled Talon''s senses. His heart rate increased as he turned around and silently started swimming up fast.


    ''What the fuck is following me? I can''t sense its presence! Is it still too far away for me to detect it?'' A thousand questions filled his mind as he swam up using all of his strength.


    He felt a very cold sensation fill his soul. But, he didn''t stop for a second to look behind him. In a matter of seconds, Talon was near the surface. Meanwhile, something behind him moved extremely fast as it slowly closed the distance between them.


    Outside, Hyun-Jae was stillpletely oblivious to what was happening.


    *Ssh*


    At that moment, Talon''s head emerged on the surface and he quickly started swimming toward the boat.


    "Hyun-Jae! Activate the boat and move! Something massive is following me!"


    "What?" The girl was stunned for a moment before she quickly turned around and did what he asked before she turned around. She didn''t have to ask any more questions to know that the situation wasn''t good at all.


    "Just start moving! I''m still held on by the rope!" Talon said as he continued swimming while looking behind him. A little bit far away from him, the surface of the water turned a degree darker.


    "Damn it!" Hyun-Jae clenched her teeth as she quickly pulled the lever before twisting the boat around and started moving toward the edge of the bridge. Meanwhile, Talon was using all his strength to swim after her.


    ''The distance between us isn''t growing¡­ It''s going to reach me.''


    Even with his extremely fast swimming speed, the creature was way faster. Even with its incrediblyrge size, it didn''t seem like it was hindering it.


    Talon found himself in apletely bad situation no matter how he looked at it. He couldn''t escape and he couldn''t reach the boat in time. His only remaining choice was¡­


    ''Sigh¡­ Fuck, I really don''t want to do this¡­'' Cursing under his breath, he suddenly halted swimming.


    "Hyun-Jae!!!" He yelled. The girl turned around with an alert look on her face.


    "I''m sorry for doing this. This thing seems quite strong and I need my full motion range to fight it." He murmured with a smile before he suddenly lifted the spear and severed the rope.


    "Wha¡­" The girl''s eyes widened to the extreme as she moved to the edge of the boat. "What are you doing?!"


    But, before she could even hear an answer, Talon took a very deep breath as he threw the mask off his face and released the oxygen tank. He knew that the few seconds remaining in the tank would only hinder him.


    Then, without hesitation, he dived down.


    "Talon!!" Hyun-Jae eximed.


    Her heart sank when she couldn''t see him anymore. Instead, all she could witness was the giant dark figure closing up on where he was floating a moment ago. Its humungous presence sent a chill down her spine.


    ''This thing isn''t something that can be fought underwater! It''s at least level 35 or higher!''


    "This idiot!" Cursing under her breath, Hyun-Jae turned around and halted the boat.


    Then, she quickly took her shirt off, revealing a swimsuit she wore the entire time.


    "I knew that he was going to do this!" She murmured as she wore the water tank and the mask before she jumped in the water.


    ***


    Meanwhile, a good distance away from Hyun-Jae, Talon had submerged himself a good dozen meters before he stopped and looked ahead of him with a sharp re.


    A few secondster, a silhouette appeared in his vision. Its gigantic frame totally towered over him and made the water around him even darker than before.


    Looking slowly up as he traced its frame, he finally realized what this creature was. With its gigantic tentacles and its massive eyes that covered its entire body.


    ''A fucking Kraken¡­'' Talon thought to himself as he instinctively tightened his grip on his spear.


    Even when he was staring directly at it, he had no idea how he could actually fight such a massive thing¡­ In the water. It was simply too massive.


    By far the biggest living thing Talon had ever witnessed with his own eyes and that thing is now looking at him as its next prey.


    "Rrrrrrr¡­" At that moment, the monster made a low gurgling sound before it started moving its long tentacles.


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 164: Chapter 164- Sea Hunter (Part 4)

    If one were to be asked, what are the most terrifying mythical creatures they heard of? The name of the Kraken would appear often in those choices. With its unimaginable size, its terrifying appearance, and its mysterious attacks that leave nothing behind, it had every requirement met to be someone''s nightmare.


    Yet, that seemingly magical creature that should''ve never existed was now in front of Talon floating in the depths of the sea with him lonesomely facing it with nothing to back him.


    The creature''s terrifying arms stretched forward as they quickly surrounded Talon and tried to grab him. However, thetter immediately swam up, barely dodging the attack.


    The tentacles immediately spread as they surrounded him again a momentter. Talon''s eyes widened when he realized how fast they were moving all of a sudden¡­ Itpletely took him by surprise.


    ''Shit!!''


    *BANG*


    One of the arms ruthlessly mmed against his body, sending him down to the depths of the river. Smashing against the river floor, his eyes widened.


    "Ugh!!!" Air leaked out of his mouth as Talon quickly put his hand over his lips to not let any more air escape.


    A momentter, the same tentacles followed after him ruthlessly. With no time to even recover, the young man had to quickly rise up and start swimming close to the floor. The tentacles smashed into the river floor as they tried to hit him.


    However, using Future Sight, Talon was able to somehow manage to predict where they were and dodge in time. However, his situation wasn''t getting any better.


    ''I lost too much air!! I don''t know how long I can continue to escape. I need to kill it quickly!'' Looking behind him, he could vaguely see the silhouette of the monster in the distance.


    With a rough calction, Talon estimated that he had no more than 50 seconds'' worth of oxygen left in his lungs after what happened. Even though that was uniquely good for an average human, Talon''s continuous evolution affected his lungs and made them expand and work way better than before.


    If he took a huge breath and went underwater without any external factors affecting him¡­ He could easily stay underwater for 25 minutes. But, that single attack cut down that number by more than 90%.


    Not to mention the pain he felt in his bones from the hit. He was suffering terribly.


    The tentacles continued their ruthless attacks on his body without giving a single moment to rest or think. All he could do was follow his instincts as he moved left and right, up and down like a fish.


    However, Talon wasn''tpletely clueless as to what he needed to do. So, unbeknownst to the giant Kraken, Talon was slowly cooking up a n.


    ''Ok¡­ I think I can do this! Let''s hope I don''t drown to death!'' He cursed as he suddenly changed his swimming direction.


    The tentacles seemed to expect that as they immediately obstructed his path. But, Talon didn''t stop as he shed with his spear. The attack cut through the tentacle-like cheese.


    "Rrrrrrrr¡­" A loud growl escaped the Kraken''s mouth as it pulled that tentacle and attacked with the others.


    Talon swung his spear endlessly, trying to cut whatever tentacle tried to obstruct his way. However, with how fast he was moving and the dangerously low amount of oxygen running through his veins, Talon felt his attacks growing weaker and weaker with each passing second.


    On the other hand, his heart rate was starting to increase and his anxiety and fear of drowning slowly took over his mind. His body was reacting to the danger on its own.


    ''Keep yourself calm, Talon!'' He thought to himself as he cut down one of the tentacles, only to realize that another had taken its ce as it smashed into him. Using his spear as a shield at thest split second, Talon stopped the arm from sting him away.


    story-by-MvLeMpYr


    *BANG*


    "Hnnnng!!!" Groaning under his breath, he fought the overwhelming strength of the monster with whatever power he had left in him. But, even with his over 130 points in strength, the Kraken was simply on another level and the monster knew that very well.


    So, instead of having the arrogance and superiority Talon would expect it would have, it didn''t spare any opportunity to beat him.


    *Swish*


    ''Fuck!!'' Feeling a terrifying chill run down his spine, Talon turned around only to be met with another tentacle that smashed into his back.


    "Blurgh!!!" Air and blood leaked out of his mouth as he was sted down again, smashing into the ground. A cloud of dust scattered all around him.


    ''No¡­ Way¡­'' Laying down on the river floor, he stared up with a dazed look on his face. At that point, his throat was burning as if a fire had ignited in it. His heart rate was starting to decelerate and his eyes turned hazy.


    ''This¡­ is¡­ insane¡­ I can''t¡­ feel¡­ my arms¡­''


    It was aplete and utter defeat, without Talon being able to even do any devastating damage to the monster. He didn''t even realize that he was defeated as hey there, unable to breathe or move.


    The tentacles slowly moved toward Talon''s body like a predator loathing its dying prey before eating it.


    ''It''s¡­ not¡­ over yet¡­ bastard!'' Talon clenched his fists.


    But, even when his mind didn''t ept the defeat, reality said otherwise and it was a painful one at that.


    ''I''m¡­ really weak¡­ dammit¡­ I''m still far¡­ from being strong¡­'' He mused to himself.


    So far, Talon had faced danger countless times, and every single time, he would wake up and fight. He grew strong and learned a lot. But, never before did he get so thoroughly crushed without having a chance to fight back. It felt far more painful than the sensation of drowning slowly.


    His pride and ego that he had built in the past month and a half were all gone just like that. Now, he was facing real death, the real deal¡­ He could see the grim reaper brandishing his scythe with a malicious smile on his face.


    But, at that moment, out of nowhere, Talon heard a weird sound.


    *Sizzle*


    The sound was eerily simr to electricity coursing through wires. Then, his eyes caught a surprising sight. One of the tentacles that was about to attack Talon was suddenly stopped in its tracks as ropes of electricity suddenly engulfed it as it cooked it instantly.


    "Rrrrrr¡­" The monster groaned loudly before retracting its tentacles back from the sheer pain. The electricity continued coursing through the arm before spreading to the Kraken''s body.


    Then, a silhouette appeared next to Talon as it picked him up.


    Looking at the figure, Talon immediately knew who it was.


    ''Hyun-Jae¡­'' He thought to himself.


    Thetter had a mask on so she didn''t say anything and instead lifted him before she pulled her mask off and put it on his mouth. Feeling oxygen entering his mouth, Talon instinctively sucked it in eagerly.


    Almost instantly, he felt his vision return and his mind woke up again. His slowing heart recovered a little as he quickly turned to Hyun-Jae.


    Then, Talon quickly pulled the mask off and pulled her back with him. A split secondter, a tentacle attacked the spot where they were a moment ago.


    Falling on top of him, Hyun-Jae stared directly into Talon''s eyes as the two conveyed their thoughts to each other. No words were needed between them as Talon suddenly pushed Hyun-Jae up with all his strength. The girl channeled her Aetheris before creating two massive Electricity Balls.


    The balls expanded in size on their own without her needing to use Aetheris. Because they were swimming in very salty water, it was a very naturally good conductor of electricity.


    *Swish*


    Then, she threw the two spinning balls in different directions. The balls flew quickly and smashed into two other tentacles.


    At the same time, Talon jumped up as he shed with his spear, cutting another arm.


    Hyun-Jae stared at him again as if she wanted to tell him something. Then, she signaled with her head for him to move up to the surface.


    However, Talon shook his head as he pointed at the Kraken''s main body.


    ''I can kill it, Hyun-Jae!'' He conveyed through his eyes.


    Thetter frowned and clenched her fists. A myriad of thoughts passed through her mind. She wanted to refuse and bring him to the top to at least take a breath. But, at the same time, her trust in him made her hesitate. After all, if she didn''t trust Talon, then who could she trust?


    ''Dammit. I will definitely make you apologize for doing this recklessly.'' She cursed as she nodded her head.


    Seeing that, Talon smiled as he quickly pointed at the tentacles.


    ''Can you hold them off for a while?''


    The girl nodded her head before she turned around and unsheathed her sword.


    ''Just don''t take too long! I can deal with them myself.'' Hyun-Jae''s eyes sharpened.


    ''Go!''


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 165: Chapter 165- Sea Hunter (Part 5)

    The number of tentacles the monster possessed was still unknown to Talon and Hyun-Jae that entire time. They had severed, burnt, and destroyed several ones and yet every single time, more would appear in their ce as if it was regenerating limbs out of nowhere.


    But, that didn''t stop Hyun-Jae nor make her step back. Instead, it fired her spirit stronger than ever. She felt adrenaline coursing through her body. This was her opportunity, to show her worth and how far she hade after all that happened.


    *Sizzle*


    Lightning coursed through her body, making it appear shiny. For a second, she seemed like a goddess that descended on the darkest of hells to bless it with her light. Then, she slowly ran her hand across her sword, coating it with ayer of Electricity.


    your-chapter-source


    ''Fuuh'' Exhaling a small breath, Hyun-Jae moved the sword up and down as she adjusted her grip on it before she aimed it at the tentacles as a challenge.


    *Swish*


    The countless arms didn''t hesitate to attack the lonesome girl. With their overwhelming strength and speed, there was no way she could defeat them on her own and the monster knew that.


    Hyun-Jae quickly unleashed her aura before she swam toward the swarm of tentacles and swung her sword powerfully.


    A wave of lightning manifested in front of the tentacles as it ran through them, severing multiple in the process.


    The rest tried to overwhelm her. But, the moment they would try to get anywhere near her, a barrier of lightning would stop them.


    ''In this environment, I can easily defend myself with so little Aetheris used. All I have to do is create a spark of lightning and it will instantly spread around like wildfire. I can definitely handle them!'' Hyun-Jae thought to herself.


    Even though it wasn''t her natural environment, it certainly fit her skill perfectly and made it seem like it was made to be used there.


    *Sizzle*


    The fight continued as Hyun-Jae swam around, sending lightning strikes one after the other. The tentacles relentlessly attacked her from all angles, all at the same time. Their speed and strength were brutal to the point where Hyun-Jae couldn''t even find a moment to take a breath.


    Not to mention the fact that their strategy for attacking was far from a simple-minded, brute force. They knew how to coordinate the attacks so that she would end up in the worst situation possible.


    Naturally, even with her clear advantage strength-wise, she cannot handle such a brutal assault for a long time without sustaining damage of her own.


    All the tentacles needed was a small mishap from Hyun-Jae and it was game over. That mishap came barely 30 secondster. When Hyun-Jae tried to make a detour and cut one of the tentacles, her attack missed its target due to its terrifying speed and she found herself in apletely vulnerable situation.


    *BANG*


    The tentacle smashed into her body with a crushing force. Coughing out a huge mouthful of blood, Hyun-Jae was pushed back violently.


    Just one single hit almost knocked her outpletely. But, at that moment, Hyun-Jae''s eyes shed with a weird glint as she suddenly extended her hands andtched into the tentacle with all her power.


    ''I''m not¡­ Losing!!!'' She clenched her teeth as she channeled her force.


    *SIZZZLE*


    Lightning exploded from her arms, burning through the monster''s body. Then, Hyun-Jae used all her physical strength to push the tentacle to the side as she swam forward.


    ''I''m not¡­ a fucking dead weight!!'' She cursed as her normally aloof face turnedpletely outraged.


    All herposure and calm attitude werepletely gone and were reced with a brutal desire to fight.


    How long has she been waiting for this opportunity? For how long had she wanted to show that she could actually be a force to be reckoned with? So far, Hyun-Jae felt like she waspletely falling behind.


    Whenever a disaster would befall them, she would always be one step behind in terms of power and end up being saved by Talon. The image of her loss against that woman was still vivid in her head. That crushing defeat pained her far more than the injuries she sustained from it. She feltpletely hopeless against her.


    But, that didn''t stop her from working even harder to shorten the gap again. She wanted to be strong, strong enough so that the people she cared about wouldn''t die in front of her eyes¡­ So that people she cared about wouldn''t die in front of her¡­


    At that moment, a core memory of hers was triggered. An image that haunted her her entire life came back like it always does. Except, this time, she was awake when it happened rather than asleep.


    ''I won''t let that happen again! I won''t! I would rather die than see it happen again! Not to him!'' Her aura exploded.


    *Swish*


    Then, she swung her sword powerfully, using all her power.


    It was Hyun-Jae''s moment and she was going to shine bright in it¡­ Brighter than ever.


    Then, at that moment, out of nowhere, Hyun-Jae felt an extremely strong water current smash into her, sending her flying back. Flipping in the water a few times, she barely could adjust her bnce as she stopped to look into the distance.


    ''What happened?!'' Her alerted senses went off as she held her sword with two hands.


    However, the sight she witnessedpletely shattered her expectations


    ***


    Thirty seconds before that, a little distance away from the brutal fight, Talon was swimming at top speed toward his target.


    ''I need to hurry before Hyun-Jae gets overwhelmed!''Looking behind him, he could see flickers of lightning igniting every now and then which indicated that the fight was still raging as strong as before.


    If Talon had to estimate how long he had before hispanion got defeated, it would be a minute. But, if he had to be realistic, he only had half that time before he had to go back to her. He doesn''t want to put Hyun-Jae''s life at any more risk than this. She was too important for him to willingly put her in danger.


    ''Now, let''s see how we can actually deal with this thing.'' Talon''s eyes turned a degree colder as he noticed the terrifying eyes staring at him from the abyss. ''You had too much fun toying with us, didn''t you bastard?''


    This entire time, Talon couldn''t approach the creature due to its annoying long tentacles. But, now, with considerably fewer arms to attack him, he could finally take a close nce at the Kraken.


    "Rrrrrr¡­" The monster noticed Talon''s approach and growled deeply before it tried to attack him with whatever arms it had left.


    [Ding!]


    [You have activated ''Dash''.]


    But, Talon quickly activated his dash skill. So far, he didn''t use that skill thinking that it wouldn''t really work underwater but when he thought about it, the skill didn''t specify where it increased his agility. So, by that logic, he assumed that even if he was swimming, the skill should boost his speed either way.


    Much to his expectations, the moment he activated it, his speed soared as he flew into the distance.


    ''Goddamn!'' Clenching his teeth, Talon moved left and right as he dodged the monster''s attacks while slicing with his spear.


    In the Kraken''s eyes, he appeared like a blurry silhouette slicing through its arms like a flying razor. Blood exploded from its arms endlessly.


    "Rrrrrrr!!!"


    The monster was naturally outraged as it suddenly started moving its main body again.


    ''It''s moving!'' Talon watched as the creature stepped forward, towering over him with ease. Since he was swimming near the bottom, he could see the monster from beneath¡­ Precisely it''s gigantic gaping mouth that was slowly opening wider and wider.


    Inside that mouth, sets of razor-sharp teeth covered every inch of it. Their appearance was terrifying to look at let alone be in their direction.


    ''Wait¡­'' At that moment, Talon realized what the monster was trying to do. ''It wants to swallow me up.''


    The monster''s gigantic body slowly descended toward Talon as its opened mouth started sucking in immense quantities of water.


    The suction force was so strong and sudden that Talon found himself getting pulled in almost instantly.


    ''You''re kidding me!'' Clenching his teeth, Talon tried to grab into something for support. But, since the area was empty, he had nothing to grab into.


    Swimming wasn''t helping him either since the water around him turned into a chaotic mess that threw him left and right. His teeth clenched as he felt the sheer pressure of water colliding against his body brutally. It was as if he was being constantly ground between two heavy boulders.


    ''You¡­ Fucker! Fine! Do you want to y this game?! Let''s y!!''


    Then, Talon suddenly stopped trying to resist as the water immediately pulled him toward the monster''s mouth before he vanished inside that dark abyss along with everything around him.


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 166: Chapter 166- Kraken Slayer

    The moment Talon was pulled inside the Kraken''s mouth, the entire world turnedpletely dark. Except for the sensation of his body being thrown back at full speed, he couldn''t see or hear anything.


    He felt as if he waspletely isted from the world for a good few seconds before a sudden sharp pain assaulted his back as if something sharp pierced through his flesh. Then, Talon felt that same sensation in his two legs and arms too.


    ''Are these its teeth?! Dammit, it hurts!'' Clenching his teeth, Talon tried to pull himself off the sharp spikes.


    However, that only made his situation worse as he ended up being thrown to the other side, mming against the wall of sharp teeth with even more violence. He felt his skin tearing open in multiple areas at the same time.


    But, what made it even worse was the fact that he could barely see anything in this environment. Even with his enhanced focus skill, he could barely see anything more than a meter away from him. For normal eyes, this ce was absolutely dark with not even a speck of light going through it.


    Trying to control his movement in such a dark environment was almost impossible for Talon to do.


    So, he decided to do something different as quickly as possible since he knew that he will only keep getting shredded to pieces if the Kraken continued sucking him in.


    For the next few seconds, Talon continued mming around trying to find bnce. But, nothing worked out. So, he changed his approach. The next moment he was thrown to the other side, Talon extended his hand as he grabbed into one of the sharp teeth of the monster.


    His grip tightened on the disgustingly slimy tooth as he held on. But, because of the nature of its slick surface, it didn''t take long for Talon to feel his hand starting to slide off.


    ''Oh no, you don''t!'' Using all his strength, Talon gripped it even harder, his fingers dug into the tooth ruthlessly.


    Then, with the other hand, Talon channeled his Aetheris as he lifted his spear up. Then, with a cold grunt, he swung the spear down.


    *Swish*


    The sh created a massive injury on the surface of the monster''s mouth. Talon couldn''t see it clearly but he could feel the blood gushing out of the injury. So, without wasting any more time, he swung the spear again and again and again.


    He used every ounce of strength left in his body as he threw the spear continuously like a freak. In a matter of seconds, he turned the Kraken''s mouth into a bloody mess fo flesh that looked like shredded meat.


    Meanwhile, outside, the monster growled loudly as it started moving a little frantically. The stinging intense pain from the attacks was making it lose its mind. So much so that it started throwing its tentacles around randomly.


    ''It''s working!'' Talon could feel the shaking intensify with each attack so he pushed himself to attack even more. ''My attacks are doing some damage to it even though my spear is under-leveledpared to the monster. But, I don''t know if this is going to be enough to kill it. It''s too big to kill with one attack. Not to mention the fact that I can barely move around as I am. your-chapter-source


    I need to somehow kill it from where I''m standing right now.''


    With the few options he had at that moment, he didn''t know if he could really do anything to the monster that would kill it. Well, at least no ''normal'' method could do that. But, there was one single thing that could do it. Talon already had an idea but he was trying so hard to dodge it and find a better one.


    ''I already promised I''m not gonna use that one¡­'' Frowning hard, the young man shook his head. ''I don''t have time to dilly dally, I need to make a decision right now or Hyun-Jae and I will drown to death!''


    Even if Talon had a better option, the time he had in his hand was far from enough to do anything possibly worth the effort.


    ''I don''t know if I''m going to kill myself here or not. But, my chances aren''t too bad.'' He thought to himself as he looked up, visualizing what he needed to do.


    Then, he stored his spear in his dimensional storage before taking a deep breath and releasing his arm. Immediately, Talon was sucked in again by the water current.


    Flying through the darkness with a few seconds of breath left in his body and a tattered body that had been sliced open multiple times, hepletely let go of all the resistance he had and rxed his muscles.


    [Ding!]


    [You have activated ''Azure me''.]


    In one of his hands, a vibrant blue me ignited, piercing the darkness with its light.


    [Ding!]


    [You have activated ''Tear Of Reality''.]


    On the other hand, a blue light surrounded the tips of Talon''s fingers. Then, with a stoic expression, Talon fused both of his hands together. The moment he did that, a very familiar ball of unstable energy formed in his hand on the first attempt.


    ''I didn''t think I would see this thing again this soon¡­'' He thought to himself as Talon looked up.


    Then, using his right arm, Talon threw the ball in the air.


    ''Go!!'' He yelled in his head as he immediately turned around and started swimming with the current as fast as he could.


    ''I need to move as far away as possible before it explo-''


    Before he could even finish the sentence in his head, Talon felt an overwhelming amount of energy explode everywhere at the same time. A bright white light took over his body as everything wentpletely silent.


    *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*


    In just a single moment, the entire world was seemingly turned into a pure nothingness. Everything started and ended at the same time.


    Talon couldn''t sense anything after that moment as his eyes werepletely whitened out. Staring around him in silence, he left his body to be carried wherever it was intended to go. For some reason, all the coldness, pain, and difort he felt so far vanished.


    [Ding!]


    [You have killed level 36 Lemedian Kraken. +15 Strength, +15 Aetheris.]


    [Ding!]


    [You have gained a new ss!]


    [Ding!]


    [You have gained a new skill!]


    Even in that world, the notifications did reach him, and yet, Talon''s mind was simply too disconnected to understand what they meant.


    ''What happened? Why is the entire world white? Is this the effect of that fusion skill? What was its name again? Oh, right, I didn''t give it a name yet. Maybe I should think of a name since I''m using it more often than I thought¡­ Wait, is it even considered a skill if it''s a mix of two skills?


    Ugh, what am I even thinking of? My brain feels too light¡­'' As he dazedly stared into the nothingness, weird questions kept popping in his head and he didn''t know why.


    All he could do was just follow that odd sensation wherever it was carrying him. He waspletely unaware of the fact that¡­ At that very moment, Talon was the closest he had ever been to death.


    ***


    In the outside world, the explosionpletely destroyed everything in its way, creating a gigantic crater in the middle of the river that pushed all the water away.


    The survivors at the shore watched as a giant wave of water formed in the far distance as it moved toward them at an rming speed.


    "What the heck is happening?!"


    "Holy shit! That''s a tsunami!"


    Chin-Hwa stepped forward as he stared into the distance with a huge frown. "We need to move now! That wave is only going to grow bigger!"


    Cursing under his breath, he turned around and yelled. "Everyone, move as far away from the bridge as possible!"


    The students didn''t waste a single moment as they quickly scattered away as fast as they could. Luckily, the wave was still far away so they had some time to escape.


    Except for Chin-Hwa who stared into the distance with an extremely worried look on his face.


    ''President! Please be ok!'' He thought to himself as he quickly got rid of his shirt and jumped into the water to swim toward the boat before it could getpletely engulfed by the giant wave.


    ***


    At the same time, in the sight of the explosion, the crater of water expanded to a few dozen meters wide before it slowly started filling in again. Hyun-Jae found herself being thrown back from the sheer impact.


    Using all her strength, she was able to stop at thest moment as she stared into the distance with a terrified look on her face. She didn''t understand what happened at first. But, when she saw the result of the explosion, she realized what it was.


    The giant Kraken, the one that was at least a few football fields in length, was nowhere to be seen. Whatever was left of it were some tentacles that slowly drowned to the bottom of the river.


    ''Talon¡­'' That''s when the girl remembered what happened a while ago. That giant crater she saw after Talon defeated the stampede of monsters. It was awfully simr to that and it only made her feel even more terrified.


    ''Talon!''


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 167: Chapter 167- Not Even The Gods Can Take Him From Me

    Hyun-Jae couldn''t see what exactly happened before it was all over so she didn''t know exactly what Talon did to create such an explosion. However, what she was certain of was that doing something like this was beyond reckless and quite life-threatening.


    ''Where is he?! Where is he?!'' Swimming toward the heart of the explosion, she looked around frantically as she fought the raging water currents with all her power. The sheer force of the water as it slowly flooded the crater was massive.


    A normal human would''ve already been crushed by the sheer force and turned into a bloody paste. But, luckily, her body was strong enough to resist the pressure and remain fairly functional.


    ''Talon!'' Her eyes scanned every inch of the area, searching for Talon. The more she searched, the more she grew anxious that he had been caught in that explosion and¡­ And¡­


    Her mind refused to even think of that word and instead quickly pushed all of those negative thoughts away. Instead, she put her entire focus on finding him. But, the darkness of the environment didn''t help at all.


    ''Lightning!'' Using the remaining Aetheris in her body, she created a giant lightning ball before she threw it in a particr direction.


    The ball flew ahead, creating a tangible source of light and a path for Hyun-Jae to move in. So, she quickly swam after it, letting it guide her way while she looked around for clues.


    Time was key as she didn''t know if Talon was even conscious or not. If he wasn''t, then it would be a disaster to leave him underwater for even a few seconds since he wasn''t even able to hold his breath and water would quickly invade his lungs.


    Moments passed in eerie silence as Hyun-Jae swam and explored the area.


    ''He has to be somewhere here! He couldn''t have gone that far away from the explosion! If he was caught in it, then most likely, he should be at the bottom of the river right now!''


    All of her ideas were simple assumptions that had no actual proof behind them. But, in such a situation where she had no time to even contemte where he was, anything she coulde up with was better than nothing.


    So, she quickly created another lightning ball and threw it to the bottom of the river. Then, she watched as the shiny energy ball illuminated the area. Her eyes calmly looked around until¡­ She saw it.


    A dark silhouette lying on the river floor, motionless.


    ''Talon!!'' Without even a moment to think, she dashed toward him as fast as she could. The young man was there, and that alone made her heart race from excitement and fear.


    When she reached him, she picked him up before she pulled her mask and gave it to him. However, at that moment, her face turned extremely pale. A realization that filled her heart with terror came down like a bombshell.


    ''He isn''t breathing! Oh, no no no¡­'' Pulling her mask back she quickly picked the young man up and started swimming to the top as fast as she could.


    ''I need to fucking hurry!'' Clenching her teeth, she reached the surface in a few seconds.


    "Buah!! Hah¡­ Hah¡­ Where is the boat?! Where is the goddamn boat?!" Pulling Talon close to her. "Don''t worry, you will be fine, Talon. Just give me a few seconds!"


    "President!!"


    At that moment, she heard someone calling for her and she saw a boat approaching them at top speed.


    When it reached them, Chin-Hwa popped out of the control room as he approached the edge. "Here, hold my hand!" He said as he extended his arm to Hyun-Jae.


    "Take Talon first!" She eximed as she pulled the young man up with all her strength.


    "Huh? What''s wrong with him?" The cold prince frowned as he pulled Talon up and put him on the deck.


    "He isn''t breathing! Talon isn''t breathing!" Jumping up on the boat, Hyun-Jae threw the mask away carelessly as she sat next to him and quickly put her fingers near his neck. That''s when the second horrifying realization hit her.


    "No pulse either¡­" Her face paledpletely. But, instead of panicking, she shook her head and put her hands on Talon''s chest as she started doing CPR.


    "Is there any resuscitation equipment on this boat?!" She asked as she moved her arms as delicately as she could.


    "I will look¡­" Chin-Hwa ran inside the cockpit again.


    "Come on, Talon, this is nothing¡­ You can''t do this to me!" Hyun-Jae murmured in terror as she continued doing chestpressions.


    Then, she lifted Talon''s chin and put her lips on his without a single moment of hesitation. She didn''t care if she was doing something she had never done to a man before¡­ This was not any random person to her.


    Exhaling all the air into his mouth, Talon''s chest rose up a little before it went down. But, there was no pulse.


    So, she continued chestpressions with even more vigor. At that moment, Hyun-Jae couldn''t think of anything apart from making the young man in front of her wake up again.


    "I won''t let you die! I won''t allow you to die!" Tears welled up in her eyes. "I put it an oath on myself! To help you, however, I can! Our journey is far from over, Talon! We still need to take over Seoul!


    We still need to find your family! You can''t let this be the end, please!" She called for him desperately and yet no voice replied.


    "I couldn''t find any resuscitation tools on the boat, president!" Chin-Hwa came back in a hurry.


    But, Hyun-Jae didn''t reply as she quickly made mouth-to-mouth CPR again. She knew that with each passing moment of Talon not waking up, her chances were decreasing.


    But, it seemed normal CPR wasn''t enough. She needed to do something different. She needed to make his heart work again, whether it was by CPR or by pure force.


    At that moment, an idea popped into Hyun-Jae''s head. An idea that sounded so outrageous at first but slowly made itself more prominent the more time passed.


    ''I have no other choice!''


    So, she lifted her hand up, channeling her Aetheris, lightning umted in her hand before she put it on Talon''s chest.


    Then, she closed her eyes as she controlled the lightning in her hand. The bolts coursed through her arm to Talon''s body as they umted around his heart.


    At that moment, his body suddenly jolted as if he had been hit with electricity before it returned to normal.


    ''Again¡­''


    Hyun-Jae repeated the same thing again when she noticed some results. Then, she did it multiple times after that, each time, she would focus her entire mind on guiding that lightning through Talon''s body and restart his heart.


    The attempts were hard, and extremely exhausting mentally and physically. But, she didn''t give up or even think of giving up.


    But, there was only so much someone could do in a situation like this¡­


    Even with time passing, there were no signs of Talon waking up.


    "President¡­" Chin-Hwa stared at Hyun-Jae''s face with a broken look. He could see the insane despair in her eyes at that moment.


    He had never seen Hyun-Jae in such a state before. Or, perhaps, only once did he see her like that, and yet it was a very long time ago.


    He couldn''t bear seeing her like that and yet he also didn''t know what he was supposed to do.


    After multiple tries, Hyun-Jae exhausted all her Aetheris as she almost fell back from exhaustion.


    "This¡­ can''t be¡­" Murmuring in a quiet tone, she stared at Talon. Tears were still rolling down her face.


    "Please¡­ It''s enough, president¡­ He isn''t¡­ waking up¡­" Chin-Hwa said as he tilted his head, feeling as awful as he could be.


    "Shut up¡­" Putting her hand on Talon''s chest, she clenched it in frustration as she looked down in anger mixed with sorrow. "Shut the hell up! He isn''t going to die here! He isn''t like everyone else! He is destined to be great! This makes no sense!"


    "President¡­" The cold prince waspletely speechless.


    "He isn''t like everyone else!! If there are any gods in this world, you are making a grave mistake by taking him away¡­ From me!!" She cursed loudly. "If he doesn''t wake up, I won''t forgive you for it!"


    As she yelled those words, a feeling of hatred and darkness started creeping into her heart. Hyun-Jae felt herself falling into a deep darkness that she had never been to. A darkness that threatened to swallow all of her, leaving behind nothing but an empty shell of her past self.


    ''I won''t let you take him from me! Nobody can take him from me! Not even the gods!'' She thought to herself.


    But, at that moment, at her lowest point, she suddenly felt something. Opening her eyes, she saw Talon''s mouth move slightly as if he was trying to suck in some breath. Her pupils dted.


    "Talon?!"


    "*Cough* *Cough*" The young man started coughing violently as he frowned hard. Then, he started throwing up all the water umted in his body.


    Hyun-Jae shook herself out of her daze as she quickly tilted him to the side with her shaky hands. NovelBin-only


    After coughing for a while, Talon''s eyes slowly started opening.


    "He is waking up! He is waking up! Chin-Hwa!!" Hyun-Jae''s dark expression quickly lit up in extreme happiness. She didn''t know what to do or say at that moment from pure delight. Her hands were shaking and her heart was threatening to burst.


    "Ugh¡­ My head¡­" Talon groaned lightly as he took in all the light of day that assaulted his retina. "What a weird¡­ dream¡­ again¡­"


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 168: Chapter 168- Deep Feelings And Another Dream

    Feeling the loud throbbing in his head, Talon scrunched his face as he slowly rose up from the ground. He felt a very ufortable sensation as if he had been woken up in the middle of the night when he was sick.


    But, he swallowed all of that pain and focused on the two people sitting next to him. It didn''t take him long to recognize their faces.


    "You two¡­ Was I out for too long?" He asked confusedly as he rubbed his temples.


    However, surprisingly, he didn''t get a quick answer as he expected. Instead, the two kept staring at him silently.


    "Hm? What''s wr-"


    Before he could even ask a second time, he felt two soft things touch his face as he was thrown back. His eyes opened wide for a moment as he felt thefortable sensation of his face being squeezed tightly.


    Hyun-Jae wrapped her arms around Talon''s head as she hugged him with all her force. Her body was still shaking and her heart was still beating so loudly as if it wanted to exit her body. Nothingpared to the happiness she felt at that moment. Not even all of her achievements across her entire lifebined can bepared to it.


    ''He''s alive¡­ He''s alive¡­ He woke up!'' Her mind frantically tried to calm down butpletely failed at doing so. Instead, her tears continued going down endlessly. She cried silently as she hugged Talon. Her feelings came out like a broken dam with no limit. It didn''t matter to her that she was even doing something she would be embarrassed to do.


    Every cell in her body wanted to hug the young man in front of her at that moment and never let go.


    Thetter didn''t react at first but then slowly rose up as he gently caressed her back to reassure her.


    ''From her reaction¡­ I guess I wasn''t out of it, after all.'' He thought to himself.


    "Your heart stopped for a while," Acrypha said as she floated around Talon. Her expression was rather stoic. "You were very close to death."


    "Oh¡­" Talon raised an eyebrow. But, other than that, he didn''t react strongly to her words. "Is that so?"


    "She tried to resuscitate you but it didn''t work at first¡­" She added.


    Talon: "..."


    The young man listened quietly as Acrypha told him everything that happened when he was not conscious. However, even then, he didn''t show much of a reaction and continued gently rubbing Hyun-Jae''s back to calm her down.


    Eventually, the girl calmed down considerably as she pulled herself a little away from Talon. Her eyes were very red from crying and she still looked like a mess. She had multiple injuries on her body but she didn''t really care much about them.


    Talon stared at her eyes from up close for a moment before he closed it. "I''m sorry¡­" He said in a low tone.


    Hyun-Jae didn''t reply to his words at first as she sighed and gently rested her forehead against his. "I have a strong urge to punch you in the face right now. But¡­ My urge to just hug you is stronger."


    Talon blinked in confusion before he smiled wryly. "Thanks for saving my life¡­ again."


    Still with her forehead against his, Hyun-Jae shook her head. "We''re a team, aren''t we?" Lifting her fist.


    "Haha, yeah, we''re a team and we will always be a team." Then, he fist-bumped her lightly.


    After that, Hyun-Jae helped Talon stand up slowly.


    "Be careful, don''t move too quickly." She said with a worried look on her face as she wrapped her arms around his shoulder.


    "You really don''t have to do this. I''m fairly fi- Ouch!" Feeling her hand touch one of his numerous injuries, he squinted.


    "Yeah, say that when you don''t look like a block of Swiss cheese." She replied.


    "Ok, ok¡­" Talon rolled his eyes.


    "It''s good¡­ to see you back¡­" Chin-Hwa, who was eerily silent the entire time, spoke as he faced Talon. His eyes shed with aplicated glint.


    "... Good to see you too," Talon replied mysteriously as he squinted his eyes.


    ''Hmm, it''s really weird to see him act nice toward me. I feel morefortable if he just gives me the usual re.'' He thought to himself.


    With that, the boat finally turned around and moved back to the shores. Talon sat down on a chair to rest while Hyun-Jae sat awfully close to him as she stared at him silently. Thetter was munching on a small snack to recover some energy, but, with the two eyes poring at his face, he could only stop.


    "Uuuh, Hyun-Jae? Why are you looking at me?"


    "Don''t mind me." She replied quickly.


    "Even if you say so¡­"


    ''I guess she''s still in shock from what happened. I couldn''t actually believe that I was dead for over two minutes.'' Touching his chest, Talon closed his eyes for a second as he recalled what he was going through during those two minutes.


    ***


    *A few minutes ago*


    Inside Talon''s head, the world he was floating in continued dragging him closer and closer as it numbed his sensation. He didn''t know what time it was or how long he had been out of it and he frankly didn''t care.


    All he was thinking of at that moment were useless questions and borderline philosophical inquiries.


    That continued for a while, till out of nowhere, everything suddenly shifted again. The white world vanished and the scenery turned into something different. Looking around him widely, Talon found himself inside a rather familiar room.


    The beautiful scent of rose filled his nose and he could sense afortable mattress on his back.


    "I''m back here?" He murmured as he looked around him curiously. The room looked exactly the same as he left itst time. Even after weeks, it looked as if only a few hours passed there.


    Rubbing the back of his head, Talon slowly stood on his feet. "Ok, I don''t know why I was brought here again. But, I want to try and meet someone first."


    Last time, Talon pretended he was asleep to hide himself from whoever entered his room. At the time, he was wary of this ce. But, now, he wanted to see what was this ce all about. read-this-on-NovelBin


    "If I can gather information about it. Acrypha might know what it is."


    The moment he uttered those words, the door suddenly knocked.


    "Young master? I''m back. Can I enter?"


    Hearing the same familiar respectful voice, Talon thought for a moment before he coughed.


    "Ehem, you can¡­ You may enter."


    ''You may enter, my ass. I sound like a fantasy character.'' He scrunched his face unpleasantly.


    The door then slowly opened as a man walked inside. He was rather tall, with a lean yet muscr build and very old facial features. He carried himself very respectfully with his hands behind his back in a straight posture.


    "Oh, you are already awake? Perfect! Good morning, or perhaps, good evening, Young Master." He said in a calm tone as he bowed.


    "Uh, good evening to you too, I guess," Talon replied with whatever conspicuous responses he coulde up with.


    "I''m really d you''re awake. Your father and mother have been really worried after¡­ what happened. But, I can definitely see that your spirit is back. I''m truly d to see that."


    Talon: "..."


    ''Yeah, he definitely talks too much. I can''t keep up with him so I''m going to remain silent.''


    "Well, in any case, since you are awake now, it''s time to get your ratherte morning routine started." Saying that the man pped his hands.


    Then, almost the next moment, a big group of maids rushed inside the room. With a rough calction, Talon counted 15 of them and it took him by surprise.


    The maids stopped in front of the butler in an organized order as if they had already trained for such maneuvers before.


    "Take care of him, please."


    "Yes, sir!" The maids replied before they approached the bbergasted young man. "Please, from here, Young Master."


    "Huh? Oh, ok¡­" Talon replied in a daze as he was led outside the room surrounded by the maids. With a closer look at them, they were all extremely gorgeous women who would''ve been considered world-ss models back in his world.


    ''Why is everyone in this ce so aesthetically pleasing?'' He wondered to himself. But, he would be lying if he said that he hated the feeling of being surrounded by so many beauties.


    No man would''ve hated that and Talon was certainly not an exception to that rule.


    The young man was then led to a room that was next to his. Since he only had a few seconds to look around him, he took in all the details he could of the giant corridor.


    It was all carved out of high-quality shiny marble with a red carpet that ran across the entire hallway. Beautiful paintings and expensive-looking statues were organized on both sides of the corridor in a beautiful manner.


    It looked exactly like a castle from the ancient times. Then, Talon''s eyes fell on the windows that were clearly open, casting a beautiful yellow light of what he assumed to be the sun. However, it didn''t take him long to realize something.


    ''Wait¡­ That angle¡­ It doesn''t make any sense. The butler said that it''s the evening¡­ Then why does it look like it''s still morning?'' He asked himself with a raised eyebrow.


    He couldn''t figure out what was off with the sunrays and he didn''t have time to contemte it either as he found himself inside another room¡­ A gigantic bathroom to be exact.


    "Get his clothes off. Please, excuse us, Young Master."


    "Huh? Hold on a second!"


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 169: Chapter 169- Maids Bath And Confusion

    Talon quickly retreated when he realized that the women were about to get him undressed. He never expected such a sudden development and he didn''t even know how to react to it.


    "Hm? How are we supposed to clean you, Young Master?" One of the maids asked confusedly while the others looked at each other as if they didn''t understand what was going on.


    "You don''t have to clean me up. I can do it myself." He replied.


    Then, the entire bathroom turnedpletely silent to the point where a needle could be heard dropping on the ground. The sudden shift in the atmosphere shocked the young man.


    "Excuse us, Young Master¡­ Are you ok?" Another maid asked with a frown. "Should we measure your temperature? Are you feeling any difort at the moment? Perhaps you''re still feeling under the weather?" Approaching him, she pressed her chest against his as she touched his forehead.


    "Huh? No, I''m totally fine. I''m just saying that I can do it myself."


    "Oh¡­"


    Shocked sounds left the maids'' mouths as they stared at Talon as if he were some kind of alien.


    ''Why are they shocked by this? Is it umon for someone to take a shower on their own here?'' Talon raised an eyebrow.


    "Mmm, Young Master. You''ve never asked us not to help you shower. What happened all of a sudden?"


    ''... What the fuck? Is this ok? What kind of dude did I possess?''


    "It''s our job to serve you, Young Master. Please let us help you shower."


    ''This is insanity¡­ But, if I don''t act normal, they would seriously start suspecting me.''


    At that moment, Talon found himself in a dilemma. On the one hand, he didn''t feelfortable being washed by 15 beautiful maids. But, on the other hand, the body they''re washing is technically not his even if he was in it at that moment.


    He also wanted to know more about the world he was in. Perhaps if he could make these maids tell him more about it while¡­ They washed him.


    "Sigh, ok, you can wash me. But, I''m keeping my underwear on."


    "Oh¡­ Perhaps, is Young Master feeling shy?" One of the maids asked as she put her hand on her mouth.


    "Oh my, the Young Master is feeling embarrassed? How cute!"


    "I never expected to see such a side of the Young Master! We need to capture this moment!"


    "I agree!"


    "Don''t worry, Young Master. You''re really gorgeous, washing you is an honor to us!"


    Excited cheers echoed amongst the women as they stared at Talon with shiny eyes.


    ''These maids¡­ Sigh, I''m starting to regret this.''


    With that, the maids then started undressing Talon. Their hands ran through his body as they gently and carefully got rid of his clothes. The feeling of this many women touching him waspletely new to Talon.


    ''Oh man, I''m d Acrypha couldn''t see this or she would''ve killed me¡­'' Crying in his head as he imagined her cold eyes staring at him condescendingly.


    When he waspletely undressed except for his underwear, the women stopped as they stared at his body. Even though Talon couldn''t see his bodypletely, he could very much notice how surprisingly muscr that body was.


    It was the most perfect body he had ever seen in his life. It was as if it was carved out of marble by the gods themselves.


    Even the maids, who have been showering him for a long time could only admire that beautiful sight for a good few seconds.


    Some of them didn''t even notice that they started drooling before they quickly wiped their mouths.


    "Ehem, so, uh¡­ Can we get this over with?" Talon coughed, snapping them out of their daze.


    "Yes! Of course, please get in the bathtub, Young Master."


    Opening a path for him, Talon saw a gigantic bath on the other side of the room that was already filled with warm water. It had a soft chair inside of it for him to sit down and a table next to it filled with snacks and beverages.


    ''This is just too far¡­ I doubt even the royalties back on Earth would get such a treatment.''


    Walking inside the bath, Talon was made to sit down as the maids surrounded him quickly. They luckily didn''t get undressed as he did or he knew he would''ve been in a terrible situation. But, that didn''t mean that seeing them in wet clothes didn''t make him react.


    After all, Talon was still a healthy young man and he was surrounded by attractive women who were touching his body.


    "We shall start, Young Master."


    One of the maids spoke as she slowly started moving her hands around in an elegant manner. Talon watched curiously as suddenly, the water around him started moving. Then, it slowly started rising in the air like a snake before it slowly approached the young man and fell on him gently.


    ''Oh, a skill?'' Talon pursed his lips impressed as he enjoyed the pleasant warmth of the water. ''Though, I don''t know if that''s actually a skill or not since I can''t feel Aetheris with this body.''


    Then, another maid did the same thing as she shaped an invisible sphere with her hand. That created a ball of shampoo before she put it on Talon''s head.


    "What are these abilities?" Talon asked as he closed his eyes.


    "What do you mean? These are our spells. We learned them especially to serve you, Young Master." The maid replied.


    wee to mvle mp,y,r


    ''Huh? Spell? Not a skill?'' Talon frowned when he heard what she said.


    "Oh, spells?"


    "Yes, we wished we could''ve taught you how to use them but¡­" All of a sudden, the mood inside the room changed.


    "Oh¡­ I can''t learn them, right¡­" He replied in a fake sad tone.


    The maids immediately started panicking.


    "Please don''t feel down, Young Master. Learning magic isn''t necessary. You''re the son of the greatest magician to ever live, you don''t need to learn it. You''re already born to be great." One of the maids said.


    Meanwhile, Talon was capturing all the small details they were telling him and it was making him more and more confused.


    ''Magic, huh¡­ What kind of world is this? Don''t they know about skills and Aetheris? And I''m also the son of the strongest magician? This is confusing¡­''


    Even though his intentions were to learn more about this world. Everything he was hearing so far made no sense at all.


    As far as he knew, every single dimension was under the Core Dimension''s rule. So, every creature used the same system. Magic should technically not exist and yet it was.


    ''I can''t make up whether this is even real or not at this point.'' As the maids continued washing him, Talon was still deep in thought as he contemted their words.


    His thoughts were so chaotic he didn''t even care that he was being washed by a group of maids anymore. By the time they were done, Talon snapped back to reality.


    "Let us dress you, Young Master."


    "No, that is something I can do myself. No questions asked." He said in a calm tone as he stood up and walked out of the bath.


    The maids stared at his back withplicated looks on their faces.


    ''Young Master is still devastated by everything that happened. Oh god, bless his poor soul.''


    After that, Talon wore his clothes. They were rather simple shirts and a pair of pants but their high-quality fabric was reallyfortable. Then, the maids opened the door for him as he walked out.


    ''Well, I don''t know when I''m going to wake up from this dream. But, I will try to keep looking for more information. I have a feeling that this ce has far more going for it than what meets the eye. I didn''te here by coincidence and I''m going to know why.'' With a cold look on his face, he was led through the massive corridor.


    His eyes wandered to the windows again as he took a better look outside. The sun was still shining through as if it was early in the morning. Other than that, he could only see the blue sky and the clouds.


    ''What an interesting ce. It''s all a mystery at this point.''


    Even with how odd it was, Talon would be lying if he said that it wasn''t a pleasant ce to be in. It had such an ethereal atmosphere that he couldn''t quite grasp yet.


    ''Perhaps it''s the magical aura that''s giving me this odd feeling.''


    "Young Master, your father is waiting for you." The maids stepped forward as they opened two huge double doors before they lined up for him to walk inside.


    "My father, huh? Yeah, sure."


    ''I guess I''m going to meet this man quicker than I expected. If he''s the strongest then that means he''s a gold mine of information. If I can get him to talk, I will definitely know more about this world.''


    But, Talon knew that it wasn''t going to be an easy meeting. Even if this wasn''t real, he was going to meet perhaps a monstrous individual.


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 170: Chapter 170- The Strongest Magician

    Walking through the door, Talon found himself inside a gigantic room, stretching as far as the eye could see. In the heart of this giant structure was arge dining table with a white tablecloth on top of it. Many chairs were organized on both sides of the table in an elegant manner with one single chair at the head of the table.


    On that table sat a man, eating what seemed to be dinner. From this distance, Talon couldn''t see the man''s facial features well.


    ''My eyes aren''t as strong as normal.'' He thought to himself as he squinted his eyes. mvle|mp-yr chapter


    However, even then, that didn''t stop him from feeling the palpable change in the atmosphere around him. It was as if the moment he entered the room, he was hit with a strong cold gush of wind. His body shivered from the sensation and he stopped for a moment.


    ''Even though I can''t feel anything from that man. I can tell that he''s extremely strong.'' Scrunching his face, Talon clenched his fists tightly.


    "Sit down."


    At that moment, the man spoke two simple words in a clear and calm manner. However, the moment Talon heard those words, he instantly found his body walking toward the table on its own.


    ''What? When did I start moving?''


    Looking down at his legs that were walking quickly, he tried to stop for a moment. But, they refused to listen to hismon. It was as if his body wasn''t his anymore and was controlled by an external force.


    Eventually, he ended up sitting on the chair next to the man. Looking up with a small frown on his face, Talon remained silent. He didn''t know what kind of sorcery the man pulled off at that moment but it was far more terrifying than he expected.


    ''He controlled my actions with words. That is just like a soul contract. Except, I don''t have a contract with him, do I?''


    Talon wasn''t unfamiliar with controlling others using simple words. But, that didn''t mean that what this man just did was normal.


    Shaking those thoughts away, Talon examined the man''s facial features. The first thing he noticed was how good-looking he was. The man had rough yet extremely attractive facial features with a mysterious charm surrounding him the entire time.


    He had a scar that ran across his neck till it reached the side of his head. His hair was blonde with a mix of grey and his eyes were piercing red.


    ''He does look simr to this body. I guess he is really my father.''


    Staring at this man, Talon didn''t really feel anything particrly special with him. Even if he was this body''s biological father, Talon didn''t know the man personally.


    ''What a weird feeling¡­''


    "How are you feeling?" The man asked as he finally turned to look at Talon with his piercing gaze. His red eyes felt like they were poring holes through Talon and reading his mind.


    "... Ehem, I''m doing fine. A lot better than before." He replied.


    "Is that so?" The man murmured as he continued eating. "I expected you to request something from me the moment you woke up. But, I sense no urgency in your mind."


    "A request?"


    "To kill the young man who took the girl you had your eyes on. Isn''t that what you want?" Asking with a clear yet mysterious tone, the man''s eyes shed with a weird glint.


    Talon noticed that subtle change in his expression and knew immediately that this question wasn''t as simple as it sounded. It was a trap.


    ''If I remember correctly, the butler said that I had some kind of lovesicknessst time I was here. Is he perhaps talking about that?'' Thinking for a moment, Talon made the link between those two details and the answer appeared.


    ''Someone took this young man''s lover and he got sick because of it¡­''


    "Well, would that make here back to me?" Talon decided to test the waters before he gave an answer. He knew that saying anything from his own perspective could very much make this man suspicious.


    For a second, the man''s expression changed when he heard the question. But, he quickly returned to normal as if nothing happened.


    "A woman''s love isn''t taken, it''s earned. Whether you kill him or not, in the end, you can''t change how someone feels as you will. Only doing what is right can change what others think of them." The man replied.


    "Oh¡­ So, there is still a chance for me?"


    "Perhaps there is. Perhaps it''s all over. What matters now is that you focus on what''s important now."


    "And what''s that?"


    "To start your path in magic. That''s the only way you can truly shine in this world." The man replied with a calm tone.


    "But¡­ I cannot use magic, can I? How am I supposed to start learning it when I don''t even have aptitude for it?"


    "It shouldn''t be for long. In a few more days, we''re going to leave the castle to the Northern Ruins. I have heard that there is something there that might help you. Something that can cure Magic Inaptitude."


    Hearing that, Talon raised an eyebrow in curiosity. The sudden change in tone of the conversation made him almost fumble the act. But, he quickly recuperated and pretended as if he was surprised.


    "Wait, really? That is possible? I can finally use magic?" He pretended as if he was excited by the news.


    "Don''t rush it. I do not know yet. The Northern Ruins are apletely uncharted area. I have no control over that ce. Whether this thing really exists or not is up for fate. We are simply going there to see with our own eyes what it has."


    "Oh, but still, that is great news, father! Having some hope is better than nothing." He replied.


    ''Northern Ruins, huh? I finally have a name. Perhaps Acrypha would know this ce if I told her.'' Talon thought to himself as he hid a grin from appearing on his face.


    "Yes, that''s why I called you here today. Now, since we will be leaving on our own, only me and you. I want you to be ready, physically and mentally. You should go back to your sword training immediately."


    "Yes, I''m ready to do that!"


    "Then, what are you waiting for? Go."


    The moment he was ordered, Talon stood up and started walking out of the dining room. Meanwhile, the man watched him from behind with a calm expression. Nobody knew what was going through his head at that moment.


    Leaving the room, Talon found the maids and the butler waiting for him.


    "I want to return to practice."


    "Of course, I''m more than d to help." The butler smiled gently as he replied.


    With that, he led Talon through corridors. Thetter was humming to himself as he realized the gold mine of information he received from this dream. He also knew that this won''t be thest time he would be here so even if he did get kicked out at that moment, he was satisfied with the progress he made.


    At that very moment, while he was still walking, everything suddenly shifted in a split second. Talon frowned as he looked around. The white world came back and engulfed his body. However, this time, it didn''tst long as the moment he blinked, he found himself back in the real world, lying on the boat''s wooden floor.


    The entire change happened in less than three seconds.


    ***


    ''Damn, all of that really happened in a few minutes. Thest time I was there, I was unconscious for a week and yet merely a few hours passed there. Time is really chaotic from what I have seen so far.'' Rubbing his chin, Talon recalled the details of the event to himself.


    "Hey, Acrypha." Then, he looked up at the woman who was seemingly out of it the entire time.


    "I think I found some pretty interesting things during the few minutes I was dead." He said with a grin.


    Acrypha squinted her eyes for a moment before she replied. "It seems even when you''re dead, nothing can stop you from doing bizarre things."


    "Talon?"


    "Hm?"


    "We''re here. Can you walk? Here, put your hand around my shoulder." Hyun-Jae replied as she grabbed his arm.


    "You really don''t have to¡­"


    "Shush, you''re still notpletely out of trouble. We will have a long discussionter on what you just did." She said in a strict yet also caring tone.


    "Oh, man... I''m in deep trouble." The young man sighed as he was led to the surface.


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 171: Chapter 171- Future With You

    Reaching thend, they found themselves in front of a wrecked area that was swept away by the giant wave. The water moved across the ce and destroyed whatever was left of it that hadn''t vanished in the past few weeks.


    "What happened here?" Talon asked as he looked around him.


    "The explosion that just happened created a giant wave that moved straight toward the shores. I evacuated the survivors myself." Chin-Hwa replied as he stepped forward. "Is everyone still here?!"


    His cry caught the attention of the survivors as they slowly started popping out of their hiding spots. Since the wave wasn''t as dangerous as they assumed, no one was harmed. Especially since they were all now evolved humans, so their ability to resist a sweeping giant wave was way stronger than before.


    "It''s the leader!"


    "The leader came back!!"


    "Oh, thank god he''s fine!"


    Seeing Talon on the surface again, their faces lit up as they rushed toward him with happy looks on their faces.


    "Is everyone ok?" Seeing how delighted they were by his return, Talon could only smile warmly as he looked around him. The care these people were showing him filled his heart with an inexplicable feeling.


    In his entire life, Talon was never the target of respect and admiration of this many people so it was apletely new feeling to him. Even after weeks of being their leader, he still couldn''t get ustomed to being a revered figure amongst the group.


    For him, he was still the same person within. The same young man who lived his life in its entirety in mediocrity yet now had to be some kind of great figure who would lead a massive change in the world.


    ''I didn''t even seek any of this and yet I got it nheless. How ironic.'' Smiling wryly, he shook his head. ''No, that isn''t right. I have worked hard to reach this point so I''d like to believe that if it was someone else, they might''ve not achieved as much as I did.''


    If azy person was given this very same power, Talon knew that they would''ve never really done anything. A talent without hard work to back it up is just an empty shell with no substance in it.


    "We''re all fine. The wave didn''t reach too far into the city."


    "Good to hear that¡­" Talon nodded his head. "The river should be safe to cross now. But, just in case, let''s leave the rest of the baits overnight and see if they would get taken the next day." He instructed.


    "Yes, sir!"


    Immediately, the group went back to work gathering all their belongings. Meanwhile, Talon and Hyun-Jae sat down next to each other to rest.


    "That thing was really horrible to fight," Talon said.


    "Yeah, it was and I''m sure it could''ve gone worse had we been unfortunate," Hyun-Jae replied with a tired sigh.


    The two then remained silent for a while. Each one of them went into his own world, thinking about many things.


    "You know¡­" A whileter, the girl opened her mouth to speak. "I don''t know what kind of miracle brought you back¡­ But, I''m really d that it happened. If you died¡­ I really didn''t know what I could''ve done. It''s a weird thing to try and imagine."


    Her tone sounded a little fearful for some reason and it made Talon turn his head around to look at her. He could notice the subtle changes in her expression almost immediately.


    "And then, I realize that all of this is perhaps just the start. Stronger enemies are bound to appear in our way. Enemies that we might not be as fortunate against as we have been so far against most of the others. I don''t like to think about such a future, but, whenever I see you lying on the ground, not moving¡­ It alwayses back."


    ''And hate that more than anything else. I don''t want to imagine it and yet that''s what I can only see.'' Running her hand across her hair, Hyun-Jae bit her lip in frustration. She knew that this was all the result of her childhood trauma and she couldn''t change that, not now, not ever.


    She wanted to be optimistic, ambitious, and carefree, just like her dearpanion. But, it all came down to her own belief¡­ A belief that was rooted in her very soul.


    ''To every good oue, there is a small chance of a worse result¡­ A far worse result. If we think that a good oue might be the only thing that could happen, then the pain of a horrible fate bes ten times worse. Because we''re hopeful.''


    Talon didn''t know all of that about Hyun-Jae, but he didn''t have to know to get what she was feeling at that moment.


    With a calm expression, he turned around and stared at the sun that was descending on the other side with its orange hue coloring the entire world.


    "I also have such thoughts from time to time. It''s inevitable since we''re living in such a world." Talon spoke.


    "And how do you deal with that?"


    "I simply remember that if I do seed, I will have a future where everyone I care for is living in peace with me. That puts me at ease and lets me focus on what I can really do." He replied. "It''s really that simple for me."


    "..." Blinking silently, Hyun-Jae took everything he said in.


    Even though she couldn''t really understand how he could easily feel at ease when he knew that the journey had barely begun but she admired that about him. That confidence and belief that things would go fine as long as he worked hard enough.


    However, Talon didn''t stop there as he turned around with his entire body and pped his hand. "Come on, let me show you something. Close your eyes."


    "What?"


    "Just close your eyes, trust me."


    "... Ok¡­" Without understanding what he wanted to do, Hyun-Jae closed her eyes.


    "Now, I want you to take a few deep breaths. As deep as you can go. Just let your body rx." He instructed her carefully.


    The girl followed his words and did what he wanted. Her body started to slowly rx as she felt her mind clear a little bit. It was akin to meditation in a sense.


    "I want you to try and think of the thing that brings you the most joy in the world. It doesn''t have to be anything important, even if it''s a small candy you used to eat when you were a kid or a game you yed." He said.


    ''Though I don''t know if Hyun-Jae even took interest in such simple things with how extraordinary her background is.'' Talon smiled to himself.


    "The thing that brings me the most joy, huh¡­ I think I know what you''re talking about¡­" She replied with her still closed.


    "Good, just try to imagine that thing whatever it is. Savour that moment as much as you can and don''t let your head diverge to other thoughts. Let it be the only thing you think about."


    Slowly, Hyun-Jae''s expression started changing. Her frown rxedpletely and a serene expression took its ce. Her gorgeous brightened up visibly.


    ''A smile does fit her really well, doesn''t it?'' Talon nodded his head.


    Then, he left Hyun-Jae to live that moment in silence. He felt her unease vanishpletely. A few minutes passed before Hyun-Jae''s eyes opened again as she exhaled a small breath.


    "Did that make you feel better?" He asked.


    "It did. It made me feel a whole lot better. Thank you." She smiled slightly as she nodded her head.


    "I''m d to hear that. What I taught just now is a technique my dad told me about when I was young. He told me that whenever I feel unease, stress, and dark thoughts are threatening to take over my mind, I just need to stop for a moment and let my mind wander somewhere better. It works every single time." Talon grinned as he tapped Hyun-Jae''s shoulder.


    "He seems like a very clever man."


    "He is smart, for sure. But well, he does have his bizarre sides too. Probably from reading and writing fantasy books for a living."


    "Oh, he''s an author?" Hyun-Jae raised an eyebrow. "That''s amazing."


    see more mvle mp|y|r


    "Hahaha, I wonder about that. His books never seeded and it did get us in some financial problems here and there. But, he worked other jobs too aside from writing to keep the family secure. It''s also the reason why I have such an exotic name ''Talon''."


    "... Haha, your name is pretty nice, though. It has a nice ring to it." Hyun-Jae replied.


    "You think so? I''ve always stood out like a sore thumb because of it. But, as long as you like it, that''s good."


    Hyun-Jae flinched for a moment before she turned around. "Ehem, yes. I do like it."


    After that, the two went silent again for a while before Hyun-Jae finally stood up and dusted her clothes. "Well, I should probably go check the progress of the students before we go back."


    "Mm, I will rest for a minute or two and then I will follow you. I can move fairly easily." Talon replied.


    "Ok¡­"


    Then, as Hyun-Jae was about to move, Talon called for her.


    "Hey, Hyun-Jae."


    "Hm?"


    "What is the thing that you thought about? You know, the thing that brings you the most happiness."


    Even though Talon wasn''t intending to ask at first, his curiosity made him do it.


    However, Hyun-Jea surprisingly smiled as she shook her head before she put a finger on her lips. "It''s a secret~"


    With that, she walked away, leaving behind an even more confused Talon.


    "Now I''m even more curious, dammit."


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 172: Chapter 172- Heartbeat

    With that, the group finally collected all of their belongings that weren''t ruined by the wave. Then, they marched back to the warehouse.


    There, they were received by the healers who were notified to be ready. Talon was brought inside to get treated. Since his injuries weren''t that heavy, Iseul mainly checked his heart and brain condition since he waspletely unconscious for several minutes and that could lead to brain damage or even heart problems in the worst cases.


    However, what she found out when she checked him made herpletely shocked.


    "How is he, Iseul?" Hyun-Jae asked worriedly when she noticed the change in the girl''s expression.


    "He is¡­ Honestly, his condition is good¡­ Impressively good. If anything, your heart is working far better than thest time I checked it, leader." She said as she put down the stethoscope. "Your body is far more efficient than before." She said.


    "Oh, is that so?" Rising up, Talon buttoned up his shirt. "Well, I have gained a good amount of status points after killing that Kraken so I guess it does make sense."


    Stretching and closing his hands, Talon felt the palpable increase in his power. Even though it wasn''t as intense of a change as the ones before it, it was still great. "In any case, thank you for your help, as usual, Iseul," Talon said as he stood up.


    "No problem. Just rest and drink water and you should be fine."


    With that, Talon excused himself along with Hyun-Jae. "What are you going to do now?" He asked her as they walked away.


    "I need some rest, my bones are hurting," Hyun-Jae replied with a light sigh. "I think I twisted my back when I was hit by one of the tentacles. It should heal after a night of sleep."


    "Yeah, that''s a good idea," Talon replied. "Well, see youter then."


    With that, Talon finally reached his spot where he sat down with a very tired sigh. The pain from his injuries was still annoying him but he ignored it as he looked at Acrypha who had been silent the entire time.


    He did notice how odd she was acting but he didn''t ask her about it at first thinking that she was simply not in the mood. But, it dawned on him now that she was indeed acting bizarre at that moment.


    "What''s wrong, Acrypha?" He asked with a worried look on his face.


    Thetter looked down at him silently for a moment, her expression was stoic and emotionless but her eyes told a thousand tales.


    Then, she slowly descended toward Talon before she put her hand against his forehead for a moment.


    Talon watched her movements silently with a confused look on his face. He didn''t understand what she was trying to do but he didn''t stop her either way. A few seconds passed in silence before she pulled her hand away.


    Then, out of nowhere, blood started leaking out of her mouth.


    "*Cough*..." Then, she coughed a huge mouthful of blood as she fell to the ground.


    "Acrypha!!" Talon quickly caught her before she hit the ground. "What''s wrong?"


    "Hah¡­ Hah¡­ I''m fine¡­" She replied as her face turned noticeably paler.


    "You''re clearly not! What happened? Why did you cough out blood?" He asked as he moved strands of her hair away from her face. Seeing Acrypha in such a state almost made his heart stop.


    "It''s really¡­ Nothing¡­ Just some soul damage¡­" She said with a tired tone.


    "Soul damage? Where did you even get da¡­" At that moment, Talon''s mind stopped for a second as his eyes widened.


    He remembered what Acrypha said when they were still on the boat. It was a small detail that he ignored and yet had such a deep meaning behind it.


    ''She tried to resuscitate you but it didn''t work at first¡­'' He remembered how Acrypha told him that. He assumed that after Hyun-Jae failed a few times, it worked in the end. But, the fact that Acrypha didn''t finish the sentence meant one thing¡­ Hyun-Jae''s attempts didn''t work at all.


    ''Wait, so if it didn''t work then¡­'' Looking down at Acrypha.


    "You revived me?" He asked in a wavering tone.


    The woman smiled slightly as she nodded her head. "You got it way too fast. I didn''t really revive you, I simply finished what that human girl started. That''s why the soul damage wasn''t too brutal." She replied.


    "Isn''t too brutal? You''re literally coughing up blood! Are you really ok?" He asked as he touched her face carefully, his hand was subtly shaking from fear.


    "I¡­ will be fine¡­ I won''t die¡­"


    Looking up at the young man, Acrypha smiled softly. Even through the immense pain she was feeling at that moment, she still felt warmth in her heart seeing how worried Talon was.


    "Why¡­ You could''ve died¡­"


    "Is it better if I left you to die?"


    "..."


    "It''s not that big of a deal. I knew my limits and your little girlfriend did most of the work. I simply helped channel the lightning energy throughout your body."


    Talon opened and closed his mouth, unable to even say a word. The fact that Acrypha saved his life knowing that she would get immense pain from it and she didn''t even hesitate just struck him hard.


    Pursing his lips he bent his head down. "Thank you¡­ I.. I really don''t know what to say anymore¡­"


    "Shhh, it''s fine. Nothing happened, ok? I just need some rest and I will be fine." She replied as she slowly rose up and wiped her lips. "You have to sleep now."


    "How can I sleep when you''re in this state."


    "I will recover in a few days, don''t worry."


    For some reason, Acrypha was adamant about her being fine even though she had told him countless times before how dangerous soul damage is. He even felt it before when he burnt himself using the Azure me and that was an extremely painful feeling. So, he could only imagine how brutal it was for her when she did something as important as saving his life.


    "... Ok¡­" Sighing, Talonid down on the mattress before he looked at Hyun-Jae. "What are you going to do now?"


    "I want to meditate for a while. I need to stabilize my soul so that it can start healing."


    The young man nodded his head faintly as he turned around and wentpletely silent. Even with how much she tried to assure him, he could only feel this slight unease in his heart.


    ''Why do I feel like she''s hiding something from me?'' As he thought about it for a while, his eyes slowly started closing as he drifted to sleep. His tired body refused to let him stay awake any longer.


    Meanwhile, Acrypha watched him silently for a while before she shifted her gaze to look down. Her hand slowly lifted as she touched her chest.


    ''Dammit, I couldn''t hide it all the way without being too suspicious. It would''ve been better if he didn''t even know. Well, at least he won''t have to worry anymore, if he knew that my soul wouldn''t recover to how it was before, he would definitely me himself for it.'' She smiled wryly as she closed her eyes for a moment.


    For some reason, even when she had suffered such a grave injury, she only felt delight at that moment. Seeing the young man in front of her alive and well, filled her with happiness like nothing else.


    ''If I go back, I would do it again in a heartbeat. I know he wanted me to value my life more. But, he doesn''t understand that he is slowly bing one of the reasons I even find value in it. It''s really ironic. I changed a lot because of him.''


    With that, Acrypha put her hand down as she exhaled a small breath. Then, she wentpletely quiet as she started meditating. With that, the night came down and the moon rose up in the sky, quickly vanishing as it went over the giant gate.


    The darkness cast its terrifying shadows over the warehouse and the time slowly moved, ignoring the wishes of many for it to stop so that they could savor peace and chaos.


    ***


    Far away from there, on an empty highway that moved through the vast ins of South Korea, multiple giant cars were moving at fast speed in a particr direction.


    Inside one of the cars, a man was nervously driving as he kept looking to the side at a gorgeous woman. His face was as pale as a sheet of paper.


    "Are you really sure about this, Young Miss?"


    "About what?" The girl replied casually as she looked at the outside world through the window.


    "About leaving the base without telling your father¡­ We are really going to get in trouble if he knows." The man gulped a mouthful of saliva.


    "Well, are you going to tell him?"


    "O-Of course not."


    "Good then. The problem is solved." She said as she started tapping the closed window rhythmically with a bored look on her face. "Ugh, how long is this trip going to take?"


    "A few more hours, Young Miss. Seoul is too far away and most of the highways have been destroyed so we had to take a detour." The man replied.


    "Tsk, so annoying. I cannot wait anymore!" Clenching her fist, she pulled it back as if she was about to punch the window.


    "Please don''t, Young Miss!! You''re going to destroy the car!" The man panicked visibly when he saw that.


    "... Tsk, fine. I''m going to sleep." Closing her eyes, the girl didn''t speak anymore.


    ''It''s finally time, I can finally see him. I can finally meet him again. After so many years¡­ Would he remember me?''


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 173: Chapter 173- Odd Reunion (Part 1)

    The morning arrived early as Talon woke up from his deep sleep with a drowsy look on his face. His injuries made his sleep a little ufortable but he still felt a lot more refreshed after those few hours.


    His eyes slowly wandered to the side where he saw Acrypha still in the same position he left her yesterday. She seemedpletely fine and even her pale expression vanished. Talon didn''t know if that was a good thing or not but he still felt a little more relieved.


    ''I should probably leave her alone for now. I don''t want to break her focus.'' He thought to himself as he stood up and started stretching his body.


    After that, he went to get some breakfast and sat down to eat while he finally had the time to check the notifications he left from yesterday.


    "I received a new ss and a new skill." He raised an eyebrow as he read the content of the notifications. "Well, let''s see what we''ve got."


    [Ding!]


    [You have received a new ss ''Sea Hunter''.]


    [Sea Hunter: A predator onnd would be prey if thrown in the deepest parts of the ocean and yet some can be predators in both. This ss increases your overall strength by 5% in water environments.]


    "Pretty nice. A 5% boost is huge with how high my stats are now. I won''t have trouble fighting in the water." Talon nodded his head with a satisfied look on his face. "What about the skill?"


    [Ding!]


    [You have received a new skill ''Water Maniption''.]


    [Water Maniption (Level 1): Using this skill, you can control any body of water around you in a 5-meter radius. The distance and efficiency increases with each level. Requires Aetheris to activate.]


    "Oh? Water Maniption? This is my first ever maniption-type skill. I wonder if it''s strong or not though." He murmured to himself. "I should definitely try itter when I have some time. I''m sure I can find some use for it soon."


    After that, Talon finished eating before he went back to check on Acrypha out of worry. There, he found the woman still in her position, not moving at all.


    So, he decided to sit down and wait for a while. He didn''t want to go to work when Acrypha was still not awake yet. He knew he wouldn''t be able to focus if she wasn''t around him as usual.


    A few minutes passed in silence before he noticed a subtle movement from Acrypha. Her eyes fluttered as she slowly opened them. Looking around her for a moment, her eyes fell on Talon.


    "Good morning." She said.


    "Good morning."


    "Did you sleep well?" The woman asked casually as she started floating again.


    "Not bad. What about you? How are you feeling right now? Does it still hurt?"


    "Haha, you really sound like a worried mother right now." Sheughed with an amused look on her face.


    "Hey, I''m really worried. Are you really fine?"


    "I am fine. You don''t have to worry. Don''t underestimate how strong I am."


    "Sigh, ok. If you say so¡­" Shaking his head, Talon was about to stand up again when Acrypha stopped him.


    "So, what did you want to tell me since yesterday? I almost forgot about it."


    "Oh, right. It''s really important so I will tell you all the details I can remember, ok?"


    Acrypha naturally tensed a little when she saw the shift in Talon''s expressions. Then, the young man proceeded to tell her everything he went through in that dream in great detail. He didn''t leave behind anything except for the part where he was showered by a group of beautiful maids for obvious reasons.


    By the time he was done, Acrypha was already frowning hard.


    "That''s pretty much it. I can''t remember any other detail."


    The woman took a few seconds to think as she rubbed her chin. Then, she looked up. "From your description of the ce, that sounds awfully familiar¡­"


    "Oh? So you know where I was?" Talon bent forward curiously.


    "Yes, the Northern Ruin isn''t a new name. That''s one of the most notorious areas of the Core Dimension."


    "The core dimension?"


    "I don''t know about the magic and spells, though. I have never heard of those words before. That''s the detail that''s confusing me."


    "Wait, wait, Acrypha. Hold on a second, you wanna tell me I was in the Core Dimension the entire time?" Talon blinked.


    "Yeah, most likely."


    "... Damn, to think I went there of all ces, this is shocking. Now that I know, it does make sense. I''ve felt such an ethereal atmosphere there that I couldn''t describe."


    "That''s what everyone feels the first time they go there. It''s a magical ce." Acrypha replied with a smile on her face. .


    "But¡­ Why did I go there twice? I don''t get it. I have no connection to that ce, do I?"


    Not only that, but Talon would end up in the body of a handsome young man, who is the son of the strongest magician. He didn''t understand what link he had to that individual.


    "What I''m thinking is that it could be a vision."


    "A vision?"


    "It''s not rare for individuals to receive visions. There are even people whose entire strength is to see beyond the future or the past. They''re called Diviners." Acrypha thought for a moment as she replied.


    "Hmm, that could be the case for sure." Talon thought to himself as he ran his hand through his hair.


    "As for the man you''ve met. I don''t really know if he''s real or not. My best guess is that he isn''t real. The strongest magician to ever exist sounds like someone who would be put in historical records. I have read every single thing about the Core Dimension''s history and I have nevere across anything like that."


    "But, when I met him, he felt so real. Like, I could sense his presence and strength. He gave me the same vibe as you did... Like a divine being."


    "The entire history of the Core Dimension already exists. There are no loopholes in it, not that I know of at least. The chances that he existed are highly unlikely."


    "Ugh, so confusing. I hate mystery." Talon cursed as he shook his head. He felt his head hurting from all the thinking.


    "There is no point in thinking about it now. You should just leave it in the back of your head. Perhaps if you go there another time, you might get to know more information."


    "Yeah¡­ You''re right¡­"


    As Talon was contemting her words, Acrypha''s expression subtly changed for a moment. ''The Northern Ruins¡­ It''s the same ce where my people are hiding. I wonder if that''s just a coincidence or if is there a meaning behind it. And the fact that this man mentioned an item of some kind... What does that mean?''


    Even when she couldn''t wrap her head around the entire thing, Acrypha felt like it was too detailed of a dream to be a simple vision. But then again, what she heard made no sense at all. Unless the Core Dimension hid something from her that no history book preserved.


    As they were like that, Talon heard footsteps rushing toward him. Looking to the side, he saw one of the students approaching him. He was a member of the scouting team.


    "Leader!"


    "What''s up?"


    "Hah¡­ Hah¡­ I saw a few vehicles riding through the streets of Seoul."


    "Vehicles?"


    "Yes! Armored vehicles!"


    Talon frowned as he stood up. "Where are they heading?"


    "I-I don''t know. But, they seem like they''re searching for something."


    Exchanging one nce with Acrypha, Talon turned around.


    "Show me."


    The student immediately turned around and started moving with Talon in tow.


    ''Another group of humans. I wonder if these ones are also going to be enemies.'' He thought to himself.


    "Talon!"


    On the way, the two met Hyun-Jae who just received the news. She was also on her way to check what happened.


    "Tell everyone to get ready just in case. Who knows what these people could be looking for."


    "I already did. They''re prepared for any possible ambush." Hyun-Jae replied.


    With that, the two left the warehouse as they moved through the empty streets of Seoul. A few minutester, Talon''s ears caught the sound of engines in the distance. Looking up, he easily located where the noises wereing from.


    ''They''re heading straight toward us.'' He squinted his eyes sharply.


    "Hyun-Jae, take that building over there and stay hidden. As for you, go back and join the others. I think we can handle this." Talon said.


    "What about you?" Hyun-Jae asked.


    "I''m going to face them. If they''re enemies, we can ambush them. But, if they''re here with good intentions, we can be more civilized and have a talk. They could be helpful."


    "Sounds like a n to me." Pulling her sword out, Hyun-Jae vanished from sight in the blink of an eye.


    As for Talon, he stood in his ce as he looked at the other end of the street. The noises grew louder and louder as they got closer. Eventually, the vehicles appeared in the distance.


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 174: Chapter 174- Odd Reunion (Part 2)

    The cars were moving at such an immense speed that they left huge skid marks on the street. Their appearance was intimidating and would''ve made any normal person turn around and run away.


    However, Talon stood his ground as he stared at the vehicles with a sharp re. He didn''t really feel anything from them and he certainly wasn''t terrified. He saw far more terrifying things than a bunch of armored cars.


    As the distance closed between them, the vehicles seemed to have noticed him and quickly pushed the brakes as they all halted at the same time, barely a dozen meters away from him.


    Then, the entire ce wentpletely silent. Talon stared into the windows of the vehicles trying to see who was inside. But, since they were shaded windows, he couldn''t see who was inside clearly.


    Seconds passed with no movement on their side and it made Talon even more suspicious.


    "Get out of the cars, I''m not here to fight. Let''s talk." He finally spoke with a clear and cold tone. "You have 10 seconds. If you don''te out in that period of time. I''m going to consider that a threat and I''m going to eliminate you all."


    With that, Talon pulled his spear out of his storage and he slowly drew it in front of the cars as a clear sign that he wasn''t joking or messing around.


    Almost two secondster, one of the doors of one of the vehicles opened as someone stepped down from the car. Talon saw a glimpse of their feet and he could notice that it was a woman.


    Then, the door was closed, revealing the woman''s full appearance. She had very distinct blonde hair that almost seemed like it was shining, her eyes were a beautiful dark grey that carried endless confidence. Even without looking at her, Talon could feel her aura with ease.


    She was one of the most gorgeous women he had ever seen, up there with Hyun-Jae even with how drastically different their vibes were.


    But, all of those thoughts vanished the next instant as his eyes widened. His body froze for a second as he immediately recognized that face. And how could he not? It was far too unique to be something he could forget, even after years of not seeing it.


    As he looked at her silently, the girl moved toward him in careful steps. Eventually, she ended up barely a few inches away from him.


    "Sophie¡­ Is that you?" Shaking his head, he asked her in disbelief.


    The moment he uttered her name, he noticed how her body flinched for a moment before she looked up with a wide smile, her beautiful eyes glistening with tears.


    "You recognized me?"


    "... A few years doesn''t change a person that much," Talon replied.


    "I thought I changed too much. But, you know me too well. You also changed a lot yourself¡­ You look a lot more handsome than before¡­ Did you change your skincare routine?" She asked as she gave him a closer look.


    "Hahaha, what the hell is that? I never use that stuff. You know me." He replied with a chuckle.


    "Pfft, the only time you did, I ended up making your face glistening like a mirror." She chuckled as she wiped her eyes.


    As the twoughed like that, Sophie then looked up as she smiled brightly. "I missed you, Talon!"


    Then, she jumped on him as she wrapped her arms around his neck tightly. "I really missed you!"


    Thetter was surprised for a moment before he smiled slightly and gave her a friendly hug. A few secondster, he pulled her away, only to realize that another person had approached them.


    Hyun-Jae came down from the building the moment she noticed how odd Talon was acting. Then, she saw how the girl hugged him and her aura immediately dropped a few degrees in temperature.


    "Oh, Hyun-Jae."


    "Who is she?" She asked as she gave the girl a side nce.


    "This is Sophie¡­ Uuuh, an old acquaintance of mine." He replied.


    "What? Since when did I be an ''Old Acquaintance''? Well, ehem, hello, I''m Sophie Jones. Me and Talon dated for a while back in high school." She smiled.


    Hearing thest part, Hyun-Jae''s eyes turned even colder. "Dated, huh?"


    "Yes."


    "Uuuh, yeah, I guess." Talon shrugged.


    "Your name is Sophie Jones? I think I do recognize you. You''re that actress, aren''t you?" Hyun-Jae squinted her eyes.


    "Yes! That''s me! I do also recognize you. You''re Miss Ran Hyun-Jae! I''m a huge fan!!" Approaching Hyun-Jae, Sophie shook her hand with a beautiful smile on her face. However, the moment their hands connected, Sophie''s grip on Hyun-Jae''s hand tightened greatly.


    Thetter squinted her eyes for a second before she also gripped it hard, far harder than Sophie. Thetter flinched visibly from the sudden pain as she tried to hide her reaction as much as she could.


    "Thank you. I didn''t watch much of your work, but I did hear your name often. I didn''t know you dated Talon before."


    Saying those words, Hyun-Jae stared daggers at Talon for a moment. Her eyes were screaming ''You didn''t tell me about this!''


    Thetter coughed as he turned away. "Well, I''m now officially screwed." He murmured.


    "In any case, what are you doing here, Sophie? I thought you left South Korea years ago. What brought you back?"


    "Hehehe, I was coincidentally back here for work. But, with what happened, I couldn''t really leave again so I stayed. Well, I probably won''t be leaving any time soon either." She shrugged.


    "Oh, makes sense," Talon replied. "Well, where did youe from? Is there another base in Seoul?" He asked.


    "No, I was in Gwangju. My family is there too."


    Talon and Hyun-Jae frowned when they heard the name ''Gwangju''. Their eyes connected for a moment as they understood what the other was thinking of.


    "Oh, Gwangju? You mean that the base that built by the government? I heard of it." Talon asked.


    "Yes, that one. My dad was a part of the n to build that base so we''re livingfortably there. Well, for the most part. I like to go out and hunt down monsters to get stronger." .


    ''Mainly to go and search for you, but that''s not something you need to know yet.'' Sophie thought to herself with a hidden smile.


    "I see¡­"


    ''So, she''s a part of that base. Hmm, should I even trust her? The fact that she came all the way here isn''t a coincidence. Was she sent to gather intel on us? That could definitely be the case. I need to be careful with how I deal with her.''


    Even when the two of them shared a very intimate past, Talon didn''t care at all. If Sophie turned to be an enemy then he was going to treat her like an enemy. The past is in the past.


    "Well, ignore all of that, we can talk about this boring stuffter. I really miss you, Talon! I want to hear about the past few years. Do you want to take a stroll in my car?"


    "No. I would prefer if we talk here. Don''t worry, we cleared this entire part of monsters so it''s pretty safe."


    ''Leading them back to the base would be a really dumb idea.''


    "Oh¡­" Sophie''s face wentpletely nk for a moment. She could easily notice the subtle hostility between them that manifested out of nowhere.


    ''Huh? Why is Talon looking at me like that? Did I say something wrong?'' Her rate increased as she started to panic. She hadn''t seen him in years so she didn''t know what could''ve changed during that period of time.


    Granted, she kept her eyes on him the entire time to make sure that he was living safely and normally. After all, their rtionship did surface in the news once and it almost threatened to ruin his life.


    "Tell your men to turn off their vehicles. We aren''t a threat." Talon said as he put his spear away.


    Sophie quickly turned around and signaled for them. The guards then left the vehicles with wary looks on their faces.


    ''Why did the Young Miss hug that man? I have never seen her this intimate with a stranger before! Oh man, her father is going to kill me if he hears!'' The guard who was in the same car as she was wiped his face nervously. ''Who the hell is that young man?''


    "Put your guns down. Nobody dares to aim a gun at him or I will personally make sure you can never raise a gun again." Sophie threatened them coldly before she turned around and smiled at Talon. "Sure, let''s sit down and talk here. I don''t mind the ce as long as we can finally catch up."


    On the side, Hyun-Jae stared at the girl with a cold expression. Even when she had just met the girl and she knew nothing about her¡­ She could only think of one thing.


    ''I dislike her.''


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 175: Chapter 175- Odd Reunion (Part 3)

    With that, Talon, Hyun-Jae, and Sophie sat down nearby. Even though they seemed like they were acting normally, there was an invisible tension between them that one couldn''t easily detect.


    On the one hand, Talon and Hyun-Jae had their suspicions about the girl since she came from a potential enemy base. They didn''t know what her real goals were and they didn''t want to simply let her do whatever she wanted.


    On the other hand, Sophie was panicking since she thought that Talon had somehow grown to hate her in the few years they were away from each other and now saw her as a stranger. That idea alone sent a shiver down her spine and made her chest tighten painfully.


    She had been dreaming of this moment for years. Every single night, she would imagine a future where she could be with him even though deep down, she knew how highly unlikely that idea was. She was a world-renowned actress with an amazing talent and a future that was bound to be sessful.


    She had countless fans and admirers around the world and she boasted a perfect reputation. Inplete contrast, Talon was a normal person. He had no actual talents and he came from a rather poor family. The two of them should''ve never even met let alone dated and yet fate loved to be ironic every now and then.


    chapter source m vl _emp-y,r


    "So, how did you two meet?" Hyun-Jae asked with a cold tone as she sat in the middle between Talon and Sophie. Her body was instinctively leaning closer to Talon without her realizing it.


    Sophie noticed that and her smile turned a little forced for a moment.


    ''What is she trying to do? Wait¡­ That look¡­ Don''t tell me¡­'' It didn''t take her long to realize what was happening. All it took Sophie was to stare into Hyun-Jae''s eyes to see what she felt at that moment. ''She''s after him too¡­ Dammit! Why is she after him? He isn''t someone you should even look at!


    I know my Talon is amazing, but you two can''t be any different.''


    In reality, Sophie didn''t simply know Hyun-Jae, she had run a full investigation on her before just in case. After all, she feared that Talon might catch the eyes of an outstanding woman. After all, in her eyes, he was a ma for the opposite sex without even realizing it. He had charms that no one else she met had.


    "Well, how should I exin this?" Talon thought for a moment before he snapped his fingers. "Let''s say that my father and her father were old friends and so they did visit us a lot when I was young. That''s how we met."


    "Oh, you''re bringing me a lot of memories! We used to y a lot in that small park near your house!" Sophie smiled.


    "Yeah, that does bring back some memories. I also remember how you would end up crying every time I push the swing."


    "Hey! Don''t say that! I was a kid!"


    Talonughed at the girl as she pouted visibly.


    Meanwhile, Hyun-Jae looked back and forth between them with a stoic expression. "You two seem like you had a lot of fun back then¡­"


    "Of course! You have no idea, those were the best years of my life." Sophie giggled as she gave Hyun-Jae a secret nce.


    ''Yeah, I knew him for far longer than you did. I know everything about him. Now that I''m back, you can throw your intentions in the trash and move on.''


    Hyun-Jae read that through her eyes and she felt her aura almost leaking out. But, she quickly calmed down and turned around. She didn''t want to get irritated and fall into her trap like a fool.


    "And then, what happened?"


    "Uh, I asked her out back when we first enrolled in high school. We dated for two years and then we broke up when she had to move out of South Korea for her work. That''s pretty much the entire thing." Talon shrugged.


    "Yeah¡­" For a second, Sophie looked down as her face became gloomy. A memory of that day shed in her head and made her chest tighten instantly. That was by far the worst memory she has in her life.


    Choosing between her career and the love of her life, was a horrible situation. But, she still followed her heart rather than her mind and wanted to stay in South Korea. That day, she went to meet Talon to tell him the good news, but, things didn''t go as she expected.


    The atmosphere shifted again as Talon looked away with an emotionless expression. Hyun-Jae felt that change so she decided to continue on with the questions.


    "That is certainly an interesting sorry you had there, Talon." She said.


    "Yeah¡­ That was the highlight of my life¡­ Till a few weeks ago."


    "Mmm, and you." Hyun-Jae then turned to Sophie. "If you''re from Gwangju as you said, then what are you doing in Seoul?"


    "Uh¡­" Sophie frowned. "Well, I can''t really lie here and I wasn''t intending to lie either way. I actually came here because I heard that Talon was still alive. I wanted to meet him."


    "Huh?" (x2)


    "I had to steal some vehicles and take this trip without anybody knowing. It was a little reckless." Sheughed awkwardly.


    "..."


    Talon and Hyun-Jae stared silently at her. They didn''t expect to hear such a response from the blonde girl.


    "You came here looking for me?"


    "Yeah¡­ I was extremely worried about you. Haha, sorry about that."


    "..." Talon opened his mouth to speak only to close it again and sigh. Then, he slowly started rubbing his temples.


    ''Of course, I''m so stupid. This is something that she would definitely do in a heartbeat. She didn''t change at all since thest time we met.''


    At that moment, Talon realized how much he overthought the entire situation. If there was one person who knew Sophie the best, it was him. She wasn''t someone who likes people easily, but when she does, they would be her entire world and she would do anything for them in a heartbeat.


    So, the fact that she stole cars and sneaked out of the base to travel almost the entire country just to see him wasn''t something she wouldn''t do.


    ''I remember how many times she snuck out of her movie shootings just so that she could meet me. It''s still the same after years, huh¡­'' Smiling wryly to himself, he looked up.


    "You''re still as reckless as ever." He said.


    "Where did thate from?!"


    "You are very reckless."


    "Uh, I mean, I might be¡­ But, that''s beside the point! Aren''t you d to see me?" She retorted.


    "Well, I am d that you''re fine. But, for a moment there, I thought that you were sent here by the government to gather information about our base."


    "What?!" Sophie''s eyes widened in shock as she immediately shook her head. "That was never my intention, I swear! I would never do anything like that to you! I would rather die!"


    "Hey, hey, calm down. I know you won''t, I just said that I suspected it."


    "So, can we trust her?" Hyun-Jae asked.


    "Yeah, I''m sure she didn''te here with bad intentions in mind. However, I can''t say the same for her men." Turning around with a cold re, Talon made the guards flinch visibly under his strong gaze.


    "Oh, they aren''t here with any bad intentions either. I dragged them here myself."


    "I don''t think I can trust them, even if they''re your men, Sophie," Talon replied. Saying that, Talon stood up as he walked toward the guards.


    The group naturally retreated when they felt the crushing aura that was approaching them. But, with a single re, they all stopped in their tracks. When Talon reached them, he stopped.


    "Ok, let''s make this quick."


    "Hu-"


    *Swish*


    Before they could even say a single word, Talon suddenly shed for a moment before he appeared again in front of them the next second. In his arms was a pile of weapons and receivers.


    The guards'' eyes widened as they looked down, only to realize that their weapons were snatched.


    Sophie stared at what happened as her eyes widened.


    ''I couldn''t see him move¡­ How is that even possible? When I heard that Talon killed Cha Kwang, I didn''t think he would be this strong¡­'' She thought to herself as she blinked.


    "Are these all your weapons?" He asked.


    "...!!"


    "From your reactions, I''m going to assume they are. Good. I''m going to keep these. If any one of you dares to do anything stupid¡­" Then, Talon took one of the weapons before he showed it to the guards. Then, with a small squeeze.


    *CRUSH*


    The weapon waspletely crushed in a single moment. Bits and pieces of it fell to the ground against the silence of everyone.


    "I really don''t want to make this hard for anyone. So, behave, understood?"


    "..."


    "I said¡­ Understood?"


    "Y-Yes, sir!!!" The guards quickly replied with pale looks.


    "Good. Come on, Hyun-Jae. Let''s go back." He said.


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 176: Chapter 176- Swarm Of Rats

    Hyun-Jae nodded her head as she picked up her bag and followed after him. Meanwhile, the guards were instructed by Sophie to bring the vehicles along with them.


    "Why don''t you let me bring wherever you''re intending to go, Talon?" Sophie asked confusedly.


    "Moving on foot is faster than those cars." He replied.


    "Oh¡­ Wow, how strong are you? I couldn''t see your movements when you stole their weapons."


    "Well, I''m trying my best." He replied as he shook his head.


    "He is the strongest human alive," Hyun-Jae spoke. "By a long mile too."


    "What? How can you know for sure? There could be far stronger people than me out there."


    "Am I supposed to believe that there is another human out there that can kill a giant sea Kraken with one single attack and survive?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.


    "... Ok, you have a point," Talon replied as he realized he couldn''t retort at all to her words.


    He also suspected that no one else on earth rivaled him in terms of strength. After all, Acrypha had told him that his talent was one of a kind even by the standards of the Higher Dimensions. So, if someone of his level existed on earth then there was something wrong going on.


    "What?! A Kraken?! Those exist?" Sophie blurted out in shock. "Oh my god! I didn''t know you were already that amazing, Talon!"


    Out of excitement, Sophie jumped on his back as she hugged his neck.


    "Hey¡­" Talon murmured.


    ''She has always been touchy. Though, she had never touched my face before for some reason.'' Talon thought to himself with a frown.


    "Get off," Hyun-Jae spoke coldly, putting all of her aura on Sophie.


    "Hmm, no~"


    "This isn''t the ce nor the time to y around. We need to reach the warehouse." She replied coldly. "Unless you don''t take things seriously, then you''re as good as a dead weight."


    Her words were harsh and blunt. So much so that it made Sophie''s smiley face flinch for a moment before she released Talon andnded on her feet.


    "Ok¡­"


    The two red at each other secretly while Talon''s eyes wandered away from the duo as he noticed something.


    "Hey, Hyun-Jae."


    "Hm?"


    "Did we clear this street?" He asked.


    "Yeah, a few days ago. Chin-Hwa and his group took care of it, why?"


    Hearing that, Talon squinted his eyes as he slowly channeled his Aetheris and summoned the two Aetherial des.


    Sophie looked at the weapons with an impressed look. ''How many things is he hiding¡­ What are these flying des?''


    At this point, Sophie was certain that the Talon in front of her was far from the man she knew a few years ago. Everything about him, from his appearance to his aura, presence, and even his attitude had changed drastically.


    But, that didn''t mean that she hated this change. If anything, it intrigued her far more than ever before. Seeing her beloved grow filled her heart with pride.


    "It seems we have somepany." He said as he pointed with his finger in one particr direction and the two des immediately flew there. The ce he pointed at was a manhole cover on the other side of the street.


    The Aetherial des flew till they were right above it before they halted. Then, it waspletely silent. Talon turned to Sophie and signaled for her to make the guards stop the vehicles and gopletely silent.


    Thetter immediately lifted her hand, making the entire group of vehicles stop. Then, Talon gave Hyun-Jae a nce and she immediately understood what he wanted to do. Pulling her sword out, she slowly walked a little bit far away from him as she started channeling her lightning.


    A few seconds passed peacefully before something happened. The manhole cover suddenly started shaking and a loud noise rumbled through the entire area. The sound was extremely high-pitched like a cluster of monstrous screeches.


    Almost instantly, the manhole cover was blown dozens of meters in the air. Then, out of that hole, a few heads peeked out. The monsters'' pitch-ck eyes stared around crazily. Their appearance was distinct even with their considerably giant sizes.


    ''Rats?''


    The moment their eyes fell on Talon, theypletely lost their minds as they screeched and exited the hole. One after the other, a swarm of rats invaded the area. Talon shook his head as he quickly moved the Aetherial des.


    *Swish*


    The two flying weapons cut through the air as they pierced through the monsters with ease. Blood sshed everywhere as the des quickly turned around and flew toward their next targets.


    In a few seconds, the two des rampaged through the swarm of rats. At the same time, Hyun-Jae threw multiple Lightning balls toward the monsters, burning dozens of them.


    "Hyun-Jae, take care of that side, I will take care of this one," Talon instructed her as he pulled his spear out.


    "Got it."


    "I can help too," Sophie said.


    "Ok, take care of that side if you can. Just call for help if you get overwhelmed." Leaving those words behind, Talon dashed forward as he closed the distance between him and the monsters before he swung his sword.


    *BOOOM*


    The sheer power of the swing sent the rats flying in the air as their bodies exploded with blood. Facing one of Talon''s shes with their considerably fragile bodies was impossible. Then, he swung it again and again at a quick rate. Each attack wrecked the swarm of monsters, killing many of them.


    Notifications appeared and disappeared quickly in his retina without a moment of rest. Not even a single rat was able to reach Talon.


    On the other side, Hyun-Jae was alsopletely overwhelming her side. Her speed and sword skills coupled with her Lightning Maniption made her the perfect counter to huge numbers of enemies. The moment her lightning attacks touched a single target, they would spread all around, killing multiple in the process.


    ''Their numbers are quickly dwindling. I guess there weren''t that many of them.'' She thought to herself as she stabbed a rat before pulling her sword out and decapitating another.


    As she was like that, her eyes noticed something interesting happening on the other side. Looking to the side, she saw Sophie.


    She was facing the rats as she pped her hands together. Then, when she pulled them away, several weird white strings appeared in the palm of her hands, connecting them together in aplex.


    Then, she spread her hands quickly, stretching the strings far and wide.


    "Good night~" With a smile, she suddenly threw her hands forward. The moment she did, the strings flew in the air as they immediately spread across the entire area, covering all the rats that swarmed her.


    The moment the strings fell on them, Sophie sped her hands again.


    *Swish*


    Almost instantly, the strings dissected the rats with ease. The creatures were turned into small cubes of disgusting flesh. All of them died at the same time.


    "Nice!"


    ''Interesting power.'' Hyun-Jae thought to herself. ''Her stringers are extremely sharp.''


    "Good job, Sophie," Talon said as he killed thest few rats.


    "Hehe, thank you!" .


    "You''re pretty strong yourself." He said.


    "Are you proud of me?" She asked with a smile as she approached him.


    "Yeah, you did great." He replied before he turned around. "Now, if this isn''t weird. I''m pretty sure we cleared the entire area. Where did theye from?"


    "We didn''t check the underground sewers system. That''s probably where they came from."


    "Oh, but why did they show up now? Most of these rats are gigantic, they definitely look mature." Talon said as he crouched down and inspected one of them with his eyes.


    "Did they smell our presence?" Sophie asked.


    "Could be¡­ I guess this is a good reminder to check the sewer systems."


    ''Damn, that''s going to be a whole other problem to solve now. Might hinder our ns a little. But, we can''t let any sewer dwellers live under Seoul.'' He thought to himself as he turned around.


    "For now, let''s go back. We will check the undergroundter. It''s going to take some time if we want to make sure they''repletely clean."


    "Yeah," Hyun-Jae replied.


    "Wait, I have been hearing both of you talking about clearing Seoul. Are you really trying to do that?"


    "We''re trying to turn the entire city into a base. It''s a long mission that we''ve been working on for over a week now. It might take a few months though."


    "Wow, that''s an ambitious n. If you clear Seoul, this ce will be the biggest human base in South Korea and even in Asia."


    "Right¡­ So you did get in contact with the outside world, I assume?" Talon asked.


    "Yeah, we did get some news from neighboring countries. But, Europe and the rest of the continents are still a mystery to us."


    ''So I was right on the bullseye when I suspected that Human Society is already in contact with the outside world. I will have to keep that in mind once we reach them.'' Talon mused.


    "Let''s leave."


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 177: Chapter 177- Someone Who Knows Better (Part 1)

    The group then continued their trip back to the warehouse. Sophie kept asking Talon trivial questions about random topics while Talon answered briefly before goingpletely silent. He didn''t seem that enthusiastic about talking to Sophie even though the two of them hadn''t met in ages.


    Hyun-Jae easily noticed that and could only wonder why. She knew that Talon was very talkative, especially to people he was familiar with. Granted, this was his ex-girlfriend, but, even then, the two of them were childhood friends so he should at least be excited to catch up with her after all these years.


    ''Now that I think about it, how did these two break up?'' Hyun-Jae asked herself. ''He never really talked about her before. Did she do something?''


    However, Hyun-Jae immediately threw that idea away. From what she could see, Sophie was very fond of Talon and it was all over her face. That was why Hyun-Jae was frustrated in the first ce.


    ''Is she trying to get him back?'' She thought to herself as she pursed her lips secretly. Just that question made her heart ache greatly. Seeing Talon get taken again was thest thing she wanted. It didn''t matter to her what this feeling was, she just didn''t want to experience it.


    ''I cannot let that happen. I won''t allow it.''


    With that determination, Hyun-Jae''s eyes focused on the path again, only to realize that they were already back at the warehouse.


    "Oh! This ce is huge!" Sophie eximed as she looked around her. "It''s like an entire city inside one warehouse."


    "We''re going to spread across the area soon since the number of people increased. But thank you." Talon replied as he walked next to her.


    "Oh! Yeah, I didn''t expect the number of people to be in the hundreds."


    Walking around the ce, Talon showed Sophie all the sections of the warehouse they had. He kept some information hidden just in case and told her all the things that were general knowledge.


    At the same time, he made sure to introduce her around to the other students. It didn''t take Sophie long to get many people to open up to her. Her friendly aura, stunning looks, and approachable attitude made her an instant good person in their eyes. Especially when Talon was the one who brought her there.


    Standing on the side as a huge group of students tried to talk to her, Talon shook his head. Hyun-Jae approached him silently.


    "Is she always like that?" She asked.


    "Hm? Yeah, she was always good at making new friends. That was basically our everyday life back in high school¡­ A never-ending quest to try and find time to be together." He shrugged.


    "Is that so¡­?" Hyun-Jae murmured quietly. "Why do you seem under the weather?"


    Talon raised an eyebrow as he turned around. "Why do you think that? I''m normal."


    "I don''t need to think of it, I can feel it. You''re not acting as usual." She replied.


    "..."


    Talon waspletely speechless by Hyun-Jae''s gaze. She seemed like she could easily see through his eyes. He realized that she wasn''t simply asking out of curiosity but mainly out of worry.


    ''Her senses are so sharp¡­ Or maybe I''m just too obvious for her.'' Sighing in his head, he gave up resisting.


    "It''s nothing to worry about. I just remembered something unpleasant."


    "Oh¡­ Does it have to do with that girl?" Hyun-Jae asked.


    "Yeah, something like that."


    "Now this is new to me. I have been around you the entire time and you didn''t tell me a single detail. My poor heart is broken~" Acrypha, who had been floating around him silently,mented with a yful tone.


    "You never asked. How am I supposed to tell you about this?" Talon shrugged.


    "... I hate that you have a point."


    ''Exactly, you cannot speak.'' Talon smiled to himself when he saw the stunned expression on Acrypha''s face. It was always entertaining to see this great existence turn into a frustrated girl.


    "Anyway, I''m really fine. Just an unpleasant thing to remember. It''s no big deal." With that, Talon turned around and walked away.


    "Hey, wai-" Before Hyun-Jae could say anything, he already vanished from sight.


    ***


    For the next few hours, Sophie spent the time discovering the ce and dealing with all the new fans she acquired. She was then invited for dinner along with everyone else. In their eyes, Sophie enjoyed her time a lot.


    Everyone there felt like a family in her eyes. But, deep down, behind her professional bright smile, her mind waspletely upied with something else.


    ''Why did Talon leave earlier? I couldn''t go look for him since everyone was talking to me. I want to talk to him.'' Looking around her, she couldn''t notice his presence in the warehouse.


    "Hey, mm, did Talon leave?" She asked.


    "The leader? I saw him exit the warehouse a while ago." One of the students replied.


    "Hmm, well, I should excuse myself then." She said as she stood up. "Thank you all for the hospitality and the food, it''s amazing."


    Then, before anyone could even speak, Sophie stormed out of the warehouse.


    The atmosphere outside was quiet, slightly cold, and very dark. Some high projectors illuminated the field outside the building and gave a nice view of the full moon on the other side.


    Looking around her, Sophie''s eyes fell on a lonesome silhouette standing alone a few dozen meters away.


    Staring at his back, Sophie''s eyes shed with a myriad of emotions. That same silhouette that she had been dreaming of seeing again, every single day, for the past few years. Even with all her sess, her blockbuster hits, and the awards she gained as a young talent in the movie industry, she still could never feel any actual pride or excitement.


    After all, as much as she was good at acting, it was never her choice to pursue this career. At some point, she was ready to give it up just for one single person and she felt that it was very worth it. Money and fame were never her goal with acting, she did it because she loved to live someone''s life through a story and experience what they felt.


    However, if she had to choose, she would rather live her own life through her own eyes and experience things as Sophie Jones. That''s what Talon gave her and that''s why she was so deeply attached to him. He was her normal life, her side that wasn''t captured with a camera or written down in an interview.


    He was what kept her grounded in reality and her reason tough without care in the world. But, all of that came to an end abruptly, on that day, 5 years ago. All of her dreams and hopes came crashing down on her.


    see NovelBin,em,pyr for more


    Just remembering that moment filled her heart with endless pain.


    "Do you like watching the moon that much?" Looking up with a pained smile, she said.


    Talon didn''t turn around and simply replied. "It''s nice to do it every now and then. Helps to clear my mind."


    "Do you mind if I join you?"


    "Go ahead," Talon replied.


    With that, Sophie stepped forward till she stood next to him. Her eyes stared into the distance just like he did.


    "You have built such a nice ce. Everyone here seems really happy."


    "I didn''t do much. I had great people around me that did most of the work." He replied.


    "Hehe, I doubt that''s what they think. From what I have seen, everyone respects you and looks up to you. You''ve really be a good leader."


    "..."


    "I knew you had the knack for it but I never thought a day woulde when I would see you in such a position. I''m really d I did though."


    "Sophie¡­" Talon spoke her name with aplicated tone but quickly stopped when he realized that this entire time, Sophie had been looking at him.


    "Hm? Were you about to ask something? Why did you stop? Ask way." She spoke with a mysterious tone. "Or, were you expecting me to ask you a question?"


    "... I¡­" Talon waspletely speechless.


    "A question like ''Why did you break up with me that day?''? But, wouldn''t that be too sad of a question to ask? It would certainly sour our awaited reunion."


    "Sophie, hear me out for a second¡­"


    "Are you finally going to exin to me why? Or are you going to avoid it like you did that time? Ignoring my calls, messages, and every single other way I tried to contact you even after I had to leave South Korea?"


    As she spoke, Sophie''s voice started wavering as all of her emotions that were hidden for so long came out in one fell swipe. Her heart raced as she stared at Talon, her eyes were filled with confusion, frustration, and sadness.


    "Come on, I''m listening¡­ Please, just give me an excuse I can use. Anything that would make me feel a little bit better about the past 5 years. Anything, speak to me, Talon, please."


    "I know better, ok!" At that moment, Talon eximed as he stared up with a dark look on his face. "I had known better."


    Sophie waspletely stunned by his reply. "You¡­ Knew better?"


    "I had no other choice. If I tried to selfishly keep you, it would''ve ruined your life and ruined mine along with it. I couldn''t bring myself to do it and then face the consequences just because I hated the idea of seeing you leave like that."


    "..."


    "You can call me selfish, dumb, or anything else. But, if I was brought back to that moment, I would''ve done the same thing because there was no other way to preserve your life and mine to begin with!"


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 178: Chapter 178- Someone Who Knows Better (Part 2)

    Sophie waspletely taken aback by his words. Her face froze in a confused, sad expression. She didn''t know what to say, and for a moment, the entire world turned into a blurry mess except for the young man standing in front of her.


    "What¡­ Why? How would keeping our rtionship ruin our lives?" Taking some time to regain herposure, she finally uttered the words she had been looking for.


    "You didn''t notice it at the time. But, I have noticed it far too clearly. We were both from twopletely different worlds. Your career was soaring high and you were slowly achieving your dreams while I was struggling to do anything noteworthy. I felt like I was some kind of dead weight. But, I tried to ignore that hoping I would change." Talon replied with a self-deprecating smile.


    "..."


    "Guess what? Nothing changed. I was still that same dumb mess of a human being and you were a superstar. I hated myself for thinking that I wasn''t worthy of you and yet I couldn''t change that thought. All I could do was just swallow that feeling and try to pretend like everything was ok, and things somehow went on."


    Closing his eyes for a second, Talon turned around. "When I heard that you had to choose between staying in South Korea or pursuing your career abroad, I was terrified¡­ I was terrified to lose you. I wanted to tell you that I want you to stay. But I¡­" As Talon was about to finish his sentence, his eyes suddenly shed with a hint of realization before he shook his head. "I couldn''t do it.


    I felt that you leaving was the best option."


    The girl blinked in surprise. "That''s¡­ Your reason?"


    "Yeah¡­ That''s the entire reason. If you want me to apologize, I will apologize right here and now. But, as I said, I don''t regret doing it at all." Saying that, Talon turned around as he started walking away.


    Meanwhile, Sophie stood there silently for a while. Nobody knew what was going through her head.


    "Was the choice¡­ that easy?" Eventually, she asked with an unusually calm voice.


    "Easy? It was never easy. It felt like I''d lost a good chunk of my soul along with you. But, that is always better than ruining the life of someone I deeply care for." m vl emp yr exclusive


    Leaving those words behind, Talon vanished inside the warehouse, leaving Sophie alone to contemte his words.


    What he wasn''t aware of was that someone was listening to their conversation in secret.


    ***


    Entering inside, Talon quickly headed to his section of the warehouse where he sat down with a long sigh as he closed his eyes tiredly. Even though he didn''t do much that day, he felt as if he exhausted every ounce of energy in his body and mind.


    ''I went ahead and said it. Perfect, now I''m sure she''s going to hold a grudge against me. I was a huge coward for not telling her sooner and trying to run away and pretend like nothing happened.'' Running his hand through his hair, Talon clicked his tongue in frustration.


    This was a problem that was brewing for years and years and the moment where it exploded came out of nowhere, taking him by surprise. His reunion with Sophie was something he never expected.


    As he sat there, deep in his own thoughts, he didn''t notice Acrypha floating closer to him silently. Her expression was a little sad since she could feel the sour mood Talon was in. Seeing his smile vanish was something she would never want to see happen to him.


    So, without saying a word, she floated closer and closer till she was next to him before she sat down with her shoulder sticking to his. Thetter instinctively leaned closer to her without realizing it.


    The two sat there, in a rather bizarre and yet oddlyforting atmosphere. One was contemting his decisions in life at some point and another was simply there for him as he was there for her when she needed him.


    No words were needed between them¡­ Just a moment of serenity.


    Time passed slowly that way until Talon finally opened his eyes. "Hey, Acrypha¡­"


    "Mm¡­" Thetter hummed quietly as she kept her eyes closed.


    "If you were in my position, would''ve you done the same thing?" He asked.


    His question made her open her eyes. "I don''t know. That''s a tough choice. But, I believe that no matter what you did, nobody could me you for it. Whether you chose yourself or chose her, everyone has their reason to be one or another. You chose to give that away for her sake."


    "..."


    "Don''t beat yourself down for it. Time moved on and now you both are inpletely different positions in life. Staying stuck in the past will only hinder you."


    "Yeah¡­ You''re right." Talon nodded his head as he pursed his lips lightly. "Whatever happens from now on, I will take it in. I''m done running away."


    "Good, that''s the spirit."


    "Thanks for the advice, as always, Acrypha."


    "My wisdom is something that many would pay with their souls to get. You''re lucky you have the privilege of using it for free." She replied jokingly.


    "Very lucky indeed." He rolled his eyes as he turned away. "Well, I should probably go and check Hyun-Jae. We need to find a solution to this potential rat infestation in the sewer system."


    ***


    Standing up, Talon walked toward the section where he knew Hyun-Jae would be. Even though it was night, there was still some time before sleep as everyone was still finishing their tasks for the day.


    "Hey, Hyun-Jae, are you free to talk?"


    When he reached her, Talon found the girl staring at a giant piece of paper spread across a huge table.


    "Yeah, actually, you came at the perfect time. I was about to call you. Here, take a look at this, I found something really interesting." She said as she signaled for him to approach her.


    Her face was looking down so Talon couldn''t see her expression and he was too upied with the piece of paper to notice.


    "What''s up?"


    "This is a map of the sewer system. Shin-Il''s group found it in one of the libraries the other day." She said.


    "Oh, pretty useful."


    "Yeah, I had to pull it up to see if we can actually find a way to kill all the evolved rats that infested it. But, it''s far easier said than done. Look here, the sewer systems are extremelyplicated and vast. Exploring the entirety of them is like exploring an entire new city. It would take weeks to do that."


    Talon stood next to her as he stared at the map silently. In simple terms, the map was a vast of ck lines that connected and disconnected everywhere in a messy yet organized manner at the same time.


    "This does look really bad." He murmured as he rubbed his chin. "We can''t waste time searching the entirety of the sewer systems. Rats naturally love to live in massive groups so if we can find the heart of that group, we can pull the problem out of its roots." He said.


    "But, the question remains, how? Even if we filter the map with the most optimal ces a giant group of monstrous rodents would live in, we would still be left with many locations." Hyun-Jae replied.


    "Hmm¡­" Talon hummed and squinted his eyes as he stared at the map silently. His mind analyzed all the possibilities he had at that moment.


    ''We need a way to reach our goal in the fastest way possible. I know for certain that the rats are the key to that in and out of themselves. If I can somehow make them lead me back to their ce... Some way that I can control them...'' His eyes wandered around the ce casually, till it fell on something.


    At that moment, Talon''s eyes widened as he was suddenly hit with an idea. Without realizing it, a knowing smile formed on his face.


    ''Of course, why did I look too far... The answer was right there the entire time!'' He mused.


    "I think I''ve found it. A way to find that ce quickly. It''s quite easy too." He murmured.


    Hyun-Jae blinked before she nodded her head. "I was waiting for you toe up with one of your ideas. Hopefully, this one isn''t as reckless as the ones before it. So, what is it?"


    "Hmm, it''s not that hard, trust me. I can do it alone or with one other person at most." He replied. "Any more than that and it could turn out to be a failure."


    "Oh, only two people?"


    "I think going alone is better but since I know you would be worried, two people are the best choice."


    "d you''re aware that I would be worried." She replied. "So, what''s this idea?"


    "Mm, excuse me."


    At that moment, the two were cut off. Turning around, they saw Sophie standing there. Her expression was oddly calm even though she had just had a very intense conversation with Talon.


    But, thetter could easily notice that she wasn''t acting normally.


    "I heard what you said, Talon, and I would like to request something if you don''t mind."


    "... What is it?" He asked with a little hesitance.


    "Can I go with you?"


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 179: Chapter 179- Murky Smile

    The two were stunned for a second as they stared at Sophie silently. Her face waspletely serious and her eyes were ring with determination. No matter how they looked at it, she wasn''t joking around at all.


    "You want to go with me? Why?"


    "I want to help out since I''m here." She replied.


    Raising his eyebrows, Talon thought about it for a moment. No matter how he looked at it, Sophie''s reason for this request wasn''t simply her desire to help. He knew that it had some kind of thing to do with their previous conversation.


    ''Why is she trying to be with me? I already told her what happened. I thought she would just want to leave this ce as soon as possible.'' He thought to himself.


    He was almost certain that what he said was going to sever their rtionship forever. Yet, Sophie somehow came back and seemed like she had made up her mind about something.


    But, in the end, he couldn''t really figure out what she was trying to do. Even with how much he knew that girl, apparently, thest five years did change some things about her.


    "Sure, if that''s what you want." He replied.


    "Talon¡­" Hyun-Jae turned her head around when she heard him. "Are you sure?"


    "Yeah, I was gonna tell you that I will bring Shin-Il or Young-Soon with me but since she wants to go, there is no problem. We can''t stop our ns for this small problem. We already are behind our estimated schedule."


    ''I want to leave Seoul in one week at most. Staying here any longer would be a huge problem.'' He frowned. Sophie had already told him that his parents weren''t in the Human Society yesterday and that fact alone made him feel an even stronger urge to leave Seoul as soon as human possible.


    "Sigh, ok." Hyun-Jae rubbed her temples tiredly as she replied.


    "Thank you." Hearing that response, Sophia''s face lit up a little as she nodded her head. "So, what''s the idea?"


    Approaching the table, she looked up at Talon.


    "Ok, listen carefully¡­"


    ***


    Then, for the rest of the evening, Talon exined what he wanted to do. By the time he finished, both girls had shocked expressions on their faces.


    "That''s¡­" Hyun-Jae blinked speechlessly.


    "That''s very clever! It might actually work!" Sophie eximed.


    "And it''s not as ridiculous as I expected," Hyun-Jae added with a thoughtful look. "If what you said goes perfectly, then the time needed might not even exceed a day."


    "Yeah, that''s what I''m going for. A few hours should be more than enough to get this over with."


    "When are we going then?"


    "Tomorrow, early in the morning. Let''s meet in front of the warehouse." Talon replied.


    "I understand. But umm, where am I supposed to spend the night?"


    "We already prepared a ce for you and your group. Ask one of the students there, they will lead you there." Hyun-Jae replied as she pointed away.


    "Oh, I understand. Well, I think I''m going to go get some sleep. You should sleep too, Talon. Hopefully, your habit of staying awakete is gone after all these years."


    "It is gone. Every day I would end uppletely exhausted by the time the sun sets."


    _emp _yr.


    "Hehe, then that''s good. My Talon finally matured, I''m so proud~" She replied jokingly before she walked away.


    Talon and Hyun-Jae stared at her back as she quickly vanished around the corner.


    "I should probably go to sleep too," Talon said with a sigh as he turned around to leave.


    But, before he could walk away, Hyun-Jae suddenly grabbed the hem of his clothes. Turning around confusedly, Talon noticed a ratherplicated expression on the girl''s face.


    "Everything ok, Hyun-Jae?"


    "Oh?" The girl was snapped out of her daze as she quickly pulled her hand away while shaking her head. "No, it''s nothing."


    "... Ok¡­" Talon squinted his eyes before he turned around and left.


    The girl stood there silently. ''Why did I do that? I was this close to saying something about that conversation. I wasn''t even intending to eavesdrop.'' She thought to herself. ''But¡­ To think Talon had been through something like that¡­''


    Feeling her heart ache a little, Hyun-Jae grabbed her chest as she turned around. Even though it was all in the past, seeing him that frustrated and angry with himself, didn''t sit well with her.


    All she wanted was to see him smile, as usual, and she was ready to do anything to let that happen. It didn''t matter what it was.


    ''I will help him¡­ If he needs me, I will be there¡­ Always.'' As she made up her mind, her clouded eyes finally shed with a bright glint.


    ***


    The next morning, Talon woke up earlier than usual. Most of the students were still asleep except for those who had shifts guarding the ce.


    After eating something quick, he found Sophie waiting outside the warehouse as she stretched her body. Her amazing figure moved sensually as she got herself ready. Even from afar, her seductive body and gorgeous appearance would catch anybody''s attention. Especially in her rather tight-fitted clothes.


    Approaching her slowly, she finally noticed his presence as she turned around. A beautiful smile drew on her face.


    "Good morning, sunshine~," She said.


    "Good morning. Did you sleep well?"


    "Well enough, I feel quite refreshed now." Sophie jumped a few times. "Ready to kill some pests."


    "Good¡­" Talon replied. "Let''s not waste any time and go then." Then, he started walking.


    "Hey, wait for me!" Sophie rushed after him.


    The two then walked out of the warehouse and into the empty streets of Seoul. Neither of them spoke a single word the entire time. The atmosphere wasn''t tense, but it was certainly very awkward. Neither of them knew how to act around the other after what happened.


    ''Should I say something?'' They both thought at the same time as they pretended to look around silently.


    ''No, he/she would think I''m trying to force a conversation.'' (x2)


    "Uh¡­" Shockingly still, both of them tried to speak at the same time, only to find out that the other person was trying to speak too.


    "You can go first," Talon said.


    "No, it''s fine, you can go first. What did you want to say?" Sophie retorted.


    "Uuuh¡­ What I was going to say¡­" Frowning hard, Talon realized that his brain waspletely empty of ideas. "I can''t remember. What were you going to say?"


    "... I can''t remember either." Sophie shook her head awkwardly.


    Talon: "..."


    Sophie: "..."


    The two stared at each other dumbfounded for a few seconds before they startedughing.


    "What the hell is that? Why did we forget what we were going to say?!" The girl giggled.


    "I really don''t know."


    Even though the moment was awkward, it somehow helped defuse the tension a little. The two then continued moving till they were a few streets away from the warehouse.


    "Here, we''re going to enter the sewer system through this manhole," Talon said as he pulled out the map to make sure this was the exact location.


    "Oh, this one? Why did we choose this one again?"


    "Because it''s the closest entrance to the first possible location of the rats'' nest. It''s all about luck though. We''re just enhancing our chances of finding some roaming rats."


    "Makes sense," Sophie said as she looked down. "Well, this is going to be stinky."


    "I''m sorry, we have to bear with it for a while. Here, put this mask on, it might help." He said as he gave her a small gas mask he collected from the warehouse earlier that morning.


    Sophie took that mask and wore it before she gave him a thumbs up.


    "Well, off we go." With that, Talon pulled the lid off the manhole before he threw it to the side and looked down. The ce was naturally dark and nothing could be seen. After a few seconds of mental preparation, he finally leaped inside the hole.


    Sophie quickly followed after him a secondter.


    "We''re going to keep that lid off so that we can know where we came from. It might get a little tooplicated really quickly." With his muffled yet deep voice, Talon pointed up.


    ''Although I doubt we will really know our way around here with ease.'' He mused.


    Even with his extremely sharp spatial awareness, walking through a city-sized maze was bound to be very hard.


    "Wait, I have a better idea." Sophie snapped her finger. Then, without waiting for Talon to react, she channeled her Aetheris and created a white thread.


    Then, that white thread started floating before it went up in the air and out of the hole.


    "I linked that string to the lid. We should be able to know our way around the ce like this."


    "Good idea. This is really going to help."


    "Hehe, thank you! My ability is useful in such asions."


    "It sure is."


    With that, Talon turned around and pulled the map out. "Where should we begin then¡­" He murmured to himself.


    Meanwhile, Sophie stood behind him with a small smile on her face. However, that smile was rather murky and clouded rather than the usual bright one that she would have on whenever she was near Talon.


    ''Well, at least I got some alone time with him... I want to tell him something...''


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 180: Chapter 180- Fire Lead

    "Ok, I think I know from where we should start," Talon spoke a whileter as he pointed at the map. "It''s from there. Then, we go left, right, right again, and then left and we should be right at our destination."


    Running his hand through his hair, Talon silently calcted how long it would take them to reach the first spot.


    ''A few minutes give or take. Then, we will have to go south, which is going to take at least one hour, and every other spot after that is several hours of moving through stinky tunnels. If we don''t get it from the first three spots, well, that''s going to be really annoying.'' Shaking his head, he put the map away.


    "Let''s go." He said.


    The two then start to make their way through the sewer tunnels. Even though they weren''t visible to most people, the sewer system of Seoul was quite gigantic in size. Thousands of tunnels moved and connected everywhere across the entire city. The size of each tunnel was several feet higher than Talon.


    It was a world of its own, hidden under the ruined city. However, this world was stillpletely intact as if it was never touched by the several natural disasters that hit the world across the past two months.


    Except for weed and grass growing across the wall along with a multitude of ns and fungi, the ce lookedpletely the same.


    "It''s such a weird ce. It feels like we entered apletely different dimension." Sophie murmured as she looked around her with an impressed expression.


    "Yeah, an entire ecosystem started thriving here after the end of the world. We might find far more than just a bunch of rats at this point." Talon replied.


    ''I really hope I''m wrong, though. If we end up finding more monsters down here, all of our ns will crumble down.'' He thought to himself.


    The two continued walking, turning left and right as they explored the ce. They found some obstacles here and there across their path.


    "Here, take my hand," Talon said as he extended his hand for Sophie over a huge puddle of water that he just jumped over. The distance was rather wide so passing it was difficult for someone like Sophie.


    Thetter nodded her head as she jumped over andnded on the edge. Immediately, her body lost bnce and she started falling back. But, a hand moved forward and grabbed her before pulling her up. Sophie ended upnding on Talon''s chest.


    Her eyes closed for a moment before she opened them again as she looked up. Her eyes made contact with his and she was frozen for a second. Staring this close at Talon made her heart skip a beat. However, that wasn''t the only thing that stunned her.


    ''Since when did his eyes be this beautiful¡­'' She thought to herself.


    Even though she had always loved Talon''s eyes with how charming they were. Now that she looked at them closely, they were far more mesmerizing than ever before. Their charm was amplified a hundred times. They were simply hypnotizing to stare at.


    "Are you ok?" Closing his eyes and opening them again, Talon called for her.


    "Huh? Oh, right. I''m fine." When she realized how she was acting, Sophie turned around. Her cheeks turned a little red.


    ''He''s going to be the end of me¡­'' Cursing herself, she finally released herself from Talon.


    "Let''s continue." Without waiting, Sophie continued walking as if nothing happened.


    "..." Talon stared at her back silently. Then, he opened his mouth, intending to say something only to close it again and shake his head.


    ''Not now. I need to focus on the mission.'' He thought to himself.


    He couldn''t let other things make him lose his focus or he would end up hindering his goal.


    "Hey, Talon, look!"


    "Hm?"


    At that moment, he heard Sophie calling for him. Turning around, he saw her standing near the corner looking down at something.


    When he approached her spot, he noticed what she was pointing at. Crouching down, Talon stared at the object silently for a moment.


    "Is this¡­?" She murmured.


    "Yeah, this is most likely a rat''s waste. We''re close." Talon said.


    The two then slowly moved through the tunnel as they kept their senses alert for any weird movements.


    ''Around this corner is the first spot.'' Talon thought to himself as he approached the turn and peeked. There, he could see a giant hole where their tunnel ended. It was the first open area they came across inside the sewer system. It was also the end of many tunnels around the area so it was the heart of this part of Seoul.


    ''Nothing is here.'' Squinting his eyes sharply, Talon signaled for Sophie to follow him.


    The two then left their hiding spot and approached the drop.


    "So this is the spot, huh¡­" Sophie said as she stared down at the hole. Except for a puddle of dirty water at the bottom, she couldn''t see anything noteworthy down there.


    "..." Talon wentpletely quiet as if he sensed something.


    "Talon?" Sophie noticed that odd behavior and called his name.


    "We''re gonna have to jump down." He said.


    "What? Jump down? Why?"


    Before she could even get an answer, Sophie suddenly heard some noiseing down from the hole. Looking down quickly, she saw something moving out of one of the tunnels. Its terrifyingly gigantic size and its dead eyes made it extremely eye-catching.


    ''A rat!'' Sophie''s eyes widened as she went quiet, not to alert it.


    She knew how sensitive rats are to noises and so anything they do might make it run away.


    Slowly, the duo stepped back as they peeked at the monster. Thetter seemedpletely oblivious to their presence as it went on with whatever it wanted to do.


    "Let''s wait and see. Keep quiet, ok?" Talon approached Sophie as he whispered closely into her ear.


    Thetter shuddered for a moment before she nodded her head. Hearing Talon''s quiet, deep voice that close almost made her heart stop.


    ''Is he deliberately trying to make me have a heart attack?!'' She yelled in her head as she covered her eyes. ''My heart is too weak for him¡­''


    Meanwhile, Talon kept watching the monster''s behavior. It didn''t seem like it was doing much except for roaming around the ce. He wanted to learn whether these rats had any kind of ability that might be troublesome to deal with. But, so far, he noticed nothing. It behaved like a rat, except instead of eating waste, it loved flesh.


    ''I guess there is no point in waiting anymore.'' Standing up, Talon snapped his finger only for a blue me to appear in his hand.


    "Are you ready?" He asked Sophie.


    "Ehem, yes."


    With that, Talon aimed his hand at the rat before he pulled it back as far as he could. His muscles contracted as they got ready.


    ''I need to hit it perfectly where I want it. If it moves even an inch, I might miss the spot. I have to be extremely careful as I only have one change to pull this off.'' His eyes shed with a sharp glint.


    Using the full range of his enhanced focus skill and future sight, Talon pinpointed the exact point where and when he needed to throw the ball of fire.


    Then, at the perfect moment¡­


    *Swish*


    He threw the ball as fast as he could. The blue me flew out of his hand like a bullet as it reached its target in a split second. At that moment, the rat realized the huge danger it was in. But, by that point, it was toote to do anything.


    *BOOOM*


    The fire hit the rat right in its tail and made it fall to the ground. The monster screeched loudly in pain as it stood up and started running in terror, vanishing inside one of the tunnels.


    "Let''s go!" Talon eximed before he grabbed Sophie''s hand and leaped.


    "Woah!"


    Before she could even react, they were already in the air, freefalling toward the pit. "I wasn''t fully ready yet!"


    Landing on the ground safely, Talon quickly started running after the rat. "Don''t fall behind, Sophie!"


    "I know, I''m right behind you!"


    The two entered the tunnel, quickly vanishing inside. Ahead of them, a blue me could be seen moving in the darkness.


    ''Hahaha, this is working!'' Talon''s face lit up when he realized his n was going as he expected. ''I''m so smart sometimes, it''s actually sickening.''


    Everything that happened so far was what Talon intended. He deliberately targeted the rat''s tail so that it didn''t immediately die from the blue mes eating its body and would instead end up running away in fear.


    If his prediction is right then this rat will immediately go back to its nest to hide from the threat. In other words, they would be led right toward the heart of the problem.


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 181: Chapter 181- Perfect Duo (Part 1)

    "We must not stray away from each other or we will get lost. The fire is our only way to the nest!" Talon said as he looked over his shoulder.


    "Yes, I''m right behind you!"


    ''That rat is quite fast goddamit, even with my speed, it''s still keeping up somehow.'' Clenching his teeth, Talon stared at the ever-so-distant ember of blue fire that he was following left and right.


    Even though they were quite weak, they had extremely high speed instead which made them quite the hard targets to hit. But, for Talon, they were as easy as any other target he needed to kill.


    The burning rat continued its escape as the fire ate its tail and moved toward its body. The slow process of the fire burning its body made it run even faster as adrenaline filled its body.


    In a few seconds, they were already in apletely different area of the sewer system. They ran left and right and in circles till theypletely lost their sense of direction. However, Talon knew that Sophie still had that string attached to her so he didn''t have to worry about them getting lost.


    "Where is it even going? We''ve been running for 10 minutes now." Sophie asked as she barely dodged a dirty puddle of water as she leaped in the air andnded next to Talon.


    "It seems like it knows where it''s going. Come on, I can feel something in the distance."


    As the rat took thest turn, the fire finally caught up to its body and it lost all strength to move. When it fell to the ground, the azure mes finally burnt itpletely, not even leaving any ashes behind.


    The duo halted their run as they started approaching the spot where it died slowly.


    "It died. Hmm, but are we even close to the spot?" Sophie asked as she turned around.


    But, Talon didn''t respond as he closed his eyes for a second. His brain cleared up as he focused on the area surrounding him. All of his Aetheris channeled into his Enhanced Focus skill to expand it as far as it could go.


    After continuously growing stronger and leveling up, Enhanced Focus had already expanded quite far. Talon could easily sense things in a hundred-meter radius around him. It wasn''t that farpared to someone like Acrypha but he was proud of how good it was for his level.


    ''I can sense a lot of things around here. But, no actual monster presence. Well, this was expected. We''re probably still a little bit far from the nest. That doesn''t mean I can''t find it myself now.'' He thought to himself.


    What Talon was looking for wasn''t the rats, but the things they leave behind, like their waste, food, and any other thing. If they were truly close to the nest, finding such things should be easy.


    It didn''t take long for that suspicion to be confirmed. Talon''s sense picked up on something in the far distance that was awfully simr to the rat waste they found a while ago.


    Then, he opened his eyes as he signaled for Sophie to get ready. Thetter nodded her head as she followed after him.


    "We''re awfully close to the nest. It should definitely be somewhere around here." Talon exined. "If we happen across the nest. We need to kill all the rats before they spread or escape."


    "Leave that to me, I know how to do it," Sophie replied.


    As the two finally took their turn, they found themselves in a random tunnel. But, this tunnel had one different detail.


    ''The smell¡­ Ugh¡­'' Frowning slightly, Talon closed his nose. ''It''s filled with feces¡­ So much¡­''


    However, this scene, as disgusting as it was, did make Talon feel delighted. If there was that much waste then that meant that they were close to their destination.


    "I''m going to try and locate the nest." He said.


    "Ok, I will keep my guard."


    With that, Talon closed his eyes for a second to do what he just tried before. He was certain that this time, he was going to find what he was looking for.


    Meanwhile, Sophie stood next to him as his guard. Her eyes warily scanned her surroundings.


    ''Things are rather quiet.'' She thought to herself. ''Hopefully, they didn''t realize we are here or that would be a problem.''


    At that moment, Sophie suddenly felt something weird. beneath her. Looking down, her eyes fell on a puddle of water. The puddle waspletely motionless a few moments ago. But now, it suddenly started rhythmically shaking and distorting.


    Squinting her eyes, she watched the change quickly grow in size and effect until it reached a point where she was feeling the shaking beneath her feet.


    ''Are the tunnels shaking?'' She thought to herself as she looked down.


    "Talon¡­" She murmured. But, thetter didn''t answer as he was too focused on his senses.


    *RUMBLE*


    Eventually, the shaking became so intense that Sophie had to use some effort to bnce herself.


    "Hey, Talon¡­"


    *RUMBLE*


    Before she could even finish her sentence, she started hearing loud screeching sounds along with chaotic taps everywhere. Looking around her, her eyes fell on the tunnels all around them.


    ''Oh no¡­'' It didn''t take her long to realize what was happening and her face slowly paled.


    A secondter, out of all the tunnels around them, rats flooded out endlessly. Their eyes shone with a terrifying red glint as they illuminated the entire dark tunnel.


    "Talon! We need to move!!"


    Thetter had already sensed the presence of this vast number of monsters and he quickly summoned his spear.


    "Move! We need to retreat before they surrou-"


    But, by the time he alerted Sophie, the disaster had already fallen. Their only way out of that tunnel waspletely closed along with every other possible route they might try to move through.


    In other words, they werepletely surrounded.


    "Shit¡­" Cursing, Talon channeled his Aetheris as he swung his spear, sending dozens of those rats flying back. Then, he continued swinging his spear ruthlessly, killing many of them as he tried to find a way out.


    But, at that moment, he realized something.


    ''Their numbers¡­ They''re still growing!''


    What was tens of rats turned into hundreds, and then from hundreds they turned into thousands. There were so many that the entire area around them waspletely drowned in these nasty monsters.


    Even with his strength, Talon knew that he wouldn''t be able to kill this many monsters on his own.


    But, he didn''t stop swinging his spear as he tried to find a way out.


    "Sophie, are you ok?" Looking behind worriedly, he noticed that Sophie was quickly getting overwhelmed by the rats. Some of them were even able to reach her as they opened their wide mouths.


    "No!" His eyes turned extremely sharp as he vanished from his spot and appeared in front of Sophie. Then, he kicked the rats away with his leg before he swung his spear powerfully.


    "Hah!!"


    *BANG*


    The monsters wereunched in the air like ragdolls before they fell in the heart of the chaos.


    "Are you ok?!" Looking behind him, Talon quickly lifted Sophie up.


    "I''m fine. Hah¡­" She replied.


    "Good, we need to leave this ce right now. This was a fucking trap, those rats knew that we wereing for them." Looking around him, Talon noticed how meticulous the trap was.


    The fact that they came from all the tunnels wasn''t a coincidence, they were deliberately trying to overwhelm them with sheer numbers while the two struggled to find a way out.


    ''I can''t use any overly destructive skill or the entire tunnel will copse on our heads. Can I burn them to death? No, that won''t work either, we will also get burned. If I''m gonna use azure mes, we have to be out of this ce first. Dammit, my power is too restricted here! Should I just kill them using the spear alone?


    Their numbers are still increasing¡­ ''What should I do? Think. Think!''


    "Let me help¡­" At that moment, Sophie touched his shoulder. "I''m here for you, always. Can you hold them on for a second?"


    Staring into her eyes, all Talon could see was confidence. It didn''t seem like she was terrified of this situation.


    That shockingly made him feel all of his worries wash away as he nodded his head. "I can hold them on for as long as you need¡­"


    Then, Talon focused on his spear as he quickly activated Spearmanship. What urred after that was nothing short of a massacre.


    With each swing of Talon''s spear, dead corpses fell to the ground. He sliced left and right, trying to keep all the rats away. However, since they wereing from every single ce, it was almost impossible to keep up with them. Still, Talon used all of his strength to do it.


    ''Faster, I need to be faster!'' Clenching his teeth, Talon dashed around. The rate of his killing soared to the heavens. Every fiber of his was focused on massacring as many rodents as possible.


    [Ding!]


    [Spearmanship has leveled up.]


    [Ding!]


    [Spearmanship is ready to evolve!]


    A notification appeared in Talon''s vision that he didn''t expect at all.


    Meanwhile, Sophie quickly channeled her Aetheris before she created a giant of strings. Then, with a swift and elegant move, the was spread in the air vertically before it arched around them in the form of a barrier.


    Then, with a simple hand gesture, the barrier expanded forward.


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 182: Chapter 182- Perfect Duo (Part 2)

    The barrier expanded so quickly that the entire tunnel shook violently. The strings quickly reached the ever-growing swarm of rats. Upon contact, blood exploded everywhere in a terrifying sight.


    The sharp strings sliced through the monsters'' bodies with ease as they dissected them into cubes.


    The smell of blood filled the entire tunnel and made the air feel almost impossible to breathe in. The screeches of monsters as they got pushed back before getting brutally sliced into pieces were the most cursed sounds Talon had ever heard in his life.


    In less than ten seconds, hundreds of rats fell dead in front of them, covering the entire ce in their remains.


    Meanwhile, Sophie''s face was turning paler and paler by the second as she kept her fingers sped together as if she were trying to control something with all her strength.


    ''I need¡­ To push it more¡­'' She thought to herself as she felt sweat dripping from her forehead.


    She felt her entire body being drained from Aetheris with each passing second the barrier was expanding. Each string required a part of her focus to keep up and so hundreds of these strings took an extreme toll on her mental strength.


    She felt as if she was about to throw up and faint at any given moment.


    At the same time, Talon didn''t waste a moment as he quickly shed with his spear, killing all the monsters left in their way before he turned around. "Let''s move. Our out is open!" He yelled.


    But, the moment Sophie heard that, her hands released as she copsed to the ground. Talon quickly appeared next to her as he grabbed her by the waist before picking her up and dashing forward.


    Meanwhile, all the rats that didn''t die from the previous attack regained their bnce and quickly chased after them maniacally. Their screeches became louder and their bloodlust reeked out of their disgusting bodies.


    But, instead of feeling fear from this wave of voracious creatures chasing him, Talon smiled coldly.


    "Yeah, just like that, follow me, all of you. Even those of you who are still hiding,e out and chase me." He said as he looked over his shoulder.


    The number of monsters behind him returned to the thousands really quickly. But, the more they were, the more Talon''s smile widened.


    ''I need to bring them all out.'' As he moved through the tunnels, he made sure to extend his escape as much as he could. He felt an intense urge to just stop and do it immediately, but, he knew that he needed to be patient to get the utmost result of this.


    "Hold on a second, Sophie, this might be a little bumpy¡­ And hot¡­" He said to the girl who was still struggling to keep herself conscious.


    "Talon¡­" She murmured.


    "You gave me the perfect opportunity, Sophie. That''s what I was looking for. Now, I can do this."


    Then, out of nowhere, Talon stopped as he turned around and faced the swarm of monsters. Then, he snapped his finger, creating a big ball of azure mes. He spent almost 50 points of Aetheris into creating it so its weight and stability were far harder to control especially when he only had one hand to work with.


    But, with a calm expression, Talon waited for the monsters to get close to him before he simply threw his hand back¡­


    "And everything goes boom."


    Then, he tossed the ball of fire. Upon the first contact with the first rat, the fire exploded powerfully as it rose in the air. Then, as if it were a gluttonous monster, the fire ate the first rat in a second before it quickly moved to the next rat. One after the other, the fire grew and grew, catching more and more rats.


    Before any monster could even react, it ate a few dozen unlucky rats as it continued growing more violent.


    The entire tunnel was illuminated with a blue light as Talon watched tens of creatures catch on fire and die almost immediately, leaving no trace behind in this world.


    "This is the true strength of the Azure mes. It shines the brightest when it''s against many enemies. It eats everything in its way and it doesn''t leave anything behind." Acrypha said as she watched the scene with an impressed look.


    ''This is the power that created one of the strongest ns in the Core Dimension. It truly lives up to its name, even though it''s still barely in its earliest forms. Once he develops it into a higher form, I can''t even imagine how destructive it will be.'' She shuddered secretly just imagining the future where this me reaches its true andst potential.


    Seconds passed before the rats finally realized the huge problem facing them and they naturally tried to retreat out of instinct. They understood the threat that this fire posed to them. But, the Azure mes had already reached too deep into the swarm of rats that it became impossible to escape.


    Those who tried to escape were caught and those who were caught smashed into the other rats out of fear, leaving the fire to kill them too.


    Chaos ensued amongst the monsters, fear and terror filled their minds before they were sent to the deepest parts of hell. Their souls were tortured ruthlessly before dying a painful death.


    "What a beautiful sight¡­ It''s almost like seeing a video of a dirty room being cleaned¡­" Talon smiled as his eyes reflected the blue light from the mes. He felt extremely satisfied with what he was seeing.


    Getting rid of all these disgusting monsters was so refreshing for him.


    [Ding!]


    [You have killed 500 mutated rats.]


    [Ding.]


    [You have killed 250 mutated rats.]


    [Ding!]


    [You have killed 485 mutated rats.]


    [Ding!]


    [+10 Aetheris, +10 Stamina.]


    [Ding!]


    [...]


    Notifications appeared and disappeared endlessly, making Talon even more satisfied.


    ''I''m feeling it all. I''m getting stronger without doing anything. I love this!''


    With each passing second, Talon''s strength increased as he felt his aura intensify. By the time the entire area was clear of monsters, Talon felt his power rise way higher.


    [Ding!]


    [+5 Strength, +5 Agility.]


    "Perfect." Nodding his head with a satisfied look, he turned around. "Hey, Sophie, are you ok?"


    The entire time, Sophie had been in his arms, resting silently. Her eyes were half open and her face was buried in his chest as if she wanted to merge with him. Talon felt her chest pressing against him even harder, making it deform a little.


    ''This is a pretty nice feeling.'' He thought to himself before he coughed awkwardly. ''What am I even thinking? Rx, Talon!''


    "Hey, Sophie¡­ Can you hear me?"


    "Mmm¡­ I''m¡­ awake¡­" She replied tiredly.


    "You used all of your Aetheris reserves. Here, drink this." Rummaging through his storage, he pulled out one Aetheris potion.


    "Mmm, I can''t drink¡­ Help me drink it~" She replied in a sultry tone as she rubbed her face against Talon''s chest.


    ''She''s acting like a sulky child¡­'' Talon raised an eyebrow as he watched her rather adorable behavior. ''Wait, I remember seeing her this way once before¡­ If I recall correctly, she ate some alcoholic candy by mistake once and she ended up actingpletely out of character. I had to stop her from stripping in front of me out of nowhere.''


    A small smile appeared on Talon''s face recalling that memory. It was a rather funny incident that he was fond of.


    "Heyyy~ help me drink it, hubby~"


    "Hubby? Ok, you definitely need this potion now." Snapping out of his mind, Talon quickly put the potion near her mouth.


    "Mmm, my lips are tired¡­ Mouth-to-Mo-"


    "No, if you can talk, then you definitely can drink this." Talon shook his head with a sigh.


    "Stingy~"


    But, even with her pout, Sophie still drank the potion slowly. Some droplets fell down her red lips and then down her chin. She made small sounds as she drank, making Talon frown.


    ''Why do I feel weird about this?!'' He turned his eyes away from the little seductive devil in his arms.


    Acrypha looked at him with a nk expression.


    "Please don''t look at me like that, I didn''t sign for this, I swear!" Talon said, easily reading her mind.


    "I said nothing¡­" She replied in an emotionless tone as she turned away.


    "Sigh¡­" Shaking his head, Talon finally pulled the empty bottle away from Sophie''s lips. "Are you feeling better?"


    "Yeah, a lot better. My head was really dizzy." She replied. "I''m sorry for fainting like that, I didn''t expect that attack to consume all of my Aetheris."


    "You have killed hundreds of these rats and saved our lives. You did great."


    "I did?" Sophie''s eyes shed with an excited glint. Just hearing Talon praise her made her heart skip a beat.


    "Yeah, I owe you my life, Sophie," Talon replied in a calm tone.


    *BADUMP*


    The girl blinked in shock before her face turnedpletely red.


    ''Why does look so dazzling?!''


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 183: Chapter 183- Start From Scratch

    Inhaling a very long breath, Sophie tried to calm down her racing heart. But, it only made her even more excited for some reason. Just being in this position, with his arms around her body was more than enough to send her flying, let alone when he gave her a smile like that. Her heart couldn''t handle that overload.


    Talon waspletely oblivious to that fat and slowly put her down. "You can move, right?" He asked.


    "Huh? Oh, y-yeah, I can¡­" She replied with a timid expression as she turned around and tried to pretend like nothing happened.


    "Good. Well, I guess we should be done here." Talon looked around him as he dered.


    "What? Shouldn''t we check the nest first?"


    "Yeah, we probably should. But, I''m sure we won''t find any more rats there."


    ''Azure mes are still burning somewhere which means rats are still dying. The chain reaction should be more than enough to take care of the rest of the monsters. But, for measures, we should check the nest.'' He thought to himself before he started walking.


    "Put your mask on, this might be the most disgusting part to do." He warned Sophie before he adjusted the gas mask on his face.


    "Roger that!"


    The duo continued walking through the dirty tunnels while trying their best to avoid all the nasty things in their way. The smell was already unbearable as it was so they didn''t want to end up smelling like waste after leaving this ce.


    "How are we going to know where the nest is, though?" Sophie asked.


    "I can still feel my Azure mes burning. If we follow it, we would probably end up in the nest." He replied.


    "Oh, Azure mes? That''s a very cool name." Sophie said. "The fact that they killed so many rats is even more terrifying."


    "It''s one of my strongest abilities. But, it could be as harmful to me as it could be to my target so I have to be careful when using it."


    ''Not that I really followed that rule. I almost killed myself multiple times using a variation of this me.'' Talon sighed.


    "Oh, is that so¡­" Sophie murmured.


    Then, she wentpletely silent. The only sound that prated the dark tunnels was the sound of their footsteps as they walked. The atmosphere was not tense but there was still some awkwardness that Sophie could feel between them.


    Her lips pursed as she looked down. She didn''t know what to do at that moment. Her mind which was usually very good ating up with logical solutions to all kinds of situations refused to help at that moment. She wanted to go back to being normal with Talon and yet didn''t know how.


    But, she knew that it wasn''t as easy as that. After 5 years of misunderstandings, Sophie felt that it wasn''t going to be an easy task to fix this gap that was created between them.


    ''He is already bing a great figure and he is still growing¡­ Does that mean that we can finally be together without having to worry about the differences between us?''


    In reality, Sophie had never realized that her presence in Talon''s life harmed him that greatly. She was simply delighted to see him whenever she could and she never put much thought into what consequences her rtionship could have on her beloved.


    After all, in her eyes, Talon was the best human being she had ever met. She never wanted him to be someone great or some kind of important figure by any means, all she wanted was for him to remain the same. But, yesterday, she realized that she was simply being selfish.


    ''Talon isn''t some kind of instrument I can tune to any wave I want. He is his own person¡­ Why did I never realize that myself?''


    The more she thought about it, the more she realized how badly mistaken she was. She was too drowned in their happy moments to notice that her partner wasn''t doing well. While she rose to stardom and achieved new heights, he lived a life that many would consider to be unfortunate.


    She did try to help him out of that life and bring him along with her. But, her father never allowed her to give him money or help him in any way.


    ''If he''s a man, he should develop himself on his own. If you give him money, he will only learn how to use you for his own benefit.'' He said to her again and again.


    Since she was still unable to control her own money at the time, she could never defy her father''s orders.


    ''I waspletely blind to all of this¡­ How did I not even notice? How can I be this stupid?'' Clenching her fists tightly, Sophie felt her heart squeeze. ''I was the reason why our rtionship ended¡­ And I had the audacity to question him like that¡­''


    "Sophie?" At that moment, a soothing voice woke her up from her own thoughts. Looking up with clouded eyes, she saw Talon staring at her confusedly. "Is everything ok?"


    Seeing the concern in his eyes, she could only feel her heart squeezing even harder.


    ''I gave him so much pain without knowing¡­ I''m a horrible person...''


    "I''m sorry¡­" Looking down, she murmured.


    "Huh? Sorry for what?"


    "I''m sorry¡­ I''m really sorry, Talon¡­ I''m really sorry¡­" Tears welled up in her eyes. "I didn''t know¡­ I didn''t realize the problem¡­ I waspletely blind¡­ Please, forgive me¡­"


    Talon frowned as he looked behind him before he approached her. "Hey, hey, what mistake?"


    "If I was a little smarter¡­ We wouldn''t have ended up like that¡­ I''m so stupid! So fucking foolish!"


    Realizing what she was talking about, Talon blinked. ''Why did she suddenly remember that? She was fine a second ago.''


    "Please, forgive me¡­ Forgive me¡­"


    Seeing Sophie crying silently, he could only feel bitter. She was never someone to cry that easily, and yet, he had made her cry twice in two days.


    "I told you before, didn''t I? It was never your mistake. I was just an insecure mess, if I was a little more confident, everything would''ve been well. Don''t think that you have any fault in this." He said after a few seconds.


    "But¡­ I acted as if nothing happened¡­ If I knew that it hurt you this much, I would''ve left acting long ago."


    "No, I''m not worth it. That''s your dream!" He shook his head.


    "No, you are worth it. You''re worth everything to me¡­ For the past 5 years, I feltpletely empty. My daily life was devoid of meaning and to be honest, I contemted ending it all¡­ I couldn''t live without you¡­"


    Hearing that, Talon''s face darkened greatly.


    "But, I couldn''t bring myself to end my life¡­ And I''m d I didn''t¡­" She smiled slightly as she shook her head. "Acting is my passion and I love doing it. But, you''re one of the reasons why I love my life. Without you, it loses whatever taste it had."


    "..."


    "I know I was selfish and I did hurt you¡­ But, I want to be even more selfish and request something from you now¡­"


    "What is it?"


    "Let''s scratch everything and start again." Looking up, Sophie said. "Now I understand what I did wrong and I want to fix it. Of course, I won''t force you to get back to me. But, I still want to try again, onest time... As friends, just like when we were still kids."


    Her beautiful voice sounded far more hopeful than ever before. Talon could see all the emotions Sophie was feeling through her eyes. He knew that he couldn''t refuse such a look even if he didn''t want to. But, he still had one problem¡­


    "I don''t mind. But, I must warn you beforehand. Because of what might happen in the future¡­ A rtionship between us might not be possible¡­" He said as he looked away. "For many reasons, I will have to leave on my own for a while in the future. I don''t know how long, but it might take months or even years. I don''t want to make a promise and then break it."


    ''I have too many things I need to do¡­''


    Sophie stared at him silently with an iprehensible expression.


    "But, I can promise that after everything is over¡­ I will try to-"


    "Shh, it''s fine." At that moment, Sophie shook her head with a small smile on her face. "I know what you mean and I don''t mind just being friends till you''re finally ready to ept me."


    "... Really?"


    "Yes, as long as I''m beside you, I don''t mind what rtionship we have."


    "..." Talon opened his mouth to speak only to close it again speechlessly. He could not find the words to describe how he felt at that moment. Even though he didn''t give her any promises, Sophie still wanted to be with him.


    ''Do I even deserve all of this?'' He asked himself before he shook his head. ''No, I don''t need an answer to that. I will make sure to pay her back for epting me even for all my ws.''


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 184: Chapter 184- First Contact

    "Can you stop crying now? I really don''t like seeing you sad." Talon said as he extended his hand to wipe the tears from Sophie''s face, only to realize the mistake he had made and quickly pulled his hand away.


    "Ehem, sorry."


    "It''s fine¡­" Sophie wiped her face herself as she looked down awkwardly.


    ''I almost forgot that Sophie doesn''t like her face to be touched or to touch anyone''s face. She never told me why. But, from what I know, it has to do with something that happened to her when she was young.'' He thought to himself.


    This was the only thing he didn''t know about Sophie and the only thing she refused to tell him about no matter why he asked. Even when they had their first kiss, she couldn''t hold his face at all. That was the first time he realized that Sophie had some kind of trauma from that small gesture.


    ''I guess it''s pointless to try and guess why. It''s something she wants to keep a secret so I have no right to be curious.'' He thought to himself as he turned around.


    "Well, let''s get this over with before leaving. This ce stinks." He said.


    The girl nodded her head as they finally started moving again. This time, they were walking next to each other at a way smaller distance than before. All the tension and awkwardness vanished and were reced with a serene atmosphere.


    A few minutes passed before the two ended up at the end of the tunnel. A huge pit was right in front of them.


    "We''re here¡­" Talon murmured as he stepped forward. "I can''t feel my Azure mes anymore. They havepletely died off."


    "Did all the rats die?" Sophie asked.


    "Most likely. I can''t feel the presence of any rat nearby." Taking a peek into the pit, all Talon could see was an empty field filled with water.


    "Yeah, as I expected. Nothing is down here." Talon said as he turned around. "It''spletely clear."


    "Great!! We seeded!"


    "We might need to send a few scouts the explore the rest of the tunnels in the future to make sure they''repletely clean. But, yeah, for now, it''s a sess."


    Extending her hand, Sophie excitedly high-fived Talon. "Team Talon-Sophie finished the mission! We''re the best!"


    "Haha, since when did this team have a name?" Talon chuckled.


    "Since now. It''s official. Write it down." Sophie smiled back.


    "Is this a historical moment of some kind?"


    "It is, it is! Like, the moment our legend was born. A legend that will change the entire world!" Sophie eximed.


    "You read too many of my dad''s books. Now you''re talking like him." Talon retorted amusedly.


    "Hey! That''s not true. Wait, did he release a new book?"


    "Thest time he released a book was a year ago."


    "Oh, that one, I did buy it. It was a pretty good read."


    "Wait, you did buy it? It didn''t seed though. I''m sure you''re the only fan left that dad has." Talon rolled his eyes before he started walking again.


    "Your dad''s books are really good. He has an amazing ability to create beautiful worlds through words. His books would''ve been huge hits with some luck." She said.


    "I wonder¡­" The young man murmured.


    ''My dad''s books are indeed not bad. He is just stubborn in his own ways and that stopped him from actually seeding. Sigh¡­'' Just remembering the struggle his father had to go through made him feel a headache.


    "Anyway, let''s leave," Talon said as he put all of those thoughts at the back of his head.


    ***


    With that, the duo went on their way back to the exit. Since the string was still attached to Sophie, the journey back was really swift. The trip took them an hour at first, but theeback was barely a few minutes.


    When they emerged from the manhole, Talon threw the mask away as he inhaled and exhaled with a relieved look on his face.


    "Finally, fresh air! I can''t believe how much I missed this." He said.


    "Me too¡­ *Inhale* This is like heaven." Sophie replied with closed eyes. "I''m relieved everything went smoothly. It almost could''ve been a disaster."


    "Yeah¡­"


    ''It oddly went as I wanted. This is very rare as every single time I try to do something, something bad happens and ruins the n. Well, I guess with how strong we''re getting, the chances of failure in easier missions became more unlikely to happen.'' Talon thought to himself as he turned around.


    At that moment, he suddenly felt something buzzing in his back pocket.


    "Hm?" Looking back, Talon realized that the buzzing wasing from one of the radio devices he confiscated from Sophie''s guards. Since he knew that sooner orter, the base would notice their disappearance, they would naturally try tomunicate with them. That''s why he kept one of these devices on him just in case.


    ''It took them a week to realize that¡­ How well did Sophie hide her disappearance?'' He wondered as he gave the girl a nce. ''I guess she''s an expert when ites to sneaking out of the house and meeting with me, I''m not shocked she pulled this off.'' He thought to himself as he pulled the device out and threw it to Sophie.


    "Here, answer it." He said.


    "Hm? Ugh, should I really do that?" She asked as she scrunched her face. In reality, Sophie didn''t want to contact the base since she knew what they would say.


    "Your dad is probably worried about you. Besides, I want to talk with the human society in Gwangju if possible."


    "... Are you sure, Talon?"


    "Oh, you have no idea how sure I am." He replied as his eyes shed with a dangerous glint. "I have been eager to talk to them for a long while now."


    ''After what they did to us a few weeks ago, I can''t wait to hear what they have to say.'' He thought in his head.


    "Ok¡­" Feeling Talon''s aura grow colder, Sophie quickly answered the call.


    "Hello?" She said.


    "Oh! Hello? Is someone there?! Hello?!" A panicked voice responded from the other side.


    "It''s Sophie Jones. Yes, I can hear you loud and clear."


    At that moment, Sophie heard some rustling noises from the other side before another voice spoke in the device.


    "Oh lord! Sophie, is it really you?! My dear god! Where are you?! Are you fine?" The voice was very familiar to Sophie.


    "Dad?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.


    "It''s me, Sophie! Oh god, I almost had a heart attack when I didn''t find you in your room or anywhere around the base! Where did you vanish?!" His tone was loud and shaky from panic and relief.


    At that moment, Sophie looked up as she exchanged eye contact with Talon. Thetter nodded his head calmly.


    "I have gone out to find Talon." She said.


    "What?! Wait, Sophie, are you in Seoul right now?!"


    "Yes." She replied.


    "Oh my god¡­ I don''t know what to say anymore¡­ How reckless can you be?! I never thought you would sneak out just to go this far away from the base! You could''ve died!"


    "You already knew what I was going to try to do when you told me that he was alive." She said with a shrug.


    "Yeah¡­ I had a hunch you would try, but I thought you would quickly realize how dumb of an idea that is and refrain from it."


    "Well, here I am."


    The man wentpletely silent for a few seconds as if he was contemting something. "Why? Why are you so adamant about him? Why do all of this for him? He isn''t even wor-"


    "Dad!" Before her father could even finish the sentence, Sophie yelled with a powerful tone. "Don''t you dare say another word?" She threatened him coldly.


    Her tone which was respectful and kind before turned cold and ruthless for a second. It almost sounded like she was threatening an enemy rather than her father.


    "..." Talon watched the interaction silently.


    "She has a very short temper for someone that is as energetic as she is," Acryphamented casually.


    "Yeah, she always had that temper. She isn''t someone that can easily get angered. But, when she does, her character flips in a second. It''s really fascinating to watch." He replied.


    ''He has an amazing ability to catch the eyes of the most unique women¡­ I guess I can also be counted on that list¡­'' Acrypha thought to herself secretly.


    "Ok, ok, I won''t say anything, calm down. But, you need toe back this instant."


    "No, I can''t."


    "What do you mean? You need toe back home this instant!!" The man yelled angrily. "It''s dangerous out there."


    At that moment, Talon stepped forward as he extended his hand to get the radio device. Sophie handed it to him confusedly.


    "Hello, Mr Jones. This is me, Talon."


    "Oh, so you were there the entire time, kid? Great, she doesn''t listen to me but she certainly likes to listen to you, would you convince her toe back?" The man said.


    "Hm? Oh, don''t worry about Sophie. She''s in safe hands. I will take good care of her." Talon replied as his tone grew a degree colder while talking to the man. "I will bring her back to you soon."


    "What are you talking about?! Did you lose your goddamn mind, kid?! Tell her to-"


    "I said calm down, Mr Jones." At that moment, Talon''s tone shifted from slightly cold to an emotionless terror. Even through the device, the man felt his body shudder in fear.


    ''Huh? What is this feeling I got from hearing his voice?!'' He gulped down a mouthful of saliva.


    "Now, listen carefully. We have a far more important matter to discuss."


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 185: Chapter 185- Brutal Warning

    Talon''smanding tone made Mr Jones gopletely silent as if his tongue was tied. Something about the voice that spoke to him made him immediately listen and do what he was asked to do.


    ''What the hell happened to this kid? When I heard he killed that man, I didn''t expect him to be like this. His aura... I can feel it through the device. He is almost apletely different person!'' Gulping down a mouthful of saliva, he heard Talon starting to speak again.


    "I heard some really interesting things about the human society in Gwangju. I''m hoping you will rify some things I''m going to ask now. Oh, by the way, I can hear if someone enters the room or if you gesture for the two men behind you to go fetch someone. I hope you won''t try any funny games like trying to locate me." Talon said in a respectful tone.


    However, Mr Jones knew that it wasn''t the case at all. He could feel the underlying threat in his tone and he felt his back grow colder.


    His hand which was about to lift up to signal for the men around him went down again slowly.


    "Good, so, who exactly is the leader of the human society?"


    "Why do you want to know?" The man asked warily.


    "I have some business with him. He did something unforgivable." Talon said.


    "What? What are you talking about, kid?"


    "Oh, you know very well what I''m talking about, Mr Jones. Sophie told me that you''re one of the people that built that base from the ground up. So, I''m sure you''re aware of what kind of operations the military is conducting, no?"


    "..."


    His question made Mr Jones gopletely silent. His face frowned.


    "Talon, what are you talking about?" Sophie asked with a shocked expression on her face. She didn''t understand what he was trying to imply.


    "Oh, he didn''t tell you about the bombing campaign he conducted on the Seoul National University a month ago?" Talon raised an eyebrow in confusion.


    "What?! No, I never heard of that. A bombing campaign?!" Sophie''s eyes widened.


    "A month ago, during the night, a fleet of military jets flew over the campus and dropped tens of bombs, destroying everything and almost killing hundreds of students, me included." He said in a clear tone.


    At that moment, Sophie''s face changed drastically as a hidden memory in her head triggered itself. She remembered hearing bits and pieces about the military jets going out for a mission a few weeks ago but she never knew the details of said mission.


    Now that Talon said that, it clicked in her head.


    "Why¡­"


    "Why? I wonder why too... That''s why I''m asking your father over here. He probably has the answer. Do you, Mr Jones?"


    "..." The entire time, the man waspletely silent.


    "Dad? What are you waiting for, speak."


    His daughter''s confused voice made him clench his teeth. He knew that he couldn''t lie about it since his daughter could definitely affirm that he is a part of almost all the ns that go into the human society.


    "Yes, I do recall something like that happening."


    Hearing that, Sophie''s expression shifted from confusion to shock.


    "But, listen to me, Sophie. It was all for the sake of our people. Seoul was already infested with monsters and we had to find a way to clean it before we could actually try and take control of it. The campus was one of the most dangerous ces in the city."


    "Oh¡­ So you were nning to take over Seoul?" Talon asked with an interested look.


    "The human society wants to expand to every corner of South Korea. We want to rebuild the entire country from the ground up. Seizing Seoul is one of the biggest steps to achieving that goal. We couldn''t just send people into the city to clean it."


    "Clean it, huh? Interesting." Talon murmured as his eyes shed with a weird glint.


    ''So they were attempting to expand toward Seoul¡­ That makes sense considering how crucial it is and the geographical location of the city.''


    Since Seoul was very close to the sea and yet not directly next to it. It made it the perfect location to control the entire country. Not to mention that it''s the capital city and it has a significant name in the world. Taking it back is akin to dering that humans are still fighting and winning.


    "Still, you knew that there were survivors inside the campus and yet you went on with that n."


    "We had no oth-"


    "I don''t buy that nonsense, Mr Jones. Sacrificing the lives of hundreds of innocent people for a fleeting dream, that''s delusional."


    "It''s not a fleeting dream, kid. And who are you to tell me what''s right and wrong? You''re still a mere kid who knows nothing about the world."


    "Oh, trust me, Mr Jones. I know far more than you or anyone does. As for Seoul, it''s under my control now. You can discard all the ns you had for this ce. "


    "What?! Are you insane?! You cannot control an entire city." The man blurted out angrily.


    But, Talon ignored his words as he turned to Sophie and gave her a nod. "I am going to do just that and then, my next target will be the human society in Gwangju. I''m going to take control of that ce too. Consider this a threat¡­ Once I reach you, you better give it up or... Blood will be spilled."


    Then, without waiting a moment, Talon closed the device and put it away.


    "Sigh¡­" Sighing, he ran his hand through his hair. His eyes wandered to Sophie who was still frozen in her ce.


    "I really didn''t know¡­ My dad¡­ Why would he ept doing this¡­" She murmured with a wavering tone.


    In her eyes, her father was a kind yet also stern man with a soft side for her. After her mother died, her father took her ce and became the person who took care of her. She naturally was deeply attached to him. However, their rtionship grew worse when she fought with him about Talon.


    ''Dammit, why dad? Killing people¡­ How is that the only way¡­ How could you ept such a thing¡­'' She clenched her teeth in anger and betrayal.


    Her head was filled with chaotic thoughts and she couldn''t even notice Talon approaching her.


    "Don''t overthink it, Sophie. I know that I never got along with your dad, but I don''t know if he would go as low as to ept killing people for such a reason. Until I meet him and see it with my own eyes, I would believe that he was tricked into this." He said as he tapped her shoulder. "You can contact himter and ask him if you want."


    Sophie looked up with a lost look on her face. Seeing the serene expression of her beloved, her heart calmed down and she could finally think properly.


    "You''re¡­ right¡­" She murmured.


    "Let''s go back and we can discuss this moreter, ok?" He said as he tapped her shoulder.


    "Mm¡­ Let''s go back home¡­" She replied in a familiar tone.


    Talon smiled lightly at her before he turned around and started walking. Sophie didn''t notice his expression growing darker and darker as he moved ahead of her.


    ''So, the human society is an enemy now, officially. I had dered war against them. Whether that would bring the unwanted attention of the other nearby countries or not is still not clear. But, even if they decide to get into this, it doesn''t matter. I will crush them all. I won''t stop till I''m totally sure that nobody can threaten me or the people I care for.'' He thought in his head.


    At this point, Talon didn''t care what kind of consequences his next moves were going to bring. He hasplete confidence in his own abilities and the abilities of the people around him. He had no reason to fear anyone.


    ''Because I''m the strongest.''


    ***


    Meanwhile, back in the human society. Mr Jones put the receiver down after shouting a few times without an answer.


    The entire room wentpletely quiet for a few seconds as the men around him looked at him nervously.


    *SMASH*


    Suddenly, he punched the table using all of his strength. The table waspletely destroyed with one hit.


    "Goddamit, that fucking brat! Who does he think he is?! Does he even realize what he is saying?! Taking control of Seoul and Gwangju? Hah, what a joke! Just because he defeated that piece of shit, his ego is now as big as the earth!


    Hah... Hah..." Heaving up and down angrily, the man tried to take a deep breath to calm down.


    Then, he turned around and looked at his men. "Call him right now."


    "W-What?" One of the men asked hesitantly.


    "You know what I''m talking about, I need to meet him right this moment!"


    Hearing that, the men quickly left the room in a hurry, leaving Evan Jones alone.


    "Why, Sophie, for all that is good, did you fall in love with that bastard? Even though I tried to warn you. You kept going back to him. I should''ve never told her that he was alive. Dammit!"


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 186: Chapter 186- Tears And New Beginning

    Since that moment, a few days passed quietly. Even though Talon had dered war against the human society, nothing much changed in the daily lives of the group. Granted, Hyun-Jae was a little confused as to why he did that but when Talon exined his initial reason, she quickly caught up.


    "Now that I dered war against them, they will naturally be wary and ready. They might even send military jets to scout or even try to eliminate us before we can reach them. But, I''m sure they are missing one crucial point." Sitting on the chair casually, Talon tapped his finger on the table.


    "A crucial point?"


    "No, actually, two crucial points. The first one is that our location is still unknown to them." He exined as he lifted one finger.


    "That''s true. Seoul is too big to locate us with ease."


    "Mhm, and the second thing and the more important point is that whatever military equipment they might use ispletely useless against us. Whether it''s bullets or even military jets, we can easily destroy any of that. In other words, their military strength won''t have any effect."


    A month ago, Talon and Hyun-Jae had to somehow protect the gymnasium from the relentless bombing. Their lives were put at risk, but, they were still able to destroy the bombs before they could make contact with the ground.


    Naturally, after an entire month with how much the two grew in strength and with the help of the others, they can easily deal with the same situation without much risk.


    ''We''re far different than before. I know they won''t put that into their ns.'' Talon thought to himself.


    "So, what should be our next step?" Hyun-Jae asked.


    "The same¡­ We''re going to keep clearing the path out of Seoul. Whether they try to attack us or not, we''re still going to get to them first."


    Noticing the sharp glint in Talon''s eyes, Hyun-Jae nodded her head. "Sigh, though, I''m sorry to hear that your parents aren''t in that base. It must be worrying." She said.


    "No, it''s fine. Even though I don''t know where they are, I have a feeling that they''re alive and well. My dad is a very tenacious man and he probably was very delighted to see the world turn into one of his fantasies. As for my mom, she''s extremely smart and knows what to do in almost all situations. She''s the problem solver of our family."


    "Oh? I guess you inherited some of your personality from them. I can see the simrities." Hyun-Jae smiled.


    "Spare me that, please. I might be tenacious, but I''m certainly not as smart as my mother. She''s actually a Seoul National University graduate. She scored the first rank in almost all of her exams. She wanted to be a neurosurgeon."


    "That is impressive," Hyun-Jae said as she blinked.


    Since both of them studied at the same university, they knew how absurdly hard the exams were. Scoring the first rank in all tests was ridiculously difficult and required a level of academic intellect that was rare to find even amongst gifted people.


    "Sigh, well, that''s the reason why she even met my dad. She travelled abroad to finish her studies and the two met and quickly fell in love. In less than a year, they married and a yearter, I was born. My mother decided to stop her studies and focus on the family."


    "..." Hearing that, Hyun-Jae was quite taken aback. "She gave up on her dream?"


    "Sort of. But, she doesn''t regret that at all. When I asked her before why she did such a thing, she told me ''After you were born and when I was able to hold you in my hands for the first time, I felt my entire world change. It only took me one moment to realize that bing a doctor isn''t my priority anymore.


    Taking care of you and your father became my sole goal." As he said those words, Talon closed his eyes. A rxed smile bloomed on his face.


    Those words were something he cherished dearly in his heart. After all, his mother gave up on her dream for him, and for his father, that was a sacrifice he could not ignore.


    "That''s why, I promised her that I will work my hardest to achieve her goal in her stead. I wanted to be a neurosurgeon myself in the future. But¡­ Well, here we are." He continued as he slowly lifted his eyes, only for his body topletely freeze.


    He saw something he never expected at all. Hyun-Jae, who was silent the entire time, was staring nkly at him. Her eyes were wide open and yet seemed unfocused. Tears were trickling down her cheeks.


    "... Hyun-Jae?" He murmured.


    The girl suddenly snapped out of her daze as she touched her face. "Oh? Why am I¡­ I''m sorry, I didn''t realize¡­"


    "..."


    She then started to wipe her face quickly.


    "My apologies¡­ It was just, your story¡­ It''s really touching¡­"


    Hearing that, the young man blinked. ''She''s crying because of what I said?''


    Even though Hyun-Jae was a very stoic and cold person most of the time, she had these instances where she became very sensible. Those moments always hit Talon harder since theye from a person who rarely shows any reaction on their faces.


    Just seeing that look on her face made his heart race.


    "I''m sure my mom would be more than happy to tell you more about it if both of you meet in the future." He replied with a bright smile.


    "... Mmm, I would love to."


    Meanwhile, Acrypha was sitting silently near the window as she listened quietly to their conversation. Aplicated glint shed across her eyes for a split second before it vanished.


    ***


    The progress on the path clearing returned to speed. Talon had to assign a new group of students to explore the sewers while the rest took the boats and moved to the other side of Seoul where they began clearing the areas.


    With each passing day, the students grew stronger and stronger and so the pace of their progress quickened every single day. With the addition of Sophie and Cha Kwang''s men, they were able to finish almost triple the work before the end of the week.


    They were also finally able to expand the areas where students could live. The warehouse was big, but it had many ws that made it not optimal as a ce to live in. Students needed their personal space too. Some ns to even rebuild many areas were set up but they were postponed for after the Human Society problem was solved.


    They were also able to reach multiple energy stations in Seoul and reactivate the generators. Granted, most of the electricity devices were destroyed, but, it was still a great achievement to recover some light.


    Everything was going perfectly well for the most part. But, deep down, students were still wary of what was about toe. The days left before the actual mission started were numbered.


    The time to leave the city had arrived.


    ***


    "Is everyone here?" On the morning of the next Monday, Talon stood in front of a group of people. There were almost 50 people, all carrying weapons and wearing some leather armor.


    "Yes sir!"


    "Good. As we discussed before, everyone will get into their assigned vehicles and follow the main vehicle closely. Make sure to keep your eyes open for anything abnormal on the way and notify me immediately. Once we reach our destination, we can discuss the rest of the n further. Understood?"


    "Yes sir!"


    Nodding his head, Talon turned around. "Well, you guys better be careful about where you bring us. I trust that Sophie had told you the consequences of doing anything funny, right?"


    Looking at the group of guards Sophie brought along with her, they had tense expressions.


    "We wouldn''t dare! We will bring you to the same route we took toe here."


    Since they knew the path to Gwangju, they naturally were the ones to lead the entire group.


    "Perfect, get in the cars then."


    "Y-Yes!"


    After that, Talon went around the entire ce, making sure everything was ready before he went to the second vehicle in the line and got inside in the driving seat.


    In the same car were three other people, Hyun-Jae in the passenger seat, Sophie sitting behind along with Chin-Hwa.


    "Why do I have to sit in the back seat, tsk?" Sophie asked with an annoyed look on her face.


    "Because you insisted on ying rock paper scissors with me 5 times and I won 5 consecutive times," Hyun-Jae replied tiredly as she stared out the window.


    "That was cheating! You must''ve cheated somewhere!"


    "No, you are just horribly bad at hiding what kind of hand you were going to y. Have you never heard of the term Poker Face? You''re an actress, no?"


    "I am! That doesn''t mean I can be stoic and boring all the time, bleh." Sophie extended her tongue out sulkingly.


    "Hey, you two, knock it off. We''re about to move." Talon said as he twisted the key, making the engine roar.


    With that, the rest of the vehicles did the same before the entire line started to slowly move.


    The journey to Gwangju had begun.


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 187: Chapter 187- Road Trip In An Apocalyptic World

    "Hmm¡­ Hmm¡­ Hmm¡­"


    Talon hummed quietly as he looked ahead of him. He had a rxed expression on his face as he enjoyed the gentle breezeing from the window. His fingers tapped on the steering wheel rhythmically.


    Meanwhile, Hyun-Jae was watching the outside world move like a blur. Chin-Hwa had his eyes closed as he seemed to be napping and Sophie was watching the road along with Talon.


    "What kind of song is that, Talon?" She asked casually.


    "Hmm? It''s a luby I learned from my mom."


    "Oh, it''s that same tune you always hum?"


    "Yeah, the same one. I''m surprised you remembered it."


    "Hm, I remember everything about you~" Bending forward, Sophie whispered seductively in his ear.


    *CRUSH*


    Suddenly, the duo heard the sound of something cracking. Looking to the side, they saw Hyun-Jae''s hand gripping the side of the door with her fingers digging into it.


    "Oh, my apologies." Realizing what she did, she pulled her hand away and coughed awkwardly.


    "It''s fine, Hyun-Jae," Talon replied with a confused expression.


    ''Oh, that got on her nerve? Good, I need to do it more. She will soon realize that she has no chance against me. Talon and I have known each other for years now, you barely knew him for a month.'' Smirking to herself, she shifted her gaze forward.


    Hyun-Jae sighed and decided to change the topic. "How long would it take for us to reach the next city?" She asked.


    "8 hours¡­ More or less. Probably more since we will probablye across monsters on the way." He said.


    "I didn''t fight any monsters during the entire trip to Seoul. It was unusually quiet actually." Sophie said.


    "Wait, really? Not even a single monster?"


    "No, actually, I even stopped a few times to check whether we were being followed or not. But, there was not a trace of anything." She shook her head.


    Hearing that, Talon frowned slightly. What she said was certainly very odd considering the environment they were moving in. All around them were ins and forests, arguably the best ces for monsters to thrive and get stronger.


    The fact that Sophie didn''t meet any monster the entire time was rming. But, they had no clues as to why yet.


    "We should keep an eye on our surroundings for now. Once we reach the next city, we can investigate further." Talon spoke after thinking for a moment.


    "How long are we going to stay in the next city?" Chin-Hwa opened his eyes and asked.


    "We''re going to spend the night and start moving next morning. It would be optimal if we could only move during the day for better vision but we might end up resorting to moving during the night."


    ''I also want to explore some areas around Seoul. I have never been out of Seoul till now and I want to know what kind of creatures live out here.''


    With how vastly different the nature of the city is to the wilderness, Talon was sure that what exists within the forests is something perhaps far worse than what he saw till that point.


    ''This is my only opportunity to do that.''


    "Talon?" Noticing the serious look on his face, Sophie called his name.


    "Hmm? Oh, it''s nothing." Shaking his head, he turned to Hyun-Jae. "By the way, I forgot to ask. But, isn''t your hometown on your way, Hyun-Jae?"


    "Hm? Yeah, it is the second city after this one." She replied.


    "Then¡­ Could your family be there by any chance?"


    The question made the girl''s expression change subtly before she turned around. "I¡­ don''t know. They are usually on the move most times of the year and they never tell me where or when theye back. I have no idea if they were in South Korea when the gate opened."


    ''They never told me anything anyway.'' She added in her head.


    A bitter taste made its way into her mouth as she pursed her lips.


    "Oh¡­ We should check either way. What about you, Chin-Hwa?"


    "My parents live in America. They nevere back to South Korea unless it''s an important event." He replied casually as if the matter didn''t bother him at all.


    "Are you¡­ Not worried about them?" Talon noticed that odd coldness in his voice so he asked curiously.


    "I don''t¡­ Well, I don''t have any reason to worry." He replied before he closed his eyes again, seemingly not keen on keeping the conversation going.


    ''Everyone is having trouble with their parents one way or another¡­ Is this thatmon nowadays?'' Rubbing the back of his head, Talon focused on the road again.


    "You''re blessed to have good parents, Talon," Acrypha said as she peeked from the window.


    "I guess I am. Also, what are you doing outside?" Talon asked as he blinked in shock. He knew that Acrypha was following him, but the fact that she peeked with her head upside down took him by surprise.


    "I was enjoying the breeze. It''s quite nice."


    "Hmm¡­"


    "Why? Do you want me to sit inside?" She thought for a moment before an amused smile popped into her head.


    "What? No, you can do whatever you want. I don''t mind."


    "Do you?~ Well, I''ve gotten bored now. I want a seat inside the car." She said in a yful tone.


    "Well, there is no space, unless you want to get squeezed between Sophie and Chin-Hwa¡­"


    The entire car had four seats with barely any more space between them.


    "Who said that there is no spot?~" Acrypha replied.


    "Huh?"


    Before the young man could even ask what she was talking about, Acrypha suddenly flew through the window from his side. Then, she shockingly sat in hisp with her back resting on his chest.


    "I have the VIP seat now~"


    The moment her body touched his, a beautiful smell assaulted his nose, better than the highest-quality perfumes he ever smelled. Then, he felt an amazingly soft and voluptuous body from head to toe.


    "Acrypha¡­ What are you doing?" Sucking in a deep breath to calm his racing heart, Talon asked in a low tone as he pretended like he was still driving normally.


    "Hm? What do you mean? I''m just sitting casually in my seat." The girl looked back as she asked innocently. Then, she started wiggling her butt slowly to adjust her position.


    That small movement almost made Talon lose his reasoning. "Hey¡­ Please, can you not do this?"


    "Where am I supposed to sit then? Do you want me to sit in one of theirps instead?"


    "..." The young man opened his mouth to retort only to realize that she had a point. He wouldn''t want her to sit in Hyun-Jae, Sophie, or especially Chin-Hwa''sps.


    "So, can I sit here? Don''t worry, I won''t misbehave~" She said with a smile as she turned around and rested her head against his neck.


    "You''re going to be the end of me¡­ Sigh¡­" With no other choice, Talon put his chin on Acrypha''s head.


    "That''s my sentence, kiddo."


    "Yeah yeah, I''m stealing it for now. After all, I have you sitting on myp like this. My reasoning is not as resilient as you might expect." He replied.


    "Hmm? Your reasoning? Did I affect you in some way?"


    "In more than one way, Acrypha."


    "Hehe, I guess you can''t resist my beauty forever."


    "Yeah, I doubt anyone could do that. Especially when you''re this awfully close to me."


    The two then wentpletely silent as they stared ahead of them. The atmosphere was slightly awkward between the two.


    "What if, hypothetically, I don''t mind you losing your reasoning¡­ What would you do?" She asked in an oddly calm tone.


    "..." Talon didn''t immediately reply as he exhaled a small breath. "You don''t really want to know the answer to that."


    ''I don''t even want to know the answer to that.'' He added in his head as a very unique image formed in his head that he quickly shook away.


    "Hmmm¡­ I guess I know the answer now." She murmured as she turned around and went silent again, not looking at Talon.


    An invisible tension slowly formed between them. But, it was far from being awkward¡­ It was something they never felt between them before and weirdly enough¡­ Neither of them hated it.


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 188: Chapter 188- Ghost Town (Part 1)

    Just like that, a few hours passed quietly. The cars kept moving across the highway, nothing bizarre happened the entire time which made the group even more alert. Theck of enemies around them made them feel very ufortable.


    For the first time since the integration happened, everyone wished at least one monster would show up in front of the group. But, nothing of that sort urred. If anything, nobody could even see a trace of any monster moving on the highway or around it.


    "What is going on?" Talon murmured as he looked around him. "Where is everyone?¡­ There is something off."


    "What is happening in this ce?" Looking outside the window, Hyun-Jae noticed that the ins around them were slowly merging with the forest ahead. What was vast open fields was now a rather thick forest that surrounded them from both sides.


    "Keep yourself alert, we should be reaching the next town any time now."


    Hyun-Jae, Sophie, and Chin-Hwa nodded their heads. Being on high alert in such a situation is the only thing they can do.


    Then, Talon picked up hismunication device and informed everyone to stay ready for any possible changes.


    The vehicles moved slowly through the road as the sun slowly went down beyond the trees. The darkness slowly engulfed them and the temperature grew colder. Turning the headlights of the car on, Talon continued moving after the first vehicle.


    Eventually, the sight of a town finally appeared in the distance. Due to theck of lighting, the town appeared vague, dark, and eerie to a high degree.


    The vehicles approached the town till they were at the entrance. Then, everyone stopped as Talon got out of the car and stepped forward.


    "What an eerie ce." He murmured before he turned to Acrypha. "Do you sense anything odd?"


    The woman looked around her before she sighed. "I can''t tell you or I will be punished. All that I can say is you have to be careful."


    "Hmm, that''s more than enough of an advice." He replied as he approached the first vehicle in the line.


    "Hey¡­" Knocking in the window, he signaled for the driver to push it down.


    "Y-Yes, sir?"


    "Where did you spend the night here?" He asked.


    "We did not spend the night here, sir. We simply took the fuel we found in the town and continued moving as fast as we could."


    "Is that so?"


    "We knew staying could be dangerous so we simply didn''t stop at all."


    ''That would''ve been a good idea if we didn''t have tens of people with us. It would turn really messy really quickly.''


    "Tell everyone toe out." Talon turned around. "Hyun-Jae,e with me. We''re going to check this town." He said.


    "Oh? What about me?" Sophie asked.


    "You stay with the rest and prepare to move. I don''t know why, but I have a bad feeling about this. We must not get separated."


    "Ok¡­" Sophie bitterly nodded her head as she turned around.


    Meanwhile, Hyun-Jae simply pulled her sword out and walked after Talon. "Are you sensing anything?"


    "No, not yet. But, I''m definitely not feelingfortable being here. Let''s see if my hunch is on point."


    With that, the duo walked into the small town slowly. The ce was naturallypletely dested. Except for the rundown houses and the destroyed street, there was nothing worth looking at.


    This town was in reality a vige built in the middle of the forest. It had a beautiful view of the forest so it was quite popr amongst tourists that came to enjoy the nature of South Korea.


    However, that town is nowpletely destroyed. Nobody remained in it as they either escaped or died.


    *Step*


    Walking through the main street of the town, Talon''s eyes coldly looked around him. "It''spletely gone."


    "Yeah¡­ I visited this town a few times before when I was younger. It was a very beautiful ce." Hyun-Jae murmured with aplicated expression.


    The times she spent when she was a kid with her family were one of the most precious memories she had. After all, at the time, things were far better and her life was still the one she imagined it would be¡­ Happy, carefree, beautiful¡­


    But, thingspletely changed in one single moment and since then, they never came back. All that''s left for Hyun-Jae is the memories she tries to piece together from the ruins around her.


    Talon noticed that subtle nostalgia in her eyes and he could only sigh.


    "Well, it seems nothing is in this town. It''spletely empty. We can spend the night here." He said as he turned around to walk back.


    But, at that moment, he suddenly halted as his eyes turned extremely sharp. He felt a chill run down his spine and his aura was perturbed for a couple of seconds. This was the feeling Talon always had when he found himself in a dangerous situation¡­ A very dangerous situation.


    ''What? Something just moved through my senses¡­'' Turning around, Talon summoned his spear.


    Looking around him, he didn''t notice anything off. The entire town was the same and the presence that he detected vanished as if it was never there in the first ce.


    "Talon?" Hyun-Jae snapped out of her daze.


    But, thetter didn''t respond as he kept looking around him. "Get out. I know you''re there, whatever you are." He spoke in a clear and threatening tone.


    ''It moved so fast that I didn''t even have time to identify what it was. I have never seen any monster this fast before¡­ It''s almost like a ghost.''


    So far, the fastest creatures Talon fought were far from being too fast. In fact, Talon was able to overpower them even in terms of speed on his own. However, this one waspletely different and he could feel it clearly.


    "I saide out!" Yelling again when he got no response, his body suddenly flinched before he turned around.


    *Swish*


    Without wasting a single moment, Talon moved his hand at lightning speed at the exact moment when a ck figure stormed through him.


    ''It reached me?! When? I didn''t notice it... I was certain that it left¡­'' His eyes widened as he quickly deflected the attack threatening to tear his face off.


    *CLING*


    The sound of two metal objects shing echoed in the vicinity. Then, out of nowhere, blood sshed from Talon''s cheek.


    "Talon!!" Hyun-Jae quickly channeled her Aetheris, ready to rush toward him.


    "Don''t move!" He yelled back as he quickly wiped his face. "It''s too fast and I can''t see it. Stay focused on your surroundings."


    With a calm mind, Talon kept looking around, ignoring the stinging pain from the injury.


    ''Dammit, if I was a split secondte, it would''ve decapitated me.''


    The feeling of threat grew in his heart. But, he oddly didn''t feel despair in that moment. Even when the monster was clearly very strong, Talon found himself rather focused.


    ''Come on, try me again, bastard.''


    A few slow seconds passed with nothing happening. Then, in a split moment, the ck figure emerged out of nowhere and dashed toward the duo. Its speed was way faster than before, to the point where neither of them could follow it with their eyes.


    *Swish*


    This time, instead of targeting Talon, it instead shifted the direction to Hyun-Jae.


    As it was about to attack, it suddenly felt something fly through the air as it stabbed it in the side. The monster immediately jumped back as it vanished like a ghost.


    "Riiiiii!!!!" The sound of its painful groan echoed in the vicinity.


    Hyun-Jae blinked in shock as her eyes shifted to the shiny object floating in front of her. A very beautiful and graceful blue de quietly levitated where the monster was. ck, gooey substance dripping from it.


    "Even if I can''t see it or feel it¡­ That doesn''t mean I can''t predict where it would attack." Talon said coldly as he moved the de away.


    ''Future Sight came in clutch here¡­ I had a hunch it might attack Hyun-Jae next but I didn''t know where it woulde from.'' His eyes flickered with an ominous light before they returned to normal.


    "What¡­ was that?"


    "I don''t know. But, it''s certainly something that isn''t human. It''s way faster than anything we''ve fought. Even worse, it somehow has a way of moving through my senses without triggering them. Almost as if¡­ It can teleport¡­''


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 153 - 153- Message To Acrypha (Part 1)

    Hyun-Jae didn''t reply for a while as she contemted his words carefully. She was certain that Talon was serious about what he said. However, it was still hard to imagine how that could go.


    ''To control the entirety of Seoul? That''s¡­'' Hyun-Jae frowned slightly as she looked at the endless expansion ofnd in front of her.


    Seoul is one of the biggest cities in the world. A city that once had over 26 million people living in it. Naturally, such a huge number of people living in one city would require a vast area where they can live, work, and do other activities. Now, that city was destroyed, but, the number of monsters inside of it was perhaps farrger than the poption that was in it before.


    "It''s a colossal task." She murmured.


    "It is. But, I think with your help, we can definitely pull it off. Would you help me?" He asked with a smile.


    With the rays of the noon''s sun casting its shadows upon him and with the wind rustling his ck messy hair, Talon appeared almost like a mystic being for Hyun-Jae. Staring at the beautiful scene in admiration, she took a few seconds to read his expression. In the end, she sighed with a wry smile.


    "Were you expecting me to leave when I heard this goal of yours?" She closed her eyes and asked.


    "No. But, I wouldn''t me you if you did. I know how much of a headache this is going to be. But, we can only aim higher if we want to break through the limits and I''m going to keep aiming higher till there is nothing above." He replied as he clenched his fists.


    "Well, I already knew that you were going to say that at some point."


    "Huh? You expected me to do this?" Talon raised an eyebrow.


    "Yes. Well, I didn''t know when, but I was certain of it. I know you far more than you might expect." Hyun-Jae crossed her arms in front of her.


    "Damn¡­ Your senses are too keen." Talon chuckled as he rubbed the back of his head.


    "Of course. In any case, I don''t mind helping you with this goal. I also think that''s the best way to get everyone to live a somewhat safe life."


    "... Just like that?"


    "Yeah."


    "Wow, and here I was ready to give you a long list of reasons why we should do it and the benefits of building an entire society from the ground up."


    "I don''t need all of that. You''re more than enough of a reason to do it." She replied with a smile.


    Hearing that, Talon froze for a second. The reply was sudden and unexpected.


    ''How does she reply this way every single time?'' He asked himself as he looked away awkwardly.


    "Ehem, thank you. Well, since it''s my idea, I won''t burden you with nning. Let me handle this matter since it''s going to be a very slow process across months or perhaps even years."


    ''Though, I don''t want it tost years. Getting stuck in level 25 for years will be ridiculous.'' He thought to himself.


    However, the real reason why Talon didn''t want this process tost years was different. He was actually eager to go through the gate to another dimension as soon as possible. It was going to be dangerous, but the thrill of such an adventure was too captivating for him.


    Going to another world and living there was a fantasy every kid had dreamt of before at some point in their lives. Now that it was a real possibility, Talon could only be excited when he realized that he could finally go there.


    "Anyway, I think we should go back. It''s still chaotic inside." Hyun-Jae said as she turned around and started walking. "Are you still going to stay here admiring the view?"


    "No. I''ming. Give me a second."


    With that, Talon followed after Hyun-Jae back inside the warehouse.


    ***


    For the rest of the day, Hyun-Jae and Talon got busy organizing the entire group, setting up everything in their ce, and making sure everything was ok.


    Having a group of hundreds of people settle down wasn''t an easy task, especially when they arrived at apletely new ce and it became even harder when they had to somehow work with a group of criminals.


    But, in the end, things went somewhat smoothly and everyone went to bed for the night. Talon used a stack of boxes as his bed. Acrypha sat next to him watching him silently while asionally taking a look outside as if she was expecting something.


    This has been her routine every single day ever since she met Talon. To simply watch the young man''s sleeping face and to check the outside world. Each time she would move her eyes away from Talon, her expression would changepletely and she would be more stoic and cold.


    No one knew what was going through her head at the time, not even Talon who waspletely oblivious to this habit of hers.


    "My power is slowlying back¡­" The woman murmured to herself in a mysterious tone. "I thought it was going to take way longer. But, the dense Aetheris in the atmosphere here is elerating the process. In a few months, I will regain 50% of my strength."


    Apart from doing this, Acrypha was also slowly recovering her lost power with each passing second. She had learned how to make her body absorb the Aetheris in the air, filter it, and turn it into strength. An ability that would make Talon''s mouth hang open in shock.


    Time moved slowly for Acrypha as she waited for the sun to rise. However, unbeknownst to her, that night was going to be a lot different than what she expected.


    As she was like that, Acrypha suddenly felt something weird enter the range of her senses. Since she constantly covered the entire globe with her senses, when something odd entered that veil she cast, she would immediately notice it.


    Her eyes that watched Talon softly quickly turned around as they shifted. Before, her eyes were a faint red color that would suck anyone who looks at them. However, at that moment, those red irises went from being round to vertically slit¡­ Like those of snakes and lizards.


    Staring outside the window, her eyes peered through everything in its way. Then, she slowly stood up. Squinting her eyes coldly, she started floating in the air. Before leaving the window, she gave Talon onest nce.


    "I will be back in a minute." She said as if he could hear her.


    Then, she floated through the window slowly before suddenly vanishing out of existence as if she was never there.


    *Swish*


    When Acrypha appeared again, she was in apletely different ce in the world. Around her were vast expanses of ocean that seemed to stretch endlessly. The waves were violent and the rain was pouring down endlessly.


    But, Acrypha ignored all of that and looked up instead. Her eyes fixated on the sky above her. After waiting a few seconds, something finally appeared from behind that veil of grey clouds as it flew down directly toward her like a meteor.


    The object had a bright blue color and a strong aura, but, the moment it reached Acrypha''s hand, its light dimmed down.


    Staring at the thing carefully, Acrypha''s eyes shed with a weird glint.


    "... A voice capsule¡­" She murmured to herself.


    The object she had in her hand was a scroll-shaped object, closed from both sides. It had weird golden engravings on its silver-colored body and it gave off a mystical aura to anyone who touched it. However, from a single look, one could see that the capsule was heavily damaged and cracked in multiple areas.


    ''The fact that it passed through the Core Gate without getting disintegrated is already amazing¡­''


    Acrypha didn''t know who sent it, but, she was certain that it wasn''t a coincidence that the capsule ended up on Earth¡­ Right in the palm of her hand. So, with nothing to wait for, she flicked the lid off before pulling the content of the scrollpressor out.


    In her hand was a piece of paper, blue in color and with a texture far more resilient than that of normal paper.


    Slowly, she pulled the scroll open. The moment she did, the paper started shining brightly as a voice emerged from within the scroll.


    "From the Northern Ruins to the Last Empress¡­" A weak yet soft voice spoke to Acrypha.


    Immediately, Acrypha''s expression changed from curiosity to shock the moment she heard it¡­ A soul-shaking shock. A myriad of emotions shed across her eyes at that moment and her hands started shaking. It was the most shocked Acrypha had ever been and Talon would''ve known that instantly had he seen that look on her face.


    Her heartrate increased to a terrifying degree and she couldn''t stop it from doing so.


    But, even with that, the voice continued speaking, unaware of the woman''s current turbulence.


    "This message has been sent to every single Dimension in existence. We do not know when it will reach its rightful destination in the palm of your hands. Years, decades, centuries, or millennials. Perhaps by the time it does, we all have died or on the verge of death.


    However, for the current moment I''m recording this message, I will say one thing¡­ We are still alive, Your Majesty." In thest sentence, the voice wavered a little as if emotions were taking over it.


    "We haven''t perished, Your Majesty. The very few remaining people of our kind are alive. After that night¡­ We fought our way out of death¡­ Many of us died. Your father¡­ Your Grandfather¡­ Your¡­ Sister¡­" The more it spoke, the more the voice wavered and fluctuated. One could even hear the sniffling sounds in it, clearly indicating that it was crying.


    "We apologize, Your Majesty. We deeply apologize. We couldn''t stop them. We were never destined to emerge victorious and we let you down. Now, we are desperately sending messages to every corner of this vast world, wishing that you will find this. If you ever do, that means that you are still alive and that puts me in great relief.


    But, if you never find it, then, this message shall be considered me leaving a trace of our kind in this world. A trace that says ''We were here. We have lived and thrived and we died with pride.'' A sign for future generations to seek our legacy and our history."


    Amidst the loud sounds of the waves, the voice continued talking.


    A//N: We''re almost reaching the end of the first volume ?? Yay!! Thanks for reading!

 Chapter 154 - 154- Message To Acrypha (Part 2)

    Floating silently as she listened to the message, Acrypha didn''t realize that the barrier she cast around herself to protect her from the rain had vanished and she was now soaking wet with rain.


    Her mind was in so much shambles that she didn''t even care about anything else apart from the voice speaking.


    "We really miss you, Your Majesty. Everyone here is still fighting for their lives in the hopes of seeing you again one day. That is our one and only wish in this life. You''re the only one needed to keep our kind alive. So, please, if you receive this message, do not try toe back. Your father and grandfather sent you away for a reason¡­ To find him¡­ And to fulfill the prophecy.


    That''s the only way we can truly make a change."


    "..." Acrypha pursed her lips as she clenched her teeth.


    "I understand how frustrated and sad you might feel. But, please, don''t do anything reckless. Don''t worry about us, we shall fight till our legs can''t carry us and till our arms can''t lift a sword. No matter what, we won''t fall back, we won''t break. That''s what we were taught and that''s how we''re going to die¡­ On the battlefield, amongst our brothers and sisters.


    "But, for now, this is all I can tell you in this short message: We''re in the Norther Ruins, the ce is extremely dangerous and we have to stay on the move constantly. Once you find the existence you''re seeking, please head toward the Northern Ruins. That''s all, this message shall self-destruct in 10 seconds to avoid keeping any trace of it left."


    Hearing that, Acrypha''s grip on the scroll tightened as she started shaking visibly. The droplets of water fell on her face hiding itpletely.


    "Thank you for everything, your highness. We all love you. Keep your head held high."


    Then, out of nowhere, the scroll started burning on its own before it disintegratedpletely in a matter of seconds, leaving nothing behind, not even ashes.


    Acrypha floated in her ce for a long time, not moving a single muscle. Her mind repeated the words the voice said again and again and again as if it were a broken record. Each time she remembered those words, her soul would shake.


    "I found him¡­ I have already found him¡­ Everyone¡­ He is the one I have been looking for¡­ No, he is far better than that¡­ Please, wait for me¡­ I wille back with him on my side¡­ He will be the one to finish it all¡­" She said in a wavery voice as she wiped her face with the back of her hand. A determined look shed across her eyes for a split second.


    "Don''t worry, the message has reached me¡­ All of your voices have reached me. Let me carry that burden till the veryst moment. You have done enough, everyone. Thank you¡­ For trusting me." Her voice echoed in the empty world, not heard by anyone except herself.


    But, for one reason or another, the wind and the rain grew even more intense the more she talked as if it was reacting to her oath¡­ An oath that she took right there and then.


    ***


    "Hnng¡­ It''s already morning¡­" Opening his eyes, Talon frowned as he rose up rubbing his face. "I slept like shit yesterday but I''m not feeling tired."


    For some reason, Talon didn''t feel well-rested after yesterday''s sleep. He could vaguely recall having a bad dream in the middle of the night but he can''t really remember anything about it.


    "Hey, Acrypha, what time is it now?" He asked as he rubbed his eyes, not looking around him.


    However, he didn''t get a response which made him look up confusedly. "Acrypha?" He looked around him, only to see the woman sitting near the window, staring outside.


    "Oh, there you are. Good morning." He said as he stood up.


    Acrypha: "..."


    The woman didn''t reply as she kept looking outside.


    "Acrypha? I''m talking to you." Talon said again with an even more confused look. It was rare for this otherworldlypanion of his to ignore him so it raised many questions in his head.


    ''Is she ok?'' He asked himself as he approached her and peeked at her from the side.


    "Heyyyy, from Earth to Acrypha. Do you copy?" He asked jokingly as he snapped his finger in front of her to catch her attention.


    "What the hell do you want?!" Suddenly, Acrypha snapped back as she red at Talon. A very small amount of her aura leaked out, making Talon step back with a frown.


    At that moment, the woman realized what she had done as her expression went from anger to shock.


    "Oh, it was you, Talon. Sigh, I''m really sorry¡­ I didn''t mean to snap at you¡­ I was just¡­" She tried to find the words to apologize but all she could do was look down.


    "Are you ok?"


    "Yeah, I''m fine, it''s nothing to worry about."


    "Well, now I''m worried, that''s for sure. Are you really fine? Did something bad happen?" He asked as he approached her again.


    ¨»???¦Ø#§Ñ-¦Ã¡Ò-¦Ò§Ú-*


    Even though Talon''s heart was still beating fast from the sudden unleash of Acrypha''s aura, he didn''t let it show on his face as he tried to calm the woman down. But, in reality, he was still quite shocked by how terrifying that small amount of aura she leaked out was.


    He was certain that it wasn''t even a fraction of what Acrypha could reveal and yet it was more than enough to send chills down his spine. The difference in strength between them was like the earth and the stars.


    "It''s not something I can tell you about. Don''t worry, it''s really nothing you should be concerned about currently." She replied in a calmer tone.


    However, Talon ignored her words as he looked down at her hands. He noticed how they were shaking visibly for some reason and it only made him even more concerned.


    At that moment, his expressionpletely changed from confusion to a frown.


    "I see¡­" He murmured before he suddenly extended his arm and grabbed her hand.


    "Talon?"


    "Follow me." He said as he pulled her hand and descended from the stack of boxes. Acrypha blinked as she followed him silently.


    "Hey, leader! Good morning!!"


    "Good morning, leader!"


    The students greeted Talon when they saw him, but thetter didn''t respond as he continued walking.


    "Hm? Is the leader ok? Why does he look so serious in the morning?" One asked.


    "Maybe he didn''t have a good night''s sleep? It happens." Another replied as they shrugged it off.


    "Poor leader. He deserves the most rest out of all of us and yet he can''t even have that due to stress. Oh, he''s so amazing!"


    "Shut up and eat your food before it gets cold, dumbass!"


    ***


    Exiting the warehouse, Talon dragged Acrypha toward the exit as he left the ce without telling anyone.


    "Hey, where are you going?" Acrypha decided to ask when she saw Talon''s weird behavior.


    Thetter didn''t reply and kept walking till he was a hundred meters or so away from the warehouse. Then, he sprawled down on the ground.


    "I''m not moving from here a single inch till you tell me what''s wrong." He said in a dead serious tone.


    "What? Why would you do that?"


    "I can decide what I want to do. Now, you can either tell me what''s wrong, or some monster cane by and kill me. I won''t move a single muscle." He added.


    Acrypha found herselfpletely speechless. The reason for that was the fact that she couldn''t even notice a single hint of lying in Talon''s voice. He was being as serious as he could be.


    "Why would you do this? You''re going too far. It''s not something I can tell you about ye-"


    "I''ve had enough of beingpletely clueless about what''s happening outside this world. I know that you''re doing this to protect me and I really appreciate that. But, at the very least, I want to know what''s distressing you."


    "... I¡­ What¡­"


    "It''s all over your face, Acrypha. I can see it as clear as day¡­ You''re in a lot of pain and you''re trying to hide it as best as you can. But, I know you more than anyone else. There is no reason to hide it from me."


    With how much time Talon had spent talking to this gorgeous woman, he had basically mastered the art of reading her expression even though he thought it was an impossible task at first. Acrypha was simply too good at hiding her emotions, even the positive ones.


    But, Talon and Acrypha shared a connection far deeper than merepanionship. The two of them knew each other inside and out as if it was the most natural thing to happen.


    With Talon''s soft look, and his words that resonated reply in her head, all of Acrypha''s walls started crumbling.


    A//N: Golden Tickets Boys ??

 Chapter 158 - 158- Clearing Out Seoul (Part 1)

    *1 Week Later*


    *GRAWR*


    A giant bear growled loudly as it charged toward a group of humans at top speed. Its hideous appearance and sharp fangs made it seem way more terrifying than a normal bear should be.


    The survivors took a fighting stance immediately as they got ready to fight it. Even with its terrifying presence looming over them, none of them lost theirposure. Instead, they simply put their entire focus on it.


    When the monster reached them, it shed down with a mighty force. Immediately, the survivors dispersed, letting the ws hit the ground. Then, they quickly surrounded the monster and attacked it ruthlessly.


    *GRAAWWWRRR*


    The creature shrieked when it felt the weapons piercing through its skin and tried to frantically push them away. However, the survivors were anticipating that and quickly dodged the attack before they resumed their assault.


    The battle continued for a while going back and forth. The survivors strategically attacked and retreated as they chipped down at the monster''s strength without rushing. This wasn''t the first nor thest time they had fought this kind of creature so they knew very well what its behavior was like.


    With that, the n slowly manifested in reality and the monster''s resistance weakened as the injuries umted on its body.


    In the end, the monster fell to the ground dead.


    "Yes! We did it!" One of the survivors eximed with a smile on his face.


    "Another one down!"


    "Let''s keep up the rhythm guys! We''re on a roll!"


    The group celebrated the kill as they felt their pride and ego grow higher and higher. They were now able to take down monsters way bigger than them with ease. It filled them with a sense of aplishment.


    However, at that moment, they suddenly heard a loud bang. Quickly, they looked up to the other side of the street. There, a swarm of the same type of bear was attacking what seemed to be a single person.


    -read-now


    Their arms flew everywhere as they violently rampaged around, trying to squash him to death. Much to their shock, that single individual suddenly disappeared like a sh as he passed through the monsters in the blink of an eye.


    When he appeared on the other side, he had in his hand multiple giant monster cores. Then, a momentter, blood exploded from the monsters'' bodies as they fell down one by one like flies.


    "Wha¡­"


    The students werepletely stunned by what they saw. In less than a second, 5 of these terrifying monsters were down on the ground when 6 of them took 4 whole minutes to kill one. The more shocking fact is that¡­ this individual didn''t even use their weapon.


    *Drip* *Drip*


    Talon looked down at his bloodied hands with a calm look. "Sigh, this is seriously messy." He murmured to himself.


    "He killed them¡­ With his bare hands." One spoke as his mouth hung open.


    "The leader¡­ is something else¡­"


    "Yeah¡­"


    As they watched their leader in awe, Talon turned around and secretly through the monster cores in his storage space.


    "I''m d I can stack up cores in one bag inside the storage instead of each one taking an individual slot."


    Even though so far, he only had three slots, Talon made full use of them and they turned out to be pretty useful in most situations. Not only did they give him a ce where to put his things without worrying about them getting stolen or being an extra weight on him but it also gave him the element of surprise when needed.


    For his enemies, if Talon approached them barehanded and then suddenly manifested a weapon at thest second, it would most likely take them by surprise each time. It was perfect in fights where Talon had some kind of disadvantage or had to finish the fight quickly.


    "Hey, are you ok, folks?" Turning around, he called for the group, shaking them out of their trance.


    "Yes, sir!"


    "Good, you can take a break now. We already cleared this street. We will continue in 15 minutes." Talon said.


    "Yes, sir!"


    With that, the group quickly prepared a small area where they could rest for a while and eat some food to restore their energy.


    Talon sat down against the wall on his own and left the students to eat and talk jovially. Stretching his neck, Talon closed his eyes. He took a few seconds of silence before he slowly moved his hand to his pocket and pulled out a small notebook and a pen.


    Opening the notebook, he flipped through a few written pages before he ended up at a fresh new page. Then, he started writing.


    ''Today is the 20th of March, the weather is cold, slightly windy, and perhaps a little cloudy too. It has been a week since we started the operation of expanding to the south. We have cleared almost 30 kilometers worth of areas and we secured the buildings in them. The process has been smooth so far with no major problems.


    If we continue at this rate, we should be able to clear a path out of Seoul in a few more days.'' After writing that, he read it again once before he nodded his head and closed the notebook.


    Ever since he started this mission, Talon had been writing down the process in a notebook. He had no particr reason to do that except to document everything he does for the future. It also was a perfect way to get all of his thoughts out.


    "Do you want some snacks, leader?" As he was like that, a girl called his name, making him look up.


    "No, it''s fine, you guys eat. I''m not hungry."


    "If you say so¡­"


    "Don''t forget to skin that bear when you finish eating. They have quite strong hides so they can definitely be used as armor."


    "Yes¡­"


    ''Didn''t he just pierce through that hide with his bare hand?'' The group thought to themselves.


    "Hey, Leader, can I ask a question?"


    "Hmm¡­" Talon hummed as he wiped his hands with a wet towel.


    "Can you give us love advice?"


    The moment Talon heard that question, his movements halted as he looked up. "What? Love advice?"


    "Yes. I have never had a girlfriend before and I don''t know how to approach a girl. I thought any advice you might give me would be really helpful." The male student smiled.


    "... And why do you think I might know anything about that?" Talon asked back with a raised eyebrow.


    "Come on, we all know that you''re very good at it. Isn''t that right, guys?"


    "Yes."


    "Definitely."


    "He''s the best to ever do it."


    Seeing everyone nodding their heads, Talon frowned. "Huh? I''m really not that good at it. I''m as inexperienced as you guys or probably less."


    ''Well, except for that one time.'' He added in his head as the image of a particr girl shed in his head for a split second before vanishing.


    "The leader is so humble."


    "Yeah, if I was in his ce, I would definitely feel really proud or even brag about it."


    "That''s the difference between him and us."


    "Guys, guys, hold your horses right there. I really don''t know where you got the idea that I''m experienced. I really am not."


    "Huh? You''re not?"


    "Yeah, I am not."


    The students looked at each other confusedly as if they couldn''t believe it at all.


    "Then¡­ You asked the president out just like that?"


    "Hmm, maybe it''s because the president is also not ustomed to such things."


    "Yeah, that makes sense."


    As the students started conversing, Talon was frozen in his ce.


    "I asked Hyun-Jae out? When did I do that?"


    "Please, leader. We already know that you two are dating. You don''t have to hide it, hehe."


    "Since when¡­ Sigh, wait, hold on a second¡­" Rubbing his temples tiredly, Talon slowly started to understand what was happening.


    ''Is this some kind of dumb rumor? There was also that girl who thought I could enter Hyun-Jae''s tent just like that. Oh no¡­''


    "Listen here, guys, I will make it clear once. I am NOT dating Hyun-Jae. We are simply friends and partners. Just like you all are my partners in this. This rumor is wrong and stupid." He said.


    "... So¡­ We were wrong?"


    "Yes."


    The students were stunned for a few seconds as they stared at Talon. Then, they suddenly bowed.


    "We''re really sorry, leader!! We didn''t know that!"


    "It''s fine, geez. You don''t have to apologize. You probably heard it from the others and believed it."


    "Y-Yes¡­"


    ''Sigh, there are Hyun-Jae''s feelings, and now this¡­ I don''t know anymore.''


    Even though Talon immediately shut down those rumors. Deep down, he didn''t actually hate the idea of being linked with Hyun-Jae that way even if it was not true. His mind wasn''t opposed to the idea.


    ''If things continue this way, those rumors might not remain false¡­''


    "Ok, guys, enough chit-chat, time to get back to work." Shaking those thoughts away, Talon stood up as he pped his hands. "We must finish this area by the end of the day. So, brace yourself!"


    "Yes, sir!"


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 159 - 159- Clearing Out Seoul (Part 2)

    Talon''s group then continued their mission. They moved around, killing all the monsters in their way. Talon took one side of the street on his own while the rest of the group took another side and they swapped whenever needed.


    This was the n that all the other groups also followed as they expanded into the other areas of Seoul. Even though their main target was the south since they wanted to reach Gwangju, they still made sure to empty out particr key points of Seoul that would be useful for the future when they would start really working on taking over the city.


    By the end of the day, the group had already finished their work and decided to take a break before going back to the warehouse as they nned beforehand.


    "When are we going to reach the Han River I wonder?" One of the students asked curiously.


    "A few more kilometers," Talon replied. "It''s a few streets from here. We should be able to reach it tomorrow."


    "Oh, then, how are we going to cross it?"


    Normally, crossing the river was an easy task since there were many bridges that connected both sides of the city through it. However, after the continuous earthquakes that assaulted the world, those bridges were eitherpletely destroyed or simply too fragile to use reliably multiple times to transport students.


    No matter how they looked at it, there weren''t many things they could do. The river was too wide to cross swimming and even if they could somehow swim to the other side, the water was simply too cold and could pretty much kill most of the students.


    Talon and Hyun-Jae were already aware of that problem and they had one single solution to it.


    "We''re gonna have to use a boat to cross the river. It''s the only way. We can probably find a few docked near the river." Talon replied.


    ''However, we would only be able to move so much of the number of survivors. That would probably slow down the process a little. But, once we reach the exit of Seoul, everything else should be smooth.'' He thought to himself.


    Since the outside of Seoul was just empty vastnds, they could use cars to cross that distance without problems.


    With that in mind, the group reached the warehouse. There, they found the rest of the groups led by the others were already back.


    Walking inside, Talon was weed by Hyun-Jae.


    "Good work. Here, have some water." She said as she gave him a bottle.


    Talon took it as he thanked her before he rested his back against the wall and took a sip. "Fuuh, that''s refreshing."


    Hyun-Jae stood next to him and asked. "How was your progress?"


    "Good. We''re still going ording to n."


    "I''m d to hear that. My side is also going well. We''re going to reach the Han River from the west tomorrow."


    "Same here."


    Then, the two went silent for a while as they stood next to each other, watching the rest of the students settle down for the day and cook food. The atmosphere was calm and warm which made them instinctively rx a little bit.


    The cold warehouse has been turned into a warm shelter for the survivors and the duo felt slightly proud of that. The bond between the group grew stronger and stronger and they now felt more like a family rather than a bunch of survivors.


    "Oh, by the way." Then, Talon spoke out of nowhere.


    "Hm?"


    "Apparently there is a rumor circting amongst the group. A very dumb rumor."


    "What kind of rumor?"


    "Uh, how should I say this." Thinking for a second, Talon pursed his lips. "Well, let''s say that many students think that¡­ We''re¡­ Uh¡­"


    Hyun-Jae looked at him confusedly as she didn''t hear thest part.


    Talon found it hard to say thest sentence with how awkward it was. But, he still decided to finish the sentence.


    "That we''re dating or something like that."


    Hyun-Jae: "..."


    Looking at him with a stunned expression, Hyun-Jae took a few seconds to take in what he said.


    "Oh¡­ Why would they think that?"


    "I don''t really know. But, it''s probably a misunderstanding. I already rified that it''s not true. But, I just wanted to tell just in case." He replied with an awkward chuckle.


    However, much to Talon''s surprise, Hyun-Jae didn''t immediately approve of what he did. Instead, she kept staring at him for a while.


    "Hyun-Jae?"


    "Hmm? O-Oh yeah, ehem, I understand. Thank you for telling me." She said.


    "Anytime¡­" Talon replied with a weird tone.


    see-MVLeMpYr-for-more


    "Well, I''m going to go get some rest now. See youter." The girl excused herself before walking away quickly.


    ''Why am I feeling like this?... Why is my heart hurting?'' She asked herself as she touched her chest gently.


    This was the first time Hyun-Jae felt this way in her life. It was really unpleasant and almost suffocating. But, since she never experienced it before, her first thought was that something was wrong with her. But, then she quickly remembered how this feeling emerged when she heard Talon say that he turned down those rumors.


    ''I''m really acting off¡­'' Running her hand through her head, she decided to head to her section of the warehouse to calm down.


    Talon watched her back silently. Aplicated glint shed across his eyes for a moment before he looked away.


    "Well, I probably should''ve not brought that up. I''m so stupid." Sighing to himself, he continued sipping on the bottle of water.


    "Hmm, that would probably make her realize her feelings faster than before," Acryphamented from the side.


    "You think so?"


    "I know so. She''spletely clueless about it so anything would feel considerably different for her. With how smart she is, I doubt that she will just brush these feelings off anymore. You will have to be ready to address those feelings, Talon."


    "Yeah, yeah, to be honest, I think I already have the answer to it."


    "Ohoh? What is it?" Acrypha smiled. "Is it something along the lines of ''I have the love of my life, a beauty like no other and we''re destined to be together for eternity. I''m sorry, but I can''t be with you.''?" She jokingly deepened her voice as she started impersonating Talon. Her moves were soically exaggerated that it made the young manugh.


    "I don''t speak like that! You make me sound like some kind of creep."


    "Hmm, I must say, I was spot on with that. I can speak like you."


    "Haha, I really don''t speak like that."


    "''I really don''t speak like that.''" Acrypha replied jokingly as she repeated his words.


    "Tsk, so childish, stop it."


    "''Tsk, so childish, stop it''."


    "Ok, ok, fine, I kinda speak like that. Can you stop now?" He raised his hand in defeat.


    They continued joking and bantering for a while as they enjoyed their time together. After a week since their talk, Acrypha had returned to normal for the most part. He could see her losing focus every now and then but he was d that she didn''t remain down.


    However, one thing he noticed that changed about Acrypha was how close the two of them became after that. It was as if their rtionship which seemed to have reached some kind of bottleneck had broken through.


    He couldn''t describe it in words but he felt it and he was certain Acrypha did too.


    ***


    The rest of the night passed quietly, and the morning sun quickly rose. After eating breakfast they immediately left to continue their work.


    The rest of the morning hours were spent killing monsters and clearing the route to the river. By the time it was noon, their progress reached a halt.


    When Talon and his group reached the river, they were met with a sight they never expected at all.


    "What in the¡­" Looking at the river with wide eyes from across the street, Talon didn''t feel when his breath halted for a second.


    The Han River, a beautiful river that split Seoul in half and had a nice view to the other side of the city¡­ had turned into a giganticke that expanded far into the distance. Looking into the far distance, Talon couldn''t see the other side at all as it waspletely flooded with water.


    "L-Leader¡­ What happened?" One of the students asked in a terrified tone.


    "The expansion¡­ It expanded the river." Talon replied with a weird tone as he started walking closer and closer to the edge of the street. Since the water level had increased a lot, he could easily touch the water if he simply extended his hand over the bridge.


    "Cold¡­" The sensation of the water on his hand was deadly cold, akin to touching ice.


    Then, he slowly lifted his hand and licked his finger, only for his eyes to squint.


    "Salty¡­ It''s not fresh water." He murmured.


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 161 - 161- Sea Hunter (Part 1)

    Talon gave her a single nce before he slowly nodded his head. Even though he would''ve preferred if Hyun-Jae didn''t follow him since if her boat broke, it would be a disaster. But, he didn''t forget that this was Hyun-Jae he was talking about, in most scenarios she could very much take care of herself without his help.


    In fact, she was so capable in his opinion that her idea made him feel even more at ease knowing that Hyun-Jae would actually drag him out of the water if he ended up in trouble.


    "Ok, I agree to that. But, if you end up having to drag me for any reason, can I at least give you a sign whether that''s necessary or not?"


    "What kind of sign?" Hyun-Jae raised an eyebrow.


    "Every 2 minutes, I will shake the rope to tell you that I''m fine. That way, you would know whether I need help or not. If I don''t shake the rope after 2 minutes pass, you can immediately drag me out." He exined.


    "That''s¡­" The girl frowned a little. For some reason, as much as it sounded like a good idea, the sheer pressure of having to wait two minutes each time for the rope to shake was perhaps the most nerve-wracking thing Hyun-Jae would go through.


    But, in the end, her heart and mind knew that Talon simply wanted the n to work. Everything about this task was going to be nerve-wracking.


    "Ok, I will follow your words. But, if the timer reaches the two-minute mark and you don''t instantly shake the rope, I''m going to pull you out immediately, no questions asked, ok?"


    "Yeah, I know and I don''t mind. If anything, please do that, I might be drowning down there, hahaha."


    Hyun-Jae: "..."


    The girl''s eyes darkened as her aura leaked a little, making Talon flinch.


    "Don''t even joke about that."


    "Yes, ma''am." He nodded his head.


    "Sigh, I really hope everything goes smoothly."


    "As long as I''m the one who does it, things will always go well, don''t worry." Talon tapped her shoulder as he walked back to the group.


    "We will see¡­"


    ***


    For the next hour or so, the group worked hard to gather as many monster carcasses as possible, then, they tied those corpses with tight ropes. After that, they brought Talon a diving suit with its own mask and a small oxygen tank.


    "How long does this tankst I wonder?" Talon murmured as he tapped it.


    "It depends on how you use it, but, you have no more than 10 minutes of oxygen before it runs out," Soomin replied.


    "Ten minutes¡­ Huh." Repeating her words as he stared at the tank, Talon pursed his lips.


    ''Well, now I have to worry about my oxygen too, perfect.'' Shaking his head, he stood up and put the tank on his back.


    "No worries, ten minutes is more than enough to kill any monster lurking in that ce."


    With that, he waspletely ready for the mission. All that was left was to get on the boat which was the easiest task since they found countless boats floating aimlessly in the river with no owners using them.


    The perfect boat was soon dragged to where Talon stood as he hoped on it.


    "Hmm, I gotta get ustomed to this suit, it''s too tight." Stretching his arms, Talon tried to free himself a little.


    The only negative thing he could say about the suit was that it restricted his movement quite a bit. Especially in a fight, Talon couldn''t really have a full-range motion to deliver devastating attacks.


    "You will have to rely a lot on your spear instead of your own strength. That Blue Lapis material is really special." Acrypha said.


    "Would there actually be that big of a difference?" He raised an eyebrow as he looked at his floatingpanion.


    "Most definitely, you will notice the difference when you dive in the water. That weapon is lethal in that environment."


    "Ok, got it." Rubbing the back of his head, Talon turned around, only to see Hyun-Jae standing behind him.


    "You look great." She said jokingly.


    "Do I? I feel like I''m being squeezed to death."


    "Better than freezing to death." She replied with a chuckle.


    Even though she might seem normal, Talon knew that she was only joking to alleviate the tension and to lessen her worries.


    ''She cares for me a lot. Sigh, I wouldn''t want to worry her needlessly. But, it doesn''t seem to work at all.'' He thought to himself.


    So, with that in mind, he approached Hyun-Jae before he whispered in her ear. Nobody noticed when he did that as it seemed like he was simply moving past her. But, Hyun-Jae heard him well.


    "Thank you for worrying about me."


    Her eyes widened slightly as she looked to the side. But, he had already moved past her as if nothing happened.


    "Let''s get this over with, ok? It won''t take that long." He spoke to the group standing near the edge. "Throw the carcasses."


    Immediately, the group went to work as they started pushing the bait into the water.


    *SPLASH*


    Water sshed violently with each corpse falling into it. Then, the corpses would rise to the surface and float silently.


    One by one, the entire area was covered in a few minutes. Blood seeped from the dead monsters into the water, coating it in an eerie red color. A weird, metallic smell filled the air.


    Meanwhile, Talon put the mask on his forehead as he got ready to jump at any given moment. What was left was a single thing¡­ Waiting for the sign to appear.


    With the baits set in ce, they only had to wait for the monsters to take them. Nobody knew how long that would take since they didn''t even know whether there were monsters beneath them or not in the first ce. But, patience was the biggest key at that moment.


    Silence took over the entire ce as everyone watched the water anxiously for any unusual movements. The tension was palpable amongst the survivors, including Hyun-Jae. The only one that didn''t seem nervous was Talon who was ironically the one to put his life in the most danger.


    For some reason, even when he was supposed to be terrified, he was extremely calm and collected. This wasn''t the first time it happened to him and yet it was still surprising each time.


    ''I''m really starting to think like some kind of seasoned warrior who saw death countless times. I don''t feel like anything can outright terrify me into running for my life.'' He thought to himself as he sat on the edge of the boat and watched the water silently.


    Seconds turned into minutes and minutes turned into dozens of minutes and no corpse was eaten yet.


    "Are there really monsters down there? We''ve been waiting for almost an hour now." One said.


    "We have to be patient. Normal fishing would take hours usually. One hour is nothing."


    "But still¡­ Something should''ve at least noticed the bait, right?"


    Many were starting to think that there weren''t really any creatures lurking in the depths. Though, most of it was their wishful thinking rather than actual facts.


    Meanwhile, Talon and Hyun-Jae were stillpletely focused on the water as if a minute had just passed.


    At that moment, something finally happened.


    *Ssh*


    Out of nowhere, one of the corpses suddenly shook before it started going down. Talon''s eyes shed with a sharp glint as he immediately pulled the mask down.


    Hyun-Jae turned around to the students. "Grab the ropes and start pulling now!" She yelled.


    The group snapped out of their daze as they quickly kicked into motion. Locating the rope that linked to that particr bait, theytched into it.


    "Pull!!"


    The entire group used their collective strength to start pulling. Meanwhile, whatever was pulling that corpse found itself struggling to make it submerge.


    "Hnng! It''s really, pulling hard!"


    MVLeMpYr-official-text


    At the same time, Talon pulled down the mask before he adjusted the oxygen tank output.


    "I''m going, Hyun-Jae." He notified the girl before he flipped back and left his body to be pulled down by gravity.


    *Ssh*


    The moment Talon''s body made contact with the water, a cold sensation filled his senses. The extremely cold water touched his skin and made him frown a little.


    ''Nice cold bath¡­'' He thought to himself as he slowly submerged his head underwater to take a look.


    The water beneath the surface waspletely dark akin to an endless abyss. A normal eye would never be able to see anything. However, Talon didn''t find a problem in seeing a few dozen meters away from him.


    ''How deep did this river get, geez?''


    Scanning the area around him, he noticed something moving in the distance. With a closer look, he could identify the thing as a rather big fish with two heads and sharp teeth. It had the appearance of a piranha except for more terrifying.


    That creature wastched into the corpse as it tried to drag it down violently while facing the resistance of the survivors outside.


    Without time to waste, Talon pulled his spear out as he dived down and moved toward the creature as fast as he could.


    ''Holy shit! I''m fast!''


    Even though he barely shook his legs a few times, Talon had already crossed a dozen meters. He never realized that his leg strength had reached a level where it could easily rival that of an actual fish in the water.


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 162 - 162- Sea Hunter (Part 2)

    Immediately, the creature released its prey and turned toward Talon with its two terrifying heads.


    Then, like a bolt, itunched itself toward Talon as it opened its wide mouth, ready to swallow him whole. However, the young man quickly brandished his spear as he moved it forward.


    One split second before they shed, Talon changed the grip on his weapon and shed horizontally. That''s when he noticed it.


    *Swish*


    The spear''s movement was way faster than he expected. So fast in fact, that Talon''s eyes barely followed it even though he was looking at his hands. Then, he was met with a second shock.


    *BOOOOM*


    The momentum of the sh created a gigantic underwater shockwave that flew toward the monster fish.


    Upon contact, the sh cut the monster in two as if it were made out of paper. Blood exploded from the monster''s two severed parts and it died almost instantly.


    [Ding!]


    [You have killed a level 19 Sea Muncher.]


    ''Sea Muncher, huh?'' Reading the notification, Talon squinted his eyes. The name sounded rather funny for a creature that looked like it came straight out of someone''s nightmare. Then, his eyes shifted to the spear in his hand.


    Even though the description of the skill indicated that it worked amazingly well in a water environment, he still didn''t think it would make this much of a difference. He didn''t even use much force in his arms and yet the attack was so terrifyingly powerful.


    ''So this is the effect of the boost.


    But, in the end, it was still good news so he didn''t dwindle on it much and looked around him.


    The reason for that was simple, he had suddenly noticed multiple new auras entering his area of detection. The auras were numerous in number and were very simr to one another and to the monster he just killed.


    Then, out of the darkness, the two-headed abominations emerged, looking as terrifying as ever. Their numbers were in the dozens and each one seemed maddeningly hungry for blood.


    ''The entire squad is here.'' Gripping his spear tightly, Talon channeled his Aetheris as he activated Spearmanship and Future Sight.


    Immediately, his irises lit up with a faint blue light as quick images of the future shed in his brain. In a moment, Talon knew exactly where the monsters were going to attack him.


    Future Sight was perhaps his most terrifying ability apart from the Azure mes and the Tear Of Reality. Those were purely destructive. But, Future Sigh gave him a huge advantage over his opponents no matter the situation.


    Knowing what your opponent was going to do before they do it is an advantage that can determine victory.


    *Swish*


    With that in mind, Talon dashed forward at top speed like a fish as he reached the group of fish. Then, he shed multiple times with his spear. Waves of water currents were generated one after the other, sting the fish back.


    A series of ringing sounds filled his brain for a moment before he shut them down and quickly turned around. Even though his first few attacks killed a good number of the fish, the rest quickly moved all around him.


    Floating in his ce, Talon took a deep breath as his eyes turned extremely sharp.


    ''Time to get serious.'' He thought to himself.


    *Swish*


    Without waiting, the monsters quickly dashed toward him from all angles. The young man didn''t waste time and flew up, letting them smash against each other. Or that was what he thought would happen.


    However, much to his shock, the fish were able to instantly change their direction as they rose up after him.


    ''Shit!''


    Realizing his mishap, Talon tried to immediately recover as he shed down. The attack cut through multiple abominations. The rest quickly lunged at him hungrily.


    ''I didn''t know they had this fucking ability!!'' Cursing, Talon quickly swam up as fast as he could with the fish in hot pursuit.


    In a matter of moments, he reached the surface. But, instead of emerging outside, Talon suddenly changed his direction at thest moment.


    *Ssh*


    Almost instantly, the fish tried to change directions too. But, they didn''t ount for an important detail.


    *BANG*


    The moment the front line of fish stopped, the ones behind them didn''t react in time and smashed into them and then the line behind that one smashed into the second line. In less than a second, the entire group was thrown into chaos.


    *Ssh*


    That naturally led to some of the fish flying out in the air as bubbles filled the entire surface of the river.


    "What is happening?" Hyun-Jae watched the scene with a frown. Her heart was beating loudly from sheer worry, but, with her strong vision, she was able to see Talon''s silhouette as he moved near the surface at top speed.


    ''What is he trying to do?'' As she watched him silently, Talon suddenly dived deeper again.


    In a few moments, he went 20 meters deep. Then, he adjusted himself so that his body would face the surface before he grabbed the spear with both hands.


    ''Oh boy, this is such a ridiculous idea I''m trying to do.'' He thought to himself with a sigh.


    Then, using all his strength, Talon started slowly spinning the spear clockwise. The rotation speed slowly elerated with each passing moment. Meanwhile, the fish had fallen back into the water and dove toward the young man with far more bestial rage than before.


    Meanwhile, thetter continued to elerate the rotation, moment by moment. What started as a slow movement, turned into an extremely fast fan and kept going.


    At the same time, a water current was forming in front of Talon. A whirlpool-shaped tornado manifested and grew bigger as the rotation speed quickened.


    ''Faster! I need it to be faster!'' He thought to himself as he focused his entire strength on his arms. His veins expanded and his hands moved way quicker than before. Coupled with the boost in the spear''s ability, Talon witnessed his idea appear in real life.


    A gigantic whirlpool of water rose up to meet the monsters. All the momentum created so far came in one single moment as it smashed against the group of fish,pletely capturing them.


    *Swish*


    All the monsters started rolling around in the heart of the whirlpool as it slowly moved up. Meanwhile, the water current around it grew extremely violently, pulling in all the water around it.


    "Huh¡­"


    Outside, Hyun-Jae noticed that the boat was slowly starting to shake as the previously calm surface started bing violent.


    The girl didn''t know what was happening down there and the grip on the rope naturally grew stronger. But, the 2-minute mark didn''te yet so she didn''t try to pull it.


    ''This is Talon''s work, I''m sure. He''s the only one that can do things like this.''


    With that belief in mind, Hyun-Jae''s eyes moved back to the water as she noticed something odd.


    The shape of the surface a dozen meters away from her was carved in as a circr whirlpool formed. Then, out of nowhere, dozens of gigantic two-headed piranhas were sted into the air.


    "Wha¡­" The girl''s eyes widened as she watched the dissected, bloodied monsters rising in the air. Bits and pieces of their bodies werepletely separated as if they were cut with a knife.


    Then, what followed was a rain of blood poured on the area before the dead monsters fell down to the sea again with a loud ssh.


    Hyun-Jae quickly covered her face from the blood as she looked down again with a shocked expression. The entire area around the boat was turned into a sea of dead monsters.


    The red color of blood covered every single inch of the area, turning it into a terrifying blood sea.


    "..." Hyun-Jae couldn''t find the words to describe what she was seeing.


    *Ssh*


    Then, out of the water, a head popped up.


    "Damn, are you ok, Hyun-Jae? I tried to go as far away from the boat as possible to do it but it still reached you." He pulled the oxygen mask off as he said.


    "..."


    "Hyun-Jae?"


    "Yeah¡­ I''m fine¡­" She shook her head as she replied. "Are you ok?"


    "Yeah. That wasn''t too bad. But, I don''t know if that''s the only type of monster living here. I''m going to continue roaming for a while before we call it a day."


    ''I don''t think that''s the only group of monsters in here. My guts aren''t feeling at ease.'' Floating silently above water, Talon contemted that feeling he had a while before.


    "Are you sure?" Hyun-Jae yelled at him.


    "Yes, I won''t take long. I think I have a few more minutes of oxygen avable."


    "Ok, but don''t take too long and keep an eye on your oxygen level," Hyun-Jae warned him.


    Thetter nodded his head and put the mask on again as he dived down again.


    ''Let''s see if my feeling is correct.''


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 163 - 163- Sea Hunter (Part 3)

    The darkness of the sea engulfed Talon''s body andpletely isted him from the world outside. No light, sound, or sensation reached him from beyond the surface. It was as if the moment he submerged himself, he left that world and entered apletely new world. MVLeMpYr-your-novel-source


    A world that was mysterious, dark, and eerie. Yet, at the same time, it was uniquely fascinating. Just the feeling of floating in the absolute darkness with an endless abyss beneath him¡­ Talon found himself incredibly intrigued by it. He felt like a small dot in a vast world.


    Taking a few moments to take in that sensation, Talon finally looked down beneath him before he started slowly descending into the darkness of the abyss. His vision was limited and so was his senses. He could barely see 1/4th of the normal distance he could and it made him feel threatened¡­ Far more threatened than usual.


    ''I kind of get why people fear the ocean¡­ This is quite unpleasant.'' He thought to himself as he continued moving down, crossing the 30-meter depth mark, and kept going.


    ''Holy shit, how deep is this ce? The Han River was only 10 meters deep if I''m not wrong.'' He thought to himself.


    Talon was certain that after the expansion, the world not only expanded in size which was quite noticeable with how stretched the entire city of Seoul be¡­ But, that expansion also changed the depth of most bodies of water.


    He didn''t know exactly how much that change affected the world, but it was definitely not a small one.


    After moving for a little while longer, Talon finally reached the deepest part of this river. Touching the bottom of it, he lifted a small chunk of sand in his hand before examining it.


    ''This haspletely turned into an extension of the ocean. Even the sand is different.'' He thought to himself before he let the sand go and looked around him.


    The ce waspletely quiet. Not even a single sound or noise reached him except for the deep gurgles of the ocean. So, Talon slowly started moving around a little. He walked across the river floor, searching for any indications of the presence of another life form.


    Time passed slowly with nothing appearing in his vision. By the time Talon reached the second minute, he shook the rope to make sure that Hyun-Jae knew he was fine.


    Then, he continued walking around for a while, exploring the ce and enjoying himself a little.


    ''I''ve never experienced diving before so this is pretty fun.'' Smiling to himself, he jumped around for a while before he finally looked up.


    ''I guess I was wrong. There is really nothing here. If there was, they would''ve already been attracted by the dead corpses and the blood around them. So, he decided to go back up to the surface.


    ''I only have 40 seconds left in my oxygen tank. Damn, I guess I had a little bit too much fun.''


    With that in mind, Talon started swimming again to the surface.


    Meanwhile, outside, on the boat, Hyun-Jae was waiting for him with a worried look on her face.


    "Did he find something?" She murmured as she watched the rope.


    Fortunately, she noticed that the pressure on the rope was slowly lessening which meant that Talon was rising to the top. That made her exhale a small, tense breath.


    "Ok, it seems he''s fine."


    Unbeknownst to her, someone was floating right above her head. Acryphad had been watching the entire scene. Even though she was also very worried about her little human, she knew that Talon wouldn''t be easily in danger even underwater.


    ''He really blended those things mercilessly.'' Smiling to herself, suddenly, Acrypha''s senses felt something in the far distance.


    Immediately, her eyes moved from the rope to a particr direction¡­ Precisely to the far west.


    Then, her rxed expression immediately changed to a huge frown.


    "Oh no¡­ Oh no, no, no¡­ What¡­ That can''t be¡­" Her voice wavered as she quickly looked down. "Talon is in trouble, huge trouble!!"


    Without wasting a single breath, Acrypha flew toward the water as she dived down. However, surprisingly, the water didn''t seem to stop her or even touch her body as she flew down like a bullet.


    In less than a second, she found Talon who was swimming up.


    "Talon! Move fast, now!! There is somethinging toward you at extremely fast speed." She said.


    "Huh?" Talon looked at Acrypha confusedly before his eyes followed where her fingers were pointing.


    Looking there, suddenly, a weird feeling filled Talon''s senses. His heart rate increased as he turned around and silently started swimming up fast.


    ''What the fuck is following me? I can''t sense its presence! Is it still too far away for me to detect it?'' A thousand questions filled his mind as he swam up using all of his strength.


    He felt a very cold sensation fill his soul. But, he didn''t stop for a second to look behind him. In a matter of seconds, Talon was near the surface. Meanwhile, something behind him moved extremely fast as it slowly closed the distance between them.


    Outside, Hyun-Jae was stillpletely oblivious to what was happening.


    *Ssh*


    At that moment, Talon''s head emerged on the surface and he quickly started swimming toward the boat.


    "Hyun-Jae! Activate the boat and move! Something massive is following me!"


    "What?" The girl was stunned for a moment before she quickly turned around and did what he asked before she turned around. She didn''t have to ask any more questions to know that the situation wasn''t good at all.


    "Just start moving! I''m still held on by the rope!" Talon said as he continued swimming while looking behind him. A little bit far away from him, the surface of the water turned a degree darker.


    "Damn it!" Hyun-Jae clenched her teeth as she quickly pulled the lever before twisting the boat around and started moving toward the edge of the bridge. Meanwhile, Talon was using all his strength to swim after her.


    ''The distance between us isn''t growing¡­ It''s going to reach me.''


    Even with his extremely fast swimming speed, the creature was way faster. Even with its incrediblyrge size, it didn''t seem like it was hindering it.


    Talon found himself in apletely bad situation no matter how he looked at it. He couldn''t escape and he couldn''t reach the boat in time. His only remaining choice was¡­


    ''Sigh¡­ Fuck, I really don''t want to do this¡­'' Cursing under his breath, he suddenly halted swimming.


    "Hyun-Jae!!!" He yelled. The girl turned around with an alert look on her face.


    "I''m sorry for doing this. This thing seems quite strong and I need my full motion range to fight it." He murmured with a smile before he suddenly lifted the spear and severed the rope.


    "Wha¡­" The girl''s eyes widened to the extreme as she moved to the edge of the boat. "What are you doing?!"


    But, before she could even hear an answer, Talon took a very deep breath as he threw the mask off his face and released the oxygen tank. He knew that the few seconds remaining in the tank would only hinder him.


    Then, without hesitation, he dived down.


    "Talon!!" Hyun-Jae eximed.


    Her heart sank when she couldn''t see him anymore. Instead, all she could witness was the giant dark figure closing up on where he was floating a moment ago. Its humungous presence sent a chill down her spine.


    ''This thing isn''t something that can be fought underwater! It''s at least level 35 or higher!''


    "This idiot!" Cursing under her breath, Hyun-Jae turned around and halted the boat.


    Then, she quickly took her shirt off, revealing a swimsuit she wore the entire time.


    "I knew that he was going to do this!" She murmured as she wore the water tank and the mask before she jumped in the water.


    ***


    Meanwhile, a good distance away from Hyun-Jae, Talon had submerged himself a good dozen meters before he stopped and looked ahead of him with a sharp re.


    A few secondster, a silhouette appeared in his vision. Its gigantic frame totally towered over him and made the water around him even darker than before.


    Looking slowly up as he traced its frame, he finally realized what this creature was. With its gigantic tentacles and its massive eyes that covered its entire body.


    ''A fucking Kraken¡­'' Talon thought to himself as he instinctively tightened his grip on his spear.


    Even when he was staring directly at it, he had no idea how he could actually fight such a massive thing¡­ In the water. It was simply too massive.


    By far the biggest living thing Talon had ever witnessed with his own eyes and that thing is now looking at him as its next prey.


    "Rrrrrrr¡­" At that moment, the monster made a low gurgling sound before it started moving its long tentacles.


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 164 - 164- Sea Hunter (Part 4)

    If one were to be asked, what are the most terrifying mythical creatures they heard of? The name of the Kraken would appear often in those choices. With its unimaginable size, its terrifying appearance, and its mysterious attacks that leave nothing behind, it had every requirement met to be someone''s nightmare.


    Yet, that seemingly magical creature that should''ve never existed was now in front of Talon floating in the depths of the sea with him lonesomely facing it with nothing to back him.


    The creature''s terrifying arms stretched forward as they quickly surrounded Talon and tried to grab him. However, thetter immediately swam up, barely dodging the attack.


    The tentacles immediately spread as they surrounded him again a momentter. Talon''s eyes widened when he realized how fast they were moving all of a sudden¡­ Itpletely took him by surprise.


    ''Shit!!''


    *BANG*


    One of the arms ruthlessly mmed against his body, sending him down to the depths of the river. Smashing against the river floor, his eyes widened.


    "Ugh!!!" Air leaked out of his mouth as Talon quickly put his hand over his lips to not let any more air escape.


    A momentter, the same tentacles followed after him ruthlessly. With no time to even recover, the young man had to quickly rise up and start swimming close to the floor. The tentacles smashed into the river floor as they tried to hit him.


    However, using Future Sight, Talon was able to somehow manage to predict where they were and dodge in time. However, his situation wasn''t getting any better.


    ''I lost too much air!! I don''t know how long I can continue to escape. I need to kill it quickly!'' Looking behind him, he could vaguely see the silhouette of the monster in the distance.


    With a rough calction, Talon estimated that he had no more than 50 seconds'' worth of oxygen left in his lungs after what happened. Even though that was uniquely good for an average human, Talon''s continuous evolution affected his lungs and made them expand and work way better than before.


    If he took a huge breath and went underwater without any external factors affecting him¡­ He could easily stay underwater for 25 minutes. But, that single attack cut down that number by more than 90%.


    Not to mention the pain he felt in his bones from the hit. He was suffering terribly.


    The tentacles continued their ruthless attacks on his body without giving a single moment to rest or think. All he could do was follow his instincts as he moved left and right, up and down like a fish.


    However, Talon wasn''tpletely clueless as to what he needed to do. So, unbeknownst to the giant Kraken, Talon was slowly cooking up a n.


    ''Ok¡­ I think I can do this! Let''s hope I don''t drown to death!'' He cursed as he suddenly changed his swimming direction.


    The tentacles seemed to expect that as they immediately obstructed his path. But, Talon didn''t stop as he shed with his spear. The attack cut through the tentacle-like cheese.


    "Rrrrrrrr¡­" A loud growl escaped the Kraken''s mouth as it pulled that tentacle and attacked with the others.


    Talon swung his spear endlessly, trying to cut whatever tentacle tried to obstruct his way. However, with how fast he was moving and the dangerously low amount of oxygen running through his veins, Talon felt his attacks growing weaker and weaker with each passing second.


    On the other hand, his heart rate was starting to increase and his anxiety and fear of drowning slowly took over his mind. His body was reacting to the danger on its own.


    ''Keep yourself calm, Talon!'' He thought to himself as he cut down one of the tentacles, only to realize that another had taken its ce as it smashed into him. Using his spear as a shield at thest split second, Talon stopped the arm from sting him away.


    story-by-MvLeMpYr


    *BANG*


    "Hnnnng!!!" Groaning under his breath, he fought the overwhelming strength of the monster with whatever power he had left in him. But, even with his over 130 points in strength, the Kraken was simply on another level and the monster knew that very well.


    So, instead of having the arrogance and superiority Talon would expect it would have, it didn''t spare any opportunity to beat him.


    *Swish*


    ''Fuck!!'' Feeling a terrifying chill run down his spine, Talon turned around only to be met with another tentacle that smashed into his back.


    "Blurgh!!!" Air and blood leaked out of his mouth as he was sted down again, smashing into the ground. A cloud of dust scattered all around him.


    ''No¡­ Way¡­'' Laying down on the river floor, he stared up with a dazed look on his face. At that point, his throat was burning as if a fire had ignited in it. His heart rate was starting to decelerate and his eyes turned hazy.


    ''This¡­ is¡­ insane¡­ I can''t¡­ feel¡­ my arms¡­''


    It was aplete and utter defeat, without Talon being able to even do any devastating damage to the monster. He didn''t even realize that he was defeated as hey there, unable to breathe or move.


    The tentacles slowly moved toward Talon''s body like a predator loathing its dying prey before eating it.


    ''It''s¡­ not¡­ over yet¡­ bastard!'' Talon clenched his fists.


    But, even when his mind didn''t ept the defeat, reality said otherwise and it was a painful one at that.


    ''I''m¡­ really weak¡­ dammit¡­ I''m still far¡­ from being strong¡­'' He mused to himself.


    So far, Talon had faced danger countless times, and every single time, he would wake up and fight. He grew strong and learned a lot. But, never before did he get so thoroughly crushed without having a chance to fight back. It felt far more painful than the sensation of drowning slowly.


    His pride and ego that he had built in the past month and a half were all gone just like that. Now, he was facing real death, the real deal¡­ He could see the grim reaper brandishing his scythe with a malicious smile on his face.


    But, at that moment, out of nowhere, Talon heard a weird sound.


    *Sizzle*


    The sound was eerily simr to electricity coursing through wires. Then, his eyes caught a surprising sight. One of the tentacles that was about to attack Talon was suddenly stopped in its tracks as ropes of electricity suddenly engulfed it as it cooked it instantly.


    "Rrrrrr¡­" The monster groaned loudly before retracting its tentacles back from the sheer pain. The electricity continued coursing through the arm before spreading to the Kraken''s body.


    Then, a silhouette appeared next to Talon as it picked him up.


    Looking at the figure, Talon immediately knew who it was.


    ''Hyun-Jae¡­'' He thought to himself.


    Thetter had a mask on so she didn''t say anything and instead lifted him before she pulled her mask off and put it on his mouth. Feeling oxygen entering his mouth, Talon instinctively sucked it in eagerly.


    Almost instantly, he felt his vision return and his mind woke up again. His slowing heart recovered a little as he quickly turned to Hyun-Jae.


    Then, Talon quickly pulled the mask off and pulled her back with him. A split secondter, a tentacle attacked the spot where they were a moment ago.


    Falling on top of him, Hyun-Jae stared directly into Talon''s eyes as the two conveyed their thoughts to each other. No words were needed between them as Talon suddenly pushed Hyun-Jae up with all his strength. The girl channeled her Aetheris before creating two massive Electricity Balls.


    The balls expanded in size on their own without her needing to use Aetheris. Because they were swimming in very salty water, it was a very naturally good conductor of electricity.


    *Swish*


    Then, she threw the two spinning balls in different directions. The balls flew quickly and smashed into two other tentacles.


    At the same time, Talon jumped up as he shed with his spear, cutting another arm.


    Hyun-Jae stared at him again as if she wanted to tell him something. Then, she signaled with her head for him to move up to the surface.


    However, Talon shook his head as he pointed at the Kraken''s main body.


    ''I can kill it, Hyun-Jae!'' He conveyed through his eyes.


    Thetter frowned and clenched her fists. A myriad of thoughts passed through her mind. She wanted to refuse and bring him to the top to at least take a breath. But, at the same time, her trust in him made her hesitate. After all, if she didn''t trust Talon, then who could she trust?


    ''Dammit. I will definitely make you apologize for doing this recklessly.'' She cursed as she nodded her head.


    Seeing that, Talon smiled as he quickly pointed at the tentacles.


    ''Can you hold them off for a while?''


    The girl nodded her head before she turned around and unsheathed her sword.


    ''Just don''t take too long! I can deal with them myself.'' Hyun-Jae''s eyes sharpened.


    ''Go!''


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 165 - 165- Sea Hunter (Part 5)

    The number of tentacles the monster possessed was still unknown to Talon and Hyun-Jae that entire time. They had severed, burnt, and destroyed several ones and yet every single time, more would appear in their ce as if it was regenerating limbs out of nowhere.


    But, that didn''t stop Hyun-Jae nor make her step back. Instead, it fired her spirit stronger than ever. She felt adrenaline coursing through her body. This was her opportunity, to show her worth and how far she hade after all that happened.


    *Sizzle*


    Lightning coursed through her body, making it appear shiny. For a second, she seemed like a goddess that descended on the darkest of hells to bless it with her light. Then, she slowly ran her hand across her sword, coating it with ayer of Electricity.


    your-chapter-source


    ''Fuuh'' Exhaling a small breath, Hyun-Jae moved the sword up and down as she adjusted her grip on it before she aimed it at the tentacles as a challenge.


    *Swish*


    The countless arms didn''t hesitate to attack the lonesome girl. With their overwhelming strength and speed, there was no way she could defeat them on her own and the monster knew that.


    Hyun-Jae quickly unleashed her aura before she swam toward the swarm of tentacles and swung her sword powerfully.


    A wave of lightning manifested in front of the tentacles as it ran through them, severing multiple in the process.


    The rest tried to overwhelm her. But, the moment they would try to get anywhere near her, a barrier of lightning would stop them.


    ''In this environment, I can easily defend myself with so little Aetheris used. All I have to do is create a spark of lightning and it will instantly spread around like wildfire. I can definitely handle them!'' Hyun-Jae thought to herself.


    Even though it wasn''t her natural environment, it certainly fit her skill perfectly and made it seem like it was made to be used there.


    *Sizzle*


    The fight continued as Hyun-Jae swam around, sending lightning strikes one after the other. The tentacles relentlessly attacked her from all angles, all at the same time. Their speed and strength were brutal to the point where Hyun-Jae couldn''t even find a moment to take a breath.


    Not to mention the fact that their strategy for attacking was far from a simple-minded, brute force. They knew how to coordinate the attacks so that she would end up in the worst situation possible.


    Naturally, even with her clear advantage strength-wise, she cannot handle such a brutal assault for a long time without sustaining damage of her own.


    All the tentacles needed was a small mishap from Hyun-Jae and it was game over. That mishap came barely 30 secondster. When Hyun-Jae tried to make a detour and cut one of the tentacles, her attack missed its target due to its terrifying speed and she found herself in apletely vulnerable situation.


    *BANG*


    The tentacle smashed into her body with a crushing force. Coughing out a huge mouthful of blood, Hyun-Jae was pushed back violently.


    Just one single hit almost knocked her outpletely. But, at that moment, Hyun-Jae''s eyes shed with a weird glint as she suddenly extended her hands andtched into the tentacle with all her power.


    ''I''m not¡­ Losing!!!'' She clenched her teeth as she channeled her force.


    *SIZZZLE*


    Lightning exploded from her arms, burning through the monster''s body. Then, Hyun-Jae used all her physical strength to push the tentacle to the side as she swam forward.


    ''I''m not¡­ a fucking dead weight!!'' She cursed as her normally aloof face turnedpletely outraged.


    All herposure and calm attitude werepletely gone and were reced with a brutal desire to fight.


    How long has she been waiting for this opportunity? For how long had she wanted to show that she could actually be a force to be reckoned with? So far, Hyun-Jae felt like she waspletely falling behind.


    Whenever a disaster would befall them, she would always be one step behind in terms of power and end up being saved by Talon. The image of her loss against that woman was still vivid in her head. That crushing defeat pained her far more than the injuries she sustained from it. She feltpletely hopeless against her.


    But, that didn''t stop her from working even harder to shorten the gap again. She wanted to be strong, strong enough so that the people she cared about wouldn''t die in front of her eyes¡­ So that people she cared about wouldn''t die in front of her¡­


    At that moment, a core memory of hers was triggered. An image that haunted her her entire life came back like it always does. Except, this time, she was awake when it happened rather than asleep.


    ''I won''t let that happen again! I won''t! I would rather die than see it happen again! Not to him!'' Her aura exploded.


    *Swish*


    Then, she swung her sword powerfully, using all her power.


    It was Hyun-Jae''s moment and she was going to shine bright in it¡­ Brighter than ever.


    Then, at that moment, out of nowhere, Hyun-Jae felt an extremely strong water current smash into her, sending her flying back. Flipping in the water a few times, she barely could adjust her bnce as she stopped to look into the distance.


    ''What happened?!'' Her alerted senses went off as she held her sword with two hands.


    However, the sight she witnessedpletely shattered her expectations


    ***


    Thirty seconds before that, a little distance away from the brutal fight, Talon was swimming at top speed toward his target.


    ''I need to hurry before Hyun-Jae gets overwhelmed!'' Looking behind him, he could see flickers of lightning igniting every now and then which indicated that the fight was still raging as strong as before.


    If Talon had to estimate how long he had before hispanion got defeated, it would be a minute. But, if he had to be realistic, he only had half that time before he had to go back to her. He doesn''t want to put Hyun-Jae''s life at any more risk than this. She was too important for him to willingly put her in danger.


    ''Now, let''s see how we can actually deal with this thing.'' Talon''s eyes turned a degree colder as he noticed the terrifying eyes staring at him from the abyss. ''You had too much fun toying with us, didn''t you bastard?''


    This entire time, Talon couldn''t approach the creature due to its annoying long tentacles. But, now, with considerably fewer arms to attack him, he could finally take a close nce at the Kraken.


    "Rrrrrr¡­" The monster noticed Talon''s approach and growled deeply before it tried to attack him with whatever arms it had left.


    [Ding!]


    [You have activated ''Dash''.]


    But, Talon quickly activated his dash skill. So far, he didn''t use that skill thinking that it wouldn''t really work underwater but when he thought about it, the skill didn''t specify where it increased his agility. So, by that logic, he assumed that even if he was swimming, the skill should boost his speed either way.


    Much to his expectations, the moment he activated it, his speed soared as he flew into the distance.


    ''Goddamn!'' Clenching his teeth, Talon moved left and right as he dodged the monster''s attacks while slicing with his spear.


    In the Kraken''s eyes, he appeared like a blurry silhouette slicing through its arms like a flying razor. Blood exploded from its arms endlessly.


    "Rrrrrrr!!!"


    The monster was naturally outraged as it suddenly started moving its main body again.


    ''It''s moving!'' Talon watched as the creature stepped forward, towering over him with ease. Since he was swimming near the bottom, he could see the monster from beneath¡­ Precisely it''s gigantic gaping mouth that was slowly opening wider and wider.


    Inside that mouth, sets of razor-sharp teeth covered every inch of it. Their appearance was terrifying to look at let alone be in their direction.


    ''Wait¡­'' At that moment, Talon realized what the monster was trying to do. ''It wants to swallow me up.''


    The monster''s gigantic body slowly descended toward Talon as its opened mouth started sucking in immense quantities of water.


    The suction force was so strong and sudden that Talon found himself getting pulled in almost instantly.


    ''You''re kidding me!'' Clenching his teeth, Talon tried to grab into something for support. But, since the area was empty, he had nothing to grab into.


    Swimming wasn''t helping him either since the water around him turned into a chaotic mess that threw him left and right. His teeth clenched as he felt the sheer pressure of water colliding against his body brutally. It was as if he was being constantly ground between two heavy boulders.


    ''You¡­ Fucker! Fine! Do you want to y this game?! Let''s y!!''


    Then, Talon suddenly stopped trying to resist as the water immediately pulled him toward the monster''s mouth before he vanished inside that dark abyss along with everything around him.


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 173 - 173- Odd Reunion (Part 1)

    The morning arrived early as Talon woke up from his deep sleep with a drowsy look on his face. His injuries made his sleep a little ufortable but he still felt a lot more refreshed after those few hours.


    His eyes slowly wandered to the side where he saw Acrypha still in the same position he left her yesterday. She seemedpletely fine and even her pale expression vanished. Talon didn''t know if that was a good thing or not but he still felt a little more relieved.


    ''I should probably leave her alone for now. I don''t want to break her focus.'' He thought to himself as he stood up and started stretching his body.


    After that, he went to get some breakfast and sat down to eat while he finally had the time to check the notifications he left from yesterday.


    "I received a new ss and a new skill." He raised an eyebrow as he read the content of the notifications. "Well, let''s see what we''ve got."


    [Ding!]


    [You have received a new ss ''Sea Hunter''.]


    [Sea Hunter: A predator onnd would be prey if thrown in the deepest parts of the ocean and yet some can be predators in both. This ss increases your overall strength by 5% in water environments.]


    "Pretty nice. A 5% boost is huge with how high my stats are now. I won''t have trouble fighting in the water." Talon nodded his head with a satisfied look on his face. "What about the skill?"


    [Ding!]


    [You have received a new skill ''Water Maniption''.]


    [Water Maniption (Level 1): Using this skill, you can control any body of water around you in a 5-meter radius. The distance and efficiency increases with each level. Requires Aetheris to activate.]


    "Oh? Water Maniption? This is my first ever maniption-type skill. I wonder if it''s strong or not though." He murmured to himself. "I should definitely try itter when I have some time. I''m sure I can find some use for it soon."


    After that, Talon finished eating before he went back to check on Acrypha out of worry. There, he found the woman still in her position, not moving at all.


    So, he decided to sit down and wait for a while. He didn''t want to go to work when Acrypha was still not awake yet. He knew he wouldn''t be able to focus if she wasn''t around him as usual.


    A few minutes passed in silence before he noticed a subtle movement from Acrypha. Her eyes fluttered as she slowly opened them. Looking around her for a moment, her eyes fell on Talon.


    "Good morning." She said.


    "Good morning."


    "Did you sleep well?" The woman asked casually as she started floating again.


    "Not bad. What about you? How are you feeling right now? Does it still hurt?"


    "Haha, you really sound like a worried mother right now." Sheughed with an amused look on her face.


    "Hey, I''m really worried. Are you really fine?"


    "I am fine. You don''t have to worry. Don''t underestimate how strong I am."


    "Sigh, ok. If you say so¡­" Shaking his head, Talon was about to stand up again when Acrypha stopped him.


    "So, what did you want to tell me since yesterday? I almost forgot about it."


    "Oh, right. It''s really important so I will tell you all the details I can remember, ok?"


    Acrypha naturally tensed a little when she saw the shift in Talon''s expressions. Then, the young man proceeded to tell her everything he went through in that dream in great detail. He didn''t leave behind anything except for the part where he was showered by a group of beautiful maids for obvious reasons.


    By the time he was done, Acrypha was already frowning hard.


    "That''s pretty much it. I can''t remember any other detail."


    The woman took a few seconds to think as she rubbed her chin. Then, she looked up. "From your description of the ce, that sounds awfully familiar¡­"


    "Oh? So you know where I was?" Talon bent forward curiously.


    "Yes, the Northern Ruin isn''t a new name. That''s one of the most notorious areas of the Core Dimension."


    "The core dimension?"


    "I don''t know about the magic and spells, though. I have never heard of those words before. That''s the detail that''s confusing me."


    "Wait, wait, Acrypha. Hold on a second, you wanna tell me I was in the Core Dimension the entire time?" Talon blinked.


    "Yeah, most likely."


    "... Damn, to think I went there of all ces, this is shocking. Now that I know, it does make sense. I''ve felt such an ethereal atmosphere there that I couldn''t describe."


    "That''s what everyone feels the first time they go there. It''s a magical ce." Acrypha replied with a smile on her face. .


    "But¡­ Why did I go there twice? I don''t get it. I have no connection to that ce, do I?"


    Not only that, but Talon would end up in the body of a handsome young man, who is the son of the strongest magician. He didn''t understand what link he had to that individual.


    "What I''m thinking is that it could be a vision."


    "A vision?"


    "It''s not rare for individuals to receive visions. There are even people whose entire strength is to see beyond the future or the past. They''re called Diviners." Acrypha thought for a moment as she replied.


    "Hmm, that could be the case for sure." Talon thought to himself as he ran his hand through his hair.


    "As for the man you''ve met. I don''t really know if he''s real or not. My best guess is that he isn''t real. The strongest magician to ever exist sounds like someone who would be put in historical records. I have read every single thing about the Core Dimension''s history and I have nevere across anything like that."


    "But, when I met him, he felt so real. Like, I could sense his presence and strength. He gave me the same vibe as you did... Like a divine being."


    "The entire history of the Core Dimension already exists. There are no loopholes in it, not that I know of at least. The chances that he existed are highly unlikely."


    "Ugh, so confusing. I hate mystery." Talon cursed as he shook his head. He felt his head hurting from all the thinking.


    "There is no point in thinking about it now. You should just leave it in the back of your head. Perhaps if you go there another time, you might get to know more information."


    "Yeah¡­ You''re right¡­"


    As Talon was contemting her words, Acrypha''s expression subtly changed for a moment. ''The Northern Ruins¡­ It''s the same ce where my people are hiding. I wonder if that''s just a coincidence or if is there a meaning behind it. And the fact that this man mentioned an item of some kind... What does that mean?''


    Even when she couldn''t wrap her head around the entire thing, Acrypha felt like it was too detailed of a dream to be a simple vision. But then again, what she heard made no sense at all. Unless the Core Dimension hid something from her that no history book preserved.


    As they were like that, Talon heard footsteps rushing toward him. Looking to the side, he saw one of the students approaching him. He was a member of the scouting team.


    "Leader!"


    "What''s up?"


    "Hah¡­ Hah¡­ I saw a few vehicles riding through the streets of Seoul."


    "Vehicles?"


    "Yes! Armored vehicles!"


    Talon frowned as he stood up. "Where are they heading?"


    "I-I don''t know. But, they seem like they''re searching for something."


    Exchanging one nce with Acrypha, Talon turned around.


    "Show me."


    The student immediately turned around and started moving with Talon in tow.


    ''Another group of humans. I wonder if these ones are also going to be enemies.'' He thought to himself.


    "Talon!"


    On the way, the two met Hyun-Jae who just received the news. She was also on her way to check what happened.


    "Tell everyone to get ready just in case. Who knows what these people could be looking for."


    "I already did. They''re prepared for any possible ambush." Hyun-Jae replied.


    With that, the two left the warehouse as they moved through the empty streets of Seoul. A few minutester, Talon''s ears caught the sound of engines in the distance. Looking up, he easily located where the noises wereing from.


    ''They''re heading straight toward us.'' He squinted his eyes sharply.


    "Hyun-Jae, take that building over there and stay hidden. As for you, go back and join the others. I think we can handle this." Talon said.


    "What about you?" Hyun-Jae asked.


    "I''m going to face them. If they''re enemies, we can ambush them. But, if they''re here with good intentions, we can be more civilized and have a talk. They could be helpful."


    "Sounds like a n to me." Pulling her sword out, Hyun-Jae vanished from sight in the blink of an eye.


    As for Talon, he stood in his ce as he looked at the other end of the street. The noises grew louder and louder as they got closer. Eventually, the vehicles appeared in the distance.


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 174 - 174- Odd Reunion (Part 2)

    The cars were moving at such an immense speed that they left huge skid marks on the street. Their appearance was intimidating and would''ve made any normal person turn around and run away.


    However, Talon stood his ground as he stared at the vehicles with a sharp re. He didn''t really feel anything from them and he certainly wasn''t terrified. He saw far more terrifying things than a bunch of armored cars.


    As the distance closed between them, the vehicles seemed to have noticed him and quickly pushed the brakes as they all halted at the same time, barely a dozen meters away from him.


    Then, the entire ce wentpletely silent. Talon stared into the windows of the vehicles trying to see who was inside. But, since they were shaded windows, he couldn''t see who was inside clearly.


    Seconds passed with no movement on their side and it made Talon even more suspicious.


    "Get out of the cars, I''m not here to fight. Let''s talk." He finally spoke with a clear and cold tone. "You have 10 seconds. If you don''te out in that period of time. I''m going to consider that a threat and I''m going to eliminate you all."


    With that, Talon pulled his spear out of his storage and he slowly drew it in front of the cars as a clear sign that he wasn''t joking or messing around.


    Almost two secondster, one of the doors of one of the vehicles opened as someone stepped down from the car. Talon saw a glimpse of their feet and he could notice that it was a woman.


    Then, the door was closed, revealing the woman''s full appearance. She had very distinct blonde hair that almost seemed like it was shining, her eyes were a beautiful dark grey that carried endless confidence. Even without looking at her, Talon could feel her aura with ease.


    She was one of the most gorgeous women he had ever seen, up there with Hyun-Jae even with how drastically different their vibes were.


    But, all of those thoughts vanished the next instant as his eyes widened. His body froze for a second as he immediately recognized that face. And how could he not? It was far too unique to be something he could forget, even after years of not seeing it.


    As he looked at her silently, the girl moved toward him in careful steps. Eventually, she ended up barely a few inches away from him.


    "Sophie¡­ Is that you?" Shaking his head, he asked her in disbelief.


    The moment he uttered her name, he noticed how her body flinched for a moment before she looked up with a wide smile, her beautiful eyes glistening with tears.


    "You recognized me?"


    "... A few years doesn''t change a person that much," Talon replied.


    "I thought I changed too much. But, you know me too well. You also changed a lot yourself¡­ You look a lot more handsome than before¡­ Did you change your skincare routine?" She asked as she gave him a closer look.


    "Hahaha, what the hell is that? I never use that stuff. You know me." He replied with a chuckle.


    "Pfft, the only time you did, I ended up making your face glistening like a mirror." She chuckled as she wiped her eyes.


    As the twoughed like that, Sophie then looked up as she smiled brightly. "I missed you, Talon!"


    Then, she jumped on him as she wrapped her arms around his neck tightly. "I really missed you!"


    Thetter was surprised for a moment before he smiled slightly and gave her a friendly hug. A few secondster, he pulled her away, only to realize that another person had approached them.


    Hyun-Jae came down from the building the moment she noticed how odd Talon was acting. Then, she saw how the girl hugged him and her aura immediately dropped a few degrees in temperature.


    "Oh, Hyun-Jae."


    "Who is she?" She asked as she gave the girl a side nce.


    "This is Sophie¡­ Uuuh, an old acquaintance of mine." He replied.


    "What? Since when did I be an ''Old Acquaintance''? Well, ehem, hello, I''m Sophie Jones. Me and Talon dated for a while back in high school." She smiled.


    Hearing thest part, Hyun-Jae''s eyes turned even colder. "Dated, huh?"


    "Yes."


    "Uuuh, yeah, I guess." Talon shrugged.


    "Your name is Sophie Jones? I think I do recognize you. You''re that actress, aren''t you?" Hyun-Jae squinted her eyes.


    "Yes! That''s me! I do also recognize you. You''re Miss Ran Hyun-Jae! I''m a huge fan!!" Approaching Hyun-Jae, Sophie shook her hand with a beautiful smile on her face. However, the moment their hands connected, Sophie''s grip on Hyun-Jae''s hand tightened greatly.


    Thetter squinted her eyes for a second before she also gripped it hard, far harder than Sophie. Thetter flinched visibly from the sudden pain as she tried to hide her reaction as much as she could.


    "Thank you. I didn''t watch much of your work, but I did hear your name often. I didn''t know you dated Talon before."


    Saying those words, Hyun-Jae stared daggers at Talon for a moment. Her eyes were screaming ''You didn''t tell me about this!''


    Thetter coughed as he turned away. "Well, I''m now officially screwed." He murmured.


    "In any case, what are you doing here, Sophie? I thought you left South Korea years ago. What brought you back?"


    "Hehehe, I was coincidentally back here for work. But, with what happened, I couldn''t really leave again so I stayed. Well, I probably won''t be leaving any time soon either." She shrugged.


    "Oh, makes sense," Talon replied. "Well, where did youe from? Is there another base in Seoul?" He asked.


    "No, I was in Gwangju. My family is there too."


    Talon and Hyun-Jae frowned when they heard the name ''Gwangju''. Their eyes connected for a moment as they understood what the other was thinking of.


    "Oh, Gwangju? You mean that the base that built by the government? I heard of it." Talon asked.


    "Yes, that one. My dad was a part of the n to build that base so we''re livingfortably there. Well, for the most part. I like to go out and hunt down monsters to get stronger." .


    ''Mainly to go and search for you, but that''s not something you need to know yet.'' Sophie thought to herself with a hidden smile.


    "I see¡­"


    ''So, she''s a part of that base. Hmm, should I even trust her? The fact that she came all the way here isn''t a coincidence. Was she sent to gather intel on us? That could definitely be the case. I need to be careful with how I deal with her.''


    Even when the two of them shared a very intimate past, Talon didn''t care at all. If Sophie turned to be an enemy then he was going to treat her like an enemy. The past is in the past.


    "Well, ignore all of that, we can talk about this boring stuffter. I really miss you, Talon! I want to hear about the past few years. Do you want to take a stroll in my car?"


    "No. I would prefer if we talk here. Don''t worry, we cleared this entire part of monsters so it''s pretty safe."


    ''Leading them back to the base would be a really dumb idea.''


    "Oh¡­" Sophie''s face wentpletely nk for a moment. She could easily notice the subtle hostility between them that manifested out of nowhere.


    ''Huh? Why is Talon looking at me like that? Did I say something wrong?'' Her rate increased as she started to panic. She hadn''t seen him in years so she didn''t know what could''ve changed during that period of time.


    Granted, she kept her eyes on him the entire time to make sure that he was living safely and normally. After all, their rtionship did surface in the news once and it almost threatened to ruin his life.


    "Tell your men to turn off their vehicles. We aren''t a threat." Talon said as he put his spear away.


    Sophie quickly turned around and signaled for them. The guards then left the vehicles with wary looks on their faces.


    ''Why did the Young Miss hug that man? I have never seen her this intimate with a stranger before! Oh man, her father is going to kill me if he hears!'' The guard who was in the same car as she was wiped his face nervously. ''Who the hell is that young man?''


    "Put your guns down. Nobody dares to aim a gun at him or I will personally make sure you can never raise a gun again." Sophie threatened them coldly before she turned around and smiled at Talon. "Sure, let''s sit down and talk here. I don''t mind the ce as long as we can finally catch up."


    On the side, Hyun-Jae stared at the girl with a cold expression. Even when she had just met the girl and she knew nothing about her¡­ She could only think of one thing.


    ''I dislike her.''


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 175 - 175- Odd Reunion (Part 3)

    With that, Talon, Hyun-Jae, and Sophie sat down nearby. Even though they seemed like they were acting normally, there was an invisible tension between them that one couldn''t easily detect.


    On the one hand, Talon and Hyun-Jae had their suspicions about the girl since she came from a potential enemy base. They didn''t know what her real goals were and they didn''t want to simply let her do whatever she wanted.


    On the other hand, Sophie was panicking since she thought that Talon had somehow grown to hate her in the few years they were away from each other and now saw her as a stranger. That idea alone sent a shiver down her spine and made her chest tighten painfully.


    She had been dreaming of this moment for years. Every single night, she would imagine a future where she could be with him even though deep down, she knew how highly unlikely that idea was. She was a world-renowned actress with an amazing talent and a future that was bound to be sessful.


    She had countless fans and admirers around the world and she boasted a perfect reputation. Inplete contrast, Talon was a normal person. He had no actual talents and he came from a rather poor family. The two of them should''ve never even met let alone dated and yet fate loved to be ironic every now and then.


    chapter source m vl _emp-y,r


    "So, how did you two meet?" Hyun-Jae asked with a cold tone as she sat in the middle between Talon and Sophie. Her body was instinctively leaning closer to Talon without her realizing it.


    Sophie noticed that and her smile turned a little forced for a moment.


    ''What is she trying to do? Wait¡­ That look¡­ Don''t tell me¡­'' It didn''t take her long to realize what was happening. All it took Sophie was to stare into Hyun-Jae''s eyes to see what she felt at that moment. ''She''s after him too¡­ Dammit! Why is she after him? He isn''t someone you should even look at!


    I know my Talon is amazing, but you two can''t be any different.''


    In reality, Sophie didn''t simply know Hyun-Jae, she had run a full investigation on her before just in case. After all, she feared that Talon might catch the eyes of an outstanding woman. After all, in her eyes, he was a ma for the opposite sex without even realizing it. He had charms that no one else she met had.


    "Well, how should I exin this?" Talon thought for a moment before he snapped his fingers. "Let''s say that my father and her father were old friends and so they did visit us a lot when I was young. That''s how we met."


    "Oh, you''re bringing me a lot of memories! We used to y a lot in that small park near your house!" Sophie smiled.


    "Yeah, that does bring back some memories. I also remember how you would end up crying every time I push the swing."


    "Hey! Don''t say that! I was a kid!"


    Talonughed at the girl as she pouted visibly.


    Meanwhile, Hyun-Jae looked back and forth between them with a stoic expression. "You two seem like you had a lot of fun back then¡­"


    "Of course! You have no idea, those were the best years of my life." Sophie giggled as she gave Hyun-Jae a secret nce.


    ''Yeah, I knew him for far longer than you did. I know everything about him. Now that I''m back, you can throw your intentions in the trash and move on.''


    Hyun-Jae read that through her eyes and she felt her aura almost leaking out. But, she quickly calmed down and turned around. She didn''t want to get irritated and fall into her trap like a fool.


    "And then, what happened?"


    "Uh, I asked her out back when we first enrolled in high school. We dated for two years and then we broke up when she had to move out of South Korea for her work. That''s pretty much the entire thing." Talon shrugged.


    "Yeah¡­" For a second, Sophie looked down as her face became gloomy. A memory of that day shed in her head and made her chest tighten instantly. That was by far the worst memory she has in her life.


    Choosing between her career and the love of her life, was a horrible situation. But, she still followed her heart rather than her mind and wanted to stay in South Korea. That day, she went to meet Talon to tell him the good news, but, things didn''t go as she expected.


    The atmosphere shifted again as Talon looked away with an emotionless expression. Hyun-Jae felt that change so she decided to continue on with the questions.


    "That is certainly an interesting sorry you had there, Talon." She said.


    "Yeah¡­ That was the highlight of my life¡­ Till a few weeks ago."


    "Mmm, and you." Hyun-Jae then turned to Sophie. "If you''re from Gwangju as you said, then what are you doing in Seoul?"


    "Uh¡­" Sophie frowned. "Well, I can''t really lie here and I wasn''t intending to lie either way. I actually came here because I heard that Talon was still alive. I wanted to meet him."


    "Huh?" (x2)


    "I had to steal some vehicles and take this trip without anybody knowing. It was a little reckless." Sheughed awkwardly.


    "..."


    Talon and Hyun-Jae stared silently at her. They didn''t expect to hear such a response from the blonde girl.


    "You came here looking for me?"


    "Yeah¡­ I was extremely worried about you. Haha, sorry about that."


    "..." Talon opened his mouth to speak only to close it again and sigh. Then, he slowly started rubbing his temples.


    ''Of course, I''m so stupid. This is something that she would definitely do in a heartbeat. She didn''t change at all since thest time we met.''


    At that moment, Talon realized how much he overthought the entire situation. If there was one person who knew Sophie the best, it was him. She wasn''t someone who likes people easily, but when she does, they would be her entire world and she would do anything for them in a heartbeat.


    So, the fact that she stole cars and sneaked out of the base to travel almost the entire country just to see him wasn''t something she wouldn''t do.


    ''I remember how many times she snuck out of her movie shootings just so that she could meet me. It''s still the same after years, huh¡­'' Smiling wryly to himself, he looked up.


    "You''re still as reckless as ever." He said.


    "Where did thate from?!"


    "You are very reckless."


    "Uh, I mean, I might be¡­ But, that''s beside the point! Aren''t you d to see me?" She retorted.


    "Well, I am d that you''re fine. But, for a moment there, I thought that you were sent here by the government to gather information about our base."


    "What?!" Sophie''s eyes widened in shock as she immediately shook her head. "That was never my intention, I swear! I would never do anything like that to you! I would rather die!"


    "Hey, hey, calm down. I know you won''t, I just said that I suspected it."


    "So, can we trust her?" Hyun-Jae asked.


    "Yeah, I''m sure she didn''te here with bad intentions in mind. However, I can''t say the same for her men." Turning around with a cold re, Talon made the guards flinch visibly under his strong gaze.


    "Oh, they aren''t here with any bad intentions either. I dragged them here myself."


    "I don''t think I can trust them, even if they''re your men, Sophie," Talon replied. Saying that, Talon stood up as he walked toward the guards.


    The group naturally retreated when they felt the crushing aura that was approaching them. But, with a single re, they all stopped in their tracks. When Talon reached them, he stopped.


    "Ok, let''s make this quick."


    "Hu-"


    *Swish*


    Before they could even say a single word, Talon suddenly shed for a moment before he appeared again in front of them the next second. In his arms was a pile of weapons and receivers.


    The guards'' eyes widened as they looked down, only to realize that their weapons were snatched.


    Sophie stared at what happened as her eyes widened.


    ''I couldn''t see him move¡­ How is that even possible? When I heard that Talon killed Cha Kwang, I didn''t think he would be this strong¡­'' She thought to herself as she blinked.


    "Are these all your weapons?" He asked.


    "...!!"


    "From your reactions, I''m going to assume they are. Good. I''m going to keep these. If any one of you dares to do anything stupid¡­" Then, Talon took one of the weapons before he showed it to the guards. Then, with a small squeeze.


    *CRUSH*


    The weapon waspletely crushed in a single moment. Bits and pieces of it fell to the ground against the silence of everyone.


    "I really don''t want to make this hard for anyone. So, behave, understood?"


    "..."


    "I said¡­ Understood?"


    "Y-Yes, sir!!!" The guards quickly replied with pale looks.


    "Good. Come on, Hyun-Jae. Let''s go back." He said.


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 177 - 177- Someone Who Knows Better (Part 1)

    The group then continued their trip back to the warehouse. Sophie kept asking Talon trivial questions about random topics while Talon answered briefly before goingpletely silent. He didn''t seem that enthusiastic about talking to Sophie even though the two of them hadn''t met in ages.


    Hyun-Jae easily noticed that and could only wonder why. She knew that Talon was very talkative, especially to people he was familiar with. Granted, this was his ex-girlfriend, but, even then, the two of them were childhood friends so he should at least be excited to catch up with her after all these years.


    ''Now that I think about it, how did these two break up?'' Hyun-Jae asked herself. ''He never really talked about her before. Did she do something?''


    However, Hyun-Jae immediately threw that idea away. From what she could see, Sophie was very fond of Talon and it was all over her face. That was why Hyun-Jae was frustrated in the first ce.


    ''Is she trying to get him back?'' She thought to herself as she pursed her lips secretly. Just that question made her heart ache greatly. Seeing Talon get taken again was thest thing she wanted. It didn''t matter to her what this feeling was, she just didn''t want to experience it.


    ''I cannot let that happen. I won''t allow it.''


    With that determination, Hyun-Jae''s eyes focused on the path again, only to realize that they were already back at the warehouse.


    "Oh! This ce is huge!" Sophie eximed as she looked around her. "It''s like an entire city inside one warehouse."


    "We''re going to spread across the area soon since the number of people increased. But thank you." Talon replied as he walked next to her.


    "Oh! Yeah, I didn''t expect the number of people to be in the hundreds."


    Walking around the ce, Talon showed Sophie all the sections of the warehouse they had. He kept some information hidden just in case and told her all the things that were general knowledge.


    At the same time, he made sure to introduce her around to the other students. It didn''t take Sophie long to get many people to open up to her. Her friendly aura, stunning looks, and approachable attitude made her an instant good person in their eyes. Especially when Talon was the one who brought her there.


    Standing on the side as a huge group of students tried to talk to her, Talon shook his head. Hyun-Jae approached him silently.


    "Is she always like that?" She asked.


    "Hm? Yeah, she was always good at making new friends. That was basically our everyday life back in high school¡­ A never-ending quest to try and find time to be together." He shrugged.


    "Is that so¡­?" Hyun-Jae murmured quietly. "Why do you seem under the weather?"


    Talon raised an eyebrow as he turned around. "Why do you think that? I''m normal."


    "I don''t need to think of it, I can feel it. You''re not acting as usual." She replied.


    "..."


    Talon waspletely speechless by Hyun-Jae''s gaze. She seemed like she could easily see through his eyes. He realized that she wasn''t simply asking out of curiosity but mainly out of worry.


    ''Her senses are so sharp¡­ Or maybe I''m just too obvious for her.'' Sighing in his head, he gave up resisting.


    "It''s nothing to worry about. I just remembered something unpleasant."


    "Oh¡­ Does it have to do with that girl?" Hyun-Jae asked.


    "Yeah, something like that."


    "Now this is new to me. I have been around you the entire time and you didn''t tell me a single detail. My poor heart is broken~" Acrypha, who had been floating around him silently,mented with a yful tone.


    "You never asked. How am I supposed to tell you about this?" Talon shrugged.


    "... I hate that you have a point."


    ''Exactly, you cannot speak.'' Talon smiled to himself when he saw the stunned expression on Acrypha''s face. It was always entertaining to see this great existence turn into a frustrated girl.


    "Anyway, I''m really fine. Just an unpleasant thing to remember. It''s no big deal." With that, Talon turned around and walked away.


    "Hey, wai-" Before Hyun-Jae could say anything, he already vanished from sight.


    ***


    For the next few hours, Sophie spent the time discovering the ce and dealing with all the new fans she acquired. She was then invited for dinner along with everyone else. In their eyes, Sophie enjoyed her time a lot.


    Everyone there felt like a family in her eyes. But, deep down, behind her professional bright smile, her mind waspletely upied with something else.


    ''Why did Talon leave earlier? I couldn''t go look for him since everyone was talking to me. I want to talk to him.'' Looking around her, she couldn''t notice his presence in the warehouse.


    "Hey, mm, did Talon leave?" She asked.


    "The leader? I saw him exit the warehouse a while ago." One of the students replied.


    "Hmm, well, I should excuse myself then." She said as she stood up. "Thank you all for the hospitality and the food, it''s amazing."


    Then, before anyone could even speak, Sophie stormed out of the warehouse.


    The atmosphere outside was quiet, slightly cold, and very dark. Some high projectors illuminated the field outside the building and gave a nice view of the full moon on the other side.


    Looking around her, Sophie''s eyes fell on a lonesome silhouette standing alone a few dozen meters away.


    Staring at his back, Sophie''s eyes shed with a myriad of emotions. That same silhouette that she had been dreaming of seeing again, every single day, for the past few years. Even with all her sess, her blockbuster hits, and the awards she gained as a young talent in the movie industry, she still could never feel any actual pride or excitement.


    After all, as much as she was good at acting, it was never her choice to pursue this career. At some point, she was ready to give it up just for one single person and she felt that it was very worth it. Money and fame were never her goal with acting, she did it because she loved to live someone''s life through a story and experience what they felt.


    However, if she had to choose, she would rather live her own life through her own eyes and experience things as Sophie Jones. That''s what Talon gave her and that''s why she was so deeply attached to him. He was her normal life, her side that wasn''t captured with a camera or written down in an interview.


    He was what kept her grounded in reality and her reason tough without care in the world. But, all of that came to an end abruptly, on that day, 5 years ago. All of her dreams and hopes came crashing down on her.


    see NovelBin,em,pyr for more


    Just remembering that moment filled her heart with endless pain.


    "Do you like watching the moon that much?" Looking up with a pained smile, she said.


    Talon didn''t turn around and simply replied. "It''s nice to do it every now and then. Helps to clear my mind."


    "Do you mind if I join you?"


    "Go ahead," Talon replied.


    With that, Sophie stepped forward till she stood next to him. Her eyes stared into the distance just like he did.


    "You have built such a nice ce. Everyone here seems really happy."


    "I didn''t do much. I had great people around me that did most of the work." He replied.


    "Hehe, I doubt that''s what they think. From what I have seen, everyone respects you and looks up to you. You''ve really be a good leader."


    "..."


    "I knew you had the knack for it but I never thought a day woulde when I would see you in such a position. I''m really d I did though."


    "Sophie¡­" Talon spoke her name with aplicated tone but quickly stopped when he realized that this entire time, Sophie had been looking at him.


    "Hm? Were you about to ask something? Why did you stop? Ask way." She spoke with a mysterious tone. "Or, were you expecting me to ask you a question?"


    "... I¡­" Talon waspletely speechless.


    "A question like ''Why did you break up with me that day?''? But, wouldn''t that be too sad of a question to ask? It would certainly sour our awaited reunion."


    "Sophie, hear me out for a second¡­"


    "Are you finally going to exin to me why? Or are you going to avoid it like you did that time? Ignoring my calls, messages, and every single other way I tried to contact you even after I had to leave South Korea?"


    As she spoke, Sophie''s voice started wavering as all of her emotions that were hidden for so long came out in one fell swipe. Her heart raced as she stared at Talon, her eyes were filled with confusion, frustration, and sadness.


    "Come on, I''m listening¡­ Please, just give me an excuse I can use. Anything that would make me feel a little bit better about the past 5 years. Anything, speak to me, Talon, please."


    "I know better, ok!" At that moment, Talon eximed as he stared up with a dark look on his face. "I had known better."


    Sophie waspletely stunned by his reply. "You¡­ Knew better?"


    "I had no other choice. If I tried to selfishly keep you, it would''ve ruined your life and ruined mine along with it. I couldn''t bring myself to do it and then face the consequences just because I hated the idea of seeing you leave like that."


    "..."


    "You can call me selfish, dumb, or anything else. But, if I was brought back to that moment, I would''ve done the same thing because there was no other way to preserve your life and mine to begin with!"


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 178 - 178- Someone Who Knows Better (Part 2)

    Sophie waspletely taken aback by his words. Her face froze in a confused, sad expression. She didn''t know what to say, and for a moment, the entire world turned into a blurry mess except for the young man standing in front of her.


    "What¡­ Why? How would keeping our rtionship ruin our lives?" Taking some time to regain herposure, she finally uttered the words she had been looking for.


    "You didn''t notice it at the time. But, I have noticed it far too clearly. We were both from twopletely different worlds. Your career was soaring high and you were slowly achieving your dreams while I was struggling to do anything noteworthy. I felt like I was some kind of dead weight. But, I tried to ignore that hoping I would change." Talon replied with a self-deprecating smile.


    "..."


    "Guess what? Nothing changed. I was still that same dumb mess of a human being and you were a superstar. I hated myself for thinking that I wasn''t worthy of you and yet I couldn''t change that thought. All I could do was just swallow that feeling and try to pretend like everything was ok, and things somehow went on."


    Closing his eyes for a second, Talon turned around. "When I heard that you had to choose between staying in South Korea or pursuing your career abroad, I was terrified¡­ I was terrified to lose you. I wanted to tell you that I want you to stay. But I¡­" As Talon was about to finish his sentence, his eyes suddenly shed with a hint of realization before he shook his head. "I couldn''t do it.


    I felt that you leaving was the best option."


    The girl blinked in surprise. "That''s¡­ Your reason?"


    "Yeah¡­ That''s the entire reason. If you want me to apologize, I will apologize right here and now. But, as I said, I don''t regret doing it at all." Saying that, Talon turned around as he started walking away.


    Meanwhile, Sophie stood there silently for a while. Nobody knew what was going through her head.


    "Was the choice¡­ that easy?" Eventually, she asked with an unusually calm voice.


    "Easy? It was never easy. It felt like I''d lost a good chunk of my soul along with you. But, that is always better than ruining the life of someone I deeply care for." m vl emp yr exclusive


    Leaving those words behind, Talon vanished inside the warehouse, leaving Sophie alone to contemte his words.


    What he wasn''t aware of was that someone was listening to their conversation in secret.


    ***


    Entering inside, Talon quickly headed to his section of the warehouse where he sat down with a long sigh as he closed his eyes tiredly. Even though he didn''t do much that day, he felt as if he exhausted every ounce of energy in his body and mind.


    ''I went ahead and said it. Perfect, now I''m sure she''s going to hold a grudge against me. I was a huge coward for not telling her sooner and trying to run away and pretend like nothing happened.'' Running his hand through his hair, Talon clicked his tongue in frustration.


    This was a problem that was brewing for years and years and the moment where it exploded came out of nowhere, taking him by surprise. His reunion with Sophie was something he never expected.


    As he sat there, deep in his own thoughts, he didn''t notice Acrypha floating closer to him silently. Her expression was a little sad since she could feel the sour mood Talon was in. Seeing his smile vanish was something she would never want to see happen to him.


    So, without saying a word, she floated closer and closer till she was next to him before she sat down with her shoulder sticking to his. Thetter instinctively leaned closer to her without realizing it.


    The two sat there, in a rather bizarre and yet oddlyforting atmosphere. One was contemting his decisions in life at some point and another was simply there for him as he was there for her when she needed him.


    No words were needed between them¡­ Just a moment of serenity.


    Time passed slowly that way until Talon finally opened his eyes. "Hey, Acrypha¡­"


    "Mm¡­" Thetter hummed quietly as she kept her eyes closed.


    "If you were in my position, would''ve you done the same thing?" He asked.


    His question made her open her eyes. "I don''t know. That''s a tough choice. But, I believe that no matter what you did, nobody could me you for it. Whether you chose yourself or chose her, everyone has their reason to be one or another. You chose to give that away for her sake."


    "..."


    "Don''t beat yourself down for it. Time moved on and now you both are inpletely different positions in life. Staying stuck in the past will only hinder you."


    "Yeah¡­ You''re right." Talon nodded his head as he pursed his lips lightly. "Whatever happens from now on, I will take it in. I''m done running away."


    "Good, that''s the spirit."


    "Thanks for the advice, as always, Acrypha."


    "My wisdom is something that many would pay with their souls to get. You''re lucky you have the privilege of using it for free." She replied jokingly.


    "Very lucky indeed." He rolled his eyes as he turned away. "Well, I should probably go and check Hyun-Jae. We need to find a solution to this potential rat infestation in the sewer system."


    ***


    Standing up, Talon walked toward the section where he knew Hyun-Jae would be. Even though it was night, there was still some time before sleep as everyone was still finishing their tasks for the day.


    "Hey, Hyun-Jae, are you free to talk?"


    When he reached her, Talon found the girl staring at a giant piece of paper spread across a huge table.


    "Yeah, actually, you came at the perfect time. I was about to call you. Here, take a look at this, I found something really interesting." She said as she signaled for him to approach her.


    Her face was looking down so Talon couldn''t see her expression and he was too upied with the piece of paper to notice.


    "What''s up?"


    "This is a map of the sewer system. Shin-Il''s group found it in one of the libraries the other day." She said.


    "Oh, pretty useful."


    "Yeah, I had to pull it up to see if we can actually find a way to kill all the evolved rats that infested it. But, it''s far easier said than done. Look here, the sewer systems are extremelyplicated and vast. Exploring the entirety of them is like exploring an entire new city. It would take weeks to do that."


    Talon stood next to her as he stared at the map silently. In simple terms, the map was a vast of ck lines that connected and disconnected everywhere in a messy yet organized manner at the same time.


    "This does look really bad." He murmured as he rubbed his chin. "We can''t waste time searching the entirety of the sewer systems. Rats naturally love to live in massive groups so if we can find the heart of that group, we can pull the problem out of its roots." He said.


    "But, the question remains, how? Even if we filter the map with the most optimal ces a giant group of monstrous rodents would live in, we would still be left with many locations." Hyun-Jae replied.


    "Hmm¡­" Talon hummed and squinted his eyes as he stared at the map silently. His mind analyzed all the possibilities he had at that moment.


    ''We need a way to reach our goal in the fastest way possible. I know for certain that the rats are the key to that in and out of themselves. If I can somehow make them lead me back to their ce... Some way that I can control them...'' His eyes wandered around the ce casually, till it fell on something.


    At that moment, Talon''s eyes widened as he was suddenly hit with an idea. Without realizing it, a knowing smile formed on his face.


    ''Of course, why did I look too far... The answer was right there the entire time!'' He mused.


    "I think I''ve found it. A way to find that ce quickly. It''s quite easy too." He murmured.


    Hyun-Jae blinked before she nodded her head. "I was waiting for you toe up with one of your ideas. Hopefully, this one isn''t as reckless as the ones before it. So, what is it?"


    "Hmm, it''s not that hard, trust me. I can do it alone or with one other person at most." He replied. "Any more than that and it could turn out to be a failure."


    "Oh, only two people?"


    "I think going alone is better but since I know you would be worried, two people are the best choice."


    "d you''re aware that I would be worried." She replied. "So, what''s this idea?"


    "Mm, excuse me."


    At that moment, the two were cut off. Turning around, they saw Sophie standing there. Her expression was oddly calm even though she had just had a very intense conversation with Talon.


    But, thetter could easily notice that she wasn''t acting normally.


    "I heard what you said, Talon, and I would like to request something if you don''t mind."


    "... What is it?" He asked with a little hesitance.


    "Can I go with you?"


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 181 - 181- Perfect Duo (Part 1)

    "We must not stray away from each other or we will get lost. The fire is our only way to the nest!" Talon said as he looked over his shoulder.


    "Yes, I''m right behind you!"


    ''That rat is quite fast goddamit, even with my speed, it''s still keeping up somehow.'' Clenching his teeth, Talon stared at the ever-so-distant ember of blue fire that he was following left and right.


    Even though they were quite weak, they had extremely high speed instead which made them quite the hard targets to hit. But, for Talon, they were as easy as any other target he needed to kill.


    The burning rat continued its escape as the fire ate its tail and moved toward its body. The slow process of the fire burning its body made it run even faster as adrenaline filled its body.


    In a few seconds, they were already in apletely different area of the sewer system. They ran left and right and in circles till theypletely lost their sense of direction. However, Talon knew that Sophie still had that string attached to her so he didn''t have to worry about them getting lost.


    "Where is it even going? We''ve been running for 10 minutes now." Sophie asked as she barely dodged a dirty puddle of water as she leaped in the air andnded next to Talon.


    "It seems like it knows where it''s going. Come on, I can feel something in the distance."


    As the rat took thest turn, the fire finally caught up to its body and it lost all strength to move. When it fell to the ground, the azure mes finally burnt itpletely, not even leaving any ashes behind.


    The duo halted their run as they started approaching the spot where it died slowly.


    "It died. Hmm, but are we even close to the spot?" Sophie asked as she turned around.


    But, Talon didn''t respond as he closed his eyes for a second. His brain cleared up as he focused on the area surrounding him. All of his Aetheris channeled into his Enhanced Focus skill to expand it as far as it could go.


    After continuously growing stronger and leveling up, Enhanced Focus had already expanded quite far. Talon could easily sense things in a hundred-meter radius around him. It wasn''t that farpared to someone like Acrypha but he was proud of how good it was for his level.


    ''I can sense a lot of things around here. But, no actual monster presence. Well, this was expected. We''re probably still a little bit far from the nest. That doesn''t mean I can''t find it myself now.'' He thought to himself.


    What Talon was looking for wasn''t the rats, but the things they leave behind, like their waste, food, and any other thing. If they were truly close to the nest, finding such things should be easy.


    It didn''t take long for that suspicion to be confirmed. Talon''s sense picked up on something in the far distance that was awfully simr to the rat waste they found a while ago.


    Then, he opened his eyes as he signaled for Sophie to get ready. Thetter nodded her head as she followed after him.


    "We''re awfully close to the nest. It should definitely be somewhere around here." Talon exined. "If we happen across the nest. We need to kill all the rats before they spread or escape."


    "Leave that to me, I know how to do it," Sophie replied.


    As the two finally took their turn, they found themselves in a random tunnel. But, this tunnel had one different detail.


    ''The smell¡­ Ugh¡­'' Frowning slightly, Talon closed his nose. ''It''s filled with feces¡­ So much¡­''


    However, this scene, as disgusting as it was, did make Talon feel delighted. If there was that much waste then that meant that they were close to their destination.


    "I''m going to try and locate the nest." He said.


    "Ok, I will keep my guard."


    With that, Talon closed his eyes for a second to do what he just tried before. He was certain that this time, he was going to find what he was looking for.


    Meanwhile, Sophie stood next to him as his guard. Her eyes warily scanned her surroundings.


    ''Things are rather quiet.'' She thought to herself. ''Hopefully, they didn''t realize we are here or that would be a problem.''


    At that moment, Sophie suddenly felt something weird. beneath her. Looking down, her eyes fell on a puddle of water. The puddle waspletely motionless a few moments ago. But now, it suddenly started rhythmically shaking and distorting.


    Squinting her eyes, she watched the change quickly grow in size and effect until it reached a point where she was feeling the shaking beneath her feet.


    ''Are the tunnels shaking?'' She thought to herself as she looked down.


    "Talon¡­" She murmured. But, thetter didn''t answer as he was too focused on his senses.


    *RUMBLE*


    Eventually, the shaking became so intense that Sophie had to use some effort to bnce herself.


    "Hey, Talon¡­"


    *RUMBLE*


    Before she could even finish her sentence, she started hearing loud screeching sounds along with chaotic taps everywhere. Looking around her, her eyes fell on the tunnels all around them.


    ''Oh no¡­'' It didn''t take her long to realize what was happening and her face slowly paled.


    A secondter, out of all the tunnels around them, rats flooded out endlessly. Their eyes shone with a terrifying red glint as they illuminated the entire dark tunnel.


    "Talon! We need to move!!"


    Thetter had already sensed the presence of this vast number of monsters and he quickly summoned his spear.


    "Move! We need to retreat before they surrou-"


    But, by the time he alerted Sophie, the disaster had already fallen. Their only way out of that tunnel waspletely closed along with every other possible route they might try to move through.


    In other words, they werepletely surrounded.


    "Shit¡­" Cursing, Talon channeled his Aetheris as he swung his spear, sending dozens of those rats flying back. Then, he continued swinging his spear ruthlessly, killing many of them as he tried to find a way out.


    But, at that moment, he realized something.


    ''Their numbers¡­ They''re still growing!''


    What was tens of rats turned into hundreds, and then from hundreds they turned into thousands. There were so many that the entire area around them waspletely drowned in these nasty monsters.


    Even with his strength, Talon knew that he wouldn''t be able to kill this many monsters on his own.


    But, he didn''t stop swinging his spear as he tried to find a way out.


    "Sophie, are you ok?" Looking behind worriedly, he noticed that Sophie was quickly getting overwhelmed by the rats. Some of them were even able to reach her as they opened their wide mouths.


    "No!" His eyes turned extremely sharp as he vanished from his spot and appeared in front of Sophie. Then, he kicked the rats away with his leg before he swung his spear powerfully.


    "Hah!!"


    *BANG*


    The monsters wereunched in the air like ragdolls before they fell in the heart of the chaos.


    "Are you ok?!" Looking behind him, Talon quickly lifted Sophie up.


    "I''m fine. Hah¡­" She replied.


    "Good, we need to leave this ce right now. This was a fucking trap, those rats knew that we wereing for them." Looking around him, Talon noticed how meticulous the trap was.


    The fact that they came from all the tunnels wasn''t a coincidence, they were deliberately trying to overwhelm them with sheer numbers while the two struggled to find a way out.


    ''I can''t use any overly destructive skill or the entire tunnel will copse on our heads. Can I burn them to death? No, that won''t work either, we will also get burned. If I''m gonna use azure mes, we have to be out of this ce first. Dammit, my power is too restricted here! Should I just kill them using the spear alone?


    Their numbers are still increasing¡­ ''What should I do? Think. Think!''


    "Let me help¡­" At that moment, Sophie touched his shoulder. "I''m here for you, always. Can you hold them on for a second?"


    Staring into her eyes, all Talon could see was confidence. It didn''t seem like she was terrified of this situation.


    That shockingly made him feel all of his worries wash away as he nodded his head. "I can hold them on for as long as you need¡­"


    Then, Talon focused on his spear as he quickly activated Spearmanship. What urred after that was nothing short of a massacre.


    With each swing of Talon''s spear, dead corpses fell to the ground. He sliced left and right, trying to keep all the rats away. However, since they wereing from every single ce, it was almost impossible to keep up with them. Still, Talon used all of his strength to do it.


    ''Faster, I need to be faster!'' Clenching his teeth, Talon dashed around. The rate of his killing soared to the heavens. Every fiber of his was focused on massacring as many rodents as possible.


    [Ding!]


    [Spearmanship has leveled up.]


    [Ding!]


    [Spearmanship is ready to evolve!]


    A notification appeared in Talon''s vision that he didn''t expect at all.


    Meanwhile, Sophie quickly channeled her Aetheris before she created a giant of strings. Then, with a swift and elegant move, the was spread in the air vertically before it arched around them in the form of a barrier.


    Then, with a simple hand gesture, the barrier expanded forward.


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 182 - 182- Perfect Duo (Part 2)

    The barrier expanded so quickly that the entire tunnel shook violently. The strings quickly reached the ever-growing swarm of rats. Upon contact, blood exploded everywhere in a terrifying sight.


    The sharp strings sliced through the monsters'' bodies with ease as they dissected them into cubes.


    The smell of blood filled the entire tunnel and made the air feel almost impossible to breathe in. The screeches of monsters as they got pushed back before getting brutally sliced into pieces were the most cursed sounds Talon had ever heard in his life.


    In less than ten seconds, hundreds of rats fell dead in front of them, covering the entire ce in their remains.


    Meanwhile, Sophie''s face was turning paler and paler by the second as she kept her fingers sped together as if she were trying to control something with all her strength.


    ''I need¡­ To push it more¡­'' She thought to herself as she felt sweat dripping from her forehead.


    She felt her entire body being drained from Aetheris with each passing second the barrier was expanding. Each string required a part of her focus to keep up and so hundreds of these strings took an extreme toll on her mental strength.


    She felt as if she was about to throw up and faint at any given moment.


    At the same time, Talon didn''t waste a moment as he quickly shed with his spear, killing all the monsters left in their way before he turned around. "Let''s move. Our out is open!" He yelled.


    But, the moment Sophie heard that, her hands released as she copsed to the ground. Talon quickly appeared next to her as he grabbed her by the waist before picking her up and dashing forward.


    Meanwhile, all the rats that didn''t die from the previous attack regained their bnce and quickly chased after them maniacally. Their screeches became louder and their bloodlust reeked out of their disgusting bodies.


    But, instead of feeling fear from this wave of voracious creatures chasing him, Talon smiled coldly.


    "Yeah, just like that, follow me, all of you. Even those of you who are still hiding,e out and chase me." He said as he looked over his shoulder.


    The number of monsters behind him returned to the thousands really quickly. But, the more they were, the more Talon''s smile widened.


    ''I need to bring them all out.'' As he moved through the tunnels, he made sure to extend his escape as much as he could. He felt an intense urge to just stop and do it immediately, but, he knew that he needed to be patient to get the utmost result of this.


    "Hold on a second, Sophie, this might be a little bumpy¡­ And hot¡­" He said to the girl who was still struggling to keep herself conscious.


    "Talon¡­" She murmured.


    "You gave me the perfect opportunity, Sophie. That''s what I was looking for. Now, I can do this."


    Then, out of nowhere, Talon stopped as he turned around and faced the swarm of monsters. Then, he snapped his finger, creating a big ball of azure mes. He spent almost 50 points of Aetheris into creating it so its weight and stability were far harder to control especially when he only had one hand to work with.


    But, with a calm expression, Talon waited for the monsters to get close to him before he simply threw his hand back¡­


    "And everything goes boom."


    Then, he tossed the ball of fire. Upon the first contact with the first rat, the fire exploded powerfully as it rose in the air. Then, as if it were a gluttonous monster, the fire ate the first rat in a second before it quickly moved to the next rat. One after the other, the fire grew and grew, catching more and more rats.


    Before any monster could even react, it ate a few dozen unlucky rats as it continued growing more violent.


    The entire tunnel was illuminated with a blue light as Talon watched tens of creatures catch on fire and die almost immediately, leaving no trace behind in this world.


    "This is the true strength of the Azure mes. It shines the brightest when it''s against many enemies. It eats everything in its way and it doesn''t leave anything behind." Acrypha said as she watched the scene with an impressed look.


    ''This is the power that created one of the strongest ns in the Core Dimension. It truly lives up to its name, even though it''s still barely in its earliest forms. Once he develops it into a higher form, I can''t even imagine how destructive it will be.'' She shuddered secretly just imagining the future where this me reaches its true andst potential.


    Seconds passed before the rats finally realized the huge problem facing them and they naturally tried to retreat out of instinct. They understood the threat that this fire posed to them. But, the Azure mes had already reached too deep into the swarm of rats that it became impossible to escape.


    Those who tried to escape were caught and those who were caught smashed into the other rats out of fear, leaving the fire to kill them too.


    Chaos ensued amongst the monsters, fear and terror filled their minds before they were sent to the deepest parts of hell. Their souls were tortured ruthlessly before dying a painful death.


    "What a beautiful sight¡­ It''s almost like seeing a video of a dirty room being cleaned¡­" Talon smiled as his eyes reflected the blue light from the mes. He felt extremely satisfied with what he was seeing.


    Getting rid of all these disgusting monsters was so refreshing for him.


    [Ding!]


    [You have killed 500 mutated rats.]


    [Ding.]


    [You have killed 250 mutated rats.]


    [Ding!]


    [You have killed 485 mutated rats.]


    [Ding!]


    [+10 Aetheris, +10 Stamina.]


    [Ding!]


    [...]


    Notifications appeared and disappeared endlessly, making Talon even more satisfied.


    ''I''m feeling it all. I''m getting stronger without doing anything. I love this!''


    With each passing second, Talon''s strength increased as he felt his aura intensify. By the time the entire area was clear of monsters, Talon felt his power rise way higher.


    [Ding!]


    [+5 Strength, +5 Agility.]


    "Perfect." Nodding his head with a satisfied look, he turned around. "Hey, Sophie, are you ok?"


    The entire time, Sophie had been in his arms, resting silently. Her eyes were half open and her face was buried in his chest as if she wanted to merge with him. Talon felt her chest pressing against him even harder, making it deform a little.


    ''This is a pretty nice feeling.'' He thought to himself before he coughed awkwardly. ''What am I even thinking? Rx, Talon!''


    "Hey, Sophie¡­ Can you hear me?"


    "Mmm¡­ I''m¡­ awake¡­" She replied tiredly.


    "You used all of your Aetheris reserves. Here, drink this." Rummaging through his storage, he pulled out one Aetheris potion.


    "Mmm, I can''t drink¡­ Help me drink it~" She replied in a sultry tone as she rubbed her face against Talon''s chest.


    ''She''s acting like a sulky child¡­'' Talon raised an eyebrow as he watched her rather adorable behavior. ''Wait, I remember seeing her this way once before¡­ If I recall correctly, she ate some alcoholic candy by mistake once and she ended up actingpletely out of character. I had to stop her from stripping in front of me out of nowhere.''


    A small smile appeared on Talon''s face recalling that memory. It was a rather funny incident that he was fond of.


    "Heyyy~ help me drink it, hubby~"


    "Hubby? Ok, you definitely need this potion now." Snapping out of his mind, Talon quickly put the potion near her mouth.


    "Mmm, my lips are tired¡­ Mouth-to-Mo-"


    "No, if you can talk, then you definitely can drink this." Talon shook his head with a sigh.


    "Stingy~"


    But, even with her pout, Sophie still drank the potion slowly. Some droplets fell down her red lips and then down her chin. She made small sounds as she drank, making Talon frown.


    ''Why do I feel weird about this?!'' He turned his eyes away from the little seductive devil in his arms.


    Acrypha looked at him with a nk expression.


    "Please don''t look at me like that, I didn''t sign for this, I swear!" Talon said, easily reading her mind.


    "I said nothing¡­" She replied in an emotionless tone as she turned away.


    "Sigh¡­" Shaking his head, Talon finally pulled the empty bottle away from Sophie''s lips. "Are you feeling better?"


    "Yeah, a lot better. My head was really dizzy." She replied. "I''m sorry for fainting like that, I didn''t expect that attack to consume all of my Aetheris."


    "You have killed hundreds of these rats and saved our lives. You did great."


    "I did?" Sophie''s eyes shed with an excited glint. Just hearing Talon praise her made her heart skip a beat.


    "Yeah, I owe you my life, Sophie," Talon replied in a calm tone.


    *BADUMP*


    The girl blinked in shock before her face turnedpletely red.


    ''Why does look so dazzling?!''


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 188 - 188- Ghost Town (Part 1)

    Just like that, a few hours passed quietly. The cars kept moving across the highway, nothing bizarre happened the entire time which made the group even more alert. Theck of enemies around them made them feel very ufortable.


    For the first time since the integration happened, everyone wished at least one monster would show up in front of the group. But, nothing of that sort urred. If anything, nobody could even see a trace of any monster moving on the highway or around it.


    "What is going on?" Talon murmured as he looked around him. "Where is everyone?¡­ There is something off."


    "What is happening in this ce?" Looking outside the window, Hyun-Jae noticed that the ins around them were slowly merging with the forest ahead. What was vast open fields was now a rather thick forest that surrounded them from both sides.


    "Keep yourself alert, we should be reaching the next town any time now."


    Hyun-Jae, Sophie, and Chin-Hwa nodded their heads. Being on high alert in such a situation is the only thing they can do.


    Then, Talon picked up hismunication device and informed everyone to stay ready for any possible changes.


    The vehicles moved slowly through the road as the sun slowly went down beyond the trees. The darkness slowly engulfed them and the temperature grew colder. Turning the headlights of the car on, Talon continued moving after the first vehicle.


    Eventually, the sight of a town finally appeared in the distance. Due to theck of lighting, the town appeared vague, dark, and eerie to a high degree.


    The vehicles approached the town till they were at the entrance. Then, everyone stopped as Talon got out of the car and stepped forward.


    "What an eerie ce." He murmured before he turned to Acrypha. "Do you sense anything odd?"


    The woman looked around her before she sighed. "I can''t tell you or I will be punished. All that I can say is you have to be careful."


    "Hmm, that''s more than enough of an advice." He replied as he approached the first vehicle in the line.


    "Hey¡­" Knocking in the window, he signaled for the driver to push it down.


    "Y-Yes, sir?"


    "Where did you spend the night here?" He asked.


    "We did not spend the night here, sir. We simply took the fuel we found in the town and continued moving as fast as we could."


    "Is that so?"


    "We knew staying could be dangerous so we simply didn''t stop at all."


    ''That would''ve been a good idea if we didn''t have tens of people with us. It would turn really messy really quickly.''


    "Tell everyone toe out." Talon turned around. "Hyun-Jae,e with me. We''re going to check this town." He said.


    "Oh? What about me?" Sophie asked.


    "You stay with the rest and prepare to move. I don''t know why, but I have a bad feeling about this. We must not get separated."


    "Ok¡­" Sophie bitterly nodded her head as she turned around.


    Meanwhile, Hyun-Jae simply pulled her sword out and walked after Talon. "Are you sensing anything?"


    "No, not yet. But, I''m definitely not feelingfortable being here. Let''s see if my hunch is on point."


    With that, the duo walked into the small town slowly. The ce was naturallypletely dested. Except for the rundown houses and the destroyed street, there was nothing worth looking at.


    This town was in reality a vige built in the middle of the forest. It had a beautiful view of the forest so it was quite popr amongst tourists that came to enjoy the nature of South Korea.


    However, that town is nowpletely destroyed. Nobody remained in it as they either escaped or died.


    *Step*


    Walking through the main street of the town, Talon''s eyes coldly looked around him. "It''spletely gone."


    "Yeah¡­ I visited this town a few times before when I was younger. It was a very beautiful ce." Hyun-Jae murmured with aplicated expression.


    The times she spent when she was a kid with her family were one of the most precious memories she had. After all, at the time, things were far better and her life was still the one she imagined it would be¡­ Happy, carefree, beautiful¡­


    But, thingspletely changed in one single moment and since then, they never came back. All that''s left for Hyun-Jae is the memories she tries to piece together from the ruins around her.


    Talon noticed that subtle nostalgia in her eyes and he could only sigh.


    "Well, it seems nothing is in this town. It''spletely empty. We can spend the night here." He said as he turned around to walk back.


    But, at that moment, he suddenly halted as his eyes turned extremely sharp. He felt a chill run down his spine and his aura was perturbed for a couple of seconds. This was the feeling Talon always had when he found himself in a dangerous situation¡­ A very dangerous situation.


    ''What? Something just moved through my senses¡­'' Turning around, Talon summoned his spear.


    Looking around him, he didn''t notice anything off. The entire town was the same and the presence that he detected vanished as if it was never there in the first ce.


    "Talon?" Hyun-Jae snapped out of her daze.


    But, thetter didn''t respond as he kept looking around him. "Get out. I know you''re there, whatever you are." He spoke in a clear and threatening tone.


    ''It moved so fast that I didn''t even have time to identify what it was. I have never seen any monster this fast before¡­ It''s almost like a ghost.''


    So far, the fastest creatures Talon fought were far from being too fast. In fact, Talon was able to overpower them even in terms of speed on his own. However, this one waspletely different and he could feel it clearly.


    "I saide out!" Yelling again when he got no response, his body suddenly flinched before he turned around.


    *Swish*


    Without wasting a single moment, Talon moved his hand at lightning speed at the exact moment when a ck figure stormed through him.


    ''It reached me?! When? I didn''t notice it... I was certain that it left¡­'' His eyes widened as he quickly deflected the attack threatening to tear his face off.


    *CLING*


    The sound of two metal objects shing echoed in the vicinity. Then, out of nowhere, blood sshed from Talon''s cheek.


    "Talon!!" Hyun-Jae quickly channeled her Aetheris, ready to rush toward him.


    "Don''t move!" He yelled back as he quickly wiped his face. "It''s too fast and I can''t see it. Stay focused on your surroundings."


    With a calm mind, Talon kept looking around, ignoring the stinging pain from the injury.


    ''Dammit, if I was a split secondte, it would''ve decapitated me.''


    The feeling of threat grew in his heart. But, he oddly didn''t feel despair in that moment. Even when the monster was clearly very strong, Talon found himself rather focused.


    ''Come on, try me again, bastard.''


    A few slow seconds passed with nothing happening. Then, in a split moment, the ck figure emerged out of nowhere and dashed toward the duo. Its speed was way faster than before, to the point where neither of them could follow it with their eyes.


    *Swish*


    This time, instead of targeting Talon, it instead shifted the direction to Hyun-Jae.


    As it was about to attack, it suddenly felt something fly through the air as it stabbed it in the side. The monster immediately jumped back as it vanished like a ghost.


    "Riiiiii!!!!" The sound of its painful groan echoed in the vicinity.


    Hyun-Jae blinked in shock as her eyes shifted to the shiny object floating in front of her. A very beautiful and graceful blue de quietly levitated where the monster was. ck, gooey substance dripping from it.


    "Even if I can''t see it or feel it¡­ That doesn''t mean I can''t predict where it would attack." Talon said coldly as he moved the de away.


    ''Future Sight came in clutch here¡­ I had a hunch it might attack Hyun-Jae next but I didn''t know where it woulde from.'' His eyes flickered with an ominous light before they returned to normal.


    "What¡­ was that?"


    "I don''t know. But, it''s certainly something that isn''t human. It''s way faster than anything we''ve fought. Even worse, it somehow has a way of moving through my senses without triggering them. Almost as if¡­ It can teleport¡­''


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 189: Chapter 189- Ghost Town (Part 2)

    "What is even that thing?" Hyun-Jae asked as she kept her sword up, ready to fight at any given moment. The first time, she was taken by surprise so she couldn''t even try to defend. But, now she was mentally ready and anticipating any possible attacks. Her entire body was ready to instantly move the moment she felt anything.


    Meanwhile, Talon summoned the second Aetherial de as he put one next to Hyun-Jae and one next to him. They were anotheryer of defence in case they couldn''t react fast enough. After all, Talon''s orders reached the des faster than his body could move.


    "I don''t know, all I saw was a ck figure before it vanished. But, it looked like a skinny and very tall creature. It moved on two legs with its body bent forward. That''s all I saw." He replied as he sucked in a deep breath.


    ''I''m pretty sure I injured it heavily with that hit. The amount of blood dripping from the de is considerably big. It''s definitely not going to be as fast as before. But, I can''t overuse my Future Sight skill or I''m going to harm my eyes.'' He thought to himself.


    The w on Future Sight made it impossible for Talon to use it more than three times at most if he didn''t want to threaten to harm his vision.


    ''I need to kill it in the next attack or we will be in grave danger¡­''


    The entire ce turned very quiet with the only sound being heard was that of Talon and Hyun-Jae breathing subtly. Clouds of warm breath formed around their mouths. The sensation of the coldness coupled with theck of vision was terrifying and nervewracking. But, neither of them seemed terrified or perturbed at all.


    They have been in far worse situations in their lives before. This was nothing inparison.


    "We are going to end up in the same situation if we don''t kill it. Dammit, I don''t think we can actually do it." Talon clicked his tongue as he turned around. "It''s too strong, for fuck sake!"


    Hyun-Jae looked at him confusedly for a second before her eyes shed with a glint of understanding. Then, she slowly dropped her sword. "We''ve almost been killed. I''m terrified¡­ I can''t fight this thing."


    "What can we even do?" Cursing loudly, Talon slowly walked toward hispanion. "We need to run awa-"


    At that moment, the monster suddenly appeared near them as it jumped on Hyun-Jae from behind. The girl was standingpletely still as if she didn''t even realize it was there.


    *Swish* *Swish*


    But, the moment it reached Hyun-Jae''s range, the girl''s sword suddenly moved as she flipped it in her hand. Then, without looking, she stabbed back. At the same time, the Aetherial de next to her plunged into the monster the instant it appeared.


    "RIIIII!!!" The creature waspletely taken by surprise. At thest moment, it tried to vanish, but it was far toote.


    Both des stabbed through its body as the monster fell to the ground, motionless. Everything happened in less than a second and it ended abruptly.


    "Are you ok, Hyun-Jae?!" Talon quickly rushed to hispanion as he worriedly checked her body with his eyes.


    "I''m fine, it didn''t touch me."


    "Fuuuh, that''s good." Seeing that she was fine, he exhaled a small breath of relief.


    "Are you ok too?"


    "Yeah¡­ Though, it fell for the easiest trick in the book, hahaha!" Talonughed as he deactivated Future Sight before rubbing his eyes.


    "I knew it was going to target my back," Hyun-Jae replied.


    "I''m d you caught up with my idea instantly¡­ It would''ve not worked as well if you didn''t."


    "We have been together every day for almost two months now. If I don''t learn to read you, then I''m not worthy enough to stand by yo-"


    "By?"


    "Ehem, it''s nothing. Look at this thing." Shifting the topic with an awkward, cough, Hyun-Jae''s eyes looked at the dead creature in front of her.


    It was a very slim, and tall creature, almost 9 feet in height. Its entire body was a washed-out ck color with no actual features. Its face was featureless with only two protruding green eyes.


    "What a disgusting monster." Shemented disdainfully.


    [Ding!]


    [You have killed a level 32 Shadow Crawler. +2 Agility.]


    "Shadow crawler, huh¡­ What kind of creature even is this thing?"


    Acrypha slowly floated forward as it took a closer look at the monster with a fascinated expression.


    "What a rare creature to appear here¡­" She murmured.


    "Rare?"


    "Yeah, I haven''t seen a Shadow Crawler in decades."


    "Are they that rare?"


    "They are. From what I know, they''re one of the few species in existence that are Mono-Dimensional."


    "Mono-Dimensional? That''s apletely new term I never heard of." Talon raised an eyebrow.


    "Mono-Dimensional species are species that exist in only one dimension out of the infinite number of dimensions in existence. Except for that particr world and that particr dimension, you can''t find them anywhere else."


    "Why is that? isn''t there supposed to be a copy of everything?"


    "Nobody knows why. But, these creatures are extremely rare. That''s why I was surprised to see a Shadow Crawler here."


    "That is very interesting¡­" With Acrypha''s exnation, Talon started to see this monster in a different light.


    "Though, the fact that they appeared here. That is something very weird."


    "Oh right, if they''re Mono-Dimensional, what is this thing doing here?"


    Acrypha shook her head confusedly. She also didn''t know the answer to his question either. ''Another anomaly in this world. How many are there now? I stopped counting.'' Shaking her head, Acrypha threw the question in the back of her head.


    "Then, how was it able to avoid my senses when it attacked?"


    "Because they don''t move in the real world when their abilities are activated. You cannot sense them in the normal ways."


    "What? What do you mea- Oh! Shadow Crawlers! They move through the shadows?"


    "You caught on."


    "That makes sense why I thought it was teleporting everywhere. It was using the shadows around us to sneak and ambush."


    "I noticed that your senses are growing extremely sharp. At your level, it is almost impossible to detect one of these monsters. They''re notorious for being able to kill creatures levels above them in strength by simply ambushing them. They also live in groups and hunt in groups, so if they set their eyes on a target, it is almost certainly dead."


    "Damn¡­ If I end up meeting a group of them, I might die... Nice, now I jinxed myself." Rubbing the back of his head, Talon rolled his eyes.


    ''I know my luck, watch how I''m going to end up fighting a swarm of them at some point.''


    So far, whatever he wishes not to happen would most of the time happen. He even thought that for every point of luck he gets in his skills and bonus points, he gets horrible luck in the situations he finds himself in.


    ''A very fair trade if you ask me.''


    "So, what should we do now? This ce might be filled with these things as far as we know."


    "Yeah¡­ We can''t remain here, it''s too dangerous. Dammit, I wanted to take it easy during the trip so that everyone is ready for the battle. But, we don''t have any other choice. We will have to move to the next city. They shouldn''t be able to follow us there."


    With that, the two started going back to the group. The first step of the trip was a failure, but, it wasn''t the worst-case scenario. They have already ounted for the possibility of such a scenario.


    When they reached the group, Talon announced the new n. Some of the survivors were confused and a little scared but after hearing the exnation, they could only agree with the decision and get inside the cars again.


    Since they already had fuel with them that couldst a week, they had no need to search for more in the town. So, the group of vehicles quickly left the ce a few minutester.


    They immediately got back on the highway around the town.


    "I guess we''re going to reach your hometown quicker than we expected, Hyun-Jae," Talon said with a small smile.


    "Yeah¡­" The girl replied dazedly as she kept an eye on the outside world.


    ***


    Unbeknownst to them, back where the dead creaturey dead. The ce waspletely quiet and dark with barely any source of light for vision. Time seemed to tick slowly in the destroyed town.


    Then, out of nowhere, something or somethings appeared and carried the dead monster before vanishing as if they were never there.


    "Riiii¡­" A very low, and angry grunt echoed in the world, unheard by anyone as the soundpletely dissipated the next second.


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 190: Chapter 190- Trip Down Memory Lane (Part 1)

    *Yawn*


    Inside the silent car, Talon yawned as he covered his mouth. Staring ahead of him, he could see that the car was still movingfortably. He couldn''t sense anything abnormal and made sure to keep contacting the other every 4 minutes or so to make sure they were fine.


    So far, after two hours of leaving the town, nothing attacked them or came close from them.


    Looking at the rear-view mirror, Talon noticed that Sophie and Chin-Hwa had drifted to sleep. Thest few days have been really exhausting with the amount of work they had to do so naturally, when things are calm, drowsiness took over them. Meanwhile, Acrypha was sitting in hisp,pletely disconnected from the world as she meditated.


    That left him alone in the car and it was a very serene moment. Or so he thought at least.


    "Are you tired?" Surprisingly, a voice spoke to him.


    Looking to the side, he saw Hyun-Jae staring back at him worriedly. He thought that she was asleep the entire time. But, turns out she was still awake.


    "I''m not. Why are you still awake, Hyun-Jae? I thought you were asleep?" Talon asked back.


    "I wasn''t asleep. I can''t go to sleep either since you''re still awake." She replied.


    "What? Why is that? You can take a nap, I''m not tired, really."


    However, the girl still shook her head adamantly. "As long as you''re awake, I''m also going to be awake."


    "..." Seeing the determination in her eyes, the young man was rendered speechless. Deep down, he felt grateful that she was this worried about him but he also felt bad since he knew Hyun-Jae was exceptionally exhausted from all the work that she had to do.


    Not to mention the responsibilities on her shoulders that she had to carry constantly, those were exceptionally exhausting since they taxed her brain rather than her body.


    ''She''s really something else¡­'' His respect and admiration for Hyun-Jae kept growing day by day.


    Barely two months ago, the two of them were simple strangers who had no connection to each other whatsoever. He doesn''t even remember passing by her on a random day. That was how distant they were from each other.


    Yet, in just the span of a few weeks, they became the closestpanions and the best of friends without even realizing it.


    ''Life sometimes works in weird ways. Who could''ve predicted our paths would''ve crossed this way? If the integration hadn''t happened, we would''ve never be friends. I don''t even know how to feel just thinking about that possibility¡­''


    The thought of it naturally scared Talon. Even with how horrible the events that urred were, Talon still feared that everything was but a very long dream of his. He feared that one day, he would open his eyes and he would be back inside his dorm room with the loud sound of the rm ringing as it showed 4:00 AM.


    He didn''t want to go back to his old life. His boring, uneventful life where the only thing he could do was to work, burning his very soul as each day passed. He didn''t want that. Now that he felt the sensation of power, of freedom, and seeing the vast gates that opened for him, how could hee back? How could he drop from the peaks of life to the abyss that he lived in before?


    ''I was really destined to have a normal life and now I''m aiming to leave this world and go fight some kind of deity. Hahaha, that''s a plot twist if I''ve ever seen one.''


    "What are you thinking about?" Hyun-Jae''s question snapped him out of his thoughts and made him look to the side.


    "Nothing¡­ Just thinking about the weird turns that life took us to. Being all nostalgic and stuff." He replied.


    "Hmm, you too?"


    "Yeah, it''s very funny sometimes. But, here we are. I can''t really remember thest time I actually had a normal day in my life and I frankly don''t miss it."


    "..."


    "I know it''s odd. But, I don''t hate this new lifestyle. It''s far more dangerous, but also far more thrilling than my previous life. I''m getting too addicted to it¡­"


    He didn''t know why, but Talon felt an urge to tell Hyun-Jae about his thoughts at that moment. He wasn''t particrly insecure or terrified of her opinion and instead simply felt like telling her.


    "I get what you mean¡­ It''s very addicting. I''m falling for it too." She replied after a while as she stared deeply at Talon. "Perhaps falling too hard."


    "You too?"


    "Mm, I didn''t like my life before either. It was too exhausting and demanding. I had no choice but to live that way to fulfill the expectations of others¡­"


    Talon: "..."


    "''Hyun-Jae, do this, you''re destined to be the next heir for the Ran family.''. ''Hyun-Jae, you shouldn''t y with the other kids, you need to attend your sses.''. It has been like that for years now. I can''t remember thest time I had an actual moment of peace."


    "Why didn''t you try to stop?" Talon asked in a gentle tone. He could feel the pain in Hyun-Jae''s voice as she spoke. It was immediately obvious that it had something to do with her past that she hadn''t revealed to him yet.


    "When you''re in a position where you can either focus on something you hate doing or have constant nightmares thinking about something you did in the past¡­ The choice bes a lot easier." She replied.


    "..." Talon''s lips parted open to speak for a moment before closing them again hesitantly. Her words resonated deeply with him and he could only repeat them again and again in his head.


    He had been through such a thing before when he ended his rtionship with Sophie. At the time, he found himselfpletely engrossed in studies and work and he quickly exerted himself beyond what he was capable of. He knew that if he stopped for a moment to think about what happened, he would fall into depression or even worse.


    Work was his only way of pushing those thoughts away. That''s why, at that moment, he felt really bad for Hyun-Jae.


    "What happened, Hyun-Jae?" He murmured in a low tone.


    Hearing that question made the girl frown slightly before she closed her eyes. "If you know¡­ You might hate me."


    "That would never happen." The young man replied immediately with a serious tone that left no room for questions. If there was one thing he was sure of, it was that.


    Hyun-Jae was now one of the closest people to him, hating her was out of the question no matter what she did in the past. He knows that everyone can make mistakes, what mattered was their present and how they turned out to be. Hyun-Jae was an amazing person and a friend through and through, the number of times he found her supporting him through thick and thin was hard to count.


    The instant response took her by surprise and made her look up. "How could you be so certain? It''s not something that anybody knows. Beside a few number of people."


    "Whatever it is, I won''t hate you for it. That I can promise you."


    "..." As if those words finally convinced her, Hyun-Jae nodded her head. "I will tell you. But, I¡­ We need to be alone¡­"


    "Of course, we''re going to reach the next city soon. You can tell me then." He replied.


    "Mmm¡­"


    Even though on the surface, Hyun-Jae appeared calm, inside, her heart was racing quickly. She didn''t know why, but she felt extremely nervous at that moment.


    ''I''m going to tell him¡­ I''m going to tell him about it¡­ Even though he said that he wouldn''t hate me¡­ What if he does? It''s not a small thing after all¡­ Am I risking too much? But, I still want to tell him¡­ I don''t know why, but all I want is to tell him.''


    Her heart was terrified, but also more than willing to speak about her past. Something that she had never done before with anyone else. Even those who knew didn''t dare to speak about it around her.


    It was the sole thing Hyun-Jae wasn''t ready to face for the longest time. Yet, out of nowhere, with a simple question, her heart suddenly was open wide enough to speak about her pain. She couldn''t fathom how that was possible.


    The sheer effect the young man next to her had on her was simply ridiculous.


    ''How far did I fall, I wonder.'' She thought to herself as she slowly lifted her hand to touch her chest for a moment. ''I really wonder.''


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 191: Chapter 191- Trip Down Memory Lane (Part 2)

    A few more hours eventually passed and the sun rose from behind the thick trees, shining its bright light on them.


    "Mmm¡­" Sophie moaned slightly as she parted her eyes open. The bright light made her frown before she quickly blinked. "Talon¡­" Feeling the car still moving, she murmured the first thought that came to her mind.


    "Oh, you''re finally awake. Good morning, sleepy head." Talon said as he looked at her through the rear-view mirror.


    "Good morning, *Yawn*... What time is it?"


    "5:52 AM¡­ It''s still early if you want to sleep more. It should be another 20 minutes before we can reach the city." He said.


    "No, I''ve had enough sleep. I''m sorry for dozing off when you had to drive through the entire night." She apologized with a bitter tone.


    "It''s fine, you were tired."


    "What about you? You should sleep." Peeking at him from the side, she inspected his face with her eyes.


    "I can go a few days without sleep no problem."


    "That doesn''t mean that you should do that." Sophie pouted angrily.


    "Don''t worry about him, we were awake the entire night together. He is fine." Hyun-Jae interjected coldly.


    "What?!" Sophie''s eyes widened as she turned to Hyun-Jae. "You two¡­ were awake¡­ alone?"


    "Yes. It was a pleasant and quiet night, I must say."


    "..." Seeing the subtle smirk on Hyun-Jae''s face, Sophie''s face changed for a second as she slowly pulled away. "Hmm, is that so?"


    Hyun-Jae gave her a disdainful side look the entire time as if she was loathing her. That enraged Sophie even more. But, with her acting abilities, she was able to hide that somehow from Talon.


    ''She''s trying to challenge me¡­ Dammit, I let my guard down and she took that opportunity to have all the time in the world with him¡­ Alone¡­ Ugh! Fuck! I don''t like that at all!!'' Clenching her fists to quench her anger, she tried to change the topic.


    "Did those things follow us here, I wonder."


    "We didn''t get attacked throughout the entire night. I made sure to talk to every vehicle and they are all good."


    ''Still, Acryphad told me that Shadow Crawlers live in groups¡­ Yet, that one attacked us on its own. That is odd.'' He thought to himself.


    "Mmmm¡­" At that moment, Acrypha moaned slightly as she opened her eyes. "That was a good meditation session."


    ''Speaking of Acrypha.''


    The beautiful woman had been silent the entire night as she meditated on Talon''sp. After a few hours of her being this close to him, he was able to somehow handle this intimate situation better and he could even put it to the back of his head at some point.


    "Good morning~" Looking back at him, she said.


    "Good morning. Is your healing process going fine?"


    "More or less. I''m not worried about that now. Have we reached this new ce yet?"


    "Almost there. Look, you can see it in the distance." He said as he pointed forward.


    Ahead of them, a massive city could be seen growing closer and closer. On the side of the road, a huge panel weed them with the words ''Wee to Daejeon'' in beautiful colors.


    Daejeon was the third biggest city in South Korea with a poption of over 1.5 million people. It was a very beautiful city deeper into the South Koreannd with amazing natural views.


    However, due to its location being far away from the sea, it had no actual advantage over other cities in terms of position.


    "We are finally here," Chin-Hwa murmured as he looked through the window. "We''re back, president."


    "Yeah¡­" Aplicated glint shed across Hyun-Jae''s eyes as the cars slowly reached the entrance of the city. Like before, everyone stopped there as Talon and the others left the vehicles to investigate the ce.


    "So, what are we going to do here? Surely you and the president aren''t going to go in there alone, right?" Chin-Hwa asked as he stared at the massive city ahead of them.


    "No, if we spend time investigating the entire city, it will take forever. We will go in there as a group and we will find the most optimal location to camp. Then, we will explore some parts of the city for the rest of the day and see what kind of resources we might find and then start moving again at night."


    "At night?"


    "Yes, change of ns, we are going to start moving at night."


    ''Staying in one ce when there are possible Shadow Crawlers around us is a horrible idea.'' Talon mused silently.


    He would rather be constantly moving and end up baiting the monsters toward them rather than getting ambushed when they least expected it.


    "Is everyone on pace with the n?" Turning to the rest of the group, they all nodded their heads.


    "Good, now, get back in the vehicles, and let''s move. Chin-Hwa, do you have any good ce you might think would be good to spend the day at?" He asked.


    The cold prince thought for a moment before he nodded his head. "I might know a good ce. Let''s go, it''s a little bit far."


    "Good, you heard him, everyone." pping his hands, the group returned to their assigned cars and started moving inside the city.


    The ce was naturally wrecked and destroyed. But, surprisingly, it was in a far better state than Seoul. Many buildings were still somehow intact and even those that were destroyed weren''t turned into rubble.


    Monsters lurked throughout the streets, moving aimlessly wherever their instinct told them to go. Noticing the presence of a new target, they tried to attack the vehicles only to get stomped or killed by the people inside of them.


    The group stormed through the streets like an unstoppable train, killing everything in their way. That continued till they reached the heart of the city.


    "Oh, a park?" Talon raised an eyebrow when he saw where Chin-Hwa brought them. "it''s open, we can see all around us, and it is also big enough not to get stuck there even if we are ambushed. That''s the perfect ce. Good work, Chin-Hwa."


    "..." The cold prince ignored thepliment as he got out of the car.


    After that, the group quickly entered the area, killed whatever monsters were left in it, and set up their camp quickly. The process took less than an hour to finish. Then, they had breakfast before Talon finally started separating groups to start exploring the area.


    Since they were in apletely uncharted area, he made sure that they only moved one kilometer away from the camp at most. They also had to stay in contact with each other at all times.


    After that, he assigned the strongest students to each group to be the leaders. That way, he could be rest assured that no one would be in danger.


    "You''re going to search the area north. I think I saw a supermarket there or a small shop, I don''t know for certain. Is everything clear?"


    "Yes, sir!"


    With that, thest group left the camp quickly.


    "Hey, Talon¡­" At that moment, Hyun-Jae spoke to him quietly.


    "What?" Noticing the weird expression on her face, Talon asked.


    "It''s about¡­ Our previous¡­ conversation." She said with a subtle hesitance.


    "Oh, right. I was going to ask. Are you sure you still want to tell me?"


    Inhaling a long breath, she nodded her head. "But, we need to leave the camp for a while."


    "Oh, where?"


    The girl turned around and walked a few steps before she looked over her shoulder. "I want to show you something."


    Raising an eyebrow, Talon turned to one of the students who were left at the camp to guard it. "Hey, you, tell Sophie that I''m going to leave for an hour or so. If anything happens, she should contact me and I will be back in no time."


    "Yes!"


    With that, Talon moved after Hyun-Jae. "Where are we going, really?"


    "You wanted to know about what happened in my childhood, right?"


    "Yeah¡­"


    "I''m going to show you."


    Even as she spoke, Hyun-Jae was having a hard time calming down. The time had finallye, to reveal what she had been hiding from everyone. Whatever happened from this point on, she was certain that it might make or break her rtionship with Talon.


    ''I need to face it. If I want to move on¡­ If I want to free myself¡­ I have to face it head-on.'' She thought to herself as she exhaled the long breath she had been holding the entire time.


    Talon noticed the conflict raging in her head, so, as his only option, he rested his hand on her shoulder. "No matter what happens, we''re going to be friends. Ok?"


    Seeing the assuring gaze of her dearpanion, she finally felt her mind settle down a little. "Ok¡­"


    With that, the duo headed deeper into the city on their own.


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 192: Chapter 192- Trip Down Memory Lane (Part 3)

    Walking in silence for a while, Talon looked around him curiously. Since he knew that they were in Hyun-Jae''s hometown, he wanted to know more about the environment she grew up in.


    ''I visited this city twice before. But, I never had the time to actually look around. It still looks really beautiful even after gettingpletely destroyed.'' He thought to himself.


    The change of scenery was refreshing, especially since the area they were walking into seemed like a high-ss neighborhood for rich families. The streets weren''tpletely destroyed and many buildings had remained standing against all odds. Some were even titled to the side as if they were about to fall and yet seemingly defied gravity and remained standing.


    ''They have earthquake mechanisms built into their houses. Talk about being rich¡­'' Talon whistled impressively.


    Eventually, the two of them ended up in a secluded area of the neighborhood where they stopped in front of a gigantic gate. To the side, Talon could see the walls of the property stretching as far as his eyes could see. They were also 10 ft tall so he couldn''t see anything beyond them.


    "This is¡­ My house¡­" Hyun-Jae announced as she turned around. "I have lived all of my childhood here."


    "Oh, it looks pretty nice." Talonplimented honestly as he noticed the sheer details on the wall and the gate that seemed to cost a lot of money. It gave him an even stronger realization of how rich Hyun-Jae''s family is.


    They were so rich that even in a high-ss neighborhood, their mansion stood out like a sore thumb.


    ''They are truly an international powerhouse.''


    "Thank you. Let''s go inside." Rummaging through her pocket, Hyun-Jae pulled out a key chain before she approached the door and unlocked it.


    The moment she twisted the key, the gate suddenly started opening on its own as if it was triggered by something.


    "Woah¡­" Inside, Talon was weed with a vast garden that stretched for dozens of meters. Beautiful trees and a field of multicolored flowers filled his vision. Even with everything that happened, the garden still retained some of its beauty.


    "Let''s go inside." Hyun-Jae snapped him out of his daze.


    "Ok¡­"


    ''This is the most luxurious ce I have ever been in. It''s quite odd.''


    Walking through the passage that crossed the vast garden, Talon silently admired the scenery. Hyun-Jae noticed the curious, innocent look on his face and it could only make her smile.


    Something about that expression made him seem so adorable in her eyes. A small smile formed on her face.


    ''He can''t even hide his excitement¡­ So cute¡­'' For a moment, all her worries and nervousness vanished.


    "This garden is my father''s favorite part of the entire house. He made sure it was well taken care of even when he was absent."


    "No wonder, it looks gorgeous. I would definitely take care of it daily." Talon nodded his head.


    "Well, before, he would let me run around in the garden and y. I used to end up falling because I ran too much and the hit would make me cry. So, he would always pluck a beautiful flower and give it to me. It always excited me." Shaking her head, Hyun-Jae smiled bitterly. "Well, not anymore."


    Talon remained silent the entire time, not knowing what to say. He didn''t know what happened that changed her parents this drastically. After all, from what she had said, their rtionship was really good at some point in time. Yet, everything suddenly went downhill.


    "And this is the main house." Eventually, the duo reached the main building which was naturally massive in size.


    Huge ss windows filled its exterior walls and beautiful decorations of all kinds garnished every corner. Apart from noticeable damage, the building was still in good shape so far.


    "It''s still intact. That''s great!" Talon eximed as he looked at hispanion.


    "Yeah, that''s great." The girl replied with a less enthusiastic tone. "Well, let me give you a small tour of it."


    "Lead the way."


    Entering inside, they were weed with an open hall that led into multiple other rooms with a set of stairs at the end.


    "Over there is the living room. Well, there are technically three living rooms but that''s the main one. The room on the left is the main kitchen and that''s the storage room used by the workers." Walking through the ce, Hyun-Jae told Talon about each ce, what it was used for, and some interesting moments she could remember experiencing there.


    The young man found himselfpletely invested in her story. As simple as it was, he could only listen carefully to everything. It painted an image in his head about what kind of life Hyun-Jae had lived before. With each word she said, he could see a full image of that memory almost happening right in front of him.


    A very small Hyun-Jae, running around with a happy smile on her face. He could almost hear herughs echo around him. It deeply resonated with him even when it wasn''t meant to be that deep. After all, memories with loved ones are the most precious thing a person would have.


    When you lose someone you care for, those memories that were nothing but a topic to bring up every now and then be something that person would recall continuously. At that moment, they can truly realize how precious they are.


    With that, the duo went to the second floor where a vast number of rooms could be found.


    "Most of the rooms here are bedrooms and bathrooms with a gym room, a sauna, and an indoor pool." She exined as she moved ahead while Talon followed in tow. "That room over there used to be my parents'' room. The one next to it used to be mine but then I was moved to that one at the end of the corridor. As for that one¡­"


    Eventually, Hyun-Jae''s eyes fell on one particr room. "That one used to be¡­ my sister''s room."


    "Oh¡­ Your sister¡­ You had a sister?" Talon blinked in surprise. "I ddn''t know that."


    ''I thought she was the sole heir to the Ran family. This is shocking.'' He mused to himself.


    "Yes¡­" Hyun-Jae replied as she averted her eyes. "But, she passed away a long time ago."


    "... I''m sorry to hear that."


    "It''s fine¡­ She was almost 12 years older than me, so when she passed away, she was well into her twenties. We weren''t very close at the time and we used to argue a lot. I don''t know why, but we never liked each other. She would call me names, I would call her names."


    "Why? You two were siblings¡­"


    "I don''t know. She used to me me for taking our parents'' attention from her¡­ And I used to think that I was simply the better daughter. I had the knack to learn anything quickly and that fed into my arrogance even as a child. Our parents'' attention didn''t help either as it only made me loathe her even more."


    Talon listened quietly as Hyun-Jae spilled the truth to him. To think that she had a conflict that ran so deep with someone as close as her sister was something he would never have expected.


    "We grew apart quickly, to the point where I wouldn''t even talk to her for weeks on end. Then, one day, I was practicing my violin. Since her room was next to mine, I could hear everything from her side. She had loud music booming on high volume and it didn''t let me focus. So, I went to her to tell her to stop the music, only for another argument to start between us."


    As she talked, Hyun-Jae approached the room that belonged to her sister before she opened it, revealing a rather old yet also beautiful bedroom with an open balcony at the end of it. The moment her eyes fell on the room, Hyun-Jae felt her heart sink in and her breathing turned erratic.


    But, she still didn''t stop as she continued. "We argued for minutes before she suddenly turned physical and pushed me back. So, in the spur of the moment, I rushed toward her and pushed her with all my strength¡­ She stumbled back till she reached the edge of the balcony before¡­ Falling over the edge¡­"


    "..." Talon''s eyes widened to the extreme.


    Hyun-Jae slowly turned around to look at him with tearful eyes. "I killed my own sister."


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 193: Chapter 193- Tears Of Regret

    Silencepletely engulfed the entire room. It was so quiet that the sound of a needle dropping on the ground could be heard at that moment. Talon stared wide-eyed at the girl in front of him.


    For a moment, he couldn''tprehend what she said. After all, never did he expect to hear such a thing. But, a few secondster, he regained his ability to think as he blinked. Still, he didn''t immediately speak. After all, what could he say? The story he heard was insane.


    "I killed her¡­" Hyun-Jae continued in a dark tone. "The image of my sister¡­ying on the ground, staring with wide eyes at me¡­ Wide dead eyes¡­ It''s etched into my head for the rest of my life.


    Whenever I close my eyes, I can see that moment as if I was there¡­ I could see her ming me, cursing me, and hating me even more for what I did¡­" Hyun-Jae''s expression was so dark as she said every word that she seemed like apletely different person.


    But, Talon knew that this was Hyun-Jae. Beyond theyer of a strong, cold, and confident leader, there was still a huge part of her that was broken¡­ A part that still didn''t move on and will probably never move on.


    After all, witnessing the death of a family member was already a horrible thing. Causing that death was a whole different matter especially when her sister gave her a look full of hatred seconds before she died.


    "I know I deserve this for what I did. But¡­ I''m tired, Talon¡­ I''m so tired¡­ Every single moment of my life¡­ She had been haunting me, making sure to remind me that I was the reason for it¡­" Tears streamed down her face like an endless torrent. No matter how much she tried to wipe them, they would continue moving down her face.


    There weren''t loud sobs or cries, just silent tears that sounded far more painful than anything Talon had heard.


    "I wanted to apologize to her, even for a moment. I wanted to tell her that I regret every single moment I mistreated her. I wanted to apologize for pushing her. But, it still hurts, I still feel suffocated every time I think of it. When my parents realized what happened, they never looked at me the same again. Our rtionship waspletely ruined.


    Every single time they see me, I could feel the hatred they bore toward me."


    ''So, that''s why it changed. Her parents probably couldn''t handle the loss as much as she did.''


    "They still hid what happened from the public eye and protected me. But, perhaps as their way to take revenge, they put all the pressure of bing a worthy heir on my shoulders. I lost all the time to y or rest. All I had left was expectations. I asked for forgiveness again and again and again, but that changed nothing. They rarely talked to me and even when they do, it''s all harsh and cold words.


    I had lost both my parents and my sister¡­ And it''s all my fault."


    It was at that point that Hyun-Jae felt at the lowest point. She had mustered all the courage she could and told the story she hid from everyone. Nothing could be retracted now, she either would lose another dear person to her heart or she would gain him.


    If the first one happened, Hyun-Jae had no idea what she would do. She knew that she could never handle losing Talon. Not even her resilient nature would handle that. He was thest person in her life that she truly could not fathom living without.


    ''I won''t me him if he gives up on me¡­ I''m a murderer¡­ This is my true nature.'' Closing her eyes she waited for the harsh reality to p her again.


    But, at that moment, instead of a harsh coldness, she felt aforting warmth wrap around her body. Opening her eyes quickly, she realized that Talon had hugged her without realizing it.


    "I''m sorry¡­" Putting his hand behind her head, he murmured lowly.


    Only two words, and yet, their impact is unbelievable on Hyun-Jae. Her hands slowly lifted up as she hugged him back. Tears never stopped streaming out of her eyes.


    "Talon¡­ What should I do?" She asked in a desperate, almost hopeless tone. She had never been more lost in her life. She wanted anything she could hold on to before she could fall deeper and deeper into the darkness and Talon seemed like the only person that she could grab onto. After all, only he had the biggest effect on her.


    "You''ve already med yourself enough," Talon said with a pained expression. "I didn''t know you lived through all of this."


    As he spoke to her, he felt her grip on him tighter. Her fingers dug into his back with all her strength.


    "It''s my fault¡­"


    "Mistakes happen, Hyun-Jae. You never wanted your sister to die."


    "But I pushed her off the balcony¡­ I did it¡­"


    "And you destroyed yourself over it for years. You lived every day as if it was a nightmare to go through. You paid for that mistake enough."


    "*Hick* She never forgave me¡­"


    "It''s true, you can''t ask her for forgiveness anymore. But, you never ran away from the me and you epted that you made a mistake. I don''t know whether that would really change your sister''s mind wherever she is. But, I know for a fact that you aren''t a horrible person. You''re one of the kindest people I have ever met."


    Hearing those heartfelt words, Hyun-Jae continued crying. She felt a mix of overwhelming happiness and sadness sh in her mind. She was relieved that Talon didn''t hate her for what happened.


    "Just give yourself a break. Didn''t you talk to me about freedom? This is your time to be free. You aren''t the same person anymore, Hyun-Jae. You deserve to live your life to the fullest. As for your parents, wherever they are now, I will make sure we find them and I will make them understand the huge mistake they''re making by throwing theirst daughter away."


    "Why¡­ You don''t have to do all of this¡­For me¡­"


    "No, I want to. The moment we becamepanions, anything that hurt you hurt me too. So, until the moment I see you smile carefreely without holding back, I will do anything I can to help you."


    Then, Talon slowly pulled her away as he stared at her face. "I can help you and I will."


    In his eyes, all Hyun-Jae could see was the hypnotizing charm he always had and the deeply rooted confidence he had in himself. It wasn''t something different from what she usually sees whenever Talon looks at her and yet¡­ At that moment, it seemed like she had reached an epiphany.


    ''Those eyes¡­ Those same eyes¡­'' Lifting her hands up, Hyun-Jae slowly traced her fingers across Talon''s face. ''They''re the ones that saved me once¡­''


    Then, she slowly closed her eyes through the tears before she slowly moved her head forward. ''They have been my light in a world that adored darkness¡­ Why didn''t I realize this sooner?''


    With each thought, her face grew closer and closer to Talon. Her heart raced quickly as her thoughts whitened. Every move she made at that moment was simply her soul talking. She didn''t need to think what she could feel.


    ''I need him¡­ I need him more than anything else¡­ I want to feel him. I want to feel every part of him. I don''t care anymore.''


    Hyun-Jae basked in the sensation of Talon''s arms wrapped around her body. She couldn''t feel any happier being this close to him. Even if it meant nothing to him to hug her, it made the world to her.


    The two grew closer and closer to each other. She could feel Talon''s breath on her face. Inch by inch, their lips brushed over each other for a split second before a loud noise shook them from awake from their moment.


    Looking down, Talon realized that hismunication device was going off. Immediately, he pulled himself away and quickly picked it up. Hyun-Jae was still in a dazed state so she didn''t react as fast.


    "What is it?" Talon asked as he answered.


    "Leader! Bad news! There is a group of monsters attacking the camp! There are at least a hundred! They''re about to break in!"


    The young frowned when he heard the news before he nodded his head. "I''m on my way, hold on for as long as you can." After that, he turned the device off and turned to Hyun-Jae.


    "Can you move, Hyun-Jae?"


    "Huh? Oh, y-yeah, ehem, I''m feeling better now." Wiping her tears, she quickly regained some of herposure.


    Seeing that, Talon pursed his lips. "Let''s talk moreter, ok?"


    With that, the two quickly rushed out of the house as fast as they could. Hyun-Jae ran a little bit slower than Talon as she seemed deep in thought.


    ''We were about to kiss¡­ I felt his lips touch mine¡­ If that didn''t happen¡­ We were really going to¡­'' A bright red color appeared on her cheeks.


    Then, she slowly lifted her hand and touched her lips dazedly. Even if she couldn''t kiss him at that moment, that fleeting contact still made her heart almost stop.


    (A//n: I know it''s a bait to do that but I had to change my mindst second for a better idea XD but, I have other ns for these two so bear with me.)


    Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 194: Chapter 194- Vengeful Creatures

    Back at the camp, the situation was rather bad. While everyone was busy discovering the area, a group of monsters appeared from the city and attacked the camp. The attack was so sudden that the survivors who were still there were taken by surprise.


    After all, monsters don''t usually just appear this quickly and attack before they could realize it. It was as if they were running away from something.


    In a matter of seconds, the students ended up in a battle with the monsters. The creatures seemed unusually agitated and violent, shing and attacking using all their strength.


    "There are too many! Dammit, we need to retreat!" A young man yelled loudly as he started moving back while deflecting monster attacks.


    "What if they reach the vehicles?! They''re our only way out of here! We must protect them till the leaderes back!"


    "I''m going to notify him!"


    Even though the group didn''t have Talon around, they didn''t struggle to know what to do exactly at that moment. After all, they had already practiced their roles and what they were supposed to do in all situations where Talon, Hyun-Jae, and the rest of the stronger students were not there. They didn''t need anyone to tell them orders.


    The fight continued growing more and more intense. In their position, the students had no way of actually attacking the monsters back and killing them as they would. Their vehicles are their lifeline, damaging some of them would be a disaster.


    But, for better or worse, nobody was killed immediately, and the fight remained equal for a while. At some point, more students starteding back when they heard of the problem.


    Blood filled the entire park as the brutal fight continued. Everything seemed slow as neither party overwhelmed the other instantly. That was until two figures appeared in the distance.


    Talon and Hyun-Jae appeared out of nowhere and they immediately dived into the heart of the battle.


    *Swish* *Swish*


    Like two ghosts, they sliced through multiple monsters in a split second as they reached the line of students.


    "Leader!"


    "Did anyone get harmed?" He asked as he quickly turned around and shed with his spear, sending multiple monsters flying in the air.


    "No, you were on time, sir!"


    "Good."


    With that in mind, Talon quickly channeled his Aetheris before he dashed forward at enormous speed. The monsters were unable to keep up with his speed and started falling down like flies.


    With Hyun-Jae joining the battle, the tidespletely changed even in the absence of Sophie and Chin-Hwa who went out to explore like the rest.


    In a matter of moments, dozens of monsters started falling to the ground one after the other.


    ''This is really easy.'' With his technique, Talon didn''t even need to focus on the monsters around him. All he had to do was to follow his instinct and it somehow flows so perfectly well every time.


    At this point, using the spear became something he could do with ease. The weapon became like an extension of his body that he could manipte however he wanted. Talon was certain that he was by far the best spear user on earth. Nothing could rival his deadly spear attacks that could cause great destruction.


    ''Especially with what happened a few days ago¡­ I''m now on apletely different level than before.'' He thought to himself as he easily dodged a set of ws and stabbed a monster in the heart.


    "This should be a breez-" As Talon was about to turn around and continue killing the monsters, his eyes suddenly widened as he felt a chill run down his spine.


    A sense of imminent danger engulfed his body as he quickly ducked down as fast as he could. A split secondter, something moved over his head, cutting small strands of his hair as it vanished again.


    Turning around, Talon quickly jumped again, barely dodging another attack that came swiping down at his feet. Even when he was taken by surprise, Talon wasn''t easily ambushed as his senses were sharper than those of the most notorious wild predators.


    He could sense danger from a mile away and with future sight, he was basically unkible for most low-leveled creatures.


    But, this was different. The speed, the sudden appearance, and the disappearance were all things that he saw not that long ago.


    ''Shadow Crawler?'' Landing on his feet, Talon looked around him.


    The monsters that were trying to attack him suddenly halted as if they were frozen with fear. Then, out of nowhere, one by one, they started falling down as blood sshed out of them.


    Wide open sh wounds appeared all over their bodies. In less than 3 seconds, all the monsters fell dead on the spot. The sight was simply nightmarish.


    "Back away!!!" Feeling the disaster that was about to fall on them, Talon quickly ordered the group. But, before he could even move, he felt his spine shudder again as he quickly activated future sight.


    His eyes shone with a bright blue light before they widened in shock at what they saw. In the glimpse of the future he witnessed, Talon saw himself being dissected into pieces by multiple long ck arms.


    The attacks came from all angles at the same time with no way to dodge them.


    ''You got to be fucking kidding me!''


    With no time to hesitate, Talon activated the first skill he could think of.


    [Ding!]


    [You have activated ''Tear Of Reality.]


    Then, using his left arm, he shed around at a 360-degree angle.


    *BOOOOOM*


    "Talon?!" Hyun-Jae was the first to realize what was happening as she covered her body from the shockwave. "Oh no!"


    "I''m fine!!" From within the smoke, Talon emerged quickly as he jumped away. "*Cough*!!" The urge to cough assaulted him violently as he spat a mouthful of blood.


    "Those bastards attacked me all at the same time! There are at least 10 of them!!"


    ''I don''t know if that attack killed them all or not!"


    [Ding!]


    [You have killed 2 Shadow Crawlers. +1 Agility.]


    ''Dammit, only two?! How did they dodge that?'' Looking behind him, he noticed that the students weren''t fighting or being killed.


    At the same time, Talon felt something rushing at him from ahead. Quickly, he jumped back, dodging an attack that left deep marks on the ground. At the same time, two monsters attacked him from both sides ruthlessly.


    "Ugh!!" The sh wounds formed on Talon''s skin as he was sted onto the ground. Deep bloody marks were left on his body that almost threatened to expose his bones.


    But, the moment hended, he had to quickly jump again before another set of ws could stab into his head.


    ''They''re only targeting me! Why is that?!''


    "Acrypha? Mind exining! I''m in a lot of trouble here!!" He yelled.


    Thetter had already noticed that abnormality as she tried to recognize this weird behavior. After all, she didn''t read much about Shadow Crawlers with how rare they are. But, it didn''t take her long to realize why.


    "It''s because you killed one of them! They want to take revenge!"


    "... Fuck, so they are here to target me? Wait¡­" At that moment, Talon realized something.


    ''During the fight, I wasn''t the only one that dealt a deadly attack to the monster. Hyun-Jae stabbed it too¡­ Don''t tell me!!'' Quickly, as he was moving, his eyes went to hispanion. "Oh no¡­ Hyun-Jae!!"


    Without wasting a single breath, he activated his dash skill at full throttle before he vanished.


    *Swish*


    Meanwhile, Hyun-Jae felt the danger approaching her. So, she quickly channeled her lightning before creating a barrier all around her.


    *ZZZZZZ*


    Immediately, the sound of something getting electrocuted and burnt echoed in her ears.


    ''They''re after me too¡­'' She thought to herself as she noticed the extended ws get pulled back instinctively. But, at the same time, another set tried to attack her, passing through the barrier with sheer force.


    Thetter dodged before she quickly used her sword and stabbed forward. The weapon hit the target right in the chest.


    [Ding!]


    [You have killed a level 29 Shadow Crawler. +15 Agility.]


    But, at the same time, she didn''t realize that another attack was barely a few inches away from hitting her in the back. By the moment she realized that, she couldn''t react in time.


    *Swish*


    Talon used that opportunity to quickly sh with his sword, making the monster jump back as it growled in pain.


    "Are you ok?!" Appearing next to her, he asked.


    "I''m fine."


    "We need to start moving. These things are here to kill both of us. They have no interest in the rest of the group."


    Hyun-Jae nodded her head. "But, what should we do?"


    "I have an idea." Talon turned around as he looked at the vehicles. "We need to lead them away first using one of the armored cars."


    "Ok!"


    With no time to waste, the two rushed to the car, leaving everyone behind, very bbergasted.


    "What the hell is going on?"


    "Stay in your positions and don''t move! We will be back!!" Talon yelled over his shoulder as he barely dodged a sh.


    The two then got inside the car. Immediately, very loud noises assaulted their ears as if someone was scratching their nails over a wooden board.


    ''They''re already overwhelming the car!'' Talon quickly turned it on and mmed the elerator.


    The car stormed off leaving behind a trail of dirt.


    Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 189 - 189- Ghost Town (Part 2)

    "What is even that thing?" Hyun-Jae asked as she kept her sword up, ready to fight at any given moment. The first time, she was taken by surprise so she couldn''t even try to defend. But, now she was mentally ready and anticipating any possible attacks. Her entire body was ready to instantly move the moment she felt anything.


    Meanwhile, Talon summoned the second Aetherial de as he put one next to Hyun-Jae and one next to him. They were anotheryer of defence in case they couldn''t react fast enough. After all, Talon''s orders reached the des faster than his body could move.


    "I don''t know, all I saw was a ck figure before it vanished. But, it looked like a skinny and very tall creature. It moved on two legs with its body bent forward. That''s all I saw." He replied as he sucked in a deep breath.


    ''I''m pretty sure I injured it heavily with that hit. The amount of blood dripping from the de is considerably big. It''s definitely not going to be as fast as before. But, I can''t overuse my Future Sight skill or I''m going to harm my eyes.'' He thought to himself.


    The w on Future Sight made it impossible for Talon to use it more than three times at most if he didn''t want to threaten to harm his vision.


    ''I need to kill it in the next attack or we will be in grave danger¡­''


    The entire ce turned very quiet with the only sound being heard was that of Talon and Hyun-Jae breathing subtly. Clouds of warm breath formed around their mouths. The sensation of the coldness coupled with theck of vision was terrifying and nervewracking. But, neither of them seemed terrified or perturbed at all.


    They have been in far worse situations in their lives before. This was nothing inparison.


    "We are going to end up in the same situation if we don''t kill it. Dammit, I don''t think we can actually do it." Talon clicked his tongue as he turned around. "It''s too strong, for fuck sake!"


    Hyun-Jae looked at him confusedly for a second before her eyes shed with a glint of understanding. Then, she slowly dropped her sword. "We''ve almost been killed. I''m terrified¡­ I can''t fight this thing."


    "What can we even do?" Cursing loudly, Talon slowly walked toward hispanion. "We need to run awa-"


    At that moment, the monster suddenly appeared near them as it jumped on Hyun-Jae from behind. The girl was standingpletely still as if she didn''t even realize it was there.


    *Swish* *Swish*


    But, the moment it reached Hyun-Jae''s range, the girl''s sword suddenly moved as she flipped it in her hand. Then, without looking, she stabbed back. At the same time, the Aetherial de next to her plunged into the monster the instant it appeared.


    "RIIIII!!!" The creature waspletely taken by surprise. At thest moment, it tried to vanish, but it was far toote.


    Both des stabbed through its body as the monster fell to the ground, motionless. Everything happened in less than a second and it ended abruptly.


    "Are you ok, Hyun-Jae?!" Talon quickly rushed to hispanion as he worriedly checked her body with his eyes.


    "I''m fine, it didn''t touch me."


    "Fuuuh, that''s good." Seeing that she was fine, he exhaled a small breath of relief.


    "Are you ok too?"


    "Yeah¡­ Though, it fell for the easiest trick in the book, hahaha!" Talonughed as he deactivated Future Sight before rubbing his eyes.


    "I knew it was going to target my back," Hyun-Jae replied.


    "I''m d you caught up with my idea instantly¡­ It would''ve not worked as well if you didn''t."


    "We have been together every day for almost two months now. If I don''t learn to read you, then I''m not worthy enough to stand by yo-"


    "By?"


    "Ehem, it''s nothing. Look at this thing." Shifting the topic with an awkward, cough, Hyun-Jae''s eyes looked at the dead creature in front of her.


    It was a very slim, and tall creature, almost 9 feet in height. Its entire body was a washed-out ck color with no actual features. Its face was featureless with only two protruding green eyes.


    "What a disgusting monster." Shemented disdainfully.


    [Ding!]


    [You have killed a level 32 Shadow Crawler. +2 Agility.]


    "Shadow crawler, huh¡­ What kind of creature even is this thing?"


    Acrypha slowly floated forward as it took a closer look at the monster with a fascinated expression.


    "What a rare creature to appear here¡­" She murmured.


    "Rare?"


    "Yeah, I haven''t seen a Shadow Crawler in decades."


    "Are they that rare?"


    "They are. From what I know, they''re one of the few species in existence that are Mono-Dimensional."


    "Mono-Dimensional? That''s apletely new term I never heard of." Talon raised an eyebrow.


    "Mono-Dimensional species are species that exist in only one dimension out of the infinite number of dimensions in existence. Except for that particr world and that particr dimension, you can''t find them anywhere else."


    "Why is that? isn''t there supposed to be a copy of everything?"


    "Nobody knows why. But, these creatures are extremely rare. That''s why I was surprised to see a Shadow Crawler here."


    "That is very interesting¡­" With Acrypha''s exnation, Talon started to see this monster in a different light.


    "Though, the fact that they appeared here. That is something very weird."


    "Oh right, if they''re Mono-Dimensional, what is this thing doing here?"


    Acrypha shook her head confusedly. She also didn''t know the answer to his question either. ''Another anomaly in this world. How many are there now? I stopped counting.'' Shaking her head, Acrypha threw the question in the back of her head.


    "Then, how was it able to avoid my senses when it attacked?"


    "Because they don''t move in the real world when their abilities are activated. You cannot sense them in the normal ways."


    "What? What do you mea- Oh! Shadow Crawlers! They move through the shadows?"


    "You caught on."


    "That makes sense why I thought it was teleporting everywhere. It was using the shadows around us to sneak and ambush."


    "I noticed that your senses are growing extremely sharp. At your level, it is almost impossible to detect one of these monsters. They''re notorious for being able to kill creatures levels above them in strength by simply ambushing them. They also live in groups and hunt in groups, so if they set their eyes on a target, it is almost certainly dead."


    "Damn¡­ If I end up meeting a group of them, I might die... Nice, now I jinxed myself." Rubbing the back of his head, Talon rolled his eyes.


    ''I know my luck, watch how I''m going to end up fighting a swarm of them at some point.''


    So far, whatever he wishes not to happen would most of the time happen. He even thought that for every point of luck he gets in his skills and bonus points, he gets horrible luck in the situations he finds himself in.


    ''A very fair trade if you ask me.''


    "So, what should we do now? This ce might be filled with these things as far as we know."


    "Yeah¡­ We can''t remain here, it''s too dangerous. Dammit, I wanted to take it easy during the trip so that everyone is ready for the battle. But, we don''t have any other choice. We will have to move to the next city. They shouldn''t be able to follow us there."


    With that, the two started going back to the group. The first step of the trip was a failure, but, it wasn''t the worst-case scenario. They have already ounted for the possibility of such a scenario.


    When they reached the group, Talon announced the new n. Some of the survivors were confused and a little scared but after hearing the exnation, they could only agree with the decision and get inside the cars again.


    Since they already had fuel with them that couldst a week, they had no need to search for more in the town. So, the group of vehicles quickly left the ce a few minutester.


    They immediately got back on the highway around the town.


    "I guess we''re going to reach your hometown quicker than we expected, Hyun-Jae," Talon said with a small smile.


    "Yeah¡­" The girl replied dazedly as she kept an eye on the outside world.


    ***


    Unbeknownst to them, back where the dead creaturey dead. The ce waspletely quiet and dark with barely any source of light for vision. Time seemed to tick slowly in the destroyed town.


    Then, out of nowhere, something or somethings appeared and carried the dead monster before vanishing as if they were never there.


    "Riiii¡­" A very low, and angry grunt echoed in the world, unheard by anyone as the soundpletely dissipated the next second.


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 190 - 190- Trip Down Memory Lane (Part 1)

    *Yawn*


    Inside the silent car, Talon yawned as he covered his mouth. Staring ahead of him, he could see that the car was still movingfortably. He couldn''t sense anything abnormal and made sure to keep contacting the other every 4 minutes or so to make sure they were fine.


    So far, after two hours of leaving the town, nothing attacked them or came close from them.


    Looking at the rear-view mirror, Talon noticed that Sophie and Chin-Hwa had drifted to sleep. Thest few days have been really exhausting with the amount of work they had to do so naturally, when things are calm, drowsiness took over them. Meanwhile, Acrypha was sitting in hisp,pletely disconnected from the world as she meditated.


    That left him alone in the car and it was a very serene moment. Or so he thought at least.


    "Are you tired?" Surprisingly, a voice spoke to him.


    Looking to the side, he saw Hyun-Jae staring back at him worriedly. He thought that she was asleep the entire time. But, turns out she was still awake.


    "I''m not. Why are you still awake, Hyun-Jae? I thought you were asleep?" Talon asked back.


    "I wasn''t asleep. I can''t go to sleep either since you''re still awake." She replied.


    "What? Why is that? You can take a nap, I''m not tired, really."


    However, the girl still shook her head adamantly. "As long as you''re awake, I''m also going to be awake."


    "..." Seeing the determination in her eyes, the young man was rendered speechless. Deep down, he felt grateful that she was this worried about him but he also felt bad since he knew Hyun-Jae was exceptionally exhausted from all the work that she had to do.


    Not to mention the responsibilities on her shoulders that she had to carry constantly, those were exceptionally exhausting since they taxed her brain rather than her body.


    ''She''s really something else¡­'' His respect and admiration for Hyun-Jae kept growing day by day.


    Barely two months ago, the two of them were simple strangers who had no connection to each other whatsoever. He doesn''t even remember passing by her on a random day. That was how distant they were from each other.


    Yet, in just the span of a few weeks, they became the closestpanions and the best of friends without even realizing it.


    ''Life sometimes works in weird ways. Who could''ve predicted our paths would''ve crossed this way? If the integration hadn''t happened, we would''ve never be friends. I don''t even know how to feel just thinking about that possibility¡­''


    The thought of it naturally scared Talon. Even with how horrible the events that urred were, Talon still feared that everything was but a very long dream of his. He feared that one day, he would open his eyes and he would be back inside his dorm room with the loud sound of the rm ringing as it showed 4:00 AM.


    He didn''t want to go back to his old life. His boring, uneventful life where the only thing he could do was to work, burning his very soul as each day passed. He didn''t want that. Now that he felt the sensation of power, of freedom, and seeing the vast gates that opened for him, how could hee back? How could he drop from the peaks of life to the abyss that he lived in before?


    ''I was really destined to have a normal life and now I''m aiming to leave this world and go fight some kind of deity. Hahaha, that''s a plot twist if I''ve ever seen one.''


    "What are you thinking about?" Hyun-Jae''s question snapped him out of his thoughts and made him look to the side.


    "Nothing¡­ Just thinking about the weird turns that life took us to. Being all nostalgic and stuff." He replied.


    "Hmm, you too?"


    "Yeah, it''s very funny sometimes. But, here we are. I can''t really remember thest time I actually had a normal day in my life and I frankly don''t miss it."


    "..."


    "I know it''s odd. But, I don''t hate this new lifestyle. It''s far more dangerous, but also far more thrilling than my previous life. I''m getting too addicted to it¡­"


    He didn''t know why, but Talon felt an urge to tell Hyun-Jae about his thoughts at that moment. He wasn''t particrly insecure or terrified of her opinion and instead simply felt like telling her.


    "I get what you mean¡­ It''s very addicting. I''m falling for it too." She replied after a while as she stared deeply at Talon. "Perhaps falling too hard."


    "You too?"


    "Mm, I didn''t like my life before either. It was too exhausting and demanding. I had no choice but to live that way to fulfill the expectations of others¡­"


    Talon: "..."


    "''Hyun-Jae, do this, you''re destined to be the next heir for the Ran family.''. ''Hyun-Jae, you shouldn''t y with the other kids, you need to attend your sses.''. It has been like that for years now. I can''t remember thest time I had an actual moment of peace."


    "Why didn''t you try to stop?" Talon asked in a gentle tone. He could feel the pain in Hyun-Jae''s voice as she spoke. It was immediately obvious that it had something to do with her past that she hadn''t revealed to him yet.


    "When you''re in a position where you can either focus on something you hate doing or have constant nightmares thinking about something you did in the past¡­ The choice bes a lot easier." She replied.


    "..." Talon''s lips parted open to speak for a moment before closing them again hesitantly. Her words resonated deeply with him and he could only repeat them again and again in his head.


    He had been through such a thing before when he ended his rtionship with Sophie. At the time, he found himselfpletely engrossed in studies and work and he quickly exerted himself beyond what he was capable of. He knew that if he stopped for a moment to think about what happened, he would fall into depression or even worse.


    Work was his only way of pushing those thoughts away. That''s why, at that moment, he felt really bad for Hyun-Jae.


    "What happened, Hyun-Jae?" He murmured in a low tone.


    Hearing that question made the girl frown slightly before she closed her eyes. "If you know¡­ You might hate me."


    "That would never happen." The young man replied immediately with a serious tone that left no room for questions. If there was one thing he was sure of, it was that.


    Hyun-Jae was now one of the closest people to him, hating her was out of the question no matter what she did in the past. He knows that everyone can make mistakes, what mattered was their present and how they turned out to be. Hyun-Jae was an amazing person and a friend through and through, the number of times he found her supporting him through thick and thin was hard to count.


    The instant response took her by surprise and made her look up. "How could you be so certain? It''s not something that anybody knows. Beside a few number of people."


    "Whatever it is, I won''t hate you for it. That I can promise you."


    "..." As if those words finally convinced her, Hyun-Jae nodded her head. "I will tell you. But, I¡­ We need to be alone¡­"


    "Of course, we''re going to reach the next city soon. You can tell me then." He replied.


    "Mmm¡­"


    Even though on the surface, Hyun-Jae appeared calm, inside, her heart was racing quickly. She didn''t know why, but she felt extremely nervous at that moment.


    ''I''m going to tell him¡­ I''m going to tell him about it¡­ Even though he said that he wouldn''t hate me¡­ What if he does? It''s not a small thing after all¡­ Am I risking too much? But, I still want to tell him¡­ I don''t know why, but all I want is to tell him.''


    Her heart was terrified, but also more than willing to speak about her past. Something that she had never done before with anyone else. Even those who knew didn''t dare to speak about it around her.


    It was the sole thing Hyun-Jae wasn''t ready to face for the longest time. Yet, out of nowhere, with a simple question, her heart suddenly was open wide enough to speak about her pain. She couldn''t fathom how that was possible.


    The sheer effect the young man next to her had on her was simply ridiculous.


    ''How far did I fall, I wonder.'' She thought to herself as she slowly lifted her hand to touch her chest for a moment. ''I really wonder.''


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 191 - 191- Trip Down Memory Lane (Part 2)

    A few more hours eventually passed and the sun rose from behind the thick trees, shining its bright light on them.


    "Mmm¡­" Sophie moaned slightly as she parted her eyes open. The bright light made her frown before she quickly blinked. "Talon¡­" Feeling the car still moving, she murmured the first thought that came to her mind.


    "Oh, you''re finally awake. Good morning, sleepy head." Talon said as he looked at her through the rear-view mirror.


    "Good morning, *Yawn*... What time is it?"


    "5:52 AM¡­ It''s still early if you want to sleep more. It should be another 20 minutes before we can reach the city." He said.


    "No, I''ve had enough sleep. I''m sorry for dozing off when you had to drive through the entire night." She apologized with a bitter tone.


    "It''s fine, you were tired."


    "What about you? You should sleep." Peeking at him from the side, she inspected his face with her eyes.


    "I can go a few days without sleep no problem."


    "That doesn''t mean that you should do that." Sophie pouted angrily.


    "Don''t worry about him, we were awake the entire night together. He is fine." Hyun-Jae interjected coldly.


    "What?!" Sophie''s eyes widened as she turned to Hyun-Jae. "You two¡­ were awake¡­ alone?"


    "Yes. It was a pleasant and quiet night, I must say."


    "..." Seeing the subtle smirk on Hyun-Jae''s face, Sophie''s face changed for a second as she slowly pulled away. "Hmm, is that so?"


    Hyun-Jae gave her a disdainful side look the entire time as if she was loathing her. That enraged Sophie even more. But, with her acting abilities, she was able to hide that somehow from Talon.


    ''She''s trying to challenge me¡­ Dammit, I let my guard down and she took that opportunity to have all the time in the world with him¡­ Alone¡­ Ugh! Fuck! I don''t like that at all!!'' Clenching her fists to quench her anger, she tried to change the topic.


    "Did those things follow us here, I wonder."


    "We didn''t get attacked throughout the entire night. I made sure to talk to every vehicle and they are all good."


    ''Still, Acryphad told me that Shadow Crawlers live in groups¡­ Yet, that one attacked us on its own. That is odd.'' He thought to himself.


    "Mmmm¡­" At that moment, Acrypha moaned slightly as she opened her eyes. "That was a good meditation session."


    ''Speaking of Acrypha.''


    The beautiful woman had been silent the entire night as she meditated on Talon''sp. After a few hours of her being this close to him, he was able to somehow handle this intimate situation better and he could even put it to the back of his head at some point.


    "Good morning~" Looking back at him, she said.


    "Good morning. Is your healing process going fine?"


    "More or less. I''m not worried about that now. Have we reached this new ce yet?"


    "Almost there. Look, you can see it in the distance." He said as he pointed forward.


    Ahead of them, a massive city could be seen growing closer and closer. On the side of the road, a huge panel weed them with the words ''Wee to Daejeon'' in beautiful colors.


    Daejeon was the third biggest city in South Korea with a poption of over 1.5 million people. It was a very beautiful city deeper into the South Koreannd with amazing natural views.


    However, due to its location being far away from the sea, it had no actual advantage over other cities in terms of position.


    "We are finally here," Chin-Hwa murmured as he looked through the window. "We''re back, president."


    "Yeah¡­" Aplicated glint shed across Hyun-Jae''s eyes as the cars slowly reached the entrance of the city. Like before, everyone stopped there as Talon and the others left the vehicles to investigate the ce.


    "So, what are we going to do here? Surely you and the president aren''t going to go in there alone, right?" Chin-Hwa asked as he stared at the massive city ahead of them.


    "No, if we spend time investigating the entire city, it will take forever. We will go in there as a group and we will find the most optimal location to camp. Then, we will explore some parts of the city for the rest of the day and see what kind of resources we might find and then start moving again at night."


    "At night?"


    "Yes, change of ns, we are going to start moving at night."


    ''Staying in one ce when there are possible Shadow Crawlers around us is a horrible idea.'' Talon mused silently.


    He would rather be constantly moving and end up baiting the monsters toward them rather than getting ambushed when they least expected it.


    "Is everyone on pace with the n?" Turning to the rest of the group, they all nodded their heads.


    "Good, now, get back in the vehicles, and let''s move. Chin-Hwa, do you have any good ce you might think would be good to spend the day at?" He asked.


    The cold prince thought for a moment before he nodded his head. "I might know a good ce. Let''s go, it''s a little bit far."


    "Good, you heard him, everyone." pping his hands, the group returned to their assigned cars and started moving inside the city.


    The ce was naturally wrecked and destroyed. But, surprisingly, it was in a far better state than Seoul. Many buildings were still somehow intact and even those that were destroyed weren''t turned into rubble.


    Monsters lurked throughout the streets, moving aimlessly wherever their instinct told them to go. Noticing the presence of a new target, they tried to attack the vehicles only to get stomped or killed by the people inside of them.


    The group stormed through the streets like an unstoppable train, killing everything in their way. That continued till they reached the heart of the city.


    "Oh, a park?" Talon raised an eyebrow when he saw where Chin-Hwa brought them. "it''s open, we can see all around us, and it is also big enough not to get stuck there even if we are ambushed. That''s the perfect ce. Good work, Chin-Hwa."


    "..." The cold prince ignored thepliment as he got out of the car.


    After that, the group quickly entered the area, killed whatever monsters were left in it, and set up their camp quickly. The process took less than an hour to finish. Then, they had breakfast before Talon finally started separating groups to start exploring the area.


    Since they were in apletely uncharted area, he made sure that they only moved one kilometer away from the camp at most. They also had to stay in contact with each other at all times.


    After that, he assigned the strongest students to each group to be the leaders. That way, he could be rest assured that no one would be in danger.


    "You''re going to search the area north. I think I saw a supermarket there or a small shop, I don''t know for certain. Is everything clear?"


    "Yes, sir!"


    With that, thest group left the camp quickly.


    "Hey, Talon¡­" At that moment, Hyun-Jae spoke to him quietly.


    "What?" Noticing the weird expression on her face, Talon asked.


    "It''s about¡­ Our previous¡­ conversation." She said with a subtle hesitance.


    "Oh, right. I was going to ask. Are you sure you still want to tell me?"


    Inhaling a long breath, she nodded her head. "But, we need to leave the camp for a while."


    "Oh, where?"


    The girl turned around and walked a few steps before she looked over her shoulder. "I want to show you something."


    Raising an eyebrow, Talon turned to one of the students who were left at the camp to guard it. "Hey, you, tell Sophie that I''m going to leave for an hour or so. If anything happens, she should contact me and I will be back in no time."


    "Yes!"


    With that, Talon moved after Hyun-Jae. "Where are we going, really?"


    "You wanted to know about what happened in my childhood, right?"


    "Yeah¡­"


    "I''m going to show you."


    Even as she spoke, Hyun-Jae was having a hard time calming down. The time had finallye, to reveal what she had been hiding from everyone. Whatever happened from this point on, she was certain that it might make or break her rtionship with Talon.


    ''I need to face it. If I want to move on¡­ If I want to free myself¡­ I have to face it head-on.'' She thought to herself as she exhaled the long breath she had been holding the entire time.


    Talon noticed the conflict raging in her head, so, as his only option, he rested his hand on her shoulder. "No matter what happens, we''re going to be friends. Ok?"


    Seeing the assuring gaze of her dearpanion, she finally felt her mind settle down a little. "Ok¡­"


    With that, the duo headed deeper into the city on their own.


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 192 - 192- Trip Down Memory Lane (Part 3)

    Walking in silence for a while, Talon looked around him curiously. Since he knew that they were in Hyun-Jae''s hometown, he wanted to know more about the environment she grew up in.


    ''I visited this city twice before. But, I never had the time to actually look around. It still looks really beautiful even after gettingpletely destroyed.'' He thought to himself.


    The change of scenery was refreshing, especially since the area they were walking into seemed like a high-ss neighborhood for rich families. The streets weren''tpletely destroyed and many buildings had remained standing against all odds. Some were even titled to the side as if they were about to fall and yet seemingly defied gravity and remained standing.


    ''They have earthquake mechanisms built into their houses. Talk about being rich¡­'' Talon whistled impressively.


    Eventually, the two of them ended up in a secluded area of the neighborhood where they stopped in front of a gigantic gate. To the side, Talon could see the walls of the property stretching as far as his eyes could see. They were also 10 ft tall so he couldn''t see anything beyond them.


    "This is¡­ My house¡­" Hyun-Jae announced as she turned around. "I have lived all of my childhood here."


    "Oh, it looks pretty nice." Talonplimented honestly as he noticed the sheer details on the wall and the gate that seemed to cost a lot of money. It gave him an even stronger realization of how rich Hyun-Jae''s family is.


    They were so rich that even in a high-ss neighborhood, their mansion stood out like a sore thumb.


    ''They are truly an international powerhouse.''


    "Thank you. Let''s go inside." Rummaging through her pocket, Hyun-Jae pulled out a key chain before she approached the door and unlocked it.


    The moment she twisted the key, the gate suddenly started opening on its own as if it was triggered by something.


    "Woah¡­" Inside, Talon was weed with a vast garden that stretched for dozens of meters. Beautiful trees and a field of multicolored flowers filled his vision. Even with everything that happened, the garden still retained some of its beauty.


    "Let''s go inside." Hyun-Jae snapped him out of his daze.


    "Ok¡­"


    ''This is the most luxurious ce I have ever been in. It''s quite odd.''


    Walking through the passage that crossed the vast garden, Talon silently admired the scenery. Hyun-Jae noticed the curious, innocent look on his face and it could only make her smile.


    Something about that expression made him seem so adorable in her eyes. A small smile formed on her face.


    ''He can''t even hide his excitement¡­ So cute¡­'' For a moment, all her worries and nervousness vanished.


    "This garden is my father''s favorite part of the entire house. He made sure it was well taken care of even when he was absent."


    "No wonder, it looks gorgeous. I would definitely take care of it daily." Talon nodded his head.


    "Well, before, he would let me run around in the garden and y. I used to end up falling because I ran too much and the hit would make me cry. So, he would always pluck a beautiful flower and give it to me. It always excited me." Shaking her head, Hyun-Jae smiled bitterly. "Well, not anymore."


    Talon remained silent the entire time, not knowing what to say. He didn''t know what happened that changed her parents this drastically. After all, from what she had said, their rtionship was really good at some point in time. Yet, everything suddenly went downhill.


    "And this is the main house." Eventually, the duo reached the main building which was naturally massive in size.


    Huge ss windows filled its exterior walls and beautiful decorations of all kinds garnished every corner. Apart from noticeable damage, the building was still in good shape so far.


    "It''s still intact. That''s great!" Talon eximed as he looked at hispanion.


    "Yeah, that''s great." The girl replied with a less enthusiastic tone. "Well, let me give you a small tour of it."


    "Lead the way."


    Entering inside, they were weed with an open hall that led into multiple other rooms with a set of stairs at the end.


    "Over there is the living room. Well, there are technically three living rooms but that''s the main one. The room on the left is the main kitchen and that''s the storage room used by the workers." Walking through the ce, Hyun-Jae told Talon about each ce, what it was used for, and some interesting moments she could remember experiencing there.


    The young man found himselfpletely invested in her story. As simple as it was, he could only listen carefully to everything. It painted an image in his head about what kind of life Hyun-Jae had lived before. With each word she said, he could see a full image of that memory almost happening right in front of him.


    A very small Hyun-Jae, running around with a happy smile on her face. He could almost hear herughs echo around him. It deeply resonated with him even when it wasn''t meant to be that deep. After all, memories with loved ones are the most precious thing a person would have.


    When you lose someone you care for, those memories that were nothing but a topic to bring up every now and then be something that person would recall continuously. At that moment, they can truly realize how precious they are.


    With that, the duo went to the second floor where a vast number of rooms could be found.


    "Most of the rooms here are bedrooms and bathrooms with a gym room, a sauna, and an indoor pool." She exined as she moved ahead while Talon followed in tow. "That room over there used to be my parents'' room. The one next to it used to be mine but then I was moved to that one at the end of the corridor. As for that one¡­"


    Eventually, Hyun-Jae''s eyes fell on one particr room. "That one used to be¡­ my sister''s room."


    "Oh¡­ Your sister¡­ You had a sister?" Talon blinked in surprise. "I ddn''t know that."


    ''I thought she was the sole heir to the Ran family. This is shocking.'' He mused to himself.


    "Yes¡­" Hyun-Jae replied as she averted her eyes. "But, she passed away a long time ago."


    "... I''m sorry to hear that."


    "It''s fine¡­ She was almost 12 years older than me, so when she passed away, she was well into her twenties. We weren''t very close at the time and we used to argue a lot. I don''t know why, but we never liked each other. She would call me names, I would call her names."


    "Why? You two were siblings¡­"


    "I don''t know. She used to me me for taking our parents'' attention from her¡­ And I used to think that I was simply the better daughter. I had the knack to learn anything quickly and that fed into my arrogance even as a child. Our parents'' attention didn''t help either as it only made me loathe her even more."


    Talon listened quietly as Hyun-Jae spilled the truth to him. To think that she had a conflict that ran so deep with someone as close as her sister was something he would never have expected.


    "We grew apart quickly, to the point where I wouldn''t even talk to her for weeks on end. Then, one day, I was practicing my violin. Since her room was next to mine, I could hear everything from her side. She had loud music booming on high volume and it didn''t let me focus. So, I went to her to tell her to stop the music, only for another argument to start between us."


    As she talked, Hyun-Jae approached the room that belonged to her sister before she opened it, revealing a rather old yet also beautiful bedroom with an open balcony at the end of it. The moment her eyes fell on the room, Hyun-Jae felt her heart sink in and her breathing turned erratic.


    But, she still didn''t stop as she continued. "We argued for minutes before she suddenly turned physical and pushed me back. So, in the spur of the moment, I rushed toward her and pushed her with all my strength¡­ She stumbled back till she reached the edge of the balcony before¡­ Falling over the edge¡­"


    "..." Talon''s eyes widened to the extreme.


    Hyun-Jae slowly turned around to look at him with tearful eyes. "I killed my own sister."


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 195: Chapter 195- Ghost Spear Technique (Part 1)

    Without hesitating, Talon pushed the elerator even harder as he changed gears the moment he left the park. The engine roared loudly as if it were a monster of its own. On the street, he quickly drifted to the side, going deeper into the city.


    Meanwhile, outside, monsters chased after him ruthlessly. The sound of their ws shing the outside of the car was loud. Each hit would push the car to the side, almost making it tilt. They would vanish and pop-up everywhere, trying to somehow pierce the defense of the vehicle.


    Hyun-Jae grabbed into whatever she could for bnce. The car kept tilting left and right endlessly as the attacks grew more violent. The car naturally couldn''t outrun the Shadow Crawlers especially when they could easily get into its shadow and


    ''They''re so persistent! The car won''t handle any more hits or it will explode!'' Clenching his teeth, Talon looked ahead as he quickly changed his n a little.


    "Talon!! Where are we going?!" Hyun-Jae yelled as she threw a lightning ball outside to push the monsters away. "They''re trying totch into the car!!"


    "Hold on. I have an idea!" Saying that, Talon suddenly twisted the steering wheel the extreme as the car suddenly changed before it started heading in apletely different way.


    "Ah!!" Hyun-Jae was pushed back in her seat as she opened her eyes, only to witness the car running toward a very small alley.


    "It''s gonna be bumpy!!"


    "Oh no¡­" Before Hyun-Jae could even speak, the car ran through the alley. Immediately, both sides of the car were torn off as metal shards flew everywhere. The two covered their faces from all the small objectsing through the window.


    but, at the same time, the monsters chasing them were thrown off as they smashed into the walls around them.


    ''It''s working.'' Talon smiled nervously as he looked around him. He knew that if he used this tight alley as a passage, the monsters wouldn''t be able to actually follow them. Naturally, the damage inflicted on the car because of it is unfixable. But, Talon felt that it was wor-


    Out of nowhere, 5 ws pierced through the car''s ceiling, stabbing Talon in the left shoulder.


    "Ugh!!" Thetter groaned as he grabbed the ws with his arms and yanked them down with full force. That pull cut the monster''s arm off as if it were a tree branch.


    "Shit! That hurts!" Throwing the arm out of the car, he quickly grabbed the steering wheel before they left the alley.


    ''They''re now on top of the car¡­''


    Another set of ws pierced through the broken ceiling, barely missing Hyun-Jae.


    "It''s not enough. Dammit."


    "I can hold them off," Hyun-Jae replied as she quickly shed with her sword, cutting the monster''s arm.


    However, Talon shook his head as he peeked outside. "No, they''re going to keep attacking us!"


    *Swish*


    ws pierced through the window, breaking the hard ss. Talon moved his head back at thest moment before the ws could hit him before he twisted the steering wheel, throwing the monster off with sheer momentum.


    "Fuck!"


    "We have no other choice! We need to get rid of the ones on top of the car!" Hyun-Jae eximed as she peeked through the holes above them. She was certain that there were at least three Shadow Crawlerstched onto the car from above as they kept poking holes into it.


    ''I need to get them off¡­ Wait, I forgot I have that!'' At that moment, a sudden realization hit Talon. Then, a dangerous smile appeared on his face.


    "Hyun-Jae."


    "What?"


    "Grab into the steering wheel for me if you could."


    "What are you trying to do?" She asked with a suspicious look. She knew that smile on Talon''s face and every time it appeared, things never ended well.


    "I''m going to go on top of the car."


    "Wha-"


    "Listen to me, I always have a n in mind. But, it''s not foolproof, I need you to improvise and do whatever you feel is right. Fighting multiple of them alone might be hard!" He said.


    Naturally, the idea sounded extremely dangerous and quite foolish. But the fact that Talon said he had a n, Hyun-Jae couldn''t refuse. Not that she had any time to refuse in the first ce as the monsters were slowly closing up on them from both sides again.


    "Ugh, ok!"


    "Good. Take my ce, I''m going out."


    Without hesitating, Talon elbowed the window ss, destroying itpletely before hetched onto the outside. The Shadow Crawlers noticed that and quickly tried to attack his fingers.


    "Surprise, idiots!" Talon anticipated that and activated Azure mes. The moment the monsters got close, they were immediately pushed back by the dangerous fire. Just its radiating heat was more than enough to make them think twice about what they could do.


    Using that opportunity, Talon pulled himself out of the car and jumped on top using his arms alone. The 130 points in strength made him capable of things like this with clear ease. When hended on top of the vehicle, Talon noticed four monsters staring at him angrily. Their terrifying dead eyes were filled with rage and hatred.


    "Here Ie to you, idiots." He smiled as he pulled his spear out. The wind blew across his face violently.


    "Don''t fall off by mistake!" Hyun-Jae warned him from inside the car.


    "I''m going to be fine."


    ''It''s time to try it¡­ The first evolution of my spearmanship ability. I have been waiting for this ability to evolve for ages now. Finally, it''s new form is here.'' Channeling his aura, Talon''s eyes shed with a dangerous glint.


    The monsters were intimidated for a moment as they felt the imminent danger. But, they quickly shook that fear away and lunged at him at the same time. Their speed was as ridiculous as ever.


    Their ws fell on Talon from all angles, not leaving a single inch for him to dodge or even deflect. It was one single, deadly attack. However, much to their shock, Talon smirked before he suddenly vanished.


    It didn''t even seem like he dashed or jumped, he simply vanished. The next moment, the monsters felt intense pain assaulting their bodies as blood exploded from their bodies. Multiple spear-inflicted injuries had appeared on their bodies in multiple spots.


    [Ding!]


    [You have activated ''Ghost Spear Technique.'']


    Talon then appeared on the other end of the car like a ghost. Exhaling a long breath, he stood up as he turned around. The monsters fell to the ground as they groaned in pain.


    "First time trying it¡­ This is amazing!" He smiled.


    ''All I felt was the entire world turn grey and then by the time I realized it, I already attacked all of them at the same time. This speed is monstrous!''


    [Ghost Spear Technique (Level 1): A cursed spear technique forgotten by history. A spear is a weapon of mass destruction. But, for those who learn this technique, it''s but a calm, deadly flow.


    w: Cannot be controlled where you appear the next moment.]


    "That description does sound cool." Closing the window, Talon stared up at the monsters. Even though the attack had heavily injured them, they were still not dead.


    ''Perhaps I need a lot of practice to learn how to use it properly. I couldn''t deal a deadly blow to any of these four.'' He thought to himself as he took a fighting stance.


    Meanwhile, Hyun-Jae was driving at full speed as she kept looking outside for Talon.


    "He doesn''t seem to be in trouble for the time being. But, the monsters are still chasing us." She murmured as she took a turn to one of the main streets of the city. She had to give herpanion as much space as possible.


    "Come on, attack me again." He said as he signaled for them mockingly.


    But, none of the monsters moved as they realized how terrifying their enemy was.


    "Hmm, if you aren''ting for me, then I will." As Talon was about to move again, another Shadow Crawler appeared next to the car out of nowhere.


    Then, as if it knew what it was doing, it attacked the front wheel of the car.


    *BOOOM*


    The tire exploded as the metal rim made contact with the ground. Immediately, the car steered sharp to the left, sending Talon stumbling.


    ''Oh no!'' Quickly, he grabbed into the edge of the car before he could fall.


    The monsters were also thrown his way as they held on with sheer will.


    "Hyun-Jae!"


    "I''m trying¡­ To bnce it!" The girl clenched her teeth as she steered right.


    Meanwhile, the Shadow Crawler that attacked the tire suddenly jumped on top of the hood. Its eyes made direct contact with Hyun-Jae before it shed down, aiming at her face.


    *Swish*


    Everything happened in a split second.


    (A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading :D)

 Chapter 196: Chapter 196- Ghost Spear Technique (Part 2)

    "Hyun-Jae!!" Talon yelled as his eyes widened. A sense of dread filled his heart. Seeing the ws pierce through the front windshield made him feel like the world was about to end. He didn''t know if that attack connected with Hyun-Jae or not and he wasn''t going to wait to see the result.


    Using his full strength, Talon pulled himself up as he rushed toward the front of the car. Even when it was still swaying left and right, he wasn''t easily pushed back to the edge again this time.


    Reaching the front, he was about to attack the monster, only for it to suddenly get sted back by a flying lightning ball. Seeing that familiar attack, Talon''s face brightened as he peeked through the window.


    "Are you ok?!" He asked.


    Inside, Hyun-Jae''s face was tilted to the side as she clicked her tongue with a frown. A rather bad injury could be seen drawing blood from her left cheek down to her neck. But, it wasn''t dangerous enough to kill her.


    "I''m fine." She replied as she wiped her face. "That bastard almost made me lose the steering wheel."


    Seeing the casual expression on her, Talon could only think of one thing¡­ ''She''s so cool!''


    Hyun-Jae had always been a very cool individual even way before the integration happened. Seeing one of her moments like this, Talon could only smile. Sadly, He didn''t have that much time to appreciate that trait of hers as he felt the monsters jump on top of the car again.


    "I gotta take care of these! Give me a few seconds, ok?!" He said as he picked up the spear and quickly rushed toward them.


    "Hurry! The car won''tst long!"


    Talon jumped on top of the car again and rushed toward the monsters. The creatures, being cornered with no other way to escape, quickly attacked him.


    However, Talon activated the ghost spear technique again and vanished from sight. Instantly, blood sttered everywhere. The attack was far more brutal the second time as it targeted a lot more vital parts of their bodies.


    When he appeared again, Talon realized that he wasn''t on top of the car. His skill had thrown him off.


    ''Oh shit!!'' Cursing, he fell to the ground as he started rolling.


    "Ugh¡­ I forgot the w of this skill." Looking up, he noticed that the car was still moving left and right before it started moving toward one of the nearby buildings. But, a few seconds before crashing, the door on the driver''s side was kicked open before Hyun-Jae suddenly jumped out.


    *BOOOM*


    The vehicle smashed into the wall violently as it went through it. Rocks and debris came crumbling down on top of it, burying itpletely.


    "Are you good?!" Talon yelled from his ce as he stood up. His body waspletely covered in dirt and blood from previous injuries. He wasn''t in a horrible state, but he was certainly tattered.


    "I''m good¡­" Meanwhile, Hyun-Jae remained lying on the ground as she heaved up and down.


    Talon approached her before standing near her head. "See? Our n worked perfectly." He said with a smile.


    "It did work. But, I wouldn''t say perfectly." Hyun-Jae said as she peeked at the buried car.


    "Hmm, coteral damage is coteral damage. The most important part is that we killed ev-" Before he could even finish the sentence, Talon heard a sounding from behind him. Turning around, he noticed the rubble starting to move.


    "Or not, there is still one that didn''t die." He said as he quickly took a fighting stance.


    Hyun-Jae also stood up quickly. The rubble continued moving till something emerged from within. Thest Shadow Crawler stood up, tiredly, with ck blood seeping out of its body. It swayed left and right as if it struggled to keep its bnce. Then, it stared at Talon and Hyun-Jae.


    Its weak gaze was filled with endless hatred and animosity. But, it didn''t carry the same bloodlust it had before. Instead, it was reced with deep fear. In its mind, these two humans were far from normal.


    They were able to kill multiple of its kind with ease and didn''t even die. They were far more dangerous than anything it had ever seen before and so, naturally, it didn''t have any desire to fight them anymore.


    Without wasting a single moment, it turned around and started running away.


    "Huh?! Come back here!" Realizing what happened, Talon started running after it. "We need to get it before it brings us more trouble!"


    Hyun-Jae nodded her head as she rushed after him. The two ran as fast as they could, chasing the monster. Even though it was heavily injured and very exhausted, the monster''s speed wasn''t something to underestimate. It still could outrun Talon if he didn''t use any external skills.


    But, Talon didn''t need to move at his normal pace. Activating ''Dash'', his speed increased as the distance between him and the monster started reducing slowly.


    The Shadow Crawler screeched as it took turns every other street. It tried to vanish into the shadows, only to get spat out again due to its injuries.


    ''Where is it going? The way it''s taking these turns¡­ It doesn''t feel random. Is it perhaps going back to its group?'' Talon thought to himself.


    With how ridiculously powerful these creatures are, having to fight more of them sounded like a nightmare through and through. So, Talon clenched his teeth and tried to move even faster.


    ''I can''t let it go back or we''re all screwed!''


    But, even with the dash activated, he was barely closing the distance between them. Seconds passed as the two moved through the ruined city. Other monsters noticed their presence and tried to attack them, only to end up being killed or left behind with ease.


    For normal eyes, the two appeared blurry from sheer speed. Eventually, the Shadow Crawler reached what seemed to be a hospital. There, it moved inside without hesitation.


    ''Where is it leading me?'' Reaching that ce, Talon stopped for a second as he looked behind him. Because he was too focused on the monster, he forgot that he left Hyun-Jae behind.


    He could see her running after him in the distance. But, since he had no time to waste, he decided to go inside first.


    The hospital building was naturally massive even with how ruined it was. The walls were cracked and some parts of it had already copsed. Still, the monster entered through the main entrance, followed by Talon who was quite hesitant.


    ''Are there more Shadow Crawlers here? I can''t feel any other presence.'' Looking around him, Talon moved carefully after the injured monster.


    The trail of blood it left behind made it easy to know where it was going. Taking every turn carefully, Talon found himself in one of the random corridors as he halted in his steps. The reason for that was the noise he caught using his ear.


    The sound was soft and deep as if it came from the bottom of a well. As inhumane as it was, it didn''t sound like the cry of a monster either and certainly didn''t sound like the Shadow Crawler.


    "Stride carefully, Talon," Acrypha said with a dark expression. She still didn''t see what was making that noise but she could feel it, and that made her even more confused.


    ''This feels awfully familiar.'' She thought to herself.


    Talon nodded his head as he took one step at a time, approaching the room on the other side of the corridor. Each step made the sound grow louder, deeper, and far more unnerving.


    Eventually, Talon found himself in front of the room as he slowly took a peek inside. There, he saw something he never expected to see.


    There was the Shadow Crawler, lying on the ground, dead. It perhaps bled excessively after running for so long and it couldn''t continue moving anymore. However, Talon didn''t even stare at it for a moment before his eyes caught sight of something else at the far end of the room.


    He blinked, trying to understand what he was seeing, only to realize that it was what he was thinking it was.


    ''A crack?'' He thought to himself.


    In that corner of the room, the atmosphere waspletely distorted beyond recognition and the reason for that was visible cracks that seemed to tear it open, revealing a dark abyss inside. The cracks weren''t big, barely enough to fit a human head.


    Its small pulses created that deep gurgling sound that Talon heard. Standing there, he shook his head. "Ok, actually, what the fuck is that? It looks awfully simr to¡­ Oh, don''t tell me¡­" It didn''t take him long to realize why he found that thing familiar.


    "That''s¡­ a tear in reality," Acrypha replied in a fascinated and yet also equally shocked tone.


    (A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading :D)

 Chapter 197: Chapter 197- Rift

    "What the hell is that doing here?" Talon eximed as he took one step back instinctively. "I didn''t certainly create that."


    "You didn''t, and I don''t know what it''s doing there either," Acrypha replied.


    ''How did this appear? No one is capable of opening a crack between dimensions except for Talon...'' She thought to herself as she frowned.


    "Could it be a gate?" Talon asked again as he tried to find an exnation.


    "No, gates don''t look like that. They''re far more stable than that rift too."


    "Stable?" Looking back at the thing, Talon noticed how it kept pulsing and moving ever-so-slightly as if it was on the brink of imploding on itself. "I guess I get what you mean¡­ But, if it''s not me who created it, and it''s certainly not a gate then¡­" At that moment Talon''s mind clicked as he realized something.


    Acrypha also seemed to reach the same conclusion he did at the same time. Looking at each other, they didn''t even need to say what they had in mind to realize that the other person reached the answer.


    "Could it be¡­ A gate created by someone else? Perhaps the same people that woman belong to¡­"


    Talon never forgot about Terren''s entire conflict. She was by far the most abnormal individual he had ever met, someone who came from an unknown world, seeking to destroy the Core Dimension. She had somehow tapped into the realm of dimensions and defied all logic to make something that was impossible before.


    "That''s the most logical answer. The crack does look like something that is barely under control. Whoever created it is still not knowledgeable enough to create a stable and bigger crack." She exined as she inspected it with her eyes.


    ''But, it''s still damn impressive to see. So it was all real. Someone is finally challenging the Core Dimension and seeding.'' A small, cold smile started forming on Acrypha''s face. For some reason, she felt rather excited to see such a thing.


    For how long has the Core Dimension been unrivaled? Eons and eons of time. She had read about civilizations rising and falling, great individuals reaching new heights and then falling to the bottom, and many other things happening across years and years of history. Yet the only constant through all of this was the Core Dimension.


    It remained the sole overseer, the ruler, the judge, the jury, and the executioner. Nobody ever even fathomed the idea of toppling this vague existence down. Yet, she had witnessed a historical moment right now.


    ''Perhaps this was the first step toward achieving the impossible.'' Pursing her lips, her eyes wandered to Talon. The moment the word impossible rolled out of her mouth, she could only think of him.


    She knew that if there was a single person capable of doing something of this caliber, it was this young man.


    "Can I touch it?" Talon, unaware of her thoughts, asked curiously.


    "No, it looks really unstable. Even if it''s not big, it might suck your arm in and rip it off with ease." She replied.


    "Hmm, ok scratch that. But¡­ Now that I think about it, why did this monster bring us here?"


    Looking down at the dead Shadow Crawler, Talon squinted his eyes. The monster had run here without hesitation as if he knew the ce. The way it died and the direction it was moving in indicated that it was trying to approach the rift.


    Inspecting its body, Talon noticed that the monster''s arm was extended forward to the extreme as if it had been trying to crawl even when it was clearly on the brink of death. It was desperate to get there.


    ''But why?...''


    "Hah¡­ Hah!! Talon!" At that moment, Hyun-Jae reached the room as she walked inside.


    "I''m here," Talon replied as he stood up. "The thing died on its own and there are no monsters here. Instead, I found that." He said as he pointed at a particr corner of the room.


    The girl turned her head to stare where Talon was pointing before she raised an eyebrow. Then, she turned toward Talon and asked in a calm tone. "Found what?"


    "Huh? That floating rift." Talon replied, clearly taken aback.


    "What are you talking about? There is nothing there."


    "... What?"


    "I can''t see anything," Hyun-Jae said as she started moving toward the other corner of the room to take a closer look.


    "Wait!" Talon snapped out of his shocked daze as he tried to stop her, only for him to be toote. Hyun-Jae reached the rift and even moved through it. Yet, much to his surprise, nothing happened.


    She swiftly walked through it as if it wasn''t even there. That made Talon''s mouth hang open.


    "Wha¡­"


    "Hmm? Am I missing something? I really can''t find anything."


    "..."


    "Interesting¡­" Acrypha murmured with a frown. "The rift didn''t affect her."


    "Ok, what the fuck is going on here? No, really, I''m getting confused!" Running his hand through his hair, Talon asked. "Why can''t she see nor feel the rift?"


    "I have no idea. Normally, only people who never connected with the Core Dimension would never be able to see a rift if it appeared. But, that girl had already been on the path of evolution for a while now. She shouldn''t be a part of that rule." Acrypha exined. "Even then, the people who couldn''t see the rift could definitely feel it.


    Yet, the way she passed through it almost seemed like it was just an illusion."


    "An illusion? Yeah, that''s how it seems. But, why could we both see it and she can''t? Is there some kind of trick going on here?"


    "I wish I could answer, but I''m also confused."


    Rubbing the back of his head with a sigh, Talon turned to Hyun-Jae. "Uh, how should I exin this? Mmm, where you are standing right now, I can see an open rift, like a ck hole. It''s pulsating and it looks awfully simr to the Core Gate." He said.


    "Here?" Hyun-Jae pointed at her position.


    "Yes, you are standing in the heart of it. I don''t know why you can''t see it, but I can, very clearly too. I can also feel it trying to suck me in. I don''t want to approach it or I might get pulled."


    Hyun-Jae flinched when she heard that and she naturally stepped away from that spot. But still, she couldn''t really see anything odd.


    "..."


    "I know it''s hard to belie-"


    "I believe you." Hyun-Jae shook her head. "I''m just trying to understand why I can''t see it."


    Talon would be lying if he said that he didn''t feel a little bit happy when he heard Hyun-Jae immediately acknowledging his words. She didn''t even think twice before believing him even though her eyes betrayed her. She trusted Talon more than she trusted her own senses.


    "... It''s pointless to stand here. We should leave for now. We can returnter and inspect it more."


    ''The possibilities of this thing are endless. It could be the rift that Terren came from, or it could be the rift that brought Shadow Crawlers to this realm. That could exin why Mono-Dimensional creatures like them ended up on Earth.'' Both Acrypha and Talon had many theories of their own.


    But, to confirm any of them, they had to get more information first. As Talon turned around, he shoved his hand in his pocket and pulled out a flipped piece of paper.


    ''Could the answer be in this piece of paper?'' He asked himself.


    Since the moment Terren gave him that thing, he had kept it with him the entire time. He would be lying if he said that he didn''t feel very curious to just open the paper and check its content. But, he knew that the woman told him to only open it after he finished his first gate for a reason and he wasn''t dumb enough to let curiosity be the end of him.


    "Ah well, I''m going to enter my first gate soon. Whatever happens, I will get to know more after that."


    Walking outside, only Hyun-Jae was left behind. Her eyes inspected the room onest time before she finally walked after herpanion.


    ''I don''t have a good feeling about this.'' She thought to herself.


    It was always a very bad feeling she would get whenever something unexinable happened. This one was particrly odd even amongst those instances.


    Whatever that rift is, it hid far more than it has shown.


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 198: Chapter 198- New Connection

    The duo left the hospital with Talon''s mind still filled with thoughts about what he had just seen. Even when he tried to focus on his next steps, he still couldn''t get that rift out of his mind. Ignoring the fact that it was a very unique thing that perhaps didn''t exist before in history, something else captured his attention.


    He didn''t notice it when he saw the rift for the first time. But, now that he left, he could sense the difference. That rift was pulling him in. Not in a physical sense, but in a more spiritual sense. It was as if the moment he saw it, he felt connected to it.


    Something about it called for him to get closer, to touch it, perhaps even submerged into it. The feeling was intense at first but grew and grew in his head as he left the ce.


    ''Is this some kind of effect that thing is having on me? I have always been connected to dimensions. But, it''s still really odd.'' Talon frowned as he clenched his fists.


    So far, Talon''s power and path have been so deeply rted to dimensions that he can''t deny that fact anymore. He didn''t know why that was the case, but, it was true and he had to ept it.


    ''It definitely has something to do with the Core Dimension and the way it treated me so far.''


    Exhaling a tired breath, Talon looked up. The sky was dark as always. Even though the sun does appear early in the morning and a few minutes before it sets on the horizon in the evening, most of the day is just dark and gloomy. All because of the floating gate.


    Naturally, that affected the entire world with howcking the sunlight was. Most of the nts that relied on sunlight to grow either withered or evolved to adapt to the new environment. The same is true for all animals, even after the first expansion, some species defied the odds, survived the disaster, and even evolved into very strong creatures.


    As for the monsters that already thrived in the darkness, they had a far easier time evolving which made the night the most dangerous time to be out in the world. Anything could attack you and kill you before you realize it.


    With that, the two quickly arrived at the camp where everyone was. The first to notice their arrival was Sophie who was heading toward their direction. She seemed extremely worried and in a hurry.


    "Talon!" Seeing her beloved, her face lit up as her worries washed away. She approached him quickly and jumped into his embrace.


    "What happened? Are you fine? Did you get injure- Oh, no, you''re bleeding!" Quickly, she started checking his body with a terrified look on her face. Her hands ran across his skin without hesitation which made Hyun-Jae frown hard.


    "Where do you think you''re touching?" She asked coldly, making Sophie look up.


    "I''m checking him up."


    "He''s fine."


    "No, he-"


    "That injury is nothing. If you look closely, it already started healing." Hyun-Jae pointed out with a tired look on her face.


    She didn''t know if Sophie simply took that opportunity to touch Talon or if she genuinely didn''t know that his healing speed was ridiculously high. An injury like that would take less than a day to heal if he chugs down a healing potion.


    "Oh¡­ Is that true, Talon?"


    "Yeah, I''m fine as you can see. I''ve had way worse injuries before." He shrugged.


    "More dangerous than this?! Oh my god, were you going to die?!"


    "Yes." Talon and Hyun-Jae replied at the same time with a deadpan expression. "Multiple times."


    "What?!"


    "I got my body carved out, I almost drowned in the stomach of a Kraken."


    "You were also almost killed by that woman, right?"


    "Yeah, that one too. There is also that monster stampede battle. That was hard." Talon recounted casually as if he was remembering a normal event.


    But, for Sophie, her eyes kept wandering between Talon and Hyun-Jae not understanding what was going on.


    "Stop, stop!! My brain is about to explode!" In the end, she couldn''t handle it so she stopped them. "What the hell did you go through, Talon?"


    "Uuuh, how should I exin this? Thest few weeks have been¡­ Very wild, to say the least." He replied with an awkwardugh.


    "It has been an insane few weeks. But¡­ They were a lot of fun." Hyun-Jae smiled as she turned to Talon.


    Her rare yet mesmerizing smile made him blink for a second before he smiled back at her. For a moment, the two''s eyes kept staring at each other as if they entered their own world. Meanwhile, Sophie was watching with a dark expression.


    ''What is that mushy atmosphere between them?! Oh no! This is bad! Really bad! I underestimated this girl. Even though she didn''t know my Talon for a long time, she is already rivaling me now!''


    All kinds of red alerts went off in her head when she saw the aura around the two. They seemed like they got way closer than before.


    ''What happened? They were not like this earlier today.'' She thought to herself as she quickly approached Talon and grabbed his hand. ''I need to do something now.''


    "Hey, hubby~ you still need to get your injuries treated, right? Follow me."


    "Hmm? Oh right, I need to to wash myself too."


    "Yes, do you want me to wash your back?~" Sophie winked yfully.


    "No."


    "Oooh, boring~ Did you forget how we used to take showers together?"


    "That was when we were literally toddlers!" Talon blinked. "We''re full-fledged adults now!"


    "Pfft, who cares about age? If we''re both fine with it~" Sophie chuckled.


    "No way in hell."


    The two bantered back and forth jokingly as Sophie guided Talon to the camp with her hand locked into his.


    Hyun-Jae red silently at Sophie as she walked behind them. Thetter gave her a secret nce before pulling her tongue out yfully. ''Sorry, dear~ Even if you work hard, I''m always one step ahead.''


    Hyun-Jae was somehow able to read that sign and she clenched her teeth secretly. ''Don''t try me.''


    ''Hmm, but I will~ You''re trying to take something that isn''t yours.''


    It was an odd situation where both parties could somehow read what the other person was thinking of. The more they looked at each other the, colder their auras grew. It was so tense that Talon felt the palpable change in temperature around him.


    "What are you two doing?" He asked.


    "Hmm, nothing."


    Even though he knew it wasn''t the case, he didn''tment any further. So far, Hyun-Jae and Sophie''s rtionship wasn''t that good and he knew the reason why. Both clearly had some kind of love rivalry going on.


    ''Should I just address it? No, what can I even say? ''Don''t fight for me, both of you?'' I would sound like an arrogant piece of shit. Tsk, well, it doesn''t seem like it''s going beyond a few res. But, if it gets out of hand, I will have to do something.'' He sighed.


    At the current moment, they were about to get into a brutal fight, there wasn''t any time to fool around. He knew Hyun-Jae and Sophie would prioritize their mission over something like this.


    With that, Talon spent the rest of the day at the camp resting and getting ready. The rest of the group explored the area a little bit more before they went back to the camp. By the time the sun set, everyone got in the vehicles again and the group started moving out of the city.


    Looking back through the window, Hyun-Jae felt a myriad of emotions. This ce that always brought her pain and suffering. The ce that brought her trauma that chased her for years somehow carried positive feelings now.


    She still didn''t fully heal from what happened and perhaps she would never heal from it. But, what Talon told her still resonated in her head all the time. Those words were the reason she didn''t feel a suffocating fear looking at the city behind her.


    ''Maybe it''s time for a change.'' She thought to herself as she turned around with a small smile on her face. ''I will do it. No matter what, I will ovee this¡­ For him.'' Her eyes wandered to the young man next to her.


    She didn''t have to do it for her own sake. As long as she had him supporting her, she was ready to face the entire world let alone the past.


    With that, the cars stormed through the night, vanishing from sight in a few seconds.


    ***


    Meanwhile, far away from there. The location is the human society in Gwangju.


    A man walked hurriedly through the corridors of a massive building. His face was nervous and he was sweating profusely.


    Reaching a door at the end of the corridor where two armed guards stood menacingly on both sides, he stopped at their sign. Their cold eyes, hidden behind their ck sses unspected him silently, making the man frown.


    "Is this really necessary? It''s me for fuck sake!" The man yelled.


    "We apologize, Mr. Evan. It''s standard procedure." One of the guards replied as he approached Evan and signaled for him to lift his arms up. Then, he inspected his body from head to toe before he nodded his head.


    "He''s good."


    "He''s waiting for you."


    "He better be. I''m here to get some answers!" He dered angrily as he pushed the doors open and entered inside.


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 195 - 195- Ghost Spear Technique (Part 1)

    Without hesitating, Talon pushed the elerator even harder as he changed gears the moment he left the park. The engine roared loudly as if it were a monster of its own. On the street, he quickly drifted to the side, going deeper into the city.


    Meanwhile, outside, monsters chased after him ruthlessly. The sound of their ws shing the outside of the car was loud. Each hit would push the car to the side, almost making it tilt. They would vanish and pop-up everywhere, trying to somehow pierce the defense of the vehicle.


    Hyun-Jae grabbed into whatever she could for bnce. The car kept tilting left and right endlessly as the attacks grew more violent. The car naturally couldn''t outrun the Shadow Crawlers especially when they could easily get into its shadow and


    ''They''re so persistent! The car won''t handle any more hits or it will explode!'' Clenching his teeth, Talon looked ahead as he quickly changed his n a little.


    "Talon!! Where are we going?!" Hyun-Jae yelled as she threw a lightning ball outside to push the monsters away. "They''re trying totch into the car!!"


    "Hold on. I have an idea!" Saying that, Talon suddenly twisted the steering wheel the extreme as the car suddenly changed before it started heading in apletely different way.


    "Ah!!" Hyun-Jae was pushed back in her seat as she opened her eyes, only to witness the car running toward a very small alley.


    "It''s gonna be bumpy!!"


    "Oh no¡­" Before Hyun-Jae could even speak, the car ran through the alley. Immediately, both sides of the car were torn off as metal shards flew everywhere. The two covered their faces from all the small objectsing through the window.


    but, at the same time, the monsters chasing them were thrown off as they smashed into the walls around them.


    ''It''s working.'' Talon smiled nervously as he looked around him. He knew that if he used this tight alley as a passage, the monsters wouldn''t be able to actually follow them. Naturally, the damage inflicted on the car because of it is unfixable. But, Talon felt that it was wor-


    Out of nowhere, 5 ws pierced through the car''s ceiling, stabbing Talon in the left shoulder.


    "Ugh!!" Thetter groaned as he grabbed the ws with his arms and yanked them down with full force. That pull cut the monster''s arm off as if it were a tree branch.


    "Shit! That hurts!" Throwing the arm out of the car, he quickly grabbed the steering wheel before they left the alley.


    ''They''re now on top of the car¡­''


    Another set of ws pierced through the broken ceiling, barely missing Hyun-Jae.


    "It''s not enough. Dammit."


    "I can hold them off," Hyun-Jae replied as she quickly shed with her sword, cutting the monster''s arm.


    However, Talon shook his head as he peeked outside. "No, they''re going to keep attacking us!"


    *Swish*


    ws pierced through the window, breaking the hard ss. Talon moved his head back at thest moment before the ws could hit him before he twisted the steering wheel, throwing the monster off with sheer momentum.


    "Fuck!"


    "We have no other choice! We need to get rid of the ones on top of the car!" Hyun-Jae eximed as she peeked through the holes above them. She was certain that there were at least three Shadow Crawlerstched onto the car from above as they kept poking holes into it.


    ''I need to get them off¡­ Wait, I forgot I have that!'' At that moment, a sudden realization hit Talon. Then, a dangerous smile appeared on his face.


    "Hyun-Jae."


    "What?"


    "Grab into the steering wheel for me if you could."


    "What are you trying to do?" She asked with a suspicious look. She knew that smile on Talon''s face and every time it appeared, things never ended well.


    "I''m going to go on top of the car."


    "Wha-"


    "Listen to me, I always have a n in mind. But, it''s not foolproof, I need you to improvise and do whatever you feel is right. Fighting multiple of them alone might be hard!" He said.


    Naturally, the idea sounded extremely dangerous and quite foolish. But the fact that Talon said he had a n, Hyun-Jae couldn''t refuse. Not that she had any time to refuse in the first ce as the monsters were slowly closing up on them from both sides again.


    "Ugh, ok!"


    "Good. Take my ce, I''m going out."


    Without hesitating, Talon elbowed the window ss, destroying itpletely before hetched onto the outside. The Shadow Crawlers noticed that and quickly tried to attack his fingers.


    "Surprise, idiots!" Talon anticipated that and activated Azure mes. The moment the monsters got close, they were immediately pushed back by the dangerous fire. Just its radiating heat was more than enough to make them think twice about what they could do.


    Using that opportunity, Talon pulled himself out of the car and jumped on top using his arms alone. The 130 points in strength made him capable of things like this with clear ease. When hended on top of the vehicle, Talon noticed four monsters staring at him angrily. Their terrifying dead eyes were filled with rage and hatred.


    "Here Ie to you, idiots." He smiled as he pulled his spear out. The wind blew across his face violently.


    "Don''t fall off by mistake!" Hyun-Jae warned him from inside the car.


    "I''m going to be fine."


    ''It''s time to try it¡­ The first evolution of my spearmanship ability. I have been waiting for this ability to evolve for ages now. Finally, it''s new form is here.'' Channeling his aura, Talon''s eyes shed with a dangerous glint.


    The monsters were intimidated for a moment as they felt the imminent danger. But, they quickly shook that fear away and lunged at him at the same time. Their speed was as ridiculous as ever.


    Their ws fell on Talon from all angles, not leaving a single inch for him to dodge or even deflect. It was one single, deadly attack. However, much to their shock, Talon smirked before he suddenly vanished.


    It didn''t even seem like he dashed or jumped, he simply vanished. The next moment, the monsters felt intense pain assaulting their bodies as blood exploded from their bodies. Multiple spear-inflicted injuries had appeared on their bodies in multiple spots.


    [Ding!]


    [You have activated ''Ghost Spear Technique.'']


    Talon then appeared on the other end of the car like a ghost. Exhaling a long breath, he stood up as he turned around. The monsters fell to the ground as they groaned in pain.


    "First time trying it¡­ This is amazing!" He smiled.


    ''All I felt was the entire world turn grey and then by the time I realized it, I already attacked all of them at the same time. This speed is monstrous!''


    [Ghost Spear Technique (Level 1): A cursed spear technique forgotten by history. A spear is a weapon of mass destruction. But, for those who learn this technique, it''s but a calm, deadly flow.


    w: Cannot be controlled where you appear the next moment.]


    "That description does sound cool." Closing the window, Talon stared up at the monsters. Even though the attack had heavily injured them, they were still not dead.


    ''Perhaps I need a lot of practice to learn how to use it properly. I couldn''t deal a deadly blow to any of these four.'' He thought to himself as he took a fighting stance.


    Meanwhile, Hyun-Jae was driving at full speed as she kept looking outside for Talon.


    "He doesn''t seem to be in trouble for the time being. But, the monsters are still chasing us." She murmured as she took a turn to one of the main streets of the city. She had to give herpanion as much space as possible.


    "Come on, attack me again." He said as he signaled for them mockingly.


    But, none of the monsters moved as they realized how terrifying their enemy was.


    "Hmm, if you aren''ting for me, then I will." As Talon was about to move again, another Shadow Crawler appeared next to the car out of nowhere.


    Then, as if it knew what it was doing, it attacked the front wheel of the car.


    *BOOOM*


    The tire exploded as the metal rim made contact with the ground. Immediately, the car steered sharp to the left, sending Talon stumbling.


    ''Oh no!'' Quickly, he grabbed into the edge of the car before he could fall.


    The monsters were also thrown his way as they held on with sheer will.


    "Hyun-Jae!"


    "I''m trying¡­ To bnce it!" The girl clenched her teeth as she steered right.


    Meanwhile, the Shadow Crawler that attacked the tire suddenly jumped on top of the hood. Its eyes made direct contact with Hyun-Jae before it shed down, aiming at her face.


    *Swish*


    Everything happened in a split second.


    (A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading :D)

 Chapter 196 - 196- Ghost Spear Technique (Part 2)

    "Hyun-Jae!!" Talon yelled as his eyes widened. A sense of dread filled his heart. Seeing the ws pierce through the front windshield made him feel like the world was about to end. He didn''t know if that attack connected with Hyun-Jae or not and he wasn''t going to wait to see the result.


    Using his full strength, Talon pulled himself up as he rushed toward the front of the car. Even when it was still swaying left and right, he wasn''t easily pushed back to the edge again this time.


    Reaching the front, he was about to attack the monster, only for it to suddenly get sted back by a flying lightning ball. Seeing that familiar attack, Talon''s face brightened as he peeked through the window.


    "Are you ok?!" He asked.


    Inside, Hyun-Jae''s face was tilted to the side as she clicked her tongue with a frown. A rather bad injury could be seen drawing blood from her left cheek down to her neck. But, it wasn''t dangerous enough to kill her.


    "I''m fine." She replied as she wiped her face. "That bastard almost made me lose the steering wheel."


    Seeing the casual expression on her, Talon could only think of one thing¡­ ''She''s so cool!''


    Hyun-Jae had always been a very cool individual even way before the integration happened. Seeing one of her moments like this, Talon could only smile. Sadly, He didn''t have that much time to appreciate that trait of hers as he felt the monsters jump on top of the car again.


    "I gotta take care of these! Give me a few seconds, ok?!" He said as he picked up the spear and quickly rushed toward them.


    "Hurry! The car won''tst long!"


    Talon jumped on top of the car again and rushed toward the monsters. The creatures, being cornered with no other way to escape, quickly attacked him.


    However, Talon activated the ghost spear technique again and vanished from sight. Instantly, blood sttered everywhere. The attack was far more brutal the second time as it targeted a lot more vital parts of their bodies.


    When he appeared again, Talon realized that he wasn''t on top of the car. His skill had thrown him off.


    ''Oh shit!!'' Cursing, he fell to the ground as he started rolling.


    "Ugh¡­ I forgot the w of this skill." Looking up, he noticed that the car was still moving left and right before it started moving toward one of the nearby buildings. But, a few seconds before crashing, the door on the driver''s side was kicked open before Hyun-Jae suddenly jumped out.


    *BOOOM*


    The vehicle smashed into the wall violently as it went through it. Rocks and debris came crumbling down on top of it, burying itpletely.


    "Are you good?!" Talon yelled from his ce as he stood up. His body waspletely covered in dirt and blood from previous injuries. He wasn''t in a horrible state, but he was certainly tattered.


    "I''m good¡­" Meanwhile, Hyun-Jae remained lying on the ground as she heaved up and down.


    Talon approached her before standing near her head. "See? Our n worked perfectly." He said with a smile.


    "It did work. But, I wouldn''t say perfectly." Hyun-Jae said as she peeked at the buried car.


    "Hmm, coteral damage is coteral damage. The most important part is that we killed ev-" Before he could even finish the sentence, Talon heard a sounding from behind him. Turning around, he noticed the rubble starting to move.


    "Or not, there is still one that didn''t die." He said as he quickly took a fighting stance.


    Hyun-Jae also stood up quickly. The rubble continued moving till something emerged from within. Thest Shadow Crawler stood up, tiredly, with ck blood seeping out of its body. It swayed left and right as if it struggled to keep its bnce. Then, it stared at Talon and Hyun-Jae.


    Its weak gaze was filled with endless hatred and animosity. But, it didn''t carry the same bloodlust it had before. Instead, it was reced with deep fear. In its mind, these two humans were far from normal.


    They were able to kill multiple of its kind with ease and didn''t even die. They were far more dangerous than anything it had ever seen before and so, naturally, it didn''t have any desire to fight them anymore.


    Without wasting a single moment, it turned around and started running away.


    "Huh?! Come back here!" Realizing what happened, Talon started running after it. "We need to get it before it brings us more trouble!"


    Hyun-Jae nodded her head as she rushed after him. The two ran as fast as they could, chasing the monster. Even though it was heavily injured and very exhausted, the monster''s speed wasn''t something to underestimate. It still could outrun Talon if he didn''t use any external skills.


    But, Talon didn''t need to move at his normal pace. Activating ''Dash'', his speed increased as the distance between him and the monster started reducing slowly.


    The Shadow Crawler screeched as it took turns every other street. It tried to vanish into the shadows, only to get spat out again due to its injuries.


    ''Where is it going? The way it''s taking these turns¡­ It doesn''t feel random. Is it perhaps going back to its group?'' Talon thought to himself.


    With how ridiculously powerful these creatures are, having to fight more of them sounded like a nightmare through and through. So, Talon clenched his teeth and tried to move even faster.


    ''I can''t let it go back or we''re all screwed!''


    But, even with the dash activated, he was barely closing the distance between them. Seconds passed as the two moved through the ruined city. Other monsters noticed their presence and tried to attack them, only to end up being killed or left behind with ease.


    For normal eyes, the two appeared blurry from sheer speed. Eventually, the Shadow Crawler reached what seemed to be a hospital. There, it moved inside without hesitation.


    ''Where is it leading me?'' Reaching that ce, Talon stopped for a second as he looked behind him. Because he was too focused on the monster, he forgot that he left Hyun-Jae behind.


    He could see her running after him in the distance. But, since he had no time to waste, he decided to go inside first.


    The hospital building was naturally massive even with how ruined it was. The walls were cracked and some parts of it had already copsed. Still, the monster entered through the main entrance, followed by Talon who was quite hesitant.


    ''Are there more Shadow Crawlers here? I can''t feel any other presence.'' Looking around him, Talon moved carefully after the injured monster.


    The trail of blood it left behind made it easy to know where it was going. Taking every turn carefully, Talon found himself in one of the random corridors as he halted in his steps. The reason for that was the noise he caught using his ear.


    The sound was soft and deep as if it came from the bottom of a well. As inhumane as it was, it didn''t sound like the cry of a monster either and certainly didn''t sound like the Shadow Crawler.


    "Stride carefully, Talon," Acrypha said with a dark expression. She still didn''t see what was making that noise but she could feel it, and that made her even more confused.


    ''This feels awfully familiar.'' She thought to herself.


    Talon nodded his head as he took one step at a time, approaching the room on the other side of the corridor. Each step made the sound grow louder, deeper, and far more unnerving.


    Eventually, Talon found himself in front of the room as he slowly took a peek inside. There, he saw something he never expected to see.


    There was the Shadow Crawler, lying on the ground, dead. It perhaps bled excessively after running for so long and it couldn''t continue moving anymore. However, Talon didn''t even stare at it for a moment before his eyes caught sight of something else at the far end of the room.


    He blinked, trying to understand what he was seeing, only to realize that it was what he was thinking it was.


    ''A crack?'' He thought to himself.


    In that corner of the room, the atmosphere waspletely distorted beyond recognition and the reason for that was visible cracks that seemed to tear it open, revealing a dark abyss inside. The cracks weren''t big, barely enough to fit a human head.


    Its small pulses created that deep gurgling sound that Talon heard. Standing there, he shook his head. "Ok, actually, what the fuck is that? It looks awfully simr to¡­ Oh, don''t tell me¡­" It didn''t take him long to realize why he found that thing familiar.


    "That''s¡­ a tear in reality," Acrypha replied in a fascinated and yet also equally shocked tone.


    (A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading :D)

 Chapter 199: Chapter 199- Different Connection

    The interior of the room was aesthetically bleak and yet carried an elegant feeling to it that no one could fathom. It didn''t have any grandiose decorations or over-the-top luxurious items scattered around.


    In fact, apart from furniture, there wasn''t much else in the room that could be worth looking at. If anything, it was so nd that it almost seemed like it was the simple background to something far more important that needed attention.


    The man nced around for a moment before he focused on the other person in the room. A man was sitting on afy leather chair with his back turned toward Evan as he stared through the window. Since they were on the highest floor of the building, the view was really nice.


    On the table next to him, the man had a cup of ck hot coffee still full. Next to it was a te filled with sugar cubes. Evan stood there silently for a moment as he sucked in a deep breath. No matter how many times he entered that room, he would always feel like he submerged himself underwater because of how suffocating it was.


    The entire room seemed like it was way smaller than it actually was and it was all because of that man.


    In the end, he forced all of that down and spoke. "It has been over a week and I haven''t received any news from you."


    No answer came from the other person.


    "That kid dered war against us. Who knows what he''s nning right now? We need to act!"


    Yet again, the man didn''t seem to acknowledge his words at all. That naturally made Evan even more annoyed. But, he didn''t want to lose his temper, especially not in front of this person.


    "Can you hear me?"


    "Do you like coffee with milk or without?" Out of nowhere, a deep yet extremely gentle voice spoke to Evan. The soothing, almost angelic nature of that voice was so hypnotizing it made Evan gopletely silent. The man had finally spoken after a while.


    "Huh?" Evan was naturally confused by the sudden odd question.


    "Coffee, with or without milk?" The man repeated his question in a clear, slow, and elegant manner.


    "... I don''t know why you''re asking me that but¡­ Without milk? I drink ck coffee." He replied confusedly.


    "What about sugar?"


    "Not sweet."


    "Hmm, so you''re someone who enjoys the bitter aftertaste of a cup of coffee. Interesting choice."


    "Why are you asking me this now? It''s not important."


    "No particr reason. I felt how tense you wereing in here, so I simply wanted you to rx a little bit."


    At that moment, Evan realized what the man in front of him had done. Feeling his heart rate drop considerably and his tense muscles rx, he had indeed forgotten about the huge problem in front of them for a second there.


    ''This bastard¡­'' But, the fact that he yed the exact way the man wanted didn''t sit well with him.


    "Besides, I heard that one''s taste in coffee tells you a lot about their character."


    "What?"


    "Taking you for example, you like your coffee without sugar and milk. I''m going to assume that you also don''t like to drink it with sweets or anything like that. You don''t smoke either and you seem to like to drink it at least three times a day. Even if I didn''t know you in person, I can easily determine that you''re a very tense, serious, and boring person."


    Evan: "..."


    "No, boring is a stretch. Let''s say ''Uninteresting''."


    Evan waspletely speechless from what he heard. He didn''t understand why this conversation went this way. From being here to talk about a potential war with another group of survivors, it somehow became a character diagnosis based on their taste in coffee.


    "Me personally, I love my coffee with milk and exactly two and a half teaspoons of sugar. But, surprisingly, I noticed that the more I feel like I''m in a sour mood, the less sweet I want my coffee to be. Isn''t that quite interesting?"


    At that moment, for the first time, the chair turned around, revealing the man''s appearance to Evan.


    His rxed smile made Evan more tense. For some reason, he couldn''t feel any ''gentleness'' from that smile, as warm as it was.


    "Today is a very interesting day, indeed¡­" In the end, he sighed and approached the table before he sat down.


    "Are you don''t with your psychology lesson now? We need to talk about the conflict!"


    "Hahaha, the mind is arguably far more intriguing than muscles. Why give the joy of exploring this floating, thinking piece of flesh for a more barbaric matter?"


    "Because we have to actually use it to think of an immediate n! We''rete, goddammit! My daughter is in the hands of a stupid brat and I want her back!"


    "Evan, my friend. That''s your problem. You''re too stupid sometimes."


    "What?!"


    "Your daughter willingly went there. Miss Sophie is quite clever, unlike you so her decisions aren''t always foolish. I heard that she shares some kind of past with that young man."


    "Tsk, sadly, yes. They have been in a rtionship before. But, it ended years ago. I thought she was going to move on quickly. But, all she talked about for the past 5 years is that kid. She''s obsessed with him." Cursing under his breath, Evan exined.


    ''Even though it went as I wanted. Why didn''t she forget about him? She had far more important things to focus on! But, it''s all Talon, Talon! I''m going to lose my goddamn mind!'' He mused to himself.


    "What an odd thing, indeed. I have never expected Miss Sophie to have such a side to her. It makes me even more eager to meet this young man. I don''t know why, but I feel like we would get along."


    "Get along?! I''m saying he is threatening to invade this ce!!"


    The more Evan talked to this man, the more he felt his head getting more and more chaotic. It was as if he was speaking to a toddler. Yet, at the same time, he felt like the person in front of him was the smartest human he had ever met.


    It was a weird mix that made no sense and yet existed in the same person.


    "That''s simply because we haven''t met yet. Violence isn''t the answer to everything. We are humans, not some kind of wild beasts."


    "So¡­ Your n is to simply talk to him?"


    The man shook his head. "No, I don''t talk. I connect with people. If you talk to someone, they might agree and they might disagree. Connecting with them makes them feel what you mean rather than hear it. That makes it a lot easier to convince them." He said with a smile.


    "..."


    "The first step to do that is simple: he will be tense, perhaps even angry. So, I have to make him rx first. Then, when he rxes, we can finally establish a connection. Something like¡­ Yeah, something like what''s happening between me and you at the moment."


    Evan raised an eyebrow as he blinked. "We''re sharing a connection?"


    "Of course. Our connection runs deep. So deep in fact, that you''re already drinking from my cup of coffee on your own."


    "... Huh?" Hearing those words, the man''s eyes naturally went down to his hands only for them to widen again. He noticed the same cup of coffee that was on the table was now in his hands, half as full as before.


    ''When did I¡­'' He couldn''t even finish the thought in his head as he quickly put the cup on the table in fear. His heart rate started rising again as he stared up hesitantly. Seeing the man''s smile, his face paled.


    "Our connection isn''t some kind of friendship or camaraderie. No, that''s too simple. My connections with people are far moreplex than that."


    "..."


    "Don''t you agree?" The tone of his voice didn''t change at all the entire time.


    Evan wanted to speak, say something about this terrifying situation. Yet, all he could muster up at that moment was one word.


    "... Yes."


    ***


    *Rustle*


    "It''s from here, right?" Talon pushed a thick bush away as he moved ahead. Looking behind him, he saw Sophie, Hyun-Jae, and Chin-Hwa in tow.


    The group was moving through a thick forest in the middle of the day. Their bodies were camouged with their surroundings as they approached their destination.


    "We''re almost there. Beyond that bush, we could see it." Sophie replied.


    Nodding his head, Talon continued moving silently. A few dozen meters away, they finally reached the end as an open field appeared in front of them. On the other side of the field, standing out like a sore thumb were tall walls that stretched all around what seemed to be a massive base.


    The walls were made out of armored concrete and metal and seemed imprable for the normal human. Around the base, men with all kinds of weapons moved around constantly guarding the ce.


    It was a magnificent sight to witness in such a ruined world.


    "So that''s¡­" Talon blinked.


    "The human society." Hyun-Jae finished the sentence.


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 200: Chapter 200- First Meeting

    A//N: 200 Chapters boys, hell yeah! This is a slightly longer than usual chapter so enjoy ??


    "This ce looks far more advanced than I expected," Talon murmured as he stood up and dusted his clothes. "How many people live in there?"


    "Almost 50 thousand people. It spans the entire city of Gwangju and the surrounding areas." Sophie exined.


    Her words garnered looks from Hyun-Jae and Shin-Il. Fifty thousand people wasn''t a small number by any means. In fact, with how many people died in the past few weeks, the fact that fifty thousand were gathered in the same ce was an impressive feat.


    "50 thousand, huh¡­ Compared to the few hundred people we have back in Seoul." For some reason, that number made Talon smile. He didn''t know why he felt excited rather than nervous.


    ''If we can get them back to Seoul. We will be able to take over the entire city in no time and could even move to other cities. It''s perfect!'' Just that though excited him.


    But, he didn''t let that idea thrive in his head as he knew that things don''t always go perfectly. After all, he had to first take down the entire base and invade it. He only had 50 people with him while there were thousands of people against them.


    Not to mention that they were also humans and hispanions had never killed humans before in their lives. It won''t be easy at all.


    "So, how are we going to proceed with this?" Hyun-Jae asked. "Same n?"


    Beforeing here, Talon and the others discussed how they should approach the conflict. Even if they had revenge to execute for what they had to go through, they weren''t foolish enough to throw their entire weight into a war. They didn''t want people to die for naught.


    Still, they knew that a battle was bound to happen either way. It was simply a matter of how to actually have the most advantage over the enemy.


    At first, the idea was to simply ambush the base and use their small number to their advantage. However, Talon shook his head as he replied.


    "No, change of ns. I think I have a better idea." He said.


    "What? A better idea?" Sophie raised an eyebrow.


    "Yeah¡­ It''s very simple."


    ***


    Some time passed as the sun slowly started descending, turning the entire world a shade of red.


    Guards were moving regrly around the base with bored looks on their faces. They forgot the number of turns they made over the entire ce and their legs were feeling soar. But, they never dare toin.


    For them, this was but another day at work. However, that soon turned out to be far from right. As they were walking near the entrance, their eyes fell on two silhouettes approaching them.


    "Hm?" Stopping in their tracks, the two aimed their guns immediately without any hesitation or second thoughts. "Who''s there? Reveal yourself and hold your arms up!"


    The two silhouettes grew closer to the guards till they were visible to them. Their eyes scanned the duo silently.


    ''A tall young man and¡­ Oh!'' Seeing the second person who was a very stunning girl, their eyes widened.


    "M-Miss Sophie?! Is that you?!" One of them eximed.


    "It is me. Drop the gun down."


    The two guards shared one look before they put their guns down. "We are d you''re good, Miss Sophie! Your father is really worried about you! He even told us to immediately tell him if youe back."


    "Good, I want him toe out here to talk. Also, call the leader out." She dered in a cold tone.


    The two guards were taken aback by her request. They expected her to enter the base and search for her father. But, the fact that she instead asked them to bring them outside was confusing.


    ''It has something to do with this young man with her.'' Tensing up noticeably, one of the guards signaled for the other to go inside and do what she said.


    Thetter nodded and quickly opened a small door next to the main gate before disappearing inside. Thest one stood there, not knowing what to do.


    "Are you really sure about this, Talon?" Sophie and Talon, meanwhile, were having their own conversation in secret.


    "100%. It''s better this way." He replied casually as the two waited.


    "Mmm, Miss Sophie¡­ Can I ask a question?" The guard swallowed some of his hesitations and spoke.


    "You''ve already asked a question."


    "Oh, m-my apologies!"


    "It''s fine, what do you want to ask?"


    "Who is that gentleman with you?"


    "Him?" Smiling, she pointed at Talon. "He is a very very close friend of mine~" She replied in a yful tone.


    "O-Oh, you two are friends, huh?"


    ''Like hell would I believe that?! I heard that she left the base secretly a while ago. Now she hase back


    "Hey, is it fine to even introduce me like this?" Talon whispered to her.


    "Hehe, don''t worry~"


    "Do I look like I''m worried to you?" Talon asked back. He noticed Sophie''s hands shaking subtly.


    "No, but I am very nervous and I''m trying to calm myself down with jokes."


    "It''s going to be fine. Nothing bad will happen as long as I''m here." He replied in a confident tone.


    If it was said by anyone else, Sophie would''ve considered it arrogance. But, she had seen what Talon was capable of so she knew that he wasn''t lying when he said those words. Staring at his face, her heart skipped a beat.


    ''My Talon is so cool!''


    As they were like that, the gates of the base started opening with a loud screech, catching their attention. Out of the gate came a group of men. Their number was around 30, and most of them were heavily armed except for two.


    "Sophie!!" The first to run ahead was a handsome older man. He had blonde hair with a few strands of grey on it and a very rough appearance that somehow alleviated his charm.


    "Dad¡­"


    Reaching his daughter, he pulled her into a tight hug. "Thank god! Thank god that you''re safe!" Tears welled up in his eyes as he murmured prayers filled with gratitude.


    "Dad¡­" Sophie had aplicated expression on her face. Pursing her lips, she patted her father''s back silently.


    The two hugged for a while tille Evan finally pulled himself away and looked at her. A relieved smile appeared on his face. "Why did you do that to me, Sophie? I couldn''t sleep a wink. You really worried me."


    "I told you that I will bring her back to you safely," Talon interjected with a cold tone.


    Evan''s eyes shifted from his daughter to the young man standing next to her. What was a happy smile before turned into a frown. He red daggers at Talon before he opened his mouth.


    "You have my gratitude for keeping my daughter safe."


    "Any time¡­" Talon shrugged.


    "Ok, let''s go, Sophie. I want the doctors to check up on you first and make sure you''repletely fine." Evan sighed as he grabbed his daughter''s hand and tried to drag her back with him.


    However, before he could even take a step, Sophie pulled her hand away.


    "Sophie?"


    "I''m not going." The girl shook her head.


    "What? Sophie, this isn''t time for this, please."


    "There are far more important things to discuss now. I''m not leaving." She replied.


    "Leave that to the leader and that kid. They can deal with it on their own. I''m more worried about you now." He replied as he pointed at Talon.


    But, even then, Sophie didn''t budge from her ce. That made Evan even more annoyed as he sucked in a very deep breath. "You know that I love you very much, Sophie. But, don''t test my patience. I''m not going to let you stay here next to¡­ him."


    Talon noticed the disdainful side look he got from Sophie''s father and he could only roll his eyes.


    "I do not like this human. Especially the way he had been looking at you this entire time." Acryphamented coldly as she floated around Talon.


    "Ignore him, he had always been like that," Talon replied.


    ''He never changed even after all these years. Hahaha, I guess expecting a change was too much from me.'' He smiled wrily.


    "However, I''m more curious about that man over there." Lifting his eyes up, Talon stared at a particr individual amongst the group.


    Even though he had the least shy appearance since he carried no weapons, his presence stood out like a sore thumb.


    Even without expanding his senses, Talon could easily determine that the leader Evan talked about was that man.


    Carrying himself in a rather elegant and yet also casual manner, he was not strikingly handsome nor incredibly ugly. He had average height, short brown hair, and equally brown eyes. He wore sses and d himself in a formal ck suit.


    ''He doesn''t feel strong¡­ But, I don''t know why he has such a powerful presence. It''s almost as if his in control the entire time without saying a word.''


    For a second, their eyes connected as they shared a look. Neither of them averted their gaze as if they got into some kind of duel.


    "Sophie! You will eithere with me, or I will force you to!!" Meanwhile, the argument between Sophie and her father grew more heated as he was about to raise his hand and grab her again with more force.


    However, before he could do that, the man Talon had been looking at the entire time.


    "Why now, Evan? You should respect your daughter''s desire." Walking forward, he reached the two as he held Evan''s arm. "Let her speak."


    The moment he did, thetter''s expressionpletely changed from anger to timidness.


    "... Yeah." He retracted his hand as he moved back.


    Talon was surprised by this sudden shift in dynamic the moment this mysterious man spoke. It was as if all of Evan''s anger was never there in the first ce. What reced it was something he knew very well... Fear.


    "I still didn''t introduce myself, my name is Bing Hyun-Ki. I assume you''re the infamous Talon Everhart, correct?"

 Chapter 201: Chapter 201- Tension

    As he said those words, Hyun-Ki extended his hand to Talon for a handshake. Thetter stared at him directly for a few seconds as if he was trying to determine what this mysterious man in front of him was trying to do before his gaze shifted down to his hand.


    Then, he extended his hand and took Hyun-Ki''s hand before he smiled coldly. "It is indeed. I didn''t think the leader of the human society was such a nice gentleman."


    *Squeeze*


    Saying those words, Talon tightened his grip on Hyun-Ki''s hand slowly using some of his strength.


    "Hahaha, thank you for the ttery. I''m but a humble man." The man chuckled as if he was unbothered by the pain.


    ''I''m using enough power to make someone go down on their knees now. Yet, I couldn''t notice a change in his expression.'' Talon thought to himself secretly before he continued.


    "Still, I have been eager to meet you ever since I first knew of your existence and the existence of this beautiful ce. I have some business with you that we didn''t finish yet." He said.


    "Oh my, is that so? Of course, do you want to discuss it over a cup of coffee?" When Hyun-Ki asked that question, Talon noticed something weird.


    The man''s eyes suddenly shed with a weird glint for a split second before they returned to normal. However, that subtle change didn''t go unnoticed by Talon due to the feeling he got the next moment. Something like an electric current coursed through his body as it moved to his head.


    The feeling was really ufortable but not enough to be painful. The current tried to move from his arms to his chest and then to his head. However, by the time it reached his chest, suddenly, he felt his body react as it suppressed the current before ultimately killing it.


    ''Hm? What was that?'' Talon thought to himself as he looked up. The man was still staring at him, except this time, his expression had changed subtly.


    His unreadable smile twisted for a moment as if he saw something surprising and yet also really unpleasant. But, that onlysted a moment before he returned to normal.


    Talon didn''t even need to think twice about it to realize what just happened. ''He tried to cast something on me.'' He thought to himself.


    He didn''t know what kind of ability the man tried to cast on him. But, he could feel it happening. He could also feel when his body suppressed that ability on its own.


    ''I guess I''m too high-leveled for him to y any tricks on me.'' He thought to himself as he started squeezing harder and harder on his hand, turning it red from sheer pressure.


    "I admire your ability to pretend like you aren''t really annoyed and in extreme pain right now. I''m almost about to break your hand and you couldn''t use whatever skill you had on me. It''s a very bad situation, isn''t it?" Talon asked.


    "..." Hyun-Ki raised an eyebrow before he made a forcedugh. "You are a very honest man, Mr Talon."


    "Always been, always will be."


    "Talon?" Sophie noticed what was happening so she quickly approached her beloved, ignoring her dadpletely.


    "Be careful, Talon. He was trying to use a mind maniption skill on you." Acrypha warned Talon as she watched the man carefully from behind.


    "I know. I have felt it and it failed." He scoffed before he turned to look at the man again.


    "Let me guess, Bing Hyun-Ki. Your ability has something to do with¡­ Controlling your target? No, not that. More like, Mind Maniption?"


    Hisst guess made Hyun-Ki''s smile widen.


    "So I was right on the bullseye, hahaha! Interesting! What kind of conditions does such an ability have? I mean, it sounds pretty strong."


    "Oi, kid¡­" Evan tried to interject the conversation, only for Talon to give one single re that made him go silent again.


    "Come on, exin."


    *Squueze*


    The sound of bones rubbing against each other reached Talon''s ears. He was now certain that Hyun-Ki was in extreme pain. But, surprisingly, even that didn''t get a reaction out of him.


    "You''re far more dangerous than I expected. I have heard some news about you and I did have some expectations. But, you havepletely shattered my expectations now. You''re the very first person that my ability didn''t work on. How high is your level I wonder?"


    "It''s not important," Talon replied.


    Pursing his lips, Hyun-Ki thought for a moment before he asked. "I''m going to assume that your desire is to kill me at this very moment?"


    "Of course. I''m not going to spare you or anyone who was responsible for that attack on the campus." Talon replied casually.


    "Hmm¡­" The man nodded his head lightly before he looked up. "Then, what are you waiting for? Go ahead. Kill me."


    The moment Hyun-Ki said that, the entire atmosphere around them changedpletely. The men standing behind him grew extremely tense as they put their hands on their weapons.


    The sheer pressure everyone felt made them almost break. Even Sophie instinctively channeled her Aetheris, ready to move. She didn''t even think twice about protecting Talon against everyone else. Even if her father attacked him, she was going to act.


    "But, you can''t kill me yet, can you? After all, you''re very a clever man, Mr Talon. You aren''t here for something as simple as revenge. Revenge is but a small bonus to your true goal."


    "..."


    "I have heard your intentions of taking over Seoul. But, you are aiming for far more than that. South Korea, is that what you want? The entirety of this country." Hyun-Ki smiled widely. "And you know that I''m the one capable of making it easier or harder for you to do that."


    The entire time Talon remained silent as he stared right into Hyun-Ki''s eyes. Nobody knew what was going through his head.


    "Well, it is true. I can make it a whole lot easier for you to do that. All I need is to make a small call and vo, the path is clear in front of you. At the same time, not making a call will have some very annoying consequences and you know I can''t do that when I''m 6ft under."


    "Do I look like I''m scared?" Talon asked back.


    "No, you aren''t and you will probably never be scared. After all, who should the strongest be scared of? No one. However, you aren''t foolish enough to seek conflict on your own. This is but a snowball that is rolling down a long snowy hill. The more it goes down, the bigger it gets.


    You don''t want that, do you?"


    ''This man had always been like this. No matter what situation he is in. He always could take control of the conversation and make it go his way.'' Sophie thought to herself as she clenched her fists.


    She had never seen Talon at a disadvantage like this before. He was not saying anything at all and that made her worry. After all, even though their friends were still waiting behind, they were surrounded by armed soldiers.


    At that moment, Talon released Hyun-Ki''s hand for the first time. Thetter smiled even wider as he rubbed the sore spot lightly.


    "It seems you und- Blugh!"


    Before he could even finish his sentence, Hyun-Ki found himself hanging in the air as he was grabbed by the neck.


    Immediately, all the soldiers lifted their weapons as they got ready tounch an attack. However, their leader immediately stopped them.


    "What the fuck are you doing, kid?!" Evan yelled angrily. "Release him! You do not know the disaster that would fall on our heads if he dies!"


    However, Talon didn''t respond as he stared directly at the man. "I don''t need you to tell me what I want. I was going to force you to do it either way. I have no reason to listen to your bbering."


    ''I would''ve killed this piece of scum immediately. But, I have to make use of this situation to get rid of a potentially huge problem in the future.''


    Talon was aware that Hyun-Ki''s connections spread far outside of South Korea. He was perhaps the perfect candidate to rule South Korea in the eyes of other countries. His death would naturally bring Talon a lot of trouble.


    So, he thought that if he could make Hyun-Ki trick them into believing that the base was still under his control. Meanwhile, Talon could busy himself with taking over the entirety of South Korea. Once that happens, things would go much simpler and he would be officially ready to get into a full-scale war if he needed to.


    At his current moment, he couldn''t really afford to fight another army of soldiers. There was only so much he could do on his own or even with his small group of survivors. That was why, this step was necessary. To make Hyun-Ki do what he wanted.


    ''Whether by force or by negotiations. I will make him do it.'' Talon''s eyes shed with a dangerous glint.


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 202: Chapter 202- Choice

    The entire situation exploded the moment Talon lifted Hyun-Ki in the air and threatened to kill him. The guards were so tense that some of them had their fingers shaking on the trigger. But, nobody shot for fear of hitting their leader.


    "Let the leader go or we will shoot!!" One of them yelled.


    "Oh, you''re going to shoot? I might as well crack his neck then." Talon smiled coldly as he increased his grip on the man''s neck, making him groan even louder.


    "Don''t fucking rush it, boy! For god''s sake!!" Evan tried to calm the situation. "Talk to him, Sophie. He''s going to be the end of us!!"


    Sophie had aplicated expression on her face. On the one hand, the situation was naturally not good at all. She was aware of how important Hyun-Ki''s existence was. Killing him now won''t be optimal and Talon was aware of that.


    ''Is he simply threatening him? That could definitely be it. Talon could easily kill him if he wanted. What is he trying to do?'' She asked herself.


    "Ugh¡­ Hahaha, force me? That''s quite a barbaric n you have there. Ugh!! Cough! Cough!"


    "... Are you going to do what I want or should I just break every bone in your body and leave you outside for monsters to eat your carcass?" Talon asked as he frowned.


    ''He doesn''t seem like he''s terrified for someone who is about to die.'' Talon thought to himself. He didn''t know why, but he didn''t feel like he was inplete control as he intended for the dynamic to change.


    Even with his hand around the man''s neck, it still felt like Talon was ying in Hyun-Ki''s hands and he didn''t know why.


    ''Why do I have this feeling? Like something is missing. What did I miss?'' Talon''s eyes went unfocused for a split second, only to snap back to reality under the man''s voice.


    "You¡­ Cough!


    Asked me a few minutes ago about¡­ the conditions needed for my skill to work¡­ Well, the first condition is simple¡­ I need to get in contact with that person beforehand¡­ The second condition is¡­ They have to be within a certain range of me¡­ The third condition¡­ They have to be no more than 5 levels higher than me¡­ But, even those have a high potential of breaking my control¡­" The man said through his grunts.


    As he spoke, Talon listened quietly. At first, he didn''t show much of a reaction since these three conditions were obvious. After all, a skill of this effect would most definitely have heavy restrictions to it that made it less ridiculous.


    ''That''s why he couldn''t control me. But, in that case, anyone within his level range would be easily controlled. This means that all the men behind him could be easily controlled¡­ Including Sophie''s father. But, then again, how many people can he control at once?'' A thousand questions popped in his head at the same time.


    "Still, that''s where connectionse in handy. I realized quickly that my power relied a lot on how much I knew my target. The deeper our connection is, the higher my control over them is. It''s amazing! Hahaha! That''s why¡­" Slowly, Hyun-Ki lifted his hand as he pointed behind Talon.


    "Maybe you should look behind you¡­"


    At that moment, Talon''s eyes widened as he felt a chill run down his spine. Something dangerous was moving toward his body at an extremely high speed from a very close distance.


    So close in fact that Talon had no time to react properly.


    *Swish*


    Throwing Hyun-Ki to the ground, he quickly activated his Dash skill and moved out of the way using every point of agility he had. The sudden explosive movement made him appear like a blur in the eyes of the people.


    Everything happened and ended in a split second. Talon appeared a dozen meters away from where he was. His body was bent slightly forward as he held his hand. Blood dripped from his arm down in an ominous silence.


    Then, blood exploded from his arm as if it suddenly surged out. The young man clenched his teeth as he looked up with a dark expression. There, he could see white strings die red with his own blood floating where he was standing.


    Following those strings, they led him to the person who attacked him. Sophie stood there, not saying a word.


    "Sophie¡­" Murmuring her name in a dark tone, Talon realized what just happened. The girl slowly turned around, revealing her face.


    She looked the same except for one thing¡­ Her eyes. Their usual brightness waspletely gone and reced with nothingness¡­ A terrifying nothingness. She looked like a dummy, moving abnormally rigid.


    "D-Daughter¡­" Evan couldn''t believe his eyes. Never in his wildest dreams did he expect to see his own daughter attack Talon of all people.


    "That was fast, Mr Talon. Even though I warned you beforehand, you still moved way faster than I expected. You''re truly a monster of a kind." Standing up slowly as he dusted and adjusted his suit, Hyun-Ki smiled.


    "It really clicked in your head, huh? You didn''t even let the shock factor cloud your judgment. I admire that. People who always know what to do without a second thought are the ones destined for greatness. We are quite simr in that regard.


    ''My left arm is almostpletely severed¡­ If I was a littlete, it would''ve beenpletely cut.'' He thought to himself.


    "My apologies for such a backstabbing action, though. You left me no choice since my life was on the line. "I would''ve never wanted to use someone as dear to your heart as this girl against you. But, you left me no choice."


    Talon''s eyes turned way colder and more sinister as he summoned his spear.


    "Op, op! Not so soon, my dear friend! *Snap*"


    Then, Hyun-Ki snapped his fingers and Sophie moved again. Using her powers, her strings flew in different directions. One of the strings coiled around Sophie''s neck and the other coiled around her bbergasted father''s neck.


    "W-What the hell?!" Evan yelled as he tried to get the strings off his neck.


    "Don''t move, Evan. Those strings could easily slice through your neck." Hyun-Ki ordered him.


    "What is the meaning of this, Bing Hyun-Ki?!!" Evan hurled with outrage. "What did you do to my daughter?"


    "Oh, nothing. I just made her realize the connection between us. I have a connection with everyone in our base."


    Talon immediately realized what Hyun-Ki was trying to do and he clenched his teeth. "Bastard¡­" He murmured.


    "Hahaha, I am a bastard indeed, Talon. But, see how fast things changed? You see, I''m a very careful man. Nobody here knew about my power before because it robs me of that surprise factor. Whenever I establish a connection with someone, I make sure they are never a future trouble. Miss Sophie is no exception.


    She would''ve never expected thising."


    Then, with a simple look behind him, all the men he brought along with him slowly lifted their guns to aim them at Talon, Sophie, and Evan.


    "I know how much you''re eager to get me now. But, what''s faster, you, or those strings around Miss Sophie''s neck? Or perhaps, are you going to aim for her father? You wouldn''t want Miss Sophie to realizeter on that she killed herst parent, would you? Let''s try! Or of course, you could just surrender yourself to me.


    It''s your choice." Smiling widely, Hyun-Ki''s previously professional grin turned into a far more sinister version.


    ''What is he going to do? I wonder. I have never been this eager to see a cornered human do in such a situation. Would he cave in and give up? Or would he resist? Entertain me, Talon!!'' Hyun-Ki couldn''t hide his excitement anymore.


    This exact situation was something he relished. Situations where humans have to choose between something bad and something worse.


    ''It''s time to see what a cornered rat could do!!''


    "Sigh¡­" But, surprisingly, what Hyun-Ki expected to happen didn''t happen. Talon''s expression didn''t turn into despair, nor did he look hesitant or fearful.


    Instead, he looked like he was exhausted. Running his hand through his hair. "I''m really tired of all these people that keep pretending like they''re the hot shit. They all speak the same way, act the same way, and believe in the same dumb things. I must admit though, you''re the closest one that actually got me. You had a foolproof n.


    But¡­ You missed one single detail¡­"


    "Hm?" Hyun-Ki squinted his eyes for a moment. "And what could that be?"


    But, before Hyun-Ki could even realize it, something moved behind him. Looking down, his eyes widened slightly as he saw a de slice through his left arm, severing itpletely in a split second. His breath halted as he looked up. In a split second, a million thoughts rushed through his mind.


    But, none of them remained in his head for more than a split second before he quickly yelled.


    "Kill him!!"


    The strings instantly coiled tighter around Evan''s neck, ready to decapitate him.


    At that moment, Talon''s body shed as he appeared next to Sophie before he hit her in the neck, knocking the girl unconscious right before her strings could sever Evan''s head.


    "Shit!!" Hyun-Ki realized the disaster as he stumbled back. "Help¡­ me!!" Looking at his men, he called for them weakly.


    Immediately, the group rushed forward as they surrounded him and aimed their weapons at Talon.


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ??

 Chapter 203: Chapter 203- Killing Machine

    "I''m sorry, Sophie. You will have to stay out of this one." Holding the girl before she could fall to the ground, Talon stared ahead of him. The guards have already rushed forward to assault him.


    Looking into their eyes, he couldn''t see that they were hypnotized like Sophie was. Instead, they were willingly following Hyun-Ki''s words without any hesitation.


    ''I guess there is no reason to spare these bastards.'' Talon thought to himself as he quickly turned to Evan before he gave him Sophie.


    "Get your daughter and run that way, I''m going to take care of the rest." He said.


    The man was naturally taken aback by Talon''s words as he blinked.


    *BANG* *BANG* *BANG*


    At that moment, bullets of all kinds were fired toward the group. Talon clenched his teeth as he swung his spear, sending a string air wave that nullified the bullets with ease. Looking back, he spoke in a louder, more authoritative tone.


    "Snap out of it, Mr Evan! There is no time to idle around! My group is back there!" He said.


    "..." Blinking, Evan nodded his head nervously before he stood up, carried his daughter, and turned around to start running. However, before moving too far away, he looked back to Talon and said.


    "... Thank you¡­" He murmured before he continued running.


    Talon pretended like he didn''t hear those words as he moved his spear again. His eyes followed the injured Hyun-Ki who was already inside the base again and the doors were closing. The two exchanged eye contact for a moment before the gates were shut.


    ''You aren''t running away, bastard.'' Talon thought to himself as he finally focused on the group of enemies in front of him.


    A rain of bullets followed the first round as the melee group approached him bloodlust clear in their eyes. These weren''t some nobodies that started their training after the integration, they were experienced soldiers, ready for war let alone individual battles.


    Dealing with them would be harder than dealing with a normal person. And by that¡­


    *Swish* *Swish* *Swish*


    "Agh!!"


    "AAAAGHH!!!"


    There wasn''t that big of a difference. In a split second, Talon stormed through four of them like a gush of wind, slicing their bodies with ease. Blood splurted out of them as they fell to the ground dead.


    The young man ignored the notifications that appeared with each kill as he swung the spear again, destroying the second round of bullets before he turned around and sent a storm of shes toward his enemies. His arms appeared like a blur as attacks fell on them ruthlessly one after the other.


    Shrieks of pain echoed in the open field as soldiers fell dead to the ground. Their bodies were dissected as if they were a bunch of powerless animals in a ughterhouse. They didn''t even get the opportunity to fight or even get close to him before dying. With each move Talon made, one soldier fell to the ground.


    It only took a few seconds for a dozen of them to end up turning into dead corpses. That naturally made the ones at the back cower in shock and fear.


    "W-Who is this guy?!"


    "He''s so fast I can''t even see him!!"


    "Shit! How do we even fight against him?!"


    Even with their experience and battle hardness, seeing this overwhelming show of power crushed their spirits.


    In their eyes, Talon was akin to an otherworldly demon holding a spear that came there to deliver them judgment.


    "*Ptuh*..." Wiping the blood from his face, Talon stared at the cowering bunch with a loathing coldness.


    ''A few seconds ago they were more than eager to kill me. Now, all they want is to run away.''


    "Where is all the courage? Come on." He provoked them as he stepped on one of the dead corpses in front of him.


    "Bastard!!"


    Seeing theirrade''s body being taunted in such a manner naturally brought them far more anger than fear. No matter how horrible the situation was, they wererades. If one is disrespected, then the others will take offense to it as much as that person.


    "Fuck this shit! We just need to overpower him enough to fucking kill him!! Support!"


    At that moment, loud sirens echoed inside the base, alerting everyone inside. Looking up, Talon squinted his eyes.


    ''An rm? He really isn''t holding back. I wonder what they will bring out.''


    "We can do that! Support is going to arrive soon!"


    "You''re done for bastard!"


    With their spirit rising up again, the soldiers stormed Talon using all their might. They were still terrified of him, but not enough to stop an all-out attack.


    ''You cannot avoid this, bastard!!''


    Grinning maniacally, the soldiers attacked him from all angles at the same time. But, before their attack could evennd, the young man vanished again.


    "... Huh¡­"


    Landing on the ground, the soldiers stared in disbelief at the spot where he was. Then, they heard the sound of steps moving behind them. Before they could evenprehend what just happened, blood exploded from their bodies.


    One after the other, they started falling to the ground.


    ''What¡­ Just¡­ Happened?'' None of them understood and they would never be able to.


    Talon stared behind him at the dead enemies. ''I was able to kill 20 with one Ghost Spear sh¡­ That''s a good improvement fromst time.''


    Even though Talon had no time to actually practice his new evolved skill, he was able to improve drastically each time he used the skill, purely by instinct. After so much time training and honing his spear techniques, he reached a far deeper level ofprehension than ever before.


    Now, not only did he master the spear, but he also learned how to make the spear flow the way he wanted it without thinking about it.


    His body learned the weapon by heart and so that affected his learning speed by a long mile.


    "Some of them are still alive, though¡­" Talon murmured as he ignored the dead and injured and focused on the gate as it finally opened again.


    Out of it came tens of soldiers. Their numbers were way bigger than the group that came out before. In a few seconds, the entire area was flooded with them.


    More than that, a few military tanks came out too. At the same time, on top of the walls that surrounded the base, giant weaponry appeared out of nowhere.


    "Everyone came out to say hi, huh?" Talon stared at the gigantic army that was now staring at him menacingly.


    However, unlike Talon''s casual attitude, Hyun-Ki''s men had a stronger reaction. Seeing the dozens of dead corpses lying behind Talon, their dread grew.


    "He killed all of them¡­ Alone?" One said in disbelief.


    "Don''t lose your focus!" A particrly eye-catching man yelled loudly as he stepped forward. With his slightly different uniform, Talon could determine that he was some kind of general. "This is no normal enemy we''re dealing with! Get ready! Tanks, aim!!"


    Even though there was only a single person in front of them, the general didn''t hesitate twice to use their entire force.


    "RPGs, take aim too!!" He signaled for the men standing on the walls.


    Tension skyrocketed immediately as even the soldiers held their guns up with dark expressions.


    A second passed before the general stoically gave the signal.


    *BOOOOOOM*


    Tens of giant tank shells, RPGs, and all kinds of other projectiles flew toward Talon all at the same time.


    The moment they reached Talon, all the projectiles merged together, creating a gigantic explosion that shook the entire ce. Tongues of me and smoke rose in the air as the army felt a strong wave of heat assault their bodies.


    "Holy shit!"


    "He cannot survive that!!"


    "It was a direct hit! I didn''t see him move!"


    Everyone instinctively rxed a little as they watched the smoke grow bigger and bigger. That attack was more than enough to wipe out a huge army let alone a single human. There was simply no-


    "That''s hot! Goddamit! I should''ve brought sunscreen!"


    "Wha¡­"


    Suddenly, a silhouette appeared walking out of the explosion. Under the terrified eyes of Hyun-Ki''s men, Talon seemed fine. His body was covered in some small burn marks and his clothes were torn to pieces, revealing his upper body. But, other than that, he seemed fine.


    Nobody could believe their eyes. It almost seemed like a joke. No, not even a joke. It was a nightmare.


    "... Monster¡­ He''s a monster!" One eximed as he fell to the ground. "This isn''t a human!!"


    Everyone else shared the same thought at that moment. This was no mere human like them. He waspletely different.


    "A monster?" Talon seemed to catch that scream as he looked up coldly. "How ironic. Weren''t you all on board with ttening the entirety of Seoul simply because you were too terrified to fight whatever lurked in it? You killed so many innocent souls that hid in that ruined city without remorse. People that only wanted to live and find a shelter to hide and live, they all ended up burning to death¡­"


    His aura rose coldly as he pointed his spear at them. "Those poor souls will curse your existence for eternity for what you did to them."


    Hearing those words, shes of what urred in Seoul a few weeks ago shed across their minds. The sight of the city burning as rains of bombs fell on the city. The terror of that attack carried its weight to that very day.


    "I''m going to bring you judgment on their behalf. You scum."


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading :D

 Chapter 204: Chapter 204- An Invincible Group

    His threat naturally made the men step back in fear. They didn''t even need to think about the words to realize that Talon meant them. His cold eyes sent chills down their spines as they felt their bodies freeze with fear.


    If it was any other person, they would''ve justughed it off as their numbers simply overwhelmed him with ease. But, when they look around Talon, all they see are corpses and destruction.


    He survived the attack of multiple tanks and RPGs as if it was nothing. This wasn''t even a joke anymore. This was a nightmare manifested in reality and they were his target.


    Meanwhile, Talon stood there silently as he shook his head. For a moment there, he felt intense pain and his head started stinging.


    ''That was close, I had to use Tear of Reality at thest second or I would''ve been killed. Tsk, having only one hand to work with is annoying.'' Looking down, Talon ignored the painful burn marks and inspected his bloodied hand.


    Even though Sophie''s attack failed, it still cut his right arm very deeply. Not to mention the fact that it was Talon''s dominant hand. Now, he had to fight with his left hand alone. It wasn''t an optimal situation for him considering the fact that this army was still intact even if they were terrified.


    Pulling a small healing potion from his inventory, he chugged it before he threw the sk to the side.


    ''I don''t have time toin. Let''s get this over with.'' As he was about to dash forward, he heard a sounding from behind him.


    Out of the forest, he saw tens of people rushing toward him. The faces were all too familiar not to recognize them immediately.


    "Talon!" The first to reach him was Hyun-Jae.


    Seeing the blood all over his body and the corpses riddling every ce around him, her face paled. "Are you ok?!"


    Staring at the girl stoically, he wiped the blood off his face. "This blood''s not mine¡­ For the most part."


    The girl blinked before she nodded her head. The smell of death around them prated her nostrils and made her frown. "Where is the leader?"


    "I will exinter. For now, we need to get rid of these bastards and get into the base."


    With no other questions in mind, Hyun-Jae didn''t dwindle much as she signaled for the group that just reached them.


    Everyone took their position as they pulled their weapons out.


    "More of them?!" One of Hyun-Ki''s men said.


    "Who are these people? Their gear isn''t bad even either." Another manmented.


    "Men!! Don''t put your weapons down!! This is but the beginning! Are we going to give up on protecting the human society?!" The general yelled loudly as his eyes red. "Do you want your families to die?! This is humanity''sst standing city.


    We cannot let them take over it!"


    His words, as brief as they were, made the downcast army look up. It was true, even if the first attack failed, nobody died yet. The real fight didn''t even begin. Why should they fear this battle? They had all the advantages.


    Even if one enemy was strong enough to fight them on his own, all they had to do was break his spirit by killing everyone else since they seemed weaker.


    "Haha, this isn''t even a joke anymore." Talon''s group was naturally surprised by this show of power.


    "Are you scared?" Talon looked over his shoulder.


    However, no one lifted their hands. Instead, all he saw were determined eyes.


    "We''re here for a reason, leader."


    "We''re going to follow you no matter where you go."


    Thosements made Talon blink for a second before he smiled. ''I guess they aren''t terrified anymore.''


    The entire time, Talon had been worried about his group hesitating to fight other humans. But, he realized that he mistakenly underestimated how much they had grown in the past few weeks.


    "Well, the goal is simple. We need to reach that gate and infiltrate the base!"


    "Yes, sir!"


    With a loud, fiery yell, the group rushed forward.


    "Fire!!!"


    Another set of tank shells wasunched. However, Talon had already moved ahead as he used the second Tear of Reality, destroying the shells with ease.


    The distance between the two sides grew closer in a few seconds. Hyun-Ki''s men held their weapons tighter as they braced themselves for the battle.


    Eventually, the two sides shed violently. The sound of metal screeching echoed in the vast field.


    "AGHHH!!" The fight was immediately brutal with no hesitation from either side. Talon''s group brutally assaulted their enemy, using all the power they umted in the past few weeks.


    Even when they were very outnumbered, their power wasn''t something to scoff at. That was something that Hyun-Ki''s men came to realize very harshly.


    One by one, dead corpses fell to the ground the group pierced through the first line of defence. Each sh created blood.


    "They''re strong!!"


    "What the fuck?!! AGHH!!"


    What they expected to be the easier part of the fight turned out to be way harder than they expected. The general watched the battle from behind with a horrified look on his face.


    ''What in god''s green earth¡­ is this? These aren''t inexperienced survivors¡­ Aren''t they just a bunch of students¡­ Where did they learn all of this?'' He asked himself as he felt his breath halt.


    Then, his eyes were drawn deeper into his own army. There, he could see fountains of blood splurting everywhere at a very rapid pace as it moved deeper and deeper. The sound of painful, deadly shrieks followed suit.


    "HELP!!!"


    "NO!! NO!!!"


    The moment Talon pierced through the enemy lines, it turned into aplete massacre. Moving like a ghost, hepletely destroyed any enemy in his line of sight with terrifying efficiency. He didn''t waste a single move in killing any target that tried to attack him.


    On the other side, Hyun-Jae and Chin-Hwa took a side of their own as they pushed the entire army back.


    "What are you waiting for, goddammit?! Shoot them!!" The general felt the urgency as he looked at the men standing on the walls.


    "T-They are moving too fast, sir! We can''t aim at them!!"


    "Just shoot anyone! I don''t care who-"


    Before he could even finish his words, the general saw an arrow fly through the air like a sh as it pierced a sniper''s head, killing him instantly. Then, dozens of arrows appeared out of nowhere, hitting the rest of the snipers situated at the wall.


    "Fuuuh¡­" At the far back, Shin-Il exhaled a small breath as he pulled another arrow. His usually smiley face was reced with a deadly serious expression as he stared intently at his next target before he shot the arrow.


    Meanwhile, Soomin stood next to him as she waved what seemed to be a wand. A small ice projectile formed in front of her before itunched into the air.


    After fighting with Shin-Il for two weeks, Soomin was able to acquire that weapon. It didn''t work on its own but she quickly discovered a better use for it. It enhanced any Aetheris skill she had simply by channeling her energy through it.


    ''We aren''t going to be a dead weight anymore.'' Looking to the side, Shin-Il felt pride surge through his heart.


    Seeing how far the two hade, he was rather excited. All they wanted was to help their friends and they worked very hard to achieve that.


    ***


    Meanwhile, up in the air, Acrypha watched the entire battle with a rather confused expression on her face.


    "What is going on?" She murmured.


    Seeing all the blood and death that permeated the battlefield, she frowned. "What happened to them? Aren''t humans supposed to fear killing one another?"


    She had noticed it since the first moment they shed. Talon''s group didn''t seem to hesitate to kill their target. Even though this was very much their first time fighting other humans. Not only that, they seemed rather excited, as if they didn''t care about the blood spilling out everywhere.


    ''Their entire demeanor changed¡­'' She thought to herself. Spreading her senses to cover every one of them, she came to the second realization.


    "Hm¡­ Their brain waves are a little different from before¡­ Is this just a coincidence? Or is something off?"


    No matter how much she thought about it, Acrypha couldn''t understand where this sudden shift in their behavior came from.


    As she was like that, she caught some noiseing from inside the base. Looking up, she noticed something in the distance. Small objects were flying toward them at a terrifying speed.


    Meanwhile, down there, the general received a message from the base through his receiver. The moment he heard the message, his face paled.


    "What?! Are you insane?! We''re still outside. Everyone is going to die!" He yelled at the receiver with a pale expression.


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading :D

 Chapter 205: Chapter 205- Endless Assault

    *Meanwhile, inside the base.*


    "S-Sir, it''s still bleeding." A worried doctor arrived at Hyun-Ki''s office as he sat down next to him, only to be horrified at what he saw. Hyun-Ki''s entire arm was severed from the shoulder down. Blood was gushing out endlessly without any sign of stopping.


    "Hah¡­ Hah, can you stop it?" Hyun-Ki asked in an oddly calm tone. Even though he was breathing heavily and his face was as pale as a sheet of paper, he didn''t lose his normal attitude.


    "... I-I will try. But, I need topletely stop the bleeding and bandage it. It''s going to be painful, so I need to get anestheti-"


    "No time for that, just do what you need to do. I don''t care about the pain." Hyun-Ki replied in a dismissive manner. He didn''t seem like he even cared about losing his arm let alone the pain that came with treating the injury.


    "..."


    "Are we going to stare at each other or what? Start working." Hyun-Ki said as he turned to the men standing near the door.


    "How is the situation outside?" He asked as he rested his back against the wall and let the doctor start his work.


    "It''s¡­" The man averted his eyes with a dark expression.


    "Speak."


    Immediately, the man looked up. "It''s really bad, sir. He had killed over 30 men on his own so far. We have sent the fourth squad out." He said.


    Hyun-Ki''s eyes closed for a moment as if he were deep in thought. His mind went back to what happened back there and he felt his calm mind boil with rage again.


    ''I had total control over the situation. Everything was perfect and went exactly how I imagined it to be. Yet, he still outsmarted me and made me lose my arm. I have truly underestimated him. He isn''t like the others. Overwhelming strength and extreme intelligence¡­ Isn''t this a little bit too much for a joke?'' He thought to himself.


    He had been this close to crushing Talon without raising a sword but let his guard down at thest possible second. Now, he was suffering the consequences of his mishap. That naturally hurt his ego far more than anyone could imagine. For someone like Hyun-Ki who lived his entire life seeing everyone to be beneath him in everything, this was a harsh hit to his confidence.


    He always believed he was the best no matter what. With simple words, he was able to make people do whatever they wanted.


    ''People love to hear what makes them feel good. As long as you be that source of their pleasure, they will always listen to you. I''m always in control, no matter what and this won''t be an exception. I won''t let anyone be the exception except for me.''


    "Send out the fighting jets." A few secondster, he opened his eyes and said.


    ***


    Meanwhile, the battle outside quickly turned into a one-sided massacre conducted by Talon and the rest of the group. They brutally assaulted their enemies, hacking and shing at them with no hesitation.


    "They''re monsters!!! All of them are monsters! AAAAAGHH!!!"


    "Please, spare me, I have kid-"


    Nothing worked, not even pleas or cries for help. The sheer hatred the students carried for these people manifested in this battle.


    ''The path is almost clear. I can reach the gate.'' Talon thought to himself as he easily dodged a swording his way before he decapitated the enemy and then turned around and swung the spear, sending the soldiers flying in the air.


    "I''m going to go ahead first! Take care of the rest and then follow me!" He yelled to Hyun-Jae who nodded her head.


    As Talon turned around to rush forward. However, before he could even reach the gate, he heard loud engine sounds in the distance. His eyes quickly moved up as he listened carefully. The sounds weren''t that unfamiliar to him.


    ''I heard these noises before¡­ Wait¡­'' A few seconds of thinking made him reach the realization. His face immediately darkened.


    "That insane bastard. His men are still outside." Clenching his teeth, he turned around as he yelled.


    "Disperse! They''re sending military jets!!"


    His booming voice reached everyone in the field. Everyone had varying reactions. But, the ones that were shocked the most were naturally Hyun-Ki''s army.


    "What? Why are they being sent?"


    "They''re going to throw bombs on us!"


    "But¡­ We''re still here! Why?!"


    The sudden news hit them harder than anything else as they felt terror creep into their hearts. On the other hand, the students had already started retreating quickly the moment their leader gave the orders.


    "Everyone back up!!" The general noticed that as he quickly made a desperate retreat.


    "Talon!" Hyun-Jae was about to start moving when she noticed that Talon was way too deep into the enemy lines. Her eyes then shifted up, only to see the jets already reaching them.


    "Oh no¡­"


    "Move, don''t worry about me!" Talon said as he snapped his finger, creating a blue me in his hand.


    "Target locked! Mission: eliminate Talon Everhart at all costs." Inside the fighting jets, the pilots located Talon amongst the people as they aimed at him. "Sacrifices are inevitable."


    *CLICK*


    With that, the jets dropped the bombs all at the same position. In a second, Talon''s entire vision was filled with them.


    "Is he really that terrified of me?" Smirking at the otherwise nightmarish scenery, Talon threw the ball of me in the air, hitting one of the bombshells mid-air.


    Immediately, it exploded violently as mes spread everywhere. That explosion created a chain of explosions that led to the destruction of multiple bombs. The rest fell to the ground as Talon dashed at full speed. Many unfortunate soldiers who couldn''t escape in time were hit by the explosions as they were instantly killed.


    "He isn''t dead. I repeat, he isn''t dead. Delta 1 and 2, open fire."


    Immediately, the jets turned their direction as they chased after Talon. Two jets released what seemed to be mounted machine guns as they aimed at Talon.


    Then, bullets rained down on Talon like meteors. Each bullet was at least three times the size of a normal bullet and the destructive power it had was far beyond any manual weapon.


    Using his dash, Talon moved left and right as he dodged the bullets. The trail he left behind him would get instantly incinerated as he moved.


    Ahead of him, another two jets dropped bombshells right where he was going.


    *BOOOOOM*


    The explosion caught Hyun-Jae''s attention and she suddenly halted and turned around. ''They''re only targeting Talon! Dammit, they know that if he dies, the rest of the group will be far easier to clean up!''


    Even though she knew that Talon wouldn''t be easily killed even if he was chased by this many fighter jets, she couldn''t just let him be. They had to leave the area together.


    "President?"


    "Go ahead first! I''m going to help Talon!" She yelled as she turned around.


    "What?! Wait a second!" Chin-Hwa was taken aback as he stared between her and the group before he clenched his teeth and changed directions too.


    ***


    "I cannot locate the target. He could be potentially dead." One of the jets said as they stared at their cameras.


    The giant cloud of smoke hid Talon from their vision. But, they were all certain that it was a direct hit.


    "He cannot survive that."


    As they roamed the area, waiting for the smoke to dissipate, one of them suddenly noticed a small bright thing suddenly appearing from within the smoke as it flew toward him.


    "Hm?" His eyes squinted as he tried to identify it. "A me?"


    Before he could even understand what it was, the me reached the jet as it hit the side. The moment it did, it exploded violently. rms went off inside the cockpit as the pilot panicked.


    "Shit!!!" Pushing the ejection button, he was flown into the air a split second before the jet suddenly caught on fire and started falling. "What the fuck was that?!"


    A secondter, more balls of mes started appearing randomly as they moved toward the jets. Their speed and uracy made them almost unavoidable.


    *BOOOOM* *BOOOOM*


    Each ball of fire hit a jet, igniting a giant explosion in it.


    "What is this?"


    Then, out of the smoke emerged a silhouette that moved at a breakneck speed.


    "He did not die. I repeat, the target is not dead! He is moving southwest!"


    The rest of the jets followed him as they continued their relentless assault.


    Meanwhile, down on the ground, Talon found himself in a rather tough situation.


    ''Fuck, that hurts!!!'' He cursed in his head as he noticed the deep bloody marks left on his body from the previous attacks. As fast as he was, he couldn''tpletely dodge the attacks.


    "I destroyed 5. There are five more to go. But, I don''t know if I can destroy them anymore. I need toe up with a n."


    At that moment, Talon noticed someone approaching in the distance. His eyes widened when he realized who it was.


    "Why did shee back?" He blurted out as he looked up.


    "Another target has been located. Should I fire?"


    "Fire, they might be there to help him."


    With that responseing instantly, the jet immediately changed its target to Hyun-Jae.


    "Oh no!" Talon cursed as he quickly moved toward her. "Hyun-Jae move!!"


    The girl had already noticed the jet targeting her. But, she didn''t stop moving as she instead quickened her steps.


    "Come at me." She murmured coldly as she channeled her Aetheris. "I''m going to destroy you."


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading :D

 Chapter 206: Chapter 206- Deadly Attack

    Lightning coursed through Hyun-Jae''s body as she formed a giant ball of energy in her hands. At the same time, the bombshell fell straight toward her at an rming speed.


    With a cold re, Hyun-Jae spun around and threw the ball up using all of her strength. The sphere quickly flew in the air, shing with the bomb. Just that mere contact made the bomb explode violently.


    But, it didn''t stop there as the ball quickly moved through the cloud of fire and smoke toward the jet.


    "What?!" The pilot noticed his sensors going off at the sudden projectile approaching him. But, before he could even do anything, the ball smashed into the underside of the ne. Then, it quickly spread across the entire body of the jet.


    "Zzzzzz!!!!"


    Inside the cockpit, the pilot was immediately caught in the impact as he got heavily electrocuted. Smoke rose from his body as a soul-shaking shriek escaped his mouth. A few seconds passed before a fire ignited in the cockpit and it started free-falling to the ground.


    *BOOOOM*


    "No!!" The rest of the pilots cursed when they saw what happened.


    "Hyun-Jae!" Talon reached her as he quickly inspected her body with his eyes. "Fuuuh, you''re fine¡­" Feeling an overwhelming sense of relief, he exhaled. "Why did youe back?"


    "I thought you needed my help. I couldn''t leave you behind." She said with a determined look on her face.


    "... Sigh, you''re right. I was in a sticky situation there." Shifting his gaze up, Talon saw the swarm of jets still moving around them. "They''re still not giving up yet. Well, let''s deal with them."


    Without saying a single word, the two suddenly dashed in different directions running at full speed. The jets noticed the sudden movement and quickly followed them as they dropped every single weapon they had on.


    "We need to kill them!"


    "How?! They have destroyed 6 jets!" One pilot replied in a terrified tone.


    Their calm demeanor was far gone when they saw what the two were capable of. At first, they thought they had the advantage since they were flying in the air while the two ran on the ground so they technically couldn''t hit them.


    But, that was a grave mistake as the duo seemed to possess devastating long-range attacks that were more than enough to destroy the jets.


    "We''re fucking screwed! AGHHHH!!" With their fear filling their hearts, they poured all their fear into an all-out attack. Bullets, bombs, and everything else they had mounted on the jets.


    But, not only did it not work, the two were able to easily dodge and retaliate with attacks of their own. The blue mes Talon threw easily pierced through the hard metal of the vehicle before exploding deep inside. They had no way of actually dodging or destroying the me even with bullets with how fast and resilient it was.


    As for Hyun-Jae, all she had to do was to send a lightning attack toward the target and it would easily burn everything in its way. On top of that, Talon and Hyun-Jae coordinated the attacks so well that the pilots couldn''t even predict what they would do.


    It was as if the two shared the same mind and did everything in perfect harmony. One would bait an attack while the other destroys the powerless fighting jet or vice versa.


    "What are these two?!!"


    "We can''t hit them! We can''t dodge their attacks! We can''t do anything!"


    In a matter of a few minutes, only two jets were left flying in the air. The entire fleet of jets was destroyed. Some pilots survived andnded on the ground while others were unfortunate enough to meet their demise inside the cockpit.


    On the ground, bodies riddled the entire field. Mingled corpses of Hyun-Ki''s men. Dozens of them were caught in the battle and couldn''t escape. The sight was nightmarish, to say the least.


    "They really did it," Talon murmured as he continued moving while eyeing the two jets and waiting for what they were going to do. "Killing his own people. Truly a scum."


    Before, hepletely despised Hyun-Ki since he was the mastermind behind the horrible attacks on Seoul. But now, he did not even see him as a human being anymore. He was just another demon in a human form that had the opportunity to thrive in awless world.


    "What should we do?" Hyun-Jae asked as she kicked a corpse from her way.


    "Let''s head to the gate for now. The two jets might finally leave us alone." Talon said.


    ''If they don''t give up now, I don''t know what would make them give up. They might as well die then.'' He mused.


    "Ok." She nodded her head.


    Meanwhile, up in the air, the two pilots had no choice but to contact the base. Their mission had failed miserably and they had lost a lot. The losses were devastating, to say the least. Words couldn''t describe what they felt at that moment.


    Not only did they kill their ownrades, but they also failed to destroy the enemy that terrorized their base. It was crushing, even for battle-hardened people like them.


    "From Delta 4 to the main base¡­ Mission failed¡­ We couldn''t eliminate the target." One said in a very dark tone. His face was crunched up from shame and guilt. He had never felt this defeated before in his life even in the worst situations.


    Then, he waited a second before he received a reply. "Can you locate the target?" The voice was monotone and cold.


    "Yes. They''re within vision." He replied.


    "Good. The leader has onest mission for you¡­"


    The two pilots raised an eyebrow as he looked up. "What is it?"


    A few seconds passed with Talon and Hyun-Jae moving toward the base. Their eyes kept going back and forth between their path and their flying enemies. They noticed that they weren''t moving away or attacking.


    ''Are they contemting their choices? It shouldn''t take this long, though. Something weird is happening. For some reason, Talon had a bad feeling about the situation.


    His senses were telling him that things were off¡­ Really off.


    "Let''s hurry, Hyun-Jae." He said in a cold tone as the two quickened their steps.


    At that moment, Talon heard the jet engines roaring loudly. The previously idle fighting jets suddenly shifted direction, moving toward Talon and Hyun-Jae. Their altitude quickly decreased as they dived down at full speed.


    "What?" Talon and Hyun-Jae were alerted by this sudden behavior. "Don''t tell me¡­"


    It didn''t take them that long to realize what the two jets were trying to do.


    ''Oh no, no! You got to be kidding me!'' His eyes moved from the jets to Hyun-Jae as he frowned greatly.


    His mind worked at an extremely fast speed as he analyzed their position, speed, and the distance left to reach the gates. All of that information formed an idea of the situation they were in and he came to one conclusion¡­ It was horrible.


    ''A suicide attack is going to kill us!!''


    "Talon!!" Hyun-Jae''s eyes shed with a hint of fear.


    "Move, move!!" With no other choice, Talon suddenly changed directions and ran toward Hyun-Jae as he activated Dash to its full ability.


    Before the girl could even react, she was yanked before Talon jumped in the air. A split secondter, the jets flew into the ground as the pilots inside the cockpit clicked a single red button on the control panel.


    A moment of eerie silence passed before a giant bright light filled the entire area as a giant explosion erupted violently.


    A burning shockwave spread across the entire area.


    "AGHH!!" Chin-Hwa wasunched back a few dozen meters from the sheer power of the explosion as hended on his back. Quickly rising up, he looked at the scene in the distance with speechless shock.


    "PRESIDENT!!!" He yelled in despair as he forced himself to stand up and started running toward the explosion.


    He wasn''t able to see what happened, but he caught a glimpse of the two jets diving down and hitting the ground at full speed.


    ***


    *RIIIIIIIIING*


    Hyun-Jae''s eyes were filled with whiteness for a few seconds as her ears rang violently. She didn''t understand what happened at first. But, slowly, her eyes regained their vision as she dazedly stared up.


    ''... A flower?'' She thought to herself as she noticed a bright, blooming flower rising in the air in front of her. Her mind didn''t register what it was for a good few seconds before she slowly started understanding what it was.


    Blinking, she looked down as she felt a weight resting on her body. Her visionnded on jet-ck hair.


    Slowly lifting her hand, she touched that luscious hair. ''So beautiful¡­'' She thought to herself.


    That touch seemed to make the person move as they lifted their head. Staring up weakly, Hyun-Jae exchanged nces with him.


    "Talon¡­"


    "I''m d¡­ you''re ok¡­"


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading :D

 Chapter 207: Chapter 207- For Their Sake

    His words felt like a bucket of cold water that was dumped on Hyun-Jae''s head as all her daze vanished and her eyes regained ritypletely. That''s when she realized what happened and her heart sunk.


    "Hah¡­" Groaning slightly, Talon fell on her chest again. Hyun-Jae''s hands instinctively captured him.


    That''s when she discovered a second, horrifying fact. Talon''s entire back waspletely burnt off. His skin was scorched and cracked as it seeped blood. It was so bad that a normal person would throw up immediately from sheer horror.


    "T-Talon¡­ Talon!!" Her voice rose as she felt her entire world almost crumble at that moment. She thought that he had fallen unconscious and she almost panicked. However, the young man moved slowly again as he lifted his head.


    "I''m fine¡­ Hah, it''s not that big of a deal."


    Hyun-Jaepletely ignored him as she rose up and inspected his injury closely. ''Oh no, his skin waspletely peeled off¡­ This is bad!''


    "Why?! Why did you do that?! You could''ve died!!" She yelled in frustration as she cut her clothes before she wrapped them around her hand tightly and then gently tapped Talon''s back with it.


    ''I need to stop the bleeding or it might get even worse!''


    "I¡­ moved without realizing, ugh¡­ We''re both fine¡­ So it''s all good¡­" Biting his tongue not to groan, Talon exined.


    In that split second, he had before the explosion, his mind immediately went to Hyun-Jae as he thought of how to get her out of the explosion. He didn''t even consider whether he would get injured because of that or not.


    "... You''re¡­ a big idiot¡­" Murmuring those words as she hid her face. "What if you died there?!"


    "This isn''t enough to kill me," Talon replied as he grabbed her hand and slowly rose up with a groan. Even though the pain was brutal, his tolerance had already increased by leaps and bounds after countless injuries. He was now able to handle all types of pain that didn''t instantly knock him out cold.


    Hyun-Jae stared at him with aplicated expression. She had the urge to justsh out at him for putting his life at risk just to save hers but then again, she was all too familiar with this human being in front of her. Talon has very strict boundaries when ites to the people he loves.


    If he saw that they were in danger or in a problem, he would always be ready to do everything in his power to help them, even if it meant that it would be over himself.


    That was his nature and it will probably never change.


    "Please, Value your life more." She spoke as she also stood up. "But, thank you for saving me¡­ Thank you¡­" She smiled faintly as she held his arm too as she stared into his eyes. He could see the gratitude etched deep within her soul just from that look.


    "I got it." Talon nodded his head.


    "Ironic how you received the same advice you gave me a month ago. Seems to me that someone isn''t consistently following their rules." Acrypha smirked yfully as she flew next to Talon.


    "Ehem, people close to me are always an exception. But yeah, that''s a tad bit hypocritical, I admit."


    "I wouldn''t say so." She shook her head.


    "Hm? It isn''t?"


    "Well, it depends, am I part of that exception?" She asked.


    "Of course. I would always put my life on the line for you." Talon grinned innocently at Acrypha, making her flinch as she blinked.


    Then, for some reason, she turned away. "Is that so?" She murmured under her breath.


    "Can you walk? I can carry you back to get treated. Everyone else was able to escape."


    "I can walk fine. But¡­" With a difficult expression, Talon stared in the direction of the base.


    "Don''t even think about it." Hyun-Jae red at him seriously. "We aren''t going there with the horrible burns you have right now."


    "Sigh, I know I know. I would''ve preferred to finish this as soon as possible since that bastard could think of another scheme. But, I don''t have my full-range motion with these burns, ouch!!!"


    With even a simple move of his hand, Talon felt hellish pain assault his back. He knew that swinging a spear was almost impossible in his condition.


    ''If I get treated now, I think I can get some of my strength back by tomorrow.'' He thought to himself.


    "But... To think they would actuallymit suicide just to kill us..." Staring at the wreckage where the two jets exploded, Hyun-Jae murmured.


    "No, this was probably not their intention. Their leader made them do it."


    "What?"


    "Yeah, I will exinter. It''s a tad bitplex. Let''s go back for now." He turned to Hyun-Jae.


    "I''m d you listened to me finally." She sighed as she grabbed his hand. "Here, I will help you a little."


    With that, Hyun-Jae and Talon returned to the spot where the rest of the group was. The distance between their camp and the human society was a few kilometers, hidden in the forest.


    It was almost impossible to locate from the sky and even more impossible from the ground with how thick the trees were. On their way, they ended up meeting Chin-Hwa who rushed there when he saw the explosion.


    Seeing that Hyun-Jae felt all the tension in his body leave in a moment. But, when he noticed the gruesome injuries on Talon, he was taken by surprise.


    "He pushed me out of the trajectory of the explosion and ended up burning himself. It was very close." Hyun-Jae exined briefly as she sighed.


    Chin-Hwa blinked silently as he stared at Talon.


    "If that''s your ''Are you ok?'' look, then yeah, I am fine. Thanks for your concern." Talon said jokingly.


    "No, it''s¡­ Never mind, I''m d you didn''t die yet." The cold prince replied with a difficult tone.


    Talon halted as he turned around. "Hmm, I didn''t think you could say something nice. But, thank you. I''m d I didn''t yet too."


    Chin-Hwa frowned before he shook his head. "And thanks for saving the president''s life¡­ I appreciate that."


    "..." For a second, Talon''s smile froze before he turned away. "Yeah¡­"


    He could feel the hidden meaning behind those words and he didn''t want to prolong the conversation for that same reason. It was a very touchy topic after all.


    Meanwhile, Hyun-Jae pretended like she didn''t hear the conversation and continued walking. With that, the group continued moving back till they reached the camp.


    Talon was received by the healers who urgently helped him. The rest of the day passed rather quietly between the two sides.


    Neither party seemed interested in attacking the other as they were too busy with other things. That was by far the darkest day in the history of human society. They had lost dozens of trained soldiers and the reason behind it was Hyun-Ki.


    Talon was sure that the bastard was probably losing his mind over his ns failing one after the other. After all, even if he was the one who initiated it, he still ended up losing horribly.


    With over a hundred soldiers gone from his elite army, the process of infiltrating the base was bound to be way easier now.


    "Ouch, ouch! Be careful with that." Talon groaned as he felt one of the students wrapping bandages around his torso. Meanwhile, he was supping on a warm cup of tea.


    The group had set up a campfire and cooked dinner as they sat down to eat. The first day of their mission was a huge sess, nobody died, and they were able to strike the human society where it hurts the most.


    So, the mood was naturally great. Everyone was joking around andughing as they spent their night idling.


    However, there was still a part of them that was focused on the task at hand.


    "Fuuh, this is pretty nice. I should probably join the others." He said as he finally put the cup down, intending to stand up.


    However, at that moment, he noticed someone approaching him. Looking up, he was surprised to see Evan, Sophie''s father standing in front of him.


    He had a very serious expression on his face. "Do you have a moment?" He asked.


    Talon squinted his eyes for a moment, trying to read the man''s expression before he nodded his head. "Sure, what''s up?"


    Evan slowly sat down next to Talon before he stared in the same direction. The two remained silent for a while.


    "Did Sophie wake up yet?" Talon decided to break the awkward atmosphere with a question.


    "Not yet. She''s still asleep." Evan replied casually.


    "I see¡­"


    "..."


    Then, it was silence again for a while.


    ''Are you going to speak or not, man?'' Talon yelled in his head as he kept hisposure. No matter how he looked at it, the man wanted to say something but had a hard time finding the words. It made Talon even more curious to know what it was but he didn''t push him any further to speak.


    Eventually, Evan seemed to ovee it and opened his mouth. "Thank you for saving my life and my daughter''s life there. I couldn''t thank you properly earlier."


    "... It''s no big deal. I did it for Sophie''s sake."


    "Oh¡­"


    Talon''s face turned serious as he stared at Evan directly, making the man shiver. That gaze was too terrifying to handle even for a second as it almost seemed like a heavy weight had been thrown over his shoulder.


    "I will be frank with you, Mr Evan. If Sophie wasn''t there, or if you weren''t her father. Whether you lived or died is unimportant to me. I would''ve not done anything to save your life."


    "..." The man stared dazedly at Talon for a moment before he shifted his eyes down. "You''re still stuck on the past, huh?" He smiled wrily.


    "No, it''s not that I''m still stuck. I have luckily ovee that and turned it around. But, I am not someone that forgets easily. What you did that day is something I won''t forget. Still,I''m going to pretend like nothing happened between us for now since I don''t want Sophie to worry for no reason. But, if you try anything funny¡­ Then, not even Sophie could save you."


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading :D

 Chapter 208: Chapter 208- Belief And Trust

    Feeling the cold eyes staring at him, Evan froze in his ce from sheer fear. His soul shook under the dangerous glint in Talon''s eyes. He felt as if he was being stared at by a demon rather than a human.


    He was so terrified that he even forgot to breathe for a few seconds. By the time he snapped out of it, Talon had already turned around and stood up.


    "If that''s all you want to talk about, I''m going to excuse myself," Talon said as he started walking away.


    Finally, the huge pressure on Evan''s shoulders vanished and he felt his tense muscles rx a little bit. Lifting his hand, he squeezed his shirt as if he had a hard time breathing.


    "What was that?" He murmured as he looked down. "I couldn''t breathe."


    ''Those eyes, how can they be this terrifying? They didn''t seem like the eyes of a human.'' Due to his status as Sophie''s father and a rich businessman, Evan had met countless people. But, never in his life did he feel so inferior under the gaze of another person in his life.


    ''Since when did he be like this? All I can remember is that he was quite timid before. Now, he''s almost apletely different person.'' Rubbing his face to calm down, his eyes shifted to stare at the sky.


    Complicated thoughts filled his mind along with vivid memories of that day. He could easily recall what happened as if it was yesterday.


    "What kind of mistake did you do this time, Evan?" He murmured in a tired tone.


    ***


    Talon walked toward Sophie''s tent to check on her before he would sleep. After knocking her out with his own hands, he was worried that he might''ve used too much strength and harmed her in anyway. He also wanted to ask her a few things about what happened earlier that day.


    "Excuse me." Reaching the tent, he spoke to no one as he walked inside and closed the tent. There, he found Sophie still sleeping quietly.


    She hadn''t woken up since morning and it seemed her slumber wasn''t going to end any time soon with how calm her breathing was. Sitting down, Talon looked at Sophie''s face. Even in her sleep, her beauty still shone brighter than anything else.


    Her soft yet mature features made her so captivating to look at. A small smile formed on his face as he recalled how much he used to praise her looks at every opportunity back when they were still together. He loved to shower her withpliments at all times.


    ''She used to get flustered whenever I did that. It was always fun to see her embarrassed like that.'' He thought to himself.


    Those were a few of the pleasant memories he had with Sophie. Back when things were far simpler than now.


    "Time changes really fast¡­"


    Fate had somehow returned them to a point in time when they were still close. Granted, things were far different now than they were before. But, for some reason, Talon was d to see this happen.


    Sophie was one of the few regrets he had in life that he thought he would never be able to fix. It had left a deep scar in his heart that took years to heal. But, now that he had such an opportunity, he was going to take the chance to fix things.


    "Mmm¡­" As he was deep in his own thoughts like that, he heard Sophie''s low moans as her eyes parted open.


    At first, she stared at the ceiling of the tent for a few seconds before she noticed a presence sitting next to her. Turning around, she made eye contact with Talon. The two looked at each other for a few seconds without saying a word before Sophie parted her mouth.


    "Am I seeing an angel?" She asked in a tone that seemed to be directed to herself rather than Talon.


    "It''s reality." Talon held his urge tough before he replied.


    His response seemed to wake Sophie''s mind up as she blinked. Then, she smiled softly. "Even better then. I love this reality."


    "..."


    ''Smooth mouth.'' Talon fought the urge to smile before he coughed. "How are you feeling?"


    "A little disoriented¡­ But, now I''m feeling way better with you here." Slowly rising up, Sophie rubbed her neck with a small groan. "What happened? I can''t remember anything."


    "A lot actually¡­" Talon''s expression slowly turned serious.


    "Tell me everything." Sophie noticed that and adjusted her position.


    Then, Talon proceeded to recount all the events that happened after Sophie lost consciousness. From how she was controlled to how he was able to stop her from killing herself and her father.


    "What?!!! I did that?!" the girl was naturally shocked beyond words by what she heard.


    "Yeah, you don''t remember?"


    "No¡­ I-I don''t remember anything of what you said. How could I¡­" Holding her face in disbelief, Sophie felt her chest sting. "H-How is your arm? Was it bad? Can I see, please?"


    Then, she quickly approached Talon as she checked his arm. Seeing the bandages around it, her face paled.


    "It''s not that bad. It should heal in no time. Don''t worry." Talon reassured her.


    "..."


    However, that was way easier said than done. After realizing the huge disaster that could''ve happened if Talon hadn''t interjected and stopped her, she felt her soul shake.


    "I''m so stupid¡­ If I had known before that he possessed such an ability. I would''ve never¡­"


    "There is no point in regretting it. You had no way of knowing that he was controlling you. Nobody knew other than him. He was that careful of a man." Talon shook his head.


    "But, I almost killed you, and my dad!" Tears welled up in Sophie''s eyes.


    "You didn''t though. You can trust that I will never let anyone use you for their own benefit. Everything is fine now." Putting his hand on her shoulder, he tapped it lightly to calm her down. "What''s more important now is to focus on putting an end to all of this. That''s how we can be assured that nothing of this sort will happen again."


    "Mm¡­ *Sniff* You''re right."


    "Good¡­ Now, where was I?" Talon thought for a moment before he continued the entire story.


    By the time he was done, the girl waspletely speechless again. "To think that all of this happened during the time I was unconscious."


    "Yeah, luckily, we are in a very good position right now. Optimally, infiltrating the base now should be way easier. However, I still don''t trust that it''s over." Talon rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "How many soldiers does Bang Hyun-Ki have?"


    "... 500 give or take. Now 400 with over a hundred of them dead." Sophie replied.


    "That''s four times the number of soldiers we defeated. But, that shouldn''t be a problem since my target isn''t the soldiers. If we can reach Hyun-Ki then we won''t have to pointlessly shed more blood than necessary."


    ''I don''t want to end up killing too many soldiers. If I can capture them and make them sign a soul contract with me, they would be really useful.''


    "But, how are we going to do that? He will definitely hide himself just so that you can''t find him. Or he could even pack his things and leave."


    "No, he won''t leave."


    "How are you so sure of that?"


    Seeing how certain Talon was, Sophie got curious as to why he didn''t think of that possibility.


    "Because he isn''t that type of person¡­ He isn''t the type to run away from a fight. His ego won''t let him." Talon''s tone turned cold and sinister for a moment.


    Even though he barely met Hyun-Ki today for the first time, he could easily see through the polite facade he puts up.


    "Under all thoseyers of confidence. He is just a fragile man with no real belief in his own abilities. He cannot trust anyone unless he controls them and that''s exactly why I know he won''t let me be the exception." Talon exined.


    "... I feel like you have a n."


    "Oh, I have a n. That''s why, I need your help, Sophie. You''re going to be very crucial for what we are going to do tomorrow."


    Talon stared directly at Sophie with a calm expression. Just a mere nce at him made Sophie realize that Talonpletely relied on her. He didn''t even seem like he had a shred of doubt that she could do what he was thinking of perfectly. That made her feel extremely happy.


    ''Talon trusts me¡­ I cannot betray that trust! I can''t!'' She mused to herself.


    "I will do it, Talon. Whatever it is."


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading :D

 Chapter 209: Chapter 209- Trick Or Trick (Part 1)

    The night passed quietly for Talon''s group. Like he expected, Hyun-Ki didn''t try to attack them during that time at all. He knew the huge risk he was taking by throwing the rest of his army away like that especially when he knew that Talon and the others were capable of easily overwhelming his army.


    By the time dawn came, the group had already started moving closer and closer from the base again. Using the trees as camouge, they dispersed around the entirety of the base to watch carefully what was happening.


    "How is the situation on your side?" As he pushed a leaf out of his way to watch, Talon used the device in his hand tomunicate with the others.


    "It''s quiet here too."


    "Nothing on my side."


    "Seems very peaceful to me."


    Immediately, he received multiple responses. Nodding his head, he closed his eyes for a moment. ''Interesting, so he isn''t going to try and keep us from getting close to the walls. Did he get this terrified?''


    Talon couldn''t quite grasp what his enemy was intending to do. Still, he wasn''t that worried about it since his n involved so little danger that he might as well consider it a foolproof n.


    "Continue as nned." After a few seconds of mental preparation, Talon gave the order as he slowly started sneaking to the edge of the forest. Since Talon was alone on this side, the others had to go in groups.


    Slowly, from all sides, they started creeping closer and closer from the edge. Everyone held their weapons, ready to move.


    The tension was high and everyone was nervous. However, they didn''t let that affect their minds.


    "Let''s get this done with, boys." With that signal from Talon, finally, the students appeared from their hiding spots as they started moving toward the base.


    They kept their speed moderate and their bodies crouched down. Step by step, they got closer and closer to their target.


    Meanwhile, Talon watched silently from his spot as he held themunication device, ready to move to the next step the moment the first one was done.


    ''Nothing so far. I''m sure they already noticed that we''re trying to attack them. But, they don''t seem like they have any intention of attacking.'' Talon thought to himself with a serious expression.


    He was suspicious of this. But, he didn''t find any reason to stop the mission yet.


    Eventually, the students reached the gates he checked if there was anyone watching them before they quickly crouched down and put some objects near the metal gates. After setting them up, they turned around and moved away quickly.


    A few seconds passed in silence with nothing happening before suddenly, the gates exploded violently. Shards of metal flew everywhere as a gaping hole appeared in the gates.


    After that, the students quickly approached the gates from all sides as they got their weapons ready. At that moment, Talon finally appeared out of his hiding spot as he approached the gate.


    Hyun-Jae, Sophie, Chin-Hwa, and the others moved the moment they saw the sign too.


    "The first step is done. Moving to step two." Talon said as he reached the gate and peeked inside.


    What he saw was a gigantic city that stretched as far as the eyes could see. Its buildings were intact and its streets were in good condition. However, this city was nowpletely empty.


    He couldn''t see a single human being in the vicinity. Squinting his eyes, he turned to a student standing next to him. "Have you seen anyone when you blew up the gates?"


    "No, leader. It was quiet."


    "Interesting¡­" Talon murmured before he looked back at the hole. He was certain that this was something Hyun-Ki nned.


    "Damn it, this could be a trap," Talon murmured with a difficult expression.


    "What should we do, leader?"


    Everyone looked at Talon waiting for his decision.


    "We are going to continue."


    With no further questions needed, the students slowly started moving inside the base with careful steps. Then, they strategically dispersed around to look for any potential traps. However, there was nothing of that sort.


    Talon moved inside too as he pulled his spear out. Immediately, he expanded his senses as far as they could go.


    ''Nothing¡­ Nobody is near the entrance at all.''


    "Continue moving. Don''t go too far away from the group." Giving those orders, Talon started moving ahead with everyone following behind him.


    The group slowly moved through the main street, approaching the heart of the city.


    "All of this was built in a month?" Hyun-Jae murmured with an impressed look on her face. From what she could see, many of the buildings around them were either recently built or restored. The work needed to achieve this was unimaginable. "This ce is perfect for a base."


    She could imagine all the advantages they would get from taking over it. It would make spreading to other nearby cities a way easier task since it could work as a connecting point between their position in Seoul and everything else.


    But, they had to first seize the ce. Minutes passed as the group approached the heart of the city.


    The city square was the biggest open area in the entire base. It was used as a small marketce for people to get food and other necessities. One of the main goals of the post-apocalyptic world is to get the economy moving again even if on a very small scale.


    People needed a reason to get back to work and build the world again. Not to mention that the economy is one of the founding pirs of society.


    However, this small marketce waspletely empty. Not even a single trace of a human being was left.


    "So odd, did everyone disappear?" Sophie said in a confused tone.


    "Seems like it," Chin-Hwa replied.


    "Don''t put your guard down," Talon said as he signaled for everyone to remain quiet. "I can hear something."


    A faint sound could be heard in the distance. At first, Talon didn''t understand what it was. But, as it slowly grew closer and closer, he identified it. The sound was awfully simr to the sound of people walking.


    The sound grew louder and louder, making everyone pull their weapons out in anticipation. Then, they showed up. Hundreds of people appeared from all directions in the city square.


    Their numbers kept growing quickly as if there was no end to them. They walked in a monotone manner, akin to robots with no minds. Their heads were looking down in union. Some had their hands empty and some held firearms.


    "What in the actual hell is this?" The students were confused by this sudden scene.


    Looking around them, they couldn''t understand what was happening.


    "They''re hypnotized." The first one to figure it out was Talon. All he needed was one single look at them and he could see that they were acting abnormal.


    Their unfocused eyes, robotic demeanor, and their odd silence. It all perfectly fits the description of someone being controlled by Hyun-Ki.


    "All of these people?" Sophie blinked in shock.


    "Yeah¡­"


    "But¡­ There are thousands of them."


    Those words naturally made everyone tense up. The fact that this many people were being controlled by a single person was just not the most pleasant concept to wrap your head around. Especially when they were surrounded by them.


    "Show yourself up, Hyun-Ki. I know you''re here." Talon yelled loudly as he looked around him.


    However, he received no instant response. Instead, as if his words triggered something, all the citizens suddenly lifted their guns up in the air and took aim.


    Naturally, the group took a fighting stance as the pressure grew. They were ready to fight.


    "Wait¡­" At that moment, one of the students spoke. "Am I imagining it or¡­ are the kids the only ones holding firearms?"


    His question brought everyone''s attention to a detail they missed. Of all the citizens surrounding them, the ones that had weapons were kids that weren''t older than 10.


    "That''s true¡­" Talon murmured as his face grew darker. "Don''t tell me!"


    "It''s deliberate," Hyun-Jae said as she gripped her sword tighter. "He armed kids so that we wouldn''t hesitate to kill them."


    ''He''s ying on the moral side of it. Dammit!'' Clenching her teeth in anger, she clicked her tongue.


    Even though the group had already fought other people without any hesitation, kids were apletely different matter.


    Sophie stared around her with aplicated expression. Of all the people there, she could recognize many that she interacted with before. Nobody knew how hard it was to see them being controlled like this.


    ''That bastard!''


    "Hahahaha!" At that moment, a loudugh echoed in the vicinity. "To think I even had to prepare all of this when you would foolishly walk into this ce willingly. Is that a rare instance of stupidity there?"


    Slowly, a man walked out of the masses, he looked disheveled and exhausted. His skin was paler than usual and his expression had a hint of madness in it that wasn''t there before.


    "I had prepared multiple ns for anything you mighte up with. I never expected that you would actually show up in such a shy manner, Talon."


    Appearing in front of the group, Hyun-Ki grinned. His right sleeve was dangling with no arm in it.


    Talon frowned as he pointed his finger at him. "I don''t need a n to beat your ass. All I have to do is show up."


    "Pfft! Well, there you are. Why don''t you do that?" Saying that, the man snapped his fingers. Immediately, the guns that were aimed at Talon and his group suddenly changed aggro.


    Seeing that, Talon''s eyes widened slightly.


    "Oh no, you aren''t¡­" He said in a cold tone as his aura rose slowly.


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading :D

 Chapter 210: Chapter 210- Trick Or Trick (Part 2)

    "You know, I have to admit. You are a terrifying individual, Talon. In my life, very few people were able to make me think twice about what I should do with them. You''re one of them." Hyun-Ki smiled as he approached one of the kids as he put his hands on the weapon.


    "That fear that you inflicted on me is something I have never felt before. That''s why, I decided to give you a taste of your own medicine. You see, all these little children came here today with your parents to put up a show for you. They just gotta aim it right, and then¡­ *BAM*!" With his hands, Hyun-Ki made an explosion sign that made Talon frown.


    "These are innocent people, you twisted fuck." He said.


    "Don''t worry, I might be a little heartless, but I''m not a monster. Once these children kill their parents, they will follow them right after that. I wouldn''t want to see tears on their adorable faces." The maniacal smile on his face sent shivers down everyone''s spine.


    Nobody could imagine that a monster like this could exist in the world. They could see it all over his face, he wasn''t pretending at all. That was what he genuinely believed and it made it even more terrifying to hear him speak.


    "Now, shall we start?" Hyun-Ki smiled as he was about to snap his finger. However, at that moment, Talon lifted his hand as he yelled. "Stop!"


    "Hm? You have something to say?"


    Talon looked down with a dark expression as he clenched his teeth. "... Don''t do it."


    "Oh, am I hearing a plead? How surprising!"


    "You want to kill me, right? Then do it and don''t put innocent lives in this."


    "Talon!" Hyun-Jae eximed as she looked at him with shock.


    "It''s fine." He gave her a nce before he turned around. "I can surrender. But, you have to promise that you aren''t going to kill them!"


    All the students looked at Talon with varying degrees of worry and shock. But, nobody dared to speak as they were far too terrified to even utter a word.


    Seeing their leader in such a way made them feel different.


    On the other hand, Hyun-Ki was on cloud seven. ''Yes! That''s it! That look! The look of defeat! I love it, I love it!


    That''s what I wanted to see from the start but ended up almost dying because of it. It''s still worth every risk to see a monster cower back in fear.''


    His heart raced wildly as an almost intoxicating feeling surged through his body. But, since he knew that the situation was still not guaranteed yet, he quickly regained hisposure.


    "Hmm, that isn''t enough though. I''m sorry to say this, but even if you die, your people would still be a problem to deal with."


    "..."


    "However, if all of you surrender, I can reconsider my intentions."


    "Bastard, don''t overes-" Chin-Hwa was about to snap on Hyun-Ki. The irritable smile on his face made the cold prince clench his fists tightly.


    However, Talon signaled for him to stay silent before he stepped forward. "My group isn''t a threat to you and you know that. They will just leave and go back to Seoul as if nothing happened."


    Talon and Hyun-Ki stared at each other silently for a few seconds before Hyun-Ki turned around and looked at the girl. "Aim the gun at his head."


    "Wait! Wait!!" Talon yelled before the kid could take action.


    "Everyone or no one," Hyun-Ki replied in a cold tone. He didn''t leave any other choices for Talon.


    Thetter''s expression changed again as he bit his lip. He couldn''t feel any more frustration from the situation. Both choices were horrible and quite frankly terrifying. Seeing this many innocent lives die was soul-crushing even by the standards of this world.


    But, was it worth surrendering to Hyun-Ki for their sake? That was the dilemma that he found himself in.


    "So, what is your choice?" Hyun-Ki asked. "Oh, by the way, don''t even try any funny things like attacking me. I have several snipers aiming at all of you. While it might not kill you, I''m sure it would pluck many other less fortunate ones."


    "..."


    "It is over, Mr Talon. The sooner you ept that, the better. Attacking this ce was the worst mistake you could''ve ever made."


    ''Checkmate, this time it is for certain. As long as I keep my distance and make sure he doesn''t do anything, he ispletely stuck. All he can do is give up or run away. While the first one is optimal, I would be quite entertained if he did the second."


    Just imagining the broken look on Talon as he abandoned his group just to save his own life. It was something that brought Hyun-Ki great excitement.


    "I understand¡­ We are going to surrender." The young man spoke in a quiet tone.


    Snapping out of his daze, Hyun-Ki''s grin widened. "Is that so? Perfect! Hahahaha! Absolutely perfect! Even when you are met with demise, you still put your morals ahead of you.


    I wonder what your group thinks of that, hm?"


    Staring beyond Talon, all he could see were defeated expressions. Nobody dared to look up for even a second.


    "Oh, no one is considering escape as an option? I''m quite surprised by how loyal your people are. It seems they are all ready to follow you wherever you go, Talon. You are truly a great leader."


    "Just get this over with."


    "Hahaha, let me savor it for a moment, would you? I have never been this happy before. It''s truly a great day!"


    As heughed loudly, Hyun-Ki looked down as he started searching through Talon''s group for a certain person. Eventually, his eyes fell on a blonde girl standing close to him. He couldn''t see her expression quite yet but he didn''t care.


    "Well, I have a great idea on how we should go about doing this. Since I can''t really approach you or fight you face-to-face. Why not finish what we started yesterday? It would definitely be far more entertaining for me. Miss Sophie!"


    His words made the girl lift her eyes up as if she realized he was talking to her. The two looked at each other before he finally spoke.


    "Tie him up."


    Those few words made Sophie freeze for a second before she turned toward Talon and channeled her Aetheris without any hesitation. Her eyes seemed rather unfocused as she dazedly formed a long white string and then made it wrap around Talon.


    "Hahaha! Perfect, make sure he cannot escape it."


    "You bastard!! Don''t put my daughter in this!!" Evan yelled as he tried to rush forward, only to be stopped by Hyun-Jae. "Stay back, you will get yourself killed." She said coldly.


    "What?! But, he is going to kill my daughter!!"


    His desperate cries made Hyun-Ki scoff. "You should listen to her, Mr Evan. I am quite displeased with what happened yesterday so I might not be able to control myself. In fact, why even wait? Approach me, now." With a single order, Evan lost control of his body as he started monotonously walking toward Hyun-Ki.


    Meanwhile, Talon fell to the ground with his arms, legs, and even mouthpletely wrapped in strings. He struggled for a while before he gave up and remained motionless.


    "Now,e here, Miss Sophie. Let me make sure I can see this happen from the perfect angle." He said as he pointed at her.


    Naturally, Sophie followed his words and approached him before she stood next to him.


    "Cut one of his arms off," Hyun-Ki ordered.


    "What?! This wasn''t a part of the deal!!" Hyun-Jae interjected.


    "Hm? What deal? Our deal didn''t include what kind of things I''m going to do to you. It''s all in my control now. Cut his left arm off, now."


    With that order in motion, Sophie lifted her hand up and pointed it at Talon. Then, she tightened her fist, making the strings that surrounded Talon''s body tighten. Slowly, he felt his body being crushed by the pressure.


    "Mmm¡­" The young man groaned in pain as small droplets of blood leaked through the strings.


    The pressure grew as Hyun-Ki''s smile widened. He couldn''t contain himself fromughing.


    "What an amazing scene! This is truly the perfect ending to this conflict! I love it! Hahahaha-" As heughed maniacally, Hyun-Ki suddenly heard a brief noiseing from his side.


    *Swish*


    His face froze as he turned around confusedly. There, he could see a very thin string floating in the air near him. A trace of blood could be seen on the tip of it. His eyes then slowly trailed to the side, only to see something far more shocking.


    "... Huh?" He made a small, confused whimper that blended well with the sound of blood gushing out like a broken hose.


    His right arm fell to the groundpletely limp. Then, before he could even make a reaction, the string suddenly moved again as it sliced through his legs with great ease.


    Hyun-Ki''s body fell to the ground, oddly silent for the first few seconds as he iprehensibly stared at Sophie.


    Thetter stared down at him with a cold, apathetic re. Her unfocused, dazed look was nowhere to be seen.


    "Well... That was easy." She said with a scoff.


    Before he could even question what happened, the pain finally assaulted his head as a blood-curdling scream escaped his mouth that shook the entire base.


    "... AAAAAAGGHHHHHH!!!"


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading :D

 Chapter 209 - 209- Trick Or Trick (Part 1)

    The night passed quietly for Talon''s group. Like he expected, Hyun-Ki didn''t try to attack them during that time at all. He knew the huge risk he was taking by throwing the rest of his army away like that especially when he knew that Talon and the others were capable of easily overwhelming his army.


    By the time dawn came, the group had already started moving closer and closer from the base again. Using the trees as camouge, they dispersed around the entirety of the base to watch carefully what was happening.


    "How is the situation on your side?" As he pushed a leaf out of his way to watch, Talon used the device in his hand tomunicate with the others.


    "It''s quiet here too."


    "Nothing on my side."


    "Seems very peaceful to me."


    Immediately, he received multiple responses. Nodding his head, he closed his eyes for a moment. ''Interesting, so he isn''t going to try and keep us from getting close to the walls. Did he get this terrified?''


    Talon couldn''t quite grasp what his enemy was intending to do. Still, he wasn''t that worried about it since his n involved so little danger that he might as well consider it a foolproof n.


    "Continue as nned." After a few seconds of mental preparation, Talon gave the order as he slowly started sneaking to the edge of the forest. Since Talon was alone on this side, the others had to go in groups.


    Slowly, from all sides, they started creeping closer and closer from the edge. Everyone held their weapons, ready to move.


    The tension was high and everyone was nervous. However, they didn''t let that affect their minds.


    "Let''s get this done with, boys." With that signal from Talon, finally, the students appeared from their hiding spots as they started moving toward the base.


    They kept their speed moderate and their bodies crouched down. Step by step, they got closer and closer to their target.


    Meanwhile, Talon watched silently from his spot as he held themunication device, ready to move to the next step the moment the first one was done.


    ''Nothing so far. I''m sure they already noticed that we''re trying to attack them. But, they don''t seem like they have any intention of attacking.'' Talon thought to himself with a serious expression.


    He was suspicious of this. But, he didn''t find any reason to stop the mission yet.


    Eventually, the students reached the gates he checked if there was anyone watching them before they quickly crouched down and put some objects near the metal gates. After setting them up, they turned around and moved away quickly.


    A few seconds passed in silence with nothing happening before suddenly, the gates exploded violently. Shards of metal flew everywhere as a gaping hole appeared in the gates.


    After that, the students quickly approached the gates from all sides as they got their weapons ready. At that moment, Talon finally appeared out of his hiding spot as he approached the gate.


    Hyun-Jae, Sophie, Chin-Hwa, and the others moved the moment they saw the sign too.


    "The first step is done. Moving to step two." Talon said as he reached the gate and peeked inside.


    What he saw was a gigantic city that stretched as far as the eyes could see. Its buildings were intact and its streets were in good condition. However, this city was nowpletely empty.


    He couldn''t see a single human being in the vicinity. Squinting his eyes, he turned to a student standing next to him. "Have you seen anyone when you blew up the gates?"


    "No, leader. It was quiet."


    "Interesting¡­" Talon murmured before he looked back at the hole. He was certain that this was something Hyun-Ki nned.


    "Damn it, this could be a trap," Talon murmured with a difficult expression.


    "What should we do, leader?"


    Everyone looked at Talon waiting for his decision.


    "We are going to continue."


    With no further questions needed, the students slowly started moving inside the base with careful steps. Then, they strategically dispersed around to look for any potential traps. However, there was nothing of that sort.


    Talon moved inside too as he pulled his spear out. Immediately, he expanded his senses as far as they could go.


    ''Nothing¡­ Nobody is near the entrance at all.''


    "Continue moving. Don''t go too far away from the group." Giving those orders, Talon started moving ahead with everyone following behind him.


    The group slowly moved through the main street, approaching the heart of the city.


    "All of this was built in a month?" Hyun-Jae murmured with an impressed look on her face. From what she could see, many of the buildings around them were either recently built or restored. The work needed to achieve this was unimaginable. "This ce is perfect for a base."


    She could imagine all the advantages they would get from taking over it. It would make spreading to other nearby cities a way easier task since it could work as a connecting point between their position in Seoul and everything else.


    But, they had to first seize the ce. Minutes passed as the group approached the heart of the city.


    The city square was the biggest open area in the entire base. It was used as a small marketce for people to get food and other necessities. One of the main goals of the post-apocalyptic world is to get the economy moving again even if on a very small scale.


    People needed a reason to get back to work and build the world again. Not to mention that the economy is one of the founding pirs of society.


    However, this small marketce waspletely empty. Not even a single trace of a human being was left.


    "So odd, did everyone disappear?" Sophie said in a confused tone.


    "Seems like it," Chin-Hwa replied.


    "Don''t put your guard down," Talon said as he signaled for everyone to remain quiet. "I can hear something."


    A faint sound could be heard in the distance. At first, Talon didn''t understand what it was. But, as it slowly grew closer and closer, he identified it. The sound was awfully simr to the sound of people walking.


    The sound grew louder and louder, making everyone pull their weapons out in anticipation. Then, they showed up. Hundreds of people appeared from all directions in the city square.


    Their numbers kept growing quickly as if there was no end to them. They walked in a monotone manner, akin to robots with no minds. Their heads were looking down in union. Some had their hands empty and some held firearms.


    "What in the actual hell is this?" The students were confused by this sudden scene.


    Looking around them, they couldn''t understand what was happening.


    "They''re hypnotized." The first one to figure it out was Talon. All he needed was one single look at them and he could see that they were acting abnormal.


    Their unfocused eyes, robotic demeanor, and their odd silence. It all perfectly fits the description of someone being controlled by Hyun-Ki.


    "All of these people?" Sophie blinked in shock.


    "Yeah¡­"


    "But¡­ There are thousands of them."


    Those words naturally made everyone tense up. The fact that this many people were being controlled by a single person was just not the most pleasant concept to wrap your head around. Especially when they were surrounded by them.


    "Show yourself up, Hyun-Ki. I know you''re here." Talon yelled loudly as he looked around him.


    However, he received no instant response. Instead, as if his words triggered something, all the citizens suddenly lifted their guns up in the air and took aim.


    Naturally, the group took a fighting stance as the pressure grew. They were ready to fight.


    "Wait¡­" At that moment, one of the students spoke. "Am I imagining it or¡­ are the kids the only ones holding firearms?"


    His question brought everyone''s attention to a detail they missed. Of all the citizens surrounding them, the ones that had weapons were kids that weren''t older than 10.


    "That''s true¡­" Talon murmured as his face grew darker. "Don''t tell me!"


    "It''s deliberate," Hyun-Jae said as she gripped her sword tighter. "He armed kids so that we wouldn''t hesitate to kill them."


    ''He''s ying on the moral side of it. Dammit!'' Clenching her teeth in anger, she clicked her tongue.


    Even though the group had already fought other people without any hesitation, kids were apletely different matter.


    Sophie stared around her with aplicated expression. Of all the people there, she could recognize many that she interacted with before. Nobody knew how hard it was to see them being controlled like this.


    ''That bastard!''


    "Hahahaha!" At that moment, a loudugh echoed in the vicinity. "To think I even had to prepare all of this when you would foolishly walk into this ce willingly. Is that a rare instance of stupidity there?"


    Slowly, a man walked out of the masses, he looked disheveled and exhausted. His skin was paler than usual and his expression had a hint of madness in it that wasn''t there before.


    "I had prepared multiple ns for anything you mighte up with. I never expected that you would actually show up in such a shy manner, Talon."


    Appearing in front of the group, Hyun-Ki grinned. His right sleeve was dangling with no arm in it.


    Talon frowned as he pointed his finger at him. "I don''t need a n to beat your ass. All I have to do is show up."


    "Pfft! Well, there you are. Why don''t you do that?" Saying that, the man snapped his fingers. Immediately, the guns that were aimed at Talon and his group suddenly changed aggro.


    Seeing that, Talon''s eyes widened slightly.


    "Oh no, you aren''t¡­" He said in a cold tone as his aura rose slowly.


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading :D

 Chapter 210 - 210- Trick Or Trick (Part 2)

    "You know, I have to admit. You are a terrifying individual, Talon. In my life, very few people were able to make me think twice about what I should do with them. You''re one of them." Hyun-Ki smiled as he approached one of the kids as he put his hands on the weapon.


    "That fear that you inflicted on me is something I have never felt before. That''s why, I decided to give you a taste of your own medicine. You see, all these little children came here today with your parents to put up a show for you. They just gotta aim it right, and then¡­ *BAM*!" With his hands, Hyun-Ki made an explosion sign that made Talon frown.


    "These are innocent people, you twisted fuck." He said.


    "Don''t worry, I might be a little heartless, but I''m not a monster. Once these children kill their parents, they will follow them right after that. I wouldn''t want to see tears on their adorable faces." The maniacal smile on his face sent shivers down everyone''s spine.


    Nobody could imagine that a monster like this could exist in the world. They could see it all over his face, he wasn''t pretending at all. That was what he genuinely believed and it made it even more terrifying to hear him speak.


    "Now, shall we start?" Hyun-Ki smiled as he was about to snap his finger. However, at that moment, Talon lifted his hand as he yelled. "Stop!"


    "Hm? You have something to say?"


    Talon looked down with a dark expression as he clenched his teeth. "... Don''t do it."


    "Oh, am I hearing a plead? How surprising!"


    "You want to kill me, right? Then do it and don''t put innocent lives in this."


    "Talon!" Hyun-Jae eximed as she looked at him with shock.


    "It''s fine." He gave her a nce before he turned around. "I can surrender. But, you have to promise that you aren''t going to kill them!"


    All the students looked at Talon with varying degrees of worry and shock. But, nobody dared to speak as they were far too terrified to even utter a word.


    Seeing their leader in such a way made them feel different.


    On the other hand, Hyun-Ki was on cloud seven. ''Yes! That''s it! That look! The look of defeat! I love it, I love it!


    That''s what I wanted to see from the start but ended up almost dying because of it. It''s still worth every risk to see a monster cower back in fear.''


    His heart raced wildly as an almost intoxicating feeling surged through his body. But, since he knew that the situation was still not guaranteed yet, he quickly regained hisposure.


    "Hmm, that isn''t enough though. I''m sorry to say this, but even if you die, your people would still be a problem to deal with."


    "..."


    "However, if all of you surrender, I can reconsider my intentions."


    "Bastard, don''t overes-" Chin-Hwa was about to snap on Hyun-Ki. The irritable smile on his face made the cold prince clench his fists tightly.


    However, Talon signaled for him to stay silent before he stepped forward. "My group isn''t a threat to you and you know that. They will just leave and go back to Seoul as if nothing happened."


    Talon and Hyun-Ki stared at each other silently for a few seconds before Hyun-Ki turned around and looked at the girl. "Aim the gun at his head."


    "Wait! Wait!!" Talon yelled before the kid could take action.


    "Everyone or no one," Hyun-Ki replied in a cold tone. He didn''t leave any other choices for Talon.


    Thetter''s expression changed again as he bit his lip. He couldn''t feel any more frustration from the situation. Both choices were horrible and quite frankly terrifying. Seeing this many innocent lives die was soul-crushing even by the standards of this world.


    But, was it worth surrendering to Hyun-Ki for their sake? That was the dilemma that he found himself in.


    "So, what is your choice?" Hyun-Ki asked. "Oh, by the way, don''t even try any funny things like attacking me. I have several snipers aiming at all of you. While it might not kill you, I''m sure it would pluck many other less fortunate ones."


    "..."


    "It is over, Mr Talon. The sooner you ept that, the better. Attacking this ce was the worst mistake you could''ve ever made."


    ''Checkmate, this time it is for certain. As long as I keep my distance and make sure he doesn''t do anything, he ispletely stuck. All he can do is give up or run away. While the first one is optimal, I would be quite entertained if he did the second."


    Just imagining the broken look on Talon as he abandoned his group just to save his own life. It was something that brought Hyun-Ki great excitement.


    "I understand¡­ We are going to surrender." The young man spoke in a quiet tone.


    Snapping out of his daze, Hyun-Ki''s grin widened. "Is that so? Perfect! Hahahaha! Absolutely perfect! Even when you are met with demise, you still put your morals ahead of you.


    I wonder what your group thinks of that, hm?"


    Staring beyond Talon, all he could see were defeated expressions. Nobody dared to look up for even a second.


    "Oh, no one is considering escape as an option? I''m quite surprised by how loyal your people are. It seems they are all ready to follow you wherever you go, Talon. You are truly a great leader."


    "Just get this over with."


    "Hahaha, let me savor it for a moment, would you? I have never been this happy before. It''s truly a great day!"


    As heughed loudly, Hyun-Ki looked down as he started searching through Talon''s group for a certain person. Eventually, his eyes fell on a blonde girl standing close to him. He couldn''t see her expression quite yet but he didn''t care.


    "Well, I have a great idea on how we should go about doing this. Since I can''t really approach you or fight you face-to-face. Why not finish what we started yesterday? It would definitely be far more entertaining for me. Miss Sophie!"


    His words made the girl lift her eyes up as if she realized he was talking to her. The two looked at each other before he finally spoke.


    "Tie him up."


    Those few words made Sophie freeze for a second before she turned toward Talon and channeled her Aetheris without any hesitation. Her eyes seemed rather unfocused as she dazedly formed a long white string and then made it wrap around Talon.


    "Hahaha! Perfect, make sure he cannot escape it."


    "You bastard!! Don''t put my daughter in this!!" Evan yelled as he tried to rush forward, only to be stopped by Hyun-Jae. "Stay back, you will get yourself killed." She said coldly.


    "What?! But, he is going to kill my daughter!!"


    His desperate cries made Hyun-Ki scoff. "You should listen to her, Mr Evan. I am quite displeased with what happened yesterday so I might not be able to control myself. In fact, why even wait? Approach me, now." With a single order, Evan lost control of his body as he started monotonously walking toward Hyun-Ki.


    Meanwhile, Talon fell to the ground with his arms, legs, and even mouthpletely wrapped in strings. He struggled for a while before he gave up and remained motionless.


    "Now,e here, Miss Sophie. Let me make sure I can see this happen from the perfect angle." He said as he pointed at her.


    Naturally, Sophie followed his words and approached him before she stood next to him.


    "Cut one of his arms off," Hyun-Ki ordered.


    "What?! This wasn''t a part of the deal!!" Hyun-Jae interjected.


    "Hm? What deal? Our deal didn''t include what kind of things I''m going to do to you. It''s all in my control now. Cut his left arm off, now."


    With that order in motion, Sophie lifted her hand up and pointed it at Talon. Then, she tightened her fist, making the strings that surrounded Talon''s body tighten. Slowly, he felt his body being crushed by the pressure.


    "Mmm¡­" The young man groaned in pain as small droplets of blood leaked through the strings.


    The pressure grew as Hyun-Ki''s smile widened. He couldn''t contain himself fromughing.


    "What an amazing scene! This is truly the perfect ending to this conflict! I love it! Hahahaha-" As heughed maniacally, Hyun-Ki suddenly heard a brief noiseing from his side.


    *Swish*


    His face froze as he turned around confusedly. There, he could see a very thin string floating in the air near him. A trace of blood could be seen on the tip of it. His eyes then slowly trailed to the side, only to see something far more shocking.


    "... Huh?" He made a small, confused whimper that blended well with the sound of blood gushing out like a broken hose.


    His right arm fell to the groundpletely limp. Then, before he could even make a reaction, the string suddenly moved again as it sliced through his legs with great ease.


    Hyun-Ki''s body fell to the ground, oddly silent for the first few seconds as he iprehensibly stared at Sophie.


    Thetter stared down at him with a cold, apathetic re. Her unfocused, dazed look was nowhere to be seen.


    "Well... That was easy." She said with a scoff.


    Before he could even question what happened, the pain finally assaulted his head as a blood-curdling scream escaped his mouth that shook the entire base.


    "... AAAAAAGGHHHHHH!!!"


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading :D

 Chapter 211: Chapter 211- Achieving Control

    The sounds he made at that moment were so terrifying and gut-wrenching that it made everyone look away in repulsion. They were so inhumane and brutal. A limbless body cried as blood gushed out of his body, if that wasn''t a nightmarish scene, then nothing was.


    His body wiggled powerlessly as he struggled to even breathe or utter a single word. Tears and snot came out of his eyes and nose. Eventually, his screams slowly died down when his vocal cords were exhausted.


    "AAGH!! AGH!! YOU¡­. BASTARDS!!! I WILL KILL!!! I WILL KILL YOU!!" Through his loud shrieks, he managed to say a few words.


    His eyes red at Sophie with endless hatred.


    However, thattterpletely ignored him as she summoned a few more strings and wrapped them around his mouth to stop him from speaking. All that he could muster at that moment were silent whimpers as he red daggers at Sophie.


    "Talon, are you ok?!" But, all she cared about at that moment was Talon who was still on the ground. With a small move of her hand, the strings untangled themselves, releasing himpletely. "I''m really sorry, did it hurt too much?! I didn''t know how much pressure I had to use." With a panicked look, she started inspecting his body.


    Thetter stretched his limbs with a smile. "I''m fine. You did a perfect job, Sophie." He said as he patted her head.


    "I did?" She asked curiously.


    "Yeah, that was perfect. You really sold that acting."


    "Oh, hehe, well, it''s my thing after all. I didn''t know I could imitate a robot this well."


    "Hahaha¡­" Talonughed as he turned around to Hyun-Jae who approached him with a relieved look on her face.


    "Hmm, what do you think?" He asked with a smirk as he touched his temple. "I''m quite smart when I want to be, no?"


    His words made herugh before she nodded her head. "I''ve already known that. Maybe less ridiculous and more cleverness would help though."


    "We will work on that." Then, Talon turned to the rest of the group. "I''m quite impressed by how well everyone acted their role. We have really done a masterpiece right there. I almost believed that you were terrified for your lives."


    The students cheered loudly in excitement.


    "You''re making me blush, leader, hehe¡­"


    "I didn''t know I could act. But now, I know what career I want to pursue when we rebuild this world."


    "I was actually quite worried so it wasn''t that hard to pretend I was scared."


    Suchments kepting out of their mouths as they talked to each other. Seeing that, Talon could only shake his head with a wry smile. Deep down, he felt proud of these people for how much they grew and improved. He could fully say that he can rely on them now and that was a great step.


    "Hmm, now¡­" However, that smile slowly faded as he turned around. "Time to talk to this limbless trash."


    Walking toward the struggling Hyun-Ki as he crouched down near him. Thetter flinched as he stared at him.


    "It''s quite funny, right? Outsmarting you twice in two days. Tsk tsk, that''s quite embarrassing, to be honest."


    "... Mmmm!!!" Hyun-Ki groaned loudly as he tried to wriggle.


    However, Talon stopped him as he grabbed his hair. Then, he lifted him up in the air. Thetter screeched from pain but couldn''t do anything.


    "You think I didn''t know that you were going to do something like this? It was easy to get you to set a trap like this and pretend that it worked. I knew that an egotistical idiot like you would never run away from a face-off even if it was yed by your own rules. The only thing I had to do was to somehow stop you from trying to control anyone. Well, that turned out to be really easy."


    Then, Talon moved Hyun-Ki so that he could have a look at Sophie. Thetter smiled as she put her hand in her ear and pulled out two cottons. That made Hyun-Ki''s eyes widen in shock.


    "Pfft, hahaha! All we had to do was use cotton! It''s so funny how such a simple trick worked out." Talonughed coldly. "You had your fun spouting your evil monologue and couldn''t even realize that we have already infiltrated the ce and killed all your snipers before they could actually do anything."


    As Talon said that, he looked in a certain direction as he signaled with his hand. Then, a redser appeared in his hand. "Haha, it seems even they couldn''t do anything. As for the rest of your army, well, where are they? Wait, don''t tell me¡­"


    With a pretended shock, Talon continued. "You left them on the other side of the city? Hahaha! Were you so confident that you would beat me that you didn''t even bring them with you? That is quite sad~"


    The more Talon exined what happened, the more Hyun-Ki started to lose his mind. With his muffled mouth, he screeched, cried, groaned, cursed, and made all kinds of sounds. His mind broke downpletely. Nothing made sense anymore to him. The pain, mixed with the frustration and hatred made him unable to evenprehend what happened anymore.


    ''Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?


    Why? Why did this happen?! It was perfect?! I did everything right!! I was going to win!! Why?!!''


    For Hyun-Ki, everything was going perfectly his way. He was certain of victory and yet again, for the second time, he failed miserably and lost.


    Talon could see that confusion all over his face. "Honestly, you are a very clever man. Quite dangerous too. But, you don''t seem to realize something about me. I have way too much to lose to let someone like you be my end."


    "..."


    Hyun-Ki''s body froze as he looked into Talon''s eyes. For a second, he thought that he was staring into the endless abyss and it stared back at him. He couldn''t see anything within those eyes, as if they belonged to a demon rather than a human.


    With that, Talon released the man and let him fall to the ground before he turned around. "Stop his bleeding. I don''t want him to die yet."


    "Yes, sir!"


    A group of healers surrounded Hyun-Ki and started treating his injuries with as much effort as they could muster.


    "It''s still not ever yet. We need to get to his army first." Talon said as he started giving orders to everyone.


    He first took all the weapons that the children held against their parents. However, even then, they still didn''t wake up from their hypnotized state.


    "How should I wake them up? Does it require him to deactivate it?" Talon murmured.


    "No, keeping this many humans hypnotized requires a lot of Aetheris. He can''t maintain it for long, especially in his state. They should wake up any time now."


    "Oh, perfect then."


    With that, Talon got the rest of the group to follow him to the other side of the base where the army was waiting. When they saw that Talon was the one to appear, their fear skyrocketed.


    They have already heard of what he did so seeing him there was just a nightmare. However, when they heard that Hyun-Ki was defeated¡­ They had no other choice but to surrender.


    In reality, many of them were ready to surrender in case Talon invaded the base. The news of what happened yesterday made them realize that the man they worked for was a monster through and through.


    Theirrades and friends died with their own hands, it couldn''t get any worse than that.


    "Please, spare us, sir!!"


    "We won''t dare to do anything!!"


    Going down on their knees, hundreds of men begged for their lives in union. None of them cared about pride or dignity in front of imminent death.


    "You have two choices at this moment. You can either follow your previous leader. Or, you can be under my control."


    It didn''t take them long to ept his offer. So, Talon made them ept the soul contract. With that, he had 500 more, well-trained soldiers under his orders.


    Then, in a matter of a few hours, Talon was able to take over human society. The only thing left to do is to make the people know of that.


    Since they were all confused, Talon had to introduce himself and exin what happened. Whether they epted that or not was going to be very crucial for his future ns.


    If he wanted to gain their trust, the first impression was going to be very crucial.


    So, when the survivors snapped out of their hypnotized state and found themselves in the city center, they were naturally very confused.


    Looking around them, they tried to figure out what happened.


    "What happened?"


    "I can''t remember anything¡­"


    "I was taking a nap¡­"


    "Mommy!!"


    Meanwhile, from the roof of a building nearby, Talon watched the confused masses silently.


    "How are you going to do this?" Hyun-Jae stood next to him as she curiously asked.


    Thetter didn''t reply immediately and instead exhaled a small breath. "Just watch¡­"


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading :D

 Chapter 212: Chapter 212- New Leader

    Moving forward, Talon jumped on top of the railings as he stared down at the people. At first, nobody noticed his presence, but it didn''t take long for someone to point it out.


    "Hey, is that someone standing there?" One asked confusedly.


    "Oh, yeah, he''s walking on the edge. Isn''t he scared of falling off?"


    Gossip spread throughout the masses as they naturally grew wary of Talon. They didn''t know who he was and they could easily see that he was abnormal.


    "No need to run away, I''m not going to harm you." He dered loudly.


    "What?" One person asked.


    "Is he serious?"


    "I don''t know. He seems really off to me."


    Many were confused while others were skeptical from what he said. After all, as far as they''re concerned, this man could be another monster that was there to kill them.


    "I''m sure you''re confused as to why you suddenly found yourself standing there. You also probably don''t remember anything between the time you were doing your own thing and waking up here." He said. "But, fear not, I''m going to exin everything."


    His words made everyone focus on him. After all, the way he urately described what they went through meant that he knew what happened.


    ''Tsk, I''m not ustomed to having this many people stare at me. But, oh well, I gotta just get this over this.'' Talon thought to himself.


    With that, Talon exined what happened. From Hyun-Ki''s ability to what he did yesterday and everything else that would make the people realize how horrible he was. He left some details that he didn''t want them to know of and only kept things that would work in his favor.


    He knew that it was a little maniptive to do that. But, he needed every favorability point he could garner if he wanted them to ept him as the new leader.


    By the time he was done with the story, the masses were already in a fit of rage and panic.


    "All of that¡­ happened yesterday?"


    "What?!"


    "Where is my dad?!"


    No one was able to ept it all instantly. After all, in their eyes, Hyun-Ki was the hope of humanity. He had promised them to build society again and bring them the peace they longed for. Yet, all of that hope came crashing down on them rather quickly.


    "Why¡­?"


    "To think he would do such a thing¡­"


    "I can''t believe it..."


    Exhaling a small sigh, Talon continued. "I know that it must be horrible to take all of that in. But, I had to be truthful with all of you. Bang Hyun-Ki wasn''t a good man and neither did the people who followed him blindly without realizing what kind of consequences they brought on innocent lives."


    For a second, everyone felt a stinging guilt in their heart. They remembered everything they did for Hyun-Ki. The fact that they worked for a bloody criminal¡­ It was gut-wrenching.


    Out of all of them, one particr person had it the worst. Looking up at Talon, Evan could only bend his head down in shame. He didn''t even dare to stare at Talon with how embarrassed he was.


    "Luckily, me and my group were able to stop him and kill him. We also suffered from his actions as much as everyone else did so we can understand you all. All we wanted was to survive and find peace where our beloved could live. Killing one another, it truly aches my heart." Talon frowned visibly. "That''s why I came here. I have a dream of rebuilding our country back up from scratch."


    "Oh!"


    "Woah!"


    His words garnered many gasps of admiration and shock. Such a dream sounded ridiculous with the current state of the world. But, Talon''s confidence and powerful tone made them feel like it might not be as far-fetched as they expected.


    "But, I cannot do it on my own or with the small group we have. That''s why, I''m going to ask you all for help. If we want to build our world again, we need to work together. I know I''m a stranger to you all and I could be lying, but, I still would like to ask. Would you please help us?"


    His tone softened noticeably as he asked thest question. Then, he wentpletely silent and waited for the people to think about his request.


    ''I hope this works. I don''t think I can say anything else that would make it any better.'' Talon pursed his lips.


    Hyun-Jae had a subtly nervous look on her face as she stood next to him. She knew how important it was to get these people on the same ground. There were thousands of them. This very moment might very much make or break their future ns.


    Time ticked slowly for them. Everyone that came there with Talon was aware of it and they could barely calm themselves.


    Eventually, they heard a voiceing from the masses.


    "He sounds sincere! I don''t know what he would do, but I''m in!"


    Akin to a trigger, those words made the people slowly lift their hands. One by one, men and women, old or young, it didn''t matter as they all did the same thing.


    Seeing that, Talon''s eyes widened for a moment. The response he saw waspletely unexpected.


    In reality, he was ready to see many people just refusing his request. After all, he had barely revealed himself as the leader of another group a few minutes ago and even killed Hyun-Ki, someone that they looked up to before.


    Yet, with a few words, people believed him and even were ready to work with him. It didn''t really make much sense.


    ''Am I looking too much into it or is there something different?'' Even in his confusion, he couldn''t stop a smile from forming on his face. ''Oh well, who cares?! I''ve actually done it! Hahahaha!''


    "Acrypha¡­ I did it." The first person he looked for was Acrypha who was near him. His wide smile and excited look made her smile too.


    "You did it." She said as she floated in front of him and hugged him. Her tone sounded way more emotional than usual which was very rare for Acrypha.


    The young man was taken aback for a second before he slowly moved his hands and wrapped them around her waist.


    "You came a long way, Talon. I''m really proud of you" She said softly in his ear.


    "I could''ve not done that with you, you know?"


    "No, I''m sure you would''ve still done great things without me."


    "Haha, you give me too much credit." Talon scoffed jokingly.


    "Oh my god, Talon!" At that moment, he felt another set of arms wrap around him from behind. "You''re amazing!!"


    "Hey, I''m going to fall."


    "Hehe, I''m sorry, I''m too happy!"


    Bncing himself, he turned around and looked at the group standing behind him. "No, I didn''t do it. We all did it."


    ''Ok, that sounds a lot like what a hero would say. Bleh, I don''t know why I don''t like that.'' Frowning secretly, he tried to swallow the bitterness down.


    His words garnered many smiles and a whole lot of cheers.


    "Way to go, leader!"


    "You did most of the work!"


    "The leader is the best!!"


    Nodding his head awkwardly, Talon turned around once more as he stared at the people. "Thank you very much. I don''t know what the future holds for us. But, with your help, I can definitely feel that it will be way brighter than before."


    ***


    The rest of the day passed rather quietly. Apart from exploring the city and getting settled in, Talon decided to give everyone some time to rest as they had been working hard non-stop for the past few days.


    The next day was going to be very busy since they would have to immediately start working on their next steps. They also had to go back to Seoul quickly after that which would take a few days on its own.


    "Wow, I can''t believe I finally could get a room of my own," Talon said tiredly as he jumped on top of a bed. "Ugh, this feels good."


    "It''s quite cozy in here," Acrypha said as she sat next to him.


    "Yeah, this is a hotel room, after all."


    "Hmm, I don''t mind staying here. Better than that warehouse."


    "Me neither, ugh!" Stretching his limbs, Talon closed his eyes.


    "Are you going to sleep?"


    "Probably."


    "That sounds good¡­" Acrypha murmured as she seemed deep in thought.


    "Is something wrong?" He asked.


    "No, I was just wondering what you''re going to do next."


    Her question made Talon open his eyes again. "Sigh, well. I want to make a trip to my hometown and find my parents. Then, I want to link the Seoul base with this one to make sure that we can move back and forth from there reliably. After that, I''m going to leave things in Hyun-Jae''s hands and finally get into the first gate. I can''t postpone that any longer." He said.


    ''If I get too busy with this world, I will just hinder my growth. I need to unlock my levels again.''


    "That sounds like a good idea."


    "Yeah¡­ But, first, I gotta make sure my family is fine. Although I''m not too worried since I trust they can take care of themselves just fine."


    "... Well, let''s hope so," Acrypha murmured as she rested her back against the wall while Talon slowly drifted to sleep.


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading :D

 Chapter 213: Chapter 213- Hometown (Part 1)

    "Mmm¡­" Moaning under his breath, Talon slowly opened his eyes as he looked up dazedly. The sun''s rays prated through the curtains and hit him in the face, making him frown visibly before he wiped his eyes.


    "It''s already morning?" He murmured as he tried to rise up, only to realize that some kind of weight was pressing on him. Looking down, Talon was shocked to see Acrypha lying on top of him with her hand wrapped around his neck. Her eyes were closed as she breathed quietly and rhythmically.


    Her amazingly soft body pressed against him in many areas. Even in his numb state, Talon felt as if he was wrapped in a heavenly nket. Acrypha''s soft embrace was addicting, to say the least.


    "..."


    Talon silently looked at her, trying to understand what was happening. However, he quickly realized that he had apletely different problem to think about. Between his legs, something has awoken along with him. His eyes were slowly drawn to the twin peeks pressing against his chest carefreely. Their shape waspletely distorted under pressure and it made Talon sense far more than he could see.


    Feeling it poking Acrypha, Talon''s flinched before he quickly moved away.


    "Mmm¡­" That sudden movement made Acrypha slowly open her eyes.


    "Did you fall asleep?" Talon asked her as he put his hand over his groin to hide the weird feeling he had. ''That was so close, holy shit!''


    "... Yeah, I weirdly dozed off some time. I can''t remember." Acrypha slowly lifted her head up as she stared at Talon with a sleepy look. Seeing her mesmerizing beauty in such a defenseless state, with disheveled hair and disheveled clothes made Talon''s heart skip a beat.


    Something about the current Acrypha had apletely different charm than usual. He could see far more erotic details about her than before and it garnered a very strong reaction from him.


    Usually, Talon can somehow manage to deal with Acrypha''s charm with not much of a problem. However, at this moment, there was simply no way for him to handle it.


    So, to calm his boiling mind, he turned around and stood up. "Well, ehem, this is certainly a first. Didn''t you say that you don''t need sleep?"


    "I don''t. But, I felt like sleeping for the first time in a long while." She said as she blinked.


    ''I haven''t had the urge to sleep in decades¡­ This is certainly weird.'' She thought to herself.


    "How was it?" Talon asked curiously.


    "... Quite pleasant, actually."


    "Haha, it is! I don''t think I will ever stop sleeping even if I don''t need it anymore. It''s just the best."


    With that, Talon walked to the other side of the room where he entered a bathroom, and washed his face.


    *Knock* *Knock*


    A few minutester, the door knocked. "Hm? I wonder who is it?" Talon murmured as he opened the door.


    Outside, he found Hyun-Jae waiting. She had a subtly excited look on her face.


    "Good morning." She said in a slightly higher-pitched tone than usual.


    "Good morning¡­ What brought you here this early?" Talon asked as he let Hyun-Jae inside and closed the door.


    The girl walked inside looking around silently. She seemed quite curious as if she had never been inside this room before.


    ''Doesn''t her room like exactly like mine?'' Talon mused as he walked after her.


    "Just wanted to check on you¡­" She murmured a reply and turned around to look at Talon.


    "Oh, well, here I am." Talon shrugged. "Do you want coffee?" He asked as he moved toward the kitchen.


    "No, I''ve already had breakfast, thank you."


    "Ok¡­ One for me then."


    With that, Talon started preparing his breakfast as he hummed a random melody. Meanwhile, Hyun-Jae sat down on the chair as she watched him intently.


    "Hey." Eventually, she spoke.


    "Hm? What''s up?"


    "When are you going to leave the base?" She asked.


    "After breakfast. I don''t want to postpone it any longer." He replied.


    "Are you going to bring someone with you?"


    "No, my hometown isn''t that far away from here. I can reach it in less than an hour on foot." Talon shook his head as he poured the hot coffee into the cup and took a sip.


    Hyun-Jae''s expression shifted for a split second before she returned to normal. "So, I can''te with you?"


    "No, one of us gotta stay here. The trip won''t take that long."


    "..." She nodded her head. "I understand."


    "Is everything really ok, Hyun-Jae? You seem off." He said as he approached the table and sat down in front of her.


    "It''s noth- Sigh, well, it''s not nothing. I''m just a little bit worried about your parents, that''s all." She admitted with a sigh.


    "Oh, that''s it?"


    "Yeah, it has been almost two months and the world is just too dangerous. I can''t stop myself from worrying."


    Talon could feel the genuine feelings in her words at that moment and it made him smile warmly.


    ''She came all the way here to tell me that¡­ Sigh, she''s really something else¡­''


    He would be lying if he said that the level of care that Hyun-Jae was showing didn''t make him feel happy. Hyun-Jae saw him as someone she cherished and he did the same. It was rare toe across people who would truly love you for who you are without expecting anything in return.


    Hyun-Jae was one of those people and Talon appreciated that side of her more than she would imagine. That was why, when he ended up seeing her worry this much, he could only feel bad.


    "Don''t worry. I know my parents better than anyone else. They know how to survive better than I do and I learned everything from them. I''m not really worried myself." Talon replied in a calm tone.


    Hyun-Jae lifted her eyes to look at him for a moment silently. In her eyes, the only reflection that could be seen was that of the young man in front of her. Her eyes then slowly shifted down to his hands.


    What Talon didn''t realize at that moment was that his hands were subtly shaking. It wasn''t something easily noticeable but Hyun-Jae noticed it. A hint of understanding shed through her eyes before vanishing.


    "I understand. But, can I say one thing?"


    "...Of course." Talon smiled confusedly.


    ***


    *Two Hours Later*


    Talon notified everyone about his small trip. Naturally, many of them were worried about leaving the base alone. But, Talon didn''t want to hinder the progress of the work for this as he believed he was more than enough.


    He also had to somehow convince Sophie to stay since she was adamant about going with him. She was also worried about his parents since she had known them for years and even kept in contact with them throughout the years even when she and Talon weren''t together anymore.


    But, Talon was able to make her stay with the simple promise that he wouldn''t be taking more than a few hours at most. If he would bete, she was going to leave to search for him.


    With that, Talon bid them farewell and left the base through the gates. Then, he got in one of the cars he borrowed.


    Acrypha sat next to him in the passenger seat.


    "Do you know where to go?" She asked curiously.


    "Yeah, I know this area." Turning the car on, Talon drove it into the main street and continued moving south.


    "How is your hometown, by the way? You''ve never told me about it." On the road, Acrypha asked curiously.


    "Hmm¡­ My hometown? It''s pretty nice. We''re a very smallmunity. Everyone knows each other. I love how familiar it feels even when Ie back to visit every few months." Talon said as he reminisced about the past.


    He had many memories, good and bad in that town so it had a special ce in his heart. Everything about it felt like home. Especially the people that lived in it. Then, Talon remembered what kind of ce this world had turned into and his expression soured. As far as he knew, no one from his hometown came to the human society which put a bad omen on his mind.


    ''I wonder if anyone survived¡­'' He thought to himself.


    He knew that it was almost impossible for the entire town to survive the integration and that fact ached his heart greatly. But, he didn''t let himself think much about it. He simply hoped that many of them miraculously survived and were waiting for him there.


    Instinctively, Talon increased the speed of the car a little as it stormed through the highway, moving toward its destination. Time passed rather slowly as the duo talked about different topics to pass the time.


    Eventually, they passed next to a sign that said ''Wee to Yeongam''. The sign had been torn to pieces and yet still somehow didn''t fall to the ground.


    "Hmm, it''s getting a little cloudy," Talon murmured as he looked through the window.


    Naturally, Talon started decreasing the speed of the car as he saw the town in the distance. The all-too-familiar scene gave Talon a strong hit of nostalgia. The image of the town he grew up in ovepped with the present picture.


    However, that memory slowly vanished as Talon realized that his hometown waspletely wrecked. Apart from a few details that were left intact, the entire town had changedpletely. It was a ghost of its former shade.


    Reaching the entrance to the town, Talon opened the door as he left the car. His expression was stoic.


    "... I''m back¡­"


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading :D

 Chapter 214: Chapter 214- Hometown (Part 2)

    Acrypha left the car too as she stared at the ruined town. Her expression was dark and she could only suck in a deep breath. Then, her eyes shifted to Talon only to realize that he had apletely emotionless look on her face.


    Staring deeply into his eyes, all she could see was an empty look. Even with how much she knew Talon, she could not read anything running through his head at that moment. But, she didn''t have to read him to know what he was going through at that moment.


    ''It must be tough on him¡­'' She thought to herself as she sighed.


    Seeing one''s entire childhood disappear in such a manner wasn''t easy at all. Even when Acrypha didn''t understand it, she knew that it was horrible.


    "Let''s go." At that point, Talon''s stoic voice snapped her out of her thoughts. Looking at him, he closed the door before he started walking into the town.


    Acrypha silently stared at his back before following him.


    The moment he stepped foot into it, Talon was met with a raw, close-up shot of the entire ce. If what he saw first was a ruined town, what he witnessed now was a brutally detailed apocalyptic town.


    The smaller details of the broken buildings, the stains of blood here and there, unknown whether it belonged to humans or to monsters, and the prominent smell of death that permeated the ce. It was a tragic sight. Looking around him, Talon could see several dimension walkers roaming the streets aimlessly.


    Their appearance was simr to one another so Talon couldn''t really recognize the people that turned into these monsters. However, he knew for certain that they were people he knew in the past. He could feel it.


    Stopping for a few seconds, Talon stared at the three dimensions walkers. Eventually, they noticed his presence and started approaching him.


    "..."


    A myriad of emotions shed across Talon''s eyes as he bit his lip and moved forward. Then, in a split second, he dashed through the monsters, pulling all of their cores out in a single swift motion.


    The three monsters dropped to the ground, dead. Talon slowly turned around and stared at the remains of the monsters before he closed his eyes.


    "You may rest now¡­" He murmured in a low tone before he put the cores down next to them.


    Acrypha watched the entire interaction from the side without uttering a word. She knew that this was Talon''s way of paying respect to the dead people. If anything, seeing this side of him made her feel his sadness even more.


    But, she still didn''t want to say anything. Talon didn''t need any words at that moment, he simply was going through that experience by his own choice.


    With that, Talon turned around and continued moving through the town, staring around silently. He seemedpletely lost in his own world for a while. That was until he stopped in front of a particr building¡­ Or at least, whatever was left of a building.


    "... This was the bakery I used to go to¡­" He said as he pointed at it. "They made the best cheese bread in the entire country." His tone was a little nostalgic and yet also filled with bitterness.


    "Oh¡­"


    "I used toe here, even when I didn''t have money on me. The olddy who ran it would always give me something for free. She was very nice." Talon could only smile softly as he recalled those memories.


    ''I used her kindness too much as a kid. Even though I apologized to her a few years ago, I still wished I could''ve repaid her kindness better.'' He thought to himself as he turned around. Thedy had died a year ago before the integration and the bakery closed for good due to it.


    Now, it was no longer there.


    "Let''s go¡­" He murmured under his breath. His tone sounded more like it was directed at himself rather than Acrypha.


    The two started walking again. For the next few minutes, Talon showed Acrypha around the ce, telling her about every single ce he could remember.


    Acrypha listened attentively to everything and made sure to remember it. Everything she heard was a peace of Talon''s childhood, something of great value to him. So, naturally, she wanted to put great value into it too as this period of time shaped the person standing in front of her.


    One after the other, she learned about Talon''s entire life. The school, the park, the small arcade, and the houses of his childhood friends. Slowly, a vivid image of what this entire town was like formed in her head.


    She didn''t need to see it to paint the life here and it only furtherplicated her feelings.


    "This must''ve been a great ce to grow up in." Shemented.


    "It was¡­ Now that I''m actually seeing it this way, I think I didn''t value it as much as I should''ve." Talon replied.


    He remembered all the times he could''ve gone back to his hometown every break from college. But, he decided to stay in Seoul just so that he could work and get more money for his parents. Now, he realized that what he did was perhaps a mistake.


    "One would only realize the value of something when they lose it. It would never be easy to lose something important no matter how much you take care of it." Acrypha replied as she put her hand on Talon''s shoulder. "We can only keep moving on, that''s how life works."


    Talon looked over his shoulder at the otherworldly beauty and pursed his lips with a nod. "Yes¡­ You''re right."


    Then, Talon turned around and pointed. "My house is two blocks away from here. Let''s go."


    With that, Talon hurried his steps as he moved toward his house. Now that he was at this point, his heart started racing as his anxiety grew. Would his house be there? Would he find his parents waiting for him inside? Was he right about not worrying about them too much?


    All kinds of questions popped into his head one after the other and only made his mind grow more restless.


    ''Please be there¡­ Please be there¡­'' He prayed in his head and took thest turn to the street where his house was.


    There, he halted down to a screech as he heaved up and down. His eyes were wide and his lips were parted open.


    There it was, in a corner of the street, a small, simple house could be seen. It didn''t stand out amongst the rest of the houses around it due to how small and in it looked. But, surprisingly, it was one of the few buildings that didn''tpletely turn into rubble. A part of the house waspletely destroyed, but the rest of it remained intact.


    "..." Seeing that ce, many feelings filled Talon''s heart as he started approaching it slowly. His heart rate was so high that it was booming in his ears.


    "Mom!! Dad!!" With a wavering voice, he called for them from outside as he pushed the outer gate and walked inside. "Mom! Dad!" He called again and received no answer.


    Feeling a bad omen, Talon approached the door to the house and opened it. The moment he pushed it open, the door fell to the ground.


    "..." Looking around him, Talon realized that from thest time he visited, the house had changed. Apart from the huge amounts of dust and debris that filled the entire ce, there wasn''t as much furniture around.


    "They aren''t here¡­" Murmuring to himself, Talon slowly walked inside, avoiding the debris.


    From what he could see of the condition of the house, it seemed nobody had lived here for a while. That made him suspect that they weren''t there. But, just in case, he decided to search the entire house. There were only three rooms anyway.


    Approaching the first one, he opened the door only to be met with an empty kitchen. No one was inside. All the utensils were also gone. That roused suspicion in Talon''s head.


    "... Did someone take them?"


    Walking around the ce, Talon made sure to check everywhere. Then, when he didn''t find what he was looking for, he left the kitchen and moved to the next room which was his parents'' bedroom.


    Just like the one before it, the entire room was empty. Many things were taken from it.


    "Oh¡­" As he moved around the room, Talon noticed a single detail. On the table near the bed, one item was missing.


    "The family picture¡­ it''s gone." He said as his eyes lit up with hope. "If it''s missing then that means my parents had probably taken it with them.


    Looking behind him at Acrypha, he smiled excitedly. "I knew it! They must''ve changed locations since the house was destroyed! They should be still in town, hopefully."


    Acrypha smiled slightly as she nodded her head.


    "Ok, let''s go. I need to check thest room and go out to search for them." With an excited look on his face, Talon left the bedroom and moved to thest room in the house¡­ His room.


    "I wonder if it''s still intact or not."


    As he was about to twist the handle, Talon suddenly heard noisesing from outside the house. Immediately, he stopped his movements as he turned around and spread his senses.


    ''There is someone outside. I can''t identify if it''s a dimension walker or a human¡­'' He identified the presence with ease as he started slowly moving to the exit. ''It''sing straight here.''


    Getting near the exit, he summoned one of the Aetherial des and got ready to engage in a fight.


    The steps of the unidentified individual grew closer and closer until they finally appeared through the door.


    At that moment, Talon made eye contact with that person and everything stopped.


    "... Dad?"


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 213 - 213- Hometown (Part 1)

    "Mmm¡­" Moaning under his breath, Talon slowly opened his eyes as he looked up dazedly. The sun''s rays prated through the curtains and hit him in the face, making him frown visibly before he wiped his eyes.


    "It''s already morning?" He murmured as he tried to rise up, only to realize that some kind of weight was pressing on him. Looking down, Talon was shocked to see Acrypha lying on top of him with her hand wrapped around his neck. Her eyes were closed as she breathed quietly and rhythmically.


    Her amazingly soft body pressed against him in many areas. Even in his numb state, Talon felt as if he was wrapped in a heavenly nket. Acrypha''s soft embrace was addicting, to say the least.


    "..."


    Talon silently looked at her, trying to understand what was happening. However, he quickly realized that he had apletely different problem to think about. Between his legs, something has awoken along with him. His eyes were slowly drawn to the twin peeks pressing against his chest carefreely. Their shape waspletely distorted under pressure and it made Talon sense far more than he could see.


    Feeling it poking Acrypha, Talon''s flinched before he quickly moved away.


    "Mmm¡­" That sudden movement made Acrypha slowly open her eyes.


    "Did you fall asleep?" Talon asked her as he put his hand over his groin to hide the weird feeling he had. ''That was so close, holy shit!''


    "... Yeah, I weirdly dozed off some time. I can''t remember." Acrypha slowly lifted her head up as she stared at Talon with a sleepy look. Seeing her mesmerizing beauty in such a defenseless state, with disheveled hair and disheveled clothes made Talon''s heart skip a beat.


    Something about the current Acrypha had apletely different charm than usual. He could see far more erotic details about her than before and it garnered a very strong reaction from him.


    Usually, Talon can somehow manage to deal with Acrypha''s charm with not much of a problem. However, at this moment, there was simply no way for him to handle it.


    So, to calm his boiling mind, he turned around and stood up. "Well, ehem, this is certainly a first. Didn''t you say that you don''t need sleep?"


    "I don''t. But, I felt like sleeping for the first time in a long while." She said as she blinked.


    ''I haven''t had the urge to sleep in decades¡­ This is certainly weird.'' She thought to herself.


    "How was it?" Talon asked curiously.


    "... Quite pleasant, actually."


    "Haha, it is! I don''t think I will ever stop sleeping even if I don''t need it anymore. It''s just the best."


    With that, Talon walked to the other side of the room where he entered a bathroom, and washed his face.


    *Knock* *Knock*


    A few minutester, the door knocked. "Hm? I wonder who is it?" Talon murmured as he opened the door.


    Outside, he found Hyun-Jae waiting. She had a subtly excited look on her face.


    "Good morning." She said in a slightly higher-pitched tone than usual.


    "Good morning¡­ What brought you here this early?" Talon asked as he let Hyun-Jae inside and closed the door.


    The girl walked inside looking around silently. She seemed quite curious as if she had never been inside this room before.


    ''Doesn''t her room like exactly like mine?'' Talon mused as he walked after her.


    "Just wanted to check on you¡­" She murmured a reply and turned around to look at Talon.


    "Oh, well, here I am." Talon shrugged. "Do you want coffee?" He asked as he moved toward the kitchen.


    "No, I''ve already had breakfast, thank you."


    "Ok¡­ One for me then."


    With that, Talon started preparing his breakfast as he hummed a random melody. Meanwhile, Hyun-Jae sat down on the chair as she watched him intently.


    "Hey." Eventually, she spoke.


    "Hm? What''s up?"


    "When are you going to leave the base?" She asked.


    "After breakfast. I don''t want to postpone it any longer." He replied.


    "Are you going to bring someone with you?"


    "No, my hometown isn''t that far away from here. I can reach it in less than an hour on foot." Talon shook his head as he poured the hot coffee into the cup and took a sip.


    Hyun-Jae''s expression shifted for a split second before she returned to normal. "So, I can''te with you?"


    "No, one of us gotta stay here. The trip won''t take that long."


    "..." She nodded her head. "I understand."


    "Is everything really ok, Hyun-Jae? You seem off." He said as he approached the table and sat down in front of her.


    "It''s noth- Sigh, well, it''s not nothing. I''m just a little bit worried about your parents, that''s all." She admitted with a sigh.


    "Oh, that''s it?"


    "Yeah, it has been almost two months and the world is just too dangerous. I can''t stop myself from worrying."


    Talon could feel the genuine feelings in her words at that moment and it made him smile warmly.


    ''She came all the way here to tell me that¡­ Sigh, she''s really something else¡­''


    He would be lying if he said that the level of care that Hyun-Jae was showing didn''t make him feel happy. Hyun-Jae saw him as someone she cherished and he did the same. It was rare toe across people who would truly love you for who you are without expecting anything in return.


    Hyun-Jae was one of those people and Talon appreciated that side of her more than she would imagine. That was why, when he ended up seeing her worry this much, he could only feel bad.


    "Don''t worry. I know my parents better than anyone else. They know how to survive better than I do and I learned everything from them. I''m not really worried myself." Talon replied in a calm tone.


    Hyun-Jae lifted her eyes to look at him for a moment silently. In her eyes, the only reflection that could be seen was that of the young man in front of her. Her eyes then slowly shifted down to his hands.


    What Talon didn''t realize at that moment was that his hands were subtly shaking. It wasn''t something easily noticeable but Hyun-Jae noticed it. A hint of understanding shed through her eyes before vanishing.


    "I understand. But, can I say one thing?"


    "...Of course." Talon smiled confusedly.


    ***


    *Two Hours Later*


    Talon notified everyone about his small trip. Naturally, many of them were worried about leaving the base alone. But, Talon didn''t want to hinder the progress of the work for this as he believed he was more than enough.


    He also had to somehow convince Sophie to stay since she was adamant about going with him. She was also worried about his parents since she had known them for years and even kept in contact with them throughout the years even when she and Talon weren''t together anymore.


    But, Talon was able to make her stay with the simple promise that he wouldn''t be taking more than a few hours at most. If he would bete, she was going to leave to search for him.


    With that, Talon bid them farewell and left the base through the gates. Then, he got in one of the cars he borrowed.


    Acrypha sat next to him in the passenger seat.


    "Do you know where to go?" She asked curiously.


    "Yeah, I know this area." Turning the car on, Talon drove it into the main street and continued moving south.


    "How is your hometown, by the way? You''ve never told me about it." On the road, Acrypha asked curiously.


    "Hmm¡­ My hometown? It''s pretty nice. We''re a very smallmunity. Everyone knows each other. I love how familiar it feels even when Ie back to visit every few months." Talon said as he reminisced about the past.


    He had many memories, good and bad in that town so it had a special ce in his heart. Everything about it felt like home. Especially the people that lived in it. Then, Talon remembered what kind of ce this world had turned into and his expression soured. As far as he knew, no one from his hometown came to the human society which put a bad omen on his mind.


    ''I wonder if anyone survived¡­'' He thought to himself.


    He knew that it was almost impossible for the entire town to survive the integration and that fact ached his heart greatly. But, he didn''t let himself think much about it. He simply hoped that many of them miraculously survived and were waiting for him there.


    Instinctively, Talon increased the speed of the car a little as it stormed through the highway, moving toward its destination. Time passed rather slowly as the duo talked about different topics to pass the time.


    Eventually, they passed next to a sign that said ''Wee to Yeongam''. The sign had been torn to pieces and yet still somehow didn''t fall to the ground.


    "Hmm, it''s getting a little cloudy," Talon murmured as he looked through the window.


    Naturally, Talon started decreasing the speed of the car as he saw the town in the distance. The all-too-familiar scene gave Talon a strong hit of nostalgia. The image of the town he grew up in ovepped with the present picture.


    However, that memory slowly vanished as Talon realized that his hometown waspletely wrecked. Apart from a few details that were left intact, the entire town had changedpletely. It was a ghost of its former shade.


    Reaching the entrance to the town, Talon opened the door as he left the car. His expression was stoic.


    "... I''m back¡­"


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading :D

 Chapter 214 - 214- Hometown (Part 2)

    Acrypha left the car too as she stared at the ruined town. Her expression was dark and she could only suck in a deep breath. Then, her eyes shifted to Talon only to realize that he had apletely emotionless look on her face.


    Staring deeply into his eyes, all she could see was an empty look. Even with how much she knew Talon, she could not read anything running through his head at that moment. But, she didn''t have to read him to know what he was going through at that moment.


    ''It must be tough on him¡­'' She thought to herself as she sighed.


    Seeing one''s entire childhood disappear in such a manner wasn''t easy at all. Even when Acrypha didn''t understand it, she knew that it was horrible.


    "Let''s go." At that point, Talon''s stoic voice snapped her out of her thoughts. Looking at him, he closed the door before he started walking into the town.


    Acrypha silently stared at his back before following him.


    The moment he stepped foot into it, Talon was met with a raw, close-up shot of the entire ce. If what he saw first was a ruined town, what he witnessed now was a brutally detailed apocalyptic town.


    The smaller details of the broken buildings, the stains of blood here and there, unknown whether it belonged to humans or to monsters, and the prominent smell of death that permeated the ce. It was a tragic sight. Looking around him, Talon could see several dimension walkers roaming the streets aimlessly.


    Their appearance was simr to one another so Talon couldn''t really recognize the people that turned into these monsters. However, he knew for certain that they were people he knew in the past. He could feel it.


    Stopping for a few seconds, Talon stared at the three dimensions walkers. Eventually, they noticed his presence and started approaching him.


    "..."


    A myriad of emotions shed across Talon''s eyes as he bit his lip and moved forward. Then, in a split second, he dashed through the monsters, pulling all of their cores out in a single swift motion.


    The three monsters dropped to the ground, dead. Talon slowly turned around and stared at the remains of the monsters before he closed his eyes.


    "You may rest now¡­" He murmured in a low tone before he put the cores down next to them.


    Acrypha watched the entire interaction from the side without uttering a word. She knew that this was Talon''s way of paying respect to the dead people. If anything, seeing this side of him made her feel his sadness even more.


    But, she still didn''t want to say anything. Talon didn''t need any words at that moment, he simply was going through that experience by his own choice.


    With that, Talon turned around and continued moving through the town, staring around silently. He seemedpletely lost in his own world for a while. That was until he stopped in front of a particr building¡­ Or at least, whatever was left of a building.


    "... This was the bakery I used to go to¡­" He said as he pointed at it. "They made the best cheese bread in the entire country." His tone was a little nostalgic and yet also filled with bitterness.


    "Oh¡­"


    "I used toe here, even when I didn''t have money on me. The olddy who ran it would always give me something for free. She was very nice." Talon could only smile softly as he recalled those memories.


    ''I used her kindness too much as a kid. Even though I apologized to her a few years ago, I still wished I could''ve repaid her kindness better.'' He thought to himself as he turned around. Thedy had died a year ago before the integration and the bakery closed for good due to it.


    Now, it was no longer there.


    "Let''s go¡­" He murmured under his breath. His tone sounded more like it was directed at himself rather than Acrypha.


    The two started walking again. For the next few minutes, Talon showed Acrypha around the ce, telling her about every single ce he could remember.


    Acrypha listened attentively to everything and made sure to remember it. Everything she heard was a peace of Talon''s childhood, something of great value to him. So, naturally, she wanted to put great value into it too as this period of time shaped the person standing in front of her.


    One after the other, she learned about Talon''s entire life. The school, the park, the small arcade, and the houses of his childhood friends. Slowly, a vivid image of what this entire town was like formed in her head.


    She didn''t need to see it to paint the life here and it only furtherplicated her feelings.


    "This must''ve been a great ce to grow up in." Shemented.


    "It was¡­ Now that I''m actually seeing it this way, I think I didn''t value it as much as I should''ve." Talon replied.


    He remembered all the times he could''ve gone back to his hometown every break from college. But, he decided to stay in Seoul just so that he could work and get more money for his parents. Now, he realized that what he did was perhaps a mistake.


    "One would only realize the value of something when they lose it. It would never be easy to lose something important no matter how much you take care of it." Acrypha replied as she put her hand on Talon''s shoulder. "We can only keep moving on, that''s how life works."


    Talon looked over his shoulder at the otherworldly beauty and pursed his lips with a nod. "Yes¡­ You''re right."


    Then, Talon turned around and pointed. "My house is two blocks away from here. Let''s go."


    With that, Talon hurried his steps as he moved toward his house. Now that he was at this point, his heart started racing as his anxiety grew. Would his house be there? Would he find his parents waiting for him inside? Was he right about not worrying about them too much?


    All kinds of questions popped into his head one after the other and only made his mind grow more restless.


    ''Please be there¡­ Please be there¡­'' He prayed in his head and took thest turn to the street where his house was.


    There, he halted down to a screech as he heaved up and down. His eyes were wide and his lips were parted open.


    There it was, in a corner of the street, a small, simple house could be seen. It didn''t stand out amongst the rest of the houses around it due to how small and in it looked. But, surprisingly, it was one of the few buildings that didn''tpletely turn into rubble. A part of the house waspletely destroyed, but the rest of it remained intact.


    "..." Seeing that ce, many feelings filled Talon''s heart as he started approaching it slowly. His heart rate was so high that it was booming in his ears.


    "Mom!! Dad!!" With a wavering voice, he called for them from outside as he pushed the outer gate and walked inside. "Mom! Dad!" He called again and received no answer.


    Feeling a bad omen, Talon approached the door to the house and opened it. The moment he pushed it open, the door fell to the ground.


    "..." Looking around him, Talon realized that from thest time he visited, the house had changed. Apart from the huge amounts of dust and debris that filled the entire ce, there wasn''t as much furniture around.


    "They aren''t here¡­" Murmuring to himself, Talon slowly walked inside, avoiding the debris.


    From what he could see of the condition of the house, it seemed nobody had lived here for a while. That made him suspect that they weren''t there. But, just in case, he decided to search the entire house. There were only three rooms anyway.


    Approaching the first one, he opened the door only to be met with an empty kitchen. No one was inside. All the utensils were also gone. That roused suspicion in Talon''s head.


    "... Did someone take them?"


    Walking around the ce, Talon made sure to check everywhere. Then, when he didn''t find what he was looking for, he left the kitchen and moved to the next room which was his parents'' bedroom.


    Just like the one before it, the entire room was empty. Many things were taken from it.


    "Oh¡­" As he moved around the room, Talon noticed a single detail. On the table near the bed, one item was missing.


    "The family picture¡­ it''s gone." He said as his eyes lit up with hope. "If it''s missing then that means my parents had probably taken it with them.


    Looking behind him at Acrypha, he smiled excitedly. "I knew it! They must''ve changed locations since the house was destroyed! They should be still in town, hopefully."


    Acrypha smiled slightly as she nodded her head.


    "Ok, let''s go. I need to check thest room and go out to search for them." With an excited look on his face, Talon left the bedroom and moved to thest room in the house¡­ His room.


    "I wonder if it''s still intact or not."


    As he was about to twist the handle, Talon suddenly heard noisesing from outside the house. Immediately, he stopped his movements as he turned around and spread his senses.


    ''There is someone outside. I can''t identify if it''s a dimension walker or a human¡­'' He identified the presence with ease as he started slowly moving to the exit. ''It''sing straight here.''


    Getting near the exit, he summoned one of the Aetherial des and got ready to engage in a fight.


    The steps of the unidentified individual grew closer and closer until they finally appeared through the door.


    At that moment, Talon made eye contact with that person and everything stopped.


    "... Dad?"


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 215: Chapter 215- Shattered (Part 1)

    Talon''s entire body froze in ce as he saw the man who walked into the house. He felt his breath halt for a moment.


    The man in front of him was rather tall, still slightly shorter than Talon with a lean body that seemed malnourished. He had noticeably long, messy blonde hair and green, baggy eyes that seemed like it didn''t see sleep in weeks. He had a long, unkept beard and a shabby appearance.


    Wearing a pair of sses, Talon could see that one of them was chipped at the corner. Even with hispletely different appearance, Talon didn''t even need a second to recognize who it was.


    The man quickly noticed Talon''s presence and looked at him, only to have the same reaction. His eyes flickered with countless emotions as he blinked in shock.


    "... T-Talon¡­ Is that you?" He uttered in a deep, wavering voice as he started rubbing his eyes. "Are my eyes tricking me?"


    "... Dad!!" Hearing that all-too-familiar voice, Talon''s face lit up instantly as he stood up and pulled the man into a tight hug. "I knew it!! I knew that you were going to be fine! I''m d¡­ I''m really d!!"


    The man took a few seconds to realize what happened before it changed. Tears formed in his eyes as he carefully touched Talon''s back. He almost seemed like he couldn''t believe that he was seeing what he was seeing.


    "Son¡­ *Hick*... You''re alive¡­?" He said between his sobs as he hugged Talon tightly.


    "I am, dad! I didn''t die!"


    Hearing those words, all of his emotions finally spilled out as he started crying. Talon smiled softly as he tapped his back.


    "I thought¡­ I lost you¡­ It''s¡­ a miracle¡­ Thank you, god¡­"


    "Haha, you''re underestimating me. I wouldn''t die that easily." Heughed. "Your son isn''t weak."


    Through his tears, Talon''s father replied. "I have given up¡­ I really have given up¡­ I was ready to simply die¡­"


    "I''m d you didn''t. I had done everything just so that I coulde back here. I trusted that you and Mom would survive and wait for me. I was right."


    "..." His father wentpletely silent as he instinctively grabbed Talon''s shirt tighter. The two hugged each other for a while before Talon finally pulled away and smiled. "Where is mom by the way? Did you guys move somewhere else after what happened?"


    "..." At that moment, Talon''s father averted his eyes as his expression grew darker. The sudden shift in his reaction made Talon even more confused.


    "Dad? Why are you silent?" He asked as his tone slowly changed. "Let''s go, I wanna see her."


    With light steps, Talon tried to move past his father. However, thetter lifted his hand and grabbed his shoulder.


    "Hm? Why are you grabbing my shoulder? Let''s go, she must be waiting." Talon spoke.


    "Son¡­ We are going nowhere¡­"


    "Why? Is she waiting outside? Did shee with you?"


    With each word his dad said, Talon kept asking questions. He didn''t realize that at some point, his happy smile had turned into a lost one. He was trying so hard to understand what was happening as if the bad feeling that took over his heart at that moment wasn''t there the entire time, ring at him.


    "She isn''t¡­ waiting for us¡­" Talon''s father clenched his fists tightly till his knuckles witened. The tears in his eyes continued rolling down his face.


    "... Dad¡­ W-What the hell are you talking about? You''re talking in puzzles." Talon''s face slowly broke down as he grabbed his dad''s arm.


    However, the more he urged him to speak, the more the man''s mouth froze, unable to utter those words. His eyes stared into his son''s face, only to realize that he was still in denial. He knew that his son wasn''t stupid enough not to understand those words. Instead, his mind was denying them all.


    That fact alone tore his heart to pieces and made him feel like he was suffocating. In the end, he couldn''t keep his son in denial, it simply was too much for him to see him like that.


    "She''s dead." He spoke as he stared directly into his eyes.


    Talon: "..."


    Talon didn''t react to those words for a good 10 seconds. His mind got stuck on a loop as if it refused to think. But, eventually, those two words reached him and echoed in his head.


    "... Huh¡­?" He whispered in an almost inaudible voice.


    "*Sniff*... She''s dead." He repeated.


    With apletely frozen expression, Talon stared silently at his dad. No words could describe what he felt at that moment. It waspletely inexplicable. Nothing he had lived through before felt like it and for some reason, Talon knew for certain that nothing would feel like it in the future too.


    Before he could even realize it, Talon''s entire world cked out as he found himself on the ground, on both knees. He could hear echoes of noises in his ears but he couldn''t see or hear anything. It was as if in a moment, he was transported to a different, far darker world than the one he was in before.


    ''Dead¡­? That can''t be right. Did Dad make a mistake saying a different word? Maybe this is a small joke they made to get a reaction out of me. Yeah, that makes sense.'' His mind spoke a thousand words for him to convince him of anything other than what he heard.


    Yet, for some reason, the more he tried to convince himself, the more he felt that suffocating pain in his chest grows. He didn''t shed a tear and didn''t react, yet¡­ He felt like nothing is the same anymore.


    *BADUM* *BADUM*


    His heart beat louder than ever, yet he couldn''t feel it. His mouth opened to speak yet no words came out.


    "Son!! Talon!!" Meanwhile, when he saw his son fall to the ground with a nk expression, Talon''s dad rushed to him and grabbed his shoulders. Shaking him gently, he didn''t get a reaction.


    "... When?" At that moment, he heard his son''s emotionless voice speak. It sounded calm¡­ Awfully calm. However, it was far from assuring. In such a situation, that calm voice was the worst thing his dad could''ve heard.


    Even Acrypha who was watching the entire reaction waspletely shell-shocked. Lifting her hand gently, she put it over her mouth.


    "... Two weeks¡­" With no other choice, Talon''s dad replied as he sobbed silently.


    ''Two weeks¡­ Two weeks¡­ The 15th of september¡­ I wasn''t even close¡­''


    "It''s all my mistake! I couldn''t protect her! She died because of me!" Talon''s dad yelled as he tried to hold his son''s face, only for thetter to suddenly stop him. The entire time, his expression didn''t change at all.


    Then, he silently stood up and turned around as he walked out of the house silently, ignoring his dad''s cries.


    The cloudy weather turned even gloomier as droplets of rain started falling to the ground. Walking a little bit away from the house, he stood silently as he looked up at the sky. The entire time, his world lookedpletely dark. He didn''t understand nor think¡­ Hell, he couldn''t even feel.


    He was a shell... An empty, hollow shell. Not even the water falling on his face reached his senses.


    *Drip* *Drip* *Drip*


    As he stood there, Acrypha followed him outside. Her expression was the worst it had ever been. She wanted to say something, do something¡­ Anything that might help¡­ Or change things¡­


    But, there was nothing she could do. Then, her eyes were drawn to Talon who had moved again. Lifting his hand slowly, he tightened his grip into a fist before¡­


    *Swish* *BANG*


    He punched his face with all his strength. The hit was so powerful that it made him sway. But, he regained his bnce as he lifted his other hand and punched himself again. Then, he repeated that again with no hesitation. Blood sttered out of his mouth with each punch. He kept increasing the strength he put in every punch as if he was trying to kill himself.


    "Talon!! Stop!!" Seeing that, Acrypha quickly flew toward him and grabbed his arms. Thetter tried to yank them off, only for her to tighten her grip. Talon kept resisting but was easily overpowered by her.


    "Let me go¡­" He said as he red at her strongly. His empty eyes carried nothing within them.


    However, Acrypha ignored him as she moved his hands away and hugged him. "Please¡­ Stop¡­" She said in a begging tone.


    Luckily, those words seemed to reach his numb mind and made him halt his resistance. He didn''t realize that only Acrypha''s voice would''ve reached him at that moment. Pursing his lips shakingly, he spoke.


    "... Why can''t I feel anything¡­? Hey, Acrypha¡­ Tell me¡­ I want to feel something¡­ Why does it not hurt? I have punched myself¡­ Why is it not working?"


    "Talon¡­" Acrypah''s grip on his back tightened as she closed her eyes. She couldn''t describe what she felt at that moment. Even as she hugged him as hard as she could, it still didn''t feel enough.


    "I''m sorry. I''m really sorry."


    All she could do was to apologize. She knew that it was nothing, but that was all she could say.


    "Am I not supposed to cry right now? That''s the normal reaction, right? Tell me, Acrypha. You always know better, just tell me something."


    But, the girl had no response. She could never find a response to these words. Talon waspletely lost and hopeless.


    Something inside him had just shattered.


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 216: Chapter 216- Shattered (Part 2)

    Talon''s dad rushed outside after his son. When he saw him standing alone in the rain he halted as he stared at him. His face was a total mess of tears and snot. His naturally soft looks were turned into a dark, gloominess that loomed over him.


    Seeing his son in that state pained his heart greatly. If there was someone who knew Talon the best, it was him. He knew how much his son loved his mother. Even when he was still a toddler, he looked up to her way more than he did for him. She was his hero and his best friend.


    Losing her, in such a manner¡­ How could he handle that loss? Especially when he couldn''t even say goodbye.


    The more he thought about it, the more suffocated he felt. At this point, he couldn''t even look at himself the same anymore. He had failed, as a father, as a husband, and as a human being. He failed to protect the sole thing he cherished in this world... Again.


    "I failed you¡­" He murmured.


    His words made Talon turn around as he stared at him silently. His face waspletely unreadable.


    "If I was a little stronger¡­ If I was better. If I could fight those monsters¡­ She would''ve not died!" Holding his face, the man fell to the ground. "But, I ended up being the one to be saved by her. She threw her life away just so that I could live. I failed you and I failed your mother!!" Speaking through his sobs, Talon''s dad put his hand on the ground as he dug into the dirt with all his strength.


    He wanted to feel anything that could release all the frustration, anger, hatred, and negative thoughts. But, that was nowhere near enough. All it did was simply give him more pain on top of the pain he was feeling at that moment.


    Staring at his crying father, Talon didn''t respond immediately as he pursed his lips. The corners of his mouth wavered for a split before he returned to how he was before.


    "... What happened exactly? How did it happen?" He eventually opened his mouth and asked.


    Talon''s dad lifted his head up as he let the rain wash his face. Just recalling the memory of that day gave him the urge to vomit right there and then. He didn''t have a wink of sleep in the past two weeks as his guilt and sorrows refused to leave him.


    It became his curse that he carried every single day and night that he spent after that¡­ Alone, in a deste town where nobody survived except for him. He lived every day with the notion that he had lost his dear wife and son and he couldn''t do anything about it.


    The only thing that stopped him from ending it all at that moment was the small chance¡­ That very small possibility that his son was still out there, alive. He didn''t want to cowardly kill himself and leave his son like that.


    "*Sniff*... After what happened¡­ Me and your mother¡­ We escaped the house and took refuge in the small library north of here. Things quickly got out of hand in the town and we saw people dying everywhere. We tried to help anyone, but, we were powerless. So, all we could do was to take that ce as a shelter.


    We couldn''t fight them so all we could do was sneak out and get any supplies we could find." He said in a quiet tone.


    "..."


    "We somehow were able to survive for a while. We werepletely stuck there, surrounded by monsters. We stayed there for weeks. But, we knew that we couldn''t just live there forever. The monsters were bound to find us and kill us at some point. So, we decided to leave the town.


    We wanted to go to Seoul to search for you¡­" A self-deprecating smile appeared on his face as he spoke about what happened. He almost wanted to p his face for how naive he was.


    "But, before we could leave, we decided to make onest visit to our old house to get all the stuff we couldn''t get before. Your mother was especially worried about losing our family photo. So, we went there to get it and leave. But, for all the luck we have in the world, we found one of those things inside the house¡­ We didn''t realize it was there till we entered your room."


    Clenching his teeth, he sucked in a deep breath to try and stop himself from crying. "It attacked me and I ended up falling to the ground. I didn''t even realize what happened till I saw your mother suddenly grab it and pull it back. The monster fell on her and then¡­ And then¡­ It wed her¡­"


    Those few words made Talon shudder visibly as he stared at his father silently.


    "I tried to pull it away. But, everything was over by that time¡­ I couldn''t do anything. Your mother didn''t stop there. She then grabbed the monster and dragged it inside your room before locking the door. Thest thing I saw of her was a smile before the door closed."


    Talon: "..."


    Blinking silently, Talon took a few moments to take all of that in. His mind felt clearer than ever for some reason so it didn''t take him long to realize what his dad was implying.


    "Dad¡­ Don''t tell me."


    Hearing that realization in his tone, the man looked down.


    Talon''s eyes widened as he slowly looked up right at his house. "She''s still in there?"


    His father bit his lower lip as he averted his eyes. "I have tried to put an end to her misery¡­ I came here every day to try and do it¡­ But, I couldn''t¡­ For the love of god, I couldn''t bring myself to do it¡­" Tears rolled down his face as he admitted. "I couldn''t kill my own wife with my hands! I''m a coward!!"


    At that point, Talon finally clicked everything together. He understood why his father came to the house. He also understood many items were missing. It all made sense.


    But, even when it did, it only drowned Talon''s heart in more echoeless darkness. To realize that his own mother had turned into a Dimension Walker, lurking in his room with the thing that killed her.


    Even when he was feeling like his heart wasn''t reacting anymore, it hit him hard.


    ''This is too much¡­ Why is this happening?!'' Meanwhile, Acrypha was on the verge of losing it. The news of her death was already horrible enough to break Talon. Yet, he now had to deal with his mother, in the form of an emotionless monster. ''Why does he have to go through this, goddamit!!!''


    She cursed in her head as she stared at the sky with a strong re. Her eyes changed in a split second to those of a lizard as she red at the giant floating gate with endless anger and hatred. If it wasn''t for herst thread of sanity stopping her, her aura would''ve exploded, spilling disaster on everything.


    ''It''s you¡­ I know it''s you!! You have done this. For what twisted reason are you targeting him? What is your goal?'' As she spoke to that gate through her mind, she could almost see it pulse in response, mocking her. ''You will regret it. I take an oath on my bloodline that you will regret it.


    I will make sure you do.''


    Meanwhile, Talon, unaware of the horrifying oath Acrypha took on herself, he started walking slowly back toward the house.


    "S-Son?" His father noticed his odd behavior as he tried to call his name. But, the young man ignored him and continued marching inside the house in a steady yet oddly slow manner.


    In Talon''s mind, only one thing existed. A single door at the other side of the house was left unopened.


    His cold heart was now even colder as an almost numb sensation took over his body. A part of him didn''t want to approach that door and another was urging him to do that.


    "Son!" His father rushed after him. "You don''t have to do this¡­ Please, just stop for a second."


    However, he waspletely ignored. Talon didn''t even hear him as he got closer to the door. Then, when he stopped in front of it, he stared at the doorknob.


    *BADUM* *BADUM*


    His eyes intently focused on it, to a terrifying degree. The sound of his heart was loud in his ears.


    Unbeknownst to him, at that moment, his usually blue eyes were shining with a mysterious light.


    That light was brighter than ever and yet he didn''t notice its presence at all.


    Then, he put his hand on the knob and twisted it.


    *CLICK*


    The sound of the screeching door echoed in the house as it parted open.


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 215 - 215- Shattered (Part 1)

    Talon''s entire body froze in ce as he saw the man who walked into the house. He felt his breath halt for a moment.


    The man in front of him was rather tall, still slightly shorter than Talon with a lean body that seemed malnourished. He had noticeably long, messy blonde hair and green, baggy eyes that seemed like it didn''t see sleep in weeks. He had a long, unkept beard and a shabby appearance.


    Wearing a pair of sses, Talon could see that one of them was chipped at the corner. Even with hispletely different appearance, Talon didn''t even need a second to recognize who it was.


    The man quickly noticed Talon''s presence and looked at him, only to have the same reaction. His eyes flickered with countless emotions as he blinked in shock.


    "... T-Talon¡­ Is that you?" He uttered in a deep, wavering voice as he started rubbing his eyes. "Are my eyes tricking me?"


    "... Dad!!" Hearing that all-too-familiar voice, Talon''s face lit up instantly as he stood up and pulled the man into a tight hug. "I knew it!! I knew that you were going to be fine! I''m d¡­ I''m really d!!"


    The man took a few seconds to realize what happened before it changed. Tears formed in his eyes as he carefully touched Talon''s back. He almost seemed like he couldn''t believe that he was seeing what he was seeing.


    "Son¡­ *Hick*... You''re alive¡­?" He said between his sobs as he hugged Talon tightly.


    "I am, dad! I didn''t die!"


    Hearing those words, all of his emotions finally spilled out as he started crying. Talon smiled softly as he tapped his back.


    "I thought¡­ I lost you¡­ It''s¡­ a miracle¡­ Thank you, god¡­"


    "Haha, you''re underestimating me. I wouldn''t die that easily." Heughed. "Your son isn''t weak."


    Through his tears, Talon''s father replied. "I have given up¡­ I really have given up¡­ I was ready to simply die¡­"


    "I''m d you didn''t. I had done everything just so that I coulde back here. I trusted that you and Mom would survive and wait for me. I was right."


    "..." His father wentpletely silent as he instinctively grabbed Talon''s shirt tighter. The two hugged each other for a while before Talon finally pulled away and smiled. "Where is mom by the way? Did you guys move somewhere else after what happened?"


    "..." At that moment, Talon''s father averted his eyes as his expression grew darker. The sudden shift in his reaction made Talon even more confused.


    "Dad? Why are you silent?" He asked as his tone slowly changed. "Let''s go, I wanna see her."


    With light steps, Talon tried to move past his father. However, thetter lifted his hand and grabbed his shoulder.


    "Hm? Why are you grabbing my shoulder? Let''s go, she must be waiting." Talon spoke.


    "Son¡­ We are going nowhere¡­"


    "Why? Is she waiting outside? Did shee with you?"


    With each word his dad said, Talon kept asking questions. He didn''t realize that at some point, his happy smile had turned into a lost one. He was trying so hard to understand what was happening as if the bad feeling that took over his heart at that moment wasn''t there the entire time, ring at him.


    "She isn''t¡­ waiting for us¡­" Talon''s father clenched his fists tightly till his knuckles witened. The tears in his eyes continued rolling down his face.


    "... Dad¡­ W-What the hell are you talking about? You''re talking in puzzles." Talon''s face slowly broke down as he grabbed his dad''s arm.


    However, the more he urged him to speak, the more the man''s mouth froze, unable to utter those words. His eyes stared into his son''s face, only to realize that he was still in denial. He knew that his son wasn''t stupid enough not to understand those words. Instead, his mind was denying them all.


    That fact alone tore his heart to pieces and made him feel like he was suffocating. In the end, he couldn''t keep his son in denial, it simply was too much for him to see him like that.


    "She''s dead." He spoke as he stared directly into his eyes.


    Talon: "..."


    Talon didn''t react to those words for a good 10 seconds. His mind got stuck on a loop as if it refused to think. But, eventually, those two words reached him and echoed in his head.


    "... Huh¡­?" He whispered in an almost inaudible voice.


    "*Sniff*... She''s dead." He repeated.


    With apletely frozen expression, Talon stared silently at his dad. No words could describe what he felt at that moment. It waspletely inexplicable. Nothing he had lived through before felt like it and for some reason, Talon knew for certain that nothing would feel like it in the future too.


    Before he could even realize it, Talon''s entire world cked out as he found himself on the ground, on both knees. He could hear echoes of noises in his ears but he couldn''t see or hear anything. It was as if in a moment, he was transported to a different, far darker world than the one he was in before.


    ''Dead¡­? That can''t be right. Did Dad make a mistake saying a different word? Maybe this is a small joke they made to get a reaction out of me. Yeah, that makes sense.'' His mind spoke a thousand words for him to convince him of anything other than what he heard.


    Yet, for some reason, the more he tried to convince himself, the more he felt that suffocating pain in his chest grows. He didn''t shed a tear and didn''t react, yet¡­ He felt like nothing is the same anymore.


    *BADUM* *BADUM*


    His heart beat louder than ever, yet he couldn''t feel it. His mouth opened to speak yet no words came out.


    "Son!! Talon!!" Meanwhile, when he saw his son fall to the ground with a nk expression, Talon''s dad rushed to him and grabbed his shoulders. Shaking him gently, he didn''t get a reaction.


    "... When?" At that moment, he heard his son''s emotionless voice speak. It sounded calm¡­ Awfully calm. However, it was far from assuring. In such a situation, that calm voice was the worst thing his dad could''ve heard.


    Even Acrypha who was watching the entire reaction waspletely shell-shocked. Lifting her hand gently, she put it over her mouth.


    "... Two weeks¡­" With no other choice, Talon''s dad replied as he sobbed silently.


    ''Two weeks¡­ Two weeks¡­ The 15th of september¡­ I wasn''t even close¡­''


    "It''s all my mistake! I couldn''t protect her! She died because of me!" Talon''s dad yelled as he tried to hold his son''s face, only for thetter to suddenly stop him. The entire time, his expression didn''t change at all.


    Then, he silently stood up and turned around as he walked out of the house silently, ignoring his dad''s cries.


    The cloudy weather turned even gloomier as droplets of rain started falling to the ground. Walking a little bit away from the house, he stood silently as he looked up at the sky. The entire time, his world lookedpletely dark. He didn''t understand nor think¡­ Hell, he couldn''t even feel.


    He was a shell... An empty, hollow shell. Not even the water falling on his face reached his senses.


    *Drip* *Drip* *Drip*


    As he stood there, Acrypha followed him outside. Her expression was the worst it had ever been. She wanted to say something, do something¡­ Anything that might help¡­ Or change things¡­


    But, there was nothing she could do. Then, her eyes were drawn to Talon who had moved again. Lifting his hand slowly, he tightened his grip into a fist before¡­


    *Swish* *BANG*


    He punched his face with all his strength. The hit was so powerful that it made him sway. But, he regained his bnce as he lifted his other hand and punched himself again. Then, he repeated that again with no hesitation. Blood sttered out of his mouth with each punch. He kept increasing the strength he put in every punch as if he was trying to kill himself.


    "Talon!! Stop!!" Seeing that, Acrypha quickly flew toward him and grabbed his arms. Thetter tried to yank them off, only for her to tighten her grip. Talon kept resisting but was easily overpowered by her.


    "Let me go¡­" He said as he red at her strongly. His empty eyes carried nothing within them.


    However, Acrypha ignored him as she moved his hands away and hugged him. "Please¡­ Stop¡­" She said in a begging tone.


    Luckily, those words seemed to reach his numb mind and made him halt his resistance. He didn''t realize that only Acrypha''s voice would''ve reached him at that moment. Pursing his lips shakingly, he spoke.


    "... Why can''t I feel anything¡­? Hey, Acrypha¡­ Tell me¡­ I want to feel something¡­ Why does it not hurt? I have punched myself¡­ Why is it not working?"


    "Talon¡­" Acrypah''s grip on his back tightened as she closed her eyes. She couldn''t describe what she felt at that moment. Even as she hugged him as hard as she could, it still didn''t feel enough.


    "I''m sorry. I''m really sorry."


    All she could do was to apologize. She knew that it was nothing, but that was all she could say.


    "Am I not supposed to cry right now? That''s the normal reaction, right? Tell me, Acrypha. You always know better, just tell me something."


    But, the girl had no response. She could never find a response to these words. Talon waspletely lost and hopeless.


    Something inside him had just shattered.


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 216 - 216- Shattered (Part 2)

    Talon''s dad rushed outside after his son. When he saw him standing alone in the rain he halted as he stared at him. His face was a total mess of tears and snot. His naturally soft looks were turned into a dark, gloominess that loomed over him.


    Seeing his son in that state pained his heart greatly. If there was someone who knew Talon the best, it was him. He knew how much his son loved his mother. Even when he was still a toddler, he looked up to her way more than he did for him. She was his hero and his best friend.


    Losing her, in such a manner¡­ How could he handle that loss? Especially when he couldn''t even say goodbye.


    The more he thought about it, the more suffocated he felt. At this point, he couldn''t even look at himself the same anymore. He had failed, as a father, as a husband, and as a human being. He failed to protect the sole thing he cherished in this world... Again.


    "I failed you¡­" He murmured.


    His words made Talon turn around as he stared at him silently. His face waspletely unreadable.


    "If I was a little stronger¡­ If I was better. If I could fight those monsters¡­ She would''ve not died!" Holding his face, the man fell to the ground. "But, I ended up being the one to be saved by her. She threw her life away just so that I could live. I failed you and I failed your mother!!" Speaking through his sobs, Talon''s dad put his hand on the ground as he dug into the dirt with all his strength.


    He wanted to feel anything that could release all the frustration, anger, hatred, and negative thoughts. But, that was nowhere near enough. All it did was simply give him more pain on top of the pain he was feeling at that moment.


    Staring at his crying father, Talon didn''t respond immediately as he pursed his lips. The corners of his mouth wavered for a split before he returned to how he was before.


    "... What happened exactly? How did it happen?" He eventually opened his mouth and asked.


    Talon''s dad lifted his head up as he let the rain wash his face. Just recalling the memory of that day gave him the urge to vomit right there and then. He didn''t have a wink of sleep in the past two weeks as his guilt and sorrows refused to leave him.


    It became his curse that he carried every single day and night that he spent after that¡­ Alone, in a deste town where nobody survived except for him. He lived every day with the notion that he had lost his dear wife and son and he couldn''t do anything about it.


    The only thing that stopped him from ending it all at that moment was the small chance¡­ That very small possibility that his son was still out there, alive. He didn''t want to cowardly kill himself and leave his son like that.


    "*Sniff*... After what happened¡­ Me and your mother¡­ We escaped the house and took refuge in the small library north of here. Things quickly got out of hand in the town and we saw people dying everywhere. We tried to help anyone, but, we were powerless. So, all we could do was to take that ce as a shelter.


    We couldn''t fight them so all we could do was sneak out and get any supplies we could find." He said in a quiet tone.


    "..."


    "We somehow were able to survive for a while. We werepletely stuck there, surrounded by monsters. We stayed there for weeks. But, we knew that we couldn''t just live there forever. The monsters were bound to find us and kill us at some point. So, we decided to leave the town.


    We wanted to go to Seoul to search for you¡­" A self-deprecating smile appeared on his face as he spoke about what happened. He almost wanted to p his face for how naive he was.


    "But, before we could leave, we decided to make onest visit to our old house to get all the stuff we couldn''t get before. Your mother was especially worried about losing our family photo. So, we went there to get it and leave. But, for all the luck we have in the world, we found one of those things inside the house¡­ We didn''t realize it was there till we entered your room."


    Clenching his teeth, he sucked in a deep breath to try and stop himself from crying. "It attacked me and I ended up falling to the ground. I didn''t even realize what happened till I saw your mother suddenly grab it and pull it back. The monster fell on her and then¡­ And then¡­ It wed her¡­"


    Those few words made Talon shudder visibly as he stared at his father silently.


    "I tried to pull it away. But, everything was over by that time¡­ I couldn''t do anything. Your mother didn''t stop there. She then grabbed the monster and dragged it inside your room before locking the door. Thest thing I saw of her was a smile before the door closed."


    Talon: "..."


    Blinking silently, Talon took a few moments to take all of that in. His mind felt clearer than ever for some reason so it didn''t take him long to realize what his dad was implying.


    "Dad¡­ Don''t tell me."


    Hearing that realization in his tone, the man looked down.


    Talon''s eyes widened as he slowly looked up right at his house. "She''s still in there?"


    His father bit his lower lip as he averted his eyes. "I have tried to put an end to her misery¡­ I came here every day to try and do it¡­ But, I couldn''t¡­ For the love of god, I couldn''t bring myself to do it¡­" Tears rolled down his face as he admitted. "I couldn''t kill my own wife with my hands! I''m a coward!!"


    At that point, Talon finally clicked everything together. He understood why his father came to the house. He also understood many items were missing. It all made sense.


    But, even when it did, it only drowned Talon''s heart in more echoeless darkness. To realize that his own mother had turned into a Dimension Walker, lurking in his room with the thing that killed her.


    Even when he was feeling like his heart wasn''t reacting anymore, it hit him hard.


    ''This is too much¡­ Why is this happening?!'' Meanwhile, Acrypha was on the verge of losing it. The news of her death was already horrible enough to break Talon. Yet, he now had to deal with his mother, in the form of an emotionless monster. ''Why does he have to go through this, goddamit!!!''


    She cursed in her head as she stared at the sky with a strong re. Her eyes changed in a split second to those of a lizard as she red at the giant floating gate with endless anger and hatred. If it wasn''t for herst thread of sanity stopping her, her aura would''ve exploded, spilling disaster on everything.


    ''It''s you¡­ I know it''s you!! You have done this. For what twisted reason are you targeting him? What is your goal?'' As she spoke to that gate through her mind, she could almost see it pulse in response, mocking her. ''You will regret it. I take an oath on my bloodline that you will regret it.


    I will make sure you do.''


    Meanwhile, Talon, unaware of the horrifying oath Acrypha took on herself, he started walking slowly back toward the house.


    "S-Son?" His father noticed his odd behavior as he tried to call his name. But, the young man ignored him and continued marching inside the house in a steady yet oddly slow manner.


    In Talon''s mind, only one thing existed. A single door at the other side of the house was left unopened.


    His cold heart was now even colder as an almost numb sensation took over his body. A part of him didn''t want to approach that door and another was urging him to do that.


    "Son!" His father rushed after him. "You don''t have to do this¡­ Please, just stop for a second."


    However, he waspletely ignored. Talon didn''t even hear him as he got closer to the door. Then, when he stopped in front of it, he stared at the doorknob.


    *BADUM* *BADUM*


    His eyes intently focused on it, to a terrifying degree. The sound of his heart was loud in his ears.


    Unbeknownst to him, at that moment, his usually blue eyes were shining with a mysterious light.


    That light was brighter than ever and yet he didn''t notice its presence at all.


    Then, he put his hand on the knob and twisted it.


    *CLICK*


    The sound of the screeching door echoed in the house as it parted open.


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 217: Chapter 217- Shattered (Part 3)

    As the door slowly moved, it revealed to Talon the other side of the room. The all-too-familiar room he grew up in was there, almost as he left it before. Granted, most of it was destroyed after everything that happened, but that didn''t change the core details of it.


    Talon would easily recognize this room out of a thousand even in its current state. His eyes wandered around the ce till they fell on them. Two Dimension Walkers were roaming the room aimlessly like puppets.


    Seeing them, Talon felt his heart stop for a moment. His lips started shaking as his expression subtly shifted. He felt intense, suffocating emotions fill his head.


    The monsters noticed his presence as they turned around and stared at him. However, Talon didn''t seem bothered that they noticed him and instead slowly crouched down as he put his hand on his mouth. Then, he slowly gripped his face with considerable strength as he felt himself on the verge of losing it.


    Meanwhile, the monsters started approaching him. Their intent was very clear. Yet, that didn''t make Talon move as he kept looking down with dazed eyes. He seemed confused, lost, and perhaps even shocked.


    "Son!" His father saw that and tried to pull him back. However, at that moment, Talon slowly stood up as he looked at the monsters. At this point, they were already within range to attack him.


    "Talon!!" His father felt his heart almost stop at that moment as he watched the monsters attack.


    However, Talon suddenly vanished like a ghost.


    *Swish* *BOOOOOOM*


    When he appeared again, he had one of the dimension walkers held by the face as he smashed him into the wall violently. The monster''s head burst open with ease and its core was destroyed. But, Talon didn''t stop there as he suddenly grabbed the monster''s arm and then threw it to the other side of the room using way too much force.


    The monster''s body smashed against the wall violently, destroying itpletely. Talon then rushed toward it as he jumped on top of it. Then, with a single pull, he detached its arm from its body. He did the same for the rest of its limbs.


    Acrypha and his father watched the scene in speechless shock. Neither of them could understand what just happened. But, the first to snap out of it was Acrypha who flew toward him.


    The young man continued assaulting the monster''s body again with punches as he stared down at it coldly. His face lost all its previous light as he rained down on it with a beating.


    "It''s already dead, Talon." She tried to stop him. But, Talon didn''t listen.


    The monster''s body waspletely wrecked by that point. Talonpletely destroyed it to pieces. By the time he had a ck, gooey mess on his hand, he stopped and heaved up and down.


    Then, he stood up and stared at his hands. Then, as if he realized what he had done, he quickly shook them to get rid of the residue and turned around. There, only one monster was left and it was already rushing toward him.


    However, unlike the first one, Talon didn''t immediately attack it. Instead, he stepped back and let it move past him.


    The monster fell to the ground and tried to stand up again. Meanwhile, Talon kept staring at it silently. His dead cold eyes shed with a myriad of emotions, many of which were iprehensible. His teeth dug into his lower lip till blood seeped out of them.


    When the monster was about to move, Talon suddenly moved forward and tackled the monster before he locked its arms down. Then, he stared at the monster from up close as if he wanted to verify something. That''s when his eyes widened in shock.


    "Why¡­?" He murmured in a weak voice. His hands were continuously shaking as if they had a mind of their own. "Why¡­?" He asked again. He was inplete disbelief of something. A shocking realization that took his mind by storm.


    "Son¡­" His father quickly approached him when he noticed that odd behavior.


    "Why¡­? Dad¡­?" Turning around, Talon stared at his father with a lost look. "Why do I know?"


    "... What are you talking about?"


    Looking down, Talon stared at the resisting monster with hurt eyes. "Why do I know that this is her?"


    "..." His father was renderedpletely speechless when he heard that. For a few seconds, he didn''t believe what he heard. "Y-You know?"


    "This is mom¡­ I know it for certain¡­"


    With a shocked expression, the man slowly looked down at the Dimension Walker. Inspecting it with his eyes, he couldn''t see any difference between it and the other one. The two looked exactly the same down to the minor details.


    Every Dimension Walker looked the same, it was one of their most prominent features. So, the fact that his son recognized that this was his mother out of the two didn''t make sense. He had no way of knowing, or that was at least what he knew.


    "How do you recognize her?"


    "I don''t know. I can feel it. I don''t know how, but I can feel it." Talon replied.


    ''All my senses are telling me that this is her¡­ It can''t be a mistake.'' Talon frowned.


    When he entered the room, he thought he was ready to kill the two monsters, just so that he could put an end to his mom''s suffering. He thought that if he didn''t know which one of the two was his mom, it would make it easier to do this.


    Yet, in an unexpected manner, he recognized his mother the moment his eyes fell on her. He didn''t even think about it twice¡­ As if what he was staring at was the real image of her, standing there, smiling warmly at him as she always did.


    Yet, every time he blinked as he stared down, that beautiful image would get twisted, distorted, and destroyed before it merged into a shapeless mess. The mess of a monster that was pinned under him.


    Staring at it, Talon could only curse everything that made him end up in such a situation.


    "Mom¡­" He murmured in a soft tone as he stared down at her. "Can you still recognize me?"


    The monster continued tossing and turning as it tried to break free. But, even without trying, Talon was able topletely restrain it.


    "It''s me, Talon. I came back, Mom. Did you miss me?" He said. "I''ve missed you¡­ a lot. Sorry, I couldn''te back during the break. I had to work.


    You''ve told me that I should take care of myself and not overwork. But, I didn''t follow that advice well enough. I''ve tried to use every hour of my day to work. I''ve wanted to give you a better future than the one we had to live through. I wanted to be a neurosurgeon and achieve your dream."


    "..." The monster didn''t react to a single word he said as if it didn''t hear him.


    "Now that I think about it if I actually listened to you and came back during the break. Things could''ve changed. I could''ve changed everything. But, all I did was focus on work and college instead of you. I have done the thing that I didn''t want to do the most."


    Talon realized that he, who thought that he valued his family more than anything, was the one to disregard it when it mattered.


    "If I knew how stupid I was¡­ If I just listened." As he spoke, Talon''s head slumped down. "I''m sorry¡­ for everything. I''m sorry for noting back soon enough."


    Even as he apologized, Talon only felt worse with each passing second. He knew that nothing he did at that moment would change what happened. He had lost one of the most important people in his life. The person that has been his safe ce from the cruel world. He had lost one of the reasons why he even worked hard in the first ce.


    A good chunk of his purpose in life was thrown out of the window.


    Acrypha watched from the side as she cried silently. She couldn''t bear to see such a scene and yet couldn''t pull her eyes away.


    "I''m really sorry."


    "It''s not your fault! If there is one person that should apologize, it''s me!" His father interjected.


    "Dad?" Talon looked up at his father.


    "I failed you both!" Grabbing his clothes, he yelled. "I have lived because you sacrificed your life instead of mine."


    As he said those words, he remembered thest words he heard from his beloved wife. Right before she closed the door, he heard one sentence.


    "I love you both¡­ So much." With a warm smile, she left that as thest memory he had of her. As much as he cherished it, it was also the source of his greatest pain.


    He wanted to hear those words again from her. He wanted to hug her again and apologize till he couldn''t talk anymore. He wanted to apologize for all the mistakes he made in their lives. The hardships he put the family through chasing his fleeting dream of a sessful career writing books.


    But, even then, he didn''t wish that he would''ve died instead of her. Simply because he knew that it was akin to insulting her sacrifice. She had decided to put his life before hers without hesitation.


    She had chosen him, even in death.


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 218: Chapter 218- A Letter For The Future

    Talon stared at his dad with slightly widened eyes. He didn''t know why, but seeing his father crying and ming himself in such a manner hit him hard.


    His entire life, he knew his father to be a strong, energetic, and optimistic person who always looked at life in a positive manner. Even in the darkest moments, he would never bend or break. Life wasn''t particrly kind to him and yet it never seeded in changing his nature.


    Yet, that same man was now on the ground, apologizing profusely. All of his normal mour and positivity was gone as if it was never there in the first ce.


    Realization hit him hard at that moment. His father hadpletely taken the me for what happened. He continuously told himself that he was the problem and the reason for their family''s bad luck and the ultimate disaster that befell them.


    Then, it hit him again. If his father had reached such a state, it meant that he was on the verge of self-destruction. Heavy guilt and endless grief were a quick recipe for demise.


    At that very moment, it got to him that he was on the way to losing his father too. Perhaps it might not be through death. But, if Talon lets him on his own, he will never be the same father he looked up to and respected his entire life.


    ''I can''t lose him too.'' His fear of that possible future snapped him out of his daze as he shifted his gaze back to the monster beneath him.


    ''I can''t let that happen! I can''t!'' Clenching his teeth, he turned around to his dad again.


    "Do you think ming yourself will make mom happy?" He asked.


    "What?"


    "My mom sacrificed her life out of love for you. It didn''te to her mind that you were wrong. She would''ve never cared. But, she had given you her entire life. She dedicated herself to this family, even throwing away her dreams for us. I don''t know what you''re thinking of by ming yourself for it!"


    His eyes flickered withplicated emotions. His son''s words took him by surprise and he found himselfpletely speechless.


    "Talon..."


    "You''re a good father, Dad. I have never met someone that inspired me more than you did. You have taught me everything I know." As he spoke, Talon''s grip on the monster increased.


    "I don''t want to see you like that and neither does she. So, pick yourself up, we aren''t going to break here. Not now!!" Talon yelled with an angry tone.


    Even through his pain, he still forced himself to pretend like he was fine, just so that he could pull his father out of the pit he was falling into.


    Surprisingly, hisst attempt at salvaging their rtionship seemed to work. He could see his eyes that were slowly drowning regaining some light.


    "Son..." Through his tears, he stared at his son in disbelief.


    "I have lost my mother. I can''t afford to lose you too. I won''t allow that to happen, not when I''m alive." He said as he clenched his fist tightly. "Even if it breaks me, I won''t let that happen."


    After that, Talon turned around and stared down at the monster with aplicated expression. "Even if it breaks me..."


    With so much hesitance, he aimed his fist at the monster. He felt his heart grow colder when he realized what he was about to do. It took him a few seconds to regain hisposure. ''This isn''t your mom, Talon! This is just a monster! I can''t hesitate!


    Screw it all! Screw everything!!''


    "Talon?!"


    Then, with a loud yelling straight out of his very soul, heunched the punch down. The attack pierced through the monster''s head as it crushed the core within it. The sound echoed in the silent room.


    "Hah... Hah... Hah..." With a dazed expression, Talon stared down at the monster beneath him. His heart was beating loudly in his chest and his breathing was erratic. He felt sharp pain in his head the moment he broke the core as if he had just done something horrible.


    Throwing his hands to the side, he slumped forward as he kept looking at the dead monster. His shining eyes examined every detail of it, searching for any details left of his mother in it. He wanted to find anything that he could rte to her. Yet, all he could see was the same ck substance.


    On one hand, it made his heart feel a little lighter since he didn''t have to bear witness to his mother''s remains. But, on the other hand, more prominently, the fact that nothing of his mother was left in this world filled him with anguish.


    Acrypha watched the entire scene ensue with a shocked silence. She kept blinking as she stared at Talon. Never did she expect him to do this... Not so suddenly.


    ''He had done it...''


    She didn''t know how to feel about that moment, especially when it came in such a manner. Meanwhile, his father had apletely different reaction. Putting his hand on his face, he closed his eyes.


    "..."


    Then, he slowly approached his son as he sat next to him. The two looked at the monster in silence.


    A few minutes passed just like that before Talon finally stood up and slowly picked up the dead monster in his arms. Then, he turned around and started walking out of the room slowly.


    "Talon?" His father called his name and stood up too.


    "I''m going to bury it." He replied as he looked over his shoulder.


    Stepping into the master''s bedroom, Talon slowly put the monster down and stared around, trying to locate a good ce to dig a hole. Then, he pulled his spear out and stabbed the floor, piercing through it with ease.


    His father entered the room and saw what he was doing. So, without uttering a word, he crouched down next to him as he started digging with his hand too. The two worked together, sharing the moment, as sour as it was. Talon had a stoic look on his face while his father was trying to hold back his tears, only to fail miserably.


    That day, he had cried more than he had cried in his entire life. Everything was hard to handle and it only kept getting harder.


    Eventually, the two dug a hole deep enough to fit the dead monster. Then, the two carried it slowly and put it in the hole. They stopped for a second to take onest look at it. They silently said goodbye to her in their own ways before they started putting the dirt on top of it.


    A few minutester, the entire hole waspletely covered. The duo stood in front of the grave for a while. At some point, Acrypha joined them secretly. An unknown amount of time passed that way before Talon broke the silence.


    "Let''s go." He said in the same cold, terrifying tone he had.


    His father stared at him before he nodded his head and turned around. The two walked outside the house.


    "... Where are we going now?" His father asked in a tired voice.


    "Back to the base. It''s a safe ce." Talon replied. "Do you have something you need to bring with you?"


    "... No, I have everything with me."


    Pointing at his back, Talon noticed the backpack his father was carrying.


    "Son."


    "..."


    "This... It''s something that your mother wanted me to hand over to you in case... Something like this happened."


    Taking the item from his dad, Talon inspected it. "A letter?"


    "We have both written letters for you in case one of us... *Sniff* Didn''t make it... She said that I can''t read it. So, I don''t know what''s written in it." He exined.


    Talon nodded his head silently as he put the letter in his pocket. Even though he wanted to read the letter right there and then, he realized that monsters were going to simply get lured toward them.


    So, instead, he decided to read it once he got back to the base. With that, Talon led his father to the car outside the town. Before he got inside, Talon stood for a moment to stare at the ruined town.


    ''I can''t let this ce remain ruined... My mom deserves a proper grave... I will rebuild this entire ce in her honor.''


    Talon was unwilling to say goodbye forever. He simply couldn''t handle such a thought at that moment. So, even if it really didn''t do much, he wanted to return this ce to how it was before. He didn''t want her to be all alone, in such a dark ce. That was the least he could do at that moment.


    Staring at the letter in his hand, Talon exhaled a small breath and got inside the car. Then, under the heavy rain, the car left the town.


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 217 - 217- Shattered (Part 3)

    As the door slowly moved, it revealed to Talon the other side of the room. The all-too-familiar room he grew up in was there, almost as he left it before. Granted, most of it was destroyed after everything that happened, but that didn''t change the core details of it.


    Talon would easily recognize this room out of a thousand even in its current state. His eyes wandered around the ce till they fell on them. Two Dimension Walkers were roaming the room aimlessly like puppets.


    Seeing them, Talon felt his heart stop for a moment. His lips started shaking as his expression subtly shifted. He felt intense, suffocating emotions fill his head.


    The monsters noticed his presence as they turned around and stared at him. However, Talon didn''t seem bothered that they noticed him and instead slowly crouched down as he put his hand on his mouth. Then, he slowly gripped his face with considerable strength as he felt himself on the verge of losing it.


    Meanwhile, the monsters started approaching him. Their intent was very clear. Yet, that didn''t make Talon move as he kept looking down with dazed eyes. He seemed confused, lost, and perhaps even shocked.


    "Son!" His father saw that and tried to pull him back. However, at that moment, Talon slowly stood up as he looked at the monsters. At this point, they were already within range to attack him.


    "Talon!!" His father felt his heart almost stop at that moment as he watched the monsters attack.


    However, Talon suddenly vanished like a ghost.


    *Swish* *BOOOOOOM*


    When he appeared again, he had one of the dimension walkers held by the face as he smashed him into the wall violently. The monster''s head burst open with ease and its core was destroyed. But, Talon didn''t stop there as he suddenly grabbed the monster''s arm and then threw it to the other side of the room using way too much force.


    The monster''s body smashed against the wall violently, destroying itpletely. Talon then rushed toward it as he jumped on top of it. Then, with a single pull, he detached its arm from its body. He did the same for the rest of its limbs.


    Acrypha and his father watched the scene in speechless shock. Neither of them could understand what just happened. But, the first to snap out of it was Acrypha who flew toward him.


    The young man continued assaulting the monster''s body again with punches as he stared down at it coldly. His face lost all its previous light as he rained down on it with a beating.


    "It''s already dead, Talon." She tried to stop him. But, Talon didn''t listen.


    The monster''s body waspletely wrecked by that point. Talonpletely destroyed it to pieces. By the time he had a ck, gooey mess on his hand, he stopped and heaved up and down.


    Then, he stood up and stared at his hands. Then, as if he realized what he had done, he quickly shook them to get rid of the residue and turned around. There, only one monster was left and it was already rushing toward him.


    However, unlike the first one, Talon didn''t immediately attack it. Instead, he stepped back and let it move past him.


    The monster fell to the ground and tried to stand up again. Meanwhile, Talon kept staring at it silently. His dead cold eyes shed with a myriad of emotions, many of which were iprehensible. His teeth dug into his lower lip till blood seeped out of them.


    When the monster was about to move, Talon suddenly moved forward and tackled the monster before he locked its arms down. Then, he stared at the monster from up close as if he wanted to verify something. That''s when his eyes widened in shock.


    "Why¡­?" He murmured in a weak voice. His hands were continuously shaking as if they had a mind of their own. "Why¡­?" He asked again. He was inplete disbelief of something. A shocking realization that took his mind by storm.


    "Son¡­" His father quickly approached him when he noticed that odd behavior.


    "Why¡­? Dad¡­?" Turning around, Talon stared at his father with a lost look. "Why do I know?"


    "... What are you talking about?"


    Looking down, Talon stared at the resisting monster with hurt eyes. "Why do I know that this is her?"


    "..." His father was renderedpletely speechless when he heard that. For a few seconds, he didn''t believe what he heard. "Y-You know?"


    "This is mom¡­ I know it for certain¡­"


    With a shocked expression, the man slowly looked down at the Dimension Walker. Inspecting it with his eyes, he couldn''t see any difference between it and the other one. The two looked exactly the same down to the minor details.


    Every Dimension Walker looked the same, it was one of their most prominent features. So, the fact that his son recognized that this was his mother out of the two didn''t make sense. He had no way of knowing, or that was at least what he knew.


    "How do you recognize her?"


    "I don''t know. I can feel it. I don''t know how, but I can feel it." Talon replied.


    ''All my senses are telling me that this is her¡­ It can''t be a mistake.'' Talon frowned.


    When he entered the room, he thought he was ready to kill the two monsters, just so that he could put an end to his mom''s suffering. He thought that if he didn''t know which one of the two was his mom, it would make it easier to do this.


    Yet, in an unexpected manner, he recognized his mother the moment his eyes fell on her. He didn''t even think about it twice¡­ As if what he was staring at was the real image of her, standing there, smiling warmly at him as she always did.


    Yet, every time he blinked as he stared down, that beautiful image would get twisted, distorted, and destroyed before it merged into a shapeless mess. The mess of a monster that was pinned under him.


    Staring at it, Talon could only curse everything that made him end up in such a situation.


    "Mom¡­" He murmured in a soft tone as he stared down at her. "Can you still recognize me?"


    The monster continued tossing and turning as it tried to break free. But, even without trying, Talon was able topletely restrain it.


    "It''s me, Talon. I came back, Mom. Did you miss me?" He said. "I''ve missed you¡­ a lot. Sorry, I couldn''te back during the break. I had to work.


    You''ve told me that I should take care of myself and not overwork. But, I didn''t follow that advice well enough. I''ve tried to use every hour of my day to work. I''ve wanted to give you a better future than the one we had to live through. I wanted to be a neurosurgeon and achieve your dream."


    "..." The monster didn''t react to a single word he said as if it didn''t hear him.


    "Now that I think about it if I actually listened to you and came back during the break. Things could''ve changed. I could''ve changed everything. But, all I did was focus on work and college instead of you. I have done the thing that I didn''t want to do the most."


    Talon realized that he, who thought that he valued his family more than anything, was the one to disregard it when it mattered.


    "If I knew how stupid I was¡­ If I just listened." As he spoke, Talon''s head slumped down. "I''m sorry¡­ for everything. I''m sorry for noting back soon enough."


    Even as he apologized, Talon only felt worse with each passing second. He knew that nothing he did at that moment would change what happened. He had lost one of the most important people in his life. The person that has been his safe ce from the cruel world. He had lost one of the reasons why he even worked hard in the first ce.


    A good chunk of his purpose in life was thrown out of the window.


    Acrypha watched from the side as she cried silently. She couldn''t bear to see such a scene and yet couldn''t pull her eyes away.


    "I''m really sorry."


    "It''s not your fault! If there is one person that should apologize, it''s me!" His father interjected.


    "Dad?" Talon looked up at his father.


    "I failed you both!" Grabbing his clothes, he yelled. "I have lived because you sacrificed your life instead of mine."


    As he said those words, he remembered thest words he heard from his beloved wife. Right before she closed the door, he heard one sentence.


    "I love you both¡­ So much." With a warm smile, she left that as thest memory he had of her. As much as he cherished it, it was also the source of his greatest pain.


    He wanted to hear those words again from her. He wanted to hug her again and apologize till he couldn''t talk anymore. He wanted to apologize for all the mistakes he made in their lives. The hardships he put the family through chasing his fleeting dream of a sessful career writing books.


    But, even then, he didn''t wish that he would''ve died instead of her. Simply because he knew that it was akin to insulting her sacrifice. She had decided to put his life before hers without hesitation.


    She had chosen him, even in death.


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 219: Chapter 219- Soul (Part 1)

    The car stormed through the road at high speed. The entire trip was quick but heavy. No one spoke a word as they floated in their own worlds.


    Talon stared ahead of him dazedly as he let his instincts drive the car while his dad looked outside the window. He seemed deep in thought the entire time and it wasn''t that hard to know why.


    Acrypha sat in the backseat as she watched over Talon and the road to make sure he didn''t lose track of where they were.


    With that, the car eventually arrived at its destination. Talon''s father stared outside the window at the giant base.


    "This is it?" He asked in a tired yet still impressed tone.


    "Yeah," Talon replied calmly as he left the car and took out hismunication device to contact the people inside. "Open the gates, it''s me." He said in amanding, cold tone.


    His father noticed that attitude and could only wonder whether it was Talon''s sour mood that made him speak like that or something else. He could easily notice the authority in his words.


    A few minutester, the gates started slowly opening. Then, Talon drove the car inside.


    "Good evening, leader!" One of the guards waiting inside greeted him. However, Talon simply gave him a look and continued moving the car.


    ''Leader?'' His father blinked in shock. He almost didn''t believe the words he heard. Looking at his son, he wanted to ask him. But, he could only swallow his words as he looked away. Talon''s entire aura at that moment was basically pushing everyone away from talking to him.


    The car eventually stopped as Talon and his father left the car.


    "Talon!"


    Immediately, the car was approached by a group of students. Hyun-Jae, Sophie, Shin-Il, Chin-Hwa, Soomin, and even Young-Soo. When they heard that Talon hade back, they rushed to meet him.


    Talon looked at them silently before he started walking.


    Sophie tried to give him a hug, only to realize that he had already moved past her without uttering a single word.


    "Huh?" She looked back at him confusedly. "Talon? Are you ok?" Her smile turned into a worried expression. Yet, he didn''t respond.


    Hyun-Jae noticed that and tried to speak to him. A bad feeling filled her heart at that moment. "Hey, Talon¡­"


    But, he didn''t respond as he continued walking. Her eyes moved along with him. Deep inside her, she had already reached a conclusion as to what happened.


    "Sophie, is that you, girl?" Meanwhile, Talon''s father stepped away from the car and approached Sophie.


    The girl turned around. "Uncle Lucas! It has been a long time!" She excitedly shook his hand. "I''m d you''re well."


    "Thank you. I''m d to see you again too." He replied as he tried to force a respectful smile. He had known Sophie ever since she was a little toddler, so she was akin to a daughter to him. He felt happy to see her alive.


    "Where is Aunty Mee? Is she still in the car?" She asked as she looked behind Lucas.


    However, the man shook his head. Sophie looked at him silently as her smile froze. He didn''t need to utter a word to understand what he meant. Slowly, she started backing away in shock.


    "N-No¡­" She murmured as she put her hand on her mouth. "No¡­ Please, don''t tell me that¡­" Tears welled up in her eyes. "No!!!!"


    "I''m sorry." He replied as he turned away.


    The others heard that conversation and the shock that came with it was palpable. The one to get the biggest shock was Hyun-Jae as her eyes quickly shifted to the distant silhouette walking away from them.


    "Ta-..." She wanted to chase him. But, at thest moment, she decided not to. Talon didn''t seem like he wanted to talk to anyone, not even her.


    Closing her eyes, she fought the tears that welled up in them. Her heart was torn to pieces seeing her beloved grief alone. But, she knew that it would only make it worse if she tried to speak to him.


    For a moment there, the entire group felt the weight of their leader''s sadness falling on their shoulders.


    ***


    Walking silently through the base, Talon went back to his room in the hotel. Entering inside, he closed the door shut as he rested his back against it for a few moments. Pushing his hair back, he walked into the room and threw himself on the bed with his face buried in the pillow.


    He stayed motionless for a long while as if he had fallen asleep. Except, he was wide awake. His brain was as active as ever if not more. It thought of everything and contemted everything.


    Even as he wanted to simply close his eyes and forget what happened, it continued to torture him with vivid thoughts.


    "I''m tired¡­" He murmured under his breath as he slowly tilted his head to the side. "Would I wake up to realize that it''s a dream if I sleep? Just a bad dream¡­"


    He asked himself that question knowing fully well that it was just a naive wish. It was real¡­ The pain he was feeling was as real as it gets and he knew that. He wished it wasn''t, but it was. He wished the door would be knocked and he would find his mother waiting outside for him.


    He wished he could hug her, cry in her arms, and tell her everything he couldn''t tell her before. That was all he wanted and yet it was impossible. He wished for many things and got none.


    With hazy eyes, he moved his hand to his pocket as he pulled out the piece of paper his father had given him before. Sitting down as he rested his back against the bed frame, he inspected the outside of the letter.


    On the back of it, something was written.


    ''To my dear son, Talon.'' It said.


    Just reading those words made him remember how his mother used to call him and it made his heart race. He took a moment to calm himself as he shakingly opened the letter. He instinctively put a lot of care into opening it, making sure not to damage thetter.


    Pulling the paper out, he slowly unfolded it, revealing a long paragraph written in bad handwriting. Since his mother had studied to be a neurosurgeon, her handwriting wasn''t the easiest to read.


    But, Talon grew ustomed to it years ago and could easily read it. If anything, this handwriting gave him a strong hit of nostalgia. Wiping his eyes, he started reading the content of the letter.


    ''Date, the 9th of September. The time: 9:25 PM. I am writing this letter for the future, in case I didn''t make it. If you are seeing this letter right now, Talon. Then, that means that I''m no longer with you¡­ Or, if this is Lucas having way too much curiosity and opening the letter when he shouldn''t, then, close it now! I''m talking to you!''


    Reading that, Talon could only make a smallugh. The familiar humor of his mother had always worked wonders on him, even when he felt sad. Shaking his head, he continued reading.


    ''Well, now that we are done with him, I can finally talk to my son, face-to-face. I want to start by asking one thing: How are you, Talon? Are you eating well? Are you living your life happily? I know that this world has turned into a horrible mess. But, I know my son well.


    I know you are alive, somewhere, out there, waiting for us. I hope you will never have to read what I wrote here. But, if you end up doing so, then, I want you to know that I love you. You are the best son I could''ve ever asked for. Don''t beat yourself down over me. I will always be watching you from above.''


    Seconds passed as Talon read the content of the letter. His hands started slowly shaking as wet spots appeared on top of the letter.


    ''I would love to see you smile and live as you want to. The world might be cruel, but you are far stronger. No matter what happens and what lows you might fall to, you should know that you are always going to stand up again. That''s my little boy.''


    Talon''s lips shook violently as he clenched his teeth. He tried to keep his voice from leaking out, but, he failed miserably. Tears rolled down his face endlessly.


    ''Give it your best and make sure to surround yourself with people you love and they love you back. Even if this world turns dark, there will always be people that you can rely on and care for. Don''t push those people away, Talon. Give them your true self and they shall do the same. And onest thing: Take care of your dad for me. You know how he acts.


    I rely on you to be there for him.''


    And just like that, the letter ended right there abruptly. Talon''s watery eyes widened as he realized that he had reached the end before he quickly turned the letter around, only to realize that there was nothing left.


    "No¡­ No, no, no¡­" He murmured in a crying voice as he kept turning the letter around, trying to find anything else that his mother left for him. Eventually, his hands ended up reaching the letter envelope that it came in. Inside it, he found a small silver ne.


    Talon immediately recognized that ne. "It''s the one that my mom wears¡­" He murmured as he grabbed the pendant at the end of it. On the side of the pendant was a small button.


    He clicked it and the pendant immediately opened, revealing a small picture inside. It was a picture of Talon, his father, and his mother together as a family.


    Seeing that, Talon''s tears stopped for a second.


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 220: Chapter 220- Soul (Part 2)

    For a long while, Talon stared at the pendant as tears kept trickling down his face. His eyes shed with a myriad of emotions that he couldn''t quite figure out himself.


    The pendant in his hand was something that his mother wore around her neck. She had never taken it off no matter what so he knew how much she cherished it. The fact that she took it off and gave it to him was hard to bear.


    The more he looked at it, the more nostalgia hit him. The memory of this picture being taken was still vivid in his head. He could hear theughs of his parents as they held him in their arms. He could remember struggling to remain motionless for the cameraman to snap the pic so he ended up looking like he was throwing a tantrum.


    Then, he slowly lifted the pendant and put it around his neck before letting it rest on his chest. He felt the cold metal brushing over his skin. Sitting there silently, he read through the letter again, making sure he memorized every single word said in it from start to finish.


    Then, when he was done, he repeated the process again, and again, and again. The entire time, a stream of tears fell from his eyes and didn''t stop. Even when he didn''t cry loudly or have a visible breakdown, he was in the worst state he had ever been.


    Time passed slowly and soon enough minutes turned into hours. Talon remained in the same position, reading that letter as the world grew darker around him. He didn''t even bother to turn the lights on


    Meanwhile, Acrypha watched her human with a gloomy look. She hated seeing him in such a state so much. Yet, she was powerless to change it. The great Acrypha, with all her strength and might, was unable to change anything. It messed with her head how useless she was at that moment.


    ''What can I do? I need to do something. If I leave him like this, he will only get worse.'' She thought to herself.


    It was clear that Talon was slowly getting depressed. His positive, lively aura was gone as if it was never there in the first ce. His entire presence was gloomy and suffocating to be around even for her.


    Wrecking her brain for any solution, Acrypha found no good ideas.


    ''Why can''t I think of anything? He needs me and I don''t know what I should do.'' Clenching her teeth, she cursed inwardly.


    For someone who had never been met with such a situation, Acrypha grew more and more frustrated the more she couldn''t do anything.


    Even more time passed and soon enough, it was already the middle of the night. The entire base waspletely quiet as everyone went to sleep. Meanwhile, Talon was still awake staring at the letter silently.


    Acrypha sat near him, watching over him silently. At some point, Talon''s eyes moved away from the letter to the woman.


    "Hey, Acrypha¡­" Wiping his wet face, he called her name.


    The woman immediately looked up at him. "Are you ok? Do you want something to eat?" She asked worriedly.


    "No¡­" He shook his head. "I just¡­ wanted to thank you for staying here."


    "... You don''t need to thank me. I will always be here." She blinked as she replied with an obvious tone.


    "*Sniff* I didn''t want to show you such an unsightly thing." He replied as he rested his head against the bedframe tiredly. "I''m aplete mess now."


    The woman stared at him silently for a few seconds with an iprehensible expression before she floated in the air and approached him.


    "Do you think I care about that? You can look however you want in front of me. I have seen worse things. You don''t have to worry about that." She replied as she sat in front of him at a very close distance.


    Surprisingly, her words made Talonugh. But, it wasn''t his usual smile that she grew fond of. Instead, it was a self-deprecating one full of mockery.


    "This is the person you think would change this world. Crying like a little kid. I can''t even change my own fate. How can I be something else?"


    "Talon¡­"


    "I couldn''t protect my own family when they needed me and you know what''s funnier? If I had been there, things would''ve been different. It was a fucking Dimension Walker. The weakest of the weakest! It was the weakest!" Even with his distorted smile, the anger and frustration in his voice couldn''t be hidden. "I have fought monsters hundreds of times stronger than that!


    and then I fucking lost my mother to nothing!! Just because I waste!!!"


    "No¡­"


    As he yelled, Talon clenched his fists tightly as he fought the urge to just punch a hole through the wall.


    "All I had to do was be there and I couldn''t even do that!! How the fuck am I going to change anything?! I''m nothing!! I thought I was something great because I killed a few more monsters than everyone else. I liked how strong I am and the growth I went through! But, it all came down to nothing!


    Absolutely nothing!"


    Acrypha stared at him as he yelled his heart out. She pursed her lips silently. She had never seen Talon in such a state. Even he perhaps had never gone through such a moment of no control before.


    "If I''m this powerless¡­ Then, why should I even try anymore? I might as well give-"


    "No!"


    At that moment, Acrypha spoke, catching Talon by surprise. Looking up, he noticed an expression on her face that he had never seen before. He couldn''t describe it in words even if he tried.


    "Give up? And then what? Are you going to stay holed up in this room for the rest of your life? Is that what you really want to do?"


    "..." Talon waspletely speechless.


    "And even if that''s what you are going to do. Let''s say that it''s all fine that you''re going to waste your life. Do you think your mother would be happy to see her son like this? Is that your way of paying respect to her?"


    "... I¡­" Talon opened and closed his mouth like a fish unable to utter a single reply. Everything Acrypha said made sense.


    Seeing that, the woman approached him and put her hands gently on his face. Her soft fingers caressed his cheeks gently as she stared deep into his eyes.


    "It was never your fault, Talon. You have done everything within your ability to change things. Things didn''t go as we wanted. But, that doesn''t mean that you failed and I''m sure your mother would agree with me on that. She would be very proud of everything you''ve done so far as much as I''m proud of you."


    As she spoke those words, Talon''s eyes flickered with different lights. He was shocked and speechless, and he felt his heart resonating with her.


    "You can cry, yell as much as you want. But, don''t you ever say that you''re going to give up." Then, Acrypha slowly rested her forehead against his.


    "... I''m sorry, Acrypha¡­ I¡­ I was¡­"


    "Shhh, it''s fine." She opened her eyes as she stared deep into his. "I''m here¡­ So, let it all out."


    And just like that, as if her words were some kind of magical trigger, Talon felt the dam burst open. He couldn''t even resist for a moment when that soft voice spoke to him.


    Inside the dark room, two people held each other for a long while. Acrypha gently held Talon''s head as she caressed him. She felt rather at ease knowing that Talon was finally letting everything he pent up out. It was still painful to hear him cry, but it didn''t matter to her, as long as he could feel better.


    Time passed before eventually, Talon sumbed to sleep. After exhausting himself mentally, he finally was able to drift off in Acrypha''s embrace. For some reason, all of his pain was washed away the moment her warmth filled his senses.


    Looking down at his face silently, Acrypha slowly ran her hand through his hair.


    "I would never give up on you. Not when you''re myst hope." She smiled warmly. "If I give up on you, I would lose my purpose. It would be the end of me."


    Shaking her head, Acrypha sighed. Barely two months ago, she ended up in Talon''s apartment. Everything was a coincidence that she never nned in the first ce. She never would''ve expected that in the future, this same young man would be so important to her.


    Not even for her own goals or the things she wanted to achieve. Living with him every day, she saw himugh, cry, angry, frustrated, excited, and all kinds of other things. She learned about his strengths and weaknesses, his past and present, and even his future.


    She had learned to enjoy his presence and soon enough, she started looking forward to when he would wake up in the morning. She enjoyed their pointless banter and weird jokes.


    Even at his lowest point, she still wanted to be by his side. It didn''t matter if he was crying his eyes out orughing happily, she just wanted to be there to help him whenever he needed her.


    That was Acrypha''s purpose and something that she knew wouldn''t change for a very long time. She was soul-bound to him.


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 221: Chapter 221- A Warrior鈥檚 Rest (Part 1)

    Meanwhile, in another section of the building. Lucas had settled down into his bed as he stared at the ceiling silently. His eyes were wide open as if he had no intention of sleeping.


    His mind was still actively working on full-throttle. He was beyond exhausted, mentally and physically. Thest two weeks of his life were the most brutal by far. He didn''t even know how he survived this long alone and yet somehow, here he was, in a safe ce.


    He had a warm bed, a ceiling, and no fear of monsters attacking him and killing him when he was asleep. Yet, he couldn''t even feel a shred of relief. It was but another night he had to spend alone without his soulmate next to him.


    Turning around to his side, he stared at the empty spot where someone should''ve been. That spot was cold and gloomy with nothing familiar about it.


    As he was like that, the door to his room was knocked, snapping him out of his thoughts. Looking to the side, he frowned.


    ''Who''sing to visit me now?'' He thought to himself.


    After Talon left, Hyun-Jae ordered some workers to escort him to a room and tend to his needs. She also made sure that he was checked up for any illnesses beforehand and handed him food.


    He didn''t recognize the girl and yet she treated him very kindly without saying a single word. He also noticed the dark expression on her face the moment the news of Talon''s mother reached her so he assumed that she was a friend of his son.


    After entering his room, nobody gave him a visit. Yet, now, at almost 12 in the morning, someone was knocking on his door.


    So, he stood up and walked to the door before he opened it. There, he saw someone he didn''t expect to see at all. A man he was very familiar with.


    "... Evan? Is that you?" He asked with a shocked expression.


    The man looked up with a serious expression. "It has been a long time, Lucas."


    "... It has been. I didn''t know you were here. I met your daughter earlier today but she didn''t tell me about you."


    After hearing the news, Sophie left the ce immediately with tears in her eyes. She was intending to chase Talon, only for Hyun-Jae to stop her. The two broke into an argument over it and she ended up returning to her room after it.


    The situation was so tense that Chin-Hwa had to interject and stop them from fighting.


    "Yeah, I have been in her room¡­ She isn''t doing well." Evan replied before he pointed behind Lucas. "Would you mind if I talk to you for a minute inside?"


    "Of course, you''re wee!" With that, Lucas let his old friend inside before closing the door.


    The two walked into the room and sat on the chairs facing each other. Then, Evan exhaled a small breath before he spoke. "I''m sorry for your loss, Lucas. Your wife was a good woman. I couldn''t believe it when I heard that."


    "... Thank you." Lucas nodded his head. "I still can''t believe that it''s reality. Everything is just too blurry for me."


    "I feel you¡­ Even to this day, I still didn''t get over my wife''s death." Evan nodded his head with a sad expression. "After all these years, it still hurts to think about it just like the first day."


    Closing his eyes, he vividly recalled everything that happened. Fifteen years ago, his wife and daughter were caught in a car ident on the highway. His daughter survived with minimal injuries while his wife suffered terrifying burns on her face and arms that led to her death a few dayster.


    The grief that he went through during that time was something he would never forget no matter how long he lived. He felt the entire world crumbling in front of his eyes and he had nothing to do about it. The only thing that kept him from losing his mind was his daughter. He knew that if he didn''t get himself together, his daughter would end up suffering even more.


    She already had the trauma of seeing her mother''sst moments still in her head. So, if she had lost her father too, it would be a disaster.


    "You have to stay strong, friend." He added as he bent forward to stare at Lucas directly. "For his sake."


    "I know¡­ I will try to do my best. But, I might turn out to be just a deadweight rather than an actual help to Talon."


    "How so?"


    "I mean, look at this ce. I have heard that my son is the leader here and the strongest out of everyone. I have seen him fighting and he was justpletely different from before."


    "That is true. Your son is now a monster, no offense. I have never seen someone as strong as he is. Not even close." Lucas snorted lightly.


    "I don''t know how he ended up like that. But, it seems like he is already someone I don''t recognize anymore."


    In his eyes, Talon had always been a simple and cheerful young man with aspirations for a peaceful future. Never did he expect his son to be a leader of thousands of people, paving a path for society to be reestablished again in this world.


    He was now a grandiose existence, far beyond anything he could understand. A legend in every sense of the word.


    "You underestimated him¡­ Just like how I underestimated him." Evan replied in a sarcastic tone. "I have heard of his ns and I can say with full confidence that he is going to only do greater things from now on."


    "Greater things?"


    "He is aiming to clean the entirety of South Korea from monsters and rebuild it from scratch." He replied.


    Lucas stared at his old friend with wide eyes. "Are you serious?"


    "As serious as I always am."


    "..." Talon''s father waspletely speechless for a few seconds before he looked down. "To think that my son¡­"


    "Knowing him, he probably wanted to do this just to make sure that his parents would be safe and sound. That''s what I heard, at least."


    Those words hit Lucas right in the heart. In a moment, he realized what his friend wanted to say and it all made sense. His son had always been ambitious when it came to the future. Even as a child, when they were struggling financially, he would always promise them to work hard for their sake.


    ''... It makes sense¡­ It all makes sense¡­'' Wiping his eyes with a small smile on his face, Lucas looked up again. ''That part of him would never change¡­''


    "Thank you for telling me. I appreciate it."


    "Any time. Even though we had our disagreements before, I still see you as a friend, Lucas."


    "The same here. I wished we wouldn''t cut each other for such a long time. But, life does ruin you when you let it."


    Evan nodded his head as he stood up and approached his friend before he extended his hand. "The past is in the past. Let''s work together for the sake of our children."


    Looking surprised, Lucas took a few seconds to react before he took Evan''s hand with a tired smile. "Yes, for their sake."


    After that, Evan excused himself so that Lucas could rest. Thetter wished he could talk to his old friend more and catch up on so many years. But since it waste, he let him go. When he went back to his bed, he fell on top of it tiredly. Yet, for some reason, his heart felt a lot lighter after that conversation.


    He didn''t know why, but his mind cleared up a little and he could think better. ''Mee, I think I know what I''m going to do¡­ Please look over us¡­''


    With that hopeful thought in mind, he felt his eyelids finally close as he drifted to sleep for the first time in two weeks.


    ***


    The morning eventually came and the sun peeked through the window in Talon''s room. Looking to the side, Acrypha sighed. "It''s already the morning."


    Then, her eyes shifted down to the human sleeping in herp. Her hand was still gently caressing his hair. She didn''t notice the time passing when she was doing it and she was rather displeased that the day had arrived.


    As she was like that, she felt a subtle movement from Talon. The young man frowned slightly as he opened his eyes. Staring up, his eyes made contact with Acrypha.


    "Acrypha¡­" He murmured as he tried to rise up, only for the woman to pull his head down.


    "I''m going to close the curtains, you can go back to sleep. It''s still early." She said softly as she snapped her fingers, making the curtains move on their own as if some kind of invisible force touched them.


    "... I can''t sleep more¡­"


    "Then sit here and just rx. You aren''t going to do anything today. I want you to rest. Understood?"


    Talon wanted to retort, but deep inside, he didn''t want to move an inch. Thefort of Acrypha''sp was simply too enticing for him. Not to mention the horrifyingck of motivation he was going through at that moment.


    "Ok¡­" Sighing, he replied as he put his hand over his eyes.


    "Have some time off. It''s as important as hard work. You deserve a break after everything that happened." She smiled softly as she rubbed her thumb across his cheek.


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 222: Chapter 222- A Warrior鈥檚 Rest (Part 2)

    In normal days, Hyun-Jae would always wake up at around 5 am every single morning. Her routine in the past few weeks has been the same. Every morning, she would leave the bed, take a shower where she could clear her mind and get herself ready for whatever insanity they would have to deal with that day, and then eat breakfast and get to work.


    Handling the matters of the survivors was a tough job even if it didn''t require much physical work. The responsibility of every single life was on her and Talon''s shoulders. Each death, even the ones where it wasn''t their fault, still weighed their backs.


    After that, she would usually spend the rest of the evening till night training and honing her fighting abilities till she couldn''t move anymore. Every day was the same with varying degrees of craziness every now and then that made her life far more eventful than it ever was.


    However, that day was a little different from her usual days. Waking up, Hyun-Jae felt apleteck of desire to work. Her mind was simply too focused on something else to bother with the other tasks.


    Sitting on her bed, she stared outside the window. "Should I go visit him? Or is it too soon?"


    Frowning at the dilemma she had, she tried to think it through. It had been exactly a day since Talon came back and she didn''t talk to him yet. The news of his mother''s death came like a train and it messed her up. She didn''t know how she was able to go through yesterday normally with Talon in her mind.


    Now that a day passed, she couldn''t wait to see him any longer. She was simply too worried about him to even care.


    "Sigh¡­ I should just check up on him. I don''t want him to do anything foolish in the spur of the moment." With that excuse in mind, she changed her clothes and fixed her hair to look presentable before she left her room and went upstairs to where Talon was.


    As she took the turn, she noticed someoneing from the other side.


    ''What is she doing here?'' Squinting her eyes coldly, Hyun-Jae red at the blonde girl.


    The girl was obviously Sophie who also noticed Hyun-Jae and had the same reaction as her. The two eventually stopped right in front of Talon''s room as they stared at each other. The tension was immediately heavy after what happened yesterday. The entire corridor dropped a few degrees in temperature just by them standing there.


    Eventually, Hyun-Jae sighed as she closed her eyes. "You came here to check on him I suppose?" She asked with a sigh.


    "Yes. Are you?" Sophie asked back.


    "Yes¡­"


    "Sigh, the timing is so awkward." Murmuring under her breath, Sophie turned around with a frown.


    Thest person she wanted to meet here was Hyun-Jae since she was really pissed after what happened. Still, in reality, she understood why Hyun-Jae stopped her from following him. In that kind of state, Talon probably didn''t want any human contact at all. Not even from people close to him.


    When she thought about it, she was relieved she didn''t do that and now she felt annoyed that she wronged Hyun-Jae and yet also still didn''t want to admit it out of embarrassment.


    Hyun-Jae noticed that shift in the girl''s expression and rubbed her temples. "Listen, let''s put this pitiful argument aside for now. Since we are here to see Talon, let''s just do that. Ok?"


    "... Yeah, that sounds like a good idea."


    With that, the two finally faced the door as they nervously stared at it. Even though they were there, actually knocking on the door was the hardest part.


    "Mmm¡­ Are you going to knock on the door?" Sophie asked awkwardly.


    "... I thought you were going to do that," Hyun-Jae whispered.


    "Uuuh, how about we do it at the same time then?"


    "Sounds like a good idea."


    Sophie nodded her head. "Ok, on my count¡­ Three¡­ Two¡­ One¡­"


    As the two were about to knock on the door, it suddenly sprang open, taking them by surprise.


    The person that appeared was Talon. His hair was messier than usual and his expression was very dark. But, somehow, that appearance had apletely different charm from his usual one. It gave him a thickeryer of mystery thatpletely captivated the two girls rather quickly.


    It took them a few seconds to snap out of it.


    "Talon¡­" Sophie murmured his name as her eyes shed with myriads of emotions.


    "Hello." He replied in a tired voice. "Are you two ok?"


    "Yeah, we''re fine. We came to check up on you." Hyun-Jae coughed awkwardly as she looked up. "Is it fine?"


    "... Yeah,e inside." He replied calmly and moved to the side.


    The two girls stared at each other before they walked into the room. Talon then closed the door and moved after them.


    "I''m sorry for my appearance. I didn''t expect you guys toe now. Let me wash my face." He said.


    "No, it''s fine, we should''ve told you beforehand." Sophie quickly shook her head.


    Talon shook his head before he walked into the bathroom and came out a minuteter with a slightly more kept appearance. Even though his eyes still looked very exhausted, he didn''t look as bad as yesterday. It seemed he was feeling a little better than before.


    "Do you guys want anything? Coffee, juice?"


    "No."


    "Me neither."


    "Hmm, ok." He replied as he walked into the room again and sat down.


    "How are you doing, Talon?" Hyun-Jae asked as she stared directly at him.


    "... I''m fine. You don''t need to worry. I''m going to get better soon." He replied as he forced a smile.


    However, the two girls could easily see through it.


    "Are you sure? We will always be here if you need us." Sophie spoke with a worried tone.


    "Thank you, I appreciate it. But, I''m really going to be fine. I have to set my priorities straight or my mom would be really angry. She doesn''t want my life to stop here because of it. I would be lying if I said that I didn''t consider giving up on many things yesterday. But¡­ My mind is clearer now.


    I''m not going to stop."


    At first, Talon felt like he had lost his path. But, now that he thought about it, this was but another reason why he should work even harder. He had lost his mother and it was going to remain a hole in his heart for the rest of his life. So, to make sure that it doesn''t happen again to any other person he loved, he was going to be even stronger.


    ''I will be the strongest to ever live¡­ So strong that no one will dare to mess with me. So strong that nothing could do anything bad to me¡­ Not even fate itself. I will work harder than anyone for the sake of the people I care for. I will be a monster in the eyes of everyone that tries to stop me... No, not a monster, a demon...


    I will spare no one.'' Clenching his fists, Talon felt another fire ignited in his heart.


    It wasn''t a fire of optimism or hope like the other one. It was a far stronger one and also far darker. He knew that hope wasn''t enough to break through and reach the peak of this world as he wished to do. He needed to be far more monstrous and brutal to actually break through the wall that was facing him now.


    He had to be different from everything else so that no one could ever rival him. It might be extreme and it might be very hard, but he had made up his mind and no one was going to change that now or ever.


    The two girls noticed the change deep within his eyes and they could only wonder what he had made up in his mind. Still, it was better to see him regaining the light he had lost yesterday even if it was a little different.


    "Tomorrow, we are going back to work. Let''s make sure things go well this time." He added. "I still would need your help. So, I''m going to ask for it again. Would you two help me?"


    The two girls didn''t even take a second to think it through before they nodded their heads.


    "Hmph, you aren''t getting rid of me any time soon." Hyun-Jae smiled.


    "I''m going to do my best!" Sophie replied with a determined expression.


    Seeing that, Talon blinked in surprise before he sighed. For some reason, seeing this made him feel a little bit better. The words his mom said to him in the letter resonated in his head again.


    ''Even if this world turns dark, there will always be people that you can rely on and care for. Don''t push those people away, Talon. Give them your true self and they shall do the same.'' Those words didn''t take long to manifest in reality.


    Talon was never alone, he had good people around him. People were ready to ride it with him till the end, even if the end was dark. People that he could call friends and lifelongpanions.


    ''I didn''t have to take long to find them, Mom¡­ I already did.'' He smiled softly as he closed his eyes.


    "I feel at peace then¡­"


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 223: Chapter 223- Return

    *The Next Day*


    After an entire day spent being pampered by Acrypha, Talon slept through the night with the beauty sitting next to him like a caring mother. The entire time, she kept massaging his head and talking to him whenever he wanted.


    They spent a peaceful time together, something that was very rare for Talon. He was able to rxpletely and try to forget about all the responsibilities he had on his shoulders. He also felt a lot better about his mother''s death and by a lot better, it meant that he was still very devastated. But, he wasn''t apletely broken mess as he was before.


    The abyss that wanted to suck him in before was now slowly vanishing, leaving behind a deep trace that perhaps would never disappear. He knew that it would take a very long time for him to heal and perhaps he would never be able to actually fully heal. But, he didn''t care about that. He was ready to carry this pain to his grave if he had to.


    His mother was an important part of him as a human and now that she was gone, he wasn''tplete like before. He was now a different person, the same Talon, but apletely different human being.


    Still, even through all of that, Acrypha was there for him. She gave him advice, told him about pain, how to handle it, and what is required for him to feel better and stand on his feet again. She gave him valuable information and lessons that he was sure to remember in the future.


    The more he talked to her, the more Talon realized that he was the luckiest person in the world to have someone like Acrypha next to them. He had no idea what he could''ve done without her after everything that happened. She had been the most important pir that kept him from copsing on so many asions and she was still showing more and more worth.


    In Talon''s eyes, Acrypha was simply manifesting the words she had told him the first time they met. She had promised him that she was going to bring him to heights he had never imagined before and she was doing that step by step.


    That only made her grow in Talon''s eyes. His respect and admiration toward her skyrocketed beyond anything else. He was sure that even if he was to be a great figure in the future, Acrypha was still going to be someone he would rely on in every instant.


    She was that valuable to him now.


    With that, by the time the next day rolled in, Talon felt energized and somewhat ready to go back to his routine. However, before doing that, he went to the first person that came to his mind when he left his room.


    Now, he was standing in front of the room that Hyun-Jae told him about and he was feeling really nervous.


    ''Why am I feeling like this? It''s my dad¡­'' Inhaling a long breath, he knocked on the door and waited.


    A few secondster, the door was opened. His old man appeared from the other side, looking a little tired. But, the moment his eyes fell on Talon, they widened.


    "T-Talon?!" He eximed.


    "Hey¡­" Talon greeted him awkwardly.


    "Son!!" Without waiting a moment, Lucas jumped on Talon and gave him a hug. Thetter was taken aback before he smiled slightly as he tapped his father''s back.


    "I''m sorry for noting to see you yesterday. I needed some time to think."


    "It''s fine! Take all the time you want¡­ I also had to spend some time with myself, rethinking many things." Pulling away, Lucas rubbed his son''s shoulders with aplicated expression. "It''s going to be hard. But, I decided to fight for our lives like your mother wanted us to do. I''m not going to let this break us!"


    His father''s words were strong and filled with energy. Staring into his eyes, Talon could see that his father had settled his mind. Two days ago, he had a hopeless look in his eyes, like a man who had given up on life long ago. It was a terrifying thing to see that made Talon think that even his father was going to get snatched away from him.


    But, it seemed his father was far stronger than he expected.


    ''Why am I even surprised? I got this trait from him. Not to give up against anything no matter how hard it was¡­ He taught me that.'' Smiling wryly, he put his hand on his father''s shoulder.


    "What a coincidence, it''s the same for me."


    "Really?!"


    "Yes, I have realized how important it is for us to remain strong. That''s what my mom would''ve wanted. So, let''s fulfill herst wish." He nodded his head briefly.


    Those words made tears well in Lucas'' eyes as he felt a surge of emotions hit his heart. But, he quickly snapped out of it as he wiped his eyes.


    "*Sniff* Yes, that is true."


    "There, there¡­" Talon tapped his father''s back as he turned around. "Although I want to talk. I need to go do some things. I will be back by the evening so we can have a long chat, ok?"


    "Of course! Take care. I''m going to leave and explore the ceter either way. I will be waiting for youter." His father nodded his head.


    "Good, see youter then. If you need anything, you can ask one of the guards roaming the ce. They are all wearing distinct military uniforms. Just tell them that you''re my father and they will do anything you want."


    "O-Oh¡­" Lucas blinked as he nodded his head.


    With that, Talon left his bbergasted father behind and exited the hotel. On his way to meet up with Hyun-Jae and the others, many people greeted him excitedly. Since they didn''t see their leader in a few days, everyone thought that he was really busy.


    No one knew what happened so their reactions were rather normal. Talon tried to greet everyone back as normally as he could to hide his mood.


    Eventually, he reached the main operations building which was on the other side of the base. It was a rather small building with only two floors where only a few survivors were allowed. It was the temporary ce Talon and the others had chosen to use for their ns.


    Walking inside, he went straight to the second floor where the conference room was. Walking through a double door, he found himself inside a vast room with a long table at the heart of it. The table had many chairs surrounding it. Hyun-Jae was sitting in the main chair as she was talking to some students.


    "Are you sure about it?"


    "Yes, we have noticed that some monsters started appearing here and there across the entire route back to Seoul. Their numbers aren''t threatening, but we still wanted to tell you just in case."


    "Thank you. You can go."


    With that, Hyun-Jae turned toward Talon with a small smile on her face. "Good morning."


    "Good morning. Did you sleep well?" He asked as he sat down next to her.


    "Good, a lot better than yesterday. What about you?"


    "Same here."


    "You could''ve taken a few more days as a break if you wanted, you know?"


    "No, two days is already more than enough. I cannot prolong our ns anymore. I''m feeling good enough to get back to work." Talon replied.


    "Mmm, ok¡­ Well, things are going smoothly so far. I have already prepared a few groups to explore the area around the base. It seems monsters had appeared again after being absent for a while." She exined.


    "Appeared again?"


    "Yes, the forest up north is now filled with monsters from what the scouting team had told me. It''s weird how we didn''t notice them the entire time they were there. Very weird¡­" Hyun-Jae murmured thoughtfully.


    ''It''s almost as if they were deliberately hiding¡­ Was it because of the Shadow Crawlers?''


    With how terrifying those monsters were, Hyun-Jae wouldn''t exclude the possibility of other monsters being terrified of them. After all, a Shadow Crawler is a peak predator by nature.


    "That won''t be a problem. Once we go back to Seoul, we can clear that path. As for the forest, that will have to wait. We need to finish Seoul first to move outside of it." Talon replied.


    So far, their progress on the capital was rapid but reached a halt once they left for this mission. So, they had to return there in order to continue the progress.


    "Yes, I won''t send anyone to investigate any further."


    Talon tapped rhythmically on the table as he fell into deep thought. Hyun-Jae noticed that change in his expression and asked.


    "What are you thinking of?"


    The young man turned to the girl for a moment before he replied. "We need to do something else first before we can think of our ns. Something essential." He said.


    "What is it?" Hyun-Jae raised an eyebrow curiously.


    "Where did we put that bastard?" He asked as he stood up.


    "Bastard? You mean Hyun-Ki? We put him in the basement here. He has been there for a few days now with guards on his door 24/7." She said.


    "Good, I think I''m going to pay him a visit now," Talon said.


    "Let mee with you. I have the keys."


    With that, the two left the conference room and headed downstairs to meet their most important capture so far. The previous leader of the human society in Gwangju.


    A//N: Don''t forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading :D

 Chapter 224: Chapter 224- Negotiations

    Walking down the stairs, they soon found themselves in the underground area of the building. This area was supposedly a parking lot before but was turned into a secret area for Hyun-Ki since they wanted him to remain as far away from any human contact as possible.


    "We have left him in that room," Hyun-Jae exined as she pointed at a door with two guards standing next to it.


    "Good evening." The two greeted Talon and Hyun-Jae the moment they saw them.


    Talon gave them a small nod before he looked at the door. "How is he doing?" He asked.


    "He has been really quiet, leader. Except for a few groans every now and then, he can''t talk. We gave him food yesterday and we don''t know if he ate it or not." One of the guards said with a frown.


    "Hmm, ok¡­" Talon squinted his eyes thoughtfully before he looked at Hyun-Jae. "Let''s get in there."


    The girl nodded her head, pulled the keys out of her pocket, and then unlocked the door. The moment she pushed it, a very dark room was revealed to them. The room was almost invisible to the normal eye. But, for Talon, Hyun-Jae, and almost everyone else, it was as clear as day.


    Standing there, Talon saw a silhouette lying on the ground in the far corner of the room. He examined him with his eyes before he started slowly walking inside with careful steps.


    "Close the door behind you," Talon said as he coldly looked at his target. "I know you''re awake, turn around." He spoke in a freezing cold voice.


    His voice was so cold that it even made Hyun-Jae react subtly. Even when he was extremely angry before, it never made her feel such a sense of danger even when it came from someone dear to her heart.


    Talon was a little different than before.


    "Ugh¡­ Oh, I have some visitors? How lucky I am." It didn''t take long for Hyun-Ki to react to that order as he slowly turned his limbless body around and spoke in a husky, almost inhumane voice.


    Calling his face hideous was an understatement. He looked like a monster rather than a human. His hair was dirty, his face was pale and his eyes were red. He looked like he was on the verge of dying.


    "You look repulsive," Talon replied as he sat down with Hyun-Jae next to him.


    "I wonder who did that to me? They have quite the rough hand." Hyun-Kiughed drily.


    "... You know why I came here." Talon cut him off as he went straight to the point. "It''s time for that call."


    Hyun-Ki stared at him silently for a moment before he exploded intoughter. "Hahahahahaha! You''re a funny one, Talon! How am I supposed to make a call when I have no arms?"


    But, his jokes didn''t seem to work with Talon as he suddenly snapped his finger and a de flew out of nowhere and targeted Hyun-Ki. Thetter flinched as he tried to move, only to realize that his body was unable to move. The de reached him in a split second before it plunged into the ground, right next to his head.


    "...!!" Exhaling a shocked breath, his eyes stared at the sharp de near him.


    "I''m not joking with you. I''m in no mood for jokes. You are going to make the call and you better make it correctly or I will make sure you would wish for hell." Talon''s eyes shed with a terrifying glint.


    Hyun-Jae swallowed a mouthful of saliva as the tension grew in the room. She knew that Talon was in a horrible mood, perhaps the worst he had ever been. So, whatever he was saying at that moment sounded way more threatening than anything else.


    He meant every word he said and even Hyun-Ki recognized that in a moment.


    "Hahaha, did I anger our great leader? My deepest apologies then." Hyun-Ki smiled as he apologized.


    "..."


    "But, don''t you think it would be better if you tried to convince me to actually do it rather than threaten me? You know that I''m not stupid, right? I can easily convey a message to the other party on the phone without you realizing it and in a week, armies from all countries will be knocking on your door." Heughed.


    "What do you want?"


    "Hmm, let''s start with not killing me."


    "I ept," Talon replied coldly. "What else?"


    "I get rele-"


    "Refused." Talon cut him off instantly as he unleashed his aura.


    "Ok! Ok! Geez, you do realize how important it is for me to make this call, right? It''s a matter of life and de-"


    "If it came down to it, I don''t care if I have to fight them. Your call is simply a convenience that I''m willing to take for a good price. If things don''t work out, then we are going the brute way and you know I''m very good at that." Talon crossed his arms in front of his chest.


    "You would win, but at what cost? Are you sure you can fight thousands of soldiers on your own?"


    "I can and I will. It''s not a matter of debate."


    "... Ehem, I do like your confidence. That''s probably one of the reasons why you beat me. You haveplete trust in yourself no matter what situation you are in. Isn''t that quite amazing? But¡­ Why do I sense that you aren''t acting normally, Talon?"


    Hyun-Ki squinted as he hummed. "You are definitely acting differently. Did something bad happen? You can tell me, I can help you. Are you going through depression? No...


    Not that, it feels more like grief to me. Did you lose someone dear to your heart? Or perhaps the news finally arrived?" As he spoke, Hyun-Ki''s grin widened.


    Seeing that mockery in the man''s eyes, Talon felt his anger boil. For some reason, his words affected him instantly and he couldn''tpose himself.


    "Ok, I''m about to break his bones," Talon said as he stood up, only for Hyun-Jae to grab his arm.


    "Hahahahaha! Scary~ Talon is so scary~" The manughed.


    "Calm down, he''s just trying to y with your head. We are the ones in advantage here. He is just trying to make it sound like he is the one that can help." She said with a soft tone as she stared deep into his eyes.


    Those words from Hyun-Jae snapped Talon out of his anger before he sighed. "You''re right. I''m sorry for losing it for a moment."


    "Listen, I will make you a deal. It''s thest thing we are going to offer. It''s irrelevant to us whether you ept or refuse." Hyun-Jae turned to Hyun-Ki as she spoke. "If you do the call and do it right. We will release you in 6 months and if we can, we will restore your arms and legs. What do you think?"


    "Hyun-Jae?" Talon looked at his friend confusedly.


    At first, he was taken aback by her offer since she was implying they were going to spare him. But, a few momentster, it hit him. Hyun-Jae had a n and an idea. So, before he could leak it out, he made sure to continue the act of being confused.


    "We have no other choice. We need to make some sacrifices if we want to get what we want." She exined.


    "But, letting him free is a problem."


    "Hahaha! Interesting, such an interesting offer! Are you sure about that, Miss Hyun-Jae? You do realize that my power requires but a word and things will get out of hand really quickly."


    "I''m not worried. In 6 months, you will be leaving if you make the call. It''s as simple as that. Do you agree?" She pushed him with words as she stared directly into his eyes.


    The man went silent for a few seconds, contemting her offer carefully.


    ''This sounds too much like a trick to be believable. They are definitely not going to release me. But, then again, I was going to leak information if they let me do the call either way. Hahaha! What a conundrum this is. Should I y along?''


    Even though he was stuck in that shithole, Hyun-Ki was rather amused by the current situation. He was certain that if a war was to ensue, he was going to have quite the show to watch.


    He was really intrigued for some reason.


    ''If he wins, then I might have a chance to leave and even if he doesn''t, I can use that opportunity to escape.'' He thought to himself.


    It didn''t take long for Hyun-Ki to settle his mind as he looked up at Talon and Hyun-Jae. "You two really convinced me, I must say. I want my freedom more than anything else. If I can get that, then why not? A call won''t be that much of a hassle either way." He shrugged.


    "I''m surprised you agreed immediately. Are you not afraid that we might not fulfill our promise?" Talon asked.


    "Hahaha! I know that you two are honorable people who keep their word even against enemies. So, I''m not worried about that if I must say."


    ''This guy¡­'' Staring at the weird human in front of him, Talon felt the urge to just sigh. No matter what he did, he couldn''t understand how Bang Hyun-Ki''s brain worked. It was the weirdest thing imaginable.


    He didn''t even know if the man was a psychopath or simply a twisted man with ambitions.


    ''Either way, he won''t be a problem for a while. I might as well use this opportunity.'' Talon shook his head.


    "Good, let me get the phone then and go about it immediately." Talon turned around to leave the room. "Stay here, Hyun-Jae. I will be back in a moment."


    "Ok."


    With that, Talon left and closed the door behind him. Hyun-Jae moved to the nearest wall and rested her back against it as she waited silently.


    "For how long have you known him, hmm?" Hyun-Ki asked.


    "I''m not here for small talk. Shut up or I will put that tape against your mouth again." She red at him for a moment before turning around.


    ''So annoying¡­''


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 225: Chapter 225- Loving Heart

    Hyun-Ki stared at Hyun-Jae with a wide smile on his face. Even though she had shut him off immediately, he still didn''t think twice before speaking again as if he didn''t fear for his life.


    "You know, Miss Hyun-Jae. I''m very good at reading people. You can say that it''s one of my biggest strengths. Which means I can look at someone and know exactly what they''re thinking of." He said casually.


    Hyun-Jae opened her eyes slowly as she stared at him for a moment. "And what does that have to do with anything?"


    "What I want to say is. I know things about you that you might expect others to know."


    Squinting her eyes, Hyun-Jae pushed herself away from the wall and approached the man as she pulled her sword out. "Mhm, continue." She said as she pointed the sword at him. "Depends on what you say next, I might slice one of your eyes off."


    "What is up with you guys choosing violence every time?! Tsk, this is insane!" Hyun-Ki blurted out annoyedly.


    "It''s way easier than talking to a scumbag like you. I would rather hear your cries than hear you speak." Spinning the sword in her hand with great technique, she exined casually.


    "Ouch! That one hurts!" He faked pain as he shook his head. "Anyway, what I wanted to say or to be more precise, what I wanted to ask is¡­ For how long did you fall in love with him?"


    "... Excuse me?"


    His question made Hyun-Jae''s sword freeze for a moment as her eyes subtly widened. Her brain froze at that question. But, it quickly returned to normal as she continued ying with the sword.


    "What is this nonsense you''re spouting?" She asked coldly as she red at him.


    For some reason, his words made her react strongly and her heart started beating a little faster than before.


    "I can see it in your eyes when you look at him. You''re very deeply in love, Miss." He smiled as he repeated the same words with confidence, not fearing her threats at all.


    "You are wrong." She replied. "I know that you are trying to get into my head. But, it won''t work, not now, not ever."


    "Hahaha, I am not really trying to do that. I was curious, that''s all. The daughter of the Ran family fell in love with an unknown man. If this was the world before the end, it would''ve been in the headlines across the world." Heughed.


    "..."


    "I wonder if that happened, would it work like in romantic fairy tales or would the world change you, Miss Hyun-Jae?"


    Squinting her eyes, Hyun-Jae shook her head. "It is irrelevant."


    "Oh, it is very relevant. I know very well how it feels when you''re in love, especially as deeply as you do. The world suddenly bes a lot better, and clearer. More roses and less sadness. You feel like you''re on top of the world and rightfully so. Isn''t that what you''re feeling now?" As he spoke those words, a weird glint shed across his eyes that Hyun-Jae noticed.


    But, she didn''t speak a word as she listened to him. In reality, his words resonated with her far deeper than she would''ve wanted. She understood everything he said because that was indeed what she felt.


    After meeting Talon and getting to know him, the world around her, as gruesome as it was, suddenly became a lot more bearable. She felt eager to wake up every day and see him, even if it was a struggle for survival against monstrous creatures. She still felt more alive than ever standing by his side.


    Even when she had to face her own trauma again, his words lifted her up. He had given her a reason to live and fight many times. No one before him had truly affected her in such a deep, soulful manner.


    Naturally, she felt her heart change along with each day. Yet, she couldn''t grasp what those emotions truly meant. Obviously, Hyun-Jae knew that she looked at him in a different light than just a friend or apanion. But, because she never loved someone before, the weight of those emotions didn''t sink into her head.


    ''Do I even have to suspect it anymore?'' She asked herself with a scoff. Everything was already crystal clear from the start, she just decided to ignore it out of fear¡­ Fear that this beautiful world Talon had created for her might crumble if she made a reckless mistake.


    She wanted to y it safe, just to feel safe. But, in reality, that didn''t satisfy her. She didn''t want it to remain the same. She wanted more.


    "That look, yes. That is the look." At that moment, Hyun-Ki''s voice snapped her out of her daze as she looked at him. "You don''t have to answer my question as I already know the answer."


    "..."


    "But, I want you to answer another one. Before the end of this world, you two have been living inpletely different ins of life and you were never truly meant to meet or evene across each other."


    "What do you want to say?" She cut him off coldly as she pointed her sword at his eyes.


    "Hahaha, have you ever really thought whether those feelings came because he turned out to be exceptional? Or, would''ve you had the same feelings if you two met when things were still normal and he was but another average man?"


    ''I have never reallye across such a situation before. I''m quite curious to see what kind of reaction she would make. Would she question her feelings? Perhaps even reconsider them? Hahaha! This is really entertaining for some reason!''


    The man held hisughter back as he stared at Hyun-Jae, expecting her to hesitate. He was ready to see conflict within her eyes, perhaps even suspicion and that was exactly what he wanted.


    ''Come on, show me how weak this filthy bond is. Show me how dumb it is to really think those feelings are even true.''


    Yet, much to his surprise, none of what he expected happened. Instead, Hyun-Jae looked at him with a calm expression.


    "I thank fate every day that got me to meet him. That was my greatest blessing in life." She replied briefly.


    Two sentences, and yet the shock they brought to Hyun-Ki was palpable. Never did he expect Hyun-Jae to immediately respond in such a confident manner. It was as if she didn''t even need to think twice before doing it.


    "It doesn''t matter if he was strong or weak, I would''ve not cared about his position either. I can see that you don''t trust in what your heart might feel and that was why you tried to make me reconsider things. But, I don''t need that, I already know that I''m very lucky to have him. That will never change."


    Blinkiny silently, Hyun-Ki waspletely speechless.


    ''How? This makes no sense. How can she be so sure? They only knew each other for a few months. There is something wrong! Something is very wrong!


    It can''t be the case!''


    "Hahaha, I''m surprised you have such confidence. But, it is never that simple, Miss. You will soon realize it''s all just a beautiful illusion you created for yourself. All it takes is a small blow and it will dissipate like mist."


    "I don''t need it to be reality to be grateful. Even if it is an illusion, I''m d I''m in it and I will make sure to keep it for as long as I can." She smiled coldly with a terrifying look in her eyes.


    "... You¡­"


    ''Who am I talking to?'' Hyun-Ki asked himself as he shuddered. He felt like he wasn''t talking to someone normal. ''Why is it so hard to manipte anyone close to that bastard?! Do they have some kind of magic spell over their heads?!''


    As they were like that, the door to the room opened again as Talon entered. "It took a few minutes to find it. But, here it is, the transceiver." In his arms was a big wooden box.


    Putting it down, Talon stared at Hyun-Jae and then at Hyun-Ki. "Did he do or say anything stupid?"


    Hyun-Jae gave the limbless man a side nce that made him frown visibly before she turned to Talon. "No, he was silent the entire time."


    "Oh, interesting. I expected him to try something funny. Well, at least you''re behaving. That will increase your chances ofing out of here alive." Talon said as he opened the box and pulled the device out.


    "Now, how do I contact someone using this thing?"


    "Huh? Oh, you tap that button over there."


    "This one?"


    "Yes, and then you turn that one on."


    "Hmm, ok. It activated."


    "All you have to do now is adjust the frequency to the location you want to connect with. Which country do you want to start with?"


    "Which one you had the most contact with?" Talon returned the question with a question of his.


    "... Smart. It''s Japan."


    "Japan?"


    "Yeah, though, we have no actual partnership going on. They''re simply a little friendlier than the others. They''re the ones you should worry about the most."


    ''Japan, huh¡­ I have kind of expected that considering how close they are to us. But, I wonder if they''re really friendly enough toe to the rescue in case they sensed something suspicious.'' Running his hand through his hair, Talon contemted it carefully.


    He didn''t want to make a mistake at such a crucial moment, not after everything he did to reach this point.


    "If that''s the case. Then, we are going to contact Japan first." With that, Talon turned the button. The device immediately made a loud noise.


    ''Time for the truth.''


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 226: Chapter 226- The Outside World

    The moment they heard that sound, the trio naturally went silent as they waited for the device to connect. The tension in the room grew a little as they anticipated a reply.


    Seconds passed and quickly turned into minutes as they all watched the device. Eventually, Talon couldn''t keep his expression as he shifted his gaze to Hyun-Ki.


    "Is this normal?" He asked.


    "... Yeah, it takes a few minutes."


    ''I guess theck of satellite connection does make it harder to contact the outside world.'' Talon thought to himself as he exhaled.


    "Ok, since it''s going to take some time. Let me repeat what you''re going to say exactly when the connection is established. I want you to first act normal and say these exact words, if you change a single word, I''m going to cut your head off. Understood?"


    "Yes, yes." Hyun-Ki rolled his eyes.


    "If they ask you about the current situation, say ''Everything seems fine so far. We have discovered a few groups of survivors to the north but they aren''t much of a threat. We might try to integrate them into the base.'' And then ask them about the current situation in Japan seamlessly. Any questions?"


    "Hmm, that''s clear enough. Oh, onest question."


    "What?"


    "Can I ask them about the progress of the n?"


    "n? What n?" Hearing that part, Talon focused on Hyun-Ki.


    "Oh, I didn''t tell you? I have been working with Japan to establish a safe passage through the ocean."


    Talon blinked in surprise. "What did you just say? Japan is trying to clear a path through the ocean to reach Korea?"


    "That''s what I''m saying."


    "Why didn''t you say that from the start?" Hyun-Jae red daggers at the limbless man.


    "You never asked me." He shrugged with his non-existent arms.


    "This fucker!" Hyun-Jae clenched her teeth as she was about to grab him and beat him up. But, Talon stopped her.


    "Let''s calm down here." He said as he turned to the man. "Exin when and how this operation started and what the progress is."


    "Sigh, me and my big mouth. So, basically, ever since I was able to contact the outside world, we have been nning to reestablish some kind of way to travel back and forth through the sea. We wanted to use the air at first, but that didn''t go well."


    "Why?"


    "Monsters¡­ Flying monsters to be exact. They immediately shot down all the war jets we sent. It was hectic."


    ''Hmm, that makes sense. The sea is probably riddled with all kinds of flying abominations.'' Talon mused.


    "Then, we decided that the sea is better since we can at least clear a path through it. I have sent some people to the other side of the country to work on it."


    "How long has this been going for?"


    "Two weeks give or take."


    ''Fuck, that''s a long time. I wonder if the people on the other side are already making progress.''


    Even though this news was sudden, Talon could feel the weight of the problem almost immediately. The fact that Japan was already working on reaching South Korea meant that it wouldn''t take them as long as he wanted to realize what happened.


    What was a few months to a year before might be a very short period of time. It would very much ruin his ns if things worked out to their benefit.


    Rubbing his chin, Talon fell into deep thought. ''This is so annoying, tsk!'' Clicking his tongue, he turned to Hyun-Jae. The girl had the same troubled look as he was.


    "How long do you think it might take to finish this?" He asked. "Or, is it even possible? I have alreadye across sea monsters and they aren''t something humans could face." He said.


    "I don''t know, that''s why I''m asking for permission to inquire about it in the first ce," Hyun-Ki said.


    ''No matter how I think about it unless Japan has a huge group of exceptionally strong humans, they shouldn''t be able to do anything.''


    Even when he only fought a single sea monster, Talon almost died because of it and that was only from one single Kraken. The ocean was vast, and it certainly contained even more terrifying creatures lurking in there.


    ''This is a foolish n, very foolish. But¡­ In the off chance that it works, it might be a huge pain in the ass!'' He sighed inwardly.


    Logic said that it was impossible, but Talon knew that a few months was more than enough to change many things about the world and the current situation. After all, they have barely passed the first expansion a few weeks ago and its effects are still working. The world was now way bigger than before and everyone could feel that.


    It was as if they were a bunch of mice living in a giant''s world.


    ''In any case, I need to elerate the progress on the ns. In three¡­ No, two weeks, Seoul must bepletely cleared. Luckily, we have a bigger army now so things would go faster.''


    As he was contemting his future steps, Talon heard the sound of the device in his hand change. Immediately, his unfocused eyes snapped back to reality as he turned to Hyun-Jae.


    "Shhh!" He said.


    Then, he slowly approached Hyun-Ki and put the speaker next to his ear. A few secondster, a muffled voice spoke through it.


    "This is the main Base in Tokyo. Nakamura Hitomi speaking. Do you copy?" The voice clearly belonged to a woman as she spoke in a monotonous tone. She seemed rather fluent in Korean with a subtle Japanese ent that Talon immediately noticed.


    "This Bang Hyun-Ki from the human society in Gwangju, roger."


    "Good evening, Mister Hyun-Ki." The woman replied. "What is your purpose of calling? Is there a problem?"


    "No, not at all," Hyun-Ki replied in a formal tone. "I was just going to check on you guys since we didn''t talk in a while."


    "The next scheduled meeting is in two weeks, Mister Hyun-Ki." The woman replied coldly.


    "Yes, I know."


    "Then, if there are no emergencies, please refrain from using these calls for unimportant talks."


    Hearing that, Talon squinted his eyes. ''The way she''s talking to him¡­ She definitely has a high position.'' Talon thought to himself as he continued listening quietly.


    "Wait, Miss Nakamura, give me a moment. I do actually have a problem." Hyun-Ki changed his tone. "It''s concerning ''Project Poseidon''."


    "What about it?"


    "I have lost contact with my men in Busan thest few days. They have been sending me pieces of information about their progress exploring the shores down there and now I didn''t receive a single thing from them."


    ''What? Is this true?'' Talon and Hyun-Jae looked at each other. The things that Hyun-Ki was saying were new to them. Hyun-Ki stared at them with a ''Let me handle this'' look and it only made them even more alerted.


    ''This bastard.'' Talon thought to himself.


    "Did you try to send a group to investigate?" The woman asked.


    "Yes, but they''re still on their way. It will take another day to reach Busan so I wanted to ask if your progress is going well so far?"


    "..." The woman went silent for a second.


    ''Is she suspicious?'' Talon frowned as he held his breath. He feared that she noticed a lie in Hyun-Ki''s words. It took a nerve-wracking 10 seconds before she finally spoke again.


    "We have made sure the shores of Fukuoka are safe and our teams are now slowly exploring further into the Ocean. Tsushima ind is going to take a while to reach." She exined.


    "Oh, there were no problems dealing with the monsters?" Hyun-Ki asked.


    ''Good question, shithead.'' Talon nodded his head. This was something he wanted to know.


    "The shores were safe. We don''t know about the deeper ocean yet. It''s going to take some time to get clear information."


    "Oh, good, good."


    "As for your group, it isn''t our problem that they couldn''t do their job correctly. Our deal is still going. You have to clear a path to Tsushima in the period of time given or there will be consequences."


    "I know, it''s just a mishap. I''m still working on it." Hyun-Ki rolled his eyes tiredly.


    "Is there anything else?" She asked.


    Hyun-Ki nced over at Talon, who shook his head.


    "No, that is it." He replied. "Thank you for your assistance and do tell Mr Sato to contact me as soon as possible."


    "Understood."


    With that, the line was cut off instantly without saying another word. When that happened, Talon slowly put down the device as he exhaled a small breath.


    "Good, you didn''t say anything."


    "Of course, my intentions are clear. I''m going to keep my word." He smiled.


    Seeing that smile, Talon sighed as he turned around. ''I don''t want to even know what he''s thinking of. As long as he doesn''t do anything, he can rot in here for a while.''


    With that, he stood up. "Let''s leave."


    "Aren''t we going to contact other countries?" Hyun-Jae asked confusedly.


    "No, I decided not to. At least not now. If we contact them all at the same time, they might suspect something. We have to tread carefully." He exined as he picked up the device.


    "That makes sense."


    "Hey¡­ Onest thing. Can I at least get some light in here? I don''t want to go blind, please." He said.


    Talon turned around and stared at him before shaking his head. "No, you won''t get one yet. If you continue to behave, I might reconsider."


    "Oh, man!"


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 227: Chapter 227- Dinner (Part 1)

    With that, Talon and Hyun-Jae left the cell and went back to the conference room.


    "What do you think, Talon?" On the way, Hyun-Jae asked him with a serious look on her face.


    "It''s going to be a problem in the future. If what he said is true, then we will have to change parts of the n."


    "Yeah, I already figured. We need to go Busan, no?"


    "Yes, it''s a huge detour but I need to see for myself how hard it could be to cross the ocean in its current condition. The woman had said that they were going to reach Tsushima and then wait for Hyun-Ki''s side to make its move and reach Tsushima too. We can use that fact to our advantage." As he spoke, Talon''s eyes shed with a weird glint.


    "What are you going to do?"


    "Not now. Let me think about it. But, I can see what we should do." He nodded his head. "We are going to destroy them."


    Saying those words, Talon clenched his fists. Whether it was sooner orter, he knew that a war was bound to happen, a war on a scale far bigger than anything he had ever imagined. So, when that time came, he had to be ready for it.


    ***


    For the rest of the day, Talon was drowned in work. After not working for two days, naturally, things piled up. Especially concerning the matter of going back to Seoul. He had to spend a while with the scouting team to create a map with the potentially dangerous areas they might face along the way back.


    Now that monsters are back after the Shadow Crawlers disappeared, the trip home wasn''t going to be a smooth sailing like the first one.


    He made sure to pinpoint the best route they could take. Then, he organized a team for himself that he was going to take on the way to clear the route. With his pace, he felt like he could easily clear a good chunk of the path in one day.


    With that done, he spent the rest of his time till evening organizing the matters of the base. Since there were thousands of people living there, they naturally needed someone to handle their issues.


    During that time, Talon realized that this base had multiple problems that needed instant care. One of them was a ring shortage of food and supplies. With how many people lived there, feeding everyone was going to be a hard task.


    Luckily, since they were in Gwangju, the food supply was huge enough to sustain everyone there for a month or two. But, Talon knew a while from now, they would face a famine problem. So, he made a few other groups leave the base to collect supplies from nearby towns and get them back.


    When he was done with that, it was alreadyte in the evening. He was sitting in a small office as he read through a long pile of paper. Running his hand through his hair, Talon sighed.


    "All of these numbers are hurting my head." He murmured as he rested his back against the chair and looked up at the ceiling.


    "With how fast you''re working, you''ve already done most of the work in a few hours. You should leave some forter." Acrypha replied as she looked at him. She had been sitting on the desk the entire time, watching the window.


    "You think so?"


    "Paperwork is annoying, I would rather see you kill some monsters."


    "I do too. I feel like I haven''t increased my strength in ages. Where are the strong enemies when I need them, tsk?" He murmured as he opened his status window and checked his current progress.


    So far, his stats were in the range of 120-140 mark with the Aetheris on a level of its own at a staggering 215 points. It was still ridiculous for someone to reach this level in only two months but Talon didn''t feel that it was enough.


    He wanted more, far more than that. He wanted to break through again.


    "How strong should I be before I leave to the first gate, I wonder?" He murmured.


    "You have already sted through the normal level someone would have before they enter the first gate. But, with what we know, how strong you are won''t matter because the difficulty of the first gate will increase with your level. It is going to be brutal no matter what you do."


    "Thanks for assuring me." Talon rolled his eyes tiredly.


    "I''m telling you because I want you to be ready mentally and physically when you do so."


    "I will be. But, I''m not worried about that. Since you''re going to be there with me." He smiled faintly.


    Acrypha blinked silently before she smiled too. "Yeah, I will always be there."


    As they were like that, the door to the office was knocked.


    "Talon, are you in there? It''s me, Sophie!" A voice spoke to him from outside.


    "Yeah, enter."


    Then, the door opened, revealing a beautiful blonde girl as she peeked inside. "Hey¡­" She had a worried look on her face. "Are you free now?"


    "Yeah, I just finished and was about to leave. Get in, why are you standing there?" He asked confusedly.


    "Oh, y-yeah. Ehem." With an awkward cough, she walked inside and approached the desk. "I couldn''t see you today because of work. I missed you." She said softly as she stared deep into his eyes.


    "Sorry, I couldn''te to see you. Things were happening too quickly."


    "No problem at all. I know that you have a lot going on." She smiled as she touched his hand. "How are you feeling?"


    "A lot better, actually. Work helped me forget a little bit as hectic as it is."


    "... I''m d." Looking with a downcast expression, she faintly nodded her head.


    "Hey, why the downcast look?" Standing up, Talon approached Sophie as he tapped her shoulder.


    "It''s just, *Sniff* I''m sorry, I still can''t believe that it happened." Resting her head against Talon''s chest, she took a moment to regain herposure. His warmth made her heart slow down noticeably.


    Talon pursed his lips as shook his head. He didn''t say a single word as he waited for Sophie to calm down.


    Eventually, she pulled away. "I didn''t want to look like this in front of you. I''m really sorry."


    Talon smiled slightly as he patted her head. "It''s fine. I know how close you were to my mom. She also loved you like her own daughter."


    Even before they started dating, Talon''s mother saw Sophie as a part of the family and treated her as such. The girl, who lost her mother a while ago, found her mother figure in Talon''s mom and grew to like her a lot.


    He even heard that she kept contacting her regrly after they broke up. He knew how devastating it was for Sophie to hear the news.


    "She was like my mom. I love her so much."


    "I''m sure she will be happy to hear that." He nodded his head. Looking up, he closed his eyes for a second to calm the turbulence within him before he exhaled a small breath.


    "Ok, let''s go now."


    "Where?"


    "My dad wants to have dinner and you''re invited. Do you have something else to do?"


    "What? No! Of course not! I''m free!" She replied in a hurry as she walked after Talon.


    "Good, he would be happy to see you."


    As the two left the building, they noticed that the entire city was growing dark and the light on the streets started illuminating. Seeing that, Talon felt rather happy. Before the integration, things like street lights were something very normal. Yet, now that everything was destroyed, restoring something as simple as this was a huge achievement that he felt proud of.


    ''Appreciating small things like this is really good. Small steps create a big leap with time.'' He thought to himself as the two walked through the streets of the city.


    People were still outside so it wasn''tpletely empty. At first, Sophie thought they were heading to one of the restaurants in the city that had reopened recently. But, shockingly, they suddenly took a detour in a different direction.


    "Hm, where are we going?"


    "To meet Hyun-Jae." He replied. "She''s also invited."


    "What?" Sophie blurted out without realizing it. "Why is she invited?"


    "My dad wanted to thank her for helping him a few days ago."


    ''Dammit, I thought it was a dinner with Talon and Mr Lucas alone! Tsk, how did she find a way to get in too?'' Clenching her teeth in frustration, she tried to act normally as she walked after Talon. ''Calm, Sophie! Calm! I can''t let this annoy me! It''s going to be a nice dinner!


    That''s all!''


    Taking a few moments to regain herposure, she spoke. "Well, that''s fine too."


    Deep down, however, she was rather annoyed that Hyun-Jae had somehow made Lucas like her almost instantly. She thought that she had an advantage since she knew Talon''s father for years but Hyun-Jae was already taking huge steps when she didn''t realize it.


    Her rival was doing the work and she didn''t want that.


    ''I can''t let her take the limelight for herself. She better back away!'' With a fiery determination, she decided to finally start taking decisive steps. Her goal was very simple: Make Talon hers and hers alone again.


    This time, it was going to be forever.


    ''Nobody else would take him from me¡­ No matter who they are.'' She sword in her head.


    Unbeknownst to her, an otherworldly beauty was watching her reactions with an amused look on her face.


    "Humans are so amusing."


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 228: Chapter 228- Dinner (Part 2)

    The two walked through the streets, talking about different topics. The cold breeze of the night coupled with the serene atmosphere of the entire base made it a rather pleasant time.


    Talon had a craving for such walks. He used to go outte for a long walk when he was stressed or tired. It helped him clear his mind and think better, almost like a therapeutic session.


    Eventually, they ended up at the main gates where a small building rose from the ground. It was the guards'' building which was used for the 24/7 shifts they had going on.


    "Why is she here?" Sophie asked.


    "She told me that she needed to talk to the guards. They have to be more alert for the next few days due to the increase in the number of monsters around here. We might get attacked at some point." Talon exined as he approached Hyun-Jae.


    "Do you understand? Make sure you stay awake and alert me or anyone else the moment you notice anything abnormal."


    "Yes, Miss!" They saluted her before they turned around and left.


    Sighing, Hyun-Jae turned around to walk away, only to realize that Talon and Sophie were waiting for her.


    "Hey, are you done with them?" Talon asked her casually.


    "Yes, they should be able to handle the situation. I''m not worried." She replied. "What about you?"


    "I have finished most of the paperwork and the other things. I''m going to leave tomorrow morning."


    "Mm, be careful out there."


    "Always will."


    As the two talked to each other, Sophie was standing on the sideline with a panicked look on her face.


    ''This vibe¡­ Why do they sound like an old married couple?! I hate it!!'' She screamed inwardly as she tried to hide her internal struggle.


    She had noticed how these two seemed way different than before. The vibe around them was far too mushy and familiar to be ignored. Just like a married couple that spent years together and grew old together.


    "Ehem, so, should we go now?" Grabbing Talon''s hand, she nudged him.


    "Oh, right. My dad wants us to have dinner together, are you fine with that?" He asked Hyun-Jae.


    "Of course but¡­ Is he sure he wants me there?" Hyun-Jae raised an eyebrow. As far as she''s concerned, she was an outsider in Lucas'' eyes so his invitation was unexpected.


    "Yeah, he actually insisted youe too since he wanted to thank you for your help a few days ago."


    ''Insisted?! Uncle Lucas?! Oh no.'' Sophie screamed in her head.


    "Hmm, if that''s the case. Then, sure."


    With that, the trio finally turned around and headed straight toward the restaurant. It wasn''t that far away, barely 5 minutes on foot and it was one of the few restaurants that opened on the base after the integration. It was avable to serve food for free for the citizens who lived in the area.


    However, since most people were able to cook their own food in their homes, the restaurant wasn''t always full of people. That night particrly, it waspletely empty.


    *Ding* Ding*


    Walking inside, the door made a ringing sound, alerting the workers.


    "Wee!" One of the chefs greeted them with a smile. But, when he noticed who it was, he was shocked. "Oh! Leader! Wee, wee!"


    "One table for five, please," Talon said.


    "Yes, of course. Follow me."


    Then, they were guided to a secluded corner of the restaurant where they sat down.


    "Are you going to order?"


    "No, we are waiting for two more people. Give us a minute." Talon replied as he picked up the menu.


    ''Even though I heard that it''s very much a normal restaurant, the fact that it serves this many dishes is surprising.'' He thought to himself.


    After living the past month on canned food and some other small varieties of dishes, Talon had a deep craving for a restaurant meal. Something that he didn''t have to prepare himself.


    "Who is the other personing?" Hyun-Jae asked.


    "Her father." He replied as he flipped the menu busily.


    "Dad ising too?"


    "Yeah, the two of them spent the evening together actually."


    ''Weirdly enough¡­'' He added in his head secretly.


    He knew that his dad and Evan hadn''t talked in years even though they had been best friends before. Still, he would be lying if he didn''t feel weird about it. Mainly because of his problem with Evan that he told no one about.


    ''Sigh, he seems to have changed for the better. I won''t need to deal with him that way.'' Closing the menu, Talon looked up just at the perfect time when the door opened again.


    Two men walked inside as they looked around.


    "Here." Talon raised his hand to call for them.


    "There you are!" Lucas approached them first with a smile. "Sorry for beingte. We took a detour on the way."


    "It''s fine. We just arrived." Talon replied.


    "Thank you foring, Sophie, Miss Hyun-Jae."


    "Hyun-Jae is enough." She smiled kindly at him.


    "Oh, hahaha! I didn''t know how to address you before."


    "You are Talon''s dad, you don''t have to be formal. Please, take a seat." She said.


    Meanwhile, Sophie watched the entire interaction with her hands tightly. ''Grrr! That smile!!''


    "You can sit next to me, Uncle!" She quickly shifted her expression as she moved to the side.


    "Thank you, thank you!"


    Meanwhile, Evan sat down next to Talon with an awkward look on his face. The table was nowplete.


    "I didn''t think I would be visiting a restaurant again. This is surprisingly pleasant." Lucas said. "You remember when we used to go to that ramen shop back in the day, Evan?" Lucas said with a nostalgic smile.


    "Yeah¡­ Good old days."


    "I miss them too."


    Then, the entire table went quiet for a moment as if they didn''t know what to say. The atmosphere was weirdly awkward for some reason. So, to defuse it, Talon decided to change the topic quickly.


    "Well, what are you going to order?"


    "Yeah, let''s order."


    "I agree."


    With that, the group took the menus and started choosing from them. There weren''t many meat-based dishes due to the shortage of meats so they mostly took vegetable dishes and some side of fried chicken.


    The chef took the orders and left to prepare them. So, the awkward silence came back again.


    Talon stared at his dad with a meaningful nce. "Don''t you have something to say?" He whispered to him.


    "Oh, right. Ehem, since we are all here. I wanted to properly say this." He stood up and stared at Hyun-Jae before he slowly bowed down.


    "Thank you for your help the other day and for taking care of my son all this time. He had told me a lot about you."


    Hearing that, Hyun-Jae was naturally surprised as her eyes moved to Talon. Thetter gave her a small nod which made her purse her lips.


    "There is no need to bow, Mr Lucas. I didn''t do much. If anything, I should be the one grateful for his help."


    Lucas looked up with a smile. "You are very humble. I''m d my son found a nice girlfriend like you."


    "Pfft¡­" Suddenly, Sophie spat out a mouthful of water as she started coughing.


    ''What?! Girlfriend?!''


    Evan sighed as he pulled a handkerchief for his daughter. ''Oh boy, this dinner is going to be interesting.'' He thought to himself. ''I want to go home.''


    "Uuuh, Mr Lucas¡­ Me and Talon¡­ Aren''t uh, in a rtionship yet."


    ''What do you mean ''yet''?! It''s not going to happen¡­ Not in a million years!!'' Sophie red daggers at her.


    "What? Is that the case? My apologies. I assumed you two were dating with how fondly he talked about you."


    After their meeting that evening, Lucas'' impression of Hyun-Jae changed drastically. He had never seen his son talk about someone that much since Sophie had left.


    Those words were akin to a critical hit to Sophie''s consciousness as she struggled to keep her neutral face the entire time. The fight she had to go through at that moment was brutal.


    ''Uncle, please!''


    ''God have mercy on my soul.'' Talon face palmed himself with a tired look on his face.


    "He did?" Hearing that, however, Hyun-Jae was more than delighted as she focused on Lucas. "Can I perhaps ask what he said?"


    Deep down, she felt on cloud seven. The fact that Talon was talking about her this much meant that he thought about her as much as she did and she couldn''t describe how good that felt. It was the best news she heard the entire day¡­ No, week even!


    "He told me a lot about how strong and capable you are and how you''re very trustworthy. He als-"


    "Ok, dinner is here." Talon cut his dad off as he tried to hide his embarrassment.


    ''Why did you even talk about this?!'' He gave his dad a strong look.


    Meanwhile, Lucas was oblivious to it. All he thought about was how d he was to see Talon get close to someone. After what happened with Sophie, he had seen his son detach himself from people and live his life with no friends for the most part. It worried him a lot and yet he couldn''t do much about it.


    Now, his son seemed to be more socially open and he couldn''t be more d to see that.


    "I''m d you also made up with Sophie. Don''t you think so, Evan?"


    "Hm? Oh yeah¡­ That''s true."


    "I''m really grateful I had the opportunity to meet him again after so long. I''m also happy to see you too, uncle!" Sophie jumped on that opportunity immediately.


    "Haha, thank you. You were always a kind and considerate girl. I thought you two would''ve never separated like that."


    Hisment made the entire table go quiet again as if they couldn''t find something to say.


    ''Is he deadset on making this table the most awkward ce on Earth?!'' Talon felt his head about to burst with a headache.


    Due to his lifestyle as a writer, his dad wasn''t particrly good with people. He had a few good friends, but that was it. Now, he realized that Lucas wasn''t just bad. He was creating one awkward situation after the other with no end!


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 229: Chapter 229- The Truth

    Sophie looked down with a difficult expression as she tried to hide her frown. Whenever the matter of their separation gets mentioned, she would feel a sour taste in her mouth. Even when she had already made up with Talon, the lingering pain it left behind wasn''t going to vanish that easily.


    Meanwhile, Hyun-Jae took her te and started eating as if it wasn''t her business. In reality, the matter between Talon and Sophie was something that she didn''t really care much about. Beyond the fact that she felt jealous at first, she quickly realized that it would be pointless to fret over it when she could simply overwrite it with her own story.


    She wanted Talon for herself and that was a clear fact at this point. Focusing on petty emotions like jealousy or anxiety would only make her lose track of what''s important and that is Talon himself. He was and will always be the most important thing to her, no exceptions.


    On the other hand, however, Lucas quickly realized the mistake he made as he awkwardly coughed. "Well, ehem, let''s eat then before the food gets cold."


    With nothing to say, the group started eating their food silently. To ignore the tension, Talon decided to simply watch Acrypha who was floating around him idly. Just a glimpse of her ethereal beauty was more than enough to make him forget about everything else.


    As he was like that, he suddenly heard someone put their spoon down. Looking to his side, he noticed Evan had stopped eating.


    "To be honest, Lucas. Now that you mentioned that matter, I want to say something." He said in a serious tone.


    "Hm? What is it?"


    "It''s about what happened years ago."


    His words caught everyone''s attention, especially Talon who stopped eating and stared at him.


    "Dad?" Sophie interjected when she realized what her dad was going to say.


    Evan shook his head at his daughter before he looked at Lucas. "What do you think is the reason for that? Their separation, I mean."


    "I don''t know. I thought they just didn''t get along as well and things didn''t work out." Lucas replied as he scratched the back of his head confusedly.


    Even though he gave that possibility, he knew that it was wrong. His son and Sophie were so perfect that he assumed they were going to spend the rest of their lives together. He had never seen them fight or even argue since they shared the same tastes in basically everything. They were soulmates in every sense of the word.


    Still, that was the only thing he coulde up with at that moment, faced with a sudden question.


    "No, that''s wrong." Evan shook his head.


    "Oh, so you know the reason for it?" Evan asked.


    "Ok, this topic is over." At that moment, Talon put his hand on the table as he spoke in an authoritative tone. His presence made Lucas and Evan go silent. It was akin to hearing a king speak. "We are here to eat food and enjoy the evening. Such talks should be left for another time."


    ''Especially when the two subjects mentioned are literally sitting next to you.'' He added in his head as he forced a smile.


    "What is going on?" Sophie was by far the most confused. "Do you know something, dad?" She asked.


    "Yeah, I do and I''m tired of pretending that I don''t." He said as he stared at Talon. "I''m sure you''re still wondering what happened that day, right?"


    Sophie blinked in shock. "What? I already know the reason why and things are fine now. What are you even saying?"


    "You do? Did you tell her the truth, kid?" Looking at Talon, he squinted.


    Thetter didn''t reply immediately as he turned around. "What are you trying to say?"


    ''Why is he talking about this now? Of all times!'' Calling the situation unexpected was an understatement.


    Things were going normally a few seconds ago and suddenly Evan decided to reveal something Talon had willingly hidden for years now for a reason. He didn''t know what to say or do at that moment other than to watch.


    "What did he say?" He turned to Sophie.


    "... Dad¡­"


    "Come on, tell me."


    "..." Sophie found herself speechless as she shifted her gaze to Talon. Thetter exhaled a small breath as he ran his hand through his hair. "Well, if he wants to do this, then fine. What I told you that day wasn''t theplete truth." He said.


    Sophie waspletely stunned in her ce. Her eyes shed with myriads of emotions in a split second. "What¡­ Not theplete truth?"


    "So he didn''t." For some reason, Evan looked rather conflicted when he heard that.


    ''He had the opportunity to say it and yet he didn''t¡­ Why?'' He asked himself.


    He expected Talon to use that opportunity to reveal everything as a normal person would do after what they had gone through. Yet, the young man had decided to lie for his sake and it hit him hard at that moment.


    He felt ashamed, sad, and even more determined to reveal everything now that he realized how badly mistaken he was. He had wronged someone that he should''ve never wronged. Something that ended up hurting his daughter greatly and almost destroying her life, just because he was blinded by his worry and selfishness.


    Years had passed and he only figured out his mistake now. He had truly been blinded, through and through. So, he wanted to fix it, right there, right now.


    "I will tell you the truth then. The kid didn''t break up with you for no reason¡­ I made him do it."


    "..."


    Absolute silence. When the bombshell was dropped, the entire table turned eerily quiet. No one spoke a word or even took a loud breath.


    "Before you two met that day, I visited him and told him to turn you down immediately. He tried to refuse. But, I told him that if you stayed in South Korea, your future and career would be gone and you would lose your dream¡­ And then I said that he isn''t worthy of you because of his situation and how his life was." Evan looked down gloomily as he spoke.


    Even though each word he said was stabbing his heart as he knew things would never be the same after this, he still oddly didn''t regret it.


    In fact, he felt a huge weight slowly dropping from his shoulders that he carried for far too long.


    "... Why?" Sophie, as shellshocked as she was, asked her father.


    "Because, I thought that with how far you were going, he wouldn''t be good enough for you. I had thought that if I allowed him to be in your life, it would only hinder your dream¡­ I''m sorry."


    Looking up for a moment, Evan stared into his daughter''s eyes and his heart stopped for a second. All he could see in her eyes was anger, shock, and betrayal all mixed together. His heart squeezed with pain for a moment.


    "I''m really sorry¡­ I didn''t know that I was doing something stupid at the time. I''m genuinely sorry." He apologized again and again as he looked down shamefully. "I''m really sorry, Sophie."


    But, the girl shook her head faintly as her eyes shifted to Talon. The moment her eyes fell on him, the anger vanished instantly, leaving confusion behind.


    "Why didn''t you tell me?" She asked.


    "I didn''t want your rtionship with your dad to break. He is thest parent you have. What he said did hurt me, but I know he did it for your sake, or that was at least what he thought." Talon replied.


    As much as it affected him and as much as he wanted to break Evan''s face for doing it, he still understood why he did it. Evan was a father, a very protective father. After losing his wife, his focus fell on his daughter and she became his entire world. After that trauma, he didn''t want her to feel pain again in her life.


    When Talon and Sophie met, Evan noticed that his daughter started regaining her past self again. She started smiling more,ughing more, and living her life. Her dream of bing a world-famous actress came back stronger than ever.


    Things were going well, but, when the opportunity for Sophie to achieve her dream came, Evan found himself in a dilemma. Between pushing for his daughter''s career or for her love life. He assumed that her dream was once in a lifetime opportunity while love could fade ande back.


    So, he decided to push for her career instead. Even when he knew that she decided to stay in South Korea, he still stepped on his heart and did the opposite. For her sake.


    Yet, he never realized that was his biggest mistake.


    Slowly standing up, Sophie looked down with a downcast expression. "I''m going to excuse myself."


    Then, without waiting, she left the restaurant in a hurry, ignoring her dad''s calls.


    Talon exhaled a small breath as he rested his back against the chair. "You really didn''t have to do that, you know?" He said to Evan. "I have gone out of my way to keep Sophie happy. Now, you ruined it. She could''ve gone her entire life without knowing the truth."


    "Possibly. But, I know for certain that I can''t go my entire life without telling her. The guilt I felt was too much¡­ I can''t." Smiling bitterly, Evan wiped his eyes.


    Talon looked to the side for a second before he turned around to leave. "I''m gonna get her back." He said.


    But, surprisingly, someone stopped him at that moment. "No, let me do that."


    The one who spoke was Hyun-Jae.


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 230: Chapter 230- Heart To Heart

    After leaving the restaurant, Sophie ran. She didn''t know where she was going but she still ran as fast as she could. Her eyes were looking down as she wiped the tears off her face repeatedly.


    She felt betrayed, angry, and frustrated that she didn''t even know what to think. All she wanted was to curse and yell. What her dad said had shattered his image in her head. All these years, she had lived in a lie that her father set up for her.


    He had shattered her rtionship with her beloved out of selfishness and never even told her. She felt like the past 5 years of her life were just a huge trick, yed to perfection. She hadn''t forgotten the countless nights she cried herself to sleep remembering that day.


    Yet, she had to believe that it was all something her dad willingly did.


    ''Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!!'' Cursing everything, she found herself in a small park in a secluded corner of the base. Since it was night, the park was empty. So, with her dejected look, she approached one of the swings and sat down crying silently.


    ''Why? Why would he do this? I had decided what I wanted. I had even told him and I thought he was going to respect it. Yet, he didn''t!'' Clenching her teeth, she tried to run her hand through her hair only for it to fall over her face again.


    As she sat like that, thinking over the things she heard, she noticed someone approaching her from the distance. Looking up, she saw Hyun-Jae approaching her.


    "There you are. You really ran far away." She said.


    ''What the hell is she doing here?!'' Turning away, she tried to ignore the girl.


    "What do you want?" Sophie asked with a muffled voice.


    "Nothing really."


    "..."


    "Oh well, I will be honest. I came here to talk, that''s all." She said as she stood next to her. "Can I sit down next to you?"


    "... Do whatever you want. I don''t care." Turning the other way, Sophie tried to ignore Hyun-Jae.


    ''Why is she even here? Is she trying to mock me?'' Feeling annoyed, she was about tosh out at Hyun-Jae, assuming she came here with bad intentions. After all, the two had been going at each other''s necks for a while now so she wouldn''t think she came here to console her out of friendship or rivalry even.


    But, much to her surprise, Hyun-Jae was one step ahead as she spoke first. "What your dad did was very wrong."


    Sophie stared at her nkly. It took her a few seconds to register what Hyun-Jae said.


    "Living in a lie¡­ That is something I would never wish upon anyone, even my enemies." She added.


    "What do you even understand about it?!" Sophie snapped at her with an angry look. However, Hyun-Jae''s expression didn''t change at all as she stared back at the seething girl.


    If there was someone who knew about what Sophie was feeling, it was Hyun-Jae. She understood the gravity of such a shock when it happened as she had lived it herself through her parents after what happened with her sister.


    Now, she was seeing Sophie experience it too.


    "I know¡­ Trust me... I know." With a small, painful smile, she replied.


    That reply made Sophie''s eyes widen. For some reason, those few words carried a far deeper meaning than she expected. It was as if she was hit with a strong realization.


    "Long ago, I have lived through something simr. I have made a grave mistake and I paid for it heavily. I have seen people that I cared for turn on me and never look back. I was alone and lost and I found no one that I can convey that to." Looking up at the dark sky, Hyun-Jae continued.


    "They gave up on you? Why¡­?" Sophie murmured confusedly.


    "Because I wasn''t worth it for them. It''s as simple as that." Hyun-Jae chuckled weakly. "It''s really funny now that I look at it. I waspletely rolled over."


    Meanwhile, Sophie was just staring at the girl as if she was an alien. The notion of someone''s family giving up on them never came to her head before. She naively thought that a family was the strongest bond a person could have. A bond that won''t break no matter how hard it gets strained.


    Yet, she was looking at Hyun-Jae of all people, going through that. That Ran Hyun-Jae was an exceptional individual through and through.


    "You''re quite lucky to have a dad that cared. Even if he screwed up greatly, he still cared."


    "... He lied to me for years, painted Talon in a horrible light, and made me do things that I didn''t want to do."


    "And he is wrong for that. But, a father is going to do whatever it takes to protect their child, even if it is at the cost of their own happiness and that is why it can be a hit or a miss. They can either save your life from ruin or bury it further than it could''ve gone. That''s a father who cares."


    Turning to stare at Sophie, Hyun-Jae''s eyes shed with aplicated glint. Her words made Sophie stop for a moment and contemte them. Her heart resonated with them and so did her mind.


    ''A father who cares¡­''


    The seething anger within her was still boiling, and yet, she understood what Hyun-Jae said. Her father did care a lot about her. He had told her before many times that she was his most precious thing in the world and that he was ready to do anything for her.


    "What about you¡­ How was your family?" Hyun-Jae asked.


    "... Me? It was¡­ good for how long itsted." Sophie snapped out of her daze as she replied. "My parents were always kind, and loving, and they cherished me a lot. I was a little closer to my mother than my father since I spent most of my day with her. She was my best friend." Fidgeting with her fingers, she exhaled a long breath.


    "Then¡­ She died, right in front of my eyes. It was a car ident and the car was flipped over. I thought that I was going to die that day, but all I felt was a warm embrace right before the impact. I didn''t understand what happened at first, and then I saw my mom, hugging me, while fire ignited in the car engine and spread quickly to the rest of it."


    "I can still see her face as she stares at me from up close. Whenever I stretch my hand forward, I feel it shaking, remembering the moment I touched her face and the blood was left on my hand." Lifting her hand, Sophie showed her arm, visibly fidgeting out of control.


    Hyun-Jae listened quietly with a calm expression.


    "I can only remember that moment. Everything after that is blurry. Ever since that time, I changed. I lost the desire to do anything apart from sleeping and staying alone. My dad tried to do everything he could to lift me up. But, nothing worked.


    That was until he brought me to meet an old friend of his for a small visit and that''s where I met Talon. Things were never the same after that." Just remembering their first meeting made Sophie smile fondly.


    "... I guess we are the same here. He changed us." Hyun-Jae replied. "Hepletely changed us."


    "I will be eternally grateful to him for saving my life. To the moment I die."


    Hyun-Jae nodded her head faintly as she stared up again. The two remained silent for a while, sharing a peaceful moment. Putting aside their rivalry and differences, they discovered that their lives were simr in many regards. They struggled through traumas, and hardships and were eventually saved by the same person. It was like two sides of the same coin in a sense.


    "What are you going to do with your dad? Are you going to forgive him?"


    "... Uh, I want to take some time to calm down and think about it. Then, I will talk with him." Sophie replied.


    "Mm, good." Hyun-Jae nodded her head.


    "... Hey, now that I actually talked to you. You aren''t as bad as I thought." Sophie said as she wiped her face.


    "Same here. I always thought that you were very annoying."


    "Oh, what about now?"


    "You are still annoying, just not as much," Hyun-Jae replied.


    "Hey!! And you''re also so irritating. I can''t stand you! Well, I can stand you a little now."


    The two stared at each other for a moment before they startedughing. Then, Sophie extended her hand forward.


    "Even though I don''t hate you as much. I still see you as my rival and I''m sorry to say that I''m not going to back up any time soon."


    Hyun-Jae nced at her extended hand before she shook her head. "I never asked for that. Try your best to keep up with me. I will be watching."


    Then, she shook her hand powerfully. The two girls exchanged a strong look as they silently epted each other''s challenge. Friendship and rivalry were a different thing and they clearly knew that.


    What happens between them remains the same. After all, they were after the same thing and they didn''t want to share.


    (A//N: I know some of y''all gonna ask so I''m gonna answer: No, there won''t be any romance between Hyun-Jae and Sophie. It might turn into an interesting friendship, but nothing more than that :). Also, we gonna go back to action in the next chapter finally. Things gonna pick up real quick.)


    If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 231: Chapter 231- One Man Army (Part 1)

    *Next Day*


    "Fuuuuuh¡­. The weather is really cold." Exhaling a cloudy breath, Talon stretched his limbs slightly as he looked around him. It was early in the morning and the sun was barely peeking through the horizon, giving its faint rays of light to the world.


    Behind him, a group of 30 survivors were getting themselves ready as they were about to leave the base. They were quite strong with all of them being over level 15 with some even reaching level 18. Their equipment was decent too with some weapons over level 20. They were the elite amongst the entire mass.


    Seeing their shiny weapons and armor, Talon could only sigh. ''I think it''s time to start looking for a new spear. Blue Lapis has been really handy for a while now. But, it''s starting to fall short as monsters grow stronger. I have to upgrade.'' He thought to himself as he scanned his spear.


    After weeks of continuous use, the spear had finally started showing marks of damage all over it. Chips at the de and the handle could be seen everywhere. There were also scars from the many battles Talon went through.


    In reality, he felt quite conflicted since this spear had been by his side for a long time now and it was his most trusted weapon. But, he knew that it wouldn''t be able to continue with him forever as he was already facing monsters way above its level cap. The only reason it could damage these monsters was Talon''s ridiculous strength.


    "Sigh, well, it was good as long as itsted." Putting the spear on his back, he turned around. "Ok is everyone ready?"


    "Yes, sir!"


    "Good. A brief recap of the n, we are going to head north till we reach the forest. Then, we will separate into groups of 5 except for me. If you find a group of monsters, alert the others and deal with it. If it''s too many for you to handle, use that re to tell me your location and I will be there. Understood?"


    "Yes, sir!"


    "Good, get in the cars."


    After that, the group put all their stuff in the vehicles and left the base quickly. They knew that the day was going to be long so they had to start as early as possible. The goal was to clear 20% of the way back to Seoul.


    The cars moved through the ruined streets as they headed deeper into the forest. Talon was alone in the first vehicle while everyone else was behind him. At some point, the route diverged and the group was split into two. Then it diverged again and the group was split again.


    Eventually, Talon found himself moving through the forest alone. Thirty minutester, he stopped the car and left.


    "This should be good enough." After that, he pulled the device. "Is everyone in their position?"


    "It''s good on our side."


    "Same here."


    "We are fine."


    Immediately, he received multiple replies which Talon nodded as he turned around. "Stay alert and move carefully. We will talkter."


    After that, he turned the device off and finally pulled his spear. "Hmm, I can sense some monsters lurking in the forest. But, there are way too few of them. I need to attract them outside."


    With that in mind, Talon started moving into the forest. As he walked through the thick greenery, He heard sounds all around him. A secondter, multiple monsters appeared around him.


    They were all giant cats of some kind that stared daggers at him.


    "Level 20, huh? Well, this is not bad for a warm-up." Talon shrugged as he took a fighting stance.


    The monsters growled loudly at him before they lunged at him all at the same time. But, the moment they got close, Talon moved. Swinging the spear, he sliced through his targets at inhumane speed.


    Blood sshed everywhere and the monsters fell dead before they could even do anything.


    [Ding!]


    [Ding!]


    [Ding!]


    A long series of notifications appeared in his retina one after the other as he felt his body getting imbued with new power.


    "Ah, I missed this feeling." Exhaling a small breath, Talon stood there, basking in the taste of acquiring more power. He would never get sick of it no matter how many times it happened. That was how addictive it was.


    After that, he looked down at the dead monsters before he crouched down and started taking their cores out.


    "I haven''t collected cores in a while too. I should start focusing on doing that since the items I can get are going to be very useful."


    The supply of cores they had back at the base was huge considering the number of monsters they killed. But, the group back in Seoul had way more since they were actively killing monsters to that day.


    It was safe to say that they had a huge arsenal of weapons, potions, armor, and all kinds of artifacts. But, none of them were strong enough to rece any item Talon had on him. He didn''t use armor since they restricted his movements and added more weight to his body.


    He scratched his head before he pocketed the cores and started moving again. Then, for the next hour or so, Talon continued killing any monster he found on his way. Slowly, the number of kills stacked up. From a few to tens and then dozens of monsters as he went deeper and deeper into the forest.


    He gained a few points in strength and agility along the way but it wasn''t much.


    Meanwhile, his group was also killing a few on their sides. But, in reality, Talon didn''t like the pace at all. Even if they killed a few hundred monsters by the end of the day, it won''t be enough.


    There were at least a few thousand monsters roaming this area of the forest and he wanted to get rid of them all as quickly as possible. To do that, he naturally had to do something different than just roaming and killing whatever he found.


    ''I need to think of something or there will be no end to this.'' With a troubled look, Talon eventually found himself in an open area of the forest. A vast in with a small hill in the middle that peeked over the forest.


    Beautiful greenery and flowers garnished the ce, making it seem almost ethereal amidst the darkness of the forest.


    Gushes of wind passed across the area, rustling the calm grass and swaying the beautiful flowers.


    "Beautiful¡­" Talon took a moment to appreciate the scenery before he started walking toward the hill. When he climbed it, a view of the entire forest appeared in his vision with its thick trees and dark atmosphere.


    Standing there, he contemted for a while. Eventually, he came up with an interesting idea.


    "Hey, Acrypha."


    "Hm?"


    "How many monsters are within a 100-kilometer radius of where I''m standing?" He asked.


    "A few thousand, certainly more than 6000 monsters."


    "Hmm, interesting." Scratching the back of his head, he finally nodded. "Ok, I think this is going to work." He said.


    "What are you going to do?"


    "Something I never tried before. Just watch." He said as he stored his spear and finally put his hands together.


    Then, channeling a good chunk of his Aetheris, he activated Azure mes. A small ember formed in his hand. The ball of fire then grew and grew, slowly increasing its size till it reached a point where it was almost as big as Talon''s head.


    But, he didn''t stop there as he continued making it get bigger. At some point, the floating ball of mes was as Big as Talon himself. Thetter had a strong frown on his face. His forehead was riddled with sweat and his teeth were clenched as he struggled to keep the mes stable.


    ''Ugh! It''s hard¡­ To control it anymore!! I wanted to make it bigger! But, I can''t!'' Cursing under his breath, he decided to stop there.


    Acrypha watched with an interested look on her face, anticipating Talon to do something.


    The young man then opened his arms as he looked up at the sky. Then, he clenched his open arms at the same time and the ball of mes wasunched in the air at top speed.


    The blue light emitting from it shone brightly as it reached dozens of meters in the air and continued moving. Eventually, it stopped in the air before¡­


    *BOOOOOOOOOM*


    The ball of fire exploded violently in a magnificent way. The light it emitted grew so bright that it almost blinded Talon and the sound of the explosion shook the entire forest and spread far and wide. It was so strong that the trees close from there were knocked down and the grass around him burnt slightly from the heat wave.


    Talon covered his face from the shock before he looked up with a smile. "That''s good enough¡­"


    "Why did you do that?" She asked.


    "Well, since I don''t want to keep searching for the monsters, I decided to make theme for me instead." He replied.


    "Wait, you mean?"


    "Yeah, since monsters are attracted by the sound, they should notice this explosion and be curious to check it. When that happens¡­"


    Before he could even finish the sentence, Talon started hearing loud steps in the far distance along with monster screeches of all kinds. The sounds were faint and were growing closer. His eyes shed with a weird glint as he stared down.


    "I can get rid of all of them in one fell swipe." Pulling his spear out, he waited for a moment.


    A few seconds passed before the trees around him started shaking violently. Birds flew away in fear of what was about to happen.


    It didn''t take long for the open in to get invaded by curious monsters. Monsters that were there searching for blood.


    ''I''m not going to stop till I boost my strength again.'' Licking his lips, Talon felt his bloodlust grow bigger and bigger to an unprecedented degree.


    He didn''t realize that he was so eager to kill¡­ Far beyond what he normally wanted.


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 232: Chapter 232- One Man Army (Part 2)

    The world shook wildly as the monsters invaded the vast field. Their hunger and bloodlust filled the air endlessly. Standing there, a normal human would''ve felt their soul leaving their body the moment they witnessed that sight.


    Yet, the only reaction it brought from Talon was anger and a desire to kill. His senses heightened to the extreme and his body surged with power as he grasped his spear with all his strength. The veins in his arms expanded from sheer grip.


    Then, he slowly started descending the hill, heading straight toward the giant group of monsters approaching him. His eyes scanned them, one by one as his mind worked out a route for how things were going to transpire.


    After fighting monsters for weeks non-stop, Talon started learning what to anticipate and what to do even before he fought them or knew what they could do. His battle senses had already broken through the norm and reached the advanced levels, something that the system interface cannot quantify or show, and yet Talon could feel it clearly within him.


    As he descended, his speed started increasing gradually. From walking to strolling and from strolling to running then to a full sprint. By the time he was within range of the monsters, he was already moving at his highest speed.


    He was so fast that the monsters were unable to even follow him with their eyes and by the time they realized it, he was already in.


    *Swish*


    Like a raging storm, he pierced through their lines, slicing and dicing several monsters almost at the same time. His arms moved like shes, cutting down any enemy in the way as he rushed deeper and deeper into the swarm.


    Many monsters tried to blindly attack Talon, only to find themselves on the ground, dead. He didn''t differentiate between any of them. His eyes simply moved at top speed, locating a target, killing it, and then moving to the next one the next split second.


    Notifications rolled across the corner of his retina at a ridiculous speed as the kill count umted at an rming speed. The more he killed, the more the soul power he stacked and the more points added to his status.


    Dozens of monsters fell dead on top of each other, creating many piles of corpses as Talon moved deeper fearlessly.


    Talon''s method of killing was brutal. He would either decapitate or pierce their cores, efficiently killing them with one attack. However, what he didn''t notice and what Acrypha immediately realized was that Talon was acting far different than usual.


    His style of fighting was now far more aggressive, bestial, and way bloodier. Every attack he performed seemed to be infused with anger and hatred that was directed at nothing for some reason.


    His teeth were clenched and he had such a dark expression the entire time that Acrypha could only frown.


    ''His fighting style is filled with so much anger¡­ and grief.''


    "Hah!"


    *Swish* *Swish*


    His spear dissected monsters ruthlessly and coated him in blood. The blood of his own enemies. His handsome face was distorted with the ominous red color as he Talon mindlessly killed and killed. He didn''t care what, where, or how. There was only him, his spear, and the monsters he had to attack.


    He simply killed, that was the only thing he had on his mind.


    ''I need more! This isn''t enough! This will never be enough!'' In his head, a single idea formed. The more he killed, the more he wanted, the more his greed grew.


    He knew that each kill made him stronger, made his chances of survival higher, and made his ability to protect his loved ones better.


    Yet, that feeling onlysted as long as his greed wanted before it took ce and pushed him to do more. It was an endless cycle that he willingly started.


    The echo of the noise around him became a simple background to his thoughts. The voice in his head kept booming loudly and confidently.


    ''If you killed all these way quicker, things could''ve been different. Your mother could''ve lived and you could''ve saved her. You could''ve been with her now and yet you''rete. So, don''t bete again in your life. You are the one to always be one step ahead of everything, even fate itself.'' The voice said repeatedly.


    Seconds turned into minutes and the fight continued endlessly. Talon umted many injuries across his body after a long while of fighting but none of them were dangerous or painful enough for him to stop even for a second. The adrenaline pumping through his body endlessly.


    At some point, things started growing within him.


    [Ding!]


    [Dash had leveled up.]


    [Ding!]


    [Dash had leveled up.]


    [Ding!]


    [Ghost Spear Technique had leveled up.]


    [Ding!]


    [Ghost Spear Technique had leveled up.]


    [Ding!]


    [Future Sight had leveled up.]


    [Ding!]


    [Dimension Harvester had leveled up.]


    [You have gained a new ability. ''Berserker''s Greed''.]


    Skills that had been lying silent for a while now started leveling up one after the other. It was as if even they had been waiting for this moment for a long time, eager to explode just like Talon was.


    ''Not even enough! More! I want more!!''


    Even as his arms grew numb from all the killing, he didn''t stop for a second to rest or retreat. He only kept increasing the intensity, challenging his own body without any restraints. The pain merged with the thrill of going on a rampage andpletely clouded his brain.


    He was simply feeling like he was on another in of existence where nothing was normal. There was only him and the red color that he was creating with each move. Like a painter who drew red with each stroke of their brush, creating a perfectly distorted piece of art. A cursed image of anguished souls that were reaped endlessly.


    Time passed and the monsters around Talon eventually realized the huge problem they were facing. The human that they came to kill wasn''t dying. No matter how many attacked him, he seemed to vanish and appear again, killing dozens of them in a few seconds.


    He was brutally destroying them, one after the other and their instincts started reacting to that. Fear crept into their hearts as they started retreating slowly, realizing their enemy was the predator and they were the prey instead of the opposite.


    However, as more and more of them started trying to escape back into the forest, Talon appeared like a ghost right in their way. His eyes were deadly cold and yet had a hint of madness within them that terrified even the brainless beasts.


    They could see death within those eyes. Yet, before they could even try to change directions, Talon swept through them. In a matter of moments, the growls of hunger turned into screeches of pain and fear.


    ***


    The entire forest shook with the howls of death. It reached so far and wide that the rest of the survivors heard them clearly.


    "Where is thising from?"


    "I don''t know."


    "Wait¡­ Didn''t the leader go in that direction on his own?"


    "You''re right¡­"


    "He isn''t responding to the device. Is he ok?"


    More and more people started noticing the abnormality and eventually, they decided to go check out of worry. Even though they hesitated, it didn''t take them long to make a decision since they couldn''t find any more monsters in the areas they were hunting.


    It was as if all the beasts had run away somewhere.


    Rushing through the forest, they followed the howls for a while. Eventually, they found traces of a huge stampede of monsters that moved in one single direction. Broken trees and ttened grass with countless footsteps.


    "This many footprints¡­ H-How many monsters went that way?" One asked with a horrified look on their faces.


    The more they followed the traces, the more they started fearing for their lives. Even with a rough estimate, they can count thousands of monsters. Easily over two thousand if they had to roughly estimate.


    That was almost as many monsters as the battle of the campus so they naturally had their hearts beating loudly from fear.


    "Leader!! Where are you?!"


    "Leader!!"


    As they called for their leader, they moved after the traces. Even with their fear, they were still worried about Talon. If he was in danger, then they had to help him.


    Eventually, they ended up reaching an open field in the heart of the forest. There, they witnessed a sight that made them halt in their ces, shell-shocked to the soul. Their eyes were wide open and yet what they saw seemed almost like an illusion.


    It was by far the most shocking thing they witnessed with their own eyes. As far as the eye could see, there was only blood and dead corpses. The vast field that stretched for hundreds of meters waspletely covered in dead bodies. Not even a single spot was left clean or untouched.


    There were so many that they even piled on top of each other fromck of space. It was an utter massacre of a scale they couldn''t even imagine. The stench of death made many of them look away and fight the urge to vomit. It was simply too much to handle even for battle-hardened warriors like them.


    This was messed up, on many levels than one.


    "... What is this?" One asked weakly as they took a step back in fear. "What happened here?"


    "L-Look there! Isn''t that¡­" One of the survivors noticed a silhouette standing in the middle of this ungodly massacre. The silhouette waspletely covered in blood from head to toe, seemingly appearing like a demon from hell.


    "It''s the leader¡­" One murmured as they covered their faces.


    Hearing those voices, Talon turned around as he stared at them silently for a moment. His gaze sent chills down their very souls. This wasn''t the leader they knew¡­ At least not when he is acting normal.


    They couldn''t recognize him from fear. Yet, ignoring their looks, Talon opened his mouth and spoke.


    "You arrived a littlete."


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 233: Chapter 233- Berserker鈥檚 Greed

    Shaking his head, Talon ran his hand through his hair only to realize that he was soaking wet in blood from head to toe. The stickiness and the ufortable feeling made him frown before he leaked a small sigh.


    "I need a shower." He murmured with an oddly stoic expression. His eyes were as serene as a still pond that was never touched by the wind.


    His heart was beating calmly as if he was asleep. He wasn''t even bothered by the horrid smell of blood and flesh around him. All he felt was pure calmness. Something that a normal person would only feel if they were rxing and yet Talon felt it in the most disgusting ce one could imagine.


    ''That was at least 2000-something monsters right there. I didn''t expect I could kill this many alone¡­'' Looking at his bloodied hand, Talon could only feel weird.


    Barely a few weeks ago, facing 2000 monsters was a foolish dream. The only way he was able to actually kill this many monsters was when he unleashed that fusion attack and wiped out a good chunk of the campus in a moment.


    Yet, now, after a few weeks, he is able to actually fight against this many monsters without using that attack. Granted, his body was riddled with numerous injuries and he was exhausted beyond words. But, he still did it and did it to the highest efficiency.


    Talon had actually achieved what many thought would be impossible at such a stage. To fight an army on your own. He was a one-man army through and through.


    ''I feel a lot better for some reason. It''s like I got something off my chest just now.'' He mused as he looked up.


    He noticed Acrypha descending toward him as she looked at him directly. "That was¡­ Impressive." She said with a speechless look.


    Even though Acrypha''s expectations were already as high as the moon when it came to Talon, he somehow kept upping that level. Now, he truly did something amazing.


    ''A level 25 human killed 2000 monsters on his own. Haha, this sounds so ridiculous even as a joke and yet it''s true.'' She didn''t know whether tough or cry.


    At this point, she was contemting not even having any expectations anymore since they kept being shattered as if they were nothing. Talon has simply transcended something as simple as ''Expectations''.


    He was now setting his own league and ying in it.


    ''But¡­ The way he was fighting, I couldn''t understand it.''


    She would be lying if she said that she feltpletely happy with the way things went. Acrypha knew that even though Talon wasn''t showing it now, he was still mourning his mother''s death¡­ deeply.


    So deep in fact that it moved to his fighting style and made it far more brutal and unforgiving than before. He didn''t hold his hand back from drawing as much blood out as possible. It was as if that was the only thing that put his heart at ease and she didn''t want that.


    She knew how horrible it could be for someone to get addicted to killing. It was even worse than being addicted to gaining power and the reason is simple¡­ Power gives you arrogance while killing robs you of who you are as a person.


    It chips away at someone''s character and leaves him an empty, terrifying shell of their past self. It ruins them.


    "Hey, you guys! Can you get me a bottle of water?" Oblivious to the girl''s thoughts, Talon turned to the others and asked casually.


    "H-Huh?" His words seemed to snap them out of their daze and they flinched.


    "A bottle of water. I want to wash my face." He said as he made a bottle gesture with his hand.


    "B-Bottle? Oh right, bottle!"


    "... I have one¡­" One said as they rummaged through their backpack and pulled a bottle of water out.


    However, when he was about to try and hand it to Talon, he realized a problem. How was he going to hand it to him?


    Looking down slightly, his face changed just seeing the sea of corpses ahead of him. There was simply no way he could actually move through it even if it was thest thing he would do.


    He wouldn''t mind a few dozen, even a few hundred corpses. But, thousands was apletely different matter in itself.


    Talon seemed to realize the young man had a conflict with himself. So, he started approaching him silently. When he reached him, he stared down as he extended his hand. The young man flinched for a moment with a pale expression.


    "The bottle," Talon said calmly.


    "Huh? Oh yeah, h-here." He said as he handed him the bottle with a terrified look.


    Talon ignored that tant fear and simply opened the bottle before he spilled it over his head. Blood came falling down along with the droplets of water. Looking down, Talon stared at the small red pond he created beneath him.


    ''I think I overdid it again¡­'' He sighed as he washed his hands next and then finally washed his face. Even though much of the blood remained sticking to his face, he at least had his face and hair cleaned which made the rest of the students visibly rx.


    Seeing their leader''s expression bloodless put them at some ease. In the end, even with his terrifying look, this was still the Talon they knew.


    "I''m sorry for the¡­ Uh, stuff that happened here. I should''ve probably held back a little but I wanted to get things done quickly." Talon said with an awkward cough before he turned around. "Well, we need to collect the cores that fell from these monsters¡­ How are we going to do that?"


    "Uuh¡­ We can cover our noses and do it, sir."


    "Do you?"


    The survivors looked at each other for a moment as if they wanted to see what the other thought. They could see the lingering fear in their eyes but, they weren''t as terrified anymore. They understood that Talon simply did most of the work again and killed monsters that would''ve been a threat to their lives.


    As blood and gory as it was, it was for the greater good. So, with no words said, they pulled out masks from their bags and put them on.


    "We are ready, leader!"


    Talon raised an eyebrow at them before he nodded faintly. "Well, if you insist. Go ahead. I''m going to rest a little."


    "Leave it to us!"


    With that, Talon left the group to work on that while he sat down near a treetrunk popped a healing potion, and chugged it down. After that, he exhaled a small breath before he stared at the students as they carefully maneuvered their way through the dead corpses and tried to harvest the cores.


    For some reason, as twisted as that sight was, it was oddly peaceful in Talon''s eyes.


    "Hey¡­" Acrypha called him softly.


    "What''s up?"


    "How are you feeling?" She asked calmly.


    "...? Sticky, and I smell horrible but other than that, I''m fine."He shrugged.


    "No, I mean, how are you ''feeling''?" She repeated the question with a more meaningful tone.


    That made Talon look up for a moment, trying to understand what Acrypha was trying to say before he pursed his lips. "I''m doing fine¡­ Why you ask?"


    Acrypha opened her mouth to speak, only to realize something. How can she even bring this up? Talon was most likely unaware of it with how nonchnt he was acting.


    ''Telling him that his fighting style was angry and hateful would only confuse him more¡­ What should I do?'' Contemting herself, she found it exceedingly harder to speak.


    "Acrypha?"


    "... It''s nothing, don''t worry about it." She sighed and decided not to speak. In his current state, Talon was still not fully back to normal. Three days weren''t anywhere near enough for him to forget about his mother''s death and move.


    ''I will give him more time and then bring it upter.'' She thought to herself.


    "Hm, ok." Talon didn''t get what she meant and decided to simply change the topic. "By the way, I think I''ve got a new ability from the Dimension Harvester after it leveled up again." He said.


    "Oh? You did? What''s its name?"


    "''Berserker''s Greed'' it says. What an interesting name for an ability." Talon murmured as he rubbed the back of his head. ''Is it implying that I''m a greedy monster of some kind? That''s mean.''


    Talon could onlyugh at how funny it sounded. In a sense, he can see why the skill gave him such an ability name. The way he was fighting did feel greedy and brutish as beautiful as it flowed. Even if he was making the most mesmerizing dance using his spear, it still left in his wake a path of mutted bodies.


    "Have you ever heard of such an ability before, Acrypha?" He turned to ask his most knowledgeable partner.


    "Hmm, I do know of Berserker skills in general. They''re simr to sacrificial skills but less in terms of consequences thate up after using them. They''re very powerful abilities." She exined.


    Talon still remembered his fight with Cha Kwang a while ago and how he used a sacrificial skill and gained immense power in a split second. The huge gap between them was shortened immediately and Talon almost struggled to defeat him when he thought it was going to be an easy problem to solve.


    "Oh, so this could be good?"


    "Most likely. Check the description."


    [Berserker''s Greed (Level Max): Rage is your friend and foe. The more you embrace it, the stronger you be and the more you lose. Using this ability, the host gains a 40% increase in all abilities but they will loseplete control of their minds for a set period of time.


    w: Overusing could lead to the host losing their mind.]


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 234: Chapter 234- Cursed Fate And a Decision

    Opening his mouth in shock, Talon read the description again and again thinking he had mistaken the number he was seeing for something else. But, no matter how he looked at it, it was very clearly 40% and that only amplified his shock.


    "Damn, I did not expect this!!" Eximing loudly, he turned to Acrypha. The woman had a subtle shock on her face.


    "A 40% is crazy! That''s almost half my strength added as a bonus." He said.


    He couldn''t imagine how much that increase would do even when he was aware of how strong he was. It wasn''t even just a bonus, it was a fight-altering change that could very much turn the tablespletely. However, Talon quickly realized the flow within that.


    "Having no control over my mind is horrible though. I might turn into some kind of wild beast if I activate this ability." Scratching the back of his head, he could only sigh. He felt dejected that such an absurdly strong ability had such a massive drawback on it.


    But, in context, it made sense why it was this wed. As Acrypha exined before, the Core Dimension has a bnce it works on. The stronger the ability you gain, the bigger the drawback thates with it. That makes power and bnce coexist better and pushes the boundaries of what many would go to achieve certain goals.


    It was a very simple question it gave them: Are you ready to give this to get that? If not then you''re safe but also you won''t be stronger. On the other hand, if you agree, then you have to bear the consequences of that choice.


    It makes it far harder for someone to understand what''s more worth it, their goals or themselves.


    "What a unique ability." Acrypha finally spoke with a quiet tone. "It''s certainly very strong. But, the drawback is too heavy to rely on it. No, not even that¡­ You shouldn''t use this ability at all. It will only be a spell for disaster." She exined.


    "Yeah, I figured that much. If I use it, I don''t know if I would be able to even differentiate between friends and foes. I don''t want to harm someone I don''t want to harm because of it."


    Just imagining himself turning into a brainless monster and doing something he would regret for the rest of his life sent chills down his spine.


    ''Ain''t no way something can make me use it. Nothing.'' He shook his head as he rxed a little.


    "Well, it''s good to know that things like this exist, I guess." He shrugged with a dryugh.


    However, Acrypha didn''t smile like he did. In fact, she seemed to fall into deep thought on her own as if she realized something.


    ''It didn''t give him that ability for no reason. It knows that Talon''s style changed a little with the current events. That means that in the future¡­'' Looking at Talon, her eyes shed with a weird glint. ''He might end up being forced into a situation where he has to use it.''


    Acrypha was already aware that the death of Talon''s mother wasn''t just a coincidence. This was a deliberate thing the Core Dimension wanted to happen and so the fact that it was pushing for such a change meant that it was directing Talon or at least trying to direct him to something.


    Something that didn''t sit well with Acrypha.


    ''He needs to be careful. But, for now, since he isn''t aware of it. There shouldn''t be any problems.''


    She was contemting telling him. But, she realized how hurtful that would be for him. To realize that his mother''s death was not the course of fate but a deliberate n from a higher entity would make him me himself even more for it.


    He would think that his existence alone had lost him a precious family member. Acrypha didn''t want to see him look crushed again, it tore her heart to pieces.


    ''Ignorance is sometimes a blessing. I can''t let the Core Dimension get to him. He will be the one to topple it down one day.'' She thought to herself.


    Meanwhile, Talon waspletely unaware of what she was thinking of as he stood up. "Ok, enough resting."


    After that, he joined the rest of the group collecting the cores together. Collecting this many cores was going to take some time so Talon didn''t hurry himself.


    He had already achieved a good chunk of what he came here for and the day was still basically starting. They had many more hours to work.


    A whileter, Talon stood as he looked at the huge piles of monster cores in front of him. Their multicolors shone brightly, illuminating their surroundings.


    ''Hmm, most of them are below level 20. Some are above twenty and a few are above level 25. Hmm, should I try and find a good weapon from those?'' He scratched the back of his head thoughtfully.


    The idea of a new weapon had been brewing in Talon''s mind for a while now. But, even though he knew he could find a level 25+ weapon easily in the many monster cores he had ess to, he was hesitating to search and the reason was simple.


    ''I want a stronger weapon¡­ Far stronger than the Blue Lapis. I don''t want to keep changing spears every now and then.''


    The only reason Talon kept Blue Lapis for such a long time apart from its noticeably good strength was how familiar it became. He felt like the weapon flowed in his hands like he wanted exactly and that was because he grew ustomed to it and perfectly synchronized with it.


    Now, it became a part of his body that he knew how to perfectly control. If he changed it now to something slightly better, then with how fast he was growing, it wouldn''t take long for the weapon to fall behind and he would end up changing again.


    He needed to change to something that is so above and beyond that, it would take him a long time to reach its level.


    ''Would I even find such a thing here? Maybe if I fight an extremely strong monster. That might drop one.''


    So far, the strongest monsters that Talon fought only dropped potions and skills. It didn''t drop any weapons often for one reason or another and when it does drop a weapon, it isn''t a spear so Talon couldn''t use it.


    "Fuck it, I will keep it for a while longer. I waited this long, I might as well go for the best of the best." He murmured before he turned around.


    "You four, get this in the cars. The rest, we are going to continue moving north as we nned. We need to clear at least another 50 kilometers."


    "Yes, leader!"


    With that, the group dispersed quickly as they went back to work. There was still a lot to do before the end of the day.


    However, even with that in mind, they knew that it was just a matter of time before they finished the task at hand. All because they had the strongest fighting with them.


    Just that thought alone put them at ease to face whatever was left lurking in the forest.


    ***


    Meanwhile, back at the base.


    Hyun-Jae was alone in a small park near the hotel where she was training. Usually, she would leave it for the evening but that day, she had the time to train earlier in the morning and so she used that opportunity.


    Standing alone, she held her sword firmly as she stared ahead of her with a sharp re. Her eyes were cold and serene, carrying no emotions behind them. Her breathing was even and calm and her posture was perfect.


    She didn''t move for a few seconds as if she was a statue. Then, suddenly her body shed forward as she swung the sword down. The move was so quick that it almost appeared like a blur, sending a strong gush of wind all around her.


    Then, she turned around and swung the sword again horizontally. She continued moving left and right, swinging her sword with unbelievable precision as if she were fighting an enemy that nobody could see.


    That was Hyun-Jae''s method of training that she developed on her own this entire time. ''Shadow Spars'', imagining an opponent and fighting them based on moves that they could do.


    She realized that doing this improved her general technique by leaps and bounds in a short period of time. The only limit to this method was her imagination which she didn''tck since she could always imagine a stronger opponent no matter how powerful she got.


    Minutes passed as she continued swinging her sword. Her face glistened with droplets of sweat as her eyes focusedpletely on the training. She didn''t let her mind wander to something else the entire time.


    ''This isn''t enough, I need to improve my technique. We are going to start moving again soon and I can''t fall behind.'' Clenching her teeth, she exerted all of her strength as she moved left and right.


    Eventually, her steps halted as she exhaled a long breath. Looking around her, she realized that she had just cleared the entire area of all the sand and dirt that filled it.


    "Hah¡­ Hah¡­. Hah¡­" Heaving silently, she took a moment to rest before resuming.


    "You''ve got a good technique."


    As she was like that, she heard a voice speaking behind her. Turning around, she saw Sophie standing there, watching her.


    "... Thank you," Hyun-Jae replied casually as she sheathed her sword. "What brought you here? Did something happen?"


    "Hmm, no, not really. I came here for another matter." Stepping into the park, she smiled at Hyun-Jae.


    "Wanna spar with me?"


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 235: Chapter 235- Hyun-Jae Vs Sophie

    "A Spar?" Hyun-Jae raised an eyebrow as she looked at Sophie. "Why?"


    "Nothing really. I just wanted a training partner and you seem perfect for that. It would help us both, no?" She said with a small smile. "I just want to test and see how strong you are."


    In reality, Sophie was already aware of how powerful Hyun-Jae was. She had seen a glimpse of that power when they fought those rats and she could only feel impressed. As much as she didn''t want to admit it, Hyun-Jae was perhaps the second strongest person she had met so far after Talon.


    She had the speed, the technique, and the destructive power to face anything and win. She was not a rival to be messed with.


    "Hmm¡­" Humming thoughtfully, Hyun-Jae nodded her head. "I guess that''s fine. I don''t mind. But, let''s not use our full powers in this since it could leave behind a lot of damage." She said.


    "Of course, the moment someone ends up in a defeated position, the fight ends immediately."


    The two knew that going overboard with a spar would injure one or the other and would hinder their ns for the future. It would be a really foolish mistake. So, the two were going to be careful about it.


    "Ok, let''s start then." With that, Sophie stepped a few dozen feet away from Hyun-Jae and channeled her Aetheris.


    "So, you don''t really use a weapon, huh?" Hyun-Jae asked as she brandished her sword and got ready for the fight.


    "No, I''m not that good with weapons and my ability has been my weapon so far." She replied.


    "Relying too much on your ability alone without a weapon is bad." Hyun-Jae retorted.


    "... But, it''s versatile enough not to require a weapon, you know? Look." Saying that, Sophie lifted her hand and white strings immediately formed around it.


    Those strings stretched far and wide as they coiled around each other in aplicated dance. Knots were tied and turned, slowly forming an image of something. Hyun-Jae watched the show silently.


    A few secondster, Sophie slowly moved her hand down and grabbed the floating object before she aimed it at Hyun-Jae. "See? If I need a weapon, I can make it out of strings."


    In her hand, a long sword with a sharp edge had been created out of thin air. Even though it was made out of strings, it still looked really sturdy and sharp like a real weapon would. In fact, it looked way sharper than a normal weapon since Sophie''s strings were very resilient and strong.


    Hyun-Jae''s eyes shed with a weird glint before she closed them for a moment. "Ok, are you ready?" She asked as she slowly rotated her sword around.


    "Any time." Sophie took a fighting stance too.


    With that said, the two stared at each other for a second. Neither moved immediately as if they were trying to figure out their opponent. Eventually, a gush of wind blew across the entire park as it brought along with it a tree leaf. The small leaf floated around, swaying in the air as it slowly descended to the ground right in between the two girls.


    The moment it touched the ground, the two dashed forward at an explosive speed, shing with their swords violently. Then, Hyun-Jae pushed Sophie away and jumped back swiftly before dashing forward again and shing at her.


    Sophie clenched her teeth as she felt the overwhelming power of Hyun-Jae''s sword. The girl started attacking her ruthlessly from all angles and she found herself in an increasingly defensive state.


    *CLING* *CLING* *CLING*


    The sound of two swords shing echoed in the vicinity. The two were moving all around the ce nimbly.


    "You aren''t bad for someone who doesn''t use a sword," Hyun-Jaemented as she continued her endless assault on Sophie.


    "Thank¡­ you¡­" With a difficult look, Sophie dodged and deflected all the attacks to the best of her ability.


    ''Ugh, she''s so fast¡­ My eyes can barely follow her. I can''t even find a moment to counter-attack. She doesn''t give me a room for any of that.'' She thought to herself.


    Even though Sophie didn''t use a weapon, she had learned how to fight with a sword on her own before for a role in a movie. So, she was surprisingly good at it.


    Meanwhile, Hyun-Jae was having apletely different thought. ''Even though I''m at an advantage now, I can''t seem to find a way to break her stance. She knows how to take each hit without falling.''


    The way Hyun-Jae fought was rather simple in general: She tries to use her explosive speed to her advantage in taking the enemy by surprise and dealing the final blow before they could be ready. She''s one who starts and ends a fight quicker than anyone else.


    So, when she can''t do that, it bes a little more troublesome since it''s now a fight of endurance rather than speed.


    The momentum of the fight continued for a while as the two tried to find a loophole within each other. But, it was easier said than done. That was until Sophie found an idea.


    Clenching her teeth, she deflected three attacks from Hyun-Jae before she suddenly ducked down to dodge thest one. Thetter quickly tried to change direction and take her by surprise, only for Sophie to do something unexpected.


    The strings around her sword suddenly moved as they opened up quickly, right before Hyun-Jae''s weapon could reach her. Then, like snakes, they wrapped around the de tightly.


    Hyun-Jae''s eyes widened for a moment as she realized what happened. But, Sophie didn''t let that opportunity slip.


    ''Now!''


    Using her other hand, she made a sharp de as she was about to aim it at Hyun-Jae''s throat and end the fight.


    ''I won.'' She thought to herself for a split second. She couldn''t see a way her opponent could dodge.


    However, before she could even celebrate, Hyun-Jae suddenly did something unexpected. Her grip on the sword loosened as she let it go. That simple move made Sophie lose her bnce since she had been putting a lot of power into keeping that sword trapped.


    Then, Hyun-Jae dashed forward and tilted her head to the side, dodging the second sharp de before tightening her fist andunching a jab aimed at Sophie''s jaw.


    *Swish*


    Sophie fell to the ground with a shocked look on her face. Looking up, she saw a fist, barely an inch away from her face. Then, her eyes moved down and she saw the sword aimed at her stomach.


    ''When did she¡­?'' She couldn''t even think of what happened.


    Hyun-Jae stared down at her calmly before she pulled her arms away. "That was close. You took me by surprise there." She said.


    "..."


    "Your ability is quite versatile and strong. The possibilities it has are endless. But, the only reason you lost is that you didn''t have a real weapon in your hand. If you had a sword in your other hand, I would''ve never been able to dodge that second attack and finish the fight."


    Because the second de Sophie created was small and pointy, Hyun-Jae didn''t find a hard time dodging it. If it was a sword or a spear or any other weapon, she could''ve never done that and she would''ve lost the fight.


    ''This girl¡­ She''s way stronger than I expected. She''s almost at my level or perhaps even higher than it.''


    The Strings that Sophie can create are utterly destructive. Even at such an early stage, they could be good in defense and offense, sudden swift attacks, or heavy destructive blows. They can turn into any shape and can even float in the air.


    It was a ridiculously powerful ability.


    Sophie stared speechlessly at her opponent. Even though she felt bitter that she lost. She wasn''tpletely devastated.


    "You''re quite strong, as I thought." She smiled.


    "Thank you," Hyun-Jae replied casually as she extended her hand forward to help her opponent stand up.


    "I thought I had you for a second, haha. But, I guess you proved your point that I need a sword. I should probably start looking for one."


    "There are many you can choose from. When you do,e look for me."


    Hyun-Jae turned around and started walking before she stopped and looked over her shoulder.


    "... Why?" Sophie asked.


    "I will help you practice."


    ***


    Meanwhile, far away from there.


    *Swish* *Swish*


    Deep into the forest, the painful cries of monsters could be heard. A silhouette was moving through the ce like a gush of wind, slicing through their bodies with ease.


    In a matter of moments, ten fell dead to the ground.


    "That''s another 500 dead," Talon murmured as he stopped and looked around him.


    A very long trial of monsters could be seen stretching as far as the eye could see. The corpses were all the result of his work as he covered a massive area of the forest. It had been a few hours since he defeated those 2000 monsters and he was now well into the forest.


    [Ding!]


    [You have killed 10 enemies. +2 Health.]


    Nodding his head with satisfaction, Talon opened his status window to see the progress he made today.


    [Talon Everhart-


    Level: 25


    Dimension: Low-D (ess to another dimension has been unlocked.)


    ss: Dimension Maniptor/ Sea Hunter/ Limitless Breaker


    Strength: 145 (+4)- Agility: 134 (+4)- Stamina: 133 (+4)- Health: 125(+2)- Aetheris: 215(+10)]


    Free Points:16]


    "Nice." He smiled to himself.


    Even though his stats didn''t increase explosively, he was still happy with what he got so far.


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 236: Chapter 236- Busan (Part 1)

    Exhaling a small breath, Talon wiped the blood and sweat off his face as he looked up. After hours of killing, the exhaustion finally caught up to him. It wasn''t unbearable but he still felt like his energy was depleted greatly.


    ''I think we should stop here¡­ We have already done more than what we needed to.'' He thought to himself.


    At first, Talon expected that he might just do 70% of the work by the end of the day. But, after brutally massacring that many monsters in one fell sweep, that progress was boosted way further.


    He was certain that the rest of the monsters lurking somewhere weren''t going to be a problem even if they didn''t get rid of them right now.


    ''Fuuh, I want a shower so bad¡­ My smell is horrible.'' Just a small sniff of his body made him frown hard. Being covered in this much blood and flesh wasn''t a nice feeling at all.


    So, with that in mind, he picked up themunication device to contact the rest of the group to meet up again at the designated spot they agreed on. However, as he was about to click the button, the device suddenly started ringing loudly.


    "Hm? Someone is trying to contact me first. Is it the others?" He murmured as he responded.


    The moment he picked it up, he heard a familiar voice through the speaker. "Hey, Talon, where are you right now?"


    The voice belonged to Hyun-Jae and she seemed oddly in a hurry which made him even more alerted.


    "I''m still in the forest up north. Why? Did something happen?" He asked confusedly.


    "Yes, you need toe back. Something happened but I can''t tell you over the phone." She replied.


    "Ok, I''m on my way." Talon didn''t waste a second asking any further questions since he knew she was going to exin when he was back. She had a good reason as to why she didn''t tell him.


    ''I hope everything is ok.'' With a worried look on his face, he contacted his group and told them to immediately return to the cars as fast as possible.


    The trip back was quick as Talon had to go full speed. He didn''t know what was awaiting for him back at the base so even with a calm mind, he couldn''t stop himself from rushing back as fast as he could.


    An hourter, he was back at the base as he rushed to the main building. The moment he walked inside, he found everyone sitting around the table waiting for him. Hyun-Jae, Sophie, Chin-Hwa, Shin-Il, Soomin, Young-Soon, Mo-Shin, and a few others who were a part of the nning team.


    These were the highest positions in the entire base. They were there for a reason and Talon was certain that it wasn''t a simple one.


    "Talon! Oh my god!" Sophie eximed as she rushed toward him. "Are you ok?"


    The moment their eyesnded on him, they had varying reactions to his appearance.


    The way he was coveredpletely in blood sent chills down their spines. He simply looked terrifying.


    "I''m fine, it''s not my blood. More importantly, what happened?" He said as he approached Hyun-Jae. "Your call didn''t sound good."


    Hyun-Jae looked worriedly at him for a moment. She wanted toment on the blood but decided to keep it forter since Talon said he was fine.


    "We received a message signal." She said.


    "A message signal? From who?"


    "From the people in Busan." She replied with a serious look. "I didn''t reach the call in time so it''s only a message now."


    "The people in Busan?" Talon raised an eyebrow. "What did they want? Did they find something?"


    Talon was already aware of the situation in Busan so far from what Hyun-Ki said. He had mentioned that the group there was huge,posed of at least a few hundred people who went there with the single purpose of clearing the entire area that leads to Tsushima across the ocean from all the monsters that lived in it.


    He already had ns of going there right after returning to Seoul so this call was expectedly not a problem until it became a problem right now.


    "Sigh, sit down and listen." Hyun-Jae sighed as she rubbed her temples tiredly.


    The young man obliged and took a seat next to her. Then, Hyun-Jae pulled the device out and clicked a few buttons before she put it down and went silent, leaving the record to speak for itself.


    "SSSHHHHHHH¡­" The cryptic noise of the device began slowly before it was quickly reced with a voice.


    "Shhhh¡­ Can you hear me? Shhh¡­ We are sending a message from Busan for the usual update on the mission. Things were going smoothly so far. We came across some monsters on the shores but they weren''t a threat. But, we have a problem. We have a visitor here."


    ''A visitor?'' Talon looked even more confused as he listened to the next words said by the man carefully.


    "A day ago¡­ An unknown Japanese man was found near our current location. He was injured and unconscious so we couldn''t identify him. He had woken up a few hours ago and he said that he had crossed the ocean to reach us. We cannot deny or confirm his ims. He seems to know about the current n and he is asking us to bring him back to the base. We are asking for permission to do that, Sir!


    We shall await your response as soon as possible."


    After that, the record wentpletely silent as the message ended. What was left after that was solemn silence.


    "... This sounds ridiculous no matter how many times I hear it." Chin-Hwa clicked his tongue with an annoyed look on his face. "How did he cross the ocean when it''s choke full of monsters and ended up on the chores?"


    His question was the first oddity in this entire story. Everyone knew how ridiculous it sounded since they themselves tried to do something simr and it didn''t go smoothly. Talon himself almost died because he tried to cross the Han River.


    Now, imagine that but perhaps tens of times worse. It didn''t make any sense that someone could do that and Talon couldn''t.


    "So he''s lying?" Shin-Il asked confusedly.


    "No, that''s probably not the case since he did mention this man knew about the n. It can''t be a coincidence that he ended up there." Sophie shook her head.


    "But it still makes no sense," Soomin interjected. "Unless he''s some kind of monster with more power than Talon, it should be impossible."


    As they heard that, everyone naturally went to look at Talon. He was the most knowledgeable when it came to this and so his opinion mattered the most.


    The young man seemed to be deep in thought as he looked down. His mind was working through the entire thing as quickly as he could.


    "Talon?" Hyun-Jae called his name gently, making him look up.


    "He is probably not lying. But, he also didn''t cross the ocean the way we might think."


    ''It couldn''t be using sheer power because that is impossible. It has to be something different¡­ A method that keeps him away from facing monsters.''


    Talon also remembered the detail about the man being heavily injured which meant that even though his n worked, it wasn''tpletely safe.


    Looking up, Talon stared at Acrypha who was nonchntly floating around. He wanted to ask her about her opinion. But, for some reason, the moment he looked at her, something clicked in his head and his eyes widened.


    In a moment of inspiration, he somehow got an idea, rather quickly. An idea that he wasn''t sure was possible or not.


    "Hey, Acrypha." He spoke in a mysterious tone. "What are the chances that someone gets an ability rted to flying early on?" He asked.


    The woman thought for a moment before she replied. "It''s not that rare. Abilities rted to flying are quitemon in all worlds. Though, they can vary in power and efficiency. Wait, why are you asking tha-... Oh¡­" It didn''t take long for Acrypha to reach what Talon was looking for and she could onlyugh.


    "You''re one hell of a genius¡­ I couldn''t even think of that." She said with a weird smile.


    Talon''s lips widened into a grin. "Haha, this is so stupid¡­" Facepalming, he looked at his group.


    "I think I know how it happened."


    "Really?"


    "He didn''t cross the ocean using power. That would be impossible. He had crossed the ocean in a way where he would only have to worry about one particr type of enemy." Then, Talon slowly pointed up. "The ones in the sky."


    His words snapped everyone''s mind in a moment.


    "He flew¡­" Hyun-Jae murmured in a moment of realization. "But, how? Fighting jets had no chance of doing that."


    "They don''t. But, skills do."


    "A skill that makes you fly? How is that possible? We never came across one so far."


    "It is possible, we just didn''t find it yet and they did."


    "That also exins why only one person crossed the ocean and reached Busan. It''s because he''s the only one that can fly." Sophie murmured. "Talon, you''re a genius!"


    "I said that first." Acrypha rolled her eyes.


    "But, that doesn''t solve anything. The problem is still there. He had reached Busan which means that he is there to be the link between Japan and our side and make sure things are going ording to their ns. If they realize that we took over this base, things won''t end nicely." Hyun-Jae interjected.


    Their entire n that they built so far would go to ruin in a second if their enemy realized they weren''t dealing with Hyun-Ki as they expected. They were instead slowly falling into the trap Talon had set up for them.


    However, that same prey is now crawling out of that trap with sheer coincidence and luck.


    ''I have to bury them again quickly.''


    "We are going to Busan, now."


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 237: Chapter 237- Busan (Part 2)

    "Right now?" Shin-Il asked.


    "Yeah, right now. I need to take a shower first though." Talon stood up and started walking to the door.


    "Shouldn''t we call and tell them that they should remain there?" Sophie asked confusedly.


    That made Talon stop in his tracks and look over his shoulder. "No, if we call them, it will only increase the suspicion. We need to work without them knowing that we are going there."


    Talon suspected that this man had a way to contact his base and tell them everything in case he realized something was off. If he wanted to deal with this without alerting his enemies, he had to work in secret and do everything under their radar.


    "That''s the best course for now. I will get prepared. How many should go?" Hyun-Jae asked.


    "We can''t go with a big number. At most two or three is optimal."


    ''We have to deal with this matter as quietly as possible.'' Talon''s eyes shed with a weird glint as he left the room before anyone could speak. ''Whatever happens next is going to change many things.''


    Heading back to his hotel room and immediately hopped into the shower. Opening the faucet, cold water started rolling down over his face. Standing there, Talon closed his eyes as he let the blood drip down his body and coat the floor with its ominous color.


    Even though it was extremely cold, his skin didn''t feel ufortable. If anything, the cold feeling made his mind clear up and he felt a little more rxed. This was a calm moment before things would immediately go back to craziness.


    ''Fuuh, it''s going to be fine. It''s just one person. I need to get rid of him and then leave no traces behind.'' He thought to himself.


    He knew that killing him would alsoe with a lot of risks, it was way better than leaving such a knife close to his throat at all times.


    At least there was the chance that they could pass this off as him dying in the ocean or somewhere else.


    Exhaling a long breath, Talon continued his shower with a calmer mind. By the time he was done, he wore a towel and came out to change. That''s when he heard a knock on the door.


    Walking to the door as he dried his hair, he opened it. There, he saw Hyun-Jae waiting for him. When her eyes fell on him, she was stunned.


    Since Talon was only wearing a towel that covered his legs and crotch up to his belly button, his torso waspletely exposed and it was simply jaw-dropping. At this point, Talon''s body had reached a new level of perfection.


    Every muscle in his body was worked to its utmost potential and more. It was a herculean physique with every sense of the word and Hyun-Jae can see that very clearly.


    Without realizing it, she secretly gulped down a mouthful of saliva before she averted her eyes quickly before she could feel anything else.


    "Hyun-Jae?" Talon spoke to her. "Is something wrong?"


    "Huh? Oh, no, not at all. Sorry, I came too early when you''re still not finished." She said as she turned around.


    "It''s fine, I was gonna be out in a few minutes. What''s up?"


    Without looking back, she said. "I wanted to tell you that the three who are going are me, you, and Sophie." She said.


    "Hmm, that''s good enough. We can handle this easily." He nodded his head.


    They were the most versatile trio by far so even in the off chance things out of hand, they had more tools to handle the situation better than anyone else. What one of themcks the other canplete.


    "Yeah, that''s basically it. I will leave you now."


    "Ok." Without realizing the blushing look on Hyun-Jae''s face, Talon closed the door behind him as he walked back inside. As he moved through the corridor, his eyesnded on a mirror and he halted immediately as he stared at his reflection.


    "..."


    His eyes trailed down to his naked torso and his face darkened. "Fuck! I forgot I was naked!! Holy¡­" Facepalming, Talon felt so embarrassed that he wanted the earth to swallow him right there and then.


    He had forgotten that he didn''t wear clothes and came out to Hyun-Jae basically fully naked. ''I''m a moron! That was why she was acting odd!''


    "Very kind of you to do that, Talon." Acryphaughed as she sat on the chair going through a magazine, unbothered by the fact that Talon was naked.


    "What?"


    "You gave us a good view." She winked at him with a smile.


    "Where is the good view, goddammit! I''m here basically naked and being a pervert!"


    "Oh, you have no idea." She giggled.


    Sighing, he ignored the beauty teasing him and walked to his room to change. Acrypha''s eyes slowly followed him till he closed the door.


    "You really have no idea¡­" She murmured to herself before she looked at the magazine again.


    ***


    An hourter, near the entrance of the base. Hyun-Jae, Sophie, and Talon were preparing themselves for this emergency trip. Even though this was a hindrance to their ns and might take a day or two of time, it was better than nothing.


    "Chin-Hwa and the rest are going to continue clearing the path while we''re out," Talon said as he strapped his bag to the car and turned around to look at the sky. It was already evening and Busan was going to take a while to reach even if they go at full speed.


    But, since the path to it was already clear enough, there wouldn''t be major problems as Sophie told them.


    "Hopefully, it won''t take long," Sophie murmured to herself.


    "It''s easy enough not to worry about it too much." Hyun-Jae as she opened the door and took a seat inside.


    "I hope so¡­" Sophie sighed and followed suit.


    The two girls waited inside for a few moments before they looked out of the window. Talon was still standing outside, looking at the sky as if he was frozen in time.


    "Talon? Is everything ok?" Hyun-Jae asked.


    "Hm?" Those words snapped him out of his thoughts as he turned around. "Yeah, it''s nothing¡­ I was just¡­ Yeah, let''s go." Shaking his head as if to dismiss something, he got in the car and started driving.


    Even though he seemed normal on the outside, Talon''s mind was thinking of something. ''Why did I have that weird feeling a second ago?''


    For some reason, the moment he looked up at the sky, he had his sixth sense react in a weird way. He didn''t understand what that feeling was exactly but it bothered him a little. But, with nothing weird happening, he couldn''t really prove that he was sensing something.


    ''Until I see something weird, I will just keep this in mind.'' He thought to himself.


    As the car drove through the streets, the sun was slowly setting on the horizon and the darkness of the night arrived again, casting its looming shadows over the entire world.


    ***


    Location: Busan


    The city of Busan is one of South Korea''s most prominent locations. It was right to the south, near the Sea of Japan. A very beautiful coastal city with amazing locations, resorts, hotels, and beaches across the board, being one of the main tourist attractions of the country. However, this city was now turned into rubble with its former glory gonepletely.


    Except for a few locations here and there, nothing about it was pleasing for the eye anymore.


    In a huge resort facing the sea was the ce Hyun-Ki''s men took after arriving there. It was by far the most optimal location for their operations and it was also massive enough to be used as a sturdy base.


    "Did you receive any messages yet?" An older man walked into a room where another younger male was fidgeting with a device.


    "No, nothing yet. Boss is probably busy or no one realized we sent a message yet. Let''s wait for a day before we can send another message." The man replied with a not-so-convincing look on his face.


    "You already know that he isn''t giving us much time. We are in a pinch here!" The older man cursed as he sat down. "He is already threatening to break the ties just over a few fucking hours of waiting!"


    "... I already know, you don''t need to tell me. But, what the hell am I supposed to do? If we keep sending messages recklessly, it will only break the device!" The other man replied with a tired look on his face.


    He had been working for the past 12 hours so he was beyond exhausted and wanted some rest. The pressure he was under along with his peers was unimaginable. The entire n of their leader relied on what they could do so if they ruined things, it was going to be a disaster for them as Hyun-Ki wasn''t someone to forgive grave mistakes.


    "I don''t know. I don''t want my head to roll on the ground because of a fucking message. You better try and contact them again as soon as possible. I will try to-"


    As he was about to speak, they heard a knock on the door and they turned around. The older man frowned as he slowly stood up and approached it.


    "Who?"


    "It''s me, open the door." A masculine voice with a thick ent replied coldly. The familiar voice made them frown as they turned to look at each other silently.


    "Is there a problem, sir?" The older man asked without opening the door.


    "I''m here to personally send a message to Mr. Hyun-Ki. I decided that there is no need to let you speak in my stead."


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 238: Chapter 238- Busan (Part 3)

    The moment they heard that, the men''s expressions changed almost instantly. They looked at each other again as they started panicking inwardly.


    ''Oh no! What should we do?! The message didn''t get a response yet and it has been hours!'' Gulping down a mouthful of saliva, the older man tried to think of a solution as quickly as possible.


    His peer was sweating profusely as he tried to pretend as if he wasn''t even in the room even though he was a part of the problem.


    ''You bastard, don''t leave me alone in this!''


    "Hey, open the goddamn door." The man repeated his words with a colder tone as he started losing patience slowly. He didn''t know what was taking them so long to open the door and that only made him even more suspicious that something was going wrong.


    "S-Sir, ehem, we are working on fixing the device. It hasn''t been working properly and so the message must''ve been lost."


    "So you want to tell me that I have been waiting this entire time for nothing?"


    "No, of course not! We didn''t mean to make you wait. We have only realized that it was broken after we didn''t get a response." He replied.


    ''Good excuse!'' The other man''s face lit up with hope as he saw the hope of things working out in their favor.


    "..."


    Seconds passed slowly as the two waited for the man to reply. They felt their hearts beating in their throats as huge beads of sweat trickled down their faces. The tension was the highest it had ever been.


    "Fine, how long will it take for it to get fixed? You better give me an urate time."


    "A few hours! Yes, a few hours! That''s all we need and we will get a response surely!"


    Then, they heard the footsteps walking away and vanishing somewhere. That''s when they exhaled a long breath they held in the entire time. The tension release made their muscles almost rx.


    "That was close¡­" The old man murmured.


    "A few hours? Why not say a day at least?!" The other said.


    "Shut up, you''re lucky we didn''t get screwed over because of your mistake!"


    "My mistake?! How is it mine when the boss isn''t even responding?! Should I fly there and tell him?!"


    ring at each other, the two could only argue back and forth about it. Even when neither was at fault, they could only me themselves since they couldn''t me anyone else, not even their boss. They had seen how terrifying Hyun-Ki was and they also assumed that this man was dangerous purely from his aura so in both cases, they were in trouble if they angered one or another.


    "Ok, so what''s the solution now?"


    "You said we should wait, right? That''s what we''re going to do. Let''s hope it doesn''t end up making it even worse." Sitting down, the old man fired a broken cigarette as he puffed a huge cloud of smoke.


    ''Please, answer soon, boss!''


    ***


    *A few hourster*


    Deep into the darkness of the night, a car was moving through the broken roads of South Korea as it headed down south at a very fast speed. Even though there were countless holes, cracks, and all kinds of obstacles that could cause a problem in normal cases, Talon didn''t find any issues avoiding them all almost 100% of the time.


    With his extremely sharp senses, strong eyes that can see even in the dark, and the help of the two girls sitting next to him, it was basically a peaceful cruise.


    By the time it was 4 AM in the morning, they saw a glimpse of Busan in the distance.


    "Wow, we reached this ce awfully early," Sophie said as she looked through the window.


    "Stay alert, we mighte across monsters on the way," Talon said as he turned around and picked up his spear before continuing to drive the car into the city. With no lights working anywhere, Busan was very eerie and quiet, almost like a haunted city.


    The car slowly moved through the roads, taking turns with careful precision. This was their way of going between cities without exhausting their stamina and losing it due to a monster attack would be a problem.


    "Where exactly is the base?" Hyun-Jae asked as she looked at the map in her hand.


    "There, if I remember correctly, it has been the only choice for a location," Sophie replied as she pointed at the map.


    "That''s a few kilometers away from our current location. Take that turn, Talon." Hyun-Jae guided herpanion.


    A few minutester, their eyes fell on a massivepound in the distance with its lights working. It appeared like a shiny beacon in a dark city.


    "That''s the location," Talon said as he squinted his eyes. "It seems very quiet."


    ''Though, it doesn''t feel that pleasant to look at.'' He added in his head.


    "..." The two girls seemed to sense that too as they gripped their weapons tighter than usual.


    A few seconds passed before Talon finally spoke. "Well, let''s leave the car here. We cannot make too much noise."


    Then, he turned around to the two girls and continued. "The n is simple. We are going to separate and get into the resort from different locations. The goal is to find this man and kill him or better yet capture him. Both options are fine." Talon said.


    Since capturing someone was way harder than killing him, he was still intending to just finish him off. But, in the optimal situation where they could get him alive, things would go much better.


    "Is that clear?"


    "Clear for me."


    "Me too."


    Nodding his head, Talon thought for a moment before he added. "I don''t need to repeat this. But, please, be careful. No matter what happens, your well-being is the most important. Don''t put your lives at risk for anything. Promise me that."


    His eyes shed with an unusual glint that made the two girls flinch. It was rare for Talon to show such a deep worry over something that was logically not that dangerous even in its worst-case scenario.


    However, it didn''t take them long to understand why. After what happened a few days ago, it was normal that he would feel scared to lose someone else dear to his heart even if that was an unfounded fear.


    That fact alone made them feel a sting in their hearts. They loved that he cared about them, but they also hated that he had been hit this hard when he least expected it.


    "Of course. Nothing will happen, don''t worry." Hyun-Jae replied.


    "She''s right, we aren''t going to be in danger at all."


    Hearing that, Talon nodded again faintly with aplicated expression before he opened the door. "Ok, let''s go."


    With that, the trio dispersed across the area, leaving the car hidden from the eyes in a corner. Moving through the darkness, they slowly approached the resort from different locations.


    Talon took the main entrance while Hyun-Jae and Sophie went to the east and west respectively.


    Then, they started scouting the area for any potential guards. Since the location was a base and there were dozens of people living in it, it was guarded heavily. However, even then, they didn''t face a problem finding a way inside.


    At the main entrance, four men were located. Two were moving around the entire perimeter of the building while the rest were standing in front of the gates.


    ''Hmm, I shouldn''t probably kill them.'' Hiding on top of a tree, Talon watched their movements before he decided on his next few steps. He had to move carefully not to alert the other two since the moment they made an unusual noise, that man inside might suspect and immediately try to escape.


    That was one of the problems that faced Talon. If the man they were aiming for tried to run away, getting him back might very much be impossible since he could allegedly fly.


    ''Let''s keep it quiet.''


    Jumping down, Talon aimed for when the two guards had separated away from the other two as he moved toward them silently like a shadow. His steps made no sound at all. By the time he was near them, he extended his arms as he grabbed them by the necks and closed their mouths.


    The two were shocked as they tried to naturally resist. But, with two strikes to the neck, they fell unconscious before they could even make a single sound.


    Grabbing the two bodies, Talon dragged them to a nearby bush before he finally started making his way to the main entrance.


    A few secondster, the other two were lying unconscious on the ground as Talon dusted his hands and quickly picked up the keys in one of the men''s pockets.


    ''These mighte in handyter.'' He thought to himself as he pocketed them and leaped in the air, reaching the top of the wall.


    ''Ok, the first step is done. Now¡­ Where should I start looking?''


    As far as Talon could see, the resort wasposed of many buildings, each one made for a different purpose. Looking around would take a long time without a precise goal in mind. So, to cut down the time, Talon decided to look in the main building first.


    The young man was aware that this was a fight against time rather than a physical one. He knew that the more time he wasted, the more the man would suspect that something had gonepletely wrong.


    The next few minutes are going to determine what could happen.


    ***


    Meanwhile, in an unknown location.


    A small source of light manifested out of nowhere, unbeknownst to everyone on Earth, including Acrypha. The source of light then started growing slowly.


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 239: Chapter 239- Busan (Part 4)

    Meanwhile, Sophie and Hyun-Jae have already infiltrated the resort as they moved secretly through the shadows, knocking the guards that came in their way. Each one of them took a building to search for their own.


    They didn''t know how the man looked or what his name was. So, even if they find him, they have to make sure he is the right person when they find him.


    ''But, how can I know for sure?'' They all thought to themselves and the answer to that question was way harder than it should be. There were some details they were looking for. ''ent, mannerisms, and the context of any conversation he might have.''


    These were the clear ones, what was left relied heavily on their senses and cleverness.


    With that in mind, the two girls snuck into the resort at the same time as they started moving through the buildings, searching every room while keeping themselves hidden. With how many people were there, it was hard to stay out of their eyes but they were able to pull it off using their fast reactions and strong senses.


    One by one, they checked every room and every corner. They followed every man they could find and made sure they were all just guards. That took almost 30 minutes of constant moving in the shadows with no actual results.


    They heard some talks about the man himself but they couldn''t find a single clue as to where he was yet which made them even more frustrated. It was as if they were searching for a needle in a haystack.


    ***


    ''Nothing in this building¡­ I can''t find a single clue.'' After knocking down one of the guards, Hyun-Jae stopped and looked around her with a frown. This was the second building she entered and there was no good information found yet.


    She wanted to catch one of the guards and ask him for the location but it would be risky if anyone else knew about it.


    ''Damn it, I need to move to the main building now.'' Approaching the window, Hyun-Jae was about to jump out and start moving again only to notice something weird in the distance. A strong gush of wind hit her face.


    ''It''s a very cold night.'' Frowning, she closed her jacket and then jumped out.


    ***


    "Mmmmm!! Mmmmm!!!"


    In a dark, closed room, a man''s muffled cries could be heard echoing everywhere. The man was lying on the ground, wrapped in white string from head to toe as he struggled to move or do anything. His eyes were wet with tears.


    Standing next to him, Sophie stared down with a cold expression. "Now, listen carefully. I''m going to unwrap your mouth and you''re going to tell me where that man is. You know who I''m talking about. Unless you want to slowly suffocate and die a painful death."


    As she said those words, the strings started slowly wrapping around his nose, making it even harder for him to breathe. The ustrophobic feeling of being wrapped like a mummy was the worst feeling a human could go through so it instantly kicked his panic mode.


    With no other choice, he started nodding his head vigorously.


    "Good. I''m going to unwrap the strings of your mouth. No funny business." Saying that, Sophie pulled the strings away and the man immediately started hyperventting as if he didn''t breathe in years.


    "Where?"


    "T-The main building¡­ His residence is there!" The man said in a panic.


    "Hmm, the main building, huh. Which room?"


    "... I don''t know the exact number¡­ But it''s on thest floor!" He yelled. "Please, don''t kill me!"


    Sophie thought for a moment before she nodded her head. "I won''t kill you. Thank you for telling me." With a dazzling smile, she thanked him in a soft voice.


    That made the man''s heart skip a beat. Even in the dark room, Sophie''s mesmerizing looks stunned him. He forgot for a second that this angel-looking person was the one who tied him up and threatened to kill him.


    "Fuuuh, thank you so much!"


    "No problem. Now, good night~" Saying that, she moved her hand as she struck the man''s neck, rendering himpletely unconscious.


    After that, she unwrapped him and left the room. ''The main building, highest floor. That''s where Talon went. I should follow him.''


    Saying that, she was about to move when her eyes fell on the outside world through the window. Far into the distance, she caught a glimpse of the sea and stopped for a moment.


    ''It looks really violent tonight.''


    ***


    *A few moments before that*


    Talon was slowly sneaking his way through the building. He had already scanned it with his senses and noticed that all the floors were filled with people except for thest one¡­ It had one single person there.


    That naturally roused his suspicion that his target might be there. So, he decided to take that as his destination. But, just to make sure he doesn''t miss it, he still checked every room in his way and every person.


    He heard talks about the man he was looking for and realized what his name was. Furukawa Katashi. He had never heard of that name before so he instantly memorized it. He assumed since he was tasked with such a mission, he must have an important position in the Japanese government or at least have some kind of authority there.


    ''Taking him as a capture might benefit us. But, I don''t know what his real worth to the government yet. He could be a disposable pawn as far as I''m concerned.''


    With that in mind, floor by floor, he went up the building. The sound of the wind and the rain outside mixed together, creating an almost eerie melody of some kind. The weather was quickly growing worse and worse as time moved but Talon didn''t notice any abnormality about it.


    After all, the weather after the integration was as unpredictable as it could be. One day it can be the hottest summer and the next would be the coldest winter. A normal person would''ve died from these abrupt weather changes that keep happening as the body can''t handle them normally.


    That also created problems for people who still couldn''t start killing monsters like babies and old people which prompted them to stay inside and move very carefully even when it was safe to do so.


    Before he realized it, Talon found himself on thest floor as he moved toward the only room where he could feel someone''s presence inside.


    When he reached the door, he stopped as he stuck to the door and listened quietly to what was happening inside. But, it was as quiet as ever except for some faint breathing which indicated that his target was potentially asleep.


    So, he decided to start slowly sneaking into the room through the door. But, he quickly realized that it was locked.


    ''Damn it.'' Sitting down again, Talon thought for a moment. Even though he could simply kick the door down, he wanted to do this as quietly as possible if he could. So, he didn''t rush into it.


    Pulling the set of keys he picked up from the guard outside, he picked a random one before he stopped to think for a moment. Then, he put his finger on the keyhole and closed his eyes.


    ''Hmm, ok, it''s like that¡­ Let''s see, which one is the closest.'' He thought to himself as he went through the keys again and decided on one. Then, he put it in the keyhole, only for it not to fit.


    But, that didn''t stop him as he exerted some force into his hand, shoving the key right into the keyhole. It didn''t make much of a sound as it was instantly muffled by the rain and wind outside.


    Then, with even more force, he twisted and the door was unlocked. The keyhole was alsopletely broken along with it since Talon forced a key that didn''t fit it.


    Slowly pushing the door, he snuck into the dark room. ''That actually worked, somehow.''


    As he turned around to scan the room, he noticed that the man was still asleep. ''How the hell is he still asleep? I can''t even feel his heart rate increasing. He is very much deep asleep.'' Talon thought to himself as he slowly approached the man with quiet steps.


    When he reached him, he stopped for a second as he squinted his eyes. Then, he extended his hand to grab him. However, at that moment, an extremely loud noise shook the entire world. The windows in the room burst open in one fell sweep.


    The building almost tilted from the sheer shock of the hit.


    It was so loud that it shook the entire building and made Talon look up. ''What the fuck?! Was that a lightning strike?''


    At the same time, the man named Katashi woke up in fear as he looked around him. His eyes then fell on Talon and without a moment to spare, he opened his mouth and screeched loudly as he channeled his Aetheris. He sounded like an eagle crying out loudly.


    The screechunched Talon back as he felt a strong, invisible wave crash against his body.


    "What is this?!" The man then stood up and rushed to the window, then he jumped outside with no hesitation.


    "Fuck¡­" Cursing loudly, Talon followed after him. "What was that and why did it happen the moment I was gonna get him?!"


    At this point, Talon wanted to believe that some kind of invisible force was mocking him. It happened before with Terrence when he was about to kill her and earth literally spread open and pushed them away from each other and now with this man Katashi.


    Cursing his horrible luck, Talon reached the window and stared outside. He saw a silhouette with two eagle-like wings fly through the air at top speed as it moved into the distance.


    "I won''t let you." Clenching his teeth, Talon jumped outside as he rushed after his enemy, jumping from one building to another. He used all his speed in the process.


    Meanwhile, Katashi looked behind him. ''Who is that man? Is this some kind of trap? I need to send a message right now! Goddamit! But, I left mymunicator back there...''


    With someone chasing him, he knew that he couldn''t go back yet. He had to take a detour.


    Meanwhile, Acrypha stopped for a second as she looked up with a shocked look on her face. Her eyes fell on the Core Gate and it immediately shed with a weird glint.


    "What is happening?"


    What she was seeing at that moment was awfully familiar and yet at the same time so foreign. Something that she thought wouldn''t happen, not in such an abrupt manner.


    ''No, there is no way¡­ It can''t be happening this quickly with no signs beforehand¡­ A second expansion in less than two months?!''


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 240: Chapter 240- Busan (Part 5)

    The rain grew stronger and stronger with each second. The violent gushes of wind swept across the entire resort, shaking it violently.


    ''Ugh, what the hell is up with this weather?'' Covering his face as he ran, Talon looked up. In a few seconds, what was normal weather had turned into the most violent storm he had ever seen.


    Up in the atmosphere, thick giant clouds covered the entire sky. Bright shes of light erupted everywhere as massive lightning bolts struck the entire city, leaving behind deep burn marks and even ignited mes.


    Meanwhile, up in the air, Katashi struggled to keep his bnce as he flew across the entire resort as fast as he could. His wings were able to resist the downpour somehow but the wair kept sweeping him left and right.


    ''This is bad. He is right behind me. I need to go higher!''


    Seeing how high Talon was leaping with each move, he knew that he would be able to catch him quickly. But, that also came with a lot of risks since the wind was already growing violent to an unbearable degree so the chances of him falling would increase at higher altitudes.


    Clenching his teeth, he could only follow his instincts and quickly fly up.


    ''Oh no, you don''t.'' With a cold expression, Talon summoned his Aetherial des. ''The range isn''t close enough! I need to approach him!''


    Talon didn''t know where his target was going but he had a hunch that he might be aiming for the ocean. If he reached that ce, catching him would be damn near impossible. So, in total, he had less than 20 seconds to get his target if he didn''t want to lose him.


    Channeling every ounce of power in his body, Talon leaped in the air with all his force. Reaching dozens of meters in the air, he immediatelyunched his des aimed at Katashi.


    Thetter looked behind him and his eyes widened in shock.


    ''Wha!!!'' With no time to do anything, he quickly turned around and screeched loudly. The sound waves hit the des and pushed them back a little. He used that opportunity to start flying again.


    ''Fuuh, that was close!'' Looking behind him, he saw that the des had already fallen to the ground. For a second there, he thought that he was done for. But, as his eyes trailed the falling weapons, he realized something.


    ''Where is he?!'' Immediately, his eyes started looking around. Using his ability, he could easily scan the entire area in a split second.


    However, at that moment, his eyes caught a glimpse of Talon, barely a meter away from him.


    "Got you!" Grabbing into his leg, Talon was barely able to reach him.


    "Fuck!" Katashi cursed loudly as his body was yanked down. Using all his strength, he tried to bnce himself again. Then, he started kicking Talon''s hand with all his power.


    "What do you want from me?!" He yelled as the two struggled in the air.


    "Did you even let me speak?" Grabbing his leg with both hands, Talon gripped as hard as he could till the man''s bones started shaking.


    "AGHH!! Bastard!!" Turning his head, he channeled his Aetheris and shrieked loudly at Talon''s face.


    Squinting hard, Talon felt his ears ringing wildly from the sound waves.


    ''Why does this hurt my ears this much?!''


    Each attack made Talon''s brain shake and his eyes grow hazy even though it wasn''t even physical.


    "You¡­ bastard!!" Feeling his anger explode, Talon pulled Katashi''s leg as he yanked him down again. Then, he released his hand as he started falling too. But, he aimed his fall to be right on top of his enemy.


    *BANG*


    Smashing into him, the two started free-falling together. Talon quickly grabbed his cor as he stared at him.


    "I got you."


    "We are falling!! Are you crazy?!" The man yelled as he looked down with terror on his face.


    "Brace for the impact, bastard." Grinning maniacally, Talon made sure that Katashi was beneath him.


    ''This man is crazy!!'' Seeing that look, Katashi felt his heart stop for a second as fear crawled into his very soul. He didn''t know why but that single nce from Talon made him lose his mind in a split second.


    Something about it felt wrong¡­ Really wrong. He didn''t even know who this person was and yet he had already decided that he wasn''t someone he wanted to mess with at all. Yet, here he was in a huge problem with him.


    *BOOOOOOM*


    The two smashed into the ground powerfully. The sound of the impact was quickly muffled by the sound of the storm, rain, and lightning.


    "Don''t you dare fucking move," Wiping the sand off his face, Talon stared down at the man beneath him.


    "Why¡­ Ugh, why¡­ What did I do to?" Katashi asked weakly.


    "Nothing personal. You''re just someone I have to get rid of as soon as possible." He said coldly.


    "You¡­ will regret this¡­" The man said as he groaned loudly. The hit had broken multiple of his ribs and made his entire body shudder.


    "How so?"


    "... I''m¡­ Not alone¡­ My people will know¡­ If I die¡­" He said.


    "Oh? They will?" His words piqued Talon''s interest as he crouched down. "Exin."


    "... Are you terrified now? Of course, you are."


    Katashi giggled weakly. He had already figured out that Talon was here specifically because of his mission. His best guess is that this person has some kind of affiliation with Hyun-Ki or has a group of his own.


    In either case, it was a problem for him and his mission since that meant their agreement might be broken now.


    ''I need to trick him somehow¡­'' He thought to himself.


    "I have a chip on me that tracks my heart rate¡­ If I die¡­ They will know about it¡­" He replied as he coughed.


    ''This is technically true. But, I can use this to my advantage.'' He thought to himself as he hid a malicious grin.


    "So you came here prepared, huh?" Talon asked as he wiped his face. The rain had already drenched himpletely and the wind kept swinging his hair back and forth. "That''s quite the problem."


    "Yeah¡­ Let''s talk instead. I have no intention to fight you or harm you. I came here for another purpose. To establish some kind of connection with this country again. This world is already in shambles. I know you are probably trying to grow your control with this opportunity being present but think about it for a second.


    *Cough* *Cough*"


    Looking up, Katashi looked rather dejected. "Many innocent people died and our world ispletely gone. We are the only ones left to carry the beacon of hope for the future. Why kill each other for no reason? Why can''t we just work together? How can we be called humans if we turn into bloodthirsty monsters?"


    "..." Talon stared down at him with an unreadable expression.


    "Let''s pretend nothing happened tonight and move on, brother. I will just consider this a misunderstanding."


    "Oh, it is a misunderstanding. Very much a big one." Talon said. "But, it''s on your side, not mine."


    "Huh?" Katashi was stunned for a second as he looked at Talon.


    "You see, I''m not actually as simple as you might think. I have taken control of the human society in Gwangju and killed Hyun-Ki with my own hands. That ce is under my control now and so is the rest of South Korea."


    "... What?"


    "I just came to know that Japan has rtions with Hyun-Ki and so I came here to make sure they stay under the illusion that things are going fine." Smiling at him. "I have always been wondering whether other countries are going to let this slide and now he was going to even be. But, I don''t really care anymore.


    As long as they are still eating whatever I feed them, they''re as good as tame pets to me."


    Katashi waspletely shell-shocked by what he heard. "You¡­ No¡­ You''re that man that Hyun-Ki talked briefly about¡­ The one that was in Seoul¡­?" When the realization hit him, it was like a bombshell dropped on his head.


    Suddenly, things were starting to make a lot of sense and what might''ve been a lie started bing the truth.


    "Nice to meet you, Mr. Katashi." Talon shrugged. "I have done a lot of things. But, that''s not important now. What''s important is that I''m not going to kill you."


    ''I have captured him so there is no need to kill him when I can use him to keep them under my control.''


    Not to mention the fact that Talon could feel the chip that Katashi talked about hidden in his wrist. He knew that he wasn''t lying about it at all.


    "Here is what you''re going to do. You''re going to tell them that everything is fine here and that the n is going perfectly well. Unless you want to die then that''s a different matter. I can deliver it quickly."


    His cold tone thatcked any sympathy made Katashi shudder. He felt as if he was listening to an emperor delivering his judgment with no room for questions.


    "You¡­ Who are you?" Katashi asked.


    "We can get to know each otherter. For now, I''m going to bring you with me." Saying that, Talon pulled out a set of ropes from his backpack before he tied Katashi up and was about to lift him up.


    However, at that moment, he felt something weird as he turned around. In the distance, he noticed a long, thick ck line that stretched across the horizon. The line was growing slowly in size as if it were approaching him. Near the shore, the water started moving back a great distance.


    "Talon! You need to move right now! It''s a problem!" At that moment, Acrypha approached him.


    "What is happening, Acrypha?"


    "It''s the expansion. The second expansion is happening right now!"


    Hearing that, Talon was frozen in his ce. It took him a second to register what Acrypha said before he slowly turned around and stared at the thing on the horizon.


    That''s when it hit him.


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 241: Chapter 241- Busan (Part 6)

    The feeling of danger. It was a natural sense within any living being''s body that helped it survive a threat to its life. That feeling was essential for the survival of many species against natural disasters and predators that see them as good prey.


    However, this reaction had its downside too. If the threat reaches a certain level, that reaction overloads the body and makes it react in a very bad way. One of those instances happened at that moment.


    Talon stood there for a good three seconds, staring at the nightmare that was moving toward him at a terrifying speed. A gigantic wave loomed over him in the distance, seemingly appearing like a sea of darkness getting closer and closer with each passing second.


    The more it got closer, the bigger it became and the more shocked Talon got. He thought that the wave was not that massive, a few dozen meters in height at most. However, he quickly realized how wrong he was.


    It wasn''t a few dozen meters, nor was it a few hundred meters tall. It was at least 1 kilometer long. As it grew, the world started shaking slowly, and a deep, echoey sound spread across the entire city.


    "Talon! You need to move, now!" Acrypha turned to her human as she yelled at him. That made Talon snap out of it as he blinked calmly.


    Without saying a single word, he picked up Katashi and put him over his shoulder as he turned around and started running as fast as he could. Meanwhile, the wave was already a few kilometers away from shore and quickly cutting that distance down.


    "What is that?! Oh my god!" Katashi was beyond terrified when he saw a glimpse of that. "A tsunami?!"


    "Shut up," Talon said coldly as he jumped on top of a building and looked behind him with a calm expression. ''So that was the weird feeling I had today¡­ A sudden expansion? Shouldn''t it show some signs before it happens?''


    Nothing made sense at that moment for Talon. He had been hit with such bad news at such an unexpected moment that he didn''t even show any reaction at all. He was very calm, weirdly calm even.


    "What should we do?! We are going to die, goddammit! Start running." Katashi yelled as he struggled to free himself.


    "I said shut up." Talon smacked him on the head as he turned around. "Running away won''t work. Even if I move as fast as I can, when that wave hits the city, it will be impossible to escape it in the normal way." He said.


    With a simple calction, Talon realized that a wave of this size was going to destroy this entire region, not just Busan. It won''t stop till it leaves nothing behind. Talon was certain that he wouldn''t be able to survive such a gigantic disaster even with his power.


    With no time to waste idling around, Talon picked up hismunication device. "Hyun-Jae, Sophie, do you copy?" He said coldly.


    "Talon, where are you?! Something wrong is Going on!" Sophie was the first to reply as she kept running. She had heard the lightning strike and felt the world starting to shake violently.


    "I''m at the beach right now and I''m heading back to the main building. Meet me at the rooftop as soon as possible."


    "Roger!"


    Without any questions asked the two girls changed the direction they were running in and headed to the meeting point as fast as they could.


    Meanwhile, Talon didn''t immediately go there and instead tried to think of something.


    "What the hell are you waiting for?! Move!" Katashi yelled as he struggled for his dear life.


    He didn''t know why but his capturer didn''t start running away the moment he saw the giant tsunami waveing toward them at a horrifying speed.


    Talonpletely ignored him as he looked behind him. The entire city stretched far and wide, buried in the darkness of the stormy night.


    For some reason, his first thought wasn''t to run and instead to find another solution.


    His eyes scanned every detail in his surroundings before theynded on one particr detail that struck an idea in his head.


    ''Could that work? It sounds really bad in my head but¡­''


    With what he had at that point, Talon felt that this was a better thing to do than to mindlessly run as he was certain that would fail.


    He had no time to think or reconsider, so Talon decided to go with it.


    "Stay here." He said.


    "What?! Where are you going? Don''t leave me here, please!" Katashi yelled.


    Talon ignored his terrified cries as he jumped down to the beach again.


    "Hey! Talon! What the hell are you trying to do?" Acrypha spoke with an angry look on her face.


    "Give me a second, I have to try this." He replied.


    "You don''t have a second to do that! The wave is almost here!"


    But, he ignored her too as he went to work immediately.


    Looking around, he crouched down and shoved his hands into the wet sand. Acrypha flew after him, intending to stop whatever craziness he was about to do.


    Then, he closed his eyes as he channeled every ounce of Aetheris in his body. Over 200 points of Aetheris were instantly spent as Talon felt his body hit with a strong shock.


    Using this much energy depleted his body and made him lose a lot of strength but he didn''t let that stop him even for a second.


    ''I have to ignite it!'' He then activated future sight to enhance his focus. A secondter, A massive ball of blue mes formed in his hands beneath the surface.


    The heat from the massive fire immediately spread everywhere, including Talon''s hands as he felt a scorching heat burn his skin.


    "Aghhh!!" Groaning audibly, he bit his lip to ignore the pain and continued growing the fire.


    The dark sand slowly lit up from underneath as the heat spread to the surface and to the area around Talon.


    Acrypha watched the scene with a speechless look on her face.


    ''It hurts!!!'' The more Talon tried to control the azure mes the hotter it became and the more painful the burns were. He felt his hands melting under the surface.


    The Only thing that spared him from the soul damage the mes would deal was theyers of sand between his hands and the mes themselves.


    With all of his focus, he was able to form the ball a distance away from him and make it expand forward, covering the entire area from beneath.


    Seconds passed like hours as the hot hell continued. Talon waited for something to happen. Something that might be the solution.


    However, the problem Talon was facing wasn''t just the chance of this working but also the wave that was now barely 30 seconds away from him.


    ''I''m crazy for doing this but it''s all or nothing now!''


    At that moment, he heard a sound. A very faint cracking echoed in the vicinity and spread around quickly. Then, he saw it. The sand all around him started turning into ss.


    It was at first quite fragile and small but the sheet kept growing and growing at a rapid pace till it became a giant block of ss, a few hundred meters in size and a few meters in thickness.


    With how far the heat from the mes spread, it almost turned the entire beach into ss.


    ''It worked!!'' Talon''s eyes beamed as he quickly dispersed the mes and then shoved his fingers into the side of the ss sheet.


    ''I better be able to lift this up!'' Taking a deep breath, he channeled whatever energy he had left in his body and lifted the ss sheet up.


    However, he was immediately met with the crushing weight of the ss sheet.


    "Agghhhh!!!" Talon clenched his teeth till they started making weird sounds. The world was shaking even more as the sound of the crushing wave became awfully close.


    "Talon!!!" Acrypha felt her heart stop for a second and looked up. The giant shadow of the tsunami loomed over them.


    "Move!!!!" Yelling loudly, Talon used every ounce of force in his body as he started picking up the sheet from the ground.


    He felt his arms almost getting crushed under the weight of the sheet. His muscles spammed and contracted painfully and his back shuddered as it carried all of that.


    He felt his entire body breaking at that very moment. In a few seconds, his limit waspletely crushed.


    [Ding!]


    [You have gained a new skill.]


    Ignoring the notification, Talon bent backwards as he let the sheet levitate in the air before clenched his teeth.


    ''Here goes nothing.''


    With that, Talon tilted the sheet of ss to face the wave. Immediately, it waspletely dwarfed by its sheer magnitude.


    But, Talon had already expected that to happen as this wave was perhaps the biggest this world has ever seen.


    Still, his goal was something else. Then, before the wave could fall into the beach, he threw the sheet of ss in the air.


    "Come on!!!!" Without wasting a single breath, Talon turned around and started running as fast as he could.


    The ss smashed into the wave violently as it broke into pieces. However, at the same time, the upper part of the wave was immediately cut off, killing its momentum that has been building up for god knows how long.


    What Talon had just done had cut off the wave in half even though the sheet of ss burst almost instantly. But, that was still far from enough.


    "You''re crazy!" Acrypha yelled as she flew after him.


    "At this rate, it''s not going to destroy the entire region! Maybe a few cities at most!" As he ran, Talon kept looking behind him.


    The wave had finally reached the shore and started falling down.


    *Boooooooooom*


    ''Oh no!''


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 242: Chapter 242- Turn of Events (End Of Volume 2)

    A few secondster, the gigantic wave crashed into the shore, sweeping everything along with it. The sound of the water coursing violently as it spread everywhere filled the entire world.


    The ground shook as if it was hit with an earthquake. Nothing was able to stop it and nothingsted long enough in front of it.


    In a matter of seconds, the wave crashed into the walls of the resort, turning them into mush almost instantly.


    Then, it quickly gushed into thepound, destroying everything in its way.


    "WHAT THE FUCK?!!!"


    Many guards saw that and were struck with a paralyzing terror. Their minds didn''t understand what happened but their bodies wanted to run.


    However, how could that even be possible? The wave had already reached them. All they saw was the looming shadow of death as it descended on them before everything turned into painful, suffocating, darkness.


    The cries of pain muffled by the sound of the water moving and crashing into everything mixed together. In less than 10 seconds, tens of people died and the rest found themselves stuck in buildings as they copsed one after the other.


    ''This is bad. I tried to stop it somehow but it didn''t even change anything!'' Cursing his horrible luck, Talon jumped from one building to the other as he headed to the main one.


    Even though his idea had cut the wave''s power by a good chunk, the results were still far from good. It was simply not something that can be stopped.


    It was a disaster of a different scale. The wave didn''t seem like it was going to stop any time soon.


    In the distance, he saw a glimpse of two silhouettes standing on the roof of a building as they waited anxiously.


    "Talon!!" Seeing the young man, the two beamed with hope as they rushed to him.


    "What is going on?!" Hyun-Jae asked as she looked beyond him. The wave had already reached half-way through the resort and quickly spread everywhere.


    "It''s the same disaster that struck us a few weeks ago. The second expansion. We need to leave right now! That wave isn''t waiting for anyone!" Talon replied as he put Katashi down and released him from the ropes.


    "We don''t have time to idle around. Listen here, I''m going to release you for now. I want you to use your wings to carry us to a safe spot."


    "What?! I can''t carry that many people all at once. We will fall!" The man tried to stand up, only for Talon to push him down.


    "Who said I wasn''t going to help you?" Saying that, Talon summoned his two Aetherial des again. "Use these to reduce the weight. They can act as a support."


    "..." Katashi''s face turned grim when he heard that.


    "You have no other choice. Either help us or we will all die together here. Choose wisely."


    The man looked down as he sucked in a deep breath. He knew that he had no other choice at that moment. The wave was about to reach them and kill them all.


    ''Curse all of you!!! He yelled in his head before he looked up and activated his wings.


    "Fuck! Hurry up and grab onto me." He said.


    As he started pping his wings, Hyun-Jae and Sophie grabbed onto his legs while Talon held his arm to make sure he didn''t do anything.


    Then, he positioned the Aetherial des next to him. Katashi put his hands on the t Sides of the des and left them to carry some of his weight.


    Meanwhile, the waves have already reached the main building as it smashed violently into it. ss burst open and the walls crumbled down.


    The building started swaying with them as they lost bnce.


    "Ugh!!!" Katashi groaned as he started rising up. The weight of three people was something that he couldn''t easily carry even if he was using some support.


    But, with the fear kicking in and the adrenaline rushing through his veins, he powered through it and flew in the air a split second before the entire building copsed.


    Talon almost lost his bnce when he felt the rocks beneath him crumbling. Looking down, the water level was still rising at a rapid pace and almost reached them.


    "Hurry!" Talon said as he felt his legs dipping into the violent current, almost pulling him down.


    But, luckily his strength helped him pull it out as he looked up. The storm had turned even more brutal and the rain was pouring down as if there is no tomorrow.


    It single handedly made the tsunami way worse and far more unpredictable. The wind also struck the waves and agitated them even more.


    "HOLD ON!" He yelled.


    Meanwhile, Sophie and Hyun-Jae used their powers to stay on top of the water level.


    Horrifying few seconds passed slowly before Katashi finally rose to a higher level than before. That''s when the water stopped rising further and instead continued spreading everywhere.


    "Fuuh¡­" Looking down, they exhaled a long sigh of relief.


    ''We somehow got out of the situation. But, it''s far from over.''


    Even if they somehow found a safe spot tond on before Katashi reached his limit, there was still the violent storm that was pushing them left and right and could easily make them fall at any moment.


    ''I need to find a good spot where we cannd as soon as possible or we are all dead.'' He thought to himself.


    But, that''s where he faced a major problem with that. Where can he find a good ce tond if everything went to hell?


    The entire city was going to drown and so was every other area surrounding it. They had to travel a long distance to find a good spot where the water couldn''t reach them.


    However, nothing made sense at all at that moment and Talon didn''t realize that it was only about to get worse.


    As he was looking around him, he noticed something in the water beneath him.


    Squinting his eyes, he noticed several dark spots moving around. They were strikingly catchy even amidst the chaos.


    ''What is that?'' He asked himself only to be met with a shocking reply quite instantly.


    A rather small creature suddenly emerged from the depths and flew in the air like a spear, aimed at him.


    "What?!" Before he realized it, the creature reached him and bit his leg. Thetter kicked it instantly as it fell back to the water.


    ''What in the hell is that?!''


    "There are monsters in the water!! Be careful!''


    The two girls immediately looked down only to witness the same type of creatures jumping out of the water and attacking them.


    Immediately, Hyun-Jae pulled her sword out and attacked them. Using the lightning energy within her, she was able to hit a few only to realize that their numbers were only increasing.


    "I will help!" Using one hand, Sophie created a of strings as she made it float right beneath them.


    The flying fish used their sharp teeth to cut through it as theyunched themselves in the air recklessly. Their crazed hunger and their desire to get to them was blinding their judgment if they had any.


    But, for one reason or another, that bloodlust seemed to fuel them even more. Their small screeches echoed everywhere as they smashed into the again and again and again.


    ''This is really bad. The won''t hold on for long.''Just a simple nce at Sophie made him realize that she was barely controlling it. ''I barely have any Aetheris left in me. But¡­''


    He had no choice. Hyun-Jae was trying to kill as many as she could using long range lightning attacks and Sophie was holding thest barrier between them and the man-eating abominations underneath.


    With no other choice, Talon tried to create small fireballs using Azure mes. Then, he threw them at the monsters.


    A chain of explosions erupted everywhere, illuminating the dark world.


    Many monsters fell dead and even more were burnt to ashes. However, those would instantly get reced by even more monsters.


    Meanwhile, Katashi was struggling to fly. The wind had been abusing him the entire time. His wings were soaking wet and his body was in so much pain that he could barely breathe.


    "Don''t stop throwing attacks at them. We''re close to getting out of here." Talon said in a not-so-optimistic tone.


    He knew that his words were just bluff since he could barely even keep himself conscious after wringing his Aetheris dry.


    His hands were burnt to a terrifying degree and his muscles ached so much they were starting to spasm.


    ''Think! There has to be something I can do!'' No matter how much he tried to find a solution, things only kept getting worse.


    *Cut*


    At that moment, he heard a sound. Looking down again, the had been pierced as a fish flew through the hole, aiming for Hyun-Jae.


    Thetter threw a lightning bolt at it. But, because of the frantic movement of the monster and the strong wind¡­ Her attack missed.


    The fish dodged it and flew right toward its target, aiming for her face. Everything happened in a split second and Hyun-Jae didn''t even realize it.


    The only one that saw it and felt it was Talon. His pupils expanded as he felt his heart stop. The entire world stopped for him at that moment as he realized something.


    Hyun-Jae was going to die. No matter how he looked at it, the moment the fish bit her face, she would fall and it would be the end. That realization snapped something in him or to be more precise, awakened something that he had been feeling for the past few days.


    A soul-numbing fear that came from his nightmare. A nightmare where he saw his mother''s dead body. For a moment, that image ovepped with that of a dead Hyun-Jae.


    That alonepletely wrecked his mind.


    ''No¡­'' He thought to himself and in a split second, he made a decision. It didn''t evene to his head that it was a bad one, he simply moved ording to his heart. He had no energy to fight and no ability to actually try and kill the monster before it hit her.


    But, he had one thing he could do.


    Releasing his hand, he swung himself toward Hyun-Jae as he punched the monster away. But, by that time, he was already starting to fall.


    At that moment, his eyes met with hers and they shared a nce. He saw shock, terror, and realization in her eyes. He felt the soul-shaking emotions that shed across her eyes before she even uttered a word.


    Yet, for some reason, all he wanted to do at that moment was to smile. A sad yet also warm smile.


    Opening his mouth, he spoke.


    "Wait for me."


    "TALON!!!!!!!!!!"


    Thest thing he heard was the muffled cry of his dearpanion before he was submerged in darkness.


    [Volume two: Leader Of The New World.]


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 243: Chapter 243- Heart-Wrenching Decision

    "TALON!!!!!!" Hyun-Jae shrieked at the top of her lungs as she looked down. Her heart stopped for a second as her body wentpletely cold. For a second, she couldn''t believe what just happened. "No!! No, no, no!!!"


    Screaming, her body instinctively started shaking. "No, Talon fell!" Looking at Sophie with a horrified look on her face. Talon had just thrown himself off just to save her life. That fact alone made her chest burn from pain and suffocation.


    Sophie stared down nkly at the chaos beneath them. She had seen when Talon jumped and everything after that became a blur. She couldn''t believe her eyes nor did she want to believe them.


    The shock was so strong that by the time she snapped out of it, everything was already over and the chaos returned as if nothing happened.


    "Go down!!" Hyun-Jae yelled.


    "What?!"


    "I said go the fuck down!!" She yelled again as she yanked his leg with an outraged look on her face.


    "Are you crazy?! We will all die!"


    "But, Talon fell!!" Tears welled in her eyes as she clenched her teeth. "He fell¡­ Fuck!" Her voice grew weaker as she uttered thest words. The pain she felt at that moment was insufferable.


    "There is no way he survived that! If you want to follow him to his death, go ahead, I ain''t going down! That would really do me a big favor to lose extra weight." Katashi yelled.


    He knew that there was simply no chance that Talon could survive being thrown into such a water current. Hell, he doubted he would''vested a second before his body gotpletely crushed by the immense pressure of the water.


    ''Tsk, suits you well, bastard! Rot in hell for all I care!'' He thought to himself as she smiled sneakily. He was d that one of his enemies hadmitted suicide right there and then. ''He really jumped for that girl. He is an idiot for sure!''


    Looking down again, Hyun-Jae was about to release herself and follow Talon. But, for some reason, she couldn''t release her hand. Not because she was scared of death. Hyun-Jae has always been ready to put her life on the line for Talon with no hesitation.


    The only reason she hesitated that moment was the words he said to her before he jumped. "Wait for me."


    As brief and as short as they were, they still resonated with her deeply. Something about them made her rethink her choice. Talon didn''t say ''goodbye'' or ''I''m sorry'' or anything that would indicate that he was going to die. He simply said for her to wait for him or in other words to trust that he won''t die.


    Of course, that sounded like a ridiculous idea to have considering the horrible tsunami that wrecked the entirety of Busan. Even the strongest of creatures wouldn''t survive such a natural disaster. Yet, even when logic said so, Hyun-Jae''s mind and heart told her that it wasn''t true.


    How many times did Talon break logic and did things that were out of this world? How many miracles did he perform in his life and how many promises did he fully do?


    The answer was too many to count. So much so Hyun-Jae could say that Talon wasn''t bound by logic at all. He worked on apletely different set of rules that didn''t fit this world in its normal state.


    On the other hand, she knew that if she released her arm now, she was going to die 100% and there was noing back. In the chance that Talon might survive, throwing herself to death would be the worst thing she could do.


    She didn''t want Talon grief again. He had already been broken by his mother''s death not too long ago, she knew her death would be the final blow to his soul.


    ''Fuck! Fuck!'' Tears trickled down her cheeks as she closed her eyes. This decision was the hardest thing she had to ever do in her life. She had never been faced with such a horrible choice before.


    To leave Talon behind just like that. It tore her to pieces. But, she had to do it. She had to stomp on her aching heart and do this.


    ''I wille back for you! I will definitely find you, no matter what!'' Looking down with a broken look, she swore on herself that she was going to find him.


    When the tsunami finally calmed down, she would look for Talon wherever he was.


    "Talon¡­" Meanwhile, Sophie simply looked expressionless.


    Her eyes were empty and her pupils looked hollow as if they lost light. Her mind waspletely empty as if it didn''t work anymore.


    "Get a hold of yourself!" At that moment, Hyun-Jae''s voice snapped her out of her thoughts as she looked up silently.


    "He''s going to be fine! I know it! So let''se back for him!" Hyun-Jae spoke in a hopeful yet extremely sad tone.


    "..." Sophie didn''t reply back as she looked down. The pain she was feeling at that moment was too horrible to speak. She wanted to jump, follow him wherever he went just like she promised him before. Yet, here she was, still hanging in the air as she stared down.


    The world was far more empty in her eyes than ever before.


    With that, the trio slowly flew into the horizon. Katashi kept looking around him silently, searching for a spot where he couldnd safely. He felt his stamina reaching its limit already and he didn''t know what to do about it.


    Beneath him, a vast sea of violent water stretched as far as the eye could see. It was as if the entire city of busan had turned into an extension of the ocean in a matter of minutes and only continued getting bigger and bigger.


    ''Come on,e on! Where do Ind?!'' As he panicked at the thought of falling to his demise, his eyes drifted along the scenery until they fell on something that caught his eyes. In the far distance, a few kilometers away from where they were, there was a rather noticeable protrusion ofnd, a hill of sorts that wasn''t covered by the water.


    It stood tall against the raging current and didn''t seem to sumb to the crushing pressure. Immediately, his eyes widened as he smiled.


    ''That''s it!'' Beaming with hope, he exerted thest ounce of strength he had in his body as he flew there as fast as he could with his weak wings. Now that he saw a glimpse of salvation, his body was more than ready to go beyond the limit just to reach it.


    "Hah¡­ Hah¡­ Hah!!" But, even then, there was still a limit that can''t be broken with hope and adrenaline. The human body was simply that weak.


    As they grew closer from the hill, the wings started slowing down. pping up and down, they started descending slowly.


    Hyun-Jae noticed that and looked up. "Keep going." Wiping her tears, she said in a tired and yet also extremely angry tone.


    Thest thing she wanted at that moment was to speak with this bastard. Her mind was inplete shambles.


    "Ugh!! I¡­ I''m trying!!"


    ''Goddamit, why do I have to carry these idiots too?! I can''t even use my ''Wave Cry'' at them when I don''t have any energy left in me.'' Closing his eyes, Katashi bit his tongue and tried to just force through the pain and exhaustion he was feeling.


    He could see the hill growing ever so closely and it only fueled his determination.


    ''I ain''t dying here! I''m not going to let that happen!'' With a fiery look in his eyes, he pushed through till he felt his wings almost falling off his back.


    By the time he couldn''t even move them, they started free-falling as they hit the ground violently.


    "Hah¡­ Hah¡­ Hah¡­" Heaving up and down, Katashi lifted his head up a little as he looked around him. He didn''t feel the violent current of water crushing his body to pieces which meant one thing.


    "We made it¡­" He said in a tired tone as a wide smile appeared on his face. "Yes!! Hahahahaha! I did it! I survived! Suck it, you fools!!" As he rejoiced in his survival.


    Hyun-Jae and Sophie slowly rose up as they looked at the far distance where Talon fell.


    Their expressions were far from happy. In fact, they looked as if they had received the most devastating loss of their lives.


    "Talon¡­ *Hick*... Please, don''t leave me here¡­ Please¡­ I can''t live without you¡­ Please¡­" As she sat there, Sophie cried as she begged for Talon toe back. Her cries, however, fell on deaf ears.


    Talon didn''t hear her wherever he was and that made her even worse. She felt lonely, cold, broken, and she couldn''t even let it all out. She was simply too shocked to do that.


    As for Hyun-Jae, she simply curled into a ball as she hugged her legs and stared into the distance. Her body felt awfully cold and her head hurt a lot. But, all she did was stare into the distance.


    ''I''m going to wait here till the waves grow tamer and I''m going to go looking for him. He said he will be there, so I will find him. He never broke a promise and he won''t do it this time either. I know that. I''m certain.''


    ''All because of me¡­ All because I couldn''t protect myself!!'' Gripping her legs tightly, her nails dug into her flesh and drew blood out. The guilt she felt at that moment was crushing.


    Even as tears trickled down her face, her expression didn''t change at all. She simply wanted to wait. As painful as it was, she waited. Even if it takes days, weeks, months or even years. She was going to wait till her body decays and her bones turn into ashes.


    Nothing was going to change that because at the end of the day she knew that she was going to see Talon''s face again and she was going to hug him till she couldn''t anymore.


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 244: Chapter 244- A World Of Endless Dunes (Part 1)

    *In an unknown location.*


    If one was asked: What is the most painful way someone could die, the answer wouldmonly be dying of suffocation through drowning. The feeling of air leaving your body and noting back as water gushes straight into your lungs is horrifying.


    Now, imagine that happening inside a violent tsunami with a pressure that could easily crush an elephant and turn them into meat paste. The pain was tens of times worse than before. That was exactly what Talon was feeling at that moment.


    The crushing pressure of water was pressing on every single part of his body. His bones and muscles were getting relentlessly squashed as he was pushed around by the current as if he was a weightless leaf being carried around by wind.


    ''I¡­ can''t breathe¡­'' Parting his eyes open, Talon felt his throat burning with extreme pain. He felt exhausted, his mind wasn''t working properly, he tried to move his body and yet couldn''t do it.


    All he could do was feel the pain and it was so unbearable that he didn''t even find the power to scream, groan, or do anything else.


    ''Damn it¡­ Why does it always end up like this? I hate this¡­ It''s so suffocating¡­ I don''t want it¡­ I don''t want to feel this¡­'' He thought to himself.


    Even though in his head he was cursing this horrible pain, never did he think that he regretted ending up in such a deadly situation. He had done it knowing fully well what was going to happen and he was more than d that he did.


    ''I hope Hyun-Jae and Sophie are ok¡­ They might''ve found a ce tond¡­ Hopefully the waves didn''t reach them.'' He thought to himself as he looked at the darkness all around him.


    His eyes were too tired to try and peer through this lightless environment. The chilling coldness engulfed his body as he continued sinking deeper and deeper into the abyss.


    At that moment, he noticed a silhouette appear within his vision. The silhouette shined brightly like a beacon of hope in a dark, cold world. Her ethereal beauty was always so mesmerizing to look at even in the most horrible situations.


    "A..crypha¡­" He moved his lips, trying to say her name, only to suck in more water.


    The woman stared at him with a horrified look.


    "You need to move, please! You have to get out!" She said in a begging tone as she stretched her hand to hold him, only to pull it away the moment she did due to the extreme paining from her soul.


    Just the thought of helping him damaged her soul and made her cough blood. Yet, she still kept trying.


    "No! Noo!! I need to get him out!" As she fought the horrible burning sensationing from her very core, Talon was having apletely different thought.


    ''How am I going to get out of this problem? I can''t even move my finger¡­ Am I really going to die here? That would be so anticlimactic. It''s actually funny. I mean, I was able to survive so many things and yet I would end up dying alone in a cold, wet pit.


    If I do, I won''t be able to fulfill Acrypha''s promise¡­ I don''t want to leave her alone in this world¡­ I can''t do that yet¡­'' He thought to himself with a scoff.


    He was really finding it funny that things might very much end here. After all the near-death situations that he came across and the miraculous ways he survived all of them as if death didn''t recognize him as a target, it made him question whether he was really going to die ever.


    Perhaps this was the end of his lucky trip.


    [Ding!]


    [Does the host want to open the first gate?]


    At that moment, two windows appeared in his retinas. Staring hazily at them, his eyes slowly opened a little.


    ''Oh¡­ Right, I forgot about this¡­ I can open a gate¡­ Does that save me?''


    The question was rather weird since he had never opened such a thing before. But, with nothing else he could do, he decided to simply ept the chance that this is his only chance of survival.


    ''Yes¡­''


    When he thought of that, the window vanished and things went back to darkness again. For the first few seconds, nothing changed at all.


    Then, out of Talon''s vision, the water started getting distorted in a weird way. A small part stopped moving violently and instead stopped and then vanished out of nowhere. In its ce, an empty spot appeared that absorbed all the light and water around it like a ck hole.


    If Talon saw it, he would''ve recognized it as something simr to his ''Tear Of Reality'' ability. The two created the same result. A few seconds passed as the tear grew bigger and bigger till it was big enough to fit a full human in.


    Unknown to him, Talon was heading straight toward that tear with no control. Meanwhile, the young man was simply struggling to keep himself conscious. He had already been out of breath for several minutes now.


    "Huh?" Acrypha looked up at the tear and her eyes widened. She didn''t understand where that came from at first, but then quickly looked at Talon. "He''s heading right toward it!"


    Instantly, her body moved after him as shetched onto him at thest second before the gate swallowed both of them and then vanished as if nothing happened.


    [Ding!]


    [You have entered the first gate.]


    [Ding!]


    [Your first journey had begun.]


    [Difficulty has been adjusted.]


    [Location has been set.]


    [Wee to ''Areia: the world of endless dunes''.]


    ***


    The moment Talon entered the gate, the suffocating feeling that filled his lungs stopped and the darkness shifted in a split second. Before he could even understand what happened, he found himself in a very bright ce as he smashed into the ground.


    For a second, he didn''t move at all as if his body was still paralyzed before he suddenly flinched and turned around.


    "COUGH! COUGH! COUGH!!" Then, he started coughing his heart out with wide eyes. Water came out of his mouth with each cough while air got sucked in quickly. He kept doing that for a minute before he finally rested his back on the hot ground again.


    "Hah¡­ Hah¡­ Hah¡­" With a dazed look, he stared up at the bright sky above him. The darkness he was in had been shifted into a bright world with rays of the sun piercing through the blue sky andnding right on his face.


    Squinting, he slowly rose up and moved his hair back with a shocked look on his face. Looking around him, he blinked confusedly.


    "Where the hell am I?" He murmured in a quiet tone.


    Around him, he saw what he could only describe as a dessert. Endless yellow dunes of sand stretched as far as the eye could see, not even a drop of water could be found. The second detail Talon noticed was the sky itself.


    There was no trace of the core gate. All he could see were two shiny suns floating in the air. One is more inclined to the east and one for the west.


    "... I really went to another world¡­" He spoke in disbelief.


    Even though he was already expecting that he was going to do it¡­ Never did he thought it would happen so quickly and so suddenly. It wasn''t a part of his ns to go this early. Yet, here he was, far away from home.


    "Talon!"


    At that moment, he heard a familiar voice calling for him. Turning around, he was met with a soft sensation hitting his face before he fell to the ground again. A pair of boobs wrapped around his head. Talon struggled for a second before he pulled his head out and looked at Acrypha with a wide smile.


    "Acrypha! I didn''t know you came too!"


    He couldn''t be any more happy to see the otherworldly beauty here. He thought that he left her behind on earth.


    "You little rascal! You almost gave me a heart attack right there!" The girl said as she gave him a light tap on the head with an angry look. However, her happy smile made it look very fake. She was clearly d that Talon was fine.


    "I''m sorry, haha. I really thought I was screwed right there."


    ''Well, I would have been very dead if I didn''t enter the gate.'' Talon thought to himself with a smile.


    "... Sigh, what can I even do with you?" Sighing tiredly, Acrypha hugged Talon again as she closed her eyes. "Did you even think what could''ve happened if you didn''t have the gate ready to open?"


    "... Well¡­"


    "I thought so. You followed your heart, didn''t you? Saving that girl from death." She said with a knowing look on her face.


    "... I couldn''t think twice about it. My body moved on its own at the time. I couldn''t leave Hyun-Jae to die even if it meant that I was going to die instead."


    "..."


    "I''m really sorry for doing that but even if I go back, I would still do it again without hesitation." Staring into Acrypha''s eyes with a dead serious look that didn''t leave any room for questions.


    Acrypha blinked silently before she shook her head. "I already expected that response. That''s you after all. It''s not that hard to predict." She smiled wryly before she lifted herself up and put her hand on Talon''s face. "I''m just d that you''re alive, that''s what matters."


    Talon felt the warmth of Acrypha''s hands and closed his eyes for a moment. "Mm, thank you."


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 245: Chapter 245- A World Of Endless Dunes (Part 2)

    "Now¡­ Where the hell was I thrown?" After hugging Acrypha for a while, Talon finally rose up from the hot, rough sand and looked around him. The only thing he could get from this environment was that it was a desert, a veryrge one that seemed to stretch hundreds and potentially thousands of kilometers in each direction.


    ''And I guess a horribly hot weather¡­ It feels like I''m getting cooked inside a furnace right now.'' Putting a hand over his eyes, he looked up only for the two suns to make him squint.


    The weather was certainly way hotter than on earth even during the summer. If Talon had to estimate how hot it was, he would say that it was well into the 70 degrees or even 80 degrees.


    A normal human wouldn''t be able to survive with weather this hot but Talon''s body was able to handle it well enough. Though, with all the salty water he swallowed, his throat was very dry and he wanted to drink some water.


    "Can you recognize this ce, Acrypha?" He turned to hispanion and asked.


    The woman closed her eyes for a second as if she was trying to feel something before she opened her eyes.


    "We have been sent to really far dimension¡­ This is actually¡­ Way too far¡­" She frowned as she looked around her.


    "Far? How do you even calcte how far this dimension is from my original one?" Talon asked confusedly.


    The concept of dimensions was still bleak for him so things like distance and locations didn''t fit his mind well when talking about something conceptual rather than physical.


    "Hmmm¡­ How should I exin this." Looking down, Acrypha thought for a moment before she crouched down and lifted one grain of sand.


    "See this grain of sand?" She asked.


    "Yeah." Talon nodded.


    "Let''s say that this was the original dimension we were in and this vast dessert which stretches for about a few hundred million kilometers is the Dimensionverse."


    "Wait, wait, hold on¡­ This dessert stretches for hundreds of millions of kilometers?!!" Talon blurted out loudly in shock.


    "Yeah, this entire seems to be made of sand, I can''t feel any water or any other form ofnd anywhere." Acrypha replied.


    "...." Talon looked around with a stunned expression.


    To put it in perspective, the earth''s entire diameter was around 40 thousand kilometers. The sun''s diameter was 600 thousand kilometers. So, with a simple calction, this was at least hundreds of times the size of the sun.


    ''How is it this big¡­ and its gravity is still not that different from earth?''


    He couldn''t feel any different standing there then on earth.


    "It''s not that umon for a to be this big. The Core Dimensions is said to be bigger than entire universes with how much we discovered of it and what is left uncharted." Acrypha exined with an even tone.


    "... My brain hurts." Blinking silently, Talon decided not to think about it anymore. This only got him confused.


    The scale of these things is simply too grandiose for him.


    "Anyway, continue your exnation."


    "Good, ehem, as I was saying, this desert is every single dimension discovered so far. Now, if this grain of salt is earth, then our current location is probably a few dozen million kilometers in that direction." Then, she pointed east.


    "... Damn, so we really went far¡­ Very far¡­" Talon scratched the back of his head with a sigh.


    What Acrypha just exined was as fascinating as it was weird to think about. The fact that he was this far away from his home and the people he cared for¡­ It was very odd indeed.


    "Oh man¡­ Well, what am I supposed to do now? Since I''m here it means my test has begun, correct?" He asked as he looked at Acrypha.


    "Yeah, it begins the moment you step into the gate."


    "Then¡­ Where is the quest or the things I need to aplish to pass it? All I''m seeing in my interface is¡­. Oh, I got a new skill¡­ Well, nothing else." He replied as he rubbed his chin.


    "You won''t get a particr instructions as to what you need to do. You will simply have to find what the Core Dimension wants you to do on your own."


    "Really? Oh well, that''s another problem to think of."


    With how vast this world turned out to be, Talon didn''t know whether it was going to be easy or not. But, since Acryphad had exined to him before that the difficulty of the test is set to fit his current power level, he had to anticipate some big problems on the road.


    ''I also have to somehow survive in this god-forsaken desert with little to no water and food. That''s another problem.'' Sighing, he decided to put all of these to the back of his head now and instead focused on the first thing he had in his hand at the current moment.


    "Let''s first see what this skill is."


    [Ding!]


    [You have gained a new skill: All For One.]


    [All For One (Level 1): Power is the means to control and destroy. Whether it is for good or for benefits, power determines the bnce. Using this skill, the host can allocate all their physical power into one single point for a short moment.


    w: Heavy damage to the spot used. The higher the level of the ability the less damage dealt to that part.]


    "Interesting¡­" Talon murmured curiously. "This sounds like a useful ability even though it has a somewhat bad w."


    Even without using it, he could imagine many uses for this skill. In some situations Talon might need all his power in a single hand or leg. That could help do things he wouldn''t be able to do usually.


    "It is very good. Quite a unique one too." Acrypha said as she held his hand. "Though, overusing it could be a huge problem so keep it only for when you have no other choice."


    "Yeah, I understand. I don''t want to break my body over stupid things. Sigh, well, that''s over now. What should I do next?" Wiping the sweat off his face, he started looking aroundpletely lost.


    "Where do I even go?" Then, he looked at Acrypha. "Ody Acrypha, grace me with your benevolent guidance in these tough times." He said jokingly.


    Acrypha rolled her eyes as she turned around. "Hmm, I can feel a city in that direction. It''s quite far, though."


    "How far?"


    "3000 kilometers."


    "... Oh god¡­" Just hearing that number made Talon''s legs wobble.


    "You better start moving, it''s going to be a long journey." She said as she tapped his shoulder with ''I feel your pain, but good luck'' look on her face.


    "Ugh!!! Dammit, I can''t let this break me! Let''s move! I will reach this goddamn city in no time!" The young man pped his face a few times as he yelled with more energy than ever.


    With that, Talon picked up his spear, Aetherial des and his wet backpack before he started walking down the hill he was standing on.


    The feeling of the sand beneath him was rather ufortable since it was basically burning hot. So much so he could see steaming out of it.


    ''Where is that steam evening from when there is no water?'' Talon could only frown. Then, he simply put his backpack on top of his head to cover it from the sun. Meanwhile, Acrypha moved next to him silently.


    "You don''t need some kind of shade?" He asked.


    "Hm? Oh, no, I actually like hot weather. It''s quite pleasant." She replied.


    "What? How is this good? I''m being boiled alive."


    "Back where I came from, the weather is usually over two hundred degrees. This is a cold day by our standards."


    "Y-You''re amazing¡­" With a cough, Talon decided to stopining and started hurrying his steps to cut more distance quicker.


    ''With this pace I might be able to move a few hundred kilometers before I need to get some rest.''


    If he wasn''tpletely exhausted after what happened back on earth, Talon would''ve went for the entire 3000 kilometers in one single attempt but he knew that his body wouldn''t be able to handle such a pressure.


    ''I have a few bottles of water with me so I need to be careful with how I consume them.''


    But, since his throat was dry at that moment, he decided to drink some to regain some energy for the long trip ahead of him.


    Chugging down a good mouthful of water, he made a low groan of satisfaction as the sweet water rolled down his dry throat and quenched his thirst. Then, he washed his face from all the salty, sticky water and put the water away before he increased the speed of his walk.


    ''Let''s do this.''


    ***


    A few hours passed since then as Talon continued walking and walking with no end. All he could see around him was the empty desert and the dunes of sand. Gushes of wind moved across the hot area, carrying grains of sand in a beautiful harmonical dance of nature.


    ''I would''ve appreciated this more if it didn''t smash into my face every time.'' He thought to himself as he covered his nose with his jacket. Since the weather was hot, he didn''t need that jacket and only walked with a shirt on.


    "One, two, three, four¡­" As he walked, he counted each step he took. That helped him to pass the boredom of walking in such an empty world.


    The trip was a smooth sail. He didn''t meet any monsters or even any nt whatsoever.


    ''Is this desert devoid of life?'' Talon thought to himself.


    "Maybe it is aft-"


    Before he could even finish saying that word, the ground beneath him started shaking all of a sudden as he noticed something rising from under the sand in front of him.


    "Well, I should''ve not spoken!"


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 246: Chapter 246- A World Of Endless Dunes (Part 3)

    With a frozen expression, Talon watched the thing rise from the ground. With all the sand covering its gigantic body, it appeared like a bizarre hill of some sort. In a matter of seconds, it reached 40 meters in the air as the sand finally fell from its body and revealed its full appearance.


    What emerged was something straight out of nightmares. Its elongated body undted sinuously, each segment of its form flexing and dancing with lethal precision. The creature''s skin, rough and weathered, blended seamlessly with the desertndscape, making it nearly invisible until it showed itself.


    Along its sides, rows of spiny protrusions glistened in the harsh sunlight, serving as both armor and weapons.


    As it towered above him, its colossal maw opened, revealing rows upon rows of razor-sharp teeth gleaming menacingly in the sunlight.


    The gaping orifice seemed to stretch impossibly wide, ready to devour anything foolish enough to cross its path, And yet, despite monstrous size and ferocious appearance, there was a strange elegance to the way it moved, a grace born of a long time navigating the treacherous depths of the desert sands.


    "... Wow¡­" Blinking silently, Talon admired the appearance of this horrible abomination. Even amongst ugly monsters, this one appeared uniquely repulsive. Something that was rare to see even in such a world.


    At the same time, the monster seemed to notice his presence as it opened its mouth even wider. The rows of teeth suddenly started rotating inside its mouth as if they were the des on a chainsaw.


    Then, it suddenly dived forward, aiming its wide mouth at Talon.


    "Oh no!" Realizing what was about to happen, Talon immediately activated ''Dash'' and vanished from his spot instantly and appeared a few dozen meters away. The giant worm dived into the sand as if it was the deep ocean. The entire world shook chaotically the moment its body started digging into the deep sands before vanishingpletely as if it was never there.


    "What a weird creature!" Pulling his spear out, Talon got ready for the fight. He knew that the worm wasn''t going to let him off with that.


    A few seconds was all it took for his suspicion to be proved. He felt the ground beneath him starting to shake again as he felt something rushing toward him at an extremely fast speed.


    With no time to even think, he immediately started running. A split secondter, the worm appeared where he was standing before as it immediately dove again, chasing after him.


    ''This thing is quite fast for something that is that big. But, it''s not that strong. I can kill it.'' Looking over his shoulder, Talon noticed that the monster was still on the surface so he decided to use that for his advantage.


    As he ran, he started rotating his body while the monster followed relentlessly. Then, the moment he saw the opportunity, he immediately turned around and ran toward the monster at full speed before leaping in the air.


    The worm realized what he was trying to do and stopped to catch him. But, Talon spun in the air andnded on its back. Then, he used his spear to stab into its tough skin. His spear smashed into the armor as it made a loud, ufortable sound. Blue blood leaked out of the crack as the monster reacted immediately.


    ''Damn, it''s tough. I couldn''t pierce its flesh deep enough.'' He clenched his teeth as he grabbed into the monster not to get thrown off.


    The creature squirmed around violently to get rid of him, a low screech escaped its mouth and made Talon''s eardrums shake.


    "You''re a really energetic one, aren''t you?" Grinning wildly, he used the spear as he aimed at the crack and stabbed again. This time, the injury was deeper and the monster screeched again.


    At that moment, it did somethingpletely unexpected. The spikes that covered most of its body suddenly shook before they wereunched out of their sockets. By the time Talon noticed that, he was a little toote.


    "Ugh!"


    One of the spikes pierced his side and made him groan. For a second, he lost grip on the monster and was about to be thrown off. But, he bit his tongue as he regained hisposure and channeled his power.


    "You¡­ Bastard!!!" In a moment, he lost his calmness as outrage took over him. Without realizing it, Talon activated his Azure me even though his arms were upied with other things.


    Lifting his spear up, a blue light coated the spear as it coursed through its body straight toward its tip. There, a small blue ember ignited right before the spear hit the monster again. Upon contact, a loud explosion erupted there.


    *BOOOOOOOOM*


    The explosion was so loud that it sent Talon flying in the air as he smashed into the sand. Meanwhile, the giant worm screeched in pain as it violently shook everywhere. Hitting the ground, it createdrge clouds of dust as it continued struggling for its dear life.


    An immense amount of blue blood gushed out of the injury and coated the yellow sound with a different hue. Rising up from the ground with a pained look, Talon watched the monster as it slowly weakened and lost its bnce.


    His eyes were wide as he heaved up and down tiredly. He was still in shock from what just happened.


    *BOOM*


    Eventually, the monster''s struggles stopped as it fell to the ground motionless.


    [Ding!]


    [You have killed level 37 Areia Sand Eater. +2 stamina, +2 Health.]


    "Hah¡­ Hah¡­" Talon stared dazedly at the dead monster for a few seconds before his eyes shifted to the spear a few meters away from him. On it, he could still see the blue hue as it diminished.


    "Talon, are you ok?! Oh no, you''re bleeding. Drink a potion quickly." Acrypha rushed toward him.


    But, the young man didn''t immediately reply.


    "Hey! You have a spike protruding from your back! Are you listening?" Snapping her finger in front of his eyes to catch his attention, he finally turned around to stare at her stoically.


    Then, slowly, hisck of reaction turned into a wide smile as his eyes shone with a bright light.


    "Acrypha¡­" He said.


    "What?"


    "Why didn''t I think of that?... This¡­ This is great! Hahahaha! Ugh! That hurts, ughh!!" As heughed, he felt the sharp pain assaulting his side as he squinted. Putting his hand on the spike, he pulled it out with one single move as he groaned again.


    Then, he pulled a potion out and drank some of it and spilled the rest on the injury. Even though it was a deep one, he didn''t worry about it much. A day or two and it should be good enough for him not to even think about it.


    "What happened?"


    "You didn''t see it?"


    "I was too upied with you losing your life to notice." Acrypha replied. Even though she saw the explosion and felt the Aetheris trace left from Talon using Azure me, she didn''t notice what happened.


    "See this¡­" Standing up, Talon approached his Blue Lapis spear and picked it up. With a close inspection, he noticed that the spear had even more cracks on it and the tip had a dark burnt spot on it.


    "Damn¡­ That attack really damaged the spear." Talon murmured with a frown. "I haven''t realized it before but Azure mes were an energy-type ability. Something simr to Hyun-Jae''s lightning maniption skill. So, in theory, it should work in the same way as her power which also means that I can coat my weapon with the mes, no?"


    Hearing that, Acrypha had a stunned look for a second before she blinked. "Yeah¡­ That does make sense."


    "That''s what just happened, I just instinctively coated the spear with the mes and it dealt an extremely strong blow to the monster¡­ Though, my spear is now in a worse state than before."


    Even with this unfortunate turn of events, Talon was still extremely excited. He felt as if he just opened a door to a whole new world of potential. His Azure mes were already destructive as they were, but now, he felt like he could truly unlock a new way of using them in battle.


    "That is impressive¡­ The effect of the mes was also amplified with this method. Perhaps coating a weapon with it makes it even more brutal."


    The first few hits he dealt to the worm didn''t have much effect on its tough hide. But, one single hit with the fire-coated spear killed it instantly. The difference was simply mind blowing.


    "But, I can''t keep using it on this spear. A few more hits and it would probably break it to pieces. I really need to find a new spear." Talon said as he rubbed the back of his head. "I was intending to search for one but¡­ Now that I''m here, where am I going to find a new weapon?"


    "Don''t lose hope yet. If anything, being here might be a good thing." Acrypha shook her head.


    "Why so?"


    "This has already went through multiple expansions so far. If I have to guess, it has been expanding for a few hundred years now. So, the chance of finding stronger weapons here is higher than on earth still."


    "Wait, really?"


    "Yeah, ancient artifacts and weapons that came from all kinds of ces end up in ces like this really often. You might even find weapons from the Core Dimension."


    "Well¡­ If you say so¡­ This might be my only chance then. I should keep it in my mind for when I reach the city."


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 247: Chapter 247- A World Of Endless Dunes (Part 4)

    "Hmm¡­ How eatable is this thing I wonder?" After closing the status window, he approached the dead monster as he inspected its body curiously. "The blue blood is worrying me a little to be honest but I need some food to carry with me."


    From what he brought along with him, he had food enough for a day or two at most and he knew that won''t be anywhere near enough for his journey. He can stay without food for 5 or 6 days with ease without losing much of his performance but he didn''t want to bet on whether he could reach the city by that time or not.


    So, collecting anything useful was necessary.


    "It''s not poisonous from what I can see. Though, avoid the blue blood since it could have a negative effect." Acrypha replied. "These sand eaters are actually quite delicious from what I heard."


    "... Really?" Talon frowned. "Their appearance tells me otherwise."


    The disgusting worm seemed way too repulsive to be delicious. But, since Acrypha told him that it was good then he had no reason not to believe it. So, with that in mind, he pulled his spear out and started slowly cutting a part of the monster to get a good chunk of meat.


    "You aren''t too bad at skinning monsters." Acrypha said curiously as she watched her human slowly cutting the tough hide and then dissecting the meat skillfully.


    "I have worked in a butchery before a few years ago and I dealt with animals. This isn''t much different." Wiping the blood off his face, he continued his job.


    By the end of it, a chunk of blue meat rested on his hand. "This would at leastst me a few days." He smiled before putting it in his storage. Then, he dug his hand into the monster''s body again as he pulled a rather big monster core.


    "Hmm, this is an energy core, huh? I wished it was a weapon or a skill. But well, I will leave it for my future spear." He murmured before he put it away too.


    With that put behind him, Talon sat down to rest for a while. The injury he sustained wasn''t light and he was already exhausted beyondparison. A few minutes were essential for him to gather his mind and body for the trip ahead.


    ''If one of these sand eaters appeared then I should anticipate another appearing or even multiple ones.'' He thought to himself as he stared into the distance wistfully and sipped some water.


    "I wonder what kind of ecosystem this ce has. With no actual water and food, how does anything even survive in such an environment." He spoke as he turned to look at Acrypha.


    "You underestimate how much monsters can adapt to conditions like this or even worse than this. We still don''t know much about this ce so perhaps when you reach the city, you can learn more about this world."


    Even with her vast knowledge of all kinds of worlds that she harvested across her lifetime, Acrypha wouldn''t know everything about everything so even she was curious to know what this world was.


    ''Especially because this has been chosen by the Core Dimension specifically for Talon. It definitely has something special about it that it wants him to see.''


    So far, everything Talon has done had been almost meant to happen which proves that the Core Dimension was specifically moving Talon toward something. Entering his first gate was perhaps the first most important pivotal point in his path so it had to be very special.


    But, Talon was still unaware of all of that as he sipped his water. "Yeah, the first thing I want to do is get as much information as I can about this world and then I will see what I should do. I''m sure things will clear up once I know what the hell is going on."


    After that, he stood up and dusted his clothes before picking up his stuff. "Ugh, ok, time to start walking again. I barely did any distance today. Off we go!" Lifting his hand, he started walking again.


    The distance he crossed so far was negligiblepared with what is left so he had to hurry up. With more pace, he knew that he could reach his destination in a few days at most.


    ''I don''t have to worry about getting lost either since I have the bestpass in all dimensions.'' He thought to himself as he looked at Acrypha with a smile.


    Just seeing her next to him made him feel like he can face anything no matter what it is. Aside from the valuable information she provides him with all the time, knowing that she was always there no matter what situation he was in filled him with even more confidence than ever.


    Perhaps that was the most important thing he got from her and he was deeply grateful for it.


    ''But, I can''t tell her that since I know she will just have the worst smug face ever.'' Rolling his eyes as he imagined the image of his otherworldlypanion just embarrassing him forplimenting her.


    With that, the journey continued.


    Talon walked through the vast expanses of sand as he talked to Acrypha. Even though there was no change in the scenery, he still found this rather calming. After all the ridiculous stuff that happened so far, simply walking with no actual need to think or strategize was freeing in a sense.


    He didn''t have much to think about except his worry for his loved ones that he left back on earth without any warning. He knew that there situation back there was still very delicate and his absence might put them in trouble.


    ''I know Hyun-Jae and the others can handle themselves well enough without me. I gotta believe.'' He shook his head. ''I simply need to get out of here as fast as possible so that I can go back.''


    "By the way, Acrypha. How long does the first test take usually?" He decided to inquire.


    "Well, it depends on the individual themselves. Those who are particrly talented take a lot more time to pass their test then those who are inherently inferior. But, in general, we are talking about a few months to a year give or take. Some might go for longer too."


    "A year?!" Halting his steps, he stared at Acrypha. "A whole year?"


    "Yeah, this is actually nothingpared to the second, third, and fourth gates. Thest one can usually take a few hundred years or more."


    "..." Talon stood therepletely stunned. His mouth opened and closed a few times before he sighed and looked down. "A few months to a year huh¡­ Well, that fucking sucks."


    ''How am I supposed to leave them for a year? All hell will break loose in such a period of time.''


    Even with his deep worry, Talon wasn''t even concerned about that. He simply didn''t think he wasn''t going to see his loved ones for such a long time. A year wasn''t short by any means. He would probably lose his mind simply by not seeing or hearing about them for this long.


    "It''s ok, Talon. I know you''re worried. But, who knows how long this one will take. It could be way shorter. If anything, with how strong you are, I can only imagine that it will be a breeze for you." When she realized what he was thinking of, Acrypha panicked slightly


    As he stood there, he took a few moments to get hisposure back. After that, he ran his hand through his hair.


    "Sigh, ok, let''s keep a positive mindset. You''re right, it all depends on how good I perform here. If I can do everything right and do it fast enough, it shouldn''t take too long toe back. I can definitely do it."


    ''Yeah, there is no need to feel bad when I barely started. It''s all about being ready.'' Looking up, he coughed.


    "Sorry, I had to take a moment to regain myposure."


    "It''s ok, I should''ve not told you that anyway. You just need to do it at your own pace and things will be fine." She tapped his shoulder.


    Nodding his head, Talon started walking again. Now that he knew that he should hurry, his steps naturally quickened as he started striding.


    ***


    In the desert, one''s worst enemy by far isn''t theck of resources nor the long distance of walking. It was the weather. The sun''s effect on the body for a prolonged period of time is far worse than one could imagine.


    The heat coupled with the monotone and repetitive scenery could easily affect one''s mental state and make them hallucinate. However, the same can''t be said for a certain person.


    From a distance, one could see Talon walking at a speedpared to that of an average man running or even faster. He kept going up and down the vast dunes of sand. His eyes were focused in a single direction and nothing else.


    A few more hours passed in the same way. No more sand eaters appeared after the first one for one reason or another.


    The second thing he noticed was that the two suns in the sky had already reached the horizon and turned the entire world a beautiful orange color. Eventually, darkness settled on the desert and the temperature started dwindling really quickly.


    "You should stop here for today." Acrypha said as she floated near him.


    "Huh? But I can still continue. The darkness ain''t a problem."


    "It''s not about the darkness, it''s about you. Your body is already in a poor state. You need to get some rest." She replied as she pointed at his wound.


    "... But¡­"


    "No buts. You will continue tomorrow morning when you''re better. Listen to me."


    "... Ok, fine." Sighing, Talon stopped and sat down. "I will spend the night here."


    Acrypha smiled before she nodded her head. "That''s my good Talon~"


    "Tsk¡­"


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 248: Chapter 248- Shade Of a Dream (Part 1)

    "Rrrr¡­ The weather grew really cold, I need to set up some kind of fire." Talon murmured as he put his jacket on again.


    The moment the two suns set in the horizon, the temperature dropped sharply. So sharply in fact that Talon was sure that it was now way below freezing point and his proof of that was his bottle of water that had frozen almost instantly.


    ''Am I in the south pole or something?'' Heughed dryly as he finally pulled out a small camping stove he had with him in his backpack. Luckily, since this bag was brought along with him due to the nature of the mission, he had many essentials in it.


    "I can at least set a fire without the need for wood." He murmured to himself as he finally pulled out a small piece of meat, cut it into small pieces. Then, he pulled out a small pot and put them in the pot.


    Then, he rummaged through his backpack and pulled some spices that he had with him. Acrypha watched with a weird expression.


    "How many things did you bring with you?" She asked.


    "Hm? Oh, I brought many camping tools with me since I thought we might end up sleeping in the wilderness."


    "It''s almost as if you anticipated this." Sheughed.


    "I have future sight, of course I anticipate everything." He replied as he pointed at his eyes.


    "Of course you do. That''s why you''re still alive." Acryphaughed.


    "Yeah, if you''re like me, you would always anticipate danger and avoid it. I must say I''m a master at avoiding danger and going the safe route every time."


    "..."


    As Talon started preparing the food, he noticed that Acrypha wentpletely silent. "What? You don''t believe me?"


    "I wish I could." She replied.


    "Hey!"


    "If I had a gold coin for every time you almost killed yourself I would be the wealthiest existence in every dimension." She shrugged.


    "The disrespect! Ouch!" Pretending to be hurt, Talon fell back.


    "That''s because it''s true, idiot. You better start reducing the number of times you almost kill yourself or I will make sure you never be able to move again."


    "You''re going to paralyze me?"


    "Don''t worry, I will take care of you for the rest of your life after that." She smiled mischievously.


    "... I don''t want to be a vegetable!"


    "Oh, please, isn''t it quite romantic as you humans say? Then, I will carry your dead body for eternity until I also die. Yeah, that sounds like a good idea." Closing her eyes, Acrypha seemed to imagine that scene and smile.


    The young man stared at her for a while before he turned around and continued cooking. "I wonder who''s the lunatic between us. Though, I hate to admit that it does sound quite romantic."


    "Exactly, which means that we are both a couple of lunatics with no limit."


    Even with her usual cold, clever and logical attitude, Acrypha was very simr to Talon in personality in many other cases. Beneath all of thoseyers that she built across her life to protect herself from the cruelty of this world, she was simply someone who liked to joke around with people she trusts, shares her wickedly weird ideas with them and have a simpleugh around a campfire.


    As simple as this was, she loved it more than anyone else out there. Simply because she can put away all of that character she built and be her true self and Talon could see that as clear as day.


    ''I''m d I was able to free her from all of that¡­'' Just remembering her broken look when she told him about her people and the life she lived made his smile vanish. That look was truly something he would never forget.


    It touched his soul in ways he had never expected. Which is why he decided to do everything within his ability to never see it again.


    "Why did you go silent?" Acrypha asked.


    "Hmm, I was just focusing on cooking. We must have a nice steak dinner tonight." With that in mind, he continued preparing the piece of meat and cooking it slowly.


    When it was done, the blue meat had already turned to a rather dark golden color surprisingly.


    "Interesting¡­ The smell isn''t bad either." Talon murmured as he stared at the piece of meat. "Well, here goes nothing."


    With that, he put the piece of meat in his mouth and started chewing. Instantly, his eyes opened wide as he stopped chewing for a second.


    "How is it?" Acrypha asked when she noticed his expression.


    "This¡­ This is amazing!!" It took him a second to reply before he started chewing again with an excited look on his face. "This is the best steak I''ve ever tasted! What?! It''s perfectly tender and juicy."


    Even though Talon had eaten quite the variety of meat-based dishes before, this was still by far the most delicious thing he ever tried by a long mile. Not to mention that it wasn''t even well-prepared. It was seared with some simple spices and yet still delivered such a vor.


    "Here, try some." He handed Acrypha some of it to try it.


    Thetter put the piece in her mouth and nodded her head. "This is pretty good. Sand Eaters meat is a delicacy in many worlds so no wonder it tastes this nice."


    "Yeah, this is quite amazing."


    As Talon took a second bite, he was surprised to see something.


    [Ding!]


    [You have consumed Sand Eaters meat. +4 Agility.]


    "Oh?" Talon blinked. "Wait, it gave me a bonus in my status points." He said.


    "It did? Well, that''s expected. It''s a level 37 monster. Any monster beyond 35 that could be consumed gives bonus points in most cases. Though, once you reach its level, it stops giving any bonuses."


    "Damn, this makes it even better. I love these sand eaters!"


    With that, the young man ate the rest of the steak with Acrypha before he wrapped things up and put them away and set a small tent for him to sleep.


    "Hey, Acrypha, can you wake me up 3 hours from now whenever that time is?" He asked as heid down.


    "Sure, I will keep an eye for anything else." She said. "Just sleep well."


    Looking at hispanion, he nodded his head. "Thank you and good night."


    "... Good night, Talon."


    ***


    *A few hourster*


    Talon felt someone shaking his shoulder. He frowned slightly as he started opening his eyes. "Is it already time¡­ Acry-"


    As he rose up, he was surprised to see that hispanion wasn''t there. Wiping his eyes, he frowned as he looked around him. The tent waspletely empty except for him. The world was still dark outside.


    "Acrypha?"


    However, he didn''t get any response. ''I swear I felt someone touching my shoulder just now.'' Rubbing the back of his head confusedly, he decided to leave the tent to look for her. Talon didn''t know why but he had a weird feeling.


    The desert outside was still the same, dark, cold, and ominous. Looking around him, he called for Acrypha''s name again and again and yet no reply came.


    "Where did she go?"


    Usually, Acrypha would leave his side to explore the world on her own. But, today should''ve been a different case. She had told him that she was going to stay by his side the entire time.


    As he stood there, Talon suddenly heard a small noise from a distance. Looking in that direction, he noticed something weird. Something suddenly appeared from under the sand. Due to the distance, he couldn''t clearly see what it was.


    ''Is that a monster?'' Instinctively Talon picked up his spear as he started walking toward it carefully.


    Meanwhile, he kept looking around him to make sure nothing else appeared. The wind whistled powerfully as it moved across the vast desert and made Talon shudder.


    The creature stood there,pletely motionless with its back facing Talon the entire time. That made him even more confused as he started looking around him again. For some reason, he felt really uneasy at that moment and he didn''t know why.


    Eventually, he got close enough from the creature, only to realize something shocking. From its back alone, Talon recognized something.


    "... A human?" He asked himself.


    No matter how he looked at it, this was a human. The clothes they wore and their appearance could only be described as a human, a woman at that. However, even more than that, that back felt rather familiar to him.


    ''Is this some kind of illusion by a monster? That should be the case. I can''t let my guard down.'' Clenching his spear even stronger, he tried to find where the illusion wasing from. But, he couldn''t sense any presence near him.


    So, he decided to do thest thing he could.


    "... Hey, you. What are you doing here?" He pretended to follow this trick just to make the monster think he had fallen for it. "What are you doing in such a ce, ma''am? It''s dangerous over here."


    The human didn''t move at all the entire time as it stood there. This made Talon even more annoyed as he finally took thest few steps separating them.


    "I''m talking to yo-" Putting his hand on her shoulder, he yanked it around to take a look at the monster''s face. The moment his eyes fell on its face and his entire body was shell-shocked in its ce.


    It was as if he was hit by a lightning strike right there and then. Then, he slowly fell to the ground with his eyes wide to the extreme. His mouth opened and closed a few times before he uttered a single word.


    "... Mom¡­?"


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 249: Chapter 249- Shade Of a Dream (Part 2)

    The woman looked directly at him with emptiness within her soul. Gazing into her eyes felt awful for some reason, even though this woman was his mother and a person he longed to see more than anything else. It was as if he was seeing an empty shell of his mother.


    She had the appearance, butcked the familiarity he wanted. A doll with nothing inside. That made his soul shake.


    Even as he stared at her, his eyes couldn''t believe it. However, no matter how much he tried to deny it, that was his mother. Her face and height were exactly as he remembered them. Without realizing it, a tear trickled down his cheek and snapped him out of his daze.


    ''No! No, it can''t be. This is an illusion of some sort or maybe a dream.'' He thought to himself as he wiped his eyes and looked up with aplicated expression. Even with knowing that, it was still so hard for him to look at his mother and not feel anything.


    At that very moment, his desire to simply hug her was so intense that he had to actively try not to do it.


    As the two looked at each other, neither seemed to move at all. His mother seemed lifeless as she stood there. She didn''t say a single word or move a single finger.


    "Whoever is doing this, get the fuck out!" With no other choice, Talon looked around him as he started yelling angrily. "If you don''t, I will make sure you regret this for the rest of your life!"


    His aura exploded powerfully as the sand around him started rustling and moving with sheer pressure. His face turned way darker and his eyes shed with a furious glint.


    The fact that was potentially using his mother against him was something that infuriated him beyond words. This was something he wouldn''t forgive no matter what.


    ''Oh, if I just find you¡­'' Standing up slowly, he looked at his mother silently. His lips quivered slightly just from inspecting her face. He didn''t realize that he missed looking at her this much even though it has only been a month since hest saw her.


    Perhaps the fact that he wasn''t going to see her again made that time seem way longer than it should''ve been. Yet, here he was, as bitter as it was, he had another chance to see her.


    ''Goddamit¡­'' Even when he tried to look away, his eyes would wander back to her.


    "I missed you¡­" Opening and closing his mouth for a while, he finally was able to utter a few words. "I really missed you¡­ Way more than I care to admit¡­"


    The woman didn''t reply at all as she stared at him.


    "I try to move on with my life¡­ But, who am I tricking? I can''t move on¡­ I think about you every single day, mom. My twisted mind sometimes wonders if I could''ve been a better child from the start. Going back over every moment in our lives and how I might''ve wronged you when you only deserve the best. Till the veryst moment where you died. I could''ve been better."


    Talon used to believe that his rtionship with his mother would have not been any better than it was. However, now that he lost her, those smaller details that he missed resurfaced again and became his worst enemy.


    He hated that bad things happened between them, as small as they were. In his head, he sought a perfect rtionship where they only were on the same terms. He knew how foolish it was to think that his rtionship with his mother could be perfect when nothing in this world is perfect.


    "*Sniff*..." Feeling the tears about to spill out again, he quickly wiped them as he drew a small, weak smile. "I know that you would be angry to know that I''m still ming myself for what happened.


    But, I''m sorry, I can''t do it, mom¡­ I cannot move on and pretend that I could''ve not been the difference¡­ However, here I am, still trying to do that and be better for the people I care for¡­ Well, that part still needs some work." Rubbing the back of his head awkwardly, he closed his eyes.


    ''What the hell am I even doing? This isn''t even my mom¡­ Am I really this desperate now?''


    He was clearly talking to nothing and getting all emotional about it. That made him want to p himself from embarrassment.


    Rubbing his face, he was to turn around and walk away, that''s when he heard a voice.


    "It''s all your fault."


    The voice was quiet, but Talon caught it as he quickly turned around with wide eyes as he stared at the woman. For the first time, the illusion had moved. It''s head tilted up as the most wicked smile he had ever seen appeared on her face.


    That smile alone sent a shiver down his spine.


    "What¡­?"


    "Everything is your fault¡­ You''re the reason for all of it." The voice clearly belonged to his mother and yet nothing about it felt like his mother speaking. "You''re the reason why it happened."


    Talon stood there silently as he listened to those words echoing in his head.


    "Don''t forget that you were toote."


    "... Shut up¡­"


    "You will never be better. Keep lying to yourself that you can fix things."


    "Shut up¡­"


    "Pretend that you''re fine to everyone. They all think you''re faring any better. But, you are still stuck there, not moving a single inch. That''s what''s going to happen for the rest of your life." As she spoke, the woman''s smile grew more and more wicked with each passing second as if she relished in how Talon was feeling at that moment.


    "You are a failure, son. I will never forgive you for what happened."


    "I SAID SHUT UP!!!" At that moment, he snapped as he rushed toward the monster with an outraged look on his face. Then, without thinking, he stabbed it in the chest. The spear pierced the woman''s body and exited from the back.


    Staring at the monster with endless anger, he clenched his teeth. "Don''t you fucking dare use my mother''s voice against me. I will kill you. Spouting lies with her mouth." He said with a voice filled with hatred.


    But, at that moment, the woman grabbed his arm as she lifted her head up and stared at him with the same smile. "Am I really lying? Or am I simply telling you what you''re trying so hard to avoid?"


    "..." Talon wentpletely silent as he red at the woman. What he didn''t notice was that her legs were starting to get covered by a weird ck liquid.


    "You are not facing reality. Cry all you want and more. That''s your only power, after all."


    As she said those words, the ck liquid quickly rose from her legs to her torso and then slowly creeped to her arms and neck. Meanwhile, Talon simply looked at her with an unreadable expression.


    "I will never forgive you, Talon. Never."


    With those words, the ck liquidpletely engulfed the woman''s body and she turned into a Dimension Walker. Then, she stopped movingpletely as her body slid out of the spear and fell to the ground.


    ***


    "AAAAAH!!!" Talon woke up with a loud yell. His aura got out of control as it expanded to the extreme and his heart started beating loudly.


    "Talon? Are you ok?" Acrypha was surprised by his sudden burst as she looked at him.


    "Hah¡­ Hah¡­ Hah¡­" With a sweaty face, he looked around him before his eyes ended up finding Acrypha. The moment he saw her, his heart calmed down a little as he realized what happened.


    Moving his head down, he held it with his hand.


    ''That was¡­ A nightmare?''


    "... Are you ok? Did you have a nightmare?" Acrypha approached him as she asked worriedly.


    "Huh? Ah, y-yeah¡­ Just a dream¡­" He replied as he closed his eyes. "A very nasty one¡­"


    Acrypha stared at Talon silently for a second, not knowing what to say. She had never seen Talon this terrified before in her life. The way he yelled was nothing like Talon at all. Even when he was scared before, he had never screamed that way.


    ''What kind of nightmare was it?'' She asked herself. For something to make Talon react like that, she didn''t even want to imagine what it was. Even when he woke up, he still looked like he was in shock from what he saw.


    "It''s ok, bad dreams are just bad dreams. They are never real." She tapped his shoulder. "Go back to sleep, you still have a few hours of sleep."


    "No, please, I don''t want to. Let''s start moving again." Talon said as he wiped his face. "I don''t feel like I can sleep anymore."


    Acrypha wanted to reject his offer since she wanted him to sleep more. But, just one look at his eyes made herpletely scratch her decision.


    "... Sigh, ok, gather things up and let''s go." She replied.


    "Thank you."


    With that, Talon woke up, washed his face with some water before he started gathering his stuff inplete silence. He seemedpletely lost in thought as he walked around monotonously.


    Acrypha watched him from the side with aplicated expression. She didn''t know what to say at that moment. Not even she could understand what he was feeling at that moment.


    ''Hopefully he will be betterter.''


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 250: Chapter 250- Unexpected meeting

    After collecting his belongings, Talon started walking again. Since it was still night, the world was rather dark except for the lighting from the beautiful stars in the sky. Myriad of cosmic colors garnished the night and made it look almost ethereal.


    Beautiful cosmic clouds painted the dark sky with shiny colors. Distant gxies ands could be seen with the naked eye from down there. It was a sight far more beautiful than anything Talon could''ve seen on earth.


    It was as if Talon was in the embrace of the universe, simply walking on an endless journey filled with mystical sights and grandiose events. Yet, not even such a beautiful moment made him look up. His mind was simply in apletely different world.


    Looking down, he let his legs walk on their own while he contemted what just happened silently. Even with the realization that it was merely a nightmare, the fact that he heard such things from his mother affected him.


    He tried to convince himself that it was his insecure side that kept messing with him and yet he could not for the life of him ignore it. It was as if this small side had control over his mind whenever it wanted.


    ''Damn you¡­ Damn you!'' Clenching his fists, he tried to calm down. ''Why are you acting this way, of all times? Since when does my mother say such words, huh? I''m now all sad and bothered because of it?! Wake up!''


    He didn''t want to think about the words that the monster in his nightmare told him. He didn''t want to give that side the pleasure ofughing at him.


    At that moment, Talon suddenly punched himself, spitting out a small mouthful of blood as he swayed.


    "Talon?!" Acrypha was taken aback by the sudden movement. "What are you doing?!"


    "*Ptuh*..." Spitting out the rest of the blood, he wiped his mouth and finally looked at Acrypha. "I''m fine, just needed a good p to wake up." He said.


    "..."


    "Let''s go."


    Without waiting for hispanion to speak, he started walking again as if nothing happened.


    ''This kid¡­ Sometimes I don''t get him at all.'' Rubbing her temples, Acrypha floated after him.


    As much as she understood Talon''s character, he would always surprise her with a new side that she had never seen before.


    ***


    Several hours passed just like that and the two suns rose in the sky as the temperature skyrocketed again which made Talon put away his jacket again and started moving even faster. After two days of walking, he was starting to get ustomed to the weather or so he thought, at least.


    He hated that he was sweating a lot, but since his body was now way more pure than before, even when he sweats it never smells bad. In fact, it was quite the opposite. The only times he does smell bad is when he is covered in the blood of his enemies.


    ''Hah¡­ I have been walking for 6 hours now and nothing has changed.''


    "Hey, Acrypha¡­ How much did I walk so far?"


    "Around 350 kilometers."


    "..." Just hearing that number made Talon want to simply fall to the ground. He still had 2650 kilometers more to go which was going to take a full week toplete.


    ''It''s all for your good, Talon. It''s all for your good¡­'' He tried to appease himself with those words as he started moving faster.


    "I really want to simply start running till I get exhausted. It''s better than walking this slow!"


    He knew that if he started sprinting, he could cross another 700 or 800 kilometers by the end of the day or even more. But, at the same time, he knew that would deplete his energy so much and would make him vulnerable toward any monster attack or other dangers.


    So, it was a risk that he didn''t know if he was ready to take or not, just to cut the journey short.


    "I can''t believe things can really get this annoying. Can it even get any wor-"


    Before he could even finish the sentence, Talon felt a gush of wind m into his body out of nowhere and made him slide back as he covered his face. It was so strong that it took him a second to stop and pull his legs out of the sand.


    "What was that?" Looking around frantically, Talon didn''t see where the sudden gush of wind came from.


    ''That was too abnormal to be a normal gush of wind. But, I swear it didn''te from anywhere¡­''


    With how Talon felt it, he was certain of one thing. The gush of wind hade from above. Looking up, he couldn''t see anything weird apart from some clouds.


    ''How does wind evene from above me? That makes no sense!'' Blinking confusedly, he tried toprehend what just happened.


    "Did you see anything, Acrypha?" He asked as he turned around.


    "I have felt something move above us certainly. But, I couldn''t see it." She said as she looked up and used her eyes to peer through the sky. "Hmm¡­" She hummed with an interested look on her face.


    "That was most likely a monster passing by that created that wind."


    "What kind of monster?"


    "A giant bird." She replied. "It has already moved a few thousand kilometers in the few seconds we were speaking."


    "... How massive is it to create such a strong gust of wind just by passing by? And why couldn''t I see it?"


    A thousand questions popped in Talon''s head one after the other. He didn''t even know if he had to be wary or not.


    "It''s flying at a very high altitude. I doubt you can actually see it even if it wasn''t moving this fast. It''s rare to see creatures this massive." She replied.


    "Oh¡­" Instinctively, Talon looked up again with eyes full of curiosity.


    ''It''s quite interesting. I wonder what kind of monster that is.'' Acrypha thought to herself.


    "Just tell me not to speak again, please! Whenever I open my mouth, something bad happens." He murmured.


    ''Do I ever learn?''


    "Haha, you better keep it quiet then." She giggled softly.


    "Yeah, well, at least this wasn''t too ba-"


    At that moment, Talon''s senses went off as he jumped back instantly. A split secondter, something fell exactly where he was standing before with a loud explosion. Sand flew everywhere as a big hole was created where the object fell.


    "..." Talon immediately took a fighting stance. Beyond the cloud of dust, his senses caught what seemed to be a living creature.


    A few seconds passed in wary silence before the sand finally settled down and he could take a closer look at it.


    "Be careful." Acrypha said.


    "I know¡­" Nodding his head, Talon started approaching the hole carefully as he kept his spear ready for anything that might attack him.


    When he reached the edge of the hole, he peeked down and he was immediately surprised by what he saw. Laying there, at the very bottom was an unconscious creature. Its form looked oddly simr to a human with four limbs, two eyes and mouth. In fact, this particr creature looked rather beautiful for a human.


    Except, Talon was certain it wasn''t one of his kind and the reason was very simple. Its skin was a transparent blue color, akin to water. With a closer look, Talon could even see this transparent liquid moving and swirling calmly like a sereneke. It wore some tattered clothes that covered most of its body except for its arms, legs, and face.


    "... What is this?" He murmured as he stared at the oddly beautiful creature with confusion. "Is this even a monster?"


    In his eyes, monsters were supposed to be ugly and hideous and so far that was the case since he only came across the most repulsive things this world could create. Yet, this thing was too mesmerizing to be a monster like the others or even be categorized with them.


    ''It seems to be a boy if I had topare it to a normal human.'' Rubbing the back of his head, he contemted what he should do next.


    The monster was clearly out of it after falling from the sky and it didn''t seem to be that strong even as it is.


    "Do you recognize it, Acrypha?"


    "Hmm, it seems like a water creature of some kind. I can''t say for sure without taking a closer look." She replied.


    "A water creature?"


    "Yeah, there are many creatures that are born from natural elements like water, wind, fire, and all other kinds of elements. But, not all of them are the same, so even in elements, there are a variety of creatures. This one is made out of water as you can see." She exined.


    "Interesting¡­ I didn''t know that existed. So these aren''t humans?"


    "No, they aren''t. But, if you put them on a spectrum, they''re far closer to humans than to monsters. You could say that they are very human with a very intelligent mind." She replied.


    ''This one seems pretty unique. I know most of the water creatures that exist, but I can''t seem to recognize this one at first nce. Are they a rare type?'' She asked herself as she rubbed her chin.


    As they were conversing like that, they heard a small whimpering from the small boy. That made the duo turn around at the exact moment where his eyes opened wide, revealing a set of extremely mesmerizing sky-blue eyes that seemed to shine brightly on their own. Just one nce at them would make one fall into a dazed state with how beautiful they were.


    "He''s waking up." Talon said.


    Blinking slowly, the boy seemed to still be in shock as he looked around before his eyes fell on Talon.


    "Uh, hello there. Do you understand what I''m saying?"


    "..." The boy stared at him for a second before his eyes suddenly widened as he moved back in fear. "AAAAH!!!"


    His scream took Talon by surprise. Before he could even react, the boy suddenly extended his hands forward and channeled Aetheris. His eyes shone even brighter as a ball of water formed in the palm of his hand.


    Then, it quickly turned into a sharp de before it flew from his hand. Talon was about to go intobat mode when he saw the attack but then realized something. The sharp de flew a few inches before it suddenly disintegrated and turned into normal water again.


    ''W-Weak!! What is this weak attack?!'' Talon thought to himself as he felt a strong urge tough at that moment.


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 251: Chapter 251- Arryn (Part 1)

    Holding his mouth, Talon looked away as he struggled not tough. For some reason, the sight of the water spike turning into normal water and falling to the ground like that was rather amusing.


    He expected to see a brutal attack that made him move away immediately but ended up watching aical scene unfold before his eyes.


    ''No, Talon, this isn''t the time tough. It''s not good.'' Shaking his head as he coughed, he turned around to the young boy.


    Thetter cowered away under Talon''s gaze as he hugged his legs. He looked like a scared chick seeing a monster right in front of it.


    "Hey, I''m not a threat, ok? Rx. I''m not here to attack you."


    "AAAAA!!"


    Even though Talon said that, the boy didn''t seem to be convinced or that he didn''t even understand what Talon said.


    "Does he even understand any wording out of my mouth?" Raising an eyebrow, he rubbed the back of his head.


    "No, probably not. He doesn''t speak yournguage. Here, let me help." Acrypha replied as she suddenly waved her hand gently.


    Instantly, Talon felt something weird happen within his head. However, it vanished as quickly as it appeared.


    "What was that?"


    "You should be able to understand him now. Try to speak."


    "Just like that?"


    "Yeah, I will exin why I can do thister."


    "Hmm, ok¡­" Talon was certainly curious about what Acrypha just did since this was a first for him. But, for now, he decided to focus on the creature in front of him.


    "Do you understand me now?" When Talon spoke, he was still saying familiar words in Korean. But, on the boy''s end, his eyes widened as he stared at Talon dazedly. For a few seconds, he almost seemed like he was frozen in his ce.


    "Y-You¡­ Why can you speak mynguage?!" He eventually yelled with a terrified look on his face as he lifted his arms again. "Who are you?!"


    "I said calm down. If you keep your guard up, we can''t have a normal conversation. I am not a threat to you."


    "But¡­ You''re a human! My father told me that every human is bad! I can''t trust you¡­" The boy retorted as he kept his guard up and perhaps grew even more wary than before.


    ''Humans? So, he knows about humans?'' That small detail made Talon even more curious about this creature. He was now suspecting that the human race does exist on this as odd as it sounds.


    Acrypha had told him before that humans are quitemon in most dimensions so finding them here wasn''t that surprising. The more important part was that this creature saw humans as monsters.


    "Well, I don''t know about other humans. But I like to believe that I''m not a bad person¡­ For the most part."


    For a moment, Talon was very confident about calling himself a good person, ''kind'' even. But, after thest two months, that confidence slowly waned. Talon had killed people, many people. He had done things that were immoral by modern society standards and had no hesitation about it.


    He didn''t know if after that he could still be considered kind or good. But, he didn''t care what answer he had to that as he wasn''t going to change his methods anytime soon. He had done everything he had to do to survive and protect the people he cared for.


    "... G-Good? R-Really?" The boy asked hesitantly with a low voice.


    ''You don''t have to believe me that quickly, boy!'' Talon blinked. Just one look at his eyes, he realized that he was indeed dealing with a kid.


    He didn''t even hesitate twice to believe the words of aplete stranger just because he said them with some sincerity, fake or not. ''He really is as innocent as they can get.''


    For some reason, Talon started feeling bad for him even though they had barely met. "Well, yeah, I''m not bad. I can guarantee that I won''t hurt you as long as you don''t try to hurt me. Deal?"


    The boy thought for a moment before he nodded his head vigorously.


    "Ok, good, let''s start with names. You can call me Talon. What''s your name?"


    "A-Arryn¡­ I''m Arryn." He replied.


    "Arryn? Quite the unique name you got there, friend."


    "Why do you speak like that?" Arryn asked as he tilted his head.


    "Hm? What do you mean?"


    "You know mynguage¡­ Yet the way you speak differs from what I know. How did you learn it?"


    "... I have an ability that helps me to understand foreignnguages fast." Talon replied.


    "Oh! That is amazing!" The boy''s eyes shone with excitement. "I have never met a human that knows the Azurians''nguage. You are very interesting, Talon!"


    ''Azurians?'' Talon raised an eyebrow as he caught that word. ''So his race''s name is Azurians? Good information.''


    "Thank you. So, uuuh, why did you fall from the sky, Arryn? Oh wait, why are we even talking like this. Come up here."


    Talon felt rather weird talking to Arryn when he was still stuck in a deep hole. The boy nodded his head as he slowly stood up and started climbing the pit slowly with his small hands. When he reached the edge, Talon extended a hand of help.


    "Here, grab my hand." He said with a friendly smile.


    The kid hesitated for a moment before he nodded and let Talon help pull him up. After that, Talon turned around and picked up his bag.


    "Here, sit down on this." He said as he put the bag in front of him. "Do you need anything like food or¡­ Water?"


    ''Does a water creature need to drink water? That''s a good question.''


    "N-No, ehem, thank you." Arryn coughed awkwardly.


    "So, as I was asking. Why did you fall from the sky?"


    "..." Instantly, the boy''s face changed as he looked down with a gloomy expression. "I¡­ Don''t know¡­"


    "Huh? You don''t know?"


    "I can''t remember anything at all."


    Talon stared silently at the kid for a moment. He could see that Arryn was feelingpletely lost purely from his reaction. He didn''t think that this kid would have amnesia of all things.


    "Ok, what is thest thing you can remember?"


    Sucking in a deep breath, the boy closed his eyes. "I¡­ I think I was training near the valley. It''s a usual thing for me. But, then, everything suddenly cked out and I found myself on the ground. I don''t know how I have fallen."


    "Fallen? Fallen from where exactly?" Talon asked.


    "The Divine Piercer. That''s where my homnd is."


    "..." Talon blinked silently at Arryn as if his brain froze for a second before he pointed up. "By the ''Divine Piercer'', you mean the bird that just passed above my head?" He asked.


    "Yes, it''s our divine bird that we lived on top of for the past thousand years." Arryn smiled. "It''s our greatest pride and our protector from all harm that humans and other creatures could do to us."


    "Wait, so let me get this straight, an entire race of people is living on top of a giant, flying bird?"


    "Yes!"


    "..."


    Talon opened and closed his mouth speechlessly before he looked down. "That sounds so cool. What the heck?!"


    ''No, really! This sounds like a fantasy story! Hahaha, why am I getting excited?''


    With how many books he read when he was younger, Talon''s imagination of a fantasy world was naturally vast, fueled by his father''s ambition. Hearing about a mystical story of this sort was simply a mind-blowing experience.


    ''Wait till dad hears about it!''


    "Right! It is pretty nice!" Arryn nodded his head. "We take pride in that as we were chosen by that bird to live there. We haven''t left ever since."


    "Why did it choose you out of all races on this, though?" Talon asked curiously.


    "Well, I''m still learning the history of my kind, haha. But, from what I know, a thousand years ago, our race was facing extinction. Humans hunted us down and used us for their benefit. We tried to fight for our survival and yet all we could do was end up as mere ves for them.


    When hope was all lost, the Divine Piercer appeared in front of us and allowed thest few survivors of our kind to get on top of it before it flew to the sky, away from the hands of those greedy monsters!" The boy''s tone gradually turned stronger as he spoke those words. It was as if he was carrying something on his shoulder that he can''t formte into words yet.


    "... Oh, I didn''t know the Azurians'' had been through this in the past. I''m sorry to hear that." Talon said with a rather dejected expression.


    "It''s fine, we have carried that pain with us to our very current generation. But, we are grateful that we are still alive and well to this day." Arryn replied with a smile.


    ''For an innocent kid, he definitely seems to be very mature. I wonder what his background is.'' Talon thought to himself.


    The way Arryn carried himself and even the way he speaks doesn''t fit his age at all. It was as if Talon was talking to someone his age or even older which made him curious where he learned to be this mature.


    "So, that is why you were wary of me. Because I''m a human?"


    "Yes, my parents had always warned me about humans and what they''re capable of doing. I have never met a human before in my life till I met you, Talon!"


    "Well, I can''t agree more with you, Arryn. Humans are kinda shitty."


    "But, you don''t seem like a bad person, Talon! I wonder how right my dad was?"


    "..." Talon''s mouth hung open for a moment before he smiled wryly. "You should probably still listen to your dad''s words. He knows better."


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 252: Chapter 252- Arryn (Part 2)

    "Hmm, I''m not a child! I can determine whether a person is good or not on my own!" The boy said as he pouted.


    ''You''re not very convincing right now, boy.'' Talon almostughed at the way Arryn was acting. He could see that the kidcked a lot in terms of knowing the nature of others. If he had to guess, Arryn was probablying from a rich family even amongst the Azurians.


    ''He reminds me of a lot of rich second generations back on earth, except he doesn''t seem to be a horrible person.'' Talon thought to himself.


    "Well, I wouldn''t say that you''re a child. Even I mistake people''s true nature every now and then. Not all humans are crystal clear. Some are vague, and some are dangerous. That''s why you have to always be wary of every stranger you meet till you''re convinced that they''re good."


    "Should I be wary of you too, Talon?" Arryn asked as he tilted his head confusedly.


    "... Yeah, of course. We barely met a few minutes ago. You must not trust every word I say."


    "But¡­ You told me that you''re a good person and that I should trust you. Which is the right thing?" Arryn frowned as if he found it hard to understand what Talon was saying.


    "No¡­ What¡­ It''s¡­" Talon found himselfpletely speechless by the boy''s question. "Ugh, what''s important is that I''m not going to harm you. The same can''t be applied to other humans though."


    "Oh, I see. Thank you for rifying." The boy bowed slightly before he looked up. "So, what are you doing here alone, Talon?"


    "Me? Let''s say I''m traveling solo from a far away country." He replied with a vague tone.


    "Isn''t the desert too dangerous to travel alone? My dad said that ceremonial descent ends up killing many of our people more than humans do."


    "Ceremonial Descent? What''s that?"


    "Oh, well, once an Azurian reaches puberty, they''re tasked with going down from the Divine Piercer and live on their own for a year. If they can survive ande back, they would be glorified and respected amongst our people."


    ''Talk about a suicidal ceremony. Well, I can''t really judge their culture without knowing more.'' Talon blinked with a stoic expression.


    He knew that this was their way of showing that they''re worthy of bing great figures amongst the Azurians, as deadly as it is.


    "So you were also supposed to do that once you hit puberty?" Talon asked.


    "Yes! Many people expected me to seed and do great things in the future. My father even told me that I will have to lead our people and finally get back on the ground. That''s actually my dream: To live peacefully on the ground again one day. I''m working hard to achieve it and be a great leader." He said excitedly.


    His beautiful sky-blue eyes shone with bright colors as if he was talking about something he was very passionate about.


    Talon found that rather interesting as he nodded his head. "A great leader, huh? So you''re from a royal family?"


    "Royal? What''s that?"


    "Royal as in¡­ Your family are the ones that rule the Azurians." Talon exined.


    "Oh, you mean the Great Chief? Yes, I am the heir to my father, the current Great Chief." The boy nodded.


    ''As I expected, I guess. Quite the weird encounter to find someone as important as him in this god-forsaken desert. It''s almost like I was meant to find him.'' Squinting his eyes, Talon thought about it for a moment.


    He was in a test at the moment. He still didn''t know what the test was exactly, but he was certain that it already started. This meeting, as coincidental as it may seem at first nce, was perhaps the first major part of the test.


    Still, he had no idea what he was supposed to do with Arryn. The boy was clearly not ready to be left alone in this desert surrounded by monsters that could easily eat him.


    ''Should I really help him? I mean¡­ He would die either way. He might even be the key to getting out of here.'' Rubbing the back of his head, Talon decided to follow his feeling. In reality, he would feel very bad if he left a kid on his own to die.


    "So, what are you going to do now? Do you have a way to return to your homnd?" Talon asked.


    "... I¡­ That''s a problem." The boy said with a dryugh. "I don''t know how to go back."


    "... Sigh, so you''re stuck here?"


    "No, I mean, there is a chance that I might be able to go back. But, I don''t know how to do it on my own."


    Tapping rhythmically on his leg, Talon asked. "What is the method?"


    "... Wait, Talon¡­ Are you¡­?"


    "Yes, I might be able to help you if I can. It depends on how we can do that."


    The boy stared nkly at him before he smiled widely. "Thank you so much! I''m really d I met you, Talon!"


    "Yeah, yeah, don''t worry about it. So, how can we do this?"


    "From what I know¡­ Every one year, the Divine Piercer has tond on the ground to shed its feathers and drink water. That is actually the way our peoplee back after their journey. If we find the Divine Piercer''snding spot, I can go back."


    "Hmm, that sounds straightforward enough. But, where can we even find him?"


    "That''s¡­ I don''t know¡­ I have never gone down to know where exactly that ce is. It could be anywhere." Arryn pursed his lips sadly as he looked down.


    "That is a problem, indeed. But¡­" Talon rubbed his chin. "You said that it needs to shed its feathers and drink water, right?"


    "Yes."


    "That means the location where it''s going tond is most likely near some kind of water source. From what I can see, there aren''t that many water sources in this world, no? If we can somehow cut down the number of possible locations, we can find it."


    "Really?"


    "Yeah, as I said, I will help you out. So, don''t worry about it. Though, when is that going to happen exactly?"


    "Uh, if I recall correctly, it''s going to happen in a month."


    "A month? Good, that''s enough time to find it."


    ''Uh, but I don''t know if it''s enough to reach said location if it''s too far. It could be millions of kilometers away as far as I''m concerned.''


    But, Talon didn''t say that out loud so as not to break the boy''s spirit. He had to rely on luck on this one.


    "Well, in either case. You need toe with me. I''m heading to the nearest city. That''s where we can start searching." Standing up, Talon dusted his clothes.


    "Is that fine with you?"


    "What do you mean?"


    "That Ie along? I don''t want to waste your time if you are busy." The boy held his hands together hesitantly.


    "Come on, man. I have nothing else to do. If anything, you''re way more helpful than you might think."


    ''You might be my key to aplishing the test.''


    Just by meeting Arryn, Talon had opened a new door to an entire path that would perhaps lead him to his goal. He wasn''t going to let it slip from his hands now.


    "Wow, so there are people this kind in this world. I''m really touched." The boy covered his face as if he was trying to hide his tears.


    ''He''s quite the emotional type¡­ Well, I guess he''s made of water which fits him well.'' Talon thought to himself with a wry smile as he extended his hand to help Arryn stand up.


    "Come on, we still have a long journey ahead of us. We need to start moving as soon as possible if we want to reach the city by the end of the week."


    "Yes!"


    With that, Talon picked up the bag and gave Arryn his jacket so that he can use it instead of his tattered shirt. The boy took it dly and the two started moving again.


    "Hey, Talon¡­" A few minutes passed before Acrypha tapped Talon''s shoulder.


    "Hm?"


    "I think I remember now¡­ I thought the name was very familiar¡­ Azurians, that''s a word I heard before in the distant past and now I remember where I heard it." She said in a serious tone.


    This entire time, Acryphad had been silent as she was in deep thought for some reason. Talon noticed that but didn''t say anything. Now that she spoke, he finally focused on her.


    "Oh, what do you know about them?"


    The way Acrypha spoke made Talon instinctively tense up. He thought he heard the entire history of the Azurians from Arryn. But, from what he can see, hispanion had something she wanted to tell him.


    "The Azurians aren''t actually from this, if I recall correctly."


    "Oh?" Those words made Talon stop for a second before he started moving again as if nothing happened.


    "What do you mean, Acrypha?"


    "As I said, they didn''t exist here from the beginning of time. From what I read before, Azurians are a rare kind of water creatures that have existed in the Core Dimension since its formation. Then, for one reason or another, they ended up leaving the Core Dimension in the past. The reasons aren''t clear."


    Talon squinted his eyes for a moment as he took all of that in. He was quite surprised to hear that.


    ''An entire race left the Core Dimension? Why could that be? That is very interesting.''


    For some reason, this detail made his brain work even faster. He had never heard of such a thing before from Acrypha.


    "Is itmon for such a thing to happen?"


    "No, I have never heard of an inter-dimensional migration except this one. Most races that formed in the Core Dimension from the beginning would either flourish there or turn into prey and eventually go extinct. Leaving was never an option because it''s not simple."


    ''To leave the Core Dimension requires way too much even for a single individual. For an entire race of people to leave at the same time¡­ That''s unheard of.'' Acrypha rubbed her chin.


    "It has been a mystery for a while now which is why I remembered it." Then, she looked down at Talon. "This isn''t something normal, Talon. It''s far from that."


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 219 - 219- Soul (Part 1)

    The car stormed through the road at high speed. The entire trip was quick but heavy. No one spoke a word as they floated in their own worlds.


    Talon stared ahead of him dazedly as he let his instincts drive the car while his dad looked outside the window. He seemed deep in thought the entire time and it wasn''t that hard to know why.


    Acrypha sat in the backseat as she watched over Talon and the road to make sure he didn''t lose track of where they were.


    With that, the car eventually arrived at its destination. Talon''s father stared outside the window at the giant base.


    "This is it?" He asked in a tired yet still impressed tone.


    "Yeah," Talon replied calmly as he left the car and took out hismunication device to contact the people inside. "Open the gates, it''s me." He said in amanding, cold tone.


    His father noticed that attitude and could only wonder whether it was Talon''s sour mood that made him speak like that or something else. He could easily notice the authority in his words.


    A few minutester, the gates started slowly opening. Then, Talon drove the car inside.


    "Good evening, leader!" One of the guards waiting inside greeted him. However, Talon simply gave him a look and continued moving the car.


    ''Leader?'' His father blinked in shock. He almost didn''t believe the words he heard. Looking at his son, he wanted to ask him. But, he could only swallow his words as he looked away. Talon''s entire aura at that moment was basically pushing everyone away from talking to him.


    The car eventually stopped as Talon and his father left the car.


    "Talon!"


    Immediately, the car was approached by a group of students. Hyun-Jae, Sophie, Shin-Il, Chin-Hwa, Soomin, and even Young-Soo. When they heard that Talon hade back, they rushed to meet him.


    Talon looked at them silently before he started walking.


    Sophie tried to give him a hug, only to realize that he had already moved past her without uttering a single word.


    "Huh?" She looked back at him confusedly. "Talon? Are you ok?" Her smile turned into a worried expression. Yet, he didn''t respond.


    Hyun-Jae noticed that and tried to speak to him. A bad feeling filled her heart at that moment. "Hey, Talon¡­"


    But, he didn''t respond as he continued walking. Her eyes moved along with him. Deep inside her, she had already reached a conclusion as to what happened.


    "Sophie, is that you, girl?" Meanwhile, Talon''s father stepped away from the car and approached Sophie.


    The girl turned around. "Uncle Lucas! It has been a long time!" She excitedly shook his hand. "I''m d you''re well."


    "Thank you. I''m d to see you again too." He replied as he tried to force a respectful smile. He had known Sophie ever since she was a little toddler, so she was akin to a daughter to him. He felt happy to see her alive.


    "Where is Aunty Mee? Is she still in the car?" She asked as she looked behind Lucas.


    However, the man shook his head. Sophie looked at him silently as her smile froze. He didn''t need to utter a word to understand what he meant. Slowly, she started backing away in shock.


    "N-No¡­" She murmured as she put her hand on her mouth. "No¡­ Please, don''t tell me that¡­" Tears welled up in her eyes. "No!!!!"


    "I''m sorry." He replied as he turned away.


    The others heard that conversation and the shock that came with it was palpable. The one to get the biggest shock was Hyun-Jae as her eyes quickly shifted to the distant silhouette walking away from them.


    "Ta-..." She wanted to chase him. But, at thest moment, she decided not to. Talon didn''t seem like he wanted to talk to anyone, not even her.


    Closing her eyes, she fought the tears that welled up in them. Her heart was torn to pieces seeing her beloved grief alone. But, she knew that it would only make it worse if she tried to speak to him.


    For a moment there, the entire group felt the weight of their leader''s sadness falling on their shoulders.


    ***


    Walking silently through the base, Talon went back to his room in the hotel. Entering inside, he closed the door shut as he rested his back against it for a few moments. Pushing his hair back, he walked into the room and threw himself on the bed with his face buried in the pillow.


    He stayed motionless for a long while as if he had fallen asleep. Except, he was wide awake. His brain was as active as ever if not more. It thought of everything and contemted everything.


    Even as he wanted to simply close his eyes and forget what happened, it continued to torture him with vivid thoughts.


    "I''m tired¡­" He murmured under his breath as he slowly tilted his head to the side. "Would I wake up to realize that it''s a dream if I sleep? Just a bad dream¡­"


    He asked himself that question knowing fully well that it was just a naive wish. It was real¡­ The pain he was feeling was as real as it gets and he knew that. He wished it wasn''t, but it was. He wished the door would be knocked and he would find his mother waiting outside for him.


    He wished he could hug her, cry in her arms, and tell her everything he couldn''t tell her before. That was all he wanted and yet it was impossible. He wished for many things and got none.


    With hazy eyes, he moved his hand to his pocket as he pulled out the piece of paper his father had given him before. Sitting down as he rested his back against the bed frame, he inspected the outside of the letter.


    On the back of it, something was written.


    ''To my dear son, Talon.'' It said.


    Just reading those words made him remember how his mother used to call him and it made his heart race. He took a moment to calm himself as he shakingly opened the letter. He instinctively put a lot of care into opening it, making sure not to damage thetter.


    Pulling the paper out, he slowly unfolded it, revealing a long paragraph written in bad handwriting. Since his mother had studied to be a neurosurgeon, her handwriting wasn''t the easiest to read.


    But, Talon grew ustomed to it years ago and could easily read it. If anything, this handwriting gave him a strong hit of nostalgia. Wiping his eyes, he started reading the content of the letter.


    ''Date, the 9th of September. The time: 9:25 PM. I am writing this letter for the future, in case I didn''t make it. If you are seeing this letter right now, Talon. Then, that means that I''m no longer with you¡­ Or, if this is Lucas having way too much curiosity and opening the letter when he shouldn''t, then, close it now! I''m talking to you!''


    Reading that, Talon could only make a smallugh. The familiar humor of his mother had always worked wonders on him, even when he felt sad. Shaking his head, he continued reading.


    ''Well, now that we are done with him, I can finally talk to my son, face-to-face. I want to start by asking one thing: How are you, Talon? Are you eating well? Are you living your life happily? I know that this world has turned into a horrible mess. But, I know my son well.


    I know you are alive, somewhere, out there, waiting for us. I hope you will never have to read what I wrote here. But, if you end up doing so, then, I want you to know that I love you. You are the best son I could''ve ever asked for. Don''t beat yourself down over me. I will always be watching you from above.''


    Seconds passed as Talon read the content of the letter. His hands started slowly shaking as wet spots appeared on top of the letter.


    ''I would love to see you smile and live as you want to. The world might be cruel, but you are far stronger. No matter what happens and what lows you might fall to, you should know that you are always going to stand up again. That''s my little boy.''


    Talon''s lips shook violently as he clenched his teeth. He tried to keep his voice from leaking out, but, he failed miserably. Tears rolled down his face endlessly.


    ''Give it your best and make sure to surround yourself with people you love and they love you back. Even if this world turns dark, there will always be people that you can rely on and care for. Don''t push those people away, Talon. Give them your true self and they shall do the same. And onest thing: Take care of your dad for me. You know how he acts.


    I rely on you to be there for him.''


    And just like that, the letter ended right there abruptly. Talon''s watery eyes widened as he realized that he had reached the end before he quickly turned the letter around, only to realize that there was nothing left.


    "No¡­ No, no, no¡­" He murmured in a crying voice as he kept turning the letter around, trying to find anything else that his mother left for him. Eventually, his hands ended up reaching the letter envelope that it came in. Inside it, he found a small silver ne.


    Talon immediately recognized that ne. "It''s the one that my mom wears¡­" He murmured as he grabbed the pendant at the end of it. On the side of the pendant was a small button.


    He clicked it and the pendant immediately opened, revealing a small picture inside. It was a picture of Talon, his father, and his mother together as a family.


    Seeing that, Talon''s tears stopped for a second.


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 220 - 220- Soul (Part 2)

    For a long while, Talon stared at the pendant as tears kept trickling down his face. His eyes shed with a myriad of emotions that he couldn''t quite figure out himself.


    The pendant in his hand was something that his mother wore around her neck. She had never taken it off no matter what so he knew how much she cherished it. The fact that she took it off and gave it to him was hard to bear.


    The more he looked at it, the more nostalgia hit him. The memory of this picture being taken was still vivid in his head. He could hear theughs of his parents as they held him in their arms. He could remember struggling to remain motionless for the cameraman to snap the pic so he ended up looking like he was throwing a tantrum.


    Then, he slowly lifted the pendant and put it around his neck before letting it rest on his chest. He felt the cold metal brushing over his skin. Sitting there silently, he read through the letter again, making sure he memorized every single word said in it from start to finish.


    Then, when he was done, he repeated the process again, and again, and again. The entire time, a stream of tears fell from his eyes and didn''t stop. Even when he didn''t cry loudly or have a visible breakdown, he was in the worst state he had ever been.


    Time passed slowly and soon enough minutes turned into hours. Talon remained in the same position, reading that letter as the world grew darker around him. He didn''t even bother to turn the lights on


    Meanwhile, Acrypha watched her human with a gloomy look. She hated seeing him in such a state so much. Yet, she was powerless to change it. The great Acrypha, with all her strength and might, was unable to change anything. It messed with her head how useless she was at that moment.


    ''What can I do? I need to do something. If I leave him like this, he will only get worse.'' She thought to herself.


    It was clear that Talon was slowly getting depressed. His positive, lively aura was gone as if it was never there in the first ce. His entire presence was gloomy and suffocating to be around even for her.


    Wrecking her brain for any solution, Acrypha found no good ideas.


    ''Why can''t I think of anything? He needs me and I don''t know what I should do.'' Clenching her teeth, she cursed inwardly.


    For someone who had never been met with such a situation, Acrypha grew more and more frustrated the more she couldn''t do anything.


    Even more time passed and soon enough, it was already the middle of the night. The entire base waspletely quiet as everyone went to sleep. Meanwhile, Talon was still awake staring at the letter silently.


    Acrypha sat near him, watching over him silently. At some point, Talon''s eyes moved away from the letter to the woman.


    "Hey, Acrypha¡­" Wiping his wet face, he called her name.


    The woman immediately looked up at him. "Are you ok? Do you want something to eat?" She asked worriedly.


    "No¡­" He shook his head. "I just¡­ wanted to thank you for staying here."


    "... You don''t need to thank me. I will always be here." She blinked as she replied with an obvious tone.


    "*Sniff* I didn''t want to show you such an unsightly thing." He replied as he rested his head against the bedframe tiredly. "I''m aplete mess now."


    The woman stared at him silently for a few seconds with an iprehensible expression before she floated in the air and approached him.


    "Do you think I care about that? You can look however you want in front of me. I have seen worse things. You don''t have to worry about that." She replied as she sat in front of him at a very close distance.


    Surprisingly, her words made Talonugh. But, it wasn''t his usual smile that she grew fond of. Instead, it was a self-deprecating one full of mockery.


    "This is the person you think would change this world. Crying like a little kid. I can''t even change my own fate. How can I be something else?"


    "Talon¡­"


    "I couldn''t protect my own family when they needed me and you know what''s funnier? If I had been there, things would''ve been different. It was a fucking Dimension Walker. The weakest of the weakest! It was the weakest!" Even with his distorted smile, the anger and frustration in his voice couldn''t be hidden. "I have fought monsters hundreds of times stronger than that!


    and then I fucking lost my mother to nothing!! Just because I waste!!!"


    "No¡­"


    As he yelled, Talon clenched his fists tightly as he fought the urge to just punch a hole through the wall.


    "All I had to do was be there and I couldn''t even do that!! How the fuck am I going to change anything?! I''m nothing!! I thought I was something great because I killed a few more monsters than everyone else. I liked how strong I am and the growth I went through! But, it all came down to nothing!


    Absolutely nothing!"


    Acrypha stared at him as he yelled his heart out. She pursed her lips silently. She had never seen Talon in such a state. Even he perhaps had never gone through such a moment of no control before.


    "If I''m this powerless¡­ Then, why should I even try anymore? I might as well give-"


    "No!"


    At that moment, Acrypha spoke, catching Talon by surprise. Looking up, he noticed an expression on her face that he had never seen before. He couldn''t describe it in words even if he tried.


    "Give up? And then what? Are you going to stay holed up in this room for the rest of your life? Is that what you really want to do?"


    "..." Talon waspletely speechless.


    "And even if that''s what you are going to do. Let''s say that it''s all fine that you''re going to waste your life. Do you think your mother would be happy to see her son like this? Is that your way of paying respect to her?"


    "... I¡­" Talon opened and closed his mouth like a fish unable to utter a single reply. Everything Acrypha said made sense.


    Seeing that, the woman approached him and put her hands gently on his face. Her soft fingers caressed his cheeks gently as she stared deep into his eyes.


    "It was never your fault, Talon. You have done everything within your ability to change things. Things didn''t go as we wanted. But, that doesn''t mean that you failed and I''m sure your mother would agree with me on that. She would be very proud of everything you''ve done so far as much as I''m proud of you."


    As she spoke those words, Talon''s eyes flickered with different lights. He was shocked and speechless, and he felt his heart resonating with her.


    "You can cry, yell as much as you want. But, don''t you ever say that you''re going to give up." Then, Acrypha slowly rested her forehead against his.


    "... I''m sorry, Acrypha¡­ I¡­ I was¡­"


    "Shhh, it''s fine." She opened her eyes as she stared deep into his. "I''m here¡­ So, let it all out."


    And just like that, as if her words were some kind of magical trigger, Talon felt the dam burst open. He couldn''t even resist for a moment when that soft voice spoke to him.


    Inside the dark room, two people held each other for a long while. Acrypha gently held Talon''s head as she caressed him. She felt rather at ease knowing that Talon was finally letting everything he pent up out. It was still painful to hear him cry, but it didn''t matter to her, as long as he could feel better.


    Time passed before eventually, Talon sumbed to sleep. After exhausting himself mentally, he finally was able to drift off in Acrypha''s embrace. For some reason, all of his pain was washed away the moment her warmth filled his senses.


    Looking down at his face silently, Acrypha slowly ran her hand through his hair.


    "I would never give up on you. Not when you''re myst hope." She smiled warmly. "If I give up on you, I would lose my purpose. It would be the end of me."


    Shaking her head, Acrypha sighed. Barely two months ago, she ended up in Talon''s apartment. Everything was a coincidence that she never nned in the first ce. She never would''ve expected that in the future, this same young man would be so important to her.


    Not even for her own goals or the things she wanted to achieve. Living with him every day, she saw himugh, cry, angry, frustrated, excited, and all kinds of other things. She learned about his strengths and weaknesses, his past and present, and even his future.


    She had learned to enjoy his presence and soon enough, she started looking forward to when he would wake up in the morning. She enjoyed their pointless banter and weird jokes.


    Even at his lowest point, she still wanted to be by his side. It didn''t matter if he was crying his eyes out orughing happily, she just wanted to be there to help him whenever he needed her.


    That was Acrypha''s purpose and something that she knew wouldn''t change for a very long time. She was soul-bound to him.


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 221 - 221- A Warrior鈥檚 Rest (Part 1)

    Meanwhile, in another section of the building. Lucas had settled down into his bed as he stared at the ceiling silently. His eyes were wide open as if he had no intention of sleeping.


    His mind was still actively working on full-throttle. He was beyond exhausted, mentally and physically. Thest two weeks of his life were the most brutal by far. He didn''t even know how he survived this long alone and yet somehow, here he was, in a safe ce.


    He had a warm bed, a ceiling, and no fear of monsters attacking him and killing him when he was asleep. Yet, he couldn''t even feel a shred of relief. It was but another night he had to spend alone without his soulmate next to him.


    Turning around to his side, he stared at the empty spot where someone should''ve been. That spot was cold and gloomy with nothing familiar about it.


    As he was like that, the door to his room was knocked, snapping him out of his thoughts. Looking to the side, he frowned.


    ''Who''sing to visit me now?'' He thought to himself.


    After Talon left, Hyun-Jae ordered some workers to escort him to a room and tend to his needs. She also made sure that he was checked up for any illnesses beforehand and handed him food.


    He didn''t recognize the girl and yet she treated him very kindly without saying a single word. He also noticed the dark expression on her face the moment the news of Talon''s mother reached her so he assumed that she was a friend of his son.


    After entering his room, nobody gave him a visit. Yet, now, at almost 12 in the morning, someone was knocking on his door.


    So, he stood up and walked to the door before he opened it. There, he saw someone he didn''t expect to see at all. A man he was very familiar with.


    "... Evan? Is that you?" He asked with a shocked expression.


    The man looked up with a serious expression. "It has been a long time, Lucas."


    "... It has been. I didn''t know you were here. I met your daughter earlier today but she didn''t tell me about you."


    After hearing the news, Sophie left the ce immediately with tears in her eyes. She was intending to chase Talon, only for Hyun-Jae to stop her. The two broke into an argument over it and she ended up returning to her room after it.


    The situation was so tense that Chin-Hwa had to interject and stop them from fighting.


    "Yeah, I have been in her room¡­ She isn''t doing well." Evan replied before he pointed behind Lucas. "Would you mind if I talk to you for a minute inside?"


    "Of course, you''re wee!" With that, Lucas let his old friend inside before closing the door.


    The two walked into the room and sat on the chairs facing each other. Then, Evan exhaled a small breath before he spoke. "I''m sorry for your loss, Lucas. Your wife was a good woman. I couldn''t believe it when I heard that."


    "... Thank you." Lucas nodded his head. "I still can''t believe that it''s reality. Everything is just too blurry for me."


    "I feel you¡­ Even to this day, I still didn''t get over my wife''s death." Evan nodded his head with a sad expression. "After all these years, it still hurts to think about it just like the first day."


    Closing his eyes, he vividly recalled everything that happened. Fifteen years ago, his wife and daughter were caught in a car ident on the highway. His daughter survived with minimal injuries while his wife suffered terrifying burns on her face and arms that led to her death a few dayster.


    The grief that he went through during that time was something he would never forget no matter how long he lived. He felt the entire world crumbling in front of his eyes and he had nothing to do about it. The only thing that kept him from losing his mind was his daughter. He knew that if he didn''t get himself together, his daughter would end up suffering even more.


    She already had the trauma of seeing her mother''sst moments still in her head. So, if she had lost her father too, it would be a disaster.


    "You have to stay strong, friend." He added as he bent forward to stare at Lucas directly. "For his sake."


    "I know¡­ I will try to do my best. But, I might turn out to be just a deadweight rather than an actual help to Talon."


    "How so?"


    "I mean, look at this ce. I have heard that my son is the leader here and the strongest out of everyone. I have seen him fighting and he was justpletely different from before."


    "That is true. Your son is now a monster, no offense. I have never seen someone as strong as he is. Not even close." Lucas snorted lightly.


    "I don''t know how he ended up like that. But, it seems like he is already someone I don''t recognize anymore."


    In his eyes, Talon had always been a simple and cheerful young man with aspirations for a peaceful future. Never did he expect his son to be a leader of thousands of people, paving a path for society to be reestablished again in this world.


    He was now a grandiose existence, far beyond anything he could understand. A legend in every sense of the word.


    "You underestimated him¡­ Just like how I underestimated him." Evan replied in a sarcastic tone. "I have heard of his ns and I can say with full confidence that he is going to only do greater things from now on."


    "Greater things?"


    "He is aiming to clean the entirety of South Korea from monsters and rebuild it from scratch." He replied.


    Lucas stared at his old friend with wide eyes. "Are you serious?"


    "As serious as I always am."


    "..." Talon''s father waspletely speechless for a few seconds before he looked down. "To think that my son¡­"


    "Knowing him, he probably wanted to do this just to make sure that his parents would be safe and sound. That''s what I heard, at least."


    Those words hit Lucas right in the heart. In a moment, he realized what his friend wanted to say and it all made sense. His son had always been ambitious when it came to the future. Even as a child, when they were struggling financially, he would always promise them to work hard for their sake.


    ''... It makes sense¡­ It all makes sense¡­'' Wiping his eyes with a small smile on his face, Lucas looked up again. ''That part of him would never change¡­''


    "Thank you for telling me. I appreciate it."


    "Any time. Even though we had our disagreements before, I still see you as a friend, Lucas."


    "The same here. I wished we wouldn''t cut each other for such a long time. But, life does ruin you when you let it."


    Evan nodded his head as he stood up and approached his friend before he extended his hand. "The past is in the past. Let''s work together for the sake of our children."


    Looking surprised, Lucas took a few seconds to react before he took Evan''s hand with a tired smile. "Yes, for their sake."


    After that, Evan excused himself so that Lucas could rest. Thetter wished he could talk to his old friend more and catch up on so many years. But since it waste, he let him go. When he went back to his bed, he fell on top of it tiredly. Yet, for some reason, his heart felt a lot lighter after that conversation.


    He didn''t know why, but his mind cleared up a little and he could think better. ''Mee, I think I know what I''m going to do¡­ Please look over us¡­''


    With that hopeful thought in mind, he felt his eyelids finally close as he drifted to sleep for the first time in two weeks.


    ***


    The morning eventually came and the sun peeked through the window in Talon''s room. Looking to the side, Acrypha sighed. "It''s already the morning."


    Then, her eyes shifted down to the human sleeping in herp. Her hand was still gently caressing his hair. She didn''t notice the time passing when she was doing it and she was rather displeased that the day had arrived.


    As she was like that, she felt a subtle movement from Talon. The young man frowned slightly as he opened his eyes. Staring up, his eyes made contact with Acrypha.


    "Acrypha¡­" He murmured as he tried to rise up, only for the woman to pull his head down.


    "I''m going to close the curtains, you can go back to sleep. It''s still early." She said softly as she snapped her fingers, making the curtains move on their own as if some kind of invisible force touched them.


    "... I can''t sleep more¡­"


    "Then sit here and just rx. You aren''t going to do anything today. I want you to rest. Understood?"


    Talon wanted to retort, but deep inside, he didn''t want to move an inch. Thefort of Acrypha''sp was simply too enticing for him. Not to mention the horrifyingck of motivation he was going through at that moment.


    "Ok¡­" Sighing, he replied as he put his hand over his eyes.


    "Have some time off. It''s as important as hard work. You deserve a break after everything that happened." She smiled softly as she rubbed her thumb across his cheek.


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 222 - 222- A Warrior鈥檚 Rest (Part 2)

    In normal days, Hyun-Jae would always wake up at around 5 am every single morning. Her routine in the past few weeks has been the same. Every morning, she would leave the bed, take a shower where she could clear her mind and get herself ready for whatever insanity they would have to deal with that day, and then eat breakfast and get to work.


    Handling the matters of the survivors was a tough job even if it didn''t require much physical work. The responsibility of every single life was on her and Talon''s shoulders. Each death, even the ones where it wasn''t their fault, still weighed their backs.


    After that, she would usually spend the rest of the evening till night training and honing her fighting abilities till she couldn''t move anymore. Every day was the same with varying degrees of craziness every now and then that made her life far more eventful than it ever was.


    However, that day was a little different from her usual days. Waking up, Hyun-Jae felt apleteck of desire to work. Her mind was simply too focused on something else to bother with the other tasks.


    Sitting on her bed, she stared outside the window. "Should I go visit him? Or is it too soon?"


    Frowning at the dilemma she had, she tried to think it through. It had been exactly a day since Talon came back and she didn''t talk to him yet. The news of his mother''s death came like a train and it messed her up. She didn''t know how she was able to go through yesterday normally with Talon in her mind.


    Now that a day passed, she couldn''t wait to see him any longer. She was simply too worried about him to even care.


    "Sigh¡­ I should just check up on him. I don''t want him to do anything foolish in the spur of the moment." With that excuse in mind, she changed her clothes and fixed her hair to look presentable before she left her room and went upstairs to where Talon was.


    As she took the turn, she noticed someoneing from the other side.


    ''What is she doing here?'' Squinting her eyes coldly, Hyun-Jae red at the blonde girl.


    The girl was obviously Sophie who also noticed Hyun-Jae and had the same reaction as her. The two eventually stopped right in front of Talon''s room as they stared at each other. The tension was immediately heavy after what happened yesterday. The entire corridor dropped a few degrees in temperature just by them standing there.


    Eventually, Hyun-Jae sighed as she closed her eyes. "You came here to check on him I suppose?" She asked with a sigh.


    "Yes. Are you?" Sophie asked back.


    "Yes¡­"


    "Sigh, the timing is so awkward." Murmuring under her breath, Sophie turned around with a frown.


    Thest person she wanted to meet here was Hyun-Jae since she was really pissed after what happened. Still, in reality, she understood why Hyun-Jae stopped her from following him. In that kind of state, Talon probably didn''t want any human contact at all. Not even from people close to him.


    When she thought about it, she was relieved she didn''t do that and now she felt annoyed that she wronged Hyun-Jae and yet also still didn''t want to admit it out of embarrassment.


    Hyun-Jae noticed that shift in the girl''s expression and rubbed her temples. "Listen, let''s put this pitiful argument aside for now. Since we are here to see Talon, let''s just do that. Ok?"


    "... Yeah, that sounds like a good idea."


    With that, the two finally faced the door as they nervously stared at it. Even though they were there, actually knocking on the door was the hardest part.


    "Mmm¡­ Are you going to knock on the door?" Sophie asked awkwardly.


    "... I thought you were going to do that," Hyun-Jae whispered.


    "Uuuh, how about we do it at the same time then?"


    "Sounds like a good idea."


    Sophie nodded her head. "Ok, on my count¡­ Three¡­ Two¡­ One¡­"


    As the two were about to knock on the door, it suddenly sprang open, taking them by surprise.


    The person that appeared was Talon. His hair was messier than usual and his expression was very dark. But, somehow, that appearance had apletely different charm from his usual one. It gave him a thickeryer of mystery thatpletely captivated the two girls rather quickly.


    It took them a few seconds to snap out of it.


    "Talon¡­" Sophie murmured his name as her eyes shed with myriads of emotions.


    "Hello." He replied in a tired voice. "Are you two ok?"


    "Yeah, we''re fine. We came to check up on you." Hyun-Jae coughed awkwardly as she looked up. "Is it fine?"


    "... Yeah,e inside." He replied calmly and moved to the side.


    The two girls stared at each other before they walked into the room. Talon then closed the door and moved after them.


    "I''m sorry for my appearance. I didn''t expect you guys toe now. Let me wash my face." He said.


    "No, it''s fine, we should''ve told you beforehand." Sophie quickly shook her head.


    Talon shook his head before he walked into the bathroom and came out a minuteter with a slightly more kept appearance. Even though his eyes still looked very exhausted, he didn''t look as bad as yesterday. It seemed he was feeling a little better than before.


    "Do you guys want anything? Coffee, juice?"


    "No."


    "Me neither."


    "Hmm, ok." He replied as he walked into the room again and sat down.


    "How are you doing, Talon?" Hyun-Jae asked as she stared directly at him.


    "... I''m fine. You don''t need to worry. I''m going to get better soon." He replied as he forced a smile.


    However, the two girls could easily see through it.


    "Are you sure? We will always be here if you need us." Sophie spoke with a worried tone.


    "Thank you, I appreciate it. But, I''m really going to be fine. I have to set my priorities straight or my mom would be really angry. She doesn''t want my life to stop here because of it. I would be lying if I said that I didn''t consider giving up on many things yesterday. But¡­ My mind is clearer now.


    I''m not going to stop."


    At first, Talon felt like he had lost his path. But, now that he thought about it, this was but another reason why he should work even harder. He had lost his mother and it was going to remain a hole in his heart for the rest of his life. So, to make sure that it doesn''t happen again to any other person he loved, he was going to be even stronger.


    ''I will be the strongest to ever live¡­ So strong that no one will dare to mess with me. So strong that nothing could do anything bad to me¡­ Not even fate itself. I will work harder than anyone for the sake of the people I care for. I will be a monster in the eyes of everyone that tries to stop me... No, not a monster, a demon...


    I will spare no one.'' Clenching his fists, Talon felt another fire ignited in his heart.


    It wasn''t a fire of optimism or hope like the other one. It was a far stronger one and also far darker. He knew that hope wasn''t enough to break through and reach the peak of this world as he wished to do. He needed to be far more monstrous and brutal to actually break through the wall that was facing him now.


    He had to be different from everything else so that no one could ever rival him. It might be extreme and it might be very hard, but he had made up his mind and no one was going to change that now or ever.


    The two girls noticed the change deep within his eyes and they could only wonder what he had made up in his mind. Still, it was better to see him regaining the light he had lost yesterday even if it was a little different.


    "Tomorrow, we are going back to work. Let''s make sure things go well this time." He added. "I still would need your help. So, I''m going to ask for it again. Would you two help me?"


    The two girls didn''t even take a second to think it through before they nodded their heads.


    "Hmph, you aren''t getting rid of me any time soon." Hyun-Jae smiled.


    "I''m going to do my best!" Sophie replied with a determined expression.


    Seeing that, Talon blinked in surprise before he sighed. For some reason, seeing this made him feel a little bit better. The words his mom said to him in the letter resonated in his head again.


    ''Even if this world turns dark, there will always be people that you can rely on and care for. Don''t push those people away, Talon. Give them your true self and they shall do the same.'' Those words didn''t take long to manifest in reality.


    Talon was never alone, he had good people around him. People were ready to ride it with him till the end, even if the end was dark. People that he could call friends and lifelongpanions.


    ''I didn''t have to take long to find them, Mom¡­ I already did.'' He smiled softly as he closed his eyes.


    "I feel at peace then¡­"


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 227 - 227- Dinner (Part 1)

    With that, Talon and Hyun-Jae left the cell and went back to the conference room.


    "What do you think, Talon?" On the way, Hyun-Jae asked him with a serious look on her face.


    "It''s going to be a problem in the future. If what he said is true, then we will have to change parts of the n."


    "Yeah, I already figured. We need to go Busan, no?"


    "Yes, it''s a huge detour but I need to see for myself how hard it could be to cross the ocean in its current condition. The woman had said that they were going to reach Tsushima and then wait for Hyun-Ki''s side to make its move and reach Tsushima too. We can use that fact to our advantage." As he spoke, Talon''s eyes shed with a weird glint.


    "What are you going to do?"


    "Not now. Let me think about it. But, I can see what we should do." He nodded his head. "We are going to destroy them."


    Saying those words, Talon clenched his fists. Whether it was sooner orter, he knew that a war was bound to happen, a war on a scale far bigger than anything he had ever imagined. So, when that time came, he had to be ready for it.


    ***


    For the rest of the day, Talon was drowned in work. After not working for two days, naturally, things piled up. Especially concerning the matter of going back to Seoul. He had to spend a while with the scouting team to create a map with the potentially dangerous areas they might face along the way back.


    Now that monsters are back after the Shadow Crawlers disappeared, the trip home wasn''t going to be a smooth sailing like the first one.


    He made sure to pinpoint the best route they could take. Then, he organized a team for himself that he was going to take on the way to clear the route. With his pace, he felt like he could easily clear a good chunk of the path in one day.


    With that done, he spent the rest of his time till evening organizing the matters of the base. Since there were thousands of people living there, they naturally needed someone to handle their issues.


    During that time, Talon realized that this base had multiple problems that needed instant care. One of them was a ring shortage of food and supplies. With how many people lived there, feeding everyone was going to be a hard task.


    Luckily, since they were in Gwangju, the food supply was huge enough to sustain everyone there for a month or two. But, Talon knew a while from now, they would face a famine problem. So, he made a few other groups leave the base to collect supplies from nearby towns and get them back.


    When he was done with that, it was alreadyte in the evening. He was sitting in a small office as he read through a long pile of paper. Running his hand through his hair, Talon sighed.


    "All of these numbers are hurting my head." He murmured as he rested his back against the chair and looked up at the ceiling.


    "With how fast you''re working, you''ve already done most of the work in a few hours. You should leave some forter." Acrypha replied as she looked at him. She had been sitting on the desk the entire time, watching the window.


    "You think so?"


    "Paperwork is annoying, I would rather see you kill some monsters."


    "I do too. I feel like I haven''t increased my strength in ages. Where are the strong enemies when I need them, tsk?" He murmured as he opened his status window and checked his current progress.


    So far, his stats were in the range of 120-140 mark with the Aetheris on a level of its own at a staggering 215 points. It was still ridiculous for someone to reach this level in only two months but Talon didn''t feel that it was enough.


    He wanted more, far more than that. He wanted to break through again.


    "How strong should I be before I leave to the first gate, I wonder?" He murmured.


    "You have already sted through the normal level someone would have before they enter the first gate. But, with what we know, how strong you are won''t matter because the difficulty of the first gate will increase with your level. It is going to be brutal no matter what you do."


    "Thanks for assuring me." Talon rolled his eyes tiredly.


    "I''m telling you because I want you to be ready mentally and physically when you do so."


    "I will be. But, I''m not worried about that. Since you''re going to be there with me." He smiled faintly.


    Acrypha blinked silently before she smiled too. "Yeah, I will always be there."


    As they were like that, the door to the office was knocked.


    "Talon, are you in there? It''s me, Sophie!" A voice spoke to him from outside.


    "Yeah, enter."


    Then, the door opened, revealing a beautiful blonde girl as she peeked inside. "Hey¡­" She had a worried look on her face. "Are you free now?"


    "Yeah, I just finished and was about to leave. Get in, why are you standing there?" He asked confusedly.


    "Oh, y-yeah. Ehem." With an awkward cough, she walked inside and approached the desk. "I couldn''t see you today because of work. I missed you." She said softly as she stared deep into his eyes.


    "Sorry, I couldn''te to see you. Things were happening too quickly."


    "No problem at all. I know that you have a lot going on." She smiled as she touched his hand. "How are you feeling?"


    "A lot better, actually. Work helped me forget a little bit as hectic as it is."


    "... I''m d." Looking with a downcast expression, she faintly nodded her head.


    "Hey, why the downcast look?" Standing up, Talon approached Sophie as he tapped her shoulder.


    "It''s just, *Sniff* I''m sorry, I still can''t believe that it happened." Resting her head against Talon''s chest, she took a moment to regain herposure. His warmth made her heart slow down noticeably.


    Talon pursed his lips as shook his head. He didn''t say a single word as he waited for Sophie to calm down.


    Eventually, she pulled away. "I didn''t want to look like this in front of you. I''m really sorry."


    Talon smiled slightly as he patted her head. "It''s fine. I know how close you were to my mom. She also loved you like her own daughter."


    Even before they started dating, Talon''s mother saw Sophie as a part of the family and treated her as such. The girl, who lost her mother a while ago, found her mother figure in Talon''s mom and grew to like her a lot.


    He even heard that she kept contacting her regrly after they broke up. He knew how devastating it was for Sophie to hear the news.


    "She was like my mom. I love her so much."


    "I''m sure she will be happy to hear that." He nodded his head. Looking up, he closed his eyes for a second to calm the turbulence within him before he exhaled a small breath.


    "Ok, let''s go now."


    "Where?"


    "My dad wants to have dinner and you''re invited. Do you have something else to do?"


    "What? No! Of course not! I''m free!" She replied in a hurry as she walked after Talon.


    "Good, he would be happy to see you."


    As the two left the building, they noticed that the entire city was growing dark and the light on the streets started illuminating. Seeing that, Talon felt rather happy. Before the integration, things like street lights were something very normal. Yet, now that everything was destroyed, restoring something as simple as this was a huge achievement that he felt proud of.


    ''Appreciating small things like this is really good. Small steps create a big leap with time.'' He thought to himself as the two walked through the streets of the city.


    People were still outside so it wasn''tpletely empty. At first, Sophie thought they were heading to one of the restaurants in the city that had reopened recently. But, shockingly, they suddenly took a detour in a different direction.


    "Hm, where are we going?"


    "To meet Hyun-Jae." He replied. "She''s also invited."


    "What?" Sophie blurted out without realizing it. "Why is she invited?"


    "My dad wanted to thank her for helping him a few days ago."


    ''Dammit, I thought it was a dinner with Talon and Mr Lucas alone! Tsk, how did she find a way to get in too?'' Clenching her teeth in frustration, she tried to act normally as she walked after Talon. ''Calm, Sophie! Calm! I can''t let this annoy me! It''s going to be a nice dinner!


    That''s all!''


    Taking a few moments to regain herposure, she spoke. "Well, that''s fine too."


    Deep down, however, she was rather annoyed that Hyun-Jae had somehow made Lucas like her almost instantly. She thought that she had an advantage since she knew Talon''s father for years but Hyun-Jae was already taking huge steps when she didn''t realize it.


    Her rival was doing the work and she didn''t want that.


    ''I can''t let her take the limelight for herself. She better back away!'' With a fiery determination, she decided to finally start taking decisive steps. Her goal was very simple: Make Talon hers and hers alone again.


    This time, it was going to be forever.


    ''Nobody else would take him from me¡­ No matter who they are.'' She sword in her head.


    Unbeknownst to her, an otherworldly beauty was watching her reactions with an amused look on her face.


    "Humans are so amusing."


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 228 - 228- Dinner (Part 2)

    The two walked through the streets, talking about different topics. The cold breeze of the night coupled with the serene atmosphere of the entire base made it a rather pleasant time.


    Talon had a craving for such walks. He used to go outte for a long walk when he was stressed or tired. It helped him clear his mind and think better, almost like a therapeutic session.


    Eventually, they ended up at the main gates where a small building rose from the ground. It was the guards'' building which was used for the 24/7 shifts they had going on.


    "Why is she here?" Sophie asked.


    "She told me that she needed to talk to the guards. They have to be more alert for the next few days due to the increase in the number of monsters around here. We might get attacked at some point." Talon exined as he approached Hyun-Jae.


    "Do you understand? Make sure you stay awake and alert me or anyone else the moment you notice anything abnormal."


    "Yes, Miss!" They saluted her before they turned around and left.


    Sighing, Hyun-Jae turned around to walk away, only to realize that Talon and Sophie were waiting for her.


    "Hey, are you done with them?" Talon asked her casually.


    "Yes, they should be able to handle the situation. I''m not worried." She replied. "What about you?"


    "I have finished most of the paperwork and the other things. I''m going to leave tomorrow morning."


    "Mm, be careful out there."


    "Always will."


    As the two talked to each other, Sophie was standing on the sideline with a panicked look on her face.


    ''This vibe¡­ Why do they sound like an old married couple?! I hate it!!'' She screamed inwardly as she tried to hide her internal struggle.


    She had noticed how these two seemed way different than before. The vibe around them was far too mushy and familiar to be ignored. Just like a married couple that spent years together and grew old together.


    "Ehem, so, should we go now?" Grabbing Talon''s hand, she nudged him.


    "Oh, right. My dad wants us to have dinner together, are you fine with that?" He asked Hyun-Jae.


    "Of course but¡­ Is he sure he wants me there?" Hyun-Jae raised an eyebrow. As far as she''s concerned, she was an outsider in Lucas'' eyes so his invitation was unexpected.


    "Yeah, he actually insisted youe too since he wanted to thank you for your help a few days ago."


    ''Insisted?! Uncle Lucas?! Oh no.'' Sophie screamed in her head.


    "Hmm, if that''s the case. Then, sure."


    With that, the trio finally turned around and headed straight toward the restaurant. It wasn''t that far away, barely 5 minutes on foot and it was one of the few restaurants that opened on the base after the integration. It was avable to serve food for free for the citizens who lived in the area.


    However, since most people were able to cook their own food in their homes, the restaurant wasn''t always full of people. That night particrly, it waspletely empty.


    *Ding* Ding*


    Walking inside, the door made a ringing sound, alerting the workers.


    "Wee!" One of the chefs greeted them with a smile. But, when he noticed who it was, he was shocked. "Oh! Leader! Wee, wee!"


    "One table for five, please," Talon said.


    "Yes, of course. Follow me."


    Then, they were guided to a secluded corner of the restaurant where they sat down.


    "Are you going to order?"


    "No, we are waiting for two more people. Give us a minute." Talon replied as he picked up the menu.


    ''Even though I heard that it''s very much a normal restaurant, the fact that it serves this many dishes is surprising.'' He thought to himself.


    After living the past month on canned food and some other small varieties of dishes, Talon had a deep craving for a restaurant meal. Something that he didn''t have to prepare himself.


    "Who is the other personing?" Hyun-Jae asked.


    "Her father." He replied as he flipped the menu busily.


    "Dad ising too?"


    "Yeah, the two of them spent the evening together actually."


    ''Weirdly enough¡­'' He added in his head secretly.


    He knew that his dad and Evan hadn''t talked in years even though they had been best friends before. Still, he would be lying if he didn''t feel weird about it. Mainly because of his problem with Evan that he told no one about.


    ''Sigh, he seems to have changed for the better. I won''t need to deal with him that way.'' Closing the menu, Talon looked up just at the perfect time when the door opened again.


    Two men walked inside as they looked around.


    "Here." Talon raised his hand to call for them.


    "There you are!" Lucas approached them first with a smile. "Sorry for beingte. We took a detour on the way."


    "It''s fine. We just arrived." Talon replied.


    "Thank you foring, Sophie, Miss Hyun-Jae."


    "Hyun-Jae is enough." She smiled kindly at him.


    "Oh, hahaha! I didn''t know how to address you before."


    "You are Talon''s dad, you don''t have to be formal. Please, take a seat." She said.


    Meanwhile, Sophie watched the entire interaction with her hands tightly. ''Grrr! That smile!!''


    "You can sit next to me, Uncle!" She quickly shifted her expression as she moved to the side.


    "Thank you, thank you!"


    Meanwhile, Evan sat down next to Talon with an awkward look on his face. The table was nowplete.


    "I didn''t think I would be visiting a restaurant again. This is surprisingly pleasant." Lucas said. "You remember when we used to go to that ramen shop back in the day, Evan?" Lucas said with a nostalgic smile.


    "Yeah¡­ Good old days."


    "I miss them too."


    Then, the entire table went quiet for a moment as if they didn''t know what to say. The atmosphere was weirdly awkward for some reason. So, to defuse it, Talon decided to change the topic quickly.


    "Well, what are you going to order?"


    "Yeah, let''s order."


    "I agree."


    With that, the group took the menus and started choosing from them. There weren''t many meat-based dishes due to the shortage of meats so they mostly took vegetable dishes and some side of fried chicken.


    The chef took the orders and left to prepare them. So, the awkward silence came back again.


    Talon stared at his dad with a meaningful nce. "Don''t you have something to say?" He whispered to him.


    "Oh, right. Ehem, since we are all here. I wanted to properly say this." He stood up and stared at Hyun-Jae before he slowly bowed down.


    "Thank you for your help the other day and for taking care of my son all this time. He had told me a lot about you."


    Hearing that, Hyun-Jae was naturally surprised as her eyes moved to Talon. Thetter gave her a small nod which made her purse her lips.


    "There is no need to bow, Mr Lucas. I didn''t do much. If anything, I should be the one grateful for his help."


    Lucas looked up with a smile. "You are very humble. I''m d my son found a nice girlfriend like you."


    "Pfft¡­" Suddenly, Sophie spat out a mouthful of water as she started coughing.


    ''What?! Girlfriend?!''


    Evan sighed as he pulled a handkerchief for his daughter. ''Oh boy, this dinner is going to be interesting.'' He thought to himself. ''I want to go home.''


    "Uuuh, Mr Lucas¡­ Me and Talon¡­ Aren''t uh, in a rtionship yet."


    ''What do you mean ''yet''?! It''s not going to happen¡­ Not in a million years!!'' Sophie red daggers at her.


    "What? Is that the case? My apologies. I assumed you two were dating with how fondly he talked about you."


    After their meeting that evening, Lucas'' impression of Hyun-Jae changed drastically. He had never seen his son talk about someone that much since Sophie had left.


    Those words were akin to a critical hit to Sophie''s consciousness as she struggled to keep her neutral face the entire time. The fight she had to go through at that moment was brutal.


    ''Uncle, please!''


    ''God have mercy on my soul.'' Talon face palmed himself with a tired look on his face.


    "He did?" Hearing that, however, Hyun-Jae was more than delighted as she focused on Lucas. "Can I perhaps ask what he said?"


    Deep down, she felt on cloud seven. The fact that Talon was talking about her this much meant that he thought about her as much as she did and she couldn''t describe how good that felt. It was the best news she heard the entire day¡­ No, week even!


    "He told me a lot about how strong and capable you are and how you''re very trustworthy. He als-"


    "Ok, dinner is here." Talon cut his dad off as he tried to hide his embarrassment.


    ''Why did you even talk about this?!'' He gave his dad a strong look.


    Meanwhile, Lucas was oblivious to it. All he thought about was how d he was to see Talon get close to someone. After what happened with Sophie, he had seen his son detach himself from people and live his life with no friends for the most part. It worried him a lot and yet he couldn''t do much about it.


    Now, his son seemed to be more socially open and he couldn''t be more d to see that.


    "I''m d you also made up with Sophie. Don''t you think so, Evan?"


    "Hm? Oh yeah¡­ That''s true."


    "I''m really grateful I had the opportunity to meet him again after so long. I''m also happy to see you too, uncle!" Sophie jumped on that opportunity immediately.


    "Haha, thank you. You were always a kind and considerate girl. I thought you two would''ve never separated like that."


    Hisment made the entire table go quiet again as if they couldn''t find something to say.


    ''Is he deadset on making this table the most awkward ce on Earth?!'' Talon felt his head about to burst with a headache.


    Due to his lifestyle as a writer, his dad wasn''t particrly good with people. He had a few good friends, but that was it. Now, he realized that Lucas wasn''t just bad. He was creating one awkward situation after the other with no end!


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 231 - 231- One Man Army (Part 1)

    *Next Day*


    "Fuuuuuh¡­. The weather is really cold." Exhaling a cloudy breath, Talon stretched his limbs slightly as he looked around him. It was early in the morning and the sun was barely peeking through the horizon, giving its faint rays of light to the world.


    Behind him, a group of 30 survivors were getting themselves ready as they were about to leave the base. They were quite strong with all of them being over level 15 with some even reaching level 18. Their equipment was decent too with some weapons over level 20. They were the elite amongst the entire mass.


    Seeing their shiny weapons and armor, Talon could only sigh. ''I think it''s time to start looking for a new spear. Blue Lapis has been really handy for a while now. But, it''s starting to fall short as monsters grow stronger. I have to upgrade.'' He thought to himself as he scanned his spear.


    After weeks of continuous use, the spear had finally started showing marks of damage all over it. Chips at the de and the handle could be seen everywhere. There were also scars from the many battles Talon went through.


    In reality, he felt quite conflicted since this spear had been by his side for a long time now and it was his most trusted weapon. But, he knew that it wouldn''t be able to continue with him forever as he was already facing monsters way above its level cap. The only reason it could damage these monsters was Talon''s ridiculous strength.


    "Sigh, well, it was good as long as itsted." Putting the spear on his back, he turned around. "Ok is everyone ready?"


    "Yes, sir!"


    "Good. A brief recap of the n, we are going to head north till we reach the forest. Then, we will separate into groups of 5 except for me. If you find a group of monsters, alert the others and deal with it. If it''s too many for you to handle, use that re to tell me your location and I will be there. Understood?"


    "Yes, sir!"


    "Good, get in the cars."


    After that, the group put all their stuff in the vehicles and left the base quickly. They knew that the day was going to be long so they had to start as early as possible. The goal was to clear 20% of the way back to Seoul.


    The cars moved through the ruined streets as they headed deeper into the forest. Talon was alone in the first vehicle while everyone else was behind him. At some point, the route diverged and the group was split into two. Then it diverged again and the group was split again.


    Eventually, Talon found himself moving through the forest alone. Thirty minutester, he stopped the car and left.


    "This should be good enough." After that, he pulled the device. "Is everyone in their position?"


    "It''s good on our side."


    "Same here."


    "We are fine."


    Immediately, he received multiple replies which Talon nodded as he turned around. "Stay alert and move carefully. We will talkter."


    After that, he turned the device off and finally pulled his spear. "Hmm, I can sense some monsters lurking in the forest. But, there are way too few of them. I need to attract them outside."


    With that in mind, Talon started moving into the forest. As he walked through the thick greenery, He heard sounds all around him. A secondter, multiple monsters appeared around him.


    They were all giant cats of some kind that stared daggers at him.


    "Level 20, huh? Well, this is not bad for a warm-up." Talon shrugged as he took a fighting stance.


    The monsters growled loudly at him before they lunged at him all at the same time. But, the moment they got close, Talon moved. Swinging the spear, he sliced through his targets at inhumane speed.


    Blood sshed everywhere and the monsters fell dead before they could even do anything.


    [Ding!]


    [Ding!]


    [Ding!]


    A long series of notifications appeared in his retina one after the other as he felt his body getting imbued with new power.


    "Ah, I missed this feeling." Exhaling a small breath, Talon stood there, basking in the taste of acquiring more power. He would never get sick of it no matter how many times it happened. That was how addictive it was.


    After that, he looked down at the dead monsters before he crouched down and started taking their cores out.


    "I haven''t collected cores in a while too. I should start focusing on doing that since the items I can get are going to be very useful."


    The supply of cores they had back at the base was huge considering the number of monsters they killed. But, the group back in Seoul had way more since they were actively killing monsters to that day.


    It was safe to say that they had a huge arsenal of weapons, potions, armor, and all kinds of artifacts. But, none of them were strong enough to rece any item Talon had on him. He didn''t use armor since they restricted his movements and added more weight to his body.


    He scratched his head before he pocketed the cores and started moving again. Then, for the next hour or so, Talon continued killing any monster he found on his way. Slowly, the number of kills stacked up. From a few to tens and then dozens of monsters as he went deeper and deeper into the forest.


    He gained a few points in strength and agility along the way but it wasn''t much.


    Meanwhile, his group was also killing a few on their sides. But, in reality, Talon didn''t like the pace at all. Even if they killed a few hundred monsters by the end of the day, it won''t be enough.


    There were at least a few thousand monsters roaming this area of the forest and he wanted to get rid of them all as quickly as possible. To do that, he naturally had to do something different than just roaming and killing whatever he found.


    ''I need to think of something or there will be no end to this.'' With a troubled look, Talon eventually found himself in an open area of the forest. A vast in with a small hill in the middle that peeked over the forest.


    Beautiful greenery and flowers garnished the ce, making it seem almost ethereal amidst the darkness of the forest.


    Gushes of wind passed across the area, rustling the calm grass and swaying the beautiful flowers.


    "Beautiful¡­" Talon took a moment to appreciate the scenery before he started walking toward the hill. When he climbed it, a view of the entire forest appeared in his vision with its thick trees and dark atmosphere.


    Standing there, he contemted for a while. Eventually, he came up with an interesting idea.


    "Hey, Acrypha."


    "Hm?"


    "How many monsters are within a 100-kilometer radius of where I''m standing?" He asked.


    "A few thousand, certainly more than 6000 monsters."


    "Hmm, interesting." Scratching the back of his head, he finally nodded. "Ok, I think this is going to work." He said.


    "What are you going to do?"


    "Something I never tried before. Just watch." He said as he stored his spear and finally put his hands together.


    Then, channeling a good chunk of his Aetheris, he activated Azure mes. A small ember formed in his hand. The ball of fire then grew and grew, slowly increasing its size till it reached a point where it was almost as big as Talon''s head.


    But, he didn''t stop there as he continued making it get bigger. At some point, the floating ball of mes was as Big as Talon himself. Thetter had a strong frown on his face. His forehead was riddled with sweat and his teeth were clenched as he struggled to keep the mes stable.


    ''Ugh! It''s hard¡­ To control it anymore!! I wanted to make it bigger! But, I can''t!'' Cursing under his breath, he decided to stop there.


    Acrypha watched with an interested look on her face, anticipating Talon to do something.


    The young man then opened his arms as he looked up at the sky. Then, he clenched his open arms at the same time and the ball of mes wasunched in the air at top speed.


    The blue light emitting from it shone brightly as it reached dozens of meters in the air and continued moving. Eventually, it stopped in the air before¡­


    *BOOOOOOOOOM*


    The ball of fire exploded violently in a magnificent way. The light it emitted grew so bright that it almost blinded Talon and the sound of the explosion shook the entire forest and spread far and wide. It was so strong that the trees close from there were knocked down and the grass around him burnt slightly from the heat wave.


    Talon covered his face from the shock before he looked up with a smile. "That''s good enough¡­"


    "Why did you do that?" She asked.


    "Well, since I don''t want to keep searching for the monsters, I decided to make theme for me instead." He replied.


    "Wait, you mean?"


    "Yeah, since monsters are attracted by the sound, they should notice this explosion and be curious to check it. When that happens¡­"


    Before he could even finish the sentence, Talon started hearing loud steps in the far distance along with monster screeches of all kinds. The sounds were faint and were growing closer. His eyes shed with a weird glint as he stared down.


    "I can get rid of all of them in one fell swipe." Pulling his spear out, he waited for a moment.


    A few seconds passed before the trees around him started shaking violently. Birds flew away in fear of what was about to happen.


    It didn''t take long for the open in to get invaded by curious monsters. Monsters that were there searching for blood.


    ''I''m not going to stop till I boost my strength again.'' Licking his lips, Talon felt his bloodlust grow bigger and bigger to an unprecedented degree.


    He didn''t realize that he was so eager to kill¡­ Far beyond what he normally wanted.


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 232 - 232- One Man Army (Part 2)

    The world shook wildly as the monsters invaded the vast field. Their hunger and bloodlust filled the air endlessly. Standing there, a normal human would''ve felt their soul leaving their body the moment they witnessed that sight.


    Yet, the only reaction it brought from Talon was anger and a desire to kill. His senses heightened to the extreme and his body surged with power as he grasped his spear with all his strength. The veins in his arms expanded from sheer grip.


    Then, he slowly started descending the hill, heading straight toward the giant group of monsters approaching him. His eyes scanned them, one by one as his mind worked out a route for how things were going to transpire.


    After fighting monsters for weeks non-stop, Talon started learning what to anticipate and what to do even before he fought them or knew what they could do. His battle senses had already broken through the norm and reached the advanced levels, something that the system interface cannot quantify or show, and yet Talon could feel it clearly within him.


    As he descended, his speed started increasing gradually. From walking to strolling and from strolling to running then to a full sprint. By the time he was within range of the monsters, he was already moving at his highest speed.


    He was so fast that the monsters were unable to even follow him with their eyes and by the time they realized it, he was already in.


    *Swish*


    Like a raging storm, he pierced through their lines, slicing and dicing several monsters almost at the same time. His arms moved like shes, cutting down any enemy in the way as he rushed deeper and deeper into the swarm.


    Many monsters tried to blindly attack Talon, only to find themselves on the ground, dead. He didn''t differentiate between any of them. His eyes simply moved at top speed, locating a target, killing it, and then moving to the next one the next split second.


    Notifications rolled across the corner of his retina at a ridiculous speed as the kill count umted at an rming speed. The more he killed, the more the soul power he stacked and the more points added to his status.


    Dozens of monsters fell dead on top of each other, creating many piles of corpses as Talon moved deeper fearlessly.


    Talon''s method of killing was brutal. He would either decapitate or pierce their cores, efficiently killing them with one attack. However, what he didn''t notice and what Acrypha immediately realized was that Talon was acting far different than usual.


    His style of fighting was now far more aggressive, bestial, and way bloodier. Every attack he performed seemed to be infused with anger and hatred that was directed at nothing for some reason.


    His teeth were clenched and he had such a dark expression the entire time that Acrypha could only frown.


    ''His fighting style is filled with so much anger¡­ and grief.''


    "Hah!"


    *Swish* *Swish*


    His spear dissected monsters ruthlessly and coated him in blood. The blood of his own enemies. His handsome face was distorted with the ominous red color as he Talon mindlessly killed and killed. He didn''t care what, where, or how. There was only him, his spear, and the monsters he had to attack.


    He simply killed, that was the only thing he had on his mind.


    ''I need more! This isn''t enough! This will never be enough!'' In his head, a single idea formed. The more he killed, the more he wanted, the more his greed grew.


    He knew that each kill made him stronger, made his chances of survival higher, and made his ability to protect his loved ones better.


    Yet, that feeling onlysted as long as his greed wanted before it took ce and pushed him to do more. It was an endless cycle that he willingly started.


    The echo of the noise around him became a simple background to his thoughts. The voice in his head kept booming loudly and confidently.


    ''If you killed all these way quicker, things could''ve been different. Your mother could''ve lived and you could''ve saved her. You could''ve been with her now and yet you''rete. So, don''t bete again in your life. You are the one to always be one step ahead of everything, even fate itself.'' The voice said repeatedly.


    Seconds turned into minutes and the fight continued endlessly. Talon umted many injuries across his body after a long while of fighting but none of them were dangerous or painful enough for him to stop even for a second. The adrenaline pumping through his body endlessly.


    At some point, things started growing within him.


    [Ding!]


    [Dash had leveled up.]


    [Ding!]


    [Dash had leveled up.]


    [Ding!]


    [Ghost Spear Technique had leveled up.]


    [Ding!]


    [Ghost Spear Technique had leveled up.]


    [Ding!]


    [Future Sight had leveled up.]


    [Ding!]


    [Dimension Harvester had leveled up.]


    [You have gained a new ability. ''Berserker''s Greed''.]


    Skills that had been lying silent for a while now started leveling up one after the other. It was as if even they had been waiting for this moment for a long time, eager to explode just like Talon was.


    ''Not even enough! More! I want more!!''


    Even as his arms grew numb from all the killing, he didn''t stop for a second to rest or retreat. He only kept increasing the intensity, challenging his own body without any restraints. The pain merged with the thrill of going on a rampage andpletely clouded his brain.


    He was simply feeling like he was on another in of existence where nothing was normal. There was only him and the red color that he was creating with each move. Like a painter who drew red with each stroke of their brush, creating a perfectly distorted piece of art. A cursed image of anguished souls that were reaped endlessly.


    Time passed and the monsters around Talon eventually realized the huge problem they were facing. The human that they came to kill wasn''t dying. No matter how many attacked him, he seemed to vanish and appear again, killing dozens of them in a few seconds.


    He was brutally destroying them, one after the other and their instincts started reacting to that. Fear crept into their hearts as they started retreating slowly, realizing their enemy was the predator and they were the prey instead of the opposite.


    However, as more and more of them started trying to escape back into the forest, Talon appeared like a ghost right in their way. His eyes were deadly cold and yet had a hint of madness within them that terrified even the brainless beasts.


    They could see death within those eyes. Yet, before they could even try to change directions, Talon swept through them. In a matter of moments, the growls of hunger turned into screeches of pain and fear.


    ***


    The entire forest shook with the howls of death. It reached so far and wide that the rest of the survivors heard them clearly.


    "Where is thising from?"


    "I don''t know."


    "Wait¡­ Didn''t the leader go in that direction on his own?"


    "You''re right¡­"


    "He isn''t responding to the device. Is he ok?"


    More and more people started noticing the abnormality and eventually, they decided to go check out of worry. Even though they hesitated, it didn''t take them long to make a decision since they couldn''t find any more monsters in the areas they were hunting.


    It was as if all the beasts had run away somewhere.


    Rushing through the forest, they followed the howls for a while. Eventually, they found traces of a huge stampede of monsters that moved in one single direction. Broken trees and ttened grass with countless footsteps.


    "This many footprints¡­ H-How many monsters went that way?" One asked with a horrified look on their faces.


    The more they followed the traces, the more they started fearing for their lives. Even with a rough estimate, they can count thousands of monsters. Easily over two thousand if they had to roughly estimate.


    That was almost as many monsters as the battle of the campus so they naturally had their hearts beating loudly from fear.


    "Leader!! Where are you?!"


    "Leader!!"


    As they called for their leader, they moved after the traces. Even with their fear, they were still worried about Talon. If he was in danger, then they had to help him.


    Eventually, they ended up reaching an open field in the heart of the forest. There, they witnessed a sight that made them halt in their ces, shell-shocked to the soul. Their eyes were wide open and yet what they saw seemed almost like an illusion.


    It was by far the most shocking thing they witnessed with their own eyes. As far as the eye could see, there was only blood and dead corpses. The vast field that stretched for hundreds of meters waspletely covered in dead bodies. Not even a single spot was left clean or untouched.


    There were so many that they even piled on top of each other fromck of space. It was an utter massacre of a scale they couldn''t even imagine. The stench of death made many of them look away and fight the urge to vomit. It was simply too much to handle even for battle-hardened warriors like them.


    This was messed up, on many levels than one.


    "... What is this?" One asked weakly as they took a step back in fear. "What happened here?"


    "L-Look there! Isn''t that¡­" One of the survivors noticed a silhouette standing in the middle of this ungodly massacre. The silhouette waspletely covered in blood from head to toe, seemingly appearing like a demon from hell.


    "It''s the leader¡­" One murmured as they covered their faces.


    Hearing those voices, Talon turned around as he stared at them silently for a moment. His gaze sent chills down their very souls. This wasn''t the leader they knew¡­ At least not when he is acting normal.


    They couldn''t recognize him from fear. Yet, ignoring their looks, Talon opened his mouth and spoke.


    "You arrived a littlete."


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 236 - 236- Busan (Part 1)

    Exhaling a small breath, Talon wiped the blood and sweat off his face as he looked up. After hours of killing, the exhaustion finally caught up to him. It wasn''t unbearable but he still felt like his energy was depleted greatly.


    ''I think we should stop here¡­ We have already done more than what we needed to.'' He thought to himself.


    At first, Talon expected that he might just do 70% of the work by the end of the day. But, after brutally massacring that many monsters in one fell sweep, that progress was boosted way further.


    He was certain that the rest of the monsters lurking somewhere weren''t going to be a problem even if they didn''t get rid of them right now.


    ''Fuuh, I want a shower so bad¡­ My smell is horrible.'' Just a small sniff of his body made him frown hard. Being covered in this much blood and flesh wasn''t a nice feeling at all.


    So, with that in mind, he picked up themunication device to contact the rest of the group to meet up again at the designated spot they agreed on. However, as he was about to click the button, the device suddenly started ringing loudly.


    "Hm? Someone is trying to contact me first. Is it the others?" He murmured as he responded.


    The moment he picked it up, he heard a familiar voice through the speaker. "Hey, Talon, where are you right now?"


    The voice belonged to Hyun-Jae and she seemed oddly in a hurry which made him even more alerted.


    "I''m still in the forest up north. Why? Did something happen?" He asked confusedly.


    "Yes, you need toe back. Something happened but I can''t tell you over the phone." She replied.


    "Ok, I''m on my way." Talon didn''t waste a second asking any further questions since he knew she was going to exin when he was back. She had a good reason as to why she didn''t tell him.


    ''I hope everything is ok.'' With a worried look on his face, he contacted his group and told them to immediately return to the cars as fast as possible.


    The trip back was quick as Talon had to go full speed. He didn''t know what was awaiting for him back at the base so even with a calm mind, he couldn''t stop himself from rushing back as fast as he could.


    An hourter, he was back at the base as he rushed to the main building. The moment he walked inside, he found everyone sitting around the table waiting for him. Hyun-Jae, Sophie, Chin-Hwa, Shin-Il, Soomin, Young-Soon, Mo-Shin, and a few others who were a part of the nning team.


    These were the highest positions in the entire base. They were there for a reason and Talon was certain that it wasn''t a simple one.


    "Talon! Oh my god!" Sophie eximed as she rushed toward him. "Are you ok?"


    The moment their eyesnded on him, they had varying reactions to his appearance.


    The way he was coveredpletely in blood sent chills down their spines. He simply looked terrifying.


    "I''m fine, it''s not my blood. More importantly, what happened?" He said as he approached Hyun-Jae. "Your call didn''t sound good."


    Hyun-Jae looked worriedly at him for a moment. She wanted toment on the blood but decided to keep it forter since Talon said he was fine.


    "We received a message signal." She said.


    "A message signal? From who?"


    "From the people in Busan." She replied with a serious look. "I didn''t reach the call in time so it''s only a message now."


    "The people in Busan?" Talon raised an eyebrow. "What did they want? Did they find something?"


    Talon was already aware of the situation in Busan so far from what Hyun-Ki said. He had mentioned that the group there was huge,posed of at least a few hundred people who went there with the single purpose of clearing the entire area that leads to Tsushima across the ocean from all the monsters that lived in it.


    He already had ns of going there right after returning to Seoul so this call was expectedly not a problem until it became a problem right now.


    "Sigh, sit down and listen." Hyun-Jae sighed as she rubbed her temples tiredly.


    The young man obliged and took a seat next to her. Then, Hyun-Jae pulled the device out and clicked a few buttons before she put it down and went silent, leaving the record to speak for itself.


    "SSSHHHHHHH¡­" The cryptic noise of the device began slowly before it was quickly reced with a voice.


    "Shhhh¡­ Can you hear me? Shhh¡­ We are sending a message from Busan for the usual update on the mission. Things were going smoothly so far. We came across some monsters on the shores but they weren''t a threat. But, we have a problem. We have a visitor here."


    ''A visitor?'' Talon looked even more confused as he listened to the next words said by the man carefully.


    "A day ago¡­ An unknown Japanese man was found near our current location. He was injured and unconscious so we couldn''t identify him. He had woken up a few hours ago and he said that he had crossed the ocean to reach us. We cannot deny or confirm his ims. He seems to know about the current n and he is asking us to bring him back to the base. We are asking for permission to do that, Sir!


    We shall await your response as soon as possible."


    After that, the record wentpletely silent as the message ended. What was left after that was solemn silence.


    "... This sounds ridiculous no matter how many times I hear it." Chin-Hwa clicked his tongue with an annoyed look on his face. "How did he cross the ocean when it''s choke full of monsters and ended up on the chores?"


    His question was the first oddity in this entire story. Everyone knew how ridiculous it sounded since they themselves tried to do something simr and it didn''t go smoothly. Talon himself almost died because he tried to cross the Han River.


    Now, imagine that but perhaps tens of times worse. It didn''t make any sense that someone could do that and Talon couldn''t.


    "So he''s lying?" Shin-Il asked confusedly.


    "No, that''s probably not the case since he did mention this man knew about the n. It can''t be a coincidence that he ended up there." Sophie shook her head.


    "But it still makes no sense," Soomin interjected. "Unless he''s some kind of monster with more power than Talon, it should be impossible."


    As they heard that, everyone naturally went to look at Talon. He was the most knowledgeable when it came to this and so his opinion mattered the most.


    The young man seemed to be deep in thought as he looked down. His mind was working through the entire thing as quickly as he could.


    "Talon?" Hyun-Jae called his name gently, making him look up.


    "He is probably not lying. But, he also didn''t cross the ocean the way we might think."


    ''It couldn''t be using sheer power because that is impossible. It has to be something different¡­ A method that keeps him away from facing monsters.''


    Talon also remembered the detail about the man being heavily injured which meant that even though his n worked, it wasn''tpletely safe.


    Looking up, Talon stared at Acrypha who was nonchntly floating around. He wanted to ask her about her opinion. But, for some reason, the moment he looked at her, something clicked in his head and his eyes widened.


    In a moment of inspiration, he somehow got an idea, rather quickly. An idea that he wasn''t sure was possible or not.


    "Hey, Acrypha." He spoke in a mysterious tone. "What are the chances that someone gets an ability rted to flying early on?" He asked.


    The woman thought for a moment before she replied. "It''s not that rare. Abilities rted to flying are quitemon in all worlds. Though, they can vary in power and efficiency. Wait, why are you asking tha-... Oh¡­" It didn''t take long for Acrypha to reach what Talon was looking for and she could onlyugh.


    "You''re one hell of a genius¡­ I couldn''t even think of that." She said with a weird smile.


    Talon''s lips widened into a grin. "Haha, this is so stupid¡­" Facepalming, he looked at his group.


    "I think I know how it happened."


    "Really?"


    "He didn''t cross the ocean using power. That would be impossible. He had crossed the ocean in a way where he would only have to worry about one particr type of enemy." Then, Talon slowly pointed up. "The ones in the sky."


    His words snapped everyone''s mind in a moment.


    "He flew¡­" Hyun-Jae murmured in a moment of realization. "But, how? Fighting jets had no chance of doing that."


    "They don''t. But, skills do."


    "A skill that makes you fly? How is that possible? We never came across one so far."


    "It is possible, we just didn''t find it yet and they did."


    "That also exins why only one person crossed the ocean and reached Busan. It''s because he''s the only one that can fly." Sophie murmured. "Talon, you''re a genius!"


    "I said that first." Acrypha rolled her eyes.


    "But, that doesn''t solve anything. The problem is still there. He had reached Busan which means that he is there to be the link between Japan and our side and make sure things are going ording to their ns. If they realize that we took over this base, things won''t end nicely." Hyun-Jae interjected.


    Their entire n that they built so far would go to ruin in a second if their enemy realized they weren''t dealing with Hyun-Ki as they expected. They were instead slowly falling into the trap Talon had set up for them.


    However, that same prey is now crawling out of that trap with sheer coincidence and luck.


    ''I have to bury them again quickly.''


    "We are going to Busan, now."


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 237 - 237- Busan (Part 2)

    "Right now?" Shin-Il asked.


    "Yeah, right now. I need to take a shower first though." Talon stood up and started walking to the door.


    "Shouldn''t we call and tell them that they should remain there?" Sophie asked confusedly.


    That made Talon stop in his tracks and look over his shoulder. "No, if we call them, it will only increase the suspicion. We need to work without them knowing that we are going there."


    Talon suspected that this man had a way to contact his base and tell them everything in case he realized something was off. If he wanted to deal with this without alerting his enemies, he had to work in secret and do everything under their radar.


    "That''s the best course for now. I will get prepared. How many should go?" Hyun-Jae asked.


    "We can''t go with a big number. At most two or three is optimal."


    ''We have to deal with this matter as quietly as possible.'' Talon''s eyes shed with a weird glint as he left the room before anyone could speak. ''Whatever happens next is going to change many things.''


    Heading back to his hotel room and immediately hopped into the shower. Opening the faucet, cold water started rolling down over his face. Standing there, Talon closed his eyes as he let the blood drip down his body and coat the floor with its ominous color.


    Even though it was extremely cold, his skin didn''t feel ufortable. If anything, the cold feeling made his mind clear up and he felt a little more rxed. This was a calm moment before things would immediately go back to craziness.


    ''Fuuh, it''s going to be fine. It''s just one person. I need to get rid of him and then leave no traces behind.'' He thought to himself.


    He knew that killing him would alsoe with a lot of risks, it was way better than leaving such a knife close to his throat at all times.


    At least there was the chance that they could pass this off as him dying in the ocean or somewhere else.


    Exhaling a long breath, Talon continued his shower with a calmer mind. By the time he was done, he wore a towel and came out to change. That''s when he heard a knock on the door.


    Walking to the door as he dried his hair, he opened it. There, he saw Hyun-Jae waiting for him. When her eyes fell on him, she was stunned.


    Since Talon was only wearing a towel that covered his legs and crotch up to his belly button, his torso waspletely exposed and it was simply jaw-dropping. At this point, Talon''s body had reached a new level of perfection.


    Every muscle in his body was worked to its utmost potential and more. It was a herculean physique with every sense of the word and Hyun-Jae can see that very clearly.


    Without realizing it, she secretly gulped down a mouthful of saliva before she averted her eyes quickly before she could feel anything else.


    "Hyun-Jae?" Talon spoke to her. "Is something wrong?"


    "Huh? Oh, no, not at all. Sorry, I came too early when you''re still not finished." She said as she turned around.


    "It''s fine, I was gonna be out in a few minutes. What''s up?"


    Without looking back, she said. "I wanted to tell you that the three who are going are me, you, and Sophie." She said.


    "Hmm, that''s good enough. We can handle this easily." He nodded his head.


    They were the most versatile trio by far so even in the off chance things out of hand, they had more tools to handle the situation better than anyone else. What one of themcks the other canplete.


    "Yeah, that''s basically it. I will leave you now."


    "Ok." Without realizing the blushing look on Hyun-Jae''s face, Talon closed the door behind him as he walked back inside. As he moved through the corridor, his eyesnded on a mirror and he halted immediately as he stared at his reflection.


    "..."


    His eyes trailed down to his naked torso and his face darkened. "Fuck! I forgot I was naked!! Holy¡­" Facepalming, Talon felt so embarrassed that he wanted the earth to swallow him right there and then.


    He had forgotten that he didn''t wear clothes and came out to Hyun-Jae basically fully naked. ''I''m a moron! That was why she was acting odd!''


    "Very kind of you to do that, Talon." Acryphaughed as she sat on the chair going through a magazine, unbothered by the fact that Talon was naked.


    "What?"


    "You gave us a good view." She winked at him with a smile.


    "Where is the good view, goddammit! I''m here basically naked and being a pervert!"


    "Oh, you have no idea." She giggled.


    Sighing, he ignored the beauty teasing him and walked to his room to change. Acrypha''s eyes slowly followed him till he closed the door.


    "You really have no idea¡­" She murmured to herself before she looked at the magazine again.


    ***


    An hourter, near the entrance of the base. Hyun-Jae, Sophie, and Talon were preparing themselves for this emergency trip. Even though this was a hindrance to their ns and might take a day or two of time, it was better than nothing.


    "Chin-Hwa and the rest are going to continue clearing the path while we''re out," Talon said as he strapped his bag to the car and turned around to look at the sky. It was already evening and Busan was going to take a while to reach even if they go at full speed.


    But, since the path to it was already clear enough, there wouldn''t be major problems as Sophie told them.


    "Hopefully, it won''t take long," Sophie murmured to herself.


    "It''s easy enough not to worry about it too much." Hyun-Jae as she opened the door and took a seat inside.


    "I hope so¡­" Sophie sighed and followed suit.


    The two girls waited inside for a few moments before they looked out of the window. Talon was still standing outside, looking at the sky as if he was frozen in time.


    "Talon? Is everything ok?" Hyun-Jae asked.


    "Hm?" Those words snapped him out of his thoughts as he turned around. "Yeah, it''s nothing¡­ I was just¡­ Yeah, let''s go." Shaking his head as if to dismiss something, he got in the car and started driving.


    Even though he seemed normal on the outside, Talon''s mind was thinking of something. ''Why did I have that weird feeling a second ago?''


    For some reason, the moment he looked up at the sky, he had his sixth sense react in a weird way. He didn''t understand what that feeling was exactly but it bothered him a little. But, with nothing weird happening, he couldn''t really prove that he was sensing something.


    ''Until I see something weird, I will just keep this in mind.'' He thought to himself.


    As the car drove through the streets, the sun was slowly setting on the horizon and the darkness of the night arrived again, casting its looming shadows over the entire world.


    ***


    Location: Busan


    The city of Busan is one of South Korea''s most prominent locations. It was right to the south, near the Sea of Japan. A very beautiful coastal city with amazing locations, resorts, hotels, and beaches across the board, being one of the main tourist attractions of the country. However, this city was now turned into rubble with its former glory gonepletely.


    Except for a few locations here and there, nothing about it was pleasing for the eye anymore.


    In a huge resort facing the sea was the ce Hyun-Ki''s men took after arriving there. It was by far the most optimal location for their operations and it was also massive enough to be used as a sturdy base.


    "Did you receive any messages yet?" An older man walked into a room where another younger male was fidgeting with a device.


    "No, nothing yet. Boss is probably busy or no one realized we sent a message yet. Let''s wait for a day before we can send another message." The man replied with a not-so-convincing look on his face.


    "You already know that he isn''t giving us much time. We are in a pinch here!" The older man cursed as he sat down. "He is already threatening to break the ties just over a few fucking hours of waiting!"


    "... I already know, you don''t need to tell me. But, what the hell am I supposed to do? If we keep sending messages recklessly, it will only break the device!" The other man replied with a tired look on his face.


    He had been working for the past 12 hours so he was beyond exhausted and wanted some rest. The pressure he was under along with his peers was unimaginable. The entire n of their leader relied on what they could do so if they ruined things, it was going to be a disaster for them as Hyun-Ki wasn''t someone to forgive grave mistakes.


    "I don''t know. I don''t want my head to roll on the ground because of a fucking message. You better try and contact them again as soon as possible. I will try to-"


    As he was about to speak, they heard a knock on the door and they turned around. The older man frowned as he slowly stood up and approached it.


    "Who?"


    "It''s me, open the door." A masculine voice with a thick ent replied coldly. The familiar voice made them frown as they turned to look at each other silently.


    "Is there a problem, sir?" The older man asked without opening the door.


    "I''m here to personally send a message to Mr. Hyun-Ki. I decided that there is no need to let you speak in my stead."


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 238 - 238- Busan (Part 3)

    The moment they heard that, the men''s expressions changed almost instantly. They looked at each other again as they started panicking inwardly.


    ''Oh no! What should we do?! The message didn''t get a response yet and it has been hours!'' Gulping down a mouthful of saliva, the older man tried to think of a solution as quickly as possible.


    His peer was sweating profusely as he tried to pretend as if he wasn''t even in the room even though he was a part of the problem.


    ''You bastard, don''t leave me alone in this!''


    "Hey, open the goddamn door." The man repeated his words with a colder tone as he started losing patience slowly. He didn''t know what was taking them so long to open the door and that only made him even more suspicious that something was going wrong.


    "S-Sir, ehem, we are working on fixing the device. It hasn''t been working properly and so the message must''ve been lost."


    "So you want to tell me that I have been waiting this entire time for nothing?"


    "No, of course not! We didn''t mean to make you wait. We have only realized that it was broken after we didn''t get a response." He replied.


    ''Good excuse!'' The other man''s face lit up with hope as he saw the hope of things working out in their favor.


    "..."


    Seconds passed slowly as the two waited for the man to reply. They felt their hearts beating in their throats as huge beads of sweat trickled down their faces. The tension was the highest it had ever been.


    "Fine, how long will it take for it to get fixed? You better give me an urate time."


    "A few hours! Yes, a few hours! That''s all we need and we will get a response surely!"


    Then, they heard the footsteps walking away and vanishing somewhere. That''s when they exhaled a long breath they held in the entire time. The tension release made their muscles almost rx.


    "That was close¡­" The old man murmured.


    "A few hours? Why not say a day at least?!" The other said.


    "Shut up, you''re lucky we didn''t get screwed over because of your mistake!"


    "My mistake?! How is it mine when the boss isn''t even responding?! Should I fly there and tell him?!"


    ring at each other, the two could only argue back and forth about it. Even when neither was at fault, they could only me themselves since they couldn''t me anyone else, not even their boss. They had seen how terrifying Hyun-Ki was and they also assumed that this man was dangerous purely from his aura so in both cases, they were in trouble if they angered one or another.


    "Ok, so what''s the solution now?"


    "You said we should wait, right? That''s what we''re going to do. Let''s hope it doesn''t end up making it even worse." Sitting down, the old man fired a broken cigarette as he puffed a huge cloud of smoke.


    ''Please, answer soon, boss!''


    ***


    *A few hourster*


    Deep into the darkness of the night, a car was moving through the broken roads of South Korea as it headed down south at a very fast speed. Even though there were countless holes, cracks, and all kinds of obstacles that could cause a problem in normal cases, Talon didn''t find any issues avoiding them all almost 100% of the time.


    With his extremely sharp senses, strong eyes that can see even in the dark, and the help of the two girls sitting next to him, it was basically a peaceful cruise.


    By the time it was 4 AM in the morning, they saw a glimpse of Busan in the distance.


    "Wow, we reached this ce awfully early," Sophie said as she looked through the window.


    "Stay alert, we mighte across monsters on the way," Talon said as he turned around and picked up his spear before continuing to drive the car into the city. With no lights working anywhere, Busan was very eerie and quiet, almost like a haunted city.


    The car slowly moved through the roads, taking turns with careful precision. This was their way of going between cities without exhausting their stamina and losing it due to a monster attack would be a problem.


    "Where exactly is the base?" Hyun-Jae asked as she looked at the map in her hand.


    "There, if I remember correctly, it has been the only choice for a location," Sophie replied as she pointed at the map.


    "That''s a few kilometers away from our current location. Take that turn, Talon." Hyun-Jae guided herpanion.


    A few minutester, their eyes fell on a massivepound in the distance with its lights working. It appeared like a shiny beacon in a dark city.


    "That''s the location," Talon said as he squinted his eyes. "It seems very quiet."


    ''Though, it doesn''t feel that pleasant to look at.'' He added in his head.


    "..." The two girls seemed to sense that too as they gripped their weapons tighter than usual.


    A few seconds passed before Talon finally spoke. "Well, let''s leave the car here. We cannot make too much noise."


    Then, he turned around to the two girls and continued. "The n is simple. We are going to separate and get into the resort from different locations. The goal is to find this man and kill him or better yet capture him. Both options are fine." Talon said.


    Since capturing someone was way harder than killing him, he was still intending to just finish him off. But, in the optimal situation where they could get him alive, things would go much better.


    "Is that clear?"


    "Clear for me."


    "Me too."


    Nodding his head, Talon thought for a moment before he added. "I don''t need to repeat this. But, please, be careful. No matter what happens, your well-being is the most important. Don''t put your lives at risk for anything. Promise me that."


    His eyes shed with an unusual glint that made the two girls flinch. It was rare for Talon to show such a deep worry over something that was logically not that dangerous even in its worst-case scenario.


    However, it didn''t take them long to understand why. After what happened a few days ago, it was normal that he would feel scared to lose someone else dear to his heart even if that was an unfounded fear.


    That fact alone made them feel a sting in their hearts. They loved that he cared about them, but they also hated that he had been hit this hard when he least expected it.


    "Of course. Nothing will happen, don''t worry." Hyun-Jae replied.


    "She''s right, we aren''t going to be in danger at all."


    Hearing that, Talon nodded again faintly with aplicated expression before he opened the door. "Ok, let''s go."


    With that, the trio dispersed across the area, leaving the car hidden from the eyes in a corner. Moving through the darkness, they slowly approached the resort from different locations.


    Talon took the main entrance while Hyun-Jae and Sophie went to the east and west respectively.


    Then, they started scouting the area for any potential guards. Since the location was a base and there were dozens of people living in it, it was guarded heavily. However, even then, they didn''t face a problem finding a way inside.


    At the main entrance, four men were located. Two were moving around the entire perimeter of the building while the rest were standing in front of the gates.


    ''Hmm, I shouldn''t probably kill them.'' Hiding on top of a tree, Talon watched their movements before he decided on his next few steps. He had to move carefully not to alert the other two since the moment they made an unusual noise, that man inside might suspect and immediately try to escape.


    That was one of the problems that faced Talon. If the man they were aiming for tried to run away, getting him back might very much be impossible since he could allegedly fly.


    ''Let''s keep it quiet.''


    Jumping down, Talon aimed for when the two guards had separated away from the other two as he moved toward them silently like a shadow. His steps made no sound at all. By the time he was near them, he extended his arms as he grabbed them by the necks and closed their mouths.


    The two were shocked as they tried to naturally resist. But, with two strikes to the neck, they fell unconscious before they could even make a single sound.


    Grabbing the two bodies, Talon dragged them to a nearby bush before he finally started making his way to the main entrance.


    A few secondster, the other two were lying unconscious on the ground as Talon dusted his hands and quickly picked up the keys in one of the men''s pockets.


    ''These mighte in handyter.'' He thought to himself as he pocketed them and leaped in the air, reaching the top of the wall.


    ''Ok, the first step is done. Now¡­ Where should I start looking?''


    As far as Talon could see, the resort wasposed of many buildings, each one made for a different purpose. Looking around would take a long time without a precise goal in mind. So, to cut down the time, Talon decided to look in the main building first.


    The young man was aware that this was a fight against time rather than a physical one. He knew that the more time he wasted, the more the man would suspect that something had gonepletely wrong.


    The next few minutes are going to determine what could happen.


    ***


    Meanwhile, in an unknown location.


    A small source of light manifested out of nowhere, unbeknownst to everyone on Earth, including Acrypha. The source of light then started growing slowly.


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 239 - 239- Busan (Part 4)

    Meanwhile, Sophie and Hyun-Jae have already infiltrated the resort as they moved secretly through the shadows, knocking the guards that came in their way. Each one of them took a building to search for their own.


    They didn''t know how the man looked or what his name was. So, even if they find him, they have to make sure he is the right person when they find him.


    ''But, how can I know for sure?'' They all thought to themselves and the answer to that question was way harder than it should be. There were some details they were looking for. ''ent, mannerisms, and the context of any conversation he might have.''


    These were the clear ones, what was left relied heavily on their senses and cleverness.


    With that in mind, the two girls snuck into the resort at the same time as they started moving through the buildings, searching every room while keeping themselves hidden. With how many people were there, it was hard to stay out of their eyes but they were able to pull it off using their fast reactions and strong senses.


    One by one, they checked every room and every corner. They followed every man they could find and made sure they were all just guards. That took almost 30 minutes of constant moving in the shadows with no actual results.


    They heard some talks about the man himself but they couldn''t find a single clue as to where he was yet which made them even more frustrated. It was as if they were searching for a needle in a haystack.


    ***


    ''Nothing in this building¡­ I can''t find a single clue.'' After knocking down one of the guards, Hyun-Jae stopped and looked around her with a frown. This was the second building she entered and there was no good information found yet.


    She wanted to catch one of the guards and ask him for the location but it would be risky if anyone else knew about it.


    ''Damn it, I need to move to the main building now.'' Approaching the window, Hyun-Jae was about to jump out and start moving again only to notice something weird in the distance. A strong gush of wind hit her face.


    ''It''s a very cold night.'' Frowning, she closed her jacket and then jumped out.


    ***


    "Mmmmm!! Mmmmm!!!"


    In a dark, closed room, a man''s muffled cries could be heard echoing everywhere. The man was lying on the ground, wrapped in white string from head to toe as he struggled to move or do anything. His eyes were wet with tears.


    Standing next to him, Sophie stared down with a cold expression. "Now, listen carefully. I''m going to unwrap your mouth and you''re going to tell me where that man is. You know who I''m talking about. Unless you want to slowly suffocate and die a painful death."


    As she said those words, the strings started slowly wrapping around his nose, making it even harder for him to breathe. The ustrophobic feeling of being wrapped like a mummy was the worst feeling a human could go through so it instantly kicked his panic mode.


    With no other choice, he started nodding his head vigorously.


    "Good. I''m going to unwrap the strings of your mouth. No funny business." Saying that, Sophie pulled the strings away and the man immediately started hyperventting as if he didn''t breathe in years.


    "Where?"


    "T-The main building¡­ His residence is there!" The man said in a panic.


    "Hmm, the main building, huh. Which room?"


    "... I don''t know the exact number¡­ But it''s on thest floor!" He yelled. "Please, don''t kill me!"


    Sophie thought for a moment before she nodded her head. "I won''t kill you. Thank you for telling me." With a dazzling smile, she thanked him in a soft voice.


    That made the man''s heart skip a beat. Even in the dark room, Sophie''s mesmerizing looks stunned him. He forgot for a second that this angel-looking person was the one who tied him up and threatened to kill him.


    "Fuuuh, thank you so much!"


    "No problem. Now, good night~" Saying that, she moved her hand as she struck the man''s neck, rendering himpletely unconscious.


    After that, she unwrapped him and left the room. ''The main building, highest floor. That''s where Talon went. I should follow him.''


    Saying that, she was about to move when her eyes fell on the outside world through the window. Far into the distance, she caught a glimpse of the sea and stopped for a moment.


    ''It looks really violent tonight.''


    ***


    *A few moments before that*


    Talon was slowly sneaking his way through the building. He had already scanned it with his senses and noticed that all the floors were filled with people except for thest one¡­ It had one single person there.


    That naturally roused his suspicion that his target might be there. So, he decided to take that as his destination. But, just to make sure he doesn''t miss it, he still checked every room in his way and every person.


    He heard talks about the man he was looking for and realized what his name was. Furukawa Katashi. He had never heard of that name before so he instantly memorized it. He assumed since he was tasked with such a mission, he must have an important position in the Japanese government or at least have some kind of authority there.


    ''Taking him as a capture might benefit us. But, I don''t know what his real worth to the government yet. He could be a disposable pawn as far as I''m concerned.''


    With that in mind, floor by floor, he went up the building. The sound of the wind and the rain outside mixed together, creating an almost eerie melody of some kind. The weather was quickly growing worse and worse as time moved but Talon didn''t notice any abnormality about it.


    After all, the weather after the integration was as unpredictable as it could be. One day it can be the hottest summer and the next would be the coldest winter. A normal person would''ve died from these abrupt weather changes that keep happening as the body can''t handle them normally.


    That also created problems for people who still couldn''t start killing monsters like babies and old people which prompted them to stay inside and move very carefully even when it was safe to do so.


    Before he realized it, Talon found himself on thest floor as he moved toward the only room where he could feel someone''s presence inside.


    When he reached the door, he stopped as he stuck to the door and listened quietly to what was happening inside. But, it was as quiet as ever except for some faint breathing which indicated that his target was potentially asleep.


    So, he decided to start slowly sneaking into the room through the door. But, he quickly realized that it was locked.


    ''Damn it.'' Sitting down again, Talon thought for a moment. Even though he could simply kick the door down, he wanted to do this as quietly as possible if he could. So, he didn''t rush into it.


    Pulling the set of keys he picked up from the guard outside, he picked a random one before he stopped to think for a moment. Then, he put his finger on the keyhole and closed his eyes.


    ''Hmm, ok, it''s like that¡­ Let''s see, which one is the closest.'' He thought to himself as he went through the keys again and decided on one. Then, he put it in the keyhole, only for it not to fit.


    But, that didn''t stop him as he exerted some force into his hand, shoving the key right into the keyhole. It didn''t make much of a sound as it was instantly muffled by the rain and wind outside.


    Then, with even more force, he twisted and the door was unlocked. The keyhole was alsopletely broken along with it since Talon forced a key that didn''t fit it.


    Slowly pushing the door, he snuck into the dark room. ''That actually worked, somehow.''


    As he turned around to scan the room, he noticed that the man was still asleep. ''How the hell is he still asleep? I can''t even feel his heart rate increasing. He is very much deep asleep.'' Talon thought to himself as he slowly approached the man with quiet steps.


    When he reached him, he stopped for a second as he squinted his eyes. Then, he extended his hand to grab him. However, at that moment, an extremely loud noise shook the entire world. The windows in the room burst open in one fell sweep.


    The building almost tilted from the sheer shock of the hit.


    It was so loud that it shook the entire building and made Talon look up. ''What the fuck?! Was that a lightning strike?''


    At the same time, the man named Katashi woke up in fear as he looked around him. His eyes then fell on Talon and without a moment to spare, he opened his mouth and screeched loudly as he channeled his Aetheris. He sounded like an eagle crying out loudly.


    The screechunched Talon back as he felt a strong, invisible wave crash against his body.


    "What is this?!" The man then stood up and rushed to the window, then he jumped outside with no hesitation.


    "Fuck¡­" Cursing loudly, Talon followed after him. "What was that and why did it happen the moment I was gonna get him?!"


    At this point, Talon wanted to believe that some kind of invisible force was mocking him. It happened before with Terrence when he was about to kill her and earth literally spread open and pushed them away from each other and now with this man Katashi.


    Cursing his horrible luck, Talon reached the window and stared outside. He saw a silhouette with two eagle-like wings fly through the air at top speed as it moved into the distance.


    "I won''t let you." Clenching his teeth, Talon jumped outside as he rushed after his enemy, jumping from one building to another. He used all his speed in the process.


    Meanwhile, Katashi looked behind him. ''Who is that man? Is this some kind of trap? I need to send a message right now! Goddamit! But, I left mymunicator back there...''


    With someone chasing him, he knew that he couldn''t go back yet. He had to take a detour.


    Meanwhile, Acrypha stopped for a second as she looked up with a shocked look on her face. Her eyes fell on the Core Gate and it immediately shed with a weird glint.


    "What is happening?"


    What she was seeing at that moment was awfully familiar and yet at the same time so foreign. Something that she thought wouldn''t happen, not in such an abrupt manner.


    ''No, there is no way¡­ It can''t be happening this quickly with no signs beforehand¡­ A second expansion in less than two months?!''


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 240 - 240- Busan (Part 5)

    The rain grew stronger and stronger with each second. The violent gushes of wind swept across the entire resort, shaking it violently.


    ''Ugh, what the hell is up with this weather?'' Covering his face as he ran, Talon looked up. In a few seconds, what was normal weather had turned into the most violent storm he had ever seen.


    Up in the atmosphere, thick giant clouds covered the entire sky. Bright shes of light erupted everywhere as massive lightning bolts struck the entire city, leaving behind deep burn marks and even ignited mes.


    Meanwhile, up in the air, Katashi struggled to keep his bnce as he flew across the entire resort as fast as he could. His wings were able to resist the downpour somehow but the wair kept sweeping him left and right.


    ''This is bad. He is right behind me. I need to go higher!''


    Seeing how high Talon was leaping with each move, he knew that he would be able to catch him quickly. But, that also came with a lot of risks since the wind was already growing violent to an unbearable degree so the chances of him falling would increase at higher altitudes.


    Clenching his teeth, he could only follow his instincts and quickly fly up.


    ''Oh no, you don''t.'' With a cold expression, Talon summoned his Aetherial des. ''The range isn''t close enough! I need to approach him!''


    Talon didn''t know where his target was going but he had a hunch that he might be aiming for the ocean. If he reached that ce, catching him would be damn near impossible. So, in total, he had less than 20 seconds to get his target if he didn''t want to lose him.


    Channeling every ounce of power in his body, Talon leaped in the air with all his force. Reaching dozens of meters in the air, he immediatelyunched his des aimed at Katashi.


    Thetter looked behind him and his eyes widened in shock.


    ''Wha!!!'' With no time to do anything, he quickly turned around and screeched loudly. The sound waves hit the des and pushed them back a little. He used that opportunity to start flying again.


    ''Fuuh, that was close!'' Looking behind him, he saw that the des had already fallen to the ground. For a second there, he thought that he was done for. But, as his eyes trailed the falling weapons, he realized something.


    ''Where is he?!'' Immediately, his eyes started looking around. Using his ability, he could easily scan the entire area in a split second.


    However, at that moment, his eyes caught a glimpse of Talon, barely a meter away from him.


    "Got you!" Grabbing into his leg, Talon was barely able to reach him.


    "Fuck!" Katashi cursed loudly as his body was yanked down. Using all his strength, he tried to bnce himself again. Then, he started kicking Talon''s hand with all his power.


    "What do you want from me?!" He yelled as the two struggled in the air.


    "Did you even let me speak?" Grabbing his leg with both hands, Talon gripped as hard as he could till the man''s bones started shaking.


    "AGHH!! Bastard!!" Turning his head, he channeled his Aetheris and shrieked loudly at Talon''s face.


    Squinting hard, Talon felt his ears ringing wildly from the sound waves.


    ''Why does this hurt my ears this much?!''


    Each attack made Talon''s brain shake and his eyes grow hazy even though it wasn''t even physical.


    "You¡­ bastard!!" Feeling his anger explode, Talon pulled Katashi''s leg as he yanked him down again. Then, he released his hand as he started falling too. But, he aimed his fall to be right on top of his enemy.


    *BANG*


    Smashing into him, the two started free-falling together. Talon quickly grabbed his cor as he stared at him.


    "I got you."


    "We are falling!! Are you crazy?!" The man yelled as he looked down with terror on his face.


    "Brace for the impact, bastard." Grinning maniacally, Talon made sure that Katashi was beneath him.


    ''This man is crazy!!'' Seeing that look, Katashi felt his heart stop for a second as fear crawled into his very soul. He didn''t know why but that single nce from Talon made him lose his mind in a split second.


    Something about it felt wrong¡­ Really wrong. He didn''t even know who this person was and yet he had already decided that he wasn''t someone he wanted to mess with at all. Yet, here he was in a huge problem with him.


    *BOOOOOOM*


    The two smashed into the ground powerfully. The sound of the impact was quickly muffled by the sound of the storm, rain, and lightning.


    "Don''t you dare fucking move," Wiping the sand off his face, Talon stared down at the man beneath him.


    "Why¡­ Ugh, why¡­ What did I do to?" Katashi asked weakly.


    "Nothing personal. You''re just someone I have to get rid of as soon as possible." He said coldly.


    "You¡­ will regret this¡­" The man said as he groaned loudly. The hit had broken multiple of his ribs and made his entire body shudder.


    "How so?"


    "... I''m¡­ Not alone¡­ My people will know¡­ If I die¡­" He said.


    "Oh? They will?" His words piqued Talon''s interest as he crouched down. "Exin."


    "... Are you terrified now? Of course, you are."


    Katashi giggled weakly. He had already figured out that Talon was here specifically because of his mission. His best guess is that this person has some kind of affiliation with Hyun-Ki or has a group of his own.


    In either case, it was a problem for him and his mission since that meant their agreement might be broken now.


    ''I need to trick him somehow¡­'' He thought to himself.


    "I have a chip on me that tracks my heart rate¡­ If I die¡­ They will know about it¡­" He replied as he coughed.


    ''This is technically true. But, I can use this to my advantage.'' He thought to himself as he hid a malicious grin.


    "So you came here prepared, huh?" Talon asked as he wiped his face. The rain had already drenched himpletely and the wind kept swinging his hair back and forth. "That''s quite the problem."


    "Yeah¡­ Let''s talk instead. I have no intention to fight you or harm you. I came here for another purpose. To establish some kind of connection with this country again. This world is already in shambles. I know you are probably trying to grow your control with this opportunity being present but think about it for a second.


    *Cough* *Cough*"


    Looking up, Katashi looked rather dejected. "Many innocent people died and our world ispletely gone. We are the only ones left to carry the beacon of hope for the future. Why kill each other for no reason? Why can''t we just work together? How can we be called humans if we turn into bloodthirsty monsters?"


    "..." Talon stared down at him with an unreadable expression.


    "Let''s pretend nothing happened tonight and move on, brother. I will just consider this a misunderstanding."


    "Oh, it is a misunderstanding. Very much a big one." Talon said. "But, it''s on your side, not mine."


    "Huh?" Katashi was stunned for a second as he looked at Talon.


    "You see, I''m not actually as simple as you might think. I have taken control of the human society in Gwangju and killed Hyun-Ki with my own hands. That ce is under my control now and so is the rest of South Korea."


    "... What?"


    "I just came to know that Japan has rtions with Hyun-Ki and so I came here to make sure they stay under the illusion that things are going fine." Smiling at him. "I have always been wondering whether other countries are going to let this slide and now he was going to even be. But, I don''t really care anymore.


    As long as they are still eating whatever I feed them, they''re as good as tame pets to me."


    Katashi waspletely shell-shocked by what he heard. "You¡­ No¡­ You''re that man that Hyun-Ki talked briefly about¡­ The one that was in Seoul¡­?" When the realization hit him, it was like a bombshell dropped on his head.


    Suddenly, things were starting to make a lot of sense and what might''ve been a lie started bing the truth.


    "Nice to meet you, Mr. Katashi." Talon shrugged. "I have done a lot of things. But, that''s not important now. What''s important is that I''m not going to kill you."


    ''I have captured him so there is no need to kill him when I can use him to keep them under my control.''


    Not to mention the fact that Talon could feel the chip that Katashi talked about hidden in his wrist. He knew that he wasn''t lying about it at all.


    "Here is what you''re going to do. You''re going to tell them that everything is fine here and that the n is going perfectly well. Unless you want to die then that''s a different matter. I can deliver it quickly."


    His cold tone thatcked any sympathy made Katashi shudder. He felt as if he was listening to an emperor delivering his judgment with no room for questions.


    "You¡­ Who are you?" Katashi asked.


    "We can get to know each otherter. For now, I''m going to bring you with me." Saying that, Talon pulled out a set of ropes from his backpack before he tied Katashi up and was about to lift him up.


    However, at that moment, he felt something weird as he turned around. In the distance, he noticed a long, thick ck line that stretched across the horizon. The line was growing slowly in size as if it were approaching him. Near the shore, the water started moving back a great distance.


    "Talon! You need to move right now! It''s a problem!" At that moment, Acrypha approached him.


    "What is happening, Acrypha?"


    "It''s the expansion. The second expansion is happening right now!"


    Hearing that, Talon was frozen in his ce. It took him a second to register what Acrypha said before he slowly turned around and stared at the thing on the horizon.


    That''s when it hit him.


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 241 - 241- Busan (Part 6)

    The feeling of danger. It was a natural sense within any living being''s body that helped it survive a threat to its life. That feeling was essential for the survival of many species against natural disasters and predators that see them as good prey.


    However, this reaction had its downside too. If the threat reaches a certain level, that reaction overloads the body and makes it react in a very bad way. One of those instances happened at that moment.


    Talon stood there for a good three seconds, staring at the nightmare that was moving toward him at a terrifying speed. A gigantic wave loomed over him in the distance, seemingly appearing like a sea of darkness getting closer and closer with each passing second.


    The more it got closer, the bigger it became and the more shocked Talon got. He thought that the wave was not that massive, a few dozen meters in height at most. However, he quickly realized how wrong he was.


    It wasn''t a few dozen meters, nor was it a few hundred meters tall. It was at least 1 kilometer long. As it grew, the world started shaking slowly, and a deep, echoey sound spread across the entire city.


    "Talon! You need to move, now!" Acrypha turned to her human as she yelled at him. That made Talon snap out of it as he blinked calmly.


    Without saying a single word, he picked up Katashi and put him over his shoulder as he turned around and started running as fast as he could. Meanwhile, the wave was already a few kilometers away from shore and quickly cutting that distance down.


    "What is that?! Oh my god!" Katashi was beyond terrified when he saw a glimpse of that. "A tsunami?!"


    "Shut up," Talon said coldly as he jumped on top of a building and looked behind him with a calm expression. ''So that was the weird feeling I had today¡­ A sudden expansion? Shouldn''t it show some signs before it happens?''


    Nothing made sense at that moment for Talon. He had been hit with such bad news at such an unexpected moment that he didn''t even show any reaction at all. He was very calm, weirdly calm even.


    "What should we do?! We are going to die, goddammit! Start running." Katashi yelled as he struggled to free himself.


    "I said shut up." Talon smacked him on the head as he turned around. "Running away won''t work. Even if I move as fast as I can, when that wave hits the city, it will be impossible to escape it in the normal way." He said.


    With a simple calction, Talon realized that a wave of this size was going to destroy this entire region, not just Busan. It won''t stop till it leaves nothing behind. Talon was certain that he wouldn''t be able to survive such a gigantic disaster even with his power.


    With no time to waste idling around, Talon picked up hismunication device. "Hyun-Jae, Sophie, do you copy?" He said coldly.


    "Talon, where are you?! Something wrong is Going on!" Sophie was the first to reply as she kept running. She had heard the lightning strike and felt the world starting to shake violently.


    "I''m at the beach right now and I''m heading back to the main building. Meet me at the rooftop as soon as possible."


    "Roger!"


    Without any questions asked the two girls changed the direction they were running in and headed to the meeting point as fast as they could.


    Meanwhile, Talon didn''t immediately go there and instead tried to think of something.


    "What the hell are you waiting for?! Move!" Katashi yelled as he struggled for his dear life.


    He didn''t know why but his capturer didn''t start running away the moment he saw the giant tsunami waveing toward them at a horrifying speed.


    Talonpletely ignored him as he looked behind him. The entire city stretched far and wide, buried in the darkness of the stormy night.


    For some reason, his first thought wasn''t to run and instead to find another solution.


    His eyes scanned every detail in his surroundings before theynded on one particr detail that struck an idea in his head.


    ''Could that work? It sounds really bad in my head but¡­''


    With what he had at that point, Talon felt that this was a better thing to do than to mindlessly run as he was certain that would fail.


    He had no time to think or reconsider, so Talon decided to go with it.


    "Stay here." He said.


    "What?! Where are you going? Don''t leave me here, please!" Katashi yelled.


    Talon ignored his terrified cries as he jumped down to the beach again.


    "Hey! Talon! What the hell are you trying to do?" Acrypha spoke with an angry look on her face.


    "Give me a second, I have to try this." He replied.


    "You don''t have a second to do that! The wave is almost here!"


    But, he ignored her too as he went to work immediately.


    Looking around, he crouched down and shoved his hands into the wet sand. Acrypha flew after him, intending to stop whatever craziness he was about to do.


    Then, he closed his eyes as he channeled every ounce of Aetheris in his body. Over 200 points of Aetheris were instantly spent as Talon felt his body hit with a strong shock.


    Using this much energy depleted his body and made him lose a lot of strength but he didn''t let that stop him even for a second.


    ''I have to ignite it!'' He then activated future sight to enhance his focus. A secondter, A massive ball of blue mes formed in his hands beneath the surface.


    The heat from the massive fire immediately spread everywhere, including Talon''s hands as he felt a scorching heat burn his skin.


    "Aghhh!!" Groaning audibly, he bit his lip to ignore the pain and continued growing the fire.


    The dark sand slowly lit up from underneath as the heat spread to the surface and to the area around Talon.


    Acrypha watched the scene with a speechless look on her face.


    ''It hurts!!!'' The more Talon tried to control the azure mes the hotter it became and the more painful the burns were. He felt his hands melting under the surface.


    The Only thing that spared him from the soul damage the mes would deal was theyers of sand between his hands and the mes themselves.


    With all of his focus, he was able to form the ball a distance away from him and make it expand forward, covering the entire area from beneath.


    Seconds passed like hours as the hot hell continued. Talon waited for something to happen. Something that might be the solution.


    However, the problem Talon was facing wasn''t just the chance of this working but also the wave that was now barely 30 seconds away from him.


    ''I''m crazy for doing this but it''s all or nothing now!''


    At that moment, he heard a sound. A very faint cracking echoed in the vicinity and spread around quickly. Then, he saw it. The sand all around him started turning into ss.


    It was at first quite fragile and small but the sheet kept growing and growing at a rapid pace till it became a giant block of ss, a few hundred meters in size and a few meters in thickness.


    With how far the heat from the mes spread, it almost turned the entire beach into ss.


    ''It worked!!'' Talon''s eyes beamed as he quickly dispersed the mes and then shoved his fingers into the side of the ss sheet.


    ''I better be able to lift this up!'' Taking a deep breath, he channeled whatever energy he had left in his body and lifted the ss sheet up.


    However, he was immediately met with the crushing weight of the ss sheet.


    "Agghhhh!!!" Talon clenched his teeth till they started making weird sounds. The world was shaking even more as the sound of the crushing wave became awfully close.


    "Talon!!!" Acrypha felt her heart stop for a second and looked up. The giant shadow of the tsunami loomed over them.


    "Move!!!!" Yelling loudly, Talon used every ounce of force in his body as he started picking up the sheet from the ground.


    He felt his arms almost getting crushed under the weight of the sheet. His muscles spammed and contracted painfully and his back shuddered as it carried all of that.


    He felt his entire body breaking at that very moment. In a few seconds, his limit waspletely crushed.


    [Ding!]


    [You have gained a new skill.]


    Ignoring the notification, Talon bent backwards as he let the sheet levitate in the air before clenched his teeth.


    ''Here goes nothing.''


    With that, Talon tilted the sheet of ss to face the wave. Immediately, it waspletely dwarfed by its sheer magnitude.


    But, Talon had already expected that to happen as this wave was perhaps the biggest this world has ever seen.


    Still, his goal was something else. Then, before the wave could fall into the beach, he threw the sheet of ss in the air.


    "Come on!!!!" Without wasting a single breath, Talon turned around and started running as fast as he could.


    The ss smashed into the wave violently as it broke into pieces. However, at the same time, the upper part of the wave was immediately cut off, killing its momentum that has been building up for god knows how long.


    What Talon had just done had cut off the wave in half even though the sheet of ss burst almost instantly. But, that was still far from enough.


    "You''re crazy!" Acrypha yelled as she flew after him.


    "At this rate, it''s not going to destroy the entire region! Maybe a few cities at most!" As he ran, Talon kept looking behind him.


    The wave had finally reached the shore and started falling down.


    *Boooooooooom*


    ''Oh no!''


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 244 - 244- A World Of Endless Dunes (Part 1)

    *In an unknown location.*


    If one was asked: What is the most painful way someone could die, the answer wouldmonly be dying of suffocation through drowning. The feeling of air leaving your body and noting back as water gushes straight into your lungs is horrifying.


    Now, imagine that happening inside a violent tsunami with a pressure that could easily crush an elephant and turn them into meat paste. The pain was tens of times worse than before. That was exactly what Talon was feeling at that moment.


    The crushing pressure of water was pressing on every single part of his body. His bones and muscles were getting relentlessly squashed as he was pushed around by the current as if he was a weightless leaf being carried around by wind.


    ''I¡­ can''t breathe¡­'' Parting his eyes open, Talon felt his throat burning with extreme pain. He felt exhausted, his mind wasn''t working properly, he tried to move his body and yet couldn''t do it.


    All he could do was feel the pain and it was so unbearable that he didn''t even find the power to scream, groan, or do anything else.


    ''Damn it¡­ Why does it always end up like this? I hate this¡­ It''s so suffocating¡­ I don''t want it¡­ I don''t want to feel this¡­'' He thought to himself.


    Even though in his head he was cursing this horrible pain, never did he think that he regretted ending up in such a deadly situation. He had done it knowing fully well what was going to happen and he was more than d that he did.


    ''I hope Hyun-Jae and Sophie are ok¡­ They might''ve found a ce tond¡­ Hopefully the waves didn''t reach them.'' He thought to himself as he looked at the darkness all around him.


    His eyes were too tired to try and peer through this lightless environment. The chilling coldness engulfed his body as he continued sinking deeper and deeper into the abyss.


    At that moment, he noticed a silhouette appear within his vision. The silhouette shined brightly like a beacon of hope in a dark, cold world. Her ethereal beauty was always so mesmerizing to look at even in the most horrible situations.


    "A..crypha¡­" He moved his lips, trying to say her name, only to suck in more water.


    The woman stared at him with a horrified look.


    "You need to move, please! You have to get out!" She said in a begging tone as she stretched her hand to hold him, only to pull it away the moment she did due to the extreme paining from her soul.


    Just the thought of helping him damaged her soul and made her cough blood. Yet, she still kept trying.


    "No! Noo!! I need to get him out!" As she fought the horrible burning sensationing from her very core, Talon was having apletely different thought.


    ''How am I going to get out of this problem? I can''t even move my finger¡­ Am I really going to die here? That would be so anticlimactic. It''s actually funny. I mean, I was able to survive so many things and yet I would end up dying alone in a cold, wet pit.


    If I do, I won''t be able to fulfill Acrypha''s promise¡­ I don''t want to leave her alone in this world¡­ I can''t do that yet¡­'' He thought to himself with a scoff.


    He was really finding it funny that things might very much end here. After all the near-death situations that he came across and the miraculous ways he survived all of them as if death didn''t recognize him as a target, it made him question whether he was really going to die ever.


    Perhaps this was the end of his lucky trip.


    [Ding!]


    [Does the host want to open the first gate?]


    At that moment, two windows appeared in his retinas. Staring hazily at them, his eyes slowly opened a little.


    ''Oh¡­ Right, I forgot about this¡­ I can open a gate¡­ Does that save me?''


    The question was rather weird since he had never opened such a thing before. But, with nothing else he could do, he decided to simply ept the chance that this is his only chance of survival.


    ''Yes¡­''


    When he thought of that, the window vanished and things went back to darkness again. For the first few seconds, nothing changed at all.


    Then, out of Talon''s vision, the water started getting distorted in a weird way. A small part stopped moving violently and instead stopped and then vanished out of nowhere. In its ce, an empty spot appeared that absorbed all the light and water around it like a ck hole.


    If Talon saw it, he would''ve recognized it as something simr to his ''Tear Of Reality'' ability. The two created the same result. A few seconds passed as the tear grew bigger and bigger till it was big enough to fit a full human in.


    Unknown to him, Talon was heading straight toward that tear with no control. Meanwhile, the young man was simply struggling to keep himself conscious. He had already been out of breath for several minutes now.


    "Huh?" Acrypha looked up at the tear and her eyes widened. She didn''t understand where that came from at first, but then quickly looked at Talon. "He''s heading right toward it!"


    Instantly, her body moved after him as shetched onto him at thest second before the gate swallowed both of them and then vanished as if nothing happened.


    [Ding!]


    [You have entered the first gate.]


    [Ding!]


    [Your first journey had begun.]


    [Difficulty has been adjusted.]


    [Location has been set.]


    [Wee to ''Areia: the world of endless dunes''.]


    ***


    The moment Talon entered the gate, the suffocating feeling that filled his lungs stopped and the darkness shifted in a split second. Before he could even understand what happened, he found himself in a very bright ce as he smashed into the ground.


    For a second, he didn''t move at all as if his body was still paralyzed before he suddenly flinched and turned around.


    "COUGH! COUGH! COUGH!!" Then, he started coughing his heart out with wide eyes. Water came out of his mouth with each cough while air got sucked in quickly. He kept doing that for a minute before he finally rested his back on the hot ground again.


    "Hah¡­ Hah¡­ Hah¡­" With a dazed look, he stared up at the bright sky above him. The darkness he was in had been shifted into a bright world with rays of the sun piercing through the blue sky andnding right on his face.


    Squinting, he slowly rose up and moved his hair back with a shocked look on his face. Looking around him, he blinked confusedly.


    "Where the hell am I?" He murmured in a quiet tone.


    Around him, he saw what he could only describe as a dessert. Endless yellow dunes of sand stretched as far as the eye could see, not even a drop of water could be found. The second detail Talon noticed was the sky itself.


    There was no trace of the core gate. All he could see were two shiny suns floating in the air. One is more inclined to the east and one for the west.


    "... I really went to another world¡­" He spoke in disbelief.


    Even though he was already expecting that he was going to do it¡­ Never did he thought it would happen so quickly and so suddenly. It wasn''t a part of his ns to go this early. Yet, here he was, far away from home.


    "Talon!"


    At that moment, he heard a familiar voice calling for him. Turning around, he was met with a soft sensation hitting his face before he fell to the ground again. A pair of boobs wrapped around his head. Talon struggled for a second before he pulled his head out and looked at Acrypha with a wide smile.


    "Acrypha! I didn''t know you came too!"


    He couldn''t be any more happy to see the otherworldly beauty here. He thought that he left her behind on earth.


    "You little rascal! You almost gave me a heart attack right there!" The girl said as she gave him a light tap on the head with an angry look. However, her happy smile made it look very fake. She was clearly d that Talon was fine.


    "I''m sorry, haha. I really thought I was screwed right there."


    ''Well, I would have been very dead if I didn''t enter the gate.'' Talon thought to himself with a smile.


    "... Sigh, what can I even do with you?" Sighing tiredly, Acrypha hugged Talon again as she closed her eyes. "Did you even think what could''ve happened if you didn''t have the gate ready to open?"


    "... Well¡­"


    "I thought so. You followed your heart, didn''t you? Saving that girl from death." She said with a knowing look on her face.


    "... I couldn''t think twice about it. My body moved on its own at the time. I couldn''t leave Hyun-Jae to die even if it meant that I was going to die instead."


    "..."


    "I''m really sorry for doing that but even if I go back, I would still do it again without hesitation." Staring into Acrypha''s eyes with a dead serious look that didn''t leave any room for questions.


    Acrypha blinked silently before she shook her head. "I already expected that response. That''s you after all. It''s not that hard to predict." She smiled wryly before she lifted herself up and put her hand on Talon''s face. "I''m just d that you''re alive, that''s what matters."


    Talon felt the warmth of Acrypha''s hands and closed his eyes for a moment. "Mm, thank you."


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 245 - 245- A World Of Endless Dunes (Part 2)

    "Now¡­ Where the hell was I thrown?" After hugging Acrypha for a while, Talon finally rose up from the hot, rough sand and looked around him. The only thing he could get from this environment was that it was a desert, a veryrge one that seemed to stretch hundreds and potentially thousands of kilometers in each direction.


    ''And I guess a horribly hot weather¡­ It feels like I''m getting cooked inside a furnace right now.'' Putting a hand over his eyes, he looked up only for the two suns to make him squint.


    The weather was certainly way hotter than on earth even during the summer. If Talon had to estimate how hot it was, he would say that it was well into the 70 degrees or even 80 degrees.


    A normal human wouldn''t be able to survive with weather this hot but Talon''s body was able to handle it well enough. Though, with all the salty water he swallowed, his throat was very dry and he wanted to drink some water.


    "Can you recognize this ce, Acrypha?" He turned to hispanion and asked.


    The woman closed her eyes for a second as if she was trying to feel something before she opened her eyes.


    "We have been sent to really far dimension¡­ This is actually¡­ Way too far¡­" She frowned as she looked around her.


    "Far? How do you even calcte how far this dimension is from my original one?" Talon asked confusedly.


    The concept of dimensions was still bleak for him so things like distance and locations didn''t fit his mind well when talking about something conceptual rather than physical.


    "Hmmm¡­ How should I exin this." Looking down, Acrypha thought for a moment before she crouched down and lifted one grain of sand.


    "See this grain of sand?" She asked.


    "Yeah." Talon nodded.


    "Let''s say that this was the original dimension we were in and this vast dessert which stretches for about a few hundred million kilometers is the Dimensionverse."


    "Wait, wait, hold on¡­ This dessert stretches for hundreds of millions of kilometers?!!" Talon blurted out loudly in shock.


    "Yeah, this entire seems to be made of sand, I can''t feel any water or any other form ofnd anywhere." Acrypha replied.


    "...." Talon looked around with a stunned expression.


    To put it in perspective, the earth''s entire diameter was around 40 thousand kilometers. The sun''s diameter was 600 thousand kilometers. So, with a simple calction, this was at least hundreds of times the size of the sun.


    ''How is it this big¡­ and its gravity is still not that different from earth?''


    He couldn''t feel any different standing there then on earth.


    "It''s not that umon for a to be this big. The Core Dimensions is said to be bigger than entire universes with how much we discovered of it and what is left uncharted." Acrypha exined with an even tone.


    "... My brain hurts." Blinking silently, Talon decided not to think about it anymore. This only got him confused.


    The scale of these things is simply too grandiose for him.


    "Anyway, continue your exnation."


    "Good, ehem, as I was saying, this desert is every single dimension discovered so far. Now, if this grain of salt is earth, then our current location is probably a few dozen million kilometers in that direction." Then, she pointed east.


    "... Damn, so we really went far¡­ Very far¡­" Talon scratched the back of his head with a sigh.


    What Acrypha just exined was as fascinating as it was weird to think about. The fact that he was this far away from his home and the people he cared for¡­ It was very odd indeed.


    "Oh man¡­ Well, what am I supposed to do now? Since I''m here it means my test has begun, correct?" He asked as he looked at Acrypha.


    "Yeah, it begins the moment you step into the gate."


    "Then¡­ Where is the quest or the things I need to aplish to pass it? All I''m seeing in my interface is¡­. Oh, I got a new skill¡­ Well, nothing else." He replied as he rubbed his chin.


    "You won''t get a particr instructions as to what you need to do. You will simply have to find what the Core Dimension wants you to do on your own."


    "Really? Oh well, that''s another problem to think of."


    With how vast this world turned out to be, Talon didn''t know whether it was going to be easy or not. But, since Acryphad had exined to him before that the difficulty of the test is set to fit his current power level, he had to anticipate some big problems on the road.


    ''I also have to somehow survive in this god-forsaken desert with little to no water and food. That''s another problem.'' Sighing, he decided to put all of these to the back of his head now and instead focused on the first thing he had in his hand at the current moment.


    "Let''s first see what this skill is."


    [Ding!]


    [You have gained a new skill: All For One.]


    [All For One (Level 1): Power is the means to control and destroy. Whether it is for good or for benefits, power determines the bnce. Using this skill, the host can allocate all their physical power into one single point for a short moment.


    w: Heavy damage to the spot used. The higher the level of the ability the less damage dealt to that part.]


    "Interesting¡­" Talon murmured curiously. "This sounds like a useful ability even though it has a somewhat bad w."


    Even without using it, he could imagine many uses for this skill. In some situations Talon might need all his power in a single hand or leg. That could help do things he wouldn''t be able to do usually.


    "It is very good. Quite a unique one too." Acrypha said as she held his hand. "Though, overusing it could be a huge problem so keep it only for when you have no other choice."


    "Yeah, I understand. I don''t want to break my body over stupid things. Sigh, well, that''s over now. What should I do next?" Wiping the sweat off his face, he started looking aroundpletely lost.


    "Where do I even go?" Then, he looked at Acrypha. "Ody Acrypha, grace me with your benevolent guidance in these tough times." He said jokingly.


    Acrypha rolled her eyes as she turned around. "Hmm, I can feel a city in that direction. It''s quite far, though."


    "How far?"


    "3000 kilometers."


    "... Oh god¡­" Just hearing that number made Talon''s legs wobble.


    "You better start moving, it''s going to be a long journey." She said as she tapped his shoulder with ''I feel your pain, but good luck'' look on her face.


    "Ugh!!! Dammit, I can''t let this break me! Let''s move! I will reach this goddamn city in no time!" The young man pped his face a few times as he yelled with more energy than ever.


    With that, Talon picked up his spear, Aetherial des and his wet backpack before he started walking down the hill he was standing on.


    The feeling of the sand beneath him was rather ufortable since it was basically burning hot. So much so he could see steaming out of it.


    ''Where is that steam evening from when there is no water?'' Talon could only frown. Then, he simply put his backpack on top of his head to cover it from the sun. Meanwhile, Acrypha moved next to him silently.


    "You don''t need some kind of shade?" He asked.


    "Hm? Oh, no, I actually like hot weather. It''s quite pleasant." She replied.


    "What? How is this good? I''m being boiled alive."


    "Back where I came from, the weather is usually over two hundred degrees. This is a cold day by our standards."


    "Y-You''re amazing¡­" With a cough, Talon decided to stopining and started hurrying his steps to cut more distance quicker.


    ''With this pace I might be able to move a few hundred kilometers before I need to get some rest.''


    If he wasn''tpletely exhausted after what happened back on earth, Talon would''ve went for the entire 3000 kilometers in one single attempt but he knew that his body wouldn''t be able to handle such a pressure.


    ''I have a few bottles of water with me so I need to be careful with how I consume them.''


    But, since his throat was dry at that moment, he decided to drink some to regain some energy for the long trip ahead of him.


    Chugging down a good mouthful of water, he made a low groan of satisfaction as the sweet water rolled down his dry throat and quenched his thirst. Then, he washed his face from all the salty, sticky water and put the water away before he increased the speed of his walk.


    ''Let''s do this.''


    ***


    A few hours passed since then as Talon continued walking and walking with no end. All he could see around him was the empty desert and the dunes of sand. Gushes of wind moved across the hot area, carrying grains of sand in a beautiful harmonical dance of nature.


    ''I would''ve appreciated this more if it didn''t smash into my face every time.'' He thought to himself as he covered his nose with his jacket. Since the weather was hot, he didn''t need that jacket and only walked with a shirt on.


    "One, two, three, four¡­" As he walked, he counted each step he took. That helped him to pass the boredom of walking in such an empty world.


    The trip was a smooth sail. He didn''t meet any monsters or even any nt whatsoever.


    ''Is this desert devoid of life?'' Talon thought to himself.


    "Maybe it is aft-"


    Before he could even finish saying that word, the ground beneath him started shaking all of a sudden as he noticed something rising from under the sand in front of him.


    "Well, I should''ve not spoken!"


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 246 - 246- A World Of Endless Dunes (Part 3)

    With a frozen expression, Talon watched the thing rise from the ground. With all the sand covering its gigantic body, it appeared like a bizarre hill of some sort. In a matter of seconds, it reached 40 meters in the air as the sand finally fell from its body and revealed its full appearance.


    What emerged was something straight out of nightmares. Its elongated body undted sinuously, each segment of its form flexing and dancing with lethal precision. The creature''s skin, rough and weathered, blended seamlessly with the desertndscape, making it nearly invisible until it showed itself.


    Along its sides, rows of spiny protrusions glistened in the harsh sunlight, serving as both armor and weapons.


    As it towered above him, its colossal maw opened, revealing rows upon rows of razor-sharp teeth gleaming menacingly in the sunlight.


    The gaping orifice seemed to stretch impossibly wide, ready to devour anything foolish enough to cross its path, And yet, despite monstrous size and ferocious appearance, there was a strange elegance to the way it moved, a grace born of a long time navigating the treacherous depths of the desert sands.


    "... Wow¡­" Blinking silently, Talon admired the appearance of this horrible abomination. Even amongst ugly monsters, this one appeared uniquely repulsive. Something that was rare to see even in such a world.


    At the same time, the monster seemed to notice his presence as it opened its mouth even wider. The rows of teeth suddenly started rotating inside its mouth as if they were the des on a chainsaw.


    Then, it suddenly dived forward, aiming its wide mouth at Talon.


    "Oh no!" Realizing what was about to happen, Talon immediately activated ''Dash'' and vanished from his spot instantly and appeared a few dozen meters away. The giant worm dived into the sand as if it was the deep ocean. The entire world shook chaotically the moment its body started digging into the deep sands before vanishingpletely as if it was never there.


    "What a weird creature!" Pulling his spear out, Talon got ready for the fight. He knew that the worm wasn''t going to let him off with that.


    A few seconds was all it took for his suspicion to be proved. He felt the ground beneath him starting to shake again as he felt something rushing toward him at an extremely fast speed.


    With no time to even think, he immediately started running. A split secondter, the worm appeared where he was standing before as it immediately dove again, chasing after him.


    ''This thing is quite fast for something that is that big. But, it''s not that strong. I can kill it.'' Looking over his shoulder, Talon noticed that the monster was still on the surface so he decided to use that for his advantage.


    As he ran, he started rotating his body while the monster followed relentlessly. Then, the moment he saw the opportunity, he immediately turned around and ran toward the monster at full speed before leaping in the air.


    The worm realized what he was trying to do and stopped to catch him. But, Talon spun in the air andnded on its back. Then, he used his spear to stab into its tough skin. His spear smashed into the armor as it made a loud, ufortable sound. Blue blood leaked out of the crack as the monster reacted immediately.


    ''Damn, it''s tough. I couldn''t pierce its flesh deep enough.'' He clenched his teeth as he grabbed into the monster not to get thrown off.


    The creature squirmed around violently to get rid of him, a low screech escaped its mouth and made Talon''s eardrums shake.


    "You''re a really energetic one, aren''t you?" Grinning wildly, he used the spear as he aimed at the crack and stabbed again. This time, the injury was deeper and the monster screeched again.


    At that moment, it did somethingpletely unexpected. The spikes that covered most of its body suddenly shook before they wereunched out of their sockets. By the time Talon noticed that, he was a little toote.


    "Ugh!"


    One of the spikes pierced his side and made him groan. For a second, he lost grip on the monster and was about to be thrown off. But, he bit his tongue as he regained hisposure and channeled his power.


    "You¡­ Bastard!!!" In a moment, he lost his calmness as outrage took over him. Without realizing it, Talon activated his Azure me even though his arms were upied with other things.


    Lifting his spear up, a blue light coated the spear as it coursed through its body straight toward its tip. There, a small blue ember ignited right before the spear hit the monster again. Upon contact, a loud explosion erupted there.


    *BOOOOOOOOM*


    The explosion was so loud that it sent Talon flying in the air as he smashed into the sand. Meanwhile, the giant worm screeched in pain as it violently shook everywhere. Hitting the ground, it createdrge clouds of dust as it continued struggling for its dear life.


    An immense amount of blue blood gushed out of the injury and coated the yellow sound with a different hue. Rising up from the ground with a pained look, Talon watched the monster as it slowly weakened and lost its bnce.


    His eyes were wide as he heaved up and down tiredly. He was still in shock from what just happened.


    *BOOM*


    Eventually, the monster''s struggles stopped as it fell to the ground motionless.


    [Ding!]


    [You have killed level 37 Areia Sand Eater. +2 stamina, +2 Health.]


    "Hah¡­ Hah¡­" Talon stared dazedly at the dead monster for a few seconds before his eyes shifted to the spear a few meters away from him. On it, he could still see the blue hue as it diminished.


    "Talon, are you ok?! Oh no, you''re bleeding. Drink a potion quickly." Acrypha rushed toward him.


    But, the young man didn''t immediately reply.


    "Hey! You have a spike protruding from your back! Are you listening?" Snapping her finger in front of his eyes to catch his attention, he finally turned around to stare at her stoically.


    Then, slowly, hisck of reaction turned into a wide smile as his eyes shone with a bright light.


    "Acrypha¡­" He said.


    "What?"


    "Why didn''t I think of that?... This¡­ This is great! Hahahaha! Ugh! That hurts, ughh!!" As heughed, he felt the sharp pain assaulting his side as he squinted. Putting his hand on the spike, he pulled it out with one single move as he groaned again.


    Then, he pulled a potion out and drank some of it and spilled the rest on the injury. Even though it was a deep one, he didn''t worry about it much. A day or two and it should be good enough for him not to even think about it.


    "What happened?"


    "You didn''t see it?"


    "I was too upied with you losing your life to notice." Acrypha replied. Even though she saw the explosion and felt the Aetheris trace left from Talon using Azure me, she didn''t notice what happened.


    "See this¡­" Standing up, Talon approached his Blue Lapis spear and picked it up. With a close inspection, he noticed that the spear had even more cracks on it and the tip had a dark burnt spot on it.


    "Damn¡­ That attack really damaged the spear." Talon murmured with a frown. "I haven''t realized it before but Azure mes were an energy-type ability. Something simr to Hyun-Jae''s lightning maniption skill. So, in theory, it should work in the same way as her power which also means that I can coat my weapon with the mes, no?"


    Hearing that, Acrypha had a stunned look for a second before she blinked. "Yeah¡­ That does make sense."


    "That''s what just happened, I just instinctively coated the spear with the mes and it dealt an extremely strong blow to the monster¡­ Though, my spear is now in a worse state than before."


    Even with this unfortunate turn of events, Talon was still extremely excited. He felt as if he just opened a door to a whole new world of potential. His Azure mes were already destructive as they were, but now, he felt like he could truly unlock a new way of using them in battle.


    "That is impressive¡­ The effect of the mes was also amplified with this method. Perhaps coating a weapon with it makes it even more brutal."


    The first few hits he dealt to the worm didn''t have much effect on its tough hide. But, one single hit with the fire-coated spear killed it instantly. The difference was simply mind blowing.


    "But, I can''t keep using it on this spear. A few more hits and it would probably break it to pieces. I really need to find a new spear." Talon said as he rubbed the back of his head. "I was intending to search for one but¡­ Now that I''m here, where am I going to find a new weapon?"


    "Don''t lose hope yet. If anything, being here might be a good thing." Acrypha shook her head.


    "Why so?"


    "This has already went through multiple expansions so far. If I have to guess, it has been expanding for a few hundred years now. So, the chance of finding stronger weapons here is higher than on earth still."


    "Wait, really?"


    "Yeah, ancient artifacts and weapons that came from all kinds of ces end up in ces like this really often. You might even find weapons from the Core Dimension."


    "Well¡­ If you say so¡­ This might be my only chance then. I should keep it in my mind for when I reach the city."


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 247 - 247- A World Of Endless Dunes (Part 4)

    "Hmm¡­ How eatable is this thing I wonder?" After closing the status window, he approached the dead monster as he inspected its body curiously. "The blue blood is worrying me a little to be honest but I need some food to carry with me."


    From what he brought along with him, he had food enough for a day or two at most and he knew that won''t be anywhere near enough for his journey. He can stay without food for 5 or 6 days with ease without losing much of his performance but he didn''t want to bet on whether he could reach the city by that time or not.


    So, collecting anything useful was necessary.


    "It''s not poisonous from what I can see. Though, avoid the blue blood since it could have a negative effect." Acrypha replied. "These sand eaters are actually quite delicious from what I heard."


    "... Really?" Talon frowned. "Their appearance tells me otherwise."


    The disgusting worm seemed way too repulsive to be delicious. But, since Acrypha told him that it was good then he had no reason not to believe it. So, with that in mind, he pulled his spear out and started slowly cutting a part of the monster to get a good chunk of meat.


    "You aren''t too bad at skinning monsters." Acrypha said curiously as she watched her human slowly cutting the tough hide and then dissecting the meat skillfully.


    "I have worked in a butchery before a few years ago and I dealt with animals. This isn''t much different." Wiping the blood off his face, he continued his job.


    By the end of it, a chunk of blue meat rested on his hand. "This would at leastst me a few days." He smiled before putting it in his storage. Then, he dug his hand into the monster''s body again as he pulled a rather big monster core.


    "Hmm, this is an energy core, huh? I wished it was a weapon or a skill. But well, I will leave it for my future spear." He murmured before he put it away too.


    With that put behind him, Talon sat down to rest for a while. The injury he sustained wasn''t light and he was already exhausted beyondparison. A few minutes were essential for him to gather his mind and body for the trip ahead.


    ''If one of these sand eaters appeared then I should anticipate another appearing or even multiple ones.'' He thought to himself as he stared into the distance wistfully and sipped some water.


    "I wonder what kind of ecosystem this ce has. With no actual water and food, how does anything even survive in such an environment." He spoke as he turned to look at Acrypha.


    "You underestimate how much monsters can adapt to conditions like this or even worse than this. We still don''t know much about this ce so perhaps when you reach the city, you can learn more about this world."


    Even with her vast knowledge of all kinds of worlds that she harvested across her lifetime, Acrypha wouldn''t know everything about everything so even she was curious to know what this world was.


    ''Especially because this has been chosen by the Core Dimension specifically for Talon. It definitely has something special about it that it wants him to see.''


    So far, everything Talon has done had been almost meant to happen which proves that the Core Dimension was specifically moving Talon toward something. Entering his first gate was perhaps the first most important pivotal point in his path so it had to be very special.


    But, Talon was still unaware of all of that as he sipped his water. "Yeah, the first thing I want to do is get as much information as I can about this world and then I will see what I should do. I''m sure things will clear up once I know what the hell is going on."


    After that, he stood up and dusted his clothes before picking up his stuff. "Ugh, ok, time to start walking again. I barely did any distance today. Off we go!" Lifting his hand, he started walking again.


    The distance he crossed so far was negligiblepared with what is left so he had to hurry up. With more pace, he knew that he could reach his destination in a few days at most.


    ''I don''t have to worry about getting lost either since I have the bestpass in all dimensions.'' He thought to himself as he looked at Acrypha with a smile.


    Just seeing her next to him made him feel like he can face anything no matter what it is. Aside from the valuable information she provides him with all the time, knowing that she was always there no matter what situation he was in filled him with even more confidence than ever.


    Perhaps that was the most important thing he got from her and he was deeply grateful for it.


    ''But, I can''t tell her that since I know she will just have the worst smug face ever.'' Rolling his eyes as he imagined the image of his otherworldlypanion just embarrassing him forplimenting her.


    With that, the journey continued.


    Talon walked through the vast expanses of sand as he talked to Acrypha. Even though there was no change in the scenery, he still found this rather calming. After all the ridiculous stuff that happened so far, simply walking with no actual need to think or strategize was freeing in a sense.


    He didn''t have much to think about except his worry for his loved ones that he left back on earth without any warning. He knew that there situation back there was still very delicate and his absence might put them in trouble.


    ''I know Hyun-Jae and the others can handle themselves well enough without me. I gotta believe.'' He shook his head. ''I simply need to get out of here as fast as possible so that I can go back.''


    "By the way, Acrypha. How long does the first test take usually?" He decided to inquire.


    "Well, it depends on the individual themselves. Those who are particrly talented take a lot more time to pass their test then those who are inherently inferior. But, in general, we are talking about a few months to a year give or take. Some might go for longer too."


    "A year?!" Halting his steps, he stared at Acrypha. "A whole year?"


    "Yeah, this is actually nothingpared to the second, third, and fourth gates. Thest one can usually take a few hundred years or more."


    "..." Talon stood therepletely stunned. His mouth opened and closed a few times before he sighed and looked down. "A few months to a year huh¡­ Well, that fucking sucks."


    ''How am I supposed to leave them for a year? All hell will break loose in such a period of time.''


    Even with his deep worry, Talon wasn''t even concerned about that. He simply didn''t think he wasn''t going to see his loved ones for such a long time. A year wasn''t short by any means. He would probably lose his mind simply by not seeing or hearing about them for this long.


    "It''s ok, Talon. I know you''re worried. But, who knows how long this one will take. It could be way shorter. If anything, with how strong you are, I can only imagine that it will be a breeze for you." When she realized what he was thinking of, Acrypha panicked slightly


    As he stood there, he took a few moments to get hisposure back. After that, he ran his hand through his hair.


    "Sigh, ok, let''s keep a positive mindset. You''re right, it all depends on how good I perform here. If I can do everything right and do it fast enough, it shouldn''t take too long toe back. I can definitely do it."


    ''Yeah, there is no need to feel bad when I barely started. It''s all about being ready.'' Looking up, he coughed.


    "Sorry, I had to take a moment to regain myposure."


    "It''s ok, I should''ve not told you that anyway. You just need to do it at your own pace and things will be fine." She tapped his shoulder.


    Nodding his head, Talon started walking again. Now that he knew that he should hurry, his steps naturally quickened as he started striding.


    ***


    In the desert, one''s worst enemy by far isn''t theck of resources nor the long distance of walking. It was the weather. The sun''s effect on the body for a prolonged period of time is far worse than one could imagine.


    The heat coupled with the monotone and repetitive scenery could easily affect one''s mental state and make them hallucinate. However, the same can''t be said for a certain person.


    From a distance, one could see Talon walking at a speedpared to that of an average man running or even faster. He kept going up and down the vast dunes of sand. His eyes were focused in a single direction and nothing else.


    A few more hours passed in the same way. No more sand eaters appeared after the first one for one reason or another.


    The second thing he noticed was that the two suns in the sky had already reached the horizon and turned the entire world a beautiful orange color. Eventually, darkness settled on the desert and the temperature started dwindling really quickly.


    "You should stop here for today." Acrypha said as she floated near him.


    "Huh? But I can still continue. The darkness ain''t a problem."


    "It''s not about the darkness, it''s about you. Your body is already in a poor state. You need to get some rest." She replied as she pointed at his wound.


    "... But¡­"


    "No buts. You will continue tomorrow morning when you''re better. Listen to me."


    "... Ok, fine." Sighing, Talon stopped and sat down. "I will spend the night here."


    Acrypha smiled before she nodded her head. "That''s my good Talon~"


    "Tsk¡­"


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 248 - 248- Shade Of a Dream (Part 1)

    "Rrrr¡­ The weather grew really cold, I need to set up some kind of fire." Talon murmured as he put his jacket on again.


    The moment the two suns set in the horizon, the temperature dropped sharply. So sharply in fact that Talon was sure that it was now way below freezing point and his proof of that was his bottle of water that had frozen almost instantly.


    ''Am I in the south pole or something?'' Heughed dryly as he finally pulled out a small camping stove he had with him in his backpack. Luckily, since this bag was brought along with him due to the nature of the mission, he had many essentials in it.


    "I can at least set a fire without the need for wood." He murmured to himself as he finally pulled out a small piece of meat, cut it into small pieces. Then, he pulled out a small pot and put them in the pot.


    Then, he rummaged through his backpack and pulled some spices that he had with him. Acrypha watched with a weird expression.


    "How many things did you bring with you?" She asked.


    "Hm? Oh, I brought many camping tools with me since I thought we might end up sleeping in the wilderness."


    "It''s almost as if you anticipated this." Sheughed.


    "I have future sight, of course I anticipate everything." He replied as he pointed at his eyes.


    "Of course you do. That''s why you''re still alive." Acryphaughed.


    "Yeah, if you''re like me, you would always anticipate danger and avoid it. I must say I''m a master at avoiding danger and going the safe route every time."


    "..."


    As Talon started preparing the food, he noticed that Acrypha wentpletely silent. "What? You don''t believe me?"


    "I wish I could." She replied.


    "Hey!"


    "If I had a gold coin for every time you almost killed yourself I would be the wealthiest existence in every dimension." She shrugged.


    "The disrespect! Ouch!" Pretending to be hurt, Talon fell back.


    "That''s because it''s true, idiot. You better start reducing the number of times you almost kill yourself or I will make sure you never be able to move again."


    "You''re going to paralyze me?"


    "Don''t worry, I will take care of you for the rest of your life after that." She smiled mischievously.


    "... I don''t want to be a vegetable!"


    "Oh, please, isn''t it quite romantic as you humans say? Then, I will carry your dead body for eternity until I also die. Yeah, that sounds like a good idea." Closing her eyes, Acrypha seemed to imagine that scene and smile.


    The young man stared at her for a while before he turned around and continued cooking. "I wonder who''s the lunatic between us. Though, I hate to admit that it does sound quite romantic."


    "Exactly, which means that we are both a couple of lunatics with no limit."


    Even with her usual cold, clever and logical attitude, Acrypha was very simr to Talon in personality in many other cases. Beneath all of thoseyers that she built across her life to protect herself from the cruelty of this world, she was simply someone who liked to joke around with people she trusts, shares her wickedly weird ideas with them and have a simpleugh around a campfire.


    As simple as this was, she loved it more than anyone else out there. Simply because she can put away all of that character she built and be her true self and Talon could see that as clear as day.


    ''I''m d I was able to free her from all of that¡­'' Just remembering her broken look when she told him about her people and the life she lived made his smile vanish. That look was truly something he would never forget.


    It touched his soul in ways he had never expected. Which is why he decided to do everything within his ability to never see it again.


    "Why did you go silent?" Acrypha asked.


    "Hmm, I was just focusing on cooking. We must have a nice steak dinner tonight." With that in mind, he continued preparing the piece of meat and cooking it slowly.


    When it was done, the blue meat had already turned to a rather dark golden color surprisingly.


    "Interesting¡­ The smell isn''t bad either." Talon murmured as he stared at the piece of meat. "Well, here goes nothing."


    With that, he put the piece of meat in his mouth and started chewing. Instantly, his eyes opened wide as he stopped chewing for a second.


    "How is it?" Acrypha asked when she noticed his expression.


    "This¡­ This is amazing!!" It took him a second to reply before he started chewing again with an excited look on his face. "This is the best steak I''ve ever tasted! What?! It''s perfectly tender and juicy."


    Even though Talon had eaten quite the variety of meat-based dishes before, this was still by far the most delicious thing he ever tried by a long mile. Not to mention that it wasn''t even well-prepared. It was seared with some simple spices and yet still delivered such a vor.


    "Here, try some." He handed Acrypha some of it to try it.


    Thetter put the piece in her mouth and nodded her head. "This is pretty good. Sand Eaters meat is a delicacy in many worlds so no wonder it tastes this nice."


    "Yeah, this is quite amazing."


    As Talon took a second bite, he was surprised to see something.


    [Ding!]


    [You have consumed Sand Eaters meat. +4 Agility.]


    "Oh?" Talon blinked. "Wait, it gave me a bonus in my status points." He said.


    "It did? Well, that''s expected. It''s a level 37 monster. Any monster beyond 35 that could be consumed gives bonus points in most cases. Though, once you reach its level, it stops giving any bonuses."


    "Damn, this makes it even better. I love these sand eaters!"


    With that, the young man ate the rest of the steak with Acrypha before he wrapped things up and put them away and set a small tent for him to sleep.


    "Hey, Acrypha, can you wake me up 3 hours from now whenever that time is?" He asked as heid down.


    "Sure, I will keep an eye for anything else." She said. "Just sleep well."


    Looking at hispanion, he nodded his head. "Thank you and good night."


    "... Good night, Talon."


    ***


    *A few hourster*


    Talon felt someone shaking his shoulder. He frowned slightly as he started opening his eyes. "Is it already time¡­ Acry-"


    As he rose up, he was surprised to see that hispanion wasn''t there. Wiping his eyes, he frowned as he looked around him. The tent waspletely empty except for him. The world was still dark outside.


    "Acrypha?"


    However, he didn''t get any response. ''I swear I felt someone touching my shoulder just now.'' Rubbing the back of his head confusedly, he decided to leave the tent to look for her. Talon didn''t know why but he had a weird feeling.


    The desert outside was still the same, dark, cold, and ominous. Looking around him, he called for Acrypha''s name again and again and yet no reply came.


    "Where did she go?"


    Usually, Acrypha would leave his side to explore the world on her own. But, today should''ve been a different case. She had told him that she was going to stay by his side the entire time.


    As he stood there, Talon suddenly heard a small noise from a distance. Looking in that direction, he noticed something weird. Something suddenly appeared from under the sand. Due to the distance, he couldn''t clearly see what it was.


    ''Is that a monster?'' Instinctively Talon picked up his spear as he started walking toward it carefully.


    Meanwhile, he kept looking around him to make sure nothing else appeared. The wind whistled powerfully as it moved across the vast desert and made Talon shudder.


    The creature stood there,pletely motionless with its back facing Talon the entire time. That made him even more confused as he started looking around him again. For some reason, he felt really uneasy at that moment and he didn''t know why.


    Eventually, he got close enough from the creature, only to realize something shocking. From its back alone, Talon recognized something.


    "... A human?" He asked himself.


    No matter how he looked at it, this was a human. The clothes they wore and their appearance could only be described as a human, a woman at that. However, even more than that, that back felt rather familiar to him.


    ''Is this some kind of illusion by a monster? That should be the case. I can''t let my guard down.'' Clenching his spear even stronger, he tried to find where the illusion wasing from. But, he couldn''t sense any presence near him.


    So, he decided to do thest thing he could.


    "... Hey, you. What are you doing here?" He pretended to follow this trick just to make the monster think he had fallen for it. "What are you doing in such a ce, ma''am? It''s dangerous over here."


    The human didn''t move at all the entire time as it stood there. This made Talon even more annoyed as he finally took thest few steps separating them.


    "I''m talking to yo-" Putting his hand on her shoulder, he yanked it around to take a look at the monster''s face. The moment his eyes fell on its face and his entire body was shell-shocked in its ce.


    It was as if he was hit by a lightning strike right there and then. Then, he slowly fell to the ground with his eyes wide to the extreme. His mouth opened and closed a few times before he uttered a single word.


    "... Mom¡­?"


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 249 - 249- Shade Of a Dream (Part 2)

    The woman looked directly at him with emptiness within her soul. Gazing into her eyes felt awful for some reason, even though this woman was his mother and a person he longed to see more than anything else. It was as if he was seeing an empty shell of his mother.


    She had the appearance, butcked the familiarity he wanted. A doll with nothing inside. That made his soul shake.


    Even as he stared at her, his eyes couldn''t believe it. However, no matter how much he tried to deny it, that was his mother. Her face and height were exactly as he remembered them. Without realizing it, a tear trickled down his cheek and snapped him out of his daze.


    ''No! No, it can''t be. This is an illusion of some sort or maybe a dream.'' He thought to himself as he wiped his eyes and looked up with aplicated expression. Even with knowing that, it was still so hard for him to look at his mother and not feel anything.


    At that very moment, his desire to simply hug her was so intense that he had to actively try not to do it.


    As the two looked at each other, neither seemed to move at all. His mother seemed lifeless as she stood there. She didn''t say a single word or move a single finger.


    "Whoever is doing this, get the fuck out!" With no other choice, Talon looked around him as he started yelling angrily. "If you don''t, I will make sure you regret this for the rest of your life!"


    His aura exploded powerfully as the sand around him started rustling and moving with sheer pressure. His face turned way darker and his eyes shed with a furious glint.


    The fact that was potentially using his mother against him was something that infuriated him beyond words. This was something he wouldn''t forgive no matter what.


    ''Oh, if I just find you¡­'' Standing up slowly, he looked at his mother silently. His lips quivered slightly just from inspecting her face. He didn''t realize that he missed looking at her this much even though it has only been a month since hest saw her.


    Perhaps the fact that he wasn''t going to see her again made that time seem way longer than it should''ve been. Yet, here he was, as bitter as it was, he had another chance to see her.


    ''Goddamit¡­'' Even when he tried to look away, his eyes would wander back to her.


    "I missed you¡­" Opening and closing his mouth for a while, he finally was able to utter a few words. "I really missed you¡­ Way more than I care to admit¡­"


    The woman didn''t reply at all as she stared at him.


    "I try to move on with my life¡­ But, who am I tricking? I can''t move on¡­ I think about you every single day, mom. My twisted mind sometimes wonders if I could''ve been a better child from the start. Going back over every moment in our lives and how I might''ve wronged you when you only deserve the best. Till the veryst moment where you died. I could''ve been better."


    Talon used to believe that his rtionship with his mother would have not been any better than it was. However, now that he lost her, those smaller details that he missed resurfaced again and became his worst enemy.


    He hated that bad things happened between them, as small as they were. In his head, he sought a perfect rtionship where they only were on the same terms. He knew how foolish it was to think that his rtionship with his mother could be perfect when nothing in this world is perfect.


    "*Sniff*..." Feeling the tears about to spill out again, he quickly wiped them as he drew a small, weak smile. "I know that you would be angry to know that I''m still ming myself for what happened.


    But, I''m sorry, I can''t do it, mom¡­ I cannot move on and pretend that I could''ve not been the difference¡­ However, here I am, still trying to do that and be better for the people I care for¡­ Well, that part still needs some work." Rubbing the back of his head awkwardly, he closed his eyes.


    ''What the hell am I even doing? This isn''t even my mom¡­ Am I really this desperate now?''


    He was clearly talking to nothing and getting all emotional about it. That made him want to p himself from embarrassment.


    Rubbing his face, he was to turn around and walk away, that''s when he heard a voice.


    "It''s all your fault."


    The voice was quiet, but Talon caught it as he quickly turned around with wide eyes as he stared at the woman. For the first time, the illusion had moved. It''s head tilted up as the most wicked smile he had ever seen appeared on her face.


    That smile alone sent a shiver down his spine.


    "What¡­?"


    "Everything is your fault¡­ You''re the reason for all of it." The voice clearly belonged to his mother and yet nothing about it felt like his mother speaking. "You''re the reason why it happened."


    Talon stood there silently as he listened to those words echoing in his head.


    "Don''t forget that you were toote."


    "... Shut up¡­"


    "You will never be better. Keep lying to yourself that you can fix things."


    "Shut up¡­"


    "Pretend that you''re fine to everyone. They all think you''re faring any better. But, you are still stuck there, not moving a single inch. That''s what''s going to happen for the rest of your life." As she spoke, the woman''s smile grew more and more wicked with each passing second as if she relished in how Talon was feeling at that moment.


    "You are a failure, son. I will never forgive you for what happened."


    "I SAID SHUT UP!!!" At that moment, he snapped as he rushed toward the monster with an outraged look on his face. Then, without thinking, he stabbed it in the chest. The spear pierced the woman''s body and exited from the back.


    Staring at the monster with endless anger, he clenched his teeth. "Don''t you fucking dare use my mother''s voice against me. I will kill you. Spouting lies with her mouth." He said with a voice filled with hatred.


    But, at that moment, the woman grabbed his arm as she lifted her head up and stared at him with the same smile. "Am I really lying? Or am I simply telling you what you''re trying so hard to avoid?"


    "..." Talon wentpletely silent as he red at the woman. What he didn''t notice was that her legs were starting to get covered by a weird ck liquid.


    "You are not facing reality. Cry all you want and more. That''s your only power, after all."


    As she said those words, the ck liquid quickly rose from her legs to her torso and then slowly creeped to her arms and neck. Meanwhile, Talon simply looked at her with an unreadable expression.


    "I will never forgive you, Talon. Never."


    With those words, the ck liquidpletely engulfed the woman''s body and she turned into a Dimension Walker. Then, she stopped movingpletely as her body slid out of the spear and fell to the ground.


    ***


    "AAAAAH!!!" Talon woke up with a loud yell. His aura got out of control as it expanded to the extreme and his heart started beating loudly.


    "Talon? Are you ok?" Acrypha was surprised by his sudden burst as she looked at him.


    "Hah¡­ Hah¡­ Hah¡­" With a sweaty face, he looked around him before his eyes ended up finding Acrypha. The moment he saw her, his heart calmed down a little as he realized what happened.


    Moving his head down, he held it with his hand.


    ''That was¡­ A nightmare?''


    "... Are you ok? Did you have a nightmare?" Acrypha approached him as she asked worriedly.


    "Huh? Ah, y-yeah¡­ Just a dream¡­" He replied as he closed his eyes. "A very nasty one¡­"


    Acrypha stared at Talon silently for a second, not knowing what to say. She had never seen Talon this terrified before in her life. The way he yelled was nothing like Talon at all. Even when he was scared before, he had never screamed that way.


    ''What kind of nightmare was it?'' She asked herself. For something to make Talon react like that, she didn''t even want to imagine what it was. Even when he woke up, he still looked like he was in shock from what he saw.


    "It''s ok, bad dreams are just bad dreams. They are never real." She tapped his shoulder. "Go back to sleep, you still have a few hours of sleep."


    "No, please, I don''t want to. Let''s start moving again." Talon said as he wiped his face. "I don''t feel like I can sleep anymore."


    Acrypha wanted to reject his offer since she wanted him to sleep more. But, just one look at his eyes made herpletely scratch her decision.


    "... Sigh, ok, gather things up and let''s go." She replied.


    "Thank you."


    With that, Talon woke up, washed his face with some water before he started gathering his stuff inplete silence. He seemedpletely lost in thought as he walked around monotonously.


    Acrypha watched him from the side with aplicated expression. She didn''t know what to say at that moment. Not even she could understand what he was feeling at that moment.


    ''Hopefully he will be betterter.''


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 251 - 251- Arryn (Part 1)

    Holding his mouth, Talon looked away as he struggled not tough. For some reason, the sight of the water spike turning into normal water and falling to the ground like that was rather amusing.


    He expected to see a brutal attack that made him move away immediately but ended up watching aical scene unfold before his eyes.


    ''No, Talon, this isn''t the time tough. It''s not good.'' Shaking his head as he coughed, he turned around to the young boy.


    Thetter cowered away under Talon''s gaze as he hugged his legs. He looked like a scared chick seeing a monster right in front of it.


    "Hey, I''m not a threat, ok? Rx. I''m not here to attack you."


    "AAAAA!!"


    Even though Talon said that, the boy didn''t seem to be convinced or that he didn''t even understand what Talon said.


    "Does he even understand any wording out of my mouth?" Raising an eyebrow, he rubbed the back of his head.


    "No, probably not. He doesn''t speak yournguage. Here, let me help." Acrypha replied as she suddenly waved her hand gently.


    Instantly, Talon felt something weird happen within his head. However, it vanished as quickly as it appeared.


    "What was that?"


    "You should be able to understand him now. Try to speak."


    "Just like that?"


    "Yeah, I will exin why I can do thister."


    "Hmm, ok¡­" Talon was certainly curious about what Acrypha just did since this was a first for him. But, for now, he decided to focus on the creature in front of him.


    "Do you understand me now?" When Talon spoke, he was still saying familiar words in Korean. But, on the boy''s end, his eyes widened as he stared at Talon dazedly. For a few seconds, he almost seemed like he was frozen in his ce.


    "Y-You¡­ Why can you speak mynguage?!" He eventually yelled with a terrified look on his face as he lifted his arms again. "Who are you?!"


    "I said calm down. If you keep your guard up, we can''t have a normal conversation. I am not a threat to you."


    "But¡­ You''re a human! My father told me that every human is bad! I can''t trust you¡­" The boy retorted as he kept his guard up and perhaps grew even more wary than before.


    ''Humans? So, he knows about humans?'' That small detail made Talon even more curious about this creature. He was now suspecting that the human race does exist on this as odd as it sounds.


    Acrypha had told him before that humans are quitemon in most dimensions so finding them here wasn''t that surprising. The more important part was that this creature saw humans as monsters.


    "Well, I don''t know about other humans. But I like to believe that I''m not a bad person¡­ For the most part."


    For a moment, Talon was very confident about calling himself a good person, ''kind'' even. But, after thest two months, that confidence slowly waned. Talon had killed people, many people. He had done things that were immoral by modern society standards and had no hesitation about it.


    He didn''t know if after that he could still be considered kind or good. But, he didn''t care what answer he had to that as he wasn''t going to change his methods anytime soon. He had done everything he had to do to survive and protect the people he cared for.


    "... G-Good? R-Really?" The boy asked hesitantly with a low voice.


    ''You don''t have to believe me that quickly, boy!'' Talon blinked. Just one look at his eyes, he realized that he was indeed dealing with a kid.


    He didn''t even hesitate twice to believe the words of aplete stranger just because he said them with some sincerity, fake or not. ''He really is as innocent as they can get.''


    For some reason, Talon started feeling bad for him even though they had barely met. "Well, yeah, I''m not bad. I can guarantee that I won''t hurt you as long as you don''t try to hurt me. Deal?"


    The boy thought for a moment before he nodded his head vigorously.


    "Ok, good, let''s start with names. You can call me Talon. What''s your name?"


    "A-Arryn¡­ I''m Arryn." He replied.


    "Arryn? Quite the unique name you got there, friend."


    "Why do you speak like that?" Arryn asked as he tilted his head.


    "Hm? What do you mean?"


    "You know mynguage¡­ Yet the way you speak differs from what I know. How did you learn it?"


    "... I have an ability that helps me to understand foreignnguages fast." Talon replied.


    "Oh! That is amazing!" The boy''s eyes shone with excitement. "I have never met a human that knows the Azurians''nguage. You are very interesting, Talon!"


    ''Azurians?'' Talon raised an eyebrow as he caught that word. ''So his race''s name is Azurians? Good information.''


    "Thank you. So, uuuh, why did you fall from the sky, Arryn? Oh wait, why are we even talking like this. Come up here."


    Talon felt rather weird talking to Arryn when he was still stuck in a deep hole. The boy nodded his head as he slowly stood up and started climbing the pit slowly with his small hands. When he reached the edge, Talon extended a hand of help.


    "Here, grab my hand." He said with a friendly smile.


    The kid hesitated for a moment before he nodded and let Talon help pull him up. After that, Talon turned around and picked up his bag.


    "Here, sit down on this." He said as he put the bag in front of him. "Do you need anything like food or¡­ Water?"


    ''Does a water creature need to drink water? That''s a good question.''


    "N-No, ehem, thank you." Arryn coughed awkwardly.


    "So, as I was asking. Why did you fall from the sky?"


    "..." Instantly, the boy''s face changed as he looked down with a gloomy expression. "I¡­ Don''t know¡­"


    "Huh? You don''t know?"


    "I can''t remember anything at all."


    Talon stared silently at the kid for a moment. He could see that Arryn was feelingpletely lost purely from his reaction. He didn''t think that this kid would have amnesia of all things.


    "Ok, what is thest thing you can remember?"


    Sucking in a deep breath, the boy closed his eyes. "I¡­ I think I was training near the valley. It''s a usual thing for me. But, then, everything suddenly cked out and I found myself on the ground. I don''t know how I have fallen."


    "Fallen? Fallen from where exactly?" Talon asked.


    "The Divine Piercer. That''s where my homnd is."


    "..." Talon blinked silently at Arryn as if his brain froze for a second before he pointed up. "By the ''Divine Piercer'', you mean the bird that just passed above my head?" He asked.


    "Yes, it''s our divine bird that we lived on top of for the past thousand years." Arryn smiled. "It''s our greatest pride and our protector from all harm that humans and other creatures could do to us."


    "Wait, so let me get this straight, an entire race of people is living on top of a giant, flying bird?"


    "Yes!"


    "..."


    Talon opened and closed his mouth speechlessly before he looked down. "That sounds so cool. What the heck?!"


    ''No, really! This sounds like a fantasy story! Hahaha, why am I getting excited?''


    With how many books he read when he was younger, Talon''s imagination of a fantasy world was naturally vast, fueled by his father''s ambition. Hearing about a mystical story of this sort was simply a mind-blowing experience.


    ''Wait till dad hears about it!''


    "Right! It is pretty nice!" Arryn nodded his head. "We take pride in that as we were chosen by that bird to live there. We haven''t left ever since."


    "Why did it choose you out of all races on this, though?" Talon asked curiously.


    "Well, I''m still learning the history of my kind, haha. But, from what I know, a thousand years ago, our race was facing extinction. Humans hunted us down and used us for their benefit. We tried to fight for our survival and yet all we could do was end up as mere ves for them.


    When hope was all lost, the Divine Piercer appeared in front of us and allowed thest few survivors of our kind to get on top of it before it flew to the sky, away from the hands of those greedy monsters!" The boy''s tone gradually turned stronger as he spoke those words. It was as if he was carrying something on his shoulder that he can''t formte into words yet.


    "... Oh, I didn''t know the Azurians'' had been through this in the past. I''m sorry to hear that." Talon said with a rather dejected expression.


    "It''s fine, we have carried that pain with us to our very current generation. But, we are grateful that we are still alive and well to this day." Arryn replied with a smile.


    ''For an innocent kid, he definitely seems to be very mature. I wonder what his background is.'' Talon thought to himself.


    The way Arryn carried himself and even the way he speaks doesn''t fit his age at all. It was as if Talon was talking to someone his age or even older which made him curious where he learned to be this mature.


    "So, that is why you were wary of me. Because I''m a human?"


    "Yes, my parents had always warned me about humans and what they''re capable of doing. I have never met a human before in my life till I met you, Talon!"


    "Well, I can''t agree more with you, Arryn. Humans are kinda shitty."


    "But, you don''t seem like a bad person, Talon! I wonder how right my dad was?"


    "..." Talon''s mouth hung open for a moment before he smiled wryly. "You should probably still listen to your dad''s words. He knows better."


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 252 - 252- Arryn (Part 2)

    "Hmm, I''m not a child! I can determine whether a person is good or not on my own!" The boy said as he pouted.


    ''You''re not very convincing right now, boy.'' Talon almostughed at the way Arryn was acting. He could see that the kidcked a lot in terms of knowing the nature of others. If he had to guess, Arryn was probablying from a rich family even amongst the Azurians.


    ''He reminds me of a lot of rich second generations back on earth, except he doesn''t seem to be a horrible person.'' Talon thought to himself.


    "Well, I wouldn''t say that you''re a child. Even I mistake people''s true nature every now and then. Not all humans are crystal clear. Some are vague, and some are dangerous. That''s why you have to always be wary of every stranger you meet till you''re convinced that they''re good."


    "Should I be wary of you too, Talon?" Arryn asked as he tilted his head confusedly.


    "... Yeah, of course. We barely met a few minutes ago. You must not trust every word I say."


    "But¡­ You told me that you''re a good person and that I should trust you. Which is the right thing?" Arryn frowned as if he found it hard to understand what Talon was saying.


    "No¡­ What¡­ It''s¡­" Talon found himselfpletely speechless by the boy''s question. "Ugh, what''s important is that I''m not going to harm you. The same can''t be applied to other humans though."


    "Oh, I see. Thank you for rifying." The boy bowed slightly before he looked up. "So, what are you doing here alone, Talon?"


    "Me? Let''s say I''m traveling solo from a far away country." He replied with a vague tone.


    "Isn''t the desert too dangerous to travel alone? My dad said that ceremonial descent ends up killing many of our people more than humans do."


    "Ceremonial Descent? What''s that?"


    "Oh, well, once an Azurian reaches puberty, they''re tasked with going down from the Divine Piercer and live on their own for a year. If they can survive ande back, they would be glorified and respected amongst our people."


    ''Talk about a suicidal ceremony. Well, I can''t really judge their culture without knowing more.'' Talon blinked with a stoic expression.


    He knew that this was their way of showing that they''re worthy of bing great figures amongst the Azurians, as deadly as it is.


    "So you were also supposed to do that once you hit puberty?" Talon asked.


    "Yes! Many people expected me to seed and do great things in the future. My father even told me that I will have to lead our people and finally get back on the ground. That''s actually my dream: To live peacefully on the ground again one day. I''m working hard to achieve it and be a great leader." He said excitedly.


    His beautiful sky-blue eyes shone with bright colors as if he was talking about something he was very passionate about.


    Talon found that rather interesting as he nodded his head. "A great leader, huh? So you''re from a royal family?"


    "Royal? What''s that?"


    "Royal as in¡­ Your family are the ones that rule the Azurians." Talon exined.


    "Oh, you mean the Great Chief? Yes, I am the heir to my father, the current Great Chief." The boy nodded.


    ''As I expected, I guess. Quite the weird encounter to find someone as important as him in this god-forsaken desert. It''s almost like I was meant to find him.'' Squinting his eyes, Talon thought about it for a moment.


    He was in a test at the moment. He still didn''t know what the test was exactly, but he was certain that it already started. This meeting, as coincidental as it may seem at first nce, was perhaps the first major part of the test.


    Still, he had no idea what he was supposed to do with Arryn. The boy was clearly not ready to be left alone in this desert surrounded by monsters that could easily eat him.


    ''Should I really help him? I mean¡­ He would die either way. He might even be the key to getting out of here.'' Rubbing the back of his head, Talon decided to follow his feeling. In reality, he would feel very bad if he left a kid on his own to die.


    "So, what are you going to do now? Do you have a way to return to your homnd?" Talon asked.


    "... I¡­ That''s a problem." The boy said with a dryugh. "I don''t know how to go back."


    "... Sigh, so you''re stuck here?"


    "No, I mean, there is a chance that I might be able to go back. But, I don''t know how to do it on my own."


    Tapping rhythmically on his leg, Talon asked. "What is the method?"


    "... Wait, Talon¡­ Are you¡­?"


    "Yes, I might be able to help you if I can. It depends on how we can do that."


    The boy stared nkly at him before he smiled widely. "Thank you so much! I''m really d I met you, Talon!"


    "Yeah, yeah, don''t worry about it. So, how can we do this?"


    "From what I know¡­ Every one year, the Divine Piercer has tond on the ground to shed its feathers and drink water. That is actually the way our peoplee back after their journey. If we find the Divine Piercer''snding spot, I can go back."


    "Hmm, that sounds straightforward enough. But, where can we even find him?"


    "That''s¡­ I don''t know¡­ I have never gone down to know where exactly that ce is. It could be anywhere." Arryn pursed his lips sadly as he looked down.


    "That is a problem, indeed. But¡­" Talon rubbed his chin. "You said that it needs to shed its feathers and drink water, right?"


    "Yes."


    "That means the location where it''s going tond is most likely near some kind of water source. From what I can see, there aren''t that many water sources in this world, no? If we can somehow cut down the number of possible locations, we can find it."


    "Really?"


    "Yeah, as I said, I will help you out. So, don''t worry about it. Though, when is that going to happen exactly?"


    "Uh, if I recall correctly, it''s going to happen in a month."


    "A month? Good, that''s enough time to find it."


    ''Uh, but I don''t know if it''s enough to reach said location if it''s too far. It could be millions of kilometers away as far as I''m concerned.''


    But, Talon didn''t say that out loud so as not to break the boy''s spirit. He had to rely on luck on this one.


    "Well, in either case. You need toe with me. I''m heading to the nearest city. That''s where we can start searching." Standing up, Talon dusted his clothes.


    "Is that fine with you?"


    "What do you mean?"


    "That Ie along? I don''t want to waste your time if you are busy." The boy held his hands together hesitantly.


    "Come on, man. I have nothing else to do. If anything, you''re way more helpful than you might think."


    ''You might be my key to aplishing the test.''


    Just by meeting Arryn, Talon had opened a new door to an entire path that would perhaps lead him to his goal. He wasn''t going to let it slip from his hands now.


    "Wow, so there are people this kind in this world. I''m really touched." The boy covered his face as if he was trying to hide his tears.


    ''He''s quite the emotional type¡­ Well, I guess he''s made of water which fits him well.'' Talon thought to himself with a wry smile as he extended his hand to help Arryn stand up.


    "Come on, we still have a long journey ahead of us. We need to start moving as soon as possible if we want to reach the city by the end of the week."


    "Yes!"


    With that, Talon picked up the bag and gave Arryn his jacket so that he can use it instead of his tattered shirt. The boy took it dly and the two started moving again.


    "Hey, Talon¡­" A few minutes passed before Acrypha tapped Talon''s shoulder.


    "Hm?"


    "I think I remember now¡­ I thought the name was very familiar¡­ Azurians, that''s a word I heard before in the distant past and now I remember where I heard it." She said in a serious tone.


    This entire time, Acryphad had been silent as she was in deep thought for some reason. Talon noticed that but didn''t say anything. Now that she spoke, he finally focused on her.


    "Oh, what do you know about them?"


    The way Acrypha spoke made Talon instinctively tense up. He thought he heard the entire history of the Azurians from Arryn. But, from what he can see, hispanion had something she wanted to tell him.


    "The Azurians aren''t actually from this, if I recall correctly."


    "Oh?" Those words made Talon stop for a second before he started moving again as if nothing happened.


    "What do you mean, Acrypha?"


    "As I said, they didn''t exist here from the beginning of time. From what I read before, Azurians are a rare kind of water creatures that have existed in the Core Dimension since its formation. Then, for one reason or another, they ended up leaving the Core Dimension in the past. The reasons aren''t clear."


    Talon squinted his eyes for a moment as he took all of that in. He was quite surprised to hear that.


    ''An entire race left the Core Dimension? Why could that be? That is very interesting.''


    For some reason, this detail made his brain work even faster. He had never heard of such a thing before from Acrypha.


    "Is itmon for such a thing to happen?"


    "No, I have never heard of an inter-dimensional migration except this one. Most races that formed in the Core Dimension from the beginning would either flourish there or turn into prey and eventually go extinct. Leaving was never an option because it''s not simple."


    ''To leave the Core Dimension requires way too much even for a single individual. For an entire race of people to leave at the same time¡­ That''s unheard of.'' Acrypha rubbed her chin.


    "It has been a mystery for a while now which is why I remembered it." Then, she looked down at Talon. "This isn''t something normal, Talon. It''s far from that."


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 253: Chapter 253- Doubt And Bait

    Those words carried a far deeper meaning than Talon could even fathom. Even with his superficial knowledge about the Core Dimension from what Acrypha told him about it, he still can understand why this was as shocking as it was for her.


    After all, for a group of people to migrate from one ce to another was already a very hard task especially if they were chased by something. Now, that difficulty would simply reach the realm of impossibility when it bes an inter-dimensional migration.


    ''What''s confusing me even more is that he doesn''t seem to be aware of this. Is it not the same race of Azurians that perhaps migrated? But then again, Acrypha said that they only existed in the Core Dimension from the moment it appeared so the chances they also existed somewhere else in another Dimension is very highly unlikely.'' He thought to himself with a difficult expression.


    Things didn''t seem to add up in his head, as if some kind of detail was missing. For instance, why did they have to migrate? What caused them to leave? How did they leave that ce safely? And most importantly, how does that link together with what is happening now?


    All those questions kept bothering Talon. He didn''t know why, but he felt like this matter concerned him even though he barely just got to know about this mysterious race of water creatures.


    ''I need to learn more about this. My curiosity is killing me.'' He thought to himself as he took a peek at Arryn. ''And he might very well be my way of doing that too.''


    "Talon?" The boy looked at Talon curiously.


    "Hm? It''s nothing. I was just thinking for a moment." The young man shook his head. "So, what kind of abilities do you have, Arryn?"


    "Abilities?"


    "Yeah, like the water attack you tried to make. That one was¡­ very interesting." As he said that, Talon''s lips shook slightly. He couldn''t hold his expression from changing when he remembered that weak attack.


    "Oh, that''s¡­ Sigh, that''s my family''s battle technique that I inherited from my dad. It''s called ''Waterfowl Divine Technique''." He exined with a rather dark expression.


    "Sounds like a cool name. Is it strong?"


    "It is! I mean, ehem, it very much is. My father and my grandfather before him have already mastered most of it and they are the strongest people I know. I have never seen my father fight with it but he did show me what it is capable of doing and it is¡­ Scary." The boy said with a hesitant tone.


    ''Oh, now that makes me want to see it in person. How scary could it be?'' Talon raised an eyebrow.


    "Though, my father told me that he hasn''t learned the entire technique yet. Some higher levels of it are so advanced that even after decades of training, he couldn''tprehend them yet. Now, he relies on me to be the first one to fully master it. But¡­ As you can see I''m¡­ stillcking very much."


    "Oh¡­" With a dazed expression, Talon went silent as he stared at the sad boy. "I''m sorry to hear that."


    "It is fine. I know that I''m still far behind. But, I know I can definitely improve which is why I''m working very hard. I won''t let my father and my people down. As the future Great Chief, I must be up to the standards and higher." Clenching his fist, Arryn said with a determined look on his face.


    Talon could see the fire burning within his bright blue eyes. For some reason, he could understand the boy''s struggle even without knowing much about his story. That simple desire to conquer something that you are finding a hard time with is something he had been doing basically his entire life.


    It became especially prominent in the recent months since he is now working toward a ridiculously high goal that could be considered foolish by many. But, that simple ambition to get better and improve day by day¡­ That intent focus on bing something great against all odds, it was a universalnguage.


    In the end, all he could do was smile at the boy. "I don''t know how hard it''s going to be. But, I''m certain that you will be able to achieve it one day."


    "Wait¡­ Really?!" His words made Arryn flinch visibly.


    "Yeah, I can see it in your eyes. You have what it takes to reach that goal. All you have to do is keep that drive and ambition ignited and you will definitely achieve everything you want."


    "... I¡­ What? That''s too sudden¡­" Looking away with a ttered look on his face, the boyughed. "You are giving me way more than I deserve, haha! I''m not that talented and I''m a very slow learner. Many think I''m just not going to make it and to be honest, I think they have a point.


    I mean, I''m far less talented than the rest of my family and I have a very weak build."


    "..."


    "I can''t even seem to master the first level of the technique which is supposed to be very easy. The only reason I''m still trying to work hard is because I know the responsibility that I need to carry for the sake of my people. I cannot let this pull me down." The boy exined with a wry smile.


    ''I might be too foolish for that.'' He added in his head as he looked away.


    He couldn''t count the number of times he heard people whisper behind his back that he didn''t have what it takes to be the next Great Chief and lead the Azurians. Many even loathed him when they learned that at his age, he was still stuck at the first level of the battle technique.


    That naturally was a very strong hit to his morale and it affected him even harder when he realized that some of his family members were a part of that group. He worked hard everyday till he couldn''t move an inch and did everything within his ability to improve and yet he can''t seem to seed at all.


    He started questioning whether he was really meant to even reach his father''s expectations or not. It only affected him more and more with each passing day.


    ''Dammit, I shouldn''t think about this now! I still have time!'' Clenching his teeth with a frustrated look, he didn''t realize that Talon had started walking toward him.


    When he reached him, he stared down at him from above with an emotionless look on his face. Then, with a swift gesture, he flicked Arryn''s forehead with his index finger.


    "Ouch!!" The boy staggered back with a pained look on his face. "What was that for?!"


    "You deserved that." Talon said with a serious tone.


    "Huh? What did I do?"


    "You are being a moron right now." Talon said. "Letting a bunch of nonsense get to your head. That''s what you did."


    "..."


    "So what if some people said that you aren''t going to make it? Are they going to affect what you can and can''t do? Of course not. What determines your sess or failure is you. Granted, failure happens, and we might fall way more times than we do stand up.


    Eventually, wee to either of two conclusions¡­ We either didn''t try hard enough and we stopped at failure, or we did try hard enough and we broke our limit. There is no third choice in your case."


    Arryn stared nkly at Talon with a stupefied look. He waspletely taken by surprise.


    "People will hate you and curse you simply because they don''t have what you have. They don''t have the ambition to actually seed and so they would try to bring anyone down with them. Screw what they say!" As he said those words, his aura red as his eyes shone with a faint blue light. However, neither of the two noticed it when it appeared.


    "What do you want to do? Be on the losing side or the winning side?"


    "I¡­" Arryn hesitated for a moment as if he didn''t understand the question before he looked down. He had to admit that Talon was right. As harsh as they were, the people that tried to pull him down never actually affected his training. They simply yelled from the side and he heard them and believed them.


    He was the one that let them bring him down and he felt stupid for it. ''I''m really stupid¡­''


    Without realizing it, he teared up a little. The frustration he had within him boiled up in his chest.


    "So, which one is it?" Talon asked again as he noticed the subtle changes in Arryn''s mental state.


    "I¡­ I want to seed."


    "What? I don''t hear you, speak louder."


    "I want to seed." The boy looked up and said as he wiped his tears and sniffed.


    "Louder." Talon repeated as if he still didn''t hear him.


    "I want to seed!"


    "Louder!!"


    "I WANT TO SUCCEED!! I WANT TO BE BETTER!!" The boy yelled at the top of his lungs. He felt all the energye out in that yell.


    "Then do it. It''s that simple. If you hate that, then do it."


    Arryn heaved up and down with wide eyes as if he realized what he did. Then, he nodded his head faintly. "I¡­ I understand."


    Seeing that, Talon sighed. He knew that mere words won''t change how someone feels about themselves. But, he wanted to trigger a change that the boy himself will use to be better.


    ''I don''t know why. But hearing him being pessimistic triggered me. Did I feel bad for him or was that just a coincidence?'' Rubbing the back of his head, he shrugged. ''Oh well, who cares. If this helps him, then it''s all go-''


    Before his thought could even finish, suddenly, the earth beneath them started shaking violently as if it was hit by an earthquake.


    "What?!"


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 254: Chapter 254- Sky Seekers (Part 1)

    "T-Talon?!" Arryn stumbled back and forth as he got closer from Talon. He felt his heart starting to race in fear and he didn''t know why. The world had suddenly turned chaotic in a split second with no warning.


    Talon put his hand to guard the boy as he looked around him coldly. ''I''m sensing multiple things moving beneath us¡­ Sand Eaters!''


    The auras were too familiar for him not to recognize them. He had already fought one of them before and knew what kind of presence it had. With a simple estimation, he could see that this was a different case.


    *BOOOOOOM*


    A split secondter, giant bulges of sand appeared everywhere around them at the same time. The sand rose up in the air higher and higher till it towered over them.


    "What is this?!" Arryn panicked even more as he looked around him. All he could see were giant sand objects popping out everywhere.


    Meanwhile, Talon had already figured out everything. ''We are being ambushed by multiple Sand Eaters. Dammit.'' Cursing inwardly, he turned to Arryn.


    "We need to move, right now! I''m sorry, but I''m going to carry you." He said before he lifted Arryn up and put him over his shoulder.


    "What?! AAAAAH!!!"


    At the same time, right beneath them, the sand started carving in before a giant worm suddenly popped out. With his vision angle, Arryn was able to see a glimpse of it. Many sets of sharp razor teeth appeared out of nowhere.


    ''What is this?!'' From sheer shock, he couldn''t even make a sound. Then, he felt his body suddenly being yanked up. He closed his eyes out of fear of being eaten, only to feel a strong gust of wind hit his face the next second.


    Opening his eyes again, he found himself flying in the air, way above the ground. Moving his eyes to look at Talon. He noticed that he had just leaped in the air.


    "Hold on!" Talon said as he looked down. The worms have already noticed that they moved and so they instantly dove into the sand again and chased after them.


    ''How many are there, dammit?!'' Even with a simple nce, he could count at least 10 worms chasing after them relentlessly. The moment hends on the ground, one would appear there and open its wide mouth to swallow them whole.


    He couldn''t fight them individually since he had Arryn with him. So, he could only rely on Future Sight to predict where the monsters would appear. The moment he locates a good ce to move, he would instantly follow his instincts.


    Seconds passed as Talon jumped, dashed and dodged all kinds of attacks. He found a hard time juggling all these different thoughts at the same time. After all, fighting 6 different terrifying monsters at the same time while protecting a child wasn''t easy at all.


    But, unbeknownst to him, Arryn was watching all of this unfold with a stupefied look on his face.


    ''He''s¡­ so strong!!'' His eyes shone with a bright light. ''How does he move this fast? I can''t even see anything!''


    When he met Talon at first, he thought that he was strong purely by the way he acted. He seemed nonchnt and the way he carried himself was as if he was scared of nothing. It was the same demeanor his father had which led him to believe that Talon was indeed a special person.


    However, never did he expect him to be this strong. His speed, uracy, strength, and even technique were so precise that he couldn''t even start to understand them. He was in apletely different league.


    ''I can''t seem to get rid of them. Tsk, do I really have to kill them? That''s going to be so much pain!'' He cursed as he looked down. At the same time, Talon noticed something.


    One of the worms was slowly swimming through the surface of the sand with half of its body visible. Unlike the others, its shiny spikes were glistening under the rays of the two suns.


    Instantly, Talon felt a cold sensation run through his spine and his senses went off. At the same time, the worm''s spikes suddenly sted off its body as they cut through the air, aiming for the duo.


    ''Oh, hell no!'' With no time to waste, Talon pulled his spear and two Aetherial des out as he quickly moved them.


    *CLING* *CLING* *CLING*


    The spear and the two des immediately deflected the barrage of spikes aiming for them at an inhuman speed. The sound of the weapons shing with the projectiles filled Talon''s ears.


    Talon''s pupils moved along with them, detecting every spike and deflecting it using the Blue Lapis spear. However, what he wasn''t aware of was that the spear was making a series of faint cracking noises with each hit. The web of cracks filling its de were growing bigger and more pronounced with each passing second.


    Till eventually¡­


    *CRACK*


    With a loud cracking sound, the de burst into small pieces.


    ''Wha-?!'' Talon''s eyes widened as he realized what happened. However, before he could even react, one of the spikes passed through his defenses as it aimed for Arryn''s back. The young man''s mind raced the moment he saw that. Then, without wasting a moment, he twisted his body right before the spike stabbed the boy.


    "Ugh!" Instantly, he felt sharp pain assault his back.


    "Talon!" Arryn screamed when he saw the man''s face twist with pain. But, he didn''t even have time to understand what happened before Talon turned around again andnded on the ground.


    The two rolled a few times before they stopped. "Fu.. ck! That hurts!" Clenching his teeth, Talon immediately stood up as he grabbed the spike protruding from his stomach and pulled it out.


    Blood sshed on the ground as he squinted.


    ''That hit an organ¡­. Dammit!'' Cursing under his breath, he turned around him. The worms had already surrounded them from all angles and they had no way to escape. Then, his eyes looked at the spear in his hand that was shattered to pieces.


    ''Great¡­'' With a cold expression, he put the spear down as he looked at Arryn. The boy was still in shock from what just happened so he couldn''t move much. ''If I had left the spike to hit him, he would''ve been dead instantly.''


    "Sigh¡­ You lot are really taking it too far¡­" He said in a cold tone as he started rolling his sleeves. "Attacking a small child. You''re truly low scums even amongst monsters." Then, he clenched his fists as his vein popped out.


    His aura slowly rose up. "I don''t even need a goddamn spear to beat you all up! So,e at me! Let''s have some fun!"


    As he dered loudly, the worms seemed to understand what he was saying as they screeched loudly. Meanwhile, Arryn was still trying to stand up.


    "Hey, Acrypha, I will need you to tell me when one of these things would try to attack the boy. I can''t keep an eye on him while killing them." He said.


    "... I can. But, how are you going to¡­"


    "I will figure it out somehow. You just keep notifying me of anything."


    After saying those words, Talon activated ''Dash'', ''Azure mes'' and whatever few seconds left he can use on ''Future Sight'' before it starts damaging his eyes. His mind calcted every possibility in a split second and chose whatever path he had to move in.


    ''I need to kill them all in less than a minute or I will be in huge trouble¡­ Ugh! I can''t move too much or I will damage my internal organs even more.'' Holding the bloody hole in his body, he took a deep breath.


    At the same time, the monsters seemed to have prepared themselves as they all attacked Talon at the same time.


    ''I have never tried this before. But, with no weapon, I have to figure things out. My hands are my only weapon now.'' As he focused intently, the Azure mes slowly started covering his hands.


    He felt a sharp stinging pain assault his fingers, but he tried to ignore it. It wasn''t dealing soul damage to him yet so the pain could be tolerated. After leveling it up multiple times, Talon had reached a good mastery over these mes.


    They were still violent, unpredictable, and very destructive. But, with each passing day he used them, he was learning how they behave and how he can control them as efficiently as possible. He kept training them daily and trying to reachplete control over them. His biggest step so far was to be able to make them fly wherever he wants and explode whenever he wants.


    That was enough for most situations. But, now that he was faced with such a horrible disaster. He can''t simply use Azure mes normally, he had to innovate and the one idea he had so far that he still couldn''t execute was coating his hands with these mes and boosting their destructive power to the sky.


    He had already seeded in doing it with the Blue Lapis spear once against a Sand Eater which further proved that his theory was possible.


    Now, with no actual experience and basically no training, he had to somehow make it work. It was his only choice.


    "AAAAh!" With no time to waste, Talon dashed forward like a ghost, closing the distance between him and his enemies.


    The Sand Eaters screeched ominously before they dove down, aiming for Talon. A fight for survival between a sole human and a flock of desert predators begun.


    ***


    Meanwhile, far away from there, moving through the sky. A few small objects could be seen flying at an enormous speed, crossing the vast desert with ease. The moving objects were almost 9 in number as they seemed to be searching for something.


    At that moment, they heard loud noisesing from afar and their focus was instantly directed toward that source of noise.


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 254 - 254- Sky Seekers (Part 1)

    "T-Talon?!" Arryn stumbled back and forth as he got closer from Talon. He felt his heart starting to race in fear and he didn''t know why. The world had suddenly turned chaotic in a split second with no warning.


    Talon put his hand to guard the boy as he looked around him coldly. ''I''m sensing multiple things moving beneath us¡­ Sand Eaters!''


    The auras were too familiar for him not to recognize them. He had already fought one of them before and knew what kind of presence it had. With a simple estimation, he could see that this was a different case.


    *BOOOOOOM*


    A split secondter, giant bulges of sand appeared everywhere around them at the same time. The sand rose up in the air higher and higher till it towered over them.


    "What is this?!" Arryn panicked even more as he looked around him. All he could see were giant sand objects popping out everywhere.


    Meanwhile, Talon had already figured out everything. ''We are being ambushed by multiple Sand Eaters. Dammit.'' Cursing inwardly, he turned to Arryn.


    "We need to move, right now! I''m sorry, but I''m going to carry you." He said before he lifted Arryn up and put him over his shoulder.


    "What?! AAAAAH!!!"


    At the same time, right beneath them, the sand started carving in before a giant worm suddenly popped out. With his vision angle, Arryn was able to see a glimpse of it. Many sets of sharp razor teeth appeared out of nowhere.


    ''What is this?!'' From sheer shock, he couldn''t even make a sound. Then, he felt his body suddenly being yanked up. He closed his eyes out of fear of being eaten, only to feel a strong gust of wind hit his face the next second.


    Opening his eyes again, he found himself flying in the air, way above the ground. Moving his eyes to look at Talon. He noticed that he had just leaped in the air.


    "Hold on!" Talon said as he looked down. The worms have already noticed that they moved and so they instantly dove into the sand again and chased after them.


    ''How many are there, dammit?!'' Even with a simple nce, he could count at least 10 worms chasing after them relentlessly. The moment hends on the ground, one would appear there and open its wide mouth to swallow them whole.


    He couldn''t fight them individually since he had Arryn with him. So, he could only rely on Future Sight to predict where the monsters would appear. The moment he locates a good ce to move, he would instantly follow his instincts.


    Seconds passed as Talon jumped, dashed and dodged all kinds of attacks. He found a hard time juggling all these different thoughts at the same time. After all, fighting 6 different terrifying monsters at the same time while protecting a child wasn''t easy at all.


    But, unbeknownst to him, Arryn was watching all of this unfold with a stupefied look on his face.


    ''He''s¡­ so strong!!'' His eyes shone with a bright light. ''How does he move this fast? I can''t even see anything!''


    When he met Talon at first, he thought that he was strong purely by the way he acted. He seemed nonchnt and the way he carried himself was as if he was scared of nothing. It was the same demeanor his father had which led him to believe that Talon was indeed a special person.


    However, never did he expect him to be this strong. His speed, uracy, strength, and even technique were so precise that he couldn''t even start to understand them. He was in apletely different league.


    ''I can''t seem to get rid of them. Tsk, do I really have to kill them? That''s going to be so much pain!'' He cursed as he looked down. At the same time, Talon noticed something.


    One of the worms was slowly swimming through the surface of the sand with half of its body visible. Unlike the others, its shiny spikes were glistening under the rays of the two suns.


    Instantly, Talon felt a cold sensation run through his spine and his senses went off. At the same time, the worm''s spikes suddenly sted off its body as they cut through the air, aiming for the duo.


    ''Oh, hell no!'' With no time to waste, Talon pulled his spear and two Aetherial des out as he quickly moved them.


    *CLING* *CLING* *CLING*


    The spear and the two des immediately deflected the barrage of spikes aiming for them at an inhuman speed. The sound of the weapons shing with the projectiles filled Talon''s ears.


    Talon''s pupils moved along with them, detecting every spike and deflecting it using the Blue Lapis spear. However, what he wasn''t aware of was that the spear was making a series of faint cracking noises with each hit. The web of cracks filling its de were growing bigger and more pronounced with each passing second.


    Till eventually¡­


    *CRACK*


    With a loud cracking sound, the de burst into small pieces.


    ''Wha-?!'' Talon''s eyes widened as he realized what happened. However, before he could even react, one of the spikes passed through his defenses as it aimed for Arryn''s back. The young man''s mind raced the moment he saw that. Then, without wasting a moment, he twisted his body right before the spike stabbed the boy.


    "Ugh!" Instantly, he felt sharp pain assault his back.


    "Talon!" Arryn screamed when he saw the man''s face twist with pain. But, he didn''t even have time to understand what happened before Talon turned around again andnded on the ground.


    The two rolled a few times before they stopped. "Fu.. ck! That hurts!" Clenching his teeth, Talon immediately stood up as he grabbed the spike protruding from his stomach and pulled it out.


    Blood sshed on the ground as he squinted.


    ''That hit an organ¡­. Dammit!'' Cursing under his breath, he turned around him. The worms had already surrounded them from all angles and they had no way to escape. Then, his eyes looked at the spear in his hand that was shattered to pieces.


    ''Great¡­'' With a cold expression, he put the spear down as he looked at Arryn. The boy was still in shock from what just happened so he couldn''t move much. ''If I had left the spike to hit him, he would''ve been dead instantly.''


    "Sigh¡­ You lot are really taking it too far¡­" He said in a cold tone as he started rolling his sleeves. "Attacking a small child. You''re truly low scums even amongst monsters." Then, he clenched his fists as his vein popped out.


    His aura slowly rose up. "I don''t even need a goddamn spear to beat you all up! So,e at me! Let''s have some fun!"


    As he dered loudly, the worms seemed to understand what he was saying as they screeched loudly. Meanwhile, Arryn was still trying to stand up.


    "Hey, Acrypha, I will need you to tell me when one of these things would try to attack the boy. I can''t keep an eye on him while killing them." He said.


    "... I can. But, how are you going to¡­"


    "I will figure it out somehow. You just keep notifying me of anything."


    After saying those words, Talon activated ''Dash'', ''Azure mes'' and whatever few seconds left he can use on ''Future Sight'' before it starts damaging his eyes. His mind calcted every possibility in a split second and chose whatever path he had to move in.


    ''I need to kill them all in less than a minute or I will be in huge trouble¡­ Ugh! I can''t move too much or I will damage my internal organs even more.'' Holding the bloody hole in his body, he took a deep breath.


    At the same time, the monsters seemed to have prepared themselves as they all attacked Talon at the same time.


    ''I have never tried this before. But, with no weapon, I have to figure things out. My hands are my only weapon now.'' As he focused intently, the Azure mes slowly started covering his hands.


    He felt a sharp stinging pain assault his fingers, but he tried to ignore it. It wasn''t dealing soul damage to him yet so the pain could be tolerated. After leveling it up multiple times, Talon had reached a good mastery over these mes.


    They were still violent, unpredictable, and very destructive. But, with each passing day he used them, he was learning how they behave and how he can control them as efficiently as possible. He kept training them daily and trying to reachplete control over them. His biggest step so far was to be able to make them fly wherever he wants and explode whenever he wants.


    That was enough for most situations. But, now that he was faced with such a horrible disaster. He can''t simply use Azure mes normally, he had to innovate and the one idea he had so far that he still couldn''t execute was coating his hands with these mes and boosting their destructive power to the sky.


    He had already seeded in doing it with the Blue Lapis spear once against a Sand Eater which further proved that his theory was possible.


    Now, with no actual experience and basically no training, he had to somehow make it work. It was his only choice.


    "AAAAh!" With no time to waste, Talon dashed forward like a ghost, closing the distance between him and his enemies.


    The Sand Eaters screeched ominously before they dove down, aiming for Talon. A fight for survival between a sole human and a flock of desert predators begun.


    ***


    Meanwhile, far away from there, moving through the sky. A few small objects could be seen flying at an enormous speed, crossing the vast desert with ease. The moving objects were almost 9 in number as they seemed to be searching for something.


    At that moment, they heard loud noisesing from afar and their focus was instantly directed toward that source of noise.


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 255: Chapter 255- Sky Seekers (Part 2)

    If one asked Talon, what was perhaps the most painful moment in his life? He would''ve answered with no hesitation that it was his mother''s death. Even though she had died weeks ago, the pain was still as vivid as the first moment he got to know about it.


    That pain changed him from the ground up. It brought him a harsh realization that life wouldn''t always go his way even if he worked his hardest. Some things simply aren''t meant to happen and one of them was him saving his mother from death in time. That fact birthed something in him that he wasn''t aware of.


    It birthed in him a small ember of darkness, something he would''ve been repulsed by before. That ember of darkness affected his mind down to how he even fights. His swift, elegant and effective fighting style had been mixed with a strong hint of brutality.


    If before Talon would just aim for a clean kill. Now, he sought more blood and death. He didn''t care if he ended uppletely covered in the blood of his enemies, he simply relished in that feeling without knowing it.


    That feeling only grew within him with time.


    ***


    The Sand Eaters encircled Talon as they attacked him all at the same time. Thetter leaped high in the air as he clenched his fist. The fire burning around his hand red up as he targeted one of the worms.


    "AGH!!!" With clenched teeth, heunched a strong punch aimed at the monster''s body.


    *BOOOOOOOOOM*


    The moment his fist connected, a loud explosion erupted on top of the monster''s giant body as it was sted back with smoke rising from its body. Talonnded on the ground, only to move instantly in order to dodge a set of spikes that flew toward him. A rain of projectiles chased him wherever he went.


    Meanwhile, the rest of the worms dove down under him as the sand started shifting quickly. Talon almost lost his bnce for a moment.


    But, he quickly adjusted his body and dashed away before one of the worms could swallow him from beneath. With his extremely athletic body, instantaneous movements like this even when he wasn''t bnced became very easy.


    He could perform feats that a normal body would never dream of. Yet, even with that, the sheer number of monsters was slowly overwhelming him.


    As he jumped in the air again to aim for another target. Talon''s senses suddenly went off as he looked to the side. One of the other Sand Eaters was already a few inches away from him.


    ''Shit!'' Cursing inwardly, Talon immediately deactivated the Azure mes in his left hand and activated Tear of Reality. Then, he swung his arm down.


    *BOOOM*


    The monster was sted back as blood gushed out of the injury. It wiggled on the ground for a moment before it stopped moving and died. The attack had hit a very sensitive area of its body from very up close. That made the number of worms 8 after two were killed.


    However, with no time to even breathe, Talon was assaulted by another set of Spikes. He tried to dodge them all using Future Sight. But, the moment he activated it, he was suddenly assaulted with a sharp pain in his eyes as his vision turned very hazy. Swaying to the side, the spikes hit his body from the back.


    "Agh!!" The young man stumbled forward before he quickly stretched his body, pushing the spikes out and started running as his aura exploded. Coating his burnt hands with Azure mes again, he maniacally jumped in the air and punched the worm that attacked him from behind. The monster was thrown back to the ground with a loud thud.


    "Hah!! Hah!! Hah!!!" Breathing heavily, Talon looked down at his abdomen and left arm. Big gaping holes could be seen riddling his body and gushing dangerous amounts of blood.


    ''Dammit, why are these spikes so sharp? My skin doesn''t even stand a chance against them.''


    Blinking slightly, he started regaining his clear vision again. ''I can''t use Future Sight anymore. Fuck, I think I already overused it.''


    "T-Talon¡­" Meanwhile, Arryn watched the brutal fight with a terrified look on his face. Seeing Talon all bloodied and exhausted after mere minutes of fighting sent a chill down his spine. He feared that the young man would die right there and then.


    Even the way he swayed every-so-slightly as he tried to catch his breath was rming.


    ''I-I need to do something! Talon will die!!'' He thought to himself.


    "Stay there!!"


    As if Talon had read his mind, he yelled loudly with a hoarse voice. The boy immediately froze in his ce.


    "This is my fight." He added after a moment. "I won''t let anyone take it from me."


    "..." The boy''s eyes widened in shock.


    He didn''t expect to hear such words from Talon and yet, their effect on him was profound. For some reason, he felt like he understood why Talon said that. Even in such a disadvantageous position, his powerful presence was all present. In fact, he seemed to only grow stronger the more weakened he looked.


    ''Amazing¡­'' The boy blinked silently.


    ''If I don''t break my own limit, then how am I going to get stronger?! I need these kinds of fights to get stronger... Faster than everyone else.'' Closing his eyes for a moment, an image of the nightmare he had yesterday shed across his mind.


    That wicked smile of his mother''s clone was still vivid in his head. For some reason, he felt that if he gave up here, he would regret it for the rest of his life.


    "Fuuuh¡­ Ok, let''s get this over with." Cracking his neck, Talon focused on the fight again. The worms seemed to have finally started to regain their courage and slowly moved toward him.


    After seeing him kill two of their own kind, they naturally grew wary of him. But, they quickly realized that their target was weakened a lot and he was almost on the verge of dying.


    ''Mother, protect me.'' Saying a single prayer in his head, he finally dashed forward. The fire in his hands ignited to the extreme as he channeled every ounce of Aetheris left in his body.


    *BOOOOM*


    mming his fist into his target, hended on top of the worm''s body. At the same time, the rest attacked him with flying spikes. So, he dashed across the monster''s corpse before jumping again to his next target.


    *BOOOM*


    With one hand, he punched his target and killed them instantly and with his left hand, he used Tear Of Reality to destroy all the spikes that he couldn''t dodge. Bncing these two powers together, at the same time was a brutal task, on top of being so painful.


    He had already lost all feeling in both hands since one was burnt beyond recognition and the other was almost broken to pieces due to the continuous shredding of the fabric of reality. But, Talon didn''t stop at all.


    His mind was so focused on the battle that he didn''t even realize that his body was on the verge of breaking down. Minutes passed like that and the fight only grew more brutal with each passing second.


    The monsters continued assaulting Talon from all angles while he tried to kill them, one by one. He was sted into the ground multiple times, pierced by more spikes and beaten to a pulp. But, he also took down many of them on his own.


    "Talon!" Acrypha watched the fight with a pale expression. This was one of the worst fights she had seen him go through so far. Not only because he was at aplete disadvantage but also because he had to keep in mind that Arryn was still there, as open as ever to attacks.


    ''He can''t keep on going for long¡­ And there are three left¡­'' She frowned even harder when she realized the current condition her humans was in.


    He was still standing, but she didn''t even understand how he was able to keep standing. He looked like a piece of swiss cheese with how many injuries he had on him. Yet, he still didn''t seem to even care at all.


    The Azure mes were still burning in his hands and he was still channeling every ounce of Aetheris he had. Even when it constantly regenerates, he would continue to use it all instantly.


    ''Three more¡­'' Wiping the red and blue blood off his face, he finally took a fighting stance again.


    "Talon! Behind you!" Acrypha yelled.


    It took him a few seconds for his brain to snap out of the daze.


    Then, as he was about to rush them, he suddenly noticed something. One of the worms that was aiming for him had suddenly turned around and dove underground.


    ''What?!''


    Looking at the direction it was going for, his heart wentpletely cold. Arryn was sitting there.


    ''Oh no!!!'' Realizing his blunder, Talon instantly dashed toward the boy using every point of speed he had. He crossed 30 meters almost instantly. But, he realized that the worm was way too close for him to get in time.


    "Arryn!!" Yelling loudly, everything suddenly turned slower. ''I won''t make it!!'' Clenching his teeth, he was about to activate something he had left in the back of his arsenal. For a desperate situation, desperate measures were required and this was as desperate as it could get.


    ''I''m such an idiot!!''


    But, a split second before the worm could reach Arryn, out of nowhere, something fell from the sky and exploded on the monster''s head. Then, a series of explosions erupted after that one that sted the monster''s body to pieces.


    At the same time, the two worms behind him were assaulted by the same explosives as they fell to the ground dead almost instantly.


    "What?" Talon frowned as he looked up. Multiple figures shed across his eyes as they flew in the air. ''They killed those worms instantly? Who are they?''


    "Target down, Emino!" One voice said loudly with an excitedugh.


    "The two over here are down too!" The other said.


    "There are two more unknown individuals down there! I can see them!" A third one added.


    "Let''s go down first. Be careful." The man assumed to be Emino dered loudly.


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 256: Chapter 256- Sky Seekers (Part 3)

    The flying creatures eventually grew closer and closer from the ground as if they were trying to descend. Talon noticed that and looked at Arryn before he approached him with his tired body. At this point, the sole thing keeping him on his feet was the adrenaline rushing through his muscles.


    Once things calmed down, Talon was certain that he was going to crash and it wouldn''t be pleasant. But, he didn''t care at all. This battle wasn''t over yet. Looking at the terrified boy, Talon said in a low tone.


    "Stay behind me and don''t show your face, ok? Cover your head using the hoodie on my jacket."


    The boy took a moment to understand what he said before he nodded and quickly covered his face.


    "Be careful, Talon. These people¡­ They aren''t weak." Acrypha said with a grave tone.


    "Yeah, I already felt it. They''re quite strong." He murmured. Killing the worms that quickly was a very impressive feat by the standards of earth since each one of them was at least level 40.


    Which meant that the people he was dealing with were potentially stronger than him. Though, he can''t say for sure without fighting them.


    ''Did they pass their first gate, I wonder¡­'' He thought to himself.


    At the same time, the individuals finallynded a few dozen meters away from Talon and Arryn and for the first time, they could take a closer look at them. There were exactly 2 women and 3 men. Talon noticed another three moving away rather thannding which meant that there were a total of eight people.


    They were all wearing some kind of artificial wings stuck to their back over a square metallicpartment that was expelling steam out of a small exhaust. The wings stopped moving as the group finally stopped.


    "What do we have here?" One of them, particrly a man, came forward with a curious look on his face. He was strikingly handsome with a thick beard and brown hair that he pushed to the back of his scalp. He had two rather soft eyes and a friendly look. The term ''Gentle Giant'' fit his appearance very well.


    "Be careful, Emino. They might be hostile." A beautiful blonde woman said as she tapped his shoulder. She had a strikingly athletic body with a tanned skin color, perhaps due to the hot weather.


    "Hahaha, look at him, he is barely standing on his feet. Though¡­" Looking around him, he raised an eyebrow. "Hey, you! Did you kill all these on your own?" He asked.


    "..." Talon didn''t reply as he stared at them, assessing each individual. ''Should I talk with them? From what I can see¡­ They look very human to me¡­ Are these the humans of this world?''


    Even though they had way more beautiful appearances than what he was ustomed to, Talon was certain that these were humans. Which meant that these are the people that Arryn told him about.


    Looking over his shoulder secretly, the boy was shaking fearfully as he grabbed into the hem of his shirt. That made Talon purse his lips before he turned around.


    "Yes, I killed them. And who are you?" He asked coldly as he clenched his fists, ready for anything to happen.


    "Goddamn, man! You killed 7 Sand Eaters with no gear or even a weapon? When was thest time someone did this?" Emino smiled.


    The others had astonished looks on their faces. "There is no way he did that, Emino! Even you can''t do that." Another man, younger than Emino clearly, said as he facepalmed.


    "Then how do you exin all these dead bodies, Michi?" A second one, very simr in appearance to the first one, spoke.


    "He seems to be very injured too. So, we are sure he at least fought them."


    Emino heard his group talking amongst each other and could only sigh. "Come on, guys. We are disrespecting the man. He clearly fought hard to earn this. Don''t take his achievement down."


    Then, he turned to Talon. "My apologies for how my team is acting. They get very wary of anyone they find wandering the desert. Especially if it''s only two people." his tone changed subtly at the end of he was hinting at something which was caught by Talon.


    Spitting a mouthful of blood, Talon shrugged. "I like to travel light. By the way, does anyone of you have a healing potion or anything to help? I really need some help."


    "..."


    No one immediately stepped forward to help which made Talon''s tone go softer. "I am really here for no harm. I have been traveling with my younger brother for days now to reach the nearest city and we ended up getting ambushed by a bunch of Sand Eaters. If you can help us, we will be eternally grateful."


    He made sure to make himself sound weak and subtly desperate to make them feel bad for him. The fact that they didn''t attack him immediately made Talon believe they weren''t there to kill him. They were simply being careful.


    ''I hope this works out. I really can''t keep standing for a long time.''


    Thest thing Talon wanted was to lose consciousness here and leave Arryn alone. If that happened, they would realize that he isn''t human and that might lead to consequences he would rather not even think about. No matter what, he had to keep himself awake and even ready to engage in a fight.


    "What should we do, Emino?" The tanned blonde woman asked secretly. "He seems to be on the verge of death."


    "Of course, we are going to help him. We, squad six, don''t leave a desperate person behind." He dered with a smile.


    "Are you sure?"


    "Yeah, I am sure. He doesn''t seem like a bad person and even if he is, we can deal with him." Tapping the woman on the shoulder softly, he finally stepped forward.


    "Of course, friend. Here, take one of my potions." Then, he started walking toward Talon, only for thetter to take a step back.


    That made Emino stop in his ce. "Oh, my apologies! You are probably wary of us too! Don''t worry, man. We are simply a group of soldiers working through our shift. Here, I''m going to throw it to you."


    Then, he tossed the potion to Talon. Thetter grabbed it and looked at it. The color of the potion was extremely bright, far brighter than any other potion he had ever held in his hand.


    Without even looking to his side, he lifted the potion a little for Acrypha to see. Thetter then nodded her head. "It''s safe to drink."


    So, Talon popped it open and chugged the liquid down as fast as he could. The moment it touched his tongue, a very sweet taste assaulted his taste buds. His eyes opened for a little as a pleasant sensation engulfed his entire body.


    The painful injuries riddling his body started closing at an rmingly fast rate and his depleted energy was recharging quickly.


    ''This is insane¡­ How strong is this potion?'' He asked himself.


    All the potions he consumed so far were good enough to heal most minimal injuries. But, what theycked was the ability to heal deeper, more dangerous injuries andcerations. But, this one easily restored 80% of Talon''s normal condition almost instantly.


    "Thank you so much!" After finishing the bottle, he smiled at Emino. "I really appreciate it, thank you!"


    "No problem, my brother. So, where did youe from?"


    "We''re from down south, a small vige. But¡­ We were attacked by Sand Eaters a few weeks ago and we had to run away, me and my brother." He said as he patted Arryn on the head.


    ''Is this a good enough of a lie? I don''t know much about this world so I can''t say if they''re going to buy this excuse.''


    For a second, Talon felt rather nervous as he waited for Emino to reply. Everything relies on what kind of reaction he will have. Even with most of his power back, he still wasn''t sure if he can really fight all these strong people on his own.


    ''It''s such a weird feeling¡­ To meet this many people that can actually fight me and have a chance to win. I am really in a different dimension.''


    So far, the people Talon met were all weaker than him with no exception. In his world, he was the strongest and no human could rival him in that department. Yet, now that he entered his first gate, he had to start understanding that he wasn''t the strongest individual in that world anymore.


    He was far from that and these six people are proof of that. From appearance alone, Talon could see that they weren''t that special.


    Even their demeanor was that of normal people by this world''s standards.


    ''Sigh, I still have a long way to go before I can even be considered very strong.'' Shaking his head inwardly, he focused on Emino again.


    "Oh, I''m sorry to hear that. It''s not that umon for small, unprotected settlements to get destroyed. I assume yours ran out of Blue Elixir." The man replied with a serious expression.


    ''What the hell is blue elixir?'' Talon frowned inwardly as he nodded his head. "Yeah, it''s fine. We were intending to leave sooner orter. This only made us rush it, haha. Me and my brother''s lives are better off in a city rather than a small vige."


    "To be honest, that''s the correct decision. Most people live behind walls in fear of Sand Eaters that infest these deserts. Oh, right, I didn''t introduce myself yet. You can call me Emino."


    "... I''m Talon, and this boy over here is Arryn." He replied.


    ''Ok, this is going as seamlessly as I wanted.'' Talon smiled as he nodded his head. ''We might''ve found our fast ticket to the city.''


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 255 - 255- Sky Seekers (Part 2)

    If one asked Talon, what was perhaps the most painful moment in his life? He would''ve answered with no hesitation that it was his mother''s death. Even though she had died weeks ago, the pain was still as vivid as the first moment he got to know about it.


    That pain changed him from the ground up. It brought him a harsh realization that life wouldn''t always go his way even if he worked his hardest. Some things simply aren''t meant to happen and one of them was him saving his mother from death in time. That fact birthed something in him that he wasn''t aware of.


    It birthed in him a small ember of darkness, something he would''ve been repulsed by before. That ember of darkness affected his mind down to how he even fights. His swift, elegant and effective fighting style had been mixed with a strong hint of brutality.


    If before Talon would just aim for a clean kill. Now, he sought more blood and death. He didn''t care if he ended uppletely covered in the blood of his enemies, he simply relished in that feeling without knowing it.


    That feeling only grew within him with time.


    ***


    The Sand Eaters encircled Talon as they attacked him all at the same time. Thetter leaped high in the air as he clenched his fist. The fire burning around his hand red up as he targeted one of the worms.


    "AGH!!!" With clenched teeth, heunched a strong punch aimed at the monster''s body.


    *BOOOOOOOOOM*


    The moment his fist connected, a loud explosion erupted on top of the monster''s giant body as it was sted back with smoke rising from its body. Talonnded on the ground, only to move instantly in order to dodge a set of spikes that flew toward him. A rain of projectiles chased him wherever he went.


    Meanwhile, the rest of the worms dove down under him as the sand started shifting quickly. Talon almost lost his bnce for a moment.


    But, he quickly adjusted his body and dashed away before one of the worms could swallow him from beneath. With his extremely athletic body, instantaneous movements like this even when he wasn''t bnced became very easy.


    He could perform feats that a normal body would never dream of. Yet, even with that, the sheer number of monsters was slowly overwhelming him.


    As he jumped in the air again to aim for another target. Talon''s senses suddenly went off as he looked to the side. One of the other Sand Eaters was already a few inches away from him.


    ''Shit!'' Cursing inwardly, Talon immediately deactivated the Azure mes in his left hand and activated Tear of Reality. Then, he swung his arm down.


    *BOOOM*


    The monster was sted back as blood gushed out of the injury. It wiggled on the ground for a moment before it stopped moving and died. The attack had hit a very sensitive area of its body from very up close. That made the number of worms 8 after two were killed.


    However, with no time to even breathe, Talon was assaulted by another set of Spikes. He tried to dodge them all using Future Sight. But, the moment he activated it, he was suddenly assaulted with a sharp pain in his eyes as his vision turned very hazy. Swaying to the side, the spikes hit his body from the back.


    "Agh!!" The young man stumbled forward before he quickly stretched his body, pushing the spikes out and started running as his aura exploded. Coating his burnt hands with Azure mes again, he maniacally jumped in the air and punched the worm that attacked him from behind. The monster was thrown back to the ground with a loud thud.


    "Hah!! Hah!! Hah!!!" Breathing heavily, Talon looked down at his abdomen and left arm. Big gaping holes could be seen riddling his body and gushing dangerous amounts of blood.


    ''Dammit, why are these spikes so sharp? My skin doesn''t even stand a chance against them.''


    Blinking slightly, he started regaining his clear vision again. ''I can''t use Future Sight anymore. Fuck, I think I already overused it.''


    "T-Talon¡­" Meanwhile, Arryn watched the brutal fight with a terrified look on his face. Seeing Talon all bloodied and exhausted after mere minutes of fighting sent a chill down his spine. He feared that the young man would die right there and then.


    Even the way he swayed every-so-slightly as he tried to catch his breath was rming.


    ''I-I need to do something! Talon will die!!'' He thought to himself.


    "Stay there!!"


    As if Talon had read his mind, he yelled loudly with a hoarse voice. The boy immediately froze in his ce.


    "This is my fight." He added after a moment. "I won''t let anyone take it from me."


    "..." The boy''s eyes widened in shock.


    He didn''t expect to hear such words from Talon and yet, their effect on him was profound. For some reason, he felt like he understood why Talon said that. Even in such a disadvantageous position, his powerful presence was all present. In fact, he seemed to only grow stronger the more weakened he looked.


    ''Amazing¡­'' The boy blinked silently.


    ''If I don''t break my own limit, then how am I going to get stronger?! I need these kinds of fights to get stronger... Faster than everyone else.'' Closing his eyes for a moment, an image of the nightmare he had yesterday shed across his mind.


    That wicked smile of his mother''s clone was still vivid in his head. For some reason, he felt that if he gave up here, he would regret it for the rest of his life.


    "Fuuuh¡­ Ok, let''s get this over with." Cracking his neck, Talon focused on the fight again. The worms seemed to have finally started to regain their courage and slowly moved toward him.


    After seeing him kill two of their own kind, they naturally grew wary of him. But, they quickly realized that their target was weakened a lot and he was almost on the verge of dying.


    ''Mother, protect me.'' Saying a single prayer in his head, he finally dashed forward. The fire in his hands ignited to the extreme as he channeled every ounce of Aetheris left in his body.


    *BOOOOM*


    mming his fist into his target, hended on top of the worm''s body. At the same time, the rest attacked him with flying spikes. So, he dashed across the monster''s corpse before jumping again to his next target.


    *BOOOM*


    With one hand, he punched his target and killed them instantly and with his left hand, he used Tear Of Reality to destroy all the spikes that he couldn''t dodge. Bncing these two powers together, at the same time was a brutal task, on top of being so painful.


    He had already lost all feeling in both hands since one was burnt beyond recognition and the other was almost broken to pieces due to the continuous shredding of the fabric of reality. But, Talon didn''t stop at all.


    His mind was so focused on the battle that he didn''t even realize that his body was on the verge of breaking down. Minutes passed like that and the fight only grew more brutal with each passing second.


    The monsters continued assaulting Talon from all angles while he tried to kill them, one by one. He was sted into the ground multiple times, pierced by more spikes and beaten to a pulp. But, he also took down many of them on his own.


    "Talon!" Acrypha watched the fight with a pale expression. This was one of the worst fights she had seen him go through so far. Not only because he was at aplete disadvantage but also because he had to keep in mind that Arryn was still there, as open as ever to attacks.


    ''He can''t keep on going for long¡­ And there are three left¡­'' She frowned even harder when she realized the current condition her humans was in.


    He was still standing, but she didn''t even understand how he was able to keep standing. He looked like a piece of swiss cheese with how many injuries he had on him. Yet, he still didn''t seem to even care at all.


    The Azure mes were still burning in his hands and he was still channeling every ounce of Aetheris he had. Even when it constantly regenerates, he would continue to use it all instantly.


    ''Three more¡­'' Wiping the red and blue blood off his face, he finally took a fighting stance again.


    "Talon! Behind you!" Acrypha yelled.


    It took him a few seconds for his brain to snap out of the daze.


    Then, as he was about to rush them, he suddenly noticed something. One of the worms that was aiming for him had suddenly turned around and dove underground.


    ''What?!''


    Looking at the direction it was going for, his heart wentpletely cold. Arryn was sitting there.


    ''Oh no!!!'' Realizing his blunder, Talon instantly dashed toward the boy using every point of speed he had. He crossed 30 meters almost instantly. But, he realized that the worm was way too close for him to get in time.


    "Arryn!!" Yelling loudly, everything suddenly turned slower. ''I won''t make it!!'' Clenching his teeth, he was about to activate something he had left in the back of his arsenal. For a desperate situation, desperate measures were required and this was as desperate as it could get.


    ''I''m such an idiot!!''


    But, a split second before the worm could reach Arryn, out of nowhere, something fell from the sky and exploded on the monster''s head. Then, a series of explosions erupted after that one that sted the monster''s body to pieces.


    At the same time, the two worms behind him were assaulted by the same explosives as they fell to the ground dead almost instantly.


    "What?" Talon frowned as he looked up. Multiple figures shed across his eyes as they flew in the air. ''They killed those worms instantly? Who are they?''


    "Target down, Emino!" One voice said loudly with an excitedugh.


    "The two over here are down too!" The other said.


    "There are two more unknown individuals down there! I can see them!" A third one added.


    "Let''s go down first. Be careful." The man assumed to be Emino dered loudly.


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 256 - 256- Sky Seekers (Part 3)

    The flying creatures eventually grew closer and closer from the ground as if they were trying to descend. Talon noticed that and looked at Arryn before he approached him with his tired body. At this point, the sole thing keeping him on his feet was the adrenaline rushing through his muscles.


    Once things calmed down, Talon was certain that he was going to crash and it wouldn''t be pleasant. But, he didn''t care at all. This battle wasn''t over yet. Looking at the terrified boy, Talon said in a low tone.


    "Stay behind me and don''t show your face, ok? Cover your head using the hoodie on my jacket."


    The boy took a moment to understand what he said before he nodded and quickly covered his face.


    "Be careful, Talon. These people¡­ They aren''t weak." Acrypha said with a grave tone.


    "Yeah, I already felt it. They''re quite strong." He murmured. Killing the worms that quickly was a very impressive feat by the standards of earth since each one of them was at least level 40.


    Which meant that the people he was dealing with were potentially stronger than him. Though, he can''t say for sure without fighting them.


    ''Did they pass their first gate, I wonder¡­'' He thought to himself.


    At the same time, the individuals finallynded a few dozen meters away from Talon and Arryn and for the first time, they could take a closer look at them. There were exactly 2 women and 3 men. Talon noticed another three moving away rather thannding which meant that there were a total of eight people.


    They were all wearing some kind of artificial wings stuck to their back over a square metallicpartment that was expelling steam out of a small exhaust. The wings stopped moving as the group finally stopped.


    "What do we have here?" One of them, particrly a man, came forward with a curious look on his face. He was strikingly handsome with a thick beard and brown hair that he pushed to the back of his scalp. He had two rather soft eyes and a friendly look. The term ''Gentle Giant'' fit his appearance very well.


    "Be careful, Emino. They might be hostile." A beautiful blonde woman said as she tapped his shoulder. She had a strikingly athletic body with a tanned skin color, perhaps due to the hot weather.


    "Hahaha, look at him, he is barely standing on his feet. Though¡­" Looking around him, he raised an eyebrow. "Hey, you! Did you kill all these on your own?" He asked.


    "..." Talon didn''t reply as he stared at them, assessing each individual. ''Should I talk with them? From what I can see¡­ They look very human to me¡­ Are these the humans of this world?''


    Even though they had way more beautiful appearances than what he was ustomed to, Talon was certain that these were humans. Which meant that these are the people that Arryn told him about.


    Looking over his shoulder secretly, the boy was shaking fearfully as he grabbed into the hem of his shirt. That made Talon purse his lips before he turned around.


    "Yes, I killed them. And who are you?" He asked coldly as he clenched his fists, ready for anything to happen.


    "Goddamn, man! You killed 7 Sand Eaters with no gear or even a weapon? When was thest time someone did this?" Emino smiled.


    The others had astonished looks on their faces. "There is no way he did that, Emino! Even you can''t do that." Another man, younger than Emino clearly, said as he facepalmed.


    "Then how do you exin all these dead bodies, Michi?" A second one, very simr in appearance to the first one, spoke.


    "He seems to be very injured too. So, we are sure he at least fought them."


    Emino heard his group talking amongst each other and could only sigh. "Come on, guys. We are disrespecting the man. He clearly fought hard to earn this. Don''t take his achievement down."


    Then, he turned to Talon. "My apologies for how my team is acting. They get very wary of anyone they find wandering the desert. Especially if it''s only two people." his tone changed subtly at the end of he was hinting at something which was caught by Talon.


    Spitting a mouthful of blood, Talon shrugged. "I like to travel light. By the way, does anyone of you have a healing potion or anything to help? I really need some help."


    "..."


    No one immediately stepped forward to help which made Talon''s tone go softer. "I am really here for no harm. I have been traveling with my younger brother for days now to reach the nearest city and we ended up getting ambushed by a bunch of Sand Eaters. If you can help us, we will be eternally grateful."


    He made sure to make himself sound weak and subtly desperate to make them feel bad for him. The fact that they didn''t attack him immediately made Talon believe they weren''t there to kill him. They were simply being careful.


    ''I hope this works out. I really can''t keep standing for a long time.''


    Thest thing Talon wanted was to lose consciousness here and leave Arryn alone. If that happened, they would realize that he isn''t human and that might lead to consequences he would rather not even think about. No matter what, he had to keep himself awake and even ready to engage in a fight.


    "What should we do, Emino?" The tanned blonde woman asked secretly. "He seems to be on the verge of death."


    "Of course, we are going to help him. We, squad six, don''t leave a desperate person behind." He dered with a smile.


    "Are you sure?"


    "Yeah, I am sure. He doesn''t seem like a bad person and even if he is, we can deal with him." Tapping the woman on the shoulder softly, he finally stepped forward.


    "Of course, friend. Here, take one of my potions." Then, he started walking toward Talon, only for thetter to take a step back.


    That made Emino stop in his ce. "Oh, my apologies! You are probably wary of us too! Don''t worry, man. We are simply a group of soldiers working through our shift. Here, I''m going to throw it to you."


    Then, he tossed the potion to Talon. Thetter grabbed it and looked at it. The color of the potion was extremely bright, far brighter than any other potion he had ever held in his hand.


    Without even looking to his side, he lifted the potion a little for Acrypha to see. Thetter then nodded her head. "It''s safe to drink."


    So, Talon popped it open and chugged the liquid down as fast as he could. The moment it touched his tongue, a very sweet taste assaulted his taste buds. His eyes opened for a little as a pleasant sensation engulfed his entire body.


    The painful injuries riddling his body started closing at an rmingly fast rate and his depleted energy was recharging quickly.


    ''This is insane¡­ How strong is this potion?'' He asked himself.


    All the potions he consumed so far were good enough to heal most minimal injuries. But, what theycked was the ability to heal deeper, more dangerous injuries andcerations. But, this one easily restored 80% of Talon''s normal condition almost instantly.


    "Thank you so much!" After finishing the bottle, he smiled at Emino. "I really appreciate it, thank you!"


    "No problem, my brother. So, where did youe from?"


    "We''re from down south, a small vige. But¡­ We were attacked by Sand Eaters a few weeks ago and we had to run away, me and my brother." He said as he patted Arryn on the head.


    ''Is this a good enough of a lie? I don''t know much about this world so I can''t say if they''re going to buy this excuse.''


    For a second, Talon felt rather nervous as he waited for Emino to reply. Everything relies on what kind of reaction he will have. Even with most of his power back, he still wasn''t sure if he can really fight all these strong people on his own.


    ''It''s such a weird feeling¡­ To meet this many people that can actually fight me and have a chance to win. I am really in a different dimension.''


    So far, the people Talon met were all weaker than him with no exception. In his world, he was the strongest and no human could rival him in that department. Yet, now that he entered his first gate, he had to start understanding that he wasn''t the strongest individual in that world anymore.


    He was far from that and these six people are proof of that. From appearance alone, Talon could see that they weren''t that special.


    Even their demeanor was that of normal people by this world''s standards.


    ''Sigh, I still have a long way to go before I can even be considered very strong.'' Shaking his head inwardly, he focused on Emino again.


    "Oh, I''m sorry to hear that. It''s not that umon for small, unprotected settlements to get destroyed. I assume yours ran out of Blue Elixir." The man replied with a serious expression.


    ''What the hell is blue elixir?'' Talon frowned inwardly as he nodded his head. "Yeah, it''s fine. We were intending to leave sooner orter. This only made us rush it, haha. Me and my brother''s lives are better off in a city rather than a small vige."


    "To be honest, that''s the correct decision. Most people live behind walls in fear of Sand Eaters that infest these deserts. Oh, right, I didn''t introduce myself yet. You can call me Emino."


    "... I''m Talon, and this boy over here is Arryn." He replied.


    ''Ok, this is going as seamlessly as I wanted.'' Talon smiled as he nodded his head. ''We might''ve found our fast ticket to the city.''


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 257: Chapter 257- Sky Seekers (Part 4)

    Emino looked over Talon''s shoulder curiously. This entire time, Arryn hadn''t uttered a single word as he kept himself hidden behind the young man.


    He was scared for his life because of these strangers. Weirdly enough, he seemed way more terrified of them than he was terrified of Talon before which made thetter even more confused.


    Looking down at the kid, he was shaking visibly and his arms were holding onto Talon for dear life. He kept muttering iprehensible words to himself like a prayer or a mantra.


    ''What''s wrong with him?'' Talon thought to himself with a frown before he patted his head.


    That made Arryn look up silently. "Don''t Worry. I won''t let them do anything to you." He said in a calm and confident tone.


    That made the little boy blink before nodding faintly.


    "Mm¡­"


    "My apologies. You see, my brother is very timid and doesn''t like strangers that much." Talonughed awkwardly as he looked at Emino.


    Thetter seemed very curious of Arryn at first but then simply nodded his head.


    "It''s fine, young man. We aren''t bad people. Are we now?" Looking back at his group, Emino smiled. "Oh right, I forgot to introduce my team. How silly of me? That talldy right there is my wife Lefa.


    The two twins over there are Michi and Kichi and that cold girl is Evi."


    "Nice to meet you all." Talon nodded his head in acknowledgment.


    "Nice to meet ya." Lefa nodded seriously.


    "Nice to meet you too, Talon!" The two twins said in unison.


    Meanwhile, the girl with the hooded cloth simply looked away, hiding her face.


    Talon noticed her weird behavior but he didn''t think much about it. She reminded him of Chin-Hwa with that attitude which was oddly familiar to see.


    "So, you said that you are heading to the city, right? Want a ride?" Emino said.


    "You can carry us there?" Talon raised an eyebrow confusedly.


    "Of course, a part of our duties is to help lost souls that wander these deadly stretches ofnd. We always have spare flying gear." Saying that he turned around and walked to his wife.


    "You have it, right?"


    The woman looked at him for a second before nodding her head. She seemed rather hesitant at first but quickly gave up saying anything and pulled a small box from her back.


    The box was wooden from the outside with some weird metallic engravings around its corners. It looked like a music box in some way.


    "Though, we will have to teach you how to use it. Is that fine?" He asked.


    "Of course. I don''t mind."


    Although Talon was still wary of these people, he had to ept their proposal because he was stuck in the desert and now had a way of crossing the distance in a short period.


    ''I have to take some risks or it will take me forever to make it there.'' He thought to himself.


    Not to mention the fact that he had to hurry for Arryn''s sake too or they might miss his chance to find the divine piercer.


    "Good. Can I approach you? I need to strap the Gear around your shoulder and back. It''s quiteplicated, you see."


    Talon squinted his eyes for a moment before he nodded his head and looked at Arryn. "Stay here."


    "B-Be careful, OK? I don''t trust these humans." Arryn replied in a knowing tone.


    Talon wanted to ask why he was that certain. But, due to their situation, he couldn''t do that or the others might start suspecting them.


    With that, he nodded his head and stepped forward with careful steps till he got very close to Emino.


    "You are quite tall, actually. I didn''t notice that from afar." The man said with an impressed look on his face.


    Then, he lifted the box up in the air and tapped on its side.


    Instantly, it started shining with a faint blue light. Then, the lid opened and the box suddenly expanded in a single moment. Two wooden wings popped out of its sides as it turned into a giant steaming engine in a bigger box.


    The change was so fast that Talon barely noticed all the details and it only made him even more impressed.


    ''Wow¡­ What a weird object¡­ Wait, is that Aetheris surrounding the wings? So that''s a dropped item?'' Talon tilted his head confusedly.


    He had never seen such a unique type of item before so he could only wonder. After all, the only thing he thought the monsters dropped were weapons, potions, and armor.


    This one was a flying gear that shouldn''t belong to any category of the above.


    Emino seemed to notice that curiosity. "Have you ever seen a flying gear before?" He asked.


    "Oh¡­ No, not really. I heard of them though."


    "Well, this is the ''Sky Seekers Guild'' very own invention. It''s made to help us travel across the desert with no trouble. These bad boys can move very fast and don''t consume a lot of Aetheris to use." He exined with a proud look on his face.


    "Wait, these are man-made?" Talon blinked.


    "Of course. We created these a few decades ago and now they are essential to move through the desert. Without them, one is guaranteed to die unless they''re somehow strong enough to survive the things that lurk in here."


    ''Interesting¡­''


    Even though it sounded like a simple idea, it still took Talon by surprise.


    ''They used Aetheris to create a device that can fly? That¡­ Why does that make sense?''


    This entire time, Talon was aware that Aetheris as an energy form was very versatile with many ways to use it. So by that logic, integrating it into science and craftsmanship should be very possible in theory and he would agree with that.


    Yet, he had never actually thought about it that way. Instead of simply trying to randomly find an item you are looking for through monster cores, why not make it yourself?


    Granted, that would require a lot of work, experimenting and learning. But, if these people were able to do it then why can''t he?


    ''If I can learn this. It''s going to be a huge advantage for us.''


    Just imagining the effect it will have on Earth is just crazy.


    "Anyway, can you turn around please?"


    "Oh, yeah, my apologies." Then, Talon quickly followed the man''s request.


    After that, Emino pulled two safety belts from the back of the box and put them around Talon''s torso. Making sure to tighten them properly, he then tapped Talon''s shoulder.


    "Now, I want you to tap the button on this side." He said. "After that, you will have to use your Aetheris to connect your body to the device. It might take some time to learn but I''m sure you can figure it out. Do you want to try?"


    Talon inspected the device with his eyes curiously. It was surprisinglyfortable and not that heavy. The wings also didn''t restrict his movement that much which was a plus.


    ''I like this.'' He mused before he turned around.


    "OK, let me try for myself." He replies.


    "Good."


    Emino then took a few steps back to let Talon try.


    Meanwhile, the rest of the squad watched curiously.


    "Hey, Michi, why is Emino letting him do it alone?"


    "I don''t know, Kichi. We usually have to help them learn how to connect their bodies with the gears, no?"


    "That''s the normal case." The one to respond first was Lefa who watched carefully. A weird glint shed across her eyes. "It seems Emino has some idea in mind."


    ''What are you thinking of?'' She asked herself with a stoic expression.


    She knew how meticulous her husband can be in these situations so what he was doing definitely had a purpose. What that purpose was, however, is apletely different problem.


    "Make sure to not put too much energy into it." The Middle-aged man yelled as he saw Talon reach to tap the button.


    Thetter nodded and took a deep breath before putting his hand on the small button and tapped it.


    Instantly, the wings started pping as steam came out of the engine behind him. Talon flinched for a moment before he stopped.


    ''They''re pping slowly. Hmm, OK, this isn''t too bad. Now I need to connect them to me as he said. But, how does that work?'' He thought for a moment.


    He assumed that this device worked just like a weapon in the sense that it absorbed the host''s energy to work.


    So, he simply decided to do exactly that. Channeling his Aetheris, he let it flow throughout his body for a moment before he slowly started expanding it.


    The energy flowed calmly till it reached the device and touched the Aetheris in it. The two forms of energy seemed to be confused at first, trying to understand each other.


    Meanwhile, Talon didn''t let himself think too much about it and simply let his energy decide in his stead.


    ''Is this going to even work?'' He asked himself a few seconds in. This was all his assumptions and nothing else. The entire time, Emino didn''t say a word as if he forgot he had to guide Talon through the process.


    At that moment, unbeknownst to anyone, the two energies stopped being careful and suddenly blended with each other. Then, out of nowhere, the two wings started pping at an extremely fast pace and before he knew it, Talon was sted into the air, reaching 50 meters in a split second.


    "What the hell?!!!!" He yelled as he clenched his teeth.


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 258: Chapter 258- The Sky Is The Limit

    Talon felt his vision turn chaotically as his body was thrownpletely off bnce. In a split second, he lost all sense of direction and couldn''t know left from right or up from down. The wind blew into his face as the scenery shifted greatly.


    ''Why is it this fast?!!!'' Clenching his teeth, he tried to control the wings that were pping at a ridiculously fast pace.


    When he connected himself to the gears, he expected them to start slowly increasing their pace so that they could allow him to fly safely. But, instead, they instantly started pping extremely fast and now he was flying chaotically in the sky.


    "Help!!" Yelling for Emino to help him, thetter didn''t move immediately.


    "You need to order it to stop moving that way. You are the one that controls it!" He yelled back with a smile on his face.


    The others watched with a rather knowing look as they expected this to happen.


    "I don''t know what Emino is expecting but he is clearly clueless about this. Isn''t that true, Michi?" Kichi asked his twin brother as he watched Talon move left and right crazily.


    "Of course, Kichi. Emino should''ve already known. He needs to help him. Or should we do that?" As one of the twin brothers was about to activate his wings and help Talon, Lefa lifted her hand and stopped him.


    "No, let him be for a moment. I think I know what Emino is doing." She murmured with squinted eyes.


    ''So that''s why you were that curious, huh?'' She thought to herself as she watched Talon too. It didn''te to her that soon, but she now realized it.


    "How do I even do th- Woah!!!" Feeling his head turning delirious from all the spinning, Talon decided to stop talking and instead focus on the gear. If the man didn''t want to help him then so be it, he will have to do it himself like every other time when nobody helped him.


    ''Fuuh, ok let''s calm down. I need to control it. It''s just like a weapon so this shouldn''t be hard.'' Closing his eyes, Talon exhaled a long breath.


    Almost instantly, he entered a very focused state without much effort. This was one of Talon''s strongest sides, his ability to go from normal to extremely focused in a split second without much trying was impressive, to say the least.


    While many wouldn''t think much of it, this particr detail was one of the reasons why he was able to do everything he did so far. Because of his ability to put 100% of his mind into something, he was able to achieve things that were deemed almost impossible for everyone else.


    This was nothing but another case of that. The wings kept moving all over the ce as Talon went up and down, getting dangerously close to the ground and then rising up dozens of meters in the air.


    ''Stop moving!'' Then, with a single thought, Talon put his entire intent into his order. His eyes shone with a faint light for a split second before they vanished before he could even realize it. Then, something totally unexpected happened.


    The wings suddenly stopped pping really fast and then adjusted Talon''s body so that he could stop being upside down. Thetter didn''t stop there as he sent another thought quickly.


    ''Descend.''


    With one single word, the wings followed the order instantly and the young man started descending slowly to the ground before he finallynded on his feet.


    "..."


    Then, it wasplete silence by everyone present. No one uttered a single word as they stared at Talon with wide eyes.


    Acrypha watched their reactions with a knowing smile that said ''I know right, he is amazing. My Talon is always impressive no matter what he does.''


    "Well, that wasn''t hard." Thetter murmured as he looked over his shoulder. "It does indeed work like a weapon."


    ''No, this is actually simpler than a weapon. I don''t know why, but I feel like controlling the Blue Lapis Spear requires far moreplicated orders and a deeper link. This feels very superficial and beginner-friendly even.'' He mused.


    If he had topare the two, it was like doing a simple math problem against an advanced algebra lesson. Both are rted to math, but theplexity and sophistication of one is far superior to the other and it was clear to see.


    So, since Talon was ustomed to handling very unique weapons like the Blue Lapis Spear and the Aetherial des, he could easily control these flying gears from the first attempt.


    "Wow¡­" At that moment, he heard a voice. Looking up, he saw Emino as he started to p his hands with a smile on his face. "You learned how to control them on the first attempt¡­ That is extremely impressive."


    "Really? That was supposed to be hard?" Talon titled his head.


    "What the heck?! He really did it, Michi!"


    "I can see it, Kichi! That was amazing!!"


    The two twins yelled at the same time As they rushed toward Talon. Thetter took a step back instinctively but then stopped moving as the two surrounded him. Now that he looked at them, the two were rather short with grayish-white hair and blue eyes. They had extremely simr appearances.


    "What?"


    "How did you learn that so fast? Usually, it takes someone at least a few days to learn how to fly using Flying Gears." Michi said.


    "Days? Really? This isn''t that hard, to be honest."


    "It should be hard! Me and Kichi are the best in our squad when ites to flying using these gears and it still took us two days to figure them out and another year to actually master thempletely and make them usable during battle."


    "Damn, a year? I mean, if that''s the case then I guess I''m just naturally good at it." He shrugged.


    Talon didn''t want to say anything else not to make them suspect him. This was already too impressive and he didn''t want to catch more eyes.


    "He is indeed as I expected. When I felt your aura, I knew that you were someone special. What were you doing living in a vige, man? You should''vee to the city and joined the Sky Seekers Guild. You could be a very prominent Sky Seeker." Emino said as he tapped Talon on the shoulder.


    "Hahaha, maybe if I learn more about it. For now, I just want to reach the city and find a safe ce for me and my brother to settle down."


    "Oh, don''t worry about that. We will help you when we reach that ce. We can also talk more there. Exining things here isn''t particrly ideal, is it? Our shift is over now." Emino said as he pped his hands.


    "No, no, let''s go back!"


    "Gather your stuff. Do you want to carry your own brother?" Emino asked Talon.


    "Yeah, I would very much prefer that." Looking over his shoulder, Arryn was still sitting there, very hesitant about approaching the group. He didn''t want to expose any parts of his body not to make them realize he wasn''t human.


    So, Talon decided to approach him on his own as he extended his hand. Thetter looked up with an amazed expression. He looked like he had seen something mesmerizing. However, he still seemed to have a weird glint in his eyes as if he was displeased about something.


    "That was¡­ Amazing, Talon."


    "Thank you. Now, let''s get out of here. We have a lot of work to do once we reach the city."


    The boy blinked silently before he smiled and nodded his head. Taking Talon''s hand, Talon picked the boy up and looked at the group. Then, he took a deep breath and activated the wings again.


    His body started floating slowly as he looked at the rest of the group. "Where is the direction?" He asked.


    "That way." Saying that, Emino turned to his group. "Let''s go."


    Everyone nodded their heads except for the girl with the hood on her head. She simply activated her wings. The rest did the same and a few secondster, everyone was floating in the air. Then, with Emino in the lead, they started flying forward at a rather fast pace.


    Talon looked at them for a moment. "Can you keep up?" Kichi asked.


    "Don''t underestimate me." Talon shook his head before he focused on the wings again and soon enough, he was flying after the squad. His body was titled forward as he cut through the air at an impressive speed. The wind blew into his face with Arryn in his arms.


    The scenery of thendscape around him made the flying all the more pleasant. Even though he barely learned it now, he already grew to like it a lot.


    ''Flying is really amazing¡­ I can''t wait to learn how to fly on my own in the future.'' Just imagining a distant childhood dream turning into reality put a smile on his face.


    "Who thought I was going to see you fly this soon? Fate is truly unexpected in all kinds of ways." Flying next to him, Acrypha said with an impressed look on her face.


    "Hahaha, I always wanted to try and fly next to you. It was actually one of my goals, you know?" He replied as he tilted his body so that he could face Acrypha fully as he cut through the air.


    Thetter blinked, clearly taken by surprise before she sighed with a wry smile. "Is that so?" A soft expression appeared on her face. It was the expression that only Talon had seen so far.


    ''Tsk, this troublesome kid. Even a simple dream makes me feel happy. I guess it''s not too simple after all.'' She thought to herself. ''But¡­ He will realize soon that flying next to him isn''t the end of it. Perhaps the sky is his only limit.''


    A//N: Sorry for theck of updates in the past two days. My PC broke down and it took some time to fix it :) we are back to two chapters a day from now on.

 Chapter 257 - 257- Sky Seekers (Part 4)

    Emino looked over Talon''s shoulder curiously. This entire time, Arryn hadn''t uttered a single word as he kept himself hidden behind the young man.


    He was scared for his life because of these strangers. Weirdly enough, he seemed way more terrified of them than he was terrified of Talon before which made thetter even more confused.


    Looking down at the kid, he was shaking visibly and his arms were holding onto Talon for dear life. He kept muttering iprehensible words to himself like a prayer or a mantra.


    ''What''s wrong with him?'' Talon thought to himself with a frown before he patted his head.


    That made Arryn look up silently. "Don''t Worry. I won''t let them do anything to you." He said in a calm and confident tone.


    That made the little boy blink before nodding faintly.


    "Mm¡­"


    "My apologies. You see, my brother is very timid and doesn''t like strangers that much." Talonughed awkwardly as he looked at Emino.


    Thetter seemed very curious of Arryn at first but then simply nodded his head.


    "It''s fine, young man. We aren''t bad people. Are we now?" Looking back at his group, Emino smiled. "Oh right, I forgot to introduce my team. How silly of me? That talldy right there is my wife Lefa.


    The two twins over there are Michi and Kichi and that cold girl is Evi."


    "Nice to meet you all." Talon nodded his head in acknowledgment.


    "Nice to meet ya." Lefa nodded seriously.


    "Nice to meet you too, Talon!" The two twins said in unison.


    Meanwhile, the girl with the hooded cloth simply looked away, hiding her face.


    Talon noticed her weird behavior but he didn''t think much about it. She reminded him of Chin-Hwa with that attitude which was oddly familiar to see.


    "So, you said that you are heading to the city, right? Want a ride?" Emino said.


    "You can carry us there?" Talon raised an eyebrow confusedly.


    "Of course, a part of our duties is to help lost souls that wander these deadly stretches ofnd. We always have spare flying gear." Saying that he turned around and walked to his wife.


    "You have it, right?"


    The woman looked at him for a second before nodding her head. She seemed rather hesitant at first but quickly gave up saying anything and pulled a small box from her back.


    The box was wooden from the outside with some weird metallic engravings around its corners. It looked like a music box in some way.


    "Though, we will have to teach you how to use it. Is that fine?" He asked.


    "Of course. I don''t mind."


    Although Talon was still wary of these people, he had to ept their proposal because he was stuck in the desert and now had a way of crossing the distance in a short period.


    ''I have to take some risks or it will take me forever to make it there.'' He thought to himself.


    Not to mention the fact that he had to hurry for Arryn''s sake too or they might miss his chance to find the divine piercer.


    "Good. Can I approach you? I need to strap the Gear around your shoulder and back. It''s quiteplicated, you see."


    Talon squinted his eyes for a moment before he nodded his head and looked at Arryn. "Stay here."


    "B-Be careful, OK? I don''t trust these humans." Arryn replied in a knowing tone.


    Talon wanted to ask why he was that certain. But, due to their situation, he couldn''t do that or the others might start suspecting them.


    With that, he nodded his head and stepped forward with careful steps till he got very close to Emino.


    "You are quite tall, actually. I didn''t notice that from afar." The man said with an impressed look on his face.


    Then, he lifted the box up in the air and tapped on its side.


    Instantly, it started shining with a faint blue light. Then, the lid opened and the box suddenly expanded in a single moment. Two wooden wings popped out of its sides as it turned into a giant steaming engine in a bigger box.


    The change was so fast that Talon barely noticed all the details and it only made him even more impressed.


    ''Wow¡­ What a weird object¡­ Wait, is that Aetheris surrounding the wings? So that''s a dropped item?'' Talon tilted his head confusedly.


    He had never seen such a unique type of item before so he could only wonder. After all, the only thing he thought the monsters dropped were weapons, potions, and armor.


    This one was a flying gear that shouldn''t belong to any category of the above.


    Emino seemed to notice that curiosity. "Have you ever seen a flying gear before?" He asked.


    "Oh¡­ No, not really. I heard of them though."


    "Well, this is the ''Sky Seekers Guild'' very own invention. It''s made to help us travel across the desert with no trouble. These bad boys can move very fast and don''t consume a lot of Aetheris to use." He exined with a proud look on his face.


    "Wait, these are man-made?" Talon blinked.


    "Of course. We created these a few decades ago and now they are essential to move through the desert. Without them, one is guaranteed to die unless they''re somehow strong enough to survive the things that lurk in here."


    ''Interesting¡­''


    Even though it sounded like a simple idea, it still took Talon by surprise.


    ''They used Aetheris to create a device that can fly? That¡­ Why does that make sense?''


    This entire time, Talon was aware that Aetheris as an energy form was very versatile with many ways to use it. So by that logic, integrating it into science and craftsmanship should be very possible in theory and he would agree with that.


    Yet, he had never actually thought about it that way. Instead of simply trying to randomly find an item you are looking for through monster cores, why not make it yourself?


    Granted, that would require a lot of work, experimenting and learning. But, if these people were able to do it then why can''t he?


    ''If I can learn this. It''s going to be a huge advantage for us.''


    Just imagining the effect it will have on Earth is just crazy.


    "Anyway, can you turn around please?"


    "Oh, yeah, my apologies." Then, Talon quickly followed the man''s request.


    After that, Emino pulled two safety belts from the back of the box and put them around Talon''s torso. Making sure to tighten them properly, he then tapped Talon''s shoulder.


    "Now, I want you to tap the button on this side." He said. "After that, you will have to use your Aetheris to connect your body to the device. It might take some time to learn but I''m sure you can figure it out. Do you want to try?"


    Talon inspected the device with his eyes curiously. It was surprisinglyfortable and not that heavy. The wings also didn''t restrict his movement that much which was a plus.


    ''I like this.'' He mused before he turned around.


    "OK, let me try for myself." He replies.


    "Good."


    Emino then took a few steps back to let Talon try.


    Meanwhile, the rest of the squad watched curiously.


    "Hey, Michi, why is Emino letting him do it alone?"


    "I don''t know, Kichi. We usually have to help them learn how to connect their bodies with the gears, no?"


    "That''s the normal case." The one to respond first was Lefa who watched carefully. A weird glint shed across her eyes. "It seems Emino has some idea in mind."


    ''What are you thinking of?'' She asked herself with a stoic expression.


    She knew how meticulous her husband can be in these situations so what he was doing definitely had a purpose. What that purpose was, however, is apletely different problem.


    "Make sure to not put too much energy into it." The Middle-aged man yelled as he saw Talon reach to tap the button.


    Thetter nodded and took a deep breath before putting his hand on the small button and tapped it.


    Instantly, the wings started pping as steam came out of the engine behind him. Talon flinched for a moment before he stopped.


    ''They''re pping slowly. Hmm, OK, this isn''t too bad. Now I need to connect them to me as he said. But, how does that work?'' He thought for a moment.


    He assumed that this device worked just like a weapon in the sense that it absorbed the host''s energy to work.


    So, he simply decided to do exactly that. Channeling his Aetheris, he let it flow throughout his body for a moment before he slowly started expanding it.


    The energy flowed calmly till it reached the device and touched the Aetheris in it. The two forms of energy seemed to be confused at first, trying to understand each other.


    Meanwhile, Talon didn''t let himself think too much about it and simply let his energy decide in his stead.


    ''Is this going to even work?'' He asked himself a few seconds in. This was all his assumptions and nothing else. The entire time, Emino didn''t say a word as if he forgot he had to guide Talon through the process.


    At that moment, unbeknownst to anyone, the two energies stopped being careful and suddenly blended with each other. Then, out of nowhere, the two wings started pping at an extremely fast pace and before he knew it, Talon was sted into the air, reaching 50 meters in a split second.


    "What the hell?!!!!" He yelled as he clenched his teeth.


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 259: Chapter 259- Aridopolis: The City Of Dunes (Part 1)

    As Talon was upied with Acrypha, Emino and his wife Lefa were having a conversation on their own ahead of the entire group. They made sure to keep their voices quiet so that nobody could hear them.


    "He is a very interesting individual." She said as she looked over her shoulder.


    "Haha, isn''t he? I was quite surprised to see him actually seeding on the first try. I expected at least a few more tries but I guess I underestimated him."


    "No¡­ Nobody would''ve expected that. But, I can definitely see why you did that. He seems rather different." As she said those words, she could only look at Talon.


    Ignoring his body that was oozing with an aura akin to that of royalty, there was something about him that made him stand out, and yet she couldn''t put her hand on what it was. Due to her job as a Sky Seeker, Lefa had naturally met many people in her life and learned how to differentiate between them with a simple look.


    Yet, never in her life had she seen someone like Talon. Everything about him looked normal and yet also extremely bizarre. A mix that shouldn''t exist and yet here it was.


    ''Who is he?'' She asked herself.


    "Don''t stare too much my dear wife, or I might get jealous, hahaha." Her husband''s voice snapped her out of her daze as she looked ahead.


    "You have no reason to feel jealous." She replied seriously.


    "Hahaha, I know my lovely wife loves me to- Ouch!"


    Before he could even finish his words, Lefa jabbed him in the side lightly. "This isn''t the time for that."


    "Sorry, sorry~"


    "By the way, you guys have been talking about this Sky Seekers guild or whatever. What is that all about?" Talon asked curiously, oblivious to their conversation.


    This has been on his mind since he met them and he didn''t find the opportunity to ask till now.


    "I can answer, I can answer!!" The one that lifted their hand was Michi who excitedly moved till he was close to Talon.


    "So, in a nutshell, the Sky Seekers guild is an organization built for one single purpose: To protect humanity."


    "Protect humanity? From monsters, I assume?" Talon raised an eyebrow.


    "Yes, that''s correct. This desert is extremely dangerous and most of it is either unhabited or unexplored. So, naturally, we do not know when or how monsters could attack human settlements and whether we can even fight them or not. So, to help with that, this guild was founded for people to join, get stronger, earn money, and also protect our existence here." Michi exined with an excited look.


    "And how far does the guild''s domain expand?"


    "As far as the northern five sectors. Our city is in the second sector, by the way. There are at least a few hundred thousand Sky Seekers across the five sectors."


    "That many people¡­" Talon murmured with a frown.


    ''So it''s basically just like the guilds in fantasy stories I hear about all the time. Though, I doubt it''s as simple as this guy paints it to be.''


    The idea of a guild, while might seem very useful and smart, has many downsides. To begin with, the nature of the job itself was extremely dangerous. Fighting monsters in an environment like this one had to be deadly. Talon could easily guess that the death rate was probably over the roof.


    ''I doubt everyone here can actually kill a Sand Eater on their own. Though, the way these people killed thosest three worms was quite interesting.'' He recalled the moment they appeared and eliminated thest three monsters.


    It was swift and lethal, with minimal risk as far as he could see. He was sure that they had special weapons they used to fight those things.


    "We are from squad six, by the way. I don''t want to brag, but we are one of the strongest squads in Aridopolis if not the strongest. Isn''t that right, Kichi?" Michi asked his brother.


    "We are the best, yes!"


    As the two cheered, Talon looked away. ''Aridopoils, huh? So that''s the name of this city.'' He thought to himself.


    "Are you getting any useful information from what they''re saying, Acrypha?" He asked.


    "Hmm, no, nothing so far. I''m trying to remember any more details rted to the Azurians and their history. But, I can''t recall if the world they ran to was mentioned or not. It''s quite vague." Acrypha rubbed her chin with a frustrated look on her face.


    ''My memory is always perfect. Why I can''t remember such an important detail if it was ever mentioned?'' She asked herself.


    Acrypha never had trouble remembering anything she had seen at least once in her life. She had a perfect eidetic memory and yet of all things, she can''t remember this one. That naturally raised many questions in her head that she had no answer to. Something felt really off.


    "It''s fine, we will figure it out once we reach the city." He replied.


    ''I''m sure everything will be answered there.''


    ***


    A few hours passed just like that, during which, Talon simply enjoyed the beautifulndscapes and the breeze of air that continuously hit his face. He had never thought flying like this would be so pleasant.


    Not to mention the speed of the gears. He was sure that they were moving as fast as a bird or a ne. Looking down, he could see the scenery shifting extremely fast. If he had to estimate, they had probably crossed over 2000 kilometers in a few hours of time.


    That kind of pace was ridiculous even for Talon. ''To think that these old-looking things could exert such a force. I guess the ones who made it knew how to make use of the Aetheris energy in order to exert such force.''


    The wings on their own were far from enough to move at such high speeds. Just like a ne, they required fuel to create energy, and what better fuel that exists than Aetheris? It was technically endless, had no actual source, and didn''t need any kind of tempering to use. As long as someone has Aetheris, they can use these gears.


    And finally, the most important part was that these wings don''t use too much energy to be activated. In fact, after hours of flying non-stop, Talon could feel that his Aetheris pool was barely halved.


    ''I might take a few of these gears with me when I go back to Earth. They are too good to be left here.'' Talon thought to himself. ''Or maybe I should just learn how to make them and then just start creating them on my own.''


    Closing his eyes for a moment, he imagined creating an entire army of people that were capable of flying. That will make all his work so much easier and far more convenient. It will also cut short the number of casualties that usually happen due to the nature of their work.


    It was a great idea that he naturally kept in the back of his head for the future.


    "Look! It''s the city!" At that moment, he heard Kichi yelling loudly.


    Opening his eyes, Talon''s eyes were met with a rather surprising sight. In the far distance, a gigantic structure rose from the ground to the high skies, looming over the world with a strong presence.


    The structure was surrounded by massive walls made out of sun-bleached stone that dug into the deep sands beneath. Inside these walls were countless buildings that stretched as far as the eye could see. It was a sight straight out of a dream.


    The city was so massive that even from tens of kilometers away, Talon could feel its scale. It even put modern cities like Seoul and Tokyo to shame in size. Not to mention its unique appearance that was straight out of a fantasy world.


    A mythical metropolis city like no other.


    However, the most interesting part about it was the structure in the heart of it. The giant pir-like structure stood out like a sore thumb on its own. Its walls were made out of blue quartz and decorated with beautiful engravings and statues.


    At the top of it was a crown-like statue that covered its entire roof surface. This crown had countless holes poked into it all around its perimeter that were spraying vast amounts of blue liquid like a hose. The liquid would fly through the air and fall right outside the city, all around the walls.


    That made the sand in that area have a clear blueish color.


    "Wow¡­" That was the only thing Talon could say. The city made himpletely speechless. He had never expected to see such a thing in his life.


    "It''s beautiful, isn''t it? This is the reaction everyone has the first time they arrive at Aridopolis. We are all mesmerized by its beauty." Emino said with a proud look on his face.


    "It is really gorgeous¡­" Talon nodded in acknowledgment. Even if he wanted to deny it, he couldn''t hide his reaction.


    This was by far the most beautiful ce he had ever been to and he hadn''t even entered it yet.


    The group grew closer and closer to the city walls until they were barely a few hundred meters away before they slowly started descending to the ground.


    Eventually, theynded on their feet right outside the gates. As the only way inside the city, the gates were naturally massive in size, created out of enforced iron and some other mixes of metals.


    Talon and Arryn stared around silently as the rest of the group walked ahead. The little boy seemed more apprehensive than impressed.


    "Talon¡­ I''m scared¡­" He said in a weak tone.


    "It''s ok, you will be fine. You gotta just trust me." Thetter replied with a smile.


    ''It must be really hard on him.'' He thought to himself. Talon couldn''t imagine how it felt like to realize that you are this close to the people that killed your own kind for their own desires. He must''ve been angry and yet also fearful of what might happen to him if he got captured.


    ''I won''t let them catch him. Nobody can do that.''


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 260: Chapter 260- Aridopolis: The City Of Dunes (Part 2)

    Turning his eyes to stare at the gates, Talon noticed a small building nearby on the right. It had one door and one window to the side and it seemed rather old with a very clear blue color, perhaps due to the continuous rain of blue liquid that kept pouring outside the city walls.


    ''What is even that?'' Talon stared at the raining liquid with confusion. It was by far the weirdest part about this entire city.


    Looking around him, he noticed that the hooded girl was standing near him. This entire time, she never uttered a single word and he didn''t know why. He suspected that she was shy or just a cold person in general. Still, his curiosity made him ask.


    "Psst¡­" Whispering to her, the girl''s eyes shifted to look at him from under the hood.


    "Mmm, what is that blue liquid raining down from the tower?" He asked.


    "..."


    Complete silence.


    The girl didn''t reply and simply stared at him. He couldn''t even see her reaction under that hood and it only made him even more confused.


    ''Does she hate me?'' Talon asked himself.


    He had never talked to her, so he couldn''t think of a reason why she would hate him. Unless she simply hated strangers, which then exins this behavior.


    "Blue Elixir¡­" Surprisingly, a whileter, she spoke. Her voice was quiet and emotionless, just like how Talon expected it to be. "It''s used to keep the city safe from monster attacks."


    ''Oh¡­'' Talon blinked silently before he stared at the blue rain again. ''So that is the Blue Elixir the other guy talked about. I guess that makes sense.''


    Emino had mentioned it before when Talon talked about his supposed vige being destroyed by monsters. It seems it''s used to keep them away for some reason.


    Meanwhile, Acrypha flew toward it and unexpected it with her eyes. "Hmmm¡­"


    "You discovered something?"


    "Yeah, this is actually a Sand Eater''s Blood." She said. "Well, it exins everything now."


    "Wait, that''s the blood of that worm?"


    "Yeah. Now that I recall, it does have some characteristics that repulse monsters. It''s poisonous and stinky which most creatures consider a threat." She said.


    "That makes sense. *Sniff* Now that you mention it, I do need an immediate shower. I smell like absolute garbage." Frowning hard, Talon shook his head in disappointment. Showering has been the bane of his existence ever since the Integration started.


    Theck of water coupled with his intense day-to-day activities made it necessary for him to shower at least 3 times a day to keep his hygiene. But, that was simply not viable in most situations.


    ''Oh well, things are getting better so I might finally be able to take showers whenever I want to.'' He thought to himself.


    "Emino, you''re already back?"


    At that moment, he heard a voice speaking from the other side. Looking up, he saw a man wearing flying gear and carrying a spearing out of the small building. He looked at the sixth squad with a familiar look.


    "We found two brothers lost in the desert so we brought them back here," Emino exined.


    "Another one? The fifth squad brought a dying woman the other day. They said she got lost traveling here and almost died from hunger. What is happening these days?"


    "Well, the number of such cases did increase recently." Emino nodded his head.


    "Yeah, many viges are being attacked by those nasty worms down south. It''s getting pretty hectic. Anyway, you can go ahead and enter." As the man said those words, the giant gates started opening slowly with a loud sound.


    "Have a nice day."


    "You too. Hey, Talon, let''s go." Emino turned to Talon and said.


    "Ah, yeah, I''ming."


    Talon then grabbed Arryn''s hand and started walking toward the opened gate. Passing by the guard, thetter curiously inspected them with his eyes. Eventually, it stopped at the small kid.


    Talon noticed that and frowned secretly. He could see that the man was suspecting something. So, with a swift move, Talon moved to stand on Arryn''s other side so that the man couldn''t stare at him too much.


    ''Don''t be too curious, bastard. Have you never heard what happened to the cat?'' He thought to himself as he tried to keep his expression neutral. Meanwhile, Arryn was shaking subtly as he tried to hide his face.


    His heart was beating loudly in his chest as he tried to keep calm. ''They won''t know me. Talon is here and he said everything will be fine. Keep yourself calm, Arryn.'' Gulping down a mouthful of saliva, he held into Talon''s hand tightly.


    They kept walking silently, and when they were about to enter through the gates, the man spoke.


    "Hey, you, stop there for a moment."


    That made the two stop. Arryn felt a chill run down his spine as he tried not to look back. The one who did turn around was Talon as he smiled.


    "What is it?"


    A few seconds of unbelievable tension passed before the man finally opened his mouth. At this point, Talon was ready for the worst to happen. His n was on the verge of being destroyed to pieces if this man decided to ask Arryn to reveal himself. He didn''t even want to imagine the consequences of such a simple request.


    "... Take care of your brother, kid. You never know what could happen in the city."


    "... Thank you for the reminder. I will keep that in mind." Talon replied as he turned around and started walking again.


    ''Fuuh, that was a close one.'' He thought to himself as he felt the tension release from his shoulders.


    Finally, the duo walked inside the city and it instantly felt as if they entered a whole new world. A world that solely existed behind these walls. Aridopolis was a gigantic city with hundreds of millions of humans living within its walls.


    So, naturally, the city was bustling with movement 24/7. Especially the main road that cut through the entire city from the gates. Countless humans moved left and right, going about their business. Their attire looked medieval, precisely good for weather as hot as this desert.


    Countless shops, stalls, and all kinds of other buildings for different services could be seen everywhere. The sound of people talking,ughing, and doing their daily routine echoed around these old walls and filled it with even more life.


    Talon was instantly fascinated by the sight. For some reason, as chaotic as it looked, this scenery had its charms. Especially with the giant tower in the background, giving it a grander scale.


    ''What a fascinating city...'' He mused.


    "Wee to Aridopolis. What do you think?" Emino turned around and said with a proud look. "It might be a little overwhelming. But, this is the usual atmosphere here. It might be weird for you two since youe from a small vige."


    "Uh, hahaha, yeah, it is a little weird. But, I think we can grow ustomed to it soon enough."


    "Don''t worry about it. Well, I''m sure you both are hungry. Let''s get something to eat and then we can head to the guild."


    "Shouldn''t we report them first?" Lefa asked.


    "It''s fine. We can do that after a hearty meal. Nobody is going to notice."


    With that, the group started walking through the bustling city. Emino kept talking about everything around them, greeting a few people here and there, and showing Talon around. He told him about the city, some of its history, and many other things.


    Only then did Talon realize how culturally deep this city is apart from its scale. It had a vast history, and an intricate ecosystem of its own that only made sense within its walls. How people interacted, talked, and lived their lives, was all new to Talon.


    But, since everything was new to him, he tried to keep note of every single word Emino said. He was basically giving him invaluable information without realizing it.


    Meanwhile, Arryn simply kept his head down. He tried not to look around him nor listen to anything and yet, that was the only thing he could do in such an environment. With so many people walking around him, and so much happening, he felt overwhelmed.


    ''So many humans¡­ So many humans¡­'' He thought to himself. He was barely able to keep himself silent just because Talon was there. But, in reality, he was so terrified it made him stumble a few times and smash into some people.


    "Hey, be careful, kid!"


    One of them yelled at him and it sent a chill down his spine. He didn''t look back and continued walking.


    ''Calm, calm¡­ Calm¡­ I''m not a kid anymore. I can''t be terrified of them. I am supposed to face them.'' He kept reminding himself that he was the next Great Chief of his race and was supposed to be the one to inflict fear upon these humans.


    Yet, here he was, shaking in terror. It was pathetic, by all means. He wanted to just hide and curse himself for being this weak and powerless.


    ''I am a failure! No! I''m not! I can''t be on the losing side! I have to keep my head straight! Talon said so!'' Shaking those negative thoughts away, he looked up.


    There, he saw the group stopping in front of a particr building. It had a sign on top of it that said ''Remi''s Diner.''


    "Here we are, the best ce in the entire city by far."


    "Yay!! We haven''t been here in a while, right, Michi?"


    "Yeah, Kichi! I missed the steamed meat buns so much!"


    Talon read through the name with a curious look. ''Well, I hope I won''t have to eat something disgusting.''


    He had already seen some pretty nasty monster meats being sold around the city on their walk here. He even saw giant worm heads hanging from the ceiling by a hook as a butcher cut through them. As delicious as it was, Talon wasn''t particrly eager to eat a worm''s head on a te.


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 261: Chapter 261- Aridopolis: The City Of Dunes (Part 3)

    Entering inside, Talon was met with a considerablyrge room. Tables were set organizedly across the entire ce with a small counter on the other side. Since it was the middle of the day, the diner was filled with people. Even then, the atmosphere felt quite cozy and familiar as bustling as this diner was.


    Talon could see many peopleughing, joking around, and having a fun time. It put him a little at ease because of it.


    The rich aroma of the food filled the entire ce and made Talon raise an eyebrow. It was quite pleasant, as foreign as it was to him. That eased his worries that the food might turn out to be disgusting.


    "What do you think?" Emino asked as he turned around. "This is the haven of every hungry soul in this city. If you don''t eat here at least once in your life, then your life isn''tplete."


    "Is it that good?" Talonughed dryly and looked around him. ''I mean, I wonder if there is someone who didn''t eat here with how many people are inside.''


    Even as they were talking, more people walked inside. He was sure that there were at least a hundred or so customers inside and counting. It was certainly popr no matter how he looked at it.


    "It''s the best! The food here is addictive." One of the twins replied.


    As they were like that, a waitress approached them. She wore casual working clothes that fit the entire diner. A brown shirt, a white apron, and ck trousers. She had tied brown hair and a rather friendly aura around her. But, her most eye-catching feature was the tattoo that run from her left cheek up to her left eye and covered her eyebrow. It was that of a snake coiling around itself.


    "Wee to Remi''s diner. How can I help yo- Oh, it''s you guys!"


    "Hey, Remi! Been a while!" Kichi and Michi greeted the woman with excited looks. "We missed you!"


    "I missed you too, little things! How can you note here for a month? Is my food not to your satisfaction anymore, huh?!" She said with a dangerous smile.


    "W-We are sorry!"


    "How can you be sorry? Is it true? So you two hate my food now?" Pretending to be sad, she looked away. That made the twins panic even more.


    "What should we do, Michi?"


    "I don''t know, Kichi! She''s crying!"


    "Of course not, Remi. You know how work goes being a Sky Seeker for a living." Emino approached them as heughed. "Things get pretty hectic every now and then."


    "Tsk, you shut up, don''t ruin my precious time teasing these two." Immediately, her sad expression turned into a sneaky smile.


    "Hey! You tricked us!!"


    "Bad Remi!"


    The twins red at her angrily.


    "Hahaha, don''t me me. You two have the funniest reactions."


    As the groupughed and joked around, Talon watched from the side silently.


    ''Oh, so this is the owner of this building. She doesn''t seem like it at first.'' Talon looked at her curiously. She had a rather dangerous appearance for someone with such a chirpy personality.


    Eventually, the woman seemed to notice Talon and Arryn as she looked at them. "And who are these two?"


    "We found them lost in the desert. They''re siblings."


    "Interesting~" Humming curiously, she approached Talon and Arryn with a smile on her face. "You are quite the handsome boy, aren''t you? Wee to my little diner~"


    Saying that, she extended her hand to greet Talon. Thetter looked at it for a second before he extended his hand for a handshake.


    "Nice to meet you too, Miss Remi. I''m Talon and this is my little brother Arryn."


    "Oh, what a gorgeous name you have there~ I love it!" Licking her lips, she nodded her head. "You can call me Remi. Everyone does that."


    Then, she stepped forward and put her mouth near Talon''s ear. "Or you can call me anything you want, I don''t mind~"


    Thetter was taken aback. ''Hold your horses right there, ma''am. What is she doing?'' Frowning hard, Talon stared at her.


    He could see a subtle yful look in her eyes as she stared at him. The way she was speaking was very flirty and quite provocative for someone she just met.


    ''Is she teasing me?'' He asked himself.


    "All it takes is a snap of my finger and she will cease to exist." At that moment, he heard Acrypha murmuring some incoherent words. But, he couldn''t focus on her as he saw Lefa stepping forward.


    "That''s not how you wee a guest, idiot!" Then, she bonked her on the head.


    "Ouch! What was that for?"


    "Treat them normally for god''s sake."


    "Tsk, fine, fine. I''m sorry, I was just teasing you. That''s how I treat my lovely customers, especially the good-looking ones~"


    "Let''s go." Lefa sighed and looked at the duo. "Just ignore her, she is always like that."


    "Uh, ok." With that, Talon moved after the group. He gave Remi onest look before turning away.


    ''What an interesting person.''


    "Uh, thank you for the help there." Walking through the rows of seats, Talon said to Lefa secretly.


    "Don''t worry about it." She shook her head. "Remi likes to y around whenever she has an opportunity to do so."


    "Oh, it''s fine, I didn''t take offense to it." Talonughed. "But, still, I appreciate your help."


    "..." Lefa didn''t say another word and looked ahead.


    ''I guess she isn''t a bad person, after all.'' Talon could only shake his head.


    So far, Lefa had only spoken to him once or twice so he didn''t know much about her. He thought that she was simr to the other girl in terms of personality, but it seemed she had more of a rough character rather than a bad one.


    The group walked for a while till they reached an empty table at the corner of the diner. It had 7 spots, exactly for their numbers. Sitting down, Talon confusedly checked the menu. Since Acrypha had tranted everything for him, he could read these papers with ease as if he had known thisnguage his entire life.


    But, still, he couldn''t recognize any of these dishes. They all had weird names.


    ''Moon Curry Of Waffles. Crocotta Fruit Cake¡­ What are these names?'' Talon thought to himself as he rubbed the back of his head.


    "Uh, can you please rmend something for me? I have no idea what any of this means." He said.


    "dly, boy! You can get my dish." Emino said.


    "No, he can get mine," Michi interjected with a challenging look.


    "No! He is going to get mine!" His brother said.


    Then, the trio started ring at each other as if this was some kind of serious problem. Talon could onlyugh drily. ''Why so serious?''


    "Since none of you can decide, he will get what I suggest." At that point, Lefa put the menu down and said with a cold tone.


    "But, dea-"


    "Do you need something?" Turning to her husband, she gave him a single look. That was more than enough for him to flinch and turn away. "None, nothing at all."


    ''Terrifying¡­ She reminds me a little of Hyun-Jae.'' Talon stared at the interaction silently.


    Even though Lefa seemed way more serious than Hyun-Jae, both had that dangerous look to them that nobody could oppose.


    With that, the group ordered their food and waited for it to be prepared. Meanwhile, Talon simply looked around him, picking up bits and pieces of the conversations people were having around him.


    Most of it was trivial and pointless, but some did pick his interest.


    "Sigh, I fucking stink, man. What a horrible day!" A few tables away from them, two men were sharing a drink as they talked. They were wearing old clothes that had blue stains all over them.


    "Don''t talk, old man. I was cutting that worm and it sshed the blood on my face. It''s still burning my eyes!"


    "Why are we even working at the ''Blue Tower'' to this day? I think I''m going to look for another job. I''ve had enough of this shit."


    "Are you crazy?! Where are you going to find a job with that peanut brain of yours?! You''re lucky you even found this job!"


    "Hey! Screw you! I can find a job if I look hard enough!" The man cursed as he chugged his drink down.


    "Yeah, good luck with that. Our job is shitty, but it ain''t bad. We get paid enough money to live and all we have to do is cut down some dead worms."


    The conversation, as crude as it sounded, made Talon raise an eyebrow. ''What are they talking about? They mentioned something about a Blue Tower¡­ Do they mean?''


    Naturally, Talon''s eyes wandered to the window were a small part of the gigantic blue structure in the heart of the city could be seen from afar.


    "The Blue Tower¡­" He murmured curiously. "What is that building, Emino?" He turned to the first man that could know anything about it.


    The man turned curiously to stare out of the window. "Hmm? Oh, you mean the Blue Tower. Well, you could say that is the beating heart of Aridopolis. It is the most important ce in the entire city."


    "Why is that?"


    "To put it simply, that tower is the firstyer of defence we have. See that blue rain pouring outside the city? It alles from within the tower. Sand Eaters are being bred within its walls, and then killed so that we can use their blood as a Blue Elixir. It''s the most efficent way to protect the city apart from the walls."


    Talon blinked in surprise at what he heard.


    "Oh, one other thing, that''s also the main building for the Sky Seekers Guild."


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 262: Chapter 262- Gratitude And Friendship

    Hearing that, Talon was instantly intrigued. At first, he expected the tower to have some kind of importance to the settlement. But, never did he think it was this important. Apart from spraying the outskirts of the city with Blue Elixir, it also was the headquarters for the organization that keeps the city safe from all kinds of threats.


    It was a 2-in-1 structure with enough roles to be the most pivotal ce in the entire city. Naturally, that also made Talon even more curious as to what is truly inside of it.


    ''Breeding Sand Eaters¡­ That sounds like a hectic thing to do especially with this ridiculous quantity of blood being sprayed every single second. How many worms are being bred and killed a day I wonder?'' He thought to himself.


    He was sure that the tower was pumping hundreds of gallons of blood every single second which should be at least the same amount of blood one Sand Eater would have inside its body. That is at least one worm per second being killed which puts the number in the tens of thousands at least.


    "I can see that picked your interest." Emino smiled when he saw Talon fall into deep thought.


    "Hm? Oh, yeah, I am actually quite intrigued by it. So, the Sky Seekers guild is also responsible for breeding and killing Sand Eaters, I suppose?"


    "Yeah, you can say that. Although, it''s a little bit moreplicated." Emino thought for a moment before replying with a weird expression.


    ''What does he mean?'' Talon frowned slightly and was about to ask when Remi arrived at their table with 7 tes in both of her arms.


    "Finally! I couldn''t wait any longer!" Seeing his food, Emino smiled as he took it and stared at the dish with hungry eyes.


    "Me too!"


    "Give it to me!"


    The entire group immediately focused on their tes as if they were the only important thing there out of everything.


    "Hahaha, dig in, dig in!" Remi smiled proudly as she watched them.


    Talon curiously stared at the te in front of him. It wasposed of three things; meat which he assumed belonged to the Sand Eaters. Some kind of red and green vegetables that he had never seen before and a white grainy substance that he assumed was an extra-dimensional rice or something like it.


    ''This does look and smell amazing.'' He thought to himself. He wasn''t familiar with any of it, but he didn''t mind trying it purely by smell.


    So, he slowly picked up the spoon to eat, only to stop for a moment as he looked at the boy next to him. For a second he forgot about Arryn, the boy had been so quiet with his head looking down the entire time.


    Talon could easily guess what the boy was going through and he could only feel bad.


    "Psst, do you want some food?" Tilting to the side, he whispered to Arryn secretly.


    "Huh? Oh, no, it''s fine, please eat." The boy shook his head with an awkward expression.


    But, Talon didn''t immediately take those words and instead looked away. "Can I please get another te of those wrapped for pick up?" He asked.


    "Sure thing, boy!"


    "But, uh, I have no way of paying you yet¡­" He realized his blunder really quickly. Talon didn''t even know what kind of currency they used in this city.


    "Oh, don''t worry about it, kid. Consider this a gift from me to you two." Sheughed.


    "Thank you." Talon smiled with gratitude.


    "Talon¡­ You didn''t have to-" Meanwhile, Arryn was panicking inwardly. He didn''t know why Talon did that.


    "Shh¡­ You can eat it once we find a good ce to settle down." He said.


    That made the boy blink in shock. He kept staring at Talon for a while before he shifted his eyes and smiled. This gesture, as simple as it was, made him quite happy. He could see that Talon saw him as a friend even without saying that.


    He was the first human he ever talked to and somehow, he wasn''t a terrifying monster as he thought he was.


    With that, the group started eating as if nothing happened. They assumed that Arryn was simply shy and didn''t want to eat in front of the others so they didn''t mention it.


    Surprisingly, the food was very great. In fact, Talon was sure it was one of the best meals he ever had in his life. Everyponent of the dish was vourful and tasty. He understood why this ce was as popr as it was.


    When everyone was finished with their tes, they finally left the Diner.


    "I''m sure you two are quite exhausted from all the walking. There is a good inn nearby. I will pay for your first week there as a gift of my own, haha." Emino said with a heartyugh.


    "It''s ok, we really don''t want to put any more weight on your shoulders." Talon tried to deny the offer since he already felt quite bad making them feed him and then pay for his lodging. He wasn''t someone that liked too many favors at once even if they were necessary. He would feel bad if he couldn''t pay them back. That was a part of his nature that he can''t get rid of.


    "Please, don''t worry about it. Consider this an investment on my side for the future."


    "An investment?"


    "Haha, Emino sees quite the potential in you. He wants you to probably join the Sky Seekers Guild and be a Sky Seeker of your own." Michi exined as he snickered.


    "Oh¡­"


    "Yeah, you seem to have the knack for it and I would love to see you join our lines in the future. Of course, if you have other ns then that''s also fine. We won''t force you to do that as it is still a very dangerous job and you might really lose your life if you aren''t careful enough." For the first time since they met, the man showed an expression that was very serious.


    Talon could even see a weird glint sh across Emino''s eyes for a split second that made him frown slightly.


    It was a look that Talon was familiar with and why wouldn''t he be? After all, he still had that same exact look on him. The look of someone who lost something very precious to him. Talon would recognize that anywhere. He also noticed a mix of fear and hesitation in there too.


    ''What did he see?'' He could only wonder.


    For a man as happy as Emino, he could only guess what side he was hiding from everyone else. A side that would perhaps unravel the darker corner of this upation.


    ''Joining the Sky Seekers Guild, huh? Well, that''s certainly a viable option. I want to gather information and that ce is probably the best starting point. I can also just move on my own but that might take longer with the amount of knowledge I have about this ce.''


    Talon didn''t forget about the month period of time he had before the Divine Piercer would descend to the ground. If he missed it, it would be another year before he could get another opportunity to get to it and he would rather die than wait that long before going back to Earth.


    So, that only left him with the first choice: To Join the Sky Seekers Guild. But, before he would do that, he wanted to actually see what this guild is all about and then make a decision.


    If they were shady enough to take his freedom, then he might as well just ignore them. He wouldn''tpromise his freedom for some money and a stupid title that had no worth to him.


    "Well, I will have to visit the guild''s headquarters first and then I will see if I can actually do it or not," Talon said with an awkwardugh. "I''m not that confident in actually being good enough for such a job."


    ''Bleh, I can''t even lie with a straight face.'' He thought to himself.


    "Don''t underestimate your talent, boy. Ehem, in any case, just take some time to rest, and then you can visit the guild any time. It''s not a problem."


    "Thank you for understanding."


    With that, the group finally reached their destination. A small inn in the corner of one of the smaller streets on the west side of the city. It wasn''t as bustling as the main street. Walking inside, they were weed by an old-looking reception with an antique wooden table at the end and a sleepy old woman behind it.


    "Wake up, granny!" Walking to the reception, Emino tapped on it, snapping the woman out of her small nap.


    "Huh? What? Who?"


    "It''s me, Emino."


    "Oh! If it isn''t Emi boy. What brought you here today?"


    "Tsk, I told you before not to call me ''Emi Boy'', I''m a grown-ass man now, granny."


    "You are still 100 years too young to be a man! Tsk, I still remember you running around here with a small wooden stick and a ball!" The woman retorted with an angry look.


    That made the rest of the group look away as they held theirughter.


    "I heard you, I swear to god, I heard you! No resting tonight, it is! We are shifting!" He yelled as he turned around.


    "What?! No!! That''s unfair, Emino!"


    "Evil! That''s evil!"


    "Don''t take decisions for yourself," Lefa added with a cold expression.


    As the groupined loudly, Talon watched from the side as he tried not tough. This group was quite funny without even trying to be so. They seemed to share a deep bond between them like that of a family.


    ''That''s nice to see.''


    "What an interesting bunch," Acryphamented casually.


    "Yeah, they are very interesting. I''m d I met them of all people here. At least I won''t have to worry about killing anyone for now." He shrugged.


    Acrypha gave him a side look before goingpletely silent. Nobody knew what was going through her head at that moment.


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 263: Chapter 263- The Truth

    After talking with his squad for a while, Emino finally turned around and faced the olddy. "Ehem, in any case, granny. I have two friends here who need a ce to stay. You have free rooms, right?"


    "Hmm, are those the two youngds you''re talking about?" Turning to Talon and Arryn, she stared at them curiously with her weak eyes. She seemed to have some trouble with her vision as she had to squint to see them.


    "Yeah, they are good people so I had to rmend your inn to them. See how nice I am, granny?"


    "Good job, Emi boy. Make sure to repay me for taking care of you all these years." The woman replied.


    "Haha, don''t worry about that. Anyway, I will leave them to you then. We still have to report them to the guild so we gotta excuse ourselves now." Turning around, the man approached Talon.


    "Granny is gonna handle everything else. Just take the day to rest and then we will meet tomorrow morning, ok?"


    "Uh, thank you very much. I will see you tomorrow then."


    "No worries. Have a nice day."


    "Bye bye, Talon!"


    "Have a nice evening!"


    The twins bid him farewell excitedly while Lefa simply gave him a light nod. As for thest girl, Evi, she just walked out of the inn as quickly as possible.


    With that, the only people left inside were Talon, Arryn, and the olddy sitting behind the desk.


    "What''s your name, kid?" She asked him.


    "Talon."


    "Talon, huh? You''ve got quite the name there,d. What about the little boy over there? What''s your name?"


    "He''s Arryn."


    "Hm¡­" The woman rubbed her chin as she looked at Arrun. "Can''t the boy answer for himself?"


    "Sorry, he doesn''t like to speak much. He is very shy." Talon replied with a serious tone.


    "Is that so? Well, in any case. I assume you two are going to share a room? I have one with two beds if that''s what you want." She said.


    Talon didn''t answer immediately as he looked down at the kid next to him for a moment. He knew what Arryn wanted at that moment.


    "Yeah, please, one room, two separate beds." He said with a nod.


    With that, the woman turned around, picked up a key, and handed it to Talon. "The room is on the second floor. Take those stairs up and Have a nice stay. The showers are in a separate section back there if you want to take one." She said.


    "Thank you."


    With that, Talon and Arryn walked away, leaving the olddy behind. "What an interesting couple of siblings." She murmured with a curious look.


    For some reason, seeing them made her senses react. She didn''t know why, but these two caught her attention which was a very rare thing to happen. Her inn does receive interesting visitors every now and then, and these two were definitely very interesting.


    ***


    Reaching the second floor, Talon looked for their room number. "Number 26¡­ Here it is."


    Putting the key in the hole, he unlocked the room and walked inside. The interior was rather simple. The room wasn''t that big, with two old but clean beds, one table and a chair, and one wardrobe. A small window on the other side gave a view of the street and some parts of the city.


    "Hmm, this isn''t too bad. What do you think, Arryn?" Sitting down on one of the beds, Talon asked the boy. "You can take the hoodie off, nobody is here."


    Hearing that, Arryn nodded his head and finally took the hood off his head, revealing his face.


    "It''s very nice." He replied as he looked around him curiously.


    "Well, I''m sure you had a better bedroom back in your home. But, this ce is safe enough for now. You can rx."


    Then, Talon pulled out the wrapped food and put it on the table. "I''m sure you''re hungry. Eat that and then get some sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a long day."


    Just off the top of his head, Talon had to visit the Sky Seekers Guild, explore more parts of the city, and find a way to make money and establish some connections in this ce. He knew Aridopolis had way more to hide than the eye could see and he was eager to reveal all of that.


    ''But first, I want some sleep. I''m too exhausted.''


    Talon had been traveling for days, with brutal fights in the middle of all of that. Even if his body wasn''tpletely spent, his mind was. He had too many things going on in his head that only sleep could fix.


    "Mmm¡­" Arryn nodded his head and sat down to eat. Meanwhile, Talon walked to the window and stared outside silently. He was simply making sure no one was following them secretly.


    Even if he hid Arryn, there was no guarantee that nobody realized his true identity. Being extra careful was the least he could do at that moment.


    ''It''s very quiet for now.''


    Exhaling a long breath, he finally sat down on the bed and then threw himself back. Feeling the soft mattress on his body was like heaven. After days of sleeping on the rough ground, finding afortable bed to sleep on was a massive change.


    ''Ugh, this is really heaven.'' He thought to himself as he closed his eyes. "Hey, Acrypha, can you wake me up around dawn?"


    "Sure thing¡­" She replied with a slight frown. ''Thest time he said that he ended up going through a horrible dream. I''m d he isn''t affected by it anymore but hopefully, it doesn''t repeat itself.''


    Talon seemed to have forgotten about it which was a good thing. But, Acrypha could never forget the look of terror in his eyes the moment he woke up. That was something that will be engraved in her memory forever.


    Still, she didn''t mention that and instead simply sat on the bed next to Talon as she silently watched him. That was the only thing she could do and that was the only thing she would do. Simply looking over him as much as she could.


    "Hey, umm, Talon¡­" At that moment, the young man heard Arryn calling for him.


    "What''s up?" He replied as he opened his eyes.


    "I know I have no right to ask this but¡­ A-Are you sure you''re fine with me being here?" He asked with a hesitant look on his face.


    That made Talon raise an eyebrow as he lifted himself up. "What are you talking about?"


    "I mean¡­ It''s really dangerous, um, if anyone discovers that I am not a human, I won''t be the only one to be in trouble. You will also get pulled in too. You might lose your life." The boy finally gathered the courage and said it.


    Talon could see all the fear and worry in the boy''s eyes and it only made him feel even worse for the kid. Even though this was the first time he had been to a human society in his life, the experience must''ve been traumatizing. Like having to live amongst monsters when you aren''t one of them.


    "As I said, you don''t need to worry, kid. Nobody is going to recognize you as long as we are careful. Besides, even if they did, we aren''t going down without a fight. At least I won''t. They will have to do far more than what they might think is enough to get me down." Grinning menacingly, Talon touched his temple. "It''s all about ying our cards right."


    "..." The boy opened his mouth for a moment to speak before closing it again and turning away. Surprisingly, Talon''s words didn''t seem to have convinced him.


    "Arryn¡­" Talon realized that quickly. "Are you hiding something from me?"


    "..."


    The boy only looked down further as if he was terrified. That only raised Talon''s suspicion even more and made him stand up from the bed and approach the table. Then, he looked at Arryn with a serious expression.


    "If there is something important, then you have to tell me. We need to work together if we want to get anywhere, no?" He tried to convince the boy to speak.


    Hearing that, Arryn clenched his fists before he looked up. "I¡­ I lied to you, Talon¡­" The boy said as tears welled up in his eyes.


    "You lied to me? About what?"


    "... I¡­ *Sniff* When I told you that I had never seen a human being before¡­ I was lying¡­" He said as he started crying silently.


    "Wait. What?" Talon was frozen in his ce as he tried to digest what the boy had just said. "So, that means you''ve seen humans before, no?"


    "I have seen them, yes¡­" The boy nodded.


    That was a huge shock for Talon. But, it wasn''t enough topletely stun him in his ce. He had already suspected that Arryn might''ve known way too much about humans for someone who had never seen one before.


    If anything, their first meeting was proof of that. The boy didn''t take a second to recognize that Talon was a human and reacted ordingly. For someone who only heard descriptions about humans, it should''ve taken way longer for him to recognize that.


    "But¡­ If you saw humans before¡­ That means, did humans reach the Divine Piercer?" That''s when it hit Talon. "Wait¡­"


    The boy looked up with a devastated expression. "Humans did attack us before¡­ To be precise, it''s the same people we met today¡­ The Sky Seekers."


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 264: Chapter 264- In Every Dimension, I Miss You (Part 1)

    The room wentpletely silent for a moment as the two looked at each other. Talon was trying to understand what Arryn was saying while Arryn tried to keep himself from crying anymore.


    What the boy just said was quite surprising especially when Talon wasn''t even anticipating it. When he heard the boy say that he lied, he thought that it wouldn''t be something big considering Arryn''s personality.


    But, he couldn''t be any more wrong about that. The boy had just dropped a bombshell on him. A few moments passed before Talon finally snapped out of it and shook his head. "Wait, let me get this straight. So, humans have reached the Divine Piercer and attacked your raceand those humans were the Sky Seekers?"


    Even as he was saying it, it sounded like such a funny thing. Not because Talon thought the Sky Seekers were some kind of heroes. But the fact something like this happened was still really odd.


    "Yes¡­ It happened a few years ago¡­ When the Divine Piercernded on the ground, they ambushed us and tried to take it down. My people fought them as much as they could. We lost many souls and I lost one of my brothers during that time¡­" The boy said as he sniffed loudly.


    "..." Blinking silently, Talon tried to find the words to say only to go silent again. "They did that¡­ Why did you hide that from me?"


    This entire time, Arryn could''ve told him and Talon would''ve had a different idea of who these people are. Granted, he didn''t trust that they were the heroes they painted themselves to be, or at least not as perfect as they might seem. But still, the Sky Seekers turned out to be the main reason why the Azurians were living in the sky.


    "I couldn''t¡­ I was too scared¡­ Talon, please listen to me. Those people are monsters in human skin. If they find out, both of us are dead. They are too strong and too ruthless. I have seen it with my own eyes." He said. "I didn''t know there were this many of them scattered around the world.


    You need to leave now."


    "..." Talon closed his eyes for a moment as he lifted his head. Taking a few moments, he inhaled a long breath before finally opening his eyes. "Ok, I''m calm now."


    "Huh?"


    "So those bastards are still chasing after your people. Who do they think they are?" Talon said in a cold tone. His eyes shed with a dangerous glint.


    "Wha-"


    "You''ve given me another reason why I won''t be leaving. Some people have to pay." Talon said coldly.


    "..." The boy stared at him.


    "I won''t run away nor do I have a reason to. I said that I''m going to help you and I am going to keep my word even if I have to risk my life." He said.


    ''Not that I have any other choice. If I want to leave this world, I have to do this. But, now I won''t feel any worse getting rid of a bunch of scum.'' He thought to himself.


    He knew that what he was going to do carried some danger with it, perhaps far more danger than anything he had ever faced in his life. But, that didn''t mean he was going to run away because of it. Many would consider fear to be the reason why people run away, but Talon took it differently.


    Fear was his main drive to do what he did. He became strong because he feared losing his loved ones. He became strong because he feared that he might die and now, he was going to help Arryn because he feared never going back to Earth ever again.


    It all linked up together perfectly to form his entire goal. He simply didn''t want to feel fear ever again. He wanted to climb so high that nothing could ever threaten him.


    "Don''t let it get to your head, Arryn. We are going to make it, you just need to believe." Talon said that. "Don''t you want to take revenge for your brother and people?"


    "I¡­ I want¡­" Looking down, the boy closed his eyes. He had seen it in Talon''s eyes, that glint that he wanted to have. The look of endless ambition, to always aim higher even when you reach the stars.


    He wanted to be like him. Even though they barely met recently, Arryn saw in Talon what he wanted to be like in the future. To have that confidence that never wanes. Yet, he was so far away from it that it was almost frustrating.


    Still, he knew that he couldn''t simply desire something and get it, he had to work hard to get it. One step at a time, he can walk on the path of growth.


    "I want to make them pay!" The boy looked up with a serious expression. "I will make them pay."


    His response made Talon smile as he crouched down to be at Arryn''s level. "Then let''s do it together." He extended his hand to the boy for a handshake.


    "*Sniff*¡­" The boy wiped his tears before he also smiled. "Yes."


    Then, he took Talon''s hand and shook it with all the power he had within him. That simple gesture had established a pact between them. As simple as it was, the effect it would have in the future was going to shake the entire world.


    But, for now, at that very moment, neither of the two knew about that. They had no idea that the wheel of fate was going to start moving again, faster than ever. But, that''s a story for another time.


    ***


    Meanwhile, in a far distant ce, millions of dimensions away, on a small blue. The second expansion had just hit the small earth and changed itpletely. If this first Expansion was a simple preparation for Earth to go through its evolution, then the second one was the true start of that evolution.


    The world expanded even further, growing twice in size in mere days after that. Tsunamis and natural disasters hit every corner of the globe and changed the entire shape of every single continent.


    Many souls died, monsters and animals alike. Even the remaining minority of humans suffered a strong blow. Yet, as surprising as it was, many survived this ordeal. After all, this wasn''t the first natural disaster they went through and it won''t be thest. No one can underestimate the human race''s ability to adapt and thrive even in the worst conditions.


    Especially now that they were far stronger than ever before.


    *South Korea: Seoul*


    A young man sat down in a quiet, dark room in front of a desk. His face, only lit by a small bulb right above his head, was extremely handsome, like a prince straight out of a fairytale. However, that beautiful face waspletely distorted with a strong frown and a cold re.


    Resting his back against his chair, he exhaled a long breath before he looked down. There, on the table, a small notebooky quietly. It seemed worn and old but still in good enough shape to be used.


    His eyes stared at the notebook for a while before he finally bent forward and picked up a small pen before opening the notebook.


    Moving through the pages, he skimmed through the written words withzy eyes as if this wasn''t the first time he had seen them. After all, this was his notebook and those were things he wrote down in it himself.


    It was a habit he grew to like years ago. He heard that it was a great way to express oneself without the need to show it to others. It helped him leave all the weight he carried on his shoulders in this notebook.


    Eventually, he reached a fresh new page and finally put the pen on the paper. Taking a moment, he thought of what to write before finally starting.


    ''March 15th, 20XX.'' He wrote at the start of the page and then went down and continued.


    ''Today, nothing major happened. The route between Seoul and Gwangju has been linked sessfully. ns to secure the road even further are in progress. We have already started working on developing both cities at the same time and the pace is quite fast. We have enough manpower to do so.'' He stopped there and his face only grew darker after that.


    ''Things have been smooth on that side. But, no one seems to care. All I see are dead expressions of lost hope, perhaps for the same reason why every single person was simply doing the things they were told to, no feelings involved. They have lost something valuable to them. Perhaps the worst of them all was the pre-'' Reaching that, he scratched the word halfway before he wrote on top of it.


    ''Hyun-Jae had changedpletely. Ever since ''that'' happened, she had turned into a different person. She drowned herself in work and training the entire day without a moment of resting. I tried to stop her but she refused to even talk outside of work.


    She isn''t an expressive person, to begin with, but I understand her, and I can know for sure when she is happy, sad, angry, frustrated, and every single other emotion she might express.''


    Stopping there, he exhaled a long breath before he continued. ''But, she is none of that. Whenever I look into her eyes, all I see is¡­ Emptiness. She wasn''t feeling anything. I have never seen her like that before. Not even when she had lost her sister, years ago.


    I cannot do anything about it. Even as someone who knew her for years and grew by her side. I really don''t know what to do. If he was here, things would''ve been different. Even if i hate to admi it. It is true.


    He has that kind of effect on her abd everyone else.''


    Those words felt like a stone stuck in his throat. He clenched his teeth for a moment before he finally looked down at the end of the page and wrote.


    ''Days since he died: 45 days.''


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 265: Chapter 265- In Every Dimension, I Miss You (Part 2)

    The time was early in the morning, Soomin usually wakes up around dawn. She liked this quiet time since it gave her peace of mind and helped her think clearly. She usually sleeps early so she doesn''t feel that sleepy when she wakes up around this time.


    After that, she would usually have a shower, change clothes, and then leave for a jog. In thest few months, she started working on her stamina and physical strength a lot more. Her friends were already growing stronger and she didn''t want to fall behind.


    However, the past few days have been quite rough. Her mind was too upied to really focus on anything. After all, she was too worried about a particr person. One of her closest friends was going through something that she can only describe as ''Self-Destruction''.


    She had never seen her in such a state before in her life and she knew the reason for it. After all, everyone else was feeling the same, to a way lesser degree, but still the same.


    Exiting her small apartment that she received just recently, the cold wind of the morning hit her face. Looking around her, she admired the scenery. After living here for so long, the destroyed Seoul had somehow be a familiar sight.


    Granted, many buildings were being rebuilt and broken streets were being restored. But, in general, the city still needed a lot of work to return to its previous glory. As she took a step forward to start running, she felt the weight on her shoulders increase.


    After the recent events, the world''s gravity has increased by leaps and bounds. That was the natural consequence of the size of the earth increasing and it did cause some trouble. But, since most people have already trained their bodies, they could handle it.


    As she started jogging, a cloud of smoke woulde out of her mouth with each breath. She ran through the empty, quiet streets of Seoul. Her mind was upied with many things, but her legs simply moved monotonously.


    Some time passed and Soomin found herself on the other side of the city. This part was still not fully inhabited by the survivors as it was still in the works. But, it was still safe enough not to worry about a monster appearing out of nowhere.


    As she was running, she heard a sounding from a distance. Stopping in her tracks, she looked around her confusedly.


    ''What was that?'' She asked herself as she cautiously pulled a dagger out of her back pocket. It was a safety weapon she kept with her in case something bad happened when her real weapon wasn''t with her.


    At that moment, she heard the noise again, this time far clearer. So, with careful steps, she started approaching the noise, expecting it to be some kind of monster. However, as she grew closer to it, she realized that this wasn''t the sound of a monster. It was human sounds.


    Eventually, the trail led her to a small park in the corner of the street. Peeking from the corner, she saw someone there, holding a sword as they shed and stabbed with it continuously. Their movements were precise, fluid, and extremely beautiful, like an elegant dance of sorts.


    However, that dance was ruined by the aggressive thrusts and stabs, as if the person who was performing this dance couldn''t focus much. Their movements were filled with anger, sadness, and endless grief. Even an untrained eye could see it and feel it.


    Staring at that person, Soomin gasped. She knew who that was, it was the person she had been thinking about this entire time.


    ''Hyun-Jae? Why is she training here all alone?'' She asked herself.


    It was 4 am, and the sun wasn''t even up yet. But, her friend was training in such a dark ce with a simple candle next to her to illuminate the park.


    As she stared at her confusedly, Hyun-Jae suddenly stopped her movement and turned around.


    "Who''s there?" She asked with a calm, emotionless tone. There were no feelings in her voice, just mere words said monotonously like a robot.


    Soomin flinched hearing that but then stepped out of the corner. "It''s me, Soomin." The girl replied hesitantly as she stepped forward. "What are you doing here so early, Hyun-Jae?"


    The girl squinted her eyes for a moment before she turned around and sheathed her de. "I was training."


    "This early? Wh-" Before Soomin could even ask a question, she noticed a few glistening drops of sweat on Hyun-Jae''s face from afar. That made her freeze in her ce for a moment as she blinked. Then, she asked with a confused look.


    "How long have you been training here for?"


    Knowing her friend well enough, she knew how monstrous Hyun-Jae''s stamina was. To make herself sweat required immense physical activity over a long period of time. At least several hours of non-stop training which meant that she had been here for a long time.


    Thetter didn''t reply immediately as she picked up the candle. "I was done with work so I came here to train."


    "Done with work? But, you were done around the evening of yesterday¡­ You''ve been training since then?"


    "..." Hyun-Jae didn''t reply as she simply walked away.


    "Hyun-Jae, wait!" Soomin followed after her friend with a worried look. "I know you''re probably fed up with all of this. But, you really can''t be living like this. You haven''t slept properly in weeks. All you do is work and training, you''re destroying your body. You aren''t even eating food!"


    "Thank you for the advice, but I know my body best."


    "No, you don''t! Have you even looked at yourself in the mirror?" Soomin clenched her teeth with a frustrated look.


    Just a simple nce at Hyun-Jae face was more than enough to tell how her health was deteriorating. Even though she still looked mesmerizingly beautiful, she was now more like a ghost rather than a human. Her expression was pale and she had heavy eyebags under her eyes, not to mention the dead look she had on her the entire time.


    Soomin was certain of one thing, her friend was falling into a very deep depression. The type of depression that might very much end her life given enough time. What was even worse was that Hyun-Jae wasn''t even acknowledging that or trying to fix it. She simply let herself drown deeper and deeper.


    "I am fine. I do not need rest. We have a lot of work to do. Who is going to do it if I don''t?" She asked back as she turned around and looked at Soomin dead in the face.


    Just a small nce at her friend''s eyes made her flinch before she shook her head. "For how long, huh? For how long do you think you can continue on that path? Do you think you''re immortal?" She yelled angrily.


    She genuinely had enough of her friend being this ignorant. Hyun-Jae was extremely smart but she had that stubborn side of her that didn''t easily listen to other people''s words even if they made sense. She was the type of person who if she puts her mind into something, bad or good, it was hard to make her not do it unless she truly cared about that person''s opinion.


    It was a really bad side of her.


    "I can handle a few days of no sleep if I need to. When I feel like I have to sleep, I will. You don''t need to concern yourself with this."


    "No! It is my concern! You are one of my best friends! I can''t let you self-destruct like this! He would''ve not been happy to see you turn this wa-"


    Before Soomin could even finish her words, Hyun-Jae''s aura suddenly exploded. Soomin felt a crushing pressure fall on her shoulders as if she were carrying a huge boulder.


    "Don''t¡­ Even speak." Then, Hyun-Jae said in a slow, chilling tone. For a second, Soomin could see a terrifying glint in her friend''s eyes.


    Something that she had never seen before in her life. Her mind stopped thinking for a good few moments. During which, Hyun-Jae seemed to realize what she had done and shook her head.


    "Let''s cut this topic here. I do not have time for pointless debate. I''m leaving." She said as she picked up her sword and started walking away.


    With that, Soomin stood there alone in the darkness. Turning around slowly, she saw her friend walking away. The dark aura around her was still there, as visible as day to her. That only made her lips quiver as tears welled up in her eyes.


    Putting her hand on her mouth with a shaky movement, she closed her eyes. ''God¡­ I''m really losing her¡­ And I can''t do anything about it¡­''


    She understood at that moment that her efforts this entire time were useless. Her words weren''t even reaching her friend, let alone affecting her. This entire time, she has been talking to no one. Trying to convince someone who didn''t even want to listen.


    Falling down to the ground, she cried silently. She was feelingpletely helpless.


    ''Talon¡­ Please look over her¡­ She is getting lost.'' Looking up, she could only pray for her friend.


    The only person that can truly affect her and the only person she would listen to is Talon. If he was here, he could''ve helped her. No, if he was still here, she would''ve never fallen into such a state in the first ce.


    Yet, that person is no longer with them.


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 266: Chapter 266- Bed Wars

    "Hey, wakey wakey, sleepy head."


    Talon groaned slightly as he heard an incredibly pleasant voice speak to him in his sleep. Even though waking up from such a deep slumber would annoy anyone, being awakened by such an angelic voice certainly made that brief experience far more pleasing than annoying.


    Slowly opening his eyes, he rose up as he rubbed his face. "It''s already time?" He said in a heavy voice.


    "A few minutes off the mark, but yeah, it is time," Acrypha said as she sat next to him in bed. "You slept like a toddler." She added with a smile.


    "Believe it or not, I still want to sleep for a few more hours. But, work is calling." He replied. "Also, what was that ''Wakey wakey, sleepy head''? Where did you even learn that from?" He asked as he shook his head.


    It took him a few seconds to register what Acyrpha said with how weird it was. This was certainly not a part of her usual vocabry.


    "I read that in one of the books on earth. Isn''t that how you humans wake each other up?"


    "... If you''re a 5-year-old, yeah." He replied with a deadpan expression.


    "Oh my, I was contemting saying it for a while now. But, I guess it fits perfectly." She replied.


    "You!" Talon stared at her with a stunned look.


    Acrypha took a few seconds of silence before she finally broke outughing. "You really set yourself up perfectly there."


    "..."


    "I''m slowly learning your antics, and soon enough, you won''t be able to beat me with words." She added with a proud look on her face as she puffed her chest forward.


    It took Talon sometime before he turned away. "Tsk, you just got lucky that I was still feeling sleepy and my brain is still not fully functional yet."


    "Am I hearing excuses? Admit defeat so we can finally move on and get to work." She shrugged.


    "Dream on¡­ It doesn''t count." He murmured as he pursed his lips. He looked like a child who was wronged by their parents and was acting sad.


    At that moment, Acrypha was feeling euphoric witnessing the sulking look on his face. To see Talon who was usually cocky and very cheeky even with his replies turn into a sad kid was a beautiful sight.


    ''Surprisingly, this side of him is too adorable.'' She thought to herself secretly.


    "Oh well, I''m nowpletely demotivated. I shall go back to sleep." Saying that, Talon threw himself on the bed again as he closed his eyes.


    "Huh?" Acrypha waspletely taken by surprise seeing his sudden reaction. "What do you mean? You need to wake up. You have a long day ahead of you."


    "Zzzzz¡­"


    But, all she heard was Talon''s soft sleeping sounds. "Stop pretending, you did not sleep in six seconds." She said as she red at him.


    But, Talon didn''t reply and instead covered himself with the nket again. That made Acrypha purse her lips. "I said wake up. We can''t waste the entire day here."


    Saying that, she grabbed the nket to pull it off, only for Talon to resist. "Oh, so you are going to try me, huh? I can yank the nket, you, the bed, the building, and this entire city if I want to. You do not want to see that." She said as she moved on top of Talon and sat on his stomach as she pulled the nket away.


    "Hey! Give it back!" Talon opened his eyes and tried to get the nket


    "No, wake up." She replied as she pulled it away.


    But, Talon didn''t give up and started battling her for the nket. The two rustled in bed, trying to get each other. The bedframe started creaking loudly with each move they made.


    Eventually, they fell on top of the bed. "Hah¡­ Dammit¡­" Laying next to each other, the two stared at the ceiling. "Are we really this childish?" Talon asked with a snort.


    "I hate to admit it. But I think we are." Acrypha replied. ''I''m way too old for this and yet I still do it.''


    Even though she knew that she should''ve been way too mature for such jokes, she actually didn''t hate moments like this. In fact, simply ying around with Talon and doing silly things like fighting over a nket was one of the rare things she could call ''fun'' in every sense of the word.


    It never gets old, no matter how much they do it and that was why she loved doing it even if it was out of character for her.


    "Hey, Acrypha¡­"


    "Mmm¡­"


    "What do you think about what Arryn said?" He asked as he turned around to look at her. Their faces were awfully close to each other in that position.


    "What do you mean?"


    "I mean¡­ Was it right for me to make him seek revenge instead of forgiveness?" He asked with a serious expression.


    Acrypha squinted her eyes for a moment as she tried to understand what Talon was trying to say before she replied. "Why? Are you starting to regret giving him such a goal to work for?"


    "No, but it''s not too bad to get the opinion of one wise, ancient being when you have one."


    Even though Talon replied jokingly, his expression was still deadly serious. He really wanted to hear Acrypha''s opinion on the matter.


    Arryn was still a kid, an ultimately innocent and pure kid. He had suffered the cruelty of humans since he was young and yet didn''t turn into a monster because of it. Many would say that giving him a desire for blood was just ruining a child''s life and Talon was almost inclined to say that it was true.


    The key part was ''almost'', because, in reality, he did not believe what he did was wrong.


    "... To be honest, I don''t have any right to say whether you''re right or wrong. My entire life revolved around revenge for as long as I can remember. We both have the same mindset when ites to such things." She sighed as she closed her eyes.


    Talon nodded his head faintly in agreement. He knew that Acrypha''s goal had revenge within it. While it may not be the ultimate goal, it was important enough to push her out of her way to seek his help. As for him, well, he was the closest to that he could be without actually having anyone to take revenge from.


    Perhaps his biggest revenge was against the Core Dimension and its tyranny that led to what happened to him and his people. But then again, if this didn''t happen, he would''ve never met Acrypha, Hyun-Jae, Sophie, Chin-Hwa, and all the others that he grew to consider friends andpanions.


    He had lost a lot and gained a lot. So in general, it was a pretty bnced experience, as crude as that might sound.


    "I do not believe revenge can ruin a person. Hatred does. You can take revenge without letting it consume you and the opposite is possible too. In the end, it depends on the kid himself and what he wants to do. He can either seek those who killed his brother or simply seek to exterminate humans from the face of this. It can go either way."


    Staring into Acrypha''s beautiful crimson eyes for a moment, Talon absorbed all the things she said before he exhaled a breath.


    "You are right. I will try to guide him out of doing anything reckless. The rest is on his shoulders."


    "Well said. Now, are you going to wake up or should I kick you so hard that you fly out of the ceiling?" Acrypha asked with a dangerous smile on her face.


    "... Spare me please." Laughing it off, Talon finally rose from the bed and started preparing himself.


    Meanwhile, Acrypha remained on the bed, watching him with silent eyes. Admiring every single part of him secretly while thinking about the words he said. ''He is right. But¡­ Isn''t he aware of the hatred he is carrying within him?''


    Talon might think he was normal, but the effects of his mother''s death were still there, as prominent as ever if not more. He was certainly harboring hatred, towards what or who is still a question to be asked.


    ''At least, the fact that he knows getting consumed by hatred would only bring him disaster, I''m not too worried.''


    As long as Talon can execute what he needs to do with a clear mind and clear conscience, Acrypha isn''t going to stop him. He was still in a deep grieving state, and she was there for him till he finally shed it and came out fine again.


    Till that dayes, she was going to look over him with careful eyes, as she always did. Even if it took her her entire life.


    ***


    For the next hour or so, Talon made sure to prepare himself. He took a shower downstairs, ate some small snacks he had with him, and then finally left the room. He didn''t wake up Arryn since the boy was so exhausted.


    While it might''ve been dangerous to leave him alone, Talon wasn''t going to move that far away from the inn and Acrypha was always there to alert him if something bad happened so he wasn''t too worried.


    "So, what are you going to do first?" Acrypha asked.


    "Hmm, I want to explore the city a little. Find out if there are any interesting ces here and then I''m going to practice some of the things I learned recently." He said as he stretched his body. "I''m leaving that blue monstrosity forter."


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 267: Chapter 267- Aetherial Lakes

    After stretching for a while, Talon finally started moving. Since the time was still very early, the number of people moving throughout the city was way less than normal. The ones that were awake at the time were mainly guards going through their shifts and other workers, grumpily heading to their early jobs.


    The atmosphere was weirdly serene and calm. The beautiful night sky illuminated the corners of the stone-paved streets and reflected on the walls of the buildings in every corner. Aridopolis certainly had a certain charm during the night that differentiated it from the day.


    It felt like this massive city was now simply frozen in time, devoid of people and their colorful lives. It was now more like a painting, drawn with the careful brush of a dedicated artist.


    After walking for a while, Talon finally decided to jump on top of one of the buildings to have a clearer look at his whereabouts. Looking around him, his eyes fell on the blue tower. Even during thiste hour, the blue Elixir kept pumping out endlessly of its giant crown.


    "It doesn''t even stop for a second, does it? It has been going the entire time." He murmured. "Well, if it stopped we wouldn''t be sitting here talking about it."


    Talon didn''t even need to see it himself to understand the sheer scale of the disaster that might hit this city if that blue tower stopped working for even a minute. This entire city might very much get rendered to rubble by the endless flux of monsters that might attack it.


    It was indeed the most important part of this entire ce with noparison.


    "Millions of Sand Eaters roam these deserts and even more monsters live far away from here. But, the moment they try to approach this city, the blue blood pushes them away. It''s pretty fascinating how it works." Acrypha exined as she looked into the distance with her piercing eyes.


    ''They found a way to survive such a ce with minimal work.'' She thought to herself.


    "Millions, huh? Well, I''m quite surprised I was only attacked by a handful of them."


    "Most of them noticed your presence and were terrified of attacking you. The ones who did were strong enough to be a threat." She replied.


    "So you''re telling me I pushed them away with my aura alone?" Talon turned to Acrypha with a surprised look on his face.


    "Pretty much. You''re already at that level where even those who can''t feel your aura, can easily know that you aren''t someone they should mess with. The stronger you grow, the weaker opponents will start getting out of your way. Consider it a perk of sorts."


    "Wow¡­ This is actually pretty nice." Talon smiled.


    The idea of his presence alone making monsters fear him was quite good. It made him feel that the progress he had so far, as small as it was, wasn''t for nothing. The path lying ahead was long and arduous, but the results were starting to show.


    With that in mind, Talon finally started moving again. Jumping from one building to another, he explored the northern district as much as he could. One of the few interesting details he found along the way was numerous small bodies of water scattered around the area.


    Thesekes had fresh, clear water in them and were supplied with countlessrge, underground pipes that spread across the entire city.


    "So this is the water distribution system in this ce? Lakes?" Talon thought to himself. "How does it not run out?"


    The way the system was established felt very counter-intuitive at first nce. Lakes weren''t endless supplies of water, at least that''s what he knew. With a city of this scale, it is safe to say that millions of gallons of water are being used on a daily basis. Even if there were thousands of thesekes, they shouldn''t evenst a few years at most.


    "You might need to go down there and check. You''re going to find something really interesting." Acrypha said with a knowing smile.


    "Hm? Really?"


    "Yeah, you will discover the answer yourself."


    Seeing that look on Acrypha, he curiously turned around and finally decided to move.


    Jumping down from the roof of the building he was standing on, Talon approached theke with a curious look on his face. Weirdly enough, there weren''t any safety measures put around this ce even though it should''ve been really important. If this water gets polluted, it would be a huge problem.


    But, that curious question turned into a surprise the moment he got close enough to theke. At first, from afar, he thought that the water was simply clear and glistening under the moonlight like a shiny blue pearl. But, he realized that this shiny nature of it wasn''t natural.


    Just a small feeling got him stunned. "This water¡­ Wait, am I imagining things or does it have Aetheris within it?" Talon asked.


    Acrypha nodded her head. "It does, you aren''t imagining things."


    Hearing that response, Talon could only frown. "Wait, did they infuse it with Aetheris themselves, or is this natural?" Approaching the smallke, he crouched down and looked at the beautiful, blue water from up close.


    Just standing there made him feel rejuvenated as if he had just felt a cold breeze on a hot summer''s day.


    "Put your hand in it," Acrypha said.


    Slowly, Talon extended his arm with a nod as he submerged it in the water. Apart from the cold feeling he felt at first, he also could sense the Aetheris imbued in the water slowly moving and entering his hand. Then, he felt his Aetheris being recharged in a very slow manner.


    It was very subtle and minimal change, but he could feel it.


    "Wow, my body is absorbing the Aetheris. How is that possible?" He asked Acrypha.


    "It''s because of the nature of this Aethteris. Normally, Aetheris is found in the air all around us and the body of a lower dimension existence can''t absorb it even if they feel it. But, when Aetheris exists in another form, like water, your body can absorb it through touch or consumption." She exined.


    "So, drinking this can actually recharge my Aetheris just like how a potion would?" He asked.


    "Pretty much. But, it might take hundreds of gallons of water to do that in your case. This Aetherial Lake is pretty weak." Acrypha said.


    "Aetherial Lake, huh? So these aren''t man-made?"


    "No, thesekes form once a particr world evolves beyond a certain threshold. Since the more a world evolves, the more Aetheris forms in its atmosphere, that Aetheris would eventually reach the maximum capacity that the world can handle. But, since the Aetheris will continue to form in it, it automatically turns into other forms like water, dirt, fire, rocks, trees, or anything else."


    "So, the higher that world is, the more Aetherial elements could be found in it?"


    "Exactly. For example, the world I came from which is a Higher dimension. Most things there are made out of Aetheris or have Aetheris incorporated into them across thousands of years. It''s rare to find something untouched by it."


    "What about the Core Dimension?" Talon asked curiously.


    If a middle higher dimension had most of its elements made out of Aetheris, then what was the Core Dimension, the source of Aetheris, like? It was a question worth asking.


    "The Core Dimension is solely made out of Aetheris. Every single thing in it is Aetheris, even the monsters. That''s why people who go there get extremely strong, extremely quickly. Even killing something as small as a rabbit in there, at your current level, can easily double or triple your strength." Acrypha exined with a serious look on her face.


    "What?!! Triple my strength? From killing a harmless rabbit?" She asked.


    "More or less. Stronger monsters are a different matter, though. There is a saying that a being''s true beginning on the path of greatness is when they kill their first enemy in the Core Dimension. That is the true beginning."


    Seeing that look on Acrypha''s face, Talon could only try to imagine how much killing a monster could do to someone of his level. It only painted the Core Dimension in a more fascinating way in his head. That ce is a paradise, as twisted as that word can be, of course.


    A hellish paradise for those who seek strength, and a hell on earth for those who couldn''t acquire said strength. Just living there was a gamble with life in and out of itself.


    Either you can survive and thrive, or die and get devoured by a stronger being. It was a terrifying concept to think about. But, for one reason or another, Talon felt quite intrigued to see that world with his own eyes.


    Whenever that day came, he was sure of one thing. ''I will never be a prey.''


    With that in mind, he turned to Acrypha. "Anyway, still, this doesn''t exin how this amount of water is enough to sustain an entire city of this size. What is the other thing that makes it special?" He asked.


    "You didn''t notice already?" Acrypha asked with a smile.


    "Notice what?"


    "Take a closer look at theke."


    Without understanding what she meant, he turned to theke again and stared down with a closer look. At first, he didn''t understand what Acrypha meant, but he slowly started realizing something.


    "Wait¡­" Blinking, he bent even more as he tried to look even closer.


    "Have you noticed it?" She asked.


    "I can''t see the bottom of it." He replied.


    At first, because of the nature of this water being such a shiny sky blue, he didn''t notice that in fact, it wasn''t as shallow as he expected.


    In fact, even with his vision which can extend to dozens of meters below, he couldn''t even see a glimpse of the bottom.


    "Exactly, it is deep." She said. "Way deeper than you might expect."


    "How much?" Talon asked.


    "For this one? I would say a few million kilometers deep." She replied with a grin.


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 268: Chapter 268- Merit鈥檚 Emporium

    "What?!" Talon blurted out unconsciously when he heard the number. It immediately struck his mind where he least expected it. "A few million kilometers in depth? That''s ridiculous."


    "It is pretty deep. Usually, Aetherial Lakes go deep enough to reach the core of the. In this''s case, it''s a few million kilometers down to the core, so it goes that deep. The amount of water in such a seamlesske is unfathomable." She replied with an impressed look on her face.


    Even though Acrypha was knowledgeable about this phenomenon, she still finds it fascinating to talk about. Thesekes are the perfect example of ''Don''t judge a book by its cover''. They looked small, almost like puddles of water. But, their depth and history were simply unfathomable.


    "Wow¡­" Staring back at the Lake, the light in Talon''s eyes changed. At first, he didn''t think much of them, but now he understood how terrifying thesekes are. "But, if someone falls here, or if someone puts their hand in it, wouldn''t it be a problem?"


    "Hmm, not really. Aetheris-imbued water doesn''t get dirty even if you try to pollute it. Aetheris naturally purifies it and disintegrates all harmful substances in it. As for drowning. Well, most people can''t drown in it because they have Aetheris in their bodies which makes them float in it automatically. That doesn''t mean that you cannot drown though, as it all depends on you." She exined.


    "Hmm, very convenient to know."


    ''If I end up in a sea of this water in the future, at least I won''t have to worry about drowning if nothing attacks me. My title Sea Hunter would also help greatly.'' He thought to himself as he finally took a handful of water and drank from it.


    "Mmm, delicious." He murmured with a satisfied look on his face. This was by far the freshest water he had ever drunk by a far margin. It felt so pleasurable going down his throat and it rejuvenated his Aetheris even more.


    "Here, drink some too." Saying that, he extended his hand for Acrypha to try it.


    "Is that really fine?"


    "Of course, oh wait, my bad! Haha, you can drink on your own." He said with augh as he was about to pull his arm. "My hand might be dir-"


    Before he could even finish the sentence, Acrypha grabbed his arm and pulled it toward her before she put her lips on the palm of his hand. She used her other hand to put a few strands of her hair behind her ear.


    Talon watched that happen with slightly widened eyes. He didn''t think Acrypha would actually drink from his hand and for some reason, it appeared very sensual in his eyes. Such a one of a kind beauty was using his hand to drink water, it was weirdly a pleasant feeling to experience.


    Eventually, Acrypha pulled herself away as she licked her beautiful, red lips. "Mm, not bad." She said with a smile.


    "..." Talon blinked silently as he looked at her.


    "What?"


    "... Nothing." He replied as he turned away and pretended as if nothing happened. He didn''t want her to tease him seeing him blush. "Ehem, in any case, let''s continue moving. I don''t have much time left for exploration so I have to go back."


    There were a few hours left before he needed to go back to the inn and meet up with Emino. After recently discovering that he could coat his hands with Azure mes and even coat his weapons with them, he was eager to practice this new discovery. It was such a game-changer for him that he can''t simply ignore it.


    If he could master such a technique, not only was his attack power going to evolve to a whole new level, he also would be able to face enemies way stronger than him. He already can do that with his base stats, so imagining the change this buff could do on him was mouth-watering.


    With that, Talon jumped on top of the building and started heading back to the inn. He wanted to find a quiet area where he could train without worrying about someone bothering him.


    As he was moving from one building to another, Talon''s eyes fell on something eye-catching. "Hmm?"


    Halting on top of a building, he approached the edge and looked down with a confused expression. ''What was that feeling?'' He asked himself confusedly.


    A few seconds ago, as he was jumping, his senses caught a weird sensation of something close by. He couldn''t wrap his head around what it was, but he was certain he felt it. Standing there, he extended his senses farther than before and focused on them.


    Much to his expectation, he located that source again. It was a very prominent yet faint cluster of Aetheris in one single ce. In such a vast city, this ce stood out like a sore thumb because of how odd it was.


    "Do you feel that, Acrypha?" He asked hispanion.


    "Of course. This is certainly interesting." She replied.


    Looking around him with his piercing eyes, he easily found the ce. In a small corner of a dark alley, there was a small, old building that was seemingly inconspicuous at first nce but was carrying such an interesting thing about it.


    ''A shop?'' Talon raised an eyebrow.


    From the old, barely hanging sign on top of the door, he read ''Merit''s Emporium'' in crude handwriting. The entire ce looked shady and weird. But, that didn''t push Talon away, in fact, it made him even more curious about this Emporium. Conveniently enough, the door had the sign ''Open'', hanging on it so it was as attractive to Talon as it could be to go there.


    "Sigh, I want to go and practice. But, I really can''t let such an interesting ce go, can I?" He murmured as he shook his head.


    Acrypha stared at him silently which made Talon shrug. "You know me, Acrypha."


    "Yeah, that''s why I didn''t say anything." She replied.


    Hearing that hispanion wasn''t against it, it helped Talon make up his mindpletely. With that, he jumped down from the building and started walking toward the small shop.


    Since it was in the corner of a small alley, no one was there to see him and it made the general atmosphere around the ce gloomy and weird. In the alley, he saw small rats moving through piles of garbage and a few puddles of dirty water here and there.


    ''Interesting ce¡­'' He thought to himself.


    Eventually, he reached the door. He noticed some light inside through the foggy window which meant that it was indeed open for customers. So, with that in mind, he pushed the door and walked inside. A rusty bell made weak jiggling sounds as the door opened.


    What he saw inside made him stop for a second. The shop was dark, as expected. It had a few candles hanging on the wall here and there for some light but it only made the ce seem even darker.


    The walls were charcoal ck, perhaps made out of special stone or simply so dirty it changed color. On his right and left, long shelves of dark wood were ced messily. Each shelf was filled with countless items, old and new.


    Each item had some kind of aura to it, as they were all either foreign artifacts, weapons, or other items that Talon couldn''t recognize. On the opposite side of the shop was a small counter where he saw someone sitting. It was seemingly a male, a younger one at that.


    From the first look, Talon could guess that he wasn''t any older than 15, if not younger. He was seemingly sleeping with his head resting on his hand. He had messy ck hair that covered his forehead and eyes and shabby clothes that made him seem homeless. However, apart from that, the boy was as eye-catching as he could be.


    Even without sensing anything from him, Talon could tell that he wasn''t normal.


    After a while, he approached the counter with careful steps. But, that didn''t seem to wake the boy up. So, Talon opted for a more deliberate approach.


    "Ehem, ehem!!" Coughing loudly, Talon tried to catch the boy''s attention. However, that didn''t seem to work too.


    ''What a deep sleeper!'' Talon sighed as he spoke. "Excuse me! Is this shop open?"


    No response still.


    "Hey, you! Snap out of it?!"


    Still no reply.


    "Wake up, you idiot!!"


    "I am already awake, goddammit! Stop screaming!"


    At that moment, the boy suddenly opened his eyes as he yelled back in an annoyed tone. Talon stared at him with a surprised look.


    "Do you not understand the signs? I was pretending not to hear you!" The boy yelled again.


    "I thought you were asleep."


    "Nobody can stay asleep with you being in the same room. You couldn''t be any louder, my friend!" The boy retorted as he rolled his eyes.


    ''This little shit¡­'' Talon was on the verge of snapping at the boy but then decided to calm down and take a deep breath. As obnoxious as this boy was, it was their first time meeting so he had to be the mature one.


    "I saw the sign that says ''Open'' on the door so I thought you were working. Who can guess that you didn''t want any customers?"


    "Tsk, tsk, you do not get it, my friend. That sign is just for courtesy. It''s there the entire day, every day. The truth is, I do not want any customers." The boy shrugged as he stepped down from his


    ''What kind of dumb logic is that?! Why do you have an open shop if you don''t want any customers?'' Talon blinked as he tried to understand what the boy just said.


    "Anyway, since you are here and since I''m awake, I might as well give you an exception. Wee to Merit''s Emporium, I am the owner, Merit. The greatest merchant in every dimension." He said as he extended his hand to Talon.


    A//N: Any kind of support would be much appreciated, thanks for reading.

 Chapter 269: Chapter 269- Merit, The Dimension Merchant

    Extending his hand forward, Talon replied casually. "I''m Talon. Nice to meet you, uh, Merit."


    The boy shook his hand with a weird smile. "Your name is quite interesting. Where are you from?"


    "A faraway vige from here," Talon replied.


    "Oh my, so you are a traveler like me. Interesting." The boy replied as he started smiling for some unknown reason.


    "Yeah. That aside, you said you''re the greatest merchant in all dimensions?" Talon raised an eyebrow at the weird way Merit introduced himself. It was such a grandiose title to give to oneself that it almost made himugh.


    "Of course, you are talking to the greatest. There is no other Merit in this world, after all, so there is only yours truly." The boy replied with a confident tone. The way he spoke only made him sound even more obnoxious.


    But, for some reason, Talon didn''t feel like the boy was putting on a bravado or trying to sound like something great when he wasn''t. The reason for that was perhaps the weird presence he had around him. Something about Merit caught Talon''s attention and he didn''t know why.


    "What makes you think you''re the greatest? What do you even sell?" Talon asked as he looked around him. Even though he could see many artifacts and items of all kinds, he still didn''t know what exactly Merit sold.


    Was he a weapon shop? An artifact shop? Or both? And where did he get all these things at such a young age? Most of them seemed like quite a unique set of items.


    However, the boy didn''t reply immediately as he stared at Talon for a moment.


    "What?"


    "Tsk, tsk, you are really disappointing me, Talon. Asking the greatest why he thinks he is the greatest is such a stupid idea. It is like me asking you, ''What makes you, you?'' It''s just what it is." The boy said as he turned around and started walking around the table. "Can you answer that?"


    "... Fair point."


    ''His logic is wrong, but I don''t know why I can''t retort to it.'' Talon sighed as he shook his head. This brief interaction between them had given Talon a small idea about this boy. He was dealing with quite the entric person.


    "Well, it''s fine. I shall tell you a few things about me since you''re mildly interesting. Three things to be exact. So, ask me whatever you want and I will answer." Merit said with a smile.


    "Only three things?"


    "Only three things. Choose your questions carefully."


    For a moment, Talon thought about it. If he had three questions, then he had to use the opportunity well. A few secondster, he opened his mouth.


    "Ok, my first question is, what is this shop all about?" He asked.


    "Interesting question. Most people would''ve started with ''Who are you?'' or other useless inquiries that add nothing to the conversation. You chose something different for once."


    "I will take that as apliment."


    "It is very much so. Well, the answer to that is simple: This shop is the umtion of every single dimension to ever exist. I''m sure you wondered one day, what could exist beyond the small world you live in. What kind of secrets are hidden behind all the gates. Well, Merit''s Emporium is the answer to your questions.


    I have roamed countless worlds, collecting all kinds of things that you won''t see anywhere else but here." He said as he tapped his finger on the table rhythmically. "Essentially, I''m an amazing item collector like no other."


    Saying those words, Merit smiled wickedly.


    But, Talon ignored that expression as what he heardpletely stunned him. His brain took a second to understand what the boy just said.


    "Wait, you went to every single dimension?" Talon asked with a shocked expression.


    "Very much. Well, not exactly, dimensions do form every now and then so I have to stay on the road most of the time. But, I can confidently say that I went to every single Dimension that existed till recently." The boy shrugged.


    "That''s¡­ What? That is impossible. There are an endless number of dimensions. If what you''re saying is true¡­ Then, how old are you?"


    Talon couldn''t fathomably understand how that is possible. It''s like hearing someone saying that they roamed the universe and went to every corner of it, except infinitely more ridiculous. There were countless Dimensions and countless worlds. Going to each and every one of them would be impossible.


    "That''s your second question, I suppose?" The boy stared at him with a knowing smile. "It is quite rude to ask someone for their age. But, since you are curious, I shall tell you. Let''s say I''m way older than you might think I am, we can put it that way. Way way older."


    "..."


    Talon opened and closed his mouth like a fish,pletely speechless. He didn''t even need to get a number to understand what he meant.


    "That''s a bunch of nonsense. You cannot be telling the truth." Saying that, Talon turned to Acrypha to ask her. If there was anyone who could unravel this boy''s lies, it would be her. But, the moment his eyes fell on Acrypha, he wentpletely silent again.


    The expression he saw on Acrypha''s face was just something else. She had her eyes wide, staring at the nonchnt boy.


    "Acrypha?"


    "... He isn''t lying¡­" She replied inplete disbelief.


    "What?!"


    "He isn''t lying¡­ I cannot sense any lies in what he said." She exined again. "No, even more than that. I can''t sense his age at all, nor any aura around him."


    "..."


    ''No, how could this be? There aren''t any creatures in this world that I can''t sense. His Aetheris pattern is non-existent too. Or is it that I can''t even feel it because it''s way above me?''


    If Talon was confused about this entire situation, then Acrypha was outright bbergasted. For someone of her standard, no existence could escape her senses, even those that are stronger than her, she would still be able to feel them and even know their age, level of strength, and many other pieces of information that most people cannot unravel purely by sensing someone''s aura.


    Yet, this kid gave her zero information. He had no aura or even presence. He had no Aetheris pattern and his age was aplete mystery. He was basically as unknown to her as if she never even met him in the first ce.


    Even more confusing than that, is that she had never heard of this name before in her life. Merit was apletely foreign word to her. If this person was who she thought he was, then she should''ve found his name in books, perhaps even in Divine Cathedrals.


    ''Could he be¡­'' Squinting her eyes, she thought of a possibility. Since she had no idea who this creature was, all she could do was guess. After all, how many entities in this world can reach his level? Perhaps he is one of a kind.


    Rubbing her forehead, Acrypha then started contemting something different. Something that she hadn''t done a single time this far. From the moment she met Talon to this very point.


    Meanwhile, as Acrypha was trying to wrap her head around this, Talon turned around. Since Acrypha said that he wasn''t lying, then that meant one thing. The person he was talking to right now was no human, nor even a creature. He was talking to an ancient being, an existence that he couldn''t even fathom.


    And just like that, Talon started to feel something well up in his heart. It wasn''t fear, or worry. But instead, a deep intrigue. Staring at the boy with an iprehensible expression, he asked.


    "... Who are you?"


    The boy smiled at him, seemingly understanding what Talon was trying to ask. "As I said, I am Merit, the greatest Merchant of all Dimensions. A collector of all unique items and an avid adventurer who roams the Dimensionverse for his own boredom."


    "..."


    "And you are, hmm, you are quite the special one, boy. I can feel too many things about you that I haven''t seen in a long while. Did the gate perhaps send you to me?"


    "You¡­"


    "You don''t have to worry. I already knew that you weren''t from this world the moment you stepped foot into my shop. You reek of the smell of another Dimension, a very low one." The young man shook his hand as if he was trying to get rid of a bad smell.


    ''He knew this entire time¡­'' Lifting his hand, Talon slowly rubbed his temples as he felt a strong headache. ''Who in the hell is this guy? And why did I meet him by coincidence in such a goddamn seamless ce? We are talking in the back of an alley for god''s sake!''


    Talon didn''t know what to do in this situation. This entity was perhaps the strongest thing he had ever met and would ever meet. How can he even treat him? Should he fear for his life?


    ''No, if he had any malicious intent toward me, he would''ve probably erased me from the face of this instantly with a thought.'' Talon smiled wryly. Just thinking of that gave him the urge tough.


    "What else do you know about me?" He decided to ask.


    "Hmm, I know too much to even state all of it. But, I guess the most unique thing about you is thedy floating next to you. She had been staring daggers at me this entire time. I don''t know if I offended her or if she just likes to stare at people for long periods of time."


    "Wha-"


    At that moment, Acrypha suddenly snapped her finger as a sh of blue light appeared around her body before vanishing in an instant.


    "So you do see me." She said with a cold tone.


    "Lady, you are as visible as the two suns in the sky. I could''ve seen you even if I was blind." Merit smiled at her. "Also, good evening to you too."


    A//N: Any kind of support would be much appreciated, thanks for reading.

 Chapter 270: Chapter 270- Runic Spear (Part 1)

    Acrypha stared at the boy silently for a second as if she was trying to assess him. It was still so hard for her to believe that a creature that was so infinitely stronger than her existed in this world and yet she had no idea who he was or what he was doing here.


    It felt like a joke of some sort. After all, she had been hailed as one of the strongest. Now, that sounded like a mockery rather than the truth as this entity had simply transcended the term strength and went to a league of his own.


    Meanwhile, Talon was looking between the two silently. At this point, he couldn''t be surprised anymore that Merit could see Acrypha. This boy perhaps knew about Talon more than he knew about himself as far as he was concerned.


    "I would be lying if I said her presence didn''t surprise me when both of you reached this ce." Merit said as he rubbed his chin. "An existence like her, in a world like this. Very unfitting, I must say."


    "I go wherever I want," Acrypha replied as she slowly floated down till she was next to Talon. She instinctively put herself on the edge, ready to engage in a fight if the entity would attack Talon. Granted, she knew that she would instantly, lose, but she didn''t care.


    Talon''s safety was at the top of her priority no matter the enemy they were facing. Especially if it''s an existence that she can''t even understand.


    "Is that the case,dy? I am quite surprised you have such freedom in this world." The boy said with a mysterious tone as if he was hinting at something.


    Talon didn''t catch meaning, but Acrypha did and her eyes turned even colder as she stared at him. ''Bastard¡­'' She thought to herself. ''Don''t you dare utter a single word¡­'' She threatened him with her eyes alone.


    Even though the difference in strength between them was certainly massive, Acrypha wasn''t a pushover. She wouldn''t let anyone trample on her simply because they''re stronger. They would have to try way harder than that to do that


    "What does he mean?" Noticing the change in her expression, Talon asked.


    "No, it''s nothing," Acrypha replied.


    "Hmm, ok¡­" Even though Talon wasn''t convinced by her weird tone, he didn''t push any further since Acrypha didn''t seem to say anything. At least not in front of Merit. So, instead, he turned to the man.


    "So, you said that you are a merchant that goes through dimensions to sell items. But, you didn''t tell me exactly what are you. Where did youe from?"


    Talon was sure that this wasn''t a human since well, no human can actually be this strong. ''Could he be some kind of divine being? Perhaps even a god?''


    As ridiculous as it sounded, it was still a possibility. To think an entity as broad as the term ''God'' could appear in front of him in such an underwhelming manner.


    "You ran out of allowed questions, boy." However, Merit refused to answer. "Don''t be too greedy for your own good, you might regret that." He added as he rested his back on the old wooden chair.


    "Don''t me me for trying. I don''te across someone like you every day." Talon shrugged casually.


    "Hahaha! With how you''re treating me right now, I would''ve believed you if you met people like me every day." Meritughed amusedly.


    Even though he told Talon about his truth, the young man still treated him casually. He couldn''t even sense fear in the way he carried himself.


    ''Very interesting¡­'' He mused secretly.


    He would be lying if he said he expected this. But, the boy was certainly surprising him more and more with each passing second.


    "To be honest, I thought I was going to start fearing you when you told me you''re an ancient being of sorts. But, I don''t know why, but I don''t see you as intimidating."


    ''Not that I really can do anything even if you were.'' Talon smiled wryly.


    "Hahaha! I will take that as apliment!"


    ''It isn''t apliment though¡­'' Without uttering those words, Talon finally turned around and asked. "Ok, since you said you do sell unique items. I think you are the perfect shop for me." He said.


    "What do you want? As long as it exists and it isn''t boring, I have it." Merit replied with a smile.


    "Well, my spear had recently broken and I''ve been looking for a good weapon to rece it. But, I couldn''t find anything that could catch my eye. Can I find a good spear here?" He asked.


    In reality, Talon was a little hopeful that Merit could actually have the thing he had been looking for. If this entity didn''t have a spear that might catch his attention, then he doubted anyone else could have such a thing. Naturally, he was a little nervous.


    "Hmm, a spear you say? Now that I look at you, you do have the perfect body proportions for a spear wielder."


    "Thank you. I have been using a spear for two months now so I''m quite good at it, well, to a certain extent." Talon replied.


    "Two months, huh¡­" Hearing that, Merit pursed his lips as he took another look at Talon''s physique.


    ''Two months and he has these results. Now this is quite surprising.'' He thought to himself. ''To reach that level, it would take way more than a few months of training. Haha, what a monstrous talent¡­''


    "So, do you have a spear for me or not?" Seeing that Merit had gonepletely silent, Talon asked again.


    "Don''t put disrespect on my name, kid. I have spears that people would wage wars to get their hands on. But, I don''t sell to everybody. So you''re quite in luck." Saying that, Merit stood up as he walked around the table again, and stopped in front of Talon.


    "What kind of spear do you want? Long? short? Two des? One de?"


    "Uh¡­"


    "Hmm, perhaps you might want a more versatile spear? Or are you going for pure strength?"


    The questions rained down on Talon one after the other non-stop. However, he couldn''t respond to any of them. Because he simply had no idea what Merit was talking about.


    ''I know what kind of spear I want. But, I can''t really describe it in words.'' His face frowned slightly as he thought about it.


    "Can you show me? I can choose for my own." Talon sighed and decided to simply look for himself. After all, he trusted his own eyes and senses.


    "Quite the picky customer, I see. Well, I do not mind. Here." Saying that, Merit snapped his finger lightly.


    The moment he did that, ten objects appeared in front of him, floating in the air one next to the other. Talon instinctively took a step back in surprise.


    ''When did he¡­''


    Blinking in surprise, he stared at the spears that appeared out of nowhere. The way they manifested was so weird that he can''t even describe it with words.


    "Haha, don''t worry about it. I cannot keep everything I sell on these old shelves. So most of them go to the storage unit in the back and I can easily get them whenever I want."


    "... Oh, ok¡­" Rubbing the back of his head, Talon decided to simply ignore whatever sorcery this man used. It was simply something he could notprehend at his level and it would probably take him a long time to reach a level where he could understand it.


    "These are my best spears. Judging from your physique, I chose these. If they don''t fit you, I can show you the other types." Merit exined.


    With that, Talon focused on the spears. There were exactly 5 spears floating in front of him. Each one looked drastically different from the other, design-wise and even aura-wise. The only thing that really put them all in the same category was that they were all spears.


    Other than that, they werepletely different weapons. With that, Talon stepped toward the first one. The first spear was yellow in color with a shiny golden de at the end of it. Beautiful engravings were drawn across the handle and up to the tip.


    "What is this one?" Talon asked.


    "That is the ''Ekzykes'' Lightning Spear''. A spear that I found in the core of a lightning monster. It took me a few days to find that thing and kill it. When ites to lighting control, that spear is unrivaled. In the right hands, burning an entire world to ashes isn''t that hard." The man replied.


    Just hearing that exnation sent a chill down Talon''s spine. For a spear to be able to fry an entire world simply because it''s strong¡­ He couldn''t even imagine what kind of monster it came from.


    Slowly putting his hand on the handle, he felt a small sting in his hand as if he were electrocuted. But, he ignored it and picked up the spear and inspected it with his own eyes.


    ''It''s a little heavy¡­'' He thought to himself as he traced the outline of the spear with his fingers. Then, he slowly moved it down to check its bnce.


    ''A little different from what I''m familiar with.'' Even though he didn''t swing it much, he could feel that the spear wasn''t the same type he used to fight with.


    After a few minutes of inspection, he handed the spear back to Merit. "This one isn''t it. As strong as it is, I don''t feel like I can fight with it normally."


    As weird as it may sound, Talon wanted his next spear to be the same exact weight, bnce, and size as his Blue Lapis spear since that is the weapon he used to learn spearmanship.


    He couldn''t simply change the type and expect to get everything out of said weapon. Chemistry was important after all.


    "Next weapon."


    A//N: Any kind of support would be much appreciated, thanks for reading.

 Chapter 271: Chapter 271- Runic Spear (Part 2)

    Merit stared at the spear in his hand and then at Talon with a weird glint in his eyes. "So, you didn''t like this one. May I know why?" He asked with a smile. The look of genuine curiosity on his face was as clear as day.


    "The weight and bnce are off from what I''m used to. I can''t use it well enough to give it justice, as strong as it is." Talon exined as he rubbed his chin and stared at the second spear in the line.


    ''He assessed the characteristics of the spear and came to a conclusion really quickly. His inner senses are quite sharp for a low-dimension creature.'' He thought to himself.


    For someone to reach such a deep level ofprehension of his own abilities and especially his abilities when it came to his weapon, it required a lot of work and a keen sense for battle that stands out amongst others and that was clear in Talon from the start.


    He didn''t need to learn anything to understand what he wanted. All he required was his feeling and it always leads him to the correct way.


    "Good enough, you can try the second one then." Merit shook his head and made the spear vanish from sight in an instant.


    The second spear was aplete contrast from the first one. It was extremely red in color, with a darker hint of ck swirling around the handle and an ominously bloody de. It looked like it was submerged in ake of blood before being brought here which added further darkness to its borderline malicious aura.


    The moment Talon grasped it, he felt a chill run down his spine, except this time it was a different kind of chill. One simr to when Talon faced a monster far stronger than he was and that hint of fear slowly crawled into his mind.


    However, he quickly shook his head and assessed the dark spear. ''It feels so¡­ Evil¡­'' He thought to himself.


    The spear had something wrong with it and he didn''t know what it was exactly.


    "That is the ''Lord Of The Blood''s Hand''. I found it stabbed into the corpse of a dead giant and as far as I know about it, it had gained that red color due to the sheer number of things it killed. It is quite a troublesome weapon to deal with. But, if you do learn how to use it, this thing is a nasty monster.


    It allows the user to control and draw blood from themselves and their enemies to use in battle and let me tell you, it isn''t something you would want to be on the other side of." Merit exined.


    ''So that is the origin of this feeling. The fact that it imed so many lives. But¡­ How many could that be for it to stay eternally marked on the spear?'' Just imagining it sent a chill down his spine.


    But, he tried to ignore this spear''s background and focused on the spear itself. For starters, the blood abilities Merit talked about were quite interesting. Talon didn''t know blood could be used as a weapon but he could see it being a very dangerous ability to have.


    But, then again, the spear itself, as a spear, wasn''t what Talon was looking for. It had the length and the de down, but its grip wasn''tfortable and it was extremely heavy. Not to mention the bad feeling Talon would have each time he lifted that spear.


    In the end, he could only shake his head. "No¡­ This isn''t it." He said and handed the spear back to Merit.


    "Mmm, interesting. I thought you might''ve chosen this one." He said as he made it disappear.


    "No, it isn''t quite what I''m looking for."


    "Sure, kid. Go ahead, I still have many spears I can show you."


    Hearing that, Talon moved to the next spear. Just like the one before it, it was ridiculously strong, but it didn''t fit his criteria. Then, he went to the next spear and the one after it and the same happened with both. They were all quite unique, powerful, and versatile, but theycked the most crucial part, the chemistry Talon was seeking.


    Apart from his problems with the length, bnce, and some other form factors, he also didn''t feel that spark. By ''Spark'' he meant that instant connection that could be established with his weapon. Talon viewed his spear as apanion, rather than a mere weapon.


    A friend in time of thick and thin. One that he can rely on to do what he needs to do without letting him down. In that sense, Blue Lapis was the perfect weapon for him. The connection between them was instantaneous and perfect.


    With time, it only grew deeper and deeper till Talon couldn''t differentiate between it and one of his arms for example. That was how deep it was.


    These spearscked that part and ultimately didn''t fit Talon at all. After giving Merit thest spear, Talon frowned.


    "I really couldn''t find a good one amongst these. They are all good spears, but they aren''t my thing." He exined with a sigh. He expected Merit to be disappointed that Talon didn''t choose one of these spears since they were perhaps his best choice.


    ''He worked hard to get these. I would feel insulted in his ce if someone discarded them like this. But, I won''t sugarcoat stuff, that''s not me.''


    "Well, I haven''te across someone as picky as you are. But, I do not hate that, kid. If anything, I''m more intrigued now to know which spear is going to capture your eye."


    "Really?"


    "Yeah. But, I have to think for a moment before I can give you another choice. It is tough to figure out what you want." Merit smiled as he walked around the table and pulled out a giant old book.


    Opening it up, he started going through the old papers with a focused look on his face.


    Talon watched the boy work curiously. Every time he looked at him, he could only think that this was a mere kid, and yet the truth couldn''t be any farther from that.


    ''Which one I wonder? From the way he has been looking at these spears, I can say that he isn''t looking for shy, powerful spears. He is looking for something else¡­ Hmm, something special¡­'' As he read through the catalog, his eyes suddenly fell on a single name, right at the end of the spear category.


    A name that was written in haste and seemed rather normal amongst the shy names of the other spears. But, when Merit read the name, he remembered where he found that item and the small bits and pieces of info he knew about it.


    "This¡­" He murmured as his face drew a wide grin. "I almost forgot about this one¡­"


    After saying that, he snapped his finger, and immediately, a spear manifested in his hand. Staring at it, his smile grew even wider. "Now this¡­ I wonder what you think about this one."


    Saying that, he approached Talon and handed him the spear. Confused by the way Merit was speaking, he grabbed the spear and immediately, his body froze.


    "..." His eyes squinted as he slowly lifted the spear and stared at it. Unlike the spears before it, this one didn''t have anything noteworthy about it.


    It was grey in color with a polished, white de and a rather unassuming set of runic words drawn across its length. Compared to the others, it appeared like a in old spear with nothing special about it.


    However, the moment Talon grabbed it, for some reason, he felt something weird. A feeling that he had been looking for. That small connection that the other spearscked, this one had it, way stronger than anything else.


    "This¡­"


    ''This feeling¡­ It''s stronger than the one I had with Blue Lapis¡­'' He thought to himself in shock.


    After trying all kinds of different spears, Talon started to believe that the connection he had with Blue Lapis could not be rivaled. That weapon was perhaps tailor made especially for him. So, he instinctively lowered his standards a little so that he could finally find a new weapon.


    But, the moment he touched this, the idea shatteredpletely.


    "What is this spear?" He asked in disbelief as he traced his finger across its handle and de.


    "That is the ''Great Runic Spear''. To be honest, I do have not that much information about it except that it belonged to a great figure in the past. I do not know who that is or what powers it has as I couldn''t use it myself which honestly made it unique enough for me to leave it in my storage." He exined. "I do know for certain that it has way more going for it than the eye could see." He said.


    Nodding his head faintly, Talon moved back a little and swung the spear once. ''The bnce and length are perfect. The de is the perfect size and the range is also the same¡­ This is so good!''


    It was so good, in fact, that he almost wanted to believe that it wasn''t true. The spear fit his criteria perfectly and even added a few things that he didn''t even know he needed.


    Looking up, he said. "What''s your price for this? I want it."


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 272: Chapter 272- Acrypha鈥檚 Truth (Part 1)

    Hearing that question, Merit closed his eyes for a moment as he thought of something. "Well, a spear like that, with the knowledge I have of it¡­ It can be either priceless or simply a bag of trash, no in-betweens." He replied.


    "A bag of trash? Why? It''s really good, though." Talon said as he gripped it even harder. He still didn''t check its description yet but he was certain this spear was perfect for him. Even if it was considerably weaker than the other ones, he would still choose it purely for the chemistry.


    "Yeah, that thing doesn''t work. Look at those runes on the side. Those are supposed to be activated for the spear to reach its true potential. But, I have never met a single soul that can actually make this thing work." Merit exined.


    Across his journey, he had met countless people on his way, some took interest in that spear all the same. After all, this one looked the most ''normal'' within Merit''s arsenal and sometimes, the most normal-looking things hide the deepest secrets. Especially when you put it in the context of the owner of this spear¡­ Merit himself.


    He was a collector of all special items and a master at choosing what to keep and what to throw. If he kept something as normal as this spear, then that means it isn''t normal anymore.


    "Well, how about we make a bet?" The entity said with a smile as he thought of an idea.


    "A bet? About what?"


    "Simple, I want you to try and activate this spear. If you can do that, then it''s yours for free. On the other hand, if you can''t activate it and it remains the same, you can still take it if you want. But, you will have to pay a price for it. What do you think?"


    Hearing that, Talon pursed his lips and went silent. The bet seemed rather safe. There weren''t that many big stakes to lose on this which made Talon''s decision rather quick.


    "Sure, why not?" Extending his hand, he shook merit''s to seal the deal.


    "Ok, try it now." Merit said as he took a step back with a curious look on his face. He hadn''t felt this anticipation of something happening in a very long while. Something within him told him that this spear might''ve finally found its worthy owner.


    Yet, at the same time, he still can''t believe that someone would be able to activate this spear so easily.


    "Mmm, should I go outside or¡­?" Looking around him, Talon could only hesitate. The shop was rather small and he didn''t know whether it could even be safe if something wentpletely wrong in the process.


    "Don''t worry. This ce had bore the test of time, it will be fine." Merit said.


    "Uh, ok¡­" Rubbing the back of his head, the young man finally focused on the spear in his hand. Feeling its cold metal on his skin made him submerge his mind into it even further. Before doing anything, he wanted to feel the spear andmunicate with it.


    It wasn''t something necessary to do as this was still just a piece of metal. But, Talon wanted to do that because he saw it as a potentialpanion and what do you do when you meet a new person? You introduce yourself.


    After a minute or so, he finally opened his mouth and lifted the spear up so that he could take a closer look at the runes on its side. "Ok, here goes nothing¡­" Saying that, he started channeling his Aetheris into the spear.


    Slowly, the vibrant energy flowed into his hand and through to the spear. But, that''s when Talon noticed something.


    ''Where is my energy going?'' He raised an eyebrow.


    The moment his Aetheris seeped into the spear, it vanishedpletely and not even in a normal manner. It was as if the spear swallowed it whole and left nothing behind. That was a first for him. But, he didn''t let it stop him and he continued pumping it with Aetheris while the spear consumed it all instantly like a hungry beast that came across a hearty meal.


    Seconds turned into minutes and the spear didn''t seem to have any signs of stopping. That made Talon frown as he didn''t have an infinite pool of Aetheris and it could run out quicker than the spear could grow satisfied. Even more than that, he feared that this spear didn''t ept and was simply using him as a source of energy for itself.


    As the time went by, his pessimism grew and he started feeling that this wasn''t going to work. On the other hand, Acrypha and Merit watched with deep curiosity. They also noticed theck of reaction from the spear but didn''t say a word.


    At the 20-minute mark, Talon''s Aetheris started entering critical stages. In these short 20 minutes, he had used almost 80% of his Aetheris at an extremely rapid pace. Eventually, when things seemed to be failing, he stopped the supply and sighed.


    "It''s not working. The spear is just consuming my Aetheris. The runes didn''t activate as you said." He uttered with a disappointed tone. Even if he wasn''t expecting the spear to activate as he was simply satisfied with its material and other characteristics, he still wished he could activate it and see what power it was capable of.


    "Oh my, I guess there is nothing to do about it. This thing is tough to satisfy." Meritughed. Meanwhile, Acrypha floated toward Talon and tapped his shoulder.


    "It''s fine. There is no shortage of strong spears in this world. You will find other better ones in the future."


    "Yeah, I know¡­" Nodding his head with a small smile, he simply shook those thoughts off and decided to focus on the bright side. He acquired a sturdy spear to use in the future. That was more than good news as he was in urgent need of one.


    "Well, I lost the bet, I guess. How much for the sp-" At that moment, when Talon was about to admit defeat, he suddenly felt something vibrate in his hand. Immediately, he looked down, only to be shocked by what he saw.


    The spear which was motionless this entire time, had suddenly started moving. No, even more than that, the spear''s grey, nd color had suddenly shifted. Instead, a bright, blueish hue covered its frame.


    Then, one of the runes at the bottom of the spear suddenly started shining with a sky-blue color. Talon felt immense energy moving through the spear, traveling from the rune up to the de.


    When it reached it, the tip of the de suddenly formed a ball of blue energy.


    "Wha-" Before Talon could even do anything, the ball of energy suddenlyunched forward and its target was¡­


    "Move, Merit!!" Talon yelled as he saw the energy ball reach him in a split second. However, the boy didn''t even seem to be bothered as he simply extended his hand forward.


    The chaotic sphere shed with his hand and stoppedpletely. Then, a strong gush of wind exploded everywhere, sending Talon stumbling back a few steps. The entire shop shook violently as if it were hit by a storm.


    Covering his face so as not to get hit by something, Talon waited for the wind to subside before he finally peeked through his arm. There, he saw the sphere of energy still in Merit''s hand.


    "... Interesting¡­" Thetter said as he looked at the spear with a hint of fascination in his eyes. "This is amazing¡­ A perfect ball of Aetheris¡­ So this is what that spear can do?"


    ''To be honest, I expected many things. This isn''t certainly one of those things.'' Rubbing his chin, he examined the sphere further. Not only was it a perfectlypact ball filled with energy. Its destructive power was fascinating. So much so that Merit was certain if he didn''t stop it, this entire shop would''ve been sted into pieces.


    No, even more than that, it could''ve easily destroyed the neighboring buildings too.


    A ball, smaller than his hand, capable of a destructive power of that caliber.


    "What the hell was that? Why did it suddenly do that?" Staring at the spear in his hand, Talon noticed that the blue color had vanishedpletely and the rune went back to its former colorless nature.


    He didn''t understand why the spear reacted that way after an entire minute passed.


    "It seems we were wrong. The spear had never done this before. Usually, it consumes the user''s Aetheris and never does anything else. You are quite different." Merit said as he grew a toothy grin. "It seems the spear had epted you as its new master."


    Talon blinked silently before he looked at the spear again. This time, he noticed something else. The weapon''s connection with him had deepened significantly. It was a subtle sensation at first but only grew more and more prominent the more he looked at it.


    He didn''t even need proof from Merit to realize that indeed, the spear had epted him and it was more than willing to let him use it.


    Acrypha stared at Talon from the side with a hint of relief. She didn''t want to see him dissatisfied with his new weapon even if it was a little bit.


    ''There couldn''t be any better user for that spear. If it refused him, I would be damned.'' She thought to herself.


    (I uploaded a new book to my ount. It won''t be the main one, but it''s an interesting idea I had for a while now. The name is ''Rise Of The Greatest de Arcane''. Do search it up and add it to your collection if you are interested.)

 Chapter 259 - 259- Aridopolis: The City Of Dunes (Part 1)

    As Talon was upied with Acrypha, Emino and his wife Lefa were having a conversation on their own ahead of the entire group. They made sure to keep their voices quiet so that nobody could hear them.


    "He is a very interesting individual." She said as she looked over her shoulder.


    "Haha, isn''t he? I was quite surprised to see him actually seeding on the first try. I expected at least a few more tries but I guess I underestimated him."


    "No¡­ Nobody would''ve expected that. But, I can definitely see why you did that. He seems rather different." As she said those words, she could only look at Talon.


    Ignoring his body that was oozing with an aura akin to that of royalty, there was something about him that made him stand out, and yet she couldn''t put her hand on what it was. Due to her job as a Sky Seeker, Lefa had naturally met many people in her life and learned how to differentiate between them with a simple look.


    Yet, never in her life had she seen someone like Talon. Everything about him looked normal and yet also extremely bizarre. A mix that shouldn''t exist and yet here it was.


    ''Who is he?'' She asked herself.


    "Don''t stare too much my dear wife, or I might get jealous, hahaha." Her husband''s voice snapped her out of her daze as she looked ahead.


    "You have no reason to feel jealous." She replied seriously.


    "Hahaha, I know my lovely wife loves me to- Ouch!"


    Before he could even finish his words, Lefa jabbed him in the side lightly. "This isn''t the time for that."


    "Sorry, sorry~"


    "By the way, you guys have been talking about this Sky Seekers guild or whatever. What is that all about?" Talon asked curiously, oblivious to their conversation.


    This has been on his mind since he met them and he didn''t find the opportunity to ask till now.


    "I can answer, I can answer!!" The one that lifted their hand was Michi who excitedly moved till he was close to Talon.


    "So, in a nutshell, the Sky Seekers guild is an organization built for one single purpose: To protect humanity."


    "Protect humanity? From monsters, I assume?" Talon raised an eyebrow.


    "Yes, that''s correct. This desert is extremely dangerous and most of it is either unhabited or unexplored. So, naturally, we do not know when or how monsters could attack human settlements and whether we can even fight them or not. So, to help with that, this guild was founded for people to join, get stronger, earn money, and also protect our existence here." Michi exined with an excited look.


    "And how far does the guild''s domain expand?"


    "As far as the northern five sectors. Our city is in the second sector, by the way. There are at least a few hundred thousand Sky Seekers across the five sectors."


    "That many people¡­" Talon murmured with a frown.


    ''So it''s basically just like the guilds in fantasy stories I hear about all the time. Though, I doubt it''s as simple as this guy paints it to be.''


    The idea of a guild, while might seem very useful and smart, has many downsides. To begin with, the nature of the job itself was extremely dangerous. Fighting monsters in an environment like this one had to be deadly. Talon could easily guess that the death rate was probably over the roof.


    ''I doubt everyone here can actually kill a Sand Eater on their own. Though, the way these people killed thosest three worms was quite interesting.'' He recalled the moment they appeared and eliminated thest three monsters.


    It was swift and lethal, with minimal risk as far as he could see. He was sure that they had special weapons they used to fight those things.


    "We are from squad six, by the way. I don''t want to brag, but we are one of the strongest squads in Aridopolis if not the strongest. Isn''t that right, Kichi?" Michi asked his brother. Experience the best from freewebnovel


    "We are the best, yes!"


    As the two cheered, Talon looked away. ''Aridopoils, huh? So that''s the name of this city.'' He thought to himself.


    "Are you getting any useful information from what they''re saying, Acrypha?" He asked.


    "Hmm, no, nothing so far. I''m trying to remember any more details rted to the Azurians and their history. But, I can''t recall if the world they ran to was mentioned or not. It''s quite vague." Acrypha rubbed her chin with a frustrated look on her face.


    ''My memory is always perfect. Why I can''t remember such an important detail if it was ever mentioned?'' She asked herself.


    Acrypha never had trouble remembering anything she had seen at least once in her life. She had a perfect eidetic memory and yet of all things, she can''t remember this one. That naturally raised many questions in her head that she had no answer to. Something felt really off.


    "It''s fine, we will figure it out once we reach the city." He replied.


    ''I''m sure everything will be answered there.''


    ***


    A few hours passed just like that, during which, Talon simply enjoyed the beautifulndscapes and the breeze of air that continuously hit his face. He had never thought flying like this would be so pleasant.


    Not to mention the speed of the gears. He was sure that they were moving as fast as a bird or a ne. Looking down, he could see the scenery shifting extremely fast. If he had to estimate, they had probably crossed over 2000 kilometers in a few hours of time.


    That kind of pace was ridiculous even for Talon. ''To think that these old-looking things could exert such a force. I guess the ones who made it knew how to make use of the Aetheris energy in order to exert such force.''


    The wings on their own were far from enough to move at such high speeds. Just like a ne, they required fuel to create energy, and what better fuel that exists than Aetheris? It was technically endless, had no actual source, and didn''t need any kind of tempering to use. As long as someone has Aetheris, they can use these gears.


    And finally, the most important part was that these wings don''t use too much energy to be activated. In fact, after hours of flying non-stop, Talon could feel that his Aetheris pool was barely halved.


    ''I might take a few of these gears with me when I go back to Earth. They are too good to be left here.'' Talon thought to himself. ''Or maybe I should just learn how to make them and then just start creating them on my own.''


    Closing his eyes for a moment, he imagined creating an entire army of people that were capable of flying. That will make all his work so much easier and far more convenient. It will also cut short the number of casualties that usually happen due to the nature of their work.


    It was a great idea that he naturally kept in the back of his head for the future.


    "Look! It''s the city!" At that moment, he heard Kichi yelling loudly.


    Opening his eyes, Talon''s eyes were met with a rather surprising sight. In the far distance, a gigantic structure rose from the ground to the high skies, looming over the world with a strong presence.


    The structure was surrounded by massive walls made out of sun-bleached stone that dug into the deep sands beneath. Inside these walls were countless buildings that stretched as far as the eye could see. It was a sight straight out of a dream.


    The city was so massive that even from tens of kilometers away, Talon could feel its scale. It even put modern cities like Seoul and Tokyo to shame in size. Not to mention its unique appearance that was straight out of a fantasy world.


    A mythical metropolis city like no other.


    However, the most interesting part about it was the structure in the heart of it. The giant pir-like structure stood out like a sore thumb on its own. Its walls were made out of blue quartz and decorated with beautiful engravings and statues.


    At the top of it was a crown-like statue that covered its entire roof surface. This crown had countless holes poked into it all around its perimeter that were spraying vast amounts of blue liquid like a hose. The liquid would fly through the air and fall right outside the city, all around the walls.


    That made the sand in that area have a clear blueish color.


    "Wow¡­" That was the only thing Talon could say. The city made himpletely speechless. He had never expected to see such a thing in his life.


    "It''s beautiful, isn''t it? This is the reaction everyone has the first time they arrive at Aridopolis. We are all mesmerized by its beauty." Emino said with a proud look on his face.


    "It is really gorgeous¡­" Talon nodded in acknowledgment. Even if he wanted to deny it, he couldn''t hide his reaction.


    This was by far the most beautiful ce he had ever been to and he hadn''t even entered it yet.


    The group grew closer and closer to the city walls until they were barely a few hundred meters away before they slowly started descending to the ground.


    Eventually, theynded on their feet right outside the gates. As the only way inside the city, the gates were naturally massive in size, created out of enforced iron and some other mixes of metals.


    Talon and Arryn stared around silently as the rest of the group walked ahead. The little boy seemed more apprehensive than impressed.


    "Talon¡­ I''m scared¡­" He said in a weak tone.


    "It''s ok, you will be fine. You gotta just trust me." Thetter replied with a smile.


    ''It must be really hard on him.'' He thought to himself. Talon couldn''t imagine how it felt like to realize that you are this close to the people that killed your own kind for their own desires. He must''ve been angry and yet also fearful of what might happen to him if he got captured.


    ''I won''t let them catch him. Nobody can do that.''


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 260 - 260- Aridopolis: The City Of Dunes (Part 2)

    Turning his eyes to stare at the gates, Talon noticed a small building nearby on the right. It had one door and one window to the side and it seemed rather old with a very clear blue color, perhaps due to the continuous rain of blue liquid that kept pouring outside the city walls.


    ''What is even that?'' Talon stared at the raining liquid with confusion. It was by far the weirdest part about this entire city.


    Looking around him, he noticed that the hooded girl was standing near him. This entire time, she never uttered a single word and he didn''t know why. He suspected that she was shy or just a cold person in general. Still, his curiosity made him ask.


    "Psst¡­" Whispering to her, the girl''s eyes shifted to look at him from under the hood.


    "Mmm, what is that blue liquid raining down from the tower?" He asked.


    "..."


    Complete silence.


    The girl didn''t reply and simply stared at him. He couldn''t even see her reaction under that hood and it only made him even more confused.


    ''Does she hate me?'' Talon asked himself.


    He had never talked to her, so he couldn''t think of a reason why she would hate him. Unless she simply hated strangers, which then exins this behavior.


    "Blue Elixir¡­" Surprisingly, a whileter, she spoke. Her voice was quiet and emotionless, just like how Talon expected it to be. "It''s used to keep the city safe from monster attacks."


    ''Oh¡­'' Talon blinked silently before he stared at the blue rain again. ''So that is the Blue Elixir the other guy talked about. I guess that makes sense.''


    Emino had mentioned it before when Talon talked about his supposed vige being destroyed by monsters. It seems it''s used to keep them away for some reason.


    Meanwhile, Acrypha flew toward it and unexpected it with her eyes. "Hmmm¡­"


    "You discovered something?"


    "Yeah, this is actually a Sand Eater''s Blood." She said. "Well, it exins everything now."


    "Wait, that''s the blood of that worm?"


    "Yeah. Now that I recall, it does have some characteristics that repulse monsters. It''s poisonous and stinky which most creatures consider a threat." She said.


    "That makes sense. *Sniff* Now that you mention it, I do need an immediate shower. I smell like absolute garbage." Frowning hard, Talon shook his head in disappointment. Showering has been the bane of his existence ever since the Integration started.


    Theck of water coupled with his intense day-to-day activities made it necessary for him to shower at least 3 times a day to keep his hygiene. But, that was simply not viable in most situations.


    ''Oh well, things are getting better so I might finally be able to take showers whenever I want to.'' He thought to himself.


    "Emino, you''re already back?"


    At that moment, he heard a voice speaking from the other side. Looking up, he saw a man wearing flying gear and carrying a spearing out of the small building. He looked at the sixth squad with a familiar look.


    "We found two brothers lost in the desert so we brought them back here," Emino exined.


    "Another one? The fifth squad brought a dying woman the other day. They said she got lost traveling here and almost died from hunger. What is happening these days?"


    "Well, the number of such cases did increase recently." Emino nodded his head.


    "Yeah, many viges are being attacked by those nasty worms down south. It''s getting pretty hectic. Anyway, you can go ahead and enter." As the man said those words, the giant gates started opening slowly with a loud sound.


    "Have a nice day."


    "You too. Hey, Talon, let''s go." Emino turned to Talon and said.


    "Ah, yeah, I''ming." Join us at freewebnovel


    Talon then grabbed Arryn''s hand and started walking toward the opened gate. Passing by the guard, thetter curiously inspected them with his eyes. Eventually, it stopped at the small kid.


    Talon noticed that and frowned secretly. He could see that the man was suspecting something. So, with a swift move, Talon moved to stand on Arryn''s other side so that the man couldn''t stare at him too much.


    ''Don''t be too curious, bastard. Have you never heard what happened to the cat?'' He thought to himself as he tried to keep his expression neutral. Meanwhile, Arryn was shaking subtly as he tried to hide his face.


    His heart was beating loudly in his chest as he tried to keep calm. ''They won''t know me. Talon is here and he said everything will be fine. Keep yourself calm, Arryn.'' Gulping down a mouthful of saliva, he held into Talon''s hand tightly.


    They kept walking silently, and when they were about to enter through the gates, the man spoke.


    "Hey, you, stop there for a moment."


    That made the two stop. Arryn felt a chill run down his spine as he tried not to look back. The one who did turn around was Talon as he smiled.


    "What is it?"


    A few seconds of unbelievable tension passed before the man finally opened his mouth. At this point, Talon was ready for the worst to happen. His n was on the verge of being destroyed to pieces if this man decided to ask Arryn to reveal himself. He didn''t even want to imagine the consequences of such a simple request.


    "... Take care of your brother, kid. You never know what could happen in the city."


    "... Thank you for the reminder. I will keep that in mind." Talon replied as he turned around and started walking again.


    ''Fuuh, that was a close one.'' He thought to himself as he felt the tension release from his shoulders.


    Finally, the duo walked inside the city and it instantly felt as if they entered a whole new world. A world that solely existed behind these walls. Aridopolis was a gigantic city with hundreds of millions of humans living within its walls.


    So, naturally, the city was bustling with movement 24/7. Especially the main road that cut through the entire city from the gates. Countless humans moved left and right, going about their business. Their attire looked medieval, precisely good for weather as hot as this desert.


    Countless shops, stalls, and all kinds of other buildings for different services could be seen everywhere. The sound of people talking,ughing, and doing their daily routine echoed around these old walls and filled it with even more life.


    Talon was instantly fascinated by the sight. For some reason, as chaotic as it looked, this scenery had its charms. Especially with the giant tower in the background, giving it a grander scale.


    ''What a fascinating city...'' He mused.


    "Wee to Aridopolis. What do you think?" Emino turned around and said with a proud look. "It might be a little overwhelming. But, this is the usual atmosphere here. It might be weird for you two since youe from a small vige."


    "Uh, hahaha, yeah, it is a little weird. But, I think we can grow ustomed to it soon enough."


    "Don''t worry about it. Well, I''m sure you both are hungry. Let''s get something to eat and then we can head to the guild."


    "Shouldn''t we report them first?" Lefa asked.


    "It''s fine. We can do that after a hearty meal. Nobody is going to notice."


    With that, the group started walking through the bustling city. Emino kept talking about everything around them, greeting a few people here and there, and showing Talon around. He told him about the city, some of its history, and many other things.


    Only then did Talon realize how culturally deep this city is apart from its scale. It had a vast history, and an intricate ecosystem of its own that only made sense within its walls. How people interacted, talked, and lived their lives, was all new to Talon.


    But, since everything was new to him, he tried to keep note of every single word Emino said. He was basically giving him invaluable information without realizing it.


    Meanwhile, Arryn simply kept his head down. He tried not to look around him nor listen to anything and yet, that was the only thing he could do in such an environment. With so many people walking around him, and so much happening, he felt overwhelmed.


    ''So many humans¡­ So many humans¡­'' He thought to himself. He was barely able to keep himself silent just because Talon was there. But, in reality, he was so terrified it made him stumble a few times and smash into some people.


    "Hey, be careful, kid!"


    One of them yelled at him and it sent a chill down his spine. He didn''t look back and continued walking.


    ''Calm, calm¡­ Calm¡­ I''m not a kid anymore. I can''t be terrified of them. I am supposed to face them.'' He kept reminding himself that he was the next Great Chief of his race and was supposed to be the one to inflict fear upon these humans.


    Yet, here he was, shaking in terror. It was pathetic, by all means. He wanted to just hide and curse himself for being this weak and powerless.


    ''I am a failure! No! I''m not! I can''t be on the losing side! I have to keep my head straight! Talon said so!'' Shaking those negative thoughts away, he looked up.


    There, he saw the group stopping in front of a particr building. It had a sign on top of it that said ''Remi''s Diner.''


    "Here we are, the best ce in the entire city by far."


    "Yay!! We haven''t been here in a while, right, Michi?"


    "Yeah, Kichi! I missed the steamed meat buns so much!"


    Talon read through the name with a curious look. ''Well, I hope I won''t have to eat something disgusting.''


    He had already seen some pretty nasty monster meats being sold around the city on their walk here. He even saw giant worm heads hanging from the ceiling by a hook as a butcher cut through them. As delicious as it was, Talon wasn''t particrly eager to eat a worm''s head on a te.


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 261 - 261- Aridopolis: The City Of Dunes (Part 3)

    Entering inside, Talon was met with a considerablyrge room. Tables were set organizedly across the entire ce with a small counter on the other side. Since it was the middle of the day, the diner was filled with people. Even then, the atmosphere felt quite cozy and familiar as bustling as this diner was.


    Talon could see many peopleughing, joking around, and having a fun time. It put him a little at ease because of it.


    The rich aroma of the food filled the entire ce and made Talon raise an eyebrow. It was quite pleasant, as foreign as it was to him. That eased his worries that the food might turn out to be disgusting.


    "What do you think?" Emino asked as he turned around. "This is the haven of every hungry soul in this city. If you don''t eat here at least once in your life, then your life isn''tplete."


    "Is it that good?" Talonughed dryly and looked around him. ''I mean, I wonder if there is someone who didn''t eat here with how many people are inside.''


    Even as they were talking, more people walked inside. He was sure that there were at least a hundred or so customers inside and counting. It was certainly popr no matter how he looked at it.


    "It''s the best! The food here is addictive." One of the twins replied.


    As they were like that, a waitress approached them. She wore casual working clothes that fit the entire diner. A brown shirt, a white apron, and ck trousers. She had tied brown hair and a rather friendly aura around her. But, her most eye-catching feature was the tattoo that run from her left cheek up to her left eye and covered her eyebrow. It was that of a snake coiling around itself.


    "Wee to Remi''s diner. How can I help yo- Oh, it''s you guys!"


    "Hey, Remi! Been a while!" Kichi and Michi greeted the woman with excited looks. "We missed you!"


    "I missed you too, little things! How can you note here for a month? Is my food not to your satisfaction anymore, huh?!" She said with a dangerous smile.


    "W-We are sorry!"


    "How can you be sorry? Is it true? So you two hate my food now?" Pretending to be sad, she looked away. That made the twins panic even more.


    "What should we do, Michi?"


    "I don''t know, Kichi! She''s crying!"


    Explore the story on freewebnovel


    "Of course not, Remi. You know how work goes being a Sky Seeker for a living." Emino approached them as heughed. "Things get pretty hectic every now and then."


    "Tsk, you shut up, don''t ruin my precious time teasing these two." Immediately, her sad expression turned into a sneaky smile.


    "Hey! You tricked us!!"


    "Bad Remi!"


    The twins red at her angrily.


    "Hahaha, don''t me me. You two have the funniest reactions."


    As the groupughed and joked around, Talon watched from the side silently.


    ''Oh, so this is the owner of this building. She doesn''t seem like it at first.'' Talon looked at her curiously. She had a rather dangerous appearance for someone with such a chirpy personality.


    Eventually, the woman seemed to notice Talon and Arryn as she looked at them. "And who are these two?"


    "We found them lost in the desert. They''re siblings."


    "Interesting~" Humming curiously, she approached Talon and Arryn with a smile on her face. "You are quite the handsome boy, aren''t you? Wee to my little diner~"


    Saying that, she extended her hand to greet Talon. Thetter looked at it for a second before he extended his hand for a handshake.


    "Nice to meet you too, Miss Remi. I''m Talon and this is my little brother Arryn."


    "Oh, what a gorgeous name you have there~ I love it!" Licking her lips, she nodded her head. "You can call me Remi. Everyone does that."


    Then, she stepped forward and put her mouth near Talon''s ear. "Or you can call me anything you want, I don''t mind~"


    Thetter was taken aback. ''Hold your horses right there, ma''am. What is she doing?'' Frowning hard, Talon stared at her.


    He could see a subtle yful look in her eyes as she stared at him. The way she was speaking was very flirty and quite provocative for someone she just met.


    ''Is she teasing me?'' He asked himself.


    "All it takes is a snap of my finger and she will cease to exist." At that moment, he heard Acrypha murmuring some incoherent words. But, he couldn''t focus on her as he saw Lefa stepping forward.


    "That''s not how you wee a guest, idiot!" Then, she bonked her on the head.


    "Ouch! What was that for?"


    "Treat them normally for god''s sake."


    "Tsk, fine, fine. I''m sorry, I was just teasing you. That''s how I treat my lovely customers, especially the good-looking ones~"


    "Let''s go." Lefa sighed and looked at the duo. "Just ignore her, she is always like that."


    "Uh, ok." With that, Talon moved after the group. He gave Remi onest look before turning away.


    ''What an interesting person.''


    "Uh, thank you for the help there." Walking through the rows of seats, Talon said to Lefa secretly.


    "Don''t worry about it." She shook her head. "Remi likes to y around whenever she has an opportunity to do so."


    "Oh, it''s fine, I didn''t take offense to it." Talonughed. "But, still, I appreciate your help."


    "..." Lefa didn''t say another word and looked ahead.


    ''I guess she isn''t a bad person, after all.'' Talon could only shake his head.


    So far, Lefa had only spoken to him once or twice so he didn''t know much about her. He thought that she was simr to the other girl in terms of personality, but it seemed she had more of a rough character rather than a bad one.


    The group walked for a while till they reached an empty table at the corner of the diner. It had 7 spots, exactly for their numbers. Sitting down, Talon confusedly checked the menu. Since Acrypha had tranted everything for him, he could read these papers with ease as if he had known thisnguage his entire life.


    But, still, he couldn''t recognize any of these dishes. They all had weird names.


    ''Moon Curry Of Waffles. Crocotta Fruit Cake¡­ What are these names?'' Talon thought to himself as he rubbed the back of his head.


    "Uh, can you please rmend something for me? I have no idea what any of this means." He said.


    "dly, boy! You can get my dish." Emino said.


    "No, he can get mine," Michi interjected with a challenging look.


    "No! He is going to get mine!" His brother said.


    Then, the trio started ring at each other as if this was some kind of serious problem. Talon could onlyugh drily. ''Why so serious?''


    "Since none of you can decide, he will get what I suggest." At that point, Lefa put the menu down and said with a cold tone.


    "But, dea-"


    "Do you need something?" Turning to her husband, she gave him a single look. That was more than enough for him to flinch and turn away. "None, nothing at all."


    ''Terrifying¡­ She reminds me a little of Hyun-Jae.'' Talon stared at the interaction silently.


    Even though Lefa seemed way more serious than Hyun-Jae, both had that dangerous look to them that nobody could oppose.


    With that, the group ordered their food and waited for it to be prepared. Meanwhile, Talon simply looked around him, picking up bits and pieces of the conversations people were having around him.


    Most of it was trivial and pointless, but some did pick his interest.


    "Sigh, I fucking stink, man. What a horrible day!" A few tables away from them, two men were sharing a drink as they talked. They were wearing old clothes that had blue stains all over them.


    "Don''t talk, old man. I was cutting that worm and it sshed the blood on my face. It''s still burning my eyes!"


    "Why are we even working at the ''Blue Tower'' to this day? I think I''m going to look for another job. I''ve had enough of this shit."


    "Are you crazy?! Where are you going to find a job with that peanut brain of yours?! You''re lucky you even found this job!"


    "Hey! Screw you! I can find a job if I look hard enough!" The man cursed as he chugged his drink down.


    "Yeah, good luck with that. Our job is shitty, but it ain''t bad. We get paid enough money to live and all we have to do is cut down some dead worms."


    The conversation, as crude as it sounded, made Talon raise an eyebrow. ''What are they talking about? They mentioned something about a Blue Tower¡­ Do they mean?''


    Naturally, Talon''s eyes wandered to the window were a small part of the gigantic blue structure in the heart of the city could be seen from afar.


    "The Blue Tower¡­" He murmured curiously. "What is that building, Emino?" He turned to the first man that could know anything about it.


    The man turned curiously to stare out of the window. "Hmm? Oh, you mean the Blue Tower. Well, you could say that is the beating heart of Aridopolis. It is the most important ce in the entire city."


    "Why is that?"


    "To put it simply, that tower is the firstyer of defence we have. See that blue rain pouring outside the city? It alles from within the tower. Sand Eaters are being bred within its walls, and then killed so that we can use their blood as a Blue Elixir. It''s the most efficent way to protect the city apart from the walls."


    Talon blinked in surprise at what he heard.


    "Oh, one other thing, that''s also the main building for the Sky Seekers Guild."


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 264 - 264- In Every Dimension, I Miss You (Part 1)

    The room wentpletely silent for a moment as the two looked at each other. Talon was trying to understand what Arryn was saying while Arryn tried to keep himself from crying anymore.


    What the boy just said was quite surprising especially when Talon wasn''t even anticipating it. When he heard the boy say that he lied, he thought that it wouldn''t be something big considering Arryn''s personality.


    But, he couldn''t be any more wrong about that. The boy had just dropped a bombshell on him. A few moments passed before Talon finally snapped out of it and shook his head. "Wait, let me get this straight. So, humans have reached the Divine Piercer and attacked your race and those humans were the Sky Seekers?"


    Even as he was saying it, it sounded like such a funny thing. Not because Talon thought the Sky Seekers were some kind of heroes. But the fact something like this happened was still really odd.


    "Yes¡­ It happened a few years ago¡­ When the Divine Piercernded on the ground, they ambushed us and tried to take it down. My people fought them as much as they could. We lost many souls and I lost one of my brothers during that time¡­" The boy said as he sniffed loudly.


    "..." Blinking silently, Talon tried to find the words to say only to go silent again. "They did that¡­ Why did you hide that from me?"


    This entire time, Arryn could''ve told him and Talon would''ve had a different idea of who these people are. Granted, he didn''t trust that they were the heroes they painted themselves to be, or at least not as perfect as they might seem. But still, the Sky Seekers turned out to be the main reason why the Azurians were living in the sky.


    "I couldn''t¡­ I was too scared¡­ Talon, please listen to me. Those people are monsters in human skin. If they find out, both of us are dead. They are too strong and too ruthless. I have seen it with my own eyes." He said. "I didn''t know there were this many of them scattered around the world.


    You need to leave now."


    "..." Talon closed his eyes for a moment as he lifted his head. Taking a few moments, he inhaled a long breath before finally opening his eyes. "Ok, I''m calm now."


    "Huh?"


    "So those bastards are still chasing after your people. Who do they think they are?" Talon said in a cold tone. His eyes shed with a dangerous glint.


    "Wha-"


    "You''ve given me another reason why I won''t be leaving. Some people have to pay." Talon said coldly.


    "..." The boy stared at him.


    "I won''t run away nor do I have a reason to. I said that I''m going to help you and I am going to keep my word even if I have to risk my life." He said.


    ''Not that I have any other choice. If I want to leave this world, I have to do this. But, now I won''t feel any worse getting rid of a bunch of scum.'' He thought to himself.


    He knew that what he was going to do carried some danger with it, perhaps far more danger than anything he had ever faced in his life. But, that didn''t mean he was going to run away because of it. Many would consider fear to be the reason why people run away, but Talon took it differently.


    Fear was his main drive to do what he did. He became strong because he feared losing his loved ones. He became strong because he feared that he might die and now, he was going to help Arryn because he feared never going back to Earth ever again.


    It all linked up together perfectly to form his entire goal. He simply didn''t want to feel fear ever again. He wanted to climb so high that nothing could ever threaten him.


    "Don''t let it get to your head, Arryn. We are going to make it, you just need to believe." Talon said that. "Don''t you want to take revenge for your brother and people?"


    "I¡­ I want¡­" Looking down, the boy closed his eyes. He had seen it in Talon''s eyes, that glint that he wanted to have. The look of endless ambition, to always aim higher even when you reach the stars.


    He wanted to be like him. Even though they barely met recently, Arryn saw in Talon what he wanted to be like in the future. To have that confidence that never wanes. Yet, he was so far away from it that it was almost frustrating.


    Still, he knew that he couldn''t simply desire something and get it, he had to work hard to get it. One step at a time, he can walk on the path of growth.


    "I want to make them pay!" The boy looked up with a serious expression. "I will make them pay."


    His response made Talon smile as he crouched down to be at Arryn''s level. "Then let''s do it together." He extended his hand to the boy for a handshake.


    "*Sniff*¡­" The boy wiped his tears before he also smiled. "Yes."


    Then, he took Talon''s hand and shook it with all the power he had within him. That simple gesture had established a pact between them. As simple as it was, the effect it would have in the future was going to shake the entire world.


    But, for now, at that very moment, neither of the two knew about that. They had no idea that the wheel of fate was going to start moving again, faster than ever. But, that''s a story for another time.


    ***


    Meanwhile, in a far distant ce, millions of dimensions away, on a small blue. The second expansion had just hit the small earth and changed itpletely. If this first Expansion was a simple preparation for Earth to go through its evolution, then the second one was the true start of that evolution.


    The world expanded even further, growing twice in size in mere days after that. Tsunamis and natural disasters hit every corner of the globe and changed the entire shape of every single continent.


    Many souls died, monsters and animals alike. Even the remaining minority of humans suffered a strong blow. Yet, as surprising as it was, many survived this ordeal. After all, this wasn''t the first natural disaster they went through and it won''t be thest. No one can underestimate the human race''s ability to adapt and thrive even in the worst conditions.


    Especially now that they were far stronger than ever before.


    *South Korea: Seoul*


    A young man sat down in a quiet, dark room in front of a desk. His face, only lit by a small bulb right above his head, was extremely handsome, like a prince straight out of a fairytale. However, that beautiful face waspletely distorted with a strong frown and a cold re.


    Resting his back against his chair, he exhaled a long breath before he looked down. There, on the table, a small notebooky quietly. It seemed worn and old but still in good enough shape to be used.


    His eyes stared at the notebook for a while before he finally bent forward and picked up a small pen before opening the notebook.


    Moving through the pages, he skimmed through the written words withzy eyes as if this wasn''t the first time he had seen them. After all, this was his notebook and those were things he wrote down in it himself.


    It was a habit he grew to like years ago. He heard that it was a great way to express oneself without the need to show it to others. It helped him leave all the weight he carried on his shoulders in this notebook.


    Eventually, he reached a fresh new page and finally put the pen on the paper. Taking a moment, he thought of what to write before finally starting.


    ''March 15th, 20XX.'' He wrote at the start of the page and then went down and continued.


    ''Today, nothing major happened. The route between Seoul and Gwangju has been linked sessfully. ns to secure the road even further are in progress. We have already started working on developing both cities at the same time and the pace is quite fast. We have enough manpower to do so.'' He stopped there and his face only grew darker after that.


    ''Things have been smooth on that side. But, no one seems to care. All I see are dead expressions of lost hope, perhaps for the same reason why every single person was simply doing the things they were told to, no feelings involved. They have lost something valuable to them. Perhaps the worst of them all was the pre-'' Reaching that, he scratched the word halfway before he wrote on top of it.


    ''Hyun-Jae had changedpletely. Ever since ''that'' happened, she had turned into a different person. She drowned herself in work and training the entire day without a moment of resting. I tried to stop her but she refused to even talk outside of work.


    She isn''t an expressive person, to begin with, but I understand her, and I can know for sure when she is happy, sad, angry, frustrated, and every single other emotion she might express.''


    Stopping there, he exhaled a long breath before he continued. ''But, she is none of that. Whenever I look into her eyes, all I see is¡­ Emptiness. She wasn''t feeling anything. I have never seen her like that before. Not even when she had lost her sister, years ago.


    I cannot do anything about it. Even as someone who knew her for years and grew by her side. I really don''t know what to do. If he was here, things would''ve been different. Even if i hate to admi it. It is true.


    He has that kind of effect on her abd everyone else.''


    Those words felt like a stone stuck in his throat. He clenched his teeth for a moment before he finally looked down at the end of the page and wrote.


    ''Days since he died: 45 days.''


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 265 - 265- In Every Dimension, I Miss You (Part 2)

    The time was early in the morning, Soomin usually wakes up around dawn. She liked this quiet time since it gave her peace of mind and helped her think clearly. She usually sleeps early so she doesn''t feel that sleepy when she wakes up around this time.


    After that, she would usually have a shower, change clothes, and then leave for a jog. In thest few months, she started working on her stamina and physical strength a lot more. Her friends were already growing stronger and she didn''t want to fall behind.


    However, the past few days have been quite rough. Her mind was too upied to really focus on anything. After all, she was too worried about a particr person. One of her closest friends was going through something that she can only describe as ''Self-Destruction''.


    She had never seen her in such a state before in her life and she knew the reason for it. After all, everyone else was feeling the same, to a way lesser degree, but still the same.


    Exiting her small apartment that she received just recently, the cold wind of the morning hit her face. Looking around her, she admired the scenery. After living here for so long, the destroyed Seoul had somehow be a familiar sight.


    Granted, many buildings were being rebuilt and broken streets were being restored. But, in general, the city still needed a lot of work to return to its previous glory. As she took a step forward to start running, she felt the weight on her shoulders increase.


    After the recent events, the world''s gravity has increased by leaps and bounds. That was the natural consequence of the size of the earth increasing and it did cause some trouble. But, since most people have already trained their bodies, they could handle it.


    As she started jogging, a cloud of smoke woulde out of her mouth with each breath. She ran through the empty, quiet streets of Seoul. Her mind was upied with many things, but her legs simply moved monotonously.


    Some time passed and Soomin found herself on the other side of the city. This part was still not fully inhabited by the survivors as it was still in the works. But, it was still safe enough not to worry about a monster appearing out of nowhere.


    As she was running, she heard a sounding from a distance. Stopping in her tracks, she looked around her confusedly.


    ''What was that?'' She asked herself as she cautiously pulled a dagger out of her back pocket. It was a safety weapon she kept with her in case something bad happened when her real weapon wasn''t with her.


    At that moment, she heard the noise again, this time far clearer. So, with careful steps, she started approaching the noise, expecting it to be some kind of monster. However, as she grew closer to it, she realized that this wasn''t the sound of a monster. It was human sounds.


    Eventually, the trail led her to a small park in the corner of the street. Peeking from the corner, she saw someone there, holding a sword as they shed and stabbed with it continuously. Their movements were precise, fluid, and extremely beautiful, like an elegant dance of sorts.


    However, that dance was ruined by the aggressive thrusts and stabs, as if the person who was performing this dance couldn''t focus much. Their movements were filled with anger, sadness, and endless grief. Even an untrained eye could see it and feel it.


    Staring at that person, Soomin gasped. She knew who that was, it was the person she had been thinking about this entire time.


    ''Hyun-Jae? Why is she training here all alone?'' She asked herself.


    It was 4 am, and the sun wasn''t even up yet. But, her friend was training in such a dark ce with a simple candle next to her to illuminate the park.


    As she stared at her confusedly, Hyun-Jae suddenly stopped her movement and turned around.


    "Who''s there?" She asked with a calm, emotionless tone. There were no feelings in her voice, just mere words said monotonously like a robot.


    Soomin flinched hearing that but then stepped out of the corner. "It''s me, Soomin." The girl replied hesitantly as she stepped forward. "What are you doing here so early, Hyun-Jae?"


    The girl squinted her eyes for a moment before she turned around and sheathed her de. "I was training."


    "This early? Wh-" Before Soomin could even ask a question, she noticed a few glistening drops of sweat on Hyun-Jae''s face from afar. That made her freeze in her ce for a moment as she blinked. Then, she asked with a confused look.


    "How long have you been training here for?"


    Knowing her friend well enough, she knew how monstrous Hyun-Jae''s stamina was. To make herself sweat required immense physical activity over a long period of time. At least several hours of non-stop training which meant that she had been here for a long time.


    Thetter didn''t reply immediately as she picked up the candle. "I was done with work so I came here to train." Read the full story at freewebnovel


    "Done with work? But, you were done around the evening of yesterday¡­ You''ve been training since then?"


    "..." Hyun-Jae didn''t reply as she simply walked away.


    "Hyun-Jae, wait!" Soomin followed after her friend with a worried look. "I know you''re probably fed up with all of this. But, you really can''t be living like this. You haven''t slept properly in weeks. All you do is work and training, you''re destroying your body. You aren''t even eating food!"


    "Thank you for the advice, but I know my body best."


    "No, you don''t! Have you even looked at yourself in the mirror?" Soomin clenched her teeth with a frustrated look.


    Just a simple nce at Hyun-Jae face was more than enough to tell how her health was deteriorating. Even though she still looked mesmerizingly beautiful, she was now more like a ghost rather than a human. Her expression was pale and she had heavy eyebags under her eyes, not to mention the dead look she had on her the entire time.


    Soomin was certain of one thing, her friend was falling into a very deep depression. The type of depression that might very much end her life given enough time. What was even worse was that Hyun-Jae wasn''t even acknowledging that or trying to fix it. She simply let herself drown deeper and deeper.


    "I am fine. I do not need rest. We have a lot of work to do. Who is going to do it if I don''t?" She asked back as she turned around and looked at Soomin dead in the face.


    Just a small nce at her friend''s eyes made her flinch before she shook her head. "For how long, huh? For how long do you think you can continue on that path? Do you think you''re immortal?" She yelled angrily.


    She genuinely had enough of her friend being this ignorant. Hyun-Jae was extremely smart but she had that stubborn side of her that didn''t easily listen to other people''s words even if they made sense. She was the type of person who if she puts her mind into something, bad or good, it was hard to make her not do it unless she truly cared about that person''s opinion.


    It was a really bad side of her.


    "I can handle a few days of no sleep if I need to. When I feel like I have to sleep, I will. You don''t need to concern yourself with this."


    "No! It is my concern! You are one of my best friends! I can''t let you self-destruct like this! He would''ve not been happy to see you turn this wa-"


    Before Soomin could even finish her words, Hyun-Jae''s aura suddenly exploded. Soomin felt a crushing pressure fall on her shoulders as if she were carrying a huge boulder.


    "Don''t¡­ Even speak." Then, Hyun-Jae said in a slow, chilling tone. For a second, Soomin could see a terrifying glint in her friend''s eyes.


    Something that she had never seen before in her life. Her mind stopped thinking for a good few moments. During which, Hyun-Jae seemed to realize what she had done and shook her head.


    "Let''s cut this topic here. I do not have time for pointless debate. I''m leaving." She said as she picked up her sword and started walking away.


    With that, Soomin stood there alone in the darkness. Turning around slowly, she saw her friend walking away. The dark aura around her was still there, as visible as day to her. That only made her lips quiver as tears welled up in her eyes.


    Putting her hand on her mouth with a shaky movement, she closed her eyes. ''God¡­ I''m really losing her¡­ And I can''t do anything about it¡­''


    She understood at that moment that her efforts this entire time were useless. Her words weren''t even reaching her friend, let alone affecting her. This entire time, she has been talking to no one. Trying to convince someone who didn''t even want to listen.


    Falling down to the ground, she cried silently. She was feelingpletely helpless.


    ''Talon¡­ Please look over her¡­ She is getting lost.'' Looking up, she could only pray for her friend.


    The only person that can truly affect her and the only person she would listen to is Talon. If he was here, he could''ve helped her. No, if he was still here, she would''ve never fallen into such a state in the first ce.


    Yet, that person is no longer with them.


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 270 - 270- Runic Spear (Part 1)

    Acrypha stared at the boy silently for a second as if she was trying to assess him. It was still so hard for her to believe that a creature that was so infinitely stronger than her existed in this world and yet she had no idea who he was or what he was doing here.


    It felt like a joke of some sort. After all, she had been hailed as one of the strongest. Now, that sounded like a mockery rather than the truth as this entity had simply transcended the term strength and went to a league of his own.


    Meanwhile, Talon was looking between the two silently. At this point, he couldn''t be surprised anymore that Merit could see Acrypha. This boy perhaps knew about Talon more than he knew about himself as far as he was concerned.


    "I would be lying if I said her presence didn''t surprise me when both of you reached this ce." Merit said as he rubbed his chin. "An existence like her, in a world like this. Very unfitting, I must say."


    "I go wherever I want," Acrypha replied as she slowly floated down till she was next to Talon. She instinctively put herself on the edge, ready to engage in a fight if the entity would attack Talon. Granted, she knew that she would instantly, lose, but she didn''t care.


    Talon''s safety was at the top of her priority no matter the enemy they were facing. Especially if it''s an existence that she can''t even understand.


    "Is that the case,dy? I am quite surprised you have such freedom in this world." The boy said with a mysterious tone as if he was hinting at something.


    Stay updated with freewebnovel


    Talon didn''t catch meaning, but Acrypha did and her eyes turned even colder as she stared at him. ''Bastard¡­'' She thought to herself. ''Don''t you dare utter a single word¡­'' She threatened him with her eyes alone.


    Even though the difference in strength between them was certainly massive, Acrypha wasn''t a pushover. She wouldn''t let anyone trample on her simply because they''re stronger. They would have to try way harder than that to do that


    "What does he mean?" Noticing the change in her expression, Talon asked.


    "No, it''s nothing," Acrypha replied.


    "Hmm, ok¡­" Even though Talon wasn''t convinced by her weird tone, he didn''t push any further since Acrypha didn''t seem to say anything. At least not in front of Merit. So, instead, he turned to the man.


    "So, you said that you are a merchant that goes through dimensions to sell items. But, you didn''t tell me exactly what are you. Where did youe from?"


    Talon was sure that this wasn''t a human since well, no human can actually be this strong. ''Could he be some kind of divine being? Perhaps even a god?''


    As ridiculous as it sounded, it was still a possibility. To think an entity as broad as the term ''God'' could appear in front of him in such an underwhelming manner.


    "You ran out of allowed questions, boy." However, Merit refused to answer. "Don''t be too greedy for your own good, you might regret that." He added as he rested his back on the old wooden chair.


    "Don''t me me for trying. I don''te across someone like you every day." Talon shrugged casually.


    "Hahaha! With how you''re treating me right now, I would''ve believed you if you met people like me every day." Meritughed amusedly.


    Even though he told Talon about his truth, the young man still treated him casually. He couldn''t even sense fear in the way he carried himself.


    ''Very interesting¡­'' He mused secretly.


    He would be lying if he said he expected this. But, the boy was certainly surprising him more and more with each passing second.


    "To be honest, I thought I was going to start fearing you when you told me you''re an ancient being of sorts. But, I don''t know why, but I don''t see you as intimidating."


    ''Not that I really can do anything even if you were.'' Talon smiled wryly.


    "Hahaha! I will take that as apliment!"


    ''It isn''t apliment though¡­'' Without uttering those words, Talon finally turned around and asked. "Ok, since you said you do sell unique items. I think you are the perfect shop for me." He said.


    "What do you want? As long as it exists and it isn''t boring, I have it." Merit replied with a smile.


    "Well, my spear had recently broken and I''ve been looking for a good weapon to rece it. But, I couldn''t find anything that could catch my eye. Can I find a good spear here?" He asked.


    In reality, Talon was a little hopeful that Merit could actually have the thing he had been looking for. If this entity didn''t have a spear that might catch his attention, then he doubted anyone else could have such a thing. Naturally, he was a little nervous.


    "Hmm, a spear you say? Now that I look at you, you do have the perfect body proportions for a spear wielder."


    "Thank you. I have been using a spear for two months now so I''m quite good at it, well, to a certain extent." Talon replied.


    "Two months, huh¡­" Hearing that, Merit pursed his lips as he took another look at Talon''s physique.


    ''Two months and he has these results. Now this is quite surprising.'' He thought to himself. ''To reach that level, it would take way more than a few months of training. Haha, what a monstrous talent¡­''


    "So, do you have a spear for me or not?" Seeing that Merit had gonepletely silent, Talon asked again.


    "Don''t put disrespect on my name, kid. I have spears that people would wage wars to get their hands on. But, I don''t sell to everybody. So you''re quite in luck." Saying that, Merit stood up as he walked around the table again, and stopped in front of Talon.


    "What kind of spear do you want? Long? short? Two des? One de?"


    "Uh¡­"


    "Hmm, perhaps you might want a more versatile spear? Or are you going for pure strength?"


    The questions rained down on Talon one after the other non-stop. However, he couldn''t respond to any of them. Because he simply had no idea what Merit was talking about.


    ''I know what kind of spear I want. But, I can''t really describe it in words.'' His face frowned slightly as he thought about it.


    "Can you show me? I can choose for my own." Talon sighed and decided to simply look for himself. After all, he trusted his own eyes and senses.


    "Quite the picky customer, I see. Well, I do not mind. Here." Saying that, Merit snapped his finger lightly.


    The moment he did that, ten objects appeared in front of him, floating in the air one next to the other. Talon instinctively took a step back in surprise.


    ''When did he¡­''


    Blinking in surprise, he stared at the spears that appeared out of nowhere. The way they manifested was so weird that he can''t even describe it with words.


    "Haha, don''t worry about it. I cannot keep everything I sell on these old shelves. So most of them go to the storage unit in the back and I can easily get them whenever I want."


    "... Oh, ok¡­" Rubbing the back of his head, Talon decided to simply ignore whatever sorcery this man used. It was simply something he could notprehend at his level and it would probably take him a long time to reach a level where he could understand it.


    "These are my best spears. Judging from your physique, I chose these. If they don''t fit you, I can show you the other types." Merit exined.


    With that, Talon focused on the spears. There were exactly 5 spears floating in front of him. Each one looked drastically different from the other, design-wise and even aura-wise. The only thing that really put them all in the same category was that they were all spears.


    Other than that, they werepletely different weapons. With that, Talon stepped toward the first one. The first spear was yellow in color with a shiny golden de at the end of it. Beautiful engravings were drawn across the handle and up to the tip.


    "What is this one?" Talon asked.


    "That is the ''Ekzykes'' Lightning Spear''. A spear that I found in the core of a lightning monster. It took me a few days to find that thing and kill it. When ites to lighting control, that spear is unrivaled. In the right hands, burning an entire world to ashes isn''t that hard." The man replied.


    Just hearing that exnation sent a chill down Talon''s spine. For a spear to be able to fry an entire world simply because it''s strong¡­ He couldn''t even imagine what kind of monster it came from.


    Slowly putting his hand on the handle, he felt a small sting in his hand as if he were electrocuted. But, he ignored it and picked up the spear and inspected it with his own eyes.


    ''It''s a little heavy¡­'' He thought to himself as he traced the outline of the spear with his fingers. Then, he slowly moved it down to check its bnce.


    ''A little different from what I''m familiar with.'' Even though he didn''t swing it much, he could feel that the spear wasn''t the same type he used to fight with.


    After a few minutes of inspection, he handed the spear back to Merit. "This one isn''t it. As strong as it is, I don''t feel like I can fight with it normally."


    As weird as it may sound, Talon wanted his next spear to be the same exact weight, bnce, and size as his Blue Lapis spear since that is the weapon he used to learn spearmanship.


    He couldn''t simply change the type and expect to get everything out of said weapon. Chemistry was important after all.


    "Next weapon."


    A//N: Any kind of support would be much appreciated, thanks for reading.

 Chapter 271 - 271- Runic Spear (Part 2)

    Merit stared at the spear in his hand and then at Talon with a weird glint in his eyes. "So, you didn''t like this one. May I know why?" He asked with a smile. The look of genuine curiosity on his face was as clear as day.


    "The weight and bnce are off from what I''m used to. I can''t use it well enough to give it justice, as strong as it is." Talon exined as he rubbed his chin and stared at the second spear in the line.


    ''He assessed the characteristics of the spear and came to a conclusion really quickly. His inner senses are quite sharp for a low-dimension creature.'' He thought to himself.


    For someone to reach such a deep level ofprehension of his own abilities and especially his abilities when it came to his weapon, it required a lot of work and a keen sense for battle that stands out amongst others and that was clear in Talon from the start.


    He didn''t need to learn anything to understand what he wanted. All he required was his feeling and it always leads him to the correct way.


    "Good enough, you can try the second one then." Merit shook his head and made the spear vanish from sight in an instant.


    The second spear was aplete contrast from the first one. It was extremely red in color, with a darker hint of ck swirling around the handle and an ominously bloody de. It looked like it was submerged in ake of blood before being brought here which added further darkness to its borderline malicious aura.


    The moment Talon grasped it, he felt a chill run down his spine, except this time it was a different kind of chill. One simr to when Talon faced a monster far stronger than he was and that hint of fear slowly crawled into his mind.


    However, he quickly shook his head and assessed the dark spear. ''It feels so¡­ Evil¡­'' He thought to himself.


    The spear had something wrong with it and he didn''t know what it was exactly.


    "That is the ''Lord Of The Blood''s Hand''. I found it stabbed into the corpse of a dead giant and as far as I know about it, it had gained that red color due to the sheer number of things it killed. It is quite a troublesome weapon to deal with. But, if you do learn how to use it, this thing is a nasty monster.


    It allows the user to control and draw blood from themselves and their enemies to use in battle and let me tell you, it isn''t something you would want to be on the other side of." Merit exined.


    ''So that is the origin of this feeling. The fact that it imed so many lives. But¡­ How many could that be for it to stay eternally marked on the spear?'' Just imagining it sent a chill down his spine.


    But, he tried to ignore this spear''s background and focused on the spear itself. For starters, the blood abilities Merit talked about were quite interesting. Talon didn''t know blood could be used as a weapon but he could see it being a very dangerous ability to have.


    But, then again, the spear itself, as a spear, wasn''t what Talon was looking for. It had the length and the de down, but its grip wasn''tfortable and it was extremely heavy. Not to mention the bad feeling Talon would have each time he lifted that spear.


    In the end, he could only shake his head. "No¡­ This isn''t it." He said and handed the spear back to Merit.


    "Mmm, interesting. I thought you might''ve chosen this one." He said as he made it disappear.


    "No, it isn''t quite what I''m looking for."


    "Sure, kid. Go ahead, I still have many spears I can show you."


    Hearing that, Talon moved to the next spear. Just like the one before it, it was ridiculously strong, but it didn''t fit his criteria. Then, he went to the next spear and the one after it and the same happened with both. They were all quite unique, powerful, and versatile, but theycked the most crucial part, the chemistry Talon was seeking.


    Apart from his problems with the length, bnce, and some other form factors, he also didn''t feel that spark. By ''Spark'' he meant that instant connection that could be established with his weapon. Talon viewed his spear as apanion, rather than a mere weapon.


    A friend in time of thick and thin. One that he can rely on to do what he needs to do without letting him down. In that sense, Blue Lapis was the perfect weapon for him. The connection between them was instantaneous and perfect.


    With time, it only grew deeper and deeper till Talon couldn''t differentiate between it and one of his arms for example. That was how deep it was.


    These spearscked that part and ultimately didn''t fit Talon at all. After giving Merit thest spear, Talon frowned.


    "I really couldn''t find a good one amongst these. They are all good spears, but they aren''t my thing." He exined with a sigh. He expected Merit to be disappointed that Talon didn''t choose one of these spears since they were perhaps his best choice.


    ''He worked hard to get these. I would feel insulted in his ce if someone discarded them like this. But, I won''t sugarcoat stuff, that''s not me.''


    "Well, I haven''te across someone as picky as you are. But, I do not hate that, kid. If anything, I''m more intrigued now to know which spear is going to capture your eye."


    "Really?"


    "Yeah. But, I have to think for a moment before I can give you another choice. It is tough to figure out what you want." Merit smiled as he walked around the table and pulled out a giant old book.


    Opening it up, he started going through the old papers with a focused look on his face.


    Talon watched the boy work curiously. Every time he looked at him, he could only think that this was a mere kid, and yet the truth couldn''t be any farther from that.


    ''Which one I wonder? From the way he has been looking at these spears, I can say that he isn''t looking for shy, powerful spears. He is looking for something else¡­ Hmm, something special¡­'' As he read through the catalog, his eyes suddenly fell on a single name, right at the end of the spear category.


    A name that was written in haste and seemed rather normal amongst the shy names of the other spears. But, when Merit read the name, he remembered where he found that item and the small bits and pieces of info he knew about it.


    "This¡­" He murmured as his face drew a wide grin. "I almost forgot about this one¡­"


    After saying that, he snapped his finger, and immediately, a spear manifested in his hand. Staring at it, his smile grew even wider. "Now this¡­ I wonder what you think about this one."


    Saying that, he approached Talon and handed him the spear. Confused by the way Merit was speaking, he grabbed the spear and immediately, his body froze.


    "..." His eyes squinted as he slowly lifted the spear and stared at it. Unlike the spears before it, this one didn''t have anything noteworthy about it.


    It was grey in color with a polished, white de and a rather unassuming set of runic words drawn across its length. Compared to the others, it appeared like a in old spear with nothing special about it.


    However, the moment Talon grabbed it, for some reason, he felt something weird. A feeling that he had been looking for. That small connection that the other spearscked, this one had it, way stronger than anything else.


    "This¡­"


    ''This feeling¡­ It''s stronger than the one I had with Blue Lapis¡­'' He thought to himself in shock.


    After trying all kinds of different spears, Talon started to believe that the connection he had with Blue Lapis could not be rivaled. That weapon was perhaps tailor made especially for him. So, he instinctively lowered his standards a little so that he could finally find a new weapon.


    But, the moment he touched this, the idea shatteredpletely.


    "What is this spear?" He asked in disbelief as he traced his finger across its handle and de.


    "That is the ''Great Runic Spear''. To be honest, I do have not that much information about it except that it belonged to a great figure in the past. I do not know who that is or what powers it has as I couldn''t use it myself which honestly made it unique enough for me to leave it in my storage." He exined. "I do know for certain that it has way more going for it than the eye could see." He said.


    Nodding his head faintly, Talon moved back a little and swung the spear once. ''The bnce and length are perfect. The de is the perfect size and the range is also the same¡­ This is so good!''


    It was so good, in fact, that he almost wanted to believe that it wasn''t true. The spear fit his criteria perfectly and even added a few things that he didn''t even know he needed.


    Looking up, he said. "What''s your price for this? I want it."


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 272 - 272- Acrypha鈥檚 Truth (Part 1)

    Hearing that question, Merit closed his eyes for a moment as he thought of something. "Well, a spear like that, with the knowledge I have of it¡­ It can be either priceless or simply a bag of trash, no in-betweens." He replied.


    "A bag of trash? Why? It''s really good, though." Talon said as he gripped it even harder. He still didn''t check its description yet but he was certain this spear was perfect for him. Even if it was considerably weaker than the other ones, he would still choose it purely for the chemistry.


    "Yeah, that thing doesn''t work. Look at those runes on the side. Those are supposed to be activated for the spear to reach its true potential. But, I have never met a single soul that can actually make this thing work." Merit exined.


    Across his journey, he had met countless people on his way, some took interest in that spear all the same. After all, this one looked the most ''normal'' within Merit''s arsenal and sometimes, the most normal-looking things hide the deepest secrets. Especially when you put it in the context of the owner of this spear¡­ Merit himself.


    He was a collector of all special items and a master at choosing what to keep and what to throw. If he kept something as normal as this spear, then that means it isn''t normal anymore.


    "Well, how about we make a bet?" The entity said with a smile as he thought of an idea.


    "A bet? About what?"


    "Simple, I want you to try and activate this spear. If you can do that, then it''s yours for free. On the other hand, if you can''t activate it and it remains the same, you can still take it if you want. But, you will have to pay a price for it. What do you think?"


    Hearing that, Talon pursed his lips and went silent. The bet seemed rather safe. There weren''t that many big stakes to lose on this which made Talon''s decision rather quick.


    "Sure, why not?" Extending his hand, he shook merit''s to seal the deal.


    "Ok, try it now." Merit said as he took a step back with a curious look on his face. He hadn''t felt this anticipation of something happening in a very long while. Something within him told him that this spear might''ve finally found its worthy owner.


    Yet, at the same time, he still can''t believe that someone would be able to activate this spear so easily.


    "Mmm, should I go outside or¡­?" Looking around him, Talon could only hesitate. The shop was rather small and he didn''t know whether it could even be safe if something wentpletely wrong in the process.


    "Don''t worry. This ce had bore the test of time, it will be fine." Merit said.


    "Uh, ok¡­" Rubbing the back of his head, the young man finally focused on the spear in his hand. Feeling its cold metal on his skin made him submerge his mind into it even further. Before doing anything, he wanted to feel the spear andmunicate with it.


    It wasn''t something necessary to do as this was still just a piece of metal. But, Talon wanted to do that because he saw it as a potentialpanion and what do you do when you meet a new person? You introduce yourself.


    After a minute or so, he finally opened his mouth and lifted the spear up so that he could take a closer look at the runes on its side. "Ok, here goes nothing¡­" Saying that, he started channeling his Aetheris into the spear.


    Slowly, the vibrant energy flowed into his hand and through to the spear. But, that''s when Talon noticed something. Stay connected with freewebnovel


    ''Where is my energy going?'' He raised an eyebrow.


    The moment his Aetheris seeped into the spear, it vanishedpletely and not even in a normal manner. It was as if the spear swallowed it whole and left nothing behind. That was a first for him. But, he didn''t let it stop him and he continued pumping it with Aetheris while the spear consumed it all instantly like a hungry beast that came across a hearty meal.


    Seconds turned into minutes and the spear didn''t seem to have any signs of stopping. That made Talon frown as he didn''t have an infinite pool of Aetheris and it could run out quicker than the spear could grow satisfied. Even more than that, he feared that this spear didn''t ept and was simply using him as a source of energy for itself.


    As the time went by, his pessimism grew and he started feeling that this wasn''t going to work. On the other hand, Acrypha and Merit watched with deep curiosity. They also noticed theck of reaction from the spear but didn''t say a word.


    At the 20-minute mark, Talon''s Aetheris started entering critical stages. In these short 20 minutes, he had used almost 80% of his Aetheris at an extremely rapid pace. Eventually, when things seemed to be failing, he stopped the supply and sighed.


    "It''s not working. The spear is just consuming my Aetheris. The runes didn''t activate as you said." He uttered with a disappointed tone. Even if he wasn''t expecting the spear to activate as he was simply satisfied with its material and other characteristics, he still wished he could activate it and see what power it was capable of.


    "Oh my, I guess there is nothing to do about it. This thing is tough to satisfy." Meritughed. Meanwhile, Acrypha floated toward Talon and tapped his shoulder.


    "It''s fine. There is no shortage of strong spears in this world. You will find other better ones in the future."


    "Yeah, I know¡­" Nodding his head with a small smile, he simply shook those thoughts off and decided to focus on the bright side. He acquired a sturdy spear to use in the future. That was more than good news as he was in urgent need of one.


    "Well, I lost the bet, I guess. How much for the sp-" At that moment, when Talon was about to admit defeat, he suddenly felt something vibrate in his hand. Immediately, he looked down, only to be shocked by what he saw.


    The spear which was motionless this entire time, had suddenly started moving. No, even more than that, the spear''s grey, nd color had suddenly shifted. Instead, a bright, blueish hue covered its frame.


    Then, one of the runes at the bottom of the spear suddenly started shining with a sky-blue color. Talon felt immense energy moving through the spear, traveling from the rune up to the de.


    When it reached it, the tip of the de suddenly formed a ball of blue energy.


    "Wha-" Before Talon could even do anything, the ball of energy suddenlyunched forward and its target was¡­


    "Move, Merit!!" Talon yelled as he saw the energy ball reach him in a split second. However, the boy didn''t even seem to be bothered as he simply extended his hand forward.


    The chaotic sphere shed with his hand and stoppedpletely. Then, a strong gush of wind exploded everywhere, sending Talon stumbling back a few steps. The entire shop shook violently as if it were hit by a storm.


    Covering his face so as not to get hit by something, Talon waited for the wind to subside before he finally peeked through his arm. There, he saw the sphere of energy still in Merit''s hand.


    "... Interesting¡­" Thetter said as he looked at the spear with a hint of fascination in his eyes. "This is amazing¡­ A perfect ball of Aetheris¡­ So this is what that spear can do?"


    ''To be honest, I expected many things. This isn''t certainly one of those things.'' Rubbing his chin, he examined the sphere further. Not only was it a perfectlypact ball filled with energy. Its destructive power was fascinating. So much so that Merit was certain if he didn''t stop it, this entire shop would''ve been sted into pieces.


    No, even more than that, it could''ve easily destroyed the neighboring buildings too.


    A ball, smaller than his hand, capable of a destructive power of that caliber.


    "What the hell was that? Why did it suddenly do that?" Staring at the spear in his hand, Talon noticed that the blue color had vanishedpletely and the rune went back to its former colorless nature.


    He didn''t understand why the spear reacted that way after an entire minute passed.


    "It seems we were wrong. The spear had never done this before. Usually, it consumes the user''s Aetheris and never does anything else. You are quite different." Merit said as he grew a toothy grin. "It seems the spear had epted you as its new master."


    Talon blinked silently before he looked at the spear again. This time, he noticed something else. The weapon''s connection with him had deepened significantly. It was a subtle sensation at first but only grew more and more prominent the more he looked at it.


    He didn''t even need proof from Merit to realize that indeed, the spear had epted him and it was more than willing to let him use it.


    Acrypha stared at Talon from the side with a hint of relief. She didn''t want to see him dissatisfied with his new weapon even if it was a little bit.


    ''There couldn''t be any better user for that spear. If it refused him, I would be damned.'' She thought to herself.


    (I uploaded a new book to my ount. It won''t be the main one, but it''s an interesting idea I had for a while now. The name is ''Rise Of The Greatest de Arcane''. Do search it up and add it to your collection if you are interested.)

 Chapter 273 : 273- Acrypha鈥檚 Truth (Part 2)

    "Well, I guess you have won the best." Merit shrugged with a smile. "Congrattions on acquiring a new spear." He said.


    His words made Talon look up confusedly. "Are you really sure you want nothing in return for this spear?"


    Even if they had agreed on a bet, he still can''t believe Merit wouldn''t ask him for anything as a price for the spear. After all, it seemed like this one was a priceless weapon even by his standards. Or perhaps still considered worthless since no one can use it except for Talon.


    "Eh, I do not care, kid. The fact that I have witnessed someone finally using this spear is more than enough for me."


    "Really?"


    "Yeah, when you reach my age, things like money be irrelevant in front of moments worth remembering. You gave me one of those just now." The man said with a smile.


    For some reason, Merit had a relieved look on his face as he uttered those words. That confused Talon for a second. Why was he feeling relieved? And more than that, relieved of what?


    ''Weird¡­ I really can''t figure out this guy¡­'' Rubbing the back of his head, he smiled faintly. "Thank you. I will take good care of it."


    "I know that. You seem like you cherish your weapons. Many simply see these things as tools when in reality, these weapons are their lifeline. If they lost them, they''re as good as dead." Merit shook his head with a disappointed tone.


    "I have seen too many fools meeting their end and it was all because they couldn''t unravel the true potential of their weapons. Do not be one of those, kid."


    "I will never be like that. I have too much to lose for a stupid mistake like that to get me." He said.


    Closing his eyes for a moment, he remembered the people that were waiting for him. His cherished ones who were perhaps worried to death about him. These were all people that he could not afford to leave behind.


    If a mistake as foolish as treating his weapon as a mere tool would be the reason for his death, then he might as well never try to seek any more strength. The scale of the problems he was going to face in the future was only growing bigger and bigger. A single mishap was bound to be the end so he had to be ready, mentally and physically.


    ''He seems to be aware of what he should do. It''s rare for low-dimensional beings to realize what kind of disasters might await them in the future this early on. Thatdy must''ve taught him well.'' Looking at Acrypha, Merit could see the care she had for Talon in her eyes.


    It was as clear as the two suns in the sky that she genuinely cared for that kid, even though they were both from twopletely different walks of life.


    ''What an interesting duo.'' Merit smiled before he shook his head. ''Reminds me of the good old days.''


    "Anyway, I think I should probably leave now. I have some stuff to attend to. Can I find you hereter? I have so many things I want to ask you about." Talon said as he realized the time he wasted in this shop. Well, it wasn''t technically wasted as he had met an interesting individual and found a good weapon for himself.


    Still, Emino was going to meet up with him in an hour or so and he still didn''t do the training he wanted to do.


    "Ah well, I will be here, don''t worry. As long as you don''t take too much time. I grow bored rather quickly." Merit replied as he sat down again.


    "Ok¡­" Saying that, Talon turned around and started walking. "See youter, then."


    As he reached the door, Talon noticed that Acrypha wasn''t moving with him. Turning around, he saw that she was still where he left her. "Acrypha?"


    "Sorry, Talon. Can you go ahead first? I will follow in a bit." She said as she looked at him seriously.


    The boy raised an eyebrow for a second before he understood what she meant. She probably wanted to talk with Merit and she didn''t want to bother Talon about it. He would be lying if he said that he wasn''t curious what she wanted to tell him but he understood that everything Acrypha did was for his own sake.


    "Ok, whenever you finish, you know where to find me." He said with a smile.


    "Thank you¡­" Acrypha replied with a tone full of warmth. She didn''t even need to exin anything for Talon to understand her and she appreciated that greatly.


    With that, Talon excused himself and closed the door behind him. After he walked away, Merit sighed.


    "What a unique kid you find. I haven''t seen someone like him in my entire life." Merit said.


    Acrypha kept staring at the door for a while as if she was in deep thought. "He is one of a kind." She replied.


    "Oh, he very much is. I have felt it when he stepped foot into this city. Is he perhaps your way of saving what you want to save?" He asked with a knowing look in his eyes.


    That made Acrypha turn around. "So, you do know who I am?" Her eyes turned a degree colder.


    "Haha! Of course, who doesn''t know you? You are a celebrity of sorts in the Core Dimension. Though, it is weird that this is our first meeting ever. Fate really likes to y games sometimes."


    "What else do you know?" She asked.


    She knew that Merit was aware of perhaps everything going on in the Core Dimension and things that she wasn''t even aware of. An existence like him could perhaps peer through everything.


    "Oooh, I do know a little bit. I must say though. Your problem is quite the sticky one, Your Highness." He said.


    "Don''t call me that¡­" Immediately, Acrypha''s aura exploded as she stared daggers at him. The entire shop rattled from the sheer pressure she was emitting.


    But, that didn''t seem to bother Merit as his grin widened. "Why is that? You do not like your title?" He asked.


    "..."


    "How ironic. For one of the most important beings in the Core Dimension, you sure hate that position a lot. Am I wrong, Dragon Queen?"


    Acrypha squinted her eyes as she stared directly at Merit. Thetter casually nced back at her as if he wasn''t bothered by her re. The tension in the shop rose to a whole different degree. If a normal human was there, they would''ve been crushed by the pure pressure being emitted from both sides.


    Thissted for a long 10 seconds before Merit finally sighed and stopped. "Ok, I apologize. I was simply joking. My humor is hard to understand sometimes. Even I don''t understand it sometimes."


    "Whatever it is." Acrypha turned around. "I stayed here to ask one thing. Since you seem to be aware of all the developments, I want to know¡­ How is the situation up there?" She asked.


    "Hmm, do you want a long exnation or a short one?"


    "You wouldn''t give me a long one even if I asked for it, no?" She raised an eyebrow.


    "Haha! Right on the bullseye! But, it''s not because I don''t want to. I really have nothing to exin that you probably haven''t heard of already. As for the situation now, I can say that it isn''t very good for you. It''s developing really fast.


    If I have to guess, you will probably need to face ''them'' way sooner than you might expect."


    "..." Hearing that, Acrypha pursed her lips as she fell into deep thought. "Is that so¡­?" She murmured mysteriously.


    ''Well, I expected that much. Things weren''t going to work out my way.'' She mused.


    As much as she wished that she would have enough time, she knew that was just too much to ask.


    "How much time do you think I have left?" She asked.


    "To be honest, even I can''t tell. It could be a month, year, ten years, or even a hundred years. It''s all up to them, I''m just a subtly unique bystander." Merit shrugged.


    "..."


    "What I can tell you, however, is that the boy is really yourst chance. I can feel it within him more than anyone else. If there was a possibility things would go your way, then he is that possibility."


    "I know. I have put all my faith in him." She said, her eyes shing with myriads of emotions. It was indeed the truth, Talon was herst chance and the only one she could rely on. Of course, she dly wanted to rely on him since she trusted him with her life. But, it still worried her that he might not have enough time.


    That was the entire problem¡­ Time.


    Merit saw all of that in her eyes and could only shake his head. "Rely on him, that is the case. But, don''t put all the weight on his shoulders yet. He is a jewel, a fragile one still in the process of forming, but still a jewel. My feeling is telling me that although it might be really bad, he will figure out something. Just be there for it when he needs you."


    "..." Acrypha faintly nodded her head before she turned around. "I know. That was what I wanted to ask. Have a nice day."


    With that, Acrypha vanished from sight instantly, leaving Merit behind on his own. He stared at the spot where she was before for a few moments before he turned around.


    "Well, that was one hell of an encounter. I have a show worth watching in the future¡­ But, for now, time to nap again."


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 274 : 274- Sky Seekers Guild (Part 1)

    After leaving the shop, Talon headed straight to the location he had found before. It was an open park, a little close to the inn they were in. Although it was still early on in the morning, more people were starting toe out of their houses to go to work.


    The city was slowly getting filled with people and the streets were getting livelier by the second. Seeing that, Talon frowned slightly.


    ''Tsk, I wanted to try the spear in that small park I found. But, I guess that''s impossible now.'' He thought to himself.


    With this many people outside, revealing his spear or powers was going to be extremely foolish. He didn''t want anyone to see what he was capable of, not even mundane humans.


    With that, Talon reached the small park he was looking for. There, he started doing some light exercises. Even though his body was already reaching inhuman levels of power, he still liked to do simple exercises like pushups as a way to spend time.


    They also helped temper his mind and let him stay focused even when he was distressed or worried about something. Other than that, some training won''t harm anybody.


    Some time passed like that before he sensed a presence appear near him. Without stopping his training, he asked.


    "Are you done?"


    Acrypha stared at him for a moment,plicated emotions clear in her eyes. "Yeah, it didn''t take too long, did it?"


    "No, I just started," Talon said. "453... 454... 455..." As he continued to count the number of pushups he did, he spoke again.


    "So, did you get anything useful from him?"


    Even though he was interested in what kind of conversation Acrypha had with Merit, he decided not to ask about that either. Not only because he respected her choice of keeping it a secret for now but also because he knew that it was probably something he could notprehend at his current level.


    Those two were higher-than-life, one-of-a-kind individuals with unfathomable powers. The knowledge they have is almost limitless. So, even if he did stay there, he was almost certain that he wouldn''t understand a single thing being said.


    "I did get some information, yes. But..." Acrypha''s voice trailed at the need as she closed her eyes. Just remembering what she heard filled her heart with unease. She tried not to show it in front of Talon but... How can she hide anything from him? Whenever Talon is near her, all the walls she puts up crumble on their own without her control.


    It was almostical how easily she could turn into herself whenever the two were alone.


    Hearing that particr tone in her voice, Talon stopped his training and looked up. His face turned serious as he asked. "Is it bad?"


    Acrypha opened her mouth to speak, only to close it and go silent for a few moments. That was more than enough to answer Talon''s question.


    "I see..." He murmured as he looked down for a moment.


    "Sigh, it is going to be way more dangerous than I expected." She said with a tired tone. "We might end up facing a lot of problems. Problems that I thought would take way more time to appear." She added.


    "..." Talon listened silently to hispanion without interrupting her.


    "Things might go south, Talon. I do not want to be pessimistic but, it will probably be really bad, really quick."


    Even as she said those words, it pained her that Talon had to hear them. He was already burdened with many things, and yet he had to know that he also had a tight time limit to work with. Even if he wasn''t aware of the problem or its consequences which reduces the burden a lot, it was still too much for a lower dimension existence to carry such a fact with him.


    However, what other choice did Acrypha have? She cannot simply hide everything from him even if she wants to. That would only do him more harm than good. Talon had to know that the situation was disastrous, to say the least.


    If she doesn''t tell him, then when reality hits, it is going to hit him hard and he won''t be ready for it.


    "I will try my best to buy more time for us. But, it is going to be a gamble." She said.


    "How much time?" He asked as he sat down. Acrypha couldn''t tell what he was thinking of through his voice.


    "I don''t know. It can be a long period of time or a very short one." She replied as she sat down next to him.


    "I see..." Muttering faintly, he took a deep breath before he inhaled. "Ok... Thanks for telling me." He said as he looked at Acrypha with a smile.


    "..." Thetter was taken aback by his reaction. She expected to see him frown, look angry, serious, or at least affected. But, the gloominess in his eyes has vanished as fast as it appeared.


    "Well, if we don''t have much time, then we just need to hurry up, that''s all." He added as he stood up and dusted his clothes. "It''s going to be fine, I''m sure."


    "... You..."


    "Hm?" As Talon was about to start walking, he heard Acrypha speak.


    "I''m saying that it is going to be really bad! How are you this rxed?" She asked.


    She didn''t know why, but she just couldn''t wrap her head around his reaction. As much as she wanted him to be worry-free, there were things that made sense and things that didn''t and this was one of thetter. Any sane person would feel fear that they would have to deal with a disastrous probleming their way and they are far from ready for it.


    Talon stared at Acrypha for a moment before he shook his head with a wry smile and approached her. Putting his hand on her face, he cupped her cheeks. Thetter stared at him silently, almost in a daze.


    "Do you remember what I told you that day you spoke about your family and race''s trouble?" He asked.


    "..."


    Of course, Acrypha remembers clearly. That was a moment that will be etched in her memory forever.


    "I told you that I will help you, no matter what. I have put it upon myself to do that and I''m going to achieve it, whether it was easy or damn near impossible. I don''t care about the odds, as long as it isn''t 0% then it is within my ability to make it happen."


    Acrypha''s eyes sparkled with countless emotions as she heard those words.


    "It''s all going to be fine." He added.


    For some reason, those simple words washed all the worry away from her heart in a second. Her clouded mind slowly cleared up as she faintly nodded her head.


    "You''re right."


    "Haha, I am always right." Saying that, he touched Acrypha''s forehead. "We gotta keep working hard, and results will show. Once I go back to earth, I will be far stronger than you would ever imagine. Just watch me." He said with a smile.


    Hearing the confidence in his voice, Acrypha''s lips pursed for a moment before she smiled. "I stopped imagining long ago. It saved me a lot of headaches trying to predict what you''re going to do next."


    "Hey! Why do I feel like that wasn''t apliment?!"


    Acrypha shrugged and flicked his forehead. "Who knows?" Then, she started floating away.


    "Wait! I really wanna know!"


    "No, can''t do~"


    "I said wait!"


    As the two yfully joked around, they headed back to the inn to get ready.


    ***


    Later that day, Talon heard a knock on the door to his room. Arryn had already woken up nad put on the jacked to cover himself. Talon sensed Emino''s familiar presence through the door so he opened it.


    "Good morning, Talon!" The middle-aged man said with a smile.


    "Good morning."


    "Did you sleep well, yesterday? I bet you did. Granny''s beds are the best there is." He said as he peeked inside. Arryn was sitting on the table silently. "Is your little brother ok?"


    "Hm? Oh yeah, he is fine, don''t worry about it." Talon said as he moved to stand in the way of Emino''s vision without making it too obvious. "Anyway, aren''t we going to visit the guild today?"


    "Yeah! That is the n! Are you ready?"


    "I was waiting."


    "Good, let''s go then."


    Talon turned around and approached Arryn as he said. "Stay here, I will be back soon. Ok?"


    "Uh, ok..." The boy replied with a faint voice.


    Talon could hear the subtle disappointment in his voice as he said those words. Naturally, being stuck in a room wasn''t enjoyable, especially when you are terrified of being attacked by someone at any given moment.


    "Hey, listen to me. When Ie back. I will have a surprise for you." He said as patted the boy on the shoulder.


    "A surprise?"


    "Yeah, but, since I can''t tell you yet what it is, you gotta wait patiently to get it, understood?"


    "... O-ok!" The boy''s eyes lit up a little.


    "Good, I''m going then."


    "Take care!"


    With that, Talon left the room and closed the door before locking it. Then, he followed Emino outside.


    It was finally time to visit the Sky Seekers Guild. Whatever this visit going to bring for him was still a mystery. It could be a fruitful encounter, or perhaps another reminder of the darkness lurking in the shadows.


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 273: Chapter 273- Acrypha鈥檚 Truth (Part 2)

    "Well, I guess you have won the best." Merit shrugged with a smile. "Congrattions on acquiring a new spear." He said.


    His words made Talon look up confusedly. "Are you really sure you want nothing in return for this spear?"


    Even if they had agreed on a bet, he still can''t believe Merit wouldn''t ask him for anything as a price for the spear. After all, it seemed like this one was a priceless weapon even by his standards. Or perhaps still considered worthless since no one can use it except for Talon.


    "Eh, I do not care, kid. The fact that I have witnessed someone finally using this spear is more than enough for me."


    "Really?"


    "Yeah, when you reach my age, things like money be irrelevant in front of moments worth remembering. You gave me one of those just now." The man said with a smile.


    For some reason, Merit had a relieved look on his face as he uttered those words. That confused Talon for a second. Why was he feeling relieved? And more than that, relieved of what?


    ''Weird¡­ I really can''t figure out this guy¡­'' Rubbing the back of his head, he smiled faintly. "Thank you. I will take good care of it."


    "I know that. You seem like you cherish your weapons. Many simply see these things as tools when in reality, these weapons are their lifeline. If they lost them, they''re as good as dead." Merit shook his head with a disappointed tone.


    "I have seen too many fools meeting their end and it was all because they couldn''t unravel the true potential of their weapons. Do not be one of those, kid."


    "I will never be like that. I have too much to lose for a stupid mistake like that to get me." He said.


    Closing his eyes for a moment, he remembered the people that were waiting for him. His cherished ones who were perhaps worried to death about him. These were all people that he could not afford to leave behind.


    If a mistake as foolish as treating his weapon as a mere tool would be the reason for his death, then he might as well never try to seek any more strength. The scale of the problems he was going to face in the future was only growing bigger and bigger. A single mishap was bound to be the end so he had to be ready, mentally and physically.


    ''He seems to be aware of what he should do. It''s rare for low-dimensional beings to realize what kind of disasters might await them in the future this early on. Thatdy must''ve taught him well.'' Looking at Acrypha, Merit could see the care she had for Talon in her eyes.


    It was as clear as the two suns in the sky that she genuinely cared for that kid, even though they were both from twopletely different walks of life.


    ''What an interesting duo.'' Merit smiled before he shook his head. ''Reminds me of the good old days.''


    "Anyway, I think I should probably leave now. I have some stuff to attend to. Can I find you hereter? I have so many things I want to ask you about." Talon said as he realized the time he wasted in this shop. Well, it wasn''t technically wasted as he had met an interesting individual and found a good weapon for himself.


    Still, Emino was going to meet up with him in an hour or so and he still didn''t do the training he wanted to do.


    "Ah well, I will be here, don''t worry. As long as you don''t take too much time. I grow bored rather quickly." Merit replied as he sat down again.


    "Ok¡­" Saying that, Talon turned around and started walking. "See youter, then."


    As he reached the door, Talon noticed that Acrypha wasn''t moving with him. Turning around, he saw that she was still where he left her. "Acrypha?"


    "Sorry, Talon. Can you go ahead first? I will follow in a bit." She said as she looked at him seriously.


    The boy raised an eyebrow for a second before he understood what she meant. She probably wanted to talk with Merit and she didn''t want to bother Talon about it. He would be lying if he said that he wasn''t curious what she wanted to tell him but he understood that everything Acrypha did was for his own sake.


    "Ok, whenever you finish, you know where to find me." He said with a smile.


    "Thank you¡­" Acrypha replied with a tone full of warmth. She didn''t even need to exin anything for Talon to understand her and she appreciated that greatly.


    With that, Talon excused himself and closed the door behind him. After he walked away, Merit sighed.


    "What a unique kid you find. I haven''t seen someone like him in my entire life." Merit said.


    Acrypha kept staring at the door for a while as if she was in deep thought. "He is one of a kind." She replied.


    "Oh, he very much is. I have felt it when he stepped foot into this city. Is he perhaps your way of saving what you want to save?" He asked with a knowing look in his eyes.


    That made Acrypha turn around. "So, you do know who I am?" Her eyes turned a degree colder.


    "Haha! Of course, who doesn''t know you? You are a celebrity of sorts in the Core Dimension. Though, it is weird that this is our first meeting ever. Fate really likes to y games sometimes."


    "What else do you know?" She asked.


    She knew that Merit was aware of perhaps everything going on in the Core Dimension and things that she wasn''t even aware of. An existence like him could perhaps peer through everything.


    "Oooh, I do know a little bit. I must say though. Your problem is quite the sticky one, Your Highness." He said.


    "Don''t call me that¡­" Immediately, Acrypha''s aura exploded as she stared daggers at him. The entire shop rattled from the sheer pressure she was emitting.


    But, that didn''t seem to bother Merit as his grin widened. "Why is that? You do not like your title?" He asked.


    "..."


    "How ironic. For one of the most important beings in the Core Dimension, you sure hate that position a lot. Am I wrong, Dragon Queen?"


    Acrypha squinted her eyes as she stared directly at Merit. Thetter casually nced back at her as if he wasn''t bothered by her re. The tension in the shop rose to a whole different degree. If a normal human was there, they would''ve been crushed by the pure pressure being emitted from both sides.


    Thissted for a long 10 seconds before Merit finally sighed and stopped. "Ok, I apologize. I was simply joking. My humor is hard to understand sometimes. Even I don''t understand it sometimes."


    "Whatever it is." Acrypha turned around. "I stayed here to ask one thing. Since you seem to be aware of all the developments, I want to know¡­ How is the situation up there?" She asked.


    "Hmm, do you want a long exnation or a short one?"


    "You wouldn''t give me a long one even if I asked for it, no?" She raised an eyebrow.


    "Haha! Right on the bullseye! But, it''s not because I don''t want to. I really have nothing to exin that you probably haven''t heard of already. As for the situation now, I can say that it isn''t very good for you. It''s developing really fast.


    If I have to guess, you will probably need to face ''them'' way sooner than you might expect."


    "..." Hearing that, Acrypha pursed her lips as she fell into deep thought. "Is that so¡­?" She murmured mysteriously.


    ''Well, I expected that much. Things weren''t going to work out my way.'' She mused.


    As much as she wished that she would have enough time, she knew that was just too much to ask.


    "How much time do you think I have left?" She asked.


    "To be honest, even I can''t tell. It could be a month, year, ten years, or even a hundred years. It''s all up to them, I''m just a subtly unique bystander." Merit shrugged.


    "..."


    "What I can tell you, however, is that the boy is really yourst chance. I can feel it within him more than anyone else. If there was a possibility things would go your way, then he is that possibility."


    "I know. I have put all my faith in him." She said, her eyes shing with myriads of emotions. It was indeed the truth, Talon was herst chance and the only one she could rely on. Of course, she dly wanted to rely on him since she trusted him with her life. But, it still worried her that he might not have enough time.


    That was the entire problem¡­ Time.


    Merit saw all of that in her eyes and could only shake his head. "Rely on him, that is the case. But, don''t put all the weight on his shoulders yet. He is a jewel, a fragile one still in the process of forming, but still a jewel. My feeling is telling me that although it might be really bad, he will figure out something. Just be there for it when he needs you."


    "..." Acrypha faintly nodded her head before she turned around. "I know. That was what I wanted to ask. Have a nice day."


    With that, Acrypha vanished from sight instantly, leaving Merit behind on his own. He stared at the spot where she was before for a few moments before he turned around.


    "Well, that was one hell of an encounter. I have a show worth watching in the future¡­ But, for now, time to nap again."


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 274: Chapter 274- Sky Seekers Guild (Part 1)

    After leaving the shop, Talon headed straight to the location he had found before. It was an open park, a little close to the inn they were in. Although it was still early on in the morning, more people were starting toe out of their houses to go to work.


    The city was slowly getting filled with people and the streets were getting livelier by the second. Seeing that, Talon frowned slightly.


    ''Tsk, I wanted to try the spear in that small park I found. But, I guess that''s impossible now.'' He thought to himself.


    With this many people outside, revealing his spear or powers was going to be extremely foolish. He didn''t want anyone to see what he was capable of, not even mundane humans.


    With that, Talon reached the small park he was looking for. There, he started doing some light exercises. Even though his body was already reaching inhuman levels of power, he still liked to do simple exercises like pushups as a way to spend time.


    They also helped temper his mind and let him stay focused even when he was distressed or worried about something. Other than that, some training won''t harm anybody.


    Some time passed like that before he sensed a presence appear near him. Without stopping his training, he asked.


    "Are you done?"


    Acrypha stared at him for a moment,plicated emotions clear in her eyes. "Yeah, it didn''t take too long, did it?"


    "No, I just started," Talon said. "453... 454... 455..." As he continued to count the number of pushups he did, he spoke again.


    "So, did you get anything useful from him?"


    Even though he was interested in what kind of conversation Acrypha had with Merit, he decided not to ask about that either. Not only because he respected her choice of keeping it a secret for now but also because he knew that it was probably something he could notprehend at his current level.


    Those two were higher-than-life, one-of-a-kind individuals with unfathomable powers. The knowledge they have is almost limitless. So, even if he did stay there, he was almost certain that he wouldn''t understand a single thing being said.


    "I did get some information, yes. But..." Acrypha''s voice trailed at the need as she closed her eyes. Just remembering what she heard filled her heart with unease. She tried not to show it in front of Talon but... How can she hide anything from him? Whenever Talon is near her, all the walls she puts up crumble on their own without her control.


    It was almostical how easily she could turn into herself whenever the two were alone.


    Hearing that particr tone in her voice, Talon stopped his training and looked up. His face turned serious as he asked. "Is it bad?"


    Acrypha opened her mouth to speak, only to close it and go silent for a few moments. That was more than enough to answer Talon''s question.


    "I see..." He murmured as he looked down for a moment.


    "Sigh, it is going to be way more dangerous than I expected." She said with a tired tone. "We might end up facing a lot of problems. Problems that I thought would take way more time to appear." She added.


    "..." Talon listened silently to hispanion without interrupting her.


    "Things might go south, Talon. I do not want to be pessimistic but, it will probably be really bad, really quick."


    Even as she said those words, it pained her that Talon had to hear them. He was already burdened with many things, and yet he had to know that he also had a tight time limit to work with. Even if he wasn''t aware of the problem or its consequences which reduces the burden a lot, it was still too much for a lower dimension existence to carry such a fact with him.


    However, what other choice did Acrypha have? She cannot simply hide everything from him even if she wants to. That would only do him more harm than good. Talon had to know that the situation was disastrous, to say the least.


    If she doesn''t tell him, then when reality hits, it is going to hit him hard and he won''t be ready for it.


    "I will try my best to buy more time for us. But, it is going to be a gamble." She said.


    "How much time?" He asked as he sat down. Acrypha couldn''t tell what he was thinking of through his voice.


    "I don''t know. It can be a long period of time or a very short one." She replied as she sat down next to him.


    "I see..." Muttering faintly, he took a deep breath before he inhaled. "Ok... Thanks for telling me." He said as he looked at Acrypha with a smile.


    "..." Thetter was taken aback by his reaction. She expected to see him frown, look angry, serious, or at least affected. But, the gloominess in his eyes has vanished as fast as it appeared.


    "Well, if we don''t have much time, then we just need to hurry up, that''s all." He added as he stood up and dusted his clothes. "It''s going to be fine, I''m sure."


    "... You..."


    "Hm?" As Talon was about to start walking, he heard Acrypha speak.


    "I''m saying that it is going to be really bad! How are you this rxed?" She asked.


    She didn''t know why, but she just couldn''t wrap her head around his reaction. As much as she wanted him to be worry-free, there were things that made sense and things that didn''t and this was one of thetter. Any sane person would feel fear that they would have to deal with a disastrous probleming their way and they are far from ready for it.


    Talon stared at Acrypha for a moment before he shook his head with a wry smile and approached her. Putting his hand on her face, he cupped her cheeks. Thetter stared at him silently, almost in a daze.


    "Do you remember what I told you that day you spoke about your family and race''s trouble?" He asked.


    "..."


    Of course, Acrypha remembers clearly. That was a moment that will be etched in her memory forever.


    "I told you that I will help you, no matter what. I have put it upon myself to do that and I''m going to achieve it, whether it was easy or damn near impossible. I don''t care about the odds, as long as it isn''t 0% then it is within my ability to make it happen."


    Acrypha''s eyes sparkled with countless emotions as she heard those words.


    "It''s all going to be fine." He added.


    For some reason, those simple words washed all the worry away from her heart in a second. Her clouded mind slowly cleared up as she faintly nodded her head.


    "You''re right."


    "Haha, I am always right." Saying that, he touched Acrypha''s forehead. "We gotta keep working hard, and results will show. Once I go back to earth, I will be far stronger than you would ever imagine. Just watch me." He said with a smile.


    Hearing the confidence in his voice, Acrypha''s lips pursed for a moment before she smiled. "I stopped imagining long ago. It saved me a lot of headaches trying to predict what you''re going to do next."


    "Hey! Why do I feel like that wasn''t apliment?!"


    Acrypha shrugged and flicked his forehead. "Who knows?" Then, she started floating away.


    "Wait! I really wanna know!"


    "No, can''t do~"


    "I said wait!"


    As the two yfully joked around, they headed back to the inn to get ready.


    ***


    Later that day, Talon heard a knock on the door to his room. Arryn had already woken up nad put on the jacked to cover himself. Talon sensed Emino''s familiar presence through the door so he opened it.


    "Good morning, Talon!" The middle-aged man said with a smile.


    "Good morning."


    "Did you sleep well, yesterday? I bet you did. Granny''s beds are the best there is." He said as he peeked inside. Arryn was sitting on the table silently. "Is your little brother ok?"


    "Hm? Oh yeah, he is fine, don''t worry about it." Talon said as he moved to stand in the way of Emino''s vision without making it too obvious. "Anyway, aren''t we going to visit the guild today?"


    "Yeah! That is the n! Are you ready?"


    "I was waiting."


    "Good, let''s go then."


    Talon turned around and approached Arryn as he said. "Stay here, I will be back soon. Ok?"


    "Uh, ok..." The boy replied with a faint voice.


    Talon could hear the subtle disappointment in his voice as he said those words. Naturally, being stuck in a room wasn''t enjoyable, especially when you are terrified of being attacked by someone at any given moment.


    "Hey, listen to me. When Ie back. I will have a surprise for you." He said as patted the boy on the shoulder.


    "A surprise?"


    "Yeah, but, since I can''t tell you yet what it is, you gotta wait patiently to get it, understood?"


    "... O-ok!" The boy''s eyes lit up a little.


    "Good, I''m going then."


    "Take care!"


    With that, Talon left the room and closed the door before locking it. Then, he followed Emino outside.


    It was finally time to visit the Sky Seekers Guild. Whatever this visit going to bring for him was still a mystery. It could be a fruitful encounter, or perhaps another reminder of the darkness lurking in the shadows.


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 275: Chapter 275- Sky Seekers Guild (Part 2)

    The two left the inn after bidding the old woman farewell and headed into the main street. At this time, the city was already bustling with movement, as usual. Even though the weather was extremely hot, people didn''t seem that bothered by it.


    In fact, Talon couldn''t see anyone who was actually sweating or even showing a sign of being affected by heat. That was naturally odd since most of these people were mundane and didn''t have strong bodies to fight the heat. Even he struggled with that to some extent.


    As he walked, Talon kept eyeing the people around him silently. That naturally caught Emino''s attention.


    "Looking at people too much might be a tad bit rude, Talon." He said jokingly.


    "Hm? Oh, yeah, I know. I was just curious about something." Thetter replied as he shook his head.


    "And that is? Tell me, I might have the answer."


    "The way people seem unbothered by the hot weather. I was just wondering how that is." He said. "Do they all have very good heat tolerance?"


    "Oh! You didn''t know?" The man asked with a raised eyebrow. "It''s because of the clothes." He said as he pointed at his own attire.


    "The clothes?"


    "Everyone in the city... Well, almost everyone in the city wears specially made clothes. They are imbued with Aetheris to help keep the body cold and reduce the heat. They are very convenient in our weather and they could even warm you up during the night when the temperature drops." The man said with a smile.


    "Oh, really?" Looking down at his own shirt, Talon could only feel curious. If a bunch of clothes can really have such a convenient feature, then he wanted it for himself.


    ''Though, now that I think about it. Aren''t these people very good when ites to using Aetheris to make things? There are the sky seeker wings, the weapons, and now the clothes. How are they this advanced?''


    From an outsider''s viewpoint, it was certainly abnormal. They weren''t simply creating special artifacts for battles or transport, even things as simple as heat-regting clothes were being made and aremon enough that everyone in the city wears them.


    ''I really need to look into further.'' He noted down in his head.


    "If you want, once you settle down, we can bring you to some clothing stores to buy some for yourself and your little brother. They aren''t that expensive." He said.


    "I would appreciate that," Talon replied as he finally looked up. As they were walking, the gigantic blue tower finally grew close to them.


    Arching his neck to the extreme, Talon was still unable to see the top of it from this angle. Somehow, this massive structure looked even more ridiculous than it already was before.


    ''I doubt such a building could exist on earth. The tallest one isn''t even 1/4th of this thing.'' He thought to himself.


    Then, his eyes went down a little and he noticed multiple individuals flying over their heads using the flying gear. Many of themnded in front of the blue tower while others took off from there, seemingly leaving the city.


    If the ground was bustling with mundane humans, then the sky was bustling with Sky Seekers. It was as if they had their own society up there. All because this tower exists.


    "Wee to the Sky Seekers guild!" Stepping ahead of him, Emino stretched his hands as he said with a grin. "The start of everything and the beacon of hope in this world."


    "..." Talon blinked in surprise before he nodded his head. ''Very much a beacon, yeah.'' He thought to himself as he remembered what Arryn told him.


    Even in apletely different dimension, humans still loved to do atrocities and hide them behind morous fronts. It was itched into the very nature of the human being.


    "This might be your new workce, so we gotta make sure you know everything before you take a decision. Let''s get inside." Emino said as he turned around and started walking.


    Talon followed him as they approached the main gates of the tower. On the way, many Sky Seekers who were clearly getting ready to leave greeted him. Some joked, and some showed respect.


    Talon watched how Emino conversed with them. The man seemed very popr amongst the Sky Seekers.


    ''I guess his position is considered high as the captain of squad six...'' He thought to himself as the two finally passed the swarm of Sky Seekers and passed through the gates. Immediately, Talon was met with a cold gush of wind that made him shudder a little.


    ''Wow, now this is a cold ce.'' Looking around him, he found himself inside a rather spacious room that looked like a reception area of a hotel, except far bigger and far moreplex.


    Many Sky Seekers and workers alike moved on their way, clearly busy with work. It was very lively inside this ce.


    "What do you think?" Emino asked.


    "It looks pretty... intense," Talon replied without knowing what to say. But, that was a good way of describing it. The entire ce felt very tense and urgent even though there didn''t seem to be anything urgent to do. In a sense, it was like a police station.


    "Haha! You will grow familiar with the intensity soon! Everyone here likes to work fast. That''s probably one of the reasons why we flourished." Eminoughed loudly.


    "..."


    With that, the two walked through the swarms of people and reached the reception desk. There, a few people were attending to visitors with patient smiles. Exhaustion was clear on their faces but they were very good at hiding it.


    Waiting in line, Talon heard bits and pieces of the conversation happening between the visitor and the receptionist.


    "What do you mean there are no more batches for the day?! I have waited for hours here!" mming his hand on the table, the man yelled angrily.


    "Sir, please calm down. As I said, other merchants have already bought the entire stock for the day since yesterday. They have paid extra." She replied with a troubled expression.


    "That is greedy! We are trying to make a living here, goddammit!"


    "Please, calm down or I will have to call the guards to escort you out." The woman finally said with a serious tone.


    "Oh, of course, kicking a customer out! What a great service!! I''m leaving! I wille back tomorrow and there better be goods I can buy!"


    "..."


    With that, the man turned around and stormed his way out of the building with a terrifying look on his face. Talon stared at him confusedly. ''Someone has trouble controlling their anger.'' He thought to himself as he stepped forward.


    He and Emino were the next in line.


    "Sigh..." The receptionist rested her head on her hand as she rubbed her temples.


    "Good morning, Kal," Emino said as he put his hands on the table.


    "Oh, good morning, Emino." The woman said as she looked up tiredly.


    "A rough day?" He asked as he looked behind him.


    "Oh, please, don''t start. He is the fifth angry customer we had today. This ''Pay extra, get it early'' policy has been a huge pain in the bum since it was applied." She said. "We, the receptionists get the short end of the stick every time while others get money in their pockets."


    "... Yeah, it is bad. We might need to talk with the higher-ups about it. It won''t work for long. Some people need to sell meat to earn a living." He said.


    "Tsk, it is what it is. So, what brought you here today? Didn''t you take a few days off?" She asked confusedly as she finally noticed the young man standing next to Emino.


    "Haha! I brought a new friend of mine here with a big chance of him joining the Sky Seekers guild." He said.


    "A friend?" Looking at Talon for a few moments, she said. "An unfamiliar face?"


    "He had arrived in the city yesterday. I saw some good potential in him and so I wanted to snatch him before he found another job and wasted his talent." He said.


    ''Why does he sound like a talent scout now?'' Talon shook his head.


    "Well, why not? Wee, uh..."


    "Talon. Nice to meet you." Snapping out of it, Talon introduced himself.


    "Nice to meet you, I''m Kal." She replied. "So, you said you wanted to join the Sky Seekers guild?"


    "That is the n. But, I still don''t know much about this establishment and would like to learn more before I can make a decision." He said.


    If there was one thing Talon wanted to know more about, it was whether the Guild did mention its attempts to try and attack the Divine Piercer. From what he can see, nobody is aware that Arryn''s race even exists.


    Perhaps the Azurians were a mere myth or perhaps they knew they existed and simply chose to ignore the massacres conducted against them.


    Both situations were really bad. So, he wanted to know more about this ce first. If he can truly see a way of making a change, he will do it. Even if that meant destroying this entire ce. As far as he was concerned, a rotten organization was just a horrible parasite that needed to be killed before it did anything worse. That is if it didn''t already do the worst atrocities imaginable.


    ''It depends on how much I will benefit from that, though.'' He mused.


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 276: Chapter 276- Sky Seekers Guild (Part 3)

    "Of course, we have small booklets we hand over to neers to learn more about the Sky Seekers Guild and its operations." The receptionist said as she handed Talon one of the booklets she pulled out from a drawer next to her and continued. "Do read it carefully and then feel free toe back here if you find what we offer attractive enough for you."


    Talon stared at the booklet for a moment before he nodded his head. "I understand." He said.


    "You can sit down there and read it. It''s not that long." Emino added with a smile. "I''m gonna talk to someone meanwhile if you don''t mind."


    "Yeah, that''s fine," Talon said as he turned around, walked to one of the empty seats and sat down to read. ''This thing feels like a travel agency booklet, haha.'' He thought to himself.


    Opening the booklet, he started reading silently. Some time passed before Talon finally reached the end of the booklet. At that point, his expression was a mix of confusion and seriousness.


    ''Well, this is somewhat close to what I expected.'' He thought ho himself.


    The booklet naturally told him mostly the same things Emino had said. The Sky Seekers Guild was an organization that worked mainly on protecting the human strongholds in the world from all the monsters that tried to attack them.


    They also have a secondary role of scouting and mapping the entire world for travelers. Apparently, they have a distant goal of making traveling through the desert possible without the need for protection.


    Naturally, that sounded like such a ridiculous idea considering how massive this world was and how much distance they had to cover simply to travel from one ce to another. But, what could a massive organization like the Sky Seekers Guild be without a noble, higher-than-life goal?


    If anyone else had seen this, they would think that this organization had humanity as its highest priority. But, what they hid was that, it didn''t matter what kind of thing they had to do, as long as it was beneficial to their goals, even if that included massacring an entire race of peaceful people.


    The other important detail he noticed was that there was a weird ranking system in Sky Seekers Guild. As neers, they had to go through a hard test to get qualified to be Sky Seekers. Then, they get a Novice badge as their first position.


    If they seed in missions, they garner points which in turn promotes them higher and higher. Squad Captains was the highest position one could get.


    ''So Emino is indeed an important individual... Interesting.'' Talon mused as he rubbed his chin.


    ''What I find weird is, there is no mention of the rest of the blue tower and how it functions.'' He thought to himself as he looked above him.


    As far as the booklet read, the blue tower was just the headquarters for the guild and nothing else. But, that made no sense since the blue tower also worked as a protective barrier for the city with the blue blood.


    Since this particr detail was important, he expected the guild to boast about it or at least mention it briefly considering its one of the mainyers of defense this city has.


    ''Something is off...'' He squinted his eyes as he looked around him. ''If they didn''t mention such an important detail, then are they hiding something? The entire ''Blue Rain'' thing is already quite weird. How does it keep pumping blue blood this entire time? And more importantly, who is killing this many worms just to provide the necessary blood?''


    The more he thought about it, the more confused he got. There was certainly a missing detail he didn''t go through.


    ''I need to investigate further.'' He thought to himself as he finally looked up again. He saw Emino approaching him after a while.


    "Are you done?" The man asked.


    "Yeah, I read it all."


    "So, what do you think? You like it?" Emino''s eyes shone with anticipation of what Talon had decided.


    "... Well, this sounds really interesting, I''m not going to lie."


    "It is, isn''t it? Not only that, but it pays well too. Most Sky Seekers are rich folks now, enjoying life while working. You can definitely change your life and your brother''s life working here." Emino added.


    ''He really wants me to join, huh?'' Talon thought to himself as he looked at the booklet again. ''It did mention money and payment too. There are bonuses forpleting missions sessfully or doing certain tasks with great efficiency. I can definitely earn a lot of money from here.''


    One of the most important things Taloncked currently was, of course, money. In such a massive city, living without a source of ie was going to be hard. Even if he can somehow figure things out for a month, there is no guarantee Arryn can handle such a life.


    So, he needed to earn money first, and then things would start opening up for them one after the other.


    "Did you decide?" Acrypha asked curiously as she peeked over his shoulder.


    "Yeah. I guess the choice was already obvious from the start. I was just prolonging it longer than usual." Talon sighed as he stood up.


    "Let''s go." He said to Emino.


    The two then went back to the receptionist. "Well, that was quick, Mr Talon." She said.


    "Yeah, I was quite impressed by what this ce offers and what it does."


    "Thank you. We try our best to work hard for our people." She said with a professional smile. "So, I assume you''re going to sign up?" She asked.


    "Yes, I want to join the Sky Seekers Guild." He said with a serious look on his face. One that Emino and the receptionist mistaken for one of determination when in reality, Talon was simply contemting what kind of hideous things he was going to unravel once he got deeper into this new rabbit hole.


    ''Let''s hope it''s not that bad.''


    ***


    After that, Talon had to go through a long procedure to sign up. He had to sign many papers and contracts which took him a long time to read through and make sure nothing was fishy. He almost wanted to bang his head on the wall from how long it was.


    After that, he was given a number and was told to move to one of theboratories inside the building. There, they took some of his blood and did some tests to make sure that he was in good shape and eligible to join the Sky Seekers Guild. Talon was worried that they might discover something about him from these blood and physical tests, but luckily, it didn''t show anything weird about him.


    Then, after that, he was handed a uniform prepared previously for neers who wanted to join and was told toe here again tomorrow for the real test. From what he heard, thousands of people try to join the Sky Seekers Guild on a monthly basis and most of them fail due to this particr test.


    He heard that it was quite difficult, and even Emino warned him of it. But, Talon wasn''t that worried. If this test wasn''t outright impossible, then he knows he canplete it.


    With that, he was finally allowed to leave the blue tower. By that time, the sun had already set on the horizon.


    "Damn, I didn''t expect it to take this long." He murmured as he stretched his sluggish limbs. "That was so annoying."


    "I''m d you didn''t destroy the entire ce in frustration," Acryphamented jokingly.


    "I was this close to doing that, trust me."


    "Well, what stopped you?" She asked as she floated in front of him.


    "Very simply. Whenever I get frustrated, I just look at you... It helps a lot with keeping me calm and collected, to a certain extent." He said with a smile.


    Acrypha blinked in surprise, clearly taken aback by hisment before she finally smiled. "Is that so?"


    "Yeah, haha."


    With that, Talon turned to Emino. "Well, thank you for helping me today. I feel bad you had to waste your day off on this." He said. Throughout the entire process, Emino was there to help exin things whenever he saw Talon getting lost.


    He actually made it a lot faster than it could''ve been and Talon felt rather grateful for that.


    "Don''t worry about it. I had fun helping out. Don''t forget to tell the others that I brought you here first once you hit it big, hahaha!" Tappin Talon on the shoulder, Emino turned around to leave.


    But, at thest second, the young man called for him. "Hey, onest thing." He said, remembering something he wanted to do.


    "Hm? What?"


    "Can you... Ehem, can you tell me where the nearest library is?"


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 275 - 275- Sky Seekers Guild (Part 2)

    The two left the inn after bidding the old woman farewell and headed into the main street. At this time, the city was already bustling with movement, as usual. Even though the weather was extremely hot, people didn''t seem that bothered by it.


    In fact, Talon couldn''t see anyone who was actually sweating or even showing a sign of being affected by heat. That was naturally odd since most of these people were mundane and didn''t have strong bodies to fight the heat. Even he struggled with that to some extent.


    As he walked, Talon kept eyeing the people around him silently. That naturally caught Emino''s attention.


    "Looking at people too much might be a tad bit rude, Talon." He said jokingly.


    "Hm? Oh, yeah, I know. I was just curious about something." Thetter replied as he shook his head.


    "And that is? Tell me, I might have the answer."


    "The way people seem unbothered by the hot weather. I was just wondering how that is." He said. "Do they all have very good heat tolerance?"


    "Oh! You didn''t know?" The man asked with a raised eyebrow. "It''s because of the clothes." He said as he pointed at his own attire.


    "The clothes?"


    "Everyone in the city... Well, almost everyone in the city wears specially made clothes. They are imbued with Aetheris to help keep the body cold and reduce the heat. They are very convenient in our weather and they could even warm you up during the night when the temperature drops." The man said with a smile.


    "Oh, really?" Looking down at his own shirt, Talon could only feel curious. If a bunch of clothes can really have such a convenient feature, then he wanted it for himself.


    Enjoy stories on freewebnovel


    ''Though, now that I think about it. Aren''t these people very good when ites to using Aetheris to make things? There are the sky seeker wings, the weapons, and now the clothes. How are they this advanced?''


    From an outsider''s viewpoint, it was certainly abnormal. They weren''t simply creating special artifacts for battles or transport, even things as simple as heat-regting clothes were being made and aremon enough that everyone in the city wears them.


    ''I really need to look into further.'' He noted down in his head.


    "If you want, once you settle down, we can bring you to some clothing stores to buy some for yourself and your little brother. They aren''t that expensive." He said.


    "I would appreciate that," Talon replied as he finally looked up. As they were walking, the gigantic blue tower finally grew close to them.


    Arching his neck to the extreme, Talon was still unable to see the top of it from this angle. Somehow, this massive structure looked even more ridiculous than it already was before.


    ''I doubt such a building could exist on earth. The tallest one isn''t even 1/4th of this thing.'' He thought to himself.


    Then, his eyes went down a little and he noticed multiple individuals flying over their heads using the flying gear. Many of themnded in front of the blue tower while others took off from there, seemingly leaving the city.


    If the ground was bustling with mundane humans, then the sky was bustling with Sky Seekers. It was as if they had their own society up there. All because this tower exists.


    "Wee to the Sky Seekers guild!" Stepping ahead of him, Emino stretched his hands as he said with a grin. "The start of everything and the beacon of hope in this world."


    "..." Talon blinked in surprise before he nodded his head. ''Very much a beacon, yeah.'' He thought to himself as he remembered what Arryn told him.


    Even in apletely different dimension, humans still loved to do atrocities and hide them behind morous fronts. It was itched into the very nature of the human being.


    "This might be your new workce, so we gotta make sure you know everything before you take a decision. Let''s get inside." Emino said as he turned around and started walking.


    Talon followed him as they approached the main gates of the tower. On the way, many Sky Seekers who were clearly getting ready to leave greeted him. Some joked, and some showed respect.


    Talon watched how Emino conversed with them. The man seemed very popr amongst the Sky Seekers.


    ''I guess his position is considered high as the captain of squad six...'' He thought to himself as the two finally passed the swarm of Sky Seekers and passed through the gates. Immediately, Talon was met with a cold gush of wind that made him shudder a little.


    ''Wow, now this is a cold ce.'' Looking around him, he found himself inside a rather spacious room that looked like a reception area of a hotel, except far bigger and far moreplex.


    Many Sky Seekers and workers alike moved on their way, clearly busy with work. It was very lively inside this ce.


    "What do you think?" Emino asked.


    "It looks pretty... intense," Talon replied without knowing what to say. But, that was a good way of describing it. The entire ce felt very tense and urgent even though there didn''t seem to be anything urgent to do. In a sense, it was like a police station.


    "Haha! You will grow familiar with the intensity soon! Everyone here likes to work fast. That''s probably one of the reasons why we flourished." Eminoughed loudly.


    "..."


    With that, the two walked through the swarms of people and reached the reception desk. There, a few people were attending to visitors with patient smiles. Exhaustion was clear on their faces but they were very good at hiding it.


    Waiting in line, Talon heard bits and pieces of the conversation happening between the visitor and the receptionist.


    "What do you mean there are no more batches for the day?! I have waited for hours here!" mming his hand on the table, the man yelled angrily.


    "Sir, please calm down. As I said, other merchants have already bought the entire stock for the day since yesterday. They have paid extra." She replied with a troubled expression.


    "That is greedy! We are trying to make a living here, goddammit!"


    "Please, calm down or I will have to call the guards to escort you out." The woman finally said with a serious tone.


    "Oh, of course, kicking a customer out! What a great service!! I''m leaving! I wille back tomorrow and there better be goods I can buy!"


    "..."


    With that, the man turned around and stormed his way out of the building with a terrifying look on his face. Talon stared at him confusedly. ''Someone has trouble controlling their anger.'' He thought to himself as he stepped forward.


    He and Emino were the next in line.


    "Sigh..." The receptionist rested her head on her hand as she rubbed her temples.


    "Good morning, Kal," Emino said as he put his hands on the table.


    "Oh, good morning, Emino." The woman said as she looked up tiredly.


    "A rough day?" He asked as he looked behind him.


    "Oh, please, don''t start. He is the fifth angry customer we had today. This ''Pay extra, get it early'' policy has been a huge pain in the bum since it was applied." She said. "We, the receptionists get the short end of the stick every time while others get money in their pockets."


    "... Yeah, it is bad. We might need to talk with the higher-ups about it. It won''t work for long. Some people need to sell meat to earn a living." He said.


    "Tsk, it is what it is. So, what brought you here today? Didn''t you take a few days off?" She asked confusedly as she finally noticed the young man standing next to Emino.


    "Haha! I brought a new friend of mine here with a big chance of him joining the Sky Seekers guild." He said.


    "A friend?" Looking at Talon for a few moments, she said. "An unfamiliar face?"


    "He had arrived in the city yesterday. I saw some good potential in him and so I wanted to snatch him before he found another job and wasted his talent." He said.


    ''Why does he sound like a talent scout now?'' Talon shook his head.


    "Well, why not? Wee, uh..."


    "Talon. Nice to meet you." Snapping out of it, Talon introduced himself.


    "Nice to meet you, I''m Kal." She replied. "So, you said you wanted to join the Sky Seekers guild?"


    "That is the n. But, I still don''t know much about this establishment and would like to learn more before I can make a decision." He said.


    If there was one thing Talon wanted to know more about, it was whether the Guild did mention its attempts to try and attack the Divine Piercer. From what he can see, nobody is aware that Arryn''s race even exists.


    Perhaps the Azurians were a mere myth or perhaps they knew they existed and simply chose to ignore the massacres conducted against them.


    Both situations were really bad. So, he wanted to know more about this ce first. If he can truly see a way of making a change, he will do it. Even if that meant destroying this entire ce. As far as he was concerned, a rotten organization was just a horrible parasite that needed to be killed before it did anything worse. That is if it didn''t already do the worst atrocities imaginable.


    ''It depends on how much I will benefit from that, though.'' He mused.


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 276 - 276- Sky Seekers Guild (Part 3)

    "Of course, we have small booklets we hand over to neers to learn more about the Sky Seekers Guild and its operations." The receptionist said as she handed Talon one of the booklets she pulled out from a drawer next to her and continued. "Do read it carefully and then feel free toe back here if you find what we offer attractive enough for you."


    Talon stared at the booklet for a moment before he nodded his head. "I understand." He said.


    "You can sit down there and read it. It''s not that long." Emino added with a smile. "I''m gonna talk to someone meanwhile if you don''t mind."


    "Yeah, that''s fine," Talon said as he turned around, walked to one of the empty seats and sat down to read. ''This thing feels like a travel agency booklet, haha.'' He thought to himself.


    Opening the booklet, he started reading silently. Some time passed before Talon finally reached the end of the booklet. At that point, his expression was a mix of confusion and seriousness.


    ''Well, this is somewhat close to what I expected.'' He thought ho himself.


    The booklet naturally told him mostly the same things Emino had said. The Sky Seekers Guild was an organization that worked mainly on protecting the human strongholds in the world from all the monsters that tried to attack them.


    They also have a secondary role of scouting and mapping the entire world for travelers. Apparently, they have a distant goal of making traveling through the desert possible without the need for protection.


    Naturally, that sounded like such a ridiculous idea considering how massive this world was and how much distance they had to cover simply to travel from one ce to another. But, what could a massive organization like the Sky Seekers Guild be without a noble, higher-than-life goal?


    If anyone else had seen this, they would think that this organization had humanity as its highest priority. But, what they hid was that, it didn''t matter what kind of thing they had to do, as long as it was beneficial to their goals, even if that included massacring an entire race of peaceful people.


    The other important detail he noticed was that there was a weird ranking system in Sky Seekers Guild. As neers, they had to go through a hard test to get qualified to be Sky Seekers. Then, they get a Novice badge as their first position.


    If they seed in missions, they garner points which in turn promotes them higher and higher. Squad Captains was the highest position one could get.


    ''So Emino is indeed an important individual... Interesting.'' Talon mused as he rubbed his chin.


    ''What I find weird is, there is no mention of the rest of the blue tower and how it functions.'' He thought to himself as he looked above him.


    As far as the booklet read, the blue tower was just the headquarters for the guild and nothing else. But, that made no sense since the blue tower also worked as a protective barrier for the city with the blue blood.


    Read now on freewebnovel


    Since this particr detail was important, he expected the guild to boast about it or at least mention it briefly considering its one of the mainyers of defense this city has.


    ''Something is off...'' He squinted his eyes as he looked around him. ''If they didn''t mention such an important detail, then are they hiding something? The entire ''Blue Rain'' thing is already quite weird. How does it keep pumping blue blood this entire time? And more importantly, who is killing this many worms just to provide the necessary blood?''


    The more he thought about it, the more confused he got. There was certainly a missing detail he didn''t go through.


    ''I need to investigate further.'' He thought to himself as he finally looked up again. He saw Emino approaching him after a while.


    "Are you done?" The man asked.


    "Yeah, I read it all."


    "So, what do you think? You like it?" Emino''s eyes shone with anticipation of what Talon had decided.


    "... Well, this sounds really interesting, I''m not going to lie."


    "It is, isn''t it? Not only that, but it pays well too. Most Sky Seekers are rich folks now, enjoying life while working. You can definitely change your life and your brother''s life working here." Emino added.


    ''He really wants me to join, huh?'' Talon thought to himself as he looked at the booklet again. ''It did mention money and payment too. There are bonuses forpleting missions sessfully or doing certain tasks with great efficiency. I can definitely earn a lot of money from here.''


    One of the most important things Taloncked currently was, of course, money. In such a massive city, living without a source of ie was going to be hard. Even if he can somehow figure things out for a month, there is no guarantee Arryn can handle such a life.


    So, he needed to earn money first, and then things would start opening up for them one after the other.


    "Did you decide?" Acrypha asked curiously as she peeked over his shoulder.


    "Yeah. I guess the choice was already obvious from the start. I was just prolonging it longer than usual." Talon sighed as he stood up.


    "Let''s go." He said to Emino.


    The two then went back to the receptionist. "Well, that was quick, Mr Talon." She said.


    "Yeah, I was quite impressed by what this ce offers and what it does."


    "Thank you. We try our best to work hard for our people." She said with a professional smile. "So, I assume you''re going to sign up?" She asked.


    "Yes, I want to join the Sky Seekers Guild." He said with a serious look on his face. One that Emino and the receptionist mistaken for one of determination when in reality, Talon was simply contemting what kind of hideous things he was going to unravel once he got deeper into this new rabbit hole.


    ''Let''s hope it''s not that bad.''


    ***


    After that, Talon had to go through a long procedure to sign up. He had to sign many papers and contracts which took him a long time to read through and make sure nothing was fishy. He almost wanted to bang his head on the wall from how long it was.


    After that, he was given a number and was told to move to one of theboratories inside the building. There, they took some of his blood and did some tests to make sure that he was in good shape and eligible to join the Sky Seekers Guild. Talon was worried that they might discover something about him from these blood and physical tests, but luckily, it didn''t show anything weird about him.


    Then, after that, he was handed a uniform prepared previously for neers who wanted to join and was told toe here again tomorrow for the real test. From what he heard, thousands of people try to join the Sky Seekers Guild on a monthly basis and most of them fail due to this particr test.


    He heard that it was quite difficult, and even Emino warned him of it. But, Talon wasn''t that worried. If this test wasn''t outright impossible, then he knows he canplete it.


    With that, he was finally allowed to leave the blue tower. By that time, the sun had already set on the horizon.


    "Damn, I didn''t expect it to take this long." He murmured as he stretched his sluggish limbs. "That was so annoying."


    "I''m d you didn''t destroy the entire ce in frustration," Acryphamented jokingly.


    "I was this close to doing that, trust me."


    "Well, what stopped you?" She asked as she floated in front of him.


    "Very simply. Whenever I get frustrated, I just look at you... It helps a lot with keeping me calm and collected, to a certain extent." He said with a smile.


    Acrypha blinked in surprise, clearly taken aback by hisment before she finally smiled. "Is that so?"


    "Yeah, haha."


    With that, Talon turned to Emino. "Well, thank you for helping me today. I feel bad you had to waste your day off on this." He said. Throughout the entire process, Emino was there to help exin things whenever he saw Talon getting lost.


    He actually made it a lot faster than it could''ve been and Talon felt rather grateful for that.


    "Don''t worry about it. I had fun helping out. Don''t forget to tell the others that I brought you here first once you hit it big, hahaha!" Tappin Talon on the shoulder, Emino turned around to leave.


    But, at thest second, the young man called for him. "Hey, onest thing." He said, remembering something he wanted to do.


    "Hm? What?"


    "Can you... Ehem, can you tell me where the nearest library is?"


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 277: Chapter 277- Library And Confusing Knowledge

    "A library?"


    "Yeah, I want to research some things but I don''t know where to go. Do you have any rmendations?" Talon asked.


    He didn''t know whether libraries in this city would be useful for him. But, that was the first obvious step to take. Whether it birthed results or not was still a mystery. ''I hope it does or things will get a little bit tooplicated.'' He thought to himself.


    "Hmm, we do have a few libraries. But, the biggest one is the Aridopolis Library. It''s one kilometer south of here. It''s pretty obvious so you can find it easily." Emino replied after thinking for a moment.


    "Oh, ok, thank you!"


    "If you want, I can bring you there," Emino said.


    "No, it''s fine, I can find it alone. Thank you again for helping me today, I really appreciate it."


    "Hey, anytime, friend. I will be there tomorrow. You better pass the test, understood?!"


    "Haha, I will try my best." Talonughed before he bid him farewell and walked away.


    Acrypha floated next to him as she stared at Emino walking away. "He is really being nice to you, isn''t he?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.


    "Yeah... He is being nice. Almost too nice if you ask my opinion." Talon replied with a serious look on his face.


    This entire time, Emino had been quite helpful and patient with Talon, almost to a suspicious degree. He knew that the man wasn''t helping him only out of the kindness of his heart. There was something he wanted and Talon still couldn''t figure it out.


    ''Well, he doesn''t seem to be seeking anything malicious for now. I will use his help and then see what happens.'' He thought to himself as he increased his speed and headed to the library that Emino told him about.


    Eventually, Talon emerged from the Blue Tower district and found himself in a different, far calmer area of the city. It seemed to be some kind of neighborhood as there weren''t that many shops and mostly houses.


    There, a particrly big building could be seen around the corner. It had this old yet elegant style that made it stand out amongst the other houses. A sign that said, ''Aridopolis Library'' could be seen above the double doors.


    "I think this is it," Talon murmured as he approached the library and walked inside. Looking around, he was surprised to see long rows of shelves in every direction. All of them were filled with books from top to bottom.


    There were some tables stationed around the ce for people to sit down and read and there were some visitors here and there. But, the entire ce was calm and serene which instantly put Talon at peace.


    Looking around him, he noticed a small counter where an old man was sitting. Approaching him, he spoke in a quiet tone.


    "Excuse me."


    The old man lifted his eyes up, staring at Talon from above the sses. "How can I help you, sir?" He asked in a soft tone.


    "Um, where is the history section?" He asked.


    The man gave Talon a long look before he pointed with his finger. "It''s there."


    Talon faintly nodded his head before he walked away. The first thing he wanted to look into was naturally the history of Aridopolis and this world in general. Something told him that he might be able to discover a lot of things regarding this ce through its history.


    Walking to the history section, he looked around him with an impressed look on his face. The true scale of this library was truly shocking. He didn''t expect to see this many books in one single ce.


    Many books, old and new were organized in different smaller sections. Some seemed to talk about recent history, some about old tales and myths, and some were about the city and its glorious years.


    As he read their titles, Talon slowly started picking up the ones he found interesting. Eventually, he ended up with a long stack of books in his arms as he struggled to bring them to the table. Sitting down, he sighed.


    "Well, I guess these are the most interesting-looking ones I saw. Hopefully, I can find something useful in them." He murmured to himself.


    Looking outside through the window, he saw that the sun was already starting to set and then he turned to look at the books.


    "I need to read them as quickly as possible if I want to finish early." He said as he stretched his arms and quickly brought the first book in front of him.


    "Here goes nothing..."


    ***


    With that, a few hours passed rather quickly and the night finally cast its darkness upon the world. The library seemed to work at night too, so Talon wasn''t kicked out. By the time he was done with all the books, the moon was high in the sky.


    "Ugh... That was hectic..." Closing the book, Talon groaned silently.


    ''I read all of that but... I really couldn''t figure out anything important.''


    The history books he read talked about the time the city was founded, the way the humans struggled to fight and survive in this dangerous world, and the heroes who stood up and saved them from extinction.


    Most of these books sounded more like epics rather than actual history which confused Talon even more.


    ''Is the history also changed or was this simply what they believed? And why is there no mention of the Azurians in these books?''


    Although he did find some information regarding a ''Dangerous'' race of monsters that tried to destroy the human civilization built on this world. But, the heroes of humanity were able to defeat them and kick them out of theirnds.


    Talon obviously knew what race they were talking about. But, there was really no specific description of why, when, and how all of this happened. It sounded more like a brief summary of an unimportant event rather than a pivotal point in the entire story.


    "This is so annoying..." Talon grumbled as he ran his hand through his hair.


    "They are definitely trying to hide something, that is for sure," Acrypha said seriously. "Whether it is to keep face or simply to keep the civilians under control... I can''t really see which one." She added.


    "Yeah, I can see that. It seems like whoever put these books here made sure nothing of the Azurians or the history between these two races is ever mentioned. But, it''s quite impressive how they were able to erase such a historical event without leaving any trace behind."


    Talon had always heard that history is written by the winners and this seemed like an example of that. For something to be erased, it required intense work and special brainwashing for the people who lived in that era so that they wouldn''t pass that knowledge to future generations.


    ''I''m sure it has something to do with the Sky Seekers and the entire guild behind them.'' Staring into the distance with a dazed look, he thought about everything he knew so far.


    Things were getting a little bit clearer for him. History has changed, and people are living under the illusion that humans are the victims and the winners at the same time. They perhaps don''t even know that Azurians still exist as they are simply a myth of sorts now.


    "Talon?" Acrypha said.


    That snapped him out of his thoughts as he finally stood up and brought all the books along with him. "Well, I guess there is no point in trying to overthink it. We need to work with what we know. At least I have a clearer vision of what to expect now so I won''t be taken by surprise in the future." He said as he started putting the books back where they belonged.


    "Well, you never know what could happen. This world is very odd and the people in it aren''t as simple as you might think. You have to always be careful." Acrypha said seriously.


    "Yeah, I know what you''re talking about. I won''t put my guard down. Never did, never will." He smiled reassuringly before he finally left the library.


    "Damn, I almost forgot about Arryn. That poor guy must''ve waited too much." Talon sighed as he hurried his steps back to the inn.


    A few minutester, he reached his destination and walked into their assigned room. There, he found Arryn lying asleep on the bed. The boy waited for long hours before he got tired and slept.


    ''He is really something else. I don''t know why he reminds me a little bit of my younger self.'' Talon sighed with a wry smile as he stared at the sleeping kid. Sitting down next to him, he tapped his shoulder.


    "Hey, Arryn, wake up! Psst, Arryn!"


    Shaking the boy gently, he watched as he opened his eyes.


    "Talon?" He asked as he rubbed his eyes. "You''re back."


    "Yeah, sorry for making you wait. I had too much to do." Talon apologized.


    "It''s fine. I just napped since the evening." Arryn asked.


    "Hmm, good, ok, wash your face. We need to go." Talon said.


    "Go? Where?"


    "Hm? Of course, we are going to start your training."


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 278: Chapter 278- The Will In You (Part 1)

    Arryn was taken aback by Talon''s words as he stood up from the bed. "Training?" He asked as he followed him.


    "Yeah, didn''t I say that I would give you a surprise earlier today? Well, this is my surprise." Talon replied as he drank a cup of water and then handed one to Arryn. Thetter took it instinctively before he looked up again.


    "No, but, why?"


    "Why? Of course, because you need training. No offense, Arryn, but you are very weak. You also need a lot of work to build some muscles. We should start working on your abilities too." He said as he started counting the required things they had to do.


    "..." Arryn tried to open his mouth, only to close it again. He waspletely speechless. Naturally, he was aware of how weak he was and how much work he needed to do before he could actually be considered strong. But, he never expected Talon to be the one to actually give him that push.


    After all, he was always told to learn on his own, like the other talented geniuses of the Azurian race. He understood that he was indeed not made for such things but he still wanted to give it a try.


    "Why that look? Do you not want my help?" Talon spoke, snapping the boy out of his daze.


    "Huh? No! Of course not! I was just a little surprised."


    "Well, don''t be. To be honest, things are only going to get tough from now on, Arryn.I don''t think I can do it all on my own even if I wanted to. Not to mention that you''re the one who needs to step up and take decisive actions. I''m but an outsider, after all." He said.


    What Talon really wanted to see, apart from aplishing his goals was to witness Arryn bing a great figure. The boy had the ambition and the drive, but hecked the guidance required to set him on the path. Talon was almost certain that the boy had something in him and he only needed to give him a little push for that thing to bloom.


    ''Though, I don''t know if we can actually do much in a few weeks'' worth of time.'' He mused as he looked at Arryn. ''Well, I will just try and see what happens.''


    "I see... I-I will try my best!"


    "Good, that''s the spirit. Now, get ready, we need to leave." He said.


    ***


    A few minutester, the duo left the inn secretly and headed to a secluded area of the city where no one would go. It was hard to find such a ce, but with Acrypha''s guidance and thete time of the day, they eventually found what seemed to be an abandoned factory area.


    Reaching there, Talon made sure to check every corner to see if there were any potential spots someone could sneak in from. After that, he finally brought Arryn to the open area where he made him stand facing him.


    "Ok, first things first, I want to see your water ability."


    Thest time Arryn tried to use his powers, it didn''t end well. So, Talon wanted to see it closer now to understand what the boy was doing wrong.


    "Ok..." The boy nodded before he closed his eyes for a moment and lifted his hands up. Talon stepped aside and watched silently as the boy channeled his Aetheris.


    ''Hm...'' Almost immediately, Talon noticed a ring problem. ''The way Aetheris is coursing through his body is rigid and slow...'' He thought to himself.


    Compared to him or even to other people weaker than him, Talon could see that Arryn was way toocking in that department which might be the reason why he was failing in manifesting his abilities in the real world.


    But, he didn''t say a word as he watched Arryn continue trying to do it. His face turned into a frown as he struggled to do anything. A few secondster, a small ball of water manifested in the air in front of him. The ball wiggled and changed shapes as if it was struggling to stay stable.


    Then, Arryn''s hands started shaking and his face turned paler. Eventually, he lost strength and the water sphere fell to the ground with a ssh.


    "Hah... Hah... Hah, I really can''t do it..." He said with a downcast tone. "It never works, no matter what I do."


    This wasn''t the first nor thest time Arryn tried to manipte water in his life. He had done that hundreds or even thousands of times before and it never worked. This was naturally no different from before.


    ''Can I even do this?'' He asked himself as he closed his eyes.


    "Hmm, I can already see a ring problem," Talon said as he approached him. "Your Aetheris maniption is quite slow and sluggish. Did you not realize that?" He said.


    "Sluggish?" He asked.


    "Yes, it is sluggish. Aetheris is a versatile energy that requires fluidity to work in most cases. Look at me for example." Saying that, Talon snapped his finger and a ball of fire manifested in his hand.


    "Oh!"


    "When I want to use something, I just instantly make it happen. It''s speed that you need, and a lot of focus. Youck in both." He said.


    "Then, what am I supposed to do?" He asked.


    "Have you ever stopped for a second and actually tried to feel the Aetheris within you?" Talon thought for a moment before he asked.


    "... What does that mean?"


    "I mean, have you ever sat down and actually tried to understand the energy coursing through your body? Or did you simply think of it as mere fuel that creates magic?" He asked.


    "I... What?" Arryn felt like he just got hit with a bombshell from what Talon asked. "It isn''t?" He asked.


    "Of course not. If someone thinks of Aetheris as mere fuel, then of course they will fail at actually using it. Aetheris is almost like a conscious existence on its own. It even has its own will that you as the user should learn how to control and manipte rather than try to just put it out and expect something to happen. Think of it as apanion, someone you have to rely on to seed.


    If you treat that person horribly and never even acknowledge them, do you really think they will help you?"


    "... No, they wouldn''t," Arryn replied in a daze.


    "Precisely. That is why you were failing, or at least a major part of the problem itself. Now sit down, we need to start from the very basics." He said.


    Arryn did what he asked without any questions. He was simply bbergasted by this sudden realization.


    "Now, close your eyes and take a very deep breath to calm down. Clear your mindpletely and try to feel at peace. Leave all the worries aside and just focus on yourself and the energy within you. Try tomunicate with it."


    Arryn listened to Talon as he followed his instructions. Slowly, he started rxing as he took deep breaths. He felt his racing heart calm down and the feeling of the night''s breeze hit his body pleasantly.


    ''Feel the energy inside me? How do I do that?'' Slowly, he started trying to figure out the Aetheris coursing through his body. In his entire life, this mysterious energy has lived within him and yet he had never actually stopped to look at it.


    All he chased was the dream of bing strong. He aimed for something very high without realizing that he had to take it slow for results to show up. That naturally hindered his progress greatly and made him almost give up. Such a subtle detail and yet its effect was so huge.


    ''I was so blinded by the desire to get stronger and never actually thought about how to get stronger... So dumb...'' He sighed inwardly.


    "Don''t let your focus slip. It''s not time to think about something else." Talon noticed that subtle change and tapped Arryn''s shoulder to get him back on track.


    Thetter finally took a deep breath and returned to the same state he was in. He tried to clear every thought in his head and simply let his feelings take control. That''s when he first noticed something. Something that surprised him.


    ''Aetheris... It''s so beautiful...''


    He could almost see the blue energy moving through his body like an endless stream of water. Its bright colors swayed silently in an ethereal dance. It felt so... Magical.


    Never in his life did he expect Aetheris to be this captivating. It was such a beautiful thing and yet he had always ignored it. Now, here he was, floating near it, watching it take its natural course.


    ''I''m sorry... For treating you that way...'' He thought to himself. ''I wanted to get stronger and yet I never actually tried to make it happen. I am really sorry.''


    For some reason, the moment he thought of those words, Aetheris seemed to change subtly. It pulsated with a faint light as if it was acknowledging his apology.


    ''I want to get stronger... To protect my people... And to make them proud... I don''t want anyone to die anymore... Please, I need your help.'' Stretching his hand, Arryn looked at the Aetheris with aplicated expression.


    The energy seemed to stop for a moment as it looked at him. A few seconds passed in silence which made Arryn even more anxious.


    ''I guess... Not?'' He thought to himself bitterly. ''Well, if I was in its ce, I would also feel offended for being used in such a crude way...''


    But, as he was about to retract his hand, the Aetheris suddenly did something unexpected. It changed its direction and moved toward him slowly. Then, in an instance of greatness, it touched the tip of his finger followed by an explosion of bright blue light.


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 278 - 278- The Will In You (Part 1)

    Arryn was taken aback by Talon''s words as he stood up from the bed. "Training?" He asked as he followed him.


    "Yeah, didn''t I say that I would give you a surprise earlier today? Well, this is my surprise." Talon replied as he drank a cup of water and then handed one to Arryn. Thetter took it instinctively before he looked up again.


    "No, but, why?"


    "Why? Of course, because you need training. No offense, Arryn, but you are very weak. You also need a lot of work to build some muscles. We should start working on your abilities too." He said as he started counting the required things they had to do.


    "..." Arryn tried to open his mouth, only to close it again. He waspletely speechless. Naturally, he was aware of how weak he was and how much work he needed to do before he could actually be considered strong. But, he never expected Talon to be the one to actually give him that push.


    After all, he was always told to learn on his own, like the other talented geniuses of the Azurian race. He understood that he was indeed not made for such things but he still wanted to give it a try.


    "Why that look? Do you not want my help?" Talon spoke, snapping the boy out of his daze.


    "Huh? No! Of course not! I was just a little surprised."


    "Well, don''t be. To be honest, things are only going to get tough from now on, Arryn. I don''t think I can do it all on my own even if I wanted to. Not to mention that you''re the one who needs to step up and take decisive actions. I''m but an outsider, after all." He said.


    What Talon really wanted to see, apart from aplishing his goals was to witness Arryn bing a great figure. The boy had the ambition and the drive, but hecked the guidance required to set him on the path. Talon was almost certain that the boy had something in him and he only needed to give him a little push for that thing to bloom.


    ''Though, I don''t know if we can actually do much in a few weeks'' worth of time.'' He mused as he looked at Arryn. ''Well, I will just try and see what happens.''


    "I see... I-I will try my best!"


    "Good, that''s the spirit. Now, get ready, we need to leave." He said.


    ***


    A few minutester, the duo left the inn secretly and headed to a secluded area of the city where no one would go. It was hard to find such a ce, but with Acrypha''s guidance and thete time of the day, they eventually found what seemed to be an abandoned factory area.


    Reaching there, Talon made sure to check every corner to see if there were any potential spots someone could sneak in from. After that, he finally brought Arryn to the open area where he made him stand facing him.


    "Ok, first things first, I want to see your water ability."


    Thest time Arryn tried to use his powers, it didn''t end well. So, Talon wanted to see it closer now to understand what the boy was doing wrong.


    "Ok..." The boy nodded before he closed his eyes for a moment and lifted his hands up. Talon stepped aside and watched silently as the boy channeled his Aetheris.


    ''Hm...'' Almost immediately, Talon noticed a ring problem. ''The way Aetheris is coursing through his body is rigid and slow...'' He thought to himself.


    Compared to him or even to other people weaker than him, Talon could see that Arryn was way toocking in that department which might be the reason why he was failing in manifesting his abilities in the real world.


    But, he didn''t say a word as he watched Arryn continue trying to do it. His face turned into a frown as he struggled to do anything. A few secondster, a small ball of water manifested in the air in front of him. The ball wiggled and changed shapes as if it was struggling to stay stable.


    Then, Arryn''s hands started shaking and his face turned paler. Eventually, he lost strength and the water sphere fell to the ground with a ssh.


    "Hah... Hah... Hah, I really can''t do it..." He said with a downcast tone. "It never works, no matter what I do."


    This wasn''t the first nor thest time Arryn tried to manipte water in his life. He had done that hundreds or even thousands of times before and it never worked. This was naturally no different from before.


    ''Can I even do this?'' He asked himself as he closed his eyes.


    "Hmm, I can already see a ring problem," Talon said as he approached him. "Your Aetheris maniption is quite slow and sluggish. Did you not realize that?" He said.


    "Sluggish?" He asked.


    "Yes, it is sluggish. Aetheris is a versatile energy that requires fluidity to work in most cases. Look at me for example." Saying that, Talon snapped his finger and a ball of fire manifested in his hand.


    "Oh!"


    "When I want to use something, I just instantly make it happen. It''s speed that you need, and a lot of focus. Youck in both." He said.


    "Then, what am I supposed to do?" He asked.


    "Have you ever stopped for a second and actually tried to feel the Aetheris within you?" Talon thought for a moment before he asked.


    "... What does that mean?"


    "I mean, have you ever sat down and actually tried to understand the energy coursing through your body? Or did you simply think of it as mere fuel that creates magic?" He asked.


    "I... What?" Arryn felt like he just got hit with a bombshell from what Talon asked. "It isn''t?" He asked.


    "Of course not. If someone thinks of Aetheris as mere fuel, then of course they will fail at actually using it. Aetheris is almost like a conscious existence on its own. It even has its own will that you as the user should learn how to control and manipte rather than try to just put it out and expect something to happen. Think of it as apanion, someone you have to rely on to seed.


    If you treat that person horribly and never even acknowledge them, do you really think they will help you?"


    "... No, they wouldn''t," Arryn replied in a daze.


    "Precisely. That is why you were failing, or at least a major part of the problem itself. Now sit down, we need to start from the very basics." He said.


    Arryn did what he asked without any questions. He was simply bbergasted by this sudden realization.


    "Now, close your eyes and take a very deep breath to calm down. Clear your mindpletely and try to feel at peace. Leave all the worries aside and just focus on yourself and the energy within you. Try tomunicate with it."


    Arryn listened to Talon as he followed his instructions. Slowly, he started rxing as he took deep breaths. He felt his racing heart calm down and the feeling of the night''s breeze hit his body pleasantly.


    ''Feel the energy inside me? How do I do that?'' Slowly, he started trying to figure out the Aetheris coursing through his body. In his entire life, this mysterious energy has lived within him and yet he had never actually stopped to look at it.


    All he chased was the dream of bing strong. He aimed for something very high without realizing that he had to take it slow for results to show up. That naturally hindered his progress greatly and made him almost give up. Such a subtle detail and yet its effect was so huge.


    ''I was so blinded by the desire to get stronger and never actually thought about how to get stronger... So dumb...'' He sighed inwardly.


    "Don''t let your focus slip. It''s not time to think about something else." Talon noticed that subtle change and tapped Arryn''s shoulder to get him back on track.


    Thetter finally took a deep breath and returned to the same state he was in. He tried to clear every thought in his head and simply let his feelings take control. That''s when he first noticed something. Something that surprised him.


    ''Aetheris... It''s so beautiful...''


    He could almost see the blue energy moving through his body like an endless stream of water. Its bright colors swayed silently in an ethereal dance. It felt so... Magical.


    Never in his life did he expect Aetheris to be this captivating. It was such a beautiful thing and yet he had always ignored it. Now, here he was, floating near it, watching it take its natural course. Embark on a quest at freewebnovel


    ''I''m sorry... For treating you that way...'' He thought to himself. ''I wanted to get stronger and yet I never actually tried to make it happen. I am really sorry.''


    For some reason, the moment he thought of those words, Aetheris seemed to change subtly. It pulsated with a faint light as if it was acknowledging his apology.


    ''I want to get stronger... To protect my people... And to make them proud... I don''t want anyone to die anymore... Please, I need your help.'' Stretching his hand, Arryn looked at the Aetheris with aplicated expression.


    The energy seemed to stop for a moment as it looked at him. A few seconds passed in silence which made Arryn even more anxious.


    ''I guess... Not?'' He thought to himself bitterly. ''Well, if I was in its ce, I would also feel offended for being used in such a crude way...''


    But, as he was about to retract his hand, the Aetheris suddenly did something unexpected. It changed its direction and moved toward him slowly. Then, in an instance of greatness, it touched the tip of his finger followed by an explosion of bright blue light.


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 279 : 279- The Will In You (Part 2)

    The moment Arryn touched the light, it coiled around his finger and then slowly moved up his arm while the boy himself watched in awe. What he was seeing was so ethereal he didn''t even know how to describe it.


    ''So beautiful¡­'' He thought as he saw the strands of energy cover his entire arm and move up. He felt afortable breeze of air caress his body gently, like a caring mother. Then, he felt energy pumping into his veins and muscles.


    Meanwhile, outside, Talon was watching with a surprised look on his face. He noticed that Arryn''s aura was suddenly starting to change after 15 minutes passed. Before, it was faint and weak, almost unnoticeable for most people.


    But, out of nowhere, it started growing and increasing in power. The energy coiled around his body and formed what Talon could only describe as some kind of barrier.


    "Interesting¡­ He is doing something¡­" The young man murmured as he watched from up close. "I didn''t expect him to do it this quickly, though."


    Controlling Aetheris for the first time wasn''t an easy task, even Talon struggled a little bit with it when he first got his powers. But, Arryn was able to do that quite quickly. As seconds passed, his aura only grew bigger and bigger till eventually, it exploded.


    A small gush of air hit Talon''s face as he put his arm against his eyes. ''Wow, that was strong.'' He thought to himself.


    The explosion of Aetheris could be felt by anyone. It even moved the tree leaves around them. A few seconds after that, Arryn''s eyes started opening as he stared around in a daze.


    "Wee back," Talon said as he stood up. "That didn''t take too long."


    "... Did I?" Arryn asked as he looked down, feeling really different from before. His body felt a lot lighter than before.


    "Yeah, I think you did something," Talon said. "Your aura had changed a lot. Did you feel your Aetheris?"


    "... Yeah, I felt it. It was¡­ Amazing." Arryn replied with a quiet tone. He was still thinking about that experience that he just went through.


    "I bet it was." Talon smiled. "Now, did you understand what you have to do?" He asked.


    "..." Arryn took a moment to calm down before he closed his eyes. ''I could''ve not done it any worse. I have really wasted so much time because of my ignorance. Thank you for giving me another chance, I will definitely do my best!'' He thought to himself as if he was talking to his Aetheris.


    "Yes, I can." He said as he turned to Talon.


    "Then do it. I''m watching."


    Arryn then slowly stood up, his eyes werepletely focused on what he was about to do. Even though this was a crucial moment for him, a very long-awaited turning point, he still felt rather calm.


    Taking a deep breath, he extended his arms forward very slowly. ''Come on, I can do it.'' He thought to himself.


    Then, slowly, he made his Aetheris course through his body. Almost instantly, he felt the difference. Not only was the Aetheris moving faster than ever before, but it also felt so smooth. In a few seconds, he found the energy already umting in his hands.


    ''No way¡­'' Arryn was shocked but quickly shook his head and focused on what he had to do. No time has to be wasted.


    Quickly, he started manifesting a ball of water. Unlike before, he didn''t face any trouble doing that. The sphere also appeared way more stable and robust than before.


    ''Please, work!'' Closing his eyes, he tried to shape the ball into a sharp arrow. Then, he simply let it go without looking. A few moments passed in silence as Arryn slowly opened his eyes. He didn''t know whether it worked or not and he felt too terrified to even look. But, he was able to ovee that fear and finally stared up.


    "..."


    A few dozen meters away from him, lodged into a wall was an arrow made out of water. The arrow had gone so deep into the wall that it was almost half its length in there.


    "..." The boy blinked dazedly.


    "Nice job, Arryn!" On the other hand, Talon eximed. "That was a good one!"


    "... I did it¡­" He murmured.


    "Yeah, you did it, boy! Hahaha!" Tapping the boy on the shoulder, heughed.


    "I really did it¡­" Slowly, the reality sunk in and Arryn finally realized what just happened. "I did it, Talon! I really did it!!"


    A huge smile appeared on the boy''s face as he yelled. "I DID IT!!" Looking down, he noticed that his hands were shaking. He felt such an overwhelming sense of happiness that he couldn''t describe it with mere words. The thing he had always dreamt of achieving, was to finally be able to see improvement on his hard work.


    He had spent countless nights and days, trying again and again with no results. He had gone through hell because of it and yet he never gave up.


    "*Sob*..." Without realizing it, he started tearing up just from remembering all of that. Sitting down, he cried silently. The sheer relief he felt at that moment made his walls break downpletely.


    "It was really hard, wasn''t it?" Staring down, Talon put his hand on the boy''s head and patted him. He could never imagine how much this boy had to go through for him to start crying the moment he saw a glimpse of hope. ''Nobody should go through something like this when they have been so dedicated and hardworking.''


    The pain from seeing all your sleepless nights showing no results, the demon in your head that keeps telling you it will never work and that you should give up, and the mockery you see in other people''s eyes. Forget about a child, even an adult can''t handle that.


    Talon himself believed where there is hope, there is a way. But sometimes, that hope is the toughest, trickiest, and most crushing thing one could seek. Not everyone can handle the pain thates before the gain.


    With that, he silently watched the boy cry his frustration away. He needed that moment to finally break through and reach a new level. This was but a first step, but it was still a step. Whates after it might be way harder, but now that Arryn had ovee that fear and that doubt, Talon was sure that the boy would handle everythinging his way in the future.


    ***


    Then, for the next few hours, Talon helped Arryn start his actual training. The boy was able to replicate that attack again and again while getting pointers from Talon on how he could adjust it and make it more efficient and better.


    Surprisingly, Arryn was able to understand everything Talon told him almost instantly and execute it with a few tries at most. His Aetheris control was improving in real-time. Talon didn''t even realize that the boy had such a talent hidden the entire time.


    In a few hours, he was able to improve a lot and slowly form his own style of manipting water. With each sess, the boy felt even more excited.


    However, even as he was training him, Talon knew that the boy was gonna need way more than just this to truly start shining. He had to kill monsters to get stronger and that requires risk. So, the next step was obviously making the boy fight monsters.


    Naturally, the way to do that was through bing a Sky Seeker. If Talon can do that, then he can take the boy out to the desert without raising any eyebrows. So, the next day was going to be crucial.


    The Sky Seekers exam.


    ***


    Early the next morning, Talon woke up and quickly left the inn to go to the Blue Tower. Arryn was exhausted so he continued to sleep. Today, the city seemed rather active more than usual around these times.


    He could see many people excitedly heading toward a single location¡­ The Blue Tower.


    Reaching that area, Talon was shocked to see giant crowds of people surrounding the entire building like a group of fans. The entire ce was filled to the brim with thousands or even tens of thousands of people.


    "What the hell is going on here?" Talon raised an eyebrow as he looked around him. "Are they all here for the exam?"


    "Seems so¡­" Acrypha replied casually. "That Emino human said that many people try to join the Sky Seekers guild on a monthly basis."


    "But I didn''t expect this many¡­" Talon murmured. Looking around, he noticed quite a few old people and children too which made him assume that a good chunk of the crowd was just the families of the contestantsing to sheer them. It made a lot of sense since this was a very crucial test for them.


    ''Feels a lot like joining the army.'' He thought to himself as he finally started making his way to the blue tower. ''Well, an audience is no big deal. I will just do what I have to do.''


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 280 : 280- Sky Seekers Exam (Part 1)

    It took Talon a few minutes to reach the entrance to the Blue Tower. There were so many people, it actually felt like he was moving through an endless sea of them. However, his strong physique helped him navigate through them with ease.


    Eventually, he reached the entrance and walked inside. There, he found a long line of people, mostly young men and women. They all looked rather nervous with some having a frown on their faces. The entire lounge was now filled with senseless tension as everyone awaited their turn to move.


    ''Wow, there are so many people inside too... Poor receptionists.'' Realizing the amount of work they had to do, he shuddered. He had worked in restaurants and cafes before so he knew how hard it can be to deal with this many people one after the other for hours.


    Reaching the end of the line, he took his ce. He knew that he was going to have to wait a very long time, so he decided to do something else meanwhile.


    "I wonder what the test is going to be about."


    "It will be most likely about flying, perhaps they would also make you fight monsters outside the city to see if you can handle that," Acrypha replied as she boringly yed with her fingers while resting on Talon''s back. "It won''t be a problem. Almost every single person in this ce is weaker than you."


    "Almost?" He asked. Talon knew that he wasn''t the strongest person in this world, far from that actually. Still, he was shocked to know some people were stronger than him and didn''t join the Sky Seekers Guild yet.


    "Yeah, she''s actually two people ahead of you." She said.


    "Oh?" Talon raised an eyebrow as he quickly expanded his senses. Amidst the weak auras around him, he noticed a particr aura that stood out like a sore thumb among the others.


    ''Strong...'' He thought to himself as he took a peek at the person mentioned. The girl was facing the opposite way so he couldn''t see her face. But, he could see that she had a distinct short ck hair that reached her nape, it had a few strands of red in it that was quite distinct.


    She was d in the uniform they were handed yesterday just like everyone else. Except, she didn''t add anything else on top to make herself standout like most other people.


    He could see the morous ways the contestants tried to change the style of this nd uniform to fit their characters and make them appear stylish even when they were supposed to look like one another.


    ''She''s deliberately trying to hide her aura. I guess that''s why I didn''t feel it at first.'' He thought to himself.


    Many people here were unting their auras around without a care in the world, as if they were trying to assert dominance or catch the eyes of others. Many of them had worked for years to reach this level, perhaps even going out on their own to hunt down monsters in the wild.


    But, that only brought them so far since in the end, they were still far from reaching the level of strength Talon would consider unique.


    This girl, however, she seemed to not care at all about her surroundings. All she did was look ahead with focused eyes.


    Slowly, the line moved one by one. Each contestant would talk to the receptionist for a few moments, hand her the piece of paper they had in their hands, and then move to another room at the back that led somewhere.


    The procedures were fast, but it still took almost an hour for Talon to finally reach his turn. Surprisingly, the receptionist who took him was the same woman from yesterday.


    "Oh, wee back! Are you ready for today?" She asked as she smiled at him.


    "Yeah, I''m excited."


    ''Not really.'' Talon smiled back as he hid his thoughts. If he had to be honest, he was more worried about what kind of things he would unravel once he joined this guild rather than being excited to be a Sky Seeker.


    It was just another day at work for him.


    "I see, well good luck." She said as she took the paper, and wrote something down before she handed Malice a tag with a number on it and his name attached under.


    "Please, pin this on your clothes." She said. "Ok, thank you." He said.


    ''I already received a tag yesterday. I guess they want to make sure you don''t lose them.'' He thought to himself as he walked behind the counter and headed to a room that was entered by everyone else before him.


    Opening the double doors, Talon found himself inside arge hall. Giant, blue pirs rose from the ground and lifted the massive ceiling dozens of meters in the air.


    The entire ce was big enough to wee tens of thousands of people inside. At this point, it was 40% filled with constants. The atmosphere was somehow a lot tenser than before.


    Some people were talking with one another but most were silent, thinking about what could happen and what couldn''t.


    "This feels exactly like my graduation exam back in high school. Ah, good old days." Talon muttered as he took a lone pir and rested his back on it.


    "You''re being nostalgic over feeling stressed?" Acrypha asked with a chuckle.


    "Hey, that''s valid. It''s a good type of stress. Like, you have the expectations of your family on your backs, and yet you still want to make them feel proud. I don''t hate that." He replied with a shrug.


    It was indeed tough, and the pressure was huge. But, Talon didn''t hate that, weirdly enough. He was already ustomed to being under pressure due to work, studying, and other things mixing together.


    Now, he was even better under stress since he had thousands of people under hismand that he had to take care of and make sure they were safe. It was within his nature to thrive in that kind of environment.


    "I see..." Acrypha muttered as she rested her head on his shoulder while floating in the air.


    With that, some time passed, and people continued pouring into the room endlessly. Eventually, the room was almost filled with people.


    It gave Talon an even clearer sense of scale about what this test was going to be like. It was taken very seriously from the very start and it garnered the attention of countless inspired young people.


    As his eyes wandered over the masses, he saw the girl from before standing on her own too.


    His gaze lingered on her for a moment before it shifted somewhere else as something interesting happened.


    "Ugh!!"


    One of the contestants was suddenly sted back as he fell to the ground with a loud thud. Rolling around, he finally stopped near Talon.


    Thetter stared down at the injured contestant with a stoic expression without doing anything. Whatever was happening, it was none of his bussiness.


    "Hahaha! What got you to be foul-mouthed, little guy?"


    At that moment, he heard a loudugh as a rather tall young man stepped forward. He had an arrogant grin on his face as he stared down at his target.


    "... L-Leave me alone! I really have no money!"


    "Who is talking about money? I was just asking for friendly help, man! Why make it this hard on me?" The man said as he crouched down, making thetter flinch and jump back.


    "Now, I''m a little angry since you disrespected me when I came with good intentions. I don''t like being disrespected." At that moment, he raised his hand, about to punch the target.


    But, for a moment, he stopped and then channeled his Aetheris into his fist.


    Talon''s eyes immediately turned a degree colder as he noticed that. ''He''s going to break his face with that punch if it connects.''


    He could see that the difference in power between the two was quiterge and any punch embued with that man''s Aetheris was bound to be devastating.


    ''Should I stop him?'' He asked himself. Talon wanted to simply mind his own business and not get in trouble during his stay in this world.


    But, unsurprisingly, trouble would alwayse knocking on his door every single time he tried to avoid it.


    As he was thinking about that, the man swung his arm, aiming for the jaw. At that moment, Talon wanted to move, only for someone to seemingly be faster than him.


    Out of nowhere, a kick sent the man flying to the side. His body rolled around multiple times as hended next to another pir.


    ''Fast...'' Talon thought as he turned around.


    "Who did that?!" Standing up, he looked at the culprit with clear anger in his eyes.


    "Don''t cause a fuss in the exam hall." A rather non-chnt voice replied as someone emerged in front of him.


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 279: Chapter 279- The Will In You (Part 2)

    The moment Arryn touched the light, it coiled around his finger and then slowly moved up his arm while the boy himself watched in awe. What he was seeing was so ethereal he didn''t even know how to describe it.


    ''So beautiful¡­'' He thought as he saw the strands of energy cover his entire arm and move up. He felt afortable breeze of air caress his body gently, like a caring mother. Then, he felt energy pumping into his veins and muscles.


    Meanwhile, outside, Talon was watching with a surprised look on his face. He noticed that Arryn''s aura was suddenly starting to change after 15 minutes passed. Before, it was faint and weak, almost unnoticeable for most people.


    But, out of nowhere, it started growing and increasing in power. The energy coiled around his body and formed what Talon could only describe as some kind of barrier.


    "Interesting¡­ He is doing something¡­" The young man murmured as he watched from up close. "I didn''t expect him to do it this quickly, though."


    Controlling Aetheris for the first time wasn''t an easy task, even Talon struggled a little bit with it when he first got his powers. But, Arryn was able to do that quite quickly. As seconds passed, his aura only grew bigger and bigger till eventually, it exploded.


    A small gush of air hit Talon''s face as he put his arm against his eyes. ''Wow, that was strong.'' He thought to himself.


    The explosion of Aetheris could be felt by anyone. It even moved the tree leaves around them. A few seconds after that, Arryn''s eyes started opening as he stared around in a daze.


    "Wee back," Talon said as he stood up. "That didn''t take too long."


    "... Did I?" Arryn asked as he looked down, feeling really different from before. His body felt a lot lighter than before.


    "Yeah, I think you did something," Talon said. "Your aura had changed a lot. Did you feel your Aetheris?"


    "... Yeah, I felt it. It was¡­ Amazing." Arryn replied with a quiet tone. He was still thinking about that experience that he just went through.


    "I bet it was." Talon smiled. "Now, did you understand what you have to do?" He asked.


    "..." Arryn took a moment to calm down before he closed his eyes. ''I could''ve not done it any worse. I have really wasted so much time because of my ignorance. Thank you for giving me another chance, I will definitely do my best!'' He thought to himself as if he was talking to his Aetheris.


    "Yes, I can." He said as he turned to Talon.


    "Then do it. I''m watching."


    Arryn then slowly stood up, his eyes werepletely focused on what he was about to do. Even though this was a crucial moment for him, a very long-awaited turning point, he still felt rather calm.


    Taking a deep breath, he extended his arms forward very slowly. ''Come on, I can do it.'' He thought to himself.


    Then, slowly, he made his Aetheris course through his body. Almost instantly, he felt the difference. Not only was the Aetheris moving faster than ever before, but it also felt so smooth. In a few seconds, he found the energy already umting in his hands.


    ''No way¡­'' Arryn was shocked but quickly shook his head and focused on what he had to do. No time has to be wasted.


    Quickly, he started manifesting a ball of water. Unlike before, he didn''t face any trouble doing that. The sphere also appeared way more stable and robust than before.


    ''Please, work!'' Closing his eyes, he tried to shape the ball into a sharp arrow. Then, he simply let it go without looking. A few moments passed in silence as Arryn slowly opened his eyes. He didn''t know whether it worked or not and he felt too terrified to even look. But, he was able to ovee that fear and finally stared up.


    "..."


    A few dozen meters away from him, lodged into a wall was an arrow made out of water. The arrow had gone so deep into the wall that it was almost half its length in there.


    "..." The boy blinked dazedly.


    "Nice job, Arryn!" On the other hand, Talon eximed. "That was a good one!"


    "... I did it¡­" He murmured.


    "Yeah, you did it, boy! Hahaha!" Tapping the boy on the shoulder, heughed.


    "I really did it¡­" Slowly, the reality sunk in and Arryn finally realized what just happened. "I did it, Talon! I really did it!!"


    A huge smile appeared on the boy''s face as he yelled. "I DID IT!!" Looking down, he noticed that his hands were shaking. He felt such an overwhelming sense of happiness that he couldn''t describe it with mere words. The thing he had always dreamt of achieving, was to finally be able to see improvement on his hard work.


    He had spent countless nights and days, trying again and again with no results. He had gone through hell because of it and yet he never gave up.


    "*Sob*..." Without realizing it, he started tearing up just from remembering all of that. Sitting down, he cried silently. The sheer relief he felt at that moment made his walls break downpletely.


    "It was really hard, wasn''t it?" Staring down, Talon put his hand on the boy''s head and patted him. He could never imagine how much this boy had to go through for him to start crying the moment he saw a glimpse of hope. ''Nobody should go through something like this when they have been so dedicated and hardworking.''


    The pain from seeing all your sleepless nights showing no results, the demon in your head that keeps telling you it will never work and that you should give up, and the mockery you see in other people''s eyes. Forget about a child, even an adult can''t handle that.


    Talon himself believed where there is hope, there is a way. But sometimes, that hope is the toughest, trickiest, and most crushing thing one could seek. Not everyone can handle the pain thates before the gain.


    With that, he silently watched the boy cry his frustration away. He needed that moment to finally break through and reach a new level. This was but a first step, but it was still a step. Whates after it might be way harder, but now that Arryn had ovee that fear and that doubt, Talon was sure that the boy would handle everythinging his way in the future.


    ***


    Then, for the next few hours, Talon helped Arryn start his actual training. The boy was able to replicate that attack again and again while getting pointers from Talon on how he could adjust it and make it more efficient and better.


    Surprisingly, Arryn was able to understand everything Talon told him almost instantly and execute it with a few tries at most. His Aetheris control was improving in real-time. Talon didn''t even realize that the boy had such a talent hidden the entire time.


    In a few hours, he was able to improve a lot and slowly form his own style of manipting water. With each sess, the boy felt even more excited.


    However, even as he was training him, Talon knew that the boy was gonna need way more than just this to truly start shining. He had to kill monsters to get stronger and that requires risk. So, the next step was obviously making the boy fight monsters.


    Naturally, the way to do that was through bing a Sky Seeker. If Talon can do that, then he can take the boy out to the desert without raising any eyebrows. So, the next day was going to be crucial.


    The Sky Seekers exam.


    ***


    Early the next morning, Talon woke up and quickly left the inn to go to the Blue Tower. Arryn was exhausted so he continued to sleep. Today, the city seemed rather active more than usual around these times.


    He could see many people excitedly heading toward a single location¡­ The Blue Tower.


    Reaching that area, Talon was shocked to see giant crowds of people surrounding the entire building like a group of fans. The entire ce was filled to the brim with thousands or even tens of thousands of people.


    "What the hell is going on here?" Talon raised an eyebrow as he looked around him. "Are they all here for the exam?"


    "Seems so¡­" Acrypha replied casually. "That Emino human said that many people try to join the Sky Seekers guild on a monthly basis."


    "But I didn''t expect this many¡­" Talon murmured. Looking around, he noticed quite a few old people and children too which made him assume that a good chunk of the crowd was just the families of the contestantsing to sheer them. It made a lot of sense since this was a very crucial test for them.


    ''Feels a lot like joining the army.'' He thought to himself as he finally started making his way to the blue tower. ''Well, an audience is no big deal. I will just do what I have to do.''


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 280: Chapter 280- Sky Seekers Exam (Part 1)

    It took Talon a few minutes to reach the entrance to the Blue Tower. There were so many people, it actually felt like he was moving through an endless sea of them. However, his strong physique helped him navigate through them with ease.


    Eventually, he reached the entrance and walked inside. There, he found a long line of people, mostly young men and women. They all looked rather nervous with some having a frown on their faces. The entire lounge was now filled with senseless tension as everyone awaited their turn to move.


    ''Wow, there are so many people inside too... Poor receptionists.'' Realizing the amount of work they had to do, he shuddered. He had worked in restaurants and cafes before so he knew how hard it can be to deal with this many people one after the other for hours.


    Reaching the end of the line, he took his ce. He knew that he was going to have to wait a very long time, so he decided to do something else meanwhile.


    "I wonder what the test is going to be about."


    "It will be most likely about flying, perhaps they would also make you fight monsters outside the city to see if you can handle that," Acrypha replied as she boringly yed with her fingers while resting on Talon''s back. "It won''t be a problem. Almost every single person in this ce is weaker than you."


    "Almost?" He asked. Talon knew that he wasn''t the strongest person in this world, far from that actually. Still, he was shocked to know some people were stronger than him and didn''t join the Sky Seekers Guild yet.


    "Yeah, she''s actually two people ahead of you." She said.


    "Oh?" Talon raised an eyebrow as he quickly expanded his senses. Amidst the weak auras around him, he noticed a particr aura that stood out like a sore thumb among the others.


    ''Strong...'' He thought to himself as he took a peek at the person mentioned. The girl was facing the opposite way so he couldn''t see her face. But, he could see that she had a distinct short ck hair that reached her nape, it had a few strands of red in it that was quite distinct.


    She was d in the uniform they were handed yesterday just like everyone else. Except, she didn''t add anything else on top to make herself standout like most other people.


    He could see the morous ways the contestants tried to change the style of this nd uniform to fit their characters and make them appear stylish even when they were supposed to look like one another.


    ''She''s deliberately trying to hide her aura. I guess that''s why I didn''t feel it at first.'' He thought to himself.


    Many people here were unting their auras around without a care in the world, as if they were trying to assert dominance or catch the eyes of others. Many of them had worked for years to reach this level, perhaps even going out on their own to hunt down monsters in the wild.


    But, that only brought them so far since in the end, they were still far from reaching the level of strength Talon would consider unique.


    This girl, however, she seemed to not care at all about her surroundings. All she did was look ahead with focused eyes.


    Slowly, the line moved one by one. Each contestant would talk to the receptionist for a few moments, hand her the piece of paper they had in their hands, and then move to another room at the back that led somewhere.


    The procedures were fast, but it still took almost an hour for Talon to finally reach his turn. Surprisingly, the receptionist who took him was the same woman from yesterday.


    "Oh, wee back! Are you ready for today?" She asked as she smiled at him.


    "Yeah, I''m excited."


    ''Not really.'' Talon smiled back as he hid his thoughts. If he had to be honest, he was more worried about what kind of things he would unravel once he joined this guild rather than being excited to be a Sky Seeker.


    It was just another day at work for him.


    "I see, well good luck." She said as she took the paper, and wrote something down before she handed Malice a tag with a number on it and his name attached under.


    "Please, pin this on your clothes." She said. "Ok, thank you." He said.


    ''I already received a tag yesterday. I guess they want to make sure you don''t lose them.'' He thought to himself as he walked behind the counter and headed to a room that was entered by everyone else before him.


    Opening the double doors, Talon found himself inside arge hall. Giant, blue pirs rose from the ground and lifted the massive ceiling dozens of meters in the air.


    The entire ce was big enough to wee tens of thousands of people inside. At this point, it was 40% filled with constants. The atmosphere was somehow a lot tenser than before.


    Some people were talking with one another but most were silent, thinking about what could happen and what couldn''t.


    "This feels exactly like my graduation exam back in high school. Ah, good old days." Talon muttered as he took a lone pir and rested his back on it.


    "You''re being nostalgic over feeling stressed?" Acrypha asked with a chuckle.


    "Hey, that''s valid. It''s a good type of stress. Like, you have the expectations of your family on your backs, and yet you still want to make them feel proud. I don''t hate that." He replied with a shrug.


    It was indeed tough, and the pressure was huge. But, Talon didn''t hate that, weirdly enough. He was already ustomed to being under pressure due to work, studying, and other things mixing together.


    Now, he was even better under stress since he had thousands of people under hismand that he had to take care of and make sure they were safe. It was within his nature to thrive in that kind of environment.


    "I see..." Acrypha muttered as she rested her head on his shoulder while floating in the air.


    With that, some time passed, and people continued pouring into the room endlessly. Eventually, the room was almost filled with people.


    It gave Talon an even clearer sense of scale about what this test was going to be like. It was taken very seriously from the very start and it garnered the attention of countless inspired young people.


    As his eyes wandered over the masses, he saw the girl from before standing on her own too.


    His gaze lingered on her for a moment before it shifted somewhere else as something interesting happened.


    "Ugh!!"


    One of the contestants was suddenly sted back as he fell to the ground with a loud thud. Rolling around, he finally stopped near Talon.


    Thetter stared down at the injured contestant with a stoic expression without doing anything. Whatever was happening, it was none of his bussiness.


    "Hahaha! What got you to be foul-mouthed, little guy?"


    At that moment, he heard a loudugh as a rather tall young man stepped forward. He had an arrogant grin on his face as he stared down at his target.


    "... L-Leave me alone! I really have no money!"


    "Who is talking about money? I was just asking for friendly help, man! Why make it this hard on me?" The man said as he crouched down, making thetter flinch and jump back.


    "Now, I''m a little angry since you disrespected me when I came with good intentions. I don''t like being disrespected." At that moment, he raised his hand, about to punch the target.


    But, for a moment, he stopped and then channeled his Aetheris into his fist.


    Talon''s eyes immediately turned a degree colder as he noticed that. ''He''s going to break his face with that punch if it connects.''


    He could see that the difference in power between the two was quiterge and any punch embued with that man''s Aetheris was bound to be devastating.


    ''Should I stop him?'' He asked himself. Talon wanted to simply mind his own business and not get in trouble during his stay in this world.


    But, unsurprisingly, trouble would alwayse knocking on his door every single time he tried to avoid it.


    As he was thinking about that, the man swung his arm, aiming for the jaw. At that moment, Talon wanted to move, only for someone to seemingly be faster than him.


    Out of nowhere, a kick sent the man flying to the side. His body rolled around multiple times as hended next to another pir.


    ''Fast...'' Talon thought as he turned around.


    "Who did that?!" Standing up, he looked at the culprit with clear anger in his eyes.


    "Don''t cause a fuss in the exam hall." A rather non-chnt voice replied as someone emerged in front of him.


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 281: Chapter 281- Sky Seekers Exam (Part 2)

    The person who appeared was surprisingly the same girl that Talon was looking at a few moments ago. She had a cold, apathetic look on her face mixed with clear disdain as she stared at the arrogant young man she just kicked.


    ''She''s fast¡­ I almost missed her movement¡­'' Talon squinted his eyes as he thought to himself. What just happened was so quick that it took him by surprise. She was at least 60 meters away from the scene and yet she appeared there in a moment which was quite ridiculous.


    "You! Who are you?!" The young man yelled with clear distress. He had realized that this girl was very strong. Even though he seemed like the arrogant type, he wasn''tpletely stupid apparently.


    "It''s not of your concern who I am. Stop making noise, it''s annoying." She said coldly as she turned around and started walking away.


    The young man stared at her with clenched teeth. Feeling humiliated by what she did, he stood up and yelled. "Who said you can leave? Do you know who I am?!"


    "No." The girl replied as she continued walking without looking back.


    That naturally frustrated the man even more. But, he was not stupid enough to try and do anything else like attacking her. He knew his limit and that limit was clearly exceeded by that girl.


    ''You think you can do that to me?! Watch, wench! I will show you what I can do!'' He thought to himself as he swallowed his anger and moved away. With that, the situation was resolved rather quickly.


    "He is definitely going to try and do something stupid." Talon shook his head with a disappointed look on his face. He knew that the young man wouldn''t let that slide without trying to ruin the girl''s test.


    "They all have the same attitude no matter the ce or the race," Acryphamented casually.


    "You''re right."


    At that moment, Talon heard a rather particr noiseing from afar. Looking in that direction, he saw two massive double doors open on the other side of the great hall. He did notice them at the start and guessed that the supervisors will enter from there.


    ording to Emino, the Sky Seekers exam is different each year so nobody can predict what could it be. It was alsoposed of three parts. Each one was harder than the other which resulted in an eptance rate of less than 10%.


    ''Well, I guess it''s time.''


    From those gates, a group of three people walked in. Two men and one woman, they were all d in Sky Seekers Uniform with many badges on their chests. Talon could see that they had a high position.


    Especially the man in the middle, he seemed to be the strongest out of the three, by a far margin. The entire ce went silent as the contestants turned to face these three people.


    "Wee, dear cadets to the Sky Seekers Guild Exam. I am the general supervisor, Winsdoor. You can address me as ''Supervisor''." He said in a cold tone. The man was rather tall, with a good physique and a pair of sses that added a hint of elegance to his handsome face. He had wellbed red hair and a sharp re that made anyone avert their eyes instantly.


    ''Winsdoor¡­ Didn''t Emino mention him yesterday?'' Talon recalled hearing about the man. From what he knew, this man had a very high position in the Sky Seekers Guild, only a few degrees under the ''Great Dean'' who is the highest authority in that organization.


    "Hey, Acrypha, how strong is that guypared to me?" Talon asked casually as he continued inspecting the man with his eyes.


    "Compared to you? I would say he is a few dozen times stronger." She said.


    "... That much, huh¡­"


    Talon wasn''t surprised by her harsh response. He could feel the terrifying aura that man was hiding. If he ignored Acrypha and Merit, this was by far the strongest person he had ever met.


    ''I guess he lives up to his name.'' He mused.


    "I am sure all of you are on the edge, eager to know what this Exam is going to be all about. Let me assure you, this is a rather easier test than previous times."


    "Oh!"


    "Really?!"


    "Did he say it''s easier?!"


    "It''s our lucky time!"


    The moment the contestants heard that, gossip erupted amongst them. Some even started celebrating too early.


    ''He still didn''t finish, idiots.'' Talon facepalmed.


    "I said easier than in previous years. But, not in the sense most of you assumed. This year''s test is going to be straightforward, with no tricks or puzzles. That is why it''s easier. However, topensate for that, we decided to make the challenges harder and more direct." He said.


    It waspletely silent after that. Nobody uttered a single word as they looked at each other. The awkward atmosphere was so strong even Talon cringed visibly.


    ''Oh boy, that isn''t a nice way to say it, friend.''


    Immediately, the somber atmosphere came back stronger than ever. Since he said that it was going to be harder rather than trickier, it made everyone even more worried. As far as they knew, it was never said before that a test is hard. The supervisors would try to simplify the problem to lift the spirits of the contestants. But, this time was different.


    "Now, I suppose we can move on to the first test since we don''t have the entire day. Your first test is going to be here, in this very location, and the time limit is¡­ Two hours."


    "Two hours?"


    "What is it? That''s very short for a first test."


    "Doesn''t it take more than that usually?"


    "I don''t like where this is going."


    Suchments could be heard everywhere around Talon. The short period of time, coupled with the location still being that very hall they were standing in made them feel worried about what the test is.


    Ignoring that fear, Winsdoor continued. "The test is very simple. Each one of you has a tag pinned to your uniform. That tag identifies you and gives you a number." He said. "The first test is simple. For the next two hours, each one of you will try to snatch the other''s tag and keep it till the time is over.


    You are allowed to fight, but you aren''t allowed to kill or injure someone heavily. If such rules are broken, you are immediately disqualified and punished appropriately. Understood?"


    Then, the man snapped his finger, and right above the doors, a timer appeared. It was surprisingly engraved into the stone wall itself and appeared like a ticking clock.


    Everyone paled as they saw that and the tension rose immediately. The constants started looking at each other warily, their bodies were already on high alert.


    "I will be counting down from ten. Once I''m done, the first part of the test officially starts. Are you all ready?"


    No one replied as they readied themselves for what was about to happen. They knew that the moment the counter hit zero, it was going to be chaos. Even Talon felt the tension rise.


    "This is certainly going to be interesting." He muttered coldly. Things might get out of control rather quickly which was something he didn''t want to deal with. So, he already started forming a n in his head on how to go about doing this.


    "10¡­ 9¡­ 8¡­" The man started counting and the students felt their hearts starting to race along with it. "7¡­ 6¡­ 5¡­ 4¡­"


    As he counted, all the people in the hall started distancing themselves from each other. However, due to the tight space, nobody could move more than a few meters before ending up near another person which made it almost feel suffocating.


    It was amazing how much the situation could change this quickly with a few words. Before, these people were amicable, even friendly with each other. But, now that the test was about to start, those friends were now opponents.


    The only people that looked calm where Talon and that girl as they knew it was pointless to feel pressured by the others. That was the first step of passing this test, not freaking out by the sheer number of enemies around you.


    "3¡­ 2¡­ 1¡­" Then, Winsdoor stopped for a moment as he nced at everyone in the hall with cold eyes. They were all on the verge of moving, but they didn''t move yet and instead opted to simply remain in their ces.


    ''Well, let us see who shall remain after the two hours.''


    "Begin!!!"


    The moment those words were uttered, the entire hall was submerged in endless chaos. Everyone immediately moved as they started looking for targets. Thousands of people were inside the hall, so one could only imagine what was about to happen.


    It was a war¡­ A war where no blood is going to be shed.


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 282: Chapter 282- Two Ghosts

    The entire hall was submerged in a frenzy. All the contestants started targeting each other with no hesitation. It took exactly three seconds for Talon to hear the sound of two individuals shing not that far away.


    Then, that sound quickly spread across the entire hall like a disease. Fights broke out everywhere he looked. It was as if all these people turned into barbaric monsters the moment they heard the word ''Begin''.


    ''Wow¡­'' Raising an eyebrow, Talon could only be impressed at how everything shifted this quickly.


    "They''re really going to do anything just pass, huh?" He muttered. These people were here with the hope of bing Sky Seekers and making their families happy, he wasn''t surprised it ended up this way.


    Scanning the area around him, Talon noticed that many fights started and ended quickly while others were still raging. People mainly used their fists rather than their weapons to avoid hurting someone badly. Even the way they fought seemed far more reserved than normal.


    ''If there was no such rules, this entire ce would copse quickly.'' He thought to himself.


    "Aren''t you going to move?" Acrypha asked.


    "Hmm, not yet. I want to see what will happen first." He said.


    Talon wasn''t worried about achieving the goal of the test. So, instead, he decided to take his time and see if there is anything interesting happening.


    ''Where is that girl?'' That''s when he remembered that person from before and quickly looked for her.


    It didn''t take him long to locate her silhouette. She was moving far away from him at an incredible speed. She almost seemed like a ghost as she cut through contestants without looking back. Nobody seemed to notice her at all. But, eventually, they started feeling theck of weight on their chest and looked down.


    "Huh?! Where is my tag?!!"


    "My tag too! It has been stolen!!"


    "W-Who did that?!!"


    Such cries could be heard everywhere. The tags seemed to vanish out of nowhere and that sent many people into panic. Looking around them, they couldn''t see anyone at all. She just vanished from their sight almost immediately.


    Talon silently followed her for a while, trying to understand what kind of ability she was using. Because, she clearly was using something that made her disappear in their eyes.


    ''Is it some kind of illusion?'' He mused. ''Could be, but I can''t say for sure yet.''


    As he was like that, he suddenly heard a loud yell. Turning around, he saw a young man rushing toward him.


    "GIVE ME YOUR TAG, BASTARD!!!"


    Talon blinked confusedly for a second. Meanwhile, the man closed the distance between them and punched forward, aiming for Talon''s face. Thetter simply moved his head to the side, dodging it with ease.


    Then, with a simple move, he swiped the contestant''s leg, making him fall with a loud thud. Then, he crouched down, took the tag from his shirt, and walked away as if nothing happened at all.


    "H-Huh?! Wait there!!"


    Hearing that yell, Talon suddenly dashed forward at top speed and vanished from his sight before he could even do anything.


    ''Well, that was easy. Let''s see, should I just steal many tags just to make sure that I don''t lose themter on?''


    Thinking about it for a moment as he moved, Talon decided to move on with that. He suspected that the people who could collect the most tags would have the best positionster on. After all, what was the point of putting everyone in a single room if each one only needed one tag to pass and there was no more to it?


    So, just to make sure he doesn''t fall behind, he decided to go the same route the other girl went. With that in mind, Talon quickly went to work. Using ''Dash'', he passed through many contestants, and with quick hands, he took multiple tags in a few seconds.


    For the next minute or so, he moved across the entire hall and took every possible tag he can. ''These are 12¡­ I can get more.''


    Looking around him, he noticed that the girl had already snatched dozens of tags in the time he was looking around. So, with that surge of motivation, he increased his pace even more. He felt like he had a rival he could face even though they weren''t even facing each other. Talon liked that kind of motivation as it pushed him beyond his limit in most cases.


    With that, the duo dominated the entire ce, taking every single tag they could get their hands on. No contestant could even catch them and even those that tried to stop them were thrown to the side as if they were nothing.


    "D-Devils!! They''re devils!!"


    Quickly, people started realizing what was happening and fear struck them. Instead of fighting, many stopped and started protecting their own tags instead. They heard of the ghosts roaming the hall, taking everything without mercy.


    Out of nowhere, the entire ce was submerged in even more chaos, except it was different this time.


    ***


    "Hm?" In the control room, in a different section of the building, the supervisors noticed the change. The woman looked at the crystal screen in front of her with confusion. "What is happening?"


    Everyone suddenly stopped and started taking a defensive stance.


    "They stopped¡­" The other supervisor said in a daze. "Something weird is happening."


    Meanwhile, Winsdoor was simply staring at the screen with a stoic expression that showed no emotion. His eyes were following two particr blurry silhouettes with great interest.


    ''These two¡­'' He thought to himself.


    "Give me the list of contestants." He said after a while. When he was handed the paper, he started going through it carefully, searching for the names. Eventually, he found the girl''s picture and information.


    Reading through her information, his eyes squinted suspiciously.


    "Interesting¡­"


    Then, he moved through the list again and found the young man. His information made him look closer as if he didn''t understand something. Then, after a while, he closed the list and looked at the screen again.


    "These two¡­" He said as he handed the list to the woman next to him. "Mark them down." He said.


    "... Understood." The woman didn''t know why he said that but she still did what he asked. After all, Winsdoor knew far more than they did even though they were all supervisors.


    "This exam might turn out to be far more interesting than I expected." He said as his eyes shed with a weird glint. Something inside him told him that he might''vee across something really worth looking into.


    Whether that was true or not, only time will tell.


    ***


    *Back in the hall*


    Almost an hour passed quickly and the entire ce was now disturbingly quiet. Nobody dared to move or speak as they knew that they would be the next target.


    Talon eventually stopped as he quickly put the tags in his storage. Then, he exhaled a long breath. ''That was a little exhausting. Gathering all these tags is a task!''


    If he counted right, he had easily snatched almost 800 tags on his own. Even with his monstrous stamina and speed, it was a tough task to pull off.


    ''It seems no one realized that I am the one who stole them yet.'' He scoffed as he looked around him with a smile.


    The contestants around him were panickedly searching for the culprit that stole their tags but failed to find him. He had made sure not to stop even for a moment and let them get a look at his face. He also made sure to cover his tag with his hand so that they wouldn''t suspect him.


    Usually, this would''ve been impossible. To trick hundreds of people. But, in this situation, it turned out far easier than he expected. Everyone was on the edge due to the test. So, their ability to focus was hindered greatly.


    Most of them can''t even see beyond their target and themselves, let alone find someone as fast as Talon. On the other hand, the girl seemed to have done the same thing as she snuck her way into the masses again as if she belonged to them.


    "Where are they?! They could''ve not disappeared!"


    "My tag, my goddamn tag! I need to find it before I''m screwed!!"


    Talon could hear the cries of anguish everywhere. Some people even started crying as they thought they were done for now that their tags were gone. In reality, he did feel a little bit bad for them. But, he knew that he couldn''t simply be merciful, not here.


    He also had things to do, and people he had to go back for. He had to protect them. So, if he finds any ounce of opportunity to quicken the progress of this quest, he is going to do exactly that.


    No matter what consequences others might face. That was what he believed.


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 281 - 281- Sky Seekers Exam (Part 2)

    The person who appeared was surprisingly the same girl that Talon was looking at a few moments ago. She had a cold, apathetic look on her face mixed with clear disdain as she stared at the arrogant young man she just kicked.


    ''She''s fast¡­ I almost missed her movement¡­'' Talon squinted his eyes as he thought to himself. What just happened was so quick that it took him by surprise. She was at least 60 meters away from the scene and yet she appeared there in a moment which was quite ridiculous.


    "You! Who are you?!" The young man yelled with clear distress. He had realized that this girl was very strong. Even though he seemed like the arrogant type, he wasn''tpletely stupid apparently.


    "It''s not of your concern who I am. Stop making noise, it''s annoying." She said coldly as she turned around and started walking away.


    The young man stared at her with clenched teeth. Feeling humiliated by what she did, he stood up and yelled. "Who said you can leave? Do you know who I am?!"


    "No." The girl replied as she continued walking without looking back.


    That naturally frustrated the man even more. But, he was not stupid enough to try and do anything else like attacking her. He knew his limit and that limit was clearly exceeded by that girl.


    ''You think you can do that to me?! Watch, wench! I will show you what I can do!'' He thought to himself as he swallowed his anger and moved away. With that, the situation was resolved rather quickly.


    "He is definitely going to try and do something stupid." Talon shook his head with a disappointed look on his face. He knew that the young man wouldn''t let that slide without trying to ruin the girl''s test.


    "They all have the same attitude no matter the ce or the race," Acryphamented casually.


    "You''re right."


    At that moment, Talon heard a rather particr noiseing from afar. Looking in that direction, he saw two massive double doors open on the other side of the great hall. He did notice them at the start and guessed that the supervisors will enter from there.


    ording to Emino, the Sky Seekers exam is different each year so nobody can predict what could it be. It was alsoposed of three parts. Each one was harder than the other which resulted in an eptance rate of less than 10%.


    ''Well, I guess it''s time.''


    From those gates, a group of three people walked in. Two men and one woman, they were all d in Sky Seekers Uniform with many badges on their chests. Talon could see that they had a high position.


    Especially the man in the middle, he seemed to be the strongest out of the three, by a far margin. The entire ce went silent as the contestants turned to face these three people.


    "Wee, dear cadets to the Sky Seekers Guild Exam. I am the general supervisor, Winsdoor. You can address me as ''Supervisor''." He said in a cold tone. The man was rather tall, with a good physique and a pair of sses that added a hint of elegance to his handsome face. He had wellbed red hair and a sharp re that made anyone avert their eyes instantly.


    ''Winsdoor¡­ Didn''t Emino mention him yesterday?'' Talon recalled hearing about the man. From what he knew, this man had a very high position in the Sky Seekers Guild, only a few degrees under the ''Great Dean'' who is the highest authority in that organization.


    "Hey, Acrypha, how strong is that guypared to me?" Talon asked casually as he continued inspecting the man with his eyes.


    "Compared to you? I would say he is a few dozen times stronger." She said.


    "... That much, huh¡­"


    Talon wasn''t surprised by her harsh response. He could feel the terrifying aura that man was hiding. If he ignored Acrypha and Merit, this was by far the strongest person he had ever met.


    ''I guess he lives up to his name.'' He mused.


    "I am sure all of you are on the edge, eager to know what this Exam is going to be all about. Let me assure you, this is a rather easier test than previous times."


    "Oh!"


    "Really?!"


    "Did he say it''s easier?!"


    "It''s our lucky time!"


    The moment the contestants heard that, gossip erupted amongst them. Some even started celebrating too early.


    ''He still didn''t finish, idiots.'' Talon facepalmed.


    "I said easier than in previous years. But, not in the sense most of you assumed. This year''s test is going to be straightforward, with no tricks or puzzles. That is why it''s easier. However, topensate for that, we decided to make the challenges harder and more direct." He said.


    It waspletely silent after that. Nobody uttered a single word as they looked at each other. The awkward atmosphere was so strong even Talon cringed visibly.


    ''Oh boy, that isn''t a nice way to say it, friend.''


    Immediately, the somber atmosphere came back stronger than ever. Since he said that it was going to be harder rather than trickier, it made everyone even more worried. As far as they knew, it was never said before that a test is hard. The supervisors would try to simplify the problem to lift the spirits of the contestants. But, this time was different.


    "Now, I suppose we can move on to the first test since we don''t have the entire day. Your first test is going to be here, in this very location, and the time limit is¡­ Two hours."


    "Two hours?"


    "What is it? That''s very short for a first test."


    "Doesn''t it take more than that usually?"


    "I don''t like where this is going."


    Suchments could be heard everywhere around Talon. The short period of time, coupled with the location still being that very hall they were standing in made them feel worried about what the test is.


    Ignoring that fear, Winsdoor continued. "The test is very simple. Each one of you has a tag pinned to your uniform. That tag identifies you and gives you a number." He said. "The first test is simple. For the next two hours, each one of you will try to snatch the other''s tag and keep it till the time is over.


    You are allowed to fight, but you aren''t allowed to kill or injure someone heavily. If such rules are broken, you are immediately disqualified and punished appropriately. Understood?"


    Then, the man snapped his finger, and right above the doors, a timer appeared. It was surprisingly engraved into the stone wall itself and appeared like a ticking clock.


    Everyone paled as they saw that and the tension rose immediately. The constants started looking at each other warily, their bodies were already on high alert.


    "I will be counting down from ten. Once I''m done, the first part of the test officially starts. Are you all ready?"


    No one replied as they readied themselves for what was about to happen. They knew that the moment the counter hit zero, it was going to be chaos. Even Talon felt the tension rise.


    "This is certainly going to be interesting." He muttered coldly. Things might get out of control rather quickly which was something he didn''t want to deal with. So, he already started forming a n in his head on how to go about doing this.


    "10¡­ 9¡­ 8¡­" The man started counting and the students felt their hearts starting to race along with it. "7¡­ 6¡­ 5¡­ 4¡­"


    As he counted, all the people in the hall started distancing themselves from each other. However, due to the tight space, nobody could move more than a few meters before ending up near another person which made it almost feel suffocating.


    It was amazing how much the situation could change this quickly with a few words. Before, these people were amicable, even friendly with each other. But, now that the test was about to start, those friends were now opponents.


    The only people that looked calm where Talon and that girl as they knew it was pointless to feel pressured by the others. That was the first step of passing this test, not freaking out by the sheer number of enemies around you.


    "3¡­ 2¡­ 1¡­" Then, Winsdoor stopped for a moment as he nced at everyone in the hall with cold eyes. They were all on the verge of moving, but they didn''t move yet and instead opted to simply remain in their ces.


    ''Well, let us see who shall remain after the two hours.'' Read next chapters on freewebnovel


    "Begin!!!"


    The moment those words were uttered, the entire hall was submerged in endless chaos. Everyone immediately moved as they started looking for targets. Thousands of people were inside the hall, so one could only imagine what was about to happen.


    It was a war¡­ A war where no blood is going to be shed.


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 283: Chapter 283- Help (Part 1)

    The time slowly moved and the tension in the hall seemed to be at an all-time high. Everyone was trying to quickly get a tag before the two hours ended. Those who were lucky enough not to be a target of the two ghosts continued their struggle to get tags.


    As for those who did get mugged, they could only search around, trying to find who took it. Naturally, that led to them starting to suspect each other.


    "Y-You stole it!"


    "I know you did it!!"


    "No, you did it!!"


    "Give me back my tag!!"


    It didn''t take long for fights to break out again but for apletely different reason. Everyone was now suspicious of one another. Even though logically, none of these people seemed to be strong enough to pull off such a feat, the panic made that go over their heads.


    The fights turned even more violent, barely not crossing the limit set by the supervisors. Meanwhile, Talon watched that with a sigh.


    "I guess this is enough for now. Doing more than this will make them realize that I did it." He muttered.


    Even if Talon was stronger than most of these people, if everyone realized he had taken their tags, it wouldn''t be easy fighting that many people or even running away from them for that matter.


    He had done the best he could and now it was a matter of time before the test ends. Everything was going perfectly fine. Until¡­


    "I know who took the tags!" Someone suddenly yelled.


    Talon lifted his head and looked in a different direction, there, he saw a familiar face. The arrogant young man from before was the one who yelled.


    "I have seen it with my eyes!"


    His words made everyone turn around to look at him. Most of them didn''t really believe him, but they had no other choice.


    As for the man himself, he was struggling to hide his grin as he suddenly lifted his finger and pointed it at someone.


    "It''s that girl, I have seen her snatch the tags." He said with a fake angry look. "She had taken our tags!"


    The moment everyone heard that, they turned to look at the person he was talking about. Surprisingly, it was the girl from before and she was now the focus of the entire hall.


    Talon squinted his eyes silently. ''He really did that¡­'' He shook his head with a sigh. He had to admit, it was a really smart way of executing revenge even though he was the one in the wrong. The girl seemed to notice that, but her expression didn''t change at all.


    "I can''t see any tags on her!"


    "That can''t be true! That person had stolen at least a few hundred tags, where are they?!"


    "She has somewhere to store them, you morons! Look at her hand! That''s a storage artifact!" The young man yelled.


    ''She isn''t holding a storage artifact.'' Talonmented in his head.


    Even though he knew that she did have some kind of storage device, it was definitely well hidden and not foolishly in her hand. But, that didn''t seem to be how everyone else thought as the tension in the air suddenly focused on the girl.


    "N-Now that I think about it, didn''t she beat him up with ease?"


    "Yeah, I saw that¡­ She''s really strong!" One person said with a frown.


    "If there is someone who can do something like this¡­ It should be her." Another person muttered with a weird look on her face.


    Eventually, the entire ce started getting convinced of what that young man said.


    "W-We have to get the tags back! She has them!"


    "Yeah, give me back my tag!"


    In a few seconds, the girl was surrounded by hundreds of angry contestants.


    "Oh boy¡­" Talon muttered. "This is about to get interesting."


    He would be lying if he said that he didn''t want to see what was about to happen. He was ready to see how much this girl can do and how far ahead she is.


    As the group started closing up on her, the girl exhaled a small breath before she took a fighting stance. Then, she gave one single look to the young man that did that. Thetter felt his entire body freeze in fear as he stepped back.


    ''W-What the hell is that look?! And why am I feeling afraid?! She''s done for!'' He thought to himself as he gulped down a mouthful of saliva.


    But, that crippling fear still made him move away. Meanwhile, the rest of the contestants took her movements as a clear admission that she did it and immediately lunged at her. Dozens of them attacked her at the same time. There were precisely 30 minutes left before the end of the test so they had to be quick.


    In an instant, the entire hall was submerged in chaos again. The contestants attacked the girl from all angles at the same time. It was a weird sight and many thought it would end before it even began. Because, after all, there were hundreds of people and there was a single person.


    But, a momentter, that idea changedpletely.


    *BOOOOOM*


    Many contestants were suddenly thrown back a dozen meters or so in every direction. Then, out of nowhere, the girl vanished as if she was never there.


    "W-What?!"


    "She vanished!!"


    "Find her!!"


    Everyone started looking around them at the same time. The girl moved through the vast group like a ghost. But, unlike before, everyone was focused on her so it didn''t take long for them to locate her position.


    Many tried to grab her, but she seemed to swiftly get rid of them before they could even react. From an outsider''s point of view, people were getting thrown everywhere by an invisible force that could not be seen or felt.


    Even Talon was taken aback. ''She was holding back before¡­''


    A few seconds passed and the girl was still not caught yet. Many started feeling panicked, but the urge to get their tags back pushed them through. From a few dozen, it turned into an entire chaotic battle with almost a thousand people trying to get a single person.


    The pressure on the girl rose as she continued dashing through the masses as fast as she could, throwing everyone away where she could. She was an absolute monster with the speed of the wind. However, even then, it was still a losing battle.


    No person could fight one thousand others and survive, at least not at her level. In a matter of minutes, the girl found herself being cornered and almost captured many times. Her ability also seemed to be getting a little weaker with each passing moment.


    Everyone noticed that, including Talon and he could only frown. ''I guess everything has a limit. But, even then, she''s still holding on. Can she really make it?''


    If the girl was caught, it was over for her. The tags would be snatched and it would take another hour to get them back, if she could that is.


    At that moment, Talon felt a little hesitant. For some reason, the idea that this girl might get disqualified made him frown. ''She''s quite strong. But, her bad luck is going to get her kicked out. That would be a huge loss.''


    He had found her power to be intriguing. He would be lying if he said that he didn''t want her to remain in the exam since well, he saw her as a good target for improvement now.


    It took him a few moments of thought before he opened his eyes as if he realized something important. A small smile appeared on his face. "This should be worth it."


    Acrypha noticed that grin on his face and could only feel curious about what he was nning.


    ***


    ''I need to find a way out of this. It''s too crowded.'' Leen clenched her teeth secretly as she barely dodged a few hands that wanted to grab her. ''It''s getting out of hand.''


    She was struggling to get out of this sticky situation. She already knew that the bastard who did this didn''t even know that she had the tags, he simply wanted to execute revenge on her and coincidentally, the lie he spouted was the truth.


    Time was ticking slowly and her Aetheris was running out rather quickly since she had been using her ability for almost two hours non-stop now.


    Meanwhile, she was moving to the other side of the hall, seeking some space she could at least work with. At that moment, unbeknownst to her, she passed beside someone. But, shockingly, that person was able to grab her arm.


    ''What¡­ How did he?'' Looking behind her in shock, she was about to instinctively yank her arm away.


    "I can help you." The young man that did grab her said with a smile. "You seem to be in a lot of trouble. You could definitely use a helping hand, no?"


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 284: Chapter 284- Help (Part 2)

    The girl looked at him with a confused expression as if she didn''t register what he said at first. Then, she stopped her attempt to run and squinted her eyes.


    "Why?" She asked coldly. Her re was as strong as ever. But, Talon didn''t feel threatened as he shrugged.


    "You looked like you needed and we are the only two that got this many tags on us. I wouldn''t want you to lose for such a stupid reason." He said.


    "..." The girl waspletely speechless. "Are you mocking me?"


    "No, of course not. Listen, I think we could help each other out. Consider this a favor you would return in the future once I need it." He replied.


    His words changed the girl''s expression visibly as she seemed to think about it for a moment. What she assumed was just mockery at first started making sense. But, there was still a problem.


    ''Can I trust him?'' That was the obvious question to ask. Talon was a stranger to her and he could have malicious intent just like everyone else chasing her at that moment. But, then again, she had already noticed that he was quite powerful, and had gathered a lot of tags.


    ''If he wanted to do something¡­ He would''ve sneak attacked instead.'' She mused as she eyed him silently.


    "So? We don''t have the entire day. They''re gonna find us quickly." He said.


    "... Fine, it''s a deal." She said.


    "That''s what I wanna hear." With a grin, Talon started rolling his sleeves. "All we have to do is just wait till the clock hits two hours. Well, that''s straightforward enough."


    With that, he stepped forward, from behind the pir. The girl looked at him with confusion.


    "Do you want to have some fun?" He asked as he looked over his shoulder.


    "She''s there!! I saw her!"


    "Get her!"


    The other contestants noticed their presence and they immediately rushed toward them. "Oh, well, time to let loose a little."


    With a slow gesture, Talon took a fighting stance as he channeled his Aetheris. Everyone rushed toward the two of them with clear urgency. The time was already nearing the end and they still didn''t have their tags.


    With that, Talon waited for them to get close enough before he dashed forward as he pierced through the massive group of students. Using his ridiculous speed, he threw everyone into a frenzy.


    "Wha- AGH!!"


    "Where is this¡­ AAAAGHH!!"


    Without even realizing it, contestants found themselves on the ground, unable to move. With a simple and precise attack, he had immobilized them without harming them. After fighting for such a long time, he learned how to actually beat someone without leaving any permanent damage on them.


    In a matter of seconds, Talon got rid of a few dozen contestants without anyone realizing that he was even involved in this conflict.


    Meanwhile, the girl noticed what he was doing and could only raise an eyebrow. ''Not half bad.'' She thought to herself as she focused on the fight.


    With two strong people, even though it was still an overwhelmingly outnumbered fight, they still had a better chance than before and that made the girl even more eager to get to the end of the test with all her tags.


    ***


    For the next several minutes, the duo fought their way through many people, most of them were very weak, while some were quite strong which was a problem in itself. However, the two were simply too strong to be beaten.


    Granted, it took a toll on their bodies to fight this many people while keeping everyone else from sneak attacks. Luckily, the hall was so massive that they were able to make use of it. With some smart positioning and extreme battle awareness, they were able to avoid the stickiest situations.


    The ones they couldn''t avoid were inevitable and required a lot of luck. Talon finds himself cornered by several dozens of people which he cannot escape. So, he had to make use of his surroundings. Jumping in the air, he mmed his leg against the wall,unching him forward.


    Many tried to grab him, but he was able tond on the ground at thest moment before dashing forward.


    Meanwhile, the girl didn''t have to do that as she was considerably faster than him so she was able to simply navigate her way out of many situations since she wasn''t the focus of every single person in that hall.


    Time ticked by and the atmosphere reached a threshold where things were about to get out of control. Even the supervisors felt tense when they realized things were slowly going south. People weren''t ready to lose their chance at bing Sky Seekers, even if they had to bend the rules a little.


    Naturally, some who couldn''t keep theirposure ended up trying to attack the duo with Aetheris abilities. But, for better or worse, by that time, the clock had reached the end and the sound of the bell rang loudly inside the hall.


    Everyone stopped and looked at the clock, some were smiling, and some paled in despair when they realized that the test was over.


    Dropping to the ground, many looked in disbelief. "It can''t be¡­"


    "No!!! The time isn''t over!! Give me my tag!!"


    Some tried to continue the struggle, only for the doors of the hall to m open as the three supervisors walked in.


    "The test is over! Nobody moves!!"


    A single sentence from Winsdoor, however, made the change. The entire ce went silent as incredible pressure loomed over everyone. Many froze in their ce in fear.


    Even Talon frowned visibly as the cold sensation filled his body. ''So strong¡­'' He mused as he stared at the man.


    He knew that Winsdoor was strong, but even then, experiencing his aura firsthand was still quite the thing.


    "If I see anyone moving, I am going to personally take care of them. The test is done."


    With that, he lifted his hand and said. "Everyone without a tag, step forward. Also, those who only retained their tags and couldn''t acquire any other, step forward."


    At first, nobody moved as they felt the inevitable approaching. But, they couldn''t ignore the man''s order for long as slowly, contestants started stepping forward with downcast expressions.


    Some were even crying from sheer frustration. This test was their dream, and now they had failed again. Their numbers were surprisingly in the hundreds and quickly reached the thousands.


    Winsdoor looked at them coldly before he said. "All of you¡­ Failed."


    Those few words were akin to a guillotine that fell on their heads and sealed their fate. Many simply broke down from the sheer pressure.


    "We wish you good luck in the next opportunity. Do not lose hope as failure is but a stop, only the fools remain there and never try again. Even if you keep failing, never give up. That is the true way of a Sky Seeker and the first thing they must have. This job is tough and requires determination and will of steel."


    Talon exhaled a long breath as he saw that. He felt a little bitter seeing this many people lose and he was one of the main reasons why. Even though he didn''t hesitate, he wasn''t aplete scum not to feel bad for what he did.


    ''It''s necessary, my apologies.'' He said in his head as he turned to look at the girl. She still had a casual look on her face that didn''t show her emotions. However, he could notice that she was still focused on the group of contestants walking out of the hall.


    Some gave her a spiteful re while others simply left as quickly as possible. They didn''t want to remain there.


    "Now, for the ones who did get tags. Please step forward."


    After thousands left, the ones left are a few hundred lucky ones. Most of them were quite strong, and the rest were simply able to steal a tag and hide for the rest of the test. It was a strategy like everyone''s other one, albeit a little more cowardly. But, nobody specified how this test should be passed so they did everything they could to pass it.


    "We shall be ranking you all based on the number of tags you have collected and how you treated the test," Winsdoor exined as he gave some particr contestants a re. Those were the ones who stole and hid without showing much of their fighting abilities.


    With that, Winsdoor took the list and started calling names. Each one would step forward and hand the tags they collected. Then, the two other supervisors would note it down. It took a while to go through many of the contestants. Enjoy new stories from m-v l''e-NovelBin


    Most of them had a tag, two, or three in some cases. But, rarely did anyone have more than that and those who did were the strongest out of the entire batch.


    Eventually, Talon heard a name.


    "Leen Revian. Step forward."


    At that moment, he saw the girl he had helped walk to the front.


    ''So her name was Leen, huh?''

 Chapter 285: Chapter 285- Second Phase (Part 1)

    Approaching the supervisor with a cold look on her face, Leen stopped a few steps away as she stared at him. The man gave her a brief look before he said.


    "Show us your tags." He said.


    The girl nodded her head and then pulled a small pouch from her pocket. The pouch was almost as big as her hand and had some strange blue lines running across its leather surface. Opening it slowly, she tilted the pouch upside down.


    Then¡­


    *Click* *Click* *Click*


    Slowly, tags started falling off, one by one. In a few seconds, the tags piled up in front of her as everyone watched in shock. With each passing second, they thought the tags would stop falling, but they never did.


    ''H-How many did she take¡­'' Everyone thought at the same time.


    But, the more fell, the more the people got shocked. At some point, the pile reached Leen''s height and slowly crumbled to the side. Finally, the pouch was emptied.


    "There are exactly 852 tags." She said coldly.


    The entire room was submerged in silence after that. Nobody uttered a single word. The supervisors stared at the pile silently. The man and the woman were quite speechless while Winsdoor adjusted his sses and said.


    "It is indeed 852 tags. Good, you have passed. Proceed to the door behind me." He said in a mysterious tone.


    The girl nodded her head, and then briefly looked over her shoulder. Her eyes wandered to Talon before she walked away.


    Thetter noticed that but didn''t think much of it. ''She''s probably thankful I helped her. Well, even if she wasn''t, it was a lot of fun fighting that many people. Feels like home.'' He thought to himself.


    Discover exclusive tales on m,v l''e-NovelBin


    With that, the process continued peacefully for a while. Talon was one of the few left at the end when his name was finally called.


    ''I didn''t count how many tags I collected. I wonder if I got more than her.'' He thought to himself as he stepped forward.


    Stopping in front of the supervisors, he slowly moved his hand into his pocket. Then, slowly, he pulled a handful of tags out. Then, he slowly started pulling the tags one round at a time.


    ''Well, I don''t have a pouch, so I can only pretend like I do or they would question how I had stored this many without that.''


    Even though he knew it wouldn''t be a huge problem if some people knew that he had a spatial storage space, he still tried not to be obvious about it. Whether they realize that or not was pretty irrelevant.


    Surprisingly, the simple trick seemed to work as none of the supervisors seemed suspicious. Eventually, Talon pulled all the tags out, piling them up in front of him.


    ''That''s a lot¡­'' He thought to himself. ''But, is it more than her?''


    Even though he was satisfied with the number, he was still anticipating the result. Hispetitive nature would never allow him to not look any higher.


    A few seconds passed before Winsdoor looked up and said. "The number of Tags is exactly 842. Good job."


    Talon stared at the man for a second before he closed his eyes. "842 huh¡­ Only 10 behind¡­"


    ''That''s a little disappointing, but it isn''t too bad I guess.'' Sighing inwardly, he started walking. The result, was as he expected. The girl had won the challenge. Perhaps it was because she was considerably stronger than him or perhaps because he should''ve continued hunting down tags instead of stopping.


    Either way, Talon had lost and he understood that. He felt bitter, but it wasn''t the end of the world. As long as he is alive, there is always a second chance.


    As he was deep in thought, he entered the giant gates behind him, only to find himself inside another gigantic chamber. However, this one was different from the one before. the entire ce was surrounded by stands, with countless chairs all around a big stage at the bottom.


    ''Woah!'' Talon took a second to admire the structure of this ce before he looked down. Many had already taken a seat and were talking to each other peacefully. After the first test, the ones that seeded were now even more excited than ever before.


    In their heads, if they were able to pass the first test, then they surely had a huge chance of passing the second and third one.


    Talon slowly moved down the rows, searching for a good spot to sit down. Eventually, he saw a good ce so he smiled and walked there. The chairs were surprisinglyfortable to sit on.


    Looking down at the stage, he said. "Well, where is my thank you?" He asked.


    "... Is that truly needed?"


    "I would say so." Shifting his nce to the seat in front of him, he replied.


    Leen tilted her head down with a sigh and then said. "Your assistance was useful. Thank you."


    "No problem." He replied as he crossed his arms and went silent. Then, he slowly stood up and walked to another row to sit down."


    "Too flirty." At that moment, Acrypha spoke as she sat down next to him. "Way too flirty."


    "What? Flirty? Where?" He raised an eyebrow at the unexpectedment.


    "The way you are talking to her, it cannot be any worse than that." Acrypha shook her head with a smile.


    "... I don''t know where you learned that word from, but I certainly wasn''t trying to flirt with her. I was just making sure I got a proper thank you."


    "I definitely believe you." She rolled her eyes yfully.


    "Say whatever you want, I know what I''m doing. Besides, why would I flirt with her? I don''t have time for that stuff."


    "Oh, you always have time for it, what do you call our conversations then?" She winked.


    "... Uh, friendly? No, that''s not it." Thinking about it for a moment, Talon realized something. ''Wait, are we even considered friends at this point?''


    So far, he had spent so much time with Acrypha, Talon had even forgotten what they were supposed to be. It was true that they werepanions, but that didn''t really exin what they were to each other.


    ''Well, we are certainly more than friends, and way moreplicated than justpanions¡­ Uh, something in between?'' Looking at Acrypha, and the way she smiled, he could only feel his cheeks grow a little red for some reason.


    "Dammit! Don''t confuse me like that now! It could be considered flirty, yes! I admit defeat!" He sighed.


    "I thought so. So, you better make sure to keep it that way. Only I can do that. The rest can look for other people to do that with." She smiled proudly.


    "Yes ma''am." The young man replied with a sarcastic tone.


    At that moment, the three supervisors appeared down at the stage, catching everyone''s attention.


    "Ok, here we go." Talon adjusted his position and focused on them. He knew that it was time for the second test.


    Winsdoor gave the entire stand a nce before he started. "First of all, congrattions to all of you for passing the first part of the tests. However, the next two parts are going to be way harder and way more dangerous, so brace yourself." He said.


    The atmosphere grew even more solemn in the room at that moment. Everybody felt a little cold in their heart. The time for celebrations was over quickly, and the rough work was about to begin.


    "Now, the second part of the test is a little moreplicated so listen to me. The test will have you all work in groups. Precisely, group of 2 and higher. Naturally, the rmended number in each group of at least 4 or 6 optimally, but it''s all your choice. As for the test itself, well, we shall call it ''Survival And Scavenging.''"


    "Survival and Scavenging?" Talon muttered confusedly. ''Well, that doesn''t sound good.''


    "You all shall leave this city for two main goals. You have to first spend one week in the desert. Nobody is going to be there to help you, so make sure you bring everything you need to survive ande back. As for the second goal, you have to collect at least 10 monster cores, optimally it should be the Sand Eaters cores, but anything else would work too if you find it."


    ''Ten Sand Eater cores?...'' Talon raised an eyebrow.


    Not only was that number quite big, he didn''t know how anyone could do that. He had fought them, and they were quite the tough foes. Looking around him, he noticed that everyone had varying degrees of the same reaction to that. Nobody seemed happy to hear that news as this test had suddenly turned quite deadly very quickly.


    However, no one uttered a singleint as they all came there aware of what they were about to face.


    "Now, we shall start the selection process," Winsdoor said coldly, ignoring the terrified looks in the contestants'' eyes.


    A//N: Sorry for the one-week hiatus everyone. I had some stuff to do, and also started another book and had to write for it too. Hopefully, we are back with chapters now :) thanks for waiting.

 Chapter 286: Chapter 286- Second Phase (Part 2)

    "The ones who had gathered the biggest number of tags shall have the priority in choosing who they have as their teammate, and more importantly, where exactly they should go." As Winsdoor said that, the second supervisor came out dragging a giant map on four wheels.


    The map was at least 5 feet tall and 6 feet wide. Talon could see most details on the map.


    ''That desert is truly massive.'' He thought to himself. ''Almost 90% of the map is just desert, and that small ce in the middle, I assume that''s the city.''


    "You can choose from 4 different areas you can go to. All of them are north, but they vary greatly from one another so consider your choice carefully." He said. "Now, we shall start, Miss Leen, do you have any desired group members you want to join forces with?"


    Everyone immediately looked at Leen, curious about what she was going to say. Nobody there seemed to know her well enough and some were even terrified of her after the show of power she did not so long ago.


    The girl didn''t seem to be bothered by the eyes around her and simply replied. "Is working alone allowed?" She asked.


    Winsdoor adjusted his sses as he looked at her. "Were my words encrypted, Miss Leen? The rule is that only two or more people are allowed to go through the next phase unless you do not want to continue, of course."


    "Tsk¡­" The girl clicked her tongue as she looked away. Her eyes wandered around the ce, looking at every single person. Her re made many flench, but some quickly realized that this might be an opportunity.


    "I can be the second member of your group if you want." One contestant suddenly said with the best fake professional smile he could muster.


    "No, I can be of help! I am stronger than him!"


    "No, choose me!"


    In a few moments, the entire arena was submerged in chaos as everyone tried to catch Leen''s attention. They had realized that if they were able to join her group, their chances of survival might actually rise way higher, and consequentially, they would be able to pass it.


    However, with that many people trying the same thing, quarrels erupted rather quickly.


    "Shut up, you weak bastard! You have only gotten one tag! You were lucky to survive!"


    "Says the person who took two and then hid in a corner like a scared rat for the rest of the test! At least I fought fair and square."


    "Do you want to fight?"


    "Bring it on, idiot!"


    "Silence!!!"


    At that moment, Winsdoor''s voice echoed in the entire ce, making everyone instantly silent. Their souls shook from the sheer power of his voice.


    "I do not ept disrespect where I am. This is no wild forest nor the ce where you can argue childishly, remain silent." He said with a stern tone.


    Even though he didn''t say any insults, everyone felt ashamed of what they did and turned to face him again.


    ''The sheer aura he has¡­'' Talon could only admire the power this man held. Even though they barely met him a few hours ago, he already had control over everyone and was able to settle order amongst them with a few words.


    "Now, Miss Leen, who are you going to choose?" He asked.


    "..." The girl was still looking around the entire time, as if she wasn''t the reason for everything that just happened. Eventually, her eyes fell on a particr person.


    "You¡­ Do you want to join me?" She asked in an almost ordering tone. Her eyes stared deeply at Talon.


    Thetter looked back at her with a raised eyebrow. ''Well, this is a little unexpected. I didn''t think she would actually do this. Is she trying to return the favor now?''


    Although he couldn''t read it in her eyes, he was almost certain that was the case.


    "I don''t mind. Let''s work together." He said casually.


    "Of course, it''s that guy¡­"


    "I should''ve expected that¡­"


    Talon heard some disappointedments around him, but no one dared to speak loudly as they knew it was dumb to do that after the warning Winsdoor gave them.


    Leen nodded her head and turned around. "I will work with him. Only two members in the group if possible."


    "..." The supervisor looked at her and nodded faintly. "Understood, write that down, and what region do you two choose?"


    As Winsdoor spoke, Talon stood up and walked to Leen before sitting down next to her.


    "Uh, I don''t know much about the north, so you can choose and I will go with that." Talon shrugged.


    Leen nodded her head and nced at the map for a few moments. Then, she lifted her finger and pointed at one of the areas. "Area number 4."


    Winsdoor''s eyes shed with a weird glint before he looked at the map too. "Area 4¡­ The Lost Mist Region? Are you sure about that?" He asked.


    "Yes."


    ''Why did he react that way?'' Talon frowned slightly as he looked at Leen. She seemed unbothered somehow even though someone like Winsdoor had asked her twice in case she made a mistake.


    "Very well. Note that down. The first group, Miss Leen and Mister Talon, and their region is region number 4."


    Immediately, Talon started hearing whispers around him.


    "Did he say the Lost Mist Region?! Is she insane?''


    "Even for someone like her, that region is too dangerous!"


    "My grandpa went there once as a part of an army, he said most of the army was wiped out and only a few were left alive."


    Such things could be heard everywhere and that confused Talon even more. ''What? So that''s a dangerous zone? Well, that should be expected, but their reactions are certainly weird.''


    "Uh, what is the Lost Mist Region?" He asked Leen in a low tone.


    Thetter gave him a side nce. "I will tell youter."


    "... If you say so."


    ***


    After that, the process continued peacefully. People were able to choose their groups. Most went with the optimal number of 6 people, while others went with 4 members. Only a few did choose the duo strategy.


    Most of them simply did it out of arrogance and not confidence which made it obvious that they wouldn''t go far that way. However, nobody stopped them, not even the supervisors. A fool will always be a fool, no matter what you tell them.


    After that, they all chose the area they would go to. Talon noticed that most of them chose the first area and from what he heard, it was the safest out of the four options. Some chose the second area, and even fewer people chose the third one.


    What shocked him was that not a single group chose the fourth area. Not even the arrogant fools seemed to consider that as an option even.


    At that point, Talon was certain the fourth area was exceptionally dangerouspared to the other ones. That naturally raised the question, why did Leen choose that area as their test? Was she unaware of how dangerous it was?


    From the way she talked, that didn''t seem to be the case. So, that only left one single possible option.


    ''She chose that deliberately.'' Talon mused as he looked at the girl. ''Does she have something to do there? Or maybe she just wants a challenge? Ugh, I really can''t read her at all.'' He thought to himself.


    As he was struggling inwardly, the process finally came to an end.


    "Thank you everyone for your presence. The test shall start officially in three days. Make sure to get to know your group and work on strategies and ns together. Don''t forget, teamwork is the key to passing this test, so make sure to work together and not separately."


    With that, the contestants were able to finally leave the Blue Tower. Many immediately went to greet their families to tell them about the good news while others immediately gathered with their groups to start the work. Three days might sound like plenty of time, but considering the dangerous test, it was probably not enough.


    As for Talon, he stopped at the entrance and looked at Leen who was taking her belongings from the receptionist. "So, where should we go to talk?" He asked.


    "..." The girl put her backpack on and said. "Follow me. I know a ce."


    "Lead the way then."


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 287: Chapter 287- Coffee Talk

    The duo walked silently through the streets of the city. Leen was ahead of Talon by a few steps while thetter followed her from behind, not knowing where they were going. Neither of them said a word the entire trip to their destination.


    ''Well, this is more awkward than I expected.'' Talon thought to himself as he stared at the girl''s back. For some reason, this situation felt a little familiar to him.


    ''Weren''t me and Hyun-Jae like that at some point? We barely could talk.'' Heughed to himself. ''I guess with how far we came, I have already forgotten that we weren''t even meant to know each other. Time does change people.''


    Now, Talon could only see Hyun-Jae as a dear friend and a very kind human being. Her cold side was still there, except it rarely showed up when he was with her.


    As he was having such thoughts, Talon noticed that his surroundings had shifted again, and yet this time, to something way more familiar.


    ''Hm? I know this area.'' He thought to himself as he looked around. At the same time, Leen stopped in front of a very familiar ce.


    "Here." She said.


    "Remi''s diner?" Talon raised an eyebrow.


    "Yeah, have you ever been here before?" She asked.


    "Yeah¡­ I know this ce. That''s a good choice." He nodded with a smile.


    Leen''s eyes shed with a confused glint for a second before she turned away and faced the door. "Let''s go."


    The duo then walked inside the diner. Since it was still noon, the ce was bustling with people more than usual. Looking around, Talon noticed that Remi was busy with work and didn''t notice their presence.


    So, they simply took an empty table in the corner and sat down. Talon made himselffortable on the chair before he focused on Leen. The girl seemed very familiar with the ce from the way she acted.


    ''I guess she also likes this ce.'' He noted in his head.


    The two remained silent for a while, not knowing how to start a conversation. So far, Talon and Leen wereplete strangers. Apart from a few information they noticed on their own like the other person''s name, they had no other information whatsoever. Explore more adventures at m,v l''e-NovelBin


    "Ugh, too awkward for my taste¡­" Talon muttered before he looked up. "So, tell me why did you choose the Lost Mist region as the location?"


    Since Talon didn''t want to make the situation even more awkward, he decided to go straight into business with what he wanted to know. If it''s work then it was easier to make a conversation rather than not knowing what to say.


    "..." The girl stared at him for a moment before she closed her eyes. "Because it''s the most dangerous."


    "..." Talon frowned for a moment before he replied. "And why did you want to go to the most dangerous region? Isn''t that going to lower your chances of passing the test?"


    "It won''t." Leen shook her head immediately.


    "How do you know?"


    "Because if I don''t, I don''t deserve to pass the test." She said. "I might as well die there."


    For a normal person, her words would''ve shocked them speechless. But, for some reason, Talon understood what she meant. Granted, hecked a lot of context and background information to know why she was this determined to go there.


    However, he could guess one possibility.


    "You want to be a lot stronger, don''t you?" He asked. "Way stronger in a short period of time."


    Leen slowly nodded. "That is the perfect ce to get stronger, and I''m going to take full advantage of that."


    "I see¡­" Talon looked down for a moment before he nodded. "That is actually perfect."


    "Hm? What do you mean?"


    "I mean that your choice was perfect. I was also looking for a ce to get stronger, way faster. It seems the Lost Mist region is exactly where I should go. Very convenient, I must say."


    "... Are you sure? That ce isn''t¡­"


    "I know. It is very dangerous from how people speak about it. But, I am not expecting to get that without risk."


    ''If anything, the more risky it is, the better.'' Talon grinned. So far, Talon had experienced that same thing many times over. The riskier the situation he gets in is, the better the rewards he gets when he ovees it.


    That achievement alone is more satisfying than anything else. He would rather experience it than to get something easy with no hard work.


    "So, what''s the n? What do we need?" He asked. "I''m sure you''re already thinking of your n, no?"


    "... Yes." Leen nodded her head. "I know what we should do, to some extent."


    "I''m all ears." Adjusting his position again, Talon listened to what Leen wanted to tell him.


    ***


    Some time passed as the two discussed their n for this phase. Turns out, nning to survive a week in a very dangerous ce wasn''t an easy thing. Not only did it require them to think of every possibility, but to also prepare for worst-case scenarios on every front.


    Things like food, water, injuries, shelter, and every single other thing required for survival. Their talk naturallysted a long time. Each one gave their idea and then they would decide on the better course of action.


    Surprisingly, they agreed on most decisions. The two seemed to share the same mindset in many areas which eased up the process quite a lot. Yet, still, an hour passed just like that.


    As they were talking, someone approached their table. "Oh my, Leen, you''re here."


    The duo looked to the side, only to see Remi, the diner''s owner standing in front of them with her usual charming smile. "Why didn''t you tell me? Also¡­ You!"


    "Hi." Talon greeted her with a smile. "It has been a few days."


    "Tsk, tsk, I thought you grew tired of my food that quick. You little!" Remi smiled as she wrapped her arm around Talon''s neck and tried to choke him. However, thetter couldn''t feel much of her strength so he justughed it off.


    "Your food was really good." He replied.


    "Then why did you take so long toe back, huh? Were you toozy for that?" She smiled as she gripped him harder.


    "No, I was just busy, Miss Remi." He replied.


    "Can I get a cup of coffee?" Leen interrupted the two with her usual cold tone.


    "Oh, of course. Your sister came here earlier today. Did you meet her?" She asked.


    "No, I didn''t," Leen replied as she looked down at the piece of paper in her hand. She had noted down everything they discussed and so she pretended to be focused on it.


    Remi noticed that and could only shake her head with a sigh. Then, she turned to Talon. "What about you, Talon?" She asked.


    "... A cup of coffee is enough."


    "Coming right up!"


    With that, Remi left quickly to get their order. That left the duo in the same awkward silence they were in before.


    ''Am I imagining stuff or is she in a worse mood now?'' Talon squinted his eyes as he stared at the girl. It seemed that the moment Remi mentioned her ''sister'' the girl immediately changed her attitude, if even subtly. That brought him to believe that there was some kind of problem going on.


    ''Ah, it isn''t my business either way. I''m just here for work.'' He shrugged as he looked away. Whatever it was, he didn''t really have any reason to ask.


    Eventually, Remi came back with the coffee for both of them. The moment Talon took a sip from it, he blinked in surprise. "This is delicious!" He muttered.


    "Of course it is. We only serve delicious food in this establishment." Remiughed proudly.


    ''I''m not even a fan of coffee. This tastes amazing!'' The young man then started drinking happily, forgetting about the entire weird situation he was in.


    Meanwhile, Leen just took the cup and put it down before she continued reading the piece of paper without a care in the world.


    "Teenagers these days, tsk tsk." Seeing how the two were acting, Remi could only smile wrily as she turned around to leave. "Enjoy your time here, boys!"


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 288: Chapter 288- Earth At War (Part 1)

    After finishing their drinks, Talon looked at Leen. "Well, I guess we will need to buy a lot of stuff, no?"


    "Yes, mostly for survival purposes." She replied as she looked at her list. "I can find all of these things so it shouldn''t be a problem. The rest is just nning and executing correctly."


    "But, there is still one ring problem," Talon replied seriously. "We have no idea what the Lost Mist Region is even like."


    His words made Leen''s face turn darker. She knew exactly what he was talking about. It was indeed the case, since this region was very dangerous, only the strong Sky Seekers were allowed to go there. Naturally, they have some information about it, but it''s far from enough.


    That also meant that they would have to go there, knowing nothing much about it and facing whatever threats lurk there with the few bits and pieces of info they can gather.


    ''That isn''t very optimal. But, it is also the best we can do. This trip is bound to be a huge mess either way.'' Find your next read on m_v l|e-NovelBin


    The duo''s entire goal was to reduce the chances of getting into imminent danger as much as possible. Even though they already knew that it was bound to happen either way.


    "... Though, the stuff you told me so far¡­ They seem good enough." He said in a calm tone. Leen had naturally researched this region before and that was where all their information came from.


    "I will try to find more things." She replied. "But, for now, we need to go buy the stuff necessary. Are you free now?"


    "... Of course." He said. "Well, I have an hour give or take."


    ''I can''t leave Arryn alone for too long. He must be quite anxious now.'' He thought to himself. When he left earlier that day, the boy was still asleep. Luckily, he had already told him about the test so the boy shouldn''t be too worried by the time hees back.


    Leen stared at Talon for a moment before she nodded. "An hour should be more than enough to get everything. Let''s go."


    With that, the duo left the diner and headed toward the heart of the market district. There, they went from one shop to another, buying many items required for the trip. Things like a survival kit, tents, an axe to chop wood, clothes for cold nights, and even some survival food in case they can''t find their own there.


    Since Leen was very familiar with the area, everything took less than an hour to buy. Talon naturally felt a little bit embarrassed that he couldn''t pay for anything since he still hadn''t found a job yet. But, Leen didn''t seem that bothered with it.


    In her head, this was all a part of repaying Talon for his help during the first phase. In the end, they finished the trip by getting water containers and some purifiers.


    "Hnnng, that was a trip¡­" Stretching his limbs, Talon looked at the sky. It was already night and the moon was hanging in the sky above them.


    Leen stepped out of the shop carrying one bag, while Talon was carrying another bag. "Thanks for today, again. I have seen some new ces in the city I haven''t seen before."


    The girl stared at him before nodding faintly. "No problem." She said.


    "I will excuse myself then. I have some stuff to do. I guess we can meet tomorrow to discuss how we''re going to fight through this region when needed. Our styles might be close, but we need to cooperate, so I have to understand how you fight." Talon said.


    It was indeed true that the two of them mostly relied on crushing power and enormous speed to overpower their enemies. But, some small differences like the footwork, thought process in fights, and other details could be a huge hurdle in letting them cooperate if they don''t know what the other is thinking of.


    One day was naturally far from enough to actually achieve that.


    "Is 8:00 AM fine with you?" Talon asked. "We can meet up at Remi''s diner like today."


    "That''s fine with me." Leen nodded as she was about to bid him farewell. However, at that moment, she heard someone calling for her.


    "Leen?"


    "Hm?"


    The two looked in the same direction at the same time, only to see a very familiar face. Someone that Talon had also met before.


    ***


    *Earth*


    Hyun-Jae opened her eyes, and yet all she could see was darkness. Nothing around her had any details on it, as if she was swimming in a sea of endless abyss. Looking around her, she felt intense unease wash over her entire body.


    "Where am I?" She muttered under her breath as she tried to understand what was happening. Her memory was too blurred to remember where she was a while ago. ''Where did I go? Is this some kind of trap?''


    She couldn''t tell if she was in danger or not. But, she was certain she didn''t want to be in that darkness.


    Slowly, she stood up and looked around her. Her heart was beating loudly, and her skin felt cold for some reason.


    ''Why am I here? Who brought me here?''


    For some reason, her ability to critically think was gone, and all she had left were lost questions. It was as if her brain was numb.


    With no other idea in mind, she decided to simply start moving. This ce was so dark, she couldn''t even see anything beyond a few inches around her.


    She walked and walked, and walked. Time passed slowly, and nothing seemed to change for a long while.


    Hyun-Jae grew even more terrified the more she walked. This darkness gave her this deep, primal fear that she cannot describe in words. Something about it felt familiar, for all the bad reasons.


    ''Am Ipletely trapped in here?'' She asked herself as she looked around. The scenery was still the same. So, she thought of something different.


    She tried to channel her Aetheris to summon lightning. However, that was when she came to the second shocking realization.


    ''My Aetheris¡­ I can''t feel it at all.'' Her eyes widened slightly. ''What is this ce?''


    The fear in her heart grew even harder. Her head started racing with thoughts. The unease she felt at that moment was perhaps one of the worst feelings she ever experienced. Without her power involved, she feltpletely vulnerable, in a ce where she felt fearful.


    It was as if she was now swimming in the depths of the ocean, with no arms and legs. The feeling was horrible.


    As she was deep in thought, she heard a whisper from not too far away.


    "Hyun-Jae."


    "Hah¡­" She gasped as she looked up, only to see a silhouette standing not that far away from her. Her eyes widened as she recognized the back of that person. How could she not recognize it? After all, this was the same person who had been in her thoughts for a long time.


    "... Talon¡­" She uttered his name in disbelief. Even though a part of her knew that this was just a fake image of him, she still could only feel her heart race seeing him again¡­ If even in an illusion or a dream.


    The young man didn''t turn around at her voice calling for him. Instead, he simply stood there, not moving at all. Hyun-Jae didn''t move immediately and simply looked at his back. The longing in her eyes couldn''t be hidden anymore.


    ''This is fake, Hyun-Jae. Snap out of it.'' But, she quickly shook her head, trying to fight those thoughts. ''I cannot be seeing him here¡­ He''s¡­''


    Clenching her teeth, she felt her eyes water for a moment before she closed them. She fought the raging emotions in her head before she shook her head and looked up, ready to deal with whatever this was.


    However, her eyes immediatelynded on something horrifying. Two empty eyesockets, filled with nothing but an endless void stared back at her.


    "... Hyun-Jae¡­"


    The girl''s breath halted as she stared at the abyss. The fear in her head exploded in one fell sweep.


    "Hyun-Jae¡­" The creature said in Talon''s voice, albeit with a very different tone than what she knew. Then, it moved its arms and simply put them on her face. The girl waspletely crippled with fear.


    The same girl that had fought abominations of all kinds and never found herselfpletely frozen, was now unable to move at all even though she wanted to do that. ''No¡­ Move¡­ Move!! This isn''t Talon! I need to move!''


    Yet, her body didn''t answer her requests. The grip on her face grew stronger as the monster stared deep into her eyes, dreadfully seeping into her very brain.


    Than, the creature opened its mouth wide and from it came something that shook Hyun-Jae to the core.


    A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don''t forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!

 Chapter 289: Chapter 289- Earth At War (Part 2)

    "AAAAAH!!" Hyun-Jae suddenly opened her eyes wide as she rose from her bed with a loud yelp. "Hah! Hah!" Looking around her urgently, she realized that she was back in her room now. The familiar ceiling and the warmth of the bed engulfed her again but didn''t do much to ease her terror.


    Her heart was beating in her ears, and her chest was heaving up and down as if she had just gone through a horrible experience. But, it was all a nightmare, and she realized that very quickly when she sat there, trying to calm down.


    ''What was that?'' She asked herself. ''What did I see?''


    Her calm demeanor was struggling to keep her still because what she had witnessed truly shattered her brain. Sitting there silently, she remembered every single detail of the nightmare vividly, especially the face of that person that she had been longing for.


    "Dammit... Dammit..." Cursing under her breath, she found herselfpletely lost for words. There was nothing she could really say or do at that moment that would perhaps make things better.


    Theck of understanding of this nightmare made her even more frustrated. Mainly because the dream itself felt far too real to be a mere nightmare. Even for a vivid lucid dream, this was just far too real. Everything she felt in those few moments was real and Hyun-Jae didn''t even question that.


    Discover stories with m,v l''e-NovelBin


    ''Does this have to do with Talon? Is this trying to tell me something?''


    For a moment there, a glimpse of hope shed across her eyes. The fact this happened had given her this suspicion that perhaps Talon wasn''t really dead. That mere sentence alone sent a chill down her spine. Just the idea of Talon being alive sent a feeling of excitement in her heart that she hadn''t felt in a long time.


    However, she quickly realized that this wasn''t as simple as that. After all, this insight she had wasn''t a positive one by any means.


    ''This was a bad dream... No, a horrible sight.'' She thought to herself as she looked out the window. ''Whatever it is, it''s trying to tell me something. But, what it is? And why did I see it now? What am I missing?''


    Questions piled on Hyun-Jae''s shoulder, making her feel even more pressured. But, she sucked in a deep breath and tried to calm down. There was really no point in trying to ask these questions when she had no basis to answer them. So, she decided that the most logical move now was to leave them for when she could find the answer.


    With that, Hyun-Jae slowly moved back to her position to fall asleep again. It was still very early in the morning and she had at least 30 more minutes of sleep. Usually, Hyun-Jae would sleep 1-2 hours daily ever since she had taken full control of the army. She had a huge amount of work and responsibilities on her shoulders so sleeping was out of the question now.


    As she tried to close her eyes and sleep, she suddenly heard a loud knock on her door. The noise snapped her out of her daze and she looked up with a frown. Hyun-Jae was already suffering from a strong headache and now that noise disturbed her even more.


    "Who is it?" She asked coldly.


    "Hyun-Jae? Are you awake?"


    "Chin-Hwa?" Hyun-Jae replied. She noticed that the young man''s voice was urgent and quite panicked which was something rare for someone like Chin-Hwa. However, considering how the world was at that time, Hyun-Jae was already ready for the worst to happen.


    "Hold on a second." She replied calmly.


    So, she left her bed and wore her clothes quickly before she opened the door. There, she saw Chin-Hwa standing with a huge frown on his face. His expression was as dark as ever.


    "What is it?" Hyun-Jae asked.


    "It''s a problem, President. A very huge problem." He said.


    "Speak," Hyun-Jae said as she closed the door behind her and started walking with him.


    "We''ve received a message from Busan. The city has been attacked." He said.


    Hearing that, the girl stopped and looked at him. "Attacked? Is it a stampede?"


    "No, humans. An airborne attack." Chin-Hwa replied. "The message was quite weird. We couldn''t determine what was happening at all. It was chaos."


    The girl kept staring at Chin-Hwa as if she was trying to understand what he was saying before she asked. "Is it Japan?"


    This was her very first thought when she heard ''Humans''. After all, Busan was a coastal city, very close to Tsushima, a Japanese ind. So, by default, she assumed they were the ones responsible for this sudden attack.


    "It is most likely the case. We haven''t heard back from the group at Busan yet. I''m afraid the entire city must''ve been seized." Chin-Hwa''s tone grew darker the more he spoke. Even though he tried to sound calm, he knew the disaster of this current situation.


    If Busan was indeed taken over by their enemies, then their current position was being threatened heavily. Busan was a key location they had, and it could very much be the way for Japan to invade the entirety of South Korea and quickly reach them.


    "But, how did they reach the city? It should''ve been impossible in the current situation. The second expansion had just happened." Hyun-Jae replied as she started walking faster.


    Hyun-Jae was very much anticipating such a sudden attack considering the tension between them and the fact they had one of their people held a hostage. However, with the current state of the sea and the continuous earthquakes happening even months after the expansion started, there should''ve been no way for them to cross the distance between the two countries.


    ''Did they somehow make it? But how?'' The more she fell in thought, the more she realized that there was something really wrong going on.


    Before realizing it, the duo had already ended up in the main building for nning and meetings. Entering inside, Hyun-Jae was met with pure chaos. People were rushing around, trying to make calls and deal with the situation.


    The noise was so loud that Hyun-Jae felt her headache intensify as she clenched her teeth. This was a very bad situation, and it was only getting worse by the second.


    "President! You''re finally here!"


    One of her subordinates approached her in a hurry, clearly looking distressed. "We''re-


    "I''ve already received the news. What is the current situation?" She asked.


    "We... We don''t know. There is no more contact with Busan yet. We''re trying to establish it again, but we aren''t getting any results."


    "Did you contact Gwangju? How is the situation there?"


    "They''re fine. It doesn''t seem like they have been attacked by anything. But, we increased the security and alert status in both cities and nearby settlements." He replied.


    "Good. Keep that in check. I don''t know what will happen next." She said as she stepped forward and stood in the middle of the room. The people there were simply out of control. Nobody knew what to do, and even those who did know what to do failed to contain the fear in the hearts of everyone else. It felt as if there was really nothing anyone could do.


    Looking around her coldly, she inhaled a big breath before she spoke.


    "Everyone, calm down!!"


    Her voice boomed in the room, reverberating across the walls, and making everyone stop in their tracks as they looked at her. The entire ce was submerged in silence in an instant. So, Hyun-Jae nodded and continued.


    "This is no time for panic. The situation is bad indeed, and it could get worse, but making it chaotic will only add more trouble. I want you to be calm and collected. Whatever happens, we are going to deal with it appropriately and effectively. You are all capable people that were chosen by me and... Talon.


    I don''t want you to lose that capability due to mindless fear."


    Although her words were short and very simple, the result of it was surprising. The people in there started looking at each other. The realization had suddenly hit them hard and they became aware of how wrong they were acting.


    "The president is right... Why are we panicking when we need to be calm?" One person said.


    "We can''t let our emotions control us like this." Another replied with a nod.


    Quickly, everyone started agreeing with her words. In fact, they felt quite ttered by them as she had said they were capable people chosen by the legend Talon himself. The leader that started all of this.


    "We''re really sorry, president."


    "We weren''t aware!"


    As they started apologizing to her, Hyun-Jae coldly nodded her head and turned around to walk behind her desk. Meanwhile, Somin, Chin-Hwa, and Shin-Il watched her withplicated expressions. Deep down, they knew that their president was on the verge of breaking down if she hadn''t already broken down.


    Yet, she hid that effectively from everyone around her. That, however, didn''t make them any less worried. Because, if Hyun-Jae fell, it was the end for all of them.


    She was their friend, hero, and theirst hope in this dark world.


    A//N: Thanks for reading.

 Chapter 290: Chapter 290- Earth At War (Part 3)

    The night was dark and rainy with the sound of lightning striking in the outside world. Floods of water invaded the destroyed cities of the world, sweeping whatever was left intact of them. The only cities left intact were the ones that were restored by the survivors.


    Hyun-Jae and the rest of the group were able to quickly take over the major cities and slowly expand their control before the world waspletely turned upside down. After the expansion, things didn''t calm down at all.


    Earthquakes were basically a daily urrence. One second, it would be raining as if there was no tomorrow, and the next second, the weather was hotter than that of the desert in the middle of the summer.


    However, everyone had already grown ustomed to that and were able to live their lives. Granted, some couldn''t handle this change and grew sick, and some of the older people even died. But, it was all expected with how the world was.


    No weak creature would be able to survive on this new Earth and it seems the expansion''s entire goal was to eliminate those weak creatures. Even if that was at the cost of the entire world going into jeopardy.


    The world was bing hell and yet... Nobody wants to leave.


    ***


    *DROP*


    The rain was pouring heavily on Hyun-Jae''s head. Even her umbre could barely keep her dry from all the downpours. However, she was standing alone outside, looking at the gloomy dark sky silently.


    ''It''s going to be hard to travel in these conditions. But, Busan cannot be taken away from us or we won''t have any chance of trying to contain their forces.'' She thought to herself with a cold re.


    She knew that most of South Korea was now a huge mess except for the cities they took over. The streets that link them were already destroyed beyond recognition. But, time was tight, and they had to act quickly if they wanted to stop this invasion.


    Hyun-Jae had clear intentions, and she was ready to execute them no matter what.


    "President..." At that moment, she heard Chin-Hwa''s voice behind her. She didn''t turn around as she had already felt his presence approaching.


    "Is everyone ready?" She asked.


    "... For the most part. They still need to check the conditions of the vehicles and prepare them for the trip." He said as he stepped forward and stood next to her. His eyes were locked on Hyun-Jae the entire time even though she wasn''t looking at him.


    The two stood there for a few moments before Chin-Haw finally opened his mouth to speak. However, at thest moment, he hesitated and then went silent again.


    "Speak." Hyun-Jae seemed to notice his perturbed aura and asked him to say whatever he wanted to say.


    "... I... I was just being nostalgic. Remembering the past when we used to have a peaceful life, working and studying without a care in the world." He said. "I never thought things would change this much in such a short period of time. In a few months, we are not the same people at all.


    I''m not the same... And you''ve changedpletely, president." He said with a sad expression.


    For the first time since Chin-Hwa approached her, Hyun-Jae looked away from the sky at him and then said. "Did you expect me not to change?"


    "No, of course not. If one doesn''t change in these times, then they''re done for. This world isn''t the same."


    "..."


    "What I''m saying is... You have be something else, president. I can..." Pursing his lips with a frustrated expression, Chin-Hwa decided to finally break the ice and be honest. He had enough remaining silent this entire time.


    His friends had tried to tell her that she was destroying herself countless times and yet she didn''t listen. She simply continued going downhill every single day. She was now a dark, gloomy, and yet an impressive leader and an even more powerful monsterpared to before.


    She had be the perfect leader and ironically, as much as Talon''s spot was a huge loss, she was able to fulfill it and even expand their power to almost every single part of South Korea.


    Yet, all of that was at the cost of her own mental health and body. She was growing stronger extremely rapidly, soaring beyond everyone else. However, she was also losing whatever made Hyun-Jae... Hyun-Jae.


    "I don''t think what you''re doing is right at all, president. No, it''s far from right. You are simply going downhill and simply won''tst long if you continue with this stubbornness. If you think this is going to make things better then you''re far from right." He said with an angry tone but still very respectful.


    Even when he was displeased with his president, he could never raise his voice or speak to her disrespectfully. "I understand that you were dealt a huge blow when that happened. We were all devastated. But, we had to move on after several months. This world isn''t going to wait for us and it certainly won''t wait for you. We never know how long we''re going to live.


    If he of all people died, then we certainly have no possibility of escaping death if ites for us."


    Then, he wentpletely silent as the rain and lightning raged around them. Hyun-Jae was staring directly at Chin-Hwa with a nk expression. Even he couldn''t read her expression at that moment. Then, he slowly started realizing that his words might''ve hurt her and he was about to try and exin what he meant.


    However, Hyun-Jae looked away before she slowly put the umbre down, letting the rain pour on her head.


    "Preside-" Chin-Hwa was surprised and tried to give her his umbre, but her next words made him stop.


    "I tried..." She muttered. "I have tried countless times to think about moving on... I know that I''m going down the wrong path. But... I can''t. I cannot for the life of me simply move on." Her voice was the same as usual, but Chin-Hwa noticed the emotions lying within it.


    The despair, sadness, self-loathing, and regret. They all merged in her words and it made his eyes widen.


    "I have thought about death a lot. For countless nights, I couldn''t sleep thinking about him. Whether he''s watching over me or not. Whether he''s in a better ce or not. Hey, Chin-Hwa, have you ever felt the pain of your chest being ripped open and your heart being stolen?" She asked.


    Thetter couldn''t answer that question and the reason was simple. He had never felt that kind of pain yet he knew it sounded like a horrifying thing.


    "That is what I felt when I realized that I will never see him again... I cannot move on because I was never meant to move on. The only reason I''m still here and alive is because of him and I''m not going to waste that. But, if I didn''t have that within me... I would''ve never stayed a second in this shitty world." She added with apletely calm tone as if what she said wasn''t extremely terrifying.


    "..." Thosest words were like a bombshell that fell on Chin-Hwa''s head. Looking at the president''s side silhouette and all he could see was just in reality. He instantly knew that she meant every single word she just said.


    ''... She... She meant it... She had truly thought about ending it all.'' He thought to himself as he blinked. Staring at the girl with a dark expression under the rain. He felt that crushed look on her face.


    That was when he realized that he had truly underestimated how much Hyun-Jae cared for Talon.


    He had seen how she slowly fell for him, how her attitude toward him changed day by day. Yet, he had never truly thought that it was more than an infatuation at most. He had thought that it was simply a feeling she gained because she saw a capable person in Talon in a world where people desperately looked forfort.


    Yet, at that very moment, Chin-Hwa realized that it was far more than mere infatuation. At some point, Talon had be Hyun-Jae''s life and goal. He was the reason she even though vigorously and when he died, she had lost everything.


    Everything she was doing now was simply her fulfilling his wish of creating a safe world for everyone to live. If that goales to an end one day then...


    Chin-Hwa couldn''t even finish that thought without feeling a shudder running through his very spine.


    "President, that..."


    "Leader!"


    Before he could even speak, a person approached them in a hurry carrying amunication device for Hyun-Jae. Thetter turned around and looked at him with a frown. "What?" Explore more stories with m,v l''e-NovelBin


    "The... The invaders! One of them wants to talk to you!"


    Hearing that, Hyun-Jae frowned visibly as she took themunicator. "They want to talk to me? Did they already..." Muttering to herself, she tapped the button.


    That was when she heard it, a very subtle breathing.


    "Who is it? Speak."


    A//N: Thanks for reading.


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!