As Rick's insidious voice echoed in the sulfurous wind of the Crimson Forest, Aren's consciousness swayed back and forth like walking on a tightrope.
Drawing strength from the charred tree he was leaning against, Aren slightly straightened up. Even this simple movement caused his broken ribs to rub against each other, but his facial expression did not change.
He spat the blood in his mouth onto the ground; the blood sizzled and evaporated on the volcanic soil.
"You're going to let me go, is that it?" Aren said. His voice was raspy due to the burns on his throat, but there wasn't the slightest trace of fear in it. "Just like you did to James, Rick?"
That insidious smile on Rick's face froze for a moment, then took on an even more savage form.
"James was weak, Aren. He was a burden. And getting rid of a burden is the purest form of mercy. But I see you still have the strength to speak."
At a signal from Rick, the men with the spear and the sword tightened their circle around Aren even further.
Rick drew his bow, the green poison at the tip of the arrow glowing in the twilight.
Seraphina's serious voice echoed in his mind. "Your mana is at a critical level. Your body is at its limit. You must be fast. If the battle drags on, you will lose."
Aren's right hand gripped the hilt of his black sword so tightly that the creaking of his gloves could be heard. He didn't answer. He didn't want to waste any more energy by speaking.
Rick burst into laughter. He gestured with his head to the men with the spear and sword beside him.
"Did you see that? Our lion is half dead but he still wants to resist. Finish him off without causing too much pain, boys."
Aren's eyes narrowed.
'Three people. One close, one mid-range. And Rick will provide support from afar. Classic but effective.'
Taking courage from Aren's wounded state, the swordsman dashed forward recklessly. Swinging his sword with a wild shout..
He was fast. But not fast enough for Aren.
Despite being injured, Aren still possessed the reflexes granted by his high stats.
As the man's sword cleaved through the air, Aren turned slightly to the side right where he stood. The sword sliced through the empty space of his robe.
The man opened his eyes in astonishment. He didn't expect Aren to be this agile.
Aren gripped his black sword with a reverse grip. He didn't use mana. He didn't need to. His 61 Strength stat was lethal even with pure muscle power.
He violently smashed the hilt of the sword into the man's temple.
The sound of the skull bone cracking echoed in the forest. The swordsman's eyes rolled back, and his body collapsed to the ground like a puppet. He wasn't dead, but his consciousness was completely shut down.
Whether he would ever wake up again was uncertain.
Seeing his friend floored in a single move, the spearman hesitated in panic.
"What?!"
"Idiots!" Rick shouted from behind. He had already drawn his bow. "Don't dally, kill him!"
Rick released the bowstring. The poisoned arrow dripping with green liquid whizzed toward Aren's chest.
Aren saw the arrow.
It was a speed he could normally catch easily, but right now his body was reacting late to his commands.
He raised his sword.
The arrow struck the broad surface of the sword and ricocheted. However, due to the impact of the collision, Aren's wrist ached and he staggered backward.
The spearman did not miss this opportunity. He thrust his spear toward Aren's stomach.
Aren was in no condition to dodge.
Aren reached forward with his left hand, his empty hand. He caught the tip of the spear directly in his palm.
The sharp metal couldn't pierce the leather glove. When the impact from the spear spread through his entire body, a pain-filled expression appeared on Aren's face.
After coughing up blood, Aren firmly gripped the spear with his hand.
The spearman tried to pull his weapon back, but to no avail.
The spear was locked in Aren's hand like a vise.
Aren raised his head. His burnt face and his hazel eyes glowing with a golden color became the spearman's nightmare.
An invisible, suffocating killing intent descended upon the man. The passive skill 'Bloodlust' had activated. After killing dozens of 'living beings,' Aren's bloodlust had grown exceedingly strong.
The man's knees trembled, his breath hitched. He realized at that moment that the thing before him wasn't a wounded human, but a cornered monster.
"L-Let go..." the man stammered.
Holding the man by his spear, Aren pulled him toward himself. The black sword in his right hand traced an arc.
The spearman's scream turned into a muffled gurgle as his throat was slit. As his body collapsed to the ground, his hands were still trying to clutch his throat.
Experience gained.
Aren threw away the spear in his hand in disgust.
He slowly turned his gaze to Rick.
There was no trace left of that arrogant smirk on Rick's face. The hand holding the bow was trembling. His two men had been slaughtered in seconds, and by a wounded man at that.
"What... What the hell are you?!" Rick shouted as he stepped backward. He tried to shoot another arrow, but out of fear, he couldn't nock the arrow onto the bowstring. The arrow slipped from his hand and fell to the ground.
Aren began walking toward him with his blood-dripping sword. He was limping, every step brought pain, but he didn't stop.
As Rick looked at him, he was taking steps backward as if he had seen his executioner.
Rick's back hit a tree. He had nowhere left to run.
"Wait! Wait, we can make a deal!" Rick raised his hands in the air.
"Potions! Yes, I have the potions! I'll give them all to you! Healing potions, antidotes... Let them all be yours! Just let me go!"
Aren stopped. He was a few steps in front of Rick.
"Potions?" Aren said, tilting his head slightly to the side.
"Yes! Yes!" Seeing Aren stop, Rick became hopeful. He quickly took off the pouch at his waist and held it out toward Aren.
"Take it! They're all inside."
Aren looked at the pouch. Then at Rick's eyes.
"I'm going to take those potions anyway." Aren said.
Rick's eyes widened in terror.
"Wait! Please! I have a skill. I can help you find others! I can even help you hide. I'll do whatever you want, please. Just don't kill me."
'His skill is very useful, but I can't trust him. Especially when I'm this injured. I have to kill him.' Aren thought.
In a last-ditch effort, Rick tried to reach for the dagger at his waist. He was going to pull the same insidious move on Aren that he used to kill James.
But Aren wasn't James.
The sword flashed.
Aren's strike was so fast that Rick saw the image before he felt the pain.
Rick's right arm, reaching for the dagger, was severed at the elbow and fell to the ground.
"AAAAAGGHHH!"
Clutching his bleeding stump, Rick collapsed to the ground. His screams echoed in the Crimson Forest. His drool, snot, and tears had mixed together.
"Please! Please don't kill me! I swear I'll never cross your path again!"
The black sword descended.
Rick's pleas were buried in a sharp silence. His head separated from his torso and rolled onto the soil.
Experience gained.
CONGRATULATIONS!
Level 18 > Level 19
Your stats have increased by 1 point.
The forest fell into silence once again.
Aren let out a deep breath, and at that moment, the adrenaline keeping his body upright withdrew. His legs trembled, and he collapsed right where he was, next to Rick's bloody corpse.
"You did a good job." Seraphina said.
"Healing potions." Aren said, pulling the pouch Rick had dropped on the ground toward himself.
Just as he guessed, inside were two vials of red-colored 'Healing Potion' and a few vials he thought were poisons or antidotes.
Without a second thought, Aren opened one of the red vials and downed it.
The taste was disgusting, but its effect was incredible.
As soon as the potion reached his stomach, a cooling wave spread through his body. The stinging sensation in his ribs lessened, the skin on his burnt face tightened and began to itch. This was similar to the time he drank the vitality potion, but the effects were significantly lesser.
"Ah..." Aren rested his head against the tree in relief. "That really felt good."
He drank the second vial right after, without waiting at all.
Thanks to the healing factor of his 'Flawless Physique' and the healing potion, Aren was feeling a little better now. He didn't suffer as much pain while making simple movements.
Suddenly, dangerous roars were heard from the depths of the forest. The sounds were getting closer and closer.
His body was begging to rest, but his mind was in survival mode. Still, the healing potion he drank had healed him enough to get him away from here safely.
"Let's go."
With a final effort, Aren moved away from there. He wasn't running, because he had no strength to run. He glided silently through the shadows like a wounded wolf.
The sounds of predators coming from behind intensified when they reached the clearing he had just fought in. The creatures were already tearing into each other for the corpses of Rick and his men.
Taking advantage of this chaos, Aren slipped away without a trace.
About thirty minutes later, he found a narrow crevice formed by massive rocks. Its entrance was hidden by vines and thorny bushes.
It looked like the first cave he had found, but the inside was narrow and low, yet right now it was no different from a palace to him.
Aren threw himself inside and slumped to the ground, leaning his back against the warm stone.
Aren took a deep breath. The healing potion he drank continued to show its effect, but his body, disobeying him, was slowly growing lethargic.
"I shouldn't sleep." he said. But his eyelids refused to listen to him.
Aren couldn't hold on any longer, and with his exhausted body, he surrendered himself to the arms of sweet sleep.
When Aren opened his eyes, he didn't know how long he had slept.
The inside of the cave was pitch black; only a feeble, crimson light seeping through the cracks illuminated the interior.
The first thing he noticed was the silence. The noise of the forest had turned into a muffled hum coming from afar.
The second thing he noticed was the smell.
A sharp, metallic, and burnt skin smell.
He brought his hand to his face. His skin, stretched tight from the burns, was now flaking off. The healing potion had done its job. The severe burns on his face and body were replaced by fresh, pink skin.
The stinging sensation in his ribs had completely disappeared.
"Did the princess get her beauty sleep?"
Seraphina's mocking voice echoed in his mind.
Aren stretched his shoulders to shake off the numbness. His joints cracked.
"How long did I sleep?" he asked, his voice raspy from sleep.
"About six hours. You are lucky that no creature noticed this place." Seraphina said.
Aren took a deep breath. He tried to stand up, but an immense pain greeted him.
"Your body hasn't fully healed yet. It would be best if you rest here for a few days." Seraphina paused for a brief moment, her tone turning serious.
Aren nodded in agreement.
He decided to look at his stats, which he hadn't checked for a while.
Title: None
Level: 19
Name: Aren Khan
Race: Human
Physique: Flawless Physique
Bloodline: None
Age: 26
Height: 192CM
Weight: 88KG
Vitality: 65->73
Strength: 61->69
Agility: 55->63
Endurance: 77->86
Intelligence: 114->121
Wisdom: 104->111
Soul: 192->199
Mana: 100->116
Skills: Bloodlust (Passive), Advanced Sword Mastery (Passive), Phantom Step (Passive), Divine Phoenix Mantra Chapter 1 (Passive & Active), Basic Vision (Active), Mana Reinforcement (Active)
Aren fixed his eyes on the stat screen. His mind was scanning the numbers with the meticulousness of an accountant.
"From Level 13 to 19." he muttered. Aren closed the stat screen.
The air inside the cave was even hotter than the Crimson Forest outside. However, the source of this heat was not the volcanic ground, but the palm-sized flower standing in front of Aren.
Crimson Lotus.
The flower painted the pitch-black cave in crimson, as if it were a miniature sun.
"How am I going to eat this?" Aren said, swallowing hard.
His instincts were warning him not to eat the Crimson Lotus.
Seraphina's voice was clear and warning in his mind. "You are not going to eat it. This plant is not for eating. If you attempt such a thing with your current body, you will probably die by melting from the inside out."
"Then what will I do? Just watch it?" Aren asked.
"No." said Seraphina.
"Using the Divine Phoenix Mantra, you will slowly consume all the energy of the Crimson Lotus."
He took the Crimson Lotus between his two palms; he could feel the burning heat of the Lotus in his hands. Aren, whose pain tolerance was exceedingly high, didn't care.
Aren looked at the Crimson Lotus he held in his palms.
The plant throbbed in his hand as if it were a living heart, emitting waves of heat rhythmically.
The pitch-black darkness of the cave was illuminated by that mesmerizing, blood-red light radiating from the plant.
"Are you ready to begin?" Seraphina said.