CHAPTER 121
Two figures streaked through the darkness, their movements a blur as they rushed forward with wheeling mobility.
Suddenly, their advance came to an abrupt halt as a monstrous roar tore through the forest, shattering the eerie silence.
Dread etched across their faces as they exchanged a contemplative glance.
The cloaked scout spoke first, his voice laced with apprehension.
“That must be a Bulfor. Ox-like monsters of tremendous strength. They are a terrible matchup for speed-based fighters like us.”
His partner, a scarred man named Vaughn, remained silent for a few heartbeats before his gaze hardened with grim determination.
“We’re going forward.”
“But Vaughn,” Flynn protested, “a Bulfor is a beast-rank monster. Even as Nomad ranks, challenging one seems foolish, doesn’t it?”
Vaughn scowled, his jaw set.
“Headmaster Gilbert entrusted us with an important task, to witness the capabilities of the stranger who survived a Tier V rift for six months. You want us to abandon that chance because you’re scared?” freewёbn૦νeɭ.com
Flynn frowned, averting his eyes. “I never said I was scared.”
“I don’t care what you said,” Vaughn retorted, grabbing Flynn’s shoulder in a firm grip. “Flynn. Man up. When exactly do you plan to become strong if you keep acting like a twerp?”
As Vaughn addressed him, Flynn lowered his head, his grip tightening with trembling force.
“You have an A-class talent of stealth, Flynn. I’ve seen the potential for true power in you these past six months that I’ve met you. But if you let fear grip you like this, you’ll never amount to anything – just a coward.”
Vaughn’s words hung heavy in the air before he continued, his tone softer.
“We’re going after the Bulfor. The stranger must have engaged it already. This is our chance to observe his abilities firsthand and report back to the Headmaster.”
“It’s not that I’m scared,” Flynn murmured, but Vaughn cut him off with a reassuring smile.
“Don’t worry, I understand. Let’s move.”
With a curt nod, the pair shot forward once more, their swift strides carrying them deeper into the forest.
As they closed the distance, the thunderous cries of battling monsters grew louder, punctuated by the sickening crunch of rending flesh and splintering bone.
Finally, they skidded to an abrupt halt, their eyes widening at the macabre scene unfolding before them.
A sinister, inhuman creature raked its claws along a Bulfor’s hide in slow, agonizing strips, parting flesh from bone with sadistic lethargy.
Blood-curdling terror gripped them by the heart, their blood running cold as their faces paled.
Their legs trembled, rendering the simple act of standing a Herculean task.
The terrifying beast turned its gaze upon them, studying them through blazing crimson orbs.
A few heartbeats later, a thin, grotesque smile curled at the edges of its bestial maw.
In that moment, they knew they were utterly doomed.
‘Oh… crap. What’s with the evil grin on that bastard’s face?’ Northern thought.
Northern had suspected a lingering manifestation of Night Terror’s persona would remain in its soul.
Witnessing its menacing, bloodthirsty behavior only cemented this suspicion further.
His initial plan had been to observe how these two drifters would fare against such a monstrous entity – a bit of morbid entertainment, so to speak.
Truth be told, he’d genuinely expected them to persevere, to put up a valiant fight.
There were two of them, after all.
But all his expectations shattered as he watched them frozen in abject terror, trembling like leaves in the wind as Dark Terror advanced upon them with the inexorable stride of death itself.
Northern watched their pitiful display unfold, disappointment gnawing at him.
‘Are they really going to do nothing?’
He vividly recalled his first encounter with Night Terror, how even when ambushed, he fought back with everything he had.
‘I thought there was supposed to be a fight-or-flight adrenaline response,’ he inwardly hissed. ‘Why are these morons just frozen? If they can’t fight, they should at least flee!’
As Night Terror loomed over them, its crimson flames of eyes burning into their souls, the creature suddenly froze and dissipated into a writhing vortex of black flames.
‘This is so damned annoying,’ Northern muttered from his vantage point on a nearby tree branch, observing with undisguised disdain as the two drifters crumbled to their knees.
Their legs were rendered useless, their backs soaked with cold sweat.
The scarred man’s hands trembled uncontrollably, no matter how fiercely he gripped them—
Flynn, cloaked, stared vacantly ahead, drool and beads of sweat streaming down his jaw.
Northern regarded their pitiful forms for a few more seconds before melting back into the concealing embrace of darkness.
With deft agility, he leaped from tree to tree until a towering mansion came into view.
‘This must be it,’ he mused with a wry smile, landing lightly on the ground just outside the forest’s edge.
As he started forward, something gave him pause, and he glanced over his shoulder at the dense treeline.
“The forest is overflowing with all manner of monsters…I hope they make it back safely,” he muttered, a rare flicker of concern crossing his features.
Turning his attention to his immediate surroundings, he noted the odd absence of any hostile creatures in the area surrounding the mansion – just a sprawling expanse of low bushes. ‘Weird…’
His gaze shifted between the teeming forest and the foreboding structure, a contemplative frown creasing his brow.
‘Plenty of monsters lurk within those woods, yet they don’t venture beyond its boundaries. Either they vastly prefer that terrain, or…’ His eyes narrowed slightly as they settled on the mansion once more. ‘There’s something far more dangerous lying in wait inside that place.’
The memory of the rampaging Bulfors resurfaced, hardened warriors of the Red Mine Kingdom that had battled such oxen-
like monstrosities on open ground countless times.
“I’ve fought those ox-headed beasts extensively in the rift,” Northern murmured. “While they do favor forested areas, they don’t outright avoid open spaces…”
As the pieces fell into place, a wide, feral grin split his face.
“There’s something stronger inside that’s keeping them at bay.”
With eager anticipation thrumming through his veins, Northern strode forward… perhaps, he too… would finally get some chance to show off his abilities.