Chapter 44: Encounter
“Damn, this is practically teleportation now,” he thought, marveling at the astonishing leap in his upgraded skills.
With an epic skill at his command, he felt unrivaled.
“None of my peers can match me in movement speed now…”
He was briefly overjoyed, but his excitement faded as he saw the absurd requirements to elevate his epic skill to the next level.
Requirements: 1,500,000 experience points and 3 epic skills.
“This is insane. That’s an outrageous amount of experience, plus three epic skills, just to reach legendary?” he muttered to himself.
Little did he know, most veteran origin warriors had never encountered an epic skill, let alone a legendary one. The task felt overwhelming now, given his novice status, but he knew that as he raised his cultivation, gathering experience would eventually become easier.
Just then, Clauny, who had just finished collecting loot, came closer and waved her small hand in front of his face, breaking him from his thoughts.
“Hey, are you okay?”
He nodded at her, and Jokyr took one last look at the ravaged surroundings before giving the order:
“Let’s go!”
What ran through Jokyr’s mind, no one could tell.
Slash!
With a flashing crossed slash, Jokyr and Swordy sliced through a massive rat together, killing it instantly. As the creature collapsed, disintegrating into shimmering light, Jokyr sheathed his weapon and looked up at the faintly shining gem above, just before its light dimmed.
“Slow down,” he commanded, raising his fist slightly.
Vincent and the others immediately halted.
“We’re near the last point we explored. Let’s switch out the illuminary stone before moving forward. Rossy!” Jokyr called.
“On it!” Rossy responded quickly.
As they took a brief rest, Vincent remained on high alert, scanning their surroundings. He sensed that something unusual lurked further ahead.
Based on Jokyr’s remarks and the area they had just explored, it seemed highly abnormal to encounter a group of primals led by a peak Tier 1 leader here. Despite his enhanced senses, courtesy of his chaos energy, Vincent stayed cautious; he was keenly aware he wasn’t invincible.
His chaos energy even allowed him glimpses into the future through clairvoyance, but he was reluctant to use it unless absolutely necessary. Unleashing it fully would be risky since he couldn’t control it yet. Even a minor use might disrupt his perception, making the ability unpredictable.
“It’s done, leader,” Rossy reported.
“Alright, let’s move out,” Jokyr ordered.
As they resumed, Jokyr spoke, slowing his pace slightly. “Be ready. This time, we’re fighting the Blackbite Rat Leader. Last time, we couldn’t defeat it due to its overwhelming summoning abilities, but we’ve practiced for it now. Plus, we have Shroud’s help this time. Just stay focused and follow my lead. Understood?”
“Yes!” they all replied in unison.
Soon, Vincent spotted a wide cave entrance in the distance. Focusing his senses, he frowned.
“There it is—the Blackbite Rat Leader’s den. Move carefully!” Jokyr announced.
They can’t sense it, Vincent thought, his brows furrowing.
Before they could step inside, he held up a hand.
“Wait.”
The others halted, turning to him in confusion.
“What’s wrong, Shroud?” Clauny asked, standing beside him.
“There’s something inside. Be careful,” Vincent warned.
Swordy, however, rolled his eyes.
“Isn’t that obvious? We’re here to get revenge on that rat leader.”
He made Vincent’s concern seem unnecessary, but Jokyr wasn’t dismissive. Now that he had seen Vincent’s strength, he took his words seriously.
“Enough. Stay close. Moving with caution won’t hurt,” Jokyr instructed, and Swordy begrudgingly followed the command.
They entered the den, and Jokyr soon sensed something was wrong. Normally, they’d be swarmed by low-level blackbite rats by now.
Yet several minutes passed, and they hadn’t encountered a single primal.
“Where are all the primals?” Clauny finally voiced, noticing the unusual silence.
“The answer might lie behind that light…” Rossy murmured, staring at a large, glowing hole in the distance.
They approached the source of the light, finding themselves peering into an abyss teeming with countless small black shapes. Focusing, they realized it was a sea of blackbite rats!
In the middle of the swarm, a group of origin warriors—two females and three males—stood surrounded, their armor tattered, their masks broken. Their faces were visible now, showing exhaustion and despair.
Humans. They were all humans.
One warrior, a striking woman with black hair, was the group’s last line of defense, relentlessly releasing gusts of wind despite her fatigue. Vincent blinked in surprise; he recognized her. She wasn’t just any warrior.
“Ana Blackwings…” he whispered.
Clauny and the others gasped, taken aback by the scene.
“Are those… disgusting rats?!” Clauny exclaimed.
“A group of humans trapped in that sea of rats!” Rossy pointed out, noting Ana’s party’s desperate situation.
“They’re as good as dead,” Swordy muttered, scowling.
“Leader, we have to help them!” Clauny pleaded, glancing at Jokyr.
Jokyr stayed silent, his expression tense. He wanted to help, but as their leader, he couldn’t afford to endanger his own team without weighing the risks. Was it worth it? Could they manage it safely?
Seeing him hesitate, Clauny grew more anxious, shaking his arm in frustration.
“What are you doing, leader? They’re going to die. You have to decide!”
“Clauny…” Rossy and Swordy murmured, concerned about her agitation.
As Jokyr deliberated, Ana took a deep breath below, wiping sweat from her flawless face. She glanced over at her little translucent-winged, horned rabbit on her shoulder—her summoned companion, ‘Little Winter,’ who looked equally drained.
“Are you alright, Little Winter?” she asked softly.
The tiny creature blinked its crystal blue eyes, pushing through its exhaustion and nodding in determination.
“I’m sorry to ask more of you, but we need your help to create a path,” Ana said gently.
Little Winter shook its head, signaling her not to worry, then floated above her, preparing to fight. Ana’s hand glowed with a soft white light as she activated an innate skill.
“Boost!” she commanded, channeling her energy into the creature.
With a faint squeak, Little Winter unleashed twin whirlwinds, ripping through the sea of rats. But as the whirlwinds faded, the tiny creature wobbled in the air, on the verge of collapsing.
“Winter!” Ana cried, racing to catch her summon. But as she reached for it, rats surged through the gap left by the whirlwinds.
“Ana, look out!” one of her female companions shouted, warning her of the danger.
Ana glimpsed the approaching swarm over her shoulder, her face paling. She closed her eyes, bracing herself for the inevitable. Yet, instead of an attack, she heard the sound of rats squealing in pain—and then, a familiar voice.
“Are you alright?”
She opened her eyes, astonished, to see a tall figure standing before her, his face hidden by an emerald mask.
“You…”
Her eyes widened. She could recognize the man in front of her despite hiding under a mask.
