The girls instinctively covered their noses, but it was too late. The potion’s effects were swift and potent.
“What did you do?” one of the girls panicked, her voice shaky as she suddenly felt an overwhelming heat course through her body. A strange, itchy sensation started to spread in her private places.
The young man laughed darkly. “You naïve girls never heard of an aphrodisiac potion before? That’s good. We’re going to have some fun, don’t worry, virgin b**ches!”
He then sneered, his eyes gleaming with greed. “But first, hand over that soul treasure. With it, I can unlock an extra active skill sloy with this.”
As he reached to snatch the glowing orb from the girl’s trembling hand, who was distracted by the effects of the potion, another hand appeared out of nowhere and swiftly took the orb from her grasp, before the young man could get his hands on it.
Aengus stood there, holding the orb, his expression calm and calculative.
The young man looked at Aengus’ handsome face, which irritated him further.
His anger flared. “Who are you? Give it back!” he barked.
The girls, however, were visibly relieved. “Th-thank you for helping us, Hero.” Their eyes were full of gratitude, and they hid behind Aengus, seeking safety.
Aengus showed no expression in response to their superficial gratitude.
“No need. I’m not here to meddle in your affairs. I’ll be taking this. You three can continue.” With that, Aengus began to walk away.
The girls and the young man stared in disbelief.
How can someone not help after seeing such beauty and being in such a tempting situation?
“Hey, where are you going? Where’s your humanity? Please help us!” the wealthy, beautiful girl begged.
However, Aengus’ footsteps didn’t falter.
“How can you have no kindness at all?” the girl finally shed real tears, imagining their future. They had hoped to gather in a large group and acquire incredible items and treasures, but fate was playing a cruel joke on them.
“Shiiiingg!”
Just as Aengus was leaving, the sound of a blade being unsheathed pierced the tense air. The young man, now fuming with rage and humiliation, stood with his sword drawn, his eyes locked on Aengus.
“You’re not going anywhere, pretty boy!” he growled, his tone dripping with malice. “You think you can just walk away with that soul treasure and leave me here? I’ll kill you and those b**ches too!”
Aengus paused, turning slightly, but his expression remained indifferent, as if the young man’s threats were nothing more than idle chatter.
He gave the girls a quick glance, noticing the fear in their eyes, but he wanted to be true to his earlier words-he had no interest in their affairs.
But the young man’s intervention changed everything. He had to be dealt with quick.
The wealthy girl, now desperate, called out again, her voice trembling. “Please, don’t leave us! We’ll do anything, just save us from him!”
The young man smirked, gripping his sword tighter, clearly enjoying the power he held over the terrified girls.
“Hear that, pretty boy? They’re begging for your help. What kind of ‘hero’ turns his back on women in distress?”
Aengus finally stopped walking, letting out a long sigh. Without turning fully to face them, he spoke calmly. “Hero? You misunderstand. I’m not a hero, not here to save anyone. But if you’re looking for death you will get one. It’s your last chance to flee from here.”
The young man, emboldened by what he perceived as Aengus’ looking down on him, charged forward, sword raised.
“Die, you arrogant bastard!”
Swoosh
In a flash, Aengus vanished from his spot, reappearing behind the young man with his blade in his hand. A small, almost imperceptible movement of Aengus’ blade sent a gust of air slicing through the space between them.
The young man froze mid-step, his eyes wide with disbelief. He looked down and saw his stomach had been cut cleanly by the waists, as his upper body fell down like sleepery mass.
“Wh-what… how?” he seemed disbelief, his upper body and lowered body laid there. He was a C-Rank hunter for god’s sake. So how could this happen?
“Ahh!” his horror filled scream echoed throughout, sending a chill down at two girl’s spine, their eyes full of dread.
Aengus didn’t even glance back as he resumed walking. “Like I said, I’m not here to meddle with your affairs. You should have thought twice before attacking me.”
The girls watched in stunned silence, their initial fear of Aengus now replaced with deep terror.
Though they were safe, but the cold indifference after killing Aengus displayed left them shaken to their core. The smell of urination spread like wildflower, marking the level of their terror.
Without another word, Aengus disappeared into the dense jungle, leaving behind a dead man and two women caught between relief and dread.
However.
As the girls were about to relax, they saw Aengus returning again. Their breath caught in their throats.
“Why was he returning again?”
“Ahh! Don’t kill us! We didn’t do anything to you! We don’t want the treasure either!” they cried out in panic, their voices trembling.
Aengus looked at them, bewildered by their reaction. “Relax, I’m not here to kill you two. But, if you tell anyone about this, your end will be bad.” He flashed a dangerous smile.
The girls hurriedly replied, relief mixed with fear on their faces. “Yes, of course, of course. We won’t speak a word.”
Aengus considered killing them for a moment, but he knew that if he did, the Heart of Darkness within him would slowly influence his being completely.
Rejecting the idea, he instead asked, “Where did you two find this? I only came here to ask that.”
Aengus glanced at the white orb in his hand.
[Appraisal]
[Soul Core 1x]
[ Rank: C ]
[Description: The Soul Cores are found in the bodies of Nyx Creatures. Nyx Creatures are capable of traveling through spatial fabrics using their special Soul Body alone. Soul Cores can slightly increase the user’s soul power.]
The orb’s background intrigued him. Even though it won’t heal his soul, he wondered if it could lead to the solution to his current problem.
“That way… we found it inside a cave in that direction, on one of the hilltops,” one of the girls said, pointing toward where Aengus had initially been headed.
Using his All-Seeing Eyes, Aengus judged their body language and confirmed they were telling the truth.
He turned and left, and this time, he didn’t come back.
