Ethan and Cedric watched Aria and Yona walk away before exchanging glances. A mischievous smirk spread across Cedric’s face.
“Haha… Ethan, you’ve really caught a big fish this time. A noble’s daughter, and an assassin at that. Should I start calling you brother-in-law from now on?”
Ethan shrugged with a playful glint in his eye. “Sure, if you’re looking to get smashed,” he smirked.
“Oops!” Cedric instantly stopped laughing, realizing he might have pushed too far.
“But seriously, Ethan,” Cedric continued, his tone shifting to a more serious note, “you just had to get involved with Sister Aria? You know my brother has a crush on her too. It’s going to be really awkward for me if you two ever meet.”
Ethan raised an eyebrow, considering Cedric’s words. “Ohh, I’ll keep that in mind,” he replied, sensing the underlying tension in the situation.
***
As the battlefield slowly cleared, the hunters began their return to the city. Some limped toward the medical tents, seeking urgent treatment, while others walked with heads held high, their hearts swelling with pride from hard-won victories.
A few, however, were weighed down by grief, their eyes hollow from the loss of comrades in the brutal fight. They carried their comrades bodies like a lifeless statue.
Not long after, a specialized unit of harvesters arrived on the scene to begin their grim work. The air was heavy with the stench of decay, mingling with the sharp, metallic scent of blood from countless fallen beasts.
With practiced efficiency, the harvesters moved among the carcasses, their hands steady as they extracted demonic cores from the Obsidian Terrors and salvaged every valuable resource they could find—fangs, hides, rare organs, and even enchanted bones from the ferocious beasts.
Their precision was unmatched, ensuring that nothing of worth was left behind, even in the aftermath of such devastation. The ground was stained with the remnants of battle, but the harvesters worked methodically, knowing that these spoils would fuel the city’s economy and perhaps even the next great conflict.
In their hands, the remnants of the fallen beasts would be repurposed into tools, weapons, and potions, turning the tragedy of the battlefield into a resource for survival.
…..
It was nighttime, and the full moon shone brightly in the clear sky, casting a serene glow over the cobblestone path towards the camp.
After parting ways with Cedric and Marcus, Ethan walked by the cobblestone path to reach his tent, his footsteps light and casual. As he walked, his thoughts drifted to the earlier moments with Aria, and a faint smile curved his lips.
For the first time in a long while, he felt a genuine sense of happiness. The thought of a bright future filled him with hope, a future he was determined to build, no matter the challenges.
But Ethan knew that hope alone wouldn’t be enough. To make that future a reality, he would need to work hard—harder than ever before.
His cheat abilities would give him an edge, but without hard work, even the most powerful skills would be wasted. For now, though, all those thoughts could wait. What he needed most at this moment was rest—a long-awaited, well-deserved sleep.
“Huh? What’s this?”
Ethan’s eyes were drawn to an eerie, apple-sized orb lying on the ground a few paces away. It pulsed with an ominous energy, dark and foreboding, casting long shadows in the moonlit night. A cold shiver ran down his spine as he instinctively took a step back, sensing something was terribly wrong.
His became alert, and immediately activated his Appraisal skill, hoping to discern the nature of the strange object. But the moment his ability latched onto the orb, a sharp, searing pain exploded in his eyes, as if they were being stabbed by red-hot needles. The pain quickly spread, enveloping his entire head in a blinding agony.
“Argh!” Ethan cried out, his hands flying to his face in a desperate attempt to rub away the pain. His vision blurred, and for a few terrifying moments, he could barely see. When his sight began to clear, he saw something that made his blood run cold.
The black orb, no longer inert, was now levitating a few feet off the ground, pulsating with dark energy that seemed to corrupt the very air around it. Tendrils of shadowy mist swirled around the orb, expanding outward like the creeping fingers of death itself.
“Damn… Why is it coming towards me?” Ethan muttered, fear lacing his words as he clutched his burning eyes with his hand. The orb, as if responding to his voice, began to move-slowly at first, then faster-closing the distance between them with terrifying speed.
Ethan’s instincts screamed at him to run, and he bolted, pushing his exhausted body to its limits. His heart pounded in his chest, each beat a frantic drum urging him to go faster. But it was no use.
The orb was unstoppable, darting through the air with unnatural speed.
In a heartbeat, it closed the gap, and before Ethan could even react, it struck him from behind. A sharp, sickening sound echoed in the night as the orb pierced through his body, leaving a gaping, corroded hole in its way.
“Ahh!” The pain was immediate and overwhelming. It was as though a molten blade had been driven through his spine, and every nerve in his body screamed in agony.
Ethan staggered forward, his legs giving out beneath him as he gasped for breath. The pain wasn’t just physical, it was as if the orb was tearing apart his very soul.
Yes, He could feel it. Deep inside him now, it was burrowing into his core. The dark energy spread through his veins like poison, burning him from the inside out.
“Argh…”
His vision dimmed, and the world around him began to blur, the edges of his consciousness fraying as he fought to stay awake.
But the pain was too much. It consumed him, drowning him in a sea of darkness as the orb nestled itself within him.
It was like it was trying consumed his very soul and claim his body of its own.
Ethan’s mind was clouded with agony and confusion, leaving him unable to think clearly or activate his unique skills. The ominous entity had overwhelmed him completely, leaving him helpless.
As the darkness closed in around him, Ethan’s thoughts drifted back to the beautiful moments he had shared with Aria. A fleeting smile crossed his pain-stricken face as he remembered her warmth and kindness.
“Is this finally the end?” he wondered, his thoughts fractured and fading. “Can I not even hope for a better future, where I might have a family of my own?”
He felt unconscious, and his body was slowly turning dark like the demons.
“Ding!”
[ Warning! Your unique Soul making an interference with the system ]
[ System rewriting….]
[ System rewriting complete ]
[ Congratulations, you have acquired a new active skill: MANAS (Divine)]
[ Description: MANAS (Melania Ava Norah Arabella Seraphine) is unique intelligent entity from higher dimensions, capable of doing task with unmatched intelligence ]
[ Ding! Due to lower dimensional restrictions, MANAS level had been reduced to SS level (Transcendental) ]
[ Ding! System rewriting again….]
[ Ding! Your System’s default User Interaction programme is being replaced by MANAS ]
[ Goodbye, User….]
It all happened in the blink of an eye, and no one had noticed. Not even Ethan, as he was unconscious. Otherwise, he would have been shocked to death. “What type of power could interfere with system administration?”
