Chapter 296: Anyone else wants to die ?

Ten long minutes passed as Rees lay on the cold ground, staring blankly at the sky with his body completely immobile.

Then—

Something stirred.

"...I can move," Rees muttered in disbelief.

Mana slowly returned to his bones. He clenched his bony fingers, then forced himself upright.

"Sir Leon..." His voice trembled. "I have to find Sir Leon."

His gaze dropped to the ground.

Large, deep footprints were carved into the earth.

"The tracks of that Rexian Bear."

Without wasting another second, Rees followed them.

After barely three minutes of hurried walking, the air grew thick with a metallic stench.

A trail of blood stretched ahead, leading straight into a massive cave carved into the rock.

It was as if Leon was struggling to run out of the cave and the bear dragged him back inside.

"Oh no..." Rees whispered.

He stepped inside the cave and started walking forward.

*Step-step-step-step-step*

Each footfall echoed ominously through the darkness. His grip on his wand tightened as a single thought repeated endlessly in his mind.

’Please don’t be dead... Please don’t be dead... Sir Leon... you’re stronger than this.’

*Thud*

Suddenly, his leg struck something large.

At first, it felt like a stone. But it was... softer than a stone.

"I should have enough mana now..." Rees muttered. "Illuminate."

A small sphere of pale light bloomed into existence right over his wand.

The moment it lit the ground—

Rees staggered back two full steps.

"H-How is that...?"

What his leg had struck wasn’t a rock. It was one of the Rexian Bear’s heads.

Severed in a very rough manner.

Its massive jaw was shattered, teeth broken and scattered across the cave floor. It was as if something or someone grabbed it’s upper and lower jaw and tore them open.

"What the hell happened here...?" Rees whispered in low tone.

But ignoring the head with so many questions in his head, he moved deeper into the cave.

Blood coated the walls. Deep gouges tore through the ground. Signs of violent struggle were everywhere, but the claw marks and impact dents were massive.

Too massive.

"These... these aren’t Sir Leon’s marks..." Rees realized. "They’re the bear’s marks..."

His pace quickened.

*Splash*

His foot suddenly sank into a shallow pit that was filled with warm water.

"Hm ?"

Rees looked down using the light ball and...

It wasn’t water.

It was red-hot blood, still steaming faintly.

"Rees..." A calm voice echoed from deeper within the cave. "Is that you?"

"Y-Yes, sir Leon!" Rees replied instantly. "Where are y-"

He raised the light orb higher and froze.

Before him lay the corpse of the giant Rexian Bear.

Its second head had also been torn off. Its jaw was completely destroyed just like the first one. Its massive body was twisted unnaturally, ribs caved in as if crushed by overwhelming force, back bone was molded down into it’s ribs.

And sitting atop it’s corpse was...

Leon.

Completely drenched in it’s blood.

His eyes glowed a vivid crimson, sharp and merciless.

A terrifying bloodlust poured out from his body, so dense that even Rees, an undead, felt fear claw at his Necro-heart.

"S-Sir Leon..." Rees dropped to one knee immediately and bowed.

*Thud*

Leon jumped down from the corpse and landed right beside him. His long black hair fell messily over his blood-smeared face.

"Care to explain," Leon asked calmly, "why I woke up inside that thing’s mouth..."

His gaze shifted briefly to Rees’ arm.

"...and why you’re missing a fucking hand ?"

"Y-Yes, sir," Rees replied quickly.

As they walked out of the cave, Rees explained everything...every spell, every decision, every desperate gamble he had made in the past hour to save Leon’s life.

...

Ten minutes later,

"I understand," Leon said. "You did well, Rees."

He paused.

"And... we’ll deal with your hand soon. I will find a corpse for you to get a new hand from."

Then he glanced at himself.

"But first... I want to take a shower."

Leon suddenly bent down, placing both hands against the ground.

Rees blinked. "Sir... why are you...?"

Hup

Before he could’ve completed his question, Leon vanished upward.

Not a leap. A powerful launch.

He soared over fifty meters and plunged straight into the river below.

*SPLASH*

"...Wow," Rees muttered, stunned, as he started walking toward the riverbank.

...

*Splash*

After washing the blood from his body, Leon stepped out of the river.

His physique had changed.

Lean—yet far more muscular. Every movement carried quiet, terrifying power.

Rees was already waiting for him outside.

"Rees," Leon said with a neutral expression. "We’re going home."

"Y-Yes, sir," Rees replied, following behind.

Leon glanced down at his shirt, still stained red with blood. Without hesitation, he removed it and tossed it aside.

They walked on for the next five kilometres without speaking anything.

Then suddenly,

*Halt*

Leon stopped.

"S-Something wrong, sir ?" Rees asked with a confused expression.

<Sixth Sense>

*Swish*

*Catch*

Leon raised his hand instantly, catching something mid-air without even looking at it.

Rees turned sharply in order to look for the thrower.

"There’s nothing..."

Leon opened his palm.

A thin needle rested there, coated in green liquid.

<Inspect>

[Name: Blue Moringo’s Needle]

[Rank: B]

[Description: A projectile fired from a Blue Moringo’s tail. Coated with lethal poison capable of killing a target within seconds.]

Leon slowly turned toward the trees.

His eyes glowed red and a vicious smile appeared over his lips.

’The bloodlust...’ Rees thought.

’It’s increasing. Even the mana around him is twisting. What the hell did that core do to him ?’

<Glitch Point>

Red dots appeared across the trees that surrounded them.

*Swish—Swish—Swish*

Three more needles shot toward Leon with high speed.

He tilted his head...

’right... right... left.’

All needles missed him.

"Instant Kill," Leon murmured.

<Instant Kill>

[All targets are killable!!]

"Kill."

His eyes turned pitch black.

Steelweb armor surged across his body and covered him in a black armour.

*Swish*

And then he vanished.

"Uhhuh...?"

"Uwhuhuhu...?"

The Blue Moringos—green, monkey-like beasts with long, needle-tails got confused as soon as Leon disappeared from their vision.

A shadow appeared behind one of them, the one who fired needles at him in the first place.

"Searching for me...?"

"Kwehh—!"

Leon grabbed its head and twisted. It was so fast and so brutal, almost monstrous to look at.

Once.

Twice.

*Crack—Crack*

*Thud*

The corpse hit the ground.

The other moringos understood immediately as their eyes widened and fur started to stand up in fear.

"Anyone else want to die ?" Leon asked calmly, his crimson eyes locking onto them.

"Huhuhuhuhu...!"

"Huhuhuhuhuhuuu...!"

They fled instantly, leaping from branch to branch without looking back.

"Good," Leon said. "I didn’t want blood stains on me again."

He disappeared—

—and reappeared in front of Rees.

"Let’s go."