This fast creature stood on the riverbank, its sharp teeth grinning at Arthur. The creature looked like a humanoid sailfish with pale blue skin, eyes of red spheres, and a long pointy nose. Instead of hair, the Mernar had a giant fin covering its head. It seemed to have a basic level of awareness as it giggled at Arthur before attacking again.

"Cling!"

The dagger and sword collided, and the two contenders were pushed several meters back. Then, as Arthur glared at it, the fast Mernar disappeared.

'Fast,' Arthur felt the air change beside him and had to duck to avoid the sword passing over his head. If he had a lapse of judgment and chose to dodge, a severed head might not be out of the question.

Arthur teleported away as the sword struck the ground to create a deep gash on it. As he appeared on the cliff a distance away, Arthur thought he obtained a moment of rest, but the creature was in front of him in an instant.

Despite not being a lot stronger than Arthur, a rei-ranker, the monster was a lot faster. As a result, Arthur had to use his perception to simply dodge, not even thinking of outrunning the fish monster.

'I might need to teleport away,' Arthur thought to himself, but his hand tightened around the dagger as he remembered Miko's words:

Only through hardships can one utilize their full potential. When one is placed in a disadvantageous battle, their survival instincts allow them to grow stronger to survive.

Arthur knew he could grow stronger than anyone with his runes and legacy, but he only needed the singular goal to do so. He needed a deep-rooted devotion to this goal, and he needed to stop at nothing to achieve it.

"An absolute pursuit of strength," Arthur muttered as his body glowed blue and his mana was restored. As soon as it did, his release rune amplified his agility and perception while ignoring everything else.

Arthur felt his perception of the world slow down, and he grew faster beyond comparison. There was no increased strength behind his blows, but he can deliver them more quickly than ever.

It was the first time that Arthur used his Release Rune in such a way, allowing him to consume less mana than before. Then, as the sword was about to slash his throat, the golden dagger he had flashed before a resounding clinking sound echoed in the cliff.

The monster seemed surprised that its attack was blocked, and Arthur used that opening to strike. His dagger turned into a golden flash that passed through the Mernar, and violet blood gushed out across its abdomen.

"Ga," the monster coughed blood on Arthur's robes, but it was nowhere near dead. Arthur felt a burst of mana as the monster backed away in retreat.

"I guess you have your skills," Arthur muttered as he stomped on the cliff, destroying it, to launch himself after the monster. The sailfish Mernar kept retreating as Arthur launched attacks at it.

The monster's fin began to glow as mana got into it. Then, water poured out of its legs to make it fly upward and away from Arthur's attack.

"I can do just the same," Arthur's fire exploded below him, and he followed after the fleeing monster. As he did, the water surface broke again as countless other sailfish Mernars appeared.

The injured one tried to get away, but Arthur knew it was his chance to decrease their numbers. His fire pushed him further as he passed by the monster, severing its head.

Before he could celebrate his victory, Arthur had to dodge from the countless swords that arrived to strike him. Five more sailfish Mernars came to attack him, and his odds were growing slim.

'This is abnormal,' Arthur thought to himself as each strike threatened to end his life. However, he had no thoughts of retreating. Instead, the slim chances of survival ignited the bloodthirst within him as a wild and unrestrained madness overtook his mind.

As the sword slashed at him from above, Arthur's used his barrier to block, but their combined attacks sent him crashing down toward the ground.

His body slammed into the riverbank and created a giant carter as he coughed out. In his moment of confusion, he could see them descend from the sky to attack him. Arthur waited until the last moment before he teleported to appear above them, and his liquid fire exploded in his hand.

"Turn to toast!" Arthur grinned as he slashed down with his only arm, and the liquid fire rained down to turn everything to ashes. The monsters who fell for his trap screamed before flying, and several of them lost their limbs as a result.

As he landed on the ground, he found that none was dead, but they were severely injured. Arthur raised his dagger at them with a face stained with violet blood.

"Come at me," he said with an aura of bloodlust. The monsters seemed genuinely afraid, but they looked back toward the giant river before attacking Arthur with madness.

The display of fear didn't escape his notice, and Arthur glanced at the running water. Lo River was a giant one, and it was why Freda could survive in these trying times.

However, he had no time to worry about what hid beneath the water and chose to focus on the dire battle. After all, despite being wounded, five insanely fast monsters were trying to tear him apart.

Arthur used his Release Rune like before, and the battle for survival ensued. The monsters struck at him simultaneously, and he had to dodge a few and deflect the rest. A few attacks managed to reach him, but Arthur made sure they were superficial.

After a series of attacks, a limb flew into the air, and it belonged to one of the Mernars. It gave a shriek that made all of them use their water abilities at him. As countless water attacks descended on him, Arthur breathed out as fire ignited on his dagger.

***

The war had a different name among the people: Famine's Sister. Even in the strongest kingdom, war used resources that would leave the nation on its knees. The lives of nobles and merchants might not change, but it was different for people like Regal.

He dragged the cart across the uneven ground, and each meter made his muscles ache. The kingdom never flattened the road between his village and the nearest city, and he had no carriage to carry his goods.

"Tis a humid day," Regal could barely breathe because of the humidity. Their village was close to Lo River, so it was always humid in the summer. However, today was different. "I hope the gods aren't wrathful. I pray that their blessings protect our land."

As to which god he was talking about, Regal didn't know. All he knew was that saying such prayers, no matter how simple and casual, could change one's fate. After all, the gods might not be merciful, but they loved their praise.

As he was about to drag his cart loaded with goods back to his village, Regal heard a scream of agony coming from the riverside. The cry made Regal startle and fall to his knees, bumping his head to the cart.

The existence of monsters in the river was known to all, but no one feared their emergence to attack the land folk. But, instead, they attacked ships that traveled down the river. It was a calamity to the sailors but a blessing for Regal and his people.

After all, they were but simple farmers and traders. Regal himself was nothing but a lowly merchant who carried goods from the city to his village. If a monster indeed attacks him, he would join the countless skulls of sailors on the riverside.

"I need to run. I must flee!" Regal gathered his wits as he stood up to drag his cart, pushing the handles so powerfully that it broke. Regal fell, face forward, with the cart's broken handle in hand. "Ah! No! No!"

Regal's tears were quick to fill his eyes, as this cart was his dearest possession. If he had to buy another one, it would be a long time before he eats again.

As he wept and prayed for the gods, Regal ran to the back of the cart and pushed it. However, the cart toppled, and what he bought of rice and wheat spilled on the ground.

"Heavens show mercy, heavens show mercy!" Regal gathered his goods as his body kept shaking. The scream he heard was still resounding within his mind. A monstrous scream of agony that hid immense pain behind it.

Then came the sounds of footsteps. There was also the sound of splashing water, and these two sounds combined spilled doom to whoever lived beside the river.

As Regal turned slowly toward the source, he found no Mernar but a human. Unfortunately, his fear didn't disappear because this human was covered in violet and red blood from head to toe. His arm was missing, and his side was severely injured.

"I guess my luck hasn't run out just yet," the human muttered with a hazy smile. He turned to look at Regal's broken cart before muttering. "Maybe yours hasn't either." 

As he said so, the soil rose from the ground to gather around the cart's intact handle. Then, it solidified around the handle to create a new one. Then, as Regal was thinking he was meeting a slain god, shadows rose from the ground.

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