Breathing sharply, Mikella jabbed one after another at the elusive target before her. Strangely enough, his body distorted in ways that shouldn't be possible for any mortal man. That's when she realized what kind of creature she was dealing with.

Whatever this man chose as his sub-race after reaching Journeymen had something to do with being some type of slime, or any other kind of formless creature. Monsters with no apparent bone or muscle, just straight flesh that they can shift however they wish.

For an assassin, she can imagine how useful that ability might be, especially when they have to go into certain places where nobody would ever think possible that a human can enter inside without losing all the bones in their body.

She managed to catch a glimpse of this formless action when she tried to pound his body with a surprise hammer attack. She threw the weapon away and caught it with her lightning, then after forcing the assassin to fight in close-quarters she managed to hit him straight behind his head. That should've crushed his head, or at the very least put him down for a while.

But his head literally blasted apart in a gross splatter of flesh, but there was no sign of blood. That soon quickly recovered its form back into his normal head. He just continued fighting as though nothing happened.

That still didn't stop her from trying to find out more of his weaknesses, until the area surrounding her became submerged in bright white light.

It consumed her senses, and there was a sudden void in the pit of her stomach. The energy that was once colliding in harmonious chaos within her now became lost, finding themselves without purchase and just left stranded by themselves.

My mana is gone, Mikella figured it out, considering that she had lost her lightning and eventually her control over her weapons as they clattered to the ground. She had no idea how this happened, nor whether this was permanent.

That would've been horrible considering the current situation, but apparently that also surprised the assassin as he howled.

"Those fuckers! They used a Null Void?! Can't they even handle things by themselves? This is why those noble brats aren't worth shit!"

Tack looked back at his hands, as Mikella now noticed the rampant loss of power coming from his side as well. It felt as though he was charging his own body with mana to move, which gave her pause.

Is that the reason why he managed to shift his form so much? He had to constantly power his body with mana, and now that it was gone, he was left powerless?

She wasn't so foolish to panic in this moment of opportunity. Deciding to trust in the only thing she cultivated, her body, Mikella charged after the man, surprising him when she delivered her sword right to his head.

Tack dodged with ease, as expected of a high level Journeymen, but there was a look of rampant anger in his eyes as he glared at her.

"You crazy bitch!"

She didn't let up. If the situation changed without his knowledge, then she had to take advantage of his momentary mistake. This is what would happen if you work with others who don't bother coordinating themselves with a plan.

She wasn't sure why they were here, or how, but she did know that they didn't plan on doing much else. They were just in the dark as much as they were, except they believed that killing them all was the best decision.

She's going to prove them wrong, and she's gonna do so by taking Tack's head and showing it to them.

…..

Tigger watched in awe at the incredible scene in front of him. If he were to make a comparison, he would refer this to watching a high fantasy action movie he saw on TV with his Dad, excitingly jumping on the couch while watching a powerful elf take down several giant orcs with his bow and arrow.

Now, he saw another elf doing the same, except instead of orcs, they were humans like them. And instead of a bow and arrow, he used his fists.

And boy, did he use his fists.

Whatever it was that the bad guy in armor did, it stopped Zeke from using his magic. His cool tattoos that glowed with a faint bluish glow vanished, and he looked more tense, like he was nervous.

But that didn' change anything. At first, Tigger was worried that Zeke might be in trouble, but he smiled after watching Zeke beat up the bad guys with his fists and kicks. He moved like a kung-fu master, except it looked a lot more brutal than it did in movies.

His gauntleted fist collided with a guy's head while wearing a metal helmet, and the helmet actually dented in half. Blood spilled from his open mouth before Zeke kicked him away like a giant doll, landing directly at a large group of other bad guys that were aiming for him.

He kept fighting, his hands and feet moving faster than before. Tigger nearly shouted when Zeke literally caught a guy's sword with his fingers. Flexing his fingers, he broke the blade in half and continued pummeling the guy into bloody bits.

Tigger was enraptured at it all. Not at the violence and the blood. It honestly made him feel queasy to look at. He knew what he was looking at was real, and not just fake ketchup they use on TV or any of that CGI stuff. It was all real, and he can't imagine just how painful it would feel to even get hit once by Zeke's punches.

But it was the way he moved. The way he delivered a punch that dealt a satisfying 'fwap'. When a guy tried to be sneaky and attack from behind, Zeke suddenly turned around as though he had eyes in the back of his head and did a roundhouse kick that blasted the guy's head, making a horrible crack sound. He knew then that he died right then and there.

At this point, Tigger was used to seeing someone dying, but for once, he didn't feel sick to the stomach and ready to cry. He instead felt hopeful, knowing that these bad guys were the real monsters, and that Zeke is here to help.

Mark did try to tell him not to watch, but it was pointless. Both him and Tigger couldn't stop watching the intense fight, since Zeke and his friends were doing all of this to protect them.

He didn't know why those bad guys tried to kill them. The only thing he could think of was that they were just that; bad guys. Bad guys don't need a reason to be bad, they just do it.

Sure, Tigger would often break some rules, like staying out late and playing games when he shouldn't, but that doesn't make him a bad guy. But actually hurting someone? And for no good reason other than because they were here in their home against their will?

Tigger didn't feel bad about them at all, especially since Zeke doesn't either as he made a guy's stomach cave in with a solid punch. He was killing people, Tigger knew. Maybe Zeke was used to it. But he knew Zeke was a good guy.

Otherwise, why would he bother saving them when they can't even save themselves?

Even when Tigger tried to make sense of all this, he was still worried. If something happened, they could wind up getting killed. There was nothing Tigger could do about that, other than to hope that Zeke and his friends could help them out in time.

Then, soon, he would be strong like Zeke. He would protect others and defeat the bad guys. And he'll do it with his fists.

Or maybe with a sword. His girlfriend looked super cool with that sword.

"Damn you!" The shiny guy who looked like he was in charge shouted at Zeke when he punched a guy across the field and landed right into a giant tree. He didn't stand back up after that. "How can you be this strong?! You're just a damn Runist!"

Zeke didn't even bother to answer the lead bad guy as he shifted his direction at him. He dashed to the man, making him growl louder as he swung his fancy-looking sword.

Then the sword actually shined like those sabers in the movies his Dad liked more, becoming even bigger than before. The lead bad guy made a sneering smile as he swung his now giant sword of light down at Zeke.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Zeke's eyes widened in alarm. Tigger did as well. He thought there was no magic anymore, so how come that bad guy can use magic? This was totally cheating.

But then something happened. Tigger felt someone suddenly rush up beside him and ran after Zeke and the bad guy. He was so fast that Tigger had no idea what just happened before something slammed into the bad guy's head.

It was a tail, and it was apparently super sharp, because the tip of the tail exploded out through the guy's open mouth and behind his head, blood just pouring everywhere. His eyes were wide and became bloody, his mouth unable to scream due to the giant tail.

Lyle, who was just there behind Tigger, showed up besides Zeke with the entire bottom half of his body transformed into a snake. Lyle pulled the bloody tip of his tail out of the guy's mouth, letting him drool out more blood before falling over to the ground and not moving anymore.

Everyone just stood there, their mouths hanging as the silence continued. Zeke thanked Lyle with a cool guy nod, getting Lyle to do the same. Zeke then glared at all the other bad guys.

He was daring them to fight him, even after killing their leader.

"...Fuck this," One bad guy cursed, waving his hands. "I'm not getting paid enough to do this."

The other bad guys that weren't as hurt, since they were backing away from the fight, dropped their weapons too.

Instead of looking relieved or even disappointed at no one coming to fight him, Zeke just looked mad at them all. Once they ran away, he muttered, as though nobody could hear him.

Except for Tigger, who watched intently.

"You shouldn't have accepted this in the first place, you bastards."

…..

Saang knew she should've stayed back with the others, to protect the innocent and the unarmed along with Lyle and Janet. She should've joined the fray with Zeke and Mikella, fighting an entire horde of bigots who prefer money over human lives.

But she didn't care at all at this point. All she wanted was to pursue the bastard imposter that tricked them all into thinking he was their comrade. Kote was of the same boat, following after the fleeing imposter with fervor in his eyes, a fire that couldn't be quenched.

Eventually, the imposter stopped moving, the floating rock that was Hamil's specialty waning in speed and altitude.

Kote took this chance to lashed out with his bone-made wires from his gauntlets. The impostor managed to at least call up a stone wall to protect himself, but the wall was brittle, made haphazardly in a rush. It only blunted the initial force before the wires crushed through the walls, hitting the impostor straight at the chest.

Cuts were sewn on his chest, backing him away for Saang to follow up with a wide overhead strike at his head. Stupidly, the impostor raised his hands up, and a form of a dome appeared over his body.

But that wasn't enough to satisfy her. Saang's skills flared all at once. Blood Edge, allowing her weapon to be infused with blood to enhance its sharpness, and Cell Enhancement, causing her muscles to grow more dense, granting her a boost in Strength and Vitality. Both of which were enhanced further by her blood aspected attunement.

The tiny dome that protected the man shattered into pieces, and a ring that was visible on his finger cracked and broke apart, proving it to be an enchanted item. Despite that, the axe didn't slice him up, but rather pushed the imposter down with a heavy force as though hit with a giant hammer.

But seeing the blood being splattered across her face from his mouth finally gave her the closure she needed.

That was for being tricked by the guy. She understood fully that she was an idiot. Her Intelligence is proof of that. She can get tricked all the time, but when it came to trusting someone, she was above and beyond a genius.

So the fact that she was tricked by someone who appeared in the guise of someone she trusted, her anger boiled over her reasoning and logic. Kote stood near her, his gauntlets flexed and showing them off to the downed imposter that was riddled with blood and a bruise on his chest that will never go away for as long as he lived.

Saang pulled the fake Hamil's hair up to her, making them face to face with each other.

"What did you do to the real Hamil?"

She asked this simple question. She already knew the answer, deep down inside. Still, she needed to know.

The imposter, realizing his situation couldn't be any worse than it could be, just grinned back at her. His teeth were red and bloody, and a small drip of it streamed over the corner of his lips.

"What do you think, dumbass?" The imposter cackled. "How do you think I got to look like this? How I use his skills? You gotta pay a heavy price to look exactly like this."

For that alone, her other hand balled into a fist and punched the man. She knew the answer, but even then, hearing about her friend's obvious fate was still horrifying.

Blood splattered on the ground and across the roots of a nearby tree, leaving the imposter to groan and moan in pain. Saang forced his head upon hers again, her eyes turning solemn.

"I know that it wasn't you that did it," Saang said, her tone flat and sharp as a blade. "So who did it? Who killed Hamil?"

The imposter was good at tricking people. Perhaps he even studied how Hamil behaved to a certain extent. Not enough to dissuade Saang's suspicions, but enough to make it convincing.

So to make whatever ability he had balanced, he couldn't be able to defeat Hamil in a real fight. His only worth is to copy others down to the build, but it wasn't true power that was gained through life and death experiences.

So someone else had to do it for him, allowing him to take on Hamil's appearance. And there is only a very few amount that could take on an experienced adventurer like Hamil.

The imposter took another moment, searching with his eyes to find a way out. Breathing heavily, he answered with his eyes closed. "It was Tack. House Corran paid for his services after what happened at the first tower disappearing. Honestly, you guys should've known not to fuck with the nobles."

That comment, no matter how bitter and derived of sympathy it was, honestly didn't feel malicious. Like advice from a fellow person from the same lowly station as hers.

Just for that, she punched him again.

"W-What the fuck?!" The imposter spatted out, more blood spewing out of his mouth. "I told the truth!"

"I know," Saang frowned at him. "I just didn't like it."

Saang knew. Saang knew that dealing with nobles was a pain in the ass all her life. If anything, she knows that better than anyone in her team.

Forced into servitude after her family got into debt with a minor noble household, she got a real good taste of their 'noble hospitality'. Harassment and assaults were one thing, she can handle that much. But the mental torture, the constant degradation of her character.

Watching her mother break apart over and over again by a man younger than herself. Watching her mother take her own life due to that. These were her thoughts at the time.

'She's so lucky'.

It took many years for her to recover her pride, her rights as a human being. All it took was for that minor noble house to be utterly destroyed by the bigger, more influential houses. It was their own mistake, thinking their privilege was enough to protect them from the other houses.

Rather than nobles, aren't they like animals instead?

Before she realized it, her right wrist was caught by Kote. She was about to punch the imposter again, making him wince back just from the motion alone.

"He's not worth it, let's go back," Kote said. "We got to help our comrades."

Suddenly, all of her filthy bitterness, regrets, and negative emotions were washed away. Kote was one of the few who went through the same thing as her, but took a completely different path.

In the end, they ended up together in the same party with Hamil, who was the only one among them who didn't receive such a horrid upbringing.

But he still accepted them as comrades, friends after telling him about their pasts. He took it all with a smile, not once judging them or pitying them.

Hamil is gone, but his memory will always live on. That was how adventurers work. They also work by making sure their comrades don't die the same way later on.

She let go of the imposter, making him drop to the ground with a thud. He crawled away from them when the two stood and were about to head back when–

Thump.

A sound that felt like the entire dungeon was punched in the gut. There was a tremble, but it wasn't physical.

Thump.

Saang and Kote both turned to the side, noticing the presence immediately. This one was…

Thump.

For once, fear gripped her heart. She wasn't sure whether it was the memories resurfacing, but it felt like a noble's steps approaching her, ready to bring her daily torture. She just wasn't sure which one so she could better prepare herself.

Thump.

"Saang, we need to run, now!" Kote pleaded. His eyes were wide and his pupils were shrunk. She never saw him this freaked out, even when he was faced with near-death experiences.

Thump.

Then, finally, it appeared. Strangely, it wasn't as big as they predicted. The height was around a head taller than Kote, perhaps two heads taller than Saang.

Appearing around the dense trees, it approached with casual steps. Each step wasn't big enough to cause a tremble, yet each time it did, a thump occurred that echoed deep in their cores. It was power beyond common sense.

Thump.

It looked like a humanoid creature, completely decked in heavy black armor with reddish stains streaked across its surface. Saang used Identify, but it was like knives into the back of her eyes, and a huge headache overtook her.

T%*e^ &4r#@, Level ??#??@?^???

Whatever this freak was, it wasn't natural. She knew that for sure.

So why did the system suddenly send a really scary red notification after Identifying it?

Emergency! Emergency! Emergency!

A creature of the Trial has appeared!

Find an otherworlder and face it, or run away at your own peril.

Live and survive, or be part of the Terminus.

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