"I think it's just a coincidence and nothing more," he said to himself as he jumped from the tree, ready to head towards the wall and see what lay beyond.
But as soon as he landed, he was surprised by a snake attempting to sneak attack him from the side. Hidden in the bushes, it lunged toward him the moment he touched the ground, intending to bite.
However, Orion's reflexes were sharp. Coupled with his heightened perception, he reacted swiftly, catching the snake in his hand and burning it to ashes.
[Obtained a 1-star soul shard.]
Orion noticed a glistening crystal in his hand. "So, this is a soul shard... Use it on my Divine Soul," he muttered, instructing the system to use the soul shard.
---
[Successfully combined a 1-star soul shard with Divine Soul.]
[Divine Soul: #$&&$#& - Image Form]
[Soul Power: 0.1%]
---
'So, some soul power was added, but what's its use?' Orion wondered.
'Should I try to summon my Divine Soul? It mentioned I could only summon it in solid form when I know its true name, but I should be able to summon it in image form, right?'
Orion thought for a moment before calling out, "Come out, my Divine Soul."
"..."
"Nothing happened." Orion frowned, feeling slightly embarrassed after shouting like that.
'Maybe I called it wrong,' he thought and tried again.
"Divine Soul, manifest!"
"..."
"Damn, this is harder than I thought," Orion muttered in frustration.
"Hey, are you two okay?" Orion asked, approaching the men.
However, their reaction surprised him. When they saw him, their faces turned pale with fear, and they began trembling as if the person before them was more dangerous than the snake they had just fought.
"Don't—don't kill us!" Lewis begged.
"Yeah, we'll do anything. Just spare us," Drax added, tears and snot running down his face in terror.
Orion was stunned, wondering if they had seen a ghost.
"Hey, what's going on? I killed the snake, and I'm here to help you," he said lightly, trying to reassure them.
Lewis and Drax exchanged glances before Lewis mustered the courage to speak. "Orion Darkwood... helping others?"
"Orion Darkwood?" Orion was shocked they could see his true face.
'No, that's not it.' He quickly realized something and touched his face.
'My Ray Wiser disguise is gone!'
Orion was startled as he reached this conclusion. He had been sure he wore the face of Ray Wiser when he entered Grimshore, but his face and body must have reverted to their original form upon entering.
'No wonder they're terrified... though their reaction is a bit extreme, isn't it?'
Looking at the two, Orion said, "I have questions for you both. Answer them correctly, and I'll let you go. If not..." He smirked and drew his sword.
"We'll answer! We'll answer correctly!" Drax nodded frantically, his face streaked with tears.
Orion nodded. "First of all, stop acting like I'm some feared calamity or something. I'm just a wanted man who's been wronged by the world."
Lewis and Drax nodded quickly, though inwardly, they couldn't help but think of him as exactly that—a feared calamity. Everyone across the three domains feared him, especially after his record-breaking feat was announced to the entire world.
Orion's strength and potential caused despair for many, and knowing that he had ruthlessly killed so many at a banquet three months ago and destroyed a 3-star planet using nefarious means had cemented his reputation as a terrifying figure.
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Also, I was hoping you could leave some comments or reviews to let me know your thoughts!
*Some gifts would be appreciated as well, but up to you.... *