Chapter 48: Courageous will be fallen

Chapter 48: Courageous will be fallen

"Listen closely, vampire. I will let this slide for once since I don't want to offend your vampire lord. But if you try to mingle between our affairs again, I don't mind taking the risk." The wolf groaned with clear anger on its face.

"Oh, it looks like I hit a nerve. But I will stand by my word. If I see your children again, they will die. That's the end of it." Ben grinned in response; somehow the wolf's attitude had gotten on his nerves.

"Then hold your tongue, but here's some friendly advice: my pack and hundreds of us will be attacking this village on a full moon; flee if you can. But if I find you in the village, I'll make sure you die in excruciating pain." The wolf turned back and started to walk away from Ben.

Ben, on the other hand, who was shocked by the wolf's words, thought of testing it with his skill. He commanded the system to use blood vision at its maximum capacity, and what he saw left him stunned.

There were hundreds of Normal-tier beast energies, tens of larger ones, and one energy source larger than all the rest.

An energy source unlike any he had encountered in a beast before. "Could it be another advanced-tier beast?" he wondered as he observed the scene.

[You're correct, Ben. The energy you're detecting is coming from a mid-advanced-tier beast, which implies he is not the only strong beast in this pack.]

"And they're all living below us..." Ben deactivated his blood vision, only to realize that the energy source was emanating from beneath him.

"There... there's an entire colony of basic and advanced-tier beasts below us!" Ben felt nervous, recalling the same feeling he had when witnessing Astroath decimate those mages.

There was no doubt Ben was strong, but there was no way he could face an army of monsters dwelling just beneath them.

[With their combined strength and numbers, they could attack the village any time, and no one would stand a chance.]

"At this point, the village is at the mercy of these monsters," Ben thought as he turned back and looked toward the village.

More than an hour had passed since he arrived, and the results had exceeded his expectations. He asked the system whether he should warn the villagers about the impending threat to potentially save many lives.

"Hey system! Should I inform them about what we've seen? It might save many lives in the village," Ben asked, his heart pounding as he saw the black wolf walking away from him.

[Even if you were able to warn them, Ben, how do you expect them to save their lives?]

[ Do you want them to cross the enchanted forest where danger is lurking around, cross through that gigantic river and enter some other country, or walk into city ruins and get killed either way?]

Ben stopped thinking; his legs stumbled; he never thought of this possibility. It was like the world was a chess board, and a corner surrounded Ben. No matter what he thinks he can't find a way out of it.

[ At this rate, Ben, forget about villagers; you have to think about survival for yourself. ] n-/0VElb1n

[ I will suggest you leave everyone and run back into the enchanted forest; this is the only way you can survive, Ben. You can escape Astroath as well as the village.]

"Wai..wait, what am I supposed to do here? No..how did even things come to this?" Ben's ears were ringing, the world around him was getting whiter, and it was hard for him to keep standing. Is this the only way he has? Should he sacrifice everyone for his survival?

[ This universe depends on your survival. Ben, your life is superior to them all. Be selfish; think about yourself ]

"Be..be..sel..fish" Ben muttered as these words rang in his ears. If he ran into an enchanted forest, there was still a high possibility that he could survive, but at what cost?

"Slapp"

A slapping sound reverberated through the air, followed by another and another.

The black wolf, who was now a few meters away, stopped at the slapping sound, looking back at Ben with a sidelong glance. "Did you go insane over our conversation, vampire?"

"Tsk..no. It's just what I needed to gain back my sanity." Ben smiled, his smile widened into a chuckle and turned into a laugh.

"Even if it's against an army, I will ensure they all survive. Whatever the cost, it takes because going against the odds is my specialty," Ben said with a large smile on his face, surprising both the system and the wolf.

"A friendly advice from my side, If you want to kill me, do it now when you have a chance. Or you might regret it later." Ben said out loud in an unwitting confidence, his attitude matching that of someone who has nothing to lose in life.

The same attitude he had back on Earth, fighting against the odds and surviving each day of his life, and still coming on top starting each day as a new journey, Ben was somehow addicted to this feeling, the feeling of challenge, the feeling of accomplishment.

No matter how much he complained about it, internally he never wanted a peaceful life. Challenges were his companion, and struggle was his ally. And now Ben stood with the same confidence as before, his heart was beating like he found something long lost.

Ben found the same feeling his soul always craved, this was the thrill he always wanted, and now he was feeling it in his blood.

The wolf, in response, looked at Ben with a hesitant gaze before he walked toward his hideout; the wolf muttered these few words.

"The courageous will be fallen."

---------||END OF ARC 1||-----------

ARC:2 - Rotten Wood