Chapter 40

[Translator – Helga]

[Proofreader – Lucky]

Chapter 40

A loud noise came from a cave in a distant demon forest.

A middle-aged man’s sword pierced through the body of a tiger-like monster.

*Thunk!*

*Fwoosh-!*

Simultaneously, the tiger’s body burst into flames.

“You’re attacking the wrong target.”

*Grrr.*

The injured tigers growled lowly.

Yet, they were too fearful to pounce on the middle-aged man.

“That’s right. Mere beasts shouldn’t challenge humans.”

“Leader, these things aren’t much of a threat.”

“I used to be so scared of these mutated monsters, but what is this?”

“I feel like we could sweep through this entire demon forest on our own.”

The group, dressed in black, laughed and chatted.

“Keep watch around us. I’ll finish this up.”

“Yes, Leader.”

After ordering his subordinates, the middle-aged man, Eugene, looked down.

In front of him was an egg.

It moved slightly.

Eugene raised his sword and struck down.

*Clang!*

The egg stopped moving.

Instead, the sword bounced back.

“No wonder Captain Silvio is desperately searching for this.”

It was a strike imbued with mana.

Powerful enough to kill a 3rd Class monster in one blow.

Despite that, the egg remained unscathed.

“They say a seed of evil will be born from this egg....”

A sinister aura surrounded the egg.

Thick, sticky demonic energy enveloped it.

“They say when it hatches, it will rival a Dragon. Maybe that’s not wrong....”

It was still an unhatched egg.

Yet it possessed an unimaginable amount of demonic energy.

And as time passed,

The demonic energy emanating from the egg grew stronger.

When Eugene tried to pick up the egg,

The demonic energy from the egg wrapped around his hand.

“Ugh!”

Despite protecting his hand with fire mana, the demonic energy seeped into his body.

Eugene hurriedly dropped the egg.

The egg hit the ground but remained intact.

“I almost fucking lost my hand.”

He nearly paid for his careless action.

He sighed with relief and muttered, stretching his hand towards the air.

“Fire Chain.”

A magic circle appeared beneath the egg.

Flames flowed from the magic circle and enveloped the egg.

The egg wobbled in response.

Resisting the chains that bound it.

Seeing this, the tigers lunged at the middle-aged man.

“Pathetic creatures!”

Eugene’s sword blazed with fire.

The cave lit up brightly due to the flames.

As he swung his sword,

A crescent-shaped blade of fire split in two directions.

The five tigers that were charging at him were directly hit by the fiery blade.

*Crash!*

With the sound of tearing flesh, the tigers’ bodies were grotesquely ripped apart.

“Now it’s a bit quieter.”

Eugene used the skill ‘Fire Chains’ again.

But the egg’s resistance was formidable.

The chains would bind it, then break repeatedly.

Frowning at the fierce resistance, he used more fire mana to strengthen the chains.

After dozens of attempts, the egg was finally trapped in the Fire Chains.

“Haha. The vice-captain will be very pleased if I bring this back to him.”

He intended to deliver the egg to the vice-captain instead of Captain Silvio Dinter.

They were in the same organization but belonged to different factions.

Eugene had aligned himself with the vice-captain.

Before returning with the egg, he moved to complete his final mission.

—

He tried to stop the trembling with mana,

Instead, the trembling seemed to intensify.

‘Something is wrong.’

He needed to confirm it.

He need to confirm the unpleasant aura emanating from Kane Rehinar, the supposedly Dullard young duke

“Attack!”

The squad members, seemingly unaware of Kane’s power,

Rushed at him fearlessly upon receiving the order.

Their swords were all engulfed in flames.

With fourteen of them simultaneously displaying the Fire Rune,

The surroundings were filled with heat.

“The reason your squad is the first to be wiped out by me is because of your stupidity.”

He didn’t use the Blood Dance.

Instead, he showcased the Guardian Family’s Twin Sword Technique of Protection.

A massive stream of water surged from Kane’s sword.

“Guardian Stream.”

[Warning! You have used an unacquired skill.]

[Trait: Pure-Blooded has been activated.]

A water tiger began to circle around Kane.

It was a more powerful defensive technique than “Water Curtain”.

[You have flawlessly executed the unacquired skill ‘Guardian Stream’.]

[Skill ‘Guardian Stream’ has been registered in Blood Dance (S).]

{TL/N: The translation said registered in Blood Dance, even though it said above ‘He didn’t use Blood dance’. Maybe author made an error, or maybe the skills get saved in blood dance and it grows using them, as we know blood dance is a growth-type skill. Idk, it’s not clear right now, maybe it’ll be cleared in the future, or it’s just a simple typo and he wanted to say ‘got registered in ‘Twin sword techniques of protection’}

[You can now use ‘Guardian Stream’.]

As soon as the message ended,

The Sentinels’ flaming swords struck the Guardian Water Tiger.

*Thud!*

“Ugh!?”

The flaming swords burnt out instantly upon contact with the Guardian Water-Tiger.

The Dark Sentinels tried to pull their swords back.

“M-My sword won’t come out!”

“I’m being pulled in!”

They couldn’t hide their panic.

Even when they tried to summon mana, the Fire Rune was extinguished.

Eugene, watching from behind, shouted furiously.

“What are you all doing against one man!”

“Leader, help us.”

“We can’t use mana.”

Eugene joined the fray shortly after.

“Idiots.”

The flames emanating from his sword were hotter than everyone else’s.

The heat was intense enough to scorch the air.

He displayed the Fire mana more fiercely than ever, as if to dispel his own trembling.

“I finally understand why we lost contact with the 10th squad. It’s astonishing that someone thought to be a dulalrd is using ‘Guardian Stream’.”

Kane crushed Eugene’s momentum with his own.

“Didn’t I warn you? If you disappoint me, you’ll all fucking die.” Kane gave Eugene an eerie smile.

Eugene felt a sense of foreboding rising again.

An unfamiliar emotion.

He had always lived the life of a predator, but today, he stood on the opposite side.

“Fine. I’ll kill you and secure a hefty reward.”

Eugene’s flaming sword slashed through the air.

The same sword technique that had shredded the Blood Tigers.

A massive blaze hurtled towards Kane, transforming into an eagle that sought to crush everything in its path.

“Flame Extreme Sword Technique, Third Form: Flame Eagle? Interesting.”

The Flame Extreme Sword Technique was a skill of the Dark Watchers.

One that only those destined to become captain-level figuers could learn.

Yet, Eugene had mastered it.

This was the first significant change from the past.

“Dirk, that sly bastard, must have cheated to strengthen his faction.”

This was not a sword technique for someone of Eugene’s rank.

The ‘Flame Extreme Sword Technique’ was an A-rank skill.

Comparable to Dirk’s ‘Red Demon Spear Technique’

“But you learned it wrong. The ‘Flame Extreme Sword Technique’ isn’t about deceiving your opponent.”

Kane’s right eye flashed.

The Seal of Blood manifested.

It transformed from a droplet shape into a flame shape.

Then, the whirling Guardian Water Tiger vanished without a trace.

*Whoosh!*

Kane’s sword ignited in purple flames.

“This is the true ‘Flame Eagle’.”

As he slashed his sword diagonally,

A violet flame eagle soared into the air.

[Translator – Helga]

[Proofreader – Lucky]