Chapter 12

The road was abandoned and nearly empty. Weeds grew all over it, a sign that nobody had passed by here for a long time. Both sides of the road were surrounded by lush green forest. From within it, trees spread their branches and covered most of the road. Then, a shadow belonging to a young man appeared, walking onto the abandoned roadway with a cold smile on his face. If anyone was to see him now, they would not believe that this was the weak and powerless Arias.

“Why don’t you come out now.”

Arias turned to look toward the forest. At first glance, it might appear to be empty. But if someone were to examine with their magic, they would find that there was someone hidden inside the forest. In reality, neophytes were not capable of using their magical power to examine a wide area like this. Not even Arias could do it. But what he used was his intuition, something that kept him cautioned. In his past life, Arias had been through countless events where he almost did not make it out alive. His life was not as easy as anyone would think. Those obstacles and dangers helped him hone his intuition, making it as sharp as a blade waiting to be unsheathed.

“Not bad, kid. How did you know we were hiding?”

After a moment, a harsh voice of a man could be heard from a bush by the side of the street. The bush slowly parted as two men emerged from behind it, both of them in black clothing. They wore black robes with long sleeves that reached their wrists and long pants that covered all the way to their ankles. The lower part of their faces was covered by a black scarf, leaving only the area from their eyes and above to be seen. This was the disguise they used to conceal their true identities. It seemed obvious what their objective was. If they were not muggers who lurked around the street waiting to rob people, then they must be some kind of miscreants.

The fact that Arias knew he was being followed was something they truly did not expect. A neophyte should not be able to notice their hiding. They exchanged a glance before using their power to check the surrounding area. However, they could only check the area that was less than ten meters away from them as their power was too weak. Though they had more power than Arias, they were still just second and third-level acolytes.

“Why act like you’re some scaredy-cats? Don’t worry, there’s no one else here but me.”

As if he could read their minds, Arias announced in a nonchalant voice, a cold smirk adorning his face under the grey hood. When the two looked at Arias, it made him seem mysterious and difficult to read. Those words Arias said did not give them any assurance. The more they saw Arias’ casual and unbothered attitude, the more they became wary.

A neophyte, even the highest level one, would have trouble dealing with the two of them. If a neophyte could put up a fight and manage to escape, that would already be considered a great achievement. The gap between a neophyte and an acolyte was a wide one. However, when they saw the way Arias was acting, facing them with ease like he got everything under control even though he was but a fifth-level neophyte, the two started to become wary. They had no idea if there was anyone else hiding aside from Arias.

“Who else is here besides you!? Tell them to come out of their hiding before I lose my patience and decide to kill you.”

The big guy said in a deep voice as he watched Arias with bloodlust in his eyes. He raised the black club with one hand and pointed it at Arias’ face. Although his tone and manner were threatening, they did not have an effect on Arias.

“Kill me? Do you have any idea why I chose this route?”

Arias did not answer their question and only stared at them as he asked in an impassive voice. Although he was weak now, he did not feel an ounce of fear for these men. At the moment, he was a fifth-level neophyte. However, the Thunder God’s Path was such a strange and powerful grimoire. Even as a fifth-level neophyte, his magical power was as strong as a ninth-level neophyte.

“How would I know that!? Don’t be a smart mouth with me.”

The big guy said in an irritated tone of voice. For an acolyte like him to be taunted by a lowly neophyte like that, it was truly humiliating.

“Don’t be rash, and be on your guard. There might be other mages hiding around here.”

The thin man quickly warned his companion to not be tricked easily. He knew that his companion had a short temper and was not very good at using his head. He took a careful glance at Arias once again before thoroughly examining the area.

Then, he stretched his lips into a victorious smile. If Arias could see the smile that was hidden under the mask, he would have thought that it was hideous.

“Hahaha, you’re a good actor, boy. But you’re just a sheep trying to fit into a wolf’s clothing. You probably think that if you act calmly, you will make us nervous, and then we will leave. The reason you chose this route is likely because you’re from another town. This road leads outside of the city, it’s only used by people traveling to and from other towns. You pretend to speak as if you’ve got some secret, perhaps you’re hoping to scare us off? Sorry to say that we’re not that stupid. Now, leave your dimensional rings here and get back to your town before we change our mind and decide to kill you.”

After taking everything into account, he finally arrived at the conclusion that all of this must be the plan Arias came up with in order to scare them off. If indeed there were other mages with this young man, then those mages should have come out and dealt with the two of them a long time ago. This young man was probably just hoping to fool and intimidate them by feigning nonchalance. They slowly approached Arias as if the person standing in front of them was a big pile of treasure that they could snatch away anytime.

“Ah…truly brainless fools.”

Arias sighed tiredly. There was nothing that they got right.

“How dare you! I was going to spare you at first. But since you’re asking for death yourself, then don’t blame me.”

Seeming to have had enough after listening to what Arias said, the big guy yelled with a voice full of rage. He quickly dashed past his companion and then cast a spell, making his whole body glow with brown light and his right arm had been enlarged. He gripped his black club tightly with his right hand, wanting to beat the boy in front of him to a pulp.

He did not notice that when he darted out, the boy in front of him did not run away. On his face, there was nothing but a smile, one that was cold and frightening like the God of Death.

“That’s why I call you brainless fools.”

A terrifying murderous intent flowed out from Arias’ whole body. This startled the big man for a moment, but like an arrow that had been shot out from its bow, the man could not turn back even if he wanted to. The only thing he was able to do was charge the target in front of him.

Arias reached for the ring he was wearing, and a mighty silver sword suddenly appeared in his hand. The Shadow Demon Sword was Arias’ trump card. He would not have been this at ease and confident in his ability to handle these people if he did not have the sword with him. Although it was still a high-level weapon, it would enable him to deal with these opponents without much trouble. Fights were not dictated by power level alone. The weapon was another factor that could help one win against an opponent as well.

BOOM!!

The black club made a sound when it hit the ground where Arias had been standing. Now, there was nothing but emptiness. With the violent force he had used to swing the club, the big guy almost fell over onto the ground.

“Sluggish.”

Arias’ voice came from behind the man, pale blue light still sparkling underneath his feet. He gripped the Shadow Demon Sword and swung it at his opponent’s back. As the sword slashed at the man’s back so deep it reached his bone, the man could hear the sound that it made echoing in his own ears. Bright red blood spilled out until his back was completely soaked with it. The sword had made a precise cut at his spine, leaving him unable to move and only able to cry out pitifully.

“ARGHHHH! Han, help me.”

The sound of his cry echoed throughout the area. The pain that came from the sword slashing at his back was hard to endure. His face had become white as a corpse and he no longer had any will to fight. The only thing that was left in his eyes was fear.

“Damn it! That dimwit was reckless and got himself beaten by a neophyte. And how many times do I have to tell you not to say our names?”

Han cursed, irritated. Even under normal circumstances, his companion was not a very bright or thoughtful man. No need to say that he was worse being in a horrifying state such as this. Every time they went out to mug someone, they would always keep their true identities hidden. This was something that he had told Nell over and over, but it seemed like his friend finally had made the mistake.

“Stop and put down your weapon, boy. And I’ll pretend that nothing ever happened between us.”

Han negotiated. However, his hand slowly reached for a dagger that was hidden behind him.

“How could you let him go, Han?! You have to kill him for me!”

Despite the Shadow Demon Sword that was still buried in his back, Nell managed to say through gritted teeth. He would not let anyone who dared to attack him get away alive. If it was possible, he would even wish to kill this young man himself.

“Shut your mouth, you moron!”

Han shouted at Nell who was laying in the pool of his own blood on the ground in an irritated tone. His friend did not know how to use his head.

“What did you say? I couldn’t hear it very well. Who are you going to kill?”

A voice as cold as a voice of the God of Death was heard rumbling from behind him. Nell turned his head at the voice with fear again. Before he could utter a word, the young man raised the Shadow Demon Sword in his hand and stabbed it through his back once more. The blade sank deep into his flesh, cutting through his heart with preciseness. He could only lock his gaze on the boy, his eyes widened before he took his last breath.

“Nell!”

Han shouted furiously.

SWISH!

A black dagger was swiftly thrown out of Han’s hand, the man glaring at Arias in rage. Although Nell was a fool, the two of them were friends. It was painful to watch as the other was being killed right in front of him by a neophyte.

CLANK!

Arias raised the Shadow Demon Sword in time to block the attack. A second slower and that dagger would have been buried in his skull. The dagger fell onto the ground in front of Arias.

“There’s no need to hurry. After all, you are going to end up the same way your friend did. Do you understand now why I had chosen this route?”