11 Chapter 11. Purple Lily

"What is this?" I concentrated and opened the 'status window.'

[

Name: Mathew

Race: Human (Hyuman)

Age: 24

Class: Awakened. (Pacted)

Rank: F

Pacted Entity: [???]

Curse: [Untell]

Skills: [Enhanced Strength], [Manna Pathway], [Eyes of the Deceased], [Will of Life], [Minor Mana Sense] [Basic Magic Aptitude] [Ritualistic Magic Aptitude] [Summon Familiar] [Guiding Can]

]

"It's true I have been cursed." I touched the word curse and saw the window change:

[

Curse: [Untell]

Effects: You have been cursed by an entity on a higher plane than you. As long as you are under the curse, you are unable to divulge information about the information the entity wants to keep a secret. Any attempt to communicate about it will be blocked.

Information: Your pacted entity [???]

]

"So they don't want me to talk about the thing I just made a pact with. Just who the hell did I make a deal with?"

As I was about to walk away, the square changed shape again.

[Entity [???] Sends his regards.]

"What?"

The Screen changed again

[Entity [???] Wishes to give you a task.]

"A task? Like a job?"

[Entity [???] wishes to show you the task]

[Task: The first steps

Requirements: you have made a pact with an entity that doesn't even reveal its name. As a first step to serve them better, you must become a man of strength and might.

Kill, learn magic, or do anything to increase your strength till [???] is satisfied.

Reward: More power gifted by [???]

Failure: Losing the power given by [???]

]

"... I don't like this."

I closed the thing and cleaned up my mess.

The candles, after making sure the wax had cooled down, were put in my bag, while the burned incense was buried near my house. It took more time to dig the hole than I want to admit; my back was killing me.

"Should have asked for new legs and back. Maybe next time ... .Yeah, thinking through it, let's not have a next time. Not even sure if I sold my soul or not."

[Entity [???] is displeased by your assumption]

"Great. Now I will have this guy around."

Once I was done cleaning up after my heretical activities, I went through the bridge and opened the door of the church. The inside was dark and gloomy with the nun not tending to it now. Even the glow that it emits when I use my powers dimmed greatly. I stumbled to the door on the building's left side and knocked.

"I am going out. Will be back in an hour or 2."

I waited a minute for a response, but I shrugged when I heard nothing and walked out.

"...I should start simple."

I opened the skill window and read out one of the skills.

"Summon Familiar."

As I spoke the words, I felt a drain on my body, as if someone had drained my body through a straw, making me lose balance and lean against the church wall. A matter away from me, the wind started to blow as a green light suddenly glowed. From the light, I saw something come out. It had four legs, sharp teeth, fur like dirt-

"Woof!"

"...A dog?"

The creature coming out was a dog, about waist tall with long brown fur and floppy ears. The summoned creature looked up at me, its brown eyes focused on me, while its tongue stuck out from its mouth.

"..."

I gently petted the creature, the fur feeling warm in my hands.

"...Cute."

Kept petting the dog, its tail wagging as I did.

"I should give you a name. How about… Dust?"

Dust was the name of the dog I had when I was a kid. My siblings and I lived here and were pretty shocked when a stray goblin killed her in the forest at the edge of our farm.

The window showed up again.

[Familiar been named.]

[You are now able to call upon Dust.]

[You are now able to view the familiar's status window]

[Entity [???] is pleased by your actions]

"Alright, I will check it later."

I looked up the other skills I got.

"Guiding Can."

I felt the same draining feeling from my body, but I saw no change.

"...Well, this is useless. Maybe I will need something for it to work."

I pulled out the bone that I had been keeping with me for a while now and gave it a few swings.

"But now, it's time for me to hunt."

As I took a few steps, the dog got the bone out from my hand and ran away.

"GIVE IT BACK!"

***** 

The towers.

The pride of Dis.

The place connected to the heavens from where the great knights descend upon the people.

When the hyumans discovered the five towers, Dis was already there, as if waiting for their arrival.

Now the city had five different levels, each inhabited by a different class of people.

At the top of this '5th' level were the ones who held the power: royalties, nobles, merchants rich with gold, and powerful knights.

Even the streets were considerably better kept than the ones in the lower levels.

They were clean, well-kept, with people in beautifully kept clothes walking around, their heads held high.

Groups of young women sat together at a café, murmuring between each other as they laughed.

Even hunters could be seen, laughing as they showed off their gear and skills before a crowd who were amazed by this.

Even the rain didn't bother them as there was a glass dome covering the entire upper level, redirecting the rain to the third and lower levels.

Today the streets were as busy as ever, as several groups in black coats gathered around at the doors of the gates.

First, the guards, hyuman knights placed there by the king's order, didn't bother them, but when more and more of them started to gather, to the point that they obstructed movement, one of the guards moved toward them.

"Hey, you have to leave; this place is-"

Before he could finish his sentence, his head fell to the ground as his body collapsed.

The figure licked its sharp claws as it screamed, while the others did the same and started to attack everyone near them.

As the scream echoed through the level, the other groups also reacted, jumping on the nearby people, tearing them apart.

"GHOULS?!"

"HOW DID MONSTERS GET UP HERE?!"

The guards screamed as they were caught off guard, their bodies torn apart.

Even the hunters who were there took losses as the surprise attack hit them before they could even brandish their weapons.

But this only lasted just for a moment.

After the situation was understood, the hunters started slaughtering the enemy.

Ghouls, even if they were above zombies or skeletons, were still low-level undead, no match for several hunters who had already classed up.

As the battle continued, more and more guards came rushing in, fighting against the monsters, and even a knight directly under the command of the king came, cutting the undead into pieces.

Not to mention the strongest force of the upper levels.

BOOOM!

One of the house's doors exploded as the charred body of a ghoul flew out.

"Rotting bastard. Making me work overtime."

Slowly walking out of the room was a man in a suit with green hair and glasses, carrying a staff that ended with what seemed like a bee hive.

As he appeared, the nearby hunters cheered.

"It's Guildmaster Marcus!"

"If he is here, we can definitely win!"

"He is a mid-rank hunter; he can easily kill these things!"

The man slightly smiled as he heard the cheers, holding his staff in both of his hands.

"And now I have to produce a good show. You better be prepared to be beaten severely."

The ghouls roared as they ran toward him, their claws dripping with blood.

The man, even in this situation, calmly pointed the top of the spear at the incoming enemies.

"Come out, Swarm."

From the hive on top of the scepter, a veritable swarm of green and purple insects flew out, surrounding the monsters.

The undead screamed and scratched themselves, trying to kill the monsters on them, but it was in vain.

The ghouls fell one by one, and when none of them were standing, the insects returned inside the scepter.

"Phew. Not bad for a lowly Insect Commander. Hope I can get my 5th class up soon after all this is cleaned up."

He pushed a body over, examining the bite and sting marks on the body.

"Next time I should add more venom to it. No matter what, they will soon die either way."

The man reached into his pocket and dialed a number.

"Yes?"

"It's me. We have a problem. Ghouls have shown up in Dis. They have been slaughtering the locals, and some of our guild members have also fallen."

BOOM!

"...I think we should send more people here. Before there is nothing left."

***** 

As the fight started to settle down, with the guards and the hunters finally subduing the threat, an explosion could be heard.

It didn't damage any building or person, nor did it even crack the street's stones where it happened.

Instead, the purple flames caused by it let out black smoke that rose up to the glass dome that kept the rain out.

As the little light the rain clouds gave was clouded out, several purple lights could be seen shining in the smoke.

As if rain, several small orbs, maybe the size of a grape, started to fall from it like rain.

"AN ATTACK!?"

"QUICKLY, RAISE SHIELDS!"

The people screamed as they ran under cover or raised shields.

Those who were left screamed as the small lights hit their bodies… and passed through them harmlessly.

"Heh?"

Nobody felt pain or discomfort from the lights touching them, only a brief heat.

When all the lights hit the floor, all of them grew and opened, revealing growing purple lilies that quickly grew, reaching one's ankle.

"What is happening?"

The hunters looked at each other in confusion, while the guards looked clueless.

At the castle, where the leading head lived, on a balcony, a man with an impressive beard looked down at the flowers, his face ugly with anger.

"The mark of heresy. This is a declaration of war."