A Promise of Revenge

Kayden took a moment to catch his breath, observing the now lifeless body of the wild boar.

He did not let the thrill of victory linger in his head for too long as his thoughts turned to the path that lay ahead.

Yes, he had triumphed over the massive boar with a mere sword, a feat that would shock most people on Earth.

However, in the big picture of things, the importance of such a feat was that of a grain of sand in the desert.

Knowing that greater challenges awaited him, Kayden crouched down next to the boar to carry it on his back.

With a grunt of exertion, he strained to his feet, the burden of the boar pressing against his back as he set off toward the hut.

As the verdant forest enveloped him again, Kayden's gaze lingered one last time on the graceful deer he had killed earlier, regretting not being able to take it with him as well.

After a while, Kayden finally caught a glimpse of the hut, a mixture of nervousness and anticipation etched on his face as he thought about the reward of the task, hoping he had not been mistaken with his reasoning.

However, his expression quickly darkened as he saw how several figures clad in black darted out of the structure.

Fearing the worst, Kayden swiftly approached with long strides, leaving the heavy boar on the ground before reaching the door of the hut, which was wide open.

Unfortunately, his fears were confirmed when he saw the inside of the hut.

Kayden's breath caught in his chest as he surveyed the scene before him. Both siblings lay sprawled on the floor, crimson stains spreading across their bodies.

Ollie, lying protectively over Lily, bore a deep gash that marred his back, his eyes closed in a resolute expression.

Lily, on the other hand, had her abdomen stained with a growing pool of red as she mumbled incoherent words through her pain as her eyes turned glassy.

Kayden approached them, crouching down to get a better look at their situation.

Dazed, he realized that Ollie was no longer breathing. He did not know him well enough for sadness to wash over him, but he was still shocked.

The cruel reality of the cultivation world, where even children were not spared without sufficient strength, crashed upon him once again.

"Ollie please don't leave me! Please! Please!"

Kayden's gaze quickly changed to Lily when he heard her voice.

"Lily! Who did this?" He asked.

However, she kept mumbling without noticing his words.

"Lily!" Kayden called her back as he grabbed her by the shoulders.

This time, her eyes cleared slightly, and she said between sobs.

"He protected me! He was sick and could barely move, but he still covered me with his body when it should have been the other way around!"

Patting her on the back, Kayden tried to reassure her.

"Everything will be fine, don't worry. Do you know who did this?"

With red, glassy eyes, Lily stammered, "They were members of the Assassins Guild."

"The Assassins Guild?" Kayden asked.

"Yes, the same guild that killed our parents," Lily explained in a voice filled with hatred. "Sorry, I made you hunt and now we won't be able to eat what you hunted," she added in a sad tone.

At that moment, a beam of light appeared before heading for the engraving on Kayden's hand. Even though he was almost sure what it meant, he decided to focus on it later, concentrating again on Lily.

"Don't worry about that now, everything will be fine."

"Please, accept one request more," she said in a pleading tone.

"What is it?"

"Take revenge for us," she begged.

Listening to her words, Kayden hesitated. He appreciated Lily and he knew she was a good person, even when he did not know whether she was real or not, but he needed to focus on his objective.

However, he quickly made up his mind when he thought that this might be another task, and one with an even greater reward.

Kayden's way of thinking may have seemed a bit macabre, but the reality was that he could not stop at every injustice he encountered if he wanted to reach his goal.

Seeing that he was slow to answer, Lily added, "I know that I don't have much to offer but you can keep the sword. Also, hidden under the tile farthest from the door, you will find a notebook that belonged to my father, which contains some secrets of the town."

Her voice became weaker and weaker as she continued.

"That notebook is the reason why my parents were killed, and probably the reason why Ollie and I were attacked too. I wanted to use it to avenge my parents, but it looks like it won't be possible now."

A wry chuckle escaped his lips before he began to cough.

Kayden tried to tell her she was going to be fine to comfort her, but she interrupted him.

"I know I'm running out of time, please just tell me you'll avenge us," she whispered.

"I will," Kayden replied.

"Thank you."

With those words, Lily breathed her last, a smile on her face.

Closing her eyes, Kayden stood up, thinking about burying them. However, when he was wondering how he would dig a hole without a shovel, something astonishing happened in front of him.

The bodies started to fade, becoming more and more transparent before they completely disappeared as if they had never existed.

As the bodies of Lily and Ollie gradually dissolved into transparency, Kayden stood frozen, his mind grappling to comprehend the inexplicable phenomenon before him.

His initial shock gave way to a sense of bewilderment, his thoughts racing to make sense of the situation as he recovered from the shock.

'Although it isn't completely sure, this almost confirms that those without engravings aren't real,' he thought, his mind racing.

Even though he regretted the death of both of them even if they were not real people, Kayden's mind returned to the Trial's objective as he thought about how he could improve his performance.

At that moment, the memory of the beam of light descending upon his hand while he conversed with Lily came rushing back.

Shifting his gaze to the back of his hand, his eyes widened as he beheld the transformation that had taken place.

Once a crimson-red gem, the engraving had now blossomed into a more intricate one. Bathed in a radiant golden-yellow glow, akin to the warm embrace of the sun, the changed engraving now adorned his hand.

Seeing this, a wave of ecstasy surged inside Kayden as he realized that he already had a level two engraving.