"Stealth mode!" Jeremy proclaimed, drawing his katana from seemingly thin air. As Jeremy prepared to face the enraged creatures, he couldn't help but wonder why they were already in rage mode. Had someone been in this dungeon before them? Or perhaps another team was also clearing this dungeon? Jeremy was aware that other guilds raided dungeons as well. However, If that was the case, this dungeon should have already been marked. There was no time to dwell on these thoughts as the beasts lunged towards Jeremy and Stella. "Watch out!" Jeremy warned Stella, noticing two tigers already leaping towards her. Realizing she couldn't escape the dire situation, Jeremy swiftly dashed towards her, slashing in a calculated manner. With precise movements, he targeted the first tiger's paws and the second tiger's belly. In a rapid succession of slashes, Jeremy aimed for the second tiger's eyes and the first tiger's neck before retreating, grabbing Stella's hand and pulling her away from the b
As the battle intensified, Jeremy's movements became more fluid and controlled. He anticipated the tigers' attacks, dodging and parrying with expert precision. With every swing of his katana, he aimed for vital spots, hoping to weaken his opponents.But the tigers were no ordinary foes. Their agility and strength were unmatched, and their thick fur offered a form of natural armor. Jeremy's strikes, though precise, seemed to have little effect. Blood trickled down his arm from a cut inflicted by one of the tigers, but he ignored the pain, his focus unwavering.He utilized his surroundings to gain an advantage. He lured one tiger towards a narrow passage, where its size and agility would be limited. Seizing the opportunity, he swiftly sidestepped the tiger's attack, causing it to crash into the wall.As the injured tiger recovered, Jeremy swiftly moved to the next phase of his plan. He positioned himself strategically, using his katana to redirect the attention of the remaining two t
"You're late...." Jeremy whispered, his head hanging in disappointment, his voice barely audible amidst the chaos that surrounded him. Warhuz's thunderous voice pierced through the air, causing everyone to freeze in their tracks. His eyes widened as he took in the gruesome scene before him. "What in tarnation transpired here?" he bellowed, a mix of shock and anger lacing his words. The sight before him left him dumbfounded, struggling to comprehend the magnitude of the tragedy. Jeremy, still in a state of shock himself, struggled to find the words to explain what had transpired. He stammered, his tongue betraying him in his moment of desperation. He struggled to find the right words to explain the unfathomable turn of events. His mind was a whirlwind of emotions, making it difficult to form coherent sentences. "I.... I....." he faltered, his voice trembling as he fought to articulate the chaos that had unfolded. The weight of the situation bore down on him, making it difficult to
Sensing his turmoil, Jessica spoke once more: "Jeremy, I am acutely aware of the profound difficulty you face in reliving these painful memories. I harbor no doubt that you bear no responsibility for Stella's untimely demise. However, the same cannot be said for the other individuals entangled in this dark web of events. We implore you to provide your statement, not only to aid our investigation but also to provide closure for Stella's family."Jessica's words struck a chord within Jeremy, thawing the icy tendrils of anger that had gripped his heart. With each passing moment, he found himself inching closer to sharing certain details of the incident, while carefully omitting others, such as the presence of the unknown entity and the fact that he had fought to protect Stella, not the other way around. Instead, he claimed that he had been rendered unconscious by the creatures and woke up to find her lifeless body.Jessica listened intently, her unwavering belief in Jeremy's account p
"Stella..." he mumbled to himself, his voice barely audible in the quiet room. The weight of his thoughts and emotions hung heavily in the air around him. He wondered if he would once again ignore her too, push her away until it was too late, until she was no longer a part of his life. The thought made his heart ache, and his eyes grew heavier with each passing moment.But then, as if on cue, he forced a smile, a feeble attempt to mask the pain that was evident in his eyes. It only made him look even more pitiable, a broken soul desperately trying to hold himself together."Yeah, what do you want?" he spoke, his voice laced with a hint of bitterness. He tried to eliminate every ounce of coldness from his speech, but it seemed futile. The walls he had built around himself were not so easily torn down.Celicia, who had been observing him with a mix of confusion and concern, was taken aback by his response. Before she could utter another word, a familiar voice rang out, breaking the te
"I may claim not to be a pawn to anybody, but in reality, I am still trapped within the confines of the system," Jeremy mused. "It dictates my every move, tells me how to become stronger, and numbs my emotions. Ever since that fateful day when I had the nightmare in class, I knew something significant was on the horizon."Reflecting on his own pride, Jeremy realized that it was nothing more than empty bravado in the face of true strength. He vividly remembered the nightmare and the encounter with the entity that had nearly taken his life."This system is both a gift and a curse," he contemplated, acknowledging the benefits it offered while recognizing the limitations and challenges it imposed upon him.A burning desire to surpass all those who stood in his way ignited within Jeremy's heart. He yearned to become stronger than the guild masters, the seasoned hunters, the formidable exorcists, the fearsome beasts and creatures, the very system that controlled him, and even the celestia
Returning to the topic at hand, Jeremy's voice took on a somber tone. "Like I was saying earlier, Sarah has been the only one there for me from the very beginning, apart from my mom. Our social statuses are worlds apart, yet she never treated me differently, unlike the rest of you."A touch of bitterness seeped into Jeremy's words as he continued, "The rest of you make me sick. You all made a mockery of me every day, isolating me as if I were some kind of infected being. But what pained me the most was seeing people in my own shoes tormenting me by joining your ranks."Celicia's eyes filled with remorse as she listened to Jeremy's words. She couldn't deny the truth in his words, knowing that she had been a part of the group that had treated him poorly. "I admit, I didn't like you and never paid you any attention," she confessed, her voice laced with regret. "But I was never involved in mocking you."Jeremy's gaze softened as he looked at Celicia, appreciating her honesty. "It doesn't
Upon entering the house, Jeremy spotted his mother sitting on the living room couch, her gaze fixed on a piece of paper in astonishment. A mischievous grin formed on his face, but he quickly composed himself, adopting a poker face before greeting his mother, who seemed too engrossed in her thoughts to notice that she had left the front door open. "Hey, son, how was your day?" She inquired, approaching hi. with open arms for a warm embrace, which he eagerly reciprocated. "Uninteresting as usual," Jeremy mumbled, not wanting to burden his mother with the details of his own eventful day. "How many times do I need to remind you to stay optimistic?" his mom playfully scolded, a frown appearing on her face as she affectionately pinched Jeremy's cheek. She then retreated to the couch, taking the paper with her. Curiosity piqued, Jeremy couldn't resist asking, "What's written in there?" He uttered, feigning ignorance. "I don't know," his mother replied, a mixture of surprise and fear fl
The air around them crackled with an oppressive, unnatural tension as Typhon stood motionless, towering over the battlefield like a living storm. His eyes, glowing like molten fire, were locked onto McCoy and his guild, his cold expression betraying no hint of mercy.A grotesque, unsettling noise filled the air. Typhon made an odd, guttural sound, and slowly, methodically, he stuck his massive hand down his throat. The movement was unnatural, almost alien, as he dug deeper, pulling something from within him. The sound of slick, greasy slime slithering over the ground followed, enough to make anyone with a semblance of sensitivity to retch.“Nu-ah...” Typhon muttered in an unsettling tone, his voice resonating deeply as his monstrous hand gripped the hilt of a weapon.From his throat emerged a sword—an absurdly long and grotesque blade, dripping with thick, viscous fluid. It was no ordinary weapon. The blade itself seemed to pulse, radiating a malevolent energy that made the air feel t
The flames didn’t stop with Jim. The fiery blast tore through the air, its heat warping the atmosphere. Buildings miles away were scorched clean, their facades riddled with perfectly circular holes as though a god’s spear had pierced them. Those not incinerated crumbled from the sheer force of the blast, collapsing in a cacophony of destruction.Even McCoy, standing far from the epicenter, felt the intense heat lick at his skin. His magically enhanced senses allowed him to track the blast’s trajectory, and what he saw sent chills down his spine.The devastation extended far beyond the city, leaving a trail of ruin in its wake. Streets buckled, trees withered to ash, and the ground itself cracked and smoldered. All of this happened in less than five seconds, yet the aftermath stretched for miles.A cold sweat ran down McCoy’s back as the reality of Typhon’s power sunk in. His hands trembled as he took in the scope of the destruction, but he forced himself to stay composed.“This isn’t
McCoy stood frozen, his mind racing through every piece of mythology he had ever read. His analytical nature warred with his instincts, both screaming at him to act but in entirely different ways.Before him stood Typhon—the youngest son of Gaia, a monster of unparalleled power. A being feared even by gods, Typhon’s mere presence warped the air, bending it to his will. His form loomed over the battlefield, a tempest of chaotic energy swirling around him."The youngest son of Gaia," McCoy said, forcing his voice to remain steady. "Surely you do not want to destroy a part of yourself."Typhon’s glowing eyes narrowed, his thunderous voice reverberating like an earthquake. "Huh? It seems this young mortal here is a fan of mine.""You could say that," McCoy replied, wiping the sweat rolling down his temple.He wasn’t lying. Since childhood, McCoy had immersed himself in the stories of gods and monsters, legends and myths that spanned cultures and centuries. Much to his parents’ dismay, he
Elijah stood firm, his voice steady despite his labored breathing. “Fighting isn’t just about brute strength,” he declared, his words cutting through the chaos. “Sometimes, wisdom outmatches power.”The words had barely left Elijah’s mouth when a deafening blast tore through the battlefield.Soren’s body was flung backward, forced deeper into the earth as concentric circles of light—white, gold, and red—engulfed him. Each explosion was more devastating than the last, the ground shattering beneath him in a cascading storm of debris.The battlefield transformed into a massive crater, the destruction extending for miles. Smoke and fire erupted from the epicenter, painting the sky in ominous hues.From a distance, Elijah and James watched the chaos unfold. They panted heavily, their bodies trembling from exhaustion. Blood dripped from their wounds, pooling beneath them as they knelt on the cracked earth.“Did we get him?” James asked, his voice hoarse and uncertain.Elijah didn’t respond
Two figures stood amidst the wreckage of a city torn apart by their power. One radiated a blinding, ethereal light, while the other exuded a suffocating darkness that seemed to pulse with a life of its own. Their combined presence created a storm of energy that rippled outward, shaking the city to its very core and filling the air with a foreboding sense of impending doom.“Yo,” James sneered, his voice carrying a sinister edge. The shadowy aura around him writhed and twisted like a living entity, its tendrils snaking across the ground as if searching for prey.Soren stood across from him, grinning wickedly. His red aura flared with malevolent energy, a living flame that seemed to consume the air itself. A glowing crimson rod formed in his hand, jagged and pulsating with chaotic energy, its shape constantly shifting like molten lava.“This is going to be fun,” Soren declared, his voice dripping with sadistic glee.The moment the words left his mouth, the ground beneath them shattered.
The battlefield was chaos incarnate, the ground trembling under the immense force of their clash. Elijah stood amidst the destruction, his chest heaving with ragged breaths. His once-pristine white suit was now in tatters, his body marred by countless bruises and cuts. Yet, his eyes burned with an unyielding resolve.Across from him stood Soren, his figure exuding an aura of superiority. His crimson gloves gleamed ominously, his sly grin a cruel mockery of the man struggling before him.“You sure are strong for a mortal stuck in the A-rank,” Soren remarked casually, his voice dripping with condescension as he adjusted the base of his gloves.Elijah didn’t respond immediately, his mind racing as he worked to suppress the pain from his injuries. The earlier kick had done significant damage, and he knew he couldn’t afford to falter now.“Twenty minutes,” he thought, focusing his energy inward to heal his ravaged organs. “That’s all I need to buy him. Just twenty minutes.”Soren cocked hi
James stirred in the rubble, the sharp sting of pain dragging him back to consciousness. Blood trickled down his face, pooling beneath him, and his entire body felt as though it had been shattered and pieced back together. His breaths came in shallow gasps, each one a struggle against the suffocating weight of debris and exhaustion.“Damn it,” he thought bitterly, his mind swimming in a haze of fragmented memories."Since I was young, I knew I was different. Special." James’s thoughts drifted to a distant past, a time when the world had been simpler. "I was born into wealth, into privilege. My family wanted for nothing, and from the moment I could walk, it was clear I wasn’t like the others."By six, James wasn’t just strong; he was superhuman. His punches could break walls, and his reflexes were unmatched. But with that strength came isolation."I terrified the other kids," he thought. "They couldn’t understand me. My silence, my ferocious gaze, the way I always got what I wanted—it
Soren descended gracefully, his crimson aura swirling around him like a living entity. His polished red gloves caught the dim light, and he dusted them off as if brushing away imaginary dirt. His gaze fixed on Elijah, a sneer tugging at his lips.“Insolent being,” he scoffed, his voice carrying an air of disdain. “How many times must I remind the world? I’ve stood at the peak of S rank for over a century. The strongest gods are just within my grasp. To think someone like you could challenge me… it’s laughable.”Elijah stood firm, his calm demeanor masking the storm within. “I agree with you,” he said, his tone steady. “Your power is extraordinary. But, you see, I’m not exactly ordinary myself.”Soren raised an eyebrow, intrigued despite himself.“I’ve been stuck at the peak of A rank for over two decades,” Elijah continued. “And just as the A rank is a bridge to the heroic ranks, S rank serves as the gateway to divinity. You stand at the edge of godhood, but even the gods have their l
The city of Texheram was no more than a smoldering wasteland. What once stood as a bustling metropolis was now a graveyard of shattered buildings and burning rubble. The streets, once filled with life, were eerily silent except for the crackling of flames and the occasional cries for help. The sky was a murky gray, thick with ash, and the faint glow of fires illuminated the chaos below. It was in this hellscape that Soren stood, embodying the destruction he had wrought.Perched on the edge of a crumbling skyscraper, Soren exuded a terrifying aura of dominance. His crimson attire, immaculate despite the carnage, caught the flickering light of the fires, and his tousled hair danced with the breeze. In his grasp was a woman, her neck clutched tightly in his hand. She gasped for air, her struggles feeble against the overwhelming strength of her captor.“Isn’t the weather splendid today?” Soren said with a grin that stretched unnaturally wide. His voice was calm, almost cheerful, yet laced