Jasenki climbed to the top of the tree by using a rope ladder and then carefully positioned himself inside the gunner’s nest. From here, he had a clear view of his surroundings, and the pine cones and needles offered just enough shade to hide him from preying eyes.The two hunters hired by Lord Wilhelm climbed onto the two watchtowers and prepared their compound crossbows. Loading steel-tipped bolts into their weapons, they waited patiently for the griffin to show up.If Lord Wilhelm had tried to hire any member of the adventurer’s guild for such a task, they would have declined the offer without a second thought. It was because every adventurer worth his coin knew that hunting a Fork-tailed Griffin was a perilous task, and violating the rules of Ishani’s hunt could get them imprisoned or even exiled from town.However, these two hunters had agreed to do the dirty work since they were mercenaries from the distant city of Nilfaria. Hence, the common laws of Aranor would not apply to th
Seeing their prey standing there by his lonesome, the wolves slowly emerged from the bushes, baring their dirty white fangs at Ezra. These weren’t the common gray wolves one encountered on the road, but their larger brown-coated cousins. The pack consisted of two male leaders and comprised of twelve younger males.Ezra counted twelve in total and a few young females hiding inside the shrubbery. Without his Soul Drain ability, the odds were stacked against him, but he wasn’t bothered in the least because he was looking for a challenge, one that would help him test his skills with his weapons.As the growling wolves encircled Ezra, trapping him in the middle of their feral pack, he tossed his six-shot revolver in the air and spoke aloud, “Extended Hand: Stabilize!”The gun flicked around and became upright, before stabilizing mid-air. A runic circle of light appeared around it, keeping it at its center, and its barrel started glowing.“Why did you feel the need to do that?” Marlin aske
The wounded hunter clenched his teeth and pressed his lips as tightly as possible to muffle his pained cries. But Jasenki wasn’t ready to let him off the hook so easily. “I think you are pretty hard of hearing. Let me help with that!” Jasenki fired two shots which struck the ground, narrowly missing the hunter’s left ear. The hunter’s eyes widened as he trembled in fear. His heart was pounding inside his chest, but he tried his best not to cry for help because he knew his cries would attract a bigger monster than the armed noble standing before him. Frustrated by the man’s stubborness, Jasenki moved closer and stepped on his wounded knee. “We did not have to do this the hard way, but you left me no choice. I want you to squeal like a pig!” Jasenki kept applying pressure, crushing the man’s bleeding knee with his boot till he finally could not take it anymore and let out an anguished scream. “Arghh! My leg!” “Yes! Keep screaming for me, you filthy peasant!” Jasenki pressed his fo
Jasenki had managed to get a head start on Ezra by choosing to set off early and climb the steeper and more barren side of the mountain, but his advantage meant nothing now. The griffin had escaped with minor injuries while Jasenki lay unconscious with little hope of resuming the hunt anytime soon. Meanwhile, Ezra had taken a safer route cutting through the woods, and managed to avoid fighting the griffin. However, he was now approaching the griffin’s hunting territory. The long journey had brought Ezra out of the woods, and now he was ascending a winding trail littered with animal bones, tattered blood-soaked clothes, and rusty weapons. “It looks like our flying friend has been using this place to dispose of the leftovers after its lavish meals,” Marlin remarked as he scanned the path ahead with his cursed eye. Ezra’s horse started neighing and shaking its head as he continued ascending the trail. He tried to spur it forward, but the beast refused to move. Instead of trekking up
When Ezra had embarked upon this hunt, he had made all the preparations necessary to confront a griffin. But he wasn’t expecting something like this. Even Aurelia hadn’t told him the Southern Fork-tailed Griffin had access to a magic ability. Ezra was completely cornered by the dust storm, and his magic power kept dropping steadily till it finally hit zero. [Magic power completely drained!] [Current magic power: 0%] With all his magic power drained within seconds, Ezra could no longer shoot enchanted bullets from his gun, and the longer he stayed in the middle of this storm, the more fatigued he would feel. A Gunner without magic power was just a normal human, and despite Ezra’s skill with the gun, he knew he had no chance of killing the griffin with normal bullets. “The winds are getting too unruly. We can’t stay here much longer,” Marlin said to Ezra. Even though he was a mere parasite, the magic drain was affecting him too, causing him tremendous pain. “Get us out of here!”
Inside a small hunting cabin deep within the Zakashi Woods, Glenn Azarenki closed his eyes while sitting inside a pentagram painted with his own blood. In front of him was an earthen bowl surrounded by red candles. The scroll Glenn had given Ezra before parting ways contained a third-tier blood curse that could be used to drain low-level enemies. By unleashing the curse, Ezra had bound the griffin hatchlings to the blood mage. Now Glenn could feed on their blood as long as they were alive, and they could neither fly away nor hide. As Glenn’s bowl filled with griffin blood, he smiled and thanked Ezra. Griffins were rare and powerful hybrids, and drinking their blood would not only restore his youth but augment his powers as well. “You have been very kind to me, Lord Ezra. I promise I shall repay the favor someday,” he vowed, crossing his heart before drinking the tangy red liquid pooled inside the bowl. As the griffin blood coursed through Glenn’s veins, his skin turned clearer and
Cecilia stood there like a statue as all eyes stared at her, expecting her to keep her promise. Her eyes welled with tears as she turned to Ezra, hoping to find some compassion. But Ezra simply smiled at her and gestured toward his horse. “What is going on? Ezra?” Lord Sebastian tried to intervene, but Aurelia pulled him back, grabbing his hand. “A lot has transpired in your absence. The Rodels started this, so it is only fair they pay for what their choices. I will explain everything later.” Even the commoners gathered at the festival ground flocked to the tents in the middle to watch what was happening. Unable to bear the humiliation anymore, Cecilia lashed out at Ezra. “I won’t do such a degrading thing. I am Lady Cecilia Rodel from Stonewell City. My father owns—” “Your father is not here, dear lady. And a woman who breaks her promise is despised by everyone,” Ezra replied. “I won fair and square and now I am here to claim my prize. Don’t keep the people waiting. The sun’s abo
Even though they were in their own house, Aurelia was wary of curious ears. A single twisted truth could spark a wildfire and burn down the foundations of their family, so she had to be certain no one would catch wind of their conversation. Aurelia locked the door of her room and drew the curtains before accessing her inventory and pulling out a corrupted crystal from inside. “Do you know what this is?” she asked. “A corrupted crystal,” Ezra replied. “It looks similar to the one I saw inside the training dungeon.” “You are correct. It’s a corrupted crystal that can link one low-level training dungeon to another dungeon, typically a dark dungeon or a monster nest,” Aurelia replied, placing the crystal on the table. “These things aren’t easily available. Only dark mages and black-market vendors keep these in their inventory. And they do not come cheap.” Ezra listened with close attention and his thoughts immediately went back to the Stirge invasion. “Where did you find this one?” he