Bjorn stood in the middle of the clearing, His heart was pounding as he narrowly dodged a short sword that was coming straight at his chest. Every part of him was focused on surviving. Then, he heard a loud victory roar from his friend, Bloodblade, and allowed himself a quick smile."That's what I'm talking about," Bjorn said, his voice full of relief and excitement. Blood dripped from a cut on his lip, but he smiled confidently, showing the blood in his teeth to his enemy.The assassin froze, taking a few steps back. His eyes widened with shock and disbelief. This wasn’t supposed to happen. They were told their targets were just beginner mages—not too weak, but certainly not strong enough to put up this kind of fight. Taking down adepts was supposed to be hard, almost impossible, but definitely not like this. And now, two of the assassins were already dead. The assassin kept a calm face, but inside, fear crept in. Failure was not an option, and he knew he would be punished."You’re m
Bjorn’s movements were swift and silent as he ran, his heart beating rapidly, with an unconscious Bloodblade slung over his shoulder, he had his shadows scouting ahead and making sure they encountered no threat as it’d be dangerous to come across any beast in their current situation.The night buzzed with the roars and howl of the beasts prowling the jungle, their cries echoing through the forest, the twisted giant branches of the trees casting deep and ancient shadows on the jungle floor. The jungle was thick, the tall vegetation clutching his body like phantom hands, the heavy rain soaked the trees and filled the air with the rich scent of wet earth, leaves and wood. Thunder rumbled overhead, shaking the ground, while flashes of lightning illuminated the sky and made the shadows appear more eerie.The creepy shadow suddenly informed Bjorn of a dark panther lying in ambush ahead. “Damnation, this is getting more dangerous.” Bjorn thought as he slowed down and changed directions, gi
"I can sense two snakes a hundred meters to our right," Bloodblade whispered to Bjorn beside him."One is coming up quickly behind us, and my shadow spots an adept-ranked one in the distance ahead," Bjorn replied as they hid on top of a huge tree with their invisible robe activated, hiding from the snake directly beneath them.The boys had come to discover that it's not so easy to get out of the Hollow Gloom Grove, as it is infested with thousands of snake-type beasts. The only reason Bjorn managed to survive the previous night was because it was a stormy night and most of the snakes had burrowed under the earth with their ability to manipulate the earth."Let's move," Bjorn said as he hurriedly followed the most optimistic path that his shadow mapped out for him.They moved steadily and stealthily, climbing the colossal trees sometimes and hiding under the roots at other times. On some occasions, they also encountered smaller, weaker snakes hiding from the stronger ones.Bjorn and Bl
"You really do want to get us killed," Bjorn said with a sigh. He could see the crazy look in Bloodblade's eyes and knew nothing he said would stop Bloodblade from going after that fruit."I don’t see any way to get to that tree without going through the battlefield; that will be extremely dangerous." Bjorn massaged his temple."We have to get it, Wildheart. It will also be beneficial to us since we can use it to stabilize our cores if we force a breakthrough with those essence pills," Bloodblade urged him."This is madness. You are lucky that I am mad," Bjorn said as he grinned madly. "Let’s steal from some masters."Bloodblade returned the grin, and they got down to plotting their move. They studied the chaotic battlefield. After an hour of observation and planning, they were finally ready and set off to rob the beasts of their treasure.Bjorn and Bloodblade silently crept towards the battlefield of the adept and novice-ranked beasts. The battlefield was chaotic, the wolves clawing
Bjorn and Bloodblade stood before the massive tree, its trunk so large it needed fifteen arms to go around it. The tree was so large and tall that they appeared like ants standing before it. Standing this close to the tree, they could feel the welcoming, soothing warmth emitted from the fruits hanging from the branches.Bjorn could feel his devouring core stir, showing just how wonderful and valuable the fruits of the golden sage tree were.“Let's hurry up and get out of here before we are discovered,” Bjorn urged Bloodblade.With a powerful jump, they leapt onto the lower branches of the tree and moved in different directions. Bjorn jumped higher and to the left, while Bloodblade jumped towards the right side. They moved this way because the fruits were located far apart, and moving like this was the most optimal way to get all the fruits.It took about three minutes of jumping and climbing before Bjorn arrived in front of one of the fruits. The fruit seemed to carry the sun as it re
The ground shook violently beneath Bjorn and Bloodblade's feet as they raced across the volcanic land. Just as they thought they had gained some distance from the monstrous snake, the earth rumbled again, more fiercely than before. Another fissure cracked open in front of them, spewing bright orange lava and flames into the air.They skidded to a stop, barely avoiding the molten rock that bubbled up from the new fissure. The ground beneath them trembled continuously, making it difficult to maintain their balance. It was as if the entire landscape was alive, groaning and shifting with the immense power beneath its surface.Around them, they could hear the terrified cries of different beasts. Not only that, but they could also see some of the beasts running towards their direction, heading towards the grove they had just run out from.Various species that would never tolerate each other's presence on a normal day were now running side by side, their fear of the volcanic eruption suppres
Pain, pure unrestrained pain, was the only thing Bjorn could feel as he sank to the bottom of the lava. He felt as though he was being swallowed by an ocean of fire. His skin sizzled and burned, and the pain was beyond anything he had ever felt.Every nerve in his body screamed in agony. His bones were already shattered from the impact of the molten rock. It was as if his entire body was being crushed and melted at the same time. He couldn’t move. His limbs refused to obey him. His vision blurred. He tried to scream but only managed to swallow more lava and gurgled up blood that burned immediately. It was as if the world had been reduced to an endless sea of pain and fire.“Damn it, everything hurts!” That was the first thought that entered his mind. His mind was a storm of suffering, flickering between consciousness and darkness as the lava continued its merciless assault. Time seemed to stretch on forever, each second an eternity of suffering and pain. Bjorn could have easily given
Lying naked on the hot ground, Bjorn heaved a sigh of relief. It had been a crazy week— from the assassination attempt and robbing master-ranked beasts to surviving the chase of one and ending up in his current situation. He was tired and needed some rest, but he couldn’t afford to yet.Bjorn lay with smooth, flawless skin, untouched by any burn marks despite his fiery ordeal. The fire had scorched away every hair on his body, leaving him completely hairless. His smooth skin gleamed in the light, unblemished and soft, with no eyebrows or eyelashes remaining. He looked strikingly different, with his bare, smooth skin.With a groan, Bjorn sat up and took in his surroundings. The lava had carried him a long distance into an unknown region. Looking around, he found himself in a desert, but it looked nothing like a desert anymore. A large river of lava flowed through the sands, with smaller streams diverging from the main river. The hot, glowing lava lit up the surroundings, making the san