The other runners noticed the incident, they hurriedly checked him out.
"What happened?"
"He fell."
"What?" More eyes peeped, curiously seeing what happened to the boy.
"He's not moving.'
"No, his hands are. He must be still alive."
An elder came to check the situation.
"Teacher, the boy fell off. What will we do? Will we save him?"
The elder assessed Levi but did not went down to help him. "No. We cannot. No one is allowed to leave the wall or else you'll be evicted. That's the rule. The boy is already considered an outsider so we can't help him. Besides, I don't think he will live much longer."
"But elder..."
"Just let him be! Continue the race. Do you still want to win? First ten placers have reward."
"Yehey!" The crowd left as quick as they came. No one thought of the poor boy anymore, only caring about themselves.
The elder glanced at Levi and sent a transmission. "Boy, if you will live, you better not come back or else you'll be slayed. Unless... you bring back a great treasure." With that, he leaped away.
Levi was left on the ground, very helpless and pained. The words of the elder kept ringing to him. Treasure... Treasure... I must bring back a treasure if I want to return. Screw... screw you. You won't even help me in this dire situation, how can I trust your words. If I'll live, I'd better off running to the mountains. Or even to the ruins. I'll find as many treasures as I can and all will be mine.
He slumped back to rest, closing his eyes, tasting the metal sweet of his blood, and thinking that he was alone and abandoned.
○ ● ○
The hell realm...
Hell was like the graveyard for those who was stolen by death. It was a fiery place, chaotic, and full of fights going here and there. All civilians are cultivators. And compared to the humans, their thirst for power is unquenchable. Everyday, they would find somebody to fight with. This is the normal life in hell. Under the fiery blaze of the sky, everyone is fighting to get on top of the foodchain.
The Hell realm comprises of several thousand species of monsters, beasts, and demons. Demons were the most powerful and everyone of them are highly respected. The demons are much more ordered because they have the imperial system, where they follow one emperor, twelve kings, and thirty-six generals. Each general rules over 30, 000, 000 demon warriors and 600, 000, 000 ordinary monsters. So just imgine how powerful a general was to subdue that many warriors.
But in all empires, there will always be internal conflict. There was one big reason why the Hell retreated from the war against Heavens, and that problem was never solutioned until the twelve kings decided to take measures. They thought that they will succeed on their plans. But one mere general destroyed it. In one day, all of their hard work was stolen. The empire has strict rules and death is the awaiting punishment to anyone who defies. With a powerful will, the general will defy the laws and overturn things as loudly as it can. The prize of a great crime must be met with suffering. And to nowhere it can escape except to the outside world.
"Hell empire, remember this words. I will come back to avenge myself, and I will raze you all to the ground to kneel to me. Since you killed me, I will pay you back the prize a million times over!!" With great madness, it casted light over its soul and she burned into a great ball of fire.
● ○ ●
It was a bland starless night. A night of great despair that washed over the soul of a young boy wandering along the empty woods. He was not into an adventure, but he was seeking for a home. There was nothing in here to keep his stomach from rumbling. Starving and dehydrated from two hours of walking, his dizziness magnified and so he has to rest on the ground. He collapsed from the pain of his legs and back after falling off a fifty meter wall. He was lucky to survive but not lucky to survive in this dangerous place.
Levi huffed and puffed, to exhale the cloud of negative tension from his body. Levi was alone for most of his life. No one but his friend cared for him. He didn't even cared for his life. But now... he was once again abandoned, a great feeling of despair washed over him. For once in his life, he have seen how selfish humans became. The look of ridicule in their eyes, Levi could never forget. He can endure hunger and pain, but his mind is emotionally weak still filled with innocense.
He got up wiping his face off the tears.
"If all the world's going to abandon me, so be it! I'll live alone by myself, without needing to depend on anyone! I will become a cultivator that stands above the peaks of immortality, and I will prove to you all how dumb you are for offending me! Even if I die, so be it! I will still continue my adventure, will walk any path that none of you dared to take! I will find treasures for myself! Then will come back to slay for my revenge!!" He instilled himself with more willpower, and he walked to the farther distance without turning back to look at the wall.
Levi saw a whole new world in front of him, through the illumination of five moons hung in the sky, the sandy grounds reflect the abandoned battlezone. Walls of buildings and houses collapsed, woods rotten, mices and bugs scraping them. Furthermore, an overflowing stench cometh from corpses of animals scattered everywhere. Levi almost puked at the horrible sight. The animals were just... carnaged, dissected, torn from limb to limb. All sorts of animal parts were in here. Thigh bones, bare heads, gouged eyes, half-eaten liver and many more. Littered in a bleeding boneyard. Levi felt his stomach stiffen. He tried to stop himself from puking but his breakfast came flowing out of his mouth.
Cough! Cough!
"So it's true. There really were Undead here."
A psychic sense told him to evade and he does. Flying past him is an arrow, barely missing his back. Levi jumped out in alert. He glanced where the arrow came from. It was from the forest.
"Who's there?"
Only his own voice echoed back along the dark shadows of the forest. Not a thing can be observed. So he kept his vigilance up in case of another surprise attack.
Kriiiiiiiiiing... kriiiiiiiiing...
Levi knows it was the sound of something being dragged. Like a metal passing over a rock. He was frightened as he kept glancing everywhere for any signs of motion. He heard the dragging coming closer, as if someone is coming carrying a piece of metal rod. Levi trusted his instincts to feel where the strange sound came from. Right. It was coming from the right.
Dilapidated building cover most of the way. But Levi is certain someone is standing behind that building.
The figure gradually came closer. It was a shadow. Levi cannot see his face. But behind the shadow, he was dragging over.... something big. It was ... a big hammer. Light strikes upon the face of the figure and Levi could see his face clearly. He was terrified.
"Graaaaahhhh..." His head was almost sliced by a piece of axe sticking out his forehead. His eyes were bloody and so was his mouth. He looked at him expressionlessly but Levi could sense hunger from the way he growled.
Levi gulped. This kind of thing is not something he can deal with. His face was met with an incoming arrow, he ducked. The arrow flashed past him and hit the Undead's face. But it was not affected and continued walking closer. Levi run to the left side keeping his head low. He jumped over a rock but a hand reached out from under the rock and grabbed his ankle.
Levi panicked and kicked the arm away. The feeling of its rough skin and bony fingers sent shivers down his spine. Levi continued running, ignoring the pain of his legs. He breathed a mouthful of air and dashed straight to the woods.
"Graaaaahh!!!"
A face popped out of nowhere nearly scaring him to death. He instinctively punched it but more corpses came behind it. He changed direction but a couple of steps away, there is an undead eating a hamster. It stared at him hungrily. Levi was completely freaked out he run towards the ruins. Hopefully, no Undead are waiting for him.
But he was wrong. The abandoned ruins seemed empty but it still was a graveyard for the dead. Many more corpses rose from the depths of the earth. Their hands rising up first then their heads while they groan for food.
Levi continued running deeper to the ruins, not knowing where he was heading. But he was run from the horde of corpses following behind. Wherever he ran, corpses would awake and rise. They chase after him becoming faster. Levi do not want to attempt looking back. Because if he did so, he was afraid to see gruesome faces eyeing at him as if he is a food. His instinctive feeling gave him a signal that a hand is reaching for his back. Nd whatever that was, it was coming closer and closer. Levi ran faster but his energy is losing faster. Even worse, he feels dizzier every second. He just wants to lie down and rest but if he did so, he might not be able to see the rising of the sun.
Huff huff huff huff
A hand reached for his back, tearing his shirt. The hand felt cold but it was sharp, it scratched his skin deep enough to induce bleeding. Levi felt a scorching heat penetrating his spine. He very much wants to scratch away the itchiness but he forced his hand not to.
Another hand reached for his shoulder. Levi jerked his shoulder to brush it off but another came grabbing his thigh. Levi shivers from their touch. He screamed and run further. Yet he cannot outrun all of them. There were just too many. And they feel no fatique.
Levi was overcomed by hand grabbing his hair and he felt teeth sinking on his neck!
"Aaaaaahhh...
Levi was pushed down to the ground. Tens of mouth came crashing to his skin. He shouted in pain when they grabbed his right hand and almost tore it off from his shoulder. Another wave of electric jolted his brain when a piece of his neck was bitten off.
The sudden electric bolt energized his brain and adrenaline was released very fast to fill all parts of his body. A newfound strength overwhelmed his pain and he cried out loud.
"Gaaaaaahhh!!!"
*mug!
As forcefull as he can, he elbowed the corpse from his back. He gripped the hand of the zombie nearest to him and twisted it off. The bones cracked and it fell of from its shoulder. Levi spread his legs to kick anything. Like a worm struggling from salt, Levi jerked his body as hard as he can and managed to free himself. He kicked and punched everyone away until he crawled back up. Sprinting once more to the place of the dead.