'A tail?'
The humanoid entity has a tail!
This is going to be tough.
Facing an opponent who outmatched him in speed and strength was the peak of disadvantage Adam can ever have. Yet he wasn't discouraged as they never were his forte.
The broken ribs healed and the wounds closed up at a visible rate and the fiend's eyes widened at the sight of this miraculous event. A dumbfounded expression overshadowed the demon as it hesitated to pounce and tear the enemy apart.
The next second, it raised its head and howled.
AWOOO!!!
"...what?" Adam was utterly surprised. He almost dropped his guard when his intuition screamed at him to escape from the spot.
Without any delay, Adam retreated several metres backwards. The next instant, a giant cage descended where he stood a moment ago.
Dumbfounded, Adam was about to raise his head when a powerful blow descended behind his neck. While his sight blurred, he vaguely caught the sight of a large army of demons surroundings him before blacking out.
***
Meanwhile, on the other side of the world.
"Hurray... we won!!"
"Slaughter those bastards and let's redeem our land!"
"Onwards, fellas!!"
Swanhild had mobilised adventurers and its army to find against the otherworld beings. The skirmish was short-lived and the victor, the Swanhild kingdom, was drunk in ecstasy.
But never in their wildest dreams, they thought that this brief taste of happiness was the predecessor of an undying bitterness of defeat.
***
Thwack!
A powerful kick came in contact with Adam's abdomen and his body flew and collided with the prison wall.
"Grr..." Adam was literally growling like a beast as thrashing came down in him like rain. The metal shackles binding his wrists and ankles together had sealed his mana from exiting his body.
Fortunately, his Auto-Healing was active.
The fiend found it bizarre as this human being was unyielding to die. No matter how much it pierced Adam's heart, tore out his limbs and skinned him alive, he was resilient and bit down the pain. Not even a moan left his lips.
Rubbing the glabella in distress, the fiend was confused about what to do. Finding itself in a difficult situation, the demon left the prison and paced in a certain direction.
Watching the savage being going away with a visible confusion, a shard of beast core slipped into his mouth and revitalised his body. The injuries were healing at a relatively lower pace but it was satisfiable nonetheless.
"Hey..."
Adam was about to lie down on the stone-cold ground after an episode of suffering when a human's voice entered his ears. Instantly, he sat up and pivoted his head around.
'There are other prisoners?'
The scotopic vision took effect and Adam saw that the prison cell wasn't a small square room. He failed to notice this detail while tolerating the agony.
Peeking into the blackness, Adam realised that where he was lying down, at the moment, was only half of the entire cell. The remaining half was devoid of illumination and resembled a dark wall.
After a few seconds of intent staring, Adam was flabbergasted.
"Humans?" Adam muttered in wonder.
There were two humans chained and battered to a gruesome state. One of them no longer had the strength to stand up while the other retained enough energy to whisper at an audible rate. They only some tattered fabric to cover their nakedness.
"Yeah, you. Can you come over?"
The query from the dark would have shuddered anyone in fear, but not Adam. He could see through the veil of obscurity.
With a stiff nod, Adam crawled to the darkness, dragging the chains along with him. As soon as the shackles reached their maximum limit, it sent a searing sensation to his limbs.
"You both are humans, right? How did you both end up here?"
Cautious about his voice, Adam spoke in a hushed manner. The one who whispered earlier raised his head and saw the fellow on all four and staring at him. It was as if he can see through the darkness.
"You, you can see me?" The reply was a nod. "I'm a Zoomorph. I can see through the dark." Adam added.
"That's good." The voice spoke again. "You were constantly thrashed by the fiends. How are you not dead?"
"My innate skill is Auto-Healing. I heal just like that." The reply was concise and to the point.
Adam couldn't help but ask, "Tell me, are there more prisoners, like you?"
The chained prisoner shook his head. "We are sacrifices."
"What?" Adam thought that he misheard. Sacrifices?
The man nodded and continued. "The residents of the Stygian Realm worship a certain deity that grants them power and passage to the overworld. To appease the deity, the blood and flesh of human, elves, dwarves and zoomorphs are used. That happens to be their delicacy too."
The man raised his eyes and saw Adam with widened eyes. He chuckled and continued, "You seem to unaware of these matters?"
Adam shook his head out of the contemplative trance and replied, "I'm a wanderer. I got dragged into this mess unknowingly." After a pause, Adam expressed his curiosity, "How did you get into this world?"
The man expressed an amused smile and began to dictate his life.
Aaron Skrill was the head of an unnamed mercenary group. With the Art of Ascension, he and his companions lived a wonderful life. Hunting and clearing missions became a part of their lives. Soon it almost became that they can't sleep without blood stench penetrating their nose.
It was while celebrating the successful completion of a quest that a voice resonated in the air.
"Otherworldly beings are invading the land. Those who assist in the subjugation shall be rewarded handsomely."
At once the party dashed out. With a conviction that they can smash open the head of the otherworldly beings, they participated in the subjugation and it was a victory.
The taste of gold coins as the reward was exciting. But what was more enticing was the warmongering sensation that coursed through the veins of Aaron and his mates.
Since then, the party exclusively sought out rift subjugation missions. The track record of levelling and rewards was found addictive by them.
But things turned south shortly.
While fending off the fiends and spectres one day, they fought with such vigour that they failed to detect that they've entered the Stygian Realm through the rift. When the last demon fell, it was then they realised that the portal has collapsed and they're stranded on the other side.
With no choice, Aaron and his fellow mercenaries along with a few tens of soldiers and knights battled and held their ground. They moved from one place to another with hopes of finding another portal.
Soon, one by one fell to the death's grasp under the lack of food. The constant battling against the relentless hordes of demons was too much for them to tolerate. Within a couple of days, everyone was defeated.
Surprisingly, none were killed. And it was then they realised that the captured are nothing more than sacrifices to satiate their hunger and to appease their deity.
"..." Aaron went silent for a long time. His head hung low with despair and pain.
"This one beside me is an elf soldier of the Jehudah. She's almost at the end of her life. She suffered more than I had." Turning his head to Adam, Aaron asked. "Do you perhaps have a healing potion or something?"
Instantly, Adam flicked his wrist and a small bottle of potion appeared. He slid the bottle to Aaron and it accurately reached his side.
Without much effort, Aaron uncorked the bottle and took a sip of the potion. At once his eyes went wide.
"High-grade Healing Potion?"
The seasoned mercenary wasn't wrong. That potion was something bestowed by the sage himself. There's no way the agelong sage Trevor could house something beneath high-tier consumables.
Suppressing his excitement, Aaron felt his body healing and his mana restoring to an extent. He pickup the bottle and poured it onto the lips of the elf chained next to him.
Within a minute, her complexion turned pale red and her breath became stable. The restoration of blood was visible through her skin.
"Hey, can I ask something?" After giving ample time for Aaron to recuperate and restore his vitality, Adam inquired. "What's your level?"
Aaron was leaning onto the wall behind him with his eyes closed as he replied, "45."
Not knowing that Adam's lower jaw was hanging low in astonishment, he continued. "The Stygian Realm is a treasure trove for anyone who want to level up quick. The endless supply on enemies can boost your XP accumulation. The only downside is that the relentless attacks cause one to grow weary quickly. Sustaining even the slightest injury can seal your fate with torture."
The revelation brought Adam back to the senses and he nodded in agreement. True, the countless fiends are nothing more than experience points waiting to be harvested by the right person.