"6/1000"
The mother covered her son's eyes as they had arrived at another village. The Golden Hero had brought them in this area stating that he set this as gathering point for Earthlings that he had saved in this portal.
Before them was a mountain of chopped corpses, stench assaulting their nose as the woman felt nauseous.
"Who killed them?", the police mumbled
The Golden Hero lowered his head in disbelief. He was a Hero. He swore to protect all these people. He should have protected them...
*pat
Alab patted the back of Golden Hero. He could feel his self-blame. But, he also knew the personality of Golden Hero. His trait that gained him the title of Hero.
*smile
"I, the Golden Hero, vowed to clear this portal. No more person shall perish. I will bring you all back to Earth even if that costs me my life", uttered the Golden as he expressed a comforting smile to the four people.
"Golden Hero..."
The anxiety in the four people was washed off by Golden Hero's words. Relieve was flashed in their faces.
'That is the Golden Hero I know'
Alab was always been fascinated by the Golden Hero's ambiance. Just his presence alone could soothe grieving souls. His words warmth their hearts and his wide smile reassure one's mind.
He was the definition of a Hero.
Meanwhile, Nathan who had been trailing the bunch suddenly grinned. He shared senses with the tentacle that kept chase of Arabelle.
He saw the young girl halted in her steps. Before her was a cave hidden between two massive boulders. She scanned her surroundings first, watchful of followers.
Once convinced that she was not trailed, she infiltrated the gloomy depth of the cave. Unbeknownst to her, three tentacles crawled on the rough surface behind her.
She crawled into the small crevice of the cave that kept on getting narrower as she dig deeper. After some time, rosy light greeted her sight as she finally exited the crevice.
Arabelle stepped into a barren land as she arrived at the wide space. She stretched her body then hastily strode towards the hut in the middle of the expanse. A bon fire was lit far from the hut, illuminating the dark space.
"Dad---"
Arabelle called out, her steps sluggish as she whimpered. A thin man emerged from the hut, embracing the Arabelle who was drenched with tears. He patted her back as he uttered.
"I know, Im sorry that you had to see her die. Take a rest now, our Arabelle"
The man patted the back of weeping Arabelle as he brought her inside the hut. He closed the door whilst he walked towards the crevice.
In there, hiding discreetly in between the rough edges of the crevice, the shrunken tentacle squeezed in. The man pulled out the tentacles that wriggled in attempt to escape.
The man's strength made it futile. The tentacles could only struggle before he delivered it to his mouth.
His saw-like teeth gnawed on the tentacles as crunching sound echoed. The S-grade skill [Kramel's Tentacles] was chewed to nothingness by the man.
Then, strength surged in his body as his stats soar by a high rate.
"Come and I will consume you all, invaders", uttered the man as his bloodshot eyes glanced at the crevice.
---
On the other hand, Nathan felt his head being pierced as his [Kramel's Tentacle] had been deactivated. It would take him another 5 hours before he could use the skill again.
He took note to kill the man and make his soul suffer for eternity. As the former [Lord of the Souls], he never left any damage to himself unpaid.
"I found you, survivors"
-----
The bunch rummaged through the village. They found three canned foods hidden underground. The skill [Enhanced Nose], D-grade of the police officer allowed them to scour the food. Unfortunately, the other stuffs had been seized by whoever killed these people.
They rest behind a boulder outside the village as the tragic scene gave them a bad stomach. Some corpses were missing an eyeball whilst others lost their head entirely.
They couldnt comprehend the monster behind this.
They hadnt eaten for a day now and this half of canned foods each barely satiate their hunger. The kid lifted their morals with his endless chatter.
He was a fellow Golden Hero Fanatic like Alab. He threw himself to Golden Hero's arms as he narrated his years of adoration.
Steven also didnt escape his playfulness as the kid crawled into his back, imitating the image of Alab from earlier. The fiery fire surprisingly didnt burn the kid on his back. A fume seemed to ooze out of Steven as he shook his body, tossing the kid to the ground.
Silent he might be, he was still the prideful madman he was.
The child kept fondling the Golden Hero's broken armor till he drained his energy and slept in his mother's lap. She patted the kid's head as she similarly shut her eyes. The police officer who was equally exhausted succumbed to his serene dream.
The Golden Hero sat beside Alab. The bonfire illuminate the area as they threw the foreign Earth's items into the fire.
"Since when did you began aspiring to become a Hero?", the Golden Hero asked as he looked at Alab.
"Since 8 years ago, Golden Hero"
Alab was slumber in his reply. The scene of the fire breaking out in his school 8 years ago and his sister's sacrifice to save him, pricked his heart once more. The Golden Hero realized that it was a sensitive topic to indulge in. He shifted the topic shortly.
"I used to not believe in Heroes. Even as a kid, I never liked them. They are too kind and selfless... just like someone I know", the Golden Hero paused as he took a split cabinet and three it into the fire.
The fire rose as it disclosed a warm breeze. The Golden Hero continued.
"Hero may sound cringe but during these times, people need it. They need a hero to believe in. And certain someone pushed me to be one.", he glanced at Alab as the breeze blew their hair up, warmth surrounding them as they conversed.
"Golden Alab, you are still a kid but you are a great Hero. Say, would you like to join my guild?"
"I---", Alab couldnt believe what he just heard.
The Golden Hero, his idol had invited him to join his dream guild, Golden Guild! His heart raced as he couldn't find the composure to open his mouth.
He should have accepted the invitation right away. That was what the young Alab would do. However, his power that played with death was not suitable for Heroes.
He could not be a Hero at the moment.
"I am honored to be invited by the Golden Hero but, I have to decline. I dont think I am suited to be called a Hero at the moment...", Alab sunkened expression stung the empathy of the Golden Hero.
He didnt know Alab's reason. He could only nod his head and utter his next proposal.
"Then how about joining the academy? It is rare for a kid below 17 year old to awaken even temporary. The school for early awakened would surely help you.", stated the Golden Hero as he patted Alab's back. His smile comforting as ever.
"I may not know your reason for becoming a Hero but I know that you will come a long way. You are strong, Alab. Stronger than you know", he muttered as he stood.
Alab behold the sight of Golden Hero with the tall fire blazing the scene. The Golden Hero jumped atop the boulder. He glanced at Alab.
"Take your time to decide. Rest now, we still have a hard battle ahead. I will take watch"
*smile
"Sleep, Golden Alab"