Inside a lush forest, with the sound of wind whistling through the trees and branches brimming with life, there was an unsettling noise of someone crying and something being torn apart.
A boy, about the age of thirteen, sat casually on a rock, biting and tearing at a bug about the size of his hand, eating its white insides as if it were soup.
His curly pale blonde hair fell around his shoulders, and his piercing emerald eyes stared intently at a man bowing before him.Those eyes held a certain glint of flame within them.
"This sure is nice," Lucas said, savoring the taste.
The man, in his twenties with brown hair and eyes blinded by fear and tears, trembled before him. "I'm sorry, my Lord. I didn't know it was you. I thought it was an intruder and shouldn't have tried to attack you."
Lucas threw the bug's body aside and picked up another from a plate beside him.
He tore into the flesh, speaking with his mouth full. "I might have let it go if that girl hadn't been screaming for help.Thinking It was just a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time."
He glanced at the girl with shiny silver hair flowing down her face, her expression adorable despite the terror in her eyes. She looked about sixteen and was clutching a cloth around her body, trying to cover herself.
"I think I won't be killing you," Lucas said casually, reaching for another bug from the plate.
The girl looked at Lucas, tears still present in her eyes. The man, however, looked up in gratitude. "Thank you, thank you very much," he stammered, bowing even lower.
"Yeah, I'm trying to control myself right now. If this had been a year ago, I would have killed you on the spot," Lucas said, smiling at the man. The man lifted his head slightly to look at Lucas, still trembling.
Lucas took the last bug from the plate, his eyes never leaving the man. Then he picked up a black knife from the plate and threw it in front of the girl.
Lucas threw the knife in front of the girl. "Kill him," he said, his face serious, his bloodlust casting out from him like a shroud of black cloud ready to rain its terror. The girl looked at Lucas, confused and still teary-eyed.
She picked up the knife, stammering but determined. The man, still bowing, couldn't muster the strength to lift himself.
The girl approached him, her steps unsteady, and struck him in the side of the neck. The knife pierced through, blood flowing out like a river.
She glanced up at Lucas, who sat in an elevated position, smiling. "He's not finished. Strike him again. He's a B Rank; he won't die just from this."
Obediently, she followed the devil's advice and struck again, this time in the center of the neck.
Blood gushed out like a dam breaking. Losing her composure, she struck the man multiple times, first in the neck and then in the head.
When she was done, she looked at her blood-soaked hands and the lifeless body before her.
Realizing the horror of what she had done, she staggered backward, trying to distance herself from the gruesome scene.
"Ebon, eat the core," Lucas instructed as a yellow, lizard-like creature emerged from his shirt. The creature had bat-like wings that stretched and connected to its arms, powerful legs, and sharp, metallic claws.
Its tail moved with graceful precision, and its eyes featured golden pupils against a black retina.
As the creature emerged, it glanced at the girl, the man's body, and then at Lucas. Noticing its gaze, Lucas gently petted it.
The infant creature approached the man's body and began trying to peel off the armor to reach the core.
Lucas sighed, facepalming as he stood up and approached the body. He thrust his hand through the disintegrating man and retrieved the core, tossing it to the creature. "Eat it before it vanishes," Lucas urged.
Looking at his hand, which remained bloodly, Lucas wiped it clean with the man's cloth. He turned his attention back to the girl, who was now stabilizing but still trembling.
Summoning a bag of gold, Lucas threw it toward her. "This will help you," he said.
Turning his gaze to Ebon, who had finished its meal, Lucas picked up the creature and tucked it back into his shirt. "Head north; you'll find an outpost there," he instructed.
With that, he donned his cloak and began to leave. The girl watched as Lucas's retreating figure disappeared into the distance.
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"Oye, have you heard about the new AA-class adventurer?" the bearded man asked, rubbing his beard thoughtfully.
"Yeah, the hotshot from the Wykes family, the youngest AA Rank," the clean-shaven man replied.
"I don't get why they promoted that brat when there are more deserving people," the third man with eyeglasses remarked.
"I heard he's killed a lot of people," the bearded man said.
"That's bullshit," the man with glasses countered. "There was no news of him until a month ago. He just showed up, took an exam, and Kaspain gave him the AA Rank."
The clean-shaven man nodded in agreement. "I heard he's a Conjurer."
"That's what he's registered as, but I've also heard he uses a sword," the bearded man added, shifting the topic. "Have you heard that the masked swordsman is in this town?"
"Really?" the clean-shaven man asked, intrigued.
"There are rumors," the bearded man continued. "He's also a prodigy, going from B to A in just two years."
"Yeah, I heard he only uses a sword, but they say he's an augmenter," the man with glasses said.The clean-shaven man nodded thoughtfully.
"Thud."
The sound of the door crashing open reverberated through the tavern.
A boy wearing a white mask with a blue line entered, dressed in a black shirt and a blue leather jacket. His auburn hair was tied back neatly.
As he stepped inside, a burly man with a large frame immediately moved to block his path, drawing his sword.
The boy, unfazed, continued walking. The man, irritated by the boy's disregard, infused his sword with air mana and swung at him.
The boy deftly dodged, his movements fluid and practiced, surprising the man. Again and again, the man struck, but each time the boy sidestepped with ease.
In a flash, the boy's sword sliced through the man's fingers. His cold voice echoed through the tavern. "Are you done?"
The man cried out in pain, clutching his injured hand. The boy sheathed his sword.
"Looks like I missed the show," came a voice from the door. Another boy, slightly taller than the masked one, stood in the entrance.
Lucas glanced down at the man's severed fingers and remarked, "Yeah, I sure did." The masked boy turned to look at Lucas briefly before heading towards the bar.
Lucas addressed the man's friends, "Get some ice for his fingers. They might reconnect with the help of an emitter. And have someone clean this up."The friends quickly moved to assist the injured man.
Lucas took a seat at a nearby table and scanned the room. He noticed that the masked boy had vanished from the counter.
Lucas shifted his gaze towards the door and saw the masked boy leaving, a bag slung over his shoulder.
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