'Disgust' was all Connor had in mind when he heard Ethan's story.
Ethan had formed a group of six fighters who raided a 1st order dungeon the previous day. After successfully clearing the first floor, Uriel rewarded them with a treasure map pointing to the outskirts of Cambridge.
The map detailed the location of an uncommon-grade consumable artifact capable of boosting the wielder's stats by 10-20 points in each attribute.
Greed overtook Ethan and his accomplice. They betrayed their party, stole the map, and rushed to claim the treasure for themselves.
Ethan manipulated his friend by invoking concerns about his family and girlfriend, exploiting their trust.
Their plans were thwarted when they encountered a monstrous creature—a giant gorilla, towering like a truck amidst the trees.
Its face, a terrifying blend of gorilla and baboon features, glowed sinisterly with flames engulfing its head, highlighting its enraged expression with a fiery, otherworldly intensity.
When the situation turned dire, Ethan fled, leaving his friend to face the wrathful beast alone.
'Well, at least now I know what I'm up against,' Connor thought, looking at Ethan with disdain.
Connor decided to use Ethan and his former party as part of a plan forming in his mind to slay the monster. "You need to atone for your sins, Ethan," Connor said with an evil grin.
Ethan attempted escaping, Only to be caught by Connor who broke one of his legs to prevent him from running away.
As Connor surveyed their surroundings and the botanical garden where the beast lurked, he commanded, "Take me to your former party's place."
Ethan's face turned pale. "Please no, they will kill me if I go there."
"Stop being a coward, Ethan. I don't care what they do to you. Know that if you don't lead me to them, I will give you a very painful death," Connor threatened, leaving Ethan no other option but to comply.
They arrived at the group's shelter, and as soon as they reached the place, they were surrounded by four men.
"This traitor has the nerve to show up. How dare you?" one of them spat.
"Please, hear me out first. I had no choice. Kashan forced me—"
"Kashan, or whatever his friend's name was, is dead. Ethan left him to die and ran to safety. Unfortunately for him, his path crossed with me," Connor interrupted, revealing everything.
The men reacted with shock and anger, but Connor cared about none of them. He unleashed his skill, thousands of mana enveloping everyone and plunging the entire place into darkness.
Inside the darkness, where all their body functions had stopped, Connor's voice echoed, "We are all going to slay the beast that killed your former buddy. That's not a request but an order. Refuse me, and you die,"
He said in a harsh and cruel tone leaving no room for negotiation and making everyone shudder and panic.
He lifted the field soon after and asked, "So what is your decision? I don't have all day," breaking the silence as he tapped the ground with his foot.
They all looked at each other before nodding, and one of them stepped up to speak.
"We accept to help you, but—"
"There are no 'buts,' and I did not ask for your help. I told you to come with me and become my meat shields," Connor said in the same cold and emotionless tone.
Connor being the heir to Lennox Corp., knew how to negotiate—or, in this case, how to deal with people who held no worth in his eyes.
He understood the art of exploitation well. The first step was to show no emotional attachment and always remind them of their situation and standing in the deal.
Right now, Connor was clearly on the winning side, showing he didn't care if they refused. He had nothing to lose, while they faced losing their lives if they didn't agree.
"You bastard, this is all your fault! I'll kill you even if it's the last thing I do before I die," one of the men growled at Ethan, who recoiled in fear.
This man had not only betrayed them but returned with a devil in human skin who openly abused and toyed with them.
Ethan was a level 7 evolver, but his skills were more suited to cowardice. One allowed him to summon golems to fight for him, and the other was a speed-type skill he used to escape danger. To sum it up, his worth as a fighter was rock bottom.
Connor paid it no heed, thinking, 'Whatever hate he gets, he deserves it.'
"We leave in 5 minutes. Pack everything you need" Connor announced firmly, before turning his back and walking away, allowing them a moment to prepare. Ethan who was driven by fear of retribution from the others followed Connor, seeking safety in his shadow.
They all departed and reached the entrance to the woods, where Connor stopped everyone and outlined his plan.
As they heard his plan, they knew some of them might not walk out alive from the fight.
Little did they know, a certain wicked pixie was listening to every word of their conversation.
***************
In a large open space surrounded by towering oak trees, a massive creature rested until it was alerted by a strong pressure.
The strength behind the pressure was weaker than his own, but it was stronger than the others he had killed so far, which made the creature raise his guard.
Five figures entered his field of vision as he scanned ahead with his innate skill. They approached, armed and determined, yet the creature sensed none of the ominous presence he had previously felt.
Deciding to dispatch them swiftly, he leaped onto an oak tree, using it to launch himself forward with incredible speed. Each subsequent tree served as a stepping stone, propelling him like a projectile through the air. In mere moments, he closed the distance.
As he neared, he prepared to strike, raising both arms to deliver a devastating blow to the first target.
His massive fists swung down, aiming to turn flesh into pulp, but before impact, a man seized his collar and violently jerked him backward.
The ground trembled and shattered under the force, sending debris flying in all directions.
The gorilla-like creature recalled the man who pulled his prey—it was the one who had escaped from him while he chased and killed his ally.
He sneered and leaped toward the nearest target, who had stumbled from the impact of his
As he moved to crush his target, a sword slashed across his back, eliciting a wince from the creature. He swung his fist in retaliation but found only empty air where his attacker had been.
Confused, he scanned the area, only to have two archers seize the opportunity. They fired arrows skillfully, leveraging their bow skills and enhanced vision from the skills they got inside the dungeon as they aimed for his weak points.
The creature maneuvered swiftly among the trees, he had adapted to fighting in the woods as he grew in this environment.
Evading the first volley of arrows, he was caught off guard as once again a sword slashed his legs with bullet-like speed.
Using his innate skill, he identified the assailant hiding far back who caught the sword like a frisbee.
The gorilla crashed into an oak tree and then to the ground, slashed in the leg, losing balance and momentum mid-air.
Seizing the moment, the archers unleashed more arrows at the grounded creature. However, their attacks merely scratched his tough skin, proving ineffective.
It was only when Connor charged his blade with thousands of mana that each strike began to inflict significant damage. Until then, the gorilla seemed impervious to harm.
Ignoring everyone else, the creature leaped towards Connor, determined to deal with him first.
The others used their skills to slow down the gorilla's movements as he evaded the incoming projectiles.
Upon being discovered, Connor wasted no time. He got on the sword like a surfer, escaping from the creature as it chased him.
He had planned to inflict a few more lethal wounds before exposing himself. Now, he had to proceed to the final act of the plan right away, hoping it would work.