The Ainslif Al Khaos loomed like a dark scar on reality. As Ichio stepped inside, the heavy air pressed down on him, charged with a suffocating malice. The faint echoes of growls and snarls bounced off the ruined walls, each sound grating against his heightened senses.
"Alright," Ichio muttered, holding out his hand. A dark energy swirled in his palm, coalescing into the form of the Altima-Gun—a sleek, futuristic weapon inscribed with shifting runes. Its weight was familiar, almost comforting. "Let's clean this place up."
As he advanced, the shadows shifted, revealing the first wave of enemies: orcs and goblins, snarling and armed with jagged weapons. Their crimson eyes glowed in the dim light as they charged toward him in a disorganized mob.
Ichio raised the Altima-Gun, his voice cold and steady. "Let's set some rules."
He adjusted the weapon's parameters, feeding it his Artem-Abilities:
- Fire Manipulation: Rounds burn hotter than magma.
- Shadow Manipulation: Rounds become silent and untraceable.
- Dark Manipulation: Shots drain life upon impact.
With a pull of the trigger, chaos erupted.
The first shot tore through three goblins in a line, a blazing shadow-infused projectile that disintegrated their bodies before they hit the ground. The orcs roared in fury, their massive weapons swinging toward him, but Ichio sidestepped with inhuman agility, his movements almost ghost-like.
"Too slow," he whispered.
He ducked under a heavy axe swing and drove his fist into an orc's stomach, sending it flying into a nearby wall with a sickening crack. Before the others could react, he leaped into the air, twisting mid-flight to unleash a barrage of Fireshot rounds. The bullets carved through the group, exploding into bursts of flame and shadow that consumed everything in their path.
Hobgoblins emerged from the deeper shadows, clad in crude armor, their weapons coated in a sickly green venom. Ichio smirked, his voice a low growl. "Finally, something worth killing."
One of the hobgoblins lunged at him, its massive club swinging downward. Ichio caught the attack on the barrel of his gun, the impact sending a shockwave through the room. With a spin, he kicked the creature's legs out from under it and delivered a point-blank shot to its head, the shadow-infused round punching a clean hole through its skull.
Another hobgoblin came at him from the side, but Ichio pivoted, grabbing its wrist and twisting until the bones shattered. With a brutal knee to its chest, he threw it into an oncoming high orc, knocking both to the ground. A quick series of shots from the Altima-Gun ended their lives in a blaze of fire and darkness.
As the last of the lesser monsters fell, Ichio stepped into the central chamber of the Ainslif. There, the Ultimate Orc and Ultimate Goblin waited, their hulking forms towering over him. The Ultimate Orc carried a massive, rune-inscribed greatsword, while the goblin wielded twin daggers that crackled with electricity.
"You're the reason this place reeks of chaos," Ichio said, his voice dripping with disdain. "Perfect. I've got some anger to work out."
The Ultimate Orc roared, swinging its massive blade in an arc that cleaved through the stone floor. Ichio dodged just in time, rolling to the side and firing a volley of Shadow Movement-enhanced rounds. The shots hit their mark, but the creature shrugged off the damage, its thick hide glowing faintly as it absorbed the energy.
"Interesting," Ichio muttered, flipping backward to avoid a flurry of dagger strikes from the goblin. The smaller leader was fast—faster than the orcs and goblins he'd faced so far—but Ichio's reflexes were sharper. He parried a strike with the barrel of his gun, spinning to land a crushing elbow to the goblin's face.
The goblin staggered, but the Ultimate Orc came charging, forcing Ichio to retreat. He smirked, his fingers tightening on the Altima-Gun. "Let's up the stakes."
Channeling his Artem-Abilities, Ichio activated Arbeul Dal Garm. A dark energy swirled around him, growing denser with every passing second. "Let's see how you handle this."
The Ultimate Goblin lunged again, but Ichio sidestepped, driving a fist crackling with Dark Manipulation into its chest. The force sent the creature flying into the Ultimate Orc, knocking them both off balance. Before they could recover, Ichio raised his gun and fired, the Void slash round detonating in a black explosion that warped the air around it.
The leaders roared in pain but refused to fall. Ichio's smirk vanished, replaced by cold resolve. "Alright. Playtime's over."
He thrust his hand forward, activating Arbeul Dal Garm. A swirling black hole materialized in the center of the chamber, pulling everything toward it with an irresistible force. The Ultimate Orc and Goblin clawed at the ground, roaring in defiance as the void consumed them piece by piece.
When the black hole finally faded, nothing remained of the monsters or the chaos that had plagued the Ainslif Al Khaos.
Ichio stood in the now-silent chamber, his breathing steady despite the effort he'd exerted. He looked down at the Altima-Gun, its runes dimming as it deactivated. "Pathetic," he muttered. "Not even a challenge."
With the Ainslif cleared, he turned and began the trek back to Giban.
As Ichio made his way back through the quiet streets of Giban, he formed the familiar triangle shape with his hands, opening his status board. The glowing panel hovered before him, displaying his stats. His gaze immediately locked onto his SP (Stat Points).
SP: [6.7k / 20k]
His brow furrowed. "Not enough," he muttered under his breath. "I'll wait until it's much higher. Then, I'll distribute it properly. Maybe I can finally rank my physical stats up."
Satisfied for now, Ichio swiped to the Skills tab. As the list loaded, he noticed several new additions, no doubt earned during his battle in the Ainslif Al Khaos.
New Skills Acquired
Active Skills:
Piercing Barrage
Phantom Step
Bladed Cyclone
Passive Skills:
Enhanced Reflexes
Combat Instinct
Iron Will
Ichio nodded in approval. "Not bad. These will come in handy."
He switched to his Artem-Abilities, curious about any changes. His eyes widened slightly as he noticed a couple of new entries.
New Artem-Abilities Acquired:
Shadow Veil
Force Counter
Void Grip
Ichio let the status board fade away. "It is what it is," he muttered. After the battle, he'd collected various materials. He reached scroll to his Inventory, pulling out a few to inspect.
Materials Obtained:
Orc Hide
Goblin Claws
Metra Crystals (Low Grade)
Orc Bone Fragments
Goblin Fangs
With his inventory sorted, Ichio made his way back to the Giban Hearth Inn.
Back at the Inn
Opening the door to Livia's room, Ichio stepped inside. Elsa, seated in the chair beside the bed, turned to face him. "She's still asleep," she said softly, glancing at Livia, who lay motionless.
Ichio pulled up a chair and sat by Livia's side, gently taking her hand in his. "Seriously…" he muttered, his voice low.
Elsa hesitated before speaking. "What happened to her?" She immediately shook her head, as though scolding herself. "Sorry, it's none of my business. I shouldn't have asked."
"It's fine," Ichio replied curtly, his tone cold and detached.
Elsa studied his face. 'This guy is cold as hell. Look at him—he's not even smiling, she thought.' Then, she reconsidered. 'Well, I mean, nobody would smile in this situation but still.'
"Thank you," she said finally. "We appreciate you for choosing our inn. We hope you'll come back whenever you're in Giban."
Ichio looked at her more closely this time, a faint recognition flickering in his eyes. He remembered seeing her in action movies—an actress often cast in heroic roles. But he said nothing, letting her leave without a word.
Once Elsa was gone, Ichio tightened his grip on Livia's hand. His voice was firm but cold. "Liva, you have to snap out of it right now. I know what happened was horrible, but I told you, it's my sin, and it's my fault. If you want to take the blame for it, no—I'm not allowing you to do that, because the blame lies with me.
"So you better snap out of it right now, or else you'll only be dragging me down, and we'll be stuck, never progressing. Get your act together and maybe get stronger.
If you become stronger than you are right now, then something like this won't happen ever again. What you should be thinking about is getting stronger, not moping around about the past.
So I want you to get up. We are leaving right now."
Livia stirred, her eyes opening slowly. She looked at him for a long moment before nodding. "You're right. I shouldn't be worrying about the past. What happened already happened.
I have to get stronger. It was my lack of strength that caused this, and I'm sorry I was dragging you down. I promise it won't happen again."
"That's right," Ichio replied, standing up.
Livia sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed. Together, they gathered their belongings and left the room, stopping by the front desk to say goodbye to Elsa and the innkeeper.
[Do they even have stuff?]
"Take care," Elsa said with a polite bow, watching them disappear into the streets of Giban.
[Why is the chapter named Disguise NPC?]