So he takes off running again, and to his surprise, the ugly dogs are right behind him, not because they're after him, but because they're just as freaked out as him.
"What the?"
In a bizarre twist, he's now running alongside these ugly monsters as if they're his newfound comrades.
One of them even glances at him mid-stride, and he can't help but feel a twinge of sympathy. The once-menacing creature now looks like a scared little kid with snot dripping from its nose. Indeed, there's literally a lot of nasal mucus running down its nostrils.
"What? Should we work together and fight them?"
The ugly dog doesn't respond, but the sheer terror in its eyes says it all.
As they sprint along the highway toward the Fracklosk border, the two guards atop the giant gate finally notice the chaotic commotion. But somehow, they can't see the three spirit creatures soaring high above.
"Look at those ugly dogs! What are they doing over there?" one guard squints, trying to make sense of the scene.
"Someone might have tried to sneak into this city without knowing about those monsters," the other muses, shrugging as if it's just another Tuesday.
"But, what if it's one of our citizens?"
"I don't think so! Everyone knows how dangerous it is out there, especially at night! Like trying to snatch your momma's slippers—you just don't do it!"
"What about that kid earlier?"
"Which kid?"
"That gray-haired kid from Ezlenmir Academy that you let through!"
The first guard gulps, recalling the suffocating aura Atniel gave him yesterday.
"Ow, shit! He could just die out there!"
He rushes to a room at the top of the giant gate, and then comes out holding an MPB (Mana-powered Blaster). It's the type of big gun which can blast a condensed mana projectile. After taking aim through the scope, he spots someone among the ugly monsters.
"It's really him! He's still alive!"
Without wasting another moment, the other guard launches a grenade that explodes in a cloud of green smoke, specifically concocted to repel those Spiky-spine White Fangs.
The two guards rush down, bursting through a small door on the left side of the giant gate. As they prepare their MPB guns, they see Irvine coming out of the green smoke with heavy coughing.
"What the hell are you doing out there?" one of them shouts.
"Sorry, Sir! Cough, cough! I was just doing my training!"
"Training by fighting those monsters? Are you out of your mind?"
"I know it's utterly stupid, but I want to get stronger!"
"Never do that again, you hear me? There's nothing good in it if you die!"
"Thank you for saving my life! I thought I was a goner!"
The two guards watch Irvine's fragile figure from behind, confused. There's no aura of intimidation, no bravado—just a skinny young man who looks like he just finished a ninja warrior stunt and lost. They even doubt if he's the same person they saw last night.
At least their confusion makes them miss the wounds on Irvine's body, especially his left arm, which is busy playing the slow game of healing itself.
Later, once Irvine gets back to his room…
<< So, you are finally back! >>
"Shut up!" he snaps, bolting to the toilet. "How could you leave me? I almost died out there, you know that?!"
<< You look so healthy to me. >>
"You just don't know how messed up I was! Thanks to my unique mana, all my wounds have healed—like magic!"
<< Is that so? How convenient it is to have such unique mana. You must be so proud of yourself, right? >>
"Hey!!! It won't come out if you keep watching me! Don't you see I'm trying to pee here?!"
At this point, Atniel decides to give him some privacy, no longer communicating.
After finishing up, Irvine tries to strike up a conversation, even bringing up the three apparitions he encountered earlier. Like a madman, he talks to himself about the scary story, gesticulating wildly. But still, no response from Atniel, as if he's really left the room.
"Hey, Atniel! Are you still here?"
"Daaamn! That good-for-nothing teacher! He always leaves me when I need him the most!"
Later, as Irvine falls asleep in his still-dried-blood-stained clothes, Atniel starts tweaking his memory like it's a video game save file. Unlike before, he intentionally leaves out the part where Irvine got humiliated by Myriil Gremenor.
"I should leave this one. He needs it to get stronger," Atniel thinks to himself, nodding sagely.
"And about these three ghouls, I didn't expect them to show up so soon. But as long as I'm stuck here, they'll be drawn to the pure spirit energy oozing from your body like moths to a flame."
After Atniel shuffling through those memories, Irvine starts having strange dreams again, though they're not as terrifying as before. Instead, he dreams of thrilling adventures, exterminating demons single-handedly.
"I'm Irvine Donovan, disciple of the Great Livne Atniel! You may run, but not a single one of your butts will escape my mighty sword!"
Somehow, Atniel looks amused as he watches Irvine's dream unfold. He finds it quite entertaining and decides to join in—not as a partner, but as the demon king who's going to stop Irvine's rampage, or maybe just to keep him from getting too full of himself.
He appears in his true form as a dark-skinned heavenly knight with two magnificent white wings, but he doesn't reveal his true identity. Instead, he makes his voice deep and scary, like a movie trailer narrator.
"So, you are Atniel's greatest disciple, huh? Come! Let's see how tough you are!"
The dream, once filled with fun and adrenaline-pumping action, suddenly morphs into a terrifying nightmare.
Even without inflicting any real injuries, Atniel toys with Irvine, using just the tips of his wings. He even showcases his power by easily obliterating the two moons orbiting Bastardia with a mere flick of a feather.
"There used to be six moons up there."
"Six moons? What are you talking about?" Irvine replies, a mix of confusion and bravado on his face.
"I destroyed the other four in the past. If I wanted to, I could also destroy the sun with a single punch, but that would leave us fighting in the dark. And believe me, you don't want to be stuck in a dark room with me!"
"Yeah, right!" Irvine charges forward, sword drawn like a kid wielding a plastic sword in a schoolyard duel. "You demons are only good at creating illusions to trick humans! But it won't work against me!"
"Illusion? Then allow me to show you how it's done!"
With a confident smirk, Atniel channels his divine energy into his right knuckle, making it glow brighter than a disco ball at a 70s party, blinding Irvine and stopping him dead in his tracks.
The light then begins to fade, but Irvine feels an intense heat radiating from that terrifying knuckle, like standing too close to an open pottery kiln.