The next day,
Damien rode Daylight out of the city, the Vespera Forest was about four kilometers away from the City of Light.
Damien adjusted the new uniform Shadowspire had issued him. The sleek black outfit with silver accents fit perfectly, its material cool against his skin yet radiating a protective warmth. The Jian, his newly purchased sword, was strapped securely to his back.
He took out the mission details, the Vespera Forest was originally a middle-sized forest with small amounts of magical beasts, however, half a year ago, a dimensional rift appeared in the forest and now the forest was filled with Otherworld beasts.
The information showed that the Otherworld beasts were all Slave level beasts, with a low probability of meeting low-tier Otherworld Beasts.
Damien rode Daylight in the direction of the forest, he was eager to reach there. ______________________________________________________________________
Damien arrived in a village that was quite close to the forest, he wanted to inquire if they had seen any strange movements in the forest recently.
They showed him the way to the Village Lord's house, it seemed he was the only one who had an authentic voice with regards to such issues in the village.
As he got near the Lord's mansion...the sole guard upon seeing his clothes left his post...probably to inform his master.
Damien entered the mansion without any obstructions, the first thing
The next day,
Damien rode Daylight out of the city, the Vespera Forest was about four kilometers away from the City of Light.
Damien adjusted the new uniform Shadowspire had issued him. The sleek black outfit with silver accents fit perfectly, its material cool against his skin yet radiating a protective warmth. The Jian, his newly purchased sword, was strapped securely to his back.He took out the mission details, the Vespera Forest was originally a middle-sized forest with small amounts of magical beasts, however, half a year ago, a dimensional rift appeared in the forest and now the forest was filled with Otherworld beasts.The information showed that the Otherworld beasts were all Slave level beasts, with a low probability of meeting low-tier Otherworld Beasts.Damien rode Daylight in the direction of Daylight, he was eager to reach there.______________________________________________________________________Damien arrived in a village that was quite close to the forest, he wanted to inquire if they had seen any strange movements in the forest recently.They showed him the way to the Village Lord's house, it seemed he was the only one who had an authentic voice with regards to such issues in the village.As he got near the Lord's mansion...the sole guard upon seeing his clothes left his post...probably to inform his master.Damien entered the mansion without any obstructions, the first thing that gained his attention was a kid who was practicing with a wooden sword in the yard. Damien looked at the kid for a while, the kid also noticed Damien and stopped training, then after a brief hesitation he stopped and came up to Damien." Mr., are you a slayer ? " he asked, his voice tinged with curiosity and admiration. There was also something else, desire." Yes, I am " Damien nodded." Wow...you must be so amazing...I wanna be a Slayer when I grow up " " Really...Why? " Damien asked playfully.The kid hesitated for a bit, then gritted his teeth :" Our village was attacked by a monster and Uncle Jie died, and several others were injured... I heard Father saying that only a slayer can kill...the monsters...so that is why I wanted to be a slayer "" I see " Damien muttered, lost in his own thoughts as well." Sorry to keep your excellency waiting " the village Lord appeared his tone filled with immense respect." Work hard, I am sure you will become a powerful Slayer in the future, " Damien said patting the boy's shoulder.Hearing the praise from a genuine slayer, the boy nodded and ran off to practice again his stance filled with more vigor and determination." Thanks for coming to see me, I wanted to inquire about the beasts in the forest " The village nodded and told Damien the general situation.The monsters in the forest turned out to be Iron Tiatan Grolliths, a Slave level otherworld Beast, that looked like huge gorillas, bit with iron scales.As they were talking, a panicked shout rang out. " the beast is here It's here!" A young man sprinted into the square, his face pale with fear.The atmosphere shifted instantly. Villagers poured out of their homes, brandishing crude weapons—rusty pitchforks, axes, and even wooden clubs. Their expressions were a mix of anger and desperation.
"We've had enough of these monsters!" one man shouted, rallying the others.
"Let's show it we're not helpless!" a woman added, gripping a sickle tightly.
Damien's sharp gaze flicked to the chief, who looked as though he wanted to stop them but lacked the authority to do so.
"They're walking into a slaughter," Damien muttered, stepping forward.
" Please save them " the Village Lord went on his knees. Damien was shocked, he quickly helped up the village Lord.
" It's what I should do " Damien nodded and jumped onto the roof of a building, stunning the Village lord.
The villagers charged toward the forest's edge, where the Titan Grollith had appeared. The beast was enormous, its armored hide gleaming dully in the fading light. It let out a guttural roar, shaking the ground beneath their feet. Undeterred, the villagers attacked, throwing all their weapons at the beast, their weapons bounced harmlessly off its scales.
The initial anger of the villagers began to wear off, being slowly replaced by their fear.
Just then someone threw a tank of flammable oil onto the beast, with a splatter the oil splashed on the Grollith's metal scales. A huge wall of fire appeared, engulfing the Grollith.
However, before the Villagers could rejoice an unharmed Grollith walked out of the fire, it was in flames but not burning.
" Aaargh, Run !! " Hesitation gave way to panic as they scrambled around in terror.
The Grollith retaliated, swiping a massive claw that sent several villagers sprawling.
Screams of terror replaced their battle cries as they scrambled to retreat.
The Grollith bent over a fallen villager, its mouth opened revealing a row of jagged teeth...however, before it could enjoy its snack.There was a flash of grey light and the beast froze, the villagers also saw the grey light and turned to glance back.They stopped running as they saw a long double-edged Jian stabbed into the beast's head at the fallen Villager's feet.The sword had stabbed through the head and firmly pierced into the earth...pinning the beast to the ground." A shadow flashed from the top of the building and to their surprise a youth appeared close to the Grolliths corpse. With a simple flicker of his hand, the sword was removed and back in its sheath on his back.The villagers looked at the youth wearing the dark and silver armor with awe, for a moment...they had the urge to bow down and worship him...but Damien...yes he was this youth barely looked at the stunned villagers before he broke into a run, disappearing into the forest.Helpless, the villagers could only turn to the village head, who had only arrived now.'' Village head, who is he? " " He is here to solve our problem " the village lord replied, looking into the direction Damien had left in.One could see a glimmer of hope in his eyes._______________________________________________________________________Damien moved deeper into the forest, his senses heightened. The rustling of leaves and guttural growls alerted him to the presence of more Titan Grolliths. Two of them emerged from the undergrowth, their iron scales reflecting the dim forest light.Damien unsheathed the Jian and stepped forward calmly. The first Grollith roared and lunged, swinging its massive arms. With a swift sidestep, Damien evaded the attack, slicing through the beast's leg with precision. The creature howled, its movement faltering.
The second Grollith charged, but Damien spun and delivered a powerful upward slash. The blade cut through its chest, leaving a deep gash. As the beast staggered, Damien activated his Blood Drain ability. Crimson energy flowed from the wounds of the fallen Grollith into Damien's outstretched hand. His body absorbed the essence, and he felt a surge of strength course through him.
The first Grollith, despite its injuries, attempted to attack again. Damien's enhanced reflexes kicked in. He leaped high into the air and brought the Jian down with devastating force, cleaving the beast's head in two. More blood essence was drained, further amplifying his power.
The forest grew eerily silent as Damien stood amidst the fallen Grolliths. Their massive forms lay still, the metallic sheen of their scales dulled by death.
Damien used blood drain again, more essence flowed into his power, in his Mana Field, the dark element Star was slowly transforming.
It was undergoing a huge change and once it was completed, Damien's strength would receive another boost.