"Show me your I.D."
Deka got scared, his face starting to sweat.
He turned to Hans, urging him to intervene.
Hans stiffened; sweat was forming on his brow, too.
"Please," Hans stammered.
He stepped in front of Draven.
"He's one of us! A Verdant, just like us! You have to believe me!"
Draven's eyes narrowed at Hans.
His body was tensed and scared.
Draven had seen this reaction before.
"About the Behemoth attack on your village. Is that a lie?"
Hans froze. His lips parted, but he didn't answer.
His gaze flickered toward Deka, then back to Draven.
The hesitation was all the confirmation Draven needed.
Draven could only shake his head at Hans.
"I know you're dealing with complicated things."
Then, he shifted his gaze to Deka.
"Even you."
"There's only one thing I can promise you—I will help you both. But not according to your expectations that I can save you all. But I will give my best to help you."
He continued.
"I don't know what your relationship with Gebo is, but I can see it in your eyes. Every time you see him, you're afraid."
Draven had seen those kinds of eyes countless times before.
The fear in every opponent who faced him.
Once they felt his strength in the arena, they only had one thought:
Who is this monster?
Hans' face drained of color.
He fell to his knees; his whole body trembled as he felt guilty.
"I—I am sorry. I helped them so they could get into your group, Deka and Gebo," he confessed.
"They threatened my family! They said if I don't help, they'll kill them all!"
Mother Venice's face was shock.
"So, what happens to Mado?"
Hans swallowed hard and nodded.
"He's been killed by the Mad clan. They took everything. These men… they work for them."
The villagers' eyes widened in surprise. Different reactions stirred up within them.
Some could not believe Hans. The others started to get angry with them.
But Draven stayed calm.
"Good. Then we know exactly who we're dealing with."
Draven said with his Morphos still pointed at Deka.
A smirk crossed Deka's face, and a low chuckle escaped his lips as he lift his face and looked at Draven.
Draven's Morphos shifted to the left, repositioning.
Before Deka could react…
"WHAM!"
Draven delivered a Backhand Strike.
The impact smashed directly into Deka's face, sending him skidding across the ground until he crashed into a tree.
"As soon as you laughed, you admitted everything," Draven said, stepping forward. "You really choose them?"
Just as Draven moved to strike again, a thick, square-shaped blue barrier materialized, shielding Deka's face from the blow.
"Barrier ability?" Draven scoffed. "I feel bad for you, Deka."
"Do you even know me? Because of you Verdants, my family got killed. You cursed people! You really think I'm going to accept your help? "
"So, this is what you want?"
"I know your strength and what you're capable of. But even the strongest Rank A Beasts can't break my barrier."
"Status!"
[ Deka Vael, 20, Male.
Identification: Azure
Race: 100% Human Blood
Class: Barrier Mage, Rank B
Abilities: Barrier Manipulation B
Skill: Hidden ]
Draven walked toward him.
"Should we test it?"
Then he vanished.
Deka's eyes widened.
Then…
"BOOM!"
There was a smash into his barrier, sending him skidding back.
Another strike. Another skid
Then another.
"Damn it—"
Deka staggered, coughing.
There was no pause.
Just endless pressure.
Then Draven appeared behind him, the Morphos shifting into a pipe with a handle.
"Too slow."
A brutal swing smashed into the barrier.
"CRACK!"
Deka flew back, barely landing on his feet before another attack came.
Draven spun low; his foot tried slamming into Deka's ribs.
But another barrier blocked the attack before it slid into place once again.
"Wow, your barrier is solid," Draven admitted. "But… Is this what you really want, Deka?"
"Tch!" Deka clicked his tongue in frustration.
He knew he wasn't a fighter. He couldn't win against Draven in a direct battle.
"You're still like a child. Why are you blaming your family's death on the Verdants?" Draven scoffed.
"Did you see any one of us kill your parents?" He continued, "If not, why are you blaming it all on us? "
Naisha stepped closer to him, her voice low but scolding.
"What are you doing?! Are you playing with him?"
She noticed that Draven's attacks on Deka lacked any real force.
It was as if he was merely letting the boy vent his anger.
"Anyway," Naisha sighed. "What should we do now?"
"Now?"Draven smirked. "Just give me some water."
"Seriously?"
"I'm always serious when it comes to you."
"Whatever."
Naisha rolled her eyes and turned to the other villagers to ask for water.
But Naisha's eyes widened as she spotted someone with a sinister grin behind Mother Venice.
"Mother! Behind you!"
It was Gebo.
He had already placed a knife against Mother Venice's throat.
"Hahahaha!"
Gebo let out a victorious laugh.
"Now, if you don't want your Chief to die, no one will move!"
Draven, however, remained calm. His lips curled into a teasing smirk.
"I warn you… don't do it."
"Why?!" Gebo snapped. "You're going to run here and kill me? You really think you're faster than my knife? Deka, trap him with a barrier!"
Deka hesitated. "But I can't walk if I use that!"
"Idiot! I'm right here! Once that man is sealed, these villagers are nothing!"
Before they could continue, Draven cut in.
"This is my last warning."
"Do it, idiot!" Gebo repeated to Deka.
Deka raised both palms.
Draven immediately felt a familiar presence.
It's just like when Gorvex summoned the Whirlwind Chain. His eyes narrowed, and his body tensed in alertness.
'This again?' Draven thought.
He quickly pushes Naisha away from him.
Then—
"SHOOM!"
A super-thick barrier, nearly 40 cm thick, materialized around Draven, locking him inside.
Draven swung his Morphos against the barrier.
"THUD!"
There was nothing.
Not even a scratch.
"Hahahaha! You're wasting your time, idiot!" Gebo sneered. "No one in the Slave Hunters has ever broken his barrier."
Gebo raised his palm, and a spherical sand formed in his hand.
"I'm going to kill yo—"
"FWIP!"
"THUNK!"
Deka's eyes widened even when he was keeping Draven inside his barrier.
An arrow shot at Gebo's head from side to side!
Gebo's body collapsed to the ground.
"Shit! Gil is really good with a bow," Draven muttered, impressed. "Sorry for not giving you a chance to shine, Gebo."
This wasn't luck.
This was part of Draven's plan.
Draven had anticipated the possibility of an ambush or a hostage situation. He had already suspected Gebo from the start.
When he and Gil were coming near the villagers, they carefully assessed the situation before stepping into the safe zone.
One crucial detail stood out.
Gebo wasn't with the villagers.
That was a red flag.
If Gebo was truly one of them, he wouldn't have disappeared just as the group was settling in.
Draven knew they were already aware of his strength and wouldn't engage in a direct fight.
Instead, they would resort to trickery or cheap hostage scenarios.
Anticipating this, Draven instructed Gil to stay hidden.
His role was simple: wait and observe.
If anything went wrong... If someone tried to take a hostage or launch a sneak attack, Gil would strike.
Draven can't control everything.
By allowing himself to be sealed within the barrier, he knew he could not be saved in that situation.
But in that way, Draven can play into Gebo's overconfidence.
He baited him into letting his guard down, making him think he had full control over the situation.
The moment Gebo focused on threatening Mother Venice instead of defending himself, that's when Gil struck.
Draven smirked, knowing his plan had worked flawlessly.
But there is another thing that Draven wants to reveal to them.