The red moon shone brightly. As Victor ran deeper, he increasingly felt like he was walking to his own death.
He looked at the right and suddenly saw a bat fly the same way as him. The bat seemed to be able to sense his gaze, turning around to meet his eyes.
His heart skipped a beat. Oh no!
As wide the Forest of Marsh was, it was nothing for nightwalkers. Their abilities could cover the entire forest with ease.
At that moment, Victor tilted his head, narrowly dodging the sharp wind that came his way.
A small, straight wound formed on his right cheek. He quickly wiped the blood and focused on running.
This was extremely bad.
Baron Luther had noticed him. Things were going horrible quicker than he had imagined.
If he didn't think of anything soon, he would die.
Victor felt a strong sense of unease. How did Baron Luther know?
However, he put the question to the back of his mind for the time being. He had no time– he had to decide quick.
At that moment, several sharp wind currents flew by him. Relying on his sharp senses, Victor was able to narrowly dodge each one of them.
However, the speed of the wind currents were calculated perfectly—enough for him to dodge, but not quite enough for him to completely avoid.
Wounds formed on his body. Victor didn't hesitate anymore and decided in his mind.
His hands twitched as he hurriedly pulled a small stone marble from his pocket.
'I have no choice!'
He was planning to consume the Orb of Power later when he got to a safe place, but as things were going, he was going to die before he reached somewhere safe.
Before he absorbed it, he remembered Mir's words: 'When you absorb this, I will vanish. But in return, you will gain power beyond that of a Nightwalker.'
Although he appreciated Mir, he would do whatever it takes as long as he could fulfill his revenge.
Even if it meant he would have to suffer through the most painful torture and losing all his dignity, he would preserve.
The power beyond that of a Nightwalker!
Victor longed for that ever since he saw his family get wiped out. His breathing turned rough.
Reality had already shown him its cruel nature twice, and this time…
At that moment, without delaying anymore, Victor threw the orb inside his mouth.
With a crack—
Suddenly, he felt a mystifying feeling erupt within him. It spread throughout his body, cleansing his marrow and bones. It was as if he was being forged anew.
A quick electric current suddenly flashed through his mind. He could feel it! He could feel it!
Victor couldn't help but smile widely, his excitement evident. The power that Mir had told him, it was coming!
But then—
Poof!
It disappeared. Gone. Victor stopped on his tracks, his eyes widening in utter disbelief.
The power that was being generated by the orb was suddenly sucked in by some unknowable black hole within him.
He knew this feeling.
This was the same feeling he had whenever he tried to perform soul-forging arts.
His body was incapable of holding energy at all. Victor's excitement who had reached the top, sunk to the depths of hell in a second.
At this moment, everything seemed pointless. Even if he worked hard, it didn't matter.
He was a worthless cripple.
… … And now, reality unveiled its third cruel truth: despair.
"Ha, haha, haha…"
Victor felt the overwhelming power slowly disappear. Or rather, he felt his hope slowly get extinguished.
It was as if God himself was taunting him. He bit his lips as rage and despair filled him entirely.
Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth. His breathing came in ragged, heavy, and filled with fury.
Victor clenched his fists so tightly his skin threatened to tear. If he still had nails, they would've sunk deep into his flesh.
At that moment, three bats floated far above him. They observed him silently, treating him as if he was prey.
Then, more bats followed until their number reached hundreds. These bats shared senses with Baron Luther, but killing them wouldn't amount to much.
The fact that hundreds of bats had reached him told Victor everything about his situation.
That fucking bastard—Baron Luther—was watching him, laughing at his worthlessness!
As if answering his thoughts, the bats suddenly made a sound that sounded like laughter.
With hundreds of bats doing the same, the Baron's insidious laughter filled the forest.
Victor trembled. He raised his head forcefully and glared at the bats, rage filling him entirely.
—Even if God himself was taunting him, he would answer back! Even the pits of despair reality was showing him, he would let his anger answer it!
Before Mir had appeared, he was resolved to fulfill his revenge even with nothing.
Nothing had changed.
Victor didn't know why Baron Luther wasn't killing him immediately, but he was going to take his chances.
He lowered his head and kept running. The bats followed, unleashing relentless waves of razor-sharp wind.
As he ran deeper, more and more wounds appeared on his body. He was barely recognizable.
Every step he took left a trail of blood.
Even one of his arms was cut off.
But still, Victor silently ran and continued to find a way out. It didn't fucking matter if he lost an arm.
It didn't fucking matter if he died.
He would die trying.
Soon, he saw light at the end of his path. He ran towards it decisively, not paying heed to any of the bats.
But as soon as he arrived at the end, he suddenly realized why Baron Luther didn't kill him outright.
The end of his path was a cliff.
Beneath the cliff was the River of Marsh, with a distance of at least a thousand feet.
Victor walked to the end of the cliff and couldn't help but laugh.
"Hahahahaha!"
Then, he turned around and looked at the thousand of bats that had followed and tortured him along the way.
With a defiant grin, he flipped them off.
"Fuck you!"
Then, without hesitation, Victor turned his back on the world and leapt. He plummeted toward the river, middle finger raised high.
Soon after he fell, the bats gathered on the cliff and formed a majestic-looking figure.
Adorned with a red-leather coat, the figure had long white hair that stretched to his waist.
"Thus, ends the story of the pitiful ant and pathetic master. Thanks to you, that fellow finally died."
Baron Luther smiled before vanishing.
***
Deep on the river, Victor's body floated. Miraculously, his body had no wounds!
Moreover, his previous skeletal figure was replaced to a healthy and muscular figure!
It was like he was reborn!
[System awakening complete.]