Chapter 301 - Men and Monsters (Patreon)

A man was looking down on the town from a high rooftop, arms crossed and chin high. The twin moons were full and big behind him. The wind swayed his cloak. The man’s silhouette was looking quite ominous.

Arsène’s target this time was a certain man’s tower in this very town. The owner was only a Level 3 but his lineage had produced Level 4s in the past. From his soul searches, he found out that the tower held riches and cultivation resources that would be useful for him and his other self.

However, the security was tight. It wasn't impossible for him but it would take a great amount of effort if he did it alone. Arsène had been racking his brains about the tower since yesterday.

Ah, I love it when the solution to a problem shows itself voluntarily.

“You have been following me since noon. Come out already,” Arsène suddenly said.

No one answered him.

“I already came to a deserted area and posed for ten minutes waiting for you. I can yank you out if that’s what it takes,” Arsène turned his head, looking straight at an empty place.

The shadows shifted and a man emerged.

“You’re skilled, young one.”

Although he wore a mask and a black robe the voice indicated he was a man. From his posture, Arsène could guess that his hidden arm was grabbing a weapon but he didn't mind.

“Mister, I don't need you to tell me that.”

“Arrogant too. Death likes arrogant talented geniuses.”

Arsène smiled like a daredevil and replied with a deeper voice.

“Death can have me, when it earns me.”

Arsène raised his aura and the man forced his body to not shudder. It surprised him. The young man’s aura was only Level 3 mid while he was Level 3 peak but why was he the one feeling he would die if they fought?

The inconsistency validated the man’s wariness.

But there wasn't even a splinter of killing intent mixed in, which was good. If there was, the man believed he might have bolted already. If the identity of the person in front of him was correct, then ‘that name’ might be even more dangerous than what his organization speculated.

His nerves were tensing, readying for that split second life-and-death moment.

“You’re afraid of me. Good,” Arsène looked pleased. “Now let’s begin talks.”

“...Talks?”

“I like to be in the position of power before opening dialogue. It makes things smoother. Now, Bone Raven assassins, you have questions. Ask and I’ll answer. And no, you didn't mishear. I know three more beside you are hiding farther away to serve as your backup. Your strategy as a leader reflects well on you and I’m pleased.”

The man didn't like that Arsène held the reins of the situation and seemed to know everything. As the one on the receiving end, it felt very unpleasant.

“The question, mister,” Arsène asked again because the man had been quiet for some time.

“...Very well, I’ll ask. Are you Tanael, the one that has been making a ruckus in the surrounding towns?”

“Correct. I’m the one and only Tanael. I’ve been playing it rough lately, thus the ruckus. Seeing your reaction, I have become pretty infamous, hm?”

“What is your purpose in this town?”

“I want to say conquest and plunder but I’m not strong enough for the conquest part so I’ll settle with plunder. As for your purpose, I’m guessing it’s because of the rumor that I use the Fade in Shadow Arte, the signature Arte of your cult, am I right? Can’t have an outsider using your org’s precious technique willy-nilly so you wanted to erase me, yes?”

Correct, the man thought but didn't speak. Before Tanael admitted it, the man was only surveying the newly arrived traveler. After seeing a glimpse of Tanael’s strength, the man was no longer confident he could win against Tanael, let alone kill him.

“...Last question, what happens now?”

It might be the most important question in his life.

“Now, you may call me Boss.”

“...What do you mean?” His perplexion was clear even though the face was masked.

“It means what it means. You guys are hitmen and I need to have people killed. I’m hiring you and your group. I might have butted heads with other members of your cult in the past but that has no relation to you. As for payment, don't worry. I’m rich.”

Is this guy serious? The man suspected a trap.

From a little box, Tanael pulled out a thick banknote first, then put it back in. He pulled a big gemstone next, before swapping it with other precious things a couple of times more.

Arsène felt the man’s greed and hesitation so he gave a little more push.

“I pay better than the usual cult commission. You think I don't know? How oppressed are the ones below? Forced to do troublesome and risky hits and cast aside when things go wrong. If not for years under the boot of someone stronger, you might have been a Level 4 by now. I’m not here to do you dirty, this is a transaction. You Bone Ravens make contracts before a kill right? If the contracts I put forth don't satisfy you then that’s it.”

“...An interesting offer. I would like to hear the details.”

Arsène knew the fish had been hooked.

“By the way,” Arsène asked. “What should I call you?”

“Just call me Jito.”

In the next few days, the people that served as keystones of the tower’s protection were killed one after another and soon, another treasury had been cleaned.

Heavenly Thief Arsène S. Tanael had struck again.

***

The dark sky had begun turning bright as the sunrise arrived but Viers did not care; he was locked in combat with a Rank 3 Water Armor Beetle.

Throughout the night, he had failed to find a safe haven. Monsters dogged him at every rest site he tried to create. It was like the galagos ambush. After he raised camp or activated Picture Room, monsters came to his door.

In waves.

And they were frenzied. Obfuscation or monster repellant magic barriers which were staple for making camp in the wilds didn't seem to work in this place. After it happened a few times, Viers knew something was off so he no longer tried.

The monsters came so he killed them, harvested their bodies, cores, and souls, just like he was meant to do. It was carnage. Although Dia had encountered an accident, she regained consciousness soon and rejoined the ensuing battle.

But they were too much. With the exception of Futon, Dia and Faiya were out of gas. They might not use Victa to fight but their energy needed time to replenish. They had fought over a thousand monsters but the end didn't seem to be on the horizon.

Viers hadn't even had the time to snack on them because more kept coming. He had tried to stay hidden using Fade in Shadow but it didn't work either, the bats and the lynxes monsters that came next were proof.

Viers didn't expect the fight to be this severe so he made his way to the edge of the Carfax Peninsula, to a place that he knew would be safe, where he could find rest. If he kept fighting like this, his stamina would run out before his Victa tank and he would just be a sumptuous monster dinner.

The plan didn't go swimmingly. Along the way, he got caught by beetle monsters and this time, it was led by a strong Rank 3 monster, a Water Armor Beetle.

Monsters were tough, their HP pool was far higher than humans of the same Level. He didn't want to fight the beetle in this circumstance. So Viers attempted to escape, to no avail.

The fight was the only option and they fought. While the familiars were dealing with the lesser beetles, Viers took on the big beetle.

Level 3 Pathseekers had an Unreality Field that worked wonders defensively. Rank 3 monsters had a similar ability too, although it wasn't called Unreality Field. To pierce the defensive protection, the most common method was to use Unreality Field in an offensive manner, which meant a greater mastery upon the Level 3's exclusive ability.

In Valkut city Viers wasn't able to do it, but after intensive training in Dia’s Biome, he had acquired this ability.

Be that as it may, Viers wasn't able to defeat the beetle in a short amount of time. The water affinity it possessed dampened Viers’ water Artes significantly so he had to his soul Artes.

“Die already!” Viers’ was getting annoyed by the beetle’s toughness.

Fatal Soulframe First Form: Horror’s fifth use finally crumbled its defense. Viers moved fast. He punched the beetle with the jelly armor carapace and left something inside of it.

“Fire in the hole!”

Viers ducked behind a tree as he shouted, just in time for the explosion. He’d left a fistful of bomb beads inside the beetle’s body and thoroughly decimated it.

“Fuu! Fuu!”

“Yaaa!”

The trio of cloud, fire, and plant familiar gathered towards him.

“Good. Let’s get the loot and leave before-”

A new challenger arrived.

From the woods, breaking trees and ground with its charge, another Rank 3 beetle monster came forth. It was the same Water Armor Beetle but this one clearly had better mutations. There were crystalline parts on its carapace, making it look regal.

“Tch!”

With his familiars' help, Viers cleaned up the bounty as much as he could before the new wave arrived.

“Kin, there are also other monsters coming from that way!” Dia said.

Pincer attack!?

Viers could see it too with his Euryale Sight. It was not monsters but one, a three-headed tiger with five tails. It was Rank 2 but it would be really troublesome if he had to fight the tiger and the beetle at the same time.

The problem was, they didn't seem willing to let him go.

“Dia, Futon, return! Faiya, I need your power!”

“Yaa! Yaa!”

The other two swooshed back into the pocket space inside the badges. The tiger came from the front and the beetle came from behind.

“TAIYO-KEN!”

From Faiya who Viers held aloft above his palm, a blinding light blinded the monsters. Viers gave Faiya a boost to emit such brilliance. The DBZ technique was literally translated as Fist of the Sun, which was a very apt description.

The monsters were reeling from the flash but they were not hurt. As their sight recovered, Viers and Faiya were nowhere to be found.

So they fought each other.

Some distance away, there was a monster watching the spectacle.

A truly barbaric place.

Viers had assumed the form of the Water Ghost Spider, which was a stealth-oriented monster. He had improved this form up to Rank 3. Faiya was snugly inside the badge that the spider carried.

Now then, I hope the spiders’ stealth works better than Fade in Shadow.

To Viers’ surprise, it was very effective. No monsters detected or tried to attack him.

What gives? Is it because the Fade in Shadow is a less powerful stealth? No, that shouldn't be the case… If I have to guess, according to the template, the monsters here can detect human presence somehow and they are very hostile towards humans. My monster transformation rid me of my human status and so my spider stealth works as intended. Wheew… I should have done this from the start.

Spider-Unman Viers pondered for a while, thinking about his next course of action after the new discovery. He’d decided to continue walking to the safe place for the time being and moved his eight legs.

The sun was out but it was quite cold. As a spider, it was quite hard on Viers. He had to use Victa to maintain his body temperature.

The journey had little compilations. Through his mutation and evolution, Viers made the Water Ghost Spider a state-of-the-art stealth organism. Most of the spider's evolutionary energy went towards stealth. The ability to camouflage, presence erasure, silent steps, magic dampener, and so on. This made the spider very weak for a Rank 3 monster combat-wise but Viers had other monster forms for that.

The only monsters that would be able to see through his stealth were stronger monsters, the Rank 4s or 5s. Knowing this, Viers wisely evaded areas that had the presence of strong monsters. Now that he was a monster himself, he could detect such an intimidating presence when he got near. Those monsters usually occupy places of power, places with special properties of having a natural treasure that was beneficial for the monster to be around. It was a common troupe in power fantasy stories.

With his presence undetected, Viers made the journey at his own pace. He arrived after sundown.

The Ebon Wall City was a fortress city on the border of the Carfax Peninsula and the rest of the Latias Kingdom. Beast Tides were rampant in Monsterland, to prevent those mad monsters from wreaking havoc inland, a fortress was raised in between.

It was a grand sight, black high walls stretching tens of kilometers left and right. Viers wanted to be able to see the city behind it but only the watchtowers on the walls were visible. It wasn't as high as the Wall in the Game of Thrones or the Attack on Titan but it was still an imposing sight.

Well, well, well…

And the walls were being stormed by a tidal wave of monsters. Humanoid monsters to be precise. Viers had perceived goblins, orcs, kobolds, and trolls.

I seem to have arrived at Helm’s Deep.