Dervin was about to repeat his question when a figure emerged from the shadows.
It was a hooded stranger. He was walking slowly towards the trio, the flickering flames casting uneven light over his frame. The hood was concealing most of his face, and with the growing darkness, Dervin could not recognize the newcomer immediately.
"Who are you?" He asked with a frown, rising halfway from his stool.
The figure did not respond. He just kept walking forward with steady steps. Dervin squinted, his frown deepening trying to get a better look. It was not until the figure stepped close to the fire that Dervin's eyes widened in recognition.
"Athar?" He said, his voice tinged with confusion.
But within seconds, his expression shifted into a smile of relief.
"I thought you were skipping your quota again today," he chuckled. "Turns out you are just late."
"Good that you came, otherwise things would have turned out incredibly difficult for you," he added.
There was no response from Athar. Dervin's eyes glanced over Athar's new outfit.
"And what is with the new clothes?" He questioned. "Did you finally decide…"
He stopped mid sentence because black mist began to swirl around Athar's feet, coiling upward like smoke rising from a dying fire.
"What the hell?" one of the lackeys muttered, but he could not finish his sentence.
Before any of them could react, the mist surged outward in a sudden wave, enveloping the two lackeys. Panic flashed across their faces as they felt it. Their bodies being corroded and the burning sensation along with it.
Their limbs trembled as the mist seeped through their skin inside their bodies. Their screams never came. Muffled moans were all that could escape their lips.
In mere seconds, their bodies convulsed as they fell backwards from the stool with a thud. The mist had already reached their organs. Their bodies now burned and corroded by the mist looked as if they had died a brutal death. They had not stood even the slightest chance to resist.
They were not beast tamers. They were ordinary thugs whose mana veins had been sealed, possibly because they had been unable to save enough money for a beast egg. Against Athar, they were less than helpless.
Only Dervin remained now. He was frozen and in shock. His earlier smirk was wiped clean of his face. His blood ran cold.
"What the hell are you doing?" He screamed as he stumbled from his stool.
Athar still did not reply. Silently, he unsheathed the sword strapped to his waist and burst forward, sprinting straight toward Dervin. He had no intention of dragging this out. All this needed to end, and quickly.
Dervin, jolted into action, forced himself to calm down. A moment of clarity broke through the fear. Wait! Athar has only been at the academy for two weeks!
"I'm a full fledged E Rank!" Dervin reminded himself, grounding his feet. "He is overestimating himself. He is making a mistake. He is overestimating what he can do. He cannot stand against me."
Mana surged from his core as he summoned his beast companion. An Iron Grade Earth Lizard. An elemental beast. The creature appeared in a flash of light, crouched at Dervin's side, hissing. The lizard was brown in colour and almost two feet in length.
Dervin's rise in the ranks, becoming the leader of this area, despite having only an Iron grade beast was because of the long range attack skill he had inherited from it.
"Athar!" He roared. "You have overestimated yourself!"
With a shout, he thrust his palm forward. A sharp stone carved in the shape of an arrowhead shot from it, whistling through the air.
Beside him, the Earth Lizard opened its mouth. A second stone arrow launched alongside the first.
Two stone projectiles. They were fast, lethal, and perfectly timed. For any ordinary F Rank cultivator, evasion would have been impossible. But Athar was no ordinary F Rank.
With uncanny precision, he sidestepped. Both stone arrow heads sliced the air near his body, so close they almost grazed his hood. But they did not touch him.
Dervin's expression hardened. He prepared for another attack, but before he could cast again, a wave of black mist surged toward him.
He screamed as the burning sensation spread across his skin. But unlike his lackeys, he had mana. He quickly circulated it through his body, suppressing most of the mist's effects. It was enough to keep him alive.
But it was not enough to save him. Athar had already leapt into the air. His sword gleamed with a faint blue glow. He was going to use his battle technique. Sword Slash.
Dervin sensed the danger just in time to look up. A streak of blue light was descending upon him. He tried to move, tried to step back, raise his arm, anything to evade the strike, but he was too slow.
The slash struck his neck cleanly. A moment of stillness followed. Then, blood exploded from the wound like a fountain. Dervin's severed head hit the ground with a sickening thud. His body crumpled after it.
Athar landed silently and instantly recalled the mist. He stood over the bodies for a long second, eyes fixed on them. His breathing was steady, but his heart was not. It was the first time he had killed someone.
A trace of nausea churned in his stomach. Panic scratched at the edges of his mind. But he gritted his teeth and steeled his heart.
Without wasting another second, Athar turned and walked quickly toward one of the building's inner rooms.
Athar, quick on his feet, entered the room. On one side of the room, two tables had been placed. His eyes gleamed as he saw the items arranged on the tables.
On one of the tables was mana crystals. Mostly F Rank and some E Rank too. There were around a few hundred mana crystals. But Athar could not take them. Carrying them would require a large space and could raise possible suspicion.
But the content on the second table was of his use. F Rank beast cores. There were 10 cores. This was not a large number but would be helpful for Athar.
Athar quickly placed the beast cores in a plastic bag which was lying nearby. At the last moment, he also grabbed a handful of E Rank crystals and stuffed them into the pocket of his jacket as he hurried away from the building.
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As soon as Athar disappeared from sight, the air shimmered, and a figure suddenly materialized.
She was cloaked in a long, flowing shawl. Her form was half hidden in the folds of the shawl, making it nearly impossible to discern her face.
Only her eyes, sharp and glinting with intelligence, were visible beneath the hood. She was the same enigmatic presence who had appeared after Athar had struck Trux.
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[Thank you for reading. Rate, Review and Comment on my novel. Also send the power stones]