Ezio kept jogging, his breath forming a trail of white clouds as he whipped past the cobblestone paths and crossroads.
The path curved gently, with no other people in the surrounding as the trees got denser and darker.
Ahead the vast stretch of Finsterwald Forest opened like a canvas of tall mountains and dark forest coated with the morning mist.
At the forest edge stood a checkpost, metallic and military enforced, with a thick metal barrier that divided the forest from the edges.
Three uniformed officers were stationed there, sipping hot coffee to fight the Alpine chill.
As Ezio approached the checkpost, the first officer saw him and stepped forward, raising a hand.
"Halt—"
Then he got a clear look at the boy's face.
His eyes widened immediately, and he straightened while hiding the coffee mug behind his back.
"W-we greet the Aconite Heir."
The other two guards who saw their interaction, Immediately ran to their side and greeted Ezio in the same manner.
Ezio scratched the back of his neck, as it was getting awkward for him seeing three men who were his father's age posing a salute with coffee mugs behind their backs.
"Uh… morning. I just need to go inside for a bit."
The three of them exchanged a quick glance, their eyes blinking several times as they watched each other.
Knowing who the person was before them, and the consequence of making him angry made them sweat.
One of them cleared his throat.
"Young master, you must not enter the deeper parts of Finsterwald. The inner region is restricted today."
Ezio nodded casually.
"Yeah, I know. I'm only going to the outer area."
They relaxed a little, though stiff from their initial nervousness.
The officer nearest to him pulled out a digital pad from one hand. Keeping the mug on the nearby table, he spoke.
"May we record your name, young master?For safety purposes."
Ezio smiled and nodded.
"Ezio Azathoth."
The moment the name was entered, the pad beeped.
The officer turned toward the gate.
"Open the gates!"
With a heavy mechanical rumble, the tall iron doors split apart and swung inward, revealing the misty trail that led into the dense forest.
Ezio thanked them with a small wave and jogged through as the officers watched him disappear between the towering dark pines, whispering among themselves once he was out of earshot.
________
Ezio jogged deeper into the forest without paying any heed to their warnings. The air transformed from vibrant to a cold static air, the dense forest illuminated the ground with patches of small sunlight which was penetrating though the canopy.
He slowed his pace.
Something felt different here...
Then, a faint chime echoed in his ears.
A translucent blue screen blinked to life in front of him.
===============
System Notice:
____________________
3 Grade-8 Abysswalkers detected in the vicinity.
Objective: Survive and eliminate all targets.
Rewards: Rank up to D+ rank
Partial decryption of system shop
===================
Ezio stared at the screen.
Then his eyes widened with sudden surge of excitement.
"Finally… finally something new!"
It had been months now since his system had given him any mission that could more importantly rank him up and unlock the locked shop in the system.
He had since a long time asked his father to take him to test fields for killing Abysswalkers. But all he had gotten was a no from his father.
But not now.
There was a chance for him to finally test his new strength and actually fight a Abysswalker, that too a grade-8 without any supervision.
He cracked his knuckles lightly, stretching his shoulders.
" 3 Grade 8, huh… that's doable."
Without wasting any second, he ran deeper into the forest.
Every rustle of leaves, every shift of the branches made him look around. His senses sharpened as he quietly stepped off the path and moved deeper into the thick forest.
"Come on… where are you?" he muttered under his breath, eyes gleaming.
After searching for ten minutes.
He found something.
Ezio crouched low behind a moss-covered log, his breath steady and eyes fixed on the shapes ahead.
Three Abysswalkers.
They were a massive bison-shaped beasts with bodies drowned in pitch-black fur, horns like chipped stone, and eyes glowing a neon, hungry red. Their breaths came out in harsh, huffs that fogged in the cold morning air.
They were resting… or at least as close as an Abysswalker could get to resting.
Ezio tightened his grip on his own knees, readying to spring and ambush.
Crack.
His boot stepped on a dry twig.
All three heads snapped toward him instantly.
"…shit."
No time to hide.
He lunged.
A flash of light burst from his system inventory, and his blade materialized into his hand, it's handle was cold and warm at the same time.
The first Abysswalker roared and charged, tearing up soil with its hooves.
Ezio lowered his stance and sprinted forward,
SHLIK—!
His blade ripped through the beast's front leg in a clean arc. Dark blood sprayed across his forearms. The creature stumbled, bellowing in agony.
Ezio didn't let it recover.
He slid under its collapsing weight, twisted his wrist, and severed its other leg in one brutal slash. Before it could even hit the ground.
CRACK!
He leapt up and brought the sword down.
A clean decapitation.
The head rolled into the underbrush, steaming with the hot black blood.
The other two Abysswalkers roared, shaking the trees with their horns. They charged at him together, their massive bodies moved like giant moving mountains.
Ezio felt the ground quake a little beneath him.
He exhaled.
Heat gathered in his palm, his fire affinity blazing to life.
"Alright… your turn."
The first one swung its head, trying to impale him. Ezio ducked under the horn and slammed his flaming hand into its thick fur.
FWOOOM—!
Fire erupted across its body. The beast screamed, its fur igniting like kerosene.
Ezio drove his sword directly into the burning mass.
SPLURT—!
Blood splattered against the flames.
The third Abysswalker rammed into him from the side, throwing him off balance. Ezio crashed into a tree, coughing and ribs throbbing from pain.
The creature snorted, lowering its horns for a second and a killing blow.
Ezio wiped the blood, pushed himself up, and glared.
"Not today…"
He dashed forward, sliding beneath the horn again, sparks flying from the ground. He slashed upward.
RIP—!
A deep wound tore open across its chest.
The beast howled, stumbling back, but Ezio didn't give it a second.
He jumped onto its back, gripping its thick fur, flames bursting in his free hand. With a harsh yell, he shoved the fire down into the wound.
The Abysswalker convulsed and then went still.
Smoke drifted up from its corpse, mixing with the cold forest air.
Ezio stood there, panting, blood dripping from his chin, steam rising from his hands.
Then a slow grin spread across his face.
"Damn… that felt good."
The forest went quiet again, except for his rough breathing and the soft crackle of dying flames.
He wiped the blood from his cheek and sheathed his sword.
"Three down."
Ezio wiped his blade clean on the grass and stepped back from the scorched corpses, chest still rising and falling from the fight.
Then
DING—!
A soft blue glow pulsed in front of him.
===============
System Notice:
____________________
Mission Complete: 3 Grade-8 Abysswalkers have been eliminated.
Rewards: Rank increasing —> D+
Partial decryption of system shop has been unlocked.
===================
Before he could react, a warm wave rushed through his body, like cold, gentle liquid sinking into every muscle, every bone. His ribs stopped throbbing. The sting on his skin faded. His breathing steadied.
He blinked.
"…whoa.. !!"
It felt like someone had replaced parts of him with something sharper and stronger.
Another notification popped up:
[ You have leveled up. ]
Ezio rolled his shoulder experimentally. No pain. No stiffness.
A slow smile tugged at his lips.
"Alright… let's see it."
He muttered quietly,
"Status."