—-

After drawing his weapon, Agrianos rested it upon his shoulder while sharply turning his head to the left. He sensed an extraordinarily fast-approaching presence that made his lips curl up into a slightly vicious smile. While Kieran noticed this action from Agrianos, he didn’t perceive anything approaching his surroundings.

Let alone hope to operate his perception correctly in this place; he could barely enforce his natural senses. Despite the lack of a notification depicting how badly he was affected by the environment, Kieran estimated he could at best utilize 5 to 10% of his regular standard.

Even the faint rumbling of extremely weighty footsteps escaped his senses.

However, that was partly due to the unusual activity regularly occurring inside the Wildes. It was home to frequent explosions, cataclysmic battles for territory, and overall grand disturbances. The moment Kieran stepped into this place, he could feel a persistent trembling in his ears.

His only saving grace was the Retaliatory Sense gained from his Vengeful Soul, which heightened his perception of danger from malicious presences. This allowed Kieran to catch sight of a colossal figure obscured by the dense murkiness present within the Wildes.

Agrianos took a single step forward while executing a casual upward slash despite the presence being shielded by the veil of murkiness. Although his action seemed effortless, a vast fissure opened in the earth as his sword collided against the opposing side. With the obscurity blown away by the forceful impact, Kieran caught a glimpse of what Agrianos retaliated against.

It was an enormous paw belonging to a lion surrounded by deathly flames. It appeared to be a demonic creature since this lion was entirely black, unlike normal lions, who had golden coats. Its size was unlike any lion seen before.

Even though Agrianos, who was practically a monster himself, stood at 3 meters tall with a hulking figure, he looked like an ant before the lion’s 15-meter frame! Just the lion’s paw dwarfed Agrianos’ body!_-.

Yet, Agrianos’ blade restricted the monster’s paw from moving even a centimeter further despite their bizarre size difference. Because of this development, the lion bared its frighteningly large teeth comparable to a dinosaur’s sharp fangs and opened its mouth.

A massive collection of demonic flames quickly gathered in the lion’s mouth. Instinctively, Kieran took a few steps backward. While the Ancient Crimson Aegis defended from environmental damage, there was no mention that it provided the same protection against monster attacks.

Therefore, Kieran chose to cautiously retreat to a safe space. Unfortunately, this movement was caught by Agrianos, who currently had a ruthless crimson glow bubbling in his eyes.

“Aye, you little twerp, who gave you permission to retreat? Are you scared by this little kitty-cat?!” Agrianos commented. Although his voice was low, it was clear and deep like the resounding thunderclap in a raging thunderstorm.

‘Kitty cat?!’ Kieran thought with widened eyes. While it was impossible to receive general information from NPCs who were countless levels higher than oneself, the same wasn’t accurate for monsters. The data would be shown as long the difference didn’t surpass 200 levels.

If the information was hidden, that was an immediate sign for players to vacate the premises and run for dear life!

「Lv.205 Netherflame Lion (Elite Champion)

Monster Type: Beast, Fire, Dark, Demonic

Health: 250,000,000/250,000,000 (100%) 」

250 million Health! This was a number that Kieran had only witnessed on World Quests surrounding Awakened Classes in the past. Even if he dealt his regular damage, it wouldn’t amount to even 0.01% of this monster’s Health. Thus, Kieran just couldn’t understand how someone could call such a monster a kitty cat.

However, what he witnessed next left him astonished.

Without moving his sword from under the Netherflame Lion’s paw, Agrianos kicked the air. An absurd air cannon followed, ruthlessly snapping the lion’s head upward and effectively canceling the collection of deathly flames.

Next, Agrianos’ chiseled and beastly body radiated a crimson glow as a viscous liquid coated his sword. A wave of dreadful blood discharged when he slashed his weapon, cleaving the Netherflame Lion’s body in half diagonally. The two halves fell to each side as Agrianos basked in a rain of blood with a menacing grin.

“A kitty cat, I tell ya,” Agrianos commented.

Meanwhile, Kieran was left wordless as he could only stare in amazement. ‘That one attack claimed more than 250 million Health? That wasn’t even a high-level skill. Just what the hell is Scar’s master….’

Kieran couldn’t wrap his mind around the depth of Agrianos’ power no matter how hard he tried. If Scar’s future abilities surpassed that of a Mythic NPC, just what would Agrianos be labeled?

Aside from the Netherflame Lion possessing 250 million Health, it was also a genuine Elite Champion monster. There was only one monster rank surpassing this level, and at that point, it could contend for a position as a lower-ranking Boss!

Moreover, Champion monsters were at least 50% stronger than Special Elites. If Hrulhar were a Champion monster, Kieran and the rest would’ve been immediately forced to quit the dungeon run. A Champion monster was simply incomparable to any ‘elite’ classification.

“You’re just a freak,” Kieran mumbled.

In response, Agrianos laughed heartily. “That is correct. But, let me tell you this young fool, it pays to be a freak! Those deemed aberrations are typically the individuals heavily relied upon in times of need. At that time, the freak holds all the power to wield as they see fit. So if the cost of being an aberration is being held with fear in the eyes of others, then so be it—it’s a fitting sacrifice. If any sacrifice at all.”

Initially, Kieran opened his mouth but abruptly closed it since he had no words to retort Agrianos’ comment. After all, his words were the complete truth with zero room for contention. Kieran had witnessed many times when the weak or less fortunate plead to the strong for assistance.

In fact, the same could be said about how his situation with the Golden Brigade began. They saw his freakish talent and sought his help in the form of “insurmountable payment.” That was the term Charles approached him with.

Eventually, Kieran nodded in agreement. “True, that is a sacrifice many would be willing to make. Only a fool who favors their image in the eyes of others would accept a lower stance.”

“Correct, kid. Only a fool would turn down power because he is viewed as a monster and therefore alienated. They are the fools blinded by the complacency of a truly abstract theology—peace. Besides, once you understand that not all people have the same view, you will understand that there is always a place for you in the world. If there isn’t… create one,” Agrianos shrugged before placing his palm on the Netherflame Lion’s dead body.

Its previously gargantuan physique shriveled rapidly until it was nothing more than skin and bone. It was as if Agrianos had devoured its essence completely. This led Kieran to question Agrianos’ class.

If Scar was a Blood Fiend, then was Agrianos one himself?

Once Agrianos finished with the body, he tossed it aside. Sadly, Kieran would have loved to harvest its body, but his skill simply wasn’t up to par, nor did he have suitable equipment to do so. Kieran doubted that his weapon could make a single nick in these monsters.

“We continue forward,” Agrianos ordered while walking forward silently. After offering his opinion, he didn’t have much else to say. From what he saw currently, Kieran wouldn’t be a lousy successor. He appeared to have the right mindset for their path—it was one that did not seek the reassurance of others; it simply sought to forge a path forward with decisive action.

While walking, Agrianos suddenly stopped walking and looked skyward. Two red glows situated within the murkiness grew close. At the same time, after looking ahead, he saw six more similar closing in on his position as well.

“More kitty cats, doggies, and little birdies? Come on now, it’s like you dumb things just don’t learn,” Agrianos clicked his tongue. Without turning his head back, he said, “Hey… kid…”

Kieran’s expression filled with curiosity. “Hm?”

“Ready to witness a glimpse of the future that awaits you if I deem you worthy?”

“Is that even a question? It sounds exhilarating! Let me see what this future beholds,” Kieran answered confidently.

Agrianos smirked faintly as he saw a semblance of young Scar and himself inside Kieran. “Very well.”

Whoosh!

Agrianos extended his left hand before his body. At the same, his blade rested upon his shoulders with his right hand clasped tightly around the grip. In this pose, his broad shoulder seemed capable of upholding the world. A small crimson sphere materialized in the center of his palm. It was undoubtedly blood, except it crackled with what appeared to be black, red, grey, gold, and purplish lightning.

Kieran wasn’t sure what these crackles represented, but it was undoubtedly a part of Agrianos’ core power. Once the sphere grew to the size of his palm, Agrianos clenched his hand close, crushing the orb in the process.

Afterward, he flung his arm, launching a shocking number of bloody chains that emanated a profound power. The opposing side tried to shatter or knock away the chains. Still, they agilely dodged the incoming attacks before successfully binding his enemies.

As soon as they were caught by the binds, Agrianos casually motioned his hand downward, causing massive tremors as these enormous beasts were forced to the ground with unshakeable might! These demonic and seemingly mutated monsters were pinned to the ground, thoroughly incapable of making a difference, no matter how much they struggled.

Before the scene of unquestionable might, Agrianos lifted his blade from his shoulder and slashed downward. An enormous sword formed from the same blood energy as earlier, cleaving towards the earth, inevitably causing a deafening explosion.

BOOOM!

Even Kieran momentarily lost his footing as he stumbled with rattling eyes. From his point of view, it was an absolutely breathtaking display of power! ‘Is this pinnacle of manipulating that madness?’ Kieran wondered.