Chapter 42 – The Crimson Rite
Chapter 42 – The Crimson Rite
Tyler and Milo proceeded deeper into the Shindo region, making quick work of four more bandit camps along the way. After Milo’s sharp criticism from the last encounter, Tyler had been surprisingly restrained. He used [Poison Mist] only twice—once on the bandits patrolling outside the tents and once again when facing the Bandit King alone. Everything else was left to Milo, who efficiently handled the remaining tents with his ever-increasing arsenal.
[Level Up! Tyler Level 89 → 98]
[Level Up! Milo Level 49 → 63]
“Man, we’re burning through these levels,” Tyler muttered, checking his status window while they caught their breath by a forest clearing. “Feels like the world’s speeding up just to keep pace with us.”
He opened his status screen.
[Remaining Attribute Points: 10]
Initially, he considered dumping all the points into Power Energy—after all, it had been a reliable investment. But then he realized his defence stat hadn’t been upgraded in ages, and considering the painful lessons from overusing [Gigantify], he finally decided to fix that.
[Player: Tyler] [Level 98]
[HP: 450/450] [PE: 40/40]
Stats:
> Attack: 25 (+20)
> Defence: 20 (+50)
> Agility: 5 (+15)
> Speed: 5
> Power Regen: 30
> Accuracy: 5
> Dodge: 5
> Health Regen: 10
Remaining Attribute Points: 0
Tyler closed the screen and exhaled, satisfied. His max HP had shot up considerably, and the reinforced titanium helmet and armour boosted him further. He clenched his fists, feeling the strength pulse through him. “Only two more levels,” he whispered. “Level 100… finally.”
Meanwhile, Milo had also grown stronger. His combat style had matured—his tactics sharper, movements more fluid. Upon crossing level 50, Tyler had received an unexpected pop-up:
[Achievement Unlocked: Bonds Beyond Battles]
[Grade: B]
[Condition: Raise your companion to level 50 or above.]
It felt appropriate.
Eventually, they arrived in Shindo, carrying five faction flags from the bandit camps. At the gates, they were promptly escorted to King Wing. After the brief presentation, Nelly led them down to the treasury where Tyler collected his reward.
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[Acquired Item: 3500 gold]
The whole transaction was unnervingly smooth—too smooth. Tyler cast a glance at Housekeeper Nelly as they walked back.
“You’ve gotten stronger than our last meeting,” she said calmly, not even turning to look at him.
“Oh—ah, yeah. Non-stop fighting will do that to you,” he laughed awkwardly.
“Well, you still have a long way to go.”
“What?”
“Have you made a decision yet?”
“Decision? About what?”
“Nothing,” she said, her tone distant.
Tyler hesitated. “By the way, why’s the basement sealed?”
“The basement?”
“Yes. From the treasury, I noticed it’s locked now. There are Shindo warriors guarding it.”
Nelly paused. “Ah, that. Remember our last meeting? King Wing had brought in prisoners then.”
“Prisoners—?”
“Yes. The basement is being used for interrogation and… containment.”
“I see.”
They didn’t exchange another word until they reached the castle gate, where Milo had been talking with a familiar Shindo Guard.
“So?” Milo asked once Nelly was out of earshot. “Got anything?”
“Not really. Just… odd behaviour.”
“That guard won’t spill unless we pay him a thousand gold.”
Tyler rubbed his chin. “Something’s going on in that castle. Nelly knows more than she’s letting on.”
“She’s been sneaking out a lot lately. The guards call them ‘excursions.’ But from what I could gather, they’re more like covert expeditions.”
“Hmm.”
Night fell over Shindo quickly. Milo suggested they find a place to rest, but Tyler had other ideas. “This is perfect timing,” he said. “If Nelly is really in on something, she might leave the castle tonight. We’ll follow.”
He was explaining his plan when a sudden burst of red light tore through the darkness. A pillar of crimson lit up the distant forest canopy.
“Change of plans,” Tyler muttered.
“You think it’s connected?” Milo asked.
“If we’re right, Nelly’s either there already… or on her way.”
Tyler activated [Eagle Eye] and [Sprint], bolting toward the light source. Milo followed, struggling to keep up.
Tyler arrived first and crouched behind a thick bush. Before him stood a massive stone altar, surrounded by concentric rings of monolithic stones, each engraved with glowing runes.
[Enemies Identified: Storm Wizard, Level 70 x8]
The wizards chanted in unison, standing hand-in-hand around the altar. The glyphs on the stones lit up sequentially—first the outer ring, then inwards—each layer intensifying the crimson light. When the innermost circle activated, the altar blazed with a blinding glow.
Tyler was still deciding whether to interrupt the ritual with [Poison Mist] or maybe [Gigantify] when—
“Tyler! Huh… Tyler, you—huh—idiot!” Milo gasped as he arrived. “Do you have any—huh—idea how far that run was?!”
Tyler groaned. “Idiot, you blew my cover—”
The ground exploded in a flurry of fireballs.
“Die, you insolent fools!” one of the storm wizards screamed. “You dare interrupt the sacred ritual?!”
Tyler activated [Undying Tenacity], tanking the barrage while Milo rolled to safety. His skill effectively cancelled out the fireballs, but it also meant that he had to focus entirely on blocking, and couldn’t attack.
“Cover me!” Tyler shouted.
“I got you, bro!” Milo called, casting [Freeze Core] as the wizards paused to recover. The storm wizards were rendered immobile, but it lasted only for a few seconds. But in an intense battle, even a few seconds could create a massive difference. It gave Tyler enough time to perform his next move.
A noxious green gas filled the clearing. [Poison Mist] spread like wildfire. The storm wizards groaned and staggered, some trying to flee. Tyler trapped half of them in [Sticky Web], and Milo froze the others. The coordinated attack sealed their fate.
[+80 XP]
[Level Up! Tyler Level 98 → 100]
[Achievement Unlocked: Hunter of the Century]
[Grade: A]
[Condition: Reach Level 100.]
Tyler raised his arms in triumph. “Yes! Finally! Level 100, baby! I am invincible!”
“Tyler…” Milo pointed at the altar.
It was glowing brighter. Dangerously so.
“What now? You’re ruining my moment.”
“That–”, Milo muttered with a scared expression.
“What the hell? We stopped the ritual—didn’t we?”
Suddenly, a blinding flash erupted from the altar. Tyler yanked Milo behind a massive rock. The explosion sent trees flying, roots and branches snapping like twigs. A massive shockwave rattled the earth.
They stayed low until the winds calmed. Then they peeked over the rock.
What they saw left them stunned, speechless, and wide-eyed in terror.
Something had awakened.
And it was no ordinary beast.
It was something that remembered fire.