Chapter 48
The sight before them was enough to make even Damien hold his breath, for dozens of mutated creatures occupied both banks of the western river.
Along the muddy shore, wolves were prowling restlessly while massive boars pawed at the earth and left deep gouges in the dirt.
Giant reptiles basked lazily upon broken concrete slabs that had collapsed into the water years ago, their cold and unblinking eyes fixed entirely on the small island resting in the middle of the flowing current of water.
And above them, several spirit beasts perched quietly upon the rooftops of ruined buildings and dead trees nearby.
None of them fought, and none of them hunted. Every single pair of eyes remained locked on that isolated piece of land with complete focus.
Lucien slowly swept his gaze across the terrifying gathering. Concentrating his focus, he allowed spiritual energy to gather inside his eyes and triggered the status panel to flare to life.
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[Target: Ironfang Wolf]
[Combat Power: D-]
[Description:A mutated wolf possessing enhanced senses, sharp claws, and lethal pack instincts.]
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His gaze shifted slightly to the side.
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[Target: Stoneback Lizard]
[Combat Power: D]
[Description: A heavily armored reptile with tremendous defensive capabilities that can easily withstand normal cold weapons.]
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And to another creature, a massive bird that was currently nesting on a shattered concrete pillar.
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[Target: Crimson Beak Hawk]
[Combat Power: D+]
[Description: A spirit beast which is capable of launching compressed wind blades from its wings.]
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None of them was weak. In fact, several of these monsters easily rivaled the average awakeners.
Lucien exhaled a slow, shaky breath. If they all decided to attack together, all they could do was probably pray for their survival.
Beside him, Kaelan swallowed hard as his knuckles turned white. "There are so many of them..."
Damien raised a sharp hand, signaling him to remain absolutely silent.
The next instant, heavy footsteps echoed from the opposite side of the river.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Every creature on the riverbank immediately became restless.
Low, defensive growls rippled through the gathering as several wolves bared their fangs and the spirit beasts atop the dead trees spread their wings threateningly, trying to warn the newcomer.
Yet despite their obvious hostility, not a single one had stepped forward to challenge the newcomer.
The dense forest parted slightly, and slowly, a gigantic ape emerged into view, its silver mane draping across broad shoulders as if it weren’t a mane but a flowing cloak.
Every heavy step they took caused the ground beneath their feet to tremble again and again.
Standing upright, the creature easily exceeded around eight feet in height.
Behind it walked two smaller apes, though smaller was a relative term, for each of them stood nearly six feet tall and possessed heavily muscled bodies that promised nothing but terror and immense physical violence.
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[Target: Silver-Maned Ape]
[Combat Power: D++]
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[Target: Silver-Maned Ape Chieftain]
[Combat Power: C-]
[Description: A monstrous entity with enormous grip strength and absurd weight. Run away from it while you still can.]
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Lucien’s pupils contracted in sheer disbelief.
A C-rank entity was entirely out of his— no, it was out of everyone’s league.
Damien’s breathing grew heavier beside him. If they were to be discovered by a monster of that caliber, escaping would become downright impossible.
The chieftain’s crimson eyes slowly swept across the gathered beasts and as expected, none of them dared to meet its gaze.
Instead, only low growls emerged from several mutated creatures, trying to warn the primate away from their claimed territory.
The giant ape merely snorted in disdain.
But it was more than enough as a palpable wave of spiritual pressure erupted from its body, suffocating the area. Instantly, the growls disappeared and were replaced by primal fear.
The Silver-Maned Ape slowly approached the muddy riverbank before looking out toward the silent island and then it spoke.
It didn’t use guttural growls or some strange, incomprehensible beast language and spoke in clear, resonant human speech.
"It’s still an hour earlier than planned," its deep voice echoed across the rushing river that showed no signs of slowing down. "So this truly is a high-grade treasure."
A wicked grin slowly spread across its terrifying, ugly face. "And the Golden Order won’t be the ones claiming it this time."
Hearing the name of the faction, Kaelan instinctively tightened his grip around the hilt of his weapon. "Should we—"
"No," Damien cut him off immediately, his voice was a barely audible hiss. "We will observe for now."
His eyes never left the silver-maned chieftain. "If they move, we will follow. No unnecessary fighting until we are sure of what that treasure is or how it works."
Kaelan reluctantly nodded his head before stepping down.
Facing dozens of mutated beasts alongside a C-rank spirit beast wasn’t bravery, it would be a guaranteed suicide mission.
Time passed with agonizing slowness.
The river continued flowing peacefully, and the beasts remained exactly where they stood in a tense stalemate as none of them made the first move.
Then, exactly an hour later, the island suddenly trembled.
A faint emerald radiance spread beneath the earth, which pulsated like a heartbeat. Soft green mist slowly rose from the center of the small land before rapidly enveloping the entire area in a thick layer of shroud.
And within seconds, the concentration of spiritual energy started to surge and reached several times over.
The suppression broke and every beast on the riverbank became wild with endless greed.
Furious growls, deafening roars, and piercing shrieks erupted into the air as the entire area exploded with the anticipation that was being barely contained inside them moments earlier.
The Silver-Maned Ape Chieftain’s eyes shone with absolute triumph. "It is tim—"
But its words came to an abrupt, choking halt as something changed in the air all of a sudden.
SCHLK!
A white blade burst straight through the center of its chest from behind, dripping with dark crimson fluid.
Fresh blood sprayed across the muddy shore as the beast realized what had happened.
The giant ape froze mid-sentence as its eyes widened in shock.
For a single heartbeat, the entire world fell completely silent and even the surrounding mutated beasts stopped their roaring and only stared blankly at the sight.
Behind the dying chieftain, space itself rippled like disturbed water before a human figure slowly materialized from thin air. His sword remained buried deep inside the ape’s back, right through where the monster’s heart should’ve been.
Kaelan’s breath hitched as he watched the killer step into the light, and now he was a lot more grateful to Damien for stopping him.
There had been someone hiding there this whole time, waiting in the shadows, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
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A/N: Sorry for such slow uploads, the thing is I am going through personal life problems though don’t worry, I won’t use this as an excuse.
I will try to start uploading constantly.