Chương 522: The Lone Guardian

The group moved through the dark forest, hemmed in by the sheer walls of the abyssal ravine. Countless holes dotted the stone on both sides, mouths leading into unseen caverns.

"I-I can't see anything," Layla whispered. She kept one hand on Charlie's shoulder, using her as a guide through the darkness. Then, suddenly, something slipped out from one of the cavern openings.

"Something's coming from our right," Luke said.

"There are several of them, Master Luke," Charlie added. Among them, only Luke and Charlie could truly see in the dark, and Charlie's vision was far superior. Luke sensed shapes through perception, like a kind of sonar. Charlie, on the other hand, saw clearly, both through her senses and her eyes.

"W-where? What's coming? Please tell me it's not something big and terrifying," Layla pleaded.

"It's big," Luke said, gripping his throwing knives.

"And probably terrifying. Don't use fire, Franky." A sharp hiss cut through the air.

"That sound," Franky muttered, suddenly alert. The creatures rushed toward them, sliding fast across the ground. One surged close enough to open its jaws and rattle its tail, the sound echoing in the dark.

"N-no. This isn't… this isn't what I think it is, right?" Layla said, her voice tight. Luke hurled two knives. [Telekinetic Impulse activated] Both blades struck an enormous serpent, forcing it to recoil. On their right, two more emerged from the shadows. Luke kept throwing. [You have slain a Beast Serpent – Lvl 64] Charlie charged in with her sword, engaging another beast head-on. Angie and Layla could barely help, blind in the darkness. Luke and Charlie handled it, cutting the serpents down one by one.

They weren't as massive as the Beast Lord, but each snake was still large enough to swallow a full-grown bear.

"So much for avoiding attention," Luke said.

"These things can see in the dark." Charlie activated her [Flame Aura] and pressed the attack. Even Franky joined in, launching fireballs into the fray. When it was over, corpses lay piled across the forest floor.

"I hate snakes," Layla said flatly.

"Me too," Franky murmured, staring at one of the bodies. The tone was different from his usual humor. There was something heavy beneath it. They moved on, continuing their exploration. The place was eerily quiet, unnaturally so. Even after lighting a torch, the shadows felt thick and oppressive. Luke knew it instinctively. This darkness wasn't normal. More serpents appeared, slithering through the forest as they spotted the group. Luke drew his kukris. When one lunged at him, he rolled aside just in time.

[Crimson Fang activated] This time, he struck first. His kukri flared red as it slammed into the serpent's side, killing it in a single, brutal impact. More came, but in the end, they were nothing more than bodies scattered across the ground. Your class [Demonic Predator] has reached Level 69! Luke tossed a kukri into the air, caught it smoothly, and slid it back into its sheath. At least Charlie can feed on these. That's something.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. He crouched beside one of the serpents and reached into the wound he had opened, pulling something free.

"And that makes the third core," Luke said, holding it up as he extracted it from the dead snake's chest. Charlie was farther ahead with Layla and Angie. Layla didn't like staying near the snake corpses. Three cores were gathered in front of Franky, but this time he didn't look nearly as excited as before.

"They came from snakes. You should be happier," Luke said. [Your familiar Frankzaroth has successfully absorbed a Rank E Mana Core.] [Rank E Cores (73/100)] [Rank E Cores (74/100)] [Rank E Cores (75/100)] [Your familiar Frankzaroth has awakened a new skill.] It worked. He gained another skill after twenty-five cores. Now the next milestone would be at one hundred.

[Familiar: Frankzaroth Race: Ancient Wyvern Rank: F Familiar Skills: [Accelerated Flight (Rare)], [Fireball (Common)], [Wyvern Roar (Epic)], [Wyvern Bite (Epic)], [Charged Aerial (Rare)], [Wyvern's Breath (Epic)] [Evolution to Rank E]: To evolve from Rank F to Rank E, the familiar must consume E-Rank Magical Beast Cores. E-Rank Cores (75/100)] Luke opened Franky's new skill.

[Wyvern's Breath (Epic)]: The wyvern exhales a jet of intense fire that inflicts deep burns and leaves the target engulfed in flames for a short time, causing continuous damage. The breath's power scales with the wyvern's level, becoming increasingly destructive as the creature evolves. That brought back a few memories from the tutorial.

"Test the skil—" Luke didn't finish the sentence. Franky was already using it on the snake corpses. A torrent of fire poured from his mouth. It didn't compare to the wyvern from the tutorial, but that was mostly due to Franky's smaller size.

"One day, you'll be just as terrifying as that wyvern," Luke said.

The group pressed on through the abyss for a while longer. The serpents only reappeared occasionally now, isolated encounters rather than swarms. Luke noticed that, geographically, they were moving straight toward the center of the mouth formed by the map's drawing. Still nothing about Angie's second class awakening. Is it going to take as long as mine did? Charlie's happened fast. Too fast, honestly. For hours, he kept opening and closing Angie's interface, patiently waiting for the notification to appear.

Then, suddenly, the forest's oppressive darkness thinned, replaced by the warm glow of torchlight. They became even more cautious. Until they finally arrived at it.

"The damn temple," Luke muttered. A temple stood there, eerily similar to the four treasure temples they had already seen. There was even a village built around it, all of it nestled deep within the cavernous abyss. Torchlit paths wound through the empty streets, all leading toward a long staircase that climbed to the temple entrance. The village was deserted. No oni in sight. But at the top of the stairs, a single figure stood motionless, like a statue. A samurai.

"I'll take a closer look," Luke said. Clad in his assassin gear, he crouched low and slipped between the trees, moving through the village while hugging the shadows. As he approached the staircase, he entered the forest lining the ascent and dissolved into black mist. He stayed that way for a while, then began to run. And then his body froze. Even without looking directly at it, Luke felt the presence of the Oni Samurai. A pressure in the air, heavy and unmistakable. An aura type skill?

He retreated immediately, instinct screaming that getting any closer might alert the monster. When he used [Identify], the result confirmed. Attacking without a plan would be suicide. [Samurai Guardian – Lvl 101] Luke returned to the group and explained what he had seen. A single enemy. But far from an easy one. A fully armored samurai, guarding the temple alone.

"I have a plan," Luke said.

Luke spent some time using [Advanced Meditation], restoring his stamina and mana. He wanted to face that enemy at his absolute peak. It's more dangerous than the Midnight Lord was. Level ninety-nine versus one hundred and one. And unlike that fight, he didn't have a large group of powerful allies. Here, he had Charlie. Angie didn't have the levels to face something like this, and Layla was a ranged class. The situation was bad. Still, something inside him pushed forward.

A stubborn, burning certainty that refused to let him turn back. He sat alone on the roof of one of the village houses, watching the Oni Samurai remain at the summit, unmoving, almost indistinguishable from a statue carved into the scenery. Almost. But Luke knew better. That thing was a true guardian, bound to its duty.

"Time to kill the bastard," he said, standing up. This was the final obstacle before the temple. And if he truly intended to kill a dragon queen, this was the path he had chosen.