I wasn't sure before, but now that I understand what is going on here, I couldn't be more sure than this.
It was he who was constantly keeping an eye on me when we were near the Hellfire Forest's entrance. At first I thought it was just the people's gazes, but now that all those people aren't here, this feeling of being watched still remains, I am sure that it was him all along.
'He was analysing me with an ability, or maybe he already did and now he was double checking to make sure he saw right?' I thought as I looked at him fighting those monsters while also keeping his senses focused on me at the same time.
The other thing I finally noticed is that when we were fighting the monsters, when he was trying to talk to me, when he was trying to talk to Dion and Ariel, every time, every single move of his was calculated.
'But exactly why?' I questioned again as I kept watching him from a distance.
Guys like them… Yetris, that is. They don't make mistakes… They don't just let things go with the wind. I know it because I have known people like him before, I have worked with people like him before, I even have been that person as well many times in my life.
'I know that kind of face way too well,' I thought as I saw him making an agitated expression as he revealed his trump cards in front of me.
Yetris is… well, it would be better to start from the basics rather than jumping directly to the main point.
So, there are many types of people in this world. Among all of them, there are certain ones who are… challenged by fate… much more than the others.
In a good way? That depends upon the direction they take their life in. Forget about being special, they even lack the power which ordinary people have, making them really pathetic… enough to be looked down upon.
While a huge number among them fall and die as nobody, some defy their fate with skill, hard work and a little bit of luck. They rise up in power and become strong without relying on any power other than themselves.
I too was one of them, someone who lacked power and rose up by luck, skill and a whole lot of hard work. It was tough, but considering my situation right now, I would say it was worth it.
Yetris, a while ago, he acted confident about how everything was going on, now he didn't look like he was sure if it was going accordingly. I saw him getting anxious with every move he was making.
'Sigh… the fact I can easily read the whole situation… is actually frustrating… ' I thought as I saw him struggling slightly against those monsters.
'He came here to ask for my help. That is his main purpose in coming here, isn't it?' I sighed as I looked at him, getting agitated more and more.
"Life Magic: Healer of Hidden wounds," I spoke as I pointed my finger at him and then a ray of light fell on him, recharging his strength at a rapid rate, making him look at me with a slightly relieved smile and I sighed again as I looked at him killing all the monsters without holding back.
'It's flashy,' I thought as I looked at him. I wonder if it was an illusion or reality, but I felt like he was trying to show off in front of me or perhaps trying to win me over? I feel like I am dealing with a child here…
'Or everything I am thinking could be perhaps just a mere assumption? Well, only one way to find out,' I thought as I moved forward towards him and then reaching closer to him I said,"Once this is over, let's have a proper talk." He looked at me with a slight smile before nodding at me.
'Yup, I am more or less certain now that he possesses a unique ability that allows him to either partially or perhaps completely see through me…'
Well, not like I hadn't thought of a scenario of meeting someone who can see through me, but to think and to see it happening are two completely different things.
I then sighed before looking at Iliara and Iliana, narrowing their gaze at me without speaking. I couldn't read what they were thinking… Neither does their thought-process really interest me, honestly.
"Looks like we are almost there," I spoke as I looked at the distance where a massive settlement was visible not too far from us.
Hearing my words, everyone nodded before Vatra spoke,"will it be okay to carry them with us?" as she pointed at Dion and Ariel, and I nodded in return before speaking,"It's fine. They are stronger than they look, plus we only need to sneak in, take your sister out, and then run away from here, don't we?"
They kept looking at me for a few moments before nodding. However, before we could make a move, someone came walking toward us.
There were a dozen minotaurs following behind two minotaurs and looking at the way they were walking towards us, they were probably patrolling the surroundings.
The leading two minotaurs look a little bit different in appearance from the other minotaurs. One of them looked much larger than the others, he wielded two twin axes and had a dominating aura, as if he could kill by merely looking at you.
'He is strong… probably peak SS level,' I thought as I looked at that minotaur before looking at the other minotaur who was the complete opposite of the huge monster. It was a female minotaur wearing a white dress and had the same pink coloured hair as that of Vatra and the build suggested something that I wished to be rather not true.
"Flare?!!!" Vatra shouted as soon as her eyes fell at that female minotaur, gathering the attention of the other monster as well. I saw Vatra dashing towards the female minotaur with tears and fury in her eyes. She used her wand to chant a specific magic sequence, gathering the poisonous energy around us and firing it at all those monsters around them.
Though, before she could reach the female minotaur, the strong male minotaur kicked Vatra back with a small smile as he looked at Vatra before observing the female minotaur.
His smile widened before he spoke,"This is interesting."
Hearing him speak, sent a chill down everyone's spine… except me cause… I kind of expected that. His gaze never left Vatra as he continued speaking.
"I thought teaching our new member to hunt would be a good decision to get her accustomed to us but… to think it would be this interesting. I guess it is my lucky day."
This statement made it clear to us a lot of things. Flare was gone, and she has most probably been forced to transform into a monster or something.
'Is that even possible? Guess I could research a few things here,' I thought as I looked at that monster intently.
"Young one, kill that girl and you will pass the test. I will make sure nobody else interferes," the minotaur spoke as he took out his twin blade and jumped before reaching behind Vatra, making her scared shitless for a moment.
"I won't interfere with this sacred hunt. If you lose, you may get another chance, but that is all, so give it everything you got. Also, don't worry about dying, even if you are at your worst, I will bring you back from your deathbed and get you back in tiptop condition," spoke that monster, setting the rules of their match.
I saw the sisters' reaction and surprisingly they weren't scared… They were really furious and determined. As for Dion and Ariel, they looked at me, wondering what to do next. Maybe their trust in my powers is really strong… probably.
As for Yetris… he kept observing me without really doing anything. 'Bet he thinks that he can just run away if things go awry,' I thought with a smile on my face.
Though… that smile kind of gave a different impression to the others. Ariel and Dion turned relaxed while Yetris' face suddenly brightened with expectation.
The sisters too looked at me and they were a little bit confused at this situation while the minotaur just looked at me curiously before speaking,"have you lost it, human?"
I then looked at Vatra before pondering something and then speaking,"What you do with your sister, is up to you. Since we have more or less a deal with each other, I guess I can give you a hand."
Hearing my sentence, that minotaur looked at me a bit furiously. Looked like my words hurt his pride as an ugly expression formed on his face before he spoke,"Human… looks like you don't understand the state you are in right now. Do you even have any idea in front of whom you are standing?"
Iliara and Iliana looked at me with confusion and tension in their eyes. They kept their narrowed eyes shifting between me and that minotaur.
I then finally take out my scythe as I fill it with Light Magic as I move towards the minatour before pondering what combination of magic I should use in this situation. Personally, I wanted it all to end it all as fast as possible. So maybe… using Life Magic, along with Dark Magic, would be fine.
If I use Blood Sacrifice and a little bit of Charm Magic, with fire absorption magic to enhance myself, I should be able to boost myself in this environment while also putting the guy at a disadvantage.
For defence, I can use Light Magic to continuously heal myself at a rapid rate and also add some Life Magic to enhance the Light Magic. While I could also add my artefact to create illusions, that would give me an upper hand here.
For attack, Leranati should be able to do the work, adding Dark Magic would overdo it, but… let's just add it for precaution's sake.
Finally speed and perception can be enhanced by using fire magic and the environment will favour it.
"Vatra, you have 5 minutes to decide. After that we are leaving this place," I spoke as I got closer and closer towards the superior minotaur, while also charging myself up furthermore, making the three girls look at me wide eyed. They couldn't believe the sudden increase in my power out of the blue, while the superior minotaur too was surprised to say the least.
Dion and Ariel smiled at me while Yetris was grinning. I then looked at Vatra again as I spoke.
"You have 5 mins. Yetris, Iliara and Iliana, take care of Ariel and Dion, while also making sure to clean up the rest of the garbage."
Hearing my words, the superior minotaur looked at me with a narrowed dark gaze and I simply smiled at him as I pointed my scythe towards him with my eyes turning whitish red as I speak,
"Make sure to last long enough to entertain me."
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