*Boom!* *Boom!* *Boom!*
Within the southern part of the wilderness, three humongous demonic beasts teamed up against two people. One was wielding a sword while the other was wielding a war hammer.
Despite being at a disadvantage in terms of size and number, the humans were actually winning by a large margin. Not a single injury nor fatigue could be seen from their faces. If anything, they looked as if they were bored. As if fighting against three towering beasts were nothing but a common occurrence to them.
The one with a sword suddenly said: "This is getting dull."
The one with the war hammer nodded and replied: "Yeah. Should I end it already?"
"Yeah, have fun." The one with the sword suddenly disappeared leaving the one with the hammer alone to face-off against three towering beasts.
Instead of being afraid, the hammer guy just smiled and suddenly turned into a blur. The beast suddenly felt as if they were struck by falling boulder, causing them to lose balance. The hammer guy moved so fast that the beast didn't even see what hit them.
The hammer guy reappeared above them and he started gathering momentum by spinning vertically while his body was horizontal. With all the needed momentum, the hammer guy slammed his hammer on the ground, creating a massive depression and reducing the towering beasts into pastes.
The hammer guy retreated from the splattering pasts of flesh and blood while showing a disgusted expression.
"Tori!! What did I say about doing that move!?"
"I know, I know! It's yucky and gross! I can't help it though, it's cool!"
"Just don't use it to something so fragile then! Ugh." Nina complained, "Why were you even using a hammer un the first place."
Yeah, these two are females, they're just wearing a disguise necklace. They are Venina and Victoria Valorheart, the twins who were unfortunate to make a deal with the devil.
Speaking of the devil…
"Ohohoho…" A weary but soft chuckled suddenly echoed from behind. Nina and Tori glared at the Old Man who was sitting in a rotting tree bark while smoking from his pipe. "Impressive, impressive. You two have certainly grown."
Despite his compliment though, Nina and Tori remained pissed at the old guy, what's even worst is that they're not really in any position to be angry since it was their fault anyways.
It's not like the old conned them deliberately. He did promise that he will ensure the safety and security of all five of them, and so far he's upholding his promise.
That being said, he didn't say that he won't allow them to get hurt.
This is where the twins realized they messed up. The old man guaranteed that he will return them home safe and secured. He didn't say that he will protect them from all dangers though. And that's the part where they realized what the rest of the trip was going to be like.
The Old Man didn't hesitate to use the most direct path towards their goal, even if it means running towards dangerous beasts in the process. Every time they were ambushed by the demonic beasts, the old man will disappear and the let twins handle them.
If they get injured, he'll heal them. If they wanted to escape, he'll throw them back to the beasts, if they wanted to attack him, he'll just laugh it off and brush of their attacks like it was nothing.
Simply put, their fates depended on the whims of this old man, and they can't do anything to him. It's been three months since it started and at this point, they simply just stopped caring. They already accepted that they're trapped with this old man.
The only respite they have is that, the old man sworn an oath and he's keeping the end of his deal. He just has this twisted desire to make them suffer.
Well, it's not like they didn't receive any benefits from him. In fact, the benefits they got from this old man was beyond what they were expecting already.
The Old Man taught Nina advanced Alchemy. He also gave her pointers when it comes to sword techniques since she's pursuing the Sword Path.
For Tori, the old man taught her Blacksmithing and also gave her pointers on her she could effectively harness and refine her raw strength, she's pursuing the Strength Path after all.
The two have to admit, what they experienced this past three months were equivalent to years of learning within the Empire. The Old Man may be an eccentric jerk but when it comes to cultivation, his knowledge was unfathomable. It begs the question, just how experienced this old man was? How old is he exactly?
Well, the two never asked. They didn't feel comfortable asking him that since it was clear that the old man values his privacy…he never even told them what his actual name is.
Nina and Tori were stuck at the Silver Knight Realm. Not too bad for their age but in front of the old man, such strength was laughable. The twins saw the old man killing a Demonic Beast, that could give even Hero Knights a run for their money, with a single flick of his finger.
They were never disillusioned by the strength they had but the gap between them and the old man was unfathomable. They can't even begin to think about it.
Still, the past three months were enjoyable for the twins. They get to explore the world and experience how swiftly their strength grows. It was thrilling and fulfilling, this was exactly the kind of life they wanted to pursue. The kind of freedom they yearned for. And the kind of adventure they were seeking.
"Now, now." The old man stood up and dusted his pants, he then began walking past them, saying: "We're nearly there. Come, come."
The twins sighed and followed the old man. Despite his age, he was quick on his feet. Every step he made took him several kilometers away, the twins had to employ their movement abilities at maximum just to keep up with him.
This is another part of his indirect training for them which also allowed to them to improve at a faster rate. The twins learned to refine their movement abilities to the point where they're not making as much noise as before. They were leagues ahead of who they were three months prior to this.
After running for a couple of minutes, they eventually reached a cliff side which gave them a view of edge of the Southern Wilderness, they're practically at the edge of the world.
"So? Where is this ingredient that you were looking for?" Tori asked the old man.
"Calm down, Missy." The Old Man chuckled, "I'm waiting for it to appear."
The twins stayed silent and took this moment to rest. While they were resting, the twins looked around and was mesmerized by the sight.
They're at the edge of the world, the South Pole. Stories said that this was filled with mystical wonders and all sorts of Natural Treasures. As they sat on the edge of the cliff, they can see the remaining parts of the Southern Wilderness.
The twins didn't feel any Demonic Beast aura around, there's only a serene peace and an abundance of natural resources. Nina could name some of them but not everything. There's deposits of raw ores and metals, alchemical ingredients, spiritual fruits, this place was essentially a treasure bowl.
"Sir, can we go down there?" Nina asked using an uncertain tone.
"Why?" The old man asked, then he looked below and suddenly had an enlightened expression. "Ah! I see. Well, you can. But be very careful."
For some reason, the twins missed the caution behind the old man's voice. They jumped down the cliff and began exploring the treasure bowl.
"Wow! So many of these things!!" Tori gushed upon touching the spiritual berries. She picked some and began chewing on them.
Nina on the other hand was inspecting some flowers which can be used for Alchemy. The two of them were so absorbed the by the beauty of nature around them that they let down their guards. They didn't notice a pair of eyes peering down on them.
*Hiss~!*
Nina and Tori shivered. The instantly brought out their weapon and guarded each other's back. Their weapons were out and they were now scanning their surroundings.
"Ah! There it is!!" The old man exclaimed, the twins looked at him and saw that he was looking above the clouds.
The moment they followed his gaze, the twins shuddered uncontrollably.
They have faced towering beasts before but nothing compares to this one. It was so impossibly big that it was staring at them from behind the clouds.
The twins saw the pair of predatory eyes gleaming down and staring at them directly. The twins started sweating and paling from the sight of the monster that came to greet them.
"Oi, you two!! Distract that for me. The ingredient I need grows on top of its head. It's not ripe yet so make sure to hit the beast really hard!"
"Fuck you, Old Man!!"
*Boom!* *Boom!* *Boom!*
Within the southern part of the wilderness, three humongous demonic beasts teamed up against two people. One was wielding a sword while the other was wielding a war hammer.
Despite being at a disadvantage in terms of size and number, the humans were actually winning by a large margin. Not a single injury nor fatigue could be seen from their faces. If anything, they looked as if they were bored. As if fighting against three towering beasts were nothing but a common occurrence to them.
The one with a sword suddenly said: "This is getting dull."
The one with the war hammer nodded and replied: "Yeah. Should I end it already?"
"Yeah, have fun." The one with the sword suddenly disappeared leaving the one with the hammer alone to face-off against three towering beasts.
Instead of being afraid, the hammer guy just smiled and suddenly turned into a blur. The beast suddenly felt as if they were struck by falling boulder, causing them to lose balance. The hammer guy moved so fast that the beast didn't even see what hit them.
The hammer guy reappeared above them and he started gathering momentum by spinning vertically while his body was horizontal. With all the needed momentum, the hammer guy slammed his hammer on the ground, creating a massive depression and reducing the towering beasts into pastes.
The hammer guy retreated from the splattering pasts of flesh and blood while showing a disgusted expression.
"Tori!! What did I say about doing that move!?"
"I know, I know! It's yucky and gross! I can't help it though, it's cool!"
"Just don't use it to something so fragile then! Ugh." Nina complained, "Why were you even using a hammer un the first place."
Yeah, these two are females, they're just wearing a disguise necklace. They are Venina and Victoria Valorheart, the twins who were unfortunate to make a deal with the devil.
Speaking of the devil…
"Ohohoho…" A weary but soft chuckled suddenly echoed from behind. Nina and Tori glared at the Old Man who was sitting in a rotting tree bark while smoking from his pipe. "Impressive, impressive. You two have certainly grown."
Despite his compliment though, Nina and Tori remained pissed at the old guy, what's even worst is that they're not really in any position to be angry since it was their fault anyways.
It's not like the old conned them deliberately. He did promise that he will ensure the safety and security of all five of them, and so far he's upholding his promise.
That being said, he didn't say that he won't allow them to get hurt.
This is where the twins realized they messed up. The old man guaranteed that he will return them home safe and secured. He didn't say that he will protect them from all dangers though. And that's the part where they realized what the rest of the trip was going to be like.
The Old Man didn't hesitate to use the most direct path towards their goal, even if it means running towards dangerous beasts in the process. Every time they were ambushed by the demonic beasts, the old man will disappear and the let twins handle them.
If they get injured, he'll heal them. If they wanted to escape, he'll throw them back to the beasts, if they wanted to attack him, he'll just laugh it off and brush of their attacks like it was nothing.
Simply put, their fates depended on the whims of this old man, and they can't do anything to him. It's been three months since it started and at this point, they simply just stopped caring. They already accepted that they're trapped with this old man.
The only respite they have is that, the old man sworn an oath and he's keeping the end of his deal. He just has this twisted desire to make them suffer.
Well, it's not like they didn't receive any benefits from him. In fact, the benefits they got from this old man was beyond what they were expecting already.
The Old Man taught Nina advanced Alchemy. He also gave her pointers when it comes to sword techniques since she's pursuing the Sword Path.
For Tori, the old man taught her Blacksmithing and also gave her pointers on her she could effectively harness and refine her raw strength, she's pursuing the Strength Path after all.
The two have to admit, what they experienced this past three months were equivalent to years of learning within the Empire. The Old Man may be an eccentric jerk but when it comes to cultivation, his knowledge was unfathomable. It begs the question, just how experienced this old man was? How old is he exactly?
Well, the two never asked. They didn't feel comfortable asking him that since it was clear that the old man values his privacy…he never even told them what his actual name is.
Nina and Tori were stuck at the Silver Knight Realm. Not too bad for their age but in front of the old man, such strength was laughable. The twins saw the old man killing a Demonic Beast, that could give even Hero Knights a run for their money, with a single flick of his finger.
They were never disillusioned by the strength they had but the gap between them and the old man was unfathomable. They can't even begin to think about it.
Still, the past three months were enjoyable for the twins. They get to explore the world and experience how swiftly their strength grows. It was thrilling and fulfilling, this was exactly the kind of life they wanted to pursue. The kind of freedom they yearned for. And the kind of adventure they were seeking.
"Now, now." The old man stood up and dusted his pants, he then began walking past them, saying: "We're nearly there. Come, come."
The twins sighed and followed the old man. Despite his age, he was quick on his feet. Every step he made took him several kilometers away, the twins had to employ their movement abilities at maximum just to keep up with him.
This is another part of his indirect training for them which also allowed to them to improve at a faster rate. The twins learned to refine their movement abilities to the point where they're not making as much noise as before. They were leagues ahead of who they were three months prior to this.
After running for a couple of minutes, they eventually reached a cliff side which gave them a view of edge of the Southern Wilderness, they're practically at the edge of the world.
"So? Where is this ingredient that you were looking for?" Tori asked the old man.
"Calm down, Missy." The Old Man chuckled, "I'm waiting for it to appear."
The twins stayed silent and took this moment to rest. While they were resting, the twins looked around and was mesmerized by the sight.
They're at the edge of the world, the South Pole. Stories said that this was filled with mystical wonders and all sorts of Natural Treasures. As they sat on the edge of the cliff, they can see the remaining parts of the Southern Wilderness.
The twins didn't feel any Demonic Beast aura around, there's only a serene peace and an abundance of natural resources. Nina could name some of them but not everything. There's deposits of raw ores and metals, alchemical ingredients, spiritual fruits, this place was essentially a treasure bowl.
"Sir, can we go down there?" Nina asked using an uncertain tone.
"Why?" The old man asked, then he looked below and suddenly had an enlightened expression. "Ah! I see. Well, you can. But be very careful."
For some reason, the twins missed the caution behind the old man's voice. They jumped down the cliff and began exploring the treasure bowl.
"Wow! So many of these things!!" Tori gushed upon touching the spiritual berries. She picked some and began chewing on them.
Nina on the other hand was inspecting some flowers which can be used for Alchemy. The two of them were so absorbed the by the beauty of nature around them that they let down their guards. They didn't notice a pair of eyes peering down on them.
*Hiss~!*
Nina and Tori shivered. The instantly brought out their weapon and guarded each other's back. Their weapons were out and they were now scanning their surroundings.
"Ah! There it is!!" The old man exclaimed, the twins looked at him and saw that he was looking above the clouds.
The moment they followed his gaze, the twins shuddered uncontrollably.
They have faced towering beasts before but nothing compares to this one. It was so impossibly big that it was staring at them from behind the clouds.
The twins saw the pair of predatory eyes gleaming down and staring at them directly. The twins started sweating and paling from the sight of the monster that came to greet them.
"Oi, you two!! Distract that for me. The ingredient I need grows on top of its head. It's not ripe yet so make sure to hit the beast really hard!"
"Fuck you, Old Man!!"
