Requiem Of A Failed Hero



The foresight didn't respond in time for the first instance when the whole ground suddenly tore apart without warning but as for the hoor that came from the depth below them. 

Raith was expecting it. 

"I'll be right back." 

He said as he grabbed the lion-man's large mane. 

"Huh? Wha–

Before Mok Jun-Seo could grasp what was happening, he was already rolling in the air, tossed away by Raith like some stray coin that belonged to the fountain. 

Bal manifested in his hands as he willingly got swallowed by the colossal Centipede. 

It was different from the rest in size. Which insinuated that it was probably their boss. Instead of a mandible, its mouth was as large as a modern-day tunnel. 

The monster was barely out of the ground and it was so fat that its shadow blocked away the daylight from Mok Jun-Seo.

Confident that it had done away with one, it slowly lowered its head towards Mok Jun-Seo who sprang up and got ready to attack or defend whichever the case may be–he exuded a murderous intent that was vivid in the magic energy that took the form of a brown mist emitting from his body like smoke. 

The monster retracted his head and with full force lunged. And although it tried its best, it couldn't make it. Only its head did and it rolled to Mok Jun-Seo's feet severed from the insides. 

The rest of the body fell on the remaining of the broken ice and Raith was found standing between the severed body and head, all drenched in blue blood and a black sword in his hands. 

"This is disgusting?" 

He said picking a potion of the slimy irritating blood from his body, it was almost solid, like the blood was clotting on him, but instead of clotting, it got more slimy and became more like a gel. 

"What did you do?" 

Mok Jun-Seo was dazed. 

"I cut it up from within." 

Raith replied like it was not a big deal. But to cut from inside something of that size Raith needed an extremely long sword and very strong arms. 

Speaking of long swords... Mok Jun-Seo belatedly caught a glimpse of the black blade shrinking back to its original size. 

'Is that the sword that was reforged by Dong-Hyun?" 

He wondered as he witness the beautiful black of the sword glinting white shades under the illumination of the daylight. 

"You are amazing." 

"It is nothing."

From Mok Jun-Seo's point of view, Raith was being very humble. 

But Raith meant it–it was nothing. 

He said and faced north, the area they had initially been walking towards. 

"I know I said this before. But now I can feel it more clearly." 

"The strong and unknown energy?" 

Mok Jun-Seo replied, his voice even thickened, as one would expect from a lion-man. A tone thicker than his normal voice. 

"Yes." 

Raith dismissed his sword and stepped forward a few steps, passing Mok Jun-Seo who slowly watched from behind. 

Raith closed his eyes. 

The energy felt like it was calling unto him. More like a beckoning, and that was why Raith had chosen to go north. Unfortunately, it happened to be more populated with monsters. 

But it felt right, the number of monsters they encountered increased the farther north they went, although most of them were other variations of centipedes that Raith's soldiers took care of easily. So far, this was the strongest one they met. 

And it died in one minute. 

The feeling was stronger than before. The pleading was clearer but it was still difficult to put the words. 

'Something is wrong?' 

Raith had the notion but still count point out what it was, what exactly was this feeling that was beckoning within him to save. Save what? Or save whom? 

"Hunter Raven?" 

Mok Jun-Seo's cautious tone pulled him out of the depth of his thoughts. 

He swung his head back and said sharply: 

"We will continue to go north. Is that okay?" 

"Definitely, if you say so." 

Mok Jun-Seo immediately sanctioned the idea. 

–

In thirty minutes, Mok Jun-Seo and Raith had begun to encounter other kinds of monsters. 

It was like the nearer they got to the source of the inconvenience that Raitj felt, the more guarded the way forward was. It made Raith damn sure that he was heading in the same direction. 

Roooooaaar! 

The Frost Ballisk cried one more time before Raith's sword easily sliced off its head. 

Just as Raith was taking care of the monsters on this side. Mok Jun-Seo was doing the same thing on that side.

While Raith moved swiftly with his sword cleaving through the monsters with ease, Mok Jun-Seo exhibited an impressive display of strength against the basilisk, they were strong but thanks to their lower height, they were easier to deal with. 

Like the centipedes, they were also reptiles but looked more like an alligator although longer and taller, and with white skin, ice cones were ejected throughout their body. It was not known if they could shoot these ice cones or not but it was an adaptation trait that made it hard for them to be preyed upon from above. 

Not for a predator like Raith though. He spun into the air and landed on the monster with a crushing elbow hit, destroying the ice cones on its back along with its spinal cord. The monster was unable to get up and was inverted. 

He then picked it up and used it to smash the others nearing him. But the hit was not enough to kill them so before they could recover from the heat of that moment Ayo threw the monster over to Mok Jun-Seo and darted in their direction. 

Stuffing his sword into the mouth of one as it came at him with his mouth wide open. He twisted the sword and swung a horizontal arc, severing the ligament of the basilisk's mouth, then he stabbed back into its head. 

When he was done, the other two had caught up with him, each from his sides, about to clasp their razor teeth on his legs but before they could Raith jumped up and landed on both of them with enough force to crush their heads, splashing blue blood all over the ground. 

Pow! 

Pow! 

Pow! 

Each Mok Jun-Seo punch carried enough power to pulverize a hole into the monsters. It took only one hit for them to die and slowly Mok Jun-Seo and Raith were advancing towards the source of the cry.