Jin stared at the young man, his jaw clenched.
'Damnation.'
As far as one was concerned, the person in front of them was nothing but a simple second-rank challenger. A dazzling smile was plastered on his face, his right hand hidden behind his waist. His eyes were hooked on Elias, a strange emptiness occupying them.
When Jin was meeting Nathaniel for the first time, he hadn't just shared his thoughts and a few words. He had done something that was supposed to help him much later on in his journey. He had consciously let out his demonic qi, mainly to provoke Nathaniel, but also to understand what being strong in this world meant.
Unfortunately, his efforts had paid off. But not how he had expected it to.
'A fifth-ranker… perhaps even more.'
He subtly checked everyone's reaction. Conrad seemed to be concerned, but Dean and Celia looked oblivious. He couldn't see Evelin from here, but he could remember her talking with Elias during their journey.
Elias was the only one among them who seemed to know the conclusion Jin had come to.
Just like the mysterious man, his right was clenched behind his waist as well.
His body had already considered the person a threat, his heart beating fiercely. He was a step away from taking off in the opposite direction.
The only reason he hadn't done so yet was that Elias was still standing between the two parties.
Another simple reason is that he still didn't know whether the person was actually an enemy or just another challenger. But so far, his instincts were telling him that the mysterious person was, in fact, an enemy.
Closing his eyes for a moment, he relaxed his body.
'Calm down. Making the wrong move here will only worsen the situation. Let's see how this plays out.'
Jin barely had any trust in Elias. He was just a stranger he had met a few hours ago, someone who didn't think well of Jin as well.
Regardless, he was the only chance he had of getting out of this situation.
The man stopped, with only a few meters left between them. He scanned the entire group as if searching for someone.
Clearing his throat, Elias spoke first.
"Is there any problem, challenger? You must have a reason for spying on us, right?"
The man gave him a blank look.
"Hah!"
Laughing abruptly, he spoke, his voice even… too even.
"I apologize for the misunderstanding. I'm Riaz, a member of the Soul Burning Guild. If you don't mind me asking, did you come across a small group of challengers? Ah, you must have at least noticed a ridiculously tall man among them."
Elias shook his head.
"I'm afraid we haven't come across someone of that description. Are they your guild members?"
Riaz nodded firmly with an embarrassed look.
"What can I say? A wild loper ambushed us while we were scouting a new location. I ordered the group to meet back at the outpost, but no one was there. Hearing the commotion, I thought it was my group."
Turning his gaze to Evelin, he continued with a creepy smile.
"I guess I was mistaken."
Evelin turned to Elias.
"Sir, the sun is about to set in a few hours. We still haven't cleared the horde near the third outpost."
A few seconds passed as the two stared at each other. It was clear that there was no other horde they were meant to handle, but Evelin had sensed Elias's worry just like Jin had. She was also the only one who could act on her instincts.
"Another horde? Wasn't there only one horde?"
Sam's voice broke the silence. Unlike the rest of the group, he seemed to be the only person who was unaware of the situation.
Celia slapped Sam on the back of his head.
"You forgot to read the document I gave you, didn't you? There are two hordes in this area. We have to clear both locations today. Dean must remember it, right?"
Seeing Conrad drilling holes in his soul with his eyes, Dean chuckled softly.
"Just leave him be. He didn't know about it. It's my mistake."
The man with the hollow eyes simply stood where he was, his lips trembling ever so slightly.
Finally, Elias spoke.
"We'll be excusing ourselves, then."
Bowing slightly, Riaz replied.
"Once again, I apologize for the misunderstanding. I hope your hunt goes well. If you do see my guild members, please let them know I'll be waiting near the second outpost."
Looking back at Evelin for the last time, Riaz turned back. With each step he took, Jin felt a strange relief washing over his entire body. Even Conrad sighed unconsciously, his lips curled up in a smile.
'Grea—'
Riaz came to an abrupt stop. Elias flinched unknowingly, his posture a bit lowered.
Turning back halfway, Riaz spoke.
"You knew this body, didn't you?"
Elias furrowed intensely. His right hand, which was hidden from the hollow-eyed man, was covered in a translucent energy. The azure energy rippled faintly before covering his arm till the elbow. The vibrations ceased as the energy crystallized itself into what looked like a vambrace.
Jin could faintly see alien runes engraved on the translucent vambrace.
The next second, Riaz completely disappeared.
Conrad gripped his staff tightly.
"What th—"
Crack.
Jin turned to Conrad instantly. Riaz was standing right next to him, a razor-sharp, almost transparent blade extending from his wrist instead of his fist.
In the air between them, he could see a visible crack—the next moment, a thick shield materialized, a wide crack embedded in its center.
With his arm extended in Riaz's direction, Elias roared.
"Evelin! Take them out of here!"
Evelin was beyond shaken.
Jin could understand her worry. As far as he had seen, the two appeared to be related to each other. Perhaps by blood, or just a bond, they couldn't share with anyone else. It was only logical to fight alongside such a person instead of running away.
But Jin couldn't care less.
Before anyone could notice, Jin disappeared. He brought forth all the demonic qi he had cultivated over the past week, circulating it across his meridians as his life depended on it.
With each leap, he covered a dozen meters, dashing through the overgrown trees as the surroundings blurred past him. He didn't think, nor did he look behind. He simply ran with every drop of his being.
'Five minutes… no, if he can just stall for a minute, I can—'
Suddenly, Riaz appeared a dozen meters in front of him. His blade hand hovered in the air, aiming right for Jin's neck.
The same ridiculous smile was still stuck to his face as Riaz brought the blade down.
Jin wanted to stop, but it was too late. Even if he wanted to, he couldn't turn his body at the last moment; it was simply impossible. In that singular second, his brain brought back countless memories—battling some nameless soldier in a meaningless war, laying siege to a fortress, killing an immortal beast.
But no matter how far he looked, he couldn't see a way he could dodge the attack. If he had been just a little stronger, a little faster, perhaps he might have done it. But here, today, he was completely powerless.
As the blade was just a few inches away from reaching his neck, something flashed in his eyes.
The blade, which was supposed to cut through his neck, grazed against something invisible in the air. The change in the blade's trajectory was far too minor to notice, but as time passed, it went higher and higher still.
'Huh?'
The next moment, his sight was completely overturned.
And then—darkness enveloped him.