The two remaining Tarnished finally snapped out of their frozen state, fear was clearly visible on their faces, yet their instincts forced them to act, with trembling hands they tried to draw their swords, the sound of rusted metal scraping out of the scabbard echoed through the room, but their reaction… was far too late, Kaelthar was no longer the same Kaelthar, the power in his body, the sharpness of his reflexes and the newly acquired sword mastery carved into his mind combined into something far beyond human limits.
Kaelthar moved instantly
Without even taking a proper step, he seemed to glide forward, his eyes locked onto his targets, time felt slowed for him while for the others everything happened in an instant, he grabbed the fallen Tarnished's sword in one smooth motion, his grip natural, almost instinctive, as if he had wielded it for years, then without hesitation he dashed forward.
The moment he reached the first one, the blade swung upward in a clean arc, the sharp metal sliced through flesh and bone with almost no resistance, the man's body split in two as blood sprayed into the air.
Before the second Tarnished could even process what happened, Kaelthar was already behind him
This time the sword traced a horizontal line
A brief silence followed
Then the body split apart
It all happened within seconds
Kaelthar stopped, the sword still faintly trembling in his hand, then the same sensation returned, the bodies he had just killed began to dissolve, flesh, bone, blood… all liquefying and flowing into his body, just like the first time, this wasn't just physical absorption, memories, instincts, combat experience, fears and habits all flooded into his mind, his eyes briefly closed, then opened again.
[Vitality: 30+]
[Strength: 12+]
[Speed: 9+]
[Defense: 11+]
[Endurance: 8+]
[Mana: 2+]
[Soul: 0.1+]
[Intelligence: 0.5+]
[Charm: 0.4+]
[Luck: 0.3+]
[Comprehension: 0.2+]
[You have consumed another Tarnished, everything is now yours]
[Vitality: 35+]
[Strength: 10+]
[Speed: 10+]
[Defense: 12+]
[Endurance: 10+]
[Mana: 3+]
[Soul: 0.1+]
[Intelligence: 1+]
[Charm: 0.4+]
[Luck: 0.3+]
[Comprehension: 0.2+]
[You have obtained another instance of an existing skill, it has stacked]
[Sword Mastery: Experienced → Expert (3/10)]
[Survival: Experienced → Expert (3/10)]
Memories flowed through his mind like waves, different battles, escapes, survival instincts, sword grips, reflexes… everything merged together, yet it wasn't chaotic, it settled in an organized way, Kaelthar took a deep breath, slightly clenched his muscles, what he felt this time wasn't just an increase in power, but control… fluidity… efficiency, he hadn't fully mastered it yet, but he could clearly feel himself improving
"This…" he muttered, narrowing his eyes slightly, "this is something I could get used to," a faint smile formed at the corner of his lips, "and… I like it".
Kaelthar slowly stepped out of the small cave, after the suffocating darkness inside, even the outside world felt refreshing for a brief moment, but that feeling quickly faded, because the scene before him was far from comforting, in front of him stretched a small camp made of worn-out, irregularly placed tents, it was a group of at least thirty to forty people, makeshift fires burned, smoke blending into the gray sky, people either moved silently or watched each other carefully, this was not a city, but a temporary settlement forced together by those trying to survive, everything reeked of tension and distrust.
Kaelthar narrowed his eyes slightly as he observed the scene, recalling what he knew, in the game he had played, there wasn't much detailed information about the Lands Between, but what was mentioned was always the same, lawless, brutal and a place where mercy was considered weakness, there was no order here, no law, only power, people survived by grouping together with others like them, forming small factions or temporary settlements, but these alliances were not built on trust, only necessity, fragile balances that could collapse or turn into betrayal at any moment.
His gaze shifted across the people in the camp, each carried themselves differently, yet they all shared one thing, they were cautious, all of them alert, no one fully turned their back on another, this place… felt like a graveyard for the living, where only those not yet dead continued to walk
A faint smile formed at the corner of his lips.
"So this is the Lands Between…" he muttered, his voice low and calm, yet carrying a suppressed darkness, his eyes slowly gleamed,
"Nice…"
As the memories of the three Tarnished he had killed gradually became clearer in his mind, Kaelthar realized that the camp he was in was not just a random group of bandits, it belonged to a small mercenary group known as the "Wolf Ambushers," a semi-organized but ultimately desperate group struggling to survive in the Lands Between, their numbers were around thirty or so, and they all shared a single purpose, to gather enough resources for their small town to survive until the end of the year
The Lands Between seemed cursed with scarcity, resources were limited and safe zones were nearly nonexistent, forcing every group to either hunt or steal to survive, the Wolf Ambushers' town was part of this cycle, but recently things had gone even worse for them, they had been ambushed by a rival faction known as the Cannibal Tribe and suffered a devastating loss, nearly eighty percent of their gathered resources had been taken, this was not just a setback, it was practically a death sentence.
That was why this group was now out here, they had no time, no choices, they were forced to gather whatever they could, take whatever they were capable of seizing, otherwise when they returned, they would be cast out from the town, and in the Lands Between, being cast out… almost always meant death
Kaelthar slowly scanned the camp, the tired faces, tense movements and greedy eyes of the people now made sense, these weren't just bandits, they were people backed into a corner
But that… didn't make them any less dangerous
A faint curve formed on his lips, a cold light appearing in his eyes
"So…" he muttered, his voice calm yet filled with dark certainty,
At that moment, a disturbance spread through the center of the camp as a man stepped forward from the crowd, clearly more experienced than the others, his posture straighter, his gaze sharper, and people instinctively made space for him, he took a deep breath and spoke loudly, his voice tired yet authoritative
"Men… give me five minutes," he said, scanning the crowd, "there's something you need to hear,"
Kaelthar narrowed his eyes slightly, it didn't take long for him to recognize the man, the memories he had absorbed were still fresh in his mind, this was not an ordinary person, his name was Roderic Halvern, known in the Lands Between as the "Iron Scout," one of the most loyal men to the leader of the Wolf Ambushers, a specialist in reconnaissance and ambush operations, and one of the few who had managed to survive for years, he looked around thirty, yet his face resembled that of someone much older, hollow cheeks, hardened eyes and a constantly alert expression, his brown hair was messy, his eyes dark and exhausted, the armor he wore was in better condition than the others, not pristine, but still sturdy, clearly marking his higher status
Roderic stepped forward, his voice now firmer
"Our situation is bad," he said directly, not wasting time, "you all know it, but I'll say it anyway, we lost eighty percent of our resources," a low murmur spread through the crowd, but no one objected, because everyone already knew it.
"If we return like this," he continued, his voice growing heavier, "we won't even be allowed through the gates," he paused briefly, his gaze moving across each person, "and you all know what that means,"
Silence fell
No one spoke
Roderic clenched his teeth, then continued
"So… today we either find resources or take them from someone else," he said bluntly, "if you want to live… you hunt the weak,"
Kaelthar stood silently within the crowd, his face neutral but his eyes carefully observing the man, the desperation in his words, the hardness in his tone and the truth behind it… all of it was clear, this man wasn't the leader, but he was just as important, one of the pillars keeping this group alive.
A faint smile formed on Kaelthar's lips
"Interesting…" he murmured inwardly.