In only a few hours, Faust had already fought and killed two other black dogs. They were relatively more common than the wind wolves. Once he learned their pattern, they turned out to be easier, although trickier than the more straightforward wind wolves.

  They would stalk him from afar, that was when he heard them and knew they were close. Then the beasts would hide beneath the mud, however shallow, and move through it until they reached him.

  Finally, they would try to bite the legs of their prey, stuck in the swamp, and once their target fell, they leapt in to finish the kill.

  All of them followed this same pattern. Once Faust realized it, he was able to devise a counter in short time. He would wait until their presence went silent, which meant they were beneath the mud.

  Then he would stop and plant his feet firmly into the swamp, focusing his strength into his legs. When bitten, Faust would instantly counter-attack, usually finishing the fight with a single strike.

  The dogs were weaker, slower, and no doubt less intelligent than their forest counterparts. Yet attacking like this in a place that favored them showed these monsters knew how to kill.

  Unfortunately, although weaker, they still had their strengths, and his strategy resulted in multiple injuries to his legs.

  For each kill, Faust used the sacrifice rune. Each time, he felt stronger and healthier, his mana increasing slightly and his body healing faster as well.

  Even though he could not shoot projectiles or move his mana outside his body like the Village Leader, simply having more mana already made him stronger—stronger than a normal human, stronger than his past self. The more mana he had, the stronger he became.

  Faust did not fully understand why mana strengthened everything. The only thought that crossed his mind was tied to the saying, “mana is life.” How deep that connection went, and why it affected all aspects of him, he could not tell.

  A thousand possibilities existed.

  Putting aside what he did not yet grasp, Faust continued working toward his goal of moving more like the white wolf. It was difficult, very difficult, but with enough time he had been advancing steadily.

  …

  I still need more experience, but it shouldn’t take long… am I just more talented than I thought? I guess so. Of course, if I was not, then how could I have mana? Normal people shouldn’t be able to hold a stick against me now.

  Sitting with a cryptic smile, Faust shook his head as he absorbed the seventh black dog’s body.

  Still… I won’t kill anyone, no person. I… there’s no need to. If it’s self-defense, that’s alright, but without reason it’s just… nonsensical. Yes, that’s it. Everything needs a reason, otherwise it’s unreasonable… obviously.

  Haven’t I killed? He glanced at the corpse turning to ashes. Obviously I have. But not humans. And it was to survive. There was a meaning, a significance behind my act. At least…

  “Nevermind. It doesn’t matter. I just need to keep moving.” Faust exhaled. “How long will you take…?”

  The first kills took around five minutes; the previous one took four minutes and forty seconds. Every absorption had reduced the time of the next one. Is my body getting accustomed to it? Or is the sacrifice rune growing stronger?

  Now that I think about it, the sacrifice is a rune. But its design changed from what I saw before. Does that mean runes can change? That guy should have written more about them in the book.

  Although I don’t think his focus was solely the runes, but more the Kakariu culture… anyway, I need to find out more. I need to understand better.

  As thoughts rushed through his mind, Faust suddenly felt something.

  Whistling air brushed past his ears. It wasn’t the sound of the beasts. It was something else entirely, accompanied by an invisible pressure that made cold sweat break out over his body.

  What?!

  Faust’s eye moved uncontrollably, trying to pinpoint the source of that pressure, but the dark ambience combined with his nervousness made it impossible.

  At the same time, he could not stop the absorption mid-process. He was forced into stillness by his own power, locked in place while the creature’s body turned to ashes beneath his hand.

  Second by second, the crushing pressure closed in. Even standing with his spine straight grew difficult as his body was forced into an arch. Sweat beaded on his forehead and fell to the earth; his face and fingers grew even paler than normal.

  What… is… this…

  Thinking… it’s… difficult…

  It was not an illusion. His head was forced downward until it almost touched the wet dirt. His teeth clenched. Yet, even with his face nearly pressed to the soil, Faust forced himself to look forward.

  And then, a glimpse of something.

  I… see it…

  Hidden among the trees, a presence watched him.

  Its body was shrouded by unnatural shadows, but its form was visible enough.

  A human!

  … so powerful!

  Faust knew he could not fight whoever that was. Not under normal conditions, and certainly not while the absorption was still underway.

  For dreadful seconds, Faust gave his all to resist the pressure, but in the end he was unable to. He finally fell to the ground completely, his arm bent at an angle that made it look broken as the sacrifice finished.

  He gritted his teeth, trying to think of anything he could do. Fighting was already out of the question. Running away? That was a better option!

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  As he slowly calculated his chances, the absorption ended and his body instantly lightened. In no time, he rolled to the side and shot to all fours, scrambling back to his feet as he turned away, ready to run. Yet before he could move further, the pressure strengthened, pinning him down with at least twice its former force, driving him to his knees once more.

  Then it strengthened again. His breath turned shallow, and then it stopped.

  Desperately, he waited. Why was this happening to him? Wasn’t he one of the strong ones now?!

  I… can’t breathe…

  Instantly, the memory of his failed suicide resurfaced.

  Was he going to die now? No. He had a feeling he wouldn’t. But if he was… no. There was no reason to think about it.

  For what seemed an infinity, he could do nothing. His consciousness slipped as all he wanted was to sleep.

  Faust fell into the mud, his tongue tasting it while his body failed to resemble that of a living being.

  But then the pressure released again, like a bad-faith joke.

  His lungs burned, his skin was numb, and yet by pure instinct he burst from the mud, gasping—only to find a dark blade glinting under the beacon’s weak light, aimed at his neck.

  Faust froze on his knees, unable to move further without losing his head. Cold sweat ran down his face, mixed with mud.

  He could not see the person in front of him well, but he had a faint sense of recognition.

  Before he could think how to act, the blade pressed beneath his chin, forcing him to look up. His arms and legs were still partially submerged, trapped in the mud.

  Faust knew running was useless… better yet, impossible.

  There's no other way!

  With no hesitations, using Iron-Beak, he attempted to strike his enemy!

  A slash came down, but before it landed, the enemy’s foot stomped on his blade, pinning it into the obscure soil.

  Mud flew into his face. A cold air emanated from the presence right in front of him.

  “That’s a bold move!” a young male voice exclaimed, breaking the silence. “Identify yourself. What’s your affiliation?”

  Faust looked up, trying to see the speaker’s face, but couldn’t, his eye blinded by the dark ambient.

  Who is this guy?! His voice sounds familiar, but what does he mean by affiliation? I’m not affiliated with anyone. I’m the son of my father and mother, from White-Star Village… White-Star Village, is that the affiliation? Although it’s more my birthplace than… nevermind. But what if this person is from a different village? Weren’t the Black-Star and Yellow-Star villages fighting? What if White-Star is somehow involved?

  If he’s from a different village, I could be killed right now. I can’t fight either, that guy is too strong and reacted too fast. If his foot can do that, I don’t want to see his sword.

  Blinking heavily, Faust managed to clear some mud from his eye, allowing him to partially see again.

  In a single breath, he analyzed the man’s physique. It’s unlikely he’s from Black-Star. They looked brutish, thick, and strong. This one is lean.

  That reduces some of the chances. No armor, so no symbols or colors to tell. He has a sword… that’s too common to help. During camp, I noticed most Yellow-Star warriors were women, though some men were among them…

  If I’m playing chances, there’s a higher likelihood he’s from White-Star. Is there any more information… just a little more!

  Faust’s eyes searched for a clue. Then he realized something, not something he saw, but something he felt.

  The pressure! That was mana.

  Once again, the feeling of remembering something struck Faust. But what was it…

  Mana… Mana…!!

  Chills ran down his spine as he came to a dreadful realization.

  The gods like to play jokes too much, don’t they?!

  He finally recognized it: the body, the voice… the mana. It was faint, but enough to make him sure.

  The person in front of him was Chris.

  But how?! How did he find—

  “Time is up. If you don’t wish to answer, then we’re done,” the man shifted his sword, drawing blood from Faust’s neck.

  “White-Star Village! I’m from White-Star Village!” Faust hurriedly answered, turning his head to the side and closing his eyes.

  The sword pressed harder, dangerously close to his throat.

  “Alright. Born there, or raised there?”

  “Both! Born and raised there!”

  “Hm… obviously so.” Chris muttered as he stepped back. “How did you get here?”

  “Walking…”

  “Huh?”

  “I mean… walking through a forest, and in no time I got here.”

  Glancing down at Faust, his eyes suddenly shifted to curiosity. “Hey… Did we meet before?”

  Yes…

  “No, sire. I’m afraid we did not.”

  “You have a strikingly common face, then. Alright, get up.”

  The man lifted his foot from Faust’s blade and helped him stand.

  Still nervous and sweating, Faust noticed something new now that they were face-to-face. For some strange reason, Chris wore cloth bandages around his face that formed a mask of sorts, revealing only his deep blue eyes.

  “I’m impressed you survived enough to reach this swamp… truly. I thought no one besides me did. Did you enter alongside the main group?”

  Why is he asking that? Did he not?

  “Yes, sire… but I lost them.”

  “I see. Those Black-Star Village pricks sure gave your village a run for your lives.”

  Did they? What happened?

  “Yes, sire. They did…”

  “But besides that,” Chris suddenly turned and glanced at the dark horizon, “this swamp is too vast, isn’t it?”

  “Yes, si—”

  “Drop the sire,” he said, visibly irritated, “and before you ask, I won’t tell you my name. Never trust someone inside the dungeon… have you heard that? Solely for that reason, I won’t ask yours either.”

  Don’t trust people with your name?

  Faust raised his eyebrows. “Yes, si… Yes.”

  “Good. Now…” Chris hesitated a little before turning his head to Faust. “Tell me something. Was your leader with the main group?”

  “That…” Faust could not answer. He did not know.

  What do I say?! If he was with them and is simply testing me, he could easily tell I’m lying and kill me… no. That’s a no. So…

  “Nevermind,” Chris shook his head. “You don’t want to answer, that’s alright. When I found them, he wasn’t with them anymore, so I was just curious.”

  What? Then he is alone by choice… why?

  Faust did not want to ask, but curiosity bottlenecked inside him. For some reason, Chris did seem someone who could be talked to. Was it because of the way he spoke? In any case, Faust concentrated enough to ask one question.

  “If you found the main group, why are you alone?”

  “Ah…” Chris’s expression was unreadable, but he seemed to find that amusing. “You could say our interests didn’t align. They wanted to rush straight to the final goal. Such nonsense. They hadn’t even found any artifacts at that point and already wanted to leave?”

  For a couple of seconds, silence overtook the place.

  Artifacts? Damn… so many questions and so few answers.

  Then Chris broke the quiet by mumbling to himself, “But this swamp should hold some of them…”

  And then, as if shocked by realization, he quickly recomposed himself and stared at Faust without a word, his blue eyes piercing deep into his soul.

  Faust unconsciously retreated two steps. Yet before he could ask why in the world he was being stared at… with nicer words, of course.

  From nowhere, Chris made an odd proposal.

  “Come with me, won’t you?”

  So suddenly?! Why is this guy acting so unnervingly? I can’t refuse. I have the impression he would just kill me otherwise. He’s still too scary.

  Faust looked around, then back at him. “To where?”

  “To find some artifacts, where else?” the man replied with a joyous tone.

  “Alright,” Faust said, his voice laced with false gratitude. “Lead the way.”

  Did he have an idea of what artifacts were? Somewhat.

  Books usually brushed past them as items of power that could be vastly good or immensely useless.

  But did he know exactly what they were? No chance.

  They seemed important enough to justify such a powerful man’s interest, so they must be valuable, right?

  “Follow me, boy,” Chris answered, and immediately began walking in a direction that did not align with the beacon of light.

  Hesitantly, but without a choice, Faust followed him. Something else stirred in his mind as his crimson eye stared at the back of his sworn… enemy?

  You are dangerous, Chris. Too dangerous. You may not recognize me yet, but I recognize you. What happened outside the dungeon… what happened just now, it won’t happen again…

  Besides, I’m sure you saw me using the sacrifice rune, or at least absorbing the body, yet you asked nothing about it. I don’t know if it’s taboo to speak about abilities, but you sure seemed to have no interest at all. That’s too suspicious.

  Not only that, but how did you find me? Was it simply coincidence? The chances are slim but not impossible. In any case, you are not worthy of trust. I can’t trust you.

  I won’t wait long enough for you to recognize me.