“You think I’m blind?”
Saria jabbed a finger at the ground, irritation sharp in her tone. Then her arm locked mid-gesture, her eyes blowing wide.
The Gale Ape Cub’s carcass, which had been splayed right there not two seconds prior, was gone. Vanished without a trace.
“How the hell is that possible?”
Saria pressed a palm to her forehead, totally thrown off.
Even if Jack had stuffed the body into a storage ring, there should’ve been some obvious movement. A flick of the wrist, a reach, something.
But no. She’d blinked once, and the cub’s corpse had just straight up ceased to exist.
“Beats me too.” Jack dropped his head, his voice edged with very real disappointment. “I thought wasting that Gale Ape Cub would net me some decent loot. Next thing I know, I turn around and it’s gone. Didn’t get jack shit for the hassle.”
A flicker of guilt crossed Saria’s face at that. She was the one who’d dragged Jack out here. She was the one who’d suggested he take on the cub in the first place. And now, after a life-or-death scrap, Jack was walking away empty-handed.
“Chill, Jack. Once we get back to Frostveil City, I’ll make this right.” Saria locked eyes with him when she said it, her tone firm, no room for argument.
Jack nodded along on the surface, but inside he was holding back a snort of laughter. The cub’s body hadn’t vanished into thin air. It’d been eaten straight up as evolution material.
Jack pulled up his status panel on his system display, a satisfied smirk tugging at his lips.
[Name: Jack] [Profession: Wreck Reaper (Cursed)] [Level: lv.7 (Max lv.20)] [Strength: 21] [Agility: 35] [Endurance: 16] [Spirit: 8] [Skills: Predator, Keen Eye, Rapid Surge, Wind Blade, Shadow Step, Cursed Blade.] [Evolution Path: D-rank Wreck Reaper — C-rank Demon Hunter / Curse Bearer.] [Evolution Requirements: Task 1: Reach level 20. Task 2: Hunt 500 monsters of E-rank or higher. Task 3 (Demon Hunter path): Earn the submission of ten D-rank monsters. Task 4 (Curse Bearer path): Use Cursed Blade to hunt one C-rank monster.]
As Jack scanned the details on the panel, a cold thought hit him out of nowhere. This curse… what the hell was it, exactly?
“Wait, could the Gale Ape Cub have been cursed too?”
The idea caught him off guard, but it didn’t sound impossible. And since he’d used a cursed creature as his advancement material, the curse had obviously latched onto him in the process.
Still, from what he could tell so far, the curse hadn’t hit him with any negative effects. If anything, it had given him a brand-new skill and a whole extra profession evolution path.
Curiosity flared, and he immediately pulled up the skill description for Cursed Blade. The second he finished reading, he froze on the spot.
[Cursed Blade: Imbues your weapon with cursed energy. While Cursed Blade is active, all base stats are multiplied by three. Damage dealt to higher-level enemies is doubled again.
Negative Effect: If the user takes any amount of damage, death is instant.]
Ridiculously high offensive buffs. And one absolutely brutal downside.
Jack stared at the skill, genuinely stumped on whether this was a win or a death sentence. Triple all stats, and double damage against higher-level foes on top of that? That was effectively six times his normal output. But the cost was insane. One hit. Even a scratch. Dead.
“Eh, whatever. I’ll just avoid using it unless I’m totally backed into a corner.” Jack made the call quietly to himself.
Saria swept her eyes across the cavern one last time. Nothing left worth looting. She shook her head in disappointment and turned to Jack. “C’mon, Jack. The fight outside should be wrapped up by now.”
“Sure.” Jack nodded. The two of them left the lair and headed back toward the battlefield where Wardy had been fighting the adult Gale Ape.
The outcome was obvious before they even got close.
Wardy hadn’t reverted from his Titan Form. But Wardy was now nothing but a corpse. The Gale Ape sat cross-legged on the ground, tearing chunks of flesh from his body with savage, greedy glee.
Off in the distance, X and the rest of the group watched the grisly scene, frozen solid with terror. No one dared move. Anyone who tried to run would just end up as the next meal. It was clear as day: the Gale Ape was keeping them alive as its own personal stock of fresh meat.
Jack studied the scene, his brow furrowing slightly. Truth be told, if he took on the Gale Ape right now, he could put up a real fight. Yeah, he was only a D-rank professional, but Wreck Reaper was an absurdly strong combat profession to start with. And going up against a monster as badly banged up as this Gale Ape? The job would be even easier.
But Jack had zero intention of stepping in. Not right now. The main reason was the curse still clinging to the Gale Ape.
“Looks like your friends are in trouble.” Saria turned to Jack, speaking deliberately, raising her voice just enough to carry.
Her words reached X and the others immediately. X screamed at Jack, his voice cracking with desperation: “Jack! Get over here and lure that monster away from us!”
Vera and the rest piled on right after him: “Yeah, Jack! Come save us!” “Jack, figure out a way to draw the Gale Ape off! Give us a window to escape!” …
Jack’s frown deepened as he listened to them. These people never changed. Sure, he was a Wasteland Hunter now, but in their eyes, his life still wasn’t worth half as much as theirs. So of course they could order him to sacrifice himself, no shame at all, just to buy them a shot at living.
“We’re bailing, Saria.” Jack
’
s voice was flat. Oh, right, these were the best and brightest young talents
Frostveil City had to offer. What the hell did that have to do with him? Why would he risk his neck fighting the Gale Ape for a bunch of assholes who’d spent the whole day mocking him and treating him like garbage?
Saria smiled at his answer. “Wait a second. I can sense he’s already here.”
“What?” Jack ’ s brow furrowed again. Before he could process what she meant, he caught movement in the sky above.
A massive eagle circled high overhead, its feathers pure white from wingtip to talon. And on its back stood two figures. One was a young man in an elaborate brocade robe, a crystal ball tucked in his palm. The other was a white-haired old man wrapped in a tattered cloak, leaning heavily on a wooden staff.
“Do you require salvation?” The young man flicked his hair out of his eyes and smiled down at X and the group below.
Vera and the rest exchanged blank, confused looks. None of them had a clue who this guy was.
“I know him!” X pointed up at the young man, his voice shaking with shock. “You’re… you’re Phaeld , the son of the Bloodmoon Marquis!”
The second the name dropped, the crowd erupted into wild, desperate cheers. Even Jack felt a jolt of surprise. Marquis. The third-highest rank of nobility in the Link Kingdom. And in
Frostveil City, there was only one marquis: the Bloodmoon Marquis.
It was true the Bloodmoon Marquis had withdrawn from public life years ago, so his presence was barely felt around the city. But everyone knew the truth. The real power in
Frostveil City didn’t sit with the city lord. It belonged to the Bloodmoon Marquis.
“Is he the guy you were talking about?” Jack looked at Saria, lowering his voice.
Saria nodded, her expression turning grim. “Jack, you should count yourself lucky you didn’t give in to the urge to fight back there. If you’d made so much as a move on that Gale Ape… knowing
Phaeld’s personality, he would never, ever let you walk away alive.”