[Rejoice, mortal!]
[Your deeds have been recognized!]
[After journeying to an unknown land]
[You stole what rightfully belonged to its inhabitants]
[And after a relentless pursuit, you escaped, leaving countless guards in your wake]
[Your name echoes among the people, filled with hatred for the intruder]
[Your new title is Violent Marauder!]
'Seriously? Even the system sees me as a criminal!'
[Your glory reaches the gods!]
[Aura 16 -> 30]
[Your aura has reached a critical level!]
[Those who hear of your deeds may feel intimidated!]
[Your enemies may flee or use everything they have against you!]
'Wait, does that mean they'll use Fury from the start now on?His head was full of concerns that only worsened.
'Damn, I'll have to rethink my approach to rescuing Rorik' he thought, cursing all those dwarves who never tired of interfering with his simple mission. Exhausted, he finally fell asleep. It had been a long time since Light had dreamed; since those days, dreams had become something he longed for.
The last dream he remembered was of being a small caterpillar, eating leaves all day. Slowly, he grew, spun a cocoon, and became a beautiful butterfly—the most beautiful one imaginable, something only possible in dreams. He flew freely across the sky, occasionally crossing paths with other butterflies who envied his wings. The days grew grayer, a fog covered the land, black clouds filled the sky, and thunder and heavy rain appeared. The butterfly, caught in the strong wind, fell into a dark, petroleum-like, never to fly in the blue sky again.
Every day when Light awoke without a dream, he remembered the last dream of his life… had it been a dream? He didn't know. His situation back then had been strange. His tastes had changed somewhat after that dream…
It was time to get up. He went to the room where the witch was, and she promptly handed him some mana-filled magic crystals.
[Success]
[Mana 0 -> 100/100]
[Your vessel is full!]
[Upgrade to store more mana]
"Any suggestions on how to break in and save him?" Light asked nonchalantly.
"Stealth won't work; there are too many guards. A frontal assault will lead nowhere, and your enemy is already expecting that."
"Try a quick break-in and blow up the cell. Once he's free, the two of you should be able to escape" she agreed. Light had already imagined something similar. Ultimately, everything would depend on the dwarf's capabilities—Light certainly couldn't do it alone.
He waited until nightfall while practicing his mana, bid farewell to the witch, and thanked her for the opportunity. He retraced his steps through the forest, this time heading towards another entrance to the village, closer to where Rorik was held. Sneaking again through alleys and narrow paths, something he was now quite familiar with.
Finally in front of the prison, he briefly analyzed those guarding the entrance…
"Two Initiates at the entrance, a few regular soldiers. Seems easy to invade."
Light wasn't overly concerned; it was what he expected from a typical prison. He emerged from the shadows, appearing before the guards. As soon as the sentries noticed him, the regular soldiers began trembling and running for reinforcements. The two Initiates didn't hesitate; two war cries were heard, and the world trembled before the two powerful warriors.
[Anacir used Fury]
[Patron used Fury]
Their muscles grew abnormally, eyes glowing crimson, every vein tense and prominent, supplying the blood needed to unleash their maximum power. Under the heavy breathing of the guards, Light dashed towards them, both swinging their axes, ready to finish off the formidable opponent.
[Light used Dash (Swift)]
[Mana 90/100]
When the steel was close enough to graze his face, he dodged, sliding past them and moving behind their backs. The two didn't waste time and charged after him. Light realized he wouldn't easily escape both and turned around.
[Light conjured Wind Manipulation]
[Mana 80/100]
[Light conjured Wind Manipulation]
[Mana 70/100]
His hands overlapped, arms extended, and a great gust of wind formed, pushing the two adversaries away. It was only a temporary measure and caused almost no damage to them.
Entering the prison, trembling regular soldiers advanced on him. Without mercy, Light swung his blade, delivering quick slashes to their chests. Without pausing to rest, he moved through the cells, trying to detect where the dwarf was held.
A solid and strong mana presence was soon detected. Rorik, hearing the commotion, was awake, trying to understand what was happening. He knew Light was free and possibly searching for him. But whoever was causing the trouble had mana and was an Initiate.
His surprise came when Light's face appeared before him, and with outstretched hands, he summoned a massive cyclone, shattering the bars.
[New ability learned: Cyclone]
[Mana 20/100]
"Hope you've got some strength left to help me! I've got little mana at the moment."
"Boy…" Rorik jumped up with agility.
"When I was young, no one dared to stand against Rorik, the Stoneheart Warrior."
The two exited the cell, the atmosphere eerily calm considering the invasion of the local prison. Light took the opportunity to retrieve the prison keys from the fallen guards.
"What do you intend to do with that?" Rorik asked somewhat dryly.
"Free the others. They might be useful later."
Light freed the prisoners of Dirgrad one by one. All were strong Initiates, ready for combat—soldiers who had once served the people. He offered them a deal: freedom in exchange for assistance against Phantaminum. Unsurprisingly, most had been imprisoned due to his influence. Most said that even if they hadn't been asked, they would fight him.
Soon, a small group of strong and vigorous soldiers emerged at the prison's entrance. A large army awaited them, with a man dressed in white from head to toe, wearing a hood resembling a rabbit, observing from the rear. At least 30 Initiates stood at the entrance, along with another 100 regular soldiers.
Their opponents were about 40 prisoners, all yearning for freedom. All were Initiates and former soldiers, imprisoned for war crimes, now armed with their jailers' weapons. Seeing the battle taking shape, the hooded man began casting some spell, causing all the soldiers to stop trembling, a blood-red mist surrounding them.
Rorik took the lead in the battle.
"Let us go, and we'll spare you all!"