Chapter 8: Changing
"God, so it could bleed to death."
After the rain ended, all he could see was the color red; it was even more gory than a slaughterhouse.
But what's more fascinating is that the blood emitted an ethereal smoke that brightened the whole view.
When a spirit dies, its body will slowly disintegrate into that smoke as it ceases to exist within the boundary of this world.
The spirit lived, though, for the lake still existed, but it wouldn't have an opportunity to enter the world since those chances are pretty rare.
"... Is it all over?"
The scene felt unreal for him; he had just made up his mind about death after all. His body lost control, his axe left his hand, and he was right in front of the creature, so death was only seconds away from reaching him.
How could he know that the spirit would be the one to die?
"Hah, Hah"
Liam breathed profusely as he clutched at his chest; it felt like it was burning, and yet, Liam felt no pain from it.
In fact, he is feeling pretty great! Like he was under a thick blanket on a cold day, all warm and cozy.
And what's even more is that all of the injuries he has and the fatigue he accumulated from the start have all disappeared!
Touching the right side of his head, he could feel that his ear had been healed, and the same goes for his shoulder, which may look like shit, but it's working even better than before the hunt.
This is what the reward "Pain Relieved" gives him: the ability to revert him to his perfect state with all his sources of pain gone and even make him stronger than before.
But sadly, it couldn't erase his memory or treat his mental state.
"Bleurghh"
Liam puked out all the contents of his stomach and collapsed onto the ground. No words could describe the state he was in right now.
The danger was much higher than he had anticipated. Even with proper planning for months, he only managed to stay alive due to sheer luck.
If that knife didn't land on the creature's eyes or if Liam didn't have proper footing like that thug, then in nine out of ten situations, he would most likely be dead.
"Ah, the quest is getting more and more shitty."
This is the first time he brushed off death due to a quest but it won't be the last time.
There's still the Spirit Of Four Tusk lurking around somewhere, and many more will appear on this damn quest in the future.
'This is why I hated Hardships!'
Liam stood back up before walking toward the lake, where, due to the starlight, he managed to see his reflection in the lake.
His hair lost the spikiness that he had groomed and turned into a mess.
"I spent quite a fortune to get that kind of hair."
Liam tried to cheer himself up, but his mood just worsened from before.
His body is looking good, though his body is covered in blood, maybe from his own or from the spirit but he felt like he was losing something aside from the hairstyle.
His emerald eyes were still the same on the surface, but he could see how they had changed over the years.
"I-I'm changing."
All the loss and pain he had suffered through the year had gradually morphed him from a fine young man into something that is cold and ruthless.
He used to cherish lives, no matter good or evil, as it is a golden rule in his book, but after his adoptive parents died, he…changed.
It was subtle at first, where he accidentally killed them due to anger, but over time, it became less personal and more so…calculated.
Just like the past few months, where he took a step further and began using lives as pawns for his goal, his purpose was to complete the quest.
The reason behind it was not to receive the reward but… to avoid that pain.
Double the pain penalty will activate the [Cycle Of Torment] ability right at that time with double the pain.
Even now, he hadn't gotten used to the pain that he suffered for years so he couldn't face double of it, not when he had already had a taste of it.
That is something he would rather die than face another time.
"Pain, loss and hardship—even a fool could see what is happening."
The system is trying to change him into something morbid, a hideous creature that is even worse than the spirit he had faced.
It would not stop here; as time goes by, he would begin to kill those he doesn't want to, and the methods of it would also change from being merciful to completely savage.
Then, he would become a destroyer, the one who brought destruction to everything in this world.
"Maybe I should just die."
He thought about it, but he shook his head. He cherished his life, and he is not going to waste it because of a shitty system.
After a moment of calming down, Liam looks at the system with fury but also determination.
"I will use you to get stronger, and one day, when I reach the peak of strength, you will be the first to be destroyed completely."
With that, he dismissed the system and looked at the sky; his eyes, this time unlike before, were filled with doubt.
"When will I ever get there?"
As Liam was mumbling to himself, a sudden sound disturbed his thoughts.
"!"
It was coming from the carcass of the spirit.
"Don't tell me."
Spirits are capable of manifesting on anything that isn't sentient, so chances are the spirit he was holding could very well have turned into an axe.
But those chances are extremely rare, and if not for the influence of Hardships manipulating his surroundings, he wouldn't have the chance to see a spirit manifesting for his entire life!
Yet, the chances are still there, and from how he sees it, it could be happening right-
"Yeet"
A squeaking voice came out of the carcass, which was not something he would have deduced, and before he could load what just happened into his brain, something shot out of the smoke and knocked him toward the lake.
Splash—!
He was once again falling into the cold, dark lake, this time not from his own will but from a sketchy stranger.
"What kind of comical situation is this?"
It's quite rare for him to have a moment of his own, and yet, it's somehow being ruined.
On the bright side, he is now clean from all of this blood and also the smell.
"Ah, ah."
It seems that the person above realized what had happened, and a hand was extended toward him but he didn't immediately grab it.
How could he trust a person that just appeared inside a spirit and straight up knocked him into the lake? Mistake or not, he is not going to grab that hand.
It appeared that his inaction was mistaken for him being incapable, so the person immediately dived down.
Splash—!
And just like how he got knocked, the person quickly reached out to him and dragged him toward the surface.
Only after he was back on the shore did he manage to see the woman who disturbed him.
She is a young woman around his height with a beige skin tone and wavy black hair that reaches her shoulders.
'She is not from the village.'
He had never seen her before, and her clothes were very different from ours, but not something he was unfamiliar with.
She was wearing a ragged dark navy jacket and trousers just like those from the military.
Liam only saw them in the news and books, with his image of them as a cold person of solitude, a weapon without emotion and acting on every command and whatever
nickname the villager could think of.
That kind of person was bowing down to him.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry."
And apologizing to him profusely.
'So much for the image I have had for years.'
Seeing no threat from her, Liam became less tense as he breathed out a sigh of relief.
He was in no mood to kill another.
"There's no need for you to be sorry. I—uhm—thankful for your contribution to the empire."
But his voice appeared to have triggered her, for she stopped saying anything and slowly looked toward him.
Then, she screamed like she had just seen a ghost.
"L-Lord Xyrus!!!"
"..."
Who?