''Insolent humans, I will kill every last one of you!'' Nerissa's voice was a low, menacing growl as she glared at the humans cowering before her, her chest heaving with rage. The air was thick with tension, heavy with the scent of sweat and fear.
Nerissa, as if beating up all the humans around her wasn't enough, prepared another onslaught. Her anger still burned fiercely.
Water droplets coalesced into menacing spheres, hovering around Nerissa like deadly sentinels. With a cold glare, she targeted the injured humans, aiming for vulnerable spots. A cruel smile played on her lips.
Then her gaze shifted onto the lone figure fleeing in terror. A spark of amusement flickered in her eyes. Of course, this puny man wouldn't be that lucky as well.
''That's enough.''
Nerissa was just about to unleash her finishing move when a calm voice suddenly spoke out.
The droplets froze, suspended in mid-air, as Nerissa's head snapped up. Her eyes narrowed, piercing the air, searching for the unexpected intruder who dared interrupt her.
Sure enough, it was the same bastard. The one who claimed to be her new master. What was his name again? Jax?
With a flick of her intent, she relinquished her skill, dissolving into mere water that splashed onto the ground. Much as she wanted to refuse, the other party's order seemed absolute. Even the slightest defiance proved impossible.
''I thought you'd already left me all alone? Why are you here now?'' Nerissa sneered coldly, her voice dripping with disdain. One look at him had her lips curling upward in disgust.
Jax's lips twitched into a wry smile as he suppressed the urge to smack Nerissa's head. Instead, he cast a detached glance over the wounded acquaintances groaning on the ground. Some of them even seemed to be hanging on the brink of death.
Jax's throat bobbed as he took in the brutal sight before him. If he was any weaker, wouldn't he be the one limping alongside them?
"I actually couldn't care less about them all," Jax replied calmly with a shrug, his sigh speaking louder than words. Although they worked alongside each other, it had only bred indifference. They'd either ignore each other or exchange hollow pleasantries.
No bonds formed, no memories worth holding onto.
Jax closed the distance to one of the wounded figures, his words still laced with indifference as he spoke to Nerissa, "But I've got plenty of questions, and they're gonna answer."
''...'' Nerissa didn't reply this time as she only watched Jax with renewed curiosity. Her eyes narrowed in speculation on what this guy was about to do next.
Not only that, she too was curious about the strange powers those pests had unleashed.
''You are... Rody?'' Jax's gaze settled on the wounded figure before him, a hint of recollection flickering in his eyes. He scratched his head and smiled bitterly. Who'd have thought recalling his name would be a struggle.
In any case, he was a man in his early thirties. Not too burly, his build was just enough to survive the grueling work in the hacienda.
By the looks of it, he seemed to be one of the people there who had suffered the least. A broken elbow and crippled foot were his only injuries, leaving him unable to stand nor crawl comfortably.
Jax was certain of it. This guy could talk.
Rody looked up at Jax, his weathered face etched with a mix of wariness and exhaustion, his eyes squinting slightly as he opened his mouth.
"Jax..." Rody's voice barely rose above a whisper, his eyes darting nervously to the creature behind Jax. "What is that little monster? Why isn't it... why isn't it touching you?"
"Ah, no, that's not the point here..." Rody's expression twisted with confusion as he recalled something important. His voice, laced with urgency, shifted to a pressing question, "I thought you were gone for good, since you didn't appear for two whole months... Boss Kally even said you died, said you entrusted Len Len to him."
Jax's expression darkened, his features hardening into a cold, menacing scowl. The air around him seemed to thicken, heavy with threat, as if he was coiled and ready to strike the man before him.
The mere mention of their names was more than enough to agitate his very being.
He didn't even register the information that held great importance — "He was gone for two whole months" — too caught up with their names.
What did he say again? They said he already died? And he entrusted that woman to him? Were they openly being together now? Ridiculous! How dare they!
''Ugh...'' Rody's face turned deathly pale, as if something was choking the words right out of him. He was frozen, unable to speak.
What was going on? Jax was just standing there, yet... he could instill such an unsettling feeling. Could it be that he was not really the Jax he knew, but rather, an entirely different being? Maybe he was a monster hiding behind Jax's face.
That would make sense since the little monster who defeated them wasn't doing anything to him.
''Ke ke ke,'' Suddenly, a low, unsettling laugh escaped Jax's lips, growing louder and more maniacal by the second. The sound sent shivers down the spine of those people unfortunate enough to hear it.
Even Nerissa was on edge as she too felt the chilling sensation. Just what was going on with this guy now?
Swoosh!
With a swift, fluid motion, Jax grabbed the man's collar and lifted him high. The terrified man was met with Jax's maniacal grin as his body shook uncontrollably.
Then, with a voice devoid of mercy, Jax growled, ''How laughable. Did they really announce that?''
''...'' Rody was too terrified to answer. Instead of answering properly, he stammered, ''P-p-please... Spare me...''
A question mark appeared over Jax's head, prompting a sudden realization. Did he really look that scary? He clicked his tongue twice and shook his head slowly. ''Ah, haha, sorry, sorry, my hand slipped. Don't be afraid.''
Jax gently set the man down, dusted off his shoulders, and with a calming tone and bright smile, asked, ''Alright, can you answer me properly this time? Did they really announce my death? And Len Len... is she with Kally now?''
''Y-yes... Everyone knows that you are dead.'' Rody's acquiescence was palpable. He uttered, his voice barely above a whisper. "And Len Len..." He hesitated. Everyone knew Jax and her were a thing. But with a hard swallow, he spilled, "They're together now."
Fear still held him in its grip, yet he mustered the courage to continue, aware that noncompliance might unleash Jax's darker impulses.
He didn't want to test Jax's patience again.
But what happened to him? The Jax he knew wasn't this brutal and terrifying. Was he really a monster in Jax's skin?
Or was this just his true nature? Or maybe he was that hurt badly? Well, he could understand. After all, even the kindest person would change once they'd been cheated on.
''Ha ha, good, good. Very good...'' A cold smile spread across Jax's face. His eyes narrowed, focus sharpening as his path forward crystallized.
He must exact his revenge to those who toyed with him!
But before that...
''By the way, what's going on in our world now? How are you people able to unleash magical powers now as well?'' Jax suddenly shifted gears. To begin with, this was what he was most curious about.
He had initially thought he was the only one who'd gained that kind of power. But now, it seemed a lot of people also possessed similar abilities.
Just what on earth could have triggered this anomaly?
''What do you mean by that? Don't you also have the power of Fear?'' Rody replied, tilting his head, his tone laced with confusion. ''Looking at you, I bet you're now also a Master and have already acquired a Conquered Ability.''
''You guys actually know about that too?'' Jax was taken aback. It seemed like a lot had happened in the world during the two weeks he'd been gone.
''Huh? How could we not? The Sacred Statue's all over the place. The whole world's plunging into chaos.'' Rody replied, staring at Jax with knitted brows, doubting if this guy really knew it or not. He answered anyway. He didn't want to get himself into trouble.
''The Sacred Statue?'' Jax muttered, his eyes narrowing as curiosity took hold. He grilled Rody for more info, questions firing like bullets. And with each answer, his surprise morphed into shock.
What the fucking world was going on now?
According to what he gathered, the world had changed drastically when countless stone statues, referred to as Sacred Statues by the thing called "Sacred Book", started falling all over the world.
When people touched the statue, specifically the book it held, the Sacred Book would suddenly appear to awaken their deepest fears.
It would then manifest as their magical power, and it'd be up to them to either conquer the fear or be consumed by it.
As far as Jax remembered, something like that didn't happen to him. When he woke up, he was already a ghost and was being tormented by fear.
But he did have something "sacred" to call. That was his Scroll, not some kind of book.
In any case, those who overcame their fear earned the title of Master, while the others who were instead consumed... well, they became a shadow of their former selves.
They were called Corrupted, soulless vessels suspended in the state between life and death.
Two weeks into the chaos, a considerable number had transcended their deepest fear, ascending to the rank of Master.
It went without saying, chaos only continued to escalate.
Then the Second Trial soon emerged, called the Lord's Quest, tasking challengers with hunting specific monsters in exchange for claiming a Sacred Statue as their own.
As the Lord's Quest unfolded, a surge of monsters also appeared. The territory of each Sacred Statue became a safe zone, while outside the range became a breeding ground for these monsters.
Furthermore, the earth Jax once knew had undergone another drastic change, expanding vastly as lands beyond the Sacred Statue territories stretched out and grew.
Meanwhile, Eliseo's group was out for the hunt.
That was why they didn't flee when they first saw Nerissa. Instead, they gapped her right away, thinking she was just another monster to be taken down.
But never did they expect that she was a monstrous entity far exceeding their capabilities.