Allen frowned. He recognized Mason immediately—the werewolf who worked by The Butcher's side.
He couldn't believe his identity was exposed so quickly, despite his careful actions. Panic bubbled up inside him, but he quickly calmed down. He climbed out of bed obediently and said, "I'll go with you. Just don't kill me."
"Hmph, you really love your life. It's a pity you're The Heaven-Cursed. You're destined to die young. Come on," Mason mocked, stepping back to the door.
Allen followed, his mind racing.
He could feel this guy was strong, and a werewolf skilled in combat.
He had just awakened as The Heaven-Cursed and mastered the Forbidden Spell. If he struck unexpectedly, he might be able to kill him.
But he couldn't fight in the slums. The noise would be too loud and would attract attention.
"You kid, hurry up. I still can't figure out how you filthy types survive here," Mason said, seeing Allen drag his feet. He kicked him hard.
Allen stumbled, nearly falling, but kept his head down and walked faster.
Soon, they left the slums and stood in front of a garbage dump, where the stench was overwhelming.
The appearance of the two made the rats scatter in fear.
"Sir, is that person your friend?" Allen stopped suddenly.
"Who? What are you talking about? Do you dare insult me?" Mason was angry, thinking Allen was calling him a rat.
"No, sir, please don't misunderstand."
Allen shook his head quickly, pointing to the nearby garbage pile. "Didn't you see that person?"
"A person?" Mason looked suspicious and turned to the garbage pile.
Whoosh!
A sudden gust of wind blew from behind, sending a chill down his spine.
No!
Mason felt a sudden threat to his life and instinctively dodged to the side.
Splat!
Blood sprayed everywhere. His shoulder stung fiercely, and one arm flew off.
"Ah!" Mason screamed in agony, his eyes turning red as he glared at Allen. "Damn you! You tricked me? You want to die!"
"Sir, there really is someone there! Didn't you see it?" Allen cried out in panic, trying to explain. A giant fireball formed in front of him, casting a red glow everywhere as it rushed toward Mason.
"Coward!"
Mason cursed through gritted teeth, but it was too late to dodge.
Boom!
Fire exploded in all directions. A hunched figure was blasted backward.
"Awooooo!"
Before Allen could relax, a long, eerie howl echoed through the air. Mason transformed into his werewolf form. He was covered in black burns, struggling to crawl out of the filthy sewage water.
"Damn it! I will tear you apart piece by piece!"
Mason roared in a twisted rage. His body turned into a blur as he charged forward, his bloody maw wide open, aiming straight for Allen's throat!
"Heaven's Punishment: Earth Shield!"
Allen didn't panic at all and cast the Forbidden Spell again.
Crack!
Several teeth flew out, followed by another scream of pain.
"Heaven's Punishment: Fireball!"
Allen's voice echoed, cold and sharp.
Boom!
Mason's screams stopped abruptly. He was blasted backward again, set completely on fire. He fell into the nearby sewage ditch, barely surviving that time.
"Damn it, who the hell are you?"
Mason crawled out of the sewage, looking filthy. He glared at Allen with pure hatred, unable to believe it.
This guy had just awakened as The Heaven-Cursed. How could he deal that much damage? Was he secretly training? But this kid was just a slum dweller with no resources for training.
"Still alive?"
Allen frowned, not wanting to waste more words. He raised his hand, and another wind blade screamed through the air.
Run!
Mason was terrified to death. He didn't hesitate, turning and running for his life.
But no matter how fast he ran, he couldn't beat the wind blade.
Splat!
Blood sprayed everywhere. Mason fell into a pool of his own blood, his leg completely severed.
He dragged his broken body, crawling miserably forward. Seeing Allen closing in, fear and anger filled his eyes. He gritted his teeth and shouted, "Kid, you can't kill me! If you do, Lord The Butcher will never let you live!"
"Hmph. Who's to say it was me?"
Allen sneered. He raised his hand again, launching a massive fireball that roared through the air.
Boom!
The fireball exploded. Blinding flames swallowed Mason completely.
"Ahhh..."
A terrible scream echoed through the night at the dump. Mason writhed in pain, rolling around in the fire. His struggles grew weaker and weaker until he was burned to nothing but ash, leaving no body behind.
Allen slumped down onto the ground. His face was pale, and his body felt weak. His nerves were still tight, and his eyes kept darting around, watching everything with intense caution.
He could clearly feel another powerful life force nearby, though he couldn't pinpoint where it was.
Allen wasn't just bluffing Mason; he wanted to see if this hidden person was on his side.
"That kid has some skills." In the shadows of the garbage pile nearby, a figure blended perfectly with the night. Even the rats scurrying past didn't sense his presence.
Slowly, the figure stepped out from hiding.
"So you can't hold back anymore?" Allen instantly locked onto his position. The weak look from a moment ago vanished. He unleashed a barrage of Fireballs and Wind Blades, screaming them at the man.
"You're crazy, kid!"
The man flinched, then his body blurred as he easily dodged.
Boom! Boom!
Two massive explosions rocked the area. The garbage mountain behind them crumbled, sending thick smoke billowing into the air.
Allen's face turned serious. This mysterious newcomer was far stronger than Mason. He had to finish this fight fast!
Without hesitation, he launched more Fireballs and Wind Blades one after another, with almost no break in between.
"Crazy!"
The mystery man was startled. He panicked, dodging frantically. Several fireballs exploded around him, almost blowing him away.
"Kid, do you want to die?" the man shouted, shaking with anger and fear. He only focused on dodging, refusing to fight back.
Allen didn't answer. He kept dumping his Forbidden Spells non-stop, as if he didn't care about his own life.
Finally, the man couldn't take it anymore. He stopped running and stopped dodging. Flashing like lightning, he zipped forward and appeared right in front of Allen in an instant.
"So fast!"
Allen panicked. This guy was faster than Mason.
He had no time to dodge. In a panic, he cast Heaven's Punishment: Earth Shield.
A thick, dark brown earth shield formed, wrapping around him tightly for protection.
But then, a flash of light appeared.
Crack!
A sharp sound rang out. The earth shield shattered, turning back into scattered earth elements and disappearing.
Allen watched in horror as a blinding cold light rushed toward him.
Thwip!
A sharp pain struck his wrist. A drop of blood floated in the air, but it was instantly swallowed by a swirl of energy and vanished.
So did the mysterious man.
Allen stood frozen, unable to process what had just happened.
He didn't die?
This mysterious man didn't seem to have any bad intentions. Allen could feel his terrifying strength—he was at least a Stage 5 expert.
But what was his goal? He had just stolen a drop of Allen's blood.
Did he want Allen's blood too?
Unease settled in Allen's chest. His identity was already exposed. The Butcher was hunting him, and now a mysterious man had snatched a drop of his blood.
He had to get stronger as soon as possible!
Allen gritted his teeth. He made his decision.
Tomorrow morning, the Academy's new player dungeon would open. He had to seize this chance to improve his strength. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to protect himself at all.
"Huh? What is this?" Allen gasped, suddenly noticing something in his hand.
He looked carefully. It was a book: Secrets of the Heaven-Cursed.
"Did that mystery man give this to me?" Allen was confused. He couldn't figure out the guy's true purpose.
He stole a drop of blood, then gave him a secret manual. Was he actually trying to help him?
"Whatever. I'll go back first. No one will attack tonight, and tomorrow I'll enter the Academy dungeon, so there's no danger," Allen told himself. He glanced toward the butcher's shop, a cold kill intent flashing in his eyes.
If these guys dared to make a move on him, he wouldn't let them live. But this wasn't the right time yet.
He tucked the book into his chest, checked the scene one last time to make sure no traces were left, and then quickly vanished into the night.
...
City Lord's Mansion.
Lucas was in his study, processing the blood he had just bought.
Suddenly, the study door burst open, and Simon stumbled in, looking a mess.
"Huh? Simon, why do you look like that?" Lucas asked, confused. He remembered sending Simon to teach that kid a lesson. What happened to make him so beaten up?
"Don't even get me started, that kid is a psycho!"
Simon cursed angrily. He had no bad intentions at all, yet that guy attacked him with a storm of blows. Fortunately, Simon was strong enough. If not, he would have ended up like his wife, dead at Allen's hands.
Lucas put down the Mithril container and asked in surprise, "Could that kid have done this?"
Simon nodded, too unwilling to say more.
Then, he noticed the Mithril container on the table. Frowning, he asked, "How did you get this thing into your house?"
"Hmph, the Butcher suspected I was a vampire and tried to trick me," Lucas sneered, sounding helpless. "Looks like buying blood is going to be a pain from now on."
Simon thought of something, opened his palm, and a drop of blood wrapped in energy floated out.
"Look at this blood. Is it the same?"