"Would you like some more coffee? Perhaps some biscuits to go with it?"
Mrs. Kim filled my empty cup with steaming coffee. "I'll be downstairs preparing dinner." She smiled warmly before heading downstairs.
I had just finished the book.
I leaned back—and damn. It was incredible. Action, thriller, romance, fantasy—every flavor woven together into a relentless ride. The story pulled me through peaks and drops without warning.
At first, it was the shock of the ending that hit me.
Then the writing itself.
No words could properly describe what I was feeling right now.
I exhaled slowly and rotated the book in my hands, studying the cover. It wasn't flashy at all—just solid black. No title, no author's name. That alone had made me curious enough to pick it up.
Once you open the first page, the informations reveal themselves.
[ The Monster's Glory, by the author named Ei. ]
This was my first time reading a book from this author. I wonder if they have any other books… I'll check it out tomorrow.
I glanced at the coffe Mrs. Kim had poured.
[ ah, right. Anny.]
[ Where is she? Is she still in the bathroom? ]
I descended the stairs carefully. The scent of spices hit me immediately—the kitchen was just beneath the stairs. I greeted Mrs. Kim before heading to the small bathroom tucked into the left corner of the narrow hallway.
I knocked on the door. "Anny?"
I paused, listening to the other side of the door.
"…Anny?"
I knocked twice, much harder this time. "Anny?"
- - -
I had to call Mrs. Kim to come and unlock the bathroom's door.
Worry and concern washed over my face. If something bad had happened to Anny—Victor would not spare me. I whispered while biting my knuckles. "Please open the door Anny….please."
Mrs. Kim pulled open the door slightly. I turned my head to the other way as Mrs. Kim slipped inside, leaving only a thin line of light spilling through the gap.
Barely a minute and Mrs. Kim open the door to called me over.
To my shock, there was nobody inside the bathroom.
⪻────────𖤓────────⪼
[ Bosque, 6: 00 PM ]
The cart's wheels thundered over muddy ground. Its wheels churning deep ruts into the soil.
The forest was dim, massive leaves blocking what little sunlight filtered through the heavy clouds above. Although today, the weather was gloomy; maybe one could even expect rain in a few hours.
September crept closer—the leaves already beginning to turn, drifting down like scattered embers as the horses galloped forward. Each heavy impact shook the surrounding maple trees.
[ In an hour, the queen will be executed. ]
[It is my task to change her outcome and eventually her fate.]
I tightened the bandages around my wrists carefully.
I crouched low on the bridge, carefully waiting for the cart to pass under.
In order to rescue the queen, this was the best solution.
In the original timeline, I headed toward the concentration camp to rescue her; however, the camp was filled with soldiers. Even in my prime, the chances would've been unlikely.
My wrist was still burning, but the pain no longer mattered.
[The unknown voice was definitely 'Yidren'; she must've spawned me in
[ Still… her words made no sense whatsoever. ]
The cart was now approaching, and with a high speed, I jumped off, landing discreetly on the top of the cart. The guards, on their horses, didn't seem to capture my sudden movement. I lay down.
I had to gamble here. If the skill I was about to use made too much noise, everything would fall apart. I waited, counting the seconds until the cart reached the rocky incline.
Just then, a blur swept past the corner of my vison.
Two guards were suddenly knocked clean off their horses, their bodies rolling violently down the slope. The other guards shouted, turning their heads in confusion.
I took this opportunity to carve an opening and slide down. Once I was in the cart, two guards were sitting, and we were met face-to-face.
They were both surprised, and before they realized, their heads were hitting the ground's floor. Behind me, locked inside a cramped iron cage, was the queen.
I called out. "Mei!"
Mei turned her head towards my direction, confused by who I was. I quickly added, "I'm here to rescue you." I showed my face and leaned back. "I'm your daughter's friend."
Mei's face was still emotionless, her lips pressed tight together. Her face was pale with dark circles around her eyes, and her body was trembling. I could only imagine what kind of torture she had been through for the past few days she was captured.
The cage seemed to be locked with a cast spell. The same spell they used on the bombs.
This was hard to unlock. I pulled out my sword and tried to break the lock.
Outside, shouting erupted. The cart lurched to a stop.
[ Was it Victor? ]
[ It has to be him. ]
If it was Victor, the task was much easier. He and I could easily kill off the guards and free the queen in minutes.
The sudden stop threw me off balance. I peeked through the small window.
There were four—no, five with the guy in front holding the horses, standing near the cart where we were. Six guards seem to be jumping the guy, and five others perched high on the branches, scanning the forest.
There were two on my right side and two on the right side.
"Please stay put. I'll save you." I whispered before pulling myself up on the cart.
With just one poke, I met eye-to-eye with a guard perched above. I quickly got down. Hoping he hadn't seen me.
[ How will I get out, and how will I rescue the queen? ]
I kicked the door open and leapt out. And before the two guards on my right took notice, I quickly slashed their bodies. Bolt of electricity rushing over my blade's edge.
The two guards above took notice instantly—arrows whistled toward me. I dashed into the forest, the arrows stabbing into the ground behind me.
My sudden appearance must've distracted the ones attacking the man in the front. Five of them staggered, losing their footing.
The man fighting them used only his fists and kicks—
The classic style of the guy I knew since childhood.
Except it wasn't Victor, but his student, Cody.
His glasses caught the electrical lighting. My strike burst open, injuring the guards.
It didn't take long for the arrows to hit us; I dashed, slaughtering each and every member of the
When it comes to fighting against an opponent who is an SE user—or rather, the technical name, techso—there are ways to easily counter them.
[SE] users don't really use hands or other weapons to cast their skills. It comes directly from their eyes. Like a walking bomb, they can easily unlock their skill with just a look. The reason why the
Techso ranked B-rank, just below Techno. The name "techso" derives from [Technical Sionel-power].
The three main branches of the technical powers are techno, techso, and techwo. Each being A-rank, B-rank, and C-rank. The odd one and not very often used is the
Even though my wrist was sore, on top of the electricity on my blade, fighting these scrawny guards was much easier than I anticipated.
After we had taken the guards and only a few were standing near the cart, Cody hit me up. "Zack?! You… you're alive!" I nodded. Cody seemed to be enjoying this so-called "battle." Cody, despite his look, was a wild fighter. It was what excited him.
I wiped the blood off my blade after locking my skill. "How have you been? Here to rescue the queen?"
His body was composed. "Yeah. I'll die on this road just to rescue her majesty."
One of the guards decided to question us. "Who are you people?!"
I whispered to Cody. "Leave one of the guards so he can unseal the cage."
I run towards them with Cody on my side; I quickly unlocked my first and second skills.
[At the threshold of mortality, I break the double seal: Skill Unlocked.]
「Duality's End」
"Non nunc morior. Non nunc cado."
The three remaining ones pulled over the blindfolds, each casting a different skill.
The first one cast a common type of skill. At this level, any [SE] users can learn. One of the basic skills: wind.
The second guard unleashed a forest-type skill, similar to Andrew's.
The last one infused his bow with a ray of light turning it into a blade.