"Slaying seven Elite-rank gargoyle prodigies while only at the Formal rank—one of them even a powerful royal!"
"Do you know what this kind of battle record represents? This is a priceless gem discovered by our own Seventh Division, Scarlet Wall Patrol!"
"This must be reported immediately to Iron Dragon Fortress—no, it should be reported directly to the Huntsmen Council!"
Tetra added, excitement flashing in his eyes.
Aaron, however, frowned deeply.
"Even though they came looking for combat experience on their own, seven wiped out in one go—including a royal descendant… The gargoyle race has lost face on a massive scale. They won't let this go."
"We also need to report everything here in detail—especially Raine's performance and the possible retaliations it might provoke—to the fortress and the council."
Everyone's expressions tightened, and they nodded in agreement.
A dazzling genius was often accompanied by countless dangers.
...
Crimson City.
This was a stronghold ruled by the Soul Devourers, and also the closest major alien base to the Bloodhowl Highlands.
The city lord was Sydell, the high priest of the Soul Devourer race—a Grandmaster-rank powerhouse.
Not only was his strength unfathomable, he also possessed eerie, unpredictable abilities of mental domination, granting him an exalted status among the Soul Devourers.
At this moment, clad in a shadowed ritual robe and holding a scepter of darkness, he stood within the empty grand hall.
Below him, Bonecrusher Quin was prostrated on the ground, reporting the battle in meticulous detail.
"A forbidden art that burns potential? Killing seven gargoyle prodigies in reverse tiers?"
Sydell's voice was cold.
"For our race, this isn't necessarily a bad thing."
"At the very least, this farce is enough to draw the arrogant gargoyle race's attention to this battlefield and make them share some of our pressure!"
For a long time, the Soul Devourers had borne the fiercest counterattacks from the human Seventh Division, Scarlet Wall Patrol along the eastern front, suffering heavy losses.
Yet they were often treated as a servant race, receiving neither sufficient attention nor support from higher races like the gargoyles.
But now, gargoyle youths of noble blood had died at the hands of an unknown human soldier!
Losing face on such a scale was bound to enrage the gargoyle upper echelon.
As for Quin's defeat, Sydell did not press the matter.
His gaze pierced through the hall, settling on a corner of Crimson City.
There, the three gargoyle guards who had barely escaped had not come to see him.
Under the protection of so many powerhouses, six young nobles and one royal prince had been killed by a single human soldier!
After suffering such a humiliating disgrace, how could they bring themselves to face Sydell?
To face the leader of a servant race like the Soul Devourers?
They could not afford that shame.
One guard, his face twisted, spoke grimly.
"To wash away this disgrace, we can only mobilize stronger young hunters from our clan and have them kill that human in open battle."
With their Expert-rank strength, if they were willing to pay the price, assassination wasn't impossible.
But doing so would not restore the gargoyle race's honor—instead, it would invite ridicule, proving that the gargoyles had no successors.
They would also face even harsher judgment from within their own clan.
Only by having stronger prodigies of the same generation publicly slay Raine on the battlefield could this shame be barely cleansed.
"Wash away the disgrace? Idiot!"
"First, think about how to save your own lives!"
Another guard gritted his teeth as he warned them.
"When we return, we unify our story: say that the humans had hidden reserve prodigies secretly infiltrating the battlefield, and we were caught off guard—that's why things went wrong."
"We absolutely cannot let the higher-ups know that we were forced to watch as a single ordinary patrol soldier killed seven of us in succession!"
Only by framing Raine as a human prodigy could they slightly ease the fury of the higher command.
That way, it would also be logical to mobilize even stronger talents to take action—giving them a slim chance of survival.
The other two nodded in silence. This was the only viable excuse.
...
At the same time.
Inside another spire of Crimson City.
A cold-featured young Soul Devourer was listening to a subordinate's report.
"Seven gargoyle prodigies slain consecutively?"
A trace of surprise flashed through Narkus's eyes.
Those seven gargoyle youths might have been inexperienced, but their strength was not to be underestimated. With their flight advantage, they were all wiped out by one person?
What surprised him even more was that this opponent was not a genius cultivated by humanity's top powers.
He was merely an ordinary patrol soldier?
It was simply unbelievable!
"He's extremely brutal. On the side peak alone, he slaughtered nearly a hundred of our warriors!"
"On the main battlefield, he killed numerous Formal- and Elite-rank officers of our race—his blood debt is immense!"
"We beg you to take action and kill him!"
The Soul Devourer officer bowed deeply in his plea.
This young man was Narkus—one of the most outstanding figures among the younger generation of the Soul Devourers.
Unlike most of his kind, who specialized in mental manipulation, Narkus had awakened an ability to control lightning—a terrifying power that placed his combat strength far above his peers!
Narkus remained silent for a moment, then spoke calmly.
"I will act—but not now."
"Why?"
The officer was puzzled.
A cold curve formed at the corner of Narkus's lips.
"Simple destruction is dull. I prefer harvesting ripe fruit."
"That human is a wolf cub that crawled out of mountains of corpses. Killing him now would relieve anger—but it wouldn't be satisfying."
"I want him to enjoy the glory of victory first. Let the Seventh Division, Scarlet Wall Patrol see him as their future hope, pour resources into him, cultivate him carefully, and place all their expectations on him…"
He paused, his gaze flickering faintly.
"And then—when his brilliance is at its peak, when hope is greatest—"
"I will personally crush his skull, along with all of their hopes!"
"Tell me—won't the Seventh Division, Scarlet Wall Patrol go mad then?"
The reporting officer shuddered violently.
Looking again at the chilling malice beneath Narkus's calm smile, he felt a bone-deep dread.
...
Side Peak of the Highlands, Temporary Military Tent.
After settling old Gore, the four sat together.
The atmosphere was heavy, tinged with the relief of surviving disaster.
Raine took several potion crystal vials out of his storage ring.
He found one marked with the words Life Restoration.
Opening it, he poured out four pills that radiated a gentle glow.
Just the fragrance alone was enough to invigorate the spirit.
Healing potions of this grade were far beyond ordinary hemostatic concoctions.
They were exceptionally effective at repairing internal injuries and restoring depleted energy.
"These are spoils I took from those gargoyles."
Raine handed one pill to Pros.
He then distributed the remaining pills to old Gore, Kyle, and Matthew, whose injuries were more severe.
Kyle waved his hand.
"Give them to the others. I'm fine—no need to waste something so precious."
"These are treasured items from gargoyle prodigies—good stuff!"
"You should keep them for yourself. You'll need them more in the future."
Knowing Kyle's temperament, Raine explained seriously.
"Uncle Kyle, even the best potion only has value when used in the right place."
"If your injuries aren't treated in time, they'll affect future advancement. Besides, one gargoyle noble already had this much—an entire gargoyle clan will have plenty more."
"When I get stronger, we'll go grab even better ones together!"
Kyle snorted.
"Kyle, why are you being so damn fussy?"