Chapter 17: The Cult of Fenrir
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Riven ignored the cultist and looked behind him, sensing more footsteps approaching.
These were big ones, heavy enough to create small rumbling earthquakes with every step. The Cultists, however, were far too busy focusing on him to give the growing noise any real thought.
"You’re trying to kidnap me so you can ask my father for money, right?" he asked calmly.
"Well, yes," the man shrugged. "We’re quite short on funds... We’ll also be taking those items you just obtained. I hope you don’t mind!"
"So you’re just petty thieves?" Riven sighed and shook his head. "The Cult of Fenrir I know is far worse. I suppose you’re only the low-ranking goons."
"Goons?!"
"Who the hell do you think you are?!"
"Bastard, just take him down!"
"The girl’s power is valuable. Did you see what she generated?!"
"Let’s take her too, boss!"
The other four members roared in anger, but their leader raised his hand and calmed them down. "Calm down, everyone. We’re a civilized group of people, aren’t we? Let’s take it easy. Tell me, Riven, how do you know about us? And what exactly did you mean by what you just said?"
"I was discarded by my father. He doesn’t care about me at all. He would happily let you kill me if he were given the chance," Riven replied with a small smile. "You’re coming here for nothing."
Silence fell over the group.
Then they suddenly burst into loud laughter.
"Hahahahaha! What are you talking about?!"
"Yeah, suuure!"
"You’re a damn rich nepobaby. Your daddy would pay anything for your life!"
Their leader was the only one who did not laugh. He stared at Riven in complete silence.
He possessed a Lie Detection Ability, and Riven was not lying right now.
His eyes narrowed even further.
"He’s telling the truth..." the leader sighed. "Well, now this is interesting... A discarded son? The black sheep of the family?"
"Whatever I am doesn’t matter," Riven shrugged. "Thank you for being so damn talkative. You’re all going to die now."
The cultists looked at one another in confusion.
"What is he talking about?!"
"Sure, he’s a strong D Rank, but the boss is at the Early Stages of C Rank. He’s dead meat if he tries anything funny..."
"Hah! Bluffing, huh?"
But the leader... knew.
Riven was not lying!
RUMBLE!
A second later, doom arrived at their doorstep.
Loud footsteps echoed through the entire cave system. A massive earthquake rushed through the tunnels, pulling everyone off balance.
"ROOOOAARRRR!"
A massive silhouette loomed above them, already right there.
A gigantic pressure surged outward, pushing everyone away in an immense shockwave of energy.
Riven held Daniela safely against him and quickly stepped back. The leader of the Fenrir Cultists stared in his direction with pure disbelief.
"Y-You damn bastard! I see what you did now! Those corpses...! It was all to call the Roaming Boss?!"
Riven smiled as he admired the gigantic beast.
As someone who loved animals and monsters and had studied them in all his free time during his first life, he could not help but feel genuine admiration for this creature.
And hunger... once more began to consume his thoughts as he gazed upon the majestic monster.
This was the Roaming Boss of the First Floor of the Dark Caves.
A massive, towering reptile covered in black scales with glowing crystals growing all over its back. Shaped like a T-Rex on steroids, it possessed long crystalline horns and rows of sharp fangs. It was a beast that had likely already eaten hundreds of Hunters.
[Grand Cave Tyrant – D+++ Rank: Level 50]
D+++ Rank meant it was practically C Rank in strength—something not even the boss of the cultists could handle alone.
"You damn son of a...! Aaahhh!"
The leader of the cultist group screamed as the Tyrant attacked the strongest person present. That was simply part of its natural attack pattern.
And naturally, it was going to go after him!
"Boss!"
"S-Shit!"
"Uuuaaagghh!"
The other cultists screamed as the beast walked forward. Several of them were crushed under its massive foot or slashed apart into countless pieces by its long, bladed tail.
"Don’t get in the way, fools— Agh!"
CRASH!
The massive tail struck the leader hard. He clenched his teeth and unsheathed his pair of daggers, the Fenrir Fangs that were a specialty of the cult.
"You damn beast, you dare go against me, a C-Rank?!"
"ROOOAAARRRR!"
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