Chapter 55 | Fighting Two Strays, E-Rank Cutting Knife
Marcus and Eliza circled Alicar like predators sizing up wounded prey, their eyes gleaming with opportunistic greed.
"Just give us the staff and we’ll let you live," Eliza said, her voice dripping with false reassurance as she twirled her knife. "No need for anyone to die today."
"Yeah, we’re reasonable people," Marcus added, gripping his rusty sword with both hands. "We don’t want to kill you, just take your stuff."
Alicar didn’t respond with words.
Instead, he simply lifted his Cinderwood Staff and channeled his mana, a fireball forming at its tip with blistering speed.
BOOM!
The fireball shot toward Marcus, who barely managed to raise his sword in time to deflect it, the impact sending him stumbling backward.
"What the hell?!" Marcus shouted, his eyes wide with shock. "He’s level 12 and he’s already that strong?!"
"Shut up and fight!" Eliza snapped, already moving.
She dashed forward with surprising speed, her knife aimed directly at Alicar’s throat, her movements fluid and practiced.
But Alicar had faced far worse than a level 15 Stray with a knife.
The Sun Beast would annihilate these two without any shred of mercy.
He sidestepped the attack with practiced ease, the blade whistling past his ear, and brought his staff around in a sweeping arc.
The Cinderwood Staff connected with Eliza’s side, sending her crashing into a nearby tree with a sickening thud.
Marcus, seeing his partner fall, let out a desperate roar and charged at Alicar, his sword raised high.
Alicar simply lifted his hand and used Demon Guard, Vorgath’s image appearing to block the strike.
The sword clanged against the demonic barrier, and Marcus’s eyes widened in disbelief as his attack did absolutely nothing.
"Wha—" Marcus started to say, but he never finished the sentence.
Alicar followed up with a devastating Demon Fist, striking Marcus square in the chest and sending him flying backward, his body crashing against the forest floor.
Eliza scrambled to her feet, her expression shifting from confidence to pure terror as she watched her partner fall.
"Marcus! Get up!" she screamed, her voice cracking with fear.
But Marcus didn’t move, his body crumpled and broken, and Eliza realized she was alone against this monster of an awakener.
"P-Please," she stammered, backing away with her hands raised. "I didn’t mean to—we were just following orders—"
Alicar didn’t give her the chance to finish.
He launched a precise ice spike that pierced her shoulder, pinning her to the ground, and walked toward her slowly.
"Your group," he said calmly, his voice cold and unfeeling. "What’s its name?"
"T-The Shadow Fangs," she whimpered, tears streaming down her face. "We’re just a small group, about fifteen of us, led by a level 20 called Daniel!"
Alicar stared at her for a long moment, his expression unreadable.
"I-If you kill us both, D-Daniel will find you, and he will kill you! He’s much stronger than you are!"
"Sure."
Then, with a flick of his wrist, he summoned a bolt of lightning that struck her directly, ending her life instantly.
Ding!
[You have killed Lv.16 Human.]
Ding!
[You have killed Lv.15 Human.]
Alicar stared at the notifications, a strange emptiness settling in his chest.
Killing humans and other races didn’t give experience points, so it was ultimately useless for his progression.
But still, as he looked at the two bodies lying before him, he felt something, a faint tremor that he couldn’t quite identify.
’Well, they attacked me,’ he thought, shaking off the feeling. ’And Brian did say that the humans in the First Layer can be just as dangerous as the monsters.’
He walked over to Eliza’s body and pried the knife from her lifeless fingers, examining it closely.
The blade was well-crafted, with a serrated edge and a grip that felt comfortable in his hand, clearly designed for more than just combat.
He focused his attention on it, and a panel appeared before him.1
---
[Stalker’s Knife]
[Tier: 1]
[Rank: E]
[Description: A well-crafted knife designed for both combat and corpse harvesting. The serrated edge makes it ideal for cutting through tough monster hides and extracting cores with precision.]
---
’Finally,’ Alicar thought with a satisfied smile. ’A proper harvesting tool.’
He sheathed the knife and turned to leave, but not before glancing back at the two bodies one last time.
They had chosen this life, and they had paid the price for it.
Alicar moved forward through the forest, his senses on high alert as he ventured deeper into the First Layer.
After about twenty minutes of walking, he came across a small clearing where a pack of monsters was feasting on a fallen creature.
[Shadow Prowler Lv.16]
[Rank: Uncommon]
There were three of them, their dark fur blending almost perfectly with the surrounding shadows, their yellow eyes fixed on him with predatory focus.
But behind them, emerging from the trees, was something far more dangerous.
[Shadow Stalker Lv.16]
[Rank: Rare]
It was the alpha of the Shadow Prowler packs, and its claws could tear through most low-tier armor.
Alicar took a deep breath, his grip tightening on his staff.
Three uncommon-rank monsters and a rare-rank leader. This would be a real fight.
The Shadow Stalker let out a low growl, and the three Prowlers immediately spread out, flanking Alicar from both sides.
They were coordinated, clearly used to hunting together.
The first Prowler lunged, its claws aimed at his throat.
Alicar sidestepped and slammed his staff into its side, sending it sprawling.
But the second was already upon him, its claws raking across his arm.
Thankfully, Platinum Body absorbed most of the damage, leaving only superficial scratches.
Alicar retaliated with a point-blank fireball, the explosion sending the Prowler flying backward.
The third attempted to pounce on him from behind, but Alicar was ready.
He spun around and used Demon Fist, the crimson aura erupting from his fist and catching the monster square in the chest.
It collapsed to the ground, dead.
The Shadow Stalker watched this all unfold, its yellow eyes burning with cold intelligence. Then it charged.
The creature was fast, far faster than its kin, and Alicar barely managed to raise Demon Guard in time.
The impact sent him sliding backward, his feet carving trenches in the dirt. But he held his ground.
With a roar, Alicar pushed back, using the momentum to swing his staff in a devastating arc.
The Shadow Stalker dodged, but Alicar was already following up with a lightning-enhanced water blast.
The electrified water struck the monster square in the chest, sending it crashing into a tree.
Alicar didn’t give it time to recover. He unleashed a barrage of elemental attacks, each one more devastating than the last, until the Shadow Stalker finally stopped moving.
Ding!
[You have killed x3 Lv.16 Shadow Prowlers.]
[You have killed Lv.16 Shadow Stalker.]
Alicar stood over the fallen monsters, his chest heaving with exertion. He had done it.
For items of the Awakener Assocation, one doesn’t need Appraisal to check them.