Death to Power
Copyright© 2025 by TheSmartOne
Chapter 59: Into the Poison
In the northeastern part of the outer zone of the forest, the earth was soaked with blood—thick, dark, and multicolored, a gruesome palette that spoke of slaughter beyond imagination.
This wasn’t the blood of one beast, nor two, but dozens, maybe more—trolls, orcs, goblins, ants, wolves, even a few mutated bears. Limbs were scattered like broken branches, intestines coiled like discarded ropes, heads rolled with eyes gouged or still wide in shock, mouths frozen in their final screams.
It was carnage. Unholy. Complete.
And atop a throne of corpses, carved from that gruesome mess, sat a young man.
Black silky hair, blood-red eyes like shimmering blood. Not a scratch on him. Not a single thread out of place. His clothes were pristine, his posture relaxed, and in his hand, he held a red katana that pulsed faintly with annoyance.
Kaden glanced at Reditha with mild disbelief.
“Really? You’re refusing now?”
Reditha didn’t respond. She had absorbed too much already—too many low-level beast corpses, so much it had become disgusting to her. Now, she rejected the blood like it was foul wine. Her pride wouldn’t let her drink filth anymore.
Kaden chuckled dryly and stood, his boots squelching softly in the blood-soaked soil beneath him.
“What a waste,” he muttered, stepping down from his gory seat.
He slid Reditha back into place, resting her across his shoulder casually.
“I think that’s enough warm-up. Let’s go meet that poisonous beast and finish the mission.”
And just before leaving—
“Blood Explosion.”
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMM!!!
A massive eruption burst behind him, painting the skies with black smoke and crimson mist, erasing any trace of the slaughter.
Kaden blurred out of sight, his Slothful Steps technique hiding his presence, leaving nothing but a crater and silence in his wake.
‘Better safe than sorry. I’ve stirred enough trouble in this forest already,’ he mused, vanishing from the northeast quadrant like a ghost.
...
Hours later, after alternating between calm walking and swift bursts of movement, Kaden finally arrived at the entrance of the middle zone—and the moment he stepped in, the shift in atmosphere was immediate.
The air grew heavy. Not choking, but ... aware.
Unlike the outer zone, where nothing could pose a real threat to him, here he could feel eyes—hostile, intelligent, watching from the dark.
And he welcomed it.
“Bullying weaker beasts was fun ... but it’s not going to push me forward.”
Only those capable of killing him were worthy now.
“I wonder,” he whispered, hiding behind a tree, “should I hunt a little before the mission? Or finish the mission first, then go wild after?”
He had one month to complete it. The quest itself wouldn’t take more than a week.
Better to complete the objective first. It was safer and smarter. Then he could play all he wanted.
Just as he made his decision—
DING!
[You have received a new quest.]
[Quest: Slaughter]
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