Chapter 7: A New Journey

Chapter 7: Chapter 7: A New Journey

Krono’r gasped after surviving such a close strike. If he had been a single millisecond late, his head would have been chopped off.

​Still, the matter of survival took priority.

​So when the Executioner was coming to grab him by the neck, he secretly shot a full spider web at the man’s right leg.

​Caught off guard, Sir Azerim lost his balance and began falling to the ground.

​Kronor took advantage of the situation by quickly shooting several more spider webs to immobilize the man.

​His Miasma (Mana) was depleting rapidly. Fortunately, the work was done at the right time.

​The man now looked like a bug glued to the floor.

​"What the hell is this? Some kind of demonic spell?!" he roared, all while trying to get a grip around his holy sword.

​Kronor, seeing this, carefully took several steps back. The man may have been immobilized, but provoking him would be a very bad idea.

​And he didn’t have enough magical energy to cast his skill anymore.

​So, the safest option was to run. Yes, run again.

​He needed to grow stronger, and only then the Executioner would not be a threat anymore.

To him, that was the safest choice.

​And he was absolutely right about it. Because Azerim was ready to unleash his radiant strike with his sword once Krono’r came to finish him off.

​To his disappointment, Krono’r didn’t come close. It was almost like he had perceived the threat long ago.

​This time, Krono’r didn’t run deeper in; he went toward the exit.

​Only after he left did Azerim exhale in relief. The little demon spawn was quite a handful, he would give him that.

Tap, tap, tap.

​But suddenly, he heard more footsteps. Not just one, but several.

​And they absolutely didn’t come from the direction Krono’r had left. They came from the deep.

​Tap, tap, tap.

​The sounds became incredibly loud and more frequent. Almost sounding inhuman.

​Unknowingly, a cold shiver ran down his spine.

​For the first time in a while, the holy executioner of Elongate felt fear.

Soon, the true source of the horror revealed itself from the shadows.

​Click... click... click...

​Several giant black spiders (5 meters) crept into the dim light.

They were visibly enraged, their razor-sharp mandibles twitching and dripping a dark acidic sludge that hissed as it melted the very stone beneath their feet.

​And every single one of their crimson eyes was now locked directly onto Azerim.

​The beasts glared at the trapped executioner as if he were the sole source of all their fury and resentment.

It was now clear: They were here to kill.

​Damn that brat! What the hell did he do down there?! Am I going to die for his crimes?!

Azerim screamed inwardly, absolute terror gripping his heart as he struggled helplessly against the unbreakable webbing.

​As for what exactly happened next inside that dark, cavernous mountain... no one knows.

​But weeks later, a chilling rumor spread throughout the Church: the Holy Executioner had been brutally slaughtered in the mountains by a savage demon.

Meanwhile, outside the cavern, Krono’r quickly unhitched the horse from the abandoned carriage.

Wasting no time, he hauled himself up and signaled the beast toward Helenwood Town.

​In the past, he had gone horseback riding a few times with his elder brothers. Thanks to that lingering muscle memory and his newly enhanced strengths, controlling the horse wasn’t too difficult.

Even with a seven-year-old’s short arms and legs, he managed the ride just fine.

​But he didn’t take the main road they had traveled on. He chose a hidden winding path instead.

After all, he wasn’t going back to demand answers from Priest Elmond, since doing so would only risk getting caught again.

​He was heading back for one specific reason.

​Atop the desolate hill behind the town, tied to a single bamboo pole, a black scarf fluttered violently in the raging wind.

​He had handcrafted it himself.

A half-swallowed sun symbol was crudely etched onto the surface.

This swallowed sun was one of the only significant clues he retained from his previous life.

​He didn’t remember much of his origins, but he knew deep in his soul that this Swallowed Sun had once represented his hope and his iron will.

​Whoever he had been before this life, this symbol was his true identity. And it was a legacy he refused to forget.

​Retrieving the black scarf, he wrapped it tightly around his neck.

As the fabric settled against his skin, his gaze was involuntarily drawn down the hill toward the large banyan tree looming near the Priest’s wooden house.

​From up here, everything looked exactly the same as before. The broad banyan leaves swayed peacefully in the breeze, the water buffalos lowed lazily from their barns, and thick plumes of cooking smoke drifted lazily into the evening sky.

It was almost like that house didn’t remember him at all.

​"So this is the end, huh?" he muttered, with great sorrow hiding in his heart.

​He inwardly resolved to never come back to this house as long as that Priest remained alive.

​He loved his mother and elder brothers dearly, there was no doubt about it. But some things can never change. Like the solid righteousness of his old man.

​Since he could not accept his own son, why should he linger around here?

​He would walk his own path, build his own legacy, and form his own family. For that, he would work hard.

​The Ultimate Devourer System had some crazy-level negative sides, but if he could make good use of it and stay sane and satiated, he was sure he could become the strongest man ever to live.

​He would start by walking on the path he chose. He would become the Greatest Dragon Hunter in the world.

​The vision of soaring through the skies, slaying dragons, and shattering mountains was simply wondrous.

​Words alone could not describe how excited he was.

​In this journey, there would be pain, there would be sorrow, and there would be partings. However, one thing he was certain of: he would not lose.

"I am sorry, Mother, and my brothers. I do not know if we shall ever meet again, but if fate is kind, it will bring us together once more."