Illya let go of her hug, staring at Fathir with wide eyes. "Y-you’re... Fathir? That Fathir?"
"Yes," Fathir replied flatly.
He seems to be quite famous. Fyar turned to Illya. "Who is he, Illya?"
"The strongest adventurer, and also the strongest human, Fyar," Illya answered as she slowly got to her feet.
"I see." Fyar stood up as well and patted the dust from his clothes.
"By the way, I found your horse-drawn carriage," Fathir said, crossing his arms. "My shadow army is driving it here now. Don’t worry, the driver is fine."
"Thank goodness, thank goodness." Illya touched her chest, feeling an immense sense of relief. She turned to Fathir and smiled sincerely. "Thank you! Truly, thank you!"
"It’s not free," Fathir emphasized again.
"What do you want?" Fyar asked, one of his eyebrows raised.
Inside the Dungeon
Rasie and Zaefal hung helplessly in the air, their bodies impaled by two solid black shadow blades controlled by a mysterious man.
Cough! Cough!
Zaefal coughed, blood dripping from the corner of his lips. His vision began to blur. From above, he could only vaguely see the figure of the mysterious man below. Did Fyar manage to escape and report this? Is Illya okay? Zaefal thought to himself.
"B..AS...T..ARD," Rasie hissed softly. Her red eyes, which now looked dim, continued to glare sharply at the man.
"This is a lesson for you two not to interfere," the mysterious man sneered. "Next time you see something like that.. just ignore it."
Suddenly, the man stopped talking. The bored expression on his face changed to one of confusion.
My shadows outside have been killed. What happened? he thought.
He then closed his eyes, trying to see what had happened through his remaining connection. A few seconds later, he opened his eyes again.
" so it’s him huh," he muttered.
He then released the impaling shadows from Rasie and Zaefal, causing them to fall hard onto the pink-colored ground.
Thud!
Zaefal and Rasie lay limp and helpless. Zaefal stared at the man with what little strength he had left.
"You’re lucky bastards," the man sneered.
"Is that so?"
A new, calm voice was suddenly heard. The mysterious man felt an arm drape casually over his shoulder. Fathir was standing beside him.
"WHA THE-" the man shouted in surprise.
Fathir gave him no chance to react. He gripped the man’s head and slammed it into the ground. The pink earth beneath them immediately shattered into pieces. The man retaliated at once. Dozens of sharp shadows erupted from his body, shooting straight toward Fathir and forcing him to leap backward.
Click!
The man snapped his fingers. Thirty shadow soldiers rose from the ground, forming a circle around Fathir. The man also directed shadow tendrils from his own body to attack.
Fathir just smiled . He clapped his hands once.
Instantly, other, denser shadows with a slight purplish tint erupted from beneath the shadow soldiers impaling them from below and destroying them in an instant. Another of Fathir’s shadows formed a shield, blocking the tendril attack from the mysterious man.
I have to merge with my real body immediately! the man thought in a panic.
Just as he was about to snap his fingers again, Fathir murmured softly, "Void."
Instantly, the world around the mysterious man vanished. He was now standing in a limitless black space, dark and silent.
He... can use Void and also shadow magic? Who is he, really? What kind of power is this? Why can he use powers from different classes?! Zaefal’s mind ran wild as he witnessed the fight before him.
When the area around the man returned to normal, his body was already impaled by dozens of Fathir’s shadow spears.
Fathir looked at him, tilting his head slightly. "You’re just a clone, huh. My guess is, your real body is fighting the guardian that was sent here, right right?"
Cough! Cough!
The man coughed, black blood spilling from his mouth. He then smiled. "Fuck off."
Instantly, his body was incinerated from within and vanished into dust.
Fathir sighed. "So rude."
He then teleported to where Zaefal and Rasie were lying. He touched the area on Zaefal’s stomach that had been pierced and muttered, "Heal." Instantly, Zaefal’s wound recovered completely. He turned to Rasie and did the same.
Sstt!
A portal opened, and Fyar and Illya emerged from it. Rasie’s pupils widened. Tears immediately streamed from her eyes. She stood up and ran, hugging Illya tightly.
"Illya?! Are you okay?! Illya!" Rasie pushed Illya’s shoulders to get a look at her face, then gently pinched the girl’s cheek. "Thank goodness, Illya! Thank goodness!" She hugged her again.
"Where’s the ’thank you,’ hey!" Fathir sneered.
"Thank you! Truly, thank you!" Zaefal pressed his head to the ground and sobbed. "Truly, thank you!"
"Now that’s more like it," Fathir said. He then waved his hand. "Alright, stop. This isn’t free."
Zaefal lifted his head. "Whatever you want, I’ll make it happen!"
"He wants an artifact, Zaefal," Fyar said, walking closer.
"An artifact?" Zaefal repeated.
Fathir nodded. "He’s right."
Zaefal narrowed his eyes. "You’re already strong. What do you still need an artifact for?"
"To eat it," Fathir replied flatly.
"T-to eat?"
"you idiot! Sheesh, why you need to ask anway."