《Life Hunter》30. ''You'll destroy it?''
Advertisement
Twenty-four hours later, Arima and Night woke up at the same time as if they had set an alarm.
Arima groaned while moving his stiff body and looked around. He was lying against the wall of the cave with a blanket on him. He was also in a better state than he thought he would be. Night also noticed the same things, and he as well, although he was in a dragon form, was placed in a more comfortable position and his scales had been washed.
Arima glanced at Lanya sleeping in a corner and chuckled as he stood up. Night turned into a wolf again since being smaller was always more comfortable.
They sat facing each other and Night was the first one to speak. "So? What happened?"
Arima scratched his head. "Well, I have an idea at least," he said and oddly directed his eyes toward the ground.
"First of all, that thing was aiming at me because I released my killing intent yesterday, obviously. That’s the only thing that can explain why someone would suddenly target me. It means that someone or something sensed it and decided to eliminate me."
Night quietly listened.
"Now here's the important part," Arima became serious. "Chronepsis told me that I would be chased by Gods; Heavenly Gods and Earthen Gods. The Heavenly Gods are most likely the same as the one who sent me in this world after my death."
Of course, Night was already aware that Arima was from another world.
"As for the Earthen Gods, it's most likely something like this big guy," Arima pointed at the ground with his thumb. "Pure mana."
Night followed his finger and instantly understood. "Are you telling me this planet just attacked you by attracting an asteroid?"
"No, it's not this one. This planet wouldn't attract something that could destroy and kill everything on its surface. I saw it last time. The spirit inhabiting this planet is really protective. I’m guessing that it was the doing of some other Earthen God."
"Hey, are you saying that another planet just tried to kill you?" Night frowned. "You're sure of that?"
"It’s not necessarily a planet. It might be something else. But the remnants of mana I detected on the broken part I sent away at the end were, without a doubt, 100% pure."
Night took a few seconds to process the information and opened his mouth. "How are we supposed to act now? If you're still alive, won't he try to kill you one more time? Sorry, but I don’t think I can keep destroying meteorites every day without losing it."
"I don't think that's a problem. As long as I hold my killing intent from now on, it should be alright. I assume that he knew I was here just because he felt it. Now, he must be thinking that he killed me. I don't think he will be able to sense me again without my killing intent. We're most likely too ‘small’ for him," Arima said and grinned.
Advertisement
Night scowled at him. "You're planning something, aren't you?"
Arima laughed lightly. "I need to become stronger. For now, Life Hunt is the best solution I have. I certainly can't use it on the guy we're standing on, but I’m sure I would have no reason to hold back against the guy who tried to kill me along with billions of people.”
"Basically… you want to steal the life force of an Earthen God?"
Arima shrugged. "Why not? He started hostilities first."
Night sighed heavily and Arima turned his head toward a corner of the cave. "Why don't you just stop faking it already and say 'Good morning'."
Lanya trembled. She slowly opened her eyes and sat down properly. "…Good evening," she replied, a little flustered
"Hm?" Arima was confused. "Oh, sorry. Yes, you’re right. It's night time. Anyway, don't you want to join the conversation?"
Lanya shook her head. "I’m fine. But I do have something to say," she said and looked at Arima in the eyes. "You were targeted because of me. I'm sorry."
Arima waved his hand dismissively. "Don't worry, you don't have to feel sorry for that. I would have done it someday anyway. Also, do not apologize since I awakened your inheritance that way just because I was too lazy to do it otherwise."
Lanya bitterly laughed. "Thank you."
"Good," Arima stood up and stretched a bit. "Let's go. We still have to finish our job in the undead territory."
"Wait, you're still not fully healed!" Lanya was a bit agitated as she tried to stop him
Arima smiled at her. "What are you talking about? You’re the one who has to fight. Not me."
"Ah…"
***
"Azes, this time we really have a problem," in the God's realm, Zesta barged inside Azes' study and made herself at home as she said that.
"What is it?" Azes was working on a runic desk made out of minerals. He was writing on some strange pieces of paper that vanished into white particles when he signed them.
"That human really did it this time," Zesta uttered and sat down on a leather couch.
"Oh?" Azes’s curiosity was picked and stopped working. “What happened?”
"Slaughter intent."
Azes was stunned for a moment until he slammed the desk and stood up. "Impossible! I didn't feel it when I retrieved his soul!"
"Apparently you missed it. An Earthen One tried to kill him."
Azes’s expression twitched and he calmly sat down again. “Slaughter intent is not a simple thing but from what I saw, I don’t think he is a sort of psychotic killer. It should be fine.”
"I can understand that, but there’s something else," Zesta's tone turned grim. "That human, there’s no doubt that he is a Life Hunter."
Azes was shocked when he heard that but this time, he wasn’t panicked but delighted. He started laughing wholeheartedly.
Advertisement
"They're not extinct after all. There was actually one hiding in a circuit-less world!"
"What’s your plan? Now that an Earthen One has moved, others will notice something," Zesta warned him. Without knowing it, she had already joined Azes’ side.
Azes mused. "In what planet did I send him? Which Earthen One attacked him?"
"He's on planet 795C. The one who attacked him was Errastas.”
"There’s no problem then. Errastas is known to be whimsical. Even if other Heavenly Gods find out about him, they won't do anything soon. You're also one of the only Gods who have enough time to waste observing a simple human."
Zesta snorted and looked away. "I was just curious."
"You can go down a bit if you want to meet him. That should be interesting. Also, help him hide his identity as a Life Hunter," Azes suggested and Zesta’s eyes widened.
She seriously thought about it then nodded. "Well, it would be entertaining indeed to visit the mortal world once in a while."
***
Arima stayed on his lion and worked on some mithril while Lanya kept facing the undead on their path. Fortunately for her, the strongest she had met were only at the seventh level.
Night was also teaching her, as per usual, but he corrected her a lot less than before. Her learning speed was something that even Arima had to praise her for.
Three hours after they left the cave, they halted and observed the path ahead. There was a gloomy stone edifice, located a mile away from them, which resembled a mausoleum. Arima snapped his fingers and the lion disappeared. He stood on the ground and smiled.
"We should be more careful from now on. First, I didn't want to eliminate the leading undead but I realized that I need to get stronger to have more fu- to keep me alive."
Night cast him a really questionable look and Lanya wasn't sure how to react.
Arima walked toward her and handed her a silver, French-looking rapier. "Take this."
Lanya was astonished and took a lot of time to grab the rapier.
"Seems you like slashing. Hell knows why you chose a rapier, but with this weapon, you can slash and pierce at the same time if you want," Arima said and pointed his palm at the rapier. The sword was transmuted into a blue light. Because he had already done it for his weapons, it took less time than before but he still took a few minutes to finish.
When Lanya realized that the rapier was bound to her soul, she was extremely happy.
"Thank you!"
Arima snickered and turned toward the mausoleum. He cracked his neck and kicked the ground to go there. Night and Lanya looked at each other before following him. In just a few seconds, they reached the mausoleum and admired it.
"You'll destroy it?" Night casually asked as he looked at the sturdy looking walls of the edifice.
Lanya blinked. "Huh? Master?"
"Why not."
"Seriously?" Lanya joined those two not long ago so she still wasn't used to their way of doing things. Of course, she would be surprised.
"Let’s do it then. Lanya you may not have anything to do. Stand back for now and learn," Arima stated and resonated with Night. He flew off and placed himself above the mausoleum which was a hundred meters tall.
"Let's go with light for once," Arima declared and waved his hand. A quadrangle magic formation instantly surrounded the edifice. He then clasped his hands together and a loud boom echoed, making the ground shake.
"[Alligatum, Obfirmo] (Confinement, Lock)," he chanted and a huge white cube confined the entire mausoleum.
"[Fulgebunt sicut sol] (Shine like the sun)."
An extremely bright light shrouded everything that was inside that barrier and hot steam started coming out of the ground.
"[Ultimum Magicae, Lux Amputates] (Ultimate Magic, Light Eradication)."
The light inside the cube became so strong that it illuminated everything in a ten miles’ radius while every weak undead around it was vaporized.
Even Lanya who had a light attribute inheritance felt that she would be injured if she were to lower her defenses, even when she was outside of the cube.
Soon the light faded away and the cube broke into pieces. Arima took a deep breath and a whirlpool of colorless energy formed around him before it was absorbed by him.
"Not bad at all. That's a good amount of life force," Arima grinned. "I've gone up by half a level."
He inspected his strength and stared at where the mausoleum was supposed to be. There was only a small stone ruin left. From inside of it, eleven figures got out.
"{A part of it wasn't destroyed. There must be something special with that stone,}" Night commented.
Ten of the figures that appeared had all a very similar appearance. They were around five meters tall and each looked like a different animal. They were all standing on their two hind legs and their two other limbs were bizarrely large. Their flesh was rotting and the ribs and internal organs were almost completely visible.
"Wendigo," Arima muttered after he saw them. It was the first thing he compared them to. Then, he gazed at the last figure. It was a gray skeleton wearing a black cloak. There were crimson flames blazing in its eyes sockets.
“A lich, huh?” Arima smirked and lightning thundered around him. "Classic. Bring it on."
Advertisement
- In Serial135 Chapters
Immovable Mage
What do you call a mage incapable of casting spells? In this story, we usually call him Terry. When the boy is accepted into Arcana Academy, his talent in the pillars of mana foundation awes everyone. All the bigger is the eventual disappointment when Terry turns out to be an utter failure at spellwork. Diagnosis? Major aspect impairment. No cure. Ever. Faced with expulsion, Terry is blessed with the unexpected kindness of others. Terry loses his spot in the Academy but in exchange, he finds a home with a family. Terry starts to train as a pure mana cultivator but never stops looking for his own path as a mage – day after day, season after season, always searching for compatible spellwork… Until finally, Terry’s perseverance earns him a single spell – the only spell he will ever be able to cast. Disclaimers: Chapter Frequency: I aim for one chapter a week. Chapter Length: I try to keep chapters between 3000 and 6000 words. Binge Preference: I plan for 30 chapters per arc. If you want to binge a complete arc, then that is the number to wait for. I will also add a line to chapters indicating the beginning and end of an arc. Advanced Access: I have created a patreon page with early access to four chapters for patrons. What to Expect: Progression fantasy with a western fantasy setting and with eastern fantasy elements. A main character that is forced to explore a very narrow path of magic due to a permanent condition. A main character that is a part of a larger cast. A main character that is growing but won't become the strongest around anytime soon. A story following a single main character but with introduction or theme setting scenes without the main character. What Not to Expect: Edgy grimdark characters – I will never write a sexual violence scene or gory descriptions of torture. I hate reading it and I would hate writing it even more. Romance – romantic relationships will never be the focus of the story and only appear in the background. The main character is preoccupied with other stuff. Other forms of relationships (family, friends, companions) play a bigger role. Cover: The cover art was commisioned from redditor Linh-Nguyen87. The font is alita brush by Inovatype Typefoundry. Overview: 001–030 Arc 1, Cultivating Perseverance: complete. 031–060 Arc 2, Undying Defiance: complete. 061–090 Arc 3, Unyielding Fury: scheduled for publishing. 091–120 Arc 4, Savage Hope: scheduled for publishing. 121–150 Arc 5, Self-Made Fate: first draft in progress. 151–180 Arc 6, Heretic Style: sketching in progress. Further Arcs are still in the sketching and idea collection phase.
8 228 - In Serial12 Chapters
Sages of the Underpass: Battle Artists Book 1
In a world where everyone has power, Nikodemus Kowalczyk was always destined to be a loser. Nikko has long since given up on his dreams of being a world class Battle Artist. Thanks to his crippled core and dysfunctional family, he never stood a chance anyway. With money, fame, and untold power on the line, the corporations decide who wins. End of story. But when a mysterious group, calling themselves the Sages of the Underpass, threaten to upend the entire system with their unorthodox training and cultivation methods, Nikko soon learns that what was once a handicap might be his greatest asset. The only thing standing in his way is a bitter, hard-hearted veteran, who would like nothing more than to see Niko stay in his place. Right at the bottom. Rocky meets Dragon Ball Z in this underdog redemption story from Dragon Award Finalist Aaron Michael Ritchey. Sages of the Underpass is an epic blend of Urban Fantasy, Cultivation, and Magical MMA that captures the passion, the power, and the perseverance it takes to follow your dreams—no matter what kind of artist you are.
8 105 - In Serial46 Chapters
Pawns of God
Five Lines PitchJoin Mark in his fight against a God and change the game's destiny! Delve into a slow-paced story focused on the progression of the main party and the development of the world. Mark himself will be narrating his life inside the game, and to a much lesser extend outside. Guild building, economy, and strategy are the central pieces of the novel. Mark is not overpowered, he will have to build his own power through action-packed battles, trials, traumas, love, and death. Accompany him, the healer and the strategist, an agent of chaos, in the adventure of his life. Without further preamble, I will let Mark take the mic. SynopsisHi! My name is Mark. This is my story, my life as I live it day after day. I’m in my thirties, and there’s nothing I love more than playing online games. I’ve just joined the action on the newest VRMMO game, Pawns of God. An immersive experience you can play while sleeping. Of course, as a game that takes pride in its long development and technological advances, everything inside seems and feels real. Beware, this is not a game-turns-real story. I love my own world and I would detest being summoned into another one. If that ever happens, I’ll just quickly take my life and be done with it. I play with my friends, in a party of 5. We have taken several roles, but lately, I've come to love being a healer. It's my secret ambition to someday be the shotcaller. I am not overpowered. If there is any bug or exploit in the game, they are yet to be discovered. Anyhow, for a game of this scale, the company is pouring all of its resources into test servers, QA, and beta tests. I don’t expect to find any, so I’ll be playing the game just like any other person. I must say, though, I am easily distracted, as you will immediately notice once you start. I'm working on it, I promise to improve! I am no hero. Being in my 30s, my heart is too old for this shit. I wouldn’t mind being one, of course. Who hasn’t dreamt of it? Either way, I’m not doing any grand quest to save the world. Whatever the game throws to their users, I’ll be there to experience it. Most of my life, at least the interesting parts that I’ll be narrating, happen inside the game itself. Rarely, there will be some IRL (In Real Life) chapters. You’ll understand, however, that as a freelance software developer, there is not much I can entertain you with when outside the game. Did I say I love games? Well, I’m also a fan of LitRPG literature. You know, journeys of magic, relationships, personal development, items, skills, discovery… In the spirit of not overwhelming my public, I’ll condense each chapter into circa 1500 words. You might have noticed some tags over this story, let me elaborate. I like to swear. I’m not shy when it comes to cursing my enemies, friends, or even myself. When there’s blood, I tell it as I see it. And… it hurts to admit it, but I’m not a casanova. Of course, this doesn’t mean that I won’t ever find love. So, in case I do end up finding it, let’s keep my sexual options open. As for traumas, none yet, but the future is vast and unknown. Release Schedule The schedule is subject to change, particularly if enough readers end up loving it. All chapters are already written, thus there is enough freedom to modify them. Arc 1 * Chapters 1-14: Each released one day and an hour later than the previous. Starting with chapter 2 at 09:20 UTC+2 on day 1, and finishing at 21:20 UTC+2 on day 13. Elapsed: 2 weeks Total: 2 weeks * Chapters 15-30: Releases every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday at 11:30 UTC+2. Elapsed: 5½ weeks Total: 7 weeks (1 month, 3½ weeks) * Chapters 31-49: Releases every Wednesday and Saturday at 11:30 UTC+2 Elapsed: 9½ weeks Total: 17 weeks (4 months, 1 week) All subsequent arcs will follow the same release schedule, 2/week. No hiatus will be done between arcs 1 and 2.
8 207 - In Serial46 Chapters
Marauding Gods
To protect themselves from the threat known as "monsters" the only way humanity has found to survive was to construct a massive magical barrier that spans an entire continent: the human continent. On the Southeast part of the Human Continent, there is a place, remote to any man's dwelling called Rosetta Manor, where lived a young boy named Ronandt, a young nobleman who, despite his noble origins, has never met his parents. Follow the little Ronandt in a world of Gods and Dragons, where even as a noble, a human, is already a quite atypical one. Update rate: 1chapter/Day (Except Sunday) Disclaimer: This novel is clearly tagged gore, and this within reason, so please keep that in mind while reading. Though the early chapter suggest that this novel is slice of life one, especially in the first 40 chapters, it must be clarified that this novel is first and foremost a progression fantasy tagged gore and grimdark. Feel free to like it or hate it.
8 377 - In Serial10 Chapters
The Winter Festival
As the weather gets colder, so do our relationships with our "loved" ones. Nagito Komaeda is stuck in an abusive relationship with a notorious exterminator. Until one night, when a special festival rolls around in the wintry snow, and Komaeda meets someone who would forever change his life. But the question is, will it change for the better? Or for worse?Updates every Friday uwu
8 149 - In Serial160 Chapters
Life Quotes
Quotes to help you reflect or remember times from your life. VOTE | COMMENT | FOLLOW MY PROFILE | CHECK OUT MY OTHER STORIES
8 224

