Chapter 55: The Last of Them

Rhos had his amber eyes on the teenager sprawled across the stone floor, completely motionless.

The force behind that backhand had been excessive, it just wasn’t anywhere near the strength of the punch that had blown the masked giant’s head apart, but it was still more than enough to snap an ordinary person’s neck or shatter their jaw.

Yes, that was the kind of strength he came to command as of recently. Even now, he is still learning to use it properly without accidentally killing someone again.

When his hand connected with Rune’s face, he felt something resist the impact.

"Interesting"

He muttered while staring down at the teen who had reinforced the point of impact at the exact moment he struck him, reflexively distributing the force throughout his body rather than allowing it to concentrate on his face.

The difference was subtle and happened way too quickly, but Rhos noticed it.

"You strengthened your durability with spiritual energy at the same time I hit you. Not bad. I might have underestimated you"

What the teen had pulled off was not something any ordinary person might pull off, especially not a craftsman. That reaction of his had been fast. Far too fast for someone who supposedly wasn’t training.

He definitely underestimated him. There was clearly more to this guy.

To Rhos’s words, there was no response.

Rune was lying face down with one arm lying awkwardly beneath him while his messy black hair covered most of his face. From where he stood, Rune looked completely unconscious.

But Rhos wasn’t easily fooled.

He could tell that this guy was just pretending.

The sudden backhand probably convinced Rune that trying to reason with the two of them wasn’t going to go anywhere. Pretending to be unconscious was a reasonable strategy. If he waited long enough, an opportunity would present itself for him to escape.

It was risky, considering the kind of place they were in. But Rhos could understand the logic behind it.

What he could not understand was why he had struck him like that in the first place?

Rhos looked down on Ripley who continued to whine beside him, and then back at Rune.

’Because of what he said about her?’

When Rune spoke ill about her, something twisted in his chest. Any semblance of rationality left him and his body moved on its own.

Now that the anger was gone, Rhos realized that he might have made a stupid decision.

He shouldn’t have let himself get provoked, and now because of that, he might have stepped on the tail of something far more dangerous.

Rhos was certain that the teenager was a Beast-type. His reasoning being the lad’s regeneration factor. A trait unique among Beast-types, but his was clearly of a higher level.

That wasn’t really surprising since Elderwood was full of that type that any other Patron Spirit types. But what stood out to him was his name.

Sköll Rune.

Most of the time, if not always, a person’s spiritual evolution stage could be determined from just their full name. That naming convention wasn’t merely for decoration, it served a fundamental role in the Biome system.

Rhos was currently known as Red Deer Rhos because of his initial stage. Eventually, if he reaches the next stage of evolution –Greater Beast–, his name will change alongside it.

So, if Rune really was telling the truth about his Patron Spirit being the Sun Hunter Sköll, then... that meant he was a....

"A Mythical Beast"

Rhos’s face hardened.

Ridiculous. The idea of it was ridiculous.

Rune didn’t look older than him. He was just a teenager, not an adult, yet somehow he was supposedly standing at the very peak of the Beast-type evolution?

"No way"

It took years of spiritual refinement for even talented Rangers to climb the spirit evolution stages. Evolving into a Mythical Beast wasn’t something that was achievable because someone had a little talent.

It required an absurd amount of refining, experience and most importantly, resources.

Even most of the Keepers in the upper Ranger Divisions hadn’t reached that stage.

Who exactly was this guy?

How had he hidden from the Ranger Corps?

Was he lying to him?

Rhos couldn’t dismiss every possibility to debunk this thought. But there was too much truth in the spiritual energy he sensed from Rune. He was the real deal!

But accepting that created another question.

If Rune was really a Mythical Beast, then why were his abilities so underwhelming?

Rhos had expected something far more impressive from someone standing at the supposed peak of the Beast-type evolution.

He sighed. Maybe he was expecting too much. Rune was just a teenager after all. A pretty odd one with a lot of mysteries.

Whatever those mysteries were, he had the feeling he didn’t want to get himself tangled up in them.

The movement in his hand snapped him out of his thoughts. He looked down and saw the little girl slowly regaining consciousness.

"Shit"

Rhos grimaced and quickly lowered her onto the floor. He grabbed the loose chains he dropped earlier and wrapped them around her body, making sure that her arms in particular could move.

He didn’t want to knock her unconscious again, if he did that again he would be just hurting a child who was confused and scared.... Probably.

But he had also been attacked by her enough times to know exactly what happened whenever she woke up.

Restraining her was the safer option for both of them.

At least, that’s what he thought.

Steel flashed, passing through the exact spot where the little girl’s throat had been a second ago, slicing nothing but air.

It was thanks to Rhos’s quick reflexes that lifted her up her entire body out of the path of the incoming blade.

Both the young man and the little girl had their eyes wide open at that close call, staring at the attacker.

It was Ripley.

"Wrath!"

There was no mistake nor waste in her movements. The instant her first strike missed, she chained it into another attack. Her second knife followed immediately at the worst angle.

Rhos was in trouble. Ripley’s assault left no room for a counterattack, no gaps to be exploited, especially for someone in his predicament.

His momentum had already been committed toward pulling the little girl out of danger and both his hands were occupied holding her. There wasn’t enough time to move his legs either.

He was completely exposed.

’This is going to hurt’

Damage was unavoidable, he prepared to reinforce his neck with spiritual energy to minimize it as much as possible. But before he could...

"Sha’ka!"

A small foot slammed into Ripley’s face. The impact was so strong it sent her body rolling above the floor for a bit. But she caught and pushed herself up.

She staggered on her face while clutching her left eye, a thin stream of blood ran from her nose. She winced in pain while looking at the young man and girl in pure irritation.

That irritation quickly twisted her face into something ugly again, but she had clearly not recovered from the impact of the kick so it made it hard for her to focus.

"Why you little–"

The shadowy figure that appeared behind her capitalized on this lapse in judgement. It was Rune. The teenager had somehow gotten back onto his feet without Rhos noticing.

His hand grabbed the back of her head and drove her face toward the stone with the force to crack the ground beneath them.

With boom! Dust exploded through the corridor.

Through this dust cloud, Rune’s pink eyes looked down at Ripley annoyed, almost disgusted.

"I really hate the crazy"

He looked towards where Rhos had been standing but... there was nobody there.

Both him and the little girl were gone!