CHAPTER 183: CHAPTER 183: SHY

Chapter 183 – Shy

Zaki was truly no longer the same trembling boy he was back on Darklore. He was no longer the one who hid behind a small, cute girl ready to do anything for him.

No.

He changed. He had witnessed the horror of this world. He saw how cruel humans could be, how despicable and how utterly merciless they could become toward their fellow humans. He also became aware that he was not the only one living a nightmare back in his home.

That his home was not the only dreadful place to live.

No...

The whole damn world was a wretched, lamentable place to live.

And with that realization, Zaki was now a man with purpose, a man with a goal.

And that’s all you need to completely change. A goal can take the lowest scum crawling in the dirt and filth and turn him into one who will swim amidst a sea of stars. All you need is the confidence and the belief that you can do it.

And our dear Zaki built that confidence.

He built it by rewriting his mind completely over time, telling himself every single day that he was the child of heavens, but that alone wouldn’t have been enough. No, he also built it by surviving these deadly games again and again, by fighting deathly enemies, by enduring treacherous environments, by clenching his teeth and never giving up on his goal of freedom, even among people who didn’t even dare to dream of it.

Yes, it was not easy. It was never easy to be among the few who dream big, because the others—the pitiful ones with no dreams to speak of—will drag you down to the filth with them.

But he didn’t accept that, he fought against it. And he did it by not giving up and also by forming real bonds with Maryam, the cute shy girl, Tristan the coward but a damn cockroach, Saul the gloomy man, and Azad, the voice of reason of the group.

With them, he tasted the sweet flavor of friendship. The feeling that he was not trash, that he mattered, that he had something to give and contribute... all of that helped him become better and more confident and so...

He became the Zaki who dared to utter, in front of the entire crowd, that he was...

The Sky of the Heavens.

That was a heavy name, an arrogant one even. But who else besides the one The Will itself called the Child of Heavens dared to take upon such a title?

Well, another little bloody man could, but let’s not take him into account.

And so, Zaki declared himself the Sky, and he did so by making almost everyone in the arena kneel before his presence.

It was a big moment for him, but also for his newly gained friends, because from that moment on...

They had drawn the gaze of the authorities behind the underground games.

...

Darklore – East.

Kaden was still atop the tree, staring at the spot where he had sensed the presence of the grandmaster beast, waiting for its response.

He didn’t repeat himself nor did he push for a quick answer, instead he simply sat back on the thick branches of the tree, his face still bearing a small smile all while his True Intent of Death activated, making his surroundings decay.

This scene made the grandmaster beast even more apprehensive, and you might wonder how such a being could fear an Intermediate?

That’s a great question.

But there is one thing people tend to forget... grandmaster or not, beasts are still beasts. They can develop intelligence, but you will never strip them of their instincts. Never.

And right now, as a beast with death affinity who hadn’t even touched the realm of Awakened Intent, seeing Kaden was a dreadful experience.

Her instinct was screaming.

Kaden not only had a Legendary+ Origin tied to death, but his Intent of Death had reached True Intent. That’s something most beings would never reach in their entire lives. And that’s exactly why... it was apprehensive.

It wasn’t afraid per se, no... just uneasy.

But Kaden might be patient, yet he didn’t quite have the time to wait forever for the beast to come out.

"Seriously, are you going to be afraid of a pitiful and pathetic Intermediate like me? Come on, let’s talk. I have a proposition for you, one you would hardly be able to refuse." Kaden said with a leisurely tone, his feet dangling into the void, his voice echoing through the dark forest.

The beast stayed silent for a while before it—or rather she—spoke:

"What... what proposition?" she said, her voice sweet, feminine, and slightly hesitant, causing Kaden’s brows to shoot up in surprise.

’Oh... a female beast?’ he thought, intrigued, then responded,

"I would love to tell you here but... are you sure?" he said as he looked around. They might look alone, but they were not. Many Master-ranked beasts were hiding, and Kaden dreaded even the Grandmaster ones.

He might act confident outwardly, but inside his heart was throbbing madly.

He didn’t want another bloody battle against a Grandmaster again.

The beast seemed to understand his words, but she was still hesitating to bring him into her territory.

Kaden noticed and sighed tiredly. He raised his hand and a deep reddish-black flame appeared, flickering gently on the tip of his finger, causing the space around it to decay, and all the surrounding beasts to shiver instinctively.

"You won’t regret it." he added simply, then dismissed the flame and waited again.

This time, the beast was wise enough not to hesitate. And besides...

’I’m a Grandmaster. If I give my all, I can surely kill him.’ she added, convincing herself.

After deciding, she slowly stepped out of her hiding place and finally... Kaden got to see the beast, and he was stunned.

Because the voice of the beast was too sweet and pleasing to the ears to belong to such a questionable-looking—to not say ugly—creature.

’A trap!!! She was a trap!!!’ Kaden screamed internally, feeling stupid for having assumed anything based on voice alone.

The beast was eerie.

Her body was covered in lizard-like black scales so smooth you could see your own reflection inside them. A long tail stretched behind her, scaled the same, but with strands of purple hair that released a soft yet potent poisonous miasma into the air, causing it to rot. Her head, in contrast, wasn’t that of a lizard but of a butterfly, with two compound eyes that seemed to observe everything at once. On her back rested a pair of worn-out wings, looking far too weathered to ever fly again.

Needless to say, she was terrifying, and Kaden almost jumped from his seat in fright. But he managed to stop himself from showing such a humiliating reaction.

His lips curled into a strained smile, "You... your beauty is quite unique." he blurted out instinctively, not knowing what else to say. But soon his eyes widened in absolute horror as his entire body froze from the sight in front of him.

The beast... was blushing as a deep rose color splashed on her face.

’By The Will... what kind of twisted god created this? Am I dreaming? What dream? Fuck... this is a damn nightmare, or the cause of one I’ll soon have.’ Kaden’s face twitched heavily, already regretting his idea of speaking to this beast, but it was too late as the beast, with her butterfly head still blushing, softly invited him.

"Please... please come into my territory."

"Oh! And my name is Alea." she added, in such a sudden shy tone that Kaden could only stare at her blankly, unable to stop himself from asking a question...

"Sorry... are you really a death-type Grandmaster with a territory enveloped in constant miasma and poisonous fog that no one dares approach...?"

"If not, then please excuse me. I seem to have made a mistake."

But unfortunately for his sanity,

"It’s indeed me. I’m the master of the Domain of the Damned. How do you know all this about me...? Are you... are you perhaps interes—!"

"Lady, I would suggest you don’t finish that sentence." Kaden interrupted her mid-pitch, looking at her blushing face that now bore an eerie smile.

His face turned lifeless as he cursed.

’Bloody hell...’

—End of Chapter 183—