Chapter 1871 Surrounded by Demon Beasts
Kalen Eldric was a promising Ranker from the s.h.i.+njaka Continent.
He had achieved C-Rank status by the age of 30, and within another 50 years, he ascended to the esteemed rank of B-Ranker.
His prowess as a Runemaster greatly contributed to his rapid advancement, culminating in his attainment of Grandmaster status before he reached the age of 200.
Regarded as a prodigy in the field of Runemastery, Kalen possessed the ability to craft intricate Array Formations with minimal resources.
Whether bolstering his allies with buff-type Formations or incapacitating his foes with debuff-type Formations, Kalen demonstrated unparalleled skill and versatility.
Moreover, Kalen utilized his Array Formations to enchant artifacts, imbuing them with extraordinary properties.
Weapons enhanced by his weapon-centric Array Formations, composed of intricate Magic Circles etched onto their surfaces, surpa.s.sed their usual capabilities.
Additionally, Kalen"s enchantments bestowed regular defense gear with performance standards comparable to that of Hex gear.
In the early days of his career as a Ranker, Kalen Eldric faced numerous challenges, lacking the profound background or resources enjoyed by some of his peers. Undeterred, he embarked on a series of perilous missions, placing himself in constant danger to gather mana-rich resources and advance in his Ranking journey.
His missions took him to the far reaches of the s.h.i.+njaka Continent, where he explored treacherous landscapes and faced formidable beasts and demonic ent.i.ties.
From battling demon beasts in the depths of the Shadowed Grove to navigating the labyrinthine catacombs of ancient ruins, Kalen spared no effort in his quest for power.
It was during these missions that Kalen found some interesting legacies. He began to hone his skills as a Runemaster after those explorations into ruins.
Drawing upon his innate talent and unwavering determination, he studied ancient texts and experimented with arcane symbols, gradually unlocking the true secrets of Array Formations.
As his reputation as a skilled Runemaster grew, Kalen began to attract attention from wealthy patrons and influential organizations. He offered his services as a consultant, providing enchanted artifacts and devising defensive strategies for those willing to pay for his expertise.
Kalen soon joined the Zodiac Alliance as a mercenary. It didn"t take long for him to get recognized by the alliance"s administration. It sent him an invitation to officially join them. But Kalen refused, preferring to value his freedom.
Nevertheless, Kalen stayed a.s.sociated with the Zodiac Alliance because of the benefits it offered even as a mercenary. With each successful mission and lucrative contract, Kalen ama.s.sed not only wealth but also a wealth of mana-rich resources.
These resources served to fuel his continued growth as a Ranker and Runemaster, propelling him ever closer to his ultimate goal of attaining Grandmaster status.
***
Kalen Eldric"s journey to a.s.semble the formidable team known as the Eldric Force was not a hasty decision but a deliberate process, each member chosen with care and consideration.
The first member to join his cause was Sariah Frost, a talented elemental mage with a penchant for frost magic. Kalen had encountered Sariah during a mission to investigate a disturbance caused by rogue elemental spirits.
Impressed by her skill and determination, Kalen extended an invitation to Sariah.
Next came Roran Stoneheart, a seasoned warrior.
Kalen crossed paths with Roran during a skirmish with demonic creatures that had encroached upon a remote village. Despite the odds stacked against them, Roran fought valiantly alongside Kalen, proving himself to be a formidable ally.
Lyra Shadowbane, a skilled a.s.sa.s.sin with a knack for stealth, was the third to join Kalen"s ranks. Kalen first encountered Lyra while investigating reports of a clandestine demon cult operating within the shadows of the city. Impressed by her resourcefulness and expertise in covert operations, Kalen recognized the value of having someone like Lyra on his team, adept at gathering information and striking from the shadows.
Thane Brights.h.i.+eld was the fourth member to join the Eldric Force.
Kalen encountered Thane during a mission to defend a remote outpost from a horde of demonic invaders. Moved by Thane"s selflessness in the face of danger, Kalen knew that Thane would make an invaluable addition to the team.
Lastly, Kaelen Sunfire completed the roster of the Eldric Force. Kalen first met Kaelen during a mission to quell a raging inferno that threatened to consume an entire village. ***
How did Kalen get mixed with the demonic ent.i.ties and was misidentified as one of them?
Kalen Eldric"s decision to embark on a covert mission alone was born out of a desire to gather crucial intelligence without endangering the lives of his team members. The man had invested a lot in his team members and didn"t want to endanger their lives by taking a very dangerous mission.
However, the benefits offered by the Alliance for the mission were huge. The kind of mana-rich resources it offered to anyone who completed the said mission might have allowed Kalen to finally break through the bottlenecks of the Grandmaster Ranker and become a true Sage. as such, Kalen didn"t want to miss out on the opportunity either.
In the end, Kalen decided to do this particular mission all by himself without letting his team members in on it. The mission was given to all the special-grade mercenaries on a need-to-know basis.
As such, these mercenaries could conduct these missions without having to inform the Alliance about it. They just needed to show the proof of the mission completion to claim the rewards. This secrecy was meant to a.s.sure safety for all those who decided to take on such missions.
On a particular day, Kalen was put to the task. He received information about a clandestine meeting between high-ranking members of a demonic cult and sought to infiltrate their ranks to uncover their nefarious plans.
Disguising himself with a cloak of shadows and using his mastery over illusion magic to conceal his ident.i.ty, Kalen ventured into the heart of enemy territory, navigating the treacherous streets with caution and stealth.
His mission required him to blend seamlessly into the shadows, observing his targets from afar and gathering information without alerting suspicion.
However, things took a disastrous turn when Kalen"s cover was blown during a botched attempt to eavesdrop on a crucial conversation. Caught off guard and outnumbered, Kalen found himself surrounded by members of the demonic cult.
In a desperate bid to escape, Kalen unleashed a barrage of Skills, using every trick in his a.r.s.enal to fend off his attackers. But despite his best efforts, he was eventually overwhelmed and subdued.
Kalen"s speech and other senses were restricted by the demonic ent.i.ties. He was then made to change his clothes in order to be offered as a sacrifice in one of the demonic rituals. Just when Kalen thought that his life was over, the base of the demonic cult was attacked by another group of mercenaries working under the Zodiac Alliance.
Kalen was coincidentally freed from his restrictions by the demonic ent.i.ties who were about to sacrifice him. He didn"t understand that he was freed by the demons because he could be misunderstood as one of them.
Before he could mount a defense, Kalen was swiftly apprehended by mercenaries and official members of the Zodiac Alliance, who had been monitoring the situation from the shadows.
Mistaken for a dangerous demonic operative, Kalen was deemed too great a threat to be allowed to roam free and was promptly imprisoned in a specialized facility designed to contain demonic ent.i.ties.
***
Unbeknownst to Kalen"s team members, Kalen had been mistakenly apprehended by the Zodiac League a few months ago, his true ident.i.ty remaining undisclosed.
He hadn"t even been given the chance to explain that his capture was a stroke of misfortune during a covert operation conducted by the League.
What compounded Kalen"s predicament was that upon his capture, he was transferred to a specialized prison designed to contain demonic ent.i.ties.
To his dismay, he discovered that the prison"s overseer, Altair Argas, had sold him and several other demonic pract.i.tioners to a man named Ren Roman Idril on a distant continent.
Before long, Kalen found himself confined in the underground depths of Siren"s Sanctuary. Kalen could only cry in his mind because his paralyzed body was unable to shed tears.
A certain Young Demon Emperor named Eren Elijah Idril wasted no time in resuming his demonic experiments upon receiving a fresh batch of "guinea pigs" from Altair.
And suddenly, Kalen Eldric"s fate changed… for the better…. Or worse. Probably worse.
Despite the ordeal, Kalen managed to survive the torturous process imposed by Eren, eventually becoming one of his pseudo-avatars.
With Kalen"s expertise as a Runemaster, Eren bestowed upon the pseudo-avatar some of his own knowledge and Elemental Attainments in the field during the synthesis process.
Given Kalen"s safe and convenient ident.i.ty, Eren dispatched him back to the s.h.i.+njaka Continent to resume his role as a pract.i.tioner a.s.sociated with the Zodiac League.
Recently, Eren tasked Kalen with a mission to establish contact with Demon Earl Bifrons. After all, Roza had told him about the Demon Earls and their locations after her recent S-Rank breakthrough. Eren decided to make use of the information right away.
Kalen deliberately selected this mission through the Zodiac League, utilizing its resources and reputation to carry out his clandestine endeavors.
While Kalen"s team members believed he had taken a brief hiatus before returning to lead the Eldric Force, they were unaware that, at this juncture, he was being possessed by Eren"s Soul Imprint.
***
Shadowed Grove.
Walking beside Kalen was Sariah Frost, a young woman with icy blue eyes and platinum blonde hair that fell in loose waves around her shoulders. Her slender frame belied her strength, and her hands crackled with frost as she summoned her elemental magic to her aid.
On the other side of Kalen strode Roran Stoneheart, a burly man with a rugged appearance and a gruff demeanor. His beard was thick and unkempt, and his muscular arms were adorned with intricate tattoos that glowed faintly with elemental power.
Bringing up the rear were the remaining members of the team. Lyra Shadowbane, a lithe and agile woman with dark hair and piercing green eyes. Thane Brights.h.i.+eld, a stoic warrior with a st.u.r.dy build and a keen sense of duty. And lastly, Kaelen Sunfire, a young fire mage with a fiery temper to match his elemental affinity.
For three days, the Eldric Force had scoured the depths of the Shadowed Grove, hunting down demonic ent.i.ties and undead creatures with ruthless efficiency. But now, as they trudged through the forest once more, their spirits began to wane.
"We"ve been at this for days," Lyra muttered, her voice tinged with frustration. "And still, we"ve found nothing but empty woods."
Thane nodded in agreement, his expression grim.
"It seems that the demon beasts have abandoned this part of the forest. There are no signs of demonic Pract.i.tioners either. We were told to hunt more than 20 B-Ranked demonic ent.i.ties or five A-Ranked ent.i.ties.
But how could we hunt if we don"t come across these d.a.m.ned sneaky b.a.s.t.a.r.ds?" he remarked, his voice tinged with a bit of annoyance and frustration.
Kalen glanced around at his team, his gaze thoughtful. "Patience, my friends," he said, his voice calm but firm. "Sometimes dangers come your way when you least expect them to. Trust me, I have had my fair share of experience recently," Kalen spoke as he was reminded of the time he had spent in Siren"s Sanctuary"s underground bas.e.m.e.nt.
But even as he spoke, a sense of unease settled over the group, a feeling of antic.i.p.ation mingled with dread. And as they pressed deeper into the heart of the Shadowed Grove, they couldn"t shake the feeling that they were being watched.
Suddenly, a low growl echoed through the trees, followed by the sound of snapping branches and rustling leaves. The members of the Eldric Force tensed, their senses on high alert as they prepared for whatever horrors lurked in the darkness.
And then, without warning, the forest erupted into chaos as a group of demon beasts descended upon them, their twisted forms and glowing eyes a chilling sight to behold.
One had to note that all the three demon beasts were in the late-stage of the A-Rank. As such, they could transform into humanoid forms.
The demon beasts" transformation was closely related to the vessel of the beast they had occupied. It also mattered who the demon soul fragment belonged to.
Argo, for example, who was a demon soul fragment belonging to Demon Prince of Gluttony, could always make huge genetic and magical mutations to his vessels fueled by the intent-driven demon magic and turn into Demon Fly if he wished.
The demon beasts in the Shadowed Grove weren"t that high in the demonic hierarchy. They were some common demons who had been summoned into the world of Labh Salem before being given the vessels of the mana beasts by the Demon Earl Bifrons.
One of the demon beasts who had surrounded the Eldric Force, known as Shadowfang, stood tall and imposing, his form cloaked in dark robes that seemed to meld seamlessly with the shadows around him. His eyes, glowing with an eerie crimson light, betrayed the primal ferocity that lay beneath his calm exterior.
Emerging from the darkness with unnerving grace was Venomspine, her lithe figure adorned in sleek, black armor adorned with toxic accents. Her eyes, s.h.i.+mmering with a malevolent gleam, betrayed her deadly intent as she silently a.s.sessed her prey.
Descending from the shadowy canopy above was Dreadwing, his imposing figure casting a menacing silhouette against the dim light filtering through the trees. Clad in armor as dark as the abyss, his eyes burned with an otherworldly fire, hinting at the chaos he was capable of unleas.h.i.+ng.