They barely made it past the last wheel when the shout rang out behind them.
"Hey! Stop!"
Alaric’s head snapped back.
The younger guard was already giving chase, boots slamming against the ground.
Iris gasped, eyes wide, and they picked up their pace
But the guard was faster, slowly closing the distance.
And another was right behind him.
Only two left at the carriages now.
Tch!
Alaric clicked his tongue, sharp and annoyed.
We can’t outrun them.
Then he commanded inwardly.
Inventory.
A translucent panel flicker opened before his eyes, only visible to him.
Three circular pills shimmered inside.
The adrenaline pills.
He’d bought them last week, just in case anything turn south.
And this was that case.
He pulled one out, bit it hard.
Crunch!
The bitter taste exploded across his tongue as the circular pull shattered.
And then it hit him.
Thump!
A second later, it was like fire in his veins.
His pulse jumped.
Muscles tensed, then loosened with sudden strength.
Badum! Badum!
His chest thumped, louder, harder.
His vision sharpened.
His legs moved before he could even think.
Power surged through his body.
----
[STATUS WINDOW]
Name: Brandon
(Past Life: Alaric Noir)
Race: Human
Age: 19
Title: Slave, Model Servant, (The Fallen King)
Essence Path: None
Rank: Unawakened
EXP: 75/100
Stats:
STR: 15 —> 45
AGI: 14 —> 42
END: 14 —> 42
WIL: 21 —> 63
CHA: 25 —> 75
INT: 13 (??) —> 39 (??)
Domination Points: 100
Main Quest: Subjugate Selene Gilmore (49% Progressed)
System Level: 2 (Requires 3000 Domination Points to Upgrade)
Skill Tree: ___
Shop: Basic Tier Items
Obedience Meter: Target Not Found!
Loyalty Meter: Target not found!
Harem Tracker: 0
DP Exchange: Available
??? (Locked – Requires System Level 3)
----
Alaric didn’t slow.
He turned, straightened, and sprinted directly at the younger guard.
The man’s eyes widened, steps faltering, he hadn’t expected the boy to come at him.
Still, he gritted his teeth and reached for his sword.
He didn’t draw it, just gripped it in its sheath like a club and swung wide, aiming to knock Alaric off his feet.
But Alaric was already inside his reach.
He slipped to the side with a low pivot, calmly, efficiently, and his hand came up sharp.
Crack!
A clean chop to the neck.
The guard dropped like a sack of bricks.
Before the man even hit the ground, Alaric snatched the sword, unsheathing it with a swift flick of his wrist.
The metal whispered free.
Then he turned, just in time.
The second guard was already on him.
Their blades met with a metallic clash.
Clang!
The impact made Alaric’s a little numb.
The man was stronger than him.
But to defeat him—
Alaric didn’t need strength.
He needed timing.
He ducked the next swing, let the blade whistle over his head, and moved in.
Clang! Clang!
Their swords rang out again, sparks flying.
The guard cursed, gritting his teeth.
What the hell?
He had upper hand in strength and endurance. But this boy was handling him, with just his skills?
This wasn’t just desperation or luck.
The boy’s footwork was too clean. Too refined.
Every movement was precise, not wasted, not hesitant.
His steps danced between aggression and control.
Wrist loose, blade sharp, eyes locked.
Not flashy.
But fluid.
Like he’d trained not for sport, but survival.
Iris stood frozen near the trees, her breath caught.
Her mouth parted, stunned.
She had seen many of the estate’s knights spar.
But this.
This wasn’t what they practiced.
There was a strange beauty in the way he moved.
Sharp lines, clean arcs, feet barely disturbing the dirt.
As if his blade wasn’t just a weapon—but an extension of will.
The guard stumbled back, momentarily shaken.
He was older, bulkier, but Alaric’s blade was faster and most importantly, smarter.
And it was closing in.
Before Iris could even catch her breath.
The younger guard groaned and forced himself upright, blood trailing from his mouth.
He gripped the iron sheath like a makeshift club and lunged forward with a wild snarl.
"Alaric!"
Her voice tore out instinctively.
The younger guard swung the sheath at Alaric’s neck.
But Alaric ducked low, smooth, tight.
And then.
Slice!
In one clean motion.
The blade kissed flesh.
And the guard’s head rolled off his shoulders with a wet thud.
Blood sprayed across the leaves.
The body staggered and.
Thud!
Collapsed.
Iris stood frozen.
Eyes wide.
Mouth parted, no sound coming out of it.
The remaining guard’s gaze snapped to the body, for a split-second.
And that was all Alaric needed.
A distraction.
He didn’t hesitate.
He moved.
Steel blurred through the air.
The guard twisted, blade halfway up in a parry.
But...
Too late.
Slash!
Another neck torn open.
Thud!
The head dropped to the earth like a sack of grain.
Two corpses lay now on the cool earth.
Still warm.
[Ding!]
[You have slain a guard.]
[EXP +250]
[Ding!]
[You have slain a guard.]
[EXP +300]
The notification panels blinked in front.
But he didn’t even look at them.
His eyes were locked on the bloodied corpse of the younger guard.
And then, on the last man he’d just cut down.
His expressions were, stoic, unreadable.
Though these guards were only doing their job and didn’t had any intention of hurting him or Iris.
"I wish I’d made you bastards suffer a little."
Then he spoke in a low and rough voice.
Yeh.
He remembered the treatment almost every guard had given him and other slaves.
The lashes.The kicks.The spitting.The laughs.
Every scar burned back into memory.
Then he turned and saw Iris was still standing there.
Frozen.
One hand over her mouth, trembling.
He walked over and without a word.
He scooped her up like a sack.
She yelped, tried to wiggle, "W-Wait! W-What are you—?"
"Relax," he muttered. "We need to get out of here, fast."
Then he pulled out the second adrenaline pill and bit it down.
And then he dashed away.
[A gentle reminder Host.
You can’t just take more than one at a time. You need to take it after waiting for a few minutes.]