Yenna came out of hiding and found Vell eating the massive core. "Y-you really defeated that thing alone? Just how strong have you become?"
He glanced at her, his mouth full of core pieces. He swallowed hard and looked away. "Well, I am close to breaking through to the next tier, though you could say I cheated in a way. The problem is now you; we need to get you to at least mid-apprentice level before we leave."
These words gave her the courage to try her best. "Yeah! I won't let you down."
"Hmph, I know you wouldn't. Your problem is that you lack self-confidence…start there and you will see what I mean." He jumped off the head, core fully eaten and mana swirling around his body.
'Mana, these energies are something else...usually I would need to sit and concentrate in order to absorb the mana and not kill myself, but these energies have removed the need for that. They suck in any new mana, making me stronger faster.'
He licked his lips in excitement. 'This is such a cheat….and I plan to abuse it.'
"Where are your kids?" She looked around, trying to spot them.
"Oh, they are in a safe spot and Wren is strong enough to keep them safe. Let's get going; I am sure she is lonely since the slimes are sleeping."
As they walked away, he looked back at the monster, 'Guess her monster book was not wrong. Glad I remembered some stuff…would have been in trouble otherwise.'
---
Deep in a strange fortress, a figure sat on a throne, his aura filling the room as he heard the report.
"Repeat your words…carefully."
The monster reporting was on her knees, barely holding out under the pressure of his power. "A-A human has entered your domain and has already killed one of your children. He is currently located in sector B, heading towards sector E."
Her mind cleared, and the force pressing her down suddenly faded. She slowly looked up at the one seated on the throne. "Hoho, it's been such a long time since we had a human in here. Too bad he is heading to sector E, the worst of the worst and the area where 'she' rules over. What a pity; I wanted to meet him."
The kneeling female monster's eyes lit up. "I can bring him to you before he reaches her zone. Just give me your order, and I will leave immediately."
He looked at her, seeing the loyal look in her eyes. "Very well, bring him to me….dead or alive. We can let her eat such a delicacy before us. Don't fail me."
"Yes, my king." Her body disappeared in darkness; her mission was underway, and she had no intentions of failing.
"A human, huh…I am so excited. I wonder how he tastes…just thinking about it is making me hungry." He looked around, seeing no plate of food, so he called for his servants to make something good for his taste buds.
---
Back on Vell's side, they were heading straight into unknown territory, not knowing about it.
"Hey, are you sure this is the right way? I feel like we are heading towards a dangerous area." Yenna's instincts weren't wrong; even he knew about this feeling, but that's exactly why he chose it.
'I can feel it too, the overwhelming pressure coming from this area, but that's exactly why we are heading this way. We need to get strong fast; we can't afford to take the long route...and that means facing death head-on.' He looked at her, his expression telling her not to worry, that she should trust him.
"Are you sure? ... Fine, I will trust you. If you think we can do it, then I am sure we can." 'I hope... I do trust him, but this time it feels wrong. My senses are telling me to turn around, to go in another direction, but I have no other choice; I have to follow him.' She clenched her fists, showing her resolve, even as they walked towards death.
The monster girl reached them, viewing them from a safe distance. 'He is giving off a strong aura... I can't tell just how strong he is... Can I really handle him? No, such thoughts should not enter my mind; I need to bring him back with me no matter what.' She disappeared into the shadows again, following closely behind them.
"Master, something is following us," Wren whispered to him; her senses had always been sharp.
"Yeah, but let's just watch and see what it does. Either way, it's going to die by my hands." They were closer to the mountains now, and the mana got denser, with bloodlust filling the air. Yenna was shaking, but one touch on the shoulder from him made her calm down.
"Stick close to me and follow my movements; you will be fine, okay?" He showed no signs of fear. In situations like this, he needed to be her pillar; if he showed weakness now, she would crumble.
"Okay." 'He believes in me, so the least I can do is try my best.' She had told herself this many times, and yet fear always ended up overwhelming her.
A few steps into the mountains, and Vell could already sense many monsters watching them. 'Interesting... monsters that can work together like that mean they have a powerful leader... should I warm up a bit?'
"Hey, transform into your human form and keep Yenna safe. I'm going to play for a bit."
"Okay." She jumped off his shoulder, transforming into her human form and standing in front of Yenna like a guard. "Have fun, Master." He nodded and disappeared from sight.
He reappeared in the center of a clearing surrounded by jagged rocks. He could feel that some of the monsters had gone after him, but some were still watching his companions. "Okay, come at me, you fucking monsters; let's see what you are made of!"