Chương 38: The Leader Malon Needed

Ch 38 - The Leader Malon Needed

"Bastards... filthy, lying bastards!" Malon could clearly see the deception written across the faces of the participants lying sprawled in front of them. He knew they were not truly helpless. At the very least, they were not as desperate for water as they were pretending to be. Malon clenched his fists and ground his teeth together. He glanced to his right, where Hugh, Suki, and Zeph were also sprinting toward the people who looked like they were on the verge of death.

At that very moment, the so-called dying participants suddenly moved. They pushed themselves upright, sitting on the ground with pleading expressions and outstretched hands. Five of them. Five desperate beggars putting on a pitiful act.

"Please! I don't want to fail like this! Just one bottle is enough!"

"We're begging you! Please help us! We only need enough to keep going!"

"Please... even a few mouthfuls! Don't leave us here!" Yes, Malon understood how brutal the heat was. Even he felt as if every drop of sweat had already been drained from his body. He had been forcing himself to drink only the smallest amount possible just to make his supply last. At that moment, both Hugh and Suki turned to look at Zeph. Would Zeph really share his water with these people? They were obviously scheming. They were obviously not planning to settle for a single bottle.

One bottle would never be enough. They wanted more! Zeph... Then, without saying a word, Zeph pulled out a bottle of water. The expressions in Hugh's and Suki's eyes shifted the instant they saw him do it. Then, just as Malon and the others ran past the dying participants, Zeph tossed the bottle straight toward them. Malon and the others kept running. But no. This would not end there! One bottle would never satisfy them. Malon had already reached for his rifle.

In one swift motion, he slammed his foot into the ground, spun around, and raised his weapon, ready to fire. Then he saw it. Zeph was already surrounded by a dark aura. An impossibly deep darkness enveloped him. His helmet completely concealed his face, and the sword in his hand was so black it seemed to swallow the light around it.

"Get ready! We're engaging them now!" Zeph ordered from the front.

"Suki, stay behind me! I'll cover both of you!" Hugh responded as he summoned his Shield Sigil. A massive silver-white shield materialized before him, large enough to protect everyone behind it.

"Kill them! Take every bit of their supplies!"

"Attack now! There are only four of them!"

"Don't let them get away!" Zeph reacted even faster than Malon. He had handed them water only moments ago. Yet he had transformed before anyone else and was already prepared to strike. Malon activated his ability. Chains of energy shot forward, connecting toward Zeph, while Hugh stepped beside him with his massive shield already raised, ready for the incoming clash.

"You people really have no shame, do you? Zeph just gave you water! Why are you attacking us?!" Suki shouted from Malon's side as she raised her bow and drew an arrow. The next moment, a truly brutal battle erupted. Zeph shot forward with incredible speed. Malon watched as Zeph's sword thrust straight toward his opponent's throat without the slightest hesitation. Their bodies disappeared into countless particles before the blade could truly finish them, instantly teleported out of the Rift. Malon's mouth hung open.

Zeph really was... a monster. A complete monster. Darkness itself. The very embodiment of darkness. How could Zeph move like that? How could he launch every attack with such absolute certainty and unwavering resolve? He fought like a machine! Like a demon that feared nothing! No. Zeph fought as if death meant nothing to him. He fought like... Malon's hands began to tremble as a cold shiver raced through his entire body. Zeph fought like... death was an old friend.

As if he had spent his whole life dancing with death, with not the slightest hint of hesitation behind every flawless, perfectly executed move. Hugh provided flawless support from the side. His massive shield crashed into anyone who tried to break through, creating openings for Zeph to finish them one after another. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it. Within moments, all five participants vanished from the battlefield. Just like that… It was over.

Yes, those five people really had been thirsty. Their strength had already been drained away, and it was obvious they were severely dehydrated. That was exactly why they had been in no condition to fight. Especially not against a demon like Zeph. Still, they had been fools. They could not tell the difference between someone they should challenge and someone they should never provoke. Their greatest mistake had been choosing Zeph as their target. No one should ever make an enemy of Zeph. Because he… He was a demon.

Someone who was far beyond his years. His mind, his instincts, and the way he carried himself belonged to someone far older than his actual age. Malon swallowed hard as Zeph walked back toward him. The dark helmet was gone. He had already returned to his normal appearance, wearing the same relaxed smile as always. He even lifted a hand and waved casually at Malon.

"You've gone completely pale. Did you just see a ghost?" Zeph asked. Malon slowly shook his head, though his body was still trembling.

"This is far scarier than seeing a ghost," he replied.

"What... Malon! What did you just say?" Suki cried out, her eyes darting in every direction.

"There aren't any other enemies. Zeph and Hugh already defeated all of them. There aren't any opponents left. Did I miss someone? Where? Where are they?" Instead of relaxing, Suki became even more frantic, scanning the surroundings as if she genuinely believed another hidden enemy was waiting to ambush them. Zeph had known those five people intended to attack them. He knew it. Yes, he had to. Even so, he still chose to give them a bottle of water. That was not kindness born from naivety.

It was something else entirely. Zeph did it because, at that very moment, Hugh and Suki had also wanted to help those five people. They simply could not bring themselves to make the decision first, so they had looked toward Zeph to see what he would do. It was not as though Hugh and Suki had been judging him. Not at all. But by giving the bottle to those five participants, Zeph deliberately showed them that he still had compassion for other people. He wanted Hugh and Suki to see that.

With that one small, almost absurd act, Zeph had managed to win Hugh and Suki over even more deeply, especially because they were clearly far more humane than Malon, or even Zeph himself, whose heart was undeniably cold. Then, the very next instant, Zeph switched into battle mode without the slightest delay, responding immediately when the five participants revealed their true intentions.

"Zeph... you're a genius," Malon said quietly.

"What?" Zeph looked at him with a puzzled expression.

"You deliberately gave them that bottle to put Suki at ease because you knew she wanted to help them, didn't you?"

"What?" Suki blinked in surprise.

"Yeah... Zeph, I'm sorry. At first, I thought you weren't going to give them any water. It's really frustrating. I honestly believed they just needed something to drink." Malon continued, "But the moment they were about to attack, you immediately switched into battle mode. You showed us that you'd been on guard the entire time, that you already knew they were planning something. At the same time, you taught us an important lesson about reality."

"Yes! Exactly!" Suki exclaimed enthusiastically.

"So you really thought that far ahead?" She immediately clasped her hands together and bowed repeatedly in apology.

"I'm sorry, Zeph. I was too naive. I really believed they were good people, but they turned out to be the bad guys. Thank you for teaching me that lesson." Malon turned toward Zeph. Instead of looking wise or satisfied… Zeph was simply staring back at them with a completely confused expression. After a short break to catch their breath and recover a little of their strength, the group started running again. As they continued across the scorching landscape, Zeph quietly frowned to himself.

"Where did Malon get that conclusion from?" He had genuinely thought those five people simply needed water. Damn it... Zeph let out a silent sigh. As for how he had reacted the instant they were about to attack, the answer was simple. Zeph just had better combat instincts. He was always hungry for a fight, so slipping into battle the moment danger appeared had become almost automatic. They kept moving, forcing themselves to run beneath the blazing sun. The heat beat down on their bodies without mercy.

Sweat poured from them so heavily that it almost felt as though they could refill their bottles with it. Every step drained more of their strength. The distance itself was not the greatest challenge. It was the relentless terrain, the unbearable heat, and the constant exhaustion that wore them down. Several times they stopped only long enough to drink a little water, replenish their energy, and eat small portions of food before continuing again.

Eventually, they reached a point where they spotted a battle unfolding not far ahead. A group of participants was being cornered by a pair of monsters. They looked like two massive boars. The participants struggled desperately to hold them back, but their movements were sluggish. They were obviously exhausted and barely able to keep fighting. As Zeph's group ran closer, the stranded participants immediately waved at them. Just like the people they had encountered earlier.

"Please, help us! We're too exhausted to fight them on our own!"

"We only need a little support! We can finish them together!" Don't leave us here! We won't make it without your help!" At that moment, Suki instinctively looked toward Zeph. Her eyes silently asked the same question. Should we help them? Zeph said calmly.

"We should ignore them. Our priority is our own team. We survive first."

"I understand now," Suki said softly after a brief silence.

"I'm sorry. I was too weak. I let my emotions decide too easily. I empathize with people before I truly understand them. I know that kind of thinking could end up hurting me someday. I have to learn who is worth helping... and who isn't." Zeph gave a small nod. The world was full of deception. No one could see another person's true intentions just by looking at them. Someone could appear kind on the surface while hiding something completely different underneath.

Zeph had learned that lesson in the hardest way possible. It was a lesson carved into him through death itself. Some time later, they encountered the same situation once again. Two massive wild boars stood directly on the path they needed to cross. The monsters immediately became alert the moment they noticed a group sprinting toward them.

"Do we fight these ones, Zeph?" Hugh asked as they continued running. Even while speaking, everyone was already preparing themselves for combat.

"No," Zeph answered without hesitation.

"We keep running." Malon immediately understood what Zeph meant. Without slowing down, he pulled out his rifle. A second later, he squeezed the trigger. The shot echoed across the area before striking the ground near the monsters. A thick cloud of smoke instantly erupted, swallowing both giant boars inside a dense gray haze.

"We sprint past them!" Zeph shouted. The group immediately accelerated. As they closed in, the monsters were still stumbling blindly inside the smoke, unable to locate them. At that exact moment, Malon fired again. This time, the bullet shot high into the sky before exploding overhead. Moments later, countless chunks of ice rained down onto the monsters. The freezing barrage slowed them even further, preventing them from giving chase as Zeph's team rushed safely past.

Malon was a support-type fighter who specialized in long-range combat. Unlike most support fighters, however, he relied on a rifle. It was an expensive fighting style. Every specialized round cost a considerable amount of money, especially since Malon carried different kinds of ammunition designed for different situations. In many ways, he was not so different from an archer. The biggest difference was that an archer could create mana arrows whenever needed.

Those arrows dealt less damage than specialized bullets, but they required no physical ammunition, only mana to construct them. The entrance trial was still far from over.

"Conserve your strength as much as possible," Zeph said.

"Avoid fighting whenever you can. Only enter battle if it's the only way for us to move forward." Everyone responded with a firm nod. No one argued with his decision.