3 Nomad King Charaka

As Lir laid on his bed, silver moonlight entered through the window. The lit area grew with every passing minute, but the young man stayed motionless with his pebble in hand.

Lir remained silent and pondered over Merlin's words for a while. Though, his only thought was the wellbeing of his friend. Although her mother reassured him she was fine, something still bothered him to his core. He felt it in his heart that something was wrong. "I'll think about it."

He thought about it for a few seconds and couldn't help it. His expectations are low, but he still has to ask. "Can you help me locate Tilly?"

The voice didn't reject him as he expected. [Who's that?]

Lir then described the young girl as best he could and provided all knowledge he was aware of. "A friend of mine who came to the Royal Capital a few days ago…"

Merlin listened and didn't interrupt him. After he passed on the information, she spoke. [I can't make any promises, but I'll do my best. Now, just in case you wish to take part, you can check your progress by calling |Status| out loud!]

"Take part...? In what exactly?"

[King Royale!]

Their conversation took about an hour, and Merlin's voice disappeared in the same abrupt manner that it echoed in his head the first time. He didn't think someone was pranking him, because outside the village, nobody knew of him. Also, the villagers didn't know how to use magic.

He gave it some thought and called out to ease his curiosity. "Status!"

It was unexpected how an unfamiliar window appeared before him. He gasped and his breathing became erratic for a minute. It's taken him a while for him to calm down. He looked at the translucent screen that was in a faint brown color with silver decorations outlining it. He closed his eyes and turned around, facing the wall. Upon opening them again, the window popped up in front of him.

---Status---

| Name: Lir | Age: 17 | Race: Werewolf |

Days of survival: 00

HP

|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|

EXP: 50/100 | Skill Points: 00

Active Skills | Passive Skills

Strength: 01 | Charisma: 00

Defence: 01 | Negotiation: 00

Speed: 01 | Detection: 00

| Luck: 00

Chain Skills (Locked)

Unlock Requirements: Any Skill reaches level 10

--{Special Skill}--

Alpha (Locked)

Unlock Requirements: Create bonds

Attributes: (Locked)

--{Extra Skill}--

Howl (Locked)

When the user howls, the pack arrives in an instant.

Unlock Requirements: Create a pack

---Status---

A couple of days later, while Lir was on top of the hill juggling his pebble, a scream coming from the village startled him. He stood up and turned his gaze towards the village. His blood froze when he saw smoke darkening the sky above.

Without a second thought, he slid down the hill and made his way back to the village. Lir, maybe because he never tried to use it, or he didn't care, his body went through some changes when he became a candidate.

For one, his stamina increased. His experience from before would be to take a break as soon as he reached the foot of the hill and take a few deep breaths before being able to continue.

It surprised him, but not as much as his speed with which he descended, in mere seconds and without losing his balance. In the same spot, he stumbled and rolled down, losing consciousness for a week.

His newfound abilities forced a smile onto his face. He enjoyed it enough to try it again, but his brain dictated the priority at hand. 'Check out the village!'

In an instant, he regained his focus and charged at the village, which he reached in seconds. He trembled at the sight of the burning houses and screaming people running in the streets.

Riders on horses gathered around the villagers and had them kneel in the center. The young man stood idle until someone kicked him from behind. "Get moving, kid!"

Lir saw the frightened faces of Tilly's parents and sat with them. As soon as she saw him, the girl's mother hugged him and held him in her arms. Her husband put his hand on the young man's shoulder, comforting him.

That man's hands had callouses from the manual labor in the fields. Lir rarely saw him and that was usually during supper, when he would return home after a hard day's work. Despite being tired, he would always smile at him and ask about his day.

Even though the people are frightened, their houses are burning and tears flow endlessly, he still can't comprehend it. Buried in the woman's embrace, he whispers. "What's happening…?"

Before she could reply, they heard a voice that raised the fear in the people's hearts. "This village now belongs to this King!"

The riders parted, and a burly man walked proudly among them. He exposed his muscles with every step he took. Shirtless as he was, he would flex and stretch his body while winking at the women.

His back had scars, as if he was getting whipped regularly. Single line strokes going in different directions. A similar scar was over his eyes, as if they whipped him in the face. As it appears, though, he didn't lose his sight.

When they turned away, disgusted, the burly man and his crew would laugh and point at them. Lir observed the situation. He thought about what this vulgar person said moments ago. 'He called himself a king…!'

That single sentence stayed in his mind. That's when the thought crossed his mind. This person is like him, but had a background more sinister than him. 'He must've been a bandit or something...'

While Lir pondered over it, the burly man got closer without him realizing. He gasped when he saw him hovering over him like a mountain. "I'm the Nomad King, Charaka! You will obey me!"

'Charaka? Never heard of him...'

An old man stood up with the support of a youngster next to him. "King Charaka, our village is poor…"

A rider approached and kicked him down. "Can it, old man!"

Lir gritted his teeth at the sight, but he remained seated next to Tilly's family. His anger only grew from there when Charaka and the rest laughed. Even though he held back, he still clenched his fists.

His eyes emitted a faint glow and veins came close to bursting, but the embrace kept him calm and collected. That was until the moment Charaka grabbed Tilly's mother by the hair. "You are a pretty lady…"

Her husband stood up and charged at the man who held onto his wife, but met a kick in the stomach. Charaka laughed when the man made a thud on the ground and dust rose. Lir, unable to control his anger, any longer stood up, but met the same fate as Tilly's father.

Glinting red eyes sent shivers down his spine. "Stay down!"

As he crawled about in that powerless state, he looked up and saw the agony in the woman's eyes. No matter how hard she struggled, she couldn't break free. His eyes flashed a blue glint when Tilly's freckled, smiling face popped into his mind.

No matter what the situation was, Tilly would smile. With a positive attitude, she would face her problems and overcome them. Lir always admired her for that. Unlike her, he never faced his issues. Instead, he would ignore them until they would finally catch up with him.

At that moment, it was as if something came over him and manipulated his movements. He grabbed the pebble from his pocket and threw it at Charaka with all the strength he could muster. The Nomad King saw him but since Lir caught him by surprise, he couldn't move or even counter.

He never once considered the fact that the young man in front of him could be a candidate like him, nor did he peg him as anything but an ant courting death. Charaka simply stood there, smirking. The pebble moved so fast it let out a trail behind it. The villagers witnessed this as well, and amazed as they were, they couldn't bring themselves to say anything.

Same goes for King Charaka's crew. They gasped and unconsciously took a step back when their boss fell on the ground with a hole in his chest and blood effortlessly spewing out.