Chapter 25

As Esecleus was clearing the horde of baby Elder Wyrms on his way to section 1, he sensed a malignant curse coming his way. A shadow of a dead man, materializing a skull screaming in agony had entered his body. He could not dodge or avoid the curse, for he was preoccupied with the baby Elder Wyrms in front of him.

Suddenly, a burning sensation in his chest occurred, sharp and digging pain had his muscles and whole body weak for a moment. He was burning—literally and with rage.

"Argh!"

In his head, the voice was screaming voraciously. But the curse was not hungry for any kind of food. What he was screaming and hungry for was human blood and their despair.

"Shed blood! Kill every damn human alive!" Screamed the voice inside of him, getting more hateful and vile. Wicked as they said.

Inexplicably, the curse somehow managed to catch Esecleus off guard and had the man show the side of him he had been hiding ever since he became a Hunter.

Bloodlust overruns the remaining baby Elder Wyrms, clouding their judgment and putting all of them in astonishing fear. All of them were in a state of paranoia, bodies trembling at the cold sight of the recuperating Esecleus.

"Grruh!" Uttered the scared tiny Elder Wyrms, scattering everywhere when Esecleus was forced to unveil his true bloodlust. All those pent-up malicious intents he had been containing inside of him. And all of the negative emotions he could not release all at once had been freed. However, it did not mean that Esecleus will be free of his desires and unquenchable wishes.

"Haa! Who told you... to fucking mess inside my body?!"

Unspeakably, Esecleus' right hand went through his body, yanking out that curse that put him in a burning state and became the leverage to release all those furies, which people from across the world will soon notice.

In his hand was the wriggling dark shadow, portraying a skull screaming at Esecleus. It never stopped screaming his desire and bloodthirsty wishes.

[You have acquired "The Curse of The Elder Wyrm."]

[Do you wish to store this inside your inventory?]

"Yes, please."

Esecleus wanted to know more about the curse but unfortunately, the system did not show any information he could learn about it, thus storing the curse inside his inventory for now.

As the fear that shrouded the baby Elder Wyrms' minds faded away due to Esecleus' recuperation, they abruptly targeted the man spewing great flames they inherited from Elder Wyrm and immediately flocked over Esecleus.

"Playtime is over. I need to catch up to your creator."

[Unique Ability Activation]

[Ability Tree: Ice Particles]

[Ability Tree: Elemental Bow and Arrows]

Ice Particles lets Esecleus shoot sharp ice arrows at a distance with a remarkable speed. Although it does not clear off all of the monsters on his way, it greatly reduces the numbers as their bodies get punched multiple holes with the help of Ice Particles.

Moving on, Esecleus darted towards the few remaining baby Elder Wyrms, sliding underneath them as they hover and fired shots using the Elemental Bow and Arrows. It successfully struck down the few baby Elder Wyrms and he proceeded on his way to meet the cause of the disturbance in the city.

He hastened, wasting no time in his movements. Precise and concise as usual. Every time he focuses on something, Esecleus does it with everything he has. Failure is not an option for him whenever he is serious and if he puts his mind to it.

Explosions occur here and there. The yelping of the citizens of the city crying for help resounded in his keen senses. Not only that, Esecleus could feel their discomfort and fear all over his body. It sounds as though Esecleus is connected to everyone in the city.

"Do I lack empathy? Am I cruel for turning a blind eye and closing my ears to their cries for help? Am I an asshole for not saving them even though I have the ability to do so?"

Suddenly, Esecleus fell into a deep state of doubt. Questions regarding his morale and humanity flooded his mind. Growing up alone, with no guidance from anyone, Esecleus who was forced to understand the world at a very young age, had so many questions left unanswered.

"I, alone, can't answer these questions. These past years, I kept asking myself the same questions. I could not come up with the right answer. And I have no one to answer it for me. It is ironic how everyone is surrounded by people, yet most of us feel like we are alone. Loneliness is something hard to quench."

From kids to elders, all of their agonies could be heard and Esecleus was there to stop the cause of everyone's miseries. The Elder Wyrm.

Not so long after eliminating the horde of baby Elder Wyrms, Esecleus was met with a group of people evacuating on themselves after getting abandoned when one of the evacuation centers fell victim to the invasive monsters wreaking havoc in the entire city. Esecleus saw the burned

bodies of people who failed to escape the wrath of the Elder Wyrm.

"Young man! Are you a Hunter? Can you please help us get away from here?"

The group consisted of two elders, one independent adult, and two kids weeping at the loss of their parents. They were being carried by the adult and the other male elder so that it would be faster.

As someone who has a soft spot for people that personally ask for Esecleus' help, he could not just abandon them or ignore their request. So, what he did was immediately bring them away from the direction of monsters roaming wildly in the vicinity.

Esecleus was only a hundred meters away from section 1 yet he could already see the towering figure of the Elder Wyrm still causing chaos and pandemonium over the place.

"Of course, I can. Follow me. I will lead all of you to safety."

Even if the whole place is in a wreck and chaos, Esecleus still knows his in and out of the city. Where to go and where not to. One unique skill he has is that he can easily memorize patterns and routes in his head. However, not all routes are accessible anymore since some of them are blocked by debris from buildings that collapsed, and sometimes there are monsters flying around.

"Thank you! You don't know how grateful I am for helping us! May the Lord guide you!"

"No worries. I did what anyone would do. Now be quick and tread this path. It should lead you to a nearby town."

"You be careful too, young man!"

"I will. Now, get going."

Before the group continued on the safe path to the nearby town, Esecleus cast a spell on them that boosts their luck. It might sound ridiculous, but even though he rarely uses it, this ability allows him to erase some of his misfortune. It even works on picking up women. He tried it a few times already on the opposite sex and it works just fine. Although he had to work his way up if he wanted more with them.

The Elder Wyrm had long sensed Esecleus. The monster's jade-green eyes locked with Esecleus' gaze and what he felt after that was not contempt but warmth. It was not because of the heat surrounding him but the strange nostalgia he felt once locked eyes with the Elder Wyrm.

All of a sudden, the Elder Wyrm breathes flame into the air, filling the sky with its searing hot fire. It then flapped its wings and magnificently boasted how huge he was. It was not just a mere showoff but also to let Esecleus know that he is superior in everything.

"Another interesting human has appeared."

It spoke inside Esecleus' mind. Because he would not hear something from that distance without opening their mouth.

Strangely, Esecleus feels a connection with the dragon and nostalgia hits him harder than he thought it would. And all of it was weird for him since he felt like he knows the dragon, yet has no idea who it was that took on the consciousness.

"Truly interesting. Eyes of Truth do not seem to work on you. I found myself a mysterious individual."

~