The sovereign

In the heart of the intricate maze of rocks, Mark moved silently among the crevices and crannies. His claymore gleamed in the sunlight that penetrated through the tall stone walls. The rugged terrain demanded a combination of attention and skill, and Mark prepared for any possible encounter.

The atmosphere was tense as he advanced cautiously, knowing that despite it being the tenth day since his reincarnation, the contours of the labyrinth concealed unexpected threats, and Mark was aware of his relative inexperience with the claymore. However, he had shown good results in previous clashes.

Occasionally, shrill sounds could be heard, making one doubt whether it was due to the blowing wind or the miserable end of some explorer, further increasing the tension.

At the corner of a narrow passage, the shuffle of footsteps betrayed the presence of a group of goblins. After a moment of reflection and analyzing the environment, the claymore was wielded, and Mark launched into action.

The two goblins closest to him didn't have time to react before their bodies split in two by a fierce swing, but now he was completely exposed to the other monsters.

The goblins rushed at him in a wild frenzy. Mark moved with precision, deftly dodging their attacks, counterattacking at the most ideal moments in what could be described as a deadly dance. Every step was calculated, every move was what he had learned in his training, and incredibly, he showed signs of frightening growth.

Of course, it was the first time Mark had dealt with a large number of enemies together, and there were times when he sustained damage from the goblins' rudimentary weapons, but thanks to the wide radius of his weapon, he minimized the chances of them getting close to him.

Gradually, the number of monsters began to decrease, between those being stabbed and those being cut in half. At that moment, Mark's only thought was to take them all out, realizing too late that a shadow swiftly approaching him.

"?!"

He quickly raised the sword to parry, but even so, the sudden attack threw him off balance, causing him to fall to the ground.

"Damn it!"

/GRRRR!/

The one who attacked him was a creature resembling a gray wolf but larger.

The creature's muzzle was inches away from his face, allowing Mark to feel its fetid, humid breath. The only thing preventing the creature from tearing Mark's face-off was the guard of the sword he held in one hand, and it was also the reason for his pain, as some of the creature's teeth had sunk into his flesh.

"Go and DIE!"

With his other hand, he drew the dagger and began to repeatedly plunge it into the wolf's side until it collapsed.

With a swift movement, he rolled away, avoiding being tackled by the remaining goblins, and immediately got back on his feet.

The tension in the air was palpable as Mark, in a moment of pause, quickly assessed the situation and tried not to think about his wounded hand. The young man's sharp eyes fixed on the surrounding goblins and then settled on a narrow passage nearby where he fled.

The hungry monsters chased after him, but with the space between the walls too narrow, they slipped in one by one, and what awaited them was a blade that pierced each of their bodies, as if they were meat on a skewer.

/Heavy breath/

With some effort, he removed the monsters' bodies from the blade and exited the narrow passage, using the weapon as a support stick.

"Haaa... that was a close call."

With a tired sigh, he checked the condition of his hand. Blood dripped to the ground, but fortunately, the wound didn't seem deep, and although it hurt, if he compared it to what he had experienced a few days earlier, it was more than bearable.

After making sure there was nothing else around, he went to retrieve the backpack he had left in the corner where he had hidden and began rummaging through it. He pulled out some rags and roots, which he started chewing.

When he felt that the roots had turned into a pulp, he moved it onto his hand and began spreading it over the wound, as it had a good coagulating effect, and then clumsily bandaged it.

"If Selene saw this, she would burst out laughing."

A rare smile formed on his lips, but it disappeared just as quickly.

"I didn't expect the monsters to band together to attack, it really caught me off guard."

[You're right, it's an irregular behavior. Unlike the dungeon, where there are zones that allow monsters to feed regularly, outside, creatures from different races don't hesitate to devour each other.]

"The situation here is problematic indeed. I'm noticing an increase in the number of monsters, and I still have no idea how far the fragment you detected is."

[Most likely it's due to the event that occurs once a year, where monsters emerge from the depths of the canyon.]

"Sounds bad." -Mark commented.

[Usually, it is, but considering that the citadel where you are currently located is the farthest from the center of the canyon, the number of monsters it will face will be significantly lower, and all of them will be level 1.]

"At least that. Let's head back, I don't want to risk it with a wounded hand."

After making sure he had collected all the loot, he started making his way back. This time he had ventured much farther, so it would take him more time to return, but since his speed had improved in tandem with his strength, it didn't take him long to reach the walls.

The guards at the walls already knew him and were accustomed to the nauseating odor he emitted, so no one approached him to check, allowing him to enter the city peacefully and then go to sell the items he had collected.

Once all the chores were done, he returned to the orphanage, where he could see the children playing happily in the garden next to the building.

'Look at them, running and laughing without a care in the world even though they live in a place like this.' -Mark thought with a small smile.

[Probably because of the environment they grew up in.]

'You're right.'

He had seen the care Agata took of the children, doing everything possible to give them that little happiness every child should be able to have.

"It's time to go back in."

At Mark's words, the children grumbled quietly but still listened obediently. Their brief sad mood came to an end when they saw the warm meat on the table, which was a rare luxury for them. They immediately became excited and wasted no time in cleaning up before sitting down together at the table.

With the table filled with voices and smiles, Mark slowly savored his meal, relishing every bite. Since experiencing what it meant to almost starve to death, Mark had begun to appreciate and be grateful for every food he ate.

Another thing he did during meals was to use his core-related ability, which allowed him to receive information about the person he observed, including their emotions and strength. Initially, he couldn't control this ability, but as the ring grew and he trained more, his mastery increased, so much so that he could now activate this ability at will.

"Let's see, Sofia and Ravi are happy, Lela seems tired, while Mateo, Lila, and Elijah are still hungry. As for Agata, she seems... still worried?"

Of course, this ability was not omniscient and had many limitations. The information he received were just intuitions. For example, with Agata, Mark couldn't understand the worry she felt. Initially, he thought it was related to their financial situation or that of the children, but it seemed that the problem ran much deeper.

'Well, I think I should focus more on what I have to do tomorrow. I believe-'

*BAM-BAM-BAM!*

His train of thought was disturbed by the loud knocking on the door, which also startled the children.

"Open this door before we break it down!"

Upon hearing the voice from outside, Agata moved to reach the door, with Mark following closely behind to understand what was happening.

As soon as Agata opened the door, a pair of "guards" entered arrogantly, as if they owned the place. They looked around to see if there was anything of interest, but when they saw that there were only children, a boy, and an old woman, they got straight to the point.

"You are all required to head to the main square. Anyone found not participating will be heavily punished."

Without even giving them a chance to say anything, the two "guards" left and headed towards the next house.

"That was—"

"It's better if we go, I don't want to attract their attention. Well, children, what do we do once we're in the square?"

"Cover our eyes and ears." -They replied in unison.

"Very good."

For the first time, Mark could see that the smile that was always present on that woman's lips had been replaced by a tired, almost resigned look.

They all walked out together and began heading towards the wealthiest area of the citadel that Mark had never explored. Along with them were masses of people, all marching together in the same direction.

'Do you have any idea what's happening?' -Mark asked uncomfortably.

[Among the memories of the old owner, such events occur periodically. You are about to meet the ruler of this city, and you are about to witness the moment when he will execute the presumed criminals. It seems he holds such events in plain view to sow fear in the hearts of the people and make it easier to control them.]

"...This is disgusting."

"Shh, don't let others hear you. You never know who might be his eyes and ears."

Agata covered Mark's mouth as she whispered to his ear, making sure no one was watching them.

The march came to an end as they arrived at a large square, where a huge stage was set up, with several people present. But what caught Mark's eye the most was a man who appeared to be in his forties.

He was seated on what looked like a throne, gazing down at all the people with a satisfied smile, as if he were a king looking at his subjects. His stature was imposing, and contrary to the regal appearance of the throne, his demeanor made him seem barbaric, especially with the gigantic axe placed nearby.

As soon as Mark's gaze fell on him, he felt his instinct telling him he stood no chance against him with his strength

'So, this is a level 2, huh.'

[And this is just the beginning.]

"HAHAHAHAHA! My dear brothers and sisters, what a magnificent pleasure to have all of you gathered here tonight, this Narak couldn't be happier!"

When it seemed that no more people were arriving, Narak began to speak, making his thundering voice resonate throughout the square without the aid of external instruments.

"You know, I admire every one of you, as you work day and night to sustain this place abandoned by all, and I know you feel the same towards me since I am the one protecting you, isn't that right?!"

There was a cacophony of sounds in response to his question, but as Mark looked around, he could see the faces of several people filled with disgust.

"Too kind, too kind. In this place, we can only rely on ourselves, helping each other out. Unfortunately, not everyone thinks so. Bring forth the traitors!"

At his command, some of the gang members brought forward a group of people with their heads covered by sacks, futilely trying to struggle free.

"These here are the scum of this place. Despite knowing all the effort we all put in, they still seek shortcuts to improve their lives. Tell me, is that fair?!"

The crowd erupted into fierce cries, which only made Narak smile even more as he approached one of the prisoners and removed the sack from his head.

"P-Please have mercy, I won't do it again! I beg you, forgive me!"

The man's pleas seemed to fall on deaf ears as Narak turned to the crowd.

"This man worked in the few fields we have, and yet, despite such a blessing, he stole part of the harvest and kept it for himself. What should we do according to you?!"

"KILL HIM!" "KILL HIM!" "KILL HIM!"

"Please, no! I only did it because my wife was sick, I swear I won't do it again!"

The man cried desperately, but Narak merely scratched his ear in annoyance.

"Blah, blah, all excuses. As for your wife, don't worry, my men will take care of her. Isn't that right, guys?"

"HAHAHAHA!" (gang members)

"You're a monster! You steal everything we have, and if it weren't for you preventing others from receiving the blessing, then—"

/SPLAT!/

Before the man could finish his shouts, his head was crushed by Narak's hand, who looked at the corpse with fury.

"SEE?! A USELESS PERSON SAYING USELESS THINGS! ME, WHO PROTECTS YOU FROM ALL THE ATROCITIES OUTSIDE, AND I'M STILL TREATED LIKE THIS!"

Taking a step back, he took the axe and approached the other prisoners, whose mere sound of what was happening was enough to make them tremble.

"I AM THE ONLY ONE WHO PROTECTS YOU!"

/Slash!/

"I AM YOUR GUARDIAN! IF IT WEREN'T FOR ME, THE MONSTERS WOULD HAVE ALREADY FEASTED ON YOUR FLESH!"

/Slash!/

"IN THIS PLACE, YOU SHOULD RESPECT ME!"

/Slash!/

"APPRECIATE ME!"

/Slash!/

"AND WORSHIP ME LIKE AN EMPEROR! BECAUSE ONLY WITH ME CAN YOU CONTINUE TO LIVE!"

With each swing of the axe, the prisoners' bodies were brutally dismembered, painting the stage and the square in a scarlet red, almost as if to emphasize the madness that the man on the stage was unleashing.

'Fucking sociopath.'

Using himself as a shield for the children so they wouldn't see anything, Mark had no other way to describe the man on the stage. But as he saw the effects he had on the people, he realized that the situation was more troublesome than he had anticipated.

"SO I WANT YOU TO REMEMBER THAT IN THIS PLACE, I AM YOUR GOD!"

After killing the last prisoner, he turned towards the crowd covered in blood, like a demon emerging from hell, proving once again that he was at the pinnacle of all, unaware that his life would soon come to an end.