Several Levels Down

The ground was tremored as earth was scattered about in large chunks as a man in blue with a silver-coloured long sword came crashing into the ground leaving a large crater where he landed. "Aarhh!" he let out a wail that shook the mountains around before spewing a mouth full of blood. He plunged his sword into the ground as he struggled to lift himself.

Looking into the distance, a ten-foot-tall humanoid beast with vine-like tentacles for arms and a small head compared to its large body was approaching him. Its mouth gave the impression it had been sewn shut with vines. With a large eye in the centre of its forehead and two smaller ones, it glared at the man in fury. Each step it took left large footprints and small plants sprouting in its wake.

In a tree on the small island, a young man about twenty- two was watching the battle intently. He had lengthy blood-red hair that reached his back and red eyes. He looked very handsome and stood out amongst the others in the trees. He was about two feet tall and stood on a large branch with a small bag slung across his back.

"Do you think the young master would be able to kill it?" a woman in a yellow fairy-like dress addressed the red-haired man. She was beautiful and about twenty-five years old. She garnered the attention of men everywhere she went. She had shiny black hair that hung from her back like a waterfall and black crystalline eyes. Her eyes were so pretty one could watch them all day without getting tired.

The red-haired man was rather very optimistic. "Of course, he can. Taking on a Thousand-knot skewer vine spirit is a small deal for him. The young master is insanely strong, you know?" The red-haired man didn't spare any chance to lick his boots in front of the woman. Soon after saying that, his eyes shone brightly, and he pointed towards the battlefield and exclaimed "See what I mean?"

On the battlefield, the blue-dressed man finally stood on his feet and lifted his sword. The silver sword began to change colour. It was dyed green as vine-like veins appeared on it. The Thousand-knot skewer vine spirit was now only thirty feet away from him. A green aura emanated from him as the phantom of a large vine appeared behind him.

His presence changed so drastically that the pressure emanating from him affected those in the trees far away from him. The Thousand-knot skewer vine spirit approaching stopped dead in its track and peered at the man cautiously. Its presence also changed as it applied even more pressure than the young master could. On the contrary, the young master didn't seem fazed by this at all however, that couldn't be said about those in the trees.

"Shit! Everyone, retreat!" The red-haired man warned and immediately descended the tree and run in the opposite direction of the battlefield. The others did not hesitate to do so as well. They knew being there was simply courting death.

The young master's body suddenly flashed and appeared directly above the Thousand-knot skewer vine slashing towards it. The Thousand-knot skewer vine reacted as well by lashing at his incoming green sword with its vines.

A shockwave rocked them as the two were sent flying several meters back. The young master dug into the ground for close to feet hundred-meter before coming to a stop leaving a trench in his wake. He was unscathed however, the same could not be said about their surroundings. There was a large hole where the two had clashed and trees were uprooted in a three-hundred meters radius.

The young master did not wait for even a moment before pouncing towards the Thousand-knot skewer vine again slashing it like a battle-drunk titan. The resulting shockwave continued to cause more destruction on the island. To a normal person, the entire battle seemed like two green lights flashing back and forth in the distance.

The red-haired man and crew didn't stop running. They could feel the shockwave of the battle behind drawing closer and closer to them. Stopping at this point would mean death. There was a loud boom which sent everyone flying forward and then there was silence.

"Is it over?" the woman asked the red-haired man. The others also looked towards him expecting answers as well. The red-haired man looked towards the battlefield with a glum look and his face was drained of all colours. He slowly shook his head and said "I don't know. We just have to wait for a bit" he presented a wry smile.

The woman looked towards him with a strange expression. Looking at his pale face, she thought something was wrong. "You don't seem to be doing too well. Are you alright?" she asked concerningly.

"I'm fine don't worry," he said looking towards the battlefield once more.

The young master was standing ten feet away from the Thousand-knot skewer vine which had a deep gash in its chest and had lost an arm. Green blood flowed from its wounds as it stood staring at its opponent. The young master was not doing so well either. He had a few broken ribs and a gash across his right shoulder. He lifted his sword and stabbed it into the ground and yelled <Endless vine domain: Tentacle Spear>

The ground shook and within a twenty-meter radius, the ground was covered in vines. The vines formed a dome around the Thousand-knot skewer vine and began piercing through it appearing from anywhere within the dome. When the dome disappeared, the Thousand-knot skewer vine dropped to the ground as it was dealt the last blow. The young master removed a green orblike core from the beast and dropped to the ground panting. He looked towards a group approaching him.

It was the red-haired man and the others. The woman run and threw herself at the young master "Brother are you alright?" she asked as she inspected his wounds.

"I'm fine, I'm fine. I only need to rest for a few days to heal" he answered

"The young master is very strong. His opponents would always bow to him"

"Yes, yes, yes nobody in this territory can stand up to him"

The five gathered around began licking his boots. He only presented a smile and said nothing. The red-haired man looked on with a jealousy-filled expression. He looked at the young master and wished he had strength like that.

He took out a rope from his bag and tied up the dead Thousand-knot skewer vine. With the help of the others, they dragged it back into town. As they entered the town with the dead beast, many quickly surrounded them in a bid to purchase the beast. After the purchase, the red-haired man was given a pouch by the young master.

"Fifty silver, as promised," the young master said.

"Thank you. Nice doing business with you." He said and turned to leave. He looked towards the departing young master once more and sighed.

"You wish for the young master to be the main character, don't you? Yeah, me too. After all, he is just one rank away from being a high-ranking Hector. He is currently the strongest Hector in this region. Sorry to disappoint you but you will just have to stick with me from now on. After all, I'm the main character here."