THIS IS WHAT FEAR FEELS LIKE [1]

"Hey, you're that masked man selling the white healing flowers," he said, extending his hand in a friendly gesture.

Ravan, still stroking Jet's fur, glanced at Kael's hand but didn't say a word.

He didn't extend his own hand or introduce himself.

He simply continued petting Jet.

Kyle's hand remained outstretched for a moment before he slowly withdrew it, chuckling awkwardly.

"I guess you're not one for formal handshakes."

Kael took a deep breath.

"I need your help," he said.

"We heard you're the only one who knows how to properly extract those white flowers. They're really important for healing."

Ravan continued to remain silent, his gaze steady.

He knew that uprooting the flowers was a delicate process and that he was currently the only one who could do it effectively.

After a brief pause, he nodded slightly, indicating that he was willing to help.

Kael's eyes lit up with relief.

He turned to one of his friends, who had been waiting nearby.

"Go get a sack and bring it here. We'll need to collect as many flowers as we can."

The friend nodded and left to fetch the sack.

As Kael and Ravan waited, Kael looked at Ravan with a hint of curiosity.

"I'm Kael, by the way. Thanks for agreeing to help. It's not easy finding someone who knows how to deal with these flowers."

Ravan didn't respond.

Instead, he picked up Jet and resumed stroking him.

The friend returned with a large sack.

Kael gestured to the glowing area where the flowers were densely packed.

"That's the spot. Please show us how to extract them."

Ravan moved towards the area, and Kael's friend followed closely, holding the sack.

Ravan bent down and began carefully uprooting the flowers, revealing their white petals with golden stigmas.

As Kael and his friend observed, Kael nodded in understanding looking at his friend as if giving him the signal.

His friend conjured up a fireball and shot it towards the ceiling.

The fireball exploded against the rocks, causing a shower of debris to fall around them.

Ravan looked up at the chaos above.

After Kael's friend, who was named Ethan, shot a fireball, rocks tumbled down, nearly sealing their escape route.

Kael and Ethan were now fully prepared for a confrontation.

Kael drew out his ice daggers, while Ethan conjured fireballs around his arms.

'Just as I thought...'Ravan muttered to himself.

Kyle began to speak, his tone calculating.

"Now that we've learned how to extract these valuable flowers, there's no need for you your presence.

With your knowledge, I can become a monopoly here, selling these flowers and making a fortune.

I can get even more items and artifacts, just like you've been doing. Of course, there's always room for negotiation."

"Sorry, but I'll be taking the business from here..." Kael said pointing his ice dagger.

Ethan, clearly impatient, launched a fireball at Ravan.

Ravan dodged most of it, but the fireball scorched the ground near him.

Ethan then attacked directly, and the two engaged in a fierce fight.

Ravan skillfully evaded and countered the fireballs, using his agility to his advantage.

[■Agility has been increased by 10%]

With precise strikes, Ravan used the Paralyzing Fangs daggers.

Each slash caused Ethan to stagger and show signs of paralysis.

[■Paralysis Effect has been increased]

The attacks soon took their toll, as Ethan began to cough up blood mixed with a greenish hue.

His body turned pale and then a sickly purple before he finally fell, convulsing on the ground.

The system chimed in.

[Enemy has been defeated]

[Ding!]

[Immense Bloodlust has been detected!]

'It must be from Kael,' Ravan thought.

Ravan, with his mask partially shattered and half of his face exposed, turned his attention to Kael.

Seeing no further use for the mask, he pulled it off completely smashing it against the ground as it shattered producing a blue smoky aura and then dissipating.

His eyes locked with Kael's, who was visibly sweating and stumbling backward, his confidence fading.

Ravan looked at Kael with cold determination.

"It seems that backstabbing is one of your personalities and something you enjoy," he said calmly.

Kael's eyes widened in shock and fear as he recognized Ravan.

"How… how did you survive the centipede?" he stammered, his voice trembling.

Ravan didn't respond verbally.

Instead, he continued walking toward Kael with a grim confidence.

Inside, however, Ravan was gripped by fear.

He had never killed a strong awakened before, and Kael, being somewhere between A and B rank, was a formidable opponent.

Sure Ethan was awakened as well, but his combat prowess stated otherwise that he was a low rank.

Despite his outward composure, Ravan was sweating, deeply aware of the danger Kael represented.

'I know I've grown in strength since getting the system....yet I feel the opposite.'

Kael, realizing the gravity of the situation, looked like he had seen a ghost.

The shock of seeing Ravan, who had seemingly survived against all odds, combined with the reality of his own near-death experience, left him visibly shaken.

'The fact that he survived speaks volumes... if he defeated that centipede alone...then...then he's not the same as he was,' Kael thought.

The mutual fear and tension between them were palpable, each acutely aware of the deadly nature of the other.

Kael's gaze drifted back to the time when he had severed Ravan's arm, leaving him in the crater with the centipede.

The memory lingered in his mind, mingling with regret and a twisted sense of satisfaction.

He recalled how Ravan had seemed so vulnerable then, left at the mercy of the monstrous creature.

Despite the fleeting remorse, Kael's smile remained, reflecting his confidence in the current situation.

As he knelt, clutching his ice daggers, Kael placed one dagger across his shoulders.

His smile was faint but unwavering.

"You know," he said, his voice tinged with a mix of arrogance and contemplation, "I did enjoy watching you struggle.

It was almost poetic, seeing you there, fighting for survival."

He looked up at Ravan, who was advancing steadily.

Kael's expression remained calm, even as he acknowledged Ravan's resilience.

"But let's be real," Kyle continued, his tone shifting to one of condescension.

"You're still not awakened, and you're at a severe disadvantage.

You're just a regular human, or even weaker.

There's no way you could defeat me.

I'm faster, stronger, and far superior in almost every way."

Kyle's confidence was evident as he stood, holding the daggers with an almost reverent grip.

His eyes, however, betrayed a hint of concern.

The fact that Ravan had survived and was now closing in on him despite the odds was unsettling.

Yet, Kyle's demeanor remained composed, a smirk playing on his lips

'This bastard...' Kael began his thoughts.

'I know he's not an awakened at all...but the type of aura and pressure he's giving off...it's unprecedented.'

'There's no way he would grow stronger or even awaken mana in such a short time...'

'I know for a fact I'm much stronger than him..yet'

'If I am stronger, why do I feel this way...'

'Why do I feel.....FEAR?'

***

In the dimly lit room of the Zenith house, Rhett and Ryker were seated across from each other, discussing their latest moves.

Rhett's gaze was intense as he asked, "So, Ryker, how did you manage to get Ravan into the Dungeon Row? It's not something that's easily orchestrated."

Ryker leaned back, his expression a mix of satisfaction and calculation.

"It wasn't straightforward, but it was effective.

I hired someone skilled enough to deal with the Tower Walkers.

They managed to kill them, sell their bodies and extract their mana cores, though the methods were brutal.

The goal was to ensure Ravan's removal from this world, permanently."

Rhett raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Go on."

Ryker continued, "I had this individual track down Ravan, knowing he'd be in the Blacksmith Department.

They offered him a deal, which was a setup.

The plan was to frame him, bringing him under suspicion with the Tower Walkers Association and the courts.

Rhett nodded, absorbing the details. "And?"

"I also bribed one of Ravan's companions, a woman named Rina," Ryker explained.

"She was paid to snitch on him, which led to his capture and sentencing to the Dungeon Row.

It wasn't a guaranteed death sentence, but it was a solid strategy to ensure he wouldn't survive."

Rhett's eyes narrowed. "But you're worried he might still come out of it?"

Ryker sighed. "Exactly. Ravan is clever and adaptable.

There's a lingering concern that he might find a way to turn the situation to his advantage."

Rhett leaned forward. "And what if he does survive?"

Ryker's face grew serious.

"If we're expecting Ravan to die in the Dungeon Row, then we need to ensure that it happens.

If Ravan survives, it could be disastrous."

Across the room, Ryker picked up the phone, his demeanor calm but determined.

The line rang briefly before it was answered

"I need to speak with you," Ryker said into the receiver, his voice steady and purposeful.