5

Seth wasn't impressed with his power for very long. 

When compared to the other characters in The Summoned Hero, his power was a child's play in their eyes since the hero was able to slay a dragon powerful enough to overthrow an entire kingdom. 

He was on the verge of losing my motivation, but he decided that I didn't require that much strength.

'I only had to get revenge on the Birds of a Feather. In any case, they would also approach me on their own to avoid being identified for crimes against a marquess' son. Wow, who do I think I am? A main character of a novel?'

Seth thought he was being overly confident that he had things worked out. 'But with my shitty luck since I transmigrated, it was more likely for me to get killed first. Realistically, my enemies were more powerful than me. Do I even have a protagonist Halo? Plot armor?'

"Ah, am I really gonna die?"

After only using magic once, he started sweating and felt a bruise on his finger. However, he continued and launched another magic attack, this time focusing the magic power on both of his palms. More concentration was required to make two balls of light at the same time. 

He pointed his palms at the tree, but it quickly dissipated before it could hit the trunk.

"Maybe it's too much." He mumbled to himself.

He tried again using only his right hand, but the magic's power was getting weaker, and it could barely make a dent in the tree. 

"Fuh…" 

Seth tried to make a ball of light in his right hand, but it vanished immediately because his hand was shaking. 

He wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"I never thought there would be a day I would try so hard to fight for my pathetic life."

After he rested briefly, he used both hands raised in front of him, gathering the mana surging through his veins and performing the spell. A rush of power washed over him, and the light in front of him blinded his eyes to the point where he had to shut them tight.

'If only I could blow up the trees in front of me!'

"Here I go!"

"Are you courting death?" A voice from nowhere surprised him, and Seth became so distracted that the magic in his hands lost its form.

"Who is it?" Seth asked warily at the source of the voice.

The man emerged from the darkness. As soon as the light shone on him, Seth remembered a passage from the novel The Summoned Hero.

[The man was tall and had a sturdy frame, long silver hair that cascaded down his back and was pulled back into a low ponytail, and thin, reserved silver eyes. Additionally, he also had a scar on the edge of his lip that went all the way to his chin.]

[Though he appeared stoic when he was lost in thought, a subtle melancholy was carved into his features. The deep look in his silver eyes suggested a sense of sorrow.]

[A suit of shining armor enveloped his form, reflecting the sunlight. His gauntleted hand was always carrying the hilt of his sword that had a crest on it.]

'Celia said that someone by the name of Isaac was the one who saved me. Jake said that Isaac was going up in the mountains.' Seth was momentarily lost in thoughts.

'The characters in The Summoned Hero always had their appearances described in detail, and matching his looks and name, this individual is Isaac, the mysterious person who appeared only a few times in The Summoned Hero'

Isaac was one of those who assisted the hero in becoming stronger, so long as the hero promised he would be able to defeat the Demon King, though he wasn't interested in world peace. Nonetheless, the hero never considered Isaac an ally.

When the hero secretly investigated Isaac's background, he discovered that he was a knight from a long-lost kingdom who desired to resurrect someone. 

In the end, when Isaac failed to achieve his goal, he met an unfortunate ending: he was corrupted into a vengeful demon.

Seth was wary of him. 'Unexpectedly, it was Isaac who saved me.'

Isaac opened his mouth and spoke. "Go ahead, unless you want to draw the minotaurs and other monsters into this mountain."

After getting reprimanded, Seth was embarrassed and could only utter an apology. "Sorry, I was training."

The knight looked to be passing by to issue a warning and showed no interest in Seth's response. On the mountainside by himself, Isaac turned away, his silver hair swaying as he started to walk away from him.

"Wait!" Seth called out. "Wait a second. You are Isaac, right? The person who rescued me outside the dungeon."

Isaac came to a halt. A tense silence hung in the air, broken only by the rustle of leaves in the breeze. 

"What about it?" Isaac finally asked.

"I want to thank you for saving me. If there's anything that you want, I'll try to give it to you, though I have to go back to the capital first since I have nothing on me."

'Although I'm wary of him, if I could have him follow me back to the capital, wouldn't it at least increase the probability of my safety? Though there was no guarantee he would rescue me, as long as my enemies pissed him off, then he could finish them.' Seth immediately conjured up a plan in his mind. 

Isaac turned fully to look at Seth, and there was a flicker of hesitation in his eyes. However, it was quickly masked by his usual stoicism.

"You are a marquess' child?" Isaac asked monotonously.

"Yeah, I am. My father is rich so he can give you anything you want as long as-"

As though hearing something ridiculous, Isaac suddenly scoffed. "Unfortunately, what I need right now is not something that can be bought with money."

In The Summoned Hero, Isaac ordered the protagonist to locate a Soul Shard in the Forest of Death, which was located to the east of the continent, in exchange for a secret method to slay a dragon. The monsters in the Forest of Death were classified, with the lowest being an A-tier to SSS-tier monster, and were all stronger than regular monsters. 

Many expeditions had attempted to clear the Forest of Death, but the vast majority of adventurers and hunters had perished once inside. Similarly, the hero brought his trusted allies and was trapped in the woods for 27 years until he discovered a way out, with him being the only survivor. 

Isaac thought, 'I haven't found the exact location of the Soul Shard in the Forest of Death. Even if I asked a noble who can send people into the forests, they might only get trapped or get killed by the monsters inside.' 

'He's right. I can't get the Soul Shard but I can't just let this opportunity slip by.' Seth asked again, "So, besides that, is there anything that you want?"

"There's nothing else that I need." As Isaac finished speaking, he turned away, his silhouette fading into the darkness of the mountain. 

Seth didn't want to let him go so quickly. 'Where else could you find an ally who is strong?' 

Seth called out, hoping to start a new conversation with him. "I heard that you are slaying the monsters here."

"Don't follow me," he retorted.

Undeterred, Seth decided to walk in the same direction as him as Isaac traversed the terrain while ignoring his presence.

"Let me help you. It's better than going alone."

…

As the two of them ventured further, the landscape began to level out.

Seth observed the silver-haired man as he effortlessly attacked the monsters that lurked in their path. His combat abilities were impressive; he eliminated them without breaking a sweat. 

When they got near a swampy area, Seth's attention was drawn to the murky, greenish water that started to bubble. A large, toad-like creature swam on the surface, peeping out with its eyes. It had many long, bumpy tongues that looked like tentacles. 

Isaac ignored the ugly monster, which made Seth express his worries. "What about this monster?"

Swamp Toad. It was a dangerous monster that would drag an ordinary villager into the swamp. 

"I'm sure you can handle that," Isaac answered casually, casting a provocative gaze in Seth's direction. 

Seth hesitated for a moment, unsure of his capabilities. Swamp Toads were normally thought to be weak monsters, but the one in front of him was anything but average. It appeared to be significantly more powerful than the average monster of its kind.

'Being a novice level, shouldn't I often be fighting a goblin, a weak monster?'

Seth took a long breath to regain his composure, but the monster was impatient and shot out its tongues to seize his arms and legs. The sudden attack caught him off guard, and the monster had him in its grip.

"You!"

His hands shook in nervousness as he quickly withdrew the dagger from his waistband and pointed it at the tentacle that had grabbed hold of his leg. He cut through the appendage quickly, green blood gushing from the wound as the creature yelled in pain.

The Swamp Toad became agitated and extended its other tongues in his direction. It tightened its hold on his limbs like a snake and tried to drag him under the swamp's dark waters so it could drown him there. It was hard for Seth to resist, as the ground beneath his feet was slippery.

He clenched his teeth, attempting to remain cool amid the commotion. The pressure on his limbs increased with each passing instant, making movement harder, and one of them even curled around his neck, which blocked his airway. He couldn't evade it since it was too fast, so he had to slash it with his dagger after it had reached him. 

Seth used every ounce of power he could muster to peel the remaining tongues from his limbs. He then cut the tentacles with the blade still in his hand. The green blood spewed again, but it seemed to fuel the monster's rage.

In a fit of desperation, Seth managed to break free from the monster's grip. He staggered backward, gasping for air, separating himself from the furious toad. 

The Swamp Toad was more enraged when the tongues were severed. It surged out of the swamp with an angry howl, its gigantic figure throwing a threatening shadow over him. Its huge jaws, lined with rows of sharp, jagged teeth, opened wide, sending chills down his spine.

With all the strength and agility Seth could muster, he darted to the side, narrowly avoiding the snapping jaws of the beast. Its powerful bite came dangerously close, but he managed to escape its grasp. His heart was pounding in his chest. 

The monster rushed again, this time adjusting its direction to mimic his movements. 

'It's persistently pursuing me, so I need a plan to turn the tide in my favor.' Seth thought in nervousness.

Glancing around, he spotted a cluster of large rocks nearby. A risky idea took shape in his mind. His heart raced as he made a split-second decision, hoping it would work.

As the monster lunged once more, he made a sudden dash towards the rocks. At the last moment, he dove behind the largest boulder, using it as a shield. The monster's massive jaws clamped down on the rock with a deafening crash, its teeth barely inches from his body.

"Kwak!" The Swamp Toad croaked furiously.

Taking advantage of the situation, Seth clutched the dagger tightly and lunged forward, aiming for a vulnerable spot near the creature's eye. The sword struck its target, burrowing into the soft flesh with a sickening squish, causing the beast to let out a guttural croak of pain and pull its head away from the rock.

The wounded monster thrashed around in rage. With adrenaline coursing through his veins, Seth took advantage of the creature's momentary distraction and fired a series of quick attacks until it eventually stopped moving and stayed motionless.

"Gasp…"

Seth managed to hunt his first monster.

From behind, he could hear footsteps coming toward him. Seth gasped for air in ragged breaths, looked up at Isaac, and batted the remaining tongues away from his limbs. He was both relieved and exhausted. 

"I think... I almost died... again."