Chapter 8 - Bat Creed

"Can I actually take his life? He's the son of a Duke, after all. If I were to end his life, I'm almost certain the entire army would descend upon me in search of vengeance. However, if I were to leave him wounded, what kind of aftermath would I be inviting?" Bong pondered, his brows furrowing in deep contemplation.

"What's a bat gotta do? What's a bat gotta do?" Bong muttered, fluttering around in a whirlwind of contemplation. His tiny wings flapped furiously as he wrestled with his decision, creating a comical spectacle of indecision.

"Eureka! " Bong exclaimed with a mischievous gleam in his eyes, a triumphant chuckle bubbling up from his tiny bat form.

"Shadow Manipulation " Bong activated skill, a devilish grin forming on his bat face. With a flourish of his newfound skill, 'Shadow Manipulation,' he created a shadowy hand from the ground. This inky appendage swiftly wrapped around the Young Master and his lackey, effectively pinning them in place.

"Looks like you two are in for a shadowy surprise," Bong quipped, his tone a mixture of playful triumph and satisfaction.

"What in the world? Who's lurking around? How dare you lay a finger on me? Don't you know who I am? I'm Sebastian Everhart, the son of Duke Everhart! " Sebastian exclaimed, his voice dripping with arrogance and entitlement. Meanwhile, Bong, the cunning bat, couldn't help but roll his eyes at the display of bravado.

"Gosh, how on earth do I communicate this? I'm just a bat, I can't exactly have a heart-to-heart chat with them. But my hunch was right, he's indeed the Duke's son. This is bound to complicate things for me. However, I can't just stand by and watch a young boy die in front of me. I've got my own bat creed to uphold," Bong pondered, his bat brow furrowing in determination and concern.

"I've got to wrap this up quick; my MP running low. Wait a minute, how could I forget about 'Soul Siphon'? " Bong thought urgently. As the Young Master and his minion remained pinned to the ground by Bong's shadow restraint.

Bong didn't waste a moment. Seizing the perfect chance, he swiftly sank his fangs into the Young Master's neck, drinking the blood and replenishing his own MP.

Sebastian screamed in pain and agony, and his minions were could not do the things only watching him pain, but then his screamed heard by the other's adventure who were there near the Dungeon and they rushed to help him.

"Mission accomplished, kid. Your life's safe... at least for now. Time for me to make a quick escape before the other adventurers show up," Bong muttered to himself, his bat form ready to take flight and vanish into the shadows.

Bong escaped away from the scene, blending seamlessly into the cover of the shadowy night. After a while, he halted in his flight.

"Wait a minute... No level up?" Bong questioned, a hint of bewilderment evident in his voice.

[ALERT]

[Opponent is not killed yet]

The system's message flashed before Bong's eyes, a reminder that his task was not yet complete.

A group of adventurers had gathered there to help Sebastian. They gave him health potions, but the potions didn't seem to work. They decided to carry him to a healer, so they called for one. However, even the healer couldn't make him better.

After a while, they brought him to Duke Everhart's mansion. When they arrived at the mansion, the guards noticed Sebastian's friends carrying him. Sebastian was on their backs, and a guard hurried over to check his condition. Simultaneously, another guard rushed into the mansion to inform the Duke about Sebastian.

A guard entered the Duke's mansion. Inside, the Duke was in his chamber, engrossed in the paperwork of his estate.

Knock, knock.

The guard knocked on the door of the Duke's chamber before entering.

"Enter," the Duke's voice rang out from within the chamber.

"Your Grace, I regret to inform you that there is bad news. Young Master Sebastian is currently in a critical condition," The guard conveyed with a somber tone, displaying the gravity of the situation.

The moment the news reached the Duke's ears, he sprang up from his chair. Without uttering a word, he hurried outside to see his son. As he reached the front gate of the mansion, his eyes fell upon Sebastian in a critical state.

"Take him to his room immediately and summon the divine healer without delay," the Duke commanded, his voice a mixture of urgency and concern.

A guard swiftly rushed to the task of summoning the divine healer from the holy church.

"What has befallen him? Who has inflicted such harm upon my son?" the Duke demanded, his voice a blend of worry and anger. He turned his attention to those who were with Sebastian earlier.

"You were with him. Explain," He pressed, his gaze fixed on them, seeking answers.

"We... We... don't know. It was a small monster lurking in the shadows. We... we couldn't see it clearly. Out of nowhere, it attacked us, using some sort of shadow magic to bind us," one of the companions stammered, the fear and confusion evident in their shaky explanation.

"Tell me immediately, where did this incident occur?" the Duke demanded, his tone urgent and authoritative.

"Black Forest. A new dungeon had formed there, and we went there to clear it as per the first Duchess's orders," One of the companions replied, providing the Duke with the location and context of the incident.

Sebastian was the son of his first wife and belonged to the main branch of the Everhart family. The Duke held a special affection for his first son, and hearing about how his first wife had ordered their son to venture into the Black Forest left him shocked and furious. He was consumed by a mixture of sadness and rage, unable to comprehend why his first wife would make such a decision without his knowledge.

He entered the mansion.

"Where is she? Where is Victoria?" the Duke demanded, his voice carrying a mix of urgency and frustration.