The Damned Demon

Couple of hours ago,

Ceti was on her knees, her scarlet hair tied up in a ponytail, as she meticulously collected the glowing dark violet Resonance Crystals.

Their light barely illuminated the vast cavern around them, bouncing off the cavern walls, making shadows dance in an unsettling choreography.

Meanwhile, Asher stood nearby, a rare frown etching lines onto his otherwise flawless face. He rummaged through his spatial bag, his long silver-white hair slipping over his shoulder, creating a striking contrast against his gray skin, "We're nearly out," he said softly.

Without Merina, they couldn't cook any food nor forge or concoct anything without Isola to harvest the materials for them.

Ceti straightened up, her hands holding two Resonance Crystals, her dark blue eyes reflecting their faint glow, "That's not surprising," she responded, her voice carrying a tinge of weariness, "It's been almost ten days, and still, there's no sign of us getting closer to Isola or mother. This place... it's like it doesn't want us to regroup. We didn't even come upon any Safe Zones."

Asher closed the bag, his dark golden eyes meeting Ceti's, "Our options are limited. We either start hunting for supplies or gather enough Deviar Shards to push into the next dungeon, where we may hope to regroup faster. One way or another, we can't afford to stay hidden any longer."

A determined glint appeared in Ceti's eyes, her hands tightening around the crystals. "Then we'll hunt. We'll be the silent hunters here. Your technique which you taught me, will come in handy."

His lips curled into a smirk, amused by her fierce determination, "You took the words right out of my mind."

Without a word, Ceti reached into her spatial bag and pulled out a piece of food, offering it to Asher, "You need to eat," she said, her gaze steady, "You didn't eat last night, and I know your supplies ran out."

Asher looked at the morsel in her hand, and then at her, "And this is your last piece, isn't it? I believe Merina used special ingredients to cook this Rare Grade food which grants health and mana recovery for a short period."

Ceti nodded, her face resolute as she subtly cleared her throat, "It's fine. You need it more than I do, and it's my duty to protect you during this quest," After spending all these days with him alone, Ceti realized that she was too arrogant to have looked down on him just because he was not as strong or old as her.

Even if it was her senses that came in handy when avoiding danger, astonishingly, it was his instincts and intellect that helped them cross a lot of hurdles in this dungeon despite the fact that he was more than 20 years younger than her.

She was beginning to realize why the queen, her mother, and so many people got pulled toward him. He had an indescribable charm of doing and saying things she couldn't put her finger on.

But still, she was determined to be on her guard and not let him influence her since she had a feeling that he was hiding something. After spending so much time with him alone, she witnessed how knowledgeable and how great his instincts were.

Even if he had the Bloodline Memories of an Immortal Bloodline, they could help so much before the inherited instincts and whatever knowledge they gained should be honed through a lot of experience to reach the level he was displaying.

But how could someone who had spent most of his life sleeping on a bed be this good? Even if the late king himself imparted knowledge to him, he couldn't have possibly imparted his experience and instincts.

However, despite all her doubts, she felt that he genuinely cared for the welfare of their kingdom and the queen. His actions at least proved that.

Accepting the food with a subtle smile, Asher placed it into his bag, "I'll eat it when it's necessary," he said as he turned around, and Ceti followed.

"Have you thought of any strategy if we only come upon powerful groups?" Ceti asked with a look of concern as she walked beside him. She already had some in her mind, but she wanted to pick his brain.

"It's been almost ten days since we came here. By now, at least a few weaker groups should have also made it here, especially if they had formed alliances. But just to answer your question…we will think of one after knowing what kind of people we are dealing with. It's never wise to blindly run into a fight. So we won't engage any strong groups until we have no choice."

[ Group Name: Damned Hunters ]

[ Deviar Shards: 30,640 ]

The winding expanse of the Hollow of Echoes seemed endless, its haunting whispers never seeming to tire.

For hours, Asher and Ceti moved like phantoms through the murky depths, their gazes ever watchful.

Weak monsters came and went, ignored by the pair who saw no worth in engaging them without Isola to harvest their remains. Stronger enemy groups were likewise avoided, their numbers or strength too daunting for Asher and Ceti to tackle alone, their supplies too meager to risk a full-on confrontation.

With each passing hour, Ceti felt fatigue tugging at her, her body protesting against the physical strain and lack of substantial sustenance.

They had been eating and drinking frugally over the past few days to preserve their supplies. But who knew they would still be traveling alone without regrouping for this long.

At this point, she was nearly ready to throw caution to the wind and challenge a formidable group to loot supplies.

However, a sudden faint sound of shuffling footsteps made her ears perk up. She turned to Asher and tapped his back urgently, silently gesturing for him to follow her. Swiftly, they navigated into another tunnel until they found themselves hiding behind a large boulder, overlooking a group of seven Hunters.

They were huddled around the fresh corpse of a monster, greedily harvesting its carcass. Ceti watched them silently, her dark blue eyes glinting in anticipation, but it was Asher who acted first. His eyes, dark and calculating, measured the Hunters' mana circuit. A slow smirk spread on his lips.

"I've got this. They're just D-ranks," he murmured, his tone infused with an unsettling level of confidence.

"But, Your Highness, there are seven..." Ceti began, her voice filled with apprehension.

However, before she could finish, Asher was already slinking away, his figure melting into the shadowy recesses of the tunnel.

Ceti knew Asher had the strength to easily kill them, but the question that haunted her was whether he could do it quietly.

It wasn't as if he could kill all 7 of them at the same time without making a noise, could he?

Asher's eyes shimmered with an icy resolve as he gently placed his palm against the nearby shadow, his command pulsating through the darkness.

The shadow responded with an obedient shudder and began to crawl across the rocky surface, pulling along more shadows in its path.

Like a silent, shadowy serpent, it moved stealthily across the cavern until it was within reach of the unsuspecting hunters.

In a matter of moments, before they could process the unexpected turn of events, thick shadowy roots burst forth from the ground and entangled them with a vice-like grip.

"Mmmmhh…"

Panic welled up in their hearts as they found themselves helplessly immobilized, their horrified eyes wide and unblinking.

Any attempt to scream was muffled by the strangling shadows that had wrapped around their mouths too.

From the corner of their eyes, they caught sight of a figure emerging from the shadows, a gray skinned demon with eerie golden eyes.

The sight of the infamous Hellbringer sent a wave of fear coursing through their bodies, chilling them to the bone. The legend of his ruthlessness and how he was undefeatable by their peers was well-known among the Hunters, and now, they were about to experience it first-hand.

They had prayed so hard to not come upon him, and yet fate wasn't merciful.

Asher pulled out his blazing ring blade, its eerie emerald flames casting dancing shadows over his stone-cold expression.

With a swift toss, the ring blade flew through the air, whistling a lullaby of impending death.

It gracefully slashed across the throats of the immobilized hunters in a beautiful arc, ensuring nobody was left alive.

Their wide eyes began to lose their light, as life ebbed away, the roots gently lowered their lifeless bodies onto the cavern floor before disappearing back into the shadows.

As effortlessly as it had begun its deadly dance, the Blade of Damnation returned to Asher's hand, the flames flickering in silent triumph.

Asher could have let Ceti handle it, but he wanted her mana reserves intact just in case they had to fight stronger ones on the way.

From her hiding spot, Ceti had been watching in stunned silence. She had known of Asher's strength, but the ruthless efficiency of his methods left her in awe yet again. He was surely the most terrifying genius she had ever seen.

However, her gaze lingered on the ring blade - the same one he'd brought when they started this quest.

But her thoughts got distracted when she saw Asher gesturing to her to help him loot the dead Hunters.

Shaking herself out of her reverie, she eagerly walked over, her eyes brimming with hunger and greed to get anything that could help him in a situation like this.

"Tsk, these weak ones only had Common Grade food and potions and not even enough to last a day more. Were they planning to just cook and concoct whenever they needed to? But I guess something is better than nothing," Asher said as he stuffed the supplies into his spatial bag and even quickly swallowed a morsel of food he had found in their bags.

"Sigh, what a waste. Even their shoddy armor and weapons are this close to losing their durability. Only one of them has a barely usable sword. Sigh, it will do for now," She then looked at him chewing and said, "The food these Hunters cook won't help us gain any mana. It is made to benefit their bodies and not ours. You should try eating the one I gave you," Ceti felt he must have exhausted quite some mana to kill those 7 Hunters quickly.

Asher got up and said, "I am eating to keep up my stamina and not feel hungry. As for my mana reserves…I will survive with what I have," Asher didn't mind since he knew the only way he could gain MP was by sacrificing his own blood to the ring.

Once they had finished looting the bodies, Ceti turned to Asher with a scrutinizing gaze. Her eyes narrowed as she asked, "Your Highness, how come your ring is still as good as new? I mean, if you haven't used it all this time, it would have crumbled by now... just like my armor and gloves."

Asher was taken aback, but not surprised. He had been expecting this question since Ceti had been sticking with him the entire time.

He let out a chuckle and shrugged, "I didn't realize I was stuck with such a curious cat. You're always full of questions, aren't you, Ceti?"

Ceti pinched her lips together as she looked to the side.

He then said with a smirk on his face, "How about this? I'll answer your question if you tell me why you never transform into your werewolf form."

Ceti's brows furrowed at his unexpected query. He already knew the answer, "You already know why I can't," she replied, "My bloodline has been sealed by my people before my mother, and I had to run away. With the help of the late king, I was able to unseal it halfway."

Asher shook his head, unconvinced, "I don't buy that."

Ceti's eyes widened in surprise, "W-What?" Ceti couldn't believe how unbelievable he was.

Her tone was a mix of confusion, and she said in an aggrieved tone, "If you didn't want to answer my question, you could have just said so. But I am not a liar."

"Is that so?" Asher responded with narrowed eyes.

But before either could continue their discussion, their expressions stiffened simultaneously. A message had intruded into their minds, stealing their attention.

[ Warning! A Bounty has been placed on Hellbringer ]

The two frowned upon seeing this message.

A/N: Bonus Ceti art uploaded.