John glared at the enraged Rath'een before him. This new enemy looked different from all the other Rath'een warriors he had encountered thus far. The Rath'een was at least five feet tall with a burly and powerful built. On its body are blue tribal tattoos that gave a certain shamanistic aura about it. John couldn't help but feel uncomfortable at the sight of the tattoos as if the markings were making the Rath'een seem more dangerous than it already was. What was noticeable about this Rath'een that differed from the other Rath'een warriors was that this Rath'een had long sharp protruding fangs and blood red eyes. It was as if this Rath'een had gone berserk.

The Rath'een glared at the young Shadow Walker and snorted, "Tsil-es zuhnk (1)! For killing my brethren, you will die!"

The enraged Rath'een rushed towards John. It raised its two-handed bloodied stone axe and beheaded the young warrior...or so it thought. John dodged the horizontal sweep by a hairbreadth and tumbled back in order to put some distance between them. As he got up, he threw a barbed net at the level 5 Rath'een, ensnaring it in its place. However, the berserker forcefully tore the net off of it despite the stinging pain from the poisoned barbs. It shook its head fiercely as foam frothed from its mouth. It seemed as if the paralyzing poison had angered it further. The Enraged Rath'een Berserker bellowed some curses in Ratspeak and barreled its way towards the crouched Shadow Walker.

Seeing the charging monster, John reached into his bag and pulled out a handful of caltrops. He had prepared a small container of these hidden weapons beforehand as experience showed him that most of his enemies loved charging towards him. The young warrior tossed the caltrops in front of him and stepped back with his weapons ready. The berserker dashed through the spikes and collapsed. Severe biting pain pierced through its feet, weakening its legs and causing it to lose its balance. As the Rath'een Berserker collapsed, John lunged with his sword like a spear and dealt a piercing 72 damage to it.

However, when he checked the monster's health status, he saw that his most powerful strike could only bring down a small percentage. When John pulled out his sword, he could see that the wound was shallow as a small trickle of blood flowed from the opening. This new type of enemy was really tough. The Enraged Rath'een Berserker roared a deep warcry and swung its axe at John. Luckily, the nimble Shadow Walker rolled to the side and dodged the attack. As he stood up, he suddenly winced in slight discomfort. He reached behind his back and felt a wetness. He was cut...even though he thought he had avoided the attack, he was still cut. Too terrifying!

John turned around to face the Rath'een Berserker. With agility that only Shadow Walkers can have, he flung his dagger at the large monster. The enraged beast crouched immediately, barely dodging the knife. It smirked upon seeing John's failed attack, however, its face fell soon after. John did not depend on his knife to hit. After all, it was only a feint. The real attack came after. While the ratbeast dodged the first attack, John had already appeared in front of it with his leg raised. With a powerful low kick, John blew away the Rath'een's jaw. As its head jolted back, the young Shadow Walker brought down his leg to finish with a swift heel kick.

The Enraged Rath'een Berserker screamed in pain as its dislocated jaw dangled about, spittle and blood flew out of its mouth. It shakily grabbed its jaw and with a fierce jerk, snapped it back in place.

The berserker spat out a glob of blood, "Bastard! Once I get my paws on you...."

"Haha! That's IF you get your hands on me." John interrupted with cold mirth.

"YOU!"

The Enraged Rath'een Berserker rushed towards John once more and swung its bloodied axe. As John elegantly hopped back, the monster suddenly let go of its axe. The large stone axe flew at the young Shadow Walker and smashed into his chest. Blood spurted out of his mouth as John tumbled backwards.

The large monster sneered, "Ha! Two can play that game. Just because you can throw your weapon, doesn't mean I couldn't."

Without another word, the Rath'een pounced at John with its claws out. John struggled to his feet as he pushed the heavy axe off of him, but his legs won't budge. Instinctively, he adjusted his sword so that it pointed down and placed its flat side on his arm to serve as a narrow but sturdy shield. He raised his arm up and met the Rath'een's maul. The fierce attack blew back John, causing him to tumble into an earthen wall. John's arm numbed but luckily, with the protection of the sword, it was not broken.

The Enraged Rath'een Berserker sneered as he retrieved his stone axe. He slowly lumbered towards the collapsed Shadow Walker. "Any last words before you die?"

John haplessly looked at the monster glaring down at him. Suddenly, he glanced behind the Rath'een. His face lit up with surprise which quickly changed to joy. The Rath'een Berserker saw John's change in expressions and paused. It couldn't help but think that there was someone behind it. Could it be backup? It spun around quickly and lashed out a fierce axe attack...and missed! Or rather, there was no one behind it in the first place!

"You tricked me!" The Enraged Rath'een Berserker roared as it faced John...only to find him disappeared.

It frantically glanced about, trying to locate the missing human. Unfortunately for it, its senses were clouded due to its enraged status so it could not track John down by smell.

"Where are you! Come out, you cowardly zuhnk!"

"Right here!" John appeared behind the rat-like monster and kicked it between its legs.

As the Rath'een clutched its jewels and fell on its knees, the young man wrapped one of his barbed nets around the monster's neck. John planted one foot on the Rath'een Berserker's back and pulled the net back with all of his might. The Rath'een monster struggled to break free. It flung its axe back, nearly decapitating John. However, John dodged the stray axe throw. Who would have known, however, that when John was dodging the axe, he accidentally loosened his grip on the net. This allowed his enemy to reach back and smacked heavily at John's arm. John grunted after losing 58 health points but he did not let go. Instead, he pulled back even more fiercely. The poisonous barbs dug into the Rath'een's skin, puncturing it and spreading the poison throughout the body.

As the poison began to weaken the Enraged Rath'een Berserker's power, the monstrous beast rammed back. The two warriors crashed onto the ground, one on top of the other. John coughed heavily as the large Rath'een Berserker landed on top of him; his fractured ribs shattered into pieces.

"G-Get off!" John kicked the Rath'een Berserker off of him and proceeded to stab it with his sword.

Despite the pain in his sides, John was still able to deal a critical hit on the enemy. The Enraged Rath'een Berserker reared back and pulled the sword out from its chest. It seemed that John had missed the heart by a centimeter. The monster grunted in discomfort and threw the sword to the side. It lunged at John but the young man quickly rolled to the side. Despite the pain, he struggled to his feet and stepped back a couple of times. From the corner of his eye, he could see the stone axe lying by some loose stones.

John scrambled at the stone axe and tried to lift up the axe. However, he did not expect it to be so heavy. Instead, he scooped up a couple of the nearby stones. With a painful crouch, he positioned himself towards the Rath'een Berserker. Judging by its bulging veins and foaming mouth, the monster had long reached the limit of its rage meter. Anything could offset it. John checked the five stones in his hand and chucked one at the beast. The stone smashed into its body, but it didn't seem to affect the monster. So, John hurled another. This time, he aimed at the Rath'een Berserker's eyes.

PAK!

A direct hit. The Enraged Rath'een Berserker roared in fury and blindly charged towards John. The young Shadow Walker threw the remaining stones in his hand, egging the monster onwards. Just as it reached within range, John pulled out a handful of caltrops and scattered them before the monster. However, the raging beast did not slow down one bit.

John quickly thought up a solution. He reached into his bag and pulled out the last barbed net he had prepared. With an expert toss, he flung the net at the Rath'een Berserker's legs like a bola trap. Success! The net entangled the monster's legs, causing it to stumble. As the Enraged Rath'een Berserker fell, John heaved the stone axe up. The rat-like monster smashed into the sharp axe, its head split wide open.

Even with such a wound, the Enraged Rath'een Berserker was still moving. With its strong vitality, it struggled fervently. But, in the end, its vitality flowed along with its blood and the Enraged Rath'een Berserker was no more.

After killing the monster, John collapsed onto the floor. He willed his mind awake as he grabbed a healing potion and drank its contents. These healing potions live up to their reputation as John's wounds began to heal. Even the severe wounds like his broken ribs healed within the time it takes to chug a glass of cold ale. Once his wounds closed up and his bones fixed back in place, John retrieved his weapons and began looting the corpse.

"Nice! 918 silver coins...eh? What's this?" As John pocketed the silver coins, a glimmer shone at the corner of his eye.

There, in the gaping Rath'een's head, was a small marble nestled between some brain tissue. John reached in and plucked the marble out, wiping away the blood and gore. Upon closer inspection, the red marble glistened with some kind of aura. What could this be? He couldn't recall reading anything about this nor has he ever heard anyone mention it before. Maybe Daedalus knows. He'll ask the old man once he returns. With a shrug, he placed the marble in his pouch along with his silver coins. Now that John had finished looting the corpse, he stood up and checked the explosives one last time. Then, he lit the yarn and rushed out of the cavern.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Three consecutive explosions could be heard behind John as he dashed through the tunnels. It seemed like the explosives were successfully ignited. John stopped midway and placed the last set of explosives. He stretched out the yarn and ignited it at a safe distance. Then, he hurried out the exit. Upon reaching the exit, a heavy explosion shook the tunnels. John stumbled out just in time as piles upon piles of rubble collapsed, blocking the entrance forever.

John barely escaped from the tunnels before Majerio's explosives were set alight - the ensuing explosions signaling to all in Glenfort that the mission into the Rath'een tunnels had been a resounding success. With the tunnels now blocked off, the invasion finally seemed to be over. Yet John knew better than to celebrate - these Rath'een didn't seem the type to give up that easily.

John dusted himself and, with one last glance at the ruined tunnels, left for the village. Upon arriving at the village's entrance, he met Daedalus along with a few veteran adventurers. Daedalus glanced at John with a nod of satisfaction.

"It seemed like you completed your mission without any problems."

John giggled softly and muttered that it wasn't that easy. "There were some complications, but everything worked out in my favor."

"Good! Those Rath'een bastards won't be coming back into Glenfort anytime soon. Excellent work, John! Here's your reward." Daedalus tossed over a small pouch that contained five gold coins and 600 pieces of silver. "Now, before your training continues, your old friend and mentor at the inn asked me to send you over. Now, don't be fooled by her innkeeper persona. She was and is still actually an experienced Justicar of the highest order. You would be wise to listen to her words."

"Alright. Ah, yes. I do have a question though." John replied as he proceeded to describe the events that took place in the cavern.

"So, you met an Enraged Rath'een Berserker, eh? Now, Rath'een Berserkers in general are tough. I can't imagine what an Enraged Rath'een Berserker would be like. For you to actually defeat one, is a great feat indeed. You mentioned that you found something ball-shaped in the Rath'een's brain?"

"Yea. What is this?" John pulled out the reddish marble and handed it over.

Daedalus gingerly received the object and peered at it studiously. "As I thought...this is an energy core."

"Energy core?"

"Yea. Energy cores are the source of energy within a powerful beast, in this case, the Enraged Rath'een Berserker. They're similar to magic cores except energy cores generate profound energy and strength while magic cores generate magic."

"What are its uses?"

"Hmmm, I don't know. You may want to ask Allegra or Majerio about that. Maybe they know."

"Oh, okay. Thanks!"

"No problem."

"Then...farewell?"

"Ah! I do have a task for you, if your interested."

"Oh? What is it?"

"Nothing too difficult. We know that our enemies do not come in waves - they are a flood threatening to drown all that we know. To stand strong before them, we must be tireless! Sigils from Majerio's Shop will increase your energy and stamina, letting you fight longer."

"Sigils? The ones that cost Valor instead of silver?"

"It seems you already know about Valor." Daedalus laughed, "That's good. Then, I don't need to explain it to you."

"I know I can earn Valor through fighting raids. What else can I do to earn Valor?" John asked as he glanced at the adventurers standing after Daedalus.

"Hmm, given your current capabilities, apart from raids, you can also earn Valor by fighting with guilds."

"I see. That makes sense."

"Yea, well, make sure you get one and only one. They don't stack effects so getting more than one of the same kind is both useless and a waste of Valor."

"Okay, no problem. I won't make that mistake."

"Fantastic! Anyways, I got to head back to the frontlines after I restock on necessities. You head over to the inn as soon as possible, okay?"

"Alright."