Kaiser Remington

As I was tracking down the magic traces left on the familiar road. I stopped and smirked realizing the road that I'm taking is now clear to my head. I stopped God's vision to check my mana body and conserve it.

'Hmm. Ninety percent of my mana is completed. I must plan my hunt now before I lost my only parents.'

After checking, I proceeded to use a small amount of mana to run through the thick and silent forest. As a result of my one-year training, I managed to store a lot of stamina in my body.

It's been an hour and the moon's light is my only source of light that brightens the darkness of the night.

I ran, climbed, and swung to the big trees, and there I was. Standing on a tall tree looking down at the cave where the knowledge orb, Kaiser, resides.

'It's been a while, Kaiser.'

I muttered as I tightened my grip on the knife's handle. I fixed my hood and scarf before jumping down towards the stones near the cave's mouth.

As I was stealthily walking, sticking to the stones with my back, I heard voices of men talking and panicking about the prisoners.

"I told you the Remingtons are strong! That's why I told you to guard it with me." An upset guard said with his voice echoing down the cave.

I can't see them since I'm outside and they're inside the cave. It seems

"Idiot! Tomorrow, we'll be scolded by Dem and Frill." Another guard replied.

"Why is Frill not here? Does he not know that they're capable of escaping?" The first guard said.

"If the King noticed that Dem and Frill are forming an alliance, we will all be doomed and we don't want that. That's why Frill meets Dem in a secret place."

"Don't worry, kidnapping the Remington and punishing them were not our priority. That brat Dem just wanted to do that."

I bit my lips in anger as I heard about Dem's plan. I must retreat immediately now that I know that my parents are safe.

"It's okay. As long as we have the young girl here, we'll be able to sacrifice her in order to awaken the Orb."

As soon as I heard their conversation about the young kid, I stopped walking back to think whether to rescue the little girl or not. Are they still trying to revive the orb by sacrificing the innocent girl's life?

'Tsk, I can't let this girl die. There's only two of them so I think I can sneak past them.'

I turned again facing the cave's mouth and entered slowly. As I was starting to get deep into the cave, I can see cages with animals and monsters. I stopped to find the two guards but it seems that they went to explore the deeper side of the cave on my left side.

After checking the security, I went to the cage where there's a huge blanket covering it. I lifted the blanket and saw a girl inside around my age, sobbing with her almost-dried tears on her pale cheeks. Her thin body's wearing a small dress that looks like a dress that most of the middle-class wore. She looked at me and quickly crawled in front of me holding down the cage bars with her eyes slowly coming to tears as if finding hope within my presence.

I could hear her sob so I put a finger on her lips signaling her to be quiet. She understood it and nodded once. I checked around and saw the large lock on the cage's door.

Because of this world's lack when it comes to modern tools, I managed to easily unlock it with a tiny rod I found on the side.

As I was opening the cage's door, I heard steps so I stopped opening it and hid behind the cage looking where the sound is coming from.

I finally saw the man and it looks like he's alone.

'I'll take him quickly as I can before his comrade comes.'

I waited for a couple of minutes and there's no sign of the man's comrade. He looks drunk and he's teasing the monsters making them growl angrily at him.

While he's enjoying teasing the monsters, I activated God's vision and imbued a large amount of mana on my body to conceal my presence and increase my weapon's damage. I prepared my knife and ran quickly towards him then leaped at his back.

As he was surprised by my sudden attack, he prepared a magic spell on his hand but my past experience in assassinating gave me a better advantage rather than him.

I interlaced my legs at his ribs, pulled his hair upwards, and horizontally slit his neck causing him to stop the magic that he'll release and hold his neck. I covered his mouth with my small hands to keep him from making any noise. Then, I turned his head to end his suffering.

I cleaned the blood on the knife and smudged the blood on my hands to his clothing. I pulled his body to hide it and went to the girl.

My body's slightly weakened because of the surge amount of mana that I expelled earlier. I opened the cage and told the girl to come with me. Basing on her appearance and action, it seems that she's been here for merely two days.

As we're nearing the exit of the cave, I suddenly felt a killing pressure on the entrance so we both stopped.

"Did you feel that?" I asked.

She nodded in affirmation and a tall man suddenly appeared in front of us unnoticed. I bit my lips as I never saw that coming and the man quickly walks past me grabbing the girl in his hands. He caught her head in his hand bringing her up. The girl struggles with her feet in pain irritating the tall man making him punched the girl's stomach. She lost her consciousness and the man opened his hands dropping the girl to the ground.

The sound of her falling down echoes down the cave. I could feel myself sweating in the presence of the man.

"What did you do to Krav?" The man asked.

I froze up and denied answering him. "Playing hard to get huh?" He said as he quickly runs towards me kicking me sideways. I quickly put mana on my arms to defend myself but his strong magic broke my barrier and broke my fragile arm. I was thrown by his kick to the deeper side of the cave.

"It seems that I can't still kill you. Maybe I can offer you with the girl as well." He said as he licks his lips laughing maniacally.

I was angered by my weakness as I slowly force myself to stand up.

'Get up! Get up! You can't die right now Kaiser!' I yelled to my mind. I can't die in this world. This world accepted me and gifted me with a good family. Please! I desired this life.

I used all of my mana not thinking of what will happen. I looked up at him and took an offensive stance."

"Ho-ho! Looks like you can use mana! How did you mature it quickly? Don't worry, you'll be a great sacrifice to Kaiser!" He said as he leaped at me with a sword in his hand. I boosted my legs and evaded his attack. With my sudden dodge, I quickly counter-attacked thrusting my knife upwards.

I successfully stab his arm making him leaped back. "Forget it. I'll kill you right now." He said as he prepared fire magic on his hands.

I used my vision and he disappeared from my sight and appeared on my back punching it with his fist covered in flames. It exploded throwing me forward, not satisfied, he followed me mid-air and attacked my stomach with his knee.

I was thrown forward coughing a lot of blood. I turned my head to my side looking at him slowly walking towards me.

'So this is it huh? I'm going to die just like the old me.' I thought as I cried silently.

He grabbed my neck and lifting me up in the air.

"Any last words?" The tall man said.

"Die.." I whispered.

"What?" He said as he draws his head near me.

"Die!" I said as I grabbed his face with my hand that's imbued with a dark shadow.

"What!?" He said as he's surprised by my sudden release of magic.

He lets go of my neck dropping me down on the ground. Is this the shadow element? Whatever, I don't care anymore. I'll kill you instead.

I jumped at him and used my knife imbued with dark magic to cut his hands trying to defend my attack. He shouted in pain but it's not sufficient, I'll kill him before he spread my power to the others.

I bit my lip and charged at him. I felt a sudden speed and boost in my energy, I grabbed his neck and applied pressure on him. His body is frozen because of the emergence of my new power and this gives me an advantage over him.

I pressured his neck crushing it with my hands imbued with my new shadow element. He instantly died in fear and horror as if he witnessed a demon on a human form.

Even though without my God's vision, I can see a residual of a large amount of shadow aura leaking out from his body parts that I attacked earlier. My hands are also leaking a shadow aura that's the same color as the one in his body.

I touched it and the shadow from him was continuously absorbed by my hand.

As soon as I consumed the residual shadow mana, my elemental magic faded and instantly lost my consciousness.

***

"WAKE UP!!! PLEASE!"

"Wake up!"

"*sob*Don't die!"

My deep sleep was woken up by the continous sobbing and wailing of a child. I slowly opened my eyes to see my head lying on the girl's lap.

I could see her two hands covering her face as she cries thinking that I'm already dead.

"Stop crying." I said to her as I raise my head to sit up. I looked at the cave's exit and confirmed that only several hours have passed after my fight.

"B-but, you're bleeding." The girl said in a worrying tone.

I looked at the man I defeated earlier but only his clothes are left here. What did just happen? Did I consume it when I passed out?

Touching my head that was hit earlier, there's dried blood on it but when I touched it. The wound is gone, maybe the shadow I saw earlier lets me to consume living being in order to heal myself.

"What's your name?" I turned and asked the girl to my side.

"Aldea." She replied.

"Aldea, did you saw what happened earlier?" I asked seriously.

"I didn't see something. I remembered that I was hit by the tall man and was put to sleep. Why did you asked?" She replied.

"Nothing. I just don't remember what happened earlier. Please let me recover for a bit before going home okay?"

She nodded once and I took a meditative posture and looked at my mana.

'What the hell!?' I was startled by what I'm currently seeing.

My mana body is matured and its color changed from white to orange. I can also see a circle on the middle of my mana body and it's color is different from my mana, it's purple.

'Is that my element?' I asked myself in excitement.

I opened my eyes and saw Aldea patiently waiting for me. I concentrated a small amound of magic on the center of my palm and here it is.

A small ball of shadow magic that I visualized. I crushed it with my fingers and it quickly dissipated like an ash. I can't wait to go home and practice this element.

"Aldea, for now let's head back to my home." I said as I stood up and offered her my hand.

She stood up but fell down because of the injury she sustained from the beating she received from my opponent.

"Don't force yourself, I'll carry you." I said to Aldea.

"N-No, I can walk." She shyly replied.

"Okay, then stand." She took my challenge and really forced herself to stand but while standing up, she falls again but this time, I supported her.

"Told you." I said at her then carried her on my back. "Hold on tightly." She didn't replied but I felt her small hands embraced my neck.

I activated God's vision but this time, it was different. I can see a lot of shadow aura emating from the darkness where there's no light.

'Maybe it's the effect of my new magic. Next is, physical enhancement.' I used mana on the two of us and started to run.

As I was running, I noticed a lot of improvement in my mana. It's stable a lot and I can definitely feel my control over it. So this is the feeling of maturing my mana body and ascending to the Orange level.

Even though I'm not using my magic, I can feel that whenever I'm in the darkness, my speed and sense were increased and I know that it's not because of my mana ascension but because of my unique magic.

Running through the thick forest and climbing the trees were so easy with my new magic. It merely took us a small amount of time to get out of the forest unschated.

Even though I was at the cave earlier, why did I not see the Knowledge Orb that's supposed to be on its spot? From the beggining, their group are really sketchy and I must avoid them without having to improve my strength.