It only took a second for Zane to understand the danger he was in and take action to defend himself. However, he still reacted too slow. Zane was pushed forward by a powerful force and a feeling of pain exploded on the back of his head. When he hit the ground Zane felt dazed, but he was still conscious. He shook of most of the dizziness within a few seconds and realized that his Final Barrier skill had been activated.

Skill: Final Barrier

Level: 3, 69%

Tier: 0

Effect: A barrier is created by taking a fixed amount of mana and stamina from the user. It can be summoned by the user or summoned on its own when the user is about to receive a fatal blow. If destroyed the barrier can be recreated. It will have the same defense but double the cost. Defense 9 + Stamina + Mana

Cost: 10% of stamina and mana

Zane was shocked but he didn’t let that feeling affect his actions. He continued to lay on the ground and waited for the right time to retaliate. Zane had his shield over his back to provide some protection and he deactivated the light he created. It looked like he was dead too anyone but those who had basic training in sensing energy. The energy released by Zane’s final barrier was not as great as a skill or spell, but it was still noticeable.

“Ha-ha good fucking shot John,” the man said.

“Nicely done” one of the females added. “That bastard got what he deserves.”

Zane listened on the ground as they spent a few moments cursing him and praising their companion. Eventually, they decided to get up and search for his body once their eyes adjusted to the darkness. Zane already predicted this would happen. He still had his sword in his hand and he was ready to use it the moment anyone got too close. Zane had cut off one leg from each of the attackers and listened as they tried to help each other up.

Zane had fell down close to one of the females and he knew that it would be easy for them to find him. In Zane’s eyes the three of them were dead and he wanted to make sure he could kill the last person too. He only needed to wait until the man approached but he would probably be found before then.

Zane tightened his grip on the hilt of sword as he heard the three attackers approach him. He strained his senses as he tried to grasp some indication of the final attacker approaching. As the trio got closer Zane heard them entertaining a foolish idea about using health potions to recover their missing limbs.

“Although the person we interrogated said a health potion can’t recover limbs, we know way more about biology than them,” the man said.

“Isn’t this world all about magic?” a female asked. “I don’t think science can be applied here.”

“Why not? Having mana fuse with our bodies didn’t stop us from being human. I’m sure our cells still operate the same way. If we stitch our legs to our stumps or at least place them close together and use the healing potion our body should try to reconnect the two.”

“It doesn’t sound too crazy. Let’s try it.”

Zane disagreed with the woman. The idea sounded extremely crazy, but Zane couldn’t deny that there was some logic behind their plan. Zane didn’t know what some of their words meant but he was taught how to heal himself by Teacher Isabelle. She didn’t teach him any spells or describe the workings of the body in detail, but she did teach him about sensing how his wounds close. By understanding how a health potion affected his body, Zane could speed up the process and make sure he healed correctly.

There are plenty of warriors that broke their arms and only relied on a healing potion. This resulted in their arms healing backward, twisted and in many other ways that would leave them unable to use the limb. They would have to break the limb again or go to a professional healer. Zane made a mental note of what his attackers said and told himself to try it out in the future.

When the trio were a few steps away Zane heard a pair of feet running through the grass. Zane smiled as he felt victory was at hand. He stood up whipped his shield out in front of him and used Charge. Zane quickly moved in the direction he heard the footsteps. He heard the trio gasp in alarm and call out to their companion.

Only a few seconds went by, but Zane was already approaching the last attacker. He saw him kneel down and lift up a nonmagical wand. He saw light flash and felt something slam into his shield. His momentum stopped and he was forced back a few steps. Zane looked over his shield in surprise and saw that the man wasn’t aiming at him. Assuming the object had a cool down Zane started moving forward and only managed to take a few steps before he saw the man lift up the weapon.

Zane immediately hid his head behind his shield and used Block. Shortly after Zane felt his Final Barrier shatter and a pain in his leg. Zane didn’t want to give his opponent any more opportunities to attack and used Warrior Steps followed by Charge. Zane quickly closed the distance between himself and the man. Right as he reached the man Zane saw him raise his weapon and a powerful explosion sent him flying. Zane quickly recovered and shook of the damage he received. Zane saw the man struggling to recover but Zane wasn’t planning to wait for him to get up.

A few seconds later Zane was looking through the man’s belongings. After making sure he took everything important Zane walked back to the trio. He saw that here faces were distraught and defeated. He guessed they didn’t try to run because they knew it would be useless. Zane had a feeling that he would have a much easier time getting information from them now.

“The person you were relying on to save you is dead. It’s in your best interest if you tell me what I want to know.”

Of course, Zane was wrong about receiving information from them. The only thing he received was several curses that he didn’t fully understand. Zane didn’t bother to drag out the conversation and killed the trio. He collected the corpses of the panthers and moved to find a place to meditate.

You have killed a level thirteen human. You receive bonus experience for killing a being from a sentient race. You have gained 3,900 (1,300) experience.

You have killed a level eleven human. You receive bonus experience for killing a being from a sentient race. You have gained 3,300 (1,100) experience.

You have killed a level nine human. You receive bonus experience for killing a being from a sentient race. You have gained 2,700 (900) experience.

You have killed a level eight human. You receive bonus experience for killing a being from a sentient race. You have gained 2,400 (800) experience.

You have killed a level ten human. You receive bonus experience for killing a being from a sentient race. You have gained 3,000 (1,000) experience.

Zane leveled up after the battle with the humans. Although Zane’s source bars were completely filled, he still had a few cuts and bruises on his body. These wounds were not the main reason he stopped. He could let them slowly recover as he moved. The reason he stopped was to deal with the mental problems caused by killing sentient beings.

After killing a sentient creature, an individual would normally receive the negative emotions caused by their deaths. These negative emotions would fade over time or could be destroyed by using techniques. Some people used mantras, others used spells and some focused on the reason why they were justified in killing the sentient creature. Zane chanted a mantra while focusing on why he was justified in killing his attackers.

Most people would not try to forcefully remove the negative emotions. It is possible to receive a backlash when trying to destroy them. When that happens the individual can receive damage to their mind that would make it difficult for them to preform daily task or cause them to go insane. Zane quickly dealt with the negative emotions by relying on his previous experiences. In fact, removing the negative emotions made him think about the first time he killed humans in the past.

“You little bastard! I swear I’ll kill you if it’s the last thing I do!”

Zane panted as he stood on a land filled with broken and bloody bodies. The man screaming in front of him had dark hair, fair skin and was more than two heads taller than him. His dark eyes filled with bloodthirst and anger met Zane’s eyes that were filled with excitement. Before this he had been hunting mana creatures and fighting the occasional magical beast. Most creatures he fought were either too weak or too strong.

One day Teacher Isabelle suggested Zane fight bandits and he agreed. Zane still remembered the awe he felt as he watched Teacher sweep through a bandit camp spreading terror and destruction. She easily destroyed all the buildings and dug up some of the ground with her powerful magic. She was careful and didn’t harm any of the innocent people there. Once she was done, she dropped ten bandits in front of Zane for him to fight.

Initially, Zane was upset when he realized that he didn’t get to lead a valiant assault against a group of bandits. He only stood by the side and watched while Teacher did all the work. He knew that if he had actually tried to fight the group of bandits on his own, he would have been killed. Although the ten bandits he was facing would give him ample pressure, he still felt a little upset about not getting to be the hero. A few seconds later he stopped being upset and felt excited about battling opponents that would give him a difficult fight.

Teacher Isabelle said they would be set free if they could defeat Zane. She told them not to worry about killing him because she would be able to heal him. The battle was much different from a fight that he would have against magical beast or mana creatures. The individual strength of the bandits was much weaker, but their teamwork, strategy and intelligence were much higher. The bandits never consistently used the same method of attack and they weren’t afraid to use fighting methods that some considered dirty. They would throw weapons, rocks and dirt while they fought with Zane. They aimed at Zane’s crotch and eyes.

The bandits fought more ferociously and desperately than some beats. Sadly, the outcome was determined before the battle began. Zane was trained very well and he used that training to slowly defeat his opponents. The bandits became more ferocious when Zane injured them, but they became fearful when Zane started killing them. Each death destroyed their fighting spirit and weakened their teamwork. The final bandit sounded fierce and his eyes looked brutal, but his shivering hands told the truth.

“So how do you feel?” Teacher Isabelle asked after seeing the final bandit fall.

Zane didn’t answer right away. He turned to face Teacher Isabelle that was sitting cross legged in midair. She had on a blue silk shirt and pants. Her multicolored robe was open and hanged on her shoulders. Her trademark silver mask covered her face. She questioned Zane with a gentle voice but, he knew that voice could become stern if he gave a poor answer.

“The fight was more challenging than any of the ones I had recently. It felt great not being able to easily predict what my opponent would do. I had to think a lot more and be ready to react to thoughts instantly. My body and mind felt like they were working as a perfect team. The negative emotions released is much stronger than what I’m used too but I’ll be able to handle it. Overall, I feel amazing!”

“I’m surprised to hear your so happy about killing human beings.”

Zane frowned. He couldn’t tell if teacher was upset with his actions. “They were bandits. They probably hurt and killed hundreds of people. Killing them was the right thing to do.”

“That may be true but that wasn’t the reason why you killed them.”

“I don’t understand?”

“You killed those bandits because you enjoyed fighting. I definitely saw the excitement in your eyes.”

“That’s not true”

“Oh, you’re saying I’m wrong?”

Her question left Zane speechless because she was right. Zane enjoyed the fight, but he didn’t think of himself as a crazy murderer. He didn’t enjoy killing the bandits. The only reason he fought the bandits was to improve his skills.

“The only reason I fought them was because you brought me here.”

“That may be true, but I only made a suggestion. Why didn’t you say no? The reason you didn’t say no was because you wanted to come here. You came here knowing you would have to fight and kill bandits. And like the bandits you fought against you didn’t stop to think about your victims. You didn’t consider that some might have unwillingly been here. For all you know the men you killed may not have taken a single life. You didn’t care if those men were guilty or innocent. You didn’t care if your actions were wrong or right. The only thing you cared about was your own enjoyment and doing something that was beneficial to you. If a few bandits died in the process that was a small price to pay. Your actions just now were no different than the bandits you claimed to have killed in the name of righteousness.”

“No…I, that’s not true…that’s not true, I…”

Zane couldn’t form a coherent sentence. Everything Teacher said deeply affected him. He had trouble refuting it in his own mind and couldn’t begin to vocalize an argument. The more Zane thought about it the worse his mental state became. Eventually he started to hear whispers from the negative emotions attached to himself. They called him a murderer. They called him a butcher. They called him a fiend. Right before Zane was overwhelmed, he felt a soft hand on his head and a gentle voice in his ear.

“Calm down. It’s okay. It’s alright.”

Zane quickly recovered from his dangerous mental state. He let himself relax as he enjoyed teacher’s hand rubbing his head with his eyes closed. When she stopped Zane opened his eyes and looked at her silver mask. It looked lifeless and there was no expression, but it also felt a lot warmer and inviting.

“I killed those men and even though I didn’t have to.” Zane no longer saw them as bandits and the realization of what he did made him feel discomfort, but he didn’t lose control.

“I didn’t say those things to make you feel bad. I said those things because you needed to hear them. Your path is one that will require you to kill and you have to be prepared to be labeled as a harbinger of death.”

“I’m not a murderer I don’t enjoy killing or seeing people die.”

“That may be true, but you use weapons which are mainly used to kill. Also, I’m sure you have no problem killing magical beast or magical plants” Teacher stared at Zane until he nodded in agreement. “That means part of you has already accepted the fact you will need to kill on your path.” Zane tried to speak but Teacher placed a finger over his mouth. “I will not discuss the many what ifs of the future. If you killed someone for the right reason. If the person you killed was truly evil. If you could have found another solution beside killing. There are situations you will have to face on your own in the future. For now, let’s focus on the people you killed today.”

Zane frowned at not being able to give voice to his thoughts and having to recall the people he recently killed. “They were probably evil people, but I didn’t kill them for righteous reasons.”

“They were terrible people and you did a great thing by killing them. You don’t have to take my word for it. Take a look behind you.”

Zane turned around and saw several people kneeling in the distance. Many of them were shouting thank you while some whispered. A few people simply wept in joy and sorrow. Zane felt a little better knowing that he helped protect these people.

“The men you killed were participating in harming these people. If that isn’t enough then you should know that I would have let those men go if you failed to kill them.” Teacher’s voice became stern as she continued speaking. “I have always pushed you to obtain strength. If you lacked the strength needed to save these people, then I would have forced you to leave after healing you. You would have to accept the fact that the bandits would torture and kill those people after you failed to defeat them. I would be fine with those people dying if it meant you fought harder in every battle after this one.”

Zane frowned at what Teacher said. He knew she wasn’t lying, and he had experienced her lack of care to all living things. To Zane hearing the possible consequence of his failure helped him a lot more than seeing the group of people thanking him. He didn’t have any more doubt about killing the bandits and would gladly do it again if he had to.

“Now that you have strengthened your mental state, it’s time for you get rid of those negative emotions.”

Zane nodded and sat down in a meditative posture. The negative emotions were of a higher quality and quantity than anything he had experienced before but that didn’t matter. Zane still used the shortest amount of time that he had ever used to resolve negative emotions in his life. Zane smiled as the emotions that almost took over him were rapidly grinded away into oblivion.