Chapter 388 Victory Alas

?Raith was damped in purple blood as he came put of the monster body.

After pummeling the monster with his blows, creating a hole that could size him. He forced his entire body into the creature's internals and began to break through everything. That was only when the creature met its end.

As he brought himself out completely, a fountain of purple blood splurged out of the hole he came out from.

Raith was holding something in his hand, it was a violet orb.

He jumped down the body while looking at it. The ground cracked. Raith oblivious to it, lifted his gaze to the lady.

'She must be the archer.'

"Ah..ah.. you got a purple monster core.."

She gestured shyly to his hands.

"Monster core? Oh. Right this is that?"

The young lady stared at him blankly for a second, 'what is it with this guy.. he seems..' she brought back her trailing eyes and plastered a sweet smile on her face. Not that it moved Raith in any way.

"Thank you for your help.."

As Raith appreciated the young lady, Thard - Harl landed softly on the ground. The lady threw a scowl at him immediately.

"You! How can you be so wicked? Surely you have it within you to end that monster far easier than anyone could have. But what did you do?! Absolutely nothing."

With a puffed face she glared for a couple of minutes scrutinized his hand then aggressively collected her folded vow.

Raith drew a bland expression between her and Thard as the young lady nagged at the asura. He wanted to laugh but wouldn't have dared. A lot about him might have settled and the path forward seemingly looking easier but hell, he was still far from being able to land a blow on the asura.

'Let's be careful..'

"Young man. Thank you so much for helping my village. I will make sure you are rewarded nicely."

The young lady turned to him, her sweet smile precariously making its way back.

"Huh? There's a reward?"

He looked at the lady, shocked. Then he pierced Thard - Harl with a scowl and said:

"Were you going to take the reward without telling me about it?"

"I am sure he would. He seemed like a dubious person." The lady replied, staring daggers at Thard - Harl.

Raith turned away and covered his mouth with one hand smiling shortly and turning like all was fine. He bit in the remnant of the smile as he bit his lips.

The young lady's eyes became somber as they slowly glided down the bloodied warrior before her eyes. He was like a war general, one unexpectedly triumphant in the most vile of manners.

She had never witnessed anyone fight like Raith did, the persistence and tenacity.

'Maybe if it's him..' The original appearance of this chapter can be found at N0v3l.B1n.

A strange and wild thought entered her mind. Almost weaving lines of worry on her face but she switched last second, wiping whatever that was off her face and covered with a cast of concerned eyes.

"Young warrior.. you have incurred so much injuries. Please permit me to first take you to the physician. He will tend to your wound."

Finally being conscious of the wounds and streaming blood on both his legs, Raith smiled. As much as he wanted to take her on the offer, there were more pressing matters. Besides, the blood crystallization will do its thing, even now his blood was slowly turning solid.

"Please don't concern yourself with that. But, you mentioned something about huh.. rewards?"

Raith scratched the back of his head, trying not to seem too forward.

"Ah! Of course. A warrior like you will be concerned about that. The Deep Dweller is a creature that has plagued our village for over five decades now."

"Deep Dweller?"

"Yes. The monster you just killed is a deep dweller, they are not common but they are known to dwell in deep places that's why they were named deep dwellers. This particular one is a juvenile and has been feeding off our village soil."

Raith loured slightly, squinting his eyes.

"Wait what do you mean by that?"

"Oh, if you don't know that then you must be a foreigner he...heee.. well, they are soilivorous in nature. They feed on the properties of soil by burrowing the depth with their tentacles."

Raith looked around now that the whole place was clear. He could now see holes that had been reamed through the ground. Everything made sense now.

So he spent so much effort trying to kill a creature that can't even kill him, that too a juvenile? Wait, couldn't he have just even passed without disturbing it. Thard - Harl had clearly said, "it will eat us up before we cross the bridge" or something like that.

'...that bastard again'

Raith belatedly paused his thought but to his surprise, the asura didn't give any expression. He just glared at the young lady without saying anything yet.

"Alright then. Let us go to the village. I will inform the village chief of what you have done and you shall be rewarded."

Raith beamed. 'Sure sure, reward is nice' the sound of it made him so fulfilled.

He turned to Thard - Harl.

"It's okay right? To go.."

"We are going there anyways."

The asura's response was short and precise. Then he jumped out of the depth.

The young lady stared at him in a refuting manner and then smiled at Raith.

"Young warrior. You can follow me. If you need help, I can carry you." She uttered, pointing to her back.

Her transparent wings peeled out of her skin like a tattoo given the breath of life. It began to flap and became a blur a couple of seconds later. Slowly, her leg was lifted up the ground. Raith watched her withdraw higher.

Then he jumped. His legs were seriously injured so he had to leap a number of times and climb but the cliff was not that high, in a dozen minutes he was on the surface. The young lady was waiting for him there.

And Thard - Harl.. Raith looked around. He seemed to have wandered away. 'What is wrong with him'

"Let's go." The young lady implored gleefully.

"Huh.." Raith nodded, still searching if Thard - Harl had trailed off somewhere else.

The two began walking towards the towering forest on the other side of the bridge.

"What are you going to do with that warrior?"

Raith looked at the young lady and looked at where her eyes were quizzically staring at.

"Oh this? I don't know?"

"Oh. I see."

She replied with a sunken expression. 'Does he not want to talk to me.. his replies to me are too short. I'd like to talk to him though'

She kept walking with her face down.

[It can be absorbed. For a player, absorbing a monster core will increase their levels]

"It will?"

"Sir?" Her face rose with radiance and haste, her eyes full of enthusiasm.

"I'm sorry.." Raith apologized shyly and went silent.

The young lady pouted and turned to her front, they were silent throughout the rest of the journey. To her, it felt like Raith was in his head, totally lost in something as both of them walked together.

There was just so much that had happened in less than forty minutes. Now, he was caught up in his head thinking about all that stuff.

He especially couldn't wait to settle somewhere private, they were a couple of things he was supposed to do starting with absorbing this monster core to gain levels.