Return Of The Strongest Player

[You have used a significant amount of mana.]

[The mana used to cause overload is returning. ]

[70% of the returning mana has been absorbed. The rest has been disposed of.]

Arthur let out a sigh as a sharp pain burst across his body. It wasn't easy to cause mana overload, but it was definitely one of the most painful deaths one could experience. It was absolutely unreal.

Arthur had murdered many of his rivals through this process. He'd been victim to it once but had narrowly managed to avoid it by resisting his opponent's mana. [Sin Toll] had assisted significantly in preserving his life.

As he watched Arnold's remains, which were basically bunches of flesh, blood, and organs, Arthur felt apathy.

Quickly, he looted Arnold's remains, which consisted of a few bronze coins, before heading deeper into the darkness. His goal was to rescue his parents, and he knew how to go about achieving that.

He simply wished he could arrive as fast as possible.

*

"Shut up," said Jeremy in a tone dripping with frustration. Suddenly, a knife pressed into Lily's throat, and her eyes widened. She slowed her breathing instinctively while compressing the muscles in her throat.

It was all to reduce the pressure of the knife. Jeremy didn't press on Lily's throat since if he killed her, she would lose value as a hostage. It was the same with Arthur's parents, but he couldn't threaten them all simultaneously.

"Lily, what's happening?" asked Anna. Her daughter's breaths had slowed while she grew silent. Magnus was concerned, too, as he desperately attempted to bite his blindfold. Alas, it was to no avail.

Jeremy patiently awaited Arthur's arrival as if it was a matter of minimal concern.

A few minutes passed, and the handsome man sensed a disturbance in the passing wind. His senses had been trained to the maximum, and his only regret was that he hadn't been able to unlock mana yet.

As a professional combatant, he could match any fighter who didn't have access to mana. His senses could even detect disturbances in the wind or the sound of wind colliding with objects, no matter if the wind was slow.

With trained senses, he frantically turned around. However, only darkness entered his eyes.

'Was I… mistaken?' he wondered, narrowing his eyes. Paranoia was a signature trait of a fighter. Was he simply paranoid? Maybe, but he could also be ignoring something major. Ignorance in dire situations could cost one's life.

His life was priceless. Even if his paranoia grew, he did not care.

Clenching the knife in his hand tightly, he applied a little pressure to Lily's throat. Lily winced in pain, and a tiny slit emerged on her throat. Blood escaped the cut, and Jeremy halted all movement.

"Lily?" Anna grew frantic. "What happened? Why did you wince?"

Yet, she received no response. Lily knew the consequences of speaking, and Jeremy's gaze reinforced her thoughts. If she spoke, they would all die. Jeremy wasn't like Arnold. He was much more intellectual and could abandon his pride if needed.

Being flexible was sometimes condemned, but only flexible people survived under harsh conditions. A stiff stick would shatter if bent, but a flexible stick could bend as much as one wanted.

As a single drop of Lily's blood threatened to fall to the floor, a shadow swept by. Jeremy's hair stood on end, and the drop never reached the ground. Suddenly, Jeremy held the knife even tighter.

"Reveal yourself," ordered Jeremy, adopting a facade of bravery. It seemed he was confident in being able to slit Lily's throat before Arthur made a move.

Suddenly, the darkness shaped into a man. He wore a dark hoodie that covered his black hair while his hands clutched a longsword. With soft footsteps, he escaped the darkness, taking off his hood.

"Here I am," announced Arthur.

"Arthur!?" Anna shouted, but a knife suddenly pressed on her throat, forcing her mouth shut.

"Arthur!" called out Magnus, but the same occurred to him.

"Move, and you'll regret it," said Jeremy, tightening his grip on the two daggers in his hands. "Let's see who's faster. Let's see whether you can kill me first or whether I can slit these throats first."

"Oh, we don't need to test that," replied Arthur frivolously. Jeremy's expression crumpled, watching Arthur's overflowing confidence. It seemed the crimson-eyed boy hadn't even considered the possibility of his family's death.

But that only made him vulnerable.

"Why not?" Jeremy asked, tilting his head innocently. He displayed his confidence, too, attempting to intimidate Arthur. However, he had to succumb due to those crimson eyes that threatened to rip him apart.

"Because we both know the answer," said Arthur before pumping his feet with condensed mana. He shot forward at tremendous speeds, and before Jeremy could make a move, Arthur's fist collided with his nose.

Crack!

First, the cartilage was squished by the sudden pressure. Then, Arthur's fist reached Jeremy's nasal bones, crushing them instantly. Blood burst from Jeremy's nose, and his eyes turned bloodshot.

Following that development, Arthur snatched the two daggers in the handsome man's hands. The crimson-eyed boy dropped his longsword and simply used Jeremy's own weapons to impale his abdomen.

A short scream escaped Jeremy's mouth before his eyes began losing their luster.

However, he gritted his teeth. "Fuck… you!"

Quickly, Jeremy ducked, avoiding Arthur's second stab. The former swung his fist towards the crimson-eyed man but was met with the sound of piercing air. Suddenly, an intense pain burst from his trapezius muscles. 𝚋𝚎ｄｎｏｖ𝚎𝚕．𝚌ｏｍ

"Quite feisty for a young man, I must say," said Arthur with apathetic eyes, watching Jeremy sink slowly. "Unfortunately, feistiness does not matter during battle. You should have known that. Your fighting ability isn't bad, but you do not have access to mana."

Jeremy gritted his teeth, but his consciousness had already begun fading. His muscles weakened, and he landed on the floor with a loud…

Thud!

Arthur bent down before gazing at his bloody corpse. "It's a shame I couldn't torture you like I did with the other guy."

He whispered those words so as not to alarm his family.

"But he deserved it so much more."