The Herb King

"We've searched this cave for a while now and other than the corpses of magical beasts, we haven't found even a single Key." An irritated voice echoed in the cave, followed by the heavy footsteps of ten people. 𝐛𝐞𝐝𝗻𝐨𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝐜𝐨𝗺

Alec and the others tightly held the handle of their weapons as they stared at the group while staying hidden. The person leading the other group was a muscular man with tattoos all over his body. He had long wavy black hair and a thick beard that made him look like a middle-aged man. This guy was a mid stage Level 3 Esper and he is also one of the strongest participants in the martial arts competition. He even managed to enter the top 20. Although he failed to enter the top 10, he was still one of the strongest experts in the younger generation. Furthermore, the rest of his team were no pushovers. The weakest among them was a tall and thin guy who was a peak stage Level 2 Esper.

Suddenly, the guy with long wavy black hair furrowed his eyebrows and muttered. "Stop." He then observed the surroundings with narrowed eyes.

"Stanley, why did you tell us to stop?" Asked a young man who was carrying a huge axe on his shoulder. This guy was the second strongest in their team and he was also a mid stage Level 3 Esper.

Stanley pointed at the markings on the wall that looked like it has been scratched by a beast's claws. "I've been seeing this mark since we entered the cave. That one is freshly carved and the people who made those markings are nearby." His hand slowly reached out to the handle of his sword as he muttered those words. He could sense the presence of some people near them.

The man carrying a huge axe grinned when he heard this. "So we've finally found them, huh?" He smashed the bottom end of his axe, making the ground shake. "Show yourselves! We know that you guys are here! I'll count to three and if you don't come out, I'll destroy this cave and you guys will be trapped here!"

Alec and the others frowned at his words. If this guy destroys the cave, they would have no way out since the other path was a dead end and if he punctures the wall, the cave might be submerged in water!

Thinking about this, Alec whispered in the Communication Rune. "I'll attract their attention, attack the weaker members of their team when I give you guys the signal. Then, we'll escape from this cave and head to another area. As long as we can leave this cave, our Navigation Runes will start working again so we don't have to worry about getting lost. Wait for my signal..." After saying those words, Alec stepped out from his hiding spot.

"Stanley, I believe you know who I am." Alec muttered calmly while holding the hilt of his sword.

Alec's sudden appearance surprised Stanley's group.

"That's Alec Ward! The guy who ranked 3rd in the martial arts competition!"

"If he is here, that means Janrose must be nearby..." Everyone became wary when they identified Alec. He was already famous in West Ocean City and his fame would soon spread in the Regalis Continent. After all, the grand competition hosted by the Mystic Island was famous throughout the land!

Stanley felt threatened by Alec's presence. The strength of those who ranked in the top 10 of the martial arts competition was higher than his own. He wasn't confident that he could defeat Alec, but he soon calmed down. He was here with his teammates and even if Alec was strong, could he defeat ten top talents? "Alec, you may be strong, but I'm not afraid of you! Leave half of the Keys you found and we'll let you leave this cave."

"Stanley, this guy is alone! We should take all his Keys!" Shouted the man who was carrying a huge axe.

Stanley glared at the guy. "Shut up!"

The man carrying the huge axe snorted, but he chose to step back. Stanley was stronger than him so he could only comply.

While they were arguing, Alec whispered to his Communication Rune. "Go!"

Janrose and the others stepped out of their hiding spots and attacked the weakest members of Stanley's group.

"Don't scatter! Hold yourself together!" Stanley shouted when he saw that his teammates were panicking.

Killing was prohibited so Janrose and the rest only knocked out the enemies. When they managed to bypass their barricade, Alec quickly led them to escape the cave. "Let's go! There's no need to engage them in combat!" He shouted.

The rest immediately followed him, while Stanley and his team members chased after them. "Capture them!"

Seeing that Stanley's group was catching up, Alec shouted. "Michael, delay them!"

Michael grinned as he grabbed the handle of his spear. "Roger that!" He then swiped his spear, causing massive damage in the cave. Huge pieces of rocks fell from above and Stanley's group had no choice but to slow down their chase to avoid being hit by the falling rocks.

"Dammit! Archie, follow me! Let's rough them up!" The enraged Stanley shouted as he lunged forward.

The axe-wielding Archie smirked when he heard his words. "I've been waiting for you to say that!" He bolted towards Alec's group and waved the giant axe, creating a massive blade wind that shot through the air!

Swoosh!

"Let me handle it! You guys go ahead!" Alec shouted as he stopped in his tracks. He slashed down his sword and cut the wind blade in half!

Bang! Bang!

Archie was stunned when he saw this. That attack used up about ten percent of his word essence, but it was actually easily cut by Alec!

"Stop spacing out! That guy is abnormal. We have to join hands to defeat him!" Stanley shouted at him while pulling out his sword.

Shiing!

Stanley dashed towards Alec and brandished his sword with all his might!

Clang!

Alec blocked his attack by raising his sword. He then pushed his arms and kicked Stanley's chest which sent him flying in midair.

Stanley somersaulted and landed perfectly on the ground. The kick from Alec made his chest feel as if he was hit by a boulder. 'This guy is too strong!'

Meanwhile, Archie was already standing behind Alec. He swung his axe downward, causing the air to split.

Alec calmly raised his sword and deflected his axe. He then turned his body and elbowed Archie's face which broke the guy's nose!

"Don't follow us!" Alec warned them before he ran away.

"F*ck! Dammit!" Archie held his bleeding nose while looking at the escaping Alec with fury.

Stanley walked beside him as he stared at Alec's figure with helplessness. "We're not his match. If this was a real fight, I'm afraid that the both of us would have already been dead." He muttered while shaking his head.

Hearing this, Archie cursed Alec and his ancestors.

Outside the cave, Janrose and the rest were waiting for Alec. Their Navigation Rune was already working, but they could not detect Alec on their devices.

"Where is Alec?" Christopher asked worriedly while looking at the entrance of the cave.

"Don't worry. He will be here soon." Grace muttered with certainty.

Not long later, they heard the sound of someone's footsteps coming out from the cave. They immediately held their weapons while looking ahead.

"He's here." Janrose smiled lightly.

Soon, Alec calmly walked out of the cave.

"Hey, buddy! I thought that those guys were beating you." Michael slapped Alec's shoulder while laughing.

Alec chuckled and shook his head. "They are strong, but they won't be able to stop me from leaving. Anyway, we should leave this place before they come out of the cave. Although they are weaker than us, it's not a good idea to fight against them. There might be some magical beasts nearby and it would be more troublesome if other groups are close to this location. I've already marked an area and I think it's a good place to look for Keys." He muttered while showing a location in his Navigation Rune. It was a tall mountain with numerous trees around it.

"Looks good. Let's go!" The others nodded their heads in agreement after looking at the map.

***

Aethelwolf's main army together with the Leone Empire's army soon arrived at the borders of the Northern Region. They were immediately received by the soldiers of the allied forces.

"Sir Aethelwolf, your soldiers are strong!" The person who received them was Zion Empire's Gilbert Holt. The old man was shocked when he sensed the strong auras of the soldiers behind Aethelwolf.

"Sir Gilbert, you're fast! You actually arrived before us." Aethelwolf didn't want to talk about the strength of his soldiers since it involved so many of his secrets. Although many already know about the Awakening Pellet, the information about his leveling pills was strictly confidential. He didn't know what would happen if it was relayed to the public.

Gilbert smiled at his words. "The Mystic Island needs more people here to guide the others so I took this job. An old man like me can only do so much." He shook his head in a self-deprecating manner.

"You're too humble, Sir Gilbert. Who would underestimate an experienced general like you?"

The two exchanged some nice words before they headed to the main camp of the allied army.

Many soldiers were already there and the Level 5 Espers were chatting inside a huge tent. Aethelwolf's arrival made everyone stop what they were doing and they hurriedly stood up to greet him. Some remained in their seats and looked at him with narrowed eyes. Although Aethelwolf's name was already famous in the Regalis Continent, they didn't want to suck up to him since they were also top experts of the continent.