CHAPTER 190: CLAIMED

I summoned [Inferno Lance], the familiar heat coalescing in my palm as fire curled and spiraled into a single, deadly shape—sleek, burning, sharp.

Hissra didn’t even flinch. He looked up at me with hollow, scorched eyes.

Then I threw it.

The flaming spear streaked across the clearing and struck him square in the chest.

THUNK.

A sound like molten iron piercing brittle clay.

The lance exploded through his ribs, leaving a charred hole where his heart should’ve been.

Even if he was already on the verge of death, I wasn’t about to take any chances.

I wanted his innate skill—and any other abilities he might’ve possessed. And for that to happen, I had to be the one to end him. Not the seal. Not his own crumbling magic. Me.

Destroying the seal didn’t guarantee that. It could’ve been the cause of his death, or maybe the damage from the Heat Domain pushing him over the edge.

That wouldn’t cut it.

So I made sure. I made it mine.

Hissra let out one final gasp, a rattling, broken sound—and then his body gave way. His skin flaked. His bones crumbled. And within seconds, he dissolved into a heap of glowing ash, the wind carrying away what remained of him.

Then the notification came.

Ding.

[You have killed a Drugar’s Chosen.]

[You have leveled up.]

[You have leveled up.]

[All base stats +2.]

[You have gained +6 free stat points.]

[You have received 700 Skill Advancement Points.]

[You have inherited the Chosen’s Innate Skill.]

[You have inherited all of the Chosen’s learned skills.]

[You have inherited the Chosen’s kill count.]

I didn’t dwell too long on the rewards. Not now. Not when I had more pressing matters to deal with.

Ariel.

I needed to get back to her as soon as possible.

There were still two Chosen left—Gork and Nalia—but I had made a promise. If Gork betrayed his allies, I wouldn’t lay a finger on Nalia. And he did. Turned on them the moment things went south. So as far as I was concerned, that part of the conflict was over.

They’d be spared. For now.

The next step was finding Ariel. Quickly.

I hadn’t sensed any immediate threat in her direction—no tremors, no explosions, no disruptions in mana flow—but that didn’t mean she was safe. Not in this forest. Not with the kinds of monsters and Chosen still lurking around.

I couldn’t take any chances.

I activated [Leap], and in the blink of an eye, the world around me warped.

That familiar pull of displacement—like the wind peeling back the skin of space—washed over me.

Gods, I’d missed this.

The ease. The power. The sheer freedom of movement.

I reappeared inside the tent, the world snapping into place with a soft hum as [Leap] ended.

The first thing I saw was Ariel—unharmed, alert, standing at the center of the tent like a sentinel. She hadn’t moved from her position, still guarding the huddled goblins at the far corner.

Exactly as I’d told her.

Among them were Talia and the chief’s daughter, Zivra, both crouched low, their expressions tight with fear. A few of the other goblins looked dazed, wounded, and one in particular lay sprawled on the ground near the others—his skin half-charred, steam still rising faintly from the burn.

Whether he was dead or simply unconscious, I didn’t know. I didn’t really care either.

I narrowed my gaze, surveying the tense silence hanging over the group. Then asked, voice sharp:

"What’s going on here?"

Ariel looked over her shoulder, her silver eyes glinting.

"They were being difficult," she said flatly, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "So I burned one of them to get the message across."

Of course she did.

"And the chief?" I asked, gaze shifting to Zivra.

Zivra’s ears twitched, her eyes flicking toward me. She looked like she wanted to say something bold—defiant, even—but whatever heat she had fizzled out the moment our eyes met. Her mouth hung open for a beat, then she closed it with a soft gulp.

"The chief?" Ariel repeated, arching a brow. "Wasn’t that who you were fighting?"

I ignored her statement and stepped through the tent flap, letting the heavy fabric fall shut behind me, and scanned the area outside.

Empty.

No sign of movement.

No trace of him.

I narrowed my eyes and let out a quiet breath, trying to feel for anything—pressure, heat, bloodlust—but there was nothing. Just silence.

Has he not arrived yet? I wondered, but even that thought felt uncertain. The problem was distance. I had no idea how far the battleground was from here. I’d used [Leap] to return—instantaneous, precise—but that meant I had no frame of reference for how long it would take to travel back on foot.

That lack of information grated at me.

Then Ariel’s voice cut through the quiet, low and thoughtful.

"Could it be...?"

I turned to look at her, eyebrow raised. "Could what be?"

She hesitated, then answered, her tone more serious now.

"Earlier—just before you came back—I sensed a presence. It wasn’t weak, and it was moving toward the cave. I didn’t think much of it at the time. Figured it was just another Chosen trying to regroup."

I stilled.

"And you didn’t think to pursue?" I asked, keeping my voice even, though my irritation bled through.

Ariel gave a one-shouldered shrug, her expression flat. "After what happened to me? No thanks. You’d rather I chase after a chief-level threat while still recovering? You want me to risk both our lives just because of a ’maybe’?"

"Hush," I said sharply, voice lowered as I pressed a finger to my lips. My gaze swept toward the tent. "Keep your voice down."

I don’t need any of them—catching wind of the fact that Ariel was my weakness.

She clicked her tongue but said nothing more.

If what she sensed really was the chief... then he was likely heading for the cave.

To what? Remake the graveyard I destroyed?

Reconstruct his forces?

I wasn’t exactly...