CHAPTER 14: YES, HUMANS ARE CRUEL

Dante watched as Raoul charged head-on, his blade flashing as he struck at the bear’s face, forcing its attention forward. The beast roared, caught in the deadly pincer of the Death Wolves’ ferocity and the Goblins’ calculated strikes, its massive frame twisting in a desperate bid to fend off the onslaught.

He seized the chaos, ready to exploit the opening created by his ferocious undead attack. Seconds later, he rushed forward and dodged another swipe before stabbing it in the chest and casting Death Blast.mThe necrotic energy burned through its system, only for it to drop dead thanks to all the damage it received.

[Hollow Bear - 200 Experience]

Dante let out a breath as Raoul turned to him, narrowing his beady eyes. ’’This is why I travel alongside you, My Lord.’’

’’Yes, yes, you don’t need to highlight it,’’ he answered.

Following this, Dante turned toward the massive bear that was the size of a small car and cast his special ability. ’’Arise.’’

Moments later, his death magic surged, a torrent of dark energy seeping into the Hollow Bear’s wounded form. The air hummed thanks to the power as his crimson mana poured into the creature, igniting a transformation. The creature’s muscles bulged unnaturally, rippling with newfound strength, its fur bristling.

Its jagged teeth grew into vicious, gleaming fangs, and its eyes, once burning because of the primal fury, now glowed a sinister, blood-red hue. Its body was pulsing thanks to the same energy coursing through his veins. It let out a guttural roar, radiating a terrifying aura, yet it stood frozen.

The Death Wolves and Raoul were watching warily, Dante’s grin widened, his hand steady as he channeled more mana into the Hollow Bear, ready to bend this newly forged titan to his command. Moments later, he ceased the flow of his necrotic energy, the dark tendrils retracting from the bear’s transformation.

It thrashed violently, its massive body convulsing as the last traces of crimson mana pulsed through its veins. Then it stilled. The jungle fell into an eerie silence, broken only by the creature’s heavy, ragged breaths. Slowly, the Hollow Bear rose to its full, imposing height, its blood-red eyes locking onto his.

[Rank D - Death Bear]

For a tense heartbeat, the air crackled. Then, it let out a low, rumbling growl; the beast lowered its head, bowing in submission. A smirk appeared on his face. He stepped forward, stroking through its thick fur as the Hollow Bear made strange noises, but let out a rumbling growl, causing his eyebrow to raise.

’’You know where others of your kind are?’’ he muttered, causing it to nod in response. ’’This is good, now take me to them.’’

Following that, he climbed onto he creature’s back alongside Raoul. Once they were comfortable, the bear rushed through the forest. After some time, the group arrived at another clearing only to see another hole. Dante’s senses sharpened, detecting the presence of several bears lurking in the darkness, their eyes glinting faintly.

A predatory smile spread across his face as he raised his hand, dark energy swirling around him. With a gesture, he summoned his Death Army. The air grew heavy as they materialized around the gaping hole: Sulla, Medea, the Ghoul Warrior, and the Banshee. Their presence sent a ripple of dread through the jungle, amplifying Dante’s dominance.

The transformed Death Bear reared up and unleashed a bone-rattling bellow, silencing the restless growls coming from inside. It was a warning and a challenge all at once. He leaped from his perch, landing with a heavy thud, his dagger ready and red eyes blazing thanks to the anticipation.

As if answering the call, a pack of Hollow Bears surged forth. Their massive bodies charging, claws tearing at the ground. But they were no match for his forces. Sulla’s magic flashed, burning through one bear’s flank, while Medea’s Death mana engulfed another, reducing it to sludge in seconds.

The Ghoul Warrior pounced, tearing into a third with savage glee, and the Banshee’s piercing shriek disoriented the rest, leaving them vulnerable. He moved like a phantom, his dagger slicing through fur and muscle, blood painting the jungle floor. As this was happening, the Death Bear stood sentinel, ensuring none escaped.

In mere moments, the Hollow Bears were all finished, leaving only the acrid scent of blood lingering in the air.

[7 D Rank Hollow Bears - 1400 Experience]

He stared at the dead monsters, causing his eyes to glow excitedly as a strange feeling passed over his body. At first, it was relaxing, but it turned inward and tore apart his muscles, bones, tendons, and everything else. Dante dropped to the ground, prompting the undead to rush to his side. He held his head as notifications popped up.

[Experience: 1050/15,000]

[Rank: FE]

[MP: 134136]

[HP: 126128]

[STR: 170172]

[DEX: 231233]

[INT: 121123]

[CHA: 5254]

[DP: 25402900]

When Dante saw it, he remembered how he had to get to level fifty-one to rank up, then one hundred and one to reach D rank, making him even more powerful. Accepting this, a maniacal cackle ripped from his throat, his mind drowning in the venomous memories of their betrayal, thanks to it coming back to the forefront due to ranking up.

His aura went berserk, scorching his very soul with a molten fury that clawed at his insides. He ground his teeth so hard they might’ve shattered, snarling through the agony. ’’I’ll make those wretched humans beg for mercy! Curse them all! I’ll burn their world to ashes for what they did.’’

After that, the pain faded, allowing him to calm down as he sat up, the creatures stared at him like he was weird. That’s when Sulla appeared beside him, offering a hand up. ’’Ranking up seems to bring back your end, usually it’s not that bad, but it was a horrible death.’’

Dante took the hand and stood up while nodding. ’’Yes, humans are cruel.’’

’Seems like it’s something to do with the system,’ he thought, shaking his head. ’I’ll ask the goddess whenever I see her next.’

Just then, he pulled out a waterskin from his bag and started drinking, noticing the sun was setting. A sigh escaped as he cast Arise over the seven dead Hollow Bears who came back to life.

[Quest Complete - 200 Death Points]

The red glow coming from their bodies lit up the surroundings, allowing Dante to climb onto the leader’s back as he commanded. ’’Find me a safe place to rest, my body is aching.’’

As the undead heard the command, they encircled the Death Bears, who began prowling through the shadowy depths of the Dark Jungle. A new system quest notification flashed, sparking a glint of intrigue in his eyes.

[System Quest: Fight The Dark Wolf of the South – Reward: 500 Death Points + New Skill - Recommendation: Before attempting this fight, rank up again]

Dante’s eyebrow rose, but he shrugged as he thought. ’I’ll wait for a while, the Hunters should be here in the next week or two.’

While sitting on the Death Bear, the Banshee appeared beside him, asking in an eerie tone. ’’Why don’t you stay in the Domain, My Lord?’’

’’It would cost me mana and I don’t have much, so it’s tents for now,’’ he answered as they arrived at a secluded clearing.

When hearing her words, they continued as Sulla’s voice echoed out. ’’My Lord. Do you know what lies in the southern part of the jungle?’’

His gaze snapped toward the Death Lich, responding. ’’More monsters?’’

’’No, a S Rank monster who roams the southern lands, causing chaos for Blackharbour. The Hunters Guild is always sending warriors after it.’’

When Dante heard this, his interest was caught as he nodded. ’’We will travel down there once we deal with the Dreadport humans. I want the Darkmoore Kingdom to know of my existence, and destroying one of their cities will get their attention.’’

Afterward, he focused on upgrading his stats, while Sulla observed him with a gaze that suggested he was a mystery. He allocated twenty Death Points to each attribute, excluding Charisma.

[MP: 136156]

[HP: 128148]

[STR: 172192]

[DEX: 233253]

[INT: 123143]

[DP: 29002800]

While looking at that, the Death Lich spoke once again. ’’Be careful, My Lord. The Darkmoore army is stationed in Dreadport. Dark Elf pirates attack their shipping along the Northern Coast.’’

’’Good, we can kidnap them to travel somewhere else when this continent gets boring,’’ he revealed with a chuckle.

Sulla glanced at him with a strange glow in his red eyes. ’’The humans messed up by killing you. They were scared about you becoming a monster, only to create it themselves.’’

The Lich chuckled, concluding. ’’Well, I’m grateful because now I have a master who speaks for the Death Goddess and is her chosen; nothing else makes me happier.’’

Dante glanced at the emotional undead and responded. ’’Thank you, Sulla, but I still don’t like this human side of you. I remember when you hit me with that horrible Acid Blast of yours, I should turn you into bone broth.’’

’’I don’t expect anything less from you,’’ the undead chuckled.